Motion Picture Herald (Jan-Mar 1954)

(. Continued ' from preceding page ) been operating a theatre in the Odd Fellows Hall. . . . Millard Rethwisch is installing a large screen at his theatre in Tilden. . . . Janet Townsend, Metro secretary, and her husband were surprised by 16 members of her family at a housewarming. . . . The Joyo theatre at Lincoln owned by Clarence Frasier will be ready to offer CinemaScope Feb. 12. . . . J. Robert Hoff was installed as Variety Club chief barker at a dinnerdance at the Blackstone Hotel. . . . Improving after surgery are Mrs. Art Goodwater, wife of the Madison, Neb., exhibitor, and Dorothy Weaver, 20th-Fox cashier, now at her home. . . . M. L. Stern, Hollywood Pictures representative in Omaha, announced he now has the Lippert franchise for Omaha and Des Moines, with offices in Omaha. PHILADELPHIA 20th Century-Fox exchange is now housed in new headquarters at 314 North 13th Street. . . . Harvey Schwartz, former office manager at Columbia, joined Paramount as a booker. He replaces Lou Fortunato, former upstate booker, who resigned from the company. . . . Stanley Warner Ogontz, neighborhood house which was on a weekend schedule, closed again. . . . A. M. Ellis’ Tyson staged a reserved seat performance of the stage play, “The Happy Time,” presented by the Neighborhood Players, local little theatre group. . . . Leonard Moonblatt has taken over the suburban Clifton, Clifton Heights, Pa., with Henry Kahan remaining as house manager. . . . Phillip Jones, projectionist at the Warner, Wilmington, Del., was returned to office as president of Local 473, Projectionists Union, in that city. . . . Hearing will be held on Feb. 15 in Wilmington, Del., on the bankruptcy petition for reorganization proceedings in the U. S. District Court by M and S Amusement Enterprises, Inc., headed by Melvin C. Geller and Sam D. Taustin, operators of the Brandywine drive-in and the Wilmington Speedway near Wilmington. . . . The Key, Doylestown, Pa., was closed. . . . Amusement tax payments in Lancaster, Pa., brought $67,362.63 into that city’s treasury in 1953, under the $70,000 estimated for the year and causing a revision of estimated income from that source in 1954 to $67,000. PITTSBURGH “Here Come the Girls” finally replaced “Knights of the Round Table,” which stayed on a. sixth week in Loew’s Penn after a gratifying upsurge in business during its fifth week. . . . The Stanley advanced “The Command” up a week, giving that house its first CinemaScope feature. . . . “This Is Cinerama” finally clicking strong at the Warner after a concentrated ad campaign stressing that it would not play any neighborhood houses. . . . Film Row mourned the death of Mike Cullen in Tucson. The former local Penn manager’s passing brought on several eulogies in print with critic Karl Krug of the Sun-Telegraph devoting an entire column to “the departure of a personal pal.” . . . “Quo Vadis” at regular prices is back at the Ritz following three weeks of first-run movies. . . . The Harris has acquired Judy Holliday’s “It Should Happen To You” while the Fulton gets “The Glenn Miller Story” Feb. 19, same day that the Penn gets “The Long, Long Trailer.” . . . M. A. Silver, Stanley Warner zone manager, and his missus, vacationing in Florida. PORTLAND Business at downtown houses has been off due to sudden and extreme snow storms. “Sadie Thompson” played for two weeks at the United Artists in 3-D at hiked prices and now goes into a third session in 2-D at regular prices. This is a first for Portland. . . . Bud Brody, National Screen Service branch manager, was in town for a few days working with newly appointed local manager Harry Lewis. . . . Keith Petzold, new general manager of the Jesse Jones circuit, made his first trip to Sweet Home, Ore., to look over the situation there. . . . Dick Edge, formerly Astoria city manager for J. J. Parker, now becomes city manager for the Jesse Tones Theatres in Sweet Home. . . . Bagdad theatre manager Jack Braxton has an amateur vaude show on stage every Friday night. . . . Marty Foster reports heavy advance seat sale for “Julius Caesar.” PROVIDENCE Avo P. Bombarger, 59, better known as “Bomby” when he was a member of the world-famous “Roxy Gang” in 1920, recently died in this city after a long illness. He is survived by his wife, a brother and sister, and several nieces and nephews. Many of this State’s public officials, and members of the clergy attended his funeral. . . . Gene Autry, is scheduled to appear in person, with his new all-star show, at the R. I. Auditorium around the middle of February. . . . The Metropolitan once again departs from its brief run of motion pictures to present a four-day stage presentation of “Stalag 