Variety (May 1946)

Wednesday, May 22, 194W» ih<;tuiiks 29 H wood Still Wearing Ten-Gallon Hat That Catches Coin; Westerns Hypoed Picture Grosses By FRANK FISKK Hollywood. May 21. Even with all I he best seller nlm- ing. adapting of Broadway shows lo the screen, putting on originals (with and without message) the motion picture business hasn't forgotten • where the West begins." The the- ory that you can always line them up at the boxoffice with a good west- ern is getting a heavy workout. There isn't a studio right now that hasn't at least one big western either screening or in the making . • . high budget stuff entirely out of the class of the mill-run of sagcbi ushers thai arc always standard assembly-li'ne product. Biggest of Hie lot and .promising In be one of the year's top pictures is. of course. "Duel in the Sun." David O. Sel/.iiick probably wouldn't lliank air. niie to exploit the film as a west- ern. But selling and action are deli- nile in that respect. They're put out in an epic package and the in- siders in the industry who have had an.advance look at t|ie dim are en- thusiastic in praise. Film is said lo be another proof that a great west- ern romance is a greal picture in any company. Rep's Trio Still in Ihe high budget class, if short .of epic proportions, are two being I)lined and one just prceinod in Sacramento by Republic Joseph Kane is producing "The Plainsman and the Lady," a saga of the Pony Express, for that studio. John Wayne's "The Outlaw and the An- gel" has just gone before the cameras this last week. And "In Old Sacramento" had its premiere nppiopriately in three theatres in Sacramento simultaneously! Twentieth-Fox has "Smoky" ready for release and is workinx on "My Darling Clementine." Latter is story buill around the hectic careers of Wyatl Ealp and Doc Ilalliday in Tombstone. "Smoky." while pri- marily a horse picture, is also defi- nitely western. Warners, with "San Antonio" not so long on the screen, is now film- ing another called "Cheyenne." Metro is in the western field with "Bad Bascomb." RKO has "Bad Man's Territory.'' The new Enterprise outfit's first production is a western. "Ramrod." with Harry "Pop" Sherman, who has been sending cowboys thal-away in the films these many years, produc- ing. Outdoor Drama Paramounl's "The Virginian." Technicolor high-budget re-do or the old Owen Wisler classic, is in cur- rent release and they have "Cali- fornia.'' done on an even more lav- ish scale, just finished. : Many producers believe that not ! only westerns but general outdoor i adventure is in for strong vogue with the audiences. Benedict Bo- Igeaus. filming "The Short and Happy I Life lit Francis Macomber." for in- I stance, insists this one will be the j beginning or a cycle or African ; jungle stuff. , At any rale, there's more Africa in the pictures now than there has ; been since the days of Trader Horn. .{Though most of il is North African j city instead o( Central Africa jungle ;:-for instance. Universal'.* "Tangier" ! released a while back v and "Flame jot Tripoli" currently being prepped joy the wrilor-producer team of I Kessier and Pagano. And David j-Lnew has jusL conie out with the I Marx Bros' bid for laughs. "A Night ! in Casablanca.' ! The motto is. "go west and if you | can't go west go West African. i. j Dallas Nabe's Clearance j Squawk Vs. Par and M-G i Dallas, May 21. 1 B. R. McLendon. g.m. of Tri- I Slates, has liled two arbitration eases against Paramount and Metro. ; asking 45-day availability for the ' Casa Linda theatre here. House was 1 opened here with a BO-day clear- | ance. House recently raised its price i In 44c and seeks earlier time along J wilh the Village and Lakewood. | owned and operated by Interstate, 'and the Granada, owned and oper- i aled by Phil Isley. ' The Maple theatre. recently opened here by Forrest While and | K. M. McDaniel. also 44c admission. ! intend tiling similar claim, j The Village for many years was ] the established first-run nabe. The 'Lakewood eventually look on the same price and the same availabil- ! ily. Isley opened his house several 1 weeks ago a! the same price and a j 4:Vday clearance. With the current ' trend of nabe houses to raise their ' prices is believed to be the cause I for similar cases to be brought be- { (ore the arbitration board and a headache for the distributors. = Continued from page IS ^= OMAHA "Vacation from Marriage" uM-G>. Disappointing $9,000. Last week. "Letter for Evic" (M-G) plus Frank it- Carle on stage, record-sniasning $25.