Boxoffice (Apr-Jun 1963)

To Map Plans for Industry Public Relations Program Re-elect MPA Officers; Three New Directors NEW YORK — All officers of the Motion Picture Ass’n of America were re-elected and three new members were elected to the board of directors at a meeting of the board here Monday ( 25 ) . The newly elected directors, who will fill existing vacancies, were Robert H. O’Brien, president of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer; Seymour Poe, executive vice-president of 20th Century-Fox, and Lawrence Weingarten, president of Marten Productions. Re-elected officers were Eric Johnston, president; Kenneth Clark, Ralph Hetzel and Charles Boren, executive vice-presidents; Geoffrey Shurlock, William H. Fineshriber jr„ Manning Clagett and Edward Cooper, vice-presidents; Sidney Schreiber, secretary; Stanley R. Weber, treasurer; Thomas J. McNamara, assistant treasurer, and Robert T. Watkins, assistant treasurer-assistant secretary. Incumbent directors who were re-elected were Barney Balaban and George Weltner, Paramount Pictures; Steve Broidy and Edward Morey, Allied Artists; Abe Schneider and Leo Jaffe, Columbia Pictures; Roy Disney, Walt Disney Productions; Pandro Berman, producer for MGM; Irving Ludwig and Joseph J. Laub, Buena Vista; Benjamin Kalmenson and Howard Levinson, Warner Bros.; Arthur Krim and Eugene Picker, United Artists; Walter Mirisch, the Mirisch Co.; Milton R. Rackmil and Adolph Schimel, Universal; William Perlberg, Perlberg-Seaton Productions; Hal E. Roach, Hal Roach Studios; Herman Robbins, National Screen Service; Spyros P. Skouras, 20th Century-Fox; Benjamin Melniker, Metro GoldwynMayer, and Johnston. Brylawski Sees House Nix Of Kyi Code Proposal WASHINGTON — At the opening of the recent Theatre Owners of America midwinter executive board’s meeting, a committee headed by the board’s legislative chairman, A. Julian Brylawski, called on the Hon. John Kyi, representative from Iowa, concerning his resolution. H. Res. 255, which has been referred to the House Interstate and Foreign Commerce Committee, calls “on the theatre and motion picture industries to establish and enforce a code of taste, decency, and morality similar to that established voluntarily by the motion picture industry in the Motion Picture Code of 1930.” Brylawski told a Boxoffice reporter that, in his considered opinion “the Kyi resolution would be rejected by the House because a code must be a living thing, we cannot turn the clock back.” The Motion Picture Ass’n of America’s own censorship code,” continued Brylawski, “does not need needling or nibbling in a House resolution. The determination must be made by the industry’s own high standards and its knowledge of the issues and problems involved in presenting theatrical films, not by harassment or some outmoded illusive censorship.” Brylawski was accompanied by TOA members E. LaMar Sarra of Florida; George Kerasotes of Illinois; and Myron Blank of Des Moines, a Kyi constituent. ALL BRANCHES TO MEET APRIL 11 Allied Board Opposed To Eady Plan for U. S. Baltimore — An American version of Britain’s Eady Plan met with objections by the Allied States board of directors at its meeting here last week. Principal opposition lay in the necessity for a tax on theatre admissions in order to create funds for a production subsidy. While increased production was favored, the board did not think an Eady plan was the right approach. The all -industry public relations program, which will be discussed on April 11 at the Motion Picture Ass’n of America headquarters in New York, was endorsed by the Allied board, which delegated Irving Dollinger as its representative at the meeting. The public relations program was proposed by the MPAA. Trade practices occupied a large part of the sessions, but members declined to elaborate. MPAA Cites Dificulties On Film Classification NEW YORK — Citing the recent experience of a theatre in England, the Motion Picture Ass’n of America last week pointed out the alleged futility of film classification systems and stressed there was no substitute for parents in the selection of diversions for children. The MPAA stated that in Salford City in Britain, the police, following a complaint, found 26 boys and girls under 16 years of age in a theatre which was playing films classified in the “X” or adult category. The district supervisor, licensee of the theatre, was fined $112 and the manager $28. In his appeal, the MPAA said, the theatre manager said that the youngsters brought all sorts of evidence to prove that they were more than 16 years old. “Every now and then,” the MPAA stated, “some well-meaning organization issues a public statement demanding that motion pictures be classified by a board or committee appointed by local, civic or state authorities. These groups all too often are deluded with the idea that a government board can do the job more effectively than parents and that, if we have a ‘law,’ then the young people can be kept out of motion picture theatres when films classified as adult are being shown.” The association asserted that, unfortunately, experience had indicated that there was no easy solution in legal classification. In England, the “X” symbol is used to designate those films which persons under 16 are not allowed to see. Exhibitors are required to post signs whenever an “X” picture is shown and, under threat of legal fine, they are not allowed to admit anyone under 16 to the theatre. NEW YORK — Plans for an all-industry public relations program will be discussed here Tuesday, April 11, at a meeting which will be represented by exhibition, production and distribution. Purpose of the campaign is to improve the “image” of the industry in the eyes of the public. Preliminary sessions were held on March 21 and on March 25, attended by members of the advertising and publicity directors committee of the Motion Picture Ass’n. The March 25 meeting was presided over by Eric Johnston, MPAA president, who discussed various aspects of the drive with the committee members. It was then decided to hold an expanded meeting a week later to which at least three studio publicity directors from Hollywood, representatives of exhibitors organizations, advertising directors of major circuits and distribution’s advertising-publicity chiefs would be invited. A special committee was named to work on the program in advance and present it to the overall session. This group consists of Martin Davis, Paramount; Robert Ferguson, Columbia; Philip Gerard, Universal, and Cha,rles Levy, Buena Vista. At the meeting last Monday (25), it was noted that any public relations program must be tied in with the exhibitors’ needs and, therefore, exhibition must be represented at future planning meetings. For that reason, the April 11 meeting was called so that exhibitors could present their views. A plan already has been outlined by Johnston and has the approval of the Ass’n of Motion Picture Producers, he said. It will be detailed at tomorrow’s gathering. Attending the advertising-publicity directors session with Johnston were Harold Rand, chairman, 20th Century-Fox; Martin Davis, Paramount; Philip Gerard, Universal; Dick Lederer, Warner Bros.; Charles Levy, Buena Vista; Dan Terrell, MGM; Jack Schachtel, Allied Artists, and Meyer Hutner, United Artists. George Killion Elected Chairman of MGM Board NEW YORK— George L. Killion was elected chairman of the board of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer at a meeting of the board here Wednesday (27). In a sense, it was a re-election, inasmuch as he was chairman up to the time that Robert H. O’Brien was elected president and Joseph R. Vogel, former president, was elected board chairman. At the stockholders’ meeting, objections were voiced to Vogel continuing as chairman of the board and, after that meeting, the board passed up the election of a board chairman when it re-elected officers. Killion has been a member of the MGM board since 1957. BOXOFFICE :: April 1, 1963 5