Motion Picture Herald (Jul-Aug 1936)

About People of the Theatre NEWS OF THEIR ACTIVITIES REPORTED FROM ALL SECTIONS AND BRIEFLY TOLD B. P. McCormick of Canon City and Florence, Colo., has opened a new theatre, the El Cortez, at Hot Springs, N. M. Contracts have been awarded for the remodeling of the El Camino theatre, San Rafael, Calif., at an estimated cost of $20,000. J. L. Farnsworth has sold the Jeffersonian theatre at West Jefferson, N. C, to Ben Reeves, owner of the Spartan at Sparta, N. C. Cecil Mullenix, formerly interested in the Varsity theatre, DesMoines suburban house, and the Beaver Avenue theatre, recently opened the State, a new theatre at Memphis, Mo. The Bluebonnet theatre, Harrisburg, Tex., operated by Interstate Circuit, Inc., is being enlarged at a cost of approximately $15,000. Burns Ellison is the new president of the North Denver Civic Association, as result of a recent election. Ellison manages the Rex and Federal theatres. One of the largest major theatre deals made in the Omaha trade territory in some years went into effect July 1, when A. H. Blank, head of the Tri-States Theatres, Inc., took over six independent theatres in Sioux City, la. Mr. Blank already operated the Capitol and Princess theatres prior to his taking over the Rialto, Granada, Loop, Circle, Iowa and Hipp. The latter six will be operated in partnership with A. B. Friedman and Sol Shulkin, who already owned the Iowa and Hipp prior to the deal. The other four were taken over from Eli E. Seff and A. Sadoff, who will drop out of the local scene. The eight Sioux City houses will come under Evert R. Cummings, district manager for Mr. Blank in Omaha. Raymond Duport, sales manager of the General Register Corporation, has added two representatives to his staff. Jules Sarzin will cover New York City. Salvatore Fiore will cover the New England and Middle Atlantic States. George Heck will continue as sales representative for the Southern and Southwestern States. The Palace, Hamilton, Ohio, piloted by Turberg and Silver, has been outfitted with new seats. Bernard Caldwell, assistant manager of the Carolina theatre, Spartanburg, S. C, has been transferred to the Criterion there, recently acquired by the Wilby Kincey interests, as manager, succeeding Pat McSwain. Judson B. Johnson will replace Caldwell at the Carolina. E. Fangman, owner and manager of the Rialto theatres at Boone, la., contemplates erecting a 1,000-seat theatre at a cost of about $100,000. Joe Gerbrach of the Ames Theatre Company, has asked the City of DesMoines to reconsider a permit to build a theatre on the north side of Main Street. Nick Warren, who has been manager of the Criterion at Anderson, S. C, has been transferred to Durham, N. C. Cliff Boyd, at the helm of the RKO Shubert, Cincinnati, recently closed for the summer, is acting as relief manager for the Cincinnati RKO houses during the vacation period. Tallulah, La. — C. J. Hubley, manager of the Cameo theatre, Tallulah, La., has installed a new cooling system. John R. Elliott, who has been manager of the Keith-Palace, Youngstown, Ohio, and active in theatre circles in eastern Ohio for the past 20 years, has charge of the Horticultural Gardens, at the Great Lakes Exposition, at Cleveland. The Cecil theatre, A. H. Blank house at Mason City, has been reopened after being close for redecorating, reseating and installation of a cooling system. New equipment cost $40,000. Tom Arthur is the manager. Disastrous fires in the Omaha territory endangered several theatres recently. At Remsen, la., a half-million dollar fire that destroyed most of the business section and MODERN FORMS AND MASSING IN JAVA, THE CITY OF MAGELANGS ROXY CINEMA some 20 residences, did not reach the Grand theatre, managed by F. Koch, nor his home. At Wahoo, Neb., a fire that caused $15,000 damage to a bakery next door, practically demolished the building, only slightly smoked up the Wahoo, managed by Charley Prokop. Frank Milton, operator of the Rivoli theatre in Denver for several years, has sold the house to Bob and Ed Maple of the Gem theatre. The Bijou theatre at Knoxville, Tenn., formerly operated by the Dixie Operating Company, has been taken over by the Wilby-Kincey chain organization. Dixie will continue to operate the Roxy and Crystal theatres at Knoxville, it was stated. L. E. Hinkley is building a new theatre at Bernalillo, N. M. Granville MacPherson has taken a lease on the Town Hall in Quincy, Calif., and is transforming it into a motion picture theatre. The Bijou theatre at Savannah, Ga., operated by the Savannah Theatres Company, is being remodeled at a cost of approximately $8,000. Hudson Edwards is manager. T. A. Whalen, who recently purchased the Kiva theatre at Santa Rosa, N. M., from R. L. Riddle, has reopened it as the Pecos after remodeling. A new terra cotta front is being erected for the Grand theatre at Estherville, la., owned by Hubert Shrock. The Grand seats 800. William B. Hart, 41, former manager of the Majestic theatres in Fort Worth and Dallas, Texas., died recently in a hospital at Fort Worth. At the time of his death Mr. Hart was traveling passenger agent for the Texas & Pacific Railroad. Sam Epstein is erecting a new motion picture theatre at Lake Village, Ark. Lewis Lepovitz, who has been operating the Iowa at Madrid, la., has taken over the Iowa in East DesMoines. He is also managing the State theatre at Ogden. The Jefferson Amusement Company will erect a new motion picture theatre at Nederland, Tex., at a cost of approximately $25,000, according to announcement by Sol Gordon, one of the owners of the company. The new house will have a seat 16 Better Theatres