The Exhibitor (1959)

8 MOTION PICTURE EXHIBITOR August 12, 1959 NEWS CAPSULES Milgram Takes Fox, Phila. PHILADELPHIA— David E. Milgram, Milgram Theatres, Inc., announced his acquisi¬ tion of the Fox, first-run in downtown Phila¬ delphia, as of Aug. 12. The Fox was formerly operated by National Theatres. Milgram is a veteran Philadelphia show¬ man and founder of the Milgram Service Organization, which encompasses 83 theatres throughout eastern Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware. BROADWAY A GROSSES "North" Sets R. C. Record NEW YORK — Led by the opening of MGM’s “North by Northwest,” which had a record non-holiday week at the Radio City Music Hall, the Broadway grosses held up well last weed-end, stimulated by weather which kept many in the city. According to usually reliable sources reach¬ ing MOTION PICTURE EXHIBITOR, the break-down was as follows: “HOLIDAY FOR LOVERS” (20th-Fox). Paramount ($39,453)* — The third and last week was anticipated at $20,000. “NORTH BY NORTHWEST” (MGM). Ra¬ dio City Music Hall ($147,610) — Thursday through Sunday accounted for $124,000, with the opening week sure to hit a sensational $205,000. “THE BIG CIRCUS” (AA). Roxy ($55,405) — Friday through Sunday hit $36,000, with the fourth and last week sure of $59,000. “THE LAST TRAIN FROM GUN HILL” (Paramount). Capitol ($33,350) — The second week was sure of $35,000. “BLUE DENIM” (20th-Fox). Victoria ($22,900) — The second week was a strong $30,000. “THE HORSE SOLDIERS” (UA). Astor ($25,630) — The seventh week was expected to tally $19,000. “ANATOMY OF A MURDER” (Col ). Cri¬ terion announced the sixth week as $37,000. “MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT” (Col ). Forum did $13,000 on the eight week. “A HOLE IN THE HEAD” (UA). Loew s State garnered $50,000 on the fourth week. “DIARY OF ANNE FRANK” (20th-Fox). RKO Palace reported $11,000 for the sixth week of continuous showings and the 21st week of the engagement. * Figures in parentheses represent 1958 averages as compiled by MOTION PICTURE EXHIBITOR Industry's Most Complete Saveable Review Section IN THIS ISSUE 1. The Big Operator (MGM) 2. Cast A Long Shadow (UA) 3. City After Midnight (RKO) 4. Desert Desperadoes (RKO) 5. The Devil’s Disciple (UA) 6. Grisbi (UMPO) 7. Josephine and Men (Lion-Int.) 8. Sapphire (U-I) 9. Surrender, Hell (AA) 10. That Kind Of Woman (Par.) 11. The 30 Foot Bride Of Candy Rock (Col.) 12. Tides Of Passion (Janus) 13. The Tingler (Col.) plus 10 SHORT SUBJECTS A Quick Summary of All Important Industry News Condensed for the Busy Executive. FORMS FOR THIS PAGE CLOSED AT 2 P.M. ON MON., AUG. 10 Pittsburgh Exhibitors Protest "Zone” System PITTSBURGH— The owners of 31 motion picture theatres in the Pittsburgh district, through their attorneys, Kaplan, Finkel and Roth, appeared before Judge John W. McIlvaine of the United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania, petitioning for permission to become parties in the suit of Basle Theatres, Inc., against Warner Brothers, Loew’s, United Artists, and other distributors. They complained that the distributors, in pretended compliance with Judge Mcllvaine’s decree in that case, had initiated a system of compulsory competitive bidding and clear¬ ances for the indepenident theatres following the Pittsburgh downtown run. They com¬ plained that they were arbitrarily placed in zones and were required to bid against other theatres in their zones regardless of whether or not they were in substantial competition with each other; that the number of prints available in each zone and for Pittsburgh generally had been substantially reduced; and that the successful bidder was given clearance over other theatres in the zone. They asserted that all of this, instead of expediting the exhibition of pictures in the subsequent runs of the Pittsburgh area as Judge Mcllvaine intended, created delays which the Judge in his decree in the Basle case tried to prevent. They complained that the system of compulsory competitive bidding as established by these distributors in these arbitrary zones are illegal, that they con¬ stitute a restraint on interstate commerce and tend to monopolize and restrict the ex¬ hibition of motion pictures, to their irrepar¬ able loss and damage. FOR SERVICE Y. Frank Freeman, center. Paramount Pictures vice-president and board chairman of the Association of Motion Picture Producers, re¬ cently received in Hollywood from Assemblyman Charles Conrad, right, a House Resolu¬ tion commending him for his more than 20 years of service to his corporation, his city and state. Witnessing the presentation was Jack Karp, Paramount vice-president and ad¬ ministrative head of the studio. Convictions "On Sight” Stir Blue Law Hassle PHILADELPHIA — Local attorney Harold E. Kohn, representing the Roosevelt DriveIn, Langhorne; the Town, Levittown, and five employees in the two theatres who were “convicted on sight” for Sunday operation by Justice of the Peace Earle B. Dougherty, of Bristol Township, asked permission to pre¬ sent argument to the State Supreme Court that the entire Sunday blue law is uncon¬ stitutional. The hearing on the writ of prohibition is scheduled Aug. 17. This writ, in effect an injunction served by a higher court on a lower court, is sought by Jan Boylan, an employee of the Bristol Playhouse, who con¬ tends that “on sight convictions” are uncon¬ stitutional. The petition by Kohn goes a step further and raises the points not covered in Mrs. Boylan’s action that the entire Sunday blue law passed in 1794 is unconstitutional be¬ cause it respects the establishment of a re¬ ligion and because it is discriminatory by virtue of the number of exceptions to it. Kohn said he would cite the decision of a special three-judge Constitutional Court, which recently declared Massachusetts’ blue laws unconstitutional. FILM FAMILY ALBUM Sick Call STANTON GRIFFIS, 72, member of the board and chairman of the executive commit¬ tee, Paramount Pictures, suffered broken ribs in a fall last fortnight while on vacation in Venice. Obituaries MRS. ALPHA HISEY, 85, owner, State, Nashville, Ill., for 25 years, died recently. She was the mother of Gradwell Sears and Joner Hisey, both prominent in the industry. JEAN BENOIT-LEVY, 71, French and U.S. educational-documentary film producer, died at his Paris home after a lengthy illness. He was director of the films and visual informa¬ tion division of the UN and served as pro¬ fessor of visual education at the New School for Social Research and the Free School for Advanced Studies in New York. He also wrote several books on the cinema. PRESTON STURGES, 60, noted producerdirector and writer, died last week in New York City from a heart attack. He left Holly¬ wood 10 years ago for New York and Europe, where he made several pictures before his return to the U.S. GOSTA WADSTEN, 54, MGM manager in Sweden since 1951, died in Stockholm. He had been in the industry for 37 years. JACK T. WEISS, 60, independent film dis¬ tributor in the Philadelphia area, died sud¬ denly last week at his Camden, N.J. home. He is survived by his wife, Gertrude (Trudy) Weiss, two married daughters, a sister, and three grandchildren.