The Exhibitor (1953)

NT-4 EXHIBITOR The parents of Charlie Wolfe, publicity director and office manager, Southern Theatres, observed their 50th wedding anniversary. . . . Walter Tinney, pro¬ jectionist, Texas, was hospitalized. . . . The Rio reopened for the summer. . . . It’s a baby daughter, Molly Ellen, for Mr. and Mrs. Richard Landsman, State¬ wide Drive-In Theatres, Inc. . . . Off on an early vacation is Beulah Greene, assistant manager, State. Jewell Truex, manager, Azteca, re¬ turned from a business trip. . . . The office of Ignacio Torres, manager, Alameda, has been redecorated. . . . Don Miguel Galvan, owner, Pena, New Braunfels, Tex., was in to appear on the “Spanish Varieties” weekly TV show. Among the exhibitors in to book were Mrs. E. R. Ruenes, Ruenes, San Benito, Tex.; Mrs. E. Cuellar, Mexico, McAllen, Tex.; B. M. Silva, Mexico, Carizzo Springs, Tex.; Max Silva, Silva, Asherton, Tex.; Mr. and Mrs. Jose Navarro, National, Taylor, Tex., and Ignacio Luna, Luna, Crystal City, Tex. . . . Gordon B. Dunlap, manager, ClasaMohme, and Mrs. Dunlap are on a com¬ bined business and pleasure trip to Los Angeles. East Texas Theatres is putting the finishing touches on the new Circle Drive-In, Henderson, Tex. . . . C. C. Ham and Harry Barnhill will open their new drive-in at Quitaque, Tex. Ham and his son will also open a new drive-in at Matador, Tex., soon. . . . Harold Turner, 55, former theatre oper¬ ator, died in a Palestine, Tex., hospital. Salt Lake City True to tradition, the show went on at the Motor Vue Drive-In, Butte, Mont., one night recently despite attempts to set it on fire and a burglary. Police said an attempt of arson was made in the projection booth, and that a considerable amount had been stolen from the con¬ cessions stand. . . . The Brideway DriveIn, Butte, Mont., was robbed of $105 in cash as well as concessions’ items. San Francisco Loew’s Warfield is bringing in “Young Bess” for Memorial Day opening. . . . The Golden Gate salutes 3-D with “Sangaree” May 27. Bob Blair was expected here to assist publicist Bill Blake on publicity to consist of ex¬ ploitation by bus cards, building banners and TV spots. Blake is highlighting the campaign with an essay contest, for college and high school students, on the medical profession immediately follow¬ ing the American Revolution. “Sangaree” is booked for four weeks at the Gate. . . . Ann Webb, Warner biller, bought a new Chevrolet, and she and her husband, whom she expects back from Korea this month, will motor to her home in Tennessee. . . . Mo Dorman, office furniture dealer, has made application to become a member of the Variety Club. The Chronicle, owner of TV station KRON, invited exhibitors for a pre¬ view for the purpose of a trade deal between the theatres of the Bay Area and the newspaper. The deal includes a trailer with running time of one minute and a half, based on abstract art forms in Eastman color, with a musical background of Afro-Cuban theme. One of the unique features of this trailer is that it carries no com¬ mercial copy other than The Chronicle’s name. “It is being presented as a sort of trial balloon, the aim of which is to create a feeling of excitement on the part of the theatre audience with the hope this excitement will be carried over to the purchase of the newspaper,” according to Chronicle promotion man¬ ager J. P. Cahn. A limited number of prints are available, free of charge, for exhibitors who wish them. In addition to the regular trade agreement, ex¬ hibitors will receive in-paper promotion with individual theatre names and TV promotion over KRON every Friday when Cahn tells viewers about the film, and The Chronicle is furnishing lobby easels to theatres with a reprint of the story from the Sunday magazine section of The Chronicle and drawings of the abstract forms used in the film. When Western Theatre Owners met, in addition to reelecting Rotus Harvey president, they voted the following theatremen into office: J. Rodger Mendenhall, Boise, vice-president for Idaho; Jack Suckstorff, Sidney, vicepresident for Montana; Art