Motion Picture Daily (Jan-Mar 1959)

Motion Picture Daily Tuesday, February 24 PERSONAL MENTION EDITORIAL BE SCHNEIDER, pre; dent of Columbia Pictures, and Leo Jaffe and Paul N. Lazarus, Jr., vicepresidents, have returned to New York from Hollywood. George Weltner, Paramount vicepresident in charge of world sales, returned to New York yesterday following a month-long visit to Central and South America. Morey R. Goldstein, Allied Artists vice-president and general sales manager, and Joseph Rivkin, West Coast executive, will leave New York and Hollywood, respectively, this week for Miami Beach. Bruce Eells, executive vice-president of United Artists Television, left New York at the weekend for Europe. Bob Seaman, in charge of motion picture advertising for "Look," will leave New York tomorrow for the Coast. Martin S. Davis, Paramount assistant director of advertising-publicity, will return to New York tomorrow from Hollywood, Dallas and Atlanta. William Wyler, director, will return to New York from Italy today aboard the "Caesar Augustus." Mac Weis, of the Allied Artists staff in Charlotte, has returned there from Atlanta. • Hank Howard, of the United Artists home office exploitation department, is in Hartford from New York. Don Boutyette, publicity head for Buena Vista's "The Big Fisherman," has returned to Hollywood from New York. Hank Fownes, vice-president and head of the Eastern division of MacManus, John and Adams advertising agency, has left New York for Los Angeles. Paul R. Aust Dead PALM SPRINGS, Cal., Feb. 23.Funeral services have been held here for Paul R. Aust, former Seattle exhibitor. He is survived by his wife, Georgia. A Needless Hearing By Sherivin Kane ONE of the most obvious and deplorable bids to use the motion picture industry as a springboard for personal and political publicity to come to the attention of motion picture people in quite some time is the wholly transparent device of the state joint legislative committee studying the publication and dissemination of offensive and obscene material in calling its second public hearing since mid-December on its measures to license and control screens and advertising of the state's theatres. In the unanimous opinion of the New York industry, members of which are taxpayers as well as motion picture and theatre workers, this use of public funds by the committee to whet its once-frustrated appetite for the limelight, is unwarranted and inexcusable. When this committee held its December public hearings here it was unexpectedly confronted with a news (publicity) blackout because all New York City newspapers had suspended publication in consequence of a cleliverymen's strike which paralyzed newspaper distribution. The committee remained in session for two days, hearing every possible party of interest, pro and con, on the legislation, it seems apparent in the interval, it had even then made up its mind to introduce just as soon as the legislature reconvened. In recent weeks four separate measures for the greater control and, therefore, censorship of theatre screens and advertising, were introduced under the committee's sponsorship. The bills were duly referred to the proper committees, giving them jurisdiction over them— the Senate education committee and the assembly judiciary committee. Both have invited expressions pro and con on the measures. What possible purpose can be served— other than the obtaining of publicity for committee members— by the joint legislative committee's expense-ridden, duplicating hearing called for this Thursday in the Hotel Roosevelt? For this time, the New York City newspapers are not on strike. Nothing of consequence can be added to the record by either side. The most that can be gained is a junket to the big city by committee members at the expense of taxpayers. It is time the white light of publicity was focused on legislative capers of this kind, rather than on the motion picture industry. Urges Pressure for U.K. Tax Abolition From THE DAILY Bureau LONDON, Feb. 18 (By Air Mail) —Urging every section of the film industry here to continue to press for the abolition of the cinema tax, Sir Tom O'Brien, Member of Parliament and General Secretary of National Association of Kine Employees, said here: "The days