Motion Picture Daily (Oct-Dec 1959)

OL. 86, NO. 78 MOTION PICTURE DAILY NEW YORK, U.S.A., WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 21, 1959 TEN CENTS \urprise Move pourt Orders Balloting on kscap Decree djourns Hearing to Jan. 6 ;ays Opposition Too Great Federal Judge Sylvester Ryan deined to approve the proposed n ended consent decree for Ascap ter hearing two days of objections om members of the Society in U.S. district Court here and ordered a balt on the decree by publisher and riter members of Ascap on both oasts before proceeding further. Judge Ryan said that Herman FinIstein, Ascap general counsel, "lould take charge of the balloting on le decree, seeing to it that every ualified Ascap member receives a allot. They will be returnable by (Continued on page 4) my Is Executive hsistant to Lopert Clem Perry has been appointed excutive assistant to the president of ■opert Films, Inc., effective immediately, it was announced yesterday by Ilya Lopert, presid e n t of the company. Perry recently resigned as general manager and vicepresident o f Rugoff and Becker after 15 years with the circuit. He has been a leading ontributor to the growth of the art Iheatre movement in the U.S. | At Lopert Films, in addition to his Activities in the over all operation of he company, Perry will supervise Iperations of the Astor and Victoria fheatres. He will also be in charge jif the company's art theatres, both »ere and in other cities. Clem Perry TELEVISION TODAY— page 5 Next ACE-MPAA Meeting Slated for November 2 The American Congress of Exhibitors and the Motion Picture Association will hold their next joint meeting on Monday, Nov. 2, it was announced yesterday by S. H. Fabian, ACE chairman, and Eric Johnston, MPAA president. The session will take place at 2:30 P.M. in the MPAA board room. Agenda for the meeting will be worked out next week, the announcement stated. Efforts to arrange a joint session at the earlier date were reported to have run into difficulty because a number of exhibitor members could not be present. Russian Film Switched To Larger D. C. Theatre From THE DAILY Bureau WASHINGTON, Oct. 20. The opening night performance Nov. 10 of "The Cranes Are Flying," first Russian film to be presented here under the film exchange agreement made by U.S. with that country, has been shifted from the Dupont Theatre to the larger Metropolitan Theatre. The demand for tickets to the (Continued on page 4) Executives Meet with Exhibitors Col. Into Field with New Product Story Has 39 Releases Set for 13 Months; Minimum of 19 to Go Before Cameras Top executives of Columbia Pictures will visit, within a four-week period, every exchange area to discuss with exhibitors the release of 39 films during the 13 months beginning January, 1960, at the rate of three a month. In addition. 'Drive-In Story' Is on TO A Convention Agenda Drive-In theatre operation will hold the spotlight on Thursday morning, Nov. 12, at the 12th annual convention of the Theatre Owners of America, at the Hotel Sherman in Chicago, it was announced by George G. Kerasotes, TOA president. Dwight L. Spracher, of Seattle, Wash., one of the three convention co-chairman, will preside at the convention's special session to be known as "The Drive-In Story." Most of the (Continued on page 2) Velde Pledges U.A. Will Maintain Plan Of 'Orderly Release1 on 29 Top Films United Artists will maintain a pattern of orderly release in 1960 and will have as many or more blockbusters as it has this year, James R. Velde, vicepresident of the organization in charge of domestic sales, said yesterday. This year the titles of 19 other major productions definitely set to go before the cameras in the same period will be announced. To launch the project, designed to alert the industry that 1960 will be the year of "The Big C," Leo Jaffe, Columbia's first vice-president and treasurer, yesterday addressed 52 officials of every major circuit either operating in the New York area or making its home office here, at a luncheon at the Savoy Hilton Hotel. This meeting will be followed by similar ones in each branch ( Cotitinued on page 3 ) Leo Jaffe Film Firms Dividends 7% Ahead of Last Year From THE DAILY Bureau WASHINGTON, Oct. 20. Cash dividends of motion picture companies in the first nine months of 1959 were running better than 7 per cent ahead of the like period of 1958, the Commerce Department reported here today. The Department said that publiclyreported cash dividends for the first three-quarters of this year totalled $17,534,000, compared to $16,309,000 in the like 1958 period. Dividends reported for September totaled $3,290,000, slightly behind the $3,353,000 reported last September. U. A. is releasing a minimum of 29 "doubleA" attractions at the rate of seven per quarter, representi n g an increase of more than 75 per cent over the number released in 1958. E x pressing high optimism for the future, Velde underscored the quality product that will go into distribution in 1960. It includes "On The Beach," "Solomon and Sheba," "Happy Anniversary," "The Unfor(Continued on page 6) Capitol Shuts Tonight For Remodeling Plan The Capitol Theatre here will close tonight after the last screening of "But Not for Me," and will reopen some time in December after extensive renovations, Eugene Picker, president of Loew's Theatres, said yesterday. United Artists' "Solomon and Sheba" will be the inaugural attraction in (Continued on page 2) James R. Velde Officers and Directors Named by the MPRC From THE DAILY Bureau HOLLYWOOD, Oct. 20.-Officers and directors for the ensuing year were named yesterday at annual meeting of Motion Picture Besearch ( Continued on page 6 )