Boxoffice (Jul-Sep 1963)

LINCOLN gids of nearby Beatrice and Fairbury to be the American city destroyed in an accidental nuclear explosion in an upcoming Urbana production have caught the attention of Lincoln theatre men and other citizens. It seems movie star Robert Taylor, who grew up in Beatrice and visited there in late 1962, put in a plug for Beatrice to film executive Jules Maitland in Hollywood. Nearby Fairbury, hearing of Urbana 's search for a town with a tower clock, typical main street, steepled church and hillside cemetery, felt it had the same qualities and entered its own bid as the city to be blown up in the script of "Benson City, 1,300.” At last word, however, it seems some other towns also are being considered so everyone is doing the same thing currently — waiting. According to Urbana Productions of Hollywood, the picture is scheduled for shooting this summer. Robert R. Livingston, retired Nebraska Theatre Owners Ass’n president, had a busy Fourth of July week, trying to cheer up Mrs. Livingston who spent a week or two fighting a bout with a summer virus. Mrs. L. is well along the road to recovery now, says her husband. The Joyo Theatre in suburban Havelock, ordinarily open afternoons only Saturdays and Sundays, had two capacity audiences Friday afternoon (5). The theatre auditorium was used by Local 286, United Rubber Workers, for two sessions at which some 800 members received a briefing on new local contract negotiations with the Lincoln Goodyear plant management. The ending was happy when an agreement was reached Saturday only minutes before the 11:01 p.m. strike deadline was scheduled. An estimated 50 members of the dissolved Nebraska Theatre Owners Ass’n now are directly affiliated with the American Theatre Owners, according to former state president Robert R. Livingston. At one time the abandoned state association had about 250 members. Livingston says most of the direct nationally affiliated Nebraska members are the operators of the large theatres in the state. Clarence Frasier, Joyo owner and man As a screen game, HOLLYWOOD takes top honors. As a box-office attraction, it is without equal. It has been a favorite with theatre goers for over 15 years. Write today for complete details. Be sure to give seating or car capacity, HOLLYWOOD AMUSEMENT CO. .. 37S0 Qokton St, • Skokie, Illinois HERE’S YOUR CHANCE to get in the BIG MONEY Be Sure to Play ager, doesn’t have much trouble making summer vacation reliefs or days off other seasons, either. The answer: his daughter Connie, who will be a Lincoln Northeast junior class member this fall, who, as Frasier says, can fill in any job except the projectionist’s. He suspects she could do that, too, if permitted. Connie’s dated up three weeks steady currently in her dad’s theatre, while one of the regular staff is on vacation in California. If anyone is wondering about the whereabouts of Wheezer, the baby of the “Our Gang” comedies back in the old Hal Roach production years, he’s living in Lincoln and is a busy real estate salesman. Wheezer, really Bernie Hardesty, may have had a short-lived movie career of less than three years but his Lincoln neighbors and friends insist it’s easy to see the resemblance between him and the “diaper baby” in the old movies now shown on television. Bernie was about 2x/2 years old when his folks attended a Hal Roach audition in Pittsburgh where Our Gang members were sought. His parents hadn’t even intended to enter him. He recalls their story about how he ran out onto the stage unannounced and lost his diaper in the embarrassment of the floodlights. When it came time to announce the winners, Bernie’s parents told him the audience insisted on the “diaper baby.” That career with the Gang — Joe Cobb, Jean Darling, Mary Ann Jackson, Harry and Farina — ended at the age of 5 for Wheezer. Funny thing, says Bernie; he doesn’t remember a bit of the acting he did in those early years. OJVjAJjA pjarold Struve is remodeling the lobby of the Majestic Theatre at Hebron . . . Ed Bryant’s team was leading as the Variety Club Golf League headed into the home stretch at Dodge Park. There were two more weeks left before entering tournament play. Other teams followed in this order: Charlie Ammons, Pat Hallorans and Willie Wilsons. Helen Newman of Allied Artists returned from a vacation in Chicago singing praises of the Edgewater Beach Hotel. She also visited the Allied office there . . Burton Hood, who operates the theatre at Massena, Iowa, has also taken over management of the theatre at Villisca, which is a community project . . . Edith Renfro of Theatre Booking Service is also an agriculturists—fighting baby grasshoppers in the yard at their new home . . . Howard Burrus, exhibitor at Crete, came to town in his new Chevy II and reported he’s feeling fit as a fiddle after his illness a number of months ago. Walt Jancke, Lincoln theatre manager, has been elected president of the LincolnLancaster County Health Board. “We’ve made mosquito control our No. 1 current project,” Jancke said, and the fight is on against the pests which long have been a problem in low-lying areas around the town . . . Bob Hirz, city manager for Warner Bros., went to Minnesota with his wife and daughter for a week’s vacation. They were in the Brainerd area . . . Arnold Johnson, Onawa exhibitor, visited Des Moines last week. Co-Op Theatre Services has added the Sprite Lake Theatre and drive-in and the Co-Ed Theatre at Vermillion, S.D., to its accounts, George March of Vermillion announced . . . Lowell Kyle, former salesman with the 20th -Fox exchange in Omaha, visited friends on the Row last week. Kyle’s hometown is Rochester, Minn., and he now covers territory for a women’s apparel company in Arkansas, Louisiana and Oklahoma. His mother was fatally injured in an automobile accident a while back . . . Sam Backer, exhibitor at Harlan, got fed up with the blistering hot weather of the Midlands and installed airconditioning in his car. Exhibitors on the Row included Nebraskans Ed Christensen, Ord; Howard Burrus, Crete; Clarence Frasier, Havelock; Sid Metcalf, Nebraska City; Phil Lannon, West Point, and Iowans Dave Mueting, Denison; Sam Backer, Harlan; Burton Hood, Massena; A1 Haals, Harlan, and Jim Travis, Milford. Bill Flemion Opening Sarasota Art House From Mideast Edition DETROIT — William Flemion, who retired more than a year ago as operator of three art theatres here, is completing plans to open what is said to be the only art theatre on the west coast of Florida. His new Studio Theatre Corp. of Florida — reminiscent of his operation of the Studio Theatre in Detroit— is taking over the Palm Tree Playhouse on First street in Florida’s famous show town of Sarasota. Refurbishing at a cost of over $75,000 is planned. An art gallery in the lounge and a coffee bar are included. The policy will be first-run foreign and unusual films, and Flemion comments that “it will be classical screen entertainment, something the community needs.” The opening is set for early fall. Flemion has been in the film business about 35 years, serving as district manager in this region for the old Producers Releasing Corp., and was an organizer of Eagle-Lion. He is a member of the Motion Picture Pioneers. Screenplay to Agee Collection From Western Edition HOLLYWOOD — Paramount has donated a copy of the screenplay, “All the Way Home,” to Phillips Exeter Academy for its James Agee collection. The film is based on Agee’s Pulitzer novel, “A Death in the Family.” Agee, a critic who wrote about motion pictures as an art, died at an early age. His letters to the priest who influenced his life were carried in Saturday Review. Chas. Davis to Asbury Park From New England Edition HOLYOKE, MASS. — Charles Davis, who came here a year ago from Binghamton, N.Y., to manage the Victory Theatre, has resigned. Davis announced that he was leaving here to accept the managership of the Convention Hall Theatre at Asbury Park, N.J. Arthur O’Connell and Tony Randall will costar in MGM’s “The Seven Faces of Dr. Lao.” NC-2 BOXOFFICE : ; July 22, 1963