Motion Picture Herald (Jul-Sep 1953)

MEMPHIS New Daisy theatre, operated by Paul Zerilla on Beale Street in Memphis exclusively for Negroes, this week installed a new 30 by 20-foot wide-screen, the fifth in Memphis. The other four theatres now using wide-screens are Malco, Luciann, Lamar and Bristol. ... A large number of mid-south drive-in operators have made reservations for a luncheon July 7 at Hotel Gayoso to hear Claude Ezell, Ezell & Associates, drive-in operators in Texas, discuss drive-in operations. . . . Most Memphis branch managers and Mississippi salesmen attended Mississippi Theatre Owners convention June 28, 29 and 30 at Biloxi. . . . W. & M. Film Service, which inspects and ships film for Colonial Studios, Memphis, had a fire which destroyed some valuable film last week. Origin was undetermined and damage was not estimated. . . . Twin Oakes drive-in, Montecello, Ark., owned by Russell J. Baxter, opens within the next few days following its completion. . . . Jimmie Thornton, owner Bruce theatre, Bruce, Miss., is in Philadelphia attending a Methodist meeting to which he is a delegate from his church. MIAMI The Variety Club, Tent 33’s dinner on June 28 at the Saxony Hotel, where the first “Good Samaritan” Award was to be presented, was to be the town’s “plushiest event,” according to Maurey L. Ashmann, committee chairman. Col. Bill McCraw was expected as toastmaster and the formal presentation was to be made by chairman Ashmann and chief barker, Ed Melniker. Awardee was Robert Pentland, trustee on the board of directors of Variety Childrens Hospital and leader in most of the community’s worthy projects. . . . Bill Dock, of Florida State Theatres, is back from a vacation. . . . With the showing of “The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms,” the lobbies of the Beach and Florida had mechanical dragons belching steam. . . . Vacationers included Earl Rowlands, manager Boulevard; Keith Hendee, manager Gateway; Bill Russell, manager Florida in Ft. Lauderdale; Bill Goller, manager Tower; Dick Treccase, manager Surf with his wife, Janie, from Wometco’s accounting department. MILWAUKEE At the time of this writing a big meeting of COMPO was set for June 30 here in the Warner screening room. . . . The board of directors of the Allied Independent Theatre Owners of Wisconsin will hold their next board meeting at Trampe’s summer home on Phantom Lake. Wives are also invited. . . . New drive-ins opened recently are Harry Melcher’s at Kaukauna, and John O’Connor’s at Platteville. . . . The Park theatre here, owned by Tony La Porte, recently closed. ... To promote “The Great Sioux Uprising,” which opened at the Fox-Wisconsin last week, the FoxWisconsin Amusement Corp. invited eight Indians, who appeared in the picture, from the Rosebud Reservation in So. Dakota, to participate in exploitation here. MINNEAPOLIS Business is reported to be up in loop houses with mid-week grosses definitely above average. . . . Harry Rasmussen, booker at Warners, was married to Ruth Fenske. . . . Otto Burggraf and Wilfred Liebl have opened their new 350-car Paul Bunyon drive-in at Bemidji, Minn. A contetst was conducted to select a name for the ozoner. . . . North Central Allied has scheduled four regional meetings with the first one to be held August 3 at Fargo, N. D. Other meetings are set for Minot, N. D., and Marshall and Duluth, Minn. . . . Harry Weiss, RKO Theatres district manager, visited RKO situations in Iowa. . . . The four drive-ins operated by Minnesota Entertainment Enterprises in’ the Twin Cities are admitting children under 12 free. . . . Stuart Murray, Jr., former manager of the Virginia theatre at Virginia, Minn., has been transferred to Grand Forks, N. D., by Minnesota Amusement Co. . . . State officials including Gov. Sigurd Anderson were on hand for the opening of Leo Peter son and Bert Johnson’s new State at Pierre, South Dakota. House replaces one destroyed by a fire which took place in January, 1952. NEW ORLEANS Wm. Keith, formerly with U.A. and 20th Century-Fox here, and for the past year or so 20th-Fox Indianapolis branch manager, returned for a brief visit, enroute to his new post: sales manager in Dallas branch. . . . Masterpiece Pictures president, Milton Dureau, upon his return from St. Louis, where he attended Modern Talking Pictures meet, advised that he has taken over their short subject productions for this territory. . . . Warner Bros, division manager, John Kirby, and district manager, W. O. Williamson, Jr., were here to confer with branch manager, Lucas Conner and staff. . . . Lonnie Davis is the new booker for Pike Booking Co., a subsidiary of