The Exhibitor (Nov 1948-Feb 1949)

THE EXHIBITOR NT-1 jVkws of thf: Cincinnati Film Row lost one of its outstanding bookers when Thomas McMahon, MGM, collapsed, and diedin his home of a heart attack. He had served in the Third Marine Division, and was only 29 when stricken. Surviving are his widow, Mrs. Joyce Mc¬ Mahon; his mother, Mrs. Hilda McMahon; his father, Stephen, and two brothers, Daniel and David. A new slate of officers now holds forth in Tent 3, Variety Club. The new Chief Barker is Alan Moritz. Art Manheimer is First Assistant Chief Barker, and Jack Frisch, Second Assistant Chief Barker. Treasurer is Manny Trautenberg, while Saul Greenberg is the tent’s secretary. Billy Ramsey is sergeant-at-arms. The tent also elected the board for the ap¬ proaching year; Jimmy Ambrose, Jack Frisch, Saul Greenberg, Nat Kaplan, Allan Moritz, Art Manheimer, Bill Onie, Bill Ramsey, Noah Schechter, Manny Trauten¬ berg, Jules Sien, Maurice White, Lev Bugie, Ralph Kinsey, and Irving Sochin. Two mem¬ bers were selected to represent the Club next April at the Variety Clubs annual convention in San Francisco, Onie and , Schechter. Sochin, national canvasman, and Moritz, regional director, will also represent the club in their official capa¬ cities. Inspired by “Apartment For Peggy”, Rollman’s Department Store outfitted its new eighth floor with appropriate furnish¬ ings, and entitled it, “Apartment For Peggy” Bookings for the new Guild, formerly the Eden, are far in advance. The theatre opened showing “One Night With You”, followed by “Jenny Lamour”, “Beauty and the Beast”, “Symphonic Pastorale”, “Paisan”,,“Nicholas Nickelby”, “Cesar”, “This Happy Breed”, “Back Streets of Paris”, and others. In conjunction with “Miss Tatlock's Millions”, the RKO Palace held a contest on the funniest scene the contestant has ever enjoyed. United Artists’ Ward Farrar specialized in the mysterious when he invited a choice group of young ladies who are boosters and members of the University of Cincinnati Mummers’ Guild to a party. Purpose was to promote UA’s “An Innocent Affair”, but guests were unaware of the part they were to play. An interview on flirtation techniques, complete with appropriate looks and poses, was their contribution. The Twentieth Century has begun its Saturday afternoon variety show for chil¬ dren.... Monthly films for orphans are part of an organized plan by the Fraternal Order of Eagles, Cincinnati Aerie No. 142. Free movies for the public are shown each Tuesday at the Art Museum. Cleveland The Variety Club will hold a general meeting in its club rooms on Nov. 27 to elect officers for the coming year. A nominating committee headed by Nat Wolf, and composed of Nat Barach, Henry Greenberger, M.B. Horwitz, and Jules Living¬ ston, will submit 'names of candidates, supplemented by nominations from the floor. I.J. Schmertz, chairman. Will Rogers Memorial Drive committee, and his aides, Harry Goldstein and Meyer Fine, were de¬ lighted with the exhibitor response to the sale of contest books and theatre collec¬ tions at a series of state meetings held in Youngstown, Steubenville, Toledo, Ak¬ ron, and Marion. A meeting of Cleveland theater owners and managers was planned, Lou Averbach, former assistant to Earle W. Sweigert, Paramount division manager, is here as assistant to district manager Harry Goldstein who is in charge of the Cleveland, Cincinnati, and Detroit offices. Arthur Ayres, 50, who has spent 30 years in two local projection booths, died suddenly of a heart attack. He started out as projectionist as the poan, moved to the Embassy when it was built, and has been there ever since. He is survived by his wife, the former Peg Moir, who used to be with First National, and three daughters. A1 Schwalberg, head. Paramount ex¬ change operations, was a visitor.... Walter Titus, Jr., Republic division manager, spent several days conferring with branch manager Irwin Pollard on what Titus said was a routine tour of exchanges. Sidney Cooper, former United Artists salesman in Detroit, took over as branch manager