Boxoffice (Apr-Jun 1939)

WILM’GTON Stanley-Warner Check Winners — All smiles are the check winners in the Fourth Annual Managers’ Parade conducted by Stanley-Warner theatres in Philadelphia. Seated, from left to right, are M. Aninsman, first in Flynn’s zone; Al Garfield, grand prize winner; Ted Schlanger, circuit head; S. Benford, first in Weshner’s zone; and L. M. Jones, first in Vanni’s zone. In the second row stand A. J. Vanni, Paul Castello, Harold Seidenberg , Sol Getzow, Abe Werner, A. Binnard. Herb Thatcher, Al Blumberg and Harry Tarrante. The last row, left to right, includes Lou Davidoff , Jack Flynn, Steve Barutio, Al Reh, Earl Finney and Nathan Watkins. pLASH! It looks as if there’s going to be a Mrs. Oscar Neufeld. Oscar says they’re talking seriously, but haven’t set a date. The lady: Lovely Kathryn Case, “Miss Philadelphia of 1937” . . . And Tillie Grisbord, UMPTO office secretary, becomes Mrs. Max Solomon, May 28 . . . Joe Wiener is reopening the Nixon-Grand, which has been closed about a month . . . Ben Goldfine is giving brother Charley a hand running things at the Alden . . . Harmon Taylor has put up a new front at the Media. Spring time means theatre building time. According to reports filtering in. East Mauch Chunk is going to get a new theatre; the Schine circuit will build a new house in Seaford, Del.; a new house is going up in Frenchtown, N. J. . . . Moe Sherman, formerly with Grand National, is temporarily managing the Capitol, Reading . . . Lou Bolander is now looking after the Tioga . . . Leonard Hetelson, Colonial, had friends over for a housewarming . . . Ben Biben, National Theatre, downed by the grippe . . . Howard Smith, 20 th-Fox, off to Scranton on business. Lee Kline, Orpheum, is still jittery after that streamlined holdup that netted $700 of the theatre’s receipts. The two armed men not only took the money, but locked Kline, Ann Perrine, the cashier; and Joseph Lichstein, Henry Schmidt and William Buckley, ushers, into a storage room . . . Sol Hankin, formerly with Warner Bros., is now at the Paramount Hotel, New York, looking over some new prospects . . . The Variety Club had the biggest Sunday night crowd in years at the screening of “The Castles” . . . Joe Lewis, comedian appearing at the Fays, was honored by Variety Clubbers on “Joe Lewis Night.” Powers Gouraud was M. C. William McAvoy, theatre electrical man, is in St. Louis working on a large civic lighting project . . . Vine Streeters are going in for handball to take off those extra ounces. They plan to start a league at the Broadwood . . . Lester Krieger, back from a quick vacation in Hot Springs . . . Clara Krafstow, Paramount, went off on a Southern cruise . . . This is Republic month in birthdays. Frank Hamerman, salesman, and Catherine Lawson, secretary, had their’s on the fifth; Joe Lewis, salesman, will celebrate his on the 11 th, and Edna Grotstein, cashier, marks her’s on the 13 th . . . Mollie Ellman, Monogram girl, gets her presents on the 15 th, and Sam Rosen, Monogram manager, on the 16th. Ludwig S. Hartmann, who used to be an exhibitor in Dusseldorf, Germany, before the Nazis started to cut up, is now selling oil heating and air conditioning to theatres here . . . Charles Hurley, former Washington shipper for Clark Films, has left to join Preferred Pictures staff there. His post was taken over by Tom Rayfield, formerly of Paramount. Dave Rosen spent a week in Washington showing Rayfield the ropes. The Sablosky project at Vernon Rd. and Sprague St. is having trouble from residents who protested before the Zoning Board against a theatre in the neighborhood . . . Milt Young, Warner Bros., put an ad in the paper for “50 blondes” willing to take a ride around town in a promotion bus, in exchange for free tickets to see “Blondie Meets the Boss.” But the newspapers spoiled the stunt by putting the ad under “Personals” instead of “Help Wanted” . . . Horlacher finished second in the Transportation Bowling League. Members of the League will gather for a banquet in Philadelphia, April 15. Harold Hendee, RKO research director, addressed the motion picture forum on piRE broke out in the projection booth of the Warner Bros. Savoy Theatre, subsequent run downtown house last week during the afternoon performance and some 300 persons in the theatre at the time walked out calmly following an announcement from the stage by Manager Earle G. Finney. The machine was damaged and the house closed for three hours until other prints were rushed from Philadelphia and the equipment put back in condition. Admissions were refunded the patrons and many were unaware that the projectionists were battling the flames after their fire extinguishers became exhausted. Tommy Fitzgerald has been added temporarily to the art staff of the Grand Theatre by Manager Wally Harding . . . A. Joseph DeFiore, Park manager and president of the defunct Independent MPTOA of Delaware and the Eastern Shore, is grooming his three-year-old “Giras” for the spring meet at Delaware Park, Stanton. DeFiore has sold his Cecil County farm and has removed the racehorse to a private stable. Earle G. Finney, manager of the Savoy, has been awarded the $50 district prize of the Fourth Annual Managers’ Parade, a better business contest of Warners . . . Manager Ben Shindler of the Ace Theatre and the wife have returned from their southern vacation which took them to Florida, the Mardi Gras and other southern ports. “Authenticating the Movies” . . . Five WB managers won prizes for their campaigns on “Four Daughters.” They are Ray Meyer, Joe Dougherty, Bill Yearsley, Al Blumberg and Marty Goldberg . . . The Goldman chain may be enlarged with a new house in Chestnut Hill . . . Horace Wright, RKO, has gone off to Atlanta, Ga. . . . Atlantic circuit houses are going in for a general face-lifting. Dave Supowitz is the architect. Stanley-Warner managers of the nearby area are coming into town for confabs on the “state of the nation” with Ted Schlanger. In last week were the managers in the district supervised by Ed Moore, Al Plough and Jack Mulhall . . . Lester Stallman, Astor, Reading, is ill at home . . . Lou Black, Warner, Wilmington, surrendered his adenoids to a local surgeon . . . Charles Stiefel wil take back the Susquehanna from the Affiliated circuit when the lease expires this summer. Henry Friedman reports the kids are going strong for the request number performances on the Lansdowne’s organ . . . “Spain in Arms,” picture presenting the rebel side of the Spanish war, closed after a meagre six days at the Erlanger . . . Vaudeville will move from the Fox to the Earle temporarily this summer, according to unofficial reports from Stanley-Warner circles . . . Charles Bierbauder, Colonial, Allentown, plugged the new Wallace Beery picture by posting signs all around town saying — “Walk Carefully — Drive Carefully — Sergeant Madden.” 30-F BOXOFFICE April 8, 1939