HONOR

. , Irwin
. . Walter
. . Charles
. . Walter
ALBANY
pabian's Grand will operate on a reservedseat
basis for the telecast of "Carmen" by
the Metropolitan Opera Co. December 11.
Manager Paul Wallen revealed that the 1,500-
seat, two-balcony theatre will have a price
range from S1.20 to $3.60 for the first closedcircuit
presentation of grand opera. The first
seven rows of the orchestra will be sold at
$2.50—because up-front seats are not the
most desirable for viewing on a screen—and
the balance at $3.60. The first balcony will
be split—$3.60 for the first eight rows and
$2.50 for the other six. The second balcony
is to be scaled at $1.50 and $1.20. Acoustics
in
the 40-year-old theatre are excellent.
Johnny Capano, operating the State, Troy,
reported that Sunday patronage for "Tembo,"
which he showed first run, was good. The
exhibitor, who doubles as assistant booker
for Universal in Albany, said he had not "so
far" been adversely affected by the dropping
of the nearby Lincoln from first to second
run. Scales of the two houses approximate.
The State's afternoon price, 35 cents, is a
nickel higher than the Lincoln's.
Cinerama opens "unlimited vistas" for motion
picture exhibition, said Gerry Atkin,
Warner Theatres exploiteer and Ritz manager,
after seeing the third dimensional
process at the Broadway in New York. "It
was one of the most exciting experiences I
had ever enjoyed," Atkin said. "I saw the
evening performance and I could have remained
14 hours longer. Its possibilities
seem to be unlimited, although there ai-e
many problems to be solved before Cinerama
becomes general. A sufficient backlog of
specially produced pictures is essential. Large
capital investment is another.
Charles A. Smakwitz, Warner zone manager,
flew to and from Pittsburgh to attend
the midwinter meeting of Variety Clubs
International. Smakwitz is a former chief
barker of Tent 9. Another former chief
barker of the local club present in Pittsburgh
was C. J. Latta, now managing director
of the Warner British theatres affiliate.
Joe Stowell, manager of Warners' Lincoln,
Troy, reported the death of his wife, the
former Irene Snyder, 41, at the family residence.
Mrs. Stowell recently had been a
patient at Albany hospital for a series of
X-rays and tests. Funeral services were held
Sunday in Utica. A son Seth Jonathan, her
father and two sisters survive in addition
to her husband. Mrs. Stowell, a graduate of
Syracuse university and a former school
teacher in Utica, had lived in Troy for the
last nine years.
"The Miracle of Fatima," which played for
two weeks at the downtown Strand, opened
Sunday at the uptown Madison. Price for
Get Vsur Special XMAS
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the second run engagement was 75 cents. The
usual MadLson tap for adults is 50 cents . . .
Max Friedman, former buyer and booker for
Warner Theatres in the upstate zone and
now operator of two houses in Wellsville,
visited Albany recently. He stopped for a
brief chat with Manager Al LaFlamme while
driving by the Strand. Friedman is said
to be doing nicely in Wellsville . Lou
. .
Green, Warner sound engineer from New
Haven, checked local WB theatres ... A
brother of Mrs. Saul J. Ullman, wife of the
upstate general manager for Fabian, died in
New York . Ullman, son of the
Ullmans and Albany law school student, has
been assisting Dick Murphy at the Plaza,
Schenectady. Irwin managed the Mohawk
Drive-In last season.
Benton's Champlain, Plattsburg, launched
a .series of four "Curtain at 8" midweek presentations
of outstanding foreign pictures,
with "He Couldn't Say No." Admission is 74
cents . . . Harry Lamont had planned to close
the Sunset, Kingston, November 15, but later
advertising spotlighted a Friday-through-
Sunday schedule . Reade's Kingston,
Kingston, focused newspaper attention on
"Overseas Mail . . . Mail It Early" postcards.
Harold Strassman's Eagle, Albany, played
"Quo Vadis" at 40 cents in the evening . . .
John Capano collected 50 cents all day for
the MGM spectacle at the State in Troy. He
,
supplemented newspaper advertising with
window cards Reade's Broadway,
Kingston, is selling tickets for a stage presentation
of "The Mikado" December 10. The
theatre has played several road attractions
since September 1 .
.
