Motion Picture Herald (Oct-Dec 1956)

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On the Oti onzon CRITICS' BEST "Around the World in 80 Days" was named the best picture of 1956 and Ingrid Bergman and Kirk Douglas the top performers of the year by the New York Film Critics this week. The group also inaugurated a new classification for the best screen writing making the initial award to S. J. Perelman for the screen play of "Around the World in 80 Days." The 22nd Annual Critics Awards will be presented January 19 at Sardi's Restaurant. John Huston was named the best director of 1956 and "La Strada" was named the year's best foreign film. LOEW'S HOLDERS Spokesmen for large stockholders of Loew's, Inc., revealed last week that they have made no commitments with any other stockholders or group to engage in a proxy contest with the company's management for control at the annual meeting next February 28. The statements included assertions from some that they believed that Joseph R. Vogel, Loew ' s president , is on the right track and deserves more time to put his new plans and policies into effect. Some noted that considerable progress in this direction has been made already at the studio and in the field, and that more is to be expected. Mr. Vogel has left for the coast for a stay of about two weeks. The statements were made in reply to inquiries as to whether any of the large and potentially dissident stockholder groups are prepared to support a proxy contest should one be initiated by Joseph Tomlinson, who told the press last week that his 250,000 shares of Loew's are believed to make him the largest individual stockholder. OFFER DISNEY FILMS Buena Vista Film Distributing Co., subsidiary of Walt Disney Productions, announces that it has offered a list of 25 Disney films for sale to three Iron Curtain countries: Poland, Czechoslovakia and Romania. According to a company official, negotiations have already been started by Buena Vista's representatives in Europe with film officials of the satellite nations. "The film selection committees from these countries were shown our list of features going back to 'Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs' and informed of our asking price," the Buena Vista official said. "Thus far, no deals have been set and we are willing to negotiate further with Poland, Czechoslovakia and Romania," he added. SHORT SUBJECTS Decrying the new trend of the major companies in curtailing the production of short subjects as a "bad break for both exhibitors and public," David Siegel has disclosed that he is contemplating the production of a series of one and two-reel comedies and travelogues. Mr. Siegel revealed his plans for the items following the announcement that Paramount was abandoning the production of this type of short subj ect . TV FILM PACT The Screen Writers and Screen Directors guilds, in Hollywood, this week announced a settlement with Matthew Fox for release to television of 82 post-1948 films acquired in the purchase of the RKO backlog. It is stipulated that Mr. Fox will pay each guild $235,000 for the release to sponsored TV, plus $1 on each picture for pay-television and $1 for foreign TV rights, the latter token payments designed as precedents. Mr. Fox earlier had completed a separate deal for payment to actors. It is pointed out that the current deal is not to be the pattern for other sales of post-1948 films to television. HOLIDAY NOW CENTRAL The Holiday theatre on Broadway in New York has been re-named the Central and has opened as a first run film house with "Dance With Me, Henry, " a United Artists release. The Central is operated by Maurice Maurer. He formerly headed the Victoria, Astor and Bijou theatres before their ac WHEN and WHERE January 8: Cleveland Motion Picture Exhibitors Association, general meeting to elect new officers, Cleveland, O. January 29-30: Annual convention of the Kansas-Missouri Theatre Owners Association, Hotel Phillips, Kansas City, Mo. January 29-31: Allied States Association, national drive-in convention, Netherlands-Plaza Hotel, Cincinnati, Ohio. February 1-2: Allied States Association, annual winter board meeting, Terrace Plaza Hotel, Cincinnati. February 26-27: Annual convention of the Kansas-Missouri Theatre Association, Pickwick Hotel, Kansas City, Mo. March 3-5: Theatre Owners of America, mid-winter board meeting, Blackstone, Hotel, Chicago. March 6-7: Second annual convention of the United Theatre Owners of Oklahoma, Biltmore Hotel, Oklahoma City. April 2-3: Annual convention of North Central Allied, Nicollet Hotel, Minneapolis. June 23-25: Annual convention of the Mississippi Theatre Owners Association, Edgewater Gulf Hotel, Ed'gewater Park, Miss. quisition by City Investment Company. The Central has been refurbished and modernized. IS THEATRE 'UTILITY' ? Benjamin N. Berger, Minneapolis circuit owner and president of North Central Allied, who has maintained for years that the motion picture industry is a public utility and therefore film rentals and other distributor practices should come under Federal regulation, found recently his campaign had taken a new and unexpected twist. In a letter to the editor of the Minneapolis Tribune , A. Benjamin Anderson of Minneapolis complained about ticket-scaling practices at the Lyceum theatre, Minneapolis legitimate house operated by Mr. Berger. Mr. Anderson maintained that the Lyceum "is in one sense a public utility" and advocated a one-price policy for the house. MOTION PICTURE HERALD, DECEMBER 29, 1956 9