Boxoffice (Jan-Mar 1939)

Warner Ad Meeting in Philadelphia — A special shot of the Warner circuit Philadelphia zone meeting to study advertising on new product. Shown here are Warner managers, Jack Flynn, city zone manager; Al Zimbalist, city zone advertising manager, and district managers Lou Davidoff, Steve Barutio and Paul Costello. PAT on the back for Al Garfield, Keith’s, who walked away with $200 top prize in Warner’s fourth annual manager’s parade — a contest in business boosting, Stanley Benford, Boyd, was the leader among de luxe theatres; Marty Aninsman, Wynne, leader in the city zone, and L. M, Jones, Washington, Chester, leader in the out-of-town zone. Leaders of the eight districts were Harry Tarrant, Aldine; Al Blumberg, Midway; Nathan Watkins, Avon; Sol Getzow, Ogontz; Abe Kerner, Savoy; E. Finney, Savoy, Wilmington; Herb Thatcher, Hamilton, Lancaster, and Abe Binnard, Lyric, Camden. From all reports it was a red hot contest. Sam Gross, 20th-Fox, is back in town after a quick run out to Hot Springs . . . Sam Cohen, manager of Goldman’s 56th Street Theatre, is beaming, business is so good — or so he claims . . . Father of Lou Cohen, Whissahickon, is ill in Hahnemaiin Hospital . . . Leonard Susscl, assistant manager of the Studio, has resigned . . . Ira Turner has severed connections with the Tioga, after being there only a short while . . . Allen Lewis is up and around after a bout with the grippe . , . Frank Ackley, Carman, has also conquered the grippe. Max Miller, at Goldman’s News, invited a gang of newspapermen to see Nelson Eddy’s “Naughty Marietta.” The reporters were former colleagues of Eddy’s, when the screen star was a Philadelphia newshawk . . . Mrs. Amelia Rogasner Bauer, mother of Milt Rogasner, Iris, died last week . . . The father and wife of Jimmy Miller, Byrd, were seriously injured in an auto accident . . . Leon Behai, Capitol Films, celebrated his birthday, March 20. George W. Weeks, Monogram, had his the 21st. Dave Milgram’s Rialto offered an unconscious synopsis of courtship and marriage in their list of bookings for last week. The pictures were “Sweethearts,” “Paris Honeymoon”^ and “Stand Up and Fight” . . . Sam Rosen, Monogram, went off to New York to screening of “Streets of New York” . . . Ben Biben announced several future affairs at the last meeting of the Showmen’s Club . . . Morris Wax back from Florida. Also John Golder, Hollywood . . . Harry Weiner, Columbia, off to Miarni for a winter vacation in the spring. Elmer Hollander, Stanton, ran two “American Legion Nights” during the showing of “Spirit of Culver.” He even had two Legion bands parade through the center-city . . . Sid Samuelson, Allied, out of town on business . . . Sid Bloomfield, Bell, is being seen around again after a brief illness . . . Bill Israel, manager of the Palace, who was formerly claiming the “biggest bargain show in town,” has now branched out and is flaunting banners claiming “biggest show value in America.” Everett Callow and Milt Young, Warner, were looking groggy last week. They had to get up at 6:30 a. m. to meet a train bearing Joan Davis from the coast for a Hutchinson Gets An Addition New York — When Sir Gordon Craig, managing director of British Movietone News, arrived on the Queen Mary, he plumped down a huge object for Walter J. Hutchinson, director of foreign activities for 20th Century-Fox. On closer inspection, it turned out to be a deck bench from the Berengaria which is now being dismantled in England. Hutchinson, who plans to place it in his garden on his Connecticut place, said the thing was some 30 years old. "Many a prominent individual must have sat on it too,” cracked an observer. personal appearance at the Fox. But she was very nice. Milt said . . . Florence Averell, private secretary of Bob Lynch, Metro, is looking very lovely in her new coiffure . . . Max Steinhouse, Overbrook, is back from his Florida honeymoon. The boys are wondering why he didn’t get tanned. Clarence Pippin of the local Metro staff, was honored in Chicago as one of the three “two star” salesmen in the country. Nick Lloyd was awarded an extra week’s salary . . . Other local Metroites at the Chicago staff meeting were Bob Lynch, S. E. Applegate, Joe Morrow, Frank Jelenko, Jim Ashcraft . . . Sam Resnick, Green way, lost 35 pounds in the last five weeks. Friends say he did it walking his new baby . . . J. A. Kraker, Ross Federal branch manager here, is now handling Baltimore and Washington also. Hollywood is suffering from over-publicity! That’s what Bryant Washburn, veteran actor, said here last week. “The public knows too much about too many marriages, too many feuds and too much about what goes on behind the scenes,” he said. “The illusions have been destroyed” . . . Thomas F. Kenney, old Wilmington fire inspector, died last week . . . Many film men attended the wedding of Sam H. Harris, stage producer, to Mrs. Kathleen Watson, sister of Filmactor George Brent. Joe Conway, Egyptian, had a request for a return showing of “Navy Blue and Gold.” He complied. He didn’t do much business with it, but he figured he had satisfied at least one customer. But next day the customer called up and asked, “Say, when are you going to run that picture?” . . . Neighborhood houses which were going strong for jitterbug contests are now turning back to amateur nights. Figure the latter have a wider appeal . . . Jane Wyatt, just signed for a leading role in a 20thFox production, stopped in town to lecture on the “glories of the legitimate stage.” BOXOFFICE ;: March 25, 1939 60-E