The Exhibitor (Nov 1941-May 1942)

6 THE EXHIBITOR rL ya Gu, Crosstown The Brooklyn Fox, Fabian, was robbed last week. A watchman was gagged while a safe containing $2,500 was robbed. Myrna Loy, who came east to contribute her bit to the Navy Relief Show, left for California last week. Ed Michelson, Warner home office pub¬ licity department, and Lillian Passman were married on March 21, at the home of the Reverend Norman Shuldiner. Henry Anderson, in charge of fire pro¬ tection and safety matters for Paramount Pictures, spoke to the assembly of Hunter College on March 18 on the important part women may be asked to play in civilian defense. Anderson’s plans for the safe¬ guarding of patrons in Paramount the¬ atres throughout the country have been uniformly adopted by the organization’s theatre associates. Jimmy Sileo is exhibiting over 20 pic¬ tures at the seventh annual photo exhibit of the Press Photographers Association being held at the New York Museum of Science and Industry in Radio City from March 14-April 12 inclusive. “Gone With the Wind” will have its third Broadway premiere March 31 at the Astor, Metro announced last week. The production will play on a continuous basis at popular prices. To voice their appreciation and pledge their intention of doing their part as workers in an industry which has been declared essential towards the building of morale, the members and friends of Loew’s-Metro Chapter, Screen Office and Professional Employees Guild, Local 109, UOPWA, CIO, last week sent the follow¬ ing radiogram to the Commanding Officer of the U. S. Forces at Mindanao, P. I.: “Please inform MacArthur members Loew’s Chapter, Local 109, UOPWA, CIO, cheer his valiant stand. Pledge efforts towards final victory.” Leathernecks past and present, high ranking Marine officers, detachments of Marines from Quantico and the Brooklyn and Philadelphia Navy Yards, and mem¬ bers of the Marine Corps League, or¬ ganization composed of former devildogs who have seen service all over the world, will dominate the local gala premiere of “To the Shores of Tripoli,” which opens at the Roxy on March 25. League is spon¬ soring the premiere, and will play host to the visiting Marines and to the screen, stage and radio celebrities, Army and Navy officials, and other invited guests. City Newsreel, formerly the City, 14th Street, re-opens on March 27 as a news¬ reel house. Paramount threw a swank reception and cocktail party on March 25 at the WaldorfAstoria for Cecil B. DeMille. It was at¬ tended by prominent film folk. Arthur Martin, formerly of Columbia’s home office contract department, is now employed in that company’s Washington branch in the film shipping room. . . . Josephine Langfelder, New York Film Board of Trade, recently announced her engagement to Dr. Mortimer Flamer, Yonkers. . . . Adele Corvello, Film Board of Trade, is returning to domestic life in the near future. . . . Ensign Gil Fraunhar, who used to be the New York representa¬ tive of this periodical, was in last week on a too-brief leave. . . . Florence Abrahamson and Milton Nelson, both of the New York Film Board of Trade, have been home ill. . . . Village, Eighth Street, closed recently. . . . Walter Hoffman is no longer connected with the State, Booton, N. J., house being under complete supervision of Ed Lachman. . . . Opera House, in Bay¬ onne, N. J., is closed. . . . Alben, Third Avenue, Brooklyn, is no longer control¬ led by the Interboro Circuit. All buying and booking is done by Dave Mannheimer. . . . Music Hall, Tarrytown, is now be¬ ing booked by Brandt. Jimmy Davidson, Universal, who had been transferred to the Washington ex¬ change, has been inducted into the Army. .... RKO theatres introduced revues to the stages of three local houses last week. . . Edward Fabian, son of “Si” Fabian, enlisted in the Navy recently, and is al¬ ready on duty. . . . Harry Fellerman, Uni¬ versal salesman, enlisted in the Army. . . . Big U Club held a party last week to celebrate the induction of new officers. New officials are Bob Finkel, president; Harold Rosen, vice-president; Helen Duffy, secretary; and Harry Tiso, treas¬ urer. Evening was a gay one, with speeches positively prohibited. Staten Island Roy Sherkey, manager, Fabian Stadium, Tottenville, L. I., has