The Exhibitor (1964)

NEWS CAPSULES FILM FAMILY ALBUM Arrivals Mrs. Raymond L. Carpenter, St. Louis, gave birth to a baby girl, making Woodrow R. Praught, president, United Detroit Theatres, a grandfather for the first time. Obituaries LEO CURRY, 82, retired stage electrician and maintenance man at the Riveria, Binghamton, N. Y., died. He was a veteran of pre-World War I vaudeville stages. HARRY DEMBOW, well known Philadelphia area exhibitor, died at the Media Theatre of a coronary. He also operated a theatre in Columbia, Pa. B. C. “CAPPY DuVAL, international repre¬ sentative of the IATSE, died at his Inglewood, Calif., home of a heart attack. He was a member of Hollywood Property Craftsmen’s Local 44 since 1923, and since 1926 had also been a member of Chicago Stage Employes Local 2. FLOYD S. HARVER, JR., 48, died at Ochener Foundation, New Orleans, after six months of illness. He was sales manager of Don Kay Film Enterprises and active in Variety Clubs International. He was a native of Nowata, Okla. Survivors include his wife and three children. AL PAUL LEFTON, advertising executive and member of Variety Club Tent 13, Phila¬ delphia, died. HARPO MARX, 70, famous “silent” comedian of the Marx Brothers, died in Mount Sinai Hospital, Hollywood. Survivors include his brothers, Gummo, Zeppo, and Groucho. His brother Chico died in 1961. He is also survived by his wife and four adopted sons. WILLIAM C. SCANLAN, 88, senior member of the board of trustees of IATSE, died at Lynn Hospital, Lynn, Mass., after a short illness. He helped form the Lynn Stage Em¬ ployes Local 73 in 1900 and was its business agent for the rest of his life. MRS. HENRIETTA SUCKNO, 80, who with her late husband were among the first to operate motion picture theatres in Albany, N. Y., died. The couple conducted the White¬ way, the Regent, and the Albany. Bom in New York City, she had lived in Albany for 62 years. Survivors are two daughters, three sons, six grandchildren, and four great¬ grandchildren. FRED M. WILCOX, 59, for many years a Hollywood director, died at his Beverly Hills home. He was the brother of Mrs, Nicholas Schenck, wife of the retired former MGM president. He was born in Tazwell, Va., and began his film career in MGM’s New York publicity department. What's Doing At AA? Theatremen are displaying understandable interest and concern over the current situa¬ tion at Allied Artists, where a proxy fight seems to be in the offing. Exhibitors are fear¬ ful that dissident stockholders, if successful in unseating management, may spin off the company for its assets and dry up another FORMS FOR THIS PAGE CLOSED AT 5 P.M. ON MON., OCT. 5 Product Split Approved; Exhlb Loses Trust Suit NEW YORK — Federal District Judge Dud¬ ley Bonsai rendered decision against E. M. Loew’s Miami (Florida) Drive-In Corpora¬ tion in its antitrust suit brought against Para¬ mount, 20th-Fox, Warner Bros., MetroGoldwyn-Mayer, United Artists, Universal, and American Broadcasting-Paramount Theatres. He held that there had been no evidence of conspiracy in renting films to plaintiff’s theatre. The case had been pending in the Southern District of New York since January, 1956., and was tried last May. Judge Bonsai’s opinion upheld the legality of a split of product not participated in by all exhibitors in an area, and condemned the notion that “where an exhibitor does not get what he wants, he automatically has an anti¬ trust action.” The result was reported by the Motion Picture Association of America. Nicholson Heads Tent 25 LOS ANGELES — James H. Nicholson, president of American International Pictures, has been named new chief barker for Variety Club, Tent 25, according to retiring head officer Fred Stein. Other Variety executives in the new group are Alfred S. Lapidus, first assistant chief barker (reelected); Allan J. O’Keefe, second assistant chief barker; Herbert L. Copelan, property