Motion Picture Daily (Jul-Sep 1960)

y, August 26, 1960 Motion Picture Daily 7 Abandon Griff ing Search ( Continued here. Griffing, who conducted the pay television experiment in his circuit's Bartlesville, Okla., theatre in 1957, piloted the plane. He had taken up flying about a year ago, and had flown the single engine, four-place Cessna 182 Skylane, painted black with red and white trim to Teterboro from here to meet his wife, Josephine; their son, Phillip, 24, and daughter, Linda, 20, on their return from a six-week tour of Africa. No Flight Plan Filed The family was last seen when the plane took off from Teterboro at 7:27 A.M., EDT, on the return trip. Griffing had purchased seven gallons of gas, apparently filling the tank, at Teterboro airport shortly before taking off. He neglected to file a flight plan, which is not an FAA requirement, and the family wasn't missed until last Friday. The plane's range is about 600 miles under normal flying conditions, and the FAA was unable to find any airfield where Griffing may have landed and refueled. For that reason the search for the plane by the CAP, and the search and rescue center at Mitchel Air Force Base, New York, concentrated on an area taking in parts of New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and West Virginia, although CAP search planes covered sections of 15 states from the Atlantic Coast to Oklahoma during the past six days. Bad weather over the area hampered the search. Canadian planes also joined in the search, and the Coast Guard checked from page 1 ) Lakes Huron, Erie and Ontario in addition to sections of the Atlantic coast. Last weekend alone, CAP flew 115 search missions, using 56 light planes, for a total of 177 hours aloft. Claude Fulgham, vice-president of Video Independent Theatres; Edgar Bell, manager of KWTV, which is partially owned by Video; attorneys V. P. Crowe and Luther Bohanon, and Oklahoma County Bar Ass'n. president Bruce McClelland, associates of Griffing's, who was an attorney, sent wires to either the sheriff or county attorney in 331 counties of Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia and Ohio asking them to organize search parties and informing them that Video had offered a $5,000 reward for information about the plane and its passengers. In re-checking the weather of Aug. 16 the FAA said it found that clouds covered the mountains between Harrisburg and Pittsburgh, and the weather had deteriorated at Teterboro after Griffing took off, which would have caused bim trouble if he had attempted to return. Griffing was 53 years old. Lastspring he applied for a Telemeter franchise, explaining that he was anxious to inaugurate pay-tv over die theatre company's community antenna setup in several states in this area and the south. He was of the opinion that the Telemeter method of permitting viewers to pay only for what they see would succeed where his Bartlesville system of charging a flat sum monthly had failed. ENT TALK Variety Club News ANY, N. Y.-Tent No. 9 has iciiised from $10,500 to $16,500 its orfitment for the financing of free wc /eek vacations at Camp Thacher. 'kclub still will be shy by some 3,{0 the total pledged for the camp. l biefit performance— possibly "Beniu -is being considered as a means f inking up the difference. A i ILADELPHIA— Tent No. 13 will olf its annual golf tournament and in'r dance on Sept. 16 at the Philnoj Country Club. FV-eign Trade Bill ( Continued from page 1 ) iijrie amendments were accepted .it ut substantial change. One reluijs taxpayers who wish to switch roi the over-all to the per-country im'ition to obtain the Treasury's lerjission. Another prohibits the carv-fck or carry-over of unused for•m tax credits from a per-country o | overall year or vice versa. 1e conferees adopted— but proMi1 more liberal rules for certain ttfij/ income— a Senate amendment rfa i denies the use of any excess oihfl tax credit of a Western Hemipbe trade corporation ( to the extent if eir 14 percentage point differeniMfax rate) which is a member of n ffiliated group filing a consolilatfl tax return and electing the over.H mitation. Penalty Provided 1e final version of the bill also irotdes a penalty of the loss of 10 )ei; ent of the foreign tax credit for mirations which fail to file certain eqfred reports concerning their forigl subsidiaries. The bill now spells HBjlfri greater detail the type of inorjition to be supplied. EfD. Durwood Estate Vjlued at $789,195 Special to THE DAILY KNSAS CITY, Aug. 25.