The Independent Film Journal (1954)

BOSTON (cont’d.) after a report from Arthur Witham, police department censor, and Mrs. Anne McDer¬ mott, a police woman. Mayor Frawley liad sent them to review the film after he had received some unfavorable reports from pat¬ rons. BUFFALO In connection with the forthcoming “About Mrs. Leslie,” Charles B. Taylor, associate gen. mgr. for Buffalo Paramount Corp., is planning an “early bird” show especially for women at 7 a.m. Aug. 6. Doors will open at 6 :30 a.m. and free coffee and doughnuts will be served. Women calling the Madison Cab Co. the night before can obtain free taxi service to the theatre. Admission to the show is 25 cents. . . . $3.00 more will be put in weekly pay envelopes of major down¬ town and large neighborhood theatre employ¬ ees as part of a new two year contract be¬ tween theatres owners and Local No. 10, Theatre and Amusement Employees (AFL). The raise is retroactive to January 1. An additional $2.00 will be paid beginning Janu¬ ary 1955. Several hundred patrons of the Victoria, west side nabe, were evacuated from the theatre this week while firemen sought the source of smoke which had seeped into the air conditioning system. . . . The North Park, a new drive-in with space for 900 cars and 350 stadium seats, has just opened in Rochester. It is owned by Sam Salone and John J. Petrossi, known as the S. & P. Corp. . . . Bill Colson, mgr. of the Niagara, West Side community house, announces that CinemaScope installation is completed and will open with the “Robe” Aug. 8. Florence Kane, local model, “slept” in Sattler’s department store window for two days to help publicize “Susan Slept Here” cur¬ rently at the Century. The window was air conditioned and she was served breakfast, dinner and supper. Radios and theatre passes were awarded for guessing correct weight of Miss Kane and the bed. . . . Schine Service Corp. have closed their Palace Theatres in Auburn and Corning and Schine Ent. Corp. has closed the 1,000-seat Regent in Geneva. . . . Shea’s Buffalo Theatre awarded $50 in cash prizes for the camel race at the benefit show for the Buffalo Evening News “Smokes for Soldiers Fund” in Civic Stadium. Federal Judge John Knight has denied a motion by Elmart Theatres for permission to dispose of some of their holdings. They cited a loss of more than $250,000 on the 13 theatres. Elmart, of which Buffalo City Council President Elmer Lux is president, is one of the co-defendants with Schine Theatres in antitrust civil and contempt pro¬ ceedings in the Federal Court and Judge Knight ruled these should be concluded first. CHARLOTTE The following theatres have been equipped for wide-screen: Angier, Angier, N. C.; Nash, Nashville, N. C.; Mars, Bakerville, N. C., and Sanford, Sanford, N. C. . . . The Harris Theatre Sales, Inc., has been appointed distributor in North and South Carolina, for Perspecta Sound. Harris states that there will be two installations, in North Carolina and in South Carolina, so theatremen can see and hear it. . . . The Diane 29Drive-In, Gastonia, N. C., is enlarging the wide-screen to 90 feet with complete CinemaScope equipment. . . . Two new drive-ins have opened: the Viz-South-Drive-In, Pel¬ ham, N. C. and Castle-FIayne Road Drive-In, Castle Hayne, N. C. Among the guests at Republic Pictures' First Regional Sales Conference held at the studio were (1. to r.): Leland Allen, Pacific Drive-in Theatres; Richard W. Altschuler, director of world-wide sales; Zsa Zsa Gabor; Gus Diamond, Pacific Drive-in Theatres; Porfirio Rubirosa and Francis A. Bateman, western division sales manager. Scott Lett, branch manager of Screen Guild, is chairman of the benefit shows for the Will Rogers Memorial Hospital in Sara¬ nac Lake, N. Y. He said that all film com¬ panies will furnish free pictures to drive-ins for midnight shows for the benefit of the hospital. The two Carolina’s have had 12 in the hospital and all but three have re¬ turned well and back on their jobs. . . . Bill Simpson was appointed sales represen¬ tative for the Kay Film Exchange. . . . K-T Productions, Inc., has been formed to produce motion pictures, plays, exhibits, TV shows, and other entertainment. Authorized capital stock $100,000. Owners are T. D. Kemp, Jr. ; M. E. Thaleimer and Mrs. Nell Becker, all of