The Exhibitor (1966)

ALBANY The Heilman Theatre has advertised “The Bible,” which opened there on Dec. 25 on a road show engagement, as “now in the final weeks.” . . . Ritchey’s Art Theatre, Scotia, did the unusual in playing Warner Brothers’ re¬ lease, “Any Wednesday,” while it was being exhibited at the Stanley Warner Strand, Al¬ bany, and the Troy Theatre, Troy. . . . James O’Brien, Kallet Theatres’ Utica city manager and director of the circuit’s recently opened Cinema, New Hartford, arranged a women’s “wardrobe key” contest tieup with a local store on “Penelope.” . . . Panther Theatres in Gloversville, Glens Falls, and elsewhere have been staging early Sunday afternoon rock-n-roll dance band competitions as an added attrac¬ tion, with prizes for the first and second best units. This promotion has generated interest among teen-agers and has lent itself to advance newspaper publicity. . . . Utica Karate Club gave an evening exhibition in the mezzanine of the Stanley Theatre, Utica, as part of manager William Leggiero’s ballyhoo for “Alphabet Murders.” . . . The Schenectady Downtown Merchants Bureau presented a heavily adver¬ tised free a.m. showing of “Fanny” at Proctors, Schenectady, which is managed by Philip Rapp. . . . Alan Iselin, president of Iselin Drive-In Theatres and of Futurama Presenta¬ tions, whose film, “Come Spy With Me,” pro¬ duced with Paul Heller of New York and shot in Jamaica, is now being distributed by 20th Century-Fox, spoke on “Motion Picture Pro¬ duction” at St. Agnes School here. His daugh¬ ter is a student at the Loudonville school. Iselin also showed a two-reeler to the 100 pupil assembly. ... A change in management of Clark Film Service’s Albany offices was fol¬ lowed by the retirement of Frank Carroll as office chief and the promotion of John Pember¬ ton to the post. Carroll has served here with MGM for a quarter of a century, as shipper, head shipper, booker, and office manager, be¬ fore joining Clark in the fall of 1956. Tom Lark, district supervisor for Clark, has also bowed out. BUFFALO The combined installation ceremonies of the Variety Club of Buffalo 1967 officers, as well as the officials of the Women of Variety, will be held Feb. 11 in the Terrace Room of the Statler Hilton. Melvyn Berman, first assistant chief barker, and A1 Petrella, 1966 chief barker, are co-chairmen of the event. . . . The many voices of the former RKO-Palace, Rochester, organ sounded again after 17 months of public silence. Now securely en¬ sconced in its new home in the Auditorium theatre in Kodak Town, the “mighty Wurlitzer” responded in lively manner a day ahead of the concert to the touch of Canandaigua organist Don Scott. Don was preparing his program for the concert which the Rochester Theatre Organ Society presented for an invited audience. The public at large will have a chance later to hear the instrument when Eddie Weaver, Byrd theatre, Richmond, Va., one of the few places in the country where a theatre organ is still played regularly, will give a concert Saturday evening, Feb. 25. . . . “The Last Chapter,” motion picture documentary dealing with a 1,000-year history of Polish Jewry up to 1939, was presented in the Jewish Center of Buffalo. The screening was pre¬ ceded by a short address by Fred Keller, owner and operator of the Circle-Art and Glen-Art. His discussion, titled “Truth in Film,” con¬ cerned film documentaries. . . . Joseph E. Cus¬ ter, 63, of Honeoye, electrician in the mainte¬ nance department of Eastman Kodak in The 20th Century-Fox home office employees now enjoy a new, ultra-modern dining facility. It will provide a variety of both hot and cold foods and beverages during lunchtime, and snacks, hot coffee, and other refreshments throughout the day. Rochester for the past 25 years, died Jan. 19 in Strong Memorial Hospital. . . . Sidney J. Cohen, president, Motion Picture Theatre Owners of New York State, Inc., is back at his desk after an air trip to Puerto Rico when he attended a board meeting of NATO in San Juan. Cohen will attend the testimonial dinner honoring Marshall H. Fine Monday, Feb. 20, in the Statler Hilton Hotel in Cleveland. . . . Clint LaFlamme, maitre d’hotel, Tent 7, Va¬ riety Club, has been appointed chairman of the talent continuity committee of the 1967 tele¬ thon by general chairman James J. Hayes. The Telethon will be held Saturday and Sunday, Feb. 25 and 26. . . . The last free film show presented Wednesday mornings in January in the Center and Century to aid shopping in downtown Buffalo was “I’d Rather Be Rich.” The free shows were sponsored by the Evening News and the Retail Merchants Association. . . . Construction of the television cable net¬ work for the town of Warsaw will be started Feb. 1 by the Jerrold Electronics Corp. of Philadelphia. Late last fall, the Rochester Telephone Co. and the Warsaw Television Sam Teardrop (left and that's really her name), representing Columbia Pictures, and Walter Winterbottom, world renowned soccer coach from En¬ gland, at the National Soccer Coaches Association convention held recently in New York. Miss Tear¬ drop introduced the film "Goal!,” screen record of the 1966 World Cup Series. Phila. College Of Art Launches Film Course PHILADELPPIIA — A course on the history and understanding of motion pictures is one of a variety of courses open to professionals and the public in the evening division of the Phila¬ delphia College of Art. The course on motion pictures, which will include showings of American and foreign classics, will cover the rise and fall of the star system, the impact of television, trends in American film making, the protest film, the maturation of Italian films, the golden years in English films, the new wave in France, and the post-war birth of the Japanese cinema. David Grossman, who will teach the course on the history and understanding of films, said that among directors whose work will be studied are Charles Chaplin, Tony Richard¬ son, Robert Wise, Richard Brooks, Roberto Rosellini, Jean Renoir, Marc Allegret, Rene Clair, David Lean, and Carol Reed. Among the films scheduled for viewing and discussion are “Yojimbo,” “The Mark,” “La Strada,” “God Needs Men,” “Jules and Jim,” “Man on a Tightrope,” “The Troublemaker,” “Lorna,” “Monika,” “Footlight Parade,” “Hobson’s Choice,” “Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner,” “Two for the Seesaw,” “Quartet,” “Prince and the Showgirl,” “The Diary of Anne Frank,” “Five Fingers,” “Elmer Gantry,” and “The Best Man.” Modern "Mister Deeds" WILMINGTON, DEL.— -An alumnus of the motion picture industry and a film buff, Chancellor William Duffy, Jr., chief judge of the Court of Chancery, drew upon his theatre experience in writing an opinion dismissing a petition to appoint a guardian for an 83-yearold Glasgow, Del., man, Winfield S. Conner, Sr. Chancellor Duffy, a theatre usher and mem¬ ber of Loew’s baseball team in his high school days, made mention of two pictures, Colum¬ bia’s “Mr. Deeds Goes to Town” and 20thFox’s “Miracle on 34th Street,” in the course of ruling that Conner is capable of handling his own money affairs. The ruling said that Conner’s agreements in the sale of inherited real estate “have an outof-this-world quality” which is “reminiscent” of “Miracle.” Chancellor Duffy did not go as far as the Hollywood observation that Longfellow Deeds, played by Gary Cooper, was “the sanest man ever to come before this court,” but he ob¬ served that “an old man is just as entitled to his generosity, and his perversity, as a young man. The court is empowered to act only when such conduct is a product of age or mental infirmity.” Cable Corporation of East Aurora made a joint agreement by which the telephone com¬ pany would construct and maintain the com¬ plex cable system necessary to bring to signals to Warsaw subscribers. The company will lease the system to Warsaw Television Television Cable, which will arrange for customer attach¬ ment and handle service calls. Telephone com¬ pany officials said that the Jerrold company, which is the oldest and most experienced con¬ tractor in this field, will complete construction of the system by March 15. . . . Buffalo area industry condolences went to Gerald M. Westergren, managing director, Dipson’s Amherst, and ad-publicity chief for the area houses in the same circuit, on the death of his mother. February 1, 1967 MOTION PICTURE EXHIBITOR 15