Showmen's Trade Review (Apr-Jun 1946)

SHOWMEN'S TRADE REVIEW, June 22, 1946 27 REGIONAL NEWSREEL a few days visiting Buzz Briggs, vice president of the State Theatre. Stahl had just come from the Salt Lake City film golf tournament, where he copped one of the top prizes. At the Calcutta golf tournament of the Rocky Mountain Screen Club, held at the Lakewood Country Club, Chet Bell, Paramount exchange manager, copped first place with a net 68 ; Harry Ferguson, ASCAP, second, net 73; Bill Agren, booker for Fox Denver Theatres, third with a net 74. Out of town exhibitors seen on film row included John Bertalero and Charles Klein, Deadwood, S. D., both of the Black Hills Amusement Co.; J. B. McMahon, Mesilla Park, N. M. ; Ray Katzenbach, Brush, Colo. ; Paul Tramp, Akron, Colo. ; Robert Spahn, Mitchell, Neb. ; Fred Curtis, Thermopolis, Wyo. ; A. N. Beezley, Burlington, Colo. ; Sam Rosenthal, Buffalo, Wyo. MILWAUKEE Manager Ernest Byer of the Gem Theatre, Green Bay, Wis., states that the Gem Theatre at Black River Falls, Wis., is equipped with a 16mm. projector and that patrons have nothing but praise for the pictures thrown on the screen through the narrow film. Another feature, he says, which is bringing many mothers with children in arms to the Gem is the new cry room, to which mothers retire when the kids get unruly during the show. From this room mothers can see the film clearly and hear every word spoken on the sound track. This is going to be good business, Byer declares, for many mothers have heretofore foregone the pleasure of seeing shows, knowing that the babies might annoy other patrons. The new theatre at Manawa is now assured, according to W. E. Billman, who has charge of the advance subscriptions, and money is coming in faster than had been expected. In addition, Karl Sturm, temporary president until the permanent organization is formed, states that a score or more individuals have promised to sign up for stock as soon as the building operations commence, which will be when building restrictions are removed. Last week six young movie actresses — Georgia Lange, Lynne Walker, Irene Vernon, Shirley Pickering, Lorraine de Horne and Mary Ellen Gleason, all from Goldwyn's, visited Milwaukee on that 15,000 mile tour of 35 cities in this country and Canada. A building permit has been taken out for the new Coleman Theatre at Coleman, Wis., by Ralph Wettstein, the owner. The architects for the new structure are Foeller, Schober, Berners, Saffron & Jahn, of Green Bay, Wis. Plans have been approved by the state authorities for the erection of a new theatre building at Lodi, Wis., of which Lyle Turner is to be the owner. The preliminary layout shows that the theatre is to have 500 seats and is to be air conditioned. ATLANTA Atlanta— Douglas F. Avey, 27, son of Roy M. Avey, director of community houses for the Georgia Theatres Company, died June 14 after a long illness. Young Avey was among the first troops of the 101 Artillery Division to land on New Guinea, where he served two years. Beside his parents, his wife survives. At its June meeting, Atlanta Tent 21, Variety Club, presented a check for $12,000 to the build SWELLS HOSPITAL FUND. The Children's Hospital Building Fund of the Variety Club was swelled by $31,200 when a check for this amount was given by A. E. Lichtman, chairman of the Welfare Committee of Tent No. 11, Washington, D. C, and J. E. Fontaine, chief barker of Tent No. 11, to Charles D. Drayton, president of the board of directors of Children's Hospital Left to right: Mr. Drayton, Mr. Fontaine and Mr. Lichtman. ing fund of St. Joseph's Infirmary, to be used to provide beds for indigent boys and girls. Ralph McGill, a barker who is also a team captain in the fund drive, accepted the donation. The presentation ceremony was broadcast via Radio Station WATL. Grover C. Parsons, for the past three years manager of the Paramount exchange here, has resigned and accepted a similar post across the street at PRC. His successor has not been named. Fred Levine, city manager of the Bach Theatres Company, is vacationing in Florida. Grover Shaeffer, PRC home office representative, and Tom Guinan, special representative, are visiting the local branch. John K. Jenkins, president of Astor Pictures, Dallas, Tex., is visiting at the local branch. John K. Jenkins, president of