Boxoffice-March.06.1948

: March
Big Cleveland Coin
Taken by Reissues
CLEVELAND—Majority of the downtown
houses went over the line to a better than
average gross last week, with "Bambi" at the
Allen way out front. This reissue played to
capacity matinees and good evening attendance,
finishing its one-week downtown run
with a score of 130. Another reissue bill. "The
Bride of Frankenstein" and "The Son of
Frankenstein." had 'em standing in line at
the Ohio, crowding the lobby and filling the
auditorium. Of the new pictures shown,
"Ttaee Daring Daughters" was far in the
lead. The return engagement of "Henry V"
at advanced prices at the Low-er Mall had
gratifying results. "Treasure of Sierra Madre"
lield strong in its fourth and last week on
the Main Stem.
(Average Is 100)
Alien—Bambi (RKO), reissue 130
Dnie—Voice of the Turtle (WB), 2nd wk 12
L^ke—Treasu Sierra Madri (WB), 4tl
Lower Mall—Henry V (UA), return run at ad-
Ohio—Son ol Frankenstein (Dezel), Bride oi
Frankenstein (Dezel), reissues 1S5
Prlace—Night Song (RKO) 95
?vte—Three Daring Daughters (MGM) 116
Shllmcn—I Walk Alone (Para), 2nd d t dw 100
Second Week of 'Bishop's Wife'
Stronger Than the Opener
PITTSBURGH—"The Bishop's -Wife," in
a successful exhibition at the Fulton, turned
In a better gross for its second week than
for the initial period, which was something
new in the theatre's record. "Cass Timberlane,"
after two good weeks in Loew's Penn,
was a strong attraction when moved over to
Loew's Ritz. "A Woman's 'Vengeance" flopped
at the J. P. Harris and was pulled after four
days.
Fulton—The Bishop's Wife (RKO), 2nd wk 140
Harris A Woman's Vengeance (U-I), 4 days
Penn—High Wall (MGM)
f^5
85
Ritz—Cass Timberlane (MGM), 3rd d t wk 130
Senator—North Star (SR), Turnabout (SR),
reissues, 4 days 70
Se-a'or-You Were Meant lor Me (', t Ih-Fox)
2nd d. wk t 90
80
Stanley—The Voice oi the Turtle (WB), 2nd wk
Warner—The Fugitive (RKO), 2nd wk 80
Chain Gang (WB); A Slight Case oi Murder
(WB), reissues 90
Cinema—The King's Jester (Superlilm) 80
Adams—Cass Timberlane (MGM) 150
Broadway Capitol— I Am a Fugitive From a
Downtown—Gone With the Wind (MGM) reissue,
2nd wk , 75
Palms-State—Relentless (Col);
in the Knockout (Mono), 2r
United Artists—Bambi (RKO),
Slippy McGee (Rep)
Oweqo Joins GTS
DETROIT—The Owego Theatre in Mancelona,
operated by Cecil C. Noecker, has
joined General Theatre Service of Detroit,
according to Carl 'W. Buermele, general
manager.
City Buys Parking Sites
ANN ARBOR, MICH.—The city council
has decided to buy outright three of five
proposed parking lot properties. One of
these is the Majestic Theatre and site.
Juvenile Film Tastes Today Follow
Those Generation Ago, Poll Shows
CLEVELAND-Omar Ranney, drama and
motion picture editor of the Press, is conducting
a survey of the motion picture tastes
of the children of all ages attending the
Lakewood schools. Lakewood is one of the
exclusive residential suburbs of Cleveland,
and as such is typical of the children coming
from the better homes.
Outstanding result of the poll, conducted
with the assistance of the Lakewood board
of education, is that the children, 1948 style,
are no different from their parents, their
grandparents or their great grandparents.
They want their heroes brave, strong and
winners. Alan Ladd best exemplifies this
combination of virtues today, just as the
Rover Boys, Dick Ti-acy et al, satisfied and
stimulated the previous generations of youth.
From the fourth through the 12th grades,
Ladd had no close competitors. Roy Rogers
comes closest to being one. Bob Hope listed
high in this age group. But as the grades
and ages advanced, Bing Crosby nosed out
Hope in popularity rating.
THOSE NOT SO POPULAR
Among the not-so-popular film stars with
the youth of Lakewood are Frank Sinatra
and Van Johnson.
