Boxoffice (Jul-Sep 1940)

DeMille Produclion To Bow in Chicago New York — The United States premiere of Paramount’s North West Mounted Police” will be held October 25 at the Chicago Theatre in Chicago, Neil Agnew, vicepresident in charge of sales, announced here before his departure for Kansas City where he and other home office executives met the middle of the week with district sales managers to discuss a selling policy for the Cecil B. DeMille production. The American premiere of this Technicolor production will follow by only a few days the world premiere previously announced for Regina, Canada, on October 21. Producer-Director DeMille and the majority of the “nine-star” cast headed by Gary Cooper, Madeleine Carroll and Paulette Goddard, will attend the Chicago opening, where immediately preceding the premiere, they will appear on a coastto-coast radio program emanating from station WGN, which has been arranged by R. M. Gillham, Paramount’s director of publicity and advertising. Warner and B&K Bowling Season Gets Under Way Chicago — The bowling season got under way last week for two local picture companies, Warner Bros, and Balaban & Katz. The Warner Bowling League got under way Monday midnight at the Turner Alleys, 79th St. and Stony Island Ave. Twelve teams are participating. The Balaban & Katz Employes Club held a meeting September 10 to discuss the coming bowling season. BKEC will use alleys 19 to 24 at the Chicago Arena Tuesday evenings at 6:15 during the season. Joe Kearns, Manuel Fingerhut and Charles Davidson head the BKEC bowling com.mittee. Second NSS Regional for Robbins Campaign Chicago — The second of three regional meetings launching National Screen’s 15week sales campaign honoring the 20th anniversary of Herman Robbins, president, was held in the Florentine Room at the Congress Hotel here Sunday and Monday, September 8 and 9. The first meeting was held in New York September 4 and 5 while the third regional get-together was held on the west coast, September 11 and 12. Some 46 branch managers and salesmen attended the local meeting, presided over by George F. Dembow, vice-president in charge of sales, and Charles L. Casanave, vice-president and general manager of Advertising Accessories, Inc., NSS affiliate. Film Names Featuring Oriental Stage Shows Chicago — Jones, Linick & Schaefer’s Oriental is presenting stage shows featuring film personalities for three weeks. Currently playing there is a quintet of cinema actresses: Lya Lys, Steffi Duna, Rochelle Hudson, Jean Parker and Isabel Jewell. The show is emceed by George Jessel. Mary Carlisle concluded a week’s run on the stage last Thursday, while the “Dead End Kids” and “Little Tough Guys” will both be seen on the stage shortly in a presentation called “Double Dynamite.” C HI If C A (G O pETER SHAYNE, president of the local operators’ union, and his wife have returned from their west coast vacation . . . Sam Clark, who was Warner’s publicity head here before given promotion to the west coast last year, is back in midwest temporarily. He and his successor, Monroe Rubinger, are headquartering at the Oliver Hotel, South Bend, where they are working on “Knute Rockne — All American” premiere there October 4. Cupid is working overtime at B&K. Herbie Lyon of the publicity department recently married Lyle Hoffenberg. Couple flew to New York for honeymoon. Joe Kaufman, B&K booker, will marry Margaret Kosmaii of Warner Bros, checking department on October 2. Bride-to-be has left job to prepare for wedding. Chicago HeraldAmerican is featuring series of articles entitled “Ann Marsters in the Movies.” Miss Marsters, movie feature writer for the paper, recently returned from Hollywood where she appeared in six features. She had tables turned on her last week when Mary Carlisle, here on personal appearance at the Oriental, interviewed the reporter on recent broadcast. Ted Turrell, manager of Warner’s Beverly, passing out the cigars since 8 impound daughter, Carol Ann, made debut on Labor Day. Baby is Ted’s first . . . Ruth Weisberg of Charley Einfeld’s office was through town on her way back to New York from west coast. B&K paragraph! Everybody back to 5^/2day