Showmen's Trade Review (Oct-Dec 1949)

SHOWMEN'S TRADE REVIEW, October 8, 1949 21 Reffional Newsreel News of Events and Personalities Reported by Correspondents Throughout the Nation CHICAGO The building which houses the 1,400-seat Paradise Theatre in West Allis has been sold to the Fox Reserve Corp., an aiSliate of Fox : Wisconsin Theatres, for a reported $245,000. There are seven stores and 15 office suites in ! the building. . . . Balaban and Katz circuit is trying out stage shows at the South Side Regal with "Anna Lucasta" which opened Oct. 7. Ten i shows will be given by the New York company for the tryout stage show policy , Frank Stewart has resigned as general mana I ger of the Alger Circuit, LaSalle, 111., and has leased the Tivoli Theatre in Danville which he I will operate following improvements. R. N. ,1 Hurt, the circuit's chief booker, succeeds to ] Stewart's managerial post. . . . Danny Kaye headed the Red Feather parade which opened the Chicago Community Chest Drive on Wed ! nesday. . . . More than $10,000 has been collected in the polio fund drive. Chairman John Dromey of the Lake County polio fund and Great States chief booker, announced. . . . Bell & Howell won the direct-mail advertising award for the best direct mail dealer and consumers' program for the past year. A fire in the Towne Theatre, Midlothian, was I quickly extinguished by firemen. . . . The Verne Langdon circuit has installed new chairs in the Hub Theatre. Al Jolson met the press while here on his tour for his new picture. . . . Audrey Totter j visited the Mt. Alto Veterans Hospital on her I hospital camp show tour of the southeast. . . . 'I K-B Theatres' Atlas will present one-hour telej vision shows every Sunday before the regular feature performance. . . . Anne DeMello, secretary to Charles McGowan of Warner Theatre I contact department was elected president of the Warner Club, Washington zone. She will attend the Oct. 14 meeting in New York of the Warner Club presidents. New members of Variety Club, Tent 11, include Ivan B. Brendler of DuMont Television and Wilson E. Gill of the Wilson Gill Motion Picture Service. . . . Tent 11 last week lost by death two of its finest members, Tom O'Donnell i and Archie D. Engel. O'Donnell, 59, was the owner of O'Donnell's Restaurant. Before going ' into the restaurant business, he operated a motion picture house in Washington. He is survived by his widow, three daughters and four grandchildren. Engel, 67, was an optometrist for 40 years, amateur magician and prominent Mason. He was a pioneer in the entertainment field, and operated one of the first motion picture houses in Washington, the old Lafayette Theatre. For a number of years, he handled Tent No. ll's annual dinner dance program, taking charge of advertising for this project. He is survived by his widow, and a daughter, Leah. COLUMBUS Manager Walter Kessler of Loew's Ohio here and his wife were taken to a hospital in Little Rock, Ark., following injuries sustained in an auto crash while returning here from a, west coast vacation. . . . Homer Harman, former REGIONAL NEWS INDEX Albany 25 Atlanta 23 Baltimore 26 Boston 22 Buffalo 26 Chicago 21 Cincinnati 21 Cleveland 24 Columbus 21 Dallas 22 Denver 27 Des Moines 24 Harrisburg 26 Hartford 25 Indianapolis 23 Kansas City 25 Los Angeles 22 Louisville 22 Milwaukee 27 Minneapolis 25 New Haven 26 New Orleans 24 New York 24 Oklahoma City 27 Omaha 24 Philadelphia 25 Portland 27 St. Louis 27 Salt Lake City 25 San Francisco 22 Toronto 21 Vancouver 24 Washington 21 publicity manager for RKO Columbus theatres and later for the New York Roxy, heads a realty development project in Kings Point, L. I. Telecasts of the Ohio State football games and the world series baseball games over the V ariety Club's new television receiver are proving very popular with members and their friends. . . . Colin Male of BufTalo, N. Y., has been named manager of WTVN's television programs. Its inaugural program was attended by Governor Lausche and Mayor Rhodes. All three local video outlets