Motion Picture Herald (Apr-Jun 1955)

{Continued from page 160) ago, is doing his own booking and buying. . . . During the past 10 years the Alamo had been leased to A. Provinzano and M. Chesnick. Plans for the near future will be to install CineinaScope. . . . Elsie Fischer, Bert Fischer’s widow, relates that a friend of their s in Manitowoc recently sent her a clipping from their paper which told of their first theatre, the Crystal in iNlanitowoc, burning down some 46 years ago. The Fischers also had the Pearl, Park and ^lozart theatres here. . . . Henry J. Cludius, 65. a theatre electrician employe of Fox Wisconsin theatres, passed away after suffering from a stroke this May.’ Survivors are his wife, Margaret, and his daughter. He had been well thought of in the local industry for a number of years. MINNEAPOLIS Bonnie Lynch, branch manager’s secretary at Paramount, has been promoted to booker, and Ila Klossner, formerly of Northwest Theatre Service, has been named branch manager’s secretary. . . . The Roxy at Clarkfield, Minn., and its equipment were auctioned off on June 6 by Mrs. Franceil Kereby, owner, according to an announcement to the trade. . . . Ralph Maw, MGM branch manager, vacationed at home for a week. . . . Drive-in Theatre Co. of Sioux Falls, S. D., will build a 650-car drive-in at Faribault, Minn. John Watters of Fairmont, Minn., will manage the project. . . . Gordon Sties of Menomonie, Wis., will build a 400-car drive-in operation near Red Wing, Minn., which is slated to open the end of this month. . . . Work has begun on Leo Aved’s new drive-in at Coon Rapids, Minn., about 10 miles north of Minneapolis. Project was approved by the Town Council. . . . The W’elworth Circuit has opened its new drive-ins at Montevideo and New Ulm, Minn., and is pushing work on a third outdoor operation at Devils Lake, N. D. . . . Marlene Hickerson, secretary to Don Swartz at Independent-Lippert, is engaged to William Gibbs. NEW ORLEANS Joy drive-in, Greenville, Miss, resumed operations after temporary closing for screen tower repairs. . . . Alfred A. Maestri, 51, died suddenly of a heart attack May 31. He was the Loew’s State electrician for many years. ... A. L. Morgan of Fred T. McLendon Theatres advised that they have closed the Copia drive-in, Hazelhurst, Miss. . . . E. W. Brundell, of “Brundell’s Temple of Mystery” stage show, reports that they packed them in for tw'o shows at the Ideal. Ponchatoula, La. . . . Leo Seieshnaydre, Republic’s pilot, is back in the office after a business trek in southwestern Ala. and western Florida. . . . Bernard Woolner, president Woolner Theatres, scheduled June 20 for a trip to Hollywood in the interest of Woolner Bros, productions. . . . J. B. Dumestre, Jr., president .Southeastern Theatre Equipment, returned to headquarters in Atlanta after a week’s visit with manager W. H. Murphy, Jr. of the local branch. . . . Exchange personnel vacationing are Cy Bridges, city salesman, and Ethel DeFraites, contract clerk of M.G.M.; S. D. Rizzuto, booker at Republic, and Tommy Neely, Jr., salesman, and Vicki Orlando, booking department of 20th Century-Fox. Back at their posts after trips are Roy J. Hirstius, shipper, and Mrs. Inez Tauzin, inspectress, M.G.M.; Helen Simonson, inspectress, and A1 Boneno, booker, at 20th Century-Fox. OKLAHOMA CITY Harber theatre celebrated the closing of school with a “spook show” June 3-4 starting at 1 1 P. M. “Phantom of Paris” and “W'erewolf of London” were shown. . . . Downtown and neighborhood tlieatres were to stage a “Freedom Day” for Oklahoma City school children and their mothers June 8. The event was to tie in with the first day of a series of "Million Dollar Days” sales sponsored by the Oklahoma City Downtown Association. School-age children up through junior high school were admitted without charge to theatres all over the city, thus freeing their mothers for downtowm shopping tours. . . . Jerry Jeter, 59, veteran Oklahoma City movie projectionist, died of a heart attack May 26. He worked at the Warner theatre, and had been a projectionist since 1920. Survivors include his wife, a daughter, four sisters and three brothers . . . The Aggie theatre at Stillwater, Okla., has a special for children. Every Saturday there will be a special film selected from the Children’s Library of Films. PHILADELPHIA Abraham M. Ellis has added the Forum, key neighborhood house, to his chain of A. M. Ellis Theatres. . . . Warren Wielland announced the installation of CinemaScope at his Strand and Ventner in Atlantic City, N. J. . . . John Harwan has taken over the Blackwood at nearby Mt. Epraim, N. J. . . . Raymond Wolf, manager of the Rivoli, was