Boxoffice-June.19.1948

. . Hyman
. . The
. . Ladies
. . RKO
SAN FRANCISCO
. . .
f^harles Ide, a South San Francisco exhibitor,
will build a 500-seat stadium-type theatre
in Soquel at a cost of $60,000. It will be
the second started in central Santa Cruz
country. In January 1947 Arthur Mayer and
Joseph Jacobs began work on a $70,000 theatre
in Capitola, which is now only half completed
since construction was delayed
Ground
many
months by federal regulations
has been broken for the construction of
Escalon's new theatre. It will be of Spanish
architecture. Frank Peters who operates the
Manteca, Riverbank, Ripon, Salida and the
present Escalon Lyric, is the owner.
Don Avery, owner of the Etna, says he
hopes to open a theatre in Fort Jones by
July 4 . . . The Contra Costa Motor-In has
told patrons it would be unable to announce
coining attraction for several weeks because
of difficulties over bookings. The theatre is
trying to get first runs.
. .
The United Artists Theatre staff in Berkeley
knew what to do when the lights went
out and the camera stopped. The members
of the staff entertained customers with a
community sing when a power failure occurred.
Not a patron left during the 48-
minute blackout, according to Manager Kenneth
Workman . board of the Reno
Little Theatre has re-elected Blythe Bulmer,
Kenneth
Leona Fowler and Ralph Douglas .
P. Allen has been elected president of
the Alameda Little Theatre, Inc. . . . Manager
Peter J. Garrette says practically every
seat in the Yolo was taken at a free show
sponsored by the merchants committee of
the Woodland Chamber of Commerce.
John R. Fredericks has assumed management
of the Fox and Hyde theatres in Visalia.
He succeeds Robert Benton who has been
transferred to management of the Pox and
Ritz in Hanford.
Tallulah Bankhead, currently appearing
on the stage here in "Pi-ivate Lives," was
also on a local screen in "A Royal Scandal."
The Vogue was right in there pitching and
did an excellent business . night at
the Variety Club was headed by Warner and
Leigh, song stylists from the Music Hall in
New York . . . The junior executive committee
put on another dance at the club.
Ten finalists appeared on the stage of the
Golden Gate to compete for the title of "Miss
San Francisco of 1948." Tlie affair was
staged by Zetta Jones and Dean Maddux was
emcee. The winner was to compete in the
state finals at Santa Cruz . exchange
presented a tradeshowing of the Walt Disney
musical "Melody Time" . Maybe vaudeville
won't stay away too
. .
much longer. On June
30 Betty Hutton will take over the stage at
the Golden Gate.
Melba Crafton of Lawrence Borg theatres
left for a vacation in Seattle and inland
.
points . . . Elsie Feehan, wife of the late
Wally Feehan who operated the Moulin
Rouge in Oakland, died Rotus Harvey,
Abe Blumenfeld. Gerald
. . .
Hardy and Homer
Tegtmeier took off for a long weekend fishing
trip . . . Bill Peters, Manteca, was in a
few days Levin, General Theatrical,
vacationed in Richardson Springs.
Paul Schmuck is the U-I salesman . . .
King Trimble is the new Paramount salesman.
Andy Anderson will take over office
. .
manager duties at Paramount, replacing
Jack Stevenson .
Dick Colbert, formerly of
Salt Lake, is local city salesman.
Rudy Vallee, who is appearing here in
"Harvey" went before the cameras at the
Motion Picture Service Co. to make an appeal
for the Variety Club's pet charity, the fund
for blind children.
Dorothy Haley, B. F. Shearer and Frieda
Fleishman of National Screen, will represent
the Film Colony club at the Red Cross convention
here . Mel Hulling, Howard Butler
. .
and Jim Myers of Monogram returned from
a sales meeting in Chicago.
Television Takes Over
Best Film Customers
SANTA MONICA—The film industry was
told that it is losing some of its best customers
to television.
