Boxoffice-December.02.1950

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Pittsburgh, Cleveland Exchange Areas Hard HiL THE BIG STORM CLOSES DOWN THEATRES OVER A WIDE AREA Boxoifice Loss Runs High; Deliveries Knocked Out; Big Drive-In Damage The devastating snow and wind storm which struck fiercely in the eastern half of the country Thanksgiving weekend virtually paralyzed the film business in many sectors. Theatres in the Cleveland, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh and Philadelphia exchange areas by the dozens were closed down by the impact of the storm and drive-ins from northern New York state to West Virginia and Georgia were both snowbound and damaged by the wind and record snow. BOXOFFICE LOSS HIGH The loss in revenues will run into hundreds of thousands of dollars while the extent to which drive-ins were damaged will not be known until crews clear highways leading to the outdoor theatres and the drive-in areas are cleared of mountainous drifts of snow. In the Pittsburgh area, it was estimated that about three-fourths of the theatres closed down on Saturday. All downtown Pittsburgh theatres closed for the weekend but business was down heavily all week. With the city blanketed by the heaviest snow in its history, the street cleaning department was unable to clear the streets sufficiently to handle traffic and on Thursday the national guard was called out to halt all traffic from coming into the city. Some of the neighborhoods remained open over the weekend to accommodate walking-distance patrons. Floods struck with the snow and wind. W. E. Anderson's Eldred Theatre in Eldred, Pa., was under 2^4 feet of water. Theatres in Smethport, Johnsonburg and Port Alleghany were flooded out. Altoona was completely without power over the weekend. CLEVELAND IS HIT HARD The 18-inch snowfall in the Cleveland territory tied up that section of Ohio completely. All except six theatres were closed by Saturday but by Sunday downtown houses and most suburbans were open. The Granada Theatre, a neighborhood situation, opened Saturday at the request of residents in the vicinity of the house who were cut off from heat and light by a power failure. About 600 patrons turned up for the evening shows. In Cincinnati it was not the snow so much as a gas shortage which closed theatres. Low pressures forced a number of suburban houses to shut down on Sunday although downtown theatres were able to keep open. Schools were closed because of the gas shortage and kid matinee bu.siness picked up somewhat. The storm had its effect on the film business as far .southwest as Arkansas. Fire destroyed the Ritz Theatre in Parkin, about 30 miles from Memphis during the cold wave. The fire started when an oil stove exploded in a tire shop next to the theatre. Damage Storm Deals Rough Blow To New York Boxoffkes NEW YORK—The storm of Saturday (25) struck a terrific blow at boxoffice revenues in this area but remarkably little physical damage resulted from the winds of nearhurricane velocity and the heavy downpour of rain. So far as is known, no industryite was injured. What the boxoffice loss was will take some time to determine; average attendance the latter part of the Thanksgiving week was off at least 50 per cent, due not just to inclement weather and warnings over the radio but also to many power failures. The main physical damage was to skylights, water tanks, marquees and other glass. A Fabian house on Staten Island closed Saturday when the water tank roof was blown off, but reopened Sunday. Glass and some doors were damaged elsewhere. The circuit also reported that power failure and a smashed skylight closed its Middletown, N. Y., house Saturday, but service was restored the next day. It had the same trouble at theatres in Pennsylvania. Power failure closed 17 Century Long Island houses. Physical damage was negligible. Winds blew off the roof fan housing of the Tuxedo, Rugoff & Becker house at Brighton Beach, L. I., and power failure closed five of its other houses. Interboro closed nine Queens houses and lost "some glass." The Warwick, a Loew's Brooklyn to the theatre, owned by Strand Enterprises, and the rest of the building block was estimated at $500,000. The complete story of damage to drive-ins will probably be known within a week, but it will be heavy. In the Albany exchange district, the outdoor theatres bore the brunt of the storm. A number of screen towers were down, fences and attraction boards were down. Neil Hellman, Harry Lament and F. Chase Hathaway, were among the drive-in operators reporting damaged theatres. The storm reached a velocity of 75 to 85 miles an hour and damaged power lines sufficiently to shut down indoor houses in Cohoes, Watervliet, Phoenicia and Fleischmanns. The storm also seriously affected theatre business in Schenectady, Troy, Gloversville and other cities in this area. Film deliveries were disrupted throughout the east. Out of Pittsburgh alone, 14 film delivery trucks were snowed under somewhere along the highways. For a period of three days there were no deliveries or pickups. A few prints were returned to exchanges, but house, was closed three days because of power failure; otherwise, the circuit reported "a few" skylights and other glass smashed. The Harry Brandt circuit reported "just a couple of pieces from marquees and some glass." RKO reported no closings but damaged skylights and roofs and miscellaneous broken glass. Many New Jersey theatres were unfortunate, according to Wilbur Snaper, president of New Jersey Allied. Some of them were afflicted with flooded cellars as well as power failures. Many that closed Saturday were still closed the next day. Rosenblatt & Welt had four houses damaged, wvo m Jersey City and two in Bayonne. They closed the Star and Empire on Staten Island Saturday but reopened Sunday. Walter Reade Theatres officials .said they were "exceptionally lucky," None of the New Jersey houses, including drive-ins, closed, and the only damage was to a few slats of the pylon of the Woodbridge drive-in, but Friday business was practically zero and Saturday business was "way down." On the other side of the picture, the Brooklyn Paramount, where Bob Hope made two personal appearances in connection with the showing of "Copper Canyon." did a capacity business Saturday night at a time when New York City officials were telling the public to stay at home. not all exchanges were open. Those exchange people who did show up were forced to walk to Filmrow from their homes. Some enterprising exhibitors hired youngsters to haul prints to exchanges on sleds, a switch on the old bicycling technique. Some exhibitors exchanged prints, with Friday-Saturday shows shifted to Sunday-Monday schedules and vice versa. In many instances clearances of some years standing were broken with the principal interest being that of getting film to all exhibitors possible. The 36-inch snowfall in West Virginia ended all deliveries and Dewey Mattaccini of Exhibitor's Service said they would not be resumed until the highways were cleared. As a result most drive-ins closed down and some continued the bill thev had on hand. Al Adams to BOXOFFICE NEW YORK— Al Adams, most recently with RKO. Warners and the J. Walter Thompson Co., has joined the editorial staff of BOXOFFICE. 10 BOXOFFICE December 2, 1950
A Message of Vital Importance To All Exhibitors Manpower is the life-line of a studio, as pictures are the life-line of a theatre. We believe that today Paramount has manpower unexcelled in its 39- year history. Indeed never before, in my recollection, has there been such an impressive massing of creative talent in one production organization. We not only have the industry's greatest boxoffice manpower but we are using it — aggressively, immediately and effectively — to bring you more pictures . . . better pictures . . . pictures carefully planned to the needs of today's market. Paramount has faith in today and tomorrow. Implementing that faith thru stepped-up studio activity, PARAMOUNT WILL INCREASE ITS PRODUCTION OF TOP "A" PICTURES IN 1951 BY 50% OVER THE PRESENT YEAR. In terms of released product, this will substantially raise the number of Paramount pictures you can play in 1951. now, our way is With confidence, let us move ahead together. At the Paramount Studio being cleared with Manpower At JVork For You And Paramount. President, Paramount Pictures Corporation MANPOWER AT WORK |^
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Page 48 and 49: BRITISH FEATURE RUNS GAIN STEADILY
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A Manual of Drive-ln Design (Contin
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Discuss Advantages of In-Car Heater
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EQUIPMENT €r DEVELOPMENTS Mills O
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Boxoffice-December.02.1950

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