Motion Picture Herald (Jan-Feb 1948)

ALBANY "My Wild Irish Rose" drew the city's largest New Year's Eve business to the Strand. Capacity crowds also were on hand in the Warner house on New Year's. It played to hefty holiday grosses in other Albany district theatres, including several operated by the Schine circuit. . . . The Palace ran Columbia's "The Swordsman" for four performances on New Year's Eve, opening "Daisy Kenyon" for a regular run the next day. The Grand booked "Golden Earrings" and "Crime Doctor's Gamble." The house gave no . shows Friday, the University of Pennsylvania Mask and Wig Society presenting "Juleo and Romiet," for the evening. On Saturday morning the Grand had a "Teen Time" show. . . . Exchanges had very few missouts despite the heavy snowstorm which blanketed the area. Film delivery services came through nobly, while exhibitors cooperated remarkably. . . . Harry Lamont is featuring a cutlery set giveaway at the Strand in Philmont. Lamont recently hiked the admission in Philmont, this being the first reported case in some months. ATLANTA The Dixie Drive-In Theatre Company will soon start work on their new theatre in Atlanta, to cost about $250,000. . . . Hugh Burger, formerly assistant manager of the Capital, has been transferred to Gainesville, Ga., as manager of the Ritz. . . . Ed Seaman, formerly with the Wilby-Kincey theatres in North and South Carolina, has been appointed as manager of the Avon theatre, Savannah, Ga. . . . Visitors in the city: Harry Whitestone, Fairmount; J. R. Johnson, Greensboro, Fla., and R. L. Lovvorn, Bowdon, Ga. . . . E. E. Whitaker, Georgia Theatres, has taken over as head of the Atlanta Variety Club. . . . The Cumberland Amusement, McNinnville, Tenn., will soon start wofk on a new theatre there to cost around $200,000, and hopes to have same open about April 1. . . . The theatres in Phenix City, Ala., were to have their license fees doubled January 1— from $300 to$600. It looks like about all the towns in Georgia and Alabama will do the same. . . . Ken Jackson has been appointed head of the Accounting Department, Republic Pictures. . . . J. E. McElroy, Monogram's Charlotte representative, is confined in the Crawford Hospital, Atlanta. . . . Walton Hamilton has been appointed local manager of the State theatre at nearby Xewton, N. C. BALTIMORE Twenty hours of rain over last Thursday and -Friday bit into receipts and there were five new productions offered at first runs. But box offices buzzed again following the downpour. Century very good with "Good News." Hippodrome big with "The Swordsman," plus vaudeville. Stanley fine with "My Wild Irish Rose." Mayfair good with "Monsieur Verdoux," aided by good reviews. Town good with "Tycoon." Roslyn and Times good with "The Black Cat," plus "Black Friday." New tremendous with "Captain from Castile." Keith's tremendous with "Road to Rio." Little very big with "I Know Where I'm Going." . . . Sam Isaacson has been reelected president of the Bal timore Operators' Union, Local 181, AFL. . . . Out of the usual 107 theatres listed in the Evening Sun motion picture guide daily, only 35 were listed on Christmas Eve as the others decided to close for that day to give theatre ushers, cashiers, projectionists and managers a holiday. BOSTON Continued bad weather, plus a barrage of radio announcements aired by the Massachusetts Public Safety Department, had a definite and depressing effect on box office receipts generally. The best showing in the Hub was made by "Road to Rio" at the Metropolitan, but it was still slightly below average for that house. . . . Independent Exhibitors held a meeting Tuesday to deal with the Ascap situation. The meeting was held at the Bradford Hotel. . . . Nathan Yamins completed arrangements to lease the Embassy theatre in Fall River, Mass., from William Purcell. Currently Yamins owns seven of the eight houses in that city as well as a drive-in at Dartmouth in the same state. CINCINNATI Several subsequent run houses in this area featured a single midnight showing of "Forever Amber." at advanced prices on New Year's Eve. . . . Edward Salzberg, manager of the local Film Classics branch, has been WHEN AND WHERE April 6-8: Annual convention of the Pacific Coast Conference of Independent Theatre Owners at the St. Francis Hotel in San Francisco. April 12-17: International Variety Clubs 1948 convention at the Roney Plaza Hotel in Miami Beach, Fla. May 7-8: Independent Theatre Owners of Iowa and Nebraska convention at Des Moines, la. June 23-25: Associated Theatre Owners of Indiana annual convention cruise on Lake Erie. charged jointly with Max Wald, manager of the Gayety, Columbus, Ohio, for showing the uncensored picture, "I Have Lived." The charges were brought by John Lamb, film inspector for the Ohio censor board. Mr. Wald, pleading innocent in Police Court, was fined $25 and costs. Mr. Salzberg's case was continued after he entered a similar plea. . . . Preliminary work has been started on a new drive-in theatre at Lancaster, Ohio, the first theatre of this type in the county. Owners are J. Henry Davidson, Lynchburg, Ohio, and K. B. Roberts, Greenfield, Ohio, who operate drive-ins at Hillsboro, Georgetown, Peebles, Osborn, Greenfield and Georgetown. Incidentally, there are now 11 drive-in theatres in operation in the Cincinnati exchange area. . . . Moorehead Theatres, Inc., Springfield, Ohio, has been granted a charter by the Ohio Secretary of State to operate with 250 no-par shares. The corporation, in which Harry Chakeres, G. H. Hagle and Frank H. Collins, all Chakeres Theatres associates, are interested, is for the purpose of continuing operation of the Mills and Trail theatres, Chakeres units at Moorehead, Ky. CLEVELAND New Year's Eve business at the downtown houses was better this year than last, according to theatre managers. RKO Palace was the house with a stageshow on the Main Stem and did big business with a bargain midnight show of "Captain of Castile" and four vaudeville acts for $1.25. . . . Only two neighborhood houses, Knickerbocker and Shore, added flesh to their screen attractions and both reported good attendance. Rain, however, reduced attendance at neighborhood theatres generally. . . . Ed Raab, it is reported, has inaugurated a foreign film policy at his Liberty theatre, Akron. . . . Hilbert Horwitz, formerly with Berlo, is now manager of the local office of Interstate Popcorn Co. . . . Jack Share has sold his interest in the Cedar and Quincy theatres to Irving Gross. . . . Variety Club New Year's Eve party had an attendance of approximately 200 members and guests. It was the first big affair in the new variety Clubhouse. Al Sunshine of Advanads headed the committee on arrangements. COLUMBUS Last week saw invasion of the downtown theatres' New Year's Eve midnight shows by subsequent and neighborhood houses. The Southern, downtown subsequent, and the neighborhood Livingston and Main ran oneshow performances of "Forever Amber," and the University had a special late show featuring Roger Garrett, organist-manager, and "The Prisoner of Zenda." The downtown houses opened new shows on the morning of December 31, running continuously through the midnight performances. All reported capacity business. The Ohio had "Good News," the Palace showed "Tycoon," the Broad "Pirates of Monterey," and the Grand "Always Together." . . . Champion, of the H. and S. theatres, has reduced its adult price to 35 cents. . . . E. J. Hiehle, manager of the Weller, Zanesville, Ohio, and his wife are recovering from injuries suffered when their car skidded into a ditch (Continued on page 26) MOTION PICTURE HERALD, JANUARY 10. 1948 23