Motion Picture Herald (May-Jun 1947)

(Continued from page 32) stars, and does capacity business. . . . Grover C. Schaffer, district manager for Selznck Releasing Organization, who has made his headquarters here, will henceforth operate from Cleveland. CLEVELAND Exhibitors hereabouts report business continues downward. Condition seems to be general in big and small towns. High cost of living and future uncertainties are given as reasons for reduced grosses. . . . Don Kunish, assistant to Manager Julius Lamm at the Uptown, is taking over as manager of the new Warners' Vogue while house manager Harold Friedman is honeymooning. . . . Wickliffe Village's two-year fight to prevent construction of a drive-in theatre on Craneing Road by Castle National, Inc., headed by Horace Abrams, was denied last week by the State Supreme Court. Same company is building a drive-in in the village of Fairview. . . . Martin Polster of Community Circuit was married to Blanche Selman of this city. Harry Schreiber, RKO theatre city manager, in line with his alternating combination and screen policy, will present three successive weeks of stage shows starting July 3 with Louis Prima, followed by Freddy Martin and Perry Como Dave Sandler of Drive-In Theatre Equipment Co., has installed complete Auto Voice bi-car equipment with theft-proof cables in the West Side Drive In, Cleveland. . . . Lawrence Tidrck, former RCA regional director of education, has joined Visual Communications as general sales manager. Howard Reif of the Scoville, Essick &_ Reif circuit has closed his Miami home and moved back to Cleveland for the summer. . . . Herbert Horstemeier, organizer and president of the Bookers and Cashiers' Club of Cleveland, was honored with a testimonial dinner Tuesday at Miller's Inn. COLUMBUS Graduation exercises and June weddings have diverted attention from theatres but respectable grosses were registered nevertheless by new and holdover attractions. "Smash Up" at the Ohio, "The Imperfect Lady" at the Broad and "Homestretch" at the Palace were new entries whch did good, if not spectacular business. "The Egg and I" continued for a third week at the Grand and "Brief Encounter" did a third week, with a possibility for a fourth, in its first run at the new World, neighborhood English and foreign language house. Manager Charles Radow of the 325-seat World said the next attraction would be Beatrice Lillie's "On Approval." The Gayety has discontinued its burlesque stage shows and substituted films. First dual bill featured two "adults only" films — "Youth Aflame?" and "Fig Leaf for Eve." . . . Admission fee for adults at the 1947 Ohio State Fair will be 60 cents, IS cents less than last year. ... A television relay network connecting Columbus, Cincinnati and Dayton has been asked of the Federal Communications Commission by the Crosley Broadcasting Corp. The permit would allow erection of a new experimental television relay broadcast station here. . . . "Affairs of a Cheat," which played under that title in its first run here, is playing local neighborhoods 40 YEARS OF PROJECTION George Sullivan, projectionist at the Centre theatre, Fall River, Mass., has completed 40 years as a projectionist. Starting in 1906, when, because of poor machinery, an operator had to be half octopus to do the job right, Mr. Sullivan came to Fall River in 1907 to work in the Nickelodeon. In 1908 he was employed by Marcus Loew as chief operator for New England. He stayed until 1921. From then, until 1924, he worked at the State theatre in New Bedford and then returned to Fall River. Without takeup spools on the first projectors Mr. Sullivan recalls that in the early days he first let the film coming out of the machine drop into a cloth bag. Later he rewound it on a pencil and then he dropped it into an ashcan, being careful, because of the fire hazard, to place the lid on the can after the reel had run. Sometimes, when the old silent films were received without titles, Mr. Sullivan found it necessary to hang a megaphone in front of him and to call the missing titles through the megaphone as he ran the film. under its original title, "The Private Affairs of Bel Ami." . . . Roy Rogers will bring his Thrill Circus to Red Bird Stadium June 24-26. DENVER Robert Selig, assistant to the Fox Intermountain Theatres president, named president of the board of trustees for University of Denver, from which he