Variety (Mar 1941)

WedneBday, March 12, 19il Ilnsui^ Heroes o^ ■ThS film sj^lfcsmen who scour the lour quarters, pf the universe to. sell their, company's pictures are the heiroes' Of an indixstry who arie ,un- honored and. unsung, they are the army of disvoted and loy^l men who - brave the fierce storms of winter, the devjaistlating floods of spriiig and the deadening and ;ehetvatihg niidsum- iTier heat They call upon,exhibitors In towns that are barely discernable on a map and some that a?:e ndt eyeri Randmch&llyed; Like the postman, weather is no bar to the fulflUmeht of their; daily tasks-^-makiri'g their territories With- out compTaiht, cafryirig thfeir brief cases, ^ready . to .sign/contracts,, get piaydat^i talk over rtjected tracts, ahd from ■ time to time doggedly retrace their footsteps to • try again and .-again, to. .meet the orders of their superiors. ;. . Throughout the United Statesnrien of all ages, represeriting every - major ancl minor, distributing organization •who have pictures to sell, daily plod their: way from town to hamlet to yillagfr—across prairies, desert ;sands and •mouiitains, carrying with them; the message of hew pictures, pic- tures yet to be pilayed, contracts to be readjusted. And perhapis, during: the: year froni time to time- the . trade ' press . will carry, a ■ ■ para- graph or twoi tellinig Of the., death 0r serious injury^of. one ^ of these gentry—a skid on an icy high- way, engulfed in flood waters of seri- ' ousiy injured in a collision and re- cuperating .in some small town hos- pital..' ■ .,; . No Picture Is 'Bad* The- camaraderiie. that. exists tie-, tweeh these salesmen is one of their outstanding traits. They are the first to dig. into their pockets to help a less:! fortunate fellow worker—for they know hot when and who will be the next to nied succor and aid. They receive a weekly wage. , and a stated sum for daily living expenses. For this they work 18-20 hours some days when , oh the road, never com- plaining of long hdiirs but going about their business of. cajoling, argu- ing,, pleading; for signed contracts end playdates, never giving a second thought to the long tiresome hours put in to accomplish - this purpose, They are loyal, these film sales- men—loyal to the companies they represents Not ii one of them ever Bells a 'bad' picture. No matter how terrible the picture may be, his loy alty hypnotizes him into the .be . lief that it is 'bbxoffice,' aiid he goes about it hammer and ton|s to con vince the exhibitor that ir is 'box- office.' He takeis as a personal af front any aspersions cast upon the product he is selling, be it a feature or a short subj ect. Should an ex- hibitor. In the presence of a rival film salesman have the hardihood to say that his picture 'smelled-to the high heavens,' he's in. for ai few tough minutes. The rival salesman Joins in With the fellow attacked, a blitzkrieg is; on. and soon the ex hibitor will be convinced that he was wrong—that it was his fault alone that the picture flivvered through his lack of' exploitation and advertising-^ tiiat as a showman he was a bust. Now .the, exhibitor tells his woes to the Branch Manager—he knows betr - tier than telling it to the road men, . . More Hdmaii R^lalloha It Is an illuminating experience to sil; in 'with a group of film /peddlers', They make their headquairters in key tbwhs in their territoriies and after listening to their matter.'<)f-fact re- citals of the day's doings, it becomes apparent what Important, cogs they are , in the distributing wheel of a 'film origanizatiohl They neVer boast of their sal^s or the contracts signed, :npr of . their hardships,' but with a wonderful sense ; of- humor inter^ ' ipersed . with, at times . Rabalaesian wit,, tell of Inp'ilents and happenings of the day with. ..exhibitors known . t6 all of the gfoup^thelr idiosyncra- '. cies, their virtues (which in some instances arie . ;few), and their vices, .which are many.; There may be. a casual referent^^.of a bad skid.