The Exhibitor (1966)

Memphis Welcomes New Addition To Gen. Cinema Davis Heads Tri-State ixbib Unit; Product Lack Tops Problem List MEMPHIS — One of the most beautiful and unique theatres in the mid-south opened in "Whitehaven, an upper-bracket suburb of Memphis, in November. “Cinema,” the new house of Boston-based General Cinema Corj poration, operating 115 units in 22 states, is the second house for Memphis. AGC, which plans the opening of six shopping center units in November, has long had a theatre in the local Plaza Shopping Center. Thus, “Cinema” is second here. “Kaleidscope” opened the house. George M. Smith, who was in the theatre business in Tulsa, Okla., until he joined General Cinema Corporation in St. Louis this year, is manager of Whitehaven’s “Cinema.” Manager Smith announces there will be a “first run policy whenever possible.” and a two-hour “young folks show” at 10 a.m. each Saturday. The theatre is the architectural concept of Robert Kahn of New York, and has been de¬ signed to provide the ultimate in convenience and comfort, featuring the latest and finest in theatre appointments. Its location will serve to eliminate traffic congestion and a unique ticket selling arrangement will dispense with any box office lines. With comfort and convenience as the watch¬ word, pushback seats have been installed on an inclined floor. Projection and sound equipment encompass the latest developments in the field of elec¬ tronic research and engineering. An aircondi¬ tioning system has been perfected to change thermostatically from cooling to heating, as needed. The Cinema, as in all other General Cinema shopping center theatres, has an art gallery, which will provide a showcase for the works of local artists. The huge wall-to-wall screen is what Smith describes as a “picture-window” type that he says, “gives viewers a greater sense of involve¬ ment in the action.” Instead of a conventional curtain, the screen will be covered during inter¬ mission by a “blue-light cloud” effect created by lighting systems overhead. Fox Back In Albany ALBANY — Lormal opening of a new Al¬ bany branch by 20th Century-Fox has been set for Nov. 21. Sales representative John Keegan and Rose Berkus, ex-United Artists booker and a secretary, will round out the staff. Exhib Seeks FCC Aid In Fight For First-Run WASHINGTON, D.C.— Mark I. Finkelstein, operator of the Golden Glades near Miami, Fla., has asked the Federal Com¬ munications Commission to deny license renewals to the five television stations owned by ABC and four owned by Wometco because of alleged pressures on film distributors to deny first-run films to a drive-in theatre. This is the first time that an aggrieved exhibitor has attempted to gain FCC retaliation against tv stations owned by the alleged malefactors. Finkelstein told the FCC that ABC and Wometco “have engaged for several years . . . in monopolistic and fraudulent prac¬ tices, unfair and improper methods of com¬ petition,” and have restrained trade in the distribution of films. Three of the Wometco stations are cur¬ rently up for license renewals. They are WTVJ, Miami; WFGA, Jacksonville; and WLOS, Asheville, N.C. The fourth Wo¬ metco station is KVOS, Bellingham. The five ABC tv stations are WXYZ, Detroit; WBKB, Chicago; KGO, San Francisco; KABC, Los Angeles; and WABC, New York. “Sand Pebbles” Bow Mapped NEW YORK — James A. Van Fleet, General, U. S. Army (Retired), hosted a party at which time he announced the honorary vice-chairmen for the world premiere of Robert Wise’s “The Sand Pebbles,” Tuesday, Dec. 20, at the Rivoli. The gala event will benefit the Korea Society and the Pearl Buck Foundation, Inc. Former President Dwight D. Eisenhower will serve as honorary chairman, and Governor Nelson A. Rockefeller, the Hon. W. Averell Harriman, the Hon. John V. Lindsay, and the Hon. and Mrs. Paul G. Hoffman are among the honorary vice-chairmen for the premiere committee, which Gen. Van Fleet and Mrs. Pearl S. Buck head. MEMPHIS — Watson Davis, director of ad¬ vertising for Malco Theatres, Inc., became president of Tri-State Motion Picture Theatre Owners at the 57th annual convention. Richard Lightman, executive of the Malco Circuit, discussed Daylight Savings Time, its effect upon the boxoffice, and what could be done about this annual time change. His brother, M. A. Lightman, Jr., made the NATO report; Neil Blount reported on the Will Rogers Memorial Hospital; and Mayor Wil¬ liam B. Ingram, Jr., welcomed the theatremen to Memphis. J. T. Hitt, Bentonville, Ark., president, greeted the approximately 300 the¬ atre men from three states attending. Sherrill C. Corwin, Los Angeles operator of a chain of 35 theatres, and president of the Na¬ tional Association of Theatre Owners, dis¬ cussed the top problem of the resurging movie industry, and how the opening of many new theatres will affect this problem of product shortage. Up to 1948, he said, as many as 600 movies were made each year in the U. S. “There were only 126 pictures made in this country last year that could be called usable,” Corwin said. “That’s because the industry has gone to what we called packaging — each film is a package, with producer, star and company. As more movie houses are built, and they are be¬ ing built all over the country, primarily in shopping centers, there will be less gamble for the producer. There will be more and more outlets for his product.” Corwin believes that the wider market pro¬ vided by the building of new theatres will in¬ crease the number of films produced here, thereby further improving the industry. “That plus an influx of foreign movies that are more palatable and acceptable,” he says. Corwin sees “an enlightened era of movies ahead” because of the new and more lenient motion picture code of self-regulation. Exhibitors also were treated to a preview of future product by the film companies. Carbons Inc. and Pepsi Cola Company hosted the annual banquet, and the Tri-State Association hosted the dance following. In addition to the introduction of Davis, the 1966-67 president; Richard L. Lightman, executive vice-president of Malco, was intro¬ duced as vice-president, and J. Frank Heard, owner, Lee Drive-In, Tupelo, Miss., as secre¬ tary of the Association. Those in attendance toured the Variety Chil¬ drens Heart Institute, which is sponsored by the local Variety Tent. They learned that 145 children from eight states were treated during the past year. Advance Big For4 Vlan” NEW YORK — Advance sales for the world premiere engagement of Fred Zinnemann’s “A Man For All Sr ns” at New York’s Fine Arts have already resulted in 38 sold-out per¬ formances between Dec. 12 and Feb. 19, it has been revealed by Columbia Pictures, distributor of the film. Although the majority of sales represent tickets sold to groups by Columbia’s sales forces, or through theatre clubs, a substantial number of sales represent mail orders in re¬ sponse to the first full-page premiere an¬ nouncement in the Sunday, Oct. 16, New York Times. These students are attending the first sales trainee class in the history of the industry conducted by 20th Century-Fox at the New York home office. Standing, left to right, are Christopher Pardo, Chris¬ topher Berliner, Stanley Schneider, Paul Jellinek, Joel Kane, Warren Danzig, Frank Bruno, Barry Cohen, and Richard Porter. Seated are Clifford Bleeth, company personnel manager and registrar of the school, and Abe Dickstein, assistant general sales manager and director of the training program. November 16, 1966 MOTION PICTURE EXHIBITOR 9