Motion Picture Herald (Oct-Dec 1956)

( Continued from page 47) and joined the vaudeville act of the Bruxellos. . . . Mrs. J. J. Parker will close the Broadway theatre for the next two weeks and install Todd-AO equipment at a cost of $75,000. Entire balcony will be out. Hai’d tickets will be sold at $2 top on a two-day setup with three on weekends. . . . Hollywood theatre manager Rex Hopkins has set some kind of a record at the ace Evergreen neighborhood house by running “King and I” four weeks and no let up is yet in sight. . . . Liberty theatre manager Wil Hudson has a rock ’n’ roll midnite screen show set up. Providence The long-shuttered Metropolitan, for many years one of this city’s leading first run houses, will once again re-open, according to tentative plans recently released. The 3,045-seat-house, second largest in the state, will offer stage attractions, on week-ends only, for the time being. Whether second and third run films will supplement the live shows could not be ascertained. During the past few years, since departing from first run screen attractions, the Metropolitan has opened and closed more than a score of times. . . . Local theatre owners, managers and others concerned with the attendance, or lack of same at downtown theatres were more than mildly interested in the recent report on the reasons causing the downward trend in all types of business in downtown Providence. Local merchants, businessmen and others contributed $25,000 for the intensive survey. The investigating group released a report indicating that downtown Providence was no longer a “monopoly,” but was actually losing the battle for business to suburban shopping centers. ... It was learned that the fate of the proposed drive-in at the Shipyard Shopping Center hangs in the balance as neighboring residents seek to halt the plan. San Francisco In connection with the engagement of “The Search for Bridey Murphy,” the Golden Gate is planning a series of interesting “wanted” ads in the papers. . . . “Oklahoma!” is still going strong at the Coronet, but rumor along the Row has “Around the World in 80 Days” replacing it soon. . . . “Giant” is scheduled as the next attraction at the Paramount. . . . “Seven Wonders of the World,” third Cinerama production, will have its West Coast premiere at the Orpheum Nov. 20. Proceeds from the premiere, sponsored by the Press and Union League Club, will go to scholarship awards for jornalism students. . . . F. W. Woolworth store here will tie-in with the nation-wide promotion for 20th-Fox’s “Love Me Tender,” the Elvis Presley picture, set for the Fox at Thanksgiving. The drive will be launched on Nov. 1, and continue until the picture opens. . . . Gilboy, part of National Film Service, now services prints for the Paramount exchange here. . . . Film luminaries in town recently included Rod Steiger and Joseph Cotten and his wife. . . . Janet Rafferty and Regina Vaivads are new in the booking department at Allied Artists. St. Louis The Chamber cf Commerce of LeRoy, 111., has started a series of free movie programs at the Princess theatre in that city. Tickets have been distributed free by establishments holding membership in the chamber and no purchases are required to secure them. . . . E. Cyrille Stewart, 60, who had been associated with the theatre business in Cincinnati, O., for thirty years, died recently at Christ Hospital in that city following a heart attack. For the last 12 years he had been identified with the Associated Theatres. . . . Someone broke into the Avon drive-in, Breese, 111., recently but they got nothing as there was nothing to take. The theatre had just closed for the season and every thing of value had been taken out. . . . The Illiana drive-in theatre, Danville, 111., has announced that it will be open every Friday, Saturday and Sunday only for the remainder of the season. Toronto Part of the local theatre scene since 1914, Shea’s theatre, Famous Players 2,373-seat first run house, is to be demolished at the end of the year to make room for an underground parking lot and garage, part of the city’s long-planned Civic Square. The house was originally built by Jerry and Mike Shea. Until World War II, it combined film and vaudeville. . . . D. C. Coleman, director of a number of Canadian companies, including Odeon Theatres (Canada), Ltd., died in Montreal recently. . . . Maritime regional representative of Adfilms, Ltd., Claude Fitzpatrick of Amherst, N. S., is now eastern divisional manager. . . . Shuffling of National Film Board personnel resulted in the following appointments: Walter Mittlested to become Newfoundland supervisor, Ben Drew to Regina as district officer and Wally Lee to be district officer in Winnipeg. Vancouver “War and Peace” was the top attraction here last week, smashing through to record-breaking grosses at the 3,000-seat Orpheum. . . . Business is on the up-beat in both downtown and suburban houses. . . . Dominion Sound has equipped the Patricia, Powell River, and the Roxy, Westview, both operated by McLeod Amusements Ltd., with magnetic sound. Houses are up-coast from Vancouver in the pulp paper area of British Columbia. . . . Ivan Ackery, Orpheum manager in charge of publicity for “War and Peace,” is in Victoria planning a campaign for the picture which opens at the Royal Victoria. . . . Maynard Joiner, Famous Players district manager, was elected a vice-president of the Greater Vancouver Tourist Association. . . . “The King and I” finished its 12th and final week at Dick Letts’ Strand. It broke the all-time attendance record for Vancouver. . . . The Odeon circuit re-opened the Kingsway here, making four houses in the area relit recently. . . . The recent attendance improvement at city suburban theatres may well mean further openings of now dark houses. . . . Jimmy Adams from the Circle will manage the Kingsway, with Len Keen, former manager of the Odeon Ladysmith, replacing Adams at the Circle. Washington Mrs. Francis Storty, wife of the president of Midcity Theatre Corp., was hospitalized for surgery at Georgetown University Hospital. . . . Mrs. Jimmie Finney, secretary to Sam Galanty, divisional sales manager of Columbia Pictures, vacationed in New England. . . . Stanley Warner Theatres and Magna Theatre Corp. had a press-radio-TV preview of “Oklahoma!” at the Uptown theatre October 31. . . . Loew’s Theatres and Paramount Pictures offered a special student discount at the Capitol theatre for “War and Peace”. . . . Pat Boone, 22, new singing star, was voted “personality of the year” in show business by the Variety Club of Washington. FILM THE LIFE BLOOD OF YOUR BUSINESS WILL BE THE PRINCIPAL TOPIC AT ANNUAL CONVENTION INDEPENDENT THEATRE OWNERS OF OHIO DESHLER HILTON HOTEL COLUMBUS, OHIO November 13-14 TESTIMONIAL DINNER TO MARTIN G. SMITH November 13th, 7 P.M. 50 MOTION PICTURE HERALD, NOVEMBER 3, 1936