Motion Picture Herald (Mar-Apr 1947)

(Continued from page 35) pie have registered for the recreational -program being developed here by the Country Club Community Center. LOS ANGELES Independent exhibitors in the territory are considering inaugurating giveaways in the near future. Some 16 small houses are already following the practice. . . . Lew White, manager of the Savoy theatres, is out of the hospital. . . . Jack Velopy, MGM head booker, has been promoted to office manager. . . . Jerry Persell, Columbia salesman, has been assigned to the city territory. . . . Gordon Wilson has been promoted to MGM head booker. . . . Ed Lebby, former RKO salesman at Pittsburg, now is city salesman for PRC and Eagle-Lion. . . . Max Sinker, former owner of the Alvarado, is in the hospital. Larry Moran, former MGM booker, is now a salesman in the Portland area. . . . Morris Abrahams has joined the exploitation staff of SRO. . . . The new Banducci and Lemucchi theatre, the Tejon in east Bakersfield, is expected to open May 1. . . . Film Row visitors : Everett Cummings, Downey; George Landers, Huntington Park; Joe Woods, Chandler, Ariz. LOUISVILLE J. F. Carnahan has awarded a contract for the construction of a 440-seat house in Campton to be opened about August 1. . . . A new theatre in McKee, in which Mr. Carnahan has an interest, is near completion. . . . The city's theatre attendance was bolstered by the recent three-day convention of the Kentucky Education Association. . . . A charter has been granted to Amusements, Inc., Louisville, with $50,000 capital, which will operate theatres and other amusement centers. . . . "The Jolson Story" has had a 19-day subsequent run here. . . . Recent Film Row visitors: Mr. and Mrs. Curt Davis, Sandy Hook; Robert Enoch, Elizabethtown ; James Howe, Carrollton ; J. E. Elliott, AS THE PRIZES WERE AWARDED to five managers of Tri-States Theatres, in the Des Moines Club, Des Moines. The men were winners of 20th-Fox's contest on "Margie" exploitation. In left to right order are Myron Blank, circuit executive; Don Shane, winner; Marvin Graybeal, winner; Harold Lyon, winner; A. H. Blank, circuit president; William C. Gehring, 20fh-Fox central division manager; Henry P/ude, Jr., and Francis Giffon, winners; G. Ralph Branton, circuit general manager, and Moe Levy, 20th-Fox prairie district manager. NAT WOLF. IS years a Warner Theatres Ohio zone manager, last week in celebration awarded $400 in prizes to managers in whose theatres attendance increased during a sixweek period. Mr. Wolf handed out the prizes at a banquet in the Carter Hotel, Cleveland, following a morning business session and an afternoon at a baseball game. Hodgenville ; D. G. Steinkamp, French Lick, Ind. ; J. V. Snook, LaGrange; C. S. Caldwell, Cave City; Oscar Hopper, Lebanon; Ray Coleman, Edmonton. . . . The Vogue, St. Matthews, features a "Cartoon Circus" for children's matinees. . . . Ben Reeves has renovated his Lincoln theatre at Stanford. . . . "The Egg and I" has been held for a third week at the National as has "The Best Years of Our Lives" at the Strand. MEMPHIS A recent spurt in attendance at first runs is continuing. Loew's Palace had such a good week with "The Sea of Grass" that it was held over. Malco reported splendid attendance at "Suddenly It's Spring." Loew's State was well pleased with the reception of "Sinbad the Sailor." Warner had good business with "Crack-Up." Ritz was pleased with results from "Carmen." Strand's extensive remodeling was completed for its scheduled reopening April 25 with "The Best Years of Our Lives," at roadshow prices. ... A group of mid-South exhibitors headed by Herb Kohn, Malco official and chief barker of Memphis Variety Club, will leave May 9 for the national Variety Club convention in Los Angeles, May 14-18. Going from Memphis are : Mr. and Mrs. Kohn, Mr. and Mrs. Dave Flexer, Mr. and Mrs. Orris Collins, Bill Ramsey, Tom O'Ryan, Joe Simon, Tommy Baldridge, M. A. Lightman, Sr., and William Goodman. MINNEAPOLIS Grosses at Minneapolis first run houses continued to hold at average or better despite unseasonably cold weather. "The Best Years" still holding over after a five-week total gross of $104,000. . . . Exhibitors from Wisconsin, Upper Michigan, Iowa, Nebraska and North and South Dakota arrived for two-day annual convention of North Central Allied Independent Theaters at the Nicollet hotel. . . . "The Outlaw," banned by Minnesota Amusement Company, has opened an indefinite run at the independent Lyceum. . . . The State House of Representatives passed a bill enabling municipalities to levy an admission tax under local referendum. . . . Ben Blotcky, Paramount branch man ager here, celebrated his 25th year on the job. . . . L. J. Meelhouse is the new owner of the Clark at Clarksville, Iowa, having taken over from Bob Hunerburg. . . . A. L. Archer is the new owner of the Finley, Finley, N. D. OKLAHOMA CITY The Victoria theatre is continuing its first run foreign film program with the opening of "Open City" this week. ... A request for the legislature to get actively behind a sales tax measure for Oklahoma county was filed by city officials this week. The new measure would allow the city council to establish rates and levy them in addition to the two per cent state tax now collected. . . . The Home theatre has a sell out with the picture "The Egg and I." During the first four days 17,000 people attended. . . . Roger Rice is the new public relations man for Griffith theatres. . . . The Oklahoma State sales tax report shows that in the month of February, 1947, 353 theatres and ten shows reported $27,498.92 as compared with 301 reports totaling $26,818.11 in February, 1946. Other amusements showed a 1.08 per cent increase as compared to the 2.54 per cent increase for theatres. OMAHA Film Row representatives officially registered* their protests at a public hearing on the site for the new city auditorium which would cut off the west end of the Row. Jo Robert Hoff of the Ballantyne Company said it would do great damage to that manufacturing and retail firm and "would stymie the industry which is expanding westward." . . . Tony Leist has joined the 20th-Fox ad sales department. . . . John Eding, owner of the Community, Aurelia, la., died last week. PHILADELPHIA Center city theatres report that activity at the box office is very brisk even though holdovers predominate. . . . Joseph I. Breen, director of the Code Administration, was in town April 18 to address the 50th anniversary dinner of the Cahill Club at Roman (Continued on page 40) 38 MOTION PICTURE HERALD, APRIL 26, 1947