Motion Picture Herald (May-Jun 1946)

Xennedy, Jr., of Chicago, June 29. The ■wedding will be at 10:00 A.M. in the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, Denver, with the wedding breakfast and reception at the Brown Palace Hotel. . . . J. B. McMahon, owner of the Mission at Mesilla Park, N. M., will reopen as soon as seats are available. . . . Stanley Thomatos, Alpine manager, has a new daughter, Catherine. . . . A. N. Beezley reports his first born, a girl. The Sioux theatre at Crawford, Neb., has teen changed to the Elite. The house was sold recently by Isabelle Strohmeyer to Prank Barnes. . . . The Bob Hope comedy show did $16,000 in municipal auditorium at one show. He played golf with three others for $1,500 for charity. . . . Chet Bell won the Rocky Mountain Screen Club Calcutta golf tournament with a net 68; Harry Fer^son, second with a 73; Bill Agren, third, 74. Thirty-eight played. . . . Rhea Dawn Steckler, Metro inspectress, and Dick Ivy, PRC shipper, were married. ... So were Mae McDonald, Metro secretary, and Rolland Allstadt. Herman Wobber, 20th Century-Fox division manager, and Charles Walker, district manager, were here for the world premiere -of "Smoky." . . . June Watts, 20th CenturyFox secretary, and Ted Brovra, just out of navy, will marry in August. DETROIT Torrid weekend, scattered rains, a wideopen racetrack on the edge of town, a giant l)oxing show at the U. D. Stadium, plus the exodus of thousands of automobile workers who get paid vacations this year for the first time, combined to hurt grosses here. . . . Bob Salter, back at the Riviera after 21 months in the Navy, believes "good oldfashioned sales showmanship must come into its own this summer if we expect to keep houses full." . . . Alice Gorham, advertising executive at United Detroit, is vacationing in New Orleans; Marie Myer takes over in her absence. . . . George W. Trendle has been named vice-chairman of the HuronClinton Metropolitan authority. Walt Morris' Regent theatre. Grand Rapids, was robbed by a man with a souvenir Italian pistol. A score of police and sheriff's deputies chased the bandit as he fled along a narrow third-story ledge of a downtown building in the best Wild West manner. The loot of $1,257 was recovered. . . . Al Weitschat and John Finlayson are now doing byline stories on new film offerings for the Detroit News. United Detroit managers, assistant managers and office executives held their first post-war golf tournament at Maple Lane Golf Club. Bill Kozaren of the Cinderella theatre was low scorer. Other prize wiimers were Gil Green and Catherine Krueger. The highlight of the day was the presentation of a set of sterling to Eleanor Stanton, of the Bloomfield theatre, who is soon to be married. INDIANAPOLIS Fair weather and a change of programs all around have revived film business at the downtovvTi spots this week after the usual dip caused by the first onslaught of summer, business running from average to better. . . . Ken Collins, city manager for the Katz-Dolle theatres, announced several personnel changes after the bosses came to town last week. Walter Wolverton, transferred from Akron, succeeds George Pappas as manager at the Circle. Tom Newcomb moves from the Circle to the Indiana as assistant manager to Moe Esserman. Rush Williams, formerly assistant at Loew's, is new Frank Paul's No. One deputy at the Lyric. . . . George Landis, Laddie Hancock and Frank Warren of Fox, who went to Europe as sales contest winners, have returned. Mrs. Evelyn Marshall, wife of Harold Marshall, MGM exploiteer, presented him a daughter June 12. . . . Ernie Miller's Cinema was robbed of $100 by a pair of teen-age bandits last week. . . . The Variety Club will hold its annual golf tournament at the Broadmoor September 16. . . . Don Rossiter, secretary of the Associated Theatre Owners of Indiana, reports 99 reservations already on hand for the convention at Lake Wawasee June 25, 26, 27 ... . Six Goldwyn Girls, escorted by Edward Manson, ballyhooed "The Kid From Brooklyn" here Monday. . . . Bill Shirley, Columbia exploiteer, is in town on Gilda, trying to make people believe he'll be 76 his