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. . The<br />
. . Bob<br />
BUFFALO<br />
J^l Anscombe, president of Amherst Cabls-<br />
Vision. has applied to the Federal<br />
Communications Commission for permission<br />
to carry the CATV signals in Tonawanda<br />
and Kenmore (which the company now<br />
services) of WGR-TV. WBEN-TV. WKBW-<br />
TV. WUTV and WNED-TV. all of this<br />
city, as well as several stations in Toronto.<br />
Canada . . . While his boss Daniel Lesniak<br />
of WADV-FM is on vacation, account<br />
executive Jerry Edelstein is taking over at<br />
the location atop the Rand Building. Both<br />
are members of Variety Club Tent 7.<br />
The corporation that owns and operates<br />
this city's Allendale Theatre, 203 Allen St.,<br />
has been fined $5,000 in city court after<br />
pleading guilty to a charge of exhibiting an<br />
obscene film. City Court Judge Samuel L.<br />
Green levied the fine after the attorney for<br />
the theatre firm entered a plea of guilty.<br />
Judge Green ordered the fine paid within<br />
30 days and said he would dismiss another<br />
obscenity charge pending against the theatre<br />
if payment was made within that time.<br />
Dick Atlas, a former chief barker of Tent<br />
7 and present manager of the Broadway<br />
Drive-In, now is press guy of Variety Club<br />
Tent 7. This added job will keep him busy<br />
when the fall season begi.ns.<br />
Sidney J. Cohen, president of NATO of<br />
New York State, and exhibitors and distributors<br />
gathered in the Concord on Lake<br />
Kiamesha Sunday (3) through Thursday (7)<br />
to enjoy the association's annual fumrin-thesun<br />
convention.<br />
"Give yourself a great time with these<br />
genuine film-music classics on United Artists<br />
reco-rds," said John Dwyer in the Evening<br />
News the other day. "They are new<br />
performances, with classy engineering, of<br />
the original scores. He mentioned "King<br />
Kong." "A Star Is Born." "Prisoner of<br />
Zenda" and a few others . Canadian<br />
National Exhibition opens Wednesday (13)<br />
in Toronto. Ont.. and many Buffalonians<br />
are motoring to the .spot to enjoy the many<br />
attractions, especially the Big Band Pavilion,<br />
where the shows arc free every night.<br />
Gary Meyers, head projectionist at Che<br />
Transit Drive-In on Transit Road near Lockport,<br />
will marry Deborah Allen Saturday<br />
(16). Deborah is employed at the Niagara<br />
Falls Airport. .She is a graduate of a Syracuse<br />
college.<br />
A letter from the Rev. James Connelly<br />
published in the Evening News said: "Having<br />
enjoyed a hit play at the Studio Arena<br />
Theatre and hearing murmurings that soon<br />
they will be in need of a larger theatre. I<br />
suggest looking across Main Street to the<br />
former Shea's Buffalo. Some of us fortunate<br />
enough to have exiperionced the<br />
Michael Shea era feel that this building<br />
could be adapted to fill a need for continued<br />
and growing good theatre in this city; also,<br />
think what this would mean towards renovation<br />
of the downtown area."<br />
Hoh'day Theatres general manager Joseph<br />
P. Garvey urged in his ad for the Holiday<br />
4. Cheektowaga. "to avoid being disappointed,<br />
see "Jaws" at 12 noon at only<br />
$1.25." The film is doing tumaway business<br />
here, just as it is in other cities . . . WGR<br />
Radio in this city and WXRL Radio in<br />
Lancaster have had their licenses renewed<br />
by the FCC in Washington. D.C.<br />
Michael L. McCarthy, councilman-atlarge.<br />
has asked the common council to<br />
question executives of Courier-Cable Co.<br />
about reports that residents of our town<br />
can't get C./\TV service installed in their<br />
homes. The common council has called a<br />
meeting, when questions about reports that<br />
installations can't be made are to be<br />
answered Curran. Evening News<br />
columnist, has received the American<br />
Legion national commander's public relations<br />
citation "in recognition of outstanding<br />
writing in his column."<br />
The Lockport Drive-In on Route 3 I near<br />
Gasport is attracting crowds with "Race<br />
With the Devil" and "M*A*S*H" as a<br />
second feature. Excellent weather is helping<br />
at<br />
the boxoffice.<br />
David Cohen is helping his dad Macey<br />
Cohen, operator of the Transit Drive-In.<br />
while home for the summer from the University<br />
of Miami in Florida . . . Residents<br />
of Orleans County have been instructed to<br />
enjoy themselves and ipartake of nostalgia<br />
or face "Keystone Cops" and "Kangaroo<br />
Courts." The orders were issued at Albion<br />
