The Exhibitor (1959)

August 12, 1959 MOTION PICTURE EXHIBITOR 17 John F. Russell, retired member of local 160 I.A.T.S.E., died at the home of his sister, Mrs. Rena Herbruck. . . . William Burnside, owner of the Idol, Lodi, O., has switched his policy from catering to children to cater¬ ing to adults. He reports his adult attendance has shown great improvement since he put into effect a 50 cent admission charge for children unattended by an adult. When with an adult the regular 25 cents admission price prevails. . . . More than forty industry mem¬ bers attended the farewell testimonial dinner for Irving Marcus in the Tudor Arms Hotel, recently. Marcus left the Cleveland NSS sales force to become NSS Pittsburgh manager. . . . Early in the year announcement was made of the construction of three new drive-ins in this area. So far they have been held up by zoning laws and other legal complications. Proposed builders are Herbert Horstemeier and associates, General Theatres circuit and and Ted Vermes in association with Roy Gross. . . . Irvin Sears, longtime Paramount booker who refused to move to Pittsburgh with the shut-down of the local branch ex¬ cept for the sales department, has joined Arthur Goldsmith’s Seaway Film Distributing Company. . . . Mary Lou Weaver, secretary to Warner branch manager Bill Twig, re¬ turned from the Will Rogers Hospital and her annual check-up with a clean bill of health. Ten years ago she entered the Hospital for lung surgery and remained there for three years. . . . Art Levy who has been in Cleveland the past month to run the Seaway Distributing Company during the illness of Arthur Goldsmith, has returned to take over as sales representative for Jim Handy in Detroit. DALLAS Teet Carle, representing the United Artists Hollywood office, was in to talk about the forthcoming release of “Solomon and Sheba,” starring Yul Brynner and Gina Lollobrigida. Carle says the film is expected to arrive here for showing about Christmas-time. . . . C. H. Weaver, Paul Rice, and Tom McKean, the sales crew of Paramount’s Oklahoma staff, were in the city for a conference with Tom Bridge, division manager, and to check on the print situation. . . . The Women of the Motion Picture Industry are working hard to reach a goal of $2,000 nationally for the Will Rogers Memorial Hospital Fund. The WOMPI’s have canisters located in vari¬ ous exchanges and other places in the city for extra change which will be used for the fund. . . . Leroy Bickel has gone home from the hospital after his recent fall. He still has a cast around his hip and gets around on a wheelchair. . . . Movie atendance at the local Interstate Theatre Circuit houses is keeping up with the national trend toward the increased popularity of films for enter¬ tainment, according to James O. Cherry, city manager for the Interstate Theatre Circuit. . . . Tim Ferguson, president of the Texas Drive-In Theatre Owners Association, has announced that the 1960 convention will be held in Dallas at the Sheraton-Dallas Hotel from Feb. 9 to 11. . . . Gordon Mc¬ Lendon, head of McLendon Radio Pictures flew to the coast to negotiate for a film which will be released with his independent production, “My Dog, Buddy.” He wants to present his film as part of a twin-bill. The film has been completely filmed here and will be released around Thanksgiving. . . . . . . The Giggle Box, featuring cartoon movies for children has become one of the most popular attractions at Big Town, local shop¬ ping center. . . . Actress Carolyn Jones paid a visit here as part of a Texas promotional on behalf of “The Last Train From Gun Hill.” An "official" subpoena from the State of Colo¬ rado signed by the Governor was issued re¬ cently for the personal appearance of Edd "Kookie" Byrnes at the world premiere of Warners' "Yellowstone Kelly" at the Para¬ mount, Denver, on Aug. 18, a major event of the Colorado Centennial Celebration. Serving the subpoena to Byrnes in Hollywood are girl members of the Pink Poodle Posse, official representatives of the Colorado Centennial Celebration. ... A “Name a Star” contest will be launched by the Interstate Theatre Circuit in its 81 theatres as a promotion stunt in behalf of 20th Century -Fox’s “The Best of Everything.” Theatre patrons will be asked to rename Linda Hutchings, contract player of the studio. . . . Tim Ferguson, president of Texas Drive In Theatre Owners Association, has announced a change in the line up of the next convention, date and place to be an¬ nounced. DES MOINES Ray Brown has sold the Harlan, Harlan, la., to S. J. Backer of Hankinson, N.D. . . . The Sharon, New Sharon, closed