Motion Picture Herald (Jul-Aug 1944)

^ I C K E ^ stotisticul compilation and comparison of Box-Office Performance in first-run theatres CROSSES Figures directly below picture title compare dollar gross with average gross and show relative percentage of all engagements tabulated. Figures opposite theatre names represent percentage of tabulated grosses to average weekly business based on the six months' period ending April 30, 1944. SYMBOLS: (DB) Double Bill — associate feature title; (SA) Stage Attraction; (MO) Move-Over Run; (AA) Advance Admission. INDEX: Over-ad performance percentage figures from previously published final reports appear in Service Data section of Product Digest. See last column of Release Chart for Index. THE STORY OF DR. WASSELL (Para.) Final Reports: fatal Gross Tabulated $966,300 Comparative Average Gross 89 1 ,000 Dver-all Performance 108.5% JALTIMORE — Stanlev, 1st week 134.2% JALTIMORE — Stanley, 2nd week 106.5% JOSTON— Metropolitan 80.0% JC FFALO — Great Lakes, 1st week 122.8% iUFFALO— Great Lakes, 2nd week 108.0% JUFFALO— Hippodrome, MO 1st week .... 78.4% 7HICAGO— State Lake, 1st week 118.0% CHICAGO— State Lake, 2nd week 88.4% XEVELAXI>-Loew"s State. 1st week .... 130.2% CLEVELAND — Loew's State. 2nd week .... 80.7% XEVELAND — Loew's Ohio. MO 1st week . . . 100.0% >ENVER— Denham, 1st week 145.4% i)ENVER— Denham, 2nd week 109.0% NDIANAPOLIS— Indiana 113.2% •NDIANAPOLIS — Lyric, MO 1st week .... 125.0% LANSAS CITY— Newman, 1st week 143.4% 1ANSAS CITY — Newman, 2nd week 124.0% 1ANSAS CITY— Newman, 3rd week 116.2% JOS ANGELES— Paramount Downtown, 1st week 145.0% OS ANGELES — Paramount Downtown, 2nd week 121.6% .OS ANGELES— Paramount Downtown, 3rd week 92.3% JOS ANGELES— Paramount Downtown, 4th week 81.0% .OS ANGELES — Paramount Downtown, 5th week 74.3% .OS ANGELES— Paramount Hollywood, 1st week 121.9% '.OS ANGELES — Paramount Hollywood, 2nd week 113.8% X)S ANGELES— Paramount Hollvwood, 3rd week 85.3% JOS ANGELES— Paramount Hollywood, 4th week 69.1% -OS ANGELES— Paramount Hollvwood, 5th week 97.5% IIXNEAPOLIS— Radio City 120.0% IINNEAPOLIS— Centurv. MO 1st week . . . 98.5% IINNEAPOLIS— Centurv. MO 2nd week . . . 91.5% TEW YORK— Rivoli, 1st week 131.2% 'EW YORK— Rivoli, 2nd week 114.9% EW YORK— Rivoli, 3rd week 110.2% EW YORK— Rivoli, 4th week 102.3% EW YORK— Rivoli, 5th week 97.0% EW YORK— Rivoli, 6th week 96.4% MAHA— Paramount 96.5% [TTSBURGH— Penn . . 125.6% AN FRANCISCO— Fox 152.0% (DB) Leave It to the Irish (Mono.) AN FRANCISCO— St. Francis, MO 1st week . 97.6% (DB) Leave It to the Irish (Mono.) AN FRANCISCO— St. Francis, MO 2nd week . 111.1% (DB) Leave It to the Irish (Mono.) EATTLE — Fifth Ave., 1st week 123.5% BATTLE— Fifth Ave., 2nd week 80.0% ORONTO— Shea's 91.7% 'ASHINGTON — Earle, 1st week 130.4% '(SA) Vaudeville WASHINGTON— Earle, 2nd week 106.2% [ (SA) Vaudeville ''ASHINGTON— Metropolitan. MO 1st week . . 102.6% WO GIRLS AND A SAILOR (MCM) Final Reports: otal Gross Tabulated $904,600 ;omparative Average Gross 860,300 •ver-all Performance 105.1% ALTTMORE— Century, 1st week 111.4% ALTIMORE— Centurv. 2nd week 91.4% 3STON— Orpheum 120.1% OSTON-State 87.4% ' JFFALO — Buffalo 80.0% JFFALO — Hippodrome. MO 1st week .... 98.0% NCINNATI — RKO Palace. 1st week 89.1% NCINNATT — RKO Palace, 2nd week 85.1% JEVELAND— Loew's State . 