The Exhibitor (1951)

NT-2 EXHIBITOR Des Moines Earl C. Helvig, 54, head film shipper, Loew’s Inc., died of a heart ailment at Veterans Hospital. . . . Lloyd Street has been named as a booker at RKO. He fosmerly was with Realart. . . . A. H. Blank, head, Tri-States Theatres Cor¬ poration and Mrs. Blank returned from a winter stay in Hollywood, Fla., and Myron Blank, head, Central States, and Mrs. Blank returned from a trip to Mex¬ ico. . . . G. V. Fleming, Dunlap, la., pur¬ chased the theatre building at Cumber¬ land, la., formerly owned by Doc Pace, Masena, la. Kansas City Federal Judge Richard M. Duncan awarded a fee of $150,000 to the three lawyers who represented the Brookside Theatre Corporation in its damage suit against nine film companies. The counsel asked for $250,000 plus expenses. Los Angeles Managers of the 17-United Artists theatres in northern and southern Cal¬ ifornia met with general manager Fred Stein for a two-day mid-drive promotion conference. . . . Exhibitors from all over southern California attended the meeting of the SCTOA held in the Variety Club, and discussed ways and means of in¬ creasing grosses, competitive bidding, price-cutting, distributor practices, clear¬ ances, etc. Gus Metzger presided at the affair, which had Gael Sullivan, national director, and Herman Levy, general counsel, TOA, on hand. . . . A1 Daff, general sales manager, U-I, and C. J. Feldman, domestic sales manager, visited the exchange. The Airport Drive-In, near Santa Bar¬ bara, Cal., will be opened on April 3. This ozoner can accommodate 900 cars, and is equipped entirely with Simplex, including the new XL projector. The theatre is owned by Jay Sutton, Sherrill Corwin, and E. Graybill. Equipment was furnished by National Theatre Supply. Mrs. Lila Weimar, wife of Republic salesman Fred W. Weimar, presented him with a bouncing baby boy, seven pounds, 13 ounces. . . . Bill McClintock, owner, Park and Huntington, Huntington Park, Cal., was confined to the Good Samaritan Hospital, under observation. The Roger Young Village, army-type house located in the veterans housing project adjacent to Griffith Park, was swept by fire. The house was operated by S. F. Alexander. . . . Roy Dikson’s Theatre Service Corporation, formerly Cooperative Theatres, booking-buying agency, moved out of the Film Exchange building into new quarters, at 1583 West Washington Boulevard. Flu victims included Ann Chambers, Sylvia Solom, and Doris Callahan, RKO. . . . Sally Miller, RKO booker, was still resting at her brother’s home in San Jose, Cal., but latest word received from her stated she suffered a slight strain to her back. The MGM office had its share of flu victims, including Alex Weisman, Iris Ross, Grace Herrington, Violet Lundy, Lew Herb is Still In the L. A. Area (Lew Herb, Exhibitor representative, continues with his ivest coast story .-Eel.) Another of the larger outfits is Thea¬ tre Service Corporation, headed by Roy Dickson, a veteran industryite, who has been active in the business since 1908. Prior to moving to Los Angeles in 1936, he operated three theatres in St. Louis, and, at one time, headed the Selznick Film Exchange in that city. He opened his present office in 1942, and serves about 25 accounts. One of the newer booking-buying com¬ binations is that of Jimmy Finkler and Milt Smith, who specialize in serving drive-ins. Both veterans, Finkler had been associated with another organiza¬ tion before opening his own office with Smith, a former executive of Paramount distribution, who moved here from Chi¬ cago about two years ago. Before join¬ ing Finkler, Smith headed West Coast Productions, a trailer firm now defunct. We next chatted with Miss Ida Schreiber, secretary and girl-Friday to the Southern California Theatre Owners Association, only active exhibitor organi¬ zation in the territory. Organized in 1944, it is a unit of TOA, and hosted that organization’s first national conventicn in 1949. Gus A. Metzger is chairman of the board, and Ezra E. Stern, wellknown attorney, serves as legal counsel and Eve Goednar. . . .Lloyd C. Owenby and