Motion Picture Herald (Oct-Dec 1956)

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Los Angeles Pat Greene, former manager of the Harbor drive-in, near San Pedro, has been made manager of the new Belair drive-in in the San Bernardino area. Wes Wald suceeds Greene at the Harbor. . . . Anticipating future expansion, the Bevelite Co., theatre equipment supplier, acquired property next door to their present location. . . . A1 Blumberg, National Screen salesman, is on a business trip up Arizona way. . . . Milt Smith and his wife Doddie were in from Santa Paula to secure product for their drive-in. . . . O’Keefe & Associates’ Belair, the new 1,050-car drive-in completed recently in the San Bernardino area, and whose opening was delayed due to court action over first run product, opened its gates November 21 with the new Elvis Presley picture. Despite this indication of having won the initial round in the battle, the Belair apparently isn’t clear of any future legal entanglements. A petition has been filed by Pacific DriveIn Theatre Corp., operator of the Baseline and Tri-City drive-ins in the same area, to intervene in Fox West Coast’s declaratory relief action against the Belair. Memphis Theatre attendance made newspaper headlines in Memphis. “Love Me Tender” did three and one-half times average business during its first week at Loew’s State theatre. . . . The Warner, showing the Warner Bros.’ “Giant,” did three and three-fourths average business during the second week after a record-breaking first week. . . . Malco got one and one-half times average business with the Allied Artists film, “Friendly Persuasion.” . . . A windstorm damaged the screen tower at John Carter’s Trace drive-in, Amory, Miss., so badly he had to close up for repairs. . . . Allen Donnell, 8, fell asleep in Roxie theatre, Memphis, and didn’t awaken until 2 A.M. A passerby heard him calling for help and called police. . . . Frank Patterson, owner, closed the City theatre, Junction City, Ark., from Dec. 2 to 21 for redecorating. Milwaukee A large turnout was expected at the farewell luncheon in honor of Russell Leddy Deecmber 6 at the Schroeder Hotel here. Mr. Leddy is retiring as an exhibitor. . . . Charlton Heston’s wife and young son, Fraser, were visiting her family at Two Rivers, Wisconsin, this week. . . . Oliver Trampe, past chief barker of Wisconsin Variety, was scheduled to be guest speaker and personality of the month at the December meeting of the Better Films Council of Milwaukee County. .. . Paul Schober, booker at Universal here, is a proud father of a baby boy. . . . Tony Kolinski, formerly head booker at the Warner exchange, is now salesman and on the road for Universal. Minneapolis E. M. Hawkens has closed his Waubay theatre at Waubay, S. D. Other closings are John H. Wright’s Granada theatre at New Prague, Minn., and Henry Larson’s Roxy theatre at Battle Lake, Minn. . . . John O’Rourke, booker at United Artists drove to Florida on his vacation. . . . Ben Marcus, Columbia midwest district manager was in for the funeral of his motherin-law, Mrs. Stella Brenna. . . . Officers have been re-elected by local F-31, IATSE, composing film exchange personnel. They are William Burke, MGM booker, president and business agent; Richard Rolling, Columbia booker, vice-president; Alice Kuhlmann, Warner cashier, treasurer; Charlotte Silverman, MGM stenographer, secretary, and Orville Anderson, Paramount assistant cashier, sergeant-atarms. . . . The Robin theatre in suburban Robbinsdale is being converted into a self-service laundry. House has been closed for some time. . . . Leo Brazier, owner of the Jordan at Jordan, Minn., which was destroyed by fire last month, is studying rebuilding of the house. . . . Lloyd Maynard has installed new booth equipment and a CinemaScope screen in his Roxy theatre at Kelliher, Minn. . . . Walter Johnson of Hinckley, Minn., purchased the Sanshor at McGregor, Minn., from Mrs. B. B. Maddy. New Orleans George Hoover, Variety International executive director, attended the installation ceremonies of the local Tent 45. Installed were Henry G. Plitt, chief barker, who succeeds Page Baker. Other officers are Harold Cohen, first assistant; George Nungesser, second assistant; Carl Mabry, dough guy, and William Briant, property master. . . . J. G. Broggi, Exhibitor Service, has taken over the buying and booking for the Printz, Basile, La. . . . The Pal at Chatham, La. has closed again. . . . Tom