Motion Picture Daily (Oct-Dec 1959)

■pday, November 19, 1959 Motion Picture Daily If n Theatre Planned evittown, N. J. Special to THE DAILY falLADELPHIA, Nov. 18. Plans building a new indoor theatre in ittown, N. J., were announced here Uelvin J. Fox, head of Fox TheaI The theatre, to be known as the , will be situated in the shopping :er of the new Levitt development, n opening is planned next year, ing capacity will be 1,200 seats 70mm projection will be installed. Classification Prospects Nil (1 hoik Paper Backs H **ntury' Editorial m Special to THE DAILY I (LB ANY, N. Y., Nov. 18.-T/i<? KngeZisf, official weekly publication B. he Albany Roman Catholic Diocese, editorially endorsed the stand of Christian Century that Protestant irches withhold support from the ti-Biblical Biblical extravaganzas." The Legion of Decency and intelliit Catholics should give whole rted agreement and hearty support the Protestant church magazine's |stence that these 'lurid distortions the Bible' be effectively chalged," The Evangelist stated. In evaluating some of these exvaganzas," the diocesan weekly led, "the National Legion of Detcy objected to excessive sensual| in costuming, dancing and ijations seriously offending the Ju^o-Christian concept of modesty Id decencv." The Knickerbocker ■ws reprinted a portion of The angelist editorial. ettlement Disapproved ( Continued from page 1 ) realistic, and accordingly approval | denied." Judge Wright told attorneys that ij>m the evidence the court was unfile to satisfy itself that the proposed k|change of five shares of Baldwin Lr one share of CLE. will be of any jnefit to CLE. stockholders or replent in the slightest degree any comQomise of the claims of CLE. against Uldwin and its officers and directors, (fin the complaint filed July 15, 1958, juidation and dissolution of CLE., Ilrmerly the Midvale Company, was Blight by CLE. stockholders, Norte [kd Co. and Irving A. Koerner of jew York, who brought the action on Ibhalf of themselves and all other plders of common stock of CLE. milarly situated. An amended complaint filed in Dember, 1958, brought into the case e' September 1958 purchase of 80,)0 shares of Loew's, Inc., stock by .I.E. ( Continued enforcement legislation, Johnston termed it "censorship." "I have always been against censorship of any kind," he said. "One question we are faced with (in considering film classification) is whether we would be inviting the very censorship we abhor." In the more than two months since discussion of the subject of classifications was opened, Johnston reportedly has not changed his views of it and, in fact, may have added some misgivngs to those he held originally, some high ranking executives feel. The impression is inescapable that the idea is opposed by a huge preponderance of influential producers, distributors and exhibitors, most of whom regard it as fundamentally limiting the potential audience for practically every picture made and sold. Exhibi from page 1 ) tors see the further problem of policing patronage and being responsible for mistakes in judgment of employes. Scattered support for the idea comes from some small theatre situations where local groups have brought extra pressure to bear on exhibitors to bar children from some of the more frankly adult-theme films now in release. These feel that if pictures came to them labeled by an industry authority as for adults or family it would not only take the heat off them but also would provide them with a built-in alibi in case of future criticism being directed at them. The seemingly overwhelming trade opinion is that any serious attempt to foist film classification on the industry now either would be howled down or would prove to be unenforceable because of lack of solid support for it. PEOPLE histall Century 70mm Century's 70/35mm projector sysm has been purchased by the Prints Theatre, Nashville, Tenn., Frank [. Cahill, Jr., sales manager of Cenlry Projector Corp., has announced Film Museum Committee Meets on Coast Tonight From THE DAILY Bureau HOLLYWOOD, Nov. 18. Presentation of preliminary plans for the Hollywood Motion Picture and Television Museum by architect William Pereira will be the highlight of the museum commission's regular monthly meeting, to be held tomorrow night at Commissioner Mervyn LeRoy's home. A report on recommendations for the museum site will be made by A. E. England, head of the locations committee. Other matters scheduled to be brought before the group by chairman Sol Lesser are: a report on selection of an executive director, interim financing for the museum commission, a proposal to join the International Federation of Film Archives, and approval of an invitation to the recording and sheet music industry to participate