DECEMBER

BOXOmCE December 6, 1952 57
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-Baby D»''
John Schnack Sells
Electric at Larned
LARNED. KAS.—John Stliimck. who earlier
this year celebrated hl.s 50th ntinlver.Miry
a.s u motion picture exhibitor, will
retire from the film business with the .sale
of his Electric Theatre here to Ted Irwin
of HolslnKton. The change In ownership
will De effective January 1.
Schnack ha.s owned and operated the Electric
here since 1912. but he pioneered In
film exhibition ten years earlier In 1902.
when he and the late R. T. Webb formed
the Edison Exhibition Co. and loured midwestern
towns with an EMIson KInctoscope
and a few reels of film. His first local
theatre was opened here In 1906 on the
second floor of his opera house on the present
location of the Electric.
Also slated for retirement at year's end
Is Marvin Bybee, manager of the Electric for
the hust 15 years, who toured the midwest
with his own stock company before he
Joined Schnack In the film business. Bybee
recently purchased a local barber shop.
This spring in recognition of his halfcentury
in the film business. Schnack was
guest of honor at a civic celebration, highlighted
by a testimonial luncheon and dinner
attended by a delegation representing
the Kansas-Missouri Theatre Ass'n and other
film groups. Shortly after that celebration.
Schnack arranged for the purcha.se of the
John Schnack Express, a miniature train
installed in Schnack park here.
Ted Irwin, who will become the new owner
of the Electric, has been manager of the
Royal Theatre at Hoisington, one of the
Commonwealth Theatres circuit houses, for
the last seven years. A native of Great
Bend, he had his first experience in theatre
business in that city. Later he managed a
theatre at Lyons. During World War II he
operated the base theatre at the Herington
army air field.
Irwin, his wife and son Dennis, 12, will
move here and they plan a few improvements
at the theatre — "some things John planned
to do," Irwin said.
Elect Edward Butler Chairman
ST. LOUIS—Edward L. Butler, representative
of the ticket sellers, has been elected
permanent chairman for the Amusement
Employes Welfare fund of St. Louis. He was
selected at a meeting of the representatives
of various branches. He had been serving as
the acting chaii-man in the preliminary
stages of organization.
Charles Bells Buy Pix Theatre
BLUE MOUND. ILL.—Mr. and Mrs. Charles
Ray Bell of Terre Haute, Ind.. recently purchased
the Pix Theatre from Byers Jordan of
Decatur. 111. The Bells have moved to Blue
Mound.
.'^OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
EVERYTHING FOR THE THEATRE
Theatre Supply Company
St. Louis
Arch Hosier
3310 Olive Slieel. St. Louis 3. Mo.
Telephone lEiferson 7974
ST.
LOUIS
LTurry t. ,\rUiur, Punchuii Sc Marco prciidrnt
and Rcnernl maiuiKer. rrtuntrd hrrr
briefly after a bu-ilncan trip lo New York
City and then planed to the went cosaI .
IteporLs from MemphU arr that Herman Fer-
RU.son. Maiden. Mo., thrnlrr owner. Iji making
nice proKrcvi In hu recovery from Injurlen
.suffered In an automobile accident near Maiden
a couple of weets ago
The new automobile of Charley Mound. Valley
Park, Mo., exhibitor, waa damaged In a
collision . . . Mrs Anna Leach, mother of
Mary Lou Sturhahn. PBX operator for 30th-
Fox, was burled In Calvary cemetery after
services at St. Roch's Catholic church .
Realart Pictures has "Hellgatc," Llppert picture
.set to open In the Fanchon it Marco
seven-day hou.ses on December 17.
Gordon llalloran, manager for 20th-Fox.
attended a division sales conference at MlnncapolLs
at which plans for the first nine
months of 1953 were dlscus-sed. M. A. Levy,
division manager, presided . . . Paul McCarthy,
head of the McCarthy Theatre Supply Co.,
and his family returned Sunday (30) from a
Thank.sgivlng day visit with relatives in Iowa.
GeorKe Cohn, booker for Columbia, has
been promoted to the sales staff and Ls traveling
in Illinois. He is a son-in-law of Herman
Gorelick, co-owner of Realart of St. Louis , .
