Showmen's Trade Review (Oct-Dec 1949)

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24 Show Business COAST TO COAST: It's open season on Congressmen now as far as exhibitors are concerned with Iowa-Nebraska Allied leading off with a warning to members to keep up on any legislation affecting their interests and to start phoning, writing, or ringing doorbells when they have a ibeef. . . . Other Allied and Theatre Owners of America units are already starting to battle for a cut in the federal amusement tax, which is going to be a tough one and make no mistake about it. Vaudeville is getting another boost this week with the -Corning Fox, Buffalo, putting it on every Wednesday, according to Manager Tobias A. Ross. And out in Chicago Balaban and Katz has set five acts for its Admiral with a single feature on the screen and its Regal is to play seven acts on certain days. . . . Plans are also scheduled for a number of B&K houses to put on holiday shows, which if successful, may establish a "permanent" policy. ^ >i: The Community Theatres Cedar-Lee, Liberty and Carter are all installing new screens. . . . Gene Custer of the State at Charleston, W. Va., has switched the house to an "art" policy. . . . Midstates Theatres of Cincinnati will give its annual Christmas party at the Netherlands Plaza Dec. 12. . . . The National at Harrisburg is getting a face-lifting. MANAGEMENT: Robert Broadbent moves from assistant manager of the San Francisco Orpheum to manager of the Esquire where he replaces Jack Lowery who resigned to manage a Blumenfeld house in Pittsburgh, Calif. . . . Al Adolph, former Orpheum Treasurer, shifts to the Esquire as assistant; Dean Smith, Esquire assistant, is now at the United Artists in the same capacity; Thomas Graff of the United Artists moves to the Orpheum as assistant and Herbert Lustig shifts from the door of the Orpheum to the treasurer's office. . . . Peter J. Ferandio is assistant manager of the New England Theatres Empress at Norwalk. Conn., succeeding Elmer A. Charette, resigned. . . . Lester Miller has been switched from assistant at Loew's Ohio, Columbus, to a similar spot at Loew's San Francisco Warfield. . . . Bruce Shelton is new Falls City, Neb., City Manager for Tri-States, succeeding James Redmond, now on the publicity staff. . . . Del Farrell, former manager for Pioneer Theatres in Jefferson 'City, Mo., has moved in as manager of the Arrow and Corral drive-ins at Cherokee, la., succeeding Ardt Downard who went to Webster City. . . . Mrs. Alfred Michalski, widow of late Manchester, Conn., Circle manager, has joined the Warner house staff at Lynn, Mass. . . . John Strain, Jr., has been named as the assistant at the Chicago Oriental. . . . Robert Farmer, formerly service chief for the Switow Grand, New Albany, Ind., has quit to become assistant manager of the Paramout, Anderson. . . . Irving Gross has been promoted from assistant at Loew's State, New York, to acting manager of the Apollo, with Helen Lupo taking over as acting manager of the Broadway and Frank Doherty, formerly of the Apollo, shifting to the Dyckman. . . . Leonard Barrck, has shifted from the Lynn, Mass., Uptown to the Kenmore, succeeding George Kraska who takes over the Beacon Hill. SHOWMEN'S TRADE REVIEW, December 3, 1949 Theatre Management in Action Baseball Proves Real McCoy_ To Boost Trade, McCoy Finds Down in Augusta, Ga., the citizens are just as crazy about baseball as they are in a certain borough across the East River from New York which is known as Brooklyn. And down in Augusta, Ga., P. E. McCoy, city manager for the Georgia Theatre Company, is not a man to pass up any bets. So when "The Stratton Story" came his way, jVIcCoy tied in with the local love of the game and started a campaign, along with the Augusta Chronicle to pick the most popular player. The fans were to vote in a ballot box at the ball park during four consecutive nights and just so they wouldn't forget about the contest, nor the fact that "The Stratton Story" was playing, there was a whale of a newspaper series, tied-in with art, and free time over Radio Station WBBQ. Theatre ushers, wearing shoulder pads carrying the title of the film and playdate, were stationed at the ball park entrance each night during the voting period to distribute the ballots to the fans as they filed out. Two more ushers in uniform walked the diamond before the game carrying a 12-foot banner which also told the audience where "The Stratton Story" could be seen. And the winning player received a trophy at the ball park with WBBQ broadcasting the presentation from the home plate. MGM's Jimmy Stewart, star of the tale, sent a telegram of congratulations. McCoy's ballyhoo and extra effort is not unusual as far as Georgia Theatres is concerned. Other houses are also pushing to hold business and to boost it. At the Ritz in Macon, Manager L. S. Smith, Jr., went all out for his new serial, "Batman and Robin," by tieing in with