Motion Picture Herald (Sep-Oct 1941)

42 IVilkes-Barre Hits Games A municipality last week smashed chance game operation on Sundays. It is WilkesBarre, and the ban came from Mayor Charles Love and after a two month police investigation of the persons conducting the games; also, after Bishop William J. Hafey, of the Scranton Diocese, of the Catholic Church, made a diocesan ruling against Sunday Bingo games. Meanwhile, in New York State Supreme Courthouse, Buffalo, a move was expected this week, for trial of two corporations and four persons for violating the state's antilottery laws by operating Bingo. The corporations are the Old Vienna, Inc., which operated the Gayety, and the Jay-Phil Corporation, operating the Academy. Cincinnati reported an increase in gross and net proceeds of chance games during August. Attendance at 235 games that month was 279,276. The Empress Theatre, Columbus, Ohio, has begun "Book Night." Admissions certain days also bring gift certificates. The certificates, plus some money, bring the patron one volume weekly of a 20 volume encyclopedia. Fox Wisconsin's Lloyd Theatre, Menominee, that state, has discontinued the chance games it featured Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday evenings, following a critical resolution by the Twin City Ministerial Association. Tampa Burlesque Shows Raided About three weeks ago, following a protest by the Tampa Ministers' association, the police of Tampa, Fla., cracked down on two theatres presenting burlesque shows, arresting the managers of the Broadway and Rialto, as well as a number of performers appearing in the shows, charging them with allowing and presenting "indecent" performances. Fines^were imposed on the managers and performers but B. E. Gore, manager of the Rialto theatre and eight members of the cast at that house, appealed. Both theatres are regular motion picture theatres and are operated by the B. E. Gore company. The burlesque shows were presented only as special "midnight" attractions at which "adults only" were admitted. Holt to Los Angeles Nat Holt was to have arrived in Los Angeles this week to take over the management of the western theatre division for RKO. This position was formerly held by Charles W. Koerner, now general manager of RKO theatres in New York. Mr. Holt has been switched from a post as division manager in Cleveland and Columbus. Before he held this midwest position, he was stationed on the west coast at both San Francisco and Los Angeles. Zischank Promoted George Zischank has been promoted from the managership of the new Fox West Coast Grove Theatre in Redlands to the larger Studio theatre in San Bernardino. Charles Long moved from the Studio theatre to the California theatre in San Bernardino. MOTION PICTURE HERALD "Night of Stars" Plans Progress The preliminary arrangements for the eighth annual "Night of Stars" show were outlined last week by the producing committee at the office of Marvin Schenck, chairman. The show, to be held November 26th at Madison Square Garden in New York, will be similar to its predecessors, with topranking radio, screen and stage personalities appearing. Members of the committee are Robert Weitman, Don Albert, Philip Bloom, F. William Boettcher, Leo Cohen, Ruby Cowan, Ernest Emerling, S. Hurok, Lester B. Isaac, Benn Tacobson, Harry Kalcheim, Jesse Kaye, Arthur Knorr, Richard W. Krakeur, Leon Leonidoff, Harry Mayer, Sidney Phillips, Larry Puck, Frank Roehrenbeck, Harry A. Romm, Max Wolf, John Shubert and Allan Zee, Al Altman and Nat Kalcheim. Governor Herbert H. Lehman and Mayor F. H. LaGuardia will be honorary chairmen of a sponsoring committee for the affair, it was announced this week by Nathan Strauss, chairman. Honorary chairmen of the production commitee will be Barney Balaban, David Bernstein, Nate J. Blumenberg, Jack Cohn, George J. Schaefer and Albert Warner. Three Firms Incorporate Michael F. Walsh, Secretary of State in Albany, N. Y., has issued papers of incorporation to three motion picture concerns to do business in the state. They are : Circle Panoram Soundies Corp., motion picture parts, $20,(100 capital stock by Michael Popper, filing attorney, Pliilin Wiltchik and Betty Meyers, 475 Fifth Avenue, New York. Irmay Amusement Corp., 200 shares, no par value, by Irving Jacobson, May Jacobson and Benjamin Schoenfeld, 166 Second Avenue. New York. Papers were filed by Morris Honig. 99 Wall Street. Co-Venture Productions, Inc., 400 shares, 200 preferred at $5 par value and 200 common, no par value, bv Norman Zeno, 1501 Broadwav, Blevins Davis, 117 West 58th Street anil Ralph McBain, 70 West 55th Street, New York. Papers were filed by Murphy and Romanow, 1501 Broadway, New York. October 4, 194 1 Theatre Deal Reported The second big downtown San Francisco theatre deal in a month has been reported, with Irving Ackerman, for many years a principal in the firm of Ackerman & Harris, taking over the old Casino on a twenty-year lease from Hibernia Savings and Loan Bank. Approximately $90,000 will be spent completely remodelling the house for a Thanksgiving Day opening. The deal follows by a few weeks the sale of United Artists Theatre by Herman Cohen to United Artists Corporation, for a price of $150,000. The Casino, to be renamed the Downtown, will be operated by the Downtown Theatre Co., Inc., in which Mr. Ackerman will be associated with Otto Grossman and Charles De Hess. Improvements planned include installation of 2,000 new loge seats, a new ventilating system, and a ladies' parlor planned for spaciousness and beauty. Theatre Has Short Subjects Sherrill Cohen, manager of the Orpheum theatre in downtown Los Angeles, is producing a series of short subjects with Manchester Boddy, publisher of the Los Angeles Daily Neivs, as commentator. The subjects are to be booked into the News-View theatre, Hollywood, and the Newsreel and NewsPalace theatres, all operated by Cohen Brothers. Church Shows Films A new feature has been introduced at the Ninth Street Baptist Church, in Cincinnati, with the showing of the sound picture, "Barabbas," as a part of an experiment in the use of religious stories, based on Biblical incidents, for inspirational purposes. Roach Budget Increased Hal Roach plans to increase the production budget 25 per cent for his second group of streamlined features. "Hayfoot," an Army comedy, first of the new group, is scheduled to go before the cameras October 6th. Games, Duals, Other 'Schemes' Cut Patronage in Ohio, Survey Shows Bank nights, too many trailers, and double features keep 30.2 per cent of Akron, Ohio, adults and 35.6 per cent of the Kent State University, Kent, Ohio, students from attending movies more frequently, according to a survey by Dr. Harry Deane Wolfe, Director of the Bureau of Business Research at Kent University. 1,013 Akron adults, proportioned according to economic classes, and 692 students, ranging from freshman to graduate students, were queried. Our findings of the study were: 1. 76.3 per cent of adults and 77.8 per cent of students prefer programs which last two and one-half hours or less. 2. 58.9 per cent of adults and 41.3 per cent of students feel that the motive behind patriotic pictures should be, "to build up oiir defense." 3. The vote on double features ended in a draw. 35.5 per cent approved, 36.2 per cent disapproved, and 28.3 per cent "don't care". The figures for adults were closely matched by the students. 4. 60.3 per cent of adults go to see the picture itself, with 36.8 per cent influenced because of the star. The student vote was slightly stronger for the picture, 65.9 per cent casting their ballots for the picture against 30.1 per cent for the star. 5. Light comedy and musical plays were most highly favored both by adults and students. 6. Men attend movies more frequently than women.