Showmen's Trade Review (Apr-Jun 1944)

6 SHOWMEN'S TRADE REVIEW April 8, 1944 Postwar Equipment Needs 'Tremendous' Indication that exhibitors' postwar equipment requirements will far exceed all predictions to date comes with a report from W. E. Green, President of National Theatre Supply, which recently completed a nation-wide survey of postwar theatre needs. "As a result of the data compiled by our representatives in personal interviews with thousands of independent theatre owners and circuit executives," said Mr. Green, "we have been able to draw a very accurate blueprint showing that their houses will require a large quantity of new projectors, sound systems, lamps, generators, rectifiers, lenses, chairs, carpet, marquees and ventilating and cooling equipment. "We found no theatres" continued Mr. Green, "in which at least one equipment item will not be urgently needed just as quickly as war-time restrictions are lifted and it becomes available. "In our talks with exhibitors we were amazed to find so many planning to break ground for new theatres. Sites have been selected and purchased, plans drawn and showmen await only the green light to start building. "This theatre planning includes not only the latest type of streamlined theatre structures, but also one or more outdoor drive-in theatres in many good sized cities and towns. "It is safe to say," said Mr. Green, "that never in the history of the industry have the requirements of theatre owners been so immediate and so great." Walter E. Green W. Ray Johnston Sees Post-War 1000-Theatre Building Wave At least 1000 new motion picture theatres will be built in the United States as soon as postwar conditions permit, according to information gathered by W. Ray Johnston, Monogram president, who has returned to Hollywood after a seven-week trip through 12 exchange centers in the United States and Canada. "General reaction of the literally hundreds of exhibitors with whom I talked," said Johnston, "is that the end of the war will bring no diminution of the near-capacity business now being done by theatres in all parts of the country." 400 Guests Attend Chicago Variety Club Pioneer Dinner With more than 400 guests in attendance, the Chicago Variety Club did honor to film veterans last Friday night with a pioneers' dinner at the Hotel Blackstone. Personalities like George K. Spoor, Gus Kerosotes, Morris Choynski, Harry Lubliner, and Pop Goldson were present in scores, while the speaking of the occasion rested chiefly on Dr. Preston Bradley and Chief Barker Johnnie Jones. .\mong other guests were Sam .A.brahams, Harry Grampp, Abe Bartelstin, Simon Simansky, Luding Schindler, Edward Harris, Frank Smith, Steve Bennis Aaron Jones, Harry Tague, Sam Levin, Sen. Scott Lucas, Leo McCarthy, Ned Depinet, Nate Blumberg, Nat Wolf and many others. Charlotte Barkers Ready for Golf A handicap golf tournament at the Myers Park Country Club, Charlotte, will be held on April 17 by the Variety Club of Charlotte. Johnny Bachman heads the prize committee. Needs Extta Cashier Nick A. Komneos, Skouras Theatres district manager for New Jersey, has installed a second box-office in the State Theatre, Jersey City, to take care of the added load caused by the higher tax. The circuit has maintained the same price scale and the larger use of pennies in making change for the tax slows down the tempo of ticket sales on busy days, and at such times the additional ticket office is put into service. Bergman's Arrival Starts 'UV 70-City Campaign Maurice A. Bergman, eastern director of advertising and publicity for Universal, this week journeyed to Cincinnati to take personal charge of the 70-cityopening campaign of Walter Wanger's "Ladies Courageous." The advent of Bergman marked the first gun of the exploitation drive, when station WLW began a series of daily announcements, interviews, and special events which will continue until the opening day on April 23. The keynote of the campaign is a tribute to the contribution of women to the war effort. This idea will be brought into being through a contest in which women in those cities showing "Ladies Courageous," whose theme glorifies the WASPS, will select their own "lady courageous." The choice will be made by ballot during the week of April 17. Lobby displays and theatre fronts as well as newspapers and daily broadcasts will acquaint the public with the balloting. Women's clubs and other civic groups have joined in the plan. Another exploitation angle is that the ballots are to be delivered to each city by one of the regular WASP training planes, which will be christened "Ladies Courageous." Maurice Bergman WAC to Distribute 'The Negro Soldier' "The Negro Soldier," (reviewed in this issue) will be given theatrical distribution by the WAC at the request of the Office of War Information. Prints will be available beginning April 10th at the following exchanges : Albany, Paramount; Atlanta, 20th Century-Fox; Boston. Paramount; Buffalo, Paramount; Charlotte. 