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. . Chicago's<br />
. . The<br />
CHICAGO<br />
pUmrow buzzed with Christmas activity and<br />
film exchanges and eqiupment companies<br />
held parties. Jack Kirsch. president of Allied<br />
of Illinois, and his helpers greeted exhibitors,<br />
exchange employes and the press at a Yule<br />
party in the AlUed meeting rooms. They<br />
enjoyed cocktails, refreshments and entertainment<br />
from noon until the wee hours. All<br />
exchanges held parties, gifts were distributed<br />
and refreshments served. They included<br />
MGM, Paramount, Allied-Artists, Warners,<br />
U-I. Columbia, Capitol, 20th-Fox and RKO.<br />
Irving Mack passed out gifts to all and refreshments<br />
were served. Harold Abbott of<br />
Abbott Equipment Co. and his wife greeted<br />
guests at his headquarters on the Row.<br />
Chief barker, greeted Variety members and<br />
guests.<br />
The Valencia Theatre in Evanston presented<br />
its Yuletide Film Festival, with a series<br />
of films that included several screen classics<br />
and novelties for the youngsters . . .<br />
Abbott<br />
and Costello took Chicago by storm during<br />
their one day appearance at the B&K United<br />
Artists to boost the opening of "Abbott and<br />
Costello Meet Captain Kidd." They drew<br />
capacity crowds.<br />
Essanjay Films appointed Jack H. Harris<br />
of Jack Harris Productions, Philadelphia, as<br />
zone manager of that city, and Lewis Hanna<br />
of Hanna Theatre Service; Pittsburg, as zone<br />
manager there Tom Letcher, assistant<br />
. . .<br />
to Norman Pyle, midwest MGM publicity<br />
head, has been transferred to Minneapolis<br />
to take over a publicity post there . . .<br />
James<br />
Fraught has been appointed manager of the<br />
"The Quiet Man" Bryn Mawr .<br />
breaking records in neighborhood theatres.<br />
It has played 27 repeat performances in theatres<br />
of the Chicago area.<br />
pends on the theatre's film commitments<br />
500,000 public school pupils<br />
began a long Christmas vacation December<br />
22. They will be free until January 5. Vacation<br />
also began for 240,000 parochial school<br />
pupils. Neighborhood theatres are putting on<br />
special shows for the children and have made<br />
tieups with merchants to distribute gifts and<br />
refreshments.<br />
joins the Manta & Rose theatre chain in the<br />
same capacity . Lamar at LaPark and<br />
the Pal in Palestine have closed until January<br />
1 . . . The Gerry Moburg Co., merchandise<br />
distributors, arranged with the Balaban &<br />
Balaban & Katz held its annual Christmas<br />
party for the families of employes and guests<br />
on Saturday afternoon in the Gold room of<br />
the Congress hotel. Over 1,000 attended and<br />
enjoyed entertainment and refreshments.<br />
GifUs were given to all of the children and<br />
wives of managers who attended. Jack Rose<br />
and Alex Manta of Indiana-Illinois circuit<br />
held a party for employes in the Ruppert<br />
room of the Blackstone hotel. The Essaness<br />
circuit. Alliance circuit and H&E Balaban<br />
chain also held parties. The Variety Club<br />
of Illinois held its party in the Gold room of<br />
the Congress hotel Monday night and a huge<br />
crowd attended. "Tlie I Don't Care Girl" was<br />
previewed and other entertainment and refreshments<br />
followed. Johnny Jones, the new<br />
DDCIIT MPKDM<br />
STAGE EQUIPMENT COMPANY<br />
rvcRTTHiMC ron the stacc auditorium • lobby<br />
BOX CrnCt . 132« Cr«nd Ave. K«nk««, Ctly 6.<br />
A. V. CAUGER Ser^ ^^.<br />
Merchant Trailers for sure-fire<br />
merchant-exhibitor Satisfaction<br />
Chica.go filmmaker Joe Kaufman will not<br />
desert film production despite his new job<br />
as director of operations with Cinerama. He<br />
says the new process eventually will be his<br />
medium. At present Cinerama is keyed for<br />
only one picture a year. Kaufman will head<br />
for the coast as soon as he makes a deal<br />
here for the presentation of the new medium.<br />
Exact date for the opening in Chicago de-<br />
Regina Bartlett, United-Artists booking department,<br />
has resigned after ten years. She<br />
Katz chain for ten holiday shows at ten<br />
residential district theatres and tied in with<br />
a giant holiday gift night at the ten house<br />
The company had a store tieup in each neigl<br />
borhood in which the shows were staged.<br />
Balaban & Katz reports a tremendous sa<br />
of Christmas gift books of theatre ticket<br />
selling for $1, $2.50 and $5. They are on sa:<br />
at Loop and Neighborhood houses . . . Entei<br />
tainers appearing in Chicago theatres, niglr<br />
clubs and on TV and radio shows performe<br />
Christmas day at James Petrillo's annus<br />
dinner for blind musicians in the Blackstor,<br />
hotel. Petrillo was host to 150 bUnd musician<br />
Harry VValders, former RKO salesman, hf<br />
opened an office at 1255 So. Wabash Avi<br />
to distribute Italian films . . Charles Ra<br />
.<br />
Bell has taken over the Pix at Blue Mourn<br />
formerly owned by Byers Jordan . . . Mai<br />
Roth, Capitol Film Exchange, is distributing<br />
1953 calendars with all of the trade phon<br />
Mae Tinee, Chicag<br />
numbers listed . . .<br />
Tribune film editor, picked the following film<br />
as the best show-n in Chicago during the lat<br />
month. "Eight Iron Men," "Five Angles o<br />
Murder," "The Prisoner of Zenda" and "Th<br />
Plymouth Adventure<br />
. .<br />
Jack Hunt, manager of Barger Drive-In,<br />
Chicago, is now in Sarasota, Fla.. where h<br />
makes his winter home . The La Tijer<br />
Theatre has been sold for approximatel<br />
HANDY
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