The Exhibitor (1959)

January 21, 1959 MOTION PICTURE EXHIBITOR 27 U-I Distribution , Promotion Plans To Be Mapped At Sales Conference Harrison, Hyman Head Brotherhood Drive NEW YORK — Alex Harrison, 20th-Fox gen¬ eral sales manager, will serve as national dis¬ tributor chairman, and Edward L. Hyman AB-PT vice-president, will be national ex¬ hibitor chairman of this year’s industry par¬ ticipation in Brotherhood Week fund raising for the National Conference of Christians and Jews, it was announced last fortnight. Their acceptance of the assignments was made at the annual NCCJ amusement divi¬ sion luncheon at the Astor Hotel. Harrison, who presided at the affair, was national dis¬ tributor chairman last year. The New York metropolitan area drive will start Feb. 18, and the national effort will begin at about the same time and will run for two weeks. Availability of pictures from a number of major companies for special midnight shows as part of the fund-raising activities is ex¬ pected. Harrison announced that the amusement division had determined to omit the annual Brotherhood dinner at the Waldorf-Astoria which in the past had kicked off the indus¬ try’s drive, explaining that larger collections will result with all money going to the NCCJ. He expressed the hope that this year’s drive would be much better than last year’s “fail¬ ure.” Dr. Lewis Webster Jones, new NCCJ presi¬ dent, and former president of the University of Arkansas, Rutgers University, and Ben¬ nington College, spoke appreciatively of the work done by the industry, citing the pro¬ duction of films bearing upon the evils of bigotry and discrimination in addition to fund raising. Silent tribute was paid at the luncheon to the late J. Robert Rubin, during his life per¬ manent chairman of the division which he founded, and the late Solomon Goldsmith, NCCJ coordinator for the division. Allied Raps 16mm. Availability MILWAUKEE — At a recent meeting of the board of directors of Allied Theatre Owners of Wisconsin a resolution was adopted pro¬ testing “the practice of making available 16mm motion picture features for non-theat¬ rical exhibition in any city or town where a regular commercial motion picture theatre operates, or within the near vicinity of such theatres.” Edward E. Johnson, president, said, “The releasing of product for 16mm. non-theatrical exhibition in competition to the established commercial theatres in the small towns and cities poses almost as serious a threat for these smaller theatres as would the sale of post ’48 films to TV. . . . Wisconsin exhibitors are finding this type of competition a serious threat to their existence.” West Germany Gets Cinerama NEW YORK — B. G. Kranze, vice-president of Stanley Warner-Cinerama, announced that arrangements had been made to open two Cinerama theatres in West Germany. The Capitol, West Berlin, will premiere “This Is Cinerama” at the end of March, and the Apollo, Dusseldorf, some weeks later. The theatres will be operated jointly by Robin International and UFA Theatres. SW Declares Dividend NEW YORK — The board of directors of Stanley Warner Corporation has declared a dividend of 25 cents per share on the common stock payable Feb. 25 to stockholders of record Feb. 10. Supreme Court Refuses Schine Contempt Appeal WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court last fortnight refused to hear an appeal by Schine Theatres, Inc., and several of its officers from a criminal contempt con¬ viction. The court’s action sustained $80,000 in fines imposed on the Schine organization for failing to rid itself of theatres required to be divested under the 1949 consent de¬ cree. It also clears the way for trial of a companion civil contempt proceeding brought by the Government, deferred pending the final disposition of the crimi¬ nal contempt case. Phila. Variety Tent Installs New Officers PHILADELPHIA — Variety Club Tent 13 held its annual installation of officers and an¬ nual testimonial dinner in honor of outgoing chief barker Samuel E. Diamond, branch manager, 20th-Fox, and incoming chief barker Leo B. Beresin, vice-president, ABC Vending Corporation and Berio Vending Company, at the Bellevue Stratford Hotel Monday night. Nevada’s Lieutenant