The Exhibitor (1950)

NT.2 EXHIBITOR plan. The plan worked out by the Greene committee offers relief for both the ex¬ hibitor and distributor in the present de¬ clining boxoffice condition, and will allow both to function with a profit, according to Kane. William M. Grant, former Republic branch manager in Minneapolis, and for the past eight months manager, Portland Monogram branch, died in Portland. His body was returned here for burial. . . . The Christmas party of the MGM ex¬ change at the Radisson Hotel marked the 25th anniversary of W. H. Workman, manager. . . . U-I had 20 special midnight “Harvey” shows in Minneapolis, St. Paul, Minn., Sioux Falls, S. D., and the balance of the Minnesota Amusement situation on New Year’s Eve. Harry French, Minnesota Amusement Company, has been named TOA cochairman for “Brotherhood Week.” Oklahoma City Morris Loewenstein has been named a TOA co-chairman for “Brotherhood Week.” Omaha A. L. Tuttle, new manager. Military, is mixing real art with reel art. Tuttle has arranged with the Joslyn Memorial Art Museum for a permanent display in the lobby. . . . Tri-States Theatres sent Film Row head bookers turkeys for Christmas. A balcony, adding 60 seats, is being installed in the Gem, Moville, la., by Frank Scott. . . . Harriett Johnson is a new biller at RKO, replacing Patricia Gargano. . . . Exploitation of “Harvey” drew U-I’s Robert Wile. . . . Wally Kemp, Tri-States Theatres city manager. Grand Island, Neb., described to the Kiwanis Club his contest-won trip to Hollywood. Film Row visitors included; A1 Blakkalb, Bonesteel, S. D.; R. V. Fletcher, Hartington, Neb.; Arnold Meierdierks, Pender, Neb.; Ralph Martin, Moorhead, la.; H. E. Holben, Pisgah, la.; Oliver Schneider, Osceloa, Neb. ; Pat Cook, David City, Neb. ; Don Gibson, Springview, Neb., and Wayne Neubben, Rock Valley, la., who is now doing his own booking. . . . Larry Starsmore, president, Westland Theatres, Colorado Springs, Colo., also was a visitor. R. R. Livingston, Capitol, Lincoln, Neb., has been named TOA co-chairman for “Brotherhood Week.” Portland William Grant, 52, manager, Mono¬ gram exchange, died suddenly of a heart attack. He came to his present post from a selling position in Monogram’s New York exchange, and prior to that was office manager in the Philadelphia branch. For a number of years, he was associated with Republic as branch man¬ ager at Minneapolis. He leaves his widow, Lillian M. Grant. Harold Wirthwein, Monogram western sales manager, announced the appoint¬ ment of Jack Felix as branch manager. Portland exchange, to succeed the late William Grant. For many years, Felix had been a salesman for Paramount until he joined the Monogram organization in Denver a year ago as a salesman. Willard Gamble, Bagdad, has been named TOA co-chairman for “Brother¬ hood Week.” 5f. Louis Gael Sullivan, executive director. Thea¬ tre Owners of America, appointed Tom Edwards, Farmington, Mo., president. Motion Picture Theatre Owners of St. Louis, Eastern Missouri, and Southern Illinois, a member of the TOA film re¬ viewing committee for 1950-51. Many theatres reopened on Christmas Day after being closed to permit their employes to take vacations, etc. Among the houses were the Ashland, Baden, Circle, O’Fallon, Pauline, Bridge, Plaza, Janet, Salisbury, Bremen, Fairy, King Bee, Plymouth, Princess, Roxy, and U City. In Kincaid Ill., plans for immediate repairs to the Kincaid, 880-seater, dam¬ aged about $30,000 by fire, were under way. Paul Ginoli is manager. Some 700 children from the 12th Dis¬ trict of St. Louis attended the Christmas party at the Union. In Carthage, Ill., Justus Garard, own¬ er, Woodbine, had a Christmas show. . . . In Augusta, Ill., the Lee was used for a cooking school. . . . Ben Lueken, Macklind, decided to operate that house week¬ ends only. . . . Some indication of the severity of the present winter is the fact that the