The Exhibitor (1955)

MOTION PICTURE EXHIBITOR NT-3 was to include a drive-in. Also to be included in the center were a roller skatinf? rink, home film rental agency, restaurant, 24-lane bowling alley and an indoor theatre. Walter F. Stepnitz, the developer, a St. Paul, Minn., in¬ surance man, still has hopes of “selling” Golden Valley residents on the desira¬ bility of th^ amusement center. The drive-in itself is slated to cost $100, ()()(). Stepnitz’ attorney said there is a “substantial question” over th(' validity of the anti-drive-in ordinance. I’hilip Winslow, Waterloo, la., sold his three-fourths interest in the Star¬ light drive-in, to Cential States Thea¬ tres, Des Moines, la. . . . The Re.x, Beloit, Wis., is undergoing an extensive remodeling job. House is sponsoring a contest for a new name for the theatre. . Roxy, Hinckley, Minn., has installed a new heating plant. Ditto the Stanton, Hazen, N. D. . . . Harry Weiss, RKO Theatres district manager, attended meetings at the home office in New York and upon returning headed for Denver for a swing around his territoiy. Parent-Teacher Association groups at Austin, Minn., are studying a plan to modify the local curfew law. Groups also are considering sponsorship of a juvenile film series in cooperation with Minnesota Amusement Company. Oklahoma City Ray Hughes, Liberty, Heavener, Okla.', suffered a heart attack. It is re¬ ported he is recuperating comfortably at home. . . . Sam Brunk, representative for Buena Vista, says they will open a branch office here. . . . The Sooner and Cherokee, Enid, Okla., have install¬ ed wide-sci'eens. Earl Pugh, booker. Paramount, and his mother have moved into their new home. . . . Two men robbed the Airline Drive-In. The bandit netted about $20 in the robbery. Theatre employees had put aw'ay several hundred dollars be¬ fore the I'obbery. Edwaid Ogle, cashier, gave officers a description of the two bandits. Cliff Applewhite, Liberty, Carnegie, Okla., is I'ecovering from an attack of virus pneumonia. . . . F. B. Phillips and family. Palace, Boise City, Okla., return¬ ed from a vacation in New Mexico. . . . Bill Dooley plans on opening his new drive-in in Laverne, Okla., around the first of May. . . . Ben Terry, Woodward, Woodward, Okla., has been confined to his home the past two weeks due to illness. . . . Don Cole and his wife, Bison, Buffalo, Okla., returned from a visit in West Plains, Mo. The Palace, Boise City, Okla., and the Long, Keyes, Okla., have installed wide screens. . . . The Terrytime Drive-In Woodward, Okla., has installed a wide¬ screen and CinemaScope. . . . The Bison, Buffalo, Okla., has installed a wide¬ screen. Out-of-town exhibitors seen on Film Row were Joel Johnson, Tower, Cement, Okla.; Jess Cooi)er, Lyric, Chelsea, Okla.; Henry Simpson, Princess and Seen entraining recently at Los Angeles for Missoula, Montana, to attend the world premiere of Republic’s “Timberjack” at the Fox and Roxy are Herbert J. Yates, third from left, president. Republic; Vera Ralston, top; Chill Wills, left; Adrian Booth, David Brian, Adolphe Menjou and Rex Allen. Walmur, Bristow, Okla.; Gerald Bullard Star, Morris, Okla.; Mrs. Doris Calla¬ han, Grand, Locust Grove, Okla.; Oral D. Wingard, Ritz, Jay, Okla.; Adolph Bell, Fawn, Jones, Okla.; Bill Slepka, Crystal and Jewel, Okemah, Okla.; B. J. McKenna, Oklahoma, Norman, Okla.; Robert E. McFarland, Coronado and Lake Air Drive-In, Putnam City, Okla.; Clyde Phillips, Eagle, Stilwell, Okla.; and Woody M. Minor, Pix, Wewoka, Okla. Omaha Mr. and Mrs. E. Opocensky, formerly of Cedar Rapids, Neb., reopened the Strand, Newman Grove, Neb., last week. . . . Pinky Mcllvaine, manager, Brandeis, announced he has a new assistant, John Gaul, who served the RKO circuit at Dubuque and Sioux City, la. . . . Arva (Jim) Burrus, exhibitor, Crete, Neb., since 1920, died at the age of 79. He is survived by his wife, two sons, Samuel and Howard, and daughter Ruth, all of Crete. . . . A. G. Hunt, another pioneer outstate exhibitor who operated the theatre at Ravenna, Neb., before World War I, died at Grand Island at the age of 90. A crew of movie industry bowlers with avmages ranging from 50 to 190 arc engaging in team competition week!