Motion Picture Herald (Mar-Apr 1947)

(Continued from page 32) Dimes collections from theatres in the area totalled $135,000, compared to $285,000 last year. The new Warner exchange is nearing completion and occupancy is expected to take place next month. . . . Mrs. Edgar J. Doob, wife of the manager of Loew's Aldine in Wilmington, Del., was appointed chairman of the Red Cross' Staff Assistance Corps in that city. . . . Managerial changes at the Warner theatre circuit has James Welsh coming from the Keystone as assistant manager of the center-city Earle; Bill Horung, temporarily managing the Hiway until Charles Mensing recovers from an illness; William Pitts and George Rudloff, joining the circuit as assistant managers of the Arcadia and Grand, respectively, in Wilmington, Del. . . . Bill Brooker, Paramount exploiteer, has been taken out of the Washington territory and will henceforth divide his time between Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. . . . Edward John Holmes, assistant manager of Warners' Arcadia, Wilmington, Del., left to enter college. ... Ed Bower is the new student booker at Columbia. . . . Stanley Kositsky, Columbia salesman, is remaining with that company and not going with PRC-Eagle-Lion as previously reported. PITTSBURGH The Warner theatre has justified its return to the list of first run houses here. It grossed almost $50,000 for a three-week run of "Song of the South," which is far better than Warner officials anticipated. . . . While "The Best Years," "The Jolson Story,'' and "The Razor's Edge" all turned in sensational grosses here, there is every indication that the much publicized "Duel in the Sun'' will be battling to match all records when it arrives here next month. . . . Bert Stearn is back on the job after a long illness Both of the district's drivein theatres are doing excellent business. . . . Gabe Rubin, owner of the Art Cinema, is greatly pleased with the grosses stacked up by "Henry V" during its six-week stay. . . . Business in the suburban districts slumped badly during and since the Lenten season. . . . The first run theatres are not faring much better. PORTLAND Box office grosses pepped up during Easter season with ideal weather. . . . "Jolson Story" went into its eighth week at Playhouse. "Best Years of Our Lives" went into a third heavy week at the Music Box, "It's a Wonderful Life'' at Paramount, "The Sin of Harold Diddlebock'' at Parker's Broadway, and "It Happened in Brooklyn" at United Artists. . . . Bill Foran opened his new Auto-View theatre on the highway outside of Tacoma, a drive-in accommodating 750 cars. . . . Manager William Pregassis of State theatre, Oregon City, among the first Oregon exhibitors to adopt a Greek child, in current drive. . . . Lowell Spiess, formerly of Duluth, Minn., has purchased the Televue theatre at Gladstone, Ore., from Norman Goodwin. House built at cost of $90,000. SAN FRANCISCO Box office grosses taking a healthy spurt after the Easter lull. . . . "Best Years" garners top honors at the small United Nations theatre, zooming by the average $6,000 for a lush $20,000. . . . The Golden Gate also stepped out in front with "Trail Street," chalking up a solid $36,000. . . . Most of the Fox West Coast officials trekked Southward for the gala opening of FWC's new Alisal theatre. . . . Jimmy Nasser, Hollywood producer, up to San Francisco to confer with his brothers regarding their several-milliondollar purchase of the Benedict Bogeaus and James Cagney Studios in Hollywood. . . . Al Dunn back to his office at the Orpheum after a long sick siege following an automobile accident. . . . Mildred Miller, secretary to M. J. Carney of Army Motion Pictures, leaves that organization to return to her home in Seattle. . . . John Panero, of Panero Circuit, has taken over the operation of the Park and Selma theatres in Selma, and the American theatre in Kingsburg. These houses formerly operated under Blumenfeld Theatres management. . . . Bob Lippert has added to his circuit of theatres the Bayview, San Francisco, which he has just acquired from Paul Gatt. . . . Columbia exchange is undergoing a new redecorating job. SEATTLE "The Jolson Story" closed its 102-day run at the Liberty, after playing to more than three-fourths of Seattle's population, and was followed by "The Chase." . . . The box office returns for the first week of "Best Years of Our Lives" at the Music Hall set a new all-time high in gross receipts for that theatre. . . Thomas Aspell, branch manager for MGM here, announced that he would leave here April 17 for Los Angeles