Showmen's Trade Review (Jul-Sep 1940)

Page 22 SHOWMEN'S TRADE REVIEW August 10, 1940 The Talk of the Tents Up and Down the Land Vavittv Club Mott^ JOHN H. HARRIS, NATIONAL CHIEF BARKER Weekly Get-Together of Filmdom's Good Fellows Tent No. 1— Pittsburgh At Ihe Warner stag picnic held at the Westmoreland Country Club July 30th, Harry Kalmine was presented with a Remington ritie, in honor of his eighth anniversary in Pittsburgh. Variety Club's Turtle Derby sales are rolling along in great shape. Reports of turtle sales are corning in from all over the tri-state area. Jimmy Balmar, star salesman of the Variety Club, has 59 personal sales at $10.00 apiece to his credit. Darryl Zanuck, head exec, at Twentieth Century Fox, sent a crisp new $10.00 bill to John Harris for his entry in the Turtle Derby. This is the first of many Hollywood entries scheduled for participation. Barker Joe Hiller and his missus left last week for a fortnight in Atlantic City. Kap Monahan, drama critic of the Pittsburgh Press, is in New York for a look-see at the World's Fair. He'll be gone two weeks, and plans to do some show-shopping during his stay in the Big City. Barker Joe Feldman and his missus are vacationing with Joe's sister and brother-in-law at Three Lakes, ^^'isconsin. Bob Post of the Pittsbiirgh Bulletin Index is ofi to Philadelphia for the week-end to pick up the missus. Barker Lige Brien returned last Saturday from his honeymoon at Miami Beach, Florida. \'ariety Club's weekly Monday night King for a Day dinner was held at Bill Green's night club last Monday as a tribute to Maurice Spitalny, who opened an engagement there. Over 129 Variety Club members were present. C. C. Kellenberg returned last week from a week's trip visiting the theatres in West Virginia. He is actively beating the drums for the Variety Post's outing on August 11th at Camp O'Connell. This will be one of the high spots of the Camp O'Connell celebrations. Ben Brown and Ben Steerman were hosts to the Variety Club at Bill Green's Nightery, August Sth. Plans have been made to hold Monday night dinners at various night spots around Pittsburgh. Barker Harry Seed is all excited about the new exchange Warner Bros, is building. Barker Joe Blowitz is off for Florida to spend his two weeks vacation there. Barker Sam DeFazio is spending his two weeks vacation at Atlantic City, with the missus and famih-. Walt Framer, announcer at radio station WWSW, sent his family to the seashore for a month's vacation. Barker Sid Jacobs, district manager for \yarner Bros, theatres in West Virginia, lead his district mushball team to victory over Dinty Moore's Main Line managers at the recent Warner picnic. Eugene L. Connelly has again been named chairman of the Variety Club national Humanitarian Award committee. Tent No. 3— Cincinnati Tent No. 3 barkers are suffering from letdownitis. That is a disease coming from being too much of a baseball fan. And what with the Cincinnati Reds taking a tumble, it is more than the fans can stand. And who ever said that Barkers are not good fans. There is joy in the Kaplan household. Nat, as he is better known to his many friends finally broke a hundred in golf. And were he and his Mrs., and his son elated? But the blowof? came when he was asked as to what he did on the second nine. An old bromide, but always good for a laugh. And speaking of golf bromides, they are getting them out of the moth bags around the clubrooms. This because the annual golf tournament is being readied for the members and their friends. The concensus of opinion is that Paramount Joe Oulahan twice winner will repeat, and become the sole owner of the much coveted golf trophy. But then there are others who are willing to lay the odds that Joe will not even finish in the first five. Maybe the boys are improving. Irving Sichim, the club's eminent pianist has finally decided to learn some of the later song hits. He has been playing the old hits so long that he has practically lost his audience. That is, all excepting, of course, Andy Niedenthal and his wife. But then they can listen to almost anything and get a kick out of it, for their baby "Little Butch" is only six months old. The fond parents. Saul Greenberg, club secretary and his charming wife returned from a Michigan vacation all brown and full of fishing stories. Joe Golden, booker for the Schine Circuit, also went fishing while on his vacation, but had no stories to tell. Just the dii¥erence in people. Noah Schechter, the club's real fisherman returned from his vacation but did no fishing. Instead he went to New York and caught some very good shows. Tent No. 5 -Detroit Detroit Variety has set a goal of $50,000 for its second Annual Tag Day Drive, which will be October IS this year. Objective is to raise funds to provide lunches and clothing for needy youngsters. Mayor Edward J. Jeffries and the Honorable Frank Cody, Superintendent of Schools, will serve as honorary co-chairmen of the 1940 Drive, with Edgar E. Kirchner as general chairman. Meanwhile, an active drive