Boxoffice (Jan-Mar 1961)

first double-bill rerelease program to be offered by the investment group in its program to make more product available for U. S. exhibitors will include “Friendly Persuasian,” starring Gary Cooper, Tony Perkins and Dorothy Maguire and a choice of either “Wichita” or “The Oklahoman,” both of which star Joel McCrea. The pictures will be released to indoor theatres February 1 and to drive-ins midApril. Release will be through Allied Artists exchanges and Harry Thomas, veteran distribution executive, will supervise circuit and saturation sales. MPI is negotiating for additional product. TWO MEXICAN FEATURES K. Gordon Murray: This Miami-based company released a Mexican-made picture, “Santa,” for the holiday trade and will follow it with another Mexico-produced feature, “Little Angel,” in January. Murray recently announced he had completed deals for 12 features and would release them on an orderly basis over the next 14 months. Omat Corp.: This new company, which A. W. Schwalberg and associates announced several weeks ago, plans to release about 12 pictures in its first year. As Schwalberg also heads Citation Films, it may be that Omat eventually will replace Citation as an independent film distributor. Availability of the first picture, “Beyond All Limits,” which stars Jack Palance, has already been announced at exchanges. Also due are: “Never Take Candy From a Stranger,” a strong boxoffice picture in Britain; and “Gina,” starring Simone Signoret. The company recently acquired four Mexican features and one German picture — the first of which to go into release is “Hop O’ My Thumb.” Omat also plans to release a number of top Paramount post1948 features, with particular boxoffice appeal for drive-ins. Pathe-Alpha: The company, which is working closely with Theatre Owners of America on production plans, hopes to have its first picture ready for release in May — “The Deadly Companions,” starring Maurine O’Hara. It expects to have three more in the works by the time the first feature is released. A TOA committee is to meet this week with Pathe-Alpha executives on production plans. TWO RELEASES SET Showcorporation: Two 1961 releases will be “Home Is the Hero,” produced in Ireland by Emmet Dalton, starring Arthur Kennedy with the Abbey Theatre Players, and “Behind the Mask,” produced in England in color, starring Michael Redgrave and his daughter, Vanessa Redgrave, Tony Britton and Ian Bannen. The company had four releases in 1960. Valiant: After establishing a national distribution organization, Valiant is embarked on an expanded production and distribution program. The company placed five features in release in the last two months and has four additional pictures for the JanuaryApril period. The January release, “The Angry Silence,” British-made starring Richard Attenborough and Pier Angeli, will be followed by “The Young One,” produced in English by Luis Bunuel, with Zachary Scott starred, in February. “The Mania,” British-made starring Peter Cushing, June Laverick and Donald Pleasance, and “It Takes a Thief,” starring Jayne Mansfield and Anthony Quayle, is due in March or April. Pickus Sees 1961 as Year in Which Exhibitors Will Guarantee Future NEW YORK— Albert Pickus, president of Theatre Owners of America, looks upon the new year as one that will be a milestone in exhibitor annals in which theatre men will guarantee their future by producing their own pictures. Pickus, in looking ahead, said it was reasonable to expect that 1961 would see Pathe America Distributing Co. and the American Congress of Exhibitors, and perhaps others, providing theatres with their own sponsored pictures. “At the present time,” Pickus said, “it appears that the 1961 release schedules of the major Hollywood film companies will contain fewer films than the 226 they gave us in 1960.” He added that as these exhibitor-backed sources of supply began delivering film, the major companies would review their schedules and feel compelled to make more pictures, too. “These things, if they are done,” he said, “will put us in a position to fight off any competition for the amusement dollar, either now in existence or which may come in the future. I look to 1961, too, as the year that moderation will return to the content of film, with industry going back to the more wholesome, but no less provocative, fare. The forces of exhibition, buttressed, I hope, by the producers themselves, will check the trend towards screen frankness by embarking on the production of pictures of more universal appeal. That accomplished, we shall recapture the audiences that have drifted from habit to indifference as to motion pictures.” Pickus further predicted that TOA would continue its rapid growth, adding many additional small theatres to its membership, 90 per cent of which now is composed of one, two or three theatre operations. He said more state and regional units would be established and, with the experienced staff it has, the association would make greater strides in the months ahead. Expansion plans are being drafted. Albert Pickus IFIDA Picks 'Hiroshima' For 1960 Burstyn Award NEW YORK — “Hiroshima, Mon Amour,” French-language picture distributed in the U. S. by Zenith International Films, has been chosen “Outstanding Foreign Language Film of 1960” by the Independent Film Importers and Distributors of America and will receive the eighth annual Joseph Burstyn Award, according to Michael F. Mayer, executive director of IFIDA. “Hiroshima, Mon Amour,” which was directed by Alain Resnais and stars Emmanuele Riva and Eiji Okada, played 27 weeks at the Fine Arts Theatre in Manhattan before moving to the Art Theatre, where it is currently playing. It was also chosen best picture in the annual “best ten pictures” of 1960, selected by Paul V. Beckley of the Herald-Tribune. IFIDA ’s second choice went to “General della Rovere,” Italian film distributed in the U. S. by Continental Distributing; third was a tie between “Never on Sunday,” Greek film distributed by Lopert Films, and “Ballad of a Soldier,” Russian film distributed by Kingsley International, and fourth was “The World of Apu,” Indian film distributed by Edward Harrison. The Burstyn Award for 1959 also went to a French film, “The 400 Blows,” also distributed by Zenith Int’l. The formal presentation of the Burstyn Award for 1960 to Daniel Frankel, president of Zenith, will be held early in 1961. Joins MGM Legal Staff NEW YORK— Justin A. Menus has been appointed to ,:the legal staff of MetroGoldwyn-Mayer by Benjamin Melniker, vice-president and general counsel. Menus formerly w'/s resident counsel for the Dramatists <r*uild and with the law firm of Colton, Gal'lantz & Fernbach. Texas Drive-In Assn Meeting Open to All DALLAS — Drive-in theatre operators in all sections of the United States and Canada will be eligible to attend the annual convention of the Texas Drive-In Theatre Owners Ass’n to be held at the Sheraton Dallas Hotel February 7-9, it was announced this week by A1 Reynolds, convention chairman. A tradeshow will be held in conjunction with the meetings, and one of the sessions will be held at the Buckner Drive-In Theatre, considered one of the finest theatres in the southwest. The theme of the convention will be “The Drive-In Theatre of the Future,” and a new concept in drive-in design will be presented by Tom Paukin, Dallas architect and designer. A model of the theatre will be displayed in the lobby of the hotel. Concessions will again play an important role on the agenda, and Augie Schmitt, of Houston, veteran concessionaire, will conduct the clinic on this phase of drivein operation. The convention is being opened to all drive-in theatre operators because, with the elimination of Allied’s mid-winter drive-in convention this year, the Texas association’s sessions become the only ones devoted exclusively to the outdoor operation. Skouras Denies Reports Youngstein Joining 20th NEW YORK — A published report that Max E. Youngstein, vice-president of United Artists, had been offered a studio post with 20th Century-Fox was denied here by Spyros P. Skouras, president. Skouras said he had never had any discussions on the subject with Youngstein. BOXOFFICE :: January 2, 1961 7