The Exhibitor (1952)

NT-6 EXHIBITOR ants, Charles Winters and Robert L. Holbrook, Marion, Ill., attorneys for Smith in the action, stated the agree¬ ment reached with the companies pro¬ vided for the payment of a “substantial” amount in cash to cover “damages” in addition to giving Smith the opportunity to bid for first-run pictures. They said that they had joined the attorneys for these film companies in obtaining the dismissal of the suit in the court on the basis of the contract covering the damages payment and the film dis¬ tribution provisions. The companies in¬ volved in the settlement agreement were : 20th-Fox, Warners, U-I, Paramount, Republic, RKO, Loew’s, Inc., and United Artists. Son Antonio Louis Santikos, Olmos, was on his annual trip to Italy and Greece. . . . Nachio Torres, manager, Alameda, left on a visit to Oregon. . . . Mr. and Mrs. Sylvan K. Barry are the proud parents of a baby daughter. Father is manager, El Capitan Drive-In. . . . The new $6,000 confection bar has been opened at the Majestic. . . . B. L. Wallace purchased the South San from Clifton Brome. Wallace also announced that he has leased the Rainbow, Castroville, Tex. . . . Henry Sorenson, Modern Theatre Equipment Company, Dallas, was in. Joe Lawler, U-I exploiteer, was in to visit amusement editors. . . . Joe Carabaza, owner-operator, Carabaza Film Exchange, Laredo, Tex., was in on a business trip. . . . Francisco Salas Porras, Azteca Film Exchange home office, Los Angeles, was in. The Fiesta Drive-In was opened at Midland, Tex., by J. Howard Hodge and Associates. Audie Adwell has been named manager. . . . Glen H. McLain heads a group of Texas businessmen who pur¬ chased the Long Theatre Circuit proper¬ ties in Cleveland, Tex. McLain will move to Cleveland. He is now circuit manager for the Long Theatres, in Bay City, Tex. . . . The Prairie Drive-In, Dumas, Tex., has been reopened for its fourth season by Powell Theatres. Billy Elder, Laurel, took off for New Orleans and a routine naval reserve cruise. . . . It’s a fourth son for George and Kathleen Kaczmar. Father is a member of the Empire staff. . . . Among the out-of-town exhibitors in to book Spanish language films were Mateo Vela, who is to open the new Iris, Alice, Tex.; W. V. Adwell, Ozana, Ozana, Tex.; John H. Flache, Alameda, Lamesa, Tex.; T. L. Harville, Star, Orange Grove, and the Rio, Alice, Tex.; Humberto Gonzales, Rex, Zapata, Tex., and Rex, San Ygnacio, Tex.; Eddie Reyna, Frels Theatre Circuit, Victoria, Tex.; Adolfo Garza, Frels Circuit, Victoria, Tex., and Matias Reyna, Reyna, Three Rivers, Tex. Thieves collected enough speakers from drive-ins over a weekend to open a theatre of their own, according to police reports. Statewide Drive-In Thea¬ tres, Inc., reported the loss of 49 speakers valued at $12 each. According to the report there were 20 taken from the Rigsby, 10 from the Loop 13, 10 from the Alamo, and four from the Mission. Eddie Joseph received approval from the Austin, Tex., City Council to con¬ struct a 500-car capacity drive-in at Austin, Tex. Joseph owns and operates three drive-ins there now. The new one is to be built in the Delwood Shopping Village, and will make the sixth one for the city. . . . The 300-car Sunset DriveIn has been opened by Jim Miller at Decatur, Tex. Miller will operate on a Friday through Monday policy. . . . Cecil Scott will be manager of the Caprock Drive-In, Slaton, Tex., accord¬ ing to an announcement made by Joe Dennis, manager, Slaton Theatres. B. R. McLendon, owner, Tri-States Theatres, with headquarters in Dallas, purchased KLEE, Houston, Tex., in association with his son, Gordon Mc¬ Lendon. The McLendons and H. R. Cullen operate the Liberty Broadcast¬ ing System, which will make its head¬ quarters in Houston soon. Karl Hoblitzell, head, Interstate Theatre Circuit, Dallas, received the National Good Citizenship award of the Sons of the American Revolution when the organization held its 62nd annual congress at Houston, Tex. . . . The Houston, Tex., Post and the Houston, Tex., Press, reduced suburban theatre rates 12 Vz per cent to 17 per cent, depending on the lineage used. The