Boxoffice (Oct-Dec 1963)

Reno Exhibitor Is Winner Of /Tomiko# Contest Trip NEW YORK — Ken Workman, manager of the Majestic Theatre, Reno, has been selected as the winner of Paramount’s national exhibitor contest for Hal Wallis’ “A Girl Named Tamiko,” for the best promotion of a national “Tamiko” letter -writing competition open to the general public. Workman wins a free trip for two to Japan via Japan Air Lines. Prizes of Yashica cameras, sewing machines or Seiko watches have been made to the following runnersup: Rex Hopkins, Orpheum, Portland, Ore.; William Wyatt, Virginian-Kearse Theatres, Charleston; Murray Spector, Oritani, Hackensack; Don Klass, Ames, Dayton. Also, Warren Patton, Orpheum, Tulsa; George Birkner, Fabian, Patterson; Edward Miller, Paramount, Buffalo; A. J. Molstad, State, Hibbing, Minn.; Dave Levin, Keith’s, Syracuse; Leo LaJoie, Capitol, Worcester; T. J. Presley, DeSoto, Rome, Ga.; and Joseph Bronk, Hollywood, LaCrosse, Wis. 'Who's Minding Store?' Set For 400 Christmas Dates NEW YORK — Paramount’s “Who’s Minding the Store?” starring Jerry Lewis will be the Christmas holiday attraction at over 400 theatres throughout the U.S., in both downtown first runs and area saturations. In New York, the Jerry Lewis film will be playing Thanksgiving dates, opening at the Victoria Theatre in Times Square and the Loew’s Metropolitan in Brooklyn, November 27, thus permitting the picture to play at Loew’s and other neighborhood houses in a Christmas saturation. Cities set for saturation launchings include Chicago, Denver, Detroit, Indianapolis, Kansas City, New Orleans, Pittsburgh and Washington, with the Los Angeles saturation set for New Year’s. In Boston, Cincinnati, Dallas, Minneapolis, New Haven and San Francisco the picture will play downtown theatres. Murray Kaplan to Handle Bronston's French Film NEW YORK — Murray Kaplan, sales executive of Bronston Distributions, Inc., has been named national sales supervisor for “The War of the Buttons” by Harold Roth, president of the organization. Bronston will release the French picture in the U.S. “War of the Buttons” was produced by Daneile Delorme and Yves Robert, who also directed the picture, based on the novel by Louis Pergaud. 'The Big Parade of Comedy' To Be MGM March Release HOLLYWOOD — MGM has scheduled “The Big Parade of Comedy,” a full-length feature compilation of comedy sequences from former MGM pictures and shorts, for release in March. More than 50 stars will be seen in the film. Robert Youngson, two-time Academy Award winner, is the producer and writer. He also wrote the lyrics to the three original songs to be heard in the picture. LETTERS Bad Prints Are Bad Business I have just read the article “Between the lines on bad prints.” I certainly feel that Mr. A1 Shapiro is to be congratulated for bringing this subject to your readers. Just consider the fact that picture companies spend millions of dollars on pictures, then, through exchanges, the prints are projected on our giant screens in such bad condition. Since I have been at the Wellmont, I have had at least 15 bad prints since last May. Fortunately, we have two excellent operators who carefully inspect these prints a day prior to showing, and, in many cases, they have advised me they have spent as many as five hours straightening out the prints that were shipped out of the exchanges. I have written letters and inspection reports every week, but still nothing has happened to improve this situation. I don’t care whether the theatre is the Radio City Music Hall or a fourth-run house, the patrons are exactly the same, and must be given, not only top projection but top prints. In many cases, I had prints so bad, I advised my office of their condition, but was told “there isn’t another print available— you will have to run the print you have, regardless of the condition.” Today, more than ever with TV showing pictures, the only way we can compete with this situation, is with our giant screen, clear pictures and good sound. We have excellent equipment, but it makes little difference if we have to run a bad print. Along this line, I definitely recommend that the prints used in drive-ins, should never be used in an indoor theatre. Greater care must be exercised by the exchanges to protect the industries’ great motion pictures. In the old days, when we were using small screens, half these defects would Cinerama Making Exhibit For World's Fair in '64 LOS ANGELES — Jeremy Lepard, producer-director for Cinerama of the “American Journey” exhibit for the U.S. Pavilion at the New York World’s Fair, has left for filming in Nevada, northern California and Oregon. Additional color footage will be obtained by Lepard later this winter in New England, Florida, New Mexico and Colorado. Cinerama, Inc., has negotiated an agreement with Paramount Pictures for the use of special vintage films to be available for the “American Journey” exhibit, which will span more than 400 years of our history, Lepard said. The opening at the Fair is set for April 22, 1964. Jane Fonda Auto Tieup HOLLYWOOD — Special four-color 24sheets showing Jane Fonda driving a Mercedes-Benz convertible will be displayed by all U.S. Mercedes-Benz dealers to tie in with early 1964 openings of the MGMSeven Arts Production “Sunday in New York.” Cliff Robertson and Rod Taylor also star in the romantic comedy. (Letters must be signed. Names withheld on request) never be noticed in using scratched prints. But, with the giant screen, these defects stand out like a sore thumb. Since last July we have been playing once a week, for one day, MGM opera and operetta series. On many of these, we have repeated over and over again and, in October, we started a Saturday morning series of operettas, which have been tremendous business. The point I am making, they would have not been successful if we had received bad prints. Many patrons were worried that these would be presented badly. But, fortunately, for MGM’s good thinking, they made sure that every single print that played this theatre, was in excellent condition. To be exact, we have played 42 of these pictures, with every one in excellent condition. It would be well if the rest of the film companies would follow this example. HARRY A. WIENER Managing Director, Wellmont Theatre, Montclair, N.J. Says Exchanges at Fault In reply to Mr. Arthur H. Clay’s letter explaining about how exchanges should catch the persons ruining prints: There is no hope left in examining prints. Back in the ’40s and ’50s, the exchanges used to examine all prints for every little known damage. And they made the theatres pay for damage. Now, you can slit a print down the middle and there is no reaction. Anybody writing or complaining about “slip-shod” operators and exchanges not taking care of prints, might as well kick themselves. MITCHEL L. YOUNG Homestead, Fla. Landau Co. Acquires U.S. Rights to 'The Servant' NEW YORK — The Landau Company has acquired the U.S. theatrical and television rights to “The Servant,” produced in England by Joseph Losey, which was one of the pictures shown at the recent New York Film Festival. The Landau company plans to launch the picture in New York at the Little Carnegie and the 57th Street Normandie early in 1964, according to Ely Landau, president. “The Servant,” which is based on a screenplay by Harold Pinter, stars Dirk Bogarde and features Sarah Miles and James Fox. The picture was shown earlier at the Venice Film Festival. The Landau Company, which has “The Fool Killer,” starring Anthony Perkins, being edited for release in 1964, and “The Pawnbroker,” starring Rod Steiger and Geraldine Fitzgerald, in production in New York, plans four other pictures for production in 1964. They are “Forbidden Area,” from the novel by Pat Frank; “The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter,” based on the novel by Carson McCullers; “The Madwoman of Chaillot,” from the play by Jean Girardoux, and “Leonardo da Vinci.” BOXOFFICE :: December 2, 1963 17