The Exhibitor (1959)

12 MOTION PICTURE EXHIBITOR July 8, 19 5! COMPO Reorganizes Research Unit; Pickus Replaces Reade As Chairman NEW YORK — Reorganization of the COMPO research committee has been com¬ pleted and the committee will begin imme¬ diately to consider proposals for an industry research program, it was revealed last week by Charles E. McCarthy, COMPO informa¬ tion director. Replacing Walter Reade, Jr., resigned, Albert Pickus of Stratford, Conn., will be chairman of the enlarged committee. Other members are Max A. Cohen, Ralph Hetzel, Harry Goldberg, Irving Dollinger, and Mc¬ Carthy. Outlines of proposed campaigns have been submitted to COMPO, McCarthy said, by 10 of the country's leading research firms. These outlines will be studied by the committee, which has been directed by the COMPO ex¬ ecutive committee to bring in a report on its findings at the annual COMPO meeting to be held Oct. 13. The executive committee also directed that with the report of its find¬ ings the research group should also report a plan for raising money outside of COMPO’s finances to pay for any research program it may recommend. It is expected that the first meeting of the committee will be held shortly. Five Exhib Groups Audition COMPO B-B Records Five exhibitor groups have arranged audi¬ tions for COMPO’s business-building records for radio use, Charles E. McCarthy, COMPO information director, announced. In addition, individual orders for the rec¬ ords are pouring in from all sections of the country. Carlton Duffus, executive director, Vir¬ ginia Motion Picture Theatre Association, informed McCarthy that the record would be played at a business meeting of the asso¬ ciation on July 7. Paul Townsend, Stanley Warner Management Association in Okla¬ homa City, reported that an audition of the record was arranged for the monthly board meeting of the United Theatre Owners of Oklahoma on June 29. D. B. Knight, Tri-State Theatre Corpora¬ tion, advised COMPO that the record was played at a meeting of Minnesota exhibitors in Minneapolis on June 30. Kyle Rorex, ex¬ ecutive secretary of Texas COMPO, reported that he was setting up immediate dates for executives of the Interstate, Rowley, TransTexas, Frontier and other Texas circuits to hear the record. Five records have been ordered by the Allied Theatre Owners of Western Pennsylvania for auditions among their members. Publicity Network Adds New Cities, Representatives Charles E. McCarthy, COMPO information director, announced that 46 new cities and 62 additional representatives had been added to the COMPO National Publicity Network, bringing the number of cities covered to 10 and the number of active committeemen to 181. Through the cooperation of Ernest Emer¬ ging, national director of advertising and publicity for Loew’s Theatres, the following representatives of that circuit have agreed to serve on the committee: William Trambukis, Providence; Frank Henson, St. Louis; Milton Kaufman, Nortolk, Va.; Maurice Druker, Kansas City; Homer Miss. Exhib. Unit Votes Unanimously To Join TOA BILOXI, MISS. — The Mississippi Thea¬ tre Owners Association voted unanimous¬ ly at its convention here last fortnight to join the Theatre Owners of America. Up until now it has been an independent state organization. The campaign of Motion Picture Inves¬ tors to sell $2,000,000 stock was launched at the convention and close to $40,000 of stock was subscribed by the attending theatre men. The aim of MPI is to acquire stock of film companies so as to permit exhibitors to influence their policies. Bronx House Leased NEW YORK — Berk and Krumgold, theatre realty specialists, announced last fortnight that they have consummated a long term lease for Lane Management Corporation with the Interstate Theatres, Inc., for the 800-seat Cir¬ cle, Bronx. Seymour Selig, president, Interstate, who operate a circuit of theatres in the metropol¬ itan area, announced a complete rehabilita¬ tion of the theatre including new seating, redecoration, and projection equipment. McCallon, Houston; Frank Arena, South Bend, Ind.; Lester Pollack, Rochester, N.Y.; Rodney Toups, New Orleans; Samuel Shubouf, Indianapolis; Sam Gilman, Syracuse, N. Y.; George Peters, Richmond, Va.; Miss Ann Bontempo, New York City; Kermit Allum, Evansville, Ind.; Walter Kessler, San Francisco; Lou Brown, Boston; Arthur Groom, Memphis; Judson Moses, Atlanta; and William Elder, San Francisco. Harry Goldberg, director of advertising and publicity for the Stanley Warner Thea¬ tres, was instrumental in securing