Showmen's Trade Review (Oct-Dec 1944)

22 S H ( ) W A I 1-: X • S T R A D E \i E V I E VV * * REGIONAL NEWSREEL nuicli luuri.' siM'ious tlian originally hi.'lic\e(l and at tlu advice' of physicians Sain will not be able to work for some time. His nian>' friends wish him a speedy recovery. Herbert Berman, formerly of Warners' north Jersey managerial staff and until recently manager of the Circle Theatre, Indianapolis, is now managing a house in Steiibenville, Ohio. He took up his new duties about a week ago. Ruth A. Gibson is new cashier at the Newsreel Theatre, her first job in show business. Rocco Marcantonio, former assistant manager at the Capitol, who has been in the Army for the past two years, stopi)ed in to visit his friends on his first furlough. Jean Schadt, cashier at the dlobe, is out ill. Agnes Minski, cashier at the Newsreel, is back at the theatre after an autumn vacation at Schenectady. The Gem and Station theatres on Market Street, near the P'eniisylvania Station, are still closed, and obviously no theatre operator is interested in the properties. -A.ccording to one independent theatreman in Newark there is little or no money to be made with third and fourthrun houses in the downtown section at the present. William Kcegan, 58, general manager and director of the Hunt theatres, of Wildwood, died suddenly at his home there. Air. Keegan first became seriously ill last December. He is survived by his wife, mother, two brothers and a sister. PHILADELPHIA Marking the first step of the motion picture industry to bring the schools into the Sixth War Loan, Albert M. Cohen, Sr., vice-commander of the Variety Post of the American Legion, visited more than a half dozen schools last Friday, with two Marines returned from duty overseas, speaking to packed auditoriums explaining the American Legion setup in the coming drive, and explaining how the American Legion would give students Honor Medals for selling the most bonds. Jack Zagrans, son of Charles Zagrans, exchange manager for RKO, went into the .A.rmy last week. Al London, formerly a manager at the Cauga Theatre, was reported killed in action overseas with the Army. The Equitable Life Assurance Society last week assumed a 20-year $2,000,000 mortgage on the Earle Theatre and ofiice building property. The mortgage was obtained by the W. T. Grant Realty Corporation, who had recently purchased the property from Warner Bros. The Rexy Theatre in South Philadelphia discontinues oi)eration after Sunday night, November 12. TELLS ABOUT TELEVISION. Ralph B. Austrian, executive vice-president of RKO Television Corp., addressing the Publicity Club of New York at its latest meeting. Austrian's subject was "Televisi. n As An Aid To Public Relations." Seated is William P. Maloney, president of the Club. Manny Capelman, veteran projectionist at the Larle Theatre, became a granddaddy for the second time when his younger daughter, Sylvia, married to a dental surgeon in the Army, Lt. Sarabin, gave birth to a baby boy in the Temple Hospital. Robert Nisenson purchased the Roxy and Boro theatres from Sam Stiefel. The transaction was completed last Friday with Nisenson taking possession last Sunday. Nisenson has been associated with theatres in Philadelphia for the past twelve years, first as a manager of the Park Theatre and until last week, as manager of the Nixon. Joseph Kochs has resigned as manager of the Capitol Theatre in York. No successor has yet been named. Bill HufTman, out of the Merchant Marine, has returned to his old spot as manager of the Warner and Stanley theatres in Atlantic City. Jack Van, who had filled in for Bill while he was in service, moves up to the Stanley Theatre in Camden, replacing John Fischer, who resigned to rejoin the Motion Picture Board of Censors. John F. Beggin, former chief of service at the Forum Theatre, now aviation machinist's mate, second class, who had been reported missing in the South Pacific last July, is now reported safe. Melvin Fox and Lew Sablosky have bought Dave Shapiro's interest in the theatre that Shapiro had been attempting to build in Mayfair. DES