Motion Picture News (Jan - Mar 1928)

Ma I l> J <s' 105.? San Francisco WHKN the ]'iil)lix stn.uc acts arrived at the (Jraiiada on March 16th, the l-'ast as represented by New York, and tlic West by San Francisco and Los Angeles, were in direct coniiJctititHi. Incidentally the eoniin.n of I'ublix acts established a theatrical rocerd for long railroad jumps — Chicago to Seattle, to Portland, to San Francisco, to Los Angeles, to Denver ; gcxxl for the railroads hut not too good for the balance sheet of the theatre ledger. Milton A. Nathan, who has been identified with the San Francisco F'ilni Board of Trade for several years, first as secretary and now as attorney, has had a camp named after him. A camp of the United Si)anish War \'eterans has been formed at Eureka, California, w'ith a charter membership of 91 men who served in the war with Spain, the insurrection in the Philiiipines and the China relief expedition. The camp has been named Milton A. Nathan Camp. Nathan is a past department head of the organization and be was complimented by reason of his work in behalf of war veterans. George H. Leatherby of the well known local theatre organ establishment of that name left for the east to visit New York, Philadelphia and Chicago, where he will attend a directors' meeting of the Leatherby-Geiieva Organ Co. Sanford Albert HatlitT, Jr.. was l)<>rn to the assislJint bcHikir of Universal on I'ehruary J5th. F. N. Lukan, district manager for First National Pictures, was a recent visitor. Mt)rgan \\'.il>h rcciiilis spent a few days in Los Angeles. (). L. Olsen and J. Hickey are making a tour of the .Sacramento Valley and Nevada in the interest of Columbia J'ictures. They expect to be gone several weeks. K. E. Wells is a new salesman connected with the loc;d L iiiversal E.xchange. Herman Lehrbach is the niiuiager of the New Cohna Theatre, which opened March lOth. 1 )orothy Peck, formerly with Universal and more recently connected with R. A. McNeil's Circuit, is now connected with the Ce>lumbia l^xchange. W. E. IVLatthews has signed a contract for another year with the F B () Pictures Corporation as manager of their local exchange. .Sam Demhow and his wife were recent visitors to San bVancisco on their way to Portland to attend the opening of the new West Coast Theatre there. Uembow will be back in San bVancisco for a day or so on his return trip east. The racehorse Alexander Pantages came in first place at a recent race in Tiajuana, much to the delight of a large number of film men who had placed money on him. Rav Kelsall is the new manager at the New Lyceum Theatre on Mission .Street. M. Mann has turned the Ilrtine Theatre, Oakland, back to the former owner, Joe Ithimeiitlial. I*"(ldie .Smith passed through San Francisco from flonoitilti on his way to .Minneapolis, where he is taking charge of a theatre f<jr Publix. Jack Marpole has discontinued his services with the .Standard Oil Company and is again connected with the theatre industry, having been appointed manager of the Tokay Theatre in I^(Kli, which is now owned by James Beatty. Myrtle Wheatley, assistant cashier at M-(i-.\L has recovered from an attack of flu. G. M. Montgomery, who is the Los .'\ngeles manager of the Supreme Film Exchange, visited the local office recently. Ellis Arkush and wife sailed on the steamship Malola for several weeks' vacation in Honolulu. Fifty-two San I'rancisco theatres joined with 289 motion picture theatres in 192 cities and towns of Northern California, Nevada, and Southern Oregon in the observance of a week of Fox Pictures. S. S. Neal, general sales manager of the Theatre Ad Mat Service, Inc.. of Uniontown, Pa., was in town last week organizing this territory. He secured the services of L. X. Walton and E. L. Walton, formcrh with Universal lilm Kx ( hange, to handle this service in (aliforiiia. Arizf»i)a, Nevada. Utah, antl New Mexico. New .Siinplex Projectors were recently rlelivered to the .S<mora Theatre, .Sonora. The Hijoii 'i'healre at N'isalia, has purchased the latest tyi>c lenses, siK-cially corrected for use with the Arc Reflector Lamp. They alsfj purchased a new Power's (jatc, which is a great advance in KJving steady projection. The -Sclma Union HiRh .School, .Selma, California, just purchased new Power's machines, tfjRether with the new Unitron Rectifier. Wiley R. Conlay, who has purchased the .Star and (jarden Theatres, Recdiey, recently purchased some new Power's Projectors and other booth equipment. H. B. I-'ranklin, president of West Coast Theatres, and A. M. Bowles, division manager for San I'Vancisco, tendered a luncheon to those managers of the .San Francisco division who were returned winners in the recent "Way Better Than Last Year Drive.'' Herman Kersken, of .San Jf>se, George Sharpe of Fresno, and N. O. Turner of Stcjckton were the winners, and substantial bonus checks were the prizes. The "best showing" honor for the entire circuit was won by the San Francisco ofl^ce and this prize, a silver cup, was presented to .