Motion Picture Daily (Jan-Mar 1942)

January 12, 1942 Motion Picture Daily 5 "hin Man' Is L,oop Leader In Big Week — hicago, Jan. 11. — Grosses were I'inous in the Loop. The Chicago > "Shadow of the Thin Man" and iiige show led with $58,000. The intal with "Three Girls About hi" and Ted Lewis' band, and the T-Lake with "Birth of the Blues" . $30,000 and $35,000 respectively, -timated receipts for the week he Jan1 : iky Took" (M-G-M) (5 days) (Sth reek in Loop «s on Broadway" (M-G-M) (2 days) OLLO— (1,400) (30c-40c-59c) 7 days. $11,500. (Average, $5,000) dow of the Thin Man" (M-G-M) • ICAGO— (4,000) (35c-55c-75c) 7 days. Erskine Hawkins Band and The pots. Gross: $58,000. (Average, $32. ■p 'Em Flying" (Univ.) RRICK— (1,000) (35c-55c-75c) 7 days. week in Loop.) Gross: $11,000. rage. $5,000) ee Girls About Town" (Col.) IENTAL — (3,200) (25c-35c-40c-50c) 7 Stage — Ted Lewis orchestra. Gross: •JO. (Average, $16,000) nbo" (RKO) expected Uncle" (RKO) (5 days, 2nd reck) 1 of Fire" (RKO) Gay Falcon" (RKO) (2 days) LACE— (2,500) (30c-40c-60c) 7 day s: $25,000. (Average. $13,000) as" (Col.) try Aldrich for President" (Para.) (S ays, 2nd week) ific Blackout" (Para.) zan's Secret Treasure" (M-G-M) (2 ays) >OSEVELfr— U.500) (30c-40c-59c) Gross: $20,000. (Average. $11,000) th of the Blues" (Para.) ATE-LAKE— (3.700) (40c-44c-55c-75c) ys. Gross: $35,000. (Average. $14.00 . Foot in Heaven" (W. B.) (S days, nd week) •es on Broadway" (M-G-M) ( 2 days ';ITED ARTISTS — (1,700) (30c-40c-59c) •ys. Gross: $18,000. (Average, $14,000 Reviews Jail House Blues {Universal) i Hollywood, Jan. 11 THE idea of convicts engaging in football and other sports within prison walls, considered amusing when first reported in the press, has been developed here to include the staging of a musical comedy by a convict who determines to stay in jail until the show has been held and then, on being pardoned, breaks into the penitentiary in time to make a success of the production without leave. It is a natural development of the idea and played with considerable force, realism and humor by Nat Pendleton, Warren Hymer, Robert Paige, who sings a pair of songs, Elizabeth Risdon, Anne Gwynne, Horace MacMahon, Samuel S. Hinds and a large cast. In the script by Paul Gerard Smith and Harold Tarshis, from an original by Smith, Pendleton is persuaded to leave the prison on pardon only after his rehearsed star has escaped and for the purpose of bringing him back to appear in the prison show. While seeking him, unsuccessfully, he engages in some rough and tumble adjusting of his mother's business, which is managing a crew of professional panhandlers. He returns to stage the show, to which his associates have forcibly brought New York dramatic critics, and it turns out to be a hit, at which point the picture ends abruptly. Albert S. Rogell directed for associate producer Ken Goldsmith. Their picture is a novelty within its bracket. Running time, 62 minutes. "G."* Roscoe Williams iffalo Is Strong; 'Purchase* $17400 L'ffalo, Jan. 11. — The holiday brought whopping grosses, rfhisiana Purchase" at the Buffalo T $17,400. "The Corsican Brothers" .ie Great Lakes drew $15,800. '; timated receipts for the week ,ig Jan. 1 : lisiana Purchase" (Para.) 1 FFALO— (3.489) (35c-55c) 7 days, lis: $17,400. (Average. $12,000) Corsican Brothers" (U. A.) Foot" (U. A.) MEAT LAKES— (3.000) (35c-55c) 7 days, dfs: $15,800. (Average. $7,500) zan Secret Treasure" (M-G-M) 1 Against the Sky" (W. B.) ■■ -PRODROME— (2,100) (35c-50c) 7 days. $10,700. (Average, $6,800) nbo" (RKO) Tanks Are Coming" (W. B.) XJ'ENTIETH CENTURY— (3.000) (35c' days. 2nd week. Stage: Meyer Bal& orchestra, soloists. Gross: $12,800. rage, $7,500) ;as" (Col.) f idie in Society" (Col.) j | FAYETTE — (3,000) (35c-50c) 7 days. *1: $8,700. (Average, $6,300) l| nerates Defense Night ■i i;nosha. Wis., Jan. 11. — Standard v. utres. Kenosha, Gateway, Vogue ■i>, Chief Theatres here, are operatDefense Night each Wednesday, "sday and Friday, in connection , i which U. S. defense stamps and rfl ' s are being used as giveaways. :j] ne Takes N. J. House . iiladelphia, Jan. 11. — Joseph ^Li, veteran exhibitor, long active ^■xhibition, has taken over the I dbine, Woodbine, N. J. OPM Bars Building of New Houses "Man from Cheyenne" (Republic) HERE again are Roy Rogers and George "Gabby" Hayes and this time turning over rock and stone in an effort to discover who's rustling the cattle. Their new adventure stacks up as outdoor fare above the average. After a slow start, it picks up in both pace and interest with satisfying action and a few standard melodies injected into the proceedings. Rogers and "The Sons of the Pioneers" handle the musical chores. Others in the film are Lynne Carver, Sally Payne, Gale Storm, William Haade, James Seay and Jack Ingram. It opens with Rogers returning to Cheyenne and finding that his former guardian, rancher Hayes, and his colleagues are baffled by the disappearance of their cattle. The story runs its course with the discovery that Miss Carver is the leader of the gang of rustlers. She and her men are taken in short order. It's another worthwhile offering from Joseph Kane, associate producer and director. Running time, 60 minutes. "G."