The Exhibitor (Nov 1939-May 1940)

THE EXHIBITOR 29 Passaic Joe Lefkowitz, Clifton, won $45 suit at the Motion Picture Associates annual ball. . . . Maury Miller, Lincoln, has been elected a director at the Beth Israel Hospital. . . . Clifton High School Annex Choir of 108 voices will sing at the Clifton to boost “What a Life.” . . . Bill Weiss, Capitol, loaned Herald-News use of his theatre for annual kiddies’ Christmas party, to collect canned food for the orphanages. Montauk, another Warner house, will also be used. . . . Harry Hecht, owner of Lincoln, Palace, has been elected vice-president at Temple Emanuel. Harold Blumenthal, movie owner, is treasurer. Union City Colony is presenting awards Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, Sunday nights . . . Trophy awards were given to members of Union Hill and Saint Michael’s High School football teams of Union City on stage of RKO Capitol. Jerome Baker is the new manager, succeeding Edmund Yarbrough. Baker recently was transferred from New York City and has been operating RKO theatres in Ohio, Minnesota, Westchester County and New York City for more than 14 years. — P. C. NEW YORK STATE Albany First regularly scheduled television broadcast of the General Electric Company’s Schenectady station W2XH took place when a special program was televised to three Rotary gatherings, in Albany, Troy and Schenectady. Audiences of around 500 in each city were able to see and hear the 11x14 image clearly and distinctly. Program was short-waved from the GE studio in Schenectady to the new transmitter high in the nearby Helderberg Mountains, and thence 12 miles back to the Schenectady Rotarians in a hotel, 18 miles to the Troy dinner and 12 miles to the Albany gathering. Artie Newman arranged for Albany newspapermen to interview Republic’s advertising, publicity and exploitation director David B. Whalen, in town on a “getacquainted” trip around the country. Considerable newspaper space was given by local scribes. . . . “One of the finest affairs ever held by the Warner Club,” seemed to be the unanimous verdict of the nearly 400 celebrants who attended the AlbanyTroy organization’s Annual Banquet and Movie Ball at the Hendrick-Hudson Hotel, Troy. Orchids were voted to Leo Rosen, entertainment chairman, for his excellent direction, in association with club president Max Friedman, and to the many others who worked hard, notably ticket committee chairman Jim Faughnan, publicity chairman Andy Roy, Jim Woton, Jim Cole, and Sidney Sommer, who performed yeoman service on the door. Jack Swartout and Bob Rosenthal, who jointly emceed a novelty game, garnered laughs. Jakie Small and his locally popular troupe of colored entertainers, stopped the show. In the jitterbug event, club-member Bobby Burns and his partner were outstanding— as was Metroite Jack Walsh and his bride. Bernie Kranze has been going around looking like the cat that had swallowed Our Mr. Mentlik WRITES ABOUT A FILM PARTY Dear Chief: When it rains it pours. I didn’t write you a letter for months. So last week I knocked off a few words about Paramount’s glamour boys and gals. So a few days later, the boys in the Randforce circuit tossed a stag party for Wally Goldstein. So here I am writing another letter. See what I mean, chief, about raining and pouring. And don’t expect me to tellya everything that went on at Wally’s sendoff — the paper’ll turn red. It’s like this: friend Ben Schreiber who manages the Brooklyn Rivoli for Dave Weinstock, called and asked your faithful New York correspondent to drop in and join the festivities. It was at a place called the Little Oriental (and it was loaded with Orientals) across the street from Loew’s Pitkin in Brooklyn’s Brownsville. Don’t get me wrong, boss, I love Brooklyn, but Brownsville’s so darn far from Flatbush I thought I’d