Boxoffice-January.24.1953

. . . Blossom
. . Lee
Earl N. Manbeck Finds
Movie Hobby Is Fun
DES MOINES—Earl N.
Buck" Manbeck jr.,
former operator of the Forest Theatre here, is
rapidly gaining recognition for a hobby which
is a business to most people. Buck, who is
vice-president and secretary of the Manbeck
Motor Sales Co., has a private theatre of his
own. It's a special wing built on his home at
3621 Wakonda drive. The theatre has 16
upholstered theatre seats, carpeted aisles, a
projection booth and a screen.
Friends and business associates lucky
enough to be invited to screenings at Buck's
private theatre believe it to be the most comfortable
and best-equipped private theatre in
the state. Buck has a fine library of films in
his personal collection. Among them are "The
Birth of a Nation," "The Hunchback of Notre
Dame" with Lon Chaney. "Tlie Three
Musketeers" with Douglas Fairbanks, "The
Cat and the Canary" with Laura La Plante
and many others.
Buck is one of several collectors of old films
scattered across the country who pay from
$50 to $400 for old "classics." He bought his
first in the late '30s, when he was only 15.
Although Buck comes from an established
automobile family in the city and has long
been connected with the sales of motor cars,
he has been in and out of film business during
recent years.
He has been the projectionist in small theatres.
He once managed the Carlisle Theatre
in Carlisle and then bought and sold—in 1950
— the Forest Theatre here.
Last fall. Buck put a toe back into the business
as a producer. He took an old one-reel
silent picture—a 1920 comedy—added a commentary
and a piano background, and released
it as a documentary. Called "Love on
a Yacht," it's been beating the drum for
film history in the Forest, Rocket, Beaver,
Grand and Iowa theatres in Des Moines and
25 state bookings have taken it to the Capitol
in Iowa City, the Iowa at Waterloo and the
Odeon in Marshalltown.
On January 1, Buck released a second production,
a documentary called "Movie Magic."
It shows the progress of motion pictures from
the early days up to the present. It is a
potpourri including film pioneers Charlie
Chaplin, Tom Mix and Sarah Bernhardt.
Says Buck, "The documentaries show what
I think of television in relation to motion
pictures."
Buck has established a company called
Midwest Pictures to produce and release his
two documentaries.
Close Lost Nation House
LOST NATION, IOWA—The Nation Theatre
here has been closed because of poor attendance.
Clyde Nelson, owner, said he had
stopped the show because "lack of patronage
made the operation unprofitable" and he
could not see any point in running it at a
less. Nelson purchased the business from
Walter Allen in 1950.
Businessmen Give Free Shows
ALBERT CITY. IOWA—Albert City business
and professional men are sponsoring a
series of free movies to be shown every Saturday
afternoon for 16 weeks. There will be a
feature and a serial each Saturday. The shows
are free to adults and children alike.
ROCK HUDSON IN MILWAUKEE—When actor Rock Hudson appeared here
recently, Fox-Wisconsin pulled out the promotional stops to provide a swank press
luncheon, an exchange of keys to the cities hctween Hudson and Mayor Frank
Zeidler of Milwaukee, appearances on five radio stations to plug "The Lawless
Breed." an autograph party in the Fox Palace lobby and a party for all high school
paper editors. Shown abovs, left to right, are the U-I officials who arranged Hudson's
appearance here: Jack Diamond, Benny Katz, Hudson, Bill Schwartz. Orv Peterson
and l>ave t>oldin;tf..
MILWAUKEE
IJenry Ringling of the famous Ringling Bros,
circus family has sold the Al Ringling
and Juliar theatres in Baraboo, Wis., for
$150,000 to Jake Eskin, Eskin Theatres circuit.
A. L. Roser managed the two houses
for the Ringling interests for many years
Seeley and Bennie Fields,
famous vaudeville team whose life story was
recently portrayed on film, were appearing
for two weeks at the Schroeder hotel here.
Fields is a Milwaukeean, and his parents
still reside here.
Frank Haynes sr. and jr. are building a
400-car drive-in near Ashland, Wis. . . . Leo
Grossman, formerly manager of the Fox
Modjeska Theatre here for several years,
and now with the Manta & Rose circuit,
Chicago, was a recent Filmrow visitor. He
handles the Vision, Milo, Thalia and Rena
theatres there.
Al Dezel of Albert Dezel, Inc., Chicago, took
the franchise for Beyerly Pictures, Inc., for
the local territory, as well as Detroit and
Indianapolis .
Thompson, manager of
the State Theatre, Menomonie, Wis., used
AA's tall and striking cutout display of a
football player to advertise "The Rose Bowl
Story." Thompson reported the picture
grossed very well.
'Above' Draws Interest
D.AVENPORT, IOWA—When the Coronet
Theatre showed the film, "Above and
Beyond," there were two men especially interested
in being present. They were Col. John
R. Roche, Davenport's most decorated flier,
and Jim Stopulos, manager of the Coronet.
Both men knew Col. Paul Tibbets, about
whose life the picture was made, when he
was stationed at Roswell air base, N. M. in
1945. Colonel Roche was base commander at
the time.
Your cooperafion to the March of Dimes drive is
important. Let your patrons cooperate.
Two More TV Permits
In Twin City Territory
MINNEAPOLIS—The FCC has granted TV
licenses for stations at Rochester, Minn., and
Fargo, N. D. They are expected to be in
operation within 60 days, or sooner.
In Sioux Falls, S. D., TV starts in April. A
station there, owned by Eddie Ruben and Joe
Floyd, theatre circuit owners, has its permit
and now is getting its equipment in shape for
the inaugural.
Duluth also is expected to have at least
one station in operation within 30 to 60 days.
One group there ah-eady has its equipment .
on hand.
Theatre Hosts Kid Party
SIOUX CITY—The Capitol Theatre here
was the scene of a theatre party given for
the patrol boys and girl hostesses of public
and parochial schools in Sioux City. Among
the sponsors were the Sioux City Safety
council and the Sioux City Automobile Ass'n.
A program of pictures, popcorn and speeches
was presented.
Morris Smead Honored
COUNCIL BLUFFS, IOWA—Morris Smead,
veteran of the film industry here and who has
an interest in the Strand building, was honor
guest at a dinner before leaving for California
to attend the Rose Bowl game and see his
alma mater, Wisconsin, play. He will be gone
more than two months.