Variety (August 1959)

10 PICTURE GROSSES PSSRIETY Wednesday, August 5, 1959 •V Boston Aug. :-4. f — / — — •• r - ~ - : —“—- Heat continues to keep the Hub ... RRO AHW A V sweltering, with temperatures in : iJfxvArxi/ tv-tv i ; the SO’s daily for a second week. ' ‘Continued from page 9) -Shake Hands With Devil/' b ggosi $i. 50-$3.75‘ “Porgy arid Bess” of newcomers, is rated sock at col) ,6th \yk). The fifth week cori- Orpheum. “Have Rocket. ^ - WiU chided Saturday 1 1» was capacity Travel" shapes fast at the Pi^rirn. ' $ 37.000. The fourth stanza was. the "Scapegoat'’ very good in t sec- same, ond round at the Saxon. “Anatomy : First-Run Arties of Murder" is very big in fourth j . Baronet ‘Reade> f430; $t.25-$2» week at the Gary. "Last Train —"Grand Illusion” '(Conti ( reissue! From Gun Hill" looms smash at 6th .wk.). This session ending to- Memorial in second round. “Nun’s morrow (Thurs.) looks like lively Story" is still fine in sixth webk at 57 , 000 . Fifth was $7,500. Continues, the Metropolitan. j; j Fine Arts (Davis) <468; 90-$1.80> Estimates for This Week ■ —“Room At Top” (Cont) (19th wk>. 4ster *B&Q) ‘1381; Si 25-SI .50) The 18th round ended Sunday t2i —"Don’t Give Up Ship” (Par>: *5tfa Imid at great $13,800.: the 17th wk>. Oke $5,000. Last week, $6,000. v. eek. $14,300. “Porgy and Bess” ICoI) pr.eems :■ Beekman (R&B). (590; $1.20- Wednesdav *5). and on regularj $1.75) — “Wild Strawberries” bard-ticket run Thursday <6».i 1 (Janus) /7th wk). The sixth frame Beacon Hill (Sack) ‘ 678 ; $ 1 -$L 50 ) ended Sunday ^(21 was. rousing $10,- —“Love Is My Profession” (Kings); 500. Fifth, $11,000.. (5th wk). Good $4,000. Last Week, i Normandie (T-L) (592;. $1.25- *5 000 $1.80)—“Darby O’Gill” <BV) >6th Boston (SW-Cinerama) (J 354- wk >* Fifth round finished last night $1^$2 BS^Souto S™as Advln: £««:> oKayJMOO. Ffturth, ture” (Cinerama* H7th wk). ;Slick ? $^W)0 - q Tailor s Maid (T-L) opens $12 000 Last week, ditto. Au to . i». Capri (Sack) .1^150; 90-$li50>- i..^ufif Ml ™° d l r ( 1 1 '*>• stanza ending^todai i 3 Ann k ' P ky ?4,5Q0 - Last * k ' 'Wed.) looks like $5,000 for eight $5.^uu. r days. Second, regular week was. Exeter (Indie) <1,376; 75-$l;25)—'$5,800. “Scapegoat” (M-G) opens* "Wild Strawberries” (Indie) (2d ■ tomorrow (ThursA . i wk». First week ended Saturday U) Paris ,p at he Cinema) (568; . 90-\ was lively $7,500. $1.80>—‘The Possessors'” (Lopert)} Gary (Sack) (1240; 90-$1.50)— (3d-final wk). Second frame ended; ‘Anatomy of Murder’ (Col) (4th Sunday (2) was okay $5,800. Sec-i v.k). Torrid $14,000. Last Iweek, • ond, $8 500. “Mian Upstairs” (Indie) ! $16,000. comes in Aug. 10. Kenmore (Indie) (700; 90^1.25' . Plaza (Lopert) (525; $1.50-$2i—. —“Room at Top” (Conti (12th wk). “Anatomy of a Murder” (Col) (5th r Good $5,000. Last week, $5,500. wk). This session winding up today j Memorial (RKO) (3,000; 60-S1.10) 1 ! .•'•T act Train Frnm Him - Hill” : T he fourth. $19,500. Continues in- EXPORT ASSN. TIGHTENS COMMITTEE CHORES ..The. Motion Picture Export Assn, is relying more and more on its committees to take .the. load off the foreign managers board. , Development has. been , gradual, blit is; logical in the light, of com¬ plaints that too many routine ques¬ tions have/been taken, before the board, requiring sometimes hours of wrangling, reference back; to •the hqmeoffice, etc/ Result of this has been that, the' MPEA rarely could .get the top bbys into one. roorrt together. Association now tends to slot specific problems to specific com¬ mittees, whether they i be legal, taxes : or anything else. On the very top, MPEA prez Eric John¬ ston now. has the presidents com¬ mittee working, though it’s had only few