The Exhibitor (1954)

EXHIBITOR NT-1 ITMWS or TK» Chicago Ken Edgerly was named Will Rogers co-manager. . . . Henry Absher, Norris City, Ill., is again owner-operator, Nox, New Haven, Ill. . . . Earl W. Lingle, bank cashier, entered theatre business with the purchase of the Doll, Jones¬ boro, Ill., from Bill Waring, Jr. Deportation proceedings against Izoch Fialkin, who, as Irwin Franklin, was midwest distributor for Arkino Pic¬ tures, Inc., a Soviet film agency, were upheld by the Board of Immigration Appeals in Washington, on the grounds he had been a Communist party member. George Barber was appointed to the Palace boxoffice. . . . Harold Davis, Windsor owner, Windsor, Ill., bought the Aloma, Stewardson, Ill. S. J. Papas, Saunders, Harvard, Ill., bought the Harvard, operating in the town for many years, from William Johnson. Wedding bells will ring for Mary McElligott and John Montana, Metro. . . . Leonore Grubstein was named to the Stanley Warner office. ... Joe Doyle, assistant to Norman Pyle, Metro pub¬ licist, was tranferred to Indianapolis, and was succeeded by Vitus Slavek, sales staff. The Liberty, Louis Ohilom, owner, filed an injunction suit in Federal Judge Hoffman’s court against Loew’s and Indiana-Illinois Theatres, Inc., and its owners, Alex Manta and Jack Rose. Attorneys Seymour F. Simon and Sheldon 0. Collen were to appear in court to ask that Loew’s be “prevented from requiring the Liberty to bid against the Indiana-Illinois Theatres,” and the “Indiana-Illinois Theatres from monopo¬ lizing first-runs.” The complaint also alleges a history of “overbidding and overbuying in an attempt to drive the defendant out of business.” A request by the Rockne filed by Richard Orlikoff, attorney, for an in¬ junction against MGM and 20th-Fox to restrain both film companies from stipu¬ lating that there will be no bookings with CinemaScope features was dis¬ missed by Judge Sam Perry. The Rockne wanted to play CinemaScope films on twin bills. Attorney Myles Seeley rep¬ resented MGM, with attorney Robert Bergstrom appearing for 20th-Fox. The perfect rating given theatres, following the inspection by Chicago Fire Prevention Bureau, was credited by officials with helping the city to win second place, among 456, in the Inter¬ national Fire Prevention Week contest, sponsored by the National Fire Preven¬ tion Association. A check for $23,000 was recently pre¬ sented to Dr. Hugh McCulloch, La Rabida Jackson Park Sanitarium, Chi¬ cago, on behalf of the Variety Club of Illinois, Tent 26, at a meeting of the tent. Left to right are John Jones, out¬ going chief barker; Superior Court Judge Abraham Marovitz; Mannie Smerling, chief barker; Dr. McCulloch; and A1 Borde. This money was raised at a memorial in memory of the late Willie Shore and goes into a fund to set up a laboratory at the sanitarium. Lobby collections brought more than $15,000 for “The March of Dimes.” . . . Gaylord Fox, State manager, West Frankfort, Ill., prior to army service, returned to direct the Roxy. A teen-ager was fined $113 for creat¬ ing a disturbance in the Orpheum, Harrisburg, Ill. Abe Platt, B and K, was appointed head, theatre division, for the Red Cross drive. . . . The Variety Club is turning over to La Rabida Sanitarium its Heart Fund drive collections. . . . Jack Garber returned to his B and K publicity desk following an operation. The suburban Rockne double featured 20th-Fox’s “How to Marry a Million¬ aire,” in CinemaScope, with MGM’s “Easy to Love.” The 20th-Fox film, in for two weeks, was accompanied by Columbia’s “Miss Sadie Thompson” dur¬ ing the second stanza. Lucy Roderick, former Clark aide, became ill and was hospitalized during a stay in California. Bill Balaban, son of John Balaban, was transferred from WBKB to New York as assistant director of WABC-TV. . . . Leslie Gleason was named Roosevelt co-manager. Bob Flannery, White Way Sign Ser¬ vice, accepted chairmanship of the amusement division, Red Cross drive. Dallas Film Row visitors were Augie Schmidt, Houston Popcorn and Supply Company, Houston, Tex.; W. E. Cox, Chief and Tower, Seminole, Tex.; Mr. and Mrs. Audrey Cox, La Mesa, Tex., Wallace Scott, Odessa, Tex.; Mr. and Mrs. Paul Clapp, Monahans, Tex.; Boyd Prather, Hale Center, Tex.; William Hall, Overton, Tex.; J. L. Slaughter, Yellow Jacket Drive-In, Kermit, Tex.; W. S. McLemore, Jr., Melrose, Waco, Tex.; Billy Basser, Cascade, Spring, Tex.; Robert Fry, Tyler, Tex.; and W. M. Barnes, Alvarado, Texas. Arthur Caywood purchased the Palace and Brady, Brady, Tex., from Clinton Newlin. . . . Hugh Horn, Mercury Vend¬ ing Company home office, Wichita Falls, Tex., and Bill Horn, Lawton, Okla., were visitors with Joe Caffo, concessions department, Frontier Theatres. The brothers installed a number of their cold drink vending machines in Frontier Theatres towns. Runne Barnes, Isley Theatres, account¬ ing department, has been in the hospital. . . . Harold Henrick is a new booker for W arners. John Rowley, general chairman, Variety Clubs International convention, announced that Barbara Stanwyck, Chill Wills, and Morton Downey are expected to be among the many Hollywood stars attending the convention on March 21-25. Phil Isley, president, Isley Theatres, has been appointed chairman of the Red Cross drive for the industry by the executive board of Texas COMPO. A mass kickoff meeting at the Majestic is scheduled. Isley appointed the following committee — John Adams, Interstate Circuit; John Rowley, United; R. I. Payne, Frontier Theatres; John Allen, MGM; James Prichard, Allied Artists; and Kyle Rorex, Texas COMPO. Seventy representatives of Interstate Theatres, law enforcement agencies, the press, and radio attended a luncheon in honor of producer Walter Wanger on behalf of “Riot In Cell Block 11.” He attended a private showing. Colonel H. A. Cole, Allied Theatre Owners, co-chairman, COMPO tax campaign, was to introduce Albert E. Sindlinger, Sindlinger and Company, Philadelphia, to industry executives upon his arrival. Sindlinger is engaged by the industry to gather statistics and per¬ tinent data relative to the national tax campaign. Invitations to the introduc¬ tory luncheon were sent to H. J. Griffith, R. I. Payne, Frontier Theatres; Ed and John Rowley, Rowley United Theatres; Claude Ezell and A1 Reynolds, Ezell and Associates; John Q. Adams, Karl Hoblitzelle, Frank Starz, and Raymond Willie, Interstate Circuit; Ed Green, Texas Theatre Service; Paul Short, National Screen Service; Kyle Rorex, Texas COMPO; Phil Isley, Isley Theatres; Lee Handley, Arcadia; E. L. Pack, Lone Star; J. A. Pilchard, Allied Artists; Robert Euler, Tri-States; William McCraw; and Julius Gordon and Sam Landrum, Jefferson Amusement Company, Beaumont, Tex. John C. Flinn, Allied Artists director of advertising and publicity, arrived from New York to join producer Walter Wanger for appearances in connection with the openings of “Riot In Cell Block 11.” Denver F. A. Beteman, western division man¬ ager, Republic, was in for talks with February 2 ft, 195ft, MIDWESTWESTERN