The Exhibitor (May-Aug 1948)

NT-8 Anderson, on Tuesday and Saturday nights. Junior executives of the Variety Club, headed by Stanley Lefcourt, are prepar¬ ing a barn dance motif for their July 10 “Junior Executive Nite.” . . . Variety Club officials switched their “Stag Nite” parties from Monday to Tuesdays. . . . San Francisco Life devotes its current issue to a six-page spread of the unique fac¬ tory-top penthouse home of H. G. Wal¬ ters, popcorn vender, well known in show business circles. The same periodical catches another theatreman, Dan McLean, coowner and manager, Embassy, reading a trade paper, and sipping brew in a local beer full-page ad. A court battle over the lease of a Stockton, Cal., theatre, owned by a Jap¬ anese-controlled corporation, brings up the question of the legality of California’s Alien Land Law. State Supreme Court is being called to act immediately in the theatre case. Lawrence Lash, student assistant man¬ ager, Alexandria, was vacationing with a trek to Salt Lake City. . . . Floyd Bill¬ ingsley, business agent, projectionists’ union, was on a business flight to Hono¬ lulu. . . . The new El Rey, United Cali¬ fornia Corporation, Chico, Cal., opened. House, formerly the American, was re¬ built after it was devastated by fire. . . . Jack Britton, assistant manager, Hard¬ ing, moves over to the 2,000-seat Coli¬ seum, San Francisco Theatres, Inc., house, as assistant to Albert Levin, manager. Robert Naify, former manager, Parkside, Golden State Circuit, takes charge of the purchasing department of the circuit with the retirement of Walter Armstrong, vet¬ eran purchasing agent. . . . Fred W. Curtice, manager, State, San Jose, Cal., equipped his house with new rocking chair loges. United Nations, Fox West Coast, was living up to its name by booking “La Traviata.” . . . When Holiday, travel mag¬ azine, whose current issue features San Francisco, hit the stands, there were varied regrets among local theatrical circles. Andre Ferrier’s French was the only one depicted. . . . Joe Podoloff, branch manager, 20th-Fox exchange, traveled to the mid -west for recuperation after his recent operation. To create a new theatrical enterprise, Trans-California Theatres, Inc., two Golden State Theatre Circuit executives, Rex Stevenson, divisional manager, San Francisco and Peninsula area, and Dave Bolton, divisional manager, Oakland and East Bay, resigned from the company. Bolton has been with Golden State more than two decades, while Stevenson has served the circuit 10 years. The joint resignation will be effective on July 15. Stevenson and Bolton plan to launch their Trans-California organization with the management of theatres, and provide a film booking and buying service. The Starlite Drive-In, Belmont, Cal., form¬ erly operated by Robert L. Lippert, and a new Starlite Drive-In located at South San Francisco will be maintained by the new firm. Other houses being managed by their organization include the Roxie, Santa Rosa, Cal., and the Del Rio, Los Banos, Cal. Bolton also has a new theatre under construction in Los Banos. In addition to the management of its the¬ atres, Trans-California, Inc., will be equipped to buy and book films for the¬ atres throughout the west. Seattle Effort to break the will of the late J. G. von Herberg, pioneer Seattle and North THE EXHIBITOR There's more to this lobby display at the RKO, Orpheum, Minneapolis, than meets the eye. To ease the suspense, this recently created bally clearly indicated that the AA house, which has never be¬ fore booked serials, not only played Columbia's "Superman", but also showed the serial every afternoon of the week, with very good results. west theatrical magnate, is being made by Mary Philomine von Herberg Van Wyck, a daughter of the deceased. She has filed in Superior Court a petition in which she charges that von Herberg was influenced by the psychic powers of his wife, Gene Dennis von Herberg, interna¬ tionally-known mentalist, when he willed his estate to the five young children of his second marriage. The estate is valued at $1,241,925. Mrs. Van Wyck is one of six children of von Herberg’s first mar¬ riage who was cut off in the will with $1 each. After von Herberg’s marriage to Miss Dennis, Mrs. von Herberg brought suit, and obtained a large settlement for herself and six children. Gene Dennis von Herberg died less than three months after the passing of von Herberg, on Dec. 18, 1947, and Mrs. Van Wyck made an un¬ successful attempt to be appointed guard¬ ian of the five heirs. The Seattle National Bank is guardian. Evergreen Theatres executive hosted a reception for William H. Thedford and his bride, the former Edith Elizabeth Pur¬ nell, McKinney, Tex., at the Olympic Hotel. The