Boxoffice-September.04.1978

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'Animal House' Is Riot
In Beantown Playdates
BOSTON— •Bread and Chocolate" paced
the newcomers in another spate of openings
here with a big 400 at the Beacon Hill.
"The Buddy Holly Story" and "Take Off"
debuted to average and just-above-average
scores.
Holdovers are getting all the coin, with
"National Lampoon's Animal House" high
up in its fourth week with a tremendous
1,500 at three theatres. "Eyes of Laura
Mars" and "Grease" follow with 425 and
400 respectively. Slipping to 300 at three
houses was "Heaven Can Wait" now ending
its ninth week.
(Average Is 100)
Beacon Hill Bread and Chocolaie (SR),
1st wk 400
Charles III—The Buddy Holly Story (Col),
1st wk 100
Cheri I, Circle III—Heaven Can Woit (Para),
9th wk 220
II, Cheri Circle II— Foul Play (Paral,
6th wk 300
Chestnut Hill II, Ptm,;-Eyes of Laura Mars
(Col), 4th wk 425
Circle 1, Cinema 57 II — Grease (Pan),
11th wk 400
Cinema 57 I—Revenge of the Pink Panther
(UA), 6th wk 180
Exeter Cat and Mouse (SR), 8th wk 100
Orson Welles I—Viva Italia! (SR), 3rd wk 175
Orson Welles III Outrageous! (SR), 54lh wk 150
Savoy I—Hooper (WB), 5th wk 125
Savoy II—Hot Lead and Cold Feel (BV),
3rd wk 100
Saxon—Take Off (SR), 1st wk. 125
3 theatres—Notional Lampoon's Animal House
(Univ), 4th wk 1,500
(SR), 1st wk 185
Atheneum Cinema Padre Padrone (SR),
Cinema City I—The End (UA), I4th wk 50
Cinema City II Warlords ol Atlantis
(Col), 2nd wk _ _ 175
Cinema City IV, Elm I—The Buddy Holly Story
(Col), 1st wk. 225
Showccfse I—Revenge of the Pink Panther
(UA), 6th wk. 200
II
Showcase Foul Play (Para), 3;i wk 125
Showcase Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club
III
Band (Univ), 6th wk -. 150
Showcase IV—laws 2 11th 185
(Univ), wk
Showcase V Heaven Can Wait (Para), 9th wk. 200
Showcase Vf—Grease (Para), 11th wk 250
5th 3 thecftres—Hooper (WB), wk 250
3 theatres National Lampoon's Animal House
(Univ), 4th wk 135
Hot Lead and Cold Feet
4 theatres
(BV), 1st wk 200
Films' "Harper Valley PTA." were the
week's new attractions.
Cine 1—Hot Lead and Cold Feet (BV), 1st wk 200
Cinemart Miliord II—Eyes of Laura
I,
Mars (Col), 4th wk 115
Cinemart II, Miliord I—Hooper (WB), 5th wk 200
Milford Twin Drive-In II—Harper Valley PTA
(SR), 1st wk 165
Summer
North Haven Drive-ln Corvette
(MGM-UA), 2nd wk 150
I
Showcase Foul Play (Para), 2nd wk 175
Showcase II National Lampoon's Animal House
.. wk (Univ), 2nd 200
Showcase III Heaven Can Wait (Para),
Pink Panther
9th wk 185
Showcase IV—Revenge of the
(UA), 6th wk 200
Showcase V—Grease (Para), 11th v.'k 225
Summit Drive-In— Alice. Sweet Alice (SR),
1st wk 157
York Square Cinema—Madame Rosa
(SR), 4th wk 200
Showman Harry L Schwab Mulls Suit
Against Town Board of Selectmen
WILBRAHAM, MASS. — Individual
members of the town's board of selection
were threatened at Boxoffice presstime
with court action if they voted to revoke
the Parkway Drive-In Theatre's operating
license.
School to Go Ahead
What's more, attorney Michael West of
Springfield, legal counsel for veteran exhibition
executive Harry L. Schwab, contended
that if indeed the selectmen went ahead
and revoked thj underskyer's license,
Schwab intended to operate without such
authorization.
"This is just fair warning," West said in
qualifying his remarks, "as to how we will
have to respond if our business is threatened."
