The Independent Film Journal (1954)

DENVER (cont'd.) Wyo. have closed the Wigwam, operated by Paul Cory, because of a polio epidemic. Salesman A1 Brandon has taken over sev¬ eral of the film franchises held by Robert Patrick and opened a Brandon Pictures ex¬ change at 2081 Broadway, with Roy Bozarth as booker. . . . Frank Monaco was promoted from asst, to head booker at Universal, suc¬ ceeding Ives Laramie, who is now salesman for the company. . . . Jack Fleming, FoxIntermountain city mgr. at Walsenburg, Colo., resigned and returned to Denver for the summer, where he will act as relief mgr. for the company. Seby Martinez was moved from Trinidad, Colo, to cover the Walsen¬ burg job temporarily. . . .Ed Doty, F-I city mgr. at Las Vegas, N.M., is recovering from an operation. . . . Births reported: Wm. Flores, Kiva, Las Vegas, N.M., girl; Jim Ricketts, Paramount branch mgr., girl; Mike Stewart, RIvO salesman, son; Frank Monaco, Universal booker, daughter. DES MOINES Mgr. Pat Bruning announced that the Legion Theatre in Glidden will be closed un¬ til Sept. 1 for remodeling. ... A new screen was installed at the Lakeland Drive-In, Spirit Lake. . . . July 30 was opening night for the new Central States drive-in west of Boone on Hyway 30, with S. N. Fangman as mgr. . . . R. H. “Bob” Spencer, Columbia, Mo. city mgr. for Consolidated Theas., trans¬ ferred to Marshalltown, where he replaces city mgr. Neal Houtz, who resigned. . . . Bob Nicholson was named acting mgr. of the Grand Theatre in Estherville, succeeding Don Loftus who resigned for a post in the adv. dept, of the Daily News. Bob Thomas, mgr. of the Orpheum in Strawberry Point, inaugurated a “Take a Chance Night” on Wednesdays. The picture is not announced and is a complete surprise to the patrons. . . . The Carson Business Club has decided to reopen the theatre in that town and show movies Wed. and Sat nights. They have leased the building and ecpiipment from Howard Brookings, former operator, and renamed it “Dreamland.” . . . Burg Thea¬ tre in Williamsburg raised admissions as fol¬ lows: Students from 26^ to 300; pre-school children from 100 to 150; adult admissions of 450 remain the same. . . . Jack Compston, Sleepy Eye, Minn., has purchased the Forest Theatre from Central States and Franklin Brown. Compston formerly operated a thea¬ tre at Sleepy Eye for 12 years. Bob Fridley and Bev Mahon, who recently purchased tiie Varsity Theatre in Des Moines, have been running a program of for¬ eign and “arty” pictures and a special Satur¬ day afternoon program of carefully selected films for children, for which the charge is 250. . . . Variety Club’s charity fund will be about $1,500 in the hole as a result of its “money making” project, the “Hole-In-One” contest. With odds against a hole-in-one about 8,750 to 1, there were three winners this year — Dr. A. J. Gillotti, Charles Amodeo, and Rudy Faulds, a partner in Des Moines Theatre Supply and Iowa United Theatre Circuit. DETROIT David Korman has registered title to the Gold Coast Theatre. . . . Harold Brown, pres, of United Detroit Theas., was named a mem¬ ber of the “Detroit Tomorrow” committee, representing downtown merchants, by Mayor Steve Broidy, president of Allied Artists, was host to Kiarti Srifuengfung, managing director of the Cathay Theatre Co., Ltd., Bangkok, Thailand, during the latter's visit in Hollywood. Shown with the film executives are Mrs. Albert Quon and her daughter, of Los Angeles. Albert E. Cobo. . . . Fred Pennell, owner of the Cozy at Decatur, has taken on another enterprise as mgr. of a new lithographing plant which he persuaded to settle in the town. . . . Pat Madnnis, public relations chief for the Cinema Theatre, took a leave of absence to spend several months in Flor¬ ida. . . . Community’s Bel-Air Drive-In was host to the combined congregation of three Lutheran churches for a special Sunday serv¬ ice. . . . Phil Schare, projectionist for the Film Exchange Studio for several years, passed away. Jack Wagner, former mgr. of the FordWyoming Drive-In, Dearborn, is now run¬ ning the 250-seat Roseland Theatre in Rose City, in addition to the Cheboygan Drive-In at Cheboygan. . . .Mgr. Norman Wheaton is starting a daily three-hour radio program from his theatre with disk jockey Eddie Chase handling the interviews over CKLW. . . . Fox Theatre started a policy of the “all day preview,” opening the new feature a day early and double billing it with the precedingweek’s