Motion Picture Daily (Jul-Sep 1960)

Friday, July 1, I960 Motion Picture Daily House Pay Bill (Continued from page 1) premium overtime pay) to about 1.4 million employees of interstate retail chains which operate five or more -stores in two or more states. The House turned down the Roosevelt bill even after hearing the Congressman state on the floor that he would accept a number of further exemptions in order to avoid passage of the Kitchin measure. Charles E. McCarthy, executive secretary of the Council of Motion Picture Organizations, last night told Motion Picture Daily that the present fair labor standards act exempts retail service establishments, and that the term "service establishments" has always been applied to motion picture theatres. The Kitchin bill, passed yesterday , by the House of Representatives, continues that exemption, he said. Cites Commerce, Labor Ruling Motion picture theatres, McCarthy continued, have always been placed in the "service" category by both the Department of Labor and the Department of Commerce. 4Ruth' Coast Premiere Nets $60,000 for V.C. From THE DAILY Bureau HOLLYWOOD, June 30. Tent No. 25, Variety Club of Southern California, raised approximately $10,000 from tonight's special Hollywood premiere of 20th Century-Fox's "The Story of Ruth" at the Fox Wilshire Theatre. The amount raised will expedite the $60,000 fund drive to build a swimming pool for the Variety Roys Club in East Los Angeles. Acquire Walks by Night9 NEW ORLEANS, June 30.-Woolner Brothers Enterprises, Inc., headed by Bernard and Lawrence Woolner, with offices here, has acquired national distribution rights to "She Walks By Night," a German-made picture. Negotiations with independent film distributors throughout the nation have been completed, among which are "Red" Jacobs on the west coast; Embassy Films in Boston; Arnold Jacobs, New York; Max Roth, Capitol Films in Chicago; AIP exchanges in Milwaukee, Pittsburg, Kansas City and Milwaukee, and others. Woolner will handle the distribution themselves in the New Orleans territory. 'Eleven9 Opens Aug. 4 Dorchester Productions' "Ocean's Eleven" will open in more than 200 cities throughout the country on Aug. 4, it was disclosed this week by Charles Roasberg, general sales manager of Warner Rrothers, which is releasing the picture. Directed by Lewis Milestone, the film stars Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis, Jr., and Peter Lawford. REVIEW: The Lost World Irwin Allen — 20th-Fox — CinemaScope Producer-director Irwin Allen, who also collaborated with Charles Bennett on the screen play of this science-fiction story based on the bookby Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, has handled each of his assignments with outstanding skill and imagination, resulting in motion picture entertainment that has much to offer all segments of the family group. "The Lost World" is the suspense-laden tale of zoology professor, Claude Rains, who heads a group from London to South America to help find the "lost world" he claims to have seen on a previous expedition. The professor aims to prove to his companions the existence of prehistoric dinosaurs roaming at the head of the Amazon River. Accompanying Rains on the journey are Michael Rennie, an English lord with a reputation as an explorer and playboy; Jill St. John, daughter of an American newspaper publisher who finances the trip; Ray Stricklyn, Miss St. John's brother; David Hedison, American newspaperman and photographer, and Richard Haydn, a scientist who challenges the credibility of Rains' discoveries. In South America the party is joined by Fernando Lamas, helicopter pilot, and Jay Novello, jungle travel agent and guide. The series of adventures and misadventures in which the group participates are fraught with chills, thrills, suspense, horror, all interspersed with diverting comedic moments. While the picture is a bit slow in getting started— it's about one-third of its running time before the adventurers meet up with their first dinosaur—it more than makes up for this in the closing reels. The prehistoric animals are presented with fierce realism and should draw gasps from all audiences. The highlight of the goings-on, which include giant-size insects, cannabilistic Indians and a flight through imaginatively-created subterranean caverns, is a battle to the death between two of the huge monsters. It is thrillinglv and realistically presented. The