Showmen's Trade Review (Jan-Mar 1947)

16 SHOWMEN'S TRADE REVIEW, March 1, 1947 mm im u vm ; CLEVELAND Mount Sinai Hospital lost three patients last week when Tony Stern, Warner film buyer, Bert Stearn of Pittsburgh Co-op and Mrs. Nat Barach, wife of the NSS branch manager, went to their respective homes to complete recovery from their various illnesses. Peter Bathory, resident RKQ exploiteer for the past three years, has resigned. He has joined the Mitchell, Klaus and McCandless Advertising Company which specializes in transportation advertising. MGM Central Division Sales Manager J. J. Maloney, Charles Dessin, his assistant, and John Allen, district manager, held a conference here last week with Branch Manager Jack Sogg and the members of the sales force. Maurice Drucker, manager of Loew's State Theatre, reports that he had to stop selling admission tickets for an advertised sneak preview of an unnamed picture last Monday night at 8:15. A box office line started forming at 6:30. Preview picture was "Lady in the Lake" which was the following attraction at the theatre. Messrs. Andrews and Beroske are the new owners of the theatre in Grand Rapids, Mich., which they plan to reopen early in March with the new name of the Rapids Theatre. J. O. Guthrie, owner of the Karolyn Theatre, New London, on his weekly visit to film row, made it known that Virgil Moore, who has managed the house for the past eight years, has resigned because of his health and is leaving to make his home in Colorado. Guthrie's son-inlaw, Charles Meyer, is taking over for Moore. Harold (Bud) Friedman, Warner relief theatre manager, has announced his engagement to Elaine Maye Haerman of Cleveland Heights, with a May wedding in the offing. Ray Wallace, owner of all the theatres in Alliance, on a trip to Cleveland last week arranged for a limited engagement of the stage show, "The Voice of the Turtle" which has just concluded an SRO engagement at the Hanna Theatre. Beverly Jones Donelan of the Warner publicity department was guest of honor at a postmarital dinner party staged by the girls of the Warner theatre department. Esther Bender, secretary to Paramount district manager, has concluded a two-week vacation in the Big City. Don Friefeld, 19-year-old son of Paramount branch manager Saul Friefeld, has been appointed an instructor in Spanish at Ohio State University in Columbus. The youngest OSU graduate on record, he is also the youngest member of the teaching staff. Angela Landsbury was in, Cleveland for the world premiere of UA's "The Private Life of Bel Ami" at Loew's State Theatre on Feb. 27. She attended the usual press luncheon, made several radio addresses and was available for newspaper interviews. Maureen O'Hara came to Cleveland Monday to boost the Greek Relief campaign, handled locally within the industry by John D. Kalafat. The star arrived on Sunday and remained through Wednesday when she appeared as the featured attraction of a Greek Relief rally in the Public Auditorium. Her program included REGIONAL NEWS INDEX Albany 31 Boston 45 Charlotte 33 Chicago 29 Cleveland 26 Columbus .... 33 Dallas 26 Denver 26 Des Moines 45 Detroit 30 Harrisburg 45 Hartford 30 Indianapolis 33 Kansas City 33 Los Angeles 29 Minneapolis 32 Milwaukee 34 New Orleans 43 New York 44 Omaha 27 Philadelphia 43 Pittsburgh 27 Portland 32 St. Louis 30 Toronto 28 Vancouver 45 Washington 28 radio time, press luncheons and a visit to Crile General Hospital. , Modern Talking Pictures, headed by Bernard Payne, is distributing a 30-minute, locally-produced reel called "Successfully Speaking." This is said to be the only 16-mm. subject available for voice culture. It is suitable for schools, colleges and sales meetings. Warner District Manager Charles Rich attended a company district managers' meeting in New York during the past week. Theatre business downtown continues to hold to wartime levels. With new enterprises moving to the city, employment is high and money still free. Analysis of business conditions do not anticipate any drop this year. DENVER DALLAS Theatre managers of the Robb & Rowley circuit last week closed a two-day meeting at the Hotel Adolphus. Members of the circuit, which operates 113 theatres in three southwestern states, heard L. M. Rice, the R & R attorney, explain the recent equity decree. RKO District Manager Len S. Gruenberg with Harry Michalson, RKO short subjects sales manager and his assistant, Sid Kramer, are due in here shortly in connection with the Ned Depinet drive. Coy S. Brewer has been named sales manager for the Dallas territory for Charles E. Darden & Company here. The Selznick Releasing organization has set up offices in the Mercantile Bank Building here under Alfred Delcambre as southwestern sales manager. Phil Longdon, 20th-Fox district manager, and H. L. Beecroft, branch manager, are due back from the company's annual sales convention in New York. Pat McGee, Cooper Foundation Theatres general manager, is back from an extensive business trip, during which he visited New York, Chicago, Oklahoma City and Lincoln, Neb. While in the latter city he acted as host along with Ray Davis, northern district manager of Fox Intermountain Theatres, at a dinner for the members, of the Nebraska legislature. The Sandia, Bernalillo, N. M., owned by Philip N. Fidel, was burned with a loss approximating $20,000. He is remodelling a building to replace it. Clarence Olson, United Artists branch manager, spent several days in Salt Lake City conferring on the world premiere of "Ramrod" in that city on Feb. 21 in connection with the anniversary of Utah's admission as a state. The film, based on a Colorado story but filmed in Utah, was to have had its world premiere in Denver, but this was changed because of the Utah celebration. The film opened in Denver on Feb. 25 at the Denver, Esquire and Webber Theatres. Milton J. Hossfeld, Fox Intermountain Theatre film buyer, was elected president of the Rocky Mountain Screen Club for the year. Other officers include Joe Dekker, vice-president ; Robert Hill, second vice-president ; Joe Ashby, treasurer, and Bill Agren, secretary. On the board of directors, besides the officers, are V. J. Dugan, Henry Friedel, A. P. Archer, Chet Bell, R. J. Garland, Mayer Monsky and Harry Green. Duke Dunbar was again elected general counsel. The club is laying plans to move into a building of its own within two years, and will initiate an aggressive membership campaign at once. RKO District Manager Leonard Gruenberg has been named district manager for the metropolitan New York district, to take effect in May. No successor has been named for this area. Mr. and Mrs. Harry Huffman (he's city manager Fox Intermountain), have returned from a four-week vacation in Florida and New York. While in Florida he landed a $100,000 donation for the University of Denver expansion fund. Charles R. Gilmour, president of Gibralter Enterprises, is recuperating slowly from an illness that nearly ended in pneumonia. Jack Golladay has been moved from Cheyenne to Laramie, Wyo., as assistant to Tom Brennan, city manager for Fox Intermountain. Ollie Rozelle, head cashier for Warner Bros, branch, is ill at home with ulcers. Dewey Maltsberger has resigned as manager of the Lobo, Albuquerque, N. M., to attend the University of New Mexico. James LaRue, assistant at the Sunshine, gets the manager post. Sam Rosenthal, owner the Bison, Buffalo, Wyo., is in Chicago on business. He will put new seats in the Bison when he can get delivery. John Bechtel, Kimo manager, is back in the projection booth at his own request. Guess he