Showmen's Trade Review (Oct-Dec 1947)

18 SHOWMEN'S TRADE REVIEW, October 18, 1947 REGIONAL NEWSREEL {Continued from Payc 17) Loretta Armstrong, bookkeeper for F & Y building service, is vacationing in California : Hugo Monacao, who conducted the RKO Palace orchestra is back after several Army years in Italy. Hush, hush talk is that John Hardgrove, Academy Theatres supervisor, may be the Democrats choice of Franklin County sheriff. The Palace, Ohio, Broad and Grand Theatres put in a one cent adult weekday admission reduction into efifect with new matinees now at 39 cents ; evening rates 64 cents. Children's seat at 20 cents are not affected. DENVER Edward V. Maloney, sales manager in the Paramount exchange in Boston, is in Denver filling in for Branch Manager Chet Bell who is on an extended leave of absence, and who has gone to California for his health. John Wolf berg, the prime mover in getting the Rocky Mountain Allied organized, went to Kansas City to assist exhibitors in getting a Kansas unit of Allied under way. N. H. Moray, Warner Bros, short subjects manager, was here conferring at length with Branch Manager Earl Bell. Lynn Fetz, MGM head shipper for years, has moved over to the new shipping and inspection center set up by E. E. Jameson. Robert Patrick is redecorating and remodeling the Cactus. The theatre was closed some months ago on orders from the fire department. Fox Intermountain President Frank H. Ricketson, Jr. became a grandfather when Frank H. Ricketson III became the father of a baby girl born at St. Joseph's Flospital. Frank III works at the Denver Theatre. Eagle-Lion District Manager Beverly Miller was here from his Kansas City headquarters, calling on key accounts and conferring with Branch Manager M. R. Austin. Westland Theatres General Manager Larry Starsmore left for the east on an extended business and pleasure trip. Ross Bluck, former long-time film row employe, now operating a grocery store, is reported in Colorado General Hospital, suffering from a nervous breakdown. Margaret Belsky, Universal exchange manager's secretary, and James Lay, were married. Pat Marx has resigned as secretary at MGM, and is going to California to live. PORTLAND According to RKO Oregon Branch Manager R. H. Lange, Disney Appreciation Week, Nov. 23-29^ will be celebrated by all theatres in the Portland trade area with all screens showing "Fun and Fancy Free." Tom Craig, field representative for RKO Radio, has been named to succeed Keith Bain in the Oregon section. Elmer Wilsenke, operating manager of Altec, while covering the Pacific Northwest operations was the guest of Jack Gregory, Seattle branch manager. J. T. Sheffield, for many years Republic representative in the west coast territory, is building much-needed exchanges in Portland and Seattle. George Dudley, assistant manager at the Seattle Winter Garden Theatre, is in Virginia Mason Hospital. Fred Mercy, Sr. of Yakima and one of the pioneer exhibitors of the area, is in Rochester, AT FIRST MEETING. Edward C. Raftery (right), former president of United Artists, attends his first meeting as a member of the advisory board of the Chemical Bank and Trust Co., Times Square branch, at the Hotel Astor in New York. Raftery, senior partner in the law firm of O'Brien, Driscoll, Raftery and Lawler, is seen above with Messmore Kendall (left), president of the Capitol Theatre, and also a member of the advisory board, and Walter Hawkins (center), manager of the Times Square branch. Other board members include Adolph Zukor, Stanton Griffis and E. Claude Mills. Minn., for a check-up at the Mayo clinic. He was accompanied by Mrs. Mercy. Construction is under way on the new theatre in Magnolia Bluff section, which John Danz of Sterling Theatres is building. Western Amusement Co. which recently purchased a major interest in the Helig, Mayflower and State Theatres in Eugene, Ore., began operating them on Oct 12. Cash awards were presented Midstate Amusement Corp. managers who won honors in the recent showmanship drive at a meeting of managers and assistants in Walla Walla, Wash. Vice-President