in the museum project. FTC in 'Trust' Move Against ABC Vending From THE DAILY Bureau WASHINGTON, Nov. 18. The Federal Trade Commission has charged the ABC Vending Corp. with violating the anti-trust laws by acquiring two large competitors. The FTC complaint charges ABC with anti-trust violations by acquiring two years ago Confection Cabinet Corp. and Charles Sweets Co. The complaint seeks to break up the two mergers. Siegel Assigns Gregory HOLLYWOOD, Nov. 18. Paul Gregory, recently signed to a producer contract by MGM, has been assigned a second property by studio head Sol C. Siegel. Gregory will produce "Your Cheatin' Heart," story of Hank Williams, one of America's top folk singers and composers. Also on Gregory's agenda at MGM is "God and My Country," for which MacKinley Kantor is writing the screenplay. levifie lunch Guests To Hear 'Ripper' Score Guests of Joseph E. Levine, president of Embassy Pictures, at a luncheon on Monday to promote his new film "Jack the Ripper" will hear the score of the picture via wire while they dine. The affair for 500 film executives and press representatives will be in the Terrace Room of the Hotel Plaza. George Jessel will fly from Los Angeles to preside at the event and Gypsy Rose Lee will be guest of honor. Miss Lee, who gained considerable reputation as a writer of mystery novels, is a member of Embassy's newly appointed panel of crime connoisseurs—along with Basil Rathbone and Peter Lorre— which will screen and approve all Embassy product dealing with the subject of mystery, murder, or crime detection. Adolph Zukor, Barney Balaban, George Weltner, Si Fabian, Sam Rosen, and Eugene Picker are among the industry leaders who will attend. Publicity Tour Planned For 'Porgy' Openings Three Columbia Pictures publicity executives will begin Nov. 30 a 14city Christmas saturation campaign for scheduled road show engagements of Samuel Goldwyn's "Porgy and Bess." Mervin Houser, publicity head of Goldwyn studios, will visit Denver, Dallas, Salt Lake City and San Diego. Howard E. Kohn II, national road show manager, will stop at Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse, Indianapolis. Louisville and Minneapolis. Dayton, Columbus, Pittsburgh and Miami Beach will be visited by Howard Newman, New York publicity manager. The three men will travel as Goldwyn's personal representatives to consult with circuit heads and theatre managers in planning individual exploitation arrangements. Transportation, television, radio and press tie-ins have been scheduled. Edwin Gage, executive vice-president of Falter Reade, Inc., Oakhurst, N. J., has been elected a member of the executive committee of Theatre Owners of America, and has been chosen treasurer of the National Association of Concessionaires. As far as can be recalled, this is the first time that an individual has been an elected officer of both organizations at the same time. □ Reg Plumb, manager of the Capitol Theatre, Saskatoon, has been elected president of the Saskatchewan Motion Picture Exhibitors Association, succeeding F. J. Lundholm, of Swift Current. William Johnston, of Yorktown, was elected vice-president. Jack Heaps, of Regina, was reelected secretary. □ Paul Tolis, of Tolis Theatres, has appointed his son, Charles R. as general manager of the Meriden Theatre, Meriden, Conn., and the Newington Theatre, Newington. The son will continue to serve as resident manager of the first-run Meriden. Mario Aronne, formerly with the Hartford Theatre Circuit, and more recently an independent exhibitor at Glastonbury, Conn., has been named resident manager at the Newington. □ Joseph Archuletta has been named manager of Fox Intermountain's Denver Theatre, Denver. He comes to his new post from the managerial position at the Oriental Theatre. □ Leonard Kupstas is now manager of the first-run Embassy Theatre, New Britain, Conn., succeeding Edward McCloskey, who has resigned to resume New York acting studies. At the same time, Gerard Bouchard, formerly with United Aircraft Corp., has joined the circuit as assistant manager of the Strand Theatre, succeeding Oscar Boyajian, resigned. □ Albert W. Brinson has been appointed manager of the Five Points Theatre, Columbia, S. C. He was formerly manager of the Palmetto Theatre there. □ Eve Ettinger has been named head of the story department at Screen Gems, succeeding Don Moore, resigned. □ Bill Glover, formerly of Ardmore, Okla., has joined the United Artists booking staff in Atlanta. Another newcomer on Film Row in the Georgia capital is Hal Jordan, former Durham, N. C, exhibitor, now working as a salesman for Allied Artists. □ Lex Benton, president Benton Bros., Film Express Forwarding Co., Atlanta, has been elected commodore of the Allatoona Yacht Club.