- 000; ' Brandels (RKO) (1.500: IU-G5)— "Devotion" tWB) and "Notorious Lone Wolf" (Col). Good but not overly big $7,000. Last week. 'This Day^ Forward" (RKO i and "Dick Tracy" (RKO) (2d wk>. fine $7,800. Omaha (Tristates) (2.000: 16-851— "So Goes My Love'' (Ui and "Gen- lleman Misbehaves' 1 (Col i. Prettv good $8,500. Last week. "Liltte Giant" <Ui and "Pillow or Death" UJ>. Hue $10,000. Stale (Goldberg) (865: 15-50)— "Adventure" (M-.G) and "The Champ" iFC>. Around $3,500 expect- ed. Last week. "Sentimental Jour- ney'' (20th) (.'id run) and "Doll Face" (20thi (3d run), did unusuallv big $4,000. BLUE DAHLIA' PLENTY BLACK 20G IN CINCY Cincinnati. Mav 21. Terrillc draw of "Blue Dahlia.'' one of two newcomers, and a fatso second round for "Kitty" are holding the overall score currently for down- town holies to seasonal level. "Night in Paradise," the other fresh entry, is under par. "Rebecca." a reissue, is giving the Grand a winner. Estimates for This Week Albee (RKO) (3,100; 44-70)— "Blue Dahlia" iPar)! Smash $20,000, Last week. "Devotion" (WB>, okav $14,- 000. Capitol (RKO) (2.000: 44-70)— "Kitty" (Par) (2d wk). Continues big at $13,000 gait in wake of atomic $19,500 opening. Stays on. Grand (RKO) (1,430: 44-70)—"Re- becca" iUA) (reissued Swell $9,000. Last week. "Gilda" (Coll, third downtown week, bolt $10,000. Keith's (United) (1.500: ' 44-70)— "Devotion" (WB) (m.o.l. Fair $5,000. Same last week for "Man in Grey" iU i 12d run i. I.vrlc (RKO) (1.400; 44-70)—"Come and Get It" (FC) and "Beloved En- eniv" iFO (reissues). Dull $4,000. Last week. "Ziegfeld Follies" (M-G). fifth sesh on main stem, nifty $5,500. Palace (RKO) (2.600: 44-70)— "Night in.Paradise" (U). Slow $9.- 500. Last week. "Her Kind of Man" iWB). mild $10,000. Shuhert (RKO) (2.100: 44-70)— "Gilda" iCol). Second transfer for fourth round on front line. Slick $5,500. Last week. "Meet Me St. Louis" (M-G) (reissue), tame $3,500. ATA Cites Fuel Crisis As One Reason Why Theatres Should Rate 'Essential' Spurred by the current fuel crisis | 7 in which theatres were among the I j lirst to be hit by curtailment rcgula- | i lion. American Theatres Assn. of-' i l'icials are planning a Washington j ■ campaign to win a change in Ihe' ' non-essential status or theatres. Con- j | Terences wilh important Government j bureau heads will be sought, it is ! learned, to press the point that theatres serve a top role as in- formation and morale factors in U. S. communities. Included among the Government officials ;ontacted will be ,lohn Snyder, head of the Ofllce of War Mobilization & Reconversion, and John D. Small. Civilian Produc- tion Administrator. ATA execs will decry the tendency or government agencies to lump theatres with saloons and racetracks: Contention will be made that of- ficials overlook Ihe practical ad- vantages ot using theatres during emergencies as rallying points for the public. Added argument will be that availability of a cheap and pop- ular form ot amusement is a vilal factor when upsetting crises occur. ! Fii>! step was taken recently ] when ATA .forwarded a letter lo | I Small as CPA chief "suggesting" a| I change of view in a mild criticism; ! of theatre curtailments.. ATA feels,' : the letter said, that Ihe theatre "in j I and amusement, is an important pub- i | addition to being a place of diversion J i lie information medium in which public emergencies can be explained and public, cooperation engendered." The theatres are important, addition- ally, "by diverting persons from en- forced idleness have a definite bear- ing on public morale and in allevia- tion of police problems during a crisis." ■The. letter made the point that theatre curtailment may not save fuel but have the opposite cited. "In the present exigency," il said, "wherein the conservation or electric power is imperative il can be sho\vn we 1 hink that the per capita'use oi electricity in the home e-xeceds by far for a like period the per at- tendant consumption in theatres." No discussion of the situation would be sought immediately, the letter said. Preferential treatment was not being sought nor was rev- enue losses (he prime motivation for Ihe letter, it staled. Coupled with the note was a telegram sent to President Truman which offered ATA theatre facilities "in imparting information or guidance to the pub- lic in the present crisis." HEBZOFF JOINS COL. Hollywood. May 21. Archie Herzoff. Balaban i Katz assistant director of advertising and publicity, will join Columbia Pic- tures sometime in niid-.fuii". Herzoff will serve in an executive advertising capacity at the studio. IT wood Fears Continurd from pa ice 1 ; ••''.' 