Motion Picture Herald (May-Jun 1943)

May 15, 1943 MOTION PICTURE HERALD 55 MANAGERS' ROUND TABLE -An international association of showmen meeting weekly in MOTION PICTURE HERALD for mutual aid and progress BOB WILE, Editor GERTRUDE MERRIAM, Associate Editor OP Over the Editor's Shoulder The membership is invited to join us today in looking over the mail. As we skip around the country, you may marvel with us at the many different problems and aspects of theatre operation and showmanship. And you may also be interested in how various are the reactions of members to various problems. Here we go on a cross-country trip: Manchester, Conn. — Jack Sanson, manager of the State theatre, which changes its program twice a week, reports that the other night two ushers came to him and said, "We quit. It gets too monotonous looking at the same picture all the time." This problem would seem to be more serious, now that runs are getting longer and longer. We must remember to ask Gus Eyssell how many ushers left the Radio City Music Hall during the run of "Random Harvest". * * * Bridgeport, Conn. — There are plenty of instances of the idea that missed. But here's a classic from Morris Rosenthal of the Majestic. He and Ralph Stitt, Twentieth CenturyFox exploiteer, cooked up a stunt for "The Moon Is Down". Since a small town Mayor is the hero of the story, they decided to tie up the Mayor of Bridgeport with the Bond Drive. The idea was to honor the Mayor for his war efforts in the community and make a presentation to him from the stage on opening night. The purchaser of the biggest Bond would make the presentation; a key to the city, autographed by the Mayor, would be auctioned off for another Bond, etc. The editor of the local newspaper is general chairman of the War Bond Drive. He liked the idea immensely but, he said, "Why hold it at the theatre? I think it should be held at Seaside Park and invite everybody to the presentation." So, after working on the stunt for four days, the boys had to hold it at the park. * * * Providence, R. I. — Speaking of the Citation she won in the First Quarter .Quigley Award contest, Rita Morton, publicity director of the RKO Albee, says, "I doubt if I've ever been as proud of anything in my life. I was so pleased to win it, and it was such a pleasant surprise." The membership will probably not be as surprised as Rita, since her excellent promotions are frequently recorded in these pages. * * * Warren, Ohio. — This city will soon have to find a lot of people to take the place of Earle H. Bailey, now carrying a I A card.' Earle is proud of the fact that he is publicity chair man of the salvage committee; he gets the Better Films Council of the city to applaud the industry's war efforts; he is first vicepresident of the Junior Chamber of Commerce and has been named by the nominating committee to head the coming year's slate as president; he is a past president of the Lions Club; he is vice-chairman of the membership committee of the Senior Ch amber of Commerce; he is the champion War Bond salesman in the county; he is president of the Auxiliary Fire Corps for Civilian Defense, holding together a hundred fire fighters with three trucks and four trailer pumps. And, oh, yes, he is also manager of the Harris Warren theatre. * * * Wisconsin Rapids, Wis. — More thoughts on the Quigley Awards come from Herb Graefe, manager of the theatres in this city. "It isn't just winning the Award (a Scroll of Honor) that makes me feel so good but the fact that my ideas and promotions were merely part of my job and yet they won in a field where the best of the show world compete. I have read of many promotions in the Managers' Round Table with envy, hoping that perhaps some day I could do things like that." Herb's promotion work will be of a different nature from now on. Uncle Sam has given him a nod and his future promotions will be toward a generalship, we hope. * * * Somewhere in Africa. — Private Herman Addison, Jr., formerly with the Schine Circuit in Glens Falls, N. Y., writes asking who won the Quigley Awards for 1942. Considering the urgency of his business over there, we are extremely gratified to hear of Mr. Addison's interest in the competition. By now, he probably has been informed of the winners through these pages, which must of necessity reach him somewhat later than they reach you. His letter also said, "I intend to get a Quigley Award myself when this blasted war is over." * * Bridgeport, Conn. — A late bulletin from Morris Rosenthal, and this time he makes the front pages with "The Moon Is Down" quite by accident. It seems that a Bridgeport girl stabbed a mugger, resulting in her assailant's hospitalization. She told newspaper reporters, "I had just seen John Steinbeck's 'The Moon Is Down', now playing at the Majestic theatre, in which a Norwegian girl stabs a Nazi officer with a pair of scissors. This kept running through my mind." —BOB WILE