Variety (Oct 1942)

Wednesday, October 7, 194? EXPLOITATION 18 Par Turns to Smaller, More Informal Meets; Other Theatre, Exchange Briefs In llie past, having held several laiuc convention-type sessions at- icnded bv Ihe company's theatre nartnci-.<. "Paramount in the future tvill hold quiet, informal meetings on a smaller basis without any of the former ballyhoo. The get- toccthers. to cover operators and narlnci-s. will be for certain sections rather than for the whole country. Leonard H. Goldenson, Par v.p. over theatres, will probably sched- ule a meeting for one of the terri- tories in a week or two. Place not set. Pai tner.<i of the Par theatre chain, all of whom have been busy in their respective domains on the Septem- ber boM drive and othe r w ar actlvi- | . ..^ X\c< arc cxpected to De drlfttne Into "Whi N Y from time to time shortly to gen go over theatre matters with home- office execs. . , Tracv Barham, operator of Par's string in Utah and Idaho, was In N Y la.st week on product deals. He headquarters in Salt Lake City, Kalmenaon'a CMst O.O. Ben Kalmenson, Coast-bound, left Friday night (2) for Chicago and other exchange points en route. He will wind up on the Coast in a week or 10 days to discuss product coming up, see pictures that are completed and huddle over sales policies. Kalinenson returned to New York only last week after a tour of vari- ous exchanges in the midwest. Matthews Upped to Winnlper G. A. Matthews, formerly salesman for Warners Toronto branch, now ex- change manager at Winnipeg, suc- ceeding Lou Geller, who died re- cently. Some years ago prior to shitting to Toronto, Matthews was in charge of the Winnipeg branch. Buermele Leaves Co-Op Detroit, Oct. 6. A difference in opinion over op- erational policies was given as the reason for the retirement of Carl W. Buermele as general manager of Co-Operative Theatres of Michigan. He had served in that capadtv for the past four years. Buermele Is ex- pected to move into an official ca- pacity with another film organiza- tion shortly. No successor is to be named at this time, it was said, and Samuel Barrett, head booker, will double- head the Co-op jobs, taking over the managerial chores. This town's new secretary of the Department of Public Works has been picked from the movie biz. Hazen L. Funk, for 14 years manager of the Great Lakes here, was named to the post by Mayor Edward J. Jeffries. Amusement biz previously had been recognized here with ap- fointment of several theatre and adio men to other civic commis- sions. Kosco to 20th-Fox In PiU Pittsburgh, Oct. 6. Charles Kosco, veteran Columbia talesman, ha^ resigned to accept a sales post here at 20th-Fox, where he replaces Joe Hanna, who quit several weeks ago after 24 years of service with the company. At Col, Kosto has been succeeded by Hol- brook Bissell, former Col branch manager in Cleveland for eight jrears, who resigned that berth in 1039 to go into advertising business. J K. (Robbie) Robertson, assist- ant to James Totman, head ofWB's theatre advertising department, granted indefinite leave on accoimt of illness, and Henry Burger, man- ager of Smoot, Parkersburg, W. Va., bemg brought into publicity office to take over his duties. Robertson, who used to manage Warners' houses in State College, Pa., has been ailing for couple of months and recently underwent major operation to cor- rect stomach condition. J. G. Furrer resigned as West Vir- ginia sales representative for PRC here to go with RKO In Cincinnati as salesman. He'll cover same ter- ritory for his new connection. Sam W. Gould manager of WB's Konyon. on Northside, upped to su- pcrviser s berth in Greensburg, Pa., where he'll look after Manos and also two other Warner spots there. Post was previously held by Joe Freeman, into the Army. Lige urien, from Belmar, replacing Gould at Kenyon. Fred Wallace is John Walsb's new asst. and p.a. at Fulton, succeeding tiordon Kearsey, now in training as ?, "^val flying cadet. Wallace, old- time Pitt theatre man, for number i' been doing publicity work aI. • u • ^"^ was last here for U aium-beating 'Eagle Squadron.' Margaret Casey, student booker at w-G exchange, been promoted to snn. department, taking over sf°'J1''*'*'*.''y Allen Douglas, re- signed lo go into dairy business with i'^„/^iher here. Wahaneta Gardner 's Offices new student booker. irwin Marcus, from National nrl"" Service's Cleveland office, R, Tl^l *o assistant manager of ih^^' Stanch under Perry Na- than. He follows John A. Scott, who enlisted in the Army couple of weeks ago. Engagement Just announced of Ernest A. Stearn, Par booker here, and Regina Abravanel, local girl. He s son of Norbert Stern, who owns and operates South Park Drive-In. Lou Hess, veteran U salesman, granted a six-week leave by branch manager Pete Dana to take rest on doctor's orders. He'll spend it at Lakewood. N. J., returning to his job