The Exhibitor (1964)

*1 ice League. Miss Waggoner was formerly with the group sales department of B and K. . . . Chicago Censor Board issued 3,595 permits during 1963, which was 90 permits less than the previous year. V. P. Brown, controller of Bell and Howell, has been named director of financial division of Ditto, Inc., subsidiary of Bell and Howell. Brown succeeds R. M. Wright, Jr., who retired after 36 years of service with Ditto. . . . Gene Autry, former cowboy sing¬ ing star, came here to probe the second bomb; ing of the Sahara Inn, a luxury motel and night club he operates. Autry was assured by sheriff’s officials that he would be protected against attempts of gangsters to regain control or to molest the new owners. The first bomb¬ ing of the motel occurred four months ago periling the lives of at least 12 guests and causing $1,000 damage. . . . Dr. Norman Vint cent Peale was here to talk about “One Man’s I Way.” . . . Louis Henry Deters, 50, secretarytreasurer of the Coca-Cola Bottling Co. of Chicago, died after suffering a heart attack at his home in Evergreen Park, Ill. . . . Starlite Outdoor theatre is offering special ad I mission prices to their patrons at $3 a carload for a three-bill program. Brotman man¬ agement reports January business has been good. . . . Charles F. Davidson, film booker for Balaban and Katz for many years, passed away after a lengthy illness. . . . Charles Miller has closed the Times, Savanna, Ill., leaving the town theatreless. . . . Engagement announcement: Lonnie Arlen, daughter of Dave Arlen, retired film press agent, will wed Melvin Cahan. . . . Tom Arthur, Court, was recently married to Carolyn Dry at Sinai Temple. . . . A1 Costelli is presently contact¬ ing theatre concession trade for the CocaCola company in this territory. . . . Malcolm Smith, president of Argus Company, reports that the company will gradually close their photo and film accessory plant in Spring Grove, Minn., ultimately moving same to their new plant in Columbia, S. C. CINCINNATI The young people competing in the “Merlin Jones” contest were quite impressed at the buffet-supper party in Hotel Sheraton-Gibson by Annette, who was in to promote BV’s “The Misadventures of Merlin Jones.” She also appeared on tv-radio and was a charming guest at the press luncheon. . . . Virginia Meyer is new cashier at 20th-Fox exchange. . . . Coatney Neu is new Universal inspector succeeding Marie Haller, retired. . . . Gus Boudot, UA office manager, is in Jewish Hospital for observation. . . . Charles Behlen, well known area exhibitor, who recently underwent surgery, and his wife, who has suffered a broken hip, are both recovering nicely at their home in Lexington, Ky. . . . Eric Erisson, manager of Paramount real estate, and Sidney Deneau, general sales man¬ ager, Continental Distributing, were recent I Film Row visitors. . . . Frank L. Weitzel Booking Sei-vices is booking and buying for Lou Clemmer, owner, Cruise-In, Miamisburg, O., and for Ron Jefferies, owner, Grand, Roncerverte, W. Va. . . . Tri-State Theatre Serv¬ ices are booking and buying for Ralph H. Winkler, Cinema South, Dayton, O., and for the drive-in at Pineville, W. Va., for owner A. E. Baldwin. . . . The Emery, Reading, O., owned by F. Kidwell, has been closed, the building to be used for other purposes. . . . Preliminary explorations of the Palace as the Cincinnati RKO “International 70” are now going on, the remodeling scheduled to start in late spring. COLUMBUS, O. Neither snow, nor cold, nor sub-freezing temperatures stayed thousands of children and a goodly number of grownups from see¬ ing Walt Disney’s “The Sword in the Stone” on the first Sunday of its RKO Palace run here. More than 9000 patrons waited as long as two hours to get into the theatre. At one time, the line completely circled the block and met itself at the boxoffice — which pro¬ duced a few arguments about which end of the line was which. Manager Ed McGlone said the line began forming at 8:30 a.m. for the 9 a.m. opening. ... It is rumored that the closed-circuit telecast of the Indianapolis 500mile auto race on Memorial Day, May 30, is being considered for showing at a local thea¬ tre. . . . Sandy Arter has been appointed an assistant on the CitizenJournal theatre page. She is in charge of calendar listings, succeed¬ ing Eddie Colston, who has been reassigned to other editorial staff duties. . . . Bill Hayes, who is cast as Tom Tryon’s brother in Otto Preminger’s “The Cardinal,” appeared as a singing star at the Maramor supper club here. DALLAS Underprivileged