Showmen's Trade Review (Apr-Jun 1944)

4 SHOWMEN'S TRADE REVIEW April 1, 1944 Fabian Buys into W & V Purchase of an interest in the Wilmer & Vincent Corporation, which operates 20 theatres in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, by S. H. Fabian, head of Fabian Theatres, was announced this week. The deal was closed over the week-end by Fabian and Walter Vincent. Under the new setup, Fabian becomes president of the corporation, with Vincent as chairman of the board, and Samuel Rosen as treasurer. Vincent will remain active in the organization. With the acquisition of the W & V theatres, the Fabian circuit will have 60 houses under its supervision, although the two organizations will remain as separate corporations. The deal does not represent a merger, Fabian said. Long Runs, Move-overs Rule in San Francisco Long runs and move-overs are becoming the role rather than the exception in San Francisco. The five-month stay of the English film, "Jeannie," at the Clay is outstandin,g as is the holdover of "Up In Arms" at the Golden , Gate, complete with the stage show. Two pictures have moved over from the Fox Theatre, a downtown Fox-West Coast first-run, one is "Lady in the Dark" now in its third week at the State, and the other is "The Purple Heart," now at the St. Francis, both theaters being downtown Fox-West Coast subsequentruns. FWC's Paramount Theatre has been holding over "The Miracle of Morgan's Creek" for a successful run. The LTnited Artists, a downtown first-run, has already held "Knickerbocker Holiday" for two weeks after its world premiere. /Vlso, due to the demanded long run for stage shows, most of the legitimate stage productions make one or two trips across the bay to Oakland for performances in the Oakland Auditorium, which are usually sell-outs, and extra matinees are scheduled as a rule. Five Features in MGM's Next Block for May, June Release National release dates have beem set for the five pictures which make up MGM's seventh block. They are : "Andy Hardy's Blonde Trouble," first week of May ; "Gaslight" second week of May ; "Meet the Peoule," fourth week of May. "Three Men in White," first week in June ; "Two Girls and a Sailor," third week in June ; "Tunisian Victory" which is being sold separately, will be released the last Week in April. Moynahan Promoted by MOT James Moynahan has been named by March of Time to handle public relations for the company's feature, "The Story of the Vatican." Moynahan has been in the home office publicity department of MOT since 1942. INDEX TO DEPARTMENTS Advance Dope 36 Box-Office Slants 7 Current Product Summary 43 Feature Booking Guide 37 Hollywood 34 Newsreei Synopses . 32 Prrgram Exchange 26 Selling the Picture 22 Shorts Booking Guide 40 Short Subject Reviews 33 Show Builder 31 Showmanalysis 28 Reports 5,927 Pledges To Extend Campaign A total of 5,927 pledges of theatres to extend Red Cross fund collections through a second week-end were reported received by WAC headquarters in New York up to Thursday night. Extension of the drive was requested by Joseph Bernhard, national chairman, and within twenty-four hours more than 3000 theatres had responded with definite assurances that they would continue collections at every performance through the April 1 and 2 week-end, Bernhard stated on Tuesday. Bernhard's appeal for extension followed the receipt of an urgent wire from Leon Fraser, national chairman of the American Red Cross campaign, for this added effort. Bernhard immediately dispatched wires to all circuits and state chairmen of the theatre division and sent letters to all theatres calling attention to the Fraser appeal". It was reported Thursday by RKO Theatres that the Red Cross collections were running 23 per cent ahead of last year, with $125,760 taken in during the first six days of the drive at the circuit's houses. Officials of RKO Theatres said that extension of the drive should result in a grand total of $250,000 at their circuit's theatres. Al Jolson Bows in as Producer With Filming of "Burlesque" Al Jolson will make his debut as a motion picture producer for Columbia by handling the production of "Burlesque." Jolson recently signed a term deal . as a producer with tliat studio. With Rita Hayworth as its star, "Burlesque" will be one of Columbia's most ambitious of; ferings of the coming year. Screen rights were purchased by Columbia from Paramount. 