Variety (Aug 1940)

8 JPiCTUilES Wc4nes(la7^ August 7, 19't(» Epidemk of New Theatre Bldg^ In ;' ■ Atlantia, Aug. 6. ; dbnstructi.on of new; thieatres, all nabes, has. reached AVhat aitiounts to. epidemic prbpcwtipns in Atjanta arid envirohis. Lucas & Jenk'ihs, Incs Georgia's Farnol to Set UA Lynn .Farnol,. UnitW^^ ]icity.: and exp.ibitatib.n. chief, ., 'ivho wouriid uf)' a month's- military ■ traihr irig at the Plattsburg,. N, ,Y.. business- SEHING ' PREEWIN FT, WORTH Fpi-t Worth, Aug. 6. A typical Texas \vek is being biggest chain,: leads biiilding. parade, t nien's . camp last ; Frid?y; <2^ planed which-- k topped, - by cie .^lii xe • 1.30p- Uar the . Coast;; Sunday ) ;,h ight<:. : : seat: Gdrdon/.iri suburban': Wfe^^ He'll be- in rtollyw^ about ... L..;' & J/:;alsb :>:erecting: l.OOP^eat;.;^^^!^. :cohf.abbing-?with: Miirrky; Silv Euclid, on .Euclid avemie,^ .a •.«!hort . •^.g^.g^Q^g^ UA head, and '..UA ..pro- pitch and :i)utt ;h-.orii their oxvn Pal-.^^^^^^^^^ ca.mpaigns tor their fprth- .ace (500 seats), and . lMght;.i^^^ fil.rns.V One of 'the principal to Mion:. & . MuitajC. ■ ^LHtl^ ' points digcus^ Points theatre, hpvv under' construe-.) and type of ..advertisingrpublicity. for. tion^ ■■ ■ y j'.:,.:.,/-. ■ :Charles- Chaplin's .- featiirfe,iihany.- In' addition - L;. .&: ..J- hn.s broken- titled 'The .Greatvttctator'-.and tentii-: ground -for .850-seat ;Pearbbrn, ^bn.j.tively sbheduled for relesise- early, in. East Lake :Prive; in swank coi^ cliib section,, and in ; six weeks .ex- pects to start on SUte,500-?eaVe:r, on. Capitol avenue J.\ In nefirby .Decatur, cbuiity $eat. of DeKalb .county ■but..virtually a su- burb of Attdn ta;. L;. & J. is reniodel- ing its DeKalb,'gutting, entire struc- tiire- addifig .balcpny and increasing Beatihg capacity . frorn : 500 ■ ,tb 850 seats. ^---'v .;-■.' Same. prbcedure . is be hi g lollb\Yed- in its Hitz, ..at; Brii^iswick,^-. G . where colored' bailcony "being eliminated and seating / hiked; from 712 to 825: -'.-■■■-■>;-■... .•■,'::'■ . Chain! also, buildi.ng new house: ih Giainesvtlle, Ga.;- the : Ritz. a 720- seater;.. which wiU replace theatre of . same name destroyed '-b iseveral yeiars ago./ It also .oper- ates Royal and StEite in Gairiiesville. Company/, recently ['': opened .400rseat Roxy, cbibred; house, in Brunswick, Ga: ^.; ^■.:::^-; Jj. & J.. laSt . ihbhth. tiRehe.d' its Bradley,.: Coiumhus,:Ga.'.- Mipri ':8c Murra y, -operators of Rialtoi downtown indie and Co^JuiTi" bia ibtitlet, rushing eoristruqiibn on three, de - luxe nabes,. .to .be/ called Little Five; Pbints, ciecatur. and. East: Point.: . Each will seat; 750, skedde.d to be .unveiled around Aug. 15v.. Solonion Miller, whb now: operates ISOQrseat^ Fairyiew- and 4Q0-seat Tem- ple, getting^ ready to open his .471- . seat Garden, in swank Nor'th : $ide's Gardeh Hills! territory, ;^an(i 850-seat Peachtree, oh Peachtree Road. Completing- theatre. .cbhstruotion picture hereabouts is/Fred,'^^^^^^ man's 65p-seat/ Russell,: East Point, his No. 6 as lie recently added to- his string of four the Hangar thfeatre, 450-seater .just- across highway' from Atlanta's municipal airport, : PULL NO PUNCHES IN ANn-NAa m ADS Under ihe imipression that other pictures with anti-Nazi themes have done poor bi z because of a re I iceiice ■ in ■ adveftjsihg . campaigns, ■ United Arti.';l3 and Jimmy Roosevelt: have decided to let the clutch all the way out on 'Pastor Hall'. Roosevelt and UA feel that UOth-Fox, for in- .stance, / /Foiir.! Sons,' made a good film with plenty of. meat and then hesitated' to adverti.se: that meat. They- don't intend /to^foilow suit. Ad camipaign,being dra^^ up pulls ho punches, ; but/ tells in; harsh, re-/ aVi^tic leriiis-what the; audience expect to sieel • /■■.,--^ Fox-W. t Takeover RKO/time Bearing on 'Ramparts' at M.H. ./ With rHamparts;We 'Watch* sched- uled lb open Aug. 22 the Music Hall, publicity. advertising