The Exhibitor (1954)

NT-1 BRANCHES Cincinnati Distributors and exhibitors were happy with a ruling of C. William O’Neill, state attorney general, that the state censor board must approve a number of films previously banned in this state, in line with the recent U. S'. Supreme Court decision. O’Neill ruled that here¬ after “the state’s reasons for imposing a restraint on certain pictures must be doubly convincing.” . . . The downtown Capitol is being considered for Cinerama. The second annual benefit dinner for the Variety Foundation for Retarded Children will be held on May 5 at the Beverly Hills Country Club in nearby Kentucky under auspices of the Variety Club Ladies’ Auxiliary. Mrs. Manuel Weiss is arrangements chairman. Cochairmen are Mrs. Abe Maius and Mrs. Stuart Jacobson. Ted Mack staged his NBC “Original Amateur Hour” in Dayton, 0., for the Earbara Goetz Memorial Fund, spon¬ sored by Joseph F. Goetz, former RKO executive here and now chief, armed forces entertainment section. The fund is being raised to battle polio. Exhibitors in were A. D. Curfman, Westerville, 0.; Nat Turberg and Clifton Phelps, Hamilton, 0.; Bob Harrell, Cleves, 0.; Joe Blum, Mount Healthy, 0.; John Vlachos, Harrison, 0.; Mr. and Mrs. Floyd Williamson and John Gregory, Dayton, 0.; Frank Yassenoff and Frank Marzetti, Columbus, 0.; Frank Nolan, Athens, 0.; Frank David¬ son, Lynchburg, 0.; Fred Donahue, New Boston, 0.; Harry Wheeler, Gallipolis, 0.; John R. Poe, Aberdeen, O.; Charles Scott, Vevay, Ind. ; Guy Greathouse, Aurora, Ind.; Jack Haynes, Detroit, Mich.; Walter Wyrick, Carlisle, Ky.; James B. Howe, Carrollton, Ky. ; J. B. Johnston and Charles Behlen, Lexington, Ky. ; and Ben Reeves, Sanford, Ky. Philip Fox, Columbia branch manager, and Lloyd Krause, RKO branch manager, were in Springfield, 0., on business. . . . In were Saul Gordon, 20th-Fox exploita¬ tion department, and Milton Cohen, UA eastern division sales manager. Mid-West Theatre Supply furnished equipment for a new drive-in at Clay, Ky., Edward Barker, owner, and the Blue Grass Drive-In, Georgetown, Ky., Mark Cummins, owner. All TOC officers were reelected at an annual meeting. James McDonald con¬ tinues as general manager. . . . James Denton, exhibitor, Lexington, Ky., an avid basketball fan, drove to Nashville, Tenn., to see the Kentucky-Louisiana State playoff game. Lillian Ahern, Paramount cashier, and Mae Scholle, States Film Service office EXHIBITOR / A1 Henricks, manager, Indiana. Indian¬ apolis, right, aided by U-I’s promotional representative, recently developed a disk jockey popularity contest in connection with U-I’s “The Glenn Miller Story.” The lobby display was used a week in advance and a disk jockey -show emanated from the stage of the theatre on open¬ ing night. Seen also is Ray Thomas, U-I’s Indianapolis sales representative. manager, were vacationing. . . . Esther Hist, Pasadena, Cal., was the house guest of Marie Donelson, Screen Classics. . . . Ruth Schroeder is the new UA reception¬ ist. . . . Jessie Smith, 20th-Fox boxoffice clerk, injured in a traffic accident a year ago, was able to visit the office. Cleveland Frank Murphy, Loew’s Theatres divi¬ sion manager, was scheduled to be guest speaker on the meeting of the Motion Picture Council of Greater Cleve¬ land. . . . Tom, Farrell, MGM salesman, couldn’t drive home from Toledo, O., during the big blizzard, but that didn’t stop him. He flagged a freight train, boarded a box car, and 24 hours later scrambled out in Cleveland. Manny Stutz, manager, Circle, re¬ turned home from a Florida vacation just in time to get into the snow storm. On the other hand, Max Lefkowdch, Community Circuit, made the last plane out of Cleveland bound for Florida and escaped the whole mess. Lou Ratener, spending the winter in St. Croix, Virgin Islands, is back home getting ready to open his three Ohio drive-ins, the Montrose, Montrose; Sky Another “show train” to see “This Is Cinerama,” Warner, Pittsburgh, recently brought 150 Vindicator news-carrier salesman from Youngstown, O. Robert Suits, Warner managing director, is seen greeting Ed Lockrem, assistant circula¬ tion manager, The Vindicator, and the others who made the 220-mile round trip. Michigan Allied Sets Meet Program Detroit — Plans for the 35th annual convention of Allied Theatres of Michi¬ gan on April 19-20-21 at the Hotel Statler have been announced. The registration fee is $15 single, and $25 for man and wife. All exhibitors are invited. Plans call for everything from business sessions to special screen¬ ings, events at the Variety Club in the Hotel Tuller, attendance at a baseball game, a luncheon at the Gratiot DriveIn, and the annual banquet. Speakers of national prominence are expected to attend and a full discussion on all current industry problems, includ¬ ing present and future tax problems, will be discussed. A trip to the Elmwood Casino, Wind¬ sor, Canada, for a dinner, dance, and cabaret is also on the busy schedule. View, Norwalk; and Magic City, Bar¬ berton. . . . First drive-in in this area to open was John Gardner’s Rayland Drive In, Rayland, 0. Horace Shock later opened his Lima and Gloria DriveIns, Lima, O. Maurice Barck bought his brother Sam’s interest in the Park Auto DriveIn on Route 62 between Salem, 0., and Alliance, 0., and is now the sole owner of the project. . . . Funeral services were held for Mrs. Blanche Catlin, mother of Warner city sales manager Eddie Catlin. Mrs. Erma Boedecker, Maple DriveIn, Zanesville, O., returned from a vaca¬ tion tour of Europe. . . . Abe Kramer, Associated Circuit, and Howard Reif, Modern Theatres, returned from Florida. Jack Essick, Modern Theatres, says he is satisfied with the experiment ol showfing pictures at the Hana and will continue the policy of showing pictures there whenever no stage show is booked. Irving Field says his attendance is up at least 20 per cent since he inaugurated the policy of not admitting children at any time to his Cortland, Cortland, 0., unless accompanied by an adult. Field reports that he is attracting people who have not been regular theatre patrons for a long time because they like the quiet and decorum. Another asset of the policy, says Field, is the total absence of van¬ dalism. To make sure that he is on the right track, Field instituted a telephone survey with the result that everyone contacted favored the policy. Lou Morenzi, former manager, Beach Cliff, will manage the Dearborn DriveIn, Dearborn, Mich. . . . Bernie Rubin, head, Imperial, returned from a New York shopping trip with new pictures and three reissues. The reissues are Randolph Scott’s “Caribbean Trail,” “Canadian Pacific,” and “Fighting Man of the Plains.” The new pictures are “Turn the Key Softly,” “Three Steps to Murder,” “The Cat Woman of the Moon,” “Folly to be Wise,” “The Horse’s Mouth,” “Pickwick Papers,” and a musical pack March 2i, 19 5 4 MIDEAST