The Exhibitor (1955)

MOTION PICTURE EXHIBITOR 21 N£WS OF m TERRITORIES . . . Albany The sixth annual Christmas Salute for the Will Rogers Memorial and Research Laboratories at Saranac Lake, N. Y., was launched at a meeting in the 20th-Fox screening room. Distributor chairman Ray Smith outlined to branch managers, sales¬ men, and exhibitor representatives the work of the hospital, the goal of the drive, and the techniques to be used in reaching it. Also, literature was distributed, prior to the closed-circuit telephone talks by president Abe Montague, distributor na¬ tional chairman Charles J. Feldman, ex¬ hibitor chairman Moe Silver, and others. Officers of Variety Club Tent 9 for the next year will be Harold Gabrilove, RTA Distributors president; Lewis A. Sumberg, film attorney; Jack Goldberg, MGM branch manager; Norman Weitman, U-I branch manager; Irwin Ullman, Fabian area supervisor; Sylvan Leff, exhibitor and upstate representative, Realart Pic¬ tures; Jack Hamilton, Berio Vending Company manager; Charles Stevens; Aaron Winig; George H. Green; and Gene Teper. Nominated by a committee com¬ prising former chief barkers Harry La¬ ment and Leo Rosen, the crew was elected at the regular monthly meeting. Atlanta The monthly meeting of the WOMPI was held in the Variety Club. The presi¬ dent, Stella Poulnot, presided. A report was given to the membership on the 1955 national convention. Laura Kenny has been named convention chairman for the 1956 national meeting to be held in At¬ lanta Oct. 5-7. . . . The MGM theatres in Florida announced the closing of the Cove, Green Cove Springs, Fla. John Kirby, eastern and southern di¬ vision manager, Warners, with head¬ quarters in Atlanta, has been appointed midwest division manager. He replaces Ray Haines. . . . Otto Gross, once with the Rialto and Center, now with Bailey The¬ atres, is in the hospital. . . . Dave Williams, former branch manager, IFE, Charlotte, has been transferred to the Atlanta office, replacing John Jarvis, who has entered business for himself. Boston John Voudakis has taken over the lease on the Ritz, Gorham, N. H., from Nick Theodosis. Voudakis owns and operates the New Berlin House, Berlin, N. H., which he recently purchased and re¬ modeled into an attractive resort hotel for year-round patronage. . . . Mrs. Rose Fasano, who, with her husband, owns the Cummings, Fitchburg, Mass., has closed that house and has taken a lease on the Universal, Fitchburg. The Universal had been closed for the past four years and was recently done over and redecorated for the new lessees. . . . Betty Garrett, starring in Columbia’s “My Sister Eileen,” met the local press at a luncheon at the Sheraton Plaza arranged by publicists Jack Markle and Karl Fasick. . . . When the new Hallendale Drive-In, Hallendale, Fla., near the Gulf Stream Racetrack, opens in about a month, E. M. Loew will State Officials Named Honorary Variety Barkers _ ALBANY — A group of state officials, headed by Governor Averell Harriman, have been made honorary memers of Variety Club. The list includes Jacob K. Javits, attorney general; Carmen De Sapio, secretary of state; Arthur Leavitt, comptroller; Louis A. Wehle, conservation commissioner; George M. Bragolini, tax commission president; Joseph Kelly, motor vehicle commissioner; Judge Daniel Gutman, counsel to the Governor; and Michael Pendergast, safety division director. Governor Harriman wrote a letter of acceptance and thanks. It is hoped that a number of the honoraries among whom Mayor Erastus Coming has long been numbered, will attend a mid-November dinner at the Sher¬ aton-Ten Eyck Hotel. attend the opening. The drive-in is the latest in his circuit to be completed and is being built by Dick Rubin, Boston. The circuit’s new Auburn, Mass., drive-in now under construction will not open until next year. Francis Perry, Jr., who operates the Orpheum, Foxboro, Mass., for his father, has turned over the buying and booking to Daytz Theatre Enterprises. . . . The Exeter Street has returned to a double feature policy. . . . Louis Gordon, presi¬ dent, Lockwood and Gordon Enterprises, who is chairman, theatre