Showmen's Trade Review (Oct-Dec 1948)

SHOWMEN'S TRADE REVIEW, November 13, 1948 27 Regional News Lucy Elrod, Monogram booker here; Lipton Astrachan, salesman, Eagle Lion; Gene White, assistant manager, Southern, Oak Park Hills ; E. E. Loucks, manager, export division of Zenith Corporation ; Lee Hruby, assistant manager, Cozy, South Bend, Ind. R. Emilio has resigned as manager of the Belpark, Chicago. The Liberty, Michigan City, Ind., has been given competitive bidding for Universal and Columbia films. Bell and Howell declared a 50-cent extra dividend on the common. S. L. Lindfors succeeds Harold Booth as B&H vice-president, and E. L. Schimmel heads its export division. Motiograph's Jack Behlke is touring west coast cities demonstrating its new hi -intensity arc lamp. George Weinberg is back in the Warner sales department after his hospital stay. Chicago censor pinked Warners' "Kiss of Death," 20thFox's "Snake Pit" and the Mexican film, "Mistress Temptation," and banned Jewel's "He" and the Italian "Merry Chase." City's October amusement tax totalled $287,841.35 of which $118,741.61 came from bowling alleys. Hamilton Moses, 74, veteran film attornety, is dead. Joseph H. Friedman, 55, Eagle Lion salesman, died recently. For many years he was a film distributor with MGM, EL and Paramount. ATLANTA Lee Goldsmith, recently transferred here as office manager by Universal from Cleveland, is leaving for Detroit as office manager there. A. M. Foxworthy has been appointed manager of Stein and Floyd's Royal, Tarpon Springs, Fla., replacing Harold Hayes who moves to the Florida Theatre, Haines City. Wil-Kin Theatre Supply Sales Manager Charlie Fortson has named Harold L. Williams, Paul K. Dawes and James W. Daly as salesmen. Fred LeVine, manager of Ponce De-Leon for Bach Theatres will do the booking for the circuit, replacing Charlie King who has joined Exhibitors Service. Theatres recently opened include : O. W. Philpott's Gulf-Winds drive-in at St. Petersburg, Fla. ; J. H. Partlow and L. H. Andrews' 700-car drive-in near Sanford, Fla. ; Anderson and Hudson's colored 400-seat Carver Theatre, Lake City, Fla. Martin Theatres expects an early January opening for its drive-in near Marietta, Ga. Crescent Amusement has broken ground for a $200,000 850-seat modern movie house at Russellville, Ala. Selznick Southern District Manager Henry Krumm celebrated a birthday. C. P. Cohen has sold the Lincoln, Key West, Fla., to A. W. Castre. Kay Exchanges' Ike and Harry Katz are on a trip to exchanges at Charlotte, New Orleans, Memphis and Washington. Back from Florida trips are Eagle Lion Manager Bob Tarwater, EL Southern District Manager Grover Parsons and Ed Stevens, head oT Stevens Pictures. Republic's Tampa Manager Harold Laird was an Atlanta visitor. Southern Automatic Candy's Charlie Durmeyer was in Tennessee on business, and Monogram Southern's Arthur C. Bromberg paid a visit to its Memphis branch. Wometco Theatres has added the Normandy, Miami Beach, to its chain'. J. E. Livingston, manager of the Rex, Tampa, Fla., is dead of a heart attack. ST. LOUIS Circuit Judge Henry F. Russel on Nov. 8 had a special audience of 25 men and women to help him determine whether the police-seized "Test Tube Babies" was "immoral" as charged upon its opening at the World Theatre. Variety Club International Executive Director William McCraw was the guest of St. Louis Tent No. 4 last Tuesday. Tent 4 will elect officers on Dec. 14. Albert Dezel was here last week en route to Kansas City conferring on local Dezel Production deals with Manager Johnny Walsh. President Tom Edwards of the Motion Picture Theatre Owners of St. Louis, Eastern Missouri and Southern Illinois presided at Thursday's luncheon meeting of the organization's directors and officers when plans for the coming year were worked out. A third daughter was born in Des Moines to 20th-Fox Manager Gordon F. Halloran and his wife. H. M. Burnett, manager of Fox Midwest's Strand and State, West Frankfort, 111., for 11 years, has taken over his duties as resident manager of the circuit's Granada, Fiaza and stadium