Motion Picture Herald (Nov-Dec 1948)

(.Continued from preceding page) manager at Loew's Broad. . . . Ralph Shiflet, Sandy Hallock and L. S. McClelland, former associate members of the Variety Club, have been made resident members. . . . City Council passed the new anti-noise ordinance which will take effect December 22. Advertising sound trucks are prohibited. ... P. J. Wood advises Ohio exhibitors to become acquainted with their newly elected representatives in the Legislature. PALLAS Good weather hiked holiday weekend crowds at Dallas theatres. Thanksgiving openings in all downtown theatres played to capacity crowds. "The Man from Colorado," excellent at the Majestic; "Road House," good at Palace. First run of "That Lady in Ermine" is doing well at Melba, with "Moonrise" first run average at Tower. Return run on "Lost Horizon" good at Telenews. . . . Alfred Sack announced suburban Gay Theatre, now being remodeled by Sack Amusement Enterprises, will be renamed Coronet and will play foreign and art films after renovation is completed. DENVER R. W. Woodridge, who has operated the theatre the past 10 years, has bought the Alamada theatre building and parking lot for a reported $30,000 from C. U. Yaeger. . . . Charles Wallace, Paramount manager, Cheyenne, Wyo., has been made city manager for Fox Intermountain Theatres at Rawlins, Wyo, succeeding Marvin Skinner who, at his request, has been transferred to North Platte, Neb., to manage the Fox. .... George Smith, division manager for Paramount, and Hugh Braly, district manager, are in Denver this week for conferences with C. J. Duer, branch manager. . . . George Allan has been named National Screen Service salesman, succeeding Sebe Goodlett, deceased. PES MOINES "June Bride" at the Orpheum was the only picture grossing above par last week as the pre-holiday slump continued at downtown theatres. . . . "Belle Starr's Daughter" will open simultaneously in 70 Iowa towns the second week in December. Arrangements for the "territorial premiere" are now being made by Walter Hoffman, Fox exploiteer. . . . James Greene has been named manager of the Wieting, Toledo. . . . Mr. and Mrs. P. D. Cote are celebrating the 35th anniversary of the Cote, Waukon. . . . Bricklayers and masons have been brought to Marshalltown from Minneapolis in order to hasten work on the new $250,000 RKO-Orpheum theatre. It is expected the house will be finished by Easter. HARTFORD Salvatore Adorno, Sr., owner of the Palace theatre, Middletown, Conn., will soon observe his 33rd year in show business. . . . Howard Richardson, associated with Otto Tefts in operation of the State theatre, New Britain, Conn., for the past two and onehalf years, has retired, with Mr. Tefts assuming full control. . . . B and Q theatre circuit, operating a number of Connecticut theatres, has opened a New Haven office at Elmwood Realty Corp., 152 Temple St., under supervision of Morty Katz, circuit's Connecticut booker. . . . The Eagle Lion New Haven exchange has taken over the entire fourth floor in the Film Exchange Building, that city. . . . Plans for erection of a number of new theatres in New England have been announced. Peter Latchis of the Latchis Theatres, Brattleboro, Vt., will construct a new theatre in Newport, N. H. Theatre will be erected on a site adjoining the Newport House, that town, also owned by the Latchis interests. ... A new drive-in theatre will be built in the spring of 1949 in suburban Manchester, N. H., by Lucien Decouteaux, operator of the Rex theatre, Manchester. . . . The lease and operation of the Gem theatre, Lydonville, Vt., now operated by the Andrew Tegu circuit, will be taken over by Lloyd Bridgham, effective January 1. Bridgham operates theatres in Dover, N. H., and Presque Isle, Me. INDIANAPOLIS Film Row is quiet here this week, while a large Indiana delegation attends the Allied States convention in New Orleans. The group includes Trueman Rembusch, Marc Wolf, Manny Marcus, Roy Harrold, William Carroll, J. P. Finneran, William Hanley, Sam Switow, Harry Kornblum, Jesse Fine, Harry Markun and Oscar Kuschner. . . . Russell Brentlinger, RKO branch manager, was reelected chief barker of the Indianapolis Variety Club Monday night. Other 1949 officers include Tommy McCleaster, 20th-Fox branch manager, first assistant chief barker ; Earl Herndon, Affiliated Theatres, second assistant chief barker ; Albert Blocher, Y and W, treasurer, and William Carroll, secretary. Carroll