Joe Sarfaty, Universal salesman who was seriously
injured in an automobile accident on
Feb. 29. 1951. has visited FUmrow a couple of
times recently.
Out-of-town exhibitors seen along Pllmrow
included L. A. "Bud" Mercler. Frederlcktown;
Herman Tanner. Pana; Joe Katz. Benld; Bill
Williams, Union; Elvin H. Wiecks. Staunton:
Bill Turvey. Pawnee; Charley Beninatl, Carlyle;
Dean Davis, West Plains; Mrs. Ora Redford.
Auburn; Tom Edwards. Farmlngton;
Bernard Temborius, Breese; Ed Fellis, HilLsboro;
Herschel Eichhorn, Mounds; Bill Collins,
DeSoto; Kenneth Hirth, Pacific; P. Val
Mercler, Perryville.
Mrs. William Sherman closed her drive-in
near Jackson. Mo., for the season Sunday
(30i . . Officers and directors of the Amu.sement
.
Employes Welfare fund are to meet in
the Paramount screening room at 1 p. m.
Wednesday i3».
The furnace serving the United Artists exchange
broke down Wednesday (26> and gave
the office staff a very chilly time the remainder
of the week. New oil heating equipment
was put In Monday ill ... Charles Simonell.
Universal eastern advertising and publicity
department manager, was a recent visitor.
He came here in connection with the campaigns
for "Mississippi Gambler" . . . Ray
Colvin. TEDA executive director, left December
1 for a speaking engagement at Indianapolis.
The performance November 28 of "The
Country Girl' at the American Theatre was
called off at the last minute because of the
illness of star Robert Young. A capacity
crowd of 1,700 persons was disappointed. The
American has no bookings until December 27
due to the closing of two musical productions.
"A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" and "Gentlemen
Prefer Blondes." and to a sudden switch in
the routes of two other roadshows. "Top
Banana" and "Paint Your Wagon." As book-
W \K \Ml»\ VUt Ml» Itl - H .rr (
.Irthur. Irfl. ii( Kanrhon tl
l.nul< ,\mu«rmrnt I o. Tl ind
tilt^T M (|urrn, M. Ix>ul< Indrprndrni
film priKlurrr. .irr ptrlurrd abotr tt thr
flmt wiirld ln( ol (hr produrrr't nm
"Uakamlu" al thr K&.M i.OOO-M-al dr
luxe Fox Theatre.
Ings now stand the theatre reopen* Saturday
1 27 1, With ft new comedy. "Strike a March"
St. Loulslans are not without stage shows
since Sidney Blackmer and Lois WlUon are
guest stars at Anxell Bros. Emprcas Playhouse
In "Chicken Every Sunday." On December 9
the Empress attraction will be Sylvia Sidney
in "Goodbye My Fancy."
Realart has secured the stngle-reeler.
"Rudolph, the Rednosed Reindeer." and it is
available for immediate bookings. It runs tor
eight minutes and Includes many btg-name
personalities . . . The St. LouLt Allied ArttstR-
Monogram office, headed by Maurice Schweitzer,
Is doing nicely in the 13-week new bustiMM
drive. The first four weeks were destgnated
the Morey "Razz" Goldstein drive. It continues
through December and January. Some
fine prizes go to the winners.
St. Louis department store sales the week
ended November 22 on a dollar volume baaU
ran 18 per cent above the same week in 1961.
the St. Louis Federal Reserve bank reports.
The district as a whole gained 15 per cent . .
Andy Devlne was here for the National Retriever
Trial at Weldon Springs. Mo . . . Joe
Favre. assistant stage manager at the Empress
Playhouse, has been hobbling around with a
broken foot, cast and all. He has refused to
quit the Job because "the show must go on."
Loew's State here will not carry the televised
version of "Carmen" from New York
City December 11, but It will have the James
Lees & Sons carpet sales convention televised
from New York City December 8 from 11 lo
12 noon.
Distribution rights for U.S. 16mm films in
the FVench West Indies are usually for six
months to a year while for French films the
range Is from three to five years.
"SELECT" FOUNTAIN SYRUPS
DRINK DISPENSERS
Select Drink Inc.
4210 W riorittonl Ave
Sr Louii. IS. Mo
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MuHxfr-v 5219