The Exhibitor (1954)

jnw% or m BRANCHES Atlanta Mid Tenn Amusement Company, Sparta, Tenn., has taken over the Rhea Drive-In, Dayton, Tenn. . . . Harry W. Williams, 58, projectionist, Loew’s, Nashville, Tenn., since 1916, except for a brief period during World War I, died of a heart attack. He was a former president of the Nashville union. U-I News — Era Mcelvary was in Jesse Parker Williams Hospital for major surgery. . . . Mrs. Lila Wallace was expecting to go under surgery also. George S. Owen, owner, Royal, Opp, Ala., completed installation of new 3-D equipment. . . . Proceeds at the Lucedale, Lucedale, Mass., for one night were given to the tornado victims of Vicksburg, Miss. Burglars ransacked the office of man¬ ager Lane Hebsodn, Martin, Syracuse, Ala. The Blounts Drive-In, Oneonta, Ala., will only open two nights per week. G. E. Tate, coowner, Palace, Lake¬ land, Fla., died. . . . Nat William, owner, Enterprise Theatres, with headquarters in Thomasville, Ga., was the host to the bookers and managers of exchanges at the Variety Club. A sales meeting was held at 20thCentury Fox. In for the meeting were Ed Arron, general sales manager; Tom Young, Memphis; Hi Holton, Charlotte; Bill Bryant, New Orleans; O. S. Rome, Oklahoma City; Art Shirdon, Jackson¬ ville; Harry Ballance, district manager; and Jimmy Gillespie. It was happy birthday for Willie Word, Paramount, and Mrs. Virginia Bray, Monogram Southern Exchanges. Audie Murphy, second from right, re¬ cently visited Durham, N. C., in connec¬ tion with a personal appearance tour on behalf of U-I’s “Ride Clear Of Diablo,” and seen, left to right, are James Holmes, commander, Durham Post Number 7, American Legion; Mayor E. J. Evans; Jake Nurkin, Legion post; Murphy; and city manager R. W. Flack. Miss Christine Smith, Atlanta censor, spoke on motion pictures at a meeting of the Presbyterian Ministers Club. Three youths are being held for an attempted safecracking at the Springer, Columbus, Ga. . . . Thomas L. Stelling, 70, manager of theatres in Asheville, N. C., for many years, died there from a heart attack. He had been manager of the Plaza for 25 years. He was also manager of the old Palace, West Ashe¬ ville, N. C. Manager W. H. Luttrell, Roane, Rockwood, Tenn., installed a wide-screen. . . . The Seminole, Homestead, Fla., also1 has a wide-screen. The Starlite Drive-In, Fort Lauder¬ dale, Fla., closed for some time, re¬ opened. . . . The Beachman, Orlando, Fla., installed a new wide-screen. Contracts were signed for a new screen, special lenses, and stereophonic sound for the Sunrise, Fort Pierce, Fla. . . . The Ritz, Bartow, Fla., has been equipped with new seats. . . . The Hin¬ son, Sneeds, Fla., was destroyed by fire. Ygnacio Carbonell, owner, Strand, Key West, Fla., said that more than $15,000 is being spent at the theatre. Martin Theatres, Columbus, Ga., made some changes. James R. McGriff moves from manager, Martin, Talladege, Ala., to the Isle-Of-View Drive-In, Panama City, Fla. George Slaughter takes the managership of the Martin, Talladega, Ala. He comes from Opelika, Ala. Julian Studsill, manager, Fendley Drive-In, Andalusia, Ala., is city manager at Brewton, Ala. Max Fletcher is the new manager at Andalusia. The Do-Drive-In, Mobile, Ala., con¬ cluded its first all-night show with four features from 5 p. m. to 3 a. m. Charlotte Ministers at Raleigh, N. C., have asked City Council to limit commercial amusements on Sunday to between the hours of 1:30 and 6:30 p.m., and said that the proposal specifically would include Sunday movies. The request was Alderman, Dan J. Sheehan, representing Mayor Olin F. Fulmer, recently pre¬ sented the script of Warners’ “His Majesty O’Keefe” to Walter G. Hartridge, president, and Mrs. Lilia M. Hawes, secretary, Georgia Historical Society, Savannah, Ga. The script was placed in the archives of the society hon¬ oring the film about the sea captain from the Port of Savannah. WOMPI Starts Fast in Memphis Area Memphis — The local chapter of the Women of the Motion Picture Industry got off to a good start on Feb. 10 at a meeting held in the Missouri Room of the Chisca Hotel attended by represen¬ tatives from all the exchanges and book¬ ing services as well as representatives from Malco Circuit, Paramount-Tenarken, and J. Fred Brown Theatres. WOMPI was first organized in Dallas by a group of women working in the in¬ dustry. The inspiration of its success in Dallas caused sister organizations to be launched in New Orleans and Atlanta. The purpose of the association is to bring together at frequent intervals those women of the industry in Mem¬ phis and its exchange area interested in the promotion of good public relations within the industry, between members, and outside the industry, between the industry and the general public. Since the larger segment of all those employed in the industry is composed of women, the end purpose of all employed is the greater success of the industry, and it is important that through closer asso¬ ciation with each other, mutual efforts and problems will be solved. The first meeting was brought about by the untiring efforts of Frances Blankenship, Columbia booker, who con¬ tacted the employees of each exchange with a letter explaining WOMPI and the fact that it was being offered to Mem¬ phis, followed by personal phone calls to older members in years of service and personal cards as reminders to attend the kickoff meeting. At this meeting, she clearly outlined the purpose, the importance, and the honor of becoming a WOMPI, and all present unanimously agreed that it was a job well done. The enthusiasm of those attending must have been gratifying to her, as many an hour was spent on her part in getting the ball rolling. At the close of the meeting, it was believed that the applications passed out to those attending would all be turned in at the first luncheon meeting on March 6, along with the dues, with offi¬ cers being elected, and WOMPI well on its way. made after Council relaxed its Sunday ordinances to allow bowling alleys to operate on Sundays over the protest of the Raleigh Ministerial Association. Meeting with the Council’s Committee on Law and Finance to discuss possible revisions to the entire Sunday ordinance, ministers suggested that the theatre operations and others on Sunday be limited to the afternoon hours. They said that in such a law there would be no conflict with church services. Sunday movie hours now are not regulated by ordinance in Raleigh. The Tri-City Ministerial Association addressed letters to the mayors of Leaksville, Spray, and Draper, N. C., express¬ ing disapproval of commercialized amuse¬ ments on Sunday in a move aimed at Sunday movies. Drive-ins have been operating on Sundays for several years, February 2 If, 19 5 If SOUTHERN