Boxoffice (Jul-Sep 1947)

Lou Phillips Supply NEW HAMPSHIRE Open in New Haven NEW HAVEN — Meadow street’s first postwar party, the grand opening of Lou Phillips Theatre Supplies, proved a popular allday affair, with exhibitors, exchange people, operators, state police theatre inspectors, representatives of allied industries and friends dropping in, sending handsome flowers, or cordial telegraphed messages. Phillips, who started his career many years ago in this state as part-time booth operator and actor, and has since spent 18 years in the equipment business, was host, with George Comden of the Fine Arts in Westport. Comden is also interested in the new firm and its newly acquired RCA franchise. OLDTIMERS SHOWN IN FILMS Keen interest and amusement were evoked by Phillips’ bulletin board of oldtime film outings and meetings in the district, which proved conclusively that many of Connecticut’s film dignitaries once had hair and waistlines. What was chic in the ’20s was definitely unflattering to the distaff side of the film colony, however, and the girls were audibly shocked on recognition of themselves. Place of honor in the newly decorated and enlarged showrooms and machine shops was given a streamlined Brenkert projector with Enarc lamp, and curious exhibitors took time off from sandwiches and pickles to poke around. Nearby, J. E. C. Kelly, operator at the Rivoli in West Haven, exhibited the picture of his 1909 projector and told some rare stories about cranking film “when.” Among those present were Martin F. Bennett, RCA district head from New York; Morris Jacobsen and Sonny Greenburg of Bridgeport; A. M. Schuman and Maurice Shulman, Hartford; John Sirica and Phil Sherman, Waterbury; Mrs. Mary Vuono, Stamford; Art Smith, Newtown; Ted and Joe Markoff, Colchester, Moodus and other points; Henry Muhlstein; of Arrow Theatre Supply, New York; Milt Hyams, Metro, New York; Lee and Buster Bonoff, Madison and Saybrook; Dr. J. B. Fishman, Aaron Fishman, Phil Saslau, A1 Bookspan, Jack Post, Joe Calechman, Larry Caplan, Dave Cherman and Morris Gorenstein of the Fishman circuit. MANY FILMROWERS PRESENT Lew Ginsburg and Bernard Levy of Amalgamated Buying Service; Morris Keppner of Gastonbury; Ralph Civitello of Devon, David Tony Terrazane, Allingtown. From Filmrow: David Kramer, Walt Silverman, Tim O’Toole of Columbia; Carl Goe, Warner; Ben Simon, and Sam Germaine, 20th-Fox; Earl Wright and Mary O’Brien, UA; Jerry Lewis, Republic; Harry Rosenblatt, George Weber and Mort Katz, MGM; Dick Cohen, Monogram; Bill Hutchins and Gladys Rocks, National Theatre Supply; Harry Gibbs, Connecticut Films Distributing; Morris Weinstein and John Ricciuti, PRC; Hymie Levine, Film Classics; Henry Germaine, Paramount; Lee Kissner, RKO; Harmah Ginsburg, Lee Alderman, and Frances Silverman of Warners; Sam Zipkin, Universal, A1 Robins, Henry Woods, Hans Molander and Leonard Sampson, of the Lincoln', and Hank Williams, Bill Vuono, Howard Richardson, Sid Swirsky. Chatterton to Brattleboro BRATTLEBORO, VT. — Ruth Chatterton, star of stage and screen, has joined the Brattleboro Summer Theatre for a week’s performance in Lillian Heilman’s famed drama, “The Little Foxes.” ^he Men of Gloucester,” film depicting life in the Massachusetts fishing port, was shown at a recent meeting of the Portsmouth Rotary club . . . The New Boston Players presented “Are We Dressing?” recently for the benefit of the New Boston Town Hall improvement fund. Janet Cantor, youngest daughter of comedian Eddie Cantor, made her stage debut in “Personal Appearance,” presented by Tommy Brent’s Broadway stock company at the Opera House in Rochester. She had just returned from Hollywood, where her famous father had given her the benefit of his long experience in preparation for her role as a teen-age autograph hound. The stock company plans to present plays in Rochester throughout the summer. “Outposts of American Education,” a sound film showing activities of the eight American colieges comprising the Near East College Ass’n, was shown at the Unitarian parish house in Peterborough. Lowell Thomas is the narrator of the production. Following the annual custom, composers from the MacDowell Colony in Peterborough presented a program which was open to the public. Participants were Miss Dika Newlin and Douglas Allanbrook, pianists and composers. Allanbrook is now working on music for T. S. Eliot’s poem “Ash Wednesday” . . . Theatremen recently were a bit disturbed by a report that New Hampshire’s unemployment compensation payments rose from $305,706 in May to $409,733 in June. The Vermont Repertory