Boxoffice (Oct-Dec 1948)

MEMPHIS Adams, Tate, Coldwater, and J. A. Owen, Amory, Amory. M^lco Theatres, Inc., has announced that the Ozark Theatre at Fayetteville, Ark., closed for 16 weeks for repairs and remodeling, will have a grand opening Monday (25). Loris Stanton, who was transferred from Clarksville to Fayetteville by Malco in July, will be in charge. Stanton is Malco city manager at Fayetteville . . . Ward Duane Crow, assistant manager at Loew’s State here, and Dorothy Mae Osborn were married recently at Temple Baptist church with Dr. V. E. Boston, pastor, officiating. Crow was formerly a newspaperman, connected with The Press-Scimitar. Ike Katz of Kay Film Exchange, Atlanta, visited the local exchange . . . Ben Cammack, Dallas district manager, was a visitor at RKO’s . . . Ed Williamson, local manager for Warner Bros, and chief barker of the Memphis Variety Club, has been ill at home with an infected ear resulting from a bad cold . . . Republic employes held their annual fall outing in Riverside Park and the Warner club, composed of Warner Bros, employes, held a dinner-dance at Variety Club. Neil B. Blount, manager for Monarch Theatre Supply Co., made a business trip to New Orleans and Little Rock. G. W. Jones, Little Rock exhibitor, came to Memphis to see Blount . . . Billy Stevens, contract clerk, is a new empioye at Paramount . . . Nat Wyse, branch manager for Republic, returned from a regional meeting in Chicago. Helen Traubel, famous Met soprano, gave LUKE STEIN — Owner, Stein Theatres, Jacksonville, Florida — declares: “We have had RCA Service for the past ten years and find it indispensable to the successful operation of our theatres.” To get the benefits of RCA Service —write: RCA SERVICE COMPANY, INC., Radio Corporation of America, Camden, New Jersey. Adv. MONARCH I THEATRE SUPPLY, Inc. ___^eil BijQunt 492 Sc. Sec Memphis. her first concert in Memphis recently . . . Marguerite McClelland of Memphis will star in “Romeo and Juliet” at Ellis Auditorium October 23 . . . Two terrific first run openings the same week in Memphis were recorded by Warner with "Johnny Belinda,” and Loew’s State with “Apartment for Peggy.” Other first run houses had good attendance, too. Malco showed "Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein.” Loew’s Palace had “The Velvet Touch.” Ritz showed “The Count of Monte Cristo,” and Strand had a double feature. Don Catlin, lectui'er, showed his motion pictures and lectured two nights at Goodwyn Institute . . . Joe Simon, manager of the Ritz, returned from his annual visit with his old friend, Merle Evans, band leader for Ringling Bros., Barnum and Bailey circus in Oklahoma City. The big tent will pitch in Memphis November 2. Charles A. McElravy, managing director for Ellis Auditorium, who managed the three old Majestic theatres here in the early days of his career, celebrated his 24th anniversary in his present job this week . . . Orris Collins, Paragould, Ark., exhibitor, and Bill Ruffin jr., Covington, Tenn., chain operator, have almost become permanent citizens of Memphis for the past few days. As president of the Tri-States Theatre Owners, Collins has been arranging all details for the annual convention October 25, 26 at Hotel Chisca. And as secretary of Tri-States, Ruffin has been right in there pitching, too. Howard Waugh, former zone manager for Warners in Memphis and now connected with United Artists with headquarters in Miami, was here on business . . . Construction work has been started on the new $75,000 Astor which Walter Parham is building in Memphis . . . Jimmie Gillespie, 20th-Fox publicity man in Dallas, was here on business. Variety Club, The Press-Scimitar and radio station WMC are about ready to iaunch a sectional promotion in Memphis in a campaign to raise funds for the Cyntha Milk fund, which provides milk for undernourished