83.3% ->EV ELAND — Loew's Stillman, MO 1st week . 83.3% -EVELAND— Loew's Stillman. MO 2nd week . 88.2% D I ANAPOLIS— Loew's 1st week 121.9% . DIANAPOLIS— Loew's. 2nd week 81.3% : ANSAS CITY— Midland. 1st week 86.7% :'DB) The Black Parachute (Col.) VNSAS CITY— Midland. 2nd week 83.8% a DB) The Black Parachute (Col.) 1 OS ANGELES— Carthay Circle 115.3% DB) Bermuda Mystery (20th-Fox) )S ANGELES— Chinese 114.3% DB) Bermuda Mystery r20th-Fox) LOS ANGELES— Loew's State 123.1% (DB) Bermuda Mystery (20th-Fox) LOS ANGELES— Uptown 117.9% (DB) Bermuda Mystery (20th-Fox) MILWAUKEE— Palace 116.9% (DB) Lost Angel (MGM) MINNEAPOLIS— Radio City 106.6% NEW YORK— Capitol, 1st week 123.5% (SA) Sammy Kaye's Orchestra, others NEW YORK— Capitol, 2nd week 111.1% (SA) Sammy Kaye's Orchestra, others NEW YORK— Capitol, 3rd week 128.7% (SA) Sammy Kaye's Orchestra, others NEW YORK— Capitol, 4th week 97.6% (SA) Sammy Kaye's Orchestra, others NEW YORK— Capitol, 5th week 96.7% (SA) Sammy Kave's Orchestra, others PHILADELPHIA— Stanley 124.0% PITTSBURGH— Penn 91.6% PITTSBURGH— Warner, MO 1st week .... 62.5% (DB) Attack (RKO) PITTSBURGH— Warner, MO 2nd week .... 68.1% (DB) Attack (RKO) PROVIDENCE— Loew's State, 1st week .... 112.3% (DB) The Black Parachute (Col.) PROVIDENCE— Loew's State, 2nd week .... 90.4% (DB) The Black Parachute (Col.) SAN FRANCISCO— Paramount, 1st week '. . . 124.4% (DB) Candlelight in Algeria (20th-Fox) SAN FRANCISCO— Paramount, 2nd week . . . 107.5% (DB) Candlelight in Algeria (20th -Fox) ST. LOUIS— Loew's State, 1st week 96.7% (DB) The Black Parachute (Col.) ST. LOUIS— Loew's State, 2nd week .... 72.5% (DB) The Black Parachute (Col.) ST. LOUIS — Loew's Orpheum, MO 1st week . . 89.0% (DB) The Black Parachute (Col.) ST. LOUIS— Loew's Orpheum, MO 2nd week . . 95.8% (DB) The Black Parachute (Col.) WASHINGTON— Loew's Capitol, 1st week . . . 127.2% (SA) Vaudeville WASHINGTON— Loew's Capitol, 2nd week . . . 110.0% (SA) Vaudeville WASHINGTON— Loew's Columbia, MO' 1st week 106.2% DOUBLE INDEMNITY (Para.) First Reports: Total Gross Tabulated $84,900 Comparative Average Gross 79,600 Over-all Performance 106.6% BALTIMORE— Keith's 100.0% MINNEAPOLIS— State 90.9% OMAHA— Orpheum 103.7% (DB) Candlelight in Algeria (Para.) PHILADELPHIA— Fox 110.8% ST. LOUIS— Fox 119.5% (DB) The Navy Way (Para.) • THE MASK OF DIMITRIOS (WB) First Reports: Total Gross Tabulated $293,400 Comparative Average Gross 289,100 Over-all Performance 101.1% BALTIMORE— Stanley 106.5% LOS ANGELES— Warner's Downtown 104.3% LOS ANGELES— Warner's Hollywood 105.7% LOS ANGELES— Warner's Wiltern 94.8% MILWAUKEE— Warner 113.9% (DB) Seven Days Ashore (RKO) NEW YORK— Strand, 1st week 106.5% (SA) Louis Prima's Orchestra NEW YORK— Strand, 2nd week 85.4% (SA) Louis Prima's Orchestra NEW YORK— Strand, 3rd week 65.2% (SA) Louis Prima's Orchestra OMAHA— Brandeis 118.6% (DB) Jam Session (Col.) PHILADELPHIA— Fox 88.6% PHILADELPHIA— Arcadia, MO 1st week . . . 