The Exhibitor (May-Aug 1948)

NT-4 SALT LAKE CITY The Utah Theatres Association held a special meeting at Orem, Utah, and speakers included Tracy Barham, vicepresident-general manager. Intermoun¬ tain Theatres; Bob Graham, PCCITO attorney; Sam Gillette, Tooele exhibitor; John Krier, Intermountain purchasing agent; Victor A. Anderson, secretary, UTA, and president Emil Ostlund. Among the topics discussed were the need for strong regional theatre groups, cooperation for the American Overseas Aid-United National Appeal for Children drive, the U. S. Supreme Court decision and the ASCAP situation; the Motion Picture Foundation, and other topics. SAN ANTONIO Tommy Howell was named manager, Broadway, Interstate Circuit house. He was formerly manager for circuit houses at Houston, Tex., and was also Interstate city manager at Harlingen, Tex. . . . Late listeners heard only the tolling of bells over several of San Antonio’s major radio stations for a quarter hour before midnight, Interstate Circuit’s way of announcing the opening of “The Miracle of the Bells”, Majestic. . . . “Scarface” Jack was among those in the lobby show at the Empire in connection with “The Freak”. . . . The Trail Drive-In and the Fredericksburg Road Drive-In an¬ nounced an added attraction. Bud Whaley, a disc jockey heard over KM AC, San Antonio, was engaged for alternate nights, and for the half hour before dark he plays new recordings, and tells a few jokes. Tex Ritter, and W. K. McAuley were granted a standard broadcast station to operate daytime hours with 1000 watts on 990 kilocycles. . . . Robert Shelton was named manager, Josephine, replac¬ ing Ernest Hauser. . . . Louis Hess has been named assistant manager, Clasa Mohme exchange. . . . Henry Morris, Columbia exploitation man, was in in behalf of “Relentless”, Aztec. . . . Kendall Way, Interstate Theatres Circuit engine¬ ering staff, was in making installation of new candy and popcorn machines. Richard S. Proyor, 63, owner-operator, Cactus, Austin, Tex., died following a long illness. His house showed almost nothing but western pictures, and he prided himself on being a “sucker” for children. They knew when he left the boxoffice for water or coffee, they could always get in free. . . . Theatres of Texas raised between $45,000 and $50,000 used to bring the USS Texas to a permanent berth in the Houston harbor. Glynn Shave, owner-operator, Plaza, Evant, Tex., credits a little ball of glass filled with a special chemical solution with the saving of his house from des¬ truction by a fire which flared up in a reel of film in one of his projectors. The glass hung above the projector exploded by the heat of the fire, and the chemical snuffed out the fire. The Lee, Teague, Tex., owned and operated by R. H. and W. B. Henderson has been purchased by the J. G. Long Circuit, Baytown, Tex., which already owns and operates the Star. . . . The Amusu, Corpus Christi, Tex., has been closed for a month. . . . J. Wood Fain, owner and operator of several houses, including the Fain, Woodville, Tex., has been elected mayor of Woodville by a substantial majority. . . . The Arcadia, owned and operated by the Hall Indus¬ tries, Kerrville, Tex., has been closed temporarily for a complete remodeling. George Watson, city manager, Inter¬ state Theatres Circuit, returned from Dallas. . . . Stuart B. Dunlap, represen¬ THE EXHIBITOR tative for MGM in Buenos Aires, spent several days with his brother, Gordon, manager, Clasa Mohme exchange. . . . “La Barca de Oro,” a new Clasa Mohme release, was given a premiere showing at the Nacional, Zaragoza, and Gudalupe. . . . Sidney Talley and wife returned from a brief vacation trip to Mexico City. E. L. Pack, Lone Star Theatres, Corpus Christi, Tex., was in. . . . Roy Parnell, former traveling sales man, Victor Cornelius Theatrical Advertising Com¬ pany, opened the Texas, Athen, Tex. . . . Dave Samson, who operates two houses at Karnes City, Tex., and his wife left for a vacation. . . . Stout Jackson, circuit operator, with headquarters in Robstown, Tex., is building a new theatre at Falfurous, Tex., where he will show both Spanish and English films. He operates Spanish language houses at Robstown and Kingsville, Tex. . . . L. R. Richker, closed his Gayety, Fort Worth, Tex., and planned to sell it. SAN FRANCISCO Summertime and June in San Fran¬ cisco bring no rare anticipation for film exhibitors. The past May month has been more merciless than merry to pic¬ ture grosses. Daylight Saving Time, summer vacations, and a swell of buyer’s resistance are all cited by managers as causes of the depressed state. Vaudeville, recently dropped at the Gate, is expected back on its stage in July in an effort to lure out-of-town vacationers. The axe, though, dropped on vaudeville at the Downtown, owned by Joe Blumenfeld and Irving Ackerman, afer a month’s try