The Exhibitor (1961)

Robert Weston, of Embassy, and Herman Rippes, of MGM, which will distribute the pictures. During his stay while in Dallas, Levine signed the Theatre Center’s Mary Shipp to a picture contract. A “ringer” for Elizabeth Taylor, she will be given a fea¬ tured role in “Boy’s Night Out,” Levine’s next independent film. . . . “The Eleventh Commandment,” will have a three way show¬ ing in Dallas movie houses. The picture opens Thursday at the Lakewood and Wynnewood, and is booked for three days next week at the Forest. For the last 10 days, the pro¬ ducer and director, Robert Raisbeck, and the top male player, Robert Dix, who shares star billing with Patricia Crest, have been in the city talking about their film. They have screened the film for numerous groups and individuals and have found an enthusiastic response for its message. . . . Paul Rice and C. H. Weaver, Paramount, Oklahoma City, were in Dallas for a sales meeting. . . . Hugh Owens, vice-president of Paramount, was here for a meeting with Paramount personnel and discussed the plans and policies of the future. . . . The local Navy office used displays on “The Wackiest Ship in the Army” on all Aboards in Dallas County for the showing at the Majestic, and also had displays in depart¬ ment stores and at the theatre. DETROIT There can be no doubt the silly season is in full bloom. United Detroit opened “Black Sunday” at midnight, April 13, at the Palms. Publicity material poker-faced that on Black Sunday, which occurs every hundred years, the management becomes “horribly generous” and free-handed with Annie Oakleys. Any¬ one proving he or she was bom on a Friday, the 13th, got in free. Every 13th customer was waved in without paying. Any who showed up dressed as ghouls got in for nothing, and prizes were awarded to the ghastliest. To top off this nonsense, passes were also given to those bringing black cats to the show. It was advertised that such felines could be checked and would be fed catnip. The undead epic, which turned in a sock take at its Cleveland premiere, is distributed here for American International by Jack Zide’s Allied Films. President James Nicholson of American-In¬ ternational and director of publicity Milton Moritz were in town for the opening and to sneak -prevue forthcoming “Master of the World” at the Michigan. . . . The Detroit Free Press held its 11th annual New Faces Award. Theatres as always cooperated by circulating the ballots, and this year’s winner was Troy Donahue, who appeared at the Michigan to sign the teen-age autograph books and to receive the award from Frank Angelo, managing editor of the newspaper. The first New Faces winners were Debbie Reynolds and Jeff Chandler, then compara¬ tively imknown, who tied for first place. Public discernment can be judged by the fact that among those selected in other years were Marilyn Monroe, Yule Brynner, Kim Novak, Grace Kelly, Robert Wagner, and Natalie Wood. . . . Clark Theatre Service has added two new accounts to its customer list. One is the Maxine, Croswell, Mich., run by the partnership of Charles O. Whitebread and George Benko. The other is the Meredith Drive-In, Gladwin, Mich., just acquired by Carl Ludwick, who will open for business April 28. HOUSTON District Attorney Frank Briscoe will not prosecute the 13 yormg pickets who were ar¬ rested March 19 when a passer-by was acci Attending a special meeting of Texas circuit heads and independent exhibitors in behalf of 20th-Fox's "The Trapp Family" were Gil Golden, 20th-Fox New York and Hollywood executive, and Raymond Willie, general man¬ ager, Interstate Circuit, Dallas. dently brushed with a placard during a down¬ town anti-segregation demonstration. The youths were charged with unlawful assembly by simple assault. The young ice cream sales¬ man who was brushed by the placard, G. L. Brandt, made no complaint against the dem¬ onstrators, but he did complain about being drawn into the case by the Houston police. Briscoe said the charges have not been dropped, but will not be refiled in CountyCourt-at-Law. The charges were originally filed before Justice of the Peace Thomas Maes. Briscoe said it is common practice not to refile cases, a necessary legal procedure in this instance, when there is no complain¬ ing witness. Police Captain H. L. Ellisor said at the time the youths were arrested that it made no difference to him whether the wit¬ ness complained or not. Ellisor ordered the