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Hustle for Patrons,
W6 Zone Men Told
ALBANY— Seventy per cent of the drop
in receipts can be attributed to inertia, which
must be overcome by aggressive, alert, imaginative
merchandising of pictures. Manager
Charles A. Smakwitz, Warner zone, declared
at a district meeting of managers in the
local offices Monday. Men from Utica, Troy
and Albany were present. Smakwitz held a
similar session at the Hotel Statler in Buffalo
Thursday. Ralph Crabill. western district
manager, presided there. Pi-oduct of all
companies was discussed, means of selling
them were analyzed and theatre operations
were considered.
Smakwitz called for an allout effort to get
business. "It's there if we hustle and bring
it in," he commented. "We can't sit tight
and wait for patronage to flow in. The product
is fine —just as good as years ago. Our
prices are low. Wliere else can you have as
much enjoyment for so little money in such
comfortable surroundings? Movies are the
poor man's entertainment. We have to keep
pounding at that point, creating a desire
by him to see them regularly. The grass is
just as green here as it seems to be 50 or 100
miles away."
The Warner zone boss stressed the importance
of keeping down expenses. He pointed
out they had continued high while grosses
dropped. Smakwitz stated: "Television and
drive-ins are not serious competition. Tlie
Aldrich and other surveys .show business is
off the same percentage in areas which have
television and those which do not have it.
The same holds true of drive-ins; they are
not competition to indoor theatres."
Smakwitz commented that the weekly income
in many homes has been cut, because
fewer of its members are working. This not
only directly affects them but indirectly affects
relatives and friends. A feeling of uncertainty
develops and people begin to conserve
on spending. Smakwitz believes the
coal strike hurt theatre patronage.
Present at the meeting were Jim Faughnan.
contact manager; Max Friedman, buyer; Joe
Weinstein. booker; Gerry Atkin. zone director
of exploitation and advertising; Al La
Flamme, Oscar Perrin and Herb Jennings.
Albany managers; Andy Roy, Utica city manager:
George Laurie and Jack Breslin, Utica;
Sid Summers, Troy city manager; Joe Stowell
and Jack Swarthout, Ti-oy.
H. L. Ripps Transferred
To New Area by MGM
ALBANY—Herman L. Ripps. assistant
MGM division sales manager in the Albany.
Boston. Buffalo and New Haven territories,
will go to New York next week as supervisor
of sales in the metropolitan and New Jersey
areas. He will continue to work under Jack
Byrne, eastern division manager.
Ripps came here as a salesman for MGM
in 1934 and remained until 1939, when he was
transferred to the metropolitan New York
and upper New Jersey territory. He returned
here as branch manager in 1941 and subsequently
was advanced to district manager and
later to assistant division manager. He
served one term as chief barker of the Variety
Club. He will not be replaced here, but
here more frequently.
Byrne will visit
ALBANY
^he Midtown Theatre, Syracuse, which plays
domestic and foreign art films, has been
purchased from jack Zurick and Otto Cratzner
by Vance Schwartz,
president of Distinctive
Theatres Corp. The
circuit operates hou.scs
in Cincinnati, Columbus
and Dayton, Ohio,
and the Midtown is its
initial eastern house
. . . Arthur Newman,
manager
Republic
here, and his wife, who
has been convalescing
after a recent operation,
Vance Schwartz
went to Atlantic
City for a vacation .
Albany area theatremen who attended the
20th-Fox film merchandising meeting in
Chicago included Harry Lamont, Lamont
Theatres president; Sid Kallet, circuit chief
film buyer, Oneida: Louis W. Schine, Gus
Lampe, Seymour L. Morris and Bill Kraemer.
Schine circuit, Gloversville, and Dan Houlihan,
local 20th-Fox manager.
Circuit house managers are making sure
that reserve stocks of candy, popcorn and
cigarets are kept under lock and key. It was
said recent robberies have induced extra
caution. A close check is being maintained
on all conce.ssion stock by managers and
attendants.
