The Film Daily (1938)

10 THE' DAILY Friday, August 12, 19: ADD EXHIB. CONTEST TO FILM BIZ DRIVE (.Continued from Page 1) small exhibitors to share in the contest will be equal there will be three sets of awards, each offering $700. One set will go to the winners representing theaters in communities whose populations run under 15,000; a second set to managers in cities over 15,000 and under 100,000, and the third to managers in cities over 100,000. In each division the awards will be presented as follows: First, $500; second, $100; third, $50, and fourth and fifth, $25 each. The campaign's exploitation committee is working almost 24 hours a day to make the press book and accessories available to exhibitors well in advance of the opening date of the drive on Sept. 1. Set Date for St. Louis Biz Drive Rally Today St. Louis — Fred Wehrenberg, prexy of the Motion Picture Theater Owners of St. Louis, Eastern Missouri and Southern Illinois, yesterday named committee that will direct local participation m the "Motion Pictures Are Your Best Entertainment" campaign. In addition to Wehrenberg, who will serve as chairman, the commiltee includes Harry C. Arthur, Jr., Fanchon & Marco executive; Clarence Kainmann of the Kainmann Circuit of North St. Louis; Benny B. Reingold, branch manager for 20th Century-Fox, and Clarence D. Hill, branch manager for Columbia Pictures. This special committee is scheduled to meet today to set the time and place for a mass meeting of local exhibitors and exchange men to launch the drive in this area. Bagnall Treas. of H'wood Film Business Campaign West Coast Bureau of THE FILM DAILY Hollywood — George L. Bagnall, Paramount executive studio manager, was named treasurer of the "Motion Pictures Are Your Best Entertainment" campaign here. All the Hollywood motion picture neiUS Of TH€ DAY Detroit — National Theater Engineering Co., recently taken over by Nicholas Bruck, has completed the reinstallation of the equipment at the remodeled Dix Theater of Jack Krass. Westfield, Mass. — Walter Lenihan, assistant manager of the Strand Theater, is ill at the home of his brother in Holyoke. He will be removed to Hartford, Conn., shortly for an operation. His duties are being handled by Tony Paniecko. Detroit — George W. Carr, representative of International Seating Co, has moved his headquarters, formerly in the Fort Wayne Hotel, to 1179 Webb Ave Wanted by Drive Com. Brief but complete reports of what exhibitors are doing in connection with the industry's advertising drive are being sought by the campaign committee. Here is the information the committee needs at once: How is the formation of your committee progressing? Any definite big stunts in mind? Have theaters started to plug the "Movie Quiz" contest? Tell the committee all about your work so that your good example can be passed along. Address reports to Motion Pictures Createst Year, Inc., Campaign Headquarters, 1540 Broadway, New York. Akron, O. — Jack Essick assistant manager of the Highland Theater, has turned radio artist. Each Tuesday and Thursday, Essick will broadcast a 15 minute Movie Chatterbox program over WJW. Essick is a son of P. E. Essick of the Scoville, Essick and Reif Circuit of Cleveland. West Haven, Conn. — Contract for building the new 950-seat Forest Theater and two stores at the corner of Forest Road and the Milford Turnpike has been awarded to V. Construction Co., with Vincent Fiore personally supervising construction and executing entire decoration. Equipment will be furnished by Modern Theater Equipment Co. Ada, O.— The F & Y Construction Co. of Columbus has acquired the Pearl Burnett property here on Main St. and plans to erect a film theater. Detroit — Fred Witters, owner of the Court and Jones Theaters, Saginaw, is leaving on an extended vacation trip of the West. Detroit — S. K. Decker, president of Monogram Pictures here, will return Aug. 19 from a two months' stay in Hollywood, his second withrin the year. Pittsburgh — The State Theater, Castle Shannon, reopens Labor Dav. Hollywood Irish to Welcome Douglas Corrigan's Return West Coast Bureau of THE FILM DAILY Hollywood — A group of Hollywood personalities, descendants of the Irish, have wired an invitation to Douglas Corrigan to be their guest at an informal welcome home dinner after he returns to Southern California. The committee includes James Cagney, Pat O'Brien, Edgar Kennedy, Joseph I. Breen, Walter C. Kelly, Ray McCarey, Freddie Falich ajid George Murphy. Ohio Town Biz