The Exhibitor (Jun-Nov 1944)

4b Yew York City Crosstown G. L. Carrington, President of Altec Service Corporation, left for Chicago last week to attend the Theatre Equipment Dealers Association convention, accom¬ panied by Bert Sanford, Altec’s New York district manager, and H. S. Morris, pur¬ chasing agent and merchandising manager. The Foreign Policy Association screened March of Time’s “What To Do With Ger¬ many” at their recent luncheon session, during an all-day forum in the Grand Ballroom of the Waldorf Astoria. Chair¬ man of the meeting was President James B. Conant, Harvard University, who pre¬ sided over a discussion of effective dis¬ armament of the Germans and Japanese. Delegates from all over the nation at¬ tended the meeting and special screening. Century Notes: Replacing Ruth Becker man as manager of the Elm, Brooklyn, is her sister, Helen, former assistant at the circuit’s Nostrand, Brooklyn. Ruth joined the Waves recently. . . . The thirteen-week competitive drive among the houses is now five weeks old, and Emanuel Friedman’s group of theatres lead as a unit, while the Marine, Brooklyn, is the individual leader at the moment. . . . Home office telephone operator, Mynette Wyckoff, is out on leave of absence to provide emergency care for her mother, who was suddenly taken ill. . . . Louise Roth, assistant secretary to Fred Schwartz, is taking a ten-day vacation to be with her husband, Lieutenant Com¬ mander Harry Schoene, who is getting leave for the first time in the past few years. The time will be spent at Phoenix, N. Y., and in the city here. . . . The new secretary to Ben Gladstone, assistant film buyer, is Annette Garbin. Costello, New York City, has as its new operator Jack Fink. . . . The Astor, Woodcliff, N. J., formerly the Broadway, has come under the operation of the Leon Ros¬ enblatt Circuit. . . . New operator of the 55th Street Playhouse is the Wil-Sam Amusement Corporation of which Sam Baker is principal. . . . Steiffel Booking Office is no longer booking and buying for the American, Lodi, N. J. Lillian Stimell was named winner last week of the “Miss Greenwich Village Beauty Contest,” which was sponsored by 20th Century-Fox in connection with the premiere of “Greenwich Village” at the Roxy. She received a $100 war bond and a silver loving cup, which were awarded by Carole Landis and Dana Andrews. Lane and Arden, both operated by I. Zatkin, celebrated their 11th anniversary simultaneously last week. Ceremonies marking the occasion, high-lighted by social and civic leaders in the communities of the theatres were arranged. Zatkin also operates the Gem. Leo J. McCarthy, general sales manager, and Leon Fromkess, president, PRC, are expected to visit New York in the near future. Sid Kulick, PRC sales staff, left last week on a trip to Cleveland, Detroit, Buf¬ falo, Syracuse, Oneida, Gloversville, Al¬ bany and Boston, where he will call on company franchise holders and others. John R. Wood, Jr., March of Time sales manager, left last week for a visit to the Buffalo 20th Century-Fox exchange. He will also visit the Cleveland and Detroit exchanges. A. A. Higginbotham, New Orleans, part¬ ner in the Paramount-Richards Theatres Circuit and head of Dixie Theatre Corpor¬ ation, Louisiana, was a New York visitor last week, and paid his respects to execu¬ tives at the Paramount home office. The day after the liberation of Paris the French people were able to see selected American films of an “escapist type” in their own language, and similar pictures in German are ready to be shown when Allied armies reach Berlin, said Philip Reisman, vice-president of RKO Radio Pictures, before boarding the Brazil Clipper of Pan American World airways last week en route to Rio de Janeiro for a few weeks. These specially prepared films, featuring popu¬ lar themes, picture the advantages of liv¬ ing under a democratic type of govern¬ ment, Reisman explained, and are being translated into all languages to be shown to people in liberated countries. Arthur Wakoff, buyer and booker, Wal¬ ter Reade circuit, tendered his resignation last fortnight, effective Oct. 28. He plans to open his own buying and booking office, acting as representative for theatre owners in the New York metropolitan area. He had been with the Reade organization for ten years. Louis Nizer, author, “What To Do With Germany,” granted permission to the March of Time last fortnight to use the title for the current issue, which presents many of Nizer’s ideas on the solution to the German problem. Streamlining for overseas post-war film advertising, exploitation, and publicity activities, John W. Hicks, Jr., president of Paramount International Flms, Inc., last week announced the naming of Paul E. Ackerman as director of advertising and publicity for Paramount International. Ackerman has been Paramount foreign publicity chief for the past four years, and has been a member of the company’s overseas advertising and publicity depart¬ ment for the past ten years. Carl P. York, general manager in Scan¬ dinavia for Paramount International Films, Inc., arrived in New York last week from Stockholm for conferences with president John W. Hicks, Jr., and vice-president George Weltner. This is his first visit to the United States since 1934. Dee Lowrance joined the MGM public¬ ity department last week. She will handle both magazine and newspaper con¬ tracts on special assignments by Herbert Crooker, eastern publicity manager. With the return from the coast of Wil¬ liam F. Rodgers, MGM vice-president and general sales manager, last, week, home office visits of district and branch man¬ agers are being resumed. Advertising and publicity men from various zones of the Warner Circuit were in New York last week for a conference on the handling of fall product. Joseph Bernhard, general manager, Warner The¬ atres, addressed the meeting, with other speakers including Harry M. Kalmine, as¬ sistant general manager, and Harry Gold¬ berg, director of advertising and publicity for the circuit. Among the ad men in from the field were J. Knox Strachan, Cleve¬ land; Dan Finn, New Haven; George Kelly, Newark; Charles Smakwitz, Albany; Irv¬ ing Blumberg, Philadelphia; Jim Totman, Pittsburgh; Frank LaFalce, Washington. Mort Blumenstock, in charge of distribu¬ tion department advertising and publicity in the east, also participated in the session, discussing current product plans. Mervyn LeRoy, who recently signed a long-term deal with Warner Brothers and will resume producing at that studio about the first of the year, arrived last week from the coast. Please turn to News of the Territory which follows the National Mirror Section toward the back of the book. SEEN AT AN INAUGURAL PREVIEW of ' The Army at War'' art exhibition held in New York City recently, were, left to right: A. J. Balaban, managing director, Roxy; Arthur Knorr, of the Roxy; Irving Lesser, Associate Managing Director, Roxy; Spyros P. Skouras, president. Twentieth Century Fox; Mrs. Spyros P. Skouras, and B. V. Sturdivant, national director of "The Army at War" exhibi¬ tion. Charles P. Skouras, president National Theatres Amusement Co., Inc., is national chairman of the executive committee in charge of the exhibition, which is sponsored by Secretary of the Treasury Morgenthau and Secretary of War Stimson. The exhibition will be held in theatres throughout the country, starting at the Roxy. THE E X H B I T O R October 11, 1944