— For Sharp, Straightforward^ Focus • • • # ^ That's right — to keep your picture sharp, run your film through the NEW CENTURY CURVED GATE. \ CENTURY curved gates are patterned after the well known CENTURY film trap and gate. The new curved gate features solid, fixed film trap shoes. This sturdy precision design provides positive positioning of the film, therefore positive focus. The aperture plate was designed as an integral part of the film trap which serves to maintain the correct focus. PERFORMANCE PROOF: Note the following typical exhibitor comments: "Marked improvement on edge-toedge "The in and out focusing. Excellent results, of focus effect has both color and black and white were tested with equally good results. Most noticeable on newsreels." King Theatre, Honolulu . . . and many more. been all but eliminated, particularly on previously buckled film." Miracle Mile Drive-in, Ohio, U.S.A. See your CENTURY dealer for this new aid to better motion picture projection. Century Projector Corp. NEW YORK 19, N. Y. *^' •-- -' "ftw.'-j-.. DISTRIBUTED BY Hardin Theatre Supply Co. 714 South Hampton Road Dallas 11, Texos SW-8 BOXOFFICE :: February 16, 1957
Dubuque, Iowa, Avon To Close on April 1 DUBUQUE. IOWA—A royal landmark on Dubuque's Main street will cease to exist on April 1. It is the Avon Theatre. When fu-st built in 1908. it was christened the Princess. It was then the latest in theatre architecture. A newspaper article appearing the day before the theatre opened proclaimed: "In this theatre, Dubuque has a structure that is attracting the interest of the theatrical architects of the country. It is the most complete and perfect building according to the modern ideas of theatre architecture that it is possible to design." That was 49 years ago. Today, the theatre's doors are closed forever. Its infancy was during the time of vaudeville. Its death comes in the rock and roll era of today. A multitude of eras spanned the years in between. And the Princess, later the Avon, housed entertainment which reflected those eras. The final end for the theatre will come April 1 when razing operations begin. It will make way for the new J. C. Penney department store. William Bradley built the theatre and, less than a year after it opened, leased it to Harvey Fulton, on behalf of the Standard Amusement Co. Then, in 1916, James Yiannias, now general manager of Associated Theatres, leased the house and has had the theatre since. At the time Yiannias took over the Pi'incess, the theatre no longer had vaudeville acts. He tried to revive them in 1927, but was not too successful. M. F. Stangl, now a projectionist at the State Theatre, was employed as projectionist at the theatre from 1915 to 1956. The Princess, and later, the Avon, had its ups and downs. First it was a nickelodeon, then a first run house, later, a second run house. In 1956, the Princess began to falter, running only second time around movies three days a week. April 1, it will falter for good. Variety Seeks V2 Million For Its Heart Hospital MINNEAPOLIS—The Variety Club will resume its drive to raise $500,000 to finance a fifth floor for the heart hospital on the University of Minnesota campus. Chief Barker Sim Heller at a dinner meeting told members approximately $70,000 toward the goal already has been accumulated. The federal government will contribute a goodly share of the money needed to defray the cost. The additional floor will permit an extension of heart research work. There was a big turnout last Saturday night for the auxiliary's Valentine party and several hundred dollars were realized. This money will go to buy additional hospital TV sets and for gifts for children patients. New Lamberton 0^vne^ LAMBERTON, MINN.—Elmer Vollmer has taken over operation of the Berton Theatre following purchase from O. B. Dahlgren of Walnut Grove, who continues to operate a theatre there. Vollmer, a native of Lamberton, and his family moved into the theatre apartments. The Berton had been owned by Dahlgren 15 years. Theatremen Enter Pleas Against Five-Cent Levy LINCOLN, NEB. — Amusement industry representatives turned out in force to oppose a bill before the Nebra.ska unicameral legislature which would establish a five cents per head amusement tax in the state. The bill was tabled. The measure was introduced in the unicameral legislature by Senator "Terrible Terry" Carpenter, who dreamed up the "Joe Smith for vice-president" gag at the Republican national convention and who, himself. is a drlve-in theatre owner among his many busine.ss interests. The big industry turnout at the hearing on the bill before the revenue committee, followed a plea by the Allied Independent Theatre Owners of Iowa, Nebraska and Midcentral and other organizations. The Allied bulletin pointed out that the proposal would amount to a 50 per cent tax on a ten-cent admission or 10 per cent tax on a 50-cent admi.ssion ticket. In the hearing, theatremen contended that the tax would just about sink the industry, which already had been dealt a severe blow by television. Speaking for the Nebraska Theatre Owners Ass'n, Robert R. Livingston of Lincoln, association president, said that "motion picture theatres have been harder hit in the last two years