Showmen's Trade Review (Jan-Mar 1947)

26 SHOWMEN'S TRADE REVIEW, February 1, 1947 REGIONAL NEWSREEL (Continued from Page 24) delinquency. The picture had its first screening at Ottawa when it was shown before a large gathering of civil servants in the auditorium of the National Research Council. Top-ranking officials of Famous Players Canadian Corp. participated in the third birthday banquet of the company's 25 Year Club in the Crystal Ballroom of the King Edward Hotel, Toronto, Jan. 30, at which numerous quarter-century employes in eastern Canada were inducted as members by President J. J. Fitzgibbons. The club's roster now comprises 89 veteran members of the circuit's staff. WASHINGTON Chief speaker at the Virginia Motion Picture Theatre Association's annual mid-winter conference at the Shoreham Hotel on Feb. 3, will be Senator A. Willis Robertson of Lexington, Va., who will talk on "The Motion Picture and Its Place in Today's Society." Sam Roth, Virginia Theatre circuit operator of Washington, D. C, who is chairman for the affair, also announced that Gov. William M. Tuck, of Virginia, and Mrs. Tuck will be present, along with many prominent Congressmen and their wives. Fred S. Kogod, K-B Theatres head, was named President of the D. C. Jewish Community Center. Kogod is a past chief barker of Variety Club Tent No. 11, serving in 1945. Albert Benson will replace J. E. Fontaine as branch manager of Paramount Pictures. Benson was recently shifted tr branch manager of the Cincinnati exchange. A nationwide radio program in support of the March of Dimes was broadcast from the White House. Speakers included Mrs. Truman, Mrs. Franklin D. Roosevelt and the movie starlet, Peggy Ann Garner. Sidney Lust's Bethesda Theatre arranged a novel "Family Night" booking on Friday and Saturday, Jan. 24-25 to encourage the whole family to attend in a group. Picture was "Little Annie Rooney" and a number of outstanding short subjects and cartoons rounded out the show. Washington theatre managers will cooperate with the Commissioners Traffic Advisory Board by showing on their screens a short subject educating District drivers in the use of the new hand signals effective Feb. 1. Happy birthday to the following Variety Club Tent No. 11 barkers: Ben Caplon, Feb. 1 ; Julius Lulley, George Wheeler and Samuel D. Cohen, Feb. 3 ; Fritz Hoffman, Feb. 5 ; Lloyd Wineland, Feb. 6 ; Max Rosenberg, Feb. 7 ; Stanley Hode, Edward Norris, Feb. 9. Ted Crowther, manager of Warners' City Opera House, in Frederick, Md., has been getting unusual cooperation from the local police department. Crowther furnishes them with a complete schedule of shows each week to aid them in handling traffic, and patrons learned of it. Now, when they can't get the theatre to find out what's playing, they call the police department. William K. Saxton, former chief barker of Fred Kogod IN BROTHERHOOD POST. David Weinstock (right) president of Raybond Theatres, New York, has accepted chairmanship for the film industry's financial campaign in behalf of National Conference of Christians and Jews. Receiving Weinstock's pledge to serve in the post is Everett R. Clinchy, president of NCCJ. the Baltimore Variety Club, will be honored on St. Valentine's day, Feb. 14, at a testimonial at the club's headquarters. Aside from Variety Club members, many filmites from out of town are expected to participate in honoring Saxton for his outstanding job for the club during the past year in which he displayed real showmanship and used both 'heart" and mind. Saxton is Loew's city manager in Baltimore and has been located in that city for the past 15 years. NEW YORK It was festival week along film row with more than one party in progress for more reasons than are usually necessary for a party. Over 200 friends and men who did business with Harry Furst started the ball a-rolling with a luncheon in honor of the retiring Universal salesmen held in a New York hotel. He was presented with a gold watch, a life membership in Motion Picture Associates, and a scroll signed by all those who dunked with him. And the 20th Century-Fox bookers and salesmen gathered around the luncheon table with hearty appetites for a going-away party to Sales Supervisor Morris Sanders, off to an extended vacation in Florida. They gave him some nice luggage. Also those who think weddings are the grandest things had their chance to prove it over at Monogram where Ruth Blank was wearing an orchid after a luncheon tendered her before she takes her leave of absence to marry Ben Hauben, who is not of the profession. Clara Notwatcheck is filling in for her while she's away. Twentieth Century-Fox percentage clerk Estelle Seichelman is home ill with one of these colds that have been playing hob with lots of folks along the row. Add to the girls who are practising to walk in time with the rhythm of a tune by a guy named Mendelssohn who will be remembered for something besides a song to spring: Claudia Freeman of 20th Century-Fox who an nounced her engagement to Dave Baydea. W. H. Wertime of the Chester Theatre at Chesteron, N. Y., was a New York visitor. Bernie Leventhal of the Wagner Theatre in Brooklyn is facing the New York now-it's-coldand-now-it's-not weather after some blazing days in Florida where he vacationed. Another New Yorker with a Florida burn is Jesse Stern, president of the Conference of Independent Exhibitors Association. United Artist Salesman Dick Perry is a grandfather these days, his son Seymour's wife having given birth to a seven-and-a-half pound boy who will be named Stephen. Probably gives him an added incentive for the Grad Sears drive which closed this week after a two-week extension. Another at United Artists, Gertrude Stoll, assistant cashier, is now a home owner in her own right, having finally found a home in Forrest Hills, Long Island. Ray Wylie, upstate booker for the same outfit had another birthday last week, but there was no office celebration, Ray being up in the wilds of New York at the time. United Artists is now assigning territories to student bookers with Arnold Grossman about to get one. Also to be assigned a territory is Walter McVay recently transferred from Detroit to New York as a salesman. Izzing Kaplan of Randforce is back from Mexico where he vacationed. Jerome Goldstein has joined 20th CenturyFox as a shipping assistant. Funeral services for Frederic P. Clement, 83-year-old father of Paramount International Secretary and Counsel Roger C. Clement, were held in Rutland, Vt., this week. The elder Clement died in Doctor's Hospital, N. Y. last Thursday. More wedding bells are sounding in the industry on Feb. 15 when Sid Goldsten of the MGM sales development staff, says T do" to Carolyn Greenberg. Stork schedule : Jan. 23, to Mr. and Mrs. Louis B. Ross, a girl, weight eight pounds one ounce, named Eileen Sue at the Rockaway Beach Hospital, L. I., N. Y. Papa is also the executive assistant at Confidential Reports. CLEVELAND Ernest Schwartz was elected by acclamation to serve as president of the Cleveland Motion Picture Exhibitors Association for the fourteenth consecutive year and was given high praise for the constructive service he has rendered to the Cleveland theatre owners during all these years. All other officers were also re-elected by acclamation. They are Albert E. Park, to serve his eleventh term as vice-president ; George W. Erdmann to serve as secretary for the twenty-first term, and James E. Scoville, as treasurer for the fourth term. Max Lefkowich of the Community Circuit was named to the board of directors which includes Henry Greenberger, John D. Kalafat, Meyer Fine, P. E. Essick, James E. Scoville, Ted Vermes, Henry Barden, Edward Bleier and Frank Poroszinski. Proposed repeal of the state 3 per cent admission tax was brought up for discussion at last week's annual CM PEA meeting, but because of the seriousness of such a repeal, the matter was referred to the board of directors. P. J. Wood, secretary of the Independent Theatre Owners of Ohio, opposes repeal of this tax, basing his opposition on fear that its repeal will be followed by municipal admission taxes