Boxoffice-December.20.1952

. .
concessions
BOSTON
pay Daugaweet, former manager of the Old
South Theatje here, now dismantled, is
now handling the Floxbury and helping out
at the Scollay Rialto. Every theatre in the
Lockwood & Gordon circuit is having a free
Christmas party for kids during the holidays
. . . Nancy Glaser, former assistant to Karl
Pasick, publicist at Loew's Boston Theatres,
was married recently to George Katz of Boston.
Her position has been taken by Stephanie
Wagner of New Jersey, who formerly did radio
publicity work in New York.
Felician LaCroix of the Playhouse, Gorham.
and the Playhouse, Kezar Falls, Me., suffered
a crushed left leg when wedged between two
cinder blocks. It was broken in seven places.
Doctors have been able to save it, although
he will have to have a series of bone-grafting
operations . When the Veterans of Foreign
. .
Wars reopened the Cameo Theatre, Mattawaumkeag.
Me., for two nights a week, they
placed a local man, Otis BoUiet, as manager.
Walter Upchurch, Lockwood & Gordon's
manager at the Cameo, South Weymouth,
who comes from Mississippi, is spending
Christmas in his home town and will bring
back his nine-year-old son to put him in
school here . . . Tlie Uptown Theatre, Boston,
a Smith Management Corp. theatre, has installed
two new Ashcraft hydro-arc watercooled
lamps from Massachusetts Theatre
Equipment Co.
Richard A. Smith, son of Philip Smith of
the Smith Management Co., was married Sunday
(21 » at the Somerset hotel to Susan
Flax of Newton. The couple will spend a
Christmas honeymoon in Nassau. The Philip
Smiths have taken a house in Palm Beach,
Fla., for the season, leaving here December
28. Smith, however, will make periodical visits
to Boston during the winter . . . Maurice Sidman
has resigned as manager of the Smith
Management Co. St. George and Gorman
theatres in Framingham and is now booking
amateur talent shows. Winners of these talent
shows have the opportunity to appear on
Sunday afternoon television programs sponsored
by Community Opticians.
. . Jim
The last drive-in in this area to clo.?e was
the Nepon.se t, Boston's only ozoner. Following
its most successful sea.son, the theatre
shut its gates December 21. Edward S. Redstone
is vice-president of the Neponset .
Saul Simons, Columbia salesman, and Mrs.
Simons, have left for Miami Beach .
Marshall, general manager of Film Exchange
Transfer, became a grandfather again when
a daughter Hallie Susan Greenberg was born
to hLs daughter.
When Clifton Webb arrived here to ballyhoo
"Stars and Stripes Forever," the Christma.s
picture for the Pilgrim Theatre, he
spent .some time with Mayor Hynes and the
Boston Post on the opening drive to collect
funds for Christmas packages for wounded
veterans In local hospitals. He was brought
to city hall to meet the mayor, where there
was an honor guard of marines and a band
from Everett high school to greet him. He
also met members of the press at a luncheon
at the RItz Carlton hotel.
the Avon Theatre. Providence, under the
sponsorship of the Providence Parents League,
headed by Mrs. Dimmitt. president. The shows
on consecutive Saturday mornings are selected
by the League and are picked from
the PTA Children's Film Library. The project
is promoted by the Parents league, w-hich
gives the theatre free advertising. Charles
Darby, district manager, is the supervisor. The
program began December 27 . . . Debra Paget,
f,tar of "Stars and Stripes Forever," made a
whirlwind stop into town. Her one-day schedule
was so tight that it was feared she
couldn't stay over for a personal appearance
at the Esquire Theatre for the Boston Ass'n
of Retarded Children's benefit. But she made
the show, after a busy day w'ith the press and
newspapers, and was driven to the Logan
airport just in time to catch the plane to
Los Angeles. She was due to appear on the
20th-Fox for test shots the next morning.
When the Bijou, Springfield, a B&Q house,
played "The Happy Time" first run, guarantee
ads were used in the local papers, allowing
dissatisfied customers to get money back
if they desired. Not one patron approached
Manager Ralph Carenda to demand his
money back. And what is more, two skeptical
men arrived at the boxoffice demanding if
the ad were really authentic or just a gag.
