The Exhibitor (1955)

MOTION PICTURE EXHIBITOR NT-3 was mai'ried, and spent his honeymoon here. The Freedom, Freedom, Okla., is closed. . . . Mr. and Mrs. George Freidel have just returned from a vacation in Cali¬ fornia. Freidel is booker at 20th-Fox. . . . Temple, Comanche, and Lawton, Okla., had heavy rains which flooded the drive-ins. . . . The Hankins Drive-In has been rebuilt and the screen towrer has been enlarged to seventy feet. . . . Volney Hamm, Mt. Scott Drive-In, Lawton, Okla., is enlarging his concession facilities. Lee Wilson, part owner, Shattuck, Shattuck, Okla., the Mooreland, Mooreland, Okla., and the Arnett, Arnett, Okla., en¬ tered the skeet tournament in Oklahoma City and came in second with 99 out of a possible 100. . . . Pat McGee, Cooper Foundations, Denver, was in for the open¬ ing of Paramount’s “Strategic Air Com¬ mand” in the Harber. The air force staged its own show here in connection with the screening, with a parade down Broadway and the induction of 25 recruits on the stage of the theatre. Jack E. Box, salesman, U-I, and his wife are the proud parents of a new baby girl. Mrs. Box formerly worked at Paramount. . . . Mrs. Blanch Camp, assistant cashier, Paramount, is visiting her father in Oscaloosa, Iowa. . . . Jerry Jeter, veteran movie projectionist, died of a heart attack in Mercy hospital. Jeter worked at the Warner, and had been a projectionist since 1920. Services were held at the Hahn-Cook funeral home. Portland Kirk Douglas, currently on location at Bend, Oregon, starring in “The Indian Fighter,” a future UA release, has been invited to serve as grand marshal of the June 11 Portland Rose Parade, the State’s biggest annual event, which usually at¬ tracts upwards of half a million people. The star expects to work out the produc¬ tion schedule of the film to enable him to take time off for the Portland celebration. St. Louis In a two-column first page article headed “Movie Survey Shows 50-50 Chances For Viewing Decent Film,” the St. Louis Register, official publication of the St. Louis Archdiocese of the Catholic Church, came up with the most critical blast against the motion picture industry since the “French Line” controversy. The paper, with a circulation well in excess of 100,000, is mailed to every Catholic home in the archdiocese, which covers not only St. Louis and St. Louis County but a substantial portion of the eastern part of Missouri. Louis Jablonow, general manager, Jablonow-Komm Theatres, Clayton, Mo., has revealed this circuit has let contracts for the construction of and equipment for a new 700-car drive-in, to cost upwards of $250,000. Jablonow also stated that the circuit’s $400,000 Holiday Drive-In, Overland, Mo., was to have its grand opening. The general contract for the new drive-in has been warded to J. J. Altman and Company, East St. Louis, while the St. Louis branch of National Theatre Supply will furnish and install the Simplex sound and projection equip¬ ment, Simplex in-a-car speakers and posts, and also in-a-car heaters to provide for year-around operation. The concession will operate on the cafeteria plan. In Kevil, Ky., Postmaster William Kuykendahl has announced plans for reopen¬ ing the Carol, 475-seater, with shows only on Saturdays and Sundays. Patron¬ age will determine future plans. Post¬ master Kuykendahl has made arrange¬ ments with Andy Dietz, Cooperative Thea¬ tres, and Andy Dietz Enterprises to book and buy for the Carol. In Mansfield, Mo., the Mansfield, 225seater, owned by L. H. Pettit, has been reopened. ... In Cuba, Mo., the installa¬ tion of projection and sound equipment, in-car speakers and posts has been com¬ pleted in the 200-car drive-in that will be owned and operated by Adolph P. Meier, who owns the Cuba, here. The drive-in will be called the 19 Drive-In. In St. Charles, Mo., the Ritz, owned by Variety Pictures, Inc., headed and controlled by Ollie Lessing, closed for some four or five weeks. This is a summer routine for this theatre. ... In Blue Mounds, Ill., the Pix, owned by Mrs. Cray R. Bell, was scheduled to be closed for an indefinite period. The house had been operating on a part-time basis for the past month or so. . . . In Sumner, Ill., the Idaho has been closed. In Marion, Ill., the management of the 1000-seat Orpheum, Fox Midwest Circuit, and the 485-seat Plaza, owned by