Boxoffice-December.02.1950

. . The
. . Sam
. . The
. . . Frances
. . Prompted
. . James
. .
. . Hippodrome
. .
AT 'TRIPOLI' CEREMONY — Special
ceremonies were held at AUyn Theatre,
Hartford, in conjunction with 175th anniversary
of the marine corps and the opening
of "TripoU," which concerns the corps.
Left to right: John A. Patno, assistant
manager; Ray McNamara, Allyn manager;
Douglas O. Harrington, commandant,
Hartford Nutmeg detachment, Marine
Corps league; Mrs. Mary Mandy,
commander. Unknown Soldier Post 12,
DAV.
WORCESTER
Oixty present and past employes of Loew's
.
Poll held a reunion at Villa Vaudreuil,
Shrewsbury, with Manager Harold Maloney
as the guest of honor. Warren B. Kalagher
was chairman of the committee and Barry
Price served as toastmaster Rialto
Park and Greendale awarded Thanksgiving
turkeys to lucky patrons . Wasserman
will present Cornelia Otis Skinner at the
Playhouse January 15.
Bob Bergin, assistant manager of Loew's
Poll, spotted Leland Harris in "All About
Eve." He formerly played with Woi-cester
stock companies . Modern in Marlboro
is running auctions each Friday night, using
"community dollars" . . . The Plymouth was
rented to the Memorial hospital aid society
tor a show December 19, 20 . . . Harold
Maloney, manager, is back at the Poll after
being out a few days with a wrenched back.
The public buildings bureau has been conferring
with Peter Marrone regarding his
proposed open-air theatre on Greenwood
street, but the bureau refuses to grant the
licenses until zoning problems are straightened
out . . . Mr. and Mrs. Arthur A. Blanchard,
Mr. and Mrs. Louis L. Blanchard and
Fred Blanchard, all in theatre business in
Southbridge, have gone to Lakeland, Fla.
Bob Robison, former theatre manager here,
is in Houston. Tex., handling a Lions club
charity show, but writes he expects to return
to Worcester for Christmas . . . Robert
Montgomery, screen and TV star, flew to
nearby Southboro to visit his son, a student
at St. Mark's school.
DRIVE-IN THEATRE CENTER AISLE ilGHTS
With numbered Panels for Ramps with Oiiaiiiie Panels
for Driveway Illumination
DRIVE-IH THEATRE MFG. CO. ^^^;;"]i„
BRIDGEPORT
. . . The
n Ibert M. Pickus, owner-operator of the
Stratford, has accepted the post of civil
defense coordinator for Stratford
Stamford Theatre sustained considerable
-smoke damage from an early morning $80,000
fire in an adjoining building . . . The 242nd
AAA group of the Connecticut national guard,
tied up with Manager James Tobin of the
Warner on "Breakthrough" and displayed
heavy field guns in front of the house during
the engagement.
Manager Matt L. Saunders of Loew's Poli
was in New Haven for the opening of the
new revue, "Bless You All" . . Harold Tabackman,
.
owner-operator of the Bostwick
Theatre, and his wife Evelyn celebrated a
The Strand Amusement
wedding anniversary . . .
Co. has upped admissions a nickel at
the American, Astor, Hippodrome and Rialto.
The circuit's four other houses here remain
unchanged.
Joseph Letezeio, projectionist at the Rivoli,
spent his vacation hunting . . . Business continues
to be poor in both neighborhood and
first runs . . . Katherine C. Shea, who brings
stage plays into the Klein Memorial, will sail
December 28 on a South American cruise . . .
Jack Quinn is planning to increase the seating
capacity of his summer theatre, the Playhouse
in Southbury, from 350 to 500 before
next season.
Managers of the theatres on the Strand
Amusement Co. cii-cuit have organized a
bowling team under the direction of Louis
Jacobson of the Park City . Ludwig
is new on the usher staff at the American
. . . Even the bingo games are beginning to
use dish deals . . . The Horace Heidt show has
been booked into the Lyric for a single performance
on the night of December 26 . . .
