The Independent Film Journal (1944)

28 April 1, 1944 'iAJhat Exhibitors 33 n3 Vandalism Continues to Add To The Tribulations of Managers JUST to add to the tribulations of managers ; parents are now using theatres as a place to leave their children while they are either working or shopping. The most recent instance of this was in Chicago where Louis Melon, the assistant manager of The Madling, found two children but seven and five years old wandering around the theatre in a bewildered fashion. Their mother had left them hours earlier and even when police took the youngsters to their home mother could not be located. Down in Memphis, where vandalism has reached an appaling stage, there have been many instances of downright despicable acts. For instance a twenty-five pound statue that had been in the lobby of Loew's State was discovered in the possession of a sailor. The man couldn't explain why he wanted the ornament and, strange as it may seem, he was sober. Someone dragged a knife the full length of the hallway into the balcony at the same theatre, cutting the wall tapestry through to the plaster — a distance of about 25 feet. A bowl from a toilet was stolen at Warner’s. Locks from several doors were removed. In the women’s lounge at the Malco, electric fixtures were torn from the wall. In the balcony a water pipe was pulled loose from the wall. Seat rippers have been active in all theatres. Upholstered seats have been ripped open with knives. Some theatre managers blame it on children, those of high school age. Others say service men, mostly sailors, are responsible. Still others say the damage is not limited to any particular class of people. What makes people that way? Dr. W. R. Atkinson, professor of psychology at Southwestern, said ne believed the deplorable state of things is not essentially a war condition except that crowded conditions have aggravated it. "Spare the rod and spoil the child,” says Dr. Atkinson. "The war is indirectly responsible for these things in one respect. It limits the amount of time that parents can spend with their children. Children are not being reared with discipline and there is no substitute for it. "Many of the high school age were brought up by the so-called new psychology which went along with the theory that the child should express himself, or do as he pleases at all times and that he should not have corporal punishment. A child is going to be bad until he suffers the pangs of physical discipline. "Among the service men, inactivity probably accounts for the damage. It is human nature, particularly among the young, to exert energy. If nothing worthwhile comes up to do; tor example if a man sits around in a restaurant all day bored stiff, he will turn his exertion into destructive channels. If he has his choice, he probably would rather be making a doll house or repairing roller skates, or most any old thing, but nothing presents itself, so he bends up silver.” ★ ★ ★ New England Theatre Gets Big Cut in Clearance Issue In a recent decision by the Boston arbitration board the Randolph Theatre, of Randolph, Mass., was granted the privilege of playing product directly after the first run Quincy theatres. The award, by Matthew Brown, also directed Loew’s, RKO, Warners and Paramount to make pictures available to Randolph 21 days after their availability to Quincy theatres. Twentieth Century-Fox was dismissed from the action on the ground that it had no current contracts with the complainant, M. I. Perlstein. Costs were charged against distributors. Levenson Brothers, operating the Strand and Quincy, in Quincy intervened. The arbitrator maintained Brockton clearance over Randolph at current margins. ★ ★ ★ "Follow the Boys" Shown Exhibitors from every circuit and independent theatre in the Metropolitan area attended the trade showing of Universal’s Charles K. Feldman production of "Follow The Boys” starring George Raft and Vera Zorina, held at the Normandie Theatre last week. The showing was the first held ; other exchange cities will screen the picture on April 3. ★ ★ ★ Lf. Martin Dies Lt. (j. g.) Edward Martin, 37, co-owner and general manager of Southern Amusement Co., Lake Charles, La., died at Great Lakes Naval Training Station where he was assistant to the director of welfare and recreation. ★ ★ ★ Floor Killed Andrew B. Floor, manager of the Star and Lake theatres, Salt Lake City, was instantly killed in an auto-bus collision near his horr^e last week. Cleveland Having Operator Trouble Owners of Cleveland movie theatres will be held chiefly responsible for the employment of unlicensed operators in projection rooms, Police Prosecutor A. A. Rutkowski has declared. Rutkowski’s statement came after an investigation showed unlicensed men working in 36 theatres. Many show owners did not know they were violating a city ordinance forbidding anyone but a licensed picture machine operator to operate "any picture machine.” It is estimated that the bulk of this city’s 90 houses are using one "senior” and one "junior” operator. In practice, theatre owners have no control here over their projection rooms. They are compelled by the Motion Picture Operators’ union to hire the operator assigned by the union, and the union, for reasons of its own, has been staffing projection rooms with unlicensed men. The 36 theatres being run by unlicensed men, owners were told by union officials "that all they needed was union permits.” ★ ★ ★ Kirsch Re-Elected Jack Kirsch has been re-elected president of Allied Theatres of Illinois for another three-year term. Van A. Nomikos was reelected vice-president and Richard Salkin was named secretary-treasurer, with Harry Nepo sergeant at arms. Members of the board: Kirsch, Nomikos, Salkin, Samuel Roberts, Verne Langdon, Lou Harrison, Joseph Stern, Jack Rose, Ludwig Sussman, Benjamin Bartelstein, Charles Nelson, Benjamin Lasker, Abe Goldstein, John Semadalos, Arthur H. Davidson, Ed Trinz and Basil Charuhas. ★ ★ ★ Bad Nebraska Fire Fire departments from six Nebraska towns were summoned to help curb a $100,000 fire at Neligh that destroyed Walter Bradley’s Moon theatre and three other buildings and injured four persons. The fire broke out about 6 A.M. and about an hour later an explosion, believed caused by accumulated smoke and gas, blew out both ends of the theatre and lifted the roof 10 feet in the air. What A re Your Needs? Joe Hornstein Has It A