The Exhibitor (1965)

Columbus. Miss O’Sullivan recently com¬ pleted the film version of “Never Too Late.” Godfrey is flying to Hollywood soon to start work in the Doris Day feature for MetroGoldwyn-Mayer, “The Girl in the Glass Bot¬ tom Boat.” DALLAS Roger Hurlock, vice-president, and Nat Nathanson, general sales manager of Allied Artists, were in the city to conduct a threeday sales and policy meeting. James Prich¬ ard, division manager for the southwest; Ed’ Cruea, western division; Frank Thomas, mid¬ west; James Hobbs, southeastern division; and Nate Levin, central division, were in at¬ tendance. . . . The new Park Forest, operated by B. R. and Gordon McLendon in the Park Forest Shopping Center, opened with a spe¬ cial invitational showing of Columbia’s “Lord Jim.” The regular film screening began Thursday with the first run showing of “A Very Special Favor.” The Park Forest was built at a cost of nearly $300,000 and has a seating capacity of 1,000, with the latest equipment including 70mm. . . . Michael Ansara is being seen in the role of king in “The King and I” at the Dallas Musicals in the State Fair Music Hall. . . . Ray Ander¬ son has been employed by Academy The¬ atres, Inc., to refurbish the Dallas Little Theatre Playhouse into a de luxe art theatre. The company is scheduled to invest $100,000 in1 the project. . . . Five famous names in movie comedy, Robert Benchley, Charles Chaplin, W. C. Fields, and the team of Laurel and Hardy, headlined a film bill at the Dallas Museum of Fine Arts, third in a summer series reviving classic comedies of the silent and early talkie days. The two final offerings of the DMFA series will be “A Night at the Opera,” starring the Marx Brothers, on July 29, and Charles Chaplin in “The Gold Rush” on Aug. 12. , . Three Dallas public library branches, Casa View, Preston Royal, and Walnut Hill, have scheduled four film pro¬ grams for July and August. DENVER Thomas Wales and Joe Shevlin, ticket tak¬ ers of the Monaco Drive-In were robbed of $61 by four men, who then went to the boxoffice, held up cashier Patricia Schwartz, and made away with an additional $193. . . . Chick Lloyd, American International, is working again on a part time basis after having undergone major surgery. ... A demonstration is being made of a new sound and projection system at R. L. Stanger’s Evans Drive-In. It was installed by the Min¬ icast Corp., a firm in nearby Wheatrtdge, Colo., and it is claimed it may revolutionize this type of installation. Cbmpany is headed by Mark Bentson and Robert Dusek. . . . Two theatres in the state are still closed an ac¬ count of the June floods — the Lamar, Lamar, Colo., and the Holly, Holly, Colo. ... In the hospital following a heart attack is Elmer Finch, veteran film shipper, currently at Allied Artists. . . . Bill Wallace has been named booker for MGM to replace Bill Sax¬ ton, who recently resigned. . . . The Granada, Monte Vista, has been closed' by Atlas. DES MOINES A group of Iowans announced plans to produce full-length motion pictures. Heart¬ land Productions, Inc., has been organized with Russell Doughten, Jr., 38, as president of the firm. Doughten, a graduate of Drake University, said a motion picture industry would help project a favorable image of Iowa and the midwest. Heartland Productions was incorporated by 22 persons, with Roy S. Messerschmidt, West Des Moines banker, as secretarytreasurer. . . . Beacon Enterprises, Beverly Hills, Calif., has leased the RKO Orpheum, Davenport, la. Mile Troehler will continue as manager of the Orpheum. . . . C. L. McFarling, manager, Orpheum, Des Moines, is back on the job following a hos¬ pital check-up. DETROIT Ground will be broken on Aug. 1 for the previously-announced indoor adjacent to the J. L. Hudson Northland’ shopping center. Northland Cinema will be built and operated by Suburban Theatres, of which Richard Sloan is president. Capacity will be 1460. In¬ cluded in equipment will be projection for existing and contemplated processes, includ¬ ing 70mm, Todd-AO, and Cinerama. . . . Joe Lee, who spent his business life with 20th Century-Fox — about 45 years — visited Detroit with his wife, Dorothy. He retired as branch manager here several years ago, briefly managed the Fox, and then moved to South Miami. Lee told' his friends here that recently his brother Peter, 68, had passed away. Peter retired from Randforce Amuse¬ ment Circuit in New York, and had been ill for some time. He is survived by his wife, Belle, who manages a theatre. . . . Variety Club of Detroit, Tent 5, held its 31s annual golf outing at the Hillcrest Country Club, Mt. Clemens. Attendance was 350, and weather was perfect. A total of 115 door prizes were distributed, and the Buick con¬ vertible was won by a lady who can’t drive. The net amount raised was unusually hand¬ some. It bolstered the club treasury substan¬ tially, completed the financing of Tent 5’s first Sunshine Coach, and left additional thousands for the Variety Club Growth and Development Center at Children’s Hospital of Michigan. HOUSTON It was a girl for former Interstate Theatre secretary Joanne Johnson and her husband Charles. . . . Ed Hale, of Universal Pictures, exploitation, was in for a promotional cam¬ paign for “The Art of Love,” which opened at the Metropolitan and for premiere activi¬ ties of “Shenandoah.” . . . Hollywood star Tony Curtis was to help open the Top Brass Club at the Houston Dental and Trade Mart. . . . John Forsythe will be in Houston to promote his new fall television show on Sept. 3 . . . 