staffs of j the Paranipunt, Oakland, to manager RKO and March/of Time are bearing . Los AngeVes, Aug. 6. . "rakepver for operation. by Fox- West /Coast of /the Robb & Rowley sub,s^queht V . theatres ..in. P'asadena brought about whbiestile/shitting of managers,; and. setting up of three nfew ,supe'r\'isorial areas adjacent to Los: Angeles, Lew Harris./Who has managed the Alexander, Glendale, for past six years, shifted to management of the LaReina, on Ventiira blvd.; and made superyisbr of / the entire/ Si^n Fer- nando- area; Stan Meyer, manager; of,/'the UiVited Art^s^ Pasad^ places Harris at Alexander and wj 11 have supiervisioh of all circuii liouses/ in that city. .- ■■/ /;/., -.. //Terfy . McDaniei :gets^.;^r^^ jbb at /UA and- superyi.'ies «U of Pasadena. Other ;.change.s''include tirahsfer - of J. /D. Richardson, .from the La/ Rein a .to the Wa.shinglon, Pasadena; George Topper, Jr., from do\<'h to get.'maxi.murri^ exploitatiori on: this playdate following the open- ing prt j^uly 23 in Washington. Pic- arirarigied ' for picture. ?tars and- ture i.s getting a break in the .elab.ofr of the Valley in North Hollywood, vice ;p. Wise;' who' triahsfers lb man- agement of the Park, .Pasadena. V : Bernie .Sobel's' SpoV In realignnrient of the Metro home Samuel Gbldwyri when they areJatVadvei/tisirig and publicity driv^ of flee publicity /staff,.; Berriai^ guests .here. Aug.., 19 for tHe world premiere of Goldvyyn's . 'The "We.st- erner,' which / 'the. early days -of Texas, ,; .Walter Brerihan,. Gary Cooper, Dbris .Dayehpoft and Fred Stone are expected to\ be aniohg the Visiting film;lumiriaries.. . . Jock Lawrerice, for Goldwyn, was herie last week setting plans.. Joe Shea, representing United Artists, is in charge of. arrangements: for out- bf-towri visitors, :'^'-'r'J: ..-f :'■ Events will include :-,bii; /outdoor dance, afternoon receptions ;and the preem. that night, which will be. held at both the W^rth and Hollywood theatres. '. / ■; the :,t\vo; weeltly magazineSj Life and "Time. 'Rampiarts' will receive bene- "fit of 11 full pages bf .advertising in Time and .11% pages in Life. ' In ad-^ has been assigned to special prorho- tion on 'The Ziegfeld Girl', He start."? immediately on advance prornbtion for the M-G nnisical .starring Eleanor Powell, Hedy Lamarr, Jarhes Slew-, art and Lana Turner, dition, the picture is. gettmg sevenr i . . . ., • . i- v -t^^- IIGHTMANTO DRIVE-IN INVASIONS Memphis, Aug. 6. Irked by the entry of Drive-in Theatre competition in Little Rock, M. '■. A. Lightman . announced this .week that /his.;Malco';Circuit will . build motor shows in' both Memphis and Little Rock, This / .believed/to be the first time that an irnportant circuit has entered the drive-i field, Lightman" is a southern , partner of; Paramount. / . Barney and Paye Woolner are op- erating a drive-in here in Memphis and opened one last week in the Arkansas city, Imrriediately . Light- man served notice that he is shop pirig for suitable sites In both, towns;.: *I didn't, mind so much when they had just, one spot here in Memphis;' he said. *Bufe if'Hhey open in Little Rock, Fort Smith will be next, and first thing I know there'll be drive- ins in /every vMialco/ situati.oii,' /I'm. goiijg to meet, the competition on its own terms.'r / /•/' . //-; Ne.w Drive-In Terre Haute, Ind, Aug. 6/ Gonstructibn of a new:: 'Park-In' underway here: at/30tli and Poplar iBtreets. , ' ;- ,'".../.-Niew Jnterstaiier./; Fort Worth, Aug. 6.. Construction of the fourth neigh- borhood theatre to; be operated in this town by-Interstate is under way, opening time tentatively set/for mid- December, Stating cajjacity ;850. / Leased jfrofni Mrs, Martha Zeloski, Wha is building the house, thie deal calls for a parking lot that will ac- commodate 120 :cars;: Tentatively named 'The Bowie,' because of its location on Camp Bowie Blvd;, 'and on. the .site that. was. once an army training groimd>y: that;.naime. Frank Weatherford,^ Inteirstate's: city man- ager, yviJl supervise its operation. 