Motion Picture Herald (Oct-Dec 1932)

November 5, 1932 ROUND TABLE CLUB 57 DECENTRALIZATION! Once more this important word flashes across the country and starts several thousand showmen wondering whether the time has finally arrived when they will again take up the reins and run their theatres as they did in the days before national circuits crowded individual management off the map. "I told you so" occupies no spot in the present turmoil. Rather, it is a natural turn of the wheel of fortune which was bound to happen sooner or later; that it happened later is just too bad for some of the circuits who should have recognized the fact, long ago, that theatre operation is more of a local, individual proposition, and not a home-office swivel chair affair. So boys, if decentralization is going to put you back into the manager class and out of the key-carrying classification, we are sincerely hoping that you will be equal to the change and prove beyond all shadow of doubt that you can make a better job of it your way than the national circuits did theirs. Theatres coming within this plan will be well worth watching for the next few months. We are confident of the outcome. "CHICK" "RICK" RICKETSON NOW IN CHARGE OF NEW ROCKY MT. DIV. "Rick" Ricketson, Rocky Mountain manager since the Brothers Skouras took over operation of Fox theatres, has been appointed manager of the newly created Rocky Mountain division, comprising the Montana and Rocky Mountain zones. The move was made to reduce administration overhead. Divided into three districts, headquarters for districts one and two will be in Denver, with district three headquartering in Butte, Montana. Managers will be: for No. 1, Frank Gulp, until now Denver city manager; No. 2, Dave Davis, lately city manager North Platte, Neb., and No. 3, Chas. U. Yaeger, formerly booker at Denver and manager of different Fox houses. Yaeger will also book for his district. Culp's territory takes in cities in three states, Colorado and all the Fox towns in Wyoming and Nebraska. They are : Loveland, Longmont, Boulder, Fort Collins and Sterling, Colo. ; Cheyenne, Rawlins, Kemmerer, Rock Springs and Sheridan, Wyo., and McCook and Alliance, Nebraska. Davis' territory takes in the rest of the Fox cities in Colorado and two in New Mexico, as follows : Denver, La Junta, Florence, Canon City, Walsenburg, Trinidad, Montrose, Delta and Durango, Colo., and in New Mexico, Las Vegas and Las Cruces. Yeager's district includes, besides the headquarters city of Butte, Great Falls, Lewiston, Billings and Missoula, Mont., and Pocatello and Idaho Falls, Idaho. CORRIGAN TREATED CHICAGO FANS TO NEW KIND WARFARE As a change of diet from machine guns, bombs and other accessories of modern gang warfare, citizens of the Windy City were treated several weeks ago to the sight of what appeared to be two fellows battling it out on the platform of a moving truck. This novel bally was arranged by C. W. Corrigan, manager of the Capitol Theatre, Chicago, for "Winner Take All." Cutouts of Jimmie Cagney and his opponent were set up in fighting pose in the arena-like platform of the truck, which was driven through the principal thoroughfares of the town. Note that the conventional ring chairs, pails of water and other fight accessories were in evidence and that the sides of the truck were appropriately bannered. In addition to the above Corrigan also arranged a tie-up with "White City," Chicago's largest amusement center, for the printing and distribution of several thou sand cards, one side of which carried illustrations and copy on picture while the other advertised the week's fight program at the amusement park. The combination of the above materially aided box office receipts for the run of the Cagney picture, so we are told, and the bally unquestionably attracted a lot of attention. Just a word about the accompanying photo. Unless our eyes are at fault, the two young battlers who posed for this picture were real, not compo-board. However, the idea is the same, so don't let's worry about that. We'll be looking for some more news from Corrigan. MEN WITH FOX IN NORTH CALIFORNIA WIN DRIVE HONORS Eight checks of $100., each one representing a slice of the $10,000 melon recently cut by Fox-West Coast for its managers, were recently turned over to company managers in Northern California by Charles Skouras during a special luncheon tendered managers in San Francisco. Checks on which Skouras affixed his signature went to Joe Enos, California theatre, San Francisco ; Bob Sharpe, Fox theatre, Richmond ; John R. Fredericks, Kimmer theatre, Fresno ; Elwood Laws, Fox theatre, Turlock; Eddie Hussong, Fox theatre, San Mateo; Don Baldwin, UC theatre, Berkeley; Art Miller, State theatre, Oakland, and William Mitchell, Grand Lake theatre, Oakland. Skouras also announced that a new and bigger contest with a distribution of $12,500 in cash prizes will start the latter part of October and last for 10 weeks. WINS FIRST PRIZE OF nooo ALVIN HAMMEL Manager Capitol Theatre Frankfort, Kentucky UNITED ARTISTS EXPLOITATION CONTEST for sending in the best campaign to exploit UNITED ARTISTS Pictures JUDGES CHARLES (chick) LEWIS, Mgr. Exhibitors Round Table HAL HORNE, Advertising Mgr. United Artiste EDWARD ?\HHEY, Ex-President A. M. P. A.