Motion Picture Daily (Jan-Mar 1941)

Thursday, March 6, 1941 Motion Picture Daily h 4Rio Grande,' Show $14,300, Milwaukee Milwaukee, March 5. — The week's best gross was Earl Carroll's "Vanities" with the film, "Romance of the Rio Grande" at Fox's Wisconsin with $14,300. "The Invisible Woman" at the Riverside, with a stage show, took $12,600. Estimated takings for the week ending Feb. 25-27 : "Virginia" (Para.) ^Life With Henry" (Para.) ^"lALACE— (2,400) (30c-40c-55c) 7 davs. -«-"ss: $7,800. (Average, $4,000) ^*The Invisible Woman" (Univ.) RIVERSIDE — (2,700) (33c-44c-55c) 7 days. Stage: Andrews Sisters. Gross: $12,600. (Average, $6,500) "Come Live With Me" (M-G-M) "The Wild Man of Borneo" (M-G-M) STRAND— (1,400) (30c-40c-55c) 7 days. Gross: $2,000. (Average, $1,500) "Strawberry Blonde" (W. B.) "She Couldn't Say No" (W. B.) WARNER— (2,400) (30c-40c-55c) 7 days. Gross: $6,CO0. (Average, $4,500) "Romance of the Rio Grande" (20th-Fox) WISCONSIN— (3.200) (40c-55c) 7 days. Stage: Earl" Carroll's "Vanities." Gross: $14,300. (Average, $5,500) 'Virginia' $4,500; Montreal in Slump Montreal, March 5. — "Virginia" and "Keeping Company" at the Capitol was the only bill to do better than average business in a slow week, with $4,500. "The Philadelphia Story" drew $6,500 in the second week at Loew's. Estimated takings for the week ending Feb. 27: ■ "Kit Carson" (U. A.) "Where Did You Get That Girl?" (Univ.) ORPHEUM— (1,000) (30c-43c) 7 days. Gross: $3,500. (Average, $4,000) "The Philadelphia Story" (M-G-M) LOEW'S— (2,900) (30c-40c-60c) 7 days, 2nd week. Gross: $6,500. (Average, $7,000) "Kitty Foyle" (RKO) PALACE— (2,200) (25c-45c-6Sc) 7 days. Gross: $5,500. (Average, $7,000. "Virginia" (Para.) "Keening Company" (M-G-M) CAFITOL— (2,800) (25c-45c-55c) 7 days. Gross: $4,500. (Average, $4,000) "Dulcy" (M-G-M) "Gall and Sons" (M-G-M) PRINCESS — (2,200) "(25c -40c -50c) 7 days. " .,900. (Average, $2,500) Gross 'Virginia' $7,000 New Haven's High New Haven, March 5. — A week of school vacation helped business. The Paramount with "Virginia" and "Blackout" took $7,000. "Strawberry Blonde" and "Father's Son" at the Roger Sherman grossed $6,600. Estimated takings for the week ending Feb. 28 : "Land of Liberty" (M-G-M) "Laddie" (RKO) COLLEGE — (1,499) (39c-50c) 7 days. Gross: $1,700. (Average, $2,700) "Andy Hardy's Private Secretary" (M-G-M) "Lcne Wolf Keeps a Date" (Col.) LOEW-POLI— (3,040) (39c-50c) 7 days. Gross: $9,500. (Average, $8,000) "Virginia" (Para.) "Blackout" (U. A.) PARAMOUNT— (2,348) (39c-50c) 7 days. Gross: $7,000. (Average. $4,500) "Strawberry Blonde" (W. B.) "Father's Son" (W. B.) ROGER SHERMAN— (2,200) (39c-50c) 7 days. Gross: $6,600. (Average, $5,000) Wobber Leaves on Trip to Hollywood Herman Wobber, in charge of distribution for 20th Century-Fox, left yesterday on a trip to the Coast. En route he plans to stop off at Denver, Salt Lake City, Portland, Ore., San Francisco and Los Angeles. He is expected to be gone about three weeks. Feature Reviews "Here Comes Happiness" ( Warners) 'TPHE problem of a poor young man in love with an heiress and the A difficulties of a rich young girl who can't find a "real" man within her own set are re-examined in "Here Comes Happiness." Mildred Coles is the girl and Edward Norris is the man, while Richard Ainley rounds out the triangle as the fortune seeker who loves Miss Coles for her father's money. Miss Coles is about to be engaged to Ainley but