Boxoffice-January.07.1950

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