'Laugh Week' In Balto As Hypo For 'Syracuse' " ViTashington, Aug. 6.. . Bernie Kreisler, Universai. branch manager iri Washington, has pro? moted a 'Laugh Week' in. Baltimore for the showing. of 'Boys from Syra- cuse,' 'starting Friday (.9). He's at- ternptiiig /iimilar stunt , throughout his -territipry/ with, a letter quoting headl ines from VAniETy's gross pa ges showing that biz " -; currently fol- io-wing laugh pictures.. / Maybir Howard Jackson: decreied the Baltimore 'Laugh Week* and 'Syracuse', is being; shown ' simul- taneously / at two first-rung, : J. L. Schanberger's Keith's theatre and Izzy Rappaport'iHippbdrome.;.it's the first time two midtown houses have played the same film at. the same time, -. Hippodrome, ; however;. will get higher adrhissibns because of its vaiude policy, keith's being.'a stiraight- pic spot. ■ '•-. ■■ /' ; a forthcoming issue.; 'Mhett ' Sindlinger; ad head for March of ■ Tihriei liaS been, working with his own staff,; and with that of RKO under S, Barrett McCormick and Yoiing & Rubicam agency in 'carrying out a three-month cam- paign. ■. .//;-■■ ./-// .> .' Premiere ;ih Washirigton erriployed •whaft is - reputed to be the largest linage ever, used oil .a. feature - pic- ture.. Additionally^: ''lime* used Westbrbbk Van yborhis, vbice; ' in March of Time .and In 'Ramparts,' in setting sorne 147 spot radio announce- ments prior to the film's opening. JOHNSTON'S PUB-AD HUDDLES WITH WANGER John Leroy Johnston, Coast press chiieiE for Warter/ Wariger,. is in ^Tew York for confabs with trhited Artists- pub-ad department on canripaigns fbr forthcoming 'Foreign; Correspondent' and . 'Lbhg Voyaige Home.' 'Cor- resfiondent' release is tentativeiy set for early Septembier and 'Voyage' a month later. . Following his stay In New York. Johnston Will , go out ahead of Wanger on the producer's tbur of the country,; Wanger will talk to exhib and sales groups. . -/. ■ \v';. ' '" Americanization Rally In Bronx., N,Y., Theatre The first of 3: series of ArneHcani- zation rally programs to be held at the Kingsbridge, N. Y., with impor- Deulevy's Personal of his later Bi'oadway;productions and conducted .similar camjiaign for Metfb's. 'Great Ziegfeld' several sea-, sons ago during..\vhich he organized the Ziegfeld Club/ - ■ Ray Bell, publicity representative for the' Loew's theatre.^ in . Washing- ton, being transferred;'to ; the , M-G publicity. - department, to take over the rputi'h'e newspaper cpritacts in New York. : Gertfude Gelbin,.. formerly editor of Loew's./WeekTy,; joined the/ fan mag;istaff. of the home office. Msin'atg'i^rr.'In'/Shifts ; . Detroit.; Aug. 6// Cohen.; Circuit has done some heavy shifting of its three all-.night houses which operate: with two man- agers each. Mike Kareha and Phil McNamee are new managers of the Mayfair, /replacing Philip Katzih and Dantiy Drozan. Droiiah. suQceeded George Baird at the Roxy,; Al Smith was promoted to manager of the Nor- wood, replacing William Drozan. -.;;-'.■■//■ De'nverDoin's-/ ■ Denver, Aug. 6/ \- The sixth annual/picnic of the Rocky Mountain Screen Club will be held at. Evergreen, 40 miles from Denver, Aug. 23. Jack Langan gen- eral chairman. Fox ; Intermountain: "Theatre-s' an- nual managers' convention in Denver Aug. - 21-23, with both Spyros and Charles Skouras in attendance three days. More than .75 will attend at the Cosmopolitan hotel, with Rick Ricketason in the. chair. They will adjoiirn in time to attend the Screen Club picnic. ■ ice; Co. to handle all acccssoi-'it s. for product distributed by Crown'. A new theatre in Beaver Falls. Pa/, will be: erected for Sam Hanaut-r, who owns the Rialto in that l<w n. It'll be an 800-seater. and ton^lruc- tion. lis slated to begin. iri-. the /next few weeks. Briefies: Carl Spuhler is a new ad- dition to the/U.exchange staff ..Lew Leftoii,; Monarch manager, up; jirid around again after/bieihg bedded by an infected throat.. .City -will auc- tion off five-story Liberty' Ave, bldg, 1 Isted . as the '■ property o f .; W e.stern Penn.sylv'ania.Amuseinent C(t. TJiere are $75,000 in back taxe^ahd a $l !iO,- POO mortgage against it.. , Art Cjn- ema. foreiign film site, will open inli 'season middle of September .