Motion Picture Herald (Oct-Dec 1951)

{Continued from opposite page) tary petition bf bankruptcy was filed in the District Court by the Liles Wonder State Motion Picture Company, Inc. The firm which has been producing “Seven Wonders of Arkansas” at Cave Springs, filed a debtors’ petition. . . . The Imperial theatre, at Wynne, Ark., was robbed at $1,043 when the safe was opened with an acetylene torch. OMAHA The Council Bluffs, la., drive-in theatre, which lost $500 to a safecracker last May, was again burglarized last week by a thief who hid in the concessions building when it closed and smashed open the vending machine coin boxes. . . . John Derek made a personal appearance to open “Saturday’s Hero” at the Brandeis. The film went about $1,000 over average. ... A good week’s program also included “Fabiola” at the Omaha, “The Golden Horde” at the State and “The Day the Earth Stood Still” at the Orpheum. . . . Very good business was done by the Paramount with “A Place in the Sun.” . . . A. E. Thacker, Sr., of the South Sioux City, Neb., State theatre is handling publicity for the Micros-Midget Racing Association program at the City Park. . . . Jules Gerelick, Universal salesman at Omaha for two years, will go to Los Angeles November 1 as city salesman with Universal. PHILADELPHIA Joseph A. Forte, with Warner Theatres for 25 years and formerly managing the Waverly, Drexel Hill, Pa., moves into the city as manager of the circuit’s Circle, succeeding A1 Blumberg, who resigned from the company. At Warner’s Cross Keys, Chet Woerner, also a circuit veteran of 21 years, moves into the city to manage the house from the suburban Lansdowne, Lansdowne, Pa. . . . Amusement taxes for the first nine months of the year, it was reported this week by the city treasurer, amounted to $2,554,507 — the ten per cent levy on admissions representing a decline of $353,412 over the collections for the same period last year. . . . Frederick Goldman adds a new independent film exchange to the town’s movie row, trading as Exceptional Films, with offices at 124 No. Fifteenth Street. . . . Ted Vanett tied in with all good-will, religious and racial organizations in the community to stir up a great deal of advance interest, as publicity and advertising director for the Goldman Theatres, for the opening of “The Well” at the Goldman theatre. . . . Warners’ Aldine goes on a reserved seat basis at a $2.40 top for the two-a-day showing of “The River,” opening November 1. . . .Annual election meeting was held at the Variety Club at their Bellevue-Stratford Hotel quarters. PITTSBURGH Newcomers here are “Across the Wide Missouri” at Loew’s Penn, “Here Comes the Groom” at the Stanley, and “The Desert Fox” at the J. P. Harris, and all got away to excellent openings. Grosses still are running strong here. “Streetcar Named Desire” is now in its fourth week in the Warner, and “The Day the Earth Stood Still” was held over for a second week in the Fulton after it did better than $12,000 for its first week. ... In the Art Cinema “Tales of Hoffmann” still is going strong for a seventh week, and “A Place in the Sun,” which turned in excellent grosses for two weeks in Loew’s Penn, moved over to the Ritz. . . . The Harris newsreel theatre has gone into a first run policy. The small house, which seats 350, started out with “The Mob.” . . . The Tent No. 1 Variety Club annual banquet has been set back from December 16 to January 20. . . . Forney Bowers has resigned as assistant manager of the Fulton. . . . Joe Hiller has been named chairman of the committee to run the Variety Club’s farewell dinner for Tom Troy, manager of the William Penn Hotel. PORTLAND New this week are “A Place in the Sun” at the Orpheum and Oriental ; “Texas Carnival” at the United Artists ; “He Ran All the Way” at the Broadway; “The Adventures of Captain Fabian” at the Mayfair and “Manon” at the Music Box. . . . “The Tales of Hoffmann” continues to break all roadshow records at the Guild and is being held for a second week at advanced prices. . . . “People Will Talk” is also being held at the Paramount for a second week. . . . Pacific International Livestock Exposition advertised “Dagwood and Blondie” in person. SAN FRANCISCO Top money-maker in first week bracket was “People Will Talk” at the Fox, followed closely by “Saturday’s Hero” at the Orpheum. . . . New product on the street includes “Come Fill the Cup” at the Fox, “Drums in the Deep South” at the Golden Gate, “Submarine Command” at the Paramount, and “The Well” at United Artists. . . . Jack Allen, Stage Door manager, has