The Exhibitor (1959)

January 14, 1959 Indiana Exhibitors Win Theatre Reassessment MOTION PICTURE EXHIBITOR 9 Paramount Crystallizes 59 Plans As Weltner Heads Important Meeting (INDIANAPOLIS — The Allied Theatre Own¬ ers of Indiana announced last fortnight that through the efforts of the late Bill Carroll and Trueman T. Rembusch, chairman, ATO'I tax committee, and president Dick Louchry, who presented the plight of theatres and their need for tax relief, the Indiana State Board of Tax Commissioners’ Committee on Improve¬ ments at the Assessors’ Convention made the following recommendation: “Following the appearance of two represen¬ tatives of the Allied Theatre Owners of In¬ diana, Inc., in order to petition for considera¬ tion under the social obsolescence portion of the tax law, this committee recommends that the following formula be used in connection with a Petition for Reassessment: (1) Use the total number of admissions for year 1949 as 100 per cent base; (2) Percentage of total number of admissions year 1957 to total of 1949 base to arrive at new appraisal of theatre buildings. In no event is new appraisal to be less than 50 per cent of 1949 appraisal. “A theatre owner applying to his local tax board for reassessment of his theatre build¬ ing may not make use of the formula unless he presents 1949 and 1957, or last complete year theatre operated, admission totals cer¬ tified by sworn affidavit. “It is further recommended that once a petition has been acted on favorably to the petitioner that a subsequent petition should not be submitted for at least another four years unless an extreme condition has arisen during the interim.” The ATOI points out that exhibitors must do this locally to secure relief, by securing reassessment Form #152 from local assessors office. On that form ask for a reduction of your 1949 assessment in the percentage amount of decline of total number of your admissions 1949 over 1957. Include sworn affi¬ davit as to accuracy of your admission figures. Call attention to the fact that the procedure being followed was recommended unanimous¬ ly by the 58th Annual Conference of the State Board of Tax Commissioners and Coun¬ ty and Township Assessors of Indiana. In no event, the ATOI committee points out, will more than a 50 per cent reduction be granted on assessments. The deadline for filing is March 31. SW Profit Increases NEW YORK — An increase of 46 percent in the net profits of Stanley Warner Corporation and its subsidiaries for the quarter ended Nov. 29, 1958, as compared to the same period last year, was announced by S. H. Fabian, presi¬ dent, at the annual stockholders meeting last week. Theatre admissions and merchandise sales and other income were $30,719,700, which compares with $28,150,800 for the correspond¬ ing quarter one year ago, an increase of nine percent. The net profit for the 13 weeks after all charges including federal and foreign in¬ come taxes was $1,179,700, which is 46 percent higher than the net profit of $804,500 earned one year ago. Commenting on the Stanley Warner theatre division, Fabian said the company was con¬ tinuing to streamline its operations by elimi¬ nating the theatres which have lost their profit potential, but at the same time was improving its earning possibilities by installnig, in se¬ lected theatres, equipment for the showing of feature motion pictures photographed in 70mm and Todd-AO. Fabian, Samuel Rosen, and Nathaniel Lap¬ kin were reelected as directors. Jerry Lewis, star and producer of Paramount's "The Geisha Boy," is seen arriving at the Hollywood premiere of the film hauling a rickshaw in which Nobu McCarthy, Japanese actress who appears in the picture, is riding while carrying Harry, the trained rabbit, also a "member of the cast." House, Senate To Act Against Toll-Television WASHINGTON— With the convening of Congress last fortnight it was indicated that both Houses would move against toll tele¬ vision. Senator Strom Thurmond, North Carolina, was ready to introduce a bill to declare pay TV illegal. The House Committee on Interstate and Foreign Commerce last year under commit¬ tee chairman Representative Oren Harris took the leadership in scheduling pay TV for discussion and moving it to the point where the Committee voted a “request” to FCC not to license experimental toll TV until Congress has declared