Boxoffice (Apr-Jun 1939)

Texas Exhibitor Files J^BOUT 300 film men helped the local Allied unit celebrate the official opening of its new quarters at 219 N. Broad St. Most exchange men and a good section of exhibitors in the area dropped in to be greeted by Sid Samuelson and his new assistant, Sally Fisher. Out-of-towners included H. M. Richey of the New York RKO office; Edward Auger, RCA; Adolph Haas, Alexander Films, and George Gold and Lee Newbury, Allied of New Jersey. Allied will be holding a general membership meeting this week at the Broadwood. Jack Litto is happy about the new airconditioning system at the Eureka . . . The freak storm last week washed away all the grass Moe Verben, Record, laboriously planted . . . Len Hetelson, Colonial , is taking up golf; spent his first day out by caddying! . . . Allen Lewis, Dante, drove the wife arid kids to Baltimore, had car trouble up arid back, still looks worn out . . . Skip Weshner, Warner, is well again, back on the job . . . Ted Schlanger and Lester Krieger, Warner, off to New York on business. Clark Films had a good representation at the National Film Carriers convention in New York. From the local office went Bill and Jim Clark, Larry Daily, Dorothy Dennis, Oscar Neufeld, Joseph Kennedy, E. Harding . . . Bill Madison, Studio, is ill . . . Sam Palan, Monogram, is exhibiting a glittering traveling bag he won for being one of the outstanding Monogram salesmen in the country . . . Max Miller, News, is back at his candid camera tricks. Luke Gring, Erlen, has a strange woman named Madame Zuleika at the theatre, reading people’s minds . . . Tillie Grisbord, UMPTO, is back at work as Mrs. Max Solomon. She spent a hectic few days at the World’s Fair, wound up by describing the Fair as “a mixture of a circus and the Franklin Institute — only not so enjoyable and understandable” . . . Frank McNamee, RKO, reports the Will Rogers Drive, just winding up, was more successful than ever before in this area. The Boyd circuit made the best showing. Lee Kline, Orpheum, had a pretty and scantily-clad cigarette girl in the lobby ballyhooing Paramount’s “Cafe Society” . . . Victoria, Harrisburg, closed, will become a five-and-ten store. Manager Jerry Wollaston moves to the Rio . . . The Carman made a tremendous splurge of 700 free tickets — given to Station WPEN for distribution among its women’s clubs, in return for free time on the air . . . Charles Kirkel is reported planning a new theatre in Roxborough . . . Joe Bernhard and Harry Mayer, Warner, and Abe Sablosky were guests of Harry Biben at the confirmation party for his son Joseph. Million dollars worth of publicity was snared by Warner and Paramount, working hand in hand in exploiting the stopover of the ‘‘Union Pacific” ballyhoo train. The train, consisting of two super-super steam-electric locomotives, a lb-year-old wood-burning engine, one of the first American passenger coaches and a car used by Barbara Stanwyck in the picture, attracted tens of thousands of visitors . . . All the critics carried big stories on the train, and interviews with the brilliant carload of film people aboard — Warren William, Lynne Overman, Brian Donlevy, Robert Preston, Patricia Morison, Sheila Darcy, Judith King, Luana Walters, George Raft and others. Exhibitors and the press were given a special luncheon. The Columbia boys off to the Atlantic City convention — Harry Weiner, Jack Schaeffer, Dave Korson, Bill Bethell, Lester Wurtele . . . Defective wiring caused a disastrous fire at the Howard, damaging the front rows of seats, the screen, backstage . . . Vera Zorina, lively performer with the show “I Married an Angel,” playing here, will go to Hollywood when the run’s over to take the lead in “On Your Toes” (Warner) . . . The Palace’s 3-hour show policy will be shifted to the Earle this summer, because latter has double the seating capacity. Percy Friedman, Yeadon, made his own films of the New York World Fair, ran them as 12-minute reels at his theatre . . . Al Zimbalist is going to New York with Fred Whartnaby, 19-year-old winner of the Stanley -Warner talent quest. The boy will appear in a Vitaphone musical