The Exhibitor (1957)

22 MOTION PICTURE EXHIBITOR December 4, 1957 Savings-Loan Firm Buys Theatre Sites CLEVELAND — In a real estate deal involv¬ ing $1,355,000, property on Euclid Avenue and extending through to Superior, was purchased by the Women’s Federal Savings and Loan Association. The property included the Upper Mall, with entrance on Euclid Avenue, and the Lower Mall, with entrance on Superior Avenue, operated by the Community Circuit whose lease runs until Aug. 31, 1960. These are the only double deck theatres in this area. Being on different levels, they are connected by a marble stairway in the foyers. A three-story department store and a chain restaurant are also involved in the deal. Alterations, to cost approximately $1,000,000, will include conversion of the Lower Mall area into a parking garage. The Upper Mall area will be used for the new savings de¬ partment. Present location of the Women’s Federal Savings and Loan Association is 314-320 Superior Avenue, adjoining the newly ac¬ quired property. CLEVELAND ( Continued from preceding page ) full time policy and two changes a week. C. G. Velas is doing the buying and booking. . . . A change of position but not of personnel was effected at the Universal exchange when Dolores Smith, bookkeeper, was appointed secretary to branch manager Carl Reardon. . . . Ted Levy, Buena Vista district manager, who recently had Cincinnati added to his Cleveland-Detroit territory, has two new girls in the Cleveland headquarters office to take care of the extra work. They are Jeanne Teperowicz and Lynn Narney. The Cleveland office has taken over all collections and bill¬ ings for the three offices in Levy’s district. States Films, which formerly handled this work, will continue to handle the shipping. . . . Walter Steuve, owner, State, Findlay, Ohio, took his ailing wife to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., for diagnosis and treat¬ ment. . . . Nate Schultz, head, Allied Artists and Selected Theatres, attended the TOATESMA-TEDA convention. So did Bob Postma, Akron exhibitor, and Paul Vogel, Wellsville. From Miami, Major Vogel reports to Camp Meade, Baltimore, to serve as in¬ structor at the Command and General Staff College. DALLAS Ted Galanter, director of publicity for George Sidney Productions, was a recent Dallas visitor in behalf of “Pal Joey.” The Columbia release opened a run here at the Palace on Thanksgiving Day. . . . Audie Murphy, who likes to call Dallas his home, the most highly decorated soldier of World War II, was in taking the Scottish Rite de¬ grees. . . . “Around the World in 80 Days” closed its run at the Tower after 46 weeks. Moving in as a hold over from the Majestic was “Jailhouse Rock.” . . . New curved gates in the Century projectors have been installed at the Strand by Harold A. Greenlin. . . . Pat Boone, the movie, television, and record¬ ing star, has been called for jury service in his home town of Denton, Tex., to serve in 16th district court, but it is doubtful if the notice reaches him in time. His name was drawn from the jury wheel to serve on a petit jury for a civil suit. The notice was sent to Boone’s address at Denton. Boone, a former North Texas State College student, lists Denton as his legal residence. Already a iVliiko Taka recently visited R. J. O'Donnell, general manager. Interstate Circuit, in his of¬ fice, when she was in Dallas in connection with Warners' "Sayonara." property owner there, he is now building a large cafeteria-restaurant on State Highway 24 in northwest Denton. DENVER Frank H. Ricketson, Jr., general manager, National Theatres, was reelected to his 13th year as president, Central City Opera House Association. The association, under the aus¬ pices of the University of Denver, sponsors a summer-long play festival in the 79-yearold opera house in Central City, 40 miles west of Denver in the mountains. Robert W. Selig, Fox Inter-Mountain Theatres, was re¬ elected vice-president. : . . Carl Mock, special representative for Advanads, went to Califor¬ nia on a sales trip. . . . L. E. Hobson, branch manager for Distributors Corporation of America, has returned home following an emergency operation in the Latter Day Saints hospital in Salt Lake City. . . . James Ecker, formerly with Republic as branch manager at Salt Lake City, has been named manager, Westwood, succeeding Gale Poland, who quit to return to his home at Hot Springs, S. D., to be with Mrs. Poland at the birth of their