Boxoffice (Jan-Mar 1941)

D IE T R €> 1 T Brandts Acquire Lake From Warner Bros. Cleveland — The Lake, 800-seat downtown Euclid Ave. house, has passed from the Warner circuit into new hands. Harry and William Brandt of New York, in association with Marty and Louis Levine, leased the house and opened it last Saturday with a double feature foreign picture policy. Following the example of other Brandt houses, the Lake will play continued runs, holding pictures as long as they have the public’s support. Opening program consisted of “The Virgin Bride” and “School for Husbands.” Louis Levine has been named house manager. His assistant is Jerome Lamm. Present for the opening were Marty Levine and Oliver Unger, sales manager for Hoffberg Productions. Admission scale is the same as other downtown straight picture houses, namely 35 cents and 55 cents. The Lake has played an intermittent role in the local motion picture scene for the past ten years. It was built by Louis Isreal, independent local exhibitor. Isreal leased it to Warner Bros, who have opened it for short periods every year, but have never kept it open for any continuous length of time. New lessees of the Lake are confident that Cleveland will support the type of programs they will show. This will consist of both English language foreign-made pictures and foreign language pictures. Two Socials in February By Cincinnati Variety Cincinnati — Variety Club activities for the month of February include two social events. According to Chief Barker Bill Onie, Saturday, February 22, the club quarters will be turned over to the “Barkerettes,” wives and daughters of the members, who will have charge of the evening’s entertainment. On Monday, March 3, a stag indoor picnic will be held in the club rooms at the Netherland Plaza, and from all indications, this will be one of the outstanding socials of the season. Reservations for both events are particularly gratifying. <>' ==^ " Birth of a Nation " Not for Ohio Cleveland — The Ohio censor board revoked without comment the approval it last week accorded ‘The Birth of a Nation," which, for the past 25 years, has met with consistent refusal in its endeavors to gain distribution in Ohio. The board, in previous turndowns, contended that the picture might give rise to race riots. -V JAMES M. GAMBLE, stagehand at the Colonial, is a newly-wed; bride is the former Dorothy Gearing . . . J. Stuart Blackton, oldtime Vitagraph head, was in town Sunday with his “Movie Hit Parade” . . . Marshall Templeton is rejoining Jam Handy, specializing in slidefilm production. Joseph Calleia, of the films, was in town for the Maltese War Relief Ball . . . Mrs. Edgar E. Kirchner came downtown Sunday for the first time in months, to celebrate Ed’s birthday . . . Dave Newman, coming to join the gang at lunch, stopped by all the judges he meets en route. Jim Sharkey, RKO manager, drew record crowd for the season on RKO night at Variety. Lucille Ball and her husband, Desi Arnaz, both RKO players, were guests of the evening. Harry Cecil, the candyman-magician, put on a big show, aided nobly by Charlie “Oswald” Perry, manager of the Adams . . . Eugene Coen, who formerly operated his own travel bureau in New York City, is new student salesman here for M-G-M, covering the state under Floyd Chrysler. Father Harold J. Mar key, who heads the CYO Boys’ Home which was partially sponsored by Variety Club, is new pastor of the Detroit Tent . . . Louis Kirchner has a brand new idea in card indexes for Variety . . . Ruth Johnson, for many years telephone receptionist at UDT, is leaving this summer to marry C. Franklin Funk of Ridgewood, N. J. Ed F. Hyman, film buyer for UDT, was director of the picture division for the war department in the World War — and two of his associates were J. Oliver Brooks of the Butterfield circuit, and Howard Pierce, former program director at UDT . . . Robert H. “Bobbie” Cohn, who was emcee at the Michigan years ago, volunteered for his year in the army (he’s running a night club at Miami, but flew here to join up). N. Rowe, Cohen circuit auditor, is studying road maps . . . Lou Wisper, off the circuit and off to Florida . . . Lucille Ball, RKO star, accompanied by RKO Manager Shift of Change Dates Builds Up Weekends Detroit — Building weekend business has definitely resulted from shifting change dates a month ago at the De Lodder circuit’s Aloma. The Wednesday and Friday change days at this neighborhood were moved ahead to Tuesday and Thursday, giving a bigger play for the Thursday-Friday-Saturday bill, with the Sunday change losing one day. This enabled the house to book in stronger pictures for the weekend bill, ten days after the key run, and built patronage among neighborhood patrons who missed a feature at the key house. To strengthen the shorter Sunday-Monday bill, Book Night has been placed on these two nights, with Enamelware Night on Tuesday and Wednesday. The show starts an hour earlier on Enamelware Night to handle the extra crowd. Jim Sharkey, made a series of personal appearances in about a dozen Detroit houses during her stay here. W. J. Turnbull, National Theatre Supply manager, off for the annual managers’ meet in New York . . . Joe Reich has bought a hotel at Miami ... Ed Long, Long Sign Company, was busy working on one for the Carmen Theatre. Bryan Warman, formerly ad manager of Libbey-Owens-Ford Glass, is joining Jam Handy’s sales development staff . . . H. Vinton Gilbert of Allied Film Exchange is handling his shipping and inspection in General Film Laboratories — the old Fox exchange building . . . Mac Krim busy showing pictures of himself and sundry gals, on his interlude from Miami. Ralph Raskin, Robinson Theatre Premiums, can’t carry a watch — he’s got too much electricity . . . W. S. Scharun, Universal Theatre Premium Co., met on his busy rounds . . . William B. Chatman, formerly with Columbia Premiums, has joined R. Allender Co., making upholstery and carpeting for theatres. Eddie Heiber, Universal manager, so busy selling that he can’t get to Florida this year . . . Corine Lueders is putting a sixact stage show into UDT’s Ramona for three days a week, adding to Chuck Stanley’s shows on Saturday at UDT’s Annex and Regent . . . Max Bluegrind of Film Exchange Drugs has left to join the Canadian Royal Air Force at Toronto . . . Nat Bregstein back in town over the weekend. “Fantasia” Overtones — Freddie Schader very actively on the front gate at the Wilson . . . Art Robinson almost lost in that big car . . . Alex Schreiber of Associated Theatres, had to be taken home during the intermission because of illness . . . Jack Ferentz, president of the Musicians’ Local, drove clear in from Lansing for the press preview. WOLVERINE DOINGS: Ernest Wooster, a new name in Michigan show business, is opening the Kinde at Kinde, long closed . . . Gus Bentley is new owner of the Reading at Reading, formerly operated by E. F. Vetter. W. E. Lyon, who built the Burton, just outside of Flint, about three years ago, has sold the house to Joseph P. Uvick, who also has a house at Deckerville. Herman A. Bird has sold the Our at Standish to W. A. Forsythe, owner of the Temple there, and is moving to Evart, where he has taken over the Lyric from F. A. Graham, and is renaming it the Evart and completely remodeling the house. The army opened the first of their 1,000-seaters at Fort Custer, near Battle Creek, on Thursday. Adapt "Old Grey Mare" Hollywood — Dorrell and Stuart McGowan are adapting “Old Grey Mare,” an Armand Schaefer production for Republic. 56 BOXOFFICE :: February 22, 1941