Bowen, Carson City, vice-president for Nevada; Homer I. Tegtmeier, San Francisco, vice-president for Northern California; William Graeper, Portland, vice-presi¬ dent for Oregon; Burton I. Jones, La Mesa, vice-president for Southern California; Sam Gillette, Salt Lake City, vice-president for Utah, Ben Levin, treasurer, and Hannah K. Oppie, executive secretary. Trustees re¬ affirmed support of COMPO; re-affirmed WTO’s stand and support of a voluntary system of arbitration, and went on record as opposed to the Government’s 16mm. suit. The California Theatres Association, at its meeting of the Northern California Tax Campaign Committee, was addressed by Burton D. Jones and Gene Wilbur, exhibitors from Southern California, re¬ cently returned from the tax repeal hear¬ ings in Washington, D. C. Theatremen were very enthusiastic over the report that 29 out of 30 California Congress¬ men signed a petition to the Ways and Means Committee for the elimination of the tax. The film, exhibited before the W and M Committee relating to the motion picture theatres of the country, was praised by CTA directors. In addition to CTA members, Rotus Harvey, president, Western Theatre Owners and Homer Tegtmeier, vice-president, were on hand. Roy Cooper, Golden State Theatres, was chairman of the Tax Com¬ mittee Day. . . . The Film Bowling League held its banquet at the Variety Club. This brought down the curtain on the season which ended with Frank Harris, United Artists branch manager, beating out Frank Harr, UA sales man¬ ager, to become holder of high score for the men’s division. . . . Gene Newman, 20th-Fox salesman, is recuperating at home from Stanford Hospital surgery. . . . Ted Reisch, Universal manager, entered Mills Hospital, San Mateo, for surgery. ... In town were exhibitor Howard Hill, Riverdale, and Morris Salier and Robert Kronnenberg, foreign film salesmen. Seattle The Music Box has closed because of “conditions of the times,” Will J. Conner, executive vice-president, John Hamrick Theatres, Inc., announced. The Music Box art policy is being moved to the recently remodeled Blue Mouse across the street. Conner said no other use has been planned for the 850-seat Music Box, which is the third downtown thea¬ tre to close this year. The Capitol closed last fortnight and the Palomar last February. The University of Washington regents have acquired the Metropolitan, which will be razed, and the land on which it stands will be converted into a drive¬ way and new entrance to the Olympic Hotel. Negotiations for acquisition of the theatre have been under way for many months. Under the current Metro¬ politan tract lease, ownership of the theatre would not have reverted to the University until the termination of the main lease, November 1, 1954. The Fox, Spokane, Wash., ace Ever¬ green theatre of the Inland Empire, put in new equipment for 3-D pictures and opened with “House Of Wax.” Jack Engerman and Zollie M. Volchok, Northwest Releasing Corporation, con¬ cluded negotiations with Ida Lupino and Collier Young for the release of their pictures, which will be produced under the banner of Filmmakers Producing Company, for the Portland and Seattle territories. Future releases will be “Egypt By Three,” “The Bigamist,” “Monte Carlo Baby,” and other films to be announced later. The B. F. Shearer Company, theatre equipment and supplies, provided motiographic projectors, sound equipment, speakers, Ashcraft Super Hi lamps, and other equipment for the new drive-in being built by Vance Weskel, Colfax, Wash. The new Big Sky Drive-In, Pull¬ man, Wash., also owned by Weskel, will open June 1. Ed Cruea is attending the Inter¬ national Allied Artists convention at Miami, Fla., May 18-22. Jack Felix, Port¬ land branch manager, also went. . . . Gordon Wallinger, Allied Artists, is sick. Mrs. Harry Blatt, 20th-Fox booker, left with her husband for Mexico City to attend the Variety Club convention, May 18-22. . . . Convention bound were Oscar Chiniquy and Cecil Thompson, Portland. Both attended the Inland Independent Theatre Owners meet at Missoula, Mont. May 20, 1953