Boxoffice-January.03.1953

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. . . Nat
. . Al
. . William
. . Norman
. . Richard
. . Otto
. . . Sherburne
. . Ralph
Boston Grosses Down;
Some New Product
BOSTON—Many theatres filled
in with reissues,
but others bravely offered new product,
which was expected to brighten considerably
later. Local newspapers were filled
with alluring ads promoting the offerings.
(Averoge Is 100)
Astor—Two reissues
Beocon Hill—Two reissues
Boston—Two reissues
Exeter Street The Promoter (U-l), 7th «k 80
Kenmore The Magic Box (Fine Arts); The Mudlork
(20th-Fox), 7th wk 75
Memorial Hangman's Knot (Col); Doncing With
Crime (5R) 70
Metropolitan Clcopotro (Para), reissue 65
Paramount and Fenway Cattle Town (WB); Train
of Events (Fine Arts) 60
State and Orpheum Everything I Have Is Yours
(MGM); Target Hong Kong (Col) 80
Reissue Bills Tops First Runs
With 100 in New Haven
NEW HAVEN—A reLssue program did the
best business at the downtowners in a customarily
slow week.
"Cry, the Beloved Country,"
wound up a three-week run.
Loews College The Great White Hunter (LP);
Captain Kidd (LP), reissues 100
Lincoln Cry, the Beloved Country (UA), 3rd wk. . 75
Paramount Cleopatra (Paro), reissue; Artie
Flioht (AA) 60
Loew's Poll Bloodhounds ot Broadway (20th-Fox);
Fearless Fagan (MGM) 75
Roger Sherman Outpost in Malaya (UA); Sea
Tiger (AA) 70
Hartford
Holdovers
Top First Runs Grosses
HARTFORD—The combination bill of "My
Pal Gus" and "Everything I Have Is Yours"
scored 115 in a second week at Loew's Palace.
Allyn Thunder in the East (Pora) 100
Art Bachelor and Bobbysoxer (RKO); Bachelor
Mother (RKO), reissues 90
E. M. Loew The Pothtinder (Col); Love Island
(SR) 80
Poll Stars and Stripes Forever (2Qth-Fox); Bomba
and Jungle Girl (AA) 95
Palace Everything I Hove Is Yours (MGM); My
Pol Gus (20th-Fox), 2nd wk 115
Strand Abbott and Costello Meet Captain Kidd
(WB); Night Without Sleep (20fh-Fox) 105
Boston Telepix Grooms
New Women Managers
BOSTON—After nine years a.s manager of
the Telepix Theatre, New England's only
new.sreel house, Nancy Hopkins has retired
to her family home in Maine. Her assistant
Harriet Herendeen took over Telepix duties,
but she will be married soon to George Bernhart,
a public relations counsellor. Telepix
is now grooming for management positions
Sharon Bodenstein of Ilion, N.'Y'., and Jane
Eker, formerly with the American Academy
of Ai-ts and Sciences.
Despite the high replacement rate of attractive
young women, employed as managers,
the Telepix management believes that for
certain types of theatres, women possess advantages
which men do not have, such as
high standards of cleanline.ss and order and
the ability to greet the public with charm
and poise in the role of a hostess.
Eastern Managers for U-I
To Convene January 5
BOSTON—John J.
Scully, district manager
of Universal, returned from a ten-day visit
to Hollywood and called a sales meeting for
all branch managers and salesmen in the
eastern area for January 5 at the Hotel Statler.
Boston Industry Highlights of '52
BOSTON—The year 1952 saw many new
developments in the film industry here.
Listed here is a month-by-month account of
the major activities of the industry throughout
the year:
JANUARY
The Jimmy building was dedicated at
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special ceremonies, followed by a huge banquet
at the Hotel Statler . . Walter Brown
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was elected chief barker of Variety Club of
New England . Twig was appointed
assistant branch manager at Warners . . .
Theodore Fleisher was elected president of
Interstate Theatre Corp . Samuel Pinanski
was elected a director of the Brookline Trust
Smith Management Co. acquired
Co. . . .
nine houses of Giles Theatres . Holquist.
repairman at Capitol Theatre Supply,
died.
FEBRUARY
Norman Glassman was re-elected president
of Independent Exhibitors, Inc., of New England
. Schwalberg, president of Paramount
Distributing Co., held a pre.s.s conference
and later spoke at Sentry Lodge,
B'nai B'rith, Brookline . Dobbyn
jr., RKO film salesman, was killed in an
. . Charles
automobile accident in Vermont .
