Independent Exhibitors Film Bulletin (1952)

Short Subjects BY BARII HATS OFF to Dallas exhibitor Bob O'Donnell who was named exhibitor of the year in the 11th Look Magazine film achievement awards. O'Donnell was cited for "his unselfish services as national campaign director and good will ambassador of 'Movietime, U.S.A.', carrying a message of optimism and faith in motion pictures throughout the country." Other awards went to Vivien Leigh, actress of the year ("Streetcar"); MONOGRAM'S MOREY GOLDSTEIN is priming for a special sales drive aimed at the nation's Drive-In theatres. The goal is a Monogram subject on each of the country's 3,500 drive-in screens during a National Monogram Drive-In Week (May 29-June 4). Goldstein said the special week is being held because many drive-in operators weren't able to take part in the recent Monogram promotion due to the seasonal blackout. THE STARTLING difference showmanship I makes was pointed up by the results a special small-town campaign produced in promoting "Cyrano de Bergerac" in its current release. UA's tub-thumpers racked up more than 100% increase in played and earned billings during the week following the ad plan, formulated by UA vice-president Max E. Youngstein. EXHIBITOR-OF-YEAR O'DONNELL Fredric March, actor of the year ("Death of a Salesman"); George Stevens, best director ("A Place in the Sun"), and Arthur Freed, best producer ("An American in Paris"). Kim Hunter and Eddie Mayehoff received awards for best supporting players, and Danny Thomas and Mitzi Gaynor, were tagged as the most promising newcomers. Gene Kelly received a special award as the all-around star of the year, and Samuel Goldwyn was cited for "his many fine contributions to the screen, his courage, his leadership and his optimism representing the Hollywood of taste and discrimination." NATIONAL SCREEN SERVICE is so proud of the ad accessory material it has for M-G-M's "Quo Vadis" that its throwing a big shindig at Toots Shor's today (10th) to "preview" the ad displays . . . The Protestant 1 95 1 Motion Picture Award goes to 20thFox for "David and Bathsheba." MGM'S CALENDAR AD M-G-M IS launching a new national magazine ad campaign starting with the March issues of five leading monthly publications. Each important Technicolor production will have a minimum of three months advertising to millions of magazine readers. Full page color ads in the form of "Movie of the Month Calendars" will post readers on releases for designated months. Beginning with May issues, additional black-and-white versions of the ad will be placed in fan magazines each month. M< >RE I'll \X liKK) people from the enter' ' tainment industry attended the National Conference of Christians and Jews dinner at the Waldorf Astoria at which the organization's annual Brotherhood awards were made to Simon H. Fabian, Richard Walsh, and Celeste Holm. Edward L. Fabian ac 24 cepted the award on behalf of his father who could not attent. Seen in picture (r to 1) are: Major Leslie K. Thompson; John J. O'Connor; Alfred E. Daff; William Gehring; Henry A. Linet, and Robert Mochrie. On upper dais (r to 1) are: I. Robert Rubin; Fannie Hurst; Louis Nizer; Celeste Holm; Herbert Bayard Swope, and Richard Walsh. PORTRAIT OF A SNOWBALL: In the January 28th issue of FILM ' BULLETIN, there appeared a 20th Century-Fox ad on the "new faces" the company is selling as the stars of the future. Theatre circuit operator I. H. Harris felt it was such a fine idea that he reproduced the ad and sold it big to his patrons. Telling us about it, he suggested, "If you could get the other major companies to run similar ads on their new personalities I am sure that would be a big help to the exhibitors who are probably willing to try to popularize the new personalities but due to lack of pictures of them, listing their new pictures, sufficient material is not available." Which prompted us to question the distributors. Almost without exception, each of them felt it was an excellent idea and promised to do something about it. ZOth-Fox's Charles Einfeld notes that the circuit's use of the ad ' inspires us to make the ad available in mat form suitable for reproduction in newspapers or upon news stock heralds." OF MEN AND THINGS: Ray Moon, e Central Div. Mgr. for 20th-Fox, will jo| Universal on April 14 in an executive sal post, according to Charles J. Feldman, D mestic Sales Manager . . . Mrs. Mo| Youngstein, mother of Max E. Youngstei UA's vice-president, died Feb. 27 at t Lebanon Hospital in the Bronx, N. Y. . Leroy Kendis, Cleveland Associated The tres rep, will head the committee in charo of arrangements for the annual meeting the association to be held in Cleveland late May . . . James A. Mulvey, Goldw; prexey, and Martin Davis, Asst. Ad-Pii head, met in L. A. with studio officials UNIVERSALE MOON distribution plans for "Hans Christi Andersen," now in production . . . Adol Zukor, Paramount's board chairman, is Hollywood on his annual visit to the stud for production conferences and to view t company's new product ... A series of ij ternal changes and promotions in the bran manager set-up of U-I, effective March has resulted in the following promotioi Abraham Swerdlow, San Francisco to L. i Theodore Reisch, asst. mgr. in Chicago mgr. in San Francisco; Lawrence W. M« riott will become sales mgr. in L. A., a Richard Graff, Chicago salesman to as mgr. in Chicago. FILM B U LL ETI