'Bell' Begins Loew's New York Engagements on April 20 Paramount's "For Whom the Bell Tolls" will begin engagements at the 30 Loew's circuit theatres in the New York Metropolitan district on April 20. The booking calls for advanced admissions at $1.10 top and with few exceptions seven-day runs instead of the theatres' customary split weeks. New PRC Producing Group Bernard Roth, formerly with the Orsatti Agency, and Russell Rouse and Clarence Greene, writers, have formed the Roth-GreeneRouse Productions, to produce a series of high budget pictures for PRC release. The trio will write and produce its own pictures, and start production next month on their first PRC film. Freddie Bartholomew and Jimmy Lydon have been signed for two of them. Re-Issuing The Glass Key' Paramount is re-issuing Alan Ladd's starring picture, "The Glass Key," in the New York metropolitan area. The film started engagements on the Loew circuit this week. Reopen 2 Atlantic City Houses Two Warner Bros, theatres in Atlantic City were reopened this week for the season. The Virginia began operations on Friday, while the Earle was scheduled to get underway Saturday fl) with a permanent motion pictiu'e policy. Bought 10,575 Bonds More than 10,575 war bonds were bought by 6870 film exchange employes during the Fourth War Loan, it was announced Wednesday by Ned E. Depinet, chairman of the WAC Distributors Division, Bond sales, Depinet reported, which are exclusive of those made by exchange employes to perscns outside the industry, as well as sales to home offices and independent exchanges in New York City, totaled $722,288. Phil Thomson Retires, Wright Will Succeed to Post With W. E. Philip L. Thomson, director of public relations of the Western Electric Company, retired under the company's pension plan on April 1st, after 41 years of service. He will be succeeded by Fred B. Wright, an executive of the Company's nation-wide distributing organization. Mr. Thomson joined Western Electric as a voucher clerk in 1903 after receiving degrees from Union College and from Harvard. He rose through the ranks becoming manager of the Company's distributing house at Pittsburgh in 1905 and, in 1911, advertising manager at New York headquarters. In this capacity, he directed all of the Company's public relations activities, a responsibility he continued to discharge during the ensuing 33 years. Mort Singer, Veteran Showman, Succumbs to Heart Ailment Mort H. Singer, president of the Mort Singer Theatrical Corporation operating 36 theatres in the Middle West and a pioneer in motion picture exliibition, died Wednesday in Chicago of a heart ailment. Singer was 67 and is survived by a widow, Celia ; a son, Mort H. Singer, Jr. ; a stepson, J. L. Nathan ; a sister and two brothers. Singer, who was born in Oconomowoc, Wis., commenced his career in the theatre as an usher in Alilwaukee in 1893. He operated theatres in St. Paul and Minneapolis and later in Chicago before entering motion picture exhibition. SHOWMEN'S TRADE REVIEW Title and Trade Mark Registered U. S. Patent Offici Published every Friday by Showmen's Trade Review Inc., 1501 Broadway, New York 18, N. Y. Telephonf BRyant 9-5606. Charles E. "Chick" Lewis, Editor and Publisher; Tom Kennedy, Associate Editor; James A. Cron, General Manager; David Harris, Business and Circulation Manager; Harold Rendall, Equipment Advertising Manager; West Coast Office. f<7T' Hollywood Boulevard, Hollywood 28, California ; Telephone Hollywood 2055. Ann Lewis, manager. Ed Raiden, West Coast Editor. 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: Foreicrti $5 00. Single copies, ten cents. Address all Communications to : SHOWMEN'S TRADE REVIEW 1501 Broadway, New York 18. N. Y Arthur Schwartz {The Man on the Cover) Composer of an impressive list of song hits and musical scores for Broadway musical shows, who makes an auspicious bow as a screen producer with the opening this week at Radio City Music Hall, New York, of Columbia Pictures' "Cover Girl." As a composer he wrote such hits as Dancing in the Dark, I Love Louisa and many others and among the stage successes for which he composed entire musical scores were "The Band Wagon" and "Flying Colors." Schwartz, now under contract to' Warner Bros., is producing "Mr. Broadway" for that studio.