Motion Picture Daily (Jul-Sep 1960)

4 Motion Picture Daily Wednesday, August 10, k Pathe Tells Production Plan (Continued and Distributors Finance Company, Inc., which will handle financing, is now being formed. Key personnel heading America Corporation, parent company of Pathe, Alpha, and Producers and Distributors Finance Company, will be active in the new organization. These executives include Gordon K. Greenfield, president, and William Zeckendorf, member of the board. James S. Burkett has been assigned to co-ordinate the entire project. The new program is expected to add thousands of working days yearly to Hollywood employment. Principal photography of the first picture is being planned for November. The new company embraces a three-way partnership between Hollywood producers, owners of United States motion picture theatres, and Alpha. All Will Share Profits The producer will provide script, stars and director; participating theatres will guarantee playing time, and Producers and Directors Finance Company will finance shooting of the picture. All will share profits. Producer deals have been formed for six of the pictures, Burkett said. "This is the most progressive and solidly grounded and backed production-distribution program in the history of the industry," Burkett declared, and he added: "The producer will have creative freedom such as he seldom has known. "Charge for distribution for the initial guaranteed theatre runs is not expected to exceed 10 per cent. This adds to the producer's profit. "The entire setup will strongly at torn page 1 ) tract to the producer leading stars, directors and writers. "The theatre owner also reaps important benefits. First, he is provided with a dependable source of quality motion pictures for which he pays no more than for comparable pictures. He derives added profits through sharing in the returns from each picture shown in theatres other than his own in his territory. "He knows all production money goes on the screen. Large Savings Predicted "The direct booking plan saves both the theatre owner and the producer approximately a third of the gross in distribution costs. On a picture grossing $3,000,000 this would mean approximately $1,000,000. "I have discussed the program with scores of leading exhibitors throughout the country. All are eager to participate." The entire program will be formally presented at a special luncheon Sept. 14 at the Ambassador Hotel during the Theatre Owners of America convention. Will Not Affect Present Plan "This will in no way affect the present exhibitor plan to finance motion pictures. It will only implement the exhibitor's purpose in finding an additional source for much needed product," Burkett pointed out. "If producers have the proper package, we will completely finance them, but we must have the support of the exhibitors. Especially those exhibitors who have told us that they are looking for fresh faces, not tired names; and above all, a good story," he concluded. Hospital 'Pledge Driv Reported in Good St Distributor and exhibitor chai in the exchange cities have ma fast and well-organized start in "pledge-signing" stage of the i ence collection and Christmas s | campaign for the Will Bogers Mil rial Hospital which began on Au :[ This was reported here yestejs by Eugene Picker, fund-raising J finance chairman, who said a conJ ed effort is being made to enlist. ) participation of 8,000 indoor the>] and drive-ins this year. $600,000 Needed "It is imperative that we have) help of that many theatres, fori J goal this year must necessarily be] million dollars," Picker said. "A'j $600,000 is needed, and already <] mitted for the structural worl®j equipment of the new B. J. O'DoiS Memorial Laboratories, and for bj ing the new housing for the resij staff, which has been occupying si to be taken over for the new labs] also part of which can be used tcj commodate additional patients. ] remaining approximately $4OO,O0| earmarked for the regular fiscal!! erating costs." 8 Pre-Rekase Dates Slated for 'Butterfieh Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer will pnB lease "Butterfield 8" in eight seleid cities in early November, folio ■d by openings in key situations duB the Thanksgiving holiday week. ■ announcement of specialized releaB plans for the film was made by Bo] Mochrie, general sales manager, 1lowing the screenings and confereB at M-G-M last week with presirt Joseph B. Vogel and studio head)! C. Siegel. 