Motion Picture Herald (Nov-Dec 1948)

ALBANY The Palace, after a good week with "Luxury Liner," expected another with "The Loves of Carmen" — advertised as "not the opera.'' "Bodyguard" was dualed. The Strand played "Johnny Belinda." The Ritz had another Sunday opening, the third in a row, with "Kiss the Blood Off My Hands." The Grand booked "Coroner Creek" and "Rusty Leads the Way," while the Colonial showed "Mary of Scotland." . . . Tickets for the dinner which the Variety Club will give November 15 in honor of Charles A. Smakwitz, new Warner zone manager, are now on sale. . . . Local theatres report little opposition to the recent weekend admission increases. In fact, several subsequent run theatres have increased admissions for all performances and run into no real resistance. . . . George Holtree, who took over the Royal in Harrisville and the Community in Newton Falls, made his first trip to Film Row this week. ... A new theatre is reported under construction in Mooers. ATLANTA The new Grand theatre, Slocomb, costing aT)out $75,000, was opened November 1. . . . Hal Macon, owner of the two theatres in Sandersville, has announced the opening of his new -drive-in there for November 15. . . . Film Row visitors : P. L. Taylor, Columbus ; Mr. and Mrs. John Carter, Brookhaven ; W. W. Mobray, Blue Ridge ; Ed Duncan and Clyde Sampler, Carrollton ; E. J. Hunter, Colquitt. . . . H. Stanley Lee and Cecil Cohen have a permit to build a new theatre at Forest Park, Fla. . . . George Vucovich, theatre owner in Pensacola, Fla., died there recently of a heart attack. . . . George L. Denton has a permit to build a $75,000 theatre in Knoxville, Tenn. . . . J. T. Brent's new Arcade will open about December 1 in Sandersville. . . . Earl Kretzschmar hopes to have his new theatre in Hanceville, Ala., open by November 15, making two houses for this town. . . . All theatres in Auburn have increased admissions from 32 to 35 cents because of new city taxes. . . . R. B. Wilby will soon start work on his new drive-in on the Mobile Selma highway in Montgomery. . . . The Cameo, one of the Florida State theatres in St. Petersburg, Fla., is closed for remodeling. . . . Lloyd Purdy is the new manager of the Palmer, Palmer, Tenn. BALTIMORE Excellent weather for theatre-going and and five new pictures opened at six first runs. "Red River" very good at the Century. "The Untamed Breed," with vaudeville, very good at the Hippodrome. "Cry of the City" fairly good at the New theatre. "Sorry, Wrong Number," terrific at the Stanley. "Code of Scotland Yard," with "Rio," very good at the Times and Roslyn. The Town brought back "Lost Horizon," with only fair attendance. Second week holdovers included Keith's with "Night Has a Thousand Eyes"; Little, with "Henry V" at advanced prices ; Mayfair, with the reissued "Gung Ho." . . . Maurice Fradkin has leased his Edgemere theatre to Joe Walderman, who also operates the Monroe, Park and Lyceum. . . . Work is progressing on Milton Schwaber's new Colgate theatre in Dundalk. It may open in time for New Year's Day. CLEVELAND Opening of "Hamlet" at Loew's Ohio theatre was a complete sellout at $2.40 under a reserved seat policy, Bob Wile, roadshow manager, reports. . . . The completely remodeled, redecorated and re-equipped Esquire theatre, formerly the Lake, opened Thursday. Now under Community Circuit operation, the downtown house will play a first run policy. . . . Edwin R. Bergman has resigned as local Screen Guild branch manager effective immediately. . . . Sam Barck and his brother, Maurice, former owners of the Maple Heights theatre and present owners of a drive-in located between Alliance and Salem, announce that during the coming year they will build a deluxe 1,000-seat theatre near Cleveland on a site to be announced. . . . Frank Musto has moved from UA head booker to U-I head booker, succeeding Wilbur Grant. . . . Nat Wolf, Warner Ohio zone manager, states that admismission prices have been boosted five cents in