Boxoffice (Oct-Dec 1962)

First New Downtown Theatre in 21 Years DETROIT — The first new motion picture theatre in the downtown area in 21 years is planned for early construction as the first part of a $57,000,000, 23-acre International Village development. The project, under discussion for two years, got under way with a definite bid of $3,000,000 for the acreage and promises of financing for the first stage — about $15,000,000 — by a group of banks and investors. The theatre is to be an 800-seater to be used primai-ily for art films, Walter C. Shamie, International Village president, said. Discussions have taken place with various exhibitors, both in Detroit and elsewhere, but no decision on lease-operating arrangements for the house have been concluded. The art house will be the first of probably five theatres in the project, including a 1,200-seat circle theatre, a small 600-seat legitimate playhouse, and a larger motion picture theatre to be suitable for first-run operation, and possibly one other, making this the largest theatre construction project in the history of the city. 'David' to Continental; 'Loneliness' Title Change NEW YORK — “David and Lisa,” the independently produced film made in Philadelphia by producer Paul Heller and director Frank Perry, has been acquired by Continental Distributing for worldwide distribution, according to Irving I. Wormser, president. The picture, which stars Keir Dullea, recently in “The Hoodlum Saint,” and Janet Margolin, off-Broadway stage actress, in the title roles, received the Venice Film Festival Award for “best picture by a new director” and “the best actor” and “best actress” awards for Dullea and Miss Margolin at the recent San Francisco Film Festival. Howard Da Silva, Neva Patterson and Clifton James, all Broadway actors, head the supporting cast. Continental plans a Christmas opening in New York City. Continental also has changed the national release title of “The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner,” British picture staiTing Michael Redgrave and Tom Courtenay, to “Rebel With a Cause.” The picture is still playing its New York first run under the original title, but the new title will be used for subsequent runs. United Artists Retitles 2 Vincent Price Films NEW YORK — United Artists has set new release titles for two completed features starring Vincent Price. “The Diary of a Madman” is the new title for the Admiral Pictures film in color, produced as “The Horla,” with Nancy Kovack featured. Nathaniel Hawthorne’s “Twice Told Tales” has been selected as the new title for another Admiral picture in color, formerly known as “The Corpse Makers.” Sebastian Cabot and Mari Blanchard are featured. Both were produced by Robert E. Kent and will be released in 1962. LETTERS Re: 'Crying Towels' I recently attended the Motion Picture event of the Fall season, the TOA Convention in Miami. It was a great show, but my private conversations with exhibitors and independent distributors left me a little depressed. What has happened to the spirit in our industry? Since the days of the Nickelodeon up until a few years ago, any showman worth his salt ballyhooed his way through to one successful year after another. Sure we have more competition for the public’s amusement buck than ever before, but that doesn’t mean we have to take it lying down, does it? Many changes have threatened the motion picture theatre business over the years. The doldrums we were in a few years back when Spyros Skom’as “sparked up” the industry with Cinemascope, had previously been heralded as the very “end” of the industry. TV, bowling, other competitive attractions, each were to be the death knell for the “movies.” Now the predictions for “Pay TV” are the same old story — -“we’re doomed.” I think this is all stuff and nonsense and I told as many as I could at the covention just that. There’s nothing wrong with this business that good hard showmanship can’t lick and carry us on to the best days we have ever had. Others cry that the “product shortage” is going to wreck us. I ask what “product shortage?” Sure the so-called Big Producers have cut down on the number of features they will release this next year, but there is a wealth of Independent Product that just needs to be sold. All of it is certainly much better than the fare being offered this season on television to “our public,” but we have to go after that business. Just “crying” about it won’t help us. I’m just a small independent compared to some of those in our industry. Operating in four cities, distributing American International Pictures and other important independent product, I’ve found that I’ve had to enlarge the staff to handle the business and I’m still expanding. The latest addition to my staff is a topflight advertising and publicity man who used to be with 20th Century-Fox. I’m going to keep him busy in Detroit, Cleveland, Indianapolis and Cincinnati helping to put these pictures over for the exhibitors who buy from me. I don’t feel our job is done when we sell the exhibitor our product. I think it’s our job to help the exhibitor sell them to the public, and believe me we’ve got some darned good product to sell. Too many exhibitors (and independent distributors as well) have taken the attitude of failure. They’ve “brain-washed” each other into believing that this business is doomed. 'That’s all rot, in my estimation. I believe we are only limited in any given situation by how much help we can give the exhibitor to help him put it over in that particular engagement. I feel very strongly that increased grosses will prove I’m right. This does not mean that every “independent” release is worthy of topflight exploitation and publicity effort. (Letters must be signed. Names withheld on request) Some pictures were never intended to be the top half of a double bill, let alone being strong enough to have legs of its own as a single. But I do mean that there are many, many good independent features that are left dying on the vine by houses that keep their playdates a secret from the public, or worse yet, they don’t buy them at all. They just cry — “there’s no product.” “Retrenchment” seems to be the watchword of too many in our industry today, distributors and exhibitors alike. Crawling into our shells will not bring the people out to our boxoffices to see the e good independent pictures. I am tired of hearing the word “retrenchment.” Good, hard-driving exploitation and showmanship can wake these boxoffices up and get those ticket machines whirring again. Let’s quit crying in our towels and start blowing our horns instead. Honestly, there’s nothing wrong with this business that good pictures, properly merchandised, won’t cure and I’m backing my opinion with action. JACK ZIDE Allied Film Exchange, Detroit 1, Mich. 'Robbery' Not First Story Although, as A1 Steen wrote in the “Historic Note” item of his recent Between the Lines column, film industry historians “have claimed that ‘The Great Train Robbery’ was the first motion picture to tell a story,” this is not actually true. According to one source, it is generally considered to be the first motion picture with narrative, while another states bluntly that it was not. Thus it has gained fame, not only as the first film story, but also as the “first feature” and the “first western” is undoubtedly because of the effects (superimposition, stop motion, etc.) , not used before its time, and the construction of the sequences for story-telling purposes. In other words, there were films with stories before “The Great Train Robbery,” but none with quite such an effective combination of production technique, storytelling and direction — aU attributable to its author-producer-director, Edwin S. Porter. Even his “Life of an American Fireman” (1899) had a story. Because he was one of the important pioneers responsible for the push that influenced the growth of the motion picture industry, it is ironic that Porter, his wealth wiped out by the crash of 1929, spent his old age as a minor employe of an appliance corporation. He died in 1941. RALPH COKAIN New York, N.Y. Exhibitors in Talent Hunt For Another 'Gidget' NEW YORK — Exhibitors are being enlisted by Columbia Pictures in a talent hunt for a girl to portray the character of Gidget in the new Jerry Bresler production, “Gidget Goes to Rome.” A 35mm color trailer has been prepared, requesting that possible Gidgets contact Bresler. The trailer, poster and entry blanks are available at Columbia branches. BOXOFTICE : : December 10, 1962 13