'William J. Wilson, Jr., city man¬ ager, General Cinema Corp., in Houston, has been named a division manager for Texas. He joins H. B. Palmer as a division manager in Texas. Palmer has his headquarters here. . . . “My Fair Lady” is closing on the record rim of “Oklahoma.” Pic, now in its 37th week at the Tower, has to top “Oklahoma’s 42 1/2 weeks here. . . . “Love and Kisses,” Univer¬ sal release, had a six theatre pre-release world premiere in the city launching a series of Texas pre-release engagements including Dallas and Fort Worth. . . . Prince Philip of Great Britain will come to Houston March 11, 1966 to visit the Variety Boys Club and to promote the charitable work of the Variety Clubs International, of which he is a life member and gold card holder. His visit of a day and a night will be part of a 12-day tour of the United States and Canada from March 8 through 20. The trip is being, made at the invitation of VCL. . . . Cothrum-Murray Co., ownerdeveloper of Loch wood Shopping Center, and General Cinema Corp., of Boston have announced plans for a Cinema in the center. Construction is scheduled to start shortly with completion expected in time for a grand opening around Christmas¬ time. A contract for the $378,000 project was signed in Houston by Richard A. Smith, president of General Cinema. The Lochwood Cinema will be the first theatre built in the White Rock area in about 20 years. Exterior will feature white brick walls with gray brick columns, and a 29-foot high, two-story glass and fieldstone facade will highlight the lobby facilities. Interior accent, from artgallery entrance to lobby and refreshment facilities to picture window screen, will be on customer comfort and luxury, said Smith. For example, seats will combine the retrac¬ tion and “push-back” design, so that one need not rise to let others pass. Convenient free parking will be provided in abundance. In addition to existing parking spaces in the center, 507 spaces will be completed adjacent to the theatre. ... A stagecoach holdup, the first on record on Main Street, occurred here when mounted desperados ambushed a stagecoach bearing the film for “The Sons of Katie Elder,” to the Majestic. Driver Gil Youngdorf tossed the cans of film to the masked outlaw, later identified as Bill Weaver. Interstate officials feel sure that they will apprehend Weaver in time for the film to open on time at the Majestic. . . . Farr Enterprises, Houston, have sold the Skyway D-I, located between Bryan and College Station, Tex., to the Schulman circuit, which operates theatres in Bryan, College Station and Huntsville, Tex. The Skyway was built by Jack A. Farr in 1948 and since that time has been improved and enlarged three times. . . . The Rivoli, in operation for 30 years, was closed last week and the Iris, which has been a movie house for 46 years, has also been closed. The two, operated by the Will Horwitz Estate, will be demolished. The Rivoli, first named the Uptown, opened in 1935 with “Top Hat” and this was the last film shown at the Iris by Fred Cannata, general manager. . . . Addie Adison, pro¬ motion man for United Artists, is being placed on a special assignment in New York and is expected to be away for at least six months. The promotion concerns the next James Bond film. JACKSONVILLE Marty Sheam, manager, downtown Center, and Mrs. Sheam, cashier for the cityowned Coliseum and Civic Auditorium, left on va¬ cation to visit relatives in Pittsburgh, Pa., and to tour the New York World’s Fair. . . . Henry Koehne, former Kissimmee exhibitor, replaced Maurice Magnan as operator of the Lakeshore. . . . Marvin Skinner is now book¬ ing the Smyrna, New Smyrna Beach, for owners, Mr. and Mrs. T. Edison Bell. . . . Capt. and Mrs. Hans Vige, owners, Pinecrest D-I, have turned booking duties over to Earl Turbyfull. . . . Marco A. Gomez ac¬ quired the Trail, Coral Gables, from former owner Edelberto Carrera. . . . William Klovekom, day doorman, Imperial, went into Baptist Hospital while on vacation for treat¬ ment of heart and lung ailments. . . . Bob Baugh, head of the Florida State Theatres accessories department, also became a patient at Baptist Hospital. . . . Dick Eason of Lees¬ burg, booker and buyer for MCM Theatres, ; who suffered a heat attack while visiting Filmrow, remained ill in Baptist Hospital . for a second week. . . . Mrs. T. M. Guilford, wife of the manager of two Kent Theatres drive-ins at Tallahassee, the Outdoor and Capitol, died recently after a long siege of illness. . . . John Ezell, elder son of Clint Ezell, vice-president of the Roy Smith Co., theatre supply firm, is now head of the chemical laboratory at Wilson & Toomer Fertilizer Co., and Clint’s daughter, Mary 20 MOTION PICTURE EXHIBITOR August 4, 1965