Boxoffice (Jan-Mar 1941)

HARTFORD Annual Party for Kids By Mayor of Hartford Hartford — Mayor Spellacy’s annual Christmas party for youngsters was held last Friday morning at the Loew’s Poli, with doors opening at 8:30 a. m. and the performance beginning at 9:30 a. m. Cooperation in arranging the party was given by Jack A. Simons, the theatre’s manager, and his staff, as well as Local 486, IATSE, the WPA recreation division of the Hartford park department and others. Besides the Mayor, other city officials attended, these including members of the amusements committee of the board of aldermen. The committee is comprised of Alderman J. J. Kenny, chairman, and Aldermen Samuel Lebon, John G. Dworak, A. H. Giller and L. L. Malley. New Hampshire Exhibitors Hold Christmas Parties Manchester, N. H. — Exhibitors of the state did their share to make Christmas a joyous occasion for children and needy adults. In Claremont, Peter D. Latchis, theatre chain owner, played host to 1,200 youngsters at a party. Manager Joseph Belluscio extended greetings. Latchis also sponsored a similar party in Keene. At the Colonial in Laconia, articles of food served as the admission and Christmas baskets made up from these contributions were distributed to the city’s needy by Laconia Lodge of Elks. Manager Ralph Morris donated the use of the theatre for the event. In Exeter, more than 500 children attended a special show and received bags of candy at the Ioka Theatre. Reopen Waterbury House For Six-a-Week Operation Waterbury, Conn. — Jacques Theatre, operated periodically for burlesque during the past many years, was reopened December 27, under the management of A1 Smith, for six-a-week operation. Shows direct from Gayety, Boston, will open Friday afternoons. Sunday afternoon and evening will be continuous. The house had a New Year’s Eve midnight show. Report Group May Build Newsreeler in Hartford Hartford — Reports are current an unidentified group is seeking funds for the purpose of building a downtown newsreel theatre. It would be the first of its kind in this territory. Three Boys Absolved Hartford — Arrested on a charge of creating a disturbance at the Proven Pictures Theatre here, three teen-aged boys were released when they were found not guilty in police court. Whether this means a new wave of strict law-enforcement in local theatres remains to be seen. JpLAVIA SLOAT, that cute cashier at the M&P’s Allyn, says “North West Mounted Police” is the “Gone With the Wind” of 1941 . . . Colchester Chapter of Senior and Junior Hadassah presented its fifth annual play, “Uncle Josh Perkins” at the Colchester, Colchester, recently, through the cooperation of that Markoff circuit house . . . Palace, Norwalk, brought back Columbia’s “Lost Horizon” and “The Awful Truth” . . . Revival of “The Trail of the Lonesome Pine” reportedly did fair business at the Strand, Winsted . . . M&P’s Norwalk, Norwalk, has started the serial, “Mysterious Dr. Satan” . . . Beverly Roberts and Stepin’ Fetchit of the films were to have been featured in a New Year’s Eve revue at the recently-reopened Alhambra, Torrington . . . Blackstone the Magician did a p. a. at the Palace, Stamford. “Go West” played two weeks at the Loew’s Poli College, New Haven, and Loew’s Poli Elm Street, Worcester . . . Edward F. Burns, usher at the WB’s Lenox, has been elected president of the Weaver High School chapter of the National Honor Society . . . Mickey Daly of the Hartford Daly and Plainfield, Plainfield, was in New Haven last Tuesday on business . . . Evelyn Doyle, former usherette at Charlie Repass’ Crown, and Thomas Whalen of Hartford are now Mr. and Mrs. . . . Ozzie Nelson and his orchestra, featuring Harriet Hilliard, were at the Lyric, Bridgeport . . . Kennie Faye, manager of the WB’s Rialto, now has his day off every other Monday . . . Alice Ericon, WB’s Strand cashier, is still ill at home, as is also Charlie Williams, porter . . . In Manchester Christmas Day from Hartford were James F. McCarthy, manager of the WB’s Strand, and Henry Needles, WB’s district manager. Nathan E. Goldstein, president