The Exhibitor (1966)

ALBANY Edward J. Riley, 52, long known to Variety Club members for his work at the Albany Boys Club, died at the Stanley Warner Strand during the second matinee showing of “Ro¬ meo and Juliet.” His wife was at his side. . . . Jonathan Rosenthal, 17-year-old son of Leon¬ ard L. Rosenthal, attorney and counsel on film buying for Upstate Theatres, Inc., hopes to serve next summer as an English teacher at an Israeli immi grant-youth project. He is the grandson of the late Jacob Rosenthal, owner of the Old Rose nickelodeon, Troy. . . . “Lum's,” a nationally franchised restaurant featuring frankfurters steamed in beer, is said to be doing brisk business at the center recently opened by Fabian Theatres. . . . Stanley War¬ ner district chief Joseph Stowell has conferred with the College of St. Rose about a series of morning silent film showings. These films are favorites of area college students, who also like foreign releases. . . . John E. Donegan, former resident manager of the Ten Eyck Hotel under Schine, is back operating it as its general man¬ ager under Panther. . . . WTEN, of which Lowell Thomas is a major stockholder, has raised $187,000 in its seventh annual cerebral palsy telethon. . . . Area theatremen wonder what effect the upcoming state lottery (sched¬ uled to start July 1) will have on motion pic¬ ture theatres. . . . Variety Club chief barker Michael Artist has been transferred by Stanley Warner from WAST-TV to the New York home office. . . . Dick Kelly, currently acting manager for Stanley Warner’s Warner Theatre, Lynn, Mass., has been transferred back to Al¬ bany as manager of the Cinema Delaware. . . . National Theatre Supply Company has shut down its Albany office and plans to handle area theatre business from its Boston branch. . . . Commonwealth Theatres of Puerto Rico, Inc., filed for authority to conduct business in New York State. The law firm of Phillips, Nizer, Benjamin, Krim and Ballon registered the certificate. . . . Application for reservation of corporate name was filed with the Depart¬ ment of State on behalf of Producers Releasing Organization, Inc. BUFFALO James J. Hayes, general chairman of the Children’s Rehabilitation Foundation Tele¬ thon of the Buffalo Variety Club, presided at a meeting of all committee chairmen. Robert Anderson and James Spence, Public Relations Research Service, outlined the advance cam¬ paign for the event. Also attending were Gene Dryja and Hank Nowak, Am-Vets Post 45, and A1 Cerankowski, U.A.W. local 774. Both organizations will accept pledges and contribu¬ tions to the telethon, which will be held Feb. 25-26. . . . The Brighton (suburb of Roch¬ ester) Youth Agency and the Brighton Me¬ morial Library have started a series of weekly motion pictures for elementary school children on Saturdays in the Brighton town hall audi¬ torium. . . . Bob Watson, financial editor, Buffalo Evening News, said that an offer has been made to buy the old Paramount theatre property on Main street. The theatre audi¬ torium has been tom down, but the lobby still is there. The purchase offer and the asking price still are about $25,000 apart, but that’s not so much that the prospective buyer and the seller won’t be able to get together some¬ how, the column said. The Paramount prop¬ erties referred to are owned by the Buffalo Paramount Corporation, a subsidiary of the American Broadcasting Companies. . . . “Mon¬ keys, Go Home,” the new Walt Disney BV production, opened at Cinema I. Managing director Lou Levitch put on a big advance promotion campaign. . . . Jack Sturm, Jr., At Miami Beach's Sheridan Cinerama Theatre, the premiere of MGM's "Grand Prix" was attended by (l-r) Florida State Theatres' southeastern division manager Harry Botwick and MOTION PICTURE EXHIBITOR publisher Jay Emanuel. With them are two members of the Miami Sports Car Club and (standing) Dot Baker, exhibit chairman of the Miami Auto Show. manager of the Buffalo branch of 20th Cen¬ tury-Fox, and Charlie Funk, area advertisingpublicity representative, will attend the com¬ pany’s national sales and promotion conference which starts Feb. 20 in the Fox studios in Los Angeles. CINCINNATI Gus Boudot, UA office manager for the past 23 years and before that with RKO for a num¬ ber of years, has retired. Walter Mergenthal, UA booker, is his successor. Other changes at UA include Wilbur Hetherington, head booker; Dennis Glenn, a former 20th-Fox booker and recently a student at the University of Cin¬ cinnati, is a new booker, and Joan Baum, of¬ fice staffer, has been appointed secretary to Jack Finberg, branch manager. . . . Mary Ann Bingham, UA secretary, has resigned to be¬ come secretary for Cincinnati Theatres, and Doris Doyle is new steno-biller for the J. M. G. Film Co. . . . J. W. McDonald, TOC Agency, and Ben T. Cohen, Holiday Amusement Co., attended the board