The Exhibitor (May-Aug 1948)

enced operators of a circuit in the St. Cloud area. The St. Cloud city commis¬ sion already has approved the project, temporarily limited to 300 cars. OKLAHOMA CITY Charles and Helen Keller, nine and 11 years old respectively, paid a visit to the Ritz on an evening at 7:00 p. m. and stayed until 7 a. m. the next day. The kids’ mother phoned officers when the youngsters were found missing, and the two fans were found having a nice snooze in the theatre. OMAHA Don Hicks, for two years manager, Paramount, was transferred to Des Moines to head that exchange. He was replaced by M. E. Anderson, 23 years with Paramount and lately city salesman in Kansas City. . . . Cliff Shearon is going ahead with remodeling of his newlypurchased City, David City, Neb. R. D. Goldberg, Omaha circuit chief, returned from Chicago. . . . Minnie Mixon, picture report clerk, and Richard Anderson, assistant shipper, were back at Paramount after vacations. . . . Ras Anderson, head shipper, was on vaca¬ tion. . . . Bill Tammen is remodelling his Dakota, Yankton, S. D. . . . R. V. Fletcher campleted an overhaul of his Lyric, Hartington, Neb. . . . R. J. Hoff, Ballantyne Company sales manager, went east. Herman Goldberg, exchange purchas¬ ing agent and superintendent of main¬ tenance for Warners, was in to look over construction of the $200,000 branch. Film shippers can look forward to being relieved from Sunday duty. The Nebraska Carriers Association on June 20 will halt Sunday shipping. Two lines, Film Transport Company of Omaha and Pierce Trucking Company, Pierce, Neb., are extending service into South Dakota. 20th Century-Fox and United Artists had given up Sunday shipping. New city manager for Tri-States Theatres in Sioux City, la., is A. Don Allen. He has been Tri-States advertising chief in Des Moines, and succeeds L. E. Davidson, who has charge of the north¬ west Iowa city’s first drive-in. . . . Fred Fefjar, head booker, MGM, acquired the additional job of office manager with the departure of Mrs. Hazel Anderson Kemptgen. . . . Howard Brookings, Council Bluffs, la., wants to be an Iowa Legislator. He filed as a candidate. Brookings is president, Nebraska-Iowa Allied. . . . Bill Nedley is the new booker at MGM. His father, Carl, is MGM man¬ ager at Salt Lake City. Gordon Martin bought the Pier at Pierson, la., from Benson and Shipley. . . . Vernon Wheeler sold his Allen, Allen, Neb., to Reubel Hutching. . . . Bill Burke, city salesman for RKO in Kansas City, visited. . . . T. R. Thompson, Kansas City, is erecting a house in Yankton, S. D. The town is booming because of a construction work on a Missouri River dam at nearby Pickstown. Vincent Flynn, who filled in while MGM manager Gerald McGlynn was on vacation, left for another replace¬ ment job. ... Ed Cohen, Eagle Lion manager here, and Clair Hilgers, Dallas, district manager, joined Herman Bieresdorf, western division sales manager, from New York in Des Moines. . . . Cheri Sherman joined the Columbia staff. It was a family reunion in Omaha for two exhibitor families, Mr. and Mrs. DeWitt Sinclair, Wymore, Neb., and THE EXHIBITOR Mr. and Mrs. Carl Mansfield, Schuyler, Neb. Mrs. Sinclair is a daughter of the Mansfields. . . . Dale Skinner, Deshler, Neb., bought the Donis, Davenport, Neb., from Art Dutton, Omaha. . . . Roy Mundin has plans for a new house at Winner, S. C. . . . C. J. Kremer, Stanton, Neb., on June 15 and 16 will celebrate his 30th year as an exhibitor with a special bill at his Rialto. . . . Arden G. Davidson bought the Nancy, Bridgeport, S. C. When work resumed on the dam at Republican City, Neb., Raymond John¬ son reopened his Garden. . . . Jennie Stokes, head inspectress, became the second employee of MGM to reach the 25-year service mark. . . . George Billings sold his Marion, Marion, S. D. J. F. Weatherby, Tekamah, Neb., has taken over the community house at Snyder, Neb. It is named the Snyder. . . . Ed Cohen, Eagle-Lion manager, and Jack Lorentz, 20th Century-Fox district manager, celebrated Lorentz’s 49th birthday in Des Moines. Film Rowers were talking about the big break for the crowd at Warners. The fleet order went through, and all are due for new autos. . . . R. D. Klinefelter, owner, Roxie, Peterson, la., was in to install his daughter in an Omaha tele¬ vision school. . . . Quality Theatre Supply is installing equipment in the Snyder, Snyder, Neb. . . . Abe Records, former exhibitor at Hebron, Neb., visited. Arnold Meredicks, Pender, Neb., looked over equipment on a visit. The Ballantyne Company reports that the film equipment export business has been slow. . . . The Town, Goldberg Theatres western house, started a morning showing. . . . Omaha’s