Boxoffice (Jul-Sep 1938)

Forty Community " Districts ” In the Metropolitan Area Equal Lineage for Each Newspaper New York — Notices have been sent to newspapers all over the country by the advertising committee of the better business drive campaign that in towns where there are more than one newspaper different size ads will appear at first, but before the campaign is complete each paper will get the same total lineage, despite the variance in copy as the campaign progresses. Organizers in Field For Chain Contacts New York — With 26 field organizers contacting major and independent circuits, holding meetings at strategic points, the local exhibition coterie raced on to a full speed ahead signal as the September 1 starting date for the industry drive drew closer. Starting Tuesday and ending Friday, committees met in every community where a sectional organizer laid out plans for the campaign. Final phases of organization for the city-wide drive were mapped out and those who have already pledged support are all set to go. Major circuits are concentrating on the newspaper publicity and advertising campaigns, while leading independent circuits and individual exhibitors are directing all attention to the $250,000 Quiz contest. Loew’s and RKQ each have nine organizers, Skouras has three; Randforce, 2; Century, Prudential and Parland circuits one each. The men and circuits they represent are: Arthur Hirschman, Harold McMahon, A1 Simon, John Judge, Eddie Dowden, Jerry I>e Rosa, Seymour Mayer, Oscar A. Doob, Charles Burns, from Loew’s; Larry Grieb, Harry Mandel, Solly Schwartz, Harry Weiss, Maurice Harris, Louis Goldberg, John Dowd, Ed Sniderman, Herb Jennings, from RKO; Herman Starr, Notts Kominos, Hugh Finegan, Skouras; George Langbart, Harry Davey, Randforce; Fred Bruneile, Century; Colby Harriman, Prudential; C. Harry Thomas, Parland. District managers, managers and publicity and exploitation heads are included in the list. Canada Only "Outsider" To Share in Campaign New York— Although Canada is included in the industry drive, the plan is not being extended to other foreign territories. Inclined to let' their own forces abroad and “down under” handle their own business drives as heretofore, one foreign company head states that among the difficulties which would be encountered if countries outside the United States should enter is the fact that releases are from three to six months behind dates in this country. New York — With several committees already functioning in the industry’s better business drive, Oscar A. Doob, chairman of the theatre committee, has set up 40 community districts for the 802 theatres served out of local exchanges. The total number of theatres includes foreign, legitimate and burlesque houses, open and closed. It is unlikely that any of the legitimate, foreign or burlesque units, the latter exhibiting dated releases between flesh shows, will join. More than 300 independent theatres are lined up, these constituting interests of Skouras, Randforce, Cinema, Fabian, Century, Prudential and Rosenblatt-Welt circuits. Feiber & Shea, operating in Pennsylvania, New England and Ohio, and the Schine circuit with units in Ohio and upstate New York, also are in. Each community will have a chairman, secretary and publicity man to guide its activities with major circuits more than willing to assist smaller operators in getting all they can in the way of benefits from tieups. In breaking down the local map into districts, the theatre committee has designated five different communities for the west side and three for the east side. The first west side group comprises 19 houses. It is called the Washington Heights-Inwood section. The houses are: Marble Hill, Audubon, Costello, Empress, Hamilton, Lane, Dale, Bridge, Dorset, Franklin, Heights, Loew’s 175th St., Uptown, Alpine, Dyckman, Gem, Loew’s Inwood, Loew’s Rio. The Morningside Heights-Harlem section of the west side has 28 theatres. These are; West End, New Broadway, Alhambra, Gotham, Jewel, Manhattan, Orient, Regun, Sunset, Loew's 7th Ave., Delmar, Apollo, Harlem Opera House, Lincoln, Morningside, Loew’s 116th St., Renaissance, Victoria, New Douglas, Teatro Granada, De Luxe, Lafayette, Loyal, Odeon, Regent, Roosevelt, Washington, Columbia. There are 22 in the district from 72nd St. to 110th St., as follows; Japanese Gardens, Grant, Symphony, Park West, Yorktown, New Embassy Newsreel, Loew’s 83rd St., Rose, Schuyler, 77th St., Olymnia, Stoddard, Beacon, 81st St., Midtown, Rivieria, Carleton, Edison, Nemto. Riverside. Thalia, Arden. In the Times Square to Columbus Circle vicinity there are 16, which include: Newsreel, Lyric, Circle, Tivoli, Paramount, Fifth Ave. Playhouse, New Yorker, Hollywood, Center, Teatro Italia, .Music Hall, Criterion, New Amsterdam, Continental, Roxy, 