Ralph B. Austrian, treasurer of the Society
of Motion Picture Engineers told the organization
convention here that television might
encourage stay-at-home entertainment in
preference to motion pictures.
He reported on a recent survey of 415
sample owners of television sets. Tlireefourths
of them, he reported, said they stay
at home more often and half said they went
to fewer motion pictm-es.
Santa Monica Theatre
Is to Be Remodeled
SANTA MONICA. CALIF.—Remodeling of
be un-
the Fox West Coast theatre here will
dertaken at a cost of $18,000. Included in the
project are new steps and ceilings, concrete
work, roof covering, glass and tile work. The
job will be handled by Fox West Coast.
WESTERN DEBUTS IN OLD WEST—
Santa Fe, N. M., was the scene for the
recent world premiere of "Four Faces
West," the Harry Sherman production
for Enterprise, released by United, Artists
at the Lensic and Burro Alley theatres.
On the night of the premiere the main
street of Santa Fe was closed off to accommodate
crowds who turned out to see
the gala doings. In the photo are Joel
McCrea and Frances Dee, stars of the picture,
with John Greer sr., owner of the
Lensic and Burro Alley, and W. E. Callaway
(right), UA sales chief for the southwest
area.
Salt Lake Theatres
Win Midway Battle
SALT LAKE CITY—Local theatres came
out victorious on two counts in another phase
of the controversy between the city amusement
interests and the Utah State Fair
board. Third District Judge Clarence E. Baker
declared null and void the contract between
the State Fair board and Beehive Midways,
Inc., for operation of a midway at the state
fairgrounds.
The attorney general ruled that the State
Fair board has been exceeding its authority
by going into partnership with visiting shows
such as "Water Follies" and "Holiday on Ice."
He held that the board must rent its facilities
at a stated price to these events rather
than to go into partnership.
CASE FOUGHT 18
MONTHS
The board leased property last year to the
Midway which operated during the Centennial.
The lease was for five years, with a
renewal option. Almost immediately after
it was signed theatre interests attacked its
validity. The case has been fought for the
past 18 months and has been amended thi-ee
times. Baker's decision, while acknowledging
the right of the board to lease its property,
invalidated the existing contracts on the
grounds they are franchises rather than
Among the plaintiffs in this case were
leases.
Intermountain Theatres headed by Ti-acy
Barham and Uptown Theatres, owned by
Joseph L. Lawrence.
In the second case the plaintiffs had long
contended that it was not the state's business
to go into partnership with amusement enterprises
coming into the city. The board
entered into partnerships with various groups
during the Centennial. The amusement companies
were upheld when the attorney general
ruled that the board must rent the Colisum
at the fairgrounds to the "Holiday on
Ice" show, and not go into partnership with
the company. The fair board was in partnership
with the "Water Follies" and made
more than $200, out of which it must pay
for damage done to the floor.
NEW ATTACK EXPECTED
Meanwhile the battle between the board,
headed by Sheldon R. Brewster, and the
theatres seemed to be continuing. At the
"Holiday on Ice" show circulars were distributed
accusing the Intermountain Theatres
chain of taking a prominent part in
objecting to use of the fairgrounds.
The circular closed with an attack on the
theatres. "We don't know what the next step
of our opponents will be, but we are sure you
can expect to see some new form of attack
in the press before long. They have a very
highly paid legal staff engaged to continue
their opposition, which has bobbed up continuously
in one form or another for the
past seven years."
Barham said the charges that Intermountain
Theatres tried to keep out amusement
competition were absurd. He pointed to a
number of competing situations in the area
and cited instances in which he could have
eliminated competition but didn't. He also
said that his company, rather than opposing
other interests, had tried to help them.
Paul Harvey New Aztec Manager
CALEXICO, CALIF.—Paul Harvey, veteran
employe of Western Amusement Co., has been
named manager of the Aztec Theatre here.
58 BOXOFFICE :
; June 19, 1948