Boxoffice-November.17.1956

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PHILADELPHIA
fJtost exchanges were closed for business on
the 12th to celebrate Veterans Day .
The Motion Picture Associates of Philadelphia
will sponsor a special showing of "The
Ten Commandments" at the Randolph Theatre
Sunday (25) at 8 p.m. Because of the
large number of Variety Tent 13 members
attending this event, there will be no screening
on that day at the tent's clubrooms . .
A drive-in theatre with a capacity of 1,000
cars will be constructed for opening next
spring on the new Causeway at Beach Haven
West, N. J. It has been leased by Jerome
and Herbert L. Shapiro to Beach Haven
Drive-In Theatre Co.
Stanley Warner's Broadway Theatre in
South Philadelphia threw a big Halloween
party Saturday, October 27 . . Gift certificates
.
were awarded winners of several age
groups for the best costumes. Free masks
were given to every kiddy attending the
special matinee. The promotion was arranged
by Manager Dominic Lucente, "the mayor of
South Philadelphia" . . . 3,000 signatures
to petitions presented by students of West
Chester to Hay Powell and Vince Olanin,
co-managers of the Warner in Chester, were
enough to convince the managers to rerun
two James Dean features. The grosses were
gratifying.
Charles Beilan, Warner branch manager,
was in Hahnemann Hospital for observation
. . . Ditto Rube Shor, president of National
Allied ... A new little theatre group, the
Philadelphia Civic Theatre, is to make the
Riviera in Manayunk its new home. The
700-seat house was last operated by William
Greenfield as a last run double feature house.
. .
. . .
Bill Madden was feted with a belated
bachelor's party at the Warwick. Madden,
MGM manager, recently was married . . .
RKO booker John Phelan was terminated
aftsr 31 years with the company . Lou Blaustein,
National Screen Service salesman, was
recuperating at home after a long hopsital
confinement Reports were current that
Harold Hirshberg was selling his drive-in at
Bechlehem to Claude Schlanger . . . Top
radio and TV disc jockeys in Harrisburg gave
their stamp of approval to the showing of
"Rififi"
at the Senate.
Penn Theatre in West Reading has become
a church while the Ritz in Reading is being
demolished to make way for a parking lot . . .
In a letter to the editor of the Reading Times,
Wayne M. High jr., an architect and son of
the late Republican leader of Reading suggested
that movie ads be censored because of
alleged "obscene or suggestive" material.
Tom Szelenyi to Milwaukee
PITTSBURGH—Tom Szelenyi, Warner exchange
booker, has transferred to the Milwaukee
branch. He was replaced here by
Joe Mccormick, formerly with RKO.
Atlantic City Theatres
Adopt Student Tickets
ATLANTIC CITY — A special 50-cent
student admission ticket will be available to
high school students of this resort, it was
announced by County Judge Leon Leonard,
president of the Atlantic City High School
Parent-Teachers Ass'n.
An agreement on the tickets was reached
at a meeting of the heads of the two theatre
chains here and representatives of the PTA.
It came on the heels of a "campaign" waged
by the students themselves in the school and
in the newspaper, in which they complained
ot the $1.25 and 98-cent prices prevailing in
practically every picture house in town.
According to the students their allowances
do not permit payment of such prices, once
they are over the 12 year limit, and consequently
they are forced to keep away from
the theatres. The particular age group
concerned said they were not interested in
the "children's matinees" operated by several
of the houses on Saturday afternoons at a
special
price.
Representing the picture men at the conference
were George A. Hamid jr. of the
Hamid chain of seven houses (only four of
which are operating in the winter months),
and George Wielland of the Apollo chain,
representing five houses (two of which are
operating in the winter).
The program will be inaugurated by
Thanksgiving Day, the judge said, adding
that the PTA will have to devise a means of
identification for the youngsters. Whether
the lower admission will be carried after the
winter season and over into the summer
depends upon the first six months operation
of the system, Hamid said.
Judge Leonard said that under the agreement
the students will be allowed to use the
50-cent ticket from 3:30 p.m. Friday through
6 p.m. Sunday as well as on the eve of and
during holidays.
