Boxoffice (Apr-Jun 1937)

Scene at the opening o/ the Warner chain’s newest Washington link, the 1,100-seat Calvert, last week. Left to right are pictured Alan Bachrach, manager of the Calvert; John J. Payette, general zone manager for the Warner circuit; Melvin C. Hazen, city commissioner; Myron Walker, president of the Glover Park Citizens Ass’n; A. Julian Brylawski, manager of the Warner real estate department. . . . Mark Sandrich, director of the series of Astaire-Rogers musicals for RKO, was the guest of W. V. Van Schmus, managing director of the Radio City Music Hall, at a cocktail party Wednesday. Sam E. Morris, head of foreign activities for Warner, made a quick trip to the coast to see his son, Edwin, who underwent a mastoid operation early this week. Edwin is head of the Warner music subsidiaries . . . Charles Skouras went through a successful tonsil operation at the Harkness Pavilion in the Medical Center this week. Neil F. Agnew, carrying the distinction of the only film executive to make the China Clipper trip to Honolulu, is due to return here next week . . . Louis Nizer was one of the only three speakers at the testimonial dinner to Judge Julian W. Mack Tuesday night. With the voyagers: Truman Talley, 20th Century-Pox short subjects head, and Lowell Thomas are due to arrive in England early next week. Just before he left, Thomas was elected president of the Advertising Club of New York. Ralph Trier, president of the New York Theatre Program Corp., was elected treasurer . . . Frank Tuttle, Paramount director, and Oscar Homolka, European actor recently signed by Paramount, got in on the Aquitania Tuesday, en route to the coast . . . Lewis Milestone and Mrs. Milestone arrived from the coast aboard the Virginia Monday. Also aboard were Helene Costello and Charles Muehlman, Pacific coast manager for Warner. David Garrison Berger, New York film attorney who is producing “The Nine Old Men,” the story about the supreme court, has acquired the rights of “The Strange Life of Gasto7i B. Means,” written by Frank Campbell Waldrop, chief editorial writer for the Washington (D. C.) Herald, and Mrs. Gaston B. Means. He will produce the picture in the east. Columbia Pictures swamped Consolidated Films by a score of 12-0 in the second game of the M. P. Baseball League series . . . Mildred Altes, private secretary to T. P. Drew, vice-president of General Register Corp., has recovered from an illness and is back on the job . . . Joseph Seiden has chalked up an enviable record for his Jewish film, “I Want to Be a Mother.” Some of the holdovers have run four weeks. Douglas Fairbanks sr. and Lady Ashley were mobbed as autograph hunters spied them emerging from a side street shop the other day. Lady Ashley seemed to relish the fuss, but it would be at variance with the truth to say that Fairbanks did . . . Word from the coast is that Frances Manson, well-known scenarist, has been appointed head of the story department of Major Pictures by Emanuel Cohen . . . Binnie Barnes, Universal player, sails from New York for England on the Queen Mary May 26 . . . Bill Robinson, colored tap dancer, gets in from the coast May 20 for a month’s vacation here. Notes from Educational: A1 Christie on Wednesday finished shooting on the Buster West-Tom Patricola comedy tentative ly titled “Gobs of Love,” leaving only two more subjects to go to complete Educational’s current series of 42 two-reelers . . . Paul Terry is readying another new cartoon character. This is Ozzie the Ostrich, teamed up with Kiko the Kangaroo in a cartoon titled “Ozzie Ostrich Comes to Town.” WARNER SHUFFLES SIX IN NEW JERSEY New York — The following staff changes have been made in Warner theatres in the northern New Jersey zone: Harry Meyerberg has left the Oritani, Hackensack, to engage in business with his father, a realtor, in Baltimore, Md. Jack Roth, former manager of the DeWitt, Bayonne, takes over as manager. Arthur Manfredonia. who occupied a similar position at the Central, Jersey City, goes to the DeWitt. In the nature of a promotion. Prank Holler has been put in charge of the Central, Jersey City. Bob Lytle, former manager of the Regent, Paterson, succeeded Holler at the Roosevelt, Union City. Jack Maher, formerly manager of the Eureka, Hackensack, has been shifted to a similar post at the Regent, Paterson. Assistant Manager Eddie Malteni of the Regent has been prompted to manager of the Eureka, Hackensack. Lawmakers Sink Teeth Into Industry New York — Legislation of vital importance to the industry is being effected in the legislatures of two states. (1) The Wisconsin assembly passed and sent out to the senate the Allied Theatre divorcement bill. (2) Nebraska has passed the measure prohibiting the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers from operating in the state. WA^HITOCiTOM J^UMBLINGS from the Variety Club’s Mother’s day party . . . Eddie Fontaine, with Paramount staff, recalling when he was charter member of tent No. 1, Pittsburgh, and later organized Cleveland’s club . . . Lou Rome anxious to get home and toss a Lord Baltimore Hotel party that night for Leon, son of junior partner Sam Bach before he planes to coast — and marriage . . . Fiance’s family toss simultaneously Ambassador private room soiree, minute for minute . . . W. E. S. Wilcox with Silver Spring’s top business men as guests, while Abe Lichtman, Charlie Olive and Henry Hiser (with his mother) spend spare moments planning Milwaukee trip for Allied . . . The party’s comedy highlight was a juggling trickster with a stooge everyone knew as Warner’s A1 Tratt . . . The Magi was finally unbearded after the show and identified as Bob Grace, Film.row’s Beau Brummel, who probably learned the act by juggling dates as Paramount’s chief booker. Loew’s yowiger set, George Peters, Frank Taylor, Stanley Barlup, Boyd Sparrow (brother of Norfolk’s Allan) started a new midnight fad by bicycling to Haines point and then hamburgering ’cross the river. Mr. and Mrs. Peters are the last word on a tandem . . . Which recalls that Frayik Taylor’s hard-hitting Columbia nine trounced the Metropolitaineers under Manager Madden by a 11-4 score . . . Frank’s assistant. Jack Foxe, weathered the game but, ardent horseman always, the next day did a Prince of Wales (Duke of Windsor) bridlepath Brodie and sprained a paw. Twentieth Century-Fox’s lovely lady Sara Young spent Mother’s day with son Herbert, with luncheon at his Epsilon Tau Phi frat house on Maryland U.’s campus . . . “Angie” Ratto is contented with the redecorating by Artist Gallilipoli of the Palace lobby, and now comes promenade and auditorium . . . Gene Ford’s haggard over Loew’s-Wash. Times Hollywood talent search, now over the top with 2,500 ap( Continued on page 17) BOXOFFICE :: May 15, 1937. 15