Motion Picture Daily (Oct-Dec 1959)

MOTION PICTURE DAILY VOL. 86, NO. 69 NEW YORK, U.S.A., WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 7, 1959 TEN CENTS Bulletin Issued ITOO Praises ACE; Would Continue Talks Sees Possibility of Great Benefit to All Exhibitors Special to THE DAILY COLUMBUS, Oct. 6.-Independent Theatre Owners of Ohio is in favor of continued meetings of the American Congress of Exhibitors in the belief that they may produce some measures for the betterment of all exhibitors. A current membership bulletin of the organization signed by Marshall H. Fine, acting president, says that the easiest thing ACE leaders could do in the face of the criticism leveled at them in recent weeks from certain quarters would be "to give up and walk away from further attempts at progress." That they have not done so, he adds, "is a highly encouraging note for our industry." "What is important," Fine says, "is (Continued on page 5) Legion of Decency Praises U.N. Film The National Legion of Decency announced that it has placed the Louis de Rochemont Associates release, "Power Among Men," the first feature-length motion picture produced by the Unied Nations, in its A-l classification ( Morally Unobjectiontionable for General Patronage). At the same time the Legion praised the (Continued on page 4) RKO Theatres Slates Meet on Merchandising RKO Theatre managers, division managers and publicists in the Greater New York, Westchester and New Jersey areas will gather in the Tropical Room of the Park Sheraton Hotel tomorrow to attend a special merchandising meeting called by Harry ( Continued on page 5 ) TELEVISION TODAY— page 4 TOA Report Shows 229 Films for '59; Prospects for '60 Seen About Same Based on recently reported feature releases for the final quarter of 1959, the total for the year from 10 national distribution companies will be 229 features, or a 25 per cent decrease from last year's, 299, Theatre Owners of America informs its members in its October Bulletin. The companies included in the report and their total indicated releases for the year are: Allied Artists, 18; American International, 17; Buena Vista, 6; Columbia, 37; MGM, 24; Paramount, 19; 20th Century-Fox, 33; ( Continued on page 2 ) Next Winter 'Best' Is Slogan for Big Local Tie-Ins Twentieth Century-Fox is lending the title of its film "The Best of Everything" for use as a slogan by manufacturers, merchandisers, stores, and other outlets in an extensive local-level cooperative campaign. The program is being coordinated by Fox regional advertising and publicity managers. "The Best of Everything" has been the official title for New York City's famous "Hudson Celebration" all sum(Continued on page 4) Pay -TV Equipment Deal For Telemeter, Jerrold International Telemeter Corp., division of Paramount Pictures, and Jerrold Electronics I Corp., Philadelphia, have entered into an agreement for the manufacture of distribution equipment and installation of distribution systems for Telemeter closedcircuit pay-TV. Announcement of the deal was made jointly yesterday by (Continued on page 4) Allendorf Is Kodak Sales Promotion Head Special to THE DAILY ROCHESTER, N. Y., Oct. 6,-Joseph R. Allendorf has been appointed director of sales promotion for the Eastman Kodak Company, it was announced today by James E. McGhee, vice-president in charge of U.S. sales (Continued on page 5) Small, Saville Team To Make 3 for U.A. Edward Small and Victor Saville have formed a joint production organization to produce three important topbudgeted pictures for United Artists release, it was announced yesterday by the distribution company. The trio of properties are "Dear (Continued on page 4) REVIEW: A Summer Place Warner Bros. Young love, played in counterpoint against the mistakes and the ultimate love of parents, is the theme of this elaborately produced, strongly cast, and heavily promoted Warner production. Delmer Daves has written a closely knit screenplay from the best-selling Sloan Wilson novel and produced and directed it with a fine eye for the ultimate audience reaction and a delicate hand for the subject matter. It is a pre-sold property, the popular novel, serialized in "McCall's," having caused considerable talk as well as having had a wide sale. To that basic asset Warners has added a shrewdly chosen cast headed by Sandra Dee and Troy Donahue who is being launched with this picture on a star building career, and filled out with the capable Dorothy McGuire, Richard Egan, Arthur Kennedy and Constance Ford. The "summer place" of the title is an exclusive island resort off the (Continued on page 5) Strong Drive On Wage Law Slated by TOA Seeks Theatre Exemption In Bill Felt Sure to Pass Theatre Owners of America will conduct a "serious campaign" next winter in an endeavor to have theatres exempted from the new wages and hours law amendment which it feels Congress is almost certain to pass in an election year. In a bulletin to its members, TOA urges them to contact their Congressmen and Senators while they are at home during the next few months and present the theatres' story to them on the injurious effects that Federal wage and hour regulations would have on theatre operations with its part-time and off-hours workers. The TOA bulletin notes that during the last session, Congress failed to get around to action on the "stiff Wages and Hours Law amendment which proposed a $1 per hour minimum for all theatre employes. However, with ( Continued on page 2 ) Try Conciliation, TOA Again Urges Exhibitors Another strong recommendation to exhibitors to make the fullest possible use of conciliation is contained in the October membership bulletin of Theatre Owners of America, released yesterday. TOA president George Kerasotes previously had urged exhibitors to avail themselves of the revived industry conciliation process for problems (Continued on page 5) 'Career' Bows Tonight At State Theatre Here "Career," Hal Wallis' film for Paramount, will have its world premiere tonight at the Loew's State Theatre here. A gala, black-tie affair is scheduled, with hundreds of notables from the motion picture industry, society, stage, radio and TV in attendance. Among the many industry figures (Continued on page 4)