Theatre, composed of former college students with professional stage experience in Boston, New York and Chicago, presented “The Importance of Being Earnest” in the Stevens high school auditorium in Claremont July 17, 18. It was the first New Hampshue appearance of the company. Dexter Reynolds of Middlebury, Vt., is the producer. George and Michael Kalafat are building a public recreation center at Crescent Beach at the head of Mascoma Lake in Enfield. The enterprise will include an ultramodern hotel, dance hall, dining hall, picnic grove, etc. The dance hall will accommodate 400. A number of people from nearby New Hampshire communities took advantage of an opportunity to see both Mrs. Eleanor Roosevelt and her daughter-in-law Faye Emerson when the latter starred in “The State of the Nation” at the Ogunquit Playhouse in Ogunquit, Me. Elliott Roosevelt accompanied the former first lady on the trip from Hyde Park. Gray’s Inn at Jackson reported that a number of people well known in the theatre were expected as vacationists there this season. They included Commodore Barnett Hart, father of playwright Moss Hart, the playwright himself and George Kaufman. The Hart comedy “Elsie in Wanderlust” was scheduled for production at the Inn Casino in August. Following his return from a trip to the west coast. Gov. Charles M. Dale was expected to call a state fire prevention conference with objectives identical to those of the recent national conference cconducted by President Truman. Theatremen are interested because the last legislature passed a measure creating the office of state fire marshal and fire control board, which will tighten up on fire regulations covering theatres and other public places. RKO and Yankee Net To Promote 'Night' BOSTON — RKO has signed with the Yankee network for a vast radio promotion of the 212-city premiere of “The Long Night,” RKO film to be released in New England August 6. It will be the ninth time since 1944 that the two have combined for a major radio promotion of a fiim. RKO will use a series of spot announcements on Yankee news programs ten days before the New England openings and also a series of 15-minute transcribed programs, based on the picture and featuring Henry Fonda, Barbara Bel Geddes and Vincent Price. On August 13 the network will air a mock trial broadcast from Symphony Hall in Boston. This hour-long program will feature stars of “The Long Night” and outstanding guests. Linus Travers, executive vice-president and general manager of the network, and Terry Turner, director of the RKO field staff, have personally supervised the entire promotion of “The Long Night.” Ray Bell Co. Renamed Reid Ray Industries From Midwest Edition ST. PAUL — Ray-Bell Films, Inc., producer of commercial films, changed the corporation name to Reid H. Ray Film Industries, Inc., July 1 following the retirement of Charles E. Bell from the company and the acquisition of his interests by the present management. The company, which employs about 75 persons, also sells and distributes theatre screen advertising in ten midwest states. The original company was founded by the late Otto Raths in 1910 for the purpose of making local newsreels to be shown in his St. Paul Gaiety Theatre. Bell was employed as a cameraman at that time and, when the late W. R. Mills bought a portion of Raths’ interest in 1921, the company operated for a few years as Raths, Mills & Bell. When Raths retired, the firm name became Mills & Bell. In 1924, when Ray purchased an interest in the company, it became Ray-Bell Films. B&Q Now Is Operating Bijou in Springfield SPRINGFIELD — Operation of the Bijou has been temporarily taken over by the B&Q circuit of Boston, as the result of poor health on the part of Albert W. Anders, for many years proprietor of the house, who has relinquished the managership to Edward Daley, representative of the chain. Anders, who has not taken a vacation in 20 years, has left the city for a rest. Daley, denying reports current here that the Boston chain had purchased the house for $200,000, explained that only the booking and supervision of the theatre had been taken over, with no purchase or lease involved. Daley added that no policy change would be effected. WB Outing in August NEW HAVEN — Warnerites will hold their annual all-day outing at Ye Castle Inn, Saybrook, during the week of August 17. Conflicts in summer events have kept the day indefinite, but announcement is to be ready shortly. The committee in charge of the activities is made up of Jeanette Shields, Vincent Capunane and Edwin Lavette. BOXOFFICE : : July 26, 1947 101