Parshley, projectionist at the University
Lawrence Laskey
Theatre, Cambridge, died . . .
was appointed general chairman for
greater Boston for the Bonds for Israel drive
ROiS celebrated his 40th year in the
industry ... A dozen new drive-ins were
going up for late spring and early summer
openings.
MARCH
Samuel Pinanski was named president of
Sentry Lodge B'nai B'rith, Brookline
Nathan Yamins was re-elected national delegate
to represent Independent Exhibitors,
Inc., of New England at Allied States Ass'n
board meetings .
Glassman was
appointed as COMPO delegate from the same
organization ... A farewell luncheon was
tendered Al Kane, Paramount executive, appointed
southern division manager . . . Several
of the hardier drive-ins in southern sections
of New England opened . . . James Godsill was
appointed New England sales manager for
Rel.ston, Inc., candy concessionaires . . . Martin
and Lewis played a week at the Metropolitan.
APRIL
Allied Theatres of New England elected
three new directors—Theodore Fleisher, Philip
Smith and Winthrop Knox jr. . . . Affiliated
Theatres Corp. celebrated its tenth anniversary
. . . Martin J. Mullin was given the
Great Heart award at a Variety Club meeting
. . . Arthur Lockwood was named co-chairman
of the 1952 Jimmy fund drive, with Louis
Perini . . . Hy Pine was appointed chairman
of the motion picture division in New England
for the United Cerebral Palsy Ass'n . . . Smith
Management Co. moved to new and larger
offices at the New England Mutual Life Insurance
building.
MAY
Affiliated Theatres Corp. was tendered a
Allied Convention Takes
Top Interest for 1953
Boston—Probably the most important
industry event listed for 1953 in Boston
is the national Allied States Ass'n convention
and board meeting, which has been
set for October 3-7, with the board meeting
taking up the first two days and the
regiHar national convention the last three
days.
Independent Exhibitors, Inc., of New
England and the Drive-in Theatres Ass'n
are making plans now for the big event.
Another 1953 offering of interest Ls the
presentation of the Natural Vision threedimensional
film, "Bwana Devil," which is
set for a run at the Metropolitan Theatre
the latter part of January. The highly discussed
Cinerama has not as yet been
signed for a Boston theatre, but when it
does come here it will in all probability be
housed at the Colonial Theatre, a former
legitimate house. Negotiations are now
under way for the .sale of the theatre to
parties interested in installing Cinerama.
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luncheon by the industry marking its tenth
anniversary . . . Walter Diehl was re-elected
business agent and Joseph Nuzzolo re-elected
Herman
president of lATSE Local 182 ..
Rifkin married Mrs. Sadye Felizson of Bel-
Sam Horenstein celebrated
Aire, Calif . . .
25 years with the Manley Co. in New England
Graves, manager at Plymouth,
N.H,, won first prize in Interstate Theatre
Corp.'s managerial exploitation contest.
JUNE
Theodore Fleisher and Herman Mintz were
elected trustees of the Childrens Cancer Research
foundation . . . Independent Exhibitors,
Inc., held upstate meetings in Concord,
N.H.; Springfield, Mass.; Augusta, Me., and
Montpelier, Vt., headed by Ray Feeley and
Norman Glassman . . . Three exhibit«rs
brought suit before a master in Suffolk
superior court seeking to enjoin the commissioner
of public safety from enforcing
the two-men-in-a-booth regulation in Massachusetts.
JULY
The 1952 Jimmy fund campaign got under
way upstate with huge fanfare and a tour
of stars and officials, headed by Arthur
Lockwood and Bill Koster . . . William Frieday,
Windham, Me., Drive-In, died.
AUGUST
An enthusiastic COMPO meeting was conducted
by Francis Dervin, chairman, for
efforts toward repeal of the 20 per cent admissions
tax . The drive-in committee got
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together for collections for Jimmy fund . . .
Joan Crawford met the press and circuit
heads at a luncheon at the Ritz Carlton . . .
Al Swerdlove took over Lippert FUms distribution
. lannuzzi was named manager
of the Warner exchange.
SEPTEMBER
Martin Mullin was named chairman for
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BOXOFFICE January 3, 1953 NE 79