Boxoffice - Feb. 17, 2014

. . . Mr.
. . . The
. . . The
. .
"Vigil in the Night" Is
Clipped by Hub Censor
. .
Boston—Wrestling scenes were clipped
from 20th-Fox, Loew's. and Paramount
newsreels last week by the department of
public safety, and eliminations were made
in RKO's "Vigil in the Night." Dialogue
cuts in the latter film, now at Keith's
Memorial, included "But the fact remains
.," to and including ". ... in my spare
. .
time" and "I haven't told you . . .," to
and including ". where I spent the
night."
"Dr. Ehrlich's Magic Bullet" was among
the 43 other motion pictures passed without
eliminations.
On the vaudeville side of the ledger,
14 acts were granted Sunday licenses. Ted
Adaire & Co. were refused permits for
Lord's Day performances in the Bay State.
Six other routines were ordered to eliminate
the word "hell," all dancing, and all
objectionable and suggestive actions.
"Birth of a Nation" Denied
Showing in Springfield
Springfield, Mass.—Massachusetts censorship
here last week halted plans to present
D. W. Griffith's famed motion picture,
"The Birth of a Nation" at this city's
Women's Club Auditorium. The picture
was shown at the Avery, in Hartford, following
the Springfield censorship. After
the Hartford showing, the film was presented
on the screen of the YWCA Auditorium
in New Britain.
Title of Short Changed
Boston— "Fighting Bear" is no more.
It's now "Fishing Bear." Eugene McSweeney,
Massachusetts commissioner of public
safety, last week approved the change in
title of the new M-G-M short.
"Pot O' Gold" Program
Has Imitators in Hub
Boston—The "Pot O' Gold" radio handout
has its local imitators.
The Radio Telephone Club came into
being in Boston last week on a Monday
to Fi-iday schedule over WCOP. The program
is sponsored cooperatively by a
number of concerns. Names of prize winners
are chosen at random from the
Boston telephone directory. Daily passwords
are given out over WCOP, and anyone
telephoned who can furnish this pass
word is given extra money.
Woman Awarded $900 in
Fall at Poli-Palace
New Haven—Katherine Falso of Hartford
was awarded $900 damages against
likely to glance up at the screen while
walking to a seat. He indicated that better
lighting and escorting of patron by an
usher with a flashlight were called for in
this case.
58
THE CAMEO, Woodfords, operated by the
Leon P. Gormans. created a lot of goodwill
among students of Westbrook Junior
College by allowing them a certain cut
on all tickets sold by the group for "The
Ski Chase," featuring Hannes Schneider.
The picture was shown under the auspices
of the college alumnae.
Rumor has it that the Deering, which
was closed January 28, is to be reopened
soon. It is believed Charles Ganellas'
partner, a shoe man from Lowell. Mass.,
will take over operation of the little
theatre.
John Russell's young daughter, Jean, is
convalescing from an appendectomy performed
at the Maine Eye and Ear Infirmary
about ten days ago. She was released
from the hospital February 8. Russell
is a projectionist at the State.
"Gone With the Wind" opened day and
date at three spots in Maine February 8:
At the Empire. Portland, a Ralph Snider
house; Opera House, Bangor, an M&P theatre,
and at the Auburn. Auburn, a Maine-
N. H. unit.
The Ritz, Lewiston, operated by Leon
P. Gorman of Portland, opened last week
and Mrs. Harry Botwick, of the
State, motored to Boston February 5 just
for the fun of it . . . Local projectionists
are wondering what has become of the
licenses they were supposed to have received
some time back.
Local 458 of MPMO held a banquet at
the Eastland Hotel, February 11. Wives,
sweethearts and girl friends were guests of
honor. The committee on arrangements
consisted of Harry Boynton and Erwin
Robbins.
To give "The Fighting 69th" a good
sendoff. the State held a special prevue
for commanders and the executive staffs
of the American Legion Posts of Portland,
South Portland, Peaks Island and Westbrook.
IBRIII»C.IEPCI>Kir
J)OT PEDDLE of the Loew-Poli staff is
back from Boston where she enacted
the role of God-mother to a relative's baby
Hippodrome has resumed its matinees
on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
Kay Roscka of the Loew-Poli staff is ill
and Mary Prescott has been added to the
usher corps . . . Industrial activity here
now is paralleling that of World War days
Loew-Poli has added Jack Arnold
as usher and relief doorman.
Poli-New England Theatres in her suit for
injuries allegedly sustained in a fall at the Morris Rosenthal, Majestic manager;
Poli-Palace in Hartford. The superior Fred H. Russell, Post-Telegram film editor,
court found there was an element of hazard and Miss Ann Preehan were the judges In
in a descending aisle, since the patron was a "Gone With the Wind" review contest .
Edgar Lynch isn't feeling so well, according
to reports from Worcester . . . Lawrence
Langner is expected to operate the
Westport Country Playhouse himself next
summer.
Says Boston Garden Made \
Only $32,000 in 1939
Boston—Walter Brown, MPTOA member
who is general manager of the Boston
Garden, told a City Council committee last
week that although gate receipts at the
Garden last year approximated two million
dollars, the net at the end of 1939 was
but $32,000.
The Garden lost over $500,000 between
1928, when it was opened in the then new
Boston and Maine Railroad Terminal,
and 1934 when its management merged
with that of the Boston Arena, Brown
said.
Housing such attractions as hockey
games, circuses, rodeos, and ice festivals,
the Garden has been a prime theatre
competitor since its establishment.
Brown was app>earing before the com-i
mittee in opposition to a proposed in-'
crease in license fees for events at the-
Garden.
Maybe Boston Is Still
"Cradle of Culture"
Boston—Reports to the contrary, perhaps
Boston is still the "Cradle of Culture."
So believes Jack Goodwin.
The managing director of the Metropolitan
Theatre has been informed by Dr.
I. Q.. currently conducting his series of
quiz broadcasts from the stage of the
4,332-seat house, that the official tabulations
of right and wrong answers during
the first four Hub shows reveal that
Boston audiences are leading in the percentage
of correct answers as compared
with results in other cities.
VanDoren Signs Equipment
Deal for Waterbury Unit
Waterbury, Conn.—Frederick 'VanDoren.
operator of the Hamilton, who is constructing
the new 600-seat modern Towei
in the w'est end section of Waterbury, has
signed with Modern Theatre Equipment
Corp. for painting and decorating, lighting,
seating, carpeting and booth equipment.
The work will be done under th(
personal supervision of Lou Phillips. Th(
one-floor house will be finished in April.
Seven Loew-Poli Managen
Study "Grapes" Selling
New Haven—Managers of the sevei
Loew-Poli A houses which will soon pla;
"Grapes of Wrath." met Wednesday at th(
division office for a special exploitatioi
conference on the picture, with Harr;
Shaw, division manager; W. C. Wilbert
20th-Fox home office representative on ex
ploitation, and Ben Simon, 20th-Pox Nev
Haven manager, presiding.
"Fighting 69th" Pleases
;
Hartford—Raymond J. Kelly, nations
commander of the American Legion, wit
nessed a private showing of "The Fight
ing 69th" at the WB Strand here and de
Glared the film to be, "the greatest wa
film that will ever be released to th
American public."
BOXOFFICE : : February 17, 19*1 Ho