Variety (May 1946)

80 P1CTUHRS WetlnegJay, May 22, 1946 MG Ups First-Run Showcases in L A. To Four; Other Exchange Briefs Los Angeles. Metro will have lour lirst-run *howcases with a "total, of approxi- mately 7,600 seats' as a result of the addition of the Belmont theatre and the. replacement of the flit - /.-, by a larger house, the Fox-Wilshire. Other Metro first-run theatres in this sector arc the Los -Angeles, and the Egyptian. The. Ritz will be shifted to re- Blace the Wilshire i n I he Guild- nitcd Artists day-dale, lineup; Sutton, Astrln tu PRC Abe Suiton,' Army vet and for- merly with UA, and Ncal Astrin, formerly with Warners, added to PRC's h.o. sales stall. , ' Popkln Buys Hurley House Los Angeles. Harry M. Popkin bought the Bur- bank theatre buildin.tr. Main street burlesque house, which he had been operating for several years "under lease. In addition to the theatre, building has 10 other tenants. Schaefer Vice Alexander Sidney Schaefer, director ol me- dia for Buchanan Co.. new head of Columbia Pictures' media and print- ed advertising dept. Takes over June 17 from Sidney G. Alexander,- who switched to eastern ad-pub director post for David O. Sclznick. Schaefcr's dept. will be under supervision of Ben Serkowich, advertising .•■nd pub- licity chief. PRC's Promotions Joe Gins, former 'manager of PRC's Philadelphia branch, named district manager for the recently-acquired Atlanta-Charlotte exchange. Fred Sande, former assistant manager of the Washington exchange, appointed to the Philadelphia post. Adams Quits PRC Dallas. ■ ■Tack H. Adams has resigned as PRC's southern division manager for theatre operation. Adams has been in Aim distribution past 16 years, his Adams Film Exchange being pur- chased by PRC. For several years Adams has been In the theatre operation end with Frank. Lucchcse, operating the Har- lem in Austin. Several months ago they purchased the Stale and Cen- tury here. Plans include the building of a 1.500-seat house for Negroes here, with Sam Lucehese, and a new colored house in Austin to be built by Adams and Frank Lucchcse.' Murphee's Own Exchange. Brownwood, Tex. M. M. Murphee's new distributing exchange here set last week with purchase of South States Film Ex- change from G. I. Colt ot New Braunfcls. He. will be sales manager, while Mrs.'Murphee will be office manager. Murohee" pas! four years managed Phil Isley theatres. here. $200,000 Neb. House Opens Denver. New $200,000 Midwest ♦ theatre, Scottsbluff, Neb., built by William Ostenberg, opened. It replaced the Egyptian, destroyed by me last year. Bruce Marshall, -Universal head booker, moves to United Artists as salesman, covering the Wyoming territory. A 12-year-old boy confessed to robbing the Kiva, Greeley, of S26. Harvey . Traylor; Lincoln. Neb., moved to Colorado Springs to man- age the Trail, replacing Robert Quinn, who resigned to return.'to N. Y. C. R. Flower, exhibitor in Bayard, Neb..-will move to Esles-Park.'.Colo., for the summer to manage the Rus- tic. ' Morgan's Meetings Meetings held in Coast Paramount branches by Dick Morgan, home- office, attorney who is liaison be- tween the distribution and legal de- partments, will be followed by similar sessions in all parts of the country with division, district and branch managers on sales matters from a legal aspect. Teeoff meetings held by Morgan were in Los Angeles, Seattle. Port- land and San Francisco. He re- turned to the h.o. Monday 113) to prepare for further sessions in lhe : near future. Montana Theatre' Managers Re-elect Great Falls. Mont. . Clarence J. Severson, Wolf. Point, succeeds J. H. Moran, Laurel, to New York Theatres Ann SHERIDAN - Detail MORGAN Jock CARSON - AlMi. SMITH Jen* WYMAN In Warner Kins. Hit "ONE MORE TOMORROW" In Poimoii TOMMY TUCKER AND HIS OHCIIKISTKA PlUH i THE THBKK BOSS SIKTKRS STKVE KV.VN8 ■'way at 47tfc St. STRAND &WNMMNNMS W1UH UM •MMMIT MCIEY :apitol~ Lucille Clltta WIHlM Halt ■ALL WEBB*. BENDIX 1TEVENS 'The Dark Corner' A 20th Century-Fox Picture PLUS ON 8TAGR—6E0R6E JESSEL MERRY MACS Iltrnl ROSARIO A ANTONIO _ROXY Paramount PreHents Alan Yenaleev Wllllaa* LADD - LAKE - HKNDIX "THE ILUE DAHLIA" A George Marshall Production