Motion Picture Herald (Oct-Dec 1956)

( Continued from page 32) sales chief for Trans-Lux with offices to be established at 1968 So. Vermont Ave. . . . Variety Tent 25 elected the following officers: Bill Srere, chief barker; Lloyd Ownbey, first assistant; Mort Scott, second assistant; Bernie Wolf, property master; Jack Berman, dough guy. . . . George Bowser, former general manager of Fox West Coast, has opened offices in the Film Building. . . . The Glendora theatre has been purchased by Sid Pink from Willard Blunt. . . . Columbia moved to the plush new building on 20th St. . . . Fire broke out in the concession stand of Sam Decker’s Elmiro theatre in Santa Monica .... A1 Olander, Associated Theatres, flew to Chicago to attend the concessions convention there. . . . Harry Thomas, Continental Films, returned from a swing through Northern California. . . . Doc Bradley, West Coast Automatic Candy Co., is back from Roswell, N. M., where he visited his son Jimmy, who attends school there. Memphis Warner Bros.’ “Giant” and 20th-Fox’s “Love Me Tender” continued to break records in Memphis last week. . . . C. A. Nicholson of Oklahoma City, father of Howard Nicholson, Paramount branch manager here, died in Oklahoma City. . . . Mrs. Margaret Lifsey, former manager of the Globe and Tudor theatres in New Orleans, who moved to Memphis after her retirement about five years ago, died in Memphis last week. . . . C. N. Eudy of the Houston at Houston, Miss.; Roland Adams of the Rebel, drive-in at Oxford, Miss.; Guy B. Amis of the Princess at Lexington, Tenn.; Whyte Bedford of the Ford at Hamilton, Ala., and L. F. Haven, Jr. of the Imperial at Forrest City, Ark., were among visitors to the Memphis Film Row during the week. Miami South Florida’s newest theatre, the Hollywood at Hollywood, Fla., owned and operated by Claughton, opened December 7. Invited guests and the press were entertained by Mrs. Lillian Claughton at a cocktail party and a tour of the theatre preceding the opening. . . . Mrs. Mitchell Wolfson will play hostess to 225 children of the employees of the Wometco Circuit at her annual Christmas party Dec. 23. All employees of the Wometco Circuit and TV station WTVJ will be entertained at a Christmas party December 22 in the studio of the station. . . . Sidney Meyer, co-owner of the Wometco Circuit, and Mark Chartrand, its public relations head, are both celebrating birthdays during the yuletide season. . . . Paul Hepner, former manager of the Normandy theatre, is now the manager of the Strand. . . . Martin Davis has been transferred from the Parkway to the Tower theatre. Jas. Elliott, who formerly managed theatres for Sidney Lust in the Washington, D. C. area, is the new manager of the Parkway. Milwaukee Russell Leddy, Green Bay, who has retired from the industry after 43 years, left December 10 for California to visit Mrs. Leddy’s son, who is a doctor there, and their grandchildren. . . . The Mikadow theatre in Manitowoc, which was com pletely gutted by fire last spring, has been rebuilt into a very modern theatre with all new equipment and will reopen about January 1. . . . F. J. McWilliams, referred to here as the elder statesman, will retire from the industry after 50 years January 1. His son, Jack, will take over the operation of the Portage theatre in Portage, Wis. . . . The Towne theatre at Florence, Wis., closed in November. It was operated by Mr. Jensen. Harry Melcher bought the equipment. . . . Mr. and Mrs. Tony LaPorte, Avalon theatre, returned from a vacation trip south to visit their son who is in the service. Minneapolis North Central Allied will hold its next annual convention April 2-3 at the Nicollet hotel, Minneapolis, it was announced by Stan Kane, NCA executive counsel . . . Appointment of two new assistant managers was announced by Harry Weiss, RKO Theatres district manager. Guy Hagenstein has been assigned to the RKO Orpheum, Minneapolis, and Joseph E. Hitlz, to the RKO Virginia, Champaign, 111. . . . Ben Berry is the new assistant manager at the loop Gopher, Minneapolis. . . . Kathryn Gordon has been named booker at Paramount replacing Earl Fainblit, who is leaving for California. Roland Yatckoske, booking clerk, also has been named a booker, and Bill Anda is the new booking clerk at the exchange. . . . Mrs. C. J. (Alice) Dressell, wife of the branch manager of RKO, passed away. She had been ill for some time with cancer. . . . Charles Pryce closed his Alma at Alma, Wis., because of the “higher cost of operating, higher film rentals and