Boxoffice-March.06.1948

. . Frank
: March
. . Bruce
. . Ray
. . Fay
. . H.
DENVER
Dobert Selig, assistant to the president of
Fox Intermountain Theatres, has been
named chairman of Denver's Army day celebration
April 10 . Marsliall. Columbia
salesman, is the daddy of a baby boy,
Culver Marshall, born at Pi-esbyterian hospital.
Mrs. Marshall was a booker at Universal
at the time of their mai-riage,
Howard Metzgar, resigned 20th-Fox salesman,
has been named local manager for Embas.sy
Pictures, which opened a Denver office
at 925 Twenty-first St. The Denver
Shipping and Inspection Center will distribute
the film . . . Robert Martin, manager
of the Liberty. Pagosa Springs, retui'ned from
a two-month vacation In California.
Dick Lutz, National Theatre Supply salesman,
flew to Ogden on btisiness . . . Kate
Willis, 79, wife of E. J. Willis, Atlas Theatres
auditor, died here after a long illness. Funeral
services were in Denver, with biu-ial in Pueblo,
Colo. . . . H. E. Kelly, owner of the Mancos,
Mancos, Colo., is using the Elks hall
until he can get another building put up to
replace the theatre, recently destroyed by fire.
Chick Kelloff has closed the La Plaza, Antonito,
for a month for remodeling . . . Walter
Branson, western division manager of
RKO, and Sid Kramer, assistant to Han-y
Michaelson, head of short subjects, were here
for a sales meeting attended by Al Kolitz, district
manager; Joe Emerson, branch manager;
Quenton Horn, office manager, and
Davis, northem
fche Denver salesmen district manager for Fox Intermountain,
.
and Christine Ford were married.
Elmer Snyder, manager of the Rialto, Florence,
Colo., went to the St. Joseph hospital
there for an appendectomy . Esmond
Hardin has given his Civic, formerly the
Star, Hay Springs, Neb., a grand reopening
after having installed new projection and
sound . Childs. president of Selected
Pictures exchanges, who was discharged
from the hospital after a week there because
of a fall, was taken back to the hospital after
he ran a temperature . Gardner installed
new Motiographs in his Star. Cm-tis.
Neb., with Ted Knox doing the Installing.
Beverly Miller, Eagle Lion district manager,
was in Denver before going on to Salt Lake
City. On his way back to his Kansas City
headquarters he again stopped over . . . Bryan
Foy. in charge of production for Eagle Lion,
was in Canon City making arrangeemnts to
make a picture based on the latest of the
prison breaks at the Colorado State penitentiary
. . . Frank Culp. Tabor manager,
went to Florida on vacation.
Theatre folk on Filmrow: Mr. and Mrs.
Fred Hall, Akron; Mr. and Mrs. George
Hodge, Lamar; Mr. and Mi-s. Fred Lind,
Rifle; L. M. Scheidegger, Seibert; Max Campbell
and Robert Schmitt, Trenton, Neb.; Tom
Knight, Riverton, Wyo.; Dorrance Schmidt,
Bridgeport, Neb.; Dave Warnock, Johnstown,
and Frank Whalen, Deertrail.
Heating, Air Conditioning Installed
PLEASANTON, CALIF.—A new heating
and air conditioning system has been installed
in the Roxy, according to Gordon
Shirley, manager.
BOXOFFICE :
6. 1948
CHECK FOR MOD—Entire proceeds of
one night's performance at the Starlite
Theatre in Belmont, Calif., were turned
over to the March of Dimes fund. Only
the federal tax was deducted from the
gross. Claude J. Hirschey (left), treasurer
of the San Mateo county chapter of
the National Foundation for Infantile
Paralysis, is shown receiving a check from
James B. Howell jr. and Irwin B. Mc-
Monagle of the StarUte Theatre Corp.
3 Pet. Tax in Eugene
May Get Court Test
EUGENE, ORE.—Despite protests on the
part of local theatre owners, led by Ted R.
Gamble of Portland, president of the Theatre
Owners of America, the Eugene city
council passed an ordinance calling for a 3
per cent admission tax. The ordinance,
which goes into effect this month, is expected
to raise $30,000 annually for operation
of the city's parks and playgrounds.
