Showmen's Trade Review (Apr-Jun 1944)

12 SHOWMEN'S TRADE REVIEW April 1, 1944 REGIONAL NEWSREEL Continued * * CLEVELAND James J. Grady, 2Uth-Fox district manager paid a routine visit to Branch A'lanager I. J. Scnniertz during tne past week. Miss Carrul Sinsheimer, 20th-Fox receptionist and telep.ionc operator, has resigned to join the \\ aves. bhe will report for training at Hunter College. New York. Theatres in this area exceeded all expectation in the number of Red Cross pledges. Morrison Orr, distributor WAC chairman and Nat Wolf, chairman of tne Red Cross drive announce that the nortiiern Ohio area turned in better than its K.Hi per cent pledges. Bob Hope, honorary chairman of the local Stage Door Canteen and No. 1 comedian, came to his home town last Thursday for the sole purpose of staging a benefit show for his favorite canteen. The show, held at midnight at the RKO Palace Theatre, was a complete sell-out and resulted in a $12,000 "take." Proceeds were turned over to the canteen, as the theatre and all services were contributed by RKO Great . Lakes Division Manager Clem Pope. Shirley Meier, daughter of Fred Meier, amusement advertising manager of the Neivs, who went overseas about a year ago as an army dietician, was married last week in New Caledonia to Lt. Herbert Manwaring of Pulaski, 111. Her sister, Grace, a former MGMer, is also overseas as field director for the Red Cross. John Bidwell, manager of the Lincoln Theatre, Massilon, scheduled to report March 28 for Army duty, has been given until April 8th. Lt. (j.g.) Jimmy Kalafat, manager of the Dennison Square Theatre until recently, and son of John D. Kalafat, one of the top officials of the Associated Circuit, left last week for training at Princeton University. Alice Sagowitz has been promoted from assistant manager at the Leroy Theatre, Portsmouth to manager of Portsmouth's Columbia Theatre, succeeding Paul Montavon, now in the .•\rmy. Cleveland theatre admissions went up five cents on April first at all first run and subsequent run houses, necessitated by the new federal admission tax. George TarassofT, until recently an MGM booker, reports that he is in England. And George Bailey. MGAf head booker, last week was accepted by the Army for limited service. Jimmy Shrake, manager of the Capitol, has an .\pril 15th date with the Navy. Sam Stecker of Associated Circuit and Mrs. Stecker are in California. It is understood that Lemotto Smith, owner of theatres in Coshocton and in Huntington, W. \'a., will make his "PHANTOM " AIDS CHARITY. Mrs. Winstcn Churchill's YWCA Wartime Fund was aided by a gala premiere of Universal's "Phantom of the Opera" in London. The photo above shows a few of many celebrities (including Mrs. Churchill 1 who attended. Left to right: J. A. Rank, film magnet who will become increasingly important as a figure in the U. S. motion picture world; Lady Helen Graham; U. S Ambassad;r John Winant; Admiral Stark: i: [jermanent home in California. He has lived in Cleveland for the past ten years. RKO (jreat Lakes Division .Manager Clem Pope's son, Clem, Jr., is in the armed forces, and his current address is Fort Knox, Ky. -Albert Dezel of A; ^ezel Road Show Attractions, distributing Film Classics pictures, was in town part of the week. It was his first official visit since he and Robert Snyder opened their Cleveland branch. Oscar Bloom, Columbia salesman, is vacationing in Florida. And Mrs. Gussie Schumann, who maintains an active interest in her late husband's theatre, the Alarvel. is in Atlantic City. Florence Pope, Warner projectionist is the only member of the film colony who has the honor of being a 10-time blood donor. DES MOINES A new . corporation, the Iowa Falls Amusement Company, will take over management of the Rex and Metropolitan theatres at Iowa Falls on April 1, ending one of the longest careers in Iowa motion picture management, that of R. O. Ellsworth who has been owner and manager of the Metropolitan since it was opened in 1899. The manager of the Rex, A. Middleton, will also close a long record