Showmen's Trade Review (Oct-Dec 1946)

SHOWMEN'S TRADE REVIEW. October 19, 1946 29 REGIONAL NEWSREEL special screening of "Boys Ranch" at the Avery Memorial, Hartford, last week, for representatives of the Connecticut Commission on Crime and Juvenile Delinquency and local press-radio. Joe DiLorenzo, of Daly Theatre Corp., Hartford, has been recuperating at his local home from illness. John Hazelton Donovan, who was a projectionist at Middletown motion picture theatres for many years, died last week. HARRISBURG Two extra Saturday shows occupied the younger fry last week-end, with Loew's Regent's Cartoon Carnival, and the Rio's special showing of Roy Rogers in "Roll On, Texas Moon." Sam Oilman sponsored a twohour all-cartoon show with 17 different subjects, and had a sell-out. Francis Deverter, remembering the overflow crowds always turned away Saturdays for Rogers vehicles, advertised an early Saturday morning show for "All Kids from 6 to 60." A sell-out here was reported also. A special preview of "The Bells of St. Mary's" was given by Roy Osman, manager of the Paxtang, for priests, nuns and officials of the Catholic Diocese of this area, and for children of the Children's Homes of the section. The preview prefaced the recent three-day run of the picture. Lou Schififman, owner of the National and Rialto, and his family have returned from a short holiday in Atlantic City, and are planning to go back later this month. A visitor this week was Ruth Gerber Mohl, former Telegraph movie reviewer, who was en route from Boston to Seattle, where her husband will practice law. Meyer Adelman, Philadelphia, visited Roy V. Osman, Paxtang. Adelman is a co-owner of the theatre. Visiting Bill Whyte, Star, was George Pappas, Milton theatre man. A repainting and general renovation job at the National, and at the Rialto is under way, [ra L. Schififman, owner-manager, reports. Colored neon lights have been placed in glassbrick sides of the ticket office at the National ; new foyer doors have been placed and painted ; and an acoustic ceiling and fluorescent lights in Schiffman's office at the former. At both houses new rubber matting in the foyer has been laid. VANCOUVER Matt Carroll, who has operated the 375-seat Rex Theatre, Salmon Arm, B.C. for many years, has sold to the Salmon Arm Community Association, which will operate it. Theatre business settled down to a steady pace the last week, replacing the spotty pace of the past few weeks. Cool weather and the end of daylight saving has been responsible. Johnny Bernard, promoted to the Circle here, was presented a pen and pencil set by his former staff at the Odeon in North Vancouver. Al Goodwin Varsity follows Bernard at the Odeon. Norman Reay takes over at the Varsity, Al Narvey Fraser goes to the North Vancouver Lonsdale and Don McLean becomes manager of the Rio. The Odeon circuit now operates 17 theatres in Greater Vancouver. Walter Du Perrier, former booker at EmpireUniversal, Winnipeg, has been made salesman FOLLOWS THE TRAILBLAZER. The coming-of-age of Adolph Zukor's grandson, Adolph II, last week, served to spotlight the tremendous strides and revolutionary changes undergone by the film industry since Paramount's board chairman was the same age. Adolph II, son of Eugene Zukor, Paramount studio executive, now works for the same company for which his grandad worked on his 21st birthday. The photos above show Adolph the first and Adolph the second at the same age, 21 years. at the Calgary office for the Alberta territory. J. Max Garfin has sold his Chaba Theatre at Jasper Alta, which he operated for the past 15 years and will make his home in Vancouver. Frank Gow and Maynard Joiner, Famous Players heads in B.C., have returned from a 10-day visit to Toronto where they attended a meeting of all F.P. heads in Canada. The Cole Circuit which operated theatres at Blairmore, Coleman, and Bellvue in the Crows Nest Pass District have sold their interests to Pursell and Sons, who formerly operated theatres at Peace River and Wainwright, Albert. The Rio Theatre at Victoria, after playing Foto-Night for the past six months has discontinued it. The new Rex Theatre at Bowness near Calgary was opened recently. It will be in charge of two returned veterans, Les Lunde and Edward Walker, and will change three times weekly on a single bill policy. Bill Cole, Jr., has taken over the Opera house at Michel, B.C., from a former circuit and has also purchased the interests of Joe .Altomare in the Empress, Natal. The Girvin Art shop of Vancouver has just completed an outstanding job in decorating two theatres of the Warren chain in the Alberni District, the Capitol, Port Alberni, and the Roxy, Alberni. Warren also operates Radio Station CJAV there. "Caesar and Cleopatra," which was expected to do big things, failed to do better than average business in the very English City of Victoria where it played day and date at the Plaza and Oak Bay Theatres. Not enough exploitation is blamed. NEW YORK FILM ROW TALK CENTERS ON MEAT, WORLD SERIES; STORK, WEDDING BELLS BUSY World series bets and how to get meat are the two topics which film row is discussing this week. With a number of companies not having any large number of releases set, the row is pretty much as dead as some of the unexpectedly hot days which pop up. But whenever an exchange group gathers, it's either men and women talking about baseball, women discussing how hard it is to get meat, or men wondering why their wives can't book a pot roast or a steak with the butcher more regularly. The march that Mendelssohn wrote is going to sound out, figuratively anyway, for two film row workers next month. Muriel Cappel of United Artists is marrying Philip Max Roth on Oct. 26, and Eleanor Lowenthal of Monogram will promise to love, honor and obey Joseph Swedlay on Oct. 24. The United Artists femme corps incidentally was in a dither about the shower they were throwing for Muriel, a protracted argument over the qualities of sweet peas and sweetheart roses resulting, with roses winning when the florist said sweet peas would wilt. Stork story : Six pounds, fifteen ounces of daughter, named Sandra Joan, was born to Mrs. Robert Ferguson, wife of Columbia's press book editor. She makes the second ; another daughter, Carole, is aged two. Warners New York branch Short Subject Sales Manager Joe Vergesslich became a grandfather for the second time this week when his daughter, Mrs. William Zipp, gave birth to a daughter, Carolyn. United Artists Booker Ben Levine and Myron Starr of the same office have a bet on about the Nuremberg hangings, with Levin's putting his money on execution by the court-set date and Starr believing there will be a reprieve. Sick list : Ruth Freeman, statistic clerk for (Continued on Next Page) CIRCUIT BIGGIES SEE NEW THEATRE LAUNCHED. The head men of the Fox West Coast Theatres family were on hand in Los Angeles last week for the gala opening of the Loyola, Los Angeles' newest, most ultra modern theatre and latest addition to the extensive FWC chain. The event drew a glittering audience in which Hollywood glamor was prominent. Above, the FWC officials smiling happily at the smooth premiere of their new theatre are: Bruce Fowler, first-run district manager; George Bowser, general manager; Dick Dickson, head purchasing agent (and a member of STR's Theatre Advisory Council); Charles P. Skouras. president; John Lavery, aide to Mr. Bowser.