Motion Picture Herald (Oct-Dec 1956)

Albany Better ushers and more alert cleaners — two elements vital to topflight theatre operation— are difficult to hire at the current wage scales and in a highly competitive labor market, area theatre operators report. . . . Fall vacationers include: George Seed, manager of Fabian’s Cohoes in Cohoes who, with Mrs. Seed, drove to Miami, Fla.; Norman Weitman, Universal manager, and his wife, who fly to Bermuda Nov. 10 for a week’s stay; George Lourinia, manager of Saratoga drive-in, and his wife who have scheduled a trip to Florida. . . . Berio Vending Co. will take over the concession operations at Sylvan Left’s two Utica indoor theatres, his Watertown conventional theatre and drive-in situations, and at the drive-in he is building at Pittsfield, Mass. . . . Max Westebbe, RKO manager, and Elias Schlenger, Fabian division manager, are serving as co-chairmen of the annual Will Rogers Hospital Christmas Salute, which was launched at a meeting in the Fox studio. Atlanta Bernice Shapiro, Southern Poster Exchanges, is back at the office after a business trip to Jacksonville. . . . Jane Hikock is the new booker’s secretary at United Artists. . . . Bill Henry, formerly of the Moon-Lite drive-in, is the new owner of the Maury Mount theatre, Pleasant, Tennessee. . . . Buena Vista has closed its Jacksonville, Fla. branch. . . . Nat Williams, president of the Interstate Amusement Co., Thomasville, Ga., was on the Row after several weeks of illness. . . .Also back at his office after a sick spell is Oscar Howell, president of Capital City Supply Co. . . . Here visiting with her friends was Mrs. Rose Lancaster of Strickland Film Co. Mrs. Lancaster was formerly with Astor Pictures. . . . Also on the Row visiting and booking, were: Mrs. C. E. Maroney, of the Liberty, Chickamauga, Ga.; Mrs. Eunice Hobgood, Howell drive-in, Canton, Ga.; Herman Abrams, Richland and Lumpkin, Ga.; Sol Abrams, of the Harlem, Athens, Ga. . . . Mr. and Mrs. N. E. Bush, formerly of Tallahassee, Ala., have taken over the management of the Ritz and Highway 90 drive-in, DeFuniak Springs, Fla. . . . Oliver Towell is the new manager of the Gold Coast drive-in theatre, Deerfield Beach, Fla. He comes from Kannapolis, N. C., where he was manager of the Park drivein. Boston Robert B. Harris has reopened his Profile theatre, Lincoln, N.H., for weekends only, handling his own buying and booking, while in Fryeburg, Me., Joe Cassinelli has reopened the Fryeburg theatre for weekends. Both had been closed during the summer months. . . . Mr. and Mrs. Lyle Holden have installed CinemaScope equip ment at their Strand theatre, Jackman Station, Maine. . . . Frank Le Page, owner of the Millinocket, Maine, theatre, is in the Bangor General Hospital for observation. . . . The Exeter theatre, Boston, will open November 11 with “Richard III”. . . . “Lust For Life” is set for a benefit premiere at the Kenmore theatre, Boston, November 15. The Boston Museum of Fine Arts will sponsor the benefit with proceeds going to the student loan fund. . . . Edward Rennick, UA salesman, has resigned. . . . Herman Rifkin, franchise holder of Allied Artists Pictures, is off to the West Coast to attend a board of directors meeting. . . . Joe Levine, president of Embassy Pictures, has returned from a visit to the West Coast where he screened new product. Buffalo The third Cinerama production “Seven Wonders of the World,” was viewed by more than 27,000 persons at the Teck in October and manager Dave Rogers declares the daily attendance is up 20 per cent over the previous two Cinerama productions. Earl L. Hubbard, Teck special services manager, said more than 30,000 persons are expected to attend in November. . . . Union and company representatives have reached an agreement on a new two-year contract covering 92 employes at radio station WGR and the WGR-TV station. . . . Photo of George Sussman, former booker along Film Row, is being featured in all