Watson closed the Varsity, Ellisville, Miss, temporarily. . . . The Joy, Simmsport, La., has gone to weekend operations only. . . . “Runaway Daughters” and “Shake, Rattle and Rock,” a dual bill distributed by Masterpiece Pictures, is to open at the RKO Orpheum following the current presentation “You Can’t Run Away From It”. . . . Rose Mae Boudreaux is the new secretary at Joy’s Theatres, Inc. . . . Betty Loup has recently taken over the secretarial duties in the offices of Woolner Bros. Oklakoma City The Ladies Auxiliary of the Variety Club, Oklahoma City, elected Mrs. Milton Kamber president; Mrs. Robert Busch vice-president; Mrs. James H. Fentriss secretary; Mrs. William H. Lewis, treasurer, and Miss Gertrude McGonigle corresponding secretary. . . . The Criterion theatre had “Love Me Tender” as its Thanksgiving attraction. Wednesday night was a mob scene when hundreds of people lined up for blocks in each direction for the first show. . .' . The State theatre was robbed of about $98 Nov. 24. Jeannene Rice, cashier, said the robber showed a gun when he demanded the money. . . . The Airline drive-in, Ponce City, Okla., closed for the season Nov. 24. Everyone attending the closing show was awarded a free pass to any uptown theatre, in appreciation of patronage during the preceding drive-in season. Philadelphia David O. Atkinson, Sr., of the Philmont and Main theatres, Phillipsburg, New Jersey, was receiving wires of congratulations on his 50th anniversary in the film industry. . . . Theatre circuit manager Martin Aninsman was elected president for the coming year of the Stanley Warner Club, Philadelphia division. Other officers elected include Isidor Perlin, vice-president; Leigh Smellow, vicepresident in charge of membership; Jayne M. Netzel, vice-president in charge of welfare; Dave Fishman, vice-president in charge of entertainment; J. Ellis Shipman, treasurer, and Helen Mahoney, secretary. . . . The Academy, neighborhood house in the South Philadelphia section of the city, operated by the A. M. Ellis Theatres for many years, was sold by the independent chain to C. and A. DiPaolo for $16,200. It will continue operations as a movie house. . . . The Hamilton, Lancaster, Pa., upon closing with the new year, will be converted into a warehouse with the lobby of the first run house to be converted into a musical bar. . . . Motion Picture Associates have called for blood donors to help replenish the blood bank at Hanhnemann Hospital where Mrs. Elsie Potamkin, wife of Walter Potamkin, Columbia salesman, is seriously ill. Pittsburgh “The Ship That Died of Shame” replaced the originally scheduled “Secrets of the Reef” on the Guild art house schedule. . . . The city’s movie critics got a breather this week when all eight firstrun movies held over, the first time this has happened in years. Holdovers included “Seven Wonders of the World,” “Giant,” “Friendly Persuasion,” “You Can’t Run Away From It,” “Love Me Tender,” “Fantasia,” “Wages of Fear” and “Samurai.” . . . “Anastasia” will be the Christmas booking in the Harris and “Written on the Wind” will ditto in the Fulton. . . . Bette Cree, a starlet from Troy, Mo., rated a lot of free space for the Penn-bound “King and Four Queens.” That house will follow “Friendly Persuasion” with “The Sharkfighters.” . . . The annual Variety Club dinner will be held in February this year because chief barker Ray Scott is tied up with Green Bay football broadcasts. . . . Cinerama celebrates its third anniversary in Pittsburgh Dec. 10 with a special benefit show for UNICEF in the Warner theatre. . . . “Giant” business in the Stanley was several thousand more dollars in its fourth week than the third. Portland Hollywood theatre manager Rex Hopkins and his new bride have returned from their honeymoon and Rex is back at the office. . . . Evergreen’s Oregon district manager, Oscar Nyberg, made a deal with the Council of Churches to rent the closed Oriental for the showing of “Day of Triumph.” In order to keep the cost of operation down for Evergreen, Nyberg did his regular duties for Evergreen and took over complete managemet of the Oriental as an added chore. Result: More coin for his firm. . . . “Love Me Tender” had a record breaking high on Sunday at the Orpheum, but dropped off on Monday. . . . Deam Mathews, manager of the Fox theatre, has come up with a big Xmas promotion. He has promoted some gifts (Continued on following page) MOTION PICTURE HERALD, DECEMBER 8, 1956 37