Variety (November 1954)

Wednesday, November 17, 1954 PICTURES 21 PHILADELPHIA (Continued from page 13) Okay $14,000 or near; Last week, $ 17,000. Midtown (Goldman) (1,000; 74- 1.49)—‘-Barefoot . Contessa” (UA) (3d wW. Sock $17,000. Last Week, $18,000. Randolph (Goldman) (2,500; 74- $1.49)—“White Christmas (Par) (3d wk). Socko $30,000. Last Week, $34,000. Stanley (SW) (2,900; 74-$1.30)— “Drum Beat” (WB) (2d wk). Mild- ish $11,500. Last week, $16,000. Stanton (SW) (1,473; 50-99)— “Private Hell 36” (FM) and “Bob Mathias Story’* (AA). Neat $7,000. Last week, “Westerner” (UA) and “Dead End” (UA) (reissues), $6,500, Trans-Lux (T-L) (500; 80-$1.50) —“Sabrina” (Par) (4th wk). Fine $10;000. Last week, $10,000. Viking (Sley) (1,000; 75-$1.30)— “Brigadoon” (M-G) (6th wk). Slow $5,000. Last week, $6,000. Trans-Lux World (T-L) (604; 99- $1.50)—“Suddenly” (UA) (5th wk). Good $6,500. Last week, $8,000* ‘Waterfront Boffo 18G, St. Ldo; ‘Drum’ Solid 17G St. Louis,..Nov, 16. “On Waterfront” is the hefty draw this session, with a big total at Loew’s. “Drum Beat” wound up a solid stanza at the Fox Monday (15). “Black Widow” looms good in second round.. “Illicit Interlude” is grabbing a heavy play at the arty. Shady Oak.. “Caine Mutiny” looms okay on moyeoyer. Estimates for ’This Week Ambassador (Indie) (1,400; $1.20- ; $2.4,0)—“Cinerama” (Indip) (42d wki. Fine $15,000 after $16,000 last week: . Fox (F&M) (5,000; . 75)—“Human Jungle” (AA) and “Bowery ; Boys Meet Monster” (AA). Opened to-' day (Tubs.). Last week, “Drum Beat” (WB), solid $17,000; . Loew!s (Loew’s) (1,720; 50-75)— “On Waterfront” (Col). Big $18- 000; Last week, “Caine Mutiny” (Col) (2d wk), $11,000. Orpheum (Loew’s) (1,500; 75-$l) —“Caine Mutiny” (Col) (m.o.); Nice $6,500. Last week, “Her 12 Men” (M-G) and “Return Treasure Is- land” (UA), same. Pageant (St. L. Amus.) (1,000; 82)-—“Horse’s Mouth” (Indie). Fine $3,000.' Last week, “The Assassin” (UA), $2,500. Richmond (St. L. . Arhus:) (400; 82)—“The River” CUA). Trim $3,- 500. Last week, Alex Guinness Fix Festival, $3,000. St. Louis (St. L. Amus.) (4,000; 75)—“Black Widow” (20th) (2d Wk); Good $10,000 following $13;- 500 iiiitial session;, Shady Oak (St. L. Amus.) (800; $2) —■■.^Illicit Interlude” (Indie). Fancy $5,000. Last week, “Holly and Ivy” (Indie), $3,000.. ‘WIDOW’ ROBUST Louisville, Nov. 16. Not much new product- in town this week, but both Rialto with “Black Widow” and State with “Barefoot Contessa” are doing healthy biz despite summerlike temperatures. “Star Is Born” in fifth week at the Mary Anderson and “Rear Window" on fourth stanza at Kentucky are still okay. Current week. looks like final One. for Judy Garland opus. Estimates for This Week Kentucky (Switow) (1,000; 50-75) —“Rear Window” (Par) (4th wk). (•Good $6,500, and may stay another seven days. Last week (3rd), $7,000...' . Mary Anderson (People’s) (1,000; 75-$l)—“Star Is Born” (WB) (5th wk). Windup looks fair $5,000.. Last week, $6,000. . Rialto (Fourth Avenue) (3,000; 50-75)—“Black Widow” . (20th). Fancy, $12,000. Last week. “Sit- ting Bull” (UA) and “Khyber Patrol” (UA), $13,000. . State (United Artists) (3,000; 50- 75)—“Barefoot: Contessa” (UA). Crix lavish in praise, but only okay $10,000 shapes. Last week; “Beau Brummell” (M-G) and : “Diamond Wizard.” (UA), $9,000. ; , $1 ; and Oke ‘Track^ Slow $16,500, Det.; ‘Xmas’ Rich 20G Detroit, Nov. 16. Downtowners are mainly in the doldrums. this stanza. “Track of Cat” is average at the Palms. “This Is My Love” shapes slow at the United Artists while “Athena” is slim at the Adams. Others are holdovers.. “White Christmas” tops these, with a big third round at the Michigan. Estimates for This Week Fox (Fox-Detroit) (5,000; fl .25)—“Black Widow” (20th) “Fast. Furious” (AA) (2d wk). $21,000. Last week, $26,000. Michigan (United Detroit) (4,000; $1-$1.25) — “White Christmas” (Par) (3d wk). Big $20,000. Last week, $30,000. Palms (UD) (2,961; 80-$l)— “Track of Cat” (WB) and “Return Sea” (AAV. Weak $16,500. Last week, “Sitting Bull” (UA) and “Africa Adventure” (RKO), $16,- 000 . Madison (UD) (1,900; $1.25- $1.50)—“Star Is Born” (WB) (7th wk). Oke $10,000. Last week, $.12,000. Broadway-Capitol '(UD) (3,500; 80-$l)—“3 Hours to Kill” (Col) and “Black Dakotas” (Col). Slow $10,000. ‘Last week, “Shanghai Story” (Rep) and “Outcast” (Rep)* $ 1 , 000 . United Artists (UA) (1,938; 80- $1)—“This Is Love” (RKO) and “Murder Monday” (AA). Thin $6,000. Last week, “Beau Brum mel” (M-G), $7,500. Adams (Balaban) (1,700; $1-$1.25) —“Athena” (M-G). . Slim $10,000. Last week, “Brigadoon” (M-G) (3d wk), $6,300, Music Hall (Cinerama Produc- tions) (1,194; $L40-$2.65)—“Cine- rama” (Indie) (87th wk). . Steady $16,000. Last week, $16,200. Mont’l; ‘Apache’ OK 16G Montreal, Nov. 16. “Egyptian” at the Palace contin- ues very big in second round with only “Garden of Evil” at Loew’s topping it. Latter is smash new entry currently. “Apache” shapes okay at Capitol. The imperial is shuttered temporarily for installa- tion of Cinerama, now due to open around Xmas. . Estimates for This Week Palace (C-T) (2,625; 60-$l)—“The Egyptian" t20th) (2d wk). Fine $22,000 following $3Q.OO0 opener. Capitol (C-T) (2.412; : 45-75)— “Apache” (UA). Okay $16,000. Last week, “Sabrina” (Par) (2d wk), $17,00T). Princess (C-T) (2.131; 40-65)— “Passion” (RKO). Poor $8,000. Last week, “Duel in Sun” (SRO) (re- issue), $8,200. : . Loew’s (C-T) (2.847; 50-85)— “Garden of Evil”. (20th). Smash $24,000. Last week, “Rear Window (Par): (3d wk)* $15,000. ‘Paris’Robust $15,000, Indpls.; ‘Xmas’ 19G, 2d Indianapolis, Nov. 16. Biz is setting hottest pace of fall at first-runs here ’this stanza* “White Christmas” still is socko to lead city in second week at Circle. Will hold again* "Last Time I Saw Paris,” preemed at Loew’s Thursday with Van Johnson here, also is great. Estimates for This Week Circle (Cockrill-Dollel (2,800; 75-$lj-L_“White Christmas” (Par). Smash $19,000 in second week after $28,000 opener, Indiana (C-D) (3,200; 50-80)^ “Black Widow” (20th). Modest $10,000. Last week, “Drum Beat” (WB), $12,000. Loew’s (Loew’s) (2,427; 50-80)— “Last Time I Saw Paris” (M-G). Hefty $15,000. Last week, “Sitting Bull” (UA) and “Khyber Patrol” (UA), $8,000. Lyric (C-D) (1,600; 35-70)— “Sands Iwo Jima” (Rep) and "Wake Red Witch” (Rep) (reissues). Oke $5,000, with Kitty Wells stage- show replacing second, feature at $1.25 Sunday only. Last week, “Passion” (RKO) arid “Sins of Rome” (RKO), $4,000 in 6 days arid Sunday matinee. E. C. Rhoden Realigns Fox Midwest Execs Kansas City, Nov. 16. New alignment of officers at Fox Midwest Theatres, Inc., finds Rich- ard •* Braus, formerly counsel, as president* and Serin Lawler, for- merly director of advertising and public relations, as division man- ager, Joe. Redmond, .Who has been assistant to Lawler, gets the post of director of advertising and pub- lic relations, Chmiges were made last week by Elmer Rhoden, new president of National Theatres, who spent sev- eral days here following his recent election to the job. Cnicago, Nov. 16. To producers and others in the industry who have loudly de- nounced the pairing lip of product: as unhealthy to. the business, Chi- cago’s swing, back to tandems may represent regression. Perhaps it is, but theatremen here— espe- cially those of the smaller delux- ers—ate growing nervous about the high film rentals asked for. Holly- wood’s choicer product, especially when a number of these supers re- cently failed to deliver at the box Office; Only two months ago the city’s. 13 firstrun situations ridded them- selves of double features complete-! ly for the first time in many years. Last week, three of these houses were on combo policies arid the .present week has added a fourth. Both the Grand and Roosevelt theatres are equipped for G’Scope but are indulging currently in 2-D fare. . Last week, the Roosevelt doubled up with a CiriemaScoper, “King RichajEd and The Crusaders.” Loop and Monroe theatres, with seating capacities of 600 arid 1,000 and both without Cinema- scope, hadn’t operated as dualer outlets in the past, but now both are pairing up “B” product because their bidding has been short on bigger pix. / ‘You’d Holler’ GETS REASSIGNMENT Chicago, Nov. 16. . Duties of Columbia sales execs have been reshuffled. Louis Astor, vet circuit account exec, will have his area of operation broadened arid will take on heavier sales responsibilities. George Josephs has been pro- moted from homeoffice sales post to the rank of circuit exec; Similar post goes to Vincent Bor- relli, upped from an assistant’s spot, Named assistants to circuit exeris are Daniel Rothenberg, who had been Josephs' aide, and Milton Goodman, previously in charge Of 16m sales. In another switch/ Jo- seph Freiberg hops from manager of the sales accounting department to head of the homeoffice bidding