Boxoffice-November.24.1951

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. . . Gloria . . John . . Arthur . . . Hugh . . Louis . . Happy . . Ira . . Norman . . Karl . . Herman . . ' BROADW Ay •Pony Martin and Gloria DeHaven, stars of "Two Tickets to Broadway," made personal appearances at the Paramount for the last two stage shows on opening day of the RKO picture November 21 . . . Gigi Perreau. who is starred in "Week-End With Father" and three other U-I films, arrived here Sunday (18) and made six radio and TV appearances and participated in the Thanksgiving day TV show during her stay. Her mother accompanied her . . . John Barrymore jr. left on a tour to visit Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington and Cincinnati promoting his new picture, "The Big Night," before returning November 28. Carleton Carpenter, young MGM star, is here for a vacation before joining Debbie Reynolds for personal appearances in Akron and Canton, Ohio, November 29 . . . Gottfried Reinhardt, who recently finished "The Invitation" for MGM, his first directorial effort, arrived from the coast to spend ten days in New York . . . Roland Winters has returned to New York after completing "She's Working Her Way Through College" for Warner John Farrow, Paramount director, Bros. . . . was here to cast roles for his new Alan Ladd picture, "Botany Bay." Edward Morse of the talent department, accompanied him. . . Russell F. Perry, commercial recording engineer of Westrex Corp., was back after meetings with the Westrex staff in Hollywood . Holman, Paramount eastern production manager, returned from Paris . . . Joan Burian, secretary to Gael Sullivan, executive director of the Theatre Owners of America, will be married in Bronxville to Robert Finnegan of Walter Reade jr., Boston December 29 . . . president of Walter Reade Theatres, became father of a baby daughter. The couple has one other daughter, Ronnie. William Fox, industry pioneer and former president of Fox Film Corp., is at Doctors' David Brill, east coast representative hospital . . . for Herbert Rosener Theatres, is recuperating at Roosevelt hospital . . . Ernest Cotogna of the 20th-Fox home office publicity department reported for army induction November 16. Regrinald Baker, president of the British Film Producers Ass'n, and wife and Elmer Rhoden, head of Fox Midwest Theatres, arrived from Europe aboard the Mauretania Drew, film actress, and John Ringling North, owner of Ringling Bros.' Barnum & Bailey circus, came in on the Liberte . . . John Davis, managing director of the J. Arthur Rank Organization, flew in from Europe . Huston, Hollywood directorwriter-producer of "The African Queen" for United Artists, flew in from London for conferences with William J. Heineman and Max E. Youngstcin on distribution and promotion plans. Mrs. Burt Lancaster also planed in from London for her 4-year-old son's birthday, while Lancaster remained abroad to complete "The Crimson Pirate" for Warner Edward Morey and Norton V, Bros. . . . Ritchey have returned to the Monogram home office following the stockholders and board meeting in Hollywood . Silverslone, 20th-Fox eastern and Canadian sales manager, got back November 21 from a busine.ss trip to Toronto , , . M. L. Simons, MGM SHOWMAN VISITS STUDIO SET— Marsh Gollner, operator of the Shore Theatre in Milford, Del., and the Island and New theatres in Chincoteague, Va., was escorted around the Paramount lot by Richard Arlen, center, as a high spot in a southern California vacation talicn by Gollner and his wife. home office assistant to H. M. Richey, attended the Theatre Owners of North and South Carolina convention in Charlotte. Hem-y L. Nathanson, president of MGM Pictures of Canada; Ted Gould, general sales manager; Garfield Cass, Toronto manager, and Dewey Bloom, press representative for Canada, arrived for home office conferences Owen, Paramount eastern and southern division manager, went to Charlotte to attend the TOA convention and to visit the branch office there . B. Mayer is in New York from Hollywood . . . Ned E. Depinet, RKO president; W. H. Clark, treasurer, and Garrett Van Wagner, controller, got back from production meetings in Hollywood. B. G. Kranze, executive assistant to William J. Heineman at United Artists, left (18) on a ten-day tour of branches in Chicago, Pittsburgh, Detroit, Cleveland and Indianapolis David A. Lipton, Universal vicepresident . . . in charge of advertising and publicity, left for Hollywood following ten days of home office conferences. Greenfield Given Luncheon NEW YORK—The Colosseum of Motion Picture Salesman of New York and the Motion Picture Bookers club honored Leo Greenfield at a luncheon Friday (23) at the Toots Shor restaurant. Greenfield recently was promoted from salesman to Albany branch manager of