Motion Picture Daily (Jan-Mar 1957)

MOTION PICTURE DAILY NEW YORK, U.S.A., THURSDAY, JANUARY 31, 1957 TEN CENTS TORI A L p for Ailing ^office in Sight ' By Sherwin Kane J encouraging to see the proBed industry business building iWam take shape and to note thusiastic and immediate supf the initial project to get off round— the Academy Awards intakes. S Sweepstakes will be launched ilhe national announcement of ijjtions for 1956 Academy ijis to be made in Hollywood on .19. Designed as a local promo ) increase theatre attendance, Iveepstakes provides the public Iportunity to guess the winners t of the 27 Academy Awards J mong the nominees during the 111 from then until the anifsment of the actual winners by •ademy on March 27. • iss, to be promoted by partici: theatres, will be awarded J>vhose guesses are closest to the d winners. iJnptly after nominations have i announced, National Screen lb will distribute entry blanks ij acres, and the industry comI working through COMPO, iidiile will have prepared a comI line of accessories and press il to be ready for distribution by Svithin the next few days. It amounts of time and effort '•[gone into the planning of the Mistakes and events which will H it. Many of the industry's best '•jising and publicity talents have !| contributed freely to this enI: to win increased attendance | classes of theatres. • r projects themselves, and the I for putting them into being, 1 e wasted unless the exhibitors i hom they have been devised k the fullest use of them and 3f their talents and efforts in ame proportion as have the ers of the joint planning com i support already being given rcuits and individual theatres ; lead-off project, the Sweep, is heartening to the sponsors, more, much more, is needed to : its full potential for attracting and new, patrons to the nation's ices. 'Stick Together,'' Shor Urges Charge Distributors 'Gobble 9 Drive -ins9 Federa I Tax Cut Better Seating Ricketson Aim From THE DAILY Bureau CINCINNATI, Jan. 30— Drive-in operators attending clinics here today charged that "greedy" distributors are "gobbling up the 10 per cent Federal tax returns by increased film costs and rentals." The exhibitors are attending the fourth national drive-in theatre convention of Allied States Association a t Netherland Hilton Hotel. Addressing the group, Ruben S h o r, president of Allied States Association said, "I'm very much disturbed over the state of aff a i r s." He stressed the fact that he doesn't believe the present type of administration in Washington is healthy (Continued on page 4) Ry WILLIAM R. WEAVER LOS ANGELES, Jan. 30 Going, figuratively but directly, to the very seat of theatres' troubles with television competition, Frank H. Ricketson, Jr., general manager of National Theatres, today told the circuit's division and district managers, executives and department heads, that he has ordered immediate experimentation to (Continued on page 4) Memphis Censor Board Down to One Woman Special to THE DAILY MEMPHIS, Tenn., Jan. 30. This city's acting one-woman Board of Censors recently banned a United Artists movie, "The Delinquents," as having "disrespect for the law, low moral standards" and a few other hings. Mrs. B. F. Edwards is chairman of (Continued on page 4) Ruben Shor Saturation Opening for 'Big Land9 in Midwest Special to THE DAILY KANSAS CITY, Jan. 30. A gala kick-off for the midwest saturation premieres set for Warner Bros.' "The Big Land," a Jaguar production starring Alan Ladd, Viginia Mayo and Edmond O'Bien, is set for tomorrow at (Continued on page 4) 'We Are Bullish' Odeon Head Reports Canadian Business is Holding Up Well By HARRY ALLEN, JR. TORONTO, Jan. 30-Business for Odeon Theatres (Canada) Ltd. this month is equal to the same period last year, it was reported by Frank Fisher, general manager. He said the type of business that was done last fall when it held up "very well" continues now. Fisher added that although the theatre companies are paying more money for their films they are receiving better pictures. And whereas formerly when the weather was bad people stayed home— to be entertained by television— now they seem to be going out to the theatres. "We have a very bullish attitude towards the whole picture," he commented. The Odeon executive pointed out that the booking of better pictures during the pre-Christmas season paid off for his company. The usual recession expected last Christmas didn't (Continued on page 4) Divorce Delay Court Delays Approval of Loew's Order Sets Another Hearing for Tomorrow on Debt Split By LESTER DINOFF Federal Judge Edmund L. Palmieri in United States District Court here yesterday refused to sign an order providing for the division of a $30,000,000 funded debt between Loew's Inc. and Loew's Theatres, Inc., and an extension until not later than June 30 for the distribution of new stock of the two companies. He gave the company officials and the Department of Justice until tomorrow morning to submit affidavits summarizing the plans for the division of debts, assets and liabilities and the status and nature of the problems involved in the divorcement of the production-distribution company and its theatre subsidiaries, and "suggested" that the financial officials of Loew's Inc. and Loew's Theatres ap(Continued on page 6) Set Special Unit for 'St. Louis' Promotion Creation of a special unit to centralize "The Spirit of St. Louis" promotion, publicity and exploitation activities for the Leland Hayward-Billy Wilder production for Warner Bros, starring James Stewart in the role of Charles A. Lindbergh, was announced this week. Herbert Pickman, of the Warner Bros, home office exploitation staff, has been assigned to head the five-man "Spirit of St. Louis" unit in the East, co-ordinating all phases of the campaign activities. The unit will avail itself of the resources of the entire (Continued on page 4) Television Today Page