Motion Picture Herald (Oct-Dec 1956)

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Says Showmen Interested in Story Content HOLLYWOOD : Completion of a personal poll of exhibitors by James H. Nicholson, president of both Sunset Productions and American International Pictures, reveals a significant departure from the long-established booker’s query of “Who’s In It?” 2 to “What’s It About?” and “Let’s see the pressbook and ads.’’ Mr. Nicholson, meeting with circuit heads and independent exhibitors on a } recent eastern trip, reports that exhibitors told him they were less interested in establshed star names than in the story content and the exploitability of the product with which they must woo the audience in in these days of intense competition for exploitable product. “The modern exhibitor is no longer impressed by promises,” Mr. Nicholson said, “He likes proofs, particularly ad proofs, so he can gauge the possibilities on the basis of his audience experience. He wants to have the selling angles pin-pointed. He insists on knowing the story angles. He asks for the selling tools and buys pictures because of the ads. If the ads have sellability and the picture has unusual ingredients, he’ll set a date fast.” “The star system isn’t dead,” he continued. “It is just very sick. This does not minimize the importance of good actors. It only means that the public now buys on a combination of factors instead of on basis of affections for a star.” Ontario MPTA Opposed To Toll Television TORONTO: Exception to toll TV in Canada was taken by the Motion Picture J Theatres Association of Ontario in a letter to R. M. Fowler, chairman of the Royal Commission on Broadcasting. The association, of which Famous Player Canadian Corporation is a member, followed the lead set earlier by the Theatre Owners’ Association of Quebec. Famous Players, which has the Telemeter franchise, supported toll TV before the Royal Commission. Among the points of exception listed: toll TV will provide little opportunity for Canadian talent; it will concentrate feature exhibition in a few hands; it will eliminate service to minority audiences; because of toll TV’s failure to make headway in the United States, Canada will be the ground of demonstration for the dollar potential; it will “destroy the relationship between talent and audience” by eliminating studio guests. There is a lack of demand for toll TV, cites the sixth objection. And lastly, toll TV would eventually accept advertising and thus affect the CBC and other non-fee operations adversely, it was indicated. United Artists Circuit Reelects George Skouras BALTIMORE: George P. Skouras was relected president of United Artists Theatre Circuit at an abbreviated stockholders meeting here this week. All the board of directors and other officers of the company were reelected during the short session. Questioned regarding a proposal put forth early last summer for the consolidation of the circuit with other theatre interests, Mr. Skouras declared there was “nothing new” but that plans are still pending. Last July it was announced that the circuit and Skouras Theatres, headed by Spyros S. Skouras, were discussing plans to merge their theatre and industry affiliations. Rowley United Theatres of Texas was also reported involved in the merger plans, which, if materialized, would create a single operation totalling close to 400 theatres. United Artists Theatres Circuit currently operates 20 theatres; Skouras, 41 theatres; Rowley, 47, and the other interests reported in the proposal, Randforce, 31 theatres; Metropolitan, five; United California, 95, and Prudential, 55. “A committee is engaged with research into the details,” a spokesman for the stockholders announced after the meeting. Mr. Skouras mentioned no date for future announcements about the merger plans, he said. Cites Advantages of Technirama Process “A splendid future” is foreseen for Technirama, new Technicolor wide-screen process, by Marcello Girosi, executive producer of Titanus Films’ “The Monte Carlo Story,” which United Artists will release here in 1957. Marlene Dietrich and Vittorio De Sica star. Mr. Girosi describes the new process, which employs film traveling horizontally through the camera as “two-fold in its benefits.” The first of these, he said is “the wonderful detail, the superb focus, which catches natural beauties, and details as much as a thousand feet away.” The second, he added, was “the possibility of printing in any format required, such as CinemaScope, VistaVision, regular 35mm etc.” He also told a trade press conference at Hampshire House in New York last week that the process is being studied currently by several American producers with a view to its use in the near future. Longview, Wash . Repeals Theatre Admissions Tax LONGVIEW, WASH.: The five per cent tax on theatre admissions has been repealed by the City Council h^re. The move is expected to cost the city $7,000 per year in revenues. Longview’s four theatres, all owned by Sperling Theatres of Seattle, had made repeated requests for tax relief to offset declining attendance at the respective houses. ABC , Warner In Studio Deal BURBANK, CALIF: Leonard Goldenson, president of American BroadcastingParamount Theatres, and Jack L. Warner, president of Warner Bros. Pictures, Inc., have announced that arrangements have been concluded whereby the full facilities of Warner Bros. Studios will be made available to producers of filmed programs for the ABC Television network. New cutting rooms, offices and projection rooms will be constructed to accommodate the production of the television programs, it was announced. Mr. Goldenson further stated that ABCTV live programs will continue to emanate from the ABC-TV Center in Hollywood, which will remain the site of the company’s west coast main offices. The newly-consummated deal is expected to bring many of ABC’s independently produced programs to the Warner Studios for filming, according to Mr. Goldenson and Mr. Warner. The deal with ABC is on a non-exclusive basis permitting filming by Warner Bros, as producers for other networks and sponsors. Mr. Warner also announced that in line with the stepped-up television activity on the Warner lot, Warners have completed arrangements to produce an additional weekly one-hour show, plus two half-hour shows for ABC presentation. The hour-long show is planned as a newtype Western, while the half-hour shows will be a mystery story and an adventure drama. The new Warner shows will be produced under the supervision of Robert Lewine, ABC’s vice-president in charge of programming, and William T. Orr, executive producer of the “Cheyenne” and “Conflict” dramas for ABC. Illinois Variety Club Elects New Officers The following officers and crew for 1957 were elected by members of Variety Club of Illinois Tent 26, at their annual meeting last week: Louis Reinheimer, chief barker; Nat Nathanson, first assistant chief barker; Harry Balaban, dough boy Sam Levinsohn, properly master; Jack Kirsch, international canvasman. Canvasmen elected include: Robert Cohn, Charles Cooper, E. L. Goldberg, Jack Rose, Ralph Smitha and David Wallerstein. Five past chief barkers who will automatically serve with the crew are: Joseph Berenson, John J. Jones, Jack Kirsch, Irving Mack and Manuel Smerling. Elected as delegates and alternates to the 1957 Variety International Convenion in New Orleans in April are: delegates: Jack Kirsch and Louis Reinheimer; Alternates: Sam Levinsohn, Irving Mack, Dick Sachsel and Mayer Stern. All officers are elected for a twelvemonth period. MOTION PICTURE HERALD, DECEMBER 8, 1956 33