The Exhibitor (1956)

MOTION PICTURE EXHIBITOR 25 Denver More than $3,000 was realized for the Hungarian Relief Fund from the benefit showing of “The Mountain” in the Den¬ ham. Mrs. Vera Cockrill donated the use of the theatre and Paramount donated the film. The house was filled. . . . Robert Selig, division manager, National Theatres, has been named head of theatre projects for Hungarian refugees. Two families from Hungary have been located in Denver. . . . Fred Hall has closed the Variety, Akron, Colo. . . . William Lay, Bailey Distributing Company booker, has been named office manager, Apex Films. . . . Duke Dunbar, attorney general of Colo¬ rado, formerly secretary of the old film board of trade, is recuperating from a kidney stone operation. ... Ed Shulman, Cleveland exhibitor and a partner in the Vogue here, was in for conferences with James Church, Vogue manager. . . . Mr. and Mrs. Mitchell Kelloff have taken over the Uptown, Pueblo, Colo. The house has been operated by the Cooper Founda¬ tion for 25 years. The Kelloffs also operate theatres in Egundo, Ordway, Fow¬ ler, Manassa, and La Veta, Colo. Des Moines Charles lies, head of a film transporta¬ tion company, was elected chief barker, Variety Club. lies, a member of the City Council, was attending a Council meeting at the time of his election. Carl Olson was named first assistant, Robert Dillon second assistant, Lou Levy treas¬ urer, and Dave Gould secretary. . . . The Varsity, Fort Dodge, la., was destroyed by a fire which ranged through a quarterblock section in the downtown section, causing damage estimated at over $750,000. Three buildings were destroyed in the blaze which is believed to have started in a rest room in the theatre. No one was in the theatre at the time. The building is owned by Mrs. Moses Habnab. . . . The Iowa, Hopkinton, la., has been reopened after being closed for nearly a year. John Loop is operating the house four days a week. . . . Pearl Robbins, a veteran of 42 years on Film Row, has retired from Paramount and will spend his time travel¬ ing with Mrs. Robbins. . . . Bill Bell, assistant booker, Columbia, now is head booker, 20th-Fox. . . . Frank Zanotti, assistant booker, RKO , was married to Dolores Smith. . . . United Artists is mov¬ ing from its present location to 1207 High Street, where there will be more room. Houston Michael Todd’s “Around The World In 80 Days,” in Todd-AO, will make its southwestern premiere in the Tower here today (Dec. 19). “Oklahoma!” closed a successful run at the Tower and the house was shuttered until the opening of the second Todd-AO release. . . . Stanley Shelton, assistant manager, Tower, has been shifted to manage the Garden Oaks during the illness of Pete Hawkins. Mae Coats, former manager, Almeda, which has been shuttered, was moved over to replace Shelton during his absence. . . . Mark Sheridan, 20th-Fox southwest dis¬ trict manager, flew in from Oklahoma City on a business trip. . . . The Houston Inde¬ pendent Theatre Association staged a spe¬ cial midnight show in the Yale. . . . Con¬ struction on the new U-I film exchange is progressing satisfactorily. Mr. and Mrs. Glenn Ford (Eleanor Powell) are seen with some cute Japanese flower girls at the recent gala premiere of MGM's "The Teahouse Of The August Moon," Pantages, Hollywood. Jacksonville Sheldon Mandell, co-owner and man¬ ager, St. Johns, publicized the closing of the house until Dec. 21 for a $45,000 re¬ modeling job, including new seats, a TV lounge, lobby redecoration, and exterior refurbishing. . . . Fred Hull’s MGM staff staged a pre-Christmas party in the MGM Building. . . . FST city manager Robert Heekin and Jim Levine, Florida manager, journeyed to Miami, Fla., to attend a ticket-selling forum conducted by Para¬ mount’s Jerry Pickman in connection with the opening of “The Ten Command¬ ments.” . . . Phil Longdon, 20th-Fox sales¬ man, returned to his duties after a stay in a Daytona Beach, Fla., hospital. . . . Bob Tylo, former RKO booker, joined T. P. Tidwell’s staff at 20th-Fox in the same capacity. . . . Arv Rothschild had a large Christmas matinee and party in the Roose¬ velt for the colored children whose parents are employed by the