Showmen's Trade Review (Oct-Dec 1949)

28 SHOWMEN'S TRADE REVIEW, November 5, 1949 REGIONAL NEWSREEL JOLLY GOOD WEATHER marked the affair last Thursday night when over 1,000 good fellows (and their ladies) got together to celebrate the formal inauguration of the New York Tent of the Variety Clubs International. Above, holding the charter which the parent organization presented the new Tent 35 at a dinner in the Hotel Astor, are International Chief Barker R. J. O'Donnell, New York Tent Barker Max A. Cohen, Mayor William O'Dwyer, who took time out from a campaign to reelect himself, to attend, and George Jessel, master of ceremonies. For hours the diners heard oratory, saw a stage show produced by Russel Markert and heard Secretary-of-Treasury John W. Snyder utter words of praise for the Variety Clubs humanitarian activities. Snyder was presented with a gold membership card by the International organization. The New York Tent was formed almost a year ago and has operated its own dub rooms in the Astor during the past two months. (Continued from Page 27) John J. Ash is in town . . . Marion Kemp, Paramount biller, married Richard Boudar of Omaha. Bob Kruger, of the Uptown, Sioux City, and Dick Kehrberg, Shelton, la., went on hunting trips . . . Merrill Fie, George (la-) theatre owner now living at Watertown, S. D., went to Lincoln for the Nebraska-Oklahoma football game. Tri-States Theatres District Manager Bill Miskell and Manager Stan Blackburn of the Orpheum went to Sioux City to help ready the Tiny Hill show for the Orpheum. . . . The Omaha Safety Council's "home-made Hazards" film won the outstanding achievement award of tlfe National Safety Council. Clyde Cooley, LA.TSE secretary, attended the Society of Motion Picture Engineers convention in Los Angeles . . . F. A. Van Husan was the official Variety Club representative at the national conference in New York. Dead : Hymie Novitsky, 57, a 20th-Fox salesman and president of the Omaha Colosseum of Motion Picture Salesmen, of a heart attackVice-President William Wink succeeds him as head of the Colosseum. MILWAUKEE A holdup man recently obtained $187.50 at the Mid-City Outdoor Theatre. At first the cashier gave up only $37, but after being threatened with a gun, she gave him the contents of another box. The thief got away before she could summon the manager and his two assistants. . . . Ralph Green of Minneapolis was in Milwaukee last week He closed up his under-skyers at Kenosha and Madison for the season. Joseph Malitz, operator of the local 86th Street Theatre, has been appointed a salesman at Universal, succeeding David Goldman who was promoted to branch manager. . ■ . Standard Theatres District Manager Elmer Brennan was a local visitor last week as was 20th-Fox Exploiteer Ted Tod. . . . Astor Pictures Milwaukee and Minneapolis Manager Don Schwartz attended a New York meeting of franchise holders. He finished first in the Astor national contest. . . . Shawano Crescent Theatre Operators Mrs. A. W Nagel is having the house redecorated. Charlie Fox will try out an all-color be-bop show at the local Empress. • . . The Badger outdoor theatre near Madison was closed for the season Oct. 30 by Manager Paul Berg. . . . The Rialto at Edgerton, Wis. is reported to have been sold by P. W. Palmer to the Edgerton Theatre Corporation, with its Secretary-Treasurer John J. O'Connor managing the house. COLUMBUS Fred W. Rowlands of the Rowlands circuit has returned from a 10-day west coast vacation during which he visited some of the studios accompanied by his father A. D. Rowlands of Manchester, O., and' his uncle, Charles Rowlands of Los Angeles. . . . Ohio Theatre's lobby artists, Frank Tibbitts, held his seventh annual art exhibit at the Pennsylvania State Teachers' College. Mrs. J. Everett Watson, wife of MGM's Cincinnati exploitation manager, has been appointed a member of the publicity committee for the Columbus and Franklin County Motion Picture Council. World Manager Charles Sugarman was a guest speaker at the Council's first fall meeting. . . . Harold Lloyd and his wifeWere guests of the Aladdin Temple at a Hallowe'en party. Manager Robert Garrett of Ohio State is holding Friday football rallies. He had Ohio State's drum major and cheer leaders for the Ohio State-Northwestern pep session. . . . The third RKO vaudeville unit opens a four-day run Nov. 10 at the Palace. . . . The upright and marquee of the RKO Grand are being repainted in maize and blue. KANSAS CITY Joe Redmond, of the Fox Midwest publicityadvertising office, is back on the job after a vacation in New Orleans and the South. Managers'jbelieve the effects of the steel strike are beginning., to be felt out here. While only about 1,500 workers are off because of the strike, a number of others are affected. Since midOctober theatre managers ascribe some of the restrained ticket purchasing power to effects of Back to Exhibition A. E. Lichtman of Washington, D. C, former exhibitor, who sold out his Lichtman Theatres a few years ago, to District Theatres, is getting back into theatre business with two new drive-ins, which he will run in partnership with Nat Rosen, of Baltimore. They will be at Delmar, Delaware, on Route 13, and Elkton, Maryland, Route 40. Both are under construction now and will be ready in the Spring, and both will accommodate 750 cars. the strike. Lawrence Lehman is back at the RKO Missouri, following his annual vacation to the west coast. New assistant manager at Loew's Midland is Juanita Tignor, student manager for some time. Manager Howard Burkhardt also appointed Robert Scholars, chief of service, as the new student assistant. Third downtown house, the Folly, is bringing in vaudeville, adding 'five acts of vaudeville to its regular burlesque shows. This makes the third downtown theatre to offer vaude, the others being the RKO Missouri and Loew's Midland. MINNEAPOLIS Minnesota Amusement Co. has completed negotiations for the purchase of an entire block in Jamestown, N. D., in line with the divorcement terms of the consent decree. Known as the Jamestown Opera House Co., the property houses the Grand theatre, on which the circuit has held a lease for many years. The circuit also is affiliated with Mr. and Mrs. John Ludwig in a partnership and pooling arrangement on the Star and State. To comply with the court decree, the circuit has filed a suit with the Ludwigs to end the agreement. The latter claimed that they were "not defendants in the government suit . . . and desire to continue" the arrangement. The Granada theatre, Minneapolis neighborhooder, sponsored a Hallowe'en Party for children. There was an apple ducking contest and prizes were given for the spookiest costumes. . . .