Motion Picture Herald (Mar-Apr 1947)

(Continued from page 34) industry, was taken when a common pleas judge, several local attorneys and other parties interested in the injunction suit filed by 63 residents of nearby Glendale against Theatre Enterprises, Inc., to prevent the opening of a drive-in theatre in the vicinity, went to Dayton, Ohio, at the suggestion of Lucien Strauss, one of the attorneys. Purpose of the visit was to get first-hand information on the type of patronage a drivein theatre attracts, as well as other pertinent data to help decide the case. . . . The Cincinnati Variety Club, Tent No. 3, will hold "A Night in Miami" entertainment in the club's quarters on March 15. . . . Virgil Moore, manager of the Karolyn theatre, at New London, Ohio, has resigned. Charles Meyer has been named Mr. Moore's successor and will now manage the theatre. CLEVELAND First run theatre business is getting spotty. Instead of the high level of attendance during the past few years, the big pictures get the big play and the rest taper off. . . . Return of stage shows at the RKO Palace is quite definitely what the public does want. The King Cole Trio heading, a vaudeville bill, with "San Quentin" on the screen attracted a long box office line hours before opening time. The line held all day. . . . "'The Best Years of Our Lives" will play away from the usual first run situation. GoldWyn Productions has leased the Lower Mall, a downtown house which recently played "Henry V" for seven weeks, and the uptown University theatre, both owned by Community Circuit, and will present the picture on a continuous policy. Opening date for the simultaneous bookings is April 4. . . . It's nip and tuck whether Cleveland will bold to central standard time this summer or advance the clocks one hour to get into the eastern standard time zone. City Council committee voted in favor of slow time. Exception was taken, however, by several organization favoring fast time. So the Avhole question is thrown wide open for concil hearings next Wednesday. . . .PRC and EagleLion held a district meeting here over the week-end with James Hendel, PRC district manager and William S. Shartin, E-L district manager, in charge of product and policy discussions. . . . Drive-in openingtime is approaching. Readying for April 5 openings are the Lorian Drive-In, the Maumee Drive-In, and the Gloria Drive-In at Lima. Cleveland's two Drive-Ins, the East Side and the West Side, have an April 12 opening date while the Lima Drive-In will open April 19. . . .Fire starting on the roof of the State theatre, Uhrichsville, caused serious damage. Although remodeling and redecorating of the house has been completed only about a month, the whole theatre will have to be redecorated. COLUMBUS Four first run features in as many downtown houses opened simultaneously, something of a rare occurrence. Fair to good business greeted the four, "The Beginning or The End" came into the Ohio to nearly a capacity house. "13 Rue Madeleine" has the box office potency of James Cagney with "Swell Guy" doing fair at the Grand and ditto for the Broad's showing of "The Chase". . . . Leo Haenlein, boss of Zoo Park and longtime member of the Variety Club, Tent No. 2, was named "Swell Guy" by his brother barkers in connection with the Grand's showing of "Swell Guy". . . . Frank M. Ross, 66, stage manager of the Palace since its opening in 1926, died after a short illness. . . . Henry Bieberson, one of the original directors of the Independent Theatre Owners of Ohio, dropped in to visit P. J. Wood during a local visit from his Delaware home. . . . Definite convention dates for the Independent Theatre Owners of Ohio are July 13-16 at the Breakers, Cedar Point, P. J. Wood announced. DENVER Paul R. Anderson named manager the Trail, Colorado Springs. . . . Howard Robb, maintenance man for Cooper Foundation Theatres, now office manager Service Thea "SWELL GUY". That's what Leo Haenlein, right, owner of Zoo Park, Columbus, Ohio, and a long time member of the city's Variety Club, was nominated the other day. The nomination was by his fellow barkers of Tent Two, and in connection I of coursel with the opening of Universal' s "Swell Guy" at the RKO Grand. Mr. Haenlein is shown above at the Variety ceremonies with Jack Needham, left, Twentieth Century-Fox salesman, and William Corley, station WBNS announcer. tre and Supply Co. . . . Richard Ivy, shipper, made assistant booker for PRC. . . . E. W. Kerr, Des Moines theatre owner, buys Shaeffers Crossing, home of Isham Jones. . . .Plaza, under Dave Cockrill management for several years, goes under Cinema Amusement banner April 1. . . . J. J. Morgan, National Theatre Supply comanager, back at work following flu. . . . Poppers Supply Co. adding line of candy. DES MOINES A premiere of "The Beginning or the End" was held at the Paramount March 6 with Iowa's governor and other state officials present. . . . For the first time, motion pictures are being shown on Sunday in Shelby, Iowa. A town ordinance forbidding them has been replaced. ... A 40,000 house, to be known as the Swan, is under construction at Mediapolis. Owners are Mrs. Lillie Johnson and I. R. Clesne. . . . Marcus Theatres of Wisconsin, operators of 18 houses in that state, have leased the Casino and Odeon theatres at Marshalltown and plan extensive alterations. ... A bill to provide for state censorship of all motion pictures and of all posters, banners and other advertising in connection with the showing of 111 ms in Iowa was introduced into the House by Harvey Long (Rep., Clinton). Long is the author of another bill to impose a $1,000 license fee on all picture distributors. HARTFORD Holdovers included Paramount's "California," second week at the M & P Allyn; Columbia's "Dead Reckoning," a second week at the E. M. Loew's; and Warners' "Nora Prentiss," fortnight at the Warner Strand. . . . "Henry V" has been booked for March 27-28-29 at Bushnell Memorial. . . . Certificates of organization have been filed here for the following corporations: Associated Film Libraries, Inc., Hartford; Montrose Theatre Corporation, Waterbury. . . . Visiting Hartford : Norman .Rolfe, formerly manager of the Webb Playhouse, Wethersfield, Conn., now a district manager in Maine for Lockwood & Gordon Theatres ; Art Holmes, Plainfield theatre, Plainfield, Conn. ; Don Avalon, president, Olympic Motion Picture Corp. • ■ • Local 84, IATSE, here in Hartford, has re-elected officers as follows : Charlie Obert, president ; John Sullivan, vice-president; Harry Sweet, secretary; Rube Lewis, business manager; Lew Mello, treasurer; and Jack Terry, George Richardson, Dan Debonee, trustees. Harry Matarese has been elected sergeantat-arms. INDIANAPOLIS Film business here just now is lacking in sensations, but shows some pretty respectable grosses. "Song of the South" took a hefty $16,000 at the Indiana and went to the Lyric for a second week. "Ladv in the Lake" clicked for $15,000 at Loew's. . . . While it allowed a bill calling for a fiveman censorship board in every county to die in committee, the Indiana House of Representatives passed a resolution calling for voluntary censorship by theatres, radio stations and newspapers. . . . Bill Sobel. field (Continued on following page) MOTION PICTURE HERALD, MARCH 15, 1947 39