KING OF THE GAMBLERS

US Release date: 26 April 1948

First Melbourne Saturday Suburban: 14 January 1950

Genre: Crime

Country: USA

Running time:  60 minutes.

Director: George Blair

Cast: Janet Martin, William Wright & Thurston Hall

Australian Distributor: BEF 

Melbourne Premiere Venue: Three weeks at Union’s Majestic Theatre from 12 August 1949 as support to Streets of Laredo.

Suburban Release Type: Union Port Melbourne EX-2

Rankings

		Rank
EF Points	54	297
EF PPE	2.16	245
Metres Travelled	221,493	306
Average MT	8,860	337
Engagements	25	294
Slots	37	283
Weeks	12	102
Weeks as % of engagements	48.00%	98
Saturdays	5	303
Sats as % of engagements	20.00%	281
Tuesdays	8	200
Tues as % of engagements	32.00%	179
First billed	0	263*
Second billed	25	125
Feature only	0	34*

Independent Ratios

Engagements weeks 1-10	1
Ratio	4.00%
Difference to chain ratio	-82.67%
Eng weeks 11-26	0
Ratio	0.00%
Difference to chain ratio	-7.62%
Eng weeks 27-52	24
Ratio	96.00%
Difference to chain ratio	90.29%
Hoyts eng	1
Ratio	4.00%
Difference to chain ratio	3.16%
Independent eng	20
Ratio	80.00%
Difference to chain ratio	2.89%
Suburban eng	4
Ratio	16.00%
Difference to chain ratio	-6.05%

Notes: Initially used once as a late run support for Holiday Inn, Union put this Republic gridiron crime quickie back on the shelf for over six months before finding it again and using it to fill second slots on a number of disparate engagements. One of only 14 films to screen in its 52nd week, it was also observed to have playdates into its second year (not counted in this dataset).

King of the Gamblers engagements

SUBURB	VENUE	CHAIN	DATE	W	D	B	CO-FEATURE
Port Melbourne	Port	Independent	14/1/50	1	W	2	Holiday Inn
Albert Park	Kinema	Independent	15/7/50	27	W	2	Take Me Out to the Ball Game
North Carlton	Adelphi	Independent	15/7/50	27	W	2	Take Me Out to the Ball Game
Toorak	Village	Independent	15/7/50	27	W	2	Take Me Out to the Ball Game
St.Kilda	Memorial	Hoyts	15/7/50	27	W	2	Adventure in Baltimore
Preston East	Gowerville	Independent	29/7/50	29	W	2	Earl Carroll’s Sketchbook
Elwood	Broadway	Independent	5/8/50	30	S	2	Take Me Out to the Ball Game
Newport	Plaza	Independent	12/8/50	31	T	2	The Plunderers
Williamstown	Empress	Independent	12/8/50	31	T	2	The Plunderers
Oakleigh	Paramount	Independent	19/8/50	32	T	2	Take One False Step
Sandringham	Roxy	Independent	19/8/50	32	W	2	The Forsyth Saga
Brunswick	Empire	Independent	26/8/50	33	T	2	The Plunderers
West Brunswick	Western	Independent	9/9/50	35	W	2	Riding High
Coburg West	Progress	Independent	16/9/50	36	S	2	Kind Hearts and Coronets
Reservoir	Plaza	Independent	16/9/50	36	T	2	The Green Grass of Wyoming
Middle Brighton	Dendy	Independent	16/9/50	36	W	2	Adam’s Rib
Burnley	Burnley	Independent	30/9/50	38	T	2	The Noose
Richmond	National	Independent	21/10/50	41	W	2	Nancy Goes to Rio
Collingwood	Austral	Suburban	9/12/50	48	S	2	She Wore a Yellow Ribbon
Newmarket	Newmarket	Suburban	16/12/50	49	T	2	She Wore a Yellow Ribbon
St.Kilda	Astor	Independent	16/12/50	49	W	2	The Asphalt Jungle
Coburg	Plaza	Independent	23/12/50	50	W	2	The Eagle and the Hawk
Fairfield	Fairfield	Suburban	30/12/50	51	S	2	She Wore a Yellow Ribbon
South Melbourne	Empire	Suburban	6/1/51	52	S	2	The Red Danube
North Brighton	Gardenvale	Independent	6/1/51	52	T	2	The Three Musketeers