Motion Picture Daily (Apr-Jun 1955)

Motion Picture Daily 7 At Universal Conference As part of Universal Pictures Company's special mid-year sales executives conference and product preview, record budget advertising, publicity and promotion plans were outlined to the participating executives, home office sales cabinet and division and district managers at the Universal City studio where the three-day meeting ended yesterday. David A. Lipton, vice-president, is shown above discussing the plans with (left to right) Charles Simoneili, Eastern advertising and publicity department manager; Edward Muhl, vice-president in charge of production; Charles J. Feldman, vice-president and general sales manager; Alfred E. Daff, executive vice-president; Lipton; Robert Gillham, vice-president of Cunningham and Walsh, advertising agency, and Clark Ramsay, executive assistant to Lipton. E.F.F.G. (Continued from page 1) likelihood of their proceeding with such investments if their attorneys reported legal complications were likely to ensue from such a course. Theatre Owners of America sought j clearance from the Justice Department for the investments in EFFG by the ; divorced circuits but Justice declined I to give a specific "yes" or "no." J The government attorneys reportedly wanted full guarantees that the circuits, regardless of their buying pow ■ er, would enjoy no "privileges" with i any product financed by EFFG. Should these conditions be spelled out later, it was reported, Justice might then j be prevailed upon to issue an opinion of the legality of divorced circuit in j vestment in production. AB-PT Sees No Impediment American Broadcasting-Paramount ! Theatres' officials have maintained in the past that its decree does not prohibit it from an investment or participation in production. A scheduled May 15 meeting of EFFG stockholders has been cancelled and no new date for the meeting has been set. The session was to have proceeded with election of directors and officers and to have planned assistance to independent production to help ease the product shortage of which theatre owners have complained. Also postponed were projected meetings across the country to tell EFFG's story to exhibitors in the field and to invite subscriptions for its stock. Pinanski Sees EFFG Under No Pressure SAN FRANCISCO, May 11.— Sam Pinanski, head of American Theatres, Boston, and a prime mover in the formation of Exhibitors Film Finance Group, stated here that no new date for a meeting of EFFG's stockholders lias been set because there is no particular need for haste. The organization is being built fcr a long-term, basic operation and is meeting with considerable support throughout the country, he said. Pinanski added that he was familiar with the latest developments on the matter of government authorization for divorced circuits to invest in EFFG. He explained he had not been involved closely in those negotiations, that it was a Theatre Owners of America undertaking. Pinanski stopped here in the course of a West Coast visit to meet with L. S. Hamm, local exhibitor, and other officers of ITOA. Plan 2 Mexican Houses MEXICO CITY, May 11. — The Operadora de Teatros circuit is to build a 3,500-seat theatre here and a 1,300-seater in Monterrey, the northeastern Texas border industrial center and capital of Nuevo Leon State. Vicente Casanova, president of CI FES A, is here arranging to build a theatre for the exclusive showing of Spanish films. Drops Matinees HARTFORD, May 11.— The firstrun Stanley-Warner State, Manchester, Conn., has dropped weekday matinees, with performances starting at 5 P.M., Mondays through Fridays, at 2 P.M., Saturdays and Sundays. Develop Plans (Continued from page 1) a trade association to deal with the ever-increasing number of complex problems that are common to all of the companies distributing films to stations, networks, or advertisers for use on television, it was said. The eight-man group is composed of Savage, Martin, Jay Williams of Official Films, Lou Friedland of MCA, Ralph Colin of Screen Gems, Frank Reel of Ziv, Archie Mayers of Unity, and Herb Gelbspan of Hal Roach Studios. TEDA to Assist (Continued from page 1) Motion Picture Theatre Owners and Operators of Georgia has booked a full schedule for Colvin, who will talk on "What the Movie Theatre Means to Your Community" and will plug the festival at all times. Launch Screenings For 'Green Magic' A screening campaign aimed at bringing the color documentary, "Green Magic" to the attention of key groups and organizations throughout the nation has been launched by IFE Releasing Corp., it was revealed by Jonas Rosenfield, Jr., vice-president. In New York more than 2,000 community and organization leaders have attended 32 special showings of "Green Magic," and similar "wordof-mouth" building programs are either under way or planned for other key cities and area centers throughout the nation. Count Leonardo Bonzi, Italian adventurer-explorer who produced "Green Magic" with Astra Cinematografica, was brought to New York for radio, TV, newspaper, syndicate and magazine interviews. 