Motion Picture Herald (1954)

( Continued from preceding page ) first operated by Fox Inter-Mountain, and then by Wolfberg. The Cosmopolitan hotei, next door, owners, refused to state what use will be made of the building. . . . Chairmaned by Mayer Monsky, Universal branch manager, a meeting was held at the Paramount screening room to listen to the closed circuit messages from New York and organize the campaign for the Will Rogers Hospital Christmas Salute. Last year one salesman, Gene Klein, Universal, collected 10 per cent of Denver territory donation. . . . Win. Carter is now managing the Santa Fe. . . . R. H. (Red) Zimmerman, of American Seating Co., and Lloyd Ownbey, National Theatre Supply district manager, were in for unveiling of the redesigned loge chair put out by American. DES MOINES The Grand Theatre building in Estherville has been purchased by the Central States Theatre Corp., which operates the house. The purchase price of $70,250 included the building next to the theatre which houses the Economy store. The Grand has had a prominent and colorful part in the entertainment history of Estherville. Before Central States took over it was operated for many years by Mr. and Mrs. Henry Graaf who, in conjunction with the theatre itself, ran a confectionary store in the building next door. There a mechanical band played for both theatre patrons and soda sippers. . . . CinemaScope has been installed at the Coliseum at Lamoni. Manager Ben Needham said there would be no additional charge to CinemaScope viewers despite the added cost of the installation. . . . Joan Cooper has replaced Loretta Tilton as contract clerk at Warners. DETROIT Blood donors at Denby high school were rewarded with a car pass to the Eastside drive-in. . . . “This Is Cinerama” reportedly passed the 1,000,000 customer through the doors October 9. The total gross in the year and a half of operation will be in the neighborhood of $1,986,000. Forty per cent of the patrons are believed to have come from out of town. . . . Norman Granz’ “Jazz at the Philharmonic” played the Broadway Capitol two shows Saturday. The B-C was always a good house for this type of show under Sol Korman so there is little doubt that United Detroit Theatres will fare as well. . . . Bill Green of “This Is Cinerama” is back after a short operation and hospital stay. Says he won't be sitting around so much for a while. To prove that statement came the announcement that Green had been appointed district advertising manager, handling the Palace, Chicago; Century Minneapolis ; Ambassador, St. Louis ; Capitol, Cincinnati; and Music Hall, Detroit. Headquarters will remain in Detroit. HARTFORD The Rialto, Norwalk, Conn., and the Commodore Hull, Derby, Conn., long-closed Stanley Warner situations, have reopened, with the former unit operating on a Friday through-Sunday policy, and the Derby theatre on a seven-day schedule. Jack A. Simons, formerly manager of Loew’s Poli, Hartford, now managing the S-W Palace, Norwalk, is also supervising the Rialto, while managership of the Derby theatre has been assigned to Harry Corlew, formerly assistant manager of the S-W Strand, Hartford. . . . The Greenwich, Conn., with first run-art policy in effect. . . . General Theatres, Inc., has installed a screen measuring 116 feet wide and 62 feet high at the Mansfield drive-in, Willimantic, Conn. Unit is said to be the largest of its kind in eastern Connecticut. . . . Several hundred persons attended the testimonial dinner recently at the Statler Hotel, honoring Lou Cohen, Loew’s Poli manager, and Mrs. Cohen on their 35th wedding anniversary, and Mr. Cohen’s 35th year in show business. INDIANAPOLIS Variety Tent No. 10 has closed the deal for a building a film row to serve as club rooms, with rental space for the Allied Theatre Owners of Indiana and other industry units, Chief Barker Bob Conn reports. . . . The ATOI board will hold its monthly meeting at noon Oct. 19 in the Hotel Lincoln. ... A 18'-year-old Rockport boy was fined $25 for handcuffing himself to Diana Lynn, who was there last week on location for “The Kentuckian.”