Motion Picture Herald (Mar-Apr 1947)

(Continued from page 32) ing the Plaza, local neighborhood; the Auto Inn, in suburban Walnut Hills, and the Dixie Gardens, a drive-in at nearby Covington, Ky., making a total of 46 theatres which the organization now is serving. . . . Milton G. Thomas, branch manager of Altec Service here, has been promoted to district manager, succeeding Warren Connors, who died recently. Mr. Thomas, who became branch manager three years ago, will maintain his headquarters here. . . . The Paramount, largest of the three Northio units in Hamilton, Ohio, is playing a stage show on Tuesday nights, provided by amateur song and dance talent from Cincinnati. CLEVELAND All theatre operations in this area were disrupted by the midweek heavy snowstorm and gales that tied up all local and intercity transportation. Many houses were dark — some because of lack of power, and others because of lack of patrons. Downtown houses were open as usual. . . . Film trucks could n6t make Toledo area for two days, with theatres there using whatever film was on hand. . . . Mark Goldman, PRC branch manager, has promoted booker David Gaffney to office manager. . . . Gilbert Lefton of Academy Film Service, Inc., distributing 16mm equipment, films and accessories, with Mrs. Lefton, attended the district NAVED meeting in Chicago. . . . B. W. Payne, Jr., Modern Talking Pictures franchise owner, has renewed his distributor contract for MOT, 16mm, for a second year. . . . Theatre business this week dropped to new low due to Tuesday-Wednesday storm. . . . Milton A. Mooney, head of Co-operative Theatres of Ohio, has added Ruth Gardinicr to his booking staff, bringing it to a total of six. He now serves more than 125 theatres in the Cleveland exchange area. COLUMBUS Stiff opposition from other attractions, combined with the Holy Week slump, lowered box office take considerably. All first runs noticed the slump with "Pursued" at the Palace, "It Happened in Brooklyn" at the Ohio, "The Perfect Marriage" at the Broad and holdover of "The Locket" at the Grand being affected. Stage show at the Palace starring the Mills Brothers and Vivian Blaine did rather well. . . . Champion theatre, operated by the Miles circuit, will be taken over June 1 by Al Sugarman and Lee Hofheimer, operators of the Olentangy, Indianola and Avondale. . . . Sugarman and Hofheimer will make the Olentangy the first foreign film house in Columbus after present renovation is completed. . . . Ohio exhibitors are urged by P. J. Wood, secretary of the Independent Theatre Owners of Ohio, to contact members of the House Industrial Relations Committee and ask them to report out House Bill No. 349, which would permit employment of women cashiers over 21 after 10 p. m. and permit girls 16 to 18 to work after 10 p.m. in other capacities. . . . Voice of the Theatre sound system has been installed at the Drexel. . . . The Liberty, formerly the Ohio, Cambridge, has been reopened, after being dark for the past five years, by Louis J. Velas. DENVER Theater Enterprises, Inc., buy Apache and Pueblo, Ruidose, N. M., from E. J. Blay lock, effective April 28. . . . Fay Gardner planning a 364-seat $30,000 theatre in Imperial, Neb., where he already operates. . . . A. P. Sitton, Jr., sells Muse to Ed Turner. . . . Adopho Esquibel opens new 300-seat $25,000 theatre in Tierra Amarilla, N. M. . . . "Jolson Story'' makes record in Denver when it winds up at Paramount. Already has shown eight weeks in Denver, at other houses. . . . Civic Theatres (Joe Dekker and A. P. Archer), who have lots bought for new 1,000-seat, $200,000-$300,000 theatre, the Lakewood, Lakewood, Colo., hope to get started building soon. . . . Hobart Gates, Garlock, Custer, S. D., back running his theatre after stint in state legislature. . . . 120 were present at Rocky Mountain Screen Club Founders' Day dinner-dance at Brown Palace hotel. . . . J. T. O'Neil, Vita, Spearfich, S. D. owner, back on job after flu. . . . Service Theatre Supply gave cocktail party at Brown Palace hotel for visiting exhibitors. PES MOINES Elmer Tilton, former Warners branch manager, has been named branch manager for Selznick Releasing Organization here with new offices in the Empire building. . . . "Dead Reckoning" at the Orpheum grossed far above "Suddenly It's Spring" at the Des Moines last week. . . . Bill Schleiger of Albion, Neb., has been named manager of the King at Albia. He succeeds Royce Winkelman who has taken the managership of the Charles at Charles City. Winkelman replaces Fred Savely who has left the theatre business. . . . H. E. Rehfield of the Iowa, Bloomfield, was host to a district meeting of Allied Independent owners. T. J. Evans, executive secretary, and Charles Niles, director, led a discussion which covered major problems in the industry. . . . Harold Sieverding of Bellevue is the new owner of the Vilia at Lovilia. He purchased the house from C. E. Gordon of West Plains, Mo. HARTFORD Holdovers in the Connecticut first runs included Warners' "Pursued," holding for a second week at the Roger Sherman, New Haven ; Columbia's "Mr. District Attorney," E. M. Loew's, Hartford. . . . 20th-Fox's "Boomerang" opened day and date at Loew's Poli "A" houses in Hartford, New Haven, and Springfield, Mass. ... Sal Popolizio has been promoted to assistant booker at the 20th-Fox New Haven exchange, replacing Morris Weinstein, now a PRC salesman. . . . Henry L. Needles, Hartford district manager for Warner Theatres, and Mrs. Needles are observing their 30th wedding anniversary. INDIANAPOLIS The worst storm of the year froze the first blush of spring here and dented film grosses. "The Red House'' was box office champion last week at Loew's, with $12,000. "Nora Prentiss," with $11,000, was 30 per cent under par at the Indiana. . . . The marquee at Loew's sagged from its moorings in a 60-mile-an-hour wind Monday night, falling at one end within 5 feet of the sidewalk. Manager Boyd Sparrow opened a box office at the front exit on the side oft the house next day until the marquee was removed. . . . Manny Marcus has taken a lease, effective April 1, on the Zaring, de luxe northside neighborhood, from the builder and owner, A. C. Zaring. . . . "Henry V," finding no vacancy downtown, will open its twoweek road show engagement here April 16 at Ernie Miller's Cinema, another northside neighborhood. . . . The Associated Theatre Owners of Indiana will hold a district meeting at the Keenan Hotel, Fort Wayne, April 22. Roy Kalver, vice-president, of Decatur, will preside. KANSAS CITY "Best Years of Our Lives" is receiving a striking introduction in advance of its opening at the Tower — displays in department stores, which include stills, film cans, and even two projectors. . . . Edward Mansfield, city district manager for Commonwealth Theatres, is using middle-aged women as ushers in the Ashland, a 2,000-seat neighborhood house that normally attracts large audiences of children. . . . The group of RKO actors making personal appearances with the openings of "Trail Street" visited Garden City, Dodge City, Great Bend and other cities after the premiere at Liberal, Kan. E. Rolsky and son, Morton, are operating the Gillham, a neighborhood, and playing (Continued on page 36) RELAXATION, during the organizational meeting of the Allied Rocky Mountain Independent Theatre Owners, in Denver. Left to right are: Fred Lind, director; Carl Qaritson, director; John Wolfberg, who called the meeting and is board chairman; Tom Knight, director; Robert Spahn. director, and Colonel H. A. Cole, president of the Texas Allied organization. 3* MOTION PICTURE HERALD. APRIL 5, 1947