Boxoffice (Apr-Jun 1963)

Pickman to Columbia Marketing Post NEW YORK — Jerome Pickman, who joined Columbia Pictures Monday (13), will concentrate on the marketing and merchandising of designated productions. Robert S. Ferguson, vice-p resident in charge of advertising, publicity and exploitation, said that Pickman’s assignment was in line with Columbia’s continuing program of giving each of its pictures an individualized, special handling. Until its dissolution, Pickman was vicepresident of Entertainment Corp. of America in which he was associated with Max E. Youngstein and Charles Simonelli. Youngstein subsequently became executive producer of “Fail-Safe,” which will be distributed by Columbia, and Simonelli joined Technicolor in a high executive capacity. Pickman entered the motion picture industry with 20th Century-Fox in 1945, moving to Paramount Pictures in 1950, holding posts as vice-president in charge of advertising, publicity and exploitation and vice-president in charge of sales. Jerome Pickman Supreme Court Refuses To Review Mass. Suit WASHINGTON — The U.S. Supreme Court has refused to review a treble damage antitrust suit brought by the Capitol Theatre, Lawrence, Mass., against 22 film companies and exhibitors on charges of alleged inability to obtain sufficient product to remain in business. The suit was brought originally in 1954, charging that because of a conspiracy the theatre could not get pictures. A settlement was reached and the case dropped, but suit was brought again in 1957 when the plaintiff contended it had signed the settlement under duress. A lower court dismissed the suit on the gi’ounds that court rules had not been met. In effect, the Supreme Court upheld the lower court’s contention by refusing to review the case. FOR SALE OR LEASE WONDERLAND PARK" Route 37 Massena, New York 145 Acres Ready to go for this season Completely equipped children's "Storyland" set up. Separate restaurant and snack bar buildings. Heavily traveled highway. American and Canadian tourist trade. Attractive terms. Douglas B. Luckey 525 Hyde Park Avenue Roslindale 31, Massachusetts Telephone — Area Code 617-327-1300 Producer of 'Black Fox' Plans More Documentaries NEW YORK — Arthur Steloff, producer of documentary features and TV specials, whose recently formed Capri Films is now distributing “Black Fox,” the anti-Nazi documentary which won the Academy Award in April, has plans for several more features in the documentary vein for later in 1963 and 1964. “Black Fox” was completed in 1962 by Louis Clyde Stoumen, the writer-producer-director who also made “The Naked Eye” and was associate producer and production designer for “Winston Churchill — The Valiant Years,” 26-part documentary for ABC-TV. Originally scheduled to be distributed in the U.S. by Astor Pictures, which since went into bankruptcy, “Black Fox” is now the first release of Capri. The feature, which opened at the Little Carnegie Cinema April 29, showed one of the three top grosses in New York’s art houses for the first week, and has been booked in 35 other key city dates later this spring, Steloff said. Steloff is currently working on a feature based on Joy Adamson’s best seller about a lion cub, “Born Free,” for which Richard Attenborough is in Africa filming background footage. Using Miss Adamson’s own filmed footage, Steloff expects to have the picture ready for U.S. release of Christmas 1963 as “Elsa, the Lion.” Steloff is currently doing the screen treatment and will be associate producer for “The Gate Crasher,” the story of the famed Stanley Berman, the Brooklyn taxi-driver who even crashed last year’s Academy Awards show on TV. He also plans another documentary feature, “The Story of Candy Barr,” the stripper who was jailed for possessing narcotics at the age of 21 and has just been released from prison. For this picture, Steloff is negotiating with Jayne Mansfield or Anne Francis to play the title role. Trio Teams Up to Make Six-Picture Program NEW YORK — A minimum slate of six pictures is planned in a major production development announced last week by Delbert Mann, director; Douglas Laurence, producer, and Dale Wassei-man, writer, who have joined forces to produce and package the program. The development was consummated with the signing of a joint production contract between Mann’s Biography Productions and Laurence’s New Dimensions, Inc., which, with Laurence as president had functioned in the field of purchasing and developing story properties for films. Two story properties have been acquired prior to publication. One is “Quick Before It Melts,” a farce comedy by Phillip Benjamin, a reporter for the New York Times, which will be published by Random House. The second is “The Banker,” a novel by Leslie Walker which will be published in August by Doubleday & Co. Screen Gems Dividend NEW YORK — The regular quarterly dividend of 15 cents per share was declared by Screen Gems’ board of directors Wednesday (8), payable June 28 to stockholders of record on May 23. Film Salesmen Win Boost in New Pact NEW YORK — Nine distributing companies have signed a new two-year contract with the Colosseum of Motion Picture Salesmen which provides for a minimum salary of $100 a week after a year of selling experience in the industry. The Colosseum is affiliated with the IATSE. The agreement calls for a blanket weekly increase of $4, plus a rise of 75 cents in weekly payments to the Film Exchange Employes Pension Fund, bringing the total pension contribution to $3.75. The increases were retroactive to Dec. 1, 1962. In addition, effective at the start of the second year of the two-year contract, it has been agreed that a medical insurance program shall be initiated, with the employer and employe each paying half the premium cost. Other benefits include an increase of each country salesman’s expense allowance to $12.50 per day, an additional week of severance pay and a stipulation that the annual paid vacation period be increased from two weeks to three weeks after 12 years of continuous employment with one company. Heretofore, the employes were entitled to a third week of vacation after 13 years. Also written into the agreement for the first time was an agency-shop clause, applicable wherever such union security arrangements are permitted under state law. It specifies that any salesman choosing not to join the union shall pay a representation fee of the same amount as the dues paid by a member salesman. Negotiating the contract were Bruce C. Warren, Colosseum president, representing the western area; Maurice J. Artigues, southern; James Whiteside, eastern; Raymond R. Russo, central, and Chet LeVoit, midwestern, assisted by David Bartell, attorney, and the IATSE general office. Signing the contract were MGM, Paramount, 20th Century-Fox, Warner Bros., United Artists, Universal, Columbia, Allied Artists and Buena Vista. Burton and O'Toole Start Filming of 'Becket' LONDON — Two of the film industry’s most talked-of British stars, Richard Burton, co-starred in “Cleopatra,” and Peter O’Toole, starring in the title role of this year’s Academy Award-winning “Lawrence of Arabia,” went before the cameras in Hal Wallis’ picturization of the Broadway stage success, “Becket” at the Shepperton Studios May 13. The picture will be a Paramount release in 1964. “Becket” is being filmed in Panavision and Eastman Color with Peter Glenville directing from a screenplay by Edward Anhalt based on the Jean Anouilh play. Burton is playing Archbishop Thomas Becket and O’Toole is Henry II, played on the stage by Laurence Olivier and Anthony Quinn. The supporting cast is headed by Sir Donald Wolfit, Martita Hunt, Felix Aylmer, Pamela Brown, Niall MacGinnis and two Italian stars, Gino Cervi and Paolo Stoppa. Filming will continue for several months. 18 BOXOFFICE :: May 20, 1963