Motion Picture Daily (Jul-Sep 1960)

6 Motion Picture Daily Wednesday, September 14, 196( Fabian Hits (Continued from page 1 ) which exhibitors have subscribed about $3,500,000 is the result of those producer-distributor policies and ACE is confident that it "is the way to protect our future." Fabian said the studios have taken the course they did because of the Federal consent decrees enforced theatre divorcement. This, he said, relieved them of the responsibility for keeping their own theatres open through production of adequate product and left them "free to disregard the future of all theatres." He said he is "all for the idea of making blockbusters" and congratulated Hollywood on the talent and business courage it takes to make a blockbuster. "However," he said. "We believe that the production of blockbusters alone cannot keep our theatres open and meanwhile consider what is happening to the vast, nationwide network of theatres." 'What About the Theatres' Spending more money on fewer and bigger pictures for bigger profits, Fabian said, could be wonderful for the distribution business "but what about the dieatres?" "What becomes of our two and a half billion dollar investment, our 150,000 employes, our annual payroll of $285,000,000?" he asked. "With a limited number of releases coming off for regular first run and sub-run theatres, how do we keep theatres open in the neighborhoods and the thousands of towns across the country?" Fabian asked whether theatres, in effect, were to lay down and die, "or do we organize for production and decide our own future?" ACE's answer, he related, was the projected production company which was begun with $2 millions of contributions by the five divorced theatre companies. These were the first to be contacted, Fabian explained, because today "your headaches are multiplied by the number of your theatres." So those companies are most affected by the product shortage. He assured the exhibitors present that ACE Productions "is not designed to be the exclusive property of a select group of founding exhibitors. The Lack of Activity at Studios Is Scored From THE DAILY Bureau LOS ANGELES, Sept. 13. Commenting on the product shortage and its effects on the Hollywood scene, S. H. Fabian, ACE chairman, told the Theatre Owners of America convention here today that "in this world film capital, only one major studio is shooting, and that one has only one theatrical film before the cameras." "Exhibitors who brought their families to the convention to give them the thrill of seeing pictures made, have nowhere to take them," he said. M.P. DAILY pictures AS TOA OPENED its 13th annual convention in Los Angeles (above) Roscoe Buttrey, president, Crescent Amusement Co.; Herbert Kohn, vice-president, Malco Theatres; Robert Hosse, vice-president, Crescent; Herman Hallberg, and George Gaughan, both of Cooper Foundation Theatres, Lincoln, Nebr. Below, George Kerasotes, chairman, at the meeting of the board of directors and executive committee. company will be in the hands of the entire exhibition business." Then tipping off that the ultimate plan for the ACE production company entails a public sale of securities, Fabian said, "when we are further along in our program, and when a registration statement with the SEC has become effective, you will have adequate opportunity to examine the prospectus and to decide whether you want to invest and if, so, to what extent." Meanwhile, he said, the exhibitors who have subscribed to the ACE production company "in my opinion constitute a roll of honor." And, Fabian added, "while our charter members, so to speak, represent many segments of exhibition, ACE productions coidd not have been born without the enthusiasm and money of the TOA membership." Calls Conferences 'Barren' Reviewing other phases of ACE's activities, Fabian reported that the series of meetings which the ACE executive committee had held with company presidents, members of the board of Motion Picture Association of America, have been completely barren and while ACE still is willing to resume the meetings, there appears to be little prospect of, or reason for doing so now. "The open door," he said of the meetings between ACE and the company heads, "was not the road to settlement of differences between exhibition and distribution. There was no meeting of the minds and this effort didn't cure a single problem." Sees Product Principal Issue Fabian disclaimed blame for exhibition in the failure of the conferences to achieve anything concrete on the main problems discussed— an increase in production, a program to develop new faces for production, and a solution of major trade practice problems, all of which, he insisted, can be traced to the shortage of product— "shortage of prints is directly connected with shortage of features; multiple runs are linked to lack of sufficient product." On sales of film backlogs to television, Fabian was equally outspoken. "We don't understand distributors who spend millions for production, expect us to charge high admission prices, and then at the same time sell the best of their former successes to tv stations for showing to the public without charge in competition with their current features." Fabian said that ACE still has as one of its major objectives the goal of bringing peace to the industry. "Just a reduction of bitterness and a reasonable settlement of many outstanding problems between buyer and seller" would be a step toward a united industry which "could achieve almost any goal in the field of government assistance, public relations or world influence." But with or without that unity, he predicted, once the ACE production company is functioning, "conditions will begin to change." Stars at TOA Lunch HOLLYWOOD, Sept. 13.-Nine of Columbia's most promising young contract players appeared today at the kickoff luncheon of the TOA convention in the Coconut Grove of the Ambassador Hotel. Representing Columbia were Kerwin Mathews, Michael Callan, Jo Morrow, Glenn Corbett, Carol Douglas, Joe Gallison, Rian Garrick, Margie Regan and Vickie Trickett. National Use Predicted For Imported Films From THE DAILY Bureau HOLLYWOOD, Sept. 13. All good imported films soon will b(j dubbed and played in the majorib! of theatres in the U.S., no longer be! ing the special fare of "art" and othe small theatres, a convention repor by Theatre Owners of America's fori eign film committee of which Irvinj M. Levin of San Francisco is chair j man, predicts. The report said "the product short' age will make it mandatory that comij mercial theatres present this product' making them competitors of the spe, cialty houses." It added that at leas: 230 films, or as many as were mad-i in this country, are being importeq this year. While the small houses will pla:' the imported product day and datii with the large theatres, Levin's reporj said, the former will have an advarf, tage in that they will be able to pre) sent them with sub-titles, as coiif trasted to the dubbed version. Correction Roddy McDowall is not a member of the Celebrities for Nixon-Lodge Committee, as reported in a story from Washington, D. C, in Motion Picture Daily on Sept. 6. McDowall said here yesterday he had been approached for permission to use his name, but had refused it in a telegram sent to the Washington office of the group. TOA Delegates Guests At AIP Garden Party LOS ANGELES, Sept. 13.-Amen can International Pictures was host s a cocktail garden party and buffe supper today for delegates to the con vention of Theatre Owners of Americ at the Sheraton West Hotel. Presiden James H. Nicholson and executiv vice-president Samuel Z. Arkoff pre sided at the party, which was th third consecutive affair AIP has spor sored in conjunction with the annu; TOA conventions. Highlight of the evening was fashion show in which Hollywoo starlets modeled costumes worn i past AIP motion pictures. Rogers, Alpha Official, A TOA Speaker Toda> HOLLYWOOD, Sept. 13. Bud Rogers, newly appointed presider and general manager of Alpha Dis; tributing Corp., will be a speaker a Theatre Owners of America's luncf eon meeting tomorrow at which th Pathe Laboratories affiliate will be ill troduced to exhibitors. Alpha will be developed into " very important industry factor," Rc gers said today. He will return tj New York later in the week to pij together the new company's sales an exploitation force." Wolf son Has Birthday HOLLYWOOD, Sept. 13. Georg Kerasotes, toastmaster at Theatr Owners of America's first conventio luncheon session today, called atter tion to the date being the birthda of Mitchell Wolfson, president c! Wometco Theatres, and a former TO. president. The entire assemblag joined in singing "Happy Birthday, waiters marched in with a candle-1 cake and Columbia starlets on thj dais promptly greeted Wolfson wit busses.