Boxoffice-January.24.1953

. . Curtis
. . Beverly
'
Fresh
1
SAN ANTONIO
pari J. Tinsman, manager of the Ritz, Negro
house on the southeast side of town,
is contemplatin;; starting a Negro stage show
pohcy with feature pictures. He also operates
the Ples-Tex at Pleasanton, showing both
English and Spanish films . . . The Gem and
Hut theatres in Floresville are closed. Carl
Johnson formerly operated the Gem there
and Robert Gallegos of San Antonio ran the
Hut for a short time.
Clifford Bledsoe blossomed out in a new
straw hat, the first of the season herp. Cliff
.
.
is a tireless worker in the current March of
Richard Vaughn now is the
Dimes drive . . .
new assistant manager and treasurer at the
Aztec Short is in a similar capacity
at the Majestic Spillman
sr., the architect who built the Buccaneer
Drive-In, Corpus Christi, for Arnulfo Gonzales,
last year, was telling of his midwinter
vacation trip to Ruidoso, N. M.. where he
took in the skiing events. He said that a
drive-in would pay off there because of the
many tourists and visitors who frequent the
small town resort. The location is about 125
miles north of El Paso.
Diane Hart and Mark Perkins entertained
Eva Gabor and Dick Egan Saturday (10
evening in the Anacacho room of the Saint
Anthony hotel. Miss Gabor and Egan were
the stars of "Strike a Match," which was on
the boards of the Texas Theatre that night.
Mi.ss Hart has appeared in pictures made
both in San Antonio and Hollywood.
Claud Alexander of Alexander Film Co. attended
the annual convention of the company's
employes and sale.smen in Colorado
Katherine Cornell will
Springs recently . . .
be seen in "The Constant Wife" at the Texas
Pete Stoilis. owner,
Theatre March 10 . . .
and Panis Veliskos, manager, Teatro Venus,
Victoria, were in town visiting and booking
Mexican pictures at the exchanges.
Statewide Drive-In Theatres, Inc.. has
moved from its downtown offices in the Majestic
building to the Alamo Drive-In on Austin
highway . . . Manager Ignacio Torres of
the Alameda had his floor staff members
wear red fire chief's helmets to herald the
coming of "El Bombero Atomico," starting
January 26.
Walter Starke, co-producer of the Broadway
play, "I Am a Camera," left for Hollywood
after visiting in San Antonio and
Seguin. Starke will help write the script for
the stage play which will be made into a picture
this spring.
Eddie Miller, who often clowns for theatre
ballyhoo hereabouts, is back from a trip to
El Paso, where he spent the New Year's
holidays.
Skolsky Produces "Cantor Story'
Sidney Skolsky is producing the Warner
picture, "The Eddie Cantor Story," with
Marilyn Erskine as Ida Cantor and Keefe
Brasselle in the title role.
Says Rising Costs Fog
Future of Television
NEW YORK—Rising costs will continue to
plague the television industry and will cause
increasing use of film for TV programs during
1953, writes Ben Duffy, president of
Batten, Barton, Durstine & Osborn, Inc., in
an annual review for Television magazine.
The problems that faced TV at the start
of 1952 still face it at the start of 1953
in more acute form, he states.
This cau.ses him to write:
"Somewhere this
side of saturation coverage, the addition of
stations may be impossible budget-w-isc, or at
least may be found to be uneconomical."
He also asks: "Will the number of advertisers
with appropriations high enough to use
TV on a continuing basis be sufficient to
support the medium?"
Duffy predicts that talent co.sts will go up
10 to 15 per cent, and that the same percentage
of increa-ses will apply to station
costs.
On the much-discussed question of whether
TV shows should be "live" or on film, Duffy
WTites: "A live show still results in bettor reception
than a film .show, but more and more
shows .seem to be going to film. One of the
reasons, of course, is the difficulty in getting
any sizeable number of stations live and
interconnected at the time of the origination
of the broadcast and, when an advertiser has
a considerable number of delayed stations, he
gets better reception with film than with a
kinescope."
If It's Good Promotion .
.
BOXOFFICE
someone will
report it in ... .
from the scenes of the activities each week come constant "^
reports of merchandising of films. Most of these are ideas vou
can use for your own promotion. All of them are interesting and
most of them are profitable in other similar circumstances. Make
full use of these practical ideas by practical showmen, many of
whom you may know.
N.
Motion pictures lend themselves ideally to good advertising. The public interest is
high.
Capitalize on the interest that already exists and increase your attendance
with proved ideas.
70-D BOXOFFICE
:: January 24. 1953