Warners' Avon, Utica, advertised to "Watch
for Big pre-Christmas Special Shows, to Be
Announced Soon. Hundreds of Valuable
Prizes Free" Gordon's Olympic,
Utica, charged 75 cents in the afternoon, $1
downstairs and 90 cents balcony at night, and
35 cents for children, during the engagement
of "The Snows of Kilimanjaro." Shorts
rounding out the bill were Jimmy Dorsey in
"Catalina Interlude" and Jack Benny and
Bob Hope in "Memorial to Al Jolson" . .
.
Special advance copy heralded "Plymouth Adventure"
for a world premiere at Fabian's
Palace November 26.
Ed Wall, Paramount director of advertising
and publicity upstate, and Mrs. Wall
were among those attending a high mass
marking the 75th anniversary of Sacred
Heart church.
Mayor Erastus Corning praised Malcolm
Atterbury and Ellen Hardies (Mrs. Atterbury)
for "providing in the last five years wonderful
public service," during a curtain speech
at the opening performance of "Affairs of
State" at the Colonial Playhouse. The mayor
said he spoke "for thou-sands of people in
Albany and surrounding communities" in
saying "we are very grateful." Tlie balcony of
the former Colonial is clo.sed except on Saturdays
under the new management. Atterbury
has made lobby changes, including the
installation of the former Playhou.se boxoffice
in the old concession stand space. He also
has modernized the downstairs dressing
rooms, which are in a sei»arate though contiguous
building.
Reade NJ Spots to Play
4 December Stage Shows
NEW YORK—The Walter Reade theatres
in New Jersey will present four musical stage
attractions for single performances during
the period from December 4 to December
19. The Trapp Family Singers, a choral
group, will appear at the Carlton Theatre,
Red Bank, December 4; the Majestic, Perth
Amboy, the 19th, and at the St. James,
Asbury Park, the 18th.
The Jaroff Don Cossack Male Chorus and
Dancers has been booked for the Paramount,
Long Branch, December 9, and the Community,
Morristown, 10. The American
Savoyards will present Gilbert and Sullivan's
"The Mikado" at the Oxford, Plainfield,
December 9, as well as at the Broadway,
Kingston, N. Y., 10.
Also booked is a Gershwin festival for several
Reade New Jersey theatres in February.
Negotiations are continuing to bring "Don
Juan in Hell," an Evening with Charles
Laughton and the Saddler's Wells ballet to
New Jersey theatres in the forthcoming season.
The full-screen telecast of the Metropolitan
Opera Co. production of "Carmen," starring
Rise Stevens, will be shown at the St.
James, Asbury Park, December 11, the only
theatre in North Jersey to show this telecast.
Albany Tent 9 Elects
Jules Perlmutter
ALBANY—Jules Perlmutter, independent
exhibitor and theatre booking service president,
was elected chief barker of Tent 9 at
a meeting in the Variety Club quarters Monday.
Perlmutter operates the Grand and
Strand in Watervliet; the Lake Theatre and
the Fort George and Lake George drive-ins,
Lake George, and the Richmondville Drive-In,
Cobleskill. He also heads a booking organization
which maintains offices in the Paramount
exchange building.
Leo Greenfield. U-I manager, was elected
first assistant chief barker, while Alan V.
Iselin of the Auto-Vision was named second
assistant. George H. Schenck, Tristate Automatic
Candy Corp. manager, continues as
property master, and Aaron Winig, younger
brother of the present chief barker, Nate
Winig, was named doughguy.
The new officers will take over December 1.
Arnold Picker of UA Leaves
For Asian, Pacific Areas
NEW YORK—Ar-nold M. Picker, United
Artists vice-president in charge of foreign
distribution, left by air Tlrur.sday (27> for a
tour of New Zealand, Australia. Indonesia,
Singapore and the Philippines. It will be his
first visit to the southeastern Asia and Pacific
areas. He expected to return about December
22.
To Meet on Jewish Drive
NEW YORK—Emanuel Frisch of Randforce
Amusement Co. has called a meeting of industry
leaders at the Astor hotel December 3
to prepare plans for the 1952-53 campaign of
the amusement division of the Federation of
Jewish Philantliropies. Frisch. who was
chairman of last year's federation drive, will
select the leaders for the current campaign in
behalf of the organization's 116 hospitals and
institutions.
42 BOXOFFICE November 29. 1952