The Exhibitor (1954)

NT-2 MOTION PICTURE EXHIBITOR his way to Montgomery, Ala. . . . Bill Fegenbush, Florida artist, was back after recovering from a painful oper¬ ation. . . . Bob Cannon, Cannon Thea¬ tres, Live Oak, Fla., and E. J. Kanarias, Beach Drive-In, St. Augustine, Fla., were visitors. . . . The Atlantic Beach Hotel was the scene of a gala year-end party for the home office and warehouse staffs of Florida State Theatres. The Five Points, managed by Bill Beck, opened Christmas Day with the first-run of “20,000 Leagues Under The Sea,” after it had been closed for a month for new decor and a new CinemaScope screen. . . . The 11 leading driveins here were closed on Christmas Eve. . . . Branch manager Fred Hull’s MGM office employees and friends gathered at the Timber Inn for a Christmas season party. Memphis Mrs. Jack Katz, Ritz, is gaining a lot of attention with her new invention, the “Protectie.” Several were seen at the recent theatre owners convention. Soup eaters can now rest assured of keeping their ties clean. Mrs. Katz sent one to President Eisenhower and re¬ ceived a note of thanks. She sent one to Arthur Godfrey and was mentioned on his program. Visitors on the Row were H. Bruister, Tutwiler, Tutwiler, Miss.; Frank Easley, Lindy, Linden, Tenn.; Gene Higginbottam. Melody, Leachville, Ark.; Doc Lyles, Ritz, Oxford, Miss.; and Jesse Moore, Ritz, Crenshaw, Miss. William Everett is now operating the Rae, McRae, Ark. . . . J. A. Prichard, Allied Artists southern division manager, is spending Christmas with his mother and Bailey Prichard, local bi-anch man¬ ager, and other relatives in Memphis. . . . Mr. and Mrs. Henry Hammond will attend the Cotton Bowl game on New Year’s Day. He is Allied Artists sales¬ man. . . . Vivien Wahlquist, Allied Artists booker, and son, Danny, Para¬ mount shipper, are spending Christmas in Wichita, Tenn. New Orleans High on the list of special Christmas fares was the WOMPI party for 400 orphans at the Imperial, with a real Santa, loaded down with toys, Christmas tree, carol singing, and movies for their entertainment. . . . Twentieth CenturyFox Family Club gathered at the St. Clair Restaurant for a turkey dinner *and hours of dancing. . . . Paramount Gulf’s bosses hosted their employees to a party at the New Orleans Athletic Club. . . . Allied Artists’ members held a social gathering with friends and families at the exchange, as did U-I. . . . Mamie and Milton Dureau, Masterpiece Pictures, assisted by cashier Alberta Shindler and salesman Alton Dureau, held open house, as did Harold “Babe” Cohen and his assistants, office manager Bob Saloy and salesman Larry Dufour. Among localites elected as national directors of the Navy League of the United States at the league’s recent annual meeting in Detroit are E. V. Richards, Jr., former president. Para¬ mount Richards Theatres and the league’s outgoing president, and Maurice Barr, Paramount Gulf’s secretary in charge of advertising, publicity and public relations. Richards was also ap¬ pointed to the league advisory council. George M. Leppert, president, newly organized Draw Poker Films Inc., accompanied by his family, left for a week’s stay in New York before his departure for Madrid, Spain, in the interest of their first production, “Accent Spain.” The family will remain in New York awaiting his return from abroad. Hurry up and get well wishes go out to Frank Olah, Star, Albany, La., and associated in the Skyvue Drive-In, who is bedded at Touro, La., with a severe back injury, and to Roy Saxon, Elroy, Kentwod, La., who is confined in a local hospital mending from an appendectomy. J. G. Broggi, buyer and booker, U Drive-In, Leaksville, Miss., reported that it will be closed from Jan. 1 to about May 1. Mrs. Claire Tremorel, publicity chair¬ man, New Orleans chapter, WOMPI, announced that six of the local members have been named national chairmen. They are: Mrs. Loraine Cass, national vice-president and past president of the local