Boxoffice-March.06.1948

: March
!."!'A"*Ll".t.''!?"
Sold by Max Brock
LAWTON, OKLA.—Max Brock, vice-president
of Theatre Owners of Oklahoma, Inc.,
has sold his interest in the Lawton. Palace,
Dome and Murray theatres here to Mrs.
Margaret Day who owned the other half interest
in the operations. Brock retained his
half interest in the theatre properties.
Mrs. Day pm-chased Brock's half interest
in the houses for herself and her grand,son,
Joe Tiu-ner, and she is expected to return
to active participation in the operations
with Turner. She retired about two years
ago, letting her grandson assume her interest.
Brock started in the show business 23
years ago as a salesman of short subjects.
He quit and went into partnership with
Harry Williams and Mrs. Day. When Williams
retired a few years ago, he sold to
Brock, giving the latter half interest.
The four houses have a total of about
4,000 seats.
Brock, within the next few weeks, is opening
a community center theatre, named the
Vaska. The theatre, surrounded by business
rental space, is of a very modern structm-e.
Brock also has various other realty interests,
but the Vaska will be his only theatre
interest. Max Brock jr. will manage this
new house when it opens. Brock sr. also devotes
much of his time the development
to
of stock on his large ranch near Lawton.
Plan New Orleans Bow
Of 'Mom and Dad' Soon
NEW ORLEANS—Kroger Babb, president
of Hygienic Productions, producer-distributor
of "Mom and Dad," stopped here for
conferences with the Joy Houck circuit, arranging
an early date for the film's first run
in New Orleans. "Mom and Dad" recently
won a district court decision here and was
given a "green light" for local exhibition.
Babb stopped here, en route to his Wilmington,
Ohio, offices, coming up by plane
from Mexico City. He was completing a
four-week trip which carried him through
southern states, Cuba, Argentina, Brazil,
Colombia, 'Venezuela and other South American
coimtries. Jack Lament of Mexico City,
who Is in charge of "Mom and Dad" distribution
in Mexico, South and Latin America,
accompanied the Ohio showman on the
southern part of his trip.
Babb said Hygienic's next production, an
alcohol story, "One Too Many," was now in
its final draft and would be ready for
Hollywood production in a few weeks.
Griffith Circuit Lights Up
Theatre in Kermit, N. M.
KERMIT, N. M.—The Kermit Theatre,
newest unit in the Griffith circuit, opened
here February 17 with the showing of "Tycoon."
Opening of the theatre culminated
long efforts of the Chamber of Commerce to
bring a theatre to town. Kenneth Blackledge
of Lubbock, Tex., district manager for
Griffith Theatres, was here for the premiere
showing. The house is being managed by
Tom Moorehead. It is built of masonry,
has acoustical plaster in the auditorium, a
tile lounge and rest rooms, and smoking and
cry rooms, and has completely new equipment.
BOXOFFICE
:
Small Town Clearance
Is Issue in Teague Case
DALLAS—The first theatre arbitration
hearing here in two years was completed in
three and one-half hours Friday last week
1 27 1 in the AAA office in the Texas State
Bank Bldg.
W. B. "Bill" Henderson, operator of the
Lee in Teague. asked for a reduction of his
60-day second run availability and for a division
of first run pictures. He named the
J. G. Long circuit, operating the Star Theatre,
as interested party. Henderson's complaint
was brought against the Big Five exchanges.
Paramount. MGM, Warners, 20th
Century-Fox and RKO.
Webster Atwell, the arbiter, is a son of
federal Judge William H. Atwell, who this
week was hearing the B. R. McLendon damage
suit against two circuits and several distributors.
Only one attorney appeared at the Henderson
hearing. R. E. Nickerson of New York,
who came here to represent 20th-'Fox at the
McLendon trial, killed two birds on the trip
by appearing at the Henderson arbitration.
Other representatives were Leroy Bickel, manager
of the MGM exchange: H. L. Beecroft,
manager for 20th-Fox: Roy Litsey, office
manager at Warners, and Douglas Detsch, office
manager at RKO.
Paramount effected an agreement with
Henderson in advance of the hearing and,
with all parties agreeing, the arbiter dropped
this case.
Henderson said that shortly after he opened
the Lee early last year 'he began to feel "the
pressure." He said Long's Star was charging
40 and 10 cents and that he was charging
35 and 10. He recited a continuous program
of price cuts by the Star, showing of top
films on double bills, use of lotteries at the
Star which the county attorney stopped, and
numerous other practices he claimed were
unfair.
IS
Henderson said he was forced to reduce
admission prices, and later, in order to obtain
any top product at all, he was obliged
to accept a distributor suggestion that he
bid for pictures, though he opposed this practice.
As a result MGM sold ten pictures to
Henderson while 14 went to the Star, but
he received practically no first runs from
20th-Pox and RKO, all going to the Star.
He said Warners sold him a number of second
run films but declined to offer first runs
on a bidding plan.
Henderson said 60-day clearance on second
run was too long and thought 14 days
would be fair. He submitted newspaper ads
by the Star and other exhibits in support
of all claims.
Photographs were offered to show the Lee
was the best equipped, appointed and best
operated house of the two, and this was supported
by a petition signed by local citizens.
The petition asked the film companies to
supply pictiu-es to the Lee in keeping with its
first class operation. It bore between 400
and 500 names.
Bickel testified MGM sold films to the Lee
with no clearance, and asked that the chai-ges
against MGM be dropped. The arbiter and
Henderson agreed to exciLse -MGM on clearance
but held the company on availability.
Nickerson of 20th-Fox said the arbiter was
empowered to change the 60 days clearance
if he saw fit, but that he had no right to
consider product division
as the Lee was not
in existence when the decree became effective.
Beecroft said 20th-Fox offered Henderson the
opportunity to bid on its pictm-es. He insisted
the print question would make it poor business
to allow shorter clearance in Teague;
that the Teague clearance was similar to
that in other tovras of its size. Detsch of
Warners said Long was the established satisfactory
customer.
PROJECTION and
SOUND EQUIPMENT
STANDARD THE WORLD OVER
for
DRIVE-INS as well as the REGULAR INDOOR
THEATRES
SOUTHWESTERN THEATRE EQUIPMENT CO.
2010 Jackson St.
DALLAS 1, TEXAS
Tel: Central 8579
6, 1948 SW
1416 Main St.
HOUSTON 2, TEXAS
Tel: Capitol 9906