Motion Picture Daily (Jul-Sep 1951)

2 Motion Picture Daily Tuesday, July 3, 1951 Personal Mention ROBERT B. WILBY of Atlanta, United Paramount Theatre operator in the South, is in New York preparatory to sailing for Europe to spend the summer. • E. K. O'Shea, vice-president of Paramount Film Distributing Corp., and Jerry Pickman, director of advertising, publicity and exploitation, will leave here for Philadelphia on Thursday and will return the following day. • Harry Mandel, RKO Theatres' advertising-publicity director, returned here yesterday after spending three weeks vacationing on the Coast. • Kurt Frings, director, accompanied by his family, will sail from here today for Europe aboard the S.S. Liberte. • Will Hays and Mrs. Hays will sail from here today for a North Cape cruise aboard the S.S. Caronia. • William L. Bell, European recording manager of the Westrex Corp., has returned here from Paris. • Frank A. Ungrcl treasurer of the Westrex Corp., is in Chicago from New York. • Robert Taylor will sail from here today for England aboard the S.S. America. • Frank Woods, Lippert executive, is ill at his San Francisco home. TV. Y. First-Run Grosses (Continued from page 1) Silver Anniversary Tribute to Curtiz Hollywood, July 2.— Michael Curtiz will be the guest of honor tomorrow at a silver anniversary studio luncheon to be given by Harry M. and Jack L. Warner to celebrate _ Curtiz' 25 years of continuous association with Warner Bros. Curtiz was signed by Warner and came to Hollywood on July 4, 1926. Since then, he has directed 80 pictures. Paying tribute to Curtizat his anniversary luncheon, in addition _ to the two Warners, will be the studio's producers, directors and executives. thousand dollars of equaling the_ opening. The picture, already up in the million-dollar gross category, will hold for a ninth week, thus becoming the fifth film to run that long in the house's history. A newcomer, "The Frogmen" at the Roxy, is bringing that house the best business in months with the initial week's gross estimated at $105,000. An ice show is on stage. Extra shows will be held tomorrow. Also doing excellent business by recent standards is "Excuse My Dust" at the Capitol where a first week's gross of $44,000 is expected. Margaret Whiting heads the stage bill. "He Ran All the Way" is ending a two-week run at the Paramount with a final week's take expected to reach $57,000, which is good business. "Dear Brat" will open there tomorrow with the comedy team of Martin and Lewis on stage. New product in the straight film policy houses is showing up well. The Globe expects to top $32,000 for the first week with "Ace in the Hole" and the Criterion will be close to the same figure with its new film, "The Prowler." This is above average business for both houses. "Hard, Fast and Beautiful" opened satisfactorily over the weekend at the Astor; $25,000 is estimated for the first week. At the Victoria, "The Mask of the Avenger" is having a modest first week, with the gross expected to reach $22,000. "Goodbye, My Fancy" bowed out of the Holiday last night after five weeks ; the final stanza drew about $6,500. "I Was an American Spy" will open there today. The off-Broadway showcases are holding steady with long-run product. Tony Draws a Horse" took in $7,100 for its seventh week at the Park Avenue and is having the longest run of any film to play the house since Walter Reade resumed the management last fall. "Kon-Tiki" is holding to a fine $8,500 gross for the 13th week at the Sutton. "Teresa" at the Trans Lux 52nd Street is doing a bit better in its 13th week than the 12th, $3,600 being the estimate. "Tales of Hoffman," roadshowing at the Bijou, will maintain its consistent pace by drawing about $12,000 for its 13th week. FCC Again Delays Channel Hearings Washington, July 2 — The Federal Communications Commission has again postponed the starting date of its television channel allocation hearings from July 9 to July 23. With the hearings scheduled to run many weeks, the further postponement of the starting date raises anew the possibility that the theatre television hearings, slated to start Sept. 17, may also have to be postponed. Lichtman to Face Eastern Pa. Critics Allied of la.