The Exhibitor (1966)

27. . . . William P. Strickland, Jr., has ac¬ quired the Royal, Blackshear, Ga., from Stein Theatres, headed by Robert Farber of this city. The Royal’s bookings will continue to be handled by Stein Theatres. Ralph Weir, Williston, is now booking for the private theatre at Hobeau Farms, formerly booked by the Enterprise Booking Service. Jack Dreyfus, operator of the vast spread for the breeding and training of race horses near Ocala, provides a unique service for his em¬ ployees by giving them weekend movies at the farm. The" motion picture projection equip¬ ment is also used for studying the condition and gaits of horses undergoing training. . . . The 700-seat Plant Brittain Theatre had its grand opening at the Plant Plaza Shopping Center in Plant City. . . . J. B. Cunningham, who recently closed the Jones Theatre, Graceville, Fla., has reopened the Rose, Hartford, Ala. . . . Roy L. Bang, who recently closed the State, Eustis, is now operating a unit of Kent Theatres at Stuart. . . . The Goulds, Goulds, has been reopened by Gerald Busch. . . . Closed recently by Florida State Theatres were the Ritz, Sanford, and the DeSoto, Ar¬ cadia. . . . Members of the Motion Picture Charity Club were all smiles on their way to the bank as the Jacksonville Agricultural and Industrial Fair ended its 1 1 -day-and-night run with an attendance clocked past the 200,000 mark. As co-sponsor of the Blue Grass Mid¬ way shows and rides, the MPCC was due a slice of the profits for use in operating the Sunny Acres Park for Handicapped Children. All MPCC members did yeoman work by serv¬ ing as ticket takers and aiding in supervision of the midway, ably assisted by their fellow industry organization on the distaff side, Women of the Motion Picture Industry. . . . A1 Hildreth, manager, San Marco Art, was called to the Florida State Theatres home of¬ fice on a temporary assignment following the recent resignation of FST ad writer, WOMPI Claudia Taylor. MIAMI, FLA. Commenting on the letter sent to Harvey Garland of the soon-to-be-closed Ritz, down¬ town Sanford, chain owner Carl Floyd, Haines ■ City, said, “The public does not support a | local theatre, but they scream when it is closed. They like to use it as a baby-sitting facility,” when questioned by a Sanford Herald reporter. Floyd said he would be ready to make an an¬ nouncement “in about a week” in regard to a new and modern indoor house to be located in the Sanford Plaza area. Floyd said another company would construct the building, which he would lease. He said construction probably would take about four months, commencing in two months’ time. Floyd operates the Movieland Drive-In in Sanford, as well as 43 other houses in central Florida. The Ritz was set to close after 41 years of operation. Sanford resi¬ dents’ nearest indoor house is about 10 miles further south, in Casselberry. . . . The Coral Gables Youth Advisory Board and the City of Coral Gables have cooperated in publishing a weekly “Parents’ Movie Guide” in the Coral Gables Times. Ratings are based on suitability for children and teenagers, utilizing the views of national magazines and rating services, among them Consumers’ Research, Inc., Par¬ ents’ Magazine, Green Sheet, Catholic Film Newsletter, P.-T.A. Magazine. . . . Former U.S. ice skating champion Sheilah Wells has been signed by Ivan Tors lilms for a romantic co-starring role in “Lost Island.” She will play the part of the oldest daughter of Richard Greene, who stars as the scientist heading an expedition in search of lost islands. Irene Tsu, a former “Miss Chinatown” of San Francisco, has also been signed in a co-starring role in the film. MEMPHIS Winter’s unpleasant and uncertain weather has caused many houses to be dark in the Memphis area. In Arkansas, Glenwood DiiveIn, Glenwood, closed on Nov. 5; Paris DriveIn, Paris, became dark on Oct. 31, as did 67 Drive-In, Corning. Yell, Yellville, closed on Oct. 24. Autoscope Drive-In, La Center, Ky., has closed until spring, as has Twilite DriveIn, Bruce, Miss. In Tennessee, Bel Air DriveIn, Centerville, has closed, as has Raco Drive-In, Covington. . . . Memphis Better Films Council, Miss Josephine Allensworth, president, announces as the Best-Family-1 ilmof-the-Month, “The Fighting Prince of Done¬ gal,” and “Khartoum” as the Best-Adult-Filmof-the-Month. ... In