The Exhibitor (1966)

3 ida. . . . “The Horse Killer” is scheduled for shooting Sept. 16 at the Empire Studios in Davie, Fla. . . . Tom Nardini, who played the role of Jackson Two Bears in “Cat Ballou,” has been signed by Ivan Tors Studios to co-star in the current Tors production, “Cowboy in Africa,” along with Hugh O’Brian and John Mills. . . . Miami firm, Panelfab International, has made to specifications of 20th CenturyFox a “special, pre-engineered, completely self-contained and furnished” house for star Rex Harrison to be at home in during the filming of “Doctor Dolittle,” when shooting starts on Santa Lucia Island, BWI. Former Miamian Richard Fleischer, Fleischer Studio family, is directing the film, his third major film made in great part in the Caribbean area. . . . Next to join Ivan Tors North Miami Studios is Richard Carlson, who will prepare the script for “Lost Island,” which begins local shooting in October. Another film scheduled for October production locally is “The Young Rebel,” Falcon International production under the supervision of William Grefe, Joe Fink, and Juan Cato. . . . Recarpeting and repaint¬ ing are in store for the downtown Ft. Lauder¬ dale “Florida,” according to Hal Stanton, Flor¬ ida State Theatres’ new Broward County area manager. “A clean-up has long been needed,” said Stanton, who succeeded the late Fred Lee as area supervisor. “The Florida will continue its policy of the best of recent films on a double-bill package, and there are also plans to bring back some screen classics.” In ad¬ dition to physical changes, the theatre has reduced prices to 50 cents for matinees and 75 cents for evenings. The Florida was once the “flagship” for Florida State’s houses and was a first-run house for years. Only when FST acquired the Plantation as a first-run house did the Florida go to second-run and lesser bookings. Only the Florida and the Colony remain of FST’s former downtown Ft. Lauderdale theatres, and the latter has been closed for several years. FST’s Warnor, Sunset and Lyric have all been razed in recent years. . . . Jeff Forbes, manager, Crossroads, St. Petersburg, has arranged theatre parties on “Torn Curtain” with three different groups, including employees of J. M. Fields and Food Fair Stores from a 50-mile radius, staff mem¬ bers of the Child Welfare Department of the Florida Department of Public Welfare, and members and guests of the Anchorage Club and the Maximo Mooring Yacht Club. . . . Television and film actor Dennis Weaver will star in “Gentle Ben,” the Ivan Tors feature scheduled to start production in mid-August at Tors Miami Studios and in Western Palm Beach County. Weaver will play a flying scout for a Florida fishing fleet in the story, based on Walt Morey’s 1965 Dutton award¬ winning book. “Gentle Ben” will be third of five features to go before the Tors cameras for 1966 production. “Namu, the Killer Whale,” filmed in the Spring in the Puget Sound area, was set for an August world premiere in Seattle, and filming has begun in East Africa on “Cowboy in Africa,” starring Hugh O’Brian. Others set for 1966 are “The Biggest Dog in the World” and “Tidal Wave,” I planned respectively for October and No¬ vember starts in Miami. A sixth film, “How to Steal a Submarine,” to be written and pro¬ duced by Gene Levitt, is scheduled for a Jan., 1967, start in Miami and the Caribbean. MEMPHIS “Batman” had a successful simultaneous opening at the Memphian and Avon (West Memphis, Ark.) theatres and the Bellevue, Summer, Frayser, Skyvue, and Sunset drivein. Wrote a local amusements editor: “Not i August 24, 1966 being a Batfan, I thought the whole thing was pretty flat, man, but the three small Batcritics I took along assured me it was ‘great’!” . . . A group of local WOMPI’s had an in¬ formal get-together to celebrate the birthdays of Helen Van Vulpen (Warner Bros.) and Martha Sappington (Columbia) at Luau Restaurant. . . . Local WOMPI sent a pack¬ age to PFC William R. Wright in Vietnam. The soldier is the nephew of Lurlene Carothers (United Artists). . . . Film Row recover¬ ies from recent illnesses include Johnny Gan¬ non (Southern Theatres), Travis Carr (Para¬ mount Pictures), and Clarence Scoggins (Film Transit). . . . Malco Theatre, Aberdeen, Miss., reopened the middle of August. . . . Yell Theatre, Yellville, Ark., reopened. NEW HAVEN-HARTFORD A Court of Common Pleas hearing will be held Sept. 6 on an appeal by Plainville, Conn., residents, Mr. and Mrs. Nicholas Paul, oppos¬ ing the Plainville Zoning Board’s recent ap¬ proval of a petition by Perakos Theatre Asso¬ ciates, independent Connecticut circuit, to build a $1 million theatre-commercial center on Route 72, Plainville. The theatre site is across the road from P-T-A’s Plainville DriveIn. The Pauls are part of a Plainville group that fought the theatre application during its many hearings before the Plainville Planning and Zoning Commission and, later, the Zon¬ ing Board. . . . Some 75 members of the Berlin Turnpike Association, representing business interests on the much-traveled Berlin Turn¬ pike, suburban Hartford link to the Wilbur Cross and Merritt Parkways, have voted unani¬ mously to back a proposal for a multi-purpose coliseum in the area. Elmer