Independent Exhibitors Film Bulletin (1963)

KLEIN NG Moves To Firm The Exhibition Body Diversification has proven the salvation of some of the country's larger theatre circuits. They have gone into television, concessions, hotels, girdles and bras, real estate. And in some cases the tail is wagging the dog. National General Corporation has spread its operations into other distant fields, too, but at the same time the big West Coast circuit is moving into activities that might firm up the entire exhibition body. Under the driving force of its dynamic president, Eugene V. Klein, NG is pushing two key projects: theatre televisionand film production. Sometime within the next month, Talaria, the large screen color TV system developed by General Electric for National General, is scheduled to be demonstrated in New York. Klein and Irvin H. Levin, NG vice president, recently made a deal with NBC to rent the network's Colonial Theatre in N. Y. for a live telecast. Levin also is president of Theatre-Vision Color Corp., the NG subsidiary that hopes to have a theatre television network in operation within one year. This is NG's answer to the threat of home pay-TV. Aiming to relieve the product shortage that is retarding theatre operations, National General is planning to move into film production. The recent decision CAST & CREDITS ■ Report on the Industry's PEOPLE and EVENTS of Federal Court Judge Edmund Palmieri in New York cleared the way for NG to undertake a production program for a three-year trial period, and the company is busily engaged in considering numerous propositions from independent producers, including one of the toppers in the field. Having taken the initiative in exhibition-sponsored production, there is a strong likelihood, it was learned at the weekend, that NG might be joined in its program by another important circuit. More Movie Product Pouring into Homes The flood gates are further ajar, and more post1948 feature films are pouring into the nation's homes. In two separate deals involving some $34 million, Seven Arts Associated picked up a total of 443 features for its TV library from Universal and 20th Century-Fox. The 215 from Universal (reported price, $21,500,000 plus a percentage) are new ones for the television screen; the 228 from Fox (reported price, $13,000,000) include some films which have already had partial exposure on TV. Also announced: Warner Brothers' own television division is turning loose another 25 post'48 features, including items like "Rio Bravo", "The FBI Story" and "The Miracle." Warners Promise Christmas in July Warner Brothers is making like Santa Claus for product-hungry exhibitors. President Jack L. Warner last week announced the most ambitious program of theatrical production in the company's history. He said that 80 million is being poured into a schedule of 22 feature films — completed, shooting and in preparation. The list includes 9 productions currently rolling or scheduled to start before the end of the summer, and 5 more in various stages of preparation for shooting by next spring. Topping the list, of course, is the $12 million screen version of "My Fair Lady" from the long-run Broadway stage show. Other outstanding productions on the Warner slate are "Youngblood Hawke"; "Act One", and "Camelot". JAFFE AND ROBBINS Columbia-NSS Deal Less Sweat for Exhib Columbia Pictures and National Screen Service reconciled their differences, and now theatremen will no longer suffer the inconvenience of being required to obtain their trailers and accessories through the film company, rather than through NSS. The deal that brought Columbia back into the National Screen fold was announced jointly by Leo Jaffe, Columbia executive vice president, and Burton E. Robbins, president of NSS. Universal City Plaza Driving a "Golden Rivet" into a steel girder to signal the start of construction on the new multi-million dollar University City Plaza, Jules C. Stein, chairman of the board of MCA, Inc., declared that "a great new period of expansion lies ahead for entertainment as an enterprise" in Southern California. Participating in the ceremonies, left to right: Jack Benny; Milton R. Rack mil, MCA vicechairman of the hoard and president of Decca Records and Universal Pictures; Alfred Hitchcock; Los Angeles County Supervisor Warren M. Dorn: Stein, and Marlon Brando (in uniform for his role in "King of the Mountain" ). Page 6 Film BULLETIN July 22, 1963