Motion Picture News (Apr - Jun 1927)

1974 Motion Picture News IF ytiu want to see big league baseball on a sand lot, just stop off to watch the Saxe exchange baseball league in action. They had a double header May 1. The Exchanges took the first game in the double header, 11-10, and Saxe retaliated by taking the second (a 7-inning game), 6 to 5. The high light of the game was the spectacular and unconscious catch of Orloff's when the bases were full in the 7th inning and two down. Bert Wheeler, of the Lloyd Theatre of Menominee, was in the city during the week visiting exchanges. Sam Thirion, of the Bijou theatre at Green Bay, was visiting around at several of the exchanges on Thursday and Friday. George Fisher has added another theatre to his fast growing circuit. He takes over the Ritz theatre, North Milwaukee, on the 1st of the month from Michael Bruhm. Mr. Fisher is now managing the Milwaukee, and the Capitol and Allis at West Allis, and is building a new house on 21st and National Aves. Bob Smith, manager of the Warner Exchange, has returned from New York where he attended the Warner convention. A. C. Accola, of the Bonham theatre, Prairie du Sac, was in the city during the week. Mr. Accola has been using the Victor Orthophonic \"ictrola during the past week in connection with the showing of the pictures. The Victrcla takes the place of organ or orchestra, and Mr. Accola says with a little adjusting, can be used very successfully in a picture house. P. M. Cain, of the Falls theatre at Sheboygan Falls, was among outof-town exhibitors in the city during the week. J. T. Hudson, former manager of the Hudson theatre at Muscoda, has taken over the Hurds theatre at Boscobel from Tom Smith. Mr. Smith is now managing the Regent theatre at Prairie du Chien. George Gassow is the Regent's former manager. .\rt Desormeaux, manager of the Strand theatre at Madison, it is reported, is ill with pneumonia. E. J. Fox, manager of the Opera House at Marion, visited several of the exchanges this week. The new theatre for Wauwatosa will be started within a week or ten days according to Earl Rice, manager. Two sites are now being contemnlated, and the selection will depend upon the action of city in zoning one block of the down-town section into a business section. If this ordinance is effected, the theatre will be located on Main Street in the down-town section. The new house will have a capacity of about 1000, and will be Wauwatosa's first motion picture theatre. Roy Smith, of the Unique theater at Tomah, is therefore moving the theater two blocks down the street. A new theater is to be erected in Adams in which Frank Nowacheck of the American Legion theater is interested. The building will be erected at a cost of about $25,000 and will accommodate two stores and a 500-seat theater. S. L. Seidelman, booker at the Educational exchange, has been ill and away from the office for a week. Neil Duffy, manager of the Elite theater at Appleton, stopped in at the local exchanges for a short \isit. E. Delaney, exploitation director from the Chicago office of M.-G.-M. is visiting the Milwaukee branch. I\L Abrams, exploitation director from the M-G-M Minneapolis branch is busy in Madison at the present time. W. K. Lendon, traveling auditor, is spending a few weeks at the Universal exchange. Ray Pfeiffer, of the Princess theatre, at Chilton, was a recent Film Row visitor. Frank Trottman, manager of the Gem, and Lou Holz, manager of the Pearl, are getting all set for a fishing trip on the 1st, to Spider Lake up in the sticks. William Loibel, manager of the Chimes theater at Cedarburg, left for Denver where he was married on May 10th. From Denver, Mr. and Mrs. Loibel are going to Hawaii on their honeymoon trip. Al. Picker's new theater at Ironwood is making rapid progress. Mr. Picker left this week for Alinneapolis to arrange for purchase of accessories for the new house. The new Fischer theater at Portage, was opened with an elaborate program on May Sth. The Paramount Pep Club is having another of its enjoyable interoffice parties on May 27th. Guests are expected from Chicago, Detroit and Peoria. Spring house cleaning has hit the state exhibitors. The Mission theater at Kilbourn under management of Grover Olson, has been redec( rated and remodeled, a new organ has been installed, and it is now spic and span for the tourist invasion. Peter Rouinain recently