Motion Picture Daily (Jan-Mar 1940)

Motion Picture Daily Wednesday, January 17, 1940 Parsons Unit Is Hit in Loop With $40,100 Chicago, Jan. 16. — "Brother Rat and the Baby" aided by Louella Parsons and her screen star stage troupe sent the Chicago into the lead with $40,100. "Private Detective" at the State-Lake with the Dead End Kids in person drew $16,000. "Intermezzo" (U. A.) APOLLO— (1,400) (25c-55c-75c) 7 days, 2nd week. Gross: $4,200. (Average, $6,000) "Brother Rat end the Baby" (W. B.) CHICAGO— (4,000) (35c-5Sc-7Sc) 7 days. Stage: Louella Parsons and her Starlets. Gross: $40,100. (Average, $32,000) "The Great Victor Herbert" (Para.) GARRICK— (900) (35c-40c-65c) 7 days. Gross: $6,100. (Average, $5,000) "Little Accident" (Univ.) ORIENTAL— (3,400) (25c-35c-40c) 7 days. Stage: Vaudeville Revue. Gross: $13,000. (Average, $13,000) "Hunchback of Notre Dame" (RKO) PALACE— (2,500) (35c-55c-75c) 7 days, 2nd week. Gross: $16,600. (Average, $12,000) "Gulliver's Travels" (Para.) ROOSEVELT— (1,300) (35c-55c-75c) 7 days, 3rd week. Gross: '$9,200. (Average, $11,000) "Private Detective" (W. B.) STATE-LAKE— (2,700) (25c-35c-40c) 7 days. Stage: "Dead End Kids" and Revue. Gross: $16,000. (Average. $12,000) "After the Thin Man" (M-G-M) UNITED ARTISTS— (1,700) (35c-55c-75c) 7 days, 3rd week. Gross: $9,400. (Average, $14,000) 'Wind' Continuing Pace in Cincinnati Cincinnati, Jan. 16. — "Gone With the Wind" took $24,000 in the third week at the RKO Capitol. "Four Wives" gave the RKO Albee $12,300 and "The Honeymoon's Over," plus a stage show, accounted for $13,500 at the RKO Shubert. . Estimated takings for the week ending Jan. 10-13 : "Four Wives" (W. B.) RKO ALBEE— (3,300) (35c -42c) 7 days. Gross: $12,300. (Average, $12,000) "Balalaika" (M-G-M) RKO PALACE— (2,700) (35c-42c) 7 days. Gross: $9,200. (Average, $10,000) "The Honeymoon's Over" (20th-Fox) RKO SHUBERT— (2,150) (42c-60c) 7 days. Stage: "A Night at the Moulin Rouge." Gross: $13,500. (Average, $10,000) "Gene With the Wind" (M-G-M) RKO CAPITOL— (2,000) (75c-$l-$1.50) 3rd week. Gross: $24,000. (Average at 35c, 42c, $6,500) "Swanee River" (20th-Fox) RKO LYRIC— (1,400) (25c-40c) 7 days, 2nd week. Gross: $4,200. (Average, $5,000) "The Return of the Frog" (Select) "The Demon Barber of 'Fleet Street' " (Select) RKO FAMILY— (1,000) (15c-25c) 4 days. Gross: $1,400. (Average, $1,500) "Cafe Hostess" (RKO) "Meet Dr. Christian" (RKO) RKO FAMILY— (1,000) (15c-25c) 3 days. Gross: $900. (Average, $900) "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" (RKO) KEITH'S— (1,500) (30c-40c) 7 days, 2nd week. Gross: $4,700. (Average, $6,000) 'Swanee' Garners $8,200, Tops Omaha Omaha, Jan. 16. — "Swanee River," dueled with "Henry Goes Arizona" grossed $8,200 at the Orpheum. Estimated takings for the week ending Jan. 10-11 : "Hunchback of Notre Dame" (RKO) BRANDEIS— (1,200) (25c-35c-40c) 7 days, 2nd week. Gross: $4,000. (Average, $4,000) "Judge Hardy and Son" (M-G-M) "Honeymoon's Over" (20th-Fox) OMAHA— (2,200) (25c-40c) 7 days, 2nd week. Gross: $6,400. (Average. $6,000) "Swanee River" (20th-Fox) "Henry Goes Arizona" (M-G-M) ORPHEUM— (3,000) (25c-40c) 7 days. Gross: $8,200. (Average, $7,600) Hollywood Review "He Married His Wife" ( Twentieth Century-Fox) Hollywood, Jan. 16. — Herewith the 1940 successor to the "screwball" comedies so popular in seasons past, and one which makes a strong bid to equal, if not surpass, the box-office prestige of its lineal predecessors. Like other comedies of a nature dependent upon marital situations for the source of their humor, "He Married His Wife" is adult entertainment. Typical of the gag lines which had its preview night audience in a constant state of laughter is the one which has Spencer Charters, as the Mayor who is re-marrying the divorced couple, saying "I pronounce