* Eugene Arneel "Broadway Big Shot" (Producers Releasing) HP HE ingredients of "Broadway *■ comedy and competent work Hollywood, Jan. 11 Big Shot" — novel plot, excellent in other departments — constitute highly acceptable entertainment anywhere. The story deals with a football playing reporter, who, upon being sent to prison as a ruse to get the story of a huge embezzlement, finds he can't get out when he wants to. So he coaches the prison football team, which hitherto has never won a game, falls in love with the warden's daughter, gets his story, and, as a climax, wins the annual game between the prison eleven and the professional team owned by his publisher. Ralph Byrd, as the reporter, Virginia Vale, William Halligan, Dick Rush, Herbert Rawlinson, Tom Herbert, Stubby Kruger and Joe Oakie head the cast. The screenplay, by Martin Mooney, is full of sparkling dialogue and situations ; the direction, by William Beaudine, paces the elements tersely and effectively. Jed Buell produced, with Dick L'Estrange and Charles Wayne as his associates, and George R. Batcheller doing an over-all supervision job. Running time, 59 minutes. "G."* Vance King 'G" denotes general classification. Charge Games Swindle Buffalo, Jan. 11. — Four men and three women have been arrested here, charged with operating an alleged racket to swindle the operators of chance games. A tip to former Mayor Frank X. Schwab, operator of the Old Vienna Theatre, led to the arrests. FPC Executive Enlists Toronto, Jan. 11. — L. M. Graburn, who has been prominent in Famous Players Canadian Corp. here, and at Regina, Halifax and Vancouver, has resigned to join the Canadian Army for duty overseas. He was a home office official here and also served as district manager for the circuit. (Continued from page 1) dition, it was promised, but the success of that effort will depend largely upon the cooperation of the exhibitors in getting the utmost possible service out of every piece of equipment and every part in their possession. There will be available for replacement parts the equivalentof something like 750 complete projection units, but no complete units are likely to be distributed, since a far greater number of theatres can be serviced by the parts. Indications were given that on many things, such as radiotrons and iron, allocations to the exhibition branch of the industry will be in the neighborhood of 25 per cent of normal consumption. Freon gas may not be available after April 1 ; no motor cork at all will be available; projector carbons may be drastically scarce ; there is no carbon tetrachloride for cleaning and other uses, and in three or four months there may be no wool available for new carpet. In a few commodities, it is hoped to give the theatres a relatively high proportion of their normal requirements, possibly two-thirds of the rubber hose, steel and copper, but whether this can be done will depend to considerable extent upon the degree to which other consumption of those products can be cut. Brylawski told the meeting that there are many materials which will have to be used exceedingly sparingly. Iron, steel, copper, rubber, radiotrons, wool and many other materials which are vital in theatre operation are short and there is little prospect of improved supply in the immediate future, it was declared. Kansas City Gives 'Purchase' $14,000 Kansas City, Jan. 11. — "Louisiana Purchase" scored a smash $14,000 at the Newman in a week of fairly strong grosses generally. Estimated receipts for the week ending Jan. 1 : "Rise and Shine" (20th-Fox) ESQUIRE— (800) (30c-44c) 7 days. Gross: $2,400._ (Average, $2,200) "Corsican Brothers" (U. A.) "Married Bachelor" (M-G-M) MIDLAND— (3,000) (30c-44c) 7 Gross: $8,600. (Average, $8,500) "Louisiana Purchase" (Para.) NEWMAN— (1,900) (30c-44c) 7 Gross: $14,000. (Average, $7,000) "Dumbo" (RKO) "Week-End for Three" (RKO) ORPHEUM— (1,900) (30c -44c) 8 2nd week. Gross: $4,500. (Average "Swing It, Soldier" (Univ.) TOWER— (2,200) (30c-50c) 7 days. days. days. days, $5,000) Stage: "Time of Your Life." Gross: $7,000. (Average, $6,000) "Rise and Shine" (20th Fox) UPTOWN— (2,000) (30c-44c) 7 Gross: $3,000. (Average, $4,000) "Riders of the Timberline" (Para.) MAIN'STREET— (3,500) (28c-44c) 7 Poleck Bros. Circus on stage. $12,000. days. days. Gross : Open New Orleans House New Orleans, Jan. 11.— The Nola Theatre, the latest addition to United Theatres, Inc., has opened. Modernistic in design, the theatre seats 990.