Showmen's Trade Review (Apr-Jun 1945)

32 SHOWMEN'S TRADE REVIEW May 5, 1945 REGIONAL Continued operator of Southern Illinois was hospitalized at St. John's, Richmond Heights, Mo., for several days and has returned to his home. Frances E. Barrett, daughter of David F. Barrett, St. Louis trade paper correspondent, returned to her home following an emergency appendectomy performed at the Missouri Baptist Hospital. Exhibitors booking films on the Row here included : John Rees, Wellsville, Mo. ; George Barber, Tuscola and Villa Grove, 111. ; Leon Jarodsky, Paris, 111. ; M. Chamness, Chamness Circuit, Carrier Mills and Elodardo, 111. ; Robert (Bob) Machbank, manager, Calvin Theatre, Washington, Mo.; Messrs. Laber and Hirth, Royal Theatre, Pacific, Mo. ; Lee Norton, Sullivan, 111. ; and Jimmy Frisina and R. Pedrucci, Frisina Amusement Company, Springfield, 111. Some 200 in the industry in greater St. Louis, Eastern Missouri and Southern Illinois attended a luncheon meeting at the Coronado Hotel last Monday to hear the details in the plan of campaign for the 7th War Loan drive. Al Stetson, personnel director of the Fanchon & MarcoSt. Louis Amusement Co., acted as toastmaster in the absence of Harry C. Arthur, Jr., War Activities chairman for St. Louis. Ted Lending, manager of the Kirkwood Theatre, Kirkwood, Mo., during a recent "standing room only" period at the house, observed a patron munching a dry sandwich as he waited patiently for a seat. "You ought to have something to wash that down with, brother," Lending said. With that he made for the stairway to his living quarters and reappeared with a bottle of ice-cold beer which he gave to the surprised patron. "It's on the house," said Lending. Ethan A. E. Shepley, St. Louis attorney and a member of the local panel of the American Arbitration Association, recently has had two new assignments handed to him. He was the chairman of the Missouri Constitutional Convention's taxation and revenue committee, and now with Richard S. Righter of Kansas City, has been selected by Howard Elliott, speaker of the Missouri House of Representatives, to help a House committee draft legislation revising the tax laws to bring them into line with the new constitution voted in February. In Fanchon & Marco Enterprises, Inc., appellant, against Thomas N. Dysart, et al., respondents, pending before the Missouri Supreme Court at Jefferson City, the respondents' brief with service has been filed. Harry Crawford, manager of the Missouri Theatre, apparently has been confused with Wahoo Sam Crawford of the Detroit Tigers of the early 1900s, for he has been invited to participate as an instructor in the local baseball school for juveniles. Opinion here is that he doesn't know a bat from a ball. The case of Brandriff vs. Ansell Amusement Co. has been dismissed in Federal Judge George H. Moore's court for failure to prosecute and for failure to comply with an order of the court entered April 21, 1943. MILWAUKEE Nick Coston, assistant manager at the Riverside Theatre, is functioning as relief man during vacations. Robert Kujawa has been appointed assistant manager of the Alhambra Theatre, while Thomas Coss is the new doorman. The favorite luncheon spot for the Row, especially Metro, is called the Snake Pit. Exhibitors booking films on the Row here included Ray Lenz, Pastime, Horicon ; Charles Coulsen, Badger, Staughton ; Frank McWilliams, owner, and Robert Hutchings, manager of Home and Portage, Portage; Charles Perrizo, Badger, Oneonto ; Mrs. Walter Kursienski, Douglas, Racine; H. Franke, Brookfield. Rose Granef of the 20th-Fox personnel paid a visit to her husband, Sgt. Jack C. Granef, stationed at Scott Field. James Coston, Warner zone manager, arrived here for conferences with Al Kvool and Mark Brazee, circuit executives. The Milwaukee Historical Museum offers plenty of interest to showmen with its copies of rare movie theatre and legitimate theatre programs. BOSTON William Hurlburt, Monogram franchise holder in Detroit conferred here with Herman Rifkin, Monogram vice-president. Max Selette, formerly with the Boston Latin Quarter, has been appointed manager at the Metropolitan Theatre, Providence. Dan Seletzky, M & P booker, is a patient at the Beth Israel Hospital. Sam Paul, formerly with National Screen, is head shipper with PRC, replacing George Jefferson. Jerry Wechsler, W>B sales manager, and Mrs. Wechsler celebrated their 24th wedding anniversary. Rumor has it that the M & P Theatres have purchased a plot of land in the center of the Quincy business district and plan to build a large theatre on it. 