HONOR

^
John Gardners, Fafher-Son
Team,
Strike Pay Dirt in Drive-In Field
CLEVELAND—John Bernard Gardner sr.
and John Bernard Gardner jr. form a wellknown
father-son team within the industry
that is meeting with success in these days
of pessimism. It is one of those happy combinations
that grew out of necessity and
flourished from its inception.
Bennie Gardner sr. was a Paramount salesman
in Columbus and Cleveland for 25 years.
When Paramount discontinued its Columbus
office early this year and Columbus exhibitors
were served out of Cincinnati instead of
Cleveland, Gardner's longtime affiliation with
Paramount came to an end. At this point,
father and son pooled their energies and
knowledge of the motion picture industry to
expand in the outdoor theatre field.
When John jr. completed his World War II
navy duties, he acquired an interest in the
Rayland Theatre, Rayland, Ohio, in association
with Herbert Ochs. The theatre prospered.
He then built a drive-in called the
Grove in Elm Grove, a suburb of Wheeling,
W. Va. While he provided the technical knowhow
to operate the theatre, his wife Dorothy
took over the job of landscaping the property
with the result that the Grove is now a showplace
in its area. As soon as the Grove was
lusty enough to stand on its own feet, John
jr. in association with his dad acquired another
ozoner—the Riverside—on Route 27
between Martin's Ferry and Steubenville, and
also bought Ochs' interest in the Rayland
Drive-In.
And now the Gardner team is again reaching
out in an expansion program. They have
purchased 20 acres of property belonging to
the Heimerl farm on Route 79, 12 miles south
of Hebron. Last week they broke ground for
the first of three buildings which will comprise
the newest drive-in project. The three
buildings will include one for concessions,
another for the main tower and the third for
office space. The first one, the office building,
will be completed this fall. Other construction
will be resumed in the spring.
"Our immediate plans call for a 500-car
drive-in," John sr. said. "However, we have
plenty of land and are preparing to expand
our facilities to provide for 800 to 1.000 cars at
a later period." The newest Gardner project
MAIL IN DATES
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ALBERT
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831 S.Wabash CHICAGO
NOW BREAKING
ALL RECORDSIi
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ART OF LOVE
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BIRTH OF LIFE
'BURMNG QUESTION
'SiSHiNC VICE TRUST
HOW TO TAKE A BATH
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CRAFTSMANSHIP AND ENOlNSeRINO
John "Bemie" Gardner sr., left, and son
John jr., former navy man, exemplify
happy domestic life and an ajrreeable
working team in the drive-in field.
is located on the banks of the Little Licking
river and has plenty of natural scenic beauty.
"We will take advantage of this scenic
beauty," Garner continued, "by making this
area free to the public although it will be
adjacent to the theatre. Our immediate aim
will be to bring people to the location. Once
there, we will make the theatre so attractive
that the free picnickers will feel an urge to
come into the theatre. Mrs. John jr. will give
us the benefit of her landscaping experience
and we expect to make this newest drive-in
as great a showplace as the one in West
Virginia."
In order to give the new project his personal
attention, the elder Gardners have
moved from Columbus, where they made their
home for almost 25 years, to Harbor Hill just
east of where they are building.
Before joining Paramount sales force, Gardner
was an exhibitor in Toledo, where he
owned and managed the Strand Theatre and
entertained the customers with illustrated
songs. So, while dad brings to this father-son
combination long years of experience in exhibiting
and selling motion pictures, John jr.
provides the new, forward look, the energy
and the optimism that is striking pay du-t in
the three outdoor theatres now waving the
Gardner banner.
P. Stanley Brouchey Dies
DETROIT—Paul Stanley Bouchey, projectionist,
died recently at Eastlawn .sanitarium
where he had been receiving treatment for
tuberculosis for several months. He was 58.
He started in the business at the age of 14
in the handwind days in a small theatre located
near the Belle Isle bridge, and had
been in Detroit theatre booths for 44 years.
Among older theatres in which he operated
were the old Royal on Monroe avenue, the
Odeon, Garrick, Blackstone, Broadway Capitol,
Alhambra, Gayety, National, Columbia
and Family.
About 3,500 motion picture theatres are reported
in operation in India, 800 of which
are touring exhibitors.
Old Newsboy Drive
Stirs Cincinnati
(Continued from preceding page)
of directors. This is not her first effort in
their behalf.
Among individual notables who became
newsboys were Mayor Carl W. Rich and
other mayors in Hamilton county; James
Garfield Stewart. Ohio supreme court judge
and former Cincinnati mayor; Dr. Nelson
Glueck, president of the Hebrew Union college,
and hordes of prominent business and
professional men. CIO leaders loaned their
support and increased the total fund by a
substantial amount; members of three American
Legion posts helped; all theatremen in
the city gave their support both in selling
papers and running trailers and in having
wishing wells in their lobbies; Filmrow personnel,
from managers on down, gave up part
of their day Monday in behalf of the affair;
members of the Chochem club, who have previously
given help to retarded children, went
all-out for the youngsters; motion picture
machine operators helped out as did members
of fraternities and sororities and others
too numerous to mention.
Standing on the busy corner of Fifth and
Vine streets was 74-year-old Clifford W.
Poore. who worked during the entire eight
and one-half hours and who turned in the
largest individual sum. The top peddler in
the suburban area was 68-year-old Louis A.
Fortwangler. Thi-ee Cincinnati mothers of
retarded children not only organized the
local Hamilton county council, but two of
them helped organize the 3-year-old national
association.
Two Detroit Lawsuits
On January Dockets
DETROIT—The Michigan supreme court
at Lansing has set the appeal in the case of
Louis G. Havens, former operator at the
Fine Arts Theatres, against lATSE Local 199
for the January term of court. In his case,
Judge Thomas P. Maher ruled against the
plaintiff In dismissing the bill of complaint
on May 2, 1951. and Havens took the case
to the supreme court.
Havens charged he had been kept in virtual
vassalage by being refused a membership card
in the Detroit local. He contended he had a
right to such membership. Havens lost his
job at the Fine Arts when a local member
was appointed.
The trial of the two-way lawsuits filed between
United Detroit Theatres and Goldhar-
Zimner Theatres over the lease of the Alger,
Annex and Regent in Wayne county circuit
court is expected to be set about the same
time. This case was filed following the dissolution
of the G-Z circuit, and involves several
intricate legal issues, which were reported
in detail in BOXOFFICE March
10, 1951.
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BOXOFFICE
;
; November 29. 1952
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