lb PerMiu DUKE ELLINGTON Aud Hln Orcli<-«lr» STUMP ti STI Ml'V . Kxtru—TJIK MIl.t.N BROS. PARAMOUNT, Tlmn 8<inii "RJM, FANTASY, KAUTYIffcw. WALT DISNEY'S m COMEDY MUSCAt RATUHf f # i GLOBE | tICMNICeiOl (KORetetit BETTE DAVIS In Warned Brm. mi "A STOLEN LIFE" With Glenn FORD • Dane CLAIK Walter MENNAN • Charlie RUGdlS Directed by Certle Bertihurdt HOLLYWOOD Contlaasa - B'waj at Hot Strt-rt MJVTI trtstah DMNY KAY1. MO m.m. ASI01 4SH. SI. gai qaeeaat paeeeala PATJLE'l'I'E RAT GODDARD MILLAND "KITTY" A MITCHELL LKISKK rndwlha *&2sr Rivou ^&>* RADIO CITY "Music hall "THE GREEN YEARS" Spectocsfar Stag* Predvcttoni PALACE B WAY & 4 7 111 St GINGER ROGERS "HEARTBEAT" . with J»H Pltrrt Aumint Adolpht MmiJmi Released by RKO HADIO l'li iurra BOWMAN'S 'SMASH-UP' LOAN Hollywood, May 21, Columbia assigned Lee Bowman as co-star with Susan Wayward in 'Smash-Up,' lo be directed by Stuart Heisler. Bowman will sing a couple of songs, in addition to his dramatics. prcxy chair of Montana Theatre Managers Assn. New officers in- clude: Red Flint, Forsyth, v.p.; Jack Suckstorff, Sidney, secielary-tieas- urer; directors, Herb Bonifas, Chi- nook; H. G. Wells, Hardin: C. Don Schcedy, Billings; Fred Arnst, For- syth; Carl Anderson, Kalispel; ('. F. Davis, Three Forks; and N. M. Stub- blefleld, St. Ignatius. A. F. Lanicy, Billings, ■ was selected again for legal advisor. Next sonii-nniuinl con- vention stand, in Sept., lakes place in Billings. N. C, Theatres Names Allen M«r. Raleigh. N. C. Thomas H. Allen, Jr., of .Columbia, S. C, named miinascr Virloty thea- tre, Salisbury, house operated by North Carolina Theatres, Inc. Suc- ceeds CUrtis Cobb, resigned to work in Florida. Allen, out ot 'service after two years -in. Jsliivy. formerly was at Five Points theatre, Colum- bia. Extras Reelect Slate Hollywood,' May 21. Serpen F.xtras Guild returned its list of ofllcers and directors 100'V. After, ballots were counted, Ed X. Russcil w.ts renamed prexy, defeat- ing Frank McDonald by over 700 votes in mail balloting. Total num- ber ot votes cast were 2.20.2 from eligible membership of 3,362. Other officers rclunled were Dick Gordon, first veepee; Dulce Dayp, 2d vecpee; Clyde Mc'Alee, 3d -veepee: Harry Evans, recording secretary; Jeffrey Sayre, treasurer. Buff-Telenewe Chalices Policy Btiftitlo. The Telenews theatre..- ncw.steel operated since, opened four years ago, made a chnnjje of name and policy although still owned by Tele- news Theatre of New York. -House will be renamed the Vogue with a policy of duals, mostly reissues. Mel Smith Upped by WB Pittsburgh. Melvin Smith, an assistant for Warners before going into the serv- ice, appointed manager of circuit's New Oakland theatre. Clem Dc Francisco switches from New Oak- land to Cameraphone and Max Sil- verman from Cameraphone . to Re- gent. John Reilly, whom Silverman succeeds at Regent, made relief manager for all Warner city houses.. Harold Henderson, former Ross Federal Service chief iii Philadel- phia, named office manager of Par exchange, Washington. George E. Faller, recently re- turned to U, S. after living 10 years in Greece, resumed management and operation of Southern theatre, Wheeling. It had been operated under lease for last decade by Fal- Icr's brother-inrlaw, George P. Capps. Sack Adds Three to Staff , Dallas. Dan O'Keefe, .Vernon Minshew and Ed Armstrong have been added to the local Sack Amusement Enter- prises office. O'Keefe becomes sales- man; Minshew, booker, and Arm- strong, head shipper. M. S. White, local theatre opera- tor plans a new nabe house, lo be known as the North Hi. Wayne Wallace has been named city manager at Pampas for the four L. C. Griffith theatres there, re- placing Carl Beneficld. resigned. Wallace is from Elk City, Oklahoma. Following his discharge from Army air corps. Hex Bodin look over his old post as manager of Orpheum at Waco. C. M. Stewart, city manager for Interstate, shifted Buster Scott, who was manager dur- ing Bodin's absence, to Waco the- atre manager. . Thompson to Rochester Capitol Rochester, N. Y. _ Louis Thompson, house manager RKO Palace, becomes manager of Capitol, one of Paramount houses in RKO-Para-Comerford pool here, be- cause