The Exhibitor (1956)

Fisher Upped To UA Exploitation Position MOTION PICTURE EXHIBITOR •r RKO Tax Credit At $10,800,000; Company May Produce In ToddAO New York — A1 Fisher, with UA since 1952, has been appointed assistant ex¬ ploitation manager, it was announced by Roger H. Lewis, national director of advertising, publicity, and exploitation, at the final session of the company’s fieldmen’s convention. Fisher will work under exploitation manager Mori Krushen in supervising the operation of UA’s ex¬ ploitation men in the United States and Canada. Am-Par's First Launched Hollywood — Irving H. Levin, president, Am-Par Pictures Corporation, wholly owned subsidiary of AB-PT, announced last fortnight that its first production had got underway at Republic studios. The film is “The Beginning Of The End,” a science-fiction thriller, written, pro¬ duced and directed by Bert I. Gordon. Six to eight “strictly commercial boxoffice” features are scheduled by Am-Par for 1957. New York — Independent producers must forsake the ivory tower and assume in¬ creasing responsibilities today, according to Lindsley Parsons, veteran film-maker whose product is released through Allied Artists and who has made more than 200 features. Accompanied by John H. Burrows, his associate, Parsons arrived in New York last week en route to Honduras to scout locations and make preliminary plans for the filming there next year of “The In¬ credible Yanqui,” the story of General Lee Christmas, an American soldier of fortune who became an Honduran officer. Parsons also discussed the virtues of long-range production, the pre-production involvement of actors, directors, and even the advertising and publicity departments, and his own upcoming production plans. Whenever possible, and particularly if the picture’s potential is there, the pro¬ ducer should get out and help merchan¬ dise his product to the exhibitor, Parsons believes. Parsons pointed out that “The Incred¬ ible Yanqui” would not go before the cameras until late next year. His visit to Honduras will entail meeting with gov¬ ernment officials, making preliminary arrangements, scouting locations and re¬ searching even the weather. There will be another pre-production visit next year with director, screen writer, and possibly the star in order to familiarize them with the locale. “Dragoon Wells Massacre,” Parsons’ lat¬ est picture for Allied Artists release, was purchased three years ago, the producer said. The script was written and “put on ice.” Periodically it has been examined "Disneyland, U. S. A." The Seven Wonders Of The World are all of them ancient, but the eighth is as modem as next year's automobile. What is it? Why, it’s Dis¬ neyland, U.S.A., just a short hop from Los Angeles. What was once a swamp has been transformed through the magic of a mind forever young into a wonder¬ land of adventure, science, and en¬ chantment, guaranteed to thrill the most callous adult and absolutely en¬ rapture any child. Scenes from Fantasyland, Adventureland, Frontierland, Tomorrowland leap to life in as enjoyable a short subject as ever you’ll see, “Disney¬ land, U.S.A.,” available free from Buena Vista with the booking of “Westward The Wagons.” For 42 minutes, you can be a kid again. It’s a wonderful feeling. —JAY EMANUEL and scenes rewritten wherever it was felt necessary. “By the time we started shoot¬ ing, we were completely satisfied with every aspect of it. In the meantime, we had examined available directors, writers, and cast members and carefully made our choices,” Parsons said. “As a result, our overhead runs to only about 10 per cent instead of 50 per cent. These are the behind-the-cameras economies that are absolutely essential to independent pro¬ duction today.” Parsons believes that television, with its problem of simultaneously meeting the needs of children and adults, cannot com¬ pete in the long run with the diversifi¬ cation of theatrical motion pictures, which can be made to suit mass needs without being limited as to subject matter. Pic¬ tures which have the best chance to suc¬ ceed today, he thinks, are those dealing with male-female relationships and those with documentary backgrounds. “Before buying a story we look for potential exploitation angles,” the pro¬ ducer said. “If it hasn’t any, we ask the publicists whether they feel some kind of gimmick can be worked in to give the story sales appeal. We have turned down many good stories simply because they did not have the exploitation values. They would have made good pictures, perhaps, but that sales element was missing, so we passed them by.” In addition to “Dragoon Wells Mas¬ sacre,” a CinemaScope and color picture which will be released next April, Par¬ sons will make two other films next year. One is “Rio Bravo,” also to be made in CinemaScope and color, and the other is “Jack Slade In Montana.” New York — Thomas F. O’Neil, board chairman and president, RKO Teleradio Pictures, announced at a luncheon meet¬ ing of the Society of Security Analysts of New York City last week that RKO Radio Pictures as of Jan. 1, 1956, had a tax credit of $10,800,000, of which $3,800,000 will be used up this year. He also said that RKO Teleradio and its entertainment subsidiaries had a “profitable” year in 1956; that capital ex¬ penditures for RKO in 1957 will be “very small”; that RKO Radio Pictures amor¬ tizes its films at almost 80 per cent in the first year of release and the film is written off in two to two-and-a-half years; and that production at RKO Radio next year “may go over 1956.” O’Neil said that a more detailed pro¬ gram for RKO Teleradio and RKO Pic¬ tures would be formulated later in the week in Florida conferences among executives. He said the company is considering the possible production of a few films in the Todd -AO process. The company has the foreign distribution rights to ToddAO’s “Oklahoma!” Columbia's Jack Cohn Dies Of Heart Attack New York — Jack Cohn, 67, co-founder and executive vice-president, Columbia Pictures Corporation, died of a heart at¬ tack last weekend at Midtown Hospital. He had entered the hospital earlier in the week for minor surgery. Cohn, an indus¬ try veteran, became associated with the late Carl Laemmle’s IMP Company in New York as a laboratory technician in 1808, and was editor and producer of Universal Weekly, the first of the inde¬ pendent newsreels. In 1913, Cohn and his younger brother, Harry, who now is head of Columbia, made their first film for a reported $5,000, “Traffic In Souls.” It is said to have grossed $450,000 and inspired them to continue in the business. In 1919, they joined forces with Joseph Brandt, and formed the C.B.C. Film Sales Company, which made “Screen Snapshots,” released in 1920. Columbia is still producing and distributing the series, the oldest of its kind. In 1924, the company’s name was changed to Columbia Pictures, and Cohn became supervisor of the home office in New York in charge of sales, while his brother moved to California to take charge of studio operations. In 1939, Cohn founded the Motion Pic¬ ture Pioneers, and was its only president. Surviving are his widow; two sons, Ralph M., general manager, Screen Gems: and Robert L., a Columbia executive v/ith office in Paris; another brother, Nathan, who is New York division manager for Columbia; a sister; and three grandchil¬ dren. Another son, Joseph H. Curtis, died in 1954. All Columbia offices were closed the afternoon of the funeral (yesterday), which took place at Temple Emanuel. Indie Producers Must Assume More Responsibilities, Persons Advises December 12, 1956