'San Pietro' Depicts An Action in Italy A segment of the Italian theatre of war long overshadowed by the concluding phase of the struggle in Central Europe and the titanic task still ahead in the Pacific area, was revealed in "San Pietro" at a private screening held in New York by the War Activities Committee of the Motion Picture Industry for the trade press in advance of the film's distribution under WAC auspices beginning Thursday (3). Produced by the Signal Corps of the Army Pictorial Service and released through the Office of War Information, it is a 30-minute pictorial record culled from 60,000 feet of film of the action for the possession of the Liri Valley in Italy. With an introduction by Gen. Mark H. Clark of the Sth Army describing the strategic purposes of the Italian campaign to draw as many German forces from the Russian front and the French coastal areas and to contain them on the Italian Peninsula, the film fades into the action as a small group of combat cameramen under the command of Maj. John Huston attached itself to the 143rd Infantry Regiment of the 36th Division with a mission of photographing one complete battle as seen from the side of the Infantry. The record is grim, pulls no punches, and death on both sides itensifies the reality of the struggle with the obligato of mortars as a last requiem for the fallen. Maj. Huston in addition to producing and directing, wrote the narration and acted as narrator. Capt. Jules Buck assisted, and the combat cameramen were: Lt. William Bradley, Lt. Roland Mead, Sgt. Sam Tischler, Sgt. A. L Moroshnik, Pvt. Gordon Frye and Pvt. Leonard Ryan. Philadelphia Tent Donates $7,500 to Fight Delinquency The Variety Club of Philadelphia has projected its activities into the civic welfare of that city by voting $7,500 from the club's Treasury for purchase of gymnastic equipment and for the maintenance of teachers in the Mahlon Lewis Community House, situated in the heart of Philadelphia's colored residential district. This charitable undertaking marks an additional public endeavor to the Philadelphia Tent's established work in connection with the National Foundation for the prevention of infantile paralysis, and was motivated by the desire to help stamp out juvenile delinquency and the prevention of crime. The purpose of the additional charity is to support the work of crime prevention and juvenile delinquency as conducted in the Quaker City by a group headed by Judge Nochem Winnet of the Municipal Court. A committee appointed by Clint Weyer, Philadelphia chief barker, after a meeting with Judge Winnet, thought so well of the project that it subsequently accompanied him to Baltimore to attend the dedication of a boys' club sponsored by the Baltimore Tent. Yates Returns to New York After 2 Months on Coast Herbert J. Yates, president of Republic Production, Inc., returned to New York this week following a two months' visit at the company's North Hollywood studios. He was accompanied by William Saal, his executive assistant. While on the coast Yates sparked studio plans for the celebration of Republic's 10th Anniversary and formulated plans for forthcoming productions, including the scheduling of the company's first Technicolor film, "Concerto," to be produced this July by Frank Borzage as his first production under his recently signed producing-directing pact. 'HERE'S HOW WE'LL DO IT.' Carl Shalit (seated), Columbia's central division manager, explains to his five branch managers some of his plans to put the central division in first place in the Montague 20th Anniversary Campaign. Standing around the desk (1-r) are: W. Guy Craig, Indianapolis; Joe Gins, Detroit; R. C. Hill, St. Louis; Joe Miller, Albany; Phil Fox, Buffalo.