Motion Picture Herald (May-Jun 1946)

ducer, former Denver film man, was seen on film row. . . . Douglas F. Jussell, former Plaza manager, is out of the army and into the electrical business. ... J. J. Goodstein, former theatre and film man, is in the building contracting business. . . . Theatre folk from out of town seen on film row : Albert Stanford, Gallup, N. M. ; Marie Goodhand, Kimball, Neb. ; L. F. Flower, Estes Park, Colo. ; Jas. T. O'Neill, Spearfish, S. D. ; Tom Poulos, Paonia, Colo. ; J. T. Shelton, Dawson, N. M. ; Mr. and Mrs. Leon H. Coulter, Loveland, Colo., and Ray Bartlett, Artesia, N. M. DETROIT Jack Stewart, formerly Universal salesman, replaces Fred Pennell as manager of Allied Theatres of Michigan, under Ray Branch, president. He will have charge of the Detroit headquarters. Mr. Pennell will devote his full attention to operating his own theatre. . . . Howard Crane, theatre designer, was at Fort Shelby a few days before proceeding to England. . . . Arvid Cantor and his Variety Club mates are still hunting for a name for the Detroit Lions football game August 31. Half of the proceeds will go to the club coffers for charity purposes. Kim Sigler's scheduled appearance at the new Michigan Independent Theatre Owners meeting last week was called off. Mr. Sigler, ousted Grand Jury investigator, is running for Governor and is naming names. . . . Fred Bonnem, formerly of the Universal theatre, has gone to Saginaw where he has bought two theatres. He calles it "retirement." . . . Earl J. Hudson is serving on Adcraft Club Movies and the Theatres Committee of the Community Chest campaign. INDIANAPOLIS Two holdovers and the advent of June pulled film grosses down from last week's level, record high for the year. . . . Theatres are feeling the effect of outdoor competition for the first time this season, with all amusement parks, midget auto tracks, etc., in full swing. . . . Harry Katz of New York and Fred Dolle of Louisville were in town Monday to confer with Ken Collins, their city manager, on joint local theatre interests. . . . Truman Rembusch, Franklin, president of the Associated Theatre Owners of Indiana, is vacationing in Canada. C. E. MacConaughy, owner of the Dream and Mars, is another early bird, taking his holiday in Florida. Ted L. Mendelssohn, arriving on assignment as Universal branch manager, inherited a half-finished plant expansion, planned to accommodate United World. . . . Jules Goldman has replaced Sol Greenberg as office manager at Warners. Mr. Greenberg now is with Film Classics. . . . Bill Sobel, field representative for Midwest Drive-In, is running the Drive-In here while Manager Sidney Sagetta takes a vacation. MILWAKEE Warm weather is sending people into the country. Activities connected with school closing and graduation linked with the indirect effects of local strikes, cut into box office grosses considerably. John Kemptgen, MGM manager, called on exhibitors in the Upper Peninsula. . . . Lester Dannenberg, National Screen Service official is spending much time here arranging remodeling of the local branch. ... A new salesman has been added to the United Artists sales force, Eddie Gavin, recently with Universal. . . . Lucile Forbes, Merrill, Wis., exhibitor, was around town. . . . Alfred Kvool, Warner Theatres executive, managed to tour the golf links. William Benjamin is managing the new Screen Guild Productions offices just opened here. . . . William V. Geehan, assistant to Harold J. Fitzgerald, head of FoxWisconsin Amusement Corporation, is busy with duties as publicity coordinator for the 1948 Corporation. . . . Dave Sherman, Douglas theatre, Racine, was a visitor. . . . Ray Smith, liead of the theatrical equipment concern, was married. OMAHA Tri-States Theatres here is operating a sliding scale on stage shows — 70 cents top on average bills, 80 cents on the sure bell ringers. . . . G. E. McGlynn, Metro branch manager, now spends part days at the office on his recovery from a recent illness. . . . Omaha branch managers turned out for a special party during the two-day Cooper Theatres convention at Lincoln. Pat McGee, general manager, and Ralph Ayre, his