The Exhibitor (Jun-Nov 1944)

NT-4 shop employe, Keith’s, sends greetings to the boys from overseas. Joe Flaherty, Keith stage hand, seems to be able to keep on buying five cent cigars. . . . Harold (Mike) LaVine accom¬ panied the Syracuse University boys to New York to help push the ball over the Columbia goal line. . . . Wonder if it can be the bobby socks cheer leaders that are taking Carroll Blair, Keith stage hand, back to second childhood, as he deserts the University football team for that of the High School. . . . Seymour Morris, Schine home office, accompanied city manager Harry Unterfort to Buffalo. ... Fall is now officially here as “Jackson” Flex has started wearing a hat (and what a hat!) . City manager Harry H. Unterfort, RKOSchine theatres, has made several trans¬ fers in house managements with Jack Flex now at Keith’s, Richard Feldman at Para¬ mount, and Edward Kearney at the Eckel. . . . Manager Jack Flex, Keith’s, is now employing girl aides. . . . George Robert¬ son, Syracuse Scenery and Stage Lighting Company, is like a new man since the check up at the Medical Clinic at Buffalo, and will soon be back taking care of busi¬ ness. . . . John Shelly, assistant manager RKO-Schine Empire, is busy denying that he has turned Oriental, notwithstanding outward appearances. . . . Ike Kallett, Paramount, still enjoys going over old times with his former jewelry trade friends. . . . “Senator” William Maxon should be more specific in explaining that he is connected with the movies, or ex¬ pect to be classed more often as a piano mover. . . . Glenn Lazar, manager RKOSchine Empire, is running city manager Harry Unterfort a close second in the mat¬ ter of clothing, but both still have a long way to go to catch up with “Beau Brummel” Flex. . . . Clarence Gaige, doorman at Keith’s, is on the sick list. ... We are all pulling for a speedy recovery for Ed¬ ward Kearney’s daughter, Mary, who is reported to be suffering from an attack of polio. . . . How we would enjoy seeing former Palace manager Irving Cantor rid¬ ing that motorcycle over the countryside of France, if it were not such serious business. . . . George Raaffaub, Eckel pro¬ jectionist, is thankful that there is plane service to New York so that he could see the Syracuse-Columbia game. Watertown Its a girl, named Judy Arlene, says Natalie Carr, ex-cashier, Palace. . . . Prep¬ arations are under way for Hallowe’en shows at the Avon and Olympic, with stage shows in addition to the picture program. . . . Richard Hartness, projectionist, Avon, THIS FIFTH AVENUE window display recently fea¬ tured the original handkerchief used in MGM's "Kismet" as part of the extensive exploitation put on during the Broadway premiere at the Astor. THE EXHIBITOR Eyeing the XCHANGES with Bob Goldberg New York — The other day, as we sat in the semi-darkened RKO projection room, we were privileged in witnessing a scene which showed us, beyond any shadow of a doubt, the thing for which we are fight¬ ing. The lesson was in the form of a man and woman who had come to the ex¬ change with the hope of receiving a por¬ tion of a newsreel in which their son had appeared. The expression on their faces when they received the clip is be¬ yond our power of description. It left us with a hollow, yet warm feeling in the pit of our stomach, and we were deter¬ mined to find out more about what had just taken place. Conversing with Oscar Kantor, RKO’s amiable projectionist, we learned that they average approximately a dozen requests per week, all of whom are invited to the projection room and all possible assistance is given in order to locate the reel referred to. Kantor told us many humorous, and many very unhumorous incidents. One lady entered the exchange bright and early one morning with the hope of spotting young Johnny in one of the later Pathe reels. She had remembered seeing him at her local theatre in the shots of De Gaulle taking Paris. After sitting through a few reels, she exclaimed elatedly: “There’s my Johnny, the one standing over there with the hose in his hand.” “I’m sorry to disappoint you,” Kan¬ tor replied, “but that boy is a French fireman.” Positive that it was young Johnny, the lady requested that the reel be shown again and again, and again and again. After leaving the projection room, she was still firm in her belief that the French fireman was her Johnny, and as she waited for the elevator she was heard to say to herself: “I’m glad that I didn’t take his dad along. He would have been so ashamed of his boy . . . deserting that way.” Another