U.S. CENSUS ON AMUSEMENTS (1939)
Shows Public Annual Expenditures of
$ 1,000,000,000, or $30 Per Family
LACES of amusement in
the United States, operated
commercially for profit,
have increased substantially in
number and diversity within the
past five years, and the report
of 1939, issued recently by the
Bureau of the Census, estimates
public annual expenditures of
nearly $1,000,000,000. T h i s
amounts approximately to $30
per family.
According to the Census sur
vey covering 1939, there were
44,917 such places of amuse
ment, which was an increase of
22.2% over the 36,745 establish
ments operated in 1935. The in
crease in receipts was 43.4%—
$998,079,000 compared w i t h
$696,012,000 five years earlier.
Motion picture theatres, in
cluding those with shows and
vaudeville, get more than two-
thirds of the dollar spent by the
public for c o m m e r c i a l i z e d
amusement. During the five-
year period, motion-picture the
atres increased in number from
12,024 to 15,115 and increased
their boxoffice collections from
$508,196,000 to $673,045,000.
Movie receipts amounted to
approximately $20 per family,
or a little more than $5 per per
son including infants and aged.
At an average admission of 25c,
it would permit every person of
theatre-going age to visit a cin
ema every other week. The aver
age intake of each of the 15,115
theatres per year was $44,528.
The survey showed one picture
theatre for each 2,306 families,
or approximately one for each
8,700 population.
P
and theatrical productions in
creased in number from 158 to
231, and increased their revenue
from $19,630,000 to $32,461,000.
PARKS INCREASE REVENUE
years from 12,412 to 17,644,
and increased their revenue
from $43,271,000 to $87,450,000.
Baseball showed 276 establish
ments and receipts of $24,940,
000.
Horse and dog race tracks de
creased in number from 64 to
56, but increased their revenue
from $32,466,000 to $43,507,000.
Legitimate theatres and opera
Amusement parks decreased
in number from 303 to 245, but
increased their revenue from
$8,982,000 to $10,123,000. Rid
ing academies increased from
645 to 840 and increased their
revenue from $2,448,000 to
$2,875,000. Swimming pools de
creased in number— 698 to 668—
but increased their revenue from
$1,938,000 to $2,815,000.
NATION-WIDE TIE-UP TO
“POT 0 ’ GOLD” MOVIE
In a neat bit of exploitation
that will bring Wurlitzer Auto
matic Phonographs to the atten
tion of millions of theater-goers,
the Rudolph Wurlitzer Company
has tied-in to the current nation
wide showing of Horace Heidt’s
Movie Release “ Pot O’ Gold.”
As the spearhead of this pro
motion, Wurlitzer Distributors
from coast to coast will install
Victory Model Wurlitzers in the
theater lobbies wherever this
movie is shown.
As a result, millions of theater
patrons will see the latest model
Wurlitzers — hear them playing
Horace Heidt’s recordings— be
come more conscious than ever
of the entertainment value of
these phonographs.
Typical of the display is the
one pictured below, installed by
the Commercial Music Company,
Wurlitzer Distributors in the
Southwest.
Carrying plenty of eye appeal
in themselves, and augmented by
the ear appeal of the phono
graphs, it is expected that every
person who enters or leaves these
theaters will be impressed with
Wurlitzer beauty and tone.
B O W L IN G 'S BIG INCREASE
Bowling alleys and billiards
and pool halls showed a still
greater increase both in number
and volume of business. These
establishments increased in five
W urlifier Model 750 installed in lobby of Oklahoma City's State Theater as "Pot O ' Sold"
Movie appears there.
AUTOMATIC AGE
70
© International Arcade Museum
May, 1941
http://www.arcade-museum.com/