Motion Picture Daily (Oct-Dec 1959)

Motion Picture Daily Friday, October 23, 195;1 PERSONAL MENTION CEYMOUR MAYER, vice-president ^ of M-G-M International, left here yesterday for Tokyo on the first leg of a tour of overseas markets. • James Carreras, head of Hammer Films, will return to London tomorrow from New York. • Don Klauber, United Artists Associates national sales manager, will leave here on Monday for Dallas and Los Angeles. • Alfred Hitchcock has left New York for London. • Dick Schneider, TV director, will leave here by plane today for the Coast, thence by ship to Hawaii for a four-week vacation. • Cornel Wilde, actor-producer, has arrived in New York from Hollywood. • George Roth, president of Bentley Films, will leave here over the weekend for the Coast. • Edward Catlin, Warner Brothers salesman in Cleveland, has returned to his duties there following a vacation and a short illness. • Doris Day, and her husband, Martin Melcher, producer, are in Boston today from New York. • Sam Spiecel, producer, will return to New York on Sunday from London. SPG to Meet Monday HOLLYWOOD, Oct. 22-A general membership meeting of Screen Producers Guild, in the form of a business dinner, will be held in the Beverly Hilton Hotel on Monday. Conducted by Guild's new president, Walter Mirisch a report on the forthcoming "Milestone" Dinner, honoring Jack L. Warner next Jan. 24, will be made. Robert Arthur has been elected to membership on the Guild's executive board, it was announced today. 'Career' Big $5,760 PHILADELPHIA, Oct. 22.-Hal Wallis' "Career," which opened Tuesday at the Arcadia Theatre here, in two days grossed a big $5,760, topping by a wide margin the previous house record set by "Rear Window" in 1954. Mert Shapiro, operator of the Arcadia, predicts that the opening week gross of the Paramount release will be one of the biggest in the history of the theatre. 'Mouse ' Hoax Is Not a Hoax ( Continued that it had declared war on the United States, and that it had won. That is the story of a promotion campaign, executed by Columbia Pictures and Carl Foreman's High Road Productions for "The Mouse That Roared," comedy produced in England by Walter Shensin for High Road. The picture, in satire broad enough to inspire the campaign, tells the story of a tiny European nation whose rulers seek solvency by declaring war on the U.S., losing that war as rapidly as possible, and gaining the largesse due a defeated nation under modern practice. A 20-man army, armed with bows and arrows, invades New York, accidently gains possession of a hydrogen bomb, and with astonishing and hilarious results, wins the war. Top Executives Heard At a luncheon yesterday in the Columbia executive dining room, Paul Lazarus, Jr.; Jonas Rosenfield; the Columbia publicity department, and Irving Rubine, vice-president of High Road, outlined the campaign from its inception and introduced Moran and his Marquise. By stressing the fact that the promotion was a "hoax within a hoax," extraordinary acceptance of the Grand Fenwick fiction was achieved, Lazarus explained. Shensin, formerly a unit publicist for Columbia who optioned the story two years ago after its publication as a book, told how he had finally succeeded in having Foreman's High road company sponsor its production and how, when it was completed, Rubine had taken it to Geneva, where the foreign ministers' conference was in session and gotten a screening there under the sponsorship of the Swiss Government. Covered by AP That screening and its success— the Associated Press in its coverage said it was "the first time East and West had laughed together"— inspired the treatment for the picture before its opening in this country. At that screening also was born the idea of creating a bona fide embassy for a non-existent country and of treating the stories about it with tongue in cheek. For two weeks prior to the opening at the MacArthur theatre in Washington last night— an opening which garnered extraordinary reviews of both the picture and the promotion— Jim Moran, proprietor of probably the most free form public relations agency in business today, installed himself and the Marquise in a suite in Shoreham Hotel, set up as the embassy of Grand