'Split' Move (Continued from page 1) and independent TV broadcasters, Gorman pointed out. Gorman, in his telegram, referred to reports that Telemeter, 80 per cent owned by Paramount Pictures, is planning tests in a medium sized Midwestern and Southern city, utilizing cable transmission as in the Palm Springs, Calif., test. Said Gorman in his wire : "Your announced experiment of 'closed circuit' pay-to-see TV programs seems to indicate you recognize systems using present allocated VHF and UHF channels for this service would not be in "public interest.' If assumption correct may I extend cordial invitation to join 'Organizations for FreeTV and work in cooperation with other public-spirited citizens to prevent free airways from becoming 'Fee Airwaves.' You can count on me to back your proposal because this is the exact way that I think pay-as-you-see TV should he handled." Booth Space Sales (Continued from page 1) space in the TESMA first floor section of the exhibit space have been signed. About 63 per cent of space in the third floor section of the hotel where IP A will hold forth with concessions equipment items, soft drinks, hot dogs, etc., already has been sold, according to Carl Siegel, Stanley Warner Management Corp., and exhibit chairman for IPA. Indications are that the total space of 244 booths on both floors will have been sold out long before the show's opening dates, according to spokesman for the TESMA and IPA organizations in charge of contracts for booth space. TESMA has IS per cent additional space in negotiation with manufacturers and IPA reports that 22 per cent of its space additionally is in process of negotiation. 'The Bell' Monday Slow Advance Sale Reported For Bout TV By MURRAY HOROWITZ Reports of a slow advance sale for the Monday telecast of the MarcianoCockell heavyweight title bout were received here yesterday, as 83 theatres across the nation prepared to carry the Theatre Network Television event. The reports of a slow advance sale were reflected in statements made by a number of circuit executives. The over-all picture, though, Was brightened by a few circuit spokesmen who claimed that the advance', sale was "pretty good at this stage of the game." Called 'Just Fair' A Loew's official called the advance sale "just fair," pointing out that it is too early to tell how the ticket sale will go. He maintained that the greatest sale of tickets will occur, as in the past, a day or so before fight time. Loew's has seven situations in New York carrying the bout, in addition to out-of-town theatres. An RKO Theatres spokesman described the advance sale as "pretty good." "Very slow" were the words used by a Fabian Theatres official to describe the advance sale. Fabian Theatres has the fight booked in situations in Troy, Brooklyn, Harrisburgh, Pa., Norfolk, Va. and Allentown, Pa. A spokesman for Shea Enterprises called the advance sale "very promising" in Akron, O., and Manchester, N. H., the latter situation offering theatre TV for the first time. Prices Vary The price of tickets, on the basis of reports, appeared to vary from $2.50 to $5, with the heaviest concentration in the $3 and $3.50 price bracket. Some theatremen, discouraged at the advance sale, blamed the lack of popularity for the event as compared to previous heavyweight title bouts. Slight Change in Japanese Permits From THE DAILY Bureau WASHINGTON, May 11.— The Japanese government has set the quota for imports of feature films for the current year at the same total as authorized for the past year, but has changed the breakdown of import permits slightly, the Commerce Department reports. Film chief Nathan D. 'Golden said that for fiscal 1955 — the year endingMarch 31, 1956 — the regular quota has been fixed at 164 films. This includes 122 from the dollar area — 103 from the major U.S. companies and 19 from the independents — plus 16 from the sterling area and 26 from other countries. In addition, there are 16 bonus permits to be awarded as rewards for outstanding films or for exporting Japanese films. In fiscal 1954, the 180 feature total was broken down into 121 for the dollar area, 15 for the sterling area, 24 for the open account area, and 20 as bonus permits.