. . . Curt Butler, retired Columbia salesman now living in Florida, was a film row visitor during the week. . . . Marc Wolf has been named entertainment chairman for the ATOI convention in November by President Roy Kalver. . . . Deputy Sheriff Fred Fosler is going to Hollywood as technical adviser for Paramount’s “The Desperate Hours,” which is set in Indianapolis. JACKSONVILLE Bender A. Cawthon, Florida theatre projectionist, was re-appointed by Mayor Haydon Burns to his position as secretary of the city’s Board of Examiners for Projectionists. This is Cawthon’s twenty-first consecutive year in the job. . . . Glen Lambert, former Hollywood producer, has announced the formation of Southeastern Film Studios here for the production of two-reel motion picture comedies, half-hour TV shows, and TV commercials. . . . Edwina Graves began a leave of absence from 20th-Fox to be with her mother at Perry during the latter’s illness. . . . Phil Longdon, 20th-Fox’s east coast salesman, was stricken with a virus infection and confined to his home at Daytona Beach. . . . Louis Mesenkop, Paramount sound studio technician from Hollywood, has completed a Florida survey of first-run theatres in key situations. . . . Bolivar Hyde, of Lakeland, Florida, chairman of the Korean Relief drive, announced that 500 letters have been sent out to theatre men requesting their aid. KANSAS CITY First run attendance declined in the last week of September with fewer over-average returns. Subsequent runs also sagged, but are still ahead of the same period of 1953. . . . Maurice Druker, manager of Loew’s Midland, has returned from Baltimore, where he attended the funeral of his father, Isaac Druker, whose wife, and two daughters also survive. . . . Richard Purvis, who started in show business in his home town of Pittsburgh, Pa., with the Rich theatre, moved to Loew’s State at Cleveland, is now assistant to Mr. Druker at the Midland here. He succeeds William Luther, who has returned to his home town of Portland, Ore. • • • An ordinance to ban comic books of extreme types depicting crime and violence, is being prepared for the Independence, Mo., city council. LOS ANGELES The Kinema theatre, in Los Angeles which was opertaed by the Berman Theatres, was to close October 12. . . . William E. Dennis is the new owner of the Seville theatre in Chula Vista and will operate the house under the name of the Seville Theatre Company. . . . The Magnolia theatre, Burbank, which is operated by Jack Grossman, will be serviced by the Earl Johnson buying and booking office. . . . Sol Cohen, who operates the Sunset theatre in Hollywood, is in the Queen of Angels Hospitals after suffering a heart attack. . . . Joe Hartman, former salesman for National Screen Service and more recently associated with Walt Disney Productions, passed on. . . . Spence Wyatt, manager of the Gilmore drive-in theatre, was at home with an ulcer condition. . . . The salesmen and bookers on Film Row held a luncheon for Jerry Berwitz and Joe Sarfaty at the Roger Young Restaurant. Berwitz is leaving the sales department of MGM to go into production, while Sarfaty is resigning Warner Bros, sales to enter the burlap bag business in Stocton. MEMPHIS Memphis Variety now has in operation its new Home for Convalescent Children, which was dedicated recently. M. A. Lightman Sr., William Goodman, Alton Sims, Kemmons Wilson, Robert L. Bostick and M. H. Brandon have been named to the hospital’s board. The 20-bed, $78,000 hospital is for the recovery of children who have had rheumatic fever. . . . Frayser drivein at Memphis has instatlled a $6,000, 50 by 100 feet CinemaScope screen and other new equipment. . . . Riverside drive-in at Little Rock, Ark., has been sold to Rowley United Theatres, Inc., by Carl Burton. . . . T. A. Ray has closed New theatre at Calico Rock, Ark., and taken over the ownership and operation of Calico theatre there. . . . Only “Suddenly,” United Artists film, showing at Loew’s State, did above average business last week. It had 10 per cent above average. MIAMI Charles W. Bethell, co-owner of the Wometco theatres in Nassau where he also is a member of the legislature, returned from a government trip to Africa. . . . Max Youngstein, United Artists’ vice-president in charge of advertising, publicity and exploitation, was in town making arrangements for the Miami showing of “Barefoot Contessa” which has the tentative promise of the personal appearance of Ava Gardner. . . . Jimmy Barnett, manager of the Olympia, is still sweeping out the hay left by the hillbilly stage show of Roy Acuff and the Grand Ole Opry company from Nashville, Tenn. , . .“Contact,” the Wometco house organ edited by Mark Chartrand and his aide, Carib assistant Harry Kronewitz, promises a new feature which should prove interesting: “Somebody Goofed.” ( Continued on opposite page ) 32 MOTION PICTURE HERALD, OCTOBER Ifr, 1954