Boxoffice_May.09.1960

AA]
Brainerd
as
Good Business Holds
In Milwaukee Houses
MILWAUKEE—Most downtown houses
did good to excellent business during the
entire week. "Ben-Hur" continued to lead
the parade with sold out houses. Neck and
neck for second place were "Please Don't
Eat the Daisies" and "Kidnapped." "Tall
Story" had an encoui-aging opening of 140.
(Average Is 100)
Polace The Unforgiven (UA), 2nd wk 100
Riverside Kidnapped (BV) 1 50
Strond Ben-Hur (MGM), 2nd wk 300
Towne— Pleose Don't Eot the Daisies (MGM),
2nd wk 150
Warner Toll Story (WB);
Crime ond Punishment, U.S.A. ( AA) 1 40
Wisconsin Woke Me When It's Over (20th-Fox);
Valley of the Redwoods (20th-Fox), 2nd wk. . . 90
"Ben-Hur' 700 Dominates
Spotty Week in Minneapolis
MINNEAPOLIS — "The Lovers," which
opened at the Uptown, made the best
showing among the new offerings with a
rating of 200 per cent. Still continuing its
pace-setting run was "Ben-Hur," which
stacked up a rating of 700 for its tenth
week. Most other attractions rated average
or below for the week.
Academy Ben-Hur (MGM), 10th wk 700
Century South Seas Adventure (Cinerama),
45th wk 105
Gopher Seven Thieves (20th-Fox) 100
Lyric—Woke Me When ifs Over (20th-Fox),
2nd wk. (5 days) 60
Orpheum The Unforgiven (UA), 2nd wk 125
Pan—The Hypnotic Eye (AA);
Web of Evidence ( 90
St. Louis Park Chance Meeting (Pora) 150
State Please Don't Eot the Daisies (MGM),
3rd wk 80
Uptown The Lovers (Zenith) 200
World Our Man in Hovana (Col), 5tti wk 90
Good Weather Pulls Away
Would-Be Omaha Patrons
OMAHA—Only the Cooper managed to
chalk up much of a showing. "Ben-Hur."
in its 11th week, nearly doubled average
figures. Others generally slumped as good
weather pulled customers away.
Cooper Ben-Hur (MGM), 1 1 th wk 200
Reod (20th-Fox) ....
(20th-Fox),
Dundee
Omoha
The Wind
The Ten
Cannot
Commandments
75
reissue 85
Orpheum Once More, With Feeling (Col) 95
State Last 1 00
The Voyoge (MGM)
New 300-Speaker Drive-In
At Clearwater Lake, Wis.
NEW HOLSTEIN. WIS.—Joseph P.
Cozzuol, owner of the local Towne Theatre
and the Chilton at Chilton; W. J. Johnson,
owner of the State. Caspian, Mich., and
their associates will build a 300-speaker
drive-in at Clearwater Lake, a midway
point between Eagle River and Three
Lakes.
Cozzuol said that the new drive-in will
be called the Midway and that completion
is expected by late June or early July.
Variety of Clock Time
In Minneapolis Area
MINNEAPOLIS—Following the pattern
set by many other states. Wisconsin went
on daylight saving time April 24. Western
Wisconsin is part of the Minneapolis film
exchange territory. Minnesota, under the
compromise time law adopted by the state
legislatm'e last year, will not follow suit
until 2 a.m. May 22.
As for the other states in the Minneapolis
film zone. South Dakota remains on
PRODUCER'S
DAUGHTER — Bert
Gordon, producer of "The Boy and the
Pirates," has been able to keep his
family—at least part of it, that is
together on his recent promotion tour.
His young daughter Susan is accompanying
him, and helping promote the
picture, too. Here she is seen in IVIinneapoUs
with a group of youngsters on
the Clancy the Cop show on WCCO-
TV. Susan presented the children
copies of the Dell comic book illustrating
the film. Of course, Susan is a
star in "The Boy and the Pirates," not
entirely by her father's intention. She
was substituted for a few days because
of illness of the originally assigned
girl for the part, then stayed on to
complete the film.
standard time all summer. North Dakota
also will remain on standard time except
for border communities such as Fargo and
Wahpeton. Acting under North Dakota's
local option law. they may switch their
clocks to conform with their Minnesota
neighbors.
