Motion Picture Daily (Jul-Sep 1960)

c lay, July 25, 1960 Motion Picture Daily 5 Y. Wage Bill 1 (Continued from page 1) 8 100 additional workers through |.Lhe state. e industry was not represented at = \lbany hearing here, or at that uffalo the previous day. Secific hearings for the amusement <J recreation industry will be held lbany on Aug. 4, and in New i City on Aug. 5. |ine Other Industries Covered |e amusement and recreation inly is one of 10 now covered by Jnum wage orders. I'ective March 1, last, the hourly [es of cashiers, cleaners, porters ij matrons (other than children's |>ns) in motion picture theatres d increased from 90 cents to $1 l)ur. The pay of ticket-takers and laen in such theatres advanced 1 85 cents to $1 an hour, at the rj time. |e scale for ushers, children's ma£ ramp and check-room attend1 other unclassified service staff hrs and messengers in motion Ire theatres remained at 75 cents iy, throughout the state. Impo filed, on Feb. 24, a brief ^the Senate Committee on Labor I Industry, and the Assembly Inittee on Labor and Industry, I sting exemption "from all proI amendments to the state labor [prescribing minimum wage and Inum hour standards which have lor will be, introduced in the AsIly and Senate of the New York I legislature." ; 'Irreparable Harm' Feared ie five-page printed statement deli "Passage of any of these proamendments without exemption lovie theatres would do irrele harm to the motion picture try in this state, force the dismisjf thousands of employees and in the closing of already disd theatres which would be unito continue operation under the cally increased operating costs i would result, if any of these ndments were enacted into law." i statement, submitted by es E. McCarthy, Compo execusecretary, noted that Gov. Nellockefeller had recommended in lessage at the convening of the legislative session, the adoption state-wide minimum wage law. overnor Signed It April 18 122-page Assembly Rules ComI; bill introduced March 14 and lashing a state-wide wage "floor" I an hour (with certain specified lotions), passed the lower house |i 30, and the Senate March 31. hior Rockefeller signed it April orts of motion picture theatre •sts to obtain an exemption coni until the final day of the sesbut they met failure, l. Julian R. Erway, Albany >crat, raised the question of ler film house workers were exlid, before the final roll call. |mments by industrial commis Quarterly Nominations Set by Producers Guild From THE DAILY Bureau HOLLYWOOD, July 24. The second quarter winners of nominations for the Screen Producers Guild "Rest Feature Picture Award" for 1960 were announced by Jerry Rresler, SPG feature awards chairman. They are: "The Apartment," produced by Rilly Wilder, United Artists; "Elmer Gantry" Remard Smith, United Artists; "Rells Are Ringing," Arthur Freed, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer; and "Please Don't Eat the Daisies," Joe Pasternak, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Final award, bestowed annually, will be made early next year at the annual guild dinner. Rank in Latin-Am. ( Continued from page 1 ) number of billings, reported Jamieson, since the establishment of the company in Ruenos Aires four and a half years ago. And, he added, British films are not merely playing at so-called art houses but in the biggest cinemas and circuits throughout the territory. Rank's "Tiger Ray," he pointed out, is now in its ninth continuous week in Ruenos Aires, and it has already netted $60,000 in Caracas, Venzuela. In addition to Rank films, they handle product from ARPC, Anglo-Amalgamated, Disney, the RKO-Radio backlog and in Cuba, Paramount's output. "Northwest Frontier," "Sapphire," "SOS Pacific," "Ferry to Hong Kong" and "Rachelor of Hearts" are other Rritish films currently selling successfully in South American markets. Jamieson said that he was particularly pleased to report that Rritish comedies are also establishing themselves in Latin-America. The "Carry On" and Norman Wisdom films have proved very popular. sioner Martin P. Catherwood, who presided at Friday's session, in answer to questions from the floor, were that "It is always in order, under our system of government, to make representations to the chief executive and to leaders of the legislature, as well as to local legislators, as to the feeling (of those opposing specific provisions of new law), the strength of the feeling, and the basis of the feeling." "There is a limitation as to what can be done prior to the next session of the legislature" Catherwood continued. "Rut legislation as passed is not always perfect. I would say in this, as in other cases, it is inherent in our form of government that the opportunity for expressing an opinion (as to amendments) be extended." An official indicated, later, that Dr. Catherwood's statement applied more directly to non-profit organizations and to others not presently covered by minimum wage orders. "I do not see, under the provisions of this new law, how motion