Showmen's Trade Review (Apr-Jun 1945)

June 30, 1945 SHOWMEN'S TRADE REVIEW 27 ing at Indianapolis. Martin Thomas, theatre owner at Iron wood, Stevens Point, Hancock and Menomonee, booked here this week. Ray Smith of Ray Smith Co. is recuperating from spinal injuries suffered when trapped by a drunken driver. MGM's Pep Club picnic was held at Estabrook Park, but was spoiled by a sudden rain storm. Attending were Gay Schmidt, Walter Bennin, Lou Orlove, Janet Uibel, Edith Sosoff, Vivian Fried, Becky Hoffman, and Joe Malitz. The Palace and Miller featured "last ditch" bond rallies this week, with the former enticing patrons with WTMJ's Radio Rumpus Room on the stage, while Jack Kaplan's Miller featured an all-colored show with Lionel Hampton, Lil Armstrong, Step Wharton and a 40-piece dance band from Great Lakes Naval Training School. Eskin Theatres had a summer managers' meeting at the Wisconsin Hotel with managers and home office personnel attending. Exploitation, theatre remodeling and other plans for improvements were discussed. Gordon Koehler, son of Charles Koehler of Astor Pictures, was here recently and has now returned to Traverse City, Mich. He's an officer in the Air Transport Command. The "Royal Rumpus" staged by Marc Brazee, Warner Circuit state executive at the Sheboygan. Sheboygan, did well in bond sales. NEW YORK Arthur Loew, president of Loew International, has arranged, with the cooperation of Messmore Kendall and Joe Vogel, for a roof garden to be built on the roof of the Capitol Theatre lobby for employes of the theatre and the Loew foreign dept. The garden will be covered against inclement weather and the company will provide coffee for employes who will bring their own food for lunches. Lounge chairs and benches will also be provided. The garden will open within a week and an indoor garden will be built when the weather turns cold in the fall. The Paramount Choral Society, consisting of 37 women and 13 men, held a farewell party in the company's home office recreation room this week and disbanded for the summer. Films and recordings of their work were played. Sigmund Maitles, Columbia copyreader, has resigned. He will join the staff of another film company here in the near future. Sam Berger, MGM South American traveling representative, is in New York after two months in South America. . Leo Wayne, Monogram booker in Pittsburgh, has returned there from a vacation in Boston and New York. Gregory Peck, Judy Garland, Vincente Minnelli and Lucille Ball, all of MGM, were in New York this past week. Mrs. Margaret Moran, Monogram Pittsburgh inspectress, is vacationing at Rochester, New York. Ray Murray, Columbia publicist and trade paper representative, has left for a week's vacation in Montrose, Pa. Terry Corso, secretary to Norris Wilcox, UA personnel manager, is vacationing in the Poconos. Janis Handelman of Hortense Schorr's office at Columbia has resigned to join her husband at a Virginia Army camp. Herbert Swartz, MGM unit manager on "The Yearling," has left N. Y. for the Coast. Pvt. Leo Lerner, formerly of the Columbia accounting dept., is on furlough on the Riviera. The home office has also received a letter from T/Sgt. Seymour Brensilber, formerly of the purchasing dept., who is now stationed at Dorndorf, Germany. Robert Snell, son of Grace, United Artists receptionist, has joined United Artists to work during the summer. John Wayne, Ellen Drew, Jesse Lasky, Anthony Quinn, "Ducky" Louie and Fely Franquelli spent last week in New York after visiting Boston for the opening of "Back to Bataan." Seven United Artists home office employes do nated blood to the Red Cross blood bank last week. Ed Lurie, special exploitation representative for Monogram, has returned to New York after organizing the campaign on "Dillinger." He will leave soon for Rochester for the same purpose. Lillian Kovnar, of the United Artists foreign print department, held a housewarming last week in the Bronx for approximately 50 members of the company. Frances Bohlinger, of the RKO advertising dept., will be married in July to her fiance, who is returning after two years in the Pacific. E. M. Saunders, MGM assistant sales manager, has left for the Coast for a vacation. Nancy Moynihan, United Artists telephone operator for the past three years, resigned last week. Sgt. Arthur