where he would become MGM manager. . . . Lynn Peterson, for many years Hamrick-Evergreen manager in Bremerton, has resigned his post there. . . . The extensive alterations to the Post Street theatre in Spokane are nearly completed; operator Joe Rosenfield has changed the name to the Post theatre. . . . The newly renovated American theatre in Bellingham reopened with the road show playing of "Best Years of Our Lives.'' . . . Booking on Film Row : W. A. Cochrane, Snoqualmie; Chester Nilsson, Tacoma; Roy Brown, Portland; Rex Thompson, Port Orchard; W. B. McDonald, Olympia; Frank Harris and Ray Dean, Spokane; Del Osterhoudt, Des Moines ; Les Theuerkauf, Tacoma ; and Tubby Griffin, from Dillingham, Alaska. TORONTO Five Toronto theatres had holdovers during the past week, the one important new picture being "The Macomber Affair" which followed one week of "It Happened in Brooklyn" at Loew's. "The Jolson Story" rounded out a fourth strong week at the Tivoli and Eglinton theatres while "My Favorite Brunette" registered good business for a second week at the big Imperial theatre. The Uptown had plenty of traffic for the second week of "The Egg and I :" "Song of the South" also remained at Shea's and "Black Beauty" headed the new duel at the Victoria and Capitol theatres. . . . Principal talk of the week was about the financial strength of Famous Players Canadian Corp. as shown in its 27th annual report which revealed 1946 net profit at $2,836,066.90 for an all-time high after providing $2,135,000 for income and excess profits taxes. The net was equivalent to $1.63 on each of the 1,737,072 outstanding common shares, as compared with 90 cents per share for all the $1,594,973 net profit in 1945. . . . President J. J. Fitzgibbons reported that the $5,500,000 bonded indebtedness of the company had been paid off last year through the sale of 375,000 new common shares and said Famous Players now had 3,800 shareholders. . . . Hull, Que., blossomed forth with two new theatres within a week, the Figaro and Montcalm, both neighborhood and independently-owned houses. . . . I. H. Allen, president of Astral Film, Toronto, announced the formation of Granada Films to handle 16mm. product in Canada. VANCOUVER Business took a turn for the better over the Easter holidays. All downtowners played to capacity. "My Favorite Brunette," at Capitol, "Sinbad the Sailor,'' at the Orpheum, and "Song of the Scheherazade," day-anddate at Vogue and Hastings drew best. . . . The Park, inaugurating a new series of regular Odeon theatre previews, got off to a smash start with a capacity audience to see "Stairway to Heaven" April 7. . . . Sam McLemon, who operates the two theatres at White Horse, is in town on his annual visit to Film Row. ... A community center for showing 35mm pictures is planned at Beaver Lodge in Northern Alberta. Del Fox will also erect a new theatre at Pincher Creek, Alta., to replace the present Fox theatre. WASHINGTON Washington had a good Easter week business. Holdovers are "Pursued" for a second week at Warner's Earle. "The Best Years of Our Lives" stayed for a fifth week at RKO Keith's. Sidney Lust's Hippodrome announced that "Les Miserables" was being held for a third week. New pictures were "Bedelia" at Warner's Metropolitan ; "The Red House" at Loew's Capitol; "The Yearling'' at Loew's Palace. Carry-over was "My Favorite Brunette" at Loew's Columbia. . . . April 10 was opening day for E. M. Loew's Open Air theatre, near Alexandria. Four Features, Six Westerns For PRC April Release PRC will release four features and six Westerns during the month of April. The first three features have already gone into release : "Three on a Ticket," April 5, and "Philo Vances' Gamble" and "West to Glory," April 12. "The Big Fix" will be released April 19. The Westerns will all be released April 26. They include "Frontier Fighters,'' "Raiders of Red Gap," "Pan , handle Trail," "Code of the Plains," "Thundergap Outlaws" and 'Shootin' Irons.'' H. F. Kincey Heads Carolinas Foundation H. F. Kincey, president of North Carolina Theatres, Inc., on Monday was elected chairman and a national trustee of the Carolinas Motion Picture Foundation. The organization meeting was held in Charlotte, N. C. Local autonomy will be assured, members were told at the meeting, which resulted in appointment of 15 of a 17-man committee. On the committee are J. C. Long, Roy Rowe, H. H. Everett, J. H. Dillon, Roy Erwin, George Roscoe, Ben Strozier, Blake Gryder, H. D. Hearn, J. H. Holston, Dean House, John Vickers, Jay Schrader. 34 MOTION PICTURE HERALD, APRIL 19, 1947