Showmen's Trade Review (Oct-Dec 1949)

SHOWMEN'S TRADE REVIEW, October 8, 1949 REGIONAL NEWSREEL 27 turned over its stage last Saturday to a ParentTeacher Association sponsored play, "Snow White.". . . Rialto and National General Manager Ira L. Schiffman is having renovations made in both theatres. Richard L. Morely of Loew's Regent has returned to State College ; Ted Woutersz of the State has resumed his studies at Gettyburg College ; Nancy Jones of Loew's Regent is back at Penn State ; at the State Kenneth Boyer has succeeded Herman Smith who has also returned to school. Mary Ankora of Steelton is a new usherette at the Colonial. . . . Marwood Funt resigned from the State to join the staff of the State Unemployment Compensation Bureau. . . . Thieves attempting to loot the soft drink dispenser at the Rio did damage amounting to $600. OKLAHOMA CITY Capital Hill Business and Professional Women's Club announced Friday the film "It Happened One Night," will be brought to the Kno'b Hill Theatre in Capital Hill some time in October to benefit the club's community project fund. The film was selected after several thousand ballots were cast in a two-week campaign by the club to determine which film Oklahoma City residents would rather see. Joanna (Barton) Combes, daughter of R. Lewis Barton, is to be the manager of the new 800-seat Del Theatre, in Del City, Okla. Hi-Park, Drive-In, Inc., San Antonio, Texas, has been granted a charter, for 50-year term, with $25,000 capital. Incorporators : Etta Snowden, R. N. Gresham and Carlton H. Weaver Jr^ opera and Play house. . . . Reiss Enterprises Inc., filed to operate a motion picture business in Turrell, Ark. Authorized capital $50,000. Incorporators: L. Jaffee, Mrs. Rae Jafl^ee and Nathan Raiss, of Memphis. ST. LOUIS Among those attending the Mid-Central Allied Independent Theatre Owners directors' meetir.g at the Sheraton Hotel. St. Louis were : Miss Garnet Hunt, Doniphan, Mo.; Jeff Jefferis, Piedmont, Mo.; William H. Hoffman, Arthur, 111.; Ml", and Mrs. Tom Brewer, Farmington, Hi. ; Mr. and Mrs. Hugh M. Graham, St. Louis; Elmer D. Larsen, Chenoa, ill.; Theodore Lending, Kirkwood, Mo.; Ted Keelen, Sheffield. 111.; Marion Bodwell, Wyoming, HI.: Mr. and Mrs. O. W. Wallace, Belle, Mo.; Earl G. Vandiver, Kennett, Mo.; Henry Halloway, Overland, Mo.; E. H. Wiecks, Staunton, 111. Gene Beckham. Woodriver, lU, ; Charles Beninati, Carlyle; Melvin M. Ede:, Centraha, 111. ; William T. Zimmerman, Warrenton, Mo. ; Al Rosecan, St. Louis, and Earl M. East, Winiield, Mo. St. Louis Lodge No. 19 of the Colosseum of Motion Picture Salesman will hold its annual meeting at the Melbourne Hotel, Oct. 22, President Bob Jones announced. . . . Aldermen in Overland, Mo., tabled a proposed rezoning ordinance to permit the St. Louis Amusement Co., to build a $150,000 drive-in there. Pirtle Amusement will open its 680-seat Stadium, Jerseyville, III., this month. . . . The 488-seat State, Nashville, 111., was opened Sept. 29. . . . Tom Baker opened his 450-seat Sheran at Bunker Hill, 111., Oct. 6. . . . Len Hogan, funeral director in Ashley, 111,, has bought the Ashley in Ashle>^and the Tamaroa in Tamaroa, 111., from Frank J. Glenn who will devote himself to his two drive-ins. St. Louis Princess Owner Al Rosecan has returned from California where his 79-year-old mother made a fine recovery from an operation. . . Albert Stetson of the Fanchon & Marco Tri-States Meet The following is the tentative agenda for the convention of the Motion Picture Theatre Owners of Arkansas-TennesseeiViississippi at Hotel Gayoso, Memphis, Oct. 17-20: Oct. 17 — 9 A.M., registration; 10 A.M. Executive Committee meeting; noon. Showmen's exposition; 12:30 P.M. Luncheon; 7 P.M., Cocktail party. Oct. 18 — 10 A. M., Convention opens; 12:30, Luncheon; 2:30 P.M., Business Sessions; 3:30 P.M., Tea and style show for the ladies; 7 P.M., Committee Meetings; 9:30 P.M., Get-Together Party. Oct. 19 — Industry shorts screening. Television demonstration; noon. Ladies luncheon; 12:30, Convention luncheon; 2 P.M., Business sessions; 7 P.M., Dinner; 8 P.M., Screenings. Oct. 20 — 9:30 A.M., Make-up and hairdo show for the ladies; 10 A.M., Business sessions with committee reports; noon. Ladies' luncheon; 12:30 P.M., Convention luncheon; 2 P.M., Business sessions; 6:30 P.M., Cocktail party; 7:30 P.M., President's dinner; 10:30 P.M., Hollywood salute. Service Corp. and his wife are on a three-week vacation trip to Tucson, Ariz. . . . Cairo, 111., Exhibitor I. W. Rodgers is recuperating in Florida from his recent operation. MILWAUKEE Frank Fischer, National Screen Service salesman for 10 years, left the company in late July and has started the Exhibitors Poster Service here, with the exchange opening on Oct. 10. He has obtained the franchise of Theatre IPosters, Inc., of Detroit and will sell its theatre advertising banners as well as a line of premiums. . . . For Wisconsin Amusement has entered the Sept. 28-Dec. 4 "Father