Motion Picture Daily (Jul-Sep 1960)

I,. 88, NO. 36 MOTION PICTURE DAILY NEW YORK, U.S.A., MONDAY, AUGUST 22, 1960 TEN CENTS js Only Two Now Confirm Deal for NTA to Distribute Compo Report It&T Plans Fir*t Group of Post-'48 Fox Films Ticket Taxes xpansion m Drive -in Field ^ Sites Under Study i\Present, Says Cantor From THE DAILY Bureau )S ANGELES, Aug. 21. Na1 Theatres & Television, Inc., on ly announced plans for expansion the drive-in theatre business, mpany president B. Gerald Canated that six drive-in theatre sites, ed in key U.S. population cen are being surveyed from legal operational viewpoints. He pointut that NT&T now operates only drive-in theatres: one located in Vegas, and the second in Salt City, and that the decision to exe possibilities of adding to the >any's drive-in business was a re»f a reappraisal of motion picture less. ntor noted that properly located res, established in new and grow( Continued on page 4 ) 5 Members Approve Uevision-Actors Pact 1 From THE DAILY Bureau "pLLYWOOD, Aug. 21. Mem)Wiip of the Screen Actors Guild tal'oted by better than 96 per cent writy to approve terms of the new Bptive bargaining contract cover■ictors in television entertainment V it was announced on Friday by >if president George Chandler. '] e pact was negotiated in joint wuning sessions between guild and ht| Association of Motion Picture Spcers and the Alliance of Televise! Film Producers. late Unit Approves >adcast-Rein Bill From THE DAILY Bureau lASHINGTON, Aug. 21. The ieite Commerce Committee has ore :1k tici mo ed favorably reported a reed bill designed to curb malpracin broadcasting. The measure fies a House-passed bill to elim(Continued on page 5) An agreement— long rumored— whereby National Telefilm Associates will distribute the first group of post-'48 20th Century-Fox pictures made available to television was confirmed at the weekend by Spyros P. Skouras, president of 20th-Fox, and Oliver A. Unger, president of NTA. The agreement calls for NTA to release for telecasting 27 post-'48 features, which are part of a new package of 81 motion pictures that NTA has acquired from 20th Century-Fox. Fifty-four films are pictures produced prior to 1948. The total price for the new package was in excess of $4,000,000. In the past five years, prior to this new agreement, 20th-Fox made available to television, through NTA, 471 (Continued on page 5) UAA Acquires 26 More Post-'48s from U.A. United Artists Associated has acquired 26 new post-1948 releases of United Artists for distribution to TV, it was announced at the weekend by Erwin H. Ezzes, UAA executive vicepresident. The pictures, known as "Boxoffice 26," include such films as "The Barefoot Contessa," "King and Four Queens," "Attack," "Bandido," "St. Joan," "Comanache," and "The Monte Carlo Story." Ezzes said his company anticipated favorable reaction to the new pic^ tures on TV because promotion cam(Continued on page 5) Three Are Promoted in ColumhiaPublicityDept. The advancement of three members publicity department was announced of Columbia Pictures' home office at the weekend by Bobert S. Ferguson, national director of advertising, publicity and exploitation. John Newfield, currently serving as New York newspaper and syndicate contact, has been named to handle national magazine publicity, re( Continued on page 4 ) South Asia funds Are Offered for Filmmaking Alfred Bloch, president of W. W. Film Produtions, Inc., announced at the weekend he had completed negotiations with Impex International under which rupees of Ceylon, Burma and India in the value of $2,000,000 (U.S.) will be made available for motion picture production in South Asia. Bloch said he would offer the funds to producers who own properties suitable for production there. W. W. will start shooting two of its own productions, "Tiger Emperor" and "The Lovemaker," in Pakistan in October, he said. He announced further two pro(Continued on page 4) Greece Plans Annual Cinema Week for Purpose Of Attracting More Producers To Film There Special to THE DAILY ATHENS, Aug. 18 (By Air Mail)— A permanent annual "Cinema Week," with the participation of foreign stars and motion picture leaders, will be instituted by the Government of Greece, as one of the features of the wellknown annual Salonica (Greece) Fair. The annual event will aim at encouraging the local cinema industry and attracting more producers to shoot films locally. According to a new bill to be tabled in Parliament soon, foreign producers will get 35 per cent of the gross fncome on each picture shot in Greece and customs duty on film equipment will be cut from 35 to 7 per cent ad valorem. Local (Greek) banks will be authorised to grant loans to producers; film personnel will get insured; new motion picture people will be trained; scriptwriters, directors and technicians will get awards; "red tape" will be erased; and no foreign producer shooting a film in Greece will be compelled to use a fixed percentage of local personnel. In 70 Areas Ended in '59 Tax Reductions Effected In 16 Other Localities The Council of Motion Picture Organizations' annual survey of local admission taxes, made public at the weekend by Charles E. McCarthy, executive secretary, shows that 70 local taxes were repealed and 16 reduced during 1959. As of January 1, 1960, there were approximately 331 such taxes still in effect, as compared with 538 in January 1, 1956, when Compo began its first survey. At least 18 local admission taxes in Tennessee were dropped July 1, 1959, by an act of the Senate Legislature revoking the law which granted municipalities the privilege of impos( Continued on page 2 ) 'Spartacus' Meetings Start Here Wednesday Universal Pictures will hold a series of orientation meetings here this week on the road-show merchandising of "Spartacus," with field personnel assigned to early engagements joining East and West Coast executives, it was announced at the weekend by David A. Lipton, vice-president in charge of advertising and publicity, who will attend. The meetings, to be held at the ( Continued on page 4 ) More Firms Sign Up For TOA Trade Show Six more firms have signed to jexhibit in the trade show to be staged in conjunction with the annual convention of Theatre Owners of America at the Ambassador Hotel, Los Angeles, Sept. 13-16, Albert M. Pickus, TOA president, reported. The companies are: Savon Co., Paterson, N.J., conces( Continued on page 2) TELEVISION TODAY— page 5