Boxoffice-January.08.1955

1 TV
, Added
siness' Pulls
Memphis
1 first runs hit the jackpot
which continued on into
's Palace did three times
ith "There's No Business
." Malco did two and one-
.•ith "20,000 Leagues Under
d 75 per cent above avering
Cij-cus." Loew's State
bove average attendance
age Is 100)
siness Like Show Business
300
1 50
i Under the Sea (Buena
250
reus (Para) 175
retel iRKO) 70
ys Hollywood
Challenge
ers to the editor recently
[erald stressed two ideas.
vere needed with a more
life, designed for conand
old. Two: that with
iiovies have gone down in
ig only to be more specnext:
star quality going
.gures sought, and over-
:k of Florida State Theaartment.
wrote a letter
rinted. He wrote:
long time was laughed at
finishes where love con-
)dness always triumphs,
of the world looked at
fforts as infantile, afraid
r because of the boxoffice
of creative talent. Now,
eceipts due to uncreative
avasion of TV. Hollywood
k.
he last two years have
ghs, largely due to the
that America no longer
Jiet of B pictures. They
ge to buy the best stories
)€st-selling novels, Broadproductions
if their
to this has been
ic detail. Film locations
lUt all over the world in
the mood of the original
/e been gambled on unis
have been invested in
sses. The fact that it has
to by the American theach
after all has the final
rg Airer Open
/ements
IG—The Fourth Street
eopened under the manmbrell,
who managed the
until it was closed and
prings Theatre in Tampa,
screen was installed, the
air conditioned for both
!r and the new restrooms
drive-in. The public was
car" and come as guests
and enjoy a cartoon carle
short and a comedy.
Average of 300,000 Miamians See
Motion Picture Show Each Week
MIAMI—Where were you on the night of
November 27? The chances are that you
were at a motion pictiu-e theatre, somewhere
between North and South Miami, for on
that night 103,927 men, women and children
went to a picture show. These and other
illuminating statistics were compiled by Herb
Kelly of the Miami Daily News staff.
"Where were you during the week of November
21?" he wrote. "Again the chances
are you were in a movie, because dur-ing
that week, 329,944 persons paid their way
into a local theatre. Remember, that wa-s
during the latter part of November. During
the height of the season you can add 60 to
100 per cent to the total which, conservatively
speaking, would make the figiu-es 155,000 for
Saturday night and 527,000 for the week.
"Then to top it off, take a conservative average
of 300,000 and spread it over 52 weeks
and you'll come up with over 15 million
people in the Miami area going to the 50
motion picture theatres in a year's time.
"There are five reasons why you left your
home, battled traffic, searched for a parking
place, probably paid a parking fee, hired a
baby sitter, bought an admission ticket and
spent a few quarters besides," Kelly wrote.
"When people pay money for entertainment,
or for anything else, they take it seriously.
It's not for free and bringing you into
a theatre is a big business and here is why
you go. The reasons come from theatre managers
and are listed in the order of their
importance.
"1. Heavy, constant day-after-day newspaper
advertising.
"2. What's the picture and who's in it?
These questions are answered when the family
reads the new-spaper advertisements, sees
photos of scenes from the pictures, notes the
stars they have read about and scores of
others.
"3. Unbiased reviews of newspaper critics.
Many are guided by the men who see these
pictures on opening days and write their
opinions with mainly three thoughts in mind:
Is it a good picture? Is it a reasonable bargain
at the admission price asked? Is it the
kind that will appeal to the majority?
"Now, no reviewer can criticize a show
without finding some dissenters. Just for fun,
try this some time. Ask the opinion of some
of your friends who have seen the same
motion picture you have. You'll be surprised
how many different an.swers you will get.
"4. Word-of-mouth advertising. If it's a bad
picture it doesn't take long for it to become
known. When you have over 300.000 persons
seeing a show, news .spreads fast over lunch
counters, telephone, family dinner tables,
offices and busine.ss places.
"5. Habit. Some have a particular night for
the movies. Others decide to take in a show
because there's nothing else to do. We picked
the week of November 21 for two rea.sons.
First it was the week some very good and
very bad pictures were on the screens
throughout the area. The bad would offset
the good and a fair figure could be reached.
"Second, it was not during the lighter
summer months, nor at the height of the season.
Thus an average attendance could be
obtained. The totals are accurate, you can
be sure. Attendance figures are jealously
guarded by theatre managers and it was only
by promising each theatre manager that his
figures would be kept in strict confidence
that we got cooperation.
"They represent reports from enclosed theatres
and drive-ins, as the latter have become
a tlu-iving industry. The airer is the
answer to many problem.s—parking, babysitting,
dressing up. The whole family— in
shorts or slacks, the baby in diapers—can
pile into a car, sit back and watch a double
feature.
"About 75 per cent of the readers of this
paper are moviegoers. In that number you
find people from every w'alk of life, most of
whom must count carefully their cost of recreation
that breaks the monotony of school,
kitchen drudgery or office.
"For a few short hours they can forget
the daily grind as they watch and hear opera,
jazz, musical comedy, drama, adventure. Usually
in color and on wide screen, before
your eyes are the latest in hair styles of the
female stars you have read about in your
newspaper, home furnishings, romance and
the many things dear to the heart of the
woman."
This story is meant merely to show how
movies have become a vital part of daily
life.
Yes, they are 365-days-a-year entertainment,
in which your amusement pages play
an important part, bringing you that in which
all readers share a mass taste—laughter,
drama and tears.
Fire at New Orleans
Ruins Crown Theatre
NEW ORLEANS—A $100,000 blaze brought
about complete ruin to the sub-run Crown
Theatre. The theatre, owned by Lazarus Theatres,
Inc., caught fire on New Year's morning
about 3 o'clock and brought a general
alarm with 20 pieces of fire equipment answering
the alarm. Eight firemen narrowly
escaped death when the front of the theatre
collapsed within seconds after the men had
moved.
An investigation is under way.
Features Miniature Train
At Eau Gallie, Fla., Airer
EAU GALLIE. FLA.—A train ride on a
miniature steam train has been added to the
attractions of the Brevard Drive-In, owned
and operated by Hugh Kampen. The railroad,
located at the theatre exit, is called the
N