for special gifts in any amount from all friends of Variety is being started, to augment the Tag Day receipts proper. Charlie Perry, formerly Chief Barker, and Harris Silverberg and their fraus are vacationing in the north woods — Nat Lefton, Cleveland Chief Barker, expected to join the Silverbergs, leaves soon to go to Chicago for National Screen — we hear he may be feted. An old-time "chivaree" was held at the club rooms Thursday for Jack Saxe, the Dough Guy, who surprised all the boys by eloping. The bride is the former Mabel J. Birchard, and they are honeymooning at Watsaxbee Lodge, Belle River, Ont., till September 1. Film-selling members find that summer selling in the woods of Michigan has its compensations, despite heat waves. Art Koskie, who books for Butterfield, is president of the Upper Peninsula Club in his spare time, and hosting the M-G-M Club at the U. P. clubhouse at Silver Lake, Saturday. Tent No. 6— Cleveland The first annual picnic is set for Aug 9th at Will-O-Beach Park. The Picnic Committee headed by Mrs. Frank Drew has made plans for boating, swimming, dancing, baseball and cards. Games for the youngsters will be run off at 4 o'clock. Contests for adults are set for 5 o'clock. Plenty of prizes for everybody. Exchange employees who can get away early are cordially invited. Willowick golf course is five minutes drive from the Park. Mrs. Drew hopes that every club member will make it a point to be present along with as many guests as thay want to bring. Proceeds from the affair will be turned over to the Heart Fund. Frank Drew of Metro, Nat Lefton of Republic and Chief Barker of Tent 6 along with Sam Gorrel, Republic branch manager back from New York after three days of huddles with home office execs. "Ham" Sallee, Hi-Li promoter back from Chicago for a visit at the club. Moe Horwitz getting about okay with the aid of a cane while his broken ankle is on the mend. Nat Wolf of Warners and Matt Goodman of United Artists, co-chairman of tfie golf tournament, Aug. 23, state that the tourney this year will be the most elaborate and interesting affair ever held by the club. Charley Alberts of Warners has charge of the tickets . . . buy yours early and in advance ... so you won't get stuck at the last minute. Dick Clary sage of the cocktail lounge has passed up his sleep-prolonging device for one more practical, i.e. a money stretcher good on all bills up to $50. Tent No. 7Buffalo Alex Weismann, IMGM's Rochester salesman, is the 1940 Variety Club golf champion. He made the low gross score at the fifth annual tournament of Tent No. 7, an 80. And so his name will join those of Ted O'Shea, the late Nate Sauber, G. Emerson Dickman and Alfred Zisser on the Shea Memorial Trophy ... On the other hand, there was Nick Basil, whose drives were all over the Wilmont Country Club lot, or links. N. J., wound up with the doubtful honor of turning in the highest score . . . RKO's Jack Chinell and MGM's Manny VVoronov captured special awards for low net and most birdies. There were 50 competitors. O'Shea, up from New York ; George Roberts, in from Cleveland; Max Cohen, also in from New York ; Dave Miller, Cleveland ; Roy Haines, eastern division manager for Warner Bros. Pictures; Eddie Schnitzer, WB eastern district manager; Harold Raives, Cleveland ; William A. Cadoret, Rochester, and George Lynch, from the Schine home offices, Gloversville, were among the 130 at the testimonial dinner to Charlie Rich, which event followed the golf. Sid Lehman, assistant chief barker, was toastmaster. Haines presented Rich a gift on behalf of Tent No. 7. Barker Charlie Taylor, the Shea advertising director, crossed everybody by taking a vacation this year. First news most of the boys had of it was when they received postcards from somewhere in Vermont, signed CBT, and then several insisted on comparing the writing with samples they had, before they'd believe he really had gone. Barker and Mrs. Vincent R. McFaul are back from a week in New York, designed partly as a vacation but the big town's heat took a lot of the pleasure out of it. Barker Ken Robinson is going every weekend to Alexandria Bay, where his family is passing the summer, the envy of numerous folks here. Barker Jules Berinstein of Ithaca has just returned to his home after a month holiday, mostly on his yacht. Cinema III, in Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence, and including a stay of several days with Michael Kallet on Oneida Lake. Another yachting enthusiast, Barker George F. Hanny, Jr., has just taken his new cruiser, Helen D., for a fishing trip along the Canadian shore of Lake Erie. Tent No. 10— Indionupolis Lovely prizes are coming in from all over the State for the Annual Variety Club Golf Tournament to be held August 26 at Broadmoor Country Club. The big center window at National Theatre Supply is rapidly filling with all sorts of beautiful prizes, pointing to a most successful Golf Tournament. Dick Frank, United Artists Branch Manager, has been laid up with a most severe attack of