The Exhibitor (May-Aug 1948)

NT-2 Reports that eight theatres planned run¬ ning trailers telling customers to stay home and watch all the conventions tele¬ vised, caused a bit of excitement. The theatres were to run' 50-foot trailers through the Mutual station, being made up at National Screen Service, yet Sherrill Corwin denied he was ever consulted on the matter. He did admit that he has had a reciprocal agreement with KHJ for 10 years, with the theatre running trailers, and the radio station giving air time. Last report, however, Corwin issued a statement he has never had television ad¬ vertising in his theatres, and will not. Million Dollar plans to go back to live shows. . . . Mrs. Golda Myerson, first offi¬ cial representative of the new Jewish state of Israel, was welcomed here at a special invitational dinner. Earl Collins, Pacific Coast division man¬ ager for Republic, is telling quite a story wherein a theatre owner paid more for a picture than the regular rental fee, and proves it showing a letter from Richard Hamilton, manager-owner, Alvarado. The letter raved over the fine job, as he put it, of “Bill And Coo” in his house, and en¬ closed an additional $20 as rental, recom¬ mending they send along more of these kind of pictures. Over $100,000 was pledged to the United Jewish Welfare Fund by the exhibitordistribution division of the UJWF at the meeting of 60 who attended a cocktail party at the Variety Club, followed by a dinner at the Ambassador Hotel. The film salesmen committee is already form¬ ed, with A1 Bowman, U-I; Alex Weisman, Metro; Maury Sudmin, 20th Century-Fox; Maury Shipp, Warners, and Jerry Purcell, Columbia. The United Jewish Welfare Fund division is chairmanned by O. N. “Bill” Srere and Sherrill Corwin. Others assisting them are Mike Rosenberg, Gus Metzger, David Bershon, and Harry Cohn. The appearance of President Truman brought in big sales at the boxoffice of the Pickfair, according to James Nichol¬ son, who runs the house. He took a Kine¬ scope recording of the President’s address from the local KTLA’s telecast, and pro¬ jected it on his theatre screen that evening. He claims he s^ent but $234 on advertising THE EXHIBITOR Harold Stassen recently made a personal appear¬ ance at the world premiere of Screen Guild's "The Prairie", Crate: ion, Medford, Ore., with the opening performance dedicated to the Minnesota Governor by Matt Freed, general manager, Robert L. Lippert Theatres. Aides wore special costumes and badges. the event, but doubled his usual Monday gross. Adele Jergens did personals at the open¬ ing shows of “Fuller Brush Man” RKO Hillstreet and Pantages, where she passed out brushes to the first 250 women cus¬ tomers at each theatre. Fred Ableson, Film Classics manager, San Francisco, was buried at Forest Lawn. A method of synchronizing the playing of discs with a picture, simultaneously put on the screen, has been set between National Theatres and Phonovision Cor¬ poration. Idea is to exploit the forthcoming pictures out in front of the theatres. It is understood to be able to play from two to four minutes. Phil Goldstone is head. Max Laemmle is negotiating for two ad¬ ditional local houses, along with his brother, Kurt. Sol Wurtzel took his cast of “Tucson,” which he is shooting on the University of Arizona campus, for personal appearances at local houses in the city. Pico Boulevard, one of the through units to the Beaches, is fast becoming the thea¬ tre boulevard, with neighborhood houses to be built all along the highway. FWC erected signs for the building of four houses within a radius of 12 blocks, while four houses in the district are now in exhibition. Milwaukee Plans are under way for the construction of a new theatre at Waukesha, Wis. Oper¬ ated by L. F. Gran, president, Standard Theatres, the new house will seat 750. Ben Marcus, president, Marcus Theatre Management, Oshkosh, Wis., announces that ground has been broken in Whitefish Bay, Wis., for the new 1000-seat first-run theatre. Six stores and accommodations for 12 offices, in addition to the new main offices of Marcus Theatre Management, will be provided in the new structure. Marcus had a permit to build since 1941 on the site, but World War II and subse¬ quent construction and materials regula¬ tions delayed the start of construction. Alvin Goodwin, Quality Premiums sales manager, was here for meetings with W. De Lorenzo. . . . Constantine Pappas, Chi¬ cago, who operates the local Towne, and Walworth, Walworth, Wis., spent a few days in town. . . . The new drive-in under construction for L. F. Gran, Standard Theatres president, on Highway 41, to be known as the 41 Outdoor Theatre, is scheduled for an early opening. William Koster, recently resigned from Fox Wis¬ consin Amusement Corporation, is slated as manager. Steve Swedish, popular Milwaukee band leader and former motion picture theatre employe, purchased the Modernistic Ball¬ room at State Fair Park. . . . Jesse T. McBride, Paramount manager, was in Up¬ per Michigan meeting with exhibitors. Dorothy Schultz, at the Park, Waukesha, Wis., during the last war, was married to John Forde in Los Angeles. . . . Several local night spots are cutting into regular theatre patronage. Theatre operators are knocking themselves out in efforts to off¬ set this. . . . John G. Kemptgen, MGM manager, was in Upper Michigan on a sales trip. . . . Joseph Imhof, Eagle Lion manager, arranged a picnic for the office force at Lake Beulah. Several Film Class¬ ics people also attended. ... A golf outing for exchange managers and exhibitors has MGM recently played host to industryites and guests at invitational screenings of the company's "Easter Parade" throughout the country. Among those on hand at the Vogue, Kansas City, we e, top left, left to right: Howard Burkhardt, manager, Loew's Midland; Dan Bodney, Al Adler, Metro resident manager: Sam Abend, co-owner, Friendly Theatres Circuit; Glen Dickinson, Jr., Dickinson Theatres Circuit, and Leon Robertson, district manager. Fox Midwest Theatres. The top, second from left, shot, taken at the Guild, San Francisco, screening, shows, left to right: L. C. Wingham, branch manager; Mr. and Mrs. George Mann, Redwood-Midland Circuit; Sam Gardner, assistant west coast sales manager, and Robert L. Lippert, Lippert Theatres. Other photos from left to right, top to bottom, taken at the Seattle screening, show, left to right: Mr. and Mrs. Maurice Saffle, Saffle's Theatre Service; Donald Condon, navy booker, and his wife; Arney Eichenlaub, Metro salesman; Sam S. Davis, branch manager; Carl Mahne, Evergreen Circuit Washington district manager; the Times editor Chester Gibbon and Mrs. Gibbon; H. S. Callahan, King County sheriff, and the Mrs; Dave Himeloch, censor board, and his wife; city councilman David Levine and the better half; A. C. Van Soelen, corporation counsel, and Mrs. Van Soelen, and Mrs. George Eastman and her husband, city chief of police. The picture stars Fred Astaire and Judy Garland. July 7, 1948