The Exhibitor (1959)

10 MOTION PICTURE EXHIBITOR January 14, 1959 Texas Exhibs Support ACE At Local Level New Faces Important To Columbia, Jackter Tells Southern Sales Meet NEW ORLEANS — Columbia Pictures has given high priority to a talent development and promotion program as part of its overall reorientation, Rube Jackter, vice-president and general sales manager, told sales execu¬ tives from the southern divisions here this week at the second in a series of regional meetings. Enlarging upon the policy announcement he made last week in Washington, Jackter told the meeting at the Roosevelt Hotel that the discovery and introduction of new faces is a major concern of the company. At a screening of the work print of “Gidget,” Jackter told the group that the film, which stars Cliff Robertson, Sandra Dee and James Darren, is an example of what the company is trying to do. Jackter said that it was not Columbia’s intention to let these new faces sink into any “stock company” status, and if top roles were not available in Columbia pictures they would be loaned out to other companies for promising parts. “The constant development, promotion and introduction of new faces in motion pictures is as important as the continual introduction of new styles or fashions in any other field of merchandising, and Columbia will do its share and more of this vital work,” he con¬ cluded. Jonas Rosenfield, Jr., executive in charge of advertising and publicity, explained to the sales executives some of the means to be utilized in promoting the young actors and actresses, individually and as a group. He mentioned that the young stars, in¬ cluding Joby Baker, Michael Callan, Darren, Joanna Moore, Jo Morrow, and Evy Norlund, would appear in special shorts for both indus¬ try and theatre use, will be involved in mer¬ chandising tie-ups, would undertake personal appearances both singly and in groups, and would be the subjects of intensive publicity drives in all media. In attendance from the home office were sales executives Milton Goodman and Jerome Safron; Joseph Freiberg, manager of the sales accounting and contract department; and H. C. Kaufman, manager of exchange operations. The field executives present were headed by division managers Robert J. Ingram, At¬ lanta, and Jack Judd, Dallas. Branch man¬ agers from Atlanta, Charlotte, Jacksonville, Memphis, Oklahoma City, and New Orleans were present. A meeting for the far west and midwest divisions will be held in Chicago next week. Col. Adds To Finance Group NEW YORK— A. Schneider, president, Co¬ lumbia Pictures, last week announced addi¬ tions to its finance committee to bring it to full strength due to vacancies caused by the deaths of Harry Cohn and Nate Spingold. The full committee which was appointed at the board of directors meeting following the recent stockholders meeting consists of Schneider, Donald S. Stralem, A. Montague, Leo Jaffe, Leo M. Blancke, and Alfred Hart. Louis J. Barbano, financial vice-president of Columbia, will serve the committee in an advisory capacity. Schneider also announced that Stralem had been designated as chairman of the commit¬ tee. ACLU Sees Danger In "Censorship By Boycott" NEW YORK — In its 38th annual report for the year ended June 30, 1958, the American Civil Liberties Union stated that film censorship had decreased on Federal and State levels in 1957-58, but warns that “censorship by boycott” is increasing. Municipalities which censor films, once estimated as high as 90, have declined to 20 or less, the report states. Currently, the U. S. Supreme Court’s practice is, according to the ACLU report, “issuing verdicts on the basis of a narrow definition of obscenity, rather than dealing with the controversial aspects of the prob¬ lem which lie at the heart of the con¬ troversy.” Virginia and Maryland still maintain state censorship, but in Maryland several recent bills aimed at reviving the waning powers of the censor failed. Mich. Exhibs Meet, Discuss ACE Role DETROIT — A vitally-interested group met last week in the Fox Theatre screening room to learn more about and discuss ACE. Over 50 attended and there was literally no state¬ wide segment of exhibition not represented. Milton H. London, an area chairman and president of Michigan Allied, which issued the call to members and non-members alike, chaired and keynoted the meeting. He stated unequivocally there was no thought in the minds of Michiganders to disband, merge, or otherwise tinker with the Allied apparatus. Without duplication of any functions, ACE