Boxoffice-Janury11.1965

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Jack Sanson's Retirement Follows
Six Decades in Show Business
By ALLEN M. WIDEM
MANCHESTER, CONN.— Stepping down
as Stanley Warner resident manager
at the first-run State
Theatre in this "city
of village charm,"
Jack Sanson, h i s
vigor and vitality belying
his age of 70-
plus-years, has fond
memories for the allencompassing
category
fondly labeled
"Show Business."
He's been in the
entertainment ele-
Jack Sanson f^ent for six decades,
two of these in Manchester
as manager of the State and the
now-demolished Circle. He supervised one
or both from 1926 to 1929, from 1935 to
1953, and, from 1962 to termination of the
1964 calendar year.
The interim found him managing theatres
throughout Connecticut, the cities
including Hartford (ten miles to the west),
Danbury, New Britain and New Haven.
His last assignment, prior to retui-ning to
his familiar State Theatre office here,
was manager of the de luxe Strand, downtown
Hartford 70mm de luxe showcase.
Motion pictui-es claimed his attention at
an early age; while still in his early
teens, Sanson learned booth operation in
his native town of Jersey City, N.J., sei-ving
as both a projectionist and theatre
HARTFORD
H ttomey Steven E. Perakos, general counsel
of Perakos Theatre Associates, independent
New Britain circuit, has been
elected chairman of the board of governors
of Elpis Chapter of New Britain, Order
of AHEPA, Greek-American cultural fraternity
. Mansfield Drive-In closed
for the winter.
The Perakos Palace, New Britain,
screened no less than four American International
action reissues on the same
program . P. Perakos, ciixuit vicepresident
and general manager, completed
a swing through northern Connecticut situations.
Hartford visitors: Chester L. Stoddard,
president of New England Theatres; James
manager in upstate New York municipalities
before coming into the Comiecticut
scene in 1915.
Sanson, his jovial, bespectacled countenance
a well-known part of metropolitan
Hartford's entertainment community, has
participated, in a characteristic demonstration
of local responsibility, in scores
of charitable and civic endeavors.
He managed numerous fund-raising
campaigns, was chainnan for many terms
of the Manchester Chamber of Commerce,
and, during World War H, worked most
assiduously for bond sales campaign,
Christmas entertainment for American
sei-vicemen, and, at the tennination of hostilities,
"Welcome Home" functions.
Organizations on the local and national
level have cited his thousands of workhours.
He never overlooked the children's audience;
he originated and produced a series
of highly successful kiddies revues, featuring
area youth at the Circle, then under
the Warner Bros. Theatres banner.
Sanson remembers seeing the State
emerge from a sUent film theatre, with
vaudeville acts between reels, to a firstrun
motion pictm-e showcase.
Sanson and his wife, the fonner Lavinia
E. Dailey of Fort Montgomery, N.Y., live
at 85 Hamilton St. in this pictui'esque
town. They marked their 50th wedding
anniversary In 1960.
Their daughter, Mrs. Andrew Hall, lives
in nearby Wapping.
M. Totman, zone manager, Stanley Wanrer
Theatres, and Sam Germaine, field sales
representative, American International.
R. VV. Griffeth has been named manager
of the Palace, New Britain, Perakos
flagship. The theatre was fonnerly supervised
by Peter G. Perakos jr., circuit office
manager . Connecticut Drive-In
Theatres Ass'n will hold a meeting in mid-
I
January to be announced) at Racebrook
Country Club, Orange, to discuss all
aspects of state exhibition. The group,
chaired by Sperie P. Perakos, hasn't met
in
many months.
. . . H. Viggo
Fred R. Greenway, retired Loew's Palace
manager, has returned to his home at 1933
North Bronson, Los Angeles, Calif., 90038,
following hospitalization
Anderson, 61, veteran amusements editor
of the Hartford Coui'ant, local morning
daily, died at Hartford Hospital after a
long illness. He joined the newspaper in
The Fergusonoperated
1926 as a reporter . . .
Rivoli put a 50 cents admission
policy at all times for childi-en in effect
for the dui-ation of the "Mediterranean
Holiday engagement.
"
8"x10"J5^
PHOTOS
Cheek with ord.,. I
THEATRICAL ADVERTISING CO
NO C.O.D.I
I Com Dtwit 1, MItli.
Amity Shop Center
Changes Ownership
NEW HAVEN, CONN. — The Amity
Shopping Center has been purchased by
Lexington Corner Corp., of New York, a
development investment firm with substantial
interests in New York City and in Canada.
The seller was the Amity Shopping
Center, Inc., whose principal officer is Mrs.
Rose V. Beckwith, a founder of the Pood
Basket supermarket chain. The sale did
not include the land, which is owned by
E. M. Loew, Boston-based theatre circuit
executive.
Lexington already has leased the shopping
center to HaiTnor Realty Corp., headed
by Morton G. Rappaport and Harry Franklin.
The Harmor executives announced
that the center is to be expanded, a program
which wiU Include construction of
a 780-seat luxui-y motion pictui'e theatre
to be operated by Nutmeg Theatre Circuit.
Construction is scheduled to start in the
spring.
NEW HAVEN
Ctanley Warner is now including nearby
town theatres in daily New Haven
newspaper advertising; participants include
the Capitol, Ansonia, and the Merritt,
Bridgeport . Bailey Whalley
has a new tieup with the adjacent Food
Fair supei-market for free patron parking
... A new screen has been installed
at the Bailey Westville.
The Bailey-Ferguson Strand, Hamden,
has a new house manager, Jerome Spector,
formerly chief of staff at the Whalley,
New Haven . Stanley Warner
Garde, New London, promoted a coloring
contest in the Norwich Bulletin, morning
dally serving southeastern Connecticut,
for Embassy's "Santa Claus Conquers the
Martians," awarding guest tickets to the
first 20 winners.
Joel OUansky, playwi-ight-in-residence
at the Yale University School of Drama,
has been named by Seven Arts Pi-oductions
to adapt Rona Jaffs novelette, "Rima
the Bird Girl," to the screen . . . His newly
completed one-act play, "Putting on the
Agony," is currently being staged at the
Hartford Stage Co., professional repertory
theatre in Connecticut's capital city.
Public Likes Designation
Of 'Associate Feature'
HARTFORD—Use of the phrase, "Associate
Featm-e," in place of the conventionally
accepted words, "companion" or
"cofeatui-e," in newspaper advertising has
met with a fine public response, Ernie
Grecula, general manager of Connecticut
Cinema, operators of the Art Cinema,
first-iim art theatre, repoits.
The Alt Cinema, a double-feature house,
began refen'ing to second features as "Associate
Featm-e" some months ago.
"This approach lends a greater dignity
to the second attraction," Grecula said.
Hosts Four Kiddies Shows
MIDDLETOWN, CONN. — The Adomo
Palace hosted four Bernie Fields Jewelerssponsored
kiddies shows.
NE-2 BOXOFFICE ;: January 11, 1965