Universal-International. He has been in the industry since 1936, when he started as a buyer and booker for Courtboro Theatres. Brandt, Mage Close Deal NEW YORK—Harry Brandt, president of the Brandt circuit, and James J. Mage, president of Rialto Films. Inc., which owns the Rialto Theatre, closed a deal Monday (19) under which Brandt will buy and book. The Variety Clubs-Will Rogers Memorial hospital is Open to All in the amusement industry without charge. Sign the 1951 'Christmas Solute.' "Help care for our own." NEW YORK By TED GOTTFRIED FILMROW "pHE MOTION PICTURE BOOKERS club will elect officers December 3. The following have been nominated: President—Lou Wolfe. Brandt Theatres, unopposed; vicepresident—Al Trilling of United Paramount; Bernard Meyerson of Fabian, Lou Solkoff of RKO and Jack Rochelle of the Park Theatre, Rockaway Park; treasurer—Myron Starr of UA, unopposed; financial secretary—Shirley Sussman of Rugoff & Becker, unopposed for IL re-election; recording secretary—Gloria Korn P of Favorite Pictures, and Shirley Chester, Cinema circuit; sergeant at arms—Ben Levine, former senior booker at UA, unopposed for re-election. The Bookers club held a meeting Monday (19) and welcomed these new members; Harvey Reinstein, U-I booker; FYed Trauner, RKO booker, and Shirley Levy, WB booker. . . . Phil Winnick, . . . Employes of the Republic exchange will donate blood to the Red Cross during the coming week . . Anthony Ricci. Republic salesman, was inducted into the Motion Picture Pioneers organization . New Jersey salesman for U-I, returned from vacation Sam Goodman of the Century circuit visited the 20th-Fox Harriet Allen, head of the exchange . . . MGM contract department, returned from vacation . . . Happy birthday to Herman Silverman, RKO sales manager. Irving Michaels, owner of the Plaza Theatre, Brooklyn, visited the RKO exchange . The UA New York exchange was still in first place in the company sales drive . . . William . P. Murphy, Republic manager, and Robert J. Fannon. assistant sales manager, visited the Long Island RKO sales territory . . . Herman Silverman. manager, was off with a cold the early part of last week . Garris, MGM print booker, will leave December 3 on a vacation in New Jersey . . . Zeffie Stragalas, Republic typist-clerk, became engaged . . Marvin Friedlander, U-I booker, his draft physical Monday (19) . . . passed Marny Singer, daughter of Frances Singer, secretary to Martin Moskowitz, 20th-Fox division manager, became engaged. John A. Cassidy, general press representative for RKO Theatres, spent Thanksgiving weekend upstate . Morals, publicist for RKO Theatres, is expected to become a papa . . . Vincent Liguori. press agent for RKO Theatres, is due back from his Long Island vacation Monday (26i . . . Tony Vigna is the new office boy at U-I . . . Jean Curasi. RKO secretary, and her fiance will marry next June . . . Lee Koken. in charge of vending for RKO Theatres, is currently vacationing in Florida. He also planned to go to New Orleans to study theatre concessions . . . Bill Parle, former MGM office boy, visited the exchange Tuesday (20) while on leave from the air force. Olga Burtyk of the MGM cashier's department returned to work following a two-week illness . birthday to Michael Bavalik, RKO night shipper, and Eddie Ryan, RKO film room foreman . Harte. New Jersey booker for UA, is sporting a black eye received when a taxi in which he w;vs riding was hit by a car . LeTarte, UA print booker, became engaged. 34 BOXOFFICE November 24, 1951
New York Paramount Has 25th Birthday Starting Place of 'Name' Band-Film Shows and Famous Performers NEW YORK—The Paramount Theatre, shrine of teen-agers, starting place of "name" band-film shows and, in addition, the spot where many famous performers began or Leonard Goldenson boosted their careers, reached its 25th birthday Monday (19). Most of its daily patrons were not born when the third of Broadway's film palaces made a ceremonious bow to the entertainment world and started out to introduce culture to tne expanding film industry in a big way. Since then it has passed through all the ups and downs that have marked the industry and has emerged as one of the few institutions of its size—4,000 seats—aiming its appeal at a specialized audience of youths. To the youngsters it's the youngest theatre in town; to the oldsters who like to look back, it is the monument that evolved from Adolph Zukor's ambition to build a symbol of Paramount's greatness only 20 years after motion pictures had moved north from the 14th street nickelodeon and peepshow belt. ZUKOR'S DREAM REALIZED Zukor spans the whole period from the earliest flickers in 1906 to the Paramount opening in 1926 and the luncheon at Toots Shors Wednesday (21). United Paramount Theatres, which now operates the