on the occasion of the county's 159th anniversary.<br />
Screenings and discussions by prominent<br />
filmmakers were planned by the Summer<br />
Institute on the Making and Undertaking of<br />
Films and Media at the State University of<br />
Buffalo. The institute started Wednesday<br />
(6) and continues through Wednesday (20).<br />
Jim Lavorato of National Theatre Supply,<br />
496 Pearl St.. and formerly head of the<br />
same company's film service office at the<br />
same address, is one busy man these days<br />
as he hops about western New York visiting<br />
exhibitors to learn about their theatre needs.<br />
Jake Stefanon of the Silver Lake Drive-<br />
In at Perry is enjoying a busy .season this<br />
summer as he entertains thousands of patrons<br />
at his popular ozoner, which he has<br />
modernized tihroiighout.<br />
Fire Destroys Closed Theatre<br />
ATLANTIC CITY. N.J. — The vacant<br />
Townc Cinema here was destroyed rccenlly<br />
in a general-alarm fire that officials believe<br />
was set by an arsonist. No one was injured<br />
in the blaze which firefighters managed to<br />
prevent from spreading to .several adjacent<br />
factories. Shuttered many months, the<br />
Towne during the past several years had<br />
been o|x-raled by a number of exhibitors.<br />
"Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger" is<br />
being lilnied on locations in<br />
Spain.<br />
Pa. Legislative Actions<br />
Observed by Industry<br />
PITTSBURGH—The 159th session of the<br />
Pennsylvania General Assembly is keeping<br />
the film industry alert with the many and<br />
varied proposals before the legislative body,<br />
nearly all adverse to business practices and<br />
logic. Probably foremost is the bill which,<br />
if approved, would create censorship and<br />
regulate the industry's personnel.<br />
HBI243, entered by Rep. Frank A. Salvatore<br />
and nine others, would register all persons<br />
"showing films" and create a State<br />
Board of Motion Picture Control, imposing<br />
certain political powers and duties and making<br />
an appropriation of a large sum of the<br />
taxpayers' money. This bill is before the<br />
professional licensure committee of the<br />
House.<br />
Among a dozen or more local political<br />
subdivision tax-enabling proposals is one to<br />
permit local communities—city, borough,<br />
township and school district) to enact and<br />
collect an amusement admission tax<br />
(HB732). Another proposal would remove<br />
the ten-year-old act which gives the city of<br />
Pittsburgh the exclusive power (in this state)<br />
to enact and collect an "emergency" amusement<br />
admission tax via legislation of the<br />
General Assembly. this "terminating"<br />
measure being HB959.<br />
Pennsylvania consolidated statutes regarding<br />
crimes and offenses would be an amendment<br />
to Title 18 under terms of HB1270.<br />
"clarifying the offense" of obscenity in<br />
motion pictures and holding liable not only<br />
exhibitors but film producers and distributors<br />
of so-called obscene films. Other bills<br />
which would prohibit obscenity, not defined<br />
by federal or commonwealth law. include<br />
HB353, providing for injunctions, and<br />
HB823 and HB833. and proposals to shield<br />
drive-in screens from the eyes of those outside<br />
the ozoner (HB629. HB831 and<br />
HB1006). These proposals now are outlawed<br />
by the U.S. Supreme Court's decision on<br />
airer nudity.<br />
Also in the legislative hoppers are<br />
measures to legalize bingo, regulate C.\TV<br />
systems, permit Sunday sales and trade via<br />
dropping of the ancient blue laws, various<br />
attempts to legalize lotteries other than the<br />
commonwealth's, new harness-horse-dogdrag<br />
racing bills, minimum wage measures<br />
and exemptions, prohibition of X-rated<br />
films at drive-ins, a plan to permit liquor<br />
sales on Sunday at Philadelphia art museums<br />
and one to approve liquor sales at<br />
Pittsburgh's Heinz Hall.<br />
Via legislative action, minors 16 to IS<br />
years of age are denied employment in<br />
restaurants, bars and lounges in capacities<br />
other than or in serving or dispensing alcoholic<br />
beverages in the defeat of HB.3b7.<br />
Greenwood Theatre Reopened<br />
TRENTON, N.J.— Heywood Burch. nc«<br />
owner of the Greenwood Theatre, locakJ<br />
at the corner of Greenwood and Cusler<br />
avenues, announced the reopening of ilv<br />
showhousc. Inaugural attractions \\ei\-<br />
"Cornbread. Earl and Me" and "Johnny<br />
lough," with admission $1 for chiklren<br />
and $2 for adults.<br />
BOXOFFICE Au.ausi 11, 975