Boxoffice-March.06.1948

3rd
: March
'
Film Cenler Building
Acquired by Reade
NEW YORK-The 13-story Film Center
Bldg 630 Ninth Ave., has been bought by
Walter Reade Jr. Enterprises for investment
purposes. The company, headed by Walter
Reade jr., bought the stock of the Film Center
Bldg. Corp., subject to a mortgage of
about si. 700,000. The building is assessed at
$1,800,000.
Reade has already assigned the contract
for the stock to a syndicate which will operate
the building. Daniel A. Brener and Edward
Lewis, brokers in the sale, will manage
the pioperty for the new owners.
There were reports in the last few weeks
that the building had been sold to a syndicate
headed by Joseph Harris of Realart
Pictures. Inc. Harris said that he had been
negotiating for the building, which he wanted
for investment purposes and as headquarters
for his film interests. These negotiations
were broken off about one week before the
Reade deal was made.
Reade eventually may take office space in
the building for his various enterprises, which
include a 40-house ciixuit and considerable
real estate in New Jersey and New York.
The Film Center Bldg. has been a headquarters
for New York exchanges, equipment
dealers and trailer services since December
1928. It now includes among its tenants
NSS, MGM, RKO, Columbia, U-I, United
Artists, Monogram, Eagle Lion and Republic.
'Naked City' Benefit Nets
$180,000 for Heart Fund
NEW YORK—A benefit premiere of
Mark
Hellinger's "The Naked City" at Capitol Theatre
Wednesday night (March 3) rolled up a
gross of $150,000 at $5 per seat and this was
increased $30,000 by presentation of a check
from the Skouras Theatres Corp. The
Skouras check was a result of a campaign in
the theatres.
All the money" goes to the New York Heart
Ass'n's drive to collect $500,000.
Milton Berle was master of ceremonies.
Among the well known performers who appeared
were: Bill Robinson, Harry Richman.
Morton Downey, Jane Kean, Louis Prima, the
Golden Gate quartet and Horace Heidt and
his
orche.stra.
Publicists With 20th-Fox
Granted Wage Hikes
NEW YORK—The American Arbitration
Ass'n has awarded wage increases and has
set a new minimum wage scale for publicists
employed at 20th-Fox. The decision settled
a wage dispute between the company and the
Screen Publicists Guild, Local 114, UOPWA,
CIO.
The wage increases included a $20 weekly
pay hike for senior publicists, $15 for pubheists,
$10 for associate publicists and $5.50
for apprentices. The new minimum wage
scale grants $125 weekly to senior publicists,
$87.50 to publicists, $62.50 to associate publicists
and $40 to apprentices. The new
salary scale is retroactive to Sept. 27, 1947.
A union demand for salary hikes for publicists
employed at Warners also will be
settled by arbitration. Both the union and
Warners have named their representatives.
The award in the negotiations between the
union and 20th-Fox was handed down after
a two-day hearing at arbitration headquarters.
The decision was made by a board
consisting of Prof. Harry Shulman of Yale
University Law school, Aaron Schneider,
regional director of the UOPWA, and Norman
Steinberg, attorney associated with 20th-
Fox.
Salary Increases Granted
To 1,100 Film Employes
NEW YORK — About 1,100 home office
workers at Loew's and RKO, members of the
Screen Office and Professional Employes
guild, have been granted salary increases by
'he American Arbitration Ass'n. Awards for
workers at Columbia, UA, 20th-Fox, Paramount
and National Screen are pending. The
SOPEG represents 3,000 employes at the
home office here.
Salary boosts ranging from $5 to $10 weekly
were awarded to 600 white coUar workers at
RKO. About 500 workers at Loew's received
wage hikes of from $5 to $12 weekly. The increases
are retroactive to Sept. 27, 1947.
The arbitrator in the Loew's case was
Sidney A. Wolff. Dean John T. Madden represented
Loew's; Albert Shepard of the Book
and Magazine guild of the United Office and
Pi-ofessional Workers of America represented
the SOPEG. The arbitrator in the RKO
negotiations was Isadore Broadwin. RKO
was represented by Wilbur England.
The union originally asked for an increase
of $10 weekly or 30 per cent, whichever was
higher.
'Pearl' Leads B'way
During Slow Week
NEW YORK—Leading the first runs during
a generally slow week was "The Pearl,"
which finished a strong second week.