meetings till now/ This committee not only will set policy, but is in a position, to make .deci¬ sions involving the investment of large slims' Spyros P, Skouras, prez of 20ih-Fox, was the driving force behind its establishment. . The, foreign managers like this arrangement. In the past, several of them have complained of hav¬ ing to spend too much time at the Association dealing with compara¬ tively unimportant matters. Now, the questions on their agenda usu¬ ally are of a nature that requires a top level decision. MPEA that tiiis. will result in “weightier” at¬ tendance in the future. —“Latt Tram From Gun Hill : , , . , (Par* and “Here Come Jets” '20th) ae £ a * lilIS „ g 0 a „; (2d wk'- Great $15,000 or near. Sutton 'R&B) Last week. $17,000. Metropolitan (NET) (4.357; 70- $110^_“Xun’s Storv” (WB) «'6th v.k*. Slick $9,000. Last week; $11,- 000. i, Paramount (NET) (2.357; 70- $1.10)—“Big Circus” “Seven Guns to Mesa” dndie) (2d wk). Good $8,500. Last week; $12,- 000. 1 • 561; 95-$L80W; Gigi” (M-G) (40th wk 1 The 39th ; round completed Saturday. il'i'was great $15,300. The 38lh week, $16,000. Trans-Lux 52d St. (T-L) <540; $1-.; $1.50) — “Middle of Night", <Col)t a aw’ a ‘ st h wk).. The seventh session ' AA* and, ended last night (TuesJ was solid $7,700. Sixth week, $8,500/ Mayfair (Indie) >1.386; $1-$1.50) ■Enchanted Mirror” (Indie) (3d Pilgrim <ATC 5 <1,000: 60-$j.l0>— wk) with “Great Is My Country” “Have Rocket, Will Travel” (Col) tindie) brought hack: yesterday and “Hey Boy. Hey Girl”; <Col*. ; ifues.) after having played at Hotsy $12,000. Last week. “Mum- house originally for two w.eeks. my” (C> and “Curse of Undead” The second week of. “Mirror” (U). $10,500. j; dipped to fair $11,000 after $17,000 Saxon 'Sack) (1.100; $1.25^$1.50i opener, —“Scapegoat” (M-G) *2d wk). j -——-———. Smash $15 000. Last week, $17,000. j puirAPh Trans-Lux (T-L) (730; 73-$1.25>* tHiVAbU —“Josette of New Orleans'’ ' In- i < Continued from page 9) die) and “Jungle Goddess,” (In- ‘ d e). Hotsy $4,200. Last! w eek, “Witch" 'Indie) (rerun) and “French Girl’s Club” (Indie), $3- 300. j Orpheum ‘Loew» <2,900;, 90- $1.50'—“Shake Hands W’ith Devii” <UA) and “Ride Lonesome'* (Col Sock $24.000. : Last week, -“Horse Soldiers” *UA» '5th wk), $7,500. Staff (Loews *3,600: 90rSl.50i — “Hole In Head” ^UA‘» '5th wk). Nice $9,000. Last week. gllJOOO. SAN FRANCISCO •‘Continued from page |9) — “North. By Northwest" (M-G/ $1.25-$3.40)—“South Seas Adven¬ ture” .'Cinerama) (45th Wk). - Ex¬ cellent $24,000. Last week, $23,000; Roosevelt (B&K* ' 1.400; 9.0-$1.80) — “Last Train from Gun Hill” 'Par) (3dwk). Good S14fi00i Last week. $18,000. “Holiday for ^Lovers” *29th) starts tomorrow •.Wed.V. State^ake (B&K) . (2.400; SO¬ RT .80'—“Big Circus” (A A k So^ko S36.000. Last week,- “Horse Sol¬ diers" *UAs (5th wk), $11,500. Surf (H&E B.a.laban) 1685; SI.50) — “Diaiy of Anne Frank” (20th) ':-;d wek/ Fancy $8,700 on con¬ tinuous run. Last week, SO,500. Todd’s: Cinestage «Todd) (1,036; 90-31.80)—"A1 Capone" (AA) (13th- Nic, ? 7.700:M.ast W Cc! c. P -T a ^t 0 ^rJin £r Frnm 4 r'.?n‘ S Huf * * V United Artists (B&K) (1,700; 90- , Las ^ S1 - 8n > — “North by Northwest” (W3>. *Dandy d $ijM)0(L O Iiasi °\^k,. Stout > 26 - 000 ; S d i le (1.200; 90- *o d n d nn 1 d C ° l) '. '**? vk V$l/0) — “Anatomy of a Murder”. St. Francis (Par) <1,400; $1.25- s<?cko -.^28i0OO._ Last $1.50)—“Nun’s Story” >WB) '(-♦h Qn *nr_- wk). Excellent $9,000 after, $11-000 ^ for fourth stanza i f ove Is Profession ’ (Kings) (3d 10 Orpheum (SW-Cinerama)i . 