1947 Exhibition Snapshot Week 2 (pt 1)
I figured weekly tracking would be too tedious for this project. There are a couple of things to note in interpreting the film listings. First, Philadelphia is not necessarily representative of a national market. Not only is each city different, there was no homogeneous national market as such. Instead the majors carved out regional spheres of dominance in exhibition: Philly seems to have been heavily a Warners theater town.
Second, films in the 40s did not necessarily have a weekly release. Many did, debuting on Wednesday or Friday. Others may have had a shorter release. In general, I am using Variety returns for every other Wednesday, then picking a sample day from the week before (Wed or Fri) to show those films in their respective showings.
Finally, studios in the 40s did not use saturation booking. Philadelphia was not the last city to see films, but it wasn't the first either. Going week by week through the year, it may take some time before I actually get to my 1947 films. In the process, I may discover that imdb lists a film as 47 in its release year when it in fact came out in 46. (Already, I'm seeing that the copyright date I had listed for Nocture is inaccurate.)
For every other week, I will give returns for the downtown palaces, then (occasionally) list films playing in the neighborhood houses. So hear goes...
Week 2
(1/8/47, Variety returns 1/15/47)
Aldine (WB; 1,303; 50-94c): Wicked Lady (Univ.) $18,000
Arcadia (Ind-Sablosky; 700; 50-94c): Return of Monte Cristo (Col.) $6,000 2nd week
Boyd (WB; 2,350; 50-94c): Undercurrent (MGM) $17,500 3d wk
Earle (WB; 2,760; 60-99c): Falcon's Adventure (RKO) $44,000 with live music show
Fox (2,250; 50-94c): Razor's Edge (Fox) $28,000 3d wk
Goldman (Ind; 1,000; 50-94c): Secret Heart (MGM) $29,000
Karlton (Ind-Goldman; 1,000; 50-94c): Rage in Heaven (MGM) $8,500 reissue, 4th wk
Keith's (Ind-Goldman; 1,500; 50-94c): Strange Woman (UA) $7,500 2d run, 2d wk
Mastbaum (WB; 4,350, 50-94c): Time, Place, Girl (WB) $18,000 3rd wk
Pix (Ind-Cummins; 500; $1.95-2.50): Henry V (UA) $11,500 3rd wk
Stanley (WB; 2,950; 50-94c): Blue Skies (Par) $21,500 7th wk
Stanton (WB; 1,475; 50-94c): Nocturne (RKO) $12000 3rd wk
Trans-Lux featured newsreels: this week, Mummer's Parade, Quake in Japan, Erie Plane Crash
Neighborhood house showings to come.
Second, films in the 40s did not necessarily have a weekly release. Many did, debuting on Wednesday or Friday. Others may have had a shorter release. In general, I am using Variety returns for every other Wednesday, then picking a sample day from the week before (Wed or Fri) to show those films in their respective showings.
Finally, studios in the 40s did not use saturation booking. Philadelphia was not the last city to see films, but it wasn't the first either. Going week by week through the year, it may take some time before I actually get to my 1947 films. In the process, I may discover that imdb lists a film as 47 in its release year when it in fact came out in 46. (Already, I'm seeing that the copyright date I had listed for Nocture is inaccurate.)
For every other week, I will give returns for the downtown palaces, then (occasionally) list films playing in the neighborhood houses. So hear goes...
Week 2
(1/8/47, Variety returns 1/15/47)
Aldine (WB; 1,303; 50-94c): Wicked Lady (Univ.) $18,000
Arcadia (Ind-Sablosky; 700; 50-94c): Return of Monte Cristo (Col.) $6,000 2nd week
Boyd (WB; 2,350; 50-94c): Undercurrent (MGM) $17,500 3d wk
Earle (WB; 2,760; 60-99c): Falcon's Adventure (RKO) $44,000 with live music show
Fox (2,250; 50-94c): Razor's Edge (Fox) $28,000 3d wk
Goldman (Ind; 1,000; 50-94c): Secret Heart (MGM) $29,000
Karlton (Ind-Goldman; 1,000; 50-94c): Rage in Heaven (MGM) $8,500 reissue, 4th wk
Keith's (Ind-Goldman; 1,500; 50-94c): Strange Woman (UA) $7,500 2d run, 2d wk
Mastbaum (WB; 4,350, 50-94c): Time, Place, Girl (WB) $18,000 3rd wk
Pix (Ind-Cummins; 500; $1.95-2.50): Henry V (UA) $11,500 3rd wk
Stanley (WB; 2,950; 50-94c): Blue Skies (Par) $21,500 7th wk
Stanton (WB; 1,475; 50-94c): Nocturne (RKO) $12000 3rd wk
Trans-Lux featured newsreels: this week, Mummer's Parade, Quake in Japan, Erie Plane Crash
Neighborhood house showings to come.
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