Boxoffice-March.06.1948

: March
2nd
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. . The
. . The
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Four New Theatres
Seen for Worcester
WORCESTER. MASS.— If and when the
federal government removes its postwar ban
iin construction of theatres, four new ones
iuc promised this city. That would give
Worcester 16 film houses.
E. M. Loew of Boston has blueprints
drawn for the neighborhood theatre on
Grafton Hill and only the building priorities
are holding him back. Loew also is anxious
to build a downtown theatre. He has bought
land on High street for this purpose, but is
reported anxious to purchase more before he
goes ahead with his plans. This theatre
would have an entrance on Main.
A third pictui-e house would be in the
building to be erected at Southbridge and
Cambridge streets and a fourth in the development
just started on upper Lincoln street.
Eventually it is expected there will be 350
new home units there.
Southbridge and Pramingham are among
the nearby commimities that expect erection
of new theatres.
Tony Boscardine Opens
House in Dover Plains
CANAAN. CONN. — Tony Boscardine,
operator of the Colonial, Canaan, Conn., began
interstate operations when he opened his
725-seat Dover Theatre, Dover Plains, N. Y.,
March 3. The Colonial-type building has a
modern, attractive interior, with latest type
equipment. National Theatre Supply Co. of
New Haven, under the supervision of William
Hutchins, installed carpet. Simplex projection
and sound, the screen, and other
equipment. The seats are Heywood-Wakefield.
Frank Knickerbocker, son-in-law of
Boscardine. will manage the house.
Michael McAndrew to the
Strand in Springfield
HOLYOKE, MASS.—Michael McAndrew.
assistant manager at the Suffolk Theatre
here under Manager Paul Kessler, has been
promoted to the position of manager of the
Strand in Springfield. Both theatres are
owned and operated by Herman Rifkin.
McAndrew received his training at the Suffolk
under the provisions of the G.I. bill of
rights on-the-job training program.
4 Arbitrator Selected
NEW HAVEN—Fleming James, professor
of the Yale law school, has been agreed upon
as arbitrator of the clearance complaint
against the major distributors of the State
Theatre, Springfield, Conn. No date has been
set for the hearing. Secretary OUver Bishop
of the Connecticut AAA board reports a late
March hearing may be held for the West
Side Amusement Co.'s complaint against the
majors, in which relief is sought for the
Barnum, Bridgeport.
Intermissions at Webb
HARTFORD—Jim Farrell. manager of the
suburban Webb Playhouse, has scheduled
brief intermissions following the main feature
nightly to enable patrons to visit restrooms
or candy snack bar. according to Farrell.
The Webb runs weekday evenings only,
with matinees on Saturday and Sunday.
New Haven Leaders Meet,
Talk Over Foundation
NEW HAVEN—The first organizational
meeting of the general committee of the Motion
Picture Foundation was scheduled here
March 12, with Carl Goe, Warner manager,
as chairman. Dr. J. B. Fishman, trustee,
who has attended national meetings on the
Foundation, will give his report. Other key
men here included Harry L. Lavetes, alternate
trustee, Lou Brown, publicity chief, and
an area committee consisting of Max Salzburg,
Ben Simon, Henry Germaine. Arthur
Greenfield, Harry Rosenblatt, B. E. Hoffman,
Harry Shaw, Jim Darby, Morris Jacobson,
Barney Pitkin, Henry Needles, Maurice Bailey,
Walter Murphy, John Scanlon, Peter Perakos,
Leon Jakubson. Matthew Kennedy, Freda
Swirsky, Samuel Zipkin, James Bracken, Russell
Barrett, Daniel Pouzzner.
Hub Snarled Again
By Heavy Snowfall
BOSTON—The worst blizzard of the season,
bringing several more feet of snow, arrived
March 2 and crippled transportation
once more. The weekend before, however,
was a good one, with nice returns at the boxoffice.
"Call Northside 777" at the Metropolitan
was the standout.
(Av 0)
Astor—The Bishop's Wile (RKO), 10th wk.
Boston Green For Danger (EL), plus stage show
Exeter Street—The Upturned Glass (U-!); One
Our Aircraft Is Missing dlAV reissno 3rd wlc
Kenn
5pt,
"ial—Night Song 1- , Fighting Ma(
(Mono), 2n'i .-, k
Melropolitar.— Call Northside 777 i_Uth-Fox)
Paramount and Fenway—Saigon (Para);
Let's Live Again (20th-Fox), 2nd d. t. wk.
