Motion Picture Daily (Oct-Dec 1958)

Motion Picture Daily Monday, November 10, PERSONAL MENTION SAM ROSEN, executive vice-president of Stanley Warner Corp., is scheduled to return to New York tomorrow from a European trip, accompanied by Mrs. Rosen. • James A. Mulvey, president of Samuel Goldwyn Prods., has returned to Hollywood from New York for a stay of three or four weeks. • George Weltner, Paramount vicepresident in' charge of worldwide sales, will leave England today aboard the "United States," which will dock in New York on Saturday. • Kenneth N. Hargreaves, president of Rank Film Distributors of America, and Geoffrey Martin, director of advertising-publicity, will return to New York today from the Coast. • Martin S. Davis, Paramount assistant director of advertising-publicity, will Teturn to New York today from Hollywood. • Frank Cleaver, vice-president of California National Productions, has returned to the Coast from New York. • Sal di Gennaro, Eastern division manager for NTA Pictures, will leave New York today for Boston. • Calvin C. Leeder, supervisor of branch operations for Rank Film Distributors of America, will return to New York today from Minneapolis and Chicago. • Charles Baldwin, London representative for Motion Picture Association of America, and Mrs. Baldwin are aboard the "Queen Mary" en route from London to New York. The ship will dock here tomorrow. • Bernice Steigman, of the Columbia Pictures International home office staff, will be married on Feb. 7 to Martin Leichter of Gold Medal Studios. • Albert Oxtoby, Oregon representative for Warner Brothers, has returned to Portland from San Francisco. No Paper Tomorrow MOTION PICTURE DAILY will not be published tomorrow, Veterans' Day, a legal holiday. Film-Ad Hearing Delay Seen TALI ( Continued ued, "have complained vociferously about the present motion pictures being shown and particularly about the advertising." His present thought is that "we will bring in representatives from the principal groups which prepare and disseminate the advertising to the distributors." The former Assemblyman could not give any names of witnesses, at this time. Two Findings Outlined Two of the Joint Committee's 15 findings, published in its annual report to the Legislature, were: 1) Newspaper and billboard advertising for motion pictures is becoming increasingly objectionable, with displays to attract the prurientminded and garish presentations of horror and terror"; 2) "These advertisements frequently distort the character or content of the motion pictures actually shown." The Committee, whose lengthy report contained reproductions of advertisements — and several posters— used by theatres in New York City and upstate to exploit motion pictures, is from page 1 ) sued a supplementary statement last September. This asserted, "We find motion pictures and motion picture advertising spreading every kind of monstrosity before our youngsters in action and color." The Joint Committee "is also amazed to see the extent to which sex and immorality are being exploited and sensationalized in advertisements plastered throughout our cities and accepted and displayed by reputable news media." 'Open Invitation' Charged It felt, "These advertisements and pictures are an open invitation for the young to imitate their elders in practices which are being presented as accepted standards of conduct, despite their immoral character." Hence the decision to hold a public hearing in New York this month to which it was planned to summon "distributors, exhibitors, advertising agents and officials of the State Board of Review to testify." The Board is generally known as the Motion Picture Division of the State Education Department. Variety Club News* UA Circuit Meeting Slated November 24 Special! to THE DAILY BALTIMORE, Nov. 9.-Election of a board of 12 directors heads the agenda for the annual meeting of stockholders of United Artists Theatre Circuit to be held at the company's offices here Nov. 24 at 11 A.M. The stockholders will also be asked to approve and ratify acts of the board since the last annual meeting and consider authorization to appoint the firm of Haskins & Sells as accountants for the company's current fiscal year. TOA Foreign Film List Made Available Theatre Owners of America is making the current edition of its foreign film directory available to non-members at a nominal cost to cover printing expenses. Requests should be sent to the TOA home office here. The directory lists 672 features suitable for foreign or specialized theatres put in current release by 63 distributors. Says U.S. Films Hurt Prestige Abroad Another warning that this country's exported films distort its