Boxoffice (Apr-Jun 1939)

gXCITEMENT of the week was the personal appearance in town of Jeanette MacDonald. The famous star visited the local Metro branch in the afternoon and in the evening attended the Filmrow preview of “It’s a Wonderful World.” After the preview Jeanette was introduced to all the guests present. In town on a concert tour, the star grabbed oodles of good publicity in all local dailies for her fine cooperation with the news hounds and cameramen. Miss MacDonald is down on the list of all the boys and gals as “one regular fellow.” Through the efforts of the MPTO of the Northwest and their executive secretary, Jim Hone, the city council voted 6 to 3 to reject five separate applications to rent the Civic Auditorium field for midget auto racing this summer. Popcorn Smith is proving the efforts of hard work. Several of the downtown theatres now have a popcorn machine alongside the boxoffice in the lobby. Smith, who handles the Burch product in this territory, is back in town after being away for the past couple of months. Seattle’s habitues of the “skidroad” were ready to “sign the pledge’’ after their terrifying experience recently of seeing an ape face to face. Bottles of first class “dehorn” and “grapo” were smashed on the sidewalk in the wake of the walking monster as the gentlemen below the line shivered from the anthropoid apparition. A prowler car with the officers armed with sawed-off shotguns was hurriedly dispatched to the scene. At first it was believed that the elixirs of the skidroad gentry had been mixed too potent but when the officers themselves saw the walking ape it was time to do something . They arrested the ape and found a man inside the ape skin. They took him to jail and charged him with illegal advertising on the street. The guy was advertising a jungle picture at one of the south end theatres. Seattle and the state of Washington will go into pictures. Largely through the efforts of Herndon Edmond, Seattle branch manager for 20th Century-Fox; Truman Talley, general manager and producer of the company's “Magic Carpet” travelogue series, will make a production of the state of Washington during this month. Excitement was caused in downtown Seattle on the opening day of “Union Pacific” at the Paramount Theatre. Garbed in beaver hats, frock coats, hoop skirts and other apparel of the 1870’s, 12 members of the Union Pacific Railway “ Old Timers Club” marched gaily up Pine St. to attend the premiere of the picture. The group earlier attended a dinner honoring Frank Davis, oldest active locomotive engineer in the U. P. service in this district, tendered by Producer DeMille through the offices of the Hamrick-Evergreen Theatres. Ted Gamble, general manager for the J. J. Parker theatre interests in Oregon, who was recently named to the board of governors of the University of Washington, has been named chairman of the Portland committee in charge of entertain ment there for the visit of Norway’s crown prince. Al Maass, president of the Theatre Employes Union, Local B-18 of San Francisco, arrived in toum for a hurried visit during which time he was honored with a life membership in the Seattle Local B22. With Maass on the trip were Pearl Elliott and Frances Hart, two members of the Seattle local who are working at the Fair in San Francisco as cashiers. The girls made a short report on their work at the Fair. W. A. Scully, general sales manager for Universal; Bill Heineman, western sales manager; J. J. Jordon, head of the contract-play-date department, all from New York, and Al O'Keefe, western district sales manager, from Los Angeles, spent some time here with J. McGinley, local manager, then all left by plane for Salt Lake City. Mrs. Martin Brown called here from Yakima by the death of her mother, Mrs. Rae Harris. Martin owns the Avenue Theatre in Yakima . . . Dr. Frank Parsley, local physician and surgeon who caters to the show business, suffered painful injuries when his plane crashed here. After the accident the doctor refused aid until he O. BEMIS is back from the Reno convention . . . Bob Rasmussen is haunting the Row . . . R. Blanche of the film lab firm is at his Menlo Park home, resting . . . “Doc” Henning, the premium man, is reported thinking of