Motion Picture News (Jul - Sep 1930)

July 5, 1930 Motion Picture News 45 MANAGE I?!' KCLND TABLE CLUB Mgr. Lenny Freund Deserves A Compliment On Record In this era of rapid changes of theatre managers in and around New York, any instance of a man lasting for over a year or two immediately calls for a fanfare of trumpets and a great big set of cheers. And into this showmanship limelight steps a young gentleman answering to the name of Leonard Freund, now managing the Albemarle Theatre, one of the ace houses on the A. H. Schwartz-Century Circuit of Brooklyn and Long Island. "Lenny," from what I recall, started some seven years ago as an usher for this same circuit, and he attracted our attention because his sponsor, none other than Joe ("stud") Springer, insisted on annoying us about this guy Lenny's great aptitude for theatres and theatre work. However, Joe's high opinion must have been based on more than applesauce, as witness Lenny's rise, with unusual rapidity, from usher to head usher, then to Assistant Manager and on to House Manager, including so tough a baby as the Century Theatre in the gas-tank section of Flatbush, etc., until he took over the reins of the Marine, a house of questionable business while it was being built, but how it clicked under Lenny's handling is now a matter of record and he earned the respect and admiration of everyone on the Century Circuit. At times he was called upon to step into other "sick" babies, but he always came back to his pet, the Marine, until recently he answered orders and went into the Albemarle, and we don't doubt for a moment that under his capable direction this house will also respond to his methods and management. Now, we have not started to write this as a glowing tribute to his ability and as a testimonial of his rapid advancement since he started his career in the show business. Our real object, if you must know, was to encourage other "youngsters" to strive for what Fruend has accomplished, but we can hardly do him the injustice of not paying him a compliment he so well deserves, and that is, his respect and admiration for the circuit employing him. It had become so tiresome to listen to grudge-bearers that it was like a genuine tonic to hear Lenny rave about the Century Circuit and his immediate superiors. Maybe he never gave a thought while he was talking that he was providing us with the very "meat" we needed for a story of this kind, but knowing Freund as we do, and we know him for over seven years, we feel that we are not violating his confidence. (A thing we have never done before and never will do in the future, if we can help it.) A lot of you boys who are taking the little time necessary to read about this "answer to a circuit's prayer" might profit by the moral of the story. Which in this case happens to be, "Give your bosses everything you've got in you, and you will be surprised to find that you will be rewarded accordingly." Freund's name is by no means new to the Club pages, and if you will refer to past issues you will find that many of his activities have appeared from time to time and they usually contained many interesting items, practical for lots of theatres located in both neighborhood theatres as well as the average small towns. But we grabbed at the chance of passing along something more intimate about him because he represents the type of go-getting showman that the business is sorely in need of. Some day, in the not-too-distant future, we are going to make Lenny address a crowd of Club members and we'll bet our last dollar that his enthusiasm for the show business will be positively contagious. As we well know, Freund is "sunny" by nature and has that happy faculty of spreading friendship to everyone he comes in contact with. There's an asset we could all afford to cultivate. Maybe, even you, could start to keep that in mind and see if it doesn't cause favorable comment from those merchants or patrons who have occasion to come to you for something or other. And since it generally works out so nicely, it is deserving of a trial. Here's hoping that Lenny Freund's future will hold lots more of interest to those of us who have found his past so interesting. As for his further activities along the lines of exploitation and theatre operation, we know that he will keep his brother members and our other readers posted by sending us all the details. Right? "The Showman's Calendar " AN EXCLUSIVE CLUB FEATURE Check up on these dates each week and see how you can turn them into "money dates" for your theatre. JULY July 13th Gen. B. Forrest Birthday (Tenn.). July 17th Munoz River Day (Porto Rico). July 17th Sherman's March to Sea— 1864. July 18th America's Successful Counter-at tack at Chateau Thierry. July 21st Battle of Bull Run— 1861. July 24th Pioneer Day— Utah. July 25th Occupation Day (Porto Rico). Julv 27th Dr. Barbosa's Birthday (Porto Rico). July 27th Wireless between Japan and United States— 1915 July 31st Lafayette arrives from France — 1777 These are good months to promote "Rainy Day Klubs" and other kiddie gags! AUGUST Aug. 1st Beginning of World War — 1914. Colorado Day (Colorado). Aug. 2nd President Harding's Death— 1923. Birthday of Queen Mother (D. E. I.). Aug. 4th Civic Holiday. King's Birthday (S.W. Africa). Aug. 11th Fulton's First Voyage in America —1807. Can you tie any of the above events into your theatre's activities? And don't overlook the many local events that are constantly turning up right in your own town, county or state. Keep an eye on "The Showman's Calendar'1 for an advance tip on Suture holidays and events.