Boxoffice (Apr-Jun 1962)

Montana TO A Renames G order; Neiler Executive V-P Of Aster Pictures NEW YORK — L. Douglas Netter jr„ president of Astor Pictures International, has been appointed executive vice-president of the parent company, Astor Pictimes, Inc., and will function in both capacities. George F. Foley, Astor president, said that Netter, in his new pK>st, would have the responsibility of supervising Astor’s L. Douglas Netter jr. sales activities, thereby providing a closer liaison between the company’s coproduction and sales activities. George Joseph, formerly general sales manager, will continue as vice-president in the New York office. Ernest Sands, recently appointed general sales manager, is on a trip to the company’s exchange centers. Netter joined Astor last yeai' after having served as general manager of Samuel Goldwyn Pi-oductions, supervising the sales of “Porgy and Bess” throughout the world. Previously, he was vice-president in charge of operations of Todd-AO on such product as “South Pacific,” “Oklahoma!” and “Ai'ound the World in 80 Days.” A native of Seattle, Netter served as a lieutenant senior gi'ade with the U. S. Navy during World War II. He is a graduate of Holy Cross College. His father is the former president of Florida State Theatres and a member of the board of that circuit. Baloban & Katz Report Net Of $944,853 for 1961 CHICAGO — Balaban & Katz net earnings after taxes in 1961 totaled $944,853, equal to $3.60 a share, it was announced at the annual stockholders meeting. The report included the first full -year earnings of the Prairie Farmer Publishing Co. since this company was purchased by B&K in 1960. B&K also sold the land on which the Norshore Theatre stood to the Railway Employes Benefit Ass’n during the year. The company has signed a new lease on the theatre now under construction on the site of the Lyric Theatre at Blue Island, which was destroyed by fire in 1960. Jerome B. Golden was elected as a director to replace Sidney M. Markley, resigned. All other present directors were reelected; David B. Wallerstein, Elmer C. Upton, Arthur A. Goldberg, Simon Siegel, Edward Hyman and Bernard Levy. Timothy Carey to Tour LOS ANGELES — Actor Timothy Carey has announced that he will personally release and exploit his “new wave” production, “The World’s Greatest Sinner.” Carey, who costars in the film with his wife, Doris, and Gil Baretto, said he will tour the country to secm'e bookings, and then barnstonn with it. Anthony Lanza is partnered with him in the venture as cobacker and associate producer. Stembler Stresses BILLINGS MONT.— Chris Gorder of the Fort Theatre, Poplar, will continue as president of the Montana Theatre Ass’n, an affiliate of the Theati’e Owners of America, for the second consecutive year. He was re-elected Wednesday at the concluding session of the two-day meeting at the Northern Hotel here. Bob Suckstorff of Sidney was re-elected secretaiT-treasurer. Three new directors were named, to serve with six other directors whose terms continue. The new directoi’s ai’e John Telia of Butte, Bob Johnson of Havi*e, and Harold Hansen of Whitehall. Continuing on the board are Spence Ryder of Kalispell, Chuck Smith of Billings, Don Campbell of Lewistown, Marie Green of Lodge Grass, Isabelle Boniface of Chinook, and Jack McGee of Salt Lake City, Utah. John H. Stembler, president of the TO A, in an address read by George Roscoe, TO A public relations director, said that most of the exhibitors’ problems would disappear if Hollywood was able to put out 300 or more quality feature films each year. “The seller’s market would be eased,” he said, “and we not only could buy films at more reasonable terms but also change Adopt Ad Plan to Combat Newspaper Strike Effect Detroit — Metropolitan Exhibitors of Detroit has adopted a plan to combat the ill effects of the three-week-old newspaper strike here, by announcing it would print 300,000 Movie Guides listing the programs of every local theatre for the week of April 29 to May 5. Copies of the Movie Guide will be delivered to theatres for distribution to patrons through both theatres and other business firms. The Guides will continue to be printed for the duration of the strike. Meantime, Albert Dezel, operator of an art theatre circuit here, gave notice to projectionists that all four of his local theatres will be closed because of the strike. Business has dropped to the lowest figure in his 11 years as an exhibitor, hitting as low as $40 a night gross, Dezel said. He joined with the other local theatres in printing the Movie Guide, which will be distributed before his two-week notice to projectionists is up. Dezel said he had tried advertising in neighborhood newspapers without too much effectiveness, and that the cost of television is prohibitive to the smaller operator, making it more profitable to close and save operating costs. Film Need om programs more oftener and thus attract more patrons. We could pass up those films we think unnecessarily aggravate the public and thereby avoid playing into the hands of those who seek to censor and put shackles on om business. “We could book far enough ahead, in most instances, to assure adequate time to better merchandise our pictures. “Many bidding problems would be eliminated. “And perhaps, we could regain a measure of the stability we had a decade ago when pictures wea’e still in reasonably good supply.” Stembler then recounted TOA current steps: 1. Continued vigorous support of ACE films to encourage a new source of supply. 2. Pushing appeals to the Arkansas supreme comi; to have the Little Rock pay TV project put under federal regulation, and to the U. S. Supreme Court to set aside an FCC authorization for a threeyear Phonevision test in Hartford, Conn. Also TOA is assisting exhibitors in opposition to pay TV movies at Denver. “There is no pay TV operating in the U. S. today only because of exhibitor opposition, and the records will show that TOA has been in the forefront of this opposition,” Stembler said. He reported that the industry appears to be coming through the 1962 legislative sessions relatively unaffected on the censorship front. 25M Probable Audience Foreseen for 'State Fair' NEW YORK — Sindlinger & Co., market analysts, declared in a report this week, that “State Fair-,” after only two weeks in release, has a probable audience of 25,000,000 people, nearly doubling the March 30 figure of 14,975,000, tabulated just before initial openings of the film. Sindlinger attributed the jump to the impact of advertising and publicity campaigns plus favorable audience reaction and predicted that the probable audience could go as high as 35,000,000 by the end of the month. High Legal Conference On Censorship May 16, 17 CHICAGO — Constitutional limitations on motion picture censorship will be one of the primary topics discussed May 16, 17 at a meeting of federal judges and lawyers from Illinois, Indiana and Wisconsin at the Hotel Knickerbocker. Chief Justice John F. Hastings of the U.S. court of appeals here will preside. Representative Abner J. Mikva, Dem., Chicago, and Frank J. McGarr, lawyer, will discuss censorship. U.S. Supreme Court Justice Thomas C. Clark is due to attend. Nat Weiss to Rome NEW YORK — Nat Weiss, publicity manager of 20th Century-Fox left for Rome over the weekend to supervise the final phase of the publicity campaign for “Cleopatra.” Chris Gorder BOXOFFICE :: April 30, 1962 5