Motion Picture Herald (Nov-Dec 1944)

ICTURE ROSSES A statistical compilation and comparison of Box-OfRce Per' formance in first-run theatres gures directly below picture title compare dollar gross with average gross and show relal+ive 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 October 31, 1944. SYMBOLS: (DB) Double Bill— associate feature title; (SA) Stage Attraction; (MO) Move-Over Run; (AA) Advance Admission. INDEX: Over-all performance percentage figures from previously published final reports appear in Service Data section of Product Digest. See last column of Release Chart for Index. NONE BUT THE LONELY HEART iRKO) Final Reports: Total Gross Tabulated $665,100 Comparative Average Gross 630,200 Over-all Performance 105.5% BALTIMORE— Hippodrome 108.3% BOSTON— Memorial, 1st week 124.4% (DB) Girl Rush (RKO) BOSTON— Memorial, 2nd week 110.6% (DB) Girl Rush (RKO) BUFFALO— 20th Century, 1st week 99.1% (DB) CaU of the South Seas (Rep.) BUFFALO— 20th Century, 2nd week 74.3% IDB) Call of the South Seas (Rep.) 54 CHICAGO-Palace, 1st week 109.9% fDB) Music in Manhattan (RKO) CHICAGO— Palace. 2nd week 100.0% (DB) Music in Maphattan (RKO) CHICAGO— Grand, MO 1st week 67.4% (DB) Music in Manhattan (RKO) CINCINNATI— RKO Albee 86.1% CINCINNATI— Keith's, MO 1st week 92.4% CLEVELAND— Warner's Hippodrome .... 78.2% CLEVELAND— Allen, MO 1st week 90.9% KANSAS CITY— Orpheum, 1st week 115.0% (DB) Music in Manhattan (RKO) K.\NSAS CITY— Orpheum, 2nd week 80.0% (DB) Music in Manhattan (RKO) LOS ANGELES— Hillstreet, 1st week 151.3% fDB) Girl Rush (RKO) LOS ANGELES— Hillstreet, 2nd week 92.9% (DB) Girl Rush (RKO) LOS ANGELES— Hillstreet, 3rd week 73.0% i-DB) Girl Rush (RKO) LOS ANGELES— Pantages, 1st week 176.4% CDB) Girl Rush (RKO) LOS ANGELES— Pantages, 2nd week 111.1% (DB) Girl Rush (RKO) LOS ANGELES— Pantages, 3rd week 78.3% i-DB) Girl Rush (RKO) MILWAUKEE— Warner . 91.8% fDB) Reckless Age (Univ.) MINNEAPOLIS— State 94.3% MINNEAPOLIS— Century, MO 1st week . . . 70.3% MINNEAPOLIS— Century, MO 2nd week . . . 70.0% NEW YORK— Palace, 1st week 214.6% NEW YORK— Palace, 2nd week 164.9% NEW YORK— Palace, 3rd week 124.2% NEW YORK— Palace, 4th week 96.0% OMAHA— Brandeis 90.2% fDB) Girl Rush (RKO) PHILADELPHIA— Mastbaum 121.6% PITTSBURGH— Stanlev 68.0% PROVIDENCE— RKO Albee, 1st week 86.4% fDB) Music in Manhattan (RKO) PROVIDENCE— RKO Albee, 2nd week .... 90.2% fDB) Music in Manhattan (RKO) SAN FRANCISCO— Golden Gate, 1st week . . . 116.6% (SA) Vaudeville SAN FRANCISCO— Golden Gate, 2nd week . . . 91.8% (SA) Vaudeville SAN FRANCISCO— Golden Gate^ 3rd w^ek . . . 74.2% (SA) Vaudeville ST. LOUIS— Ambassador 101.2% (DB) One Mysterious Night (Col.) ST. LOUIS— Shubert. MO 1st week 135.5% (DB) Gypsy Wildcat (Univ.) TORONTO— Imperial 91.1% WASHINGTON— Keith's 116.6% • THE VERY THOUGHT OF YOU (WB) Final Reports: Total Gross Tabulated $541,600 Comparative Average Gross 562,700 Over-all Performance 96.2% BALTIMORE— Stanley, 1st week 111.8% BALTIMORE— Stanley, 2nd week 99.3% BOSTON— Metropolitan 92.9% fDB) One Bo^y Too Many (Para.) BUFFALO-Great Lakes. 