short . . . Mollie Ellman, Monogram, is plugging the Stenographers’ Ball at the Stephen Girard, May 26, will sell you a ticket on the least provocation. Jim Flynn, Columbia, president of the Film Exchange Employes Union, was given a gold watch, and Lou Krause, IATSE treasurer, a fountain pen set at the Union’s dance in the Broadwood ... A citizens’ group is being organized to boost the Federal Theatre here . . . Harry Biben arranged a swell show at the Bellevue Stratford for the Musicians’ Relief Fund. Among the performers he brought were Dusolina Giannini, Met star; Ella Logan, lent by Warner Bros., and Chaney and Fox, dancers . . . Joe Farrow, Frank Scully, Ben Hayney, William Gabriel, Ralph Gillette, went to Washington for the Metro regional. Birthday presents for the month are due to Steve Copolla, Republic, on the 23rd, and Mrs. A. M. Ellis, wife of an exhibitor and mother of two more, on the 21th. Mr. and Mrs. Sam Rosen, Monogram, have their wedding anniversary on the 26th, and Mr. and Mrs. Bill Porter, also Monogram, mark theirs on the 30 th . . . Warner’s sixth annual Manager’s Week drive is over; ballots now being counted. City Zone Manager Jack Flynn played no favorites, visited every one of the 61 theatres in his zone to help the manager get votes . . . Mae Desmond, old Philadelphia favorite, is opening in stock again at Newfoundland, Pa. The five Warner neighborhood houses that use vaudeville are discontinuing the policy for the summer. A. W. Smith jr. Wed New York — A. W. Smith jr., former general sales manager of United Artists, has married Gail Klawson. A Clearance Suit Dallas — B. R. McLendon, operating two theatres in Atlanta, Tex., filed suit late Thursday in Judge Atwell’s federal court here against the eight major distributors asking an injunction to restrain the distributors from holding Atlanta playdates behind Texarkana and asking the privilege of dating pictures without regard to an outside influence. The plaintiff alleges distributors have been making pictures available for Atlanta 30 days behind the Paramount-Richards two houses in Texarkana. Pat S. Russell, Dallas attorney, is representing McLendon. Reports are that other clearance suits affecting other territories will be filed if this suit is successful. Ross Service Transfers Unks Albany — Ralph R. Unks, former assistant manager of the Philadelphia office, has succeeded Kenneth Davis as manager of the Albany office of Ross Federal Service. Davis served here for a year. ^ILMINGTON Projectionists Local 473 is restrained from further picketing of 4-L « ,NTn.»r r i 'Vi nn f va f i vet _ vnn town independent house, under an injunction handed down in favor of the Rialto Theatre Co. by Chancellor W. W. Harrington in chancery court here. The chancellor declared that there is actually no strike, that the former projectionists were placed in employment the day after they left the theatre, and that evidence showed no justification for picketing. Projectionists walked out several months ago on charges the management refused to negotiate a new contract. More than 600 persons were forced to leave the National, Wilmington’s only Negro theatre, when fire in the projection booth spread smoke through the building. Damage to the machine and booth was estimated at $600 by Manager Howard Lee. Leon G. Turrou, former member of the FBI and author of the screen script for the film, “Confessions of a Nazi Spy,” was the guest of Manager Lewis S. Black of the Warner Thearte at a press dinner in the Hotel DuPont. Later Turrou spoke in the YMCA and the YW and YMHA. Turrou’s visit to Wilmington was coincidental with the opening of the film at the Warner. Manager A. J. Belair of the New Rialto Theatre announced enlargement of the theatre at a cost of approximately $80,000. The seating capacity of the theatre will be increased from 450 to 750, he said. W. H. Lee of Philadelphia is the architect, and Hellinger, Inc., Philadelphia, the general contractor . Alexander H. Errickson, 62-year-old employe of Loew’s Theatre here, died suddenly at his home in Roselle recently. He is survived by his wife and three children. 22-B BOXOFFICE :: May 13, 1939