^jBi har- row escape wiih a huge ttailer. truck on a nartovr mountain road, being marooned in a ohei-hPrse burg by a blizzard or- a; ilood—or fleeing a small hotel in .the middle of the night ait ' the ciy. of 'flf e', •r-^And in listening; one learns als» 'hat the ;exhibitpf of today is bC' "oming more human than he was In hie early years: of -the industry, Wheire herietbfpre he treated the film; peddlers' with scant .courtesy and cursed them with, impunity, today he has ai changed attitude—a friendlier one. He has come to realize,,that the film salesman is a hunian beihg after all,, that .he is . trying to^earn, an ihonest living, ;and that Avhen he returns time and iagain : with con- tracts rejected, does; not vent his spieen on 'the; salesriian and insult: him with fbul! epithets and snarls, but get together in a friendly busi-- ness way to iron . out the differences caused by the Home Office rejection of the deal. • ■ ,' the day of the guzzling,; poker- play injg, playboiy film" salesman Vvith a sweetheart in evety tOAvh is gone, -^gone with the advent of the; auto- ihobiliE^ ■Ejchi.bitbjs delighted jn stall- ing oh Sppointmehts, keeping the salesman in a town for several days, —either for his company, or to wear him down. Then there would be long waits for trains—there were no busefr-^and to; while ' away; his: time' the salissmah always founci time tp make the waiting time as: pleasant as he could. . - Not - tisr ^the- Wealth . DIAPER DILLINGERS Freaks. . News - Colneidence; With Wetro's'Boys ToWa* Unusual parallel between a riews 6vent and a. picture plot brokei re- cehtly fPr Metro's 'Men of Boys Towh.*^ in the film, now^ Virtually completed, two bpys set themselves lip in .an afsenal'and hold an entire police force, at bay. In New Jersey, a couple- weeks ago, • two 14-yeaf.- olds similarly set themselves up and held oil State Police for hours. Metro press department took ad-;. vantage:of . the ;break by sending out neWspiaper cilippiiigS about the Jer- sey diapter Dillingers. • {elniildiiig C(ia^ The autoiriobile has charijged .fill this. : Now; he can make three an4 sometimes four, towns a day,: and by the time be gets tb his "hotel late at night be. has his daily reports tb fill in, mail them arid get to bed, as quickly as possible, for he must be up early, the following morning tb. make his schedule of towns for, the day. He has a quota to adhere to and it leaves him' very little time to procrastinate, the shirker and the laggaj^ soon finds himself looking for another job. It is a hiard, praictlcal school the film salesmen go through. Weaklings very...quickly fall by the wayside; They mvist combine tact with ia hard sense of business ability. They must match their wits against hard-head- ed exhibitors. Today . exhibitors are fully cognizant of the drawing power of pictures,, and it takes all the acu- men the salesmen possess to brush aside unfavorable arguments Of the exhibitors who peruses the variPus trade papers and newspaper reviews (Cpntinued bn. page 16) tOBACCO ROAD'NAME FOR DET. STREET FIZZES .Detroit, March-11. Attempts to change '.Woodward avenue's name tp 'Tobacco" Road' fizzed but here in. a .blaze of wrath, Proposal to change the name of De- troit's main stem to that of the pic-^ .ture's title for the, duration of the film's run at the Fox had just started to be read at the Common Council meeting here when the City Fathers started bouncing pfC the ceiling. , Although they were pretty irate about the attempt: tb hang the title of a dissolute setting on Detroit's best-known street, and refused to hear , out the proposal, they did give Hairry Remington, the Fox press agent, a chance to talk. He pointed out that for 'Young Tom Edison' the Council had; set -a- precedent by aU lowing ^Edison' titles to go up along Main .street. ' . ■ ■You don't mean to .compare '.To- bacco RPad'. -with 'Young Tom Edi- son?' challenged John Lodge, oldest .of :the cburicilmen;' .• 'No,' Remington retorted,/'tobac- co Road' is a mucji beWf picture;- 'Sis' Preems in St Loo Chicago, March .11. Balaban & itatz, which two weeks ago started bunching all' of Its houses in a single ad in the manner of the Loew ads In New; York as; developed by; Gscar Dopb, ran. into a squall last week' Avhen the Chi-^; cago Daily News; iand tribune re-: fused to continue.'to run th* group, ad.