-Neb. To Meet July 12 Des Moines, July 2. — The third annual meeting of Allied of Iowa and Nebraska will be held July 12 at Arnolds Park, la., in conjunction with an outing and party for members, Harry Lankhorst, chairman, has announced. No Paper Tomorrow Motion Picture Daily will not be published tomorrow, Independence Day, a legal holiday. Philadelphia, July 2. — 20th Century-Fox distribution head, Al Lichtman, will appear before a mass meeting of exhibitors from this area on July 11 to face the theatremen's questions and charges about the sales policies of 20th-Fox. Eastern Pennsylvania Allied is to conduct the meeting next week, to be held at the Broadwood Hotel here, with all independent exhibitors invited. In an organization bulletin, Sidney E. Samuelson, president and general manager of Eastern Pennsylvania Allied, said that Lichtman "is prepared to discuss the sales policies of his company and the grievances which exhibitors in this territory have expressed." Illinois Drive-in Files Trust Suit Vs. Majors, B&K Chicago, July 2. — The Illinois Drive-in Theatres Co., operating the Drive-in Theatre in suburban Morton Grove, has filed suit here in Federal District Court against eight major distributors, Balaban and Katz, and Warner Brothers Theatres, and Warner Bros. Circuit Management Corp., asking triple damages of $1,800,000 for alleged loss of revenue from 1941 to the present. The suit charges that the Drive-in Theatre was not allowed to play pictures until 15 weeks after the first Chicago run, from 1941 to 1945, and nine weeks after first run from 1945 to 1947, resulting in the alleged loss of revenue. The chief stockholder of Illinois Drive-in Theatres Co. is N. S. Barger. Coincidentally, Illinois was named as one of the defendants in the antitrust suit filed here at the weekend against six Chicago drive-ins by the Justice Department. $12,000 for 'Thief Detroit, July 2. — With a weekend gross of $12,000 reported, UniversalInternational's "The Prince Who Was a Thief" is having the best opening of any U-I picture to play the Michigan Theatre here. Para. Renews PaVs Option for Year Producer George Pal's option has been renewed by Paramount for another year. During his first 12 months at the studio, Pal completed "When Worlds Collide," which tells the story of the end of the world and the 40 people who escape by rocket to another planet. He is presently working on the H. G. Wells science-fiction story, "War of the Worlds" which describes the invasion of earth by Martians. Mulv ey Completes Detroit Deposition James A. Mulvey, president of Samuel Goldwyn Productions yesterday completed nearly a full week of pre-trial hearings before attorneys representing United Detroit Theatres and Cooperative Circuit, both of Detroit. Mulvey was giving a deposition in connection with the Society of Independent Motion Picture Producers' suit against the two circuits. 60 Houses in 'Lake' Cooperative Ad Sixty theatres in the Seattle area will kick-off today with 20th CenturyFox's "Secret of Convict Lake" in a mass saturation opening. Taking advantage of the cooperative advertising offered by the company, the theatres are participating in a large-scale ad for the film, telling of the day-and-date openings $15,000 to Toronto Tent Toronto, July 2. — According to a checkup by Joe Ziegler of the baseball committee, the Toronto Variety Tent realized $45,000 on the proceeds from the benefit game here in aid of the Variety Village School for Crippled Boys, Six Independents File Against Major Companies Chicago, July 2. — Anti-trust suits by six more theatres against major film companies, Balaban and Katz Theatres and Warner Brothers Theatres were filed here in Federal District Court by attorneys John Sullivan and Eugene H. Dupee, Jr. The theatres claiming damages are the California, White Palace and Homan, which were operated by S. Roberts and Marvin Lowenthal during the period for which damages are being asked; and the Avenue, Bell and Savoy, jointly owned by Nathan Fadim and Leon Kaplan. Steiner Sues Reade Joseph Steiner, president of Broadcast Pictures, has filed suits in New York Supreme Court against the Park Avenue Theatre and Walter Reade Theatres for breach of employment contract and for monies advanced for the theatre while he was managing director from Nov. 1950 to March, 1951. NEW YORK THEATRES RADIO CITY MUSIC HALL Rockefeller Center "THE GREAT CARUSO" MARIO LANZA • ANN BLYTH Dorothy KIRSTEN Jarmila NOVOTNA Blanche THEBOM Color by TECHNICOLOR An M-G-M Picture plus Spectacular STAGE PRESENTATION DUN JERRY mm BARR t ESTES- MAYO BROS. HELEN O'CONNELL ■ DICK STABILE" MOTION PICTURE DAILY. Martin Quigley, Editor -in -Chief and Publisher; Sherwin Kane, Editor; Terry Ramsaye, Consulting Editor. Published daily, except Saturdays, Sundays and holidays, by Quigley Publishing Company, Inc., 1270 Sixth Avenue, Rockefeller Center, New York 20, N. Y. Telephone Circle 7-310O. 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