The Exhibitor (1953)

EXHIBITOR NT-3 by smoke, groped his way to the second floor where he awoke its tenants and helped them flee to the street. The theatre, which seated 650, was com¬ pletely destroyed. Tidwell owns the property with his brother-in-law, Robert O. Edwards. The loss is partially covered by insurance. Police stated the Are apparently started in the projection room or in the balcony. Joan Elan, Audrey Dalton and Dorothy Bromiley, stars of Paramount’s “Girls of Pleasure Island,” were in for a per¬ sonal appearance at the Harber. They were met at the airport by Miss Reggie Pappas, secretary to branch manager C. H. Weaver, who, with a police escort, saw to it that the girls arrived at their appointments on time. They also ap¬ peared on WKY television. C. L. Lance, owner, El Rancho, Ringling, Okla., underwent an operation in Temple, Okla. . . . Jerry Pickman, vicepresident and head of the publicity de¬ partment, Paramount, New York, visited the branch here. The Texhoma Exhibitors Organization, of which Glen Thompson is chairman; Harry Lawrence, Majestic, Madill, Okla., steward, and Lamont King, King, Marietta, Okla., entertainment, had their annual fishing party. Attending’ were Amos Page, Avalon, McLean, Tex.; Houston Burns, Opera House, Apache, Okla.; Aaron Burns, Royal, Henrietta, Tex.; Claude Thorp, Gem, Ryan, Okla.; Ernest and Ed Crew, Empress, Waurika, Okla.; Clint Applewhite, Liberty, Car¬ negie, Okla. ; the Collier brothers, Oaks, Hartshorne, Okla.; F. D. Cummings, Roxy, Stratford, Tex. ; Raymond Sparks, Majestic, Temple, Okla.; Joe Turner, Lawton, Lawton, Okla.; Volney Hamm, Mount Scott Drive-In, Lawton, Okla.; Bill Cleverdon, Ritz, Eldorado, Okla.; Richard Thompson, Thompson Theatres ; Jess Bowman and Mike Trisch, and Jake Watkins, National Theatre Supply, all from here. Also in attendance from the Video Theatres were Claude Motley, Charley Guthrie, Bob Clark, and Lester Gibbs. Mrs. H. T. Burns, Opera House, Apache, Okla., and children, Sue, Jan, and Tony, returned from Roswell, N. M., where they visited Mrs. Burns’ son, Jerry, who is attending a military academy. . . . Glen Thompson has just opened two new drive-ins, the Temple, Temple, Tex., and the Wagoner, Wagoner, Okla. . . . Watt Long, Lavista, Hollis, Okla., will open his new drive-in, the Hollis, May 27. . . . Hollis Boren, Palace and Ritz, Memphis, Tex., re¬ turned from a four weeks stay in Ro¬ chester, Minn., where he went through the Mayo Clinic. . . . Mike Carmichael, branch manager, Allied Artists, returned from a meeting in Kansas City, Mo. Exhibitors seen on Film Row were O. K. Kemp, Victory, Poteau, Okla.; Don Abernathy, Royal, Fairview, Okla.; B. L. Adams, Palace and Buckaroo DriveIn, Sunray, Tex.; W. F. Marshall, Pix, Wewoka, Okla.; C. H. Leonard, Leonard, Meeker, Okla., and Leonard, Wellston, Okla.; J. R. Burns, Kozy, Granite, Okla.; John Buffo, Liberty, Hartshorne, Okla.; H. N. Cole, Avon, McLoud, Okla.; E. B. Anderson, Riverside Drive-In, Norman, Okla.; M. A. Harris, Sundown Drive-In, Edmond, Okla., and Mr. and Mrs. Earl Rains, Rialto, Fort Cobb, Okla. Run the Cerebral Palsy Campaign Trailer! Omaha Personal appearance of Paul Picerni for “House Of Wax,” Omaha, was climaxed with a dinner at the Blackstone Hotel, with guests including press and radio representatives and theatre execu¬ tives from Omaha and Lincoln, Neb. Portland The new Rhododendron Drive-In, Florence, Ore., opened. M. E. Ritter, Jr., is owner. The spot will park 350 cars. The State, Salem, Ore., closed for an indefinite period. B. R. Keller, veteran theatre executive, opened the Powell Boulevard Drive-In. The new drive-in will accommodate several hundred cars, but fans who do not use automobiles will have for their ac¬ commodation “walk-in” facilities and in¬ side seats. The theatre will be equipped to show both 3-D and CinemaScope type pictures. St. Louis Leo Keiler, Columbia