Boxoffice-January.07.1950
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. . . Monk<br />
. . . George<br />
. . Mrs.<br />
. . The<br />
. . The<br />
. . Ruth<br />
. . Morris<br />
. . Bert<br />
NEW HAVEN<br />
An MGM Friendship meeting here featured<br />
a screening of Battleground" at the Forrest<br />
Theatre . staff at the local exchange<br />
was eagerly awaiting the end of the<br />
Columbia playdate and billing drive with the<br />
expectation of finisliing in second place . . .<br />
Harry Gibbs has booked his ten-minute short<br />
"Green Harvest," which he is distributing<br />
without charge, into the Plaza, Stamford:<br />
Shubert and Crown, New Haven, and State.<br />
Hartford.<br />
.<br />
Coming and going—Hymie Levine of Screen<br />
Guild was in New York for a few days . . .<br />
Joseph Gibbs was here from New York to<br />
visit his brother Harry of Connecticut Film<br />
Distributing Co. . . . Carol Mara of Republic<br />
is bowling with a team in the Southern<br />
Connecticut league Crittenden of<br />
The Morris Rosenthals<br />
the Bijou is on vacation . . .<br />
spent a weekend in Atlantic City<br />
Maloney was back at work for a<br />
few days at the Poll, Worcester, after a long<br />
illness . . . Thelma Jaffe Rubin of the Metro<br />
office has resigned, and Dorothy Palmer has<br />
taken her place.<br />
Harry Olslian, Milwaukee Columbia manager,<br />
visited relatives and friends in New<br />
Haven and Westchester . Moriarty,<br />
Paramount projectionist spent Christmas in<br />
Baltimore . . . All New Year's shows were<br />
staged Sunday night instead of Saturday because<br />
of the Sunday law . . . Howard Spodick.<br />
new chief of service at the Paramount<br />
Theatre, is a brother of Robert Spodick of<br />
the Lincoln and Crown . . . Lou Phillips of<br />
Phillips Theatre Supplies was ill during the<br />
holidays with virus pneumonia.<br />
Lou Brown, Loew Poll publicity chief, spent<br />
a few days in Springfield . . . Paula Nastri,<br />
Loew Poll division switchboard operator, will<br />
be married in June. Jim Memery of the<br />
Loew Poll art staff bought a home on Ralston<br />
avenue, Hamden . Jacocks was<br />
here from Boston on a booking trip . . . Hilna<br />
Lazaroff will resign from Monogram January<br />
10 to become a housewife fulltime ... A<br />
sneak preview of "When Willie Comes<br />
Marching Home" was run January 6 at the<br />
Collego.<br />
Vaudeville has been discontinued at the<br />
Lyric, Bridgeport, and the house will be<br />
closed temporarily . . . The Poli in Meriden<br />
began weekend film programs Chi-istmas day<br />
Perlroth, student assistant at the<br />
College, has been promoted to assistant at<br />
the Bijou . Ida Shaw visited with her<br />
son Harry Shaw, Loew Poli division manager,<br />
over the holidays . State In Hartford<br />
offered Tommy Dorsey at New Year's shows<br />
at regular prices.<br />
William Deitch to Build<br />
Drive-In at Warwick, R. I.<br />
WARWICK, R. I.—Construction of an 800-<br />
car di'ive-in between Rocky Point and Oakland<br />
Beach near here will be started soon by<br />
William Deitch, who operates the Palace in<br />
Thornton and the Gem in Arctic, R. I.<br />
'MR. SWEEP' AMUSES KIDS — Al<br />
Monty, former Connecticut theatre manager<br />
turned theatre-night club entertainer,<br />
and Norman Levinson, assistant<br />
manager at Loew's Poli, Hartford, are pictured<br />
above preparing for a special Saturday<br />
morning kiddy matinee at the theatre.<br />
Monty, now known as "Mr. Sweep"<br />
on radio and stage kiddy shows, uses the<br />
brooms as part of his act.<br />
Pass and Popcorn Gifts<br />
Alleviate Rowdiness<br />
From Southwest Edition<br />
WHITEFACE, TEX.—Jack Holeman, owner<br />
of the Home Theatre here, reports a pass<br />
and popcorn giveaway program he arranged<br />
with the high school football team, the school<br />
band and their sponsors has "worked wonders"<br />
in alleviating rowdiness by teen-agers<br />
in his theatre.<br />
Each time the team wins a game, all the<br />
members of the squad, the cheer-leaders, the<br />
band and sponsors are given passes good for<br />
any night the following week. If the team<br />
wins by two touchdowns, bags of popcorn<br />
are also presented. If a boy drops off the<br />
football squad, his name automatically comes<br />
off the list of pass receivers.<br />
Holeman reports the plan has built up a<br />
spirit of friendliness between himself and<br />
citizens, and more of them go to the theatre.<br />
In addition, this has resulted in more respect<br />
on the part of the youngsters for the theatre<br />
property.<br />
Providence '49 Trade<br />
In Theatres Steady<br />
PROVIDENCE—Grosses in Providence-<br />
Pawtucket area theatres in 1949 were almost<br />
even with those of 1948, as a survey of theatres<br />
found 12 of 30 houses reporting business<br />
up last year, 12 .saying grosses slumped<br />
and six reporting no difference between the<br />
two years.<br />
The 30 houses checked included first runs,<br />
second runs, neighborhoods, di'ive-lns and<br />
miscellaneous houses. The managers of the<br />
six houses finding no difference between<br />
business in 1948 and 1949, said, "There was<br />
so little difference that it would be unfair<br />
to go on record in either the 'up' or 'down'<br />
classifications."<br />
Of the seven first runs, thi'ee reported favorable<br />
business in 1949, three reported decreased<br />
receipts and one noted no difference.<br />
Five of the ten neighborhood houses reported<br />
increases, four fell slightly under 1948<br />
and one "ran about the same as last year."<br />
Five second run houses in downtown centers<br />
were ahead of a year ago, while the other<br />
three checked were behind. Only two of the<br />
four drive-ins in this area were open in 1948,<br />
but it was learned these two did better business<br />
in 1949 than a year before. The two<br />
newcomers in the open air field were well<br />
patronized also. All four drive-ins were benefited<br />
by a particularly long, hot and dry<br />
summer, one of the warmest in New England<br />
annals.<br />
Unemployment and torrid weather were<br />
blamed chiefly for the decline in those houses<br />
reporting less business in 1949. Brad Swan,<br />
Bulletin film critic, recently said any business<br />
slump during the year was not for lack<br />
of good film fare. Rather, he said, unemployment,<br />
running between 40,000 and 60,000<br />
monthly throughout 1949 in Rhode Island,<br />
coupled with the end of juicy overtime pay<br />
envelopes of war and postwar days, hit the<br />
theatre field first and hardest.<br />
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THEATRE<br />
Heads Hollywood Players<br />
Roddy McDowall heads a group of Hollywood<br />
players who entertained patients<br />
at Olive View sanitarium, San Fernando,<br />
Calif., New Year's day.