Boxoffice (Apr-Jun 1939)

^IMED TO coincide with the height of the migration of giant tuna during May and June is the current local major sporting event which has attracted big-game fishermen from all over the world, Cat Cay’s first tuna tournament. While competing fishermen include such actor-sportsmen as Errol Flynn and Warner Baxter, it is a former screen actress, Mae Clarke, who is the first cinema celebrity to make tournament news. She and her husband, Steve Bancroft, Pan American pilot, residents of Coconut Grove, have been ardent game fishermen ever since they came to Miami to reside, shortly after their marriage last year. The Bancrofts made tournament news by bringing to boat two of the silverscaled behemoths, both weighing considerably in excess of 300 pounds, on the first day of tournament competition. Sportsmen, tournament-bound, sped to Cat Cay, which lies 50 miles due east of Miami in the Bahamas “with the Gulf stream running by its front door,” on special Pan American clipper ships and in private yachts. cNot being enterprising enough to work the old press badge for tournament coverage, Boxoffice’s local correspondent huffily put-putted in the opposite direction, up the river toward Lake Okeechobee, last weekend. We’ll bet Mae and Steve didn’t get any bigger tlirill out of their tuna than we did out of the impressive string of perch we brought back. And the one which got away? Well, it almost pulled us in . . . and did break our pole!) It will be the big Flagler street house, which bears the Paramount chain’s name and mil show first runs in this area, now that the Sheridan on the beach has closed for the summer, an announcement by W. R. Lynch, general manager for Paramount Enterprises, Inc., reveals. Earlier this spring it was thought that the same scheduling which was in effect last summer would be used: i. e., booking of first runs at the Colony on the beach. A check back calls to mind the fact, however, that the neio Paramount was at that time in the course of construction. Rollin K. Stonebrook, advertising director for the circuit, has been manager of the Paramount since its opening last autumn. Among clippership passengers, streaking the airways to Cat Cay last week, was Russell Erwin, who will shoot the big Tuna Tournament, anticipated generally as the new blue ribbon classic of fishing events, for a Grantland Rice Sport Spotlite. Havana-bound via the Cuban clipper at the same time were Mr. and Mrs. Irving Schwartz. Mr. Schwartz is with the New York RKO’s story department. When the Miami Daily News staged the final contest last week, in connection with the ‘‘Girls of Tomorrow,” being sent to New York to the Fair in mid-June, one of the four judges was Karl F. Roller, assistant advertising manager for Paramount The Queen Feature Service, Inc. Quality Theatre Equipment & Supplies 1912% Morris Ave. Phone 3-8665 BIRMINGHAM, ALA, Enterprises, Inc. This final contest was held at the Grove Theatre to select a mascot to attend the three Miami girls who have been designated as the Floridadoras. The newest Florida Theatres house to be constructed this spring is the Broward in Ft. Lauderdale. The air-conditioning contract for this new Sparks house has just been awarded to the Tampa Armature Works, Inc. Newest activity on the local double feature front is the request for comments from Miami from the public on whether or not it wants double features, contained in a letter from Edward Golden, Monogram sales manager, and published Sunday in the Miami Daily News. Golden contends that the newest claim that “Double Features are Unhealthy for Children” is a smoke screen. Expressing his interest in the reaction of Miami, as a typical key city, Golden has asked for something with which Miamians only recently have had experience. The advent of double features locally has been a new development here during the past year with the expansion of the unaffiliated theatre field from one house to five. The new head usher at the Rosetta Theatre is Ted Spradley, Gordon (Biltmore) Spradley’s younger brother. Speaking of new faces in Wometco houses, reminds us to remind you that no one can claim that there aren’t constant chances for new Wometcoans with new staff members having been added at every house except the Grove where the group working with Ira McKinney has remained the same all year. The largest additional groups went to the State, where six additional employes included Rosalie Garcia, Louis deLancy, D. W. Esmond, Louis V. Kuttnauer, Charles Tombeiiin and Audrey Vollmer, and the Capitol where newcomers are Bruce Frye, Paul Miller, Walter Morris, Eugene Suggs and Fred Tutt jr. Four new Wometcoans have joined the Miami Theatre staff: Arthur Colby, John T. Jackson, Paul Clayton Posey and Johnny Mack Williams. New at the Lincoln since the first of the year are Maldolm Holdridge, Jannie Lee March and George Watson; at the Plaza, Cecile Kuttnauer, Melvin Olds and John Williams: at the Rosetta, Robert Judson, Daniel Smith and Alice Wallace; at the Mayfair, Freeman Stebbins and Walter Fink; at the Strand, Jack White and William Greer; at the Lyric, Walter Caldwell and Walter Hammond; at the Tower, Carl Klotz, and in the art department, Karl Griepenburg and Charles Safer. An Active Rotarian Charlotte— Herbert F. Kincey, who as president of North Carolina Theatres, Inc., operates more motion picture houses than any other one man in North Carolina, served as chairman of arrangements for the Charlotte Rotary club’s annual “ladies night” at the Myers Park club house. His committee provided an elaborate program of entertainment features which followed the dinner. “Mike” is one of the Rotary Club’s most popular members. K . Lee Williams Pine at Dierks, Ark., Opened Oklahoma City — K. Lee Williams, head of Williams Theatres, Inc., circuit has announced the opening of his new Pine Theatre at Dierks, Ark. The front of the new Pine Theatre is unique and imposing. It is of rustic type built of pine logs and pine poles with the letters “Pine” made from pieces of pine poles. All the poles, slabs and lumber that went into the building were treated and furnishd by the Dierks Lumber and Coal Co., whose experts selected the wood. Even the frames for the lobby displays are made of native pine poles finished in natural colors. The boxoffice is made of pine saplings, a ticket window on one side for Negroes and on the other side for whites. Jack Blair has been named manager of the Pine. He is the son of Tom Blair, one of the pioneer operators in Oklahoma who ran a theatre at Poteau, Okla., in the early days and later became affiliated with the Griffith Amusement Co., and at the time of his death in 1937 was a ranking officer in the Griffith organization. New Arrow at Broken Bow Opened by Williams Broken Bow, Okla. — Tire New Arrow Theatre here has been opened by K. Lee Williams Theatres, Inc., with Gerry Doig as manager. Williams circuit has the Arrow, Best and Tower theatres here. The old Arrow has been rebuilt from front to back. A large Arrow sign rises above the awning, and changeable illuminated signs are used to flash titles of current and coming attractions. Glass covered advertising boards have been set up also. Doig has managed roadshow units for Williams for several years and still owns a theatre of his own in Minnesota. Jewell Callaham, son of S. B. Callaham, former owner of the local theatres, will be assistant manager for the three houses. Agree to Waive Jury Trial In Miami Trust Suit Miami — Counsel for both plaintiffs and defendants in the local monopoly suit have agreed to waive a jury trial and to have the hearing as soon as Judge John W. Holland can set it down on his crowded calendar. No exceptions have been filed to the fuller bill of particulars submitted by attorneys for the plaintiffs last week, specifying the damages to the real property of the two theatres for whom the suit is being brought, the Cameo and Surf. The decision to have the hearing before the district court judge was arrived at by the legal representatives of the these two houses, and of these defendants: Paramount Enterprises, Inc., Wometco Theatres and associated houses, and major film distributors. Original complaint, request for injunction against present “protection” period and for damages, was filed early in January. 82-B BOXOFFICE :: June 3, 1939