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BOSTON
.
. . Melvln
n I Lourie. president of AI Lourle Theatres,
and wife are spt'ndlnR u monU) In Miami
Beach During their visit they will celebrate
their 25th wedding anniversary new-
Art Cinema Theatre In Providence opened
with the French film, •'GervaLse." to strong
k)U5lness despite the season's first big snowstorm.
Mrs Anne Cohen of Providence was
In charge of an Introductory screening of the
film before the formal opening
Safner has taken a long term lease on the
Uberty Theatre, redecorated and refreshened
It and changed Its name to Art Cinema. He
is showing a series of top foreign films.
The Catholic Motion Picture Guild, which
has been In existence more than 25 years. Is
planning its annual retreat at Campion Hall.
North Andover. for Palm Sunday weekend,
starting Friday afternoon. March 28. Any
man connected with the motion picture business
Is Invited to Join this religious organization
run by the Jesuit Fathers. Edward Spelltnan
Is president of the Guild: Jack O'Brien.
New England Theatres Service Corp., vicepresident,
and Frank Lydon. executive secretar>'
of Allied Tlieatres Corp.. a past president
and active member. Industry men wishing
to Join may contact O'Brien at 70 Broadway.
Boston.
Services were held January 15 for Arthur
B. McE\'oy, 63, president of the McEvoy
Amusement Co.. which had been operating
the Plymouth Theatre in Leominster. McEvoy
died in Largo. Fla , while on vacation. Operation
of the Plymouth has been taken over
by his brother-in-law. Bill Yager. McEvoy's
survivors are his wife Nellie and two sons.
Joseph E. Levine. president of Embassy
Pictures Corp., flew 15.000 miles from Boston
NE-2
D 2 rcort (or J5 n
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THEATKE..
to Tokyo to see "The Mysterlans," spent four
days In Japan and was back home in a week.
"
•The Mysterlans is produced by Toho International,
the same company that produced
"Rodan" and "Godzilla." Levine distributed
the latter film In the United States. He was
noncommittal a-s to any specific deal made
in Tokyo for "The Mysterlans."
The Embassy office Is busy on Attlla."
starring Anthony Quinn and Sophia Loren.
produced by Pontl-DeLaurentils, for which
Levine has U.S. distribution rights. The film
will open in 150 houses In the New England
territory, including the Paramount and Fenway
theatres here, and 50 houses on the
We.^^t Coast, day and date, starting In April.
"Attlla" will be backed by strong television,
radio and 24-sheet billboard campaign, supplemented
by a S2,50O scholar.ship contest
for high school students. Contestants, who
do not have to see the film to qualify, will
submit papers on the barbarian chieftain.
Attila.
settcfine
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Warner Bros, shipped in a full staff and
company to Marblehead to shoot "Home Before
Dark," with Mervyn LeRoy handling
the megaphone. Jean Simmons, Rhonda
Fleming, Dan O'Herlihy and Ephram Zimbalist
Jr., who head the cast, were met by
local reporters at a press party Sunday il2i
at the Ritz Carlton Hotel, an affair arranged
by publicist Art Moger. Miss Simmons said
she had finished a UA film. "The Big Country."
in which she stars with Gregory Peck.
Carroll Baker. Burl Ives and Charlton Heston.
The film, produced by Peck and William
Wyler, has not been released yet. Miss Fleming
has completed "Bullwhip."" an Allied
Artists picture In which she costars with Guy
Madison. She described the film, still unreleased,
as a ""woman's western." Mer\'yn
LeRoy's best contribution to the press conference
was the cheerful line. ""People will
always go out to see a good movie."
"Home Before Dark" Is being based on a
novel by a Marblehead woman and the picture
has a local background. The company
was to be in town two weeks shooting exteriors,
then return to Holl>-wood for the
Interior shots. From a large number of local
girls who tried out, six were chosen as
stand-ins for the four leads.
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;j Kemiltaiict Enciowd D S«nd In'oice
STIIEET ADDRESS -
TOWN ZONE STATE
NAME „ rOSITION
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BOKOfflCt THE NATIONAL FIIM WEEKLY 52 laues a year
825 VoR Brum IItt> H, Mo
John Rowley to Speak
Al Sim Heller Fele
MINNEAPOLIS — International Chief
Barker John H. Rowley has accepted an Invitation
to speak al the Variety Clubs tesUmonlal
dinner in honor of its retiring chief
barker Sim E. Heller in the Hotel NlcoUet
clubrooms at 6;30 p.m. January 27.
It"ll be a sUg affair, with Ben Berger. a
former chief barker, as chairman in charge
of arrangements. Cocktails and hors
d'oeuvres will precede the dinner. "Subscriptions"
to the dinner i$10 eachi are being received
by Berger until January 20.
At a dinner meeting recently Joseph Podoloff,
the new chief barker, and other officers
and directors were installed by LeRoy
J. Miller. Tom Burke is first assistant; Oil
Nathanson, second assistant; Ralph Plelow.
property master, and Edward Schwartz,
dough guy.
Attention has been called by the club to
the 20-mlnute "Heart of the Show Business""
short, which depicts the philanthropic work
being done by the various tents. It"s being
distributed by Columbia, features numerous
top stars and is in Technicolor. All exhibitors
are asked to play it.
Fired-Up Parents Request
Less Horror Film Fare
GILROY. C.\LIF — A fired-up group of
irate Gllroy parents, unhappy about the number
of "horror and monster"" movies shown
at a local theatre recently, decided to demand
a change in the theatre"s programming policy.
About 30 representatives of PTA groups and
other civic organizations agreed to request
that an official of the Jesse Levin General
Theatre Co., San Francisco, meet with them
here.
The firm is booking agent for the Strand
Theatre here, which, the parents complained,
has shown too many horror-t>-pe movies in
recent weeks.
At the meetings, the parents requested that
"more wholesome, family-type movies"" be
exhibited at the theatre, the only film house
in Gllroy.
Action to request the meeting was taken
after the group di.scussed a more sharply
worded letter to the theatrical agency which
was to be endorsed and sent to the firm by
each of the represented organizations. Instead,
they agreed to make a more softlyworded
request to the firm for the meeting.
Complaints about the programming were
voiced at the meeting Instead of in the letter.
Mrs. Glen Brem. one of the PTA repre-
.sentatives, said the theatre's manager. Jack
Peters, had been "very cooperative" in trying
to chajige the t.\-pe of pictures shown.
But, Mrs. Brem quoted Peters as saying, the
choice of movies is restricted by the booking
agency
'Ballel' to Hartford Soon
ll.MtTFORD Abe Woiner. regional sales
supervLsor tor Rank Film Distributors of
America booked "The Bol.sliol Biillet,' Into
the 3,300-.seat Bu.shnell Memorial, downtown
auditorium, for January 30-February 2.
Art Plugs by Direct Mail
HARTFORD-Wllllam Muiphy. manager at
the Cine Webb, Is u.slng a weekly mailing
list for his art film policy.
BOXorriCE January 27, 1068