Motion Picture Daily (Jul-Sep 1956)

MOTION PICTURE DAILY /OL. 80, NO. 4 NEW YORK, U. S. A., FRIDAY, JULY 6, 1956 TEN CENTS feather Helps Holiday Boosts Business In All Situations Four Broadway Theatres Set New Grossing Marks 5 I The inclement weather which beset "'he national scene on Independence jfoay was proclaimed by circuit and independent theatremen as a major •factor in boosting grosses in Broadway ; ind neighborhood theatres to such a §iigh plane that long-established house fioliday records fell and new ones tvere chalked up. I New York City exhibition was most Tinthusiastic in describing their July llth figures as four theatres, the Roxy, Ivith "The King and I," the Criterion jind Sutton, both with Moby Dick," find the 55th Street Playhouse, with [ 'Bullfight" announced that new grossing records were established, 'ii The 20th Century-Fox CinemaScope |>5 production, in its first week at the jRoxy Theatre here, grossed a huge ''|>31,000, according to managing di(Continued on page 7) |L0 Feature Films Win »>Golden, Silver Bears i;\t Berlin Festival | By V. VON ZUEHLSDORFF I BERLIN, July 5-Ten feature molion pictures and documentary proitluctions from six nations won top Jionors at the Berlin Film Festival fyhich concluded here this week. Four 4>f the top honors. Gold and Silver Bear Awards, were presented to U. S. flilm representatives. 4 The Main Jury prizes for features, rfhe Gold Bears, went to "Invitation (Continued on page 6) Philadelphia Jury Asks Censorship PHILADELPHIA July 5-The June 3rand Jury here has recommended hat the City Council enact "immediately" a film censorship ordinance, in ts month-end report. The jury noted hat "the similarity of criminal plans (Continued on page 7) DC A in Deal MPAA Members Vote gggsgjg! Aid With Wilcox 2d Audience Awards Distributors Corp. of America will invest $1,000,000 in the production of three British productions which will be produced in Great Britain within the next nine months by independent producer Herbert S. Wilcox, the British producer stated here yesterday, prior to his departure for London. Wilcox said that the three films, "Yangtse Incident," "The Battle" and "Eastern Approaches," will have an overall production budget of over $3,000,000. Under the agreement with DCA, ( Continued on page 7 ) SAG Letter Urges 'Revitalized' AAA A Herbert Wilcox From THE DAILY Bureau HOLLYWOOD, July 5-The Screen Actors Guild has proposed to the Associated Actors and Artistes of America that a special meeting be called in the autumn, to be attended by all actor unions, "for the purpose of strengthening and revitalizing the international union." The proposal, in a letter signed by executive secretary John L. Dales, reads in part: "It seems imperative to us that we (Continued on page 6) Campaign Assured Organizing Work to Be Begun by Coyne; Compo Dues Drive to Commence Aug. 1 A new Audience Awards campaign sponsored by the Council of Motion Picture Organizations is assured for next fall in consequence of a favorable ruling by member companies of the Motion Picture Association of America on a Compo request for further financial . cooperation, it was learned yesterday. GlODe SllUtS in Sept. ; The MPAA member companies re y-^ (T * T newed their agreement to match ex vjOeS .Legit in Jan. hibitors' dues payments to Compo up to a maximum of $100,000 for another year. The additional financing makes possible another Audience Awards campaign. Previously, there was doubt that the campaign could be repeated because Compo's treasury has been depleted by the current effort to obtain Federal admissions tax repeal or modification, and planning for a new Audience Awards or other projects could not go forward without the funds for conducting them having been assured. Robert Coyne, Compo special counsel, returned to Washington yesterday to be on hand in the event the House Ways and Means committee meets to(Continued on page 6) Rosen Appointed to TOA Convention Post The Globe Theatre at Broadway and 46th St., sold by Brandt Theatres to the stage production team of Cy Feuer, Hugh Martin and Roger Stevens on the July 4 holiday for an estimated $1,200,000, will be refurbished by the new owners later this year and is expected to open next January as a legitimate theatre, it was learned yesterday. Louis and Richard Brandt finalized the contract Wednesday. It calls for the closing of the film house in September and the moving of the Brandt Theatre staff, housed in the structure, by Jan. 31, 1957. Tentative plans call for the shifting of most of the 30member Brandt staff there to the second floor of the Rialto Building on Seventh Ave. The floor will be remodelled to house the circuit office. The new owners, who have been (Continued on page 6) Senate Report on Film Industry Trade Practices May Be Issued Late in July From THE DAILY Bureau WASHINGTON, July 5-The Senate Small Business sub-committee report on motion picture industry trade practices may be issued late this month as a draft of the proposed report has been prepared by the sub-committee staff and is being processed for circulation to the senators, according to a committee representative. When the sub-committee wound up its recent hearings, chairman Hubert Humphrey (D., Minn.) said he hoped the report would be out by mid-July. However, work has proceeded more slowly than expected, and sub-committee officials now think it will be more likely ready by the end of the month. The senators must now go over the report, add their comments, and then a final draft will be prepared for issuance to the industry. The fact that Congress will be at work for another few weeks, longer than originally expected, has also removed some of the urgency for getting the report out by mid-month, it was indicated. Samuel Rosen, executive vice-president and a director of Stanley Warner Corp., has been named honorary chairman of the TOA International Convention and Trade show which will be held at the New York City Coliseum, Sept. 20-25, it was announced by Myron N. Blank, president of Theatre Owners of America. Blank stated that Rosen's acceptance of the post "is essential. The counsel and guidance of this popular (Continued on page 6) Samuel Rosen