Motion Picture Daily (Apr-Jun 1959)

•1 Motion Picture Daily Friday, April 17, 19 PERSONAL MENTION WILLIAM J. HEINEMAN, United Artists vice-president in charge of distribution, plans to leave here in mid-may on an Alaskan hunting trip. • Harry Brandt, head of Brandt Theatres, will leave here by plane tonight for Paris, and will attend the Cannes Film Festival, where he will be joined by Richard Brandt, president of Trans-Lux Pictures. • Roy Brewer, head of branch operations for Allied Artists, is in Chicago from New York for the Windy City premiere of "Al Capone." • Kenneth Maidment, Columbia Pictures administrative supervisor for the United Kingdom, arrived in New York from London yesterday via B.O.A.C. • Edward L. Hyman, vice-president of American Broadcasting-Paramount Theatres, and Bernard Levy, his assistant, are in Minneapolis from New York. • E. L. Bostick, vice-president and Southern district manager for National Theatre Supply Co., has returned to his Dallas headquarters from Atlanta. • George Lynch and Bernard Diamond, film buyer and theatre operating head, respectively, for the Schine circuit, arrived here yesterday from Gloversville, N. Y., for conferences with officials of Allied Artists. • Charles Vidor, director, will leave New York today for Vienna. NEW YORK THEATRES i — RADIO CITY MUSIC HALL— , Rockefeller Cenler • Ci 6-4600 AUDREY HEPBURN . ANTHONY PERKINS In "GREEN MANSIONS" Co-starring LEE J. COBB SISSUE HAYAKAWA • HENRY SUVA In METROCOLOR and CinemaScope An M-G-M Picture and THE MUSIC HAIL'S GREAT EASTER STAGE SHOW NO LANGUAGE BARRIER Translate your picture into U. S. Dollars with a Ben Adler National Sales Campaign. ADVERTISING LOngacre 4-2190 • 1501 Broadway. N.Y.C. 'Life"1 Opens Today at Roxy Theatre Here Universal International's "Imitation of Life" will have its New York premiere at the Roxy Theatre this morning, climaxing a continuous promotional drive which started a week before the picture's world premiere in Chicago on March 17. Advance Promotion Heavy Many of the cast members of "Life," including Lana Turner, Susan Kohner, Juanita Moore and Robert Alda, have participated in New York promotional activities, as has authoress Fannie Hurst. An important adjunct of the campaign here has been a large number of special screenings for various groups of opinion makers to create word-of-mouth publicity. Cardinal Spellman Will Sponsor 'Heaven' Bow His Eminence Francis Cardinal Spellman will sponsor a special premiere showing of "Embezzled Heaven," feature film based on Franz Werfel's novel, on Thursday night, April 23, 8:30 P.M., at the Guild Theatre in Rockefeller Plaza. The performance will benefit the Cardinal's favorite charity, The New York Foundling Hospital. Regular continuous performances of "Embezzled Heaven" will start at the Guild the next day. Levine to Handle ( Continued from page 1 ) manship launching of "Hercules" by Levine, he said that "The Ripper" was also an exploitable picture, ideal for the American market, and he felt "most confident and hopeful for the future" with Levine handling the picture. "The Carreras have proven there is a market for this type of British picture in America and we hope to follow in their footsteps," said Green. Plan Two More Films Regal's immediate production plans include another picture by the producers of "Jack the Ripper," Robert S. Baker and Monty Berman, titled "Flesh and the Fiends". Also "This Other Eden," produced by Emmett Dalton. Mrs. Strickling Dies HOLLYWOOD, April 16.-Funeral services for Mrs. Margaret Strickling, 88, mother of MGM vice-president Howard Strickling, who died Tuesday night at San Antonio Community Hospital, will be held 10 A.M. tomorrow at Draper Mortuary, Ontario, Calif. Surviving, in addition to her son, Howard, are three other sons: Joseph, Boy and Dean; a daughter, Mrs. Jack Chandler; a brother, Dr. Richard Cochran, and a sister, Mrs. Rose Reese. To Negotiate Rank Film Sale in Russia From THE DAILY Bureau LONDON, April 16. Harry Norris, managing director of Rank Overseas Film Distributors and Richard Odgers, general manager of the company, will fly to Moscow tomorrow to investigate the possibility of the sale of Rank films in Soviet Russia. Minnesota Exhibitors Lose Fight Against DST Special to THE DAILY MINNEAPOLIS, April 16. Legal or not, most of Minnesota will have daylight savings time by Memorial Day. This became apparent with the state's House of Representatives recent refusal to pass a compromise bill which would give daylight savings time to Minnesota