going into the “horse picking” business ... A. Blanco is planning a new theatre in Campbell shortly . . . Local friends were saddened by the death of Ira Furman, former M-G-M manager, who died after a long illness. Ned Steel has acquired the Chico (not a horse), which he’ll probably reopen this fall . . . Boyd Allen is slated to open the Forest in Boulder Creek. He’s the son of Bob Allen, operator of the Grand in Tracy . . . Pat Patterson was warmly greeted this week from Los Angeles, which, he says, “is swell” . . . Comiie Mitchell is now business agent of the local wing of the AFA, resigning as treasurer of the thespic group. Lloyd Ownby of NTS is leaving for L. A. on a business-pleasure trip . . . Jim Riley of Pacific Coast Theatre Supply already is there for the same reason . . . A. W. Hartford is now in charge of UA’s Salt Lake exchange. Jack O’Laughlin of Seattle succeeds him as salesman in the local branch . . . The UA convention contingent came here from L. A. via special train to glimpse the Fair sights. Rene “ Volcano ” La Marre has introduced a new theatre giveaway idea in the form of legalized dog racing called “Greyhound Derby.” Live greyhounds are used on the stage in two races each evening. La Marre is now managing the Allendale and New Hopkins, both in Oakland, for the Goldsmith circuit. had performed a major operation on Andy Gunnard, for many years theatre manager here and in California. After the successful operation the doctor himself was operated on for a broken nose. Bill Hamrick was first division winner in the spring eclectic tournament of the Sand Point Golf Club. Bill had a selective card of 57-5-52 . . . Seattle will get a motion picture world premiere and the equivalent of a brand-new show shop at the same time in the reopening of the Liberty Theatre set for Friday, May 12, with the first showing anywhere of “Only Angels Have Wings.” Since the Liberty was closed for remodeling and modernization on March 29, more than $80,000 has been spent by its owners, Jensen and von Herberg, in renovating it. Mike Newman, ace publicity man for Columbia, is here from Los Angeles to personally handle the campaign for the premiere. Leroy V. Johnson is general manager for the Jensen-von Herberg interests in the Northwest. The Grand Theatre, a local suburban, has now been added to the roster of Danz Sterling theatres . . . Murray Peck, for the past year manager of Brown’s Avenue Theatre in Yakima, is back in town and ivill be master of ceremonies in charge of the new floor show at the Oasis. The Circle Theatre here has changed hands. New owner is S. Sumioke. House will continue with its present double feature policy . . . Word from Spokane tells that Howard McBride of the Granada there is very sick after an operation . . . Harry Taylor, western division manager of National Screen Service, in from Los Angeles to visit Jack Flannery, Northwest manager for the company. Frank Seltzer, publicity director for Hal Roach studios, a visitor in town . . . Ethel Dow, secretary to Bill Shartin of Warner’s office, and Mrs. Whitney Young, wife of Cy, salesman for Warner east of the mountains, are vacationing in California. They will take in the Fair at San Francisco. Visitors this week include Pete and Mrs. Constanti from Aberdeen; Mickey Carney from Enumclaw; Morrie Nimmer from Wenatchee, also Charley Grieme from the same town; George Endert jr. from Friday Harbor; W. A. Cochrane from Snoqualmie; Sid Turner, business manager for the Mercy interests in Yakima; Carl Miller of the Warner Theatre in Aberdeen; Cecil and Mrs. Gwinn from Centralia, to attend the Jeanette MacDonald preview; Mrs. C. A. Thompson who operates the new Seeley Theatre in Pomeroy . . . Mike Berovic booking “Man of Conquest” into his Tacoma theatres, the Beverly and Riviera, day and date. Ben Kalmenson, western division sales manager for Warner, arrived in from Los Angeles with W. E. Calloway, western district manager. They will spend a couple of days here with Bill Shartin . . . Jimmy and Sylvia O'Neal finally getting away for their visit to San Francisco where they will be the guests of Roy Cooper . . . Morris Saffle, new head for Metro here, has his family settled on Queen Anne Hill. 32 BOXOFFICE :: May 13, 1939