The Exhibitor (1954)

NT-2 EXHIBITOR Gene Gerbase, branch manager, and announced the promotion of James Ecker from salesman in the Denver territory to be branch manager at Salt Lake City, where he succeeds Tom McMahon, resigned. The salesman job went to Warren West, office manager and booker, Denver branch, while the latter job was given to Frank Carbone, formerly a booker at Metro but out of the business for some time. Archie Goldstein operates the World on a reissue basis, and when his listings announced he would soon again be show¬ ing “Silver Dollar,” he was called by a woman who wanted to verify the dates. She said she had three friends in Salt Lake City that wanted to see the film and that she was going to get them to come over for the event. Miss Rose Sanchez, New State cashier, and Lieutenant Albert Davy were married. . . . James W. Dooley was reelected president, Local 230. Others named, most of them reelected, include Lee Brand, vice-president; R. E. Waller, secretary; Dan Kelly, treasurer; Charles P. Weber, business agent; G. L. Chap¬ man, chairman of the board of trustees; and H. M. LeHew and Howard Banzhaf, trustees. Preferred, which recently gave up the Realart franchise, is concentrating on roadshow type films. The exchange, headed by Robert Patrick, will be located at 2081 Broadway. Don Tibbs, Allied Artists branch man¬ ager, Salt Lake City, and Frank Smith, Paramount branch manager there, were in. . . . William Moore is building a 275car drive-in at Naturita, Colo., a town which has no indoor theatre. He expects to be open on March 15. Lynn Fetz, manager, Denver Ship¬ ping and Inspection Bureau, and Don Spaulding, Republic shipper, and wives vacationed in Florida. . . . The Variety Club, Tent 37, burned out recently, realized a tidy sum for both the Child Clinic at the University of Denver and the building fund in a midnight vaudeville show at the Denver. More than 2,000 saw the show at $3, and the money is being split between the two funds. Robert Lotito was placed in The Denver Post weekly “Gallery of Fame” for his part in the production of a huge vaudeville show at the Coliseum for “The March of Dimes.” . . . Neil Ross, city manager at Delta, Colo., for Fox InterMountain, was named “Man Of The Year” by the Junior Chamber Of Commerce. Seen on Film Row were Don Phillips, Colby, Kans.; J. H. Roberts, Fort Morgan,, Colo.; J. C. Parker, Dalhart, Tex.; Reuben Stroh, Telluride, Colo.; Kenneth Powell, Wray Colo.; Tom Poulos, Paonia, Colo.; Mr. and Mrs. Frank Burdick, Moorcroft, Wyo. ; and Albert Petry, Pagosa Springs, Colo. Des Moines James N. Greente, Mason City, la., has been named manager, Princess, Eagle Grove, la., succeeding O. Fleurs, Clarion, la., acting manager. . . . Paul F. Scholer resigned as manager, Oelwein, la., theatre, to go to Fort Benning, Ga., to take a four-month officers training course. The Danbury, la., Opera House, in operation since 1912, has been purchased by the Danbury American Legion post for its clubrooms. . . . Joe Anderson, partner with Bob Fridley in the operation of the King, Ida Grove, la., died after a heart attack. He was 72 and had been a partner with Fridley since 1950. . . . The Commercial Club, Adair, la. will reopen the Riada for a trial period. Dick Downey, who took over the Colo¬ nial, Hamburg, la., has started a 12-week series of Saturday matinees under a plan being pushed by the town’s mer¬ chants. Three pictures will be shown and the merchants will give coupons worth 20 cents and the kids will have only five cents to pay. . . . Paul Back has been named as a salesman for 20th-Fox, trans¬ ferred from Omaha. . . . Leon Mendelson, former Warner manager, is now associted with Columbia as a salesman. Kansas City A fire which virtually destroyed the four-story Knights of Pythias building ruined the theatre on the ground floor. Los Angeles The selection of Los Angeles branch manager Jack Dowd as “Man Of The Month” for January was announced by C. Bruce Newbery, Republic director of sales. Dowd is the fourth branch man¬ ager to win this monthly award, which is based upon accomplishments in branch operation, showmanship, and community effort. January