The Exhibitor (1951)

EXHIBITOR NT-3 consequence was always a frantic lastminute gallop to the movie house, peach stone basket in hand, the half-dried tears of near-frustration in eye. The scene at the movie house before the lights went down was a brave one. Hundreds of in¬ credibly noisy contemporaries writhing about in their hard-won chairs, boys racing up and down the aisles with striped paper bags containing mud bars, and girls holding onto their pigtails with the grim determination to have them yanked only over their dead bodies. And — or am I imagining this ? — the theatre manager marching up and down the aisles with a coiled bull whip menacingly clutched in his fist, bellowing in red¬ faced distraction for silence. (He never used the whip, but he snapped it more than once.) The list of great scenes, of great moments, great thrills and for me, at least, great infatuations with every¬ body from Mary Miles Minter to Barbara Le Mare, from Betty Bronson to Kath¬ arine Hepburn, is endless. So the movies don’t have to put on any national pro¬ motion for me. I’m one of the best friends they ever had, and they’re one of the best friends I ever had. I love them all, good, bad and indifferent . . . and I know you do, too. Film District The industry’s appeal for contributions to the Will Rogers Memorial Hospital fund was heard half way around the world when Sergeant Joseph C. O’Brien, former MGM shipper in Boston, read about it in the company’s magazine, The Distributor, and mailed a check for $10 to general sales manager William F. Rodgers. O’Brien has been overseas for about a year, and was promoted to sergeant a couple of months ago. The sympathy of the district is ex¬ pressed to Gertie McBay, inspectress, National Screen Service, on the acci¬ dental death of her husband. Seen at brunch at Boston’s Ritz-Carlton recently were, left to right, Bob Taylor and Elinor Hughes, The Herald; Don Messenger, The Christian Science Moni¬ tor; Barbara Howe, The Traveler, and Macdonald Carey, star of 20th-Fox’s “Let’s Make It Legal.” In the background are Robert Wagner, who also is in the film, and Peggy Doyle, The American. New Haven Crosstown Representation in the New Haven area was established by Jack H. Levin Associates, national survey, research, and checking company. Jack Levin, presi¬ dent, appointed David Kornbluth to the territory. The reopening of the Bijou brought an enthusiastic response. It is open for the end of the week. Dorothy Linsley and Charlotte Robinson are new at the thea¬ tre. . . . Bernard Robinson is the new assistant manager, Paramount. He comes from Brockton, Mass., where he was with the Brockton. After his discharge from the navy, he went to Brockton. . . . The Crown electrical work took a beating from a large truck which backed into it. . . . The Post Drive-In has a new time policy. It is now open only on Fri¬ day, Saturday, and Sunday. Bill Sullivan, Braves tubthumper; Harry Browning, Dr. Farber, and Bill Koster are serving on the committee arranging for the dedication of the new Jimmy Fund building, scheduled for un¬ veiling late in November. The banquet committee for the dedication ceremony is chairmanned by Phil Smith, with as¬ sistance from Michael Redstone, Joe Cifre, and Bill Koster. Dick Dobbyn, Jr., RKO salesman, re¬ ports bagging a brace of partridge while driving through the Moosehead Lake area. He did it the easy way. He hit them with his car, which left them in no condition for roasting. Barbara Marilyn Daytz, daughter of A1 Daytz, celebrated her 16th birthday with a party at the Hotel Shelton. . . . Bill Jacobs, formerly an assistant mana¬ ger for New England Theatres, is now a student booker at RKO. Joe Latchis, Latchis Theatres, was in the district recently making arrange¬ ments for the annual benefit show for the Brattleboro, Vt., Hospital. Meadow Street Theatres around the state are adding to their premium deals in an effort to boost biz. . . . The Fine Arts, Westport, discontinued all matinees except on Saturdays. . . . The Palace, Stamford, dropped matinees except on Saturdays, Robert Portle, manager, Loew’s Poli Elm Street, Worcester, Mass., recently delivered to jewelry store manager a $10,000 bill for display as Francis Mc¬ Grath, city manager, looked on, as pub¬ licity for Columbia’s “The Magic Face.” Sundays, and holidays. . . . The Palace, Danbury, made a local tieup with an auto dealer for a jigsaw puzzle contest. Congratulations were in order to Harold Tabackman, Bostwick, Bridgeport, on his wedding anniversary. The recent “Movietime, U.S.A.” star troupes did quite a bit of traveling, with 53 towns in six days visited, and 1600 miles traveled. The stars spoke to about 100,000 or more people during the tour. Loew-Poli, New England division mana¬ ger, Harry F. Show, and Loew-Poli New England publicity director, Lou Brown, accompanied the troupes, and aided immensely. The Devon, Devon, reopened with a free show. The new operator is Bridge¬ port trucking firm executive, Lashin . . . Morgan Hudgins, MGM unit publicity director for “Quo Vadis,” was in the state again on his speaking tour. Phil Gravitz, MGM branch manager, was in Chicago to attend the MGM sales meeting, and saw “Quo Vadis.” . . . Mollie Smith, MGM, returned from her fall vacation. . . . Michael Langello, former MGM shipper, left for Germany with the 43rd Division. . . . Another former MGM shipper, Vin Falange, is now stationed in the army at Fort Dix, N. J. . . . Leon Jakubson, MGM office manager, is getting in as much golf as possible. . . . Paul Purdy isn’t manager of the New Ridgeway, Stamford, any more. . . . Bill Canelli, RKO, returned from vacation. . . . MGM’s salesman, Ray Cairns, is quite proud of his son playing with the football winning Nor¬ wich College team. . . . The Waterbury PTA sponsored “The Prince’s Secret” at Loew’s Poli, Waterbury. Circuits Loew-Poli The Poli, Worcester, Mass., and mana¬ ger H. H. Maloney celebrated their 25th anniversary. In for the celebration were, Macdonald Carey, Joyce Mckenzie, and Robert Wagner. . . . Broderick Crawford was scheduled for a personal appearance in Worcester, Mass., and New Haven, to ballyhoo “The Mob.” Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth McEldowney and daughter, Gail, are seen recently with Harvard University President Conant in the lobby of the Beacon Hill, Boston, following the recent premiere of “The River,” released by United Artists. October 31, 1951