Waring Auto Theatre, near Carbondale, Ill., equipped with in-a-car heaters that lost only three shows the entire winter of 1949-50 had been forced to remain dark six nights this winter up to Dec. 19 because of icy roads and snow storms, fogs, etc., William Waring, Jr., Cobden, Ill., owner, reports. Don Davis, Kansas City, representa¬ tive for RCA’s theatrical division, was a visitor. Out-of-town exhibitors includ¬ ed; Tom Bloomer, Belleville, Ill.; Tom Edwards and Frank Plumlee, Farmington, Mo.; Bill Williams, Union, Mo.; Charles Weeks, Jr., Dexter, Mo.; Russell Armentrout, Louisiana, Mo.; William Waring, Jr., Cobden, Ill.; Alphonse Magaidan. East St. Louis, Ill.; Joe Goldfarb, Alton, Ill.; John D. Giachetto, booker, Frisina Amusement Company, Springfield, Ill., and Forrest Pirtle, Jerseyville, Ill. Tom Bloomer, Belleville, Ill., with his wife and son, Tom, Jr., left for Florida. . . . Many Christmas parties were along the Row. . . . J. Haskell Smith, sound service engineer, Joe Hornstein, Inc., motored to Compton, Cal., because of the serious illness of his father. Dominic Giachetto, general manager and treasurer, Frisina Amusement Com¬ pany, recently was selected to head the YMCA membership roundup. Alderman William C. Brady, Democrat, 26th Ward, asked City Counselor James E. Crowe whether a 14-point theatre fire safety program recommended by Build¬ ing Commissioner A. H. Baum can be carried out by amending two bills now before the aldermanic Pubic Safety Com¬ mittee to exempt existing theatres from the new city code that was to become effective on Jan. 1, or by passage of a separate ordinance. Commissioner Baum made his suggestions at a public hearing conducted by the committee headed by Alderman Brady. He told the committee that if the theatres complied with the 14 suggested precautions, his office would consider they were in “sub¬ stantial compliance” with the new fire safety provisions of the city code. It was indicated at the hearing that prac¬ tically all of the theatres in St. Louis are already complying with most of Baum’s 14 suggestions. Theatres were represented at the hearing by Fred A. Joseph, attorney. Motion Picture Owners, St. Louis area; Thomas James, vicepresident, and Louis K. Ansell, chairman of the board. Paul Krueger, Wehrenberg Circuit, has been named TOA co-chairman for “Brotherhood Week.” In Freeburg, Ill., Basil Clark, 400-seat Freeburg, destroyed by fire with a total loss of approximately $50,000, announced plans for the rebuilding. In Alton, Ill., Joe Goldfarb, owner, 657-seat Uptown, heavily damaged by a fire, perfected plans for an early start on the rehabilitation of the theatre. “With our Emphasis-On-Showman¬ ship” campaign nearly finished, the results to date are most gratifying. Edward B. Arthur, general manager, Fanchon and Marco-St. Louis Amuse¬ ment Company announced. Standing in the theatres’ competition with four weeks to go, were as follows; Pageant, Wash¬ ington, Lafayette, Richmond, Hi Pointe, Rio, and Capitol. An additional prize for district managers of $250 was in the hands of Henry C. Riegel, Jr., at the two-thirds mark by a fraction of a point over Albert Poos. In Pittsfield, Ill., a final example of how a theatre owner can build public good will by making his theatre available for important business and civic gather¬ ings occurred when the annual meeting of the Mississippi Valley Production Credit Association was held in the Clark, owned by Russel Armentrout, Aimentrout Circuit, with headquarters in Louisiana, Mo. The Union was host at a special Christ¬ mas party, arranged by Howard Albert¬ son, manager, in cooperation with the 12th District Youth Association and many of the merchants. Also on the schedule was the annual Christmas party at the Missouri in co¬ operation with the Better Films Council of Greater St. Louis for the inmates of the various homes for the aged. About January S, 1951