in Mount Vernon, 111., succeeding Homer Marvel, ■ on leave due to ill health. Frank L. Plumlee, former district manager of Theatre Enterprises in the Kansas City area, has assumed his new duties as associate of Tom Edwards in the ownership and operation of a circuit of 10 theatres in Missouri. New Theatres Duarte, Calif. — Raymond A. Dorn Company of Pasadena, a $350,000 drive-in on Huntington Drive here. Chicago — Skydrome Theatre Company, a 700-car drive-in, near Newcastle, Ind. Traverse City, Mich. — Butterfield Michigan Theatres, a 1,000-seater, the State, on the site of the old Lyric. Windham. N. Y. — Thornton Theatres, a 400-seater here. San Jose, Calif. — Paul R. Catalana and Arthur Yarimie, a 936-seater here to cost $225,000. Watsonville, Calif. — H. F. Boyer, a $100,000 drivein east of the Pajaro River to be operated by Ide and Sons. Laguna Beach, Calif. — A community theatre for the Newport Harbor area, to serve a number of communities. Washington, D. C. — Realtor Maurice Cafritz, a movie theatre at 14 and K Streets. Los Angeles — Donald Guttman, a 850-car drive-in, San Pedro, first of a proposed circuit. Indianapolis — Gilbert May. a 500-seater at Corydon. Ind. Marion, Ind. — Balaban and Katz, a 1,200-seat house here to cost $500,000. Kings Mountain, N. C. — Charles and David Cash, a $100,000 film theatre here. He bought the interest of Harold Harris who went to Dallas, Tex., as assistant to President H. J. Griffith of Theatre Enterprises. Will Rogers Theatre Manager Maury Davis became a grandfather for the third time when a son Robert Alan Harris, was born to his daughter, Mrs. Marvin Harris and her husband. Fathers of two Eagle Lion employes died recently : Richard Henry Richson, father of Assistant Cashier Ruth Spillenkothen, and Andrew Lonigro, father of Inspectress Lena Caruso. Mrs. Bessie Smalley of Van Buren, Mo. whose husband died last month, has arranged with Walter Vollinger to take over the management of the Ritz in that town. PITTSBURGH At a meeting held Monday, Nov. 1, by Tent No. 1, Variety Club of Pittsburgh, the following officers were elected : chief barker, George Eby, of the Harris Amusement Co., first assistant, Ben Steerman ; second assistant, Pete Dana ; secretary, Al Weiblinger, and treasurer, Norman Mervis. Named delegates to the national convention in San Francisco next April were Mike Shapiro and William Zeilor, with Pete Dana and Norman Mervis as alternates. The annual convention of the local club will be held in the William Penn on Sunday, Nov. 14, when the new officers will be installed. Hundreds of showmen, as well as professional and political men from all over the country, have made reservations. Warner Bros.' Hollywood, South Hills, Pittsburgh, renovated and remodeled throughout, had its gala reopening on Nov. 5. Harry Koch has been transferred from the Warner in downtown 'Pittsburgh to the Hollywood ; succeeding him at the Warner is Al Singer, transferred from the Plaza, East End; George Josiak goes from the Rowland, Wilkinsburg, Pa., to the Plaza; Al Katz from the Squirrel Hill to the Rowland; Al Skiegen from the Cameraphone, East Liberty, to the Squirrel Hill ; Regis McCall from the Regal to the Cameraphone, and Reuben Harris, assistant at the Regal, has been promoted to its manager. This week's host of the Variety Club's Friday Family Night is Walter D. Stucky. The parents of Alice Jahns, of the local Metro-GoldwynMayer exchange, celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary this week. SALT LAKE CITY Manager Warren Butler of the Lyric, who is also president of the local Motion Picture Operators Club, has completely reseated and remodeled the theatre and will change policy from reissues and double bills to first-runs on Nov. 19, with the prevailing first-run admission prices, 50 and 75 cents. Hallowe'en's midnight spook shows here drew capacity audiences, and the morning Comic Clubber meetings at the Utah and Capitol, with costume parades, prizes and broadcast spelling bee were top-notch attendance drawers. The Capitol will present a two-hour stage (Continued on Page 30)