It was a week of holdovers on Broadway,
with "Road to Rio" at the Paramount, "Three
Daring Daughters" at the Capitol," "Call
Northside 777" at the Roxy, "To the Ends
of the Earth" at the Rivoli, and "A Double
Life" at the Music Hall doing above average
business.
New arrivals toward the end of the week
included "Black Bart" at the Winter Garden;
"Song of My Heart" at the Park Avenue, and
"The Naked City," Capitol. "The Naked City"
opened its regular run March 4 after a special
benefit showing the previous night sponsored
by the Mark Hellinger memorial fund. Proceeds
went to the New York Heart Ass'n.
(Average Is 100)
Astor—The Bishop's Wile (RKO), 12th wk 93
Capilol—Three Daring Daughters (MGM),
Cnler1on^feep,°My LoveTuAiVM" wk::;:.:; tO
Globe—Body and Soul (UA), 17th wk. i4
.
Loews S.ate-KiUer McCoy (MGM), 3rd wk to
Maytair—Gentleman's Agreement ('.tOth-Fox)
pJia«^' You Knew "Susie (RKO):'" 2rid^wk:.;;;; :::::: as
Park Avenue—Holiday Camp lU-1), 6th wk.
(6 days) ,
Paramount—Road lo Rio i : - plus stage
Rad.o'^C.ty Music Hij!! -A Double Lile""(U-l).
plus stage show, 2nd wk U^
gl?^r?ri?e ^hf^e'^^rth (coi):3rd wk:::::::18^
Roxy-Call Northside 777 (20th-Fox), plus
stage show, 2nd wk ^.
HO
Strand—My Girl Tisa (WB), plus stage show.
Sutton-The Pearl (RKO), 2nd wk..
.125
Cross (SG) 2nd v,k 9b
Victor.a-The Burning
Warner-A Miracle Can Happen (UA) 4th wk bb
Wmter Garden—lossy (UA), 2nd wk. (6 days) 82
Huge Philadelphia Opening
For "Gentleman's Agreement'
PHILADELPHIA— All the news this week
is "Gentleman's Agreement," opening at
the Fox. The combination of a topflight
film, popular stars, the Academy Award publicity,
and a thorough job of exploitation
done by the local group, is paying off at the
boxoffice. Other openers, "A Double Life,"
at the Boyd; "Out of the Blue" at the Stanton,
and "My Girl Tisa" at the Mastbaum,
are not making too spectacular a splash.
Most of the other first run houses had holdovers,
and the grosses show it,
Aldine-Black Narcissus (U-I), 2nd wk 9b
Boyd-A Double Liie (Ul) /,.,„;
Arcadia-Treaure ol Sierra Madre (WB), oj 2nd
^^^
Eae—ffigh Vail (MGM) , wk. ..^:." 90
Erlanger—Cass Timberlane (MGM), bth
Fo'i-Gentleman's Agreement (20th:Fo°x)°..-. '280
Goldman-II Winter Comes (MGM), 3rd wk 00
Karlton-The Bishop's Wile (RKO). 3rd wk 150
Keith—You Were Meant for Me (20th-Fox).
^^^
::::"
Maslba^My Girl Tisa (WB):::^.::::::.^::::::::" 95
Pix—The Outlaw (UA) 2nd run, 5th wk 100
Stanley—A Miracle Con Happen (UA), 2nd wk 9b
Stanton-Out ol the Blue (EL) 100
^^
^^^
42
AT "BELLS' SCREENING—This happy quartet appeared at RKO's New York
trade screening of "The Miracle of the Bells." Left to right: Israel Zatkin, Lane
Theatres; Phil Hodes, RKO's New York exchange manager; Irving Dashkin, Savoy
Theatres, and Irving Rcnner, Endicott circuit.
'Susie' and 'Bishop's Wife'
Catching Trade in Baltimore
BALTIMORE—With a week of weak pictures
and two holdovers, bulk of the trade
went to "If You Knew Susie" and one of the
holdovers, "The Bishop's Wife." "Intriguehad
an average week and the others were
way below par.
'00
Century-Intrigue (UA) ,-
Hippodrome— If You Knew Susie
(RKO). plus stage show if
Keiths-la sy (U-I) §5
mHJ
., j
New—Call Northside 777 (20th-Fox), .^rd -.-.k.
Mayfair-Frieda (U-I) -^^--^
Stanley—Intermezzo (SRO), reissue
Town-The Bishop's Wife (RKO), 2nd wk
a/
HO
BOXOFFICE
:
6, 1948