the Warner houses located in Sidney, Portsmouth, Mansfield, Lima and also at the Variety, Cleveland. . . . Mrs. Elma H. Albrecht, who has operated the Albrecht Film Service covering the Ashtabula territory since the death of her husband, Louis, last spring, died suddenly. WHEN AND WHERE November 10-11: Associated Theatre Owners of Indiana annual autumn convention at the Hotel Antlers, Indianapolis. November 12-13: West Virginia Theatre Managers Association convention at the Terrace-Plaza Hotel, Cincinnati. November 17: Motion Picture Pioneers ninth annual dinner at the WaldorfAstoria Hotel, New York. November 27-December I: Allied States Association annual convention at the Roosevelt Hotel, New Orleans, La. December 6-7: Theatre Owners of Oklahoma annual convention at the Skirvin Hotel, Oklahoma City. December 7: Allied Independent Theatre Owners of Kansas and Missouri membership meeting in Kansas City. COLUMBUS "Red River" at the Ohio was the big box office attraction of the week with this and other new features in downtown houses reaping the benefit from a school holiday Friday. . . . "Cry of the City" and "The Luck of the Irish" got equal billing at the Palace and registered good business with "Feudin', Fussin' and A-Fightin' " at the Broad and "Raw Deal" at the Grand being other new attractions. . . . Ohio exhibitors again were advised by P. J. Wood, ITO secretary, to disregard the pink slips being received from Ascap in which the association threatened to sue exhibitors who have not paid their license fees. Wood said that his organization stands ready to defend any exhibitor member faced with such suits. . . . Walter Fellows, one-time manager of the Alhambra and uncle of Mrs. Ethel Miles of the Miles circuit, died. . . . Tom Smiley, MGM salesman in the Cincinnati territory, has resigned to accept a position in Denver, representing the Film Classics and Realart companies. Birdie Irene Schmidt, who uses the radio name of Vicki Owen, will conduct a film and theatre program over WVKO-FM when this new local station begins operations November 15. . . . The Dispatch will up its ad rates January 1 one cent a line daily and two cents a line Sundays. . . . Mike Flesch, who has reopened the Grandview Inn after a fire which destroyed part of the structure, is planning a new theatre restaurant to be added to the present inn. . . . RKO Palace has completed repainting of its marquee to harmonize with the new upright recently installed. DALLAS Business was only fair at all theatres following close of 16-day State Fair of Texas. "The Loves of Carmen" playing at Palace, "Deep Waters" at Melba, "Race Street" first run at Tower, "A Song Is Born" at Majestic. Good reviews and business marked beginning of "The Secret Land" at the Telenews. . . . Special Hallowe'en programs featured "Night Has a Thousand Eyes" at downtown Interstate houses Saturday, with horror films booked for various independent neighborhood midnighters. . '. . Ray Beall is back at his Manley Popcorn publicist post following serious illness. . . . Exhibitors Sonny Martini, Galveston, and Ben Ferguson, College Station, visited Elm Street. . . . Ralph Fry, former assistant treasurer at Majestic, assumed new duties with Paramount branch office. PES MOINES Alfred Hitchcock's "Rope" was the best attended here last week. It was on a double bill with "The Secret Land" at the RKO-Orpheum. All other first run theatres reported below average business. . . . Oscar Spencer, father of Robert H. Spencer, manager of the Uptown and Strand, Creston, died in Columbia, Mo. . . . Ground has been broken at the site of Spencer's drivein theatre north of the city on Highway 71. ... A 13-acre site has been bought by Pioneer Theatre Corp. for its drive-in at Webster City. . . . Automatic fire extinguishers put out a film blaze in the projection room of the Monte, Montezuma. More than 2,000 feet of film were burned. . . . Robert (Continued on folloiuing page) MOTION PICTURE HERALD, NOVEMBER 6, 1948 n