at picking up the live-show trade. Myrna Loy displayed herself as a citizen of the world in an appearance here before the UNESCO conference re¬ cently. Ginger Rogers, Danny Kaye, and Lena Horne revealed “Why I am an American” in a mighty celebration at the city’s Civic Auditorium. A1 Dunne, manager, Orpheum, knows how to nurture nostalgia into novelty. When Don Anderson, a former GI and organist, asked to practice on the theatre’s console, Dunne not only allowed him his practice time, but also placed him in the show twice a week. On Saturday night, Anderson plays for the Orpheum’s successful community sing, and on Tuesday night he leads with a “Songs of Yesterday” program. Dunne promoted a contest in which the public votes for favorite old-time songs. Win¬ ners, those whose choices prove top favorites, receive tickets and cash prizes. Baseball came up to the Loew’s Warfield plate as the Market Street house held a Saturday morning show for youngsters. Its “Seals Baseball Jam¬ boree,” conducted cooperatively with “Lefty” O’Doul, manager, S. F. club, honored the local team. With the entire Seals personnel in attendance, the fans received autographed baseballs, and witnessed “It Happened in Flatbush.” SEATTLE John Danz added the Elwha, Port Angeles, Wash., to his Sterling Theatres. The Elwha was one of the group origin¬ ally operated by Ed Halberg and Henry Davidson, Port Angeles, and, since the dissolution of the partnership, has been operated by Davidson and associates. Zollie Volchok, city manager, Sterling Theatres, went to Port Angeles to com¬ plete the details. Ben Fish, personal representative for Samuel Goldwyn, was here for con¬ ferences with Ed Lamb, branch mana¬ ger, RKO. . . . George Bowser, assistant to Charles Skouras, National Theatres, was calling on Evergreen State and Fox West Coast executives. . . . Jack Flan¬ nery, branch manager, National Screen Service, is convalescing at his home. Jack Anderson, branch manager in Seattle for Favorite Films, resigned, and returned to San Diego, Cal. . . . W. E. Callaway, here for conferences with A. J. Sullivan, United Artists branch man¬ ager, returned to Los Angeles. . . . Murry Lafayette, exploiteer in the Northwest for 20th Century-Fox, returned from a vacation in New York. Built at a cost of approximately $250,000 with the last word in equipment for theatres of its type, the new Duwamish Drive-In, on the SeattleTacoma Highway one mile south of the city, opened. The theatre was built jointly by John Danz, head, Sterling Theatres, and William Forman, United Theatres Corporation. Charles Feldman, western division manager, and Barney Rose, western district manager, Universal-Interna¬ tional, were here for a conference with George DeWaide, branch manager. . . . H. E. Ebenstein, head, Northwest Auto¬ matic Candy Company, was a visitor from Los Angeles, conferring with his Seattle representative, Ted Grubb. . . . Mike Smith, western regional director, U. S., Army Motion Picture Service, was here. Russ Morgan, Northwest exploiteer, RKO, is credited with a neat stunt. He arranged a tie-in with a department store, which devoted its show windows to “I Remember Mama.” The campaign was based on Mother’s Day. . . . Buck Seale, Eastern Washington salesman for Columbia, was here from Spokane, as was Glenn Haviland, Eastern Washing¬ ton salesman for Warners. . . . Herbert Rosener, Herbert Rosener Company, was here for a conference with his North¬ west representative, Alex Singelow. Sam Siegel, Western division exploi¬ tation supervisor for Columbia, was here to aid in the campaign for “The Lady From Shanghai,” Liberty. . . . Ray Lherman, head booker, Sterling Theatres, was home with the flu. El Keyes, booker, and E. B. Sorenson, Walla Walla, Wash., city manager for Midstate Amusement Com¬ pany, were on the Row. SIOUX FALLS D. W. “Dude” Thompson, Egyptian manager, reaped plenty of laughs and some good newspaper publicity when he discovered a May 10, 1919, copy of a trade journal in the attic of the theatre. At Rapid City, S. D., Junior Chamber of Commerce officials are trying to keep up the interest of Republic in a pro¬ posed Black Hills setting for a proposed film, “The Missourians,” based on the lives of the James boys. Arthur Roepzel, 16, was accidentally shot above the heart by his brother, Fred, 19, in the projection room of the Garlock, Custer, S. D., recently. The former is employed by the theatre. . . . M. G. Rogers, owner, Film Transport, Omaha, Neb., opened a new route into southeastern South Dakota, reaching such cities as Yankton and Vermillion, S. D. . . . Remodeling of the city hall at Lake Norden, S. D., into a modern theatre is under the direction of William Antonen. Work is scheduled to be com¬ pleted in June. Seating capacity will be 275. . . . The Rialto, Wessington Springs, S. D., is being remodeled. June 2, 1948