Boxoffice-May.03.1952
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. . Reno<br />
MINNEAPOLIS<br />
. . Four drive-ins not<br />
fJtost drive-ins in this area opened somewliat<br />
earlier tlian usual this season and<br />
were favored by warm weather and clear<br />
skys, ideal for their operation . . . Tlie MEE<br />
drive-ins, owned by a group of Minneapolis-<br />
St. Paul independent exhibitors, again are<br />
playing late runs and double-featuring several<br />
changes each week. Veteran Bill Sears<br />
again is at theii- helm .<br />
scheduled to open till May were the Gull at<br />
Brainerd, the Sunset at Alexandria, the Sky-<br />
Line in Duluth and the Elson-Nathanson<br />
ozoner at Detroit Lakes.<br />
The Robinson-Graziano fight pictures went<br />
into the Gopher as an added attraction although<br />
the scrap had been televised here.<br />
They're being distributed in the territory by<br />
The Minnesota Amusement Co. Arion and<br />
Granada neighborhood houses ran large<br />
newspaper ads announcing "first showing together"<br />
of "TV's most popular stars," Lucille<br />
Ball and Desi Arnez, in "Lucy Goes Wild" and<br />
"Cuban Pete." Only normal business was<br />
registered although Miss Ball and Mr. Arnez's<br />
TV show, "I Love Lucy," now has the largest<br />
audience of any television program. It has<br />
been proved here lately that TV popularity is<br />
no assurance of theatre boxoffice draw.<br />
Groucho Marx has a very large TV following,<br />
but the last two pictures in which he appeared<br />
here drew poorly. Singer James Melton<br />
is popular on television, but when he appeared<br />
as a soloist with the Minneapolis<br />
Symphony orchestra at a pension fund benefit<br />
concert a few weeks ago the audience was<br />
pitifully small.<br />
mumm<br />
COOLO<br />
NOT<br />
TAIAE<br />
her!<br />
li<br />
Artistic Attractions, 435 Loeb Arcade here . .<br />
Absent to attend the Variety International<br />
convention at Las Vegas, Bennie Berger<br />
missed his first NCA convention here. From<br />
Las Vegas, Berger, who until last year was<br />
North Central Allied president, was to go to<br />
Colorado Springs to attend the meeting of<br />
the Allied States board of which he's a member<br />
. . . W. R. Frank, circuit owner and film<br />
and TV picture producer, was in from Hollywood<br />
. . . MGM film salesman George Turner<br />
and circuit owner Clem Jaunich left for the<br />
west by auto.<br />
"Big Jim" Morton, who calls himself former<br />
Public Enemy No. 1, was here to talk on<br />
"crime doesn't pay" in behalf of "My SLx<br />
Convicts," now playing at the Minneapolis<br />
and St. Paul Orpheums . . . Ralph Green,<br />
theatreman, now- is devoting himself mainly<br />
to the manufacturing business . Wilk,<br />
general manager of the Triangle Outdoors<br />
Theatres, inspected his Minot, N. D., ozoner<br />
. . . 'With the boost in newspaper advertising<br />
rates and declining boxoffice, most local<br />
neighborhood and suburban houses, along<br />
with several Loop theatres, have cut down<br />
considerably on their lineage.<br />
Radio City Theatre featured a Johnnie Ray<br />
short last week. In July it will have the<br />
singing sensation in person headlining a stage<br />
show . . . Pete Smith's first Technicolor<br />
short, "Mealtime Magic," had its world premiere<br />
at the State in Eau Claire, 'Wis. The<br />
reason; a pressure cooker which it concerns<br />
is manufactured there. There were klieg<br />
lights and elaborate ceremonies for the premiere.<br />
Joe Wolf, veteran film man, returned from<br />
San Antonio where he acquired an additional<br />