child. . . . Bill Prass, United Artists publicity man, has returned from Minneapolis. Des Moines and Omaha, where he planted advance news¬ paper publicity on “Legend of the Lost,” then on to Salt Lake City to set up campaigns on that film and “Baby Face Nelson,” and back to Denver for the same purpose. Prass is also taking on the chores of pushing sales of United Artists records in the Denver and Salt Lake City areas. . . . Harold Monnett, recently out of the Air Force, is now booker at Uni¬ versal, taking the post vacated when Joe Jamb went to Allied Artists as office manager and booker. . . . Western Service and Supply has added Century Projector Company projec¬ tors and sound systems to their RCA lines. Rowdyism Forces Closing Of Town's Only Theatre HUBBARD, O. — The Palace, only mo¬ tion picture theatre in this town of ap¬ proximately 5,000 population, closed last week. Paul Petrella and his wife, who took over the house last August, closed it because they could not control the rowdyism that, in their words “literally tore the house to pieces.” Petrella reports he could get no coopera¬ tion to control the hoodlums from the police, the PTA, or the parents. Without such cooperation, he said he didn’t find the reward (and the theatre was making a comfortable profit) worth the trouble and aggravation. Michigan Allied Plans TV Clearance Fight DETROIT — The November meeting of the Allied Theatres of Michigan, Inc., has made the following decisions: Convention chairman William Wetsmans recommendations for the 1958 annual meeting were accepted. These included a three-day convention at the Hotel Sheraton Cadillac, Sept. 16-18 inclusive; an opening Hollywood party; two days of business and business¬ building sessions. These last will take the form of papers by exhibitors on the subject, which will be read, and to the most con¬ structive will go substantial awards. Replac¬ ing the usual closing banquet will be a screen¬ ing and cocktail party. A fund was voted which will be used to conduct a campaign to enlighten the public on a matter concerning which much misunder¬ standing has recently arisen. Many people have come to believe that pictures appear on TV immediately following theatre runs, con¬ sequently injuring boxoffice take. It is be¬ lieved this has occurred because a few films released from one to three years ago have been shown, and from terminology such as “Big Pictures” and “New Academy Award” employed in television advertising. Campaign will include use of newspapers and trailers in theatres. It will endure, according to presi¬ dent Milton H. London, “from six months to the time distributors agree to five to 10 year clearance.” Of the 11 resolutions proposed by the Na¬ tional Allied Convention, 10 were approved. Voting on the resolution which condemns the acquisition of the Esquire, Chicago, by Para¬ mount Pictures was postponed until next month’s meeting, Dec. 11. DES MOINES Leo Wolcott, Eldora, Iowa, theatre operator and board chairman of Iowa-Nebraska Allied, has been named postmaster at Eldora. He has been operating a theatre at Eldora since 1923. . . . Friends gave Don Hicks, Paramount branch manager who is being transferred to Cincinnati, a farewell dinner, with Lloyd Hirstine furnishing steaks for the stag affair. Hicks had been manager in Des Moines for nine years. . . . The Memorial, Glidden, Iowa, has reopened with W. O. Parr as manager and Pat Bruning doing the booking. DETROIT Dale Silverberg, chairman, entertainment committee of Tent 5, headed the committee inviting Variety members and friends to at¬ tend a Heart Fund Party which was to be held Nov. 30 at Variety Club headquarters at the Hotel Tuller. Dancing, entertainment, and refreshment were to be offered. Special invitations were sent the casts of “Auntie Marne” and “No Time for Sergeants,” cur¬ rently playing. ... In Dearborn, Mich., at¬ torney Oscar Gorelik, who heads the Greater Detroit Theatres, Inc., announced the reopen¬ ing of the 1500-seat Carmen. It has been closed for a month to permit repairs to the heating system. ... In Flint, Mich., the Creek, located in the fast-growing Swartz Creek suburb, is slated to change hands when Art Sills takes over. Sills, formerly with the Michigan, Detroit, succeeds Ed Chrenko, who plans to devote himself to his sporting goods store recently opened adjacent to the Creek. . . . E. B. Dudley, pioneer operator, has re¬ opened the Victory, dark for the past two years. The house has been redecorated, new