turned the house over to the Indian Famine Relief Benefit Committee for Sunday matinee, November 18. . . .Among San Francisco Theatres, Inc., managerial changes are ; Russell Wheeler, former chief of the closed Coliseum, now manager of the Harding, replacing Jack Brittain, who took over management of the Metro. Lester Dewitt, former Metro manager, now manages the Amazon for Golden State Theatres. . . . Visitors to the row the past week were ; Mr. and Mrs. Alvin Hatch of the Patio theatre at Half Moon Bay, and A1 Adolph of Klamath Falls, Oregon. TORONTO “Streetcar Named Desire” opened at advanced prices at the Victoria theatre. Other openings included “Jim Thorpe — All American” at the University and Nortown, “Behave Yourself” at Shea’s and Eglinton, “Mr. Imperium” at the Uptown, “Blackmailed” at the Savoy, and “The Strip” on the same bill as “Road Block” at the Downtown, Glendale, State, Scarboro, Mayfair and Crest. . . . “No Highway in the Sky” stayed for a fourth week at the Hyland, “Tales of Hoffmann” at the Towne Cinema, and “Laughter in Paradise” at the International Cinema continued for a third week, while remaining for a second week were “A Place in the Sun” at the Imperial, “The Desert Fox” at the Odeon Toronto, “Angels in the Outfield” at Loew’s, and “H Trovatore” at the Studio. . . . “Mr. Belvedere Rings the Bell,” in its second showing at the Tivoli and Capitol, is supported by “Kiss of Death,” while “Margie,” in its subsequent run at the Danforth, Fairlawn, Humber and Christie, is billed with “Manilla Calling.” . . . Dick Haymes heads has own revue on the stage of the Casino theatre. . . . Clare Appel resigns November 5 as publicist for Loew’s local theatres to succeed Fred C. Dillon as executive secretary of the Canadian Motion Pictures Distributors Association. . . . John J. Fitzgibbons, president of Famous Players Canadian Corporation, has been named general chairman of Brotherhood Week to be observed from coast to coast February 17-24 under the sponsorship of the Canadian Council of Christians and Jews. . . . Variety Club of Toronto is bringing Betty Hutton in person to the Imperial January 10 to headline their special program in aid of Variety Village here, it was revealed by J. J. Chisholm, chief barker. . . . Gurston Allen, Premier Operating Company, Reuben Bolstead, vice-president Famous Players Canadian Corporation, and Charles S. Chaplin, United Artists Canadian general manager, are representing the film industry in the current Community Chest Red Feather Campaign of Greater Toronto. VANCOUVER “Bitter Rice,” after a six weeks’ run at the Studio, was replaced by “Laughter in Paradise.” . . . “A Place in the Sun” at the Capitol; "The Strip” and “Rich, Young and Pretty” at the Cinema, and “The Prowler” plus “The Macomber Affair” at the Plaza all did well. Also playing: “A Millionaire for Christy” at the Orpheum ; “The Law and the Lady” at the Strand ; “Here Comes the Groom,” a moveover, at the Dominion; “Queen for a Day” plus stage show at the Hastings; “White Corridors” at the Vogue; “Sidewalks of London” and “Paris Underground” reissues at the Paradise, and “Thieves’ Highway” at the New State. . . . Stuart Keate, publisher of the Victoria Daily Times, was elected to the nine-nran board of the National Film Board of Canada for a three-year term. . . . Projectionists for Famous Players voted overwhelmingly to strike in a government supervised vote. The ballot followed rejection by 69 projectionists of the Famous Players’ offer of a 28-cent-an-hour wage boost. The booth workers are asking for 50 cents an hour. WASHINGTON New openings included : “Painting the Clouds with Sunshine,” at the Warner; “Abbott and Costello Cornin’ Round the Mountain,” at the Capitol ; “Don Quixote,” at the Little; “Lovers of Verona,” at the Pix. Holdovers included: “Streetcar Named Desire” at the Metropolitan; “Texas Carnival” at the Palace ; “The Day the Earth Stood Still” at RKO Keith’s ; “Place in the Sun” at the Trans-Lux; “No Highway in the Sky” at the Playhouse ; “The Wooden Horse” at the Dupont; “Minnie” at the Plaza, and “Mr. Drake’s Duck” at the National. Carryover for the week was “People Will Talk” at the Columbia, after a final week of “David and Bathsheba.” . . . Ray Milland and Sid Caesar were in Washington for a special broadcast making the anniversary of the Dept, of Defense Show, “Time for Defense,” at Lisner Auditorium. . . . K-B Theatres’ newest, the Ontario, which opens on November 1, will be a first run house, opening with “Rhubarb.” MOTION PICTURE HERALD, OCTOBER 27, 1951 45