Houston Chronicle cancelled the former amusement rate for downtown and neighborhood theatres, and substituted the regular local contract rate. This represents a decrease of about 40 per cent. The advertising rate reduction was made possible through a series of con¬ ferences with a committee representing the Theatre Managers Association of Houston with the three Houston dailies. Cecelia McMahon has been named manager, Whitney, Whitney, Tex. She replaces Bob Busby. L. B. Crow, Dallas, is owner. J. D. McCain opened new Hi-Ho at Spur, Tex. McCain operates the Palace and Spur in that city. . . . The Quid Corporation has been formed at Beau¬ mont, Tex., with Jack Dahmer as presi¬ dent and Robert H. Park as secretarytreasurer. Max Wertheim is a director. The new group has leased the Spindeltop Drive-In, Beaumont, and has reopened it for exclusive Negro patronage. . . . Hugo Plath, Claude Ezell and Asso¬ ciates, with headquarters in Dallas, was in at Port Arthur, Tex., supervising arrangements for adding another ramp to the Surf Drive-In. . . . Ben Adams, Palace, Sunray, Tex., planned to open a drive-in about May 15. . . . Amos Page, Rogue, Matador, Tex., plans to open a new drive-in about June 1. “Save Copper Drippings ” San Francisco Carlton Hunt, president, Unicorn Theatres, and Mrs. Hunt were visiting. . . . Stanford Link, former manager, State, Lodi, Cal., was appointed man¬ ager, Capitol, Sacramento, Cal., replac¬ ing J. M. Hill, resigned. . . . Dale Clemmons former assistant, Crest, Vallejo, Cal., has been promoted to man¬ ager, State, Richmond, Cal., replacing Ralph Avouris, resigned. . . . At Loew’s Warfield, manager Boyd Sparrow lunched with Esther Williams, who was here to promote “Skirts Ahoy.” . . . Larry Tyler opened his new 200-car Sundown Drive-In at Los Molinos, Cal. . . . N. Bradley Fish purchased the 487-seat Clovis, Clovis, Cal., from Barney Gurnette, who retired because of ill health. . . . Stewart Klein, brother of Columbia sales manager Mel Klein, is now a booker at Columbia. . . . Bill Lanning, booker, Columbia, is talkative about his new addition, a 20-pound-sixweek-old pup. . . . Page Woodside, booker’s clerk at MGM, was on a vaca¬ tion trip. . . . Mary Belin, booker’s stenographer, U-I, resigned to take a three-month trip to Chicago. . . . James Mooney, formerly of 20th-Fox, is now booker at U-I. . . . The Paramount will be the first San Francisco house with large screen TV. . . . Warners’ theatre at Fresno, Cal., is also installing large screen TV. . . . R. B. Smith, Sierra, Chowchilla, Cal., installed a new screen, and the house has undergone complete remodeling. Western Theatrical did the work, and it is also installing a similar screen in Ken Wright’s theatre at Sacramento, Cal. . . . The Row was saddened because Mrs. Sylvia Sarber, wife of Harry Sarber, died after a long illness. . . . United Artists was host to producers Jules Levy and Arthur Gardner. . . . Dick Owen, representative of Max Youngstein, visited on behalf of “High Noon.” . . . Earl Baughman, city manager, Redwood Theatres, Klamath Falls, Cal., was in. . . . Milton Feinberg, Des Moines National Screen Service branch manager, stopped in. . . . Robert Clark, sales manager, Paramount, is looking for a new secretary. Lea Brugman resigned. . . . Murry Lafayette, field man, United Artists, was working with North Coast district manager Graham Kislingbury and publicist Anne Belfer on “The Green Glove,” and they used a “Green Glove” hunt. “Uncle Sam Needs Copper” Seattle The Y, Spokane, Wash., drive-in, accommodating 500 cars, opened. Located at the junction of Division and the New¬ port Highway, it represents an invest¬ ment of $100,000, according to Morrie G. Nimmer, president, Group Theatres, builder. The spot marks Spokane’s fourth drive-in. Walter Hoffman, Paramount exploita¬ tion in the northwest, returned from Billings, Mont., where he set the cam¬ paign for “The Greatest Show On Earth.” . . . Marjorie Smith has suc¬ ceeded Dorothy Cohen as booker-stenog¬ rapher, National Screen Supply. . . . Dave Dunkle, Paramount Eastern Washington salesman was over from Spokane, Wash. May 21, 1952