Variety (Apr 1928)

VARIETY P I CTU R E S Wednesday, April 4, 1928 STATE AND MET» APART AS FIRST PU6LIX UNIT HITS L A. $25,500 for "Noose" at Loew House—"Sadie" Out to $li ,300 After Neat Run—**Crowd" Quits After 2d Week to $7,600-^"4 Sons," $7,100 Los Angolcs, April'3. .. (Drawing Popl, 1',j5p,006) Weather: Rain, Cold arid Fair Rainy and a following cold spell did more damage to. the box ofllcos than, the Dodge hour. .; The broad- cast got the fans to tune in during dinner, . and though the supper shows 11 nd .late matinees were af- feo-tcd, the': picture houses had no ,kic]< coming on the night showia.'as trade w'as libout normal. Loew's State was to the fore on the all around Intake,. House had the. first Publix Unit, "Merry Widow,". at tlie. Mptropolitan, against Benny Rubin and a wow 'of si Fanchon and Marco stage show. "Love and .Learh" on the Met's screen, with "The Noose" •.on the State. Answer was. only $500 dif- ference on the woelt. Orauman's Chinese was the leader of the de luxe group, though slip- ping $2,000 with "The Circus." "Wings," in its 11th week, still moves along strongly, hD])pinig the gross about $1500. "Four Sons'' dropped about $G00 on its seventh week at the Carthay Circle and goes out. in favor of "Street Angel" April 8. "Patent Leather Kid," in fourth and fina.1 wceTc at the Ci-itci-ion, .dropped around $1,100 be- low the week before. . "Uncle. Tom's Cabin," with a $5 opening and plenty of "Oakleys" loose for the premiere, looks like for.r weeks at the most, and plenty of plugging to make it last that tin' ^. ■ V, .xdie Thompson" bowed out of the' United Artists at the end of four weeks with a total intake of $75,800, the largest gross any pic- ture has been able to roll up since the house opened. Picture got around $21,000 for its bit on run. "Ramona" off to good start, run- ning only $100 behind the first day of Swanson opening. Matinee trade for this one started off better than for "Sadie." "The Crowd" was dispersed off the marquis at the end of the sec- ond week at the Million Dollar. Second week close to $2,000 behind the first an ou|t and out "brodie" .for. the house. "Chicago," at the ISsryptian, . did fairly, "but not as good as expected, "Shield of Honor" was none too strong for the Boulevard, dropping around $306' below predecessor. Estimates for Last Week Graum'an's Chinese (tJ. A.), "The Circus" (U. A.) (1,958; 50-$1.50). For loth week, with aid of out-of- town excursions, $19,000, great. Carthay' Circle' (Miller-W.C), "Four Sons" . (Fox) (50-$1.50). Seventh weeTt little below corre- sponding period for "Sunri.se," sur- prisingly good for end of Lenten sca.son; even $7,100. Biltmore (Rrlanger), "Wings" (Par.) (1,661; 60-$2.20). Romark- ably w'f^ll in nth stanza; picked, up over week before getting $1C,8C6 Criterion (W. C), "Patent Leather ixirt" (F. • N.) (1,600; B0-$1.50) Fourth and final week nothln.g to rave about; however, house did not go Into red with just over $6,000 Loew's State (W. C.-Locw), "The NAose" (F. N.) (2.200; 25-99), Very good week with- Eonny Rubin: new m, r.., liked, and gross showing in- ■ . crease oT:$2,0t)0"iTbDl7<rfVfral Pcabody wook w'ith a Marion Davips plugged pipturo on screen; around $25,500 . . Metropolitan (W. C.-Pub.), "Love and Learn". (Par.) (3,59.^); 25-75) I Publix unit, "The Merry Widow,' ! counted upon nrtorc'than screen atr traction; , .show did not startle at : around. $25,000. . ■ ■ Million Dollar (Ay. C-Pub.), "The .Crowd". (m;-G:) (2,200; 25^99) Could not see thin one from the start here; bowed but at end of second week to $7,606.' United Artists ■(.TL A;),; " "Sadie . Thomp.son" (U. A.)'(2.100: 2B-.<i1.]0) Best house has had from b. standpoint; $11^300 on fourth, and final week. Boulevard (W. C.) "Shield of Honor" (U.) (2,164; 25-50). Draw ing power of Neil Hamilton helped $7,600. .• EayiJtian . (W, C.