The Exhibitor (1966)

Reade Plans Two New First-Runs As Initial Houses In LA., Phila. St. Mary's U Plans Cinema Arts Seminar SAN ANTONIO — A four day Cinema Arts Seminar will be open to the public at St. Mary’s University June 8 through 11, with a group of speakers and panelists dealing with the general topic of “The Film as Art; An Introduction to Its Various Genres.” The sessions will include showings of four feature films. There will also be 10 lectures and four panel discussions on various phases of motion picture making. A special feature film will be shown at 7:15 p.m. Saturday, June 11, without discussion. The seminar is under the direction of Rev. Louis Riele, S.M., of the English Department at St. Mary’s. Guest speakers and panelists include Gerald Ashford, amusements editor of the San Antonio Express and News; Anthony Athens, San Antonio Cinema Society; Mark Bartman, Congregation Agudas Achim; Rev. William Killian, Alamo Adessenger; Richard Haines, manager of KEEZ-EM; Gene Mc¬ Kinney, Trinity University; Sister Mary Michael, CDP, Our Lady of the Lake College; Sister Miriam CCVI, Incarnate Word College; Claud Stanush, writer; Mrs. Marguerite Stone, Trinity University; and Airs. Xula Vizard, San Antonio College. St. Mary’s University staff members who will speak include Dr. Idel Bruckman, Bro. Glennon Mertens, Father Reile, and Rev. Paul Search. Budco Managers Meet DOYLESTOWN, PA. — Budco Quality Theatres held their annual managers’ lunch¬ eon meeting at Conti’s Cross Keys Inn here. Fifty employees from all of the circuit’s 30 theatres were in attendance. Claude Schlanger, president, covered various points of the¬ atre operation and outlined the company’s many benefits, including the new retirement program. Schlanger also announced that the new Vineland Cinema, Vineland, N. J., would open in mid-July and that work had begun on a new conventional theatre in Doylestown. He also covered areas where new conven¬ tional and drive-in theatres were planned for the future. Pat Beck, film buyer, described the product that would be available for the summer, and Walt Streeper, head of theatre operations, covered various points where better service could be given to theatre patrons. Also speak¬ ing were George Kilpatrick and Bob Rob¬ erts, district managers. ^Xrusoe’* In Carrier Bow NEW YORK — The Navy announced that the first world premiere of a feature motion picture ever held aboard a ship of the line will take place in June when the Walt Disney Production of “Lt. Robin Crusoe, U.S.N.,” will be shown aboard an attack aircraft car¬ rier in San Diego. Starring Dick Van Dyke and Nancy Kwan, “Lt. Robin Crusoe” was filmed in part aboard the carrier U.S.S. Kitty Hawk last July. The comedy about a downed Navy pilot surviving on an exotic Pacific island was produced with the full cooperation of the Navy and the De¬ partment of Defense. The premiere will be sponsored by the Eleventh Region of the Navy League of the United States. All proceeds will go to the Navy-Marine Memorial Eoundation in Wash¬ ington, D.C. Seen at a recent meeting planning the benefit pre¬ miere of Warners' "Who's Afraid Of Virginia Woolf?" at the Criterion, New York, on June 23 were, seated, left to right, Mrs. Doris Vidor, cochairman; Russell V. Downing, chairman; and Mrs. Joseph E. Levine, co-chairman; and standing, left to right, Edward M. Carey, president. National Hemo¬ philia Foundation; Philip Burton, president, Ameri¬ can Musical and Dramatic Society; and Morey Gold¬ stein, vice-president, Warner Brothers. The Academy and the Foundation will share in the proceeds from the gala opening and after-theatre supper ball. Honorary Committee Sets "Woolf" Benefit Premiere NEW A^ORK — The honorary committee for the gala benefit premiere of “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?,” the Warner Bros, picture starring Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton, has been announced by Russell V. Downing, chairman of the June 23 charity event, which will aid the Richard Burton Eund of the Na¬ tional Hemophilia Foundation and the Ameri¬ can Musical and Dramatic Academy. The film’s opening at the Griterion will be followed by a supper ball in the Grand Ball¬ room of the Astor Hotel at which Jack L. Warner, president of Warner Bros., will be honored for his contributions to philanthropy and the arts. Plans for the gala premiere and supper ball were set at a committee meeting at which Downing presided, Morey Goldstein, vicepresident of Warner Bros., discussed the film version of Edward Albee’s stage hit, which is being brought to the screen by director Mike Nichols and writer-producer Ernest Lehman. Downing announced that Mrs. Joseph E. Levine, Miss Dina Merrill, Mrs. Mark Millard, and Mrs. Doris Vidor are serving as co-chair¬ men of the celebrity-studded honorary com¬ mittee for the premiere. AJA Honors Mandel NEW YORK — Hundreds of industryites gathered in the Georgian Ballroom of the Americana Hotel to pay tribute to Harry Mandel at a luncheon sponsored by the motion picture and amusement division of the United Jewish Appeal of Greater New York for his “distinguished leadership” and for acting as industry chairman for 1964 and 1965. Emanuel Erisch hoped for a goal of $600,000 to be raised this year by the motion picture and amusement division. NEW YORK — The acquisition of two firstrun motion picture theatres, one in Los Angeles and the other in Philadelphia, by Walter Reade-Sterling, Inc., was announced by Walter Reade, Jr., president. The theatres, the Baronet in Los Angeles and the Mariner Cinema in Philadelphia, located at “Society Hill,” are part, Reade said, of the blueprint for progress that has converted Walter Reade-Sterling, Inc., into a major national theatre chain from what was once an east coast. New York-New Jersey organization. “We started with our expansion into New York some years ago, but our major push be¬ gan in April, 1964, with the acquisition of the Bridge Theatre in San Erancisco,” Reade noted. This April, Walter Reade-Sterling, Inc., assumed operating control of the Esquire, Chi¬ cago, one of that city’s most important firstrun houses. “We now will have modern and important showcases in five of the nation’s largest cities — New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Eran¬ cisco, and Philadelphia,” Read said. “We fully intend to continue our expansion into every major city in the country.” The Baronet in Los Angeles is now under construction. When completed in September, 1966, it will be one of the most modern theatres in the world, seating 500 with indoor parking facilities for 600 cars within the office building that houses the theatre. The Mariner Theatre will be part of the massive redevelopment program now under¬ way in downtown Philadelphia. The city’s Re¬ development Authority is in the process of rebuilding the ancient area called “Society Hill,” retaining the 200 year-old facades of the colonial architecture while completely modernizing the rest of the buildings. The Mariner will be located in the aban¬ doned Mariners Church, the second oldest such church in this country. Located at Eront and Delancey streets, the new theatre will be a 700 seat, deluxe specialized house with a coffee bar, hi-fi lounge, stereophonic sound, and transistorized projection system. The Mariner has been obtained on long¬ term lease from a local Philadelphia group which is cooperating in the rebuilding of the area. Construction will start in several months, and the Mariner is scheduled to open in mid 1967. The two new theatres will be the first theatre venture in both Philadelphia and Los Angeles for the Reade chain. Reade noted, “In the cases of both these new theatres, we feel a special pleasure in cooperating with the respective communities in their growth and development. “In Los Angeles, the unique parking ar¬ rangements will enable us to avoid adding to an already critical traffic and space problem. In Philadelphia, we are priviledged to par¬ ticipate in the re-invigoration of the downtown area ... a program, in this case, being han¬ dled with imagination and taste, and one of which we are proud to be a part.” Fox Dividend Set NEW YORK — A quarterly cash dividend of 25 cents per share has been declared on the outstanding common stock of 20th-Fox payable June 30 to stockholders of record at the close of business June 10. May 25, 1966 MOTION PICTURE EXHIBITOR 9