Boxoffice-December.20.1952

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TENNESSE THEATRE Noshville
65 Theatres Built in '52 Despite Ban
Exhibitors Spend an Estimated $8,500,000 on New Construction in
United States
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KANSAS CITY—Although remodeling and
renovation projects were carried on on a wide
scale during 1952, construction of new theatres
in the United States was held to its
lowest number since World War II days by
the stringent NPA amusement construction
ban.
Exhibitors turned from indoor theatres to
drive-ins, because it was decidedly easier to
build a drive-in, even with the restrictions,
than an indoor house—and when final building
totals of the year are tallied the lineup
of new outdoor theatres will be surprisingly
large for a restricted year.
Altogether, 65 theatres costing an e.stimated
$8,500,000 were built during the 12-month
period, and at least a dozen of these were
replacement for theatres burned out in the
last year or so. Most of the theatres went
into smaller towns, but Nashville, Term., got
a $1,000,000 .showplace when the Crescent
circuit opened the Tennessee Theatre.
Total .seating added during the year
amounted to 35,000 .seats.
The list of new theatres includes: (• Indicates
theatre i.s already open).
ARIZONA; Holbrook—New theatre under woy tor
Horry L, Noce circuit; Show Low—Show-Low Theatre,
420 scots, $50,000, Rowlings-Noce circuit*; Tucson—
Pork, 296 sects, $50,000, Pork Theatre Corp.*
ARKANSAS: Colico Rock—250-5eat theatre. T. W.
Roy {fire replocement)'; McCrory— Ken, 532 seats.*
CALIFORNIA: Berkeley—Fox California, Fox West
Coost'; Crescent City— Pic, Earl Boles, owner*; Elk
Grove—Quonset-type theatre, $25,000, Carl P.
Amundson, owner; Live Oak— 300-scat theatre, Joe
Scrrcy"; Morgan Hill—Granodo, 700 seats, $75,000,
J&L Hillman*; Pacific Grove—Grove Theotre, 1,000
scots, $100,000, Fred Solih (fire replacement); Santo
Ano—Broodwoy, $500,000 (fire replacement); Santo
Mono— I.OOO-seot theotre, $200,000, Jim Toler.
COLORADO: Denver— 1,230-seat theatre. Fox Intermountoin;
Fort Collins— Aggie, 650-seat theatre,
Aydclotte & Dowdy.
FLORIDA: Pohokcc — Lokc Theatre, Gold-Dobrow
Theatres*; Volporiso— Jet, 400 scots.*
GEORGIA: Athens— Poloce Theatre, Wilby-Kincey.*
IDAHO: Cobolt—Coboll Recreation hall, W. L.
Strolton", Lewiiton—Orchard Theatre, Art Mctzger.*
ILLINOIS: Nouvoo—Nauvoo, 400 seats*; Plainfield
— Ploins, Anderson circuit*.
INDIANA: Muncio—$225,000 theotre, Muncie
Rcolly Corp.
KANSAS: Holton—Arcodo Theotre Commonwoolth
circuit; Qulntcr—Globe, 400 jeott, We«ley
Bolon (firo replocement).*
>i'iT|jcKY: Blockoy— 115-j«at Family Theofro,
Hogg"; Louiivillc—West End, 1,750 seats*.
lANA; Locombo—Lux Theatre, 500 seats.
$85,000, J. Purnell & Sons*; Maurice—Jan, 200 seots,
L, Gouthier'.
NEBRASKA—Ashland — Fire replacement. Woody
Simek*; Popillion— Popio, E. H. Haser of Omaha*.
NEW HAMPSHIRE: Milford—Fire replacement,
Lotchis Bros."
NEW MEXICO: Clayton—650-seat theatre, A. L.
Shields*; Lovington—New theatre for Theatre Enterprises.
NEW YORK: New York—Beekman, 550 seats,
$500,000, Edward N. Rugoff and Herman Becker*.
MARYLAND— Longley Park—Langley, 987 seats,
K-B
Amusement Co.*
MICHIGAN: Atlanta—Atlonto, 250 seats, Vernon
Klein and Glen Mowery*; Marcelona— Lona, 470
sects, R. Curtis Guthrie'; Tamorack—Marcus, 300
seats, Mamie 8. Nelson.'