interest in the drive-in theatre there of w'hich<br />
he has been a part owner since its opening<br />
... Ed Lurie, UA exploiteer out of New<br />
York who did such a hangup job in helping<br />
to pubhcize "The African Queen," is back<br />
again, this time for "The River" and "The<br />
Captive City." The former will open at the<br />
State here May 9. "The Captive City" will<br />
have its midwest premiere in Minneapolis<br />
May 7 . . . Aldo Ray, sfar with Judy Holliday<br />
in "The Marrying Kind," is due here next<br />
week for the opening at the Minneapolis and<br />
St. Paul Orpheums . . . LeRoy J. Miller, U-I<br />
manager, visited northern Minnesota accounts.<br />
The local KKO exchange was sixth nationally<br />
in the Ned Depinet sales drive . . .<br />
With two members of the Council of Living<br />
Theatres of New York staff on hand, Sam<br />
McDowell and John Star, a campaign is being<br />
conducted to stimulate greater interest<br />
here in the legitimate stage, make Minneapolis<br />
a "better show town" for traveling<br />
legitimate attractions and line up more subscribers<br />
for the ATS-New York Theatre Guild<br />
annual sub.scription season of offerings at the<br />
Lyceum Theatre. Minneapolis is the fifth<br />
city to have such drives.<br />
Al Myrick Stages Flood<br />
Benefit at Lake Park<br />
LAKE PARK, IOWA—Al Myrick, president<br />
of Iowa and Nebraska Allied, staged a benefit<br />
here for flood victims recently. Myrick<br />
attended the Allied convention in Omaha in<br />
April and saw the flood havoc first hand.<br />
Upon his return home, he called a meeting<br />
of the Chamber of Commerce, Lions club and<br />
leaders of the various churches to promote<br />
a benefit.<br />
The show consisted of four newsreels having<br />
flood footage — 'Warners' Pathe, MGM's<br />
News of the Day, Fox Movietone and Paramount<br />
News, a film feature and a bake sale<br />
auction. Although the population of Lake<br />
Park is only 1,000, a total of $600 was raised<br />
and given to the Red Cross and Salvation<br />
Army to carry on their flood relief.<br />
Odebolt, Iowa, Princess<br />
Sets Two-for-One Plan<br />
ODEBOLT, lO'WA—All merchants in Odebolt<br />
are cooperating in a two-for-one theatre<br />
ticket arrangement at the Princess Theatre.<br />
The step is a mutual business stimulator for<br />
local merchants and the Princess. Under the<br />
two-for-one plan, adult admis.sion will admit<br />
two persons to the theatre. Each ticket is<br />
valid for a period of 30 days from date of<br />
purchase. The two-for-one tickets will be<br />
sold over a period of ten weeks. W. G. Horts-<br />
the owner-manager of the Princess.<br />
man is<br />
Won't Rebuild Theatre<br />
MARCUS. IOWA—Ed Delaney has announced<br />
that he does not intend to rebuild<br />
his Lyric Theatre, which was destroyed by<br />
fire three months ago. Delaney told a meeting<br />
of the Marcus Commercial club that the<br />
heavy expense involved prompted his decision<br />
against rebuilding.<br />
1/<br />
i<br />
I<br />
HEDY<br />
LAMARR<br />
GEORGE co-starring LOUIS {/<br />
SANDERSHAYWARD<br />
irith<br />
4<br />
Hillary BrooLc • Gene Loekh«rt<br />
June Storey * Rhys Willismi<br />
Pfoductd by JACK CHERTOK<br />
Directed by Edgar U'mer<br />
Screenplay by Herb Meadow "^S^<br />
Bajed on the novel "The Strang* Woman" /|<br />
by Ben Ames Wtliiami<br />
I'<br />
A Hvnr Srrofnb*r9 frodwctio*<br />
A^<br />
AT THESE ASTOR EXCHANGES:<br />
INDEPENDENT-] 109 Currie Ave.-Minneapolis<br />
REALART-706 A.W. State St.-Milwaukee<br />
BOXOFFICE May 3, 1952 85
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