Motion Picture News (Apr - Jun 1928)

2198 M o tion P i c t u re N e w s onal News from Corresponden CHANGES of interest to exhibitors served out of Albany continue to take place along film row. Gene Lowe, one time booker for Fox in Albany, but who has been engaged in other lines for the last two years, returned this week as booker at the Universal exchange, succeeding C. R. Halligan. Sterling Wilson, who recently came to Albany as a Tiffany salesman, has been made manager, succeeding Pete Dana, who will supervise the Albany-Buffalo territory with headquarters in the latter city. Ben Smith has left the Warner Brothers' sales force to join the Tiffany force, and Isidore Epstein, shipper at the Metro exchange, is slated to take Smith's place at Warner Brothers. Joe Miller, of Buffalo, has sevleretf connections with the Tiffany forces and will handle Buffalo for Columbia. The children of C. H. Buckley, owner of the Leland and the Clinton Square Theatres in Albany, will leave the fore part of July to spend the summer at camps. It is understood that Louis Benton, of Ballston Spa, will reopen the Hudson Theatre in Albany, the latter part of July. The house has been closed for several months, following a fire. The Star, in Schenectady, a residential house, owned and operated by J. M. Myers, closed last week, and will probably remain so until early fall. The Rex, in Middleburg, has been transferred by Mr. Van Buren to Mr. Sullivan. There was a report around Albany last week to the effect that Louis Buettner, of Cohoes, had sold his houses. There was no confirmation, however, of the sale by the Albany Film Board of Trade. Mildred Coon, of the Pathe office force, who was badly gored by a cow a week or so ago while on her vacation, is still confined to her bed and may not be able to return to her duties for awhile longer. Louis Saperstein, manager of the American in Troy, which closed last week to remain so for the summer, is planning to spend n.s vacation in the mountainous region of New England. Charles Smakwitz, manager of the Mark Ritz in Albany, appeared on the streets last week behind the wheel of a new car. Morris Silverman, of Schenectady, plans to take no vacation tins year, and gives as his reason the fact that there are too many consolidations under way for him to risk being absent on any long trip. Mr. and Mrs. Walter Roberts are back in Troy from a motor trip that took them to Niagara Falls and other places. Although Columbia will open an exchange in Albany, it has not yet been definitely decided where it will be located. There is one unoccupied building along Albany's film row, and it is generally believed that C. R. Halligan, who will represent Columbia in this section, will lease this building. Lew Fischer, who has several theatres along the border of New York state, was in town last week accompanied by four of his house managers, and spent the time in arranging fall programs. For the first time in quite a while Louis Schine, one of the heads of the Schine circuit, with headquarters in Gloversville, was along Albany's film row during the past week. C. D. LaPointe, of Chatham, was also in town. Jake Rosenthal, owner of the Rose in Troy, has become a regular baseball fan and may be found every afternoon when the game is on at Chadwick Park. H. L. Mausert, of North Adams, Mass., a brother of Fred Mausert, a well known exhibitor in Glens Falls, has bought a hotel at Greenwich, N. Y., and will remodel the building in order that it may serve as motion picture theatre. William Donnelly, an operator of Cohoes, is still on the sick list. Al Lemay, operator at the Lincoln Theatre in Troy, has moved into his new home. For the eighteenth consecutive time, Harry Brooks of Troy, N. Y., has been elected as president of the motion picture machine operators' union. The Brooks ticket swept everything before it, William Jarvis being defeated decisively for the presidency, while his associates also failed to show at any great strength. Charles McCarthy was elected vice-president, while Al Lemay was reelected financial secretary for the eighteenth term. John Ross was elected treasurer, while Daniel Corcoran, Arthur Edge and James Muldoon were elected trustees. Mr. Brooks was also selected as business agent for the local and likewise a delegate to a gathering of operators that will be held in Rochester on August 27, one day prior to the opening of the state convention of the Federation of Labor. Philadelphia THE new Forum Theatre, Frankford avenue and Granite street, Philadelphia, Pa., owned by Jay Emanual, was opened to the trade at a private showing on Sunday, June 24th. Admission was by invitation only, and Councilman Crossan was the principal speaker of the evening. The Forum was officially opened to the public on the following night, the opening attraction being Lon Chaney's "The Big City." The Forum is the first theatre in America to use the modern French style of architecture. It seats 1,750, and will be a first run house. It is equipped with Vitaphone and Movietone. The Bijou and the Gayety, two Philadelphia burlesque houses, were closed for an indefinite period by order of Mayor Mackay last week after the licenses of both houses had been revoked after the close of a meeting of the Board of Censors. The censors reported that they had attended performances at both theatres in question and that the entertainment presented was vulgar and obscene. After his action in closing the theatres the Mayor stated that the managers of both houses had been warned frequently that the character of the shows must be improved, but they persisted in giving a performance that could not be countenanced. The Bijou was closed temporarily a few months ago, but was permitted to reopen upon the manager's promise of a general clean-up. The Mayor refused to state how long the two theatres would be closed. In celebration of the first anniversary of the opening of the doors of the local exchange of TiffanyStahl Productions at 1313 Vine street, Philadelphia, W. Z. Porter, booker, arranged a "surprise" testimonial month to Al Blofson, the popular manager, and every salesman on the force is trying to make June a record month. The new Fern Theatre at Fern Rock, Pa., is nearing completion, and will be formally opened in the near future. A. Gottschalk, booker at the local Pathe office, has resigned to join the Victor Talking Machine Co. No one has as yet been appointed to succeed him. Pittsburgh THE Stanley chain in Pittsburgh closed two of its first run houses on June 23rd, because of poor business, and it is hardly likely that either house will again be opened. These theatres are the Olympic, Downtown, and the Regent in the East End. Both of these houses are equipped with Vitaphone, and they are the only Pittsburgh theatres so equipped. It is likely that the Vitaphone equipment will be installed in the Stanley theatre recently opened. Rumors are also rife that Stanley will close the Davis theatre, but these rumors are denied by A. S. Davis, general manager of the Stanley interest in Western Pennsylvania. A. C. Vogeley, for eighteen years associated with the Real Estate Company of Pittsburgh, has been appointed Pittsburgh manager of Mastbaum Brothers and Fleisher, real estate firm of Philadelphia, which has just opened an office in the ClarkBuilding, Pittsburgh. In his new position, Vogeley will act as real estate agent of the Stanley Company of America and the StanleyDavis-Clark Corporation of Pittsburgh. William McGrath is now pur veying publicity for Loew's Penn theatre in Pittsburgh. Mr. McGrath was transferred to this city from Syracuse, where he officiated in a similar position. Guy Wonders has recently been appointed manager of the Stanley theatre in Pittsburgh. The Tiffany branch here has added two new salesmen in the persons of Frank Windstein and Jesse Levine.