International projectionist (Jan-Dec 1950)

Radio 'Hairi1 Call Letters An estimate that at least one in every twenty projectionists is a radio "ham" is advanced by Amos R. Kanaga, secretary of Local 409, San Mateo, Calif. Amos thinks it would be a fine thing for the craft if this department printed from time to time the names, call letters and locations of IA men who are radio "hams." We concur enthusiastically with this thought, and these few lines may be considered as an invitation to all projectionist "hams" to send in the aforementioned data. — H.S. ley, San Francisco; James J. Brennan, New York; Roger M. Kennedy, Detroit; Felix D. Snow, Kansas City; Carl G. Cooper and William C. Barrett, Los Angeles, and Louise Wright, Dallas. The Walsh celebration afforded us an opportunity to greet many of our old friends and to rehash incidents of days gone by. We were particularly pleased to greet our very good friends Johnny Fitzgerald of Cleveland; Eddie Miller, Houston; Orin Jacobson, Tacoma (a guy who is careless with his ties) ; Jim McNabb, Seattle; R. E. Morris, Mobile; Al Johnstone, New Orleans; Maynard Baird, Knoxville; Charlie Hathaway, Oklahoma City; Steve Newman, Los Angeles; Larry Katz, Harrisburg, and many others. It was a grand party and a swell reunion for us old-timers. • The regular semi-annual meeting of the IA executive board will be held at the Hotel Vancouver, Vancouver, B. C, the week beginning Monday, March 20. This will mark the first time in the history of the Alliance that the IA governing board will meet in Vancouver. • TMA Jottings: Charters have been issued to two new Lodges — Lodge No. 141, Westchester Co., N.Y., and Lodge No. 142, Hollywood, Calif., with Larry Sabatino as president of 141 and Roy Hostetter president of 142. • One of our prized possessions is a photograph sent to us several years ago by William Hartnett, Ottawa Local 257 business representative, of the IA officials and delegates attending the 11th District Convention which was held in Kingston, Ontario, October 1922. Of the 31 IA men appearing in this picture, all have passed on but four of us — Bill Covert, IA vice-president and business representative of Toronto Local 173; William Hartnett, Local 257; George Jones, secretary of Local 173, and yours truly, who attended the Convention as an IA representative. Among those appearing in this picture are Charlie Shay, then IA president; Frank Lemaster, IA secretary -treasurer ; P. J. Ryan, Bill Dillon, Joe Magnolia, and Lou Krouse, IA representatives. • Our good friend, Charles A. Vencill, secretary-treasurer of Los Angeles Local 150, informs us that the Local is now doing business at its new headquarters — 1800 South Vermont Avenue. A toast to the Local's success in its new home is one of the things we have scheduled for the IA Convention in Detroit next August. • Shortly after his election as president of Local 225, Atlanta, Ga., death claimed Al Kemp. Although Al had been ailing for quite some time, his interest in Local affairs never wavered and he remained an important factor in union activities until the end. • Robert W. Greer, president of Local 386, Columbus, Ohio, has been re-elected president of the Columbus Federation of Labor. • At the recent testimonial to Edward Johnson, retiring general manager of the Metropolitan Opera House in New York City, IA President Walsh presented the impresario with a gold wrist watch and a gold life membership card in the Alliance. There was no doubt in the minds of those present at the affair as to the esteem in which our organization is held in theatrical circles. • Hard luck has been dodging the footsteps of Allen G. Smith, popular manager of National Theater Supply Co.'s N. Y. C. branch. Allen has been in and out of the hospital several times during the past year. We hope that his recent stay there finally licked whatever it was that troubled him. • Pointing out that the 20% federal theater admissions tax was a "serious deterrent to business at the nation's box offices and thus threatens the livelihoods of many thousands of workers employed by this industry," IA President Walsh appealed to the AF of L executive council for the organization's support in the fight to repeal this tax. The executive council voted full backing of the Federation in this fight, and passed a resolution urging Congress to repeal the excise taxes on a list of services headed by the amusement industry. • Although Clayton D. Bridges, charter member of Local 413, Gadsden, Ala., is Snapped at the recent 50th birthday party tendered IA President Dick Walsh at the St. George Hotel, Brooklyn, are (I. to r.) Carl Cooper, 7th IA vice-president; Sol Scoppa, L. 798, N. Y. City; Thomas V. Green, IA delegate to the AF of L convention; Harland Holmden, 1st IA vice-president, and Albert F. Ryde, bus. rep. for Buffalo L. 233. today only 53 years old, he has been a motion picture projectionist for the past 33 years. Under the tutelage of J. Roy Hunt, now an ace Hollywood cameraman, Bridges operated his first projection machine when he was only 15. Several years later, together with L. L. Smith and M. C. Mauney, also charter members, Bridges helped organize Local 413. • Houston Local 179 can now boast of having the legal profession represented in its ranks. Lester F. Hall, member of the Local, is a practicing member of the bar. While a student at the University of Oklahoma, Hall was instrumental in organizing Local 715, Gainsville, Texas, and served as its first business representative. In 1939, one year after the Gainsville Local was chartered by the IA, Hall left the University and moved to Houston where he worked as a projectionist until December, 1942, when he enlisted in the US Navy. He later became a naval pilot and was returned to inactive duty December, 1945, with the rank of lieutenant, senior grade. In January, 1946 he entered law school, receiving his LL.B degree three years later; passed the bar examination in July, 1949, and four months later opened his own law offices. • In a recent feature article appearing in the Evening Bulletin, Providence, R. I., Sydney T. Clarke and Arthur P. Slater, officials of Local 223, selected "Gone With the Wind," as the best motion picture ever made, with "Mutiny on the Bounty" running a close second. Clarke and Slater, both veteran projectionists, have been employed at Loew's State Theater in Providence for the past 30 years, and they certainly may be con INTERNATIONAL PROJECTIONIST • MARCH 1950 19