The Exhibitor (1950)

NT-2 EXHIBITOR account of illness wore Elaine Minvielle, secretary to Tom Neely, National Thea¬ tre Supply, and Yvonne Blanchard, steno, 20th Fox. Jenner’s Midway Drive-In, Lake Char¬ les, La., opened. . . . William Holliday, manager. Paramount, spent Christmas with his family in Atlanta. He returned accompanied by his family. 20th Century-Pox — G. S. Kennedy, salesman was vacationing. . . . Mrs. Helen Carson, took over the recently vacated cashier’s clerk desk. . . . Yvonne Blanchard was ill with measles. Mrs. B. W. Stevens is temporarily in Joy’s Booking Service. . . . J. C. Langlois. New Roads, La., was in. . . . Charles Stuarts will do the buying and booking for the Warrington Drive-In, Warring¬ ton, Fla. Slidell Theatre Corporation assumed operations of the Tudor and Globe. John Richards, son of E. V., is general man¬ ager. Buying and booking will be han¬ dled by Theatre Service Corporation. Drive-Ins closed for the winter are the Drive-In, Shreveport, La., and the Airport Drive-In, Greenwood, Miss., both under supervision of Joy Theatres, Inc. Martin Circuit closed the Palms DriveIn, Atmore, Ala. . . . H. A. Sibley’s Sibley, Gibsland, La., closed. . . . W. R. “Pic” Mosely, Picayune, Miss., made the rounds. . . . Billy Bagley, “hello” girl at Joy Theatres spent the holidays in Fort Smith, Ark., to be closer to her “sweety pie,” stationed at nearby Camp Chaffee. Orchids go to Connie Aufdemonte, sec¬ retary to W. A. Hodges, and Joyce Lau¬ rence, secretary to Harold Shambach, Joy Theatres, Inc., enjoying the holiday spirits despite the fact that both wei’e victims of robbery. Mrs. Aufdemonte’s purse, besides money, contained valu¬ able papers taken from her desk during the lunch period when everyone was away from the office, and she was getting ready to leave. Miss Laurence was robbed of valuable gift packages in a Canal Street store. Joy Houck was head over heels with business activities before Christmas and after his return from a flying trip to Charlotte, where he conferred with Francis White, his partner in produc¬ tions. He then flew to Shreveport, La., to spend Christmas Day at home with his wife and children. H. D. Epting, air-conditioning expert, visited National Theati-e Supply. . . . The new Ogden, Baton Rouge, La., under construction for the Gordon Corporation, will be readied by March 1. Among the theatre owners who helped to make Christmas a happy one for needy families was the Brunet family. Imperial. Rene J., Jr., said that the people responded heartily to their food matinee. The food was turned over to the St. Vincent de Paul Society to fill hundreds of baskets. The Salles family, Covington, La., owner. Star and Ma¬ jestic, with the annual “red beans and rice” matinee, also glanddened the day for many in St. Tammany parish. Frank Ruffine turned over his Gaiety to State Senator Dudley J. Leblanc, who was host at a party to a huge crowd. Each child received a gift, and the one who brought in the most Madacol boxtops received a special gift. Harold “Babe” Cohen announceu that he and the many others who kept using the Screen Guild title have dropped it. Hereafter the exchange title is Lippert Pictures. The Garden will be reseated. Paul Shalcross, American Desk and Chair Company, sold the equipment. N. L. Carter, president, and his official staff of Paramount Gulf Theatres were hosts to a Christmas party for their employees and to people of the industry and the press. . . . A1 Riley, RCA engi¬ neer, visited with William Murphy, Southeastern Theatre Equipment. . . . Charles Lamantia, who recently severed his connections with National Screen Service to assume operations of the Loit, Lafayette, La., was in. The girls and boys of Republic’s ser¬ vice department; G. R. Moody, Meridian Drive-In; and Mabel Curole, National Screen Service, joined the band wagon of Exhibitor readers. Milton Cohen, Eagle Lion Classics, met with manager George Pabst, salesman Mailho and Wright, manager Bill Lewis, Memphis, and southern district manager Jake Lutzer, to whip up the current drive. Exhibitors visiting were; Lee Mary, Tiptop, Carrencre, La.; Ernest Drake, Ponchatoula, La.; Walter Moore, Liberty, Walnut Grove, Miss.; Mr. and Mrs. Hop Bruno, St. Joseph, La.; Frank Olah, Albany, La.; J. A. Parker, Marrere, La.; Rene Brunet, Imperial, Paul Brunet, Dixie; G. R. Moody, Meridian Drive-In, Meridian, Miss.; E. W. Clinton, Monticello. Miss., and Mrs. Petrey, Starlite Drive-In, Laurel, Miss. Bill Simmons, former salesman. West¬ ern Adventure Productions and Inter¬ national Pictures, Charlotte, and now with Hodges Theatre Supply, alternates with Joe Faia as counter and road salesman. Ernest V. Landaiche, Realart’s fran¬ chise holder, announced that Paul Shallcross has been appointed branch man¬ ager, Realart. N. L. Carter, Paramount Richards Theatres, has been named TOA co-chair¬ man for “Brotherhood Week.” Florida Miami A holiday theft victim was the Em¬ bassy, which lost $845 in silver to a looter. . . . Bob Daugherty, Olympia, was once more host to stage shows. . . . The Beach had a combination celebration when it had a 10th anniversary, ami Carl Jamroga accepted the congrats. The presentation of Exhibitor’s award for best designed new theatres to Wometco’s Miracle, Coral Gables, Fla., drew mention and photo coverage in The Riv¬ iera Times, The Miami Herald, and The Miami Daily News. Coral Gables’ Mayor K. Keith Phillips made the presentation to managing director Franklin Maury at the theatre’s second anniversary celebra¬ tion. Louisiana Shreveport Robbery of the Venus was solved in the arrest of a young Shreveport couple, as they attempted a third robbery. Be¬ fore attempting to rob the Royal Liquor Company store, the pair entered the Venus a second time within a week, but secured only a flashlight, according to Police Chief E. G. Hubkabay. North Carolina Greensboro W. J. Evans, manager. National, for the past 15 months, has been promoted to city manager, Granada and State, Bluefield, W. Va., and has been succeeded at the National by Carl Dobbins, man¬ ager, Center, since it was opened in August, 1949. James C. Shepard, assis¬ tant manager. Center, for the past sev¬ eral months, and formerly connected with the Carolina, has been named to succeed Dobbins. Evans formerly was connected with theatres in Durham, N. C., and Wilmington, N. C. Dobbins was artist, Carolina, from 1936 to 1943, and was house manager, Carolina, for three years, i J. C. Manager, manager. State, has been named manager, Burlington, N. C., Drive-In, U. S. Highway 70. I Durham Noble Arnold, for the past 19 years city manager for North Carolina Thea¬ tres, Inc., which operates the Center and Rialto, and until recently the Caro¬ lina, has been transferred to Atlanta to assume management of the Fox, Para¬ mount, and Roxy, which have just been purchased by the Wilby-Kincey Service Corporation, of which North Carolina Theatres is a subsidiary. He will have personal direction of the Fox, a 5,000seat house. A native of Georgia and a graduate of Mercer University at Mason, Ga., Arnold first came here on Jan. 1, 1932. He is being succeeded at Durham by Charles H. Lewis, who for 10 years was manager, Carolina, until it was sold by North Carolina Theatres, and he left last August to become manager of the firm’s houses in Danville, Va. Mount Holly The Gaston and Holly, in cooperation with merchants and grocers, staged the annual Christmas parties. January H, 1951