Motion Picture Daily (Oct-Dec 1959)

liesday, November 17, 1959 Motion Picture Daily 3 TEST TALK Variety Club News BUFFALO— Five past chief barkers jive been appointed to the governing •Card of Tent No. 7. They are: I. [jpencer Balser, Basil Circuit; Francis jfax-well, United Artists; Harold BenJett, former manager of the local Na{onal Screen office, and now retired; Jlmer F. Lux, former president of the lommon Council and well known forier industryite, and W. E. J. Marti, drama and motion picture editor f the Courier-Express. The new bard will meet on Monday in die iub headquarters to elect new officers m\r 1960. A Fabian Liaison With SPG HOLLYWOOD Tent No. 5 has jiected the following crew members: [>hn Lavery, M. J. E. McCarthy, Jack [essick, Wayne Hanson, Ralph Blow, rmand Schaeffer, William Jarnagin, ick Berwick, Al Lapidus and Harvey jl/estfall. The crew will meet on hursday to elect officers for the comig year. I A 1 CLEVELAND Highlight of the [ariety Club's Thanksgiving Party to e held in the Tudor Arms Hotel this i ear will be a drawing for a 1960 )r. Nussbaum to Deliver 'ioneers' Invocation Dr. Max Nussbaum, noted rabbi of 'emple Israel of Hollywood, will offer le invocation at the 21st annual Moon Picture Pioneers' dinner honoring Si 3teve Broidy, president of Allied Artits Pictures Corp., Morey R. Goldlein, general chairman of the dinner nnounced. The dinner will be at the Valdorf-Astoria next Monday. Dr. Nussbaum holds many important osts in addition to being the rabbi of I lie temple to which Broidy belongs. u sIe is currently chairman of the Na i clonal Executive Council, Zionist Or;anization of America, and national ice-president of the American Jewish ingress, among others, i pckman to Represent Viceroy on BFPA Unit From THE DAILY Bureau LONDON, Nov. 16-Sam Eckman, r., C.B.E., has been appointed to repesent Viceroy Films, production subidiary of Eros Films, on the executive :ouncil of the British Film Producers Association. Last August Eckman became chairlan of the re-constituted Eros Films, hich is now controlled by Warwick ilm Productions. He is also vicebresident of Magna Theatre Corporaion (U.S.A.) and continues to represent that company in Britain. His )i:her appointments include directorships of Halas & Batchelor Cartoon Films, Ltd., and Stanley Kramer Proauctions Ltd. ( Continued contact with Hollywood on product and production. Albert M. Pickus, new TOA president, named S. H. Fabian, president of Stanley Warner Corporation ,and TOA treasurer as chairman of the new committee. Other members are Sidney Markley, vice-president of American Broadcasting-Paramount Theatres; John B. Bertero, National Theatres and Television Company; and George G Kerasotes, president of Kerasotes Theatres of Springfield, 111., and chairman of TOA's board of directors. One additional member will be named, Pickus said, adding that he would serve exofficio with the committee. Blaustein Talk Recalled Julian Blaustein, SPG vice-president, in a speech at the TOA convention last week, urged exhibition to establish closer liaison with his organization, declaring he believed a direct channel would be helpful in solving many mutual problems. Pickus said the committee would meet as soon as possible with the from page 1 ) Guild. He declared he believed the talks would be most useful by enabling TOA officials to discuss the product shortage problem with producers, and also give production the benefit of theatre advice on the types of films most needed by exhibition. He said TOA was most grateful to Blaustein for the suggestion, declaring Blaustein's own recognition of the desirability of closer liaison was another step in the cementing of improved harmony within the film industry. First Time, He Feels He said he believes this will be the first time in many, many years that exhibitors will be able to talk on a direct and organized basis with men who produce pictures, to tell them what type of pictures, story and stars will, in exhibitions' opinion, be most successful at the boxoffice. Such conferences, he added, might be helpful in encouraging production to make more pictures to ease the existing shortage. SRO for 'Infiiel' at San Francisco Festival Special to THE DAILY SAN FRANCISCO, Nov. 16.