Boxoffice-November.17.1956

. . Butch
. . Mrs.
MINNEAPOLIS
M'orth Central Allied directors are being
polled by mail to determine if they wish
President Bennie Berger to try to bring the
1957 National Allied convention to Minneapolis.
If the directors' vote is yes, Berger
says he'll extend the invitation at the forthcoming
Dallas convention.
When exhibitors are so elated over the boxoffice
reception to a picture that they'll
write to a branch manager and tell him about
it, that's something, believes LeRoy J. Miller,
Universal manager here. That's just what's
happening in the case of "Unguarded Moment,"
he says . . . Veterans Day was a holiday
on Filmrow here, but many of the branch
managers and some of the salesmen were on
the job the same as usual . . . UA exploiteer
Ed Borgen was in town to do preliminary
work on "The King and Pour Queens" . . .
Jess McBride, Paramount manager, went to
Chicago for a sales meeting.
The Lyceum has hooked onto another
legitimate attraction booking, "Janus," for
the week of January 28 . . . Poster Blake, U-I
western division sales manager, was in . . .
Independent distributor Don Swartz planning
to attend a November 28 Chicago meeting
when American International's 1957 product
will be discussed. He distributes the pictures
in this territory . . . Circuit owner Ted
Mann was vacationing in Mexico . . . The
foreign grand opera pictures, "Don Giovanni"
and "Boris Gudunov," are at the Suburban
World and Campus, the former in its second
week.
It was the 15th week for Cinerama's "Seven
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Wonders of the World" at the Century here
... In his review of "Giant" in the St. Paul
Pioneer Press-Dispatch, critic Bill Diehl
called it "another alltime screen great" and
"a must-see" . . . With the Rialto here temporarily
shuttered to permit alterations to
its exterior, the Minnesota Amusement Co.
finds itself with only one Twin Cities' neighborhood
house, the local Uptown. A few
years ago the circuit had more than a dozen
such theatres. How times do change!
Services were held here Tuesday for Herbert
T. Blass, 65, who died Friday (2) in Des
Moines, where he was Warner manager. A
Minneapolis resident for many years before
he was transferred to Des Moines, Blass spent
45 years in the film business, most of them
as a Warner Bros, salesman here. His last
local position was city salesman. He was born
in New Ulm, Minn. Death followed surgery.
His wife and a daughter survive.
MILWAUKEE
lyTost of the drive-in theatres in this area
have closed. The Starlite in Menomonee
Falls and the Blue Mound in Elm Grove
will operate all winter with in-car heaters.
The Wisconsin Twin 41 here also was still
Prank J. "Mac" McWilliams, a
open . . .
pioneer exhibitor in this territory, was critically
ill in Madison General Hospital. He
operates conventional theatres and a drivein
at Portage.
Westgate Theatre Added
To Ted Mann Circuit
MINNEAPOLIS—Ted Mann has added a
second art theatre, the neighborhood Westgate,
to his chain of ten houses. He has
leased the 600-seat house from the Edina
Theatre Corp., headed by Martin Stein, which
retains its neighborhood non-art Edina.
the neighborhood Suburban World.
Mann will continue to operate the Westgate
as an art house. It's located several miles
away from another prosperous Mann art theatre,
Among the other Mann theatres are the
Minneapolis and St. Paul first run Worlds.
Remodeled last year at a $150,000 cost, the
Minneapolis World is considered the Twin
Cities' most profitable theatre operation.
Karl Maiden and Natalie Wood will star
in Warners' "Bombers B-52."
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rHEATHE
STREET ADDRESS
DES MOINES
Qlayton Bosten has reopened the Palace
Theatre in Muscatine to run until the
opening of the 1957 drive-in season . . .
Marion L. Dickson, Mount Pleasant exhibitor,
was on the Row last week . . . Lou Levy, U-I
manager, is vacationing in Denver, where he
will attend the confirmation of his nephew
and remain for the Thanksgiving holiday.
Announcement has been made of a change
. . Mike Lee,
in date for the annual Variety Tent 15
Christmas party. It will be held December
17 at the Jewish Community Center . . . Frank
Rubel, chief barker for Variety and Tri-
States executive, is vacationing with his
family in Florida . . . Pearl Fort, Tri-States
theatre manager in Des Moines, and Margaret
Gibson of the StarVue Drive-In in Panora,
were both hospitalized in Des Moines hospitals
during early November .
district manager, and Al Fitter, division manager,
were guests of Carl Olson at UA last
week.
Gwelda Jones has resigned her position at
Universal to return to the cosmetology pro-
. . .
fession. She will open a shop in Perry . . .
Doc Twedt, owner of the Chief Theatre in
Britt, has returned from a three-week hunting
trip in Canada Ralph and Betty
Olson, Universal and DCA, went pheasant
hunting on opening day of the season in
Iowa.
Roy Howser, NSS shipper, was married . . .
Lucy Williams, NSS, vacationed in Kansas
City . . . Ruth Napier is the new biller at
NSS replacing Marlene Kratzke who resigned
to be married Don Beal, wife of
Warners' shipper, is recuperating from
surgery DeFrenne, booker for
several theatres throughout the territory, is
bragging about all the fish he caught on a
recent outing.
Art Film Series Booked
By Green Bay Theatre
GREEN BAY, WIS.—A series of five art
films has been booked for the winter by the
local West Theatre, according to Elmer Brennan,
district manager for Standard Theatres.
"T'he Ladykillers" opened the series Wednesday
(14). The other four films and their
playdates: "The Last Ten Days," November
28; "The Proud and the Beautiful," December
12; "Rififi," January 9, and "La Strada,"
January 30.
Season tickets, representing a 20 per cent
savings over tickets purchased individually,
were sold for the series. Each film in the
series will be shown four nights by the West
Theatre.
Poor Crowds Force Closing
SHELTON, NEB.—A recent severe drop in
attendance at the Roxie Theatre here has
forced the house to close temporarily. It was
believed the theatre would be reopened In
several weeks' time.
TOWN
NAME
STATE
POSITION.,
Herb Blass Is Dead at 65
DES MOINES—Herb Bla.ss, 65, Warner
Bros, manager, died November 9 at Mercy
Hospital here. He had been hospitalized for
two weeks following major surgery.
70 BOXOFFICE November 17, 1956