Motion Picture Daily (Oct-Dec 1960)

Trsday, December 15, I960 Motion Picture Daily \sks P.A. Tours for Smaller Situations Special to THE DAILY ,HARLOTTE, N. C, Dec. 14.king a plea to distributors to rnle smaller situations on the itin-y of their personality promotion rs A. B. Craver, an executive of isolidated Theatres, welcomed tro-Goldwyn-Mayer's "Where the Vs Are" troupe to Charlotte, N. C, terday. The visitors included Joe Ltjemak, producer of the picture; ila Prentiss, Jim Hutton, and MagPierce, members of the cast; and Seadler, M-G-M's eastern adveriig manager. The Plaza Theatre, which will play fj holiday attraction here the day 'er its world premiere in Fort Laurdale, Fla., is one of the 13 indoor l d 25 drive-in operations of ConsoliI'ted Theatres, under the partnership Sam Craver, Tom Little and A. B. ' -aver. . r'Star tours are no novelty to the gger cities," Craver said at a press inference held for the M-G^VI coniSgent, "but because of their very ['frequent tours in towns like CharIll, Richmond and others comuable, they become civic events, he program of promotion lined up y Dick Hoffman, M-G-M branch Manager, for 'Where the Boys Are l] Charlotte is an example of;>what iharlotte can do for a picture.' iifts for Everybody It AMPA Annual Fete There will be gifts for virtually it Everyone at the annual Christmas <>arty of the Associated Motion Picure Advertisers on Tuesday at the 'iccadilly Hotel here, Bob Montgom,ay, president, announced. 1 Gifts are donated by the film companies, ad agencies, and companies illied with the industry, as well as individual members. Storm Effects Fading ( Continued from page 1 ) I for the four-day period averaged m about 50 per cent; much higher in some situations, considerably lower ,in others. Factors affecting theatre attendance during the storm period, theatre men " agreed, were the strength of the picture playing and how long schools in each locality remained closed. Some said they did better business with a strong picture playing during the storm period than they did with a weak picture in good weather last week. Others said that Monday and Tuesday attendance was helped by school closings and that it slumped yesterday when most schools were back on regular schedules. May Triple U.S. Fund ( Continued from page 1 ) '. about $2,500,000. The Kennedy administration may be asked to request ■ almost $7,500,000 of Congress for this purpose to be used during the fiscal year that starts July 1, 1961. Exo das CONTINUED FROM PAGE "Presbyterian from Indiana") visiting in Cyprus where the refugees are interned by the British in camps and prevented from go ing to Hospital personnel is desperately needed on the island, so at the behest of an English general she agrees to help out. She soon becomes much more involved in the events on she had intended to be. While working as a nurse she meets ^ attractive 14-year-old girl and becomes so attached to her that she wants to adopt he/ and take her back to America. The girl is willing, but before they can leave they are caught up both in a dramatic ^^S^^, large group of Jewish refugees on Cyprus to a sh,p called the ply™"1* XTarL and their attempt to set sail for Palestine. When the *BnttJ block the harbor, the refugees go on a hunger strike until the English are forced to give in and let the ship, now renamed the Exodus, set out t0^t£%ie*ce involving the ship Preminger cleverly combines /| Fl/fTCS humor and drama. The way the refugees escape from the . camp t * J_ harbor right under the noses of the British is both amusing and su pense ful and culminates in the firm stand of the refugees and their ^refusa to surrender on pain of death. It is here that their moral courage, dedica cation, and longing for a homeland are first strongly expressed m the film. 'Jack' Will End 34-Week Run at Guild Here Sunday Boulting Brothers' "I'm All Right Jack," a Columbia Pictures release, will complete a 34-week run at the Guild Theatre here Sunday. The film grossed $348,279 through December 9 with another $10,000 expected by the end of its run. The Guild is a 455-seat theatre. New York figures reflect the success of the film in other key playdates throughout the U.S. such as Washington, Chicago, Baltimore, Minneapolis and Detroit, Columbia said. THIS DRIVE and determination is further illuminated after the ship arrives in Palestine through recalling the horrors suffered by many Jews rives in raiesnne g the&war. One of the refugees is a young p LZ Before this lad is permitted to become a member of the of Sm in a harrowing and blood-chilling scene that ,s one of the best ^l^—^fZry threads have been introdoced Z sTory Hues are always clear and easy to follow; Preminger has not let in Ae thhd hour (just after the intermission). A long sequence m wh ch the Irgun and Haganah join forces to free several Jews sentenced To death by the British for terrorist activity-Preminger builds up suspense n it with a wealth of fascinating details as to how escape ools are smuggled into the prison and put to use to bmld explosives. Starting ^ftlr thL gradually steps up his pace in crescend ^hke fashion for a terrific final effect as the prisoners successfully get away. friend of the hero-are killed. fc Newman The film ends with a stirnng eulogy ove the r g av eswh c he visits in prison a brother condemned to die by the Bnttsh ( Continued from page 1 ) to groups of theatres within a specific area, accompanied by special promotion and merchandising activities concentrated within the area at the time of dating. Originated by Marcus in his own circuit, it has shown excellent results. It is now being tried out in the Pittsburgh area with the cooperation of exhibitors and distributors there, under the sponsorship of Compo. Marcus pointed to the splendid campaign conducted in Wisconsin on the pictures 'The Magnificent Seven and "For the Love of Mike." In these instances, he said, 'both the exhibitor and the distributor benefited handsomely while other distributors were withholding their pictures from release, awaiting the holiday period." Marcus emphasized that in selecting pictures for a saturation campaign, it is essential that they be "of an entertaining calibre, with mass appeal." "The public today is eager to^ attend our theatres," Marcus said, "but we must be extremely careful to select the right kind of pictures to attract them." Criticizes 'Can-Can' Policy The Allied chairman criticized the handling of "Can-Can," which he contended "was not heavy enough to carry the hard-ticket policy which 20th Century-Fox originally set for it. "It was a mistake to withhold it from general release as long as they have. After the terrific campaign put on in large, first run cities, the demand to see it was very high. Instead of withholding the picture, it should have been put into general release throughout the country at that time. "Even though much damage has been done to this picture because of this, it is still not too late to attract a substantial theare audience in all areas if an all-out co-op campaign is utilized," Marcus concluded. Speaking of the withholding of pictures from release, Marcus said he is "deeply concerned over this major distributors' policy" which deprives the market of a steady flow of good product "until a soft spot is found, such as holidays, school vacations, etc."