division. By HY HOLLINGER If he had to do it all over, $. H. (Si) Fabian, who will be honored toriight (Wed.) as the Mqtion Pic- ture Pioneer of the Year at the Hotel Sheraton Astor, N. Y., would again select the exhibition end of the .business, ‘Tve had my ups and downs in the theatre busi ” he said Monday (15), “but I’m just as confident as ever that nothing will replace theatres as the mai source of public entertainment.” As president of Stanley Warner Corp. arid Fabian Enterprises* sep- arate theatre chains with, a total of some 350 theatres, Fabian has demonstrated his confidence in the theatre business by undertaking new ventures at a time when most industryites. shy away. His take- over of the theatre assets of War- ner Bros, in March, 1953, is an ex- ample. “I bought it,” he said; “at i a time when the theatre business Changes were disclosed, at Col vva? aM tS: lowest ebb." Then, sud- sales convention in Chicago this week. Irving Wormser recently ankled the company’s top sales cabinet to join Distributors Corp. of America. Books Back 6% in Continued from page S SEATTLE (Continued from page 12) $7,500 after $12,400 with C’Scojpe debut ait this house'for opener. Fifth Avenue (Evergreen) (2,500; 75-$l)—“Phffft” (Col) and “Out- law Stallion” (Col). Fine $9,000. Last week, “Barefoot; Contessa” (UA) and “About Mrs. Leslie" (Par) (2d wk-8 days), $7,400* Music Hall (Hamrick) (2,300; 90- $1.25)—“White Christmas” /(Par) (3d wk). Huge $15,500 after $16,700 last week. * Orpheum (Hamrick) (2,700; 90- $1.25)—“Rear Window (Par) and “Dawn Socorro” (U). Great $18,000 or over, Last week,“Private Hell 36” (Lip) and “Deadly Game” (Lip), $3,800 in 5 days. Paramount (Evergreen) (3,039; $1-$1.25)—“Drum Beat” (WB) and “Diamond Wizard” (UA). Good $10,000 or close. Last week, “Star .Is Born” (WB) (5th wk-5 days), I $5,600 at $1*50 top. consistency the operational plans outlined by Fred Schwartz for his Distributors Corp. Of America. Here are a couple of his beefs; “They said they’d arrange re- gional releases of. their pictures, presumably as a print-saving de- vice. That means that one .month they play off a film in that exchange and a month or two later in an- other area. That sounds just fine, but just imagine what would hap- pen if one of the regular distribu- tors would adopt such a policy. Why, they’d throw the : book at us. We are already accused of hoard- ing prints in an effort to change availability arid suit thern^ to our purposes; r “Then, there is this business of concentrating on 3,500 theatres be-' cause from them comes 85% of the revenue, and they can be sold, by telephone. I’d hate to be the distributor who makes such a state- ment. I Would, immediately be inQUndated with complaints; from every "exhibitor in the country. They are always complaining about being ignored by our selling force. “And what is the exhibitor, rea- soning in this concentration oh the key spot? After >11, DCA—if it works it that way—would: then be guilty, of doing precisely the thing that it was set up for to offset; Ig- noring the little riian in favor of the; big, money-making .situations. “It’s odd, but we know very well that the policy which we are often accused of — economizing, by ig- noring the' small theatre—-isn’t practical: We need the income from the grassroots. Slough- ing them off is just cutting off your nose to spite. your face.” The sales topper also expressed considerable misgivings over the eventual workings of the so-called Makelim Plan worked out by pro- ducer Hal R. Makelirri and involv- ing playdate pledges for 'a dozen pix from a minimum of 3,000 ex- hibs. “We did something like that once, when we had block-booking,” he commented. “But then we knew at least exactly at what price we Were able to afford to offer these pictures;” Dallas, Nov. 16. The Federal District Court Judge has granted, six distributors per- mission to consolidate their separi ate percentage actions and for a broad order of inspection of ex- hibitors’ theatre books and records. The actions were brought by Columbia, Warners, Universal, RKO, Paramount and 20th Cen- tury-Fox against William A. Smith and Texas Theatres, Inc,, as de- fendants operating the. Texas The- atre in Pharr.. The defendant is being required by the court to produce all of the theatre's books for a six. and one- half year period, from Jan. 1, 1948 to the present date of the filing of the suit. Continued from