The Exhibitor (1965)

BUFFALO There was a unique social event when the board of managers of the Rehabilitation I Foundation of the Children’s Hospital played . host to the barkers of the Variety Club at dinner in the hospital dining room. This big , annual event has always been held in the Tent 7 headquarters. There was a capacity audience in attendance. The dinner was held in the hospital in recognition of the wonder¬ ful work done by the Buffalo Variety Club for its chief charity, the Rehabilitation Center. Mrs. Howard T. Saperston, president, board j of managers, welcomed the guests. Hospital director Moir P. Tanner presided. Mrs. F rank B. Quinlivan spoke on behalf of the Women of Variety. The highlight was the presenta¬ tion by Telethon chairman and past chief ' barker Nathan R. Dickman of a check for $140,000 to the Rehabilitation Center, through ! Dr. Robert Warner, director of the Center. I The huge sum was realized through the re¬ cent sensationally successful Telethon con¬ ducted by the Variety Club. Another high¬ light was the presentation to the Rehabilita¬ tion Foundation of a Sunshine Coach made in behalf of Tent 7 by chief barker Anthony T. Kolinski. . . . James J. Hays, manager, Cinema Theatre, and chairman of last sum¬ mer’s Variety International convention in Buffalo, will head the Buffalo delgation to this year’s San Francisco world-wide pow¬ wow. Barbara Quinlivan, president, Women of Variety, will head a delegation of mem¬ bers of that active organization. . . . John B. Basil has been named manager, Kensington, community link in the Dipson chain and for many years one of the leading Shea circuit houses. A native of Buffalo, he formerly was affiliated with Associated British Cinemas in London and the Genesee and Century, Buffalo. . . . Rochester’s seventh annual Movies-on-a-Shoestring Festival is scheduled for May 22 and 23. The event, which started modestly in the Rochester Public Library and grew from 200 viewers the first year to 1,000 last year in the Dryden theatre in the George Eastman House, now will become a twoday show. Amateur movie makers and professionals who make 8mm and 16 mm movies are invited to submit sound or silent films of any length for showing. ... A spring membership luncheon was held in the Variety Club headquarters, with chief barker Anthony T. Kolinski presiding. A brief business session was held to discuss the progress of the club this year and to talk over instructions to delegates to the Variety International con¬ vention. Following the business session, barkers viewed a 28-minute film with sound, “The Wonderful World of San Francisco.” The following new members were introduced: Warren Potash, Mike Klein, Ed Little, Sam Dine, Jim Fuller, Bob Olin, Hal Youngblood, Jim Makris, Marc Lippman, Tony Mercurio, Welden A. Waters, Peter Sukemek, Edward V. Crowe, Norman Schrutt, John J. Radice, Richard L. Smith, Sam Krieter, Charles Finnerty, Richard Aaron, and Stan Jasinski. CHARLOTTE C. O. Hall has been named manager, Na¬ tional, Greensboro, N. C., succeeding R. B. Williams, who has been transferred to Mount Airy, N. C., according to an announcement by Dave Carvin, Jr., district manager of North Carolina Theatres, Inc. . . . There was a fire at the Carolina, Fayetteville, N. C., on Sunday aftemono, April 4, but patrons were left un¬ disturbed and the showing of the film contin¬ ued as firemen quickly extinguished a small blaze in an upstairs room. It was the second theatre fire at Fayetteville in recent weeks. At a recent press cocktail party at the Four Seasons Restaurant, New York, were, left to right, Jules Buck, co-producer of “Will Adams”; Peter O’Toole, who will star in the title role; and Joseph E. Levine, president, Embassy Pictures, who will act as execu¬ tive producer of the Paramount release. Earlier, a boiler room fire at the Broadway caused evacuation of the building for a short time. Damages were slight in both incidents. CINCINNATI Drive-ins and baseball officially opened the spring season here. Because the trend in movie attendance moved steadily forward during the winter months, area exhibitors hope this coming season will top it, the best overall attendance record sustained during the past five years. Another trend being care¬ fully watched is first-rims in the suburban houses. Since this area has become an indus¬ trial center, exhibitors are nibbling at the idea the city is ready to support firstrun suburban theatres without undermining firstrun houses in the core area. Cincinnati The¬ atres’ new suburban Princeton Cinema is scheduled for completion in late August. Rumor has it that new theatres are being considered in several other key suburbs. . . . “Sound of Music” opened April 7 at MidStates’ Dabel, Dayton, O. With an advanced reserved-seat sale breaking house records. The film is also enjoying a good run at In¬ ternational ’70 