The Independent Film Journal (1954)

I ALBANY Picketing’ of the Grand by IATSE Local 14, in a dispute with operator Paul Wallen over the number of men to be employed, was the first such instance here in many years. Wallen, who signed a 10-year lease on Sept. 1 with Fabian Theatres after serving as mgr. of the 1,500 seater for five years, insisted that one stagehand was sufficient and refused to accept a replacement in a series of switch¬ overs that followed the retirement of Henry Harris at the Strand, after 52 years’ of se tw¬ ice in various theatres. . . . Contributions from small-theatre owners to the Will Rogei's Memorial Hospital Christmas Salute ran ahead of last year’s. Charles A. Smakwitz, S-W zone mgr., teamed with Columbia branch mgr. Norman Jackter in co-chairmaning the drive. Joe Miller, Menands Drive-In operator, is buying and booking the reopened Family in Utica. . . . Harry and Bob Lamont of Lamont Theatres are continuing the auction activities which they conducted in several Lamont ozoners during the outdoor season. . . . The Variety Club netted $5,000 for Camp Thatcher from the second annual Inter-City AAU boxing championships. Committee in¬ cluded chief barker George H. Schenck, Ir¬ win Ullman, C. A. Smakwitz, Ben Becker, Charles W. Ryan and Ed Perrone. Saranac Lake has been awarded the world premiere of “The Silver Chalice,” and Art Linkletter of CBS “Houseparty” will lead a parade of stars to Saranac for the event on Dec. 17. . . . Neil Heilman of Heilman Thea¬ tres and Alan Iselin of the Auto-Vision in E. Greenbush are vacationing in Miami; also Saul J. Ullman, Fabian div. mgr., and Mrs. Ullman. ATLANTA The Alabama Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of a municipal tax on thea¬ tre admissions, which amounts to ltf on ad¬ missions of 10 to 154, and 24 on tickets cost¬ ing more than 15 4. Bessemer Theatres, opera¬ tors of the State and Grand, Bessemer, Ala., had challenged its validity. . . . Harold T. Spears, gen. mgr. of Bailey Theatres and new chief barker of Atlanta Variety Club, announced that the club allocated some $100,000 for charity during 1954. Spears succeeds A. B. Padgett and other officers named are Lex Benton, 1st asst. ; R. J. Barnes, 2nd asst.; M. A. Barre, treas. ; Willis J. Davis, secy. . . . Max Fletcher, mgr. of the Fendley Drive-In, Andalusia, Ala., back from a honey¬ moon in New Orleans with the former Betty Henderson. Prichard Hobson was appointed booker at Republic. . . . Charlie Callaway is new owner of the Elite Colored Theatre, Decatur, Ala. . . . The No. 1 Drive-In, Augusta, Ga., and Houston D-I, Macon, closed for the winter. . . . Mgr. Bill Fui’gate of the Taylor Theatre, Mountain City, Tenn., reports a CinemaScope installation. . . . Work was begun on the Sudekum Memorial Chapel of the First Lutheran Church in memory of the late Tony Sudekum, founder and pres, of Crescent Amuse. Co., Nashville, Tenn. W. F. Wilson took over the Tiger DriveIn, Auburn, Ala., formerly owned by Clyde Cannon. ... A new drive-in, to be called the Blue Sky, is under construction at LaFayette, Ga. for owners J. P. Edge and Dr. T. A. Cochran. An early 1955 opening is planned. . . . Moultrie Theatre, Inc. of Moultrie, Ga. opened the 350-car Sunset Drive-In with equipment furnished by Dixie Theatre Sup¬ ply of Albany, Ga. . . . J. V. Lawson of Baton Rouge, took over the New Theatre, Palatka, Fla. from Harry Dale. Clyde Hawkins appointed mgr,, of the Bradley Theatre, Columbus, Ga., to replace Otis Smith, who is now managing the Co¬ lumbus Drive-In. Hawkins was formerly at the Fox, Atlanta. . . . B. D. Benton, pres, of Benton Film