m

. . Mr.
—
—
—
—
ST. JOHN
J^oug King:, manager of the Odeon Strand
and Kent theatres here, had a shocking
experience at the Kent during a Sunday midnight
performance. Four hoodlums under
the influence of liquor jumped him. King,
a wiry young man, defended himself well.
One vandal was hospitalized: another with
the assistance of the theatre staff, was held
for the police. King came out of the fracas
with a multiple fracture of the nose and
bruises. Local theatres have been plagued
with so-called "leather jacket" toughs, now
banned by most theatres.
Morris Stein, Toronto and eastern division
manager of Famous Players Canadian Corp.,
and Maritime District Manager James Mc-
Donough, Halifax, spent a few days here with
Manager Harrison Howe of the Paramount:
James Mitchell, manager of the Capitol: Gordon
and Gerald Spencer, president and secretary
of the P. G. Spencer Co. They also
visited PP partner W. W. O. Fenety, operator
of the Capitol and Gaiety, Frederickton,
N. B.
"Giant" held two weeks to solid boxoffice
in the FP Capitol, Halifax. "Baby Doll"
folded after one week in the Odeon Casino,
Hyland and Garrick. This picture was advertized
as "restricted for children under 16
years of age" . and Mrs. Arthur
Mitchell announced they will build a theatre
in Port Elgin to replace the Mayfair, recently
destroyed by fire.
Patrick J. Hogan, recently retired manager
of Paramount Film Services, was tendered
a testimonial dinner February 5 at the
Admiral Beatty Hotel by the Maritime Allied
Exhibitors Ass'n in conjunction with the
Motion Picture Pioneers and Film Board of
Trade. A large turnout honored the popular
"Pat." He has been nicknamed "Mr. Newfoundland."
Twentieth Century-Fox Manager Gordon
Lightstone jr., notified exhibitors that effective
with "The True Story of Jesse James"
projectors will have to use "small sprockets."
Fox is providing the branch with a certain
number of all-purpose Cinemascope parts
that will properly project on four-track
stereophonic or optical equipment, provided
the equipment has small sprockets. The
majority of Maritime theatres will have to
make conversion.
Exhibitors here for the Patrick J. Hogan
testimonial dinner on the occasion of his
retirement as Paramount manager, visited
Filmrow to book and buy. They were Lloyd
Mason, Capitol, Springhill: Joe LeBlanc,
Capitol, Shediac; Harry Adkins and Romeo
Nowlan, Pine, Richibucto, and Roxy,
Buctouche: A. A. Fielding, president of the
SFA circuit, operator of the Avon, Bridgewater,
Bijou and Capitol, Digby, N. S. . . .
Also booking and buying was J. P. Kiley of
Montreal and St. John's, Nfld., owner of the
Nickel and York, St. John's. Kiley also books
and buys for several outpost theatres in
Newfoundland.
The Atlantic Theatre, owned by Atlantic
Theatres, Ltd., Sheet Harbor, N. S., Reg
March, president, has been added to the
long list of Maritime theatres that have
closed. The Keneric, Chester, N. S., operated
by Eric Redden, is now operating on Fridays
and Saturdays, as is the Souris Theatre,
Souris, P.E.I, owned by C. N. Richards . . .
Bill Shaw has resigned from the St. John
Evening Times Globe newspaper to become
assistant to Manager E>oug PCing of the
Odeon Strand and Kent, St. John.
. . . "The
Samuel A. Babb of the Franklin & Herschorn
circuit has been re-elected president
of the Saint John Stamp Club
Battle of the River Plate," showing day and
date in the Odeon Casion and Hyland, Halifax,
N. S., received much free newspaper
publicity. The Halifax Mail-Star inserted
two full columns and four pictures on the
film. The port of Halifax during World War
II was the port from which convoys moved
with troops and supplies to Europe. The
Graf Spee around which this opus is built,
terrorized the sea lanes until her last battle
at the mouth of the River Plate in South
America against three British cruisers.
"Gold Rush' Continues
TORONTO—"The Gold Rush" continued at
the International Cinema, leading local offbeat
theatre, for an eighth week, which was
announced as last stanza of the revival run.
