The Exhibitor (1951)

EXHIBITOR NT-5 John Morphet, salesman, Screen Guild, resigned. . . . Carl Schneider, supplies manager, Joe Hornstein, Inc., and Mrs. Schneider were vacationing in the Shepherd of the Hills section of Missouri. The Lawrenceville, Ill., Drive-In ob¬ tained a permit from the County Board of Supervisors to put on a fireworks dis¬ play on Labor Day. . . . Bob Woodley, office manager, MGM, returned after a vacation. George Kerasotes, president, Kerasotes Theatres, Springfield, Ill., pur¬ chased the 600-seat Rialto, Peoria, Ill., from Publix Great States. It also oper¬ ates the Beverly and Varsity, Peoria. Lee Bachle, television cartoonist, re¬ cently concluded an engagement at the Frisina Drive-In, Taylorville, Ill. His performance included drawing 40-foot cartoons on the giant drive-in screen within a few seconds. Lee Norton, Grand, Sullivan, Ill., and Mrs. Norton were spending a vacation in Wisconsin. . . . Mr. and Mrs. B. Temborius, Breese, Ill., and Mr. and Mrs. Paul Schroefer, Lebanon, Ill., went va¬ cationing in Minnesota. Out-of-town exhibitors seen along Film Row included: Ed Terhune, co¬ owner Vita and Moto-Vu Drive-In, Warrenton, Mo.; Joe Goldfarn, Alton, Ill.; Tom Bloomer, Belleville, Ill.; Bill Williams, Union, Mo.; Frank Plumlee and Tom Edwards, Farmington, Mo.; Charles Beninati, Carlyle, Ill.; Izzy Weinshienk, Alton, Ill., district man¬ ager, Publix Great States; Marc Stein¬ berg, East Alton, Ill.; Forrest Pirtle, Jerseyville, Ill.; Bob Marchbank, Wash¬ ington, Mo., district manager, Common¬ wealth Circuit; John Rees, Wellsville, Mo.; Ed Clark, Metropolis, Ill.; A. B. Magarian, East St. Louis, Ill.; Bill Waring, Jr., Cobden, Ill.; Charles Weeks, Jr., Dexter, Mo.; Loren Cluster, Salem, Ill.; Russell Armentrout, Louisi¬ ana, Mo.; Rollen R. Robinson, Sandoval Drive-In, Sandoval, Ill., and Harry Mil¬ ler, Festus, Mo. Ed Clarke, Mattoon, Ill., fractured a rib when he fell from a ladder while storing some supplies at the Mattoon. Mayor Ray Parker, Brentwood, Mo., who books and buys films for three drive-ins, approved 100 per cent the campaign of Brentwood’s Police Judge Edward T. Wright against efforts to fix traffic cases. Myra Stroud, managing secretary, Motion Picture Theatre Owners of St. Louis, Eastern Missouri, and Southern Illinois, is the “Spaghetti Eating Queen” of St. Louis, and Tommy Byrne, a pitch¬ ing star for the St. Louis Browns, won the title of “Spaghetti Eating King” in a contest between a team of six mem¬ bers of the Women’s Advertising Club and six stars of the Browns in the Statler Hotel. Harry Kahan, head, Harry Kahan Film Delivery Service, and Mrs. Kahan left for a vacation at Hot Springs, Ark. Bill Weiss is the new Southern Illinois salesman for Screen Guild. His addition will enable George Phillips, coowner, to devote his time to the Eastern Missouri territory, while Herman Gorelick, co¬ owner, will handle St. Loius and St. Louis County. William Dillon, owner, Dillon, More¬ house, Mo., and Mrs. Dillon planned to visit their son, Kennard, a master ser¬ geant with the Air Force in Michigan. Mrs. 0. W. McCuthcheon, Blytheville, Ark., returned home after spend¬ ing 10 days in a Memphis hospital. Out-of-town exhibitors seen included : Bernie Palmer, booker-buyer, Columbia Amusement Company, Paducah, Ky. ; John Rees, Wellsville, Mo.; Wayne Smith, Egyptian Drive-In, Herrin, Ill.; Rani Pedruccie, feature booker, and Johnny Giachetto, short subjects booker, Frisina Amusement Company, Springfield, Ill.; Dick Fisher, Willow Springs, Mo.; Frank X. Reller, Wentzville, Mo.; Kenneth Hirth, Pacific, Mo.; Eddie Rosecan, Hannibal, Mo.; A. H. Boemler, Upper Alton, Ill., and Joe Goldfarb, Alton, Ill. Helen Pausch, United Artists booker, was making plans for her vacation. . . . George Kerasotes, general manager, Kerasotes Theatres, Springfield, Ill., is taking things easy. He recently visited Mayo Brothers, Rochester, Minn., for a checkup. In Sumner, Ill., Martin T. Atkins, former owner, Idaho, 