The Exhibitor (1959)

July 15, 19 59 MOTION PICTURE EXHIBITOR 23 LONDON Observations by Jock MacGregor “WITH THE SUN at its brightest no star can compete” is, I am told, an old circus saying. With no means yet to control the weather, we must stoically grin and bear the hottest summer here in years. Where better to talk business than at the sun drenched terrace bar of the exclusive Les Ambassadeurs Club? There before lunch over gins and tonic and plain tomato juice for those who “never touch a drop till the sun is over the yardarm,” you will find the trade foregathered. It was there that Associated British’s Macgregor Scott queried why I was not at the Berlin Film Festival as a sort of intro to the fact that he had just returned with C. J. Latta, Dr. Eric Fletcher, and other AB personalities from successfully launching Sir Michael Balcon’s first for the company, “Siege of Pinchgut,” in which Aldo Ray stars. Not to be Outdone I countered with, “Would I see him at the San Sebastian festival?” to learn that he would be resting in preparation for the first Moscow junket. He is taking a jet load of personalities headed by Richard Todd, Janette Scott, Sylvia Syms, and a Pathe News cameraman to Russia. While “Mac” has no film entered, he is a great be¬ liever in “showing the flag” as the surest way to overseas sales. Incidentally, Associated British is really flying high. Helped considerably by TV interests, Sir Philip Warter has been able to announce a record trading profit for the year of $15,218,000 — an increase of $5,443,200 — and a 60 per cent dividend. Also at Les A was Bill Levy, who has just resigned as assistant managing director of Columbia here. London has become so much a second home to this friendly American who has spent many years selling movies overseas that he is staying as a producer’s rep¬ resentative. Sydney Box was there to tell me how pleased he was to have captured Bill Gell, Jr., who has worked so long with his father in Monarch Films, to supervise distribution in his new Sydney Box Associates set-up. At another table I found his sister, producer Betty E. Box, with her director, Ralph Thomas. They were just back from location hunting in Italy to finalise the cutting of “Upstairs and Downstairs,” their new comedy for Rank about which the studio buzz is most enthusiastic. Also seated around the tables were Jim Carreras with Syd Mirkin, Columbia’s production publicity co-ordinator, no doubt congratulating themselves on “Yesterday’s Enemy,” tipped as a real winner; UA’s Monty Morton lunching with Dave Bickler; Nat Cohen and Stuart Levy, congratulating themselves on the business being done by “Horrors of the Black Museum.” BIGGEST INDOOR EVENT of the week was the lavish party of 1,000 lanterns which John Davis hosted at London’s Festival Hall after the charity premiere of “Ferry to Hong Kong,” Rank’s most expensive offering in a long while. I cannot help feeling he must have felt embarrassed, with some of the press, unimaginatively, comparing him to the late Mike Todd. “JD,” the brilliant business brain behind Rank’s countless world wide activities, whose intimate knowledge of the most minute details of operations at home and abroad is a source of amazement to all, is a unique personality in his own right. Mullin Again Heads New England Allied BOSTON — Martin J. Mullin, president of New England Theatres, Inc., was again elected president of Allied Theatres of New England, an unaffiliated exhibitor organiza¬ tion comprising 200 theatres. Robert M. Sternburg, who will succeed Mullin as pres¬ ident of NET in January, was elected a vicepresident and director at this annual meet¬ ing. Other vice-presidents elected were Samuel Pinanski, president, and Edward S. Canter, treasurer, American Theatres Corporation; Ben Domingo, Keith Memorial; Harry Feinstein, Stanley Warner Theatres; and William Elder, northeast division manager, Loew’s Theatres, Inc. Stanley Sumner was reelected treasurer, and John J. Ford, president of Maine and New Hampshire Theatres, was reelected chairman of the board. Directors are Walter A. Brown, president, Boston Garden; Theodore Fleisher, presi¬ dent, Interstate Theatres; Winthrop S. Knox, Jr., president, Middlesex Amusement Com¬ pany; James A. Bracken, Stanley Warner Theatres; Philip J. Smith, president, Smith Management; Richard Dobbyn, Maine and New Hampshire Theatres; and Max I. Hoff¬ man, B and Q Theatres. Frank C. Lydon was reelected executive secretary and was also elected to the board of directors. William Elder replaces Charles E. Kurtzman, who has been appointed to a national assignment by Loew’s Theatres, Inc. Kurtzman was presented with a going-away gift. Something New Bn Sales MERIDIAN, MISS. — A. L. Royal revealed last week at the Mississippi Theatre Owners Convention in Biloxi, Miss., what is termed as the Royal Incentive Plan of selling “Nat¬ chez Trace,” a new Zachary Scott independ¬ ent release. Royal says that about the fairest method of selling pictures is the sliding scale, but points out that this doesn’t give much in¬ ducement to spend money in advertising it. Consequently, he has worked out the fol¬ lowing plan: base rental is 50 per cent, but a discount of two per cent will be allowed for every inch of newspaper advertising used up to a total of 8 inches, or a total of 16 per cent discount on film rental; plus other discounts amounting to 30 per cent if the exhibitor does all of the specified things to exploit and advertise the film as suggested in the press book. UA Sets Billings High NEW YORK — United Artists’ domestic gross billings of $3,853,000 for the week end¬ ing July 4 is the largest for a single week in the company’s 40-year history, it was announced by William J. Heineman, vicepresident in charge of distribution. Heineman stated that this total represents an increase of more than $1,400,000 over the company’s previous high in gross billings for a single week of $2,437,000, registered during the corresponding week in 1958. Russian Pact Discussed NEW YORK — The committee on USA — USSR film arrangements appointed recently by Eric Johnston held its first meeting last week at the MPAA. Following a preliminary discussion of ar¬ rangements for the release of the seven Rus¬ sian films recently allocated for distribution to MPAA member companies, the committee decided to view all these films before pro¬ ceeding with further discussions. Members of the committee are John P. Byrne, Loew’s; Alex Harrison, 20th-Fox; James R. Velde, United Artists; James E. Perkins, Paramount-International; Bernard E. Zeeman, Columbia Pictures International. N.Y. CENSORS ( Continued from page 9) a foe of the High Court due to its policy of school integration. Joined with him are four other southern members, Senators Estes Kefauver, Tennessee; Herman Talmadge, Georgia; Olin D. Johnston, South Carolina; and Strom Thurmond, North Carolina. Since a constitutional amendment requires the affirmative votes of two thirds of both houses of Congress and ratification by 37 states, it is not believed that the “states’ righters” drive to limit the authority of the Supreme Court to overrule Federal or state statues is likely to receive much encourage¬ ment in the attempt to make censorship a Federal-state issue. Columbia recently held sneak previews of Otto Preminger's "Anatomy Of A Murder" at the Criterion, New York City, and at the United Artists, Detroit. Seen on the left in New York are, left to right. Rube Jackter, Columbia's vice-president and general sales manager with J. Myer Schine, head, Schine Circuit, and Jerome Safron, Columbia circuit sales executive. In the center, also in New York, Jackter is seen with Sam Richmond, general manager, Sach's Theatres; Ben Sach, head, Sach's Theatres; and Paul N. Lazarus, Columbia vice-president. On the right are seen Montgomery Gowthorpe, head, Butterfield Circuit, and Woody Praught, right, president. United Detroit Theatres at the Detroit screening.