Showmen's Trade Review (1945)

November 3, 194? SHOWMEN'S TRADE REVIEW 29 pocket the money will come. The law provides :hat remuneration may be paid by "companies, partnerships and persons carrying on the business of selling, renting, exchanging or distributing motion picture films, operating or leasing theatres," pro-rata as decided by the LieutenantGovernor. The Federal government has announced that the National Film Board has been transferred from the jurisdiction of the War Services Department to the Department of Health and National Welfare, under Health Minister Brooke Claxton. Well known to theatremen for years and a critic whose opinions were much respected, Ernie Harrold, associate editor of the Ottawa Citizen, died last week. Douglas E. Pope, inspector of Montreal Protestant Schools, addressing a large gathering of parents at an association meeting here, stressed the need for more education via the use of films. He pointed out the great work done in this respect by the Army and ventured that schools here would soon be using this method extensively. Police here are on the lookout for thieves who carted off a 500-pound safe from the Tivoli, St. Thomas, Ont, and are believed to have headed for this city. The loot included $950 in war bonds and $100 in currency. Raoul Authier, formerly art director with Renaissance Films, is currently in New York acting as art consultant for Filmcraft Productions. He intends to return here shortly to prepare for a series of musical productions to 3e made in Canada by Filmcraft. Production is scheduled to start at the first of the year. A prominent speaker at B'nai B'rith last week \ as Louis Nizer of New York. The Town of Alymer, Ontario, is modernizing an old municipal building and the plans include a theatre on the second floor. What proportion >f the cost is allotted to the theatre is not known, but the general project will involve some $7000. The Empress threw open its doors to the kiddies last Saturday for its annual Halloween Ghost Show. Featured were the Little Players of the Air. Frank Makarios, manager, who acted as host to the kids, reported a packed house. Details of a contest wrill be made known shortly, in which artists will be asked to submit plans and sketches for Montreal's proposed multi-million dollar theatre and cultural center. The company formed to handle preliminaries is known as The Palace of Victory, Inc. Hector Perrier, K.C., has been named president. Winners of the contest will receive the regular fee plus cash awards of $1000, $700 and $500." The :losing date will be February 15. George Ganetakos, founder and managingdirector of United Amusements Corp., last week ivas the recipient of a silver engraved tray from the Kiwanis Club on the occasion and in commemoration of 25 years as a member. At the ;ame time, Ganetakos launched the Christmas Cheer Fund of the Club, with a substantial contribution. The events took place at the Windsor Hotel. HARRISBURG Nearly 150 exhibitors, film exchange members, officials and managers of central Pennsylvania theatres attended a luncheon at the Penn Harris Hotel to launch the Victory Loan in which showmen will play a prominent part. John F. Nolan of Scranton, division chairman, accepted the pledges of each one of the exnibitors present to sponsor a bond premiere. Even the smaller houses, only a few of which participated in previous drives, are planning premieres and special showings. Free Movie Day, a feature of past drives, again will be held, while during a two-week period, theatre personnel will operate the Bond House near the square, and all bonds sold will go to their "redit. The trailer. "Hollywood Caravan." opened MEETS THE SELLERS. At a press reception held in New York last week, Joan Crawford met some of the sales executives who are selling her first Warner picture, "Mildred Pierce." Here she is shown with I. F. (Mike) Dolid, supervisor of exchanges, and Ed Hinchy, head of the playdate department. October 31 and November 1 in the first run houses to be followed next week in the neighborhoods, as soon as prints are received. Houses are bannered with lavish lobby displays and staff members stationed in lobbies and foyers to accept purchases. Out-of-tovvners present included George Schwartz, Universal, Philadelphia; Robert Lynch, MGM, Philadelphia; Ulrich Smith, Paramount, Philadelphia; Sam Gross, 20th-Fox, Philadelphia; Charles Zagrans, RKO, Philadelphia ; William G. Mansell, Warners ; Lou Golding, Fabian Theatres ; Jack Cohen, Philadelphia, and exhibitors from nearby counties including