The Exhibitor (1950)

EXHIBITOR NT-5 Brendler, manager, Woodlawin, Inter¬ state suburban house, opened a television lounge at the house. . . . Frank Flores, assistant booker, Clasa-Mohme Film, took the duties of Edward G. Edwards, chief booker, while the latter was on his vacation. . . . Jack Chalman, Inter¬ state Theatres publicity director re¬ turned following a trip to Dallas. Two men wanted here for the robbery of the Majestic were sentenced to 40 and 30 years respectively, for a similar hold up at El Paso Tex. . . . Among the outof-town exhibitors and theatre men visit¬ ing were: 0. R. Dalton, RKO, Dallas; Robert Hartgrove, Southwest Theatres, Dallas; Carl Richter, Texas Drive-In, Coi’pus Christi, Tex. ; Lew Bray, Inter¬ state Theatres city manager, Harlingen, Tex.; Mr. and Mrs. Phil Brady, Rex, Rio Hondo, Tex.; Genaro Trevino and Joe Sakazar, Alta Vista, Beeville, Tex., and Jim Broyles, Junction, Tex. Herman Sollock, manager, Prince, is up and around following an injury suf¬ fered in a baseball game. . . . New sum¬ mer prices were announced for the Pal¬ ace and Uptown. At the Palace, matinee prices will be 30 and 35 cents, with all seats 40 cents at night. At the Uptown, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday has been designated as “Family Nights,” with adult admission set at 30 cents and children under 12 with parents ad¬ mitted free. Statewide Drive-In Theatres Company, Inc., is using spot announcements daily on KITE for its five drive-ins. The HiHo, owned and operated by Talley En¬ terprises, is one of the co-sponsors of “Tel-o” broadcast daily on KABC. The Alameda is the only one of the town’s theatres using television. Trailers are run each Wednesday on KEYL on forth¬ coming attractions on the TV outlet’s Spanish telecasts. The Josephine and Beverly Studios, photographer, are cooperating here in a search for “Little Miss America” and “All American Boy,” a nationwide tal¬ ent search sponsored by the Screen Children’s Guild, Hollywood, Cal. The South Loop 13 Drive-In was opened by the Statewide Drive-In Thea¬ tres, the fifth drive-in here for the cir¬ cuit. It has a 700-car capacity with additional space for seats for walk-in patrons. Arthur Landsman is president of the circuit. . . . Eph Charninsky, head, Southern Theatres Company, is showing a letter which has been received at the Prince in which a conscience-stricken person who slipped into the theatre with¬ out paying seven years ago enclosed money for the ticket. The new Village Drive-In was opened by Robert Rogers south of the city lim¬ its of Ennis, Tex., on Highway 75. The drive-in has a 400-car capacity. . . . Ted Diaz is operator of a free movie circuit being operated in the city parks of Beau¬ mont, Tex. The Mansfield Road Drive-In has been opened at Fort Worth, Tex., by Claude Ezell and Associates. The 800-car drivein is the third there for the circuit. . . . The South Park Drive-In has been opened at Beaumont, Tex., by the Jeffer¬ son Amusement Company. The 600-car capacity drive in will feature a before dusk stage show nightly. The Spindletop Drive-In opened at Beaumont, Tex., located opposite the South Park Drive-In opened by Jefferson Amusement Company. Jim Woodal has been named manager. He was formerly with Interstate in Paris, Tex. The 516car capacity drive-in is owned and oper¬ ated by Dr. G. F. Swarts and Garnett Parker, who have a controlling interest in the Tower Theatres, Inc., operator of four theatres at Wichita Falls, Tex. . . . A contract for construction has been awarded the Guy Baker Construction Company, Temple, Tex., to build a new $130,000 theatre, tentatively titled the Vick, with a seating capacity of 1,000 persons, at Killeen, Tex. Frank Navies and associates com¬ pleted arrangements for the construction of a 600-car drive-in at Hearne, Tex. . . . A $7,000 lot has been selected by the Variety Club of Houston, Tex., as a site for a Variety Boys Club building. Fred Nahas, Chief Barker, stated that the site has a 200-foot front on Montie Beach park, with fully developed playground facilities. . . . East Texas Theatres, Inc., will soon start work on a new drive-in at Jacksonville, Tex., with a capacity of 400 to 500 cars. . . . Ben Ferguson an¬ nounced that construction is expected to start at once at Hamlin, Tex., on a new 