They were assured by Manager Carenda that
it was a fact. They still seemed disbelieving,
so Carenda offered to let them see the film
first, without buying tickets, they to repay
him at the end of the performance if they
thought the picture warranted it. By the
time the picture was over, Carenda was in
his office when a knock came on the door.
It was the same two men, who sheepishly
handed over their admissions, stating that
the picture was well worth the price asked.
Before the Allied Artists feature, "Battle
Zone" opened at the Paramount and Fenway
theatres, there were lobby displays of captured
Russian equipment and stills of Korean
battle scenes prominently placed in both
theatres. The film tells of the adventures of
the men in the photographic combat department
of the marines. The stills used in the
lobby were taken by marine Sgt. Michael
McMahon of Cambridge, instructor for the
Second infantry battalion's photographic section
of the marines. He has been decorated
twice for his photographic exploits under fire.
He is now on leave. Working on the promotion
of the film was Harry Goldstein, AA
eastern director of publicity who arranged a
series of radio programs having as guest
speakers two marine officers stationed in
Boston, who said the film presented the true
and authentic story of the work of the combat
photographers.
Lockwood & Gordon EntcrprLscs has set Its A strong campaign is being worked out by
annual ten week program for kiddy shows at New England Theatres for the forthcoming
RG
Leon J. Levenson, head of concessions for
American Theatres Corp., has been appointed
chairman of the national . committee
for Theatre Owners of America by
Alfred Starr, president. Levenson's committee
is to serve in an advisory capacity in an exchange
of merchandising ideas for all theatres
througliout the country. The appointment
entails extensive traveling for Levenson,
particularly during the off-season for driveins.
20th-Pox feature, "My Pal Gus," which is ti
follow the run of "Road to Bali," the holidaj
film at the Metropolitan Theatre. Districi
Manager Hy Fine and publicist Jack Saef arranged
a screening at the Fenway Theatrt
on the morning of December 30 for officers
in various Greater Boston PTA. school teachers
and educators and doctors of c
psychiatry. "My Pal Gus" calling cai-ds W(
left in phone booths, terminal stations and
in elevators in office buildings and department
stores. They read, "My Pal G>;e—He's
the kind of guy women go for."
The Astor Theatre has a new RCA Even-
Life plastic screen installed by Capitol Thea-
. . .
tre Supply in time for the opening of the
Christmas film, "Hans Christian Andersen"
When Edward S. Canter, treasurer of
American Theatres Corp. and wife celebrate
their 25th wedding anniversary early in January,
there will be a reception given fat
them by members of the family.
'Miracle' Firs! Slep
To Censor Removal
NEW HAVEN—The ruling of
the Supreme
Court on "The Miracle" is the first step
toward the removal of official film censorship,
Ephriam London, defense counsel in
the case, predicted in an address recently.
London spoke before the Yale university
chapter of the National Lawyers Guild. He
was defense counsel in the case of Burstyn
vs. New York Regents.
When the case was carried to the Supreme
Court, a rare unanimous decision reversed
the rulings of the lower courts. The Supreme
Court ruled against religious censorship by
religious groups, London said.
London declared that he did not believe
that films should receive official censorship
just because they present an "anti" wewpoint.
Religious factions, he w-ent on, should not be
kept from voicing an opinion if they believe
a film to be dangerous, but these groups
should be prevented from using their influence
in getting the government to ban the film.
The Supreme Court decision, which ruled
that "The Miracle" was not an antireligious
film, ended more than a year's controversy
which started in the lower courts. London
pointed out that the film, produced and first
shown in Italy, was not banned in that
Catholic country.
It was pasesd by U.S. custom officials and
the New York board of regents, after which
certain religious factions forced the government
to ban it for being sacrilegious. London
said he objected highly to the methods used in
getting the film banned.
London stressed that although the film was
shown in Rome, with the approval of Catholics
there, certain Catholic groups here found
it unacceptable. After polling 100 prominent
Protestant clergymen. London found none of
them opposed to the film. He remarked that
many of them considered it highly religious.
Rita Hayworth in 'Rebel'
Rita Hayworth will star in "Enchanting
Rebel," based on a novel by Allen Lesser,
dealing with Ada Isacs Menken, first woman
to wear black tights in show business in the
1890s.
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BOXOFFICE December 27, 1952
lOXOFFiCE
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