A. Mortensen, turnpike association president, told newsmen that the coliseum proposed for downtown Hartford’s Trumbull Street Redevelopment Area would only increase the city’s traffic prob¬ lems. . . . Lockwood and Gordon has booked UA’s “Battle for Khartoum” (new title for “Khartoum”) for Aug. 24 at the Cinemara Theatre, Hartford. Same distributor’s “The Greatest Story Ever Told” concludes previous evening. . . . L&G is using 24-sheet billboard ad space for the Torrington and Sky-Vue Drive-Ins in the Torrington region. . . . The New Haven Chamber of Commerce happily reported that some 20,000 new jobs will be created in the metropolitan area during the next five years. A survey of member firms shows that 12,000 to 13,000 new jobs will open within the next 18 months alone. . . . Thieves paid a predawn visit to the Parkway Drive-In, Springfield, Mass., getting away with loose cigarette vending machine change. . . . The Suffolk, Holyoke, Mass., is advertising 35 cents admission for children. . . . Air rights over the Massachusetts Turnpike extension at Newton Corners have been leased to Mark J. Waltch, who plans a $15 million development, including a theatre. The Massachusetts Turn¬ pike Authority said the project plans must be approved by the city of Newton. . . . Sperie P. Perakos, vice-president and general man¬ ager of Perakos Theatre Associates, inde¬ pendent Connecticut circuit, chaired a state¬ wide managers’ meeting at the New Britain home office. . . . The Amenia Theatre, Amenia, N.Y., which had a unique “Money Back Guarantee” daily policy, has closed down, and A. W. Gillet, Adams Agency, Inc., Mt. Kiscoe, N.Y., is advertising the property (3300 square feet) for lease. NEW ORLEANS Natives who appeared as extras in Para¬ mount’s “This Property Is Condemned,” their families and friends are swelling the attendance MOTION PICTURE EXHIBITOR at the Saenger where the film had its first run. Many had a grand time seeing themselves in the movie. . . . Mrs. Mary Greenbaum, Blue Ribbon Pictures, was inducted into the local WOMPI. . . . Mrs. Anna Sinopoli, Universal, has taken over the chairmanship of finance committee of the WOMPI replacing Geraldine Yeoman, Film Inspector Service, who resigned. . . . Gulf States Theatres will close on Sept. 11 the Star Drive-In, Monroe, La.; the Varia Drive-In, Jackson, Miss.; Barksdale Drive-In, Bossier City, La.; and the Sunset Drive-In, Shreveport, La. . . . Ernest Clinton has resumed showings at the Mono, Monticello, Miss, after an interruption of several months. . . . Gulf States Theatres relighted the remodeled Joy Drive-In, under the new name of Show Town U.S.A., Greenville, Miss. The spot is operated by “Hoss” Noble, partner and city manager. A new marquee, new tiled restrooms and offices, new facing on the screen, new projection booth, etc. are among the improvements. . . . Associate WOMPI Jane Ella Moriarty Birtel and her physician husband are the proud par¬ ents of a baby girl . . . MGM branch manager Hyp Arata and his wife have returned from a vacation tour of California and Las Vagas, Nevada. . . . MGM will move into their new offices in the International Trade Mart Build¬ ing on Sept. 1. Already housed there are War¬ ner Brothers, Paramount, and Blue Ribbon Pictures. PHILADELPHIA Hugh Owen, Paramount Pictures’ eastern sales manager, was in for business conferences. . . . Budco Theatre Circuit held a cocktail and dinner party at the White Sparrow Inn, Vineland, N.J., in connection with the open¬ ing of their new Vineland Cinema located in the Vineland Shopping Center. Claude J. Schlanger was host. . . . George W. LeKates, Jr., 77, veteran theatre aide, died at his Wil¬ mington, Del., home. For many years he was doorman at the SW Ritz, which has been de¬ molished for highway construction. . . . Melvin Fox, Fox Enterprises, announced that the Country Club Shopping Center, Langhorne, Pa., will be the site of the newest addition to the Fox chain. Construction of the 1,000 seat facility will begin next month with the open¬ ing scheduled for early Spring, 1967. Mitchell Abromowitz, Roselyn, Pa., in the architect. SAN ANTONIO Fess Parker was in on a promotional tour for his 12th and latest picture, “Smoky,” scheduled to open at the Texas on Sept. 1. During his stay, Parker visited Viet Nam casualties and other patients in the orthopedic and children’s wards at Beach Pavilion of the Brooke Army Hospital at Fort Sam Houston. Parker will also visit Austin and Corpus Christi, Tex., on his tour. ... A preview and cocktail party was held by Bill Rau for his new Valley-Hi D-I. Rau also operates the Bandera D-I and the Alamo Booking Center. . . . Mr. and Mrs. Melvin Quinney and sons Melvin Jr., Marvin, and Larry have returned from several weeks at Big Bend National Park in Texas. Mrs. Quinney is better known to the patrons of the Josephine as Betty, the cashier. . . . The neighborhood Josephine, managed by David Staffle, held a “sneak” of “Batman” on the same bill with two Childhood Produc¬ tions, “Sleeping Beauty” and “Snow White.” The attendance broke all records at the theatre. . . . Police have reprimanded and released a 15-year-old local boy picked up because of his attire bearing Nazi emblems and an Iron Cross. The youth was brought 17