Motion Picture Daily (Jan-Mar 1934)

MOTION PICTURE DAILY Saturday, February 24, 1934 Royster Loses Post In Rochester Shift Rochester, Feb. 23.— Harry L. Royster, for four years district manager of Publix interests in Rochester, will report to New York for a new assignment and William H. Cadoret, manager of the Comerford Capitol, will become district manager for the Capitol, Regent and Century, recently taken over from Publix. Announcement of the changes, which came in the wake of the withdrawal of Publix, bore the indication that John J. O'Neill would remain as manager of the Regent. All three houses now are under Comerford control. No move is expected on the part of Comerford to lease the 3,200-seat Eastman, which Publix dropped as a white elephant after trying everything it knew to keep it open. Yonkers Blast Kills 2 at Theatre Front Explosion of a new type transformer upon which men were working beneath the sidewalk in front of Proctor's RKO Theatre, Yonkers, killed a policeman and an electrician and injured 12 other persons yesterday morning. Most of those injured were burned when flames flashed out of a manhole and the sidewalk collapsed in front of the box-office. Three of those burned were electricians employed by the Yonkers Electric Light Co. The dead men are Patrolman Patrick Whalen and Carl Gruber. The theatre was kept closed yesterday, but RKO officials said it might be opened today. The principal damage was to the box-office. Producers' Stand On Wampas Hangs Fire Hollywood, Feb. 23.— Fred Beetson will not have an official report on the producers' attitude toward the Wampas' "baby star" selections and their radio broadcast until next Tues Leading majors, including Fox, Radio, Warners and M-G-M openly admit their opposition and refusal to have any part in the affair, which means that unless the Wampas alter the nominations made last Tuesday they will be forced to abandon the idea or confine it to free lancers and players with companies not connected ' with the Producers' Ass'n. This is not feasible. Leo Brecher Again Anti-Trust Witness {Continued from page 1) the Frank Rembusch anti-trust suit against major companies before Judge Alfred M. Coxe in U. S. District Court here. Joseph Quittner, Middletown, N. Y., exhibitor, who is now seeking to appeal from an adverse decision in a similar anti-trust suit against major companies tried in Federal court here last year, was another witness at yesterday's session. Quittner testified that after his failure to make a deal with Paramount several years ago the company built a competitive theatre which thereafter obtained the bulk of the available first run product. Quittner is scheduled to resume the stand Monday. Who? What I When? (Continued from page 1) rently is manager for Columbia here. He was taken on by the company as a salesman on Feb. 2, 1929, having had similar experience with Enterprise Films and Liberty Specialty Films for a year. On May 28, 1929, Rogers got his managerial post with Columbia. M. A. Lightman, representing affiliated exhibitors on grievances, was a headline name in pictures for several years as president of the National M.P.T.O.A., a post which he resigned last year to make way for Ed Kuykendall, current incumbent. During his tenure of office, Lightman was confirmed in his idea that the best method of obtaining concessions for independent exhibitors was by cooperation with distributors and major circuits. Lightman's background is that of a civil engineer ; he was in the construction industry before entering this. He started actively in exhibition in 1925, but from 1917 to 1920 was a state right operator via the Criterion Film Co. of Atlanta which sold pictures in six southern states. Lightman is president and general manager of Malco Theatres, Inc. and appears on the grievance board as representative of affiliated theatres through a partnership in a number of publix houses in this territory. Malco operates 27 theatres in 15 Arkansas towns and the Strand (1,200 seats) and Princess (774) in Memphis. Most of Malco's Arkansas theatres are small and located in Camden, Clarksville, Conway, Fayetteville, Helena, Hope, Jonesboro, Morrillton, Newport, North Little Rock, Paragould, Pine Bluff, Smackover, Springdale and Stuttgart. William Ruffin, representing unaffiliated exhibitors on grievances, makes his home in Covington, Tenn. He is a former secretary of the M.P.T.O. of Arkansas, Mississippi and Tennessee and now a member of that unit which is affiliated with the national M.P.T.O. A. He owns and runs the Palace, 400 seats, in his town. Frank Willingham, representing affiliated national distributors on clearance and zoning, launched himself in the world of business as a billing clerk for the Texas and Pacific Railroad at Dallas. It was in 1919 that he entered the film business as a cashier for World Film in the same city. When Select absorbed World, Willingham was kept on in the same job. Later he resigned to join the R. B. Lewis Co., also as a cashier and was a manager for Independent Film Service until the company dissolved about a year after Willingham joined it. Another post was with American Releasing until that company was merged into Selznick. He joined Metro as a booker in Dallas on June 25, 1923, was made office manager on July 18, 1925 and a salesman on May 15, 1926. His appointment to managership for Metro here, the post he now holds, was made on Oct. 4, 1926. W. E. Sipe, representing unaffiliated distributors on clearance and zoning, first