Motion Picture News (May - Jun 1926)

2480 Motion Picture New s Southwest THE Griffitli lirothcrs, who have a chain of theatres throughout the state have recently made some purchases that britig their total number of theatres up to thirtytliree. Four of these newly acquired theatres are in Enid, The Melba and Mecca, formerly owned by Jack Johnson, and the Rialto and Royal, owned by Mrs. McQuilkin. This gives them all of the Enid houses but one, the Criterion, owned by Publix Theatres. Jack Johnson will be general manager of these four theatres with Bob Browning, of Clinton, as assistant. Tliey have added the Criterion Theatre at Tonkawa, to their list, which gives them three theatres — all there are — in that town. The Abbott Theatre, at Stillwater, is another purchase of these brothers. And they announce the planning of another theatre for Stillwater, The Aggie. This will be a fine theatre of 850 seats. Stillwater is the seat of the A. & M. College. They have just completed a theatre in the six-week-old town of Burger, Texjis, and are building another one in Panhandle, Texas, both towns being in the new oil district. V. H. Bridges, the new manager for Liberty Film Corp.. that is opening an exchange here in Oklahoma City, arrived from New Orleans last week. The Liberty will have its office in the new film exchange building at 523 South Robinson, being housed with the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Exchange. M-G-M will do the physical distributing of Liberty's product. The new manager was with the Liberty Exchange at New Orleans in a selling capacity. Carl Burton, former assistant booker at Universal, will be the booker at Liberty. R. S. Ballantyne, southern district manager for Pathe, was in town this week-end to attend a Pathe sales meeting. Wallace Walthall, who has been manager of the Enterprise Distributing Corp. office for seven years, has just learned that he has been made president of the newly formed Enterprise Film Corp. of Oklahoma. Besides the prestige and authority that is invested in this position, Mr. Walthall also received a large number of shares in the new company. R. B. Williams, sales d'rector for Universal was in town for a few days' visit with the local exchange. Universal expects to get into her new quarters at 519 West Main next week. G. A. Peterson, who has the Cozy and h'olly theatres at Hollis, opened up a new theatre at Cordell recently. .\ number of film people went over to the opening and reported a large attendance that night. Motion pictures were taken of the theatre inside and out, and preceding the opening, Mr. Peterson had a camera man come to Cordell and make a one-reel dramatic western in the streets of Cordell. The picture taken had as its plot a bank robbing. The players were local people, the leading ones being high-school pupils. Thicstunt secured the interest not only of Cordell, but the surrounding territory, and acted as splend d advertising for the new theatre. .\. C. Bromberg, president of Progress Pictures, was in town last week accompanied by Mrs. Bromberg. A. B. Cheatham, district manager for Progress, was also in town at this time. St. L OUIS THE Grand Theatre, Shawnectown, 111., has been taken over by Ed. Regan. George Pankey formerly had the house. Iixhibitors of Central Illinois will meet at the Abraham Lincoln. Hotel, Springfield, III, on Wednesday, May 12, to discuss film bookings, playdates and other problems of interest to exhibitors of those parts. Airdomes of St. Louis, Mo., are prepared to launch their season, in a few instances they have already gotten under way. With no daylight closing it is anticipated that the out-door shows will have a big season. W. W. Watts, well known Springfield, 111., exhibitor, has announced that he will raise feathered chickens on his farm on the outskirts of Springfield. The Echo-Pauline Theatre on Claxton Avenue, St. Louis, opened its airdome on May 1. The sales staff of the local Fox staff have returned from Kansas City, Mo., where they attended a sales conference in conjunction with the Kansas City, .\lo., and Omaha, Nebr., offices. C. E. Lilly of the Irma and Kaiman Brothers of the O'Falloii Theatres have equipped their airdomes with amplifiers. In the St. Louis party were G. E. McKeen, manager; Joe Feld, assistant manager ; Miss Florence Patke, Bob Werth, George Wear, Walter Light and Lou Stephens. Walter Light has taken over the Southern Illinois territory for F"ox, succeeding Gerald A. Wagner, who has entered the exhibition end of the business. With Tommy Tobin, Wagner is operating theatres in Mounds, Mound City and Cairo, 111. L. W. Brown, formerly St. Louis City salesman for Producers Distributing Corporation, has joined Sam Werner's United Film Exchange sales organization. Callers of the past week included .\ C. Mercer, Electric Theatre. Perryville. AIo. ; Bob Clarke. Effingham, 111., and Jim Reilly, Alton, 111. BR. PARSONS, youngest • theatre owner in the Northwest, is planning to erect a new building for his Grand theatre at PHENNEQAN^ ro^ram Covers \ 'Vrite for Samples and Prices. THE HENNEGAN COMPANY CINCINNATI, OHIO Springfield. Minn. It is expected to be ready by the time he is 21. The Opera House at Fremont, Wis., was destroyed in a fire which threatened the business district of tlic town recently. B. F. Schinike of the Opera House at Phillip, S. D.. expects to go into Midland, S. D., with a theatre soon. H. N. Davics of the Eraser and Solon theatres. Spencer, la., and Kenneth Ferguson, have purchased the Royal at Spirit Lake, la., from I loward Varing. The Scenic at Rolfe, la., has been redecorated, reorganized, and reopened. The New Palace theatre at Waverly, la., will open May 23. I'ish Brothers are planning a new house at Jeffers, Minn. .■\ building is being fitted up for motion pictures at Clarinda, la., by M. J. Pennington. With the purchase of the Sioux Falls, S. D.. Royal, A. K. Pay of the Colonial theatre, there has inaugurated a new chain to be called the Pay Enterprises, Inc., with theatres or affiliations in several South Dakota and Minnesota towns. H. E. Rehfield, who sold the Sioux Falls Royal to Pay, has purchased a dance hall in Sioux City. The Stuart Theatre, Wausau, Wis., is being remodeled and redecorated by Saxe Amusement Enterprises, the new owners. Crockett Brown of Nashwauk, Minn., has gone back on a sevenday schedule after keeping his Grand dark on Mondays for two years. Braus Brothers will present motion pictures at Munich, N. D. John C. Snyder, Cirand theatre, Williston, N. D., has taken over the Orpheum there recently damaged by fire and will reopen it after renairs. Robert Stico was the former owner. I'Vank Woollen, former Minneapolis publicity director of l""inkelstein & Ruben, has joined the publicity staff of Famous Players Lasky's Publix Theatres. Lloyd Willis, district manager, is in charge of Warner Ikothcrs' Minneapolis exchange rending appointment of a successor to T. A. Purke, now First National man luTe. William Bohler and Fred Haas have reopened the old Rialto theatre at Bismarck, N. D., as the Rex. It was dark four years. Ed Buckley, Topic theatre, Fairfax, Minn, is planning a new house. Carl Michel has returned to the sales force of First National in the Minneapolis territory. Dan Lederman, who recently resigned as western sales director for Associated Exhibitors, formerly operated the Minneapolis and Des Moines exchanges of Universal. West Liberty, la., has voted down Sunday .shows. Mansen and Ames, la., are agitating for the open Sunday and the question is still active in Spring V'allev, Minn., which recently went liberal. -\. H. I'^ischer, Minneapolis manager for Mctro-Gtildwyn-Mayer. has returned from an extended trip to New York. Mayor George E. Leach paid a big tribute to Minneapolis theatre men when he declared that he had always reposed confidence in them and had never been disappointed, lie spoke at the convention ban<|net in the Xicollet hotel.