Of illness of Charles Harris given a leave of absence to recuper- ate down South. Hav Nash, who .with his son, Hav, jr.. and Ray Gugel will quit the Democrat & Chronicle ad staff May 1 to form their own agency, is handling advertising chores for the five theatres formerly done by Harris in addition to his managerial duties. Rep's New Coast Sales Manager; 3-Day Conv. Shifts to Chi Thors. (23) Three-day Republic sales confer- ence lor its Pacific Coast district teed off Monday (20) at the com- pany "s North Hollywood studios under the guidance of James R. Grainger, exec veepee over sales. Grainger outlined the company's 1946-47 program at the opening session. .Yesterday's (Tuesdayv. program was turned over lo reports from the salesmen concerning the entertain- ment' preferences .expressed by cx- hlbs in the field. Following con- sideration of such reports, Grainger and Herbert J. Yates, Rep. proxy, were expected, to revise their pro- duction plans accordingly. Re- visions, if any, are to be announced by Yates after the company's Chi- cago and N. Y. sales conferences, slated to lake place. following the' Coast session. Naming of Earl R. Collins as: Pacific . Coast district salesinahagcr was announced by Grainger preced- ing the meet.. Recently discharged from the Navy, Collins was formerly branch manager for. United Artists in Dallas, Denver and Los Angeles. He succeeds Francis A. Baleman. resigned. Immediately after the final session today (Wednesday), Rep execs will fly to Chicago for the meet slated to begin tomorrow (Thursday) at the Biackstone hotel. Hock of Houses Building in Tex. Houston. A new 900-seat, $250,000 theatre in be called the Airline will be built here by Fred V. Canhata and B. C. Gibson. Cannata was general inani ager of the local Will HorwiU Th ea . ties and now is general manager and part owner of the Uptown here. Gibson owns the. Navaw'uy. New house will be built at Qui n - lan by Joe Joseph of . Seagoville, j the .first house there in several years! Ai one time there were two thea- tres, but both were, destroyed by fire and not rebuilt. Meridian's New Houses . Meridian. Tex Construction Mas started here on I wo new houses, one to be built by D. C. Carrawny and I he other by Mali & Curtis. Boom is the result of the recent federal appropriation for- the Whitney dam to be built near here. Hall & Curtis own and operate the Capitol here, and are building the second house to offset lhe one to be built by Can-away a former theatre operator. This city has less than 2,000 population. Bloomdale Hoase Bloomdale. O. Harold W. Pelton, Bloomdale mer- chant, and Scott Cramer, Fosloria, have opened a motion picture the- atre here. Add Dallas Nabe ' Dallas. 1 Now under construction bv the' , Inlerslate Theatres Circuit is a four- I acre village that will include I«3 : stores and a deluxe nabe house. Cost i of the project is said to exceed $200.- (100.* House is expected to open July 1. and will seat 950 persons. 20«G Houston House Houston. The Interstate Theatres Circuit of .Dallas has purchased a four acre silt hene for a new theatre and com- munity center. The house will be known as the Richmond and will cost about $200,000. Property was purchased for $44,625. Reagan Sets Par's 34th Annual Drive, Sept.-Nov. Last year celebrating its third-of- a-eenlury celebration, Paramount ! has scheduled a sales drive from September through November to be called "Paramounl's *J4th and Great- est Year." Preliminary plans in connection with the sales campaign were laid at a meeting held in Boston last week attended by Charles M. Reagan, dis- tribution v.p. and other homeofTice executives, including division heads and Claude Lee, director pf public relations for the company, pians laid in Boston will serve as a pat- tern for the rest of the country. Co-Captain's of the new Par sales drive are Hugh Braly. district man- ager at Denver, and Albert M. Kane, district head over New England at Boston. In connection with the cam- paign Kane will tour 14 eastern leritilories and Braly will cover all of the 16 western offices. New White House Burnet. Tex. Tom White, owner and operator for the past 15 years of the