Boxoffice-January.07.1950

—
Znd
reissue
7wo Jima' Pulls 200 Per Cent Gross
And Predictions of Good New Year
LOS ANGELES—New Year's eve trade plus
the long holiday and a strong array of new
product zoomed grosses in most first run
situations to augur well for a prosperous
1950. The standout attraction was "Sands
of Iwo Jima," while other big ticket lures
were "The Inspector General" and "On the
Town," finishing neck-and-neck, and the
second week of "Twelve O'clock High," still
pulling in plenty of customers.
(Average Is 100)
Carthay Circle—Sands of Iwo Jima (Rep) 200
Chinese, Los Angeles, Loyola, Uptown, Wilshire
Twelve O'CIock High (20th-Fox), 2nd wk 150
Culver, Belmont, Ritz, Globe, Studio City, Vogue-
Bagdad (U-I); Hollywood Varieties (Lippert),
^a^ ^a6ien, GleanlnK^
of
DRIVE-INS
PARKING LOTS
Use the Amazing, New
MODERN Rotary
POWER SWEEPER
90
wn, Hollywood Paramounts — The Great
(Para); Golden Stallion (Rep), 2nd wk, ,.
EgyptK
Town (MGM) 160
n, Loews State—On
ts—The Fallen Idol
the
(SRO), 6th wk 90
Music Halls, Forum—The Big Wheel (UA), 2nd
wk,; Red Desert (Lippert) 100
Orpheum—Mary Ryan. Detective (Col), 2nd d. t
wk,, plus vaudeville
05
Pantages, Hillstreet—Holiday Aifoir (RKO);
Blondie's Hero (Col) 100
(Jnited Artists, Star—My Foolish Heart
Four
(RKO) , wk 100
Warners Hollywood. Downtown, Wiltern—The
Inspector General (WB) 160
'Great Lover' Leads Seattle
Holiday Trade With 175
SEATTLE—Three houses opened their holiday
attractions during the week and drew
excellent business. "The Great Lover" at the
Coliseum set the pace with 175. "Prince of
while
Foxes" at the Fifth Avenue scored 165,
"All the King's Men" at the Liberty hit 160.
Blue Mouse—Challenge to Lassie (MGM): The
Castaway (Rep) ,
125
Coliseum—The Great Lover (Para); Trapped (EL) ..175
Fillh Avenue— Prince of Foxes (20th-Fox); Body
hold (Col) 165
Liberty—All the King's Men (Col); Girls' School
_ (Col) _ 155
Music Box—Bride for Sale (RKO); Deputy Marshal
(Lippert), 3rd d. t. wk /O
Music Hall—Holiday Ailair (RKO); Red Desert
(LP) 60
Orpheum—The
-
Lady Takes a Sailor (WB); The
Dalton Gang (LP) 65
Paramount—David Harum (20th-Fox); Steamboat
Hound the Bend (20th-rox), reissues 60
'Iwo Jima' Continues Lead
In Second Frisco Stanza
SAN FRANCISCO—"Sands of Iwo Jima,"
in its second week at the Fox, registered
190 per cent and continued to pace the city.
"Adam's Bib" chalked up a lusty 150 per cent
in its opening week at the Warfield. "The
Big Wheel" occupied the next best spot with
140 per cent.
Esquire—Free lor All (U-I); Abandoned (U-I),
3rd ..120
Fox—Sands of Iwo Jima (Rep); Belle of Old
Mexico (Rep), 2nd wk 190
Golden Gale—A Dangerous Profession (RKO);
The Mysterious Desperado (RKO) 100
Orpheum—And Baby Makes Three (Col); Feudin'
Rhythm (Col). 2nd wk 115
Paramount—The Great Lover (Para); Tough
Assignment (LP) 115
St, Francis—The Heiress (Para), 5th wk 70
United Artists—The Big Wheel (UA) 14G
United Nations—Same as Fox 120
Woriield—Adam's Rib (MGM) 150
Alexis Smith Is Sued
For $40,000 by Warners
HOLLYWOOD—Already on suspension because
of her alleged refusal to accept a loanout
assignment some weeks ago, Alexis Smith
was the target of a $40,000 damage suit by
Warner Bros., that amount assertedly being
the salary she collected from the Burbank
studio during the time when she would have
been before the cameras. Warners also
charges the actress with breach of contract
and asks that her agreement be declared invalid.
Miss Smith backed away from a loanout
to U-I for a topline in "Shoplifter."
Not in the script of "The Man With My
Pace," being readied as a Macdonald Carey
starrer by Jess Smith Productions, independent
unit, is a $300,000 damage action filed by
writer-producer Richard M. Blumenthal.
Naming Smith, Thomas J. McGowan and
Samuel W. Taylor as defendants, Blumenthal
seeks a declaratory judgment to determine
the respective ownership rights in the screenplay
package. He claims to be a co-owner,
along with McGowan and Taylor, and charges
he had been set to produce the film. That
agreement allegedly was abrogated, however,
according to Blumenthal, when the script was
sold to Smith.
Back on the payroll at 20th Century-Fox
went Victor Mature, who had been suspended
some weeks ago for refusing to accept a loanout
assignment ^o :tar in RKO's "Alias Mike
Fury."
MODEL "W" PROJECTORS
FAST, EFFICIENT, BUILT TO LAST
Here's a sweeper which wdicn will pay for lor itsell itsen in no
time at all. Sweeps 1,000 square feet per minute.
Picka up bottle caps, metal, paper, leaves, noils,
almost any debris. One-man operation. Sw^eeps
clean up to curbs, gutters, slands and against
buildings.
Modem Rotary Power Sweeper is all-steel w^elded.
Pow^erful 4 cycle gas engine drives unit. Simple
one lever speed and directional control. Available
in tw^o
sizes: 36" sweep or 48"—with or without
operator's riding
dolly.
For complete money-saving details
write or wire today to
MODERN MFG. CO.
160 N. FAIR OAKS AVE. PASADENA 1, CALIF.
"Prince of Foxes' Scores 250
To Set New Denver Records
DENVER— "Pi'ince of Foxes," showing at
four houses, easily topped the city in money
as well as percentage and set new records.
"Adam's Rib" and "The Great Lover" were
fine in their second weeks at the Broadway
and Denham, respectively.
Aladdin, Tabor—Free for All (U-I); Masterminds
(Mono) 100
Broadway—Adam's Rib (MGM), 2nd wk 130
Denham—The Great Lover (Pard), 2nd wk 140
Denver, Esquire, Rialto, Webber—Prince of Foxes
(20lh-rox) 250
Orpheum—Holiday Alfair (RKO), 2nd wk.. 3 days 50
Paramount—Miss Grant Takes Richmond (Col);
Blondie's Hero (Col) ICO
Installs New Seats
DENVER—The Egyptian Theatre here has
installed new seats with 32-inch spacing between.
The installation is in line with the
Civic Theatres policy of rehabilitation and
modernization of all circuit houses here.
w www
«»«'»'•
•'^'
Unequ.illefl in performance at such
low cost...X conventional, rear-shutter
Simplex tji>e mechanism with shockproof
gears, slip-in type gate, doublebearing
intermittent movement, and a
highly sensitive focusing device which
permits moving of lens exactly to the
slightest degree.
Projection Equipment &
Maintenance Co.
1975 South Vermont Avenue
Los Angeles. Caliiornia
Complete Theatre Equipment & Supplies
44 BOXOFTICE January 7, 1950