1st week 118.6% (DB) Dark Mountain (Para.) BUFFALO— Great Lakes, 2nd week 101.3% (DB) Dark Mountain (Para.) CINCINNATI— RKO Palace 88.0% CINCINNATI— Keith's, MO 1st week 92.5% INDIANAPOLIS— Indiana 84.6% (DB) Dark Mountain (Para.) LOS ANGELES— Warner's Downtown, 1st week . 101.1% LOS ANGELES— Warner's Downtown, 2nd week . 90.7% LOS ANGELES— Warner's Hollywood, 1st week . 110.0% LOS ANGELES— Warner's Hollywood, 2nd week . 86.5% LOS ANGELES— Warner's Wiltern, 1st week . . 108.0% LOS ANGELES— Warner's Wiltern, 2nd week . . 86.2% MILWAUKEE— Warner 107.9% (DB) Minstrel Man (PRC) MILWAUKEE— Alhambra, MO 1st week . . . 104.1% (DB) Minstrel Man (PRC) MINNEAPOLIS— Radio City 95.5% MINNEAPOLIS— Century, MO 1st week .... 93.7% NEW YORK— Strand, 1st week 113.2% (SA) Abe Lyman's Orchestra NEW YORK— Strand, 2nd week 82.5% (SA) Abe Lyman's Orchestra NEW YORK— Strand, 3rd week 73.1% (SA) Abe Lyman's Orchestra NEW YORK— Strand, 4th week 66.0% (SA) Abe Lyman's Orchestra ■> OMAHA— Brandeis 98.6% (DB) Mark of the Whistler (Col.) PHILADELPHIA— Boyd, 1st week 128.2% PHILADELPHIA— Boyd, 2nd week 112.8% PHILADELPHIA— Arcadia, MO 1st week . . . 117.5% PITTSBURGH— Penn 97.2% PROVIDENCE— Majestic 102.3% (DB) Bluebeard (PRC) PROVIDENCE— Carlton, MO 1st week .... 138.8% (DB) Bluebeard (PRC) SAN FRANCISCO— Paramount 97.1% (DB) That's My Baby (Rep.) SEATTLE— Orpheum 108.1% (DB) Reckless Age (Univ.) TORONTO— Shea's 104.7% • RAINBOW ISLAND (Para.) Intermediate Reports : Total Gross Tabulated $368,600 Comparative Average Gross 407,200 Over-all Performance 90.5% BALTIMORE— Stanley 118.0% BOSTON— Metropolitan 84.2% (DB) Atlantic City (Rep.) BOSTON— Fenway, MO 1st week 66.6% (DB) Atlantic City (Rep.) BUFFALO— Buffalo 92.3% (DB) Pearl of Death (Univ.) BUFFALO— Hippodrome, MO 1st week .... 91.8% (DB) Pearl of Death (Univ.) CHICAGO— Rooseyelt 100.9% KANSAS CITY— Newman 86.3% LOS ANGELES— Paramount Downtown, 1st week 99.5% (DB) Dark Mountain (Para.) LOS ANGELES— Paramount Do\^ntown, 2nd week 76.9?4 (DB) Dark Mountain (Para.) LOS ANGELES— Paramount Hollywood, 1st week 95.0% LOS ANGELES— Paramount Hollywood, 2nd week 66.1% MILWAUKEE— Palace ^ 90.9% (DB) Shadows in the Night (Col.) MONTREAI^Capitol 111.7% (DB) Henry Aldrich Plays Cupid (Para.) NEW YORK— Criterion, 1st week 103.4% NEW YORK— Criterion, 2nd week 64.6% OMAHA— Paramount 102.7% OMAHA— Omaha 75.3% (DB) The Imposter (Univ.) PHILADELPHIA— Fox, 1st week 112.9% PHILADELPHIA— Fox, 2nd week 70.0% PHILADELPHIA— Arcadia, MO 1st week . . . 101.7% PROVIDENCE— Strand, 1st week 125.0% (DB) Storm Over Lisbon (Rep.) PROVIDENCE— Strand, 2nd week 91.3% (DB) Storm Over Lisbon (Rep.) ST. LOUIS— Fox 90.4% (DB) Dark Mountain (Para.) * Allotment of Raw Stock a Problem Because of a number of uncertain factors, including determination of the volume of supply to be , expected from film manufacturing plants in j France and Holland, the War Production Board ' is encountering difficulties in determining raw ; stock allocation for the first quarter of 1945. Final decision may not be reached until near the end of the year, it was