Cumberland, York, Perry, Snyder, Schuylkill, Franklin. Lancaster, Lebanon and Mifflin. Ground was broken for the new Camp Hill theatre to seat 1000 last week, and the $150,000 building is expected to be completed in time for a spring opening. William Lynch Murray, Harrisburg architect, has been retained to draw the plans, and Paul A. Martin, Mt. Joy, the contractor, is directing the work. His employes started drilling a well for the air-conditioning system, first item in the construction. The lounge will afford a view of the street and the front of the building will be of brick and marble, with murals used in interior designs. Television provisions will be included. Harry Chertcoff, Lancaster, is owner of the Lemoyne, Strand and Standard in Steelton, as well as several in Lancaster county. There is no other house in Camp Hill, the nearest being Lemoyne. Alex Barket, Senate assistant manager, and Mary Meader of the Waves were married recently. Barket and his bride went on a wedding trip to Cleveland where she was discharged from active service. He has been assistant manager at the Senate for two years, replacing Bob McKay, who went into the Navy. Henry I. Marshall, former emcee at the Rio's Saturday matinees for children and active in the Seventh War Loan here, has written two new bond songs, Buy a Bond and I'm Going to Adopt a Little Baby, which he introduced at a rally in Cleveland, attended by bond workers from eleven states. He will serve as special events chairman for the current campaign in this section. MILWAUKEE Word comes from upstate that awards were recently made in a contest among the managers of eleven theatres of the S & M Circuit, the object being the largest increase in box-office, vending and other revenue. First prize went to Don Harrington, manager of the Grand and Times, Clintonville. The manager at Ripon came in second, with third place in the contest going to the house of Tomah. Other houses in this circuit and in the contest were those at Menasha. Appleton, Oshkosh and the Wauwatosa, in the Milwaukee suburb of that name. In a few months Gales ville, Wis., is to have another theatre, according to Mr. and Mrs. J. S. Johnson of that city, who have purchased land for the erection of a movie house 40x130. Construction has started and much of the work is expected to be completed this year, but the new house probably will not be opened until late winter or early spring. The proposed Telenews Theatre in downtown Milwaukee, is still in the architectural layout form. No new building is contemplated ; instead, an existing structure, not very old, will be remodeled. Although that part of the work can be started shortly, there will be an unavoidable delay in securing the proper equipment for this new venture, the idea being the opening of a new show house for television, to be the first in Wisconsin. In the Milwaukee area, a start was made about a year ago to give young people movie programs that will make them forget rowdyism, such as is now reported by theatre managers of this city. On Saturdays, for a year, the Mothers' Club has been the sponsor for movie programs of special interest to young folks, shows on Saturdays consisting of cartoons, news and one feature of the right kind for youngsters, the program running for about 2^ hours. A committee of mothers and theatre managers in this area select the subjects. In Milwaukee, according to Mrs. D. P. Blount, district PTA chairman, about 100,000 admissions are sold each week to youngsters. In her opinion, the subjects in the average theatre induces the average youngster to see pictures that are replete with love, crime and sex, and such subjects have a marked effect, she says, on the attitude, conduct and emotional development of young people. The head of the PTA at the Sherman School, in this city, Mrs. W. E. Westfahl, states that the Saturday afternoon movie project sponsored by the mothers is teaching young people how to behave in public places. OMAHA Fred MacMurray spent a night here following a pheasant hunt in South Dakota and before boarding a plane for Los Angeles. His hunting companion was Capt. Claude Binyon of Chicago, a writer now in the Signal Corps, who has been working on movies to send overseas. Tom Pilley, former Film Row mailman, who (Continued on Page 30) EVERYTHING YOU NEED! POPCORN F,NE H 4 10 PER POPPING T I ■■■V 100 Lbs. CONDITION CEILING PRICE POPCORN SEASONING AND SALT (POINTS ON SEASONING) 10c SIZE CARTONS $6.50 PER M. ALL SIZES OF BAGS ORDER ENTIRE YEAR'S REQUIREMENTS NOW! IMMEDIATE SHIPMENT All PMCES F.O.B. CHICAGO POPPERS BOY PRODUCTS CO. 60 E. 13th ST. CHICAGO, ILL.