Motion Picture Herald (Apr-Jun 1955)

ALBANY Indoor theatres, which generally reported poor business in May, looked for a pickup starting the second week of June. Reasons given for the unprofitable month ranged from insufficiency of strong product to the public’s desire for outdoor activity — stimulated by mild weather. . . . Jules Perlmutter pulled a surprise by leasing the neighborhood Paramount from Neil Heilman and reopening it, without union projectionists or newspaper copy. Local 324 began picketing since this was the first time in many years an Albany theatre has been operated with a non-union boothman. Perlmutter also conducts two drive-ins and two four-wall situations. ... A daughter was born to Francis Lynch, chief booker-office manager for Paramount Films, and Mrs. Lynch. She is their third child. The baby's grandfather is George V. Lynch, chief buyer for Schine Circuit, Gloversville. . . . Visitors included: John P. Curtin, Republic eastern sales manager ; Peter Dana, Universal division sales manager; Joseph Gins, district manager, and Irving Sochin, short subjects sales chief. ATLANTA Mrs. Johnny Kime, wife of the owner of the theatre in Roseboro, N. C., and her daughter are on a month’s tour. . . . Bob Ingram, southern district manager of Columbia Pictures, and Mrs. Ingram are back in Atlanta after a trip to Florida and the Caribbean. . . . The Roy Martins of the Martin theatre have a new arrival at their house. . . . R. M. Wilby, president Wilby Theatres, and his wife are back home after a tour of Europe. . . . Alpha Fowler has purchased a site in Villa Rica, Ga., for a 500-car drivein. It will be called the Rock drive-in. . . . On the row visiting and booking were : Norris Abram, Lumpkin, Ga. ; Sidney Laird and L. J. Duncan, Al-Dun Amusement Co., West Point, Ga. ; Mr. and Mrs. John Carter, Brookhaven, Brookhaven, Ga. ; Ebb Duncan, theatres in Georgia. . . . Dade County Commissioners in Elorida approved building permits for two drive-ins. One to George Hoover, president of Variety Club International for a l,00f)-car drive-in; the other to George Wilby, for a 500-car drive-in. BALTIMORE Harry M. Warner came in from the West Coast to see his horse. Honey’s Alibi, run at Pimlico in a Preakness prep race for three year-olds. . . . Oscar Kantor, Baltimore and Washington representative for Warner Bros., and his wife Shirley left for a vacation w'hich will take them to Hawaii and California. . . . William Wright, a film reviewer with the state board of motion picture censors, is on vacation. . . . Parochial school children, who participated for charity last summer, were guests at Keith’s through the courtesy of Jack Fruchtman to see “Strategic Air Command.” . . . C. Elmer Nolte, Jr., president of Maryland Allied, was in New York for a meeting. . . . Richard Dizon, manager of Town theatre, is vacationing in Wis consin. ... I. M. Rappaport, owner. Town and Hippodrome, was in New York on business. . . . Frank H. Durkee, president, Durkee Enterprises, spent a weekend at his summer place. BOSTON James M. Connolly, former 20th-Fox district manager, who recently joined the Donnelly Advertising Company, is 1955-56 chairman of the Greater Boston March of Dimes. . . . William Cuddy, RKO, was re-elected president of the Cinema Club of Boston at its annual election of officers. John Glazer, Western Massachusetts Theatres, was chosen first vice-president; Phil Berler, E. M. Loew Theatres, second vice president; Max Berlone, U.A., treasurer, and C. F. McGerigle, secretary. . . . The Boston Post started running the serialized version of “Not As A Stranger” on its front page. The film is set for mid-July opening at Loew’s State and Orpheum theatres. . . . The Saxon theatre, Fitchburg, closed for a month’s refurbishing. . . . Adding a tenth link to the Redstone chain of drive-ins, is one under construction in East Rutherford, N. J., scheduled for opening on Labor Day. William Riseman Associates, of Boston, have designed it. BUFFALO Industryites noted at the big luncheonmeeting of the Main Street Association last Tuesday in Hotel Lafayette were George H. Mackenna, Basil’s Lafayette ; C. J. Basil, head