of service, ARMY TURNS OUT FOR "PURPLE HEART." Charles Taylor, publicity manager of the Buffalo Theatre, with Wally Allen, 20th-Fox exploitation representative, cooperated in a special show of "The Purple Heart ' for officers of the Air Service Command, when the 20th-Fox picture opened in Buffalo. In group above are: Lt. Col. Douglas Winfree, Lt. Col. George E. Hodge, Ira Cohen, 20th's Buffalo manager, Lt. Col. Godfrey S. Rockefeller, Vincent McFaul, Capt. E. Forrest Tancer, Lt. Col. Christopher Jones, Lt. Col. Walter Evans. having been connected with the theatre for 30 years. Dwight Borin of Lmcoln, Neb., will be manager of both theatres. The new corporation inciuaes R. G. Faulds, E. M. Garbett and A. E. Thiele of Des Moines and Slater O'Hare of Humboldt, who are co-partners. The Roxy at Armstrong has been sold to Howard Pollard of Reinbeck by D. A. Fitzgibbons who operated the house for the past 14 years. H. H. Andrews is the new owner of the Royal at Fulton, 111., in the Iowa exchange territory. He purchased the house from W. H. Langworthy. Tne Schlesvvig Theatre operated by Hy Hollander at Schleswig, Iowa, was damaged by a fire which started in the projection room. Damage was $2500 to the building and $1500 to the equipment. It was reported the film caught in the projection machine and exploded. Lieut. Norman Sandler, son of Nate Sandler, prominent Iowa exhibitor, has returned home on furlough after hurtling his navy dive bomber on every major target in the south Pacific since the ofYensive started there He wears the battle stars of seven major air engagements and the air medal for his exploits at Tarawa and Wake. Lieutenant Sandler, 24, enlisted in the Naval AW Corps July 1941, and has been aboard a carrier since last May. His father, who resides at Des Moines, operates the Missouri \'alley Theatre. Iowa theatres, both independents and circuits, will jump children tickets from 10 to 12 cents in almost every house in the state when the new federal tax goes into effect. New rulings from the internal revenue department accounted for the change on children's tickets. At taxdiscussion meetings held in Des Moines earlier it had been planned to generally hold the children tickets to 10 cents. Members of the Iowa film salesmen's club were not kidding when they announced the date for their semi-annual election of officers : April Fool's day. The club recently gave a large donation for the Red Cross drive. Thirty-four NebVaska theatre managers already have responded to the Omaha Variety club's appeal to stage children's matinees for the Children's Memorial hospital to be built in Omaha, M. G. Rogers, drive chairman, has announced the matinees will be held during the week of April 10. The benefit drive is sponsored by the film industry executives associated with the \^ariet3' club. Admission will be 25 cents with all proceeds going to the hospital. Operators have indicated they will donate their services and the Variety club will furnish tickets and film free. lola Lahman, booker and office manager at Monogram exchange is resigning April 1 to marry Lieut. Frank L. Barlow, an instructor in the .ASTP school at the University of Minnesota. Wedding is set for sometime in May. Edward Truslow, Paramount booker, has passed his physical and is awaiting orders to report. M. A. Levy, of Minneapolis, 20th Century-Fox district manager, J. E. Scott, Omaha manager, and Stanley Mayer, Des Moines manager, got together for a conference in Des Moines to talk over the latest business developments. DETROIT Jane McQueer, sixteen-year-old usherette at the Broadway Capitol surprised a prowder on the third-floor balconj' of tine theatre last week. The prowler slugged her on the head and escaped. Miss McQueer was on her way to the third floor dressing room used by employes when she saw the man and screamed. Wanda Tapley, 18, candy counter attendant, saw a man run through the lobby and got his description for police. The cut from the blow Miss McQueer received on her head required four stitches. (Continued on Page 14)