The Bioscope (Jul-Sep 1931)

August 26, 1931 THE BIOSCOPE 43 News from the Territories From “The Bioscope’s” Special Representatives Manchester and Liverpool (Representative: Fred Gronback, 18, Coningsby Road, Anfield, Liverpool. Telephone: Anfield 1289> Manchester Kinema Nomads Arrangements are almost completed for the second annual hot-pot supper and smoking concert under the auspices of the Manchester Kinema Nomads, to be held at the Manchester, Ltd., Restaurant, Cross Street, on Friday, October 2nd. Although the programme is being kept secret, the trade is promised a “ rapid fire ” entertainment by first-class artistes, all “ top liners.” The organisers are attempting to make this the best entertainment of its kind ever held in the trade. There will be two orchestras. The proceedings, commencing at 7 p.m., will continue non-stop until about 11.30 p.m. Tickets, 3s. 6d. each, are now obtainable, and it is expected that nearly 400 will be sold. H. Bushell (branch manager F.N.P.) will hand over the chairmanship to W. H. G. Newman (branch manager Fox Films, Manchester.) Edgar Sullivan (F.N.P.) and Harold Buxton (J. F. Emery Film Circuit) will be in charge of the entertainment. Staff Picnic Nearly sixty members of the staff of the Olympia (A.B.C.), Liverpool, enjoyed their first annual picnic on Sunday (August 23rd), the venue being Morecambe. The party left the Olympia in two saloon motor coaches at 9.30 a.m., arriving at the destination at about 1.30 p.m. Dinner and tea were served at the Battery Hotel. The party had a thoroughly enjoyable outing. The whole of the arrangements were made by A. J. Hope, the manager, with the assistance of H. Ody, junr., a member of the staff. Theatre Royal’s Innovation The Theatre Royal, Manchester, is the first cinema in Manchester to make the installation of earphones for deaf patrons. Seats in the dress circle and stalls have been fitted with plugs, underneath the arms, and to these the ’phones, which are held in one hand, are attached. The earphones are obtainable at the box office, where a deposit of 5s. must be paid. Island Cinemas Adopt “ Talkies ” Mr. Lees, proprietor of Lees Pictures, Amlwch and the Picture House, Beaumaris, in the Isle of Anglesey, has decided to instal Marshall Sound Equipment in his two theatres, both of which are of very modest seating capacity. Mr. Lees has been a showman since 1896, and has held several important positions in the cinema world. Overstayed Their Welcome Burglars entered the Rivoli, St. Helens, last week, emptied what cash boxes they could lay their hands on and unsuccessfully tried their hand on the safe. The contents of the safe, which included a large sum in cash, representing the previous day’s box-office receipts, were intact. Two petty cash boxes of japanned tin had been forced open and rifled. In all, the thief got between £3 and £4 for his pains. How he entered the building is not known, but it is suspected he attended the second house performance and “ stayed late.” Indifferent to Trade Unions “ They are content to stew in their own juice,” said Albert Dowling, of the National Union of Theatrical Employees, in a discussion at Bolton Trades Council on Wednesday last on the apathy of cinema employees to trade union organisation. He added cinema workers were used to the old conditions and never thought to obtain better. Four Northern Counties (Repreientative : Thoj. F. Burgess, 242, Wingrove Avenue, Newcastle-on-Tyne) Church Cinema Exhibitions The Rev. T. Cameron, minister at the Westmorland Road Presbyterian Church, Newcastleon-Tyne, has announced his intention of con verting the church into a cinema for three days from September 29th to October 1st, and performances will be given twice nightly. The intention is to screen films of a religious nature. The venture is in the nature of an experiment, and the Chief Constable of Newcastle has granted permission for the shows to take place. Northern Golfers Note ! The next outing of members of the Northern Counties Cinema Golfing Society has been arranged to take place on the course of the South Moor (Co. Durham) Golf Club on Sunday (August 30th). Entrance fees of 2s. Od. each competitor are to be entirely devoted to the Fleming Memorial Hospital Funds, and the trophy to be competed for is a handsome rose bowl, which was presented to the Society last year for annual competition by the Governors of the Hospital. Stanhope Installation Approved Permission was granted last week by the Stanhope Urban District Council for structural alterations at the Town Hall for the purpose of giving performances of talking pictures. The first performances will, it is understood, take place on September 14th. Staffs’ Outing The staffs of the six cinemas controlled by the Wallaw Picture Theatres, Ltd., in the Ashington and Morpeth areas, of which Walter Lawson, the well-known Northern exhibitor, is managing director, held an enjoyable outing to Barnborough on Sunday. The number participating, including friends of the members of the staffs, was about 200. The outing was entirely organised by Mr. Lawson, who also defrayed the expenses for each member of the staffs. Aged Poor Entertained About