Boxoffice-October.01.1955

Small-Fry Teams to Get
Free Trip to the Alamo
SAN AiNlXJNlo I'lurty boys iroiu .soimwhore
m tlu' United States will get ii free
trip to the Alamo, a ranch holiday, and a vi.slt
to nearby Me.xico.
The youngsters will be members of the
small-fry team .selected to play in the National
Milk Bowl, famed "little" Bowl, at San
.\ntonio December 10 against an out.sUmdlng
Texius team.
Small-fry teams eligible for consideration
are those playing in after-school programs
or orphanages, recreation associations, neighborhood
clubs, private and parochial schools
and civic groups.
The Milk Bowl has all the fanfare of the
Rose Bowl and the Cotton Bowl: pregame
parties, queen contest, pai'ade. visiting celebrities
and half-time ceremonies. This year
will be initiated the first annual children's
pilgrinia^ to the Alamo, with an estimated
20.000 children coming from all parts of
Texas for the visit and to witness the Milk
Bowl game.
The event has national radio. TV film, motion
picture, press, magazine and syndicate
coverage. Play by play is carried by as many
as 300 radio stations in the nation. A live
t^leca.'it will be added this year. Red Grange
describes the game as "the world series of
small- fry elevens." Players weigh no more
than 110 pounds and are not over 14 years
of age.
On the board of directors are Texas notables,
including Governor Allan Shivers.
Senator Price Daniel. Hugh Roy CuUen.
Jesse H. Jones, Glenn H. McCarthy and
showman Gordon McLendon.
Abilene. Tex.. Paramount
Observes 25th Year
ABILENE. TEX.—The Paramount Theatre,
built at a cost of S400.000 in 1930 and then
considered one of the nation's most beautiful
theatres, recently celebrated its silver anniversary.
Wally Akin, manager of the house
since 1934, selected "To Hell and Back" as
the anniversary feature. Twelve large
balloons, each of which contained four
courtesy passes were released on the outskirts
of Abilene at 11 a.m. on the anniversary
day. Persons who found the balloons were
guests of the theatre during its anniversary
observance.
The Paramount was built by H. O. Wooten
and was taken over by Interstate Theatre.^
shortly after the old Paramount-Publix Corp.
went out of business.
A. C. Mayes Dead
ABILENE. TEX.—A C Mavv.s. ..4. projectionist
at the Key City Drive-In, died at his
home here recently following a heart attack.
Mayes had been connected with show business
since 1920, Including years in vaudeville
as a musician and a winter tour as member of
' hn Philip Sousa's band. He is survived by
::e, four children, his father and a sister.
George F. Johnson Dies
TULSA—George F. Johnson. 59, died recently
in a local hospital. He with his
mother, the late Mrs. Margaret R. Johnson,
and a sister, Mrs. B. R. Clack, operated the
old Wonderland, the Royal and a west Tulsa
heatre. He was a native of Enid.
Country Fair-Picnic Air Surrounds
Jam-Packed Ozoner for Fightcasf
'
'he
HOUSTON—Tl>c King Center Twin Drlve- »ccm.s to appeal to u lot of people who Ilk'
In. where the Mnrcinno-Moore heavyweight the ^eot outdoors and the ciuiualneM c r
championship fight was teleciLst over clo.sedclrcuit
TV Wednesday night, resembled offspring.
being able to come oji you arc with or wlthnui
nothing -so much as a clrcus-picnic-country
Prefight entertainment
fall-. As at most
which help. .: ,
fights, there wa.s a preponderant
the crowd happy Included
male audience,
recorded
from little to big to
tumbling act.s luid
doddering.
exhibition
But
bouu. In.....
the other .sex was not to be
youngsters from the
discounted.
