Motion Picture Daily (Oct-Dec 1955)

1< ,'ednesday, November 16, 1955 Motion Picture daily 3 PEOPLE James A. Mulvey, president of imuel Goldwyn Productions, is servg as chairman of the motion picture p ( ^vision for the Visiting Nurse Service T: New York 1955 fund raising camlign. The drive, now in progress, seeking $430,000 in support of the ee nursing service provided by this 2-year-old agency in Manhattan, k iUronx and Queens. Walt Disney last night was awarded <ie Audubon Medal for "distinguished irvice to conservation" in a ceremony held in the Hotel Roosevelt »ere at the annual dinner of the Naomi Audubon Society. I. S. Becker has been appointed jaliMce-president in charge of business ; MijfFairs for CBS Radio, it was anmtlkounced by Arthur Hull Hayes, president of the radio network of the Cofinlnimbia Broadcasting System. Herb Cass, formerly with National icreen Service in Portland, Ore., is tow associated with Commerce In'estment Co. n i Doris E. Williams has rejoined »\KO Radio Pictures in her former imposition as administrative assistant | Si o J. Miller Walker, vice-president md general counsel. Miss Williams was associated with RKO for many r'ears, but for the past year-and-a lalf she has been with the NBC )f)?ilm Division. RKO Sets All Media To Plug 'Conqueror* [i Utilizing "every modern advertising medium," RKO will launch "The Conqueror," multi-million dollar picfiure starring John Wayne and Susan Hayward, early next year with "the greatest pre-selling campaign on any picture in the company's history," Walter Branson, vice-president in charge of distribution, announced here. Branson returned to New York over the weekend following two weeks of conferences with Daniel T. O'Shea, president of RKO; Charles L. Glett, executive vice-president; Mervin Houser, studio publicity director, and other company executives. Lawrence Greib Rites Funeral rites were held here at ■ the weekend for Lawrence F. Greib, 65, veteran New York theatre manager. Greib at one time was managing director of the Astor and Victoria Theatres and held managerial positions with RKO Theatres, the Albee in Brooklyn and the Regent, Mayfair, Colonial and 86th Street Theatres. Board of Trade Report Cains in U.K. Admissions Found Only Where N ew Techniques Adopfed By PETER BURNUP LONDON, Nov. 15.— Only in the Southern region where new screen techniques such as CinemaScope were first installed in Britain was there an increase in theatre admissions per seat during 1954, the Board of Trade Journal reported today. An increase in admission per seat from 312 in 1950 to 323 in 1954 was reported for the South, compared with the average number of admissions per seat elsewhere of 328 in 1950 and 307 last year. Returns were taken from 4,484 theatres with a total seating capacity of 4,141,524. Gross box office takings therein amounted in the quarter ended last June 25 to £27,482,000, virtually the same as the gross marked up in the second quarter in 1954, but 0.6 per cent less than that obtaining in the first quarter of 1955. Net takings— namely the balance after payment of entertainment tax and Eady Levy— amounted to £18,125,000. After payment of film-hire at £6,382,000 the exhibitors' share stood at £11,743,000 ($32,880,400). At June 25, 1955 the Journal states, 44,665 persons were found to be fully employed in the country's cinemas with 36,629 employed on part time; at the same date, 5,201 were working on film distribution. 104 long films and 144 shorts were registered at the Board of Trade in the three months July-September, 1955, compared with 128 and 150 respectively in the previous quarter. Of the l04 long films referred to, 25 were British and 79 "foreign." The Journal records that in the first half of 1955 gross film rentals charged to theatres amounted to £12,249,000. Of that amount, £2,121,000 was retained by distributors imder the heading "direct distribution expenses" together with a further amount of £2,380,000, leaving £7,748,000-i.e., 63.3 per cent of the gross— for producers. Of the gross rental amount of £12,249,000, £3,757,000 accrued to British films and £8,492,000 to "foreign" films. Additional details of the Journal report were published in Motion Picture Daily on Monday. Para. Inducts 19 into 100 Per Cent Club' Eighteen members of Paramount's domestic distribution organization and one field merchandising representative have been inducted into the company's "100 Per Cent Club," highest honor for year-long achievement that can be bestowed on employees of the Paramount branch sales forces. Announcement of the latest annual additions to the "100 Per Cent Club" was made yesterday by George Weltner, head of world-wide sales for Paramount. Inductions took place during the past few