Connie Monda, Loew's Majestic cashier, celebrated
a birthday . . . Pauline Medak of the
American boxoffice staff went to Florida for
several weeks.
Herbert Loewith, assistant at Loew's Globe,
has one of those letter auto license plates and
it reads LOEW . by women patrons,
the Stratford Theatre has shifted its
matinees to Tuesdays and Friday at 1;30 p. m.
Mothers said those days and hours were more
convenient during school months . . . James
Pensore, vetei-an projectionist at the PoU,
celebrated a birthday . . . Bridgeporter
Charles Schnee had three of his screenplays
in local first runs the same week. "The Next
Voice You Hear ..." at the Globe, "Born to
Be Bad" at the Majestic and "Tlie Fm-ies" at
the Warner and the Merritt.
The Poli sneak-previewed "King Solomon's
Mines" . . . John DiBenedetto. former Poli
assistant, was in from Worcester for a visit
Conners, assistant at the Majestic,
is a year older . . . Phil "Roxy" Oliver,
manager of the Strand until illness forced
the amputation of a leg, is now out-patient
caahier in the emergency department at
Bridgeport hospital . . . Christopher Kiernan
is back as chief of service at the Poli after
a week in the hospital as a medical patient.
Manager Michael J. Carroll of the American
visited relatives in Schenectady, N. Y. .
Mary Colgan of the Hippodrome boxoffice
staff visited friends at Ft. Devens . . Local
.
.
projectionists enjoyed a midnight party in
Redman's hall . . . John Suwatski has joined
the usher staff at the Hippodrome . . . Projectionist
George F. Antoniak is on leave
from the Astor Manager
Charles P. Gaudino and his wife Rachel celebrated
a wedding anniversary.
PROVIDENCE
p M. Loew's Drive-In at the Piovidence-
Pawtucket city line was the first openairer
to close for the season. Unusually mild
weather has been a source of satisfaction to
most nearby outdoor theatre operators. The
Cranston Auto Theatre, Bay State Drive-In
and Boro Drive-In still are running .
Charles Laughton recently spoke before a
large audience at Veterans' Memorial auditorium.
The event was sponsored by the
Brown alumnae club of Pembroke college
for the benefit of the Rhode Island regional
scholarship fund.
Armistice day gave local theatre operators
a double reason for rejoicing. Holiday weekend
crowds were divided among the leading
first runs and long waits for seating seemed
to be the rule rather than the exception.
More than 100 downtown stores have
started remaining open until 9 p. m. every
Thursday night. Theatremen are watching
the move with interest, believing the theatres
should get added patronage. Leading houses
will be polled after a couple of weeks under
the new shopping setup.
Fay's Theatre recently inaugurated a new
policy of presenting vaudeville and motion
pictures twice a week. In the past. Fay's has
run the same bill for a full week. The new
setup calls for a completely new show every
Sunday and Thursday.
Hcjrold Cummings Ncaned
To Manage Holyoke State
HARTFORD—Harold Cummings, manager
of the E. M. Loew's Riverdale Drive-In, West
Springfield, Mass., which has closed for the
1950 season, has been assigned to manage
the E. M. Loew's State Theatre, Holyoke,
Mass.
Thus far, the E. M. Loew drive-ins at Hartford,
Milford, and West Springfield have
closed. Closing date for the circuit's Norwich-
New London Drive-In, Montville, Conn., has
not been determined as yet, George Landers,
district manager said. As an added business
inducement, the drive-in, managed by Bruno
Weingarten, is offering one gallon of gas free
per car. Weingarten notes in his newspaper
advertising that patrons can run their motors,
keeping on the car heaters, with the free gallon.
English Actress Has Contract
The young English stage actress, Dawn
Addams, has been handed a contract by MGM
and a role in "Kind Lady," the Ethel Barrymore
starrer.
BOXOFFICE :
: December 2, 1950 105