The Exhibitor (1966)

ALBANY Bob Willis, manager, Schine’s Rialto, Glens Falls, arranged with the local Women’s Civic Group to present a series of art pictures, fol¬ lowed by discussions of them in Schine-owned Queensbury Inn. Community College of Hud¬ son Falls cooperated on the well publicized project. . . . E. David Rosen, ex-chief barker of Albany Variety Club and former assistant general manager of WAST-TV, who is now stationed in New York City and is an officer for the Tent there, visited the Latham Shop¬ ping Center, operated by Fabian Theatre in¬ terests. . . . Fred Gardner, for years a projec¬ tionist at the uptown Madison, resigned to en¬ ter state employment. . . . Capital Cablevision Systems, Inc., has registered a certificate to conduct business at 991 Broadway. Authorized capital stock consists of 500 shares, no par value. . . . Allegany Theatres Corporation, for¬ merly of Genesee County, has moved offices to Wellsville, Allegany County, and extended its existence from “50 years” to “perpetual,” ac¬ cording to papers registered with the Depart¬ ment of State. BOSTON Lesley College, Cambridge, is sponsoring the opening night premiere of the Joseph E. Le¬ vine, Embassy release of “Years of Lightning, Day of Drums,” the film documentary on the late President Kennedy, on Wednesday, May 18, at the Redstone circuit’s Circle Cinema. Joseph E. Levine and an entourage, expected to contain members of the Kennedy family, are coming up to the producer’s home town for the premiere, which will start off with a champagne reception for invited guests, who include the governor, state, and national figures. This premiere will raise funds for Les¬ ley college’s three schools for children. These schools specialize in the education of boys and girls who are gifted, emotionally disturbed, and mentally retarded. The film benefit is the first to ever be sponsored by Lesley, according to Mrs. Leon Brock, executive director of the event. Group tickets are being sold through Lesley College. BUFFALO In a move toward centralization, the Buffalo branch of the National Theatre Supply com¬ pany will move Aug. 1 from its present quar¬ ters to the first floor of the Motion Picture Projectionists Union Bldg., according to an announcement by Jerry George, who has been associated with NTS for some 28 years, almost half of that time as manager of the Buffalo office. . . . Gloria Swanson put in four days of appearances in Rochester in connection with the Eastman House Gloria Swanson Week Tribute. . . . Jake Blatt, the last of the original Blatt Bros., theatre operators, is dead. The Blatt Bros., operated the Lakeshore, Athol Springs; Park, Ebenezer; Star, Blasdell; and Aurora, East Aurora. The Blatt Bros, head¬ quarters is in Pittsburgh. . . . Billy Keaton, past chief barker of Tent 7, Variety Club of Buffalo, and a well known local radio per¬ sonality, was master of ceremonies at an enter¬ tainment organized for the residents of the Brothers of Mercy Sacred Heart Nursing Home. . . . Playboy Club International, Inc., Chicago, is planning to open a Playboy Club in Buffalo some time this year. A spokesman for Playboy Clubs said that arrangements for the club in Buffalo have not been finalized yet, and a definite site in Buffalo has not been se¬ lected. . . . The first phase of a program to show safe driving films to young traffic viola¬ tors has been canceled in Gasport, N. Y., be¬ cause of a shortage of offenders, but another is scheduled for next month. The June 1 program will be open to the public with special invita¬ tions going to high school students. . . . The Thruway Plaza, Buffalo, will become one of the three largest in the world if present plans are successfully completed, one of the plaza developers told 130 tenants at their annual dinner meeting the other evening in the Char¬ ter House Motor Hotel. Vincent Galesi, plaza developer, who with Prank Galesi heads the realty company developing the plaza, out¬ lined the plans for the plaza expansion and confirmed the report that a contract has been signed with the General Cinema Corp. for the construction and operation of a 2000-seat twin motion picture theatre. . . . Pourteen films, selected from amateur entries from many coun¬ tries, were shown free in the Dryden theatre of the George Eastman House at the annual “Movies On a Shoestring,” festival. . . . The old Academy of Music in Nunda, N. Y., has been purchased by the Bell Memorial Library trustees, and the library board will raise funds to finance the demolition of the 125-year-old building which closed in 1965 after operating several years as a motion picture theatre. The Academy was converted to motion pictures in 1920 and for a time was operated by James P. Doyle and his wife. . . . Two young Hawaiian beauties were in Rochester for a dual purpose — to participate in Hawaiian Week at a local department store and do some tub-thumping for UA’s upcoming production, “Hawaii.” Ramona Tony Young, who represented her homeland in the Miss Universe contest of 1957, is now a