Motion Picture Daily (Jan-Mar 1959)

Motion Picture Daily PERSONAL MENTION SPYROS P. SKOURAS. president of 20th Century-Fox; W. C. Michel, executive vice-president, and and Charles Einfeld, vice-president, will leave New York today for the Coast. • Tom Jones, of the Jones Booking Agency, Atlanta, has returned there with Mrs. Jones from Biloxi, Miss. • Ned Clarke, Buena Vista foreign sales manager, and his associate, Mel Ryder, will arrive in Hollywood today from New York. • Leslie Grade, British talent agent, will arrive in New York on Saturday from London via B.O.A.C. Ferde Grofe, Jr., producer, has left New York for Manila. • Jack Coltrane, manager of the Ritz Theatre, Toccoa, Ga., has entered a hospital in Gainesville, Ga., for surgery. RFDA Losing Its Two Manhattan Showcases Rank Film Distributor of America, which has had leases on two midManhattan showcases, will be without any in the near future. Arrangements have been completed for the Odeon to be taken over by Charles Moss, operator of the Criterion and other theatres, and Rank's lease on Rugoff & Becker's Sutton will expire in April. Rank already is out of the latter house, however, because Rugoff & Becker booked MGM's "Gigi" into the house for an indeterminate run when Rank had no suitable product for it. Ike to Receive V.C. Delegation on Friday From THE DAILY Bureau WASHINGTON, Jan. 14-Climaxing the current celebration of Variety Week, President Eisenhower will receive a delegation of Variety Clubs International at the White House Friday morning. The delegation will give him a personal report on Variety's 32 years of welfare activity. The President is an honorary member of Washington Tent 11. George W. Eby, international chief barker, will head the delegation. Members will include John H. Harris, Nathan D. Golden, Kim Novak, and Perry Como. Phila. Exhibitors Back ACE; to Buy Film Stocks Special to THE DAILY PHILADELPHIA, Jan. 14. Endorsement of the purposes and objectives of the American Congress of Exhibitors and approval of a plan for exhibitors to purchase stock in film companies were voted at a meeting of exhibitors in this exchange territory at the Sheraton Hotel Monday. Present on the dais were state cochairmen William Goldman, Thomas Friday, Frank Damis, V. C. Smith and Jay Emanuel. Also attending were Harry Goldberg and Lester Krieger. Goldman presided. The reports of the actions and research made of the various committees of ACE on the national level were read by the state co-chairmen, and the Philadelphia exhibitors expressed great enthusiasm and confidence in the program ACE has embarked upon. Endorsement of the plan for the exhibitors to pledge themselves to an organized program of purchasing stock in all film companies was suggested by Goldman. Al Boyd announced that he would purchase $6,000 worth of film company stocks; $1,000 for each one of his theatres. Many other exhibitors expressed similar intentions. '•Oscar' Broadcast ( Continued from page 1 ) agreement with the National Broadcasting Company, a quarter hour will be added to the previously announced 90 minute-fare on 192 stations of the NBC television network and radio broadcast. Thirty-five Canadian stations will carry one hour of the ceremonies, bringing the total number of North American television outlets to 217. Including Alaskan stations, the number of commercial radio broadcast outlets total 199. Telecasts and broadcasts of the presentations at Hollywood's RKO Pantages Theatre will begin at 10:30 P.M. Monday, April 6, and conclude at 12:15 A.M. EST. Exploitation Group Plans 'Oscar' Promotion Plans to set up distribution chairman and co-chairmen in all exchange areas to assist in promotion of the upcoming Academy Awards telecast in the field were made yesterday at a meeting of the exploitation coordinating group of the MPA advertisingpublicity committee. These field men will work with local exhibitor chairmen to coordinate promotion of the April event. Attending yesterday's meeting were Rodney Bush, chairman of the subcommittee, Emery Austin, Dick Kahm, Jerry Evans, and George Nelson. Ludwig Heads ( Continued from page 1 ) urer of the company. Gaudreau previously was business manager and treasurer. A veteran with broad experience in both film distribution and exhibition, Ludwig has been affiliated with the Disney organization for 19 years in Irving Ludwig Louis Gaudreau a variety of sales positions. He played an important role in the creation of Buena Vista and was named to his previous post in 1953. He was with the Rugoff and Becker theatre chain in an executive capacity prior to joining Walt Disney Productions. Joined Company in 1954 Following a 26 year career with RKO in a number of administrative and executive positions, Gaudreau entered the Disney firm in 1954. The new appointments are effective immediately. 