55th St. Playhouse. From 42nd St. to 72nd St., the group embraces 43 houses, such as: Artef, Amphion, Arcade, Cameo, Carnegie, Embassy, Gaiety, Lincoln Sq., Mayfair, Rialto, Stanley, Strand, Times Sq., Waldorf, Cine Roma, Bijou, Alden, Astor, Capitol, Colonial, Filmarte, Globe, Miami, Palace, Rivoli, Selwyn, Squire, Trans Lux, World, Acme, Arena, Belmont, Central, Eltinge, Harris, Liberty, Park, Republic, Royal, State, Times, Wallack, Ziegfeld. The Greenwich Village section has 15 theatre properties. They are: Penn Newsreel, Greeley, Hudson, Greenwich, New Village, Waverly, Luxor, 23rd St., Savov, Sheridan, Terrace, Chelsea, Chaloner, Venice, 8th St. Playhouse. In the first east side list of theatres, which takes in Yorkville and Harlem, there are 29, namely: Victory, 96th St., 125th St., Annex, Madison, New Progress, Stadium, 86th St. Gardens, Reo, Harlem Grand, Tnboro, New Liberty, Proctor’s 86th St., Monroe, Cosmos, Eagle, 86th St., Ca sino, Park Lane, Lenox Little, Orpheum, Theatro Hispano, Trans Lux, Tobis Playhouse, Municipal, Bohemian Annex, Photoplay, Loew’s 86th St., Star, Palace. The second east side district runs from 14th St. to 72nd St. and has 24 units, as follows: York, Grand Central, Gramercy Park, Modern Playhouse, Superior, Sutton Cinema, Loews’ 42nd St., 68th St. Playhouse, Trans Lux at 52nd St., Free, 58th St., Beverly, Tudor, Trans Lux on Madison Ave. and 59th St., 34th St., Art, Loew’s 72nd St., Colonly, Arcadia, Regent, Granada, Lexington, Clifton, Plaza. The third and last east side group is the largest with 42 theatres, namely: Rexy, Chopin, Glory, Clinton, Canal, Gramercy, Delancey, Lucky Star, Variety, Academy of Music, Hollywood, Ave. B., Commodore, Palestine, Mecca, New China, Florence, Jefferson, City, St. Marks, Apollo, Ruby, People’s, Tribune, Star, Comet, Major, Venice, Century, Public, City Hall, Orpheumv New Delancey; American, Chatham, Universal, Bijou, Roosevelt, Windsor, Park Row, New 14th St., Cinema de Paris. Brooklyn is broken down into 12 districts. The first is downtown with 45 theatres. They are: Fox, Gloria, Pioneer, Paras Court, Borough Hall, Atlantic, Heights, Terminal, Cumberland, Peerless, Strand, Paradise, New United, Globe, Flora, Mom-art, United. Academy of Music, St. George Playhouse, Oxford, Subway, National, Paramount, Carlton, Albee, Majestic, Garfield, Scott, RKO Prospect, New Atlantic, Crystal, Metropolitan, Orpheum, Tivoli, Dell, Lido, Duffield, Star, Avon, Melba, Gold, Plaza, Werba’s, Fulton, New Plaza. In the Flatbush section there are 33: Kings, Granada, Rialto, Century, Marine, Albermarle, Flatbush, Waldorf, Navarre, Astor, Farragut, Empress, Jewell, Glenwood, Elm, Kingsway, Washington, Parkside, Midwood. Highway, Leader, Ave. D., Traymore, Beverly, Newkirk, Claridge, Quentin, Mayfair, Triangle, Kenmore, Fortway, Avalon, Patio. Coney Island has 17: Manor, Oceana, Tuxedo, Lakeland, Sheepshead, Ave. U„ Coney Island, Mardi Gras, Sheldon, Dubrevinsky, Tilyou, Surf, Mermaid, Vogue, Dewey, Brighton, Graham. The eastern district (Greenpoint) totals 26: Metro, Model, Manhattan, Garden, Wilson, Lyric. Commodore, Grand, Greenpoint, Echo, Nostrand, Clinton, Midway, Nassau at 337 Grand St.; Graham, American, Broadway, Lindy, Republic, Rainbow, Steinkritz, Marcy, Winthrop, Nassau at 90 Nassau Ave., Williamsburg. Bay Ridge has 17: Alben, Rutz, Coliseum, Stanley, Berkshire, Shore Road, Vanity, Harbor, Alpine, Dyker, Bay Ridge, Park, Electra, Windsor, Center, Sunset, Transart. South Brooklyn has 12: Happy Hour, 10th St., Prospect, Paradise. Luna, Venus, Sanders, Avon, Minerva, Globe, Garfield, Alhambra. Bedford, Eastern Parkway, has 14: Bell, Regent, Art, Bedford, Savoy, BreVoort, Rogers, Carroll, Lincoln, Rivieria, Apollo, Utica, Kameo, Rugby. East New York has 8: Adelphi, Earl, Lyric, Euclid, Miller, Warwick, Embassy, Kinema. Broadway totals 21: Ridgewood, Sun, State, Skillman, Casino, Marvin, Rogers, Grace, Irving, Jefferson, Wydkoff, Acme, Rivoli, Starr, Sumner, Willoughby, Folly, Broadway, Glenwood, Belvedere, Alba. Borough Park-Bensonhurst has 19: Metro, Parkway, Endicott, Walker, Loew's Boro, Royal, Mapleton, Claridge, Oriental, Garden, Hollywood, Senate, Elton, Deluxe, Loew’s 46th St., Benson, Stillwell, Marlboro, Culver. Brownsville — Canarsie has 18: Peoples’ Cinema, Stadium, Canarsie, Sutter, Singer, Livonia, Sheffield, Stone, Waldorf, Congress, Biltmore. Ambasra.dor, Pitkin, Loew’s Palace, Premier, Tiffany, Supreme, Capitol. Bushwick-Ridgewood has 27: Majestic, Monroe, Halsey, Madison, Colonial Alhamibra, Sun Ray, Decatur, Grandview, Bushwick, Grove, Howard, Eagle, Kismet, Imperial, Tompkins, Comd, Century, Grace, Rainbow, Paragon, Gates, Bobby, State, Imperial, Classic, Empire. The Bronx is broken down into five (Continued on page 22-C) BOXOFFICE :: August 27, 1938 E *