Motion Picture Daily (Jul-Sep 1960)

nday, July 18, 1960 Motion Picture Daily 7 ee No Protest SAG Board Turns Down (Continued from page 1) an Story." Also, it has been reted that Columbia is considering casing some of its later films to TV. ^ Theatre Owners of America kesman yesterday said that the exitor organization was still opposed my mass release of late product to :vision. "However," he said, "it is citable that some of these pictures I be released sooner or later. As g as there is no dumping— and we lk the distributors learned their les in 1956 and '57— we feel that we aid do better to spend our time and rgy selling tickets than tilting inst windmills." Total Estimated at 1,500 |t has been pointed out that of the iroximately 4,000 feature films (Je since the now historic cut-off s in 1948, an estimated 1,500 have ady been released to television, ese would include the RKO and Re^lic packages and the many indedent productions which have been jl singly or in small packages. Exhibitor leaders agree that a ined and gradual release of prodi to television, particularly of the er attractions, would not now have jisastrous effect on theatre attende. Exhibitor reaction generally was imed up by Walter Reade, Jr., who [ resignedly, "It was inevitable." pey Stern, president of Allied of v Jersey, said, "Every hope that II exhibitors have hung their hats las gone down the drain." Both exised the hope that other companies ild release the later pictures grady rather than in bulk. OA Warns ( Continued from page 1 ) jigress of Exhibitors, as a means 'the industry's saving itself from l:ruction." The group also recom,ided that exhibitors throughout the ntry support and encourage ACE ! rts by pledging their own financial iport. «: was made clear in a resolution p the continuing "shrinkage" in the duction of full-length films availh for exhibition would not be arjed, and will continue to decrease Si year. Such shrinkage "must ulutely and shortly completely deiy the motion picture exhibition tistry as such," the resolution fed. [ells Record Here M-G-M s "Bells Are Ringing" has Ud up $562,195 at the Radio City pic Hall box office in its first three I'ks, setting a record for an early rner attraction at the famed show| . The Arthur Freed Production is I in its fourth week. ht' Tops $10,000,000 j Uetro Goldwyn Mayer's "Please l.'t Eat the Daisies" has already led a $10,000,000 box office gross ihrding to reports compiled here li, week. AFTRA Merger Plan From THE DAILY Bureau HOLLYWOOD, July 17. The Screen Actors Guild board of directors has adopted the report of the Guild merger committee, completed after a five-month study, which rejects David Cole's plan for an organic merger of the Screen Actors Guild and AFTRA. Cole was employed jointly by SAG and AFTRA after the Guild membership voted that "consideration of a merger without a specific plan for a merger is meaningless" and instructed the Guild board to engage a research organization to attempt to develop a merger plan for consideration by the membership. SAG is mailing ballots today to all members, in a referendum on the Cole merger plan and the Guild's proposal for merged negotiations and administration of contracts in the field of all TV commercials and also in the field of TV entertainment programs on video tape. The ballot contains two propositions, each calling for a "yes" or "no" vote. A "yes" vote on both would approve the Guild board's proposal to AFTRA regarding contract negotiations and administration and would approve the Guild board's action in rejecting the Cole merger plan. Deadline for ballots is Aug. 10. Television Today 'Psycho' Confabs ( Continued from page 1 ) Sidney Deneau and Jerome Pickman, vice-presidents, and Martin Davis, national advertising, publicity and exploitation manager. Similar meetings will be held Wednesday in Los Angeles, Chicago, Dallas and Atlanta. Hitchcock will participate in the Los Angeles conference. Each meeting will be devoted to a complete description of all materials available to exhibitors for the enforcement of the "no one admitted after the start of the picture" presentation policy. Following presentation of the campaign, a screening of the picture will be held for attending exhibitors in each city. Would License Buffalo Coin-Operated Machines Special to THE DAILY BUFFALO, July 17.-A proposal calling for the licensing of all coinoperated vending machines has been submitted to the legislation committee of the common council by a special subcommittee. The subcommittee, headed by councilman Casimir I. Szudik, Jr., suggests the new licensing ordinance carry a $250 license fee for the person or firm which owns and maintains the machines. The ordinance would cover cigarette machines, food and beverage machines, juke boxes and other venders. Exempted in the proposal are coinoperated laundry machines, pay telephones, stamp machines and devices operated by charitable groups. 