The Exhibitor (1966)

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dlllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllMIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIMIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIMIIMIIlIji "Stagecoach" To DENVER I By Mel Konecoff DEN\'ER, COLORADO, IS THE LAND OE MOOSE MILK, MOUNTAINS, AND barbecues. Now it’s time for about 100 newsmen, radio and television representatives, etc., to pack and head for home in various parts of the U.S. and the rest of the world. Most of ’em are exhausted from three days of touring various parts of the state not only in connection with the gala premiere of Martin Rackin’s “Stagecoach” but also in conjunction with a gigantic “Sell Colorado” promotion actively sponsored by such local civil and business groups as the Colorado Chamber of Commerce and the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association — to say nothing of Winchester-Western, manufacturer of firearms and ammunition. They used to say that if you stand at the intersection of Broadway and 42nd St. long enough, you are bound to see someone you know pass by. Not so anymore. The saying should be changed to “come to Denver and meet old buddies and acquaintances.” Shortly after we arrived, we were greeted by that great Portland newsman, Arnold Marks, and his charming wife, Isabelle (she’s our correspondent up yonder); Bill Donaldson, erudite newsman and exhibitor from Tulsa; and Oscar Nyberg, an exec with National General. Then we were off and running literally from one scheduled event to another, commencing at 7:30 a.m. TAKE OUR FIRST DAY, FOR INSTANCE, STARTING WITH BREAKFAST AND a briefing at the Chamber of Commerce, courtesy Forward Metro Denver. Onward to the Caribou Country Club Ranch via Boulder with a barbecue courtesy Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. Forward to Central City. Back to the state capital, where on the steps of the gold-domed building stars Van Heflin, Michael Connors, Alex Cord, and Slim Pickens helped a Winchester pony express rider present a rifle to Governor John Love. Reception at Brown Palace Hotel courtesy of same. Dinner at Cosmopolitan Hotel courtesy of MapelliLindner-Sigman, Ltd. Visit new urban renewal project known as Larimer Square, Inc., for dessert, coffee, and conversation. The next day, bright ( ? ) and early off to Flying W Ranch at Colorado Springs for ranch breakfast and western music. Off to Air Force Academy and tour of same. This proved to be an impressive installation that we helped pay for. Off again for the Royal Gorge with lunch courtesy Royal Gorge, Inc., and this stop will be remembered for a thrilling ride down to the bottom of the Gorge on a cable car. Some refused this because it was considered above and beyond the call of duty. Recovering from this, we were off for the Garden of the Gods, a conglomeration of mishapen rocks, and the Broadmoor Hotel in Colorado Springs with dinner courtesy guess who. Arrived back at our hotel bruised but not entirely beaten. THE NEXT DAY, THE CRACK OE DAWN FOUND US OFF FOR STAPLETON International Airport (no, we were not homeward bound yet). It was breakfast time again, and then came airplane acrobatics for some who went sightseeing over mountain peaks and ski runs while others toured the Denver airport, which can be quite an experience. A smaller group of “ins” received secret word that actor Bob Cummings was showing off his small plane in a corner of the field. We even know that a few hardy souls wound up watching colored soap opera on tv in the United Airlines red carpet lounge. A visit to the Winchester Skeet Club outside Denver was next on the agenda, where experts demonstrated their prowess while amateurs like us were given a chance to knock down clay pigeons. This netted us an ash tray for hitting five out of a zillion. Fortunate radio and tv people even got to interview producer Marty Rackin and some of the stars as guns boomed in the background. Back to Denver and a chance to prepare for the premiere parade to the Centre Theatre, into which some unique western touches were incorporated. After the climactic event, a champagne dinner was in order at the Brown Palace, and bright (?) and early the next a.m., dispersal was in order. BITS AND PIECES: ACTOR VAN HEFLIN WAS FRANK ENOUGH TO ADMIT during an interview that the film was bound to suffer rough treatment from critics who would compare this with the original classic. . . . Someone will want to know what moose milk is — well, it’s condensed milk, bourbon, and cinnamon (some of our southern friends were just heard to mutter — “what a waste of good bourbon”). . . . One menu had Rocky Mountain fried oysters. No, we’re not going to tell you what they were even though they didn’t taste bad. . . . Sixteen local youths had a rooting or we should say shooting interest in the film since they