Boxoffice (Jul-Sep 1948)

Warner Zone Meeting In Syracuse Sept. 21 ALBANY— An upstate Warner Theatres zone meeting at which all managers from the Albany and Buffalo districts will get together, was scheduled for the Syracuse hotel. September 21. The meeting will open at 1 p. m. and will end at 5 p. m. Charles A. Smakwitz, zone manager, will preside at the meeting and those in attendance will include Ralph Grabill, assistant zone manager in charge of the Buffalo territory; Jim Paughnan, contact manager for both districts; Max Friedman, chief buyerbooker for Albany-Buffalo; Joe Weinstein, short subject booker; Jerry Atkin, publicityadvertising man in Albany, and the managers of the 26 houses in Albany, Troy, Utica, Elmira, Jamestown, Batavia, Medina and Wellsville. The operation of each house, fall product, exploitation and personnel will be among the subjects discussed. This is the first time managers from both territories have joined for a meeting in Syracuse. Usually the eastern district group meets here, and the western group in Elmira. Right Type of Films Seen Way to Better Children BUFFALO — Poor motion pictures may share the blame for juvenile delinquency but the right type can make children betterbalanced individuals, according to Dorothea C. Duttweiler who addressed the University of Buffalo audio-visual institute here recently. “Films that show boys and girls facing problems of all youngsters help children to see the humor in their own situations,” said Miss Duttweiler, who is assistant education professor. Advising that parents might be helped to understand their offspring better through films, she said, “Parents must cooperate in the home if they want their children to cooperate.” Rutherford K. Clarke, representative of Encyclopedia Britannica Films, Inc., declared that the invention of the sound motion projector and film is the greatest invention in education since the printing press. He suggested teaching of ABCs through classroom films. Warning that innocent-appearing films may be rife with propaganda, Clarke said; “Hitler considered classroom projectors among his most important propaganda devices.” Czech Director Rejects Workers' Offer of Aid PRAGUE — Jiri Weiss, 34-year-old director, said in the weekly publication, Kulturni Politika, that he rejected the demands of workers of Bmo, Moravian capital, for a part in the production of films. Creative genius can’t be regimented and more creative genius and fewer critics are needed, he said. The workers had claimed that some Czech directors are incompetent and not interested in socialism. THE IDEAL THEATRE CHAIRS JOE HORNSTEIN has them BRISSON IN NEW YORK— Producer Frederick Brisson, on arrival in New York, is met by representatives of Independent Artists. Left to right: Edward Svigals, Brisson and Sam Hacker. “The Velvet Touch” is first of this company’s pictures which RKO is releasing. Brisson is scheduled to return to Hollywood soon following talks with Ned E. Depinet and Robert Mochrie. Big Five Attorneys Meet To Set Hearing Plans NEW YORK — Lawyers for the five theatre-owning defendants met during the past week to discuss plans for the forthcoming hearings before the three-judge court next month. Their final procedure will depend on the form of the Department of Justice reply to the questionnaires sent out earlier this month by Paramount, RKO and Loew’s. The department has already indicated that it will ask for a modification of the antitrust decree of Dec. 31, 1946 and the findings of fact. 'Maedchen' to Be Reissued NEW YORK — “Maedchen in Uniform,” the pre-Hitler German film which had a record run of 22 weeks at the Criterion Theatre 16 years ago, will be released by Lopert Films, Inc. The picture, which stars Dorothea Wieck and Herta Thiele, has been completely retitled by Herman G. Weinberg and will open at the 55th Street Playhouse October 1. Flaherty Film at Sutton NEW YORK — Robert Flaherty’s “Louisiana Story” wiU open at the Sutton Theatre September 28. Last week it won an award at the Venice Film Festival. The film has an original score composed by Virgil Thomson that is played by an orchestra conducted by Eugene Ormandy. Lopert Films is distributor. Durbin Film Set for B'v/ay NEW YORK — “For the Love of Mary,” Universal-International film starring Deanna Durbin, will open at Loew’s Criterion September 22. Improve Front Royal Park WINCHESTER, VA. — Improvements at the Park Theatre in Front Royal include new stage curtains, installed by David E. Broskey Associates of Philadelphia, a colored spotlight and new aisle carpets. Total expenditure was approximately $3,000. Emotions Gauge Candy Sales in Theatres ALBANY — Consumption of candy by motion picture patrons has a psychological basis, according to Maurice Glockner, head of the Schine circuit concession branch. Glockner tells men coming through the Schine manager’s school in Gloversville that film fans associate themselves with characters on the screen and as the characters turn on emotional facets, patrons tend to do the same thing. Glockner says this burns up energy and the quickest and easiest replacement is candy. The Schine organization which has three subsidiaries in the candy-popcorn field, is credited with developing the business to the highest point of efficiency. Glockner says the percentage of candy buyers in an audience varies with location, type of house, kind of clientele, caliber of picture, age, perhaps sex and time of performance. Children are rated as “best customers.” Older women at matinees are sometimes considered “the worst.” Young couples, particularly unmarried couples, buy freely as do young men and women who come to the theatre with others of their sex. Attendants even rate the films according to their candy potentialities, Glockner says. Pictures of the Abbott and Costello type are rated tops and heavy psychological dramas are the lowest for candy sales. New Drive-In Completes Circle Around Buffalo BUFFALO — Suburban Buffalo has another drive-in, making the circle of the city almost complete. This one, on Delaware avenue in the town of Tonawanda, accommodates 1,000 cars. Lewis Drew, president of the Delaware Drive-In Corp., said the place was built in two months. It is on a 35-acre tract of land. Films are flashed on a huge “stelax” screen, 63x63 feet, mounted on an all-steel structure, from two RCA projectors, located in a booth 265 feet away. An RCA sound system is featured. An illuminated walk extends down the center of the area directly to the refreshment stand and rest rooms. There are 16 parking ramps, all properly marked so motorists may easily find their cars when returning from the concession building. Attendants direct parking and clean windshields. The entrance is illuminated by huge floodlights. Brecher Wins Nomination For MMPTA Presidency NEW YORK — Leo Brecher has been nominated for the presidency of the Metropolitan Motion Picture Theatres Ass’n to succeed Fred Schwartz, who will become chairman of the board, a post unoccupied since Harry Brandt resigned. Other nominations are; first vice-president, Edward Rugoff; second vice-president, Sol Strausberg; treasurer, Russell Downing. The new board of directors, to be named at the September 30 meeting, will consist of Brecher, Schwartz, Malcolm Kingsberg, who headed the nominating committee; Rugoff, Strausberg, Downing, Oscar Doob, Sam Rinzler, Sam Rosen, Harry Goldberg, Bob Weitman, Julius Joelson and David Katz. 58-B BOXOFFICE :: September 18, 1948