Charlotte, N. C. . . . The Wil-Kin Theatre Supply Co. equipped the Midway-Drive-In at Fayetteville, N. C. owned by Jesse Wellons. CHICAGO The first anniversary of the Chicago en¬ gagement of “This Is Cinerama” at Eitel’s Palace Theatre was celebrated with festivities involving the City Council, State St. Council and civic and business groups. More than 1,000,000 persons are estimated to have at¬ tended the Chicago engagement during the year. A special showing Avas held for under¬ privileged children. . . . The McVickers Theatre in the loop is getting a complete CinemaScope installation. . . . Glen Frese was named assistant manager of the Roose¬ velt Theatre. . . . Another new appointment is Irving Lang, named office manager of IFE’s local branch. The Massac Theatre, Metropolis, Ill., has installed a complete stereophonic sound sys¬ tem. . . . The Frisina Theatre circuit have not closed their Kincaid Theatre, Kincaid, Ill., but are operating it only on weekends during the summer. . . . The Lyric Theatre, Farina, and the State, Morrison, have closed for the summer, as have the Orpheum, Har¬ risburg, the Strand, Carmi and the Grand, Eldorado. These last houses are units of the Turner and Farrar chain. The same manage¬ ment’s Will Rogers Theatre and Charleston Drive-In are remaining open for the summer. . . . Balaban & Katz are using dinnerware as a giveaway in their Crystal and Biltmore houses. The Uptown Theatre’s experiment of add¬ ing one outstanding old feature in addition to the regular Thursday evening show has been deemed a success and will be continued. The B & K 4,000-seat northside theatre has played “The Quiet Man,” “Come Back Little Sheba” and “A Streetcar Named Desire” as added attractions to their regular double bills. . . . Edward Brunell, retired Chicago theatre owner and former Variety Club executive, died. A wife and two children survive. . . . 20th Century-Fox exchange lists 655 theatres in the territory, of which 139 have closed for the summer. To this is added 70 ozoners, making a total of 586 outlets here. It is estimated that about one third of these pos¬ sess CinemaScope equipment. Chicago theatre are being warned to be on their guard against short change artists. > The cashier at the Norton Theatre was short 1 changed recently by a pair. The Belmont \ Theatre of the B & K circuit was robbed of ; several hundreds of dollars, and two bandits held up the Frolic Theatre, getting away with weekend receipts. . . . Abe Fisher has been named sales manager of the RKO Chi • cago exchange. . . . The Drury Lane Theatre j was robbed of $2,000 in weekend receipts. |,j . . . The loop’s Grand Theatre will go single 1 feature with the opening of the “Black Shield l of Falworth.” The United Artists Theatre . is also single feature now. . . . The southside 1 Chelton Theatre is trying out $1 family nights every Thursday. . . . The Uptown 1 Theatre, Fail-field, has been closed for re¬ modeling. . . . Charles Dyas has opened an ozoner near Earlville. . . . The Globe Theatre 1 1 in Salem, Ill., has been closed for the rest of the summer. CINCINNATI The closing of several West Virginia coal mines has brought with it the closing of several theatres, including the Temple Thea¬ tre, Welch, W. Va., and the Man, Man, W. Va., both owned by Lloyd Rogers. Also closed was the theatre at Winona, W. Va., owned by Mrs. Pugh. . . . James Earles has leased the Pioneer Theatre, Holden, W. Va., from the Keesling-Newbold circuit. The house, which had been closed for about a month, should be re-opened by this time. . . . W. L. Wyrick has installed air-conditioning equipment in his Lyric Theatre, Carlisle, Ky. . . . James Roberts, of the Midway Theatre, Oceana, W. Va., had National Theatre Sup¬ ply install a wide screen in his situation. Nelson Ward, who operates the Highway Drive-In at Mt. Sterling, Ky., anticipates re-opening the theatre soon. The ozoner was damaged when a recent storm blow down the screen tower. . . . Arthur Schruhl has his new Frontier Drive-In, Charleston, W. Va., open since July 1. ... A new ozoner is now in construction in Wooton, Ky. . . . Allan S. Moritz was named general chairman of Variety Club Tent No. 3’s Golf Day, scheduled for Aug. 30 at Summit Hills Country Club. The committee has arranged 28 THE INDEPENDENT FILM JOURNAL— August 7. 1954