assistant, issued the invitations. . . . Joseph Ebner was to open the Vail theatre at Vail, la., Friday. . . . Fred Anderson, Clay Center (Neb.) exhibitor, made one of his infrequent visits and reported he will close the Clay theatre for four or five weeks while he rests up in Denver. Opening date for the Utica theatre, Utica, Neb., is June 22 under operation of William White. It has been closed since the death in April of H. D. Ragan. . . Herbert Johnson has purchased A. E. Thacker's Sun theatre at Walthill, Neb. Mr. Thacker still owns his South Sioux City houses. . . . Leo McKeckneay, Tri-States treasurer from Des Moines, visited here. . . . P. L. Burge has installed complete new equipment in his Anselmo theatre, Anselmo, Neb. . . . A^ivian Schertz is pinchhitting as a 20thFox inspectress for Mae Withauer, who broke her arm. Hans Nelson and Lesley Bierhaus are now running the theatre at Campbell, Neb. The birth of a girl to Joyce Ballantyne Augustine, in Chicago, makes it a second grandchild for R. Scott Ballantyne, theatre equipment company owner here. . . . Ira Adams is remodeling the front of his Rialto at Nelson, Neb. . . . After a two-week rainy period, Omaha 's enjoying fair and warmer weather. PHILADELPHIA Marine Sgt. Al Schmidt's amazing golf game will be the subject of a Pete Smith short. He's the decorated blind Marine who was the hero of "Pride of the Marines" . . . Orlando Lucidis, decorator for Warner houses, has a new son. . . . The industry's Cancer drive, almost over, has collected $100,000 locally and expects to get $20,000 more, which will put the total over expectations. The new amusement tax, it has been announced, will be one cent on 10 cents or any fraction thereof, which would make it two cents on 11-cent admissions. . . . Chester Morris, in town for a vaudeville date at Warner's Earle, was kept plenty busy by Columbia's office in his off time. . . . Janet Hallard, UA booker, was wed to Charles Lewis, ex-marine and Navy Yard accountant. . . . Maxie Bronow, Universal booker, celebrated his seventh wedding anniversary. . . . Joe Engel, Republic branch manager, received the sympathies of his friends on the death of his mother-in-law, Mrs. Finkelstein. Charles Kaselman, MGM booker, entertained his staff in his new home in the Wynnefield section of town A meeting was held recently in the RKO screening room for the purpose of organizing a motion picture Square Club. PORTLAND Fifty thousand visitors to the Annual Rose Festival drove grosses to a record high. . . . Whiteside Brothers, pioneer theatre operators at Corvallis, announce construction of a $120,000 theatre. . . . Bob Blair, exploitation chief for Paramount covering Oregon spots, with Rufus Blair, M.C.'s for Bob Hope and Multnomah Stadium stage show. . . . Owen's Motion Picture Equipment Company announces acquisition of expanded quarters to handle new lines. . . . Art Adamson, small chain • operator, has opened his new theatre, the Park Rose. . . . Earl Hunt, following some 15 years with the Hamrick-Evergreen exploitation department, has started a syndicated admat service. . . . There was a capacity crowd for Paramount's "Quarter-Century Party" at the Benson hotel. ST. LOUIS Rainy and almost autumn-like weather last week diverted traffic from the customary outdoor events to theatres last week. . . . Jack Balch, motion picture critic for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, wrote and directed a three-act play, "Me, the Sleeper," put on by the St. Louis Community House. Jimmy Frisina of Springfield, 111., associated with the Frisina Amusement Company, and Tony Paluso, manager of Fanchon & Marco's Fox theatre, were among the participants in the Western Open Golf Championship held at Sunset Country Club here recently. Neither was in the top brackets. The Brad theatre at Bradford, 111., has been taken over by William Johnson, who also operates a theatre in Harvard, 111. Mr. and Mrs. F. B. Winters will continue as managers of the Brad. The St. Louis Municipal Opera opened its 1946 season June 6 with a capacity crowd of 10,000. The attraction was "The Desert Song." MOTION PICTURE HERALD, JUNE 15, 1946 35