Boxoffice (Apr-Jun 1948)

Along New York's Film Row By WALTER WALDMAN ^RTHUR L. MAYER is considering several offers for his lease on the Rialto Theatre. James Mage, operator of Laff Movie theatres in New York, Boston and Baltimore, and the Astor, Boston, is said to have an inside track. Mayer originally asked $500,000 for the remaining eight years of his 20-year lease. Mage has reportedly offered $350,000 ... If Mage gets the theatre, he will continue the foreign policy adopted by Mayer last November. Paramount and Skouras officials have resumed talks on playing Paramount product over the Skouras circuit. Skouras has not shown any Paramount film since 1946. Since then negotiations have been started and broken off several times. Dave Kahn, former operator of the Palace Theatre, Morristown, is now running the recently-renovated Transfer Theatre, Union City . . . New sound equipment has been installed in the Liberty Theatre, Plainfield, N. J., operated by Joe Siccardi . . . J. Parasgondola, operator of the Sayville Playhouse, Sayville, N. J., also has installed new sound and projection equipment. The Motion Picture Bookers club is organizing a new division to be known as the Fighting Fifty-Fifty Fraternity. It will be an eating group, which will have its first session April 5 at the Famous Kitchen. The idea is for members to pay $1.20 and the club $1 for dinners preceding the weekly business meeting at the Hotel Taft. The details are being handled by a committee consisting of: Lucille Tannenbaum, Harold Rosen, Lee Kaye, Irving Kaplan, Alex Arnswalder, Dan Ponticelle and Max Fried . . . Correction: It is Allen G. Smith, not James Frank jr., who is visiting National Theatre Supply customers while the painters and carpenters renovate the 44th Street branch . . . Henry Randel. Paramount district manager, is due back from Miami April 5. So is Jack Ellis, UA district head. Harbinger of summer. Charles Penser, RKO salesman has been visiting accounts in New York resort area around Monticello. The boys up around that way have been too busy shoveling snow and repainting theatres for the vacation trade to come to New York . . . Paramount eastern and southern division headed by Hugh Owen was in second place with 82.76 per cent as the first quarter cleanup contest went into its last week . . . Henry Randel’s metropolitan district held first place with Paramount News sales. The New York branch, piloted by Myron Sattler, was in third place with Paramount News sales. Eagle Lion reports: Bob Finkel of the New York sales force held the number one position at the last tally of the current Show-Up drive, which will end June 1 . . . The girls in the contract department were so proud of him that they treated him to lunch on his birthday . . . Attention EL art department. Herman Friedman, film inspector, paints and sells landscapes done in oil. Fluff (No Kidding) Blome of the clerical staff is studying at the Art Students League . . . Edith Stamm of the booking department is engaged . . . Ruth Starr has joined her sister. Fay, as an EL staff member. Ben Levine is busy booking “Henry V” for UA . . . Latest local theatres to sign for the film are: Garden, Paterson; Central, Passaic; Playhouse, Cedarhurt; Temple, Union City; Manhasset, Manhasset. The picture also will play the Neighborhood Library, Riverdale, N. Y., and the Austin, Kew Gardens . . . Jack Clifford of the Malboe Theatre, South Jamaica, died March 28. Eugene Newman, assistant Paramount office manager, recently lost his father. Tom Pozin has resigned as Astor booker to join the booking department of Island circuit . . . Joe Felder, Astor vice-president, returned March 30 from a business trip throughout the midwest. He stopped over at Chicago and Detroit . . . Felder reported that Astor in New York, and Favorite Films on the coast will distribute reissues owned by Albert Dezel. Jack Harris and Mrs. Harris are spending a three-week vacation in Miami Beach . . . Harris is head booker for Walter Reade Theatres . . . Also m Miami Beach are A. A. Abromwitz of the Peoples Candy Concessions and his daughter, Ann Louise . . . Mrs. Mark Finkelstein, wife of the Cinema Circuit executive, gave birth to a daughter, Lois Rhea . . . Herb Richek, former office manager for United Artists, is engaged to Hilda Marks. Richek is now operating a construction supplies business in New London, Conn. Roxy Previews UN Film NEW YORK — The Roxy Theatre cooperated with the United! Nations Films and Visual Information Division in holding a sneak preview of the UN Film Board picture, “Clearing the Way,” on the afternoon of March 19. The four-reel film was slipped into the program between the stage presentation and the showing of the regular feature film, “Sitting Pretty.” THE IDEAL THEATRE CHAIRS JOE HORNSTEIN has them New York Preparing Film-Video Report NEW YORK — A report on the requirements of television broadcasters working outdoors in New York City will be combined with a similar report on the needs of motion picture producers who want to make pictures in town. Edward C. McGuire, commissioner of commerce, who completed a study of the motion picture situation last fall, is now holding a series of conferences with a committee representing the television broadcasters. A combined report will be turned over to Mayor O’Dwyer in about one month. The problems of the television men are about the same as those previously faced by the film producers. The video people have been plagued by delays and complications in getting clearance to lay cables across sidewalks, parking mobile television trucks in various parts of the city and by conflicting jurisdictional claims by different city departments. The television broadcasters working on special events cannot hold up telecasts pending delays over the issuance of licenses. The television industry is seeking, and probably will receive, the same cooperation now given the film producers. The broadcasters want McGuire to clear all licenses and permits needed for outdoor telecasts. He is now acting as liaison man between the film producers and various city department officials, thereby saving the producers much time and money. The film industry won this cooperation last fall after several weeks of conferences attended by McGuire, a committee of film representatives and city officials. The conferences were set in motion by Mayor O’Dwyer who was trying to induce producers to make more pictures in New York. French Film Will Replace Olympics Film at Museum NEW YORK — The Museum of Modern Art will show the complete French version of Rene Clair’s “Le Million” for the two-week period from May 3 to May 16 instead of the previously scheduled Parts I and II of the Olympic games held in Berlin in 1936. A newly-edited version of the Olympic picture, titled “King of the Olympics,” has been acquired by United Artists for release before the 1948 Olympics take place in London this summer. EL Promotes Vukovitch NEW YORK — Charles Vukovitch, staff artist in the Eagle Lion advertising department for the past year and one-half, has been named assistant to Robert Hadley, art director, by Max E. Youngstein, vice-president in charge of advertising, publicity and exploitation. Vukovitch, who is a graduate of the National Academy of Design, was associated with Hadley in the latter’s advertising agency for five years before enlisting in the army. Re-edit Film for Censors NEW YORK — Paul Graetz, producer of “Le Diable au Corps,” French production, is re-editing the film in Paris following a ban on its showing by the motion picture division of the department of education of New York state. The picture will be resubmitted to the censor board. 44 BOXOFFICE :: April 3, 1948