Boxoffice_May.09.1960

Good Weather Helps
Chicago Theatres
CHICAGO—Good weather and hordes
of shoppers in the Loop helped movie attendance.
"I Passed for White" did substantially
well as the week's new opener
in the Roosevelt. "Please Don't Eat the
Daisies" in the fourth week at the Chicago
showed real strength, with grosses increasing
to a sizable degree.
(Averoge Is 100)
Copri Garden of Eden (SR), 3rd wk 180
Carnegie The Mouse That Roored (Col),
20th wk 125
Chicago Pleose Don't- Eat the Daisies (MGM],
4th wk 235
Esquire Carry On, Nurse (Governor), 2rK] wk. ... 1 80
Gorrick Alexander the Great (UA);
The King and Four Queens (UA), reissues 150
Loop The Snow Queen (U-l), 4th wk 195
McVickers Windiommer (NT&T), 19th wk 165
Monroe One Summer of Happiness (Times);
The Adultress (Times), reissues 155
Oriental Woke Me When It's Over (20th-Fox),
3r,-' wk ISO
Palace Con-Con (20th-Fox), 3rd wk 250
Roosevelt I Passed for White (AA) 195
State Lake The Unforgiven (UA), 5th wk 170
Surf Block Orpheus (Lopert), 5th wk 170
Todd Ben-Hur (MGM), 19th wk 235
United Artists The Fugitive Kind (UA), 3rd wk. 200
Woods Home From the Hill (MGM), 6th wk. ...175
World Playhouse Lo Forio del Destino (SR)....170
'Our Man in Havana' 220
As Weather Hurts Kansas City
KANSAS CITY — Holdovers outgrossed
the first week pictures here but the cool
weather had its restricting effects at all
boxoffices. both at indoor and outdoor theatres.
"Oui- Man in Havana" had the best
gross figures for the week, registering 220
in its second week at the Plaza.
Copri Ben-Hur (MGM), 14th wk 200
Fairway Kidnapped (BV), 2nd wk. after 2 wks.
at the Uptown and Granada 90
Kimo A Touch of Larceny (Para), 3rd wk 90
Midland The Fugitive Kind (UA); Three Come
to Kill (UA) 130
Missouri "The Unforgiven (UA); Virgin Island
(F-A-W), 3rd wk 90
Poromount This Rebel Breed (WB); The Threat
(WB) 90
Plaza Our Man in Havana (Col), 2nd wk 220
Roxy Please Don't Eat the Daisies (MGM), 4th
wk 100
Uptown and Granada Woke Me When It's Over
(20th-Fox) 110
Teenage Rowdies Barred
From Indiana Theatre
ZIONSVILLE. IND.—Teenagers who set
off a "loud, rude and rowdy" demonstration
at a showing of "Tarzan and the Ape
Man" have been barred from attending
movies at the Zionsville Theatre.
Mrs. Chris Harm of Indianapolis, owner
of the theatre, said that all children over
12 will be screened and tickets will not be
sold to "troublemakers."
The theatre is the only one in town and
is open only on Thursday and Friday
nights.
Mrs. Harm said the teenagers were completely
out of control at the showing of the
Tarzan film.
The rowdyism, she said, started with a
bubble-gum-popping routine and progressed
to loud talking, yelling and stamping.
The noisiest children were asked to
leave but refused to do so, she added.
The theatre owner also charged some
parents with "a complete lack of interest
in the theatre except as a baby-sitting
service."
She warned parents that "if your child
is refused admission, please be advised
that he has been given every opportunity
in the past and refused to cooperate."
BOXOFFICE May 9, 1960
PLAQUE PRESENTATION—Ab Sher, president of the Motion Picture Ass'n
of Greater Kansas City, presenting the industry achievement plaque to Phyllis
Whitescarver, VVOMPI. The presentation was made April 27 at a luncheon honoring
WOMPI members given by the IVIPA. Seated at the head table: Billie Mistele,
WOMPI recording secretary; Darrel Presnell, MPA chairman of the entertainment
committee, and Myrtle Cain, national WOMPI recording secretary.
Long-Dark Moberly State
Reopened by Louis Sosna
MOBERLY, MO.—The Sosna State, 209
North Fourth St., has been reopened after
4'2 years of darkness by Louis M. Sosna,
owner of the building. Sosna plans to
complete a thorough remodeling and redecoration
program, which includes installing
a wide screen and bringing projection
equipment up to date.
Sosna leased the State in November
1949 to the Dubinsky Bros, circuit and
moved his family to San Diego, where they
resided until last month. Mr. and Mrs.
Sosna sold their San Diego residence
preparatoiT to retui'ning here to live.
Theii' children, Bernard and Harriet Lois,
are both married and living in San Diego.
Sosna, upon his return here, expressed
confidence in the future of Moberly and
the theatre business.
"We have returned," he said, "because
we believe Moberly is on the way up. "We
will operate the State like we did in the
good old days with popular prices and
strictly first-run releases."
Alexandria, Ind., House
Repurchased by Alliance
ALEXANDRIA. IND.—Alliance Theatres,
former owner of the Town Theatre,
has repurchased the show place and
placed it under the management of Mr.
and Mrs. Paul Backus, who managed the
theatre when Alliance formerly owned it.
An extensive remodeling of the Town
has been carried out by the new managers.
They have reopened the theatre as a firstrun
house with a weekend policy. Matinees
are scheduled on Saturday and Sunday.
Big Anniversary Contest
FORT 'WAYNE — The Fort "Wayne
Drive-In at 5816 Bluffton Rd. is celebrating
its 13th anniversary with a contest offering
two roundtrip flights to Miami,
records, gasoline for a roundtrip to Texas,
food, bicycles, a season pass, and other
prizes. Glen Allen, the manager, said the
contest concerns the naming of an autographed
picture which is now in a bank
safety deposit box.
Premiere at Chicago
For 'Ruth' on June 12
CHICAGO—Tw-entieth Century-Fox will
world-premiere "The Story of Ruth" at
the Oriental Theatre here June 12.
Charles Einfeld, ad-publicity vice-president
here to complete arrangements for
the premiere, said Ziva Rodann and Elana
Eden will take part in the festivity, as
wUl Sam Engle, producer, and Harry Koster,
dii-ector.
Auburn, Ind., Drive-In
Is Remodeled, Reopened
AUBURN, IND.—The same management
team that operates the Hi-'Vue and Strand
at Kendallville has taken over the drive-in
on Road 8 four miles west of town and
made important improvements in the reopened
theatre.
John Stoner, former police chief of
AvUla, is the manager of the drive-in,
which has been renamed the Auburn-Garrett
Drive-In. Beverly Shippy of near
Auburn is managing the concessions and
Carol Langley, wife of the A&P manager
at Garrett, is the cashier. Prank Beckwith
is the projectionist.
More than half of the speakers are new
and the remainder has been rebuilt. New
fencing is to be installed, and the new
fence and all the buildings will be painted
as soon as weather permits. Changes in
the interest of securing brighter, clearer
pictures have been made in the projection
booth.
Fox Session in Kansas City
KANSAS CITY—Branch managers for
20th-Pox in this region met Wednesday
141 at the Hotel Muehlebach with J. R.
Neger of the local office acting as host.
Attending were Robert Conn, Chicago
manager and his assistant, Henry Harrel;
Howard Kinser. Indianapolis; Robert Mc-
Nabb, Detroit; Jack Lorentz. Milwaukee;
William Gehring, St. Louis; Dave Gold,
Des Moines; M. A. Le^T, Minneapolis. Both
Kinser and Gold are well known in this
area.
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