The Exhibitor (Aug-Nov 1948)

NT-2 cent in the number of girls placed on probation. Syndicate Theatres Inc., Franklin, Ind. , acquired 30 acres of land just outside of Columbus, Ind. , for the purpose of building a 750-car capacity drive-in, to begin immediately. Thomas Grady, Columbus, Ind. , city manager, will be in charge. ... George Bryan, office manager. National Screen Ser¬ vice, was visiting relatives in Cin¬ cinnati .... Carl Harthill, manager. Monogram, was spending two weeks in the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee.... RKO employes on vacation were Sara Gastineau, vacationing in Cleveland; William Morgan, assistant shipper, vacationing in Cheyene, Wyo., and Helen Holtaus, visiting in Ft. Wayne, Ind. Bruce Kixmiller, Colonial and In¬ diana, Bicknell, Ind., the heart of the finest peaches grown in the coun¬ try, sent every exchange on Film Row a bushel basket of the cream of the crop, an annual affair and a holiday for exchange employes. ... Russell Bleeke and wife was spending their vacation in the mountains of Tennessee ...Morris E. Lefko, district manager, RKO, spent several days at the branch. The Lawrence, Ind. , Out-Door, on the Pendleton Pike, installed Brenkert projectors, purchased at Mid-East Theatre Supply Company, and Brenkert reflectors of a special type.... The Maywood Out-Door installed a drinkbar, according to Melvin Cox, manager _ Ger-Bar Supply Company was in the midst of renovating and house clean¬ ing. ... Hollis Bass, Ritz, Owensville, Ind. . has been named manager of the recreation center of the town. . . . Oscar Pine and wife. Pine Circuit, Evansville, Ind. , attended the last open-air concert at St. Louis.... Jesse and Joe Pine, while in Chicago on business, attended the All-Star football game, killing two birds with one stone... Mr. and Mrs. James Baily, Star, Winslow, Ind. , were business visitors in Evansville, Ind. John Schwin, Wigton, Wigton, Ind., attended the American Legion conven¬ tion in Indianapol is. ... Bruce Kix¬ miller, Indiana, Bicknell, Ind., was visiting in Culver, Ind. ...Rudy Steiler, Royal, Evansville, Ind., was taking a vacation. ... Verne Jenkins, Monroe, Monroe, Ind., completed his 300-acre peach harvest which he re¬ ported exceptionally fine, and of good quality. ... Sam Goodwin, Marion, Poseyville, Ind., and his grandson spent several days in Mt. Carmel, Ill. Peter Mailers, Mailers Circuit, with headquarters in Port Wayne, Ind. , re¬ ports his 1100-seat Lake nearing com¬ pletion. The formal opening of the house is scheduled soon. ..Harry Hays, salesman. United Artists, who has been ailing with a heart disease, returned from Kansas City, Kan. , where he was recuperating. . .James Ehringer, Albion, Albion, Ind. , is remodeling his pro¬ jection booth incompliance with state fire laws. ... Peter Mailers, and Alex Kalafat, Indiana exhibitors, attended THE EXHIBITOR the Ahepa, convention held in Detroit. Both are active members of the Greek organization. Visiting exhibitors included: Harry Van Noy, Van Noy, Middletown, Ind. ; Issac T. Sollers, Lyric, Covington, Ind.; William T. Studebaker, Logan, Longansport, Ind.; Kenneth Law, Cozy, Argos, Ind. ; Harry Douglas, Dana, Dana, Ind. ; Pete Panagos and Herbert Sullivan, Gregory Circuit, Chicago; Walter Weil, Weil, Greenfield, Ind.; Fletcher Brewer, State, Windfall, Ind.; Robert Hudson, Sr. and Jr., Hudson Circuit, Richmond, Ind. , and Joe Schilling, Auditorium, Connersville, Ind. Pittsburgh William B. Zoellner, head, MGM short subject sales and reprints and im¬ portations, arrived recently from Los Angeles to confer with John J. Maloney, central sales manager. The Morris E. Lefko testimonial dinner, held in the Urban Room of the William Penn Hotel on Aug. 30 was well attended by many Western Pennsylvania and West Virginia exhibitors, as well as a large group of visitors from Cleveland, and got off to a fine start when Sam Fineberg. Chief Barker, Variety Club, Tent 1, introduced M. A. “Moe” Silver, Warner Theatres zone manager, as master of ceremonies for the evening's festivities. Silver began on a humorous note when he ex¬ plained that he was the master of ceremonies only because “Rosie” Rowswell and Bob Prince were very busily engaged that evening broadcasting the night ball game between the Pitts¬ burgh Pirates and the Boston Braves, and, in addition, former Governor Hoffman of New Jersey