17.” . . . Alec Guinness in “The Captain’s Paradise” held for a second week at the Avon Cinema. . . . Because they received so many phone and written requests, The Gilbert Stuart, popular Riverside neighborhood house, offered special “command performances” of “King Solomon’s Mines.” SAN FRANCISCO Robert Palmer, one time press agent for United-Paramount Theatres and more recent with the Navy, is again a civilian and living in Los Angeles. . . . Sam Rosey, one time actor’s agent, is now a salesman for Ernest Ingold Chevrolet here. . . . Arnold Cortner was promoted by U-P district manager Earl Long from assistant at the Paramount to manager of the State. Gene Sabo III is assistant manager at Paramount. . . . Jack Erickson, manager Twentieth Century-Fox chairmaned the Brotherhood meeting here. . . . Edward Sutro of Golden State theatre equipment division, returned to work following sick leave because of automobile accident. . . . Arthur Apodaca, National Screen Service shipper, was away for a tonsilectomy. . . . William Blair of Cloverdale sold his Ritz at Calistoga and bought the Mecca and Pic theatres in Crescent City from Mrs. Delcie Boles. . . . William Hayden has reopened the Suisun, Suisun, which has been closed for several years. TORONTO Ralph Foster is setting up his own public relations office here after resigning as manager of the 16 mm. division of Warner Bros, in Canada. He is calling his new setup Communications of Canada. . . . Frank Kettner has been appointed sales representative for Peerless Films in the Calgary territory. . . . “Martin Luther” though banned from showings in the theatres in the Province of Quebec is to be allowed showings in the Protestant churches of the Province. . . . Second annual curling bonspiel of the Manitoba district of the Canadian Picture Pioneers will take place in Winnipeg Feb. 22. The number of entrants is limited to 40 due to the limitations of ice available. ... A Valentine Party is being planned by the Variety Club, Tent 28, at the clubrooms. Members of the committee include Bert Wilkes, Lou Davidson and Monty Hall. . . . The general managers of the various distributing companies gathered together to make a presentation to Russ Simpson, Toronto branch manager of Paramount, who resigned to be general manager of the O’Brien circuit. . . . Annual graduation party, held by the Variety Club of Toronto for the pupils of Variety Village will take place in the Royal York Hotel here, Feb. 25. VANCOUVER Heaviest snowfall in 41 years really gave theatres a tough time. The only picture to beat the storms was “Martin Luther,” playing at the 446-seat Studio. . . . The 200-seat Castor theatre, Castor, Alberta, was burned to the ground in a recent fire which occured on a Sunday with no one in the building. The theatre was only partially insured. . . . “The Wild One” was banned by the B. C. Board of censors, who claim it is too brutal and in no case “entertainment.” Columbia will appeal the decision. . . . The 245-seat theatre at Imperial, Sask., and the 340-seat DeLuxe, Meath Park, Sask., have been converted from 16 to 35 mm. . . . Leslie Plottel, former manager of the drive-in at Chilliwack, B. C., settled an alleged breach of contract case for $1,300. He was on a five year contract but was fired after the first six months. . . . Jim Girvan, of Girvan Studios, is back from an extended tour of Great Britain and France with plenty of new ideas for theatre art work picked up over the water. . . . Harry Hargraves, of the Orpheum staff, is still paying for the time he was prisoner of the Japs in Hong Kong. He was in military hospital for old war injury but is back at the theatre. . . . The father of Sheila Pemberton, Warner Brothers cashier at the local exchange here, passed away recently at Wells, B. C. WASHINGTON Bert Libin, of WWDC, was married to Rusty West. . . . Sam Galanty, Columbia Pictures mideast division mgr., was in California attending meetings. . . . Jack Keegan, former booker at 20th Century-Fox, was inducted into the Army. ... In connection with the opening of “Knights of the Round Table,” at the Capitol theatre, the Round Table International put on a parade as a sendoff to Crusade for Freedom. Attending were District Commissioner Renah F. Camalier, and the local Miss Washington. . . . Joseph Bernheimer, of Bernheimer Theatres, has carried on his late father’s tradition of special showings for student priests and nuns of Catholic University, at the Newton theatre. Latest picture to be shown was “The Robe.” . . . Jim Riding, assistant manager of the Capitol theatre is moving to Harrisburg, Pa. where he will have a post as manager of the Loew’s theatre there. 34 MOTION PICTURE HERALD, FEBRUARY 6, 1954