grind now that summer is over . . . Archie Herzoff, who handles publicity for Chicago Theatre, B&K flagship, back to work after a month’s absence because of gall bladder opieration . . . Goldie Davidson, secretary to W. K. Hollander, B&K publicity chief, visiting Hollywood, San Francisco and Colorado Springs on vacation . . . A1 Demby subbing for Herbie Lyon during latter’s absence. Jack Burdick, manager of the Essaness Mode, is vacationing . . . Bill Eddy, formerly of NBC, New York, has started his new duties as manager of B&K’s new television station. Bill Potts, M-G-M checking supervisor here, and Ruth Hinz, secretary to Bill Bishop, local M-G-M publicity director, will be married on October 19 or 26. The bride-to-be plans to continue working after marriage. Marvin Harris, manager of the Rialto, Joliet, has adopted his second baby, a girl . . . Illinois-Indiana circuit has transferred Howard Sexton, manager of the Vic, Indiana Harbor, to East Chicago, Indiana, where he becomes city manager of the Vogue and Forsythe theatres there. More B&K notes: Jacob Fleischman, custodian at the Harding, died September 5 . . . Mother of Harold Massie of B&K accounting department is very ill. Several employes offered services as blood donors when transfusion was nec&ssary. Teamed on "Rio" Hollywood — Darrell Ware, Karl Tunberg and Robert Hopkins are teamed on the script of “They Met in Rio,” 20thFox’s sequel to “Down Argentine Way.” Raps Air Columnisl Newsreel Gag Cry Chicago — Herbert Scheftel, president of Telenews Theatres, while passing through Chicago on his way east last week, denounced as imtrue a talk that Radio Commentator H. V. Kaltenborn made on his September 3 broadcast. According to Scheftel, the newcaster allegedly said that the big newsreel companies were being forced to send imadulterated Nazi propaganda to South America because of German threats. Kaltenborn reputedly said that unless the newsreel companies “played ball,” Germany would not permit them to take any more pictures out of Germany or any of the territory now occupied by the Nazis. Kaltenbom’s broadcasts are sponsored by the Pui'e Oil Co. in Chicago and the advertising agency, Leo Burnett Co., is also located in Chicago. Boxoffice asked the advertiser and agency for copies of the script but they both replied that Kaltenborn never uses any scripts. Instead, he ad libs his entire show, using only penciled notes that he has made prior to going on the air. A checkup with the NBC studios in Chicago confirmed the fact that Kaltenborn does not use scripts. Scheftel also told Boxoffice that a fourth Telenews Theatre would be opened in Cleveland about November 1. The new newsreel house will be located just off the square on Euclid Ave. Telenews already has theatres in New York, San Francisco and Chicago. The Telenews president spent several hours here conferring with Sylvan Goldfinger, manager of the local Telenews. "Quiz Kids" May Be Made Into a Shorts Series Chicago — “Quiz Kids,” weekly radio program originating here, may be made into a series of shorts which would be filmed in Chicago, according to Jimmy Parks of General Amusement Corp. Parks sold the program to Miles Laboratories, Inc., Elkhart, Ind., currently sponsoring the program on NBC. Parks, together with Louis Cowan, local program producer, holds all rights to the show including film rights. Before leaving for Hollywood, Parks told Boxoffice he expected to close the deal for making the film series while on the west coast. He said that original plans were to make the shorts in Hollywood but since then it has been found more practical to make the series here, since all the children and members of the radio cast are from Chicago and surrounding territory. Two Screenings Chicago — Harry and Elmer Balaban ’s Esquire has been host to exhibitors attending special screenings the past two weeks. Universal screened “Hired "Wife” there last Friday, and Columbia previewed “The Howards of Virginia” there this Tuesday. Slate McCoy for Eight Hollywood — Tim McCoy has been signed to appear in eight westerns for release on the 1940-41 program by Producers Releasing Corp. 84 BOXOFFICE : : September 14, 1940