for the past 18 months, has opened under the manage¬ ment of Paul Brewer, of Des Moines. . . . Leo Heaton has closed his Town, Central City, la. . . . Roy Warfield and Merle Hofeldt, who built the Gordon Drive-in, Sioux City, la., and operated it since 1952, have sold it to the Iowa United Theatres with Clarence Lay named manager. . . . Ing Glesne and Lillie Johnson have opened the Swan, Mediapolis, la. . . . Richard Bayes has been named man¬ ager of the March Brothers’ Royal, Le Mars, la. . . . The Monte, Montezuma, la., has re¬ opened with Robert Huey, of Des Moines, as manager. . . . MCP Film Distributing Company named Max Rosenblatt as Midwest division manager. He will head up MCP’s newly established and first fully-owned ex¬ change, here, according to Cal Bard, Jr., domestic sales chief for MCP. Rosenblatt is an ex-RKO branch manager and former di¬ vision manager of the now defunct Distribu¬ tion Corporation of America. HOUSTON A1 Lever, city manager, Interstate Theatre Circuit, has reported that attendance at the 12 local Interstate Theatres is up 15 to 20 per cent over last year. Lever credits better product quality as the reason for the in¬ crease in attendance at the local theatres. . . . More than 70 persons entered the “Johnny Melody” contest which was staged at the Yale in promotion with the film “Go, Johnny, Go!,” held in conjunction with KTHT, local radio station. The winner of the local contest was Kenneth Whitney, a local singer who is to represent Houston in the national finals to be held at the Para¬ mount, New York City, during December. JACKSONVILLE Harold Turbyfill, former Paramount book¬ er, has joined the United Artists booking staff after ending a hitch of Army service. . . . Betty Healey is a new member of Byron Adams’ staff at United Artists. . . . Flora Walden, a member of the Jack Rigg Booking Service, had only ridden 13 miles in her new automobile before it was stolen. . . . Horace Denning, chief barker of Tent 44, Variety Club, has announced that his crew will honor the WOMPI members from many parts of the United States and Canada at a cocktail party when they arrive here for the national WOMPI convention, September 1113. . . . Arv Rothschild, National Theatre Enterprises executive and general chairman, the Motion Picture Exhibitors of Florida annual convention, scheduled here for Octo¬ ber 4-6, has planned a pre-convention trip to California in September. MIAMI, FLA., NEWS — Temporary manage¬ rial assignments were made in the Wometco drive-in theatres due to the vacation of Bur¬ ton Clark, Boulevard Drive-In, putting Lynn Thomas at the North Dade, Walter Toemmes at the 27th Avenue, and Gordon Spradley at the Boulevard. . . Joe St. Thomas, president, Wometco Old Guard, became the father of an eight-pound boy, his second child. . . . Wo¬ metco Enterprises, Inc. issued an interim re¬ port to its stockholders covering the 24 weeks ended June 20, 1959 and showing the Com¬ pany’s earnings after taxes up 17.6% over the comparable period in 1958. NEW HAVEN Leonard Young, formerly assistant to George E. Landers, Hartford division man¬ ager, E. M. Loew’s Theatres, has joined WCKR, NBC -Radio Miami affiliate. . . . Com¬ munity Theatres Inc. will reopen its shuttered first-run Art after Labor Day, according to general manager Carroll J. Lawler. . . . George H. Wilkinson Jr., operator of the Wilkinson, Wallingford, Conn., and president of MPTO of Connecticut, has been named to advisory committee of the First Federal Sav¬ ings and Loans Associations of Meriden and Wallingford, Conn. . . . Atty. Herman M. Levy, general counsel of TOA and executive secretary, MPTO of Connecticut, got $1,000 for representing the Connecticut Society of Certified Public Accountants during the re¬ cent state legislature’s session, the Secretary of State’s office reports. . . . Majestic, West Springfield, Mass., has inaugurated new pol¬ icy of admitting children under 12 accom¬ panied by parents as management guests, Monday through Friday nights. . . . Paul Tolis and Poly crates Davey, owners, New¬ ington, Newington, Conn., have reached a compromise agreement with officials in that suburban town, concerning theatre police coverage, thus temporarily settling a Hart¬ ford Superior Court injunction suit filed some weeks ago against the town of Newington. . . . Mohawk, North Adams, Mass., has been closed for indefinite period of remodeling. NEW ORLEANS The new owner of the Star, Jeanerette, La., is A. J. Colletti. . . . Mrs. T. H. Ashford PROGRESSIVE ELECTRIC CONSTRUCTION CO., INC. 240 N. 13th STREET • PHILADELPHIA 7, PA. • Theatre Installations and Maintenance