Boxoffice-August.16.1965

I
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; HARTFORD—The
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showing
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Howard
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to children and giving an immoral exliibi-
tion. Each was released on $300 bond.
arrests were made after state police
Edward J. Sterniak and trooper
J, Letitia viewed the film. The duo
described the attraction as one of the most
obscene they had ever seen.
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!
The
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I Joseph
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^'^BOONTON.
$50,000 Rogers Goal
For Boston Industry
BOSTON—A goal of $50,000 was set for
the Boston trade territory at the kick-off
luncheon meeting of the 1965-1966 Will
Rogers Audience Collections Drive at Nick's
Restaui'ant. More than 50 industry members
attended, representing every distribution
company, circuit and booking combine
in the exchange area.
Bill Kumins, Warner Bros, manager and
area distributor chairman, hosted the meeting
and asked everyone in the industry to
give 100 per cent support to the di'ive. Each
exhibitor in the territory will be contacted
by a distributor representative and every
effort made to have all exhibitors take part
in theatre collections.
Julian Rifkin, president of Rifkin Theatres,
was named area exhibitor chairman
to work with Kumins in the di-ive and a
detailed plan of procedure was outlined.
First Concrete Playhouse
For Summer Music Tent'
SPRINGFIELD—Guber, Ford & Gross,
producers of summer music tent attractions
at the Storrowton Music Fan-, West
Springfield, and in simUar facilities at
Westbm-y, N. Y.; Haddonfield, N. J.; Philadelphia;
Painters Mill. Md., and Shady
Grove, near Washington, D.C., are readying
America's first year-round, multipurpose
playhouse made of concrete instead
of canvas.
The experiment is planned for Westbm-y,
30 miles from midtown New York City.
Construction financing, estimated at $750,-
000, is completed.
A concrete block cuxular structui'e with
laminated wood dome is to be built over
the existing spectator area at Westbm-y.
Through an arrangement of moveable stage
sections and partitions, the playing areas
can be used for productions-in-the-round
(3,000 spectators), thi-ust-stage shows (1,-
500) and prosecenium drama (,1,100;.
LeWitt, Williams Cases
Continued at Hartford
cases of two men
arrested by state police in connection with
of Audubon Pictm-es' "The 'D'
Girls" at the suburban Berlin Drive-In
been continued in circuit com-t.
Brooks LeWitt, 44, the manager, and
E. Williams, 49, the projectionist,
were charged with injm-y or risk of injm-y
Savoy Becomes Sack's 6th Showcase
In First Ten Yeats in Exhibition
BOSTON — Ben Sack, who has just
added the former Keith Memorial Theatre,
one of the last of the old-time film
palaces, to his circuit to give him six
showcases in Boston, opened the remodeled
house with "Moritm-i."
Sack, at a reception for the opening of
the old Keith house which used to show
films and vaudeville, stated; "It pained
me deeply when I first learned that the
Memorial was going to close its doors. I
wanted nothing more than to see the RKO
people continue successfully. Believe it or
not, I never regarded them as competitors.
If business was good for them, it would
be beneficial to all of us downtown. But,
for various reasons of company policy, they
resolved to close the house.
CLOSING PROMPTED NEGOTIATIONS
"The thought of such a magnificent
showcase closing prompted me to negotiate
with the RKO people and the result
is that the Memorial now joins the Sack
theatre chain as the Savoy, which, I think,
suggests the magnificence and elegance
of the theatre.
"No doubt the prophets of doom and
gloom are already sounding their trmiipets.
But, I want to tell you this; all these years
I have had faith in the city of Boston
and in the motion picture industry and in
the filmgoing public. And now I have more
faith and optimism than ever before. There
is a dynamic spirit abroad in this city of
ours: the Prudential Center, the West End
Redevelopment, the South Cove and the
waterfront projects. Right next to the Savoy
wiU be a luxurious high rise apartment
house with 400 apartments. I tell you
this city, too, has turned the corner. The
city of Boston is now entering upon an era
of resm-gence and vitality which will put
the doom and gloom boys to rout. I am
proud to be a part of this rebirth and I
will try to present the best possible entertainment
at all of our theatres.
ELEGANCE RETAINED
"The Savoy has now had a face-lifting
job but we have retained the elegance and
charm of the Memorial, and blending the
modern, sleek and functional, we have a
beautiful theatre to offer. We shall pm-sue
a policy of top motion pictm-e entertainment
interspersed at times with worthy
stage presentations."
Sack, commenting on his start in exhibition
ten years ago, said: "When I
started out in this business ten years ago
with the Beacon Hill Theatre, many people,
both in and out of the motion pictm-e industry,
thought I was crazy. After all,
what was a junkman doing in a business
plagued with competition from T'V and
drive-ins? I don't mind telling you; it
wasn't easy sailing. It took courage, money
and work to get the Beacon Hill going."
The Saxon, which of couise was the old
Majestic, was a different story. Here we
had a Shubert house that would be a parking
lot today. I went in with 'Oklahoma!'
and Mike Todd's 'Aromid the World in 90
Days' and the house was an immediate
success. Most everyone thought I should
have quit when I was ahead. But along
came another potential parking lot, the
old Plymouth, another legit theatre, and
I took the plunge. I invested a small fortune
in redecorating the house, poui-ed
still more into film product, and after
many discom-aging months, finally tui-ned
the corner.
"Along came a new challenge, the old
Copley. Nine previous operators had failed
to make the Copley run profitably and I
was told that I would sm-ely be the tenth
failure. Well, I almost was. I tried everything.
I was told the theatre was off the
beaten path, that there was no parking,
that it was jinxed. But when 'Breakfast at
Tiffany's' opened at the Capri, all the
excuses were given the lie.
CALLED
BIGGEST FOLLY'
"But the biggest folly of all was Ben
Sack's Music Hall ithe former Metropolitan!.
New England Theatres, old-time
experienced exhibitors, thi-ew in the
sponge. Nobody, but nobody, would touch
the theatre with a 10-foot pole. Believe
me, when I tried live entertainment and
failed, after having plowed a fortmie into
refm-bishing the house, and I put up huge
film guarantees and failed, I was inclined
to admit that sm-ely this was folly.
"But we kept banging away and, starting
with 'Cleopatra,' we had one of the only
successful engagements in the country,
and then with 'Carpetbaggers' and 'Shot
in the Dark,' and more recently, 'Goldfinger,'
we finally put to rest all those old
bugaboos.
"Even the new Capri, out of the way
(the other Capri had to be tm-ned down
because of the new tm-npike>, has finally
made it with 'Zorba the Greek.' Where I
couldn't even buy a third-rate featm-e for
the theatre at one time, I now have the
film companies coming to me. 'Cat Ballon,'
a really funny film, which has been
well received, is going good there now.
"In all my ten-year experience, one thing
stands out: If you give the public a diversified
assortment of good entertainment in
comfortable clean surrroundings with the
best equipment and utmost com-tesy, you
are bound to succeed. This is precisely
what I have tried to do. I have invested
(Continued on page NE-3)
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N. J.
in New York—Sun Carbon Co., 630 — 9th Ave., New York City —
Notional Theatre Supply, 500 Pearl St., Buffalo, N. Y.
Circle 6-499S
Phone TL 4-1736
Albany Theatre Service, Albany, New York. Ho 5-5055
in Massachusetts—Massachusetts Theatre Equipment Co.,
Boston, Liberty 2-98)4
BOXOFHCE ;: August 16, 1965 NE-1