The Exhibitor (1966)

return for a 2:30 screening of “Gambit.” . . . Disney Studios entertained exhibitors at a screening of its Christmas release, “Follow the Boys.” . . . Chicago International Film Fes¬ tival, Nov. 5-11, will receive entries from France, according to a festival spokesman. The judging w ill take place in the Playboy theatre. . . . Two charity benefit premieres will herald the opening of United Artists’, “Flawaii,” at the Bismark. On Oct. 18 the Chicago Heart Assn, holds its benefit and the following night will be for Chicago Youth Centers. . . . The Thunderbird, a $750,000-1,200 seat theatre being built by Duncan Kennedy, a veteran theatre executive, formerly with an affiliate of B and K theatres, will open toward the end of the month in the Golf Rose Shopping cen¬ ter, Hoffman Estates. . . . Elwin Forberg, mem¬ ber of Motion Picture Operators’ Union, Local 110, died. . . . Wilmette theatre, Wilmette, Ill., closed for 15 years, is to be reopened by Richard Stern, owner-operator of the Cinema theatre. Stern plans to completely renovate the premises, installing all the latest equipment. . . . Sandy Corbett, secretary to Eddie Seguin, ad-press chief of the B and K theatre chain, recently married Tom Cunningham, law stu¬ dent. CINCINNATI Attendance at first-run theatres may have set a record for the summer season recently. Long lines of patrons stood in the rain for “Torn Curtain” on opening night at both the Ambassador and 20th Century. The same was true for “Glass Bottom Boat,” opening at the Hollywood and Mariemont Cinema East. Des¬ pite the rain, patrons packed the Times Towne Cinema for the second week of “The Russians Are Coming The Russians Are Coming,” and attendance was up for “The Sound Of Music” in its 72nd week at International ’70, and for “The Blue Max” at the Capitol. “How To Steal A Million” is set for a good run at the Princeton Cinema. “Doctor Zhivago,” playing its 21st week at the Valley, must be establish¬ ing records for continued patronage. Rain storms did not deter patrons for “Wild An¬ gels,” which played a multiple at 14 theatres. . . . Sympathy is extended to the family of Harold Moore, widely-known Charleston, W. Va., exhibitor, who died. ... A record attendance of more than 700 members and guests were present for an annual outing of Variety Tent Three, Summit Hills Country Club, Aug. 15. Proceeds will go toward the purchase fund of the Tent’s Sunshine Coach. COLUMBUS , O. Charles Sugarman, operator of Cinema East, entered Riverside Hospital for observa¬ tion. . . . Mrs. Ed McGlone, wife of RKO Palace manager, returned from a stay at Will Rogers Memorial Hospital. . . . Robert Gates has been named house manager of RKO Palace. He formerly was manager of Grand Cinerama. . . . Charles Van Fossan, assistant manager, RKO Palace, is in training for two weeks with the Army reserves. . . . “The Blue Max” will be the next roadshow attraction at the Grand Cinerama. DALLAS Buena Vista, the distributing organization for Walt Disney motion pictures, held the first of a series of 10 “family previews” at the Cinema in NorthPark. The special showing was “Follow Me, Boys!” the Disney picture starring Fred MacMurray which will be re¬ leased at Christmas. The Dallas preview and nine others across the country this month are leading up to a nationwide event in early December called “An Evening With Walt Disney,” when 200 theatres will be given over to invitational previews of the film. Roy O. Disney, chairman of the board of Walt Disney Productions, and Irving H. Ludwig, Buena Vista vice-president, are conducting the pre¬ view series. . . . The Dallas Variety Club is ready to join with other tents in the United States, Canada, Mexico, and Great Britain for an international membership campaign which is scheduled to begin on Sept. 1. A goal of 100 new members has been established by Don Grierson, chairman of the membership com¬ mittee of the Dallas Tent. Other members on the committee include Arlie Crites, Joe Jackson, Charles Darden, Bob Davis, Kyle Rorex, Tex DeLacy, Harry Del Rose, Bill Durrett, Don Foster, and Alfred N. Sack. . . . Southern Methodist University will offer an international film series this fall, combining lecture with screening. Lecturers will be members of the SMU faculty, and the series is open through Dallas College to persons who are not mem¬ bers of the SMU student body. The films in¬ clude “The Silence,” Sept. 22; “Throne of Blood,” Oct. 6; “The Eclipse,” Oct. 13; “The World of Apu,” Oct. 20; “Viridiana,” Oct. 27; “The Ballad of a Soldier,” Nov. 3; and “Last Year in Marienbad,” Dec. 1. . . . Op¬ erators of d-i’s are opposed to Daylight Savings Time in Texas. It may become a way of life for Texans next spring. It all depends on the Texas legislature, who will make a final deci¬ sion, either directly or indirectly. Unless it passes a law exempting Texas, tbe state goes off the time standard it has traditionally fol¬ lowed. John Rowley, president of Rowley United Theatres, stated, “It would be very harmful to us. We couldn’t start our first fea¬ ture before 9 or 9:30 p.m. People just wouldn’t go to a d-i if they couldn’t get out until 11:30 or midnight.” . . . Stanley Warner Theatres, with headquarters in Dallas, opened the new Westside D-I, Fort Worth, Tex. The new d-i features an unusual “Stardome” snack bar, shaped like the Houston Astrodome; a smooth, dust free, silent parking surface; super In¬ fidelity sound; a prism screen; and other out¬ standing features. . . . R. J. McCafferty has arrived here from St. Louis to take charge of the Columbia exchange. He succeeds Jack Judd, who is retiring. Judd was presented an AM-FM radio by the exchange employees at a catered luncheon in the exchange office. Don Medford, director for Warner Bros.’ “Gid,” was in Dallas scouting locations. DENVER Bob Sweeten, who has managed the Inter¬ national 70 here for Trans-Beacon since re¬ signing some 18 months ago as director of advertising and promotion for National Gen¬ eral in California, is returning to Hollywood to take the position of managing director of the de luxe new Cinerama Dome for Pacific Theatres Corporation. Sweeten, a Denver man, was with Fox-Inter-Mountain Theatres for many years and managed their key hard¬ top, the Center, downtown Denver. . . . Rocky Mountain Motion Picture Association “Fun Jamboree” is to be held Sept. 12-13 and will be kicked off with a luncheon in the Petroleum Club for the ladies, to include a fashion show and bridge session. Men’s Stag Dinner and Calcutta takes place Monday evening in the Meadow Hills Country Club. Golf tourna¬ ment is set for Tuesday, and prizes will be awarded that evening at the dinner dance. . . . A second out-of-the-downtown-district hardtop will undergo a complete remodeling job — the Webber on South Broadway is set for an overhaul under the supervision of Mel Glatz of the Denver theatre designing firm of Mel Glatz and Associates. The Esquire was recently the other house to be made over. Webber is one of the C. U. Yeager chain, and when remodeling job is completed will be managed by Lou Kolocheski, who is presently city manager of Atlas Theatres here, a part of the Yeager interests. DES MOINES Central States Theatres announced plans for construction of a drive-in at Iowa City, la. The firm now operates one other drive-in and four houses at Iowa City. The new drive-in will be located on Highway 6. . . . The women of Variety Tent 15 presented a check for $1,500 to chief barker Art Stein to help defray some of the expense for the new Sunshine Coach. The new coach was put into service several weeks ago and is the second to be used for transporting handicapped children. HOUSTON Free “Back to School” movie tickets to see “Robinson Crusoe on Mars” at Meyerland Cinema I and II were given away as long as 1,500 tickets held out in a special booth at Meyerland Plaza. Tickets were given to kids from six to 16. . . . Ray Boriski, owner and operator, Alray, home of foreign films in Houston, has booked a film festival. Films to be shown include Federico Fellini’s “8j/2,” “The Lovers of Teruel,” “The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner,” “Zorba the Greek,” and “The Knack.” . . . The Gaylynn opened a roadshow engagement of “The Blue Max.” Margaret Foster is in charge of reservations for groups or theatre parties. There will be two showings daily at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. . . . “Bat¬ man” opened a multitple run at 15 suburban theatres. . . . Radio station KILT declared Guy Stockwell Day. The movie star was in to plug his latest film, “Beau Geste,” which opens Sept. 1 at the Cinema I and II. . . . Mrs. Ruth Denney, drama instructor at Lamar High School, has a number of pupils who have made good in show business. In movies, Paula Pren¬ tiss was launched on the road to success by Mrs. Denney. Another student, Pat Becker, has been signed by 20th Century-Fox for a film. JACKSONVILLE A new Film Row beauty is Cheryl Capps, daughter of Bob Capps, MGM branch man¬ ager, and Jackie Capps, who won first runnerup position in the 1966 Miss Blaze contest of the Arlington Volunteer Fire Dept. Cheryl, a senior at Terry Parker High School and relief cashier at the downtown Center Theatre, re¬ ceived a handsome silver trophy in honor of her talents and pulchritude. ... A major new competitor for the city’s entertainment dollars is a role being forecast for a $500,000 night club being erected next to Roosevelt Mall by Sandy Edwards, owner of the Steer Room, one of the area’s top restaurants, and Leonard Rinzler, R & R Liquors. It is reported that Edwards and Rinzler aim to challenge the dominance of Jax Liquors Thunderbird Lounge in the local drinks, dinner, and dancing field with an entertainment budget of 10 to 15 thousand dollars weekly. The club, featuring Greco-Roman decor, will be named “The Forum” and will seat 450 guests. The new nitery in the vicinity of the Edgewood Theatre is scheduled to open in December, with either Eddie Fisher or Billy Daniels as the headliner. . . . Carroll Ogburn, Warner Bros, manager, is having a red-carpet advance screening of “Kaleidoscope” for exhibitors and many local VIPs at the downtown Center. . . . Bob Pol¬ lard, Buena Vista salesman-manager for the Florida area, has chosen the Preview Theatre 16 MOTION PICTURE EXHIBITOR August 31, 1966