MOINES Hyman L. Levy, Iowa theatre operator, died at his hotel apartment in Oelwein, la., following a heart attack. He was manager of the Strand Theatre at the time of his death. He formerly had operated theatres at Council Bluffs. He is survived by his wife and two sisters, Mrs. A. H. Blank, wife of the head of Tri-States Theatre Corp., and Mrs. B. W. Prusiner, both of Des Moines. Vern Mahan, postal clerk at Guthrie Center for the past 15 years, has resigned from that post and purchased the motion picture theatre at Pomeroy from A. R. Fenton. Mrs. Martha Pearce has been named office manager for Film Classics distribution branch at Des Moines by Julian King, manager. Mrs. Pearce has served in film row for the past 18 years. Newest employe in the shipping department at MGM is Kurt Goldberger. Edith Morgan, formerly with L'niversal, has joined the Warner exchange. Three Iowa theatre service men have been Xo-rciiihcr 7/, 1(^44 Continued * * killed in action overseas, according to word received by their families : Lieut. Barnard Pollock, Robert G. Chase, and Pvt. Byron K. Allen. The Raymond Blank Memorial Hospital for Children at Des Moines will be dedicated on Sunday, December 3 and will be ready to accept patients about January 1, A. H. Blank has announced. Hall Walsh, district manager, St. Louis ; R. H. Haines, western sales manager, New York; and Bob Lightfoot, checking supervisor, St. Louis, all visited the Des Moines Warner Bros, exchange. CLEVELAND Jules Levy of the Warner home office real estate department was in town last week conferring with theatre managers and with D. Leonard Halper, Cleveland district chief engineer, on physical theatre requirements. Lou Mayer, until very recently manager of the RKO Palace and now head of the RKO Palace in Chicago, was in town last week for a very special reason. He came to be on hand to greet his new daughter, Myra Lou, whose address will be Mount Sinai Hospital until such time as she and her mother are able to move to Chicago. M. B. Horwitz, general manager of the Washington Circuit, was laid up several days last week with a bum leg. Jim Keefe, 20th-Fox exploitation director for all of Ohio, has returned to his home base in Cincinnati after spending two weeks here. Lieut, (j.g.) James Kalafat, theatre manager and son of John D. Kalafat, has returned to his ship at Bradford, Va., after a ten-day leave. Mark Villani of the Regent Theatre, Youngstown, was one of the week's visitors. He came up to do a little business with Monogram franchise owner Nate Schultz. Meyer Fine of Associated Circuit was in Philadelphia and New York last week. Republic's "Brazil" is set for a Loew's Ohio opening in the very near future. Lt. Proctor Jones, one time member of the local Warner publicity department, is home on leave after two years' overseas duty with the Air Force in North Africa, Italy and England, in intelligence and special theatre department work. Variety Club holds a meeting to elect new officers on November 11. Election was shoved ahead from the usual December date. Mrs. Jessie Israel Rembrandt, 36, wife of Joseph Rembrandt, w-ho heads the Tiffin Amusement Company, owners of the Center Mayfield Theatre, Cleveland, and Ellet Theatre, Akron, died Saturday following a long illness. Mrs, Rembrandt was the daughter of the late Louis Israel, pioneer Cleveland motion picture exhibitor. CINCINNATI Beginning last Wednesday, the Strand Theatre adopted a policy of showing only first-run films and inaugurated the new program with Alonogram's double bill of "Oh, What a Night !" and "Enemy of Women." RKO Grand's showing of the reissue of "Strawberry Blonde" inaugurates a revival policy in downtown theatres. Branch managers and Kentucky salesmen attended the 6th War Bond Drive meeting held at Louisville, Kentucky, this week. Harris Dudelson, United Artists, chairman for the War -Activities Committee in this area, presided. Fire recently destroyed the Gaines Theatre, Pincville. Kentucky. The theatre was owned by the Gaddie Company, and damages were only partly covered by insurance. Leo Stephany, who operates the Music Hall,