Showmen's Trade Review (Apr-Jun 1945)

May 5, 1945 SHOWMEN'S TRADE REVIEW 27 REGIONAL Continued their property. Other vandalism reported to police over the weekend included the breaking of windows in homes, and extensive damage to parked automobiles. Two Technicolor films on South America were shown on Thursday night at the Central Public Library. Louis Rogers, ad sales supervisor, 20th-Fox, was in Indianapolis last week on an inspection tour. Frank Clark, 20th-Fox exploitation director for the Indianapolis area, has returned from Denver after a week's vacation. Kenneth Dotterer, head booker at 20th-Fox exchange here, now holds the record as Film Row's best fisherman. Last Saturday he caught a five-pound bass in Webster Lake. Approximately $200 was stolen from a receptacle in the lobby of Loew's Theatre last Saturday night. The money had been donated by theatre patrons to help defray the cost of telephone calls of hospitalized soldiers convalescing at Billings General Hospital, Ft. Harrison. Gordon Schuman, RKO head booker, has gone to the Detroit exchange to replace Walter Goryl who has been inducted into the Army. Allen Berkowitz, who has been assistant booker here, becomes head booker. Claude W. McKean, Warner Bros, manager is ailing. He has been obliged to remain away from his desk and shows little improvement. Guy Hancock, United Artists salesman, who has been a patient at St. Vincent's Hospital, suffering from asthma, has gone to Tucson, Arizona. Harry Mandell, Film Classics franchise holder in this area, has returned after a week in New York. Film Row visitors last week included J. B. Stein, Terre Haute ; Morris Reinking, Terre Haute; Ethel Walsh, Scottsburg; Al Borkenstein. Ft. Wayne, and John Micu, Ft. Wayne. William Eberhardt of the Variety Club steward's staff, who was a patient at the City Hospital last week, has returned to his home. "Duke" Hickey of the MPPDA passed through Indianapolis last week on his way to the San Francisco conference. CLEVELAND Clem Pope, for many years one of the leading figures in local theatrical circles, has tendered his resignation as RKO Theatres district manager due to ill health. Pope has been successivelj' manager of Keith's East 105th St. Theatre, the RKO Palace, in this city, and he succeeded to the post as district manager when his predecessor, Nat Holt, left to become assistant to Charles W. Koerner on the west coast. C. Harry Schriber, city manager of RKO Theatres in Columbus, succeeds Pope as theatre district manager in this area. Jack Mundstuk, MGM city sales manager since 1943, assumed his new duties as manager of the MGM Buffalo branch last Monday. Mundstuk has been with MGM since 1930 when he joined the Detroit office as booker. Since then he has served as booker in Indianapolis and Cleveland, salesman in Pittsburgh and Cleveland, and finally city sales manager. Tony Stern, president of the Warner Club, was the moving spirit of the Warner Club party held here Friday (28). Originally scheduled for April 14, the party was postponed in deference to the death of President Roosevelt. Harry Lande, onetime leading independent distributor in this territory and recently engaged in another line of business, has moved to San Antonio, Texas. Jack Shea of the Shea Circuit and his northern Ohio managers were in town for their regular monthly booking session and inter-theatre conference. In addition to Shea, in attendance were Bob Russell, Ashtabula; Bob Rhodes, Akron; Jack Hines, Youngstown ; Durwald Duty, Dover, and William Gillam, New Philadelphia. S/Sgt. William Masmarek of the Air Corps, husband of Margaret Macsay, Republic headbooker, has returned on a 30-day furlough on rotation leave after serving 16 months overseas. Bob Snyder, head of Film Classics here, reports that the Palace Theatre, Akron, has booked "Wuthering Heights" and "Barbary Coast." This is worth noting. The Palace seldom plays reissues. Mrs. W. A. Smith of Akron is carrying on with the management of the Majestic Theatre where her late husband left ofif. She was here on a booking expedition during the past week. M. M. Jacobs, who operated the independent Imperial exchange, has acquired Astor Pictures' "One Romantic Night" (originally titled "New Wine") for Northern Ohio distribution. The picture, starring Ilona Massey and Alan Curtis, was originally distributed through United