Motion Picture Herald (Nov-Dec 1946)

{Continued from page 40) ing good business, although the current bus strike has not helped box office receipts. . . . Harry Goldberg, with PRC for five years, has joined Henri Elman's Capitol Exchange as city salesman. Charles Miller, veteran exhibitor and salesman, has succeeded Goldberg at PRC. . . . Bob Hope will be in Chicago November 23 for the Chicago Times' annual Harvest Moon Festival. Irving Mack has been appointed editor of the Variety Club's monthly paper, The Variety Tattler. . . . Edwin Silverman and other Essaness executives were hosts at a party given for Joan Leslie at the Imperial House Wednesday evening. Miss Leslie started a personal appearance engagement at the Oriental Friday. . . . Nate Gross, conductor of the "Town Tattler" column in the Chicago Herald-American, has been offered an engagement to appear at the Oriental by Edwin Silverman, Essaness circuit head. . . . Frank Smith, RKO Theatres division manager, was host to vaudeville patrons of yore when the Palace held "Old Timers Night" October 25. . . .Les Lear, radio announcer and publicity man, has been elected president of the Tub Thumpers organization, local publicity club. He succeeds Bill Green of MGM. CINCINNATI That this situation is "show-hungry" has been demonstrated by the fact that the 3,300-seat RKO Albee, which, after several years of straight pictures, recently changed to vaudeville and pictures, reports attendance on a high level. Admission prices have been increased for the new policy. . . . More than 100 Variety club members and guests attended the farewell testimonial dinner tendered Jack Bannon, former local Universal manager, who has been promoted to branch manager at Chicago. Among those present at the affair in the club's quarters were Maurice Bergman, eastern advertising and publicity manager for Universal; William Gehring, 20th Century-Fox western sales manager, and Louis J. McGinley, general sales manager of Prestige Pictures, New York. Mr. Bergman was toastmaster. Peter Rosian, Universal district manager, with headquarters here, was in charge of the dinner arrangements. Mr. Bannon was presented a wrist watch. . . . Dave Stenger was elected president of the 20th CenturyFox Family Club at a recent meeting. Irene Meek was named vice-president, Cora Johns secretary, and Jasse Stumpf, treasurer. . . . William Hitchcock, who operates the Skyway theatre, at Osborne, Ohio; the Arcano, at Winchester, and the Community, at nearby Green Hills, has purchased the New Community theatre, at Sardinia, Ohio, from Mr. and Mrs. Harold Cummins. He will use equipment in a new house which he is building in Sardinia. CLEVELAND Local interest in current first run films was lukewarm except for MGM's "Holiday in Mexico," which rolled up a big $28,500, due principally to a heavy weekend. Weather was beautiful, which may have hurt the box office. . . . Bernie Rubin and John Urbansky, Jr.'s Imperial Pictures won first place in the national Equity Film Exchange drive on "Good Old Days" bookings. . . . Paul Gusdanovic, independent theatre circuit owner, and Mrs. Gusdanovic, leave No vember 16 to spend the winter in Miami. . . . Modern Talking Pictures has been named Ohio distributors for the U. S. Treasury Savings Bond drive subject, "America the Beautiful," produced in Technicolor by Warner Brothers. . . . Louis Josserand, Drive-In theatre patent owner, was in Cleveland to •see George Petersen, Drive-In theatre builder. More than 200 attended the Lester ZuckerDave Miller testimonial banquet at the Statler Hotel October 28. Among those who had reservations were Frank McCarthy, Universal southern division manager; Fred Meyers, Universal eastern division sales manager; Bernie Kranze, assistant general sales manager for the J. Arthur Rank organization; Maurice Bergman, Universal eastern promotional head; Sam Galanty, Columbia district manager ; John Osborne, George Otte, Wheeling, W. Va. ; Elmo Lux, Richard Walsh, Constantine Basil, George MacKenna, Sam Yellen, Max Yellen, Robert Murphy, Jerry Sandau, all of Buffalo; Herman Stahl, Oil City, Pa.; Harry Stahl, Sharon, Pa.; William Weiss, McKeesport, Pa. ; Francis Guehl, Harry Feinstein, Pittsburgh; Martin G. Smith, Nat Charnas, Jack O'Connell, Jack