Showmen's Trade Review (1945)

52 S HO W M E N ' S T R A D E RE V I E W October 20. 1945 REGIONAL Continued his mother, Mrs. C. A. Garard, Carthage, 111., in the management of the New Woodbine, Carthage, and the New Dallas, Dallas City. Ed Fellis, interested with the Frisina Amusement Company in the operation of the Grand and Orpheum theatres, Hillsboro, 111., and a member of the Illinois House of Representatives, has been named by Governor Dwight Green to the state committee to investigate the source of un-American publications. Russell Hurt, formerly general manager and head booker of the L. & P. Theatres, Inc., Peru, 111., is now serving in a similar capacity for the Dixon Theatre Company, with headquarters at Dixon, 111. He has had some 27 years experience in the operation of theatres, starting his career in Indiana back in 1918. Robert Collier, Army veteran, has succeeded George Gordon as manager of the Liberty, Libertyville, 111. Sparta Theatres, Inc., of Sparta, 111., have installed new Simplex 4-Star sound equipment in the Sparta, as part of a general improvement program for that house. H. H. Newman has purchased the Strand, Marshall, 111., from his former associates in the house. It is being redecorated throughout. Frank Kennedy, formerly of Harrison, Ark., has succeeded Luther Carter as manager of the Band Box Theatre, Neosho, Mo. John T. Graham is the owner. Carter has become manager of the Grand and Rialto theatres in Siloa Springs, Ark. J. A. Weece, 61, owner of the Galva, Galva, 111., and a civic leader in the community for many years, died recently. He had been ill for several months. A modern air conditioning unit and new sound equipment has been installed in the New Theatre, Charleston, Mo., as part of the improvement program for that house. Guy Glover is its manager. The CC Theatre, a 350-seater, will be opened at Cole Camp, Mo., soon by C. C. Rhodes, who also has the Roxy, Warsaw, Mo. The CC has a double significance, standing for both the town's name and the initials of Rhodes. The theatre is being installed in a remodeled building. DENVER Capt. William Ostenberg, who before joining the Army Air Force, was manager of the Egyptian, Scottsbluff, Neb., for his father, is being discharged from the Army and will again manage the Egyptian as soon as building is completed. The house was destroyed by fire and is being rebuilt. Capt. Ostenberg is not only a WESTERN VICTORY LOAN CHAIRMEN IN SHIRTSLEEVES SESSION. Charles P. Skouras, national co-chairman and director of the industry's Victory Loan drive activities for 11 western states, presided over a recent inaugural shirtsleeve session of his chairmen to lay bond drive plans. In photo above are (1-r) Gus Metzger, George Tucker, Tracy Barham, Skouras and Tom Page. son of a theatreman, but also the son-in-law, being married to the daughter of Buzz Briggs, manager of the State, Denver. Merle Little has bought the Community from Arthur L. Campbell. Sgt. James B. Micheletti, who covered Wyoming and South Dakota for MGM before th^ war, is being discharged from the Army this week and will resume where he left off. Lon T. Fidler, Monogram franchise holder, left for a business trip to Dallas, and then will go to Kansas City to attend a testimonial dinner in honor of Elmer Rhoden. Fred Fraser is opening a theatre in Artesia, Colo., which is located in the new Rangeley oil district. Capt. Harold McCormick, who could have had a discharge, plans to continue in the Army Air Force for another enlistment period. His brother, George W., is stationed at Camp Flood. The men are owners of theatres in Canon City and Florence, Colo., and Hot Springs, Colo. VANCOUVER Since Armistice day falls on a Sunday, the following day has been declared a Dominion holiday. All business establishments will close, making it a good day for theatres. Odeon Theatres of Canada will build two large neighborhood theatres in Vancouver seating 1000 and 1200 respectively, and a new downtown house in Victoria on the site now occupied by the Blue Bus line station. The theatres are part of the circuit's program for 100 new houses in Canada. The Odeon Circuit has made the following changes : Elliott Brown has been switched from the Kingsway, Vancouver, to the management OUTLINE EXTENSIVE PROGRAM FOR VICTORY LOAN. An extensive program for the forthcoming Victory Loan drive was outlined recently by Irving Lesser, general chairman, and Morris Kinzler, campaign director, New York metropolitan motion picture industry, at a gathering at campaign headquarters in the Roxy Theatre. Pictured here are (1-r) John A. Cassidy, Morris Kinzler, Arthur Knorr, Irving Lesser, George A. Generalis, Sam Rauch, Harry Mandel and Harry Keller. of the Odeon, Trail, B. C. ; Bill Wallace from the Fraser to the Kingsway; Al Gaskin from Marpole to the Fraser and Cecil Bennett, formerly with Famous Players in the Okanagan, to the management of the Marpole. Vancouver theatres are enjoying top box-office business with all shows at capacity. Famous Players have a musical in each of four downtown houses. Attorney-General R. L. Maitland defended the film censor board here in a letter read to thes Vancoucer police commission, replying" to its request for a more strict check on films shown 'in local houses. Maitland said in part that "there is a great difference of opinion regarding tastes in hlms and the censor board is showing films which have been censored and passed by other film censor boards in Canada." "Dillinger" caused the present excitement. The circuits and projectionists Local 348 are working out contracts for the new season. The fight is again over the request for two weeks' vacation with pay. The Ottawa Government turned it down last year on an appeal by Famous Players from a regional labor board ruling, which approved it in British Columbia. John Redmond has sold the Grand, Maple Creek, Sask., to Dan Bowyer. Coney and Tyler have sold the Lyceum, Gull Lake, Sask., to Partridge and Armstrong, both newcomers to show business. Both houses are in farming communities. The Vancouver School Board has refused to endorse any search-for-talent programs which are sponsored by commercial interests. A suggestion by a local radio station that the trustees recommend a talent program to be held every Saturday to aid high school students with outstanding ability in the entertainment field, was unanimously defeated at the board meeting, with the consensus of opinion being that no organization will be allowed to make a living at the expense of school children. The proposed program was to be sponsored by the radio station and Odeon Theatres Circuit of Canada. The Olympia, Delia, Alberta, a small farming community, re-opened last week-end for Saturday shows only, after having" been dark for some time. Mary Ruddick, cashier at the Orpheum, was robbed of $96 last Tuesday in broad daylight, but the bandit was seized within five minutes by the police, although the money was not recovered. A few minutes before the holdup, the manager had removed $600 from the box-office. Famous Players and Warners arranged a special screening last Sunday for leading Vancouver musicians of "Rhapsody in Blue" at the Capitol. Several tieups have been arranged for the showing by Charles Doctor of; the Capitol and Glenn Ireton, Warner Canadian publicity head, here from Toronto. Robert Murray, the British Columbia jukebox king, has been forced to sell out his business to' Vancouver interests to meet a payment of nearly $165,000 in unpaid income taxes. Murray is out on bail .pending hearing of his