Boxoffice-January.17.1953

. .
BOSTON
luranager James M. Connolly of 20th-rox set
up two sneak previews, with "Taxi" at
the Central Squire, Cambridge, and "Tonight
We Sing" at the Coolidge. Brookline, and both
were well received . . . Former District Manager
Edward X. Callahan, who resigned last
spring, was given a New Year's luncheon at
the Ritz Carlton hotel by his former colleagues,
Jim Connolly, Phil Engel, John
Peckos, John Feloney, Stanley Young and
E. X. Callahan jr.
The MGM film, "Jeopardy," will be given
a strong TV saturation campaign over the
Mutual network, with Terry Turner, former
RKO national director of exploitation and
advertising, handling the project from the
Mutual angle. The film will have simultaneous
openings in 40 New England theatres
and will have radio spot coverage in territories
having no TV outlets. The Boston playdate
is January 29 at Loew's State and
Orpheum, with other playdates starting the
day before and lasting through February 1.
Catherine Breen, secretary to John Feloney
at 20th-Fox, and Fi'ank Keller, booker at the
same office, were both ill with the virus.
In a higlily concentrated selling drive
among salesmen and bookers of Warner Bros.,
a Warner product will be on every screen in
the territory during the week of January
11-17. This marks the first time in the history
of the exchange that some Warner product,
either for a full week or part of the
week will play in each of the 460 theatres
in the New England area. "This remarkable
record was the result of a tremendous effort
on the part of the staffs of this office," said
Ralph lannuzzi, branch manager, "and could
not have been accomplished without the
wholehearted cooperation of all exhibitors,
theatre bookers and managers. I wish to take
this opportunity to thank each and every
one of them in making this Norman Ayers
Cleanup week such a success."
Harry Aaronson, known as "the mayor of
Scollay Square," again put on an annual
Christmas show for a group of children sponsored
by the Henry Piice lodge of Masons
for which he is the entertainment chairman.
This year the affair was held at the Colony
Theatre, Dorchester, with owner Meyer Rubin
donating the theatre for the occasion. Aaronson,
who is the manager of the Stuart, Boston,
thanked Tom O'Brien and Abe Barry of
Columbia and John Moore and Wendell
Clement of Paramount for donations of cartoons
for the party.
ATC President Samuel Pinanski has completed
negotiations with Producer Sol Lesser
for the initial New England showing of Ti-i-
Opticon, a new third-dimension process,
which opened at the Pilgrim, showcase of
the ATC circuit, on January 15. The film
was introduced at the Festival of Britain .
The 20th-Fox feature, "Stars and Stripes
Forever," broke a house record for regular
admissions films at the Strand in Portland,
Me., a Snider circuit hou.se.
Rodney Bush, national exploitation director
for 20th-Fox, spent a few days in town
w'ith local pubhcist Phil Engel on plans for
the cooperative newspaper campaign for
"Treasure of the Golden Condor," which will
open in this territory . . . Redstone Drive-In
Theatres has made some managerial changes
for the new season, with Manuel Lima, former
manager at the Neponset Drive-In, Boston,
switching to the New York drive-in at
the Whitestone Bridge and with Hal O'Day.
who has been at the Revere Drive-In, taking
his place in Neponset. This leaves an opening
for the manager at the Revere.
For the first time in many years, a 20th-
Fox film will play the Capitol, Springfield, a
Warner house, when "The I Don't Care Girl"
goes in. Phil Engel, publicist, a.ssisted in the
promotion and stopped off in Worcester to set
up the campaign for "My Cousin Rachel,"
which opens at Loew's Poll.
Press-Radio Lunch Given
For 'Flags' Conn. Bow
HARTFORD—John McGrail of the U-I exploitation
staff and Lieut. Cmdr. K. A. Ian
Murray, retired British naval officer, were
guests at a press-radio luncheon at the Hotel
Bond during the Connecticut premiere of
"Against All Flags" at the Warner Strand.
Luncheon invitees included Allen M. Widem,
Hartford Times; Viggo Anderson, Courant;
Joe Girand, WTHT; Harvey Olson, WDRC,
and J. F. McCarthy, manager of the Warner
Strand, and representatives of the Hartford
naval reserve training center.
HANDY