Boxoffice-September.04.1978

. . . The
. . There
. . The
. . The
Liberty
I
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NEW HAVEN
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the Bristol Cinema, Bristol . . .
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center of Richard Brooks' transparent
'Looking for Mr. Goodbar.' " youngsters at all times at the Coventry
Warwick Musical Theatre, Warwick,
ing in the newspaper's Sunday Bowsprit
magazine supplement were photos depicting
the town of Onset in 1905 and today. The
turn-of-the-century glimpse contained a
The Spodick Whitney, marking its first anniversary
building called the Onset with large handpainted
under that combine's banner,
hosted "appreciation week," with a 99-cent
letters reading, "Select Photo Plays/
Dramas, Comedies."
charge in effect for all seats at all times.
The attraction was Paramount's "Saturday A United Artists feature with the Beatles,
Night Fever." Newspaper advertising enthused:
"A Hard Day's Night" (1964 release), was
"It's appreciation week! Our 'thank-
shown as a free attraction on a recent Mon-
you' to all our patrons at the end of our day night at the Westport Free Public Library.
year!" The two-generation
e.xciting first
Spodick circuit also operates the Whalley
and the College Street Cinema, with son "The Golden Age of Comedy," DCA
Robert continuing in partnership with Leonard
Distributing's 1958 compilation of silent
Sampson in Sampson & Spodick Thea-
night attraction at the Westport Free Public
tres elsewhere.
Library.
"Saturday Night Fever" continues to astound
the New Haven territory with its durability.
Not only did the John Travolta
RHODE ISLAND
starrer first time around knock long-standing
attendance records for a loop— in spite
^he Cable Car Cinema, Providence, has a
of weather and other adverse factors normally
affecting boxoffice take in these parts new admission policy in effect, charging
$1 Mondays through Thursdays, $2 Fri-
—but there was no obvious slack in the subruns.
The Strand, Hamden, on sub-run days through Sundays. The plan is applicable
booking, offered free soda or popcorn with
for all seats at all times on specified
days is now a dollar admission
its showings. E.xhibition will probably vote
Travolta into the Connecticut Ass'n of Theatre
in effect Mondays through Thursdays at
The Cranston
as Owners an honorary member.
Drive-Tn, Cranston, has designated
The Chesire Public Library hosted a Mondays through Thursdays as "family
"Classic Coolers Film Series" as an antisummer-humidity-blahs
nights." The main attraction is screened
continuing attrac-
first.
Free showings included "Goodbye Mr.
tion.
Chips" (MGIVI, 1939), "Little Women" "Star Wars" has been drawing excellent
(RKO, 1933) and "A Farewell to Arms" response in its first reprise. Gearing their
(Paramount, 1932).
sights on even more family trade, the SBC
Management Corp.'s Castle 2 in Providence
Reviewing Columbia's "Eyes of Laura
Mars," Bob Eimicke, Register critic, commented:
and Coventry, Coventry, advertised reduced
tabs. was $1.50 Monday through Thursday
"A brutal record of a brutal, big
plus matinees, and $2 Friday, Saturday
It
city way of life ... the up-shot being
and Sunday evenings at the Castle, and
violence begets violence, a premise not far
$1.50. Monday and Tuesday, and $2. Wednesday
afield from the strident moralism at the
through Thursday, with $1.50 for
featured Mitzi Gaynor and her revue
for a week, with tickets scaled at $8.50
and $9.50 University of Rhode
NEW BEDFORD
^ew attractions on southeastern Massachusetts
marquees included Warner
Bros.' "Hooper." American International's
"High-Ballin'," Universal's "Almost Summer"
and MGM-UA's "Corvette Summer,"
with holdovers including Paramount's "Foul
Play" plus "Grease," Universal's "Sgt. Pepper's
Lonely Hearts Club Band," Columbia's
"Eyes of Laura Mars." United Artists'
"Revenge of the Pink Panther," 20th-Fox's
reprise of "Star Wars" and Buena Vista's
"The Cat from Outer Space."