300-seater, again takes over the operation. Ralph Clark, who purchased the theatre from Atkins several years ago, was called into mili¬ tary service in October, 1950, and his wife had been operating the theatre. In Chamois, Mo., Father Grellner, pastor, Catholic church, reopened the Community, 312-seater, and plans to give shows on Saturdays and Sundays. Arch Hosier, St. Louis Theatre Sup¬ ply Company, visited Rolla, Mo., Leb¬ anon and Sullivan, Mo. . . . Lou Brown, office manager, Columbia, recently pur¬ chased a residence in Bel-Nor, St. Louis County. . . . Jim Rust, National Theatre Supply, is home after spending several weeks in a hospital. The first television show at the New Shenandoah promises to be a gala event. Lou Jablonow, general manager, Sam Komm Theatres, plans to invite a num¬ ber of sports celebs, sports writers, radio announcers, etc. Mr. and Mrs. George Faith, Linn, Mo., owners, Linn, motored on a vaca¬ tion jaunt to New York City and other eastern points. . . . Mr. and Mrs. Dave Forbes, Court, Vienna, Mo., spent a couple of days doing the Missouri State Fair. . . . George Jonas, manager, Rolla, Rolla, Mo., underwent an appendectomy. The U. S. Court of Appeals recently denied Hallmark Productions, Inc., a re¬ hearing in the injunction against Ar¬ thur C. Mosley, sheriff, St. Louis County, and the owners of the Skyline DriveIn, Bridgeton, St. Louis County. The litigation involved a showing of “Mom and Dad.” San Antonio Cotton Vogelpohl is supervisor and Eph Charninsky, Southern Theatres Company, and George Watson, city man¬ ager, Interstate Theatres, are zone managers, Zone B, made up of South Texas in “Movietime in Texas, U. S. A.” The Star, Southern Theatres Com¬ pany, situated near Fort Sam Houston, Tex., closed for repairs. . . . Salvador Flores has been named chief projection¬ ist, Guadalupe. . . . James Sollock, man¬ ager, Prince, returned to duty follow¬ ing a fishing trip. . . . Eph Charninsky returned from a trip to Dallas. . . . Julian Bowes, U-I exploitation man, was in for “Francis Goes to the Races.” . . . C. G. Frank, Alto, Wilson, Tex., was in on a periodic booking trip. . . . Off on her vacation by air was Dora Algaquin, secretary, Glasscock Theatre Circuit office. Discontinuance of Sunday night showings at the Plaza and Mustang, Madisonville, Tex. was announced by O. O. Dockenson and O. K. Whitfield, new owners. Hans Smith opened the 1500-seat Irv¬ ing, Irving, Tex., where he was former mayor. . . . J. G. Davis, manager, Capi¬ tol, Palacios, Tex., announced that he plans to construct a drive-in within the $5,000 limit. . . . The 900-seat capacity Wolters Air Force Base theatre has been opened at Mineral Wells, Tex. The project cost an estimated $29,000. It was used as a grain storage building since it was closed after the war. . . . The Cowtown Drive-In, Fort Worth, Tex., contracted for “Quizzer Baseball.” . . . George W. Caldwell, manager, Circle Drive-In, Beaumont, Tex., resigned to enter private business. The Caproek Drive-In has been open¬ ed at Slaton, Tex., by coowner-manager Dan Pritchett. The drive-in has a 300car capacity. J. F. Long has been named to succeed L. O. Wallace as general manager, J. G. Long Circuit, with headquarters at Bay City, Tex. Wallace recently purchased the Long properties in Navasota, Tex., and will operate them. J. G. Long ac¬ quired interests formerly held by a number of his key employees amounting to more than $400,000. Four key em¬ ployees retired, including Wallace, Harry Ellis, district manager; Everett McClain, a manager, and David Nance, formerly a manager and more recently in charge of the circuit’s booking de¬ partment at headquarters. Ellis pur¬ chased the Long theatres at Taft, Tex., and has moved there to operate his property. McClain, with the circuit for 20 years, is retiring with full salary for the rest of his life. All four were presented with watches by J. C. Long as tokens of their valued and loyal serv¬ ice. Long also announced that four September 5, 1951