Boxoffice (Oct-Dec 1962)

COMPO Asks for Data On Payment of Taxes Manulis to Make 4-Star's First Theatrical Film HOLLYWOOD — Four Star’s president Thomas J. McDermott announced the signing of Martin Manulis to produce the company’s first venture into their previously announced feature film plans. In addition to launching Four Star’s feature film program, Manulis will also contribute his talents to the company’s many television ventures. Manulis brings with him several important story properties for motion pictures. Already in script form are “The Out-of-Towners,” an original sci'eenplay by the Pulitzer Prize-winning author Tad Mosel, and “Cassandra at the Wedding,’’ an adaptation of a novel by Dorothy Baker. Through his television production of “Playhouse 90,” Manulis gained national recognition. He recently finished the motion picttu'e “Days of Wine and Roses,” which Warner Bros, is releasing this month in order to qualify the picture for Academy Award consideration. McDermott stated the company is still proceeding on the development of their previously announced property, “Cari-y Back,” which is also slated for feature film production. Latest Green Sheet Lists Five for Family Ratings NEW YORK — Ten pictures were listed as suitable for adults and mature young people and four were rated for adults in the November-December issue of The Green Sheet, issued by the Film Estimate Board of National Organizations. Five were given family ratings and six were classified for adults, mature young people and young people. In the adults-mature young people bracket were Columbia’s “Barabbas,” “The War Lover” and “We’ll Bury You!”; MGM’s “I Thank a Fool,” “Mutiny on the Bounty” and “Period of Adjustment”: Warner Bros.’ “Gypsy” and “What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?” and United Artists’ “Manchurian Candidate” and “Pressure Point.” Rated for adults were Warner Bros.’ “The Chapman Report”; United Artists’ “Tw'O for the Seesaw”; MGM’s “A Very Private Affair” and Paramount’s “Who’s Got the Action?” Tagged as family entertainment were MGM’s “Captains Courageous,” “Billy Rose’s Jumbo” and “Kill or Cure”; Paramount’s “It’s Only Money” and Disney’s “The Legend of Lobo.” In the adults-mature young peop!»e-young people group were Paramount’s “Girls! Girls! Girls!” and “Wonderful to Be Young”; MGM’s “Escape From East Berlin”; 20th Century-Fox’s “The Lion” and “The Longest Day” and Davis-Royal’s “The Reluctant Saint.” 'Europa' Short Is Free NEW YORK — “Europa,” a new color cartoon that capsules 2,500 years of history in ten minutes, is playing with top-grossing features in its first key city engagements, Robert Finehout, Association Films’ theatrical vice-president, reports. The short is available to theatres free through Association Films’ booking service. Theatrical Film Distributors, headed by Harry Willard. 'The film was produced by Pelican Films for the European Community Information Service. NEW YORK — The Council of Motion Picture Organizations took the first step in its admission tax elimination campaign last week when it sent out an appeal for data to be placed before members of Congress. COMPO’s national tax campaign committee sent letters to all theatres charging more than $1.05 and asked them to send to Price Waterhouse & Co. the amount of federal admission tax they paid during the year ended last September 30 and the number of their theatres that paid the tax. The letters pointed out that before COMPO could approach Congressmen to request their aid in the project, it was necessary to have authentic information as to (1) the total amount of tax money paid by theatres and <2) the number of theatres paying the tax. The letter continued: “We are advised that it is not difficult, as a quick reference to your quarterly excise tax returns will give you your figures. As Congress will convene January 1 and present indications are that the Administration will introduce tax reduction bills early in the session, it is imperative that we have this information as soon as possible. Therefore, we urge that you have somebody fill in the blank in the enclosed letter and mail it back to Price Waterhouse & Co., which will hold all figures and correspondence in complete confidence, using these figures only to obtain a total tabulation.” The tax committee consists of C. Elmer Nolte and LaMar Sarra, cochairmen; Edward Cooper, William Namenson, Richard Walsh and Charles McCarthy. Meanwhile, COMPO has sent a “position paper” to campaign committees outlining reasons why the federal admission tax of ten per cent above $1 should be repealed. McCarthy said that while the brief Mochrie Willing to Talk Adjustments on 'Kings' NEW YORK — The door still is wide open for exhibitors to discuss adjustments on “The King of Kings,” Robert Mochrie, vice-president and general sales manager of Metro-GoldwynMayer, told Boxoffice last week. Asked to comment on the critical remarks and charges of unkept promises on adjustments expressed at the recent Allied States Ass’n convention in Cleveland, Mochrie said his exchange of letters on the issue last August with Marshall Fine, then president of Allied States, told MGM’s position which had remained unchanged. Mochrie said he was ready to talk with exhibitors on “King of Kings” or any other subject at any time. statement outlined reasons for the tax elimination, it lacked one important fact which would be supplied later. That was the total amount of the admission tax paid by theatres. He explained that as soon as the tax total was available, it would be mailed to campaign committees. The “position paper” in full follows: “Our position is a simple one: The United States government is taking away from the motion picture theatres of the country (blank dollars) a year. The motion picture theatres need this money. The ten per cent tax on admissions over $1 is being collected principally from theatres in central business districts. “Due to many causes, attendance at these theatres has continued to decline. The result has been that many have been forced to close and others are operating either in the red or on the verge of it. The effect of this decline is not confined to the theatres themselves. It is spread over all the other business establishments in the neighborhood, for when theatres are in a healthy condition they attract large crowds of people and the presence of these people is of benefit to other businesses in the area. “Food, clothing, transportation and many other allied industries are helped by the motion picture theatre. Indeed, when their local movie theatres have closed, the businessmen of several communities have raised money to keep them operating. A few years ago the National Ass’n of Real Estate Boards issued a statement that closed film theatres cut realty values and that a closed theatre is ‘a community problem.’ “Removal of the admission tax, therefore, would help to keep these theatres in a healthy condition and save the jobs of their employes. It also would help numerous other retail businesses.” The paper was drawn up by the campaign committee so that all exhibitors throughout the country would know the central arguments to advance to their Congressmen for repeal of the impost, McCarthy said. Crown Int'l Revenues Rise In Each Quarter of Year HOLLYWOOD — Crown International Pictures reports that bookings and revenues, after one year of operation, have inci-eased in each succeeding quarter. Newton P. Jacobs, president, says the second and third quarters were 12 and 21 per cent ahead of the company’s maiden period. Fourth quarter estimate is a 50 per cent increase over the third period due to majorbookings on “First Spaceship on Venus,” Technicolor-Totalvision feature now in 52 theatres in the Los Angeles area. “Recent headlines on the new production low for the year in Hollywood are the best evidence that new companies with product are the exhibitors’ most urgent necessity,” Jacobs said. “Response to ourcompany’s eight features and thi’ee special short subjects has put us over the hump.” BOXOFFICE :: December 17. 1962 7