Showmen's Trade Review (Apr-Jun 1940)

Page 6 SHOWMEN'S TRADE REVIEW April 20, 1940 W. Ray Johnston Edward Golden ScoH R. Dunlap Harry H. Thomas Thomas P. Loach MONOGRAM WILL HAVE 50 PICTURES Company Will Release 26 Features, 24 Westerns; Franchise Holders Convention Begins Sunday Monogram's program for the coming year will consist of 26 features and 24 westerns, it has been revealed. The company's franchise holders will convene in Dallas on Sunday and Monday of this week. Top budgets will^ be allotted to several of the pictures including the following : "The Pioneers," epic of covered wagon days, by James Fenimore Cooper ; "The Ape," by Adam Hull Shirk, a Broadway stage play, which will star Boris Karloff ; "Land of the Sky Blue Water," a musical ; and "The King and the Cowboy," a Graustarkian romance of a boy king. Other pictures, on the program are "Under Northern Skies" and "Land of the Long Shadows," by Jack London; "Dollar Chasers," by the late Earl Derr Biggers; Gene Stratton Porter's "Her Father's Daughter" and a sequel to "Freckles," by Jeanette Stratton Porter, titled "Freckles Comes Home." Three pictures will co-star Marcia Mae Jones and Jackie Moran: "The Old Swimmin' Hole," "Sweet Sixteen" and "Day Dreams." Other properties on the list include "College Sweetheart," by Leona Dalrymple, which appeared in the Woman's Home Companion; "Million Dollar Mystery," Collier's Magazine story by Hugh Wiley; "I Cover the Town," "You're Out of Luck," "The Sky's the Limit" and "My Home Town," with Frankie Darro; "Boys of the City" and "That Gang of Mine," with the East Side Kids; "While Frisco Sleeps," "Phantom of Chinatown" and "Alias Jimmy Hogan" stories by Hugh Wiley; "One Glorious Adventure," by Dorothy Reid and Betty Burbridge and "Orphans of the North," a Norman Dawn production. Three series of eight westerns each will be released by Monogram. Tex Ritter will star in a group of musical westerns; Fred Scott in another series of outdoor dramas and a new team composed of John King and Ray Corrigan to be known as "The Two Pals" in the third group. Among those who attended the franchise holders convention are W. Ray Jolinston, president; Scott R. Dunlap, vice-president in charge of production; Edward A. Golden, general sales manager; Thomas P. Loach, newly elected vicepresident and treasurer; Edward G. Schieber, assistant treasurer; Norton V. Ritchey, manager of foreign department; Lloyd Lind, assistant to sales manager; John S. Harrington, accessories manager. Also John Mangham, Atlanta; Ben Welansky, Steve Broidy, Boston; Harry Berkson, Buffalo; Forrest Judd, Des Moines; George West, Harry Thomas, New York; Nate Schultz, Cleveland; Ed Blumenthal, John Franconi, Dallas; Lon F'idler, Denver; William Hurlbut, Detroit; Howard Stubbins, Los Angeles; Ben Nathanson, Minneapolis; Carr Scott, Oklahoma City; Sol J. Francis, Omaha; Mel Hulling, San Francisco. Also from Hollywood are Edward F. Finney, associate producer; William L. Peirce, Jr., publicity; Ralph Bettinson, foreign representative; Charles Bigelow, assistant production head; Ernest Hickson, technical director; Tex Ritter, Fred Scott, Martin Spellman, Marjorie Reynolds and Ray Corrigan. Bookers Club Gets Charter Formed two months ago and with a membership of 90, the Bookers Club, composed of exchange and theatre bookers in New York, was incorporated this week. Its first social affair, a dinner and dance, has been scheduled for May 19 at the Hotel Astor. Budd Rogers Returns Budd Rogers, vice president of Alliance Films Corp., has returned from Hollywood conferences with Erich Pommer, producer. Deals have been completed with the Warner circuit in Pittsburgh and Cleveland for "North Sea Patrol," he reports. Prominent exhibitors mingled with other notables at the Albany, Ga. premiere