Motion Picture Daily (Jan-Mar 1957)

Wednesday, January 16, 1957 Motion Picture Daily Brotherhood Chairmen Set Industry executives in 14 key cities have accepted posts as area distributor chairmen of the amusement industry's Brotherhood Drive for 1957. 'This was announced yesterday by William J. Heineman and Spyros S. Skouras, Jr., national co-chairmen of 'the inter-faith efforts sponsored by the (National Conference of Christians and News. The Brotherhood campaign will be Formally launched Jan. 24 at a dinner In the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York at which entertainment industry 'leaders will honor Jack L. Warner, IWarner Bros, president, named recipient of the Brotherhood Award for 1957. Distribution officials taking over (area chairmanships for the national campaign are: Byron Adams, United Artists, Jacksonville; M. B. Adcock, {Warner Bros., Minneapolis; Harry Germaine, Paramount, New Haven; Bill Hames, United Artists, Atlanta; i Henry Haustein, Paramount, Seattle; Tames Hendel, United Artists, Pittsburgh, and L. Krause, RKO, Detroit; Also William Kumins, Warner Bros., Boston; James Ricketts, Paramount, Denver; Frank Rule, Paramount, Dallas; Al Shimtken, Warner Bros., San Francisco; Joe Sugar, United Artists, New York; Max Westebbe, RKO, Albany, and C. Zagrans, RKO, Philadelphia. Paramount Opens Final Sales Meeting Today ST. LOUIS, Jan. 15 Paramount will open the second and final part of its 1957 national sales and merchandising meeting at the Chase Hotel here tomorrow with George Weltner, president of Paramount Film Distributing Corp., presiding. This meeting of division and branch managers and field merchandising representatives, all of the west j ern half of the U. S., which Sidney Deneau manages, will center on sales [policies and release and promotion plans for 1957 product. I The opening day will be devoted primarily to "The Ten Commandments," and subsequent days will be devoted to "Three Violent People," "The Rainmaker," "Fear Strikes Out," '"Funny Face," "Gunfight at the OK Corral," "Omar Khayyam," "Beau j James," "The Delicate Delinquent" and "The Buster Keaton Story." Bogart Services Today HOLLYWOOD, Jan. 15 Funeral services for actor Humphrey Bogart will be held at 12:30 P.M. tomorrow at All Saints Episcopal Church in Beverly Hills. The service will be j-ead by the Rev. Kermit Kestelpne and the eulogy will be made by John Huston. Interment will follow at Forest Lawn Cemetery. The family has requested that flowers be omitted in favor of donations to the American Cancer Society. ..JEWS ROUNDUP M. P. DAILY picture Over coffee-and-danish and very early yesterday morning Fred Schwartz broke to the trade the news his company now, after some delay, is a going concern with a list of exchanges and a complement of product. With him, DCA general manager Irving Wormser and sales manager Arthur Sachson. DCA Schedules 23 for 1957 (Continued fr a "beyond any shadow of a doubt" faith in the future of the industry are responsible for the expansion of DCA at a time when some other film distributors are cutting back their operations, Schwartz asserted. Ten exchange offices have been opened recently in the U.S. for DCA, replacing states rights franchise holders that have been handling the company's distribution up to now. Immediate plans call for a total of "1518 exchanges throughout the U. S. and Canada before the end of 1957," he reported. Fieldmen and franchise /holders will continue to operate in areas not reached by the exchanges, he said. The operation will be headed by general manager Irving Wormser and sales manager Arthur Sachson. The new exchanges are in the following cities: New York, Boston, Philadelphia, Washington, Chicago, Cincinnati, Des Moines, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Seattle. Distribution Schedules Classified Distribution schedules for the company were classified into three types bv Schwartz. The company intends to release annually "three to five top quality" pictures, "two or three exploitation package shows (four or six pictures) aimed at the increasing juvenile audience" and "10 to 12 of the best productions from the foreign market," he said. Schwartz expressed the opinion that adult audiences were being lost in the concentration on juvenile and exploitation pictures, commenting that it is much harder to interest adults in returning to theatres than younger people. He said that some "censorship" difficulties may be expected in some of DCA's foreign releases, but he felt that strictly adult features were as necessary as low-budget exploitation films aimed at other audience segments. Criticizing "censor groups" and the orn page 1 ) "single-standard" motion picture Production Code "which rates films only for general viewing," he called the present rating systems "not very realistic." Cites Adults-Only' Plan He cited special "adults only" classifications given to British films by that country's code authorities. He felt that U.S. exhibitors' resistance to showing pictures "condemned" by the Legion of Decency would be relaxed if the present Code were again revised to adopt such a standard and the ratings set up by an advisory group of "technical people qualified to understand the moral effects on audiences." Schwartz pointed out that he was differentiating between "superior adult pictures" and "sex exploitation" films that deserved censure. Summing up the 1957 outlook for DCA, he predicted that the company's gross at the year's end may increase "by as much as 300 per cent" over the previous year. He declined to give the previous year's figure. SIMPP Seeks Increases In Pakistan Releases The Society of Independent Motion Picture Producers is currently working on an agreement with Pakistan to permit a greater number of independents' pictures to be distributed in that country, according to industry sources here. Until now there has been a very small market for independents in Pakistan, since "most of its available exchange has been earmarked for the major companies and import permits have been more or less tied to remittances," an industry official said. It is understood that SIMPP president Ellis Arnall has discussed the matter with the State Department and that SIMPP is negotiating now with the Pakistan government to better the situation for the independents. 'La Strada' Given Award The annual Joseph Burstyn Award for the best foreign-language film of 1956 was presented to the Italian film "La Strada" vesterdav at a cocktail party at the Hotel Plaza given by the Independent Motion Picture Distributors Association of America. Archer Winsten, film critic of the "New York Post" presented the award, which was accepted by Joan Loring. ■ 'Brave' Screenings Concluded The 34-city preview screening program on "Three Brave Men" to mobilize local support for the picture was concluded by 20th Century-Fox yesterday. The national screenings, attended by more than 50,000 community leaders and the press, set in motion programs of support from such organizations as the Federation of Women's Clubs, Motion Picture Councils, United Church Women, National Council of Churches, American Jewish Committee and The American Civil Liberties Union. RCA Answers Philco Radio Corp. of America yesterday denied the charges made by Philco Corp. in a suit filed by Philco against RCA, General Electric Company, and American Telephone and Telegraph Co. RCA stated that "the obvious purpose and intent of the litigation was if) throttle development of color tele\ ision by reiteration of unfounded ciiarges made in other pending and undecided cases involving; RCA." Move to Drop Kelso Tax The Kelso, Wash., City council has ordered an ordinance drawn to remove the five per cent municipal tax on theatre admissions. Basil Bashor, Kelso theatre operator, had frequently requested such action in past years. The ordinance would drop the tax on March. 1. E. M. Loew s Wins OK For Concession Building NEW HAVEN, Conn., Jan. 15 — A permit for a concession building at the site for what will be the initial outdoor theatre within city limits has been issued by the Building Inspection Department to E. M. Loew's Theatres. Permission was requested more than a year ago. E. M. Loew asked for the building permit in October, 1955. The building inspector gave preliminary approval, but later denied the permit. Loew than appealed to Superior Court and the city took the case to Supreme Court of Errors at State Capitol, Hartford. The theatre firm won each time.