-This city turned out in full force when the first major Hollywood production ever entered in the San Francisco International Film Festival was screened Saturday at the Metro Theatre. It was 20th Century-Fox's "Beloved Infidel" produced by Jerry Wald and starring Gregory Peck and Deborah Kerr. It was also the first time in the local festival's history that literally hundreds were turned away. Henry King directed. Both Wald and Peck were among a large group of Hollywood figures who attended the showing, and both made speeches commending festival managing director Irving M. Levin for his untiring efforts in getting an important Hollywood picture. Wald said he hopes the Hollywood film makers will be vieing for festival honors here in the future. The San Francisco festival will continue daily until Nov. 24 when awards will be made for best film, actor, actress and director, as well as a group of awards for short subjects. The panel of judges is comprised of Hollywood's Edward Dmytryk, author Barnaby Conrad of San Francisco and John McCarten, film critic for the New Yorker Magazine. Ohio House Reopening POWHATTAN POINT, O., Nov. 16 — C. G. Velas, theatre operator of Bellaire, O., plans to reopen the 450-seat Taplin Theatre here, which has been closed since April, 1958. Ky. Theatre to 1st Run LOUISVILLE, Nov. 16. The Ohio Theatre here, now a second-run house, will become a first-run operation starting on Thanksgiving Day. Baldwin Coordinator of MPA Promotion Drive Ted Baldwin, veteran motion picture publicity and public relations counsel, has been appointed coordinator to spearhead the forthcoming promotional campaign of the advertising and publicity directors committee of the Motion Picture Association, it was disclosed yesterday by Si Seadler, eastern advertising manager of MGM and recently elevated chairman of the committee. Treats Particular Group of Films The promotional campaign will have for its purpose the publicizing of an outstanding group of exceptional pictures currently being prepared for release by member companies of the MPAA. M. H. Displays Photos The prize-winning photographs of the 21st annual newspaper National Snapshot Awards will be exhibited in the grand lounge of Radio City Music Hall beginning Thursday. Selected from among 250,000 entries, more than 400 prize pictures which won $20,000 in cash awards will be shown. Ninety-four major newspapers in the United States (including Alaska and Hawaii), Puerto Rico and Canada conducted the regional contests from which the national winners were selected. Karp Signs Foxwell HOLLYWOOD, Nov. 16. Ivan Foxwell, British producer, will come to Hollywood next year to produce a picture at Paramount, it has been announced by Jack Karp, studio head. Foxwell, now in the U.S., will return to England this week, and will report back here early in 1960. His property for Paramount will be announced shortly. PEOPLE Florence Anderson, 77, veteran wardrobe mistress of the Radio City Music Hall, successfully surprised Friday before an audience of 6,000, found herself the star of a national TV program as she was brought before the footlights to become the honored guest on Ralph Edwards' "This Is Your Life," taped on the stage of the Music Hall at that time. The program, the first to originate on the stage of the Music Hall in front of its audience, will be presented to a nationwide TV audience on Wednesday, Dec. 9. Mrs. Anderson has spent 62 years in show business, and has been widi the Music Hall for the 27 years since its opening. □ Alan Mink, son of Max Mink, managing director of the Palace Theatre, Cleveland, has been appointed an announcer for Radio Station WNOB-FM, a 50,000-watt station located in Chesterland just outside Cleveland. Alan has been a disk jockey for a Lorain radio station. □ Maurice Freedman, member of die Columbia Pictures art department and noted fine art painter, will have an exhibition of his work at the Midtown Galleries opening today. The show will continue through Dec. 5. □ Edward H. Metzger is the new owner of the 900-seat Garland Theatre in Spokane. He purchased the theatre from James Crick and E. W. and Lester Johnson, who were acting trustees for die estate of Roy L. Blair. □ Bob Summers, divisional sales manager for Warner Brothers records covering Cleveland, Cincinnati, Detroit, Pittsburgh, Syracuse, Albany and Buffalo, now is making his headquarters in the Cleveland Warner exchange. □ Irv Blumberg, former Warner Brothers publicist in Philadelphia, and for the past two years press representative for the Steel Pier, Atlantic City, N. J., has been engaged by Columbia Pictures to direct advance publicity in Baltimore foir "Porgy and Bess." Univ. Will Distribute New Spectacle in U. S. "Head of A Tyrant," a spectacle in color and widescreen, which is nearing completion in Rome, has been acquired for American distribution by Universal Pictures, it was announced by Henry H. "Hi" Martin, vice-president and general sales manager. A joint production of Vic Films; Faro Films and Explorer Films of Rome and C.E.C. of Paris under the title of "Judidi and Holofemes," the picture is being directed by Fernando Gerghio. Universal is planning a spring release backed by an important advertising and promotion campaign.