Motion Picture Herald (Apr-Jun 1955)

(Continued from page 158) in Hot Springs, X. M. . . . E. H. Bennington is opening Island Acres, a 320-car drive-in. Gunnison, Colo., July 15. . . . Irving Lamar and L. M. Peterson are opening a new 350-car drive-in, Hotchkiss, Colo., about July 1. . . . Robt. and Facion Beck are opening the Starlite, a new 500-car drive-in, Sheridan, Wyo., July 15. . . . Harold E. Brown is opening the Cactus, a new 250-car drive-in, Shoshone, Wyo., July 1. DES MOINES E. W. Kerr, former operator of the Rialto theatre in Bedford, has again leased the house. This time Dr. J. F. Hardin is the owner. Kerr, who lives in Colorado, ceased operation of the Rialto when the building was destroyed by fire early this year. The owner has agreed to give Kerr a year’s free rental and to install 450 seats, projection equipment and a wide screen. . . . I. R. Glesne and Mrs. Lily Johnson have reopened the Swan theatre at Mediapolis. Glesne said plans call for a show every night of the week. The theatre had been closed since early 1954. Glesne and Mrs. Johnson repurchased the theatre from Dr. W. L. Stewart and the equipment from the citizens theatre committee. . . . Prices have been boosted at the Everly theatre in Everly. The new prices are 15 cents for children and 35 cents for adults. The management said the increase was necessary in order to keep the theatre open. . . . Another hike in admission price was inaugurated by the theatre at Dumont. Children will pay 15 cents, students 40 cents and adults 55 cents. . . . Mrs. F. L. Miller has remodeled the entrance of the Cedar at Mechanicsville, putting in a composition stone front, with a large window at either side of the door. . . . The Nashua theatre at Nashua has been closed after many years of operation. The Charles City theatre has purchased the seats, and the brick building is for sale. DETROIT Surprise business was enjoyed by many area theatres as raw weather kept thousands of Detroiters home over the long Decoration Day weekend. . . . Colgate-Palmolive-Peet winner, Mrs. Helen Geagley, was presented with a $4,000 mink coat by Martin and Lewis on their recent personal appearance at Olympia. . . . Long delayed start of David Korman’s Wonderland drive-in in suburban Royal Oak is slated for early this month. Korman denied rumors that he’d given the project up. Meanwhile work progresses on the nearby Trot drive-in. . . . Carl Beals of the Colonial is in Harper hospital. . . . Elgin Yerrick, cashier of Leon Robbie’s Northside drive-in, Lansing, had the unhappy chore of passing $1,000 out the wicket to a gunman. . . . James Parks, Vogue projectionist, is turning the booth over to William Becker while enjoying a short vacation. . . . Tourist business brings happier days to Rex Kinne of the Lee at Whitmore Lake and Lyon at South Lyon. . . . Power failure stopped the Starlight at East Lansing. Failure also blacked traffic lights preventing quick departure of patrons. HARTFORD Walter Lebowitz, formerly with the Poli Theatres, Harford, has been named manager of the Parsons theatre, now under the Menschell-Calvocoressci banner. The downtown house is operating with a policy of “mature films, augmented by presentation of selected stage attractions.” . . . Charles Aaron, formerly manager of the Victory theatre. New London, Conn., has joined Community Amusement Corp. as manager of the Star, Hartford. . . . William Daugherty, manager of the East Windsor (Conn.) drive-in, has returned to his desk, following surgery. . . . Extensive remodeling is slated for the 4,200seat State theatre, only combination motion picture-vaudeville situation in Connecticut. . . . Joe Dolgin of the Pine drive-in, Waterbury. Conn., was on the committee for the sixth annual Warsaw Ghetto Memorial program sponsored by the Hartford Jewish Community Center. . . . Lockwood and Gordon has installed an automatic phone answering device at the Webb Playhouse, Wethersfield. INDIANAPOLIS Manny Marcus and Marc Wolf have sold their Tri-Way drive-in at Plymouth to Maurice Robbins of Huntington, operating as the Plymouth Amusements, Inc. Dave Battas, manager of the Tri-Way, has been transferred to the Ski-Hi at Muncie. . . . Dick Frank, Paramount branch manager, is on a vacation trip east to attend his son’s graduation at Williams College. . . . Maurice DeWirt, assistant manager of the Indiana, has resigned to work for the Link Belt Company. . . . The Cantor circuit has closed the Emerson, neighborhood house, for the summer. . . . The Alliance circuit held its spring meeting for its theatre managers in the central Indiana area