Motion Picture Herald (Nov-Dec 1948)

ALBANY The Palace brought in "When My Baby Smiles at Me," dualed with "Leather Gloves." The Strand presented "Fighter Squadron" and "Mickey." A preview of the former was held in the Warner theatres' studio for area fliers. The Grand moved up the opening day for "A Southern Yankee" and "Eyes of Texas." The Ritz scheduled "The Countess of Monte Cristo" to follow "Rogues Regiment." . . . "Hamlet" will play the Colonial here beginning Christmas week. . . . The new Variety Club officers, headed by Saul J. Ullman, general manager for Fabian Theatres upstate, will assume administration of Tent 9 on December 1. A Variety Club team, consisting of chief barker Harry Lamont, former chief barker Charles A. Smakwitz, Fred Sliter, Joe Weinstein and Maurice Harris, competed against the Canine Club team on "Stadium Quiz" over WPTR, which the Schine enterprises control. . . . Neil Hellman has purchased the Fabian circuit's interest in the Tri-City drive-in at Binghamton and will operate it separately after making improvements. He will continue as general manager of the three Fabian-Hellman drive-ins. ATLANTA George M. Jones has resigned from Eagle Lion to take over as office manager for Universal-International. ... In the city on a visit were J. H. Thompson, Hawkinsville. and other Georgia points; Roy Martin, Columbus; L. J. Duncan, West Point; Edd Duncan and Clyde Sampler, Carrollton, and P. L. Taylor, Columbus. . . . The new Crisp theatre, in Cordele, Ga., owned by Richard and Duncan, was opened recently. The house seats 800. . . . Others in for a visit were : Hap Barnes, Montgomery ; Charles H. Richelieu, Tarpon Springs; Mr. and Mrs. Wallace Smith, Barnesville; Mr. and Mrs. John Carter, Brookhaven; Mrs. Cleo Shingler, Buena Vista, and Wendal Welch, Dallas. . . . All Film Row saddened by the recent death of Perry Spencer, formerly with U-I and UA. . . . The Martin Theatres, Columbus, has announced that work on their new $75,000 drive-in near Marietta, Ga., has started. Another drive-in has been opened in Jasper, Ala., by John Miller and George Vines. BALTIMORE Week beginning Thanksgiving Day started out very good even with cold rain over the weekend. "Three Musketeers" tremendous at the Century. "Fighter Squadron" did fine. "Blood on the Moon" okay at the Town. "Return of October" at the Hippodrome with vaudeville, good. Mayfair brought back "Corvette K-225." "Miss Tatlock's Millions," at Keith's, and "When My Baby Smiles at Me," at the New theatre, into very good second weeks. Little started sixth week with "Henry V" with crowds at advanced prices. "Smugglers Cove," with "Frenzy," okay at the Times and Roslyn. . . . Two deaths in Baltimore were Oscar B. Coblentz, Sr., father of Alpha and Westway proprietor, and Mrs. Helen Schnader, mother of William Schnader, director of film advertising on Hearst papers here. . . . First letter from the new chief barker of Baltimore Variety Club, Tent No. 19, sent to all members discussing various matters with postal inclosed for each mem SPOTLIGHT ber to denote which of the 25 committees he would like to serve on. Board of directors plan holding membership meetings for resident and associate members each month. CHICAGO Thanksgiving week attendance was heavy and the number of strong attractions in the Loop are maintaining a steady pace. "Hamlet," with superlative reviews, grossed a near capacity $35,000 at the Apollo in its first week at a reserved seat policy. Leader was "When My Baby Smiles at Me," with Burt Lancaster in person, getting a hefty $63,000. "Loves of Carmen" was good with $54,000, and "Snake Pit," in its third week, continues solid with $22,000. "So This Is New York," at the Surf, which normally plays art films; grossed an exceptional $6,500. ... J. Arthur Rank's "The Red Shoes" goes into the Selwyn, a "legit" house, on reserved seat policy December 23. . . . Frank Smith, midwest director