Motion Picture Daily (Jan-Mar 1955)

Thursday, January 27, 1955 Motion Picture Daily 3 Westrex Chiefs in London Gregg Warns Industry Vs. New Era of Complacency By PETER BURNUP LONDON, Jan. 26. — Here with vice-president R. E. Warn on a tour of Westrex branches, Eugene S. Gregg had some pertinent things to say on the development of new techniques and what he called the "tremendous upsurge" in business occasioned thereby. Audiences, he said, had been brought back to the theatres in the first instance by the novelty appeal, but had remained by virtue of the new zest and eagerness which had arisen in every branch of the business. The new developments had spurred on improvements in every department, the Westrex chief declared. We now have better lamps, lenses and screens. It would be a tragic thing if the industry ever again became self-satisfied and refused to look at a new thing, however revolutionary, he said. Likes ToddAO Gregg claimed, for example, that the Todd-AO process will give another salutary kick to the industry. Gregg agreed that the tumult and wide divergence in new processes was apt — in his own words — to "bedevil us" but he felt that the time had not yet arrived to talk of standardisation. We must have more time to consider the new ratios, he said. Gregg pointed out that the tendency among American exhibitors was to install the biggest screens their houses could accept and then mask down to the required ratio. He paid tribute to Spyros P. Skouras, 20th Century-Fox president, for holding on as long as he could to his insistence on stereophonic sound and pointed out that practically all the major companies had their films available in stereophony. Sees Perspecta Gaining He agreed, however, that whereas the cost of stereophonic sound equipment in American theatres had been reduced by as much as 50 per cent, the price reduction here was 30 per cent only. He admitted, too, that Perspecta, as opposed to the magnetic track system, "seemed to be gaining wide acceptance and is still growing." Gregg and Warn leave here shortly for Brussels and Paris and then for a conference in Zurich with Westrex people. Gregg plans returning to the U. S. around February 3. Warn will continue on to Rome, Barcelona and Madrid. MGM Campaign to Boost Perspecta In U.K. Launched From THE DAILY Bureau LONDON, Jan. 26. — M-G-M's Sam Eckman, Jr. has announced here a further step in his company's campaign for the selling of Perspecta sound. He named six films included in what he called PEP — the Perspecta Exhibitor Plan — and said that if an exhibitor is agreeable to doubling his normal advertising and publicity allocation for any of the six, Metro will double that exhibitor's amplified publicity and advertising budget. "It is the simplest and biggest scheme of its kind the industry has known," said Eckman. "There are no complications, no involved rules, no mathematical problems for the exhibitors. If, for example, £20 ($56) is the normal expense and the exhibitor agrees to extend that to £40 ($112), we will double the amount for the campaign." To Have a Hand in Spending Metro will insist on mutual discussion and agreement with the exhibitors concerned on how the money is spent ; but for the sake of simplicity it will confine the PEP budget to three main categories : newspaper advertising, radio and TV propaganda where applicable and to posters and other M-G-M accessories. Eckman emphasized that the PEP scheme is available equally to circuits and independent exhibitors alike. The Metro chief announced also the adoption of the name Metroscope as the standard description of all M-G-M panoramic screen pictures, including wide-screen versions of CinemaScope productions. Okla. V. C. Installs New Officers, Crew OKLAHOMA CITY, Jan. 26.— Crew and officers of both Variety Tent No. 22 and its Ladies auxiliary were formally installed tonight with George Hoover, Variety international chief barker, and C. A. ("Pappy") Dolsen of Dallas, Variety international representative, participating in the festivities. Held in connection with the installation ceremony were a dinner dance and party. Dave Hunt, chief barker, and Charles Hudgens, a former chief barker, directed arrangements. Variety crew and officers installed were : Hunt, chief barker ; Don Tullius, first assistant ; Claude Motley, second assistant ; Paul Rice, property master ; George Fisher, dough guy ; Ed Thorne, Jess Bollman, Paul Townsend, C. R. Guthrie, R. Lewis Barton, all of Oklahoma City, and Ralph Drewry, Tulsa, crewmen. Also installed were the new crew members, elected to serve in an advisory capacity as representatives of the associate membership. Thev are Fred Sanders, Leonard Kilfoy, W. H. Lewis and Johnny Wilkinson. Ladies auxiliary crew and officers installed were Mrs. Gibbs, president ; Mrs. Morris Loewenstein, vice president : Mrs. Michael Comer, recording secretary ; Mrs. Milton Kamber, treasurer ; Mrs. Hunt, Mrs. Motley, Mrs. Hudgens, Mrs. Fisher, Mrs. George LeBlanc, Mrs. Thorne, all of Oklahoma City, and Mrs. Drewry of Tulsa. 6th Workshop' In Memphis Today MEMPHIS, Jan. 26.