Motion Picture Daily (Jan-Mar 1947)

10 Motion Picture daily Tuesday, March 4, 1947 Reviews "Blaze of Noon" (Paramount) Hollywood, March 3 FOR marquee purposes, Paramount's dramatization of pioneer days in the airmail service offers the names of Anne Baxter, William Holden, Sonny Tufts and William Bendix. Sterling Hayden and Howard da Silva lend added strength, and newcomer Johnny Sands distinguishes himself with a fine performance. Laid in the early '20s, the opening of the screenplay by Frank Wead and Arthur Sheekman finds the principals— four brothers— barnstorming with a circus troupe. One of them leaves the troupe to take a job with a small airline which has landed an airmail contract. He is followed by his brothers, who get similar jobs piloting mail planes. The venture starts out rosily enough, but as soon as one of the brothers falls in love and marries, conflict arises. The girl, living in the same house with so many brothers-in-law, finds herself deprived of privacy, of any semblance of normal home life and, at all times, she is less important to her husband — and to his brothers — than flying, with which all four are completely absorbed. Then the youngest brother crashes and is killed. Another brother, hysterical over the accident, gives up flying — but only temporarily. A friend and co-pilot is grounded for recklessness, and his antics lead the company's backers to threaten withdrawal of their financial support. A third brother, haying fallen in love with his sister-in-law, and thereby disrupted his emotional life, crashes and is permanently crippled. Final and most crushing blow comes when Holden, the married brother (and by now a father as well) is trapped bv storm and darkness, and plunges to his death. It is not, certainly, a cheerful picture, and its audiences had best bring handkerchiefs. John Farrow's direction is masterly, and takes full advantage of the many opportunities for suspense which the script affords. The flying sequences, as performed by ace stuntman Paul Mantz, are breathtaking. Robert Fellows produced. Running time, 90 minutes. General audience classification. Release date, not set. Thalia Bell "Undercover Maisie" (M-G-M) ANN SOTHERN'S familiar and reliable "Maisie" comedy character, turning police detective, romps through a series of adventures which are thoroughly delightful. The humor is a blend of sophistication and "corn," thus widening its audience appeal. And the storv is solid, at least until it goes just a little wild toward the climax, when the suspense grows so great that some fans may fear a threatened bullet is going to put an end to the Maisie saga. Thelma Robinson's original screenplay avoids the worn-out paths of workaday crime fiction bv giving over more than half of the yarn to Miss Sothern's training for her police career. These sequences, spiced by legitimate slapstick in a gymnasium, find MaHe pulled back and forth between the amorous attentions of Barry Nelson, her mentor on the police force, and Mark Daniels, her tutor. Finally, armed with a diploma and a badge, she goes forth to track down Leon Ames, a fortune teller whose racket is to rob women who fall under his spell. She calls on the fellow, pretending to need advice about investing money, whereupon a fake real estate agent, Dick Simmons, comes into her5 life. On the verge of trapping him, Maisie blunders and gets carried off by the culprits, who decide to skip town and shoot her on the way_ out. Cleverly, however, she sends word to headquarters, and the cops, giving chase, find her tossing her captors about gvmnastically on a California beach. Performances are uniformly good, under Harry Beaumont's direction. George Haight's production is economical but adequate. Running time 90 minutes. General audience classification. Release date, Feb. 28. ToM LoY Key City Grosses Para. Price Cut 'Helpful' First-runs in New York fought another losing battle with the weatherman over the weekend, particularly Sunday, as snow, cold and generally unpleasant conditions kept many a potential customer at home. Some estimated totals for the current week are good, many are weak and all would have been better, undoubtedly, with less adverse business factors as well as the weather. The Paramount's lowered admission scale, the management reports, provided a "good deal of help," with the first week's gross for "Suddenly It's Spring" and a stage show close to $85,000. This is good but not outstanding. The house looks to stimulate its morning business especially with the price cut from 70-8Sc to 55 cents from opening to one o'clock. This met with public approval as the new policy went into effect on Wednesday but, reportedly, the attendance figures fell off Thursday, Friday and again yesterday. The Paramount claims a week-day average of 7,800 for the new opening-to-one-o'clock period against an average for the past year of 3,400, same time of day. 