Motion Picture Herald (May-Jun 1946)

PICTURE GROSSES FROM THIS DAY FORWARD (RKO) Final Report: Total Gross Tabulated $573,200 Comparative Average Gross 547,300 Over-all Performance 104.7% BALTIMORE— Hippodrome, 1st week .... 109.6% (SA) Vaudeville BALTIMORE— Hippodrome, 2nd week .... 96.3% (SA) Vaudeville BOSTON— Keith's Memorial, 1st week . . . 123.0% (DB) Blonde Alibi (Univ.) BOSTON— Keith's Memorial, 2nd week . . . 104.6% (DB) Blonde Alibi (Univ.) BUFFALO— Twentieth Century, 1st week . . 141.7% (DB) Ding Dong Williams (RKO) BUFFALO— Twentieth Century, 2nd week . . 98.4% (DB) Ding Dong Williams (RKO) CHICAGO— Palace, 1st week 173.4% (DB) Blonde Alibi (Univ.) CHICAGO— Palace, 2nd week 116.9% (DB) Blonde Alibi (Univ.) CmaNNATI— RKO Albee 100.6% CINCINNATI— RKO Shubert, MO 1st week . 103.7% CLEVELAND — Warner's Hippodrome . . . 92.7% CLEVELAND— RKO Allen, MO 1st week . . 68.6% DENVER— Orpheum 96.3% (DB) Ding Dong Williams (RKO) KANSAS CITY— Orpheum 117.6% LOS ANGELES— Hillstreet 98.1% (DB) Man Alive (RKO) LOS ANGELES— Pantages 114.5% (DB) Man Alive (RKO) MILWUAKEE— Riverside, 1st week .... 96.4% (DB) Dick Tracy (RKO) MILWAUKEE— Riverside, 2nd week .... 69.2% (DB) Ddck Tracy (RKO) MINNEAPOLIS— Orpheum 106.1% MINNEAPOLIS— World, MO 1st week . . . 88.8% NEW YORK— PALACE, 1st week 142.9% NEW YORK— Palace. 2nd wek 113.6% NEW YORK— Palace, 3rd week 80.0% OMAHA— RKO Brandeis, 1st week .... 119.7% (DB) Dick Tracy (RKO) OMAHA— RKO Brandeis, 2nd week .... 89.4% PROVIDENCE— Albee. 1st week 115.1% (DB) Dick Tracy (RKO) PROVIDENCE— Albee. 2nd week 82.2% (DB) Dick Tracv (RK) SAN FRANCISCO— Golden Gate, 1st week . 90.6% (SA) Vaudeville SAN FRANCISCO— Golden Gate, 2nd week . 69.5% (SA) Vaudeville ST. LOUS— Ambassador 100.0% (DB) Smooth as Silk (Univ.) ST. LOUIS— Missouri, MO 1st week .... 96.5% (DB) Cinderella Jones (WB) • THE BLUE DAHLIA (Para.) Final Report: Total Gross Tabulated $812,600 Comparative Average Gross 747,100 Over-all Performance 108.7% ATLANTA— Fox 75.3% ATLANTA— Roxy, MO 1st week 105.2% ATLANTA— Roxy, MO 2nd week 78.9% BALTIMORE— Keith's, 1st week 147.0% BALTIMORE— Keith's, 2nd week 78.6% BOSTON — Metropolitan 117.1% BUFFALO— Great Lakes, 1st week .... 146.5% BUFFALO— Great Lakes, 2nd week .... 78.5% CHICAGO— Chicago. 1st week 124.9% (SA) Vaudeville CHICACK>— Chicago. 2nd week 96.5% (SA1 Vaudeville CINCINNATI— RKO Albee 114.4% CINCINNATI— RKO Shubert, MO 1st week . 125.0% DENVER — Denham 144.0% A statistical compilation and comparison of Box Office Performance in first run tlieatres KANSAS CITY— Newman 126.7% MINNEAPOLIS— Radio City 92.4% MINNEAP'^LIS— Century, MO 1st week . . 79.3% NEW YORK— Paramount, 1st week .... 125.2% (SA) Cab Calloway's Orchestra, Mills Brothers NEW YORK— Paramount, 2nd week .... 108.5% (SA) Cab Calloway's Orchestra, Mills Brothers NEW YORK— Paramount, 3rd week .... 82.7% (SA) Cab Calloway's Orchestra, Mills Brothers OMAHA— Paramount 125.8% OMAHA— Omaha, MO 1st week 107.8% (DB) Girl of the Limberlost (Col.) PITTSBURGH— Stanley, 1st week 14a4% PITTSBURGH— Stanley. 2nd week 78.6% PITTSBURGH— Ritz, MO 1st week .... 111.1% PROVIDENCE— Strand, 1st week 126.0% (DB) Blondie's Luclcy Day (Co\.) PROVIDENCE— Strand, 2nd week 117.6% (DB) Blondie's Lucky Day (Col.) SALT LAKE CITY— Centre 113.2% SAN FRANCISCO^Pararaount, 1st week . . 139.4% (DB) Radio Stars on Parade (RKO) SAN FRANCISCO— Paramount, 2nd week . . 98.7% (DB) Radio Stars on Parade. (RKO) SAN FRANCISCO— State, MO 1st week . . 118.6% (DB) Radio Stars on Parade (RKO) SAN FRANCISCO— State, MO 2nd week . . 63.5% (DB) Radio Stars On Parade (RKO) TORONTO — Imperial 106.4% BADMAN'S TERRITORY (RKO) First Report: Total Gross Tabulated $245,000 Comparative Average Gross 195,800 Over-all Performance 125.1% BALTIMORE— Hippodrome 103.1% (SA) Vaudeville BOSTON— Boston 108.1% (,SA) Vaudeville BUFFALO— Twentieth Century, 1st week . . 157.5% (DB) A Game of Death (RKO) BUFFALO— Twentieth Century, 2nd week . . 94.4% (DB) A Game of Death (RKO) CHICAGO— Palace, 1st week . 