Motion Picture Daily (Oct-Dec 1940)

4 motion Picture Daily Tuesday, October 22, 1940 'Dictator'Rules Broadway With $119,000 Take (.Continued from page 1) Charlie Chaplin ruled Broadway for the past week with "The Great Dictator" at absolute capacity at the Astor and at near capacity for every show at the Capitol. The first week which ends tonight should gross an estimated $98,000 at the latter house and $21,000 at the former for an estimated total of $119,000. This figure does not include the estimated gross of $8,000 for opening night at both houses. "Arise My Love" at the Paramount, "Knute Rockne — All American" at the Strand and "Down Argentine Way" at the Roxy also established themselves as big draws. "Arise My Love" with Tommy Reynolds' band equalled a three-year mark at the Paramount when it drew an estimated $36,000 for Friday, Saturday and Sunday and should bring an estimated $65,000 for the first week which ends tonight. "Knute Rockne — All America" with Woody Herman's band on the stage grossed an estimated $28,500 for the first three days at the Strand while "Down Argentine Way" with a stage show at the Roxy was good for an estimated $37,500 for the first four days. All will be held over for second weeks. Holdovers were also strong. "They Knew What They Wanted" with stage show at the Music Hall grossed an estimated $51,000 for the first four days of the second week. "The Westerner" opens there Thursday. At the Rivoli, "The Long Voyage Home" should gross an estimated $24,000 for its second week which ends tonight, and will be held over. Ticket Tax Total In September Is Up to $5,851,655 Washington, Oct. 21. — Federal admission tax collections in September reached a total of $5,851,655, compared with $4,407,097 in August and $1,852,256 in September, 1939, it was reported tonight by the Internal Revenue Bureau. Under thfc impetus of the lower 20-cent exemption, collections rose to the highest levels since the post-World War taxes, bringing total receipts for the first nine months of the year to $23,076,687 compared with $14,055,201 in the corresponding period last year. The bureau's separate report for the Third New York (Broadway) District showed collections of $936,486, compared with $549,592 in August and $545,092 in September a year ago. Box-office collections, including season tickets, jumped to $881,250 from $515,927 in August; tickets sold by brokers paid $15,111 against $4,265; tickets sold by proprietors in excess of the established price, $138 against $22 ; permanent use or lease of boxes and seats, $427 against $190, and admissions to roof gardens and cabarets, $39,559 against $29,187. 'North West Mounted Police" [ DeMille-Paramount ] (Continued from page 1) tor Milner and Duke Green provided almost breath-taking background beauty as they captured the scenery of the vast Canadian country with their color cameras. The cast is little short of a showman's dream come true. Gary Cooper, Madeleine Carroll, Paulette Goddard, currently featured in "The Great Dictator"; Preston Foster, George Bancroft, Akim Tamiroff, Lynne Overman and Walter Hampden perform expertly in the leading roles, aided by fine support from a large cast. Cooper once again appears in the type of Western role of which he unquestionably is the screen's master, and in which he is most effective. Cooper, Texas Ranger, rides into Mounted Police headquarters in the Canadian woods at the time of an impending revolt of half-breeds, on the trail of a murderer who escaped Texas law. He crosses words with Foster, police sergeant, when he is attracted to Miss Carroll, mission nurse, with whom Foster is in love. The stage is set for action and bloodshed. Bancroft is the revolt lead er, attempting to rouse the Indians against the English, his stake the illegal whiskey running of the woods. Robert Preston, police constable, and brother of Miss Carroll, is in love with the wild, half-breed daugh ter of Bancroft. From that point the film moves with dramatic force and punch, now and again relieved by the excellent performance of Overman as the dour Scotchman, who was a friend of the half-breeds, but turns to aid the police against the revolt. Highlighting the story are the desertion of Preston from his post, through the wiles of Miss Goddard ; the massacre of a patrol sent on the trail of the murderers of two constables, in a thrilling fight in the woods, the burning of the fort to enable the wounded to escape, and through it all, the work of the Texas Ranger, fighting side by side with the Canadian police. Finally, the revolt put down, Cooper saves the memory of the dead Preston by proving him not a coward, and leaves with his prisoner, realizing that Miss Carroll really loves the sergeant. Running time, 125 minutes. "G."