The Exhibitor (May-Aug 1948)

NT-4 THE EXH I B I TOR Stude, Houston, Tex. , from the Inter¬ state Theatres Circuit, giving him full control of the house. Glass is also owner and operator, State, there, and announced that D.L. Murray will remain as general manager of both houses, with P.A. Ross as treasurer ....The Crystal, Gonzales, Tex., has been offered by Lynn Smith, partner in the house which he is operating in association with Theatre Enterprises, to the Methodist congregation to be used for services during the time the Methodist church is being remodeled. San Francisco “Introduce me to her! She’s just what we’ re looking for in our pic¬ ture...” Irving M. Levin, divisional director, San Francisco Theatres, Inc., and new Hollywood producer, MRS Productions, demanded when he saw Jacqueline Peck, a Powers model, as she visited the Alexandria where she had formerly worked behind the candy counter. She quit the Alexandria two years ago to go east in search of a theatrical career. She returned to S.F. as a successful model. While visiting her former employer, Walter Chenoweth, manager, Alexandria, she was spotted by producer Levin as he strolled into the lobby. Levin signed her for his show, “Inner Sanctum.” A proposed municipal ordinance which would require provision of off-street parking facilities for all new thea¬ tres and other new buildings erected in the city was submitted to the Sac¬ ramento, Cal. , City Council by the City Planning Commission. Provision would be made for a board which would hear requests for variations from the ordinance’ s requirements, which stip¬ ulate the number of off-street parking spaces required for each type of building in a certain area of the city. Under the measure, off-street parking space for new buildings erected in the central business district could be provided in permanent private or public parking lots or garages within 1,999 feet of the nearest corner of the building to be erected. Included in provisions proposed for other areas of the city is a requirement that theatres would have to provide one parking space for each six seats. “Courageous Mr. Penn”, never ex¬ hibited on this coast, has been added to the Northern California Variety Club’ s property list in its drive to raise $150,000 for a nursery for blind children. It is being released by the club for play dates during August in houses at San Francisco, Oakland, Stockton, Sacramento , and Fresno, Cal. Playing with 'So This Is New York,” Henry Morgan comedy the British-film opens here at the United Artist, Blumenfeld Circuit. Sixty per cent of its profits will be directed to the club’ s Heart Fund. First move in the Club’ s current drive was the sponsorship of Horace Heidt and his Musical Knights gala show at the Civic Auditorium. Additional exhibiting is the spon¬ soring of four locally-filmed short subjects by Gerald Karski, Motion Picture Service Company. These 10 and 12 -minute films are now being shown in local circuits on a gratis service charge basis. Hal Gruber, head booker RKO, is mapping the campaign. Writing in a San Francisco newspaper “Safety Valve” c olumn, a correspondent cited theRiver, Guerneville, Cal. for its soundproof room. Announcement was made by Lee Zwiebel, manager, Sierra, T. and D. Jr. Enter¬ prises, that work would start on Susanville, Cal’s., newest theatre. The work will be a complete remodeling job of the old Orpheum building, as planned by Vincent G. Raney, San Fran¬ cisco architect. The Jenks Construc¬ tion Company is handling the construc¬ tion, which will be of the stadium type inside, with no overhanging bal¬ cony. The seating capacity will be between 400 and 600. Albert Levin, manager Coliseum, re¬ turned from a vacation trip thru Northern California. ... Doris Day was here for her first “in person” appear¬ ance with “Romance on the High Seas”, Paramount. ... New record attendance was set at Civic Auditorium with its television show of Bay Area Industrial Assoc. — 91, 000 attended in seven days. Stars were Carole Landis and Rex Harrison. Frank Seavier, San Francisco Thea¬ tres, Inc. , returned from a vacation at his Russian River country home. . . . Michael