honorable mention went to branch managers Ed Brauer, Atlanta; Nat Wyse, Memphis; Cy Dillon, Char¬ lotte; and Barney Brager, Indianapolis. The distinction between the industry’s Production Code and the Catholic Legion of Decency was stressed by the Rt. Rev. Monsignor John J. Devlin in his sermon following Pontifical Mass for members of the film Industry at the Church of the Blessed Sacrament. Monsignor Devlin, Lcs Angeles Archdiocesan representa¬ tive of the Legion of Decency, under¬ lined “the duty and responsibility” of Catholics to dispel the confusion in the public mind; to explain that the two have no connection, that the code is a set of rules laid down voluntarily by the film industry itself, and, in fact, antedating the Legion of Decency by many years. Mass was celebrated by His Eminence James Francis Cardinal McIntyre, who also made the principal address at the third annual motion picture industry Communion breakfast which followed at the Hollywood Palladium with an attend¬ ance of 1700 persons. Gene Lockhart was master of ceremonies at the Palladium breakfast. On the program were Jeanne Crain, who read “What My Faith Means To Me,” by Myles Connolly; Ann Blyth; Ray Bolger; and the House Party Quartette. Among those introduced were Irene Dunne, Loretta Young, Joseph J. Breen, Frank Fay, George A. Smith, Paramount western division manager who was general chairman and Chief of Police W. H. Parker. Dennis Day sang with the choir at Mass. Minneapolis Stanley Warner is continuing negotia¬ tions for lease of the loop Century from the Minnesota Amusement Company as a showplace for Cinerama. The deal hangs, however, on the completion of an agree¬ ment with Local 219. Frank Schilken, business representative, said he had not been contacted directly concerning the use of projectionists. Out-of-town exhibitors in were Dan Peterson, Brookings, S. D.; Ralph Swan¬ son, Ely, Minn.; Robert Alexander, Braham, Minn.; Arvid Olson, Pine Island, Minn.; Anton Schultz, Bismarck, N. D.; and Mel Ehlers, Arlington, Minn. . . . Hjalmar Kauppi closed the Lake, Eden Valley, Minn.; and Larry Buck closed the Cokato, Cokato, Minn. . . . Harry Weiss, RKO Theatres district manager, visited Iowa. The Princess, Odebolt, la., suffered smoke damage when a $200,000 fire swept through an adjoining building. . . . R. Noecker installed new high intensity lamps at his Amuzu, Fonda, la. . . . The Sidney, Sidney, la. reopened and will operate on a short weekly schedule. . . . Curtis Bigley sold the Princess, Humeston, la., to Dave Martin, Leon, la. Stu Murphy, salesman, National Screen Service in southern Minnesota for the past five years, resigned and was hospitalized for a checkup. His territory will be covered by the present sales staff, according to Jay McFarland, NSS branch manager. . . . Gene Lacy, former assistant to Joe Floyd, Holly¬ wood and Starlite Drive-In, Sioux Falls, S. D., resigned to become publicity man for a west coast orchestra. . . . James M. Greene has been named manager, Princess, Eagle Grove, Iowa. Thomas Aschoff, new assistant man¬ ager, Gopher, formerly was assistant, Strand and Tower, St. Paul, Minn. . . . Eugene Sauer, Allied Artists, is recover¬ ing from yellow jaundice. . . . Allied Artists’ “Riot In Cell Block 11” was set for the Gopher, opening on March 24. . . . Emily Guse is the new Paramount book¬ keeper. . . . Arthur Jacobs, Paramount traveling auditor, was in. Jerry Corwin is the new Tele-Film Associates salesman, part of Don Swartz’ Realart setup. Corwin will cover Minne¬ sota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa, and Wisconsin. . . . Jerome Doyle is the new RKO assistant shipper. . . . Bertram Cunnington is the new U-I assistant booker. . . . Forey Meyers has been named Paramount sales manager. . . . Don Swartz, branch manager and owner, Independent-Lippert, was in Duluth, Minn., on business. Minnesota Amusement Company will reopen the 800-seat loop Aster in March. The house closed about two years, will be operated on a subsequent-run, double feature policy. Admission will be nine cents for children and 25 cents for adults. . . . Chick Evens, 20th-Fox mid February 2U, 1951>