destruction of the helicopter and radio by one of the dinosaurs leaves the group stranded on a plateau without anv means of communication with the outside world. Their efforts to escape the monsters and the Indians through treacherous lava-laden caves is enthrallingly depicted by the De Luxe cameras, and beautifully framed with ingenious settings of the "lost world." Special credit is due Winton Hoch as director of photography; Willis O'Brien as effects technician, and Howard Jackson and Sid Cutner for the orchestration. All roles are creditably performed by the able cast, with Miss St. John, a most appealing member of the group, as is Vitina Marcus, in her role as the native girl who befriends the party and leads it to safety. The comprehensive promotion campaign already set in motion bv the 20th Century-Fox advertising and publicity department and which is designed to attract adults as well as children, should aid considerably in the box office performance of this picture, which itself is packed with the elements of satisfying entertainment. The adults will take the children, or vice versa, and all should enjoy it. Running time, 98 minutes. Release, in July. Sidney Rechetnik Drive-In Gives Folder Norris Conclave Speaker Ripps, Lefko (Continued from page 1) by Robert Mochrie, who was named M-G-M general sales manager last week, succeeding Jack Byrne, resigned. Mochrie previously had been an assistant general sales manager in charge of "Ben-Hur" distribution. Burtus Bishop continues as assistant general sales manager, in charge of the Eastern, Midwest and Central divisions. Ripps, who has been stationed on the West Coast since January, 1957, Loew's Drive-in Theatre at Oak Lawn, near Chicago, has distributed more than 20,000 heralds in the form of an envelope-size folder to home owners of the area. Titled "The Lodown," it features plugs for the theatre, pictures, refreshments, courtesy of the staff, and comforts provided for patrons, including children. Suggestions are invited and space is provided for the writing of them by the recipient. 75 'Gantry9 Dates Some 75 key regional premieres have been set for United Artists' "Elmer Gantry," over the next four weeks. BOSTON, June 30.-C. Glenn Norris, 20th Centurv-Fox general sales manager, will deliver an address at the convention of Independent Exhibitors, Inc., and the Drive-In Theatres Association of New England, to be held at Chatham, Mass., Sept. 1314-15. Edward W. Lider will be general chairman, and Carl Goldman coordinator of the meeting. Sales Drive Extended Continental Distributing, Inc. has extended its district manager's sales drive, which was to have ended May 31st, through 1960, it was announced by Carl Peppercorn, vice president in charge of sales. Maurice Lefko Herman Ripps was formerly assistant sales manager for the Eastern division. He has been widi MGM since 1930. Bishop, who has been in his home office post for the past two and a half years, was previously Midwest division manager. He has been with the company since 1926. Lefko handled sales for "The Ten Commandments" and prior to joining MGM was vice-president of the Mike Todd Organization in charge of "Around the World in 80 Days" sales. Du Mont Merger (Continued from page 1) shares of Fairchild being added to the 1,039,140 shares presently outstanding on the basis of the approved exchange of one share of Fairchild common for 15 shares of DuMont common, and one share of Fairchild for each 5.7 shares of DuMont preferred. The vote on the merger of DuMont stockholders meeting at company offices in Clifton, N. J., was 1,855,547 shares of common and 95,854 shares of preferred in favor of the merger, and 11,234 shares of common and 938 shares of preferred against. The vote at the Fairchild meeting was 853,044 shares for, and 9,768 shares against. The Fairchild meeting was held at the Barbizon Plaza Hotel, New York. John Carter, Fairchild president, told the meeting the merger is effective immediately. He said Fairchild's earnings for the first half of 1960 will "substantially exceed" earnings for the first three quarters of 1959, and that the outlook for the remainder of 1960 is "excellent." At the start of 1960 DuMont had a loss carry-over of approximately $8 million which could be used by Fairchild for tax purposes over a period of years. The carryover is expected to result in a net tax benefit of about $3.42 a common share on the 1,215,702 shares to be outstanding.