Motion Picture Daily (Jan-Mar 1957)

Motion Picture Daily Wednesday, January 9, 1957 > Push A cade my 'Sweeps 9 Plan Tg fgfjfCfAff TTrt da it (Continued from vase 1) " ■ +r Austrian Quits Du Mont Post (Continued be ready for distribution to exhibitors "at the earliest possible moment." Although COMPO has not officially accepted responsibility for conducting the Sweepstakes, the organization at an earlier joint meeting had joined in the recommendation that COMPO handle all phases of the industry's promotion program. On approval by the constituent member organizations of COMPO, the Sweepstakes program and materials will be immediately turned over to the unit "in whatever stage of development they are," according to Tamarin. Tamarin was unable to attend the Monday night joint conference and met yesterday with Robert W. Coyne, COMPO special counsel, to spell out the progress to date of the Sweepstakes campaign. Golden Jubilee Discussed Roger Lewis, chairman of the MPAA advertising-publicity directors committee, presented details of the rest of the business building projects and proposals to the multi-organizational meeting Monday night, including the "Golden Jubilee" idea suggested by West Coast publicity directors as a counter-proposal to the original MPAA plan. The meeting appointed a sub-committee to work out a complete program combining the MPAA, COMPOTheatre Owners of America and "Golden Jubilee" plans into a single program acceptable to all industry representatives. The sub-committee was instructed to report back to the overall committee in two weeks time. Harry Mandel, chairman of the COMPO press relations committee and chairman of the Monday night confer from page 1) ence, was named head of the new group. Mandel appointed Harry Goldberg, Ernest Emerling, Charles E. McCarthy as COMPO representatives on the sub-committee. Roger Lewis was named ex officio chairman of the MPAA representation on the new group. Si Seadler, Alfred Tamarin, Charles Cohen and Jeff Livingston were appointed by Lewis to represent distribution, and perhaps "one more" representative would be named to the group, he said. Unanimous Approval Required At that time, the results are scheduled to be presented to the COMPO executive committee. Unanimous approval of the executive board is required under COMPO by-laws for all COMPO projects. This committee met in September and approved the holding of a second Audience Awards campaign this winter. The program was shelved "temporarily," however, and it was voted Monday night to try and integrate the Audience Awards into a yearly industry-wide promotion. Costs for a combined business building program and methods for raising the finances were discussed briefly at the meeting. It was decided that it would be more efficient to table discussions of costs until a specific promotional program was presented and adopted. Top Executives Attend Attending the meeting were Lewis, Mandel, Coyne, Goldberg, McCarthy, Seadler, Walter Reade, Jr., Herman Levy, Joseph Alterman, D. John Phillips, Taylor Mills, Morton Sunshine, Gilbert Golden, Robert Taplinger and Jerome Pickman. Tax Reduction (Continued from page 1) 52 per cent corporate tax rate is slated to drop to 47 per cent and excise rates on tobacco, liquor and autos are scheduled to drop. Many lawmakers feel that if any effort is to be made to give tax relief to small business or to cut other excise rates, it must be done as an amendment to the bill cancelling tire April 1 corporate and excise rate cuts. Urged by Democrats Democratic members of the house small business committee, meanwhile, in their final report for 1956, urged tax relief for small business. They recommended lower corporate tax rates for small firms, easier capital gains and estate tax treatment, and other changes. They also recommended a new Federal small business bank to make capital loans to small firms, that the Small Business Administration be made permanent, that the chairman of Federal regulatory agencies be elected by the other commissioners rather than appointed by the President, and that the anti-trust laws be tighened to protect small companies. Joint RKO, U-I (Continued from page 1) appeared clear that the talks were far advanced and the possibility that agreements had been reached, if not actually signed and sealed, was not dismissed by some of those close to the principals. Daniel T. O'Shea, RKO Radio president, announced a month