Motion Picture Herald (Mar-Apr 1947)

(.Continued from page 31) was Lew Goldberg, Globe theatre, San Pedro. '. . . Charles Wolcott is the new booker at Screen Guild. . . . Rube Harris, MGM salesman, in Doctors Hospital in Santa Monica. . . . Al Altshuler, Columbia salesman in Milwaukee, has been transferred to the office here. . . . Bill Warner, UA salesman, back at work after an operation. . . . Fred Abelson, with U-I in Minneapolis, on the Row visiting his brother, Robert, branch manager of Film Classics. . . . Milton Lefton and Max Cransfield have taken over exclusive distribution of the Duchess of Hollywood cosmetics for theatre premiums. . . . Al Grubstick, San Francisco franchise holder of Film Classics and Screen Guild, a visitor on the Row. . . . Nick Diamos, head of the Nick Diamos Amusement Company, Tucson, Ariz., will build a 900-seat theatre in Tucson. MEMPHIS Pleasant weather and the end of the flu epidemic has brought a definite increase in attendance at first run theatres. . . . Palace has "The Sea of Grass." State is showing "Trail Street." Malco has "Cross My Heart." Warner held over "Stallion Road." Ritz showed "Les Miserables." And the record breaking picture, "The Jolson Story," brought back to Memphis by the Strand, was held over. . . . The W. C. Handy theatre, new 1,100-seat Negro house built in Memphis at a cost of $200,000, will open May 11. . . . The motion picture industry this week presented a check for $1,393.50 to the Memphis Cancer Drive. Money collected from patrons. . . . Miss Emma Cox, Gem and Joy, Osceola, Ark., is ill at Baptist Hospital. . . . Visiting exhibitors on Film Row included : Norman Fair, Fair, Somerville, Tenn. ; J. M\ Mounger, Mart and City, Calhoun City, Miss.; Henry and Burris Smith. Diane, Pocahontas, Ark. ; White Bedford, Marian, Hamilton, Ala. ; John Staples, Carolyn, Piggott, Ark., and Eugene Fleeman. Ritz, Manila, Ark. MIAMI Richard Trecase is now at the Mayfair. Ed May is manager at the Lincoln, and Harold George at the Capitol. . . . "The Best Years of Our Lives" is making a hit at the Royal theatre after an 11 -week run at the Colony. . . . The opening of the new Miami theatre was scheduled for the 18th. . . . "Henry V opened last Saturday at the Flamingo theatre at advanced prices. . . . Huge publicity campaigns for a number of pictures have opened in town. A purse at the Gulfstream Park has been named after "Duel in the Sun." Balloons containing tickets to "Calendar Girl" were thrown off the roofs of theatres. A free trip to Havana will be given away in conjunction with "Suddenly It's Spring." MINNEAPOLIS Heavy competition from the Sportsmen's Show, along with adverse weather, chopped into theatre grosses, but they still held near average. "My Favorite Brunette" at Radio City was tops with $20,000, to earn a second week. "The Best Years" ran close to $19,(100 in its fourth week, and "The Razor's Edge" had a good third week. "Bedelia" responded to big local promotion. . . . High film rentals and percentage pictures are slated for attack at the annual convention of North Central Allied April 21-22. . . . Bill introduced in State Legislature would regulate attendance of minors at drive-in theatres. . . . Product, sales and general campaign plans for Minnesota Amusement Company's spring drive in May and June are being outlined at meetings throughout the territory. . . . Perry Crosier, theatre architect, is drawing plans for three new houses in this area. Mans and O'Reilly are nearing completion on their new 700-seater in suburban Richfield. . . . Alfred Domier will build a new theatre in Portland, N. D. . . . Quenton Wingerter has reopened his house at Selfridge, N. D. NEW ORLEANS The new Rex in Baton Rouge will open about May 1. It cost $350,000 to build. . . . J. J. Brogie, who was with 20th-Fox