Motion Picture Daily (Jan-Mar 1960)

MOTION PICTURE DAILY NEW YORK, U.S.A., THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 1960 TEN CENTS ear Comparison rst Figures i '58 Film msus Ready peau Will Draw Profile industry-Wide Status AMPA Luncheon Lauds Seedier, Seadler Lauds M-G-M Associates From THE DAILY Bureau \SHINGTON, Feb. 24.-A pic)f how the motion picture indusared over the four year period ,-58 is beginning to emerge from aw statistics of the government's Census of Business for selected es. The Commerce Department's ninary figures are now available 11 major areas of interest to film icers, distributors and exhibitors )t for the key state of California, ith the help of Univac, the Cen(Continued on page 5) Set Regional Drives Brotherhood Week gional drives for the motion picdivision's 1960 Brotherhood cami will be formulated at a series ettings of exhibitor and distribueaders throughout the country ining next week. ' inouncement of the planning seswas made by William J. Heine( Continued on page 5 ) al Booking Set Here r 'Dog of Flanders' . Dog of Flanders" will open in York City at Easter time on both last and West sides of the city, it announced by Alex Harrison, 20th ury-Fox general sales manager, le Robert Radnitz production will liere at the Baronet and the De3 Theatres and play day and date agh the holiday season. If it were not for Joseph Vogel, Loew's M-G-M president, there would be no "Ben-Hur" today, Si Seadler, MOM advertising manager, told an audience of about 200 at an Associated Motion Picture Advertisers luncheon in his honor at t h e Hotel Piccadilly here yesterday. "And," Seadler added as an aft e r t h o u ght, "there would be no M-G-M and I wouldn't be J% ' 111 standing here |H jHHHHH talking to you." ; S gel's insistence ^^n. c that production Si Seadler «r! u »» on Ben Hur proceeded, despite advice from bankers and others against putting $15,000,000 into the picture at the time when the com(Continued on page 5) TV-Film Rate Is Included in WGA-'UPact By SAMUEL D. BERNS HOLLYWOOD, Feb. 24. The first contract with a major studio involving the use of post-1948 films for TV, was drawn up today by the Writers Guild of America and Universal-International. It provides for payment to writers of compensation in the event of release of post-1948 pictures to either free television or pay-TV. The Writers Guild of AmericaWest, meeting here late this afternoon, gave approval to the proposed contract and recommended that the membership ratify the pact at a meeting scheduled later tonight at the Beverly Hills Hotel. Ratification is re( Continued on page 4 ) Johnston Spokesman Gov't in Move To Hypo U.S. Export Trade Commerce Dept. Head to Meet Film Officials Mar.,1 Admission Taxes Hit New High for Quarter From THE DAILY Bureau WASHINGTON, Feb. 24.-Higher prices charged for special features, plus increases in regular admissions prices needed to compensate for ris( Continued on page 5) EV/S/ON TODAY— page 4 Over 41% of Films Shown in Belgium in 1959 Came from U.S.; Receipts Were $5,240,000 From THE DAILY Bureau WASHINGTON, Feb. 24.— In Belgium last year, there were 448 commercial 35mm feature films distributed, according to Nathan D. Golden, director of the Commerce Department's Scientific, Motion Picture and Photographic Products Division. Of the total, 185 (over 41 per cent) were of U.S. origin, 66 were French, 47 British, 72 West German, 14 Italian, 20 French-Italian, and 44 from other countries. Of the four newsreels released each week, two are French, one Belgian, and one U.S. The major U.S. film companies distributing directly in Belgium grossed §5,240,000 or 55 per cent of the total. Under agreement with the Belgian government, 65 per cent of the gross receipts can be remitted to the U.S. Golden commented that the presence of 350,000 to 400,000 TV sets had a "decided adverse effect" on the film industry. "In addition, unusually fine weather throughout the summer of 1959 proved disastrous for film business and it is believed that the vast majority of theatres operated at a loss during the By E. H. KAHN WASHINGTON, Feb. 24. Motion picture representatives will be the first in a series of 40 industry conferences planned by the Commerce Department to discuss ways in which the Government can give maximum assistance to business in increasing sales of U.S. products abroad. A meeting with Commerce Secretary Frederick H. Mueller is scheduled for March 1. Acceptances to the closed meeting have already been received from Eric Johnston, president of the Motion Picture Export Association ( who will be accompanied by vice-president Kenneth Clark), {Continued on page 2) SEC Files Stipulation On Fox-Skiatron Stock From THE DAILY Bureau WASHINGTON, Feb. 24.-The Securities and Exchange Commission's inquiry into the adequacy and accuracy of a stock registration statement filed by Skiatron Electronics and Television, Inc., today received a lengthy proposed stipulation concem(Continued on page 4) Democracy Sought, Not Censorship: Msgr. Reh Special to THE DAILY ALBANY, N. Y, Feb. 24. "The Catholic Church never has had the idea of censorship in the field of communications"; the "necessity of an unwanted negative control" is forced upon the church for no other reason {Continued on page 5) KeipYour Eye On Bricittk Bardots ig oxoffice Difference! □□HO COLUMBIA PICTURES presents