The Exhibitor (1955)

NT-2 MOTION PICTURE EXHIBITOR Air Force. . . . David Sandler, Sandler Manufacturing Company, has placed on the market a new model of his Little Inferno in-car heater that employes neither a motor nor a blower. . . . Fdward Shulman borrowed a Japanese art display from the Cleveland Museum of Art to add interest to his showing of the Japanese film “Ugetsu” at the Heights Art. Maurice Bergman, eastern studio rep¬ resentative for U-I will be mastei' of ceremony at the ITOO convention ban¬ quet in Columbus, O., and William C. Gehring, 2()th-Fox sales manager, will be on hand to answer questions from the convention floor. . . . All exhibitors who ran the ITO sponsored Highway Safety Trailers may have “thank you” scrolls made out in their name provided for display in their theatres or for news¬ paper publicity use, Bob Wile, ITO sec¬ retary notified. Elroy (Crazylegs) Hirsch was in on his l4-city whirlwind personal appear¬ ance tour in connection with pro¬ motional activity for Warners’ “Un¬ chained.” He participated m the following events: guest of honor at Cleveland Plain Dealer Golden Gloves exhibitions; interview with high school sports editors; press luncheon for film and sports editors of press, TV and radio; TV interviews with Paul Wilcoz, WEWS* Tom Manning, WNEK; Jimmy Dudley,’ WXEL, and Maggie Wulf, WXEL radio interviews with sportscaster Bob Neal, WERE, and disc joc¬ keys of all local stations. Detroit First string critics of the leading newspapers and radio scene who were taken to New York for the opening of “Cinerama Holiday” included A1 Weitschat, News; Walt Stevenson, Times; Helen Bower, Free Press; and Dick Os¬ good, WXYZ. Miss Bower went to New York a day early with Bill Green, pub¬ licist, in order to meet the principals of the picture in connection with an uncoming Free Press-Cinerama promo S;,tion fie-in _ Sol Kvim who ha. been operating art theatres in Detioit for several years stepped over into the legitimate field pi’oducing a live Shakes¬ pearian performance. His showing ot the Canadian Players platform presen¬ tation of “St. Joan” was held at Ma¬ sonic Hall. Charles McGraw was a Hollywood visitor. McGraw was plugging Para¬ mount’s “Bridges of Toko-Ri.” . . . Allied Theatres of Michigan laid out the con¬ vention program to be held at the Statler Feb. 22 and 23. Opening day will be devoted to MGM’s Ticket Selling Workshop. In the evening conventioneers will banquet. Alden Smith is convention chairman. United Artists publicist Howard Peral was around town spoiling everyone’s winter by telling of his forthcoming boat ride to Columbia and Venezuela. . . . Linda Lee Upton was named “Miss Cinerama of 1955.” She was the first baby born to a Cinerama executive this year. Jeannie Johnson. “The I'agan I'rincess in I'-I’s “Sign Of The Pagan.” recently visited Cleveland and found time to drop in on the U-I exchange to help push the branch’s participation in the company’s Charles J. Feldman annual sales drive. “The Golden Baker Boys” making plenty of dough in the drive are Carl Reardon, left, Cleveland branch manager; and P. F. Rosian, right, district manager. Indianapolis The Indianapolis Variety Club has elected a new crew, consisting of chief barker Robert Conn; Robert Jones, first assistant; Dale McFarland, property master; William Carroll, dough guy; and canvasmen Sam Caplan, Rex Carr, Ted Nicholas, Jimmy Smith, Murray Devaney, Herman Hallberg, and Barney Brager. The Indianapolis tent is now handling the entire recreational pro¬ gram for Cerebral Palsy in the territory. Harris Dudelson, Buena Vista, was in the city conferring with Abe Gelman, who is pleased with business on their “20,000 Leagues Under The Sea” now at the Indiana, here, and the Rialto, Louis¬ ville, Ky. manager. Grand, Circleville, O., was vacationing in Florida. . . . Sandwiches and coffee featured a birthday