here, with extra matinees scheduled for Easter week. . . . Marshall Thompson, actordirectorwriter, received wide media coverage while here to promote MGM’s “Clarence, the Cross-eyed Lion,” scheduled for early area openings. COLUMBUS Sheldon Smerling, president, Beacon En¬ terprises Inc., Los Angeles, is expected to announce the transfer of the lease on RKO Grand to his theatre organization. Local RKO officials have not received official notification fo the change. Beacon operates conventional and Cinerama theatres in Boston, Chicago, Montclair, N. J., Detroit, Denver, San Fran¬ cisco, Fresno, Calif., and Montreal. The Grand has been operated as a Cinerama house since October, 1960. . . . Charles Purcell, veteran member of Local 12, I. A. T. S. E., was pre¬ sented with a gold membership card on the occasion of his 50th anniversary as a mem¬ ber. . . . Herman Hunt, who operates Hunt’s Cinestage in Columbus and Hunt’s McCook in Dayton, is the newest member of the In¬ dependent Theatre Owners of Ohio. . . . Earl Ebling is the new assistant manager at North¬ land Cinema. . . . “Goldfinger” closed its record-breaking 15-week run at Loew’s Ohio after playing to about 120,000 admissions, one-fifth the population of Columbus. . . . Marshall Thompson was here to do advance publicity for his appearance in MGM’s “Clar¬ ence,” The Cross-Eyed Lion.” . . . Screen players dominate the list of stars announced for personal appearances in the fifth summer season of the Kenley Players here at Veterans Memorial, starting with Dick Shawn in “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum” the week of June 8. Others include Alexis Smith, Zachary Scott, Craig Stevens, Robert Goulet, Carol Lawrence, Walter Pidgeon, Earl Erightson, Lois Hunt, George Hamilton, Susan Watson, Jack Jones, Milton Berle, Betsy Palmer, Allen Ludden, Betty White, Anita Bryant, Ann Southern, and Gig Young. . . . Mt. Vernon, Ohio, Drum and Bugle Corps and the Pershing Rifles of Ohio State University presented a commemorative program for the 100th anniversary of the as¬ sassination of President Lincoln at the open¬ ing of the Civil War adventure, “Major Dundee,” at RKO Grand. . . . The Columbus Dispatch, supporter of film censorship and foe of sexy films, said editorially that the selection of “My Fair Lady” and “Mary Poppins” for top Academy Awards “is in¬ teresting and even reassuring.” The choices mark a return “to the golden era of motion pictures,” said the newspaper. The editorial added: “The oil that smooths the turning of the industry’s wheels is pumped out of such popular diversions as ‘My Fair Lady’ and ‘Mary Poppins.’ ” DALLAS The Inwood had special Easter holiday matinee showings of “The Sound of Music.” . . . Local television stations will be requested to give audience classification of movies they schedule if a recommendation of the Dallas City Council of Parent and Teachers Associa¬ tions is approved. The council’s board of man¬ agers is asking that the council and local units write letters to the stations asking that they list audience classifications of scheduled films in the newspapers. . . . The Electronovision version of “Harlow” is scheduled to open in 11 theatres here on May 11. Prior to the opening, Janet Day, Bobbie Whitby, Maureen Gaffey, and Jackie Amdre, billed as the “Harlow Girls,” will visit a local store on a bathing suit promotion. . . . The Joseph E. Levine Embassy Pictures’ “Harlow” is ex¬ pected to open at the Wilshire and Rex Cinema on June 23. . . . Interstate Theatres will also open the Majestic for the closed circuit telecast of the Indianapolis 500 Memo¬ rial Day auto racing classic. The Palace was originally scheduled to carry the race, but so many people were turned away last year that Interstate decided to show the race in both theatres, according to James O. Cherry, city manager for the circuit. . . . Chill Wills, Hollywood film star and native Texan, was in to film a series of dog food commercials for Jim Dandy. . . . The Gemini Twin D-I, built here by Barton R. and Gordon Mc¬ Lendon at a cost of approximately $1,500,000, opened. . . . Bill Becker, representative of the Universal publicity staff, was here to pub¬ licize some of Universal’s films which are be¬ coming available for booking. “Shenandoah” will be an Interstate “Project Picture,” and premiere in Houston on June 3, and will open here the following day. . . . More than 15,000 entries were received in the 11th annual Academy Award Sweepstakes here. Debbie Brown, 13-year-old girl won first prize, $500 in cash plus a round trip to Hollywood for two. The sweepstakes was sponsored by the Dallas News in cooperation with Delta Air¬ lines and six theatre circuits, Interstate, Stan¬ ley Warner, Rowley United, I. B. Adelman, B. R. and Gordon McLendon, and General Cin¬ ema Corp. Theatres, which operates 23 the April 28, 1965 MOTION PICTURE EXHIBITOR 19