The Exhibitor (1950)

NT-4 EXHIBITOR ", vli an annual event. Each week a king and queen will be selected, and then the win¬ ners each week will compete against each other in the finals on July 24, for the king and queen title of the Atlantic Drive-In. The final king and queen will then be sent to Eatontown, N. J., to compete with other kings and queens from the various Walter Reade drive-ins. Then the final winner will represent the Walter Reade drive-ins at the national finals at Asbury Park, N. J. From the local angle, there are hundreds of dol¬ lars worth of prizes. There will even be weekly prizes for both the mother and father of the winning king and queen. Pennsylvania Archbald The Grand has installed new H. I. lamps and rectifiers, purchased through Vincent M. Tate, Motiograph dealer, Forty Fort, Pa. Cross Keys Richard McCool, Hanover, Pa., mana¬ ger, Cross Keys Drive-In, which opened recently on the Lincoln Highway, paid a fine of $50 and costs to Justice of the Peace Gerald Orndorff, New Oxford, Pa., on a charge of operating Sunday movies. The charge, filed by state police, covers a show held on June 18. A second charge was filed for operating on June 25. TRADE SCREENINGS Philadelphia RKO (250 North 13th Street) July 11, 2:30; “Treasure Island” (Bobby Driscoll, Robert Newton) (Technicolor). MGM (1233 Summer) July 12, 11; “Lady Without Passport” (Hedy La¬ marr, John Hodiak, James Craig). Warners (250 North 13th) July 24, 2:30 p.m., “Pretty Baby” (Dennis Mor¬ gan, Zachary Scott, Betsy Drake). Virginia Richmond A new kind of open-air theatre is be¬ ing planned at 5409 Lakeside Avenue, the Henrico County Board of Zoning Ap¬ peals learned. In the open-air theatre, proposed by William T. King, Jr., pa¬ trons would sit in the open on benches to view movies instead of sitting in autos. King told the board that he plans the theatre on a lot 50 feet wide and 150 feet long. The theatre would accommodate 300 patrons, he said. Two loudspeakers would be so located as to cut down the sound volume. The back of the screen would be 25 feet from the street. A ticket booth and a refreshment stand would be near the street. The board voted to advertise King’s request for a use permit for the theatre for a public hearing. Cumberland The Maryland has almost completed its new 75-ton air-conditioning unit. Four backstage dressing rooms had to be removed to make way for it. Several hundred dollars will be saved each winter season by the theatre having its own heating equipment. Army recruiting Master Sergeant Clarence Biehn and Strand manager, Johnny Manuel, worked out an unusal advertising stunt. A group of young men were sworn in to the services in a color¬ ful ceremony on the stage. A recruiting booth was constructed in the lobby, and applicants were also accepted at the recruiting headquarters. Hagerstown Warners’ “Caged” was screened at the Academy. Maryland district managers were present from Hagerstown, Md., Waynesboro, Pa., Frederick, Md., Martinsburg, W. Va., and Winchester, Va. George Crouch, zone manager, and Nat Glasser, district manager, were in charge. . . . There was a large attend¬ ance at the funeral of Harry Feigley, electrician, Maryland, a veteran of World War I. . . . Two pickets at a Drive-In near here were attacked, union signs were torn up, and faces were rubbed with poison ivy. — L. Me W. Leonardtown Ray Trumble, St. Mary’s, left for Kansas City, Kans., with his family to visit his parents. . . . Manager Val Lyons, St. Mary’s, has another car. . . . General manager K. B. Duke, Sr., St. Mary’s Theatres, Inc., was a busy registrar of new voters recently. . . . Treasurer Jack Fruchtman, St. Mary’s Theatres, sold his interest in the Seven Gables Hotel, California, Md. . . . Interiors of the St. Mary’s and New have been spruced up. Lexington Park N. W. Hodgon, Park, and Miss Dorothy Anonson were married in Hollywood, Md. . . . The Park has been painted, and summer matinees now start at 1 p.m. . . . “Movie Quiz” is held on Wednesday nights. . . . Assistant manager T. L. Harrison, Jr., Park, had a slight case of the flu. Silver Spring Rex Allen, Republic western discovery, took time out to visit Silver Spring, and crown its contestant for the title of “Miss Maryland.” Allen was escorted by Republic’s Washington branch manager, Jake Flax. Allen served as guest M. C. at the finals held in the Silver, and also entertained the packed house with his songs and patter. George Page, Seco, and Claude Land, Silver, were co-direct~rs of the “Miss Silver Spring”-“Miss America” pageant. New Jersey Pleasantville The Atlantic City Drive-In, along with other Walter Reade drive-ins, is spon¬ soring a Kiddie King and Queen contest, Hamburg John “Ox” DaGrosa, state athletic commissioner and former All-American football player and coach, attacked the tax on amusements and sports events at a meeting of the Rotary Club. Norristown Estimates of tax revenues in Mont¬ gomery County last year, with amuse¬ ment taxes levied in Norristown, Pottstown, Pa., and other boroughs, showed a total of about $400,000 collected in the year from theatre and other amusement taxes. Pottstown Melvin Katz, formerly a local man¬ ager, is now city manager for two Walter Reade theatres in Long Branch, N. J. Reading The Exeter Drive-In, on the Philadel¬ phia pike east of Reading and located between Mt. Penn Borough and Reiffton, Pa., largest community in Exeter Town¬ ship, opened on June 30. Richard Luck, Reading, for a number of years serving in managerial posts in Rajah and other Reading theatres, is the new manager. The theatre is owned and operated by the same Reading and Philadelphia in¬ terests that in 1949 built and are oper¬ ating the Reading Drive-In, three miles north of Reading. Managers are paying a lot of atten¬ tion to the juniors’ business. The Ritz, James F. Moyer, manager, is advertisingspecial prices for children, 10 cents, tax included, 12 to 1 p.m. on weekdays and 2 to 3 p.m. on Sundays for the entire summer. J. B. Beverley, chairman, censor board, announced that the board has no present intention of extending any authority over television. “We have no jurisdiction under present law over films shown in private homes,” he explained. “People can view any films they may choose in their homes. Our mission is to examine pictures shown in public places for profit.” . . . Red Murphy and his com¬ pany was an added attraction at the Venus. . . . The Hippodrome also had a stage show. . . . Stuart Estes, State pro¬ jectionist, was vacationing at his cabin down on the river, and Joe Bocardi spent his vacation moving. Otis Bugg, National projectionist, and his wife returned from a tour of South America. . . . Harold Wood has been visiting his wife at Saranac Lake, N. Y. . . . Earl Robinson, Berio, and his family vacationed at White Lakes, N. C. . . . Jean Alexander replaced Dorothy Mallamo, and Jean Miller succeeded Elaine Siegel at the home office of Neighbor¬ hood Theatre, Inc. ... A. O. Budina, architect, Neighborhood Theatre, Inc., was in Lexington conducting exams at VMI for future architects. . . . Bob Smeltzer and Fred Beiersdorf were in conferring with Morton G. Thalhimer and Sam Bendheim, Jr. . . . Mary Mc¬ Carty, Bellevue, was cn vacation. So was Frances Neiman. . . . James Cofer, Ports¬ mouth, is now relief propectionist, Caril¬ lon and Bellevue. — S. T. Variety Club Tent 13, Philadelphia “Our Very Own” was shown through the courtesy of RKO. July 5, 1950