The Exhibitor (1959)

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18 January 7, 1959 MOTION PICTURE EXHIBITOR Exhibitors Look To 59 With Hope That A Cl Can Solve Some Problems Boston Leaders Enthusiastic Over Role Of ACE In New Year BOSTON — The two representatives of the American Congress of Exhibitors from New England, Samuel Pinanski, president of American Theatres Corp., and Edward W. Lider, president of Independent Exhibitors, Inc., of New England and treasurer of Na¬ tional Allied, returned from the first ACE meetings in New York and were highly en¬ thusiastic about the work accomplished there. Pinanski, this city’s leading national repre¬ sentative, said, “Exhibitors are now being uni¬ fied for the first time since the tax campaign which we worked so hard to put across, and this unity is for their own battle for survival. My hope is that the industry can carry on the constructive work now on the ACE agenda which the serious and energetic members are compiling all over the nation. This agenda includes problems plaguing the industry as a whole, so far as possible. These problems were brought into view by Spyros Skouras and are now being focussed sharply by the serious minds in exhibition. It is my earnest hope that the new year will bring strength and sincere endeavor to carry out the all-important agenda at hand.” Lider, general manager of Yamins Theatres, said, “These exhibitor meetings held in New York on behalf of ACE and its goals have been notably sincere and cooperative. A great deal of preliminary work has been accom¬ plished out of which a plan will evolve. This working plan will take time but the progress has been greater than we could realize or anticipate. It looks to me that the success of the work and the plan will depend largely on the ability to maintain active leadership and interest in ACE until the industry problems are solved.” Showmanship Stressed As Cleveland Exhibs Look to '59 CLEVELAND — Marshall Fine, Associated Theatres Circuit, a member of the board of National Allied and local chairman of Amer¬ ican Congress of Exhibitors, sees a ray of hope for the future if exhibitors are provided in 1959 with a fairly steady stream of pictures like “Peyton Place,” “Sayonara,” “The Bridge On The River Kwai” — all of which Brought people to theatres in great number. Every exhibitor interviewed on the coming year expressed hope in the new ACE. “For a long time we have needed a single organiza¬ tion to speak for the industry,” said Ted Vermes of the Mercury and Yorktown, de¬ luxe neighborhood theatres. “We all have the same problems. The only difference is in de¬ gree. And that problem is to get people into our theatres.” Big city and small town exhibitors alike are groping for an answer to the situation. Stan Robertson, Mumac Theatre, Middlefield, O., says, “I honestly don’t know what the public wants to see. Sure, they want top pictures. But when we play them they do not support them as they should. In our situation even ‘Ten Commandments’ didn’t do big business.” What have the exhibitors here learned from their 1958 experience? “We did everything we know to do,” Marshall Fine stated. “We had promotions. We advertised. We keep our the¬ atres in first class condition. Our managers are part of the community in which their "White Paper" Continues In Wise. Allied Resolution MILWAUKEE — At a recent meeting of the board of directors of Allied Theatre Owners of Wisconsin, a resolution was passed reaffirming the Wisconsin Allied “White Paper” campaign. The resolution specified that the cam¬ paign would he continued despite forma¬ tion of the American Congress of Exhibi¬ tors. Lewis Back From Europe NEW YORK — Roger H. Lewis, United Artists national director of advertising, pub¬ licity and exploitation, returned this week from a one-month European tour during which he conferred with company personnel on the new program of expanded global pro¬ motion and with producers preparing films for UA release. Major stops on Lewis’s itinerary included Paris, Milan, Berlin, Frankfurt, Naples, Madrid, London, and Ireland. Lewis met with United Artists overseas representatives to map out comprehensive campaigns for the company’s slate of up¬ coming blockbuster releases. He also re¬ viewed the coordination and development of campaigns for the purpose of achieving a closer liaison between the New York home office and European promotion and produc¬ tion centers. In his meetings with UA promotion ex¬ ecutives, Lewis placed greater emphasis on overseas promotional activities for United Artists Records and Music company. The conferences outlined long-range campaigns promoting the company’s overseas music op¬ erations. theatres are located. We did everything. We learned only one thing, and that is that the public grows ever more selective, that we have to fight harder and harder for our share of the amusement dollar, and that everybody has to work and try to exploit each picture on its merits. This isn’t anything new. It means just more of the same sort of stuff of which showmanship is made.” Cecil B. DeMilie recently received a filmmaking achievement award from the Amer¬ ican Society of Dramatic Arts at the invita¬ tional premiere of Paramount's "The Bucca¬ neer" at New York's Capitol. Frances Fuller, president of the Academy, presents the award, as Claire Bloom, star of the film, looks on. Dallas Production Firm Plans ’59 Upsurge DALLAS — A motion picture production schedule under which four feature length films will be shot in the local studios of United National Film Corporation during the first quarter of 1959 was announced by Robert L. Madden, United National’s board chairman and president. Shooting will begin in January on two of the films by the newly organized Hollywood Pictures Corporation. Gordon McLendon, who operates a chain of radio stations and motion picture theatres, is president of the new group. “Our corporation will finance the two pic¬ tures 100 per cent,” McLendon announced. “There will be no sale of stock and we are paying to bring into Dallas the best Holly¬ wood talent available.” Ken Curtis, son-in-law of veteran Holly¬ wood director John Ford, will be co-producer with McLendon for both features. Curtis is a newcomer to production, but is a veteran actor, his latest feature role being in “The Horse Soldiers” with John Wayne and Wil¬ liam Holden. Ray Kellogg, for the last 20 years a director and special events chief with 20th CenturyFox, will direct the picture. Production man¬ ager will be Ben Chapman, who is just com¬ pleting work on Samuel Goldwyn s Poi gy and Bess.” Chief cameraman will be Will Kline, who has just completed work on Jerry Wald’s “Mardi Gras.” The first of the two McLendon features, “The Attack of the Killer Shrews,” is budgeted at $300,000. The second feature will be “The Gila Monster.” Madden said, “It is a solid start toward establishment of a full scale movie industry operating all year around in Dallas. Madden also announced that “Bronco Fury,” full color featurette recently completed by United Na¬ tional Film Corporation under a contract with Bob Hornberger Productions, Ltd., will be released early in 1959. Hornberger Produc¬ tions is a partnership of Dallas investors headed by Robert E. Hornberger. The second pair of feature pictures to be made at United National’s studios will be produced by Pacific International Pictures, of which John Miller is president. This organi¬ zation has attracted recent industry attention by pioneering use of the techniques of sub¬ liminal communication for entertainment purposes. "Jimmy" Fund Nets $515,251 BOSTON— William S. Koster, executive director, Children’s Cancer Research Founda¬ tion, Inc., co-sponsored by the “Jimmy Fund of Variety Club of New England and the Boston Red' Sox, announced recently that $515,251 had been raised for this charity in 1958. Michael Redstone, chief barker, variety Club; chairmen James Mahoney, Ted Wil¬ liams, and Joe Cronin; Doctor Farber and the trusteees all join with Koster in express¬ ing thanks to all who made this possible. A total of 2,379 children have been cared for since the start of the Jimmy Fund. At the present time, 348 youngsters are under¬ going treatment at the Jimmy Fund Building. Butterfield Names Wardwell LANSING, MICH. — Warren O. Wardwell has been named city manager of the Butter¬ field Theatres in Lansing and East Lansing succeeding Bern Sicotte, who resigned to enter a business outside of the industry.