1.456; • ^CSep $4,800. Last week, $5,900, $1.75-$2.65)-—“South Seas 1 Adven- ~ ture” (C’nerama) *36th wk). Fine xir a cuimptam $ 16,500. Last week. $18,000. ! WA^HIlHU i ON United Artists (No. Coast) (1.151; <Continued from page 8) $1.25-S1.50)—“Hole In Head” (UA) ' u TTV • ■ • f ■ -V. (2d wk). Smash $15,000. Last week, the Undead (U). Fine $4,500. Last $20 000. j ; week. “Flesh and Woman” . (Ellis) Stagedoor (A-R) >440; $1.25-$3)—* and “Bride Too Beautiful” (Ellis), “Gigi” <M-G) '56th wk). Solid $7,-: $5,000. 200. La-t week, $7,000. P ! Trans-Lux <T-L) >600; Sl-$2)— Presidio (Ha^dy - Parsons) (77^: i “Anatomy of Murder” (Col) (4th $1.25-$ 1.50)—“Diarv Of Bad Girl” wk). Boff $15,000. Last weeki (Indie). Okay $3,000. Last week,/ $16,500. v Irving Kahn . Continued from page 7 anybody to choose** his bed ; part¬ ners.” Therefore, he added, he had offered to sell his share of the company to Yillela for $75,000 or to buy out liiis partner’s share for $150,000/ yillela, he said, had un¬ til noon Monday. to make a deci¬ sion. A Gift—Maybe Since he had not heard ; from yillela. Rosensohn said he decided to resign as president and director of Rosensohn Enterprises and dis¬ associate himself completely .from the promotion. Although he had a personal contract with Johansson, he revealed that he had assigned the pact to the corporation;. He said he had put up his shafes for sale, and if he couldn't sell -them, he would give them away. Rosensohn intimated that al¬ though he will not be connected with the rematch he’ll be back in. the picture., strongly should Jo¬ hansson defend his title success¬ fully;: Meanwhile, Milt oh Fenster, a spokesman for; Theatre Network Television, a rival to TelePrompter in the closed-circuit business, said liis. Company considered the pres¬ ent • arrangement “shrouded in mystery”; . and- therefore " would ■ make a ‘‘separate and substantial” offer to either johanssoii or . Ro- sensbhn for the closed-tv rights. TelePrompter, however, appar¬ ently' feels that it is . strongly en¬ trenched. Kahn stated' that he has begun to line up seats and the logistics for the closed-circuit ar¬ rangements for the fight. The turn of events appears to have placed Kahn closer to realiz¬ ing his ambition of becoming elec¬ tronic . bankroUer for . champion¬ ship fights. He sees: his company as operating similarly to a major motion picture company. Tele- Prompter. as Kahn sees ft, would assemble, the. package, consisting of a boxing match, by making offers to the fighters and then designat¬ ing a promotor to put on the fight.. Or it would finance, a. pro- motor. who presents a satisfactory package. For thb : financing, of course, TelePrompter .would re¬ ceive . the supplementary electronic rights. ; : “Go^d Rush” (Lopert) (5th wkh j $3,000. ■ j' ‘ Vogue 'S. F. Theatre*?) <364; $1.°5)—“He Who Must Die” (Indie) (9th wk). Splendid $2,7Q0 after $2,400 last week. . i Coronet ‘United California) <1,250; $2.75-$3^0) — “Porgy and Bess” (Col) <2d wk). Pushing to big $23,000. Last week, $20,000. Uptown (SW1 (1,100; 90-$I.25)— “Big Circus” (AA) <5th wkK . Fair $4,500. Last week, $5,000. Wryner . (SW-Cinerama) . <1,308; $1.20-$2.75)—-“South Seas Adven¬ ture'’ (Cinerama) (32d wk>. Sturdy $12,500. Last week., $12,000. Playhouse <T-L> <458; $l-$i;8(F— “Middle of- Night” (Col) <5tb wk). Nice $4,000. Last week, $$,500. ■ Continued from page 7 bility of a steady supply, of talent. He said that/if current restrictions on; the importation of. dubbed films Were lifted in Italy and France, theFe’d be no reason why such dubbing could not be done: in New York. Italian and French voices are available, he noted. In France, Italy, Spain and Ger¬ many, virtually all. American.. im¬ ports are dubbed in local plants. Restriction oii the importation of already dubbed pictures* ii dtie to a desire to