for 20 years and later with Film Classics, has opened a booking office of his own. ... A. J. Broussard, Crowley, La., operating Bruce theatres in Crowley and Jennings, will open a new Bruce in Rayne. . . . The Orpheum and Liberty are holding over "The Best CELEBRATING 30 YEARS in the industry, J. M. "Soda" Reynolds, Screen Guild Productions Dallas branch sales executive, is presented with a portfolio, his second in the thirty years. "Dutch" Cammer presents it to him. Others in the picture in usual order, are Francis Bateman, John Franconi, Lonnie Lovelace, Connie Dreher, Don Clark and John Greer. Mr. Reynolds, still driving after those sales, recently exceeded the branch quota during the J 947 first quarter. He began his career with Warner Brothers; his first portfolio was given him by the late Sam Warner. Years of Our Lives.'' Loew's State has "13 Rue Madeleine." Saengers has "Suddenly It's Spring." The Tudor has brought back "King's Row" and the Globe has "It's a Wonderful Life." . . . New Orleans' Spring Fiesta is on and many strangers are in town which means good business for the downtown houses. OKLAHOMA CITY "The Jolson Story" is being held at the Will Rogers after five weeks at the Home. "The Egg and I" is selling to SRO at the Home. . . . Wesley White is manager of the new Griffith Agnew theatre here. . . . Tom Kirkham, manager of the Griffith theatres in Drumright, Okla., has been named chairman of the fund campaign of the American Cancer Society for West Creek County, Okla. . . . C and R Theatres have redecorated the Victoria here and will feature foreign films. . . . Charles Crocker plans to build a Pueblo brick theatre at Ulysses, Kans. . . . J. T. Goshen, Sedalia, Mo., will build a stadium tvpe theatre in Clinton, Mo., to cost about $30,000. . . . The Port Theatre Corporation, Dallas, Texas, has been incorporated with $50,000 authorized capital stock by J. D. Russell, Faye Moore, and Leta Biggo. . . . The drive-in theatre at Wichita, Kans., has opened. . . . Clarence Baily has sold equipment in the Baily theatre, Cabot, Ark., to Bessie Waller of Judsonia, Ark. . . . The Long Theatres of Delaware have been granted a permit to incorporate in Texas with offices at Bay City. OMAHA "Trail Street" and "Cigarette Girl" grossed $9,600 for the 1,200-seat RKOBrandeis. . . . Bill Barker heads an Omaha lodge of the Colisseum of Motion Picture Salesmen formed here this month. Iz Weiner is vice-president and Leon Mendelson, secretary-treasurer. . . . R. K. Stone brook is back with Tri-States Theatres as manager of the Orpheum. Ted Emerson, former Orpheum manager who has been ill, returned to work April 16 as city publicity chief for the circuit. . . . Paul Phillips has bought out the Soldier, Soldier, la., from C. H. Evenson. . . . Ed Gannon, Schuyler, Neb., exhibitor, sold the Joy at North Bend to Blance Colbert. . . . Henry Leriger can go ahead with plans for a new theatre at Lyons. Civilian Production Administration approved his project. . . . Mayor Charles Leeman and City Councilmen attended the opening of the Chief, swankiest of Omaha's neighborhood theatres. . . . Keith Bain, RKO exploiteer, has been switched to Portland, Ore. PHILADELPHIA The opening of new major attractions and the continuing banner business of "The Jolson Story" in its seventh week at the Stanley, gave the start of the post-Lenten season a big boost at the box office, with favorable weather and the absence of competing factors keeping grosses at high levels. . . . Sam Frank, who operates in the Southern New Jersey resort area, announced that his new 1,940-seat Surf at Ocean City would open on May 30. . . . Warners' reopened the Poplar with a foreign film policy. Ray Rendleman is house manager. . . . The March of (Continued on page 34) 32 MOTION PICTURE HERALD, APRIL 19, 1947