Boy.s
There
Club of Hou-itoi,
were young females with
and the 'Vouth Center,
babes-ln-arms,
under the dlreri|..i,
young women and older
of Otto L. Powers.
women. It was
The amut.
a good-natured crowd, though sparring brought
many howLs
of them
and In :
were around killing time for a.s
closer-up watchers .•.•
Ihot cau.sed
much as four and a half hours. One woman back at the concessions building tu ;.t,ij.il u:.
heard complaining got the laughing retort.
chairs to sec—
"But
and kept them there.
we're
Tlie
having fun, aren't we?"
music was plea.sant background, .sometimes
The drive-in was packed to more-Uiancapacity
with cars and 3,000 rented chairs visiting. dLscu-sslng the fight, making beU
drowned out by the rising cadence of volcc.i
placed singly between and around cars and singly or getting up pools.
everywhere else. Many stood or milled about.
Included In the ma.ss of fight fan.s
The wencarloads
of people from Dallas, over In
fogging machine couldn't get through
to operate. It is impossible to estimate the
Louisiana and all other directions.
number
Becaase
of people there. Manager Karl Stroud
Dallas theatres telecasting had sold out didn't
said. In addition to single admissions of
stop any of those folks. There was t;..
$3.25 each and the cars with their usual
sorry that the fight was pastponed Ij.
loads, there were over 100 station wagons
they liked to watch a
and many
TV fight on \\' ::
automobiles stacked to the top and
day night. But she mentioned it lightly,
bulging at the seams. (Cars were admitted
pointing out they still might get home In
for $10 plus tax per auto, advance sale.) One time. There was the one-of-foiu- women who
car. with back seat removed, held 16 University
of Houston students—three roosting In
met in the powder room. She ased to live
clase to the Jersey Joe Wolcotts in New Jcresy
the trunk. Trucks were outlawed.
She talked about how religious they were, and
Many brought their own food and drinks. fine and how her children's clothes had often
hospitals in the l". .S. .ind other rountrle*.
Still there was a constant line through the helped cover the little Wolcotts. Dicd-ln-thewool
snack bar, which grew longer at the entrance
fight fans all.
end clear out through the patio and thicker
No-le.ss-interested spectators were the Jefferson
Amu.sement folks from around the
inside—this up past actual fight-starting
time. There was an occasional remark about,
state, including President Julius Gordon, vicepresident
Sam Dandrum. assl.stant director of
"How do you go about getting something to
eat?" But it was said lightly and they waited
theatres Sam Tanner, purchasing agent Irving
Cohn, confectionery supervisor Mont>
around. They had plenty of time.
The only way to figure the amount of food Marks, city manager Jack Dahmer and South
and liquid consumed at this time. Stroud Park Drive-In Miuiager John Price, all of
said, is by saying that the concessions department
Beaumont: L. H McKibben, city manager at
beat the biggest take the boxoffice Port Arthur: O. Z. Horton. city manager a;
ever had. Beer was sold at the snack bar. Conroe; Rufus Honeycutt. city manager at
as at the Marciano-Cockell fight telecast before.
Baytown. and Nacogdoches city manager
And as before, there were no drunks nor Stockton Thompson. Kenneth McFarland.
loud, obnoxious folks around. Though a fight Pines Drive-In Tlieatre owner. Nacogdoches,
crott-d. it was strictly a famlly-pIcnlc type was also there to mill around the concession.'-
thing. Along with Easter sunrise services, it stand and talk and wait for the .satisfied
crowd to go home
Williams Co. Started
Paris, Tex.. Main Sold
As Paving Concern
PARIS, TEX —Mr and Mrs. Sam Gu:.-h,r.
Tulsa — The \\ iliiiims Hros. Co. owners of the Lamar Theatre here, havr
which has purchased the 51 per rent Interest
purchased the Moln Tlieatre here from Traiv.
in Tulsa Downtown ThiMlres Texas Theatres. Ginsberg said remodellnf
owned hy Thealri' Knterprises of Dalla.s, plans are under way for both th'
"
was founded bv S. .Millrr Williams and renovation work will begin in.:
David K. Williams. brolhofN in Fort the Main, while an extensive n :: -
.Smith, .Ark., as a paving concern.
is scheduled to begin at the Laiiuu ;:.
During World War II. the company January.
obtained Rovprnnient contmct-s to construct
GOO mil