Motion Picture Daily (Jan-Mar 1957)

MOTION PICTURE DAILY L. 81, NO. 13 NEW YORK, U.S.A., FRIDAY, JANUARY 18, 1957 TEN CENTS is Heart Attack V. C. Gehring, jox Executive, b Dead at 59 neral Services Set re Tomorrow Morning /illiam C. Gehring, vice-president executive assistant to the president Oth Century-Fox, died at his home 3 yesterday ning followa heart atHe was years old. 'he veteran n executive survived by i wife, Cathie; a son, illiam C. Iiring, Jr., f) is St. Louis i'nch manager Ir 20th-Fox, W. C. Gehring I two sisters. Iieral services will be held here toIrow morning at 10:30 A.M. at S'.ipbell's Funeral Home, Madison L-nue at 81st Street. I Gehring, one of the best liked figIs in the motion picture industry, led in numerous sales executive po (Continued on page 4) I liustry Executives toff Bill Gehring II any expressions of mourning and Iimendation of the late William Ipehring were made here yesterday I prominent industry executives, lie of them follow: I he Men and Women of 20th CenI -Fox and Spyros P. Skouras: "Bill J iring was our beloved friend and liness associate. Everyone who jjw him for his humanity, generoI and fair dealing, loved him. Our (Continued on page 4) Television CinemaScope and Stereophonic Sound Units Now Installed in 40,310 Theatres Worldwide CinemaScope and stereophonic sound equipment are currently installed in 40,310 theatres in the domestic and foreign market, according to 20th Century-Fox sales statistics. The report shows that 17,591 theatres in the U.S. and Canada and 22,719 theatres in the foreign market are presently so equipped. The film company's domestic sales department reports that 12,957 theatres equipped for CinemaScope are "four-wall" situations; 3,737 are drive-ins; 649 are service and 248 are non-theatrical installations. Of the 17,591 domestic houses equipped, 3,662 utilize magnetic stereophonic sound; 832 have mixers; 12,982 have one-track optical equipment, and 115 have "penthouse" heads. In the overseas market, of the 22,719 theatres equipped for CinemaScope, 5,409 are four-track magnetic sound installations; 17,129 are optical and 181 are one-track situations. The Far East market has 2,306 out of 9,737 theatres equipped for CinemaScope; 12,999 out of 33,155 theatres in Europe are equipped, and 2,635 out of 8,491 theatres in South America, the film company reported. EKC Improvements To Cost $60 Million Special to THE DAILY ROCHESTER, N. Y., Jan. 17The Eastman Kodak Co. expects to spend about $60 million in 1957 for additions and improvements to plants, processes, and equipment, Thomas J. Hargrave, chairman, and Albert K. Chapman, president, announced today. This amount, Kodak's largest annual capital expenditure budget, will be used for improved facilities at company plants, research laboratories, and offices here and in Kingsport, Tenn.; Longview, Tex., and at Kodak regional sales divisions processing stations and other U. S. units. In 1956 Kodak budgeted $57 million for expansion and improvements (Continued on page 5) Snow, Cold Hit Grosses At Numerous Theatres Extreme cold and snow over all but the southern extremities of the nation this week has cut heavily into national theatre attendance, according to reports from many sections of the country received here by distribution executives. The drop in attendance is the first serious one to be felt since the Christmas-New Year's holiday upswing. Exhibitors are hopeful that the decline will not be prolonged and that a break in the severe weather will bring about a resumption of the good business of the previous three weeks. 7 Films on Schedule Of Bryna Productions Bryna Productions, Inc., will have at least seven motion pictures in release or in production during 1957, according to actor Kirk Douglas who arrived here yesterday from Hollywood to receive the New York Film Critics Award for his performance in "Lust for Life." Douglas' independent producing comKirk Douglas p a n y has aheady c o mpleted two films for 1957 release. "Spring Reunion," which stars Betty Hutton and Dana Andrews, will be released in March by United Artists, and "Lizzie," which stars Eleanor Parker, will be released by M-G-M (Continued on page 2) Mutual Distributors Formed By Tudor Firm Tudor Pictures, Inc., has formed Mutual Film Distributors of America, Inc., to produce "small family type productions," it was announced here yesterday by Moe Kerman, Tudor president. He will leave here next week for Chicago and Hollywood to discuss the production and distribu(Continued on page 5) 4th Annual Allied Leaders Hold Meeting On Convention Plans Formulated Also For EDC Meet, Agenda Plans for a meeting of the Emergency Defense Committee of Allied States Association were formulated in Cincinnati earlier this week when a special committee of Allied leaders met to consider and approve the plans for the fourth annual national drive-in convention to be held there at the Netherland Hilton Hotel, Jan. 29-31. The EDC meeting will be on the morning of Jan. 31, prior to the Allied board meeting at the Terrace Hilton on Feb. 1-2. Attending the Cincinnati meeting this week were Allied president Rube Shor, Horace Adams, Abe Berenson, Irving Dollinger, Morris Finkel, Ben Marcus, (Continued on page 5) Japanese Film Week Begins Here Sunday The first Japanese Film Week to be held in the U.S. will begin here Sunday night at the Museum of Modern Art with top-echelon Japanese film people on hand. The week-long event will comprise the showing of 12 new features and documentary films, the work of nine leading Japanese companies. Pro(Continued on page 5) See Eidophor Ready for Installation By Year's End Twentieth Century-Fox may have its Eidophor wide-screen television process ready for installation in specially selected theatres by the end of this year, according to a company representative. The 20th-Fox official said the organization's research department, headed by Earl Sponable, has been working on Eidophor so that CinemaScope films can be projected in that medium.