The Exhibitor (1954)

Nr-2 MOTION PICTURE EXHIBITOR Meadow Street Many theatres throughout the state closed on Christmas Eve to give their employees an opportunity to be at home with their families. Among those who shuttered were the Norwalk, Norwalk; Empress, South Norwalk; Pickwick, Greenwich; Greenwich Playhouse, Green¬ wich; Niantic, Niantic; Plaza, Windsor; Newington, Newington Center; Strand, Winsted; Strand, Seymour; Cheshire Cheshire; Meriden, Meriden; Palace, Stamford; Avon, Stamford; Stamford, Stamford; Ridgeway, Stamford; Barnum, Bridgeport; Hamilton, Waterbury; Ville, Waterville; Alhambra, Waterbury; Cameo, Watertown; Capitol, Waterbury; Tower, Waterbury; Groton, Groton; Colonial, Canaan; Wilkinson, Walling¬ ford; Oak, Oakville; and Norwalk DriveIn. Middlesex, Middletown, Conn., closed a week for new high fidelity sound im¬ provements. . . . Shows for kiddies dur¬ ing the holiday included Sal Adorno’s free movie party at the Palace, Middletown, Conn.; free Christmas kiddie matinee at Niantic, Niantic, Conn. Seymour, Conii., children were guests of the management of the Strand. Stanley Warner houses had kiddie shows at the Commodore Hull, Derby, Conn., 400 free records and comic books; Capitol, Ansonia. Conn., 400 records and comic books; Palace, Norwalk, Conn., free Christmas records and comic books; and Strand, New Britain, Conn., comic books. The New Milford, New Milford, Conn., had a benefit show for St. Francis Guild. . . . Special showings of “Three Ring Circus” and “Jamboree” were scheduled for the Allyn, Hartford, Conn., for Boy Scouts and friends. Ralph Civitello, former Devon, Conn., exhibitor, now doing oil paintings, has a picture of Jimmy Piersall, star Red Sox outfielder, which he has offered to Leavenworth High, Waterbury, Conn., as a gift. School officials are quite interested. . . . George Weber, former MGM office manager, and now Yale’s official athletics photographer, recently finished the movie, “Yale Football High¬ lights of 1954,” with Yale football coach Jordan Oliver doing the commentary. The film was shown to a group of up¬ state newspapermen and it was enthu¬ siastically received. . . . Dick Carroll, Paramount office manager, received a nice publicity bit in The Elm City Clarion on his giving a Christmas movie party for the youngsters in his neighbor¬ hood with refreshments for the 35 kiddies present, including his daughter, Pat, who was celebrating her ninth birth¬ day. Dick has sponsored these parties for the past 18 years. Circuits Loew Poli With the purchase of the Bijou build¬ ing by the First National Bank and Trust Company, two theatres operated by the Loew Poli New England circuit remain in New Haven, Loew’s Poli and the Loew Poli College. The division office is located in the building with Loew’s Poli and, consequently, will not be effected by the Bijou building sale. . . . Various circuit managers are setting bally for “There’s No Business Like Show Business.” In Waterbury, Conn., Bob Carney made a tieup with the Musler Liebeskind Company and received a nice window, large ad in newspapers, and ladies fashion display in theatre lobby. Connecticut Bloomfield The Blue Hills Drive-In has closed for the season. Hartford Paul McNamera, six-year-old son of the Ray McNamaras, Allyn, took the spotlight the other afternoon at Mit¬ chell Elementary School, Wethersfield, Conn. He served as master of cere¬ monies at the school’s annual holiday party and the beaming McNamaras wei'e front center. Trinity College’s newly-formed Cinema Club has scheduled a series of classics, one screening per month, through next April, with season tickets selling for $1.50. each. Bob Maurello, manager. Star, is home from a two-week vacation. . . . The Lockwood and Gordon houses in this area closed down Christmas eve. . . . New policy at the Colonial, Southington, Conn., has one complete performance nightly, starting at 7:30. Arthur Alperin is resident manager. . . . New price