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PHILADELPHIA
Temple I'niti-rsit) ('iiioiiiatlieqiic in center
city scheduled a series o! "Czech
Renaissance" films, the most comprehensive
program of its type ever shown here, including
pictures not seen in almost ten
vears. The series opened with "Sweet I ighl
in a Dark Room" and ends May 19 with
"Closely
Watched Trains."
Lam Ferrari, popular local TV organist,
performed on the great theatre organ in
the suburban l.ansdowne Theatre at a Sunda\
afternoon concert.
Music Makers Theatre reopened its Eatontown,
N.J.. drive-in for the new season
with "A Star Is Born" plus "Freebic and
the Bean." The family film policy will be
continued . . . Walnut Street Film Center
added a video lounge to its lobby, showing
video art and documentary films on a sixfoot
Advent Video-Beam projector . . .
TLA Cinema launched a Greta Garbo Film
Festival with "Anna Karenina."
A weekly series of children's films, in
addition to the twice-a-week adult film programs,
has been launched at the Memorial
Library in Nazareth. The library will remain
open for an additional hour Saturday
afternoons for the children's films, the
series running to the end of May.
Local filmmakers Bob Mugge and Heidi
Trombert, as the director-producer, are
producing a full-length documentary about
the city's controversial and colorful Mayor
Frank S. Rizzo. Directing the photography
on the 90-minute film is Larry McConkey.
former film editor of WVPI-TV here . . .
"The Gold Rush" and "Dr. Jekyll and Mr.
Hyde" are the film features for the 13th
annual Festival of the Arts running through
Thursday (14) at Muhlenberg College,
Bethlehem. The festival program includes a
wide variety of art, music, dance, film and
literature
activities.
In town to meet the press for interviews
in behalf of their pictures in advance of
opening dates were George Roy Hill, the
director for "Slap Shot," and Joe Raposo,
who wrote the screen songs for "Raggedy
Ann & Andy" . . . For the 18th consecutive
year. Fidelity Bank in center city is featuring
a pictorial display of movie stars from
Oscar-winning films. The Oscar statuette
also is displayed ... A Robin Miller Film
Festival, with filmmaker Robin Miller delivering
a lecture, was among the highlights
of the Muhlenberg College Panorama of the
Arts in Allentown.
RKO-SW Circuit Shutters
Majestic in Gettysburg
GETTYSBURG. PA. — RKO-Stanley
Warner Theatres has closed its Majestic
here but has given York, Pa., an extra 60
days to arrange to purchase the Strand-
Capitol Theatre.
The local Majestic was closed March 29,
the employees having been given two weeks'
notice prioi to that date oi the theatre's
closing. Bob Rorhbaugh, previouslj manager
ot the circuit's Strand-Capitol in York
until that the. lire was closed, was the final
manager for the circuit al the Gettysburg
Majestic.
The Majestic made its debut Nov. 14,
1925 with B ten-reel screen program and
was, at that time, part of the new Hotel
Gettysburg complex built by Henry M.
Scharf facing Lincoln Square.
For ten years, before the Majestic became
part of the RKO-Stanley Warner circuit,
the house was leased and operated by
the Higgins Amusement Co. of Shamokin.
In York, Mayor John D. Krout told the
York Dispatch that RKO-Stanley Warner
agreed to extend the city's no-cost option
deadline 60 days beyond the original March
31 deadline. The mayor reported that hefound
"overall favorable reaction" in York
to the idea of purchasing the Strand-Capitol
for renovation as a performing arts center.
The city would provide half of the purchase
money, the remainder being raised by a
committee on the arts.
The mayor also told the York Dispatch
that he was looking into the possibility of
other organizations taking over the managerial
duties in the event the city does
purchase the theatre.
Philadelphia Flyers Veto
Video Ads for 'Slap Shot'
PHILADELPHIA—With "Slap Shot"
opening at the Sameric Theatre, it was only
natural that Donald Davidson, advertising
and publicity director for the Sameric Theatres
circuit, would want to buy spot
announcements for the film during the telecasts
of the Philadelphia Flyers ice hockey
team. However, the Flyers have refused to
sell any TV time during their games to
advertise the film. According to Peter
Huver, director of TV sales for the Flyers,
the "no sale" decision had nothing to do
with the content of the Paul Newman film.
"We just could not put a deal together."
Huver said. However, Davidson said the
Flyers made their decision because they
didn't want to be associated with the language
and slapstick violence depicted in
the movie.
"They said because of the TV special
'The Deadliest Season' and because some
players felt offended by the movie, management
decided not to sell the spot,"
Davidson says.
'Demon Seed' Bows in NYC
At Red Carpet Theatres
NEW YORK—MGM's "Demon
Seed."
starring Julie Christie and also starring
Fritz Weaver in a shocking drama of the
future, opened in the New York area Friday
(8) at Red Carpet theatres including
the Criterion. Trans-Lux 85 th Street.
Loews' 83rd Street and Greenwich in Man
hattan.
A Herb Jaffe production. "Demon Seed"
was produced b\ Jaffe from a screenplaj
by Robert Jaffe and Roger O. Hirson based
on the novel bv Dean R. Koontz.
PITTSBURGH
Pill ScOtt| retired him salesman and theatre
manager, recently was hospitalized for
Bob Si ah I in the in-
tests . . .
dustry and a son ol the late John Stahl,
pioneer exhibitor of Homestead, now is re-
. . "Defiance!"
tired Irom private business .
is billed as upcoming at the Art Cinema.
Local dnematographei George Boyle's
short subject about the Variety Club,
"Cruise for Variety," is on view at the
Fiesta and Cinemette Last theatres.
On Pittsburgh marquees: "Rocky," this
veai's Oscar winner as best picture; "Network,"
"The Sentinel," "Skyridcrs." "Demon
Seed," "The Specialist."
At Harrisburg, Sen. Tom Nolan dropped
his bill to place a 6 per cent tax on advertising.
Joining him in the move to kill his
own proposal were 43 other senators, declaring
the proposal unconstitutional and
violating Article III. Section 10, of the
Commonwealth's Constitution.
George Tice, president of NATO of
Western Pennsylvania, started flea markets
in outdoor theatres 15 years ago and recently
reopened this attraction at the Woodland
Drive-In at West Mifflin. This spring and
summer Tice will work with four or more
area drive-in owners in establishing more
Ilea
markets.
Newspaper Contests Hypo
'Airport 77' Playdate
PHILADELPHIA — A number of contests,
in cooperation with local newspapers,
were promoted by Rick Markovitz, area
promotion chief for Universal Pictures, in
advance of the opening of "Airport '77" at
Eric's Mark I Theatre here. In addition.
he gave the campaign a "flying start" by
having Monica Lewis, who appears in the
film, meet the press at a cocktail party
staged aboard the 707 plane displayed on
the grounds of the Franklin Institute of
Science.
The Philadelphia Daily News awarded
20 pairs of tickets for the movie to winners
selected at random in a contest that called
on the entrants to name either the actors
identified with the last line of 15 different
features or name the movie they came from.
The Drummer, weekh newspaper with a
big readership on the college campuses in
the area, built its contest around an expression,
real or imagined, of one's fear of flying.
Two grand prize winners received a
free 12-mile White Water Raft Trip for
two as guests of the Whitewater Challengers
in White Haven. Pa. It tied in with the rati
trip which was a ke> to the movie rescue.
In addition. 25 runners-up each received
two passes to see "Airport '77."
"The Unicom" will be produced as a
joint venture of Curtis Harrington Productions,
the National Film Studios of Ireland
and Chestnut Films of England.
BOXOFF1CE :: April 11, 1977
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