The Exhibitor (1951)

EXHIBITOR NT-3 church activities, especially Sunday services, to congregations without an edifice. Judge Stitch commented that if he were going to permit use of the build¬ ing as a church, he certainly should per¬ mit its use as a theatre. A. L. Royal and W. P. McCowan will soon open their new Royal, West Point, Miss. It will have a seating capacity of 700. Royal’s flair for showmanship, his ability as an administrator, his institu¬ tional promotions and creative cam¬ paigns have placed hm at the helm of a circuit of 11 theatres, either exclu¬ sively or partly owned, and with affilia¬ tion in six others, all in Mississippi, in less than a quarter of a century. His recent community promotion idea, a style show, was sponsored by the J. C. Penny Company, in addition to the screen en¬ tertainment at the Royal Music Hall, Jackson, Miss. The store used approxi¬ mately 10 pages in the local newspaper to promote the show. T. E. Williams, Clarksdale, Miss., and A. L. Royal, Meridian, Miss., secretarytreasurer, in speaking of the Mississippi Theatre Owners Convention on June 2425-26 at the Buena Vista Hotel, Biloxi, Miss., say that it will climax both in attendance and interest the conventions of all preceding years. District meetings in Batesville, Newton, Jackson, Aber¬ deen, Granada, Leland, Brookhaven, and Hattiesburg were for the purpose of flag¬ ging conventional spirit. Vice-presidents Dwight F. Blissard, Okalona; J. S. Mayfield, Collins, and B. V. Sheffield, Poplarville, and directors Earl Elkin, Aber¬ deen; T. E. Shaw, Fulton; J. E. Cahill. Senatobia : Leon Boundtree, Hollv Springs: B. Jackson, Ruleville; J. C. Noble, Leland; L. B. Bays, Grenada; Charles Eudy, Ackerman; George L. French, Mendenhall; Cleo Boutwell, Enterprise; Bob Sigler, Hattiesbure; W. L. Mosely, Picavune: Jack Ashford, Clinton, and Ad Orkin, Jackson, are all pitching in. E. L. Landaiche was in. Since selling out Realart, he spends most of his time in Biloxi, Miss., in the interest of his Bayview Beach Dnve-In. and drug store business. . . . Bernadette LaBache is now on MGM’s payroll as booker’s stenographer. Prior to that, she was with Eagle Lion Classics. The Coffisseum held a meeting. Pres¬ ent were Messrs. Tom Watson and Bob Desommes. RKO, Thomas and Masterv, MGM; Thompson and Dunn. U-I ; Thomas and Blustone. Republic: Rickerts and Winubern, Columbia; Boykin. War¬ ners, and Malhio, Eagle Lion Classics. A real eye catcher was the new front of Exhibitors Poster Exchange gleaming with colorful trade name, slogans, and display signs. Bill Cobb, president, said, “It was a gift from the Easter bunny.” Exhibitors visiting were bosom pals 0 Gaude, Port Allen, La., and Ernest Delahaye, Maringouin, La. Foster Hotard, Paramount office man¬ ager, packed up to return to the Army Air Corps. Others who joined the force were head shipping clerk Calvin John¬ son’s sons, Calvin, Jr., and Alfred, and Frank Musso, assistant cashier. Paul Graetz, producer of “God Needs Men,” AFE release which recently opened at the Paris, New York City, is shown in Zurich, Switzerland, as he received from Father Charles Reinert the award of the Catholic International Film Office for the motion picture which “has con¬ tributed most to the moral and spiritual elevation of humanity during 1950.” Ed Jenner, Laurel, Miss., Woolner brothers Drive-In Movies and Airline Drive-In, and Mortimer and Shiel, Skyvu Drive-In, were seen around. Micky Versen turned over the buying and booking of films for his C-Wall, Morgan City, La., to Russell Callen, As¬ sociated Theatres. . . . Jack Pope, Rayville, La., district representative, Joy Theatres, Inc., was a home office caller. Max Connet was in from Newton, Miss., for a confab with his