The Exhibitor (1954)

NT-2 MOTION PICTURE EXHIBITOR if reduction were not sufficient they would remove them entirely. The remodeled Criterion, Durham, N. C., has been taken over by Con¬ solidated Theatres, also owner of other theatres in that town. . . . W. Kenneth Laird, former sales representative, U-I, is now manager, southeastern office, Buena Vista. A wide-screen and new booth equip¬ ment has been installed at the Stx'and, Jesup, Ga. . . . John R. Lawson re¬ cently took over the New, Palatka, Fla. The Franklin, Lavonia, Ga., owned by Co-At-Co Theatres, which closed some time ago, has reopened. . . . The Sun¬ down Drive-In, Livington, Tenn., has closed for the winter. . . . The A1 Rook Booking Servdce has taken over the buy¬ ing and booking for the Madison, Madi¬ son, Ga., and Union, Union Point, Ga., both owned by J. M, Reynolds. . . . The Omega, owned by R. T. Moody, Omega, Ga., is now using 16 mm. . . . H. C. Bradford, father of Mrs. Marguerite Stith, died at his home from a heart attack. We are glad to repoi't that Fred Coleman, head. East Point Amusement Company, East Point, Ga., is back after an operation. . . . The father of Leonard Allen, southern publicity chief. Para¬ mount, died at his home in Miami, . . . Elizabeth Hicks, National Screen Service, has resigned from the company to become a bride. W. M. Richardson, president. Capital and Astor, was off for a business trip to Tennessee. . . . Mrs. J. M. Lakeman, Dixie, Haleyville, Ala., was in booking. . . . Roy Goodwin and Buddy Smith are new employees at Stevens Pictures. . . . Enid Pittman broke her arm but is getting along just fine. ... In for a sales meeting at Howco Films are Babe Cohen, New Orleans; Joy Houck, New Orleans; and Francis White, Charlotte. . . . Jim Crockett, formerly with ex¬ changes in Atlanta, has opened a motel in Statesboro, Ga. Charlotte The screen at the Lee Drive-In, San¬ ford, N. C., was blown down by a freak wind storm. The screen had just been rebuilt and in use a short time from the Hazel hurricane. . . . Bob Ashley, Central, Central, S. C., was in confer¬ ring with Carolina Booking Service. Camporama Drive-In, Jacksonville, re¬ opened and the buying and booking will be handled by Carolina Booking Service. . . . The father of Bill Cline, booker, Reinhardt Enterprises Inc., is in the Cabarrus County Hospital, Concord, N. C., a very sick man. . , . C. H. Morgan and S. D. Mitchell, Greenville, S. C., who operate the Plaza, Greenville, S. C.; Fox, Hendersonville, N. C.; Clemson, Clemson, S. C.; and Pic, Pic¬ kens, S. C., were in conferring with Reinhardt Enterprises, Inc. Also in was Arthur Phillips, Strand, Walhalla, S. C. The Royal Drive-In and Breeze, Beau¬ fort, S. C., have been sold to Ira Smith, Earl Smith, and Ed Samuel. Reinhardt Enterprises, Inc., is doing their booking. . . . Gloria, Ninety Six, S C., is now operated by Les McConnell, Reinhardt doing the booking. Exhibitors on the Row buying and booking were very few on account of Cook, Mount Olive, N. C., who was con¬ ferring with Queen City Booking Service. Jacksonville The subui'ban Edgewood, managed by Hal Stanton, is normally a second-run Cinema Scope house, but it has entered the first-run field recently on two occa¬ sions with the United Artists releases of “Gilbert and Sullivan” and “The Thief” which had not been shown before locally. The town had one of its largest crowds of the year when thousands of visitors, including many from Texas and Ala¬ bama, came to see the Auburn-Baylor football game on New Year’s Eve in the Gator Bowl annual classic. This became theatrical news when seven ex¬ hibitors produced midnight shows to attract free-spenders after the game. These were Bob Skaggs at the Florida; George Krevo, Palace; and Sheldon Mandell, St. Johns, all managers of first-run downtown houses. Midnighting subur¬ banites were A1 Hildred, San Marco; Bob Anderson, Southside Drive-In; Joe Charles, Capitol ; and Carl Carter, Ribault Drive-In. The latter kept his outdoorer open all night. Temporary victims of the flu were Mrs. Lillian Parker, Bi-entwood man¬ ager; Jim McClellan, Edgewood assist¬ ant; and Mrs. Marye Sisson, Roy Smith Company, Tampa, Fla. . . . Jack Weiner, MGM’s roving publicity manager, was reported in better condition a week after he suffered a lung puncture in a highway wreck. His work was being carried on by Judson Moses, MGM dis¬ trict