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Kansas-Missouri Allied
Gains 25 New Members
KANSAS CITY—The addition of 25 new
members em-olled during the last ten weeks
by the Kansas-Missoui-i Allied imit was reported
by C. M. Parkhui-st, general manager,
at the monthly meeting of its board of directors
here last Tuesday 1 13 1
New members from Kansas included E. J.
May, Lyric, Cottonwood Falls: Cliff Johnson,
De Luxe, Bucklin; John J. Wehner, Royal,
Rossville; Louis E. Stein, Drive-In, Parsons;
R. F. Fite, Fite, El Dorado; K, H. Gaston,
Mayflower, Florence; C. D. Sproule, State,
Hutchinson; Robert Sproule, Iris Di-ive-In,
Hutchinson; Jesse DeLong, Ute, Mankato;
Sam Abend, Jayhawk, Kansas City; Ray
Musselman, Roach, Lincoln; George P.
Moore, Moore, Plainville; J. N. Welty, Midway,
Hill City; W. R. Horton jr., Jayhawk, Atwood;
Alex Sniderman, Strand, Concordia, and K.
H. Ehret, Star, Clay Center.
Included in new members from Missouri
are Russell R. Benton, Jewel, Clarence; C. L.
Summers, Jasper, Jasper; Virgil Harbison,
Tarkio, Tarkio; W. E. Korsmeyer, Family,
Kirksville; R. O. Robinson, Grant, Grant
City; E. E. Jameson, Vogue, Lees Simimit;
Shelby O. Armstrong, Karyl, Milan; Charles
L. Mohler, DeRay, Joplin, and L. E. Wells,
Gillham, Kansas City.
Diablos Top Kansas City
Film Bowling League
KANSAS CITY—Standings of teams in the
Filmrow Bowling league here, reported by
Bob McKlnley, secretai-y, after the initial
week of competition, were as follows:
Team Won Lost
Diablos 3
Fox Trotters 3
Sharpshooters - 2 1
Fox Terriers 2 1
Film Delivery No. 1 2 1
Michaels 1 2
Warners 1 2
20th-Fox 1 2
Film Delivery No. 2 .. 3
MGM .._
..__ 3
Sponsors for several of the teams in the
league still are needed, according to Ray St.
James, president. An enti-y fee of $10 is paid
by a sponsor, who in some cases buys shirts
for the team chosen.
Venice Award to 'Chante'
From Canadicm Edition
MONTREAL—A Canadian film, "Chante
Jeunesse," has won first prize for short subjects
at the Venice Film festival. It was
one of the Canada Carries On series issued
last spring under the English title "It's Fun
to Sing." The film features the Leslie Bell
Singers of Toronto. This award from the International
Exhibition of Cinematographic
Art is the third won by the National Film
Board within a week. Last week two animated
films, "Hen Hop" and "Piddle De
Dee" won prizes at the Brussels Film festival.
Theatre Host to Patrons
CLAPLIN, KAS.—W. M. Wheatly and wife
played hosts to the community on a Tuesday
night recently at their Lux Theatre in celebration
of the fnst anniversary of the motion
picture house.
Buys Ewing, Neb., House
EWING, NEB.—Waldo Davis has purchased
the Eldorado Theatre here from A.
Mueting.*
Kenneth Wagner, Iowa Theatreman,
Seeks Fame as Cartoon Creator
WILTON JUNCTION, IOWA—"Everybody
loves a circus." That's the theory on which
Kenneth A. Wagner, 38, manager of the
Wilton Theatre here, has based years ol
planning and work leading up to what he
hopes will be his "big moment" in the comic
strip field.
Ever since Wagner won a $100 prize in
a national art contest 20 years ago he has
been interested in art work, and planning a
cartoon series based on circus life. Recently
he presented his idea and sample strips to a
half-dozen newspaper syndicates, and at the
moment it's a good bet that one of them
buys it.
The strip is called "Spangles," intended
for daily and Sunday publication. It is a
sort of Grand Hotel of circus life. It's a
happy strip, with humor, fun, pathos and
an inside picture of life under the big top.
There are such characters as Pop Jingle, the
circus owner; Pee Wee, the clown; Buck
West, the cowboy star, and Swifty King, the
wild animal trainer. And there's Sally Jones,
the bareback rider, and Cecille LaVerse, the
ex-aerialist, who's wardrobe mistress.
