The Exhibitor (1951)

NT-4 EXHIBITOR invitation in the Colonial to see, “The Big Truth,” as a preliminary to the opening of Lebanon’s 1952 campaign for “The Crusade for Freedom.” All area theatres were cooperating. Mt. Penn Attorney John V. Boland, represent¬ ing the Mt. Penn Fire Company, owner of the building housing the Majestic, asked the Berks County Commissioners Board for a reduction in the $10,000 assessment placed on the theatre portion of the building this year. The theatre had previously been on the exempt list. Boland said the $10,000 rating on the theatre section was excessive, in com¬ parison with the tax rating placed on other nearby realty properties. No action was announced by the commissioners at the time of the hearing. Plains The Plains, owned and operated by Engel Theatres, signed a contract for new Motiograph A A projectors, Mirrophonic Sound System, Ashcraft lamps, etc., through Vincent M. Tate Theatre Equipment, Forty-Fort. Installation will be made in about 30 days. Reading Dr. Harry J. Schad, owner, AstorStrand, completed arrangements with a large committee of Rajah Temple Mystic Shriners and sports groups for the first annual Shrine Football Game in the r new Reading Stadium on Nov. 24, to raise funds for the Shriners’ Hospitals for Crippled Children. Doctor Schad is chairman of the committee, as well as chairman. Rajah Temple’s standing com¬ mittee on hospital funds. . . . Harry Friedland, lessee-manager. Majestic, Mt. Penn., Pa., will again follow his custom this Christmas season of making the theatre available for a community Christmas party for children, under the auspices of the Mt. Penn Civic Association. William C. Hunt, third from left, accepts an EXHIBITOR-THEATER CATALOG Merit Award plaque from Mayor Samuel Eldredge, Cape May, N. J., honoring his Beach, Cape May, as one of the best theatres completed during 1950. Witness¬ ing the recent ceremonies are Kenneth Love, Reach manager; Halsey Love, father of the manager and an employee of Hunt’s Theatres for almost 50 years; M rs. Kendall Ewer, and Harry Witte, contractor who built the theatre. When Horace McMahon, second from left, starring in Paramount’s “Detective Story,” visited EXHIBITOR recently while on a Philadelphia publicity trek, he posed with, left to right, Herbert M. Miller, EXHIBITOR editor; Jay Eman¬ uel, EXHIBITOR publisher; Edward Emanuel, veteran industryite, and Mike Weiss, Paramount field publicity man. Area theatres were facing a double handicap: the bus strike that seriously ci’ippled local passenger transportation in the city and county, starting on Nov. 2, was still in progress, and the serious slump in the hosiery industry in Reading, as well as in other hosiery producing cities in Pennsylvania and several other states, seriously limiting the boxoffice dollars of hosiery workers. Virginia Newport News The U-I company for “The Red Ball Express” finished shooting at Fort Eustis, Va., and pulled out for Holly¬ wood. . . . Francis Finch, Village mana¬ ger, went back to work part time. Ray Vossler is still filling in at night. . . . A. D. Brooks, U-I chief sound engineer was in. . . . Bill Jasper, owner, Dixie, was in Washington spending the holidays with his wife. . . . The James and Village have new screens. . . . Local 264 held its regular monthly meeting. . . . William Saunders, James, returned to work after illness. . . . Julian Gordon, booker, Gordon Interprises, was in Wash¬ ington. . . . The Paramount and Dixie are cooperating on a free kid show. . . . Lou Taylor, Altec sound engineer, became ill while on calls, and was treated at Dixie Hospital. . . . An auto ran into the front of the Palace doing $200 worth of damage. . . . Dave Garvin, Jr., Para¬ mount manager, had an effective front on “Across The Wide Missouri.” . . . Sidney Bowden and Charlie Suppler, Wilder Circuit, were over. . . . Johnnie Bate¬ man, Warwick manager, was in. Richmond Sam Northington, manager. Century, Petersbui’g, and his wife drove over to see “Kiss Me Kate.” . . . Jerry Murphy and Norman Jackter, film salesmen, were seen in the vicinity of the Capitol during “Tales of Hoffmann.” . . . Howard Pearl, United Artists exploiteer, was here working on “Hotel Sahara” for the National, and “Oliver Twist” for the WRVA Theatre. . . . The Westover was the scene of four churches’ Thanksgiving Day services. Sponsoring were the Church of the Good Shepherd, Forest Hill r/tJlDf SCREENINGS Philadelphia Warners — (230 N. 13th) Nov. 28, 2.30, “Distant Drums” (Gary Cooper, Mari Aldon, Ray Teal) (Technicolor). Dec. 12, 2.30, “I’ll See You In My Dreams” (Doris Day, Patrice Wynmore, Danny Thomas, Frank Lovejoy). Presbyterian, Westover Baptist, and Westover Hills Methodist Churches. Bob Coulter, Byrd manager, went to Charlottesville, for the Virginia-William and Mary game, and George Stitzer, his assistant, witnessed the Redskins game in Washington. . . . Charles Green, husband of Joyce Green, NT home office, was called into the army and assigned to Fort Jackson, S. C. . . . Dave Kamsky and Pete Trent, NT officials, visited Arlington. . . . Charlie Hulbert, the horticulturist manager. Colonial, won two blue ribbons at a recent chrysan¬ themum show. Denise Darcel, star of MGM’s “West¬ ward the Women,” made personal appearances at Loew’s. . . . Sam Pulliam, Grand manager, is using a loundspeaker to inveigle the customers into his Satur¬ day midnight show. . . . Bud Tyler succeeded Rod Leake on the Westhampton staff. . . . Abner Long, Westhampton, was on vacation during Thanksgiving week, and took his family on a visit to North Carolina, after first doing some painting around the house. . . . John Zenner, manager, Westhampton, took his family on a short visit to his home in Albany, driving his father-in-law’s new car. . . . A. O. Budina, NT architect, has been appointed to the City Planning Commission to fill out the term of chairman Thomas L. Cockrell, resigned. Mr. and Mrs. Peter Lichtman cele¬ brated their 40th wedding anniversary on Nov. 19. Congratulations to both and here’s hoping to meet them again at Miami Beach, Fla., next spring. He is an official of District Theatres. Mrs. Bernice Alley and Mrs. Addie Boyd, State and Colonial, joined the Gray Mothers, and start serving at the Medical College several hours weekly. . . . Mercer Stillman, Berio representa¬ tive, rushed back from a Philadelphia visit, and dashed down to North Caro¬ lina for his mother’s 75th birthday party, which also served as a family reunion. . . . George Peters, Loew’s manager, has been sick. — S. T. Variety Club Tent 13, Philadelphia The board of directors tendered a luncheon in honor of StanleyWarner’s Everett Callow, returning to the Marine Corps. A major in the reserves. Callow goes to Tokyo as a public information officer. Among Variety members present were Victor Blanc, Leo Posel, Jack Greenberg, Norman Silverman, Edward Emanuel, Ralph Preis, Oscar Neufeld, Harry Romaine, and Dave Supowitz. Max Slepin, a guest, served under Callow in the last war. November 28, 1951