Showmen's Trade Review (Jul-Sep 1945)

24 SHOWMEN'S TRADE REVIEW August 11, 1945 REGION A the outbreak of infantile paralysis. Where cases are being reported, it is causing a noticeable reduction in theatre attendance. John Michelson, PRC home office representative and auditor, is checking the local exchange. The Universal sales meeting will be held at the Netherlands Plaza Hotel, Cincinnati, August 25 and 26, and will be presided over by W. A. Scully, general sales manager, and F. J. A. McCarthy, southern general sales manager. The following exchanges will be represented by branch managers, assistant managers, salesmen and head bookers : Cincinnati, Indianapolis, Oklahoma City, Dallas, Atlanta, Memphis, •Charlotte and New Orleans. Garfield Lewis, head steward of the Variety Club, has gone to Chicago for the colored allstar baseball game. Harry Keller of Universal's publicity department has been assigned to the Cincinnati and Indianapolis territories as exploitation representative. Boyd Sparrow, manager of Loew's, was in Columbus several days during the week, assisting in the world premiere of "Captain Eddie." Peter F. Rosian, Universal district manager, was laid low during the past week by an attack of tonsilitis. BOSTON Samuel Lefkowitz, recently named United \rtists district manager for New England, during the temporary absence of James Winn, visited the local offices this week. Phil Engel reports that United Artists have all but cornered the first run market in Boston. \ccording to Engel this is the first time in the history of motion pictures that six big downtown houses in the Hub have played United \rtists first run pictures day and date. Loew's State and Orpheum are each playing "Guest ^Vife" ; the Metropolitan is playing "GI Joe" ; the Tremont and the Old South have the world premiere of "The Southerner" and the Majestic continues, in its seventh week, the recordbreaking run of "The Great John L." Art Moger, publicist for Warners in New England, has been on an extended trip around the circuit exploiting several new Warner pictures. Alayor John E. Kerrigan visited the offices of Warners and MGM this past week. The Boston Mayor is an ardent lover of films and has been exceedingly gracious to all efforts of local film men in tieups and exploitation ideas. The world premiere of "Ziegfeld Follies" scheduled for the Colonial the night of August 13, will draw many notables of stage, screen, civic, political and society life. Governor Maurice I. Tobin and Mrs. Tobin will be honor guests as will Mayor John E. Kerrigan, Lt.Governor and Mrs. Robert F. Bradford, George B. Rowell and many others. Queenie French (Leslie Woods), one of the original Ziegfeld show girls in 1925, will be an honored guest and will appear in person on the stage. Bert MacKenzie,_ the MGM publicist, has been working on the staging of the premiere. Frank De rvin has been appointed Republic sales manager for Boston, it has been announced by Jack Davis, New England sales manager. "Pride of the Marines" opened here last week with the first showing being a benefit for the First Division marines. Capt. Tim Woods, who recently returned from two years in Europe and is now stationed in Alexandria, Va., was formerly front doorman at the Metropolitan here before becoming a publicist for liotel interests prior to joining the Army. Sgt. Paul Meade, Boston publicist in Europe for the past two years, is on his way back to the United States. CONGRATULATIONS. Field Marshall Sir Harold R. L. G. Alexander, Supreme Allied Commander, Mediterranean Theatre, congratulates Col. Kenneth W. Clark, MPPDA director of press relations, on leave with the mihtary forces, after awarding him the Order of the British Empire. Earle Lothrope is spending a three-week vacation at his summer camp in New Hampshire. jack Saef has returned -from his vacation to resume his work as publicist for the Paramount and Fenway theatres. Virginia Burton Furber of Cohasset was a visitor on Film Row this past week. Arthur K. Howard, for years business manager of Independent Exhibitors, Inc., has resigned to devote all of his time to Affiliated Theatres Corporation of which he is the active head. He will remain as a director of Independent. Succeeding Howard at Independent, is Raymond J. Feeley, Franklin, Mass., who is new to the industry. He has been a merchant at Franklin and a member of the Board of Selectmen of that village. Snapping of lighted matches has become a new "sport" in some of the suburban theatres and an ei?ort is being made to curb the trouble before it grows to great proportions. A 12-yearold lad was caught snapping the lighted matches from the balcony to the orchestra section and liis case will come before the Juvenile Court on Sept. 13. Gus Schaefer, RKO northeastern manager, is ill here and