\. M. Bowles. New England LOEW'S Boston theatres have declared a dividend of 25 cents a share, payable May 1 to stockholders of record of April 16. Reports of the gross of the 12weeks' showing of "Wings" at the Tremont theatre, Boston, at a $2 top place it near the head of the list of road shows for New England. In its final week it grossed ^16,000. Because of the figures, it may be that a return of the film to Boston later in the season can be arranged. District Manager Harry F. Campbell was remembered on his 50th birthday on Tuesday with several huge bouquets, the gift of members of the Fox exchange at Boston, where iMr. Campbell maintains his headquarters. Letters, cards and telegrams were received in profusion. Members of his sales staff presented him with an eightpiece platinum stud set. The new Palace theatre at Haverhill opens next week. It is Haverhill's largest theatre with between 1900 and 2000 seats. Al Brodie will manage the theatre and Sam Jensky is the owner. A policy of a single feature and complete stage presentation will inaugurate the opening of the theatre. William Cowan, for some years a lx)oker at First National exchange, Boston, has resigned, to operate his large farm south of Boston. As a poultry fancier, "Bill" has few equals in New England. Branch Manager W'illiam Erb of Paramount is making a trip through New York state in his newPackard convertible coupe, delivered last week. It is understood that a new theatre is to be erected this spring in Hingham, Alass. E. J. Shaeffer of the home office of Paramount, formerly district manager of the New England area with headquarters at Boston, was a visitor to Boston during the week. He left Boston for a brief vacation to Cuba. Archie Silverman of the Strand theatre, Providence, sailed for Europe from New York early in the week, for an extensive vacation. Al Anders of the Bijou theatre, Springfield, on a visit to Boston this week, let it be know-n that the Bijou is to go into first run pictures starting April 8th. District Manager Tom Bailey of Paramount returned to Boston this week after a brief trip to New York state. Andie Davis, of the sales force of L'nited Artists, has resigned. Mrs. Elizabeth R. Dessez, director of the educational department of Pathe at the home office, was a visitor at the Boston e.xchange during the week. Abe Goodside, of Portland and Springfield, was in Boston during the week, preparing early season bookings. Charles Wilson, formerly covering W'estern Massachusetts for Pathe, has joined the sales staff' of TitTany at Boston. Construction work is being rushed on the new theatre at l^wrence, Mass.. which is scheduled to open within six weeks. William McLaughlin of the Stoneham theatre at Stoneham, Mass., was bereaved by the death of his father last week. Mrs. I. Mendel has sold the Saugus theatre, Saugus. Mass., to Al Foye, of Lynn, ^Iass. The Three Star theatre at Holyoke, iMass.. has been sold by G. H. Berry to Stanlej' Tomczyk. Community theatre at Liberty, Me., has been purchased b\ C. H. Williston. "A showman in every sense of the word" is the fitting description of Louis Levine, newy appointed manager of Loew's Columbia theatre, Boston. Mr. Levine assumes his duties with a wealth of theatrical knowledge gained through nearly twenty years of direct association with the theatre and its allied branches. It was back in 1910 tloat Mr. Levine first became associated with the amusem nt game. In the early days of the motion pictures, Mr. Irvine tourid the "one nighters" throughout the fertile field of New England. His next move brought him to New York City, where he became associated with the Fred Mardo Vaudeville Agency, in whose employ he remained for more than five years. From Fred Mardo's he went to Arthur J. Horwitz as an artists representative. Several years later h.e returned to Boston, his home town, and joined the advertising -stafi of the Atlantic Printing Co. This ngagement was followed by a journey into the office of Horwitz & Krauss, assuming the management of their Boston office, taking charge of the bookings of their vaudeville acts. After the partnership of this latter firm was dissolved. Mr. Levine then joined the Mctro-GoldwynMayer Dist. Corp.. taking the road tour of the "Four Horsemen'' picture, later joining the Federated Film Co. and the Independent Film Co. as salesman through Maine, New Hampshire and \'ermont. Mr. Levine is essentially a product of Boston, where he was born and educated.