itself. However, the Senate Committee took no positive position in the matter. Harris promised the FCC at last year’s adjournment that he would expedite a Cap¬ itol Hill test by reintroducing his bill; and it is believed he will fulfill that pledge with¬ in a few days. This will get the challenge under way in both houses in time to insure a Congressional vote on the basic question. The action by Thurmond and Harris is virtually certain to forestall promised con¬ sideration of licensing by FCC 30 days after adjournment of the first session. That a regulatory body would presume to rule on a matter currently before both Houses of Congress for policy decision is highly im¬ probable. Rackmil Heads Tokyo Meet TOKYO — Presiding at Universal Interna¬ tional’s Japanese managers’ conference here, president Milton R. Racknil continued his program of personally outlining the company’s future production plans and operating policy to key members of its overseas organization. At the conference, attended by foreign gen¬ eral manager Americo Aboaf, Far Easstern supervisor Alvin Cassel, Japan’s general man¬ ager Paul Fehlen, Japan’s sales chief Makota Horii, top local executives, and area branch managers, Rackmil gave a frank exposition of U-I’s new production and distribution poli¬ cy, which he said, was aimed at developing the company’s potential in both fields. NEW YORK — Paramount Pictures policies and programs designed to shape 1959 into “The Big Boxoffice Year” are to be crystal¬ lized at a meeting now in progress of divi¬ sion managers and home office executives which George Weltner, vice-president in charge of world sales, announced last week for Jan. 13, 14, and 15 at the company’s home office. Weltner is to preside at all sessions. All U. S. and Canadian sales division executives are attending the meeting, which Weltner de¬ scribed as one of the most important in the history of Paramount. Planning and discussions center on a rap¬ idly developing 1959 release schedule that will back up the company’s faith in the future of the motion picture industry as reaffirmed on a number of occasions last year by Barney Balaban, president, and Weltner. Additionally, new merchandising tech¬ niques, the outlines of a precision-organized publicity program, plans for extensive ad¬ vertising campaigns, and other features of the company’s promotional operation for the new year are being presented by Jerry Pickman, vice-president in charge of advertising, publicity, and exploitation; Martin Davis, as¬ sistant director; and Joseph Friedman, na¬ tional exploitation manager. Hugh Owen and Sidney Deneau, vice-pres¬ idents of Paramount Film Distributing Cor¬ poration, head a contingent of home office sales operations executives at the meeting. Gordon Lightstone, Paramount’s Canadian general manager, is attending the sessions and upon his return to Toronto will call a Paramount all-Canada conference for dis¬ cussion of the New York meeting’s develop¬ ments. Division managers in New York are John G. Moore, eastern, Philadelphia; W. Gordon Bradley, southeastern, Atlanta; J. H. Stevens, mid-western, Chicago; Tom W. Bridge, south¬ western, Dallas; and H. Neal East, western, Los Angeles. Myron Sattler, New York branch manager, is attending all sessions. Home office executives participating in¬ clude Robert J. Rubin, vice-president of Paramount Film Distributing Corporation; Edward G. Chumley, U. S. and Canadian sales manager for “The Ten Commandments”; Edmund C. DeBerry, executive assistant to Owen; Jack Perley, assistant to Deneau; Ben Shectman, contracts manager; Arthur Dunne, bidding manager; Fred LeRoy, sales opera¬ tions; Ted Krassner, executive aide to Chumley. The three-day meeting follows the Para¬ mount conferences held in Hollywood by home office and production executives. Par¬ ticipants in the sessions at the studio were Balaban; Paul Raibourn, vice-president; Weltner; Pickman; and Russell Holman, east¬ ern production manager, all from New York, and Y. Frank Freeman, studio vice-president, and other production executives. Balaban and Raibourn are sitting in on the New York meeting. Queen Knights Guinness LONDON — Knighted by the Queen in her New Year Honors List were Alec Guinness, who becomes Sir Alec, and Frank Alan Hoare, president, Specialized Film Producers, who becomes a Commander of the British Empire.