1 ■' ■ ■ ■ '• "•) fli r.i i .Jally 'o Clik;1 ir;! 1 i s ir, all ! 7oll iVi.ji ■■: , m,ii 300 THEATRE MOTION PICTURE REPRESENTATIVES l»H tninliil N. V, <-. ivfd.ly nmu.i/liir w;il 3rt»ul rM-]n>l\Q roulrirl In l«i| hi, rtiirn rini-,1 nun „ r ^om.111 lo :iil»n'il.ri ■ sinl 'l"«l l.nlillrllv. Weh prrrrnluiir. imllmliril •'iiiluo. Ouiioitllolly. Jlui t: \'«ii-l.\, l.'l «. Illilr B|„ New Yolk J!l. N. T. books, such as those that have been Ihe basis for many of the industry's highest rental-grabbers of the past several years, just aren't being pub- lished in the accustomed quantity this season. Major company story departments are scratching the ground like hungry hens, but the scarcity of suitable Hollywood "ma- terial is evident from the dearth or purchases during' the past six months. Story editors see the drought caused by the end of the war. Seri- ous and sensitive novelists, who would have been writing from 1941 to 1944 for publication now. were either in some maarier engaged in the war effort or were so affected by the world struggle they were in no mood to turn out important works. Last year, even before the war actually ended. Ihe start ot this drying up of first-rate literary out- put was beginning to be fell. Future outlook, of course, is brighter, because many well-known novelists are back at work writing the books that, will be published a year-and-s-hulf or more from now. In addilion. GIs. returned from serv- ice, are expected to fashion some important novels that will be grist for the Hollywood mill ii: the fu- ture. Too Much War Stuff Much ol the literary product now is still on war themes, which is neither what the studios nor the book - buying public apparently wants. However, every writer who had experiences in the conllicl has a war book thai he's got to gel out of his system, il is said. Publishers are so cognizant of that fact thai they've been buying some or these manu- scripts with full, knowledge thai they'll be linancial flops. In this way. however, they hope to satisfy writers and so be assured of gelling 'Johnny'-Vaude OK In K.C. 11G; 'Paradise' UG Kansas City. May 21. New bills are deferring to the hold- overs. 'Outlaw" at the Midland and "Kilty" at Ihe Newman garnering Ihe major biz. It's a close race, but •'Outlaw" probably is out in front by a shade. "Night in Paradise-" -it the trio of Fox houses and "From This Dav Forward" heading the Orpheum dual are both mild. With Benny Meroff for a name on Ihe sUge Tower biz is up. loo. Estimates for This Week Esquire, Uptown and Fairway (Fox Midwest) (820. 2.043 and 700; 45-05) — 'Night in Paradise" (U>. $11,500. Last week. "Dark Corner" l20llu, average $11,000. Midland (Loew's) (3.500: 45-f>5>— "The Outlaw" tUA) (2d wl; i. Get- ting great reception, $18,000. First week smash $25,000. Newman (Paramountt (1.900; 45- G5 i—"Kilty'' (Par) (2d wk i. Birxom $15,000. Last week first stanza brought rousing $20,000. Orpheum (RKO) (1.900: 45-05 >-■ "From This Day Forward" (RKOi and "Dick Tracy" (BKO), dualed. Mild at $11,000. Last week. "Devo- tion" "(WB) and "Ding Dong Wil- liams" i RKO), double billed for light $9,500. Tower iFox-Joftec) (2.100: 39.-60) —"Johnny Comes Flying Home" 120th > and "Gentleman Misbehaves" (Col) plus stage show headed by Benny Meroff. Biz up a step or two to $11,000. Last week. "Garden or Allah" iUA) and "That Uncertain Feeling" (UA) (reissues) with stage show: $10,000. their next books which they believe will not be on war themes. | Story eds. whose job it is lo fine i toothcomb publishers' lists and seek out authors' future works, are liter- ally amazed at how little suitable Hollywood stuff they've been able lo I discover. So much so. that in the ; past lew weeks there's been a con-. I linual buzz-buzz among theni as they .checked each other to learn whether their staffs were slipping or things were just bad generally at the mo- ment.. Best siuft that's coining put now. they agree, are the mysteries and the psychological mellers. which, of course, are timeless in their appeal. 6633 SUNSET BLVD. TILtfHONI . HIUSIDI MM HOU.YWOOD. CAUNMMIA