Boxoffice-Febuary.28.1953

. . . Eddie
. . American
. . Bert
BUFFALO
l^arian Gueth, for 29 years secretary of the
MPTO of Western New York, has resigned
to become secretary at the rehabilitation division
of the Veteran-s administration here.
Miss Gueth took over a.s secretary of the exhibitor
body when the MPTO offices were
opened in 1924 and the late Jules H. Michael
was president. Later she served through the
regimes of the late A. Charles Hayman, followed
by that of Merritt A, Kyser of East
Aurora and the present head of the organization
George J. Gammel. Previou.sly to entering
the services of the exhibitor organization.
Miss Gueth was secretary to the late Henry
Wilkinson, manager of the then Realart exchange
in Buffalo and also Lee Marcus, now
a Hollywood producer. Later she was booker
and office manager for W. W. Hodkinson
Pictures. MLss Gueth took an active part in
all industry campaigns and bond drives. She
kept a watchful eye on all pending bills in
the Buffalo common council and the state
legislature and was first to alert exhibitors to
anything detrimental to the industry. She is
a member of the Women's league of Variety
Tent 7. Miss Gueth's successor at MPTO has
not as yet been named.
RKO SALES MEETING IN CLEVELAND—Charles Boa.sberg, general sales manager
for RKO Radio (seated, second from left) conducts the first of a series of sales
meetings in Cleveland in connection with the company's forthcoming 25th anniversary
drive, March 6- June 25, Left to right, standing: Branch managers Max Westebbe,
.Albany; Otto Ebert, Detroit; Russ Brentlinger, Indianapolis; Jack Chinnel, Buffalo;
Jack Bernstein, Cleveland; and Stanley Jacques, Cincinnati. Left to right seated:
Milton Piatt, assistant to Levy; (Boasberg) ; Nat Levy, eastern division manager;
and Morris Lefko, eastern central district manager .
Mrs. Dorothy Atlas has been elected chairman
of the Variety Tent 7 Women's league.
Mrs. Peggy Jacobs is assistant chairman, Mrs.
Joan Bell, secretary, and Mrs. Edith Martin,
treasurer. Mrs. LouLse Kosco has been named
chairman in charge of special projects and
Mrs. Belle Brown, chah-man in charge of the
telephone squad. The league plans a number
of activities to aid the Variety Club cerebral
palsy department of the Children's hospital.
A series of lunches and card parties will be
held in the club's Delaware avenue headquarters.
When "I Confess" played the Center, Buffalo
disk jockeys played Perry Como's rendition
of the popular ballad of the same title. A contest
also was used on WEBR through which
prizes were offered to those sending in the
best essays on "Why Montgomery Clift is my
favorite romantic star. " The Canadian National
railroad agency used a big display in
its Genesee street windows tieing in its tours
to Quebec, where the picture was filmed.
The Polish Daily used a contest for five days
in which prizes were offered to those who sent
in a complete ILst identifying scenes from
various Alfred Hitchcock pictures and an accompanying
essay on "Why I consider Alfred
Hitchcock the best director of suspense
films," There also were a number of drug
store windows devoted to a tieup with Lustre
Cream shampoo and the star of the picture,
Anne Baxter. Facsimiles of front pages of
memo pads were imprinted with an appropriate
memorandum to see "I Confess" £ind
these were placed on desks of office secretaries
in downtown office buildings. Art Krolick,
C. B. Taylor and Leon Serin worked on
the campaign.
Arthur Krolick, LTPT general manager, has
arranged to present Mr. Zero, the little Hollywood
candyman, in a 20-minute stage show
at the Seneca March 14 and at the Niagara
on March 21. While Mr. Zero is at the two
theatres free samples of candy bars will be
given to the Kiddies along with an autographed
color photo of Mr. Zero. Gerry Epstein
is in Buffalo arranging dates for the
star . . . Walter Dion put on a private demonstration
of his new daylight screen for drive-
ins at the Buffalo projectionists union screening
rooms and the outdoor operators who saw
the invention were favorably impressed.
Dave Cheskin, chairman of the Variety
Club entertainment committee, reports a
flood of inquiries on his planned series of
duplicate contract bridge sessions in the headquarters
of Tent 7 during the coming weeks
Meade of Shea's Buffalo arranged
to display photos on the mezzanine of the exhibits
to be submitted to the state convention
at Elmira by the Buffalo chapter of the Professional
Photographers Society of New York.
The show in the Buffalo will continue through
March 18. It is attracting much attention
from camera fans.
The Cerebral Palsy As.s'n of western New
York has disclosed that its newly acquired
building will be used eventually as a residence
for cerebral palsy victims over 18. The
association's offices and young-adult recreation
center will be moved to the new location
as soon as possible. The property was purchased
from the Buffalo chapter of the American
Red Cross. Children under 16 years of
age now are cared for in the Variety Club
clinic of the Children's hospital.
Kent Craig has been elected president of
the Hamilton Theatre Managers Ass'n In the
Canadian city across the border. Oscar Lang
Is the new vice-president and Mrs. Jean Ford,
secretary-treasurer. New directors are J. P.
McDonough, Jack Hunter jr., Paul Turnbull
and Andrew McDougall . Legion
members have asked the Chautauqua County
Theatre in Jamestown, N.Y., not to show-
Chaplin's "Limelight." Six exhibitors who
were queried about the Legion's request not
to show the film declared they did not anticipate
booking it.
When Gene Autry and his troupe hit
Rochester the other day, they visited Strong
Memorial and Municipal hospitals and put on
special shows for the children in each institution
. . . Burglars entered the Newfane Theatre
in the Niagara county town of the same
name the other night and got away with $600
in cash. State police declare entry to the
theatre was made through a second-story
window. The yeggs made what troopers described
as a "real ransacking job." Filing
cabinets and cash boxes were forced open
and the contents strewn about. John Mc-
Sweeney jr. of Niagara Falls operated the
Newfane.
George J. Gammel, president of the MPTO
of Western New York, and Mrs. Gammel are
motoring toward Florida for their annual twomonth
vacation. G. J. is also head of the
Buffalo Gammel circuit of community
theatres.
Tony Ranicar, Warner Bros, publicity representative
in Toronto, has been transferred
to Denver and a farewell luncheon was given
in his honor the other day in the Canadian
metropolis. Tony recently handled the premiere
of "I Confess," in Quebec . . . Danny
Thomas, star of "The Jazz Singer," currently
at the Paramount, was a guest at a Hotel
Statler luncheon in his honor given by
Arthur Krolick, UPT general manager. Danny
talked affectionately of Michael Curtiz, director
of "The Jazz Singer" and "I'll See You in
My 'Dreams." Attending the luncheon were
Mary Nash, drama editor, EhJening News;
W. E. J. Martin, drama editor, Courier-Express;
Charles B. Taylor, UPT; Clayton
Eastman, WB exchange manager, and Edward
Miller, Paramount manager.
William Holmes, projectionist at the Palace
In Rochester, and Merritt Mitchell, projectionist
at Loew's Theatre in the same city,
are vacationing in Florida and Tracy Allen,
Central Drive-In operator in Kodak town, is
in Miami resting up for the season about to
open . Schroeder, UPT auditor, was
in checking over the Paramount, Center,
Seneca and Niagara.
EXPLOITATION PICTURES
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BOXOFFICE :: February 28, 1953 47