Variety (May 1942)

M«y 27, 1942 ADVERTISEMENT 19 IT'S ALWAYS rAltMAIWK THE EXTRA N»ws on J Gossip About thm Production and Distribution of fh» Bmst Show In Town I 'GUN* STILL BOOING AT B.O. NOW DO YOU BELIEVE IN WITCHCRAFT? JT BERTS'FLEET' Ladd Skedded for Top Part in 'Storm' Due to 'Gun's' Bullseye With Crix and Fans — 'Glass Key' and 'Immortal Mr. Gray' to Come First—^Will Go on Air During New York Visit TECHNICAL STUFF Here's Vcronlc* L»ke at she sppeari in the title role of 1 Married a Witoh' opposite Fredric March, her next plotare followinf 'ThU Gun for Hire.' The cat's what Is technically known amonc witches and war- locks as ber familiar.' 'Reap Still Outgrossing mm; Date After Date, Week After Week Cecil B. DeMUIe's Technicolor epic 'Reap the Wild Wind' con- tinued to write boxiSftice history last week, "both in new^dates and In holdovers. Business almost everywhere was sharply above similar dates lor that last great DeMille smash, 'North West Mounted Police.' From the exhibitor's point of view, last week's reports of grosses had particular interest because they added to the growing pile of evidence that 'Reap' opens' BIG everywhere—and then builds; not for just a week, but for two, three and four weeks. - In the Warfleld Theatre, Frisco, for example, 'Reap's' gross for the ■fourth week was a sock 30 per cent above the picture's third week take. At the Majestic in San Antonio, where 'Reap's' first week was above 'North West'' by a good margin, ■ holdover week's business Jumped the difference startlingly. Second week's business on 'Reap' topped 'Mounted's' second week by better than 100 per cent, At the Metropolitan in Boston the same- story was apparent. 'Heap's' third week started with opening day's business 50 per cent above the first day of 'North West .Mounted Police's' third. Meanwhile, new openings of the picture followed the Jiattern of almost every booking to date— business strongly above 'Mounted' day after day. Senator, Sacramento, showed 'Reap' outgrossing 'Mount- ed' by 30 per cent for its first week. 'Reap' was beating its predecessor, " toOi In the Metropolitan, Morgan- town; ,the Fox,-Oakland, Cal.; the Malcp Theatre in Memphis, and the Lincoln Theatre in iSrenton. CAUGHT IN DRAH, HE BALLYS WNDF Nicholas larrocci, ticket-takee for Loew's New Rochelle, was among the men who boarded a train for an Army camp last week. And the following day the 'New Rochelle Standard Star' carried this story: '...one of the draftees car- ried loyally to his former em- ployer .all the way yesterday morning. ■ ■ Along the line of march he carried a sign adver- tising the show now-playing at the theatre where he was tick- et-collector. -After boarding the train,- he stuck his head out the window and called atten- tion to it. The last thing one could see as- the train pulled away was the-sign,- blowing in the breeze and reading 'Go SEE 'My Favorite Blonde." Purchase Turchase- Pips Film fans are going to get the wish they had when they saw 'Louisiana Purchase.' They're go- ing to see a lot more of at least two of the 'Louisiana Lovelies' fea- tured therein—Jean Wallace and Lynda Grey. Par lifted the options on both last week; Jean goes into Claudette Colbert's. 'No Time for Love'-and Lynda into 'Happy Go Lucky,' big Techni musical with Mary Martin, Dick Powell . and Rudy'Vallee. KATE SMITH GUEST ParamOunt's explosive thriller, 'This Gun for Hire,' and Its dynamite star discovery, Alan Ladd, won their most important award of all last week—a socko boxoflice return at the big New York Paramount. 