MISSOURI: Coruthersville — Stadium Theatre. G.
Corey*; Doniphan— 325-seat theatre, Mrs. Ethel J.
Chilton'; Gran—500-seat theatre for Abram and
Louis Hirschowitz; Seneca—Holiday, 400 seats, Al
Tourallott (fire replacement)'.
MONTANA: Libby — Fawn, 475 seats, William
Kienitz*; Scobey— 500-seat theatre, Indy Holvorson
and Elmer Jackson.
NEW YORK: New York City, Normondie Theatre,
art house.
NORTH DAKOTA: Newtown—Trail, Don Campbell*.
OREGON: Coos Boy — Sunset, 400 seats, Ted
Dibble*.
PENNSYLVANIA: Wilkes-Borre—Roxy Theatre in
Lee Park*.
SOUTH DAKOTA: Frederick— $75,000 theatre, Roxy
Theatre Corp.
TENNESSEE: Gleason— Dixie Theatre, R. T. Mc-
Kelvy of Milan*; Memphis— Ploza Theatre, 1,400
seats, Augustine Cianciolo*; Nashville — Tennessee
Theatre, 2,000 seats, Crescent Amusement Co.; Oak
Ridge—300-seot theatre, C. R. Lay jr., Charles H.
Bowman and John Burgess'; Sparta—-Oldhom Theatre,
Cumberland Amusement Co. (fire replacement)*.
TEXAS: Gustine—Duke Theatre, 200 seats, Ed Duke
(fire replacement)*; Rankin— Ford Theatre, 580 seats,
H. Ford Taylor*; Troup—Texas Theatre (fire replocement)*;
Vernon—Vernon Theatre, 1,400 seats, Interstate
Theatres (fire replacement); Vidor—400-seat
theatre, E. Lognion*.
WASHINGTON: Connell—400-seat theatre, August
Aubert'; Metaline Falls—New theatre for Henry Hagman;
Oakville—480-seat theatre for Frank Gunn jr.;
Quincy—Towne, 300 seats, $30,000, Ebert & Butler
Co.*; Toledo—New theatre for Perry Bowers; Yelm
Beverly Theatre, $50,000, F. L. Willord & Sons (fire
replocement).
Tri-Opticon, British Three-Dimension,
Makes Its U. S. Debut in Chicago
CHICAGO—Tri-Opticon, the British version
of third-dimension motion pictures, made
its American debut Christmas day at the
Telenews Theatre, when a program of short
subjects running about 45 minutes was
offered in addition to the regular feature.
Earlier in the week, more than 500 exhibitors,
exchange officials and newspapermen were
guests at a preview.
Sol Lesser has the American rights to the
British process and is planning a series of
preliminary showings of the program in this
country. Prices for the premiere are 98 cents
afternoons and $1.25 evenings.
The process, in which scenes are photographed
by twin cameras and then projected
on the screen, creates a third dimensional effect.
To combine the two images, which appear
fuzzy and distorted to the naked eye,
spectators wear polaroid glasses. Tlie glasses
serve the same purpose as a viewer does for
stereoscopic slides. Earlier experiments in
a similar vein used color filters for photography,
and red-and-green glasses. But
this new technique permits the producers to
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photograph In color.
The brief program (45 minutes) is composed
of five special short subjects : A cartoon
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in Technicolor, "Now Is the Time": a blackand-white
short titled "A Solid Explanation";
»* Den,
a color travelog of the Thames, "The Royal '^"tteln
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River" and another color cartoon. Tlie final
"Jast
short is "The Black Swan," a black-andwhite
ballet featuring Beryl Grey and John ^ii'insan
isascii
Field of the Sadler's Wells Ballet.
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The films were brought to this country by
Lesser and already have been seen in ''' public at
a
Lucerne, London, Berlin, Brussels. Antwerp
and Amsterdam. Lesser plans to put two fulllength
features into immediate production. ^entsofn,
ftOB He
Following the Telenews program, Arch
Oboler's "Bwana Devil" w'ill arrive at the ^^froBa
Chicago Tlieatre January 23. This is the first •""lint
full-length feature in third-dimension.
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BOXOFFICE :
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December
27, 1962 'IOXOFFIce •