Motion Picture Daily (Jan-Mar 1959)

5. NO. 38 MOTION PICTURE DAILY NEW YORK, U.S.A., FRIDAY, FERRUARY 27, 1959 TEN CENTS earing Here n N. Y. Bills 'Illegal', :>nstrosity' try Spokesmen Attack Censorship Measures WARREN G. HARRIS nd VINCENT CANRY sed legislation providing for using of New York theatres, sification of films as to auditability and the regulation of ;!ng was attacked as "illegal," ;trosity," "stupid," and "based i" by members of the motion industry at an all-day hear:he bills here yesterday, rge turnout of witnesses and ;d spectators forced the hearich was held at the Roosevelt o be moved from a small conroom to a much larger area after a luncheon break. The was called by the New York •int Legislative Committee to (Continued on page 4) Board Meeting > Heavy Agenda rom THE DAILY Bureau KINGTON, Feb. 26. More directors and executive comen of the Theatre Owners of i will convene at 2 P.M. Sun• a three-day session at the yer Hotel here. Included on agenda are ACE, Department |ce, toll-TV, Army-Navy pre j film company stock purchasojectionist training, extended (Continued on page 5) Will Receive 1 Chamber Award Motion Picture Association has lected to receive the sixth annner award of the Americanchamber of Commerce and Init was announced by Nathan III, president of the Chamber. Jkials and motion picture stars "rung the film industry are exti attend the Chamber's anmer, which will take place on at the Biltmore Hotel here. Second Public Hearing Likely, Says Younglove Joseph R. Younglove, chairman of the N. Y. State Committee which conducted hearings on propo<sed film censorship legislation here yesterday, said that another public meeting will be held pending the committee's investigation of yesterday's testimony. When asked to pinpoint the date of this next meeting, Younglove was noncommital, stating "I don't think anyone's too anxious for it, do you?" Approve Transfer of NTA Stations to NT From THE DAILY Bureau WASHINGTON, Feb. 26.-The Federal Communications Commission conditionally approved the transfer of National Telefilm Associates' radio and TV stations in Newark and Minneapolis to National Theatres, Inc. This is another essential step in the acquisition of NTA by National Theatres. Involved are KMSP, Channel 9, in Minneapolis; WNTA-TV, Channel 13, in Newark; and WNTA-AM and FM in Newark. National Theatres already owns WDAF and WDAF-TV in Kansas City, acquired recently from the Kansas City Star. In approving the transfer of con( Continued on page 2 ) Elect New Board of 75 New Era for Loew's Looms; Amity Ahead Dissension Eliminated as Vo«el Reports Upturn on All Fronts More than two years of dissension on the board of directors of Loew's, Inc., and contesting for control of the company came to a halt at the annual meeting of the company's stockholders here yesterday with the election of 15 manage " ment endorsed Creators, Not Stars Make Successes'-Wyfer By JAMES D. IVERS Financiers, studio heads and exhibitors make a serious mistake when they assume that a star name is a guarantee of the success of a picture, William Wyler said here yesterday. The director of MGM's $15,000,000 spectacular "Ben Hur" is on his way from Rome, where he spent eleven months shooting the picture, to Hollywood where he will complete the editing and scoring. He observed facetiously that he had "found a new way to travel— by boat from Rome and by train to Hollywood." He needed the time, he said, to relax and catch up on his ( Continued on page 2 ) directors b y more than four million shares. The new board replaces one of 19 members, which until recently included three dissidents, one of whom, Joseph Tomlins o n, elected himself to the board a year ago through cumulative voting and prior to that had waged an unsuccess( Continued on page 3 ) Joseph R. Vogel REVIEW: The Sound and the Fury Wald — 20th-Fox — CinemaScope Once again producer Jerry Wald has gone to a novel by William Faulkner for inspiration for a sizzling dramatic film. Like last year's successful "The Long, Hot Summer," (adapted from Faulkner's "The Hamlet"), "The Sound and the Fury" is a strong tale of tensions in a modern-day Southern household that erupt under the strain of crisis. Like the previous film, too, this new one keeps the audience gripped by what is happening and anxious to find out how things will be resolved. A whole gallery of intriguing people comes alive in the process, thanks to the emphasis on characterization in the script of Irving Ravetch and Harriet Frank, Jr. and the direction of Martin Ritt. All these talents assisted Wald in making "The Long, Hot Summer," and they have worked the same kind of magic here equally well. One of the stars of "The Sound and the Fury," Joanne Woodward, was in the earlier picture, and she appears this time with Yul Brynner, one of the top marquee draws of today. Others in a cast of high-powered (Continued on page 5) All Officers of Loew's Are Re-Elected All officers of Loew's, headed by Joseph R. Vogel, president, and George L. Killion, chairman, were reelected by the company's new board of 15 members following the annual meeting of stockholders yesterday. Other officers are Sol Siegel, Rob(Continued on page 3) Nine 4U' Directors Up For Re-Election at Meet Election of nine directors will be the principal business before stockholders of Universal Pictures at the annual meeting March 11 at companv offices here. The nine directors will hold office until the annual meeting in 1960. Nominees are N. J. Blumberg, Preston Davie, Albert A. Garthwaite, John J. O'Connor, Milton R. Rackmil, Budd Rogers, Daniel M. Sheaffer, Harold I. Thorp and Samuel H. Vallance. All nominees are presently on the board.