'Gun's' second week at the Par- amount topped Par's sensational 'Fleet's In' second week by a healthy margin. First week also had out- grossed 'Fleet.' Meanwhile, evidence that the pic- ture was set for hit biz everywhere came through with a second open- ing—at the Utah Theatre, Salt Lake City. Here 'Gun's' first day rolled up a gross bigger than the first day of 'The Lady Has Plans,' and twenty percent above a similar day's busi- ness for 'One Night in Lisbon.' Both were solid grossers. Excitement about Alan Ladd began at Paramount when the first rushes of 'Gun- came through. At that time the" new menace was skedded imme- diately for a top role in 'The Glass Key.' Later tlie Studio acquired the London hit, 'Man in Half Moon Street,' as a vehicle for Ladd. Lat- ter picture is now set for filming under the title, 'The Immortal Mr. Gray.' At the present time he's set for these and for 'Prelude to Glory,' story of a gangster's regeneration through military service, and perhaps 'Red Harvest,' another Dashiell Ham- mett mystery. Ladd-arrived in New York Mon- day for his first visit to the big city that made him a star over night; his schedule for the stay includes a coast-to-coast broadcast on the Kate Smith hour Friday night (8 p.m. EWT, CBS), when he'll do an original drama with Judith Evelyn, star of 'Angel Street' and winner of the New York Drama League award. Re- broadcast for. the West Coast goes out at midnight. Also a shot on the 'Lincoln High- way' program,' on Saturday; 'The. Show of Yesterday and Today,' on Sunday, and with Bill Stern on Mon- day, over NBC-Red network. This week Paramount showed its recognition of Ladd's hit on Broad- way by announcing that he would go into a top role of the film version of the best-seller, 'Storm,' one of the top properties bought during the past season. Seldom have New York critics gone all out for a picture and a new star in the manner that they did for 'Gun' and 'Ladd.' At the same time. Director Frank Tuttle and Veronica Lake came in for their share of praise; several sheets called it a per- sonal triumph for .all three. Pity poor Jamiel Hasson, Arab who plays a role in the Bob Hope- Bin; Crosby-Dotty Lamour next, 'Road to Morocco.' He not only has to play- his own part, bat he's hardened with the Job of technical expert, doln; o<:d jobs like teach- ing the boys how an, Arab wonid filch a kiss from Donj^ Drake. Wake Island' Gets 'Moontide' Writer Willard Robertson, actor-writer who penned 'Moontide,' and who less recently played the. role of Jackie Cooper's father hi 'Sklppy,' was added last week to the cast of Paramount's epic of the first Marines to bear the full brunt of World War II—'Wake Island.' Robertson has the role of father of Macdonald Carey, and his as- signment includes one of the key spots of the script—delivery of an heroic eulogy which sets the patriotic theme of the picture. TAKE LETTER' DAEING OF CRITICS •Take a Letter, Darling,' the new Mitchell Leisen comedy opening today at the New York Paramount, made its bow to the trade press amid a flock of rave reviews tha like of which hasn't been seen since the mind goeth not back. Orchidis went to Leisen, to Fred MacMurray and Rosalind Russell, to Par's new- comer, Macdonald Carey, to Bench- ley and to Constance Moore, Keynote of the critical paean of praise was sounded by the.M. P. Herald when it opened its review, with the simple statement that 'Everything that excellent acting, superb writing and exacting direc- tion can provide was poured into Take a Letter, Darling,' making it a cofhplete laugh riot from start to finish. Critics and the public caa rank it with all top coipedies in- ' eluding 'It Happened One Nightj;' Film Daily called it 'top-notch boxoflice entertainment; one oftha most delightful fun-fests of the sea- son.' M. P. Daily said, 'the picture can't miss—it's a howl! Sparklingly fresh, smart and fast - paced; will please old and young.' Hollywood Reporter opened its remark;s with 'Throw the whole book of superlatives.. .rates every- thing you. can say for the smart- est, slickest adult comedy to emerge since the war began,' And went on -to call it a 'top smash attraction, certain to rank high on the lists of 1942'3 ten best!' Daily Variety eald 'Will ring the boxoflice bell; good fun, hilarious situations; if diver- sion from world problems is wanted, this is a perfect answer!*' "Take a Letter* is the first picture of Paramount's socko sixth block; others are 'Beyond the Blue Hori-r zon' (Lamour-Hlchard Dennlng- Technlcolor); 'Dr. Broadway,' 'Sweater. Girl' and 'Night In New Orleans.' SELL U, S. WAB BONDS AND STAMPS in your theatre . . . and buy 'em yourself, too. Kemember— we've' rot an Axis to crhid!^- ^ ^ ^ 'It's a good gag, all right, but I can't help thinking thai