Boxoffice-12.1953

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Holdovers Fare Best
In Icy Minneapolis
MINNEAPOLIS—With unfavorable weather
an adverse factor and the u.sual pre-Christmas
slump making an early appearance, the
large number of holdovers fared better that
the comparatively few fresh entries as snow
and icy pavements and streets kept many at
home evenings. None of the newcomers, induding
"Torch Song," "Appointment in Honduras."
"Escape From Fort Bravo" and "99
River Street," cut much of a swath. On the
other hand, "How to Marry a Millionaire,"
"Kiss Me Kate" and "Botany Bay" in their
second weeks still were clicking.
"Seven Deadly Sins," a disappointment boxofficewise
here, departed after the fourth day
of its second week.
(Average Is 100)
Century Torch Song (MGM) 80
Gopher Escape From Fort Brovo (MGM) 90
Lyric Botany Boy (Para), 2nd wk 95
Radio City How to Marry a Millionaire (20th-Fox),
2nd wk 175
Orpheum Appointment in Honduras (RKO) 90
Pan—99 River Street (UA); My Heart Goes Crazy
(UA) 80
State—Kiss Me Kate (MGM), 2nd wk 95
World—Seven Deadly Sins (Arlan), 2nd wk 75
and "Kate' Top Others
In Omaha First Week Runs
OMAHA—The Brandeis doubled its business
during the holiday period with "Hondo,"
and the State had similar success with "Kiss
Me Kate." Both were held over for second
weeks. Downtowners generally had plus business.
Omaha—So Big (WB) 105
Orpheum Calamity Jone (WB) 115
RKO-Brandeis— Hondo (WB); Killer Ape (Col) 205
State—Kiss Me Kate (MGM) 200
Town—Guerrilla Girl (UA); Miss Body Beoutiful
(UP); The Ghost of Crossbone Canyon (AA) 95
Variety Lauds Reid Ray
For Free Heart Trailer
MINNEAPOLIS—Art Anderson, Warner
Bros, district manager and chairman of the
Northwest Variety heart hospital fund publicity,
has acknowledged the club's debt of
gratitude to Reid H. Ray, head of Reid H.
Ray Film Industries, for producing and donating
to the club a special color trailer
featuring ace newspaper columnist and radio
and TV personality Cedric Adams.
The trailer was used by the club in its
theatre collections for the heart hospital fund.
Anderson points out that Ray, who has
made such trailers gratis for four years,
planed to New York from Minneapolis with
the negative to have it printed free by the
Houston Color Laboratories, with 200 Ansco
prints being distributed.
Nekoosa Corp. Formed
MILWAUKEE—The Nekoosa Theatre Corp.
has been formed in Wisconsin Rapids, with
an authorized capital stock of 1,000 shares
of common no par value. Incorporation
papers were signed by James J. Stark.
MINNEAPOLIS
JJerb Greenblalt, RKO district manaRer.
was in . . . Chct LeVolr, formerly with
Republic, has Joined U-I here as South
Dakot.a .salesman. Kenny Adams was promoted
to sales manager . . . Senn Spewack,
promoter and capitalist, Ls using his Influence
to hasten the coming of Cinerama to Minneapolis
. . . Charlie Ruben.stein, circuit owner,
vacationed in Chicago over the weekend .
Northwest Variety Club called off its monthly
December dinner meeting because It felt
members would be too busy with Christmas
activities.
Bennie Berger circuit is installing all-purpose
wide screens in its Minneapolis down-
theatres . . .
town Gopher and St. Peter, Minn., State
Hy Chapman, Columbia manager,
visited hLs son-in-law and daughter,
the Byi-on Shapiros, in Des Moines over the
Thanksgiving holiday. Shapiro is Columbia
manager in Des Moines . . . Late in arriving
and unable to spend more than a halt day in
Minneapolis, the Corbett Twins from Paramount's
picture "Here Come the GirLs,"
piloted by Rufus Blair, didn't even have time
to visit the local exchange, but they grabbed
off valuable newspaper, radio and TV publicity
for themselves and the Bob Hope offering.
The Lyceum, local legitimate roadshow
house which is plagued by the current scarcity
of stage shows and which has been offering
reissued films on weekends, reverted to
Swedish pictures last Friday through Sunday
haven't been any stage shows at
either the Radio City or RKO Orpheum here
for two years and longer and none is in
prospect. Inability to obtain big name stars
for headliners is the reason, according to
Harry B. French, Minnesota Amusement Co.
president.
A number of Twin Cities neighborhood
houses are bringing back "The Greatest Show
on Earth" this month . Loop Gopher
here had a special large newspaper ad for
"Escape From Fort Bravo" on newspaper TV
and radio pages in addition to ads in the
amiLsement sections . . . Pat Greene of the
Berger circuit office staff in February will
wed Marcus CoUoton, now in General hospital,
Denver, recuperating from wounds suffered
in Korea.
In current bulletin. North Central Allied
urges exhibitors to call this month on their
congressmen and U.S. senators, who will be
home for the holidays, to enlist their support
again for admission tax repeal in the 1954
Congress.
A deal for Cinerama to acquire from the
Minnesota Amusement Co. either its downtown
State or Century still is in the negotiation
stage, according to Harry B. French,
MAC president. Same goes for the deal for
Charlie Fox of Milwaukee, formerly of the
Alvin here, to take over the shuttered Aster
for a resumption of burlesque . . . Film actor
Arthur- Treacher was in St. Paul for a talk
before the Women's Institute.
NEKOOSA, WIS.—James Stark, Wisconsin The Orpheum here did big business with a
r;s! Rapids, has purchased the Rialto Theatre one-nighter stage show at $3.60, Stan Kenton's
"Camival of Jazz." There were two
from Glenn-Harvey Theatres, Inc., of Nekoosa.
plans to install a full-width screen and performances Minneapolis branch of
,
make other improvements. Glenn Schwartz, the Colosseum of Motion Picture Salesmen
who has been manager and co-owner, has has elected Bill Woods. Columbia, president,
moved to Green Bay, where he is now in the succeeding Joe Murphy of Paramount. Other
officers elected; Chet LeVou-, U-I, vice-president;
George Fasdlck, Republic. aecreUrytreasurer,
and Howard Grecrusteln. U-I.
serRcant at arms.
There waa a fine turnout for the Mcond
annual all-lndastry Chrl.stma.s party at the
Calhoun Beach Club this week and a good
time was had by everybody, thanlu to the
perfect ajrangements of Joe Rosen and hla
a.ssistants . of Minnesota
architects are planning a film theatre a.