Motion Picture Daily (Apr-June 1956)

MOTION PICTURE DAILY NEW YORK, U.S.A., THURSDAY, APRIL 19, 1956 TEN CENTS ites Benefits ill-Industry 'arley Urged ii ly A. F. Myers roposes a Solution to \tme of Industry's Ills V From THE DAILY Bureau WASHINGTON, April 18.-A plan 'ereby the film industry could be ■jscued from the doldrums" was ad'iced today by Allied States Associm in a special bulletin issued by ,Wal counsel Abram F. Myers. Rering to the top executives as "doc3" who could diagnose the induss ills, Myers said that "all they :d to do is to see to it, each for own company, that for the reminder of 1956, all pictures released 11 be played by the theatres on ir regular availabilities, or as close reto as possible, and at rentals that y can afford." r following up that suggestion, Myers n recommended that the top extives call a "great" conference of resentatives of all branches of the (Continued on page 6) ptfewsreels Rushing elly Wedding Shots 1 1 cenes of the civil wedding cerely in Monaco of actress Grace ly and Prince Rainier will arrive newsreel laboratories today for ing, makeup and distribution to itres throughout the nation torow. ewsreel executives reported yesay that most of the ceremony films 5 "pooled," to be distributed to all jricari and foreign firms. How(Continued on page 2) orge Miller Heads hitney Distribution From THE DAILY Bureau OLLYWOOD, April 18.-C. V. tney, president of C. V. Whitney wes, Inc., today disclosed the enment of George Miller as general ager of distribution for the orzation . iller was formerly associated with onal Theatres. House Croup to Back Up Industry's Tax Campaign TP Will Release 10, July Through Oct., Sales Meeting Told Universal Pictures Co. will release 10 of its more important productions during the four months of the 195556 season running from July through October, Charles J. Feldman, vice-president and gene r a 1 s a 1 es manager, told the company's h o m e office sales executives and district sales managers at the opening sessions of their four-day mid-year sales conference here yesterday. The 10 pictures, representing ( Continued on page 7 ) Ways and Means Subcommittee to Ask Reducing or Eliminating Tax in Order To Aid Exhibitors Affected by Television Charles Feldman Urges Intra-industry Peace For Attack on B.O. Decline From THE DAILY Bureau WASHINGTON, April 18.— Exhibitors and producers were urged today to cease fighting each other and instead to "join forces against our common -declining box-office" in an By J. A. OTTEN WASHINGTON, April 18.-A House Ways and Means subcommittee will shortly give a powerful boost to the industry's campaign for admissions tax relief. The subcommittee, in a report to be made public sometime this week, will suggest that the full committee might want to consider reducing or eliminating the tax in order to help theatre owners beset by television competition. The subcommittee, headed by Rep. Forand (D., R. I.), has been studying technical excise tax revision. Changes in excise rates is outside the province of the subcommittee. In its report to the full committee, the subcommittee will point out that the resolution setting it up specifically excluded rate revision from its jurisdiction. Nonetheless, the report will state, [he subcommittee feels that television competition has made such great problems for theatre owners that it feels it is in order to suggest that the full committee may want to consider admissions tax changes to help out the exhibitors. The subcommittee had previously announced it was going to make a (Continued on page 7) New Mass. Bill Calls For $25 Theatre Fee Special to THE DAILY BOSTON, April 18.-House Bill No. 608, petitioned by Louis H. Glaser of Maiden which would regulate the licensing of open air and indoor theatres, has been amended in a new bill, House Bill No. 2834, filed by Glaser. The bill reads in part: "The Commissioner of Public Safety shall issue licenses for indoor theatres, outdoor theatres, special halls and public halls upon a fee of $25 yearly for (Continued on page 4) enemyaddress by William C. Gehring, vicepresident of 20th Century-Fox, before the convention of the Washington exchange area exhibitors here at the Shoreham Hotel. The convention will end tomorrow. With the current Senate Small Business Subcommittee hearings obviously in mind, Gehring said it was wrong for the industry to wash its dirty linen in public. He said he opposes Federal regulation of the industry, believing that "there is not a legislator who can make or sell a picture better than the producers can or who can promote a picture better than the exhibitors. It is foolish to ask for outside help when none is as qualified as we to handle our own affairs." Gehring Association and the Theatre Owners of America were more closely united than ever, and said he'd like to see one large exhibitor organization as in Great Britain. P r oducers have many difficulties n o w that they didn't have five years ;aid Allied States Coast Making More Films for TV Than For Theatre Market W. C. Gehring ago, Gehr said, (Continued on page 1] From THE DAILY Bureau CHICAGO, April 18. Hollywood is now producing almost four times the amount of film shows for television as it is films for theatrical use, Michael M. Sillerman, executive vicepresident of Television Programs of America, declared here today in a talk at the annual convention of the National Association of Radio and Television Broadcasters. Citing that current statistics show film now provides more than half the ( Continued on page 6 )