days. Established 30 Years This honor organization was established by Paramount 30 years ago to spotlight accomplishment. Membership is limited to employees whose work was consistently outstanding throughout the preceding 12 months. Three inductees from each of six sales divisions, and Arnold Van Leer, merchandising representative in Boston, make up the 19 who have been honored for work achievement in the past year. Sales department members named are as follows: Eastern Division; Wendell F. Clement, Boston salesman; Francis D. Lynch, Albany office manager and head booker, and Frank E. Saviola, Buffalo salesman. Mid-Eastern Division: William R. Fischer, Washington booker; Michael J. Gould, Cleveland salesman, and Kenneth J. Guibord, Detroit salesman. Central Division: Charles A. Caligiuri, Des Moines salesman; Richard J. Murphy, Minneapolis salesman and Sees Increased Net For ABC Vending Charles L. O'Reilly, chairman of the board of ABC Vending Corp., stated that per share earnings of ABC Vending for 1955 will show a substantial increase over 1954. Earnings for the first nine months of 1955 were $1.37 per share as against $1.40 per share for 12 months of 1954. Earnings for all of 1955 should total $1.60 per share, he said. For 20 years ABC has operated the concessions in a majority of RKO Theatres. In 1955 RKO extended this contract with ABC to cover additional RKO houses, thereby increasing ABC's annual business by $1,250,000. Educator Gets CBC Post OTTAWA, Nov. 15.-Dean Adrien Pouliot, of Laval University, Quebec City, has been appointed vice-chairman of the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. board of governors. John C. Stock, Milwaukee office manager and head booker. Southern Division: M. Dixon Regan, Jacksonville office manager and head booker; Byron A. Slaughter, Charlotte salesman, and Thomas P. Thompson, New Orleans salesman. South Central Division: Eugene A. Jacobs, Kansas City salesman; Donald W. Foster, Dallas salesman, and Fred J. Hellweg, Kansas City office manager and head booker. Western Division: George T. Carmone, San Francisco office manager and head booker; Francis J. Doty, Portland salesman, and Eugene L. Jones, Salt Lake City salesman. LF.E. to Release Six Between Dec. and March; 5 in Color I.F.E. Releasing Corp. has set six major films for release between December, 1955 and March, 1956, with five of the six in color and one in CinemaScope and Stereophonic sound, ir was announced yesterday by Seymour Poe, executive vice-president of the company. The line-up consists of "Maddalena," "The Return of Don Camillo," "Lost Continent," "Lease of Life," "Riviera" and "Madame Butterfly." Cites Two-Fold Purpose "These six films," Poe said, "will serve a two-fold purpose. One, they will be a foundation for I.F.E.'s greatest year, 1956, and two, they will activate our exhibitor publicity workshop plan. Manny Reiner, our general sales manager, is currently on a national tour surveying the field as a preliminary to implementing the program. "All these pictures are of major boxoffice importance," Poe continued. "With 'Lost Continent' for example, we have an international prize-winner, Italy's first CinemaScope film and an Academy Award contender, the film having been accepted for screening by the Academy on Nov. 14. "This year will also see the intensification of I.F.E.'s international aspect. In the six pictures we have set for release the production talents of film-makers from Italy, Fiance, England and Japan are utilized." 'Lost Continent' in 'Scope The top February release will be "Lost Continent," the first Italian CinemaScope film, which was made entirely on location in Indonesia by Count Leonardo Bonzi. "Lost Continent" will have its premiere in Los Angeles in order to qualify for the Academy Awards. Other December releases are "Maddalena," starring Marta Toren, and "The Return of Don Camillo" the only black and white film among the six, starring France's comic, Fernandel. In January two I.F.E. pictures will be released, "Lease of Life" starring Robert Donat, from the J. Arthur Rank studios, and "Riviera," with Martine Carol in the starring role. "Madame Butterfly" will be released during March as a follow-up to I.F.E.'s "Aida." Fein CBS-Radio V-P Irving A. Fein, director of publicity and exploitation for CBS Radio in Hollywood, has been appointed to the newly-created post of vice-president in charge of sales promotion for CBSRadio, it was announced by Arthur Hull Hayes, president of the Columbia Broadcasting System's radio network. Fein at one time had been director of radio and exploitation for Columbia Pictures, assistant publicity director for Sam Goldwyn Productions, and director of exploitation for Warner Brothers in Hollywood.