Motion Picture Daily (Jul-Sep 1957)

MOTION PICTURE DAILY VOL. 82, NO. 41 NEW YORK, U.S.A., WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 28, 1957 TEN CENTS L. A. Board Acts Telemeter and FWC Eligible ForPay-TVBid Harriscope Also Has Right To Enter Bidding Sept. 18 By WILLIAM R. WEAVER HOLLYWOOD, Aug. 27.-The Los Angeles board of public utilities and transportation today unanimously voted approval of the applications for a franchise covering closed-circuit paytelevision by Fox West Coast Theatres, International Telemeter Corp., and Harriscope, Inc. The terms sought by the applicants are identical with those proposed by Skiatron Electronics and Television Corp. Today's action formally qualifies all ( Continued on page 5 ) Renew Appeal to Drop Seattle Theatre Tax Special to THE DAILY SEATTLE, Wash., Aug. 27. An appeal to eliminate or reduce theatre admission taxes has again been made to the Seattle city council by William F. Devin, attorney and former mayor of Seattle. He told the board that Seattle motion picture theatres have been hard hit by television and that since 1946 eleven theatres have ( Continued on page 4 ) Final Hearing Today On N. Y. Tax Cut Bill Mayor Robert F. Wagner will hold a hearing in his office here tomorrow at 10:00 A.M. to see if any last minute opposition will be given the city's bill to eliminate the tax on the first 90 cents of all motion picture theatre tickets. The measure, which was in( Continued on page 5 ) Television Today Page Selznick Praises Pay -TV; Urges Reduction in Prints By NORMAN MORRIS (Picture on Page 6) "Toll television could be the salvation of American producers," producer David O. Selznick asserted here yesterday at a press conference. He said he believes pay-TV would enable producers and distributors to realize much more money than they are now getting through normal distribution patterns. The producer hit hard at "habitual thinking," too, which he said results in the making of "far too many prints" for most pictures and raises production costs. Selznick said that producers and distributors are "not in business to lose money," and he called for a reduction in the number of prints to cut down costs. He added that his suggestion applies to "runof-the-mill pictures." Selznick, who is currently completing work on "A Farewell to Arms," said the screenplay is probably more faithful to the original story than his "Gone with the Wind" was to the novel. The picture is now ( Continued on page 6 ) Oscar Neu Dies; Was Equipment Executive Oscar F. Neu, 71, one of the most prominent figures in the industry's equipment field, died Monday night at his home in Crestwood, N. Y., after a long illness. Masonic services will be held at 8 P.M., W e d n e sday, August 28 at the Fred C. McGrath Funeral Home, B r o n x v i 1 le, N. Y. Additional services will be held Thursday at 11 A.M. ( Continued on page 6 ) Oscar Neu WB Sets $2,000,000 To Promote 'Sayonara1 Warner Bros, will spend over two million dollars for advertising and promotion of the William Goetz production, "Sayonara," which is the largest such budget the company has ever scheduled for a picture, Robert S. ( Continued on page 5 ) Minimum Wage Board Sets Meeting Sept. 6 The minimum wage board appointed to the New York State Labor Commission to review wage standards in the amusement industry will meet again in executive session here on Sept. 6. The meeting is slated to take place at 80 Center Street at 10:00 A.M. The board will hold public hearings in Rochester on Oct. 25, in Albany on Nov. 1 and in New York City on Nov. 8. Germans Name U. S. Representative; Plan Big Promotional Campaign Here Plans for the German film industry to launch a "vigorous" campaign to promote its product in the American market were revealed here yesterday by Munio Podhorzer, who has been appointed the first representative of the German Export-Union in the U.S Podhorzer has just returned here from an extended visit to Germany where he discussed plans for the project with executives of the Export-Union and various leading producers. The Export-Union represents German distributor, producer and export associations and seeks to promote the development of German films all over the world. Current plans are to open a New York bureau early next spring. It will be the fourth such unit; others are presently operating in Paris, Rome, and Stockholm. Podhorzer said yesterday his cur( Continued on page 4 ) On Loew's Meet Slate Hearing On Campbell Action Friday Also to Hear Tomlinson Motion for Reargument Special to THE DAILY WILMINGTON, Aug. 27.-Chancellor Collins J. Seitz today set Friday at 2:30 for a hearing on the Ralph B. Campbell action to enjoin the holding of the special meeting of Loew's stockholders called for Sept. 12 by Joseph R. Vogel, president of Loew's. In affidavits on file in Chancery court here, Louis Nizer, attorney for the Vogel mangement group, has identified Campbell as a partner in a Lexington, Ky., hotel operation of Jo(Continued on page 4) U.A. Executives Look At Productions Abroad Max A. Youngstein, United Artists vice-president, back in New York after several weeks abroad, reported yesterday on U.A. productions completed or in work in Europe. Five productions among the company's important new pictures are in the group which Youngstein, with Arthur Krim, U.A. president, and Arnold Picker, vice-president in charge of foreign distribution, looked at. They are ( Continued on page 6 ) Kenneth Murray Named To A.A. Post in Britain The appointment of Kenneth W. Murray as United Kingdom representative for Allied Artists International, effective Sept. 2, was announced yesterday by Norton V. Ritchey, president of AA International. Murray, a veteran of 20 years with Associated British-Pathe, Ltd., has resigned his position as secretary of that organization to take on the new post. AA International's former U.K. representative for many years was C. G. Dickinson, recently deceased. Edwin J. Smith, AA International vice-president in charge of European operations, continues in that post.