-' •■ Dallied Insisted that B;i&K. break up its -spjice arid .rim it, in sectipns, as previously,- one group for the loop and other , groups lor, : eacli. of the neighborhood divisions. , Dailies claimed that they had worked up their pictute directory .ad jpage over a period of years- and that they would not okay B.&K.'s breaking up this . directory,, setuii, whereby a reader .Can look under,. say, the northside' listing and find the pic- tures scheduled in that neighbor- hood. Under ..the new ;B.&K, bunch ad this is not possible. ■ Disney-RKO Publicists Setting *Dragoii' Campaign Hal Home, ..eastern rep for Walt Disney, and- Dick .Condon, press chief, are-extending their current Coast trip an extra ■week tp catch a sneak preview of Disney's Jalest feature, 'The Reluctant Dragon.'. Pair was due: back at Ne\y York headquarters bn Monday (10). While, in Hollywood, Home and Condon will sit in with other. Diisney execs on...huddles; \Jith S. Barret McCormick,. RKO pub-ad head, and Ned Depinet, RKO sales topper, on handling of the pic. It's; felt to be slightly-touchy as it is somewhat in the.nature Of a house promotion for. the Disney outfit. RKO Pub DeptV Trailer : World preem of 'Sis Hopkins,' Re- public's heavy-budgeted Judy ;Can- .ova; starrer, has been set -.for St. Louis. It will be held , it the Fox there; on Aprir4.:. I- Miss Canbva and a nuhiber .of cast members will be present, as vyell ia;s exhibs arid ciritics from the miidwest, pllis Ilep excharige :mahagers, sales-^ men and bookers itrom that territory. OPEOTNG SY REMOTE Hollywood, MSrcb 11.' ^ . . peanina Diirbin's ; voice oyer . the .Trans-Pacific telephone opened the new Times theatre in Manila, P. I., in an interview with Jose Araneta, manajger of-the house. Dialog 'was broadcast by:'all radib stations throughout the islands. Giant phoiombnTage -niural on various aspects of film press: agentry covers a large chunk pf .the; recep tiOA room wall in RKO's swainky, new publicity-advertising beadquar tefs .on the 10th floor of the com- pany's N. Y. homeoffice. Focus, of attention oh one side is reprodiic tions . of all the film tradepapers, while eye-grabber on the other is facsimilies of . the New York dailies. Covers of all the fan mags are also to be seen ,with. radio apparently being taken care of by lUCO's an- tenna tower trademark, which pre- dominates in the center.. :Eyen cheesecake is fiot forgbtten, with phbtogs pictured snapping away at a line . of ; dancing gals to provide leg art. -, - EijnfeM Due East;; . Charliie 'Einfieid is due in' New Ybirk Mbnday; (17) to discuss .cam- paign plans and 'spring releases, Harry .il; : Warner :: may alsp come east around that date. . ; - . Meantime, Jack L. "Wameri. who has: been east huddling with Qrad Sears, Carl tesermah,. lilbrt . Bliuh- eristpck. arid others oh. forthcomirig product^ left for- the ■ Coast Sunday (9)^ •■■ ■^.\.■,: " :' ■ THEASHES TUENS P. A. . ." Indianapolis, March II . Janies : ThrashiBr, film ; and ^music cricK bh the Times, local: Scripps- Howard " paper, has 'resigned to do publicity : for roadshbwing; pi. Walt Disney's-Tantasia/ - ■ This will be Thrasher's initial ex perience at . apprpachinlg the . type fonts from; the other side of ; the newspaper.. doPr. ■ ,: " oins ;; /Pitlshurjgh,: March 11. Constructibn of a modern hpuse oh the Sixth street site of the, Harris^ Alvin, vvhich has been closed sihce its roof collapsed last Noyemberi will get under way this month. . The work of razing, the old building has al- ready .started.