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NORTH JERSEY
Rill Waldron sr., head cashier at the independent
Clairidge Theatre in Monielair.
recently celebrated his 90th birthday.
An active industry veteran of more than 70
years, Waldron has been at the Clairidge
since the late 1950s. At one time, he was
manager of the house for several years
during the early 1940s. During his lengthy
career. Waldron managed numerous theatres
in the Essex County area, including a
period during the 1920s and 1930s, when
he served as city manager in Montclair and
Upper Montclair for the late Jacob Fabian.
"Audrey Rose" opened an exclusive
North Jersey engagement Wednesday (6)
at UA's Cinema 46 in Totowa and UA's
Middletown 1-2-3 theatres in Middletown.
following sneak preview showings at both
locations on previous weekends. Also due
for an exclusive opening is the latest Woody
Allen starrer, "Annie Hall," which will
make its North Jersey debut Wednesday
(20) at UA's Bellevue in Upper Montclair.
At the Bellevue, in its fifth week, was
"Mohammad, Messenger of God."
Holly Gaffney has been named manager
BALTIMORE
Underground filmmaker John Waters of
this city is making his most ambitious
mot'on picture, a 90-minute feature. with a
$50,000 budget. Titled "Desperate Living,"
he plans a Broadway opening for the production.
It has been said that this 30-yearold
independent artist is to our town what
Ingmar Bergman was to Sweden—a local
filmmaker directing a small company of
actors against a background of native landscape.
Like the Swedish director. Waters
grips his viewers in a striking way. His
earliest success, "Pink Flamingos," produced
for $12,500, has grossed well over $1
million. Not much of this money has
landed in Waters' pocket. Last December
New York's Museum of Modern Art screened
"Pink Flamingos" as part of its bicentennial
salute to American humor.
Matinees of "Once Upon a Time" were
. . . "Fun
presented March 27 at the Columbia Cinema,
Harundale Mall, Security Mall, Perring
Plaza and York Road Cinema
With Dick and Jane" was held over for the
sixth week at the Harford Mall Cinema,
of UA's Closter Theatre in Closter, succeeding
Larry Martello, who recently returned
to the Nyack Drive-In as manager
of that location. The new appointment
marks Holly's first venture in the industry.
The daughter of Harry Horn, an industry
veteran and manager of UA's Cinema 304
in New City, N.Y., Holly previously had
been manager of Perkin's Pancake House
in Wappingers Falls. N.Y.
Peter Firmino announced that he will
reopen the Strand in Seaside Park on the
Jersey shore sometime next month. Firmino
took over the 500-seat Strand last year and
ran it from May through September. Operated
for many years as a summer-season
only location by Walter Reade Theatres,
the house had been closed in 1972. For a
while, it was converted into a mini-shopping
mall and subsequently was closed
again. It remained closed until Firmino acquired
the location last year.
"The Domino Principle" was held for a
third week in exclusive North Jersey engagements
at General Cinema's Menlo Park
Cinema in Menlo Park and Totowa Cinema
in Totowa.
Patterson I, Timonium Cinema, Westview
I and Glen Burnie Mall.
Onetime film star Barbara Rush, with
Tom Troupe, is appearing through Saturday
(30) in "Same Time, Next Year" at the
Mechanic Theatre. The play came here
from Chicago, where it had played six
months at the Blackstone.
"Demon Seed," Julie Christie starrer,
opened Friday (I) at Movies I, Timonium
Cinema, Jumpers Cinema, Mini-Flick I and
II and the Town.
A special advance preview of "Brothers"
was held at JF's Hippodrome Theatre Sunday
night, March 27 . . . "Raggedy Ann
& Andy" opened Friday (1) at Cinema
Columbia City, Cinema Harundale, Cinema
Security Square Mall, Cinema Perring
Plaza, Grand and Village.
John Nelson Purchases
New Palace in Netcong
NETCONG, N.J.—John Nelson, part
owner of the K-Mart Cinema in Randolph
Township, has purchased the local New
Palace Theatre from Mr. and Mrs. Gabriel
Gargirello of Wayne and Leo Ricucci of
Roxbury. The ownership change takes effect
May 1 and marks the end of a sixyear
battle between the former owners and
borough officials concerning the showing
of X-rated films as a continual policy at
the New Palace.
Under a deed restriction to be part of the
sale, the new owner, or any future owner,
will be barred from showing X-rated films.
The agreement was part of a court settlement
of the latest suit brought by the
borough against the theatre, in which Netcong
charged that the New Palace owed
the borough $22,000 in unpaid sewage bills.
The settlement calls for the owners to pay
only $8,500 in back bills.
The town's theatre licensing fee, which
had been raised to $1,000 in an attempt
to discourage the showing of X-rated films,
and was subsequently reduced to $500, will
revert next year to its original $25, it was
also agreed.
The New Palace is the only theatre in
Netcong and had been the only house in
all Morris County showing X-rated films
on a continual basis. Gargirello and Ricucci
had taken over the Palace in 1971 and instituted
the X-rated policy shortly thereafter.
The theatre had shown primarily
family-type films prior to 1971.
Charges against Gargirello and Ricucci
by the Morris County prosecutor's office
that the theatre was in violation of the
state's obscenity laws were thrown out in
1973 after the State Supreme Court ruled
the obscenity statute unconstitutional.
Four Arcadia New Jersey
Units Leased by Rita
POINT PLEASANT,
N.J.—Tom Carr,
president of Arcadia Theatres, a Jersey
shore-based circuit, has announced that
Arcadia has leased four of its six shore
locations to the Ritz Corp., which is headquartered
here.
Included in the transaction are the Algonquin
in Manasquan, which is open all
year; the Lavalette in Lavalette, closed since
January, and slated to re-open in May; the
Ritz in Spring Lake, a summer-only operation,
due to reopen in June; and the Colonial
in Seaside Heights, which had been
closed by Walter Reade in 1972 and was
recently
acquired by Arcadia. The Colonial
is presently being renovated and is scheduled
to re-open in May.
Two other Arcadia locations have been
sold to independent interests and, at present, i
atre in Neptune and the Shore Drive-In at
Farmingdale.
These recent actions, in effect, have removed
Arcadia from active operation in the
industry. The Arcadia group was formed
three years ago by Carr and Earle Heckeroth,
when they purchased the Algonquin
from Walter Reade. Within the following
year, they had acquired several other theatre
properties, all in the same area, most of >f
which had previously been part of the Walter
Reade circuit.
Chris Mulkey and Polly King star in
"Tomcats."
CINERAMA IS IN
SHOW BUSINESS IN
HAWAII TOO.
When you come to Waikiki,
BlMMA d°n * m 'ss tne famous
rg^^jjjj Don Ho Show. . . at
[BgjgjjJ Cinerama's Reef Towers Hotel.
IN WAIKIKI: REEF . REEF TOWERS • EDGEWATER
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E-8 BOXOFTICE April 11. 197
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