The Exhibitor (1954)

MOTION PICTURE EXHIBITOR NT-3 Harold J. Fitzgerald, former presi¬ dent, Fox Wisconsin Amusement Cor¬ poration, was honored at a testimonial dinner early this week at the Schroeder Hotel. Fitzgerald bowed out of the in¬ dustry recently to enter other fields and former employes and associates planned the affair, attended by more than 600 persons. Folke Peterson, executive secre¬ tary to the mayor and once employed by Fitzgerald, acted as the dinner chairman. Minneapolis Changes in managerial personnel at the Garrick and Lyric, Duluth, Minn., have been announced by George Brown, Duluth manager, Minnesota Amusement Company. Roy 0. Prytz, formerly man¬ ager, Skyline Drive-In, Duluth, is now managing the Garrick, while Venice Barsness, formerly manager for Maco in Minnesota, Wisconsin, and South Dakota houses, is now heading the Lyric staff. . . . Ivan Fuldauer, MGM, mid¬ west press representative, was in. M. A. (Bob) Workman, MGM branch manager, returned from Florida to assume his position at the exchange until the first of the year, when he will retire. Workman and his family will make their home in St. Petersburg, Fla., after he retires. . . . New on Film Row are Joan Grussing, biller, Columbia, and Margaret Weihe, stenographer, Warners. . . . Darlene Putrament, former branch manager’s secretary, Warners, gave birth to a baby girl. Recent out-of-town exhibitors in were Al Smith, Rochester and Winona, Minn.; Doug Engels, Pepin, Wis.; Burr Cline, Jamestowm, N. D.; and Joyce Alexander, Braham, Minn. . . . M. A. Levy, 20th-Fox midwest district manager, was in St. Louis. . . . Inez Mae Anderson, contract clerk at RKO, was married to Neil J. Bronstad. Another Film Row wedding that day was that of Donna Johnson, booker’s clerk, MGM, to Neil Shoberg. . . . Benjamin Mann, 72, father of Ted Mann and Marvin Mann, exhibitors, died after a long illness. Verna Chaffee has taken over man¬ agement of the Roxy, Hinckley, Minn. . . . Jake Heier, Onida, S. D., replaced Ernest Flemmer as manager. Star, Selby, S. D. . . . Joe Carriere, owner, drive-in, Hallock, Minn., donated the proceeds of two midweek shows to the town’s swimming pool fund. . . . Smiley Burnette, screen star, made three personal appearances at the State, Chamberlain, S. D., recently. . . . Ben Berger’s Riviera, Hastings, Minn., in cooperation with an automobile dealer, gave away a jalopy in a “Buckets of Bolts’’ contest recently. Ben Berger, president. North Central Allied and Berger Amusement Company, and Minnesota State chairman. Crusade for Freedom, returned from Europe, where he and other state directors made a survey of conditions abroad. . . . George Granstrom and Ted Mann, owners, St. Paul, Minn., World, added a second loop house to their operations with the acquisition of the Lyceum from Mrs. Howard Dale. Don Stern has taken over operation of the Community, Clear Lake, Minn. . . . The Lyceum, Deer River, Minn., is running a weekly cartoon carnival for kids. . . . James P. Kline, principal, Murdock, Minn., schools, is the new operator, Lee, Murdock, replacing George Krattenmaker. . . . South Dakota national guardsmen were recent guests of the management of the Hot Springs, Hot Springs, S. D. . . . Harry French, president, Minnesota Amusement Com¬ pany, returned from a trip to the west coast. Ed Lineer, manager. Gopher, has been cooperating with the Peace Pipe, news letter issued by American Indians, Inc., and the Indians themselves in getting publicity for his theatre. A meeting of alt managers of the Berger Circuit, both in town and out of town, will be held on Nov. 9-10 under supervision of general manager Gil Swenberger. Ed Linder, manager. Gopher, tied up with schools on a composition contest on “Adventures Of Robinson Crusoe.’’ He also received the cooperation of the public libraries on this film. Oklahoma City R. L. Briggs opened a new drive-in in Drumright, Okla., the Drumright Drive-In, with 275 cars. . . . Florence Nashert is the new secretary to the U-I office manager. She replaced Sue Plummer, resigned. . . . Hi Martin, U-I district manager, Dallas, was in. Out-of-town exhibitors seen were Dennis E. Wax’d, Ritz, Afton, Okla.; M. T. Sands, Kiamichi, Clayton, Okla.; J. Y. Greenwood, Greenwood, Boswell, Okla.; Gei’ald Bullai'd, Stax-, Morris, Okla.; Silas Pack, Palace, Haskell, Okla.; Mrs. Doris Callahan, Grand, Locust Gx'ove, Okla.; Mrs. Adelaide Loman, Ideal, Luther, Okla.; Mrs. Bess M. Wilkie, State, Harx'ah, Okla.; J. E. Holt, Wigwam-Holt, Coalgate, Okla.; E. M. Freiburger, Dewey, Dewey, Okla.; Melvin Butler, Salina, Salina, Okla.; L. E. Bx-ewer, Royal-Folly, Pauls Valley, Okla.; Hugh Bates, Pine, Tecunxseh, Okla.; Carl Phillips, Sequoyah-Ritz, Sallisaw, Okla.; W. E. Jones, Stax', Sand Springs, Okla.; L. G. Bumpers, Joy, Vian, Okla.; Woody M. Minor, Pix, Wewoka, Okla.; W. J. Nelson, Valliant Di'ive-In, Valliant, Okla.; Mrs. A. A. Moulder, Cx'itex-ion, Sapulpa, Okla.; Ruby Jones, Jake, Shawnee, Okla.; Dana Ryan, Buffalo, Pawnee, Okla.; B. J. McKenna, Oklahoma, Norman, Okla.; and Bill Slepka, Crystal and Jewel, Okemah, Okla. Portland Recent changes made by Evergreen include the appointment of Bill Lacey, former assistant to Elton Robbins, Eugene, Ore., city manager, as assistant manager. Fox. Oscar Nyberg is the xnanager. Carl Miller is now city man¬ ager, Vancouver, Wash., houses, Castle and Kiggins. Willard Ridgeway, former house manager, Kiggins, has been named as Miller’s assistant. He replaces Jim Allen, promoted to manager, American, Bellingbam, Wash. Al Oxtoby, Warners’ branch manager, was I'ecuperating fxom an attack of the flu. . . . M. M. Mesher, Paramount, was in San Francisco with his wife on busi¬ ness and pleasure. . . . Paul Forsyth, Blue Mouse, renovated and modernized the downtown house. . . . Mr. and Mrs. Adamson headed a contingent or Oregon exhibitors at the Theatre Owners of America convention in Chicago. Jack Matlack, former J. J. Parker executive, Poitland public relations counsel, is being congratulated for the excellent promotional job he did with the Pacific-International Livestock Ex¬ position and the “Do-It-Yourself” exhibit. Exploiteers included Earl Keate, United Artists; Walter Hoffman, Para¬ mount; and Allan Weider, MGM. . . . Warren (Tillie) Withers is recuperating. 5t, Louis One-man projection x'oonx opex'ation with union projectionists in all but 16 of the theatres in St. Louis and St. Louis County is provided for under the terms of a new five-year wage scale and working agreement worked out at a conference between committees of Local 143 and theatx'e ownex's. Richax'd F. Walsh, president, lATSE, sat in on the final conference that worked out the terms. It is understood that the basic tex'ms of the five-year contract are that the men in the one-man houses will be given a 20 per cent increase in the old basic wage scale of the house, plus a five per cent retirement fund con¬ tribution by the theatre owner. This ar¬ rangement will apply immediately to 47 of the theatres covered by the agreeixxent. Effective on Sept. 1, 1955, 11 other houses will also go to one man operation, including such theatres as the Gx-anada, Tower, Rio, Shenandoah, Victory, Wellston, and Lindell, Fanchon and Max'coSt. Louis Amusement Company Circuit, and also the Varsity, Esquire, Norside, axxd Melba. In those theatres, the old wage scale and working conditions will pre¬ vail until Sept. 1, 1955, axxd the pro¬ jectionists employed in such houses ax-e not to come under the x'etix'ement fund provisions uxxtil the theatx-es go to oneman opex'ation. At such time, those workex's will get 20 per cent wage in¬ creases in addition to the five per cent retirement contribution. Five deluxe first-runs ax'e to continue with two-man px'ojection booth opex'ation indefinitely, and in those houses the management has agx'eed to grant the five per cexit contx'ibution inxmediately. The first-runs are the Fox, Missouri, and St. Louis, Fanchon and Marco-St. Louis Amuse¬ ment Company, and Loew’s State and Loew’s Orpheum, operated by Loew’s Theatres. St. Louis has a city ox'dinance that requix'es the use of two projection¬ ists. Immediate steps will be taken, it is undex'stood, to have that ordinance repealed. In Murphysboi'o, Ill., the Liberty, 425seater, owned by the Marlow Amuse¬ ment Cox'poration, Herx'in, Ill., was heavily damaged by a fire. The McNair is the latest of the oldei' St. Louis thexiti'es to be sold for use as a church. November 8, 195