Amusement Company head, Paducah, Ky., returned from a Honolulu trip. In Collinsville, Ill., the Will Rogers building may be sold soon by the Sam Komm estate to Jere Class, who con¬ templates using the structure for non¬ theatrical activities. In Piedmont, Mo., Mr. and Mrs. A. B. Jefferis, who plan to open their Pine Hill Drive-In soon, celebrated the 20th anniversary of their opening of the Jefferis. In Sandoval, Ill., the Hollywood DriveIn reopened. ... In Cave-in-Rock, Ill., strong winds blew down two walls of the Ohio building, which was gutted by a fire. In McLeansboro, Ill., the new Sunset Drive-In, which had its grand opening, is the only drive-in in Hamilton County. It is owned and operated by Curtis Downen. Billy Graham, evangelist, is to appear at the Airway Drive-In, Overland, Mo., in a special program for shuts-in, hospitalized persons, and those from nursing homes in this area. . . . The film colony was pleased to learn that Mike Lee, branch manager, United Artists, had been promoted to a district manager’s post. Charles “Chick” Scheufler assumed his duties as the new office manager for Warners, succeeding William Humphries, transferred to Jacksonville. William II. Green, who was here as a special exploitation man for Columbia, is regional publicity director for Cinerama in Detroit, Mich., with head¬ quarters in the Music Hall. MGM’s “Dangerous When Wet” was screened at the S’Renco Art. A wild life film, “Bobwhite Through The Year,” made by Charles W. Schwartz, son of Dr. Frederick 0. Schwartz, Ladue, was awarded a grand medal at the international sports film festival at Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy. Andy Dietz, general manager, Co¬ operative Theatres and the Andy Dietz Enterprises, is recovering after surgery. . . . Bill Earle, Jr., and Harry Hoff, National Theatre Supply; Dick Walker, Walker-American Corporation; Ruby S’Renco Art, and his projectionist, John L. Wilson, and Tom Bloomer, Belleville, Ill., formed the St. Louis delegation that viewed the CinemaScope demonstration at the Uptown, Chicago, Ill. The Popcorn Processors at a quarterly meeting held at the Jefferson Hotel dis¬ cussed crop prospects, acreage and other factors that may affect markets during the months ahead. About 45 companies were represented. Bud Edele is the new St. Louis man¬ ager for United Artists, succeeding Mike Lee, advanced to a district managership. He had been on the company’s sales staff. He was a salesman for Warners for about 11 years and then became manager of the local Films Classics office. Upon the merger of that company with Eagle Lion, he became a salesman for Eagle Lion under Lee. He has been traveling Northern Illinois for United Artists out of St. Louis. Sanford Berns,who was office man¬ ager for Eagle Lion for four years, a former president of the Film Exchange Employees Union F-l, and branch man¬ ager at Kansas City, and presently an estimator for painting contractors, re¬ cently became father of a baby girl, Linda Judith Berns. Mrs. Berns, the former Miss Anita Goldford, was book¬ keeper for the old Joe Hornstein, Inc., theatre equipment branch. In Wellsville, Mo., John Rees is in¬ stalling a modern air-conditioning system in his Regal. It is a Chrysler Airtemp system that includes two 10-ton units. Rees has placed his order for 3-D equipment preparatory to running “Bwana Devil.” In Altamont, Ill., the Main, owned and operated by A. T. Wohlert, was re¬ opened. In Springfield, Ill., Kerasotes Thea¬ tres plan to open their new drive-ins at Rantoul, Ill., and Havana, Ill., about June 1. Inclement weather has retarded the construction program. San Antonio George M. Watson, city manager, Interstate Circuit, announced the in¬ crease of admission at the Majestic, Aztec, and Texas. Night prices have been increased from 60 cents to 80 cents. Matinee prices will remain unchanged. May 20, 1953