party provided for their fellow workers at MGM by Florence Hei-mann, assistant cashier; Kip Smiley, salesman, and Betty Sontag, secretary. . . . William Burns, Warners head booker, and May Howard, Allied Artists head inspec¬ tress were married. . . . Jessie Smith, who has had a long convalescence from a traffic accident, has returned to 20thFox as a biller. Pittsburgh The cashier of the Arcade was robbed of $45 by a man who shoved a note at her reading: “Give me the money. I have .a gun.” Patrons watching “The Texas Badman” were not aware of the theft. The following theati’es have closed in the city during the past year. Avenue, Beachview, Dome, Lowrie, Lincoln, Met¬ ropolitan, Stahl, Elite, State and Ran¬ kin. . . . The local Warners exchange is going all out securing shorts dates celebrating Norman H. Moray Month in May marking his 25th anniversary with the company. Larry Carrittie, formerly with RKO and recently with Bert Stern’s co-opera¬ tive buying and booking service, is the new West Virginia salesman for War¬ ners. Dave Weir, who formerly covered this area, will return to the Mainline and Erie territory. . , . John T. McGreevey, Harris Circuit booker, was back on the job for shoi’t daily periods after his siege of ulcers which had hospitalized him. . . . Gertrude Boyle, wife of Sam Boyle, 20th-Fox head book¬ er, sustained a broken ankle in a fall recently. Manny Marcus, one of the oldtimers in the motion picture business, is en¬ joying the Florida sunshine. . . . Abe Gelman is sporting a new Buick con¬ vertible. . . . Allied Theatre Owners of Indiana postponed its board meeting un¬ til after the national drive board meet¬ ings at St. Louis. . . .Joe Bohn, Realart branch manager, has returned to the hospital after a brief stay on Film Row. . . . Variety Club of Indianapolis, Tent 10, will install 1955 officers and formally open its new quarters. . . . Pete DeFazio, Paramount salesman in noi'thern Indi¬ ana, has been transferred to the Pitts¬ burg territory. . . . Bob Conn, 20thFox branch manager, and salesmen Herman Hallberg and George Condon attended a sales meeting in Cleveland. Robert Strauss arrived with Dave Friedman, Paramount field representa¬ tive, for a round of appearances on be¬ half of “The Bridges at Toko-Ri.” , . . Jeanie Johnson was in the city to launch “Sign of the Pagan.” . . . Courtesy cards were issued to members of the state legislature now in session, good at moi’e than 200 theatres in Indiana. Milton Gurian, Allied Artists branch manager; Philip Fox, Columbia branch manager, and Herbert J. Gilles, Para¬ mount branch manager, were in Springfield, O., on business. . . . Marie Wilkin, Joe Mazzei, Millvale exhibitor, and undercoverman for the FBI, was assign¬ ed last week to impound records at a Culture Institute which had been listed as a Red front, and which Mazzei had testified was a Communist headquarters. , . . Vince Josacks’ daughter, Joan Carol, was recently married in Hamptonville, Va. Vince, former Film Row Warners salesman, is now in Washington cover¬ ing the Roanoke, Va., territory, . . . Howard Minsky, Paramount division manager, and his assistant. Bob Weber, were in holding meetings with the entire Paramount office. ' Bob Kimbel resigned as Republic shipper and will join his family in Cincinnati. Eddie Reith has resigned his Acme shipping duties to join Re¬ public in the same capacity. . . . George Wasko, Rivoli, Portage, O., exhibitor, was elected to a third term as president of the Mainline Industrial Development Association. The Johnny Harris twins will make their professional debuts with their mother, Donna Atwood, in the 1956 ver¬ sion of “Ice Capades.” ... Joe E. Brown, former Warners star, whose son is a member of the Pittsburgh Pirate busi¬ ness organization, was in town and made it his business to attend the Variety Club family night recently. Fehrnai'y 16, 1955