Express, hospitalized for several weeks as result of an accident, will shortly be discharged. . . . A1 Rook Booking Service is now buying and booking for the Fountain Drive-In, Lakeland, Fla.; Grand Theatre, Slocomb, Ala. . . . Charlie Webb in¬ stalled CinemaScope in his Bocanita Theatre, Scottsboro, Ala., and a similar installation was made in the San Marco Theatre at St. Augustine, Fla. Jerry Gold, exhibitor from the small town of Pahokee, Fla., was named pres, of Motion Picture Exhibitors of Fla. Elected to serve as veeps were James Biddle, Jasper Theatre, Jasper; Mark Supree of Jacksonville; Peter Sones of Tampa, and Robert Daugherty of Floyd Theatres, Haines City; B. B. Games of Lakeland, relected treas., and Wm. Beck of Jacksonville, secy. Mark Chart rand of Miami was chosen representative to the TOA, and Hugh Martin of Leesburg, regional v.p. of TOA. Outgoing pres. Horace Denning was named chairman of the board. . . . Wm. Henry III is a new arrival at the home of W. H. McKenzie, Jr. sales mgr. of Queen Feature Service, Birmingham, Ala. BOSTON An anti-trust suit, seeking treble damages amounting to $10,000,000, has been filed in Federal Dist. Court here by Jean Compopiauo, owner and operator of the Capitol Theatre, Lawrence, Mass. . . . Francis J. Gooch, mgr. of the Houlton Theatre, Houlton, Me., for New Eng. Theas., received an Award of Merit from the Lydia Putnam Chapter of the DAR for his many community and charitable endeavors. His theatre has one of the lowest vandalism rates of any in New Eng. The Beacon Hill Theatre will play its Christmas picture, “Romeo and Juliet,” on a continuous run policy, at $1.25 top, in¬ stead of the proposed two-a-day roadshow basis. Robert Baral from UA’s field dept, and Joe Mansfield, UA publicist, are workingwith schools and colleges on student discount tickets, which will not be honored until the picture has played three weeks. . . . State Theatre, East Milton, reopened under new management. Aaron Shindler, who recently purchased the property housing the theatre, has placed Maurice Sidman as house mgr., with buying and booking handled by Joseph G. Cohen. “Gangbusters” will have its woi'ld premiere in this area, starting in Jan. at the Para¬ mount and Fenway in Boston. The film will have one of the largest single advertising and promotion campaigns ever conducted here and is being distributed by Joseph E. Levine, pres, of Embassy Piets. . . . Rifkin Circuit reopened the Phillips Theatre, Springfield, which was rebuilt after a fire. It now features wide-vision screen and CinemaScope. . . . 1 red Bragdon, former Columbia salesman, has left Times Film Corp. to join Old Town Corp. in their N.Y. office as national account sales executive. Some switching around of Jamestown Amuse. Co. personnel includes promotion of A1 Foley from asst, to Ed Fahey in Man¬ chester, N. H. to management of the Lawler Theatre, Greenfield, Mass.; Ed Mason be¬ comes asst, to Fenton Scribner in Man¬ chester, N. H., and Bill Kibrige becomes mgr. at Westfield, Mass, with supervision over Louis Mason, asst. mgr. assigned to Amherst, Mass. CHARLOTTE A charter of incorporation, to establish, own and operate theatres in N.C., was Discussing plans for the world premiere of Irving Berlin's “There's No Business Like Show Business" at the Roxy Theatre in N. Y., for benefit of the Actors Fund of America are (1. to r.): Warren Munsel, Actors Fund secy.; A1 Lichtman, 20th-Fox distribution chief; Mitzi Gaynor, star of the Darryl F. Zanuck production; Walter Vincent, Actors Fund pres., and William Moclair, exec. dir. of the Roxy. 22 THE INDEPENDENT FILM JOURNAL— December 11, 1954