'Sea of Grass' Good "Sea of Grass" had a good opening at the Music Hall where with a stage presentation the Thursdaythrough-Sunday business is reported at $84,500. The initial week should wind ur> with $133,000. "The Late George Apley," "The Egg and I" and J. Arthur Rank's "Great Expectations" will follow in that order, the last named probably to open early in June. "Angel and the Badman" stirred up boxoffice commotion at the Gotham with $25,000 likely for the first week. "Song of Scheherazade" also scored in its debut on Broadway, with a total of $35,000 anticipated in its first week at the Criterion. "The Best Years of Our Lives" is falling off just a little at the Astor but still reigns supreme as a top money-maker on such an extended run ; the 15th week should be good for $47,500. "Beginning or the End," with Kathryn Grayson topping a stage bill is losing ground at the Capitol where the second week figures to bring in $71,000 ; the first week's gross was $84,700. The Roxy is experiencing a poor week, the third and final one for "The Shocking Miss Pilgrim," with about $68,000 apparent, the five days ending Sunday night bringing $50,000. "Boomerang" bows in tomorrow with Ed Sullivan, Broadway columnist, and Katherine Dunham among those on the stage. Winter Garden Down "I'll Be Yours" is down to approximately $15,000 in a second week at the Winter Garden and will be followed March 15 by "Stairway to Heaven." The latter film is now at the Park, playing on a two-a-day basis, and business for the 10th week is mediocre, at an estimated $10,000. The picture will hold for three extra days, to be followed Saturday by "The Years Between," which will be offered on a continuous policy at popular prices. Third and final week of "That Way with Women" and Claude Thornhill's orchestra probably will give the Strand an unimportant $30,000, "Pursued" will follow on Friday with "Stallion Road" to be next, starting April 4. At the Hollywood, "Nora Prentiss" is not doing too impressively with about $23,000 indicated for a second week. "Blaze of Noon" opens today at the Rivoli, replacing "California" which grossed an estimated $18,000 in its seventh and final week. At the Globe, "Strange Woman" slipped to $23,000, expected, for a second week, compared with $34,000 for the first week. "Sinbad the Sailor" is holding up fairly well at the Palace which looks for $25,000 in a sixth week : "The Locket" will follow on March 12. "The Michigan Kid" at the Rial to is enjoying a good second week, estimated at $8,000, although far short of the first week's $14,000. "Bedelia" lost much of its box-office charm in a fourth week at the Victoria, the gross being estimated at $7,000; "The Thief of Bagdad," a reissue, will follow tomorrow. A total of $8,000— good enough— is reported for the 27th week of "Henry V" at the John Golden, on a moveover. Mexican Exhibitors Resist Price Cutting Mexico City, March 3. — Under the pressure of demands for reduced admission prices, now at a new high of 85 cents in first-runs here, local exhibitors have notified the Federal and municipal governments that any reductions will be impossible to sustain unless wage reductions are also effected. Meanwhile, employes have asserted they will not take a pay cut. Rather, the employes are said to be agitating for wage increases. Cinecolor Board Meeting Hollywood, March 3. — Cinecolor's board of directors meets on March 16 at its Burbank studio, with the replacement of William F. Loss, recently resigned vice-president, among the matters on the agenda. FOLLOWING are estimated picture grosses, exclusive of Federal tax, for current engagements in key \ cities as reported by Motion Picture ! Daily correspondents. BALTIMORE For the second consecutive weekend, i bad weather has affected grosAS 'j?sti | mated receipts for the weeftsjSiding March 6 : THE MIGHTY McGURK (M-G-M)— CENTURY (3,000) (29c-37c-46c-54c and 56c | weekends) 7 days. Gross: $14,500. (Average: $14,000) CALIFORNIA (Para.)— KEITH'S (2,406) I (29c-37c-44c-50c) 7 days, 2nd week. Gross: I $12,500. (Average: $12,000) THE SHOCKING MISS PILGRIM (Ztth Fox) — NEW (1,800) (28c-40c-50c-58c) 7 days, 2nd week. Gross: $11,000. (Average: $12, j 000) 1 NORA PRENTISS (WB)— STANLEY (3, 280) (29c -37c -50c -58c) 7 days. Gross: $16,500. (Average: $16,500) BEAT THE BAND (RKO Radio) — HIPPODROME (2,205) (29c -37c -50c -59c) 7 days. With stage show. Gross: $18,500. (Average: $17,500) SINBAD THE SAILOR (RKO Radio) TOWN (1,450) (29c-37c-56c) / days. Gross: | $12,500. (Average: $11,500) ,, A SCANDAL IN PARIS (UA)MAY I FAIR (1,000) (21c-29c-45c) 7 days. Gross: $5,500. (Average: $5,500) BRIEF ENCOUNTER (U-I) — LITTLE (328) (29c-37c-56c) 7 days. Gross: $3,000. 1 (Average: $3,000) ATLANTA Business is satisfactory, considering the fact that the weather has been very cold. Estimated receipts for the week ending March 5 : THE DARK MIRROR (U-I)— FOX (4,661) (55c-60c) Gross: $12,000. (Average: $13,000) THE VERDICT (WB) — PARAMOUNT 1 (2,447) (55c-60c) Gross: $8,000. (Average: $8 200) HUMORESQUE (WB)— ROXY (2,446) (5Sc ! 60c) 2nd week, moveover from Fox. Gross: i $5,700. (Average: $5,600) SHADOW OF A WOMAN (WB) and CRIMINAL COURT (RKO1 Radio)— Capitol i (2,446) (44c-50c) Gross: $4,500. (Average: $4 200) LADY IN THE LAKE (M-G-M)— LOEWS I GRAND' (2,554) (55c-60c) 2nd week. Gross: I $12,500. (Average: $15,000) MINNEAPOLIS Holdovers managed to do near-average business despite a conglomeration of competing entertainment. Es 1 timated grosses for the week ending March 6: BOOM TOWN (M-G-M reissue) — CENTURY (1,500) (50c-70c) 7 days, 2nd week. Gross: $6,000. (Average: $7,500) COME AND GET IT (Film Classics)— GOPHER (1,000) (44c-50c) 7 days. Gross: $3,200. (Average: $3,400) THE SHOCKING MISS PILGRIM (20thFox) — LYRIC (1,100). (50c-70c-I iys, third week. Gross: $5,000. (Average: $6,000) THE JOLSON STORY (CoL)— RKO ORPHEUM (2,800) (50c-70c) 7 days, 3rd week. Gross: $12,000. (Average: $11,500) CALIFORNIA (Para.)-RADIO CITY (4, j 000) (50c-70c) 7 days, 2nd week. Gross: $18,500. (Average: $18,000) DESTRY RIDES AGAIN (Univ. reissue) and WHEN THE DALTONS RODE (Univ. reissue) — RKO FAN (1,500) (50c70c) 6 days. Gross: $7,000. (Average: $8,000) LADY IN THE LAKE (M-G-M)— STATE (2,300) (50c-70c) 7 days, 2nd week. Gross: Gross: $11,500. (Average: $13,500) AMPP Re-elects Vogel Hollywood, March 3. — Robert M. Vogel has been re-elected for the second year as chairman of the Associated Motion Picture Producers' international committee.