Motion Picture Herald (Oct-Dec 1956)

ALLIED ( Continued, from page 14) 98,000,000 people in this country want to go to the movies in a week.” Henceforth the standard for CinemaScope pictures, according to Mr. McLachlan, will be the aspect ratio for CinemaScope pictures with optical prints. He urged all exhibitors to install the small teeth on their projector sprockets to ease the print shortage, pointing out the exhibitor should be willing to pay the $75 to $100 necessary when producers have discarded, in the pursuit of standardization, equipment costing hundreds of thousands of dollars. Need Not Fear Innovation Mr. McLachlan said that exhibitors equipped for other wide screen projection need fear no new innovations, as all Hollywood films will be photographed so that they may be satisfactorily projected at aspect ratios of 1.66 to 1, 1.75 to 1, or 1.85 to 1. All big-film projection will be on the 65 or 70mm projectors, the Allied speaker said, reporting that Paramount planned no further use of the horizontal projector (sometimes known as the “Chinese projector”) and that 20th Century-Fox would not release films on 55mm. The latter company, he said, would use release prints — if it decided on large measure release prints — that could be projected on the 70mm projectors. “We need big film and I am for it,” Mr. McLachlan told the Allied delegates. Some late model projectors can be adapted for its use, he said. He also predicted that by the time of the Allied drive-in convention in Cincinnati there would be announced a new projector to handle both the 70mm and 35mm film. He said he hoped that the M-G-M wide film process would be demonstrated at that convention. Reports on Lamp Test Mr. McLachlan also announced reports of a test with a new projection lamp that gave 89 per cent coverage of a 110-foot screen with 21-foot lamberts brightness and 100 per cent coverage and 27-foot lambers on a 61-foot screen. In his address Mr. Sindlinger said, “I am appalled at the pessimism in this business; 6,000 additional theatres should not close. There should be 6,000 more theatres in the proper locations,” Mr. Sindlinger pointed out. The reason why only about one third of the people each week who want to go to a picture actually attend is that the public is not sufficiently stimulated by the appeal of the attractions available, the speaker asserted. In some cases multiple bookings of the same attraction into many theatres aggravates the problem, Mr. Sindlinger indicated. He also criticized the use of film clips and personal appearances of film stars on television programs, claiming that often members of the television audience get a wrong impression of a film publicized on TV and decide not to see it in a theatre. The networks in particular and television in general are having plenty of trouble of their own. One of the strongest programs of television this season, the film “Wizard of Oz” was not very satisfactory to the sponsor, according to Mr. Sindlinger. He said that the film company lost a great potential theatre revenue by having the film shown on television and the theatres that night lost $2,000,000 in revenue. The analyst pointed out the importance of having more films and film advertising appealing to women. At the afternoon session other speakers were Jack Jackson and Jack Braunagel, who gave details of the Tudor Pictures plan to produce at least 10 mass-interest action pictures during 1957. The films are being financed by Moe Kerman. It is hoped that 1,500 to 2,000 theatres will contract in advance for the pictures at 25 per cent over the flat rental paid usually for similar product, it was pointed out. Budgets are planned at $125,000 per picture. William Nolte will be in charge on production and Paul Leslie Heil is the writer. Plans Talent Contest Mr. Braunagel said he plans in Arkansas a large scale talent contest, with the winner assured of $1,000 and an appearance in one of the films. He urged exhibitors in other states to make similar talent contest arrangements. Total registration at the convention reached 270 Wednesday including exhibitors, wives and equipment and refreshment representatives. Theatre owners present were estimated to number approximately 150. Entertainment highlights of the convention include a “Western Night” sponsored by Pepsi-Cola, a cocktail party sponsored by National Carbon Co. and a concluding banquet sponsored by Coca Cola. " Commandments " Source Books Shown at USC HOLLYWOOD: An exhibit of source books used in the research for Cecil B. DeMille’s production of “The Ten Commandments” is now open to the public at the University of Southern California Library it is announced by USC. Titled “Books Make Pictures,” the display will show how books and libraries are used in the basic research necessary for making films like “The Ten Commandments” authentic in every detail, according to Dr. Lewis S. Stieg, University librarian. Arrangements were made by Dr. Albert S. Raubenheimer, USC educational vicepresident, who first suggested having the exhibit, and Henry S. Noerdlinger, research consultant to DeMille. UA Field Men Hold Meeting The first field men’s convention in United Artists’ history was held this week at the Warwick Hotel, New York. The meeting was to review every facet of the advertising, publicity and exploitation operations and develop a comprehensive field promotion program for the coming year, according to the company. The sessions, bringing together 12 district exploitation men from major market areas in the United States and Canada, lasted three days and top-echelon executives, department heads and staff personnel participated in them. The permanent field men, operating under the supervision of Mori Krushen, exploitation manager, include: Bernie Young, New York; Max Miller, Philadelphia; Bill Shirley, Buffalo; Joe Mansfield, Boston; Bill Gandall, Pittsburgh; Howard Pearl, Detroit; Wally Heim, Chicago;. Addie Addison, New Orleans; Bill Prass, Denver; Bill Scholl, Los Angeles; Earl Keete, Seattle, and Archie Laurie, Toronto. The convention opened with a welcome luncheon and succeeding sessions combined addresses on various phases of the promotional operation with workshop forums involving the field men. Ohio Child Group Wants Rating System on Films COLUMBUS, OHIO: An appeal to Ohio newspapers to carry a rating system on films, indicating which are suitable for the whole family, will be made by the Ohio Child Conservation League in its current campaign to have producers make more family-type films. Mrs. Robert Caine, theatre chairman of Worthington, said, “We are not hoping or asking for nothing but Walt Disney-type films. We do hope for more good movies that can be enjoyed by all ages.” In an interview in the Columbus Citizen, Mrs. Caine said parents and theatre owners agree there are not enough good films made during a year “to fill the needs of family movie demands — and of these, many good ones are given the wrong type of buildup.” The current campaign of the League was helped recently by the Independent Theatre Owners of Ohio in its resolution asking producers to make more family-type films. "Kin g" Opens Dec . 27 “The King and Four Queens,” Russ-FieldGabco Productions’ Western drama starring Clark Gable and Eleanor Parker, will have its premiere performance December 21 at New York’s Mayfair theatre. The United Artists release was produced by Robert Waterfield and directed by Raoul Walsh. MOTION PICTURE HERALD, DECEMBER I, 1956 23