The Exhibitor (Jun-Oct 1943)

THE EXHIBITOR NTS war. Mayor Murray, in a lengthy com¬ munication to the Council, notes that the municipal body in 1941 asked to have the Pocasset site set aside for a municipal parking lot, and expresses the desire for competitive bidding if the land is to be sold. The veto was anticipated. Empire manager William S. Canning, who served as master of ceremonies at the war bond premiere showing of “Salute To the Marines,” was presented a valu¬ able wrist watch by Melvin Lazarus, Mell Jewelry Company, at the premiere. Token was in appreciation of Canning’s tireless work in the interest of war bonds sales throughout the area. Joseph Daley, William Bettencourt, and Joseph Sowle are new on the Center stafE. . . . Joseph Malvey, husband of Mrs. Mary Malvey, Empire, is in the army. . . . Joseph Furtado is the new assistant to manager Paul Slayer, Durfee. Fall River theatres, under the leader¬ ship of Empire manager William S. Can¬ ning, were doubling their efforts to bring to a successful realization the motto “Beat New Bedford” in the current Third War Loan Bond Drive contest. Canning an¬ nounced that with a week to go, Fall River citizens subscribed a total of $9,407,739, or $5,592,261 short of the goal of $15,000,000 in all type bonds set for the city. New Bedford’s total recently an¬ nounced by Fall River Finance Officer Thomas B. Bassett is $11,153,600. The regional sales in Bristol, Dukes, Barn¬ stable, and Nantucket counties, including returns from purchases at theatre box offices in those communities, is $25,265,826. In the intercity competition between New Bedford and Fall River, the former leaves the latter trailing. Fitchburg Dennis O’Brien, manager, Fitchburg, staged a war loan drive benefit show. Lawrence Since the opening of the Third War Loan Drive things have been humming at full speed. One of the highlights of the local drive was presented to the public with the personal appearance of Victor Mature. A capacity audience packed the Warner in co-operation with the performance pre¬ sented by WLAW with Warner theatres. The bond rally and New England pre¬ miere was presented locally through the cooperation of the Lawrence War Activi¬ ties Committee, of which Jack Melincoff, manager, Warner; Joseph P. Liss, man¬ ager, Palace; Ben Gruber, manager. Mod¬ ern, and others make up an active part. Activities reached their heights with a gala parade sponsored by the Lawrence Postal Division with the assistance of local theatre houses and managers. It was a spectacular affair with many units mak¬ ing up the line of march, which included aides from Warner Brothers and inde¬ pendent houses carrying war bond mes¬ sages. This part of the program was ar¬ ranged under the direction of Joe Liss, Palace. Local theatre managers are reporting the greatest volume of war bond sales since the opening of any war drive. With the Third War Loan Drive in its final stages, Joseph P. Liss, manager. Pal¬ ace, is going ahead with preparations for the showing of “This Is the Army” to be screened locally on Oct. 13. The event is planned to be one of the most patriotic demonstrations in Lawrence’s history. It is a return engagement for the World Series in New York for manager Sam Richmond, Victoria, who will leave shortly to take in the baseball show for the second consecutive year. Another tin collection is being planned for this city for the near future under the capable direction of John J. Kane, pro¬ jectionist, Warner, head, Lawrence Sal¬ vage Committee. Kane has done a great job in the past, and has received com¬ mendations from local, state, and national officials. Walter J. Coleman, former correspon¬ dent for The Exhibitor, recently spent a short furlough locally. He is presently stationed in Virginia with the navy. Lowell The war loan drive in Lowell was given a $100,000 “lift” by the bond premiere at the M. and P. Strand theatre, Nat Silver, manager, as part of the Lowell motion picture theatre committee’s campaign, of which Arthur Keenan, manager, M. and P. Merrimack Square, is chairman. The performance was given without any for¬ mality and no public speaking, under a new policy adopted. Well over a thousand children attended the Strand theatre's first of a series of “kiddies’ shows” for the collection of “C-B’s” — copper, brass, and bronze. More than half a ton of the metals was netted in the drive. Price of the show was an article made of one of the three metals. A police detail, headed by Sergeant Rob¬ ert T. Mulvey, handled the contributions and the large crowds of children. Con¬ tributions included everything from soup ladles to nuts and bolts. Lynn Spear-headed and sparked by Lynn theatre managers, with James Dempsey, Paramount, as chairman and Leonard Dunn, Olympia, as co-chairman, Lynn’s Third War Loan Drive dealt another staggering blow to the Nazis and Japs. .A. daily newspaper, the Item, sponsored the program on one day and on Oct. 2 B’nai B’rith was in charge. This organization sold $1,000,000 worth of war bonds during the past year. Harold Cummings, Warner, made the contact with Charles J. Gold¬ man. The bond premiere show at the Paramount, at which the admission fee was the receipt for a war bond was an¬ other success with army nurses inducted and talks by overseas service men. Pittsfield More than $3,000 was realized for the Army Emergency Relief Fund at the local premiere of “This Is the Army” at the Capitol. Manager William Powell served as master of ceremonies during a special program which included talks by Mayor James Fallon and ranking army officers. John M. Cooney, Union Square; Joseph Stowell, Kameo, and William Shea, Tyler, opened their houses free on Sept. 27 to all buyers of bonds in the Third War Loan. .... Paul Mangano has been named as¬ sistant manager, Capitol. . . . George White, formerly of the Richmond, North Adams, is managing the Colonial. Springfield Staff Sergeant Donald J. Bevan, Springfield's theatreman-hero of the war, has been awarded the Air Medal with two oak leaf clusters, since Sergeant Bevan is now a prisoner of war of the Germans, the awards will be presented to his mother with appropriate ceremonies by the com¬ manding officer of Westover Field there. Bevan achieved an extraordinary record as a gunner on a flying fortress. A former employe of the Paramount, he is the nephew of Harry Smith, general manager of the Western Massachusetts Theatres, Inc. The Air Medal and an oak leaf cluster are for five combat missions over enemy-occupied Europe and are awarded by command of the commanding general of the Eighth Air Force. The other clus¬ ter is awarded by command of Major General James Doolittle for five other combat missions. Employes of the two Warner Brothers theatres in this city, the Art and the Capi¬ tol, benefit by approval of wage increases by the New England War Labor Board, as requested by Warner Brothers Circuit Management Corporation of New Haven. John F. Hogan, formerly of the Capi¬ tol, has completed his training at the Naval Training Station, Sampson, N. Y., and has been promoted to seaman, second class. . . . Victor Mature, featured a war bond rally at a war plant here, in which employes responded by oversubscribing the bond purchase quota. . . . John C. Lynch, former Exhibitor correspondent here, has resigned his position as assistant city editor of the Springfield Republican, to become a reporter on the staff of the Boston Traveler. Theatremen here are in receipt of let RKO-RADIO PICTURES, Inc. TRADE SHOWING OF “THE IRON MAJOR” BOSTON . . . WED., OCT. 29 ... 11 A. M. RKO Projection Room, 122 Arlington St., Boston, Mass. NEW HAVEN . . . WED., OCT. 20 ... 11 A. M. Fox Projection Room, 40 Whiting St., New Haven, Conn. October 6, 1943