Motion Picture Herald (Jul-Aug 1944)

On "Going My Way" • • • PARAMOUNT EXECS. KNOW they have a great picture in "Going My Way." but what amazes them is the long runs accorded the feature by large and small theaters in large and small towns It's no publicity blurb when Paramount predicts that the Bing Crosby starring subject will establish itself among the all-time top grossing pictures of the industry Box office figures to date substantiate that belief as house records have been tumbled over right down, the line Publication of dollars and cents grosses is against Paramount policy, but Phil M. yesterday was given a confidential squint at the figures and all the adjectives such as "colossal," "stupendous." "gigantic" and "terrific" would hardly do justice And yet it's not the figures, themselves, that are so gratifying to the sales department as the sustaining of the high grosses over periods far in excess of normal runs in a large majority of the theaters T ▼ T • • • AT THE MASTBAUM in Philly, "Going My Way" in its first week topped the previous house record by MMi And take Providence, for example, where the picture is in 'its fifth week and where the second week topped tlie first week by ffBMBand the first week set a new house record The Chicago Theater had never played a picture longer than three weeks, but "Going My Way" is in its fifth and will stay at least six.*.... The house average for the Paramount in Newark is but the Bing Crosby picture almost doubled that figure its first week and dropped only WPi the second week and it's still going strong in its fourth week ffMHD is considered an excellent week's gross at the Metropolitan in Boston, but "Going My Way" topped that by a margin of more than SHV the opening week By a strange clause in the theater's lease, a picture cannot play the Met more, than three weeks ..... .so after playing the three stanzas at that ho'use the picture was moved over to the Paramount and Fenway for day-and-date showings and stayed another three weeks At the U. S. Theater in Paterson, "Going My Way" this week is slated to double the usual good week intake of Hi' In towns like Hartford and New Haven, the picture has stayed five weeks and will stay seven or eight weeks at the Brooklyn Paramount T T T • • • WHEN THE PICTURE closed last night at the Broadway Paramount, it had played to an estimated 1,007,000 persons or 3.000 more than saw "lady in the Dark" which was the previous recordholder for the house and which also stayed 10 weeks A look at the 10-week figures revealed that the seventh week was the lowest from an attendance standpoint and yet that week's gross would be considered darn good The final week's gross was well ahead of lhat seventh week intake, while the first week wasn't far below the ttnW mark Runs have been extended far in excess of usual house policies in large and small theaters throughout the land and so it is no wonder that the Paramount execs, are feeling pretty good these days It's another feature in the cap for Leo McCarey who produced it and another outstanding example of the old saying in this biz that a good picture wjll do good business and in the case of "Going My Way" that an outstanding picture will do "colossal" business in this wartime market or in peacetime And a bow goes to Bob Gillham and his staff, for a bang-up publicity, exploitation and advertising campaign that made the public "Going My Way" conscious • Such a picture not only helps the company that made it but goes a long way in building and holding fans for the motion picture industry as a whole ▼ ▼ ▼ • • • AVENGE PEARL HARBOR! Motion Picture