Showmen's Trade Review (Oct-Dec 1949)

SHOWMEN'S TRADE REVIEW, October 22, 1949 25 REGIONAL NEWSREEL Manager MoUie Stickles of Loew's Poli Palace, Meriden, recently married Dr. Irving Katz of that city. Seventeen Warner Hartford district theatre managers attended a recent meeting at the Hotel Bond here at which New England Zone Manager I. J. Hoffman presided. . . . Frank Fedeli, operator of the Rialto, Worchester, Alass., has leased the Southern, South Norwood, Mass., from Mary Hayes Lynch' and her brother, John Hayes, with Nov. 1 the effective date. . . . Massachusetts Amusement Corp., has acquired for approximately $250,000 the Art Theatre, Springfield, Mass., from the Camelot Theatre Corp. The Parent-Teachers Council of Danbury is sponsoring a series of four Saturday morning programs for children at the Empress, that city. . . . Mrs. Steve Dina, wife of the American Theatre (Bridgeport) executive, is the mother of a baby girl. ... A season of stage plays is planned for the Astor, East Hartford. Dead : Rocco Longo, 61, owner of the Community Theatre, Oakville, Conn. MINNEAPOLIS Theatres suffered their share of damage when the area was struck by winds of hurricane intensity which reached a velocity of 100 miles an hour at Rochester, Minn. Glass windows were smashed, light bulbs broken and roofs damaged in what was the worst wind storm in the area's history. At Austin, Minn., a newlybuilt outdoor theatre was damaged by an 82mile-an-hour wind. The entire fence around the theatre was leveled. The screen was not damaged, however, and the feature went on that night as usual. The feature: "Gone With the Wind." All drive-ins in the Twin Cities area have closed for the season with the exception of the Hilltop, Minneapolis. That outdoor stand has .been featuring a first-run, "Temptation Harbor," and offers to heat cars free if it's too cold. ... A bold bandit walked up to the box office of the Mid-City Outdoor theatre near Racine, Wis., and walked away with $1187.50. Manager William Wallace pursued the bandit in a jeep, but had no luck. CLEVELAND The Cleveland Variety Club, after operating part time during the summer, is now running on a full-time basis, serving both luncheon and dinner. The entertainment committee is planning a full schedule of events. Election of new officers will take place on Nov. 5. . . . RKO Theatre Division Manager Emil Groth spent most of the week here conferring with Palace Manager Max Mink on the Nov. 4 edition of 8-act vaudeville coming here direct from the New York Palace. Helen Rose is here from Detroit's 20th-Fox branch to succeed Genevieve Akers as secretary to Manager I. J. Schmertz. Miss Akers was one of the victims of the S.S. Noronic fire in Toronto Harbor. The Genevieve Akers Memorial Fund preview will be held Nov. 1 at the Heights Theatre. Tickets may be secured from M. B. Horwitz, Ray Schmertz and Oscar Ruby. The three men are also receiving contributions to the fund to be turned over to Mrs. Akers who lost^two daughters in the disaster. Don Mc'Mahon has been appointed United Artist booker succeeding the late Rose Weitz, another Noronic victim. . . . The wife of Leo Burkhart, owner of the Hippodrome, Crestline, So Who Can Lose? No less than three dozen (36) prizes were promoted from the local dime store by Herman Kopf for the special morning game and contest show at the Waller in Laurel, Del., recently. is a patient in Crestline Emergency Hospital. . . . Mrs. Virginia Nicholas is new owner of the Circlein Akron. . . . Holbrook Bissell of Advertisers Distributor Co., Albany, was in town placing Christmas trailer contracts, and telling his friends that he'll be seeing them this winter in Fort Lauderdale where he recently bought a home. Universal's William Scully and Fred Meyer spent several days here in consultation with District Manager Peter Dana and Manager Lester Zuker. . . . RKO Manager Jack Bernstein, and Eagle Lion Manager Bob Richardson are sporting new autos. Messrs. Flieman and Cristman, owners of the Noble Theatre, Caldwell, have acquired the Port Theatre, Freeport. . . . .A.nd John Romanowski of the Hopedale Theatre, Hopedale, bought the Park in Bethesda. . . . Sunset Theatre. Findlay, is the first outdoor theatre in this territory to fold for the season. KANSAS CITY The Orpheum reopened last week as a deluxe first-run theatre following a summer of remodelling after the house was switched from (Continued on Page 26) Above: Photo snapped on location at the Alexander Film Co., during the filming of a new movie-ad series for Frigidaire. More than 24,000 advertisers in the nation rely on Alexander for the production of topquality, interest compelling movie-ads! ADDED THEATRE PROFITS SIMPLE AS A ■ B ■ C WITH ALEXANDER SERVICE.' 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