keep the local dubbing industries alive. The German Tegu- lations are not as tight is tliosg of France; Italy and Spaih. * : - ;r"/X^W9i 9t'i> A doty Hecau&uf feb WaAneM : Warner . Bros, this week - con- firmed what Wall Street; and many in the trade for long had been an¬ ticipating: The company has come through, with one of the most ro¬ bust financial recoveries among producer - distributors in r e c e n t years/.' At the same tijme the WB com¬ mon issue on the New York Stock Exchange shot up to a new r high of $48, making; it the. : richest. price- per-share stock of straight picture business common secui'ities listed. For the nine months ended May 30 WB had a net profit of $13,749.- 000, including a net of $6,500,000 on sale of its ranch property in the San, Fernando Valley, Calif. For the . corresponding period last year the corporation, had a net loss of $2,684,000 after a special provision of $2,500,000 for . esti¬ mated loss on advances to . inde¬ pendent producers; The net for the new period is equal to $8.67 per share, of Which $4.10 per s h are represents the profit on the ranch sale, on the 1,585,196 shares of common stock outstanding. Film rentals including television, sales, etc. jumped from $48,038,000 in the first nine months of .1958 to $62,084,000 the first three quarters of the current year. There w;as no breakdown but it’s apparent that WB’s successful tv operations. ac* counted; largely for the upbeat Last May. saw the repayment of an outstanding baiik loan of $ 2 , 000 , 000 . . Net. current assets as of May 30 were $42,496;000, including $21,. 45L000 in cash: and Governnient securities. Net current assets a year previous were $33,043,000, in* eluding $10^972,000 in cash. Regarded as pafticularly inlpres.. sive is the disclosure that : gross in* come, excluding the ranch money, increased almost by, $14,500,000, wherCas operating and general ex¬ penses remained about; the same and the amortization of film costs, participations and o t h e: r / costs jumped only, a little more than $2,000,000, The amortization and participations were carried at $41,. 913,000 at the end of the new pe. riod, compared with $39,836,000 » year ago. bperating and general expenses fell off a tiny; hit, from $13,338,000 last year to $13,333,000 | now. :// 1 All in all. a rosy picture, Murder By Hearsay SS Continued from page 5 sssi covering an oid-timer. reunion at 1 Gold Medal Studios in the Bronx, recalled that item and had Asther quipping: “It was $1.10, if you don't mind!” . “I never spoke to that fellow from the newspaper,” the actor ‘First American-made all-purpose maintained/ “I may : have .said | projector, capable bf projecting hello to him, but w f e never dis- • 35m and 70m film, has been devel* cussed this.’’.(Smith later insisted ! oped by the Century Projector that Asther had said exactly that: Corp. and units are now being and that he had a witness to prove/ shipped to theatres in various sec? tions of the country. The projec¬ tor/which meets all U. S: stand- Not ‘Hungry* .: /',: | “It doesn’t matter how' much I . assure people that I’m not going^j ards. lists at $16,080 per unity hut hungry, . that reputation follows special prices .can be obtained for me anyway ” Asther said. “I have bulk orders; ThertS be%om«l^gf Larry Dav.e, Cen- One magazine told its readers that tu ^ F rex ^ the unit -is, the most I w as so broke, I Was peddling j expensive op' the market today;, insurance to people who had writ-; Without commenting on the qual- ten me fan mail years ago. An-j other story, said I had tried to buy | Catalina Island to present it to Garbo. Still another article re¬ lated that I was offered a job in