arrests. Eldrewey Stearnes, head of the Pro¬ gressive Youth Association, said the police seized on the brushing incident as an excuse to arrest the pickets, who were staging a stand-in in front of Loew’s State. Briscoe said he could not get a conviction because the youths had not assembled for an unlaw¬ ful purpose. Briscoe said he will try to get convictions against 22 pickets who were ar¬ rested in front of the same theatre on March 16. JACKSONVILLE Herman L. Meiselman’s beautiful new Mid¬ way Drive-In, which occupies an excellent location in the populous southside area, was not completed in time for its scheduled Easter opening but is expected to open before Distribution and exhibition leaders of Jackson¬ ville, Fla., recently formed a new social and charitable group chartered as the Motion Pic¬ ture Charity Club. Officers are, left to right, B. D. Benton, treasurer; Herman Allen, second vice-president; Fred Hull, president; Tom Saw¬ yer, first vice-president; and Marshall Fling, secretary. the end of April. . . . Sam Seletsky of Boston, film buyer for the Smith Management Co., spent a few days here visiting branch mana¬ gers. . . . W. W. Wallace is now managing Cecil Cohen’s Negro-patronage Star, New Smyrna Beach. . . . The Martin, Wildwood, formerly operated by Sam A. Newton, is now under the management of John V. Lawson, who also operates the New, Palatka. . . . The Negro-patronage Ritz, Arcadia, formerly run by Frank Lazzaro, is now being operated by Alfred Johnson, manager El Dorado Club, Arcadia. . . . Alex Weinstock is the new manager, Ace, Hallandale, succeeding Allen Phillips. . . . Wilma Murphy, local WOMPI service chairman, has received a merit award from screen star Jerry Lewis on behalf of the WOMPI members who bicycled prints of Muscular Distrophy trailers to theatres in this area. . . . Chapman Brown, Florida State Theatres manager trainee at the suburban Edgewood, reported that a lady patron fainted dead away during the excitement engendered by the chariot race during an evening per¬ formance of “Ben-Hur” and that she returned to the theatre the next night to view the part of “Ben-Hur” which she had missed while unconscious. She brought smelling salts the second night. . . . WOMPI members added new laurels to their growing collection when they won the $100 first prize awarded by radio station WMBR in the first Com¬ munity Club contest of 1961 against the com¬ petition of more than a score of other wo¬ men’s organizations in the city. MfMPH/S Professor David M. Amacker, Southwestern University, addressed the Better Films Coun¬ cil on “Motion Pictures for Education.” . . . Gayle Miller, owner. Plaza, Helena, Ark., is dead, and his son George is onerating this house. . . . The screen at Simset Drive-In, Hot Springs, Ark., was destroyed by high winds. . . . Woodrow Schmidt has opened Arrow Drive-In, Steeleville, Ill. . . . Dixie Drive-In, Hope, Ark., has reopened on a week-end basis. . . . Earl Farrell is now oper¬ ating the Beardsley Chevrolet Drive-In, Bardwell, Ky. . . . Mississippi closings include Majestic, luka; Superba, Charleston, to Sat¬ urday operation only; Palace, Marks. . . . Ed Doherty, of Exhibitors’ Service, reports that Royal, West Point, Miss., has closed. . . . Strand, Hohenwald, Tenn., has closed. . . . luka Drive-In, luka. Miss., is now on full¬ time operation, as is Raja Drive-In, Charles¬ ton, Miss. H. B. Palmer announces Paducah Drive-In, Paducah, Ky., is on full-time opera¬ tion. Jack Braunagel’s drive-ins, Airvue, West Helena, Ark., and Broadway, North Little Rock, Ark., are on full-time operation. NEW HAVEN Lockwood and Gordon have reopened the long-shuttered 800-seat Art, Hartford, on a full-time basis, for the time being playing art film product that has already premiered at the L and G first-rxm art outlet here, the Cine Webb. Initial film was Janus Films’ “The Seventh Seal.” William F. Murphy, managing director. Cine Webb, has been supervising the Art, pending appointment of a permanent house manager. The Cine Webb, meanwhile, is being redecorated during daytime hours The theatre is open evenings, Mondays through Saturdays, and from 3 p.m. on Sun¬ days. New carpets are being installed, lobby furniture replaced, among other activity. . . . Installation of 70 mm. equipment at the Perakos Theatre Associates’ deluxe Elm, West Hartford, is nearing completion. The Elm will be the second Connecticut theatre equipped April 26, 1961 MOTION PICTURE EXHIBITOR 19