Minnesota this year apparently will have
the shortest period of fast time of any
state. The law provides for the state to revert
to standard time at 2 a.m. September
6. Most other areas will switch back either
September 25 or October 29.
$15,000 Remodeling Start
WATERLOO, IOWA—A $15,000 remodeling
program is under way at the Paramount
Theatre under the supervision of
Manager Marvin Graybeal. The program
was activated by moving the boxoffice to
the side of the entranceway, installing new
glass doors and a new marquee. Red-brown
tile forms the new face of the building.
Allied June Convention
At Elkhart Lake, Wis.
Milwaukee—By unanimous decision
of Allied members, the annual state
convention of Allied Theatre Owners
of Wisconsin will be held at the
Schwartz Hotel Resort, Elkhart Lake,
Wis., June 28-30. According to President
Edward E. Johnson, the results
of the convention held there two years
ago were so successful, Elkhart Lake
got the nod for this year on the first
vote. Johnson also announced the appointment
of Don Perlewitz of the
Parkway, Rainbow and Oasis theatres,
as convention chairman. A record
turnout is anticipated.
All Cooper Managers
At Lincoln Are New
LINCOLN—There are new managerial
faces in all of Cooper Foundation's local
theatres.
Dean Zittlow, originally manager at the
Lincoln, then the Stuart, now is acting
city manager for Cooper. He is sucwrvising
with Lincoln, Stuart and Nebraska
theatre managers, all new in the field under
a manager-trainee program. They are
John Kyker, manager for the Lincoln:
Ivan Burr, manager for the Nebraska, and
Donald Sobolick. holding the same post at
the Stuart.
Jack Klingle, former Lincoln Theatre
manager, has been promoted to the same
job at the Cooper's State Theatre in Omaha.
Robert Dudley, former Nebraska Theatre
manager, has gone into the insurance
business.
Herman Hallberg is theatre operations
officer for Cooper. He formerly was
branch manager in Omaha for 20th-Fox.
George Gaughan continues with purchases
and booking, plus publicity and advertising
for the 15 Cooper Foundation theatres.
Showmanship Rates
High in Brainerd, Minn.
MINNEAPOLIS — Howard Underwood,
general manager for the Home Theatres
I
circuit in Brainerd, was one of the outstanding
citizens of that town written up
by George Grim, Minneapolis Tribune columnist,
in a series titled "George Goes
Visiting."
Grim described how Underwood got
started in motion picture business in his
home town of Portsmouth, Ohio, and related
how his career in distribution, filmmaking
and exhibition took him to many
parts of the country. Now, Underwood is
applying a lifetime of brassy showmanship
to Brainerd and other theatres. Grim related.
•I advertised a picture at our Paramount
I the w'orst picture
anybody ever had seen. Don't come, I
told them. It was one of those horror
things. And what happened? Best two
days of business in two years," Underw'ood
said.
"I rate my pictures for the adult, adolescent
or all-the-family trade. Put it in
my newspaper ads. have it on the telephone
answering service. When I tell them a
picture's not good for children, we don't get
over a half dozen kids that week—and theiiparents
bring them."
First Paramount First Run
At St. Louis Park Theatre
MINNEAPOLIS— "Heller in Pink Tights,"
which opened at the submban St. Louis
Park Theatre, marks the first time that
Paramount here has gone into a subrun
with a first run picture. The booking was
negotiated locally. Harold Field, operator,
has been trying to get first-run product
for the house, but heretofore only Columbia.
United Artists and U-I have played
pictures first run at the theatre. Several
foreign pictures, such as the Swedish "Wild
Strawberries" and the French "He 'Who
Must Die." also have played the St. Louis
Park fiist run.
BOXOFFICE May 9, 1960 NC-1