Boxoffice-December.25.1948

eissues
'Unknown' Scores 135
In First Frisco Week
SAN FRANCISCO—Top honors in a week
that didn't fare so well went to the Paramount
with the opening of "Unknown Island"
rating 135 per cent. Second spot honors with
125 per cent, went to the Orpheum with the
opening of "The Countess of Monte Cristo."
and third place was awarded to the third
week of "The Three Musketeers" at the Warfield.
(Average Is 100)
Esquire The Killers (U-I); Canyon Passage
(U-I) 100
..
Fox—Fighter Squadron (WB); Smart Girls Don't
Talk (WB), 2nd wk 100
Golden Gate A Song Is Bora (RKO); Guns ol
Hate (RKO), 3rd wk 100
Orpheum—The Countess of Monte Cristo (U-I),
Manhattan Angel 125
Paramount Unknown Island (FC); Appointment
With Murder (FC) 135
St. Francis The Lives of a Bengal Lancer
(Paia), reissue 95
Stale—He Walked by Night (EL), Million Dollar
Weekend (EL), 2nd wk 115
United Artists—Red River (UA), 9th wk 110
United Nations June Bride (WB) Homicide
for Three (Rep), 5th wk 110
Warfield—The Three Musketeers (MGM), 3rd wk...l20
'Don't Trust Your Husband'
Bows In at Seattle at 120
SEATTLE—"Don't Trust Your- Husband"
bowed into the Fifth Avenue and "Road
House" took over at the Coliseum, with both
getting 120 to top the newcomers. "The Best
Years of Our Lives" was best of all in the city
with 130 at the Liberty. The Christmas pinch
was just beginning to show in most situations.
Blue Mouse—When My Baby Smiles at Me
{20th-Fox); Escape (20th-Fox), 4th d.t. wk 80
Coliseum Road House (20th-Fox),- Joe Palooka in
Winner Take AU (Mono) 120
Fifth Avenue—Don't Trust Your Husband (UA);
Bodyguard (RKO) ,120
Liberty—The Best Yeors of Our Lives (RKO),
2nd wk 130
Music Box—Fighter Squadron (WB), Smart Girls
Don't Talk (WB), 3rd d.t wk 75
Music Hall—The Three Musketeers (MGM),
The Spiritualist (EL), 3rd wk
Orpheum—Belle Starr's Daughter (20th-Fox);
125
Smuggler's Cove (Mono) 90
Paramount—Red River (UA), 3rd wk 125
Los Angeles Grosses
Spiral Downward
LOS ANGELES—The pre-Christmas slump
found most first run takes plummeting downward
as a heavy rainstorm and the shopping
rush combined to keep potential customers
away from the theatres. Best mark of the
week was scored by "Unfaithfully Yours,"
hitting a 125 per cent average in its first
stanza at five houses.
Belmont, El Rey. Orpheum, Vogue—Jungle Jim
(Col); Loaded Pistols (Col) 100
Carthay, Chinese, State, UptoviOi, Loyola Unfaithfully
Yours (20th-Fox) 125
Culver, Guild, Iris, Ritz, Studio City, United
Artists Canyon Passage (U-1); Frontier Gal
(U-I) 100
,
Downtown, Hollywood Paramounls The Accused
(Para): Harpoon (SG), 2nd wk 60
Egyptian, Los Angeles, Wilshire—The Hills of
Home (MGM) 115
Four Music Halls—The Time of Your Life (UA).,..110
Four Star—Hamlet (U-I), roadshow, 8th wk 90
Pontages, Hillstreet—She (RKO); The Last Days
of Pompeii (RKO), reissues, 2nd wk 100
Warners Downtown, Hollywood, Wiltern—The
Decision of Christopher Blake (WB); Smart
Girls Don't Talk (WB) 90
Richard A. Buck Rites
LOS ANGELES—Funeral services were
conducted at the Church of the Recessional
here for Richard A. Buck, 39, motion picture
actor. Buck is survived by his widow Marjorie,
a daughter Julie, a sister, Mrs. Julia
Reisinger, and a brother Edward J. Hustler.
Northwest ITO Renames
James Hone 28th Time
, i-r^-\ n
SEATTLE—All officers and trustees of the
Independent Theatre Owners of Washington,
Northern Idaho and
Alaska were re-elected
at the annual meeting
in the New Washington
hotel here. James
Hone, executive secretary,
was re-elected for
his 28th year.
The session opened
with a luncheon, also
attended by 25 members
of the state legislature.
