Motion Picture Herald (Apr-Jun 1955)

Si, ownien in ^^cti on — Olt en &"Y]ow A thumb-nail photograph of a young Jack Sanson is the very first to show in the bound volume of the Round Table for 1928. "Chick'’ refers to him as “a natural” — then resident manager of Hoffman Brothers’ State theatre in S. Manchester, Conn., where he was busy with his “Annual Kiddies Frolic.” And Jack has been busy ever since, in various New England situations. Now, he is at the Strand theatre, Hartford, Conn., not far away but farther along, and the story could have been this week. T E. R. Rogers is credited in our worn and tattered pages for 1928 with exploitation for "Ramona” by putting stickers on Victor records of the title song. Emmett Rogers, managing director of the Tivoli theatre Chattanooga, Tenn., is an active member of the Round Table today, from the same situation. Could be the same manager — for our early records don’t give his first name. T Frank P. Harpster, manager of the Alhambra theatre in Pittsburgh in 1928, was credited with a novel street ballyhoo for “Across to Singapore” when he dressed up a six-footer as a Chinaman. His current membership card was sent to him at the Ohio theatre, Mansfield, Ohio, and he was listed as a district manager, T Bill Hendricks who was one of the first two Quigley Grand Award winners in 1934, appears early in the Round Table, as manager of the Capitol and Olympic theatres, Steubenville, Ohio. He is now studio publicity director for Warner Brothers in Hollywood and active in many showmanship projects. T Montague Salmon got a special headline when he joined the Managers’ Round Table in 1928. He turned in an exploitation stunt for “Finders Keepers” — the current attraction at the West Coast Boulevard theatre, Los Angeles, so long ago. Now, Monty is managing director of the Rivoli Theatre, soon to open with the world premiere of “Oklahoma” in the new Todd-AO. T Earl Arnold, manager of Fabian’s Rialto theatre, Allentown, holds a very early membership card in the Round Table and has been continuously a showman in this area. He wrote us a while ago, and said this was his 48th year in show business — and ours. ▼ Morris Rosenthal, the other of two Quigley Grand Award winners in 1934 — appears as a recent member of the Round Table in the pages of our bound volume for 1928, as manager of the Queens theatre. Queens Village, L. I. He is now with Loew’s New England theatres, in New Haven, Conn., and his original card in our files is closely written on both sides with the record of his accomplishment. And here’s a picture of M. A. Cooper, manager of the Corona theatre. Corona, L. I., then one of the houses in the SmallStraussberg circuit. Could this handsome young man with the curly hair and the dapper mustache be none other than Max Cooper, good showman in today’s files and now manager of the Skouras’ Cove theatre, Glen Cove, L. L? We could call him up and ask him, but we’d rather let him find this item and tell us. T Lots of talk about M. J. “Mike” Levinson, who succeeded Chick at the Broadway and Palace theatres, Norwich, Conn., and was then “many years past the fifty mark” — but, according to Chick, “packs more pep in his little finger than most managers I meet in my travels have in their whole systems.” Could be related to “Norm” Levinson, who springs from the same area, and is now field press representative for MGM in Minneapolis? T Chick said, twenty-seven years ago, that he liked to get contributions from managers of the Schwartz circuit, “because I know the boys who are piloting that field” and he was watching for mail from Huntington, Freeport, Jamaica and Flatbush. So are we, now — and the boys and the circuit have grown up. T Among additional charter members of the Round Table, in the second such list published in 1928, was Frank M. Boucher, then manager of the Colonial theatre, Winchester, Virginia — and since, general manager for K-B Theatres in Washington and one of the most able showmen in America. T A. F. Sams Jr., general manager, and Leroy W. Sams, manager of the Pilot theatre, Winston-Salem, N. Y., were recorded as early members of the Round Table, in 1928. Today, A. Fuller Sams, Jr., is president of Statesville Theatre Corporation. Statesville, N. C., — and a lot of his boys are members of this Club. V The early Round Table, in its first few months, had a good response from overseas —which confirms all that we have seen on these premises, that overseas showmen were showmen then — and now — beyond many in our own country. Today, the Round Table has members in fifty countries around the world. T Ralph Cokain, manager of the Lyric and Grand theatres, Marion, Indiana, was a charter member of the Round Table in 1928, and is now a member of the editorial staff of Shonnnan’s Trade Review. Chick runs a picture, in 1928, and comments on “getting them young” — Ralph looks about eighteen. We have some new members today, who are the same age. . There are many, many familiar names in these archives — some we know are gone, some we haven’t heard in too many years — and we can’t risk printing names unless we know where they are today. But there must be a special sky corner for good showmen, who have done much for human relations in their alloted time. T Russell A. Bovim appears first in our records as the manager of Loew’s theatre. Canton, Ohio. And his card is crowded with dates and places — all Loew’s theatres, over 27 years. He is now a division manager, with headquarters in St. Louis, but has long been an active member of this Club as a theatre manager. T Our records on Harry Rose don’t go back so far in the card file, but he appears on a list of Round Table members in the bound vloume for 1928, as manager of the Palace theatre, Oneonta, N. Y. Now he is a division manager for Loew’s, at the Majestic theatre, Bridgeport, Conn. T Guess we could fill these memory pages with Loew’s managers who have been 27 years or more with the circuit. For instance, here’s Carter Barron, then manager of the Metropolitan theatre, Atlanta, who came to Washington to become nationally famous for his fine public and political relations, and is now remembered in Washington with a civic memorial. T Here’s one for your book : A poll, in the Round Table, as to whether the public preferred good silent pictures or sound pictures. The score? 52 for silent, just 2 votes for the new talking movies. You can hear the hollow laughter, through the years. ▼ As long ago as 1928, Tony Sudekum, then manager of theatres in Bowling Green, Ky., and later general manager of the Crescent Amusement Company, sent in copies of lead editorials in local newspapers which called “Theatres an Asset” in community affairs. “A marvelous medium for creating good will,” it said then, on the editorial page of the Manager’s Round Table. _ ▼ Leo, the MGM Lion, made a personal appearance at the Tampa theatre, Tampa, Florida, in 1928, and it was duly reported in the Round Table. Must have been a greatgreat-grandpappy of the Leo we knew, at 1540 Broadway. Other times, other lions — but the same exploitation. T W’hen the Managers’ Round Table was first organized, this writer had completed twenty years in film business, with twentyeight years since, to the present date. It’s been a lot of fun, we’ve known a lot of famous people, and truly — “there's no business like show business.” — IF. B. 176 MANAGERS' ROUND TABLE SECTION. JUNE II, 1955