Boxoffice-Febuary.18.1956

OPEN PITTSBURGH STUDIO—Members of the Stern family
C.rSftC
(Associated circuit)
greeted film industry friends at the opening of Pittsburgh's new art theatre, the Studio,
in Bellevue. Left to right are Bill Brooks, Co-Op; Max Shulgold, Crown Film manager;
Peter Quiter, U-I salesman; Ernest Stern; Max Shabason, MGM assistant manager;
David C. Silverman, RKO branch manager; George and Arthur Stern, and
Francis Guehl, U-I manager.
PITTSBURGH
TSepublic exchange has been spring-housecleaned
home. Kimelman will not be able to resume
and newly painted, and awaits a duties for a month or longer . . . Joe Heidt
visit from Dick Altschuler, general sales manager
. . . Jack Nesbitt of the trailer depart-
seven-day appearance of Bill Bendix in the
was here exploiting "Battle Stations" and the
ment of National Screen here and Helen area early in March . . . John J. Maloney,
Clark of Carmichaels were married recently
. . . Peggy Lazor is the new secretary at
the Republic branch office . . . David Kimelman,
Paramount manager, was to return
home this week after undergoing a stomach
ulcer operation in Montefiore Hospital . . .
From all indications at press time it seems
that Pennsylvania Gov. George Leader's tax
program will be enacted. The new state
taxes probably will be a 2 per cent income
tax. plus 2 per cent gross receipts tax, plus
a 2 per cent sales tax.
Bill Eyth, film actor, this week mourned
the death of his father, Carl Eyth, 69. The
funeral was in St. Killiam's Catholic Church
at Mars, Pa. . . . National Theatre Supply will
move from the Boulevard of the Allies around
the corner on Van Braam street in the Morrone
building next door to Alexander Theatre
Supply. United Artists, second floor, over the
present NTS offices, also will move, but there
is no announcement on this. Meanwhile, the
new 20th-Fox exchange building is under
roof. It adjoins the present quarters of 20th-
Fox . . . Jim Balmer started his 48th year
with the Harris Amusement Co., having
joined the Harry Davis-John P. Harris firm
in 1909.
. . Howard
The Warner Theatre, Erie, April 25 will present
two evening vaudeville shows under the
auspices of Father Francis Schlindwein's
Hammett St. Boniface Church .
Minsky, Paramount eastern manager, presided
at the local branch office as David Kimelman,
recuperating from an ulcer operation, was
released from Montefiore Hospital to his
SAM FINEBERG
TOM McCLEARY
JIM ALEXANDER
84 Van Braam Street
PITTSBURGH 19, PA.
Phone EXpress 1-0777
Movits Art Better Than Ever • How's Your Equipment?
MGM central sales manager, and Father
Thomas McCarthy, director of the Catholic
Youth Council in the diocese of Pittsburgh,
accepted a plaque from Emmanuel Goldberg,
chairman of the organization and extension
committee of the Allegheny Council of Boy
Scouts. The veteran film executive is chairman
of the Catholic committee on Boy Scouting,
responsible for recruiting 25 per cent
of the new units into the Allegheny council,
more than any other one committee.
Winifred O'Brien Reilly, wife of John A.
Reilly, local theatre manager for more than
55 years, died in West Penn Hospital. Requiem
high mass was celebrated at St. Agnes'
Church. John Reilly started as a theatre
manager with the old Rowland & Clark circuit
here 40 years ago. and he has served
at a number of theatres in the city area with
the Warner and the Stanley Warner circuit,
also with independent exhibitors. His last
job was managing the downtown State Theatre
which closed a year ago to be converted
into a banking house. Reilly resides at 341
Robinson St., Oakland district.
M. A. Silver, SW zone manager, and Ernest
Stern of Associated circuit, are exhibitor cochairmen
for Brotherhood Week, and James
Hendel, UA manager, is distributor chairman
. . . Mi-, and Mrs. Ernest Stern of Associated
circuit vacationed in Mexico. They were to
stop at the drive-in convention in Cleveland
on their return trip . . Floyd "Fritz" Klingensmith,
.
former Columbia film salesman and
now WKPA's sports director and announcer,
reported to Heidelberg Raceway to broadcast
a soccer game but there was no electricity
connection ordered, so there was no broadcast.
45 Years a Film Shipper
PITTSBURGH—Ted Tolley, MGM shipper,
observed his 30th anniversary with this company
here. He has served continuously as
president of Local B-ll for 15 years and has
been a film shipper here since 1911.
a
Ohio Exhibitor Complains
About Children's Library
NEW YORK—A complaint that It is difficult
to obtain Children's Film Library films
from Cincinnati exchanges was noted by Robert
A. Wile, executive secretary of the Independent
Theatre Owners of Ohio, in the
latest issue of its service bulletin. The complainant,
who was not identified, said that
because of the small rentals involved, exchange
managers are unwilling to borrow
from other exchanges where there are prints.
Wile quoted the exhibitor as follows:
"The situation is deplorable. How an industry
can be so short-sighted is unbelievable
to anyone interested in staying in business.
What is anyone doing to bring about an increase
in the availability of children's
movies?"
The point was made there could be tremendous
national promotion that "would
overshadow anything TV could ever accomplish."
The exhibitor said this could be done
lor the cost of new prints of the outstanding
classics "now hidden away in the film exchange
vaults." He said there would be no
better way of reviving family interest in
the movies.
"I could write a book on the subject," he
said, "giving facts and figures based on actual
experience with children's shows, and
there are many other exhibitors who could do
likewise, but definite action rather than talk
is needed now, for, as of this week, almost
all of the library pictures are gone. Unless
definite action is taken at once, special children's
shows of the proper type will be a
thing of the past."
BOXOFFICE recently carried an article
that noted that the Motion Picture Ass'n of
America has been asking the cooperation of
member companies in this respect and has
met with some success.
Herman Lorence Retires
ERIE, PA.—Herman Lorence, film distributor
and exhibitor who has been inactive in
recent years except as owner of the 18th
Street Theatre here, has retired. Owner of
this house for 15 years, Lorence has sold
this property to Nick D'Aurora, who has
operated it under lease in recent years. Formerly
D'Aurora operated the Lyric and other
theatres here. Lorence is remembered as a
Cattaraugus, N. Y., exhibitor a number of
years ago.
S. L. Rawson Sells Theatre
EDINBORO, PA.—Stanley L. Rawson, who
built and operated the Best Theatre here,
sold out to Bert Kiehl, local funeral director.
Rawson planned the theatre while in
a government hospital and his father assisted
him in building it. Kiehl stated that he would
employ showmanship to the best of his ability
to stimulate business at the Best. Young
Rawson now will devote all of his time to the
management of his 19-62 Motel, an 18-unit
enterprise near Mercer.
Bell TV Network Enlarged
NEW YORK—Television stations WDBJ-
TV at Roanoke, Va., and WHTN at Huntington,
W. Va., have been added to the Bell
Telephone System of nationwide network facilities.
The additions bring the number of
stations on the network to 377 and the number
of cities served to 248.
54 BOXOFFICE :
: February
18, 1956