Fenwick. The night before the opening a diplomatic reception, attended by the Washington diplomatic from page 1 ) corps in full panoply, was a huge success. Moran told the press yesterday, confidentially, that the only reason he took the assignment was because he could never resist a uniform. And the uniforms, his own including a $500 pair of epaulets and the Marquise's including a quarter of a million dollars worthy of Harry Winston's jewelry, were magnificent. By-products of the campaign, outlined by Rosenfield, Robert Ferguson, Rubine and Moran, included the printing of a stamp issue— which has been accepted and postmarked by the U.S. postoffice— registration of a car in the name of James Moran, Commissioner of Motor Vehicles for Grand Fenwick, manufacture of flags which have been flown at Geneva, in London, at the Shoreham and in New York, and the manufacture and sale of a new wine, made from the vineyards of the fictional Grand Fenwick. In connection with the latter, representatives of the Cresta Blanca winery explained plans for an extensive national promotion of Pinot Grand Fenwick. It's a good, full-bodied, fine-flavored wine of moderate bouquet, a gay companion, and a fine publicist. London Variety Club ( Continued from page 1 ) first year to $350,000 this year. Its prestige has so increased, he said, that the Tent can choose the benefit premieres to which it will lend its name. "The entire industry is behind Tent 36," he said. "We learned from you people in America how to accomplish such things for the Tent and its Heart projects. I see no reason why your New York Tent cannot be as successful." "There are some reasons, but no real good ones why we can't," remarked Ira Meinhardt, retiring chief barker of New York Tent 35, who presided at the luncheon. "It is an industry job, not one for a single group or individual," he added. "If all will help, no one person will have too much to do. Meinhardt introduced George Eby, International chief barker; Ed Emanuel, first assistant chief barker; Ralph Preuss, international representative; Ray Bell, international press guy, and Charles Kurtzman and other visitors. Fellerman in New Office Max Fellerman, who recently announced his resignation from Lopert Films, Inc., is making his headquarters here at Bentley Films, 37 West 57th Street. TENT TALK Variety Club News CINCINNATI— The Variety Cfu! will honor Jack Needham, recognize as "dean" of the industry in this are] at an 80th birthday stag dinner to h; held Nov. 2 at the Hotel Metropolt Needham, who started in show bus; ness back in the old carnival day; and who was a friend of the late Wii liam Fox, now operates his own bool ing agency covering Southern Ohio' BUFFALO— A general membershi meeting of Tent No. 7 has bed scheduled for Monday evening, { which time the crew for 1960 will b nominated. The annual election wi be held Nov. 9. Harry Brandt Named ( Continued from page 1 ) barker; Charles Alicoate, second as sistant chief barker; Jerry Pickmarl property master, and Jack Hoffberj dough guy. New canvassmen are: Georg Waldman, Charles Smakwitz, Mo San ders, Jack Levin, Irving Dollinger am Jack Byrne. The installation luncheon for th new crew will be held at the Hote Astor on Nov. 17. Urges 'Ben-Hur' Support Brandt urged those at the luncheoi yesterday to give their support to thi "Ben-Hur" theatre night sponsorej by the Tent for the benefit of its cafl cer research and treatment Hea^ Project which won the Internationa Heart Award at the Variety Interna tional convention in Las Vegas las spring. The benefit night is Nov. 2(j Hoyler Dies in Crash PRINCETON, N. J., Oct. 22.-Cyri Nathaniel Hoyler, 54, manager o technical relations for RCA Labora> tories here, died yesterday three hourj after a station wagon in which hi! was riding was struck by a train at ( grade-crossing near Moosomin, Sas katchewan, Canada, according to wore received here. He is survived by hii wife and three sons. NEW YORK THEATRES i — RADIO CITY MUSIC HALL — i Rockefeller Center • Ci 6-4600 "A SUMMER PLACE" Starring RICHARD DOROTHY SANDRA ARTHUR TROY EGAN McGUIRE DEE KENNEDY DONAHUE Written, produced and directed by DEWIER DAVES A WARNER BROS. 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