Showmen's Trade Review (Oct-Dec 1943)

46 SHOWMEN'S TRADE REVIEW October 2, 1943 ALBANY Local F-43 front office film exchange employes are holding their first clambake October 2 at Bates Grove, Melrose. President Al Marchetti, Universal booker, has appointed Stan Goldberg, Columbia booker, Schuyler Beattie, Paramount booker, and F. Ray Powers, Vitagraph office manager, as co-chairmen for ticket sales. More than 150 reservations have been made. The 35 office employes of Metro feted Sidney Stockton, former office manager here, Sept. 25 at O'Connor's Restaurant on his promotion to office manager in the New York office. Ralph Ripps, temporarily acting as office manager, headed the arrangements committee in charge of the testimonial. Lieut. Donald Mendelson, brother of Irving Mendelson, Paramount second booker, was on furlough from the Signal Corps, Camp Livingston, La., visiting here this week. Betty Simms, RKO bookkeeper, is on vacation. L. J. Schlaifer, 20th Century-Fox central division manager; Jack Boone, his assistant; J. J. Grady, central district manager ; Ira Cohn, Buffalo exchange manager, and Harry Alexander, local exchange manager, conferred here Sept. 27 and called on the Schine circuit at Gloversville. Margaret DeFreest, bookers' stenographer in the 20th Century-Fox exchange, is on her vacation this week. Jim Bailey, Republic booker, finishes his vacation next week. Bailey will take in the three New York World Series games. George Lynch, Schine film buyer, and Mrs. Lynch are receiving congratulations on the birth of a new film buyer, an eight and a half pound boy, born in Gloversville Sept. 27. George Thornton is closing the Orpheum Theatre, Ta:nnersville, Oct. 9. Exhibitors calling along the Row this week included Mrs. Frieda Klein, Hunter, Hunter; George Thornton, Orpheum, Saugerties and Tannersville ; Dave Willig, Rivoli, Schenectady ; Neil Hellman, Open Air Theatre, Lathams ; Harry Lamont, Lamont Theatres ; Charles C. Gordon, Olympic, Utica ; Harry Savett, Adirondack, Faust; Frank Weating, Park, Cobleskill; Allen Jones, Park, Cobleskill ; George Wertime, Chester, Chestertown and Regent, Cohoes ; Mr. and Mrs. Cal King, Maiden Theatre, Williamstown, Mass. ; Dayton LaPointe, Crandall, Chatham; Elmer Sichel, Schine booker, Gloversville. John Cooney, who operates the Union Square Theatre, Pittsfield, Mass., is ill. Frank McMahon, 20th Century-Fox exchange projectionist, and Mrs. McMahon are accepting congratulations on the birth of an eight-pound son, born Sept. 26. The McMahons have one other child, Patricia. The new offspring will be christened Frank, Jr. Cal King, Maiden Theatre, Williamstown, has two sons, both in service. One is Lieut. Earl King, who is flying a bomber and the other, Cal, Jr., is serving under Lieut. Commander Jack Dempsey in the Coast Guard unit. Bernie Diamond, Schine booker, Gloversville, is on vacation with Elmer Sichel, formerly a 20th Century-Fox booker, pinch-hitting. Max Friedman, Warner zone booker, was in New York on business early this week. Ditto Lou Golding, Fabian district manager. Harry Alexander, 20th Century-Fox branch manager, called on the "Cruiser Albany" $40,000,000 Third War Loan committee with an authorization from the company to expend $50,000 to buy war bonds. ON FURLOUGH. Lieutenant Commander Eugene J. Zukor and his father, Adolph Zukor, chairman of the board of Paramount Pictures, photographed in the company's home office which the former producer at the Paramount Studios visited during a furlough which ended this week. Lt. Commander Zukor is an executive officer in charge of public relations at the Los Angeles Naval Base; has served more than 20 years in the Naval Reserve, having served as a C.P.O. in the Navy in World War 1. BOSTON The Interstate Center Theatre in Fall River has reopened after having been closed for the Summer months. Ray Allard remains as manager and will be aided by Maurice Feldman. The Kiwanis Club of Fall River staged a Horse Show for the benefit of the War Relief agencies, and the patron saints of the big show were Manager William S. Canning, of the Empire Theatre, and Mrs. Canning. Good news to all veteran theatre men was the promotion of David Perkins to a post in New York. Dave is one of the real old-timers in the motion picture theatre business in New England. Joseph Alexander, who was a projectionist here in the earliest days of the