Abe Dickstcin, UA district manager, attended
the Variety Club dinner Monday
night while enroute to the Schine circuit offices
in Gloversville. Dick Perry, salesman
Will Yolen Joins Laurel
As Ad-Publicity Head
NEW YORK—Will Yolen. New York and
Hollywood public relations man. has joined
Laurel Films as vice-president in charge of
advertising and publicity, according to Rex
Carlton. Laurel president. He first will publicize
"Guilty Bystander." which is .set for
the Globe Theatre in March, and will follow
this with "Mr. Univer.se." which will be filmed
in New York shortly. Yolen's motion picture
background includes six years as promotion
manager and special events director for
Warner Bros. Previously, he was publicity
director for the amusement area of the New
York world's fair.
Lees Co. Promotes Asher
BRIDGEPORT. PA—Carlton R. Asher.
market research manager for James Lees &
Sons Co. since 1946, has been named advertising
manager for the carpet division by
Edwin C. Pease, director of promotion and
research. Asher has been with Lees since
1940, first in the sales department.
Japan to Get U.S. Short
NEW YORK— Emer.'on Yorke Studio, producers
of the featurette "Little League Baseball,"
has signed a contract with the procurement
agency of the U.S. signal corps for distribution
of the film throughout Japan and
the Ryukyus islands. A Japanese narration
has been added.
in the Albany territory, accompanied Dicksteln
. . . Charles Feldman, new U-I division
manager, made his first visit to the Albany
territory, accompanied by Pete Dana, district
manager. Gene Vogel. local manager, joined
them at Syracuse. Feldman .served with U-I
in the west before his promotion .several
months ago.
While business gro.ssed by "Stromboli
"
the Grand here was below expectations, local
theatremen have been speculating on to what
extent the ban imposed by Bishop Edmund
F. Gibbons had on the gros.ses. The picture
played here after much of the publicity regarding
Ingrid Bergman had subsided. Most
exhibitors here appear to believe that the ban
had cut potential trade at the boxoffice
. of the Grand and Delilah"
registered smash business at the Strand in
its first week, but trade dropped during the
holdover week. In the opinion of many
theatremen. Albany is not a "two-week" town
for
films.
Charles A. Smakwitz, Warner zone manager,
and Max Friedman, buyer and booker,
attended a sales conference in New York .
Harry Royster, .who has been Paramount-
Publix district manager with headquarters in
Poughkeepsie, is taking over the Colonial
there and a theatre in Peekskill, according to
a report here. Harold Greenberg. di.strict
buyer and booker, is resigning to assume
operation of .several hou.ses in Ohio and
Kentucky . Wieting of the Park.
Cobleskill. and Frank Violetti of the Van
Buren. Cairo, were on Filmrow.
New York Will Encourage
Film Production for TV
NEW YORK—New York City will sponsor
a study of motion picture production here
not only for general distribution but also
for use by television, according to Mayor
William O'Dwyer. It will be jointly conducted
by the city commerce department
and the Columbia University department of
industrial engineering, and cover a number
of industries. The deadline for its completion
has been set for early 1951.
Plans were described by Joseph V. Mc-
Kee. commerce commissioner. They were developed
by Fi'ank Lee Donoghue. city director
of commerce; Herman Rapport,
commerce department economi-st; Dr. Robert
Teviot Livingston, executive officer of
the Columbia industrial engineering department,
and Dr. David Bendel Herz, assistant
profe.ssor at Columbia. Dr. Livingston
will be chief con.suUant.
The study will take in all five boroughs.
Small business men will be able to obtain
specific advice on many management
problems.
'Clochemerle' to Siritzky
NEW YORK Sintzky Inlernalional Pictures
has acquired "The ScandaLs of Clochemerle,"
French-language feature produced by
Cinema-Productions, for distribution in the
U.S. Felix Oudart. Armontel and Simone
Michels are starred. The picture will open at
the Ambassador Theatre March 27.
BOXOFFICE :: March 18, 1950 N 48-A
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