As is to be expected, there is a great divergence
of opinion between the boys and
girls of school age as to who are the best
screen stars. The little girls—those in the
4th, 5th and 6th grades—are still strong
for Shirley Temple and Margaret O'Brien.
The boys like Abbott and Costello, Jeanne
Grain, Guy Madison, Dana Andrews and
Larry Parks. But get into the senior high
grades and the leader, by many lengths, is
Lana Tui-ner.
Girls, according to the Ranney survey, especially
in the Junior high group, like
movies better than the boys. They like
action westerns, without music; they do not
like horror pictures; they can go for some
screen romance, but the boys of this age
definitely want none of this love stuff. The
'
'Timberlane' Outstanding
In Poor Detroit Session
and
DETROIT—Business generally far below
par last week, with a couple of outstanding
girls boys
mal stories.
animal. They
agree, however, in liking ani-
And the horse is their favorite
quote "Flicka" as a type of
exceptions, notably "Cass Timberlane." Major
entertainment they would like to have repeated.
competition was offered by the Sonja
Henie ice show at Olympia and Frankie Laine
in person at the Bowery.
ALL-TIME BEST*
Like many of their elders, they think
"Gone With the 'Wind" the top picture of
all times. They like it better than any of
the newer pictures. In that they also emu-
DOXOFFICE :
6, 1948
late their elders, as is attested by the fact
that it is grossing more on its fifth repeat
than on any of its previous popular priced
runs.
"The Jolson Story" and "The Yearling"
were heavy favorites with the Senior high
group, but neither could approach the
popularity of GWTW. Some of the other
pictures which rated high among the teenagers
were "Pride of the Yankees," iwith
the boys), "Margie" (with the girls), "Great
Expectations," "I Wonder Who's Kissing
Her Now," "Fantasia," (with the girls),
"Best Years of Our Llives," "Northwest
Passage," "Going My Way," "Lassie Come
Home," "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty"
and "Bambi."
Ranney reports that "it was interesting
in tabulating the results of the poll to see
ho.v the film interests of children change
through the successive age groups. The boys
started out in the fourth grade by giving
western the most votes, seconded by
comedies. This lineup continued until the
seventh grade when the boys gave comedies
top position and westerns second.
"In tha ninth grade it was comedies first
and mysteries second. Comedies still held
top position in the 11th grade but musicals
replaced mysteries as runnersup. Then in
the 12th grade, the boys put musicals first
and comedies second.
"The girls began in the fourth grade with
comedies first and westerns second. In the
sixth grade a growing interest in musicals
was evidenced and their preference wascomedies
fii-st and musicals second."
In the seventh grade it was musicals first
and comedies second. In the ninth grade
mysteries replaced comedies in second
position and in the tenth grade screen
romance went into second place, with
musicals still in first.
Among the things that these children
do not want are: Not so many drinking
scenes, and not so much glamor. The girls
especially ask for pictures depicting the
average home life. How this lines up with
their voting Lana Turner their favorite
actress is one of the irreconcilables of
youth.
SHOW FEATURES SERIALLY
The young persons of Cleveland are probably
better qualified to judge motion pictures
than their like in other large cities.
This is because a majority of the public
schools show movies daily during the noon
movie hour. It is the practice locally for the
schools to show selected features serially;
that is, two reels are shown daily during
the lunch period. If the picture is too long
to complete within the five-day period, it
is held over through the following week
until it is completed. If it is too short to fill
the five-day period, the incompleted time Is
completed with shorts.
Some schools have junior motion picture
council groups to discuss pictures critically
with the aid of adult leadership. The
neighborhood theatres are vei-y conscious
of their juvenile patrons and have carefully
selected programs over the weekends,
especially on Saturday. The opinion of
these children is not haphazard. They have
a critical consciousness and their voices
should be heard.
Magazine Subscriptions-
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nplete periodical service—
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J. NAZAR, 1009 Fox
Detroit 1. Mich.
PERYL'S
COSTUMES
UNIFORMS for Entire Theatre Staff.
Special Costumes for Al] Occasions, Acts and
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Peryl LaMarr, Prop. 3737 Woodward
Phone: TEmple 2-3948 Detroit 1. Mich.