April 19, 1941 NIGHT CLUBS -VAUDEVILLE The Billboard 23 Biz Up in Chi; Crosby Film, Eddy Howard and Revue $40,000; S -L 18G Vaudefilm Grosses CHICAGO. -The Easter season, idealaverage) opened well Friday (11) with weather,andgoodshowsbolstereda strongstagebillfeaturing Buddy grosses in the combo houses this week.Rogers, Judy Starr,Nick Lucas, and Chicago(4,000seats,$32,000houseYvette Dare.Screen has second run of Roxy Lone Exception to Big Biz; average) is heading for a dandy $40,000,Buck Privates, also a help, since pic had the best in weeks, with the Bing Crosby -its first run at the Palace which seldom MH 100G; Para, Strand Open Well Bob Hope flicker Road to Zanzibar anddraws State -Lake patrons. Healthy $18,- NEW YORK -With the exit of Lent,$96.800. Week -end alone pulled arounda revue topped by Eddy Howard, and000 in view. Week of April 4, combo of and a crop of new bills, Broadway vaucle-$35,000. including the Briants, Sterner Sisters,Lou Walters' Latin Quarter Revue and filmers Gene Sheldon, and Rosemary Dering.Blondie Goes Latin grossed an okeh are making anice comeback. The Roxy (5,835 seats; $36,000 houseShow opened April 11 and is slated to$16,000. Hefty grosses are the order of the weekaverage) is the only sour exception, film,remain two weeks.Week ended April Oriental(3,200 seats, $13,000 house in all houses with the Roxy excepted. Poto'Gold, keeping the trade away.10, the second and final session of Ladyaverage) is still running second to State - The Paramount (3,664 seats;$37,000Stage bill features Larry Adler.SecondEve and a new stage bill with Zasu PittsLake biz, due to weaker shows. Current house average) opened to a big houseweek will probably do only a distastrousand Patsy Kelly, flopped to a miserablebill (11-17) has a house -concocted unit Wednesday(9)withbillcontaining$12,000.First week's take was a small$27,000. Blame Holy Week and the dis-Easter Glamour Parade,withResits Benny Goodman's band, Gil Lamb and$30,000. appointingdrawofthe two screenRoyce, and a Metro second -string film, the Copacabana revue, and film Road Loew'sState(3,327seats;$22,500names. Wild Man. of Borneo. Will be lucky to get to Zanzibar. Looks like the first week'shouse average)iscoming out ofits take will come to about $62,000.Thestupor with current bill, including Joe State -Lake (3,700 seats, $15,000 house$15,000, weak considering business of second week of Nice Girl, Dinah ShoreE. Lewis, Peggy Fears, and Gower and other houses. Week endedApril10, and Charlie Barnet's band pulled a fairJeanne, with film, Great Dictator. Ap- Swing in Spring house unit and Little $28,000. Last week did $50,000. pearslikea$27,000 comeback.LastTucker Sets RecordMen humbled by $12,000 gross.Danny The Strand (2,758 seats; $33,500 houseweek Louis Armstrong's ork andplc. Friendly comes in as booker of the house average) likewise had its cashiers work-Come Live With Me, did a poor $15,000. next week, succeeding Billy Diamond. ing overtime. New layout with Jimmy In Ft. Wayne 3 Days Dorsey band, and film. Great Lie, should FORT WAYNE, Ind. - Orrin Tucker draw around $47,000 its first week. Last band set an all-time house record atEarle, Wash., 18G, week Charlie Spivak's band and Sea WolfPhilly Earle Grabs the Palace here(1.850 seats), playing drew a weak $16,000, their previous two to 18,000 people April 4, 5, and 6. Tucker weeks having drawn $32,000 and $46,000.Near 24G for Holy grossed $7,823 for the three-day stand,Capitol Strong 24G Current billisset foratleastfour which included Palm Sunday, according WASHINGTON. -Tourists here for the weeks. Week; Fay's $5,800 to Harvey G. Cocks. genreal manager ofCherry Blossoms Festival brought thea- The Music Hall(6,200 seats;$84,000 the theater. ter business up for the Easter period. house average)looks likeitwillgo PHILADELPHIA. - Holy Week didn't Ducats were scaled at 33 and 44 cents.Last week's start, with Warner's and above last week's gross.That Hamiltonprove the box-office bugaboo as in pre- Loew's using stage names for pulling Woman and the Faster spec and Springvious years and satisfactory figures were power, brought ticket sales out of the revuestageshowshouldgoaroundreportedatthefilm-fleshers. EarleBowes Unit Good Lenten slump. 8100.000 in contrast to the first week'sTheater (seating capacity 4,000;house Warner's Earle featured Martha Raye averageonstraightpicturebooking.