the fol¬ lowing members of the Warner and Fabian circuits to serve on the national committee: Earle Westbroke, Norfolk; Gene Plank, Reading, Pa.; Ward Kreag, Allentown, Pa.; Jerry Wollaston, Harrisburg, Pa.; Cornelius Szakatis, Hammond, Pa.; James McCarthy, Madison, Wis.; Stanley Gross, Appleton, Wis.; William Bindel, Racine, Wis.; Leo Schuessler, Sheboygan, Wis.; Warner Zoeckler, Clarksburg, W.Va.; Michael Cardone, Fairmont, W.Va.; Tony Collincini, Greensburg, Pa.; Joseph Freeman, Johns¬ town, Pa.; Louis Fordan, McKeesport, Pa.; Charles Passinger, Morgantown, W.Va.; Rob¬ ert Neilson, State College, Pa.; Joseph Zazzaro, Tambridge, Pa.; Henry Pasteter, Erie, Pa.; Curtis White, Hornell, Pa.; Gus Nestle, Jamestown, N.Y.; Andrew Gorzo, New Kens¬ ington, Pa.; Thomas Budjanec, Oil City, Pa. Also, William Riester, Sharon, Pa.; Jerry Porto, Tarentum, Pa.; Frank Brown, Titus¬ ville, Pa.; George Sarvis, Warren, Pa.; Wil¬ liam Wyatt, Charlestown, W.Va.; James Sal¬ mans, Coshocton, O.; Frank Harpster, Mansfield, O.; George Fraser, Portsmouth, O. ; Millard Ochs, Akron, O.; Irving Solomon, Canton, O.; Howard Higley, Cleveland; Elmer Smith, Findlay, O.; Wallace Elliott, Lima, O.; Ben Schwartz, Massillon, O.; Vogel Gettier, Lorain, O.; Edward Gartner, San¬ dusky O.; Frank Savage, Youngstown, O.; Mel Katz, Johnstown, Pa.; P. Rapp, Schenec¬ tady, N.Y.; and R. C. Murphy, Troy, N.Y. Penna. Obscenity Law Voided By High Court PHILADELPHIA — The State Supreme Court last week voided the Pennsylvania obscenity statute. In a five to two decision the high court held unconstitutional the pro¬ visions of the state penal code which prohibil I exhibitions of a “lascivious, sacrilegious, ob¬ scene, indecent, or immoral nature.” The decision left Pennsylvania for the first time without any statute on the books to guard against allegedly indecent or lewd mo¬ tion pictures or personal performances. Law enforcement agencies have relied on the obscenity statute since 1956 when the State Supreme Court outlawed the state’s motion picture censor law. The ruling was handed down in the long pending case of Martin Blumenstein, manager of a drive-in near Scranton, Lackawanna County. He was convicted of violating the penal code section in the showing of a burlesque type film, “Uncover Girls.” He was sentenced to three months in jail and fined $200 by Lackawanna County Judge Michael J. Eagen; and the conviction was ■ affirmed by the State Superior Court. The State Supreme Court ruling written by Judge Curtis Bok reversed the Superior Court and ordered Blumenstein discharged. Judges i John C. Bell, Jr., and Michael A. Musmanno dissented; while the Justices siding with Bok were Charles Alvin Jones, Herbert B. Cohen, Thomas D. McBride, and Benjamin R. Jones. : Bok’s opinion stated that the words “lasci¬ vious, sacrilegious, obscene, indecent and im¬ moral” as used in the Pennsylvania law pro¬ hibiting dirty films and shows, all had been held by the U.S. Supreme Court as to be “unconstitutional generalizations.” Justice Musmanno, in the minority opinion, however, said, “The state has been stripped of all authority to protect against the flood of pornographic films held back at the borders by dikes of the Act of 1939. The dikes have been razed. The majority opinion is written in almost telegraphic code. Ap¬ parently he (Bok) wants to say the word ‘obscene’ is vague. ‘Obscene’ is about as vague as ‘cat.’ This decision leaves nothing to protect clean-minded, clean-thinking men, women and children from the vulgarities, ob¬ scenities and indecencies of producers seeking the greed-soaked dollar.” The State Supreme Court’s decision also ruled that the Philadelphia Common Pleas Court should dispose of the case involving the Studio and the World, Philadelphia, for presenting Kingley International’s Brigitte Bardot film, “And God Created Woman,” 17 months ago. Rosen on Interfaith Unit NEW YORK — Samuel Rosen, executive vice-president of Stanley Warner Corpora¬ tion, was master of ceremonies last week at the ground breaking for the International Synagogue and Jewish Center to be con¬ structed at the Idlewild Airport. Rosen is vice-president and chairman of the finance committee and general campaign chairman for this unique project. The synagogue is one phase of a spiritual haven unlike any other in the world. A three acre site has been dedicated to the erection of an inter-faith center. Our Lady of the Skies Roman Catholic Chapel was completed on the site in 1955, and a Protestant Chapel is also being plan¬ ned for the area.