appeared in the picture, much of which was shot locally, and they are killed off early in the footage by hostile Indians. ... By the way, the majority of the Indians seen in the film were Hollywood stunt men, who, one expert noted, were better riders than avail¬ able Indians. . . . There was “a fastest gun in the west” demonstration for the public. . . . There was a special country western jamboree in a blocked off downtown street. . . . There was a display of the 11 original oil paintings of the film’s stars by famed artist Norman Rockwell at a downtown shop. Incidentally, he has a bit part in the film as a cardplayer. . . . “Mrs. Colorado of 1965” was on hand throughout, courtesy of her husband. . . . Fox exploitation director Rodney Bush, home office publicist Jay Remer, and west coast publicist Frank Neill were on hand courtesy of Jonas Rosenfield Jr. . . . Said Richard D. Zanuck, vice-president in charge of production, “We think that this will be a great event both for Colorado and 20th Century-Fox.” We hope so. . . . Chief Thundercloud raised a tomahawk and whispered in our shell-like ear that Fox was able to get much of what went on via the promotion route, which is nice work if you can get it. . . . You cats haven’t lived until you’ve tasted boiled ranch coffee — it puts hair on the soles of your feet, which is a comforting sensation. (The first one who a.sks us do we want some barbecued beef or a ride on a bus takes his life in his hands.) Providence Gets Fourth Downtown First-Run House PROVIDENCE, R.I. — The once popular RKO Albee, noted for the quality of its firstrun motion picture presentations, was closed for good last year when the parent RKO or¬ ganization decided to discontinue operations due to lack of patronage. B. A. Dario, local automobile dealer and head of Lincoln Downs race track, purchased the property and turned it ov^er to a group of individuals who were interested in returning the living theatre to this city. Thus far, the group has presented ballet, opera, jazz con¬ certs, and varying other forms of liv'e enter¬ tainment, without too much success. It was learned last week that Dario is con¬ sidering returning the Albee to a full-time motion picture theatre and has already booked films to be shown on a seven-day-a-week basis starting in mid-June. Thus, this city, which was left with only three downtown first-run houses w'hen the Albee closed, after supporting as many as a dozen in past years, will now have four first-run theatres in the downtown area. Dario said he w'ould rather see the theatre used for a federally-backed repertory theatre and would be willing to renovate the Albee for that purpose if renovations were needed. He was asked to comment on statements by T. Dawson Brown, chairman of the projects committee of IMPACT, R.L, Inc., that Dario already has lost over $40,000 in theatre opera¬ tions and may seek to recoup some of that money by reopening the Albee as a motion picture house. The theatre owmer said he may have lost “a little more” than $40,000, but that he “will do anything to save the theatre.” United States Representative John E. Fo¬ garty, R.L, has said Providence is virtually as¬ sured of receiving one of three federal grants for repertory projects. The Albee has been submitted as a possible site. Lewis G. Rinebolt, one of Dario’s auditors w'ho has been handling booking arrangements for him, said “Batman and Robin” movies will be show'n at matinees on the week-ends of June 4 and 5, and June 1 1 and 12. Starting June 22, the Albee will go on a com¬ plete movie schedule until the middle of Sep¬ tember when “May the Best Man Be the Groom,” a musical play, probably will be staged in the theatre. This is only tentative, he pointed out. Rinebolt said all movies booked will be first-run attractions. Thus Providence can look forward to another major downtown first-run motion picture house. It was also pointed out that several other films have been booked after the September stage attraction. Dario said he is disappointed at the lack of public interest and support for the “living theatre” productions that had Ireen presented in the Albee, but was “leaving the door open” for its use as a repertory theatre. He pointed out that past stage shows have not been profitable, and that “we will lose $9,000 or $10,000 on our most recent stage presentation of ‘The Fantasticks’.” Dario, a most civic-minded individual, has expended considerable time, energy and money in his efforts, trying to help devotees of the living theatre re\ive interest in this type of entertainment, but he reiterated, “It .seems the public, in general, is not very interested.” The U.S. Office of Education and the Na¬ tional Council of the Arts would jointly fi¬ nance a project similar to the one the Rhode Islanders have in mind, but sev'eral specific conditions must be met. 14 MOTION PICTURE EXHIBITOR May 25, 1966