Independent Exhibitors Film Bulletin (1956)

THEY MADE THE NEWS (Continued from Page 12) UNIVERSAL SALES CONCLAVE U-I EXECUTIVES were hosts last week to overseas branch managers from 53 countries at the company's first Global Sales Convention held at the Universal studios. In his address to the delegates, president Milton R. Rackmil predicted that the industry's foreign business will continue to progress and expand as the living standards in each country improve. Universal is analyzing all of its pictures to make sure they have "international appeal", he said, and is embarking on an "ambitious program of global talent development" to enhance the "world-wide appeal of future productions". Executive vice president Alfred E. Daff, who presided, stressed the example of international cooperation represented by the gathering: "Here we all meet as friends and colleagues in a great world team". HAMES ADAMS Byron Adams was named to head United Artists' new Jacksonville, Florida, exchange. Replacing him as Atlanta exchange manager will be Bill Homes, formerly VA's Dallas rep. AA SIGNS COOPER, HEPBURN Gary Cooper and Audrey Hepburn are signed by Allied Artists vice president Harold .1. Miriseh to appear in "Ariane" which Billy Wilder, right, will produce and direct. Incidentally . . . Allied Theatres Owners of New Jersey will hold its 37th annual Convention May 27 to 29 at the Concord Hotel, Kiamesha Lake, New York. RICHARD D. TURTELTAUB is convention chairman . . . ANGELO PROVINZANO, president of Allied Theatres of Wisconsin, announced that the 1956 convention will be held at Elkhart Lake, Wis., June 11 to 13. * * * S. H. FABIAN, national chairman for Will Rogers Hospital's Special Audience Collection Drive, announced that plans for the campaign are near completion. A May 17 broadcast to the industry via a telephone set-up will be the kickoff . . . LEONARD H. GOLDENSON, American Broadcasting-Paramount Theatres president, participated in ceremonies, May 1, launching United Cerebral Palsy's annual fund drive, chairmanned by STANLEY C. HOPE . . . Pledges totalling more than $190,000 were received at a special United Jewish Appeal luncheon called by Paramount president BARNEY BALABAN recently. The lunch launched the industry's 1956 United Jewish Appeal of Greater New York drive. The drive's annual luncheon will be held May 23 at the Park Lane Hotel, N. Y., and will honor Universal vice president and general counsel ADOLPH SCHIMEL. * # * OTTO PREMINGER will make three pictures in the next five years for United Artists under the terms of a new agreement with that company. First on the list: George Bernard Shaw's "Saint Joan" which Preminger will produce and direct. * # * MORRIS LEFKO joined Paramount to work with CHARLES BOASBERG on world distribution of "The Ten Commandments". He was formerly East Central Division Manager for RKO. TED KRASSNER was named to assist Boasberg and Lefko. * * * WILLIAM GOLDMAN, president of Goldman Theatres, Philadelphia, has acquired two major theatres in Reading, Pa., from HARRY J. SCHAD of Schad Theatres. Goldman operates an independent chain of theatres throughout Penna. * * * JEROME PICKMAN, Paramount advertising-publicity vice president, returned to New York recently from a series of studio conferences on production and promotion plans . . . C. V. WHITNEY and MERIAN C. COOPER, president and vice president respectively of C. V. Whitney Pictures, recently travelled through New York, Virginia and Washington setting production plans . . . MAXWELL ARNOW, vice president of Hecht-Lancaster, was a recent New York visitor, conferring with UA executives . . . WALTER BRANSON, RKO's vice president in charge of world-wide distribution, left for Europe May 11 for conferences with overseas personnel on distribution plans of forthcoming releases . . . Allied Artists vice president HAROLD J. MIRISCH was a recent New York visitor. He met with vice presidents EDWARD MOREY and MOREY GOLDSTEIN . . . RKO vice president WILLIAM DOZIER arrived in New York from Hollywood for conferences with president DANIEL T. O'SHEA. * # • WED: LEO PILLOT, 20th-Fox special events manager, to ALMA HARMAN, in N. Y., April 28. * # • DIED: ROBERT SAVINI, 71, head of Astor Pictures Corp., in Florida. RHODEN ELMER C. RHODEN told stockholders of National Theatres, Inc., that consolidated net income, after all charges, for the first half of the current fiscal year was $923,806, compared to $1,280,549 for the corresponding period last year. This was equal to 34 cents per share compared with 46 cents in the prior year. For the 13 weeks ended March 24, 1956, consolidated net income was $720,753, slightly less than last year's $734,133, both equal to 27 cents per share. "The company's program of liquidating unproductive and unprofitable real estate properties contributed substantially to second quarter results", Rhoden reported. He also voiced the opinion that better product would improve profits for the current (third) quarter. Development of Cinemiracle, the company's three-panel system, has been virtually completed, with production on the first picture to begin soon. 0 SAMUEL GOLDWYN, back from the Tokyo and Hong Kong premieres of "Guys and Dolls", declared that Japan and the rest of the Far East represent a huge potential for the American film industry. The veteran producer pointed out: (1) modern-day Japan, while now a great customer for American films, will continue to improve; (2) last year 70 per cent of the 195 foreign films shown in Japan were American; (3) average revenue for an American picture from Japan's 4000 theatres is from $140,000 to $150,000, but top United States films bring in more than $400,000 each. 0 VARIETY CLUBS International staged its 20th annual convention in New York last week. International president George C. Hoover, of Miami, presided. Martin Levine was convention chairman. Official delegates representing 45 tents, plus hundreds of barkers, were on hand for the week's full round of activities climaxed Saturday night by the Humanitarian Award dinner at the WaldorfAstoria. Heading many of the organization's activities were former Chief Barkers John H. Harris, Robert J. (Bob) O'Donnell, Marc J. Wolf and Jack Beresin. Film BULLETIN May 14, 1956 Page 17