The Exhibitor (1965)

COLUMBUS, O. “Goldfinger” opened a seventh week at Loew’s Ohio, making the James Bond feature one of the longest-running non-roadshow films ever to play here. . . . Ken Prickett, executive secretary, Independent Theatre Owners of Ohio, appeared before city councils of Bryan and Gabon to voice opposition to proposed CATV franchises. Prickett said similar ordinances are up for consideration at Piqua and Troy. . . . Kim Hunter, Academy Award winner for “A Streetcar Named De¬ sire” as best supporting actress, will star as the Dowager Empress in “Anastasia,” to be presented on the Otterbein College, West¬ erville, stage March 4-6. ... Ed Payne, who is also operating the Fiesta Drive-in, Chillicothe, is erecting a new de luxe drive-in to be called the Torch. New auto theatre will have a 550-car capacity. DALLAS Funeral services were held for Mrs. May Blessington, motion picture script writer, who died in a local hospital. She was a writer and affiliated with Paramount and United Artists studios for many years and a former resident of Hollywood. Survivors include a son. . . . The Dallas City Council of Parent-Teacher Associations, long a champion of good movies, took another step in this direction. It sup¬ ported the Dallas City Council in its efforts to limit admissions to these movies adver¬ tised for adults. . . . Gulf State Theatres of Texas has opened an office in the Paramount Bldg, with Eric DeNeve in charge of theatre operations and Heywood Simmons in charge of buying and booking. . . . The Tivoli Realty Co., Dallas, has filed application for a special permit to build a drive-in and shopping cen¬ ter on a 16 acre tract of land in Mesquite, Tex. A d-i currently on the tract will be dis¬ mantled to make way for the new project. DENVER Quite a number of houses in this area are refurbishing and otherwise improving their facilities, accordng to Dick Lutz, local man¬ ager of National Theatre Supply Co. Among recent installations are a new Walker Crystalgain screen in the Liberty, Kalispell, Mont.; an Alexander Smith Crestwood carpet for the Cavern, Carlsbad, N. M.; the Ute, Colorado Springs, Colo., has also installed a new Walker Crystalgain screen; Denver’s Denham has recarpeted with an Alexander Smith Wilton; the Wyo, Laramie, Wyo., is getting new Bevelite marquee letters; the Peerless, Holy¬ oke, has new carpeting; and the Wolfberg Paramount, Denver, is reseating with Amer¬ ican Bodiform chairs, all of which is an ex¬ pression of confidence of theatre people in the rising tide of box-office receipts. . . . Bill Pence has opened an art house in Colorado Springs. It is known as “The Flick,” and is located at 532 N. Tejon. . . . Mel Gold, Na¬ tional Screen Service general manager, was in the city recently conferring with Jack Lustic, local branch manager. . . . “Santa Claus” proved real for Manager John W. Creamer of the Atlas circuit when K. Gor¬ don Murray Production awarded him a U.S. Savings Bond for his exceptional showman¬ ship on the film of that name. . . . Daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Earl W. Kerr, Joan Leslie, became' the bride of Rollie Hardey in a ceremony held at the parents’ home in Pine, Colo. David Emanuel, president, Governor Films, is seen with Barbara Windsor, star of “Carry On Spying," at Sardi's in New York, during a discussion on her personal appearances and promotion for the film's playdates. HOUSTON Horton Foote, screen writer, flew in here to go on the Wharton, Tex., for the premiere there of “Baby, The Rain Must Fall,” based on the Foote story, “The Traveling Lady,” and filmed in Wharton and Columbus with Lee Remick and Steve McQueen. . . . Carol Lawrence, Hollywood star and wife of Robert Goulet, flew in by jet to see Monique Van Vooren’s Cork Club show. Miss Lawrence saw the first show then rushed back to catch a plane for New York. . . . The Houston chap¬ ter of the American Civil Liberties Union sponsored a showing of “Point of Order,” film of the McCarthy-Army 1954 hearings at the Alray. . . . “The Sound of Music” has been booked for a roadshow engagement at the Alabama opening March 31. . . . “Dear Brig¬ itte” is scheduled to replace “Goldfinger” at the Metropolitan. . . . Hollywood film star Dale Robertson is to star in the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo at the Sam Hous¬ ton Coliseum from Feb. 24 through March 7. Also on the bill will be Molly Bee. . . . Ravi Shankar, Indian musician who supplied the music for the “Pather Panchali” film trilogy by Satyajit Ray, appeared here in person in Cullen Auditorium. . . . Rowley United Theatres took over the operation of the Hempstead