At the head
table were L. O.
James Hone Lukan, who presided;
Hone; Earl Coe, Washington's secretary of
state; Jack Neville, auditor; Robert Graham,
attorney, and Judge William J, Wilkins,
counsel for the organization. Coe thanked
the exhibitors for using trailers on "registration"
and "vote early" before the recent
election, declaring he believed they had a
lot to do with the record balloting and terrific
early voting.
In a business session later, the election
was held and plans set up to discourage
any move to increase admission, taxes during
the coming session of the state legislatm'e.
The 15 members of the board of directors
re-elected were Lukan, Walter Coy, B. F.
Shearer, Jack Neville ( auditor i, and Leroy
Johnson (treasurer! of Seattle; Mildred
Bishop Wall, Lewiston, Idaho; Mary A. St.
John. Chehalis; L. A, Gillespie, Okanogan;
East at Stockton, Calif.,
Opened by Westland Co.
STOCKTON. CALIF.—The $150,000 East
Theatre here was opened recently by Westland
Theatres, operators of the 850-seat
house. Rodda Harvey, vice-president of
Westland, said innovation at the East was
a complete soda fountain inside the theatre,
arranged, however, so that it is accessible
from the street. Harvey said Westland now
operates 21 theatres in California and that
the firm might consider building still another
house in Stockton if the new East
"lives up to expectations."
FWC Fine Arts to Open
LOS ANGELES—Completely redecorated,
including new carpeting, seats, lighting fixtures
and marquee, plus new sound and
projection equipment, Fox West Coast's Fine
Arts Theatre, Wilshire boulevard showcase,
will open December 28. Formerly the second
run Regina, the Fine Arts will operate
on a de luxe policy, playing films of "distinguished
merit."
Opening bill will be "The Red Shoes," a
J. Arthur Rank film being released by Eagle
Lion. The Fine Arts has a 700-seat capacity.
Santa Fe El Paseo Opens
SANTA FE—The El Paseo Theatre, built
Lionel Brown, Edmonds; W. B. McDonald,
Olympia; Ed Halberg, Port Angeles; Erwin
Fey, Renton; Joe Rosenfield, Spokane; Chester
Nilsson, Tacoma, and Fi'ed Mercy jr.,
Yakima.
Rename Rotus Harvey
California ITO Head
SAN FRANCISCO—Rotus Harvey was reelected
president of the ITO of Northern
California in a recent directors meeting
here, despite his plea that inasmuch as he
had been president or secretary of the organization
for the last 18 years he felt that
for the good of the group a new president
should be elected.
Harvey made his statement to the directors
prior to the election but directors overrode
his plea and elected him to serve another
year. Ben Levin was re-elected vice-president
and Harry Franklin was renamed secretary-treasurer.
Levin and Harvey also were re-elected to
serve as trustees to the PCCITO and Homer
Tegtmeier was named first alternate trustee
with Harry Franklin as second alternate
trustee.
Two days prior to the election of officers
the 11 member board of directors for 1949
was named. They include Lee Dibble, Harry
Franklin, Rotus Harvey, Carol Nathan, Ray
Syufy, Sid Weisbaum, Ray Knight, Sol Lesser.
Ben Levin. Dave Richards and Homer
Tegtmeier.
here on the site of the old Paris Theatre, was
opened formally recently by Salmon & Greer,
Inc., builders and owners of the showcase.
The 672-seat situation includes a 202-seat
balcony and was built of steel and concrete.
Truman Mathews was architect for the building
and Arnold and Savage, Denver decorators,
designed the interior in Indian and
Spanish motifs. Salmon & Greer is affiliated
with Gibraltar Enterprises of Denver.
Don Beers Opens Santa Fe
SANTA FE—The new 877-seat Santa Fe
Theatre has been opened formally here by
owner Don Beers. Ben Williams was named
manager of the house, the fifth theatre here
and the only independent.
The Santa Fe measures 146x60 feet and
is built of concrete block, steel and veneer
brick. Construction was supervised by Lupe
Sanchez and Jolin Fairchild of Santa Fe,
while Gordon Ferguson of Albuquerque was
the architect.
'Rope' Okayed for Kids
HELENA—Leaders of childi'en's organizations
here when questioned as to whether
or not "Rope" should be shown to juvenile
audiences, were agreed, that although the
picture could not be recommended for children,
it is no worse than many gangster
films which they see and enjoy.
BOXOFFICE :: December 25, ld4« 55