Motion Picture Herald (Oct-Dec 1956)

Philadelphia Atlantic Theatres, Inc., which operates an independent chain in the Southern New Jersey territory, has petitioned the Pennsylvania Department of State to change its corporate name to the Constellation Corporation. While maintaining offices here, the principal address of the corporation is in Jersey City, N. J. . . . Goldman theatre closed for an evening to allow for a private screening of “The Ten Commandments” before a selected group of civic and organizational leaders in the community. The picture is scheduled to open next month at Goldman’s Randolph. . . . Birk Binnard, advertising director for the Stanley Warner Theatres in the Philadelphia zone, due back this week from a cruise to Havana and Honduras. . . . TriState Buying and Booking Service announced it is handling the distribution of Ecko Kitchen Tool Set as a premium for theatres in the Pennsylvania and Washington, D.C., territories. . . . Local Variety Club, Tent No. 13, has scheduled Oct. 15 for the election of new officers for the coming year, also marking the opening of the club’s Heart Fund drive at a general membership dinner in the Bellevue-Stratford Hotel. . . . Ralph W. Budd, personnel director at Warner Brothers Pictures, was in last week to address a meeting of the Philadelphia Motion Picture Preview Group at the Gimbel Clubwomen’s Center. Pittsburgh “Friendly Persuasion” has been set to follow “War and Peace” in the Penn. . . . The Studio theatre, art house in nearby Bellevue, gets “Too Bad She’s Bad” first run, to be followed by “Magic Fire.” . . . Talk of Film Row is the huge business “Lust For Life” continues to gross in the Guild art house. . . . Karl Krug, Kap Monahan, Harold Cohen and Leonard Mendlowitz went to New York to catch the “Giant” premiere at the Roxy. . . . “Unguarded Moment” follows “The Best Things In Life Are Free” at the Fulton. . . . The Nixon is advertising “Oklahoma!” “in its final weeks” with the house returning to legitimate stage shows Nov. 26. . . . RKO sent “Great Day In The Morning” and “The First Travelling Saleslady” first run into a flock of neighborhood houses and drive-ins. . . . “La Strada” and “Private’s Progress” have been acquired by the Squirrel Hill. . . . Charlie Eagle, Stanley manager, and his wife, Swannie, celebrated their 38th wedding anniversary. . . . Harold McCartney, who was a publicity aide for the Stanley Warner Corp. before Uncle Sam claimed him, is back as a field auditor. Portland Portland Paramount theatre executive M. M. Mesher and Mrs. Mesher and United Theatres circuit boss A1 Forman and Mrs. Forman are back after a trip to New York for the TOA meet. . . . Evergreen’s Oregon district manager Oscar Nyberg and Fox theatre manager Dean Mathews are back after attending the National Theatres meeting in Phoenix, Ariz. Nyberg passed out Dickinson fruit syrup, a local product, to all the delegates. . . . Olympia, Wash., theatre managers got the five per cent city tax taken off as the result of their closure. . . . Oregonian drama editor Herb Larsen is back at his desk after a trip to Los Angeles for screening of “War and Peace.” . . . MGM director Patrick J. Ryan in town en route to Vancouver to direct a film. Providence The Route 44 drive-in was the scene of the first Rhode Island screening of “Miss Body Beautiful.” . . . John J. Monahan, 75, ticket-office employee at the Newport theatre, died recently in Newport Hospital. . . . Alec Guinness, long a favorite in this area, was the star of “The Lady Killers” which had its local premiere in the Avon Cinema. . . . E. M. Loew’s Providence drive-in presented the Jim Mendes and his WICE Recording Show, on stage, as part of a continuing series of Sunday evening live entertainments, supplementing the usual film fare. . . . “The Bad Seed” held for a second week at the Majestic, where the management was forced to stop selling tickets on the first Saturday night until the standees made room for more standees. San Francisco Robert V. Deck of Fresno has purchased the California theatre at Kerman from Joseph H. Boyd. . . . John Coyne, MGM, is recuperating from a heart attack and is in the Peninsula Hospital in Burlingame. . . . Bill Wheeler has retired after 35 years as a salesman with Warner Brothers. . . . U. A. publicist Howard Newman was a recent visitor on the Row. He was in town for “Attack!” currently at the United Artists theatre here. St Louis Nevin McCord, formerly of Wichita, Kan., has been appointed manager of the Missouri theatre at St. Joseph, Mo. In addition to his new duties at the Missouri, he will assist in special promotions of all Durwood Theatres in St. Joseph. He started in the show business as an usher at Boise, Idaho, and became associated with the Orpheum circuit Chicago in the late 1920s. . . . The Northgate theatre, the newest of Augustine Cianciolo and which has a seating capacity of 1,000, has opened for showings in the Northgate Shopping Center at Memphis, Tenn. Herod Jimerson is the manager. . . . The St. Louis Film Art Society of St. Louis has started its program for the current season and fourteen films will be shown. The program is sponsored by University College, adult education division of Washington University. All showings will be in Brown Hall auditorium on the Washington University campus. . . . Dudley Marchetti, manager of the Orpheum theatre at Topeka, Kan., for the last four years, has taken over the management of the Jayhawk theatre, Topeka. He succeeds E. W. (Bud) Beaman, manager since 1952, who has been appointed manager of the Fox theatre at Beatrice, Neb. Toronto The Empress, Montreal, a 1350-seat unit of Confederation Amusements Ltd., was reopened to play day-and-date bookings with four other houses, the Seville, Outrement, Papineau and Strand. . . . The Pioneer of the Year Award of the Canadian Picture Pioneers, will be presented for 1956 November 22 at the King Edward Hotel, Toronto. George Oullahan will again act as co-ordinator for the award dinner, Morris Stein, president, announced. ... A Saturday amusement page has been introduced by the London Free Press with film columnist Dick Newman as editor. . . . J. Duane McKenzie, of the Orpheum, Estevan, was returned as president of the Saskatchewan Exhibitors’ Association at its annual meeting in Regina. Other officers elected included Jack Lundhome as vice-president, and Jack Heaps, as treasurer. . . . Opening this fall will be the Rycroft, in the Alberta town of the same name. The theatre with 250 seats is being built by I. L. and Mrs. Rogozenski, and will be the first in the community. Also in work is a drive-in for Preeceville, Sask., the first in the area. Owners are Frank and Nick Dubelt, who expect to open the drive-in in 1957. Vancouver Shirley Thompson, Empire Universal secretary, was married to J. Robinson. They will live in Victoria after the honeymoon. . . . Norma Clemente, former cashier, is working in a local bank. Molly Carveth, former concessions head, has joined a grocery chain here. Both were on the staff of the Odeon-Plaza. . . . “The King and I” finished its 9th and final week at the Strand. . . . Andy Rouse, Canadian sales manager for Confections, Ltd., was in from Toronto conferring with his B.C. manager, Frank Troy. Rouse was formerly with Odeon district office in Vancouver before going to Toronto. . . . Two exshowmen, Sammy Nagler, former U.A. manager in Calgary, and Allan Gold, a former theatre owner in Calgary, now living here, have taken over one of Vancouver’s best cafes; the former Loves on theatre row next to the Cinema. They already operate the Oyster Bar across the street from their new cafe. . . . Rae Waldagrave, Orpheum cashier, is back from a Hollywood holiday. She reports that Wally Hopp, former manager of the Cinema here, is at the Apollo theatre in Hollywood. Washington Milton Eichler, Paramount, is in Washington working on promotion for “Ten Commandments”. . . . Alfred H. Leake, 41, manager of the Virginia theatre, Alexandria, died September 30. He had been an employee of the Alexandria Amusement Co. for 28 years Orville Crouch, eastern division manager of Loew’s Theatres, and chief barker of the Variety Club of Washington, was vacationing in Florida. .... Joe DeMaio, formerly with Allied Artists, has joined the Columbia Pictures staff The Capitol Hill theater, will join the area “N” Commissioners’ Youth Council in a letter-writing contest on juvenile delinquency during the run of “Somebody Up There Likes Me” The Variety Club had a beautiful day for its annual golf tournament and dinner dance at the Woodmont Country Club on October 5. More than 65 golf prizes were contributed by individuals and companies. 28 MOTION PICTURE HERALD, OCTOBER 13, 1956