Boxoffice (Oct-Dec 1939)

IIP>R(0V)II1ID)1IEI1C1E A CRY of “Fight!” occasioned by a disturbance in the men’s room of the Empire Theatre, Sunday afternoon, October 15, was misunderstood as “fire” and resulted in a few moments of panic in which 26 children were injured, some necessitating hospitalization. Immediate reaction of the incident will probably be a move by city officials to revise admission ruling so that children under ten years of age will not be admitted to theatres unless accompanied by persons 18 years of age or older. John H. McDonald, police officer in Pawtucket theatres for 33 years, at the Music Hall and recently at E. M. Loew’s Capitol, died October 13 at his home in that city after an illness of ten loeeks. Theatre co-workers attended the funeral Monday morning. Lippitt Players, after a summer’s run at the Barn Theatre in Cumberland, have found winter quarters in the Park, Woonsocket, offering legit attractions Tuesday through Saturday. House is using vaudeville on Sundays . . . Providence’s first legit offering of the season will be “The Old Homestead,” which the Playhouse will stage week of October 23. Walter G. Hartford, 82, who at one time operated the old Casino Theatre at Providence and the Imperial at Pawtucket, died October 6 while motoring to his winter home in Tampa, Fla. Leaving Rhode Island in good health, he was stricken ill en route and at New Haven was taken to St. Raphael’s Hospital by Mrs. Hartford where an emergeiicy operation was performed. Bates Theatre, Attleboro, Mass., after being dark for some time, is again in operation. Looks as though the inter-theatre football season in Providence has ended with the second game. Sunday, Albee eleven downed Loew’s State team for the second time, this time to a 6-0 score. Jimmy Wall, Albee' s door man crashed through with the sole touchdown. No casualties reported. Bill Morton, publicist, and Ward L. Jukes, RKO-Albee’s ad layout man, have Russian Bath Scenes Get Boston Censor Shears Boston — Russian baths, it seems, no longer go in Massachusetts. At least, all scenes showing men ihus situated were clipped from “The Light Ahead” by the Bureau of Sunday Censorship. The only other elimination in a list of 47 motion pictures was the dialogue, “Damn you!” and “For God’s Sake,” in Imperial’s “Lost on the Western Front.” Among the features okayed without elimination were Paramount’s “Disputed Passage,” Universal’s “Call a Messenger,” UA’s “Eternally Yours,” First National’s “On Your Toes,” and RKO’s “Three Sons.” Three acts out of 21 were refused Sunday licenses. Eliminations were ordered in seven other routines. moved into new offices in the theatre. First act of the pair was removal of a large oil painting of George Washington from the wall — for conscience sake, not through lack of patriotism. Morton and House Manager George French tied up with R. I. Women’s Club on “Nurse Edith Cavell’’ with club leaders contacting 5,000 members via phone to recommend the picture. Cards also were mailed to all registered nurses in Rhode Island calling attention to the Albee booking. Loew’s State played up Friday the 13th in its sidewalk radio interview in front of the theatre last week. Microphone was set up under a high ladder on the sidewalk so that interviewees had to defy jinx to reach the mike. An advance broadcast had offered passes to anyone bringing a black cat to the theatre and 50 persons came bearing felines. A piece of looking glass in a box of sawdust offered a pass to any woman who would break the glass. Only one dared do it. A cot in lobby offered another ducat to any woman who would throw her hat on the bed, then sit on the bed for radio interview. One buxom matron dared do it. Manager Eddie McBride is counting on Halloween being a big night at Loew’s State. An apple dunking contest, pie eating match and Spook Show are all on the calendar for the evening show that night and free cider and doughnuts will be served in the mner lobby to patrons. Jack Gwynne, headliner magician, in town this week visiting his daughter and son-in-law at their home in Gaspee Plateau. Opening at Fays, Friday, Gwynne is due for Sunday Jouriial feature interview. Local magic groups, S. A. M. and I. B. M. will also attend his performance at Fays in a body next Tuesday night. Narragansett Track reopens for the last meet of the year October 23 to run through November 11. Theatre operators anticipate usual conipetition from track during the period. For "Babes in Arms" Boston — Friday the thirteenth meant just another publicity stunt to Joseph A. DiPesa, Joe Longo, and A1 Longo of the local Loew’s, Inc., advertising department. The trio paid a visxt to the first mother of the day at City Hospital and presented her with a layette, per the compliments of Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland. It was a “Babes in Arms” tieup. Get it? Master Expanding Boston — Maurice Master, head of the Master Motion Picture Co., has acquired property on Piedmont St. and is expanding his trailer and commercial film concern. Master plans to enlarge his secondfloor sound recording studio. Morse's Teslimony A Buying Lesson (Continued from page 62) attention that he would like to handle the Newburgh and Poughkeepsie and Utica accounts for Pox, and that he would like to put that in the deal with all of our other theatres in New England for which we were negotiating. I told him that I would be very glad to have him do so, and we worked out a deal, either at that time or shortly after. I am not sure whether I saw him once, or two or three times, before we actually had the deal set up, or what the final date was, but at any rate, as far as Newburgh was concerned, before we made up contracts we did work out some sort of rental. We got together on the rental, and he told me that, after he took it up with New York, he couldn’t get me a contract at that time, but I did make a deal with him for the rest of the theatres, including Utica and excluding Newburgh and Poughkeepsie.” “At some time later did you work out a deal with him for the Newburgh and Poughkeepsie?” asked Ryan. “Yes, sir,” said Morse. “Have you any memorandum there that will help you to refresh your recollection in regard to the date?” “Yes, sir. On Nov. 16, 1933, I signed a contract for Newburgh and Poughkeepsie for ’33-’34 product.” “Did you at any time receive an approved copy of the contract?” “No, sir.” “Were any Fox pictures of that season’s product, or after, delivered to the Cameo Theatre?” “Yes, sir, they were delivered on a spot booking basis.” “At any time after signing the contract did you make any inquiry of Mr. Bailey in regard to it?” “Yes, sir. I went in to see Mr. Bailey a number of times about getting the approved contract.” “When was the first time you went back, to see Mr. Bailey?” “In December, 1933.” “Did you have any conversation with him at that time about the Cameo Theatre?” “Yes, sir.” “What conversation did you have?” “I said, has the contract for the Cameo, Newburgh, been approved? This was about the middle of December. He said, ‘No, I have not the approval, but it is all right; you will get it. And in the meantime, I am having you served on a spot booking basis, you are getting the pictures and there is nothing to worry about, the contract is O. K. I have recommended it, and it is yours; it is just as good as if you had it.’ That was all at that time.” Further testimony by Morse revealed that the hoped for confirmation of his contract was not forthcoming, and that an agreement to raise admissions, at first presented as a sure means of assuring the contract approval, was also rejected with the declaration by Bailey that the situation was hopeless and that his company would not accept a contract. 66 BOXOFFICE : ; October 21, 1939