The Exhibitor (1953)

EXHIBITOR NT-1 PTKWS OF THF New York City Crosstown Michael Berkowitz, veteran Capitol projectionist, retired after 63 years in the industry, 23 spent at the Capitol. Berkowitz made many contributions to motion picture technology, having built, with the late Frank B. Cannock, the Simplex projector, the Cinematograph, and the Edengraph projectors. Berko¬ witz also produced the 65mm. Vitascope, a combination projector which could run both 65mm. and standard 35mm. on the one machine, all at a cost of approximately $100 per projector. He is acknowledge to have been the first projectionist, having operated the first motion picture projector by hand at the Gaiety Museum in 1890. He operated his own machine shop in New York for many years prior to his affiliation with the Capitol. He held many important union offices with Local 306, and was for years president, 25-30 Club of New York City. Burton E. Robbins, National Screen Service executive, was elected president, Cinema Lodge, B’nai B’rith. He succeeds Martin Levine, Brandt Theatres, elected chaplain. Elected as vice-presidents were Marvin Kirsch, Moses L. Kove, Milton Livingston, Joseph Maharam, Sol Rissner, Cy Seymour, Robert K. Shapiro, A1 Wilde, and Lou Wolff. Jack H. Hoffberg was elected treasurer and David Kelton, secretary. Trustees are Max B. Blackman, Julius M. Collins, Harold L. Danson, Leo Jaffe, Louis A. Novin, and Arthur A. Schwartz. Installation will be held at an industry-wide presidents’ luncheon set for April 8 at the Hotel Astor. Dennis L. Smith, manager, Puerto Rican branch, Westrex Company, Carib¬ bean, subsidiary of Westrex Corpora¬ tion, was in. Some 40 houses, comprising the out-oftown group in Loew’s Circuit, will participate in a cover girl contest for MGM’s “I Love Melvin,” according to an announcement from Ernest Emerling, Eugene Pleshette, recently promoted to the post of executive manager, Brooklyn Paramount, has been affiliated with Para¬ mount Theatres since 1928, when he worked as an aide while attending col¬ lege at CCNY. He was appointed man¬ ager of the Brooklyn house in November, 1945, working under Robert M. Weitman, and was promoted to his present post shortly after the Federal Communica¬ tions Commission approved the merger of United Paramount Theatres and the American Broadcasting Company. Loew advertising-publicity chief. Several thousand dollars in prizes will be sup¬ plied by cooperating photo supply dealers in this newspaper-geared promotion. Brandt will do the buying and booking for the Strand, North Tarrytown, now being operated by the Eighty Beekman Corporation. . . . The Avalon, Bronx; Roky, Perth Amboy, N. J.; Grove, Irving¬ ton, N. J.; Loew’s Palace, Brooklyn, and Loew’s Elsmere, Bronx, closed. Munio Podhorzer, president, Casino Film Exchange, Inc., announces that Mario deVecchi has been added to the staff as sales manager, deVecchi has be¬ gun an extensive booking campaign on the Austrian “Singing Angels.” Sidney Kramer, short subjects sales manager, RKO, returned after attending sales meetings in Cleveland, New Orleans, Chicago, and Kansas City in connection with the “25th Anniversary Drive.” David A. Lipton, U-I vice-president in charge of advertising and publicity, arrived from California for two weeks of conferences with home office execu¬ tives. Ralph Kautzky, Altec Broadway man¬ ager, returned from the coast following NY Variety Club Combatting Epilepsy New York — Formation of The Variety Club Foundation to Combat Epilepsy by the Variety Club of New York was announced by Edward Lachman, president. The Foundation will maintain a continuing study of all phases of epilepsy, and will allocate funds for treatment of the disease including clinical work, basic research, teaching, and public information. Funds will be raised by the Variety Club. William J. German, president, William J. German Company, Inc., dis¬ tributor, Eastman Kodak film in the motion picture business, is board chair¬ man of the Foundation. The establishment of the Foundation and its overall program constitute the first major philanthropic effort to com¬ bat epilepsy in American life, according to German. The Foundation’s immediate objective is the support of the newly-designated Variety Club Clinic for Epileptic Chil¬ dren at the Neurological Institute and Vanderbilt Clinic of Presbyterian Hos¬ pital at the Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center. At the present time, the clinic treats 650 children. The director of the Variety Clinic’s parent institution, the Neurological In¬ stitute, is Dr. H. Houston Merritt. Director of the VC Clinic will be Dr. William Caveness, an associate of Dr. Merritt, presently on a Navy medical assignment. Lachman announced that the first step in the the publicity campaign will include distribution along Broadway of Life Savers with a wrapper pushing the Foundation. International Chief Barker Jack Beresin, on hand to lend a few words of encouragement to the Foundation at the meeting announcing the event, re¬ vealed the stai’t of a Variety Tent at Hamburg, Germany, and the proposed initiation of a Cairo, Egypt, tent in June. conferences with G. L. Carrington, presi¬ dent; E. O. Wilschke, operating manager, Altec, and William A. Mueller and Lloyd Goldsmith, sound directors, Warners. Kautzky and Wilschke flew to the coast to work out equipment problems for the stereophonic and 3-D premiere of “House of Wax” at the Paramount on April 8. Among the 1,000 notables attending the recent gala New York premiere of United Artists’ “Moulin Rouge” at the Capitol, New York City, were, left to right, Sam Rinzler, Randforce Thea¬ tres, and Mrs. Rinzler; William Gehring, 20th-Fox executive and Ralph Branton and their wives, and Charles Einfeld, 20thFox executive, and Mrs. Einfeld. March 11, 195S NEW YORK