was unable to attend the company's New York sales meeting. PORTLAND A projection booth fire at the lone Theatre, lone. Wash., destroyed thousands of feet of film and damaged equipment. George Mae, operator, was painfully burned. Estimated loss is $5000 with no casualties. Theatre is closed indefinitely. A. J. Sullivan, Seattle branch manager. United Artists, accompanied by Paul Hull, salesman, has gone to Los Angeles for a conference. They were joined at Portland by Morrie Segel and Jack O'Bryan. Bob Lamb, U. S. Coast Guard, has married Alargaret Mansheim. Bill Suder, assistant director of Army Motion Picture Service, is en route to Alaskan territory. Oscar Chiniquy, manager of National Theatre Supply, is covering the Oregon territory. Claude (Dude) Smith, exhibitor, Tilamook, Ore., was congratulated by Paramount at the Third of a Century reception, Portland. Jack Leewood has been appointed publicity representative for Warners in the Pacific Northwest area. Bill Galloway, Universal head booker, has been made office manager of the Seattle exchange. Art Sterling, booker for MGM, is covering Pacific Northwest key spots. Capt. Lathrop, well known Alaskan theatre owner, will shortly announce complete plans for a million-dollar theatre in the far north. Eddie Rivers, reformed exhibitor, is rolling up a sales record for PRC features among Oregon spots. Ermine Battley has resigned as MGM file clerk in Seattle. Ray Ackles, eastern Washington salesman for 20th-Fox, is in Seattle for a conference. Charlie White, of Portland, showed his thousands of pictures of old and new movie stars to Cecil B. DeMille of Paramount. ST. LOUIS A motion by Paramount Pictures Dist. Co. and others, defendants in the anti-trust damage suit of the St. Louis Amusement Co., et al, to enter a summary judgment in their favor was sustained late Tuesday in St. Louis by Federal Judge Richard M. Duncan. The case attacked the AAA arbitration system set up under the consent decree and sought damages on the basis of a ruling by an arbitrator in a case decided some months ago involving the Apollo Theatre, St. Louis, and some of the plaintiff's houses and sought to prevent the AAA system from hearing other cases affecting their theatres or their contracts with the defendant film company, especially a pending case involving the Princess Theatre, St. Louis. Circuit Judge Mayfield here has denied an application by the Congress Investment Company, owners of the Congress, for an injunction against the St. Louis Amusem.ent Co., present lessee, from removing seats, scenery and fixtures from the building. The St. Louis Amusement Co.'s six year lease expires Aug. 31 and the house has been closed several weeks. A conference between representatives of the theatre owners of St. Louis and Local 143 of the Motion Picture and Projection Machine Operators Union on demands of the projectionists for a 15 per cent increase in base pay, vacations with pay, double time for Sunday and holidays, time and a half for other extra work, a special Social Security fund, etc., will take place this week. The present contract expires Aug. 31. Maurice J. Schweitzer, Paramount resident manager, reports the response of exhibitors to Paramount's current One Third of a Century drive has been so great, the company cannot accept all the business offered. "The Good Old Days," a PRC release of an Equity production, showing old time stars of the screen, has been shown in all of southern Illinois and eastern Missouri on the Fox Midwest Circuit. Out-of-town exhibitors seen on Film Row recently include George Karsch, Farmington, Mo.; Harry and Herman Tanner, Pana, 111. ; Jimmy Frisina, Springfield, 111. ; Ed Fellis, Hillsboro, 111.; J. Hall and J. W. Hart, Waverly, 111.; Mrs. Margaret Cannon, Elsberry, Mo. ; Messrs. Meyer, Melton and King, Hull Theatre, Hull, III. ; Mrs. Mary Turvey, Pawnee, 111. ; Charles Beninati, Carlyle, 111. ; B. Temborius, Breese and Lebanon, 111. ; Ray Norton, Sullivan, 111. Lou Astor, Columbia New York executive, was a visitor during the week. Harry Hynes, Universal branch manager, has returned from a trip into the territory. Maurice Schweitzer and C. D. Hill, Paramount and Columbia managers respectively, were in Springfield this week. Mike Griffin, Republic shipper, is critically ill at St. John's Hospital. The RKO sales stafif here, headed by Ray Nolan, district manager, and Tom Williamson, St. Louis manager, will attend the regional sales meeting of the company at the Blackstone, Chicago, August 14 to 16. Others in the party will be Pay Byrne, Jack Hynes, Guy Pasani and Walter Hamberg. Hall Walsh, Warner Prairie district manager, is vacationing in Colorado. William Waring, Jr., owner of the New Doll, will make immediate repairs on the hous.e. damaged in a recent fire. {Continued on Page 26) )