during the week. He follows Wil¬ liam Levy, who returns to the company’s foreign field in which he has spent most of the past 18 years.... Bernard W. Payne, Modern Talking Pictures, announces that he has received color prints of a group of important 16mm. subjects available free to schools, churches, institutions, or groups. Included are ALCA’s “Curiosity Shop”, to the prize winning “Unfinished Rainbows”; “Song Of The Pioneer”, western travelogue sponsored by the Chi¬ cago-Northwestern Railroad; “Desert Ven¬ ture”, sponsored by the American Arabian Oil Company; “Mr. Grant Sees The Light”, showing the motels of the country, and the new NBC shorts, which show how a radio show is built from script to broad¬ cast. LouOpper, Novelty Scenic Studios head, was here conferring with Leroy Kendis on materials to be used in the new Richmond, which the Associated Theatres Circuit hepes to have completed early in the coming year. Louise Jade, longtime MGM cashier, who resigned to satisfy a yen for domes¬ ticity, is back in the film business as secretary for the Triangle Theatre Cir¬ cuit, which operates the Yorktown, Broadvue, and Parma. Joe Robins, Warren, O., theatre owner, left driving to Florida.... Irwin Pollard, (Continued on next page) Pittsburgh VC Fete One Of The Best PITTSBURGH The folks were still talking this week about the 21st anniver¬ sary banquet of Variety Club, Tent 1, honoring International Big Boss John H. Harris and the 1927 founders of the Club, held at the William Penn Hotel on Nov. 14. Also honored was the 1948 retiring crew, headed by Chief Barker Sam Pine berg. The weekend of festivities began when the club’s officers, as well as honor guests, attended a dinner in the Duquesne Club on Nov. 13. Harris was host, and follow¬ ing this the group were guests at the hockey game at the Gardens between Pittsburgh and Providence. The next afternoon, pre¬ ceding the banquet, several hundred club members and friends attended the football game at Forbes Field between the Steelers and Cardinals. Joe Ferris, club steward, had every¬ thing very well organized, and with his enlarged crew was on the ball to looK after the wants of the many visitors and members. Among the early arrivals were Mr. and Mrs. Manny Feldman, newlyweds from Erie, Pa. He was formerly a theatre mana¬ ger in the Pittsburgh territory. Among the exhibitors arriving early were Joe Shapiro, Mount Union, Pa., and Six Mile Run, Pa.; C.S. Brown, Kane, Pa; Johnny Osborne and his son and George Otte, all from Wheeling, W.Va. Industry figures who arrived were Nat Levy, eastern sales manager, RKO; Bob Folliard, district manager, RKO; Eddie Fontaine, SRO, Washington, D.C.; Sam Wheeler, Screen Guild franchise owner, Washington, D.C.; George Dembow, Na¬ tional Screen Service, New York City; Bob O’Donnell, Interstate Theatres, Dal¬ las; Charles E. Lewis, New York City, and Louis Averbach, assistant to Harry Goldstein, Paramount. Barker Jack Rice attended representing Miami Tent 33. Dinner music during the banquet was provided by Maurice Spitalny and his or¬ chestra with Bernie Armstrong at the organ. Spitalny also provided the accom¬ paniment for the excellent two-hour floor show, which followed the evening’s speech¬ making. Following the dinner, Jimmy Baimer in¬ troduced Norman Prescott, toastmaster, who was assisted by Harold G. Hoffman, former Governor of New Jersey and William Me Craw. Hoffman and McCraw alternated in in¬ troducing the various speakers of the evening, first of whom was Tom Troy, Tent 1, manager, William Penn Hotel. Troy presented retiring Chief Barker Sam Pineberg with a present from the members. Fineberg then introduced George Variety Barker the 4th, lO-month old baby adopted by the club in the interest of the long tradition dating back to the club’s found¬ ing. He was accepted as a ward of the club by George W. Eby, newly-elected Chief Barker. Pineberg then presented plaques to Troy and John McGreevy in recognition of their fund-raising activities in the club’s (Continued on page NT-4) November 24, 1948 Mideast