Showmen's Trade Review (Jan-Mar 1947)

34 SHOWMEN'S TRADE REVIEW. January 4, 1947 REGIONAL NEWSREEL (Continued from Page 33) Haven ; Matt Saunders of the Bridgeport Poli ; and Bob Carney, relief manager of the Waterbury Poli. Renovations have been completed at the local Rial to Theatre. In Williamsburg, Mass., the building housing the Walden Theatre, now operated by Mr. and Mrs. Clarence King, has been purchased by the Kings from A. S. Thornton of Grahamsville, N. Y., and Mrs. B. G. Harrington, Orlando, Fla. Freddie Bartholomew, the actor, was in Hartford last week making personal appearances at the State Theatre. Int Hartford, Police Chief M. J. Godfrey has requested the Corporation Counsel's office for an opinion on whether the Bushnell Memorial, Avery Memorial, the State Armory, and several other buildings — including Hartford schools — should be required to obtain theatre licenses. The chief, in his letter to the Corporation Counsel, said admission charges are levied in all the buildings named, including the schools, for motion pictures and other performances for the public. IT STARTED WITH EIGHT PEOPLE. Last week 16 years later more than 300 employes attended the annual Christmas party of the Martin-Thompson Theatres which was held at the Hotel Dempsey in Macon, Ga. Left to right are Buford Boone, editor of the Macon Telegraph, E. D. Martin (standing), Mrs. J. E. Thompson and her daughter, Sandra. The Martin-Thompson group now includes 16 theatres operated in Georgia by R. E. Martin, E. D. Martin, Roy Martin, Jr., and J. H. Thompson of Hawkinsville. DENVER Dorothy Seaborn, Denham cashier, was held up and robbed by a stickup who handed her a note saying "This is a robbery. Give me your greenbacks." She gave him $20. But police found the notebook from which the paper was torn and arrested the owner. Pat Pinnell, Columbia salesman, and Catherine Wade, Kansas City, were married in a ceremony at the Brown Palace hotel, followed by a small reception and a wedding dinner. They are on a honeymoon for two weeks. Paul Lyday, assistant manager of the Egyptian, is the proud father of twin boys. They have been named David and Dennis. Everett Thorner, publicity man for Warner Bros, here and in Salt Lake City, and Mrs. Thorner, are the parents of a 6-pound girl, Patricia Sydney. George Ryder has resigned as manager of the Gem, Golden, Colo., with no successor as yet. Poppers Supply has taken on the Page gas corn poppers for the Denver area. Al Gross, office manager for Metro, was hospitalized for flu which turned into pneumonia. He is recovering satisfactorily. Frank Childs, RKO salesman, is visiting father, who is ill in Arkansas. Al Hoffman, Metro salesman, underwent a tonsilectomy. Hugh Braly, who was cheated out of his vacation by being called back to Denver, has started out again for his vacation in California, spending part of the time in Hollywood and the balance at his ranch at Selma, Calif. Eddie Ashkins, PRC manager, has been moved to Los Angeles, where he will be connected with Eagle-Lion. Succeeding him is M. R. ("Bud") Austin, who recently resigned from Warner Bros, to join PRC as a salesman. Mr. and Mrs. Charles Duer and family are vacationing in New Orleans. Chet Bell, Paramount branch manager, will go to a Denver hospital soon for an eye operation. Beverly Miller, PRC district manager, Kansas City, and Max Roth, eastern sales manager, were in town. Ed Green, RKO salesman, is visiting his home (Continued nn Page 39) LONDON OBSERVATIONS Rank Satisfied With Bookings His Films Get in United States; Sees Expansion in Latin America Jock MacGregor By JOCK MacGREGOR J. Arthur Rank was in a happy mood at the fourth Annual Gaumont British press lunch at Claridges. The critics had been unanimous in their praise of "Great Expectations" whereas last year's function had come under the cloud of "Caesar and Cleopatra." Unlike several British producers who complain about the limited playdates they get in the U. S., Mr. Rank is well satisfied with the progress he has made. Already the Canadian market is paying well, and he told the press that he is convinced that in 1947 his pictures will be more widely shown in Central and Latin America. A minor, but to my way of looking at it, a significant point he made was that in the New Year his 400-odd Junior Clubs would be showing specially made programs one week in four and by the end of the year two in every four or five-week period. Though rentals from these shows are not large, it means that some half million future cinegoers will be got into the habit of seeing British films. * * * After the feast spread at the G-B luncheon, the critics were ironically invited by "March of Time" to view "World Food Shortage." This series is losing some popularity here as many of the subjects have only limited appeal for the English. Meanwhile, Rank's "Modern Age" is gaining both in strength and quality. The series is being extensively plugged. All GFD trade press ads carry the tag "Have you booked 'This Modern Age' yet?" and cinemas showing it sell it in all advertising. Even Odeon's large Piccadilly Circus pictorial display includes billing for the two-reeler. Now that the critics are summing up the 1946 achievements, quite a spot of mud is being slung once again at Hollywood, though, in all fairness, a couple of British films have not been neglected by the "dishonorably mentioned" department. While many speak of the great advances made by the home product it is hard to name six British-made films which come into the top class. Yet everywhere people enthuse over these few and damn Hollywood. The overall situation is that Hollywood films, taking the country as a whole, are still making very big money and, at the same time, the home product is doing better than before. I have previously referred to the strange attitude of London film critics towards the box-office and publish the following excerpt from Patrick Kirwan's column in the Evening Standard without comment : "As you will gather, I deny that 'The Razor's Edge' has any of the essential qualities of a good film, but none the less am sadly confident that it will be a resounding success." In Town to spend Christmas with his son, Sam Goldwyn stated that he had no intention of making any films here and could not anyway for two years as he is fully committed in Hollywood. Junior was working on Sydney Box's "Christopher Columbus" which for Technicolor reasons has been postponed, and will serve a five-year apprenticeship here.