Senatobia, Miss., the Chamber of Commerce is. applying to the Small Business Administration for a loan to erect a movie house. ! he towns only theatre, the Gloria, was the victim of the enlargement of a bank. If the Chamber is successful in obtaining the loan, Mr. and Mrs. Paul Maxey, who operated the departed house, will lease the new Gloria. . . . Mena Drive-In has closed and Lyric, also of Mena, Ark., has reopened. . . . Mrs. Katherine Keifer, long active in WOMPI, is now with Allied Artists. NEW ORLEANS The local WOMPI held a Hallowe’en party at the Smokehouse Restaurant. . . . Harold Bailey acquired Continental s The Gospel According To St. Matthew for an exclusive limited engagement at his Gentilly-Art The¬ atre. . . . Billy Graham’s new movie, “For Pete’s Sake,” is scheduled for a public show¬ ing Dec. 1-7 at the Orpheum. . . . United Artists branch manager Gene Goodman and Gulf States president T. G. Solomon, general manager Jim deNeve, and booker Bob Booby attended a three-day convention of Tri-States in Memphis. They flew there in Gulf States plane. . . . The new “Girl Friday” at Film Inspection Service is Joy Kerr, who succeeded Gerri Youmans, who resigned for a position outside the industry. . . . MGM branch man¬ ager Hyp Arata attended the opening of Ogden Brothers’ Center Cinema, Lafayette, La. MGM’s “Doctor Zhivago” is the roadshow attraction there. . . . Clark Keating joined the shipping department at Film Inspection Ser¬ vice. . . . Joe Gianforte, Gulf States Theatres Shreveport, La., city manager, returned to his duties after a short stay in the hospital for minor surgery. . . . 20th Century-Lox s Fan¬ tastic Voyage” was the recent opening attrac¬ tion at Gulf States’ Cinema 1-82, Greenville, Miss., which is located in a new shopping cen¬ ter. . . . C. C. Duke will keep the Owl DriveIn, Columbia, La., dark until on or about Easter Sunday. . . 20th-Lox’s “The Sound Of Music” recently marked a full year’s showing at the Saenger Orleans, surpassing the records of all other films shown in New Orleans with¬ out an interruption. . . . Bob Steuer, executive vice-president, Cinema Distributors of Amer¬ ica, and a member of the local Variety Club, is now managing WTUL, Mobile, Ala. He took time out recently to lend a hand in Tent 45’s recent telethon. . . . The Saenger held an owl showing at midnight of Paramount’s “The Swinger.” ... A $5 gift certificate from Llowers by Linnin will henceforth be given as the door prize at the Variety Ladies monthly luncheon and game party held on the fourth Wednesday of each month at the Variety Club. Flowers are donated by Variety Club member Ed Linnin and his wife, Bertha, member of the Variety Ladies, who operate the floral shop. NEW HAVEN-HARTFORD Stanley Warner has opened its 14th Con¬ necticut theatre, the newly-constructed 1200seat Danbury Cinema in the Danbury Shop¬ ping Plaza, some 65 miles to the southwest of Hartford. The theatre, of traditional New England colonial motif, is managed by Sam Cardenelle, for the past three years manager of the Palace, Danbury. Harold Lancaster, SW Danbury city manager, is supervising op¬ erations. . . . Rapidly-expanding Hartfordbased Art Theatre Corporation, headed by Franklin E. Ferguson, has joined forces with theatre owner Joseph Shulman to operate the Plaza, Windsor. Move follows termination of an extended lease by Lockwood and Gordon Enterprises. New management team plans con¬ siderable remodeling, to be accomplished while the theatre continues its daily schedule. . . . Hartford’s Louis J. Hunter and Marvin Bil¬ lings have leased the 1,000-seat Lenox, longshuttered Hartford subsequent-run, from the CLARK TRANSFER , INC. Terminals: • BOSTON, MASS. 100 Gibson Street, Dorchester 617-282-2099 • NEW YORK, N. Y. 610 W. 47th Street 212-246-0815 • NORFOLK, VA. 316 South Main Street 703-545-3832 • PHILADELPHIA, PA. (Executive Offices) 829 North 29th Street 215-232-3100 • RICHMOND, VA. 312 South 17th Street 703-648-6083 • TAMAQUA (Hometown), PA. RD #2 717-668-1727 • WASHINGTON, D. C. 3194 Bladensburg Road, N.E. 202-526-4800 PROGRESSIVE ELECTRIC CONSTRUCTION CO. INC. 240 N. 13th St. * PHILADELPHIA, PA. 19107 35 Years of Theatre Construction and Maintenance BLIWIBERG BROS., Inc. Zo&uftkiMCj. the 'j'teabie 1305-07 VINE STREET WALNUT 5-T240-41 PHILADELPHIA, PA. 1»107 November 16, 1966 MOTION PICTURE EXHIBITOR 19