The Independent Film Journal (1952)

LOS ANGELES (cont'd.) . . . Dale Clark, Manley Pop-Corn salesman, became the fatlier of a boy. . , . The Film R-ow Club has formulated plans for a June dance, to be held at the Hollywood Palladium. After operating for many years as an art house, the Lurel, owned by Herbert Rosener, closed its doors. Theatre will be converted into a synagogue. . . . Jessie Pierce, Warner booker who retired in 1951 due to ill health, passed away. . . . The Victoria Theatre, L. A., closed recently for a face-lifting, had a fire which was confined to the stage only. . . . Vic Rosen resigned as mgr. of the Piefair to take up similar duties at the Warner Hollywood when it reopens for Cinerama. . . . Gail Parker, formerly with the Roy Dickson office, has joined the Para¬ mount booking staff. . . . Charles Skouras, National Theatres’ prexy, is recuperating from a heart-attack. MEMPHIS A 1949 Tenn. law, authorizing cities and counties to levy a 20% tax on admissions to theatres and other places of amusement, would be repealed under bill introduced in the State Legislature by Sen. Charles M. Everhart of Kingsport and Rep. Richard T. Moore of Newbern. . . . Jimmy Rogers, for¬ mer branch mgr. for Columbia, is reported imi^roving at the Kennedy Veterans Hos¬ pital. . . . Recent seasonal openings in Ark. include H. M. Howard’s 70 Drive-In, Hot Springs; The Starlite, Gassville; Skylark, Newport; P. W. Dupree, Jr.’s Jaxen, Jack¬ sonville; in Tenn., Broadway Drive-In, Dick¬ son ; R. W . Lee’s Hohenwald, Hohenwald ; Nathan Flexer’s Lake, Waverly, and the BelAire, Centerville; in Miss., Mo-Jae MotorIn Movie, Indianola. . . . Cliff Walker and Fred Meyer have opened offices at 361 S. Second St. as distributors for Lippert and Realart releases. . . . Theodore Zahbel, Uni¬ versal auditor, suffered a stroke while work¬ ing in Memphis and is in Baptist hospital. MILWAUKEE The AITO is following through on a bill introduced in the State Assembly, which would prohibit construction of outdoor thea¬ tres within one-half mile of county and state highways, which, of course, they oppose. . . . Branch mgrs. and their wives were guests of Milwaukee Lodge No. 4 of the Colosseum of M.P. Salesmen on the occasion of its an¬ nual installation of new officers, which in¬ cluded L. J. Seidelman, Republic, as pres.; Morton Kramer, Columbia, v.p.; George Edgerton, Fox, secy.-treas. ; Wm. Schwartz, U-I., sgt.-at-arms, and RKO’s Robert Baker and M. Anderson as trustees. . . . Robert Peek, who was at the Towne in an advisory capacity, returned to the Paj)as and Spheeris two drive-ins at Kenosha and Racine. ... St. Cloud’s Tower Theatre sold tickets in ad¬ vance for its ‘‘Friday the 13th Show” at mid¬ night. All who stayed to the end received a pass to a future show. . . . Jack Levin of Jack Levin Associates, N. Y. C., will be a guest speaker at the March 24-26 Allied of Wisconsin convention. Marlin Hanson, mgr. of the Park, V aukesha, will not run “Limelight” due to protests from the local Disabled American Veterans. .Film was shown at the Warner I heatre despite an American Legion request that it be* delayed until the Justice Dept. completes its investigation of Chaplin. A1 Kvool, zone mgr. for Warner, told the Milwaukee County Council of the Legion that the theatre had to fulfill its contract commitments, adding that Cliai^lin had not been convicted of anything and that there was no objection to the picture itself. . . . Theatre Service’s Colonial Theatre had some cash stolen from a box in a metal locker, which was broken into. No sign of enti-y through the theatre’s outside doors was noticed. . . . Senator Wiley (Rep., Wis.) assured the Mayor’s advisory council that he would do all possible to increase the num¬ ber of commercial TV stations serving Mil¬ waukee. MINNEAPOLIS Tom Lees has leased the Lake, Lake Mills, Wis., to Win. A. Bralick. . . . The nabe Agate has been shuttered. . . . Dahlstrom & Wein¬ berger remodeled and redecorated the King, Belle Plaine, la. . . . Wilbur