of Paramount's "The Biscuit Eater." Caught by the photographer were (top, left) R. B. Wilby, Wilby-Kincey Circuit, and Roy Martin of Martin Theatres; (top, center) A. C. Gortatowsky, operator of the Albany, Liberty and Ritz theatres in Albany, Ga.; (top, right) Lukie Stein, Stein Circuit; Guy Kennemer, Jacksonville, Fla.; Gordon Bradley, Paramount salesman, and Bolivar Hyde, Sparks' city manager in St. Petersburg, Fla.; (bottom, left) a section of the canine parade; (bottom, center) Katherine Johnson, Johnson Theatre, Monticello, Fla., and Fred T. McLendon of Union Springs, Ala.; (bottom, right) Oscar Morgan, Paramount southern division manager; Grantland Rice, of Sportlight fame; R. B. Wilby, Wilby-Kincey Circuit; W. K. Jenkins, Lucas & Jenkins Circuit; and Bob Gillham, Paramount ad and publicity chief, with Billy Lee, the star. Honor O'Connor At N. Y. Dinner Theatre Mgrs., Home Office Executives Honor RKO V. P. RKO home office executives and theatre managers were hosts on Monday night of this week to John J. O'Connor, vice-president in charge of theatre operations for RKO, at the Warwick Hotel in New York. The dinner marked the end of the highly successful John J. O'Connor Month (March 7 to April 10), during which everyone made an extra effort to obtain additional business. Malcolm Kingsberg acted as toastmaster at the dinner. The following attended : J. B. Anderson, Al Arnstein, Jerry Baker, George Baldwin, Warren Bartlett, Joe Becker, John Berger, Arthur Brown, Jas. M. Brennan, David Canavan, John A. Cassidy, Jas. C'onklin, Ray Conner, Wm. Cook, Harold Daly, N. E. Depinet, James Dolan, Jos. Di Lorenzo, George Dunn, Mike Edelstein, H. Ender, W. ±S. England, Max Fellerman, Lou Friedman, C. S. tretz, Arthur Gilgar, Irving Gold, Jos. Goldberg, Leon Goldberg, Louis Goldberg, Larry Greib, Pat Grosso, Emil Groth, Walter Grove, Maurice Harris, John Hearns, Herb Heintz, John Heinz, Harold Heller, Fred Herkowitz, Raymond Hodgdon, Henri Horton, Frank Howard, Wm. Howard, Henry Josephick, Wm. Kane, Leon Kelmer, Malcolm Kingsberg, Lee Koken, Rudy Kramer, Morty Kresner, David Levin, Max Levine, Dave Lustig, Harry Lyons, James McCann, C. B. McDonald, O. R. McMahon, Harry Mandel, Wm. J. Merrill, Fred Meyers, Max Mink, Harry Mosley, H. E. Newcomb, Millard Ochs, Chas. Oelreich, John J. O'Connor, Jas. O'Donnell, Richard Patterson, Jr., Matty Polon, M. G. Poller, John Redmond, Phil Reisman, A. E. Reoch. Ken Rockwell, Marty Rosen, Sam Rydell, George Schaefer, S. A. Schwartz, H. Scholl. Hal Seroy, Baker Shelton, Max Sloven, A. W. Smith, Jr., Cresson E. Smith, Ed. Sniderman, Eugene Spencer. Sam Taub. Maj. L. E. Thompson, Robert Ungerfeld, Sen. J. Henry Walters, Emanual Waxberg , Ansel Weinstein, Harry Weiss, Sigurd Wexo, Dave Whyte, Thomas Wright and J. S. Yeransian. Testimonial Dinner to Honor Barney Pitkin New Haven — A testimonial dinner honoring Barney Pitkin, RKO manager, on his 20th anniversary in the film business, will be held here at the Racebrook Country Club on May 7. Chairman of the event is Thomas G. Donaldson, MGM manager, with Morris Joseph, Universal manager, and Hugh Macguire, RKO booking manager, serving as secretary and treasurer, respectively. A large committee is assisting in completing plans for the event. AMPTO Worries Over Product Delivery Shortage Pittsburgh — At a meeting held here last week, AMPTO of Western Pennsylvania considered the possibility that several of the majors may be short on delivery of product for the current season. Discussed also were the sales policies of a few of the companies. Although George Dembow of National Screen Service, who had requested an opportunity to present his company's viewpoint on the advent of Advertising Accessories, Inc., addressed the members, AMPTO failed to reverse its opposing stand.