Boxoffice (Jan-Mar 1941)

^HE MANNY KUGELLS celebrated their 10th wedding anniversary with a party at their home. He is manager of the Warner . . . Organ music returned to the Loew’s Poli after an absence of 12 years with “Tiny” Day at the console . . . Agnes Connolly has resigned as assistant cashier at the Majestic . . . Capitol Manager Samuel Haddleman is back from a vacation in Miami . . . The Fine Arts, Westport, ran “Ballerina” to raise funds for Greek relief . . . The Fishman’s Community in Fairfield has started an encyclopedia deal. This is the first giveaway venture for the theatre . . . Thomas Keeling of the Warner staff is an active worker in the “Bundles for Britain” cause. Dearth of road attractions has the Klein Memorial Auditorium here and the Shubert in New Haven dark, . . . Mrs. Virginia May, Warner cashier, celebrated her first wedding anniversary with a party . . . Sidney Voletsky, student assistant at the Majestic, is one of the best chess players in the city. He is having trouble finding worthy opponents. He would like to challenge any chess player in the Loew’s New England division. And just for good measure, he is studying French on the side . . . William Dougherty , assistant manager at the Strand-Palace, has a new set of store teeth . . . William Neilson, Hippodrome doorman, is back on the job after a battle with the flu. Mrs. Edward Madden, wife of the Lyric manager, celebrates her birthday February 25 . . . Robert Taylor, business agent for the Norwalk projectionist union, was a visitor . . . Guests at the “Tiny” Day dinner at the Pine Room of the Stratfield Hotel included Manager Matt L. Saunders, Assistant Manager and Mrs. Sidney of Poew’s Poli, Assistant Manager and Mrs. Robert Carney of Loew’s Majestic and Movie Editor and Mrs. Fred H. Russell of the Post and Telegram . . . Rose Bartolini, former Warner cashier, has been filling in when illness hit the cage . . . Manager Matt Saunders of the Loew-Poli is toying with the idea of taking his family to Florida for a couple of weeks. Phil Schwartz of the Parkway has started a new dish deal . . . Jimmy Vizzo, now stationed at Fort Terry in Long Island Sound, was given a party by former comrades on the American staff when he paid a visit to the city . . . Julia Greenstein has succeeded Virginia Whyland as cashier at the Warner. Mrs. Whyland resigned to go into housekeeping . . . Joe Babbitt, former stage manager at the Lyric, was a visitor . . . The New York World’s Fair midgets did big business at the Globe . . . Sheldon Rose, son of Globe Manager Harry Rose, is a mumps victim. Phil Oliver did good business with the Sugar Bowl football game, second run, due to the fact that two local lads were on the Boston College team . . . Ralph S. Broderick, projectionist at the Fine Arts in Westport, has resigned to enlist in the Army. He has been assigned to the signal corps . . . Mrs. Ida Shaw has been in New Haven as the guest of her son, Harry F. Shaw, Loew’s division manager. (< ■ ==^ A Dual Bill For Critics Boston — A holdover in a local first-run motion picture house was noted by a daily paper here last week with the tag line following the first feature that it was "definitely not a picture for children," and the concluding criticism of the second feature being that it was "definitely not a picture for adults." V> " if Clear Site lor New House In East Hartford , Conn . East Hartford, Conn. — Workmen are clearing a site here for a new theatre to seat 1,000, which is being constructed by the Sycamore Corp. of America. Reportedly behind the deal are Peter Perakos and Joseph Quittner, prominent Connecticut exhibitors. Present plans call for the inclusion of three stores in the theatre building, as part of a proposed new shopping center. The only theatre in the town at present, is the Astor, managed by Joseph Anger. Elmore Rhines Leaves Graphic Circuit Post Boston — Elmore Rhines, for several years manager of the Mayfair in Bridgton, Maine, and recently manager of the Methuen in Methuen, has resigned from the latter position and has quit the Graphic Theatre circuit. Rhines joined the Sam Kurson chain some years ago, leaving George Ramsdell interests in the move. An