a local merchant to present two bikes, one for a boy and one for a girl, to two youngsters selected from a group which attended all 15 chapters. The contest was plugged through special trailers, window cards, heralds. In Columbus, Ga., Manager Edmond Anthony of the Bradley Theatre and Columbia Exploiteer A. G. Henderson, put over a Roy Rogers Riding Club and an all-day Roy Rogers jamboree. Using half-page ads on Sunday followed by four quarter-page ads and radio time and tied in with the local Sears store which gave window space. The theatre set up dummies dressed as Rogers in its lobby and started the Jamboree off at 9 Friday morning with the showing of a Rogers feature. The audience was made up of youngsters who had visited Sears' youth department during the 10 days prior to the showings and who had been given free tickets to the show. After the morning showing the kids went back to the Sears store at 4 P.M. for free souvenirs and one lucky youngster got to talk to Rogers over long distance. Goldman Named Music Hall Manager Sydney AL Goldman, former manager of the Center Theatre in Rockefeller Center, became house manager of Radio City Music Hall this week, succeeding Fred A. Cruise, who died last week. J. Paul Dauer, treasurer of the Center, moved up to replace Goldman as Center manager. Goldman started in show business as an usher at the Roxy ; Dauer joined the Center staff as assistant treasurer during "The Great Waltz" stage show engagement. Robert E, Lee Joins Rosenfield Theatres Robert E. Lee, who formerly managed the Sterling theatres in Seattle and has done exploitation and publicity in New York, Kansas City and Washington, D. C, has joined J. J. Rosenfield to do exploitation and advertising for Rosenfield's tlieatres — the Post, Granada, Liberty and East Sprague Drive-In, in Spokane, and the great Inland Empire of the State of W ashington. Singer Style Show The Singer Sewing Machine Company sponsored a fall and winter style show at Schine's Auburn Theatre, Auburn, N. Y., in which each entrant made her own costume on a Singer machine at one of the Singer sewing classes. It proved a fine goodwill stunt for the theatre and the company. Auburn merchants donated prizes for the best costumes which were worn by 30 or more models, most of whose relatives and friends turned out, swelling the evening's box-office receipts. — BUF. New Theatres «^^^fnn^ Mass— Redstone Drive-In Theatres, a $500,000 under-skyer on the Worcester Turnpike in Natick. Buffalo — Elmer Lux of Darnell Theatres, a 600-car drive-m to cost $80,000 just east of Geneva N Y ■ Henry Wallace, Auburn, N. Y., exhibitor, a 750-carrer just outside Auburn. Bridgeport, Conn. — Herman Klevir, a 1,000-seat theatre here on Huntington Turnpike south of Everts Street. Middlesboro. Ky.— Mose Reda and W. W. Koontz, a 600-car ozoner between here and Pinesville. Hobart, Okla. — Griffith Theatres, a 400-car drive-in here. Shreveport, La. — George H. Mercer, a l,O0Q-seat theatre here to cost $150,000, to be called the Village. Ruston, La. — W. M. Butterfield and associates, a 350-car ozoner here to cost around $50,000. Utica, N. Y. — Mrs. Harriette A. LeRicheux, a new theatre replacing the Arcade recently destroyed by fire. Los Banos, Calif. — Frank Faria, a 500-car "free" drive-in here, admission by coupons sold by merchants. El Monte, Calif.— Pacific Drive-In Theatres (C. A. Caballero, president), two 1,000-car drive-ins here, one in Ellis Lane, the other at Rosemead Boulevard and Rush Street. Dodge City, Kan. — Glenn A. Cooper, an open-air theatre near here on U. S. Highway SOS. Santa Barbara, Calif. — Michael A. Durbiano, Jr., and Vincent, Manual, Natalie and James Durbiano (dairy interests), a 750-car under-skyer on Highway 101. Kingfisher, Okla. — John H. Thomas, an ozoner a mile south of here on Highway 81. Philadelphia — Welford Corp., two-story theatre and office building on Frankford Avenue, to cost around $320,000. Chicago — Fred Linehardt, s 400-seater at Nev» Claurus, Wis. ; Riordan Brothers, a new house at Binduel, Wis. ; Mrs. Frank Borchet, a new theatre at Sturgeon Bay, Wis. ; Fox Lake Enterprises, a 575seat theatre at Fox Lake, 111. Atlanta — Martin Theatres, a new theatre in McRea, Ga. ; Cumberland Amusement Co., two new theatres at TuUahoma, Tenn., where the new air force wdnd tunnel i:i to be built; Wilby-Kincey, a 1,085-seater in Jasper, Ala. Enid, Okla. — Griffith Amusement Co., a $100,000, year-around drive-in here. Hartford. Conn. — Dan Deering, a 587-car ozoner to cost around $22,000 in Norwalk, Conn. San Francisco — Trans-California Theatres and Joe Blumenfeld, a 1,000-car under-skyer at North Sacramento on the highway leading to Reno; Walter Bell, Weott, Calif., exhibitor, an open-air theatre between Socia and Fortuna, Calif. Oklahoma City — O. G. Wren of Litte Rock, a film theatre at Eudora, Ark. Lock Haven. Pa. — Philip Schleit and Associates, a , drive-in here and another at State College. Pa.