The Moving picture world (November 1926-December 1926)

December 11, 1926 MOVING PICTURE WORLD 431 Minneapolis Paper Hands F. & R. Page Ad, Kansas City, Mo. Moving Picture World Bureau, Kansas City, Mo., Dec. 7. KANSAS City exhibitors this week are curiously inspecting a new type of booker's desk at the Fox exchange, designed by Jack Leo, vice-president of Fox. It is a metal affair with a sloping surface, designed so that the booker sits on one side and the exhibitor on the other. A large percentag'e of the Kansas City Universal exchange personnel turned out last Friday to greet Louis B. Metz&er, general sales manager for Universal and a former Kansas Citian, who was on his way from New York to Hollywood. James Shorgl, former Pathe booker, now Is the booker at the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer exchange. M. A. Tanner, Fox booker, has been promoted to salesman, covering the Southwest Missouri territory. R. L. Bozelle, former Paramount salesman, has accepted a position as feature salesman with Pathe. R. S. Ballentyne, Pathe branch manager, has returned from a southern tour. Carroll Trowbridge, personal representative for Al Christie, was a Kansas City visitor. Leslie Mace, First National salesman in St. Louis, has been transferred to his home town — Kansas City. Nebraska Moving Picture World Bureau, Omaha. Neb., Dec. 8. THE Ruby Theatre at Gandy, Neb., has been closed, and the report is that it had to shut down for lack of power when the local electric light plant was shut down. Virginia Tom Spence sold the Virginia Theatre at Virginia, Neb., to M. H. Bowen. Shubert O. R. Bennett bought the Harper Theatre at Shubert, Neb. from Joe Harper. Iowa Notes A proposed Sunday closing ordinance failed to carry at Hamburg, la., at a recent session of the city council which deadlocked on the matter. Hoyt Bruner has opened the Opera House at Dixon, la. C. E. Bancroft has opened the Auditorium at Westfield, la. St* Louis, Mo* Moving Picture World Bureau. St. Louis, Mo., Dec. 8. TOM l^IcKEAN, manager for F. B. O.. attended a sales conference in Cincinnati, O., on Sunday, November 28. The same day Bill Barron, manager here for United Artists, sat in on a sales convention in Chicago, 111. — Out-of-town visitors to St. Louis the past week included: Rex Barrett, Alton, 111.; Oscar Wesley, Gillespie, 111.; Bob Cluster, Johnston City, 111.; S. Roman, Benld, 111.; John Rees, Wellsville, Mo.; Mrs. I. W. Rodders, Cairo, 111., and Tom Scott, JacksonvlUe, 111. John Walsh, city salesman for F. B. O., ■was indisposed for a week, but was back on the job December 6. Audience Sees Six Reels While Flames Roar Above Kansas City, Mo., Dec. 8. — What is believed to be the most unusual theatre fire in the annals of Kansas Citv occurred last Thursday night at the Newman Theatre, the largest first run house in the city, leased by Paramount. With flames blazing overhead an audience sat complacently through six reels of the feature picture. Firemen extinguished the fire and only a few employees knew it. The fire originated from a short circuit in the ventilatine motor in a small house on the roof and spread to a studio below, where scenery for the theatre is painted. When water seeped through the ceiling in the north end of the balcony, ushers asked approximately 300 persons of the crowd of about 1,500 to move to the south side, explaining workmen were repairing the roof. When the fire was discovered back-stage, thirteen bathing girls — the 1926 .Atlantic City beauty winners — some in bathing suits and some partly clad otherwise, ran from the dressing rooms to tlie alley in the rear of the theatre, which caused a slight commotion outside, "spectators blocking the entrance to the alley to witness the "rush". Comparatively slight damage was done to the theatre. Indiana Moving Picture World Bureau, Indianapolis, Ind., Dec. 8. HUNDREDS of Indianapolis newsboys were the guests Saturday of Ace Berry, manager of the Circle Theatre, Dessa Pyrd, and First National Pictures, at a theatre party showing "Syncopating Sue." In connection with the showing of Mary Pickford's "Sparrows." Mr. Berry and an Indianapolis newspaper recently conducted a bobbed hair contest. A corporation to finance the new motion picture theatre being built at Tenth and Dearborn streets has been formed. The incorporators are Mac R. Margolis, formerly assistant manager of the First National Picture exchange. Donald E. Brewer and C. Milton Kelly. Ohio Moz'in^ Picture World B arc an, Cincinnati, Ohio, Da . ^ . ATTORNEY GENERAL CRABBE, at Columbus, Ohio, has flatly refused to l)ecome a party to any State-wide attempt to close moving picture theatres on Sunday, despite the persistent rumor. Lorain A bitter Sunday closing fight has been in progress at Lorain, Ohio, and, it is believed, that someone appealed to the State a ulhorities. Moving Picture World Burca. Minneapolis, Minn., Dec. a T7INKELSTEIN AND RUBIN was recenth « recognized as o^ie of the finest exiiibiting organizations in the country by the Minneapolis Journal, which ran a full page advertising the theatres of the city. All the downown theatres with their attractions were listed and the page was headed : "Minneapolis— A Good Show Town." The Minneapolis Journal is running a series of announcements featuring the cultural and educational developments of Minneapolis and the Northwest. The ad for the theatres was the 12th in this series. The stage of the Grand Theatre, Minneap(ili.s, was found to be in almost perfect condition when the city theatre inspector, Mr. Cass Cane, passed on it recently. Mr. Cane told Joe Rosenfield, manager of the Grand, that his stage was the cleanest of any theatre in the city. St. C!oud Competition in the movie field of St. Cloud. Minn., has ended with the taking over of the Miner Theatre by Northwest Theatres, Inc. Fred Larkin has been made manager of the theatre which will be used only occasionally for road shows and stock companies, according to Fred C'ubberley, supervisor of out of town theatres. Duluth The F. & R. managers of Duluth, Minn., have formed a club similar to the St. Paul Managers Luncheon Club and have named their organization the Arrowhead F. & R Managers Club. Mr. P. F. Schwie was appointed chairman for the first term. .\bout 300 Boy Scouts were the g-uests of the Zelda Theatre of Duluth, Minn., when the fir.st episode of "Scottie of the Scouts" was shown. Fred Coughlin, manager of the Astor Theatre, Duluth. Minn., held a potato matinee the Saturday before Thanksgiving. Each child presenting a potato was admitted free and the owner of the largest potato was given $5.