Motion Picture Daily (Jul-Sep 1957)

uesday, August 20, 1957 Motion Picture Daily PEOPLE Leonard Bernstein has been named ranch manager for Columbia Picires in Toronto. He succeeds A. B. Abe" Cass, who will leave Columia at the end of the month to join fonnell & Mudge, subsidiary of Asiciated Artists, as sales director. □ Frank E. O'Neill, formerly with ew England Theatres, Inc., and mith Management Co., has been lanager of the Palace Theatre, Nor-ich, Conn. He succeeds Allen J. rown, who moves to the Capitol heatre, Springfield, Mass., as cojanager. □ George Rosser, formerly office manager for Universal Pictures in U;Iew Orleans, and Charles Skipper, it] (jrmerly of the Ritz Theatre, Valdota, Ga., have joined the booking deartment of Martin Theatres. □ J. English Smith, formerly assisant in Hollywood to James T. Au E'»rey, vice-president of American . broadcasting Co., has joined General _,;,ilm Laboratories there as general ales manager. No Bullfighters Left Here 20th-Fox f inds Wha' happened to Senor Sidney Franklin, who used to be quite well known as the only toreador from Brooklyn or any of the other boroughs? Twentieth Century-Fox sent out word that any of the local toreadors who could prove their professional standing would be welcome as guests of the management at the Friday 1 23 ) opening of "The Sun Also Rises," Darryl F. Zanuck's production. One Simon-Pure Responds Only one response. He had taken part in only one fight at Pamplona, Spain, and not in a professional corrida. If there are any real experts with a fancy cape and a snicker snee, they can get an invitation to the Roxy by contacting Bullfight Department, 20th Century-Fox Film Corp., 444 West 56th Street. Ohio Exhibitor Sees Better Drive-in Gross The four drive-in theatres operated >y Miles Theatres of Columbus, Ohio, lave brought in bigger grosses this ummer than last, although indoor reeipts have dropped 10 per cent or nore, according to Jack Kaufman, general manager of the circuit. Kaufman said he attributed the inTeased drive-in business to two facors. The fact that the circuit had nore first run features this year than ast is probably the major reason. The econd, he said, may be due to the adlition of outdoor amusements for the •hildren. May Convert to First-Run q|{ The circuit manager said that Miles 19 {Theatres is considering the possibility >f converting indoor Drexel Theatre _ o a first and extended run policy. " 'Eagels' Is Being Held Columbia Pictures announced yes:erday that 27 holdovers and two noveovers have been secured for 'Jeanne Eagels," which has been in u elease less than three weeks. Gross iagures reported yesterday from new openings included: five days, Spingield Bijou $5,800; four days, St. Louis State $12,100, Kansas City Midand $7,200, New Haven Poli $7,400. Boston State and Orpheum $19,500 [with newspaper strike), Providence State $10,600, Columbus, Ohio i>5,500; three days, Denver Denver 58.600; Chicago State-Lake $22,400. Conn. Owners Set Golf Tournament Special to THE DAILY HARTFORD, Aug. 19.-Atty. Herman M. Levy, general counsel of TOA and executive secretary, MPTO of Connecticut, will be dinner toastmaster at the annual MPTO golf tournament Tuesday, Aug. 27, at Racebrook Country Club, Orange. The dinner will be preceded by luncheon and golf, with George H. Wilkinson Jr., president, MPTO, and Harry Feinstein, zone manager, StanleyWarner Theatres, as tournament cochairmen. Cleveland Reopenings CLEVELAND, Aug. 19.-With the approach of Labor Day, several theatres closed for the summer are announcing fall opening dates. These include the Ross Theatre, Rossford, owned by Walter Kotowicz opening Sept. 12; and the Star, Deshler, owned by E. A. Goller opening Sept. 5. In a change of lesseeship, the Palace Theatre, Hubbard, which Steve Vernarsky closed in 1956, was re-opened August 16 by Paul Petrella. Three Mexican Studios Grant Pay Increase Special to THE DAILY MEXICO CITY, Aug. 19. Labor peace was attained by the three remaining studios here — Churubusco, Tepeyac and San Angel Inn— with the granting of a ten per cent pay hike to their union staff employees, members of the technical and manual workers locals of the Picture Production Workers Union (STPC). The union had demanded 50 per cent more pay. Conversations over some weeks resulted in the deal. Felipe Palomar, the locals' secretary general, said the union decided to accept the much lower wage increase as a means of helping the studios and the trade in the present economic straits. Dividends $1,824,000 WASHINGTON, Aug. 19.-Publicly reported cash dividends paid by industry companies in July amounted to $1,824,000, the CommerceDepartment announced over the weekend. This is a slight increase over the $1,703,000 paid last July. Hartford State to Open HARTFORD, Aug. 19 The 3800seat State Theatre, closed for customary summer hiatus, will resume its weekend motion picture-vaudeville policy Sept. 7-8. The downtown house is owned and operated by the Harris Bros. W. D. Shafer, Veteran Exhibitor, Retires Special to THE DAILY WAYNE, Mich., Aug. 19.-Walter Dennis Shafer, 69, veteran Michigan exhibitor, announces he is retiring, and turning his theatres and other holdings over to his sons Mark and Charles. Shafer got into show business through selling Liberty Bonds during World War I, when he got back stage as a speaker. He then managed houses for Fox in New York and New Jersey. In 1921 he became manager of the old Fox Theatre in Detroit. In 1926 he helped supervise the building of the present Fox Theatre, and was its first managing director. In 1927 he became circuit manager for theatres in Detroit, Flint, Dearborn and Wayne. At the present time he is the controlling owner of the State Theatre in Wayne, Shafer Theatre, Garden City, and the Algiers and Michigan Avenue Drive-Ins. . . . NEWS ROUNDUP 'Ghost Diver' to Roll Whitaker Productions' "Ghost Diver" will go before the cameras in Hollywood this week with James Craig and Audrey Totter in the leading roles. Richard Einfeld is producing with Merril White directing. ■ 'Night' to Bow in Stamford The world premiere of "That Night," RKO Radio film released by Universal-International, will be held at the Ridgeway Theatre, Stamford, Conn., on Wednesday. John Beal, Augusta Dabney and Shepperd Strudwick, stars of the picture, will attend the opening. ■ Stross to Produce 'Hills' Loew's, Inc., and Cine-World Productions have reached an agreement for Raymond Stross to produce a high-budgeted film based on Leon Uris' novel, "The Angry Hills." Starring Robert Mitchum, filming will be done on location in Greece and England. Big Campaign for 'Jet Pilot' Howard Hughes' "Jet Pilot," RKO Radio picture released by UniversalInternational, is being backed by a large-scale 24-sheet poster campaign in 59 major markets covering 741 communities. The film will open in key and sub-key situations from Coast to Coast on Sept. 19.