teacher in the Honolulu school system. Eno Cole is most widely known in the islands as an interpreter of Polynesian dances. CHARLOTTE Grover Baker, Northgate, Durham, N. C., was awarded a trophy as “Most Cooperative Merchant” in the Northgate Shopping Center. The award was made at the annual dinner meeting of the Northgate Merchants Council. CHICAGO Mitchell Kowal, Polish actor, appeared on stage and met with patrons in the lobby of the Milford when he came here in conjunction with the premiere showing of his latest film, “Guests Are Coming.” ... Joel Freeman, son of Chicago’s Lou Freeman, baking firm execu¬ tive, was named first associate producer for Jack Warner’s “Camelot.” . . . Jack Clark an¬ nounced at a recent board meeting of Variety Club of Illinois (Tent 26) that Sunshine Coaches #2 and #3 have been paid for. . . . Women’s Variety Club of Illinois welcomed Dorsi (Mrs. James) Bagby, Dorothy R. Ber¬ man, Ruth Brown, Thula D Mets, Dorothy (Mrs. Jack) Eigen, Violet Garaffo, Julie (Mrs. Anthony) Gargano, Beatryce (Mrs. Jack) Greenberg, Ellen E. Leeds, Vivien (Mrs. H.) Martin, Stephanie (Mrs. Anthony) Stembark, Dawn (Mrs. Joseph) Starr, and Trudy Wolf. A “welcome back” to membership was extended to Ruth (Mrs. Norman) Silverman and Bea (Mrs. George) Marks. Eollowing the luncheon, a tour was made of La Rabida Sanitarium. . . . A dilemma for Oscar Brotman: He insists his Carnegie is ready to reopen after recent fire, but realtors want to tear it down and rebuild whole block. . . . Leo Zabelin, veteran press agent, is midwest press rep for AmericanInternational. . . . Mike Gerety is receiving congratulations on his promotion to MGM’s Atlanta exchange as press agent. . . . Joan Crawford checked in at the Ambassador East to boost her Pepsi-Cola product at Super Mar¬ ket Institute Convention at McCormick Place. CINCINNATI Mrs. Robert Straus, longtime operator of the suburban Carmargo Theatre, has received an annual award presented by the Cincinnati Federation of the Ohio Child Conservation League, in recognition of educational and cultural contributions for children. The Car¬ margo during the past years has presented the best available literary, theatre, and music films at special screenings and on special bookings for children. . . . Milton Gurian, Allied Artists branch manager, presided at the opening of the area’s 40th annual Will Rogers fund drive in the 20th-Fox screening room. . . . Marty Allen and Steve Rossi, the zany comedians, were greeted by hundreds of teenagers upon their arrival at Eunken Airport. The comedians were here to promote Paramount’s “The Last of the Secret Agents?”, a summer release. . . . “Stagecoach,” 20th-Fox release, was well re¬ ceived at its preview in the suburban Monte Vista. ... “A Thousand Clowns” opened at Times Towne Cinema with a colorful, gay premiere, sponsored by Variety Tent Three. All proceeds went to the Tent’s Sunshine Coach fund, with the entire premiere costs, including a champagne party, donated by Mid-States Theatres. . . . The 20th-Century Theatre in suburban Oakley Square is under¬ going extensive renovation at an approximate cost of $135,000. Bein Theatres Co., owners of the theatre, completed last year extensive remodeling at the Ambassador, which is about a block away from the 20th Century. The firm also has under consideration the building of a new house in the near future. COLUMBUS There is growing opposition to the proposed rezoning of a tract at the northern edge of suburban Worthington for Northgate Shopping Center. A de luxe theatre is planned as part of the center. Action on the rezoning has been postponed by Worthington City Council. . . . Construction has begun on a third General Cinema Corporation de luxe suburban 1200seat theatre in Great Western Shopping Center. Construction has been underway for the past several weeks on other General Cinema houses near Town and Country Shopping Center and University City Shopping Center. . . . Man¬ ager James Tibbetts of Grand Cinerama opened a limited run of “Mediterranean Holi¬ day.” . . . Harold Warren, Loew’s Ohio pro¬ jectionist, has returned home following a stay at Will Rogers Memorial Hospital. EXPLOITATION FILM EXHIBITORS! ! Can a small, hokey film producer from the Northeast find happiness com¬ peting with the fantasy factories of the Golden West? So we don’t compete, already. We create films expressly for the exploita¬ tion market. Specificially, we try to make them as profitable and problemfree as possible . . . then we hack them — and you — with local media and non¬ media promotion packages that work! If you exhibit or book exploitation films, . . . or if you’re considering them (perhaps at the suggestion of a nervous creditor!) then drop us a note and we’ll speed the facts to you . . . better yet, call us collect at 617/CO 2-0^00. LArcturus Productions Corporation, U. S. Mer¬ cantile Bldg., 158 Summer St., Boston, Mass. Arcturus Productions Corporation U. S. Mercantile Bldg. 158 Summer St., Boston, Mass. May 18, 1966 MOTION PICTURE EXHIBITOR 15