The Exhibitor (May-Aug 1948)

NT-2 THE EXHIBITOR Joseph Wolf, who recently resigned his position as city salesman for Columbia, and who is now sales manager and part owner, Embassy, was honored at a luncheon by the Motion Picture Sales¬ man’s Club at Steuben’s Restaurant. Nate Levin, president, presented Wolf with a travelling bag. At the regular meeting of the club, which followed the presentation, it was voted unanimously to have group insurance for all members. Julius Meyer, Olympia, Cambridge, Mass., and a pioneer in the film business, wras host of the Pioneers of the Zionist movement, in which Meyer takes a great interest. He presented them with a flag of the New State of Israel, which was rededicated. Palestine liquid fruit was served to the guests. Ray Goldstein, district sales manager, Monogram, visited the exchange. Film District Independent Exhibitors, Inc., will hold its last meeting for the summer on June 8. . . . Samuel Horenstein, district man¬ ager, Manley, Inc., who lives in New Bedford, Mass., has purchased a onefamily cottage on Barbara Road, Walthan, Mass. He expects to move into it on or about June 15. Jack Byrne, eastern division manager, and Herman L. Ripps, district manager, MA / POPCORN Manley machines I "Genuine Manley Supplies" SAM HORENSTEIN New England Representative * * * Offi cm and Showroom. . . . 45 Church St. Hancock 7419 Botton In the Heart of the Film District JOSEPH DOBESCH Associates, Inc. 116 Broadway, Boston, Mass. Telephone: Hancock 4807 STAGE SETTINGS • DRAPERIES WAIL COVERING FLAME PROOFING • FABRIC INTERIORS CONN.THEATRE CANDY CO. 62 COMMERCE ST., NEW HAVEN, CONN. "WE KEEP vMi "six™!5 Metro, spent a few days in the exchange with Ben Rosenwald, branch manager, and the sales staff. NEW HAVEN Crosstown The Roger Sherman and Bijou were reported tied in the New Haven Down¬ town Theatre Softball League. In recent games, Roger Sherman beat the College for a second time by a 19-13 score, while the Poli team defeated the Para¬ mount by a 12-7 score. Lawrence C. Caplan, Fishman The¬ atres, plans sending his son, Stephen, to Camp Laurelwood this summer. He was in New York recently with him to see the circus. Clergy in West Haven preached to their church audiences against “The Outlaw’’, when it played the Fori’est, West Haven. . . . Morris Rosenthal, Loew’s Poli, had quite a bally program for “The Lady From Shanghai”. The lifesize cutouts of Rita Hayworth re¬ ceived quite a bit of attention. When one of the cutouts was stolen from the lobby of the theatre, the theft made front page of the local papers and Yale publications. The Chinese yen money also got plenty of bally. Bill Brown, Bijou, was working on publicity for “The Fugitive”. . . . Jim Darby, Paramount manager, started work on the building of another room for his home at Lake Phipps. . . . Sam Hadelman’s daughter will attend a camp in Massachusetts this summer, instead of further north, according to the Grand manager. . . . Strand and Whitney, Hamden, co-operated with the high school in a special series of benefit shows but it seems as though the elementary benefits worked out better. . . . Mt. Carmel and Putnam PTA Shows were held recently at the Whitney. Meadow Street waiter Silverman, associated with Columbia for 16 years, becomes the com¬ pany’s branch manager on June 24. He succeeds T. F. O’Toole, who remains with Columbia in an advisory capacity. Silverman joined Columbia in 1932, and rose to the post of salesman in the Boston exchange. He left Boston in 1944 to come to New Haven. Earl Wright, former 20th Century Fox and United Artists salesman, and here¬ tofore of the Columbia Chicago branch as salesman, was due to return here as salesman. Wright had planned selling his New Haven (now rented) home around June, but luckily he hadn’t. Tom Germaine, 20th Century Fox, was a vacationist. . . . Sam Germaine, 20th Century Fox, was a vacationist, and, carrying true to past weather perform¬ ances, got stormy weather. . . . James Van Horn is the new 20th Century-Fox salesman in the territory. . . . Grace De Lucia (nee Ricitelli) stopped in at 20th Century Fox recently with her twin girls. Mrs. De Lucia was a former employee. Dan Ricitelli, formerly of the Colonial, Bridgeport, is in the fur storage business in Milford. . . . Fred Helmann is the new manager, Colonial. ... It was reported that all equipment for the Newington Pike Drive-In had been installed, and the finishing touches in grading were made. Grading has been progressing at the North Haven Drive-In, Route 5, south of Wallingford. When Babe Ruth was to come to New Haven to give the manuscripts of “The Babe Ruth Story” to Yale during the Yale-Princeton baseball game, Mono¬ gram planned working in some exploita¬ tion. Barney Pitkin, Chief Barker, Tent 31. Variety Club of Connecticut, last week presented to Florence Leibovitz, trea¬ surer, Parent-Teacher Association of the Winchester School, a check from the club for the maintenance of the hot lunch program for children of the school. Artkino’s “The Lucky Bride”, Sovietmade musical, was presented at the Victory recently in a benefit program, the proceeds of which went to the United Committee of Russian, Ukranian, and Polish societies. No opportunities were missed in the recent well-rounded advertising and publicity campaign put on by Sid Kleper and Norm Levinson for 20th CenturyFox’s “An Ideal Husband”, Loew’s Poli College. Feature of the campaign was a round-up of local radio stations to plug the picture via a series of contests. WELI started a search for an “Ideal Husband” with clues being given over the air simi¬ lar to the “Walking Man” contest, win¬ ners receiving prizes donated by local merchants. Other features of the air promotion included a contest over WNHC on the subject, “What Makes An Ideal Husband?”; a street broadcast through the facilities of WAVZ asking localites for their “Ideal Husband” requirements, and a discussion over WYBZ in which Yale students argued the pros and cons of “Do College Men Make Ideal Husbands?” A special tieup with the city’s Bureau of Vital Statistics brought newspaper publicity and picture space when the theatre presented guest tickets to couples taking out marriage licenses during the playdate period. This was followed up by a search for “Ideal Husbands” at one of the large social events of the season, guest tickets awarded as prizes. Kleper and Levinson arranged for large window displays throughout town, and distributed 5,000 lucky number bags, with the winning numbers displayed in store windows and the theatre lobby. For a street bally, three girls were out on the main tho¬ roughfares carrying signs reading: “It’s Leap Year and We’re Looking For ‘Ideal Husbands’,” plus picture and playdate copy. Advance work included contacts with the audio-visual departments of local schools for bulletin board and in¬ school posting based on Oscar Wilde’s literary works, contacts for theatre parties with the Yale University West¬ minster Fellowship, a motion picture study group, and enlisting the aid of Women’s Clubs, PTA’s, and fraternal groups. CIRCUITS Loew Poli Friends of Sam Shuboff, promoted to manager, Lyric, Bridgeport, gathered at the Colonnade, Waterbury, recently to give him a testimonial dinner. Shuboff was assistant manager, Poli Waterbury, for a long time. Division manager Harry F. Shaw and publicity director Lou Brown were also present in addition to other theatrical friends and members of press and radio. A1 Lessow is the new assistant at the Poli, Waterbury. Shaw still had a lot of tan from his recent South American trip. CONNECTICUT Bristol Plans for erection of a drive-in theatre were revealed by Albert Bernstein, head. June 2, 1948