Motion Picture Daily (Jan-Mar 1957)

2 Motion Picture Daily Friday, February 1, 1 !f PERSONAL MENTION BARNEY BALABAN, president of Paramount Pictures, left here for the Coast last night for a brief studio visit. • Arnold M. Picker, United Artists vice-president in charge of foreign distribution, will leave New York today for a three-week tour of company offices in the Far East. • William Dozier, RKO Radio vice-president in charge of production, will return to Hollywood today from New York. • Ned Clarke, Buena Vista foreign sales manager and assistant to Leo F. Samuels, president, has left New York by plane for Mexico on the first leg of a 10-week business trip to Central and South America. • Norton V. Ritchey, president of Allied Artists International, will return to New York tomorrow from London via B.O.A.C. • Frank and Herman King, of King Brothers Productions, have returned to Hollywood from New York. • Morris Lefko, Paramount sales executive on "The Ten Commandments," returned here yesterday from Oneida, N. Y. Leslie W. Oliver, official of Technicolor, Ltd., returned to London yesterday from New York via B.O.A.C. • JRobert Lantz, vice-president of Figaro, Inc., will leave here tomorrow for Hollywood. • Maurice Gresham, of M-G-M's Coast television operations, has arrived in New York from the studios. 'Boodle' Producer Plans Tour of Key Cities Lewis F. Blumberg, producer of United Artists' "The Big Boodle," launches an extensive tour this week of key cities in connection with regional openings of the Errol Flynn film, the company has announced. He is meeting with exhibitors, UA branch personnel and field men, and will hold interviews and make guest appearances on TV and radio. Initial stops on Blumberg's coastto-coast tour include Dallas, Memphis, St. Louis, Cleveland, Pittsburgh and New York. Accessories Available For Sweepstakes Listed The list and price of accessories to be made available to theatre exhibitors in promoting the Academy Award Sweepstakes was made public yesterday by Robert W. Coyne, special counsel for the Council of Motion Picture Organizations, which is conducting the project. All accessories may be purchased at branch offices of National Screen Service. A kit with all essential materials except the entry blanks, will be available to all first run and first subsequent run theatres for $25. For all other theatres the charge will be $15. This kit will contain the following items: A trailer, starring Jane Russell, running just under one minute; a 40 x 60 poster; a cut out self-supporting standee which may be used in the lobby or behind the ballot box; a horizontal one-sheet which may be tacked to a table, hung on a wall or attached to an entry blank box; a composite mat of advertisements; an 8 x 10 still containing an exact reproduction of the entry blank which may be submitted to newspapers for publication or used as a display piece in the theatre; a cardboard box approximately 8x10x10 inches with an opening for the deposit of filled-out blanks by movie patrons. Price of the entry blanks is $2.50 per thousand. Communion Breakfast (Continued from page 1) dation and former president of the University, will be the principal speaker. Also to speak is Mrs. Winifred Feely, widely known expert on the miracles of Lourdes. Among the stars on the dais as guests of honor will be Peter Lind Hayes, Mary Healy, Jessica Dragonette, Eddie Dowling, Anita Colby, Kate Cameron and Joni James. Joan Roberts and Tom Hayward will sing. The celebrant of the Mass at the Cathedral will be Most Rev. Joseph F. Flannely, Auxiliary Bishop of New York, and Cardinal Spellman's representative at the breakfast will be Rt. Rev. Msgr. John S. Middleton. Robert H. O'Brien, vice-president of AB-Paramount Theatres, will be toastmaster. Meanwhile, in Los Angeles, an estimated 1,500 industry workers are expected to attend the sixth Annual Communion Breakfast there Sunday at the Hollywood Palladium. Doug Bridges is general chairman. Mass will be celebrated by His Eminence James Francis Cardinal McIntyre at 9 A.M. at the Blessed Sacrament Church, with breakfast to follow. Monsignor John J. Devlin, spiritual director of the group, will deliver the sermon at the Mass. Walter O'Keefe will act as master of ceremonies at the breakfast, with actress Cathy O'Donnell giving the keynote speech. Music Hall 'Dimes1 Benefit Scheduled for