ads of the Riverside Men’s Shop, where he now is employed as a salesman. . . . Tent 7, Variety club of Buffalo, in addition to sponsoring the Cerebral Palsy Clinic in the Children’s Hospital, has now also taken on supoort of the Rehabilitation Center of the Children’s Hospital and the Crippled Children’s Guild. . . . The Variety clubs will hold its annual election Nov. 19. . . . Francis Maxwell. RKO Pictures office manager, has accepted the chairmanship of the Variety Club’s indoor theatre collection drive. . . . Robert T. Murphy, managing director, Century theatres back from a business trip to New York City, where he viewed “Around the World in 80 Days,” which the Century will show early next year, following “The Ten Commandments.” Chicago Reports from all over the city indicate that with few exceptions business is off. Theatre managers say this is not uncommon around election time. Drive-ins, on the other hand, report that the return of warmer weather has been a boon to their business — to such an extent, they sa,_ that planned October closing dates were postponed. . . . Ira Kutok and his family have moved into their new, modern sixroom home in suburban Skokie. . . . Jim Velde, UA vice-president, spent last week here to help the local UA office launch the “Jim Velde Sales Drive”. . . . Henry Kemp, a supervisor for Essaness Theatres, is spending his vacation driving along the Atlantic seaboard. . . . Irving Mack, who just returned from Jacksonville, Florida, where he attended the annual convention of the Motion Picture Exhibitors of Florida, will also attend the sessions of the Independent Theatre Owners of Ohio at Columbus, November 13-14 and the Allied States Association Fall board meeting in Dallas November 27-29. Cleveland Nat Wolf, former Warner Ohio zone manager whose theatre interests are now confined to a drive-in in Texas, recently moved into his new ranch type home in the village of Beechmont. . . . Frank Slavik of the Mumac theatre, Middlefield, and his wife are off to an early fall Florida vacation. . . . Back in civvies are two members of the younger generation; Lt. Charles Johnson, formerly of the Air Force, son of Eddie Johnson of the film messenger service; and Dick Miller, son of Warner office manager Yaro Miller, after four years in the Navy. . . . Frances Bolton and Ramona Welson of National Screen Service returned from a Florida vacation. . . . Funeral services were held this week for Mrs. Emma Lichter, mother of 20th-Fox salesman, Sam Lichter. . . . S. P. Gorrel and Leonard Mishkind, who head General Theatres Circuit of seven conventional theatres, have added two drive-ins to their operation. They acquired from Tom Manos and W. E. Gross the Auto drive-in, Canton, and the SkyWay drive-in, Malverne. . . . There is no deal on to install Todd-AO in the downtown Embassy theatre at this time, Henry Greenberger, vice-president of Community Circuit of which the Embassy is a unit, reports. . . . Jack Share, until recently Buena Vista salesman, is visiting his family in Florida. Denver Frances Melrose, motion picture and drama editor and critic on the News, spent her vacation in Spain, and tells of running into Mr. and Mrs. John Wolfberg. Wolfberg is a former Denver theatre operator, and was also organizer and first president of the Allied Rocky Mountain Independent Theatres. He had been working on “The Pride and the Passion,” while Mrs. Wolfberg is production secretary on “Flamingo.” . . . Dick Lutz, assistant manager for National Theatre Supply, moved into a new house at 5580 E. Mansfield, at the edge of town. . . . Carol Hart has replaced Helen Engstrum as cashier at Allied Artists. Mrs. Engstrum returned to Milwaukee. . . . Ted Knox, theatre supply, and Fay Gardner and George Allan Jr., theatre men, went deer hunting — successfully, getting three deer and two elk. . . . John Allen, Dallas, district manager for ( Continued on following page ) MOTION PICTURE HERALD, NOVEMBER 10, 1956 25