The Exhibitor (1951)

NT.2 EXHIBITOR Farnol Retained By Greater New York Houses NEW YORK — Formation of a joint public relations committee for the theatres of Greater New York City was announced by the Inde¬ pendent Theatre Owners Associa¬ tion and the 3Ietropolitan Motion Picture Theatre Association. Lynn Farnol has been appointed special public relations representa¬ tive for the new committee, with headquarters in his offices in the RKO building, building. Around 500 theatres are repre¬ sented in the group. Artists’ “My Outlaw Brother’’ and “The Admiral Was A Lady,” arrived. W. C. Gehring, assistant general sales manager, 20th Century-Fox, was in Polyclinic Hospital for observation. A special series of screenings of 20th Century-Fox’s Technicolor, “I’d Climb The Highest Mountain,” for Protestant ministers throughout the metropolitan area were held under the auspices of the Protestant Council of the City of New York. Metropolitan area RKO theatres be¬ gan admitting children under 12 for five cents and a box top from a Tetley Tea package containing 43 tea bags. The tiein, to run all month, was advertised by Tetley with newspaper display copy directing attention to current RKO at¬ tractions listed in RKO Theatres ad¬ vertising. “The Song Of The News Carriers Bond Drive,” a song written by A1 Men¬ delsohn, U-I radio and television contact, has been accepted by the U. S. Treas¬ ury’s Savings Bond Division and the American Newspaper Publishers Associ¬ ation as the official song of the current newspaperboy carriers bond pledge campaign. Esther Williams, MGM star, arrived to start a tour of personal appearances at a number of veteran’s hospitals in the east. . . . Anthony Dawson, young Eng¬ lish Motion picture star, arrived to at¬ tend the Rivoli premiere of “The Long Dark Hall.” In a move to make “Appointment With Danger” one of the most talked about films ever released in the New York area. Paramount opened the picture at the Paramount with the full cooperation of eight top New York Postal Depart¬ ment officials and 20,000-plus postal em¬ ployees and their families. Tieups and publicity cooperation were arranged na¬ tionally with 21,000 first, second and third class post offices, employing more than half a million workers. The cam¬ paign began when Paramount honored the seven local postmasters and the Chief Postal Inspector of New York at a special premiere. Joseph E. Sharkey, president. New York City Council, pre¬ sented scrolls to tVie honored guests, who included Albert Goldman, New York Wdlliam Clark, Warner Theatres adver¬ tising and publicity department, is seen recently presenting bonds to Bernard Silverman, manager, Stanley, Jersey City, N. J., and Harold Gerhardt, man¬ ager, Rivoli, Paterson, N. J., for cam¬ paigns they put on during the circuit’s “managers’ showmanship” competition. City; Edward Quigley, Brooklyn; Moses Symington, Long Island City; Gilbert W. Rosenquist, Jamaica, L. I.; Frank Cassidy, Flushing, L. I.; Abraham Finkel, Far Rockaway, L. I., and Bern¬ ard Sheeran, Staten Island. There was also a scroll for Richard E. Eggleton, Chief Inspector, U. S. Post Office In¬ spection Service, New York division. The Community Relations Department and the Advisory Unit for Foreign Films of the Motion Picture Association of America sponsored a preview of “The Emperor’s Nightingale” on May 7 at the Museum of Modern Art. New Jersey Freehold Max Snider, owner. Liberty, reopened the house under his own management. The theatre had been closed for six weeks during which time some remodel¬ ing work was done. Snider also man¬ aged the theatre himself some time ago. Matawan Arthur Matthews, Matawan, was the hero of the wild night chase and capture of an escaping holdup man. Just before the 9 p.m. show, a customer from a nearby tavern came into the theatre shouting that a robber had cleaned out the till in the bar, and was about to escape. Matthews called police, and ran A Doris Day display in the window of Syracuse’s largest music store was one of several such tieups recently made by RKO Keith’s for the run of Warners’ current musical, “Lullaby of Broadway.” out toward the tavern. As he approached, the bandit came running out and jumped into a car parked with its motor idling. Matthews noted the registration, then ran to get his own car, and gave chase. He followed, unnoticed by the holdup man, until the bandit parked his car miles later in front of another tavern. The Matawan man was astonished to discover that Kondratyk had stopped across the street from the Keyport State Police barracks. He ran into the bar¬ racks, and police rushed to the tavern just as Kondratyk was attempting a second holdup. New York State Albany Salesman Si Field left Columbia to join 20th-Fox. Ray Smith, Warners’ branch manager, attended a managers’ meeting in Boston. . . . Phyllis Dembo, Loew’s secretary, is recuperating after undergoing an apendectomy at the Samaritan Hospital, Troy. . . . Larry Cowan, managing director, Fabian’s Proctor’s, Troy, was elected Commander, Troy American Legion. . . . Gerald Oles, Warner Theatres’ contact department, was inducted into the army. . . . John Ross, RKO head shipper, was confined to St. Peter’s Hospital. . . . Edna Joyce, Columbia cashier, was spending a week in Washington. . . . The RKO offices were completely renovated. . . . Sylvia VanBergen, secretary to Gerry Atkin, Warner Theatres’ publicity director, motored to Virginia. Variety Club, Tent 9 members at¬ tending the Variety Clubs International convention in Philadelphia are Sylvan Left’, delegate, and Mrs. Left; Dr. Sam Kalison, delegate; Charles Smakwitz, Warner Theatres’ zone manager; Leo Rosen, managing director, Fabian’s drive-ins, and Mrs. Rosen; Neil Heilman and Mrs. Nettie Heilman, Heilman The¬ atres, and Harold Gabrilove. . . . Mrs. Lillian Deitcher resumed the operation of the American, Schenectady. . . . More drive-ins that opened are : Aust Open Air, South Glens Falls; Indian Ladder, Voorheesville ; Del Sego Drive-In, Oneonta; Moonlight Drive-In, Pottsdam, and Ideal Drive-In, Canton, with booking and buying by Upstate Theatres. — M. E. B. Buffalo J. Scott Smart, star of UniversalInternational’s “The Fat Man,” given a gala premiere at the Lafayette, had a full schedule of television appearances and newspaper and radio interviews to help promote the picture from coast-tocoast before his personal appearance at the Lafayette and in surrounding towns. Frank Saviola, Paramount, and exploiteer Ed Wall were recent winners in the Pine-Thomas “Lawless” contest. As the result of an action filed in 1945 by Film Classics Exchange, producer and distributor of 16mm. films, against Film Classics, Inc., and the defunct com¬ pany’s Buffalo exchange, the State Su¬ preme Court filed an injunction in the May 9, 1951