Boxoffice (Jul-Sep 1948)

REALART PICTURES ANNIVERSARY Realart's Executives Represent A Wide Variety of Experience Budd Rogers Jack Broder Joseph Harris Paul Broder Norman Eisenstein Carroll Puciato William Schulman James Harris Joseph Harris, chairman of the board and treasurer of Realart Films, entered the film industry in 1945 as head of Film Highlights, a 16mm distribution organization. It was in this capacity that he met Jacques Grinieff, a meeting which resulted in the creation of U.S. Film Export Corp. It was from this association that Magnus Films was formed in order to negotiate the big reissue deal which United Artists was offering. Mr. Harris later organized the syndicate which, combined with the Broder brothers, closed the multimillion dollar transaction with Universal to acquire that company’s backlog of product through the 194546 season. It was on completion of this deal that Realart Pictures became into existence, with Joseph Harris as board chairman. Harris, besides his film interests, runs an insurance company (Harris Associates), and serves on the board of a national retail chain store organization. On the other hand, Paul Broder, president of Realart, entered the distribution field with a background as an exhibitor. Entering exhibition in 1938, he built a circuit of 12 theatres. It was he who organized a group of suburban theatres into a mass buying and cooperative advertising unit playing reissue double bills on a day and date basis. From 1943 to 1945, Broder served the special service department of the United States army. His brother, Jack, who was interested with him in exhibition and who operates his theatres on the theory that good pictures never grow old, is vice-president of Realart. He says that his present circuit was built on the reissue idea. In 1930 he started in the candy business at the Colonial Theatre in Detroit, a theatre he operated with Jacob Schreiber. He continued to branch out in the candy business, as well as in exhibition. In 1937 he acquired Schreiber’s five Detroit theatres, resold them to Schreiber in 1938, and the following year began the present Broder circuit. Carroll L. Puciato, Realart’s general manager, comes to film distribution from still another field — public accounting. He was engaged in this work when he joined United Franchise Holders Franchise holders for Realart Pictures product include many veterans in film distribution as well as a number who have had wide experience in the exhibition of motion pictures. Included among the 21 franchise holders — who handle distribution in the 31 exc hange areas — are a considerable number who had special experience in handling reissues and special state’s rights pictures for independent producers. Among the prominent veterans in distribution are John Franconi, president of Screen Guild Productions of Texas; John Mangham, president of Screen Guild Productions of Georgia, Inc., Joseph E. Levine, who heads Embassy Pictures of Boston, and Jack Zide, who has been prominent in Detroit distribution with his Allied Film Exchange. Franconi, Mangham and Levine have had wide experience in producing, distribution and booking films for independent theatres. In the Minneapolis and Milwaukee areas, the franchise holder is Independent Film Distributors. This company is headed by Donald Swartz, who was a North Central Allied executive for a number of years. In the central area, other franchise holders include Henri Elman whose Henri Elman Enterprises handles Realart product for the Chicago area; and Herman Gorelick and George Phillips, who were with major distributors in the St. Louis territory before acquiring Screen Guild of St. Louis and the Realart franchise. On the west coast, Sam Decker who holds the Los Angeles franchise has been in dis Artists in 1933 as an auditor. The following year he joined Gaumont British of America and remained with the firm for nine years. After leaving British Gaumont, Puciato joined the foreign department of Universal but when the war broke out went with the films division of the British informational service and helped develop a program of 16mm and 35mm film production. He produced the documentary newsreel known as the “Act and Fact” series. Following the war, he became an executive assistant of PRC Pictures and was business manager of PRC’s advertising and publicity departments, head of purchasing and labor relations. Advertising and publicity for Realart is directed by 'William B. Schulman who entered the film industry in 1945, following service with the United States navy. He was a member of Universal’s home office exploitation staff and, for a time, managed that company’s exploitation and publicity in the New England territory with offices in Boston. He joined Realart in October 1947. Vice-president of the company is Norman Eisenstein. A lawyer, he was graduated fiv.;., Columbia in 1934 and from the Columbia law school in 1936. He is a member of the board of governors of the United Infants’ Wear Ass’n, co-chairman of the Children’s Clothing Committee, and owner of Hyde Park hotel, one of Miami Beach’s finest. ■youngest executive in Realart is James Harris, son of the chairman, who, at 20, is assistant to Budd Rogers, executive vice-president in charge of sales and distribution. His first position in films was at 17 when he was with the U.S. Film Export Corp. A biographical sketch of Budd Rogers appears elsewhere in this section. Are Film Veterans tribution for 25 years, starting with Excellent Pictures in Detroit. He has been in Los Angeles for ten years where he held the PRC franchise for many years. In San Francisco, the franchise holder is Harry Price of Favorite Films of California and in the SeattlePortland area the franchise holder is Gordon Wallinder of Favorite Films of California. Bernie Mills of Equity Films, Washington, D. C., formerly held the PRC franchise in that city. In Charlotte, the franchise holder is Francis White of Screen Guild Productions of the Carolinas. In Memphis, the company is represented by J. D. Jernigan who was with Warner Bros, for 24 years. Lee L. Goldberg, who distributes the product in the Indianapolis and Cincinnati areas, has been with his Popular Pictures Co. for 30 years. At Cleveland, Robert Snyder and Emanuel Stutz of Realart of Cleveland have a combined record of 60 years in the business. Nelson Wax, at Philadelphia, has had exhibitor experience for two decades. At neighboring Pittsburgh, Franchise Holder Bert Steam has been in the film business for 28 years and was United Artists branch manager in several branch offices for many years. Carr Scott of Oklahoma City has been an exhibitor and Monogram franchise holder. Others with wide experience include H. V. George of Selected Pictures, operating in Denver, Kansas City, Des Moines and Omaha; E. V. Landaiche and H. F. Cohen, in New Orleans, and Sherman Krellberg in New York, Albany and Buffalo, a veteran of 25 years, has also been a producer and exhibitor. 38 BOXOFFICE :: September 18, 1948