Motion Picture News (Apr - Jun 1928)

June 3 0 , 19 28 21 99 South West BURGLARS entered the Palace Theatre at Dallas, Texas; recently and took a bag of $5 in pennies and a revolver, but overlooked $200 in currency. Lee Marcus, F B O sales manager visited in Oklahoma City the past week, and reported the outlook for business as fine, and expects a general prosperity throughout the entire country. The Rex theatre was opened last week at Madisonville, Texas, with Al Stoddard as manager. Jack Caldwell, former organist for Criterion theatre, Oklahoma, City has been appointed organist for the New Arcadia Theatre at Dallas, Texas. C. W. Elliott is erecting a new theatre at Kermit, Texas. The Queen Theatre at Yoakum, Texas, is being enlarged. Incorporations. American Amusement Co., Oklahoma City, Okla., capital $100,000. Incorporators, N. N. Newman, David Tent and B. O. Gunter. Southland Theatres, Inc., Oklahoma City, Okla., capital $100,000. Incorporators, C. J. Collingsworth, E. B. Collingsworth and R. D. McMahan. Paul Scott will erect a 1,000 seat Varsity Theatre at Dallas, Texas. R. M. Avery, Oklahoma City, is possessor of a Legion of Honor button presented him by Metro, as a reward for an outstanding sales last season. H. K. Buchanan succeeds Wallace Walthall as manager of Home State Film Co., Oklahoma City, retaining his title as Vice President. W. T. Spears and Eddie Kedane have purchased the Old and New Empire theatres at Altus, Oklahoma, from Sam H. Jones, who is retiring from business. Pathe held a regional meeting at Dallas, Texas, last week, embracing Oklahoma City, New Orleans, Memphis and Dallas territories. Paramount Exchange at Oklahoma City is planning a big picnic and fishing party to take place in the near future. The Royal Theatre at Watts, Okla., has closed for the summer. The father of J. O. and F. H. Buckles of the National Theatre Supply Co., died June 9th, at Oklahoma City. R. V. Meacham, of the Ranora Theatre, Gracemont, Oklahoma, advises he will close his theatre July 1st, and same will remain closed during the months of July and August. W. A. Maurin, booker for Metro, is enjoying his annual vacation with his parents in New Orleans. C. E. Davis, who recently took over the Cozy Theatre at Slick, Okla., advises he has closed the house temporarily. C. E. Neeper, of the Harold Llyod Company, paid the local Paramount office a short visit last week. Marie Byrd has stepped out of her role as bookkeeper and stenographer for M-G-M temporarily, and f(3r the next two weeks she will enjoy a vacation in Atlantic City and New York. Charles Zears, secretary of the Oklahoma City Film Board of Trade, spent last Saturday afternoon and Sunday visiting friends in Stillwater, Okla. , Todd Ferguson, erstwhile editor of the Exhibitors' Tribune, local regional trade paper, is now engaged as advertising manager for the Oklahoma Student, a publication of the summer students in the University of Oklahoma at Norman. R. V. Mayes, of the Cozy Theatre at Erick, Okla., was in Oklahoma City recently, sporting a new C. W. Allen, manager of the local Pathe office, was in Dallas last week, attending a regional meeting of Pathe. W. A. Ryan, Fox manager, was suddenly stricken ill last Monday while attending a meeting of the Film Board of Trade. He was taken to his home immediately, where he was confined to his bed the greater part of the week, although he is now up and about his duties as usual. The Liberty Theatre at Webb City, Okla., operated by Messrs. Pettigrew & Dunkin, was completely blown away in the tornado which visited Webb City last week. Practically all business houses in the town were either damaged severely or completely blown away. Miss Honea, of the local Paramount office, returned early the past week from her vacation, which was spent in San Francisco. Recent callers on Oklahoma City's film row included : E. R. Swope, who recently purchased the Liberty theatre at Quinton, Okla., from S. F. Slusser; Frank Miller, of the White Way theatre, Marlow, Okla. ; Morris Miller, of the Favorite theatre, Lindsay, and Mrs. G. A. Peterson, of the Cozy