20th Century-Fox ; Chicago. Loew's ; Cincinnati, L'nited Artists ; Cleveland, United Artists ; Dallas, Columbia; Denver, RKO Radio Pictures; Des Moines, Universal; Detroit, United Artists; Indianapolis, Republic Pictures ; Kansas City, Universal ; Los Angeles, \'itagraph ; Memphis, Columbia; Milwaukee, Loew's; Minneapolis, Loew's; New Haven, Paramount ;. New Orleans, 20th Century-Fox; New York, Loew's; Oklahoma Citv, Columbia ; Omaha, L^niversal ; Philadelphia, RKO Radio Pictures; Pittsburgh, RKO Radio Pictures; Portland, Vitagraph ; St. Louis, Universal; Salt Lake City, RKO Radio Pictures; San Francisco, Vitagraph ; Seattle, \'itagraph ; Washington, D. C, RKO Radio Pictures. Vandalism Epidemic In Boston, St. Louis After a period of quiet, varying in different localities from two weeks to two months, vandalism has broken loose again. Reports this week from key cities reflect that hoodlums and juvenile delinquents again are making life a nightmare for theatre managers, police, and responsible citizens. Boston had a complete hiatus for several weeks, but now the theatres, especially of the downtown district, are experiencing breakage, despoiling fixtures, defacing walls in lounges and rest rooms. In some cases outbursts of feeling between groups of different localities became a modified racial problem. The plan originally drawn by former filmite Leonard Kraska of making "policemen" out of gang leaders to guard against vandalism by their own subjects is being tried out in many localities, but with varying degrees of success. Reports from St. Louis indicate conditions even worse — the result, theatre men say of heavy influx of families from rural sections who are making war wages in the city and have lost control of their children. The juvenile delinquency problem is acute in the Missouri metropolis. There a new form of annoyance is caused by young boys and girls bringing whiskey and gin into the theatre instead of the usual candy. Staffs are trained to watch for these "bottle jockeys" and when detected they are forced to leave immediately. In situations generally the vandalism has consisted of cutting seat covers and drapes, and the theft of equipment — faucets, toilet seats, lamps, telephone receivers. In a St. Louis firstrun house, juveniles removed all but two screws of a heavy brass railing in front of the loge. The fitting luckily held in place, for if it had come down on the heads of persons below deaths almost certainly would have occurred. Ksmins from Rogers to Lesser Bernie Kamins assumed duties this week as jjublicity director for Sol Lesser Productions, swinging over from Charles R. Rogers Productions after completing the publicity assignment on "Song of the Open Road." J. A. Ball Now With DuPont J. A. Ball, former vice-president of Technicolor and recently consulting engineer for Walt Disney, has joined the Photo Products Department of E. I. duPont de Nemours & Company as consultant. Twin-City Premiere April 20th for 'Private Life of Dr. Goebbels' Sponsored by the War Activities Committee of the motion picture industry and the Optimist Club of both cities, twin world premiere of VV. R. Frank's "The Private Life of Dr. Paul Joseph Goebbels" will be held in Minneapolis and St. Paul on April 20. All seats will be reserved at $1.50 and $1, and all proceeds will go to the Red Cross chapters in the twin cities. TRADE TRAVEL LOG George Pal, who produces the Technicolor Puppetoons for Paramount, was due to arrive in New York some time this week to confer with Oscar Morgan, head of the company's short subjects department. Republic's President James R. Grainger and Eastern District Sales Manager Maxwell Gillis made a round trip to Washington this week. Of? for Montreal : Nat Levy, eastern division manager for RKO Radio, and Terry Turner, that company's exploitation chief. Louis Weinberg, Columbia's circuit sales head, is making sleeper jumps covering Chicago, Kansas City, Los Angeles, and San Francisco in connection with the "Dates to Win" campaign. Charles R. Rogers, UA producer, arrived York Monday for a stay of several weeks. New Al Jermy, Warner technical advisor, is starting for New York this week with the champion jumping frog — yes, frog — used in "The Adventures of Mark Twain." Mike Poller of RKO joined Metropolitan District Manager Charles Boasberg for the remainder of the Ned Depinet drive, which this week took them through Toronto, Montreal, St. John, Boston, New Haven, Albany, and back to Manhattan. .