-...;-:'- Aftei*' months .. pf ; negotiations- Frank J. Harris, last Week signed a long-term lease with the owners of the property. Harvard University.: this deal for construction and lease involves: a total bf -around; $2,225,000. New theatre -will seat; 2,500, a? against Alvin's old seating capacity, of 1,800, and the architects will be John Ebersoh,. of New York,; and "the Pittsburgh flrm of Ingram & Boyd. Alvin, originally a legit; -was con- verted into a - cinema in 1934; at which timie it was taken over .by Harris , interests. . Operated; as that circuit's ace idownto\yn house ; until five months iago,; when roof collapised without warning. Quick Work, bl house staff was all that prevented a catastrophe since there were. around 200 persons in the house at. the; time. Only lour, were injured, all of them only sliightly." ' -.' • : / V. -. ■; '■: Al Skegani former assistant of Warners' Ehright, big nabe house ih East Liberty, promoted to the man- agership Pf WB's New Oakland in Scheniey sector, Hoiise is.recent ac^ qujsition of circuit, haying : beeh taken over only a month agp from indie exhib Thomas A. Gilbert.- Billy JiaVan, I'ittsburgh theatre decorator, will-^^entCL the exhibition field shortly in Elizabeth, W. Va. He has taken a long-term lease on; the first floor bf the Masonic Lodge Hall and remodeling it for theatre seat-, ing 250. House will be niamed the Wirt and opens last of this month. Shiea just acquired the Colonial, Wheeling. W. Va.. from Laskey & Harris, i.House will be closed few weeks for complete modernization :ob,'.- , •'. . .:,^.„ ■ Briefles: Jeanette Simpson, biller at the PRC exchange, new cashier there, succeeding Stanley Lieber- farb, who is at Fort Monroe, ■Va., for. year.. Marlon Louise Hein- lein- has taken over. Miss, Simpson's old post...Charles E. Kennedy re- elected president of the Theatre Em- ployeis Union, Local B-12. . .Julian Tonkay resigned from Alvin Seller's theatre supply firm." : Jtennle isack with Blank V ;. . : '. Lincoln, March 11. Orville Rennie, formerly City man- ager for tri-States in Hastings. Neb,, prior to taking a five-month fling in radio at KHAS there, is how back with Tri-States (Par-A. H. Blank) as manager of the Fort, Rock Island, 111. Rennie was the replacement for Herb Grove, who became, district manager in Davenport, la., when Joe Kinslqr was rushed out pf that terri to.ry and into Omaha where Evert Ciimmings vacated, for a personal fling in biz lor himself in 'Oregon. M. £. McClain, Centra] States dis- trict manager o*f Fremont, Neb., has gone modern with his circuit riding. His Fremont manager, Ed Schoen- thai, is a licensed pilot, so McClain does his turns around his domain by air. . .; ^ . • ■ Does away:with bad country roads, and bum train-bus connections. Raygota's (Brandt's) 17th Raygota Theatre Corp. (David Weinstock-Joshua Goldberg) has ac- quired the Queen Anne Theatre, Bogota, N.J., on a long-term lease with, a total rental of $225,000 in- volved. Theatre seats 1,400 and has a comjpletely equipped stage. This, makes the i7.th theatre ac- quired by this independent circuit in recent years. Raygota is an af- filiate of the Brandt chain. Deal cohsumated through Berk & Krum- gold, n;y, --::■::.,;■ ■■;■;■ -peber's'Biuitti , Rbchcster^;N, Y;, March 11> .; Geprge' Deber, former managier of the Metro,; Bronx,; takes, charge of Schine's Madison here, replacing Bud Silverman,:on extended trip to Call fornia:- ■ Worcester, ;March 11, James' Tobln; of NewbUryport, forrtier asisistant" of ;lOcal Warner house, how managing Strand in Clin- ton,-Mass. Pioneer's: House Shifts ; Des MbiheSj March 11. : P.ioneer 'Theatres made the follow ing managerial changes: Art Fairrell, foi'merly of Rock Rapids, to the Iowa, Atlantic; Gordon McKinnon, foriher ly of Perry, tP the SpenCet and Fra sei* theatres,; Spencer; Lee Beckley, formerly of Spencer, to the Riapids and State, Rock Rapids; (jlifi Lind- blad, formerly of Atlanlici to the Perry and Foxy, Perry; and Marion Parkinson, formerly manager ; in Spencer, resigned to go into- business for himself. Max. Factor, of Pioneer Theatres' leaving soon on,, three weeks' trip to his home; in Los Angeles. No irela- tioti to Factor the mokeuD man. Harpld D. Field, president pf Pio neer, just returned from ai five weeks' trip: to; Guatemala.. ' ; ; Speed' Lahiberti formerly with the Metro here, nbW associated y;lith ■: Frank Rubel in the .manufacture of theatre seats, ini Burbahk, Calif; Harold Lyons,.' nephew of: Moe • Levy, district;manager for Fbx, how . ^ a salesman for 20th Century-Fox ex- change in Des Moines. He .was asso- - y elated with Fox'in-.Minneapolis for- merly.' .