Motion Picture Daily (Oct-Dec 1960)

MOTION PICTURE NEW YORK, U.S.A., FRIDAY, DECEMBER 16, 1960 DITORIAL Objectionable' Films Would Decrease At Rank Luncheon )rderly Release gf Family Type Got Better Support Davis Urges Exhibitors Get Br Sherwin Kane lHERE ARE important exhibitors in all parts of the country, other . than American Broadcasting-Paralount Theatres' affiliates, who believe j ifficiently in AB-PT vice-president dward L. Hyman's five-year-old ampaign to encourage an orderly re| sase of quality films throughout the | ear to cooperate with and partici; ate in all of its phases. | Perhaps chief among those phases j i a carefully planned, efficiently executed promotion campaign for every | uality picture released during a soalled "orphan" period when, orI linarily, distributors might be inj lined to withhold it for a more iromising business period, j These special sales efforts on the lart of cooperating exhibitors are deigned, of course, to help demonstrate o distributors that they made no nistake in releasing quality pictures n an off-period and to encourage hem, by producing substantial posses, to continue the practice. • AB-PT's northern affiliates, who .onclude a two-day meeting here tolay, will make plans for the next business building drive for quality pictures which have been scheduled ifor release during the "orphan" period April, May and June. Hyman regards the period as the last remaining one in which there is an obvious dearth of quality releases. Accordingly, his campaign is being concentrated on it, and planning for next spring's business drive has begun already. Special to THE DAILY ALBANY, N.Y., Dec. 15-The number of "B"-rated pictures would decrease, if heavier patronage were given to good, family-type releases. This is the comment some exhibitors hereabouts voice to the recent statement by the Catholic Bishops Committee for ^ Motion Pictures, Radio and Television in which they cited an increase in Hollywood-made "B" films and to the follow-up pastoral letter by Bishop William A. Scully, of Albany. Bishop Scully, ex-chairman of the Bishops National Committee, called on the faithful to "avoid all pictures rated 'B', 'C or those placed in a special category." He stressed that "young and old" should avoid such releases. The exhibitors in question deplore the failure of "clean, wholesome films" to draw better during 1960. They cite a number which "did not attract the business expected." "Support these 'good' pictures stronger, and the 'B's' will shrink," the exhibitors declare. They add: "We would prefer to show the 'A's,' but the public must support them more generously — if ( Continued on page 4 ) large Audience Sees Bow of 'Exodus' Here With a tv and radio audience of close to 3,000,000 tuned in to the premiere festivities, Otto Preminger's "Exodus" bowed in last night at the Warner Theatre before an assemblage of 1,500 international celebrities. Thousands of additional fans crowded the Times Square area to get a glimpse of the stars, diplomats, soci(Continued on page 6) Warners Invites Tenders For 300,000 Shares Warner Bros, directors yesterday authorized purchase of up to 300,000 shares of the company's stock tendered at prices not in excess of $55 per share. The company reserves the right to purchase a greater number of shares at the lowest prices tendered. The offer is good till Jan. 30, 1961. Two Ad-Pub Groups Set To Work with SPG, TO A The advertising-publicity directors committee of the Motion Picture Ass'n. will have a West Coast as well as an eastern sub-committee to work with the Screen Producers Guild and Theatre Owners of America on mutual problems of advertising. Martin Davis, chairman of the adpub committee, made the appointments at a meeting here yesterday. Davis himself will serve on the eastern group along with Charles Levy and Richard Lederer. Representatives in Hollywood will be David Lipton and Howard Strickling. Necessity for two MPAA commit(Continued on page 2) Into J»ay-TV Challenges Stand of CEA; Says Policy 'Head-in-Sand' By WILLIAM PAY LONDON, Dec. 15. Exhibitors in Great Britain were urged today to get into pay-television as a "natural development of the entertainment business" in a ■ speech by John Davis, managing director of the Rank O r g a nization. He spoke at a s h o w m anship luncheon i n honor of Rank "c h a m p i on" theatre mana : There are, of course, many prominent theatre operators who do not agree with Hyman that orderly release of quality product prevails in all months of the year with the exception of April, May and June. With ithese Hyman has no quarrel. "It is pointless," he observes, "to enter into controversy over progress or the lack of it in our effort to obtain more good films at the times we most need them. That is our sole aim— to encourage the companies to make and to release more good pictures. "We must remember that distribu (Continued on page 2) f TELEVISION TODAY— page 5 FCC Commissioners Give Views on Proposed Changes in Transfer Rules From THE DAILY Bureau WASHINGTON Dec. 15.-The separate statements of Federal Communications Commissioners Rosel Hyde and Robert Bartley concerning the proposed change in FCC rules to require a hearing when stations change hands after less than three years of opera tion by one firm have been made available. Commissioner Hyde says he is in full accord with FCC's concern over frequent transfers of large numbers of stations, but he adds that he "would not resort to the remedial procedure here adopted because, in apparent conflict with the intent of John Davis o The Davis speech revealed a sharp divergence of (Continued on page 4) Allied to Name Kirsch Successor Next Month Special to THE DAILY MILWAUKEE, Dec. 15.-A combined special and mid-winter meeting of the Allied States board of directors is expected to be called by Ben Marcus, board chairman, for next month to name a new president of Allied to replace Jack Kirsoh, who has resigned the post because of illness. Kirsch, who has been hospitalized ( Continued on page 6) the Communications Act, it invokes an artificial and arbitrary time measurement for determining whether the public interest would be served by the sale of a permit or license held for a period of less than three years, and because it may have the detrimental effect of discouraging (Continued on page 5) New Labor Secretary Is Minimum-Pay Zealot From THE DAILY Bureau WASHINGTON, Dec. 15. Arthur Goldberg, general counsel of the Steel Workers" Union and special counsel to the AFL-CIO who has been designated as the new Secretary of Labor by President-elect John Ken( Continued on page 4 )