Boxoffice-Septemeber.19.1953

]
: September
Aim
MosiMPTO Houses
Join Insurance Plan
ST LOUIS Tnm HloiUnci. |)n-.-.ulciit of the
MPTO of St. Loui.s, Eastern Missouri and
Southern Illinois, reported at a meeting of the
board and committee chairmen held at the
Little Bevo last Tuesday i8i. that there has
been a 90 per cent response from the membership
to the haspitalization insurance program
made available to the members and
their employes through the Hardware Mutuals
Insurance Cos.
Myra Stroud, managing secretary, announced
that the organization had forwarded
$3,459.52 to the Korean relief fund. Tliis is
in addition to the many thousands of dollars
that have been sent in direct to the fund by
other theatres in the St. Louis film trade area.
The board voted to give 100 per cent support
to the big Harvest Moon Festival to be staged
by Variety Club at the Kiel Auditorium November
14. Theatres represented by tho.se in
attendance at the meeting agreed to run
trailers regarding the dance and entertainer
contests to be staged in conjunction with the
big charity show and to receive applications
from those desiring to enter the contests.
A number of the theatres announced they
would run trailers regarding the channel 9
educational television station to be operated
in St. Louis in cooperation with various
schools of this area. The channel 9 station
will function entirely on a noncommercial
basis in conjunction with the St. Louis and
Washington universities here and the public
school systems of St. Louis and various other
school districts in the St. Louis area.
The meeting also voted unanimously to
endorse the St. Louis Globe-Democrat's safety
campaign designed to reduce the number of
automobile accidents. The theatres w'ill set up
tables in their lobbies to obtain signers for the
safety pledge.
Tommy James, vice-president of the organization
and owner of the New Comet, Strand
and Douglass theatres in St. Louis, was host
at the luncheon. As a token of appreciation
of James' hospitality those in attendance
raised $50 for the Greek earthquake relief
fund.
The committee chairman reported on their
preliminary plans for the annual meeting of
the MPTO at the Sheraton hotel here December
14, 15. The gathering voted to make
Harry L. Kaufman the official photographer
for the annual meeting.
Highway Bandit Takes
$69 From Virgil Harris
MALDEN. MO.—Virgil Harris, who operates
the local drive-in and also owns and operates
a business in Dexter, was robbed recently
on the highway of $69. One of the robbers
then forced Harris to drive away with him in
Harris' Buick and later made him stop the
car and accompany him into the woods and
stop at several farm houses in an attempt to
find another car or truck, A boy rode up
on his bicycle to see what the men were
doing in that area, which had been posted
by his grandfather, but did not see the gun
and learn that a robbery was going on. Harris
said the robber took his name and address
and promised to return the money.
Music direction chores for the Paramount
picture, "White Christmas," were handed to
Joseph J. Lillcy.
CloYCO Drive-ln Opened
In Kansas City District
KANSAS CITY Till.-, area'.'< 13lli ilrivi'-ln.
the Claco, was opened Thursday (17) night
four miles southwest of
Liberty on Highway 10,
and about 14 miles
northeast of here. It
situated on a 25-acre
is
tract on which It was
possible to utilize the
natural slope and thus
allow for good visibility
from any part of the
theatre.
The Claco was built
by the Clay County
Theatre Corp., of which
St'liuU/
C. A. Schultz is president
and John Byram is vice-president.
Schultz is also president of Consolidated
Agencies, which will operate the drive-in,
and which also has theatre operations in
Des Moines, Marshalltown and Mason City,
Iowa. Byram has other theatre interests and
is also president of the Byran-Jackson Motor
Co.
LES DURLAND IS BOOKER
Les Durland, secretary-treasurer of Consolidated
Agencies and who has been associated
with the industry 20 years as booker, buyer,
salesman and manager, will act as film buyer
for Claco. Bob Collier, who started in theatre
business as a doorman, and for the
past five years had been assistant manager
at the Tower Theatre, is the Claco's manager.
Bob was responsible for the brochure
about the Claco i.ssued for the opening, so
must answer for the verse welcome with
which Claco, the clown marquee msuscot who
takes his name from Clay County, welcomes
the patrons:
Welcome thru our friendly gates,
Fomilies, friends—and bring your dales.
Park your cars, relax in your seat.
Remove your shoes if they hurt your feet.
With pleasure to you "come as you ore,"
See the movies that ore better by far.
Our ployground 'neoth our giant screen.
You wotch the kiddies where they can be seen.
This we soy, it is no hoox
Because we're glod to hove you folks!
Prior to the opening, the management gave
a party Wednesday (16 > night to the construction
employes who had made the early
opening possible. The invitation to be the
first to .see the completed drive-in included
wives and children of the workers, and
Schultz, is an attempt to get an idea of how
many to expect, a.sked one worker how many
in his family and was somewhat surprised to
learn there were nine. About 200 attended
and enjoyed the chicken, beef and other food
served at the conce.ssion counter to them by
the Rosselli Catering Co., saw the picture
and a fireworks display.
FREE DRINKS AT OPENING
At the public opening, all drinks were on
the house, there w'ere giveaway howdy-doody
pins and balloons as well as candy for the
children, with Chesterfield cigarets for adults
and hosiery repair kits for the women. On
the Sunday night following the opening, it
was planned to give away a costume jewelry
pin that was a likeness of Claco to the first
800 women who came.
Claco boasts a Multlscope all-purpose screen
lower. !M;xri4 !••!! . Ti'j y.ua^ m u-
enforci'd toiuretc footings and more than
Les Durland
Boh Collier
40 tons of steel superstructure. The playground
is at the foot of thLs tower with
the usual type of equipment, a mammoth
jungle gym, and with speakers and benches
located on the playground .so parents can
supervise the children while watching the
picture.
The boxoffice is located 1.325 feet from
the highway, and there are two exits, one on
the .south and another on the east. A sixfoot
walk facilitates the handling of customers
going to and from the refreshment
stand and Is numbered so they can more
easily find their cars again.
The manager's office, projection booth,
snack bar and restrooms are in the refreshment
building. A large patio with 250 comfortable,
spring-steel chairs Ls directly In
front of the snack bar which has cafeteriastyle
service. The snack bar is glass enclosed
and the projection booth contains the best
RCA projectors and sound equipment.
There will be four changes of program each
week and the drive-ln is geared for allweather
operation. Adult tickets are 60 cents
and children under 12 are free when accompanied
by an adult. Free bottle-warmer service
is emphasized and patrons are urged to
write their comments and suggestions t«
Claco himself, whose shining face in neon
lights is over the entrance.
Midcentral Buys One,
Sells Two Theatres
MANHATTAN—MiQceiiUal Theatres. Inc.,
which operates the Parsons and Kansan theatres
in Parsons, has purcha.sed the West
Theatre there from Mr. and Mrs. George
Wadlington. effective Sunday (6V Paul
Brown, Midcentral manager, said Its policy
would remain the same.
The Wadllngtons will move to Frcdonla
where they will operate the Kansan. which
Midcentral sold to Mr. and Mrs. A. W. Pugh
of Columbus, parents of Mrs. Wadlington.
The Pughs were the Kansan's original owners,
selling to the Griffith chain in 1939. which
in turn sold to Midcentral.
In addition to the Kansan at Fredonla.
the Wadllngtons will operate a new drive-ln
at the triangle north of the town on K-96
on which construction has already started.
Elmer Bills of Salisbury and Kenneth
Wlnklemeyer of Boonvllle, Mo., took over
from Midcentral the Fayette at Fayette, Mo.
This was also on September 6.
i
BOXOFTICE :
19, 1953
61