saw daylight in this weary old world on Jan. 12, 1878. The place was Belington, W. Va. Followed, in due time, an education in elementary, high and business schools and in a private college where he specialized in academic subjects. He was in business for himself before he joined Universal on April 1, 1925. Today, Sipe is branch manager for the Laemmles in this Mississippi River town. Howard Waugh, representing affiliated first runs on clearance and zoning, launched himself by ushering people to the wrong seats for Jules Delmar 30 years ago at Celeron Park in New York. After his parents had exposed him to various forms of education, none of which took, according to Waugh, he became a newspaper reporter in Jamestown, N. Y. When the paper went to the wall, a something which the hero of this biography declares he had nothing to do with or about, Waugh went to work as a publicity and exploitation man for Peterson and Woods in the same town, finally becoming their city manager. He came to Memphis 12 years ago for Paramount under Harold B. Franklin and after three years of it was paroled, he declares, to the Howard, Atlanta, where he and J. J. Franklin failed to get along. Franklin won and Waugh next appeared in Milwaukee where he opened the Alhambra for Universal and later left to become district manager for the old Saxe circuit. When Fox purchased the Poli circuit in New England, he joined that organization in New Haven. He has been with the Warners in Philadelphia and Memphis for the past three years. Waugh says he doesn't drink, play golf or cards, doesn't skate, fish, hunt or fly and is still happily married. With his sense of humor, he runs the Warner string in this territory, including the Orpheum (500 seats) in Fulton; New Kentucky (1,000) and Princess (600) in Henderson; Princess (900) in Mayfield ; Bleich (900) and Owensboro ; Empress (800) in Owrensboro; and Savoy (400) in Princeton, all in Kentucky and the Warner (2,000) in Memphis. Sidney Nutt, representing unaffiliated first runs on clearance and zoning, makes his home and business headquarters in Little Rock, Ark., where he operates two houses : the Central, capacity 500, and the Princess, capacity 900. He is a member of the Tri-States M.P.T.O. and prominent in its affairs. T. W. Sharp, representing unaffiliated subsequent runs on clearance and zoning, operates in Little Rock, Ark., where his theatres number three. These are the Little Roxy (300 seats), New (325) and Pros: pect (600). Formerly a member of the Tri-States unit, he is now president of the Independent Theatre Owners of Arkansas, formed on Feb. 7 by 32 independent theatre owners in this section. The new organization is not affiliated with any national exhibitor body. A. J. Suzore, second exhibitor representing unaffiliated subsequent runs on clearance and zoning, is proprietor of the Bristol here, seating 500, and is not identified with any exhibitor organization. Academy Offers List For Code Committee.' Hollywood, Feb. 23. — A list c names to be submitted to Divisici Administrator Sol A. Rosenblatt wt drawn up today by the Academy fc, places on code committees. Includt were Lionel Atwill, Warner Baxter" Lionel Belmore, Alice Brady, Laur. Hope Crews, William B. Davidso: Marie Dressier, Irene Dunne, Ray mond Hatton, Helen Hayes, De* Henderson, Katharine Hepburn, Jea Hersholt, Walter Huston, Georg, Irving, DeWitt Jennings, Henr Kolker, J. Farrell MacDonald, Thon as Meighan, Warner Oland, Nanc O'Neill, Elizabeth Patterson, Lew Stone, Henry Walthall and Hele Ware. If the Academy succeeds in finarj< ing a resumption of its resear< work, nine major projects involvin standardization of equipment will \ resumed where they were left o during the Academy siesta. At a press luncheon T. J. Ree president asked for support of tl Academy, particularly the awar< banquet. Frank Capra said the Aca> emy was resuming an important pla,' in the industry, despite individu group organizations. Naming of 12 More Boards Seen Monda (Continued from page 1) past few days, it was learned yeste day. The committee adjourned last Tuc day with but little progress made sins the naming of 20 boards the precedi day. The telephone consultations tween members since that time are sz to have resulted in completing 12 mc of the 16 remaining boards. It is u derstood that New York, Chicaj Cleveland and Philadelphia boards si remain unsettled. Code Authority r the right to review and either rej< or make changes in the personnel the boards and may take summary tion Monday on naming appointees the disputed boards, thereby compl ing all of them at that time. III. Allied Off Duals; Reelects Saperstei (Continued frotn page 1) They are E. W. Haferkamp and E. Alger, vice-presidents ; Harry Lask secretary; S. H. Selig, treasurr Louis Abramson, recording secretai Harry Nepo, sergeant-at-arms. change was made in the director; which consists of Nate Wolfe, I Lasker, Verne Langdon, Ludwig Sr man, Louis Rudolph, Walter Babitz Roberts, Ben Bartelstein, Jack Rc Joseph Stern and Van Nomokis, v replaces Steve Bennis. Paramount Publix Los Melrose, Mass., Feb. 23. — Di ages of $45,000 were awarded E. , Loew and nine associated compai today in their suit against Paramo Publix charging restraint of tr; Additional damages of $28,000 ma> awarded the plaintiffs. Miss Dressier Object Hollywood, Feb. 23. — News patches that she had been inclu among foreign stars under invest: tion by a Senate committee \ool into alien talent brought from M Dressier today high indignation.