The Exhibitor (1951)

EXHIBITOR NT-1 JTOWS OF THE Chicago Sam Alperin, Irwin Brodsky, and Ben Oldower organized Carousel Industries to serve outdoors and playgrounds. . . . Silver Ray was made manager, newly opened Moonlight Outdoor, South Bend, Ind. . . . The Ed Campbell Circuit opened its new Family Drive-In, Bloom¬ field, Ind. Mrs. Anna Mae Williams divides her time between the Conway, which she recently acquired, and the Conway Tele¬ phone Company, Conway, Mo. ... Jo¬ seph Coffman, 65, owner, with his brother, of the Lyric, Moweagua, Ill., passed on. Ray McCafferty, Republic salesman for Illinois, moved into his new home in Glendale, Ill. . . . Arthur Schoenstadt, Schoenstadt Circuit, presided at a Jew¬ ish Appeal dinner. He heads the amuse¬ ment division. The new Sunset Drive-In had free circuses for the children, including treats, from 7 to 8:15 p.m. . . . Richard Hand, Melody Drive-In operator, Bass Lake, Ind., has a new son. Two 16-year-old boys, each carrying .38 automatics, were arrested while try¬ ing to enter the Vic by taking screws from the front door. . . . Tom Roby, 57, for several years, assistant manager, Publix Great States’ Orpheum and Washington, Quincy, Ill., died. The “Man on the Street,” in a radio broadcast from in front of the Chicago, paid tribute to an aide in the theatre who had found a wallet containing $60, and had returned it to a soldier. “That’s nothing unusual,” commented manager Ray Thompson. “It happens frequently with our honest personnel.” B and K leased its Rialto, Peoria, Ill., to Kerasotes-Rialto Theatre Corpora¬ tion. . . . Harry Phillips was made as¬ sistant to Sam Levinshon, owner, Chi¬ cago Used Chair Mart. . . . Mike Ford, 20th-Fox, took a Wisconsin vacation. Attendants at the Times, Rockford, Ill., were surprised to find an abandoned infant, wrapped in a blanket, in the women’s rest room. It was taken to a children’s institution. . . . Directors of Allied Theatres of Illinois elected Jack Clark, Tiffin, and Leonard Bland, Oak Enterprises, to the board. Greyhound Corporation is endeavor¬ ing to include a newsreel theatre in its huge downtown bus terminal, now under construction. . . . J. Arthur Rank is a new member of the National Popcorn Association. . . . The Casino and Odeon, Marshalltown, la., were sold by S. and M. Corporation to G. Ralph Branton. Leon Ames, left, in WB’s “On Moon¬ light Bay,” was in Chicago recently to help Sam Lesner, center, The Daily News film critic, and Myron Barg, disc jockey, to premiere the “Movies For Millions” radio show sponsored by Al¬ lied Theatres of Illinois over WCFL. Yeggmen severely slugged and tied two porters at the Twin Open Air, and worked half the night without success trying to open the inner compartment of the concession safe, containing $4,000, which they had dragged into the lot. Richard Galvin was named Frolic manager. . . . Albert and Homer Butler decided to operate the projection ma¬ chines at their outdoor, Centralia, Ill., after losing an injunction to prevent union picketing. . . . Bill Coe is a new addition to the Palace staff. Ludwig Sussman, 62, owner, Adelphi, for the past 25 years and one of the most beloved men in show business, passed on of a heart attack after two days in the hospital. It was a second attack, the first occurring three-and-ahalf years ago. He was a member of the Clark Street Business Men’s Asso¬ ciation, the Kiwanis Club, and Masonic order, and was noted for his interest in neighborhood affairs and philanthro¬ pies. Trainees of a nearby Air Force center had free access to his theatre. He had often said “I would rather have my theatre filled with deserving young men than to see it half empty.” Sur¬ vivors are his widow, Rose, a son, Mel¬ vin, S. ; two grandchildren, two