Motion Picture Daily (Jul-Sep 1960)

MOTION PICTURE DAILY -SLif ■ K a a b m w — 1)1 NO. 33 NEW YORK, U.S.A., WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 17, 1960 TEN CENTS TUTORIAL \([& the Gains ■j Ry Sherwin Kane H the upturn in attendance tionally in July, industry news pears to have taken on a ibly brighter tone, wheat reports increased in ;r shortly after the first of the vhen it became apparent that would soon interrupt producThe duration of the strikes and image to release schedules-and to theatre attendance— were uned by many. Their after-effects to disappear, insofar as first heatres were concerned, only mid-July. They still are being <y most subsequent runs, but rn for the better has been made :he beneficial effects will be lifted to all theatres as the new f stronger product finds its way later runs. Joseph E. Levine Selected as 1960 Motion Picture Pioneer of the Year Joseph E. Levine, president of Embassy Pictures Corporation, has been named Motion Picture Pioneer of the Year 1960, it was announced yesterday, by S. H. Fabian, president of the Motion Picture Pioneers, Inc. Levine was selected by the Pioneers board of directors at its last meeting and he was notified of the decision prior to his sailing for Europe last week. He will be honored at the 22nd annual Motion Picture Pioneers Dinner to be held in November. The date and site (Continued on page 3) Hi: continuing improvement in atnnce should be nurtured by the A ry and not permitted to wane a It from now, following the reK ig of schools and the return to 1 ir of the stronger, new season ■ >ion competition. S dlinger & Co. recently estimated B e attendance during the last I of July at 82,831,000, the high1 any of its estimates since one led for the week of Aug. 4, I iturally, drive-in theatres ac1 for a substantial part of the Iier attendance increase. Neverp':s, patrons who have been drawn I:reen entertainment by quality k ict, effectively merchandised, Inly will remain excellent pros1 for more of the same after the I -in season has ended for another (Nmust be assumed, in the absence I y evidence to the contrary, that B iized exhibition is no more willlow than it was last year to enter I (Continued on page 2) SEV/S/ON TODAY— page 8 Rock Hudson Takes Up Producing Rock Hudson flies from here to Rome today, buoyant with the creative urge and full of the businessman's get-up-and-go. Universal Pictures will attune itself to his adventure, for the actor, who was "discovered and matured" on the company's lot over the past 11 years, will be co-producing for Universal. Hudson announced here yesterday that his new production company, Seven Pictures Productions, will begin filming in Rome Sept. 8 "Come September," which Universal will distribute next year. It will be the first of four pictures Hudson will star in and co-produce for Universal, under terms of his present contract. The ac(Continued on page 8) Safron Named Sales Coordinator for 'Pepe' Jerome Safron, circuit sales executive of Columbia Pictures, has been appointed national sales coordinator for George Sidn e y International P o s a Films International's "Pepe," it has been ann o u n c ed by Rube Jackter, Columbia vicepresident and general sales manager. Safron will head the special sales unit established to handle the film, which will be world premiered in New York and Los An(Continued on page 6) Joseph Levine Jerome Safron O'Dwyer. Schwalberg In New Production Co. Announcement was made yesterday of formation and initial production plans of International Productions, Inc., with William O'Dwyer, former Mayor of New York, as president. Associated with O'Dwyer will be Al Schwalberg, president of Citation Films; Amrik S. Sandu, of London, and Albert C. Gannaway. Distribution (Continued on page 3) Drive-ln Theatre in Israel Is Planned Special to THE DAILY PHILADELPHIA, Aug. 16.-Plans for the construction of a drive-in theatre in the in the State of Israel were announced here by A. M. Ellis, head of the A. M. Ellis Theatres, largest independent circuit in this area, operating a wide range of drive-ins as well as indoor theatres. Martin B. Ellis, general manager of the chain, has just returned from an extended visit to that country. Fabian Says: ACE Filming Co. Attains Cash Objective Exceeds $3 Million Goal; Operating Plan Now Up The American Congress of Exhibitors announced yesterday that indepedent circuits have contributed $1,000,000 t o projected new exhibitors' production company to which the five major circuits had pledged $2,000,000 previously. ACE said the independent circuits have "greatly oversubscribed" their quota, not only making it possible to meet the self-imposed Aug. 15 dead( Continued on page 7 ) S. H. Fabian Film Stocks Outlook Good: Standard & Poor's The overall outlook for motion picture securities is favorable and further improvement from their current postwar highs is a probability, a current Standard & Poors' appraisal finds. Analyzed favorably are Decca Records (Universal Pictures), M-G-M, Paramount and 20th Century-Fox. "While theatre attendance is far down from older levels, aggregate profits of producers are rising. Key factors, varying among the companies, are: more concentration on 'big feature' pictures; large revenue from television, mainly from pre-1948 films; (Continued on page 6) COLOR BLACK F°R tZD| Film & Tape EDITING &. M0VIELAB BUILDING 619 W. 54th ST. NEW YORK 19. JUDS0N 6-0360