Boxoffice (Jan-Mar 1945)

Offers Free School On Electronics (From Central Edition) ST. LOUIS — A class in electronics was started recently in the hall of the St. Louis AFL Electrical Workers Local No. 1 with some 40 union electricians as students and Oscar W. Rosenkoetter, chief electrician of the Missouri Jewelite Sign Co. as instructor. Rosenkoetter recently completed a six-week course in electronics at Marquette University, Milwaukee. The class is the first step in a $10,000 educational program planned by the union. At the first session a lecture on the fundamental principles of electronics was given. Later there will be several educational motion pictures, displays of electronic equipment and tours of local plants where electronics are used. The course will continue for 20 weeks. The course is free to the students. If the present plans mature some 450 members of the union will take the course and classes will be conducted three or four nights a week at the union hall, 4249 Gibson Ave. John T. Meinert, union president, said it is also planned to have day classes for the benefit of men who work at night. “The purpose of this school is to prepare our members for the future, to enable them to command better jobs and to elevate their position,” Meinert explained. He also pointed out the goodwill advantages of the educational program since many persons think union members are wasters of time. “This is what we want to correct,” he said. Gus Schumann is chairman of the union’s educational committee. He said that 450 members of the union have already applied for the course and the union plans to expand the course eventually to include all of the present 2,400 members of Local No. 1. Rosenkoetter is the first of eight members of the local who have been chosen to attend the national school for electronics training, which is sponsored by the AFL International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers. It is the first such course of its kind in the country, Schumann said. James A. Merrell is business agent for the union. "The Face on Cutting Room Floor" Visits Home Town (From Midwest Edition) DES MOINES — Joe Miller, Des Moines’ gift to western pictures, is coming to be known as the “Face on the Cutting Room Floor.” Joe, back home for a couple of months, mentions with some feeling the pictures he hasn’t been in. Joe told us we’d have seen him in “Whistling in Brooklyn” if it had not been for the cutting room. He narrowly escaped being removed from “Christmas Holiday,” too. Joe, whose three years in Hollywood as a western comedian, which included, as he puts it, “a year’s starving,” just spent five months and eight days in the navy. The eight days were put in at sea. But during these eight days, Miller was captain of a gun crew which battled it out with a Nazi U-boat. Broken ribs and concussion in that battle forced him out of service. But he’s in pretty good shape now and will be able to report to Monogram around March 1 for more westerns. Joe has appeared in pictures with Hoot Gibson, Bob Steele, Ken Maynard and Red Skelton. He’s married and has three children. To Join Cast of "Danger Signal" Bruce Bennett and Rosemary DeCamp are set to join the cast of Warners’ “Danger Signal.” Theatres Warned Against Employment of Kids (From Central Edition) CHICAGO — Theatre managers are being warned by the division of women’s and children’s employment of the Illinois department of labor against hiring children. Numerous boys and girls have told their parents that extra money found in their pockets came from their employment in theatres, at candy counters, as ushers or popcorn sellers. Again, boys and girls are reported to have stated that their late hours were due to theatre employment. Checking the situation, following complaints by parents and in line with the fight on juvenile delinquency, Mrs. Jewel' O. Coleman said she could find no actual violations of the child labor law on the part of the theatres, but added that managers must beware of violating the law when, desperate for help, they might believe a minoi when he or she misrepresented in the matter of age. Terms under which minors, 14 to 16 years old, may be employed in Illinois are limited to: 1. The employer must have on file an employment certificate issued by the superintendent of schools. 2. Not more than eight hours a day, including the time required to attend school. 