— More than 300 exhibitors and affiliated interests are scheduled to attend M-G-M's sixth "Ticket Selling Workshop," to be held here tomorrow at the Peabody Hotel with the same panel that guided the discussions at yesterday's Workshop at the Heidelberg Hotel in Jackson, Miss. The Jackson Workshop was held in connection with the Mississippi Theatre Owners Association meeting and was attended by 203 persons, by far the largest group of exhibitors attending a function conducted by a film company in the Mississippi capitol city, according to M-G-M. Three on Panel The panel spotlighted both the Jackson and local meeting consisting of Ivan D. Anderson, Liberty Theatre, North Wilkesboro, N. C. ; William T. Powell, Smith Management Corp. division manager from St. Louis, and Jack Bruno, city manager for Cooper Foundation Theatres, Pueblo, Colo. Each of the men discussed different phases of the motion picture industry, one devoting his topic to drive-in theatres, another, small town theatre operations, and the last, circuit operations. Edward Roskelly, former radio and television announcer who turned to the motion picture field with his innovations in tape recorded intermission messages toward drive-in theatres, introduced some examples of the type of institutional selling which he has injected into the motion picture theatreto-patron communication. With the Jackson meeting, M-G-M Workshops have been attended by a total of 1,433 exhibitors and affiliated interests. Coca Cola, yesterday sponsored the luncheon in Jackson and will do likewise tomorrow here. Delinquency Study To Be Continued From THE DAILY Bureau WASHINGTON, Jan. 26. — The Senate Judiciary Committee has voted to continue for the coming year its special subcommittee to study juvenile delinquency. The subcommittee was slated to expire Jan. 31. There has been consideration of the possibility of a study of the effect of films on delinquency if the activities of the committee were extended. The committee also voted to continue a special subcommittee to study plans for disposing of the government's stock in General Aniline and Film Corp. and other alien property. No action was taken at today's session on picking a chairman for the special monopoly subcommittee, which full committee Chairman Kilgore (D., W. Va.) says, will undertake an investigation of the television industry. 'Photoplay' Awards Set for Feb. 10 HOLLYWOOD, Jan. 26. — The 11th annual Gold Medal Award banquet of "Photoplay" Magazine will be held at the Chrystal Room of the Beverly Hills Hotel here on Feb. 10 honoring the most popular actor, actress and motion picture of the past year. 14,000 'Players' Cards Fourteen thousand cards recommending 20th Century-Fox's CinemaScope production of "Prince of Players" to New York City's citizens as the "Go See Picture of the Month" for January-February have been posted throughout the city-operated subway and bus system. People Ray G. Colvin, executive director of the Theatre Equipment Dealers Association, will address civic groups in Missouri and Illinois in February and in Hot Springs, Ark., on March 10, in line with TEDA's program designed to help exhibitors "bring back the lost audience." n E. K. (Ted) O'Shea, Paramount vice-president, and Dore Schary, M-G-M production chief, are among the former Buffalonians who will be honored tonight at the "Celebrity Home Coming" dinner in Buffalo's Hotel Statler. 0 George H. Wilkinson, Jr., president of the Motion Picture Theatre Owners of Connecticut, has been named to the committee to recommend a permanent study commission for the proposed consolidation of the Wallingford Town and Borough governments. n George A. Snyder is the new office manager of Eastman Kodak's distribution center in Rochester, succeeding Robert E. Schellberg, who was appointed administrative executive of the company's newlyformed international division. n Elmer Lux, head of Elmart theatres and president of the Buffalo Common Council, has been elected a director of the Greater Buffalo Advertising Club. n Jack J. Bruckner, Columbia salesman in Cleveland for the last five years, has resigned. Martin Grassgreen has been promoted from booker-office manager to succeed Bruckner. Anne Walker of the booking department takes Grassgreen's former duties. n Mrs. Margaret Hames, wife of Bill Hames, former UA manager in Dallas, has been appointed secretary to Gov. Marvin Griffin of Georgia. She formerly was with Warner Brothers and United Artists in Atlanta. n Hugh Becket, Seattle theatre man, has taken a 10-year lease on Seattle's Moore Theatre and, after the house is remodeled, will start operations on June 1. 'Battle' Stars Here Immediately following the world premiere of "Battle Cry" in Baltimore next Tuesday night, Warner Brothers' stars Mona Freeman, Tab Hunter and Dorothy Malone will board a plane for New York to attend the CinemaScope and WarnerColor picture's opening on Wednesday at the Paramount Theatre. Nancy Olson, who costars with Miss Freeman, Hunter and Miss Malone, will join them on the Paramount stage for in-person appearances.