next birthday. MILWAUKEE Summer finally arrived and high temperatures sent many regular theatre patrons outdoors. Withal, houses featuring air conditioning pulled good grosses. . . . John Adler, Marshfield, Wisconsin exhibitor, returned from Atlantic City. . . . Ben Marcus, Oshkosh, head of the Sand M Theatres Circuit, was in town. . . . Henry Kohn, home office National Screen executive, was around town. . . . Mrs. I. E. Goldberg is the new chairman of PTA and Home and School Committee for Saturday children's movies. . . . Alfred D. Kvool, Warner Theatres executive, presided at the meeting of city and state managers. John Mednikow, National Screen branch manager, was in Chicago for a meeting with company representatives there. . . . Jimmie Boden of the Grand theatre in South Milwaukee was lining up new product. . . . Joe Neger, 20th-Fox branch manager, returned from Indianapolis. . . . Rumors continue that the Miller theatre goes first run before long. This downtown house inaugurated vaudeville here many years back. . . . RKO publicity man Jack Douglas was in Minneapolis aiding the "Badman's Territory" date there. MINNEAPOLIS Jerome Weisfeldt has left for New York and assignment to a foreign film office after a 90-day reindoctrination course at 20th Century-Fox district office here. He expects to be sent to Central or South America. . . . Erwin Ewart, general manager for Home Theatre Company, announced appointment of Chester Raasch as manager of the Paramount and Brainerd theatres in Brainerd, Minn. Raasch is a former high school principal. Among out-of-town theatre managers who were guests at Minnesota Amusement Company's convention in Minneapolis were Harvey Buchanan, Frank Buckley and Larry Dauplaise of Superior, Wis. ; Joseph Ryan, Madison, S. D. ; L. J. Ludwig, Jamestown, N. D., and Mrs. Percil Stevenson, Fairmont, Minn. ... A group of sales executives, en route to Canada on a fishing trip, stopped in Minneapolis long enough to be entertained at dinner by E. H. Ruben, head of Welworth theatres. They were Tom Connors, New York, 20th Century-Fox; Jack Flynn and Sam Shirley, Chicago, MGM ; Ralph Branton and Myron Blank, Des Moines, TriState theatres; Walter Immerman, Chicago, Balaban and Katz, and James Costen, Chicago, Warner Brothers. Recent weekend guests were Arthur Abelson, manager of the Lake theatre, Devils Lake, N. D., and his family. . . . Mischa Auer has opened a week's run at Curley's theatre cafe. ... Six Goldwyn girls came to the city to ballyhoo "The Kid From Brooklyn" and were taken on a tour of lakes and parkways by newsmen and Gene Gaudet, RKO public relations. OMAHA Jess McBride, Paramount branch manager, performed the miraculous as chairman of registrations for the district Optimist Club convention here. Out of the more than 600 visitors not one went without a place to sleep. . . . Linoma Beach June 30 will be the site of the MGM picnic. . . . Mr. and Mrs. Sam Epstein celebrated a 35th wedding anniversary Saturday night. The circuit owner staged a party at the Fontennele, with Film Row well represented. . . . Mrs. Roger McCreary, daughter of United Artists branch manager Don V. McLucas, gave birth to a girl, Marcia Ann. It's Don's first grandchild. Jim Grady and Jack Bloom from the 20thFox home office, and M. A. Levy, district manager from Minneapolis, were here for a company sales drive meeting. . . . The Arnold Johnsons, owners of the theatre at Onawa, la., have a second child, Judy. . . . John Ash, Metro auditor, is in Omaha. . . . Tri-States city managers were here for an anniversary sales drive parley with district manager William Miskell. They included: L. E. Davidson, Sioux City; Ira Crane, Fairbury; Wally Kemp, Grand Island, Jim Pickett, Hastings; and Jim Redmond, Falls City. RKO Theatres held a meeting for Iowa managers here under John Redmond, divisional manager from Minneapolis. Visitors included: John Dostal, Davenport; Jerry Bloedon, Des Moines; Andy Talbot, Cedar Rapids; Russell Beach, Waterloo; Harry Bearmin, Marshalltown ; Milton Troehler, Sioux City. . . . Sol Francis, Monogram dis (Ccmtiniied on following page) MOTION PICTURE HERALD, JUNE 22, 1946 37