The Independent Film Journal (1954)

Variety Club of New England sponsored a "New Faces in New Positions" luncheon at the braaiord Hotel in Boston for the nine exchange men pictured above, who have been promoted or transferred this past year. L. to R.: (seated) John Moore, Paramount; Ralph Iannuzzi, Warner's; Joseph Gins, Universal; James Connolly, 20th-Fox; (standing) Jack Brown, Paramount; Judson Parker, Republic; Francis Dervin, RKO; Herbert Schaefer, Buena Vista; and John Feloney, 20th-Fox. CHARLOTTE (cont'd.) granted to Lumbee Theatres, headed by D. L. Lowery and C. E. Lowery of Luniberton, and James N. Lowery of Raleigh, N.C. . . . National Theatre Supply of Charlotte in¬ stalled wide screen in the Star Theatre, Moncks Corner, S.C., managed by Wilder S. Funk. . . . Mrs. Gary Hollis reports a re. modeling job on her Roxio Theatre, Besse* mer City, N.C. . . . Auto Drive-In, Greenc wood, S.C., owned by A. T. Livington, is jf closing for complete remodeling job. Plymouth Drive-In, Plymouth, N.C., which was wrecked by Hazel, is being rebuilt. . . . L. A. Ireland, head shipper at Republic, moves up as booker to succeed Mitch Little, i, who resigned to go with Buena Vista. . . . ), A. P. Hinnant is closing his Kinston Drives In, Kinston, N.C., for general rebuilding i. throughout. . . . The local Variety Club re¬ elected its entire board to serve in 1955. John i Vickers is chief barker. . . . Frank Lundy closed his Vieking Drive-In, Denmark, S.C., for the winter. Wide screen, to replace the one destroyed by Hazel, installed in the Nu-Port Drive-In, Kinston, N.C. . . . S. W. Craver and Harry ( Pickett are putting CinemaScope and wide screen into their State Theatre, Columbia, S.C . New speakers were installed in the Albermarle Drive-In at Albemarle, N. C. . . . Sundown Drive-In, Newton, N.C. installed wide screen and CinemaScope. . . . Walter Griffith, co-chairman at the 42nd convention of Theatre Owners of N. and S. Carolina, collapsed and was taken to a hospital in Charlotte. CHICAGO Chicago Theatre will resume stage shows on Dec. 17, according to Eddie Seguin, public¬ ity director. . . . Alliance Circuit closed their 20 drive-ins for the winter and employees have been assigned to other theatres in the chain. . . . Kermit A. Bushur reopened his Neoga Theatre at Neoga, Ill. with the co¬ operation of local merchants. . . . Abe Teitel, one of Chicago’s leading exhibitor-distribu¬ tors, observed his 40th year in the industry. ... At Republic, Rasty Herman succeeds salesman Dan Goldman, who was named Chicago representative for Makefilm Enter| prises. Edward Kennedy was named theatre super¬ visor for Alliance Circuit, with headquarters in Terre Haute, Ind. . . . Lou Chiecki, for¬ merly with United World Films, joined the sales staff of Republic. . . . Lester Stepner is now handling publicity for the McVickers Theatre. He was formerly on the managerial staff. . . . Charlene Weber of the Republic exchange will marry Bob Lindau of the Lindau Theatre circuit in Dec. Jack Kirsch, pres, of Allied of Ill., reports that Joe E. Lewis and Peggy Lee will head¬ line the floor show at the Chez Paree, when his organization celebrates its 24th anni¬ versary there on Dec. 29. . . . Emmett O’Don¬ nell, veteran B&K mgr. of the Paradise The¬ atre, passed away after a short illness. . ^ . “Star Is Born,” in its eighth week at B&Iv’s Chicago Theatre, is breaking all records for a film attraction on an extended engagement. . . . Rikizo Hirano, pres, of the All Japan Farmers’ Union and a member of the Jap¬ anese Diet, was a guest at the special show¬ ing of “This Is Cinerama” at Eitel’s Palace Theatre for the 1,400 delegates to the Na¬ tional 4-H Clubs’ convention. Cinerama will be put into operation in Tokyo and Osaka during 1955. CINCINNATI Chakeres Circuit has taken over operation of the two Warner houses in Sidney, 0. — the Ohio and Capitol. . . . Stanley Stahl of N.Y., head of Stahl Development Co. which owns the Keith Theatre building here, has pur¬ chased the property at Reading Rd. and Sey¬ mour Ave. site of the proposed Woodner Shopping Center, and plans to complete con¬ struction of the 50-store center at an ac¬ celerated pace. It will have parking