-tT. A.), "Chi cago" (Pathe) (1,800; 25-75). Just all right at $8,200. Los Angeles, April 3. When Fox signed George. Beldah as its new western star,. replacing RoJc King-, the .studio changed his name to Rex Bell. Production on Bell's first starring picture wa,s star'ted with the some supporting, cast for King. Title, "Wild West Romance," will be.retained and R. L. Hough Is d.l-. rectinff. AIL TORONTO, $43,000; 'ENEM Y'A BUST, $6,600 Boys Starting to Tear Hair— Loew's $11,500 Off, but Leads the Town ; Toronto, April 23. (Drawing Population, 700,000). Weather: Stormy, unsettled With the comblned gross for main street! flicker houses under $43,000, thq guys are .starting to tear hair up here. The toboggan grabbed everything in sight eyen with such names as Jannings, Negri, pickford, Gish and Davles. Coliseum drew morfe dough in one night than. the two leading film houses cbuld -show for a week, and at that they had nothing but pbrk and bean fights. "The Eneniy" proved the biggest flop of the season. The Gish sob at the Uptown ; got sorhething under $7,000. "Red Hair" opeped, to good biz Saturday but had them grum- bling aLnd yawning on the.; way out.- Stiage show here showing great sini- Ilarity from week to week. .lack Arthur, manager, supplied Leonidoff and Rogge to the Roxy, New York, and this week Roxy supplies the costumes to Jack's dance revue. Ufa's "Passion" finally came in and drew plenty of raves but a shortage pf cash to Pantages. This one was barred when first Imported and was just over $11,000 this time. Supporting show. well, belanced Siquare (irooks" looked to have no chance at the Hippodrome, .with critics deciding it had no right in a full week house. Result was almost up to average at $9,000, most of the credit going to stage show. Tom Daley grabbed $5,400 for the second week of "Legion of Con- demned," which puts the fortnight for this one In the real money class at nearly $15,000. Tivoll and Uptown try an experi- ment next week when these two par. houses both play Harold Lloyd's Speedy." Two miles alpart and giv- ing an entirely different type of sur- rounding program, the. wise guys feel the day. and date experiment will be a b. 6. tonic. Marion Davies was the town's top at Loew's, but it only took $11,500 to get there. Forty put of 52 weeks in the.year the Loew. house leads the parade up here. With "Carry On, Sergeant," all Canadian effort of Captain Bruce Bairnsfather to be . released next month, a ballyhoo Is being smoked up in the dallies. Regardless of its merits this picture will draw big here. Estimates iFor Last Week Loew's (2.300; 30-60)—"Quality Street" (M-G). At $11,500 well in front of the town although below average gross; short films at this house now among best In city. Pantages (FP) (3,400; 30-60)— "Passion" (Ufa). Should have done bettor . tha:n $11,000; . rest of show Avell -balahcedr - ■—— — Hip (FP): (2,600; .30-60)—"Square Crooks" (Fox). Surprised by doing $9,000; vaiido good. Uptown (FP) (3,000; 30-60)—"The Enemy'^ (M.-G). One of worst flops of season at $6,600; Lillian Gish less than zero here on last three pictures. .TivQli (PP). (1.400; 30-00)—"Le- gion of the Condemned" (Par).. :A bright .spot at $5,500 on second week. N. Y. td Li A. Ben Lyon. "Slvcots". Gallagher. A <300D:WAY Baltimore's Premier Summer Din- ing and Dancing Place Is Insuring a large attendance and profitable patronage by engaging a MEYDR DAVIS ORCHESTRA for the season. THE SUMMIT, es many other establishments, have found Meyer Davis Orchestras a splendid invest- ment. Theyire always so dependaihle. Oriental and B'way Break Even at $11,000 in FtI'd. Portland, Ore., April 3. with Movietone installed the Hol- ly woodj suburban house under West Coast pperatipn,. did $5,000 in the first week to a 35c. scale. Otherwise film business quiet last week, with TIbbetts' Oriental drop- ping to $11,000, the same amount taken in by West Coast's Broad- way. "Red Hair," at the