had a new stage put into the State theatre at Rhinelander and initiated it with a special program. Al Robarge is remodeling the Cosmo at Merrill and has installed a new organ. The Opera House at Wittenberg has been made more attractive by new decorations, and a new stage has been added. Walter Kerster is manager. The Chimes theater at Cedarburg has undergone extensive redecorating in the past few weeks. Dan Lederman, in charge of construction for the Universal chain, has been in the Milwaukee office for the past few weeks. E. J. Bregger's new Ejay theater at Crystal Falls opens on May 30th. The opening of the new east side .Saxe theater has been postponed for a few weeks. It was originally scheduled to open on Decoration Day. D. H. Brechler, manager of the Onera House at Fennimore, made a short business trip to the city on Wednesday. Art Gray, of the Beier Film Exchange, is spending a few days in New London. The Universal convention at Chicago was well attended by members of the Milwaukee office. Jack Camp, George Levine, H. J. Terrv, R. \\'innig. Matt Lavin, R. Rosenblatt, and X. Blumberg returned on Thursday well pepped up for the new season's drive. MRS. l>HiL CHARNAS dropped dead in a local department store last Wednesday as the result of an attack of acute indigestion. Phil Charnas is a. brother of Harry Charnes, president of the Standard Film Service Company, and is manager of the Hippidrome and Southern theatres in Bucyrus. The Home theatre, Seville, which has been closed a long time, was recently purchased by Thomas E. Lee. Mrs. William Gibson, long associated with the Crown theatre at North Baltimore as genial hostess and manager, has taken over the Strand theatre, Weston. D. M. Thomas, of the Thomas Productions, Inc., was in town last week. Leo Devaney, local Universal exchange manager, spent all of last Friday being host. From 1 P. M. to 5 P. M. he entertained several hundred Cleveland and down state exhibitors at the Monarch theatre. In the evening all of the guests were entertained at dinner at the Winton Hotel. Local Fox salesmen are enjoying a two weeks' vacation. It's the lull before the conventions — one in Atlantic City and another one in Chicago. The Metrcipolitan theatre, Cleveland, closed its season last Saturday with the Mississippi river flood benefit. The first shovelful of earth has been turned for the new Greenbauni theatre in Mansfield. This is the house which has been planned by Mark Greenbaum and his son Jack for the past six months. It will have 1,500 seats and will be completed by fall. William Hayncs, managing director at the Allen, Cleveland, states that he will continue the presentation policy of the house all through the summer. Philip Spitalny, musical director at the Allen, and his associates, known as Phil's Boys, will leave Cleveland the beginning of June to fill an extended engagement at Loew's State theatre, Boston. Meyer Fine, Abe Kramer and the Siherman' Brothers have moved out of the Film Exchange Bldg. and are now located in the Union Bldg., luiclid Ave. and East 18th St. A CLASS C theater building is to be erected in the Allendale district in Oakland, for the Blumenthal Theatre Circuit. It will contain 1100 seats and cost about $75,000. -Sub-contracts have been awarded for a two-story Class A addition to the department store located on Kittredge street near Shattuck avenue, Berkeley, near San Francisco. It is owned bv J. F. Ilink & Son, and will cost $150,000. It is expected a motion picture house will enter there. In the last week of April, Grace Sanderson Michie, well known in the film acts in Hollywood, entertained at a local book concern, where she spoke on "Movie Ma^ic." A large crowd attended. The Granada Theatre has been repainted and decorated elaborately. This is part of the policy of the local Publix Theatres to repaint and redecorate all their theatres in tiiis locality. bVicnds of Horton Kahn, popularly known as "Father" Kahn, were glad to see that he rapidly recovered from the mumps and that he is back as manager of the Imperial Theatre. Many local managers were interested at the instance when Mrs. Sara Patek. an 86-year-old widow, had her picture taken in film and it was shown privately by her with her children, grand-children and grcat-.great grand-children, of which she has eleven. Some of the managers saw it, but she would not allow it to ar""Hr on the stage.