Boxoffice-December.25.1948

. . . There
. . . Lionel
. . Manager
. . Morris
. .
. .
. . . H.
'Pompeii' Duo Resists
Seasonal Doldrums
DES MOINES—With the exception of the
Orpheum, which had two reissues on a split
run, theatre business here continued below
normal- last week. The attendance slump
has been pretty general during the entire
month. There has been a variety of weather,
from unseasonally warm to bitter cold and
from rain to snow, but none of which appeared
to have any effect one way or another
on theatre business. Retail stores, on
the other hand, were crowded and seemed to
be enjoying a brisk trade.
The pictures at the Orpheum which proved
the exception to the rule were the "Last
days of Pompeii and "She."
(Average Is 100)
Des Moines—Hills of Home (MGM)
Orpheum—Last Days oi Pompeii (RKO); She
80
(RKO), reissues - 160
Paramouril Rose oi Washington Square (20th-
Fox); Privates Buck (U-I), reissues 90
Strand—Cry ol the City (20th-Fox) 85
"Road House' Touches 100
For Minneapolis Lead
MINNEAPOLIS—Business the past week
was in the usual pre-Christmas slough of
despond. The only major newcomers were
"An Innocent Affair," "Raw Deal" and
"Smart Girls Don't Talk." and all suffered
from the seasonal slump. Holdovers were
"When My Baby Smiles at Me" and "Road
House" in their fourth and third weeks, respectively,
and "Rogues' Regiment" and
"Elysia" in their second.
Aster—The Goy Intruders (20th-Fox); Whispering
City (EL)
- - 90
Century—Smart Girls Don't Talk (WB) 80
Gopher—Flirting With Fate (MGM), Great Guns
(20th-Fox), reissues 90
Lyric—Road House (20th-Fox), 3rd d. t. wk 100
Pix—When My Baby Smiles at Me (20th-Fox),
4th d t. wk 100
Radio City—An Innocent Affair (UA) 90
RKO Orpheum—Angels With Dirty Faces (WB);
They Drive by Night (WB), reissues 90
RKO Pan—Rogues' Regiment (U-1), 2nd d. t. wk 95
Stale—Raw Deal (EL) 90
World—Elysia (SR), Znd wk 90
Grosses Near Average
In Omaha Film Parade
OMAHA—Local grosses couldn't get over
the average mark as Christmas attractions
and a couple of days of unfavorable weather
held the boxoffice take down.
Omaha—So EvU. My Love (Para)
Orpheum—Road House (20lh-Fox); Music Man
90
(Mono) 100
Paramount—Julia Misbehaves (MGM) 85
RKO Brandeis—The Return of October (Col);
Leather Gloves (Col) 90
Stale— Let's Live a Little (EL): Million Dollar
Weekend (EL) 100
Town—Sinister Journey (UA); Her Husband's Affairs
(Col); Killer at Large (EL); split with The
Black Arrow (Col); Montana Mike (Mono) 100
OMAHA
pilm salesmen thankfully pulled in for the
holidays after one of their worst stretches
on the road. Ice made travel a constant
worry. Murray Greenbaum wrecked his auto
near Brainard, Neb., and suffered a slight
knee injury . . . Leon Mendelson and William
Wink, Warner salesmen, are on vacation.
Leon's daughter. Elaine, will be home from
the University of Missouri for the holidays
. . . Carl Johnson, Red Oak, Iowa, exhibitor,
went to Rochester for a routine checkup .
A. Myric, president of the Iowa-Nebraska
Independent Theatre Owners, took his wife
to the same spot.
Rolland Swanson, Columbus, Neb., is the
new assistant U-I booker. He succeeds William
Laird who became a salesman recently
. . . Bill Miskell, Tri-States district manager,
went to Des Moines at midweek for a sales
meeting . Larry Caplane of the
RKO Brandeis passed out bonuses of one
week's salary to all members of the staff
who had been on the job at least six months.
The same evening the staff gathered for a
party at the theatre.
Omaha and Orpheum employes held their
Christmas party at the Orpheum, Paramount
employes at the Paramount . Smead,
Council Bluffs exhibitor, left on his annual
extended winter trip to California, which will
include as always seeing the Rose Bowl game
were two .surprises at the 20th-Fox
Christmas party. The appearance of salesman
Hymie Novitsky who recently underwent
an operation and that of Harold Beecroft,
assistant to the division manager,
Elmer Svendsen, Alta, Iowa, exhibitor, also
drives a consolidated school bus . . . Mary
Pahls, Eagle Lion secretary, is spending
Christmas with her parents in Kansas .
RKO held its Christmas party at the office
. . . J. S. Sanders, owner of the F>rincess,
Sanborn, Iowa, is down with the flu.
Joe Jacobs, Columbia manager who collects
neckties, now is getting a kick out of wearing
a special tie with the Columbia emblem
Grosses Drop Belo'w Par
on it . . . Walter Hoffman, 20th-Fox exploiteer
from Minneapolis, was in the city
At Kansas City Houses
KANSAS CITY—Grosses at the local first
Wasson, former manager of the
run houses continued to spiral downward as Paramount Theatre, is back in the city . . .
Christmas shopping reached its climax. All Silent films of the 1920s again are being
de luxe theatres reported trade under par. shown at Joslyn Memorial . . . Stan Blackburn,
Two reissues dualed at the Midland. "San
Paramount Theatre manager, has put
Francisco" and "A Night at the Opera," registered
the highest total for the week.
Midland—San Francisco at the
Opera (MGM), reissues
- 90
Orpheum—Angels With Dirty Faces (WB); They
Esquire—How Green Was My Valley (20th-Fox),
reissue; Arthur Takes Over (20th-Fox) 55
(MGM); A Night
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POPCORN SEASONING
Drive by Night (WB), reissues 70
Paramount—The Decision of Christopher Blake
(WB), 9 days 50
Disaster Roxy—Isn't It Romantic? (Para); (Para) 55
Tower, Uptown, Fairway—Kiss the Blood Off
My Hands (U-1) 60
out a local call for a cigar .store Indian for
exploitation purposes,
Ed Gannon closed his old theatre at
Schuyler with the opening of the new Sky
S. Spindler of Crawford, Neb., has
purchased the theatre at Culbertson . . . Given
the assurance by the local musicians that
there will be no more trouble, Tri-States
Theatres has gone ahead and booked three
stage shows for 1949.
Visitors along Filmrow: Don Campbell,
Central City; Carl Johnson, Red Oak, Iowa;
Ben Jureck, Cedar Rapids, Neb,; Wesley
Mansfield, Ida Grove. Iowa; Edward Kugel,
Holstein; F. W. Nalteus, Holstein, Iowa; Otto
Schneider, Osceola; Raymond Brown, Harlan,
Iowa; Frank Cook, David City; John
Fisher, Valley; H. O. Qualsett, Tekameh; D,
H. Heyne, Hooper; Mort Ives, Shelby, Iowa;
Frank Good, Red Oak, Iowa; George Baughman,
Cambridge; Eugene Bohnker, Charter
Oak. Iowa; Walter Jancke, Lincoln; Wally
Johnson, Friend.
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BOXOFFICE
:
December 25, 1948
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