house, and RKO, which happens to have a film, "Two Tickets to Broadway," playing there, were joint hosts and Robert M. Weitman was guest of honor. Weitman and the Paramount have become almost synonymous in the 16 years since he took over as managing director in 1935. He has never worked more than a few miles from the place. At the age of 22 he graduated from the Paramount Managers School and became assistant manager of the old Rialto, a hop, skip and jump from the imposing entrance to the Paramount, in 1926. In the intervening years he had been manager of the Brooklyn Paramount and city manager for the old Publix group, but headquarters have always been in the Paramount Theatre or building. YOUTH APPEAL NOT FORGOTTEN Weitman, whether he knew it or not at the time, went into exhibition in the closing years of a trend, but did not allow the prevailing pursuit of magnificence to weaken his conviction that films had to appeal to youth especially in the restless, crowded Times Square area where competition is terrific and grosse.> can go up and down like a fever chart. S. L. Rothafel and Dr. Hugo Reisenfeld, with symphony orchestras, had raised films out of the tinny piano and sloppy music score era at the Rivoli and Rialto before the Paramount was built, and Rothafel had gone on to the huge Capitol Theatre. Mark Strand had built the Strand. The Palace era was under way. That was before the Roxy and Music Hall. In the early days of these huge theatres it became the fashion to try to fit the show to Gloria DeHaven presents a 25th anniversary scroll from the Broadway Ass'n to Robert M. Weitman, managing director of the Paramount Theatre, New York City. She is appearing in the current screen attraction at the theatre, "Two Tickets to Broadway" (RKO). the surroundings with plenty of "art." It was a step in the long process of adding prestige to films, but the draw had begun to weaken two years after the Paramount opened. That was when sound began to attract attention. There was a call to return to "old-fashioned showmanship" and a mass of conflicting ideas about its component parts. Harold Franklin, graduate of vaudeville and stock company days, supervised the building of the Paramount as head of Paramount's theatre interests and dominated its first elaborate programs with a big orchestra headed by Nathaniel Finston, stage shows by John Murray Anderson and other features. The second phase of the Paramount showmanship policy began when Sam Katz became president of Publix Theatres in 1934. Katz was a product of Chicago and the beginning of the jazz era. He had been a piano player in one of the early movie houses and had thorough ideas of what pleased Chicago audiences, which are about as cosmopolitan as those of New York. Katz had joined up with Barney Balaban and his brothers who built a series of huge theatres—Central Park, 1917, 2,000 seats: Roosevelt, 1919, 2,600 seats; Tivoli. 1920, 4.000 seats; Oriental, 1920, 3,500 seats; Roosevelt, 1922, 1,700 seats; McVickers, 1925, 2,500 seats. It took a lot of pictures and a lot of stage shows to keep those houses going. One of the prize attractions was Paul Ash, "the rajah of jazz." When Paramount took Balaban & Katz into its expanding theatre empire it acquired some down-to-earth entertainment ideas as well, and the Paramount, New York, went from symphonies to dance bands. It was a jolt to the advocates of "culture," but it stimulated the boxoffice. A year after Katz took over, Weitman came into his own and started to find stage attractions that would bolster weak films and less expensive stage shows to fill in when the films were strong—always with the emphasis on youth. Dozens of the present-day outstanding film stars, singers, band leaders and radio celebrities were hardly known when Weitman first booked them. He always watched for the "comers"; it helped keep the overhead down. Paramount weekday matinee audiences are noted for the heavy repre.sentation of "Ei.senhower jacket" wearers. Bing Crosby's first appearance at the Paramount was with Paul Whiteman's "Rhythm Boys." Six weeks later he went back as a "single." Frank Sinatra, who was singing in a New Jersey night club, filled in in an emergency for his first appearance. Vic Damone used to be an usher and sang from the Paramount stage as part of his start to fame. Cass Daley, Ruth Etting, Helen Kane, Danny Kaye, Betty Hutton, Andrews Sisters, Ethel Merman, Ginger Rogers, Dinah Shore and Red Skelton were among the early entertainers. Among others have been Buddy Rogers, Nancy Carroll, Eddie Cantor. Miriam Hopkins, Amos and Andy, Kate Smith, Mae West, Fred Astaire, Lenore Ulric, Gary Cooper, Mary Pickford. Bob Hope, Rudy Vallee, Maurice Chevalier. Gloria Swanson, Bea Lillie, Burns and Allen, George Jessel, Milton Berle and Fred Allen. NAME