The Independent Film Journal (1952)

, NEW ORLEANS (cont'd.) The Mitchell Drive-In, Hammond, La., scheduled its opening for March 1, and the new Twin Drive-In, Lake Charles, La., is re¬ ported to be almost ready for opening. . . . Both Clarence Thomassie, owner of the Gay Theatre, Harvey, La., and his brother Ed, owner of the Royal, Marrero, La., are out of the hospital and reported to be doing nicely. . . . L. C. Montgomery, Briwa and MacKenna of the Joy Theatre have gone into the contracting business under name of Tra-Mont Bldg. Co. . . . New Charter was given for the Rose Theatre, Inc., Opelousas, amusement, $30,000. NEW YORK Westway Operating Co. seeks $1,500,000 in trebled damages in an anti-trust suit against 20th-Fox and Skouras Theatres, alleging that when Westway took over the Symphony from Skouras in 1943 they were denied the same product Skouras received, and that 20th-Fox refused to allow the Symphony to bid against Skouras’ Riverside Theatre. ... A $1,000,000 suit each was brought by lATSE Operators Local 306 against RKO Service Corp., Marcus Loew Booking Agency and Radio City Music Hall Corp., charging defendants with breach of contract with the union. In a continuing etfort to bring top-calibre live attractions to its N. Y. and N. J. motion picture houses, Walter Reade has booked the Ballet Theatre for a single performance on April 17 at its Majestic in Perth Amboy, N. J., and the Lauritz Melchior show March 27, 28 and 29 respectively at the St. James in Asbury Park, Community in Morristown and Oxford in Plainfield, N. J. . . . Refresheries in the Reade theatres playing ‘‘Peter Pan” during the Easter holidays will put in special displays of Peter Pan merchandise. . . . Filmack Trailer Co., lo¬ cated on the ninth floor of the Film Center Bldg., extends an invitation to all exhibitors to come in and watch how trailers are made up, from the raw copy to the finished prod¬ uct. . . . The Empire Theatre in Brooklyn, owned and operated by Brandt Theatre in¬ terests for the past 20 years, has been sold for conversion into a supermarket. OKLAHOMA CtTY Morris Loewenstein, chairman of the Oklahoma COMPO Committee, in a recent letter to exhibitors, urged tliem to write their Senators regarding the Mason Bill, H.R. 157, and asked that they use the word “exemption” instead of “repeal.” . . . The¬ atre Owners of Okla. Assn, set May 11-12 for its annual convention. Plans include an expanded style show for the ladies and a banquet and dinner the night of May 12. . . . Part of the celebration of Okla. Pub¬ lishing Co.’s 50th anniversary included the first screening west of the Mississippi of “Hans Christian Andersen.” Some 1,950 employees and their families attended. . . . R. Lewis Barton, head of the Barton chain, recently returned from a Chamber of Com¬ merce tour of expressways and industrial developments in Texas. John Hall, mgr. of the Harber Theatre, reports an increase of 160% in attendance during the 9-day showing of 3-D short sub¬ jects. . . . The 60 employees of the Midwest, Warner and Sooner theatres were told that their job status would not be affected by formation of a new national theatre chain, the Stanley Warner Corp., which will oper¬ ate houses formerly owned by Warner Bros. PHILADELPHIA For the third consecutive year, churches in Trenton, N. J. will hold Easter Dawn Services at the Lawrence Drive-In, and Mainland Churches near Atlantic City will use the Atlantic Drive-In. The Walter Reade organization, in a public relations move, is donating its drive-in facilities and assisting in promotion activities. Plans were coordinated by Paul Peterson, drive-in su¬ pervisor. . . . Reade ’s 850-car Atlantic Drive-In, for the first time in its seasonal opening campaign, will take a series of spots on WFPG-TV in Atlantic City, start¬ ing six days prior to opening on April 4. As a yardstick, free passes will be offered to any listener writing to the TV station. Plans for the 11th Annual Welfare Drive of M. P. Associates of Phila. were announced by pres. John Turner, UA branch mgr., to culminate April 13 with a dinner at the Bellevue Stratford honoring the bookers in local exchanges. Metro’s v.p. Wm. F. Rodgers will be principal speaker. Lester Wurtele, Columbia branch mgr., is chairman of the drive. Purpose of the fund is to care for the needy in its own group and lend a helping hand to others in the industry. Winners in the INDEPENDENT FILM JOURNAL'S Exhibitorating Poll pose with their awards. L to R: Hal Wallis, voted Top Money Producer by exhibitors across the nation, and Robert L. Lippert, accepting Editors Award for his showmanship in connection with the motion picture, "Valley of the Eagles," from Hollywood editor Richard Bernstein. Paudro S. Berman, producer of M-G-M's "Battle Circus," receives a special citation from the U. S. Army, rarely given to a civilian, from Congres¬ sional Medal of Honor Winners, Major Raymond Harvey and Master Sgt. Ernest Kouma, and Army Nurse, Lt. Mary Couch, all Korean veterans. Colorful ceremony took place at the Egyptian Theatre, Hollywood, during showing of the film, which centers around the Mobile Army Surgical Hospitals in Korea. PHTSBURGH Richard P. Morgan, exec. secy, of AMPTO of W. Pa., was appointed gen. chairman of the annual convention, to be held at the William Penn Hotel May 4-5, and Fred .J. Harrington was appointed honorary chair¬ man. Morgan has appointed an advisory and planning committee composed of Ted Manos, Bill Finkel, Norman Mervis and Bud Rosenberg. The two-day business sessions will include screening of a 3-D film and conclude with a banciuet. . . . Next in a series of regional “ Showmandizer” meet¬ ings, arranged by Morgan, will be held in Erie on March 24; New Castle, March 25, and Uniontown, March 31. Film, “Bob and Sally,” made with the cooperation of U. S. Dept, of Health and approved by social agencies, will be shown to segregated audiences at the Regent, Strand, Hollywood and Kenyon, Pitts., and the McKeesport Memorial. Roger T. Miles of Social Guidance Ents. will talk. . . . John H. Harris will return from his California trip in time to receive the LaSalle College Alumni Assn’s Signum Fedei Medal on April 12 for his part in founding Variety Clubs. . . . Warner Theatre expects to have one of the first public showings of the 3-D film, “House of Wax,” in April. . . . Bennett Amdur has signed up for the RCA 3-D kit for his Garden Theatre. . . . Double feature, “Problem Girls” and “One Girl’s Confes¬ sion,” showing at 15 local theatres, with Cleo Moore covering the town making personal appearances, going over big. The AMPTO board held a special meet¬ ing to hear a report from Charles R. Blatt, Legislative Committee chairman, on the cur¬ rent campaign to exempt theatres from the Enabling Act, under which many municipal¬ ities and school districts impose upon them an additional admission tax of from 5 to 10%. Blatt emphasized that there must be no letdown in this campaign, nor in the COMPO fight to eliminate the 20% Federal tax. PROVIDENCE The Carlton recently celebrated “John Wayne Week” by featuring the money¬ earning star in two reissues, “Iwo Jima” and “Wake of the Red Witch.” . . . Most of THE INDEPENDENT FILM JOURNAL— March 21. 1953 25