Movie Age (1927)

SEPTEMBER 10, 1927. PAGE 11 Renown Pictures, Inc., New Film Exchange in Omaha Harry Lefholtz, Formerly With Universal, Opens Distributing Company at 1516 Daven¬ port Street Here F. M. Mertz to Re-open Opera House at Winthrop F. M. Mertz, who operates a number of theatres in northern Iowa, recently added another house to his string when he purchased the Opera House at Win¬ throp from G. Haggen. There has been no motion picture show at Winthrop since two years ago when Mr. Haggen closed the Opera House. The Opera House is being remodeled and will be open within the next two weeks. The remodeling includes the installation of 400 seats, new scenery for the stage, a new projector, redecor¬ ation and several other changes in equip¬ ment. Pictures will be shown four nights of the week and the house will be used for dances and local performances at other times. Miss Foley Leaves to be Secretary at Pittsburg Miss Clare Foley, who has been sec¬ retary of the Omaha Film Board of Trade for the past two years, has left for Pittsburg where she will assume du¬ ties as secretary of the Film Board of Trade there. Miss R. M. Foley will suc¬ ceed her here. A strike of the motion picture opera¬ tors’ union threatened to close the theatres at Sioux City, Iowa last week but a last minute agreement was reached between the theatre men and the Sioux City theatres. The agreement was reached a few hours before the opera¬ tors were due to walk out. The new scale of wages with a total of ninety-five cents an hour was claimed by both sides to be a victory. The new contracts, which provide for a five cent an hour pay increase, were signed by owners of nine of the twelve theatres affected and union officials in¬ structed the operators to remain on duty until an agreement could be reached with the three other houses. At three of the four houses where musicians were used the contracts had been signed and it was expected that the fourth playhouse would come to a set¬ tlement. Golf Tournament Starts By the time this issue of Movie Age reaches the exhibitors, about one hund¬ red exhibitors and exchange men will be playing on the Dundee Golf Course in Omaha in the furth annual Movie Age Golf Tournament. A lot of very fine prizes have already been bought by the committee and com¬ petition will be plenty keen for these prizes. Next week we will give a detailed ac¬ count of the winners and other inter¬ esting notes of the meet. “U” Officials Visit Omaha Lou B. Metzger, general sales mana¬ ger for Universal, together with Henry Herbel, western sales director and Bill Troug, division manager, spent last Sun¬ day in Omaha. An arbitration of a wage increase de¬ mand at the tri-cities, Rock Island, Davenport and Moline, la., occupied the attention of Harry David of the BlankPublix organization last week with a satisfactory settlement under way. The theatres there, which are of the BlankPublix chain are the Columbia, the Gar¬ den and the Family at Davenport, the Fort Armstrong, the Spencer Square and the Majestic of Rock Island and the LeClaire of Moline. A slight wage in¬ crease was asked by the union opera¬ tors. Arbitration proceeded very satis¬ factorily and settlement was about to be made agreeable to both sides. No difficulty was met in settling the request for wage increase made by operators and musicians in Des Moines. Officials of the union national organi¬ zation and representatives of the BlankPublix organization met and conferred and a grant was made of a slight in¬ crease of wage. Renown Pictures, Inc., is the name of the exchange which is being opened at 1516 Davenport Street in Omaha by Harry Lefholtz, and is now ready for business. This new company will release during the coming year, 24 Tiffany gems in¬ cluding 4 Jack London stories. Three third dimension pictures and five ex¬ tended run pictures are scheduled. They will also release 30 colored classics made in technicolor. Mr. Lefholtz needs no introduction to the exhibitors in this territory because of his long connection with Universal in Omaha, and we know they will be waiting with interest further news of the product to be handled by his ex¬ change. Strand Incorporates The Strand Theatre, Inc., of Omaha, has filed articles of incorporation with the secretary of state. The firm’s capi¬ tal stock was listed at $25,000. J. L. Steern, William Johnson and M. L. Steern were the incorporators. F B O Holds Meeting Here E. B. Derr, treasurer of F B O pic¬ tures, was a visitor in Omaha last Mon¬ day and called a regional meeting for that day. Branch Manager Roy Zimmerman of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, was here with his staff of salesmen consisting of Bill Foley, Mons Thompson and Dick W agoner. Jimmie Shea, branch manager of the Des Moines office, was on hand with his crew of salesmen consisting of Bill Seymour, Ed Ballentyne, Harry Cohen, Tim Eischman and Bill Naismith. Sher¬ man Fitch, manager of the Omaha of¬ fice had all his salesmen in for the meet¬ ing. The Omaha salesmen are Fred Thortson, J. H. Olsen, Joe White, D. L. Donelson and Fred Benson. The conference lasted all day Monday and late in the evening. Most of the boys hit the road all pepped up for a better and bigger business. USED REPRODUCO ORGAN $1,500. George Adams, 118 North 30th Street, Omaha, Nebr. Clt Operators and Managers in Agreement in Iowa Sector Slight Salary Increases Granted to Avert Threatened Strikes Among Blank Chain and Other Houses