The Exhibitor (1952)

NT-4 EXHIBITOR Saif Lake City Among those registered at the Variety Clubs International convention in Las Vegas, Nev., were: Mr. and Mrs. Sidney Cohen, Mr. and Mrs. S. R. Ross, Mr. and Mrs. Milt Rosen, and Mr. and Mrs. Don Tibbs. San Antonio The Cole-Anna Drive-In has been opened at Santa Anna, Tex., according to Roland Duss, owner. He also operates the Oak Drive-In, Coleman, Tex. . . . Jim Miller, manager, Sunset Drive-In, Decatur, Tex., postponed the opening for several weeks due to bad weather. . . . The Royal Drive-In has been re¬ opened at Marlin, Tex., by J. C. Chatmas, Sr., and Johnny Chatmas. It was purchased by the Chatmas Amusement Company last November. The Vernon, Vernon, Tex., has been reopened after a remodeling program. . . . R. G. Frankenburger has been named manager, newly opened Twin Ranch Drive-In, Victoria, Tex. He is city manager, Long Theatre Circuit, that city. . . . The Jefferson Amusement Company leased the Spindeltop Drive-In, Beaumont, Tex., from G. F. Swarts and Garrett Parker. The Spindeltop will be opened for Negro patronage exclusively, according to the new operators. Eph Charninsy, head, Southern Thea¬ tres Company, is making available his Arts on June 14 for a special midnight show to be sponsored by the Agudas Achim Synagogue Brotherhood. ... The Woodlawn was the scene of a television show origination. . . . Among the outof-town exhibitors in to book were : Royce Blankenship, Wallace Theatre Circuit, Lubbock, Tex.; Henry Flores, Rio, Mission, Tex., and Genaro Trevino, Alta Vista, Beeville, Tex. San Francisco Three Northern California Theatre executives answered a group of mothers here regarding the mother’s “publicity stunt” with blunt denials of rowdyism in local neighborhood theatres. The three men are Ben Levin, General Theatrical Company; William W. Coovert, Golden State, and Rotus Harvey, president, Western Theatre Owners. The club, the Lafayette Mothers’ Committee on Mass Communications, composed of 25 mem¬ bers with children in Lafayette School, sent out a questionnaire to a number of managers in which they centered the questions on what a preface called “rowdyism, roughhousing, and horse¬ play” at Saturday movie matinees. This preface then cited the opinions of un¬ named “authorities” on the effects of “lack of supervision in the movie houses,” and pointed to the theatre managers’ “moral responsibilities.” It wound up by urging the managers “to put an end to disorder in their houses,” and asked that such “impartial organiza¬ tions” as the PTA, Legion of Decency, or American Association of University Women be called in to classify “chil¬ dren’s” and “family” films for the matinees. The questionnaires went un¬ answered, and the theatre owners The new crew for Tent 25, Variety Club of Southern California, recently posed for the first group picture following their election in Los Angeles: seated, left to right, Hugh Bruen, First Assist¬ ant Chief Barker, and George Bowser, Chief Barker, and standing, left to right, W. H. “Bud” Lollier, Property Master; Lloyd Ownhey, Dough Guy, and Mort Scott, Second Assistant Chief Barker. Not shown are the new canvasmen, Willard Keith, Howard Stubbins, Ralph Zimmerman, A1 Hanson, O. N. Srere, and Ezra Stern. arranged a meeting with the Lafayette group. Blumenfeld Theatres’ Esquire, Oak¬ land, Cal., will now have a foreign film policy. Eddie Bonns has been appointed to handle publicity in Northern California , for the George M. Mann Theatres. . . . John Dostal, New Orleans, is the new manager, Tower. . . . Among state Fox West Coast changes are Norman Pilegard, manager, California, Berkeley, appointed temporary manager, Chimes, Oakland, replacing Darrel Cochran, re¬ signed ; Louise Andermahr, former manager, Broadway, Burlingame, as¬ signed to temporary manager, Carlos, San Carlos, to replace Jack Frazer, re¬ signed, and James McComb, assistant manager, San Mateo, San Mateo, appointed temporary manager, Broad¬ way, Burlingame. Doug Graham, manager, Orpheum, Oakland, Cal., is taking an indefinite leave of absence, with the closing of the 2,561-seat house. . . . Fox West Coast also closed the California, Berkeley, Cal. The house will be remodeled. . . . Nancy Sidenberg, secretary to Earl Long, Paramount, married Robert Palmer, for¬ mer United-Paramount Theatres pub¬ licist. . . . Ken Burke is no longer booking for Columbia. . . . Jack Foster resigned as shipper at Columbia. . . . Max Bercutt, Warners, is on a delayed honeymoon until May 12. . . . Inspec¬ tress Mary Hall, after six years with WB, is retiring. ... Ill were Mrs. Mary Pischoff, wife of Darrell Pischoff, theatre sign artist, and Mrs. Phillip Booker, wife of Colonel Booker, treas¬ urer, Paramount. Seattle Will J. Conner, executive vice-presi¬ dent, Hamrick Theatres, inaugurated a new operating setup for the theatres under which the managers will care for the advertising for their respective houses. Marvin Fox, former manager, Orpheum, has gone to Portland as city manager as well as manager, Liberty. Willard Coghlan, head of advertising and publicity, has been made manager, Orpheum, and assistant to Herbert Sobottka, Hamrick general manager. Dan Redden resigned to become general manager for the Lathrop theatres, Alaska. Cass Smith, former Music Box manager in Tacoma, Wash., has become manager, Music Hall, here. Will Hudson has been moved from Enumclaw, Wash., to become manager, Music Box, Tacoma, with advertising supervision over all the Tacoma houses. Keith Beckwith sold his North Bend, Wash., and Issaquah, Wash., theatres to D. R. Rarey, a former projectionist at Fort Lewis, Tacoma, Wash. Beckwith will continue to buy and book for the theatres, and will also buy and book for the Rialto, Spokane, Wash.; the Dishman, Dishman, Wash., and the Motor-in, Millwood, Spokane. Mrs. Mabel Yates started the con¬ struction of a new drive-in at Astoria, Ore. Its capacity will be 500 cars. . . . Ed Johnson is contemplating the con¬ struction of a new drive-in near Spokane, Wash. . . . Harry and Celia Blatt left by motor for Las Vegas, Nev., to attend the Variety Clubs International meeting. They were accompanied by his mother, Mrs. Jennie Blatt. ... Ed Cruea, Mono¬ gram branch manager, returned from a trip. . . . Vic Gauntlett, director of advertising and publicity, Evergreen Theatx-es, was ordered home for a rest. . . . Jack Dudman, Coliseum manager, was pinchhitting for him. . . . Paul McElhinney, Republic branch manager, returned from a conference with Junior Mercy in Yakima, Wash. Exhibitors on The Row included: Harry Wall, Lewiston, Idaho; Max and Melba Hadfield, Colville, Wash., and Chewelah, Wash.; C. J. Barney, Arling¬ ton, Wash.; Peter Barnes, Chelan, Wash., and Joe Rosenfield, Spokane, Wash. J. T. Sheffield, head, Sheffield Ex¬ change System, has filed suit against Eagle Lion Films, Inc., and Pathe Industries, Inc., for alleged non-pay¬ ment of rent on a building in Portland, Ore. Sheffield alleges that the EagleLion-Pathe lease on the building extends to June 30, 1958, at $450 monthly, and rentals accruing since last Aug. 31 are now delinquent. The building was con¬ structed by Sheffield as a distributing center for Eagle Lion Films, Inc., on a 10-year lease guaranteed by the parent company, Pathe Industries, Inc. Follow¬ ing the sale by Pathe of the Eagle Lion assets in 1951, Sheffield claims the rent payments were stopped, although the lessee continues to retain possession of the building, and collect rent from a sub-tenant. Ray Edgar MacDonald, 71, former local resident, died at his home in Anchorage, Alaska. MacDonald was the owner of the first movie theatre and radio station in Anchorage, where he lived for the past 50 years. May 7, 1952