VALUES RISE AND FALL After booking all the bands and stars now before the public one might be pardoned for thinking that all Weitman would have to do would be to look back over the grosses, but managing the Paramount doesn't work out that way. Name values are mercurial. To make money on bookings the managing director has to know what happened yesterday and he has to be able to make some shrewd guesses about what is going to happen tomorrow. That's why Weitman would think it funny if somebody should call him a "veteran." He's still a youthful experimenter and the Paramount is his laboratory, with Leonard H. Goldenson, United Paramount Theatres president, supervising everything. Paramount Pictures and United Paramount Theatres are now separate corporations, but Adolph Zukor, creator of the Paramount idea, is a frequent visitor and takes a friendly interest in the goings on. Honor Medal Men Attend 'Fixed Bayonets' Rally NEW YORK—Four Congressional Medal of Honor winners, all of whom earned the award in the Korean fighting, took part in "Fixed Bayonets" rally in Times Square November 19. The rally emphasized the urgent need for additional blood donors. The Honor Medal winners were introduced by Jack Carter, TV comedy star, who acted as master of ceremonies. Deputy Commissioner of Commerce Walter Shirley represented Mayor Impellitteri at the rally. Tlie four men are; Capt. Raymond Harvey of Pasadena, Calif., who w-as loaned to 20th Century-Fox to act as technical adviser during the filming of "Fixed Bayonets"; First Lieut. Carl A. Dodd of Fort Benjamin Harrison, Ind.; Second Lieut. Stanley T. Adams of Denver, and Capt. Lewis Millett of Indiantown Gap, Pa., the only one to win the award for a fixed bayonet charge. BOXOFFICE November 24, 1951 35
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REMODELING JOB • Oklahoma City Ab
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p On movie sets . BETTER MOVIES! In
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36 The MODERN THEATRE SECTIO^ U Sti
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DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION SAVE NOW! E
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DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION Balanced Li
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L' 44 M A,ikL Model 420 Majestic Fo
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| REFRESHMENT SERVICE You Can Enjoy
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' i HOW TO INCREASE CANDY SALES Con
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PATRONS COME TO DINNER AT THE TROPI
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BOXED DINNERS AT DRIVE-IN Continued
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REFRESHMENT SERVICE HERE ARE SEVEN
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IL A MUST for That Play Area The on
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I PROJECTION AND SOUND MEN IN BOOTH
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i Iki GENERATOR SETS Ask Your THEAT
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j ' ; INTERIOR DECORATING 5. Should
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i INTERIOR DECORATING TODAY'S THEAT
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35 YEARS — and still tops! CURTAI
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MAINTENANCE AND SANITATION f The Th
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I ' ALPHABETICAL INDEX; Specialized
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ADVERTISING DISPLAY Use the Index o
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179 Pittsburgh 3114 2753 11001 Frig
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200 ' 243 Chicago CONCESSIONS Use t
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90 919 Phila r 1 DECORATING Use the
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' ' FURNISHINGS Use the Index of Ad
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111 4801 Freeport, 321 W. SOlh SI ,
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Semon, L 300 149 1600 848 706 Walte
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SANITATION Use the Index of Adverti
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2747 i STAGE EQUIPMENT Use the Inde
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6222 724 ] DRIVE-INS Use the Index
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Miahavroka, 1035 Cleveland 64 1525
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' ' DENVER 'Graham Bros., Theatre E
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READERS' SERVICE COUPONS For inlonn
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II it's MOVIETIME U.S.A. Are You Pr
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