at the Hotel Severin Tuesday and Wednesday. . . . Frank Bates, formerly with the Greenwood drive-in here, has been named manager of the Parkway at Louisville. JACKSONVILLE A team of Buena Vista executives was here for the public appearances of Fess Parker, star of Walt Disney’s “Davy Crockett,” June 1 and 2. . . . Exhibitors in were C. S. Dunn and Lee Sherwood, Dunn Theatres, Chattahoochee; Bill P. Cumbaa, M-C-M Theatres, Leesburg ; and Bob Skaggs, Matanzas theatre, St. Augustine. . . . Paramount’s Margaret Smith is moving to Houston, Tex., where she is expected to begin work with 20th-Fox. . . . Pat Tufano, U. A. booker, is engaged to Carlos Thomas. . . . Joan Zeitlinger, daughter of Mrs. Dot Zeitlinger, Florida State Theatres, is to marry Ellis Fernandez, Jr., July 15. . . . Bob Pollard, Republic salesman, came in from Tampa. . . . Paul Hargette, Columbia branch manager, completed a tour of Florida’s west coast. ... A total of 165 Florida drive-ins and 212 indoor theatres are now equipped for CinemaScope, Thomas P. Tidwell, 20thFox branch manager reported. LOS ANGELES Bernie Cobb, for many years a salesman with RKO, has resigned. . . . Joining the Paramount sales department here is Arnold Shartin, who was transferred from the company’s Minneapolis office. . . . Sam Klein, Film Row theatre broker, celebrated his 61st birthday. . . . Paul Mart has purchased his partner’s interest in the Arrow and Fontana theatres in Fontana. . . . Sam Nathanson, who heads Gibraltar Distributors, left on a coast-to-coast tour to book an hour-long screen lecture based on a self-help tome by Harold Sherman and Claude Bristol. . . . Hospitalized with a sprained back is Allan Banks, husband of Jeanette Banks, secretary to Morris Sudman, 20th Century-Fox branch manager. . . . Francis A. Bateman, Republic’s western sales manager, took off for Denver, Colorado Springs and Salt Lake City to set up first run bookings. . . . Buying supplies on the Row were Red Ammons and Don Grey, who operate the Beaumont Theatre in Beaumont. MEMPHIS Strand theatre, Memphis first run house on Main Street, has just completed its installation of CinemaScope screen and stereophonic sound, J. C. Beasley, manager, announced. Strand’s first CinemaScope picture was “That Lady,” scheduled to open June 10. . . . Arthur Groom, manager, Loew’s State, is on a three-week vacation trip. Rus.sell Bovim, Loew’s theatres southern district manager, St. Louis, is acting manager during Groom’s vacation. . . . “Love Me Or Leave Me,” MGM film, did twice average business during its first week at Loew’s State to lead the first run attendance parade in Memphis. Malco Theatres, Inc., announced it was enlarging its Summer Avenue drive-in, Memphis, by three acres as part of a $157,000 deal in which Malco Realty Co. bought 60 acres of land including the site of its theatre. . . . Tom Ferris, owner, has remodeled and reopened his Shelby theatre at Shelby, Miss. . . . George T. Davis, owner, has remodeled and reopened his Joy theatre at Cleveland, Miss. . . . Richard Bryant, booker, Strand Enterprises, Memphis, is seriously ill at St. Joseph’s Hospital. . . . Leon Roundtree, Mississippi exhibitor, was in town from Holly Springs. MIAMI Davy Crockett hit town June 2 and was the busiest, and most popular man in town for the 18 hours he spent here, according to A1 Weiss, divisional supervisor for Florida State Theatres. Fess Parker was on radio, TV and on view in Miami’s Bayfront Bandshell where the youngsters, and oldsters too, came to look. . . . Mrs. Hilda Bethell, wife of one of Wometco’s Nassau partners John H. Bethell, died unexpectedly at a local hospital from complications following a gall bladder operation. . . . Pending clarification of some restrictions, George Wilby is anxious to start construction on a drive-in for which he recently obtained a permit. Theatre will be located on N.W. 27th Avenue between 170 and 173d streets and will have space for between 750 and 800 cars. The finest and most modern equipment will be installed and the completed project should represent an investment of about $175,000. . . . Don Tilzer, public relations man for Claughton’s reports the Circle theatre will have a free children’s party on Saturday July 2 with Citizens Federal Savings Bank as host. MILWAUKEE After ten years absence, the Fischers are again in the theatre business with Earl Fischer taking over the operation of their Alamo theatre here. Earl, the son of tlie late Bert P'ischer, who had been in the business some 39 years until he died 10 years (Continued on page 162) 160 MOTION PICTURE HERALD, JUNE II. 1955