brothers, and five sisters. Following services, in¬ terment was in Rosehill Cemetery. Exhibitors, distributors, and public¬ ity men from the Chicago and downstate Illinois areas met in a spirited con¬ clave at the Blackstone Hotel, to set up the machinery for Chicago’s partcipation in “Movietime, U. S. A.” John Balaban, president, Balaban and Katz, and Jack Kirsch, president, Allied The¬ atres of Illinois, co-chairmen of the drive, presided. Robert J. O’Donnell, national director, was the principal speaker. Arthur Mayer was also a speaker at this luncheon. Balaban and Kirsch, in their talks, promised the full cooperation of the Chicago and downstate Illinois exhibitors, distributors and publicists in this combined effort. Peter Pisano was made Avalon man¬ ager. . . . Tom Arthur disposed of inter¬ ests in three Mason City, la., theatres, but retained the Cecil. . . . Tom Roby, 57, for several years assistant manager, Orpheum and Washington, Quincy, Ill., died. Francis Buckles was appointed Strat¬ ford manager. . . . Mrs. Mary Stern is a new member of the Clark staff. . . . Ralph Marcuccilli will spend $75,000 for a playground at his Hi-Way DriveIn, Marion, Ind. . . . Lieutenant Colonel Robert W. Scott, manager, new Noblesville, Ind., outdoor, was recalled for 21 months’ service. Norman Kassel, advertising and pub¬ licity manager, Rialto, and Trudy Blum, theatre staff, were wed. . . . Jack Butler was named manager, Skyway Drive-In, Hoopeston, Ill. . . . Milton Officer, United Artists manager, enjoyed an outing with his family on the ranch of a relative in Colorado. . . . Loren Cluster started daily matinees in his Salem, Salem, Ill. The Roosevelt had a large premiere of “His Kind of Woman.” . . . The Clark, Pittsfield, Ill., entertained 600 at a home economics show. Rollin Stonebrook, Northcenter man¬ ager for the past two-a,nd-a-half years, was elected president, Northcenter Cor¬ poration, owner. . . . Hugh S. Borland, Louis manager, noted for his civic spirit, presented a gift to the honor graduate at the Douglas School. Robert Bachman, Alliance Circuit dis¬ trict supervisor, was managing the Ottawa, Ottawa, Ill., until a successor to Robert Kautzer, resigned, was ap¬ pointed. . . . Steve Bennis, owner, Bennis Auto-Vue, Boone, Grand, and Lin¬ coln, Ill., visited in Greece. U-I and Balaban and Katz have de¬ veloped an unusual cooperative neigh¬ borhood theatre advertising campaign wherein for the first time, neighborhood theatres have been able to use display ads which dominated the amusement page rather than their customary ads. This cooperative program, launched with “Francis Goes To The Races,” en¬ abled the more than 30 neighborhood theatres participating to blanket, and dominate, all of the Chicago daily news¬ paper amusement pages on the opening day of their secondary runs. The idea was followed through on U-I’s “Little Egypt.” The amusement division of Chicago’s Combined Jewish Appeal is meeting with success in the drive for contribu¬ tions. Louis Lindenthal and Arthur Schoenstadt, H. Schoenstadt and Son, are chairmen: Harry and Elmer Bala¬ ban, H and E Corporation, co-chairmen; John Balaban, B and K, chairman, ad¬ vance contributions; Jack Kirsch and Louis Abrahamson, Allied Theatres, cochairmen, independent theatres division ; Nate Platt, B and K, and Maurice Lipsey, MCA, co-chairmen, theatrical book¬ ers and radio and TV division; David Gottlieb, David Gottlieb and Company, chairman, and Sam Wolberg and Sam Lewis, Chicago Coin Machine Company, co-chairman, coin machine division, and Irving Mack, Filmack Trailer Company; Irving Mandel, Monogram; Jack Rose, Manta and Rose, and Manuel Smerling, Confection Cabinet Company, general division co-chairmen. September 5, 1951 MIDWESTWESTERN