Boxoffice (Jan-Mar 1962)

20th-Fox Appoints Lewis Advertising Copy Head NEW YORK — Claude Lewis, who has been a staff copywriter for 20th CenturyFox for ten years, has been named advertising copy chief by Charles Einfeld, vice president in charge of advertising and publicity. Lewis, who will work under the supervision of Abe Goodman, advertising dii'ector, will first supervise the campaign on the picturization of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s new “State Fair,” the company’s Easter release. Lewis, who joined 20th-Fox in 1950 in Claude Lewis the company’s advertising training program, is the 21st trainee in the last eight years to move into the executive ranks of the company. He will also become a member of the board of trainees, whose function is to bring new talent into the company. He is presently contacting the heads of the advertising departments of such institutions as Columbia University, Harvard School of Business, Barton School of Business, Princeton University, New York University and other schools specializing in advertising and marketing. Larry Goodman to Produce And Write for ABC Sports NEW YORK — Larry Goodman, writer and editor for ABC Network’s news and special events department for the past five years, will be associated with ABC Radio Network sports commentator, Howard Cosell, as coproducer and writer, effective March 3. Goodman will become involved in all Cosell’s sports specials and regular activities, including 17 network “Speaking of Sports” broadcast each week; pre and post-Met baseball game shows on WABCRadio and his five-evenings-a-week WABC-TV program. Goodman was on the staff of Boxoffice in 1952 as editor of the Showmandiser section. He broke into the radio-TV ranks late in 1954 on the production staff of Russ Hodges’ “Dow Football Scoreboard.” Jessica Tandy in 'Birds' HOLLYWOOD — Jessica Tandy has been signed for a costarring role in Alfred Hitchcock’s forthcoming production, “The Bix-ds,” slated to go before the cameras in early March. The screenplay by Evan Hunter is based on an original story by Daphne du Maurier. Currently vacationing in Rome, where her husband, Hume Cronyn, is making “Cleopatra” with Elizabeth Taylor, Miss Tandy will return to her home in New York before taking up her new assignment in Hollywood. FOR SALE COMPLETE MAILING LIST All theatres in Oklahoma City Exchange Terr. Only $5.00 cash or check with order SAM BRUNK 3416 N. Virginia, Oklahoma City 18, Okla. BETWEEN THE LINES == ■ By AL STEEN Sharing the Budget J7XHIBITORS should re-examine their advertising budgets and come up with a bigger share of the costs of campaigns. Right now, production and distribution are carrying the ball to a large extent and it is questionable how long the practice can continue. Those were the sentiments of the head of advertising-publicity-exploitation department of a major company the other day as we sat in his office and discussed the local level situation. “House advertising budgets that were set up 30 years ago are the same today in many instances,” the ad chief said. “There must be a revamping of thinking on the part of exhibitors.” The executive said that many exhibitors and circuits were reluctant to try anything new for the sole reason that it hadn’t been done before. They decline to spend a little bit more money or assume a bigger share of a campaign’s cost merely because the budget won’t permits — the same budget that existed 30 years ago and has never changed. He said television was the most potent medium for advertising a picture but some circuits won’t spend a dime for it, so we have to do it for them.” The suggestion was made that the advertising budget be included in the licensing contract, whereby the exhibitor agrees to a campaign cost at the time he buys the picture. The executive indicated that such a demand might not be legal, but even if it were, voluntary sharing of the ad budget would be better, he said. Selling a picture is the result of teamwork by the distributor and the exhibitor and there must be “effort, spending and risk,” to be assumed by both parties, he said. But, he added, as it now stands in many instances, in order to give a picture a chance at the boxoffice, the distributor has to make most of the effort and spending and take most of the risk. He said that local level selling was of great importance, but that the distributor could do more national advertising, along with the local advertising, if the exhibitor would assume a greater share of the local budget. Asked what could be done about it, the executive said he didn’t know except that if exhibitors and circuit heads would sit down and discuss a campaign and its costs and decide what was reasonable among all concerned, then, perhaps, an understanding could be reached. Meanwhile, he said, it was not fair for the distributors to continue carrying the load. • Great Films Never Die Q.REAT pictures never die; they just go on playing and playing and playing. And great pictures have been kept playing through continuing trade campaigns that have been put behind them. They never have been allowed to die or even become sick sisters. Take, for example, “Gone With the Wind,” which has grossed more than $41,000,000. Here is a picture which was sold widely to the exhibitor. Time and again, it has been brought back for reshowing and exhibitors have been made aware of it through the tradepapers. MGM never let this picture die. Then we have “The Ten Commandments,” another great. While it was known to the industry that this was a big picture, Paramount and Cecil B. DeMille never once let the exhibitor forget its importance as a business-getter. Even when the picture was rolling up huge grosses everywhere. Paramount kept selling it to the exhibitor. It never was allowed to die. Now, we have another great in “BenHur.” MGM has seen to it that even while the picture was doing big roadshow business, the exhibitors were kept sold on its importance — and will continue to keep it before the exhibitors via the tradepress. It never has been allowed to die either and it will never die as long as the company keeps advertising. It has what it takes and the exhibitors know it. So again we say, great pictures never die; they keep right on picking up those extra bucks. If there is any doubt about it, here’s the record: “The Ten Commandments” has grossed $34,200,000 and “BenHur” has pulled in $40,000,000 or more to date. Right Approach? AT a social affair recently, a married couple told us they hadn’t been to a motion picture theatre in almost a year. When we asked the reason, they couldn’t give any except that they had had other things to do. Then they asked if we could recommend a good picture. We gave them the titles of several which were not yet released, pictures we had seen at previews, screening rooms, etc. Then we mentioned others that were in production and pointed out that the screen would be rich this year with fine product. “Maybe we’re missing something,” the wife said. She went on to say that she had learned more about films in our brief conversation than she had from any other source in a long time. Later, we got to wondering if something isn’t missing in the industry’s penetration. Is there something lacking in the methods of approach to stimulate a desire for a person to go out to a picture? The COMPO plan has proven its worth in Cincinnati and Pittsburgh — and in Wisconsin where it started under the guidance of Ben Marcus. These concentrations of effort have been highly effective and the quicker the plan is expanded on a national scale, the better business should be. The plan has the potential of causing the public to rediscover motion pictures and to reestablish moviegoing as a habit. BOXOFFICE :: February 26, 1962 15