Motion Picture Daily (Oct-Dec 1960)

QP VOL. 88, NO. 120 NEW YORK, U.S.A., TUESDAY, DECEMBER 27, 1960 TEN CENTS Importance of Profitable Pictures Is $7 Per Share Stressed in Investment Stocks Report jj'g I960 Net March 20, in Fla. Expect Record In Theatre -TV For Title Bout 3d Patter sonJohansson Match Open to Both Coasts New gross records are being predicted for the theatre television of the third meeting between Floyd Patterson and Ingemar Johansson for the world heavyweight title at Miami Beach next March 20. The predictions are based on the fact that for the first time the entire East and West Coasts will be available for closed circuit televising of the fight. Both previous meetings of the two contenders were held in New York with the huge metropolitan area for a radius of 50 miles, blacked-out for theatre tv in order to minimize effects on attendance at the ring. Both New York and Los Angeles had been in the bidding for the return title bout, and die fact that the choice of either would mean a blacking-out ( Continued on page 4 ) First of Four Variety International Meets Set The first of a series of four regional meetings which will bring together all newly elected chief barkers of the 46 tents of Variety Clubs International is to be held in the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Los Angeles on January 3. Edward Emanuel of Philadelphia, (Continued on page 3) MGM to Film Five In London in '61 From THE DAILY Bureau HOLLYWOOD, Dec. 26-A modem version of Ibsen's classic, "Hedda Gabler" heads a schedule of five productions set for 1961 by MGM's Elstree Studio in London, it was announced by Studio Head Sol C. Siegel, following a week of conferences with Laurence Bachmann. Bachmann, Siegel's representative (Continued on page 3) TELEVISION TODAY— page 5 With motion picture stocks at or near their highs of a decade, investors are reminded by Wall Street's Bache & Co. diat the "common meeting ground of film companies is still the production and distribution of motion pictures." The brokerage company's report on the seven major companies notes that that underlying fact "seems to have been neglected in some cases," what with land and tv film sales, diversification and "speculation about pay-tv." "Although all in the same industry, film companies today are quite different in their current business deal(Continued on page 4) Leo Jaffe Is Chairman Of Federation Division Leo Jaffe, Columbia Pictures first vice-president and treasurer, was named chairman of the amusement division of the Federation o f Jewish Philanthropies at a luncheon meeting held at the Columbia home office last week. Samuel Rosen, executive vice-presid e n t of the Stanley W a rner Corp., introduced Jaffe on behalf of the motion picture division and Federation. Jaffe extended the group's appreciation to Arthur B. Krim, president of United Artists, the 1959 chairman, and to Herman Robbins of National Screen Service, who was guest of honor of the industry dinner last year. At the luncheon meeting, plans were discussed and formulated for future fund-raising activities. In attendance were A. Schneider, Columbia president; Barney Balaban, Paramount president; Leopold Fried(Continued on page 2) Leo Jaffe Bid All U.S. Drive-In Men to TD 110 A Meet Special to THE DAILY DALLAS, Dec. 26.-For the first time, die directors of Texas Drive-in Theatre Owners Ass'n. have extended an invitation to owners and operators of all the 5,200 drive-in theatres in the United States to attend its annual convention, to be held at the Sheraton Dallas Hotel here, Feb. 7(Continued on page 3) Link High Living Costs To Ticket Price Hike From THE DAILY Bureau WASHINGTON, Dec. 26.-Higher motion picture theatre prices contributed to the rise in the cost of living to 127.4 per cent of the 194749 average during November, the Bureau of Labor statistics reports. Prices for reading and recreation (Continued on page 3) Five Scroll of Honor Winners Are Selected in Competition for Quigley Showmanship Awards Five Scroll of Honor winners were selected from among some 60 exploitation campaigns submitted by showmen from all over the world for judging for the combined first and second quarters of the 1960-'61 competition for the Quigley Awards of the Managers' Round Table. The winners in the judging, details of which appear in the current issue of "Motion Picture Herald," are Nyman Kessler, DeWitt Theatre, Bayonne, N.J.; J. F. Conway, Lyceum Theatre, Sydney, Australia; Don Baker and Joel Poss, Loew's 170th Street Theatre, Miami Beach, Fla.; Alexander Pluchos, RKO Keith's Theatre, White Plains, N.Y., and Robert M. Richards, Majestic Theatre, Melbourne, Australia. The judges were Charles E. Kurtzman, Loew's Theatres executive in charge of out-of-town theatre operations; Jerome M. Evans, eastern promotion manager for Universal-International, and Jerry Levine, Columbia Pictures' advertising manager. Estimated at 6,000,000 Would Be All-Time High In History of Company Universal Pictures earned about $6,000,000 in its 1960 fiscal year ended Nov. 1, last, according to estimates of financial observers. The indicated result compares with net of $1,031,000, or .95 per share on 1959 operations, and $4,698,000, or $5.02 per share, after a special credit reflecting proceeds from the sale of the company's studio property. The estimated result for 1960 approximates $7 per share on the 888,390 shares outstanding, and would be an all-time earnings record for the (Continued on page 3) Arwin, Columbia Sign $26 Million Film Deal From THE DAILY Bureau HOLLYWOOD, Dec. 26.-Martin Melcher, president of Arwin Productions, the Melcher-Doris Day independent company, has concluded negotiations with Samuel Briskin, Columbia Pictures' vice-president in (Continued on page 2) Pathe-America Ups Budget On 'Companions7 $150,000 From THE DAILY Bureau HOLLYWOOD, Dec. 26. Upon the recommendation of the joint Pathe-America Corp.— Theatre Owners of America committee, PatheAmerica has allocated an additional $150,000 to the $1,000,000 budget for "The Deadly Companions," first on the company's 12-picture schedule for 1961. The added money means that the picture, which stars Maureen O'Hara, will be filmed in Pathe color instead of black-and-white. Shooting begins in Tucson, Ariz., in mid-January. A six-weeks schedule is set.