Motion Picture Daily (Jan-Mar 1955)

Motion Picture daily Wednesday, January 12, 1955 National Pre-Selling WALT DISNEY's re-creation of the Victorian salon of a submarine as seen in the mind's eye of Jules Verne, author of "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea," appears in a full color two-page spread in the current issue of "Life." The huge port hole of the submarine "Nautilus" and the grotesque appearance of the sub when surfaced is also pictured on the spread. In the same issue there is a photographer's underwater report of the premiere of 'Howard Hughes' "Underwater!" One and one-half pages are devoted to this subaquatic screening at Silver Springs, Florida. The first instalment of "Ihe Great Garbo," which will appear in three parts, starts in this issue. "Woman's Home Companion's" January issue has an eye-catching color ad on "So This Is Paris". The "Companion Family Appr o v e d Movies" in this issue are: "The Country Girl," "Track of the Cat," "The Beachcomber," "Phffft," "Animal Farm" and "Black Widow." "Movie Club U.S.A." is the title of a highly informative article on teenage motion picture attendance habits written by Joanne Hardy, age 18, of Ogden, Utah, for the January issue of "Seventeen." Joan reports, "We teen-agers love musicals— plots or no plots— and get a wonderful inside glow from the music and dancing. We want more 'real people' in our movies, rounded characters whom we get to know intimately and feel concerned about." • Marlon Brando, star of "Waterfront" and "Desiree," was interviewed with the aid of a tape-recorder by "American Weekly" for its Jan. 9 issue. This informative report of a highly conscientious actor appears on a two-page spread illustrated with photos. In the same issue was a personality story of Sarita, Mexican star of "Vera Cruz," illustrated by a full color photo taken in her Latin American home. The Wichita Beacon has been added to the list of newspapers distributing "American Weekly," circulation of which is now 10,000,000. • Four pages are devoted to some highly interesting photos, and a review, of "The Seven Year Itch," in the current issue of "Look." Marilyn Monroe, Marguerite Chapman, Roxanne and Tom Ewell are featured in this unusual pictorial story. WALTER HAAS • Three Channel interlock projection • 16, 17V2 & 35mm tape interlock • 16mm interlock projection CUTTING & EDITING ROOMS AVAILABLE movielas THEATRE SERVICE inc 6i9 W jam St N » 19 N Y . JUcKo.. 6 0367 Loew to Celebrate 16mm. Anniversary Marking the 10th anniversary of M-G-M's opening of the 16mm. market overseas, Loew's International Corp. has launched a year-long celebration and 16mm. sales effort. In a letter to the more than 40 M-G-M territorial offices overseas that will participate in the celebration, Arthur M. Loew, president, congratulated Orton H. Hicks, the company's 16mm. director, and said that the birthday event will be called "M-G-M's 10th Anniversary 16mm. Olympiad." It will run the 1955 calendar year. Its twin purposes are to broaden the 16mm. audience in the world market, and to establish a new high level gross for M-G-M's 16mm. operation. R. Haven Falconer, the company's 16mm. sales manager, has been appointed world-wide captain of the celebration. M-G-M announced plans for entering the 16mm. field during the summer of 1945 after Loew and Hicks, both U.S. Army officers in World War II, had seen what 16mm. had accomplished under rugged conditions in the field. They developed the idea of bringing films to those for whom 35mm. films were inaccessible. Lower print and equipment costs, ease of packing and transportation, and fireproof films were counted as 16mm. 's advantages in reaching the audience hitherto untouched by 35mm. films. New Executive Posts To Reeves Officials Hazard E. Reeves, president and chairman of the board of directors of Reeves Soundcraft Corp., has announced the election by the board of two executive vice-presidents and one new vice-president. Frank B. Rogers, Jr., a vicepresident since 1951, becomes executive vice-president in charge of Soundcraft operations, and Homer W. Clapper, president of Bergen Wire Rope, a Soundcraft subsidiary, becomes an executive vice-president of Soundcraft in charge of that division. William H. Deacy, who joined Soundcraft in 1952 as a sales engineer, was elected a vice-president in charge of sales engineering. He was formerly vice-president of Ampro Corp. MGM Colo. Workshop Today and Tomorrow DENVER, Jan. 11. — Pat McGee, general manager of Cooper Foundation Theatres, has urged every manager of the circuit's theatres in Oklahoma Nebraska and Colorado to attend M-G-M's ticket selling workshop to be held here tomorrow and Thursday. A 100 per cent attendance is expected. Strauss on Tour Robert Strauss, featured in Paramount's "The Bridges At Toko-Ri," will take to the road tomorrow for advance promotion activity on behalf of "The Bridges At Toko-Ri." Some 15 key cities will be encompassed by both tours. Peirce to Hebert-Rose HOLLYWOOD, Jan. 11.