Motion Picture News (Jan - Mar 1928)

900 Motion Picture News Denver JACK KRUM, long associated with United Artists as branch manager in Denver, is now a special representative for the local branch office of Fox for the Denver territory. A fire causing damages to the extent of §2,500.00 occurred in the Black Hills theatre of Hot Springs, S. D. last Wednesday morning. The cause of the fire is unknown. Considerable damage was done to the seats and drapery equipment. The intense heat caused some damage to the projection equipment. The theatre is owned and operated by H. C. Morehouse. The loss is reported to be fully covered by insurance. The Sunday closing question has turned out to be a real hot issue up in Florence, Colo. Not long ago Hobart Kincaid, owner of the Rialto theatre of Florence petitioned the city council for the privilege of operating on Sunday. The petition was signed by 100 business men of the city. The ministerial alliance very strenuously opposed the granting of this privilege. A compromise was reached where a special election was to be held on the subject, the expenses of the election to be stood jointly by the theatre interests and the ministers' organization. Then the niinisters' body changed their mind and asked that the council dispose of the matter. The council voted on it this last week and the vote was a tie. The mayor, instead of casting the deciding vote, delayed further action on the subject. That is where the matter stands now. J. T. Sheffield, owner of the Columbia exchanges in Salt Lake City and Denver and manager of the Denver exchange, left for Salt Lake City last week for a two weeks' visits with the branch office there. J. E. Bangs, manager of the Strand theatre of Rawlins, Wyo., is in Denver transacting business with exchanges. The Alcott theatre of Denver has been sold b\' Frank Culp to Mrs. Ollie Toppan, who formerly owned the theatre. H. M. S. Kendrick has resigned as manager of the Fox theatres, the Isis and Plaza, in Denver to accept a promotion as special representative for the Fox organization out of New York City. He is succeeded by R. V. Conner, who comes from the Fox Savoy theatre in New York City. William Jacobs, manager of the Denver theatre since the opening last November, has resigned and will engage in private business in Kansas City, Mo., the place from which he came. Announcement as to Jacobs' successor will be forthcoming in a few days from Barry Burke, theatre district manager for Publix in this territorv. Afr. Jacobs formerly managed the Newman theatre in Kansas City, one of the Publix chain of theatres. Tourists visiting the popular town of Manitou, Colo., will find W. T. Bedwell managing the Manitou theatre this summer, according to information received along film row this week. Harry Evans of Colorado Springs has opened the Rialto theatre of Pueblo, Colo., with combined vaudeville and motion picture entertainment. The Pueblo Amusement Co., former operators of the theatre, recently went into \ oluntary bankruptcy. Mr. and Mrs. R. C. Geating of the Lyric theatre, Qiappel, Neb., were Denver visitors along film row last week. E. C. Trieb, president of tlw Civic Theatres Co. of Roswell, N. M., spent the past week in Denver transacting business with exchanges and supply houses. Cleveland SCOVILLE, Essick and Reiff, pioneer circuit owners, who have always confined their activities in the film industry to Cleveland and its suburbs, are now reaching out to Willoughby, a small town some east of here. They have taken a twenty year lease on a 1,000-seat motion picture theatre there, which will be part of the new Masonic Temple, now in course of construction. The building will cost about $150,000. Lodge nxMns will occupy the front, and the theatre will be located in the rear with a front entrance lobby, of course. The first story is nearing completion now so it will be some time in the summer before the theatre will be completed. John Graham of Qeveland is the architect. Lee Chapman, formerly with Se curity Pictures, and H. Hirsch, prominent in film sales circles, have opened Independent Pictures, Inc.. an independent exchange for the exclusive Ohio distribution of Rayart pictures. Lee Chapman is president and general manager. Hirsch is vice president and in charge of sales outside of Cleveland. Qiapman will handle the city sales. Their offices are in 706 Film Bldg. Llerbert Ochs, First National office manager, is captain of the sales crews out to clean up all left over contract in the territory. Ochs will concentrate on one part of the state at a time, calling on every exhibitf>r in the district. He figures it'll take four weeks to write amen to the present selling season. Jack Flynn, M-G-M district sales manager, paid local exchange man ager Frank Drew a friendly call last week. Carl E. Milliken, of the Hays organization, will be the guest speaker at the annual meeting of the motion picture division of the I'^ederated Women's Clubs, which is scheduled to be held at the Statler Hotel ball room in Cleveland on Wednesday, March 21st. Jack Gardner, who owned and operated the Superba theatre, Toledo, recently sold his house to Messrs. W. V. Archer, and Ralph Hallaner. Maybe the Ohio Amusement Company is superstitious. Anyhow, they had 13 theatres in their circuit. And last week they sold one, just to make it an even dozen. They sold the Yale, St. Clair Ave. and East 81st St. to S. Vermes, who also owns the Eclair. E. C. Grainger, of the Fox home office, was in the state last week dividing his time impartially between the Cleveland and the Cincinnati exchanges. George Ryder, manager of Loew's Mall theatre, is ill. Ryder has been in poor health for some weeks. Loew's Cameo theatre, under the management of Fred Coddington, invited 600 poor children to see Charlie Qiaplin in "The Circus" free of charge. Coddington just gathered up a lot of youngsters that hadn't seen a show in ages and gave them the treat of their lives. And they certainly did appreciate it. OS. nAMMl':R and S. J. • Fraser have taken over the Princess theatre in l^xkcland, redecorating and giving it a thorough ovcrliaiiling. They opened Fri<lay of this week with the regular picture program but have arranged to stage a "Pageant Ethiopia" next Wednesday, using the elite of the colored population. The Princess is the negro theatre of the city. The success of the Vitaphonc presentations at the Victory, Tami>a, looks so good to Manager George Peck that he has had a monster sign erected on the top of the theatre. The sign is nearly half a block long and has but one word on it, "V'itaphone." Florida When General Manager John B. Carroll, decided to reduce tlie price at the Tampa for a ".Shopix'rs' Matinee" between the hours of 11 A. M. and 1 P. M. with a two-bit gate to all, he certainly picked a live one, for these morning shows are drawing well filled houses, while before, with the regular gate, there was little better than the proverbial "corporal's guard." Th annual Sara-Dc-Sota celebration will pull the crowds to Sarasota next week. The Ringling Brothers circus, in winter f|uarters tiierc, will donate the major part of their animals and 500 horses for u.se in the parades. Miss Nell Shipman, motion picture actress, has been chosen to reign for the week in the title roll, "Sara-De-Sota." Mention was made in this column a few weeks ago of a rumor that a new neighborhood theatre was to be built in the Hyde Park section of Tampa. Rumor was correct in this case, as a building permit was issued this week to the Home Building company of Tuscaloosa, Alabama, and the contract given to E. S. Moore & Son of St. Petersburg, Fla., for the construction of a theatre to cost $100,000. The theatre will be located on Lafayette street between Hyde Park and Magnolia avenues, and will extend through the block to (Jrand Central avenue. The contract calls for a building of steel, concrete and hollow tile with terra cotta and stone trimmings. There will be a complete stage with dressing rooms and scenery loft and the house will have a seating capacity of 1,400. The theatre has been leased to the Patio Amusement Co. of St. Petersl)urg, who operate the Patio theatre there, and they will supply the equipment. B. C. Bonfoey is the architect and stated that the building and e<|uipment would call for an investment around $200,000. Construction is to start at once. J. C. Steward, who operates the Princess, Cross City, Fla., visited Jacksonville exchanges last week.