Wagner has been enthused about circuses
and the entertainment world since' he
was in grade school. Born in Council Bluffs,
he attended grade school there and was
graduated from high school at Mason City.
For years, after he won that art prize. Ken
worked as a commercial artist for a lithographic
firm which has a national reputation
for show and dance band posters. It
was like working for a circus.
Even back in those days, Wagner had
created the title Spangles and had started
Lyceum in Minneapolis
Starts 28-Day Pictures
MINNEAPOLIS—The Lyceum, legitimate
roadshow house, got off to a good start this
week with its new 28-day availability film
pohcy, offering "The Stratton Story" for its
opener. The pictiu-es will fill in between road
attractions. The theatre's newspaper ads proclaimed
"Top Pictures at Suburban Pi-ices."
The 28-day availability puts the house in
the same clearance class as first run neighborhood
and suburban theatres and also
makes it, in effect, a second run downtown
theatre for the pictures of MGM, 20th-Fox
and Warner Bros., the companies which acceded
to its demand for this clearance. Admission
is 60 cents, the same as at the 28-
day neighborhood and suburban 28-day
houses. Like most of the uptown 28-day theatres,
too, the Lyceum has matinees only
on Saturdays and Sundays.
With fewer legitimate roadshows touring
this season, the pictm'e policy, it is hoped
by the management, will be the theatre's
"salvation."
Owl Shows at Drive-In
LINCOLN, NEB.—The Starview Drive-In,
managed by Herman Gould, has been granted
permission by the Lancaster county commissioners
to operate midnight shows each
Saturday night until October 1.
Ellis W. Carter is lensmg "Blonde Bandit"
for Repubhc.
developing characters for the strip. Seven
years ago Wagner leased the Wilton Theatre
here, with living quarters for his family in
an apartment over the theatre. Five years
ago he opened his photographic studio (he'd
always been a camera fiend; in his apartment.
Wagner also has tried his hand at writing
and has sold a number of articles on
photography to such magazines as Popular
Science, Popular Photography and Home
Moviemakers. For a while—although it didn't
pay off—he produced a home newsreel—
local film feature—which he showed in his
theatre.
"I even produced and filmed a home movie
called 'The Rescue of Nancy Smith,' in which
I had my son Ken jr. in the hero's role. That
was back in 1940. The boy was 5 then," said
Wagner.
Since Wagner's theatre operates evenings,
he has worked over his di-awing board during
the day. Mrs. Wagner, the former Lavina
Stevens of Mason City, has become a firstclass
assistant in the photo studio. She
does the developing and the mounting of
pictures. The son also is a help. He takes
over the popcorn sales at the theatre much
of the time. The Wagners also have two
daughters, Diane 9, and Linda 6.
There is, naturally, a chance that "Spangles"
won't sell. However, some top-ranking
syndicate editors have given high praise to
Wagner's ideas, work and his knowledge of
the tanbark. He lives "on needles and pins"
waiting that big moment when the strip has
been placed.
Slight Effect on Films
From Freight Embargo
KANSAS CITY—While 38 cities and towns
with theatres in the Kansas City exchange
area have been affected by the freight embargo
resulting from the Missouri Pacific
strike, 31 of them are being served by the
Exhibitors Film Delivery. The seven remaining
localities are being included temporarily
in regular runs or exhibitors are transportng
prints to and from points on truck routes.
No railroad service other than Missouri Pacific
is available in the 38 cities and towns.
Teacher Operates Theatre
BUCKLIN, MO.—Vii-gil Anderson, new
music instructor in the Bucklin High school,
has purchased the CR Theatre from Clifford
Byler. Anderson came here from Ossian,
Iowa. The CR will operate every night except
Tuesday.
Don Smith to Storm Lake
STORM LAKE. IOWA—Don Smith has
been named assistant manager to the city of
Pioneer Theatres in Storm Lake, W. L. Hill
has announced. Smith, a former Buena Vista
college student, succeeds Jim Bye.
Free Show for School Pupils
HAMILTON, MO.—W. B. Presley, owner of
the Till Theatre, invited all school children
to a free show the afternoon of September 6,
the opening day.
BOXOFFICE :: September 17, 1949
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