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ALBANY
Uellman's Palace in Troy was advertising
a "Giant Stage Attraction" for Satm-day
night . . . Warren Towle has resigned as
manager of the Saratoga Drive-In at Lathams,
and George Lourinia, a Hellman standby,
took over.
Neil Hellman and his dad Harry, who
has recovered from an operation, attended
the Variety Club dinner Monday night. Harry
reminisced about the experiments with "talking
pictures" he conducted at the old Fairyland
in 1912 and the city's first open air
theatre he opened two blocks from the Fairyland
the same year. Hellman had Joe Lee
and others work with him in synchronizing
behind-curtain dialog with action on the
screen of silent films.
Vivian Ferracci, senior in St. Barnabas
high school in New York, who has been offered
a contract by 20th Century-Fox, won the
eastern zone finals here of the Hearst oratorical
contest . . . Fred I. Archibald, publisher
of the Albany Times-Union and member
of the Variety Club, presided ... J. Myer
Schine, president of the Schine circuit,
stopped here briefly en route to New York
City two days after the supreme court announced
its decision in the Schine case. He
carried considerable reading material from
newspapers and trade magazines.
Charles Rossi, on Filmrow after several
months absence, announced that a $20,000
remodeling job was under way at his Paramount
Theatre in Schroon Lake. Last fall
the stage was enlarged and now the 450-
seat house is being given a complete change
of appearance. New equipment is to be installed
as well as new seats. The Joseph
Dobesh studio of New York is supervising redecorating.
The Paramount is operated only
during the summer months, Schroon Lake
being a resort town.
. . . Floyd
Mike Nuzzola, 20th-Fox salesman, is one
of Filrm'ow's leading animal fanciers owning
a trick dog and a riding horse
Fitzsimmons, Metro exploiteer, went to Troy
to work on "State of the Union" at Warners
Troy and to Glens Falls to set up a campaign
for "Homecoming" with Charley Daniels
Manager Al La-
of the Paramoimt . . . Flamme scheduled a "Cartoon Punfest" at
the Strand for Saturday morning . . . Mrs.
Lois Carr is a new cashier at the Strand.
She is from Duluth, Minn.
Johnny Gardner, owner of the Colony,
Schenectady, is building a 250-car drive-in at
Burlington, the first such theatre to be erected
in Vermont . . . "T-Men" played to hefty
weekend business at the Grand, according to
Saul J. Ullman, upstate general manager for
Fabian. He thinks the Eagle Lion picture
is a good one. Paul Bruce Pettit, WROW
critic, broadcast a rave notice on "T-Men."
A large exhibitor turnout on Filmrow Monday
included Charles Gordon, owner of the
Olympic, Utica, and his son-in-law and assistant,
George Smith; Mrs. Helen Hadley,
the Valley, Schaghticoke; Mrs. Percy Quigley
and Julia Dolan, the Coxsackie, Coxsackle;
Jules Perlmutter, the Rivoli, Schenectady;
Phil Baroudi, operating theatres in North
Creek and Warrensburg; Mrs. Mary Flanigan,
secretary to Walter Wertime of the
Chester, Chestertown.
The Warner exchange will launch a sales
drive May 22 . . . Myron "Mike" Kallet, head
of the Kallet circuit, returned from a Florida
vacation . . . C. J. Latta, upstate zone manager
for Warners, scotched rumors that he
was scheduled for a job in another district.
Latta said: "There is no truth in the reports
I am going elsewhere. I don't know
where these stories started, but I can say
they are without foundation."
Some subsequent run exhibitors are said
to be complaining about the percentage terms
Universal-International asks for "The Naked
City" . . . "State of the Union" played to
heavy weekend business at the Palace.
Frank Wenz is assistant to Manager Oscar
Perrin at the Ritz, succeeding Rodger Apple,
who resigned to take a position with the
. . . "Black Bart" and "Are
Order of Eagles
You With It?" opened strong at the Ritz
after "The Naked City" closed an 18-day
engagement. Men predominated in the first
day's audiences.
Intensive promotion of Paramount's short
subjects was urged by Oscar A. Morgan, the
short subjects head of sales department, in a
meeting at the local exchange Tuesday. Monroe
R. Goodman, his assistant, also spoke.
They were Introduced by branch manager
Eddie Ruff. Also at the session were Ed
Wall, publicity and advertising director;
Jirrmiy Moore, salesman, and Pete Holman
and Jim Frangooles, bookers. Morgan and
Goodman left for Buffalo.
Don Shepard, projectionist at the Paramount,
Is a charter member of Local 324,
which was formed in 1913. He was out of
the operating field for a time and worked
for Joe Hornstein's supply house in New
York. Tony Romalne, electrician at the
Strand, is another old-timer . . . Plans filed
with the city building commissioner indicate
that Fabian's Grand is to be renamed
the State after it is remodeled. The house
has been known as the Grand since it opened
in 1913.
. . .
Police arrested an 18-year-old boy who
sneaked into the Palace Theatre with the
aid of a friend. In trying to run away he
crashed through a glass door. Manager Alex
Sayles made the complaint of disorderly
conduct The Colonial, home of foreign
pictures, played its second revival bill within
a month, showing "Bringing Up Baby" and
"39 Steps."
Albany Variety to Conduct
Golf Tourney in June
ALBANY — Plans for the annual golf
tournament of the Variety Club were made at
a meeting of the crew Monday night prior
to the weekly dinner in Keeler's restaurant.
Nate Winig, one of the tent's most active
nonindustry members, was named chairman
of the general committee. The affair will be
held some time in June.
A special report of the heart fund committee
was submitted by C. J. Latta. The fund's
principal activity is the Variety-Albany Boys
club summer camp in the Helderbergs. Chief
Barker Harry Lamont said 55 boys would be
entertained at the camp each week of the
1948 season.
Following the dinner, a general meeting
was held in the club rooms over the Warner
Theatres offices.
MONOGRAM INTERNATIONALITES HOSTED—The above were snapped at
a
dinner in a Chinese restaurant. C Y. Tom, president of the Chinamerica Film
Exchange of Hongkong, gave the dinner in honor of Norton V. Ritchey, president of
Monogram International Corp. and his staff. Left to right: Margo Lee, actress;
Mrs. William E. Osborne; Ritchey; Nellie Witting; William E. Osborne, far eastern
supervisor; Tom; Edward Murray; David D. Home; H. Y. Lin, secretary of the Chinese
consulate In New York.
Hear Judge Justine Poller
NEW YORK—Judge Justine Wise Poller
of domestic relations court addressed guests
at a tea in the home of Mrs. Marshall Field,
co-chairman of the special events committee
of the Wiltwyck Aid to Youth drive for
the Wiltwyck School for Boys in Esopus,
N. Y. Mrs. Field and Mrs, Edward M. M.
Warburg are engaged in a fund-raising program
for a quota of $1,000,000. The campaign
will be launched at the benefit opening
of "The Time of Your Life" (UA) at the
Mayfair Theatre May 25.
Silent Film Star in Cast
A top featured role in Metro's "The Three
Godfathers" has been given Mae Marsh, a
star of silent films.
52 BOXOFFICE : : May
15, 1948