The Exhibitor (Nov 1948-Feb 1949)

NT-2 THE E X H I B I TOR $15,000. Condolences goto Walter Doyle, Rivoli, Troy, upon the death of his sister, Mrs. Shackett.... James P. Faughnan, Warner Theatres’ contact manager, was confined to his home with a cold. ...The Upstate Theatres staff held a holiday party at Keelers Restaurant. Harry Lament, Lament Circuit, and Leonard Rosenthal, counsel for Upstate Theatres, Inc., will attend the TOA meet¬ ing in Washington on Jan. 28-29. ...The many friends of George Laurey, manager, Warners’ Avon, Utica, were grieved to learn of the recent death of his mother ....George Dembow, vice-president. Na¬ tional Screen Service, and William B. Brenner, vice-president in charge of operations, will be the principal speakers at a meeting of the TOA to be held at Jack’s Restaurant on Peb. 2. ...Estelle Friedman has been added to the staff of Upstate Theatres as secretary to Mary Flynn, office manager and booker. Upstate Theatres is now doing the buying and booking for the American, Schenectady, owned by Charles Deitcher, and Rivoli, Schenectady, owned by Jules Perlmutter.... Richard Manning Westebbe, son of Max Westebbe, RKO branch mana¬ ger, was married recently to Barbara Coleen Mari Liebst, St. Paul, Kans., at the Unitarian Church in Washington. He is attending Georgetown University.... Eddie Susse, Loew’s Buffalo salesman and former office manager in the Albany exchange, was a visitor. -M.E.B. BINGHAMTON City Council last week passed an ordi¬ nance imposing a five percent tax on the¬ atre admissions. This is the second time that an ordinance imposing the tax has been passed by the Council. The original measure was vetoed by Mayor Walker B. Lounsbery. AU theatre organi¬ zations voiced opposition to the measure. BUFFALO Associates of Louis Beardsley, 74, for many years at Shea’s Buffalo, presented him with a check upon his retirement. He is headed for sunny Florida with his wife. Earl Hubbard, 20th Century advertising director, announced the engagement of his slaughter, Joan Lynette, to Roger Filip, Tonawanda. A stunt that received much comment on "Words and Music’’, which ushered in Major Franklin Hibel and Lieutenant Colonel G.H. Hopkins recently swore in Peter Gallogly, Brooklyn’s 20,000th en¬ listee into the U.S. Air Force, in front of the display for Warners’ "Fighter Squadron’’ at the Fabian Fox, Brooklyn. Lou Levy, Fox manager, looked on. the New Year at Shea’s Buffalo, was a ballot box and ballot listing the song hits from the picture. That old standby, the coloring contest, was used to advantage by Charlie Taylor in his campaign for Bob Hope’s "Pale¬ face’’, Shea’s Great Lakes. WaUy Allen, 20th Century-Fox exploiteer, was busily laying the ground¬ work for "The Snake Pit’’. He held two special screenings for the benefit of psychiatrists and other interested groups. Knee-Hi, the safety teaching dog, made further personal appearances during the holidays at special children’s matinees in the Shea Community Theatres. Giannina Pappalardo, Shea bookkeeper, is flashing a diamond sparkler on the finger. Eagle Lion held its Christmas dinner at Laube’s Old Spain. Robert Clabeaux, office manager-booker; wife, Laura; Morris Hamat, assistant booker; Julie Cage, cashier; Fred Cohen, salesman, and wife. Marge CoUins, secretary; Beverly Bickel, booker’s clerk; Dorothy Johnstone, stenographer, and Nikki Hyman, biller and contract clerk, attended. Following the dinner, a party was held in the branch with tree, exchange of gifts, and refresh¬ ments. Julie Cage, Eagle Lion’s pretty cashier, is engaged. Edward Paepke placed a diamond on her finger after a courtship of two years. The happy couple expect to be married in early fall. Congratu¬ lations. Mrs. Marie Hayman, the Robert Haymans, the Joe Haymans, and the Richard Haymans were charming hosts at a beauti¬ ful traditional Christmas party in the Deerhurst Road home of the Robert Hay¬ mans. Mike Simon, Paramount branch mana¬ ger, and his lovely wife, Kathryn, were in the reception line until long past 3 a.m. at a midnight buffet in their Lexing¬ ton Avenue apartment. Irving Pried, Tri-State Automatic Candy Company, in his fine inimitable manner, and his pretty wife, Rose, had a Christ¬ mas buffet in their company executive of¬ fices on Franklin Street for his combined employees and exhibitor and distributor film folks. The Frieds gave a warm wel¬ come to their 125 guests. V.G. Sanford, branch manager. National Theatres Supply; G.R. George, B.J. Al¬ drich, and Bertha Kreinik, secretary, held open house. It certainly inaugurated the Christmas season when Aland Lydia Behling, Ellen Terry and Sylvia; George and Dorothy Gammel, Gammel Circuit; Bob and Dick Hayman, Strand and Cataract, Niagara Palls; Harry Berinstein, Berinstein The¬ atres, Ithaca and Truemans burg; Henry Dillemuth, Broadway Lyceum, and Irving Pried, Tri-State Automatic Candy Com¬ pany, rushed in the MPTO offices like Santa Claus loaded down with yuletide gifts for yours truly, and for film exchange personnel, which they personally distri¬ buted, spreading much happiness and cheer to the recipients. In closing the column, I want to take this opportunity of thanking my film friends for the many courtesies extended to me during the past 12 months, and to wish all a very healthy and prosperous New Year. -M.G. ROCHESTER More than 4,000 children attended the special morning New Year’s party spon¬ sored by the Republican County Commit¬ tee at Loew’s. Welcome by Mrs. Charles W. Weis, Jr., county vice-chairman, car¬ toon films and carol singing with organ accompaniment were features of the event Vincent B. Paga, who shows Italian films at the Strand and other local thea¬ tres, revealed he has brought 225 fea¬ ture pictures to the city since he began his project 13 years ago after noting im¬ provement in film-making in Italy on a trip abroad. John W. Coyne, who built the Ridge, applied for a construction permit to erect an outdoor theatre in the North Goodman Street area. ...Mrs. Mary Cook, 75-year-old janitress. Lyric, suffered bums in a $2,000 blaze in her cottage home and was taken to St. Mary’s Hospital. ...Employees of the RKO Temple had a Christmas party in Manager Edmund Howard’s office and also received a nice bonus....All Schine houses gave 18-caitoon holiday matinee (Continued on page NT-4) Columnist Earl Wilson was recently introduced in New York City to a real Bob Hope and Jane Russell. Bob Weitman, manager. Paramount, cooperated with Paramount’s publicity department to have Wilson meet these people, whose names had been found in the phone book. Theentire stunt, which gotallofWilson’s column, helped Paramount’s "The Paleface’’. January 12, 1949