704 Lists 195f-59 Standing Committees Standing committees of Theatre Owners of America for 1958-59 were announced by TOA headquarters here yesterday. Chairmen of the committees are as follows: Arbitration, Mitchell Wolfson; Army-Navy, R. J. O'Donnell; building and safety codes, Henry Anderson; business building, Ernest G. Stellings; government decrees, Sumner M. Redstone; Compo, Samuel Pinanski; concessions, Van Myers; drive-in theatres, Horace Denning; exhibitor-distributor, Albert M. Pickus; film reviewing, H. F. Kincey; foreign films, Walter Reade, Jr. Also insurance and real estate, Stanley Stern; labor relations, Abe Blumenfeld; national legislation, A. Julian Brylawski; new personality development and Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences liaison, Henry G. Plitt; organization and membership, R. M. Kennedy; pay-TV, Philip F. Harling; research, Walter Reade, Jr.; Small Business Administration, Philip F. Harling. Also Star of the Year award, Elmer C. Rhoden; state and local legislation, E. Lamar Sarra; theatre equipment, John B. Schuyler; theatre television, S. H. Fabian and Mitchell Wolfson. Thursday, January 15, 19i|l Kassler Is Presented I 7958 Bursty n Awanl More than 100 foreign film distril I tors and publicists last night at I French Film Office saw "New Yij Times" film critic Bosley Crowtl give to Frank Kassler the 1958 Jos? , Burstyn Award for his import, Who Must Die," now at the Beekn Theatre. Growther said this is a film wh improves each time one sees it, regrets New York film critics do : ! share his perception, he persom feels this is one of the greatest Frei films and possibly one of the great films of all time, and in his estimat its direction will go down in hist ; rivaling that of Serge Eisenstein. Arthur Mayer mastered the cei monies. He introduced Raymond ! porte, new French consul, who said;; appreciated this was the second awa j winning French film. Mayer also traduced Walter Reade, Jr., impoi; of last year's winner, "Gervaise." j Frank Kassler, accepting the aw from Crowther, said one thing he li about Crowther's comments was t the picture should be seen sevt times. F. Wise. Allied Scores 16mm Competition Special to THE DAILY MILWAUKEE, Jan. 14-A resc tion protesting the practice of mak available 16mm pictures for n theatrical exhibition in any loca where a regular commercial thei operates was passed at a meeting h of the board of directors of Al Theatre Owners of Wisconsin. In a statement in connection v the resolution Edward E. John; president of the Allied unit, called condition "one that the newly fori ACE should correct." He said f that the releasing of product for 16] exhibition in competition with thea i "poses almost as serious a treat i smaller theatres in the small towns ; cities as would the sale of post films to TV. He urged distributors " find some way to control the probl I Int'l. Sales Meet Set At Disney Studio Mon From THE DAILY Bureau HOLLYWOOD, Jan. 14 Buff Vista Film Distribution Co. rejj sentatives from South America j the Far East will gather for an in [ national sales meeting at Walt Disn Burbank studio on Monday, it \ announced today. Ramon Fernan^E of Mexico, Herb Fletcher of VerJ uela, Alex Caplan of Tokyo and j! Way of the Straits Settlements ill join Buena Vista officials from York and the West Coast in a wl of conferences. MOTION PICTURE DAILY. Martin Quigley, Editor-in-Chief and Publisher; Sherwin Kane, Editor; James D. Ivers, Managing Editor; Richard Gertner, News Editor; Floyd E. St| Photo Editor; Herbert V. Fecke, Advertising Manager; Gus H. Fausel, Production Manager, TELEVISION TODAY, Charles S. Aaronson, Editorial Director; Pinky Herman, Vin 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, Rockef, 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-Pj dent and Treasury; Leo J. Brady, Secretary. Other Quigley Publications: Motion Picture Herald, Better Theatres and Better Refreshment Merchandising, each published 13 times a : 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 sec class matter "Sept. 21, 1938, at the Post Office at New York, N. Y., under the act of March 3, 1879. 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