The Exhibitor (1959)

September 30, 1959 MOTION PICTURE EXHIBITOR 15 Jackter To Coast For Product Talks HOLLYWOOD— Rube Jackter, Columbia vice-president and general sales manager, has arrived here for conferences with studio ex¬ ecutives on forthcoming product. He will look at footage from the following films currently before the cameras or re¬ cently completed: William Goetz’ “The Story of Franz Liszt” (Cinemascope-Color), star¬ ring Dirk Bogarde and Capucine, and “The Mountain Road,” starring James Stewart and Lisa Lu; Ansark Sidney’s “Who Was That Lady?,” starring Tony Curtis, Dean Martin and Janet Leigh; Drexel’s “Because They’re Young,” starring Dick Clark, Michael Callan, Tuesday Weld, and Victoria Shaw; Philip Waxman’s “The Gene Krupa Story,” star¬ ring Sal Mineo, Susan Kohner, and James Darren; and Louis de Rochemont’s “Man On A String,” starring Ernest Borgnine and Kerwin Mathews. Following the conferences here, the general sales manager will visit San Francisco, Seat¬ tle, Salt Lake City and Denver, highlighting Columbia’s “Salute to the President” sales drive honoring A. Schneider. Jackter will meet with exhibitors and Columbia branch personnel on the following films slated for release before the end of the year: William Goetz’ “They Came To Cordura”; Samuel Fuller’s “The Crimson Kimono”; Highroad’s “The Mouse That Roared”; Fred Kohlmar’s “The Last Angry Man,” starring Paul Muni, David Wayne, Betsy Palmer, and Luther Adler; Charles Schneer’s “Battle of the Coral Sea,” starring Cliff Robertson and Gia Scala; Hammer's “Yesterday’s Enemy,” starring Stanley Baker and Guy Rolfe; Thunderbirds’ “Edge of Eternity” (Cinemascope-Color), starring Cornel Wilde and Victoria Shaw; “The Warrior and the Slave Girl”; UPA’s “1001 Arabian Nights,” starring the near¬ sighted Mr. Magoo in his first full-length cartoon feature; and Sam Katzman’s “The Flying Fontaines” (Color), starring Michael Callan, Evy Norlund, and Rian Garrick. N. J. House To Reopen MOORESTOWN, N. J.— The old Criterion building has been acquired by Kingsway Films, Inc., and is now being completely re¬ modeled and reequipped to provide an inter¬ national film policy. The house will reopen on Oct. 15 preceded with an open house and trade screening on Oct. 13. David Grossman will be manager. Harris Joins Paramount NEW YORK — Warren G. Harris has been appointed trade press contact and feature writer for Paramount Pictures Corp., it was announced by Martin S. Davis, national di¬ rector of advertising, publicity and exploita¬ tion. DON'T OVERLOOK... The OBJECTIVES and the OPERATIONAL RULES of 11 • I • ± • n conciliation —as published in this issue ANOTHER “THEATRE-WISE” SERVICE FROM . . . MOTION PICTURE EXHIBITOR CANADIAN Highlights By Harry Allen, Jr. THE FILM SOCIETIES in Canada are providing a service for the film patrons not otherwise provided by the commercial theatres. Of course, the films shown by these groups may not be commercially feasible for the average theatre. Yet, there are over 85 film societies operating in Canada, with three major groups in Toronto itself, as well as a number of smaller groups in the city operating from community centres and high schools. All three of the major groups offer their showings Sunday evenings, using the Odeon Hyland Theatre with its 1300 seats. One of the natural attractions of these societies is the fact that the showings are Sunday evenings when other theatres are not open, because of the Sunday blue laws in this city. This is circumvented by the film societies through charg¬ ing a membership for the whole season, so that admission on the night of the showing is not charged. Each of the major film groups covers a different field. The best known and the oldest of the major film societies in Toronto is the Toronto Film Society, now in its 12th season of operation. Although it includes Hollywood film productions in its list, it appeals to those who feel the film production from Europe is the most interesting. As well as 10 main shows, it also offers five Sunday afternoon showings and a silent film series. The second group is the French Cine Club, which specializes in the French films. These films are without Eng¬ lish subtitles, thus appealing to the large French-speaking population of Toronto. A demand has been made for a French-language radio station in the city, yet the city hasn’t a theatre offering French films exclusively. The AGE Film Society — its name being made up of the first initial of the names of its organizers — goes after those patrons eager to see the old Hollywood film productions. Organ¬ ized just five years ago by three who had attended a meeting at the Eastman House, Rochester, the AGE Group offers films with nostalgia and lots of memories. It attracts many younger people as well as those not satisfied to see the old films on TV. Organizers were Aldo Maggiorotti, Warner Bros, booker in Toronto; Elwood Glover, radio announcer; and Gerald Pratley, film commentator. Their showings, also held at the Hyland, offer members notes on the films being shown. This year, as well as last, they offer a speaker, James Card, curator of Eastman House. Maggiorotti said the film societies cover a field that theatres can’t afford to enter. The films shown have a surprisingly good technical quality, he said. The main problem, how¬ ever, is to obtain film prints that are 35mm. The 16mm prints, although well made and with few scratches, don’t have the throw necessary for a large theatre. The film prints are 16mm. because they have been made up to provide to the TV stations. Fla. Convention Postponed JACKSONVILLE — Arnold Haynes, owner, Naples, Naples, Fla., and president of the Mo¬ tion Picture Exhibitors of Florida, announced that the annual MPEOF convention scheduled here for Oct. 4-6, has been set back to the dates of Dec. 6-8 at the local Robert Meyer Hotel. New MGM Office In Iran NEW YORK— N. G. Moshi, MGM Inter¬ national, will open the company’s new sales and distribution office in Iran as manager, Morton A. Spring, president, said. Iranian headquarters will be in Teheran. A meeting of Loew's New York City theatre managers with circut and distribution company executves was held recently at Loew's Theatres penthouse to forimulate plans and discuss cam¬ paigns for the forthcoming Loew's Fall Film Festival. Among those present were, left to right, John Murphy, executive vice-president, Loew's Theatres; Jerry Levine, advertising manager. Paramount Pictures; Ernest Emerling, vice-president, Loew's Theatres, in charge of publicity and advertising; Dan Terrell, publicity director , MGM; Eugene Picker, president, Loew's The¬ atres; Robert Ferguson, director of advertising and publicity, Columbia; and Fred Goldberg, director of advertising and publicity. United Artists. UPA Studio Names Elias BURBANK, CAL. — Appointment of Hal Elias as studio manager of UPA Pictures, Inc., was announced by Stephen Bosustow, president. Elias was with MGM for 25 years, first as head of western exploitation and then as assistant to Fred Quimby in the shorts de¬ partment for 15 years. In 1955, he succeeded Quimby as head of the shorts department. For the past year, he has served as secretary treasurer of Television Commercials, Inc., at Paramount Sunset, from which post he re¬ signed to join UPA.