joined the ranks of Benedicts. He went on his honeymoon to Maryland. . . . Harry G. Black, general manager, Fabian, here, who already is on many civic and defense committees, is constantly being besieged with requests to head departments in the various defense organizations which are steadily being formed. . . . John Solimando, district office secretary, has returned from Florida. . . . George Haas has been named manager, Star, replacing A1 Lidman, who has taken over managerial reins of a Philadelphia theatre. George Kemp, manager, Fabian Liberty, had an interesting lobby stunt for “Tarzan’s Secret Treasure.” It consisted of a treasure chest brimming over with large chocolate coins wrapped in gold tinfoil. Prizes were awarded to those who guessed the number of coins in Tarzan’s secret treasure chest. Treasure chest rested on green matting, and was backed up with a large cutout display selling the picture. . . . All candy machines and stands in Island Fabian theatres are now being serviced by Sanitary Automatic Candy Corporation. . . . Edgar Goth, director of advertising and publicity, Fabian Staten Island theatres, has been appointed editor of Advertising News, organ of the local advertising club. Your Country Needs Your Help. Co-operate With Your Local Defense Council. Bergen County Booth for the sale of U.S. defense bonds and stamps has been set up in the lobby of the Plaza, Englewood. . . . First 200 persons making a purchase of 25 cents or more at a Hackensack store were given passes to the Plaza, Englewood; Pascack, Westwood; Teaneck, Teaneck; Palace, Bergenfield; Rockland, Nyack, N. Y. — P. C. Elizabeth Elizabeth is all set for air raid protec¬ tion, so far as its theatres are concerned. At a recent meeting with Colonel J. H. M. Dudley, himself in show business, the managers were named senior wardens. Dudley heads the local air-raid precau¬ tions plan, and was one of the first in the country to inaugurate it. Wardens will be aided by their staffs as junior wardens, and will undergo special training. Among those at the conference were Clem Murphy, Ritz; Edward Batlin, Regent; George Nichols, Liberty; Sidney Stern, Cocalis Enterprises. Every theatre will be examined as to shelter areas, and the in¬ terior lights will be dimmed under the blackout regulations of the ARP. Man¬ agers offered their theatres for early morn¬ ing use by night workers training for air raid work. Colonel Dudley said that ex¬ perience in England showed theatres to be unusually safe. Fort Lee The expected demolition of Celia’s Park Hotel in the near future as the result of the sale of the entire block of property on which it stands, will bring to an end one of the most historic buildings in East¬ ern Bergen County. Hotel was famed as the building in which the infant motion picture industry was born, and through its portals passed some of the most famous motion picture stars of the silent era. Be¬ fore the Fort Lee motion picture studios were built, production companies used the hotel as a business office, and the center of all their activities. Many films were made at Celia’s, including most of the Mack Sennett comedies starring Ben Tur¬ pin, Edna May Oliver, Alex Francis and William and Dustin Farnum. “Bronco Billy” Anderson made many pictures there, and James Corbett, world’s heavy¬ weight boxing champion; Kitty Gordon, world famous beauty; Robert Warwick, matinee idol of other days; William S. Hart, Frank Tinney, comedian, and hun¬ dreds of others. Among the producers who were familiar with Celia’s were William A. Brady, Edgar Selwyn, and Edward Mannix, now Metro general manager. The Exhibitor Service Kit Is the Finest Ever Devised In the Motion Picture Industry. Long Branch Extensive renovations and additional construction are now being carried out at Walter Reade’s Strand. The whole front section of the theatre is being modernized. Front of the building is receiving a new face lifting job, and the lobby will be widened to include a small store on each side of the present entrance. Francis E. Miller is general contractor, and William I. Hohauser is the architect. Reade plans to remodel the theatre auditorium later. Thomas A. Phelan is city mangager, and Mrs. Margaret Browning manages the Strand. ( Continued on page 17) March 25, 1942