The Exhibitor (1953)

EXHIBITOR NT-1 jnrws OF THE Crosstown A masked gunman held up five employes in the office of the Fox, and made off with $6,724. None of the patrons had an inkling of the incident. Those held up were manager Harold Brason, assist¬ ant Maurice Goldberg, and aides Mrs. Dorothy Levin, Hannah Browne, and Mary Rocco. After cutting the telephone wire with a pair of wire cutters, the gunman put the money in a pillow case he carried, and escaped through an exit door. He was described as youthful with blond hair. “Mom and Dad” will open at the S-W Earle on Feb. 27. The last stage show is playing the house this week. The thea¬ tre will be dismantled after the engage¬ ment of the sex education film, for which it has been sub-leased. Extensive alterations will be made before the new offices of StanleyWarner are opened on the seventh and eighth floors of the Frankel building, south¬ west corner of 13th and Arch Streets. It is believed certain that City Council will soon eliminate that portion of the Fire Code which calls for local theatres to run diagrams on their screens show¬ ing the various exits from the audi¬ toriums. Fire Commissioner Frank L. McNamee expressed the opinion that such a move was to be expected. Vine Street Nat Levy, RKO eastern division man¬ ager, and his assistant, Milton Platt, held a sales meeting at RKO in preparation for the company’s 25th anniversary drive, March 6-June 25. Among those present were Bob Folliard, eastern district man¬ ager; and branch managers Charles Zagrans, Philadelphia; Hatton Taylor, Boston; Barney Pitkin, New Haven; Dave Silverman, Pittsburgh, and Joe Brecheen, Washington. Also on hand were sales managers Ely Epstein, Philadelphia; William Gardiner, Boston, and Alphonsus Folliard, Washington. Julia Adams, starred in U-I’s “The Mississippi Gambler,” recently visited Philadelphia, and is seen here with, left to right, Joseph Leon, U-I branch mana¬ ger; Neil Traugh, assistant manager, Engel Theatres, Wilkes Barre, Pa.; Ronald Emkey, son of William Emkey, general manager, Engel Theatres; William Emkey; Harold Saltz, U-I sales manager, and Ed Potash, U-I office manager. The Motion Picture Associates will hold a dinner meeting in the Broadwood on March 2. The welfare drive will be dis¬ cussed. Sam Diamond, veteran 20th-Fox branch head, is all set for his forthcoming Miami, Fla., vacation, on March 25. Charlie Stiefel was welcomed back at his office following hospitalization and recuperation at his home. He was happy over the announcement of his daughter’s engagement. The trade was saddened by the death of Sidney Sugarman, a Columbia employee since 1927, who worked in Pittsburgh and Washington as well as here. He was a member of the Motion Picture Associates of Philadelphia. Funeral services were held at Morris Rosenberg’s. David E. Brodsky, decorator, has been elected president, Downtown Jewish Orphan Home, for the third consecutive time. . . . RKO office manager Joseph Farrow was on the sick list. . . . Kathleen Devlin, UA biller, announced her engage¬ ment to James Gannon on Valentine’s Day. . . . Francis X. Kelly, 20th-Fox booker, made the Scranton, Pa., trip. . . . Mike Levinson, in from the west coast, conferred with Dave Rosen. Norman Lewis, still collecting calen¬ dars of all types, said he would appre¬ ciate everyone sending him old calendars as he is an avid collector. Dave Rosen is distributing “Miracle on Skis,” a 16-minute subject showing the manner in which two veterans overcame the handicap of amputations, and two 10minute General Electric reels, “A Is For Atom,” in color, and “Jet Power.” The latter two are free to all theatres. Rosen is now taking bookings on all of the three subjects. The Deborah Sanatorium Needs Your Help, NOW/ • Rush your contributions to Deborah Sanatorium or Meyer Adleman at NEW JERSEY MESSENGER SERVICE 250 N. Juniper Street PHILADELPHIA LO 7-4822 LO 7-4823 MEMBER NATIONAL FILM CARRIERS, INC THEATRE MANAGER WANTED for first-run theatre within 60 miles of Phildelphia. State past experience, salary expected and references in letter to BOX 125 EXHIBITOR, 246-48 N. Clarion St., Phila. 7, Pa. In Philadelphia recently for a night club engagement, Peter Lind Hayes and Mary Healy, starred in the Columbia-Stanley Kramer production, “The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T.,” stopped in at the Columbia exchange to meet Lester Wurtele, branch manager, and some of the employees. February 25, 1953 PHILA.-WASH.