injured in a fall on the theatre roof. . . . Barney Cohen, manager of Stanley Warner’s Logan, was hospitalized for an emergency operation. . . . John Golder, Jam Handy representative, is now also associated with his brother, Sam, in the Golder Construction Co. which is now doing the TransLux remodeling job. . . . Benny Harris, head of the independent American F'ilms Exchange, underwent an operation. . . . Richard R. Evan ;, who form' riy contacted the trade for advertising in the defunct Sunday Star in Wilmington, Del., has been named advertising representative for the Frank Gallagher public relations firm. Jerry J. Perling, editor and publisher of the weekly Wilmington Record, which stopped publication recently, opened his own public relations firm. . . . Theatre closings with the advent of the warm weather included the York, York, Pa.; Ritz, Treverton, Pa.; Ritz, Coplay, Pa., and the Andrea, Catawissa, Pa. . . . “Tony” Nastasee, manager of the Super .Skyway (Irive-in, Kuhnsville, Pa., welcomed a third son into the family, born last week. PITTSBURGH The Penn has acquired “Not As A Stranger” for a July 1 booking. . . . Veteran comic Chester Conklin is the first actor announced for the 50th anniversary of the first Nickelodeon in Pittsburgh. MGM’s “The Cobweb” will have its world premiere here in the Harris Theatre on June 15 in conjunction with the festivities. . . . Latest double bill to go first run on a mass neighborhood house bill teams “Women’s Prison” with “New Orleans Uncensored.”. . . “Love Me Or Leave Me” delayed at the Penn one week with “The Far Horizons” rushed in to replace “Strategic Air Command.”. . . The Stanley gets Disney’s “Lady and the Tramp” July 13. . . . Jack Webb is expected here late next month to plug “Pete Kelly’s Blues.”. . . “Chance Meeting” will follow “Three Cases of Murder” in the Squirrel Hill. . . . Alice Zeigler, Variety Club secretary, in Shadyside Hospital for observation. . . . The season’s “sleeper” locally has been “The Green Scarf,” the British import which is still going strong in ito seventh week in the Guild theatre. PORTLAND Town is loaded with film people this week. Mari Blanchard was here for two days on personal appearance tour. . . . RKO branch manager Dick Lange did a big promotion with her tour. . . . Hamrick city manager Marvin Fox is back at his desk after a week’s vacation. . . . Paramount field man Walter Hoffman is off to Chicago to meet with Jerry Pickman. . . . J. J. Parker chain executive Keith Petzold had a reunion with Coos Bay, Ore. circuit operator Bob IMattacheck at the Junior Chamber of Commerce meet. . . . H. Neal East, western division sales manager for Paramount, and Hugh Owen, vice-president in charge of sales, are here for two days. ... Ted Gallenter, IMGAI publicity m.an, also was in town from San Francisco. . . . Abe Glaser, Walt Disney publicity official, was here to set campaigns for forthcoming product. PROVIDENCE The Strand, celebrating its 40th anniversary, arranged a special program incidental with the first screening here of “Strategic Air Command.” Several of the top Air Force officers, from surrounding military installations, were invited guests and the sectionally famous Warren Indian Band serenaded the opemng mght patrons, along with other activities. . . . Local teen-agers and many adults descended in full force on Loew’s State, where Bill Trambukis, manager, staged a three-day “Rock’n’ Roll” Revue on stage, in addition to the screening of “Jesse James’ Women.”. . .“Doctor In The House” held at the Avon Cinema for a second week. . . . For the first time in many years, several New York theatres, featuring the legitimate drama, bought sizable space on the amusement page of the local paper, inviting Rhode Islanders to avail themselves of “the living stage.”. . . Because the Gionti Trio proved so popular on their first stage appearance at E. M. Loew’s Providence drive-in, they were brought back for the holiday weekend as a special feature. SAN FRANCISCO Bob Kunce, manager at the Fox theatre, is back on the job after a bout with pneumonia. . . . When “This Is Cinerama” is replaced by “Cinerama Holiday” the end of July, the 84-week run will put S. F. way ahead of the 67-week record held by Minneapolis, according to Jackson Miller, managing director, Orpheum theatre. ... It is rumored that the Mike Todd Productions are eyeing the State theatre on Market .Street, a Paramount house that has been dark for several years, as a possible Todd A-0 theatre for Northern California. . . . Two recent robberies reported: at the Embassy theatre, a gunman escaped with $25 {Continued on page 168) 162 MOTION PICTURE HERALD, JUNE II, 1955