of directors meeting of the Independent Theatre Owners of Ohio in Co¬ lumbus Jan. 23. The board changed the organi¬ zation’s name to National Association Theatre Owners of Ohio, which will more closely iden¬ tify it with the national association. Board members also met the new executive secretary, Jim Burgess, who succeeds Ken Prickett, re¬ tired. It is anticipated that NATOO’s mid-east convention, March 13-15, Columbus, O., will be the best and most complete ever to be held. Exhibitors from the Tri-State and Pittsburgh areas are urged to attend. . . . Jack Haynes, Cincinnati Theatres general manager, and Harold Hoffert, J. M. G. Film Co. office man¬ ager, were in Cleveland, and Jay Goldberg, J. M. G. Film head, has returned from the Pittsburgh area. Bob Oda, Cincinnati Theatres publicist, was in Columbus to arrange final preparations for the opening of “The Bible” at Northland Cinema, Feb. 15. COLUMBUS , O. Manager Jerry Knighi of the Drexel has booked the three-day simultaneous world pre¬ miere showing (in 135 U. S. theatres) of James Joyce’s “Ulysses” March 14-16. Evening price is $5.50 and Wednesday matinee $4, both the highest admission prices ever asked for a, mo¬ tion picture here. Walter Reade, Jr., and Jo¬ seph Strick, co-producer and director, say that “Ulysses” will not be shown ever again after the three-day premiere engagements. . . . National Association Theatre Owners of Ohio — that’s the new name of the Independent Theatre Cwners of Ohio. The ch.mge vas authorized at a recent meeting of the be rd of directors of the Ohio association, ini 1 rgess, new executive secreta y, said tb char -;e was made "to more closely orient us with the national association.” DALLAS M. K. McDaniel, LaMarque, Tex., was re¬ elected president of the Texas D-I Theatre Owners Association at the 15th annual con¬ vention held last week at the Staffer Hilton Hotel. Also reelected were Earl Podolnick, Trans-Texas Theatres, Austin, board chair¬ man; Sylvan K. Berry, San Antonio, vice-presi¬ dent; Harry McCartney, Stanley Warner The¬ atres, Dallas, treasurer; Philip Tidball, Fort Worth, and Bill W. Slaughter, Dallas, new vice-presidents; and Jack V. Cole, Rosenberg, treasurer. Filling eight vacancies on the board of directors are Eric DeNeve and Joe Jackson, Dallas; D. L. Gates, Abilene; Chester McSwain, Plainview; Alfred Pawelek, Karnes City; Bill Rau, San Antonio; and Eddie Reyna, Victoria. . . . Robert Morse will visit Dallas on the evening of Feb. 23 in behalf of “How To Succeed in Business Without Really Try¬ ing.” The film is scheduled tentatively to be the Easter feature at the downtown Palace. . . . “A Man for All Seasons,” motion picture version of the Robert Bolt play, will open at the Esquire on March 23. The film will be shown on a continuous basis with a slight in¬ crease in admission price. . . . The name of the new film projection lens developed by the McLendon-Republic Theatre interests here is being changed from “Pan-I-Rama” to “Pan-IVue.” According to B. R. McLendon, chair¬ man of the board, McLendon-Republic offi¬ cials worked in partnership with Panavision Laboratories in Hollywood to develop the new projection process, which improves the bril¬ liance and sharpness of the screen image. . . . The Cinema Lochwood, Rex Cinema in Dal¬ las, and the Westwood in Richardson, showed the motion picture production of the Puccini operatic masterpiece, “Madame Butterfly.” DES MOINES Daylight Savings Time is being hit from all angles in the Iowa Legislature with prospects slim for any change. Gov. Harold Hughes has stated he would veto any change. Proposals have been filed in the legislature to return the state to standard time and also to have a refer¬ endum on the matter. Also, proposals have been filed to petition Congress to change the period of daylight time from Memorial Day to Labor Day or simply shortening the end of the period to the first Sunday after Labor Day. . . . The Princess, Guttenberg, la., has been closed to make way for a, department store. There is a possibility the house may be relo¬ cated. . . . While Don Bowin, Republican representative from Waterloo, la., is serving in the Iowa Legislature, his wife is running the Waterloo. Don was rushed to a hospital from the Legislature when he was taken ill, but he was able to return to his desk within a few days. . . . The Maple, Mapleton, la., has been reopened by John and Lowell Hill. DETROIT Arch Oboler, producer and writer of his new film, “The Bubble,” was in Detroit for the opening at the Adams Theatre. During his stay, he became a casualty in a downtown hotel. In the early-morning darkness, he rose from bed, and saw blood gushing out of his foot. Some previous guest had apparently dropped a glass, and the maid had not caught all of it with the vacuum sweeper. Stitched up. February 15, 1967 MOTION PICTURE EXHIBITOR 15