for two years, followed by a state-wide referendum. Drive-ins Hard Hit This refusal was a severe blow to exhibition's hopes of killing the daylight savings law, which it is felt has cut into 50 per cent of drive-in revenues in the two years the statute has been on the books. Although the old law expires on May 30, a local option law which was passed by the legislature in 1957 remains on the books. The House has refused to take a bill repealing this law out of committee. This bill gives the metropolitan area counties of Hennepin ( Minneapolis ) , Ramsey ( St. Paul ) and St. Louis ( Duluth ) the right to adopt daylight savings time on a local basis without further approval. See Gain for the Dakotas Once these counties adopt fast time, it is believed a certainty that the rest of the state will follow. Under these circumstances, it will not be dark enough in Minneapolis to start a show before 9:30 p.m., and further north, starting times may have to be set back as far as 10:30 or later. It has already been demonstrated that the bordering states of Iowa and North and South Dakota, which do not have fast time, will pick up much of the business lost to Minnesota exhibitors. Settle Anti-Trust Suit An anti-trust suit filed against eight film distributing companies by Henrietta Sunness, operator of the Jarvis and Crest Theatres in Binghamton, N. Y. has been settled and discontinued in New York Federal Court. In the settlement, the Crest was given first-run availability in the area and the Jarvis had its clearance period reduced to 14 days after firstrun. Action in the same suit still stands against Comerford Theatres. ED IT O RI A ( Continued from page 1 ) it appears to be there are serirj questions about how much good 1 film exchange agreement with Mr cow will do America— or the indust On the Right Track Yj ESTERDAY's announcement of t j formation here on Tuesday of 1 Council for the Improvement of Thi tre and Motion Picture Projection one more in an ever-increasing ser of manifestations that exhibitor lei ership today is alert to means of i| proving its competitive position I doing the utmost to attract increas patronage. The meeting, under the auspi of Theatre Owners of Ameri brought together representatives four trade associations, IATSE, t carbon companies and two soul service organizations, all with the e of improving theatre projection, sou and physical maintenance. TO A pr ident George Kerasotes arranged J meeting to meet the challenge of recent Motion Picture Research Coi cil report on sub-par projection many of the nation's theatres. When projection standards hi been improved the Council plans only to continue in existence but a to add other phases of theatre ope tion to the scope of its clinical tention. TOA is to be congratulated on I new program for restoring and rm taining the theatre's position as i preeminent center of entertainm and for taking prompt and constr tive action where the need for si action has been shown. It is in the same category as is increasing participation by all le\ of exhibition in the merchandis' conferences sponsored by Motion 1 ture Herald, designed to aid bl exhibition and distribution in real ing the maximum revenue from fl portant new releases in today's it ket. • If this trend continues, Hollyw will have to make them all good, convenient whipping-boy is rapi putting himself beyond reproach. 200 Book 'Dodge Civ "Gunfight at Dodge City," Urn Artists western drama, has been to open in over 200 situations in Dallas, Kansas City, New Orlei St. Louis and Omaha exchange ar Joel McCrea, star of the Mirj Company presentation, will mak series of personal appearances spark local level promotion c| paigns in advance of the key city, gional openings. MOTION PICTURE DAILY, Martin Ouigley, Editor-in-Chief and Publisher; Sherwin Kane, Editor; James D. Ivers, Managing Editor; Richard Gertner News Edj Herbert V. Fecke, Advertising Manager; Gus H. Fausel, Production Manager, TELEVISION TODAY, Charles S. Aaronson, Editorial Director; Pinky Herman Vm> Canby, Eastern Editors. Hollywood Bureau, Yucca-Vine Building, Samuel D. Berns, Manager; Telephone Hollywood 7-2145; Washington, J. A. Otten, National Press Club, vw 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, Kockft; Center, New York 20, Telephone Circle 7-3100. Cable address: "Quigpubco. New York." Martin Quigley, President; Martin Quigley, Jr., Vice-President; Theo J Sullivan. Vicerj dent and Treasurer; Leo J. Brady, Secretary. 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