Motion Picture Daily (Jan-Mar 1956)

Motion Picture Daily Tuesday, February 28, -w PERSONAL MENTION LJ ERMAN ROBBINS, chairman of the board of National Screen Service, has returned to New York from Florida. Irving Mack, president of Filmack Trailer Co., will return to Chicago today from New York. • Walter Branson, RKO Radio vice-president in charge of worldwide distribution, and Robert S. Wolff, managing director for the United Kingdom, have left New York for the Coast. John C. Flinn, Allied Artists director of advertising-publicity, and Vincent M. Fennelly, producer, will leave here tomorrow for Hollywood by way of Detroit, Chicago and Dallas. Victor Powell, in charge of J. Arthur Rank theatre activity in the West Indies, will return to London today from New York via B.O.A.C. • Arthur C. Bromberg, president of Allied Artists Southern Exchanges, has returned to his home in Bayou La Batre, Ala., from Atlanta. 0 Hugh Owen, Paramount Film Distributing Corp. vice-president, returned to New York yesterday from Philadelphia. • Hal R. Makelim is the father of a girl born to Mrs. Makelim at Griffith Park Maternity Hospital, Hollywood. • Max Fellerman, vice-president of Lopert Films, will leave Hollywood by plane today for New York. • Dan S. Terrell, M-G-M publicity director, returned to New York yesterday from Las Vegas. Ben Hecht, writer, to New York from B.O.A.C. has returned London via Maurice King of King Brothers returned to Hollywood yesterday from New York. • Joy Batchelor, film animator, has left New York for London via B.O.A.C. Atlas Elects Allen Election of James Allen as a vice president of Atlas Corp. was announced yesterday by Floyd B. Odium, president. Allen has been a member of the executive staff of Atlas for the past three years. 'Clean-City' Trailer In Skouras Theatres Skouras Theatre Corp-, in cooperation with The Citizens' Committee To Keep New York City Clean, Inc. will use a new 10-second, color puppet film commercial on the "Clean City" theme in 22 Skouras Theatres for a one week audience-reaction test beginning tomorrow. A long term program will be considered by Skouras as a public service if audience reaction to the film proves favorable in the opinion of theatre managers. Skouras management estimates 200,000 patrons will preview the clean-up film during its initial one week run at Skouras Theatres in Manhattan, the Bronx and Queens. Report Big Grosses For 'The Conqueror' Howard Hughes' "The Conqueror" drew strong opening-day and weekend grosses in 28 situations last week, it was announced yesterday by Walter Branson, RKO Radio vice-president in charge of worldwide distribution. In Los Angeles the film opened at the Hill Street with $5,611 and on the weekend attracted $5,623 and $6,348. Playing day-and-date with die Hill Street, the Wiltern in Los Angeles initially drew $3,733 with a weekend take of $4,585 and $3,988. In Dallas, where the CinemaScopeTechnicolor production opened Friday at the Majestic Theatre with a top gross of $3,410, the receipts on Saturday were $4,213. On Sunday the box office hit $3,506. The Majestic Theatre in San Antonio opened Thursday with $2,584, an outstanding figure for the house, and drew an exceptional gross on the weekend, $4,309 and $4,136, the reports disclosed. Set Ga. T.O. Convention ATLANTA, Feb. 27. ■ Tommy Thompson, president of the Georgia Theatre Owners Assn., has announced Atlanta has been selected as the site for the organization's annual convention, to be held at the Biltmore Hotel, May 29 through 31. Mrs. Ruth Carter is chairman for women's activities. Gets TV Channel WASHINGTON, Feb. 27. The Federal Communications Commission granted Video Independent Theatres, a Southwest theatre circuit, a television channel at Hot Springs, Ark. In Air Force Post WASHINGTON, Feb. 27. Col. Joseph F. Goetz, former RKO Theatres executive, has been named director of public relations for the Allied Air Forces in Southern Europe. Slight Drop Reported In Admission Taxes; Total Is $31,286,000 From THE DAILY Bureau WASHINGTON, Feb. 27. General admission tax collections by the Treasury totalled $31,286,000 during the last quarter of 1955, compared with $31,477,000 during the last quarter of 1954, the Internal Revenue Service reported. The admission tax is now 10 per cent on all tickets over 50 cents. General admission tax collections include collections on admissions to legitimate theatres, sports events, concerts and other entertainments, as well as to motion pictures. Six-Month Figures Tabulated The service said that for the first half of the current fiscal year— in odier words, for the last six months of calendar 1955— general admission tax collections totalled $58,175,000, compared with $59,857,000 for the comparable period of the previous fiscal year. Loew Drive-in Bid Hearing Next Month WASHINGTON, Feb. 27.-Loew's application for permission to build a new drive-in theatre in the Houston suburb of Sharpstown will probably be heard by the New York District Court the week of March 12. Justice Department officials said they understood the company was asking the New York court to hear the case on March 8 or as soon thereafter as possible, and that this now looked as though the hearing would take place sometime the following week, possibly on March 15 or 16. G. C. McConnaughey Again Heads FCC WASHINGTON, Feb. 27. The White House announced today that George C. McConnaughey will continue as chairman of the Federal Communications Commission until June 30, 1957. Although McConnaughey's term as an FCC member runs until that date, his term as chairman expires this March. Normally FCC chairmen are appointed for one year, but President Eisenhower has decided to designate the Ohio Republican for another term, the White House said. Skouras to Host Spyros P. Skouras, president of 20th Century-Fox, who is serving as Greater New York motion picture industry chairman in the Red Cross appeal, will act as host at a Metropolitan Club luncheon here tomorrow which will kick off the 1956 Red Cross campaign in the industry. . . . NEWS ROUNM Borge Held in Hartford Following sellout performance: Victor Borge's one-man stage s, "Comedy in Music," at 3,300-seat Bushnell Memorial 1, torium, Hartford, Loew's The? Inc. has booked the pianist-ei tainer into two film houses for MB appearances. Borge will play Lc Poli, Waterbury, March 6, and Lc Poli, New Haven, the following ning, at $4.50 top. ■ Nebraska House Reopene The Joy Theatre at North E Neb., shuttered for two years, wa opened Sunday by the new man:' Mrs. Harold Sawyer. Shows wii on a four-night-a-week basis. Ge Mott, owner, has installed Cin Scope facilities. ■ Relight Portland Bagdad The 29-year-old Bagdad, lea suburban theatre of Portland, following extensive remodeling scheduled for a reopening on M 21st. The house is under leas Western Amusement Company. Gasparris Purchase Thei Eugene and Cecilia Gasparri acquired the Tower Theatre, si quent-run Waterbury, Conn., Ij tion, from John R. Mahan. were not disclosed. NEW YORK THEATfli RADIO CITY MUSIC HAIL Rockefeller Center WILLIAM HOLDEN jj PICNIC with KIM NOVAK Co-Starring ROSALIND RUSSCl A Columbia Picture and Spectacular Stage Presentation fl TV FILM SERVICI! CENTE AVAILABLE ★ EDITING roor; ★ STORAGE r©« ★ OFFICES ★SHIPPING ro. 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