The Exhibitor (May-Aug 1948)

NT-2 Giles at City Hall, meeting Governor Lee Knous at the State Capitol, posing for newsreels, renaming Cherry Creek Silver River, luncheon at the Brown Palace for press, radio, state, city, and theatre officials, a visit to Idaho Springs where under-privileged newsboys mined silver ore, and a visit to the Denver mint, where Flynn gave each boy a freshly minted silver dollar. Flynn also made radio appearances; visited Fitzsimmons Hospital, and presided as aw’ard winner at The Post Newsboy Bicycle Derby. DES MOINES Iowa theatres reported a drop in boxoffice receipts of over one-million dollars during the first quarter of 1948 as com¬ pared with the last three months of 1947, according to the state sales tax collections turned over to the tax com¬ mission. The report released by the tax commission showed that movies in the state had filed 1,342 returns with $166,190 collection of the two per cent sales tax, which compared with 1,445 returns and $192,798 in collections during the final quarter of 1947. The $26,508 difference represented a drop of $1,325,000 in total receipts. A new canopy and marquee has already been installed at the RKOOrpheum, Dubuque, la., and workmen have started to modernize the lobby and boxoffice. A 16-acre tract of land has been purchased at Spencer, la., for the con¬ struction of a drive-in by the Pioneer Theatre Corporation, it was announced by Harold Fields, president. . . . Don Luftus, Fort Dodge, la., has been named manager, Grand, Estherville, la., suc¬ ceeding F. C. Ingram, resigned. . . . Bob Newman, office manager for Na¬ tional Screen Service, was married to Irene Blankehorn at Kirksville, Mo. KANSAS CITY Omaha and Des Moines territories will henceforth be served out of the Chicago and Kansas City offices of Albert Dezel Productions, Inc., according to Albert Dezel, president. The newlyopened Kansas City office on 120 West 18th Street serves the Omaha and part of Iowa territories under Walter Lambader, manager, and Nina Bridges, booker. Des Moines will be served out of Chicago. LOS ANGELES Two hundred and fifty leading cadets of California ROTC units matched their skills in a competitive drill in the Ambassador Hotel’s Embassy Room, highlighting the annual Americanism meeting of Allied Post 302, American Legion. More than 600 members and guests witnessed the event, which in¬ cluded participation of ROTC units of Los Angeles, Hollywood, Pasadena, Long Beach, Glendale, San Pedro, North Hollywood, and Van Nuys high schools. Charles P. Skouras, president, Fox West Coast Theatres, and honorary colonel in Allied Post, co-sponsored the event, and made the presentation of medals and citations to the winning cadets. Mr. and Mrs. Richard Donald, Aber¬ deen, Scotland, were guests of Herbert Yates. Donald heads the Donald Circuit. ... A special exploitation plan for the matinee trade was started at the United Artists, Fox Ritz, Iris, Guild, and Studio City, with a free copy of “Body by Van’’, tome by Frankie Van, U-I physical con¬ ditioner, handed out to the first 100 femmes at the boxoffices. “Paramount’s 36th Paramount Year” is the prize-winning slogan for the com THE EXHIBITOR SILVER R Shown above are, left to right: Harry Huffman, Fox Intermountain district manager; Bernie Hynes, Denver mana¬ ger, and Bob Selig, assistant to the Fox Intermountain president, at head¬ quarters in Denver, where the trio par¬ ticipated in arrangements for the world premiere of Warners’ “Silver River”, Denver, Esquire, and Webber. pany’s 13 week booking drive. A local contract clerk in the western divisional office is the winner. Her name is Elsie Carrier, and she received $100 for the best slogan in a nationwide contest. Robert L. Lippert set the world’s premiere of “The Prairie” at his Criterion, Medford, Ore. First regularly scheduled theatre run of television shows was started by James Nicholson and Joseph Moritz, heads, Academies-of-Proven-Hits theatres, the Picfair, Vermont, Cinema, Arlington, and Jewel. When the houses opened, theatres run television reels before the film show begins, with an eye to survey boxoffice draw. Plans are started with tele stations to pick up telecasts, with legal clearance of all programming in work. Moritz and Nicholson plan to take the shows off of a television receiver, and put on the film for showing at a later time. Another change in policy is the Million Dollar downtown, which