Motion Picture Herald (Apr-Jun 1952)

BOSTON ALBANY A number of theatres have been booking pictures staring Greer Gar son, Audrey Totter and Victor Jory, and tieing in the advertising with recent local appearances of the stars as part of the “Movietime U.S.A.” unit. The reception which the stars received in the small cities and towns was “terrific,” Harry Lament, exhibitor chairman, reported. The Hollywood contingent — it also had Don Taylor, Archie Mayo and Sam Marx — conducted themselves “perfectly.” Taylor seemed to be a favorite with teen agers. . . . Variety Club members and other industry friends of Max Friedman expressed the hope that success would be his in assuming from Warner Theatres operation of the Babcock and Temple, Wellsville, in the western district. Friedman had recently resigned as chief buyer and booker for the circuit in the zone offices here after 17 years’ service. . . . Neil Heilman plans to close the Paramount and Royal theatres, Albany, May 11, according to stories on Film Row. It is said he does not contemplate reopening the two neighborhood houses. Heilman’s Troy theatre, the Palace, is dark as the result of a fire which recently caused severe damage to the interior. . . . Don Moger, Warner exploiteer from Boston, spent two days here with Mrs. Grover Cleveland Alexander on behalf of “The Winning Team,” scheduled for a June showing at the Strand. ATLANTA Mr. and Mrs. Jim Ulmer (he is head booker Paramount Exchange) are the parents of twins, a boy and a girl. ... In for a booking trip were: Hugh Thomas and Mose Waller, Trail-Drive-In, Sarasota, Fla.; Nat Hancock, Jefferson, Jefferson, Ga. ; Walter Morris, Pike, Knoxville, Tenn.; Oscar Lam, Lam Amusement Co., Rome, Ga. ; Mrs. M. M. Osman, Strand, Covington, Ga. ; John Hackney, Porterdale, Ga. ; Mr. and Mrs. Ben Harris, Starlight, DriveIn, Tallapoosa, Ga. ; Nat Williams, Thomasville, Ga. ; Spence Pierce, Knoxville, Tenn.; Ebb Duncan, Georgia theatre owner ; Sidney Laird and L. J. Duncan, Al-Dun Amusement Co., West Point, Ga. ; The Martin Boys, Martin Theatres, Columbus, Ga. ; J. H. Thompson, Martin and Thompson, Hawkinsville, Ga., and John Thompson, Skyview Drive-In, Gainesville, Ga. . . . The Florida State Theatres, Jacksonville, Fla., has announced the sale of their Dreke theatre. Deland, Fla., to Geo. Stonaries. . . . Howell and Pegan has purchased the Lake Worth theatre. Lake Worth, Fla., from W. R. Shafer. . . . Curt Shreve, southern district manager of Manley Popcorn Co., confined to his home on account of a heart attack and low blood pressure. . . . Jack Hunt will marry Dot Prince of La Grange, Ga. They will spend their honeymoon in Mexico and Florida. . . . H. C. Austin has opened his new drive-in at Ardmore. Sam Horenstein, Manley’s district manager for New England, celebrated his 65th birthday and 25 years with the Manley Company on April 15. In commemoration of both anniversaries, the Manley company presented him with a solid gold watch suitably engraved. . . . Ray Feeley, executive secretary of Independent Exhibitors, Inc., of New England, attended the spring board meeting of national Allied in Colorado Springs, representing the New England unit. . . . Affiliated Theatres’ president Arthur Howard and his wife Carol recently celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary. . . . Graphic Theatres circuit has reopened their two Maine drive-ins with A1 Lashway managing the Rockland theatre and Harold McCool handling the Bangor drive-in. . . . “Tomorrow Is Too Late,” Italian film distributed in this area by Joe Levine, of Embassy Pictures, is set for its New England premiere at the Beacon Hill Theatre on May 23, with Frank Cronin helping manager Tom Dowd on the ballyhoo. . . . Jack Freeman won the highest average and the high 3 string for the top award in the final standings of the Theatrical Bowling League, with the Kenmore team, captained by Joe Sandler, winning the