babies, and Mothers Milk bank. Weekly radio programs will be broadcast and prizes will be stupendous, backers promise. Theatres in this territory will plug the show with trailers. Five states were represented on Filmrow by visiting exhibitors. H. A. Ligon, Keth, Leighton, was here from Alabama: Nathan Reiss, Missouri, Campbell: C. A. Gilliland, Semo at Steele and Cooter at Cooter: Mr. and Mrs. Jimmie Seay, Grand at Cardwell and at Arbyrd: Lyle Richmond, Richmond and Missouri at Senath, and W. B. McFarland, Missouri, Hornersville, were representatives from Missouri. M. E. Rice jr.. Rice, Brownsville: W. O. Taylor, Uptown, Dresden: W. F. Ruffin sr., Covington: B. T. Willis, Munford, Munford, and Louise Mask, Luez, Bolivar, were here from Tennessee . . . From Mississippi came Joe Wofford, Jomac and Eupora, Eupora; J. A. Thornton, Bruce, Bruce: Ben Jackson, Delta, Ruleville: J. H. Moore, Ritz, Crenshaw; C. J. Shaw, Globe, Shaw: Fitz Farris, Harlem, Clarksdale: C. E. Eudy, Ackerman, Ackerman: J. R. Dams, Jeran and Von, Booneville; Mrs C. H. Collier, Globe, Drew; J. F. Arkansas exhibitors on Filmrow included Burris Smith, Imperial, Pocahontas; G. W. oones, Busby-Jones, Little Rock; Roy Bolick, Kaiser, Kaiser; C. W. Tipton and his son. Pinky Tipton, New, Caraway, Manila and Monette; Mr. and Mrs. Floyd Peek, Garland, Little Rock; K. H. Kinney, Hays and Beale Street, Hughes; Sam Kirby, Nabor, Littie Rock; Herod Jimerson, Liberty, North Little Rock; Paul Myers, Belinda, McCrory; Gordon Hutchins, State, Corning; Pat Fleming, Gail, Round Pond; W. C. Newberry, Royal, Light, and Roy Cochran, Juroy, North Little Rock. Grand Ole Opry will be in Memphis Sunday (24) for two shows but the star of the show, Roy Acuff, will be missing. Roy, Republican nominee for governor of Tennessee, is busy with his campaign for the November 2 election . . . “Our Hearts Were Young and Gay" will be the Little Theatre’s first offering of the season, opening October 25. “The New Tobaccoland,” a film short which shows from planting to packaging how Chesterfield cigarets are made, is part of Malco’s current offering. A spokesman for Malco said he considered the film entertaining and educational. Managers of Loew’s State, Loew’s Palace and Warner said they had no such films booked or contemplated, that their companies have a strict policy against commercial films. De Soto Theatre in Memphis is closed again. First time the historic theatre near the site where De Soto is supposed to have discovered the Mississippi river closed was because of high operation costs. Then W. L. Sawner, a union railroad man, who had operated projectors in the navy, bought the theatre and operated his own machine. The union started picketing the show and business fell off. He closed and after a conference with attorneys reopened. The union did not picket this time but business fell off anyway. So Sawner has closed again . . . S. J. Azar has purchased the Rex Theatre, Greenville, Miss., from L. E. Bonner. Len(d Theatre for Benefits DeFUNIAK SPRINGS, FLA.— Use of the Lake Shore Theatre for benefits or other such programs by neighborhood civic organizations or church groups has been made available by owners Mr. and Mrs. James Hendrix. There is no large auditorium other than that offered in the theatre. Fuller Brushes in Lobby LAKE WORTH, FLA.— Malcom Estes, manager of the Lake Worth Theatre, tied up with Arthur F. Boyer, local representative of the Fuller Brush Co., in promoting “The Fuller Brush Man.” The Lobby of the Lake Theatre was decorated with a complete line of Fuller brushes. Screen Film for P.T.A. BARTOW, FLA. — Teachers and officials of the Bartow Parent-Teacher Ass’n were guests of Jack Cameron, manager of the Ritz Theatre, during the showing of the film, “Children in Trouble,” sponsored by the New York State Youth Ass’n. 100 BOXOFFICE October 23, 1948