eleven hundred old people, members of the Newcastle West End Aged Poor Association, were last Thursday afternoon entertained to a special performance at the Brighton Cinema, Newcastle-on-Tyne, by the courtesy of the directors, two of whom, Coun. Anthony Oates, J.P., and Coun. J. W. Telford, are President and Vice-President respectively of the Association. The old folks thoroughly enjoyed the treat which is an annual affair. The arrangements in connection with the cinema treat were very ably conducted by manager J. C. Bell. Leeds and District (Repreientative : H. S. Pitts, "Yorkshire Evening Post," Leeds, or Leyburn Grove, Bingley) “ City Lights ” for the Empire The Empire Music Flail, in Briggate, Leeds, as previously reported in The Bioscope, is being temporarily transformed into a cinema next Monday, when the Chaplin film, “ City Lights,” commences a three weeks’ season. A Western Electric portable set is being installed and a special operating box at the back of the stage will be used. The seating capacity of the Empire is now 2,160, in addition to which there is standing room for about 700. Four separate performances will be given daily. An Outing to Hornsea Clifford Kemp, managing director of the Clifford Kemp Film Service, which, in addition to film renting, has interests on the exhibiting side, took a party of 42 members of his organisation on a motor-coach trip to Hornsea last Sunday. It was a most enjoyable, though damp, day. A conference was held at the Alexandra Hotel, and this was a great success and served to show the keenness and loyalty there is in the organisation. A Capitol Staff Outing About two dozen members of the staffs of the Capitol Cinema and Ballroom at Meanwood had a motor-coach excursion to Blackpool last week-end. H. Durgan, manager of the billiard hall, organised the outing, and Al. Law, the genial manager, and George Besford, the cinema manager, joined the party. Notts and Derby (Representative: W. Bernard Stevenson, "Hillside Sohool," 7, Noel Street, Nottingham, and "The Nottingham Journal," Parliament Street, Nottingham. Telephone: Nottingham 45541) Visit to W.E. Works Party organised by the Notts and Derbyshire Branch of the C.E.A., including numerous operators, sound experts, managers and others, last week paid a special visit to the Western Electric Company’s premises in London. They had a most instructive time and learnt many things that will certainly be of use to them in the future. Contribution to News Reels As usual, the opening of Nottingham’s great open-air carnival, Goose Fair, which attracts visitors from all over England, will be filmed for news reel purposes. This year there will be another big event to record on the same day the Goose Fair is opened, namely, Thursday, October 1st. The Sheriff of Nottingham, Mr. R. E. Ashworth, is giving a Lace Ball at the Nottingham Council House, and has bidden all the Lord Mayors and Lady Mayoresses in England to it. Special invitations are to be sent to the film companies to record this and to the Trade Press to be represented. It is exceedingly probable that one member at least of the Royal Family will be present. Birmingham and Midlands (Representative: O. Ford-Jones, "Winona," Hugh Road, Smethwick, Birmingham. Telephone: Smethwick 289> Three Newcomers Within the next few weeks a number of new Midland houses will be opening. In Birmingham the Mayfair, at Perry Common, which is being sponsored by three well-known exhibitors — Lionel Lyons, E. Garfield and A. W. Rogers — will open early in September. At Leamington, the Regal, an undertaking of the Bath Cinema Co., will, it is announced, open on either September 14th or 21st, while early in October the Pavilion, a 2,500 seater and the largest house in the Greater Birmingham area, will be ready to receive the public. A Token for Pat An interesting social gathering took place at the close of the show at the Futurist, Birmingham, on Saturday, when the staff met to present Patrick O’Connor, the popular house manager, with a silver cigarette case and lighter, as a token of regard and esteem upon his leaving Birmingham to take up the position of house manager at the New Paramount Theatre, Newcastle-on-Tyne. Improvements at Witton Alterations and additions have been carried out at the Empress, Witton, including the installation of a new duplicate light system and the adaptation of the talking picture apparatus to take sound-on-film. Projectionists’ “ Do ” The executive of the Birmingham Court of The Guild of British Projectionists and Kinema Technicians are, I hear, busy with arrangements for a Dinner and Concert, to take place at The Malt Shovel Inn — their headquarters — on Sunday, September 20th. Tickets for this may be had from the Secretary at 3s. 6d. each. Tipton Hall has Gyrotone The Cinema Hall, Tipton, acquired from D. Johns by F. C. Leatham, late of the Rialto, Wednesbury, has been entirely reconditioned and redecorated, internally and externally, and has also been wired for sound. Gyrotone sound equipment, together with Kalee projectors, have been installed. Classitone at Shifnal The Broadway, Shifnal, enterprise of the B. and B. Cinema Co., which has undergone a