'Felix the Cat' Forms Commercial Division The formation of a commercial film cartoon division within Felix the Cat Creations, Inc., was announced here at the weekend by Pat Sullivan, president, and Joseph Oriolo, vice-president and executive producer. Offices here are located at 355 Lexington Avenue. The new division, with its own directors and producers, will produce all types of TV cartoon commercials as well as animated industrial films from story board to completed films. The "Felix" films are now being shown in full color over more than 100 television stations in the U.S., Canada and Europe. 'Person' to Increase International TV Visits The CBS television network's "Person to Person" show next season will concentrate on more video-taped visits with dignitaries and famous persons around the world, and will increase the number of full half-hour single guest interviews, it has been announced by Michael Dann, vice-president, network programs, New York. Dann said the success in Europe this past season of interviews with important people on the Continent was responsible for the decision to increase coverage abroad. Video Associates Offers Free Coffee Film An unusual new TV film package on the subject of brewing coffee is forthcoming this month from Vision Associates, Inc., a newcomer in the TV films field. The first of these films, which was specifically designed for the television "home show" or daytime variety show market, is a 5-minute featurette on the right way to make iced coffee, entitled "The Long Cool Summer." The package is offered free to television stations by Vision Associates, Inc., 680 Fifth Avenue, New York. Levine on TV Tonight Joseph E. Levine, president of Embassy Pictures, will discuss his "Hercules Unchained" tonight when he appears on the Jack Paar Show over NBC-TV at 11:15 P.M. 'DondV to Be Series HOLLYWOOD, July 17.-"Dondi," comic strip by Gus Edson and Irwin Hansen, which Albert Zugsmith now is producing and directing for Allied Artists, will become the basis for a motion picture series, it was announced on Friday by Steve Broidy, president of Allied Artists. Robinson to Produce One-Hour Film Series "The Family," an hour-long dramatic series, will be filmed by Hubbell Robinson Productions for the fall of 1961. The series was conceived by Robinson and described by him as "a fable of an American family today as it lives in the bewildering time when everyone searches for security and no one knows quite what it means." William Noble has been signed as story editor and will personally write about one-third of the segments, including the pilot script, and will supervise the remainder. Additional writers will be assigned this month to assure the production company of a backlog of properties in advance of shooting date. Robinson, currently in full production of the new "Thriller" series for NBC-TV at Revue Studios in Hollywood, will serve as executive producer of "The Family," which is scheduled to begin production early next year at Revue. A. H. Miner to Produce Series for California Allen H. Miner, veteran producer and director of radio, television and motion pictures, has been signed to produce "a new type of documentary drama film series" for California National Productions. The contract was announced by Earl Rettig, CNP president. Miner has been writer-director of "The Lawless Years," CNP drama of the Prohibition-Jazz Era, that starts its second season this fall on NBC. Miner was co-director for the motion picture production of Ernest Hemingway's "Old Man and the Sea," directed "The Ride Back," starring Anthony Quinn for UA, and has served in similar capacities on feature films for RKO Pictures and several other companies. As a director and writer, he has worked for many major television producing firms, including Desilu, Revue Productions and Ziv. Radio Contest for 'Song9 Radio Station WINS, New York, is running an eight-day "Song Without End" contest in which listeners will be asked to write lyrics for one of the piano excerpts from the Columbia Pictures release. The contest is being run throughout the day, and is being featured on the Bruce Morrow Show, which is on the air from 7 to 11 P.M., Monday through Saturday. Desilu Holders Meet HOLLYWOOD, July 17.-The annual public stockholder's meeting of Desilu Productions, Inc., will be held Tuesday morning at the company's head office, Desilu's Gower Street studios.