Gains Cincinnati — Col. Paul Krieger, Universal, returning from a territorial trip reports business definitely improving in second class Ohio towns. studios will participate in the making of a 15-minute radio transcription tracing the development and perfecting of sound in pictures. The transcription will be part of the "Motion Pictures Are Your Best Entertainment" campaign and will be generally released for use by radio stations throughout the U. S. and Canada. Irving Rubine is in charge of the transcription and is assemblingsound track from the various studios for re-recording in the transcription. Will H. Hays will open with a talk on the development of sound in pictures, and Al Jolson will sing "Mammy" again. Shirley Temple and other stars will be heard and a highlight of the transcription will be Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert singing "The Man on the Flying Trapeze." 650 Cars in Audience as N. Y. Drive-In Opens Opening of metropolitan area's first drive-in theater, on Sunrise Highway, near Valley Stream and Rosedale, drew 650 autos and a patron audience of approximately 1,500, it was said yesterday. Theater, designed by Irwin S. Chanin of the Chanin interests is being operated by Max Rothstein of Boston. It spans 12 acres. Principle upon which the theater is based is the arrangement of a series of semi-circular ramps which elevate the front and depress the rear of each car as it comes into place, so that the line of vision of the occupants is above the tops of any machines closer to the screen. There is little if any grade from back to front in the theater as a whole. The screen is about 48 feet high by about 65 feet wide with its bottom line about 30 feet above ground level. The screen is housed in a steel-framed structure about 80 feet high by about 110 feet wide which also contains the electrical switchboards for the illumination of the grounds, sound equipment and theater offices. Sound is transmitted by a battery of six directional amplifiers located on the top of the screen housing which are designed to confine the sound to the immediate area of the theater. Projected images are about twice those seen on the largest indoor screens. Sixteen ushers, dressed in white uniforms astride bicycles and carrying flashlights, direct traffic. Theater expects to operate until Nov. 1 and will reopen about Apr. 15, giving two programs nightly. SPECIAL FEATURES COM. FOR BIZ DRIV! (Continued from Page 1) headed by Charles L. O'Reilly New York and includes Tony Sud kum, Nashville; John Balaban, Cr cago; George Trendle, Detroit; ert J. O'Donnell, Dallas, and Skouras, Los Angeles. Davidson's duties will be devot to general promotion and tie-ups it;\lto ; Cf 1 Blue Ridge Hill Billies to See Their First Fill Paramount plans to transport 2 "hill billies" from the backwoods the Blue Ridge Mountains to Bio-* ing Rock, N. C, where they will s their first motion picture on Au 20. Picture to be offered is "Spav of the North" and affidavits attes ing to the fact that these peop have never seen a motion pictu before have been obtained. Hig lights of the event will be broa cast over the WOR-Mutual netwoi Stark's Passing Mourned San Francisco — -Northern Califc nia exhibitors are mourning t passing of a veteran theater man this territory, Edward Stark, S who died recently at his Valle home. His oldest son, Harry Stai recently sold his Rodeo Theat( Hollister, to Golden State, while second son, Ed Stark, has been a sociated with National Theater Su ply Co. and various theater chains Jones Signs With 644 Contract has been signed b tween Local 644, cameramen's unio and J. J. Jones, calling for IA cai eramen to operate the cameras th Jones has installed at 22 racetrack throughout the country, it w learned last night. WEDDING BELLS West Coast Bureau of THE FILM DAI1 Hollywood — Epidemic of roraan in the cast of Paramount's "Artis and Models Abroad" spread to tl production staff yesterday with tl marriage of Richard Blaydon Margaret Elizabeth Phillips. Bla don, unit manager of the productio will sail from New York on Aug. I for London to take up the post production manager for David Rose, Para.'s British products chief. Linda Yale, the Tailor-Made Gi in "Artists and Models Abroad will wed Sandy Gurstin, New Yo; business executive and socialit here later this month. Manchester, Vt. — John Giffoj Jones, manager of the Manchest' Theater, was married recently Miss Marjorie Joan Myer of Swis vale, Pa., at St. Paul's Church her