Boxoffice-October.01.1955

D E S
MOINES
Oeveral visitors were on the Row. Lou Astor,
Columbia home office representative,
spent several days in that exchange. Lester
Zucker, Universal district manager, conferred
with Lou Levy. Sam Hart, publicity man for
Universal's "To Hell and Back," was in Thursday
(29) to set the wheels in motion for release
of the film in this territory.
Joe Anchor, Warner booker, left this weekend
on his vacation . . . Universal employes
honored departing Al Ungerman with a
chicken dinner brought into the exchange at
noon Friday (23). They gave Al a desk set
as a farewell gift . . . Carl Olson and Dorothy
Pobst had a busy week at UA booking the
fight film in this area. A record crowd for
the theatre TV showing of the fight was
reported by the Paramount, where it was
standing room only.
One of the best-attended of the Variety
Club dinner parties was held at the Standard
Club Saturday (24 1. Jake Cohen, manager of
the Standard Club, cooperated with Variety
members by offering a "Heart Special" on
the menu and giving 25 per cent of the
proceeds to the Heart Fund. With all reports
finally in, the earnings on the recent hole-inone
contest seem to be a little over $2,000,
all of which goes to the Heart Fund.
Lou Levy has set the date for the annual
Variety Club Christmas party. It will be
held December 12 at the Jewish Commimity
Center. Prizes this year promise to be better
than ever, with a big door prize of a trip for
two. destination not as yet known, but with
all expenses paid. So, mark the date now on
your calendars and save it for Variety and
the Heart Fund.
The UA exchange here is happy with the
results of the first round of the current sales
drive which finds this branch on top . . . Jean
Post, former Universal salesman, was on the
Row last week with his w'ife. The Posts were
saying goodbye to their many friends before
leaving for Tokyo, Japan, where Jean will be
in foreign service attached to the U. S.
Embassy for at least two years. Since his
resignation from Universal In 1952, he has
spent 3'l- years In the Marine Corps with
headquarters in Washington. The Posts are
driving to San Francisco where they will put
their car aboard ship and they will fly via
Pan American clipper to Tokyo.
The Myron Blanks' many friends were
pleased to see Mrs. Blank named as one of
Iowa's ten best-dressed women In connection
with the recent fall fashion show held at
KRNT Theatre in Des Moines. And Jackie
really looked the part as she acknowledged
her introduction at the style show\
Area Newspapers Helping
Cinerama at Mill City
MINNEAPOLIS—"Cinerama Holiday," current
at the Century Theatre here, is being
carried to the same success its predecessor,
"So This Is Cinerama," enjoyed, by the help
of some 219 newspapers throughout a fivestate
area, according to Phil Jasen, managing
director and publicist here.
The fii'st Cinerama attraction held forth
for 16 months to top business, placing Minneapolis
sixth nationally boxofficewise among
the 13 cities boasting the attraction.
Jasen feels that the cooperation of the 219
Minnesota, North and South Dakota, Wisconsin
and Iowa newspapers accounts In part
for the huge out-of-town patronage. The
editors of all these newspapers were invited
to come to Minneapolis for a press prevue of
"Cinerama Holiday" and many accepted. Now.
says Jasen, they're using most of the press
releases sent to them weekly and some have
published editorials and front page article.-;
praising the attraction.
In one instance, a local exhibitor, D. T.
Dawson of the Orpheum In Ortonville, Minn.,
took the town's newspaper editor to task for
giving a bigger play to "Cinerama Holiday"
than he had given to Cinemascope's advent
at Dawson's showhouse. The editor ran an
editorial, apologizing to Dawson.
"Cinerama Holiday" promotion and exploitation
stunts mclude tieups with service
clubs and schools, bids for convention,
delegates' patronage and the organization of
local and out-of-town theatre parties.
"Cinerama Holiday" had a booth at the
recent state fair here and sold more than
$3,000 of tickets there. It's the first time
tickets for an outside show was sold Inside
the fair.
Airer Closes; Indoor Opens
NEW LONDON, WIS.—The 45 Outdoo)
Theatre was closed for the season recentlj
and the indoor Grand Theatre was reopened
1121-23 High Street Phone 3-6520 Des Moines, Iowa
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Marlin Sklles has been set as musical di
rector on Allied Artists' "Calculated Risk."
BOXOFFICE October 1, 195!