Boxoffice (Oct-Dec 1962)

MGM Sets Ten Releases For December April NEW YORK — Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer will release ten featiu'es from December through April, according to Robert Mochrie, vice-president and general sales manager, who called the release schedule for this period “a lineup of our finest product and designed to give exhibitors a strong and diversified group of attractions.” These ten new releases will be in addition to “Mutiny on the Bounty” and the MGM-Cinerama “The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm,” both playing two-aday i-uns. The Chi*istmas-New Year’s holiday release is “Billy Rose’s Jumbo,” while “Swordsman of Siena,” starring Stewart Granger is also for December. Both are in Cinemascope and color. The Januai*y releases will be “The Password Is Corn-age,” Andrew and Virginia Stone production starring Dirk Bogarde, and “Caii'o,” stai’ring George Sanders and Richard Johnson, both of these filmed abroad. For February, the releases will be “The Hook,” starring Kirk Douglas, Robert Walker and Nick Adams; “Follow the Boys,” filmed in Panavision and color on the French Riviera with Connie Francis, Ron Randell, Janis Paige and Russ Tamblyn, and “Come Fly With Me,” filmed in Panavision and color in London, Paris and Vienna, with Dolores Hart, Hugh O’Brian, Karl Boehm, Pamela Tiffin, Karl Malden and Dawn Addams. The March release will be “Seven Seas to Calais,” in Cinemascope and color, with Rod Taylor as Sir Francis Drake. 'The April releases will be “In the Cool of the Day,” staning Jane Fonda, Peter Finch, Angela Lansbuiw and Arthm Hill, filmed in Panavasion and color in Greece, and “The Courtship of Eddie’s Father,” in Panavision and color, stari-ing Glenn Ford, Shirley Jones, Stella Stevens and Roberta Sherwood. Standard & Poor Foresees Favorable Industry Year NEW YORK — Standard & Poor’s cun-ent survey of the amusement industry this week predicted a generally favorable outlook for motion picture and theatre corporation stocks during the forthcoming year. The survey also predicted “an anticipated increase in and prospective greater boxoffice drawing power of motion pictures scheduled for release during 1963.” 'The 1963 outlook is based on uptrends in both attendance and admission prices. The survey said that prospective gains in domestic film billings in the new year “should more than offset the adverse effect on foreign remittances of further growth abroad in television and in local film production.” Referring to the current year, the S&P survey found that despite fewer releases, boxoffice receipts probably would gain through increased attendance and higher admission prices. Earnings of U.S. companies in foreign markets, the .survey said, “are expected to equal those of 1961. HELPING COMPETITOR— A1 Boudouris and James Dempsey of Theatre Operating Co. of Toledo, like most exhibitors, believe the answer to continual requests for family pictures is, “If you want them, then patronize them.” The operators of the Miracle Mile Drive-In, Toledo, and seven other outdoor theatres in Ohio and Michigan feel so strongly about this industrywide question that they ran the above two-col. six-inch ad in the Toledo Blade recently urging the public to see a “family” picture playing at another theatre, the Paramount. The ad ran along with a three-inch ad on “The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm,” the film in question. Nathan Sandler Is Dead; Des Moines Circuit Head DES MOINES — Funeral services were held here Wednesday, Dec. 5, for Nathan Sandler, 66, president of the Nathan Sandler Theatre Enterprises. Sandler died of a coronary ailment at Iowa Methodist Hospital on December 3. He had been ill for several months. A veteran of 40 years in the theatre business in Des Moines, he was a charter member and past chief barker of Variety Club. He also had served on the boards of Tifereth Israel Synagogue and Standard Club. One of his three sons, Gerald, was associated with his father in the theatre and concessions business and is now chief barker of the Des Moines Variety Tent. The Sandler theatres are at Missouri Valley and Fairfield, la. Other survivors are his wife Belle; two other sons. Jay and Robert, both of Des Moines; three sisters, four brothers and 13 grandchildren. Chas. Einfeld Resigns From 20th-Fox Post NEW YORK — After 14 years as vicepresident in charge of advertising and publicity of 20th Century-Fox, Charles Einfeld will leave the company at the end of the year. Darryl F. Zanuck, president, announced that Einfeld had requested that arrangements be initiated for his withdrawal and that the first phase of the withdrawal would be completed at the yearend and the bal Charles Einfeld ance of the arrangement would take place during 1963. This was understood to mean that Einfeld would serve as a consultant. A native of New York City, Einfeld entered the film industry from Columbia University by becoming associated with Vitagraph, staying from 1920 until 1924 when he joined First National Pictures, becoming head of advertising and publicity when that company was acquired by Warner Bros, in 1929. Einfeld resigned in 1946 to form and head Enterprise Productions, pioneering in the field of major independent operations. Produced under the Enterprise banner were “Body and Soul,” “Arch of Triumph,” “The Other Love,” “Force of Evil” and “Caught.” Einfeld is credited with having originated the “junkets” for world premieres, winning recognition with the cross-country tour on behalf of Warners’ “Forty-Second Street” in 1933. During World War II, he enlisted stars to tour the country on behalf of War Bond drives, raising $5,000,000 for the opening night of “Yankee Doodle Dandy” in 1942. He also was responsible for raising the largest sum of money dm’ing an individual bond drive in the amusement division for the second war loan. In December 1948, Einfeld joined 20thFox and instituted the now noted merchandising conferences. He coined the expression “movies are better than ever,” which has become a byword of the industry. With Spyros Skouras, then 20th-Fox president, Einfeld also was responsible for the public introduction of Cinemascope. UA's Nine-Month Net Up Slightly Over '61 NEW YORK — For the first nine months of this yeai'. United Artists had net earnings of $3,103,000, after provision for income taxes of $2,821,000. This compared with a net of $3,014,000 for the comparable period of 1961. UA’s worldwide income for the first nine months of 1962 amounted to $91,502,000 against $85,310,000 for the same period last yeai-. The nine-month net represents earnings of $1.78 per share, compared with $1.73 per share for the first nine months of 1961, after adjusting the shares then outstanding to the numbers outstanding on Sept. 29, 1962. 10 BOXOFFICE :: December 10, 1962