St. Regis Paper Company. An identical St. Regis affair for white children was staged in the Florida at the same time. . . . The new 1,000car Riviera Drive-In, Key West, Fla., is scheduled to open about Jan. 15. MIAMI, FLA., NEWS— A reception for press, public officials, and studio repre¬ sentatives heralded the opening of the Claughton Circuit’s newest house, the Hollywood, Hollywood, Fla., the fifth in the statewide circuit. Joe Fink was trans Kansas City WOMPI Elects First Officers KANSAS CITY— Following the organization here during the fall of the 12th chapter of the international WOMPI organization, officers have been elected, including Myrell Cain, MGM, president; Billie Mistelle, Paramount, vice-president; Gretchen Brown, Consolidated Agencies, second vice-president; Lewella Chaney, 30thFox, recording secretary; Betty Caruso, Dixie Enterprises, correspond¬ ing secretary; and Grace Roberts, 20th-Fox, treasurer. The organization is comprised of 45 members who meet the second and fourth Tuesday of each month. The first meeting is a luncheon gathering, while the second is an evening meet¬ ing with a planned program. The first annual meeting and Christmas party was to be held in the Elks Club last week. Skouras Memorial Construction Launched Los Angeles — Construction of a portion of the $600,000 Charles P. Skouras Me¬ morial Center has begun at Normandie Avenue and Pico Boulevard, adjacent to the Saint Sophia Gi'eek Orthodox Cathedral. Costing $204,000, the new build¬ ing is a two-story structure of wood and stucco construction. It will provide seven¬ teen classrooms for 700 children, plus adequate office space and meeting rooms, as well as a basement for storage, me¬ chanical installations, and printing equip¬ ment for church literature. The Atlas Finance Company, headed by developer Spiros G. Ponty, president, Saint Sophia Foundation Board of Trus¬ tees, which submitted the lowest bid, is handling the building which it is estimated will be completed in six months. Walker, Kalionzes, and Klingerman are the architects. Completion of the center is planned for late next year. Industry executives Spyros P. Skouras and George P. Skouras, brothers of the late Charles P. Skouras, who was in¬ strumental in the building of the $2,000,000 Byzantine-style Saint Sophia Cathedral, are honorary chairmen of the current building fund committee. ferred from the Royal here to be manager of the Broward County spot. . . . Jack Fink, Park, Tampa, Fla., used a horrormasked usher to parade the downtown area to publicize the run of “Mole People” and “Curucu, Beast Of The Amazon.” . , . Two weeks before his Saturday show, Krag Collins, Center, used a one-sheet stating, “Help Wanted — Cowboys — Bestdressed cowboys next Saturday will win prizes plus the chance to earn money ad¬ vertising ‘The Last Wagon’.” Kansas City Mr. and Mrs. Willis Shaffer, Hutchinson, Kans., enjoyed a two week vacation in Hawaii as winners of a Fox Midwest Theatres, Inc., contest. Shaffer, manager of two Fox theatres in Hutchinson, won on the basis of promotional work in the first two weeks of June. Eight years ago, Shaffer won a similar contest sponsored by Paramount. . . . An explanation of film inspection and splicing was given high school seniors in the Paramount offices recently as a part of Business Edu¬ cation Week. . . . The annual meeting of the Motion Picture Association of Greater Kansas City was set for this week in the Hotel Bellerive. Directors for the ensuing year were to be elected. . . . James Wit¬ cher, office manager, MGM. in the hos¬ pital several weeks, was recuperating at home. . . . John Adler, son of A1 Adler, assistant branch manager, MGM, recently was transferred to Ft. Lowry air base in Colorado. In an intelligence test given to 11,000 men, he placed twelfth. . . . The annual Christmas party for 20th-Fox was held in the Elks Club. . . . Bernice Peal, bookkeeping department, Warners, was recovering from injuries sustained in an automobile accident. . . . Kenny Levy is the new booker, Warners, having trans¬ ferred from Columbia. . . . Members of the newly-organized WOMPI chapter are busy selling candy to make money for the treasury. December 19, 1956