Bretzfield, formerly with the MGM publicity dept., was a home office visitor last week before leaving for Texas. Phil Long, United Artists receptionist, has resigned to return to Albany and run for alderman. Lt. Jeff Livingston, Nazi war prisoner and formerly of the MGM short subject publicity dept., was a home office visitor, after landing in Boston last week. Mrs. Lillian Algie of the RKO still dept. is vacationing upstate, as is Helen McMahon, of the advertising dept. Colonel Gene Householder, Monogram representative in Washington, is visiting N. Y. William R. Ferguson, MGM exploitation head, was in Boston last week. Bryan D. Stoner, of Pennsylvania Enterprises, Inc., Pittsburgh booking combine, is back there after a business trip to N. Y. Irving Shiffrin, of the RKO publicity staff, has left for the Coast for a vacation. Arthur Freed, MGM producer, has returned to the Coast from New York. Madeleine White, Eastern Monogram publicity head, entertained her mother, father, brother, Ed, who is with Eastman, his three children, a sister and two cousins last week in her beach apartment. None brought any points, and Miss White's house can comfortably hold four people. John S. Allen, MGM Washington district manager, has returned to Washington after three days in New York. J. E. Perkins, Paramount International Far Eastern, Australian, New Zealand and South African manager, has left here for Australia, returning Sept. 1. Morris Goodman, Republic International president, has returned to N. Y. after two months in England, France, Spain and Portugal. Harold S. Bucquet, MGM director, has returned to the Coast from New York. E. W. Aaron, MGM circuit sales head, has returned to New York from a trip to four West ern exchanges. Lucille F. Plauche has been appointed Monogram Latin American publicity director by Norton V. Richey, vice-president in charge of foreign distribution. Bernard J. Gates, Monogram special representative, has arrived in Buenos Aires for six weeks from New York. He will also go to Rio before returning here. Murray Silverstone and Otto W. Bolle, 20thFox International president and director inAustralia, South Africa and New Zealand respectively, have arrived on the Coast from New York. Anne Crystal, Harry Thomas' secretary at PRC, is vacationing in Connecticut. Dave Bader, trade press contact of 20th-Fox, celebrated his second wedding anniversary Monday. CINCINNATI A total of $1,321,225 in War Bonds was sold at Cincinnati's Seventh War Loan Bond Show at the Shubert Friday night. Admission tickets netted $872,525 and the remaining $448,700 was brought in by auctioning hard-to-get items for bonds. "Conflict" was the feature film shown following the auction. Cancellation of the national meeting of Variety Clubs of America due to transportation difficulties has caused the local club to rescind the order set earlier in the week appointing delegates. Those who had been scheduled to attend were Ralph Kinsler, chief barker ; Alan Moritz, national canvassman ; Irving Sochin and Lev Bugie, delegates. The club will await instructions on a possible fall meeting. Pete Niland and Charles Palmer, both convalescents, returned to the Columbia exchange June 25. Frank Schrieber, Universal, is taking the second week of his vacation. Helen Eberhart is also vacationing. The Fox First Club was to have its annual l)'cnic June 30 at the Summit Hills Country Club. Bob Lasance is chairman of arrangements. Queen City Variety Club is drumming up its family picnic, July 2. Saul Greenberg is chairman, with Arthur Mannheimer, Jack Fineberg, Harris Dudelson and Irving Sochin, assistants. Ann White is chairman of women's activities. Harry Hilling, veteran exhibitor of Ludlow, Ky., and operator of The Elm, will build a new Ludlow house as soon as priorities permit. Twentieth-Fox will hold the world premiere uf "Captain Eddie" August 1 at the Ohio, Columbus. Exhibitors booking on the Row this week (Continued on Next Page) 160 YEARS OF SERVICE. A poll of employes of Paramount's New Haven exchange found eight members of the staff having served the company, all tolled, 160 years. Years of service range from 13 to 27. Here they are. Seated (1-r) : Margaret McKinnon, Anna Fitzpatrick. Standing (1-r): Jule Van Orden, J. G. Moore, branch manager, H. Germaine, Greauy Callahan, DeChantal Smith. R. Carroll.