The Exhibitor (1954)

-4 MOTION PICTURE EXHIBITOR Milton Weisman, Palm Beach, Fla., exhibitor, and his wife, are seen on the west coast recently with Fernando Lamas on the set of “The Girl Rush” during a Paramount studio tour. Weisman is an executive of Telenews Circuit. and soft drinks given to patrons. The airer was built by Philip C. Matthews and has been operated by him and his brother-in-law, Carl Rodberg, ever since. Three separate events of the winter season all were aimed at filling the cof¬ fers of the Variety ctiildren’s Hospital, the annual MacNaughton one-day golf toui'nament was played at Bayshore, Miami Beach, Fla.; every cent taken in at the Parrot Jungle in South Miami was given to the hospital ; and Tropical Park race track had a Vaidety Chil¬ dren’s Hospital Day. . . . Second week of Wometco’s current confection con¬ test found group one leader the North Andrews Drive-In, Fort Lauderdale Fla.; Center was first in group two; the Town was leading in group three; the Grand, West Palm Beach, Fla., was first in group four; and the Park, Tam¬ pa, Fla.; was first in group five. In the thiid week of the contest, there were two upsets, with the 27th Avenue DriveIn taking first place in group one and the Surf, Miami Beach, Fla., edging out the Park for first place in grou]) five. . . . Lou Fishking, manager. Strand, was on the sick list. Louisiana Eunice Charter of incorporation has been granted Liberty Amusement Company of Louisiana, Inc., listing capital stock of $50,000. Mississippi Jackson William T. Powell, prominently known as division manager. Smith Management Company’s mid west Drive-In Theatres, Inc., St. Louis, was guest drive-in panelist at MGM’s TicketSelling Worshops here. He will also at¬ tend at Memphis on Jan. 27. Attendance here, originally estimated to be fewer than 100 showmen from Mississippi, ex¬ ceeded that number. Approximately 159 advance reservations were received by C. James Briant, MGM branch man¬ ager, New Orleans. Powell’s attendance at the two southern meetings was ar¬ ranged by Mike Simons, director of customer relations, MGM, and Dick Smith, Smith office, Boston. Also attend¬ ing were Ivan D. Anderson, operator. Liberty, North Wilkesboro, N. C.; Strike back B?/ saving lives, by eas¬ ing pain, by improving services to cancer pa¬ tients, by supporting research that ^v ill find the final ansivers to cancer . . B That is hoiv your dollars strike back at cancer when you give them to the Ame}‘ican Cancer Society. Send your gift today by mailing it to k'CanceC’ care of your local post office. to conquer cancer Briant and his sales and booking staffs, including “Cy” Bridges, Helmer P. Mosley, Cal Bien, salesman; H. A. Arata, office manager; Louis Harper and Nathalco Odom, bookers. The same staff of panelists who appeared at Jackson will travel to Memphis for the Work¬ shop there. This meeting' will be hosted by Memphis branch manager Louis C. Ingram with office manager Ethelino Mayo, salesmen Hollis Holmes, Jimmy Fly, and Jim Ronsiek, and bookers ^■aude J. Easley, Jr., and Jim Griffin assisting. Attendance at Memphis, ac¬ cording to advance predictions, is ex¬ pected to surpass that of any of the Workshops to date, according to Simons, who confidently anticipates more than .375 exhibitors to be present. North Carolina Durham W. G. Enloe, Raleigh, N. C., repre¬ sentative, North Carolina Theatres, Inc., who already had given passes to mem¬ bers of the North Carolina State Legis¬ lature for the duration of their current session, was host to the legislators at a special premiei'e showdng at the Am¬ bassador of “Deep In My Heart.” Charles H. Lewis, manager, Cente*', has been named co-chairman, Durham Merchants Association annual dinner committee, which will make plans for the 1955 event. Frank Remsberg, manager. Paramount, Goldsboro, N. C., has been elected senior warden of the vestry of St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church at Goldsboro. A 10 per cent admissions tax on motion picture houses and vaudeville shows was suggested before the North Carolina Legislature as a possible means of increasing the state’s revenue. The suggestion was made by James S. Currie, head of the state Department of Tax Reseai'ch, in an appearance before the Senate, but he admitted that such a tax would have a “teriific impact” on the movie industry. He estimated that the tax would raise $2,500,()()() a year, and that a three per cent tax would raise $485,000. The proposal was made along with a number of others, .and Currie said he was not recommending any of the ideas, hut only presenting facts and figures on possible new tax sources. A financial plan, involving purchase of seats plus annual contributions, has been launched at the resort town of Pinehurst, N. C., in a move to open the Carolina, which has been closed for soma time. S. A. Strickland, chairman of the organ¬ izing committee, said that the house cannot operate without the assurance of annual income because its operation is no longer possible without such support. If the community financial plan succeeds, the house will operate on a subscription basis foi the showing of motion pictures, with a number of general admission performances sched¬ uled. If it fails, the house will remain closed, Strickland said. Subscriptions are being sold for 213 reserved seats at $130, $100 and $75 each, for a season of about ()5 performances, about tht> ('(luivalent of $2, $1.50 and $1.15 pf*r performance. January 26, 1955