of the Western Massachusetts Theatres, Inc., Springfield, was in New York recently on business ... In Holyoke, Mass., last week was Bernard William Levy, manager of the main stem Proven Pictures, and also division manager of the Fred Lieberman Theatres in Hartford and Holyoke . . . Eleanor Simons, daughter of local Loew’s Poli Manager Jack A. Simons, has been ill with a throat infection . . . Joe Bernard, chief of the WB’s Strand service staff, has hopes of becoming a motion picture projectionist some day . . . Robert McGann, usher at the WB’s Lenox, is quite a basketball fan . . . E. M. Loew’s had Producers Releasing Corp.’s “Misbehaving Husbands.” Congratulations are in order for popular Jack Sanson, manager of the State, Manchester, who has been appointed president of the Manchester Chamber of Commerce . . . Pat McMahon, manager of the State, Neiv Britain, is planning the construction of a new home . . . Robert Hall is the new usher at the local WB’s Strand, succeeding Robert Oates, resigned . . . Joe Christoph of Windsor, ivho with his wife (Mrs. M. Oakley Christoph, Hartford Courant film columnist) was in Europe when war broke out, was guest speaker at a meeting of Gray -Dickinson Post, American Legion . . . Main stem Daly had an amateur contest on its stage last Thursday night . . . Yiddish film, “Motel, the Operator,” is due at the Bushnell’s Wednesday night, January 8 . . . Rosalind Russell, screen star, spent the Christmas holidays with her family in Waterbury . . . Katharine Hepburn spent the Christmas holidays with her parents, Dr. and Mrs. Thomas N. Hepburn, in West Hartford. Vaudeville Actors’ Ass’n of Connecticut held a meeting at the Allyn House last Sunday night . . . Jack A. Simons, Loew’s Poli manager, spent last Friday in New York ... A new part-time usher at the M&P’s Allyn is Joseph Carjerro . . . Matt L. Saunders of the Loew’s Poli, Bridgeport, received an Honor Roll Award emblem from M-G-M for “Strike Up the Band” exploitation . . . New sound has been installed at the American in Bridgeport . . . Paul Mardellio is a new usher at the E. M. Loew’s succeeding Harold Schwartz, resigned . . . Norbert Aubin is the new manager of the Strand in Willimantic . . . Mrs. Joseph Samartano, wife of the Loew’s Poli Palace, Meriden, manager, has been ill at home . . . WB’s Regal reported good business with Republic’s “Hit Parade of 1941” . . . Capitol, Bridgeport, has been reseated. Ernest Wattrus is a new E. M. Loew’s usher, replacing Freddie Kendricks, resigned . . . New Year’s Eve: M&P’s Allyn presented “Second Chorus,” while the Loew’s Poli had “Comrade X,” and the WB’s Strand brought in the much-heralded “Santa Fe Trail” . . . “Here Is Ireland” is due at the Bushnell’s Memorial, January 11 and 12 . . . Harris Brothers’ State, for its New Year’s Eve presentation, had the Three Stooges, John Kirby’s band, Ray Herbeck’s orchestra, Maxine Sullivan and Pat Paree in a three-hour stage show . . . WB’s Rialto, Norwalk, reopened Christmas Day after a period of renovating . . . F. Borelli has installed new film equipment in St. Mary’s Hall, Worcester. Cc : NEW HAMPSHIRE : * ■ =d PERSONAL appearance by Buster West headed the vaudeville bill at the Palace in Manchester when stage shows were resumed following a pre-Christmas season suspension. Word has been received in Newington of death of Louis L. G. deRochemont, a former resident and father of Louis de Rochemont, founder and producer of the “March of Time” films. The elder de Rochemont was a well-known Boston attorney. Granite State theatre operators have received cheering news, to the effect that 140,000 workers listed by the state unemployment compensation division received a total payroll of $12,000,000 for the year ending December 31. This was an increase of $2,000,000 over 1939. Bills creating a state lottery, legalizing pari-mutuel bets on greyhound racing and licensing slot machines are reported to be planned for introduction at the biennial session of the legislature. Vigorous opposition looms on all these measures. BOXOFFICE : : January 4, 1941 105