Assignment Boston — Local college students are being advised by Joseph A. DiPesa et al. of the local Loew’s publicity staff to “make ‘So Ends Our Night’ your next homework assignment.” Contended DiPesa in special letters sent to the students of Brown, Pembroke, Boston University, Wellesley, etc., on regular Loew’s stationery, “ ‘So Ends Our Night’ contains a lesson that no book, no lecturer, no professor would touch.” The stunt built considerably for the Loew’s State and Orpheum release via word-of-mouth. Testing Cash Quiz Boston — Sam Lind, New England distributor for Cash Quiz, reported last week that the M&P Theatres Corp. is trying out the new giveaway in five key houses. Charles Morse and Louis Rothenberg, Lind said, have spotted Cash Quiz in Haverhill, Nashua, New London and Norwich, and are negotiating to open in new spots. Other deals are only awaiting the completion of test runs, Lind, one of the pioneer book distributors here, said. Relief Costs Drop Hartford — General relief costs in Hartford last month were $79,220, or 16.4 per cent less than January, 1940, according to Robert J. Smith, state welfare commission, in his monthly report on five selected cities in the state. ■QA’S “SO ENDS OUR NIGHT” is due at the local Loew’s Poli, February 27 . . . Robert Dawson, usher, Central, West Hartford, is back at work after having been out with the flu ... In New Haven on business were Charlie Repass, Crown manager, and Martin Kelleher, Princess manager . . . Albert Schulman, manager of the Rivoli, spent a few days in New York . . . “Thief of Bagdad” was held over for a second week at the Loew’s Poli Elm Street in Worcester. Children’s Museum presented “Abe Lincoln in Illinois” on the Bushnell’s screen last Saturday evening . . . Louis A. Cohen, manager of the Loew’s Poli, obtained a co-op ad with Helen’s Beauty Shoppe for “Kitty Foyle” . . . Louis DeMayo is a new usher at the Loew’s Poli . . . Members of the arrangements committee for the Hartford President’s Ball are still receiving compliments for the affair. Those who worked for the event included Morris Schulman of the Schulman Theatres (Webster, Rivoli and Plaza-W indsor ) ; George E. Landers, manager of the E. M. Loew’s, and David E. Sugarman, manager of the Colonial . . . Morris Schulman of Schulman Theatres was in New Haven on business. In Boston last Monday was George E. Landers, popular E. M. Loew’s manager . . . “The Hard-Boiled Canary” and “Little Men” are due soon at the M&P’s Allyn . . . Charles Tuttle is the new usher at the E. M. Loew’s, succeeding Russell Schwartz . . . “Philadelphia Story” did SRO business at the Loew’s Poli Palace . . . Tommy Plantaus has replaced Robert Barret as doorman at the Proven Pictures . . . Revival of “Scarface” and “Hell’s Angels” at the Proven Pictures last Thursday did good business . . . Jay Pinckney has succeeded Robert Tamkin as doorman at WB’s Strand ... In Hartford last Tuesday was Hy Fine, division manager of M&P Theatres. William Fash of Hackensack, N. J., is now manager of the Playhouse, Ridgefield, succeeding Gerald Mangone, who has been switched to Larchmont, N. Y. . . . Thomas Fitzsimmons, attorney, is registered as lobbyist for the stagehands’ and operators’ unions at the general assembly in Hartford . . . William Ball has joined the ushers’ corps at the Strand, replacing Donald McGuire, resigned . . . Henry Hoff, electrician at the Strand, and James F. McCarthy, manager, are new Buick owners . . . Alice Ericson, cashier at the WB’s Strand, leaves Hartford on March 1 for a two-month leave of absence in California due to sinus trouble. Charlie Cunio, formerly of the Norwalk, Norwalk, Conn., is new chief of service at the Capitol, Auburn ... A benefit theatre party will be held by the Windsor firemen on February 25 at the Plaza . . . Schulmans’ Webster, Hartford, brought back “Come and Get It” . . . Webster had Monogram’s “Her First Romance” . . . Elected president of the Darien Kiwanis Club is William Pine of the Playhouse in that town . . . Interior of the Playhouse in New Canaan has been repainted ... In New Haven was Mickey Daly of the Daly, Hartford, and Plainfield, Plainfield. BOXOFFICE : : February 22, 1941 65