page 4 themselves to the condensed ap- proach without hardships in the mechanics or catcafls from the pur- ists. But the problem. here is to offer the public a work immediately recognizable^—that does not have to be presold-arid these works are generally of the outsized variety. There’s also that not Unimportant matter of cutting down on—as per presumed demands of the so-called general audience—the “fat tenor- beefy baritone-suetted soprano” casting (excepting possibly where such heroic dimensions happen to fall on the great names of opera); It’s one thirig to be an opera lover “by remote control,” i.e;, via radio and records;, the idea seems to be to. expand, the aifficibriado popula- tion by pairing good faces , and shapes with ditto voices on “live” (meaning film) presentations. “ Aida” approached this Candidly by having the voices impersonated (as Was done for established pop sing- ers Dorothy Dandridge and Harry Belafonte in Otto Preminger’s pro- duction of “Carmen Jones”). With last week’s Metopera preem having gone large screen theatric tv over a 32-house circuit in 27 cities, it’s figured that the public’s appetite for the rbcoco division of the amusement industry has been acutely whetted, despite or per- haps because of the fact that that was a foiir-in-otte made up of “pop- ular” excerpts as a sop to the peas- ants and apparently with little com- plaint from the poets. It’s figured also that a good deal of this will rub off bn film house audiences when and if there’s an upbeat in furtherance of the grand opera motif. denly realizing that it was only a year and a half agq, he added with some amazeirient, “How recently that was!” “Our statement for the first quarter of this year (ending Dec. 1) will be considerably ahead of .last year,” Fabian Rioted. “And our annual financial report which should be out in about two weeks will also show a good gain.” He credited 20th-Fox l prexy Spyros Skouras “for taking his company’s life in his hands and creating tli excitement that brought about the resurgence of the business.” SW, he noted, would continue to di- versify into other fields, but“\ve’H take a good look first.” Like most exhibitors, Fabian Is concerned about the current prod- uct shortage), but his attitude is more conciliatory than denuncia- tory; “This is an industry” he said, “that Can prosper only if all ele- ments of it prosper. Therefor there must be a mutuality of re- sponsibility within the industry and that, mutuality of responsibility quires a sufficient flow of pictures into theatres. And, on the reverse side there must be assurance that producers, find a market for their pictures.” Fabian; maintains that ’this ideal, existed during the days' of block booking. The producers, he said, saw to it that there were suf- ficient pictures available and the “exhibitors felt a responsibility to their suppliers.” As an example of the latter, he said that if a pro- ducer “was stuck with a shaky pic- ture,” the exhibitor would try to bail him out, either with extra promotional effort or by spotting the picture in double feature ter- ritories. Wjlile placing himself in favor of “any -plan that will, put pictures on the market,” the SW topper feels thiqj: the basic economic law of sup- ply and demand will eventually take care of the current shortage problem; “Where there is a de- mand,” he said; “the supply will come through In our democratic system.” . in. looking back at his 40 years in show biz, Fabian recalls with fondness the days of First National Pictures, the exhibitor-owned pro- duction company which was later absorbed by Warner Bros. Present- day conditions, hie said, “are. great- ly similar to the days when Firsts National was first organized.” He attributed the end of First Na- tional to a number of reasons, in- cluding the deaths of several of the prime organizers and sellouts to the production companies by a number of chains involved in the First National setup. Fabian doubted . that anotheri First National could be organized today. ‘The laws have changed,” he said. One* of the early boosters of the- atre tv, Fabian is stilL high on the medium as an added source of revenue for theatres. “If we keep up with ‘technical progress.” he said, “it will be the greatest bi ness in show business.” Fabian started his career as an exhibitor on ‘Aug. 24. 1914, when his father, Jacob, opened r.he Re- gent Theatre in Paterson, N. J.