salesmen, National Theatre Supply, are back after attending the regional in Denver. . . . Thornton Sargent, public relations director, National Theatres, was named chairman, public information committee, United Cerebral Palsy Asso¬ ciation, Los Angeles County. Milwaukee The Sheboygan, Wis., Press paid special tribute to the Boy Scouts on the job assisting theatres in taking up col¬ lections for “The March of Dimes.” The State handed in its check to the editor. Up at Fond du Lac, Wis., manager A. J. Meininger, Alliance Fond du Lac, an¬ nounced that extensive renovation work is in its completion stages. A new var¬ iety of vending machines has been added to the intermission refreshment depart¬ ment. There are two bills pending at present in Madison, Wis., which may have far reaching effects on exhibitors. The first one concerns the lottery matter. The second bill pertains to the prohibition of employers from buying candy and cigarets wholesale, and selling at cost to employes. Universal-International folks went all out in welcoming new salesman Henry Porter. He spent 27 years in the busi¬ ness. . . . WEMP is using a promotional pass book gimmick. Scores of coupons are to be found in the book entitling the purchaser to numerous concessions and articles. Included are free admis¬ sions to all St. Cloud Amusement Corn while Sherrill Corwin, another wellknewn localite, is regional vice-president of the parent unit, TOA. The Independent Theatre Owners of Southern California and Arizona, a unit of the PCCITO, which flourished here for many years, is now inactive, accord¬ ing to the former secretary, Constance Auer, who still maintains an office in the Film Exchange building, but now devotes her time to theatre program listings for one of the dailies, besides doing some public secretarial work. Another office in this same building is the headquarters for the U. S. Navy booking office, manned by John L. Evans, a former Missourian, who worked as a booker for 20th-Fox in both St. Louis and Kansas City before migrating here four years ago. He books for all of the naval installations in the Southern Cal¬ ifornia and Arizona area, which is a part of the 11th Naval District. Another organization in this same building is the theatre brokerage com¬ pany operated by Sam Klein and “Doc” Barsky. There were many theatres for sale and some at any terms, some avail¬ able on leases, while others could be had practically for the asking. Takers are far and few between, but both Barsky and Klein are optimistic about the future, especially if defense work and rationing become more prevalent. How¬ ever, the influx of out-of-state exhibitors had ceased during the past year, and houses which could have been sold for good prices two years ago are now being offered at distress terms. pany theatres, the Oriental, Tower, and Zenith. Minneapolis Blocked traffic caused by continuing and drifting snows caused a record num¬ ber of film missouts, according to ex¬ changes in the Minneapolis film zone. Missouts were very numerous in south¬ western Minnesota. Officers of Variety Clubs Internation¬ al, led by John Harris, attended the de¬ dication ceremonies opening the Variety Club Heart Hospital on the campus of the University of Minnesota and abanquet at the Coffman Memorial Union on the campus. Accompanying Harris were Bob O’Donnell, Ringmaster, Marc Wolf, International, Chief Barker, and Bill McCraw, executive director. Loretta Young, William Demerest, and Faith Domergue were among the Hollywood stars on hand. Mrs. Percil E. Stephanson, 49, Nico¬ las, Fairmont, Minn., died from a heart attack. . . . The board of directors of North Central Allied met to discuss plans for the association’s annual con¬ vention on May 7-8 at the Nicollet Hotel. Mrs. Audrey Leach, former biller, Warners, gave birth to a baby boy. . . . M. A. Levy, branch manager, 20th-Fox, was vacationing in Florida. . . . Ted Davison, former assistant shipper, MGM, and now in the army, came home to marry Joan Olson. He has been sta¬ tioned at Fort Riley, Kans. . . . Burtis Bishop, Jr., MGM Midwest sales man March 28, 19 51