The Exhibitor (May-Aug 1948)

Martin. Don’t Let Our Croon Prince Die In ‘Casbah”. Robert Sidman, manager, halted the demonstration shortly after it began by negotiating with Dolores Minsky, president of the club. The “settlement” included a phone call to the New York offices of U-I, producers of the film, where Henry Linet, exploita¬ tion director, assured Miss Minsky that the fan club’s favorite crooner would be kept alive for the duration of his next picture. The girls also received promises of autographed photographs of Martin. Sidman said that the local fan club had protested by mail about two weeks before saying, “. . . it breaks our hearts to think that the only time our idol comes to the city of Harrisburg, it has to be in a picture in which he dies. It is our earnest hope that for this reason you will not play ‘Casbah’ at your theatre,” Sidman’s reply, which the club termed “insulting”, suggested that they see the picture from the middle, leaving at the same point after Martin has been re¬ vived from his cinematic death, and is hale and hearty. Other pickets were Nancy Shreffler and Doris Mills, also local girls. Ira L. Schiffman, general manager, National and Rialto, returned home from the hospital following an operation. He expects to resume his duties soon. . . . Manager Francis DeVerter, Rio, ar¬ ranged three radio interviews for Tex Ritter when the western star and his horse, “White Flash,” played that theatre for two days. A special ram was built to get the horse to the stage and manager DeVerter secured newspaper coverage and a photograph on this angle. Harvey's Lake The Sandy Beach Drive-in, which opened recently, has been coming along nicely. Sam Slomowitz is owner, and the spot has a 500-car capacity. Simplex in-car speakers and four-star sound were installed through National Theatre Supply’s Ralph Pries. Hazleton Pete Magazzu, Laura, joyfully an¬ nounced the world premiere of his latest attraction which had its “first showing” on Memorial Day at 10.21 a. m. He told the world about it by having his marquee read: “Now showing ‘Another Boy’ In¬ troducing ‘Baby Andy’, a Pete Magazzu Specialty.” Lancaster It was indicated by city officials last week following the second disastrous fire in two years in the Grand building that physical changes would be ordered. Just what these changes would be was not known immediately. Both fires, however, started in the basement, under the theatre this time, and under an adjacent store in 1946, and then the flames shot up an air shaft. Fire damage was estimated at over $100,000. Three hundred persons walked unharmed out of the theatre while a score were routed from upstairs apartments. Four firemen were overcome by smoke. Three adjoin¬ ing stores suffered most of the damage, the theatre’s lobby and basement being damaged considerably, but the audi¬ torium was unscathed, and the theatre opened for business the next day. All of the film in the Grand booth was removed to safety. The fire was discovered by Charles Shirley, Grand aide, who notified Robert Childs, assistant mana¬ ger, who immediately stopped the show, assisted in aiding the audience from the theatre, and called firemen. Lebanon Dr. William W. Focht, Lebanon’s anti¬ gambling mayor, whose crusade against THE EXHIBITOR slot machines, “bingo”, and other amusements has attracted statewide attention, has eased up one of the bans on such attractions. “Bingo” games may be played for the purpose of raising funds for churches or other religious organizations, churches, for the purpose of raising building or improvement funds, and charities and welfare grounds, for the purpose of aiding wel¬ fare and other work. No commercial “Bingo” pai'lors operated by individuals or groups, clubs, or associations for commercial gain will be allowed. Reading The Robesonia, Berks County, school board has joined the list of school boards and borough councils that have decided to tax theatres and other amusements, to increase the district’s working revenues. Final action on the tax pro¬ posal, calling for a 10 per cent levy on all admissions tickets, will be taken on July 8. Gilbert L. Keppley is secretary of the board. Robesonia has one theatre, the Pioneer. In West Reading, where the school board recently passed on pre¬ liminary reading a 10 per cent admis¬ sions tax resolution, final action is uncertain. Howard Whittle, manager of the only theatre in West Reading, the Penn, has given notice to school board members that if the tax is passed, he will immediately discontinue operating the theatre, and that he will lease it to NT-5 TRADE SCREENINGS Warners (230 N. 13th) July 6, 2:30, “Key Largo.” RKO (250 N. 13th) 22. 10:30, “Mystery in Mexico”; 22, 2:30, “Race Street”; 23, 10:30, “Your Red Wagon”. 20th Century-Fox (302 N. 13th) June 18, 2:30, “The Street With No Name”. a business firm for a non-theatrical, mercantile business. West Reading Borough Council had under considera¬ tion, in making up its 1948 budget last December, a similar tax on amusements, but decided not to go through with it. Since then, councilmen were described as regretting they had passed up this source of revenue, and as trying to determine whether the council and the school board could split 50-50 the income ex¬ pected to be derived from the proposed 10 per cent tax in West Reading. No decision has been announced in the applications of two Reading broad¬ casting companies for permits to operate television stations in this city. They are the Hawley Broadcasting Company, operating WEEU and WEEU-FM, and the Eastern Radio Corporation, operat¬ ing WHUM. It will be several months, it is stated, before all the testimony in From a CANDY MACHINE . ... • . ... to a complete LOBBY SHOP ... You'll get the RIGHT equipment for your theatre, plus the RIGHT kind of service, when you let Berio handle sales at the "second box office". Thirty years' experience has taught us how to get maximum re¬ turns for every location. And you'll have more timefree for the right kind of showmanship that builds record grosses! BERLO Vending Co. 333 S. BROAD ST., PHILADELPHIA 7, PA. COMPLETE SEAT REPAIR AND RECOVERING SERVICE JOHN P. MORGAN CO., INC. 260 N. 13th ST. LO. 4-0226 4> • PHILADELPHIA SIGN COMPANY SIGNS-MARQUEES 305 BROWN STREET, PHILADELPHIA, PA. June 16, 1948