Motion Picture Herald (Nov-Dec 1948)

(Continued from preceding page) a showing here Christmas Week. . . . Al Wheeler has resigned from the Screen Guild staff in Boston to accept a post with the United Artists' Pittsburgh district exchange as a salesman. . . . The Penn, Stanley and Warner theatres have been switched to Friday openings until after the Christmas holidays. . . . "The Yellow Sky" has been pencilled in for the New Year's week feature at the J. P. Harris theatre. . . . Ken Grimes, a member of Warner Brothers' staff of theatre managers, is back in the armed services. At present he's stationed at Carlisle, Pa. SAN ANTONIO Bill Keeler has been elected business agent of the local MPMP No. 4F7. . . . Henry Bergman, manager of the Empire theatre, back on the job after a stay in the hospital. . . . Visitors along Film and Theatre Row were Jose Guerra, manager of a new film exchange, Los Angeles ; Irving Dreher, Sack Amusement Enterprises, Dallas, and Dutch Cammer, Screen Guild-Realart, Dallas. . . . Pablo Garza, independent Mexican theatre owner, returned from a business trip to Laredo. . . . Leon Glasscock, of Glasscock Theatres, San Antonio, is building a house in Luling to seat 875. He already has the New Tower, a theatre in this oil field town. SEATTLE 'When My Baby Smiles at Me," in its fourth week at the Music Box, led the downtown holdovers. ... A. P. and Louise Barstad sold their Rex theatre in Spokane to Mrs. Kenneth Wynne. . . . Joe Furfaro was transferred from Everett to the Music Hall as assistant manager. . . . Ted Gamble opened his new Baker theatre in Baker, Oregon. . . . Frank Harris, who has managed the Garland theatre in Spokane for the past three years, resigned. . . . Out-of-town exhibitors on Film Row were : Earle Thompson, Aberdeen; John Olson, Zillah ; Art Zabel, Olympia ; Ernie Thompson, Port Thompson, Aberdeen ; John Olson, Zillah. ST. LOUIS 'Twas the week before Christmas, with the Fox showing "The Paleface" and the Ambassador bringing "Northwest Stampede" and "Mickey" to town. Christmas week, the St. Louis is billing the veteran "Phantom of the Opera" and "Ali Baba and the 40 Thieves." . . . Loew's is winding up a happy three weeks with "The Three Muskeeters" with a first week grossing close to 150 per cent of average. Both at State and Orpheum, the film was run as a single. . . . Only the 5,000-seat Fox will be showing first-run matinees in the midtown district after this week. The Shubert is joining the Missouri and St. Louis in a late afternoon opening schedule, except weekends and holidays. The downtown theatres, which get 95 per cent of the shopping district patronage, will continue to open at 11 a.m. VANCOUVER Famous Players plan to build a 2,000-seat theatre which will be Edmonton's largest house. Construction will start in January. Site is on the main street of Alberta's capitol. . . . H. H. Simmons, who designed many British Columbia theatres, is the new president of the Architectural Institute of British Columbia. . . . Projectionists union IATSE 348, elected the following slate of officers for 1949: president, Doug Calladine; vicepresident, Martin Goble; business agent, Robert J. Foster; Lloyd Pantages, treasurer; Hank Leslie, secretary, and Ted Foley, recorder. . . . Two British Columbia theatremen, Howard Fletcher of West Vancouver, and Edward Bickle of Cumberland-Courtney, are running for civic offices this month. . . . Vancouver first runs felt the effect of a tough week's weather — rain and snow keeping the folks home. Two former road shows now playing at regular prices, "Life With Father," at the Strand, and "Henry V," at the Vogue, made the best showings. WASHINGTON The only holdover after a slow week was "Three Musketeers" for a third week at Loew's Palace. New openings included : "Canon City" at the Warner; "Hills of Home" at Loew's Capitol ; "Kiss the Blood Off My Hands" at RKO Keith's; "Crash Dive" at Loew's Columbia. Carryover for the week was "Fighter Squadron" at Warner's Metropolitan. . . . The Trans-Lux theatre will present feature films on Christrmas Day, with the opening film being Samuel Goldwyn's "Enchantment." The 600seat house, in operation since 1937, will charge 