returns to stage productions for the summer. Frankie Laine will start off the summer season in August. Sherril Corwin is lining up talent. Bud Abbott and Lou Costello did a series of personals at all five theatres where their EL picture opened. The Hippodrome theatre property was bought by Harry M. Popkin at a reported figure of $300,000. It includes a two-story building, all part of the Adolph Ramish estate. It also includes the Star. Nearly 1000 store windows and in¬ teriors were used in exploitating the world premiere of Paramount’s “The Emperor Waltz”, Hollywood Paramount. Among store display setups were 500 Philco dealers, featuring enlarged scene displays in windows with television sets, 300 Decca record stores with window and interior exhibits on Crosby albums, and 50 Remington shaver outlets. MILWAUKEE Bernard Sherman, Douglas, Racine, Wis., was in. . . . Charles Olsen, Varsity manager, resigned from Fox Wisconsin Amusement Corporation. . . . Jesse T. McBride, Paramount manager, called on theatre operators around Wisconsin and Upper Michigan. . . . Tom Cornfield, Palace manager, created interest in “The Big Clock” by use of a lobby display of a large clock. Prizes were awarded for winners in a contest guessing when the clock would stop. . . . Donald Weisfeldt was named manager, State, succeeding Max Markowitz, transferred to the Plaza. More neighborhoods in the Milwaukee area are using giveaways to hypo busi¬ ness. Managements report that give¬ aways aid considerably in upping offnight mid-week patronage. Several neighborhoods are also using stage at¬ tractions more than before for the same reason. A former local theatre manager with radio training heads one of these units. L. Elman, RKO manager, was in Northern Wisconsin and Upper Michi¬ gan conferring with exhibitors. . . . L. Orlove, MGM field exploiteer, was busy arranging private screenings on “The Search.” . . . M. Colla, National Screen Service shipper, will lie married early this July. . . . Beatrice Schleif, secretary, Independent Theatre Owners of Wis¬ consin and Upper Michigan office, was married. The official opening of the recently constructed new Universal-International exchange building was scheduled. . . . N. Berg, State, Sheboygan, Wis., was a caller. . . . Edward Friedwald, Alham¬ bra manager, was stricken with a heart attack. Friedwald recovered, but was forced to take things easy for a while. . . . R. Pierce, Riverside manager, re¬ turned from a vacation in California. William Young, SRO manager, was on a swing through the territory. . . . R. Grady, Strand manager, reports good business with westerns and reissues. . . . Charles Hacker, former Fox Wiscon¬ sin manager, was recently named district manager for Standard Theatres houses in Milwaukee and WauKfesha, Wis., with headquarters at Waukesha. . . . Nick Johnson, Strand, Manitowoc, Wis., was a visitor. . . . John Mednikow, National Screen Service, manager, spent a few days in St. Louis. . . . David Goldman, Universal-International manager, called on theatre operators. . . . Several mana¬ gers have been out on the golf grounds. Ben Poblocki, William Benjamin, and R. Baker were a few early birds. Former Alhambra manager John Matis has been given a post as manager for some theatres in Omaha. . . . Robert Gross, drive-in manager, informs that business at the outdoors house is above previous years. He reports a number of improvements. . . . Angelo Provinzano former Fox Wisconsin executive, is now associated with Mike Chesnick in oper¬ ating the Mozart and Alamo. . . . Exten¬ sive remodeling of the Comet was pro¬ gressing. J. Frackman, Republic mana¬ ger, was around the state. . . . Harry Olshan, Columbia manager, was in Chicago. Local theatre operators are watching the television picture carefully. The Milwaukee Journal station WTMJ-TV is the sole television outlet to date. Other stations are planning to follow suit. The Telenews and the Riverside offer added television attraction in special parts of the theatres. Complete co-operation between the Wisconsin Safety Division and the Inde¬ pendent Theatre Owners of Wisconsin and Upper Michigan has been set up on a state-wide safety drive. Each house in the ITO group plans arranging safety shows. The state is providing plaques for the winner and the school from which the winning student is entered. Announcement was made at the Mil¬ waukee meeting of the board of the June 2, 1948