Governor Rex Bell, former western screen star, was to be princi¬ pal speaker of the evening. The Las Vegas, Nev., Tent will play host to the forthcoming Variety Clubs International in March. George W. Eby, chief barker, Variety Clubs International, was to have been among the honored guests, with Sylvan M. Cohen, prom¬ inent local attorney, acting as dinner chair¬ man. The newly elected crew officially sworn in at the dinner are, in addition to Beresin, Jack Drucker, first assistant; William Madden, sec¬ ond assistant; Martin B. Ellis, dough guy; Meyer Lewis, property master; and William Doyle, Paul Klieman, Hal Marshall, William Moclair, Harry Romaine, and Lester Wurtele, canvassmen. Past chief barkers Max Gillis, Lou Goffman and Norman Silverman were to have been seated on the dais. Samuel E. Diamond, Philadelphia 20th-Fox branch manager and retiring chief barker. Variety Club Tent 13, left, congratulates his successor, Leo B. Beresin, vice-president, ABC Vending Corporation and Berio Vending Com¬ pany. Both were honored this week at cs testimonial installation dinner of the Tent, NEW YORK — With Universal Pictures Company swinging into a new type of pro¬ duction program of multi-million dollar films to be produced either in association with out¬ standing independent producing companies or by Universal itself, the company has set a week-long sales conference here starting Jan. 26 to be followed by a series of regional sales meetings in the field, at which distribution and promotion plans will be mapped for the coming months, it was announced last week by Henry H. Martin, general sales manager, who will preside. Milton R. Rackmil, president of Universal, who is currently in the Orient for a series of sales meetings, will participate in the opening sessions of the week-long conference to be attended by home office executives, regional sales managers, and advertising, publicity and promotion executives. David A. Lipton, vice-president, will outline the projected advertising and promotional plans on the forthcoming pictures. Martin pointed out that the meetings would be held at a time when three of the most im¬ portant film productions in the company’s his¬ tory would be starting to shoot at the Univer¬ sal-International Studios and on location — namely, “Spartacus,” the $5,000,000 Bryna Production in Technirama and Technicolor starring Kirk Douglas, Laurence Olivier, Tony Curtis, Charles Laughton, Peter Ustinov, and Sabina Bethmann; the Granart Produc¬ tion “Operation Petticoat,” in color, starring Cary Grant and Tony Curtis; and the Arwin Production “Pillow Talk,” in color and CinemaScope, starring Rock Hudson and Doris Day. The sales and promotion executives will see the first print of “Imitation of Life,” new Eastman Color drama based on the Fannie Hurst classic and starring Lana Turner, which is scheduled for Easter release; “Never Steal Anything Small,” the new Eastman Color and CinemaScope comedy drama with music star¬ ring James Cagney and Shirley Jones, sched¬ uled for Washington’s birthday openings; and advance footage on the U-I Vintage produc¬ tion “This Earth Is Mine,” in Technicolor and CinemaScope, starring Rock Hudson, Jean Simmons, Dorothy McGuire, and Claude Rains, scheduled for early summer release. Attending from the home office besides Martin will be F. J. A. McCarthy, assistant general sales manager; James J. Jordan, cir¬ cuit sales manager; G. J. Malafronte, manager of branch operations and maintenance; and Irving Weiner, print department manager. Regional sales managers attending will be Joseph B. Rosen who headquarters in New York; P. F. Rosian who headquarters in Cleveland; R. N. Wilkinson who headquarters in Dallas; and Barney Rose who headquarters in San Francisco. Advertising, publicity and promotional rep¬ resentatives who will participate besides Lipton include Charles Simonelli, eastern adver¬ tising and publicity department manager; Philip Gerard, eastern publicity manager; Jeff Livingston, eastern advertising manager; and Herman Kass, eastern exploitation manager. Green Resigns Loew's Post NEW YORK — Louis A. Green, who was re¬ moved recently from the Loew’s board’s 1959 slate, resigned last fortnight as a director of the company.