Motion Picture Daily (Jul-Sep 1960)

MOTION PICTURE DAILY NEW YORK, U.S.A., FRIDAY, AUGUST 19, 1960 TEN CENTS ^ate Tally 52-34 j Bill Voted; Film Theatres Sill Exempt \mse-Senate Committee Write Final Version By E. H. KAHN H.SHINGTON, Aug. 18. The ml; late today adopted, by a vote t {-34, a drastically modified veriomf the minimum wage bill sponge by presidential candidate John '. Iinedy (D., Mass.). ■ measure provides for an evenbflise in the pay floor to $1.25 an um However, in its final version, as IJll today, almost 2,000,000 fewer Hrs are brought under the meauaj umbrella than was originally pBmended by the Senate Labor rohittee. Employees of motion piceBheatres continue to be exempt |r«both the House and the Senate means that the final version written by a joint House-Sen( Continued on page 4 ) I L C mpis to Aid Dallas id Children Unit Special to THE DAILY LLAS, Aug. 18. The Dallas Pis will have as one of their projects this year the equipof the kitchen in the building erected in memory of the late O'Donnell by the Variety Club e Services for Blind Children, announced by Miss Marie Powesident. The kitchen, which will (Continued on page 4) Branch Managers j Attend Coast Meet jintieth Century-Fox, continuing llicy of inviting branch managers I the field to sit in on top-level and sales discussions in New land at the studio, has made arIments for Ray Schmertz of the I land office, and Tom McCleaster ( Continued on page 4 ) TCfviS/ON TODAV-pcige 4 ACE to Shape Organization Plan For New Production Unit Next Week The executive committee of the American Congress of Exhibitors is scheduled to meet within a week to begin drawing up plans for organizing and launching its projected new exhibitor-sponsored production company. ACE this week announced the oversubscribing by independent circuits of the third million dollars of financing for the new company. The first $2,000,000 was subscribed by the five major circuits. Preliminary talks already have been held by ACE officials with interested banks with the result that assurances have been obtained that loans in the form of revolving funds up to three times the amount of cash which ACE succeeds in raising will be advanced by the banks, should the executive committee elect to adopt that method of financing. Also to be considered is whether (Continued on page 2) McWilliams to Handle 'Pepe' Adv. Pub. Unit Harry K. McWilliams has been named national director of advertising and publicity for the George Sidney International Posa Films International Production, "Pepe," it was announced yesterday by Jonas Rosenfield, Jr., Columbia Pictures executive in charge of advertising, publicity and exploitation. McWilliams will head a special unit which is being set up to handle the world wide promotion of the film, which, will be world premiered in New York and Los Angeles during Christmas week on a roadshow basis. McWilliams will work closely with Jerome Safron, who earlier this week was named national sales coordinator ( Continued on page 2 ) Harry McWilliams ABC Vending 6-Month Earnings Reported Up ABC Vending Corporation's earnings for the first 26 weeks ending June 26 totalled $906,582-an increase of $25,857 over the first six months of 1959, Benjamin Sherman, chairman of the board, reported yesterday. Net income per share of common stock came to 79 cents this year compared with 77 cents for the same period in 1959. Sales and other operating revenues (Continued on page 4) Red Skelton Plans Studio Expansion; Outlines Slate of 5 Theatrical Films By SAMUEL D. BERNS HOLLYWOOD, Aug. 18. Plans for a multi-million dollar reconstruction and expansion program for Skelton Studios in Hollywood were outlined today by Red Skelton at a large press conference at the studio. Skelton also disclosed plans for the production of five motion pictures for theatrical release which will keep him occupied in addition to his television activity. The five films, based on Skelton's own original stories, the first of which will be "The Trunk," a show business story which rolls in November, will include "Kasa-San" (Mr. Umbrella), "The Great Wilburspoon," "Eight Pretty Girls" and "Crosscountry Spree." Five television series will be produced, comprised of "Adventures of Marco Polo," "Society As I See It," "20 Years in Sing Sing," "Flight from Justice" and "Adventures of Junior." Skelton disclosed further his plans for two special Christmas shows, one in which he plays Rip Van Winkle, the other "The Real Story of Christmas," with research material supplied by Father Bates and other experts of Vatican City. In his newest role as studio head, the television and motion picture star stated that an overall sum of $2,500,000 will have been expended by early October in the acquisition of the former Charles Chaplin studios plus (Continued on page 3) TO A Bulletin View More Product Seen Building Attendance Cited as Stressing Value Of Production by ACE An adequate supply of pictures is reflected in good theatre attendance and, conversely, insufficient product results in a depressed box office. This is the conclusion drawn by Theatre Owners of America's current membership Bulletin which relates the drop in attendance last spring to a shortage of releases and the July-August upturn to the availability of product in both quality and quantity. The argument is employed to underline the exhibitors' need for the new production company sponsored by the American Congress of Exhibi( Continued on page 3) Graff, Tabakin Head New Divisions at NT A Realignment of National Telefilm Associates sales operation into two main divisions was announced yesterday by Oliver A. Unger, NTA president. Under the new organizational structure, sales will be divided into Eastern and Western divisions with home offices in New York City and Beverly Hills. Heading up the Eastern Division ( Continued on page 3 ) Sees lA's Post-'60 Demands Slowing Sales Theatre Owners of America's current Bulletin to members holds out the hope that IATSE's announced demand for twice what the companies granted the Hollywood guilds from residuals on post-'60 film sales to television, could be a deterrent to the sale of those films. IA, it points out, could ask for as much as 12 per cent of the gross sales amount received from post-'60 sales, since the guilds will get between four and six percent, after deduction of 40 per cent for distribution.