around end of November. Variety Club here has cancelled its annual banquet: proverbially show biz' biggest shindig of the year here, and doesn't intend to put on another Big Top affair until after the war. Although in other cities ■where—tents—exist—banquets were generally called off, local officers de- cided few weeks ago to try to go through with the Pittsburgh party, and set the date for Oct. 25. Chief Barker Joe Hilier had even appoint- ed a general chairman, Ira Cohn, head of 20th-Fox exchange. But meeting last week demon- strated to membership the impossi- bility of staging a banquet to match previous ones and rather than take a chance en a possible flop, whole project was dropped. It would have been the 14th in the Variety Club series here. Jack Chalman Back In S. A. San Antonio, Oct. 6. Jack Chalman named publicity di- rector of local Interstate theatres by E. E. Collins, city manager, replac- ing Clarence H. Moss, commissioned a captain in the U. S. Army Air Corps. Chalman comes from the Dallas home of Interstate. Over a year ago Moss replaced Chalman, who went to Dallas; now Chalman returns to his old post. K. C. WB's All-Femme SUta The Warner club in Kansas City has elected ^fFicers for the coming year and all are women members of the Warner exchange there. TTiey are Rosalee Birenboim, president; Nelly May Dahlin, first v.p.; Bessie Buchhorn, second v.p.; Helen McCoy, secretary; Henrietta Spinoza, treas- urer, and Margie Zimmerman, re- porter. Exchange loses its first employee to the WAACS this week. Evelyn Miller, of the contract department. John Meyers Subs Keen Phelps, N. Y., Oct. 6. David W. Keen, owner of the Phelps theatre, enlisted in the army but feer that the village's only Aim house would close for the duration was dispelled when John Meyers, of Newark. N. Y.. agreed to man- age it. Meyers was formerly man- ager of the Strand, Palmyra. Sol Shafer Retires Rochester. N. Y., Oct. 6. Sol Shafer, manager of Schine's Liberty and an original partner 0f J. Myer Schine in Syracuse and Oswego, has retired after '26 years in the business. He made a fortune in theatre deals and as a stockholder In Schine Enterprises. He has lived in Rochester for the last 18 years, managing at various times the Grand, State, West End and Liberty. His son Is an instruclor-ofTicer with the Army Air Force in Texas. Stockton Leigh. manager of Schines' Monroe and slated for early draft induction, also resigned. City Manager Bud Silverman took charge of the Monroe, moving his offices to that building from the Riviera. Al Hostler moved in from the Gran- ada, Buffalo, to manage the Riviera and Lake. Neil* Henry, house .man- ager, is running the Liberty under Silverman's supervision, and Tom Farnan joins the Monroe slafT as' as- sistant to Silverman. Berkeley, C'al.'s Tax Ideas San Franci.sco. Oct. 6. City council of tiansbay Berkeley ordered city manager Chester C. Fisk to draw up ordinances slapping taxes on theatre tickets and on du- cats to other 'amusement events.' Football games at University of Cali- fornia, Berkeley, also would fall un- der 'amusement events' heading. The proposed tax would be Sc. for admissions from 15c. to 99c.; 10c for from $1 to $1.99 events: ISc on tick- ets costing from $2 to $2.99. and 20c on all ducats over that amount. Isis. Denver, Fire Denver. Oct. 6. Fire started from a motor spark on a paint sprayer caused $2,000 damage to the drapes, screen and stage of the Isis theatre. Workmen were painting the screen when the fire started early in the morning. Sam Gates, stagehand, suffered burns on the hand while fighting the flames prior to the arrival of the fire de- partment. Movement of Spanish and Mexican laborers into new areas, in Colprado, mainly agricultural and mining, has caused demand to be stepped up for Spanish and Mexican films. Several theatres are now using them for the first time. Owen Vendeventer, formerly with Fox, is manager of t)ie Rex, Rapid City, S. D., succeeding Marvin Olson, who has joined the army. Ben Benda, also formerly with Fox, is city manager at Rapid City, as well as Elk theatre manager. Fred Flannagan, owner of the Star, Seibert, Colo., to California for a vacation. Dick Conley, Gem, Golden, C61o., manager, recuperating after an ap- pendectomy. Murray MillhoUand, former sales- man for RKO in Australia, now sell- ing for the same firm here. Dennis F. Baca has reopened his Tigues, Bernalillo, N. M., after keep- ing it closed five months. Leo McNamara, film inspeclor at PRC, has gone to the Egyptian as maintenance man. Seattle Changes Seattle. Oct. 6. Dick Reed, former manager of Queen Ann theatre. Sterling subur- ban house, has been advanced to manager of Roosevelt (Sterling), suc- ceeding Bill Robinson, resigned. Herb Stuart, who also manages the Arabian for Sterling, takes on added chore at the Ann. Bob Schmidt of Minneapolis, where he was at Paramount