ago following conferences with Thomas F. O'Neil, RKO Teleradio Pictures president and board chairman, and other company executives at a specially called meeting in Palm Beach, Florida, that RKO Radio was "considering the re-shaping of its entire production and distribution structure to meet changing trends in the foreign and domestic markets. "Steps to modernize distribution procedures," he said then, "have been under consideration for quite some time. Various plans are under study, including the possibility, eventually, of aligning some elements of RKO's domestic and Canadian distribution facilities with those of some other organization." Consolidation of distribution such as that reportedly agreed upon now by Universal and RKO, has been discussed by other companies also. NBC's TV Sales Set All-Time Record in '56 The National Broadcasting Co., which observed its 30th anniversary in 1956, has reported that its total dollar volume of sales for the NBC Television Network reached an all-time high, increasing 22 per cent over the previous year. The number of advertisers reached a peak of 251 for the year. NBC also scheduled major color TV programs on a regular nightly basis, and it further expanded its leadership in the field of color by completing a $12,000,000 color facilities expansion program— with a new $3,500,000 color expansion program authorized for 1957. Hal Roach Production Totals 110 for Year Hal Roach Studios for the period ended December 31, 1956, produced 110 half-hour television films, in which executive producer Hal Roach, Jr., has proprietary interest. This amounts to a total production expenditure of $4,867,000 for the year, according to a report released by the company. From THE DAILY Bureau HOLLYWOOD, Jan. 8 Ralph B. Austrian today announced resignation as general manager of West Coast operations of Allen B. Du Mont Laboratories, effective Jan. 15. Widely known in picture and television circles, Austrian was assistant vice-president of RCA Manufacturing Co., and president of RKO Television Corp., before joining Du Mont. He will announce his future plans shortly. Mitchell Appointed John H. Mitchell, vice-president of the American Broadcasting Co., has been appointed general manager of KGO-TV and KGO, wholly-owned ABC-TV and radio stations in San Francisco, it was announced yesterday by Leonard H. Goldenson, president of American Broadcasting-Paramount Theatres, Inc. Mitchell will succeed James H. Connolly, Goldenson said. The appointment is effective immediately. One Man's TViews By Pinky Herman Nan Garcia SPECTACULARS and special one-shot programs, inaugurated by NBC in 1953, have enjoyed their greatest success last year, according to that net's researchers, and it's safe to say that they'll not only be continued but rather increased in number. . . . Recommended: Bill Harrington's WNEW daily-at-noon warblings . . . George Skinner's morning platter and chatter over WABC. . . . Lanny Ross' CBSongfests every afternoon . . . Jon Arthur's "No School Today" series every Saturday over ABC. . . . Robert G. Furlong, formerly district manager for the North Atlantic Division of Philco, has been named national marketing manager for DuMont radio, TV and recording products. . . . Stubby Kaye, roly-poly star of the Broadway click, "Li'l Abner," has been signed to guestar Sunday on Dinah Shore's NBChevvy-TV'er. ft ft ft Recently on the "Nan Garcia Show" (5:00-5:45 P.M.) over WOR, the talented and lovely Nan interviewed Eleanor Britton, director of entertainment for the Moore-McCormack Lines. With Nan, having sung "the Message to Garcia" (y Vega Cigars) around the Globe and Eleanor having sailed more than one million miles during the past 15 years, the program proved to be one of the finest and engrossing travelogues we've ever heard. . . . Allen Swift, emcee of the WPIXilated "Pop-eye Show," has been signed to make a series of comedy platters for ABC-Paramount Records. . . . Floyd Bowman, in charge of the mail room and page staff at Mutual, has just completed 30 years as a faithful and efficient worker (take a bow, man) . . . Stu Foster, who'll preem Sat. on the new "This Is Galen Drake" TV series over the ABChannel, will entertain hospitalized Vets at the Hospital at 23rd St. tomorrow nite. Bee Walker, co-writer of the smash ditty, "Hey, Jealous Lover," will accompany Stu at the piano. More radio and TV stars should volunteer their services for this fine work.