$2,500 for 3 Days for week ended April10 and grossed $14,000) for the week ended Thursday a good $18,000 as against a fair $16,000 Buffalo Brightens; (10) drew $23,500, with Bill Robinson LINCOLN, Neb.-Take on Major Bowesthe previous week with Sea Wolf. Cur- and Jimmie Lunceford's orchestra cap-Talent Parade unit, which played hererent bill, ending April 17, features The ping an all -sepia stage show that includ-at the Stuart March 28-30, was in theGreat Lie, with the stage listing Lorraine More Flesh, Better ed Jimmy Young, Willie Smith. and thegood money region, around $2,500, forand Rognan, Ben Yost Continentals, the Miller Brothers and Lois. Knockout wasthe three days.Slow in starting, theHellmans, and the Roxyettes. Estimated the pic. unit caught on strongly Saturday andtake is a big $19,000. Grosses in Offing Easter week, which opened Friday (11)Sunday. BUFFALO. - Springweather,whichfigurestodoafancy$26.000with It was associated with the picture, Loew's Capitol chalked up a strong lured many to the wide-open spaces, asTommyDorsey's Las VegasNightsGreat Mr. Nobody (Warners), which was$24,000 with the Tommy Dorsey band well as the Holy week handicap, reducedflicker making for marquee value.Stageof no monetaryassistancewhatever.for the week ended April 9, as against grosses substantiallylastweek,withbill is shared by Hal LeRoy and the firstPrice range was 10-25-40 cents, with a$16,000 the previous week, which fea- takes below average at every establish-local theater apearance of Will Bradley'stwo-bit balcony at night. turde Paul Haakon on stage.For the ment.Easter bills are ambitiously big.orchestra with Ray McKinley, Freddie week ending April 16 Horace Heidt is on with Century vaude-filmer returning toSlack, Lynn Gardner, Terry Allen. the stage, with Trial of Mary Dugan. Line-up big-time fleshpolicy. Despite GoodBradley Boogie-Woogie Trio, and Lynn -Burnette Fine But expects to do a handsome $21,000. Friday's late opening of houses, takesRoyce and Vanya. are expected to zoom powerfully for cur- Fay's Theater (seating capacity 2,200; rent layouts.Palace features Ann Coriohouse average,$6,900)weatheredtheSwing Unit AverageClyde McCoy Fair; plusburlyandvaudetalent,whileHoly Week ended Wednesday (9)with SPOKANE,Wash. -SmileyBurnette Memorial Auditorium offers competition$5,800. Three ferns crowded the marqueedrew excellent business April 3-5 at the in form of 1941 Water Follies, and theinstrippers Kay Kears,Irene O'Day,Orpheum (1,200 seats), which has notHelen Kane Great Erlanger Theater with opening of Waltand Hoo Shee, Chinese songstress.Actbeenfaringtoowellwithstage - BRIDGEPORT, Conn. -Clyde McCoy, Disney's Fantasia. interpolations included Ashley and Clay-shows. Supporting were the Gene Autry-in for five performances at the Loew- The 20th Century ('seating capacity,ton,Billy Branch and Company, FoyBurnette Western. Back in the SaddlePoli-Lyric Theater Sunday (6)with a 3,200; house average, $6,500 for pix only)Large and Frank Morganer, Jimmy Lon-and Blondie Goes Latin. bill consisting of Fritz and Jean Hubert, opened with much fanfare April 10 fornergan house lineandBillyKla1,s' Swing, Baby, Swing revue, at the PostBill Ames, Bennett Sisters, and Max and a week ofEarl Carroll's Vanities, thehouse band.Dcad Men Tell was on theStreet(1,120seats), ran into unusualHis Gang, grossed a fair $4,000. first top-notch live talent vaucle bill toscreen. competition and came out just an aver- Opening of Sunday vaude at the New be seeninthe Queen City in some New bill opened Thursday (10). andage 81.750 April 4-6.First two days wereHaven Arena, 18 miles away, with Mark weeks. DespiteHoly Thursday's anddid not pick up until Saturday, but itbig, but on Sunday everybody in townWarnow's band. Bea Wain. and Barry Good Friday's comparatively restrictedisexpectedtohit the house par ofwent outsidethecitytoview new attendance, total take should climb to$6,900 with Sunya Slane and Joan Leesuper airport headquarters for 11 West-didn't help matters any. around $15,000,with Easter week -endthe burly leads.Al Stone and Tish LeeernStates.Pictureswere Her First House Manager Harry Rose, of the expectedtobeasellout.Thegirl -Carlton Ennny and His Mad Wags, ArtRomance and Flying Wild. Loew-Globe, reports capacity houses for studded revue stars Bert Wheeler, andCarney and Mark Dawson round out the the week -end bill featuring Dan Healey. spotlights. Hank Ladd, Francetta, Malloy,stageshow, with Repent at Leisure