Motion Picture Herald (Jan-Mar 1954)

ALBANY Spurred by the praise which the Rev. Richard N. Hughes, executive secretary of Albany Federation of Churches, and Rabbi Samuel Wolk, of Temple Beth Emeth, gave the area motion picture business as the strongest supporter of Brotherhood Week — at a mass meeting in the Grand Theatre — distributor and exhibitor leaders are gearing their forces to surpass last year’s results in this year’s observance Feb. 21-27. . . . Charles Gordon’s Olympic in Utica, followed “Miss Sadie Thompson” with “King of the Khyber Rifles” — both at advanced prices. . . . The Troy in Troy opened with “King of the Khyber Rifles” a day before Proctor’s closed its engagement with "Beneath the 12-Mile Reef,” also a CinemaScope release. . . . 20th Century-Fox branch disclosed that there are 28 CinemaScope installations in this exchange district. . . . Visitors included : Leon Duva, Morrisville; George Thornton, Saugerties and Windham; Seymour L. Morris, director of exploitation and publicity for Schine Theatres. . . . Senator Fred G. Moritt, who announced he would introduce a bill routing appeals from Regents’ denial of licenses to the Supreme Court juries, is a partner in McDonald Pictures, which previewed “Paris Express” for legislators here last spring. ATLANTA The Gem theatre, owned by Mr. and Mrs. Wallace Smith for the past 25 years, has closed its doors due to lack of business. . . . Myra Pace, cashier at the Paramount theatre, has resigned to become a mother. . . . Miss Paula Bird, secretary to Arthur C. Bromberg, president of Allied Artists Pictures Southern Exchanges, has resigned. . . . Mrs. Hens Botwick has replaced Miss Bird. . . . E. J. Hunter, Colquit theatre, Colquit, Georgia, was in booking. . . . Uriel Miles is the new owner of the Norwood theatre, Birmingham, Ala. . . . Judie Nolen is new secretary at ABC Booking Service. . . . John D. Hassler, owner of the Dixie, Brydtown, Tenn., has sold the theatre. . . . Johnny Harrell, Martin theatre buyer, and Hap Barnes, ABC Booking Service, are back at their offices after a visit to New Orleans. . . . Ed Smith has been transferred from the managership of the Palace theatre, Tampa, Fla., to the Florida State, St. Petersburg. . . . Don Holcomb replaced Smith at the Palace. . . . The Ace theatre, Nashville, Tenn., has closed its doors. . . . Leonora Beardon, National Screen Service Co., has resigned to keep house. . . . Also resigned is Francis Burch, Wil-Kin Theatre Supply Co. BALTIMORE John Murphy, general manager of Loew’s out-of-town-theatres, and eastern division manager Orville Crouch were in town visiting the local Loew theatre. . . . I. M. Rappaport’s father-in-law passed away last week. . . . Bud Rose, UA representative, has taken a California vacation accompanied by his mother. . . . Abe Caplan, a Westway theatre, has recovered from a recent attack of the flu. . . . Sidney Gibbs, Glove Poster Co., is vacationing in Florida. . . . Fred Perry’s success with foreign language pictures at the Cameo has him installing the same policy at the Watersedge theatre. . . . Bill Booges has resigned as manager of the Rialto theater after 10 years. Ill health forced the issue. . . . Milton Schwaber, head of Schwaber Theatres, is leaving for an extended vacation in Florida and Mexico. . . . Walter Gettinger has taken over, and will reopen the Pennington theatre in Curtis Bay. . . . Richard Dizon, Hippodrome assistant, visited New York. . . . All theatres in the area participated in the March Of Dimes campaign. BOSTON Frank Boschetti, owner-operator of the Star theatre, Lawrence, has signed contracts with the Metro company to play MGM product for the first time in 15 years. The deal was made with Boschetti and Benn Rosenwald, MGM’s resident manager. . . . The annual election of officers for 19'54 for Independent Exhibitors, Inc. of New England, an affiliate of National Allied, will be held at a luncheon meeting February 9. The nominating committee, headed bv W. Leslie Bendslev, chairman, consists of Norman Glassman, Edward Lider, Ted Rosenblatt and A. Viola Berlin. . . . The New England WHEN AND WHERE March 9-10: Annual convention, Allied Theatre Owners of Oklahoma, Biltmore Hotel, Oklahoma City. March 28-30: Annual convention, Allied Theatre Owners of Gulf States, Edgewater Gulf Hotel, Edgewater Park, Miss. April 6-8 : Annual convention, Allied Independent Theatre Owners of Wisconsin, Hotel Shroeder, Milwaukee. April 19-21: Spring convention, Allied Theatres of Michigan, Hotel Statler, Detroit. May 2-7: Semi-annual convention, Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers, Statler Hotel, Washington, D. C. May 4-5: Annual convention, Allied Theatre Owners of Iowa, Nebraska and MidCentral, Fontanelle Hotel, Omaha June 15-16: Annual spring meeting, Allied Theatre Owners of Indiana, South Shore Hotel, Lake Wawasee, Ind. area was well represented at the national drive-in convention in Cincinnati when Philip and Richard Smith demonstrated their new “Twi-Nite” drive-in screen at their Cincinnati drive-in theatre for the members. Nearly 20 were registered from this area. . . . Hugh D. Rogovin, son of Columbia’s New England district manager, I. H. “Tiny” Rogovin, is engaged to marry Frances M. Levine of South Brookline. She will be graduated in June from Wheelock College, while Hugh, a graduate of Boston University, is now attending Harvard Law School. BUFFALO George J. Gammel, head of the Gammel circuit, and Mrs. Gammel, have departed for a two-month vacation in Europe. Gammel, who also is president of the MPTO of N. Y., western N. Y. zone, recently moved into a new ranch-type home in Brentwood Drive, Amherst, a Buffalo suburb. . . . Irving Fried, president of Tri-State Automatic Candy Corp. and Mrs. Fried, will spend a few months vacationing in the Virgin Islands and surrounding country. . . . Phil Todaro, former manager of the Mercury theatre, now being razed, has succeeded Earl Hubbard as director of advertising and publicity of the Century theatre, a downtown UA circuit operation. . . . Dewey Michaels, president of the Michaels Circuit of theatres, threw a lavish party for about 150 friends the other day in Hotel Statler. . . . Noted at the Ad Club’s dinner the other evening for past and new officers were Murray Whiteman, past chief barker, Tent 7, Variety club; George H. Mackenna, manager, Lafayette theatre and Charles B. Taylor, associate general manager, UPT. . . . The Glowmeter corporation of North Tonawanda, manufacturer of motion picture screens, is operating in the black for the first time. President Agis I. Mihalakis has informed stockholders that preliminary earnings figures indicate a net profit of $197,290 in the last three months of 1953, the first quarter in the company’s fiscal year. CHICAGO Arthur Schoenstadt, head of the Schoenstadt Circuit here, was released from Michael Reese Hospital following surgery. ... Si Griever, film buyer and booker, is back from a vacation in Hawaii. . . . Hank Ludwin, formerly a director and director of photography with Raphael Wolff productions, has joined Kling Studios’ Industrial Film Division as a director of industrial and documentary films. . . . Jack Kirsch, president of Allied Theatres of Illinois, left for a three-week vacation in Florida. . . . James Coston, president of Indiana-Illinois Theatres and owner of Coston Enterprises, left for a three-week Mediterranean cruise with Mrs. Coston. . . . Jerry Hogan, veteran stage hand, was rushed to the hospital after becoming ill while installing the Cinema( Continued on page 32) 30 MOTION PICTURE HERALD, FEBRUARY 6, 1954