new Port- land (Publix-W, C),. held that house to its customary, figure since open- ing. Estimate^ for Last Week Portland (Publix-Loew) (3,6(li0; 35 to 60). Clara Bow :Scored well In Red Hair." Alex Hyde band. Rus- sian Revels" road show. ^0,000, Broadway (W. C.) (2,000;: 25 to 60). Greta Garbo sti'ong In "Divine Woman." Fanchon & Marco stage revue; $11,000, Oriental (Tibhetts) (2,700; 25 to 35) "The Main Event;" JCatherine Laldlaw's ballet. Josef Strodka and orchestra. A strong program. $11,0001 Liberty (W. C.) (2,000; 35 to 60). Will King revue does much to build show. Film Is Hoot Gibson's "Trick of Hearts." $5,500. Rivoli (Parker-W, C.) (1,200; 35 to 50). Second • week , of "Student Prince." Salvatore Santaella and concert orchestra. Good . progranl, being well received. $6,000. Columbia (U.) (35 to 50). "Love Me and World Is Mine." Sampletro and orchestra with Nadj RossettI, soprano, in appropriate concert based on old Vienna theme. $5,000. Heilig (Heillg) (2,000; 50 to $2.60). Moroni Olsen rep company in "Can- dida'' for two day-Sj Very popular troupe. Pantages (Pan.) (2,000; 35 to 60). Jack De Sylva's . Nite Club and yaude. $15,000. Music Box, Henry Duffy Playei's (1,300; 25 to 76) "Three Wise Fools" connected big. ''CIRCUS," $29,700, BOSTON Good W«ek for State-^Met Still Off at $33,000 with Bebe SOston, April 8. . (Drawing Population, 850,000) : Loew's State lia? charted a steady rise for weeks and reached a peak this past week with "The Circus," Stage show Included Signer Fris- coe's Band and Wilson Sisters and Waishburn. Stage show was negli- glhle as a drawing card, .. Picture collected $29,700. for the week. Pre- vious week Silver Masked Tenor, Goodrich Band and "Sadie Thomp- son" did $26,000, and Ruth Elder hit. $26,000, No house In Boston has done such business In Lent. Metropolitan found the goin? pretty tough, same as previous week. Gross bf $33;000 with "Feel My Pulse" and "Rio Romance." Hou.se has been in one of those periodic slumps. "Quality Street" and vaude, at the Orpheum, came in for some Easter shopping trade and grossed |20,000. "Jazz Singer-," at the Modern and Beacon, is now In the seventh and 'last week. Flr^st .fl.ve went .hlg, but RTOSses have dropped a bit sinccr. Exceptional run for these houses. "Gateway of the MOon" (Fox), at the new Boston, vaude played, to good houses and "Chicago After Midnight" (FBO), playing the Scol- lay Square Glyrhplc, brought no complaint^. Double biHs at the Fenway with mid-week change saw good gates. "Sporting Goods'' and "Doomsday" for first half; "Chi- cago After Midnight" and "Soft Living" last. half,. Estimates for Last Week • Metropolitan (Publix) (4,000; 60- CO)—"Feel My pulse^' (Par). House has . fallen off , badly and needs" a doctor to. feel Its pulse; last week. $33,000 State. (3,500; 35-50)—"The Cir- cus" (U. A.). Knockout for Back Bay house; Chaplin premiere a peak week at $29,700. Orpheum (3,500; 35-50)^"Quality Street" (M-G) and vaude. • Down- town store business heavy and the- a,tre in proportion; $20,000. "Patsy" Got $2,200 At Newman in K. C. ACTS HELP STANLEY AND FOX HOLD UP $30,000 and $26,000—'Show- down- Disappoints, $5,500 —*Gaucho,' $14,500 CANT STIR BUFFALO UP L. A. TO N. Y. otto H, Kahn. James 1. Bnsh, David Crray, Beverly Niehols. Ivy Loo. Rudolph Kommer, ''MaJr"3^TnWs'^iIfciTrtv" Jimmy Grainger; Rariioh Nov.a'rro " Hobart Henley Peggy Hope Clarence Nordstrom Bert Lcvoy (.actor) ■ Edmund Oo ulding _ Count Tolstoi Buster Keaton Edward Sedgwick Marceline Day "Ironsides," $24,900—Hipp Alone in Showing Some Action Under $15,000 Buffalo, April 3. (Drawing Population, 590,000) Weather: Fair and Storms Bottom appears to be out of the picture business as completely as within recent years. Grosses have beenr-0n-^bottom^4:orlweeka.,.„ Al- though Lent is being Blamed for the slump, it is app.arcnt that there is much more than this in the wind. The general depression, together with widespread unemployment, is taking heavy toll.