Motion Picture Herald (Sep-Oct 1939)

.about PEOPLE of the THEATRE NEWS OF THEIR ACTIVITIES REPORTED FROM ALL SECTIONS AND BRIEFLY TOLD The new Ritz theatre, seating 850, has opened at Union, S. C, with J. D. LuKER as general manager. The house is operated by All States Theatres, Inc., which, according to reports, contemplates establishment of a circuit in South Carolina. Lew Williams Theatres, Inc., have opened a new house at Ashdown, Ark., according to K. Lee Williams of Oklahoma City, Okla., president. Jerry Callahan is manager of the new theatre. Williams Theaters are also spending $5,000 to remodel the Palace in Fordyce, Ark. Changes will include a new marquee and sign, rebuilt foyer with the addition of two lounges, reseating the auditorium, and the moving of the projection rooms from the center to one side. The American theatre in Oakland, Calif., has been remodeled and will be reopened shortly by the Blumenfeld circuit under the name of Esquire. John Anderson, until recently owner of two theatres at Fort Morgan, Colo., is leaving for California with his family, to make his home there. J. C. Parker of Dahlhart, Tex., purchased the Fort Morgan houses. Ken Butterfield, formerly manager of the Fox, Strand and Rialto theatres in Marinette, Wis., has been named manager of Fox's Myers and Beverly in Janesville, Wis., succeeding Russell Leddy. Mr. Leddy has been transferred to Green Bay, Wis., to manage the circuit's Orpheum. ■ ■ ■ The Fairmont Amusement Company, an Al Pickus corporation, has acquired the 496-seat Annex, in New Haven, Conn. The house has been closed for complete reseating and renovation. The Modern Theatre Equipment Company will install new projection equipment and International auditorium seating. RCA has been awarded the sound contract. Mr. Pickus also operates the Stratford in New Haven. Milton Samuel^ manager of the Bijou theatre in Knoxville, Tenn., has been transferred to Tuskegee, Ala. Golden State Theatres of San Francisco contemplates remodeling of the Palace in San Leandro. Cost of the project is set at $50,000. David H. Dewey, head of the maintenance department of Tri-States Theatre Corporation for the past five years and now Architect's rendering of the front of a theatre which Sam Komm will operate in Richmond Heights, St. Louis suburb. Mr. Komm, who operates several theatres in that area, has already begun exploitation of the house with a contest to give it a name, conducted in a tieup with the St. Louis "Star-Times," Ford Motors and Shell Oil. Prizes are a Lincoln Zephyr and 500 gallons of gas. The theatre has been designed by Robert Boiler, Kansas City theatre architect. assistant general manager of the Union City Body Company of Union City, Ind., affiliated with the International Seat Corporation, is convalescing at his home after undergoing an operation for appendicitis. W. V. ToNEY, manager of the National Theatre Supply Company branch in Des Moines, la., for the past seven years, has replaced Mr. Dewey at Tri-States. The new Bridge theatre in San Francisco, has been opened. Cost of the new house is reported as approximately $75,000. Manuel Zerga has been named manager. W. B. Braswell, who was general manager of the Liberty in Columbus, Ga., for ten years, has purchased the Star theatre in Savannah, Ga., from W. S. Scott. Mrs. Nathan Lampert has taken over operation of the 550-seat Glastonbury in Glastonbury, Conn. Maurice Kempner will manage the theatre. Frank Panero of Delano, Calif., plans to remodel his house, the Wasco, at Wasco, Calif. Cost of the project is put at $15,000. S. Charles Lee^ theatre architect of Los Angeles, has drawn the plans. Griffith-Dickinson Theatres have started remodeling the Peoples theatre in Pleasant Hill, Mo. New projection equipment and an air-conditioning system will be installed, and the house will be completely renovated under the direction of Temple DeVilBLisSj construction engineer for the circuit. C. W. Duncan, operator of the Avon theatre at Weleetka, Okla., recently purchased HeywoodWakefield chairs for his house. Henry Waguespack has opened the Grand theatre at Vacheria, La. The house seats 500. Hod Engbertson, owner of the Lyric theatre in Decorah, la., has completely remodeled the front of his house and installed a new sign. James Gaylord is the new manager af the Park in Knoxville, Tenn., replacing Milton Carr, who resigned recently. Poli New England Theatres will remodel the 1,720-seat Loew-Palace in Hartford, Conn. The company will also reseat the Globe, 1,907 seat house in Bridgeport, Conn., and the Bijou, New Haven, Conn. The last named house will have its 1,499 capacity increased by the addition of an 850-seat balcony. W. D. Fulton and John Wolfbert have reopened the Giles, formerly the Mokan, in Kansas City, Mo. The house has been practically rebuilt and re-equipped throughout. Donald Patten of Calistoga, Calif., has purchased the Hart theatre at Ferndale, Calif. Wallace Kauffman, operator of the Imp at Benton, Ark., for eighteen years, has reopened the Bauxite theatre at Bauxite, Ark. The house had been dark for about ten years. Theatre was entirely renovated and refurnished. Both the Imp and the Bauxite are affiliated with the Robb & Rowley group. Nelson Smith and John Jordan are remodeling a store building into a theatre at Jet, Okla., which when finished will seat 200 persons. Messrs. Smith and Jordan have purchased complete theatre equipment from the Oklahoma Theatre Supply Company. The Twelfth and Broadway Amusement Company has been incorporated at Oakland, Calif., with a capital stock of $10,000, by Jacob S. Meyer and William M. Bessing of San Francisco. Rick Ricketson, district manager of the Fox Intermountain division, has announced several managerial changes. Bob Selig has been made manager of exploitation for 12 A Section of Motion Picture Herald