Motion Picture Herald (Jan-Feb 1948)

(Continued from preceding page) service, which local theatres are glad to dispense with now. . . . Leroy Kendis, of Associated Circuit, is laid up at home with a recurrence of a back ailment. . . . C. E. Harvey of Greenfield, O., who operates the Pam theatre at New Boston, O., is remodeling the Oakland theatre, Marion, shuttered the past ten years. He plans to open in April as the Joy theatre. . . . H. L. Tracy, Temple theatre, Willard, is at Lakeside Hospital, Cleveland. . . . Mollye Davis, MGM contract department head for the past 10 years, has been promoted to cashier, with "Rosemary Lavelle as her successor. . . . Temple theatre, Orwell, has been remodeled by the owner, L. M. Hendershott. ... Ed Roth has been named assistant to Loew theatre publicity director Ted Barker. COLUMBUS "Cass Timberlane," playing Loew's Ohio as a single feature, was the big noise of the week in local box offices. . . . "Night Song," at the Palace, played four days at the Palace. . . . The Broad did good business with "If Winter Comes," and the Grand had a fair week with "Out of the Blue." . . . Return of good weather, which pushed the mercury into the 60's, helped business generally. The World, with its reserved seat showing of "Henry V," reported good business. . . . John Stokes McCune, 61, director of the Players' Club for the past 21 years, was found dead in his garage last week. . . . The Variety Club is sponsoring the sale of first night tickets for the "Skating Vanities of 1948," to be held starting April 27 at the Coliseum. Part of the proceeds will go to the Club's Heart Fund. . . . The Oak neighborhood has inaugurated "Family Night" with reduced admissions each Wednesday. . . . Loew's Ohio will celebrate its twentieth anniversary, Ma^ch 17. DENVER With Lynn Fetz as manager, the Denver Shipping and Inspection Center is now in operation. It will store and ship laboratory prints for RKO and inspect and ship for Film Classics, SRO, Eagle Lion, Clasa Mohme and PAC roadshow films. . . . Sam Reed, long time with RCA, later in Visual Aids Service, has gone with Western Service & Supply as theatre equipment salesman. . . . Frank Childs, selected Pictures exchange owner, injured knee badly in fall at home. Operated on at Presbyterian Hospital. . . . Chet Bell, Paramount branch manager on leave of absence, has left California Hosptial. . . . Albert Coppell, former distributor of Mexican films here, now doing that from San Antonio, Tex., died as result of injuries received in hit-run accident. Formerly owned Mexico and Kiva here. PES MOINES A Cedar Rapids woman, 24, has admitted setting five fires in two theatres there over a period of six months. She was arrested after setting the fifth fire in the lounge of one of the theatres. . . . The Valley, Missouri Valley, has been closed indefinitely because of lack of business. The house was opened last November after $12,000 worth of improvements had been made by the owners, Nathan Sandler Theatre Enterprises. . . . Harry Pace, operator of the Sumner, Al Lichtman PICTURE PIONEER Al Lichtman has been for 37 years a vital figure of the industry he helped to mold. Mr. Lichtman currently is a Loew's, Inc., vicepresident, his headquarters Hollywood ; — but there is behind that a wider background. He began with the Exhibitors' Advertising Company of Chicago, opening its New York branch, then shortly shifted to the Powers Motion Picture Company. For the record, that company produced two pictures per week. Came 1912, and he shifted to Famous Players Film Company as its first sales manager. In 1914 he formed the Alco Film Company, predecessor to Metro. He returned to his others company, now known as Famous Players Lasky Company, a year later, as general manager. As such, he organized its subsidiary, Artcraft Pictures, and then merged it with Paramount. His next big move was in 1921, when he formed the Al Lichtman Company for distribution, and Preferred Pictures for production. In 1924 he was briefly general manager for Universal, and produced "Oh, Baby." In 1926 he was appointed vice-president and general manager of United Artists, later becoming president. In 1935 he resigned to join MGM. Sumner, is planning to build a new theatre there. . . . The Rialto, Boone, was closed last week while preparations for a $20,000 remodeling project were made. . . . Fire caused serious damage to the interior of the Dayton, Dayton. . . . Bill Dippert, Universal booker, is taking a job as booker and office manager at Republic. He replaces Jimmy Ricketts. . . . Theatre business was slow here as the weather hit unseasonal highs of 60 degrees. Only "To the Ends of the Earth" at the RKO-Orpheum managed to hold its own. HARTFORD "You Were Meant for Me" was among the holdovers in downtown first run theatres in Hartford this week. . . . Jim McCarthy, Warner Strand, Hartford, manager, has been named theatres' representative on the publicity-public relations committee of the Hartford area Red Cross 1948 campaign. . . . The M and P Theatre circuit, operating in the New England states, is observing its 15th anniversary. Martin Mullin and Sam Pinanski are heads of the circuit. . . . Hearing on arbitration complaint of Ted and Joe Markoff against major distributors was slated for February 25 at the AAA offices in New Haven. Complaint, filed last June, claims Markoff's East Hampton and Moodus, Conn., theatres suffered hardships because of lateness in bookingbuying of the Middletown, Conn., theatres. INDIANAPOLIS The prolonged cold wave moderated toward the end of last week and first run film business rallied to average figures. "Relentless" did best in a $12,000 week at Loew's. "T-Men" took $11,000 at the Circle. "Captain from Castile" fell off to $9,000 in its second week at the Indiana, down from an opening $18,000. . . . Earl Cunningham has named Don Wright assistant general manager of the Fountain Square group. Wright resigned recently as manager of the Rodeo for the Cantor circuit. . . . Harry Markun completed installation of new sound, screen and projection equipment at his westside Belmont this week. ... A stage show scheduled to open at the Circle next Thursday was cancelled because of a dispute with the American Federation of Musicians over the hiring of standbys. The AFM local denied having anything to do with it. KANSAS CITY With the return of mild weather, audiences are surging back to the theatres. Some first runs reported capacity business over the weekend. . . . The newly organized Allied Independent Theatre Owners of Kansas and Missouri held a board meeting February 24. . . . Thomas McCormick has resigned as salesman for Selected Pictures at Kansas City to manage a theatre in Illinois. . . . "Doc" Hitchler, well known theatre manager here, has returned from California to manage J. T. Ghosen's new GoShow theatre Clinton, Mo. . . . The board of the Kansas Missouri Theatre Association has suggested that a sub-center for film distribution might be advantageous for the Kansas area. LOS ANGELES Harry Vinnicoff, head of the Vinnicoff circuit, is on the sick list. . . . Lester Tobias, franchise holder of "Citizen Saint" for the West Coast, has opened offices in Hollywood. . . . Bob Poole, George Diamos, Stanley Steck and Hugh Bruen have returned from Seattle, where they attended the mid-winter trustees meeting of the PCCITO. . . . Sam Russo, Casino theatre, San Diego, was here booking and buying. . . . Seen on Film Row : Jask Feder, LongBeach; Larry Olander, East Los Angeles, and Don Swickard, East Los Angeles. LOUISVILLE Rewiring of the Shelby, Louisville, has been completed and new airconditioning will be installed. . . . H. A. Fitch, who formerly operated the Fitch-Provo circuit in Kentucky, is now operating the Erin theatre in Erin, Tenn. . . . W. H. Blank is the city manager of the Switow Amusement theatres in Seymour, Ind. . . . The Rialto, Marengo, Ind., which has been operating only six days a week, is now running seven days with regular matinees. . . . Film Row visitors: Mr. and Mrs. T. N. Luckett, French (Continued on opposite page) 30 MOTION PICTURE HERALD, FEBRUARY 28, 1948