-- Estimates for Last Week Buffalo. (3,600; 36-40-05)—"Old Ironsides" (Par) and "Pagoda Land/' Second riiri following film's $2 showing here early in season; failed to produce much; jgiood show, but $24,900. Hip (Publix) (2,400; 50)—"Col- lege" (U. A.) a,nd vaude. Only house in- town that showed signs of life; receipts bettered previous week by a couple, of thousand; Eu gene O'Brien heading vaude in per ison, credited with the additional business; under $15,000. Great Lakes (Fox) (3,400; 35-50) —"Alias the Deacon" (Fox) and vaude. House has hdon in the red I for wooks; • strong on vaude pro- . ;rrama but competition is hurting; ^=iU^auJid.$IliP00._^ .^,^,^ Loew's (Loew) — "Sm-^rt. "S^ol" ;(M-Cr) and vaudo. Takings have l)o6n up and down here the p-ist tow weeks; last week about even; under $10,500. Lafayette (Indie) (3.4O0; 35-50)— "Silk Stockings" (U) .and vaude- ville. House has been adding acts, I u.«?ing 10 week before last and eight last woelt; results have been 'noticeable, takings jumping from around $8,000 to $10,000; la.st wo.ok maybe over $9,000. Kan.sas City, April 3. (Drawing Pop., 700,000) Weather: Unsettled and Fair : Managers are gi.ad March is oyer iaind that Lent is nearing its end. Business has been in a decided slump. . Opposition also has been heavy, with bowling tournaments, basketball meets and Industrial shows. Last week ran true to form. Spring weather alrnost -wrecked the Saturday-Sunda,y openings; then the temperature dropped, and the sudden change, kept 'em all horaie. Only break was the storm Thurs- day night during the Dodge hour, managers agreeing that the weather would have, kept the fans home anyway. Midland ha-d. "Sadie Thompson,"^ a;nd the picture drew better thani several predecessors, although not as well a;s was expected. Starting yesterday, . house went back to Saturday openings. Other Loew house, the Newman, will commence a new policy of two" bills, a week, Saturday and Wednesday Openings, next week. Prices remain the same. The Liberty, Independent, ha,s also announced a new policy of double bills,, and Is offering "The Siren" and a revival of "A Connecticut Yankee" thl."? week. Jack Sidney, m. c. at the Midland for 20 weeks, has been succeeded by Joe Kay, and Billy Wright has replaced Art Hayes at the organ. Estimates for Last Week Loew's Midland—"Sadie Thomp- son" (U. A.) (4,000; 25-35-50). I'aper.s called picture most impor- JtantlvS.cre.en,u_.evj?nt..Of .the yeek; stage shOAv, ''Ilap'py-tib-Luclcy,'' while not exceptionally strong, offered good entertainment; busi- ness better than preceding- week, but be! w expectations; $19,000. Mainstrcet (Orpheum)—"Burning Daylight" (F. N,) (3,200; 25-50), Milton sills a hero to many Main- street regulars and. credited for a good.share of the draw; stage show okay; sulTered on Siipday opening, but balance of -week fairly steady; $12,000. Newman (Loew)—"The Patay" (M-G) (1,390; 25-35), While local p.TLpers have never been able to see Miarlon Davles, critics did an about- face on this one; Saturday's open- ing best for weeks, which helped total; $2,200. Liberty (Indie)—"Patent Leather Kid" (F. N.) (1,000; 25-35). Second week for Barthelmess at this house; film now goes to the suburbans; two weeks' stay, being second .run downtown, did not get the money txpected; $1,400, Pantages^"Square Crooks" (Fox) T2:200r 25=^5 0.1T"=-L7TtJ?=^o^=^laughs-and rotfulara like it; Pan's $1,000 vocal contest brought out four contcsr tants; $6,800. Orpheum presented. "A Blonde for a Night" .and- the Globe gave two pictured, "Turkish Delight" and "Nobody's Widow," in addition to "A Dlstinguiahed Lady" by the Bridge Pl.ayor.si. Uptown's split week waH "Love Mo and the World la Mine" and ''Thank.