Boxoffice (Oct-Dec 1963)

Joe Levine Reveals Plans On 4 Films With Para . TOA to Concentrate On Pay TV Fight NEW YORK— Theatre Owners of America will concentrate its immediate efforts on combatting pay television, particularly in California where the Crusade for Free TV is fighting the inroads of the medium, according to John Rowley, TOA president. Rowley, who was in New York last week, said he considered the pay TV situation one of the most serious facing exhibition and that TOA would give full support to the campaign. Exhibitors in various parts of the country have been holding emergency meetings and have set quotas for their respective territories. Sessions have been held in New Orleans, Boston, Dallas, Seattle, Atlanta, Kansas City and one is scheduled for today (Monday) in Washington, D.C. California leaders have been assigned to speak at the meetings. In a telegram to Rowley, the Seattle exhibitors said they had pledged complete financial cooperation “in this fight to the finish against the dire and foreboding threat in California.” That fight, they said, “is everybody’s fight and any thinking theatre operator will quickly recognize the now legalized pay TV revenue measure in California as a positive destruction force everywhere.” They added that they would raise their share and do everything else necessary to smash “this certain destroyer of motion picture theatres.” While in New York, Rowley and Joseph Alterman, executive secretary, prepared the standing committee for the coming year. The names will be announced shortly. MPI Stockholders Approve Partial Liquidation Plan KANSAS CITY— Stockholders of Motion Picture Investors, Inc., at a meeting here Tuesday (10) voted formally for partial liquidation of the company. In effect, the action was the approval of the move which was decided by key members of the board who were attending the Theatre Owners of America convention in New York in October. With vice-president Robert Ballantyne of Omaha presiding in the absence of Walter Reade, the organization re-elected its board of directors. Action relating the liquidation of the company and distribution of the first liquidation dividend of $5 per share was approved by a vote of over 99 per cent of the shareholders represented at the meeting. Approximately 80 per cent of the total number of shareholders were represented. The first dividend of $5, totaling about $220,000, will be paid December 20 to shareholders of record December 10. MPI was founded five years ago for the purpose of buying stock in film companies and fostering production. Exhibitors were the principal investors. The liquidation plan calls for the sale of sufficient shares to pay off the stockholders on the basis of 50 per cent of their original investment of $10 a share. It is expected that the revenue from two pictures, “The Checkered Flag” and “Trigger Happy,” in which MPI holds an interest, will enable MPI’s investors to break even. HOLLYWOOD — Joseph Levine and Paramount will turn out four more pictures in Hollywood, where production is more commercial than the art films from Europe, and the films will therefore have greater exhibitor acceptance, Levine told a press conference at Paramount’s Hollywood Studios. In what may be termed one of the zaniest press conferences of all time, Levine covered the mad, mad, mad world of motion pictures during the question and answer period, with Bette Davis supplying the comedy relief and Jack Karp, Paramount Studio production chief, acting as straight man. The press provided the needling. In addition to his commitment reached with the Paramount group, Levine indicated he will have five more properties. One of these will be Polly Adler’s Hollywood Hills best-seller epic, “A House Is Not a Home.” In answer to Murray Schumach’s (New York Times) question Levine said he didn’t think there would be any nudes in the pictures he will turn out. The object of the press conference was to kick off the production of well-paid author Harold Robbins’ “Where Love Has Gone.” Both Bette Davis and Susan Hayward flanked Levine. On an ascending scale of production costs, Levine released figures of production for “Where Love Has Gone,” at $3,000,000; “The Carpetbaggers,” at $4,000,000 and “Nevada Smith,” based on an episode in “Carpetbaggers,” at $4,550,000. Last film in the present deal, which Levine has completed with Paramount is “Zulu,” directed by Cy Endfield, who, Levine terms, as one of the great “finds” in motion pictures, along with the producer of the film. Other pictures to be made by Levine, in what he termed a nine-picture Reservations Coming In For Show-A-Rama VII KANSAS CITY— More than 50 reservations to Show-A-Rama VII, which will be held March 3-5 at Hotel Continental here, have been made so far, according to Norris Cresswell, executive secretary of the United Theatre Owners of the Heart of America, exhibitor organization sponsoring the national convention. Reservations have come in from far and wide, including one from Tokyo. Four Showmen of the Year awards will be made on the basis of last year and suggestions are now open. Richard Orear, president of Commonwealth Theatres, and Fred Souttar, area supervisor for Fox Midwest Theatres, who are convention cochairmen, ask that letters be sent in now on award possibilities. Also a Star of the Year award will be given. Last year Jack Lemmon and Sandra Dee were named for the awards. schedule, will not necessarily go through Paramount. Discussing “art” films which are made in Europe and which is strictly an American term for “adult films,” and never used there because they are made as part of European culture, Levine indicated that he needed more “commercial” type product because exhibitors would not back so-called “artistic films.” He hoped to have 5,000 more playdates from Hollywood films, than the overseas product. “Long Day’s Journey Into Night,” the Eugene O’Neill film, cost Embassy $700,000 in losses, beyond its $525,000 production cost. Levine released the list of stars to appear in the San Francisco locale film, “Where Love Has Gone.” With Bette Davis playing the mother to 46-year-old Susan Hayward, others in the cast are Mike Connors, George Macready, Joey Heatherton, DeForrest Kelly, Jane Greer and Anne Seymour. Other product named by Levine for production is “Imperial Woman,” by Pearl Buck with screenplay by Miss Buck, Nobel prize winner, and Ted Danielevsky. Miss Buck’s greatest epic, “The Good Earth” was released in 1937. Viking Case to Get High Court Review WASHINGTON — The Viking Theatre case, involving the bidding situation in Philadelphia, will be reviewed by the U.S. Supreme Court. The high court announced Monday (9) that it would review the action which had attracted considerable attention in the industry. At the recent convention of Theatre Owners of America in New York, it was indicated that TOA would enter the case as a friend of the court in the event the Supreme Court decided to review it. At that time, doubts were expressed by TOA attorneys that the litigation would get a review by the Supreme Court. Operators of the Viking had contended that the agreements between circuits not to bid against each other for product of certain distributors were a violation of the antitrust laws. While not denying that the agreements existed, the involved distributors and exhibitors, in hearings before two lower courts, argued that all exhibitors were free to bid and that the agreements affected only those theatres in the agreements as being binding. The action was brought in 1955. Morey Jr. to MGM CULVER CITY — Edward Morey jr., son of Edward Morey, vice-president of Allied Artists, has been appointed executive production manager of the Metro-GoldwynMayer studios here. The younger Morey formerly was associated with the Allied Artists studio. BOXOFFICE :: December 16, 1963 7