• -with Baker's Wife.' - Bill Ilamrlck's. Spot .. Seattle, Aui!/ 6: Bill Hamrick, former manaset of Pa.rarhount, Hamrick-Evergreen spdt, arid nephew of;Jbhn Ham'riok.; -ily manager, back in show biz a.<. H.iM.stV ant at Coliseum, /Clyde Strout mi;ri.-^ ager there. Young Hamrick succeeds Frank McCormick, who ..Te-signed :to run for business agent of local the- atre employees' unibri. .against. Frfink Hood, incumbent arid liforrher ' ti-ian- ager for years oi the Klaw-Erl.-ingcr. Metropolitan. '; Davles, S. Faielifl ^' - San F'rancisco, Aiig. 6. ;.^ Jbe Blumenfeld, who .recently xc-. cjuired/Davies,; on Market street, 'will reniodel fliGkery, which becoTney .th Esquire, after overhaul. ;. . .; Jeifferson's Additiori -: Lufkin, Texas,/ Aiig. 6. East Texas Theatres < JiefTf-rjstiri Am us,; Co.); has taken oVer ih* Texan^ here. House, was sold 'I'o group by. Lee M, Threet. Chicago, Aug. 6. ' Brian Dorilevy was in town last week. on a general nationwide tour sponsored by Paramount in behalf tant speakers taking part, ■was.put^^n; ;^,^ :^^^ ..The Great McGinty' flicker, at the theatre^Wednesday ni^t ,(31),/ponievy jg talking hot only with as supplementaI,io:..the _regular fea- newspaper reporters for the buildup -ture,; 'Waterloo; Bridge.' ; Programs are being arranged by Robert Ro.sen. manager: of the house, with a y.ie.w to;fostering; a true and lasting Ameri- can spirit. ;. .The first of the patriotic rallies was; held iat the Kinggbridge urider the auspices of/the Adolph S; Ochs Ariiericari Legion Post No, 1207. A total oi 11; different units of a patri- btic character figured in the initial program,. including; open irig ceremo- nies by Rosen; 'Star; Spangled Ban- ner' with Patricia Carroll as vocalist; 'God, Bless America.' sun^ by Kate Sriiith, taken from News of .the Day by special permission;; an invocation by Commander A. H. Roemer of the Ochs Membrial Post; in - address on 'Womeh'g Place in. Patriotism' by Mrs.. Edna Keila'r pf the; Bronx Girl Scouts; varibus. musicial select^^ rietreat and' taps by American Legion Buglers,, and a speech by Bronx Borough President James J- Lyons., A special , prograni iLstirig the events was gotten out with the flag in color. ■.-'•■-; ,/■-..!.' • -:- Kingsbridge is.ordinaHly a double- feature house. It is one of the Con- solidated Ariiiiserrient string pf thea- tres in Greater New York. of the pic, but also speaking at'riieet- jngs of Paramourit; branch workers and to. exhibitors.. In geneijal, the spiel is that be- cause of the war in Europe and the less of • this reyferiiie,'. rriore- . effort must, be made, to increase attbridiance and revenue in America. : Wais in Chicago for two days late laet week for a cbiiple of .meetings and then, headed for Dallas for simi- lar boosti ng . of .'McGirity,' ih which he appearis; -/ "- ' isti Louis,/Aug, 6. Harold B,. (Chick) Eyaris, irianager of' Lpew's,. arid (ijplvin McPhersbn, draniatic and film critic of the .Post- Dispatch, will don professional robes next fall at the Adult .;Study Ceriter; a bi anch of the' Washington Univer- sity, to. discuss talkers in their vari- ous forms, etc. ; ;; :Last .week bpth were invited to .address, weekly riieetirigs at .whicli an oufstandirig flicker will be shown; They will be .expected^ to answer a ; borhbardment of quizzes by the class. • ■.