Boxoffice-May.29.1948

1 Four
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Pantages,
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(RKO);
1 2nd
I Warners
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•
due
'
Soldiers
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Paramount
,
(Para),
I United
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'
;
LOS
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I
Charting
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will
;
Dembow,
!
and
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—
—
——
—
. . Lou
. . . William
. . The
. . Robert
Action Fans Enjoy
Field Day in L. A.
LOS ANGELES—Three high-budget sagebrushers
were among the new pictures on
first run screens and one, "Silver River,"
was among top grossers for the period. Another,
"The Gallant Legion," was at the
bottom of the heap. "River" carded a 150
per cent rating in its day-date opening in
three Warner houses. "Legion," dualled with
another opus at the two Paramounts. hit the
starve-to-death bracket with a sad 45 per
cent. The other western, "Four Faces West,"
was well over average with 125 in four showcases.
(Average is 100)
Belmont, Culver, El Rey, Orpheum, Vogue-
Raw Deal (EL); Assigned to Danger (EL) 150
Carthay, Chinese, Loyola, State, Uptown
The Iron Curtain (20th-Fox), The Best Man
Wins (Col), 2nd wk 150
Guild, Iris, Ritz, Studio City, United Artists
All My Sons (U-I); Arthur Takes Over
(20th-Fox) 140
Downtown, Hollywood Paramounts I. Jane
Doe (Rep), 2nd wk.; The Gallant Legion (Rep).... 45
Egyptian Los Angeles, Wilshire B, F.'s
Daughter (MGM) 140
Music Halls—Four Faces West (UA) 125
Hillstreet—The Miracle of the Bells
The Wreck of the Hesperus (Col),
wk 75
Do^'ntown, Hollywood, Wiltern—
Silver River (WB) 150
'State of Union' Stays
Out Front in Portland
PORTLAND — "State of the Union" remained
as the top draw in town in its third
week at the J. J. Parker Broadway Theatre.
"The Iron Curtain" opened at a good 120 at
the Paramoimt. In general, receipts were off
to hot, sunny weather, which attracted
patrons to the beaches or outdoor sporting
events.
Broadway
Slate of the Union (MGM);
Heart of Virginia (Rep), 3rd d. t. wk _...130
1
Guild—The Naked City (U-1), 3rd d. t wk 110
Music Box Lady From Shanghai (Col); 13 Lead
(20th-Fox), 2nd d t wk
Orpheum Lost Horizon (Col), Adam Had Four
110
Sons (Col), reissues 90
and Oriental The Iron Curtain
(20th-Fox); Arthur Takes Over (20th-Fox) 120
Playhouse Unconquered (Para);
\ Mr. Reckless
2nd d. t wk 110
Artists—B. F.'s Daughter (MGM) 90
San Francisco Honors
To "Curtain' and 'Apache'
SAN FRANCISCO—"The Iron Curtain"
had a big opening week at the Fox Theatre.
Second honors went to "Fort Apache" at
the Golden Gate.
Esquire and Orpheum—All My Sons (U-I);
Blondie's Reward (Col) 120
Fox—The Iron Curtain (20th-rox); Arthur
Takes Over (20th-Fox) 200
Golden Gate Fori Apache (RKO): Campus
Sleuth (Mono) 185
Paramount—Winter Meeting (WB); Assigned to
Danger (EL) 100
St. Francis—Hatter's Castle (Para), 3rd wk 100
State—The Noose Hangs High (EL);
•.
Mr. Reckless (Col), 2nd d. t. wk 90
United Artists—Sahara (Col); Destroyer (Col).
reissues 135
United Nations—The Fugitive (RKO), 2nd wk 90
Warfield-State of the Union (MGM), 3rd wk 100
Regional Session Called
By NSS in Los Angeles
ANGELES—National Screen Service
will hold a three-day regional sales meeting
of 12 western exchanges beginning May 25.
sessions at the Ambassador hotel
be Herman Robbins, president: George
vice-president in charge of sales;
Burton Robbins, assistant to the presi-
dent.
DENVER
petty ehiselers are grinding pennies down
to the size of dimes and using them in
change machines in various Denver theatres,
getting two nickels for one such coin. Edgar
A, Wildy, chief of the U.S. secret service in
Denver, announced that such penny-passing
is actually a violation of the counterfeiting
law, since the culprits are palming off a
penny as a dime.
Henry LeC'Iaire, former manager of the
Webber here, has been promoted from the
managership of the Palace, Bergenfield, N. J.,
to the managership of the Scarsdale, Scarsdale,
Dave Davis, general manager
N. Y, . . . of Atlas Theatres, has gone to California
on vacation,
Joe H. Gray, a grocer at Dexter, N. M., has
remodeled a building into a 230-seat theatre
and will open in about five weeks. It is a
new spot for films. Gray has installed
Super Simplex sound and projection, American
chairs and Walker screen, bought from
National Theatre Supply.
