Boxoffice-March.06.1948

. . Jack
. . RKO
. . Red
. . Joseph
"
. . Carl
. . H.
. .
: March
OMAHA
Exhibitors through the territory say their
business is off at least 25 per cent.
They blame bad weather, particularly record
snows: the fact that there is less
money in the average man's pocketbook due
to the high cost of living, and Lent, which
seems to have slowed business more than
usual in Catholic communities.
Frances Campbell, stenographer at Columbia,
resigned . Riggs, former Central
City exhibitor, was in town on his return from
Texas . . . Louise Cotter, RKO Brandeis public
relations director, has been out due to the
flu.
Roy Syfert, owner of the Ainsworth Theatre,
Ainsworth. Neb., is in Clarkson hospital
here. He was to undergo a major operation
during the week . . . Donald Shane, Paramount
Theatre manager, staged a preview of
••Sitting Pretty" .
Brandeis employes
and friends of Manager Will Singer
are trying almost everything to get him to
stay on the job. He had indicated he would resign
at the first sign of spring, but already
he has been persuaded to stay on at least
until midsummer. Singer said he wants to
do more fishing and spend future winters in
a warmer climate.
Milton Swift, Warner shipper, announced
that Patrick John is the name of the newarrival
in his family . Nash, owner
of the Canton Theatre at Canton, S. D.,
returned from a vacation in Florida.
Even a film salesman can meet his equal.
Proof in point is the case of Ed Cohn of
Universal-International. He was ready to
leave town on his weekly jaunt and couldn't
spot his car out front. He called police. Police
told him to look around. He did. He
found the police had hauled his car into a
snow bank. On it was a tag because it was
in the way wTien the street department
wanted to clean the street. Not only that, Ed
also had to pay to have a garage haul his
truck out of the bank.
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Bad roads scared most exhibitors out of a
Monday visit. Those who showed up included
" Donald T. Campbell. Central City;
Robert Bertram. Schleswig, Iowa; Harold
Schnoonover, Aurora; Herman Fields, Clarinda,
Iowa; Mrs. Francis Pace, Malvern, Iowa;
and Frank and Woody Simek, Ashland.
Quality Theatre Supply Co., after more
than a year of trying to get remodeling work
Walter Hoffman, 20th-Fox exploiteer from
Minneapolis, was in town several days lining
up the "Scudda Hoo! Scudda Hay!" premiere.
It opened March 10 at the Paramount
and 124 other Nebraska theatres . . . Mayor
Leeman has been working for several montohs
trying to get a world premiere of a coming
picture for Omaha.
Ken Seymour, formerly with KOAD, has
joined the R. D. Goldberg Theatre Enterprises
as public relations and advertising
assistant . . . Wally Kemp, manager of the
Capitol at Grand Island, acted as cupid for
the girls. He had special souvenir tickets
printed for a midnight leap year show, and
the gals had to pay for them . . . Diana
Barrymore wUl be here March 19. 20 in "Joan
of
Lorraine.
From *he
BOXOFFICE FILES
(T-wenty Years Ago)
lyjAX ME"^ER, veteran film man, is
representing
Tiffany in Kansas. He is the
smallest person on the sales staff, weighing
90 pounds . G. Howe is the new booker
for Educational in Kansas City. Howe succeeds
Wes Dunlap, who resigned . . . Jack
Roth, well-known theatre manager, is back
in Kansas City after 14 months in Memphis.
Jack is now manager of the Madrid . , . T. D.
Block, exhibitor from Odessa, Mo., was a
Filmrow visitor, as was Lawrence Brueninger
of Topeka.
Baby Peggy, former juvenile star of the
films, played at the Orpheum in Kansas
City this week. Last week, Han-y Carey, famous
in western roles, filled an engagement
at the Orpheum . A. Jones, who has
been manager of the Crane Theatre, Carth^
age. Mo., has been transferred to the Kansas
City office of the Midland circuit. Harry
Wren of St. Joseph has succeeded Jones in
Carthage . . . A. E. Weber of Hutchinson,
Kas., and C. C. Haas of Great Bend have
leased the La Crosse Theatre at La Crosse,
Kas. .
Paffin of Parker, Kas., has
oijened the Rex at Bronson, Kas.
Fox Midwest Named
In Antitrust Action
MEMPHIS—Charging monopolistic practices
in the release of films in Cape Girardeau,
Mo., a Memphis concern has filed suit for
$330,000 damages in federal court against a
group of motion picture producers, distributors
and exhibitors.
Cape Pictures, Inc., headed by Barney
Woolner and Harold Roth, brought the suit
in Cape Girardeau against Warner Bros.,
done, has completed its move to quarters
next door. This leaves Film Classics in the Universal, United Artists, 20th-Fox, Republic,
old office—space it has been sharing since Fox Midwest Amusement Corp.. Fox Cape
December with the equipment firm Theatre Corp., National Theatres Corp.;
.
Omaha's Aim Ronnell is writing the musical Glenn Carroll, manager of two theatres at
Cape Girardeau; and Elmer C. Rhoden of
score for "One Touch of Venus." Her husband,
Lester Cowan, will produce the picture. Kansas City, president, and Fred Souttar of
Dan Hudson Drive Major
DULUTH—Dan J. Hudson, manager of the
Norshor Theatre, is business division major
for Duluth's Red Coss fund campaign.
St. Louis, district manager of Fox Midwest.
Cape Pictures operates the Esquire Theatre
in Cape Girardeau. The bill charges the defendants
have conspired to prevent the
Esquire from getting first run product and
have assigned pictures, instead, to theatres
operated by Fox Midwest
In addition to the $330,000, plus court costs
and attorneys' fees, the plaintiff asks that
the defendants be restrained from continuing
•'unlawful trade practices." Abe D. Waldauer
and Ben C. Adams jr., of Memphis, and Strom
and Sprading of Cape Girardeau are attorneys
who filed 'the suit.
20th-Fox Rejects Frank
Bid for Less Clearance
MINNEAPOLIS—Efforts of W. R. Frank
to obtain a shorter clearance for the Boulevard
Theatre in Minneapolis and West Twins
in St. Paul received a setback when 20th-Fox
notififed him that it would take no action
at this time, pending the company's experience
along these lines in Cleveland and other
cities. Other companies on which Frank
made clearance demands several weeks ago
have not yet replied. Other Twin city independents
have planned similar action.
HOMER F. STROWIG — Owner
and Manager, Plaza and Lyric Theatres,
Abilene, Kansas—says:
"We attribute our excellent
and unfailing sound quality
to the efforts of RCA Service
and top quality of RCA
equipment."
To get the benefits of RCA Service
—write: RCA SERVICE COMPANY,
INC., Radio Corporation of America,
Camden, New Jersey.
BOXOFFICE
:
13, 1948
"