Exhibitors Herald World (Jan-Mar 1930)

66 EXHIBITORS HERALD-WORLD February 22, 1930 CHICAGO PERSONALITIES By JOE FISHER THE official family of the Illinois Independent Theatre Owners, Inc., has now been named, officers included: Aaron Saperstein, president; Fred Gilford, vice-president; Samuel Halper, secretary; Sidney Selig, treasurer. The board of trustees is comprised of Nathan Wolf, Andrew Cuzar and Saul Best. The commissioner is Emanuel Eller. On the board of directors are Harry H. Lasker, Joseph Pastor, Edward Brunell, Fred Gilford, Robert Gumbiner, Jack Rose and Saul M. Metzler. Louis Abramson is recording secretary. Steve Bennis' Lincoln theatre at Spring pRACTICALLY 100 exhibitors now are ^ paying members of the organization, which is to decide this week upon its representatives with Allied States, with which it is affiliated. * * * Lou Metzger, general manager o£ Universal pictures, spent three hours in the Windy City February 12, long enough to tell a few Universal plans. Universal intends to make silent pictures as long as there are enough silent houses, Metzger said. He also stated that Universal will make French, German and Spanish versions for several pictures. Metzger also believes that color will have a big part in future production. He was headed for the Universal City to confer with Carl Laemmle on Universal production. With him were Verne Porter, Eastern scenario head, and N. L. Manheim, export manager. * * * A special benefit performance was to be given for Jack Willis, of the Willis Trailer Company, at the Monroe theatre February 21. Tickets for the show were one dollar. ^ ^ ^ Important changes were announced in the RKO exchange by William Benjamin, manager. Sam Gorelick was named assistant branch manager. Leo Smith, formerly of RKO branch in Philadelphia, was appointed office manager. The RKO offices are being completely redecorated and city salesmen will have their own private offices within the next week. * * * General Talking Pictures screened a tenreel picture called "Dark Red Roses" to a very pleasing audience. "Dark Roses" is a a German-made picture with exceptional good acting. Sol Soloman, who is handling the distributing, reported several sales with first run houses. Gene Hankinson, formerly of the Palace, Orpheum and Brooklyn theatre, in Gary, Indiana, is now selling Sono Art-World Wide pictures under Bill Brumberg, manager. Brumberg also has added H. A. O'Brien to his staff. O'Brien formerly sold pictures for Paramount and Fox. * * * A sign on the Warner Brothers building at 835 S. Wabash Avenue reads : "For rent. A modern fire proof building with four fireproof vaults and projection room. Long or short lease. Signed Philip F. W. Berk." First National is voicing, or, should we say, rejoicing over the picture "Furries" There was a special screening of the film and Tom Gilliam could be heard on the sixth giving the unfortunate exhibitor who didn't see it a review of the film. Carl Leserman spent seven days in New York. All days were accounted for with special business meetings. field, Illinois, was nearly destroyed by fire Wednesday, February 12. According to reports, the flames caused $30,000 damages. ^ ^ ^ The Adams theatre is now operating as a short subject house. ^ ^ National Screen is now covering twelve states with trailers. Hal Young, manager, says the company is serving North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Iowa, Arkansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma and Indiana. * * * Wilmette, 111., which voted last year for Sunday shows, is going to get a new theatre. The Wilmette Theatre Corporation has just closed a lease on the former Wilmette theatre for 10 years with the owner of the theatre building, A. H. Weisberg. The corporation will remodel the theatre and expects to open it with sound pictures about March 1. The lease was negotiated through Albert Goldman, Chicago. Visiting at the Herald-World offices last week were Hisashi Wakabayashi (right), exhibitor from Japan, and K. Kashniagi (left), a student of the University of Illinois, who is specializing on theatre architecture and acoustics. Wakabayashi is in the States studying equipment in preparation for the construction of the $1,500,000 Nippon theatre in Tokio, which he is building with his associates. The Nip' pon theatre, a preliminary drawing of which was reproduced some time ago in "Better Theatres," will seat 4,000. ON THE BANKS OF WABASHn Wherein are recorded facts and near-facts — but none merely matter-of-fact— in the lives of the folk who rule the destinies of Film Row. In this historymaking series, first we have Edward Grossman. Eddie Grossman United Artists Manager ■pDWARD GROSSMAN might be called the versatile film man. In the fifteen years he has been connected with the business he has en' gaged as an auditor, a theme song writer, a salesman and a manager. Perhaps he knows all the other angles of the film iadustry, but he is a very modest fellow. Eddie was born in New York City in 1891. But we might say he looks considerably younger than the books say. His first real job was writing songs and productions for Shuberts and A. H. Woods. This was around 191?. In 1916, Al Lichtman, who was then general manager of Artcraft Pictures, engaged Eddie as accountant in the New York ofiice of Artcraft. Later Artcraft was absorbed by Paramount and Eddie was made a traveling auditor, one of the first in the business. His first job as traveling auditor brought him to Chicago, where he remained as office manager and later withdrew from auditing to do sales work. After one year in the sales field, Al Lichtman again engaged Eddie as his assist' ant with Associated Producers in New York. OOON after he was sent to manage the Den' ver office of Associated Producers. The company was absorbed by First National and Eddie joined Lichtman when he organized Pre' ferred Pictures company. After a short time Eddie was head over ten branches for Preferred in the Central West. Around 192? he purchased the state rights to "After Six Days" for the Illinois, Indiana and Wisconsin territories. For two years following, Eddie was a theatre promoter. In 1927 he joined the United Artists exchange. Vitaphone hired him in the latter part of 1927 as division sales manager in the Middle' west. He remained with the organization until June, 1929, when he joined the local United Artists branch as manager. Grossman married in 1922. He is ? feet 7 J/2 inches tall and weighs around 12?. He attended the New York public school. His first job was as an errand boy in a Wall Street office. He has one child, a boy of 3 years. Eddie's pet peeve is overnight cancellations. His hobby is musical comedies. He is a lover of football and his favorite president, he proudly admits, was Roosevelt. Henri Ellman Gets on The Desk to Say: THE JOKE OF THE WEEK Film salesman: How about buying a two-reel short? Dumb exhibitor: Hell, no, I bought Blah Blah Oil short and it broke me.