Boxoffice (Apr-Jun 1939)

SALT LAKE ]y[ANAGER CHARLES PINCUS of the Centre Theatre is back from a twoweek business trip to San Francisco . . . The vast amount of publicity received by “Union Pacific,” what with the Golden Spike Day celebrations and numerous tieups has enabled the Paramount feature to break all records at the Centre here, according to Bill Beaver, assistant manager. A Golden Spike Day observance is planned by Rock Springs, Wyo., for May 13. John Ford, 20 th-Fox director , on a recent visit here, announced that one of his company’s important coming productions would he a biographical film entitled "Brigham Young.” A recommendation that the showing of films depicting gangster activities and crime in the United States be curtailed for foreign countries was made by Mrs. Ruth Rohde, former U. S. minister to Denmark. Such films she declared conveyed an undesirable and wrong impression to peoples abroad. An enthusiastic audience of approximately 5,000 greeted Jeanette MacDonald when the star gave a concert at the L.D.S. tabernacle here recently. A release each week from Grand National, following “Exile Express,” which will be available the latter part of the month, is pledged by Branch Manager Wilson. The San Francisco convention has the boys of SheffieldRepublic. A new branch manager, to succeed M. K. Ross, who has resigned, was to be named at the parley. Joe Lawrence is packing his State Theatre with “Dawn Patrol” . . . S. B. Steck, former local exhibitor now operating a chain of houses in Los Angeles, was a recent visitor. Joe Koehler of the Roxy at Twin Falls, Ida., has been named mayor of Twin Falls . . . Bill Seib, branch manager for Columbia here, is back at his desk, recovered from a seige of the flu. Utah winners in the “Gateway to Hollywood” contest are Barbara Louise Smith of Ogden and Raymond Fife of Cedar City. Film contracts await the ultimate winners. Branch Manager R. J. Cadman and his sales force, including Earnie Gibson, Joe Solomon and Walt Millar were the UA men who headed from here for the company’s convention held in Los Angeles May 8. Among the home office visitors who have called upon Manager Mat Aparton of Universal since his return from the company convention are A. J. O’Keefe, western division manager; Bill J. Heineman, western sales manager; W. A. Scully, general sales manager, and F. T. Murray, manager of branch operations. New sound has been installed by W. E. Shipley in his Gem Theatre here ... A recent visitor was Rick Ricketson, FWC division manager, headquartering in Denver . . . Back from the SMPE meetings on the coast is Phil Guss, operator of the Intermountain Theatre Supply. Republic Convention Held in Frisco San Francisco — Republic’s western regional convention was held here last Monday and Tuesday in the foyer of the Empire Hotel. Previews of the films planned for the coming year were discussed and new ideas for the promotion and sales of Republic’s next crop was planned. Business meetings were held both days in the Empire with a luncheon highlighting the first day. Those attending the luncheon last Monday were: A. M. Bowles and Charles Thall of Fox West Coast; R. A. McNeill and M. A. Naify, Golden State and T&D circuits; George Nasser, Nasser Bros. Theatres; Joe Blumenfeld, Blumenfeld circuit; Sam Levin, San Francisco Theatres, Inc.; Rotus Harvey, Harvey Amusement Co., and Morgan Walsh and George Mann, Redwood and Midland Theatre Circuits. The above-mentioned attended as special guests of the salesmen and bookers at the convention. Among the Republic conventioneers were: H. J. Yates, chairman of the board of Republic Pictures and president of Consolidated Film Industries; J. R. Grainger, president and general sales manager of Republic; M. J. Seigel, president in charge of production in Hollywood studios; Wm. A. Saal, special representative from New York office; Grover C. Parsons, western district sales manager; Floyd St. John, franchise owner of San Francisco and Los Angeles offices; J. T. Sheffield, franchise owner of Butte, Salt Lake City, Denver, Portland, and Seattle offices; Sid Weisbaum, W. I. Boland, S. C. Martenstein, Joe Crane, and J. P. Myers from the San Francisco office; F. A. Bateman, J. S. Stout, and A. J. Frey from the Los Angeles office; Robert Boomer, Butte; Paul McElhinney, Salt Lake City; E. Gerbase and Frank Sheffield, Denver; J. H. Sheffield, Portland; E. L. Walton, and J. W. Rue, Seattle. Ask Closing Law for Eight " Grinds " in Los Angeles Los Angeles — Acting on a recent recommendation of the city health commission, the police, social service and fire commissions have requested Mayor Fletcher Bowron to adopt a 1 a. m. closing ordinance for eight Main Street “grind” houses which, they claim, cater to 1,400 persons nightly. The mayor has been asked to maintain an intake bureau for the registration of homeless men who, heretofore, have been using the theatres as all-night havens. The fire and health commissioners claim the continued practice may possibly result in serious fires and is detrimental to public health. Ham-eddy Transferred Los Angeles — Harvey Hanreddy has been transferred from the local Ross Federal Service branch as manager of the Indianapolis branch. PORTLAND J|OW it can be told — Jesse Jones of Colorado, California and Oregon and Archie Holt, former branch manager for GB in Seattle and later connected with the same firm in Portland, have formed a partnership and assumed management of the New Rivoli Theatre. They are putting on a new front on the house, changing the name to “Pix” and expect to revive the theatre’s old policy of stage shows. Bob Farrell jr., former manager of the New Rivoli, will devote his full time to the practice of law . . . Universal’s Johnny Harvey has been kept busy with a flood of business . . . Mose Mesher taking time out for a screening . . . Jack Flannery of National Screen service in Seattle was a Portland visitor during the week. Guy F. Navarre, Oregon and Washington UA sales manager; Jack O’Bryan and Jack Kloepper of the Portland office; J. J. O’Laughlin, eastern Washington representative, and Sam Naglet of British Columbia and Abe Feinstein of Alberta, Canada, all left Portland for UA’s 20th anniversary convention in Los Angeles. The group expects to visit the exposition in San Francisco during their return trip. Jules Seltzer, assistant director of publicity for Hal Roach, is in town for the opening of “Zenobia” at J. J. Parker’s Broadway. Sam Siegel is also here from Seattle. The opening was in the form of a Hollywood premiere with Oliver Hardy, Harry Langdon and Shirley Deane attending from the film center. A circuit court suit has been filed against the Circle Theatre company, in which local 159 of the AFL motion picture operators’ union seeks a declaratory judgment permitting them to picket the house. G. T. Woodlaw, president of the theatre company, claims his firm has paid as high a wage as any house charging the same admission prices, but the complainants allege the Circle reduced pay of operators 16% per cent February 1. The foreign film, "Ecstasy,” threatens to give all of Oregon’s small towns censor boards. Before the picture was banned in Portland, contracts had been signed to show it in approximately 25 towns outside Portland, which is the only city in the state with a censor board. Oregon City was the first test spot, where the film ran three days before the city council enacted an ordinance creating a censor body. Other towns expect to follow suit. Cinecolor Develops New 16mm Color Process Hollywood — Cinecolor, Inc., has a new and economical method of processing 16mm films in color, according to an announcement by President A. L. McCormick. The company currently is building $40,000 worth of printing and processing equipment, which will give the Burbank laboratory a volume capacity of 600,000 feet of 16mm film per week. Property to Warner Hollywood — Film and television rights to “The Patent Leather Kid,” by Rupert Hughes, have been acquired by Warner. BOXOFFICE :: May 13, 1939 33