The Exhibitor (1959)

June 3, 1959 MOTION PICTURE EXHIBITOR 17 Fred Hansen, who has retired. Watkins comes here from the Oklahoma City office. . . . Miss Minna Mae Stevison, Warners, has won first place, and Mrs. Evelyn Neeley, Weisenberg Theatres, won second in the “Gabby” con¬ test sponsored last month by the Dallas chap¬ ter of Women Of The Motion Picture Indus¬ try. The contest was conducted just before the Academy Awards telecast and the awards were based on which of the 85 local WOMPI’s was responsible for contacting the largest number of persons to remind them of the telecast. The WOMPI’s estimate is that a total of 244,000 persons were contacted. . . . Thomas O. McCleaster has arrived from Cleveland to take over the Texas territory for 20th-Fox. McCleaster has been in the motion picture business since 1928 and with 20th-Fox since 1933. He had been at Cleveland since 1952 as central division manager. . . . James H. Foster has been named financial secretary, McLen¬ don Corp., to assist in the fiscal management of the new and existing projects of the com¬ pany now engaged in radio, television, film production, and exhibition. . . . Hollywood film actress Susan Kohner flew in to promote “Imitation of Life.” .... The Rialto and Capitol, two downtown landmarks through the years, are coming down to make way for parking lots. The two theatres are adjacent to each other on Elm Street, local Film row. . . . Production of “My Dog, Buddy” started here at McLendon Radio Pictures 500 acre Cielo Studios on Lake Dallas, according to Gordon McLendon, president. ... A hunt is on by the Dallas Times Herald and the MGM Studios for the four most interesting career girls from this area now living in New York and who have a career in that city. The search is in conjunction with the forthcoming show¬ ing of “Ask Any Girl.” DES MOINES The Shelby, Shelby, la., has reopened for Wednesday and Saturday shows. . . . E. E. Reid has purchased the Lyric, Coon Rapids, from Mrs. F. V. Rafferty and will reopen the house with Wayne Jones as manager. . . . Carl Bowling has reopened the Rialto, Villisca. . . . Pioneer Theatres has closed the Perry, Perry, la. . . . Eddie Malina has sold the Traer, Traer, to Arnold Driscoll, who also operated the Avon, Dysart. . . . Joe Milnar has sold his State and Milnar Drive-In at Spring Valley, la., to Elvin L. Owens of Rochester, Minn. . . . Matt Plunkett, man¬ ager, RKO-Iowa, Cedar Rapids, and formerly of Des Moines, has moved to Kansas City to manage the Missouri. Leonard Wood, assist¬ ant manager, Iowa, will take over Plunkett’s duties. . . . The Lohrville Commercial Club has voted to rent and operate the theatre at Lohrville, la. . . . The Lake, Lake View, la., has been reopened, with Mary Monroe to manage the house. HOUSTON Gregory Peck was to pay a brief visit to Houston as part of a tour of the state in connection with “Pork Chop Hill.” . . . The Maya, formerly operated by Mateo Vela, has been sold to J. Perez. . . . The Bellaire celebrated its 10th anniversary. Gen. Victor A. Barraco, a veteran of 40 years in show business, is the owner. Millie G. Vann, manager, has been with the Bellaire almost since its opening. . . . Susan Kohner paid a brief visit here in conjunction with the showing of “Imitation of Life” at the Majestic. . . . Cinemiracle became a part of the enter¬ tainment picture here when the newly re¬ modeled Uptown opened with the newly installed equipment that permits the show¬ ing of “Windjammer.” Rube Jackferv left, vice-president and general sales manager, Columbia Pictures, recently presented a silver bowl to Harry Olshan, center, Milwaukee branch manager, com¬ memorating 25 years of service to the com¬ pany. At right is Carl Shalit, Columbia's central division manager. JACKSONVILLE The United Artists branch office in the Florida Theatre Building was the scene of one of the gayest parties in the history of the local Film Row in celebrating the 40th anniversary of the founding of UA. Branch manager Byron Adams and his entire staff were hosts to more than 150 newspapermen, radio and television executives and personal¬ ities, and exhibitors from many parts of Florida. . . . Johnny Tomlinson, Warners branch manager, has been eagerly anticipat¬ ing a June trip to Hollywood when he and the firm’s other branch managers are to par¬ ticipate in a California Cavalcade as a reward for their sales work in the recent “Welcome Back, Jack” drive. . . . New board members of the local WOMPI are Barbara “Sunny” Greenwood, former president of the group and U-I booker, and Grace Cobb, secretary to FST’s French Harvey. . . . Hugh Prince, formerly a booker for Co-At-Co Theatres, Toccoa, Ga., and father of motion picture starlet Virginia