The Exhibitor (1949)

THE EXHIBIT 0-R NT-3 Changed at Universal International, branch included a new head booker and office manager, Jeff Williams, who took over Floyd Harvey’ s spot. Harvey is now a salesman. Williams was a former booker at Warners. Warners moved Charles Elgin, assis¬ tant shipper, up to the booking de¬ partment to take over duties of Jeff Williams. All necks on the row were craned toward Paramount when the salesmen’s new Chevrolet cars arrived. Several other exchanges are expecting ship¬ ments of new cars for their salesmen. Miss Janice Long, Warner biller, flew to Dallas. ... Bob Hoss, Ballant.vne, Omaha, was visiting N. B. Blount, Monarch Theatre Supply. Seen booking were; Owen Burgess, Jackson, Tenn. ; W.F. Dsvis, Ivemess, Miss.; C.R. Kreig, Perryville, Ark.: Mrs. Dovy Lee, Dyess, Ark.; W. H. Gray, Rutherford. Tenn., and Bob Lee. Potts Caimi. Hiss. New Orleans Babe Cohen, Screen Guild, with his wife, returned after visiting with friends in Atlanta, Adolph Goodman, district sales mana¬ ger, RCA Service Company, made a swing through the south and southeast, ac¬ companied by Ed Auger, who ended a long period of active service with RCA in 1947, and who is now on special assignment for the RCA Theatre Service Division. The trip includes stops in Tennessee, Texas, Louisiana, Florida, and Georgia, W.L. Jones, RCA Service Company vice-president, said Goodman and Auger will visit exhibitors with whom the company has theatre service accounts of long standing. STATES Alabama ALEXANDER CITY John Radney plans to open his Bama Drive-In about Feb. 15. Mack Jackson returned after visit¬ ing Atlanta with friends. Bl RMINGHAM Condolences are extended to J.A. Jackson, manager. Empire, whose mother, Mrs. J.H. Jackson, died re¬ cently. Arkansas LITTLE ROCK Claude Mundo, Rex, suffered an ac¬ cident recently, and will be laid up for at least several months. Florida DAN I A Another new drive-in opened here. DAYTONA BEACH ‘‘The Red Shoes” became the first motion picture ever to be exhibited at a drive-in at roadshow prices when the J. Arthur Rank Technicolor musi¬ cal romance was set with the drive-in to play March 24 to 27 inclusive. The theatre is being scaled the same as all other advanced-price engagements of the film, with a certain number of spaces assigned for cars at each of the three pruces--$2. 40, $1.80, and $1.20. The film will be shown at one performance nightly. DELAND W. A. Tison, manager, Dreka, is seri¬ ously ill. LAKEWORTH Roy B. Harrelson, Jack Cook and Walter Morgan opened their new Dixie Skydrome Drive-In on North Dixie High¬ way. It has a 600-car capacity, and is being managed by Walter E. Foley, Jr., formerly with E.M. Loew Circuit in Massachusetts. MIAMI BEACH Brandt’s new Venetian will provide for boat landing, refreshments, patio, large screen television, arid loge chairs in the mezzanine, and will seat 1200. Ed Singer is the builder. A1 Brandt will operate. Tent 33, Variety Club, is planning its second annual benefit show at the Beach on Feb. 16. George Hoover, Chief Barker, announces that the South Flor¬ ida Children’s Hospital has been chosen as the chief beneficiary. Tick¬ ets are being sold through the boxoffices of the Wometco, Paramount, Claughton, Bernstein, and Brandt cir¬ cuits in Greater Miami. Last year’s benefit netted $25,000. FCC granted television station WTVJ a 90-day operational permit, and test patterns were expected to start with regular local programs to follow dur¬ ing the 90-day period. The station will operate in channel 4. Jeff Livingston, U-I, was in enjoy¬ ing the balmy breezes. . . . The roadshow of ‘‘Hamlet’’ at the Mayfair has Dan Smith, assistant, becoming an expert at the phone these days. Exploiteer Arthur Price has been promoting a series of Saturday matinee special stage shows at the Miracle .... Mark Chartrand, Wometco, an¬ nounces the coming attraction at the Miami of ‘‘Dr. I. Q. ’ ’ beginning in April. The Miami showmen of the Variety Club are really on a strenuous schedule working on both their bene¬ fit ‘‘Night of Stars’’ at the Beach on Feb. 16 and the ‘‘Old Gold Original Amateur Hour’’ to be held at Dinner Kpv Auditorium on March 2. Warners’ star Janis Paige is making personal appearances at the Olympia during the week beginning on Feb. 16. PALM BEACH ‘‘Scott of the Antarctic” will be presented tonight (Feb. 9) at the Four Arts in a special benefit preview to aid the British Needy Children’s Bene¬ fit Fund. The benefit preview is under sponsorship of Robert R. Young, whose Pathe Industries owns Eagle Lion, which is releasing the feature. This will be the first theatre snowing of the feature in an American theatre. PERRINE The first of the Jack Goldberg lo¬ cal featurette units devised as a boxoffice builder started to ‘‘shoot” here in a* tie-up with the Midway. Harold Walker, Ball Film Studios, Miami, and Bert Goldberg arrived to make location arrangements, and se¬ lect local talent for the picture. The cameraman and sound crew arrived later, ST. PETERSBURG The following changes have been made by Frank H. Bell, district manager, Florida State Theatres. Tom Sawyer goes to the Beach as manager; Harold Hockett, former Beach manager, becomes relief manager, and Garvin Combs, former relief manager, resigned due to ill health. SARASOTA Walter and Thomas Amusement Inc., headed by Mose L. Walter, Jr. , Lenoir City, Tenn., andFitzhugh Thomas, Jr., will soon start construction of a a new drive-in with a capacity of 555 cars. TALLAHASSEE Suit has been filed against Talla¬ hassee Enterprises, owners, Ritz, for damages for $50,000 charging that the young boy was injured in a fall in the theatre lobby. WEST PALM BEACH Acres Drive-In Theatres, Inc. will open the Riviera Drive-In shortly after Feb. 1. Georgia BRUNSWICK E. H. Diemmer is erecting a drive-in to cost about $15,000. It will have a 500-car capacity, and be ready for opening within two months. COLQUITT E.J. Hunter has taken over the State from Carl Long. FAYETTEVI LLE G.E. Duffey is erecting a theatre here on the south side of the court house. MACON Hal Allen, managing editor. The Telegraph, a real friend of theatre owners, is passing out cigars to his many friends as there is a new baby boy at his house. Both Mrs. Allen and baby are doing fine. North Carolina ASHEVI LLE Carl Bamford, Publix-Bamford thea¬ tres, returned from Florida. Operators of the Colonial Theatres Company and Colonial Theatres, Inc. , in the Hickory-Morganton-Marion, N.C. , area, filed in U.S. District Court at Asheville, N.C. , on Jan. 28 a motion to dismiss the action of six large film companies against them. The corporations recently filed suit against the theatre operators, al¬ leging the boxoffice receipts of sev¬ eral theatres were incorrect. Plain( Continued on next page) February 9, 1949