and Bill McGraw, VarietyInternational, were also unobtainable so he, therefore, was the m.c. The affair, in honor of “a guy named ‘Moe’”, got under way with the introduction of William J. “Bill” Blatt, managing head, Blatt Brothers Theatres, who had returned from his annual vacation at Lake Chautauqua to do honor to the guest of the evening. Blatt made some very fine remarks as to the cooperation and good fellow¬ ship he had enjoyed while Lefko was Pittsburgh branch manager. The next speaker was Robert “Bob” Polliard, eastern district sales manager, RKO, who, in his position of immediate superior, recognized Lefko’ s ability. The next speaker of the evening was Fred J. Herrington, executive secre¬ tary, Allied Motion Picture Theatre Owners of Western Pennsylvania, who made appropriate remarks for his or¬ ganization, and told several anecdotes from his past 43 years’ association in the business, in addition to which he expressed the regrets of Morris M. Finkel, president of this organization, who was unable to attend. Silver and the rest of the audience then gave a standing tribute to James B. Clark, pioneer Pittsburgh exhibi¬ tor, who attended. Next he introduced Johnny Mack Brown, Monogram western star, who has been making personal appearances throughout the Western Pennsylvania and West Virginia ter¬ ritories. Brown made a very favorable impression on all who were present, and, was later on, at the conclusion of the dinner, beseeched by autograph collectors, all of whom no doubt had small sons and daughters at home. Silver then introduced A.P. Way, DuBois, Pa. , a veteran of more than 50 years in show business. Next person who took a bow, and was introduced to the audience, was Jim Sharkey, CoOperative Theatres, Detroit. Silver then called upon Nat Levy, eastern division sales manager, RKO, who, before he spoke, introduced George Notopoulos, district exhibitor. Then Levy, during the course of his re¬ marks, extolled the Pittsburgh dis¬ trict as the birthplace of top indus¬ try promotion material, citing such examples as Harry E. Kalmine, presi¬ dent, Warner Theatres; Benjamin N. Kalmenson, sales manager, Warners’ ; Jules Lapidus, eastern district sales manager, Warners’ ; Herb Greenblatt, mid-west district manager, RKO and many others from this district who have risen to prominence. Levy then introduced David C. “Dave’’ Silverman, Lefko’ s successor as Pitts¬ burgh branch manager, who had achieved this promotion after many years of service with this company. This con¬ cluded Levy’ s remarks. The master of ceremonies then introduced Father Vincent J. Brennan, Holy Angels Church, Hays, Pa. , and past chaplain. Variety Club Tent 1. Father Brennan touched upon past concrete examples of Variety’.s many charitable acts, and then mentioned a possible future project for Variety members that may well have the possibilities of being the finest and largest humanitarian prob¬ lem the club has ever tackled. The evening’ s speeches were then con¬ cluded when Sam Fineberg, Chief Barker, made the presentation of a beautiful gold watch mounted on a red alligator wrist band, this being the gift of all the assembled guests. Then Lefko arose to thank all his many friends who had made this promotion possible, as well as all those who attended that night. Among the large delegation of out-oftown visitors who attended were: Nate and Sam Schultz, Monogram franchise holders from Cleveland; Arthur Gold¬ smith, city salesman, Otto Browning, office manager, and all the sales force for RKO, Cleveland; Joe Lissauer, representing Skirball Theatres Company, Ohio; Jim Sharkey, Co-Opera¬ tive Theatres, Detroit, as well as the RKO branch managers from Indianapolis, Detroit, and Cleveland. The Nixon boxoffice won’ t be seeing Murray Levy, Dave Shanahan’s assis¬ tant for the past three years, as he has resigned to make his future .home in Miami, Florida. ... Irving Frankel, RKO Main Line representative, was promoted to the post of city salesman, vacated with the appointment of Dave Silverman as branch manager. Lawrence Carettie, formerly with Eagle Lion, and still earlier with RKO, rejoined the latter outfit, and will cover the Main Line territory. Friends of Guy Peterson, Paramount salesman in the Pittsburgh territory for the past 25 years, will be inter¬ ested to learn that he is now in the lead producing business in Canada. September 8, 1948