Independent Exhibitors Film Bulletin (1961)

Wktf They'te Mini About □ □ □ In the Movie Business □ □ □ INSIDE 20TH-FOX. In his report to the 20th \ CenturyFox board at the special meeting for i Tuesday (8th), Milton S. Gould, chairman of the operations committee, will recommend the need for certain executive changes to restore the company's financial stability. While Gould, I who represents two large brokerage houses with : substantial holdings in Fox, would not amplify his recommendations, it has been widely reported that Spyros P. Skouras will step up to the board chairmanship and that a new president and operating head will be appointed. Gould told Film BULLETIN that his two recent visits to the studio had convinced him that Peter G. Levathes, new production head, is "an extremely capable" executive, and that the company's current production program is showing vast improvement. Gould said he could not foresee how the board will vote on his proposals, nor would he venture a prediction on how his group will react if the recommendations are not adopted. PHILLY SPLIT. The serenity that pervaded first-run bidding during the past year or so has exploded into a hot war for product between the leading downtown operators. Stanley Warner and William Goldman, each controlling three first runs, had been avoiding cutthroat bidding competition until a recent incident set off a renewal of the intense bidding practices that previously had given Philly the reputation of being a "sucker" territory. ERA OF INDEPENDENTS. Two recent instances point up the powerful hand held by the independents at the industry's bargaining table. Otto Preminger's sudden switch of "Advise and Consent" from United Artists to Columbia and Darryl Zanuck's abrupt rebasing of "The Chapman Report" from 20th to Warner Bros, illustrate how far control of film-making ' has passed from the studios into the hands of individuals. With production talent so scarce, the independents, and their legal brain-trusters, are insisting on pacts that give them full sway over every aspect of production, and even distribution, with plenty of loopholes providing "outs" if anything rubs them the wrong way. The major distributors, having relinquished the reins without a fight, have been relegated to the status of mere releasing agents. In that capacity it is essential that they maintain the most favorable image as aggressive sales and merchandising organizations. If a producer believes another company can do a more enthusiastic and efficient job on his picture, it is not too difficult to find a loophole enabling him to move the property where he wants to. SUNDAY IN TORONTO. Sunday movies, which have been spotty since they were legalized in Toronto on May 28, have been showing definite improvement, and will be responsible for making this a better summer for theatre business than 1960 in the Ontario capital city. The circuits, which did not resolve their differences with the projectionists' union until J uly 2, now report a steady upward trend in Sunday attendance. J. J. Fitzgibbons, head of Famous Players Canadian Corp., the area's largest chain, expressed the view that it will require an extended period for the public to adjust to Sunday movies, particularly in view of television's strong competition on the Sabbath, o U CASTING COUP. Another example of Universale alert production planning that often results in built-in showmanship angles is the firm's casting of New York Yankee home-run hitters, Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris, in its upcoming Cary Grant-Doris Day-starrer, "Touch of Mink." The sluggers, currently locked in a tandem duel to break Babe Ruth's homer record, and garnering bushels of publicity, add a real production wallop to the picture. Should one, or both, crack the famous mark, of course, they could wind up sharing marquee space with Grant and Day. Film BULLETIN August 7. 1961 Page 5