between now and the middle of March are the most vital of all and pressure from all sides should be stepped up on the Chancellor of the Exchequer. Those who have not written to their own MPs should do so now and not rely on the endeavours, excellent as they are, of the All Industry Tax Committee." "As an old campaigner," Sir Tom continued, "I have known that often Resume Talks Today on 20th-Fox Studio Sale Conferences looking to an early agreement on the sale of 20th CenturyFox's Beverly Hills studio property to William Zeckendorf's New York realty firm, Webb & Knapp, are scheduled to go into their final stages here today. The conferences were resumed last Friday after having been interrupted for several days when 20th-Fox president Spyros Skouras was called out of town. Actual signing of the deal may not take place for another 10 days or two weeks. it is the last straw that breaks the camel's back. Let us collect as many last straws as we can to break the back of the Chancellor's resistance." Budget Day is likely to be midApril. Industry Uni ( Continued from page 1 ' try organizations such as Indep; Theatre Owners Ass'n., Metror M. P. Theatres Assn., Theatre O'' of America and the Motion Picti sociation of America wil ippe present statements for the indu; the hope of counteracting some statements expected from ek backing the theatre and screen c ; measures introduced in the state lature under the sponsorship committee. Denounced by Distributor Advertising-publicity directo major distribution companies, ber of whom testified at the sam< mittee's hearing here last Dec< will not testify again. Pointing oi industry views were already committee's records, most of the ecutives denounced the repeat h as a publicity stunt. Republic Plan to Q Industry About Finn Republic Pictures Corp. has completed" its plan to discontir duction and distribution of motic tures, Herbert J. Yates, presidei stockholders in the company's report sent out at the weekend Operations of the company | subsidiaries for the fiscal year Oct. 25, 1958, resulted in a net of $1,482,337. This compares net loss of $1,362,420 for the p) fiscal year. Gross revenue for the fisca, amounted to $33,468,482, as cor with $37,899,826 the previous Films previously produced ai being distributed through indep distributors both in the United and foreign countries, Yates sal the change "has enabled us to; substantial economies." NEW YORK THEAT i — RADIO CITY MUSIC HAL Rockefeller Center . Ci 6-4600 DEBORAH KERR • YUL BRYN in ANAT0LE LITVAK'S Product!, "THE JOURNEY' From M-G-M In METROCOLOR and GALA NEW STAGE SPECTACLI SALES EXECUTIV Long associated in the domestic foreign fields with established wide contacts. Both Motion Pic and Television. Write for full dc Box 217, Motion Picture Daily, Sixth Ave., N.Y. 20. MOTION PICTURE DAILY, Martin Quigley, Editor-in-Chief and Publisher; Sherwn Kane. Editor; James D. Ivers, Managing Editor; Richard Gertner, News Herbert V. Fecke, Advertising Manager; Gus H. Fausel, Production Manager, TELEVISION TODAY, Charles S. Aaronson, Editorial Director; Pinky Herman, Canby, Eastern Editors. Hollywood Bureau, Yucca-Vine Building, Samuel D. Berns, Manager; Telephone HOllvwood 7-2145; Washington, J. A. Otten. National Press Clul ington, D. C; London Bureau, 4, Bear St. Leicester Square, W. 2. Hope Williams Burnup, Manager; Peter Burnup, Ed'tor: William Pay. News Editor. Correspondent principal capitals of the world. Motion Picture Daily is published daily except Saturdays, Sundays and holidays, by Quigley Publishing Company, Inc., 1270 Sixth Avenue, R' Center, New York 20. Telephone Circle 7-3100. Cable address: "Quigpubco. New York." Martin Quigley. President; Martin Quigley, Jr., Vice-President; Theo J. Sullivan. V dent and Treasurer; Leo J. Brady, Secretary. Other Quigley Publications: Motion Picture Herald, Better Theatres and Better Ret reshmciit M crcli.inili-ing, e ach published 13 time as a section of Motion Picture Herald; Television Today, published da:lv as a part of Motion Picture Daily; Motion Picture Almanac, Television Almanac, Fame. Entered a class matter Sept. 21, 1938, at the Post Office at New York, N. Y., under the act of March 3, 1879. Subscription rates per year, $6 in the Americas and $12 foreign. Single cor