Gamble told the council that the theatre
owners' national organization is conducting
a drive to repeal or have set aside all municipal
taxes of this nature. Harold Wyatt,
city manager of the Evergreen Theatres,
said local theatre interests are consulting
their attorneys with the aim of circulating
referendum petitions to bring the controversy
before the city voters at the coming
May elections. It is also possible. Wyatt
said, that the tax will be contested in the
courts.
Milton Samis of San Jose
Drowns Near Las Vegas
SAN JOSE. CALIF.—Milton F. Samis. 55.
operator of the Hester Theatre here, drowned
February 20 while fishing at Willow Beach.
35 miles southeast of Las Vegas, Nev.
The boat from which Samis was fishing
apparently overturned and he was last seen
thrashing in rapids off Willow Beach. A
search for the body was unsuccessful. Samis
suffered a breakdown about six weeks before
his death and had been vacationing In Las
Vegas.
He recently announced plans to establish
a new downtown theatre here in partnersliip
with Jay McCabe, manager of the Civic
auditorium.
Branson Resumes Tour
NEW YORK—Walter E. Branson, RKO
western division manager, has resumed his
tour of the company exchanges on behalf
of the current Ned Depinet drive. Accompanied
by Sid Kramer, assistant to Harry
Michalson, short subjects sales manager,
Branson will conduct meetings in Chicago,
Portland, Seattle, San Franci.sco and Los
Angeles.
SALT LAKE CITY
^^arren Butler and his Lyric Theatre obtained
more un.sought front-page space
111 the local press last week than he ever
could have hoped to purchase. A woman
climbed to the top of the Lyric sign, 60 feet
above the ground. She threatened to jump
and then lost her nerve. Firemen reached
her side and rescused her after she had
been perched atop the sign for 20 minutes.
One afternoon paper gave the event three,
three-column pictures, covering threequarters
of page one, with the big Lyric sign
prominent in nearly every picture . . . Another
paper gave it a three-column on page one
and the morning paper the next morning
gave it a three-column inside.
The mother of Helen GaiTity, publicity
representative for Intermountain Theatres,
died after a lengthy illness . . . The picket
placed in front of RKO by Irving Gillman
and his United Intermountain Theatres returned
after a one-day absence due to 111-
Al Knox and his wife noted their silver
wedding anniversary this week . . . Joe
Nercisian of Associated celebrated his 52nd
birthday last Monday, and Wednesday ne
and Mrs. Nercisian noted their wedding anniversary
. . . Jesse Chinich of Intermountain
and Mrs. Chinich became parents of a son
Leap Year day, February 29 . . . The HoUoy
Theatre at Adrain, Ore., opened March 3.
Paul Holloy is manager.
National Screen Conducts
Sales Session in Dallas
DALLAS—A National Screen Service regional
sales meeting was conducted here by
Herman Robbins. president; George F. Dembow,
vice-president in charge of sales, and
William B. Brenner, vice-president in charge
of service, who arrived from New York.
Burton E. Robbins, son of the president, and
attached to the home office, accompanied
that group.
Others here were district managers Bernard
Wolfe, of the west coast, and Charles
Lester of Atlanta, and branch managers Ben
Ashe, Los Angeles; Jack Marpole, San Francisco;
Jack Flannery, Seattle; Fred Weiman,
Salt Lake; Gilbert Clark, Oklahoma City:
Al Rosenthal, Memphis; J. L. Boyer, New
Orleans, and F. W. "Doc" Allen. Dallas.
Spokane Orpheum Holds
Folk Dances on Stage
SPOKANE. WASH.—In cooperation with
the city park department, the Orpheum
Theatre put on a program of cowboy and
early American folk dances on its stage Friday
night. Twenty adult dancers showed up
and put on two 20-minute programs during
the evening. James Keef, theatre manager,
Invited members of the city council to attend
the performances.
Empire Theatrical Consultants
Exclusive distributors (or Poblocki & Sons Pretiesioned
Tllealrcs. Fronts. Boxofficcs. Poster
Cases, etc. 323 to 689 scat houses. Immediate
925 21st St. TAbor 4962 Denver, Colo.