and General Manager S. ■ J. Gregory of Chicago outlined the company's expansion plans and discussed coming product. DES MOINES A general tightening of curfew hours on children has been noticed in Iowa as a means of combatting juvenile crime. Several of the cities have established earlier hours with Cedar Rapids changing its curfew from 10:30 to 9:30 P. M. for those under 10 years of age from 11 to 10 P. M. for those under 16. Parkersburg announced it will start enforcing its curfew which is 9:30 P. M. for those under IS. The American Legion Post at Holstein, lahas purchased the Holstein Theatre building from Claus Paulsen and will use it for club rooms. Leonard Miller has sold his Gem Theatre at Moville, la., to Gerald Pyle of Pipestone, Minn. The $50,000 Swan Theatre at Mediapolis had its official opening,' with the ceremonies including a ribbon-cutting affair at the front door. Owners are I. R. Glesne and Mrs. Lillie Johnson. Esther Ives of Omaha has purchased the 200seat Shelby Theatre at Shelby, la., from Robert L. Johnson of Logan, la., who plans to go to Arizona. W. H. Cook has opened a new theatre, the Rio, at Churdan, la. , Herbert Berman, former Columbia salesman has been named branch manager af Des Moines for Kmg Enterprises, with supervision over sales m Iowa and Nebraska. Berman was formerly a district manager for Fabian theatres on Staten Island and a film buyer and booker for E. M. Loew theatres in New England. He joined Columbia in Omaha after having served m Detroit for PRC. Bonnie Bryant has joined Columbia as a stenographer. Edith Manfredini has joined Eagle-Lion as a stenographer. Ellen Wood is a new member of the Paramount exchange staff. LOS ANGELES The Legion of Decency ban on "Black Narcissus" has been upheld by the Holy Name Union's executive committee in the L.A. diocese, and all members of the diocese are urged to boycott the film. Bob Quinn, who handles exploitation for Paramount in the Rocky Mountain area, was here with his wife for a brief vacation. After eight years with the Ambassador Theatre and also serving as entertainment director for the hotel, Dick Pritchard resigned Oct. 15 to work for Fox West Coast. August V. Tozzi succeeds Pritchard. John H. Haring will build the 700-seat Memorial Playhouse in La Jolla in honor of his parents, and ground has already been broken. Plans call for the house to show single features, with a soundproof nursery room attended by a nurse as one of the outstanding points of the theatre. There will be no marquee nor vending machines in the unique setup. Motorcycle officer Martin L. Baird was shot in the right leg while attempting to catch two armed bandits last week who robbed the Fox Theatre in Bakersfield. The desperadoes were finally forced off the road near Wasco and imprisoned. Iva Griffith, who has been secretary to Nicky Goldhammer for a long period of time, has moved from the L.A. Eagle-Lion exchange to New York, where she will continue as Girl Friday to Goldhammer, now E-L Western Division Manager. HARTFORD The car capacity of the suburban E. M. Loew's Hartford Drive-In Theatre has been increased to 850 cars. Ben Wassell, formerly of the Colonial and Rialto, has been appointed student assistant manager at Loew's Poli. N. E. Brickates, manager of Warner's New London Garde, is the father of a baby girl. Ann Adamy. Manchester State cashier, is recovering from illness at the Manchester Hospital. Warners' Theatres announced the following changes : Tom Kilcoyne, manager of the Rialto, South Norwalk, Conn., has been appointed manager of the Palace, Norwich, Conn. John Matthews, who has been managing the Norwich house, has been transferred to the circuit's Warner, Worcester, Mass. Salvatore Romano is now operating the Bay State Drive-In, a new drive-in theatre, in Seekonk, Mass. Sam Horwitz, assistant manager at Loew's Poli, in Hartford, is home from a New York vacation. The following theatre committee has been lined up in Hartford, by the Fire Marshal, to assist in city fire prevention plans. George E. Landers, district manager, E. M. Loew's The{Contimted on Page 20)