The Exhibitor (1951)

EXHIBITOR NT-1 NEWS OF THE Chicago Operators of the Skyhi Drive-In not¬ ing a large influx of patrons soon after 8 P.M. every Tuesday night made tact¬ ful inquiries among these customers. They found most of them couldn’t go for a highly billed TV program, turned off their sets, and drove to the outdoor. Dorothy Delre was transferred from the B and K personnel department to assistant manager. Central Park. . . . Grant Hawkins was named manager, Starlight Drive-In, Pontiac, Mich. . . . ,The Manor closed temporarily. Wallace O. James was named man¬ ager, Highway Drive-In, Grand Blanc, iMich. John D. Loeks bought the Division Avenue Drive-In, Grand Rapids, Mich. John Semadalis, theatre owner, is back after a Florida sojourn. . . . Ed¬ ward Kerins, prominent lATSE mem¬ ber, passed on. Herb Ellisburg, Harvard, took over management of the Rosewood. ... In addition to the Beverly, James E. Coston is now operating the Hamilton and Jef¬ fery, former Warner theatres. . . . Mrs. Eve Elatkin, Monogram, visited her hus¬ band, a marine sergeant, in California. . . . Manager R. S. Tuttle opened the Sky Drive-In, Adrian, Mich. James Gregory, Alliance general man¬ ager, returned from a trip to Greece. . . . Turner-Farrar Theatres, Harris¬ burg, Ill., purchased the Fox, Carrier Mills, Ill. from A. M. Chamness. . . . Orth Arvison was named Paramount manager, Anderson, Ind. Joe Katz, Benald, Ill., acquired the New Grand Central, Mt. Olive, Ill., from Mrs. Jessie Lawson. . . . Edward Griesheim Illiopolis, Ill., announced he ex¬ pects to let contracts soon for a new theatre to replace his Illiopolis, badly damaged by fire. Ray West, 64, Harris treasui’er for many years, passed on. . . . Jack Lightner was named Gala manager, Garrett, Ind. The Trailer Company promoted Don Mack to Chicago regional television sales manager. In a letter to A1 Lichtman, vice-presi¬ dent, 20th-Fox, Jack Kirsch, Allied of Illinois president, congratulated him and his company for publicly stating that 20th Century-Fox would give sympa¬ thetic attention to all theatres in trouble, and that if a plea for a rental cut would help a distressed exhibitor and was found justified, that company would not turn a deaf ear. “I am greatly con¬ cerned,’’ he went on, “with the number of theatre closings that have taken place in the past few weeks, and I am hopeful that this same spirit of assist¬ ance, to stem any further closings, will be shared by the other film distributors.” Joan, daughter of producer Will Harris of the Oriental, was married to young Joseph Winsberg. With eyes on the Granada, represen¬ tatives of Loyola University conferred with Balaban and Katz regarding its possible purchase. The censor board passed all of the 105 films, totaling 496,000 feet, submitted in May. Two cuts were made, and three labeled adult. . . . E. H. White, presi¬ dent, Rockwood Amusement Company, opened the Whitehaven Drive-In, Gra¬ nada, Miss. . . . Operation of the Plaza was taken over by Irving Davis, presi¬ dent, Theatre Concessions. Answer to the defendants’ contention in the anti-trust case of the Avon, owned by the South Bend, Ind., Theatre Cor¬ poration, that the suit is outlawed under a two-year statute of limitations, was presented in Federal Judge La Buy’s court by attorneys Seymour Simon and Richard Orlikoff. A five-year statute was cited by them for the plaintiffs. The Drive-In, Portland, Ind., was given the construction green light by the NPA for a $23,900 project. . . . Fred Baldasti, Luna manager, is the beaming dad of a second son, Thomas Frederick. . . . School teachers cooperated with Don Williams, Roxy manager. West Frank¬ fort, Ill., by distributing 2,500 circulars in classrooms, urging parents to see “Kim.” Rollin Stonebrook, Northcenter man¬ ager, was