Motion Picture Herald (Mar-Apr 1947)

{Continued from preceding page) representative for Midwest Drive-in, announced the local drive-in will be opened April 11. . . . Lisle Kriekhbaum, Rochester; Abe Kaufman and J. B. Stines, Terre Haute; Bill Studebaker, Logansport; Sam and Harry Switow, Louisville ; Claude Flater, Spencer; Walter Easier, Greensburg and Alex Kalafat, Garrett, attended the Associated Theatre Owners of Indiana board meeting here Tuesday. KANSAS CITY Heavy snow slowed theatre attendance for several days in the area, but at that some theatres report that crowds waited in the snow at box offices to get tickets. . . . Vending of candy has been stepped up by a good many independents and circuits. . . . Children's patronage has not returned to normal after the polio scare of last summer and fall so exhibitors are making a special effort to attract them to their theatres, principally by special children's matinees. . . . Paul Oetting, owner of the Lyric, Concordia, Mo., is expecting soon to start building a new house. . . . Ernest Clark has sold the Fox. Barnes, Kans., to George Lederer wh© owns the Joanne at Linn, Kans. . . . Virgil Green is planning the remodeling of his Green theatre at La Plata, Mo. . . : The "Brotherhood" campaign in the Kansas City area had generally complete cooperation from exhibitors and in many cases rather unexpectedly large results. . . . Film Classics has moved its office from West Eighteenth Street to the Rube Melcher building. LOUISVILLE Zoning changes to permit construction of a drive-in theatre in Louisville by Louis A. Arrus have been approved by the CityCounty Planning and Zoning Commission. . . Charles Bowles has announced his new theatre in Beattyville, Ky., the Ritz, will be completed and opened around April 1. . . . The Oak theatre is being redecorated, according to William Reese, manager, as is the Scoop, managed by William Clowes. Clowes has booked "Henry V" into this theatre to be followed by "Brief Encounter" . . . Prior to the Louisville showing of "The Beginning or the End" Lowe's staged an informal discussion on the atom bomb from the stage of the theatre. The discussion was broadcast. MEMPHIS Memphians kept first run box offices busy with lively theatre attendance. Ritz reported all attendance records being smashed with the Italian picture, "Open City." Loew's Palace had better than average attendance with "The Beginning or the End." Loew'» State, with "Lady Luck," had no complaint. Malco was so pleased with results that "The Jolson Story" was held over a second week. Warner was pleased with "Nora Prentiss." . . . Mid-sooth exhibitors shopping on Film Row in Memphis included: Grady Green. Union, Grenada, Miss. ; Don Landers, Radio, Harrisburg, Ark.; A. N. Rossie, Roxy, Clarksdale, Miss; Grady Cook, Joy, Pon totoc, Miss. ; B. F. Jackson, Delta, Ruleville, Miss. ; C. G. Collier, Globe, Shaw, Miss.; W. T. Ellis, Ellis, Cleveland, Miss.; and J. H. Moore, Ritz, Crenshaw, Miss. MIAMI The newly formed Variety Club of Miami had a luncheon last week for its sideshow committee at which they planned for the coming charter dinner. . . . "Prisoner of Zenda" is playing at the Royal and Variety theatres and drawing crowds. . . . ''The Best Years of Our Lives" enters its eighth week at the Colony and will open at the Royal as soon as the Colony showing is over. ... J. Victor Wilson suffered a heart attack and is no longer at the Variety theatre. Cecil Tuggle will replace him. . . . Hardy Alexander is the new executive secretary to Al Weiss, manager of the Olympia. . . . The Claughton circuit plans to enlarge. A twin theatre will be built next door to the Royal and will show first run pictures. The Canal theatre will be built in Hialeah, the Star theatre in Miami and the circuit has placed 12 offers for theatres throughout the state. Before the end of the year, the circuit hopes to have 25 houses. MINNEAPOLIS ''Henry V", playing at the Lyceum, semilegitimate house, grabbed the gross honors for the week with $20,000 for the first half of a twoweek stand. "The Jolson Story" (third week) and "California" (second week) topped other loop theatres which failed to show a first run picture. . . . Minneapolis independent exhibitors showed a remarkable lack of interest in fighting the City Council plan to boost theatre license fees. Only five of 24 exhibitors attended a meeting called to map opposition to the increase. . . . Bloomington township, Minneapolis suburb, has approved a drive-in theatre to accommodate about 1,000 cars. Industrial Products, Inc., of St. Paul, was the applicant. . . . George Granstrom, member of a group which purchased the World and Alvin theatres from the W. A. Steffes estate, also has purchased the Steffes lodge in northern Minnesota. . . . Lee Ross is remodeling the Rapids, Sauk Rapids, Minn. OKLAHOMA CITY Jim Dunbar, formerly with Dickinson in Kansas, has purchased the Rex at Marysville, Okla., from S. Rose. . . . Doc Schmidt is the new owner of the theatre at Camargo. . . . Bill Slepka of Okemah visiting around after a short sojurn in the hospital there. . . . Tom Kirby and D. C. Carter opening a new 400-seat theatre at Wetumka. . . . L. W. Lewallen has opened the Jewel theatre at Chattanooga, Okla. . . . Wesley LeRoy and Maude Hodges have opened their new Redskin theatre at Anadarko. . . . L. G. Bumpers has purchased the Ritz theatre in Sallisaw from Forrest Dunlap. Bumpers has theatres in Vian. OMAHA Box office reports zoomed with "California" hitting $16,100 at the Paramount. . . . Bob Hirz, Warner booker, has been promoted to salesman. Doris Gross takes over the booker's spot. . . . Robert Johnson opened a new theatre at Shelby, la. He also has the {Continued on page 42) DRIVE IN, in your old fizzy. Thai's the theme here, as the guests who honored Claude Ezell March 3 in Dallas try to start the 1970 Ford. The grand ballroom of the Hotel Adolphus was decorated as a drive-in theatre. Mr. Ezell was given a banquet there, as founder of the well known Texas Variety Club. Left to right in the picture above are Ned E. Depinet, RKO executive vice-president; Robert J. O'Oonnelf, Variety Clubs ot America national chief barker; Frank Capra, producer; Mr. Ezell; Gradwell Sears I the driverl, United Artists vice-president, and James Stewart, actor. Some 400 from Texas political and film industry life, and from exhibition, distribution and the studios, attended. 40 MOTION PICTURE HERALD, MARCH 15, 1947