Motion Picture Herald (Jul-Aug 1947)

{Continued from page 42) back. The Orpheum drew better than $20,000 with "Ladies' Man" on the screen, and Jerry Colonna's revue on stage. . . . Meyer Stern, Variety Club treasurer, will be ticket chairman for the "Variety Girl" premiere at the Paramount. . . . The American Legion is opening a theatre at Corsica, S. D. Dr. M. H. Versteeg will manage. . . . Film Row employes became blood donors to aid Tony Tedesco, United Artists salesman, who is seriously ill in St. Catherine's Hospital. . . . K. L. Nelson is new owner of the Empire theatre, Utica. He bought out William White, effective July 1. . . . United Artists is remodeling. . . . Bob Bertram has moved back to Omaha and will operate the Schleswig, Schleswig, la., by remote control. . . . New officers of the Theatrical Mutual Association elected here are: Nathan Stein, Chicago, president; Philip Hiter, Long Island, former president, secretary-president; Wallace E. Young, New York City, first vicepresident; William R. Noon, New York City, second vice-president; W. Charles Mueller, Chicago, third vice-president; Robert Glaskow, Omaha, fourth vice-president; Arnold Swanson Chicago, fifth vice-president; James Perry, Oakland, Cal., sixth vice-president. New York will be host to the 1949 convention. PHILADELPHIA Continued heat wave helping to swell attendance at the nearby seashore resorts at the expense of the theatre box office, with drop in weekend business attributed to the capacity crowds seeking out the cool waters each week. Nonetheless, summer closings are few and far between. Paramount closed down its neighborhood Frankford, and David Moliver, in purchasing the Aurora this week, closed the neighborhood for repairs and will reopen it on September 1. Mr. Moliver also announced that his independent Principal Exchange was moving to 1237 A^ine Street and that, in addition to films, it will henceforth handle the Price Premiums line. . . . David Rubin, manager of the Mayfair, was elected to his third term as president of the 60th and Market St. Businessmen's Association. .* . . Al Shender, who managed the York before his illness, resigned to enter private business, and was succeeded by Sam Venus. ... In a new alignment of salesmen at 20th Century-Fox, Nat Rosen, former New Jersey and upstate Allentown and Bethlehem salesman, takes the city and suburban territories formerly covered by Herb Gillis and is succeeded by Howard Smith, who left the upstate WilkesBarre and Scranton area which is now covered by Jack Dinan, coming in from New York. Bill Solomon retains the Harrisburg, Pa., territory, while Ben Tolmas has the State of Delaware. Joe Esposito, former ad sales manager, has been made a student salesman. . . . Charles H. Jones, from North Carolina, joined the inspectors' department of Altec Service here. . . . Mrs. Mary O'Donnell, whose late husband, Vincent, was a salesman with RKO for many years, has joined the exchange staff as secretary to branch manager Mary Kehoe. PITTSBURGH The American premiere of Cecil De Mille's "Unconquered" will be held at Loew's Penn, October 2. Many of the scenes in the film were photographed around Pittsburgh. . . . Consistent rainy nights have put the summer Civic Opera in the red and have not helped the theatre box offices. . . . While on the subject of all time low, "Bob, Son of Battle," did just that in the J. P. Harris. . . . Many of the theatre managers are singing the blues with business on the decline, but "Dear Ruth" is doing all right in the Penn. It stayed for a second week to keep out stellar attractions. . . . With Roy Rogers' appearing in a circus for the Police Pension Fund, many houses in the suburbs are cleaning up with some old and some new films starring the cowboy. . . . Bill Hunzector, who served the Stanley well for the past 15 years, died suddenly last week. . . . "The Perils of Pauline" in the Stanley, and "Gunfighters" in the Harris slumped a little, but "I Wonder Who's Kissing Her Now," in the Fulton, did fairly good business. SEATTLE July 16 witnessed the opening of two films attended by the most comprehensive advertising campaigns in recent years: "The Hucksters" at the Music Hall, and "Miracle on 34th Street" at the Fifth Avenue. "High Barbaree" went into its second week at the Orpheum; "The Unfaithful" moved to the Blue Mouse. . . . The Independent Theatre Owners of Washington, Alaska, and Northern Idaho held its summer meeting at a luncheon at the New Washington Hotel. The group passed a resolution reaffirming the stand taken against ASCAP at the PCCITO meeting in May. . . . L. A. Gillespie, whose Orada theatre in Oroville was destroyed by