are telecasting Ohio State University football games. Bill Ely, former drummer in the pit of the old Hartman, the Empress, Gayety and other Columbus theatres, was a visitor from Long Beach, Calif. . . . Another visitor was Vance Schwartz, associated with Al Sugarman and Lee Hofheimer in the management of the World Theatre. Remodeling work the World (former Alhambra) cost $28,800, according to a story in the Citizen. . . . Opposition to movie theatres from legitimate houses gets under way Oct. 17 with Beatrice Lillie in "Inside the U. S. A." at the Hartman, Manager Robert F. Boda announced. Members of the Independent Theatre Owners of Ohio are urged by P. J. Wood in a letter to members to become better acquainted with ITO director living nearest to them. Comment Unnecessary R. Lewris Barton of the new Del in Del City, Okla., is credited writh the statement that it is a good plan to "find a good popcorn location and build a theatre around it." Thus it can be assumed that the people of Del City look like good popcorn customers. TORONTO The Toronto Tent, International Variety Clubs, will stage another benefit performance at the Imperial Theatre, Toronto, on Nov. 17 in aid of its crippled children's vocational schools which will foe opened on Oct. 15, with dedication ceremony some time later. Benefit will feature the world premiere of Danny Kaye's new film, "The Inspector General," with the star making a p. a. The Toronto Board of Trade appointed R. W. Bolstad of Famous Players chairman of its amusement tax committee to replace the ailing J. Earl Lawson, president of Canadian Odeon, as a first step toward a protest against the 20 per cent ticket levy in Ontario. George H. Peters of Odeon was added to the committee. Peters was also appointed chairman of the special committee to draw up a slate of officers for the B of T branch annual elections Nov. 8. Warner Canadian General Manager Haskell Masters presided at the meeting. Announcement was made that the price to exhibitors on advertising accessories imported from the United States was advanced IS per cent by all major film distributors in Canada, efTective Oct. 8, because of the devaluation of the Canadian dollar. Closed for some months for reconstruction, Massey Music Hall, Toronto, was re-opened Sept. 28 after an expenditure of $450,000 which was mainly raised by public subscriptions. . . . The work of modernizing the Toronto Colonial, closed when the supply of silent films ran out more than 15 years ago, has been started by J. L. Hunter, owner ot three theatres in Hamilton, Ont., who acquired the Toronto building on a long-term lease. . . . The Ulsters are rebuilding tlie Embassy in Central Toronto and will call it the Astor. Mrs. James R. Nairn of Toronto, wife of the Famous Players' advertising manager, has been appointed to the new post of national publicity director of the Canadian Red Cross Society. CINCINNATI A. J. Piatt, former Ohio salesman for Midwest Theatre Supply, is now Regional sales manager for RCA in this area. Ray H. Stimpert replaces Piatt as salesman for Midwest. . . . Northio Theatres Head Booker Jesse Chinich has left to assume similar duties with Arizona Paramount Theatres in Tucson. Richard McKay of the Smalley circuit, Cooperstown, N. Y., replaces Cliinich with Northio. . . . United Artists Kentucky Salesman Bob Sands has resigned and been replaced "oy Mitchell Blachschleger. . . . Jay M. Goldberg, freelance and trade paper writer, is leaving Hollywood to join his father, Lee L. Goldberg, Realart franchise holder in Cincinnati and Indianapolis. Mike Chakeris opened his new ^*ariety Theatre, Athens, Ohio, Sept. 16. . . . The Terminal Art Theatre here was reopened by Harold Hoffert with a foreign-language policy on Sept. 23. . . . Carnahan and Hughes opened on Sept. 22 their new theatre, the Wolf, at Beattyville, Ky. . . . A son named \Mlliam Michael, their first child, was born Sept. 29 to 20thFox West \'irginia Salesman William Garner and his wife. . . . The A^ariety Club's second annual "King {Continued on Page 22)