would be enabled to use existing facilities of other organizations, such as Allied itself. To bolster his point, and reflect the thinking of those outside the state, he read a letter from Si Fabian sustaining his view. James Nederland sounded a grim note of warning along with the belief ACE would be strong enough to stimulate production. (The Nederlanders operate the Riviera here, which is on picture policy occasionally punc¬ tuated by legit; the Shubert, entirely legit; and the Erlanger in Chicago.) He remarked so scarce were stage productions the Shubert was lighted only from six to 11 weeks a year. Adolph Goldberg, an area chairman, showed the importance of giving ACE real power so that “it would be strong enough to deal both with distribution and government.” His twin brother Irving discussed other possibilities if the new organization is correctly used. Har¬ old Bi’own, an area chairman and president of United Detroit, spoke briefly. The fourth area chairman, Lew Wisper, of W & W, was absent because of illness. The entire atmos¬ phere reflected the serious determination to make ACE an effective, going, concern. Ireland Variety Elects DUBLIN, IRELAND— The Variety Club of Ireland named the following officers for 1959: Rick Bourke, chief barker; Jack Cruise, first assistant; Andy Doyle, second assistant; Noel Coade, property master; and Jim Walls, dough guy. DALLAS — At a brunch session in the Dallas Variety Club last fortnight 265 exhibitors representing over 900 theatres in Texas, vo¬ ciferously applauded R. J. O'Donnell’s treatise on the American Congress of Exhibitors (ACE) and pledged their unstinted support of the newly formed organization. O’Donnell, vice-president and general man¬ ager of Interstate Circuit, who is area chair¬ man with Julius Gordon, president, Jefferson Amusement Company, as well as head of the national organizing committee of ACE, made it clear that the new exhibitor organization must have grass roots support of all exhibitors in every part of the nation to achieve its proposed objectives. He termed ACE as the showman’s satellite — not waiting on the launching platform, but already in orbit — and told the exhibitors they can keep it there. “We are taking the lead here in Texas by establishing a regional ACE office,” O’Donnell said, “to hear exhibitor complaints and han¬ dle their problems. By utilizing the em¬ ployed staff of Texas COMPO the two or¬ ganizations can operate from the same office, performing separately the tasks necessary to industry affairs as well as the vital work needed solely for exhibition.” An executive board and a roster of execu¬ tive committeemen were set up and will meet once a month to make a study of common problems that will be presented to the na¬ tional executive group of ACE. NSS Sales Execs Meet MIAMI BEACH, FLA. — National Screen Service sales heads from 22 cities held a two day sales convention at the Roney Plaza here last week. Discussed were sales policies and plans for the 1959 calendar year. National Screen produces and distributes trailers for motion picture theatres all over the United States and also furnishes adver¬ tising materials and accessories, such as win¬ dow cards and TV trailers, to exhibitors. Among those on hand for the sessions were the following sales executives: Herman, Norman, and Burton Robbins, Monroe Goodman, Benn Asche, Herbert Bonn, and Allan Shevin, all of New York; Maynard Sickels, Boston; Milton Feinberg and Arthur Menheimer, Chicago; Ivan Clavet, Detroit; Louis Patz, Kansas City, Mo.; Jack Marpole, San Francisco; Bud Brody, Seattle; Charles Lester, Atlanta; Jack Lustig, Denver; Perry Nathan, Pittsburgh; Nat Barach, Cleve¬ land; Robert Simril, Charlotte; Kenneth Friedman, Salt Lake City; Paul Short, Dallas; Louis Boyer, New Orleans; John Modnikow, Milwaukee; Herbert Washburn, St. Louis; Gilbert Clark, Dallas; William Bein, Cincin¬ nati; R. B. Wolf, Los Angeles; and Stanley Goldberg, Philadelphia. Burstyn Winners Named NEW YORK — Importers and distributors of foreign films in the U. S. last fortnight named “He Who Must Die,” French film distributed by Kassler Films, Inc., to receive the sixth annual Joseph Burstyn award as best foreign language film of 1958. Second and third choicewere “The Seventh Seal,” Swedish film, and “Pather Panchali,” from India. The annual award is a memorial to the late Joseph Burstyn, pioneer film distributor, hon¬ oring his services in presenting and cham¬ pioning unrestricted exhibition of finest mo¬ tion pictures from other countries.