she refuses to go through with it. Her social-climbing mother, Marjorie Gateson, is shocked. Her father, Russel Hicks, remembering his hard-working days as a prospector, secretly approves. Miss Coles takes an apartment in the Bronx where she meets Norris and falls in love with him. Norris fails to understand when he sees her in the company of several rich men, but Hicks works out a reunion. Although it is a simple story, Noel M. Smith, who directed, has provided several humorous sidelights and the film should make satisfactory program fare. William Jacobs was associate producer. Running time, 58 minutes. "G."* Edward Greif "A Dangerous Game' (Unwersal) A NOTHER in the series of socalled adventures teaming Richard \V'Arlen and Andy Devine in the leading roles, this film is out-andout farce, with little to recommend it to other than double bill addicts in the lesser situations. It is composed largely of slapstick excitement and "rarely climbs above that level. A satirical yarn poking fun at the eerie type of detectivemurder mystery, the story lacks the touch of subtle cleverness which is a necessary ingredient of the better films of its kind. John Rawlins, who directed, apparently concentrated on providing as much general noise and excitement as could be engendered from a' sanitarium for the seemingly insane, a man obviously under the influence of drugs, another with a satchel containing an enormous sum in cash, a murder and a whole set of utterly ridiculous crooks all after the money. Arlen emerges as an insurance detective and Devine posing as a masculine nurse in the sanitarium, as Arlen's assistant. Running time, 61 minues. "G." * Charles S. Aaronson. * "G" denotes general classification. Hearings Resumed On Publicists' Plea Hearings were resumed yesterday at the Natiqpal Labor Relations Board offices here before Examiner Daniel Baker on the petition of the Screen Publicists Guild for designation as collective bargaining agency in the Warner and M-G-M publicity and advertising departments. Taking of testimony was completed -several weeks ago in the .cases against the other six major companies. The hearing yesterday was concerned chiefly with presentation of evidence by the Guild concerning the workings of the advertising and publicity departments of the two companies involved in order to lay the basis for a determination of which employes are eligible to _ vote for a collective bargaining agenc}r. Managers Threaten To Strike in Detroit Detroit, March 5. — Claiming that its members were compelled to do janitor work, Local No. 22,313 of the Theatre Managers and Assistant Managers Union has served notice with the state labor board of intention to strike against the William J. Schulte circuit of neighborhood theatres. Fox Sets Reduced Price in Wisconsin Milwaukee, March 5. — Twentycent early bird prices have been instituted by Fox in a number of its houses around the state on various days in the week. At its Orpheum in Green Bay, a "shoppers' bargain matinee" of 20 cents until 2 P.M. is being offered daily while at the Fox in Stevens Point, the 20-cent admission until 6 P.M. has been inaugurated on Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays. At Beaver Dam, Fox is now operating its Odeon all day from 2 P.M. on with a 20-cent admission policy prevailing to 6 P.M. on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdavs and Fridays and 20 cents to 4 P.M. on Saturdays and 30 cents to 2 P.M. on Sundays. Matinee shows have also been instituted by the circuit at its Venetian and Zenith theatres here with a T5-cent admission to 2 P.M. and 20 cents to close at the former house on the first three days in the week. Para. Partners Will Convene in Chicago Chicago, March 5. — Paramount theatres associates will hold a preliminary meeting here late this month before leaving for their scheduled meeting at White Sulphur Springs, W. Va., March 27-29. 