The Exhibitor (Nov 1938-May 1939)

BM-19 VOL, 2 JANUARY 18, 1939 1938 Season Records New High in Territory Building Activity FROM THE DAY in November, 1909, when he occupied a bookkeeping stool for the old Victor Talking Machine Company, to the present is, in any man’s life span, a long time, but those three decades have given Harry L. Sommerer a vast experience and knowledge from which exhibitors everywhere may benefit in his capacity as manager of the Photophone Division of the RCA Manufacturing Company, Inc. Born in Philadelphia and educated in the city’s schools, Sommerer went to work in Victor’s cost accounting department. In 1912, he became a-sociated with the purchasing department as an assistant buyer. In the succeeding years, after Harry L. Sommerer becoming a specialist in raw material buying an I latterly assistant purchasing agent, he was made general purchasing agent, succeeding E. E. Shumaker, who, at that time, became Victor’s vicepresident. Confidential work In conjunction with his duties as general purchasing agent, Sommerer was assigned to confidential work in connection with the company’s contractual relations with associated companies, and in such capacity played a prominent part in connection with the entrance of the Victor company into the talking motion picture field as a recording service organization and purveyor of 16-inch disc records on which most of the original sound pictures were released. A considerable volume of business in recording sound synchronously with previously made silent pictures for practically all of the major productions kept the old church recording studio at Fifth Street, above Cooper Street, Camden, New Jersey, operating practically 24 hours a day, and the production of records necessitated three shifts in the factory, with increasing machine capacity as fast as record presses could be built and put into service. Sommerer’s activities in connection with this new phase of the buisness eventually consumed his whole time, and he resigned his position as general purchasing agent in 1929, remaining the head of the then-called Pic-TurMusic activity. Following the merger of the Victor company with the Radio Corporation of ( Continued on BM20, column 1) Counterfeit Passers Foiled By Communicating System An RCA Victor-Phone intercommunicating system installed between the cashier’s booth and the manager’s office of a western theatre defeated an attempt to pass off a counterfeit five dollar bill recently. Business was normal at the house one day recently when a woman approached the cashier to purchase a ticket with a bill which the theatre employee suspected was spurious. Re sulting conversation was heard through the RCA Victor-Phone system by the manager in his office. Hurrying to the booth, he questioned the woman, who thereupon produced a good bill, bought her ticket, entered the theatre. The manager phoned FBI agents, but before they could arrive the woman had disappeared. The system consists of a master control unit on the manager’s desk and remote units in the projection room and at other locations, including the cashier’s office. The system is arranged so that the line from the cashier’s booth is always open, for just such emergencies as that which occurred. RCA Victor-Phone is a low-cost system consisting of a small master unit equipped with a selective control to cut in any one of five remote units. The system provides for two-way communications instantly between the master control and any remote station. There is also a two station wireless Victor-Phone system which operates without other connections after being plugged into a light socket. O’Dell, O’Brien Appointed By Hey woodWakefield The Gardner (Massachusetts) office of the Heywood-Wakefield Company announced last fortnight the appointment of H. P. O’Dell, J. E. O’Brien as sales representatives. O’Dell will be H-W’s direct sales representative for upstate New York. He is a thoroughly experienced salesman, who, for the past eight years, has been selling Heywood-Wakefield theatre chairs through the distributor office of the J. D. Brown Company, Syracuse. In his contacts with upstate theatre men, O’Dell has made a host of friends for himself as for the manufacturers that he has represented. Effective January 15, O’Brien became sales representative of the H-W lines of theatre seating, school furniture. O’Brien has been working in New England for the past few years as a sales representative on theatre chairs, allied products. He will make his headquarters at the company’s sales office, 2317 Chestnut Street, will cover all of Philadelphia, as well as a considerable portion of eastern Pennsylvania, southern New Jersey. JEP Report Shoivs T emporary Depression Didn’t Affect Optimism A peak year of theatre budding activity and renovation was recorded during 193 8, according to a survey released this week by Jay Emanuel Publications, Inc., through its theatre service department. Statistics follow: EASTERN PENNSYLVANIA Completed — 21 Under construction — 4 Contemplated — 2 2 NEW YORK STATE Completed — 2 8 Under construction — 14 Contemplated — 54 NEW JERSEY Completed — 6 Under construction — 2 Contemplated — 1 1 EASTERN WEST VIRGINIA Completed — 8 DELAWARE Completed — 2 Contemplated — 3 DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Completed — 3 Contemplated — 8 MARYLAND Completed — 1 1 Under construction — 3 Contemplated — 1 4 VIRGINIA Completed — 29 Under construction — 12 Contemplated — 20 Comparison with 1937 and other years indicates that the temporary depression failed to cut into the optimism of theatremen generally who believe that new building and renovation must progress hand in hand with the general advance of the industry. January 18, 1919 TRI