■/■■ ■■ Fix, A. C, Closed - Atlantic City, Aug; 6. Pix thea.tre .on: Garden Pier was closed Friday night (.2) when Police Magistrate: Albert N, Shahadi ruled the house, opened for the season.less than -a week previously, was ojperat- ing on the wrong kind of license.. ; Hedy Lamarr's. original 'Ecstasy,' or what; the; censors have left of it, was being shown when a .special in- vestigator for the City Revenue of- fice stepped iri and arrested the man- ager, Sidney Curiimins of Brooklyn, arid the projector operator; - Jack Mendel Wager of Bayonne. - The/show stopped iri the middle of reel 1,; money .;Was refunded to pat- rons, and Cummins and Mendelwager put utider .$1,000 bail. They had paid :$50 for their licerise. but the Revenue office:. said they .should have taken out a regular $35.0 'theatre' licerise, despite the .sriiall.size of their house.-. Magistrate Shahadi later dismissed the case against, them with a iremark that 'they made an effort to comply with the law,' but Pix is. still closed. . ; PerJIman IJpped ; ■ Pitt-sburghi Aug; 8. : ..Mark. |5oldriiari. Monogram man- ager here, announced prombtibri . of Saul Pei-ilm'an fvom booker to sales-! man. He'll handle the Main Line territory.; Perilrrian will take oyer his new duties with the beginning of the 1940-41; sales: season next week, at which time his..successor will be named. . ■/;■■/-" . .;■•/ ■ A. :■ ^ Ci'own /exchange; .acquired; ^the product of Filrii; Alliance for coming year, - according - to. manager Max Shulgold, former GN salesman who went into busineiis for himself a year ago. " Shulgold has also t>lbRed'a deal with Jack Judd Th"c-Ji1 re Troisier'Servr Carkey's Chain . ;. , Albany, N. Y.. A\ir: 6. With the acquisition of a- Iheatr* in Norfolk and. another, in Norwood (small tbwris near Ma.s.<;ena), Law- rence Carkey, of the New Fainjiy. Utica; arid two other Uticans have. iricbrporated Kadevan Chain Thea- tres, Ine; Principal bfflce;of circuit. is in Utica. Jay L; Katzman arid Stuart A. Lever with Carkey, are the; directors.- Authorized- capital stock is $10,000, $100 par value.; Carkey theptres are : productrs-er- viced by Albariy . exchanges. : . Sommers' S. IK Lee- Spot / .- ' Cincinnati, Aug. f. Henry (Bud) Sbmmers\ Te.signed from the RkO/ theatres managerial staff Thursday (25) to a.ssume di- rectorship of Sam. D. Lee's flv» theatres in Frankfort and Winches- ter, Ky. During the past year Som-. mers was in charge of the vaud- fllm Shubert. /' ■ "'..: • '■' He will do the picture booking and also engage the acts for 'pe- riodical appearances at tht Let houses. ■ ../- ■ McAyoy .Vice Amsterdanoi Philadelphia, Aug. C. _Ben Amsterdam, veteran indie exi hib, resigried as treasurer of the':, Philljr .Variety Club because of pre.ss of private business. New treasurer is 'William McAvoy, chairman of. the club's house committee. Jack Beresin, .president of the Berlo Vendirig Co., was named chair- man of the banquet cbmrifiittee. The annual banquet will be held the/lant Thursday in December after being- staged on Sunday nights, ever finfe its inceptiori; David E. Weshner arid Ted Schlanger, Stanley-Warner fx- ecs, were named chairmen of the t-n- . tertairimenl/and dais cbri(imitlees. re- spectively./ W3'i New Ad Service A ■ new. advertis|ngresplpit»tipn: seryicjB has been set upi by Warner Bros, bn forthcoming feaitiire.s, with special adyjirice proof sheets of both the ad arid scene stills to be s*nt te all branches, field exploitation - rnen' arid , theatre .ad-men, several weeks ahead of the regular pressbock. The service will enable theatrt-.s to get started on their campaigiis jirior to the. production of engraving.* nd mats in New. Ybrk. .;-.: GIIJ^EAII WEST AGAIN Rolpert Gillham :wili leave.iri; about two weeks fbr'the Coast .'one of his periodic Visits. Iri addition to looking pvt-r • new seasoji's product now ready and dis- ciissing advertising plans, he will gt?. over the campaign for 'Northwest Mounted,' which will be . Epebialiy - preemed in Canada this fall i ■ -i /i ;/{