El Fran Theatres, headed by Benjamin M. Montee, Jacksonville, Ill., in cooperation with Fire Chief Herman May, have worked out effective plans for the evacua¬ tion of the theatres by patrons in the event of a fire or other emergency. . . . In Jefferson City, Mo., recent Missouri incorporations included, in the amuse¬ ment fields and allied lines, Drive-In Recording Service Company, Kansas City, to rent advertising recordings to drive-ins and with authority to issue 100 shares of $5 par value stock, incorporators, M. J. Stone, S. Stone and I. Friedman, and C. R. Frank Distributors, Inc., to deal in theatre and carnival equipment, with 300 shares of $100 par value stock. Incorpora¬ tors are C. R. Frank, W. Moran and S. J. Goldenhersh. In Newton, Ill., under a recent change in policy for the Star, arranged by owner C. B. Simmons, the house is to be dark on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, except on special occasions when an outstanding picture may run Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday. The only Sunday afternoon show will start at 2:30 o’clock, while the Sun¬ day evening show is to get underway at 7 o’clock. In Greenfield, Ill., at a recent meeting of the stockholders of the Lyric, the directors were instructed to dissolve the corporation and sell the theatre building and contents as quickly as possible. The theatre has been closed since April 13. Earl Dawson is president of the corpora¬ tion, while Frank Greer has been man¬ aging the theatre. . . . Funeral services were conducted for Mrs. Mary Rosecan, 84, mother of Eddie Rosecan, owner, Rialto, Cape Girardeau, Mo., and Adolph Rosecan, now in the plastic sand business, who had operated the old Princess. Jules Leventhal, partner of Charley Goldman in the operation of several theatres here, has returned from a trip to Mexico and the west coast. He was accompanied by his brother, Jack Leventhal, now in the finance business. While on the west coast they were the guests of Eddie Askins, now Los Angeles district manager, Filmakers, and owner of several drive-ins in California. . . . Fox Midwest Theatres had an all-day business conference at the Sheraton here. In attendance from Kansas City were Richard Broush, president; Senn Law¬ ler, general manager; Charles F. Shafer, vice-president and treasurer; Frank Banford, head of concessions department, and Ralph Adams, buyer and booker. Managers of 12 theatres in Belleville, Benton, Centralia, Christopher, DuQuoin. Jacksonville, Marion, Mount Vernon, Springfield, and West Frankfort, Ill., and Cape Girardeau, Mo., also were on hand, as were John Meinardi, district manager, and Russell Mortenson, district booker. San Antonio A special screening was held at the Majestic of “Strategic Air Command” for local Army and Air Force top officers and key civilians. A special display of a model B-26 and a cut-a-way model of the R-4360 aircraft engine are on dis¬ play in front of the Majestic through the cooperation of Kelly Air Force Base, local overhaul depot for the superbomber and the engines. . . . The snack bar of the Alamo Drive-In has been opened. It is tile throughout, has formica counters, stainless steel equipment, complete rest¬ room facilities, and fast cafeteria style service. A G.E. combination sandwich and waffle maker was given away as a door prize. Visiting the local Clasa-Mohme film exchange was John G. Mohme, president of the organization, from Los Angeles. He was en route to Mexico City. . . . George Bannon, Allied Artists exploitation man, Dallas, was in on a visit to the local Interstate Theatre city office. . . . Walter R. Tinney, booth operator, Texas, has returned to duty following a stay in the hospital for a heart condition. Phil Isley, owner and operator, Capitan, Houston, Tex., and head, Isley Circuit, with headquarters at Dallas, is being sued for $13,500 at Houston. The suit charges that Betty Joe Wheelwright's leg was injured when a firecracker exploded beside her seat in the Capitan last Dec. 26. . . . J. W. McKibbon, city manager, Jefferson Amusement Company, Port Arthur, Tex., has announced the trans¬ fer of Fred Putnam from the Strand to manager, Village. Albert Sindlinger and Company, busi¬ ness analysts, have returned to Bonham, Tex., to start a six ureek recheck of the moviegoing habits of the town almost a June 8, 1955