than any other type of amusement." He noted that three film exchanges out of eight in Omaha had gone out of business. Livingston said the cause of the decline is the increase in the number of television sets in the family home. He reported that Zorn in Benkelman Dark; E. Merle Gwin to Denver BENKELMAN, NEB. — The Zorn Theatre has been forced to close its doors because of insufficient patronage. E. Merle Gwin, owner, said dwindling patronage had made continued operation of the business impossible. Television competition was credited with cutting attendance here until the operation of the business was not only unprofitable but for the past two years had failed to meet expenses. Gwin, who came to Benkelman in 1948 after buying the business from Mrs. Marie Zorn, has accepted a position in Denver and the family plans to move there as soon as school is out in May. The inroads on theatre attendance by television was felt locally almost with the coming of Channel 6 at Hayes Center. Gwin was determined to close the theatre at this time last year after several profitless months of operation preceding the new year. Local business people, in an effort to keep the theatre in operation, joined together in presenting a free show each month to bolster the theatre's revenues. Continued loss of patronage, however, and the resulting loss in the expense of operation of the theatre made the continuation of the theatre's operation impossible. Gwin is known in the film industry as a 67 per cent of the homes in the state now have television, 87 per cent in Douglas Coimty (Omaha) have sets and 81 per cent in Lancaster County (Lincoln). Opponents to the bill included Lincoln City Attorney Jack Pace, who claimed the bill might be unconstitutional as regards to taxing governmental subdivisions. He said the activities it would involve include dancing, swimming, golf and amusements planned at the city auditorium. A. Q. Schimmel, president of the Lincoln Baseball Club, said an amusement tax would be "most injurious" to the club, an affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates. He said the tax could not be passed on to the purchaser of a ticket because the price does not change. He said the tax "could possibly eliminate baseball in Lincoln" and elsewhere over the state. Others who protested the Carpenter bill included Ed Schultz, secretary of the State Fair board: R. C. Patterson, state adjutant of the American Legion, who said it would cut down the number of Junior Legion teams, and Howard Kennedy of Broken Bow, drivein and four-wall theatre owner, who told the committee flatly "the tax would put us out of business." Senator Carpenter was the only person appearing for the bill. Before the hearing started, he circulated an amendment proposal which would exempt many amusements, would provide that the tax wouldn't apply on any amusement of 50 cents and would exempt certain charities. The revenue committee voted 5-to-2 to temporarily table the bill. capable businessman and exhibitor. Since coming to Benkelman in 1948, he built the Zorn Theatre into one of the finest theatres in the area, making many physical improvements in the plant and exhibiting the newest films. The theatre had a following from all surrounding towns and maintained a large mailing list of regular out-of-town customers. Whenever something new developed in the industry, he was the first to bring it to local theatregoers. He maintained the best in projection equipment and his sound system was the finest in the area. He was the first to show three dimension features and pioneered CinemaScope in the territory, being the first theatre in a hundred-mile circle to oring the new process to its patrons. Theatre Aide Gets Point V\^rong; Check for $11,000 BISMARCK, N. D.—Theatre manager Bob Rosen was thankful that his English assistant, John Sayer, was working with dollars and not the English pounds which are worth almost $3 each. Reason is that Sayer was making out the payroll checks for theatre employes and his pen slipped, and Rosen signed a check for $11,000 instead of $1,100. Fortunately the slip was discovered before the check was cashed. BOXOFFICE February 16, 1957 NC-1
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Ft /ne TuAe m me /vi&to&n. Mctu/ie
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MS k-/1V)rtAi< S. ». . F' WAKE UP
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READY NOW WIT ERGMAN PICTURE
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F^6^ o^tAe //l(>twn reduce /^tdiuh/
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MPAA Industry Study To Be Comprehen
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— ' Hollywood Neglecting Big Musi
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)F 47.000.000. ..AIMED TO REACH EVE
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Ha^/e you e^er seen svet ^^HOLPiNG
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- Page 83 and 84: — . . . Phil . . Robert . . Eddie
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- Page 87 and 88: — — —— — — 'Anaslasia'
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- Page 91 and 92: Maritime Testimonial For Patrick Ho
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