of Basil circuit; Arthur Krolick, Charles B. Taylor and Edward Miller, UPT and Robert T. Murphy. . . In connection with the presentation of “Interrupted Melody,” at Shea’s Buffalo, Edward F. Meade, Shea circuit ad head, sent out postcards to a long list of local music lovers, calling attention to the great music in the film story of Marjorie Lawrence. . . . Carl S. Hallauer, president of Bausch & Lomb, Rochester, which developed the lenses for CinemaScope, received an honorary LL.D. degree at the 119th commencement exercises last Sunday at Alfred University. . . . Robert T. Murphy, managing director. Century, announces the coming to his house of “The Seven Year Itch,” in the cast of which is Robert Strauss who used to run a women’s wear shop in Buffalo. . . . The Commodore theatre. East Side community house, has been put on the market by David Krieger of Batavia. The Commodore last was operated by William Brett, now president of Skyway Drive-In Theatres. . . . The Colonial, a link in the Gammel community chain, has been closed for the summer. . . . Edward L. Hyman, vicepresident, American Broadcasting-Paramount Theatres, will be in Buffalo June 14 and 15 to look over AB-PT operations here and in Rochester. CHICAGO Ten Protestant churches in the Beverly theatre neighborhood sold tickets for the June 10th opening of “A Man Called Peter.” The sales represent benefits for the church groups involved. . . . Paramount Pictures held a weekend meeting at the Sherman Hotel to discuss new product promotion. . . . Warner Wolff, of Filmack Trailer Company’s production department, returned this week from a business trip to Cincinnati. . . . B&K is starting a campaign for a courtesy program in its theatres. . . . Filmack’s “Courtesy Is Contagious” will aid the program. . . . Stanley J. Dumbroski is the new manager at the Halfield theatre. Phil Higgins, formerly at the Halfield, was moved as manager of the Harper. . . . Jim Gorman, manager of the Loop theatre, took his wife and small daughter to Arizona for a vacation. ... Si Greiver will do the booking for the new Bel-Air drive-in which M & R Theatres will have in operation by July first. He has handled the booking for the Sunset and Double drive-ins, M & R properties. At the same time, Greiver was appointed to arrange bookings for the Evanston theatre which co-owners Ben and Julius Kaplan are opening July 1. COLUMBUS A daylight robber escaped with $72 taken from Rosemary Sims, cashier at RKO Palace. Miss Sims, an amateur artist, made a sketch of the man for police. . . . Richard Secord, who was assistant manager for Loew’s here before entering West Point, was graduated June 7. Secord will report August 10 at Marianna Air Force Base in Florida. . . . Mrs. Ethel Miles announced a policy of first-run attractions at four local driveins. The films include “Shotgun,” “Seven Angry Men,” “An Annapolis Story,” “The Big Tipoff,” “Las Vegas Shakedown” and “Case of the Red Monkey.” John Barcroft is now publicity manager for the Miles circuit. Barcroft, former RKO theatres’ publicity manager, also has rejoined his former boss, Harry Schreiber, in handling publicity for the new Franklin County Veterans’ Memorial. Schreiber is promotion manager of the multi-million dollar structure which will be opened in October. . . . Mrs. Ethel Miles is installing a 114-foot screen at the East Main drive-in. . . . “Strategic Air Command” was held for a second week at Loew’s Ohio. DENVER Tillie Chalk, office manager at Paramount, is in the hospital few days for checkup. . . . A good crowd was on hand for the closed circuit kickoff for the Will Rogers Hospital drive at the Paramount exchange. Jack Felix is regional chairman, and hopes all exhibitors will make collections one day for the fund. ... 69 theatres in the area took up a collection for the Korean Fund. . . . Atlas Theatres will do extensive remodeling at the Unique, Gunnison, Colo., adding CinemaScope with Stereophonic sound. . . . Albert McCormick, son of the late B. P. McCormick, seriously ill in a New Orleans hospital. He formerly managed the McCormick houses (Continued on page 160) 158 MOTION PICTURE HERALD, JUNE II. 1955