Prince, is now managing Carl Floyd’s Movieland Ride-In, Sanford. . . . Bob Corbit, an exploiteer for Florida State Theatres in northeast Florida for the past few years, has joined Paramount-Gulf Theatres, New Orleans, in a similar capacity. . . . Mary Hart, former FST switchboard operator, has been advanced into the firm’s local home office advertising office. . . . Phil Story is the new manager of Jim Partlow’s Prairie Lake Drive-In at Altamonte Springs. . . . Dick Easton, formerly a booker in a local circuit office, has taken over manage¬ ment, Movie Garden Drive-In, Eustis. . . . Ray Dunn, manager Skyview Drive-In, St. Petersburg, is back on the job after seven weeks of hospitalization. . . . Billy Wilson, salesman for the Roy Smith Company, theatre suppliers, and his family escaped serious injuries in a traffic accident near Groveland. . . . Veteran biller Dawn Baggett resigned from the Metro staff following her marriage to Charles Frock. Her replacement is Donna Lee Heitt. MIAMI, FLA., NEWS — Sydney Levine was transferred from manager Sunset, to man¬ ager, Mayfair Art, replacing Walter Klements, who resigned to go into business for himself in Titusville, Fla. Mary Lawrence was ap¬ pointed manager, Sunset. . . . Lynn John Thomas has been hired by Wometco Enter-* prises as relief manager trainee. Rea Paul is relief manager for their neighborhood theatres, in addition to Foster Smith. . . Wometco announced a “New Summer Policy” for their road show engagement of “Diary Of Anne Frank” at the Cameo, Miami Beach. Matinees on Wednesday, Saturday, and Sun¬ day will be shown at 12:30 pm and 3:45 pm, running continuously. Evening performances will remain at 8:30 pm. There will be no reserved seats at the matinee performances and reserved seats in the front loge only during evenings. MILWAUKEE The Juneau has closed. The Sterner Cor¬ poration, which owns the 49 year old build¬ ing, said it had no plans for use of the the¬ atre, which had been leased by Elmer Nimmer, who also operates the Granada. MEMPHIS The Twilight Drive-In, Bruce, Miss., has been sold by Earl Reese to J. A. Thornton. . . . Kentucky Lake Drive-In, Benton, Ky., has been leased by Exhibitors Services. . . . Closings include the New, Sparkman, Ark.; Ritz, Parkin, Ark.; Strand, Obion, Tenn; Majestic, Iuka, Miss.; Dixie, Monticello, Ark.; Ritz, Parkin, Ark.; Strand, Obion, Tenn.; and Strand, Pine Bluff, Ark. . . . J. T. Hill has taken over the operation of the Rogers, Rogers, Ark. . . . Mrs. John R. Keller has opened the Joiner, Joiner, Ark. . . . Mrs. Mae Carper, Columbia cashier has returned to work after a month’s leave of absence due to surgery. . . . Corinne Walsh, Columbia head shipper, was hospitalized. NEW HAVEN Harry Feinstein, northeastern zone manager for Stanley Warner Theatres, has announced promotion of William H. Cormier to manager, Warner, Bridgeport, Conn. Cormier had been serving as assistant to James H. Tobin, pre¬ sent manager, Merritt, Bridgeport and district manager for Stanley Warner Theatres in southern Connecticut. . . . Carl Wilson has been named manager of the Sampson-Spodick-Bialek Empress, Norwalk, Conn. Adver¬ tising manager for the first-run is Justus (Jud) Beal, headquartering at S-S-B's Fine Arts, Westport, Conn., under Norman Bialek’s supervision. . . . Harrison Harries, chief pro¬ jectionist at the Bushnell Memorial, Hartford, is marking his 50th year in the motion pic¬ ture industry. HARTFORD, CONN., NEWS— Fred R. Greenway, retired Loew’s Palace manager, and wife have moved to Los Angeles. . . . Rube Lewis, retired business agent, Local 84, IATSE of Hartford, now a Los Angeles resident, is visiting in Hartford until early October. . . . Dave Jacobson, operator of the Bristol, Bristol, Conn., has instituted a new policy of screening only one complete eve¬ ning performance, beginning at 7 p.m. The main feature starts between 8 and 8:30 p.m. NEW ORLEANS Pittman’s Fox, Sulphur, La., is now in part time operation. . . . Joan Crawford was in to boost the annual hope chest campaign of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society of which she is director of women’s activities, and to attend a board meeting of the Pepsi-Cola Bottlers Association. . . . Larry Dufour re¬ signed as head booker of Howco Pictures of Louisiana to take a position outside of the industry. . . . The Regal, Gulfport, Miss., reopened under the supervision of Claude Bourgeois, Biloxi, Miss., theatre owner. . . , Irving Paley, a publicist here for the past 11 years, has joined the staff of Henry Plitt, president, ABC Films, Inc., in New York City. He was chief barker of the local Variety Tent and his departure leaves the club tem¬ porarily without a chief. . . . Henry Richards