Independent Exhibitors Film Bulletin (1963)

OF PEOPLE AND EVENTS Francis To Berlitz? Francis, the Talking Mule, may be taking a language course these days. He would, were he to heed the advice of film historian Arthur Mayer. Speaking before an audience of some 800 guests at the second international film awards dinner of the Independent Film Importers and Distributors of America, Mayer declared that films today are truly international and that isolationism is "as dead as Ma and Pa Kettle or Francis, the Talking Mule." Today's films are "the product of the skills, the culture, the combined efforts of gifted men and women who have, in different countries and climes, learned to speak the common language of all humanity — the cinema," he said. A feature of the IFIDA affair was the presentation of awards for outstanding achievements in foreign film production. Special awards were presented to Dan Frankie of Zenith International for his service to IFIDA, to RKO Theatres vice president Matthew Polon for that circuit's "outstanding promotion of films from abroad", and to Jean Goldwarm for his "dedication to IFIDA". Indes Rule Movie Roost, Says Journal An estimated 80 percent of U. S. movies made last year were independently produced, compared to 50 percent in 1956, and a minor fraction prior to 1946. These statistics were contained in a front page article in the Wall Street Journal last Thursday (17th) heralding what moviemen already know — that today independents are the cock of the walk. The article quotes several spokesmen for the new breed of film makers. Max Youngstein, president of ECA, denies that there is a talent shortage, as claimed by the established studios. "There's plenty of talent around ", Youngstein told the Journal, "but it's not getting opportunities because the major studios are suffering from inertia." Jeff Livingston, vice president of the Mirisch Company, is quoted as saying: "We're taking the top creative men and letting them create." Martin Ransohoff, head of Filmways, Inc.; "There's a terrific market for a provocative product." The WSJ piece, written by Stanley W. Penn, also discusses the manner in which talent agencies, like William Morris, collaborate with independents. WARNER 'Everything's Coming Up Roses', Sings J.L One year can make a big difference in the affairs of a movie company. Twelve months ago, Warners, for instance, was in the doldrums, with nothing but flops in stock. Now, president Jack L. Warner is singing, "everything's coming up roses at Warner Bros." — and with good reason. Following on the heels of the highly successful surprise hit, "Whatever Happened to Baby Jane", the company has a lineup of films which J. L. is confident "will spark the whole industry". He sees his company swinging strongly into the new year with "Gypsy" and "Days of Wine and Roses", both currently in prerelease, the first two of a program, completed and in production, with built-in entertainment values, as well as "properties of extraordinary importance, most of them derived from stage successes and best-selling books". Warner cited the program as evidence of the company's "determination to spearhead a period of industry activity that will go far to help maintain Hollywood's production and release operations "as a vigorous, progressive business. 'Back To HollywoocT Bid Made by Labor Hollywood is taking its case against "runaway" production to the federal government. At the same time, union and guild leaders are making a pitch for a "back to Hollywood" move directly to individual production executives. The matter is to be aired before U.S. labor secretary Willard Wirtz in Washintgon this week by a joint labor-management committee. Heading the committee's march to Washington are cochairmen Pat Somerset, president of the Hollywood AFL film council, and Charles Boren, executive vice president of the Association of Motion Picture Producers. Key complaints of the industry are the "tremendous incentive" (including outright subsidies) set before American producers to lure them abroad, restrictive import quotas imposed on American films by some of the same countries dangling the bait and a free U.S. market for foreign films. Movie labor leaders met late last week with 20th-Fox president Darryl F. Zanuck in an effort to persuade him to utilize his company's studio facilities to the maximum. Since he appears on the verge of reactivating large-scale production, the unions are hopeful that he will plan to make extensive use of Hollywood's underemployed resources at 20th's Westwood plant. Further evidence of labor's willingness, not only to solicit but to work actively for a return of production to Hollywood are the reports that other guilds and trade unions will follow the lead of the Screen Actors Guild in holding the line on wages on U.S. film production. SAG recently announced a policy of seeking no wage hikes this year in a effort to stimulate a "back to Hollywood" trend. Pessimism, Lack of Promotion Peril Us, Says Jerry Bresler Pessimists, wasters, and a lack of concentrated promotion effort "plague" the film industry and imperil its survival, producer Jerry Bresler declared last week. At the press conference, Bresler took the occasion, incidentally, to talk a bit about the results of the talent hunt for a new Gidget. (P.S.: they found one.) Noting the optimism among exhibitors reflected in the construction of new theatres, particularly, Bresler scored the too little — too late promotion efforts on the part of the film branch "We can never be too early in promoting a film to the trade and the public," he stated. "No longer can we sit back and wait for people to come to us, we must make them come to us." Publicity should be started as soon as the film project is conceived, he contended, adding that foreign markets will be lost, too, if vigorous effort is not expended on "the kind of exploitation that will keep people coming." Bresler was even more pointed in his criticism of "wasters". Thev must be stoped "or eliminated from our industry," he said, otherwise, "we'll go out of business." Film BULLETIN January 21. 1963 Page 15