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i run<br />
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I<br />
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1<br />
agreements<br />
'<br />
cago<br />
r<br />
screens. The idea, according to the ani<br />
nouncement,<br />
June<br />
l he<br />
tleen I edford,<br />
1<br />
1<br />
—<br />
ml<br />
r-j<br />
U TOR IIONOKKI) — Dabbs<br />
Greer, center, well known for liis role<br />
us the Rev. Alden in TV's "Little<br />
House on the Prairie," recently was<br />
presented the first annual Jesse Award<br />
at a banquet held in his honor in I'ine-<br />
\ille. Mo., the town where he began<br />
his film career 2S years ago. Presenting<br />
the statuette is Pineville Mayor Olin<br />
Armstrong and at left is retired film<br />
publicist Don Walker, now publicity<br />
director for the Pineville Area Chamber<br />
of Commerce. Walker handled<br />
publicity chores for the motion picture<br />
"Jesse James," filmed<br />
near Pineville in<br />
1938, and was instrumental in organising<br />
the annual Jesse James Days celebration,<br />
this year set for July 14-16.<br />
Greer has appeared in numerous theatrical<br />
motion pictures, including "I he<br />
Cheyenne Social Club." "The Spirit<br />
of St. Louis" and "White Lightning,"<br />
Kurt Revnolds starrer.<br />
Screenvision Reports<br />
Windy Ciiy Ad Pacts<br />
CHICAGO— It<br />
was announced here that<br />
[companies are negotiating with first-run<br />
movie houses and national advertisers to<br />
[assemble a network of commercials for big<br />
is to wrap approximately three<br />
minutes of "soft-sell" advertising around<br />
feature films without interrupting the movie.<br />
Robert Rich, vice-president of Screen-<br />
vision, said his company already has signed<br />
with some movie houses in Chi-<br />
to screen commercials. He would not<br />
identify the theatres but he indicated that<br />
(such screen advertising ma\ be presented<br />
before the end of this year.<br />
Screenvision is a New York-based sub-<br />
; sidiary of MediaVision, a French firm that<br />
is<br />
|<br />
said to control 70 per cent of the national<br />
rtising on theatre screens in France.<br />
As Rich explained it. 'The secret is in<br />
the way the commercials arc produced<br />
I very classy and very soft sell." He said,<br />
"Last October, we decided to do the same<br />
|<br />
thing with national advertising in the U.S.<br />
We contemplate starting national advertising<br />
this fall in the major markets here."<br />
Rich added thai Screenvision plans to<br />
three one-minute ads before each leature.<br />
"The price, based on cost per thousand<br />
and linked to a<br />
theatre's annual attendance."<br />
he said, "will be three to foui times more<br />
than thai ol nation. ii I \ advertising."<br />
Rich said furthei thai "product and brand<br />
recall is about three to foui times as hie.li<br />
on IV" and that "noun. ills the recall alter<br />
i\ commercials is about 22 pet cent" He<br />
claimed thai in one ol Iheir tests they went<br />
as high .is 94 per cent on producl and brand<br />
plan calls foi Screenvision to send<br />
new reels ol commercials to the theatres,<br />
winch get a share ol the revenue everj two<br />
weeks Cigarel and liquot advertisers will<br />
nol be a pari ol the program, Rich said<br />
Elmer E. Bills Sr. Dies;<br />
Longtime Mo. Exhibitor<br />
(Continued from page < 1<br />
president of the Missouri-Kansas ITieatre<br />
Ass'n and was honored<br />
-<br />
at Show -VRama<br />
he-<br />
17 in Kansas City, Mo., in I '> 7 4<br />
, when<br />
marked his 50th year in show business<br />
Bills, who had lived at Moberly for the<br />
past years, acquired a movie house while<br />
attending college in Marshall. Mo. The acquisition<br />