** for the Buggy Rido." • Philadelphia, April 3. Business went up a peg last week,, but riot to so high a level as that of three -weeks ago -when , the wi.se- acres were ■ dumfounded at the spurt. Stanley a,nd Fox both had special presentations and they cer- tainly helped to bolster. Van and Schehck, at the Stanley,: are always good drawing cards, aU though "The Diven Woman!' was generally panned. .However, Greta Garbo has a definite following here now. Combination pulled around $30,000, a $3,000 gain over the pre- vious week. Fox had Ted Lewi^ in connection with "Why Sailors Go Wrong." Lewis helped, but the best that could be done Was $20,000. Run houses were okay. "Wings," with only two more weeks to riin, got $13,000.- all right for Lenti "When a Ma-n Loves" is reported as following with continuous show- ings at . pop : prices. After that, house will probably close for the summer. Stanton started off well, but hot excejptio.nally, with "The Gaucho." Busineisis could ha-ve been better, and has been for '. other Fairbanks' pictures, but $14,500 -vva.s satisfac- tory. "GauchO's" run Svill depend on how it comes back Easter -week. Four weeks looks like an outside estihiate, "The Sho-wdown'- was a disapppintment at the Karlton, both in notices and busines.s. Gross wa9 $5,500, and It hardly looks as if^ It can stick after thiis week. Attend- ance didn't compare to that done hy. "The Circus", and ''Lovo," which shows the Karltpn-needs- the -very strongest offerings tp continue Itg . long run,, high price policy. At the Fox-Locust "Four Sons" was off to $12,500, but that was claimed all that was expected for this 'time. If It comes back -with the end of Lent, sentimental filrii inay run well Into May and close . the house, for the season. Pour mOre weeks looks logical right now. Ar- cadia got $3,000 with the second and final week of "We.st Point." . This week's layout Is promising. The Stanley seems due for a-big week with "Her Wild Oat"; Colleen Moore is a draw In Philly. and War- Ing's Pennsylvanlans. Fox adver- tised Buster West this week, but Buster walked off Monday night. Ho is reported having a bum leg, but really understood to be dissatisfied at the presentation racket. Waring bunch hold over at the Stanley next week. Estimates for. Last Week Stanley (4,000; 36-50-75)—"The Divine Woman'' (M-G). Picture not highly praised, but Greta Garbo has. good following . here; Van and Schenck the real draws; $30,000. Stanton (1,700; 35-60-75)—"The Gaucho" (U. A., first week). Fair- banks picture started nicely; $14,500. Aldine (1,500; $2)—"Wings" (Par, 18th weaU). Considered okay at $13,000. Max stay longer than April 21. Arcadia (800; 60)—"West Point** (M-G). Second week off to $3,000. Karlton (1,100; 50-75)—"The Sho-^vdown" (Par, 1st week); Not anywhere near up to averages set by "Love" and "The Circus"; reported at $5,500. Fox-Locust (1,800; $1.05)—"Pour Son.s" (Fox, 4th week). Around $12,500 last week and should come hack strong enough after Lent to give It at least.another month. Fox (3,000; 99)—"Why Sailors Go Wrong" (Fox). Ordinary program picture didn't mean a thing; Ted Lewis- and-band -saved the- week -to . sortie extent; $26,000. ' 'Talking" Stock Issue Licensed in N. Albany, April 8. Talking pictures have reached the stage where brokerage houses can exploit stock In New York state of concerns manufacturing them. Pan-American Securities Gorporac tlon, 55 West .42nd street, New York City, has been licensed by the Sec- retary of State to handle an issue of common stock of Talking Film Cor- poration. It Is a Delaware company with New York offices at the same a,ddress. Data filed with Secretary of State In accordance with provision of Gen- eral Business Law Is designed to pro tdct'llie-pOUlIc'^'ln Henry Dreyfuss due Henry Dreyfuss, formerly fivt di- rector of the Mark Strand, New "ITork, returns April 10 on the "France" from a two months' Eu- ropean vacation trip. Dreyfusg has since alTloiatod with the Pox circuit of picture hou.ses.