manager, Sammy Wright, Max Connett Booking Service. . . . Merchandising and calling on buying and booking representative J. G. Broggi were J. Hargroder, Beverly Drive-In, Hattiesburg, Miss., and Chap¬ man Davis and James Thomas, Cave, Delhi, La. Robert Molzon, Norco, La., F. G. Pratt, Jr., Vacherie, La., and Harold Dacey, Raceland and Dockport, La., were in on their weekly excursion. . . . George Chadwick, making the rounds, said that he sold his Fox, Carthage, Miss., to Max Connett and Stanford Mayfield, and that he contemplates the construction of a drive-in. Franklin Maury, managing director, Wometco’s Miracle, is seen with his son, Vincent, and Police Captain Brasher during the recent third annual Easter egg hunt conducted at Coral Gables, Fla. Hard boiled and colored eggs num¬ bering 1,000 were hidden at the local Youth Center and on a vacant lot with some marked as good for admission to the theatre at a kiddie matinee, and others good for prizes promoted from Mutual of Omaha Insurance Company. J. E. Adams, coowner, Starlite, Laurel, Miss., accompanied by I. J. Hutchinson, his general utility man, visited. Adams is also interested in a drive-in at Lennett, Ala., with T. W. Petrey. John Harvey sold his Gay Rancher Drive-In, near DeRidder, La., to “Toto” Guidry and J. H. Duplesis. They re¬ named it the El Rancho. . . . Honore Tate’s Roxy, Lawtell, La., reopened. The reconstruction was rushed after part de¬ struction by fire. Robert A. Kelly, Jr., stationed at Fort Sam Houston, San Antonio, Tex., spent the holidays with his parents. Robert, Sr., is manager, Dixie Films. . . . Stanley Taylor, Crosby, Gloster, and Liberty, Miss., made the rounds. . . . M. Paul, Kay representative, called on exhibitors in Florida. Visiting were B. V. Sheffield, Sheff, Poplarville, Miss.; Frank Smith, Grand, Grand Island, La.; Mayor Lew Langlois, Alamo, New Roads, La.; Don Maynard, manager, Don Circuit, Shreport, La., and George Harris, Sky view Drive-In, Jackson, Miss. J. G. Broggi moved to larger quarters. He now occupies the entire space on the second floor at 218 South Liberty Street, formerly occupied by Realart. . . . Joy Childress is the new steno at Dixie, and Leo Bowen is the new shipping clerk. Mrs. William Kelly, wife of the head shipping clerk at Republic, was operated on recently. Mississippi theatre owners who kept the bookers busy were A. L. Royal, Meri¬ dian, and E. W. Clinton, Monticello. Royal owns 11 theatres, and buys and books for six. Clinton is owner, Mono, Monticello, Echo, Sumerall, and Como, Georgetown. New members of Allied Theatre Own¬ ers of the Gulf States are: Buford Strange, Victory and Mansfield, Mans¬ field, La., and Bernard Woolner and Larry Woolner, Woolner, Drive-In. Adult admissions were increased by two downtown Baton Rouge, La., thea¬ tres and one drive-in. At the Hart and Paramount, the increase was from 56 to 60 cents, while at the Florida Street Drive-In, the increase was from 39 to 45 cents. Children’s admissions remained at 14 cents. Children under 12 are ad¬ mitted free at the drive-in. Officials of Allied Gulf States asked members to sign the COMPO pledge cards, and mail them pronto. . . . Henry Brunis, Film Rowite of yesteryear, now represents a Chicago shirt manufac¬ turer in Louisiana. Visiting were: A. Thibodeaux, Leon, Leonville, La.; Honore Tate, Roxy, Law¬ tell, La.; George Stout, Bee, Krotz Springs, La.; J. Hector Naquin, Carmen, Breau Bridge, and Cecilian, Cecilia, La.; Clint Vucovich, Belmont, Penn, and Skychief, Pensacolo, Fla.; Ann Molzon, Labadieville, La.; E. R. Dorhauer, Ar¬ row, Jefferson Parish, La., and his boss, Bill Castay; Phillip Salles and sons, Warren and Jack, Majestic, Star, and Park Drive-In, Covington, La.; R. E. April 11, 1951