Boxoffice (Apr-Jun 1948)

Three New Theatres In Work at Denton DENTON, TEX. — Two drive-in theatres will be opened here this month by two different owners and construction will be started soon on a de luxe 1,250-seat A house downtown. George Eranklin of El Paso is completing his new $75,000 drive-in near here on the Fort Worth highway. He has named it the Colonial. He used his own heavy machinery to move dirt and facilitate construction. Opening is expected by the 20th. Less pretentious is the El Rancho drivein that Lester Dollison has been building on the Gainesville road for the past few months. There is speculation as to which drive-in would open first. Interstate Circuit, operator of the Palace, Texas and Dreamland theatres, has completed plans for the big indoor theatre and will let the construction contract by early summer. With this setup, plus two college theatres of near 2,000 capacity each, the independently operated 350-seat Palace and the drive-ins, even the natives think this town of 17,000 population will have ample seating and open air parking space for some time to come. Clearance on Broadmoor Reduced in Shreveport NEW ORLEANS — The film arbitrator has reduced the 60-day clearance in favor of first run houses in Shreveport over the Broadmoor Theatre to 30 days. The award was made in a clearance complaint filed against the Big Five by Broadmoor Theatre, Inc. Broadmoor originally had asked that the clearance be reduced to ten days and that it receive product not less than 20 days after national release. The arbitrator denied the second request. Trio Theatre, 550-Seater, Lights Up in Zachary, La. ZACHARY, LA. — The Trio Theatre opened for business in a new building on Main street here May 1. The theatre has a seating capacity of 550, and will operate six days a week. Mansel S. Slaughter of Baker, La., and Dolfus McKowen of Plains, La., are owners. Lufkin Gets New Theatre For Colored Patronage LUFKIN, TEX. — James Butler, building contractor, is erecting a new Lincoln Theatre for Negroes here, which he will operate. The building is brick. Butler purchased the present Lincoln Theatre from the Pete Stephano interests in order to get the name and goodwill. Altec Installations DALLAS — Altec Lansing’s Voice of the Theatre has been purchased by the following theatres; Tech, Ruston, La.; New Drive-In, Victoria, Tex.; State, San Antonio, Tex.; Burntex, Burnet, Tex.; Hi Ho Drive-In, Drive-In, Gainesville, Tex.; New Drive-In, Rookdale, Tex.; Belman, Tulsa, Okla.; Ward, Monahans, Tex.; Wallace, Levelland, Tex.; Rialto, Dallas, Tex. From the BOXOFFICE Files m 9 m (Twenty Years Ago) fJOYT G. MORROW, brother of Ralph A. Morrow and originally Dallas manager for the old Artcraft in 1915 under A1 Lichtman, is taking charge of the sales department of United Artists in New Orleans . . . Payment of $337,500 by Paramount as alleged damages to Ray Stinnett and S. Charninsky of the Capitol in Dallas, has been delayed by a court action. Refusal of product was the basis of the award. Paramount appealed. * * * Jack Adams, president of Home State Film Co., who has been in Mineral Wells for medical treatment, was in his Dallas office . . . True Thompson, former exchange manager and owner of the True Film Co., which operated several years ago as a state right exchange, is devoting much time to the Dallas Little Theatre, and was starred in the opening bill recently in “The Swan.” * * * J. Y. Robb, city manager for R&R at Big Springs and brother of Harold Robb, member of the firm, has been a Dallas visitor. Their father, J. J. Robb, pioneer showman, is recovering from an operation . . . Ernest Herber, manager of Herber Bros. & Wolf, returned from central Texas . . . Claude Ezell, southern sales manager for Warner Bros., has been in Dallas . . . H. C. Lybrand, Majestic, Wills Point, Tex., is making improvements to the theatre. He has been in the show business there for 19 years . . . H. A. Cole, president of the MPTO of Texas, and S. G. Howell, motored to Oklahoma City from Dallas for a convention . . . A1 Stoddard has added new furnishings at the Rex, Madisonville, Tex. . . . R. I. “Rip” Payne, San Antonio manager for Universal, was in Dallas recently. * * * Oklahoma City; Fred Pickrel, who has been operating two theatres in Ponca City, has closed them, apparently due to the competition of the free picture shows put on four times a week by Lew Wentz, millionaire oil man of that city . . . Floods and storms have decreased theatre receipts in Oklahoma. A storm and flood struck Shawnee, killed four and did property damage estimated at $500,000 . . . Sol Davidson, exhibitor and salesman in Oklahoma, has opened the Davidson Theatre Supply Co. at 108 South Hudson St. . . . Pete Harrison was in from Pitcher where he operates the Gaiety . . . F. E. Wright is improving the Wright at Gurdon, Ark. 700-Seat Rialto Is Opened By Hall in Beeville, Tex. BEEVILLE, TEX. — F. D. Nance, manager for Hall Industries, announced that the new air conditioned, 700-seat Rialto Theatre would be opened the night of May 14. Dissolve Partnership PORTLAND, TEX.— G. F. Lee and A. D. Fritz, co-owners of the 500-seat, air conditioned Portland Theatre, which opened in November 1946, have dissolved partnership and have decided to sell the theatre. It will be auctioned off to the highest bidder. Answers Due Soon In Adelman's Suits WILMINGTON, DEL.— Texas Consolidated Theatres, the Interstate circuit and eight distributing companies must file answers in federal court here this month to two damage actions brought against them by I. B. Adelman under the antitrust laws. They have until May 15 to reply to the complaint brought by the Tivoli Realty Co., of which Adelman is president and principal stockholder, in which damages of $750,000 are asked, and until May 29 to reply to a suit in which Adelman is personally suing for $2,436,000 for alleged losses in operation of the Delman Theatre in Houston as a result of an alleged conspiracy among the defendants. Defendants, along with the theatre companies, are Paramount, Loew’s, RKO, 20thFox, Columbia, United Artists, Warner Bros, and Universal. Dallas Variety to Distribute Full Financial Report DALLAS — Julius Schepps, chief barker of the Variety Club, told members at the monthly meeting Monday that the full financial statement of the club would be on file in Manager Jack Bryant’s office for any barker to see at any time. He said he would make it a point to see that all members be furnished any information they desire about club affairs. The club has over $100,000 in the bank, he said, but he doesn’t believe this type of revelation will cause any barker to slacken in his effort to help the club raise additionally needed funds for its growing charity objectives. Schepps said this regular bank account was not to be confused with the cash assets of the Variety Foundation, which now has in its coffers more than half a million dollars. Bill McCraw, national executive director, gave an outline of the various tents’ charity commitments for this year in line with disclosures made at the Miami convention. BiU O’Donnell, past chief barker, made an advance pitch for next fall’s turtle derby. Although the date hasn’t been set, he passed out turtle books and told workers to get going. 'Echo Ranch' at Poteet PO'TEET, "TEX. — The Avon 'Theatre here was the scene of the first showing May 2 and 3 of the Universal-International tworeel musical, “Echo Ranch.” Filmed on a ranch near this strawberry raising center, the picture stars San Antonio’s Red River Dave and includes Diane Hart, the Texas Tophands, Jack Jackson, a San Antonio businessmen, and others. Miss Hart, a former Conover girl, was in San Antonio, this week organizing her own band and revue for a tour of leading cities in the southwest. Her show will feature novelty, hillbilly and western numbers. Sign With Altec DALLAS — Altec Service has signed agreements with the following for soimd servicing: Colonial Drive-In at Longview; Texan Drive-In at Midland; Sunshine Theatre in Clovis, N. M., and Fox Theatre in Gibeland, La. 98 BOXOFFICE : : May 15, 1948