Motion Picture Daily (Oct-Dec 1960)

MOTION PICTURE DAILY OL. 88, NO. 121 NEW YORK, U.S.A., WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 28, 1960 TEN CENTS Vas Jan. 3 ICE Pictures Start Moved !3ack to May 3 heering Committee and Hscal Advisers Named iT / ■% . j Monday Reported Especially Big len Keported — — r All-Time Grosser Holiday Crosses Set Records Over Country From THE DAILY Bureau HOLLYWOOD, Dec. 27. ACE 'roductions, the film producing arm if the American Congress of Exhibiors, has set back the deadline for •ompletion of its financial structure rom the originally announced Jan. ! to May 3, 1961, it was learned here. The extension of the deadline ap)lies specifically to the escrow agreenents under which the five national arcuits, AB-PT, N.T.&T., Loew's, IKO and Stanley Warner, have sub;cribed $2,000,000 to the ACE hods, financing, and 32 other circuit >perators have posted well over ^1,000,000 more. I "We want to build this organization solidly," an ACE spokesman ex(Continued on page 2) Production Symposiums Slated by Three Firms Three manufacturers of equipment for the production of motion pictures have announced plans to combine efforts in a series of question-andanswer symposiums to be held throughout the country during 1961. "Lights, sound, camera, action!" will set the theme for the shows. The latest equipment available is ( Continued on page 4 ) McMaster Retires from I Eastman Kodak Post Special to THE DAILY ROCHESTER, N. Y., Dec. 27I Donald McMaster, chairman of the ii executive committee of the Eastman Kodak Company, will retire from acttive duty on Jan. 1, 1961, after more I than 43 years with the company. This . announcement was made following a i meeting of the Kodak board of di( Continued on page 4) TELEVISION TODAY— page 4 Cecil B. DeMille's "The Ten Commandments," in registering $2,200,000 in domestic theatre rentals during 1960, has become the biggest grossing attraction in the history of the motion picture industry, it was announced yesterday by Edward Chumley, U.S. and Canadian sales manager for the Paramount release. Since its world premiere in New York on Nov. 9, 1956, "The Ten Commandments" has recorded $34,200,000 domestically. It is estimated that the DeMille film will gross about an equal sum in the foreign market, for a world-wide film rental approaching $75,000,000. 1957 was the biggest single year domestically for "The Ten Commandments," which grossed $18,000,000 in that period. As of Dec. 10 this year, the picture had played 15,388 engagements in the U.S. and 1,267 in Canada. It has also played a total of 107 domestic engagements in Spanish and Italian language versions. 'Iternity' U.S. intry At Argentine Festival Allied Artists' "Hell to Eternity" has been selected as the U.S. official entry for the upcoming Mar del Plata (Argentina) International Film Festival, Jan. 8-17 "Hell to Eternity," released in August, 1960, stars Jeffrey Hunter, David Janssen, Sessue Hayakawa and Vic Damone. The film has not yet (Continued on page 4) Circuit Heads Expect Upturn in Business To Continue Thru New Year's Holiday By SIDNEY RECHETNIK "Excellent attractions drew excellent business" was the general concensus of opinion among circuit executives and managers in hailing the "very big Christmas business enjoyed by motion picture theatres across the country over the past four-day holiday. While Friday (a day which saw the vast majority of businesses closing in the early afternoon) and Saturday were comparatively slow— a fact attributed to last-minute gift shopping Sunday was "very big" and the Monday holiday "sensational" everywhere, with house records set in some instances on that day. Circuit heads canvassed on the holiday business are looking forward to a tremendous week from now through the upcoming New Year's holiday. Broadway here was surging with adults and children on school vacations lining up at the film houses, with the Radio Citv Music (Continued on page 5) Four Producers Seated On AMPP, MP A Boards From THE DAILY Bureau HOLLYWOOD, Dec. 27.-A major industry move to effect closer working relations and greater cooperation between industry factions east and west was established with the seating of four working producers, who will represent the Screen Producers Guild, on the boards of the Association of Motion Picture Producers here and the Motion Picture Ass'n. in the east, it was reported today. The producers are SPG president Walter Mirisch, Jerry Wald, William Perlberg and Pandro Bennan. Eric Johnston, in Seattle for the holidays, is expected to stop here on his return east, to meet with the group. This is the first time the producers have received such recognition, resulting from meetings with Johnston. AMPP and MPA until now have had only management representation. TOP TEN POLL OUT TOMORROW The 29th annual selection of the Top Ten Money Makine Stars of the Year will he announced tomorrow in Motion Picture Daily. Chosen hy exhibitors on the basis of their box office drawing power, the Ten Money Makers have achieved, through the years, the status of the most accurate reflection of star popularity. The poll traditionally makes no distinction between male and female stars and the ratio of men to women in the final selection of ten has formed an interesting pattern through the years. One of the surprises of this year's list is a reversal of the trend of recent years. The results to be published tomorrow will attract attention throughout the industry. Architects Fees OK'd For Film-TV Museum From THE DAILY Bureau HOLLYWOOD, Dec. 27. The proposed $4,000,000 Hollywood Motion Picture and Television Museum came a step nearer to realization today when, after two weeks of consideration for a feasibility study, the Count)' Board of Supervisors ap(Continued on page 6) 'West Side' Will Bow As Roadshow in October "West Side Story" will have its world premiere roadshow engagement Oct. 18 at the Rivoli Theatre here, it was announced yesterday by William J. Heineman, United Artists vice president in charge of distribution, and Salah M. Hassanein, vice president of United Artists Theatres Circuit. "West Side Story," a Mirisch Com(Continued on page 4)