Boxoffice-11.11.1950

TOA Convention Sidelights
Random Items From the Houston Conclave
Houston
Q,LENN MCCARTHY, a fabulous figure in
these parts, builder of the Shamrock
hotel where the TOA
convention was held,
occasional motion
picture producer and
an Irishman with a
great love for everythuig
Irish—they say
there are 59 shades of
green in the hotel's
decorative scheme —
launched his latest
project at the convention.
He started the
Sham-
Loyal Order of
Glenn McCarthy rocks and the first
Irishmen he recruited for membership were
Gael Sullivan, TOA's executive director; Robert
J. O'Donnell, Interstate circuit's general
manager; and Morton Downey, the Irish
thrush here for the meetings. All were presented
with shillelaghs, flown here from New
York for the occasion.
McCarthy announced all visiting celebrities
will be honored with memberships and
the first group to whom he bestowed the
honors were such well-known Irishmen in the
film industry as Charles O'Skouras, Samuel
McPinanski, Si McFabian, Ted O'Gamble,
Spyros McSkouras, Dennis O'Morgan, Alexis
O'Smith and George O'Murphy, all here for
the convention.
At the rodeo and chuck wagon dinner, held
as a convention feature, several showmen
gave plenty of evidence of the fact they
aren't kidding when they sing 'Tm an Old
Cowhand.' Bob Hoff. Omaha, of the Ballantyne
Co. and Tom Edwards, president of
the Motion Picture Theatre Owners of St.
Louis, Eastern Missouri and Southern Illinois,
got into the calf-roping events and displayed
plenty of skill at riding and roping.
Both Ted Gamble and Bob O'Donnoil rode
horses in the parade which opened the rodeo.
In for the convention were Mr. and Mrs.
A. P. Moulder who have been operating a
theatre in Sapulpa, Okla., since 1911 and with
Ralph Talbot of Tulsa are the veterans of
exhibition in the Sooner state. Moulder
opened the old Empress 39 years ago, a theatre
he replaced with the Criterion Theatre
in 1931.
Sidney Lust, veteran Washington,
D. C. exhibitor, says there is too much
worry about television. "I just tell my
boys to stop thinking about it, and get
out and hustle. I tell them to get better
acquainted in their neighborhoods,
to put in some extra minutes thinking
about better exploitation of pictures, running
in an extra kiddy show, playing
every angle. Do that, and you won't have
to worry about teleTision," he says.
J. C. McGinnis of Tulsa conducted his own
private little survey to find out the rea-
Building Ban Puts Mundo
'Out of Business'
HOUSTON — Claude C. Mundo, prominent
exhibitor in Little Rock, says the
building ban "put me out of business."
Here is his story: Last spring, he was
invited to put up a new theatre in a
pleasant Arkansas community which had
no theatre. He visited the town, liked it
and the people and decided to build.
Then the Korean war broke out. Fearing
restrictions on materials, he had the
house planned so that a wood-constructed
arch would be used and other materials
would be of a type unlikely to be limited
in supply.
A few weeks ago, plans were ready.
The contractor reported he was all set.
So Mundo got in his car and started
out for the contractor's home town. En
route, he stopped at a hotel and as he
walked through the lobby a radio newscaster
announced the government ban on
new theatre buildings.
"So here I am." says Mundo. "I sold
my theatre in Little Rock. I've got my
plans ready, and a town all waiting for
a showhouse. and can't do a thing."
son for an unexpected dip in business this
fall. The answer, he found, is in the heavy
instalment payments contracted by customers
when the Korean scarcity scare frightened
thousands of persons into buying big ticket
appliances, etc. Not much left for motion
pictures, they told him. McGinnis won back
one patron who had temporarily switched to
television entertainment. It wasn't so much
that the TV programs weren't up to the
caliber of movies, the patron said, it was the
expense. She had simply decided that trying
to entertain everybody in the neighborhood
was too expensive—even if the refreshments
consisted of no more than a coke.
Jesse Lasky, veteran producer, revealed to
delegates that within the last month he had
an offer to produce a series of 15 pictures
at an average cost of $100,000. each to run
about 50 minutes, for television exclusively.
"I turned the offer down, because I could
not be unfaithful to the theatremen who have
been playing my pictures for years," he said.
Steve Broidy, Monogram's president, was
kidding about the invitation the company
got from TOA to prepare a special trailer
on its product at the convention. The staff
talked it over, went over productional problems,
the costs, etc.
"One of the men said, 'Why, Steve, it will
cost as much to make the trailer as it would
to produce a picture.' So, we've just added
another picture to our program, instead," he
said.
Morris Loewenstein, chairman of the local
and state taxation committee, suggested tha
TOA issue a manual covering legislative ex
periences of exhibitor associations throughou
the country, so that theatremen can benefi
from techniques used to fight specific type
of tax legislation. "It would be a good ides
for all exhibitors to report their legislativi
experiences to TOA so that a complete rec
ord of tax campaigns may be maintained,
Loewenstein said.
Spyros Skouras, 20th-Fox president,
said he favors the idea of regional film
festivals—five to ten a year—with all
companies putting their best pictures forward
and coming through in a joint effort
on mass openings, star appearances,
cooperative advertising and topgrade exploitation.
This sort of industry promotion,
he said, would create a lot of excitement
and enthusiasm and creating enthusiasm
for motion pictures is currently
a big job for the film business.
Claude Ezell. veteran Texas exhibitor, saic
his theatres had never been affiliated with
an exhibitor association—until now. He announced
he would break precedent and sign
his circuit with Theatre Owners of America
He didn't elaborate on why he had shied from
association membership.
If you're thinking of getting into the telecasting
business, says Mitchell Wolfson of
the Wometco circuit which owns a Miami TV
station, it will cost you from $300,000 to $500,-
000. Wolfson thinks telecasting is a natural
for exhibitors—and they should get into it
before newspapers and radio stations become
competitors for the TV entertainment dollar.
If the dailies keep on going into television,
exhibitors will find themselves in the position
of paying advertising dollars to a principal
competitor, he said.
The morning newspaper delivered to the
door of each delegate's hotel room on Monday
was Lippert Productions News, an 8-page
tabloid with news about the company's productions
and stars. On 'Tuesday the "morning
paper" was a Hallmark Productions publication.
The western motif was very much in evidence.
The convention badge was a Texas
ranger star. The Coca-Cola company was
host at a colorful rodeo and chuck wagon
dinner on Tuesday, and convention headquarters
had beautifully tooled leather boots,
ties, and shirts on sale for those who wanted
to dress as well as eat the part.
C. B. Akers (L) of Tulsa chats with
two visitors from across the border
Luis Montez, president of the Exhibitor
Ass'n of Mexico City, and Emilio Azcarraga,
also of Mexico City, at TOA.
28 BOXOFHCE :: November 11, 1950