Motion Picture Herald (Nov-Dec 1946)

{Continued from page 42) stores, at a cost of nearly $90,000, at Somerset, Mass. Officers of the newly-organized Columbian Club, of the Columbia New Haven exchange, include: T. F. O'Toole, president; Bede Tacinelli, secretary ; Lillian Rottman, treasurer. . . . A testimonial dinner will be held November 13 at the Fairfield Inn, Fairfield, Conn., in honor of Earl Morin, State Police theatre inspector of the district from New Haven to the New York state line, who resigned recently because of ill health. Numerous theatre men have been busy with plans for the testimonial. INDIANAPOLIS Film business is more like it used to be here this week. With the kids out of school Thursday and Friday and several thousand teachers in town for their state convention, activity is reasonably brisk at all downtown box offices again. There's a general improvement over last week, when "Lover Come Back," playing with a stage show at the Circle, took the only impressive gross, $22,000. "I've Always Loved You" finished with a mild $13,000 at the Indiana. . . . Loew's had planned to play "Shadowed" on the bill with "Courage of Lassie" this week, but dropped the idea in answer to a flood of letters from Parent-Teacher Association members protesting against showing a crime picture with a juvenile. The Associated Theatre Owners of Indiana is advising exhibitors to obtain power units from the WAA, as a precaution against John L. Lewis' threatened coal strike. Last winter's strike forced many theatres in upstate counties to operate on reduced schedules while power rationing was on. . . . Variety Tent No. 10 will elect officers for 1947 at a business meeting Monday night. KANSAS CITY The pinch in display space for amusement and other advertising in newspapers continues. The Star continues to restrict ads to a maximum of a little over 400 lines. This is a handicap to promotions of special events — but is .also by some film advertising men considered a better situation all around than that of old days when competition built up expenditures to unreasonable proportions. The American Royal Live Stock and Horse Show, resumed after curtailment and partial abandonment in war years, was a huge success— having, it was remarked, an extra touch of showmanship. Elmer C. Rhoden, head of Fox Midwest, was chairman of horse-show department of the American Royal. . . . Several Fox Midwest theatres of Greater Kansas City including their first runs (The City District, Leon Robertson, manager) put on a pre-Hallowe'en "Saturday morning matinee" October 26, "for kiddies and grownups too," selling tickets at 25 cents, in advance. Some had 10 cartoonsand a feature, some 15 cartoons. The shows for children were designed to help draw them back to the theatre, after the polio wave. MEMPHIS Memphis theatres are doing a rushing business. "Cloak and Dagger" is being held over for a second week at the Warner. "Holiday in Mexico" was held for a second week by manager Cecil Vogel at Loew's Palace. Loew's State manager Bill Kemp said "Notorious" was "very good" at the State. Malco's manager, Jack Tunstill, said "The Killers" was drawing fair attendance. But the week's outstanding theatrical event in Memphis was the conversion of Ritz theatre, a large de luxe neighborhood theatre, into a first run house by Dave Flexer, owner, who opened the new policy with Noel Coward's "Brief Encounter" at downtown prices. Attendance was so heavy that large crowds were turned away the first few days. De Soto theatre was sold by C. M. Lamount and Samuel Boyette for $35,000 to R. C. Middleton, city employee. Mr. Middleton's son-in-law, Roy Hankins, has been named manager. MINNEAPOLIS Loop theatre business continues at an average pace, competing with Indian summer, football and the opening of the hockey and prizefight seasons. "Notorious" has been one of the top runners of the year, doing five good weeks in the Loop. Neighborhood and outstate houses have found a new revenue booster in "cartoon carnivals," about 15 cartoons and an old Mickey Rooney feature, the show dated to catch the juvenile trade. John J. Friedl, president of Minnesota Amusement Company, will return to his desk early this month after a four-month absence caused by a breakdown which resulted from an operation and overwork. Harry French, assistant to Mr. Friedl, has been in charge of the company. . . . William F. Rodgers, vice-president and general sales manager of MGM, and Jack Schlaifer, sales director for Monogram, will be co-featured speakers at the November 18 meeting of North Central Allied. . . . One of the year's top promotions is the Mindako circuit's "Christmas Caroling" contest, to be conducted December 11 to 18 by Radio City theatre under sponsorship of the Minneapolis Daily Times. Prizes will total $500. . . . Mindako is experimenting with a well-ballyhooed Twin Port preview of "Two Years Before the Mast" at the Norshor, Duluth, Minn., and the Palace, Superior, Wis. NEW ORLEANS The Star theatre has changed its policy from screen attractions to road shows, beginning Sunday, November 3, with Ann Corio in person with a big New York cast in "Maid in the Ozarks." . . . The Center theatre on Canal Street is celebrating its tenth anniversary under the management of Lazarus Theatres, Inc. Through the columns of the daily papers, Mrs. Henry Lazarus, the owner, thanks the public. H. A. Everett is erecting a new 750-seat theatre, the Spud, at Magee, Miss. Among the exhibitors seen on Film Row were W. M. Butterfield of Ruston, La.; Bound Suddit of Laurel, Miss., formerly of the Ritz theatre, now in the sign business; Mortimer and Shields of Town and Bell Theatres; Clarence Chandler of the Roxy theatre, New Orleans ; Charles Waterall of Pritchard, Ala. ; Al Morgan, booker of the McLyndon circuit of Union Springs, Ala. ; A. L. Royal of the Royal circuit, Meridian, Miss., and Doc Couch, his assistant; C. T. Haynes and H. E. Jackson of the Lyric theatre, Ellisville, Miss*, and Mr. and Mrs. Bill Terrell from Roseland, La. . . . Don Gierson is the new head booker at 20th Century-Fox, replacing Elizabeth Bacon. He formerly was booker in the Dallas branch. OKLAHOMA CITY W. B. Daughtry, ex-combat pilot, is set to open the theatre he personally designed, constructed and decorated in Arkadelphia, Ark. ; it's to be called the New. . . . Gene Autry and Governor Robert S. Kerr are to be guests of honor November 14 at the welcome-home party in Hugo for four circuses returning to winter quarters there. . . . Walter Wortham who has been with National Theatre Supply here for the last four years is now with Oklahoma Theatre Supply ; he's working as a field representative. . . . Delay in obtaining construction material, is holding up the de luxe Center to be built by T. B. Noble in downtown Civic Center here. . . . Lewis Barton opened his new Knob Hill in suburban Capitol Hill after similar troubles ; Barton has three in and around that suburb now. . . . L. C. Griffith recovering from that recent heart attack. . . . Work is progressing nicely on the new Roxy in Muskogee. OMAHA Return to work of more than 5,000 laid-off packing-house workers helped first runs enjoy a good week here. Disagreeable weather through the first half of October finally switched to the agreeable side. . . . Two young men robbed cashier Harriet Nelson of the Stuart theatre, Lincoln, of $155 at the box office. . . . University of Nebraska's Business Research Bureau reports Nebraska per-capita income hit $1,117 in 1945, is continuing at that pace. Income in 1933 averaged $275 and in 1929, $557. . . . Jerry McGlynn, Metro branch manager, is in Roches ter, Minn., for a physical checkup. . . . Frank Hannon, Warner branch manager, is heading the theatre survey under way in the territory. . . . Jack Lorenz and Anna Mae Suffren of Chicago, 20th-Fox co-drive leaders, were in Omaha. . . New Chief theatre is scheduled to open in South Omaha in December. PHILADELPHIA Philadelphia's box office slump was checked with the arrival of new product. (Continued on opposite page) 44 MOTION PICTURE HERALD, NOVEMBER 2, 1946