The Exhibitor (May-Aug 1948)

NT-4 been set for late in July, at Port Washing¬ ton, Wis. The S. S. Milwaukee Clipper, pleasure ship that plys Lake Michigan during the summer, is in operation again. A major feature of the planned entertainment on the ship is 16mm. entertainment for guests. . . . The Lions Club theatie, Washington Island, Wis., changed from 16mm. to 35mm. . . . Arthur Sontag, who operated the Brillion, Brillion, Wis., is now a film salesman for Film Classics. . . . Ex¬ change personnel were planning trips over the holiday. . . . F. J. McWilliams, Madison, who operates the Portage and Home, Portage, Wis., was in. The Savoy has been remodeled. . . . J. Juell, Garden, South Milwaukee, was visit¬ ing. Minneapolis Directors of NCA approved a theatre collection campaign tentatively set for next fall for the Variety Club Heart Hos¬ pital Fund. The board also approved the showing of trailers advertising the Se¬ curity Loan drive. . . . Gordon Green, sales representative, National Screen Service, resigned. Greene has been hospitalized with an attack of pneumonia, and will take a short rest. . . . Perry Crosier and Son, theatre architects, have begun work on a $20,000 office building at 2441 Lyndale Avenue South, which they will occupy. Quinton Wingerter, Sr., reopened the Wingerter Hall, Selfridge, N. D., following booth improvements. . . . Peter Campbell will build a new 445 -seat theatre at Walhalla, N. D., to cost $35,000. . . . D. I. Chapman is building a new addition to the Palace, Lemmon, S. D. . . . ElsonNathanson Circuit is now operating the State, Detroit Lakes, Minn., on a six-night policy. . . . Sol Winokur reopened the former Grand opera house at Oshkosh. Wis., as the Civic. He will run films and vaudeville. . . . Leo Smith is the new owner, Elk, Elkton, S. D. . . . Donald Gurey is now operating the Legion, Adams, N. D. . . . George Kappers is the new owner, State, Hurley, S. D. MGM invited independent neighborhood theatres in the Twin Cities to bid com¬ petitively for its product. Two theatres in Minneapolis, the Richfield and the Boule¬ vard, already received notice that the com¬ pany would accept bids from them on future releases. Under the MGM offer, bidding between the two houses will be on a 42-day clearance. Local film observers THE EXHIBITOR predict that all major distributors soon will be offering product on competitive bids on a wide scale in the Twin Cities. The pattern highly favored appears to be grouping of comparable houses in speci¬ fied zones to be set up by the local sales heads. ' Oklahoma City Leo Montgomery, projectionist, Ritz, Shawnee, Okla., recently celebrated his 35th year as a projectionist. He started as assistant to his father in 1913 in what was then the Cozy. He tried to retire a year ago, but the lure of the trade was too great, and he returned to the booth, al¬ though he claims he would never go to a movie unless he was working. The Sky View drive-in opened on June 11. The spot is located on 23rd Street one mile east of Eastern. Pete Caporal is managing. Holding that Harry Holt, operator, WesTen, had defrauded both the owner and the government, Federal District Judge Stephen Chandler recently cancelled his lease from G. L. Warren, Jr., and also gave Warren a judgment for $143.50. Under the terms of the lease, Warren was to get a percentage of the receipts as rent. Resale of tickets was charged. R. Lewis Barton, Capitol Hill theatre owner, was selected by the school board to fill a vacancy. He took office immedi¬ ately, and was to resign from the city planning commission, of which he was one of the initial members. One of Barton’s sons, Robert L., a veteran, is now man¬ aging one of his theatres. Omaha Howard S. Brookings, owner of theatres in Oakland (Oakland), Walnut and Avoca, la., has been nominated for state repre¬ sentative from Pottawatomie County, on the Republican ticket. He is a past presi¬ dent of Iowa-Nebraska Allied. Rose Comiskey, 20th Century-Fox staff, was on vacation. . . . Evelyn Machmuller, assistant booker, returned from a trip to New York City. . . . Mrs. Mary Elizabeth Miskell, New Haven, became sick while visiting her son, William T. Miskell, TriStates Theatres district