Boxoffice-August.11.1975

. .
CINCINNATI
Interstate Theatre Services is booking and
buying for Cinema South. Aubon
Theatre and Cinema 21, Charleston, W. Va..
and the Columbia cinemas, Portsmouth, for
owner Walter Dills.
Cincinnati Theatres has moved its office
from 1600 Central Pkwy. to the Regency
Building. 2444 Madison Rd. Jack Haynes is
the manager.
Debbie Ruff of C. J.
Ruff Film Distribution
has returned from a Canadian vacation
. . . Also returning from vacations are
Tina VonBokern and Stephanie Marchino.
Mid States office staff.
Roy White, president of Mid States,
COLUMBUS
Joseph Madonna, newly appointed executive
director of the Capitol Square
South redevelopment area in the heart of
the downtown area, hopes that construction
will start by mid- 1977. He believes the Ohio
Theatre should be the nucleus for cultural
activities in the three-block area. Madonna
hopes that land acquisition can begin by
spring 1976. Retail shops, a parking
hotel,
garages and other structures are expected
to be erected.
Eastland Mall held a free
morning showing
of "The Great Waltz" Tuesday "(.S) . . .
Gene Gerrard. writing a column in the
Citizen-Journal, reported that the Ohio Theatre's
summer film series racked up S.SO.OOO
in advance sales.
Properties in Fort Wayne
Expect Historical Status
FORT WAYNE, IND.—Approval was
expected July 28 by the city planning commission
on a proposal to grant historical
district status for the Embassy Theatre and
Indiana Hotel. The Embassy Foundation,
which recently went ahead with plans to
purchase the theatre and hotel, applied for
the favored status last May.
This move was to prohibit the owners
from defacing the structures without the
approval of several city boards and commissions
and was sought last spring as a method
of stalling possible razing of the structure,
had its fund-raising campaign not been
successful.
Now that the purchase of the 2.875-seat
theatre is assured, directors have decided to
^
We can handle all your
theatre equipment needs
and repairs.
MOORE THEATRE EQUIPMENT CO.
p. O. Box 782 213 Delaware Ave.
Charleston, W. Va. 25323
Telephone (304) 344-4413
celebrated
his birthday Wednesday, July 30 .
Cindy Barsman is a new Mid States office
staffer and Bill Waynberg is the new salesman
for United Artists.
Mary Kitts, a member of Mid Stales'
accounting department, is the proud mother
of Matthew Dale, bom Thursday. July 24.
Irene Firestone, Mid States publicist, has
returned from a recent theatregoing weekend
in New York City. The highlight of
the trip was the opportunity to see George
C. Scott star in, a revival of "The Death of
a .Salesman."
Jeannine Ebel, Mid States staffer, and
Ray Marsh were married recently.
employ a volunteer booker until it can support
a professional. The theatre will begin
booking its 1976-77 season this fall and the
1975-76 season will ibe filled with smaller
and more local productions. However, the
Fort Wayne Philharmonic Orchestra has
decided to move its concert series next season
from the 2,100-seat Scottish Rite Auditorium
to the Embassy because of size and
better acoustics.
The directors of the Embassy Foundation
decided that for the first year the price of
all rentals would be the same, whether for
profit or nonprofit performances. Basic
rental fee, including one rehearsal the day
of the performance, with user paying for
stagehands, ushers and other personnel, will
be $600. A second show the same evening
will cost $250.
88 Filmites Participate
In Annual Golf Classic
CINCINNATI — Eighty-eight
golfers
from the film colony and their guests had
a great time at the fifth annual Greater
Cincinnati Film Golf Classic held this year
at Pleasant Run Country Club, Fairfield,
Ohio, July 29.
Low net winner was Larry Dinnerman of
Dinnerman & Co.. advertising firm. Low
gross winner was Tom Kellison. popular
downtown traffic officer.
Don Womack of Holiday Amusement Co.
was chairman of the successful event, while
trophies were donated by B&R Theatres.
Among the out-of-town golfers were Ray
Russo, 20th Century-Fox division manager,
and exhibitors Jerry Knight, Columbus;
Paul Vogcl, Wellsville. Ohio; Willie Worrell
and Tom Goodman of Tri-Statc of Indiana.
and Ed O'Brien and Don Perkins. Sun
Classics, Detroit.
Mid States Begins Work
On Montclair Quadplex
CINCINNATI—Mid States Theatres has
announced that construction of its eastern
Cincinnati complex, Montclair cinemas
1-2-3-4, has begun. The quad is locL\lcd ;ii
Exit 57 off 1-275 and Route 58.
The Montclair cinemas will soon be visible
lo those traveling 1-275.
Ohio Suit Charges Bingo
For Charity Is Ripoff
TOLEDO. OHIO—After estimating that
a gross of nearly $5 million a year brought
only $160,000 to local charities, a suit has
been filed against one Toledo charity bingo
operator, while the operators of 41 other
charity bingo games were threatened with
court action if they do not comply with
financial accounting requirements of Ohio's
charitable solicitation laws.
The Ohio attorney general's office filed
suit against Louise Corthell, Toledo, who
allegedly grossed $524,000 in 1974 in bingo
games but turned over only $17,500, about
3 per cent of the gross, to the Toledo Deaf
Club. The state is seeking voluntary compliance
with the registration and accounting
provisions of the charity solicitations law,
saying that none of the bingo operators in
Toledo and its suburbs complied.
The suit against Mrs. Corthell said she
misrepresented the bingo games as charity
bingo and is perpetuating a fraud, since
"such an unreasonable percentage of the
funds raised . . . have been retained."
Police Capt. Norbert DeClercq, head of
the city morals squad, said operators seldom
keep complete records (one used a single
file card, while another had only a torn
page from a spiral notebook) but estimates
were that some 16 professionally run games
averaged a $300,000 yeariy gross, paying
back less than $10,000 each to the charity
for which the game was run. He said bingo
players spend between $7 and $10 a night.
Theatremen say they can't compete with
the lure of big-money prizes.
Adult Entertainment Zone
Issue Is Alive in Toledo
DAYTON. OHIO—Adult entertainment
zoning districts still may be a possibility in
this city's future. The city planning board
asked its staff to study the idea last January
but not much has been heard since then.
Planning Board Director Anthony B.
Char said, however, that a report is expected
by fall on whether the city's adult bookstores,
movie houses, body painting outlets
and photography studios should be restricted
to specific areas.
"We've got it on our agenda but it's not
a high priority." Char commented.
Grandview Cinema Patrons
View Shark in Lobby Tank
ST. LOUIS—^Grandview Cinema manager
Mike Beatty, in connection with the theatre's
record-setting showing of "Jaws," is
providing patrons with a view of a less
alarming genus.
A foot-long blow shark, courtesy of the
Aquarium Beautiful Co., was placed in a
tank in the lobby. Beatty found that unlike
others, this shark does not swim continually
but rests about half the day. He comes up
snapping for food, however, and subsists on
shrimp and beef blood.
Beau Bridges and Susan Sarandon have
l>een signed for roles in "Dragonfly," ;u
AIP relea.se.
ME-4
Angus