theatre, Hollis. St, Louis J NINE first cousins of Patrick E. K. Collins, 50 years old, of 3007 Norwood Avenue, St. Louis, Mo., veteran film exchange manager and salesman and motion picture exhibitor, acted as his pallbearers the afternoon of June 20. Collins, who at one time managed the King Bee Theatre on Jefferson Avenue. St. Louis, and prior to that served as manager of the Fine Arts Motion Picture exchange, died on June 17 following a brief illness. During his film career he also served as a booker and salesman for various distributing companies. Interment was in Calvary Cemetery. Oscar Dane, owner-manager of the Liberty Music Hall, St. Louis, is sporting a new car. The movie careers of three young girls from Indianapolis, Ind., ended abruptly the night of June 18, when they were taken into custody by the St. Louis police at the Young Women's Christian Association headquarters. The girls told the police they had but $3 left of their original capital. They hitch-hiked from Indianapolis to St. Louis and planned to use the same method of transportation to get to Hollywood. They were held for their parents. A lone bandit obtained S107 in a daring hold up at the Forest Park Highlands amusement park, St. Louis, Mo., June 19. He forced Jacob Christopher, assistant manager of the park and David Hunter, a visitor, into the bath house of the park and robbed them. He secured $106 from Christopher and $1 from Hunter. Joe Desberger and Ivan i. Cohan, of Belleville, 111., have organized the Illinois Amusement Company for the operating of motion picture theatres. Desberger has been operating the Washington Theatre in Belleville for some time. Lennie Carter is taking bids for the construction of the new theatre he plans to erect in Huntingdon, Tenn. The house will be one story with balcony and occupv a site 42 by 100 feet." It will cost approximately $25,000, exclusive of equipment. John J. O'Neill, veteran motion picture exhibitor of Quincy, 111., died during the past week following a month's illness. Pneumonia caused his death. The Saenger Theatres, Inc., will shortly have new houses in Biloxi, Miss., and Monroe, La. The Bi loxi house will be located on Reyneir street, while the new Monroe Theatre will be erected on the site of the presnt Lyceum Theatre. Both houses will seat about 1.500 persons each and will be of fireproof construction. The Ames Theatre Company, Ames, la., has taken bids for the construction of an addition to its theatre to cost about $50,000. Plans were prepared by Vorse, Kraetsch & Kraetsch, 1201 Commonwealth Building, Des Moines, la. St. Louis motion picture stocksquoted on the St. Louis Stock Exchange closed on June 23 "as follows : St. Louis Amusement Company, A stock, $33 asked, compared with $43 a year ago; Skouras A, $40 asked, against $39 a year ago. Dallas JEAN FIN LEY has been appointed as the new publicity director for the Palace Theatre at Dallas. Mr. Finley was in charge of publicity for the Palace for the first three years after its opening. Previous to his latest association Mr. Finley was connected with the Palace Theatre at San Antonio, the Palace Theatre at Little Rock and the radio station WFAA at Dallas, from which place he came to the Palace Theatre to assume his new position. Mr. Finley is well known among the theatrical people of Dallas, and the Palace is very fortunate to again have Mr. Finley in charge of publicity. John J. Friedl. district manager for Publix, returned last week from Birmingham, where he has been consulting with Milton Feld. E. J. Sullivan, former assistant manager of Palace Theatre, Dallas, and Fred J. Patterson, formerly of the Palace also, left by automobile for Chicago, where they will be assigned new positions in the Publix organization. Ray J. Stinnette, managing di rector of the Capitol Theatre, was recently married to Rosa Lee Haskins, of Waco. The couple are still away on their honeymoon. C. D. Touchon. former booker at Warner Bros. Dallas exchange, has been transferred to the sales force, and Harry Sachs has been brought from Little Rock to assume the position as office booker.