Motion Picture Herald (Oct-Dec 1956)

( Continued from page 40) manager Will Hudson and other exhibitors have recovered from the shock of learning of the death of Harry N. Stone, Hamrick’s Temple theatre manager in Tacoma, Wash. Stone had many friends here and will be missed by the industry. Providence The Avon Cinema was the site of a twin-premiere, when “The Red Inn” and George Orwell’s “Animal Farm” were screened for the first time in this state. . . . The Uptown recently inaugurated a new give-away featuring Dunbar’s stainless steel flatware. ... In conjunction with the screening of “Giant” at the Majestic, the management is exploiting a special “early-bird” matinee, with doors opening at 10 A.M. . . . The Veterans’ Day holiday, a full holiday in Rhode Island, plus a warm spell following a record-breaking cold wave, brought hundreds of motorists out on the highways over the weekend. Attendance at in-town houses proved somewhat disappointing while drive-ins benefited. . . Joseph Jarvis, owner-manager of the Gilbert Stuart, Riverside neighborhood house, recently elected to the East Providence School Committee by an overwhelming majority, was literally swamped with personal and written messages, telephone calls and telegrams, congratulating him on his victory. San Francisco Bob Palmer, formerly with the Paramount, is now publicist for the American Broadcasting Company in Hollywood. . . . “Giant” continues to break house records at the Paramount. . . . “Oklahoma!’ is in its final three weeks at the Coronet; “Around the World in 80 Days” is next. . . . Mac Cooley, former manager of the Laurel in Oakland, has been transferred to the Fruitvale theatre. He is replaced by Ray Maginot. ... A Betty Gamble shorts drive is underway at UniversalInternational. . . . Barney Ross, UniversalInternational district manager, has been visiting the YMCA, presumably to lose a few pounds. . . . The Christmas plum at Loew’s Warfield is “The Teahouse of the August Moon.” . . . Visitors on the Row included Ward Stoopes, Cortland theatre, and Pete De Cenzie, El Rey in Oakland. St. Louis Mario Odorizzi of Staunton, 111., has been appointed assistant manager of the Canna theatre at Gillespie, 111., of which his brother, Louis Odorizzi is the manager. The theatre, which was opened recently, still needs some improvements before it is entirely complete. It features a modern and attractive concession stand. ... The Phil-Kron theatre Bloomington, 111., has adopted the plan of admitting a carload of patrons for $1. . . . The Lincoln and Empress theatres at Decatur, 111., are following the pattern of a number of other motion picture houses in central Illinois by printing a theatre clock in the Decatur newspapers. ... A big new screen has been installed at the Heart drive-in, Kansas City, Mo. . . . Louis Lepovitz, 43, a former manager of the Eastown theatre in Des Moines, died recently at McAllen, Tex. . . . The Civic Club at Lancaster, Mo., has been conducting a financial campaign to raise money for the purchase of equipment and for opening the movie theatre in that city. Toronto Odeon’s Mercier, Montreal, is carrying a policy of vaudeville along with its regular film program. . . . The Globe, Ottawa, owned by Hyman Bessin, is closed for renovauons. . . . James Cameron, Lakehead supervisor for Famous Players, speaking to the Saskatoon Kiwanis Club, said that a movie theatre is an essential part of the business life of a community. . . . Annual meeting of the Quebec division of the Canadian Picture Pioneers was held Tuesday, the day before the annual meeting of the Quebec Allied Theatrical Industries. . . . Baby boys were born recently to the Irving Hermans, Toronto, and the Tom Clearys, Montreal. Herman is publicity director for Warner Bros, in Canada, while Cleary handles like chores for Consolidated Theatres, Montreal. . . . Roy Tash of Associated Screen News, which supplies 80 per cent of Canadian newsreel content, is photographing the goodwill tour around the world being made by the Hon. Paul Martin, Minister of Health and Welfare. . . . J. Kent Craig, operator of three houses in Hamilton, Ont., has leased the Capitol, Paris. Vancouver “Giant” is just that at the Orpheum, a real blockbuster, which is making it tough for everything else downtown. It looks for a new house record. . . . Charlie Chaplin gave the small Studio its best week’s business in a year on the reissue of “The Gold Rush.” . . . George Brewerton, Cambie owner, is making a success of his foreign film policy. He uses extra space in newspapers and makes use of all foreign language papers, both here and in the Fraser Valley area. . . . Orin Jacobson, vice-president of IATSE, was a local visitor, his object being to merge the two projectionist unions in Vancouver and Victoria. . . . Beverly Parker replaced Shirley Bowie, who is getting married, as secretary at Theatre Confections, Ltd. . . . Dorice Santich resigned as secretary at the Orpheum and was succeeded by Norma Smith. . . . Fred Steffin, operator of the Century at Bonnyville, Alberta, will open his new Pen-Mar theatre, a 700-seat house in Penticton, this month. Washington Jack Foxe, Loew’s Theatres, shared honors in United Artists’ showmanship sweepstakes award on “Alexander the Great”. . . . Sam Galanty, Columbia Pictures mideast division manager, recently presented a $500 check to Samuel H. Northington, manager of the Century theatre, Petersburg, Va., for a winning entry on the campaign on “The Harder They Fall”. . . . Jack Susman, salesman at Columbia Pictures, has transferred to the Variety Club of Washington, from the Albany Tent. . . . Frank G. Helmick, 62, a motion picture projectionist for almost 40 years, died last week. He had been an operator for Gem Theatres since 1918. . . . Approved for Variety Club membership are: regular: Gilbert F. Newman; and associate: Jack Kay and Harold K. Melnicove. Presley Sets House Record Elvis Presley reportedly took San Francisco by storm with the 20th Century-Fox film “Love Me Tender” with an army of teen-agers lined up in front of the Fox theatre long before opening time Thanksgiving Eve. Approximately 200 teens lined up at the Fox window at 10 A.M., the day before Thanksgiving despite the fact classes were not excused until 3 P.M., at which time the rush began. The box office parade continued up to the last show and the stampede resumed the next morning in spite of the fact that more than 50,000 persons were at Kezar Stadium for the city’s high school football championships. The 4,651-seat Fox reported a gross of $22,500 with business continuing excellent into the second week. Fox officials reported the picture was doing 50 per cent better than any other film with a comparable budget exhibited at the theatre in the last five years. In Memphis, Presley’s home town, the film broke all known theatre attendance records. The first day there was three times average attendance; the second day, six times the average, and the third day, five times average. Tom Young, 20th-Fox branch manager, reported that the reaction was the same in such communities as Columbus, Ga.; Sardis, Miss.; Atlanta, Ga.; Charleston, S. C., and Trenton, Tenn. Official Urges Tight Drive-in Licensing ATLANTIC CITY, N. J.: A top Federal highway official suggested tight licensing of drive-in theatres might be necessary to control screen placement if the drive-ins “don’t police themselves better.” The warning came from C. D. Curtiss, Federal Commissioner of Public Roads, in an address here before the annual meeting of the American Association of State Highway officials. He did not make clear whether he was talking about Federal or state licensing, but presumably he was referring to state licensing since he was addressing a group of state officials. Reade Files Anti-Trust Suit Against Loew's An anti-trust suit asking damages totaling $1,200,000 was filed by Walter Reade Theatres this week in Federal court in New York against Loew’s and Loew’s Theatres and Realty Corp. The suit charges that the defendants violated antitrust laws by imposing “unreasonable clearances’’ on product for Reade’s Woodbridge Drive-In, Woodbridge, N. J. Other exhibitors were named as “co-conspirators” in the suit but not as defendants. 42 MOTION PICTURE HERALD, DECEMBER I, 1956