The Exhibitor (May-Aug 1948)

THE EXHIBITOR NT-1 NEWS OF THE Cincinnati The Cincinnati office of Film Class¬ ics attended the first Film Classics sales meeting on July 30 with all branch managers attending. ... Mil 1 ie Burger, secretary, Midwest Theatre Supply, returned from her vacation. She spent a week in Detroit. ... Recent weddings include the entire cashiadepartment of Republic. First, cashier Margaret Listerman was wed to Jack O’ Brien. Later, assistant cashier Dolores Holman married Don Geisler. Both are continuing to work. Wedding plans at the Eagle Lion offices include the marriage of bookerstenographer Marjorie Westrich on Aug. 21. Her fiance, Victor Lahman, was taken to the hospital on July 26 after a sudden attack of illness. Their friends hope for a prompt recovery. Lahman is associated with his father and brother who, for years, maintained the Lahman Film Service, hauling films for Kentucky accounts. Midwest Theatre Supply opened several new theatres recently, includ¬ ing the Princeton, Princeton, Ind. , operated by Ed Thies and Mrs. Minnie Green. This is a deluxe house with 1200 seats, completely furnishedby Midwest. Jerry Jackson, opening a drive-in at Mt. Holly, 0., introduced in-a-car speakers. Another new theatre supplied by Midwest is the Stardust, Springfield, 0. , operated by Sam Le¬ vine, who also has the Sherwood, Dayton, 0. The Stardust has 750 cars, as does the new drive-in opened in Lan¬ caster, 0. , by Messrs Carlos Crum and Pulliam, century Productions, Inc. Another is the Pikeville Drive-In, Pikeville, 0., Powell and Childers, also supplied by Midwest. A home products demonstration took place at the Montgomery Drive-In The¬ atre, according to an announcement by Jack Hauer, manager. Ruth Lepple, home products adviser, was in charge, presenting new products for housewives’ inspection. Each guest attending re¬ ceived a free souvenir. Arthur Frudenfeld, retired midwest division manager for RK0, located in Cincinnati, recently was a guest at a Hollywood luncheon in the Universal International commissary with many film notables. The build-up for “Romance On The High Seas”, starring a local singer, Doris Day, was supported by Cincinnati critics. Cleveland The good news in film circles is that as summer wanes, the pub] ic is begin¬ ning to drift back to the theatres. While business is still far below average, it apparently has hit the bottom. Earle W. Sweigert, Paramount eastern division sales manager, met with dis¬ trict manager Harry Goldstein in De¬ troit, Cincinnati, and Cleveland for branch conferences. .. Jack Ochs, eldest son of drive-in theatre circuit owner Herbert Ochs, and Mrs. Ochs, was mar¬ ried to Grace Couden, this city. The occasion was attended by his sisters, Pat Hill, Marilyn Scherffius, and their husbands, also in the drive-in busi¬ ness, as well as the younger members of the Ochs clan. Harris Dudelson resigned as United Artists branch manager to accept a post as Eagle Lion branch manager in Cincinnati. Reason for his resignation was failure to find a home in Cleve¬ land to which he could move his family. William Levy, formerly in the UA for¬ eign department, succeeds Dudelson. The Freedom Train is routed into this territory for 12 days, starting )n Aug. 31 in Toledo, 0. Subsequent Ohio stops are: Sandusky, Sept, l; Cleveland, Sept. 2-3; Akron, Sept. 4; Lima, Sept. 9; Canton, Sept. 10; Youngstown, sept. 11; and Steuben¬ ville, Sept. 12. Houses will cooperate with a two-week promotion campaign during which time they will show a short documentary, and will have a lobby display distributed by NSS. Local chairmen will be appointed. Harold “Bud” Friedman, manager, War¬ ners’ Uptown, and his wife returned from a rest vacation in Granville, 0. ...Sam Reichblum, circuit owner, with theatres in Ohio and Pennsylvania, moved to Cleveland. Formerly, his home was in East Liverpool, 0. Loren Solether, owner, Falls, Chag¬ rin Falls, 0., is also operatingthe Hudson, Hudson, 0. Previously, he leased the theatre, which he owns, to Charles Powers. He took it over after the recent death of Powers. “Bobbie” Brown, secretary to Lou Ratener and Tony Stern, Ohio Theatre Service Corporation, buying-booking organization, is looking forward to Aug. 29, when she will become the bride of Marvin Grand George Ritzier, who has been an outstanding figure in the field of exhibition for more than 25 years, sold his Allen and Majestic, Lima, 0. , to Don F. Loukos, who has been managing the houses. Prior to joining Ritzier, Loukos was with War¬ ners. Frank Jordan, Columbia shipper, had his trip to California slightly de¬ layed by a bus accident near Chicago. He suffered only slight bruises, and continued on. . . . The Grafton, Grafton, 0. , changed hands. Frank Gidlin sold the house to Albert Wolf and Harold Weaver. Vogel Building Company, Wellsville, 0. , has begun construction of a deluxe 1300-seat theatre in Gal ion, 0., for Howard Reif and Henry Fickensher, and will shortly start work on a new 800seat house in Louisville, 0., for George Manos. David Sandler, general manager, Theatrecraft Manufacturing company, has added something new to his Mobil tone in-car speaker, an adjustable parking light attached to the junction box, which the patron can turn as low as a pin point or as high as a flood ray. Ohio exhibitors expect to profit by the change in the state sales tax law, which eliminates the three per cent tax on purchases up to 41 cents. The public will save an estimated $12,000,000, some of which, theatre owners hope, will find its way to the boxoffice. Detroit Nicholas George opened his new drive-in on Toledo Highway. Thomas Picha, Virginia manager, be¬ came the father of a new son, Gerald. Congrats. Indianapolis George T. Landis, manager, 20th-Fox exchange resigned. His future will be given over to Amusement Enterprises, which operates the oriental, St. Clair, Uptown, and Strand, in which he is in¬ terested. He becomes manager of the The tabulation at the recent election of directors and officers of the Ken¬ tucky Association of Theatre Owners is verified here at the Association's office in the Falls City Theatre Equipment Company's building, Louisville, Ky. Standing from left to right are: Colonel Henry J. Stites, Louisville; C.R. Mitchell, Barbourv ille, Ky. ; Colonel Guthrie F. Crowe, La Grange, Ky. ; C. Kenneth Arnold, Bardstown, Ky.; J. Van Snook, La Grange; E. L. Ornstein, Marengo, Ind., and E. S. Huber, John T. Edmunds, and Johnson Mussellman, all of Louis¬ ville. Seated at the desk is Mrs. Nell G. Borden, also of Louisville. August 4, 1948 Mideast