Astor Pictures, Dallas, Tex., is visiting William (Snake) Richardson, president of Astor here. Hal Jordon, special sales representative of Monogram Southern Exchanges, is back from vacation with a Florida tan. Lonnie Smith announces the sale of his theatre, the Twiggs, Jefferson, Georgia, to Floyd K. Horton. O. S. Barnett, Monogram booking manager, is on vacation. One of the passengers aboard the first Shopper's Plane, new air service between Albany, Ga., and Atlanta, was A. C. Gortatowsky, Georgia Theatres Company executive. Toddy Pictures Company here announces that their Negro comedies — featuring "Pigmeat" Markham, "Fight That Ghost" and "House Rent Party" have been contracted for by the Bijou Amusement Co. and Wometco Theatres, Inc., for approximately 100 houses. In addition, the local Toddy exchange has closed deals with 210 independent theatres. U. S. Army walkie-talkie equipment will be used for the first time to exploit a picture here when "The Seventh Veil" opens June 31 at the Paramount Theatre, according to Manager Frank Bickerstaff. Theatre and exchange friends are throwing stork showers for Mrs. Paul Jones, wife of the movie editor of the Atlanta Constitution. Mrs. Perry Spencer, wife of Universal's southern advertising representative, is spending the summer at Atlantic Beach, L. I. Ben Hill, of Dallas, Tex., who covers a huge slice of the country as UA press ace, in for a brief visit. Harry Graham, southeastern salesmanager of Universal, is off to the New York sales convention. He will be joined by R. L. Partlow, Atlanta branch manager; Buford Styles, Lucien Wallace, Charles Clark, Fred Mathis, Kenneth Laird, Tom Miller, Robert Langer, J. Tomlinson and Perry Spencer. They will be joined here by the New Orleans delegation and their train later will pick up the Charlotte gang. Harry G. Ballance, southern salesmanager of 20th Century, Paul S. Wilson, division manager, and Fred Dodson, branch manager, are back from their flying tour of Europe and much excited about the audience they had with Pope Pius. CLEVELAND RKO theatre division manager Harry Schreiber, is wondering where all the people come from who are crowding into the Palace Theatre to see and hear his stage show. Carmen Cavallero had the walls bulging and Spike Jones opened to more of the same kind of business. The house reverts to straight pictures next week. Business is so good generally that it's deader than a door nail around the film building where exhibitors congregate in groups only when they have a gripe. Milton Mooney added his 112th to the number of theatres his Cooperative Theatres of Ohio is now buying and booking for. Latest to join Co-op are Mrs. Nezara's four theatres in Lorain and the M.C. Auto Theatre of Creston, just re-opened by new owners R. J. Martin and Eddie Cain. Place had been closed for the duration of the war. William N. Skirball headed out to the coast again to see what his newly acquired ranch looks like, leaving supervision of his theatre circuit to Joe Lissauer and Lou Blumenfeld. The Perc Essicks are formally installed in their summer home at Lakeside, Ohio, for the season. Bernard Kranze, RKO district manager and Mrs. Kranze, are vacationing in French Lick Springs, Ind. Kranze claims it's his first vacation in three years. Howard Burkhardt, manager of Loew's State Theatre, is another vacationist. He is spending a couple of weeks in New York and the nearby seaside resorts. Stanley Dudelson, son of Moe Dudelson, in his capacity as Film Classics representative, was a visitor last week of local Film Classic manager Bob Snyder. UNRRA is $500 richer because of a donation of that amount made by the local Variety Club. Lester Zucker, Columbia branch manager, is in charge of UNRRA collections. Show Wagon, sponsored by the Press and the City Division of Recreation, open"ed its second summer season last Monday. This is an itinerant 2-hour street show, staged from a traveling truck. Amateur acts are recruited from the neighborhood where Show Wagon is routed. Although competition to the theatres, it was not regarded last year as a serious menace. This year's rapidly rising cost of living might paint another picture, however. Leo Jones, owner of the Star Theatre, Upper Sandusky and some four or five other theatres throughout this area, is packing up his family (Continued on Page 28)