Showmen's Trade Review (Jan-Mar 1947)

SHOWMEN'S TRADE REVIEW, January 4. 1947 35. REGIONAL NEWSREEL lard Hotel, at a cocktail party and luncheon. Nathan D. Golden, chief barker for 1947, will be installed in proper ceremonies. New officers for 1947 also include : first assistant chief barker, Frank Boucher; second assistant chief barker, Frank La Fake; property master, Jake Flax; dough guy, Sam Galanty; counsel, Alvin Newmyer. MILWAUKEE Andre M. Spheeris' Towne Theatre in Milwaukee is holding on to good business after a iwank opening on Dec. 26 which saw city officials and other prominent people attending. The house, which is the first theatre for exclusive United Artists product, opened with the Marx Bros, in "A Night in Casablanca." Spheeris, head of a wholesale tobacco house in Milwaukee, recently returned from the army which he entered as a buck private and left as a colonel. At Washburn, Wis., a former Milwaukee policeman is charged with the theft of a $400 projector from the Barkdale Works of the DuPont Company. The ex-policeman has pleaded not guilty, but has been held at the county jail in lieu of $1,000 bond. The stolen machine was discovered among other projectors brought to a Milwaukee film store for repairs. The repairman noticed the serial number of the projector had been filed off, which aroused his suspicion and an investigation showed that the machine was the one which was stolen at Washburn some time before. At the three theatres of Waukesha, Wis. (about 18 miles west of Milwaukee) special Christmas movies were shown on Dec. 21 for youngsters only, the same films being taken from one show house to the other, as all three are owned and operated by the same local company. The feature picture was "Alice in Wonderland," with specially selected cartoons and subjects suitable for a Christmas program. It was a sellout at all three showhouses. MEMPHIS Funeral services for Chambliss Hayden Collier, 41-year-old Drew, Mass., theatre owner, were held Saturday, Dec. 28. Drew died in a Memphis hospital, returning to the hospital after he had been discharged following an airplane accident on Oct. 31. Col. Charles E. Kessnich, district manager of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer at Atlanta, visited Memphis this last week, his first visit to Memphis since it was removed from his territory about two years ago. Robert Bostik, branch manager of National Theatre Supply Company entertained employes Friday, Dec. 27, with a turkey dinner and dance at the Variety Club. Tom Young, branch manager of 20th Century -Fox Pictures ; Louis Ingram, branch manager of Metro; and M. A. Lightman, president of Malco Theatres, Inc., also were hosts to employe parties during the holiday season. R. M. (Buster) Hammond, Memphis representative of United Artists, is recovering from an illness. Five-week run here of Laurence Olivier's "Henry V" ended New Year's week, the picture being replaced at the Flexer-Haberfeld Rita with "A Yank in London." "Henry V" played in Memphis to the heaviest promotion campaign any picture has had in years. Tommy Bal'lridge. of the theatre, and representatives Films Still Bound? Canada plans to drop its war-time wage and gasoline price controls March 13, 1947, but so far there is no indication that the ceiling placed on theatre admissions will be lifted on that date, reports from Toronto say. Further, the federal supervision of film groupings for rental contracts looks like it might stay and there is no ground for any hope that the 20 per cent amusement admission tax will go. of United Artists achieved unusual newspaper plugs, editorials and even page-one mention in the Memphis newspapers. They also obtained heavy plugging of the picture on Memphis radio stations and in addition gained co-operation through the schools, numerous school parties to see the picture being organized. Many Memphians, however, refrained from seeing the picture fearing that it was too high hat for them. Others were confused by the 1600 stage setting at the opening of the picture, and by the British accents. HARTFORD Henry Needles, Hartford district manager for the Warner Theatres Circuit, held a holiday party at his home in West Hartford last week, for managers of Warner Theatres in the Hartford district. Attending were: Jim McCarthy, Strand, and Frank Morin, Regal, both Hartford ; Joe Borenstein, Strand, and Joe Miklos, Embassy, New Britain ; John Scanlon, Warner, and George Harvey, Palace, Torrington ; Dennis Rich, Cameo, and Victor Morrelli, New Bristol, Bristol ; Jack Sanson, State, and Fred Raimo, Circle, Manchester. At the holiday party last Thursday night, Dec. 26, on the stage of Loew's Poli-Palace, Hartford, employes of the two Loew Hartford theatres, Poli and 1 alace to the number of 100 were on hand. Service staff members with 10 or more years with the circuit received 10-year service pins. Admissions were increased five cents (from 55c to 60c) for New Year's Eve and New Year's Day at the Center Theatre, Hartford. 1 A. M. Schuman, general manager of the Hartford Theatres Circuit, and Mrs. Schuman have returned to Hartford following a trip down to New Orleans and Hot Springs, Ark. A baby girl was born to Mr. and Mrs. Tom Alquist at the Hartford Hospital, Hartford, last week. Tom is assistant to Manager Martin H. Kelleher of the Princess. The daughter has been named Mary Ann. In West Hartford, the engagement of Diane Joyce Berman, daughter of Mrs. Gertrude J. Berman, and the late Aaron Berman of West Hartford, to Richard Boris Morros, son of Hollywood Producer Boris Morros and Mrs. Morros, has been announced. Richard Morros, since his discharge from service, has been producing motion pictures in Europe. In New Haven, the engagement of Audrey Joan Brown, daughter of Manager Bill Brown of the New Haven Loew-Poli Bijou, and Mrs. Brown to a New Haven man, Harold B. Godfrey, has been announced. Fred Meyers, Universal's eastern sales manager, was a recent visitor at the office of Branch Manager Arthur Greenfield, Universal exchange, New Haven. Harry F. Shaw, division manager for the Loew's Poli-New England Theatres, was a recent Hartford visitor. Morris Mendelsohn, Loew's Poli circuit legal department head, and Mrs. Mendelsohn are observing their 10th wedding anniversary. A. M. Schuman, general manager of the Hartford Theatres Circuit, Hartford, has a new Buick. Ernie Grecula, advertising and publicity director for Hartford Theatres Circuit, ran a coloring contest for "Make Mine Music," which was booked day-and-date into all five of that circuit's neighborhood theatres in Hartford. Margaret Tilley is the new assistant manager at the Center Theatre here, replacing Paul Roberts, resigned. Edward Schultz, manager of the Plaza, Northampton, was recently married to a Holyoke girl, Miss Rose C. Donitz. Lou Brown, advertising and publicity director for. the Loew's Poli circuit, was in charge of a publicity meeting on "The Razor's Edge," held at the circuit's New Haven division offices. On hand were Lou Cohen, Loew's Poli, Hartford ; Morris Rosenthal, Loew's Poli, New (Continued on Page 34) SOCHIN NAMED CHIEF BARKER. Irving Sochin was elected Chief Barker of Variety Tent No. 3, Cincinnati, at a dinner held recently in that city. Shown above are (seated, 1-r) Leavitt J. Bugie retiring Chief Barker; General William McCraw, national officer; Colonel Arthur Frudenfeld; Irving Sochin, new Chief Barker. Standing (1-r): Alan Moritz, Jack Frisch, Saul Greenberg, William Onie, Ben Cohen, H. J. Pop Wessel, Ralph Kinsler. and Father Norbert Miller, chaolain.