theatre, is new assistant to Dick Wasson at Palo- mar (Sterling). MAJOR DEVEREUX'S MA SEES IIVAKE IS/VERY Q.T. Washington, Oct. 6. Mother of Major James P. S. Devereux, commander of the Wake Island Marine detachment, now a prisoner of the Japanese, came to see the screen 'Wake Island' at the Earle. Invalided, and in a wheel chair, she expressed a desire to see a re- creation of the gallant and dramatic fight made by her son and his sta unch Devil-dogs. Mrs. Devereux ^efused~t6 be a guest of the manage- ment, requested that Paramount and theatre ofTicials keep her visit a secret. In respecting her wishes all theatre officials were warned not to ask her how she liked 'Wake Island.' Ex-Postmaster Joins Circuit . Spartansburg, S. C, Oct. 6. Dan Hill, former postmaster, has joined Publix-Bamford theatres, Asheville, N. C, as manager of State and in public relations capacity. Cecil Young, former member of Paramount st^, Asheville, has joined army air corps and is training as sergeant at Miami base. Paramount, Asheville, has installed femme ushers. W. G. Taylor, formerly with Pub- lix-Bamford theatres, has enlisted in marines. Plaza, Asheville, is giving war bonds and stamps instead of cash to bank nitc takers. House is one of few in Dixie continuing giveaways. L. A. Johnston, Miami, connected with Wometco Theatres, Inc., has acquired sites for three Atlanta houses when and if OPM will re- lease materials. Plans call for 1,500, 1,200 and 900 seaters. FILM BIZ MOBHJZES FOR AUSSIE'S CAMPAIGN Pix Eds on the Dailies Stress Fihn Pidilicity is Weak, Space Curtailed -44- Despite 'Mrs. Miniyer' Boycott, Metro Backs Pic Up With Big Ads Steps being taken by the picture industry to cooperate with Australia on its 'Austerity' campaign were re- vealed at the International Film Re- lations Committee session last Mon- day (5) at the Hays office. Details of the Aussie drive, patterned after that used in Great Britain, was de- tailed by Carl MiUiken, Hays office foreign manager, as related to him by Sir Owen Dixon, Australian Minister to the U. S. Anzac campaign is aimed at get- (ing all"Australiahs To' be sir icftisr severe) in living under wartime con- ditions. Albert Deane. Paramount foreign ad publicity chief, is acting as liaison rep for the film business in this effort. Plans are being laid for each major company to turn out a 60- second trailer and two disc record- ings. Outstanding Hollywood stars would speak both for the films and records. Practice in helping the Australian campaign will serve effectively in any future documentary film or recording effort instigated, because there already is talk of such a series of morale subjects designed to toughen up the U. S. public to"waf^ time regulations and realigning their lives to war tempo. IFRC paid tribute to Arthur Luric, N. Y. correspondent for the Egyp- tian Mail, Cairo, who has joined the U. S. Army. He is an Egyptian, but is now stationed at Ft. Dix, New Jersey. SPECIAL JUYE M-OFF FOR NEW BERGEN FILM Based on early demand for tickets, RKO expects to entirely sell out in all its Greater New York and West- chester houses for the special morn- ing premiere of two pictures this coming Saturday (10). Show will be 'Here We Go Again.' with Edgar Bergen, Fibber McGee and Molly, plus a western, 'Red River Robinhood,' both of which are RKO. Preem, going on al 9:30 in the morning, is only for children, except that anyone over 16 will be admitted if accompanied by a chfld. Admis- sion will be 25c kids, and 3Sc adults. Minneapolis, Oct. 6. Running large Institutional display ads in the newspapers calling Atten- tion to the 'Mrs. Miniver' engage- ments at neighborhood and subse- quent-run houses throughout the Twin Cities, Metro, in effect, 'pun- ishing' the recalcitrant exhibitors- who have 'struck' against the film and are boycotting it because the terms of the deal require them to pay around 50%. Although the com- pany denies that this is a retaliatory move, it adds to the independents' pocketbook suffering resulting from rejection of the best boxoffice pic- ture here in years. Threats have been made that the exhibitors who have cancelled won't be permitted to reconsider and it is stated definitely that, contrary to expectations, the picture will not be offreed at lesser terms later. This is the first time any company ever has run such newspaper dis- play ads for neighborhood and sub- .sequent-run engagements of any of their pictures. With the attraction playing on percentage in all of the neighborhood situations it's plenty good business for Metro, however, helping no doubt to swell the com- pany's end. The development is a break all the way through, for the-Paramount cir- cuit's neighborhood theatres inas- much as, with few of the competing independent houses playing the film, they"get-the-'Mrs;-^4inlver'-bUBinesSi The chain is making full capital of the situation and M-G also is doing everything possible to help it reap the benefit. M-G newspaper ad, for example, stated that the Arion, a Paramount circuit nabe house, would be the only theatre in north- east Minneapolis at which residents will be able to see the film. Some independent exhibitors re- fusing to play 'Miniver' have had pressure brought on them by Ameri- can Legion posts and local groupi to book the film, but haven't swerved from their course. SHORT PREEMED IN TEX. San Antonio, Oct. 6. 