141.3% (DB) Dressed to Kill (Univ.) CHICAGO— Palace, 2nd week 116.4% (DB) Dressed to Kill (Univ.) CHICAGO— Grand, MO 1st week 120.7% (DB) Dressed to Kill (Univ.) DENVER— Orpheum 120.5% (DB) Partners in Time (RKO) KANSAS CITY— Orpheum 117.6% (DB) Partners in Time (RKO) NEW YORK— Victoria 192.7% OMAHA— RKO Brandeis, 1st week 119.7% (DB) Ding Dong Williams (RKO) OMAHA— RKO Brandeis, 2nd week 78.9% (DB) Ding Dong Williams (RKO) • HEARTBEAT (RKO) First Report: Total Gross Tabulated $212,600 Comparative Average Gross 213,200 Over-all Performance 99.7% BALTIMORE— Hippodrome 92.57o (SA) Vaudeville BOSTON— Memorial 112.7% CDB) Man in Gray (Mono.) BUFFAL(3— Twentieth Century 141.7% (DB) Swing Parade of 1946 (Mono.) MINNEAPOLIS— Orpheum 106.1% NEW YORK— Palace, 1st week 135.7% NEW YORK— Palace, 2nd week 82.1% NEW YORK— Palace, 3rd week 77.8% NEW YORK— Palace, 4th week 60.7% SAN FRANCISC(5— Golden Gate 108.8% (SA) Vaudeville Production in India Leaps with Restrictions Off By Bombay Correspondence The relaxation of the licensing system for production in India of features and shorts which prevailed during the war came to an end last year. This has given a fillip to production and more than 100 new producing companies — most of them with limited capital— have been floated. There is, therefore, a great demand for raw film as well as for equipment. This demand has given rise to black market operations. The black market price of 1,000 feet of negative is about five times the officially quoted price. At the present time raw stock made by Eastman and duPont is available. It is expected that Geveart of Belgium will soon introduce its product here. Although Indian film men look to the U. S. for their equipment, that equipment is only trickling in. This adds to the difficulties in the expansion of the industry in both production and exhibition, particularly the latter. In recent months the restrictions on building materials have been eased. However, materials and wages are still three times higher than pre-war prices. V Since last month the import duty on raw and exposed films has been increased. Compared with the old rate, the import duty on raw stock has been increased by about 130 per cent, while it has been increased on exposed film by about 27.5 per cent. Although India produces on an average of 150 features a year, about 250 films are imported from abroad, the majority of them from the U. S. V Central Cine Corporation, Bombay, has acquired from the Government of India the production and distribution rights to Indian News Parade and Information Films of India. A. J. Patel, in charge of Central Cine, has reported that the Parade newsreels vnW get under way immediately, but that work on the documentaries will be delayed for several weeks. Newsreel cameramen have been appointed and distribution centers have been established for Indian News Parade. Protest Early Sunday Sale Of Baseball Tickets Philadelphia theatre owners are protesting the sale of Sunday tickets by the American and National League Baseball Clubs, which are placed on sale as early as 10:30 A.M. The Sunday blue laws prohibit the sale of amusement tickets before 2 P.M., and the film men have obeyed this law since its passage by the legislature. The protesting group is making a study of the situation to determine how the clubs can open their parks in the mornkig without meeting legal opposition. Figures directly below picture title compare estimated dollar gross with average gross and show relative percentage of all engagements tabulated. figures opposite theatre names represent percentage of tabulated grosses to average >veekly business based on the six months' period ending April 30, 1946. SYMBOLS: (DB) Double Bill— associate feature title; (SA) Stage Attraction; (MO) MoveOver Run; (AA) Advance Admission. ilNDEX: Over-all performance percentage figures from previously published final reports appear in Service Data section of Product Digest. See last column of Release Chart tor Index. 58 MOTION PICTURE HERALD, JUNE 15, 1946