. . . Civic Theatres
In making over the Gem, Golden, Colo.,
Atlas Theatres will close the house for about
three months. The theatre will operate while
the addition is being built, then will close
down the house while the old part is made
over, making a building of 140x50 instead
of the present one of 75x50
has installed new Super Simplex mech-
anisms. Magnarc lamphouses, Hertner generator
and 4-Star Simplex sound, bought from
National Theatre Supply.
The Metro exchange club booked a mountain
picnic for the office force for May 23
. . . Tom Martinez jr. has sold the El Cortez.
Ranches of Taos, N. M., to John Merledge
Ted Zohbel, Universal auditor,
. . . who has been checking the Denver branch,
has moved on to Salt Lake City . . . Hugh
Braly and Harold Wirthwein, Paramount district
manager and assistant, were in Denver
for the installation of Charles P. Duer as
branch manager.
Mrs. Chet Bell has gone to Louisville, her
former home, to live. Chet Bell, late Paramount
branch manager, died a few weeks ago
in Los Angeles . Heckert has opened
the 200-seat Granby, Granby, Colo. . . . Kenneth
MacKaig, United Artists branch manager:
Charles Gilmour and Fred Knill of
Glbralter Enterprises, together with their
wives, went to Santa Fe, N. M., to attend
the world premiere of "Four Faces West"
at the Lensic and Burro Alley.
Mickey Gross, former Orpheum manager
here, has been named city manager for the
Cinema Amusement Co. and Drive-In Theatres,
Inc. . . . Kenneth MacKaig has bought
a Chrysler New Yorker, the last one available
here before the strike of Chrysler employes
started . . Robert Quinn, Paramount ex-
.
ploitation man. went to Salt Lake City tc
coordinate the publicity on "Hazard."
Duke Dunbar, for foior years assistant attorney
general, will run this year for the
attorney general post on the Republican
ticket. Dunbar was for several years secretary
of the old Film Board of Trade and
still retains his strong interest in the motion
picture business. His election is regarded as
a certainty.
James Parsons is doing a $7,000 remodel
job on his Isis Theatre in Aspen, Colo. Work
is being done by the Empire Theatrical Consultants
Eldon Menagh, owner of the
. . . Star in Fort Lupton, has a new sideline. Instead
of investing his money in a new drivein
he had planned at Greeley, he bought a
chicken farm at Fort Lupton and is building
an egg route, selling eggs to film and theatre
supply folk.
Mrs. Gregg Wagner, sister of Henry Friedel,
Metro branch manager, died at her Denver
home. She was buried in Des Moines,
Iowa . two triangular parks on Filmrow
are a mass of blooms .
Bram,
head booker for Universal, has been promoted
to a similar job in Cleveland. The
head booker job here goes to Dick Stafford
who has been the assistant for some time.
Lionel R. Semon has opened his 750-car
$125,000 drive-in at Pueblo. He installed RCA
sound and Brenkert projection and lamps,
bought from Western Service & Supply.
Cal Shrum has contracted with Selected
Pictures to release his first rim westerns,
one of which is made, and one will be delivered
every six weeks. Shrum and his cowboy
band are appearing with the film now
in Utah, and during June will enter Colorado
via a booking at Craig. The group will make
several appearances in the state.
AI Lawter, manager, his wife Ruth, and
William Fitzgerald, publicity director of the
Denham, foiled a $1,600 stickup when they
fought off a holdup as they were taking the
money to a night depository about 1 a. m.
Stahl of Theatre Specialties,
Inc., Los Angeles, was in Denver for the Allied
convention.
Jimmy Smith, son of Mr. and Mrs. R. J.
Smith of the Chief, Steamboat Springs, sang
at the banquet at the Allied convention. He
was accompanied by Marlene Crawford, also
of Steamboat Springs . . . W. H. Turpie, district
manager for Manley, Inc., was here for
the Allied convention and also visited Arlie
Beery, Denver representative.
Beverly Batschlet, daughter of Ralph, manager
of the Paramount, w'as named Queen
of the May at East high school . . .
Don
Alexander jr., vice-president, and M. J. Mc-
Inaney, general sales manager of Alexander
Film Co., Colorado Springs, were in Denver
visiting Ralph Bonar, assistant to the president.
They also visited at the Allied convention.
Out-of-town exhibitors seen on Filmrow included
Mr. and Mrs. Leon Coulter of Lovelang;
Mr. and Mrs. Fred Lind. Rifle: Mr. and
Mrs. Tom Knight of Riverton, Wyo.; Robert
Spahn of Mitchell, Neb.: Selma and Marie
Sawaya of Trinidad: Glen Wittstruck of
Meeker: Mr. and Mrs. R. C. Walker of Fruita.
and Mr. and Mrs. H. C. Russell of Fowler.
There Will ALWAYS
Be a MANLEY Man!
W. H, TURPIE. Western DiTision Manager
1914 So. Vermont, RE 7528 Los Angeles 7. Calif.
BOXOFnCE : : May 30, lOM G2-C