Boxoffice-May.12.156

. . The
. . Norman
. . Filmrowers
. . The
. . Chris
. . Press
. . Joe
. . Manager
. . Paul
RKO Theatres Voles
For Reorganization
WILMINGTON—Reoiganizatiou of RKO
Theatres Corp. was approved Tuesday i8i at
the annual stockholders meeting held here.
Under the terms of the agreement 1,043.706
shares of common stock will be issued in
exchange for the assets of the Cleveland Arcade
Co.. including its controlling stock in
Gera Corp. and the assumption of the liabilities
of the Cleveland Arcade Co.
RKO Theatres, by the action, thus became
a firm with diversified financial and industrial
interests—with a special division for its
theatre properties.
Re-elected directors were: Theodore R.
Colborn. David J. Greene. Dudley G. Layman,
Albert A, List. A. Louis Ore.sman. Edward C.
Raftery and Sol A. Schwartz.
Consolidated net income of RKO Theatres
Corp. and subsidiaries for the first quarter
of 1956 was $355,138, as compared with
$535,236 for the first quarter of 1955.
Income from operations before depreciation,
interest and other charges and income taxes
was $1,114,544, compared with $1,515,723 for
the first quarter of 1955.
Shajes of common outstanding totaled
3.151.736. not including 170,200 shares held
in 1956 and 672.377 held in 1955.
Joe Warren Is Building
Ballston Spa Ozoner
ALBANY — Joe Warren, owner of the
Greater Pittsburgh Drive-In, Pittsburgh, and
the Super 30 Drive-In. McKeesport. Pa., has
broken ground for a large automobiler on
Route 50 two miles from Ballston Spa. and
hopes to have it in operation by July 1. Capacity
of 1,000 cars is planned. Perkins Supply
Co. of Buffalo will equip the airer. Berlo
Vending Co. will have the concessions.
Warren, who has operated coal mines in
Pennsylvania and who has met with success
in the drive-in field, told exchange managers
he would like to play fii-st run pictures at the
new ozoner. This would make it a competitive
situation with Walter Reade's Community
in Saratoga and with Sartos Smalldone's
Malta Drive-In eight miles below the Spa.
The Community and the Malta are now bidding
for product.
Warren and his wife have taken springsummer
residence in Ballston. Their son is
supervising the Pennsylvania airers.
Olympic Boxing Trials
To Be Variety 9 Project
ALBANY—Plans for the eastern division
eliminations in competition for places on
the U. S. Olympic boxing team, under cosponsorship
of Albany Variety Club and
Adirondack District AAU at Hawkins Stadium
in Menands August 22, 23. were formulated
at a Tent 9 meeting Monday night. Ben
Becker, AAU district president, Philip
Schuyler vice-president, outlined the details.
Originally, the Variety Club and Becker had
hoped to stage a championship professional
boxing bout at the Stadium during the Saratoga
racing season for Camp Thacher, but
this proved to be impossible.
Becker said that 100 top amateur boxers
from all parts of the country east of the
Mississippi River, including an Air Force
team to be flown in from Europe, w-ill take
part. Squads from ten cities are expected.
ALBANY
Jules I'erlmiittiT's cxijaiulinn operations have
' reached Watertown, where he is taking
over the Star-Lit Drive-In, operated last season
by Joe Agresta, and for .several years
before by Fred Kleemeier. Perlmutter took over
Agresta's lease and equipment, according to
reports here; started ramping and other
changes prior to a May 25 reopening. Perlmutter
now conducts three automobilers; the
Fort George at Lake George Village, the
Spar near Corinth and the Richmondville at
Cobleskill. He also operates, on lease, the
Paramount and Royal, Albany; conducts the
Grand and Strand in Watervliet, as well as
three Benton-owned situations, the State in
Mechanic ville, the Capitol in Ballston Spa,
and the Capital in Whitehall. Howard Goldstein
is his general manager. Agre.sta still
has the Orvis and Rialto m Massena.
Promotion for "Away All Boats," U-I production,
was launched here by Maurice
"Bucky" Harris. Last in Albany for the premiere
of "Man Without a Star" at the
Strand in March 1955, the veteran exploiteer
called on Edgar S. Van Olinda of the Times-
Umon and Harold Henderson of the Knickerbocker
News. He worked out of the U-I
offices and in cooperation with branch manager
Norman Weitman. "Away," based on a
popular novel, stars Jeff Chandler, Julie
Adams and George Nader. It is to be a
summer release, enjoying strong U. S. Navy
cooperation. While in his native city. Harris
renewed acquaintances with industry and
other friends. He helped to stage the Variety
Club's dinner for "hometown" Kirk
Douglas a year ago. A son Tom, onetime U-I
booker here and later a special U-I representative,
now manages American Legion
post rooms during the winter and operates
a successful mobile vending service business,
from West Chatham (on Cape Cod), during
the summer.
