Motion Picture Daily (Oct-Dec 1960)

Tuesday, October 11, 1960 Motion Picture Daily 5 MPI Gets 'Persuasion,' ' 'Oklahoman' from A-A Special to THE DAILY KANSAS CITY, Oct. 10. Allied Artists "Friendly Persuasion" and "The Oklahoman" are the first pic.. tures acquired by Motion Picture InV vestors from post-1948 film libraries for re-release to theatres, Richard Orear, president of Commonwealth Theatres of this city and a member of the MPI board, revealed. The pictures will be distributed by First Division Films. Orear said the Great Plains Busi5 ness Builders theatre network will launch the pictures in February, and ], a second saturation booking will be , set for drive-ins in June. "Persuasion" . was a 1955 release starring Gary Cooper, Dorothy McGuire, Marjorie i Main and Anthony Perkins. "Oklahoj man" starred Joel McCrea and Bar. bara Hale, and was released in 1957. Orear said MPI has negotiated with ■ four major companies for additional programs from their post'48 libraries. He said the object is eight to 10 combinations from each, or 40 to 50 combinations per year. 'X' Films Stand Backed ( Continued from page 1 ) 'films, maintained for themselves and ' their children. (3) During recent years the number of "X"-films had substantially increased at a time when product has been in short supply. The CEA realised that exhibitors had to include a higher proportion of "X"-films in their programs, but a number of these 'films had undoubtedly offended j against the standards required by the ' public when they were shown on gen1 eral release instead of in specialised 'houses. ' (4) Although in some situations exhibition of "X"-films on general release had proved profitable their ' continued exhibition would, in the long run, discourage and drive away the family audience on whose support the cinema business was originally built up. Summing-up, the CEA asked producers, in future, to concentrate on making films of family entertainment value for general release and to avoid themes and incidents that are offensive to the reasonable tastes and standards of the family audience. Three File in Times Case ( Continued with by petitioner in its brief in the Court of Appeals. Nor do we expect that it will be dealt with by petitioner in its brief to this court. This is the relationship between Federal customs regulation of imported motion pictures and local censorship under the constitution." Prior Review Cited Besides opposing pre-censorship on constitutional grounds, IFIDA claims, "foreign motion pictures have been previously adjudged for obscenity by the U.S. Customs before entry into the U.S. There can be no constitutional justification for a further requirement of municipal pre-censorship." ACLU points out that it does not "challenge the right of the City of Chicago to punish the publication of motion pictures, books, newspapers, from page 1 ) periodicals, or any other form of communication the contents of which violate legally acceptable standards." But it does challenge the power "to enact a law requiring the advance submission of motion pictures (or any other form of communication) to a censor empowered to prevent publication of the submitted material if deemed objectionable." Objects to Obscenity The MPA brief makes it clear that the association does not "sanction nor do its members distribute" any obscene picture. "What is challenged is the right of Chicago and other communities to adopt regulations which create administrative prior restraints (sometimes called preventive censorship) on freedom of speech by motion pictures." Electrovision Brien Named ( Continued from page 1 ) Aubrey Schenck in the production of independent motion pictures. A member of the board of directors, Stone previously served as special consultant on acquisitions and corporate development for the company. Agreements have been made whereby Stone and other principals of the corporation will acquire Zabel's stock interest in the corporation. Addition of the Electrovision theatres increases to 29 Stein's existing chain of Southern California theatres, making Stein the largest independent operator in this area, with key houses in San Diego, San Bernardino, Pasadena and Santa Monica. Circuit Mostly Drive-ins Electrovision retains its theatres in northern and central California and southern Oregon, most of which are drive-ins. Included in deal with Stein are the Hollywood Paramount, Crest in Westwood, Beverly in Beverly Hills, Baldwin, Bay, Corbin, Imperial, Manchester, Rio, Southside and Buena Park. The Stein takeover is slated for Nov. 2. ( Continued from page 1 ) work under Bush and Adrian Awan, manager of national and local field exploitation. Won Quigley Awards A former theatre manager in Pittsburgh, Brien won the Quigley Grand Silver and Bronze Awards for showmanship, as well as numerous promotional prizes from the major film companies. Brien joined the Eagle-Lion Film Corp. in New York as director of exploitation, and when that company merged with U.A. he took the special events post in which he concentrated on field promotional activities. Deny Triangle Stay ( Continued from page 1 ) chased about 750 Warner films in 1957 from Associated Artists Productions an option was secured for exclusive market rights to all post-49 Warner product at $4000 per feature, subject to certain escalation. Triangle claimed at the time this contract was negotiated with Eliot Hyman, AAP, Inc. was the distributing agent for Associated Artists Production Corp., and in October, 1958, AAP Corp. changed its name to P. R. M., PEOPLE Robert S. Ferguson, director of advertising, publicity and exploitation for Columbia Pictures, on Oct. 24 will address the members of the Advertising and Sales Club of North Jersey at Mario's Restaurant, Paramus, N. J. □ Eddie Solomon, vice-president of Embassy Pictures, will be one of the principal speakers at the two-day convention of Allied Ohio Valley Indoor and Outdoor Theatres, which will open today at the Marott Hotel, Indianapolis. His talk will be delivered tomorrow. □ Edna Walker-Malcoskey, prizewinning poetess and screenwriter, will join the trend of authors acting in their own stories by playing one of the title roles in the screen version of her religious epic, "The Virgin and the Priestess," being filmed in New York next spring by Leo Trachtenberg Productions. □ Fred Hift has resigned as publicity director for Otto Preminger to become international publicity coordinator for Triton Prod.'s "Francis of Assisi." He will work under Anacleto Tanda, 20th-Fox managing director in Italy. Inc. with Hyman as a controlling stockholder and executive of PRM, Inc. to the present time. Triangle claimed further the option with Hyman is still binding; that he formed Seven Arts for the purpose of acquiring U.S. distribution rights to the post-1949 Warner films; and that the new corporation's offer of the films at a higher price violated the option agreement. Jurist Sees 'No Proof In denying the injunction yesterday Judge Streit said there was "no proof whatsoever" that the defendants had "conspired" to violate the option agreement. seventeen's THE MONTH FOR NOVEMBER "THE DARK AT THE TOP OF THE STAIRS" A Warner Bros. Picture Selected by seventeen . . . entertainment guide for America's top movie goers . . . 4,800,000 young women under 20!