Motion Picture Daily (Oct-Dec 1959)

Motion Picture Daily Monday, December 7, 195J PERSONAL MENTION RUBE JACKTER, Columbia Pictures vice-president and general sales manager, and Robert S. Ferguson, national director of advertisingpublicity, will leave here today for M iami Beach to represent the company at the convention of Allied States. • George Weltner, Paramount vicepresident in charge of world sales; Jerome Pickman, vice-president in charge of advertising-publicity; Sidney Deneau, vice-president, and Joseph Friedman, exploitation manager, will return to New York today from Hollywood. • A. W. Schwalberg, chairman of Citation Films, left New York at the weekend for Hollywood. • Irving Rubine, vice-president of Highroad Productions, has arrived in New York from the Coast. • Michael J. Levinson, of United Releasing Organization, Los Angeles, was a visitor in Atlanta last week from the Coast. • Sir Carol Reed, producer-director of Columbia's "Our Man in Havana," returned to Hollywood at the weekend from New York. • Ernest Lehman, screen writer, arrived in New York at the weekend from Hollywood. MPPC to Aid Community HOLLYWOOD, Dec. 6. The Los Angeles Community Chest will receive about $660,000 from the 1960 Motion Picture Permanent Charities collection, Sidney P. Skolsky, MPPC campaign chairman, said today at a special Chest luncheon honoring the Permanent Charities at the Biltmore Hotel. deC au^ed O 'Donne 11 Memorial Today national screen service ( Continued O'Donnell, vice-president of Interstate Circuit, Dallas. Gov. George D. Clyde of Texas is sending a specially appointed delegation of amusement, financial, political and business leaders to personally represent him at the memorial service which all friends of the late "Mr. Show Business" are invited to attend. Robert Coyne, former special counsel for COMPO, is journeying from Washington with a delegation representing the federal government. Texas Exhibitors to Attend A delegation of theatre operators and personal friends and business associates, as well as representatives of a half-dozen fraternal and other Texas organizations of which he was a member, also will be in attendance. Henry Plitt, of ABPT-TV, Hollywood, is heading a delegation of O'Donnell's friends from the West Coast who will also be on hand. Toots Shor, well known New York restaurateur, cut short a European vacation to attend. Delegations representing the follow from page 1 ) ing organizations in the amusement industry will be present: Variety Clubs of Texas, Washington, New York and other cities; COMPO, Texas COMPO, MPAA, New York Treasurers Club, Independent Motion Picture Theatre Owners of New York, Motion Picture Pioneers, Actors Equity Association, Radio-TV Broadcasters Association, Dramatic Guild, Screen Actors Guild, IATSE & MPO., Illustrators Club, Catholic Actors Guild, Episcopal Actors Guild, Authors League Of America, Association of Theatrical Press Agents and Managers, The Lambs, The Friars, Allied States Association of Motion Picture Exhibitors, ACE, American Federation of Labor-CIO, Metropolitan Motion Picture Theatre Association, ANTA, ASCAP and others. Abe Montague, president of the Will Rogers Memorial Hospital and Research Laboratories, of which O'Donnell was board chairman, will head a large delegation of that institution's directors. Eric Johnston, president of MPAA, will deliver the eulogy. N. Y. Bill Would Ban Subliminal Advertising Special to THE DAILY ALBANY, N. Y., Dec. 6.-Assemblywoman Aileen B. Ryan, Bronx Democrat, has pre-filed a bill prohibiting subliminal advertising for commercial purposes. Inserting a new section in the Penal Law, the measure makes it a misdemeanor for a person, firm, corporation or association, or agent or employee thereof, to use subliminal advertising in selling or promoting "merchandise, real estate, securities, services or anything offered" by them. Definition Spelled Out Subliminal advertising is defined as an "advertisement, announcement or statement which is not consciously visible, consciously audible, or otherwise consciously perceptible." The bill, which would take effect immediately, is similar to one introduced in the 1959 session of the Legislature by Mrs. Ryan. It was not reported by the Assembly Committee on Codes. 'Porgy' in 32 Dates For Holiday Season With the addition of the Elmwood Theatre in Providence, Samuel Goldwyn's "Porgy and Bess" will be playing 32 Todd-AO roadshow engagements over the forthcoming holiday season. Twenty of the new engagements set by Columbia Pictures will open on Christmas or New Year's, with special holiday previews and premiere festivities scheduled. Harling Reappointed Head of 2 TOA Groups The reappointment of Philip F. Harling, executive of Fabian Theatres and assistant to the president of Theatre Owners of America, as chairman of TOA's pay-TV and Small Business Administration committees, was announced at the weekend by Albert M. Pickus, TOA president. Harling has held both positions since inception of the committees several years ago. At the same time, Pickus also announced the reappointment of H. F. Kincey of Atlanta, president of the Wilby-Kincey Service Corporation, as chairman of TOA's film reviewing committee. Serving with Harling on the payTV committee will be Arnold Childhouse of United California Theatres of San Francisco; Mrs. Nona White of Little Rock, Ark., president of the Independent Theatre Owners of Arkansas; Sumner M. Redstone of Boston, executive of Northeast Drive-in Theatres, and Mitchell Wolfson, of Miami, president of Wometco Enterprises. Harling will work with president Pickus on the selection of members of the SBA committee. Party for LA. Official CLEVELAND, Dec. 6. Harland Holmden, IATSE international secretary and business agent of Local 160, returned to Cleveland last week for a party in his honor given by members of the local. He was presented a 50-year membership pin. Granada Group Shows Sharp Profit Jump From THE DAILY Bureau LONDON, Dec. 6. A sharp in-) crease in trading profits for the year ending September, 1959, was reported, at the weekend by the Granada Group, Ltd., operators of 60 theatres and the1 Northern Television Network. Consolidated profits were £2,108,562 ($5,903,973) as compared with £ 1 109,694 ($3,107,143). Net profit was £797,290 ($2,232,412) this year compared with £257,129 ($719,961) last. The directors recommended a final dividend on the ordinary stock of 40 per cent, making 80 per cent for the full year plus a 25th anniversary bonus of 10 per cent. Lewis Signs Tashlin for Five-Year Deal From THE DAILY Bureau HOLLYWOOD, Dec. 6. Jerry Lewis has signed director-writer Frank Tashlin to collaborate with him on a series of adult fairy tales to be made over the next five years. Lewis will produce and star in the productions which will be made by his independent company for Paramount release. "CinderFella," now in production, will be the first of the series. Other planned properties are "Robinson Crusoe," "Gulliver's Travels" and "Rumpelstiltskin." The contract calls for Tashlin to write and direct two pictures annually over the next five years. Tashlin's present contract with Lewis calls for two more pictures following "CinderFella," and these are now part of the new deal. Tashlin also is under contract to 20th Century-Fox for one picture a year. Allied Delegates to See | 'Snow Queen' Today Exhibitors and their families attending the Allied States Association convention in Miami today will be guests of Universal International at an invitational showing of "The Snow Queen," U-I's full-length animated feature, which was previewed here recently before 2,000 children at the RKO 58th Street Theatre. The Miami showing, Universal said, will be the first in a series of invitational screenings scheduled this month for Washington, Boston, San Francisco and Los Angeles. A Christmas release has been set for "The Snow Queen." WB Re-Signs Sherman HOLLYWOOD, Dec. 6. Warner Brothers has exercised its option on the services of Vincent Sherman, now directing "Ice Palace," for the third year of his three-year contract. — a I T) v \r t, , ' i,lJU">-""" manager, itLtvlMUN TODAY C