-■:■.':.'■ Marriage Pf .William C; Dippert, ■ Universal, Des . . Moines,; jiist an- hOuhced. Bride- is EHzabeth Don- nelly of Oskalbosa; la.; wedding took place Jan. 26 in Chariton, la." . Dallas Day; booHer for RKO, slated to return home from : Mayp^ clinic . next week. Day has been through two serious operations. Paul Walsh, booker for Warner ! Bros., has a new son. . Gilly Wells, WB salesman, ill with ' a-streps thtoat; ;- -.-. v - :,; The Farnamyille theatre^ Farnam- ville, ia„ has changed hands. Ken Stinoble the new operator. •The Oriental, Bonaparte, la., has closed.; Ray Mclntire operating. The Hawkeye, Graettihger, Ia;.~has' changed hands. Rbllb Livingston is hew .owner.-. • ."■ The Grand at. Grand Junction; la., taken over by 'Victor Mantz,' .operaitor ■ of the pgden at Ogdeh, - la. Wlby-Klncey Changes : . Spartanburg, S.C March 11: Warren . IrVin, - Columbia, S. C,;; Wilby-Kincey district manage^, pro- moted:'GraysPn F'pats, former man- .. ager Rjtz.: Columbia, to. city man-. . ager Of three Rockingham, N. C.,. uniti. Curtis H.. Mees, manager ■ Strand, same city; succeeds him; with Jack Jordan; former assistant , man- ager Palmetto, taking over Strand. •Thbmas AUen, former assistant Ritz, succeeds Jordan. F. D. Bryant moved from Marion, S. C.,'l?replace Bryant at Ritz. Pliimb to Tbrktonj Sask, . . Reginai Sask;; March 11; Forrest Plumb; manager of the Roxy, Wilkie, Sask., transferred, to Ybrktbn. Sask., replaced by A. War- ner; Saskatoon. Sihoke dariiage. was suffered by the Roxy, Yorkton, when a store : next door caught fire; Patrons left withput panic. win Cooper to See the World ; ^ Atlantia., March 11. .. Wihstoh. Cooper, assistant manager of Loew's Grand, resigned to join ' the NaVy; assigned to duty oh U.S.S. Lassen, ah -amihunitiori..carrier. , Shubert, Pbilly, Goes Burley ; Philadelphia, Mairch 11. The Shubert,. darkened for nearly two years, will be reopened as a hurley house March 21 as part of the Midwest Circuit. House will be. operated by Rube Bernstein,- hus- band of peeler-Hinda Wassau, Fred Sears will manage and. Sam Bush-' man will p.a; Last time Shubert was open was; during the regime of Max Wilher and his wife Stella. The enterprise ended on a sour hbte with the U. S. marshaU . stepping in and pinching the works for non-payment of Fed- eral taxes. George P. Aarons, counsel for the United Motion Picture Theatre Own- ers, vacationing in Hot Springs. Johnny : Kane, Troc producer,; rer • cuperating from appendectomy. : Bud Freeman, managei: of Jay Em- manuels Grand, at Mount Sinai hos- . pital for a slicing,. . The Benn undergoing $15,000 re- furbishing }ob. John Roberts, Conierford- exeC, . celebrated his- 25th wedding antii-; versary. . . , -; '■ Buckley Amus. Co. took over the Imperial; Kulpmont, Pa.: -,; - George Eckert, Jr.,;inahager of the Perry, New Bloomfield, Pa , guest of honor M farewell party here last . Tuesday. He left for Aberdeen, Md., where he will serve as a lieutenant: of. artulery..: .' . The Women's Auxiliary of the ; Variety Club Will; hold its annual, donor dihneir-dance. at the Ritz- Carlton April 26 for the benefit_;of infantile paralysis, sufferers.; Cor chairmen of the cbnrimittee: are Mrs. Sam Gross and Mrs. Harry. Biben. . Max; Miller, publicity head of . the Williaih ' Goldman chain,; in Miami . for two.weeks. Film Exchange Employees Union : B^7 •will hold its flrst general mem- bership rtieeting since election of new officers at the firbadwood hotel hext Frfflay (Mi. ."r- . George P. Aaroris, UMPTO secre- tary; on his way:; back from'-Hot Springs. , • ■;;■ '■■ ""'i-;- Lester Wurtel, Columbia ofl;iCe manager, heading southward, ,: Film' men will hold; a dinner, at Jermyn Hotel, Scran ton, in honor ol George Beattie, former Paramount Scranton salesman, now . upped to sales manager of the exchange.- Diate foK shindig is March 25,: Bill Hee.nan, formerly of Peerless exchange here, taking Beattie's place in ScrantPn; territory. .,' •