Motion Picture Daily (Apr-June 1956)

MOTION PICTURE DAILY VOL. 79. NO. 63 NEW YORK, U.S.A., MONDAY, APRIL 2, 1956 TEN CENTS EDITORIAL. NewCustomersGrow In the Springtime .By Sherwin Kane WITH the advent of spring and the end of the slack Lenten period, good showmen have not only an opportunity but a duty to check the appearance and condition of their properties, furnishings and equipment, and to clean up, recondition and replace, as required. Many theatre operators and managers are in and about their premises so much they become accustomed to seeing them as they are, rather than as they should be. Unfortunately, the customers are not equally blind and indifferent to careless housekeeping in and about the theatre. e In the immediate offing, if not already at hand, are some of the finest attractions ever to come from Hollywood. They are being backed by distributors' best promotion efforts and by record advertising appropriations. Responding to these clarion calls, multitudes of longmissing theatre patrons will begin to emerge from winter hibernation in indoor sports arenas, and from the television cocoons of their homes. Others will be roused from winter inertia by the brighter sunlight, longer days, the need to "go out" and to spend their leisure time differently. • The surest way to make patrons of visitors is to provide surroundings so clean and comfortable, so attractive and efficiently operated that not only will nothing detract from the show but that your theatre will be remembered as the place to go. Turn a sharp and critical eye on your property. Try to see it as your customers will. Then correct anything and everything that fails to measure up to a high standard. Don't compromise with cost on the excuse that Lenten business has been slack. Good housekeeping is a good investment. It will pay good dividends. Television IN THIS ISSUE PAGE 11 ► Bob Lang, a man on a mission, talks about "Out of Darkness" and his first three months as CBS director of sales for news and public affairs programming. ► Spotlighting the news in Television Today. ► Passing in Review — The week's highlights in shows. 5 Units to Produce For Newly-Formed Amer. International MGM Hits 5-Year Production Peak; 9 Before Cameras Special to THE DAILY HOLLYWOOD, April l.-Five independent production units have been signed to produce for the newlyformed American International Pictures, which will function primarily as a distributing organization, it was announced today. James H. Nicholson, as president, heads the new firm, which has set up world-wide distribution. Franchises have been established in South America in the company's universal distribution policy. Golden State Productions, Sunset Productions, Nacirema, Angel Productions and Roger Corman will produce the features on what Nicholson says will be "modest budgets with particu(Continued on page 7) From THE DAILY Bureau HOLLYWOOD, April 1. -Production will hit a five-year high at M-G-M, with nine pictures before the cameras during the month of April, according to the production schedule announced today by studio head Dore Schary. Making up the total are six new starts and three carry-overs. Leading off the April starts is the $5,000,000 "Raintree County," starring Montgomery Clift, Elizabeth Taylor and Eva Marie Saint. David Lewis is producer, Edward Dmytryk is director. Filming starts today. "The Barretts of Wimpole Street," starring Jennifer Jones, Sir John Gielgud and Bill Travers, goes into pro(Continued on page 10) For Roadshow Engagements 35 mm Projector May be Modified For 65mm Use, Says MGM Report Experiments at the M-G-M studio indicate that a standard 35mm. projection machine may be modified to also handle the 65mm. print, to be utilized for roadshow engagements of M-G-M's new 65mm. process, according to word received here by die company from the studio. The studio statement expanded on the initial announcement last week stating that "Raintree County," the first to be photographed in the new process, will go before the cameras on the Coast today. Meanwhile, in regard to the releasing plans for the first film in the new process, a company spokesman stated that it has not been decided at this point whether to roadshow the picture in a 65mm. print. He added die sales policy will be evolved after the picture is completed. According to die studio statement on die process, the 65mm. print can be employed "with a reasonable expenditure for new booth equipment." The modifications necessary on the standard 35mm. projector, according (Continued on page 10) After Leave Zanuck Again At Studio Helm Viewed Likely 20th-Fox 'V-P> Tells of Contract Complexities By MURRAY HOROWITZ Prospects point to Darryl F. Zanuck resuming his post as vice-president in charge of the 20th Century-Fox studio following his leave of absence, which ends in June. Zanuck, reached by p hone before his departure for Europe at the weekend, indicated that his attempt to work out a new contract with 20th-Fox incorporating his p 1 a n s to produce independently for 20di-Fox release, has been beset by (Continued on page 10) Drive-in Suit Filed by D-J By J. A. OTTEN WASHINGTON, April l.-The Justice Department has filed a civil antitrust suit charging several drive-in theatres in the Omaha area with fixing admission and refreshment prices. Named as defendants in the suit, filed in the Omaha District Court on (Continued on page 10) Darryl F. Zanuck Arwin Will Produce Six Films in 2 Years From THE DAILY Bureau HOLLYWOOD, Apr. 1. -Arwin Productions, owned by Martin Melcher and his wife, film star Doris Day, has announced six top-budget films to be made during the next two years, as part of a $12,000,000 production schedule that also includes plans for both television and radio.