PG^

HEW ORLEANS
Qiidcn-Perrv Theatres was the recipient of
two awards. Earl G. P;rry. president
•r Ogden-Perry Theatres and president of
NATO of Louisiana, was appointed as the
new chairman of the National N.ATO Membership
Committee and Jules Courville.
manager of the Center Cinema Theatre in
Lafayette, was one of the winners of the
National Film Day Contest. Jules and his
wife attended the American Film Institute's
Life Achievement .Award Dinner Tribute
to James Cagncy Wednesday (13) at the
Century Plaza Hotel in Los Angeles.
has been the go-between for FBI and the
American Film Institute. He said New Orleans
is one of the 12 highly active centers
with AFI affiliation. Brother Alexis remains
active on an international scale, having just
returned from service as a juror at the second
Brazilian Film Festival in the hamlet
of Gramado. The ten films to be shown
will come from the festival experience . . .
Another ambitious undertaking will be the
fourth French festival, ".Semaines Universitaires"
to be held March 27-30 and to be
divided between McAllster Auditorium, Tulane,
and Nunemaker Hall, Loyola ... A
touring Film Institute show, "Horror and
THE MAIM EVENT!
EVI . . . This Spring
40 THEATRES
Washington-Baltimore Saturation
April 17
Fantasy" was played March 7-9 and continued
March 15-17 in the FBI screening
room of the Loyola Science Complex. Features
include "Phantom of the Opera." "The
Bride of Frankenstein." "The Day the Earth
Stood Still." "Isle of the Dead" and "Dead
of Night" ... A Russian Film Festival is
scheduled for April 17-21.
ABC Interstate Theatres' local office, operating
the Saenger and Saenger-Orlcans
theatres, will depart the latter part of this
month. Ben Bicknell, division manager, says
because Interstate operates theatres in Louisiana,
Mississippi. Texarkana. Hot Springs.
Ron Pabst, Blue Ribbon Pictures, visited
Ark., and Memphis, he is moving the Eastern
exhibitors in Louisiana to set up bookings
division to Shreveport to be more cen-
on their new releases.
trally located. Jerry Nance will continue
Clarke Jackson, Ogden-Perry Theatres, as managing director of the Saenger and
Saenger-Orleans theatres. Ben and his wife
left Friday for Kansas City to attend the
.Show-A-Rama convention.
Mary will both be missed; Ben was an
active member of the Variety Club and
Noted in the column of Frank Gagnard,
amusement of the paper,
Mary headed Ladies of Variety
success
and
of
was
the editor local very instrumental in the the recent
were plans for a new round of film festivals
Monte Carlo Night for the benefit of
which are being scheduled for Loyola University,
the Charity Hospital's Burn Center.
strengthened by a $20,000 grant
from the National Endowment for the Arts
William Friedkin, director of "The
orcist." currently playing at the
Ex-
Cine
to Loyola's Film Buffs Institute. Brother
Alexis Gonzales, FSC. of the Loyola
Royalc and Robert E. Lee theatres, was in
faculty,
town recently to attend a seminar Direction
74 at Tulane University. Friedkin also directed
"The French Connection" and has
been nominated for an Oscar as the best
director.
Minden Theatre to Close;
In Business 37 Years
MINDEN. LA.—After 37 years in business,
the Rex Theatre will draw its final
curtain when it closes for business Sunday
(31), according to operators and owners of
the facility.
The "last picture show" will be seen on
the Rex screen the final day of the month
and demolition will begin immediately thereafter
as part of site development for the
new Minden Medical Center.
Operators of the theatre have given the
owners notice that they will terminate use
of the building at the end of the month.
In turn, the owners have announced they
will not attempt to operate the theatre after
ihal day but instead would begin immediate
razing of the .structure as part of the new
hospital complex job.
Across town, Claude West, president of
West Enterprises, said he is hopeful the new
twin cinema being built in West Plaza will
be ready for occupancy within 30 days
thereafter. Officers of the Minden Medical
Center said they hoped there would be no
space lag between the closing date of the
Rex and the opening of the new theatre but
that steel shortages had delayed work on the
West Plaza. Hospital officials said they
could not postpone razing of the old Rex
any longer, if they intended to keep their
work schedule.
The Rex Theatre was opened in 1937 and
was operated until it was sold aKuit 1
months ago by the late Edgar Hands,
The building was originally a Baptist
Church and was renovated to serve as a
movie house shortly after th; depression.
In its day. it housed a variety of businesses
in both wings off the main lobby, featured
both movies and stage events and ran single
features as well as double features, midnight
shows. 3-D specials, wide screen productions
and all the other special features which
characterized the history of the theatre during
both its heyday of the '30s and '40s and
its lean years when television came into beinu
in the '50s and '60s.
Selma Theatre-Restaurant
Construction Underway
SELM.A., ALA.—Construction began in
February on a theatre-restaurant combination
in the Valley Creek Shopping Center.
It is the first of its kind in Alabama, according
to company officials with National Theatres
of America, owners of the new theatre.
Mrs. Ruth Janet Zuck, president of the
corporation, said construction of the Valley
Creek Twin Cinema should be completed
by May 1
The new theatres will be fully automated
and each will be equipped with 225 rockingchair
seats.
The restaurant will feature a simple menu
"to keep prices at a minimum." Mrs. Zuck
said. The restaurant area will be slightly
elevated so that theatre customers may
watch the movie and eat at the same time.
The entire complex will be approximately
8,100 square feet.
Richard Darnell Zuck. vice-president in
charge of promotions and sales, said the
theatres will also be available for civic and
church functions and said an off-duty officer
will be present at all children's matinees.
Mrs. Zuck also announced the promotion
of W. S. Amnions jr. to general manager
of aill National Theatres in the Southeast.
Amnions is presently manager of the Jerry
Lewis Twin Cinema here.
Clinton Theatre for Sale
CLINTON. CONN.—The 475-seat Clinton
Theatre, owned by Shoreline Theatre
Corp.. was reportedly up for sale last week.
ALLENTOWN, PA.—Ward B. Kreag,
formerly associated with Fabian Theatres,
has been named realtor associate with R. F.
Burrell Realty, Allentown.
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BOXOFFICE :: March 25. 1974