Boxoffice-May.29.1948

;
Ri-Knox to T. Grance;
McCalmont Retires
PITTSBURGH— Theodore Grance, Everett,
theatre, restaurant and hotel owner and
Pa.,
president of Outdoor Theatres, Inc., operating
drive-in theatres at Irwin and New Castle,
assumed management of the Rialto in Mount
Oliver this week, having purchased the majority
of the stock in the Ri-Knox Amusement
Corp. May 15. With the transfer, Robert
V. McCalmont, veteran exhibitor, retires
from the business here.
Grance purchased 1,100 shares of stock,
leaving only 73 shares outstanding. His purchase
was from the A. A. Weiland family,
James H. Taylor, W. P. Linn, Gerald Born
and McCalmont. Taylor was secretary-treasurer
of the old company. Linn is publisher of
the Hill Top Record and Born is a real estate
broker. McCalmont was president of the
former operating organization. Weiland is a
pioneer exhibitor, now operating at Coraopolis.
Price of the purchase was $100,000.
McCalnxont, after more than 30 years in
exhibition, says that he expects to retire to
Florida, where he will .seek to purchase an
orange grove.
Gala Program Is Lined Up
For Murphy Anniversary
WILMINGTON, OHIO—A gala program is
in the making for celebration of the 30th
anniversary of the Chakeres Murphy Theatre
here during the week .starting July 18. Joe
Murphy, manager, said a different picture
will be shown each day of the anniversary
week. Efforts are being made to obtain bookings
of some pictures of yesteryear to give the
theatregoers some flashbacks in motion pictiu'es.
There will be gifts to patrons throughout
the week, and a large birthday cake wiU
decorate the lobby. Also, in honor of the anniversary,
the Wilmington News-Journal will
issue a special edition.
Bernie Serlin Is Named
WB Central Field Man
NEW YORK—Bernie Serlin has been named
field man in the Warner Bros, central district
by Mort Blumenstock. vice-president in
charge of advertising and publicity. Serlin
will make his headquarters in Cincinnati and
will also cover the Indianapolis, Cleveland
and Pittsburgh branch areas. Serlin, whowas
a practicing lawyer before joining the
army, joined Warner Bros, exploitation department
last year.
Wendell P. Miller Dies
DETROIT—Wendell P. Miller, former manager
of the National Theatre here, died April
30 at Veterans hospital. New York, it has
been learned here. He was a very active
member of the Russell Johnson Theatrical
post of the Legion in Detroit. Miller was
gassed during World War I. He is survived
by his wife and child who reside in New York.
New Equipment Installed
ONAWAY. MICH.—New projectors and a
new screen have been installed at the State
Theatre, according to owner D. H. DeRosia.
New rest rooms will be built in the near future,
he said.
Robert Russell, Ashtabula Manager,
Celebrates 25 Years With Shea's
ASHTABULA. OHIO—Robert Russell, who
started work ;it the Palace here imder Paul
Mueller washing walls
in the theatre's spring
housecleaning program,
is celebrating his
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1 .
I
25th anniversary with
Shea Theatres this
month. Since 1942 he
has been Shea city
manager supervising
the three houses in
operation and the con-
struction of a fourth.
mUr t Russell, who had
married the previous
Robert Russell August, applied for a
job under Manager Mueller in the spring of
1923. When nothing happened for several
weeks he was about ready to give up when
Mueller phoned him to start work the next
day. Spring cleaning was under way and
young Ru.ssell was a.ssigned to washing walls
at $18 a week.
"It probably was the toughest six weeks
spent in my life," Russell recalls, "but I managed
to stick it out. I presimie the main reason
was that I was a married man and
need the money."
At the end of the six weeks Russell was
promoted to outside advertising man and
given a rattletrap car to post one, three, six
and 24-sheets, window cards, etc., during the
day. At night he was head usher, marquee
and display man.
"I never will forget Bernie Head," Russell
says. "He was the advance man on the first
round of 'The Big Parade.' He taught me
more about slobbering paste and mouthing
tacks in one day than I ever expected to
know. Bernie had a cheek on each side of
his mouth that would hold a pound of tacks
and room for a chew of tobacco in between.
"Not too long a time lapsed until Mueller
was transferred out of Ashtabula, and replaced
by the late Bernie Kearney. Bernie,
a friend of evei-yone and with years back of
him with the Shea company, was also a
brother to Dick Kearney. Things went well
with Bernie and myself for five full years,
as Bernie had" a lot of patience and gave me
splendid training, as he was a very exact and
business-like man in every respect. One could
set a watch daily by Bernie's actions—breakfast
every morning at 9:30; daily shave at the
nearby barbershop promptly at 11. It was my
job to have the mail there at 10 in the niorning
and 1 in the afternoon, and that didn't
mean 10:05 or 1:05. Those were happy years.
as along with pictures we used vaudeville
the last three days of the week.
'Bernie was transferred to Amsterdam,
N. Y., leaving me in charge of Ashtabula,
under the supervision of Ward Johnson.
Ward, at that time, was interested in both
Conneaut and Geneva, and Shea turned over
to him the added duties of watching over
me. Business carried on in this manner tmtil
Ward's death in about 1934. at which time
George Shewell came into the pictiu'e, as a
traveling or district manager, and I believe
out of the Shea Theatre, in Fremont. At
that time. Shea felt that I was not capable
of carrying on Ashtabula on my own without
Ward's supervision, and as George was on the
road much of the time, I was transferred to
Geneva to a smaller operation^ running only
four days at that time.
"I spent eight happy years in Geneva and
saw the theatre during the first two years
go from four days a week to full time. During
my stay, E. C. Grainger came in as general
manager, through Shea's death. Grainger
requested me to come back to Ashtabula in
1942,"
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BOXOFFICE : : May
29, 1948
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