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. . . "The
. . The
. . Perakos
. . Ernie
. . Ted
PROVIDENCE
I>hode Island's hoax bomber is still at large.
His latest strike was at the Newport
Strand. Two calls from him emptied the
theatre for 15 minutes while police made a
thorough search. The first call was to police
headquarters. A call received at 7:17 p.m.
was more di'amatic. The caller said "Pay
attention! At 7:30 a bomb will go off in the
Strand." Five minutes later an operator at
the Newport telephone exchange received a
similar call, which was traced to a booth
in the Armed Services YMCA. Police picked
up four civilians, who were released after
questioning. After the theatre was searched,
the performance was resumed.
"The Proud and the Beautiful" was shown
first in Rhode Island at the Avon Cinema
Teahouse of the August Moon"
held for a second week at Loew's State;
"Anastasia" a third week at the Majestic
. . . Bill Ti-ambukis, Loew's State manager,
returned to his desk following a minor operation.
WJAR-TV recently took a full page in
the radio-television supplement of the Sunday
Joiu-nal to present its "Movie Calendar
of the Month." The layout simulated a normal
calendar page, with day-by-day programing
of motion pictures to be televised
over the station. Something like three or
four motion pictures are beamed out every
day during the month. Approximately 100
different films are to be televised dm-ing
February
. Sunday Journal is now
featuring a complete section to television
and radio. Devoting, by far, more free plugs
to these two forms than to motion pictures,
it is bound to arouse the ire of motion picture
theatre owners and operators already
irked by the discrepancy between free space
accorded motion picture theatres as against
television and radio.
New Policy at Perakos Unit
HARTFORD — The Eastwood Theatre in
East Hartford, has changed matinee operating
houj-s, with performances now starting
at 1:30. Doors open at 1:15, Mondays through
Fridays. The Eastwood is part of Perakos
circuit.
Third Term to Lider
As lENE President
BOSTON—Edward W. Lider was re-elected
president of Independent Exhibitors of New
England, a unit of National
Allied, for a
third term, at the annual
meeting of the
unit, Tuesday (12) at
Edward W. Lider
the Hotel Bradford.
Other officers elected
were Melvin B. Safner
of Central Falls,
R. I., first vice-president;
Edwin Fideli of
Worcester, second vicepresident;
Henry Gaudet
of Laconia, N. H.,
secretary; Julian Rifkin,
Boston, treasurer. Norman Glassman of
Lowell was re-elected chairman of the board,
and Nathan Yamins of Brookline was reelected
national delegate, with Lider as alternate.
Carl Goldman was reappointed executive
secretary of the unit.
Directors elected were Leslie Bendslev, Ray
Feeley, Ned Eisner, Leonard Goldberg, Ai--
thur K. Howard, F^ank LePage, Walter
Mitchell, Daniel Murphy, Sam Resnik, Ted
Rosenblatt, Andrew Tegu, David Hodgdon
and Joseph Jarvis.
Hartford Editor Welcomes
Withdrawal of Newsreels
HARTFORD — Writing editorially under
the title, "Fadeout for Newsreels," the Hartford
Courant, morning daily, commented:
"The showing of cuiTent events in motion
picture houses never did achieve big public
favor. Lately this sort of film aperitif has
been relegated more and more to oblivion.
The latest of the newsreels to be withdrawn
is Paramount News, which discontinues on
February 15. Paramount's withdrawal underscores
an inclination within the film industry
that news, be it ever so spectacularly
capsuled, is doubtful fare for the entertainment
seeker. Even so, some five years ago
most of the country's 19.200 theatres considered
news the right sauce for the double
feature. But television has greatly scotched
this. Now the industry indicates that less
than half of the theatres show newsreels.
"This retrenchment will probably cause
groans in some quarters. But the more progressive
in the motion picture industry will
say good riddance to any part of the program
that drags its feet. And if newsreels were
withdrawn next week, it's unlikely the public
would show any great distress. The story is
the thing and so let's get on with it. Fact,
apparently, belongs elsewhere."
HARTFORD
pred R. Greenway and Jack Keppner of
Loew's Tlieatres planned to host Walt
Disney cartoonist Roy Williams at a press
luncheon as part of the "Cinderella" promotion.
The attraction is slated to open later
this month at Loew's Palace . . . Tom Tryon,
local actor, has been signed for his fourth
Hollywood role. He will star in "Short Cut
to Hell," a Paramount melodrama marking
James Cagney's directorial debut. Tryon previously
appeared in AA's "Screaming Eagles,"
Paramount's "The Scarlet Hour" and "Three
Violent People" and RKO's "The Lady and
the Prowler."
A sizable delegation from the regional
amusement industry will attend the March
17 testimonial dinner honoring Jimmy Durante
in the Grand Ballroom of the Waldorf-
Astoria Hotel, New York . Dorau
started a new tableware giveaway at the
Newington, Newington . Theatre
Associates booked a dual revival bill, consisting
of "High Society" and "Sabrina," into
the subsequent run Arch St. Theatre, New
Britain.
Jimmy PiersaU, the baseball player, was a
guest at the Connecticut Sportswriters Alliance
dinner at Hotel Statler, with newsmen
interviewing him about Paramount's upcoming
"Fear Strikes Out," which concerns
Piersall's life. He enthused, "It clears up
the situation concerning my father, whose
sole aim was to make a big league player
out of me. The TV show left a bad taste
concerning him, which the motion picture
corrects. It makes me happy, because I want
you all to know that everything my father
aid, he did for me."
. .
"The Dark Wave," 20-minute featurette for
the campaign against epilepsy, was booked
into Lockwood & Gordon's Strand, Winsted
Actress Gene Tierney found Hartford
to
.
be a rather warm city February 5. While
riding in her car, a short circuit in the
cigaret lighter caused the vehicle to catch
fire. A fire fighting unit responded and soon
had the blaze under control.
The St.
Sebastian PTA took over the M&D
.
. . .
Middlesex Theatre in Middletown February
4, 5 for benefit performances Holt
of Loew's circuit was in town; another visitor
was Dave Jacobson, Jason Theatrical
Enterprises, Torrington The Moosup,
Moosup, has new policy of distributing a free
gift to a lucky lady every Friday and Saturday
night. The independent theatre also
has started a kitchenware giveaway on Monday
nights.
i
Let Us Do Your Office Bookkeeping Work
We can save you the headaches of all your
paper work ot a small cost per theotre.
Call or Write
Bay State Amusement Enterprises, Inc.
250 Boylston St., Room 306
Boston 16, Mass. Tel. KE 6-5255
Strand at Willimantic
Relighted as the Cameo
HARTFORD—The Strand Theatre at Willimantic.
operated under numerous banners
over the years, has been renamed the Cameo
and relighted by Frank Lasala and Kenneth
Spargo. Spargo formerly served as assistant
manager of the Warner Garde in New London.
Willimantic has two other theatres—the
Stanley Warner Capitol and Jason Theatrical
Enterprises' Gem, both first run.
Ed Lord Planning Fill-in
On Yantic at Norwich
HARTFORD—An application to fill in a
portion of the east branch of the Yantic
river at Norwich for a distance of about 330
feet south of the city line has been filed
with the Army engineers by Edward P. Lord,
eastern Connecticut theatre operator, and
treasurer of the Lord Mfg. Co. No comment
was available from Lord as to the use he
intends to make of the area. With the exception
of a small parcel of land. Lord owns
the property between Falls avenue and the
river. The fill will create a lot of almost
one quarter of an acre.
NE-2 BOXOFFICE February 16, 1957