Showmen's Trade Review (Jan-Mar 1947)

S2 SHOWMEN'S TRADE REVIEW, February 1, 1947 REGIONAL NEWSREEL (Continued from Page 31) become a full-time housewife. Salesman Larry Moran passed out cigars in honor of his wife giving birth to a baby girl. Lester Coleman, assistant to George A. Smith, Paramount division chief, arrived from New York. He will leave this week. J. C. Wolfe, who operates a commercial and theatrical printing place on Cordova, celebrated his first year on the row last week. Wolfe bought the establishment from H. E. Woolever, who has since gone into real estate. At the same time, Jimmy Tyler, Wolfe's shop foreman, was congratulated on completion of his 20th year in theatrical printing. Harold Wirthwein, formerly Milwaukee branch manager, has been named to the newlycreated position of assistant district manager under Denver Transferee Hugh Braly at Paramount. All film row turned out for the opening Jan. 23 of the pre-fashioned Crest in Long Beach. Lloyd "Stony" Goad, Screen Guild booker, and his partner in his photo service, Bill Cummings, were on hand to snap the celebrities and rowites. DENVER "Blue Skies" is in its fifth week at the Denham ; "Song of the South" with "Falcon's Adventure" is on a holdover at the Orpheum, and "Razor's Edge" is in its eighth week in Denver first-runs, having shown two weeks each at the Denver, Esquire and Webber, where it showed day-and-date, and a week at the Aladdin. The film broke house records at the Denver, Esquire and Webber. Three of the top executives of Fox Intermountain Theatres are in the forefront of the drive for a $2,000,000 expansion fund for the University of Denver. They are Frank H. Ricketson, Jr., president ; Robert Selig, his assistant, and Harry Huffman, Denver city manager. The drive was officially launched by a huge parade in Denver in which were most of those huge rubber figures used in the annual Christmas parade by Macy, New York. Kearns iSverfs Panic Quick action on the part of Arthur Kearns, manager of William Goldman's Keith Theatre, Philadelphia, averted panic last week when fire broke out in adjoining buildings and filled the theatre with smoke and wind-fanned sparks. As the theatre filled with smoke and the audience became restless, Kearns went on the stage and explained the situation while house employes, led by Doorman Ellwood Yetter, helped marshal the crowd into the streets. Some of the audience, after reaching safety, immediately went to the box-office for refunds. Damage to adjoining buildings was in the neighborhood of $800,000. Jack McGee, city manager for Fox Intermountain theatres, Cheyenne, added to the good will among the Wyoming legislators by entertaining them at a screening and party on the opening of their session. The party, which is easily rated as the high spot of the sessions, was attended by Rick Ricketson, president Fox Intermountain, and his assistant, Robert Selig. Derald Hart, Pioneer, Lamar, Colo., manager, who has been taking advantage of the GI bill of rights in taking flying lessons, made his first cross-country flight when he flew from Lamar to Denver and return. Lon T. Fidler, Monogram franchise owner, spent some time in St. Luke's hospital with the flu. Mr. and Mrs. John Greve were severely bruised when their car skidded in the snow on a mountain pass on their way to Denver. Mr. and Mrs. G. I. Richards, former owners of the Windsor, Windsor, Colo., are just getting around following an auto accident early in the winter. Richards was severely injured when his car skidded on ice, and when Mrs. Richards was hurrying to him, her car skidded and she was likewise hospitalized. Len Gruenberg, RKO district manager, is due back in Denver Feb. 2, having been on the road since Dec. 28 in the interests of the Ned Depinet drive. Gibraltar Enterprises has closed the Craig, Craig, Colo., and has reopened the West. The latter theatre, in a much better location, has been done over. Ed Mapel, Gem owner and member of the City Council, has thrown away his cane. He was crippled about a year ago when, in a tussle with a man that had invaded his apartment, he rolled downstairs with the thug. Mapel broke his leg in the struggle. Charles Walker, district manager for 20th Century-Fox, of Salt Lake City, was in town conferring with James Dugan, branch manager. E. L. Belfield, Alexander Smith Carpet Company, has been moved to Denver from Salt Lake City, succeeding Tom O'Connell, who has been moved to Boston. Richard M. Verni, American Seating Company, was in town conferring with the staff of National Theatre Supply. Theatre owners from out of town seen on film row included R. Barchardt, Nucla, Colo. ; Fred Hall, Akron, Colo., and Mike Joseph, San Luis, Colo. MINNEAPOLIS Charles Weiner has been named branch manager of the Selznick Releasing Organization here. Weiner formerly was on the sales staff of the Minneapolis United Artists branch. SRO will take over the office space in the Pence Building presently occupied by North Central Allied, when NCA moves to the Loeb Arcade Feb. 1. John Fritcher has been named new office manager and head booker of United Artists replacing Clyde Cutter, who takes over city sales. Bob Smith has been added to the UA sales force and will travel in North Dakota. The Minneapolis UA branch is in second place in the Grad Sears sales drive which ends Feb. 18. Funeral services for Mrs. Marie Holmes Elliott, 63, wife of the late Jack Elliott, pioneer theatre man, were held here last week. Her late husband operated the Unique Theatre here for many years, and, with Harry Sherman, held Minnesota rights to "The Birth of a Nation." Paul H. Mans and Don F. O'Reilly, Twin Cities theatremen, and an associate, Ray L. Ives, have purchased the Kirch & Gillis cafe and night club in St. Paul. New faces on film row are Shirley Shafer, general clerk at Columbia, and Sybil Harris, booker's secretary at MGM. About $74,000 has been collected in northwest theatres for the Variety Club heart hospital to be built on the University of Minnesota campus. With returns still incomplete and many theatres yet to show the Abbott and Costello trailer, returns are expected to reach $80,000. Harry Seed, Warner Bros, district manager, was a visitor at the Minneapolis exchange. Art Anderson, local branch manager for Warner Bros, has been granted an indefinite leave of absence due to ill health and has left on a trip through the south and Mexico. Anderson has been a leader in the local Variety Club's welfare activities and was recently cited by the club for his work. Charles Jackson is functioning as acting branch manager during Anderson's absence. Staggered bookings on "Margie," caused by PLANS PRECEDE ACTION. Advance planning makes for efficient showmanship, and that practical rule was followed to the letter of detail in connection with the big-league campaign to mark the midwestern premiere of MGM's "The Yearling." Above, the participants in the elaborate planning for a very spectacular exploitation drive, meeting in the offices of B & K headquarters in Chicago, are: William Greene, MGM exploiteer; Jim Savage, assistant to B & K Publicity and Advertising Chief William K. Hollander; Bill Ferguson, MGM exploitation director; Hollander; William Bishop and Louis Orlove, Hal Marshall and J. E. Watson. MGM exploiteers.