Boxoffice-Febuary.14.1948

Nearly Half of Theatres in Albany
Are Situated in Small Towns
ALBANY—Nearly half, or 106, of the 232
theatres in the Albany exchange area are located
in 105 towTi with a population of 2,500
and under. According to the MPAA theatre
survey, these 106 theatres have an average
seating capacity of 332. This director}' is the
26th in the series of 31 issued by the MPAA.
Number
Seating
Ccfpacity
The four largest cities in the area—Albany,
Utica, Schenectady and Troy—contain 45
theatres with a total seating capacity of
51,830. In Albany and Utica the average
number of seats per theatre is 1,254. In
Schenectady and Troy the average is 1,045.
The summary:
Number
Totals _ 242
Seating capacity ol theatres now in operation, according to population groupings*;
Population
Towns with
Theatres
250,000-100,001 - 2 (Albany, Utica)
100,000- 50,001 2 (Schenectady, Troy)
50.000- 25,001 3
25,000- 10,001 „ 14
10,000- 5,001 10
5,000- 2.501 26
2,500 and under 105
theatr(
Albany Variety to Raise
Funds for Hospital Wing
ALBANY—The Variety
Club has named a
committee to solicit contributions for the
Sisters of Mercy, who are seeking to raise
$1,000,000 for the erection of a 150-bed wing
on St. Peter's hospital. Variety undertook
the venture at the request of Edward N.
Scheiberling, an honorary member of the
club, who is chairman for the citywide campaign.
The Variety committee consists of
Charles A. Smakwitz, chairman, and C. J.
Latta, Saul J. Ullman, Dan Houlihan and
Arthur Newman. No specific goal was fixed
for the industry. According to Smakwitz,
Albany is short 600 hospital beds and the
Variety Club is glad to assist. Construction
of the hospital wing is scheduled to start
May 1.
Albany Service Employes
Abandon lATSE Union
ALBANY—The second attempt in recent
years to unionize service employes of Albany
moving picture theatres has ended in failure.
A union formed last spring to operate
on a charter obtained through the projectionists
lATSE local has been dissolved and
Gulislan Wilton Theatre Carpet
JOE HORNSTEIN has it!
No. of Theatre
Operating
23
Number of
Seats
28,E39
22,991
11,846
25,983
10,118
17,494
Seating
Capacity
116 103,576
126 53,046
money paid in dues, minus expenses, has been
returned to individual members. Dues had
been paid for six months by about 100 cashiers,
doormen, ushers, matrons and cleaning
women. Leaders gave two reasons for
abandonment: alleged "failure of the boothmen
to back us up" and "apathy of mem-
The union had four conferences with
bers."
circuit officials but "got nowhere," it was
Leaders spoke of reorganizing later under
said.
the banner of the
CIO.
Hellman Houses Intervene
In Albany Clearance Suit
ALBANY—Notices of intervention were
filed by four theatre companies in the arbitration
case in w-hich the Capital City Amusement
Co., acting for the Eagle Theatre here,
seeks relief from alleged unreasonable clearance.
The suit was filed against Paramount
Pictures and involves clearance granted to
the Delaware Theatre, operated by Warner
Bros., and the Colonial, operated by Freedman
& Orson.
Papers were recorded with Gordon Stedman,
clerk of the American Arbitration Ass'n
and regional manager, by the Stanley-Mark-
Strand Theatre Corp., acting for the Delaware;
Colonial Enterprises, Inc., acting for
the Colonial; the Albany Royal Theatre
Corp., acting for the Royal, and the Patroon
Theatre Corp., acting for the Paramount.
The latter two filed because their properties
might be affected by the AAA decision.
The Royal and Paramount, operated Jry
the Hellman interests, and the Eagle are
all last run houses. Leonard L. Rosenthal
is attorney for the Eagle.
12 to Take New York Exam
For Motion Picture Post
ALBANY—Twelve persons will take the
civil service examination, probably in April,
for the job of director of the motion picture
division, state education department. The director
is, in effect, the state censor. All applicants
are state employes.
Fight Looms on Tax
Planned by Newark
NEWARK—The city commissioners are
considering a sliding scale admissions tax
and exhibitor groups are preparing to challenge
the proposal on the grounds that it
has not been sanctioned by the state legislature.
Ordinarily, admission and sales taxes are
imposed only after the l^islature specifically
grants local permission to pass suoh taxes,
and then only after a referendum.
No such permission has been granted Newark.
Atlantic City, however, and other fourth
class coastal cities received such permission
last year. But only Atlantic City has used
that power.
The Newark tax board hopes to impose
an admission tax by city ordinance. The
TOA of New Jersey and the Federation of
New Jersey Theatre owners have held membership
meetings to discuss the proposal and
have appointed committees to confer with
city officials.
The ordinance, approved by Mayor Murphy,
will open the way for extensive revision of
all license fees on local amusement places,
which have remained unchanged since the
license biu-eau was established over 25 years
ago. Under the proposed revision theatres
would become the largest contributoj-s to a
new revenue-producing fund, which would
net Newark $1,500,000 annually.
A six-month study is contemplated to determine
the method of levying the fees. In
a survey being conducted by the tax board
it is estimated that the city's motion picture
houses seat approximately 68,000 persons. The
board is trying to find out how many persons
attend daily.
Three methods for fixing additional charges
on amusement tickets are under way: Percentage
of gross receipts; an additional
charge on each ticket, and a graded fee depending
on the amount of the ticket.
The tax would range from two cents on
admissions of 25 cents or less to ten cents
on admissions over $1.
PHILADELPHIA
Qperators of theatres, night clubs, and other
places of amusement were warned Monday
by Brig. Gen. Brenton G. Wallace, state
fuel coordinator, that they either must cut
down on the use of fuel oil or face a government
crackdown because of a serious fuel
shortage. He said the government action
might be necessary in order to save fuel to
heat homes, hospitals and industrial establishments.
Lee Fulirman, former BOXOFFICE correspondent
in Atlanta, who was associated
for some time here with Adelphia Associates,
has left Adelphia to return to the southern
city . . . Safety patrol boys and girls from
up-county public and parochial schools were
guests last week at theatre parties held at
the Tower, Upper Darby, and Stanley in
Chester. More than 1,000 youngsters attended
each party.
Tlie Norristown city council passed their
amusement tax measure on the third and
final reading last week. The 10 per cent tax
on all forms of amusement will become effective
March 5. It is expected to raise $40,000
in revenue during the remainder of 1948.
BOXOFTICE :: February 14, 1948