'Virginia' Grosses $12,000 in St. Louis St. Louis, March 5. — "Virginia," dualed with "Golden Hoofs," at the Ambassador led the city with $12,000. "Back Street" garnered $5,200 in its second week, having moved to the Missouri from the Ambassador. Estimated takings for the week ending Feb. 27: "Virginia" (Para.) "Golden Hoofs" (20th-Fox) AMBASSADOR — (3,018) (28c-39c-44c-56c) 7 days. Gross: $12,000. (Average, $11,500) "Buck Private" (Univ.) "Flight from Destiny" (W. B.) FOX— (5,038) (30c-40c-50c) 7 days. Gross: $9,500. (Average, $11,000) "Back Street" (Univ.) "Six Lessons from Madame LaZonga" (Univ.) MISSOURI— (3,514) (30c-40c-50c) 7 days, 2nd week. Moved from Ambassador. Gross: $5,200. (Average, $4,000) "The Son of Monte Crista" (U. A.) "Nobody's Children" (Col.) LOEW'S STATE— (3,162) (28c-39c-44c56c) 7 days. Gross: $8,5C0. (Average, $13,000) "Michael Shayne, Private Detective" (2ttth-Fox) "Little Men" (RKO) ST. LOUIS— (4,003) (2Sc-30c-35c) 7 days. Gross: $1,900. (Average, $2,600) 'Western Union' at $8,000, Kansas City Kansas City, March 5. — "Western Union" took $3,500 at the Esquire and $4,500 at the Uptown, for a total of $8,000. "Virginia" scored $9,000 at the Newman. Estimated takings for the week ending Feb. 25-27 : "Western Union" 20th-Fax) ESQUIRE-(800) (28c-44c) 8 days. Gross: $3,500. (Average, 8 days, $2,000) "The Philadelphia Story" (M-G-M) "Maisie Was a Lady" (M-G-M) MIDLAND— (4,000) (28c-44c) 7 days. 2nd week. Gross: $8,400. (Average, $9,500) "Virginia" (Para.) NEWMAN— (1,900) (28c-44c) 7 days. Gross: $9,000. (Average, $7,000) "Mr. and Mrs. Smith" (RKO) "The Case of the Black Parrot" (W. B.) ORPHEUM— (1,500) (28c-44c) 7 days. Gross: $5,000. (Average, $5,000) "Ridin" on a Rainbow" (Rep.) TOWER— (2,200) (30c) 7 days. Stage: Clyde Hager, Three St. John Bros., Winston & Lolette. Gross: $7,000. (Average, $6,000) "Western Union" (20th-Fox) UPTOWN— (2,000) (28c-44c) 8 davs. Gross: $4,500. (Average, 8 days, $3,400) 'Story' with $9,000 Tops Indianapolis Indianapolis, March 5. — "The Philadelphia Story" and "Gallant Sons" were strong in their second week at Loew's, with $9,000. "Strawberry Blonde" and "Convoy" did $7,000 at the Indiana. Estimated takings for the week ending Feb. 28 : "Virginia" (Para.) "Let's Make Music" (RKO) CIRCLE — (2,800) (28c-33c-44c) Gross: $6,500. (Average. $6,000) "Strawberry Blonde" (W. B.) "Convoy" (RKO) INDIANA— (3,200) (28c-33c-44c) 7 days. Gross: $7,000. (Average, $6,000) "The Philadelphia Story" (M-G-M) "Gallant Sons" (M-G-M) LOEW'S— (2,800) (28c-33c-44c) 7 days. 2nd week. Gross: $9,000. (Average, $7,000) "Road Show" (U. A.) LYRIC — (2,000) (28c-33c-44c) 7 days. Stage: Maxine Sullivan; John Kirby and His Orchestra. Gross: $9,200. (Average, $8,000) days. Honor 'U' Manager Cincinnati, March 5.— To honor Peter Rosian, Universal branch manager here, the exchange will conduct a special playdate drive from April 6 to May 10, at the conclusion of the William Scully drive. Ml