appearance before the world and damage its reputation came Friday from a Pakistan businessman, Mohammed Ali Akter. Visiting here in the State Department's foreign leaders' exchange program—and in his home city of Lahore, Pakistan, a producer, distributor and exhibitor— he commented during a visit to the Daily office that our pictures in some, too many, instances show garish glamour or frantic sex. They are so untypical, as he knows by experience with Americans, and assiduous study of our culture, that they provide the Communists with propaganda tailored to fit. They are so outrageously unfair, he went on, that recently a group of visiting American youngsters, petitioned the American consul to intervene somehow, and were told, regrettably, that he could not. It is, as Akter pointed out, up to American distributors. Kuchel Seeks Post WASHINGTON, Nov. 9.-A strong friend of the motion picture industry, Senator Kuchel of California, intends to bid for one of the Republican vacancies on the tax-writing Senate Finance Committee, it has been reported. Johnston Here Nov. 12 Eric Johnston, president of the Motion Picture Association of America, and President Eisenhower's Special Ambassador to the Near East, will be the principal speaker here on Wednesday at the annual luncheon of International Social Service. The affair will be held in the Carnegie Endowment Building. WASHINGTON Frank M, eher, manager of "TV Guide," Wil ington, has been elected chief bs of Variety Club, Tent No. 11. He served in that post previously 1948— when he was manager of:( K-B circuit in the capital. Others elected are: assistant < barkers, George Nathan of Nati Screen Service, and Edward D. bert, president of Union Drug property master, Felix Grant, r; TV performer, and dough guy, i Galanty of Columbia Pictures. A BUFFALO-Frances Maxwell been elected by Buffalo Variety ( to serve as a director and represe tive to the convention of Vaa Clubs International in Las Vegas spring. Other directors named are bert Anscombe, Melvin Berman, nard Burns, Ike Erlichman, Jer George, Myron Gross, James J. H Marvin Jacobs, John Seuling, Will Shirley and Charles Siegert. A DETROIT— William M. Wetsi has been reelected chief barker Variety Club, Tent No. 5. Assis chief barkers are Robert Bothwell Richard Graff. Fred P. Sweet named doughguy, succeeding Johr Haynes, who has moved from Det A BALTIMORE Tent No. 19 I elected Mike Rendelman chief ba; for the 1959 term. Hy Boyer George Doetsch are assistant c; barkers, Skellie Garfink was nai dough guy and Bill Howard prop master. Exp< »ect 25 Exhibitors ( Continued from page 1 ) to the Secretary of State and the i who negotiated the original U Soviet cultural exchange agreem will be host at the meeting, and Motion Picture Association presid Eric Johnston, and U. S. Informa Agency film chief Turner Shelton address the gathering. They will brief reporters after the meet which will be closed to the press NEW YORK THEATR I — RADIO CITY MUSIC HALL — I Rockefeller Center • CI 6-4600 JEAN SIMMONS "HOME BEFORE DARK DAN O'HULIHT • RHONDA FLEMING • EFREM ZIMBAUST.N A Warner Bros. Picture and GALA NEW STAGE SPECTACLE MOTION PICTURE DAILY. Martin Quigley, Editor-in-Chief and Publisher; Sherwin Kane, Editor; James D. Ivers, Managing Editor; Richard Gertner, News Editor; Floyd E. Stc Photo Editor; Herbert V. Fecke, Advertising Manager; Gus H. Fausel, Production Manager, TELEVISION TODAY, Charles S. Aaronson, Editorial Director; Pinky Herman, Vine Canby, Eastern Editors. Hollywood Bureau, Yucca-Vine Building, Samuel D. Berns, Manager; Telephone HOllywood 7-2145; Washington, J. A. Otten, National Press Club, W; ington, D. C; London Bureau, 4, Bear St. Leicester Square, W. 2. Hope Williams Burnup, Manager', Peter Burnup, Editor; William Pay, News Editor. Correspondents in principal capitals of the world. Motion Picture Daily is published daily except Saturdays, Sundays and holidays, by Quigley Publishing Company, Inc., 1270 Sixth Avenue, Rockefei Center. New York 20, Telephone Circle 7-3100. Cable address: "Quigpubco. New York." Martin Quigley, President; Martin Quigley, Jr., Vice-President; Theo. J. Sullivan, Vice-Pn dent and Treasury; Leo J. Brady, Secretary. Other Quigley Publications: Motion Picture Herald, Better Theatres and Better Refreshment Merchandising, each published 13 times a yl as a section of Motion Picture Herald; Television Today, published daily as a part of Motion Picture Daily; Motion Picture Almanac, Television Almanac, Fame. Entered as sect class matter -Sept. 21, 1938, at the Post Office at New York, N. Y., under the act of March 3, 18?9. Subscription rates per year, $6 in the Americas and $12 foreign. Single copies, lj