manager, and was taken to a hospital. . . . Marie Brown, booking clerk, went to St. Louis on her vacation. Film Row visitors included: Louis Weiner, West, Sioux City, la.; Carl Worl, Royal, Dunlap, la.; William Tamen, Da¬ Attending a recent luncheon given in honor of Harry Hamburg, Kansas City, Paramount branch manager, by Kansas City exhibitors at the Hotel Muehlebach were, left to right: standing, Jack Stuart, Allied Theatres; Vincil Stamm, Bagdad; Jay Means, Oak Park; R. R. Biechele, Osage, Kansas City, Kan.; George Taife, salesman; Bob Hunter, Armour, and Ed Harrtmann, Booking Agency manager; seated, rear, Jack Truut, Electric, Kansas City, Kan.; R. C. Li Beau, Lou Sutter, Castle; George A. Smith, Paramount western division sales manager; Gus Diamond, manager, Roy Theatres, Eldorado, Kan., Vogue, Salina, Kan., and Howard, Arkansas City, Kan.; and Arthur Cole, and, seated, foreground, Fred Meyn, Park, Kansas City, Kan.; Hamburg, Jim H. States, Kansas City booking manager; Jim Castle, Paramount special rep, and Sam Abend, the Jayhawk, Kansas City, Kan, kota and Moon, Yankton, S. D., and Carl Johnson, Red Oak, la. . . . Betty Davis, secretary to Bill Miskell, Tri-States chiet, was on vacation. . . . R. J. Hoff, sales manager, Ballantyne Company, returned from a business trip. C. P. Knudsen has sold his Red Cloud, Red Cloud, Neb., to Marvin Jones, Minne¬ sota. The house formerly was the Audi¬ torium. . . . U-I shipping clerk George Bonacci was on vacation. Phoenix Tables and display posters were set up in all major Phoenix theatres by the Junior Chamber of Commerce to enlist signatures on petitions calling for a change in the Arizona workmen’s compensation law. Petitions were circulated following an announcement by C. E. Van Ness, presi¬ dent, Phoenix Chamber of Commerce, that Arizona faces a less of as much as $5,000,000 this year because of the withdrawal from Arizona locations by Hollywood com¬ panies which are dissatisfied with the state’s prevailing compensation law. The Bonded Television Corporation wound up work on the first film ever made in Arizona for exclusive use of television. St. Louis Burtt’s Delivery Service was charged with violations of Interstate Commerce Commission tariff regulations on over¬ charges for transporting motion picture films. U. S. Attorney Drake Watson filed information alleging 30 violations. Herman Ferguson opened the completely remodeled and air conditioned Liberty, Malden, Mo. About 200 additional seats have been added. Among those present were Tom Williamson, RKO branch man¬ ager; Jack Hines, RKO salesman; Bob Lightfoot, Monogram salesman; Bud Edele, Film Classics; Jack Harris, Warners; Gene Fitzgerald, 20th Century-Fox, and Mr. and Mrs. Bud Mercier, F redericktown, Mo. Branch manager Rosenblatt, Monogram, mentioning Babe Ruth’s appearance in behalf of American Legion’s junior base¬ ball program, stated that the “Babe” in a press conference expressed enthusiasm about his recent activities in regard to the picture. An ordinance placing a four per cent tax on gross admissions to theatres and other amusements was passed by the city council of Decatur, Ill. Supporters of the measure said it will yield about $25,000 or $30,000 additional revenue annually. Shows for charitable, educational, or religious pur¬ poses are exempt from the tax. Bill Wearing will probably open his new drive-in, to be known as the Wearing Auto Theatre, about half way between Carbondale and Murphysboro, Ill., around the middle of July. Construction is being completed rapidly. Wearing is the owner of the Ritz, Camden, Ill., and the Doll, Jonesboro, Ill. Although there are two other drive-ins under construction in southern Illinois, Wearing’s Auto Theatre will be the first to open in the area. Johnnie Walsh, branch manager, Albert Dezel Productions, was in Chicago for the general sales meeting of branch managers. . . . Eagle Lion relaxed recently when it held an early summer picnic as guest of Herman Schwarz, Eagle Lion salesman, at his beach house on the Meramec River. Frivolity prevailed. Lois Butler, star of “Mickey,” was in for interviews. This followed the pre¬ miere showing of her new picture at Moline, Ill., and Des Moines. July 7, 1948