Motion Picture Daily (Oct-Dec 1959)

Motion Picture Daily Thursday, October 1, 1959 PERSONAL MENTION To Query Exhibitors on Ads DAVID L. LIPTON, Universal Pictures vice-president, returned to Hollywood yesterday from New York. • William J. Heineman, United Artists vice-president in charge of domestic distribution, has returned to New York from Montana. • JBebnie Myerson, Fabian Theatres buyer and booker, was in Albany, N. Y., from here. • Edward L. Hyman, vice-president of American Broadcasting-Paramount Theatres, and Bernard Levy, his assistant, have returned to New York from the Midwest. • Louise Schuessler, daughter of Howard Schuessler, Atlanta booking agent, was married there to Larry Baldwin. • Otto Preminger will return to New York tomorrow from Europe. • Mabtin Jurow and Richard Shepherd, producers of "The Fugitive Kind" for United Artists, will come to New York this week from Hollywood. • Jackson E. Dube, radio-TV director for Cole, Fisher & Rogow, advertising agency, was married here to Pat Lavelle, stage and TV actress. • Pat McGee, Denver theatre executive, is recuperating in Presbyterian Hospital there following surgery. • Nell Middleton, secretary at the M-G-M branch in Atlanta, has returned there with her husband from Miami. • _■ Mel Rydell, of the Buena Vista foreign staff, has left New York for Mexico City, Havana and Kingston, Jamaica. • Mrs. W. A. Bowers has given birth to a son in Warrior, Ala. She and her husband are operators of the Warrior Theatre there. Mirisch Signs Lehman HOLLYWOOD, Sept. 30.-Ernest Lehman has been signed by the Mirisch Co. and producer-director Robert Wise to write the screenplay for "West Side Story," musical drama which will be filmed in association with Seven Arts Productions for United Artists Release. ( Continued reviewed by ACE before being sent to exhibitors throughout the country. ACE will undertake the distribution of the questionnaire through its national and regional facilities and will encourage as wide as possible an exhibitor response in order to provide a maximum amount of data for the industry's advertising executives. The aim of the project will be to obtain specific exhibitor views on a variety of subject matter in order to guide the industry's advertising men in providing the most effective advertising, publicity and exploitation material possible. It is not a research project but, rather, a quest for specific," immediately useable, practical information. An attempt will be made to deter from page 1 ) mine the relative merits of specific types of films ads, accessories, radio and television usage, the attitudes of the nation's newspapers toward censorship of film ads, views on offthe-amusement positions for theatre advertising, as well as a wide variety of other information for the guidance of the distributors' advertising heads. All of the questionnaire information, of course, is designed for use in providing exhibitors with selling and promotion material as near to their order and as effective as possible. Copies of the questionnaire are expected to be released to the trade as soon as the questions and their phraseology have been checked and approved, probably by late today or tomorrow. Cincinnati to Welcome Goldwyn 'Porgy' Today Special to THE DAILY CINCINNATI, Sept. 30.-A Hollywood atmosphere will pervade this city tomorrow night when Samuel Goldwyn's "Porgy and Bess" opens at the Valley Theatre, complete with searchlights, red carpets and notables from the community's civic, social and art life. Goldwyn and Mrs. Goldwyn will be among the guests. The opening will commemorate the George Gershwin Birthday Week Celebration. The premiere will be sponsored by the Cincinnati Institute of Fine Arts, headed by John Jay Emery, hotel owner and civic leader. Strausberg to Head ( Continued from page 1 ) day, Nov. 24, at the Hotel Astor. Members of the executive committee of the Motion Picture Division participating in the campaign include Barney Balaban, president of Paramount Pictures; Harry Brandt, president of Brandt Theatres; Robert Benjamin, chairman of the board of United Artists; William J. German, president of William J. German, Inc. and Samuel Schneider. Strausberg, who is chairman of the board of directors of the Metropolitan Motion Picture Association, is a member of the Cinema Lodge of B'nai B'rith and is active in many humanitarian causes. Plan Labor Parade Film A motion picture film of the recent Labor Day parade here is being made for presentation to the New York City Central Trades Council, which, in turn, will make it available to schools and other