and Irvington D-I, previously op¬ erated by Stanley Warner of Texas. JACKSONVILLE Jack King, formerly of Charlotte, is a new member of the Floyd Theatres booking staff under James Kirby in the American Heri¬ tage Bldg. Jack replaced Harold Turbyfill, who went into exhibition as assistant to Pres¬ ton Henn in Fort Lauderdale. . . . Janet Mette is a new booker’s clerk in the MGM office. . . . Nick Fortunas, who operates the Dixie, Apalachicola, revealed that his family has operated the west Florida entertainment cen¬ ter continuously since its grand opening on April 4, 1913, when it won early recognition as one of the finest showplaces in Florida. . . . Belton Clark, apprentice booker at Uni¬ versal, is the younger brother of Harry Clark, Allied Artists booker and salesman. . . . Bob Bowers, Allied Artists manager, re¬ turned from a company sales gathering in New York. . . . Steve Formato, former MGM salesman and son of Lou Formato, MGM offi¬ cial in New York, is now associated with Floyd Theatres in Lakeland. . . . Barbara “Sunny” Greenwood, who books two motion pictures weekly into the auditorium of the Mary Help Orphanage at Tampa as a free WOMPI service, made the rounds of Film row in selecting new pictures. . . . Edwina Ray, Florida State Theatres, has been elected chairman of the WOMPI nominating com¬ mittee for 1965. Named to serve with her were Joyce Malmborg, Allied Artists; Sandra Smoot, MGM; Mildred Land, United Artists; and Enidzell “Easy” Raulerson, Florida Thea¬ tre. . . . Vernon Carr, former Iowa exhibitor, has joined the FST home office staff in the advertising and publicity department. . . . Louis J. Finske, president of Florida State Theatres, was the subject of an interesting feature story by Brock Lucas in the Sunday magazine of the St. Petersburg Times in which Lucas stated, “You’d be amazed how much Louis J. Finske means to your way of life. As the backstage baron of show business, Louis Finske entertains well over 100,000 Floridians every day” at the 56 (soon to be 58) operating units of FST, plus the manifold outdoor and underwater attractions at Weeki Wachee and Silver Springs. Finske, who leads an extremely busy and eventful life as chief executive of a circuit employing 1,200 persons, expressed his refreshing attitude toward his job. “I haven’t worked a day in my life,” says Finske. “I’ve never done anything but exactly what I wanted to do. It’s the only way to live.” Distributor Don Kay visited from his base at New Orleans and conferred with Art Levy, Florida salesman. . . . Dale Van' Sickel, first University of Florida football player to gain All-American recognition, moved to Holly¬ wood many years ago for a part in “The Spirit of Notre Dame.” Dale remained in the movie capital to win wealth and recognition as one of the most daring and successful stuntmen in motion picture history. Now president of the Hollywood Stuntman’s Ass’n., he engi¬ neered classic chase scenes for “It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World” and “The Lively Set.” . . . How'ard Palmer, city manager for Kent Theatres, said that the Main Street Drive-In is undergoing general repairs and is geeting new paving for the auto ramps. . . . The opening of “Mary Poppins” at the Center brought much excitement and activity to the downtown area. Newspaper film writers Judge May and William V. Means II let out all the critical stops and accorded “Mary Poppins” unstinted praise. Judge wrote, in part, that the film is “a credit to the great artistry of Walt Disney, who has again out¬ done himself in bringing together a whimsi¬ cal screenplay, lilting music, witty lyrics, gay satire that can be seen repeatedly without exhausting its wonders.” ... St. John’s Cathedral was the setting for the marriage here of Miss Katherine E. Fulenwider and John B. Kent. Parents of the bridegroom are Mr. and Mrs. Frederick H. Kent, owners of the extensive Kent Theatres circuit. The wedding was followed by a reception at the Timuquana Country Club, and the newlyweds left for a honeymoon in New York City. They will reside in Jacksonville. NEW HAVEN-HART FORD Mrs. Mary Ricci, 87, widow of Connecticut film industry pioneer Joseph M. Ricci died at the Meriden Hospital after a long illness. She and her husband built their first theatre, the Life (now the Capitol), in Meriden in 1913. . . . United Artists’ “Lillies of the Field” was screened at Bushnell Memorial Auditorium, Hartford, under Children’s Museum of Hart¬ ford sponsorship, at 75 cents admission. . . . Both Middletown hard-tops, the Adorno Palace and the Saracen Capitol, are running 16 MOTION PICTURE EXHIBITOR February 17, 1965