Motion Picture Daily (Jan-Mar 1957)

2 Motion Picture Daily Wednesday, January 9, li PERSONAL MENTION WILLIAM DOZIER, RKO Radio vice-president in charge of production, will arrive in New York at the weekend from the Coast. Eric A. Johnston, president of Motion Picture Association of America, will deliver an address on Jan. 22 before the Springfield ( Mass. ) Public Forums. Mama Pi a de Giorgio, United Artists publicity director in Italy, has arrived in New York from Rome. • Philip Gerard, Universal Pictures Eastern publicity manager and Col. Dean E. Hess, the "Flying Parson" of Korea, will return to New York on Friday from Toronto. • Hal Hackett, president of Official Films, has returned to New York from Nassau, B.W.I., via B.O.A.C. • Milton E. Cohen, United Artists Eastern and Southern division manager, will return to New York at the weekend from Buffalo. • Peter T. Dana, Universal Pictures Eastern division manager, was in Albany and Gloversville this week from New York. • Ken Annakin, J. Arthur Rank technical director, will return to London today from New York via B.O.A.C. • Billy Wilder, producer-director, will return to New York by plane today from Paris. Peppercorn on Tour Carl Peppercorn, executive assistant to president Frank Kassler of Continental Distributing, Inc., left yesterday for a two-week southern and western tour of the company's offices and other key centers. He will visit Dallas, Oklahoma City, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Portland, Seattle, Denver and Salt Lake City before returning to New York. M. P. DAILY picture James Velde, William Heineman, Robert Benjamin, Arthur B. Krim, Max E. Youngstein, and Roger Lewis in Krim's office at United Artists yesterday morning. 'Fewer but Bigger' for UA careful study made of exhibitor needs and market trends to determine what product and how much might be profitably produced for release in 1958 and 1959. A factor that influenced the decision to make "fewer and bigger" pictures, he said, was the increase in lower budget pictures announced by several companies in recent months. Krim named those being added to 20th-Fox's schedule and the entry of American BroadcastingParamount Theatres into that production field. Such developments induced U.A. to believe that exhibitors will be adequately supplied with such product in 1958, and that therefore it should cut clown on production of that type and stress higher budget films. Says Plan Is Flexible Krim added that U.A. will maintain a flexible position, nevertheless, in order that, if its market calculations should prove wrong, it would be in a position to resume production of the lower budget films on any required scale. He said the company believes that grosses to both exhibitors and to itself will be bigger from the fewer high budget pictures it will offer in 1958'59 than from the more numerous lower budget production program now in effect. The discussions held with exhibitors on advancing production financing bar pre-emptive rights to the pictures going to theatres operated by the companies which might advance loans, Krim said. For this reason no legal obstacles are foreseen in the event divorced circuits operating under Federal consent decrees which prohibit their participation in production engage in the U.A. financing. Their inducement would be the assurance of putting additional pictures into circulation at a time when the (Continued from page 1) circuits are complaining of a product shortage. U.A. would guarantee the theatre loans. They would constitute simply a new financial source in addition to banks. Krim reported that U.A.'s current investment in released production inventory is $40,000,000. Krim said that market uncertainties preclude a prediction of a 1957 gross, but because the product in view is substantially stronger he believes the 1956 gross will be exceeded. In preceding years, he pointed out, U.A. has had a picture, or several, that carried the gross to new highs. This year it will have "Around the World in 80 Days," "The Pride and the Passion," and the foreign returns from "Trapeze," which is just opening abroad and which promises to be one of the five top grossing pictures of all time abroad, Krim said. Form Pakula-Mulligan The formation of Pakula-Mulligan Productions, Inc., was announced jointly yesterday by producer Alan Pakula and director Robert Mulligan. The company will function in three media— television, motion pictures and theatrical production— with headquarters both in Hollywood and New York. MOTION PICTURE DAILY, Martin Quigley, Editor-in-Chief and Publisher; Sherwin > Kane -E^oj; James D. ^^f^a^%l^t tal' ManTgerf w'hiaXVLj Photo Editor; Herbert V. Fecke, Advertising Manager; Gus H. Fause , Production Manager; Hollywood Bujeau Yucca V me Leicester Square, W. 2, Hope Williams B Telephone HOllvwood 7-2145; Washington, J. A. Often, National Press Club, yf^^^^/^^Jr^k^ Pirrur^ Dailv is nublished daily except Saturdays, S. $65,300,000 Gross in '56 Krim reported that U.A.'s gross receipts for 1956 amounted to $65,300,000, made up of $36,000,000 domestic gross, $27,000,000 foreign, and $2,000,000 from sales of old films to television. This compared with worldwide gross of $55,000,000 for U.A. in 1955, consisting of $33,000,000 domestic and $22,000,000 foreign. Both were records for the company. Krim noted that it was the sixth annual "progress report" that U.A. management had made to the industry since his group acquired control. Among the company executives at the press conference with Krim were Robert Benjamin, board chairman; William J. Heineman, vice-president in charge of distribution; Max Youngstein, vice-president in charge of advertising-publicity; James Velde, sales manager; Roger Lewis, advertising and publicity director; Al Tamarin, assistant director, and Burt Sloane, trade press contact. WB Expands (Continued from page 1) and New Zealand, with Tokyo . first stop. Authorization for the mo was given Cohen by the board directors of Warner Bros. Pictur Inc. at a recent meeting during whf they also named him a vice-preside of the parent company. During Cohen's visit to Austral he will give serious consideration theatre construction in that ar Where other American distributi already hold exhibition interests. At present, Warner Bros, holds: 37/2 per cent interest in Associate British Pictures Corp., Ltd., leadi British circuit. The company's proi able experience in this associate was an important factor in the boaru( decision for global theatre expansic it was pointed out. Weltner Opening (Contintied from page 1) Paramount Film Distributing vie president, will announce the winnt in "Paramount's Salute to Geor Weltner" six-month sales drive tli terminated last Dec. 29. The Phii delphia meeting brings together di' sion and branch managers and fie merchandising representatives of t Eastern half of the U. S. Owen Eastern sales manager. Jerry Pickman, Paramount vie president in charge of advertisiri publicity-exploitation, will also be principal speaker at today's session. II iwplace of the Fas FOR YOUR SCREENINGS • Three Channel interlock projection o 16, 17V2 & 35 mm tape interlock • 16 mm interlock projection CUTTING & STORAGE ROOMS MITCHELL MAY, Jr. CO., INC. INSURANCE • Specializing in requirements of the Motion Picture Industry 3720 W. 6th St., Los Angeles 75 Maiden Lane, New York Editor nup Manager; Peter Burnup, Editor; William Pay, News Editor. Correspondents n the principal capitals of the world. M ^"j ? 310Q c ad3ress: «Quigpubco, New York." Mar da?s and holidays, by Quigley Publishing Company, Inc., 1270 Sixth Avenue Rockefeller Center , Ne« York 20 Secretary. Other Quigley Publications: Motion Picture Hera Quigley, President; Martin Quigley, Jr., Vice-President; Theo. J. Sullivan, Vice-President and Treasu rer, Leo J. tfraay sec re tary . v, Better Theatres and Better Refreshment Merchandising, each published 13 times a year as a section of Motion Picture Motion Picture Daily, Motion Picture Almanac, Television Almanac, Fame. Entered as second class matter Sept. zi, iyj., March 3, 1879. Subscription rates per year, $6 in the Americas and $12 foreign; single copies, 10c. Herald; Television Today, published daily as a part at the Post Office at New York, N. Y., under the act