St. Louis' The entire first mezzanine of Radio City Music Hall will be taken over by the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis-March of Dimes for a benefit performance on the opening night of "The Spirit of St. Louis." The Warner Bros, release will open at the Music Hall following the current attraction. Tickets will be priced at $100 and $25, with holders of the former also invited to a private champagne supper-dance at the Rainbow Room after the performance. Proceeds for the March of Dimes are expected ot total $50,000. Alliance Sees Allied of N. ij ' ReelectsMulli! {Continued from page 1) ing" and to achieve this has a number of plans. One is "an all-out effort to book our theatres with attractions that have teen-age appeal" as an upsurge in business has resulted when pictures such as "Love Me Tender," "Rock Pretty Baby" and "The Girl He Left Behind" were shown, according to Gregory. Physical improvements will include re-seating, modernizing booth equipment, new theatre fronts, re-carpeting and marquee refurbishing, the circuit head declared. And "once the theatres are more inviting," he added, "we are going on an all-out effort to have neat and courteous personnel, giving the good old-fashioned service. The theatre staff must be thoroughly trained." General Merchandising Alliance also plans changes in its concession operations, Gregory said. "Our patrons have demanded more and more items at our vending stand," he pointed but, and it is "no longer the popcorn and candy business we were accustomed to years ago. It is now a general merchandising business that requires up-to-date methods and special departments concentrating their efforts entirely on this important phase of our business." Gregory further noted a new enthusiasm among local theatre managers over attendance increases. "We are attempting at all times to keep their enthusiasm at a high pitch," he said, "by offering cash incentives— which they are certainly deserving of." In conclusion Gregory said: "1957 will be a good year for those who make it good! A neat theatre— with good service and no rowdyism— and wellplanned publicity campaigns— will not only bring them into the theatre but will give them the desire to come back. We must apply showmanship like we never did before— if we want to look forward to a banner year." Special to THE DAILY BOSTON, Jan. 31.-Martin J. Mil lin, president of New England Thl tres, Inc., was re-elected president : Allied Theatres of New England at 3 annual election of officers held yestj clay at the Hotel Touraine. This hibitor organization, comprising sj theatres, has no affiliation with national exhibitor organization. It was also voted unanimously pledge full support to COMPf.; Academy Awards Sweepstakes. Others elected at the meeting Vwj John J. Ford, chairman of the boa: vice-presidents, Samuel Pinans1 Charles E. Kurtzman, Ben Dominji. Edward S. Canter and Harry Fell stein. Frank Lydon was re-elect executive secretary, and Stanley Su ner, treasurer. Members of the boa* elected were Walter Brown, Theod(! Fleisher, Joseph Liss, Winthrop Knox, Jr., Philip Smith, Richard Dc, byn and Max I. Hoffman. Production in France Reaches Post-War Pet Film production in France for 19 : reached 129, of which 90 pictui were exclusively French, according a report issued yesterday by tl French Film Office here. The figu is the best since pre-war days, tl report said. The remaining 39 pictures were c productions, including 32 which repr sented cooperation between Fran and Italy and seven productions ti dertaken with other countries. Color and wide-screen "assunn new importance in the making French films," according to the r] port. Of the total productions, I were in color, while 42 were made a large screen process. The color breakdown follows: c\ in Eastmancolor, six in Technicolc five in Agfacolor, three in Ferrari color and one in Gevacolor. As' wide screen, 19 pictures were in Cin maScope, 16 in Dyaliscope, five Franscope, one in Vistavision, and or in Polyvision. NEW YORK THEATRE i — RADIO CUT MUSIC HALL — \ Rockefeller Center JENNIFER JONES • JOHN GIELGUD in "THE BARRETTS OF WIMPOLE STREET" in CinemaScope and METROCOLOR An M-G-M Picture and SPECTACULAR STAGE PRESENTATION MOTION PICTURE DAILY, Martin Quigley, Editor-in-Chief and Publisher; Sherwin Kane, Editor; James D. 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