Motion Picture Daily (Jul-Sep 1960)

■2 Motion Picture Daily Monday, July 11, 1961 PERSONAL MENTION s PYROS P. SKOURAS, president of 20th Century-Fox, who returned from Europe at the weekend and left here immediately for Hollywood, is expected back in New York from the Coast today. • Fred Goldberg, United Artists national director of advertising-publicity, will return to New York today from Denver and Dallas. • Joseph E. Levine, president of Embassy Pictures, will return to New York today from Rome. • Sheila R. Silverstone, daughter of Emanuel Silverstone, vice-president of 20th Century-Fox International, will be married in the autumn to Richard L. Veron, attorney associated with the Securities and Exchange Commission here. • Samuel Bischoff, producer, left New York late last week for Washington. • Michael George "Mickey" Shapiro, son of Robert K. Shapiro, managing director of the Paramount Theatre here and who is now with the U.S. Army, will be married following his separation from the service to Sydell Levine. a Gordon Scott, filmdom's latest "Tarzan," arrived in New York yesterday from Hollywood. • Raymond Eger, producer, will arrive in New York today from Paris. • Lois Peck, of the 20th Century-Fox office in Minneapolis, has returned there from a vacation in the North Woods. check national screen service for the best in SPECIAL TRAILERS 'Ben-Hur' to Open in U.K. Provinces in Sept. From THE DAILY Bureau LONDON, July 10.-"Ben-Hur" is to open its first British provincial presentations in September when it will be given premieres at ABC's leading theatres in Bristol, Birmingham and Glasgow. The agreement allowing Associated British Cinemas to play "Ben-Hur" for long-term engagements at these key theatres was signed in London by D. J. Goodlatte, ABC's managing director, and Charles Goldsmith, chairman and managing director of M-G-M in Britain. Student-Shows Slated "Ben-Hur" will play at separate performances on an advance-booking policy throughout its entire run in Birmingham and Glasgow. There will also be special student-shows, similar in style to the highly successful series now running at the Leicester Square Empire. ABC and M-G-M will cooperate in exploiting and publicising "Ben-Hur" on the widest scale possible. Performance Schedule For 'Sunrise' Set The schedule of performances and prices for the roadshow engagement of "Sunrise at Campobello" at the RKO Palace here starting Sept. 28 were announced at the weekend. The picture is a Warner Bros, release. All evening performances will begin at 8:30, with the exception of Sunday performances, which will begin at 8 P.M. Matinee performances will begin at 2.30 P.M. on Wednesdays, Saturdays, Sundays and holidays. Prices for the Monday-throughThursday evening performances will be $2.80 for orchestra, loge and mezzanine box seats, with other mezzanine seats available at $2.00 and $1.50. On Friday, Saturday, Sunday and holiday evenings, the prices will be $3.50 for orchestra, loge and mezzanine box seats, with other mezzanine seats at $2.50 and $2.00. Wednesday matinee prices will be $2.20 for orchestra, loge and mezzanine box seats; other mezzanine seats, $1.50 and $1.25. At Saturday, Sunday and holiday matinees, including Columbus Day, Election Day and Veterans Day, the prices will be $2.50 for orchestra, loge and mezzanine box seats, with other mezzanine seats $2.00 and $1.50. C.A.G. Dance July 30 The Catholic Actors Guild will hold its summer "Penthouse Party" and dance at the Hotel Piccadilly here on July 30, it has been announced by Horace McMahon, president. Phil Romano and orchestra will furnish the music. Buffalo Drive-Ins Pledge Self-imposed Censorship Special to THE DAILY Buffalo, July 10. — Operators of at least six area drive-in theatres have agreed to a self-imposed censorship of the type of films they exhibit. This is reported in the wake of protests of some "adult" films being shown at the outdoor theatres. William Brett, operator of the Skyway Lakeshore and Skyway Niagara drive-ins, said the protests had resulted in bringing a couple of drive-in operators "into line." He said operators of at least six drive-ins already had agreed to ban films they did not consider wholesome. Hutner to Visit Five Cities on 'Song' Tour Meyer M. Hutner, vice-president and director of advertising and publicity for William Goetz Productions, will visit five key cities within the next month in connection with advance promotional activities on Goetz' "Song Without End," the story of Franz Liszt. Hutner leaves today for Washington, D„ C, for the first of five tours, which will also take him to Boston, San Francisco, Chicago and Philadelphia. Purpose of Hutner's visits is to initiate the overall promotion and publicity campaigns on the local level. Hutner will meet with newspaper editors, radio and television representatives, music groups, women's organizations, record distributors, and the Board of Education in each of the cities he will visit. Will Work With Field Men Hutner will work with Columbia's field exploitation representatives in the five cities and will also meet with local distributors of Colpix Records. In addition to participating in a full round of personal interviews with all media, he will help arrange the opening night premieres of the picture. 