Armstrong, Toledo; Ed Prinsen, Youngstown ; Bill and Ed Biggio, Steubenville ; A. G. Constant, Chris Velas, Leon Velas, George Delis, Steubenville; Nat Walken, Salem. COLUMBUS Business in local theatres began an immediate upswing upon the end of the 25-day transit strike which had kept downtownbound show shoppers at home for over three weeks. . . . "Gallant Journey" at the Ohio, "Cloak and Dagger" at the Palace, "Captains Courageous" at the Broad and "The Killers" at the Grand all felt the renewed activity. The 76,000 crowd at the Ohio State-Minnesota game last Saturday also helped swell weekend receipts. The big "Holiday on Ice" show at the Coliseum and the personal appearance of Xavier Cugat at Memorial Hall provided fairly stiff competition, however. . . . Jean Peters, who was chosen Miss Ohio State last winter, has the role of Catana in Twentieth Century-Fox's "Captain from Castile" opposite Tyrone Power. . . . Gracie Hardgrove, five-year-old daughter of John Hardgrove, Academy theatres supervisor, made her stage debut with her dad in a dance act in the Firemen's Minstrels here last week. . . . Neth's State, opposite Ohio . State campus, is now offering daily matinees. DENVER Grand weather helped theatre business. . . . Gerald Pettibone, Broadway chief operator, 50, died October 25. . . . Fire in Trenton theatre, Trenton, Neb., confined to booth, destroyed machines, film, doing more than $3,000 damage. House had just been reopened after remodeling and decorating. . . . Kiva, Denver, renamed Cactus. . . . Nadine Kaselnova, closes East, Trinidad, Colo., but prepareds new Uptown to open soon. . . . Frank Sheffield, PRC booker, and A. G. Edwards, salesman, trade jobs. . . . Fred Brown, UA salesman, back on row after second operation. . . . Henry Leclair resigns as Webber manager, goes to New York, to enter film editing school. Succeeded by Robert Letito, assistant at Mayan. Ed True, chief service, gets Letito's post. Mrs. S. E. Allen opens drive-in, Hatch, N. M.. Philip Fidel about ready to open new El Rio, Espanola, N. M. C. U. Yaeger to open new Lamar, Lamar, Colo., November 14. Interstate Theatres about ready to open new Yucca, Albuquerque. Remodeled Mission, Denver, about ready to open. . . . Theatre folks from out of town included Dr. F. E. Rider, Waunetta, Neb.; Eldon Menagh, Ft. Lupton, Colo. ; George Nescher, Springfield, Colo.; J. H. Roberts, Ft. Morgan, Colo. ; Neal Beezley, Burlington, Colo. ; W. W. Williams, Eads, Colo. PES MOINES Tri-States district managers Herb Grove, Davenport, and William Miskell, Omaha, attended meetings at the home office here last week. ... Ed Heiber, Universal district manager, was a guest at the exchange. . . . A special showing of "No Leave, No Love" (MGM) was held for Greyhound Bus representatives Humphrey Bogart in "The Big Sleep" was the top drawing card among downtown "A" houses here last week and was scheduled to be held over for two extra days. . . . A. H. Blank, president of TriStates, conducted a group of doctors from Minneapolis on a tour of the Raymond Blank Memorial Hospital. The men came here to obtain ideas to be incorporated in the construction of a $250,000 heart disease hospital on the University of Minnesota campus — funds for which have been donated by the Minneapolis tent of the Variety Clubs. HARTFORD Three downtown Hartford theatres had revivals on their screens, "Stella Dallas,"' "Scarface" and "Ghost Breakers." "Canyon Passage" did nicely in a second week's run at the downtown Warner Strand. . . . Joe diLorenzo of Daly Theatres Corporation, Hartford, has' returned to his duties after recovering from illness. . . . Sam Horowitz of Loew's Poli, Hartford, and Mrs. Horowitz were recent New York visitors. . . . Dave Kramer is the new salesman at the Columbia exchange in New Haven. Ernie Grecula, director of advertisingpublicity; George Smith, maintenance director of the Hartford Theatres Circuit, Hartford, and Jack Mitchell, chief projectionist at the circuit's Colonial, Hartford, will go on a hunting trip to northern New England later in November. . . . John E. F. Cusik has filed plans with the CPA for construction of a motion picture theatre and four adjoining (.Continued on page 44) 42 MOTION PICTURE HERALD, NOVEMBER 2, 1946 I