N. Solomon Theatres, McComb, Miss. Harry E. Thomas, who formerly held the post, has been advanced to assistant to T. G. “Teddy” Solomon, head of the circuit. . . . The building which houses Tob McElroy’s, Tem in Monroe, La., has been sold to outside interests. However, the theatre will remain in operation until late in fall when the new owner will convert it into a mercantile establishment. . . . Chas. Waterall, Jr., in charge of Waterall’s Richton, Miss., theatre, is on the mend after several weeks’ hospitalization for stomach trouble. . . . Carolyn, New Hebron, Mississippi, has closed its doors for the season, with reopening scheduled for the early part of September. OKLAHOMA CITY Billy Robinson has assumed his new post as assistant manager for Video Theatres in Shawnee. He was assistant manager at Seminole, prior to being promoted to his new job in Shawnee. . . . Stein Enterprises, Inc., Baxter Springs, Kan., has been granted a charter to operate indoor and drive-in theatres. Louis E. Stein, Parsons, Kan., has been named resident agent. ... A two-man art exhibit was staged in the lobby of the Frontier theatre during the showing of “The Titan,” a film based on the life of Michelangelo. The two artists are Robert C. Newberry, and Robert C. McKinney. . . . “The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms” started at the Midwest theatre Friday. The picture will be shown at 14 theatres in various Oklahoma towns during the months of June and July Mabel Mitchell, secretary to R. D. Goldberg of the Goldberg Theatre Corp., relieved Don Cook, manager of the Avenue theatre while he was vacationing and is now subbing for George Hollander, manager of the Ames. . . . James Schlatter, manager of the Town theatre, announced his daughter is home following her graduation from North High School in Des Moines. . . . “Good Night Ladies” had a poor five-day run on the stage at the Omaha. . . . E. A. Schmidt, who runs the Lorraine theatre at Armour, S. D., has been ill at Mayo Clinic. . . . Don McLucas, United Artists branch manager, stopped at the Belair motor court at Denver on a trip to the mountains. He discovered the owner was one of his old accounts, Carl Knudsen, ex-Seward, Neb., theatre owner. And at Gunnison, Colo., he stayed at a place owned by Karl Howe, former RKO branch manager. . . . Herman Gould of Lincoln, pioneer drive-in operator, has opened a new outdoor theatre on Omaha’s West Center Street, with his associates U. S. Representative Roman Hruska of Omaha and Lancaster County Commissioner Russell Brehm. PHILADELPHIA Stanley Warner closed down the Felton after a try at week-end operations, and at the same time places the Keystone on a week-end schedule. . . . Irving Coopersmith left the booking and buying department of the Allied Motion Picture Theatre Service. . . . Vito Gerard, student manager at the Capitol, Scranton, Pa., left to join the armed forces. . . . Theatre men in Reading, Pa., are cooperating to help halt the wave of vandalism among youth. . . . E. M. Scott, Jr., reopened the Milton, Milton, Del., with the house, originally built 14 years ago, completely new and ultra-modern. . . . Barney Goodkin resigned as assistant manager of William Goldman’s Randolph. . . . Joseph Phillips, of the Comerford Theatres advertising department, Scranton, Pa., was named chairman of the Better Business Bureau’s Advertising Board of Review. . . . Jack Greenberg and Jack Engel, who operate the Screen Guild exchange, were awarded exclusive area franchise by the Ballantyne Company, including the 3-D equipment package. . . . Harry C. Bondurant is selling his Caldonia drive-in near Gettysburg, Pa. . . . The Perkins Panoramascope made its bow here at William Goldman’s Randolph with the showing of “Fort-Ti.” ... In Delaware, Muriel Schwartz opened her Kent drive-in at Dover, and Bill Derrickson opened his Midway drive-in near Rehoboth Beach. PITTSBURGH A large crowd of state and city dignitaries attended the opening of the Variety Club Tent No. 1 Camp O’Connell for the 1953 season. More than 2,000 youngsters will be cared for during the eight weeks. The new $25,000 dormitory was officially opened at the affair. . . . The club raised $52,000 at its all-night telethon giving it $125,000 towards the $750,000 to build a wing to the St. Rosalia Foundling Home. . . . Carl Doser, chief barker of the Variety Club, is making slow progress in the Presbyterian Hospital. . . . Stan Harner, purchasing agent for the Stanley Warner Company, entertained a large crowd of film folks at the Golden Wedding anniversary celebration of ( Continued on opposite page ) 32 MOTION PICTURE HERALD, JULY 4, 1953