Local Couple Protests
A local couple, Mr. and Mrs. Karl Dygon,
who live in this Springfield suburb and
are represented by attorney Philip Callan of
'Buddy Holly Story' Leads Hartford Springfield, charged some time ago that
Newcomers, Follows 'Grease,' 'Hooper'
HARTFORD — Columbia's The Buddy
Schwab has been violating a Wilbraham 2
a.m. closing ordinance, speakers that are
Holly Story" (225), Buena Vista's "Hot not turned down when patrons leave between
Lead and Cold Feet" (200) and state's
second and third shows and that the
rights X release, "Little Me & Mario Strangelove"
Schwab management invites people in vans
(185) comprised the newcomer bloc.
Art Cinema Little Me & Maria Strangeloye
who become loud and intoxicated on Parkway
Drive-In
property.
The Wilbraham selectmen conducted a
public hearing on the controversial matter,
with chairman John Lovejoy remarking that
a decision on the license revocation would
be issued soon.
Significantly, while there is concern over
the Schwab modus operandi, the exhibitor
has maintained, for one thing, that he has
not shown an X-rated motion picture in
more than 18 months. The Dygons had
scored the Parkway's scheduling of "dirty
movies."
Public Hearing Held
'Grease' Slides to Top in New Haven;
Five Others in Second With 200s
The public hearing resounded with
NEW HAVEN — Buena Vista's "Hot charges and counter-charges. The owner of
Lead and Cold Feet," 200, Allied Artists' a motel in the immediate periphery cited
"Alice, Sweet Alice," 175, and April Fools vandalism to his property, arguing that
Schwab needs to strengthen his security.
BOXOFFICE :: September 11, 1978
Schwab's legal counsel, expressing the
feeling that Wilbraham's 2 a.m. closing ordiance
could be categorized as unlawful,
voiced voluble protests over the scheduling
of a public hearing to determine theatre
license revocation before any charges had
been leveled against Schwab.
"We are not here," West insisted, "to be
antagonistic. We will act in a reasonable,
rational way to correct problems."
Selectmen chairman Lovejoy retorted:
"Your client has promised to turn down the
speakers for five long years. Schwab's record
of cooperation is very, very narrow ,
If there was a firm, honest commitment, we
wouldn't be here tonight."
Schwab's ongoing newspaper advertising
long has been considered by trade observers
as distinctive. He traditionally has
applied significant logos, containing the adline.
"54 seconds from Eastfield Mall."
Not so surprisingly,
the number of drivein
theatres within easy driving range of
metropolitan Springfield has winnowed
down. As previously reported, the Memorial
Drive-In. West Springfield, owned by the
Springfield Auto Theatre Co., was shut
down some weeks ago to make way for a
shopping mall. The Riverside Amusement
Park. Agawam, converted its drive-in property
to other use many years ago. Still functioning
in the immediate area are E.M.
Barrister West indicated a suit pursuant
to revocation of the license would be based Loew's Riverdale Drive-In, West Springfield,
on his belief that a prevailing Massachusetts as well as the Air-Line, Chicopee: Metro,
state statute allowing local-level selectmen Palmer, and the Sundown, Westfield.
to issue and revoke a business operating license
is unconstitutional.
ing to remain competitive with
The Riverdale, Metro and Sundown, seek-
four-wallers
catering to economy-minded family audiences,
have been charging $5-per-carload.
regardless of number of passengers.
Young Showman Is Happy
As AMC Theatre Manager
HADLEY, MASS.—While a student at
Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, Dale
Oglesbay regularly was involved in activities
which led to his present career, American
Multi Cinema's Intermission reports.
He was active in the campus film committee,
booking, promoting and projecting
films.
After college he spent a year and a half
with a major retailing chain before he joined
AMC as an assistant manager at the
Academy 6 Theatres in Greenbelt, Md.
That was in September 1975. He was promoted
to his present position as manager
of the Mountain Farms 4 Theatres in June
1977.
Oglesbay enjoys the variety of duties required
in the successful operation of a
motion picture theatre, especially the challenge
of pleasing the diversity of patrons
from the surrounding five-college area, he
reports.
"I think AMC is an excellent company to
work for because, although widely dispersed,
it maintains the necessary corporate
control to give the operation stability, while
allowing a manager freedom to express
himself as an individual entrepreneur."
Oglesbay stated.
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