you neck and neck," while all listen to the finish of a horse race broadcast. Divorced because of the husband's inability to concentrate on anything except horses, the couple played by Joel McCrea and Nancy Kelly get around to re-marrying only after a continuously comic interlude involving alimony, more horses, a country house party and such masters of the comic technique as Roland Young, Mary Boland and Barnett Parker. Adding to the name value are Cesar Romero, as an impetuous gallant who turns out to have a wife of his own, Lyle Talbot as the dull young man in love with the heroine, if such she is, and Mary Healy. Elisha Cook, Jr. maintains the performance standard set by the rest of the cast in an excellent interpretation of a youth smitten with the benefits of Yoga, involving eyeball-popping and somewhat sustained breathing effects. Sam Hellman, Darrell Ware, Lynn Starling and John O'Hara have contributed a screen play with celery-crisp dialogue, working from an original story by Erna Lazarus and Scott Darling. Roy Del Ruth's direction points up and adds to the story and dialogue content in a manner which never allows the effect of one situation to drop before another takes its place in the humorous scheme. Raymond Griffith provided capably for the picture's dressing, working as associate producer on the Darryl Zanuck side of the studio. Running time, 83 minutes. "A."* Walter Selden *"A" denotes adult classification. 'Hunchback' Gets $12,000, St. Louis St. Louis, Jan. 16. ■ — Inclement weather proved a difficult obstacle. "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" took $12,000 at the Fox. Estimated takings for the week ending Jan. 11 : "Judge Hardy and Son" (M-G-M) "Those High Grey Walls" (Col.) LOEWS STATE^(3,162) (25c-40c-55c) 7 days. Gross: $13,000. (Average, $13,000) "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" (RKO) FOX— (5,038) (25c-40c-55c) 7 days. Gross: $12,000. (Average, $11,000) "Swanee River" (20th-Fox) "Destry Rides Again" (Univ.) MISSOURI— (3,514) (25c-40c-55c) 7 days. Gross: $5,500. (Average, $4,000; "Four Wives" (W. B.) "Private Detective" (W. B.) AMBASSADOR— (3,018) (25c.40c-55c) 7 days. Gross: $12,500. (Average, $11,500) 'Swanee' Big $9,500 New Haven Leader New Haven, Jan. 16. — -"Swanee River" and "Joe an(j Ethel Turp Call mi the President" at the Loew-Poli grossed $9,500. The second week of "Balalaika" and "Those High Grey Walls" took §2,700 at the College. Estimated takings for the week ending Jan. 1 1 : "Balalaika" (M-G-M) "Those High Grey Walls" (Col.) COLLEGE— (1,469) (35c-50c) 7 days, 2nd week. Gross: $2,700. (Average, $2,700) "Swanee River" (ZOth-Fox) "Joe and Ethel Turp Call on the President" (M-G-M) LOEW-POLI— (3,040) (35c-50c) 7 days. Gross: $9,500. (Average, $8,000) "The Great Victor Herbert" (Para.) "Emergency Squad" (Para.) PARAMOUNT— (2.348) (35c-50c) 4 days, holdovers. Gross: $4,000. (Average, $4,000) "Four Wives" (W. B.) "Two Bright Boys" (Univ.) 'Invisible Stripes" (W. B.) "Flying Deuces" (RKO) ROGER SHERMAN— (2,200) (35c-50c) 7 days. Gross: $4,100. (Average, $5,000) 'Evidence,' Stage Lead Milwaukee Milwaukee, Jan. 16. — "Missing Evidence" on the screen and Bert Wheeler, Ken Harvey and Dave Schooler on the stage of the Riverside was the week's best grosser with $8,400. Snow hurt business. Estimated takings for the week ending Jan. 1 1 : "The Great Victor Herbert" (Para.) "Law of the Pampas" (Para.) PALACE— (2,400) (25c-35c-50c) 7 days. Gross: $5,100. (Average, $4,000) "Missing Evidence" (Univ.) RIVERSIDE— (2,700) (25c-30c-35c) 7 days. Stage: Bert Wheeler, Ken Harvey, Dave Schooler. Gross: $8,400. (Average, $6,500) "Gulliver's Travels" (Para.) "Meet Dr. Christian" (RKO) "Balalaika" (M-G-M) "Joe and Ethel Turp Call on the President" (M-G-M) STRAND— (1,400) (25c-35c-50c) 