new drive-in has a screen tower 85 feet high with a screen 60 by 50 feet. Bernard Dudgeon is manager. There are posts for 500 cars in the outdoor house, operated by Tri-States Theatres. The first drive-in at Sioux City, la., opened. L. E. Davidson, veteran TriStates city manager there, is in charge. He and John Kampmeyer, Sioux City own the outdoor house. PORTLAND Film Row has finally its long needed restaurant, which opened in conjunction with the Film Club. Seen were Charles Maestri, Dan Pavich, Matt Freed, Robert L. Lippert Cir¬ cuit, and Don Condon, navy booker from Seattle. . . . Jane Moss, National Screen Service, was back at work after a week’s vacation in San Francisco. . . . Mary Duerst, booker, Film Classics, was off work with a smashed finger. . . . William Thedford, William Gamble, William Graeper, and Roy Brown had a round¬ table meeting to discuss coming product. . . . Eddie Dean, Eagle Lion western star, was in town to entertain the Journal Juniors at their picnic at Jantzen’s Beach. ST. LOUIS Albert Dezel Productions, Inc., ac¬ quired the Favorite Films franchise for the St. Louis territory. The Better Films Council of Greater St. Louis, Inc., held its annual luncheon and installation of officers, and Mrs. V. Ray Alexander was installed as new president for the coming year. Dr. Irwin S. Deer, representative, Community Re¬ lations Department, Motion Picture Association of America, was the main speaker, and gave a number of interest¬ NT-3 ing facts indicating that the theatre industry was on the right track with regard to the type of pictures it is mak¬ ing. He complimented the St. Louis Better Films Council for the important pioneering work it has done in the field of promoting better class films. Mrs. E. R. Evans, retiring president, sum¬ marized activities for the past year. Andy Dietz returned from the Rocky Mountain Allied meeting in Denver. An Allied unit will shortly be organized in the St. Louis territory. Many out-of-town exhibitors made arrangements to be here when a fare¬ well party was given for Maurice Schweitzer, leaving as Paramount branch manager to become an exhibitor with a drive-in. Harry Haas took his place. Schweitzer had been branch man¬ ager here for 22 years. Tom Edwards, Farmington, Mo., served as toastmaster. Fred Wehrenberg said that drive-in theatres brought back to his mind pro¬ blems of old air-domes. Ending the long and enjoyable luncheon, Schweitzer, was presented with a scroll, a farewell gift, as a token of their appreciation. SAN ANTONIO Leroy Handley rejoined the staff of Interstate Theatres as relief manager. He formerly operated an art shop, and was on the sales staff of KTSA here. . . . Manual Ayala is the new Texas projectionist. He was formerly with the Prince and State. . . . The Aztec’s recent straw ballot on presidential preferences have been announced here. Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower was first with 1,052 votes, and General Douglas McArthur was second. More than 35 beauties competed on the stage of the Texas to select the city’s representative at the Bandera, Tex., Stampede when America’s most beautiful “cow belle” was selected. . . . J. Truex, manager, Azteca Film Ex¬ change, announced that the exchange will go on a five day summer schedule, and each employee will receive a two week vacation instead of one. The Avon, Poteet, Tex., had the premiere showing U-I’s “Echo Ranch”, starring Red River Dave and Diane Hart, both of San Antonio. . . . S. G. Fry purchased the Village, Tyler, Tex. He also owns and operates the Joy and Palace, Tyler, Tex. . . . Niceforo Garcia and Manuel J. Pena opened the new Tropico, Premont, Tex. . . . R. Davilla opened an airdrome for Spanish trade, the Hargill, Hargill, Tex. . . . Interstate Theatres Circuit announced plans for the construction of a new theatre at Brownsville, Tex., as soon as materials can be procured. Hilliard T. Hightower resigned his post as publicity director, Corpus Christi Theatres, Corpus Christi, Tex., according to an announcement made by Sam Stokes, city manager. Harold Gassaway, manager, Palace, Corpus Christi, has been named to suc¬ ceed. . . . Johnny Johnston, former assistant manager, Broadway, Galveston, Tex., has been named manager, Tremont, Galveston. . . . C. A. Smith was named manager, Fain, Newton, Tex., coming here from the Fain, Sourlake, Tex. C. P. Frederick has been named manager, Fain, Sourlake. Matio Vela was conducting a contest at Alice, Tex., where he will open his new house soon, to select a name. . . . Jack Arthur, owner-operator, Qfueen, Crosbyton, Tex., purchased a lot in the business section for a new theatre. . . . The Varsity, Austin, Tex., an Interstate June 9, 1948