was a theatre in Glasgow, Mo.,<br />
which launched a lifetime career.<br />
Active in civic affairs. Bills was past<br />
president of the chamber of commerce, the<br />
Ben Franklin Club and the Kiwanis Club,<br />
all in Salisbury. He also belonged to the<br />
Moberly Rotary Club and attended an international<br />
convention of Rotary several years.<br />
He leaves his wife Johnnie of the home;<br />
one son. Elmer Bills jr.. Salisbury; two<br />
daughters. Donna Beth Rein. Wichita. Kas..<br />
and Margaret Ann Manning. Columbia; one<br />
sister, Mrs. Frieda Green. LaPlata, and<br />
seven grandchildren.<br />
The family suggests memorials to the<br />
Elmer F. Bills Athletic Scholarship Fund<br />
at Salisbury High School. Donations may<br />
be left at the City Bank & Trust and Commerce<br />
Bank in Moberly or the Salisbury<br />
Savings Bank in Salisbury.<br />
W. Virginia NATO to Join<br />
Mid-Atlantic Convention<br />
WASHING ION — NATO of West Virginia<br />
has joined NATO units from Washington.<br />
D.C.. Maryland and Virginia, in the<br />
1977 Mid-Atlantic NATO convention to<br />
be held at the Homestead in Hot Springs,<br />
Va.. July 17-19.<br />
The addition of the fourth NATO unit<br />
will make the convention even larger than<br />
planned. Wade Pearson, convention chairman<br />
and his assistant. Mike Hession, have<br />
urged early registration because of limited<br />
space.<br />
Walter P. Dills is president of NATO of<br />
West Virginia. John Gardner is vice-presi-<br />
I<br />
dent. George Gannon, secretary-treasurer<br />
and chairman oi the hoard.<br />
( onvention chairman Wade Pearson has<br />
announced the following additions to convention<br />
committees: Icon Back of Baltimore<br />
and Walter P. Dills. St. Albans. W.<br />
Va., business meetings committee: John<br />
ti. ii dnei. Wheeling. W. Va., suppliers<br />
breakfast committee, and \lis. Eileen Led<br />
lord ol Madison, W. Va., distributor liaison<br />
and ladies activities committees,<br />
Kaycee WOMPIs Host<br />
Annual Bosses Fete<br />
(( ontinucd from page ( 1<br />
served there since the Revolutionary Wai<br />
years, long before ihc political scandals that<br />
thrust the word Watergate" into the limelight.<br />
At the conclusion ol the well-planned and<br />
impeccably served luncheon, which ottered<br />
sumptuous mh\ plentiful loud, as Well as a<br />
scintillating ami thot "king speaker.<br />
\ii, Evans announced the acceptance ol<br />
three new members bj the WOMI'I ( luh<br />
and reminded everyone thai money lor the<br />
upcoming W'OM PI -sponsored trip tO the<br />
races in Omaha was due in ten days.<br />
Veteran Theatre Organist<br />
Dessa Byrd Is Dead at 79<br />
INDIANAPOl IS Dessa Byrd. 79. organist<br />
who was awarded the lirst lifetime<br />
membership in the central Indiana chaptei<br />
ol the American Theatre Organ Society and<br />
last year became the 50th theatre organist ol<br />
the 1920s and 1930s to be inducted into the<br />
Theatre Organists Hall ol Fame at Philadelphia,<br />
died May IS at her home in Indianapolis.<br />
She was pianist at the former Alhambra<br />
and Rialto theatres before moving to the<br />
Circle Theatre in 1919. where she played a<br />
church-type organ for silent films. In 1920.<br />
she became organist at the Circle Theatre.<br />
l<br />
continuing until l J2N. when she joined the<br />
Indiana Theatre for three years. Ms. Byrd<br />
was married in 1923 to Ed Resener. who<br />
had been concert master at the Circle Theatre<br />
since 1916.<br />
She turned to WIRE and WFMS radio<br />
stations and WISH-TV after the advent of<br />
(Continued on page C-8)<br />
Let me serve you,<br />
please f<br />
Carhops art<br />
are coming.<br />
•<br />
BOXOFFICE<br />
;<br />
6, 1977<br />
C-5
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