Burnlex, is building a new deluxe house here which cleared the new building ban by several days. House was designed : by Jack Corgan, of Dallas, and will 'scat about 700 persons. New One for Raleigh Raleigh. Plans for the construction of an I SB0.000 theatre in Salisbury were an- notinced by Mr. and Mrs. J. . W. Milche,ll, who also own and operate picture theatres in Rockwell and Spencer. The plans for the theatre, capable of seating 500 Datrons. were drawn by John Hartledge. Salisbury architect. Present plans also call'for a stage to be constructed in the ihe- ' aire which can be used for stage , performances, he said. Mass. House Chances Hands ... „„ Greenfield.. Mass. , r . A / te . r 3 ? years of operating the Victoria, Louis Roseimveig turned over the theatre lo his son-in-law, Herbert Browne, just out of Navy. . Lowe Joins V _ ' Albany. . Eugene Lowe, until recently Al- bany manager for Monogram, joined Universal as salesman last - week. His appointment followed a visit here of district manager John J Scully. Universale two salesmen Sylvan Leff and Robert Finkel. re- cently resigned. Left look over op- eration of Highland, Utica. Northio Buys New Site For 400G Hamilton Spot Hamilton. O.. May 21. Northio Theatres. Par subsid. pur- chased at public auction Saturday il8) a downtown site, formerly oc- cupied by a high school building, on which a modern . theatre, equipped for television, will be erected at an estimated cost of $400,000, deal was announced by Harry David, vice- president and general manager, from his Cincinnati headquarters. The site, located near the cir- cuit's Paramount theatre, was- bid in at $100,000. Company xlso op- erates . the Rialto and Palace here, as well as several other the;, I res throughout Ohio. Ford, Cooper Mull Deal For Indie Production Hollywood/ May 21. John Ford, currently winding up [the last picture under his 20lh-Fox contract, is talking an indie produc- tion deal with Marian C. Cooper, Tor whom he directed several pic- tures at RKO. Cooper, former production chief at RKO, has not been active in film I production since he joined the Army I in 1942. I New Champlain House Albany. , Bill Kennedy constructing 225- scater at Chazy, Adirondack Moun- | tain town on Lake Champlain. Laid out" in a remodeled garage, it is | scheduled for opening about July 1. i The name will be the Lake. Chazy i has no picture house at present. The i only films shown there in recent ■years were 16m. versions in a school. To Rub S5»-Seat N. C. House ! Raleigh, N. C. Plans for theatre building at Hun- . lersville, announced by W. F. Mc- ] Laughlin, Huntersville merchant. I House would 1 seat about 350. He j hopes to have the theatre operating ; this, .summer and will play first-run. First Runs Shrink Continued from page 3 layoffs start tightening up their purscslrings. There still does not seem, to be much of a tendency on the pari of the public generally to shy away from the wartime scales they are still paying; in Tact, some houses jumped prices a little since the end ot the war and find plenty of cus- tomers, as witness some of the fan- tastic scales downtown N. Y. thea- tres are getting. The higher prices charged on weekends, which remain very big everywhere, do not seem lo drive the fans to the theatres on other days when admissions art- lower. Also the peak loads through- out the week continue to be heavier after 6 p.m. when prices are higher. Dayton Drive-In Okayed Columbus, i CPA has approved construction of a $126,000 two-story theatre | building for Livingston Enterprises, i Inc.; a drive-in near'Dayton. lo cost $15,495, being built for Robert G. Gump, Trotwood; and Toledo Drive- in lo cost $35,000. Charlotte, N. C, Drive In ! Raleigh. N. C. Plans for one of the most modern drive-in theatres in the south, to be located near Charlotte; announced by II. B. Meiselman, theatre owner here. It would cost over $10,000 arid will be constructed of sice) and structural glass. About 600 cars will be accommodated. White glass will provide sides to the theatre. Lot will be fully landscaped, cars being ' parked in gravel tiers. This is the ' eighth theatre announced in recent , mouths by Meiselman.