best out of eight entries. New officers for the 1952-53 season will be announced by the executive committee shortly. BUFFALO The City Board of Stadium and Auditorium has been upheld by Supreme Court Justice Raymond A. Knowles in awarding to Dewey Michaels, prominent local exhibitor (Palace and Mercury), the 1952 contract for stock-car races in the Civic Stadium. Three other bidders had asked that the contract be annulled. The members of the board, with one dissenting voice, awarded the contract in March to Mr. Michaels on his bid of 20% of the gross receipts for the city. The contract runs until October 5 and calls for a program of 36 races. . . . The visit to Buffalo and WHEN AND WHERE May 19-21: Annual convention, Independent Theatre Owners of Ohio, Hotel Hollenden, Cleveland, O. May 19-21 : Convention, Independent Theatre Owners of Arkansas, Marlon Hotel, Little Rock, Ark. May 28, 29: Annual convention, Kentucky Association of Theatre Owners, Brown Hotel, Louisville, Ky. June 17, 18: Annual convention, New Mexico Theatre Association, La Fonda Hotel, Santa Fe, New Mexico. western New York cities of the Hollywood Movietime personality caravan was a huge success and brought a lot of good will to the industry. Geo. H. Mackenna of Basil Theatres and William Dipson of Dipson Theatres, did great jobs as co-chairmen in lining up the appearances of the stars. . . . Mrs. Grover Cleveland Alexander was a Buffalo visitor the past week, coming here in behalf of Warner Brothers’ “The Winning Team.” Mrs. Alexander was accompanied on her tour by Art Moger of the WB exploitation forces. She was widely interviewed by press, radio and TV and was guest at a luncheon at noon in Hotel Statler. She threw out the first ball at the BuffaloSyracuse game in the evening in Offerman Stadium. . . . Alex Stornelli has re-opened the Star in Middleport. . . . Jack H. Boyd has taken over the Star in Caledonia. . . . Mark L. Sanders now is managing the Seneca drive-in near Geneva. . . . Toronto, which now is getting its TV from WBENTV in Buffalo, will start its own telecasts late in August on Channel 9. It is understood that TV ad rates in Toronto will be $1600 hourly. . . . Eddie Cantor was in town last May 4 to put on his one-man show in Kleinhans Music Hall in behalf of the Red Cross blood drive. A pint of blood was the admission ticket. CHICAGO Business continues in the doldrums here, with the exception of the drive-ins which have just had two of the biggest week-ends in their history. With grosses sagging, another wave of theatre closings seems imminent ; already, the Star, in Chicago, operated by Richard and Morris Salkin, has closed, and the Anderson Circuit has shuttered its Times theatre, Morris, 111. . . . Dave Batke, co-manager of the Commercial, Chicago, has moved to the Hilltop Drive-in, Joliet, for the summer. His colleague, John Draught, carries on at the Commercial. . . . The 4 Star, Chicago, got a plug in the columns with its jungle display in the lobby, advertising the engagement of “The African Queen.” . . . The 300-seat Astor, in downtown Chicago, has been using newspaper ads for the first time in several years. . . . Manta and Rose’s Hammond 41 Drive-in has inaugurated a series of Sunday afternoon United Protestant services by Dr. Preston Bradley, which will continue throughout the summer. No admission will be charged and no collections will be taken up. Services are at 4 o’clock Sunday afternoons. . . . The Oriental, Chicago, raised its top admission to $1.25, including tax, for the p.a. of singer Johnny Ray. . . . Otto K. Eitel threw a cocktail party for Cecil B. DeMille to celebrate the first run engagement of “The Greatest Show on Earth” at Eitel’s Palace. . . . The La Salle Drive-in, jointly owned by the Alliance and Alger circuits, opened last week with two evenings of free shows. . . . The north (Continued on following page) MOTION PICTURE HERALD, MAY 10, 1952 45