Boxoffice (Apr-Jun 1961)

MPAA and MPEA Protest 2 Major Tax Proposals WASHINGTON— Opposition to two of President Kennedy’s tax proposals was filed with the House Ways and Means Committee June 9 by the Motion Picture Ass'n of America and the Motion Picture Export Ass'n. The two associations stated that the proposed elimination of tax deferral privileges in developed countries and the revision of the credit allowance for foreign income taxes on dividends should not be enacted into law. In their statements to the House group, the associations said the industry “opposes any changes in the deferral for developed countries which would tax the industry’s legitimate retention of funds abroad for valid business reasons.” The statements said the industry had been faced with competition from foreign producers whose governments had granted subsidies, given tax deferrals or in some instances even imposed no tax or given other benefits which never had been considered by the United States. Therefore, it was stated, every dollar earned by a foreign producer was a full dollar free to be reinvested in further production. In summary, the two associations said: “The most recent figures available show that the nine member companies of the MPEA have about 100 subsidiaries operating in the developed countries. After foreign taxes, almost 20 per cent of the total profit of these subsidiaries could not be remitted due to foreign exchange restrictions, 70 per cent was in fact remitted to the United States and about ten per cent was not remitted by the subsidiaries, being needed to carry on operations in that country.” Montreal's Second Festival To Be Held August 11-17 MONTREAL — Montreal’s second annual international film festival will be held here from August 11 through August 17. Of the 15 features to be presented, more than half have been confirmed. A special feature of this year’s festival will be a three-day international seminar on the creative aspects of film production, to which 20 directors from the United States and Europe have been invited. The festival, which has been approved by the International Federation of National Film Producers Ass’ns, is non-competitive, but all pictures screened will receive a certificate of participation. More than 25 short subjects will be screened, in addition to films devoted entirely to scientific and educational subjects. Film Frontiers Acquires Auschwitz Film Feature NEW YORK — Film Frontiers, Inc., has acquired the distribution rights to “The Museum and the Fury,” an hour-long film written and directed by Leo Hurwitz dramatizing the “Museum” of works of art and the “Fury” of the acts committed at Auschwitz. Hurwitz, who is now in Israel directing the videotape of the Eichmann trial for Capital Cities Broadcasting, leads Film Frontiers with Manfred Kircheimer, filmmaker, and Stanley Faulkner, lawyer. BOXOFFICE :: June 19, 1961 — By ANTHONY GRUNER ^HE Walt Disney Organization over here is, in the words of Cyril Edgar, managing director of the company, “riding on the crest of a wave with a tremendous line-up of boxoffice hits.” This is not just another cheer-leading slogan of the trade but an objective assessment of the strong position of this company both in production and distribution. “Swiss Family Robinson” will be, without a doubt, one of the greatest boxoffice pictures in Britain for this year, “One Hundred and One Dalmatians” is scoring successes on prerelease and everyone prophesies even greater achievements when it goes on general release. Other pictures lined up for this country include “Greyfriars Bobby,” “The Absent-Minded Professor” and “The Parent Trap.” Apart from this, the Walt Disney Organization intended to spend at least £4 million on filming in Europe during the next 12 months, said Edgar. Among these pictures were “The Prince and the Pauper,” now in production at Shepperton; “The Castaways,” “The Vienna Boys Choir,” a picture based on the life of Leonardo da Vinci and “Spanish Riding School.” No major independent company has such a high production record as Disney nor such a warm reaction from exhibitors over here with their Hollywood as well as British product. * * * James Woolf will produce his first film for Warner Bros., the title of which is “Term of Trial,” based on a new British novel written by James Barlow. Sir Laurence Olivier will star in the picture which is about a schoolmaster whose life takes a surprising turn when a pretty teenage girl becomes infatuated with him and unwittingly involves him in a court case. Peter Glenville directs and Gavin Lambert is writing the screenplay. * * * Harold Mirisch and Walter Mirisch, accompanied by Marvin Mirisch, arrived in town last week and spoke to the tradepress about the company’s third anniversary and its £45 million program of 14 pictures for 1961. After mentioning such subjects as “Irma La Douce,” Robert Wise’s production of “West Side Story,” Fred Zinnemann’s “Hawaii” and the productions involving Shirley MacLaine, Harold Mirisch spoke of the great business done by “The Magnificent Seven” in Great Britain. He estimated that the company received from the United Kingdom approximately 7 per cent of the world gross of their films. There were no firm plans as yet to go into production regularly in the UK, but discussions were taking place with a view to mounting at least one major coproduction to be shot in England. • * * The new production team of Leigh Vance and John Lemont have just finished making a hard-hitting, fast-moving crime film for Anglo Amalgamated, “The Frightened City,” dealing with the continual gang warfare that still goes on in London’s underworld. The picture, at a budget rumored to be less than £200,000, stars John Gregson, Alfred Marks, Herbert Lorn, Sean Connery and Yvonne Romain. The picture has yet to be released over here but already the recordings of its title and theme song, “The Frightened City,” has hit the top ten. Vance and Lemont, who have previously worked for other directors and producers (Lemont directed “Konga,” Vance scripted “The Flesh Is Weak” and “Piccadilly Third Stop”) have now combined forces as script writer and director respectively, while the production is jointly produced by these two newcomers to the industry. * * * The Rank Organization has purchased for £20,000 the film rights of “Celebration,” a new comedy written by Keith Waterhouse and Willis Hall. The story is about a typical industrial family attending a wedding and funeral. Many of the original cast of the play, now at the Duchess Theatre, will be used in the picture. Hugh Stewart will produce “Celebration” later this year at Pinewood studios. Waterhouse and Hall will write the screenplay. The two writers recently sold the film rights of their play, “Billy Liar,” to producer Joseph Janni. This starred Albert Finney, whose part will be taken in the film by Anthony Newley. The speed of the Rank purchase astounded many in the trade as the play just opened in the west end. Revive Old Chaplin Films For Showings in Cuba HAVANA— They’re hauling old Charlie Chaplin films out of the vaults in Havana for reshowing because of their “sincere revolutionary flavor,” the Cuban government has announced. But there was no mention as to what the government would do with one of Chaplin’s epics entitled “The Dictator.” It was banned from Cuban Theatres early in 1959 after Fidel Castro displaced Fulgencio Batista as head of the government. The notice was part of the government’s announcement that it has seized six U. S. film distributing companies in the country “because they abandoned their business” and because they had “not adjusted to standards set by the revolution.” Besides, said Alfredo Guevara, who is head of the Cuban film institute, American films carry political messages aimed at undermining the work of those who have “struggled for the liberation of people oppressed by Yankee imperialism. The government made a concession to theatregoers who have been seeing nothing but old U. S. films and Soviet “specials.” Admission prices have been cut from one peso to 70 centavos in the government’s 40 nationalized theatres. New TOA Members NEW YORK — Four additional theatres signed up for membership in Theatre Owners of America last week. The new members are George Teitel’s World Theatre in Chicago, Charles Gilmour’s Rialto in Loveland, Colo., and Grand, Rocky Ford, Colo., and Wade Allen’s Rodeo Drive-in, Phoenix, Ariz. 15