picture theatre workers can be exempted," the official observed. Renew Talks (Continued from page 1) problems were not the same as those of the small independent who constituted the backbone of Allied memberbership. However, in recent years, what with court decreed theatre divorcement and divestiture, and the further voluntary disposition of marginal theatres by circuits, the latter have come to be more and more in the same economic boat as their smaller independent cousins. Moreover, numerous independent circuits, through expansion in both the drive-in and standard theatre fields, have come to resemble the larger circuits increasingly, and to share the same problems and interests. Independent Ranks Depleted At the same time, economic attrition has depleted the ranks of the old-time, small independent exhibitors. Their loss has been felt by the regional exhibitor organizations to which they once belonged, and in turn it has been felt by national Allied in dues payments by its affiliated units. These and other contemporary changes have acted to reduce the lines of demarcation between so-called "large" and "small" exhibitors and, with the retirement of the chief opponent of "one national exhibitor organization," the revived discussions have taken on new significance, in the opinion of many exhibitor leaders. Few, however, expect any definitive action to be taken early, most predictions placing a decision on the proposal as far away as a year or 18 months. Rut the subject is a live one again. Many discussions have been held on it already, and more are sure to be. While it is more than likely to come up, at least, informally, at national Allied's board meeting here two weeks hence, and at TOA's executive committee meetings in Los Angeles in September, no significant progress is to be looked for on either occasion, most exhibitor leaders believe. Need Is Obvious Today Nevertheless, waning memberships in regional exhibitor organizations and the virtual disappearance of a number of them, along with their inability to contribute significantly, if at all, to national exhibitor organizations, will further underline the need for mergers of regional exhibitor units and the eventual necessity of a single national organization. In fact, some exhibitor leaders predict that changes underway in exhibition, if not ameliorated soon, could present the alternative of merger of extinction to a number of regional organizations, which could, in turn, hasten merger action by the national bodies. Theatre Owners of America officials questioned in New York on Friday said they had no comment on reports of renewed talks of formation of "one big national exhibitor organi Lesser President Of Museum Group From THE DAILY Bureau HOLLYWOOD, July 24. Sol Lesser has been named president of the Hollywood Museum Associates, non-profit corporation formed to further the interests of the Hollywood Motion Picture and Television Museum. Lesser also is chairman of Hollywood Motion Picture and Television Museum Commission created by Los Angeles County board of supervisors to establish the museum, but the Museum Associates will operate outside of county jurisdiction. Other officers, most of whom are also members of the commission, were named at corporation board's organizational meeting. The Museum Associates will publicize the museum and its events and is empowered to receive gifts on behalf of the museum. Soviet Director ( Continued from page 1 ) the fact that one of his films-"Take of Siberia"— cost 15 million rubles to produce and grossed 250 million rubles at the boxoffice in one year. He noted that since there is no real economic competition, new theatrical releases are shown on TV, without charge, six months after their theatre release. Rut, Pyriev added, theatres in the Soviet Union change their features unless they fill at least 70 per cent of their seats. Pyriev, who is in the U.S. along with Russian stars Julia Rorisova and Yuri Yakovlev, in connection with the U.S. run of "The Idiot," also asserted that saturation release, as distinguished from roadshow, was the best way for a film to get its production costs back quickly. The two actors had high praise for U. S. exhibition facilities. Singled out for special commendation were the "wonderful theatres" with excellent sound, and good lighting. Apparently of considerable surprise to the Russians was their observation of "very few people in the theatres." Pyriev noted that the growth of TV in Russia has not impinged on theatre attendance. "The Idiot," one of the films included in the U. S. -Soviet cultural exchange agreement, is being distributed in this country by 20th Century-Fox. 'The Mark' in Work "The Mark," third co-production of Continental Distributing, Inc., is now in work at the Rray Studios in Dublin, Ireland, Irving Wormser, president of Continental, reports. zation." Unofficially, they said "Exhibitor unity is as much to be desired today as ever. As much as we welcome it, we are not making overtures to anyone."