Naify and son Marshall, United California Theatres, Inc., made a tour of the Monterey area viewing houses where new concession facilities were being installed. Six houses, Orpheum, St. Francis, Paramount, United Artists, Embassy, and Downtown, are contributing tickets for prize giveaways on the new KSAN show, “Holiday House”. ... Jack Pember, assistant manager, Parkside, Golden State, was transferred to an assist¬ ant’ s post with Danny Anderson, mana¬ ger, Harding, San Francisco Theatres, Inc. N.P. “Red” Jacobs, coowner, Favor¬ ite, returned from New York. ... Eddie Sutro was named new manager, Del Mar, Golden State house. . . .Brent Schumacher, manager, Avenue, recently had four generations of his family in the hos¬ pital. Mrs. Schumacher’s new baby was born at the same time when her mother and grandmother were hospitalized. Seattle James Nasser, Nasser Brothers Cir¬ cuit, traveled to Washington, to con¬ fer with the State Department regarding filming an outdoor spectacle in Ice1 and. “Chasm of Spasms,” the traveling spook show extensively promoted by A1 Dunn, manager, Orpheum, pulled a 250 over-capacity crowd for aFriday night showing. The area around the Orpheum was blocked by a four-abreast crowd waiting for “Dr. Ogre Banshee’s” act. Dunn took heavy display in billboards and newspaper ads, and utilized a traveling tryck with “the world’s most powerful beacon light” to push the “fright derby”. His ace organist, Don Anderson, and Jack Fisher’ s orchestra played appropriate music. Indications of a trend towards more local live-shows, even for neighbor¬ hood houses, are being evinced here as Golden State Circuit brings the talents of Tommy Tucker, the vocal sound effect man, to the stage of two of its thea¬ tres. Tucker, by his lung power alone, has simulated everything from hurri¬ canes to “Woody Woodpecker” for the films. William Coovert is the divisional manager. An award ceremony at U-I’s preview theatre was performed when Hulda Mc¬ Ginn, director of public relations, California Theatres Association, pre¬ sented drama student Arthur P. Hedberg and Betty Jane Wells, San Francisco State College, with the predric March Certificate of Achievement. Gene Paplock, manager, United Artisis, arranged a preview of “Another Part of theForest’ for the college drama group. The management of the Del Mar, Golden State house, tried .to cash in on news¬ paper headlines with “Four Jills In A Jeep” and “The Notorious Gentleman”. George Smith, western division mana¬ ger, Paramount, and Hugh Braly, west¬ ern district manager, were in for con¬ ferences with Henry Haustein, branch manager. . . . John von Herberg, son of the late J.G. von Herberg, resigned as manager, Roxy, Ballard, Wash. He has been succeeded by Howard Segar. . . Marianne Huddleston, accounting de¬ partment, Paramount, was married to John Pantano. ... Speaking of romance, Ruth Congelelos, secretary to Vete Stewart, Warners, is wearing a new ring.... El Keyes, booker, Midstate Amusement Company, was here. Dick Brill, exploitation expert, Eagle Lion, was in Great Falls, Mont., preparing for “Northwest Stampede”. . . Employes of Paramount held their an¬ nual picnic. ... Hal and Ethel Daigler and Tom and Marion Shearer went to Olympia Hot Springs, Wash. , for two weeks. ... Naomi Garcia, secretary to Henry Haustein, Paramount branch mana¬ ger, went on a golfing vacation with her husband. The Liberty, pioneer of the major downtown theatres in Seattle, and re¬ cently purchased from the Jensen and von Herberg interests by William Edris, Seattle capitalist and theatre man, is up for overhauling. The lower floor of the 1700-seat theatre will be installed. The seats will be the Heywood-Wakef ield chairs. Mr. and Mrs. Sam Walyer, Selah, Wash. , announced the opening of their new Selah. ... Homer Garvin, manager, Capitol, Juneau, Alaska, returned north after a month’ s 'vacation. D.O. Selby, F.F. Shearer Company, returned to Seattle after pinchhitting for Garvin. The theatre is owned and operated by B.F. Shearer. ... Clarence Baur, manager, Roxy, Bremerton, Wash. , is having a month’ s vacation motor trip through the east. August 4, 1948