Thedfords were on their way to Portland after a honeymoon trip through the Canadian Rockies. Thedford is Oregon district manager, Evergreen State Theatres. . . . W. B. Zoellner, in charge of importations for MGM, was here from New York for conferences with Sam Davis, branch manager. . . . Stan Good¬ man, manager, Madrona, Mission, and Beacon, Sterling Circuit, left on a vaca¬ tion. . . . Guy Maxey, office manager, War¬ ners, and Mrs. Maxey left on a motor trip to British Columbia. . . . Mrs. M. A. New¬ man, sister of B. F. and Tom Shearer, Shearer Company, were visiting here from Burlingame, Cal. Her husband is an ex¬ ecutive for the F. W. Woolworth Com¬ pany. Wally and Steve, 10 and 11-year-old sons of Wally Rucker, branch manager, Eagle Lion, are in the business on their own. They have a library of 16mm. films, a projection machine, and a screen, and they fill engagements at parties for youngsters. . . . Laura Coombs, book¬ keeping department, Warners, resigned, and Donna Allen, general clerk, has been promoted to succeed her. Aloma Rein¬ hardt has been added to the office staff to replace Miss Allen. . . . Lionel and Corinne Brown, operating the Princess, Edmonds, suburb of Seattle, returned from a motor trip to Billings, Mont., where they visited their son-in-law and daughter, Lewis and Gloria Smith. They stopped at Yellowstone Park. . . . Ann Wilson, Sterling Theatres accounting de¬ partment, flew to Honolulu to visit her mother and sister. Bob Blair, for the last two years Northwest exploitation representative for Paramount, has been transferred to the studio. He was the first manager of the Paramount when that house opened in Seattle. He has left for the south but Mrs. Blair, with the children, is remaining until she can dispose of their home. . . . Leslie A. Allen, who operates theatres in British Columbia, was on The Row from Van¬ couver, B. C. . . . Margaret Erken, Na¬ tional Screen Service office, left on a vacation trip to Okanogan, Wash., to visit her son. Herb Jack, representing the public seating division, Kroehler Manufacturing Company, was here from Los Angeles and San Francisco. He spent his boyhood in Seattle where his father was a pioneer sea captain. . . . Ira Epstein, exploitation representative for Warners, was here from San Francisco. . . . Corinne John¬ son, daughter of Ed A. Johnson, who operates several drive-ins in the North¬ west, is here from Spokane. Wash., as a violin instructor at the University of Washington summer school. Gene Neavitt, manager, Uptown, left for a vacation in Burbank, Cal. . . . Les and Cora Theuerkauf with their granddaugh¬ ter, Trudy Ann, and Robert Bond, were over from Tacoma, Wash., for the trade screening of “Melody Time.” . . . Stats exhibs on The Row were: L. A. Gilles¬ pie, Okanogan; Willard Andre Kent; Mel Sohn, Kirkland, Ed Brobst, Bellevue; Keith Beckwith, North Bend; Gordon Jacobson, manager, Avalon, Bellingham; and Bob Cleveland, Eastern Washington salesman for RKO, from Spokanb. Arthur Fox acquired the Mt. Baker from Tony Ross, and reopened it after extensive redecorating. Fox also operates the American. ... For several years, feminine employes of 20th Century-Fox have held their annual picnic at the home of Dot Brekke, head inspectress. This time it was combined with a shower for Donna Shearer, bookkeeping department, who will be married on July 17 to Ed Aubuchon, assistant shipper, 20th Cen¬ tury-Fox. . . . Jane Adams resigned as secretary to Hal Boehme, Northwest fran¬ chise holder, Favorite Films, and went to her home in Portland, succeeded by Mamie Munds. Jo Furse, secretary-office manager for Jack Kloepper, Northwest manager for Film Classics, has been honored by Glamor magazine. In major cities over the coun¬ try, the publication has groups of business girls who compete for awards for the greatest improvement in beauty, groom¬ ing, and taste every year. Mrs. Furse was winner in the Seattle group of 15, and was guest of honor at a cocktail party at the Olympic Hotel, where she received a corsage of orchids and a merchandise certificate for $100 in a leading department store. The following day Kloepper hosted a party for her at the exchange. She has been on Film Row for a long time. E. A. Darby was on the Row booking features preparatory to opening his new theatre in Naches, Wash. . . . Jack and Jean Gregory left on a fishing trip to Sekui, Clallam Bay. Gregory is branch manager for Altec. The Louis-Walcott fight pictures were reported getting plenty of attention in the territory. Business was, of course, affected at area theatres on the night of the big fight. Also, the interest in the recent Re¬ publican National Convention made a dent in business in the Seattle territory. July 7, 1948