20th Century-Fox Dynamo (April 18, 1953)

“DON’T LET CLAMOR FOR CINEMASCOPE DISPEL OUR IMMEDIATE RESPONSIBILITIES!” DIVISION MANAGERS’ WARNING TO DOMESTIC SALES STAFF Still ’’flabbergasted” by the unlimited po- tentialities of CinemaScope and "snowed under” a seemingly daily rising avalanche of applica- tions from exhibitors for CinemaScope equip- ment, domestic division managers and assistant division managers are not being blinded to the decisive responsibility imposed on them and the 38 branches they supervise in the United States and Canada accelerate liquidation of the 35MM product currently available and the new fea- tures to be released between now and the fourth quarter of this year. Moreover, they have em- phasized the indispensibility of 100% discharge of this vital responsibility on their branch man- agers, salesmen and bookers at meetings they have been holding since their return from the now historic demonstrations at the Hollywood studios. As the result of the division managers’ de- termination to back the company’s ambitious CinemaScope plans with maximum dollar de- livery weekly between now and Octbber, many types of drives have been initiated. There is no minimizing the temptation presented by the clamor for CinemaScope. The fact that there is an apparent rising impatience among exhibitors to "get going” with CinemaScope does not facilitate the field’s endeavors. However, wisely, the field is devoting all its energies to turning feature and other film availabilities into every dollar they can earn. The pre-CinemaScope era task, insofar as Emanuel Silverstone, general sales manager, headed the 20th Century-Fox International dele- gation at the CinemaScope demonstrations. They represented every phase of this company’s world- wide operations. The three gentlemen above said they had already received cabled applications for CinemaScope equipment from important accounts in their areas where the demonstrations were given prominent newspaper mention. L e ^ to tight: Allyn Noye, managing director, Mexico; Edward Cohen, general manager for South and Central America, and Edward Ugast, our representative for the Far Eastern countries. Page 10 distribution is concerned, was clearly detailed at several meetings Director of Distribution A1 Lichtman and Executive Assistant General Sales Manager William C. Gehring held in Holly- wood with seven division managers, one as- sistant division manager and branch managers of Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, Portland, Salt Lake City, Denver, Chicago, New York and Boston, and other representatives of the domes- tic sales organization, including Southern- Western Sales Manager Edwin W. Aaron, Eastern- Canadian Sales Manager Arthur Silverstone and Home Office Representative Alex Harrison. Most of the domestic sales representatives at the Hollywood demonstrations of Cinema- Scope are pictured above. Left to right, they are: Assistant Southern Division Manager Paul Wilson, Western Division Manager Herman Wob- ber, Boston Branch Manager J.M. Connolly, Central Division Manager Tom O. McCleaster, Rutland Branch Manager Charles F. Powers, Seattle Branch Manager Jack Burk, San Fran- cisco Branch Manager Jack Erickson, Midwes- tern Division Manager Morton A. Levy, Los Angeles Branch Manager Morris Sudmin, Chi- cago Branch Manager Tom R. Gilliam, New York Branch Manager Abe Dickstein, Southern- Western Sales Manager Edwin W. Aaron and Empire State Division Manager Martin Mosko- witz. Absent at the time this picture was taken were Division Managers Harry G. Ballance (South), Glenn Norris (Atlantic) and Peter Myers Largest number of exhibitors’ applica- tions for equipment came from the Southern and Western territories. Above Harry G. Ballance, Southern Division Manager (left), and Herman Wobber, Western Division Man- ager, were caught by the cameraman with your editor, Roger Ferri; at one of the numerous demonstrations of CinemaScope for exhibitors at the Western Avenue studios in Hollywood. (Canada). Assistant Western Division Manager Bryan D. (Buck) Stoner was hospitalized. That CinemaScope exceeded the highest expectations and hopes of the field generals was obvious. They envision a future that will completely pale the present and past. In this conclusion they had their most important theatre operators in agreement with them. But, being wise and logical business men, the divisional heads face the fact that further plans could be marred if a complete and constructive job is not done in the liquidation of 35MM features that will be released prior to "The Robe.” The fact that this feature backlog by QCtober will represent an investment of many, many millions in 35MM negative cost alone to the company, obviously, poses a challenge to the world- wide sales organization. . . and particularly to the domestics! What with CinemaScope installation sche- duled to weekly gain momentum this summer, it is imperative that the standard feature releases that will be available between now and the fourth quarter of this year be booked and played off, on schedule and in chronological order, in all first-run situations. The danger of a bottle- neck at the key first-runs could be suicidal. Therefore, division managers have issued in- structions to branch managers that immediate steps be territorially taken to avert such a threat materializing anywhere along the line. Murray Silverstone, President of 20th Cen- tury-Fox International, does not envision general installation of CinemaScope abroad until early next year. However, CinemaScope pre-release engagements of "The Robe” will open in Lon- don, Paris, Rome, Sydney (Australis) and other major cities abroad next fall and winter. Above Mr. Silverstone is pictured with William J. Kup- per, (left), managing director, British jsles, and Albert Cornfield, (center), managing director for continental Europe.