Film Covers Ross'
Career
United Artists' "The Barney Ross Story"
covers Ross' career in the ring, as a Marine
Corps hero and as a desperate man winning
a battle over drug addiction.
HANDY SUBSCRIPTION ORDER FORM
BOXOFFICE:
838 Van Brunt Blvd., Kansas City 24. Mo.
Please enter my subscription to BOXOFFICE. 52 issues per year (13 cl which contain
The MODERN THEATRE Section).
D S3.00 FOR 1 YEAR Q $5.00 FOR 2 YEARS D S7.00 FOR 3 YEARS
D Remittance Enclosed Send Invoice
THEATRE
STREET ADDRESS
TOWN
NAME
STATE..
POSITION
Holdovers Go Strong
On 9 Toronto Screens
TORONTO—The 1957 miracle of holdovers
continued at Toronto's ace theatres, all but
one of which offered an extended engagement
during the past week, the single new
picture being "The King and Four Queens"
at the Odeon Carlton.
(Average Is 100)
Eglinlon, Towne Friendly Persuasion (AA), 8th wk.lOO
hotlywood. Palace, Runnymede Anostasio (20th-
Fox),4thwk 1]0
Hyland The Silent World (Col), 2nd wk. 110
Imperial Giant (WB), 5th wk 105
Loews The Teahouse of the August Moon
(MGM), 7th wk 100
Norfown The Opposite Sex (MGM), 2nd wk 100
Odeon ^The King and Four Queens ( UA) 110
Tivoli Oklohomo! (Magna), 42nd wk 100
University The Ten Commandments (Paro),
12th wk
1 10
Uptown Written on the Wind (U-l), 6th wk.. . ! !lOO
Snow and Freezing Air
Hits Vancouver
VANCOUVER—Snow and freezing temperatures
affected business here, but strong
product helped in some situations. "Anastasia,"
"Friendly Persuasion" and "Bumble
on the Docks" were the leaders.
Capitol Anostasio (20th-Fox) Excellent
Cinema Friendly Persuasion (AA), 4th d.t. wk. . .Good
Orpheum You Con't Run Away From It (Col). Fair
Plaza ^Rumble on the Docks (Col), Utah Blaine
(Col) 9 days Good
Strand ^The Girl He Lett Behind (WB) Fair
Studio Private's Progress (IFD), 4th wk .... Average
Vogue The King and Four Queens (UA) fair
VANCOUVER
Tvan Ackery, Orpheum manager, made the
newspapers twice. A newsreel dealing with
the mad bomber in New York is believed to
have been the incentive for a local bomb hoax.
A boy called the Orpheum and said a bomb
was planted in the theatre. Police searched
the house but found nothing. A second story
related that Ackery was given the Vancouver
traffic and safety award "in recognition for
his work in child safety."
. . .
. .
Frank Soltice, manager of the Pines Drivein
at Penticton, was in town after a Mexico
holiday doing his booking-buying for the new
season The annual meeting of British
Columbia Exhibitors Ass'n Monday (11) at
the Georgia Hotel considered further reductions
of the tax on theatre admissions. Owen
Bird is president. "Oklahoma!" in Cinema-
Scope was previewed for the visiting exhibitors
at the Vogue Sunday . Work has started on
Walter DiUadaugh's Colville Theatre in Colville,
Sask. The 250-seater will
first 35mm house.
be the town's
Bill Hale, 80, member of projectionists Local
299, Winnipeg, who retired to live in Sydney,
B.C., on Vancouver Island, died there recently
Two, three and four-house daydate
. . . bookings by the two major circuits in
this area are said to be working out better
than anticipated, and will become a steady
Lew Parry, president of Parry Films,
diet . . .
North Vancouver, returned from the annual
meeting of the Ass'n of Motion Picture Producers
& Laboratories of Canada in Toronto.
Daniel Angel, UK producer, in association
with 20th-Pox will produce "The Sheriff of
Fractured Jaw," a comedy starring Kenneth
More, in western Canada this summer.
K-2
BOXOFFICE :: February 16, 1957