Snaper and Abram Myers, pres, and gen. comisel of National Allied, have been invited to ad¬ dress the annual convention of North Central Allied, set for the Nicollet May 4-5. A semi¬ nar on 3-D films will also be a highlight of the meeting. . . . Hayden Owen is new mgr. of the Rivoli, LaCrosse, Wis. . . . Lyle Cai-rish, Wayzata, Minn, theatre operator, plans to open his new 500-car ozoner at Hibbing, Minn, as soon as weather peianits. . . . Work is going ahead on the 400-car drive-in being erected at Harvey, N. D. by A1 and George Backes, who also operate the con¬ ventional State at Harvey. . . . Mr. and Mrs. Dean Schied, owners of the State, Mountain Lake, Minn., are the parents of a baby girl, named Jan Maree. A bill of legalize Sunday motion picture shows, ball games, operas and other forms of amusement where an admission is charged, was killed in the S. Dak. senate. . . . Yvette Dugay, star of “Hiawatha,” will be in St. Cloud, Minn. May 7-8, in a tieup with the local Gamble Store. . . . Ray Hanson, mgr., has installed a new maskless screen in the Fox, Fertile, Minn. . . . Jerry Green closed the Lyric, Atwater, Minn. . . . Robert Freer is new mgr. of the Arrow, Cherokee, la., re¬ placing Don Barnes, who has entered mili¬ tary service. . . . Saturday morning shows for youngsters have been resumed at the Shakopee, Shakopee, Minn., by Harold Case. . . . Marvin Mann, owner of the nabe Royal, St. Paul, and Bob Hazelton, gen, mgr, of ttMHMRPnaBHHBBaHliiaiflBnHBnHi the Ted Mann circuit, are passing out cigars to celebrate the arrival of daughters. NEW HAVEN The Pike Drive-In, Newington, first ozoner in the state to open the season, started with < a Thursday thru Sunday policy. Gen. mgr. ; Paul W. Amadeo plans to go on full time shortly. . . . Manchester Drive-In Theatre Corp. has been incorporated, with Bernard Menschell as pres., to operate ozoner now under construction in Manchester. . . . An electronic answering service, first of its kind in Conn., has been installed at the SampsonSpodeck Fine Arts Theatre, Westport, en¬ abling callers to I’eeeive the theatre’s pro¬ gram automatically. . . . Sam Cornish, partner-mgT. of Niantic Theatre Corp., Niantic, is noting his 41st year in the industry. • . • ^ Harry Post, owner of the Astor, E. Hart¬ ford, has been named a board member of the E. Hartford Chamber of Commerce. . . . D. 0. Coleman, 85, founder of the Colonial Theatre, Southington, passed away. A new Haven Superior Court mling will enable the Bowl Drive-In at West Haven, completed last year but unable to open be¬ cause of court action, to start operations in the spring. Seymour B. Levine heads the Bowl Drive-In Theatre Corp. . . . Carroll J. Lawler, formerly with Jamestown Amuse. Co., N. Y., as head booker, has been ap¬ pointed gen. mgr. of Hartford Theatre Cir¬ cuit, succeeding the late Gus Schaefer. . . . George E. Sawyer, mgr. of the Victory, New London, resigned to join the Schine Circuit in Toledo, 0. in a managerial capacity. . . . Wendall “Jed” Prouty has been named mgr. of Morris Pouzzner’s Victory Theatre, New London. NEW ORLEANS Plans are well under way for the Missis¬ sippi Theatre Owners annual convention, to be held at the Edgewater Gulf Hotel, Edgewater Park, Miss., June 28-30, according to announcement by Pres. A. L. Royal of the Ritz Theatre, Meridan, Miss. Royal has just retnrned from a trip to N. Y. to get first¬ hand information on 3-D. . . . Robert L. Long sold his interest in the Rebel DriveIn at Baton Rouge, La. to Leonard Allen. . . . The Gem Theatre, Abbeville, La., was closed for good. . . . The Green Drive-In, Gretna, La., owned by Mr. Street, will open April 1 with a 250-car capacity. Herbert J. Yates, president of Republic Pictures, congratulates Reginald Armour (second from right) on his new appointment at the first International Sales Conference of Republic International at the Savoy Hotel, London. Watching are C. Bruce Newbery (left) and Richard W. Altschuler. 24 THE INDEPENDENT FILM JOURNAL— March 21. 1953