Boxoffice (Apr-Jun 1948)

Songwriter Jules Styne Revisits Chicago Home CHICAGO — Jules Styne, Chicago composer, was in town in conjunction with the opening of the stage production “High Button Shoes,” for which he composed the musical score. Styne had written dozens of songs before he was summoned to Hollywood as a voice coach. Among his pupils, he said were Shirley Temple. Alice Faye, Tony Martin, Linda Darnell and many others. While on the west coast, he said, he wrote music for over a hundred songs for Republic Pictures in a year. Styne and his partner, Sammy Cahn, who writes lyrics, recently completed words and music for the Warner Bros, forthcoming musical, “Romance on the High Seas,” starring Jack Carson and Doris Day. Buy Gray ville Interest GRAYVILLE, ILL. — The Turner-Farrar interests of Harrisburg, have closed a deal with Charles Brechner, owner of the Premier Theatre, a 250-seater in the burned-out Masonic Bldg., under which the Harrisburg organization will erect a 500-seat theatre here and retain Brechner to operate it. The circuit, which operates the Hollywood and Majestic in Albion, have purchased a site on North street for the new theatre. Altec Installations CHICAGO — Altec Lansing’s Voice of the Theatre horn systems have been purchased by the following theatres: Park, Loves Park, 111.; Logan, Logansport, Ind.; Freeburg, Freeburg. 111.; Lidice, Joliet, 111.; Brokaw, Angola, Ind.; Paradise, Moline, 111., and the Hurst, Hurst, 111. Crazy Auctions Make Fun MADISON — A series of “crazy auction” shows have been attracting large crowds at the Majestic here, with a variety of odds and ends put under the hammer to provide hilarity. Fred Reeth, manager of the Capitol Theatre, has been acting as auctioneer. Well Cools Photoplay CLAY CITY, IND. — A deep-well cooling system has been installed by Damon Frank in the Photoplay Theatre. METRO PREMIUM CO. now oifoii BEAUTYWARE PREMIUMS Gifts of overpowering Boxoffice Appeal 1245 So. Wabash Ave. HARrison 8013 Chicago. 111. BEST IN QUALITY FILMACK Sp^^cial TRAILERS BEST IN SERVICE THREE COMPLETELY EQUIPPED PLANTS NEW YORK • 24S West 55th St. LOS ANGELES 1574 W. WoshingtoR CHICAGO 1327 S. Woboih CHICAGO ^1 Jolson broadcast his Kraft Music Hall show from here last weekend. He also celebrated his birthday hosting the press and notables in the Mayfair room. He said his next film will be titled “The Rest of the Story.” Larry Parks in all likelihood will portray A1 again in the picture. The Republic Club of Chicago was organized last week with the following officers: Prank Mardi, president; Pearl Perkins, vicepresident; Stella Russo, treasurer, and Beverly Knapp, secretary. The club is planning its first summer outing in August . . . The Variety Club bingo party was a corker with some 150 attending. Jack Rose, Jack Kirsch, Henri Elman and Harry Goldman worked hard and did a great job, number calling and handing out the moola. Another bingo free party, with entertainment, too, is scheduled for June 12 at 8 p. m. Come and bring your friends. Max Roth, Film Classics district manager is at Michael Reese hospital for a checkup . . . Sam Harris, manager of the Lane Court the last five years, went to California for a visit and liked it so well, he will stay there . . . Mort Green, manager of Bartelstein’s Imperial is vacationing . . . Len Utecht, manager of the Lake in Oak Park, is vacationing in northern Wisconsin and Michigan . . . Johnny Kerzan, former trainee assistant at the Lamar, is now a.ssistant at the Lake in Oak Park, Bartelstein circuit has taken over the operation of the Lane Court Theatre, operated for many years by M. Goodman . . . The White-Way Sign Service have given the State-Lake marquee a new look, a very colorful job ... A facsimile of the novel See Yourself television demonstration, which has been a major attraction for more than a million visitors to RCA exhibition hall in New York in the past year, will be a feature attraction of the RCA Victor displays at the four-day Music Industries show, at the Palmer House beginning June 14. The 1,000-car 66 Drive-In opened with great fanfare Friday (28) at Joliet and LaGrange roads. It cost more than $250,000. Two thousand students at Evanston township high school had a hunch there was something familiar about the visiting student who attended classes there one day last week, but not until the end of the day was her identity revealed. Jane Powell was taken back to school for a Daily News feature story cooked up by K&K's Ed Seguin. Janie used her real name, Susanne Bruce, and carried off the gag like a bobbysox trouper. The lass is captivating the crowds at the StateLake. The life story of “Yellow Kid” will be filmed by Hollywood. Producer Joe Kaufman landed the rights during a recent visit here . . . S. J. Gregory, Alliance circuit executive, has returned from an inspection trip in the state of Washington , . . Walter MacEwen, co-producer of “The Miracle of the Bells,” attended the premiere of the picture at the Palace and left for New York from where he will go to Scotland. are being distributed in the St. Louis territory by GEORGE PHILLIPS and HERMAN GORELICK «/ Screen Guild Productions of St. Louis, 3326 Olive St., St. Louis, Mo. REALART Pictures, Inc. 2 PARK AVENUE, NEW YORK (16) N. Y. TEl. MURRAY HIIL f-0443 BOXOFFICE : : June 5, 1948 69