chapter, membership; Miss Rolande Guma, finance; Mrs. Tremorel, publicity; Mrs. Anna Oliphant, by-laws; Miss Ida Klos, insignia and pins; and Mrs. Gene Barnette, extension. Chapters are being formed in Oklahoma City and Toronto, Canada, it was reported. The New Orleans Better Films Club played Santa Claus to several hundred kiddies from the city’s various or¬ phanages at the Civic. The entertain¬ ment fare included a Christmas feature and Christmas featurettes, and the sing¬ ing of Christmas carols. Each child re¬ ceived a filled stocking from Santa, who appeared on the stage with Mrs. Norman E. Kerth, president of the club, and assistants, Mrs. Jack Vital and Mrs. Rahm Dardenne. Mayor Chep Morrison was also on hand. RKO’s southern sales staff here for the company’s regional conference at the Jung Hotel were Ben Y. Cammack, south¬ western district manager; Dave Prince, southeastern district manager; S. M. Sachs, Dallas; R. B. Williams, Oklahoma City; R. C. Price, Jacksonville; R. V. Reagan, Memphis; J. P. Stone, Atlanta; and J. R. “Roger” Lamantia, New Orleans. Home office executives here for the meet were president James R. Grainger and world-wide sales manager Walter Branson, who presided. Grainger hosted a group of exhibitors at a dinner at Antoine’s. Among them were E. V. Richards, former president, ParamountRichards Theatres Corporation; Gaston J. Dureau, Jr., president; Henry Plitt, vice-president in charge of theatre operations; Maurice Barr, secretary in charge of publicity, advertising, and public relations; James Howell, in charge of buying and booking, Paramount Gulf Theatres, Inc.; Abe Berrenson, presi¬ dent, Allied Theatre Owners of the Gulf States; Page Baker, general manager. Theatres Seiwice Company; Don Staf¬ ford, Dixie Theatres executive; Joy Houck, president, Joy’s Theatres, Inc.; and L. C. Montgomery, president. Delta Theatres Inc. Florida Miami Children of Wometco employees were guests at a Christmas party at the home of Mrs. Mitchell Wolfson, wife of the coowner. . . Ethyl Guberstick, secretary to Robert Green, Wometco personnel director, completed seven years of service with the company and became eligible for membership in the Wometco Old Guard organization. . . . Mrs. Robert Dounton, Wometco switchboard operator, was nominated a Telephone Personality in a series running in The Miami Herald. Billie Wahl, Wometco bookkeeper, was one of two prize winners in a contest to find an insignia for television station WTVJ. The winning idea was a flamingo, typical tropical insignia. . . . Florida State publized the pre-Christmas open¬ ing of “Hansel and Gretel” at the Flor¬ ida, Sheridan, and Coral, with a number of special showings of the film for char¬ ity, insluding prevues for juvenile patients at Variety Children’s Hospital, National Cardiac Hospital, Roosevelt School for Exceptional Children, and the Cerebral Palsy Association. In addition, a free show was given at the Florida for underprivileged youngsters of the area. .4 special screening was also held for the Parent-Teacher Association Coun¬ cil of Dade County. Tommy Trent, local puppeteer, made appearances at various grocery stoi-es. Georgia Waycross The Lyric, closed for over a year, has reopened. Louisiana Fort Smith James J. Smith, theatre operator at Hackett, La., died at the age of 76. Mississippi McComb Charter of incorporation has been granted Yazoo Theatre Inc., listing capital stock of $5,000. North Carolina Durham Charles H. Lewfis, manager. Center, has been nominated for election as a dii’ector of the Durham Merchants As¬ sociation, the nomination being equiv¬ alent to election. Rockingham Frank Irvin, promotion minded man¬ ager, Richmond, has been named winner of MGM’s October-November exploitation contest for Wilby-Kincey managers. His winning campaign was on “Julius Caesar.” Runners-up were Dave Garvin, Pai-amount, Newport News, Va.; Gar¬ land Hayworth, Winston, Winston Salem, N. C.; and Kerr McBride, Spartansburg, S. C. January 5, 1955