facilities for 3,000 cars. . . . Wm. Onie’s Miami-West¬ ern Theatre in Oxford, 0., which is a college town, has been converted to an art house. Onie recentlv underwent surgery. Mark Cummins hopes to have his new Cir¬ cle 25 Drive-In at Lexington, Ky. open by Christmas. This will be a deluxe operation with many innovations and will be open the year round. . . . James Booze and his partner Harold Ball of the Skyline Drive-In, Verda, Ky., have leased the Ronnie Drive-In at London, Ky. from Jimmy Minnix. . . . IFE sales representative Murray Baker, who cov¬ ers Cincinnati and Indianapolis territories, is looking for space on film rowr here in which to open an IFE exchange. . . . Randy Matteson, Ohio and Ky. salesman for Republic, is planning to enter private business shortly. James Conn, mgr. of the local National Theatre Supply office, reports installation of CinemaScope and stereophonic sound in J. Real Neth’s Eastern Theatre, Columbus, O., and L. O. Davis’ Virginia Theatre, Hazard, Ky. ; also CinemaScope in George Pekras’ Ritz and Rivoli, Columbus; Sante Macci’s Wayne, Greenville; Mrs. Helen Lyons’ Temple, Middleport, and Meigh, Pomeroy; Harry Wheeler’s Colony, Gallipolis, O.; Ralph Cundiff’s Kentucky, Liberty, Ky., and Charles Mitchell’s Magic and Mitchell thea¬ tres, Barbourville, Ky. DENVER Lorane McCarthy sold the Ute, Strassburg, Colo., to Clayton and Edith Crabb. Miss McCarthy decided that the drive of 37 miles each way was a little too much, after about a year of it. . . . Jack Schlaifer, of the UA home office, was in for a sales meet¬ ing with branch mgr. M. R. Austin and salesmen Wm. Sombar and Herb Buschmann, the latter coming in from his Al¬ buquerque, N. M., headquarters. . . . Toni Medley, asst, to the film buyer and booker for Black Hills Amuse Co., went to Okla¬ homa City on vacation. A gunman got $200 from the cashier at the Santa Fe. . . . Those from Fox InterMountain who attended the National Thea¬ tres meeting in Los Angeles included pres. Frank H. Ricketson, Jr. ; Robert Selig, exec, asst, and film buyer; Robt. Garland, Paul Lyday, Melvin C. Glatz, Harry Green, of the Denver office, and dist. mgr. Ray Davis,. Plarold Rice, Tom Brennan and Jack Mc¬ Gee. . . . Clarence Batter, film booker and buyer, has taken over the booking and buy¬ ing of A1 Brandon, who went with RKO as salesman. . . . Pat McGee, gen. mgr. of Cooper Foundation Theatres, went to Okla¬ homa City for a week on business. The Post, Igloo, S. D., owned by Wm.. Anderson, installed CinemaScope and full stereophonic sound. . . . Variety Tent 37 hopes to have new quarters soon in the Cosmopolitan hotel, where thy were pre¬ viously located. . . . Glen Ferguson, asst, city mgr. and mgr. of the Babcook, Billings,. Mont., was promoted by Fox Inter-Mountain to city mgr at Nampa, Idaho, succeeding Floyd Vanderpool, who resigned. . . . Alice Berg, bookkeeper at MGM, and Delbert Tolan, were married. DES MOINES Mr. and Mrs. J. E. Montgomery havetaken over as owners and managers of the E'don Theatre in Eldon. Remodeling is nowunderway. A feature under the new man¬ agement will be “family night” on Tues. and Wed., when all members of a singlefamily will be admitted for a total of 75#. . . . Nathan K. Thon, 52, Coon Rapids the¬ atre manager, wras fatally injured in an automobile accident. Thon was associated with his son, Nathan K. Thon, Jr., in op¬ eration of the Lyric Theatre at the time of his death. . . . Beginning Dec. 1, the Suther¬ land Theatre in Sutherland is operating only four nights a w7eek, according to mgr. Everett Olhausen. Herman Heyer, proprietor of the GeorgeTheatre in George, reopened the house after darkness of several weeks. . . . The Ringsted Theatre has been sold by Leslie Larson to Harold Kramer of Whittemore. Sale does not include the theatre building. Kram¬ er’s brother and sister-in-law, who have been employed in the theatre, will continue in their jobs. . . . The AITO of Northwest District in Iowa held their annual meeting at the Roxy Theatre in Alta, headed by A1 Myrick, pres. Buying and booking of films was discussed, also the necessity for theatres and local businessmen to cooperate for THE INDEPENDENT FILM JOURNAL — December 11. 1954 23