Viking in Philadelphia
Files Antitrust Suit
PHILADELPHIA — The Viking Theatre,
owned by Harry Sley, has filed a $1,800,000
antitrust suit in U. S. district court against
eight distributors and three local first run
exhibitors. It was opened July 2, 1954, after
renovation. The plaintiff claimed that all
defendants were notified thi'ee months before
opening of the intention to license films.
A long list of complaints was filed, including
a charge of harassment through a series
of film rental suits entered against Viking
in common pleas court by Universal-International,
20th Century-Fox and Loew's. Also
named as defendants were Paramount,
United Artists, RKO Teleradio, Warner Bros.,
Columbia, Stanley Warner, Fox Philadelphia
Building Corp. and William Goldman Theatres.
Aaron Pine, of Dilworth, Paxson,
Kalish and Green, represented Viking.
WASHINGTON
prank Gormley, Warner exchange booker
the past 35 years, died of a heart attack
Saturday. He is survived by his wife and two
sons. WOMPI of Washington, at its monthly
luncheon in the Commodore Hotel, voted
to amend the constitution to enroll women
employed in the industry six months instead
of a year, the previous requirement for
membership ... The RKO office gave Don
Bransfield a going-away party. He resigned
to move to Columbia as booker.
Ira Sichelman, 20th-Fox manager, spent
several days in New York. Incidentally, he
celebrated a birthday Thursday . . .
Exploiteer
Hal Marshal was in working with Loew's
publicist Jack Foxe on the Elvis Presley production,
"Love Me Tender," which opens at
Loew's Capitol November 20.
November 22 is a big day in Denton, Md.
Each year since Sam Mellits' son AUyn was
born, 20 odd years ago, on that date the entire
community is invited to a free matinee at
the Dentonia Theatre in honor of Allyn's
birthday. The young man is now attending
officers training school at Ft. Slocum, N. Y.
MGM booker Ida Barezofsky is spending
her vacation at the Shore Club in Miami
Beach . . . Auditor O. Broughton was at
MGM . . . Sales manager James Sper and
his family visited his son at West Point over
the weekend . . . Exhibitors on Filmrow included
Dan Weinberg, John Miller, Sam
Mellits, George Walker and Bill Dalke jr.
BALTIMORE
. . .
Cenjamin Beck, executive of the Uptown,
Avalon and Pikes theatres, and Mrs. Beck
are vacationing abroad. Their latest
Vincent
postcards
were marked London
Dougherty, Baltimore representative for U-I,
flew to Cleveland for the recent conference.
James Richard, manager of the Little Theatre,
is a patient at University of Maryland
Hospital for a couple of weeks due to a general
"run-down" condition. His assistant, Alta
Eckels is subbing with aid from Larry Wyatt,
who is, regularly, manager of the Film Centre
John Ford the new assistant manager
. .
at the Town, is replacing the resigned George
Duncan. Ford formerly was with the Avenue.
Robert Ashcroft, manager of the Broadway,
has returned from Shreveport, La.,
where he visited his sister . . . Donald M.
Delauney of Westminster was in town for a
board meeting of the Allied Motion Picture
Theatre Owners of Maryland, Inc. . . .
Burglars attempted to crack the safe at the
Five West Theatre, but failed to make it.
However, their- tampering with it caused
considerable trouble for Manager Joel Lewis.
Police believe the would-be thieves lingered
in the theatre as no forced entrance was found.
JonruxCvt^
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BOONTON, N. J.
Large Core
Greater Crater Area
means
MAXIMUM LIGHT
Evenly Distributed
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in W. Vo.—CHARLESTON THEATRE SUPPLY, 506 Lee Street, Charleston,
West Virginia—Dickens 4-4413
in Pa.—NATIONAL THEATRE SUPPLY, Phila.—Tel. Locust ''-«'[56
SUPERIOR THEATRE EQUIP., 311 North 13th Street, Philadelphia
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BOXOFFICE
:
: November
17, 1956
37