350-car capacity drive-in. . . . Joe Schabay is the owner and operator of a new 400-car capacity drive-in at Mesquite, Tex. Plans for the erection of a new thea¬ tre to replace the Queen, Hearne, Tex., have been announced by the Chatmas Amusement Company. The Queen was recently destroyed by fire. A new site has been obtained in the downtown dis¬ trict for the theatre. . . . J. B. Wiley, former operator of the Lake, Fort Worth, Tex., leased the Chandler, Chand¬ ler, Tex., from E. D. Montgomery. Wiley is remodeling the auditorium, enlarging the booth, and modernizing the front. The house will be reopened in July as the Star. Wiley’s lease contains an op¬ tion to purchase the house. . . . The Midway, Midway, Tex., is being enlarged to hold 300 instead of 200 patrons, ac¬ cording to Warren Sparks. . . . J. M. Donner, Houston, Tex., purchased an in¬ terest in the Don, Lovelady, Tex., from E. D. Montgomery. The latest in the circuit of drive-ins owned and operated by Claude Ezell and Associates, the Burnet Road Drive-In, opened at Austin, Tex. The drive-in features an electric indicator at each ramp showing if there are any speaker vacancies. A new drive-in to be known as the Pines is being built on a 15-acre plot of land on Highway 75, south of Hunts¬ ville, Tex., owned and operated by the Avon Amusement Company, which oper¬ ates two standard theatres. Fred B. Smith, part owner, will also manage the drive-in. . . . Wally Davis announced plans for the construction of a 400-car drive-in at Alpine, Tex., to be located there near the Sul Ross State College. . . . Victor Farrar, formerly with the Fiesta Drive-In near Carlsbad, N. M., has been named manager, Rhea, Denver City, Tex., succeeding Howard Stribling, named city manager at Los Alamos, Tex., for Theatre Enterprises, Inc. Robert Reyes Cruz, 58, was killed re¬ cently when the motorcycle he was driv¬ ing collided with an automobile at Laredo, Tex. For many years he was employed as a projectionist at various Laredo theatres. . . . Ray DeViney, for¬ mer theatre owner-operator, Big Sandy, Tex., puchased the Palace, Plano, Tex., from Dr. A. W. O’Dell, Richardson, Tex. DeViney closed the Palace for general repairs and remodeling. ... A new 300-car capacity drive-in is being con¬ structed at Grapevine, Tex., by W. E. Guest. Guest owns and operates the Palace. Roy Rogers and Dale Evans visited El Paso, Tex., briefly recently while en route east. The western stars were greet¬ ed at the station by Mr. and Mrs. C. C. Dues and Mr. and Mrs. Fred I. Lindau, owners, West Texas Amusement Com¬ pany; John Paxton, city manager, In¬ terstate Theatres, and Mrs. Robert Thompson, friend. . . . Construction has been started at Conroe, Tex., of a new 350-car capacity drive-in to be owned by Charles Tignor. The drive-in is being built on an 11 acre tract, Tignor is offer¬ ing a one-year pass to the drive-in to the person submitting a name to be selected. He also owns and operates a drive-in at College Station, Tex. . . . Rubin Frels announced that construction has been started on a 350-car drive-in at El Campo, Tex. Wallace Blankenship, Wallace Circuit, announced plans for the construction of two new theatres at Morton and An¬ drews, Tex. Each will have a seating capacity of 750, and will be of design to permit enlargement when needed. The new houses will replace smaller houses operated by Blankenship in those towns. Several weeks ago, Blankenship an¬ nounced that contracts had been let for six new drive-ins. The eight new prop¬ erties, involving a total investment of about $400,000, will give Blankenship a total of 23 theatres in 11 northwest Texas towns and cities. The two theatres are expected to be complete in Septem¬ ber. Lawrence Rylant is circuit manager at Morton, Tex., while A. J. Burleson is manager at Andrews, Tex. San Francisco Walter Chenoweth, manager, Coronet, came up with one of the more charmingteaser stunts. Faced with a strong double-bill, this astute manag-er before the playdate placed red ribbon bows around the fingers of his staff. Cheno¬ weth reminded patrons: “Did you notice the red ribbon. . . . It’s to remind you of Two-Of-The-Best Shows coming, etc.” The red ribbon motif was also used in the displays. Lloyd Katz, formerly the Eagle Lion branch manager, is now the buyer-booker July 12, 1950