82.3% PROVIDENCE— Majestic 106.2% (SA) Allergic to Love (Univ.) WASHINGTON— Warner's Earle 108.7% (SA) Vaudeville Business Strong At Theatres in Chicago Resorts Vacation resort communities in the Chicago area are enjoying the best summer season business in years. Reports from Standard Theatres Company, operating in Wisconsin, and the IndianaIllinois Theatres, Inc., indicate that most of the resort towns in which they have houses have doubled in population this summer, and the vacationists still want their film fare. The combination of prosperous times and the curtailment of long-distance transportation facilities is limiting the average vacationist's traveling to 100 to 200 miles. In Michigan City, where Indiana-Illinois operates the Lake, Lido, Ritz, Tivoli and Uptown, business has taken a decided turn for the better, the increase directly attributable to the vacation trade. Wartime conditions have made this nearby town a more popular vacation resort than ever before. The Standard Circuit reports strong business at the Delavan (Wis.) theatre, at the Bay, Strand, Packer and West in Green Bay, Wis., and the Geneva in Lake Geneva, Wis. The same condition holds true in the Bucklen, Elco, Orpheum and Roxy theatres in Elkhart, Ind., which is surrounded with popular vacation territory. Charles Hogan, executive of the Standard, and booker of occasional stage shows playing some of the circuit's houses, reports that no stage shows are scheduled this summer, due to the fine business the houses are doing. Despite the tremendous war production activity still evidenced here, defense plant operators are encouraging vacations for the good of the employees. Universal, Paramount News Set Union Contracts Universal and representatives of Local 23169, Motion Picture Office Employees, AFL, have completed negotiations for a new contract covering some 200 office workers of the Universal home office. The new agreement will be signed shortly and submitted to the regional War Labor Board for approval. The contract replaces an agreement which Universal had with an American Federation of Office Employees local which MPOE took over last April. It will run for two years with provision for reopening after one year for wage adjustments, and sets up 35 job classifications with scales similar to those which MPOE has set for the Warner home office and subsidiary office employees. Provisions of the agreement are retroactive to June 1 of this year. MPOE also has set an agreement with representatives of Paramount News covering about 22 office workers in its New York office. The contract provides for a 10 per cent wage increase retroactive to December 1, 1943, and is for one year. It also provides for a closed shop and sets up 11 job classifications with minimum and maximum wage scales. Issue Duration Permits Chicago projectionists Local No. 110, IATSE, is now issuing "duration work permits" to replace the 40 members now in service, according to James Gorman, president. Twenty of the permits already have been issued. They require the payment of union dues but no initiation fee. The permit men will be required to turn in their cards after the war, unless new vacancies are created. Shoot French Film in Canada Renaissance Films is ready to shoot "Le Pere Chopin," in its Ville St. Laurent studios in Montreal. Fdeor Ozet, the Russian director, has come to Montreal from Hollywood to make the picture with Marcel Chabrier, Francois Rozet, Paul Cambo and Madeleine Ozeray. Other French pictures are planned as well as a version of Stanka Razin, the Russian hero. OTION PICTURE HERALD, JULY 29, 1944 57