Boxoffice-December.20.1952

. . Peter
UPT Chiefs See More
Striving for Quality
HARTFORD—Executives of United Pai-amount
Theatres declared Monday (8) that
the film industry is more quality-conscious
today than it has been in ten years.
"There's a new feeling of optimism in Hollywood,"
Robert M. Weitman, vice-president
of UPT. told Francis S. Murphy, editor and
publisher of the Hartford Times, and other
newspaper executives at an afternoon meeting
at the UPT home office. "This is based
not only on better industry relations, af seen
in the two Hartford Times symposiums, but
also in stepped-up interest on the part of
top executives in better story selection, improved
production techniques and the disappearance
of those Doubting Thoma.ses of a
year or two ago who proclaimed that the
movies were done and finished."
Robert H. O'Brien, UPT secretary-treasurer,
commented: "Millions of new dollars have
been invested in Hollywood productions. New
methods of production not only are welcomed
and tried, but the production community
itself ever is searching for new talent,
new scripts."
Both men agreed that the two sessions of
film industry and newspaper personnel held
by the Hartford newspaper went far in discussion
of common ailments of the motion
picture business as related to the press.
Weitman concluded: "The production outlook
for 1953 is tremendous. There are
numerous musicals, dramas and comedies in
various shades of color. Three-dimension
motion pictures, in the Cinerama, Natural
Vision and Ti-i-Opticon systems, are another
indication of the new trend towards improving
film production."
Others attending the afternoon meeting in
the Paramount building: Leonard H. Goldenson,
president: Walter Gro.ss, vice-president
and general counsel of UPT; Martin J. Mullin,
president, and Harry Browning, vicepresident
and district manager of New England
Theatres, and David R. Daniel, general
manager, and Allen M. Widem, motion
picture editor of the Hartford Times.
HARTFORD
Mrs. Estelle Parker O'TooIe, for many years
secretary to Henry L. Needles, division manager
for Warner Theatres, has been discharged
Irom Cedarcrest sanitarium, and returned
to her Wethersfield home . . . Ralph
A. Miller, an early Hollywood stunt man,
was in. Miller, now traveling the world with
card trick-s, doubled in the old Hollywood days
for Tom Mix and Harold Lloyd.
James Maloney, New Britain actor who has
appeared in several Hollywood films, including
"Detective Story," was en route to the
Pacific as part of a USO-Camp Shows production
of "Room Service."
James M. Connolly Heads
Theatre MOD Campaign
BOSTON—James M. Connolly, branch
manager for 20th-Fox,
has been appointed
chairman of the theatre
division of the
March of
Dimes drive
of the Suffolk county
chapter. George
Swartz, a former exhibitor
and theatre
owner, now in the insurance
and real estate
business, is the general
chairman for Greater
Boston and Charles E.
James Connolly
Kurtzman, northeastern
division manager for Loew's Theatres, is
the Suffolk County chapter chairman.
The drive starts January 1 and continues
through that month, with the week of January
18-24 set aside as theatre week for the
March of Dimes. Many theatres in Suffolk
county already have signed for audience collections,
including the ATC and E. M. Loew
circuits and several independents. This year
the general headquarters for the MOD is at
the Vendome hotel.
NEW HAMPSHIRE
A rthur I. Rothafel, at one time a Hollywood
script writer, was married to Mrs. Hope
John, advertising and promotion manager for
a Laconia department store, at a recent ceremony
at the home of the bride's mother in
Meredith. Rothafel, who now is general manager
of radio station WLNH in Laconia, is a
son of the late founder of the Roxy Theatre
in New York . Latchis, owner of the
Latchis Theatre in Newport, is arranging a
vaudeville show to be staged in connection
with Newport's annual winter carnival January
30-Febru£iry 1.
The old Star Theatre, Concord, will be used
to house some of the offices of the state
government.
Lancaster, Ohio, Theatres
Seek City Tax Relief
LANCASTER, OHIO—Attorneys for local
theatres have asked city council to repeal
the municipal 3 per cent admission tax, in
force for the last four years, "because of declining
revenues." One theatre here has
closed and two of the four remaining houses
barely will break even this year, the attorneys
told council.
According to the city auditor, revenue from
the admission tax is only a little more than
half of the amount yielded when the tax
was inaugurated. Council was told that 12
Ohio cities have repealed amusement taxes
and that in the last two years 159 Ohio
theatres have closed.
Theatre Hoodlumism
Draws Editorial Fire
SPRINGFIELD—Rampant
hoodlumism
local motion picture houses has come in fo
some scathing comment in the local press
with one paper, the morning Union, send;
a special reporter to do a survey, while
evening paper, the Daily News, in a lead ei
ttf
Broadtas'
Hei
diliattontri
torial, said sternly, "Teenage hoodlums halJUgiis
controlled our downtown theatres lon|i
enough."
,a.«inw'
The Union reporter noted that the souiw
lot *
K
up
track was often drowned out by "foul ioBbK we'
mouthed shouts, curses and threats
also * >s
Scurrilous language appeared the rule, rathe: Swl ««*
than the exception, as almost every senteno a create a c
shouted by the miscreants contained ai
it
T,te.
obscene, vile or sacrilegious expression.
iorilies,
"It was common," the story continued, "t<
SI
see youngsters running over the theatn (jdcasts.
chairs. They ignored the aisles. It also wa;
toiler,
ex
common to see half a dozen children stamp aior Nitol
ing wantonly on the seats and backs of chair: Sitli I
in their mad, enigmatic scrambles througJ oiiliauliile
the balcony."
It oi
The reporter said the ages of the disturbing
elements ranged from 10 to 18, and thai the fact s
younger children were exposed to the obscen-
(iiestion to
jiirisdict
I
any even
tiastlierigl
ities, and the flagrant "public petting performances"
(jal
that went on around them.
said
Iselin
Said the Union story, "An usher, when informed
tie present
that a gang was raising a din in the 4 by tke c:
;
balcony, explained it would do no good tc
throw them out,
week."
because they'd be back next
is could not
I* stand s
CBC, Thf
There have been recent Instances where ber of priv
ushers have been badly mauled by the young watiEg, he I
roughnecks while trying to exercise theii 'In
limited authority.
Commenting on the situation, the Daily
M im to
3 rijhts with
News editor stated the responsibility for the
behavior of children in public should have : lelewion
started in the home, but added that, if this
i
s ordinary
has been neglected, "the only immediate and
effective answer to the problem is police protection.
To safeguard their own property and
to protect the rights of their civilized customers,
theatre owners should themselvesi
arrange for police guards at the theatres."
It is the practice of the local theatres to
hire police for this work, and the officers are:
generally those who work in that capacity on
their days off, while some of them are retired
from the force.
History of Filmdom Shown
HOLLYWOOD—Honoring Samuel Goldwyn
on his 40th anniversary as a producer,
an oil painting showing the history of Hollywood
since Goldwyn, Cecil B. DeMille and
Jesse L. Lasky sr. made "The Squaw Man"
was unveiled Thursday a8) at the California
bank on Vine street. The bank is located
where the three film pioneers lensed their
film.
Immediote families of entertoinment industrY
employes also eligible for TB care of WILL ROGERS
MEMORIAL HOSPITAL.
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BOXOFFICE :: December 27, 1952
iOXOFFiCE
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