4-3 days. Split week. Gross: $1,800. (Average, $1,500) "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" (RKO) WARNER— (2,400) (25c-35c-50c) 7 days, 2nd week. Gross: $4,800. (Average, $4,500) "Balalaika" (M-G-M) "Joe and Ethel Turp Call on the President" (M-G-M) "Swanee River" (ZOth-Fox) "The Honeymoon's Over" (20th-Fox) WISCONSIN— (3,200) (25c-35c-50c) 4-3 days. Split week. Gross: $5,900' (Average, $5,500) Win 'Nation' Decision Stone Film Library, Inc. ; Treo Film Exchange of N. Y., Inc. ; Marion T. Stone and David M. Sohmer have been directed by Federal Judge Alfred C. Coxe to pay $3,500 damages to the Epoch Producing Corp. and Thomas Dixon. Plaintiffs had secured a decision in their favor on Nov. 22 after they had filed suit for an injunction and accounting in which the defendants were charged with illegally distributing and exhibiting the film, "Birth of a Nation." Tour Wives' Is Denver Hit With $11,000 Denver, Jan. 16. — "Four Wives" took $11,000 at the Denver. "Gulliver's Travels" turned in $6,500 in its third week at the Denham. A heavy snowstorm and severe cold wav#M.it grosses. ^L' Estimated takings for the week ending Jan. 10: "Swanee River" (ZOth-Fox) ALADDIN— (1,400) (25c-40c) 7 days, 2nd week. Gross: $3,500. (Average, $3,500) "Judge Hardy and Son" (M-G-M) "Mexican Spitfire" (RKO) BROADWAY— (1,040) (25c-35c-40c) 7 days, 2nd week. Gross: $2,500. (Average, $2,500) "Gulliver's Travels" (Para.) DENHAM— (1,750) (25c-35c-40c) 7 days, 3rd week. Gross: $6,500. (Average, $6,500) "Four Wives" (W. B.) DENVER— (2,525) (25c-35c-40c) 7 days. Gross: $11,000. (Average, $9,000) "Hunchback of Notre Dame" (RKO) ORPHEUM— (2,600) (25c-35c-40c) 7 days, 2nd week. Gross: $9,000. (Average, $9,000) "20,000 Men a Year" (ZOth-Fox) "Little Accident" (Univ.) PARAMOUNT— (2,200) (25c-40c) 7 days. Gross: $5,000. (Average, $3,500) "Everything Happens at Night" (20th-Fox) "Heroes in Blue" (Mono.) RIALTO— (878) (25c-40c) 7 days, "Everything Happens" 3rd week. Gross: $1,750. (Average, $1,750) 'Rulers' at $7,500 Leads Kansas City Kansas City, Jan. 16. — Holdovers, cold weather, Golden Gloves tournament and the Philharmonic depressed first run takings here. "Rulers of the Sea" took $7,500 at the Newman. Estimated takings for the week ending Jan. 9-11 : "Swanee River" (20th-Fox) ESQUIRE— (800) (25c-40c) 6 days, 2nd week. Gross: $1,800. (Average, 6 days, $2,200) "Raffles" (U. A.) "Music in My Heart" (Col.) MIDLAND— (4,000) (25c-40c) 7 days. Gross: $8,100. (Average, $10,500) "Rulers of the Sea" (Para.) NEWMAN— (1,900) (25c-40c) 7 days. Gross: $7,500. (Average, $7,000) "Hunchback of Notre Dame" (RKO) ORPHEUM— (1,500) (25c-40c) 11 days, 2nd week. Gross: $7,500. (Average. 11 days, $7,800) "Legion of Lost Flyers" (Univ.) TOWER— (2,200) (25c) 7 days. Stage: La Conga Carnival, including Harry Kahne, Three Youman Bros., Dorothy Dickson. Gross: $5,300. (Average, $5,000) "Swanee River" (20th-Fox) UPTOWN— (2,000) (25c-40c) 6 days, 2nd week. Gross: $2,800. (Average, 6 days, $3,300) Cincinnati's Bingo Gross $1,924,681 Cincinnati, Jan. 16. — A total of 1,431,861 patrons attended 2,289 Bingo parties here in 1939, at which receipts were $1,924,681.19, and prizes, $465,721.59, leaving net profit of $1,458,959.60 to sponsoring organizations, according to Police Chief Eugene T. Weatherly in his report to City Manager C. O. Sherrill, who issues playing permits to religious and charitable groups. In averages, there were 44 games per week, with a weekly attendance of 44,766.5. "Although theatre attendance was \ approximately four times greater than that of Bingo parties, theatre grosses were but little more than twice as much," the chief commented, adding that the average theatre admission was 35 cents, compared with net cost of 60 cents per person at Bingo parties.