-The esat of Edward Dubinsky Durwood, etan theatre owner, who died vfah 23 at the age of 74, has been •al'd at $789,195 in an inventory |m(| appraisement filed in Jackson Co ty Probate Court. Durdwood was piedent of Durwood Theatres, Inc., vmh operates 11 theatres in Kansas H' St. Joseph, Jefferson City and en worth. At one time the circuit ha 40 theatres. I a will dated Feb. 12, 1954, Durwc 1 appointed his three children exL'Ctbrs of his estate and left the renader of his estate to them. Windjammer9 Record i its 36th week at the Bellevue Th tie, Upper Montclair, N. J., the Ginniracle production, "Windjamra< ' grossed $237,433, which represei a house record for the Bellevue. Gold Will Head ( Continued from page 1 ) ployed by National Screen, first as editor of their publication, "Mister Showman," and subsequently as director of advertising, publicity and television. In 1954 he ended his 11year stint to enter his own film-producing business. According to Robbins, the acquisition of Gold's services is in line with National Screen's stepped-up showmanship policy in support of the industry's augmented efforts toward bigger box office receipts. 'Jungle' Sets Record "Jungle Cat," Walt Disney's latest "True-Life Adventure" feature, established a record first week gross at the Trans-Lux Normandie Theatre here, taking in $22,976. The figure surpassed any previous attraction at the theatre. 'Butterfield' Coming M-G-M's "Butterfield 8" will have its New York premiere at Loew's Capitol Theatre here in the fall, it has been disclosed by Eugene Picker, president of Loew's Theatre, and Robert Mochrie, M-G-M general sales manager. New Orleans Circuit To Do Own Booking Special to THE DAILY NEW ORLEANS, Aug. 25.-United Theatres Corp., headed by Edward Ludman, president, and C. Clair Woods, vice-president and general manager, operating a dozen neighborhood theatres in New Orleans will henceforth handle the buying and booking of pictures themselves. Concurrently they appointed Earl Kroeper to take over the newly created department. Kroeper was formerly with Theatres Service Company, who hitherto did the buying and booking for the circuit, with Kroeper doing the booking only. Theatres included are the Beacon, Carrollton, Clabon, Dreamland, Folly, Grand, Napoleon, Nola, Poplar, Prytania, Tivoli and National. To Reopen Theatre HARTFORD, Aug. 25. The Zoning Board of Appeals at Sound View, Old Lyme, Conn., has approved a petition by Thomas Grasso and Irving Jaffee to reopen the long-shuttered Cinema Theatre there. Selectman Maurice McCarthy, attending a board meeting, said that the facility would provide entertainment for the town's young people, "many of whom have too much time on their hands." Senate Votes Bill Opposing Broadcasting Malpractices From THE DAILY Bureau WASHINGTON, Aug. 25. The Senate today passed by a voice vote a modified bill setting penalties for broadcasting malpractices. The House is expected to agree to amendments made by the Senate which limit the punitive authority of the Federal Communications Commission. 'Blank Check' ( Continued from page 1 ) clared. In setting the policy, Rosenfield observed that Columbia had set no budget limit to restrict George Sidney in the filming of "Pepe." Even after filming had started, the producer was adding some of the top names in show business to the cast of his color and CinemaScope production. Columbia is setting up the "blankcheck" policy on an international basis. Special departments have already been established to handle the film. Jerome Safron Named In the domestic organization, Jerome Safron, circuit sales executive of Columbia, has been appointed national sales coordinator for the special unit. Harry K. McWilliams was also named last week to head up a special unit as national director of advertising and publicity. McWilliams will coordinate his activities with Robert S. Ferguson, Columbia's national director of advertising, publicity and exploitation. "Pepe" will world premiere in New York and Los Angeles during Christmas week on a hard-ticket basis. Prerelease promotion for the film is one of the most extensive ever undertaken by Columbia. Desilu Reports a Loss For the First Quarter From THE DAILY Bureau HOLLYWOOD, Aug. 25. The Desilu Productions, Inc., quarterly report for 13 weeks ended July 30, 1960, showed a net loss of operations for first quarter of the current fiscal year, it was announced by president Desi Arnaz in the company's interim report to stockholders for the period. "The late start in production due to the writers strike, resulted in reporting a net loss of $201,397 on operations for first quarter as compared with net income of $265,050 for the same period last year. It is anticipated that the net income for the second and third quarters will be greater than for same period last year," Arnaz stated. Also included in the report was a quarterly dividend check representing 15 cents per share on the common stock, payable Aug. 26, 1960, to holders of record on Aug. 12. The board did not declare any dividends on the Class B common stock, held by Lucille Ball Arnaz and Arnaz.