The Exhibitor (1959)

Seen at the recent annual golf tournament of Variety Club of Philadel¬ phia, Tent 13, at Green Valley Country Club were, left to right. Dr. Cohen, Lewistown, Pa.; Ralph Pries, Berio Vending Company executive; Harold Cohen; Ed Potash, Neil Heilman Theatres; Max Chasens, Atlantic City, N.J.; Irwin Ullman, Heilman Theatres; Hal Marshall, 20th-Fox publicist; Edward Emanuel, Variety Clubs International official; Lou Lipshitz; Leo Beresin, Tent 13 chief barker; Victor H. Blanc, Philadelphia District Attorney; Dave Milgram, head, Milgram Theatres; attorney Lou Goffman; and Frank Damis, Stanley Warner Theatres' Philadelphia zone head. —Jack Goldman photos heard the recorded comments on “Blue Denim” made at an invitational showing of the picture attended by leading civic and social groups. After the meeting, members were guests of the Stanley Warner Allen to see “Darby O’Gill and the Little People”. . . . Bon Blitz, Warners salesman, who had made a fine recovery from two major opera¬ tions within three months, is back in Euclid Glenville Hospital to be treated for adhe¬ sions. . . . Associated Theatres circuit, head¬ ed by Myer Fine, Abe Kramer, Marshall Fine, and Leroy Kendis, held its annual clambake on Sept. 24 at Schluters’ Tavern. Guests included all circuit theatre managers and the local branch managers. DALLAS A masked bandit retraced his steps this week to rob the manager of the Esquire for the . second time in a year— almost in identical fashion. James H. Cain told police the bandit was waiting for him in the park¬ ing lot of the theatre after the final show. Recognizing the bandit’s voice and features, Cain said he knew just what to expect from his experience in the earlier holdup. He was marched back into the theatre and forced to open the safe. Once five sacks of currency and change had been removed, the bandit locked Cain in a back room — just like a year ago. . . . Bill Samuel, relief manager for the Interstate Theatre Circuit, resigned to enter private industry. . . . Rosa¬ lind Russell was in to receive a fashion award from Neiman-Marcus for “distin¬ guished service in the field of fashion.” . . . DES MOINES The Lake theatre building at Clear Lake, la., has been purchased by C. A. Knutson of Clear Lake. The house has been closed for some time and Knutson has not indicated what use he will make of the building. . . . Raymond Langfitt, Mason City, Iowa, has been named manager, Algona and Starlite, For over 40 Years Service and Quality has been Our Tradition. Showmen all over America know they will get the best when they order FILMACK SPECIAL TRAILERS 1327 S. Wabash Ave., Chicago 5, III. Algona, Iowa, succeeding R. M. Philips, who died recently. Langfitt has been in the theatre business for over 30 years. . . . Sherman Fitch has leased the Gem, Moville, Iowa, and plans to reopen the house. Harold Kramer has closed the Ringsted, Ringsted, Iowa. HOUSTON Rhonda Fleming will be the headliner for the fourth annual “Night of Stars” benefit dinner dance on Sept. 30 at the Shamrock Hilton Hotel. Funds will go to the Houston wing of the City of Hope Medical and Re¬ search Center in Duarte, Calif. . . . Art Katzen, publicist here for the Interstate Theatre Circuit, returned from the circuit’s home office in Dallas. ... A heavy adver¬ tising campaign on KILT, the Gordon Mc¬ Lendon operated station, aided in the promo¬ tion of the two McLendon made films which opened at the Metropolitan, “The Giant Gila Monster” and “The Killer Shrews.” . . . Frank Starz, publicity director for the Interstate Theatre Circuit, has returned from a Holly¬ wood trip full of enthusiasm concerning the upward trend of motion pictures. . . . Edwin Tobolowsky, general counsel, Texas DriveIn Theatre Owners Association, has been ad¬ vised by the Federal Communications Com¬ mission that it does not supervise and is not responsible for the content of weather warning messages. Complaint was made by the local group of the alleged vagueness of announcements of tornado alerts by radio and TV stations. Tobolowsky, however, re¬ ported that the weather bureau at Fort Worth, Tex., suggested that if specific in¬ stances of broadcaster’s failure to properly define the area of an alert, or failure to announce the all-clear signal, they would make efforts to correct the situation. JACKSONVILLE Carl Floyd, head of Floyd Theatres, was confined to his Haines City home under a physician’s care by an attack of pneumonia. . . . George Walter, Lorraine Carbons execu¬ tive from New Jersey, arrived here at the beginning of a Florida tour. . . . Marjorie Bayer has returned to her former post at Universal, replacing Dana Stiers, who left for Gainesville to enter the University of Florida. . . . Bob Bowers, Allied Artists man¬ ager, and his staff began mapping Florida saturation campaigns for the forthcoming re¬ lease of “The Bat.” . . . Bill Beck, former managing director, Five Points, and his father, Dick Beck, of Chicago and Kissimmee, Fla., have moved from exhibition to distribu¬ tion. Their new firm, Today Theatre Produc¬ tions, has a new Florida-made featurelength film, “Of Sex and Violence,” ready for distribution. The motion picture was di¬ rected by R. John Hugh of Orlando. . . . Fred Kent, head of Kent Theatres and a local at¬ torney, is receiving prominent mention as a possible candidate for the governorship of Florida next election. . . . Mary Jane Dyal, cashier at Joe Musleh’s Lake Forest DriveIn, was robbed of about $50 by a silent gun¬ man who entered her ticket booth, struck her over the head with the butt of a re¬ volver, and departed without being identi¬ fied. She recovered from the blow without hospital treatment. . . . Billy Wilson, an out¬ side salesman for the Roy Smith Co. for the past year, has returned to his former post as manager, Boulevard Drive-In, DeLand. . . . The Martin, Wildwood, operated by MCM Theatres, has been closed for the season. MIAMI, FLA., NEWS — Beginning with “Middle of the Night,” the Cameo, Miami Beach, went to new low prices of 25 cents matinees, 50 cents evenings, and a double feature policy. . . . Curtis H. Miller was elected vice-president, Claughton Company, at a recent meeting of the board of directors. This is the management company for Claugh¬ ton Theatres and other interests. Miller has been with the firm for over 14 years. For nine years he was general manager of the company’s theatres in the Tampa-St. Peters¬ burg area, with headquarters in Tampa. For the past five years he has been supervisor and advertising and public relations director of their theatres in the Greater Miami area. Prior to his affiliation with the Claughtons, Miller was with Florida State Theatres, man¬ aging theatres in a number of cities in Florida, including Tampa, St. Petersburg, and Daytona Beach. MEMPHIS Censorship of “Lady Chatterley’s Lover,” which is playing to capacity audiences at the Guild, local art house, was retracted by the Memphis and Shelby County Board of Censors. Originally, Mrs. B. F. Edwards, acting chairman of the Board, had ordered a beach scene cut. William Goodman, at¬ torney for the theatre, and William Kendall, manager of the Guild, argued that the U.S. Supreme Court recently cleared the film for showings in New York. Mrs. Edwards de¬ cided no cut was necessary if the theatre would label the movie “for adults only” in its advertising. The management complied. . . . Tutrovansum, Tutwiler, Miss., and Pal¬ ace, Tunica, Miss, have reopened after a brief closing. . . . C. C. McGahey is operating the Ackerman, Ackerman, Miss. . . . Missouri, Hayti, Mo., is running full time. Skylark Drive-In, Newport, Ark., is dark on Tues¬ days and Wednesdays, and Fort Chaffee,