3. Not more than six days a week. 4. Between the hours of 7 a. m. and 7 p. m. ST. JOHN pleads of the Canadian army, navy and air force in sending congratulatory letters to Bob Roddick, district manager of FPC, in honor of the company’s 25th anniversary, added their appreciation for the donations by the big circuit of the Halifax Capitol for Sunday shows for service men the past four years . . . Mike Foggia, owner of the Opera House at Woodland, received news that his two sons, Amadeo and Louis, met accidentally in Luxembourg. One saw the other in a passing truck, there was a shout and a reunion for two hours on the truck. Lou has been on the western front since D-Day and Amadeo, since September. Both helped their dad at the Opera House before shouldering rifles. It appears now that O’Brien & Killam of Yarmouth Theatre & Amusement Co. are not going into the Odeon lineup but will continue to move along under their own power. Several huddles had been reported between Abe Garson, St. John, new OdeonRank chief in the maritimes, and S. E. O’Brien, the objective being to draw the Yarmouth Capitol into Odeon for an affiliation if not outright or partial purchase. Franklin & Herschorn are ready to introduce television if this is considered essential as a postwar boxoffice lure, according to Mitchell Franklin, secretary, and acting general manager, in the absence of his father, Joe Franklin, who is in Florida. Celtic Hall, Antigonish, once used as a theatre and in recent years as a dance hall, has been offered for sale. The seating capacity was 500. There are three bowling alleys, billiard and pool tables, in connection. The Celtic and the Capitol Theatre were owned by Bill Landry who died a few months ago . . . When a date book filled with names and addresses of women was picked up in the Capitol, Halifax, it was returned to the owner, a soldier from Quebec, and he was effusive with his thanks. VANCOUVER J^ndy Digney, owner of the Oak Theatre here, reports that a deal is under way for the purchase by the Odeon circuit of his theatre. The house is one of the newest and best suburban housces in the district and seats 800. This will give Odeon 28 theatres in British Columbia . . . Mrs. George McEwan of the Royal is recovering from a major operation. Mary Lucas, formerly with Empire-Universal at Calgary, is now here with the same company as revisor . . . Agnes McEwan of E-U is still on the sick list . . . Leon Shelly, managing director of Vancouver Motion Pictures, Inc., was back here for a few days after being east for some months. He left for Hollywood. Harry Howard, owner of Theatre Equipment Co., who spent the last three years in the air force, has been released and is back at his old post . . . For the first time in two years J. J. Fitzgibbons, head of Famous Players, met his son Robert, who is on active service with the U.S. navy and who came up from Seattle to visit his father here for the FPC 25th anniversary activities . . . Russ Mctavish, owner of the Cambie Theatre, is back from hospital after an operation on his leg . . . Howard Boothe, Odeon supervisor, returned from a threeweek visit in the east. W. P. Nicols of the Royal will start stage shows after he installs new fire escapes ordered by the fire warden. Between 30 and 50 returned veterans have entered the ranks of projectionists throughout the Dominion as a result of the assistance being given by the projectionists union to the Dominion provincial training program of the rehabilitation commission. Some provinces which license projectionists have waived apprentice and journeyman license fees and practically every local in Canada is endeavoring to make room for veterans. Each Canadian local of the IATSE has home autonomy in the matter of assisting the program, under which veterans receive $20 a week for one year from the commission while studying for their B license. Cafes seem to be a second business with local showmen. Jack Johnson of Fiimart has taken over Jurdy’s in the amusement belt. He makes the fifth from British Columbia theatre business to buy a cafe. The others are Bill Long, former Odeon head; Wilfred Little, Abbotsford; Jack Cooperband, former Roxy owner, and A1 Gold, Calgary. The Falkon Theatre, Tisdale, Sask., recently was destroyed by fire which started in the projection room. As soon as the alarm was given about 150 persons filed safely out of the theatre. Fred Falkner, owner, was away on a holiday in Alberta at the time. Reports filtering in from England emphasize the fact that numerous exchanges have sprung up recently devoted exclusively to reissues. This development is the result of the prosperity currently enjoyed by the average English family who are patronizing films which in prewar times they were unable to witness because of low incomes. This is reflected also in British Columbia where Steve Rolston of Monogram is making hay while the sun shines with reissues of “Drums,” “That Hamilton Woman” and “Jungle Boy.” Bill Grant of PRC offers “The Kid From Spain” and “Dead End,” all doing nicely at the boxoffice. “Drums” and “That Hamilton Woman” played to three big weeks at the Plaza, a downtown house. 92 BOXOFFICE : : February 17, 1945