Showmen's Trade Review (Apr-Jun 1946)

26 SHOWMEN'S TRADE REVIEW. June 22, 1946 REGIONAL NEWSREEL (Continued from Page 25) that of George Tornow, 57, manager of the Balaban & Ratz Park Theatre in LaGrange, IH. The Russell C. Roshan Film Exchanges report the completion of a deal with Columbia for fifteen new unit programs, to be distributed through their seventeen branches for the 16mm. trade. Henry H. Fantas has been elected Chief Barker of the new Variety Club of the American Legion, succeeding Max Factor, who resigned to go to the West Coast. Paul Sadzeck of Universal was named Sergeant at Arms. John Sokely, formerly Warner Oklahoma City manager, has been transferred to Chicago as office manager. At the annual board of directors meeting of the Bell & Howell Company J. H. McNabb was re-elected president and treasurer ; A. S. Howell, J. H. Booth, B. E. Seechbart, L. A. McNabb, P. A. Birrhfield, H. W. Remerscheid, and W. H. Haun were made vice presidents ; C. H. Percy secretary; and L. A. Lutz comptroller. In and out of Chicago : Emil Stern, Essaness general manager, back from New York; Lou Phillips of Paramount back to New York ; Al Weinberg, advertising manager for Warner Theatres ofif for the Coast on vacation ; Barbara Hale of RKO and Bill Williams here preparing for their marriage on Saturday (June 22) ; also seen were Sam and Mrs. Katz, Jack Benny, Terry Turner, Jack Cummings, Jack Donohue, and Dick Whorf. The DeVry Corporation is completing a new third floor at the Armitage Avenue plant. S. J. Gregory, managing director of the Alliance Theatre circuit, and Pete Panagos, promotion manager, are on the West Coast making an inspection of chain's theatres in Washington. Guy Greathouse has received his discharge from the Army and has returned to manage the Palace Theatre at Auroa, Ind. Charles V. Austin has purchased the Grand Theatre on South Pulaski Avenue from Casey Ides. Riverside, a high class suburb which has never allowed movies in the town, has changed its mind. At a recent referendum the cause of films won by 958 to 108. Several theatre men are after a site to build an 800-seat house, al though lack of materials may delay the project for some time. The Basic Food Materials Company reports a new butter flavor for the use of popcorn. George Smale is agent for the company in the Chicago territory. COLUMBUS ~ John Hardgrove, former manager of the Southern, is now supervisor of the six Academy theatres here. It's reported that the deal which would have resulted in the Knickerbocker becoming a member of Jack Kane's six-city burlesque circuit has fallen through. The Knickerbocker continues its picture policy, but it is no secret that the theatre is on the market. Progress on the construction of two new Columbus theatres is "satisfactory," according to officials of the F. & Y. Construction Co. The theatres are the Esquire and the University. The Esquire is being built for the Samson Operating Co. and the University for the 1980 N. High Street Co. Both will be a part of the Academy chain. Girl employes of the Ritz and Rivoli theatres have formed a swimming team and work out at the Hilltop pool. The girls are Inez Wharton, Marge Laughlin, Joanne Boase, Kathryn McGuire and Janice Erbst. Manager George Pekras furnished the girls with beach robes. The Goldwyn Girls, on tour in advance of "The Kid From Brooklyn," made a wide swath among local dignitaries, on the air and in the press. The girls staged a fashion show at Lazarus Department Store and visited Mayor Rhodes and Governor Lausche. The girls are Georgia Lange, Shirley Pickering, Lorraine De Rome, Mary Ellen Gleason, Lynne Walker and Irene Vernon. The Passwaters Theatre, Mt. Sterling, has been purchased by the Chakeres Theatres Co. of Springfield. Charles MacDonald, owner of the Southern Theatre, York, Pa., and Mrs. MacDonald were local visitors last week. During the war MacDonald served with the Navy at the Port Columbus Naval Air Facility. New members of the Variety Club include Harold Schwartz and Frank Yassenoff, partners in the Eastside and Riverside auto theatres, and Joseph S. Summer, 256 S. Columbus Avenue. Ralph Walker, former head usher at the State, is the new assistant manager of the Southern. Lee Waldschmidt, who served with the Army as Captain of an infantry company, is back at his civilian job as projectionist at the Westmont. John Probst, Ohio maintenance man, was hospitalized for a few days last week when he sustained foot injuries when a counterweight fell. Fred Oestreicher, Ohio and Broad publicist, became a great-uncle with the arrival last week of a baby girl at the home of his nephew, Major R. G. Oestreicher, World War II air corps veteran. DENVER DEVRY EXPORT MANAGER AT CONVENTION. Norman D. Olsen (front row, center), export manager for the DeVry Corporation, manufacturers of 35-mm. motion picture sound equipment, attended the recent Latin American Association of Theatre Exhibitors Convention held in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Front row (1-r) : Juan Perez Grovas (Mexico); Olsen; Mariano Rivero (Venezuela). Back row: Mr. Gomez (Dominican Republic) ; Dr. Cesar Camejo (Cuba) ; Mr. Villanueva (Dominican Republic); Vicente Blanco (Venezuela). Mae McDonald, secretary in Metro district manager Henry Friedel's office, and Rolland Allstadt of Denver, listened to wedding bells last week. J. B. McMahon, owner of the Mission, Masilla Park, N. M., expects to reopen as soon as he can get new seating. Lew Grofsilk, branch manager Chicago, for General Register Corporation, was in town calling on trade. More than 400 have been invited to attend the reception following the formal wedding of Susanne Bell, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Earl Bell. Bell is the Warner manager here. The wedding will be at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception at 10 a.m., June 29, to be followed by a breakfast in the Mayfair room at the Brown Palace. The reception will also be at the Brown, in the Onyx room. Michael J. Kennedy of Chicago will be the bridegroom. Chas. Walker, district manager and Herman Wobber, division manager, were in Denver for the World premiere of the 20th Century-Fox "Smoky," which took place Tuesday at the Denver, Esquire and Webber theatres. June Watts, 20th Century-Fox secretary, and Ted Brown, just out of the navy, announced their wedding for August. Stanley Thomatos, Alpine manager, is the father of a baby girl, 7 pounds, Catherine. A. N. Beezley, owner of the Midway, Burlington, is the daddy of a baby girl born recently. An attempt was made last week to break into the Commercial Film Exchange after the screens had been cut. The name of the Sioux, Crawford, Neb., purchased recently by Frank Barnes from Isabella Strohmeyer, has been changed to the Elite. Rhea Dawn Steckler, inspectress at the MGM exchange, was married recently to Dick Ivy, head shipper of PRC. Columbia home office representative Martin Winart, is here for a few weeks checking things at the local exchange. The contingent from the Universal exchange left over the week-end for New York to attend the national Universal sales meet. Gone from here are manager Mayer Monsky, Salesman Harold Michaels, Frank Green, Emmett Warner and Booker James Mooney. Marvin Stahl, special representative of Kenneth Young, president of Pathe Industries, spent