State and Orpheum Three Daring Daught
(MGM); The Wreck of the Hesperus (Co
"Body and Soul' Holds Over
At the Roger Sherman
NEW HAVEN— -Body and Soul," dualed
with "Stork Bites Man," did fine business at
the Roger Sherman and stayed on for a repeat
week. The Loew Poll bill, "To the Ends
of the Earth" and "Son of Rusty," moved
over to the College. A week's vacation in the
public schools helped midweek takes, but bad
weather, with rain and sleet, halted business
at the end of the week's runs. Detail for the
week ended March 3:
Bijou—Cass Timberlane (MGM); Campus Honeymoon
(Rep) , d t wk 90
College—Gentleman's Agreement (20th-Fox);
Philo Vance's Secret Mission (EL), 3rd wk 96
Loew Poll—To the Ends of the Earth (Col);
The Son of Rusty (Col) 108
Paramount—Saigon (Para), Gas House Kids
in Hollywood (EL), 2nd wk 90
" ady and Soul '""'
Stork Man (UA) (Ua;
"Gentleman's Agreement' Hits
225 in Hartford Opener
HARTFORD—Newcomers included "Gentleman's
Agreement." "If You Knew Susie"
and "Albuquerque."
Allyn—Albuqueque (Para), The Flame iHejl lU
E M. Loews—Relentless (Col Two Blondes and
(Col), Redhead 3rd wk a UX
Loew's Poll Gentleman's Agreement i.'Mthfjx)
The Challenge
^czlace—Cass Timberlane
(20th-Fox)
(MGM)
wk. Devil Ship (Col). 3rd
Regal—The Voice of the Turtle (WB), 3rd wk
9(
it
of Stale—Docks New Orleans (Mono),
plus
Providence Empire
To Wreckers Soon
PROVIDEInv^c, R. I.— Providence's oldest
theatre, the Empire, reached the end of a
colorful career last week when the curtain
came down on the final motion picture showing.
The building at 260 Westminster St. Is to
be razed to make way for a department
store. Wreckers are scheduled to take over
about April 1.
The theatre was opened 70 years ago March
4, 1878, as Loew's Grand Opera Hou.se. with
"Uncle Tom's Cabin" as the first attraction.
Since then it has been called the Gaiety.
Keith's, the Victory and finally the Empire.
About every type of theatrical entertainment
has been presented in the old theatre.
Once it scored a triumph over its chief competitor,
the Opera House, by bringing Henry
Irving, famoiLs British actor, to Providence.
It also has housed such attractions as Bob
Inger-soll's lectures, performances of the Boston
Museum stock company, vaudeville, burlesque
and a dime museum. The theatre was
the first home of the Albee stock company,
which was popular for many years and started
many actors on the road to fame.
The house has been admired through the
years for its paintings and ornate decorations,
but little remains today to indicate its
long and colorful past.
Just before the war t)he theatre was in the
news when 26 children were injured in a
stampede for the balcony exits after a false
alarm of fire.
FALL RIVER
Deginning^ March 8 and for seven consecutive
Monday nights, amateur shows will be
featured at the Empire by William S. Canning,
manager. The shows will be conducted
in two series of seven Mondays, each
with the later series open only to contestants
in the first series. The performances will
be in charge of Billy Jackson's Vaudeville
Co.
of
Ernest Israel, assistant to Nathan Yamms
at his Boston offiore, recently inspected
Yamins houses here . . . Following a long
established custom, all local theatres will
close Good Friday . Capitol marquee
was heavily damaged when struck by the
roof of the van of a large truck.
.
•
Work is progressing on the remodeling of
the Strand, a Yamins house. All seats have
been removed from the balcony and loges,
Shows will be halted this spring for the
major renovations in the auditorium
William S. Canning spoke at the recent annual
dinner of the Fall River Burns club.
He also was master of ceremonies at the
opening campaign dinner of the Fall River
Music Assn .
Royal, a suburban house,
collected $104.14 in March of Dimes donations.
Fisher Zeitz of the Zeitz Theatres drove
back from Miami Beach to New Bedford
after two weeks there . . . Nathan Yamins
visited here upon his return from Miami
Beach, where he was wintering with Mrs.
Yamins. Following a visit with Speaker Joseph
W. Martin jr., in Washington. Yamins
returned to Miami Beach.
BOXOFFICE :
13, 1948
NE
91