appointed program chairman by his Kiwanis Club. . . . Louis Odorizzi of Staunton, Ill., started his career as an exhibitor with the opening of his new drive-in near Mt. Olive, Ill. . . . Massac Theatres, Inc., purchased the El Capitan Drive-In, Metropolis, Ill. Joe Emma, theatre operator, was visited by his daughter, Joan Taylor, Paramount starlet. . . . Pete Nepote, was transferred by the Frisina Amusement Company from the management of the Elks and the Arcadia, Olney, Ill., to resident manager, Keokuk, la. . . . Hal Watts was named manager. Trail, Morehead, Ky. Illinois theatre owners are concerned over a bill, introduced in the state legis¬ lature, which would set minimum wages at 75 cents an hour. . . . Edward J. Rabb and associates purchased the Ascot Drive-In and the Starlight Dirve-In, Akron, O., from George Blake and C. H. Shook. Tom North, 75, pioneer motion picture executive, who lived at the Stevens Hotel with his wife Georgie, passed on in a hospital after a brief illness. He was one of the organizers of First National, and for several years was associated with Pathe Films. . . . Matt Plunkett, Grand manager, and his wife took a vacation drive through Ohio. Clyde Brant acquired the Lyceum, Terre Haute, Ind. . . . Andy Blaine returned to B and K, after a five-year absence, to become the Congress assist¬ ant manager. Dallas State exhibitors seen on Film Row were: Bob Clemmons, Liberty, Fort Worth; Mr. and Mrs. George Franklin, Colonial Drive-In, Denton; H. H. Stroud, Strand, Hamilton; H. A. Daniel, Palace, Sequin; R. M. Shaw, Star, Turnertown; M. K. McDaniel, Lamar, LaMarque; Bill Morrow, Colonial Drive-In, Longview; Billy Fox Johnson, Roy Drive-In, Mar¬ shall; Gerard Ebeier, King Drive-In, San Maros; J. W. Lilly, Mission, Sul¬ phur Springs; R. J. Cordell, Palace, Childress; Bob Curtis, Capitol, Merid¬ ian; E. W. Capps, Hi-Ho Theatre, Gainesville, and C. A. Christensen, Pines Drive-In, Nacogdoches. Bill Finch, office manager. Monogram, was on vacation at Vero Beach, Fla. . . . William King opened offices at 2013 Vz Young Street, room 222, to become the home office for the Texas area. John Minter is sales manager. The sales staff includes C. R. Rhoads, A1 Jenkins, Billy Williams, and A. W. Wilkerson. . . . Betty Newman, Texas Theatre Service, was on vacation. “Buddy” Harris and Wallace Walthall had the pleasure of serving as judges at Kilgore, Tex., along with the pi’esident of the Junior Chamber of Commerce to select the winners from a group of 14 girls, most of whom were members of the Junior College Rangerettes. Bob Johnson, manager. Parkway, Fort Worth, Tex., reported a good attendance at the special “Fat Folks Show.” It con¬ sisted of a special run of short subjects on reducing, etc., and tied in with cur¬ rent promotion. A cloudburst failed to dampen the desire of music lovers to see “Fantasia” in its first major drive-in engagement at the Burnet Road Drive-In, Austin, Tex. Carl Stroud, manager, Burnet Road Drive-In, promoted the open-air showing with a special mailing piece, a ballyhoo truck, and a tiein with the Texas Uni¬ versity student body. Truman Riley, with Interstate Thea¬ tres in Denison, Tex., from 1935 to 1942 and manager for Interstate at McAllen, Tex., during the past four years, was named Interstate manager in Denison to succeed the late Charles Snyder. Inter¬ state announced that Jimmy Neinast, manager, Rio, Denison, had been trans¬ ferred to Tyler, Tex., as assistant man¬ ager, where he will work with R. D. Letherman, former Denison Interstate manager. G. E. McDonald, McDonald Famous Drive-Ins, leased from Mr. and Mrs. La Grimes the corner location at White Oak Drive and Houston Avenue, Houston, Tex., and pui’chased from W. C. Wallace the former Rushing Drive-In building June IS, 1951 MIDWEST-WESTERN