The Exhibitor (1950)

EXHIBITOR NT-3 who recently resigned from the sales staff of Reid H. Ray Industries, St. Paul, joined the s a 1 es staff of Monogram. Cardinal Theatres, organized to ac¬ quire the lease of the Lake, Duluth, Minn., which has been closed, has been granted a license for the house. The firm plans to reopen the theatre as a first run on July 1 after completing remodel¬ ing. The name will be changed to the World. . . . Donald and Henry Schandeling and Sons, builders, announced plans to build a $250,000 shopping center at Larpenteur and Lexington Avenues in the Rose Village-Falcon Heights area of St. Paul, Minn. A modern theatre may be included in later plans. Oklahoma City The Oklahoma Tax Commission re¬ ported sales tax for theatres for March, 1950, as 318 returns and $28,569.10 tax, as compared to 333 returns and $29,236.97 tax for March, 1949, a decrease of 2.29 per cent. The use tax for theatres for March shows four returns and $38.46 tax, as compared to three returns and $49.52 tax for March, 1949, a decrease of 22.34 per cent. . . . Emery A. Ander¬ son, theatre operator, was in District Court before Judge A. P. Van Meter with a request that the city building de¬ partment be compelled to issue a permit to allow construction on his $10,000 screen to continue at NE 50 and Lin¬ coln. Residents raised objections to City Council. . . . R. Lewis Barton was to open his fourth drive-in southwest of the city. Named the Airline, it will have room for 650 cars. . . . The Criterion had its first amateur contest on the stage. . . . Gene Stockwell presented “Cavalcade of Dance” on the stage of the Home. The Lake Air Drive-In presented a “Cinderella” story book free to each family attending “Cinderella.” ... In Ardmore, Okla., the Ritz has a free kid¬ die show every Tuesday morning at 10 a.m. during the summer. Omaha Maurice N. Wolf, assistant to H. M. Richey, MGM, spoke befoi’e the Women’s Institute last week. Portland Circuit Court Judge James R. Bain issued an injunction against the Port¬ land Motion Picture Censorship Board and the Portland City Council restrain¬ ing them from interfering with the opening of “The Bicycle Thief” at the Guild in its full version. Censors sus¬ tained by the City Council had de¬ manded deletion of the bordello scene. Following granting of injunction, a full version of the film opened at the Guild. St. Louis Funeral services for Samuel Goldman, 90, who entered the business in the early 1900’s with his son, William Gold¬ man, were held at the Rindskopf Chapel, followed by burial in Mount Olive Ceme¬ tery in St. Louis County. He had retired some years ago. In addition to his son, William, and daughter, Mrs. Herman, Goldman is survived by two other daughters, Mrs. William Bleich and Mrs. Fred Young, and two other sons, Sam Goldman, also of Philadelphia, and Lew Goldman, of Cape Cod, Mass. Out-of-town exhibitors seen along Film Row included: Tom Edwards, Farmington, Mo.; Harry Blount, Petosi, Mo.; Tom Bloomer, Belleville, Ill.; Mrs. Regina Steinberg, Madison, Ill.; Everett E. Maxfield, Summersville, Mo.; Joe Goldfarb, Upper Alton, Ill., and Wayne Smith, Egyptian Drive-In, Herrin, Ill. Drive-Ins are going into the play¬ ground idea. The Egyptian Drive-In, Her¬ rin, Ill., installed a miniature railroad while the Airway Drive-In, -Overland, St. Louis County, increased its play¬ grounds equipment by providing a ferris wheel, airplane rides, and other new attractions. Sidney Sayetta, manager, Midwest Drive-In Theatres, controlled by Phil Smith, Boston, is very proud of the new playground facilities at the Airway. Co-chairmen of the various committees for the annual meeting of the Motion Picture Theatre Owners of St. Louis, Eastern Missouri, and Southern Illinois at the Hotel Chase on Nov. 13 and 14 met in the new MPTO office in the branch of Joe Hornstein, Inc. Tom Bloomer, Belleville, Ill., was surprised when he arrived for the gathering as the others began to sing “Happy Birth¬ day.” Myra Stroud, managing secretary, arranged for a birthday cake with 16 candles. Jack O’Brien, general sales