silent pictures, died at his home in Lowell Sunday. During recent years he had been employed at the Strand, an M and P theatre. Barney Rosen, Eastern district manager for Universal, spent some time in Boston visiting film folks hereabouts. Phil Coolidge, Paramount's de luxe news photographer, at Presque Isle, Maine, on business. Tickets are now being sold for the Variety Club's drawing of a $2000 War Bond, the proceeds ' to go toward supplying milk for underprivileged children. Larry Herman, booker for the Ralph Snider circuit, was guest of honor at a Hotel Bradford party before going into the armed services. Leonard Goldberg, proprietor of the Adams Theatre in Quincy, gave a reception at the Hotel Statler in honor of his daughter who has recently become a bride. The Capitol Theatre Supply Company is supplying the equipment for the reopening of the Victory Theatre. Paul Driscoll, brother of AIGM Booker Francis Driscoll, has been promoted to Staff Sergeant and has been awarded the airman's medal for gallantry in aerial combat over Italy. The sympathy of Boston's film district was extended to the Goldstein brothers, Morey, Harry and Jack, on the death of their mother. Abel Jacocks of New Haven's Capitol stopped off in Boston on his way to a vacation in Maine. Al Daytz, Warner Brothers, was presented with a $50 War Bond by fellow employes at the local exchange upon his recovery after becoming the father of a beautiful baby girl. Al Wheeler, of the MGM sales staff, has returned from a visit with old friends in Philadelphia, his home before locating in Boston. Mary Hayes, owner of the Southern Theatre in Norwood, is receiving the sympathy of all because of the death of her father, James Hayes. Joseph Methieu of the Burlington, Vt., theatres, was a visitor on Boston's Film Row last week. James D. Knight, manager of the Strand Theatre, is on sick leave and is being replaced by Henry Girard. Lillian Domino and Alice McQuestion of the M and P theatres have returned from a vacation spent in Provincetown. Helen Shaker has become cashier of the Modern Theatre in Lawrence, succeeding Dorothy Mallon, who resigned recently. Bob Robison, manager of the Plymouth in Worcester, was in Boston last week visiting Film Row. Harry Zeitz, manager of the State in New Bedford, a visitor at the Boston Variety Club, reports business great. CHARLOTTE The Charlotte premiere of "This Is the Army," for which Jack Austin, city manager for the Wilby-Kincey theatres, donated Charlotte's largest and most modern house, the Carolina, netted over $5000 for Army Relief. Among visitors at the Charlotte premiere were Roy Haines, from New York, and Ralph McCoy of Atlanta, division and district managers for Warner Bros. Charles W. Picquet of Southern Pines was a visitor at the RKO exchange this week. Mr. Picquet owns and operates the Carolina-Pinehurst Theatre and the Carolina-Southern Pines. Private John Key, formerly head shipper at the RKO exchange, and Corporal Jack Webb, also an RKO shipper before induction, were callers at the exchange last week. Pvt. Tom Watson, former salesman for RKO, has been transferred to Goldsboro, his old sales territory, it is announced by E. F. Brannon, RKO manager. John A. Bachman, manager in Charlotte for Warner Bros, and president of the Charlotte Variety Club, is working with officers at the Alorris Field, Charlotte, air base, in a plan by which the stage show that proved such an effective added attraction for the Charlotte premiere of "This Is the Army" may be allowed to appear at all premieres in North Carolina and South Carolina, with the aim of increasing the fund for Army Relief. CHICAGO Norman Kassel, former Fox publicity representative, has been named publicity and advertising director for Essaness circuit, succeeding Madeline Woods, who resigned to write the Billy Mitchell script for Henri Elman, who owns film rights. Sign of the times : Joe Brower of the Telenews Theatre has gone over to the Cuneo war plant. Robert Nuss, 66, an official of the Stagehands Union, is dead from a heart attack. New B & K managers : Jack Romaine at the Harding, Roy Karsky at the Paradise, and Morris Sachs at the Iris. The 20th Century-Fox policy of re-employing ex-servicemen is already showing results here. First affected is Mike Weiss, released from the Army after 32 months' service. He has been assigned by 20th-Fox as an exploiteer in the