44 cents for matinees — an increase of only four cents over their previous house scale; and 74 cents for evenings. The theatre, which will continue under the management of Roland Robbins, will also offer newsreel digests. . . . "Red Shoes" has been extended at the National theatre, through January 1, with a midnight show scheduled for New Year's Eve. New picture for January 2 will be "Blanche Fury." ... In recognition of their work in behalf of the Boys Club of Washington, Police Supt. Barrett ; Eddie Gallaher, WTOP radio entertainer, and Hirsh de La Viez, president of the Hirsh Coin Machine Corp., each received a gold award at the first annual dinner of the Washington Music Guild in the Hamilton Hotel. . . . The Variety Club Children's Christmas party will be December 28. Wants U. S.British Meet Expanded Industry-Wide Representatives of all branches of both the British and the American industry should attend the meeting of the Anglo-American Film Council, scheduled to be held in New York next March. That's the suggestion of Norman Kerridge, head of KerridgeOdeon Theatres of New Zealand, as proposed to the trade press last week during Mr. Kerridge's New York stop-over, from London. He believes that if the American and British industries cannot resolve their differences and work together on a reciprocal basis the future of both industries will be placed in jeopardy, since neither, he said, can survive on the domestic market alone. Members of the Anglo-American committee include: J. Arthur Rank, Sir Alexander Korda, Sir Henry French, for the British, and Eric Johnston, Barney Balaban and Nicholas Schenck, for the U. S. Mr. Rank is a partner of Mr. Kerridge, owning 50 per cent of the Kerridge-Odeon circuit in New Zealand. Value of Press To Brotherhood Cited by Depinet "There is no more important segment of our business involved in the Brotherhood work than our trade press." That statement was part of an appeal made by Ned E. Depinet, chairman of the motion picture division of the Brotherhood Week campaign, as he addressed trade press publishers and editors at a New York luncheon held at the 21 Club last Friday. Mr. Depinent listed four projects which will make up the basic part of the industry's campaign program for Brotherhood Week — February 20-27. Each theatre will be asked to display the Brotherhood poster in its lobby; to run the newsreel stories of Brotherhood Week; to stage a special Brotherhood Week observance on stage, in the lobby, or foyer, and to obtain a minimum of 10 new members, each of whom would make a contribution of $1 or more. The special material for these four projects has been prepared and most of it will be available to exhibitors soon. Other speakers at the luncheon were Dr. Everett R. Clinchy, president of the National Conference of Christians and Jews, sponsor of Brotherhood Week, and Gilbert Golden, Warner Brothers advertising manager, head of the advertising-publicity division of the drive. Funk Heads Chicago Colosseum Lodge Chicago Bureau Robert Funk, salesman for Universal-International, was elected president of the Chicago Lodge of the Colosseum of Motion Picture Salesmen at elections held December 12 at the Sheraton Hotel here. Others elected were Jack Eckhardt, Twentieth CenturyFox, treasurer, and Simon Lax, Columbia, secretary. Frank Flaherty, former president of the Chicago lodge, vice-president of the national lodge, and Columbia city circuit salesman for 15 years, has announced v his resignation from both Columbia and the Colosseum. He will operate the Karlov theatre here which he recently purchased, and the Kedzie annex. Catholic Review Ready Publication of the first issue of the quarterly International Film Review by the Office Catholique International Du Cinema of Brussels has been announced for January, 1949. This magazine, with editors and correspondents residing in 24 countries, will be printed in three separate language editions— English, French and Spanish. The initial number will include articles from the United States by William H. Mooring, Tom Pryor, Floyd E. Brooker and Mrs. James F. Looram. Andrew Ruszkowski is the managing editor. 30 MOTION PICTURE HERALD, DECEMBER 18, 1948