children were guests of the Dallas Variety Club at a special showing of “It’s A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World” at the Capri. More than 1,000 children attended with transportation to the theatre and re¬ freshments provided by Tent 17. As another part of the local Variety Week observance, the club hosted local press, television, and radio representatives. . . . Hollywood actress Jane Fonda is to be here on Feb. 25 and 26 to promote “Sunday in New York.” Miss Fonda may make a personal appearance on stage of the Majestic. . . . Leonard Goldenson, president, American Broadcasting-Paramount Theatres, is scheduled to be a visitor in Dallas on March 5. He will be here for a meeting of the local chapters of the Cerebral Palsy Association of which he is national president. . . . Tim Stamps, local buyer and booker, Wallace Blankenship Theatres, was taken ill and confined to the Medical Arts Hospital. Stamps was later moved to the Baylor. . . . Jimmie A. Prichard, manager, Allied Artists, was married here to Frankie Smith at the Lovers’ Lane Methodist Church. . . . Stathis Giallelis, the Greek actor who is in Elia Kazan’s “America America,” will pay Dallas a visit on a 15 city tour in behalf of the film. . . . Sympathy was being extended to Eddie Forester, Frontier Theatres, on the loss of his wife. . . . H. S. McMurry, manager, Evelyn and Prairie Drive-In, Dumas, Tex., was in the city recently to attend special screenings at Universal. He was accompanied by his wife. . . . Construction has been started by Lee-Kay Enterprises on the new 622 car capacity Park Plaza Drive-In, Irving. The drive-in was designed by Tom Parkinson, is under contract to Lee Fisher, and is ex¬ pected to be completed by May 1. The screen tower will be 101 x 50 feet of steel con¬ struction and will be able to withstand winds up to 100 miles per hour. The concessions stand will be 30 x 70 feet in a two story brick structure. . . . Betty Schott was elected president of Local B53. Other officers include Leah Carter, vice-president; Howard Schriever, business agent; Jacques Walthal, financial secretary; Myrtle Kitts, recording secretary; Jane Frey, sergeant at arms; executive board members: Mary Preasley, Marie Dunn, Jane Frey, Josephine Barton, Nora Gay, Ruth Smith, and Jeraline Foster, and trustees Mary Preasley, Ruth Smith, and Mary Dunn. . . . Bob Callahan, local producer, has signed Gloria Grahame, 1952 Oscar winner, to costar with Rory Calhoun in “Five Horsemen from Hell,” which will be filmed in Dallas beginning March 1. DENVER Name of the Jet Drive-In, Truth or Con¬ sequences, New Mexico, has been changed by the new owner, W. H. McRae, to the Palms Drive-In. . . . Norman Nielsen, manager. Cooper, which is now showing MGM’s “How the West Was Won” in its 48th week, re¬ ports that the gross has passed $800,000— an all-time record for the Mile High City. . . . Atlas Theatre Corp., which operates many suburban and one downtowner here and other houses in the state, has taken over the operation of the Webber here. Mrs. Tom Bailey has operated the house since her hus¬ band passed away several years ago. . . . Contest winners of a Rocky Mountain News essay contest were guests at lunch with An¬ nette Funicello, star of “The Misadventures of Merlin Jones,” which is skedded for early opening in Denver. . . . Columbia’s district manager, Norman Jackter, has been in Den¬ ver this week. . . . Mrs. Ann Curtis, who formerly was associated with her husband, Fred, in the operation of the Teepee theatre and Rio Drive-In in Thermopolis, Wyo., re¬ cently died, according to information just re¬ ceived here. ... Joe Stone, Dick Lutz, and Morton Dyksterhuis of National Theatre Sup¬ ply were hosts at the monthly industry luncheon held at the Golden Ox Restaurant. . . . A publicity forum was held by Tom Carlile, unit publicity man for United Artists, following a screening of “To Russia With Love.” . . . The Ute, Colorado Springs, has a new manager. He is Merle Gwinn, former RKO salesman and Nebraska theatre owner. Ute is one of the Cooper chain. . . . Em¬ bassy Pictures’ “Zulu” was screened at the Centre here by Jules Needleman, district manager. . . . Jack Flemming, Atlas The¬ atres general manager, has been on an in¬ spection trip of the theatres on the Western Slope. . . . John Dobson, United Artists branch manager, has been to Chicago for a meeting. . . . Tom Smiley, general manager of Wolfberg Theatres, has been enjoying a The finest carbons ever made... PROJECTOR CARBONS February 19, 1964 MOTION PICTURE EXHIBITOR 15