division, 1955 Combined Jewish Appeal, has selected Edward W. Lider, general manager, Yamins Theatres, as his co-chairman. Their committee is made up of Phil Berler, Edward Canter, Theodore Fleisher, Harry Goldstein, Malcolm Green, Maurice Green, Max Nayor, Herman Rifkin, George Ro¬ berts, Benn Rosenwald, Irving Shapiro, Richard Smith, Robert Sternburg, and Nathan Yamins. . . . Liberace is expected in Nov. 4 to make three personal appear¬ ances at the Metropolitan, where his War¬ ners picture “Sincerely Yours” opens. . . . A1 Arzigian, operator. Park, Montello, Mass., for the past four years, has called it a day. In June he closed for the sum¬ mer but decided not to reopen this fall and is disposing of the equipment. He took a summer job as manager, Quonset. Drive-In, for owner Joe Stanzler, and has sold his Montello home to move his family to Providence, R. I., where they will con¬ tinue to reside. PROVIDENCE, R. I.. NEWS— Joseph Jarvis, owner-manager, Gilbert Stuart, Riverside, R. I., neighborhood house, celebrated the second anniversary of his theatre with an unusual party. Securing the cooperation of the Coca-Cola Com¬ pany, Swift and Company, McQuades Markets, and other local merchants, he served complimentary luncheons at all intermissions. His patrons also partici¬ pated in the presentation of 25 gifts every night, with a television set awarded as grand prize. . . . E. M. Loew’s Center, Pawtucket, and E. M. Loew’s Providence Drive-In simultaneously offered the first Rhode Island screenings of “Naked Amazon.” . . . While Columbus Day was Injunction Waived In Filmakers Suit Boston — In the suit brought by A1 Swerdlove and Federal Film Company of Boston against Filmakers Releasing Or¬ ganization, to permanently enjoin Fil¬ makers from distributing in New England its release “The Bold And The Brave” and seven other releases except through Federal Film under its franchise agree¬ ment, Federal Film Company has notified Judge William McCarthy, U. S. District Court, that it was unable to post a $25,000 surety company bond and it therefore waived temporary injunction previously granted by the court. Last week. Judge McCarthy heard the parties on Filmaker’s motion to dismiss the suit for a permanent injunction on the ground that the District Court in Massachusetts had no jurisdiction over Filmakers, of California. The Judge re¬ ceived briefs from both parties and re¬ served his decision, which he promised to announce shortly. celebrated locally with a number of com¬ petitive attractions, including a parade, marathon, football, and hockey games, attendance at most downtown first-runs was reported satisfactory. Buffalo Roger Baker, WGR radio sportscaster, has been booked as speaker for the men’s luncheon. Variety Club, Nov. 28. Mem¬ bers of the Women’s League are saluting Audrey Wagner, charter member, who graciously accepts and carries out suc¬ cessfully all tasks requested of her and works untiringly on fund-raising cam¬ paigns and committees. . . . New mem¬ bers of Tent 7 are Rae Breslow, Sam Geffen, Edna Gladner, George H. Mackenna, Ida Marked, Gertrude Maxwell, Dolores Stephen, Jerome Wechsler, Lee Wechsler, and Charlotte Smith. . . . Vol¬ unteers are urgently needed by the Wo¬ men’s League for the Merchant Collection campaign for the Cerebral Palsy Clinic at the Children’s Hospital. The drive gets under way Nov. 4. Volunteers are asked to contact Gertrude Bleich, who is handling distribution. Indoor theatre col¬ lections start out-of-town on Nov. 11, and in town on Nov. 24. . . . Chuck Healy, sportscaster, WBRN-TV, spoke at the monthly men’s luncheon in the Variety Club and a large crowd of members turned out. Open house was held last week. . . . Liberace was at the Buffalo Airport for one hour last weekend on behalf of his first feature film, Warners’ HAYCO COVERS Custom made for all makes and models of theatre chairs. JACK HAYES SEATING SERVICE R. D. No. 2 CATO, N. Y. MANAGER AVAILABLE tor Greater Boston. Formerly General Manager of independent chain. Experi¬ enced in all phases of show business. BOX 174 M. P. EXHIBITOR, 246-48 N. Clarion St., Phila. 7 November 2, 1955