fire, announced that he will rebuild that house immediately. . . . Hal Boehme has returned from New York where he obtained the franchise for Astor Pictures for Washington, Oregon, Northern Idaho and Alaska. . . . Jack Douglas resigned as exploitation representative for RKO in this district. . . . Out of town exhibitors on Film Row: George Nordenberg, Ferndale; Harold Weston, Everson; Emma Ridgeway, Sedro-Woolley ; Norman Clyde, Langley; Mickey De Leo, Port Townsend. . . . Roy Ackles, eastern Washington salesman for 20th Century-Fox, underwent a second operation this week. TORONTO The name of J. Arthur Rank appeared on the screen of five Famous Players first run theatres during the week with the playing of his British features as the single attraction at each house. "Great Expectations" continued a fourth week at both the Eglinton and Tivoli theatres, "Stairway to Heaven" occupied the screen at Shea's, and "The Years Between" was presented at the Capitol and Victoria theatres. . . . Meanwhile, "The Yearling" was playing a third week at Loew's in downtown Toronto, and "Cheyenne" was the feature at the Imperial. The dual program was at Loew's Uptown, the top picture being "The Arnelo Affair." The International Cinema showed "A Yank in Rome," with the exploitation help of an Italian art exhibit in the lobby to provide interest for the theatre's special clientele. . . . Ontario exhibitors and film exchanges are wrestling with a new problem in the extensively-revised Minimum Wage Act for female employees with the Province zoned for wages, hours and working conditions aplenty. .. . Commercial photographers rapped the National Film Board for sending camera crews long distances at the taxpayers' ex pense to take industrial stills and then selling them for one-third the regular retail price. . . . "La Symphonie Pastorale" is in its 16th week at the Cinema de Paris at Montreal. VANCOUVER Harry Wollfe, U-A British Columbia manager, is away to Calgary to install there new Alberta manager Buster Radis, formerly with RKO in Toronto, who succeeds Jack Reid, UA manager at Calgary, resigned. . . . The current polio epidemic in Vancouver is having its effect on children's matinee attendance, Odeon Movie Clubs and kiddie matinees having been discontinued until the threat subsides. Polio total here is now 48 cases. . . . Warner Brothers is spending $70,000 making a documentary of the Calgary Stampede in the Alberta City. It will be a two-reel subject in Technicolor. Eagle-Lion also have a crew in Calgary making scenes for a feature production, "Stampede." . . . Odeon's two new British Columbia theatres under construction in West Vancouver and Victoria are running neck and neck, according to building schedule, and both houses should be opening about' October 1. . . . Larry Bearg, Famous Player western manager, will hold a meeting of western partners and district heads at Banff Springs Hotel on September 1-3. . . . Mrs. Thelma Nickolson has sold the 275-seat Rialto at West Summerland, B. C., to Max Metroplit, Saskatchewan exhibitor. WASHINGTON Washington theatre business was a little better this week, although hot, humid weather continues. Despite an excellent array of top-notch pictures, there were no holdovers with new entries including: "Perils of Pauline" at Warner's Earle ; "The Hucksters" at Loew's Palace; "They Won't Believe Me" at RKO Keith's; "The Michigan Kid" first run at Loew's Columbia, and "Easy Come Easy Go" at Loew's Capitol. Warner's Metropolitan booked "The Unfaithful," which previously played the Earle. . . . Valley Enterprises, Inc., have taken over the operation of the State and Strand theatres, Harrisonburg, after 10 years of Warner management. Personnel of both theatres have been retained. . . . Newest members of Variety Club Tent No. 11 are Kenneth W. Clark, director of information, Motion Picture Association of America; John W. Egan, manager of the Spike Jones orchestra; Victor J. Orsinger, manager of the Little theatre, Washington; and William Waggaman, assistant manager of Warner Brothers' Tivoli theatre, Washington. Benefit Premiere Held For "Soap Box Derby" Warner Brothers gave a $2 admission benefit premiere July 22 at the Strand theatre in Akron, O., for its Technicolor tworeel subject, "Soap Box Derby," the story of that juvenile sporting event held annually in Akron, and then will follow the premiere with special openings of the short in the 135 other cities when preliminary heats in the derby are held. The Akron premiere was sponsored by the Akron Beacon Journal, which sponsors the derby, and all proceeds are to go to the newspaper's child welfare fund. 44 MOTION PICTURE HERALD, JULY 26, 1947