Motion Picture Daily (Jul-Sep 1957)

[onday, July 15, 1957 Motion Picture Daily leas of Merchants Keep aneshoro, Minn. Open Special to THE DAILY LANESBORO, Minn., July 14. petition bearing the names of 200 cal, business and professional men ;rsuaded G. P. Qualey, owner of the tate theatre to postpone closing of le theatre for at least another month. Qualey planned to close because of jor business but indicated that if the usinessmen back up their plea with ipport at the box office, the house m operate in the black. Multiple 1st Runs Unlikely Richmond Council (Continued from page 1) but it also applies to tickets sold jr sports events, circuses or other /pes of amusement. According to Morton Thalhimer, Jr., flaking for the theatres, "Declining ^missions forced theatres to ask for >moval of the tax in an effort to stay i business. In some instances the largin of profit was so slim that the ix would make the difference beveen profit and loss." What Tax Produced The tax in question has been proucing an average of about $170,000 er year since it was levied in 1947. 'hey have ranged from a high of 207,000 for 1949 to an estimated 175,000 for 1957. ( Continued exchange cities, Minneapolis branch managers seem agreed. In the absence of definite home office directives, the branch managers are cautious about edging too far out on the limb, but they seem to feel that the upper midwest clearance pattern is not adaptable and that the cities and surrounding areas are too small to justify scrapping the established custom of opening in downtown first runs. Knowledgeable film row personalities seem agreed that the Minneapolis, Des Moines and Omaha areas are too small with too few top sub-runs to warrant the experiment. Milwaukee is seen as another question, and they agree that it might work there, for the city has a large number of excellent sub-runs, plus the fact that the lake Michigan shore south to the outskirts of Chicago offers a heavily populated area from which to draw. The question of by-passing the firstrunners in favor of the sub-runs was brought up in Minneapolis a year ago and the operators of downtown Minneapolis houses, both circuit and independent, were opposed to any tampering with the existing system of runs and clearances. They point out that there has been a struggle to find sufficient top product for seven loop firstrunners. They indicated that they from page 1 ) would resist any attempt to change the pattern. Owners of sub-run Minneapolis houses who might be considered beneficiaries of such a plan are divided on their opinion of the feasibility of the idea, pointing out that opening cold with a picture means a larger expenditure for advertising and promotion is needed. There have been isolated instances where Twin Cities theatres, principally drive-ins, have taken product for first runs but in all cases these have been pictures which have been refused downtown "showcase" runs. Gregg Retires (Continued from page 1) to Electrical Research Products, a subsidiary, as export manager. For two years he was European manager. In 1941 he was made vice-president and general manager of ERPI's successor, Westrex; and, in 1954, elected president. He is from Texas and received his education there and in Chicago. He has been president and director in 13 Westrex subsidiaries and a director in five others, and is a director in seven companies outside the industry. Mr. Lack is a Western Electric man since 1911, a director since 1945, and a Westrex director since 1947. PEOPLE The election of Pinckney B. Reed as vice-president, international sales, Radio Corporation of America, was announced at the weekend by Charles M. Odorizzi, executive vice-president, RCA Sales and Services. Reed who has been vice-president, government service department, RCA Service Company, Inc., will assume his new position tomorrow. □ Frank Wentworth and David Le gasse have been named co-assistant managers of the Alperin Rialto Theatre, Windsor Locks, Conn. Alfred Alperin continues as theatre supervisor. □ Larry Knee, manager of the Stanley-Warner Plaza Theatre, Pittsburgh, has been promoted to manage the company's Squirrel Hill art house. He replaces Earl Gordon, who resigned to enter private business. □ Victor H. Kramer, head of the litigation section of the Justice Department's anti-trust division, said he'll resign around September 1 to enter private practice. Kramer, who has been in the anti-trust division 19 years, played a leading role in various film and broadcasting anti-trust IS THE WORD FOR LOW ITS COAST-TO-COAST! the hundreds of summer dates still to cornel