interested groups. Production is under the supervision of Jay Reseller of Cameraman's Local 644, IATSE, which is also contributing all technical services. Milwaukee ( Continued from page 1 ) shan, held a slim lead over runnerup New Haven and third-place Albany. In the spirited captains' contest competition, the team of Leo Jaffe, first vice-president and treasurer, is in first place by a narrow margin over the team of Jonas Rosenfield, Jr., executive in charge of advertising and publicity. Jaffe's team consists of the New Haven, Albany, Buffalo, Boston and Philadelphia branches, while Rosenfield's "lucky seven" includes Milwaukee, Indianapolis, Detroit, Kansas City, St. Louis, Des Moines and Minneapolis. Carl Shalit, Columbia's midwest division manager, leads Harry Rogovin, New England division manager, in that phase of the competition. The drive will run until Dec. 24, 1959. More than $50,000 in prize money will be awarded in the drive, with all contests based on total billings.' See Production Rise ! At Studios in October From THE DAILY Bureau HOLLYWOOD, Sept. 30. With | seven pictures started this week, ineluding three independent produc !, tions, with no release set as yet, pro j duction climbed to 28 films currently i1 before the cameras, while four were completed. A survey indicates a rise in production for the month of October, with S 20th Century-Fox planning six, Co | lumbia five, and Metro-GoldwynMayer, four, Allied Artists two, and ; ai least one from each of the other major companies. Started were: "The Purple Gang" I; a Lindsley Parsons Production for Allied Artists; "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" which Samuel ! Goldwyn, Jr., is producing for Metro j Goldwyn-Mayer release; "The Rat Race" Perlberg-Seaton production for Paramount; "The Voice," an API pro | duction for 20th Century-Fox re i lease. Independents: "Gorgo," King j Bros, production; "The Threat" a I Bobin Rae production, and "The | Chartoose Caboose," a Red-Bill pro j duction. Four Completed Completed were: "Gulliver's | Travels" (U-I) Morningside World '■ Wide S.A. for Columbia release; "Beloved Infidel" Jerry Wald's Company 1 of Artists production for 20th Century-Fox; "The House on Airport [ Drive" Premium Pictures, for United i Artists release; and "Invasion of ' Mars," Sino Production introducing CINEMAGIC. Party for Blumenstock A "Get Rid of Sid Party" will be held for Sid Blumenstock, who on Oct. 15 moves to the Coast as vicepresident in charge of the Hollywood office of Charles Schlaifer & Co., advertising agency. The "party" will be held at Sardi's on Oct. 13. On the luncheon committee are Rodney Bush, Harry Mandel, Taylor Mills, Jerry Pickman, Si Seadler and Charles Simonelli. Coast Rites Tomorrow For Donald M. Nelson From THE DAILY Bureau LOS ANGELES, Sept. 30.-Funeral services for Donald M. Nelson, who from 1945 to 1947 was president of Society of Independent Motion Picture Producers, will be held at 1 P.M. on Friday in the Church of the Hills, Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Hollywood Hills. Nelson, who during World War II headed the War Production Board, died on Tuesday at Good Samaritan Hospital. He had suffered a stroke a month ago. Bert Lewis Dies HOLYWOKE, Colo., Sept. 30.Funeral services are being held here this week for Bert Lewis, operator of the Peerless Theatre here. He is survived by his wife, Edna, also active in the operation of the theatre. Acquire 'Conqueror' ( Continued from page 1 ) been prepared by playwright R. C. Sheriff, and the property will be retitled "William, the Conqueror" for the screen. This is the second book to be acquired recently by Cinerama, Inc., for production. Previously announced was "The Lion," which John and Joseph Woolf will produce for Cinerama through their Romulus Films, Ltd. MOTION PICTURE DAILY Martin Quigley, Editor-in-Chief and Publisher; Shemin Ka^ Editor; James D Ivers Managing Editor; Richard Gertner. News ^Herbert V. Fectajfr Advertising Manager; Gus H. Fausel, Production Manager, TELEVISION TOD AY , Charles S. Aaronson Often National Press Club Washington D. C; London Bureau, 4, wood Bureau, Yucca-Vine Building, Samuel D Berns, Manager; Telephone HOllywood /-214i, Washington, L A. ^ ^mcipal capitals of the world. Motion:". Bear St. Leicester Square, W. 2. Hope Williams Burnup, Manager; Peter Burnup Ed.tor; Will.am Pay News Editor u.C^^SPondents '» ^ P™J New York 20, Circle 7-3100.fi Picture Daily is published daily except Saturdays, Sundays and holidays, by Qu:?ley Publishing Com^pany Inc 12/0 Sixth Avenue KocketeUer ^nte^ New Raymond Gallagher,,*