master (reelected); S. Charles Lee, dough guy; and as canvasmen, M. J. Frankovich, Michael Forman, Ezra E. Stem, Robert L. Lippert, William H. Thedford, and Robert H. Benton. important source of product. Until such a time as those opposing manage¬ ment make their position and plans for AA’s future a good deal clearer than they are now, theatremen are inclined to support Steve Broidy and the AA management team in this hour of crisis. HARRY DEMBOW Harry Dembow was practically born and raised in the motion picture industry. He served it well for many, many years, and the friends he made, both in the industry and outside it, are poorer with his passing. He was my dear friend, I never knew him to hurt a fellow human being, and that is a tribute that fits few men. He was a knowledgeable, capable exhibitor for many years in Media and Columbia, Pa. He was a devoted and wonderful friend. The sincere sympathy of all of us are extended to his immediate family, and to his brothers, Sam and George, who are also well known fiJm-men. The Dembows have always been a credit to the motion picture industry. Harry will be missed. JAY EMANUEL vL? BROADWAY GROSSES "Poppins" Is Magical NEW YORK — Walt Disney’s “Mary Poppins” arrived at Radio City Music Hall to lead the Broadway first rim parade, with Columbia’s “Lilith” at the Victoria also open¬ ing very well. According to usually reliable sources reaching MOTION PICTURE EX¬ HIBITOR, the breakdown was as follows: “MARY POPPINS” (Buena Vista). Radio City Music Hall, with usual stage show, reported $114,538 for Thursday through Sun¬ day, with the second week sure to tally $185,000. The first week was $195,496. “NIGHT OF THE IGUANA” (MGM). DeMille garnered $11,000 for the ninth and final week. IT’S A MAD, MAD, MAD, MAD WORLD” (UA-Cinerama). Warner Cinerama claimed $13,000 for the 46th week. “OF HUMAN BONDAGE” (MGM). Loew’s State reported $17,000 for the second session. “CIRCUS WORLD” (Paramount). Loew’s Cinerama reached $8,000 for the 15th week. “TOPKAPI” (UA). Astor had $34,000 for the third week. “LILITH” (Columbia). Victoria did $36,000 for the opening week. “WOMAN OF STRAW” (UA). Criterion claimed $17,000 for the first week. “A HOUSE IS NOT A HOME” (Embassy). Rivcli reported $9,000 for fifth and final week. “CLEOPATRA” (20th-Fox). RKO Palace reported $28,000 for the first week of the popular prices, Showcase showing. S. F. Fete Adds Entries SAN FRANCISCO — Eight more feature films were added over the weekend for a total of 18 that will compete in the eighth annual San Francisco International Film Festival, which opens next Wednesday (Oct. 14) at the Coronet. As usual, Hollywood has preserved its record of aloofness by not having an entry. While in the past, there has al¬ ways been at least one independently produced U. S. film in competition, the nearest America comes to representation in the fete is a U. S.Canadian produced entry called “The Luck of Ginger Coffey,” which was made in Montreal. A total of 17 nations, counting the U. S.Oanada dual entry, will be competing for the coveted Golden Gate Awards. Seven of the offerings are from Iron Curtain countries, of which USSR and Czechoslovakia each are entering two films. One Czech entry, “Lemon¬ ade Joe,” a satire on American western films, has been chosen to open the festival at next Wednesday’s posh black tie invitational premiere. While it has not been announced who will be among the Hollywood luminaries, if any, for the opening, most of the foreign countries participating are sending delegations, in¬ cluding all the Iron Curtain countries. Follow¬ ing are the entries not previously announced: Russia’s second entry, “There Is Such A Guy”; West Germany’s “Encounter In Salz¬ burg”; Poland’s “Yesterday In Fact”; Holland’s “The Human Dutch”; Yugoslavia’s “Wild Growth”; Mexico’s “The Well”; and France’s “The Winner.” 6 MOTION PICTURE EXHIBITOR October 7, 1964