Boxoffice-Janury11.1965

,
and
. . Brooks
MINNEAPOLIS
H salute this week to Anthony "Tony"
Lethert, president of Motion Picture
Projectionists Local 356, lATSE, St. Paul,
who recently marked his 50th anniversary
in show business. Tony started his career
in 1913 at the old Faust Theatre near St.
Paul's Midway district and has been behind
the projector almost continually since
that time with the exception of two years'
service in the army signal corps in 1917
and 1918. He moved over to the Paramount
Theatre, at that time known as the
Capitol, in 1927. Lethert calculates that
over the years he has seen an average of
one picture a week, putting his total viewing
somewhere between 2,500 and 3,000
movies. Lillian and Dorothy Gish and
Spencer Tracy have provided Tony with
the most enjoyment in his years of projecting,
but his total list of favorites include
stars from both silent and sound
eras. Best of luck, Tony, and keep 'em
rolling.
Empire Photosound, one of Minneapolis'
lai-gest and best equipped industrial-TV
filmmaking organizations, has shifted its
base of operations to the Normandale
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940 BELMONT AVE.. CHICAGO
Center Industrial Park, west of Mill City
proper. There, Empire will expand into a
12.000-square-foot site with larger studio
and projection facilities.
A $25,000 loss was sustained when fire
gutted the three-story building housing the
Brainerd (Minn.) Tlieatre. The fire swept
through the structure from top to bottom
and a resulting explosion tore out one
complete wall. No fatalities were reported,
but six occupants of the building were injured,
as were three of the firemen attempting
to control the blaze.
Local Bill Diehl and syndicated Earl
Wilson, the entertainment columnists for
the St. Paul Pioneer Press and Dispatch
papers, both opened 1965 with predictions
that a morality movement will arise
throughout the country to restrain the
movies' increasing trend toward spicy situations
and comedy. Exhibitors are. of
course, willing to go along with this, and
attempt to provide the public with every
type of film entertainment available, but
one can't help noting the uncertain reception
given wholesome films—and the land-
Film folk in the Twin Cities area will
remember John Arthur as a part of the
Minnesota Amusement organization about
six or seven years ago. Arthur was adept
at languages even then, and after leaving
Maco he wound up working for three years
for American Trading Co., stationed in
exotic locales like Vietnam and Bangkok.
John's occasional visits back to the Mill
City and his regular correspondence with
friends have kept him in touch with the
local scene and vice versa. On a visit home
about two years ago, he and Mrs. Arthur
had to give their three-year-old daughter
a cram course in English to enable the tot
to communicate with Minnesotans. The
youngster had spoken nothing but French
(the family language of the Arthurs in the
Orient
I
Chinese abroad. John, much
to the delight of Star columnist Bob
Murphy, keeps the local paper up on odd
happenings and human interest items by
mail, and Murphy last week ran a lengthy
column of Arthur-gathered information on
foreign customs, prompting Filmrow to trot
out its own memories and stories of a most
interesting young man.
The local 20th Century-Fox branch has
followed suit with the rest of the film
company's distribution centers around the
country in making "The Pleasure Seekers"
available ahead of schedule to satisfy exhibitors
left holding the bag when "John
Goldfarb, Please Come Home" was withdi'awn
by court order on the eve of its national
openings. Not a bad deal, really,
since the Goldfarb flick was roundly
parmed in the national press reviews, and
the substitute picture looks like a natural
for the teenage set still home on holiday
vacations. "The Pleasure Seekers" opened
at the Mann Orpheum.
William Lofhus celebrated his leasing of
the Glen Theatre, Glenwood City, 'Wis.,
by serving free coffee and doughnuts during
the first weekend of his operation. He
has taken over the operation from Richard
P. Rivard and plans a seven-day
schedule.
Mimiesota Amusement has sold its State
Theatre at Hibbing, Minn., and its house
in neighboring Virginia, as the company
continues to plan to further develop and
concentrate on its Twin City area holdings.
Max Edelstein of Maco took over the
State, and the Maco was taken over jointly
by Edelstein and the Deutch theatre interests
in Virginia. Maco annomiced that
the sale continues the company's plan to
withdraw from its less profitable areas and
expand in others. Edelstein will continue
Maco policies and personnel, with the exception
of State Manager Art Molstad, who
moves to Maco's Mankato Theatre.
MILWAUKEE
^olmer T. Dahlstrand, who faced opposition
for the first time in seven years,
was elected to iiis 31st one-year term as
president of Milwaukee AFM Local 8. He
defeated John Tmxk by a vote of 604 to
rush to see more sophisticated movie
slide
fare. Here in Minneapolis, for instance, 480. DahLstrand was given a dinner recently
Disney's "Emil and the Detectives" failed
celebrating his more than 50 years
. to break average during Christmas vacationdustrial
while "Goldfinger" has 'em standing
with the union
designer
Stevens, in-
reproducing
here, is the
in line in Hennepin avenue night after original Mercedes SSK, and under the
night. A trend back in the other direction firm name of SS Automobiles, Inc.. will
must start with film audiences—not the manufacture the cars at liis Mequon plant.
exhibitors.
He has produced seven of them already
and has orders for 30 more from nine
countries. Movie stars Tony Cmtis and
Jayne Mansfield have their orders in:
Curtis for two cars, one white and one
green.
The Shorewood 'Women's Club, sponsor
of the premiere at the Towne Theatre of
"My Fair Lady," announced that close
to $800 had been added to the treasui-y.
with the possibility of more to come as
all reports were not in at this time. In addition
to solicitation, many of the club
members held open house parties, private
luncheons, brimches and other foiTns of
getting people together for the express
purpose of selling tickets. Several of the
more prominent parties were reported in
pictorial sequences by both the Jom-nal
and Sentinel papers. December 23 was a
night to remember. Observers are of the
opinion that the pictm-e will run about a
year here.
Val Wells, executive secretary of the
Motion Pictui'e Commission, has released
the following film evaluatio:is:
GENERAL AUDIENCE— Back Door to Hell, Boy Ten
Feet Tall, Casablanca, Dear Heart, The Inheritance,
The Nasty Robbit, Pattern for Plunder, and Slave
Trade in the World Today (if ail bosom and buttoci<
exposures are deleted).
MATURE ENTERTAINMENT—The Night Walker, and
The Model Murder Case. Adults: Doniello by Night
(with cuts); Kiss Me, Stupid, Marriage Italian Style,
and Two Thousand Maniacs (with deletions).
Preview chairman Mrs. Oliver Martin
of the Better Films Council reports council
evaluations as follows:
FAMILY, Excellent— Father (Soose. Good, The Big
Parade of Comedy. Adults and Young People, Outstanding—My
Fair Lady, Good, Roustabout. Very
Good—The Fall of the Roman Empire.
ADULTS and MATURE YOUNG PEOPLE—Very Good:
Wrong Arm of the Law. Good, Third Secret, Murder
Ahoy, Nightmare, Topkapi and Goodbye Charlie.
ADULTS, Fair—The Americanization of Emily, Sex
and the Single Girl, and Girl With Green Eyes.
BOXOFFICE