The Exhibitor (1949)

NT4 THE EXHIBITOR special showing to raise funds to buy a gift for a young boy who almost lost his life by burns. Services were held for John Thomas Wilson, 50. He was a theatre operatorbuilder. ... Dick Wick, formerly of the Palace staff, has been named manager, Harlandale. The first theatre in Texas with flourescent murals is being claimed for the new Alameda, now being com¬ pleted. The murals will depict Texas and Mexican history. Forty managers and executives of the Claude Ezell and Associates met here for a session of all phases of drivein operation. The meeting, probably the first one of its type in the country for drive-in exhibitors, was supervised by A1 Reynolds. From here, the group travelled to Corpus Christ! , Tex., for the opening of the latest drive-in, the Gulf, the largest in the circuit, which now operates 16 throughout the state. The Gulf will accomodate 750 cars, and is managed by Jeff Wolf, transferred from the Chief, Austin, Tex. Son Francisco To continue their film presentation of the western fetes and festivals. Standard Oil Of California renewed its contract with San Francisco’ s Motion Picture Service Company, headed by Gerald Karski. Motion Picture Service, which has made short subjects of the State Pair, Sacra¬ mento, Cal. , the Salinas rodeo, the Calaveras county fair, anda featurette of the Portola festival, are continu¬ ing their production work. Karski’ s present productions grew out of a trailer filming business. With camera¬ man Harold A. Zell, he developed the idea of filming the various cele¬ brations around the state. Standard Oil, seeking a new medium of dignified public relations, undertook the sponsoring. Through the Northern Cali¬ fornia Variety Club, they were given widespread booking. Walter Chenoweth, manager, Alex¬ andria, was selected as chief co¬ ordinator for the “Humanitarian Award” dinner, the feature event of the International Variety Convention being held in May. Chenoweth is ar¬ ranging details for the gala stag banquet on May 4 at the Palace Hotel, where the honored guest will be presented to the Variety delegates. The occasion will be televised for the first time, and a national radio hook-up will broadcast the pro¬ ceedings. Local show business was represented in a local “aid to the British” pro¬ ject when 32 Britons were stranded in the Bay Area due to a sailing delay. The party was given hospitality by local groups including Lew Singer, manager, Loew’ s Warfield. Appropriate music from Don Ander¬ sen’ s organ at the Orpheum, North Coast Theatres, Inc. house, aided in The March of Dimes collection. "What actress is most likely to succeed in 49?” This question was put to patrons of the Coliseum, San Francisco Theatres, Inc. neighborhood house, by Albert Levin, manager, and Jack Brittain, assistant, in con¬ nection with the showing of "Sealed Verdict”. A double world premiere for the showing of John Steinbeck’s “Red Pony” was arranged by Fox West Coast with openings at the Fox here and the Pox California, Salinas, Cal., the author’ s home town. The championship basketball team from Film Row came back to win an after-season game with a navy team based at Hunter’ s Point. Stanley Lefcourt, league leading scorer and film exchange office manager, ran up a new record of points for the house. W. C. McGrath, manager, Metro, San Francisco Theatre, Inc. , utilized a fortune-telling “gimmick” for “Night Has A Thousand Eyes”. ... Robert Reese, son of Leo Reese, owner, Orpheum, Lakeport, Cal., has taken over booking and buying of films for the Northern California house. ... Edwin Scheeline, manager, Balboa, worked a successful “prestige” program around "The Pearl” and “Anna Karenina”. George Archibald, formerly film salesman with RKO, is now with Rowden Booking Service. . . .Rod Kurry, showman and actor, was named assistant mana¬ ger, Balboa, San Francisco Theatre, Inc., house. Mr. and Mrs. Clark Oxley, officials. Optimist Club, were selected as the “honored baby-sitters to attend the family of a couple selected by the Orpheum to see “You Gotta Stay Happy” . . . .Gene Bryant and his wife announced the birth of a baby boy. Bryant is a Warner booker .... Dougl as Locke, booker at Republic, is now with Warners. With “Johnny Belinda,” Walter Chenoweth, manager, Alexandria, dis¬ played its star, Jane Wyman, in a series of stills showing her rise. "Horrors of the Orient”, a spook stage show, was booked into a number of Fox West Coast houses. ... Headed by comic Jack Marshall, the “Bimbo" night club floor show group enter¬ tained at a recent Variety Club Friday night supper-dance. ... The News, in connection with Loew’ s Warfield, playing “Hills of Home”, displayed a collie buying a ticket at the boxoffice ....Two circuits. Golden State and S. F. Theatres, Inc., are preparing an extensive free automobile campaign. Mel Kline, assistant branch mana¬ ger, Columbia, returned from a selling trip through Northern California and Oregon.... A new theatre, the Centre, was opened at Watsonville, Cal. , by Homer Tegtmeir and Fred Williams. House is a 526-seater. ... Francis McGirr was recently appointed execu¬ tive secretary. Northern California Independent Theatres Association office. When “She” and 'The Last Days Of Pompeii”, RKO reissue package, recently played the Golden Gate, San Francisco, RKO house, it. re¬ ceived the benefit of this front. Seattle Alice Christianson, secretary to B. F. Shearer, left for Palm Springs, Cal., to be gone a month or more. Her boss and his family are spending the winter at their Palm Springs home.... Tony Falagno has been appointed mana¬ ger, Green Lake .... Maurice Saffle, Saffle Theatre Service, and Mrs. Saffle left on a trip to New York.... Dan McGill, B. F. Shearer office, is back at his desk after a tussle with the flu. Barney Rose, western district manager. Universal -International, was here for conferences with George de Waide, branch manager .... Oscar Chiniquy, branch manager. National Theatre Service, returned from several weeks in California. ... Jean Spear, salesman, Warners, was in Virginia Mason Hospital for observation. State exhibs attending a screening of “Chicken Every Sunday’’ at 20th Century-Fox were: Junior Mercy, Yakima; W. B. McDonald and Art Zabel, Olympia; Arthur and Gladness Gollofon, Leroy Johnson, and Al Harris; Bud Saffle and Bob Clark, Saffle Theatre Service, and Don Condon, navy booker. Harry Wood, 20th Century-Fox audi¬ tor, and Mrs. Wood left for Portland. ....Willard Coghlan was doing special exploitation work on “Paisan, ’’Music Hall Theatre. ... Shirley Acherman, secretary to Vic Gauntlett, Evergreen Theatres, was absent because of ill¬ ness .... Glenn Haviland, Eastern Washington salesman for Warners, was here from Spokane. ... Roy Brobeck, Shearer office, and Mrs. Brobeck are back from Chicago. Bud Brody has been named Seattle branch manager for National Screen Service to succeed the late Jack Flannery. Announcement of Brody’ s appointment was made by Bernie Wolf, western district manager, who has been here since Flannery’ s death. Brody has been with NSS 11 years in San Francisco. John Me Keehan, formerly with Jensen and von Herberg, and recently with SRO in Seattle, has been appointed office manager and city salesman. Film Classics, Portland. February 16, 1949