office in Atlanta. . . . The birth of Bill Baskin’s new daughter resulted in a wide distribution of cigars to friends of the Florda State Theatres booker. The Murray Hll was being converted to CinemaScope by owner Cecil Cohen. Manager Joe Charles, Capitol, said that his theatre would also be so equipped. L. D. Netter, Sr., FST president, and Mrs. Netter visited in Miami, Fla., dur¬ ing the year-end holidays. . . . Hal Stanton, Edgewood manager, went by plane to his former home in Fort Pierce, Fla. . . . FST advertising worker Mrs. Ernestine Noah visited friends in Tennessee. . . . Returning from vaca¬ tion was Miss Marjorie Edenfield of the MGM office. . . . Another returnee was R. Cam Price, RKO branch manager, who spent several days in Birmingham. . . . Rube Joiner, former RKO booker here, was a caller from Atlanta where he now lives. . . . Bob Daugherty and Carl Floyd, Floyd Theatres, Haines City, Fla., v'ere here on a booking and buying trip. . . . Lynn Goodyear, manager. Empire, Daytona Beach, Fla., visited the FST advertising office. Manager of the reopened Fourth Street Drive-In, St. Petersburg, Fla., is Ezra Kimbreli. . . . Mrs. Evelyn Faris, who managed the recently closed Garden, Tampa, Fla., is now managing the Springs. Plans were being made by Leonard Allen, Paramount publicist from Atlan¬ ta, for a special screening of “The Bridges of Toko-Ri” on the hanger deck of the navy’s large aircraft carrier. Intrepid, moored at the nearby Mayport Turning Basin, in cooperation with Robert Heekin and French B. Harvey, FST executives. Contingent upon changes of plans by navy officials, the filming was set for Jan. 6, with invitations to be issued to community leaders, newspaper¬ men, and radio and TV news casters. . . . Ken Laird, southeastern district manager, Buena Vista, was planning to move his offices from this city to Atlanta. Harvey Reinstein was to remain here as the Buena Vista salesman for Florida. . . . Bob Mullis, owner of theatres in Cedar Key and Gulf Hammock, Fla., called at the MGM office. . . . Mrs. Ade¬ line Gathrop has reopened her Linda Drive-In at Palatka, Fla. with a new concession stand. . . . Walt Woodward, Wil-Kin Theatre Supply salesman, Miami, Fla., was here on business. n The suburban Capitol, managed by S Joe Charles, ran advance newspaper ads announcing a change to CinemaScope ij’ pictures. . . . Without an advance in prices, the Ribault Drive-In of Carl Carter pi-esented an added attraction of ^ Bill Forkum, in person, being dynamited X" from a small coffin enclosui-e. . . . Horace .Jg Denning, Atlantic Drive-In, had a pre 2 Christmas Santa Claus who provided all Pj children with free favors. . . . Drive-In f' screens were dark on Christmas eve to r,1 give employees an extra holiday. ... A film festival of the best pictures of li 1954 was booked at the Edgewood, man v aged by Hal Stanton, during December. t Orphans of the city were ti’eated to a U free party with a live Santa Claus and t a special showing prior to the first-run J of “Hansel And Gretel” at the Palace. % Hosts were manager George Krevo and U newsmen of The Florida Times-Union, f morning newspaper. ? ' French B. Harvey, former Daytona Beach, Fla., city manager for Florida ^ State Theatres, who has been advanced to an executive post in advertising and publicity in the FST home office here, I’. was i-ecently inducted into the city’s Advertising Club. . . . Ed Shell, formerly x' of the FST accounting staff, is now }•. managing the FST candy and popcorn I: warehouse. . . . Visiting friends in the I city was Adeline Gathrop, owner, Linda « Drive-In, Palatka, Fla. f Bob Daugherty, Floyd Theatres #' general managei-, v'as in from Haines J City, Fla. . . . Another visitor was Byron : Adams, UA district manager in Atlanta. * . . .Rainy and cold nights have recently hampered drive-in operations in north 4 Florida. . . . Whitney Lindsey, Roy f ! Smith Company, was a victim of pleurisy " i for several days. . . . Jim Hussey and ; Fred Adams, Pine Hills Drive-In, made ; a donation to an Orlando, Fla., charity i out of boxoffice receipts. ' James L. Cartwright, FST district \ supervisor, Daytona Beach, Fla., and Robert Heekin, local FST supervisor, an ■ nounced a number of exploitation activi ^ ties of theatre managers in the north : east Florida section during the fourth ' week of an annual Managers Oppor |j January 12, 1955