Boxoffice (Apr-Jun 1939)

^HE sudden death of Ira Furman, Metro branch manager in San Francisco, of a heart attack, called George Hickey, M-G-M’s western division manager, back to the Bay City just after he had arrived here . . . Harry Hoffman, who runs the Soboba Theatre in San Jacinto, came in sporting a luxurious goatee. It’s all a part of the annual Ramona pageant there, he explained . . . Jack Schwartz of the Schwartz Amusement Co., Indianapolis, stopped in to visit his friend Mel Levinson of Metro Premium. Schwartz has taken over Sebastian’s Cubanola, a Hollywood night spot . . . On the lookout for product was Joe Vecchetti, who operates the Rialto in Cottonwood, Ariz., and the Grand in Clarksdale, same state. Fred Young, B. F. Shearer representative, has returned from Salt Lake and will pull out almost immediately for Portland and Seattle . . . N. C. Son, former exhibitor, dropped in to see his Filmrow friends . . . Jules Wolf has booked “Song of Freedom,” starring Paul Robeson, to open at his Lincoln Theatre, colored house. May 13. Leo Fenton, Metro Theatre, came in for bookings . . . Ditto Earl Johnson, operator of Bard’s Adams, and Harry Hollander, booker for the Bard circuit; Bryon Cunningham, Victoria Theatre; Bill Sloat of the Maynard . . . Irving Epsteen, Fox West Coast insurance manager, trained out for Detroit on business . . . A1 Haynie, manager of FWC’s Boulevard Theatre, has moved into first position for Class C houses in this district entered in the Spyros Skouras showmanship drive. Kurt Laemmle, accompanied by Brother Max, came in for product for his Glassell and Franklin theatres; ditto Harold Glass of the Gordon; Justin La Font, Forum, Barstow; Merrill Shapiro, manager of Mac Sinift’s Del Mar; Esther Steiner of the Rio. Leo Schwartz of Trailer-Made, back from San Francisco and chatting with Max Shapiro, Selected Pictures . . . Bob Tengberg, in from the Majestic Theatre, Santa Monica, and reporting the remodeling is coming along slow but sure . . . Lon Hoss, Universal salesman, looking perturbed when his desk begins falling apart. Floyd Henning er , who was head booker in the RKO Radio exchange in Panama for four months, has returned here. He says he gave up the post because adequate living quarters were too expensive . . . Universal screened “For Love or Money” for its sales force . . . Sam Ackerman, Detroit exhibitor, is here on vacation. Morry Sudman, head booker at 20th Century-Fox, and Paul Moyer, his assistant, chatted about exchange affairs at luncheon with Tom Cleary, company auditor, here for his annual checkup . . . Dode Samuels, RKO Radio salesman, has returned from a two -week trip through his Arizona territory . . . Stanley Steck, operator of the Adams Theatre, is in from a jaunt to Salt Lake City . . . “Pilk” Pilkington, formerly with one of the Warner exchanges in Texas and now an automobile sales man, visited his friends along Filmrow. W. E. Calloway, western district sales head for Warner, has returned from San Francisco and Seattle, where, he set several circuit film deals . . . Mondy Sondy, who runs the Kiva Theatre here, is back from the Bay City also, where he went on business. A. F. Cummings and Parke Agnew of Metro’s branch operations department in New York, stopped in en route to San Francisco for the gathering of western territory bookers . . . Milt Rose and his bride, the former Jeanette Goldberg of the Goldberg Film Delivery family, are honeymooning in San Francisco following their marriage at the Elk’s Temple. Milt runs the Film Cafe . . . Columbia finally moved into spacious new exchange along the Row . . . Frank Plumley, who books for the Louis Long circuit of Safford, Ariz., came in to acquire film . . . Ditto Boris Posner of the Arlington; Bob Leonard, who runs the Pala Theatre in Escondido; C. O. Davis, New Beaumont Theatre, Beaumont; Andy Anderson, Ritz, Balboa. Fox West Coast opened its Carthay Circle Theatre after several months of darkness on a new day-date policy with the United Artists downtown. Opening bill, a moveover from Grauman’s Chinese and Loew’s State, was “Return of the Cisco Kid” and “The Hound of the Baskervilles” . . . Leo Brewerton, operator of four theatres in Calgary, Alberta, and Lester Meyer, Chillicothe, Tex., exhibitor, were guests on the Warner lot. EQUIPMENT AND SUPPLIES Breck Photoplay Supply Company A Complete Line of Theatre Supplies and Equipment 1969 So. Vermont RE. 3151 B. F. SHEARER COMPANY “ Theatre Equipment Specialists” Heywood-Wakefield Seats Wagner Silhouette Letters Motiograph Projectors 1968 So. Vermont RO. 1145 THEATRE DECORATORS Specialists in Theatre Decoration NAT SMYTHE & SONS Decorators 1914 So. Vermont RE. 3578 In for bookings: Lou Cohen, Bonito Theatre; Gene O’Keefe, Maywood; Ronald Vincent, Laguna, Laguna Beach; Mac Sinift, Del Mar, sporting a new red Packard; Jack Goldberg, Garden, Belvedere Gardens; Saul Mayler, Vinicof Circuit booker; J. E. Poynter, San Clemente, San Clemente; Jack Goldman, Pico and Park; Nate Boasberg, Ritz, Inglewood; Frank Johnson, Washington, and Jim Grew, Temple, both from Glendale; L. R. Williams, Meralta, Downey; Vic Rosen, manager of the Warner Beverly Hills Theatre; A1 Snadow, Bill Robinson; Bob Elder, Arlington, Arlington; Judge LeRoy Pawley, Desert, Indio. The Million Dollar Theatre has dropped its admission prices from 25 to 15 cents . . . Kermit Maynard, the western player, made a personal appearance at Mac Sinift’s Del Mar for the Saturday matinee crowd . . , Stanley Steck, who operates the Adams Theatre here, has disposed of his theatre property in Ogden, Utah. A group of fish-minded Filmrowites were guested by Harry Holland, who runs the Bishop Theatre, Bishop, on an expedition into the High Sierras. Seeking to lure the wily trout were Johnny Filbert of Filbert Motion Picture Supply Co.; George Bourke, operator of the Nuart and Tivoli theatres in Sawtelle, and Joe Rubenstein, RKO salesman . . . Columbia is set for its new headquarters, boasting spacious executive offices and sumptuous furnishings throughout. Exchange Manager Wayne Ball is planning a house-warming. AIR CONDITIONING Carabin Engineering Company "Air Conditioning Engineers" 1914 So. Vermont Los Angeles — Over 30 Theatres in 1937 — EXPLOITATION PICTURES Now Booking CHARLES DICKENS' ’THE OLD CURIOSITY SHOP" "THE FORBIDDEN TERRITORY" starring Gregory Ratofi Binnie Barnes "THE SECRET OF STAMBOUL" starring Valerie Hobson Edgar Wallace's "THE CRIMSON CIRCLE" starring Noah Berry Wm. G. Smith's Jewel Productions 1912 So. Vermont RO. 2205 TRADE DIRECTORY ■ A HANDY GUIDE FOR THE EXHIBITOR LOS ANGELES BOXOFFICE :: May 13, 1939 H 31