Motion Picture Daily (Oct-Dec 1960)

ednesday, November 2, 1960 ouglas to Develop New lotion Picture Process From THE DAILY Bureau HOLLYWOOD, Nov. 1. Kirk ouglas today announced plans to irm a company to develop and merlandise a new motion picture proiss called "The Living Screen." artnered in the enterprise will be ie inventor, William Read Woodeld, and Charles B. Bloch. While successful demonstrations of ie pilot model have already been eld for a number of key industry xecutives, another six months of techical research will precede largeDale public screenings. UP Buys Hollywood Lot For Own Office Building From THE DAILY Bureau HOLLYWOOD, Nov. 1. Amercan International Pictures has finalzed negotiations for the purchase of i lot at 7127 Sunset Boulevard for he future site of its home office. Construction on the new building vill start shortly after the first of the /ear, with occupancy expected the atter part of 1961. 1 The new home-office building will dlow all phases of the company's operation to be housed under one roof, including American International Records. AIP headquarters is presently located at the Skelton studios. Donald Leon, AIP associate counsel, handled the negotiations. Motion Picture Daily 'Pleasure* Resumes HOLLYWOOD, Nov. 1. Honoring the cast of "The Pleasure of His Company," producer William Perlberg and director George Seaton gave a press cocktail party at Paramount tonight signalling the resumption of production on this film adaptation of the Broadway comedy hit, which was interrupted by the actors' strike on March 4. The cast and crew leave tomorrow by United Airlines for San Francisco, where actual filming will start Thurs . dav, for 10 days of exteriors in the Ba'v City. « Plan 'Goliath9 Trailers HOLLYWOOD, Nov. 1. The teaser trailer campaign established by < American International Pictures for its recent "Goliath and the Barbarians" will be duplicated for AIP's I forthcoming release, "Goliath and the I Dragon," whereby three trailers, varying in length from 15 seconds to one minute, will be available for use in theatres for a three-week buildup campaign. Chester A. Rehm CHICAGO, Nov. 1. -Chester A. ! Rehm, 75, of Batavia, 111., who with ' his brother Irving founded Atlas Edu; cational Film Co. of Oak Park, 111.. ; died Oct. 28 in Aurora, 111. He had been retired since 1945. Shopping Center Is Fabian Diversification Special to THE DAILY ALBANY, Nov. 1. The purchase by Fabian Theatres, last summer, of the 29-store Latham Corners Shopping Center— nine miles from Albany, and one mile from the circuit's Saratoga Drive-in— is "part of the diversification program" the chain is conducting. So is the operation of a 64lane bowling alley, called Echo Lane, in New Jersey. So Edward L. Fabian, vice-president and managing director of Fabian operations, said in an interview filmed in the Palace Theatre lobby, and telecast yesterday over WRGB, Schenectady. Fabian, who came here with his father, S. H. 'Fabian, and most of the other top Fabian Theatres personnel, for the reopening of the Palace— after a $250,000 "retreatment" job explained that the acquisition of the shopping center is in line with the circuit's long-time "retailer" policy. "Exhibitors retail film, and we remain retailers at heart in operating the Latham Comers Shopping Center," he said. A Fabian subsidiary invested, in cash, plus the assumption of two outstanding mortgages and the addition of a third purchase-money mortgage, more than $6,000,000 for the new shopping center. Si Fabian and otiier Fabian executives inspected the Center while here for the Palace's relighting. In an address at the latter, Edward Fabian declared, "We feel that much of downtown Albany will have to be changed, in order to compete with the outlying shopping centers that are affecting all downtown areas." Shopping centers now ring this city. Elvis Scores Well with Audience Board Survey In his first post-Army film effort, "G. I. Blues" for Paramount, Elvis Presley scores highly on three counts, according to two out of three opinion leaders surveyed by the National Audience Board. Responses from two-thirds of the NAB viewing panel indicate that in "G. I. Blues," Presley projects a matured personality; turns in a good acting performance, and retains his popularity as a singer. A total of 63.0 per cent of the survey respondents termed Presley "more mature." Nearly three out of four reported diey "enjoyed Elvis Presley's sincrins; in this picture." Basically, Presley remains as a strong teen-age attraction in the eyes of the NAB panel of adult opinion leaders. 