Hollywood, hut that the producer had to give nie an advance to cover my fare. Then I’m sup¬ posed to have thrown a huge fare¬ well party and frittered away all the money. I’d been given.” “All this Is utter nonsense. But people belieye it. Potential em¬ ployers believe it. : I’m being painted as a bum, and nobody wants to hire a bum. I don’t see where I; have deserved this sort of treatment. Louis; Sobol’s col¬ umn once carried an item to the effect that, being in need of money, I was to appear as an m e. for a female impersonator. . : ‘‘I called : Sobol and told him this w : as quite untrue; When I asked who gave him this informa¬ tion, he snapped it w T as none of my business. I suggested he. run a retraction and he replied he was too busy since he was going on vacation. Weeks later he did run something about my calling him and complaining that I wasn’t only an actor in silent films, but had appeared in talkies, too.” Asther said the stories about his having to take lowly jobs to make a living started w-hen he was help¬ ing out a friend. on the Coast. “He was trying to get a ]new voting machine adopted and II offered to help. One day, ive were to load some . things on a truck and the. helper wasn’t around, so I put on f one developed by Phillips of Hoi a leather, jacket and. we did the work. Out of nowhere, a flash¬ bulb popped. The next day, my picture was on the frontpages with that headline: ‘Former Movie Star Works on Truck;’ How dpi you defend yourself against this sort of thing?” . Asther said he was constantly, embarassed by f riends saying that he looked comparatively well, “It’s because . : they’ve-' TeaA '/. thesd/ $tcttiea T ” he said. “Ib.e^re just* not trije/ I am Interested: in "'many : things; birf.J am still'air actor and Fam not ai;all eager'to; b> treated Oin^c»na^ YistaVisios. T( MS * telicJ*: ' v ' -n'T : /• fWa, and" CineMH-acle. ' that it’s. impossible, employing American union labor, to meet the prices of the cheaper foreign equipment. . However; the Century unit, known as Model JJ 70 .35n3 v . is said to be easier to. instaji iand. operate. Moreover/ it was pointed out the American equipment fol¬ lows “the time-proven design” of having the projector mechanism, optical sound reproducer, magnetic tape sound/producer/ and upper and- lower magazines ' in separate units. Moreover, it’s, stressed that the Century model is the only pro¬ jector that permits utilization of standard- arc lamps, bases, etc. without the necessity of costly modifications. ; The . design, it’s stated/ further allows for complete interchangeability with all existing standard projection /and sound sys¬ tems and thereby reduces installa¬ tion time and expense to a mini; mum. The . unit is also said to Be so designed that it is prepared for almost any foreseeable expansion for the present 70m and 35m film . dimension? as well as other pres¬ ent refinements. According to Frank Cahill, Cen¬ tury sales manager, one-third of the Initial: productioh is already committed. Several .units are being manufactured each \yeek. ' Theatres currently equipped with combined 35m-70m units; ap¬ proximately 60 in the U,, S., are using foreign units including the land in : association with the late Mike Todd. The Phillips units were manufactured for use in the showing of “Ok 1 a h oma” and ‘'Around the World in 80 Days,” the first, two films in Todd-A9- Other foreign makes operating in some U. S. theatres are tlie Italian- made Ciiiemanica and the German- made Bauer. Century, One of the; leading U. S. ihanufactorers of theatre projec- tion and souml,equipment, has spe- daHzed in developing special film projector . Including those for ^ Technira-