on Helen Kane, Gene Bedini and Tangle - Frakson, Bob Williams and Red Dust,the screen. foot, Julio San. and Miller and Omer. SternerSisters,Jean Tighe,Reginald John Boles Craig, the Biltmorettes, Beryl Cameron, ATLANTA. -John Boles, appearing in Jetsa Parker, Georgio Artie Rice, and a 10 -minute singing performances as anSpringfield Okeh others.Film fare is Play Girl. Bob Howard Okeh added attraction to Warner's Footsteps in For week ended April 9 the Century SPRINGFIELD, Mass. -A fast-movingthe Dark, did approximately $9.500 busi- SPRINGFIELD, Mass. - Good crowds fell below average with two pix on tapvaude show and real spring weather com-ness for a week at the de luxe Fox Thea-saw the Hits of 1941, a well-balanced and no flesh.Honeymoon for Threebined to draw crowds to the three-dayter (4,500 seats). Last night's perform-variety show that closed at the Court wasn'tverystrong,and secondfilm.bill that closed at the Court Square hereance was boosted by the appearance ofSquare Theater Saturday (5) with the Father'sSon, nobetter.Box officeSaturday (22). Life With Henry was onCharles Coburn on stage and the pre-plc Her First Romance. tallied$6,000,which wasn't toobad.the screen. viewing of The Devil and Miss Jones. Fred Marshall took over the reins as The Buffalo (seating capacity, 3:500; manager of the Court Square Friday (4). house average, $11,500 for straight films) Marshall spent the last four years on the opened nicely, despite Good Friday. That WestCoastfor RICO and Columbia Night in Rio pic on tap for Easter week.Another Pop Price Vaude Theater pictures. Takes estimated to reach at least $14,000. SecondfeatureisThe Penalty,and added extra Information Please.FleshSharpens Detroit Rivalry for Biz Berni Vici $7,000 is still absent here. DETROIT. - With only two lower -vantage of a long-established patronage For week ended April 10 the Buffalopriced Woodward Avenue theaters play-and a nearer downtown location. At Colonial, Dayton chalked up a meager 89.300 with theing regulation vaude among downtown Local grosses generally were uncer- pretty good screen combination, Topper tainly affected by the Ford strike. While DAYTON, 0. -Grosses moved up a Returns and Rage inHeaven. Holyhouses, result of policy at the Vogue,there was a chance for a lot of workersbit last week, with Count Berni Vici Week hurt. suburban house where stageshows weretoattendlower -pricedshows duringand his Pan-American. Revue hitting put in for the first time this week, wereusual working hours, uncertainty over$7,000. being checked carefully. future pay checks more than counter- The show is laying off a week and Blackstone Fair 15G At the Colonial(1.500seats;housebalanced this. will be cut thereafter to fill a number averag,e. $6.000) business has been run- Vogue Theater is one of the newestof one and two -night stands with profit. ning about $5.000-85,500 the past twoneighborhood houses of the United De- Holy Week in Pitts. or three weeks with vaude without atroitchain,Five -actfull -week show, PlaubBURGH.-Blackstone magic unitname on the bill. Names will be resumedwith Phil Brestoff and his orchestra, whoLyric, Ind'p'lis, and the film Bad Man. kept Stanley upby Owner Raymond Schreiber April 20.were recently at the big Michigan Thea- to $15,500 for Holy Week, in last vaudeMeanwhile Cra:y Show, revue type unitter as house orchestra, stanza until first of May, Earl Carroll'sproduced for the house, goes in Sun- is the policy. Dips to Weak 7G day (13). Openingbillhas Faith, Hope, and Vanities on stage, Guy, Girl and Gob Zingo; Ted Lowrie and Bette Gay, Larry INDIANAPOLIS. - Lyric'sgrossfor on screen, grossed 818,000 week before. The Town (2200 seats: house average,Kent, Branshaw and Fenton, and Eldonweek ended April 10 skidded to $7,000. Horace Heidt is penciled in for the first$2.700) had Stepin Fetchit week closedD'Orio.Shows booked by Delbridge &Average is 88,500. week in May. Thursday (10) and drew a good $3,500.Gorrell office.Vogue is opposition to Show headlined Ciro Rimac's band. Two localbenefit vaude shows lastThis big house is being built up steadily,the Harper, operated by Wisper & Wets -with Park and Clifford, Lester Cole and week grossed more than $7,000 for Greekbut has not yet seriously cut into theman Circuit, which has hid stageshoweHis Debutantes, and Mills, King, and Ray. relief. opposition Colonial, which has the ad-for about a year. Pic was Sleepers West.