family was very nervous as they were shown into the projection room by the friendly Kantor. As the lights were lowered, the group leaned forward in their seats as the battle for Salerno flashed be¬ fore their eyes. The mother, who was un¬ doubtedly the boss of the family, adjusted her glasses and squinted to get a better view of the screen. Finally she gave up. The action was too much for her. In desperation she implored loudly: “I don’t care how fast the other soldiers move, but could you please slow down my boy.” The last story is not a humorous one. In fact, it is far from funny, and as Oscar Kantor revealed the facts to us, there was hardly a dry eye in the crowd. We are presenting it here with the hope that in the near future, when the Sixth War Loan drive begins and you may, perhaps, feel that you are unable to buy bonds, you will close your eyes and remember this story and feel as we do, that whatever we do is not half enough. A man and his wife, both small and meek appearing, entered RKO exchange, and with an apologetic look, asked if they spends plenty of his salary on rare edi¬ tions. . . . Duke Elliott, manager Strand, Carthage, is now an instructor at the Sampson Naval Base. ... With most of the might see the newsreel that showed De Gaulle’s liberation of Paris. “You see,” they explained, “our boy is in the picture ... he has been killed since then and we would like very much to have this memory of him.” They were shown into the projection room, and as the fateful day unfolded itself before their eyes, the aged couple shifted uneasily in the seats. Finally their boy came into view. Shoulders erect, mouth set firmly, he marched down the broad avenues of Paris. This was too much for the old man. Seeing his son that way . . . the way he had remembered him . . . the way he was before he left. In an uncon¬ trollable instant he ran to the screen and vainly tried to embrace the cold figure of his boy. When the image had passed on, the aged figure slumped slowly to the floor and sobbed softly to himself. This is the figure that we want you to conjure the next time that you feel that you have done or given enough. The Seeing Eye: Mildred Shapiro re¬ cently replaced Lillian Pataky in the po¬ sition of booker’s secretary at RKO. . . . Paramount exchange has already sent to their boys in the service Xmas gift boxes containing fruit, candy, nuts, cigarettes, etc. . . . Etta V. Segall, Monogram’s head booker, is working with Capt. MacLevy of the Industrial Service Branch, in connec¬ tion with the 17 short subjects, which Mon¬ ogram has recently completed for the war department. These shorts will be shown in Northern New Jersey in an attempt to curtail the leaving of men from war plants. Metroites, Virginia Aaron, N. J. booker: Sylvia Smith, clerk, and Sylvia Zevin, contract clerk, packed the first shipment of Christmas boxes to be sent to our fighting men in foreign lands. Naturally, they wanted the first box to be addressed to a New York lad, so it will go to Corporal Max Polinsky, formerly assistant booker, now stationed somewhere in Italy. Ap¬ proximately 1,000 boxes for other Loew and Metro men from branch offices, home offices, studios and theatres are being dis¬ patched to the men overseas. The men stationed in this country will also receive boxes. PFC Bob Ellsworth, Jr., formerly an MGM clerk, now stationed in the South Pacific, sent a photograph to his father, Bob Ellsworth, Sr., in which he poses very sexily in a grass skirt. . . . We wish to extend our deepest sympathies to Marie Hitz, whose father passed away last week. . . . Dave Klein, MGM’s dashing Jersey booker, will begin his two weeks vacation this week at the Jersey shore. Mrs. Ben Abner, wife of Metro’s branch executive, was recently discharged from the hospital, where she was recovering from illness. . . . Twentieth Century is exceedingly proud of Lil.yn Cohen. Twice a week this miss donates her services to a neighborhood hospital, where she acts as ambulance attendant. She is also a USO hostess and the branch captain of the Red Cross Blood Bank drive. At the present time she is assisting the postal authorities in the collection of Christmas boxes for battle veterans at the Halloran Hospital. . . . John Dacey, RKO short sales execu¬ tive, last Saturday rounded out his twentyeighth year for RKO and Pathe. Previous to joining RKO, Dacey was connected with George Kleine for a number of years. aides going back to school, the help prob¬ lem is one big headache for the local man¬ agers. — R. H. October 11, 1944