>■ at Chop’s Alleys. Ace is Bill Barker, who last week won the Sweepstakes Tournament at Sioux Cit.v, la., and re¬ cently had a 743 series. Pat Halloran, MGM salesman with a strong 180 aver¬ age, is warming up his game with his eye on Barker’s laurels. Mike Williams, Arcadia exhibitoi-, is recuperating after being hospitalized at .\urora for a throat ailment. Dick Marvel, St. Paul exhibitoi', has been taking care of Mike’s booking. . . . Mrs. Frank Hollingsworth, wife of the Beatrice exhibitor, vacationed in .\rizona. Their daughter and son-in-law, Pat and Leonard Glien, have been as¬ sisting in lunning the Holly. . . . Marie Franksen, RKO inspectress more than 30 years, i-etired last week. . . . Mi-, and Mrs. Howard Kennedy, Bow, at Broken Bow, la., are back from a trij) through the south. Portland Russ Brown, Evergreen Oregon man¬ age:'. is in Los .4ngeles as acting editor cf National Theatre’s Showman, pinchh’t'ing for Dean Haskell, hospitalized i'o ■ a hip injury. Oscar Nyberg, Ever¬ green’s Fox manager, replaces Brown during his absence. . . . Mrs. J. J. Parkei', president, Pai'ker Theatres, has return¬ ed from a vacation trip to Los Angeles. Tom Walsh, Parker’s executive assist¬ ant, is on a vacation. A 46-pound Puget Sound octopus with a 12-foot spread was presented to Herb Roystei', Parkei' publicity and advertis¬ ing director, b.v members of the Oregon Skin Divers club as a stand-in for Jane Russell, unable to attend the Oregon Premiere of “Underwater!” at Parker’s Broadway. . . . Exploiteers in town in¬ cluded Allan Weider, MGM; and Earl Keate, United Artists. St, Louis Eddie Rosecam, Hannibal, Mo., has installed CinemaScope equipment in his Rialto, Cape Girardeau, Mo.; the Rialto, Illmo, Mo., in which he is associated with Truman H. Putz, and in the Rialto, Hannibal, Mo. Victor Klarsfeld is his partner and manager in the Rialto at Cape Girardeau, Mo. . . . CinemaScope equipment has been installed in tbe Gem, Chester, Ill., and the Capitol, Rosidare, Ill. . . . The 67 Drive-In Theatre, on U. S. No. 67 near Jacksonville, Ill., owned by the Central Amusement Com¬ pany, has made the necessary changes to screen and other equipment to permit the presentation of CinemaScope pictures. The New Shenandoah, 900-seat unit of the Komm Circuit, became the Apache. In the process of readying the house for the switch in title Louis Jablonow, gen¬ eral manager of the circuit, made im¬ provements, including a new sign, changes to the marquee, ,a new entrance to the lobby, new carpeting, and the seats were reupholstered. A major im¬ provement is a new Walker American wide screen. ... In Cottage Hills, Ill., the installation of an RCA Dynalite screen, 30 feet wide, purchased through the St. Louis Theatre Supply Company, was recently completed for the Rio, owned and operated by Leo J. Pavish. ... In Mound City, Ill., the Arlee, owned by Arthur G. Struck, was reopened after being closed for three days to permit the installation of a new wide panoramic screen. The screen is 26 feet wide and much higher than the old screen. It was necessary to alter the stage, and change the steam pipes and electric equipment to make room for the larger screen. New lenses also were in¬ stalled to permit the showing of Cinema¬ Scope pictures. The sound system of the house also is being modernized. Andy Dietz, head, Andy Digtz Enter¬ prises, has announced that his Coopera¬ tive Theatres, an independent booking and buying agency, has added three new theatres to its list of clients. These addi¬ tions are the .Airport Drive-In, Paducah, Ky., and the Charleston Drive-In, Charleston, Mo., both owned and operat February 16, 1955