Was a Fullback" contest with 24 theatres. ... St. Cloud Amusement's Oriental and Tower in Milwaukee will show the world series game in television at $1.25 per seat. Russell Leddy of the Orpheum, Green Bay, Wis., was on film row, booking and visiting at the Independent Theatre Owners headquarters, , . . Alhamra Projectionist Frank De Lorenzo and wife left here Sept. 30 for Pensacola, Fla. New Theatres Fort Scott, Kan. — Chester W. Borg, the 400-car Mo-Kan 69 Drive-In, three miles south of Ft. Scott. Savannah, Ga. — Mr. and Mrs. Fred G. Weiss, a 1,100-seater on the site of the burned down Savannah Theatre. Little Valley, N. Y. — Local residents are financing a 492-seat theatre just started here. Pecos. Tex. — Theatre Enterprises (H. J. Griffith), a theatre here to cost between $75,000 and $100,000. Los Angeles — Nate Scheinber, a stadium-type, 1,500seat theatre to cost $400,000 in Van Nuys, Calif. Denver — Salmon Greer, Inc., a 500-car openairer to cost $75,000 six miles north of Santa Fe, N. M. ; Murphy Theatres, Inc., a 400-carrer to cost $60,000 between Alamosa and Monte Vista. Colo. ; Pat Rothman and Cy Lee, a 400-carrer to cost $60,000 north of Colorado Springs. Milwaukee — Martin Thomas and Associates, an outdoor theatre at the Niagara cut-off near Iron Mountain in Upper Michigan; Frank Buckley, 76-year-old exhibitor, a new theatre in Osceola, Wis.. A new company headed by Charles Imhof, a theatre at Highland, Wis, to be managed by Francis Hebgen. Roswell, N. M. — Theatre Enterprises (H, J. Griffith), a second drive-in near here. Shreveport, La. — E. C. Houck of the Joy Theatre, an open-airer on Texas Avenue. Kansas City — Homer Strowig, a 400-carrer to cost $50,000 west of this city; Dr. Paul Gatzoulis, a 1,000car under-skyer in the Rosedale district of Kansas City, Kans. Audience at the State, Sheboygan, Wis., filed out quietly when fire started in the second floor, and waited outside, for an hour, till the house was cleared of smoke. Blaze was quickly put out. Due to the death of Owner F. F. Lee, the Opera House, Shullsburg, Wis., has been closed. . . . Universal-International Manager John F. Bannan, 48, died at his home here Sept. 28 at the Emergency Hospital. U-I transferred him here from Ciiicago about a year and a half ago. Service and burial took place in his native city of New York. DENVER Clarence Olson, former United Artists manager here, resigned as local manager for Monogram to return to U.A. where he succeeds Kenneth MacKaig who resigned to return to Los Angeles as a Republic salesman. . . . Columbia Manager Robert Hill gave a testimonial luncheon in honor of District Manager Jerry Safron at the Rocky Mountain Screen Club. . . . Paramount Manager Ward Pennington went to New \ ork to attend a company sales meeting. Universal Confirmation Clerk Marilyn Munn will be married on Oct. 14 to Robert Fitzsimmons. . . . With the opening of the remodelled Plaza in Las Cruces, Fox Intermountain now has three houses there ; theatre has a new marquee, seats, sound and projection equipment. Company also reopened the refurbished State there as the New State. Building of drive-ins in the area goes on apace, three more having been announced last week. Salmon Greer, Inc., has started a 500-car, $75,000 underskyer six miles north of Santa Fe, N. M. ; Murphy Theatres has started building a 350-carrer to cost $60,000 between Alamosa and Monte Vista, Colo, and Paul Rothman and Cy Lee are building a 400-carrer to cost $60,000 near Colorado Springs. PORTLAND Portland's finest neighborhood theatre held a grand opening attended by theatre and film representatives, in honor of pioneer exhibitor Walter E. Tebbetts and his new Laurelhurst Theatre, known otherwise as "The Doll House." Expenditure of some $80,000 includes new projection equipment, seating facilities and new entrance. Innovations include one of the first "cycloramic" screens in the Northwest. Rocking-type lodge seats have been installed. . . . At invitation of Manager Oscar Nuberg of the Orpheum college and football enthusiasts were invited to a preview of "Father Was a Fullback." Russ iBrown, Evergreen's exploitation expert is supervising the pep rally of the Lewis and Clark College jamboree. ... J. P. Curtin, assistant to Republic Vice-'President Eddie Walton, conferred with Seattle Manager Paul McElhinney. . . . L. C. Dawley, opened his new 330-seat Mount Theatre at Redmond. . . , Hamrick-Edris Theatres has taken over pioneer Rialto theatre in Tacoma, operated the past few years by Mrs. H. T. Moore and John Owsley. Emma Ridgeway, exhibitor of Sedro-Woolley, and a prominent legislator, is back from a California vacation. . . . Portland's Newsreel Theatre and Manager Anderson celebrated the tenth anniversary of the house last week. Fire of undetermined origin destroyed the Butte, Mont. Park Theatre building and equipment and eight business houses in tlie block with an estimated loss of more than $250,000, but partially insured.