never make it by midnite starting time. With the aid of WHN publicity director A1 Simon, I managed to get there. Seein’ as how I don’t get around to the Randforce office very often, I never met Wally Goldstein before. Even if I did get around there, I doubt whether Wally would be a familiar name. Y’see, chief, he’s not one of the bosses or even a major aide-de-camp. He’s one of the boys — assistant to Louis Schnitzer in the management of the Carroll. It was Wally’s nite in the sun (I like that, huh? — nite in the sun), and there were over 100 men from Randforce, Century, Loew’s and Interboro circuits present to wish “The Tie-up King” the best of the bestest. Holy smokes, here’s a guy all set to get married and taking a terrific good-natured ribbing as the result, and I haven’t even mentioned the gal’s name. She’s Irene Lazarus, cashier at the Congress, whose father was at the shindig to wish her upon Wally. And that wasn’t rouge Doc Lazarus had smeared on his phizz. Expected to see the Messrs. Frisch and Rinzler at the stag, but Louis F. wasn’t feeling up to snuff and Sam R. was with him. Frisch, by the way, left with his missus for Florida the following day. However, the prodigal sons were there. Mannie Frisch and Hal Rinzler were on either side of the “guy who went and lost it at the Little Oriental.” Also seated at the end table with the guest of honor were Jack Birnbaum, Irwin Gold, and some other gents who kept shifting so often we couldn’t keep track. It’s the entertainment and moom pitchers that will have to remain in the dark, but between those, short talks were given by Randforce district supervisors George Davis and Sid Levine; maintenance head Irving Goldstein; Loew district manager Seymour Mayer; Century’s Dick Tretler; Interboro’s Sam Handler; Irwin Gold; Louis Schnitzer; Harold Rinzler; Mannie Frisch; etcetera, etcetera . . . Oh yeah, also the future paw-in-law. Friends Wally Steinberg and Harry Kriegsman, my Flatbush playmates, were among those stumped by Madame Fifi. Just in case I forgot, boss, the arrangement committee did one swell job. Wally won’t forget the grand party tossed by his friends with Sidney Falk, Harry Garman, Louis Fishkin, Louis Schnitzer, and Julie Pincus as the spearheads. Methinks the following list includes all those in attendance not mentioned in the previous paragraphs: Ted Alpert, Joe Aaronofsky, Phil Arbeit, Leo Allen, Rubin Abrams, Sam Aronchik, Mac Alster, Barney Berman, Doc Bernstein, Marty Beil, Morris Brown, Irving Berman, Jack Baker, Harry Cohen, Bi.l Costello, Sam Clark, Max Dorfman, Abe Dermer, Mac Daniels, Gil Eisenstat, Leonard Furst, Sam Fried. Si Geller, Harry “Pianist” Gabriel, Aaron Gelfand, Irving Goldberg, Irving Gottlieb, Charles Hodes, Joe Herman. Joe Hornreich, Henry Horowitz, Si Kazlow, Dave Kaye, Sol Kirschenbaum, Irving Kaplan, Bernard Klein, Abe Kroll, Jack Kroll, Mickey Kroll, Fred Lekowitz, Irving Leff, Johnny La Barbera, George Levasier, Leonard Lightstone, Lou Liss, George Littman, George Langbart, Martin Messinger, Harry Milstein, Frank Marino, Joe Mancusi, Sid Nelson, Dave Rinzler, Abe Rosenblum, Joe Rinzler, Larry Robiczek, Joe Sirkin, Irving Schmetz, Mannie Solomon, Max Shiering, Pete Socolow, Herb Seletsky, Howard Saltz, Dave Steinberg, Charles Stainton, Hy Shapiro, Ben Smallberg, Harry Singer, Shimmy Slow, Sig Strauss, Bill Sussman, Bert Tretler, Don Williams, Jerry Weil, Monte Wiselman, Barney Wiselman and A1 Weiss. Them’s a lotta folk to mourn the loss of a gent about to lose his bachelorhood, but there was a lotta fun to be had. They were still there when Simon and Mentlik went back to Flatbush in the wee hours of the morn. Love and kisses, LEW MENTLIK, Your New York Correspondent. ROLL WAGONS, ROLL. Tex Ritter is, once again, the star of the Monogram-Ed Finney produced western. December 20, 1939