scale was announced at the Stamford, Stamford, Conn., matinee to 5 p.m., adults, 50 cents; evenings, Mon¬ days through Fridays, 85 cents; chil¬ dren, 35 cents at all times; Saturday evening, all day Sundays, and holidays, adults, $1. The Glastonbury Zoning Board of Appeals has tabled the application of Jack Leitao to erect a drive-in. Board chairman Robert E. Goodrich said the application will be studied and given further consideration at the next meet¬ ing, slated for mid-January. Several area property owners protested the drive-in at the board’s intial meeting on the subject. Leitao is an East Hart¬ ford businessman. The project would be first outdoor theatre for Glaston¬ bury, Conn. Sal Adorno, Sr., general manager, M and D Theatres, Middletown, Conn., hosted 225 Middletown Press newsboys at annual Christmas screening at the Palace. . . . Mrs. Hazel Florian, Lockwood and Gordon’s Strand, Winsted, sold four merchants on co-sponsorship of her first annual children’s Christmas party, with gifts, prizes and other nov¬ elties on program. Mr. Bobo, TV clown, also appeared. Middletown Mike Adorno, assistant general man¬ ager, M and D Theatres, is in favor of pro-industry advertising on a con¬ sistent scale. A recent Adorno weekend ad for the Capitol, Middlesex, and Pal¬ ace had copy praising new product and calling attention to the high budget films. New Britain Nick Kounaris, 61, partner in the New¬ ington, Newington, Conn., and Meriden, Meriden, Conn., died suddenly at his home here. At one time, he operated the Roxy, now the Music Box, in New Britain. Kounaris also was president of the Crown Dairy and Ice Cream Com¬ pany of this city. Newington The Pike Drive-In has closed for the season. Norwich Jack A. Simons, manager, Stanley Warner Palace, transferred to the circuit’s Palace, South Norwalk, Conn. Replacing him here is Phil Allaire, formerly at the Palace, Torrington, Conn., and more recently assistant man¬ ager of the Strand, Hartford, Conn. Wethersfield Lockwood and Gordon Theatres, in association with Seymour Levine, oper¬ ator, Bowl Drive-In, West Haven, Conn., will build a 500-car capicity drive-in witbin Brigeport, Conn., city limits this spring at a cost of $250,000 ac¬ cording to Doug Amos, L and G’s Hart¬ ford district manager. Amos is on a two-week vacation in Puerto Rico. Willimantic Jason Theatrical Enterprises, oper¬ ators, Palace, Torrington, Conn., and Bristol, Bristol, Conn., have acquired the Stanley Warner Gem for an undis¬ closed sum. George P. Haddad has been serving as manager of the downtown house for the past five years. Jason will install CinemaScope equipment and other innovations. Winsted Vincent Vogellus, Jr., is the new door¬ man at the Lockwood and Gordon Strand. . . . The Litchfield County Hos¬ pital Auxiliary sponsored an evening performance of ‘“ronight We Sing” at the Strand, through a tie-up with house manager Mrs. Hazel Florian. Massachusetts Springfield B and Q Theatres, which recently acquired the Arcade, reopened the attractively redecorated theatre on Christmas day after a brief shutdown. Striking projectionists at five Western Massachusetts Theatres, Inc., houses re¬ turned to work following an agreement to a wage increase offer. Members of Local 186, AFL MPO, agreed to the management’s offer, the nature of which was not revealed. A return to work occurred immediately. Of the five thea¬ tres involved, the Bing and the Casino, Ware, Mass., continued to operate des¬ pite picketing. The Rivoli, Chicopee; Wernick, Chicopee Falls; and Strand, Westfield were closed since the strike began on Dec. 3. New Hampshire Concord The Concord Monitor, local newspaper, gave its carrier boys throughout the state a Christmas party at the Capitol. Frank Eldridge, manager, was host with the N. H. Savings Bank helping to foot the bill. . . . The Concord is now show¬ ing CinemaScope films. Dover Strand gave away six fiee Christmas turkeys in a holiday show. January 5, 1955