'Beyond the Line of Duty', screen story of the Menard (Texas) boy who became famous as Major Hewitt T. Wheless of the U. S. Army Air Corps, is having its world premiere showing at the Interstate Majestic here in conjunction with the current showing of 'Wake Island'. Much of the featurette in which Major Whe- less plays himself was filmed by Warners at Randolph and Kelly Fields here. At the time an air corps lieutenant, Wheless sprang to public fame when President Roose- velt cited in a nationwide radio ad- dress his valiant flying over the Pacific war area. The film follows his progress as an aviation cadet Into the oflicers ranks of the fiying service and in- cludes in its personnel some of its most famous airmen of the day who are now stationed at the flying fields. Major Wheless holds the Distin- guished Service Cross and other honors. Claiming that many film compa- nies do not realize how the war has drastically curtailed space availabl* for any news, motion picture editors and some managing editors bluntly told picture companies, in a recent survey, that the bulk of publicity emanating in or received from Hol- lywood is poor and unusable. Most of these film company probes sought to discover what is wrong with in- dustry publicity and how it might be improved. Outstanding survey was made by 20th-Fox, but all re- plies from the editors who handle picture news and publicity followed the same pattern. Most replies blasted the material received from the studios, many of the editors being aware that this is the source of most stories. Few found fault with publicity written in the cast. The universal complaint of those queried was that much .screen news is plain silly. They said loads of it lacks news value, being useless for publication under war- time conditions. Others said many items represented a complete waste of time and paper. Several film eds took time to send in horrible examples- of trite pub- licity. Others suggested 'read our paper' as to what is suitable to send out. Majority of replies stated they were able to get all the news they needed—and more-up-to-date than in publicity releases—from the trade papers. > One editor wrote: 'Just send us the facts. And if they require devel- opment, we'll dress them up.' Others replied that apparently most studios turn out their publicity on the poundage basis, pointing out that apparehtly it did not matter to the film company studio publicists that few of the verbose stories ever saw the light of day. Admitting they still will \ise mats and cuts when stories justify, edi- tors emphasized that these must ba comparatively small in size because of the reduced space available ia dailies. Many squawked about the type of scribes used on the Coast to turn out the reams of useless pub- licity palaver. Some even hinted that the studios must bfe employing for- mer sports writers who are still writing to fill up columns Instead of gearing their material to the needs of the limited space given to screen news. PAR'S PUBUCISTS' 10% TILT TO ARBITRATION Question of whether Paramount should have included publicity-ad- vertising department members of the Screen Publicists Guild In i^ay- ment of bonuses the past two quar- ters of this year, has been submitted to arbitration. The American Arbitration ASsn., final arbiter' of disputes under the SPG contract with distributor home- olTices, will provide a panel of names to Par and SPG, from which one arbitrator will have to be agreed upon by both sides to study the complaint and make a decision. When Par paid a bonus of 10% . _ on the first $100 of salary and 5% on skipped the SPG members on its payroll,, whereupon the union put in a squawk. Nothing was done about it—and when Par paid a similar bo- nus on Sept. 25 for the third quarter, the SPG members were again passed up. Bonuses were not paid to SPO workers in Par on either quarter, since under the contract previously signed the union's members received a 10% increase in salary retroactive several months back. Par bonuses have been paid since Jan. 1 this year in order to offset increased cost in living. PJl's Pay More Dues Hollywood. Oct. 6. Screen Publicists Guild has in- creased its dues with the proviso that all members in the armed forces are aw^ded paid-up memlpcrship cards for the duration. From now on, the senior flacks will pay $7.50 quarterly, juniors $6.75 and apprentices $0.