also is ATOI secretary. This is Blocher's eighth term as treasurer, following two as chief barker. . . . Variety's new board of directors includes Irving Fendrich, Abe Gelman, Carl Harthill, Kuschner, Ted Mendelssohn, Burdette Peterson, Rembusch, Wolf and K. T. Collins. . . . "Kiss the Blood Off My Hands," with $12,000 at the Indiana; "The Return of October," with $11,000 at Loew's and "The Night Has a Thousand Eyes," with $10,000 at the Circle, all were close to house averages. KANSAS CITY Weather continued mild. Most first runs did well Thanksgiving Day and evening. Subsequent runs had good attendance matinees. . . . M. C. Landau has acquired the Liberty, Horton, Kans., and installed his brother, E. D. Landau, as manager. The house will be remodeled. . . . The Kimo followed "Jenny Lamour" with two Italian pictures, "Carmen" and "The King's Jester." "The Hollow Triumph" and "The Spiritualist" at the Roxy have been followed by another first run double bill, "Northwest Stampede" and "In This Corner." . . . Exhibitors seen on Film Row : M. B. Preesley, Savannath ; Joe Ghosen, Sedalia ; Harry Till, Hamilton; Leo Hayob, Marshall; Charles Thomas, Sweet Springs ; J. Z. Henry, Plattsburg; Woodrow Rife, Climax Springs; Mr. and Mrs. V. E. Kregar, Gainesville ; Mr. and Mrs. Art Pugh, Erie ; Mr. and Mrs. L. A. McDaniel, Wetmore; Mrs. D. E. Burkett, Larned; Saul Frank, Coldwater ; Mr. and Mrs. Roy Culley, Medicine Lodge; E. J. May, String City. LOUISVILLE All of the local first runs changed programs Thanksgiving Day, with practically all bringing in new product. Loew's brought in "The Three Musketeers." The Mary Anderson played "June Bride." The Rialto had "When My Baby Smiles at Me." Coming in with double bills were the Strand with "Canon City" and "Lady at Midnight"; the National with "Kiss the Blood Off My Hands" and " Sons of Adventure." "Miss Tatlock's Millions" and "Bungalow 13" were moved from the Rialto to the Brown. The Scoop brought in the French "Angel." . . . Vance Schwartz has sold his interest in the National theatre and general managership of the house has been turned over to James Robertson. The house will be remodeled. . . . Regular television broadcasting made its debut in Louisville when WAVE-TV brought to the more than 2,000 receivers in the Louisville area its first twohour variety show. . . . The Ideal and Towers theatres here have purchased new screens. . . . Seen on Film Row: Erwin W. Rau, Leitchfield; Eric Hammel, Shelbyville; Gene Lutes, Frankfort; Lewis Baker, West Point; Clark Bennett, Taylorsville ; ( W. Tyler Smith, Bloomfield,' and Bobby Marshall, Columbia. MEMPHIS Wintry weather set in at Memphis, but first run theatres met it with good pictures, and attendance continued steady. Loew's State led the others with "When My Baby Smiles at Me." But Malco was close on the State's heels with "Miss Tatlock's Millions." Loew's Palace showed "The Three Musketeers" and Warner "Fighter Squadron" to satisfactory crowds. Ritz and Strand played double features. . . . James C. Gilbert opened the Gilbert theatre at Jasper, Ark. . . . Carl Christian, owner, closed his Cosy theatre, Tuckerman, Ark., for repairs and remodeling. . . . Neal A. Murphy, Little Rock, was added as a new salesman for the Mississippi and Tennessee territory by Monarch Theatre Supply Co., working out of Memphis. . . . Harry M. Paul and Walter Gilreath, RCA officials, Dallas, were Memphis visitors. . . . Herman Levy, general counsel, and Arthur Lockwood, TOA president, will speak before an open meeting of the motion picture industry at Hotel Gayoso December 9. The meeting is sponsored by Tri-States Theatre Owners. . . . Mid-south exhibitors visiting Film Row included: S. T. Freeman, Dell ; Gordon Hutchins, Corning ; W. R. Lee, Little Rock; Mr. and Mrs. Floyd Peek, Little Rock ; Orris Collins, Paragould ; E. E. Reeves, Oil Trough ; Zell James, Truman; Joe Wofford, Eupora; M. E. Rice, Brownsville; Owen Burgess, Brownsville; C. D. McAlister, Grand Junction; Frank Crail, Arbyrd; Bill Kroeger, Portageville ; W. H. Gray, Rutherford, and Louise Mask, Bolivar. MIAMI Work on "Slattery's Hurricane," a 20thFox production has begun here. . . . The Flamingo theatre deserted its foreign film policy this week and will soon play "The Red Shoes." Documentaries are also on the agenda. . . . Fred Carlone has been named conductor of the state band at the (Continued on opposite page) 30 MOTION PICTURE HERALD, DECEMBER 4, 1948