— William L. Peirce today joined the William Hebert-Glenn Rose public relations organization as an executive associate, merging his own independent publicity agency with Hebert-Rose. MGM Expands Tour Program for 1955 To stimulate further interest in the "1955 Motion Picture Theatre Celebration," M-G-M is expanding the number of tours for its personalities by adding floats, a baby elephant and two production personnel to the list which will hit the road this year. The studio at the same time also announces that schedules previously announced for George Murphy and John Ericson have been extended considerably so that both men will visit at least a dozen or more towns on their tours promoting M-G-M's contribution to the industry's desire to give the public a concentration of outstanding product in the future. Clarence Bull, still photographer, and William Tuttle, head of the M-G-M make-up department, recently added to the 1955 tour list, will leave the West Coast next month for at least two weeks. Details are now being worked out for hoth men as to cities and dates. The studio is also sending 'out a' baby elephant on a six week tour of the country, besides a float promoting "The Glass Slipper" and a "Wheel of Fortune" float with a number of girls plugging "The Prodigal." Form Intfl Division Of Eastman Kodak Eastman Kodak Co. has formed an international division to combine the former functions carried out by the company's Rochester export sales department and the European and Overseas organization, it was announced by Edward P. Curtis, Kodak vicepresident in charge of motion picture film sales and foreign sales and advertising. The new division is located in the company's administrative headquarters at Kodak Office, Rochester, N. Y. Curtis is general manager of the new division, in addition to continuing his present duties. Richard B. DeMallie and Marcel Ruot, are assistant general managers. Four territorial managements are established within the division. They are the European, African and Middle Eastern, Latin American and Far East Divisions. As part of the international division, Curtis said, the export sales department will handle sales promotion and service on Rochester-made Kodak products. People Anthony J. (Tony) Zinn has been appointed manager of the Beacon Hill Theatre in Boston, replacing Sam Richmond, who resigned. Zinn started his industry career as assistant manager and treasurer of the RKO Boston Theatre 26 years ago, shifting to the RKO Memorial last year. Harry Harding continues as assistant manager. n Roland Gillett, producer of many top television programs here and former Hollywood producer, has been named head of all British commercial TV programs in the London area. Charles Adams, production head of Loucks & Norling Studios here, has been elected vice-president of tbe company. Bernard Goffin, manager of the Crown Theatre, New Haven, has shifted to the Whitney, Hamden, Conn., succeeding the late Trueman Ferguson. Charles Lane, owner of the New Haven Drive-in, North Haven, Conn., is building a drive-in on the old Boston Post Road, Bramford, Conn. Joe McKay and James O'Riley have been added to the Kling Film Productions directorial staff in Chicago. Fellerman Slates 2 For Astor, Victoria HOLLYWOOD, Jan. 11. — Max Fellerman, vice-president and general manager of Lopert Films, operating the New York Astor and Victoria theatres, arrived here today to view new product. Fellerman has scheduled Warner Brothers' "East of Eden" to follow "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea" at the Astor, and "Unchained," also from Warner Brothers, for the Victoria after completion of the current run of "A Star Is Born." Tax Setback May Help (Continued from page 1) cent sales tax on gross receipts of corporations, including motion picture organizations, located within the City of New York. According to Stanley Buchsbautn, New York City Assistant Corporation Counsel, who drew up the petition for the United Piece Dye Works case and who also is representing the municipality in the amusement tax case, the whole issue would be quite simple "if the city could determine whether or not a corporation is doing business here even if offices are established here by the company." Buchsbaum, in his Supreme Court petition against United Piece Dye Works, said that 95 per cent of the company's business was with concerns in the city and therein imposed a privilege tax under New York's Gen eral Business and Financial Law. The chemical corporation maintained that while an office with 13 employes is established in Manhattan, its business was interstate and the city could not impose a tax on it without violating the commerce clause. Twenty-one cases pending in New York raise substantially the same issue, Buchsbaum said. The city has set aside a reserve fund of only $5,000,000 for tax refunds if these cases should be lost in the courts, and those already decided involve between $9,000,000 and $12,000,000. The city has lost similar actions against American Airlines, Inc., and National Steel Co. Buchsbaum said yesterday the city wants non-resident corporations to pay a tax to help meet costs of the local government whose protection it enjoys.