Artists. Morris Fine, brother of Meyer Fine, vicepresident of Associated Circuit, died last week. I. Housman, owner of the Crown Theatre, left for Florida. Howard Spiess, ex-Cooperative booker, who has been a patient at a service hospital in Corona, Calif., since he was returned from active duty in the Pacific, has been transferred to Seagate, N. Y. A. J. Lindsley, National Theatre Supply advertising manager, was in town conferring with local NTS Branch Manager L. H. Walters. Walters announced he is taking orders on American chairs for post-war delivery. Delivery will be made in the order of contracts received. Dick Wright, Warner assistant zone manager, was in New York on business. COLUMBUS May IS is the deadline for applications for refunds from Ohio exhibitors who have been paying a three per cent sales tax on five-cent candy sales from vending machines. The Independent Theatre Owners of Ohio has warned its members that this does not mean that the state department of taxation will automatically disallow any that are filed after that date. The Ohio Supreme Court, in a decision handed down Feb. 21, decided that there should be no sales tax on five-cent sales made by vending machines if the sales were separate and apart from other sales which amounted to nine cents or more. It is reported, however, that the state tax department intends to have a test case made on the general question of refunding taxes. Bill to repeal the Ohio three per cent ad missions tax and to permit Ohio cities to levy their own amusement taxes was killed in a legislative committee session last week. Exhibitor interests in the state vigorously opposed the bill. It was feared that if admission taxes were given to municipalities, the tax might mount to as much as 10 per cent in some cities. The bill's fate was watched with interest by industry leaders throughout the country, since if it had been passed it might have served as an encouragement to other states to do likewise. From eight-year-old Carolyn Brollier, a victim of last summer's infantile paralysis epidemic, P. J. Wood, secretary of the Independent Theatre Owners of Ohio, received last week a bronze medal in recognition of his work as Ohio state chairman of the motion picture division of the 1945 March of Dimes. Presentation of the medal, inscribed by Nicholas M. Schenck, national chairman, was made in the offices of Gov. Frank J. Lausche. Ohio theatregoers contributed $316,246.28 in the 1945 campaign. PALM SPRINGS Palm Springs might be a movie fan's idea of heaven with the Village crowded with film's outstanding personalities. Virginia Bruce is stopping at the Racquet Club. Lana Turner and Turhan Bey getting their morning vitamins at Brock's Waffle Shop. ' Dave Rose and Capt. Ben Landis have checked in at the Colonial House. Other guests at the Colonial include the Charles Spencer Chaplins, Jimmy Ritz and Lou Irwin, actor's agent. Joan Davis is here and was hostess to several men in the service at the Chi Chi. Mary Livingston and Jack Benny entertained at dinner. Bill Morrow at Roger's Ranch. Morrow, now in the Army, is Benny's former script writer. Paulette Goddard and Burgess Meredith exchanging the compliments of the day with Randolph Scott and Darryl F. Zanuck. WASHINGTON A check for $130,865.87 representing more than 50 per cent of the estimated aggregate funds raised in the District of Columbia for the National Foundation was handed to John Russell Young, president of the board of D. C, commissioners and general chairman of the campaign here, by John J. Payette, general zone manager of Warner Bros, theatres, and Carter T. Barron, Eastern division manager of Loew's, who were cochairmen of the entertainment committee of the district campaign in the March {Continued on Next Page) REPORTS ON RED CROSS WAR FUND WEEK. N. Peter Rathvon, national chairman of the industry's 1945 Red Cross War Fund week, presents a report on the national collections to Basil O'Connor, chairman of the American National Red Cross. Shown here (1-r) are: Arthur M. Brilant, national publicity coordinator of the drive; Harry Mandel, national publicity co-director (with S. Barret McCormick, not shown here); L. E. Thompson, national coordinator; Rathvon; O'Connor; Howard Bonham, acting vice-chairman in charge of public relations, American Red Cross; and Joe Weil, chief, motion picture section.