Boxoffice (Oct-Dec 1963)

MINNEAPOLIS pilmrow’s fortunates of the week were Lon Eichten, Larry Fuehrer, Bob Helmerson, Jim McDonald, and their bossman Eddie Burke, all of Motion Picture Alexander Corp. The whole gang escaped Minnesota's wintry blasts for three or four days during their jaunt to sunny New Orleans to attend the December 14 national sales meeting of MPA and lay plans for the upcoming year’s campaign. Seeman Kaplan, Mill City architect and engineer who designed and built many of the largest theatres in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, the Dakotas, Montana, and Wyoming during his 42 years as associate in the firm of Liebenberg & Kaplan, died recently. Among his survivors is Abraham A. Kaplan, past president of North Central Allied Theatre Owners. Edward Hamlet, who previously served as chief of service at the old Radio City house, assistant manager of the Uptown and Gopher theatres, and manager of the Nile and Campus Fine Arts locally, is now with Marcus Theatre Management Co. Ed recently received a bachelor of arts in economics and business from Grinnell College, Iowa, and currently manages the Times Theatre in Clintonville, Wis. The Mann organization has announced that its Academy house will reopen for the Christmas holidays with the Disney feature, “The Sword in the Stone,” and that publicity for “Charade,” to play the Mann, has begun in earnest. Minneapolitans were shocked this week when local radio and TV stations made public the phone calls they received during the weekend of their coverage of the President’s assassination. The stations reported irate calls from listeners indignant that all outlets were covering the event and none were presenting the regular shows, mothers complaining that their children were driving them crazy because there was no “happy” programs on, women asking if the fashions would change now that Mrs. Kennedy was no longer First Lady, and other comments equally insane. The absolute devotion of a certain segment of the public to its idiot boxes recalls to this writer’s mind the criticism of Philip Wylie to the effect that the almighty Tube is no more or less than a “big electronic bosom.” The Maco Lyric in downtown Minneapolis happens to be located on the site of one of the town’s busiest bus stops, and in the winter months the theatre’s outer lobby becomes a refuge for shivering commuters waiting for their transportation. Manager Bob Carr has good naturedly put up neatly lettered signs asking bus riders not to leave the house’s doors ajar since he spent over a “million dollars” last winter trying to keep his cashiers “from turning blue.” Wyoming Film Junket By Denver Managers From Western Edition By BRUCE MARSHALL RIVERTON, WYO. — Once more distributors and exhibitors of the Denver exchange area joined hands to promote the motion picture industry in a two-day meeting held here for Wyoming theatre operators. Denver distributors traveling in to attend the meeting were Joe Kaitz of Warner Bros., Chick Lloyd of American International Pictures, Murray Gerson and Oron Summers of Universal Pictures, Jim Ricketts of Paramount, Sam Dare and Bruce Marshall of Columbia, George Fisher of MGM, John Dobson and Ronnie Giseburt of United Artists and Fred Knill of the Knill Booking Service. The group was greeted at the Riverton airport by city dignitaries and by exhibitor hosts Tom Knight and Tom Knight jr. The Knight father and son team operates three theatres, the Acme, Gem and Knight Drive-In theatres here. Knight is a veteran exhibitor, having been associated with the operation of the theatres here for over 40 years and his son joining him in the operation of the theatres some ten years ago. The evening’s festivities started with a cocktail party which was followed by a banquet with out-of-town exhibitors attending. The following morning the entire group met with members of the press, radio and television industries at the Acme Theatre for a screening of product trailers from all of the major releasing organizations. Views of the forthcoming releases were enthusiastically received and it seemed to be unanimously voiced that “the industry has never in its history had such an impressive array of product.” A luncheon with members of the news media was held in the Ranch Room of the Teton Hotel. Prior to and during the luncheon a round robin open forum discussion was held regarding the motion picture industry, with questions and answers being tossed back and forth across the table. Interviews were held by several radio stations following the luncheon. Some idea of the impact of such a meeting in Riverton could be gathered from the fact that radio station operators neglected all commercials to give time to the group despite the fact that this was the first day of advertisements following the Kennedy funeral and a time in which they were pressed to resume commercials as rapidly as possible. Sufficient time was granted each individual branch manager to plug all of his schedu’ed releases. During the afternoon sessions, the distributors met with members of all of the civic organizations, members of the clergy, representatives of the PTA and the student councils for another open forum discussion. Each distributor reviewed his future releases and then the group answered questions from the audience. The three-hour session ended with members of the audience expressing their thanks for “having received a better understanding of the mot:on picture industry and their problems and their hopes for the future.” The group members boarded the plane for the return trip to Denver confident that they had given Wyoming exhibitors and the citizens of Wyoming a “hard sell” on future releases. Additionally they had generated enthusiasm and certainly a better understanding of the industry throughout the state. Films on Video Without Butchering, Globs of Ads From Mideast Edition DETROIT — Important motion pictures will at last be presented to a U.S. audience without excessive butchering and messing up with commercials. CKLW, situated in Windsor across the border in Canada, a half mile from the Detroit city limits, is introducing a VIP motion picture series. “These great films will be broadcast with no important segments deleted, and with commercials scheduled at sensible intervals,” said S. C. Ritchie, CKLW general manager. “Editing will be kept to the very minimum, and commercials scheduled only where the story permits. The programs will not be finished at any specified time.” The presentations will be a month apart. Titles selected include Mr. Roberts, Friendly Persuasion, The Quiet Man, Son of Samson, East of Eden and Battle Cry. Congratulations to PARADE PICTURES On Your SECOND ANNIVERSARY Best Wishes for a Most Successful Future! JOE LOEFFLER PARADE PICTURES 1000 Currie Ave. Minneapolis, Minn. NC-6 BOXOFFICE :: December 16, 1963