attraction. . . . Albert Dezel has con¬ cluded a distribution contract with Seymour Poe to handle “Sunderin’’ in the Mich, terri¬ tory. This picture is booked second run in the Studio Theatre, Detroit. Local filmites are planning the Aug. 9 golf outing of the Film Bowling League. . . . Mrs. David M. Idzal, wife of the Fox Thea¬ tre mgr., was seriously ill in Grace Hospital. . . . Jerry Ringes, new asst. mgr. at the West Side Drive-In, operated by Philip Smith cir¬ cuit, is studying for the priesthood at Sacred Heart Seminary. . . . Bernard Samuels, supervisor of Associated Theas., is in Dea¬ coness Hospital. KANSAS CITY Bob Herrell, United Film Exchange, has been awarded the franchise for distribution of “Duel in the Sun” in this territory. . . . M. B. Presley offered Savannah, Mo. resi¬ dents a free show to celebrate his 24th anni¬ versary as owner of the Globe Theatre. . . . Walter Baldwin, new mgr. of the reopened Waverly at Waverly, Mo., will have support of the town’s merchants’ club for the first three months of operation. . . . Elmer Bills is redecorating the ElJohn Theatre at Bruns¬ wick and widening the stage. . . . L. D. Shutt bought the Oxford at Oxford, Ivans, from W. F. Hearne. . . . New mgr. at the Electric, Glasgow, Mo. is Bernie Billetea. Bob Fellers is mgr. of Midcentral’s new 550-car ozoner at Manhattan, Ivans., which is euipped for CinemaScope. . . . C. R. and Joe Gregg plan to rebuild the Gregg at Caney, Ivans, after recent fire damage, and to in¬ stall CinemaScope. . . . Poor business closed the Joe at St. Joseph, Mo. for Dickinson Ents., which also operates the King and Rialto there. . . . McCutheon Theatre in Charleston, Mo., managed by Mrs. Dick Logan, is being redecorated, carpeted and equipped for CinemaScope. . . . “Gone With the Wind” exceeded previous records of 1941 and 1947 at Loew’s Midland. Ralph Gregory is mgr. of the Glen, where he recently bought an interest. ... At Com¬ monwealth’s Ashland, Ralph Rodes is mgr. . . . Celebrating its fifth anniversary, Fort Drive-In, at Leavenworth, Ivans, offered spe¬ cial programs each night for a week. . . . Midcentral has made Francis Edwards mgr. of its theatres and ozoner in Paola and Osawatomie, Ivans. . . . The Uptown at Carrolton. Mo. is managed by James Pierson. Dickinson’s Kaw at Marion, Ivans, and Ritz at Stafford have new all-purpose screens. . . . W. D. Fulton’s Lake Park ozoner has StereoScope. . . . Durwood’s Roxy in Iv.C. has a new screen. . . . Judge Harry G. Miller of the Wyandotte County District Court ruled that the Ivans, film morality laws are constitutional, as result of a suit filed against the Ivans. Board of Review in protest of banning of “The Moon Is Blue.” . . . Harry R. Barker, UA salesman until retire¬ ment four years ago, died at 76. LOS ANGELES After celebrating his 25th anniversary at the M-G-M exchange, Wm. A. Caliban, Sr., asst, resident mgr., submitted his resignation and is planning a vacation in N.Y.C. . . . The Paramount Exchange, under leadership of branch mgr. A1 Taylor, won coveted first place in the Adolph Zukor Jubilee Sales Drive. . . . Aero Theatre, Santa Monica, op¬ erated by Jack Goldman, is one of the most recent to become CinemaScope equipped. . . . Harvey Levinson, Cozy Theatre, was on the Row in introduce his newT son, Bryant, to his friends. With the resignation of “Chuck” Newman from Paramount’s sales dept., Gale Parker wTas upped from booker to salesman, with Jim Merry taking over Parker’s duties. Ken Derby was appointed office mgr. . . . Re¬ cipients of engraved desk sets for services rendered the Film Row Club were Frank Prince, Fox West Coast; Iris Ross, M-G-M; Bill Wasserman, UA; I. Berman, Berman Theatre; and Milton Frankel, Warner Bros. . . . Ralph Moyer was named mgr. of the Picfair Theatre, which is owned by A1 Levoy, who also operates the Crown, Pasadena. . . . Milt Lefton, who pilots the Campus and Oriental theatres, is nursing a severe arm infection. After being shuttered following a fire, the Canoga Theatre, Canoga Park, was reopened by Tom Muchmore. . . . New owner of the Savoy Theatre, San Diego, is Grace Heekt. . . . Baceline Drive-In, Highland, has been taken over by the Cal Pac Corp. . . . Cor¬ onado Theatre, Coronado, is being dis QUICK SERVICE! Headquar'ers for machine and roll ^ MOTION PICTURE TICKETS Highest Quality Right Prices KELLER PRINTING CO. Suite 805, 723 7th Ave., N. Y. C. Cl 5-6439 THE INDEPENDENT FILM JOURNAL— -July 24, 1954 25