'I Aim at the Stars' Slated For Edinburgh Int'l Festival Special to THE DAILY EDINBURGH, Scotland, Aug. 9."I Aim at the Stars," a Charles H. Schneer Production for Columbia Pictures, release, has been selected as the opening attraction of the Edinburgh International Film Festival. The story of rocket scientist Dr. Wernher von Braun was the unanimous choice of the Festival's selection committee to launch the film fete on Sunday, Aug. 21. Schneer and Curt Jurgens, who portrays Dr. von Braun, will fly from Munich to Edinburgh to be on hand for the festival presentation. They will be joined by director J. Lee Thompson and co-star Gia Scala, who will fly in from London. Billboard Head Hits 'Sex' in Film Posters Special to THE DAILY TOBONTO, Aug 9. The motion picture industry was criticized by the chairman of the International Congress of Outdoor Advertising for using sex in their posters. Sir Thomas Miles, in an address to the Congress here, said, "It might be well for some sections of the film industry to look to their standards of pictorial display they employ to lure the public into their cinemas." 'Sheer Pornography' While he admitted sex is "an essential factor in life," he criticized the blown-up stills used in billboards. He said they could be sheer pornography when a tender love scene of sincere cultural validity is shorn of its contextual words, music and rhythm "and forced starkly before the gaze of the public." He advised the outdoor industry "to take action" unless public opinion sweeps away billboards and signs and with them "our protests and powers to benefit it from constructive criticism." Sidney to Supervise 'Pepe' Foreign Dubbing From THE DAILY Bureav HOLLYWOOD, Aug. 9.-In the belief that too many Hollywood-produced motion pictures are edited and dubbed in foreign languages without regard to the ideologies and concepts of humor of each country, producerdirector George Sidney will personally supervise the foreign versions of "Pepe," his production for Columbia. The decision was made as a direct result of the recent Columbia global summit meeting on "Pepe" attended by company heads from all over the world. Upon completion of the film, which is now being edited, Sidney will leave for Europe where he will meet with Mo Bothman, executive vice-president of Columbia Pictures International, to map plans for the completion of the foreign versions of "Pepe." Electrovision Corp. Gets Air Equipment From THE DAILY Bureau HOLLYWOOD, Aug. 9. Electrovision Corporation has completed the acquisitions of Air Cargo Equipment Company and Rene Corporation, Bobert L. Lippert, chairman of the board of directors, announced today. Purchase price included a down payment of approximately 100,000 shares of Electrovision common stock. The balance was not disclosed. "These acquisitions, the first steps in the company's diversifications program, mark Electro vision's entry into the fields of ground support equipment and optics for space age industries," Lippert said. Addition of the two new companies is expected to substantially increase Electrovision's sales and profits, he added. Prior to tiiese acquisitions, Electrovision operated motion picture theatres and drive-ins throughout California and southern Oregon. Several additional diverse acquisitions are presently under investigation. 3 More Midwest Cities Set for 'Spartacus' Three additional midwest cities have been confirmed for Christmas holiday season premieres of "Spartacus," all three on a roadshow, reserved-seat basis. Signed for Dec. 22 openings are the Palace Theatre in Cleveland, the RKO Grand in Cincinnati and the Esquire in St. Louis. In all cases, the theatres have been cleared for an extended run of the Universal release. With the setting of these dates, "Spartacus" is now scheduled for nine cities beginning with the world premiere in New York at the DeMille Theatre on Oct. 6. Dates immediately thereafter are for Los Angeles, Chicago, Boston, Philadelphia and Detroit. In accordance with the policy established in earlier engagements, a saturation mailing will go out to women's clubs, civic organizations and industries in the vicinity of Cleveland, Cincinnati and St. Louis to stimulate theatre parties and group sales. Eight Cities Selected The eight cities and theatres lffl already been selected. They are 9 Chicago Theatre, Chicago; Orphei, Boston; Palace, Washington, D. 1 Loew's State, New Orleans; Pi| mount, Hollywood; Adams, Dett; Palace, Dallas, and Boxy, Kansas (p As a feature of the engagements, "16* terfield 8" plays all theatres thro k both major holiday periods, Thaigiving and Christmas-New Year. I 7 Ocean" Dates Big "Ocean's 11" is ringing up I grosses in its initial seven eng"ments across the country, accorcg to Warner Bros. First five-day fig;;s are: $33,451 at the Stanley TheJ Philadelphia; $16,213, Strand, wl wood, N. J.; $23,580, St. Frarl San Francisco; $8,801, Mary Ancj son, Louisville and $8,192, Midw't, Oklahoma City. In the first four d| of its world premiere engagenut at the Fremont Theatre in Las Vejl the Dorchester Production registep a $13,791 gross, while the four-* mark at the Esquire Theatre in tLouis was $16,505.