The Exhibitor (1953)

EXHIBITOR NT-1 ffKWS OF THE BRANCHES Atlanta Mrs. Evelyn Jarrett, biller, Monogram Southern Exchanges, resigned. A double shower was held at Mary Cloud’s home for 20th-Fox employes. Patsy Barber will soon become a mother, and Margaret Phillips will be married in June. . . . United Artists held the annual weiner roast at North Fulton Park. UA Notes — Raymond Tanner, formerly with Benton Brothers, was home on leave from the army. . . . Mary Elkin resigned. . . . George Pabst, district manager, was in. Branch managers and Arthur C. Brom¬ berg, president, Monogram Southern Exchanges, will attend the meeting of Allied Artists in Miami, Fla. . . . Ben Jordan and Jimmy Campbell, sales rep¬ resentative, Monogram, were in for a sales meeting. . . . J. E. McLeory, Mono¬ gram’s Charlotte sales representative, was in for a visit with his family. . . . Oscar Howell, president, Capital City Theatre Supply Company, was back after a business trip from the city. . . . Bailey Theatres are trying out 3-D in some of their theatres. Bill Hobbs, formerly in Atlanta as a projectionist, but recently in Jackson¬ ville, Fla., was killed there by a train on May 7. . . . “Sangaree,” Paramount’s first 3-D picture, will have its world premiere in Savannah, Ga., on May 27. Openings in Atlanta and one or more Southern cities will follow immediately, and precede the New York introduction of the picture. Judson Moses, recently promoted to southern press representative, MGM was back in Atlanta after a business trip to New York. Reba Hammond, formerly with Republic, now in the Los Angeles branch, was in visiting. . . . William “Snake” Richardson, president, Astor Pictures of Georgia, checked in from Savannah, Ga. . . . Leonard Burch, United World Films, was back from a business trip from the city, and Ed Stevens, president, Stevens Pictures was also back. In for a visit were: J. S. Carscallen, Skyway Drive-In, Tampa, Fla.; Hugh Martin, Martin Theatres in Florida; O. C. Lam, Jr., Lam Amusement Company, Rome, Ga.; Jack Barrett, Monogram’s sales representative for Florida; P. L. Taylor, Dixie, Columbus, Ga.; Tommy Thompson, Martin and Thompson Thea¬ tres; the Martin boys, Martin Theatres, Columbus, Ga.; W. Welch, Dallas, Dallas, Ga.; Ed Duncan, theatres in Georgia; Paul Hahn, “Grantland Rice Sportlight’s” star, is currently available for stage per¬ formances in theatres, without charge to exhibitors, in conjunction with show¬ ings of the Paramount short, “Wizard Of The Clubs,” in which he appears. The offer is confined to theatres in the east and midwest, where Hahn soon will tour to keep professional performances dates at scores of country clubs. Details of the free offer may be obtained from Oscar Morgan, Paramount short subjects sales manager, New York City. L. J. Duncan and Sidney Laird, Al-Dun Amusement Company, West Point, Ga., and Mel Brown, Drive-In, Savannah, Ga. Mr. and Mrs. Jack Barrott, he is Florida sales representative, Monogram Southern Exchanges, returned to their home in Jacksonville, Fla., after a visit here and Cartersville, Ga. . . . New owner of the Sky-Vue Drive-In, St. Petersburg, Fla., is K. T. Barfield. M. H. Huggins started work on his new 200-car drive-in at Walterboro, S. C., with opening date set for June. . . . Jim Howard let the contract for a new 500-car drive-in at Goldsboro, N. C., to open about July 3. Bill Morrison started work on his new Lake Drive-In, Tiponville, Tenn., with opening in early June. . . . Mr. and Mrs. Ben Maloy, River Breeze Drive-In, Knoxville, Tenn., installed a new Cretor Olympic popcorn machine from Wil-Kin Theatre Supply. The Belmont, Pensacola, Fla., closed. . . . Tex Maxwell, Maxwell Dry Cleaning Company, Trion, Ga., has taken over the Park, Trion, from former owner M. T. Varnell. William Rose, Jr., is the new owner, Wadley, Wadley, Ala. He renamed it the Bill. Notes From MGM — Nell Middleton’s sister was injured in the tornado which struck Warner Robins, Ga. Cordie Whitefield, Columbia, is back from a vacation in Daytona Beach, Fla. . . . Frances Shaddix, Warners, is a grandmother. A. F. Rich and W. G. Starry, Lincoln Drive-In Corporation, Tallahassee, Fla., will start work on the Lincoln Drive-In on the Lincoln Highway, with opening date set for July 1. The Palm Beach Outdoor Theatre, West Palm Beach, Fla., bought the Beach Drive-In, Riviera Beach, Fla., from Anthony F. and Phylis D’Anna. N. C. Highest Court Upholds "Blue Lows" Raleigh, N. C. — The North Carolina Supreme Court has ruled that a Sunday “blue law” ordinance adopted by a municipality and requiring film houses to close during church hours on Sunday is not discriminatory because it allows radio and TV stations to continue oper¬ ations during the same hours. Charles B. McGee, Charlotte drive-in operator, had contended that an act of the legislature empowering municipalities to regulate Sunday activities was un¬ constitutional, and that the Charlotte ordinance discriminated against the industry. However, the State Supreme Court, noting that no fee is charged for listening to the radio or watching tele¬ vision, said that “in our opinion, the operation of a motion picture theatre is an entirely different business from that of operating a radio or television station, and these operations may be placed in different classifications.” McGee, appealing from a test case con¬ viction in Charlotte, contended that the ordinance prohibiting movies between 6:30 p.m. and 9 p.m. on Sunday is un¬ constitutional because of its “unreason¬ able, unwarranted exercise of police power,” and because it is arbitrary, un¬ reasonable, discriminatory, and unlaw¬ fully deprives him of rights guaranteed by the due process clause of the U. S. Constitution, and rights under the North Carolina State Constitution. The Supreme Court, however, upheld the ordinance, pointing out at the same time that “the right of the municipality to enact and enforce ordinances relative to the observance of Sunday must be delegated, if it exists, by the legislature” because “municipal corporations have no inherent police powers and can exercise only those conferred by statute.” However, it stated that municipalities are vested with “discretion in determin¬ ing the kinds of businesses” to be in¬ cluded in Sunday closing ordinances, and that the courts will not interfere as long as the ordinances are “founded upon reasonable distinctions, and have some reasonable relation to the public peace, welfare and safety.” It said such ordinances must affect all persons “similarly situated or engaged in the same business without discrimin¬ ation,” but said that in its opinion, motion picture houses fall in a different classification than TV, and the fact that McGee operates an outdoor theatre and may be unable to exhibit more than one show Sunday, is insufficient “to sustain his contention that the ordinance de¬ prives him of his constitutional rights” under the due-process law. The court ruled that the fact that churches meet during the hours involved does not mean that the ordinance attempts to legislate in religious matters. W. B. Wahlquist is the new owner, Lea J. Maynard, Ark. . . . Carl Burton announced the opening of his Riverside Drive-In, Little Rock, Ark. Burton is the owner of the 22 Drive-In, Fort Smith, Ark. May 20, 1953 SOUTHERN