The Exhibitor (1959)

14 MOTION PICTURE EXHIBITOR January 7, 1959 UA To Celebrate 40th Anniversary Via Gala World-Wide Celebrations NEW YORK — United Artists will mark its Fortieth Anniversary during 1959 with world¬ wide, year-long celebrations. Starting Jan. 1, UA’s 164 American, Cana¬ dian, Latin American, and overseas offices and branches and 2200 employees will participate in a series of public and film industry fetes now being planned to observe the founding of the company on April 17, 1919, it was an¬ nounced by Robert S. Benjamin, chairman of the board. Also taking part in the global cele¬ brations will be United Artists family of more than 60 independent producers. Benjamin declared that this four-decade milestone will be celebrated with the greatest selection of top quality motion picture fea¬ tures ever released during a 12-month period in UA history. He pointed out that these pro¬ ductions, representing an investment of more than $65,000,000, star approximately 100 of the most popular boxoffice personalities of Holly¬ wood and Europe. The Fortieth Anniversary also will mark UA’s expansion as an entertainment company with major interests in television and the music fields, where the highly successful UA policy of working with independent artists and producers is being adapted for the first time to disks and video programming. Operating since February, 1951, under the guidance of a new management team headed by president Arthur B. Krim and board chair¬ man Benjamin, the company has shown a consistent profit every year since 1951 follow¬ ing a long period of heavy losses and acute product shortage. As 1958 draws to a close United Artists’ world-wide gross for the past 12 months has exceeded $80,000,000, an all time high for the 40-year-old organization. SAG-AFTRA Merger Mulled HOLLYWOOD— The SAG last fortnight placed the question of merger with AFTRA up to the national membership and urged every member to be sure to vote for ratifica¬ tion of the resolution approved at the Holly¬ wood meeting on Nov. 25 to empower the guild to “employ an impartial research or¬ ganization to make a thorough study of the feasibility of merger with AFTRA” and “inAFTRA to join with the Guild in the pro¬ posed survey.” Svigals Heads T-L Sales NEW YORK — Edward R. Svigals has been elected vice-president in charge of sales of the Trans-Lux Distributing Corporation, ac¬ cording to an announcement made last week by Richard P. Brandt, company president. Svigals, who joined Trans-Lux in 1956 as circuit sales manager and rose to the rank of general sales manager last year, is a veter¬ an sales executive in independent motion picture distribution. Detroit Uses Radio Spots DETROIT— The Metropolitan Exhibitors of Detroit has bulletined its membership con¬ cerning current activities which are centered on radio spots. For the period Dec. 25 through Jan. 17 MED has contracted with stations WCAR, WJBK, WKMH, WWJ, and WXYZ for a total of 333 one minute and 200 10 second spots plus a bonus of five from Mon¬ days through Fridays, 7:00 P.M. to midnight. Regular spots are rotated 9:15 A.M. to 7:15 P.M. Seen on a recent visit to the set ot "ooiomon and Sheba" in Madrid are Arthur B. Krim, United Artists president, second from left, and Mrs. Krim, with director King Vidor, left, and Charles Smadja, UA vice-president. N Y. Expects 20,000 Bingo Applications ALBANY — New York State will have “up¬ wards of 20,000” non-profit organizations li¬ censed to sponsor bingo “when we get roll¬ ing.” So Richard W. Hannah, chairman of the State Lottery Control Commission, predicted in an interview over the Stanley Warner owned television station, WAST. Judge Hannah, who promised to return alter that outlet shifted from UHF Channel 35 to VHF Channel 13, and to speak to its “larger audience,” based his estimate on “new Jersey statistics,” and the fact New York State has three times its population. Hannah’s prophecy gave an idea of the formidable opposition bingo may eventually present to motion picture theatres. Many communities had enacted the neces¬ sary local bingo ordinances or resolutions at the November elections, Judge Hannah said. Applications from non-profit organizations in these localities would continue to be received. Hannah told interviewer Forrest L. Willis that any established or “recognized” church, veterans, or volunteer fire organization would have “no trouble” obtaining a “registration number” from the Commission. Local papers had printed reports of “delays” and “red tape.” It was different with other “similarly organized” groups, to which the 1958 legisla¬ tive act refers, the interviewee declared. The Commission, charged with preventing “commercialization” of bingo, and with keep¬ ing professional gamblers out, makes an in¬ vestigation of the “similarly organized.” Judge Hannah pointed out that New York City, in its local enactment, had striken out the provision for licenses to the “similarly organized.” The Lottery Control Commission head stressed that communities, in adopting local ordinances, could make them as “broad” as the state law, or could “narrow” them. In answer to a question by Willis who said he had seen “bingo” played at virtually every carnival the telecaster visited Judge Hannah replied, “The law is specific on this point. Only authorized organizations may run bingo. It can not be run commercially. The only way that bingo can be run at a carnival would be for an organization to sponsor it.” Hannah underlined that “Nobody can be paid for assisting in the running of a bingo Schenck, Koch Return To UA Production Fold NEW YORK — A multi-million dollar deal covering films for theatrical and television distribution was signed by United Artists Corp. with the production team of Aubrey Schenck and Howard W. Koch, it was an¬ nounced last week by Robert S. Benjamin, chairman of the board of United Artists. Schenck and Koch, previously associated with UA under the banner of their Bel-Air Productions, rejoined the UA fold on Jan. 1 as Olympia Productions, Inc. The new organization will produce exclu¬ sively for United Artists, concentrating on quality productions and important properties. Under previous agreements, Schenck and Koch made 28 films for UA release. “The Day the Children Vanished,” based on a This Week magazine serial by Hugh Pentescot, will be the first theatrical motion picture project undertaken by the new company. Other films in work include “First Train to Babylon,” from a novel and screenplay by Max Ehrlich, and “Line of Duty,” based on a story by Rod Serling and screenplay by John C. Higgins. Their contract with UA encompasses movies for television, specifically in the series for¬ mat favored by United Artists Television, Inc., which is engaged in the financing and distribution of filmed half-hour series by in¬ dependent producers. Schenck and Koch ex¬ pect to make their bow as TV producers early next year with an adventure series titled “Miami Undercover,” pegged to the exploits and tribulations of a private detective em¬ ployed by a resort hotel association. RKO Quits MPAA, MPEA NEW YORK — It was learned last fortnight that RKO' Radio Pictures resigned from both the MPAA and the MPEA as of Jan. 1, 1959. The company virtually withdrew from do¬ mestic production and distribution some time ago when it turned over its unreleased and current production to Universal and shut down its exchanges and sold its studios to Desilu. It also largely transferred foreign dis¬ tribution to the Rank Organization and has been engaged for months in the liquidation of its overseas operations. game. The person in charge and others who assist may serve only on a gratuity basis. Only the bookkeepers may be paid.” The Commission had allowed “up to $15” per case for them; also had allowed “other expenses, such as for janitorial services, of a reason¬ able amount.” By and large, these are the only persons who may be paid for their services, Hannah added. $10 fee per game is divided between the state and the locality, Judge Hannah said. The State had received some $23,000 to date from this source. “We will have a staff of approximately 50, as it is built up,” Hannah reported. He ob¬ served that the Commission maintains of¬ fices at 39 Columbia St. in Albany and at 270 Broadway in New York City. The Com¬ mission’s decisions are appealable to the courts, Judge Hannah underlined. It was reported at the time of the inter¬ view with Judge Hannah that the State Lot¬ tery Control Commission had thus far granted 560 permits to organizations for the playing of bingo, with more planned for the group’s January meeting.