Motion Picture Daily (Jul-Sep 1957)

MOTION PICTURE DAILY NEW YORK, U.S.A., THURSDAY, AUGUST 22, 1957 TEN CENTS MiD ITORIAL Climax of Fight 'aving Them for ummer Release _____ By Sherwin Kane | HE boxoffice experience of this i summer should be a convincer, if one is still needed, that producers :d distributors who deliberately hold eir better releases from the spring arket in order to cash in on an exacted summer bonanza, are gamblers r sure, but not necessarily good busies men. For, the overall experience of the .mmer boxoffice season, now nearing j end, was a disappointment to prob>Iy every producer and distributor, ithout exception, who adopted the ctic that has become so widespread recent years. Spotlight on Bartlesville Wilmington Court to Hear Loew Case Today Chancellor's Ruling on Legality of 'Rump' Meeting is Crux of Battle It is one more strong argument in vor of the spacing of releases over 'ie entire year, rather than bunching l\em for the expected, but not alays realized, peak business periods. I Business last spring dropped off iter Easter and remained in the dol•ums thereafter. Some contend that ie explanation lay in the fact that, cording to latter day custom, most oducers insisted on summer release ates for their better product. The eaker pictures in circulation in the iring commanded minimal attention. • Had there been a normal proporon of strong releases at the time, the ory might have been different, some elieve. So the upper-crust product began ppearing around the Fourth of July, 'ot in competition with weak releases 'ut contesting with product of equal r comparable quality. Most of it did ;ss business than might have been (one under a spaced releasing schedlie. Almost all of it, without exception, isappointed. • ( Summer business might well have een better had different policies and aethods prevailed in production and ' istribution top levels. ' Whether or not a lesson has been ' iarned will be revealed when fall and /inter holidays roll around. Again, we may have to wait until >ext summer to learn whether this is year around business or just one for iolidays and summer. Bartlesville, Okla., site of the country's first subscription television system, sixty years ago was the site of Oklahoma's first commercial oil well. As a site for the launching of a new entertainment medium, it has some unique characteristics. Today the bustling community is the home of close to forty oil companies, including (Continued on page 6) TOA Names Director Ot Public Relations Ernest G. Stellings, president of Theatre Owners of America, Inc., has announced the appointment of Jack M. Barrington as director of public relations. Barrington will assist in the implementation of TOA's Business Building Program plans designed to institutionalize the motion picture the( Continued on page 6 ) U-l Studio Hits High Mark for Production Universal-International will put three pictures before the cameras next week to give the studio a total of seven films currently in production. This is the largest number of pictures the studio has had shooting simultaneously at any time this year. Leading off the new starters is ( Continued on page 2 ) By JAMES M. JERAULD The crucial test of the legality of the "rump" meeting of Loew's, Inc., directors July 30 will come before Chancellor Collins J. Seitz at Wilmington today. If that meeting lacked a legal quorum, in the opinion of the Chancellor, most of the other complicated litigation in both Deleware and New York will cease to be important and the way will be clear for the special stockholders' meeting called by president Joseph R. Vogel for Sept. 12 in New York. It is possible, but not considered ( Continued on page 6 ) L A. Exhibitor Group Urges Vogel Support From THE DAILY Bureau LOS ANGELES, Aug. 21.-Thirtyfour independent exhibitors attending a luncheon today in Variety Club quarters hosted by Ben Peskay unanimously passed a resolution pledging all present to buy the stock of Loew's, ( Continued on page 6 ) Telemeter Lists 1,000 Guests at Demonstration Approximately 1,000 persons from the film industry, radio-TV, investment houses, electronics, advertising and sports have witnessed demonstrations of the Telemeter closed circuit pay television system at the Savoy ( Continued on page 6 ) Robinson-Basilio Fight Heads for Courts Over TNT Theatre Contract By NORMAN MORRIS The bell signaling round one of the Robinson-Basilio fight may be struck in the New York Supreme Court instead of at Yankee Stadium as planned. Despite Sugar Ray Robinson's avowed statement that he would not fight Carmen Basilio on Sept. 23, officials Warners Open Sales Meet on New Product A two-day sales conference of Warner Bros, home office distribution executives and district managers will be held at the company's home office beginning today, with Roy Haines, general sales manager, presiding. Benjamin Kalmenson, executive vice president, also will address the meetings which will feature a discussion of the company's new seanow through the Roy Haines of Theatre Network Television announced yesterday that they are proceeding with plans to televise the championship bout even if it means resorting to litigation. Contracts with about 150 theatres to show the fight are involved. TNT maintains that its agreement with Robinson and the International Boxing Club is binding on both parties. According to TNT, a contract drawn up was approved by Robin son's attorney, Martin Machat, on July 16, and was signed by Robinson himself on July 31. TNT says that at the time of the signing Robinson was fully aware that the fight would be televised by TNT. When Machat was contacted at his office, he said that Robinson had no knowledge of the contract TNT had made with the International Boxing Club. Commenting on TNT's state(Continued on page 6) son's product from end of 1957. Gil Golden, national advertising ( Continued on page 3 ) LfWBVISE on Page 2 Television Today on Page 6