* Charles S. Aaronson *"G" denotes general classification. Exhibitors Must Make Up m Foreign Losses, Says Cole (.Continued from page 1) creased admissions. He contended a better way to increase producers' revenue was to encourage the opening of more theatres instead of discouraging independent operations by making it difficult for new operators to obtain product. The success of increased admissions policies in affiliated houses is no criterion for independent guidance, he contended. H. M. Richey, assistant to William F. Rodgers, M-G-M sales manager, asked for specific instances of an exhibitor having been injured by increasing his admission prices when showing "Boom Town." He urged the delegates to spend more time in solving the problem of making the industry self-supporting, to offset the loss of foreign revenue. Richey told the meeting that M-G-M will do "what it can to try to make the consent decree work." Fred Herrington, secretary of the organization, reported that the Allied unit had sent protests against the consent decree to Attorney General Robert H. Jackson and Assistant Attorney General Thurman Arnold. He also reported on action obtained from state officials in closing 16mm. shows operating in defiance of the labor and sanitary regulations. Ira Cohn, 20th Century-Fox branch manager, here, explained the distribu tion of Red Cross trailers in the fo-thcoming annual roll call. George Dembow of National Screen Service spoke about the company's entry in the accessories field. The decree will be discussed further tomorrow at both general convention meetings and a meeting of the national Allied board of directors, at which Abram F. Myers, chairman, will preside. The convention will close tomorrow night with a testimonial banquet to M. A. Rosenberg, retiring president of the Western Pennsylvania organization. The national board meeting will continue through Wednesday. Bela Lugosi Signed Hollywood, Oct. 21. — Producers Releasing Corp. has signed Bela Lugosi to star in "The Devil Bat," horror film, which Guy Thauer will produce for Sigmund Neufield. Jean Yarborough will direct. Michele Morgan Arriving Michele Morgan, French film player, signed recently by RKO, is due Friday on the Exorchoda from Lisbon, en route to Hollywood. Name Weisfelt Booker Omaha, Oct. 21. — Jerry Weisfelt has succeeded Rube A. Wagle at the 20th Century-Fox exchange here. Myers Query Brings Rebuff By Kuykendall (Continued from page 1) M.P.T.O.A. stands on the decree," Kuykendall said. "It has been reiterated many times in the trade press and in organizational bulletins, as well as to the Department of Justice. ... By ! what authority, imaginary or real, can Mr. Myers demand statements from Ed Kuykendall, who was laboring under the impression that he was answerable to his board of directors only? "My personal opinion is not important, but the widely expressed objections to certain clauses of the decree by thousands of exhibitors are important, and Mr. Myers knows how they stand as well as he knows that his own organization is almost entirely opposed to some of the decree's provisions." "Is it possible," Kuykendall asks, "that Mr. Myers has worked himself into such a position by endorsing the consent decree that he now seeks to becloud the real issue? I cannot forget that this is the same Mr. Myers that dragged in outside reformers to besmirch the industry at the Neely bill hearings, and not being convinced of the sincerity of his purpose in this instance, I feel no inclination to answer any of his demands." E. A. Huse Elected President of SMPE (Continued from page 1) Roosevelt Hotel here. He succeeds E. A. Williford of National Carbon, who continues on the board as past president. Herbert Griffin of International Projector Corp., was elected executive vice-president. Other new officers are: A. C. Downes, editorial vice-president ; William C. Kunzmann, reelected as convention vice-president ; P. J. Larson, secretary ; George Friedl, Jr., treasurer. R. 0. Strock, former treasurer, has been named chairman of the Atlantic Coast Section of the S.M.P.E. T. E. Shea, engineering vice-president of Erpi, was elected governor to serve out Griffin's unexpired term. M. C. Batsel of RCA and Loran L. Ryder of Paramount were also elected governors for two years. The new officers will be introduced at the banquet and dance Wednesday evening. The five-day meeting opened this morning with an address to the delegates by Williford. After routine business, an informal luncheon was held, with the chief address by Frank Capra, representing the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. This afternoon a general session was held and the reading of technical papers continued from the morning. This evening was occupied by a session on sound. This morning the new "black light" developed for theatre illumination was discussed by H. J. Chanon and F. M. Falge of the General Electric Co. J. W. McNair of the American Standards Association discussed the place standards occupy in the film industry.