manager, theatre equipment division, RCA, was here for a short time. . . . The first Strong Mighty 90’s lamjfs in the terri¬ tory have been installed at the Starlight Drive-In, Alten, Ill., by St. Louis Thea¬ tre Supply Company. . . . Inclement weather delayed the opening of the Mid¬ way Drive-In, Benton, Ill., owned by Robert Strauss and Joe Sullivan. A number of the smaller theatres joined the Missouri and Shubert in the summer layoffs. The Queens, Lexington, Ivanhoe, and Lincoln, Kinleck Park, closed. Over in Granite City, Ill., the employees of the City received the cus¬ tomary notice. Julia Williams, secretarial staff, and Mary Jane Ryan, billing department, Loew’s, Inc., were on vacation. . . . The Bloomer Amusement Company installed one of the largest outdoor advertising signs at the Skyview Drive-In on the North Belt Line near 59th street. The big sign features a fire spitting neon rocket ship roaring into space. The Arcade Airdome opened for the season. It is one of the very few airdomes that still remain in St. Louis. . . . The remodeling of the Monogram exchange was completed, and manager Maurice Schweitzer is very proud of the improvements. . . . Fred Joseph, counsel for Fanchon and Marco, St. Louis Amusement Company Circuit, recently was elected Democratic committeeman for Bonhomme Township, St. Louis County. ... In Bardwell, Ky., John Alex¬ ander Milwain, 69, owner, Milwain, died of a heart ailment from which he had been ill during the past few years. In ad¬ dition to his wife, he is survived by two sons, W. G. Milwain, a sales engineer for the Pittsburgh branch of National Theatre Supply, and C. B. Milwain, who has been associated in the management of the Milwain; two grandchildren, one great-grandchild, a brother, a sister, and his step-mother, Mrs. E. J. Milwain, Nashville, Tenn. In Lawrenceville, Ill., the Drive-In on Highway 50 between Lawrenceville, Ill., and Vincennes, Ind., was reopened. . . . In Pocahontoas, Ill., the Strand, dark for several weeks, reopened under the management of Sherman L. Mason, a former manager for the Common¬ wealth Theatres, Inc. ... In Athens, Ill., the management of the Alvin an¬ nounced that the Tuesday and Wednes¬ day shows will be discontinued while the Sunday evening shows will become continuous. The film colony learned with consider¬ able sadness of the recent death of James Burnett, 20 year-old son of H. M. Burnett, resident manager in Mount Vernon, Ill., for the Fox Midwest Cir¬ cuit. . . . Vernon Whitesides, associated with the St. Louis Amusement Company for 20 years, managing various theatres for that cirucuit, now is on the mana¬ gerial staff of the Congress, owned by David Litvag. Litvag is able to devote his time to his Kiddieland, Inc., kiddies’ amusement park. Salt Lake City Mayor Earl J. Glade proclaimed June 9 to July 8 as Square Dancing Month in the Salt Lake area. The proclamation highlighted an exploitation campaign conducted by A1 Steen in connection with Monogram’s “Square Dance Katy” at the Auditorium, Redwood, Hilande, and Geneva Drive-ins and at one in Provo, Utah. Steen also has arranaged tieups with 17 music shops and Utah s largest dance pavillion on the edge of Salt Lake. In addition, a hillbilly band on ballyhoo trucks toured the city plug¬ ging hit tunes from the musical. Maurice N. Wolf, assistant to H. M. Richey, MGM, spoke before the Kiwanis Club at Waterloo, la., last week. The Park-Vu Drive-In opened, oper¬ ated by Ellis Ever ill, as the first openairer within the city limits. San Antonio The Bexar County Grand J ury took time off from its duties to view a special showing of “The Lawless.” The world premiere was held at the Inter¬ state’s Aztec. . . . Zoning of property at South Flores and Vance Streets to allow construction of a drive-in was denied by City Council. The city attor¬ ney’s office ruled that a 3 to 1 vote was not sufficient to rezone the property. Paul Daniels, Paramount, was here. ... A new series of telecasts made its appearance on KEYL, presented each Sunday and known as “The J. Arthur Rank Theatre of the Air.” June 21, 1950