Boxoffice (Apr-Jun 1937)

FRELS DAMAGE SUIT IS STARTED $10,000 Damage Suit Against L. & J. Chain Macon, Ga. — Lucas & Jenkins Theatres, Inc. and John Youngblood, manager of the Capitol Theatre here, were named defendants in a suit for $10,000 damages by W. A. McClellan jr., Macon lawyer. The plaintiff seeks to recover $5,000 actual damages and $5,000 punitive damages as a result of an incident at the door of the Capitol last March. McClellan alleges that he and his wife were subjected to “public contempt and ridicule” when Youngblood refused to take their tickets at the theatre door. McClellan alleges the tickets were purchased in regular order. Memphis Emploges Form AFL Union Memphis — Formation of an American Federation of Labor union of employes in local film exchanges was announced this week by O. L. Williams, corresponding secretary of the Motion Picture Operators’ Union. “More than 50 per cent of the inspectors, shippers, poster clerks and bookers in local exchanges have joined,” Williams said. “They will be affiliated with the same international organization of which the motion picture operators and stagehands are members.” Officers will be elected when the charter arrives. The organization is making a nation-wide drive to unionize all motion picture workers. McCormick Booking Atlanta— J. U. McCormick of Amity Pictures has taken over the bookings for “Gambling With Souls” in the Mississippi and Louisiana territories, replacing George Benton, who has resigned. DELEGATES EN ROUTE TO 20TH-FOX PARLEY Atlanta — The Atlanta contingent of 20thFox left this week for Los Angeles, convention bound. They joined the Charlotte group in New Orleans where they boarded a special car on into Shreveport, picking up Memphis and then to Dallas where they were joined by the Oklahoma City, St. Louis and Dallas gang. Going from Atlanta: Harry Ballance, district manager; Paul Wilson, branch manager; R. G. McClure, sales manager; Dick Ford, booking manager; Ed Tucker, ad-sales manager; Don Reed, ad-sales supervisor and Salesmen Fred Dotson, Maurice Mitchell, Roland Fairchild and H. P. Lassiter. Prom Charlotte: Phil Longdon, branch manager; J. O. Mock, booking manager; Cliff Hardin, ad-sales manager and Salesmen Sam Hinson, George Ebersole and J. E. Holston. They were to arrive in Los Angeles Sunday morning. May 30. One of the highlights of the convention will be Thursday, June 3, when they will spend the day at the studios at the Pox Movietone City, ending with a formal banquet at the Cocoanut Grove. It will be known as 20th Century-Fox Night with most of Hollywood’s celebrities present as hosts. FILM TRANSIT CO. TO OPEN ARK. BRANCH Little Rock, Ark. — The Film Transit Co., with headquarters in Memphis and Little Rock, will begin operating in this state June 7, it has been announced by M. H. Brandon, president and general manager of the firm. Brandon will be in charge of the offices here. The business of the company is the transportation of films and newspapers. The company has experienced several legal battles in seeking state and interstate authority for highway operation since January, 1935. Major Distributors and lefferson Circuit Head Deny Conspiracy Dallas — The long-pending damage suit of Rubin Prels, of Victoria, Tex., against the Jefferson Amusement Co., J. G. Long circuit, a part of the major film distributors and others went before Judge W. H. Atwell in federal court Monday morning. The suit alleges conspiracy to deny Frels product in Victoria and several smaller towns. Allied Loaned Frels $2,000 Depositions took a major portion of the day, the first of which was from Col H. A. Cole, who said that he and Allied States Assn, had a sympathetic interest in the case and explained that the national organization had loaned Prels $2,000 toward the suit, the loan having been made personally in Dallas by Abram F. Myers, general counsel for Allied, which loan was to be repaid in case Frels won his case. Col. Cole left just ahead of the trial for the national Allied convention in Milwaukee. The next deposition was from R. J. (Dick) Potter, former booker for Jefferson until about two years ago, who said he had been in the employ of Frels at Victoria about three weeks. Potter said that, on instructions from the Jefferson home office in Beaumont, he had gone to all film companies to find out what unsold product they had on hand for Victoria, and at the same time told them to hold up any new product for the town as the Jefferson circuit was going to build a theatre there in competition to Prels and would be interested in these films there. Two Offers Refused On cross examination Potter said he received these instructions from Beaumont which were given and carried out by him in order that his company (Jefferson) would have an equal chance to buy them along with any other theatre in Victoria. Miss Marian Holzheuser, secretary to Prels, said Sol E. Gordon and J. C. Clemmons, ranking officers respectively, visited Frels on two occasions, offering two deals in settlement of the Victoria controversy (Continued on page 117) SOUTHERN EDITION Is One of the Seven Sectional Edi V. W. CRISP, Southwestern Editor, 210 S. Harwood St., Dallas, Tex. tions in Which BOXOPPICE Is Published Weekly. The need benbdic, southeastern Editor, its Vz waiton st., n. w., Atlanta, other Six Editions Are: NEW ENGLAND, MIDEAST, CEN Ga. J. W. LEIGH, 1509 Bodenger Blvd., New Orleans. EES KETNER, TRAL, MIDWEST, WESTERN, EASTERN. south Texas Editor, 531 N. St., San Antonio. Tex.