Louis W. Schine made his first trip to Albany
since a recent operation, visiting the
.
Schine-owned radio station WPTR. Mrs.
Schine accompanied him reported
Monday that bulldozing was under
way for the drive-in which Sylvester Albano
has announced near Ravena. The site is four
or five miles from the Klein Bros. Hi-Way
Drive-In at Coxsackie. Albano is a justice
of the peace and a businessman in Ravena.
A second automobiler, on which the Kleins
started work last August, on Jericho road
between Albany and Ravena. has been stymied
pending a court decision on a motion to invalidate
a town of Bethlehem ordinance adverse
to it.
Jim Tobin, Stanley Warner district manager,
and Lou Green, SW sound engineer,
were in town . Strand management
distributed 5.000 reduced price tickets to students
in Albany schools for "Alexander the
Great." Abe Bernstein. UA exploiteer. worked
hard on the premiere.
May 5 was reported a big Saturday for
drive-ins around Albany, weather and other
factors being helpful ... A fine response to
Al Marchetti Week at the close of the Charles
J. Feldman testimonial drive was reported by
the U-I exchange. Marchetti's has been booking
for 25 years Weitman, U-I
.
manager, reported his mother was a weekend
visitor . . . Eddie Fabian and Bernie
Brooks closed a strenuous round of business
activities here and returned to the home offices
in New York. Brooks is chief buyerbooker
for Fabian Theatres. Fabian inspected
the circuit's area hou.ses with Division Manager
Ellas Schlenger . Warren, Pittsburgh
area drive-in operator who is building
a 1,037-car airer near Ballston Spa, brought
letters of introduction from Pittsburgh branch
managers when he called on Albany exchange
chiefs. Warren and his wife are occupying
a large residence in Ballston.
.
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Morris Schmalzbach, 20th-Fox auditor, renewed
acquaintances with Bucky Harris,
U-I exploiteer, one evening at the Variety
clubrooms Pope. Schine booker,
checked in for several days of date-.setting
with the various exchanges Wallen's
Leland dualed "Dark Venture" and
"Bride of the Monster."
Clarifying the status of the Erie in Schenectady,
a Fabian spokesman explained that a
petition had been filed by representatives
of two estates owning the theatre building
for its demolition and conversion into a parking
lot. No date for this action had been
announced, he pointed out. Meanwhile, the
Erie will continue showing motion pictures
and booking stage plays—when the latter
are available. Gene Ganott manages the
Erie and the State, in an adjoining building
and connected by an arcade ... Ed Scully,
son of John J. Scully, former Universal district
manager, now operates the State in
Pittsfield, Mass. He sold for Universal at one
time.
SYRACUSE
T Dew's Strand broke its regular policy for
three days to stage "Tea and Sympathy"
with Maria Riva . agents in town
included Bob Sandbach for "Alexander the
Great" and Edwin W. Hale jr. for Disney
Productions . . . Don Day has replaced
Richard Rivitte as chief of service at Loew's
State . State's assistant manager.
Gene Mielnicki. spent a busman's holiday in
Buffalo seeing motion pictures, including
"Cinerama Holiday" . Sam Gilman
of the State has made contacts in Atlantic
City. N. J., to get a boardwalk rolling
chair for publicizing "Alexaiider the Great."
He's also on the lookout for a chariot.
A reunion between White Cloud, a Mohawk
Indian, and Chief John Big Tree of the
Onondagas took place on the reservation here.
It was preliminary to a public appearance
White Cloud and his a.ssistant Lili made on
the stage of Schine's Eckel Theatre before
the first showing of "Mohawk." legend of the
Iroquois . . . Ralph Stitt has resigned as
manager of the Eckel and wUl be replaced
by Marvin Coon of Madison. Wis. ... A
regional meeting of Schine executives from
the Gloversville office took place in Syracuse.
Attending were Seymour Maurice, Bernard
Diamond, Charles Horwitz and Stanley
Worthman.
The Paramount was completely "air
force"
for the showing of "On the Threshold of
Space." Part of a jet plane was on the
marquee. Part of the ballyhoo included a
youth dressed in a jet fUer's suit.
BOXOFFICE :: May 12, 1956
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