Showmen's Trade Review (Jan-Mar 1945)

January 27, 1945 SHOWMEN'S TRADE REVIEW 27 PORTLAND Ted R. Gamble, as well known here for his activities in the theatre as he is nationally, as first assistant to Treasury Secretary Henry Morgenthau, returned here last week and extended his personal congratulations to theatre executives and others, in and out of the industry, for their share in the success of the 6th War Loan drive. T. J. (Ted) Crosby is leaving his home town of Spokane to join his brother, Bing, in California. Mrs. Helen Roush left for Walla Walla to join Pfc. Bill Roush, formerly of Seattle Row, who participated in the Normandy invasion. Eugene Bunn of Montesano is taking charge of the theatres operated by Al Fernandez, who has joined the Army. Friends on Seattle's Film Row recently received word from Pfc. Clyde H. Cowan, who is stationed in Calcutta, India. Ensign John Paul Sullivan has been assigned to the Victory, a new ship in anchorage here. A daughter born to Mr. and Mrs. Sohn, of Kirkland, made the fourth addition to the family. L. E. Goldhammer, general sales manager for Film Classics, was a visitor to Seattle and Portland exchanges. Bud Denton returned to his former post at MGM following his honorable discharge from the Army, succeeding Bernice O'Berry who resigned. Exhibitors booking on Seattle's Film Row : Ned Edris, Tacoma; Rex Thompson, Port Orchard; Eldon Pollock, Mt. Vernon; Ollie Hartman, Coulee Dam; Lynn Peterson, Bremerton; Mr. and Mrs. W. A. Cochrane, North Bend; Mr. and Mrs. Ed Halberg, Pt. Angeles; Ike Rodgers, Burien City; S. E. Olson, Bainbridge Island; Gene Groesbeck, Enumclaw. Doris Hubbard has resigned as MGM chief inspectress, and has been succeeded by Emma Peterson. Paul Mcllhenny has been named Eastern Washington salesman for Republic, succeeding Pete Higgins, who resigned. Gordon Wallinger has been promoted to head booker for Paramount, Seattle, replacing Charlotte Rensink, who is leaving for California. Al Baker, city manager for Evergreen at Spokane, and his assistant, Dan Putnam, left for Seattle to attend a managers' conference. Don Pearl, Princess Theatre, Walla Walla, has been named county chairman for the March of Dimes drive. William Katzky, formerly with several Seattle theatres, is now recreation officer at the Navy Center, West Africa. OMAHA The "arbitarary rule" that class A motion pictures may not be shown in Council Bluffs theatres until 28 days after their Omaha runs is a violation of the Sherman .A.nti-Trust Act Flyod P. Willette, Council Bluffs Chamber of Commerce executive secretary told Chamber directors and received their permission to contact other Council Bluffs theatremen to see if they agree with R. D. Goldberg of Omaha, for whom he was speaking. If they answer affirmatively, the Chamber will protest to Omaha exchanges and theatres. Spike Jones and his "City Slickers," now at the Orpheum Theatre, netted Omaha's March of Dimes drive over $100 by playing between Grai-d Island, Neb., and Omaha on the Overland Limited en route here. Bill Miskell, Tri-States Theatres District manager, who also is head of REGIONAL NEWS INDEX Boston 33 Charlotte 33 Chicago 30 Cincinnati 38 Cleveland 34 Denver 38 Des Moines 38 Harrisburg 38 Indianapolis 33 Jersey City 30 Memphis 27 Mcntreal 32 New York 27 Omaha 27 Ottawa 38 Philadelphia 36 Pittsburgh 33 Portland 27 San Antonio .-. . . 36 St. Louis 32 Vancouver 36 Washington 34 the Dimes drive, conceived the idea. He called Tri-States' Grand Island manager, Wally Kemp, who boarded the train there. Kemp stirred the leader from a nap, delayed the train five minutes while the members got their instruments out of the baggage car, with a young lady carrying a March of Dimes banner heralded the band through the train. M. A. Levy, 20th-Fox district manager at Minneapolis, was in the city for several days. Glen Bottorf, assistant manager at the Orpheum, is scheduled to enter the Army. Francis Barak will succeed him. The former Mary Lonergan, who was with RKO here for some years, and her husband, Rex Jacobson, are the parents of a boy, Merrill Rex, born in Chicago last week. Alvin Kostlan of the Brandeis Theatre again will head the Omaha Operator's Union, lATSE, Local 343. Other officers include : Vic Morterson, Muse Theatre, vice-president ; Ben Cuttle, Circle, second vice-president ; Baird Loomis, Brandeis, treasurer ; Glen Jordan, financial secretary ; Howard Jackson, business agent ; and Clyde Cooley, secretary. PRC has moved into new and larger quarters in the Film Row Building. Ruth Moberg, United Artists assistant cashier, has resigned and will move to Chicago. Fred Rohrs, divisional manager for PRC at St. Louis, spent a week here. Bernice Junger has joined the Republic staff as an inspectress. B. C. Marcus, Columbia branch manager at Kansas City, was here during the week. Ralph Blank, owner of the Admiral Theatre, and Mrs. Blank are vacationing in California. J. E. Garrison, Universal district manager from Kansas City, was in town for several days. Harry Lefholtz, Republic branch manager, is back from a regional conference at Chicago. Harry Rogers, PRC branch manager, has returned to Omaha after a trip to his home at Charlotte, N. C. Clyde Cooley, 20th-Fox screening room operator, has returned from Chicago where he worked the stage show, "Winged Victory," for 18 days at the Civic Opera. Lt. Eldon Scobell, son of Mr. and Airs. i..loyd Scobell, Wagner, S. D., exhibitors, has been reported missing in action over Germany. Three Omaha downtown houses — the Omaha, Paramount and Brandeis — had holdovers this week, establishing something of a record. MEMPHIS Final plans for March of Dimes week have been completed in a series of meetings of theatre owners and managers. The drive is headed by J. D. Connors, with Tom Young, branch manager of 20th Century-Fox, co-chairman. Bailey Prichard, branch manager of Monogram, has spent a week in the territory with salesmen and renewed acquaintances with outof-town theatre owners. The exchange is still leading in the collection contest which has 13 more weeks to run. Norman J. Colquhoun, branch manager for Republic, has been promoted to district manager for the company and will have supervision over the Dallas, Memphis and Oklahoma City branches. A. M. Avery, RKO branch manager, R. B. Reagan, Brober Ray and Leonard Shea, salesmen, have returned from a sales meeting in Dallas. Fred Ford formerly of the local RKO branch and now in Atlanta, visited the offices here last week, with Charles Underwood, and Harry Turner of the exploitation department in Atlanta. J. W. Parham, owner of a colored theatre group, Forrest City, paid a visit to the Row last week. The new assistant shipper at 20th-Fox is Lucian Weaver, and Frances Armstrong is in the inspection department. NEW YORK The Independent Theatre Service, composed of members of N. J. Allied and independent theatre owners, is expected to be fully organized about the first of next month, and will begin functioning as a full-fledged circuit about the middle of next month, Irving Dollinger, N. J. exhibitor, is reported to have stated on Film Row. Whatever credence may be attached to it, the fact remains that it was Dollinger who organized the Associated Theatres of New Jersey, and it is no longer a controversial subject in film circles here that Dollinger, David Snaper, Lew Newbury and a handful of other exhibitors have helped the proposed circuit from its inception as an idea develop into an organization now claiming a buying power of from $1,500,000 to $3,000,000, according to its sponsors and supporters. The latter figure is conditional that Joe Seider of the Prudential Circuit will amalgamate the theatres under his control with the ITS, and that the Shea chain would also come into the proposed combine. Out of the welter of reports as to the identity of the buyer for that circuit, the element of rejection thus far forms perhaps a more interesting sidelight in the news than the actual choice, for the element of choice will be reached through the process of elimination. An illustration of this was furnished recently when Ray Moon, branch manager here of 20th Century-Fox, who previously organized the Detroit Cooperative Circuit, was approached and offered $25,000 per annum to become the buyer for the ITS. Moon expressed his thanks and is reported to have said, "I don't mind telling you I'm ag'in it!" The post was also offered to John Benas, N. Y. and N. J. buyer for the Skouras theatres. Benas also is reported to have turned it down. While Newbury was reported to have gone to Philadelphia to clean up some final details in connection with the new circuit's business in that area, Dollinger's preoccupation with the subject of a buyer brought him to Film Row. (It should be remembered that David Snaper has in the interim been confined in the Perth Amboy (Continued on Page 30)