for RKO Theatres the past four years, retires December 1, and will be succeeded by Jerry Shinbach. Smith will continue in an advisory capacity on labor matters. . . . Joe Cavelli is leaving 20th-Fox as office manager to join the Griffith Theatre Circuit. . . . John Sokely, Warners' office manager, has been promoted to the company's sales force. . . . New directors for the local Variety Club, Tent 26, are John Balaban, Harold Stevens, WHEN AND WHERE December 6-7: Theatre Owners of Okla* noma annual convention at the Skirvin Hotel, Oklahoma City. December 7: Allied Independent Theatre Owners of Kansas and Missouri membership meeting in Kansas City. December 8: Allied Theatres of Michigan board meeting at the Tuller Hotel, Detroit. December 9: Tri State Theatre Owners Association executive committee meeting, Memphis. January 28-29: Theatre Owners of America officers and directors meeting at the Mayflower Hotel, Washington, D. C. Nat Nathanson, Harry Lustgarten, Manuel Smerling, Ralph Smith, Irving Mandel, Tom Gilliam, James Booth, Henri Elman and Van A. Nomikos. . . . Jimmy Savage, B&K exploiteer for 20 years, leaves the circuit the first of the year to write his own column for the Chicago Tribune. CINCINNATI Theatre business, except for a few isolated cases, continues to display a leveling off tendency, in line with similar conditions reported within the recent past by department stores and other lines. . . . The 3,300seat RKO Albee, flagship of the local circuit, opened with a stage show, starting on Thanksgiving Day, headlining the King Cole Trio and Peggy Edwards. The house has been playing a sporadic policy of stage shows and pictures for the past several months. . . . Word comes from Albert Glaubinger, formerly RKO salesman for the Dayton, Ohio, territory, that he has joined the Eagle Lion branch at Cleveland as salesman. He served the RKO Pittsburgh territory after his Dayton post. . . . The Opera House, a landmark at New Bremen, Ohio, is being razed. . . . The State theatre, at Springfield, Ohio, recently celebrated its 21st anniversary. Ollie Nickles has managed the house for two decades. . . . The Bloom theatre, at Bloomfield, Ky., formerly operated by R. D. Foster, has been purchased by John C. Smith, of Taylorsville, Ky. The house has been in operation less than a year. . . . Carl H. Schwyn's circuit general manager, Jack Armstrong, has moved into a new six-office suite in the Clazel Theatre building, at Bowling Green, Ohio. CLEVELAND Fine weather made for fine box office results on Thanksgiving Day. All types of theatres, downtown and neighborhood, report unusually good holiday attendance. . . . Shirley Fishman, RKO Palace exploitation and publicity head for the past three years, has resigned. ... Ed Fisher, former local Loew theatre publicity director, sends word that he is now with the Prin-Cor-United Company of Los Angeles, which operates motion picture theatres in Los Angeles, Hollywood, Beverly Hills and San Francisco. . . . Peter Wellman plans to open his deluxe new Berlman theatre, Youngstown, December 3 with, appropriately, "Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House." . . . Jack O'Connell, Toledo theatre owner, is shooting at a Christmas opening for his Paulding theatre, Paulding. COLUMBUS "The Three Musketeers," playing Loew's Ohio as a single feature, was" the Thanksgiving week box office standout with the holiday itself racking up the best Thanksgiving gross at that theatre in five years. Danny Kaye's "A Song Is Born" at the Palace and "The Return of October" at the Broad did well. The Grand did a sudden switch and came up with "The Count of Monte Cristo" and "The Son of Monte Cristo" on the holiday to fair business. . . . George W. Smith, 87, veteran local showman, died after an illness of several months. . . . William Dean Linn is the new assistant (.Continued on following page) MOTION PICTURE HERALD, DECEMBER 4, 1948 29