51 'Apartment' Dates Bring $1,345,976 Billy Wilder 's "The Apartment" has grossed a big $1,345,976 in 51 key regional premieres in only three weeks, it was announced by William J. Heineman, United Artists vice-president. Heineman said that the UA release is holding over in virtually all situations. He said that the business thus far amassed in the few engagements is comparable to the record-setting boxoffice performance of "Some Like It Hot," Wilder's 1959 comedy hit. The $1,345,976 total was registered over a three-week period beginning June 15 and ending July 5. S.C. High Court! ( Continued from page 1 ) actions, said that an appeal to highe j federal courts is a certainty. "It has not been determined whether the route of appeal will be di! rectly to the U.S. Supreme Court o! back again to the three-judge pane which declined to act last year," Wanj added. It will be recalled that the three | judge panel refused to act until th State Supreme Court had ruled. Thus the way has been opened foil j the theatre operators to challenge th , constitutionality of the "blue laws in the Federal courts, it was pointed out. Ruling Summarized The State Supreme Court surri marized its 10-page ruling as follows "Religious influence doubtless in{ spired the original enactment of th statute, which was more than two cen turies ago; but for many decades it ha | been re-enacted in our decennial code! t of laws, without reference to religion We sustain it, as have other court | theirs, as a reasonable exercise of WM police power. It is part of the legislaj j tive plan for a day of rest and surceasi Ut from the usual activities, whether worii ■l or amusement, on the other days o : the week; and we conclude that it doej not offend any provision of the state d !t federal constitutions." ; Auerbach Resigns ( Continued from page 1 ) signed "under the most friendly cim cumstances" in order to join his father Joe Auerbach, and share the responsi bilities of the latter's film enterprises An amicable settlement regardin Auerbach's unexpired contract ha been reached, and he will remain witlj ■ Columbia until the end of Septembei! i 'Hearts9 to Brooklyn Columbia Pictures' "Conspiracy oil Hearts" will open on Wednesday a Loew's Metropolitan Theatre, Brookj ! lyn, following a long-run engagement at New York's Victoria and Norman| die theatres. 'Battle' Sets Record The house record for an openinj: day matinee at the Forum Theatn; here was cracked on Friday by Coj lumbia's "Battle in Outer Space, when the picture had grossed $1,901 at 5 P.M. TRANSPORTATION COUNSELORS INC. TIME & LIFE BUILDING ROCKEFELLER CENTER JU 2-8110 IM LARKIN and DORICE LUCEY MOTION PICTURE DAILY, Martin Quigley, Editor-in-Chief and Publisher; Sherwin Kane, Editor; James D. Ivers, Managing Editor; Richard Gertner, News Editor; Herbert V. Fecke Advertising Manager; Gus H. Fausel, Production Manager, TELEVISION TODAY, Charles S. Aaronson, Editorial Director; Pinky Herman, Eastern Editor. Hollywood Bureau Yucca-Vine Building, Samuel D. Berns, Manager; Telephone HOllywood 7-2145; Washington, E. H. Kahn, 996 National Press Bldg., Washington, 4, D. C; London Bureau, 4 Bear St. Leicester Square, W. 2. Hope Williams Burnup, Manager; Peter Burnup, Editor; William Pay, News Editor. Correspondents in the principal capitals of the world. Motior Picture Daily is published daily except Saturdays, Sundays and holidays, by Quigley Publishing Company, Inc., 1270 Sixth Avenue, Rockefeller Center, New York 20, Circle 7-3100 Cable address: "Quigpubco. New York" Martin Quigley, President; Martin Quigley, Jr., Vice-President; Theo J. Sullivan, Vice-President and Treasurer; Raymond Gallagher Vice-President; Leo J. Brady, Secretary. Other Quigley Publications: Motion Picture Herald, Better Theatres and Better Refreshment Merchandising each published 13 times a yeai as a section of Motion Picture Herald; Television Today, published daily as part of Motion Picture Daily; Motion Picture Almanac, Television Almanac, Fame. Entered as seconci class matter Sept. 21, 1938, at the Post Office at New York, N. Y., under the act of March 3, 1879. Subscription rates per year, $6 in the Americas and $12 foreign. Single copies. 10c