Showmen's Trade Review (Oct-Dec 1941)

Page 6 SHOWMEN'S TRADE REVIEW November 1, 1941 WARNER TOP EXECUTIVES PROMOTED Bernhard NamedVice-Pres./Kalmenson Named General Sales Mgr./ Blumenstock Advanced Realignment of executives of Warner Bros, this week resulted in a number of promotions with several more slated to follow. Joseph Bernhard was named a vice-president of Warner Bros. Pictures and as such will function as general manager of the whole company. Announcement of his appointment followed hard on the heels of the resignation of Gradwell Sears as general sales Joseph Bernhard enstock, for the Mort Blumenstock manager and the appointment of Ben Kalmenson as Sears' successor. Kalmenson had been Western and Southern division sales manager. Carl Leserman, assistant general sales manager, also resigned from Warner Bros. Mort Blumpast 4 years in charge of advertising and publicity in the East, was promoted to more important and more extensive " duties, with the title of National Manager of Advertising and coordinator of all sales promotion, merchandising and exploitation activities. In this newly created post, Blumenstock will have full charge of advertising and merchandising of pictures as well as complete control of advertising budgets and full charge of the national field force. Later in the week Harry M. Kalmine was appointed assistant general manager of the Warner Theatre Circuit by Bernhard. Kalmine has been Pittsburgh zone manager for the past nine years. Bernhard joined the company in 1931 as head of the company's real estate department. About a year later he was named head of the theatre department. The resignation of Sears followed a week of rumors during which he was said to be about to assume the presidency of United Artists, that he would join RKO or 20th-Fox. To climax; the week, it was announced late Thursday that he was remaining with Warner Bros., only to be followed Friday by the announcement that he was resigning. Simultaneously with the announcement of Sears' resignation came the announcement of the appointment of Kalmenson by Major Albert Warner. Kalmenson has been with Warner Bros, since 1927, when he started as a salesman in Pittsburgh. He served in several offices as manager and in 1934 joined the theatre department as chief booker. He came back to distribution and was made Western and Southern sales manager in 1937. Kalmenson said he would choose his own successor in the latter post from within the company's ranks. All of these executive changes were followed by an announcement of a meeting of all branch managers this week end. Home office executives will also attend, including Major Albert Warner, Joseph Bernhard, S. Charles Einfeld, Sam Schneider, Mort Blumenstock, Roy Haines, Norman Moray, Arthur Sachson, Al Schwalberg, Mike Dolid and others. Branch managers who will attend are as follows : Paul C. Krumenacker, Albany, N. Y. ; R. L. McCoy, Atlanta, Ga. ; Norman J. Ayers, Boston, Mass. ; Max Roth, Buffalo, N. Y. ; John A. Bachman, Charlotte, N. C. ; Rud Lohrenz, Chicago, 111. ; also Sid Rose of the Chicago office ; Robert H. Dunbar, Cincinnati, Ohio ; Chas. Rich, Cleveland, Ohio ; F. N. Jack, Dallas, Texas ; also Doak Roberts of the Dallas office; Earl A. Bell, Denver, Colo. ; E. J. Tilton, Des Moines, Iowa ; James Winn, Detroit, Mich. ; Fred Greenberg, Indianapolis, Ind. ; H. C. Borg, Kansas City, Mo. ; Henry Herbel, Los Angeles, Calif. ; also W. E. Callaway of the Los Angeles Office; W. O. Williamson, Jr., Memphis, Tenn. ; Robert T. Smith, Milwaukee, Wise. ; Art Anderson, Minneapolis, Minn. ; Roger Mahan, New Haven, Conn. ; Luke Connor, Neiw Orleans, La. Also Ed. M. Schnitzer and Sam Lefkowitz of the New York Office ; J. O. Rohde, Oklahoma City, Okla. ; A. J. Shunow, Omaha, Nebr. ; William G. Mansell, Philadelphia, Pa. ; Harry Seed, Pittsburgh, Pa. ; Vete Stewart, Portland, Ore. ; Wm. F. Gordon, Salt Lake City, Utah; Al Shmitken, San Francisco, Calif. ; Wm. Shartin, Seattle, Wash.; Hall Walsh, St. Louis, Mo.; and Robert Smeltzer, Washington, D. C. Also Wolfe Cohen, Canadian District Manager, and Philip Sherman, Montreal, Que. ; and Joe Plottel, Toronto, Ont. Willkie, Walker Guests at Pioneers' Hallowe'en Party Wendell L. Willkie, 1940 Republican Presidential nominee, and James J. Walker, former Mayor of New York, were guests of honor Wednesday evening at the Picture Pioneers' Hallowe'en conference at Toots Shor's restaurant. Walker paid tribute to the Indianan for his defense of filmland in the Senate Interstate Commerce sub-committee investigation. Willkie delivered a short address after which he received a gold card emblematic of his membership in the Picture Pioneers. A record number of candidates were initiated. May Close 20 Minn. Houses Acute Product Shortage Affects State's Theatres Minneapolis — Lack of product will cause fifteen