An irate reader wrote "Tell It to the
S-T," the Standard-Times column: "I saw
the movie, 'Alice, Sweet Alice,' advertised
in the paper. People wonder why we have
crazies in this world. These movies should
be stopped and then maybe vandalism and
so forth would be stopped, also."
Area movie buffs were delighted to spot
something distinctive in a Standard-Times
"Remember When" photo feature. Appear-
Island's Edwards Auditorium screened "Ben-
Hur." the MGM 1959 release (Charlton
Heston, Jack Hawkins) and "Jesus Christ
Superstar," Universal 1973 release (Ted
Neeley, Carl Anderson).
The emergence of multiple auditorium
complexes in the 1970s led the Providence
Journal-Bulletin to interview Redstone Theatres
president Sumner M. Redstone. The
industry veteran commented: "This business
is very sophisticated and very, very competitive."
The article added that the larger theatre
developments are competing for fewer
viewers. "In 1948." the newspaper noted,
"the banner year for films, 65,000.000 people
attended a movie once a week. In 1977,
that figure was 20,000,000.
An anti-blind bidding bill is expected to
be introduced in the upcoming session of
the Rhode Island state legislature. Boxoffice
learned at presstime. Similar legislation
was defeated in adjacent Massachusetts
this past July.
SPRINGFIELD
Twentieth-Fox's "Star Wars," in its first
reprise in western Massachusetts, has
generated excellent response, with holdovers
reported across the area. And, for the first
time, the science-fiction superspectacle has
reached the drive-ins. The latter, adhering
to tradition, slotted companion features
and, in many instances, continued reduced
admission scale. The Sundown Drive-In,
Westfield. brought back Universal's "Airport
'77" as supporting feature and charged
$5-per-carload. regardless of number of passengers.
The Air-Line Drive-In. Chicopee.
brought back Columbia's "The Deep" as
companion feature.
New attractions across the area included
MGM-UA's "Corvette Summer." United
Artists' "The Last Waltz" and Buena 'Vista's
"Hot Lead and Cold Feet."
The holdover bloc: Universal's "National
Lampoon's Animal House" plus "Sgt. Pepper's
Lonely Hearts Club Band" plus "Jaws
2," Columbia's "The Cheap Detective" plus
"Eyes of Laura Mars." Paramount's "Foul
Play" plus "Grease" plus "Heaven Can
Wait," Warner Bros.' "Hooper," United
Artists' "Revenge of the Pink Panther" and
Buena Vista's "The Cat from Outer Space."
The Grand Theatre, Indian Orchard,
brought back Universal's "House Calls,"
charging $1 for all seats all times . . .
at
The Red Rock Drive-In is screening its
main attraction first Sundays through
Thursdays . E.M. Loew's Riverdale
Drive-In, normally admitting youngsters under
age 12 free, charged 50 cents for
showings of "The Cat from Outer Space."
Adults were admitted for $2.
John Morrison hosted the East Coast
premiere of "Off the Wall." by independent
filmmaker Rick King, at the Pleasant Street
Theatre in Northampton. John comments:
"Rick King is a brave new independent director
who has fashioned a genuinely funny,
socially important New American film.
Only two other films have recently examined
the fate of the 1960s 'movement'
members who have dropped out and turned
to a kind of gentle anarchy tinged with
.'
.
middle-class guilt."
" -Jonah Who Will Be Twenty Five
from Switzerland and 'Milestones' from
the U.S.," John continues, "have tackled
the subject, but King has put it into a
1970s 'Easy Rider' concept."
The Sundown Drive-In, Westfield, had a
four-film show including Warner Bros.'
"The Goodbye Girl" and "The Enforcer,"
20th-Fox's "Damien—Omen 11" and "Damnation
Alley," charging $5-per-carload.
iSound and
Projection Service
Nationwide — on all brands.
RCA Service Company, A Division of RCA
43 Edward J Hart Rd Industrial Park.
,
Jersey City. N J 07305, Phone (201)451-2222
BOXOFFICE ;: September 4, 1978
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