graduated about 15 years ago. . . . Joe Emerson, salesman, named RKO branch manager RKO, succeeding Tom Bailey, taking a vacation before announcing future connections. . . . F. A. Bateman, Screen Guild general sales manager, here conferring with franchise owners and R. F. Herroll, branch manager. . . . Jack Kramer, Durango, Colo., city manager for Fox Intermountain Theatres, on vacation. . . . Arlie Beery, Manley representative, to Salt Lake City to attend TriStates Theatre Owners convention. . . . Hugh Braly, Paramount district manager, here three days conferring with Chet Bell, branch manager, and theatre men. . . .Margie Haskins, availability clerk at the Warner exchange, married to Neal A'Hern, and' using vacation for honeymoon. PES MOINES Allied of Iowa and Nebraska held its annual business meeting at Waverly, June 3. Verne Hagemann was host. . . . Lucille Wesp of Tri-States advertising dept. has been named secretary to A. H. Blank. She replaced Maxine Bishop, soon to be married. . . . The Harry Warrens are back in Des Moines and have taken a house for three months. . . . J. C. Sandler, son of Nate Sandler, was married May 30 to Esther Kroloff. The ceremony took place at the Standard Club. . . . Des Moines Tent 15, Variety Club, has begun a drive to raise funds to send 50 boys to Y camp this summer and to provide a room in each of three Des Moines hospitals for needy cases. . . . An All-Film Row picnic will be held June 30 under sponsorship of the local Variety Club. Exchanges will close at 1 :30 P.M. that day with all personnel and their families invited to attend the function at Riverview Park. . . . Manager Bob Malek of the Malek, Independence, was one of a class of 165 initiated into the Shrine at Cedar Rapids last week. L. C. Ballard of Wall Lake has sold the Rio to R. C. DeBow of Fayette. ... A new theatre is to be built on the north side of Sioux City at a cost of more than $60,000. The house, to seat 500, is expected to open Aug. 1. . . . Delbert Farrell, formerly manager of the State, Carroll, lias been named manager of the two Pioneer Circuit houses in Jefferson. . . . The Phillips Theatre Co. has been organized at Rockwell City by Oky Goodman and R. M. Phillips, who will be manager. Phillips is former manager of the Arrow, Cherokee. . . . "Duel in the Sun" opened simultaneously in 12 Iowa towns June 10 — breaking precedent for a roadshow. HARTFORD MGM's "The Yearling" held for a second week at Loew's Poli-Palace, Hartford; Loew's Poli-Globe, Bridgeport, Conn.; Loew's Poli-College, New Haven; Loew's Poli-Strand, Waterbury, Conn. ; and Loew's Poli, Springfield, Mass. . . . Warners' "The Two Mrs. Carrolls" stayed for two weeks at the Warner Strand, Hartford; Warner Capitol, Springfield, Mass. Pearl Needles, daughter of Henry L. Needles, Hartford district manager for Warner Theatres, and Mrs. Needles, was married Sunday at Hotel Bond, Hartford, to Aiorris Tonken, Hartford attorney. . . , Freddie Matthews has been reelected business agent of" Local 301, IATSE, New Britain, Conn. Newly-elected officers: Joe Kneeland, president; Dan Grenier, vicepresident; Felix Stapanik, secretary; Mr. Kneeland, Mr. Grenier, Mr. Matthews, and Mr. Stapanik, executive board, and Howard Richardson, recording secretary. ... In Hartford last Thursday Lou Cohen of Loew's Poli was host to Dorothy Ford, the actress ; pre^ss and radio executives, at a luncheon in connection with UA's "A Miracle Can Happen." Also in the invited guests' list was Lou Brown, Loew's Poli circuit adpublicity director. INDIANAPOLIS Film business was just fair here last week, despite the stimulus of the holiday weekend. This boost was offset by competition from the speedway race (attendance, 165,000) and almost daily downpours in one of the rainiest seasons on record. "The Yearling" was clocked at $15,000 in its first week at Loew's and "Calcutta" took $13,000 at the Indiana for the highest marks. ... A picnic for employees of the RKO branch and their families Friday afternoon was driven indoors by a cloudburst. . . . Phil Zeller, formerly of Boston, has been named advertising manager for Marcus Enterprises and Tom Campbell, who came here from Hamilton and Middletown, Ohio, booker, in changes following Rex Carr's departure as general manager. . . . Ground has been broken to rebuild the Princeton theatre, at Princeton, Ind., by E. (Continued on page 36) MOTION PICTURE HERALD, JUNE 14, 1947