to twenty motion picture houses in Minnesota to close their doors by December 1 unless Paramount succeeds in securing release from the New York consent decree. This statement was made this week by Fred Strom, secretary of Allied Theatre Owners of the Northwest, the organization which sponsored and pushed through the Legislature last winter the Minnesota anti-blocksof-five law. Strom said many houses are already beginning to feel the lack of good pictures because of the refusal of the five majors to sell in the state under the new law. "Most of them," he added, "have sufficient bookings to carry them through November, but by the end of that month, I'm afraid we'll see 15 to 20 close." Citing a particular case, the Northwest Allied leader pointed to Faribault, where William Glaser operates the Paradise and Lido, playing the best pictures at the former and the others at the latter on a smaller admission scale. "Glaser doesn't care to play the poorer pictures in the higher-priced house, which he could do and keep open if he wanted to. But he'll no doubt be forced to close the Paradise within maybe another month unless he can get first-class attractions." Strom said he felt sure the situation wouldn't get any worse than it is right now, pointing out that Paramount had already asked relief under the consent decree so that it might sell its pictures in full season blocks with the necessary cancellation clause, and that it was hardly likely other companies would refuse to do the same. Para., Fanchon and Marco Take El Capitan Theatre Hollywood — As the result of a deal consummated last week, Paramount and Fanchon & Marco have acquired and will jointly operate the El Capitan Theatre here as a deluxe motion picture house. The house will be known as the Paramount Hollywood Theatre, and $150,000 will be expended to modernize it completely and to install numerous unique features to make it "a novel and intimately luxurious" theatre. The deal was negotiated by Leonard Goldenson, head of Paramount's theatre department, who came in from New York, Fanchon & Marco, and C. E. Toberman. By Gosh Opens New House Foster Falls, Va. — The Camp Theatre here, recently completed, has opened under the management of Byron Gosh who plans to open two more small Virginia theatres soon. Para Won't Sell FWC Company Considers Circuit Terms Are Inadequate Neil Agnew, general sales manager for Paramount Pictures, this week announced that his company has decided to sell away from Fox West Coast, Fox Mid-West, Fox Intermountain, Fox Wisconsin and Evergreen State Theatres. Agnew said that the break was occasioned by what Paramount considers inadequate terms and playing time offered by the Skouras enterprises for such top Paramount pictures as "Hold Back the Dawn," "Nothing But the Truth," "Birth of the Blues" and "Skylark." Agnew added that Paramount, in a long series of negotiations with Skouras Brothers, had presented several alternate plans for their consideration, but had been unable to reach an agreement that the distributing company considered would yield an adequate film rental for their product based upon grosses. Federal Law Kills Kentucky Ticket Plan Frankfort, Ky.— Because of new Federal regulations, the state of Kentucky has discontinued its practice of printing tax-paid tickets for small theatres and amusement places, it was announced over the week-end by State Revenue Commissioner H. Clyde Reeves. BEN KALMENSON (The Man on the Cover) General Sales Manager of Warner Bros., whose appointment to that post last week came as the reward of long and able service with the companv. both as a sales executive and previously as a member of the Warner Theatre organization. Kalmenson joined the Warner organization in 1927, won several promotions, and in 1937 was made southern and western sales manager. SHOWMEN'S Trade Vol.35, No. 15 Review Nov. 1, 1941 Title and Trade Mark Reg. U. S. Pat. Off. Published every Friday by Showmen's Trade Review, Inc., 1501 Broadway, New York City. Telephone BRyant 9-5606. Charles E. "Chick" Lewis, Editor and Publisher; Tom Kennedy, Associate Editor ; Robert Wile, Managing Editor ; Joseph H. Gallagher, Film Advertising Manager; Harold Rendall, Equipment Advertising Manager; West Coast Office, Guaranty Bldg., 6331 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood, Calif., Telephone HOllywood 1390, Ann Lewis, manager; London Representative, Milton Deane, 185 Fleet St.,. London E.C. 4; Australian Representative, Gordon V. Curie, 1 Elliott St., Homebush, Sydney, Australia. Subscription rates per year: $2.00 in the United States and Canada; Foreign, $5.00. Single copies, ten cents. Subscribers should remit with order. Contents copyrighted 1941 by Showmen's Trade Review, Inc. Printed in U.S.A. Address all Communications to ■ SHOWMEN'S TRADE REVIEW 1501 Broadway New York City