The Exhibitor (1959)

MOTION PICTURE EXHIBITOR 3 January 14, 1959 41 Years of Service to the Theatre Industry Founded in 1918. Published weekly by Jay Emanuel Publications, Incorporated. Publishing office: 246-248 North Clarion Street, Philadelphia 7, Pennsylvania. New York field office: 8 East 52nd Street. New York 22. West Coast field office: Paul Manning, 8141 Blackburn Avenue, Los Angeles 48, Calif. London Bureau: Jock MacGregor, 16 Leinster Mews, London, W. 2, England. Jay Emanuel, publisher; Paul J. Greenhalgh, generc' manager; Albert Erlick, editor; M. R. (Mrs. 'Chick") Lewis, associate editor; George Frees Nonamaker, feature editor; Mel Konecoff, New York editor; William Haddock, Physical Theatre and Extra Profits departmental editor; Albert J. Martin, advertising manager; Max Cades, business manager. Subscriptions; $2 per year (50 issues); and outside of the United States, Canada, and Pan-American countries, $5 per year (50 Issues). Special rates for two and three years on application. Second class postage paid at Phila¬ delphia, Pennsylvania. Address all official communications to the Philadelphia publishing office. VOLUME 61 • NO. 10 JANUARY 14, 1959 UA SWEEPS THE "BESTS" While most industryites freely admit that Messrs. Krim Benjamin, Youngstein, Heineman, et al., have done a tre¬ mendous job of “lifting by their own bootstraps ,” and of “ mer¬ chandising to the limit, since taking over the management of United Artists in 1951, the accomplishments of U. A. pictures and of U. A. production personnel in the current poll of N. Y. film critics brings into scale the entertainment quality that has also been achieved through their judgment and financing. The 1958 N. Y. Film Critics Awards named: “THE DE¬ FIANT ONES” the best picture of the year; David Niven the best actor for his part in “SEPARATE TABLES”; Susan Hay ANNOUNCING . . . Early in January, 1958, we said: “ During our (40) years of industry publishing experience, we have always found the week immediately preceding Labor Day, and the week be¬ tween Christmas and New Year’s, to have many industry dis¬ tractions. In most situations, theatremen are literally up to their armpits in theatre work, serving holiday crowds with the biggest and most important pictures of the season on their screens, and trying to cope with the usual family holiday dis¬ tractions at home, so they had little or no tradepaper reading time. In many other situations, producers, distributors, and theatre circuit executives choose these same weeks for short holidays, and aren’t home tohen their trade paver arrives.” We then announced that in 1958 MOTION PICTURE EX¬ HIBITOR would “pioneer” by dropping the two “distraction” weekly issues, and by restricting our 1958 total to only 50 issues. At this start of 1959, we are happy to state that our 1958 ward the best actress for her part in “I WANT TO LIVE”; Stanley Kramer the best director for “THE DEFIANT ONES”; and Nathan E. Douglas and Harold Jacob Smith writers of the best scenario for “THE DEFIANT ONES.” So, while one U.A. picture was the winner, two other pictures from the same company shared the spotlight for the acting achieve¬ ments. Memory doesn’t seem to produce an equal. We are pretty sure it is some kind of a “first.” In any event, industry applause must go to the young man¬ agement group. They have proved they can be artists, as well as financiers and merchants. Let’s give them a degree of M.S. (Master Showman). 50 ISSUES IN 1959 policy was successful and in no way lessened either reader interest or reader service. That it was successful is no doubt proven by the quick decision of a contemporary weekly trade paper to emulate our example during the recent holiday season. From the experience gained in 1958, and from the vantage point of leadership, MOTION PICTURE EXHIBITOR now announces that there will be no issue published on Wednesday, Sept. 2, 1959, or on Wednesday, Dec. 30, 1959. As in 1958, the issue of Sept. 9, 1959, will be a combined and enlarged NEW SEASON ISSUE; and die issue of Jan. 6, 1960, will be a combined and enlarged NEW YEAR ISSLIE. This will enable us to give increased vacation periods to our hard working staff, and, while reducing our annual issues to 50, will materially increase our already great reader-interest-per-issue. MOTION PICTURE EXHIBITOR will continue to be “the bright new trade paper leader” throughout 1959! MORE COLOR Loyal and constant to the worthiness of their Orderlv Distribution ideal, Leonard Goldenson and Ed Hyman, of ABC-Paramount Theatres, have just released a comoilation of the confirmed releases from 10 distributors from the shirt of December, 1958, through April, 1959. Without available contrasts for the similar five month period of the preceding year, there seem to be several interesting facts. Here are the actual breakdowns: WIDE COMPANY NEW REISSUE TOTAL COLOR SCREEN ALLIED ARTISTS 11 2 13 2 1 BUENA VISTA 3 0 3 3 1 COLUMBIA 17 0 17 9 2 A NEW GOAL FOR Apropos our remarks on the under-reporting of grosses (“WHY EXHIBITORS STEAL” Jan. 7 issue) a theatre cir¬ cuit executive has directed to our attention an AP wire story as carried in The New York Times (Jan. 3), relating to a total refund of 89,908,000 tluU General Motors has paid to Uncle Samuel for claimed “accounting errors and cost misstatements OUR FUTURE MGM 10 0 10 8 3 PARAMOUNT 8 0 8 4 1 RANK (Eng.) 6 0 6 2 1 20th -FOX 13 0 13 8 13 U.A. 13 0 13 2 1 U-I 11 9 «CJ 13 8 9 WARNERS 4 2 6 5 3 Totals 96 6 102 51 35 It is nartieularly encouraging to note the increased use of color. This is another department where movies have it all over TV, and we should make the most of it. And let’s remember to advertise it! SARGOY AND STEIN by the company ...” on a controversial jet plane contract. So “errors and misstatements” aren’t indigenous to film trans¬ actions alone, and “Big Motors” has certainly dwarfed into insignificance any theatre deals we have ever heard of. But here is a new goal for Sargoy and Stein! Excelsior!