indicated in Washington this week. Lincoln V. Burrows, chief of the WPB photographic section, is conferring with Government agencies on their needs of stock for the coming three months. A steady rise in military requirements, plus heavy lease-lend and export needs, both brought on by the unexpected prolongation of the war in Europe, is making it difficult to get the industry's allocations within the limits of the foreseeable supply without cutting the quotas of some of the claimants, it was said. A meeting with executive heads of producer-distributors, scheduled for Monday was postponed by Mr. Burrows to December 28, or January 4. "Winged Victory" Set for Showing in Many Cities Moss Hart's "Winged Victory," a Darryl F. Zanuck production for Twentieth Century-Fox, has been scheduled for exhibition in a number of key cities before the end of the year, it was announced last weekend by Tom Connors, vice-president in charge of sales. The film had its world premiere at the Roxy theatre, New York, Wednesday, and following that it was scheduled to play in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Cincinnati, Denver, Baltimore, Seattle, Kansas City, Indianapolis, Pittsburgh, Atlantic City, Rochester, Syracuse and Dayton. Mr. Connors also stated that a record number of theatres have contracted to play the film, starting in January, and in each situation effort will be made by augmented exploitation staffs, to assure maximum benefits, because all distribution and production profits from the film go to Army charities. Republic Stars to Attend Lake Placid Premiere Personal appearances of Vera Hruba Ralston, star of Republic's "Lake Placid Serenade," and Roy Rogers, Western star, who guest-stars in the film, will highlight the promotion for the holiday ' premiere at the Palace theatre, Lake Placid, New York, December 28. H. J. Yates, Sr., chairman of the board ; Wil ' Ham Saal, his executive assistant, and Steve Edwards, director of publicity, will accompany the stars to Lake Placid to witness the ceremonies at the Olympic Arena, December 29, where they will be crowned "Lake Placid King and Queen of ^ Winter" at the ice pageant and figure skating carnival. The stars will be in Lake Placid December 29 | and will be greeted at the station by a band and several glee clubs. Their program includes a visit to the Will Rogers Memorial Hospital and the selection of the winning class in the Vera Hruba Ralston Snow Sculpture Contest. Decency Legion Reviews Five New Pictures The National Legion of Decency this week reviewed and classified five new films as follows : In i Class A-1, unobjectionable for general patronage, ' are : "Sunday Dinner for a Soldier," "The Whispering Skull." In Class A-2, unobjectionable for adults : "Between Two Women," "Castle of I Crime," "The Jade Mask." Friendly in RKO Post The appointment of Daniel Friendly to the RKO home office staff was announced last week by Sol Schjvartz, manager of out-of-town theatres. Mr. Friendly recently was honorably discharged from the Army. MOTION PICTURE HERALD, DECEMBER 23, 1944 41