71.7 per cent of the audience felt the Paramount film "would be entertaining for teen-agers." Ampex Merger ( Continued from page 1 ) version of each two shares of Telemeter into one share of Ampex. If the merger is consummated, Paramount will own 315,822 shares of Ampex, or approximately four per cent of the total to be outstanding. Ampex is quoted at fractionally over 21 on the New York Stock Exchange, giving Paramount's interest a market value of nearly $7,000,000. If the merger is approved, Ampex will be the surviving corporation. The boards of directors of both companies have authorized and both companies have executed an agreement covering terms of the proposed merger. Remodeled RKO Grand Opens with Cinerama Special to THE DAILY COLUMBUS, O., Nov. l.-Cinerama will have its first Columbus, Ohio, showing at the newly renovated RKO Grand Theatre here Thursday evening, with a special benefit performance for the Columbus Dispatch Senior Newsboys Association. The RKO Grand has been entirely remodeled from front sidewalk to the back wall. An entirely new front, including a Cinerama marquee has been erected. The modern lobby has had a new box office installed for the sale of reserved seats for all performances. A new special sound proof projection booth was constructed on the rear of the orchestra floor to house the three new Cinerama projectors. This new arrangement differs from the original Cinerama presentation in that for the first time all projectors are in a single projection room. Harrv Mandel, vice-president, RKO Theatres Operations, with Matthew Polon, chief film buyer and booker, and Charles Horstman, manager of maintenance and construction, will join with Joseph Alexander, RKO Midwest division manager, and Edward McGlone, RKO Columbus city manager, at die premiere. "B. G. Kranze, vice-president. Cinerama, Inc., Everett Callow, international director of advertising and publicity; Sam Pearlman, district manager, and associates will attend. PEOPLE Morris B. Lang, 70 CHICAGO. Nov. 1. Morris B. Lang, 70, of Skokie, 111., who operated the Harrison Theatre here until his retirement in 1952, died in Grant Hospital in Chicago Oct. 28. Alan King, J. Winters At Pioneers Dinner Night club and television stars Alan King and Jonathan Winters have accepted invitations to perform at the Motion Picture Pioneers' Nov. 21 dinner at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel here honoring Joseph E. Levine as Pioneer of the Year. Their appearance at the 22nd annual dinner was announced yesterday by S. H. Fabian, president of the Pioneers. Both performers will be introduced bv George Jessel, toastmaster for the affair, which benefits die Motion Picture Pioneer Foundation. Tickets for die dinner, priced at S20 per plate, are available from Fabian, 1585 Broadway, and from William J. German, 1501 Broadway. James M. Pierce, formerly head of production at Pathescope Productions here, has joined Mecca Film Laboratories Corp., New York, as director of sales and client relations. □ Max Westebbe, distributor in the Albany, N. Y., and Buffalo areas, has moved his Albany offices from the old RKO exchange building to the former Allied Artists quarters at 1046 Broadway. A.A. recently transferred its base of operations to the RTA Building. □ James A. Duncan, formerly of Florence, Ala., has been named manager of the Bowline Drive-in Theatre, Decatur, Ala., succeeding Carlton Mann. □ Charles Jordan, Howco Productions manager in Atlanta, has moved his staff from Film Row to the Bona Allen Building there. The shipping department will remain at the old Walton Street address for the present. □ Mrs. Wadad Boumansour, operator of the Plaza Theatre, Malone, N. Y., has instituted a four-day, weekend schedule for the house. MPEA Board to Meet Tomorrow with MPAA A meeting of the board of Motion Picture Export Assn., originally planned for yesterday, will be held tomorrow instead in conjunction with a meeting of the Motion Picture Ass'n. board. Eric Johnston, MPAA-EA president, is scheduled to make recommendations resulting from his African trip of last summer and a report on production-distribution employes' contributions to the political campaigns is scheduled to be made. jWto1™P aboard BOAC's daily MONARCH ROLLS ROYCE INTERCONTINENTAL 707 (fastest of all big jets) with "Golden Service' reservations through your Travel Agent or BRITISH OVERSEAS AIRWAYS CORPORATION Jet and or jet-prop flights from New York. Boston. Chicago. Detroit. Honolulu, San Francisco. Montreal, Toronto.