Boxoffice (Apr-Jun 1939)

RAYMOND E. MOON, general manager of Mutual Theatres, east to New York and Washington on a business tour, missed the Fair, and also the Preakness at Pimlico, Md. Emil H. Beck’s young son, getting to be quite u trombonist, now appears in church shows. Joseph B. Mitchell, owner of the Rex, is heading the new Minit-Pop National Distributing Co., which is manufacturing a high grade pop corn vending machine. Phil Kaplan reports plenty of business — theatres are keeping right on with their promotion and exploitation, despite hot weather . . . Phyllis Kaplan — she’s Dave’s sister, and runs the office end — says there’s only one good player on the film baseball team — Earl England. Bill Potts postcards from Dallas, that he expects to return to the Motor City by fall. A. C. Wilson, 20th-Fox auditor, and one of the old-timers of film auditing, arrived for a three or four weeks’ stay here . . . Dorothy M. Lemire, biller at 20 th-Fox, is in Henry Ford Hospital for observation of her arm, which has been causing trouble. Don Shields was busy house-cleaning up at A1 Dezel’s roadshow office . . . Ralph Peckham, returned to Detroit from Buffalo, promptly was off to Flint “to sign up a thousand dollars’ worth of business,” say his loyal colleagues. Anne O’Donnell is busy plugging the reissue of William S. Hart’s “Tumbleweed.” Harry Hondorf, formerly a booker for Monarch, has gone into the other end of the business, as manager of Walter Shafer’s theatre at Wayne, Mich. ... Irwin Pollard, new bowling president, is cooking up something to keep the League alive this summer. Ed Heiber, Universal manager, was upstate on a selling trip this week . . . Moe Dudelson, Jack Goldhar, Syd Bowman, Ernie Pichler, and Edward Weingarden all returned from the UA Hollywood convention. Harry Lotz has dropped his double life as a detective . . . Art Robinson wasn’t getting ready for a horse giveaway the other day; all that straw was to pack dishes. Jack Saxe, Variety dough guy, has added “cheaters” to his professional equipment. Harold Sandelman decided he needs an adding machine as extra equipment . . . Judith Perry, nine-month-old daughter of Cliff Perry, M-G-M booker, can ride a horse — he has a photo to prove it. O. A. D. (Bun) Baldwin of Bridgeman, Lee Ward of Mount Pleasant, and Homer Cox of Quincy and his wife were among the rarely seen upstate exhibitors in town this week. Girls of the M-G-M Club are dividing into two teams to compete for poppy sales in the Film Building and elsewhere. Bill Hurlbut, shadowed by Harlan Starr, is taking his lunches on the fly, standing up — and he hasn’t been riding a horse either . . . Joseph Olschefsky always seems to pop up when there’s a theatre deal in the wind. F. S. McKeown, manager of the Detroit branch of Ross Federal Service, is receiving congratulations from his friends on the birth of a seven-and-a-quarter pound girl who has been christened Linda Lee. This is the second daughter born to Mr. and Mrs. McKeown. R. E. Hawley, in charge of research at the Detroit branch of Ross Federal Service, has returned from a trip to New York . . . Wayne Brenkert, back home with enthusiastic reports about business pickup all over the U. S., is getting acquainted with his family once more. Don C. McHenry, who closed the Arc Theatre, Sunday, will reopen it September 1, meanwhile keeping the Granada open . . . Wilson Garnall, manager of the Arc, has left for Indiana. William Schuttenhelm, managing the Globe and Dawn, is aroused these days because the street in front of the Dawn has been closed and traffic detoured away from his theatre, because of widening a block away. The Dawn will get a long Highlight of the closing luncheon was the presentation of Variety’s check for $1,000 to Father Harold J. Markey, for his Home for Delinquent Boys. Presentation was made by Chief Barker Charles C. Perry. Father Markey responded with a splendid talk in what the home is accomplishing. Father Raymond Jones, who now lives at the home and is in direct charge of it, spoke briefly. Edward Crowe, another associate in the enterprise, was also introduced. Tommy McAuliffe, the Armless Wonder, gave an inspiring talk on the philosophy “there is no handicap in life except a mental one,” and demonstrated uncanny accuracy in shooting golf . . . Barker Duncan C. McCrea, Wayne prosecuting attorney, also paid a tribute to Father Markey’s work. Everybody busy making plans for summer, with final formal confabs at this luncheon — no more till fall . . . Bill Carlson rated a special orchid from Chief Barker Perry for his work on arranging programs all season long . . . Dave Newman, Sol Krim, and Bernard Brooks — the Three Mack Musketeers — managed to sit together. Jack Haley and Dave Newman were busy trying to catch onto Mac Krim’s disappearing dime trick . . . Sol Berns and session of closed street next year, when the widening is scheduled right in front of the house, and Schuttenhelm justifiably can see no reason for losing business double. Owen Blough and Clayton Wilkinson engineered the show given by theatrical post, American Legion, at the Vets’ Hospital— assisted by Jack Ferentz, Buddy Fields, Pop Stolz, Max Kolin, Sam Cornelia, Harry Carson, Gil Lubin, George Clancy, and Lou Hoffman. Bill Jackson, the major-domo of the Fox Theatre, has joined the post. Delegates to the post’s district convention include Max Kolin, Jack Ferentz, Gil Light and Buddy Fields. Ben Cohen, south since the middle of winter, is shipping his car back home about June 1, and will go to the New York fair before returning here . . . Butterfield circuit has closed the Majestic Theatre at Jackson . . . Sam Barrett, Co-operative booker, still spends all his weekends at his cabin on the Au Sable, catching trout from his front porch. Date for the Grayling tour of Variety Barkers has been postponed. Promoters Frank Wetsman and Lou Wisper are busy with those two new theatres. One name too many was given Cosette Merrill, women’s news commentator for radio station WBEN of Buffalo, in this column recently with the result that her Mac Krim made their appearance in summer informals — open collar and all . . . Mac says he may stay in town this summer— thinks there may be a new polo field at Woodrow Wilson and Oakman Boulevard to keep him here. Mrs. Jim West, wife of the Variety (and Boxoffice) photographer, who has been ill for three weeks, is convalescing nicely . . . Wayne Edwards, genial trumpet player of the Variety Syncopators, is seriously ill in Delray Hospital after a heart attack. Edgar A. Guest, the noted poet, who wrote the Creed of Variety, is now an associate member by the way. Chief Barker Charles C. Perry goes into Bachelor Hall this week — Mrs. Perry is leaving on a month’s visit “back home” . . . Nina Patti was soloist at the last Saturday Frolic, filling in unexpectedly as guest artist . . . Jack Douglas, the Old Night Watchman assisted as m. c. Mac Krim, telling about getting rid of his pet bear to the Zoo, reminds George McArthur of Jacob Schreiber’s bear from the Blackstone Theatre — treed in Capitol Park, and Mac declined to go after the pet! . . . Art Robinson is arranging weekly film shows for the crippled children at Camp Bentley this summer — 12 miles north of Port Huron. Tablecloth Notes: At the Final Variety Luncheon 92 BOXOFFICE :: May 27, 1939