lack of patronage,” according to a newspaper ad in that city. . . . Virgil Edmundson is the new owner of the Time at Kenyon, Minn. He also operates the Delano at Delano, Minn. New Orleans Paramount branch manager William Holiday attended the company’s southeast division meeting in Atlanta. The meeting was under the direction of Hugh Owen, vice-president and eastern sales manager of Paramount Film Distributing Corp., assisted by Jake Jacobs from the home office. . . . Herb and Sue Hargroder, Beverly drive-in, Hattiesburg, Miss., attended the Allied States Association convention in Dallas. . . . The J. G. Broggi Buying and Booking Service advised Transway that the Dan, Breaux Bridge, La., will be closed following the last showing on the night of December 31. Broggi also asked Transway to suspend service to the Lane drive-in, Arnaudville, La., owned by J. H. Naquin due to closing for the winter. Reopening is scheduled for March 3. . . . Mrs. Gene Barnett, local WOMPI publicity chairman, reported that the following members were appointed by Mrs. Stella Poulnot of Atlanta, president of WOMPI, to serve on committees for the year 195657: Miss Gertrude Davis, extension committee: Mrs. Anna Oliphint, finance: Mrs. Gene Barnett, by-laws; Mrs. Connie Aufdemorte, publicity, and Mrs. Marie Berglund, nominating committee. . . . Doyle Maynard, owner of the Don, Natchitoches, La., and co-owner of the Don, Alexandria, acquired the operation of the Delta theatre, Oakdale, Louisiana, from Mrs. Isabelle Guillory. Oklahoma City United Theatre Owners of Oklahoma held its regular monthly meeting December 3, with 16 members attending. Bernard McKenna, president and a delegate to the National Allied convention in Dallas, gave a report on the convention. . . . Mrs. Avis Waldron Holman, owner and manager of the Dream and Waldron theatres, at Lindsay, Okla., died December 1. . . . “Oklahoma” will end its Oklahoma City engagement New Year day, Phil Keough, manager of the State theatre, announced. The film will have played here more than 20 weeks. . . . The Criterion theatre had a special showing especially for girls of “Love Me Tender” Dec. 1. . . . The Bison theatre here was robbed of $33 December 3. Philadelphia Eddie Fisher will be feted by the Philadelphia Variety Club, Tent No. 13, Dec. 17, with an open-to-the-public luncheon at the Bellevue-Stratford Hotel in recognition of his “devotion to humanitarian causes as an entertainer.” Proceeds of the luncheon will go to the club’s Heart Fund, and those in charge of arrangements include Maxwell Gillis, Sylvan M. Cohen, Harry A. Romain, David Supowitz, George T. Beattie, Michael Felt, Leo Posel and Lester Wurtele. . . . City Council, in passing the Administration’s financial program for 1957, approved a budget recommendation calling for a 50 per cent cut in the city’s amusement admissions tax, from 10 to five per cent. The drive for the admissions tax reduction was led by the Theatre and Amusement Association of Philadelphia headed by industry leader William Goldman, Morris Wax, Lewen Pizor, Samuel Shapiro and Lester Krieger. . . . The Hamilton, originally opened on Sept. 11, 1916, and last operated by the Stanley Warner Theatres, closed and will be turned into a commercial property. . . . Robert Folliard, RKO district manager, announced the wedding of his daughter, Patricia Folliard, and Air Force Lieutenant John Dugan, an engineer in Pittsburgh, Pa. . . . Bill Lyons, MGM studio publicity department member, was in for several days before returning to the West Coast. ... Ed Rosenbaum, veteran movie exploiteer, came out of his retirement to handle the local campaign for “Rock, Rock, Rock,” which had its local opening at some 30 neighborhood houses in the territory. . . . Fire caused damage of several thousand dollars to the Avenue, Delmar, Del., which has been dark for the past two years and is owned by the Lee Insley Estate, Salisbury, Md. Pittsburgh “Hollywood or Bust” replaced “Giant” which gave the Stanley a hefty six-week run. Incidentally, the extended run of “Giant” forced “The Girl He Left Behind” off the Stanley schedule, and the Tab Hunter film will probably play either the Harris or Fulton. . . . “The Girl Can t Help It” will follow “Written on the Wind” as the Fulton’s first 1957 booking. . . . The Mervis Brothers have taken over the operation of the Hippodrome theatre, North Side neighborhood house. . . . Four Japanese models visited Pittsburgh in behalf (Continued on opposite page) 34 MOTION PICTURE HERALD, DECEMBER 15, 1956