The Exhibitor (Aug-Nov 1948)

THE EXHIBITOR NT3 Cornel Wilde and Anne Baxter are seen in one of their happiest moments in the 20th-Fox picture, "The Walls of Jericho", which also stars Linda Darnell. lobby have been added to the Crown, which seats 800. The Coliseum has been given a complete exterior redoing in¬ cluding lobby, signs, seating, and re¬ carpeting. Mary Becker, MGM exchange accounting department employe, is back at her desk after a look-see at the home of¬ fice in New York, where she vacationed. The past week saw a number of other vacationists back at their desks on the row. Severine Harris, inspectress. Republic, spent several weeks in the Texas Panhandle. ... Columbia office manag.er John Granger was back from hiatus in Memphis. ... On vacation were Jean McDonald, 20th Century-Pox cashier, and Mary Lou Crenshaw, Para¬ mount office force,.., New Columbia cashiers are Margaret McWaters and Iris Adams. Recent visitor to the row was Mrs. Margaret Kaiser Webster, a former Co¬ lumbia exchange employp, now residing in Mississippi. ... Theatre circles are wondering what the advent of television in New Orleans will have on the box office. Harold P. "Babe” Cohen purchased a partnership in Screen Guild’ s local exchange, joining Ernest Landaiche, who recently bought out Joy Houck’ s interest in the franchise. Cohen is a veteran New Orleans film salesman and former Monogram of Georgia district manager. Jerry Jernigan will continue as Landaiche’ s Screen Guild partner in Memphis. ... The Laurel, Laurel, Miss., has been purchased by Roy Lombardo from Mrs. Ruth Weingreen. . . The Grand, Stonewall, Miss, , shuttered for re¬ pairs, owner Phil Murphy said. He plans extensive alterations and im¬ provements. The recent hurricane which struck New Orleans and the Gulf Coast area did only minor damage. A few trees were uprooted, some small craft swamped by waves on Lake Pontchartrain, and a few signs blown down, but, otherwise, the town was unscathed. Theatre pro¬ perty suffered no damage whatsoever. The storm and its several days of attendant rains knocked the boxoffice for a loop, and theatre men felt that it would ruin the Labor Day holiday business. But the day following the storm, and Labor Day, itself, turned up nice and sunny, with cooling breezes, and found the theatre turnstiles singing a merry tune. STATES Alabama AN DALUS I A Martin Theatres announced it has started work on its new theatre here, and which it hopes to have open by the first of the year HU NTSV I LLE Pive Points, a 200-seat house, has been opened by Younger Ellis at the road junction five miles from Hazle Green, Ala. Ellis said if this venture proves profitable, he will open other theatres in Madison County. Florida JACKSONV I LLE A building permit for the construc¬ tion of a new drive-in to cost an estimated $150,000 was issued in the county engineer’ s office. The theatre will be operated by Tropical Drive-In Theatre, Inc. , with Richard E. Beck listed as president. The site for the new enterprise is a 33-acre tract with frontage on Normandy Boulevard, and lying west of Cassat Avenue. The the¬ atre will be a double-screen affair, with pictures shown on both sides, permitting twice the usual number of cars parked to view the show. The company’s headquarters are in Chicago. It operates another Plorida theatre in Davtona Beach, PI a. Ml AM I Wometco Theatres recently entertain¬ ed the staffs of the Ace, Lyric, Ritz, and Harlem, and their families at Vir¬ ginia Beach. Booker T, Washington memorial hhlf-dollars were distributed among those staff members as a gift from Mitchell Wolfson and Sidney Meyer, in appreciation for the work given during the past few years. Opening date of the Boulevard DriveIn theatre is expected soon, since rapid progress is being made on one of the newest Wometco theatres. PranklinC. Maschal is the engineer in charge of construction of the newest addition, which will accommodate 1000 cars.... The Miami, in conjunction with “That Lady In Ermine”, had a lady dressed in ermine parade up and down Plagler Street. Her royal robes became hot and bothersome, but she kept the pace. George Hoover, Paramount owner, was due home from a New England sojourn, but, before coming home, was to stop in Washington, D. C. , to attend the Variety Dinner. The Circle, Miami Springs, will open about December l....The Claughtons will go to New York about Oct. 20 for a week, combining business and pleasure ....Trailers were being shown in Wometco theatres on WMIE’ s debut. Bob Venn is manager, and Ted Anthony, pro¬ gram director, Wometco’ s AM station ....Charlie Saffer, Wometco art de¬ partment, left to work in his own shop, doing television advertising... Prank Maury will be manager, new Mir¬ acle, Coral Gables, Pla. , upon his relief at the Parkway. ...A screening of "Cry of the City” was held at the Mayfair for managers and their assist¬ ants. Sonny Shepherd, manager, Miami, is proud of the new push-back seats in¬ stalled in his theatre by Kroehler Company. The entire theatre was done in sections at night . The Old Guard, announces Bill Goller chairman, will give mass blood donations to the Dade County Blood bank soon, when the mobile unit will come to the Wometco premises. Entertainment and membership com¬ mittee spokesman Jack McKinnon, Miami Troupers Club sa^s, a Billowe’ en party at Variety headquarters is on the agenda, following the splash party at South Beach. Ralph Packett, also of the Miami, will assist McKinnon. Labe Mell, president. Troupers, re¬ turned from his honeymoon in Connecti¬ cut. Mrs. Mell, formerly of New York City, and Labe were parried on Labor 'Kirk Douglas is shown here encouraging Linda Darnell in the courtroom scene of the recently released 20th Century-Fox production, "The Walls Of Jericho". September 22, 1948