Boxoffice-December.25.1948

. . The
. . Rome,
C H A R L
O T T E
/Columbia held the first Christmas party of
the season December 10 at the exchange
on West Fourth street. Hank Hearn, head
of Exhibitors Service, gave a party for employes
and friends at the Variety Club in
the Charlotte hotel. U-I held its annual party
for employes at the New China restaurant,
UA at the El Morocco club, Warner Bros,
at the Variety Club, Republic at the exchange
and 20th-Fox at the exchange Monday
night. RKO postponed its party because
so many employes were going out of town,
but last week Christmas bonus checks were
distributed. MGM held open house for its
employes at the exchange Thursday afternoon.
Eagle Lion held open house Pi-iday
afternoon.
The Variety Club held its annual kiddys
Christmas party in the clubrooms Thursday
(23).
Col. J. B. Harvey of the Carolina at Clover,
. . . Mrs.
S. C, left to go bird hunting on J. C.
Long's plantation in Charleston. R. B. Hildebrand,
York lawyer, and Senator W. Lewis
Wallace, York, accompanied him
Ben L. Strozier, Stevenson, Rock Hill, was
re-elected to the city council of Ebenezer,
a suburb of Rock Hill.
George Sandore, RCA service manager for
this district, and Ralph Heacock, RCA sales,
Camden, N. J., were here conferring with
Manager W. P. White of Southeastern Theatre
Equipment Co. . . . Mr. and Mrs. John
H. Vickers of Carolina Delivery Service have
announced the engagement of their daughter
Margaret to Louis G. Ratcliffe jr. The
wedding will take place in February.
The case of W. G. Driver, salesman for
Screen Guild, against Carolina Coach Co. in
civil superior court has ended with an outof-com-t
settlement. The plaintiff was
awarded $7,500. He had alleged that he was
injured' in Rocky Mount in September 1946,
when hit by a bus of the defendant concern.
The trial was virtually concluded when the
settlement was arranged.
Roy P. Rosser, Sanford Theatre owner,
Sanford, N. C, was guest speaker at the
regular weekly dinner meeting of the San-
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ford Lions club recently. Rosser discussed
the motion pictm-e industry.
Horace Heidt and his talent show, now
touring the nation, will perform here January
30 at 10:30 p. m. under the auspices
of the Charlotte Junior Chamber of Commerce.
The show will be broadcast from the
Armory-Auditorium over WSOC.
Drive-In Ass'n to Meet
Jan. 30 at Charlotte
CHARLOTTE—The Drive-In Theatre
Owners Ass'n, Inc., at its regular meeting
here recently decided to hold the first annual
meeting of 1949 on January 30, the date
on which the Theatre Owners of North and
South Carolina begins its 37th annual convention.
President R. O. Jeffress presided at the
meeting, held in the Selwyn hotel, and later
gave an account of his contracts with distributors
regarding equitable film rental for
drive-ins remaining open during the winter.
Among subjects discussed at the meeting
were advisability of hability insurance coverage,
the connection of theatres who donate
to the litigation fund, services available to
the members by the association, progress of
law suits in connection with Park-In Theatres,
Inc., inadvisability of closing for the
winter and the lack of objection to increasing
admissions.
From the BOXOFFICE Files
(Twenty Years Ago)
a NEW THEATRE, costing $1,500,000, will
be built in Birmingham by the Interstate
Amusement Co. as soon as that city sees fit to
allow the showing of motion pictures on Sunday,
according to Robert J. O'Donnell, general
manager. Interstate owns and operates
the Ritz and Trianon and owns property on
Fifth avenue and 19th street, where the proposed
theatre will be erected when a more
tolerant and liberal view is dominant in
Birmingham. Plans call for 4,000 seats. "It's
up to Birmingham now," says O'Donnell.
Fire destroyed the Lyric Theatre and contents
in Jasper, Ga. . Ga., is to have
a new theatre to cost approximately $75,000,
the house to be constructed by a group of
business men, including John M. Graham,
W. B. Broach, and Fred R. Johnson, for the
Lam Amu.sement Co., operators of several
theatres in Rome. Present plans call for a
location on Broad street, between Fifth and
Sixth avenues. Seating capacity will be approximately
1,500.
The new Lyceum Theatre at Monroe, La.,
is now under construction and will cost approximately
$100,000. Its seating capacity
will be 1,100. It is owned and will be operated
by the Saenger Amusement Co. of
New Orleans . Capitol at Shreveport,
La., is now under the management of Saenger
Theatres, Inc. Edward L. Conroy is
manager.
Alabama Managers
Give Benefit Shows
BIRMINGHAM — Alabama theatre managers
"went all out" again this year in giving
pre-Christmas benefit shows for the needy
and free matinees for kiddy patrons.
The Alabama Theatre here held its annual
Christmas party on Tuesday (21). Admission
was two cans or more of food. Cosponsors
of the program were station WSGN,
the News-Age-Herald and local merchants.
Prizes were awarded to the youngsters who
brought the most cans of food for the city's
poor families.
Another main benefit was the midnight
show at the Pittman, Gadsden, for the benefit
of the city's Goodfellow fund. Charles S.
Pittsman, owner, and John Teague, manager,
donated use of the house for the show and
provided the pictures.
HELPS 50 FAMILIES
A usable toy or a can of food was the
price of admission to the Capitol Theatre-
Salvation Army matinee in Decatur. Paul
Stroud, Capitol manager, said the matinee
helped provide Christmas for about 30 families
in Decatur and 20 more in the surrounding
area. The same admission scheme
prevailed for the Marengo Theatre at Demopolis
on Wednesday (22), when Manager Henry
Webb helped collect gifts to be distributed by
the department of public welfare.
Te the Elba Theatre, where Dozier Roberts
is manager, the matinee collected toys to be
given to the needy families of Coffee county
after they were repaired by the Elba fire
department.
BOY SCOUTS HELPED
The Ritz at Scottsboro helped the local
Boy Scout troop collect items of food, clothing,
fruit and candy to be distributed to unfortunate
families.
A bring-a-toy show was held at the Heflin
Theatre in Heflin with Lloyd's bakery of
Anniston cooperating in offering a bicycle,
two pairs of skates and two Christmas cakes.
The donated toys, of course, went to needy
children. The Progressive Mothers club of
Marion collected toys, food and clothing at
Lester Neely's Neely Theatre in Marion when
an hour's program of cartoons was shown.
Virtually every theatre in the Martin circuit
in Alabama gave a free show for kiddy
patrons with "Bill and Coo" as the screen
attraction. Some of these included: Fix,
Evergreen, C. E. Moses, manager; Strand,
Florala, J. B. Shuman, manager; Ritz, Greenville,
Sam Carr, manager, and Ritz, Brewton,
Howard Schad, manager.
'Shoes' Opens Long Run
In Atlanta Art Theatre
ATLANTA—"The Red Shoes," Britishmade
film based on the Hans Christian
Anderson story, opened a ten-week run at
the Peachtree Art Theatre here Christmas
day, and Manager Mel Brown predicted the
film would outdraw "Hamlet," which set a
six-week record at the same house.
Brown said he based his prediction on
the success of the film in eastern cities.
Negotiations for the picture were concluded
with Joe Sugar, manager of EL, and Grover
Parsons, southern district manager for the
company.
I
90
BOXOFFICE December 25, 1948