The Exhibitor (1959)

18 MOTION PICTURE EXHIBITOR October 7, 1959 The NEW YORK Scene By Mel Konecoff THE “PRIZE BABY OF THE INDUSTRY,” whose daddy is one of the prize grandfathers of the industry, Herman Robbins, otherwise known as president and board chairman, will be 40 years old on Oct. 15. In honor of the occasion, Robbins reported at a press luncheon at the 21 Club that National Screen Service will hold a “Once in a Lifetime Tribute to Trailers” beginning Oct. 15 and extending through Thanks¬ giving Day. The six-week celebration will be highlighted by a series of special events in which all segments in the industry will be invited to participate, emphasizing the importance of trailers to theatre operations. Trailers have been in such wide use that the industry is inclined to take them for granted which is probably a tribute to their effectiveness. Robbins hoped that the suggested activity will cause the industry to pause and realize the importance of the trailers. Robbins termed it healthy to take inventory and redevelop an appreciation for those important things taken for granted. He reported that the celebration’s theme was suggested by an exhibition source and suited the company’s desire not to stage a sales drive, a glorification of company executives, a nostalgic reflection of the four decades that have passed, or self congratulations. Robbins noted that his company sold the value of all trailers, whether distributed by NSS or not. He has been assured by many leading circuits of participation, with one offering to salute trailers from its marquee. Another offered to roll out the red carpet for its ship¬ ment of trailers, and still another planned to have his trailers delivered in an armored car to symbolize the value to the boxoffice. The celebration will feature a contest wherein exhibitors and theatre managers may win substantial cash prizes. Among those in attendance were Louis Nizer, general counsel; Frank J. C. Weinberg, senior vice-president; Andrew Loebl; Burton Robbins, vice-president in charge of sales; Robert L. Gruen, vice-president; Jack G. Leo; and Joseph A. Wolfe, treasurer. PRODUCTION AND PROMOTION: Raoul Levy, producer of Brigitte Bardot pictures, is reversing a trend by having clothes put on BB for his release, “Babette Goes To War.” He made “And God Created Woman,” which started a series of sexy pictures, and now, he felt, was the time to get away from nudity. Levy noted that French government officials and film-makers were getting lots of com¬ plaints from other countries and their ambassadors about some of the French-made features, and as a result, the government is cracking down. He believed any type of film can pass censorship if made with tact and taste. “Babette” was made to be seen by all types of audiences everywhere, many of whom have never seen Bardot, and if they like her she will emerge as a real star, one of the biggest of all time, he thought. It can play all theatres, which Columbia, its distributor, hopes it will do. All of her other films except one got limited playoff. He estimated that had “And God Cre¬ ated Woman” played similarly here, it could have grossed 25 millions instead of the eight it did take in. “Babette” will probably be released here around the end of the year in dubbed and titled versions. Levy has an observation ready about anything without hesitation, and he thought the whole industry was going through a change. He wouldn't take a big theatre as a gift today, he added. The only way he would take it would be if he could turn part of it into a garage and part into an 800-seat theatre. His next production will be another with BB, “The Truth,” which starts April 15 after her pregnancy has been completed. Also on the future agenda is “Marco Polo,” to be filmed where he actually traveled if he can make deals in Russia and China. He anticipated some difficulty in the latter country. Anniversary Drive UA Names Winners In NEW YORK — United Artists’ Detroit, New Orleans, and Vancouver branches, led by branch managers Syd J. Bowman, George Pabst, and Harry Woolfe, respectively, are the winners of the company’s Fortieth Anniver¬ sary Sales Drive, it was announced by co¬ captains James R. Velde, vice-president in charge of domestic sales, and Roger H. Lewis, vice-president in charge of advertising, pub¬ licity, and exploitation. Milton E. Cohen, eastern and Canadian di¬ vision manager, led in the final division standings. James Hendel, central district man¬ ager, was winner in the district standings. Second place prizes were awarded to the Flynn Pic To Brenner NEW YORK — Joseph Brenner Associates have consummated a deal with Erroll Flynn and Barry Mahon of Exploit Films, Inc., for the national distribution of the motion picture “Cuban Rebel Girls,” which was made on location in Cuba. branch managers, salesmen, bookers, buy¬ ers and cashiers of the Jacksonville, Toronto and New Haven branches. The Boston, Pitts¬ burgh, and Calgary branches and their sales personnel placed third in their respective divisions. Runner-up in the district standings was Charles S. Chaplin, Canadian district manager. Velde and Lewis described the drive as the most successful sales effort in company his¬ tory. The 22-week campaign for collections, billings and playdates, commemorating the founding of UA in 1919, awarded more than $60,000 in cash prizes to the winners among 33 branches competing. "Censorship Scoreboard" CHICAGO — “Censorship Scoreboard,” a monthly publication covering all fields of mass communication including motion pic¬ tures, has moved from house organ status to newsstand distribution, published by All States News Company. Sack Closes Capri For 70mm Installation BOSTON — Early in October, Ben Sack, president of Sack Theatres, is closing the Cap¬ ri for 10 weeks in order to install 70mm pro¬ jection equipment. At Christmas time, the the¬ atre will reopen with a roadshow engagement of UA’s “Solomon And Sheba.” This marks a milestone in Boston theatrical history, as Sack will then have three Todd AO-equipped firstrun houses, all playing roadshow attractions. The Gary, going into a hard-ticket policy with “The Big Fisherman” on Oct. 6, will play Mi¬ chael Todd, Jr.’s “Scent of Mystery” around Christmas time, while at the Saxon, “Ben Hur” begins a long reserved-ticket engage¬ ment at Thanksgiving time. While the booth at the Capri is being en¬ larged and wired, other renovations will be done at the same time. A new marquee, four stories in height, the largest in the city, is to be installed by University Sign Company, a new 48-foot screen installed by Eddie Comi of Massachusetts Theatre Equipment Com¬ pany, and Louis Chiaramonte of Merchandis¬ ing Displays has been called in to do the decorations in the lobbies. Another “first” in the city is the setting up of a central switch¬ board with inter-communication phones in order to facilitate the purchase of tickets for the three attractions. In this way, patrons calling in may arrange for reservations at any or all the houses. The importance of these roadshow engage¬ ments is testified to by the fact that there will be an influx of press representatives from the various exchanges from New York. Four ex¬ tra field men are coming in on “Ben Hur” (MGM), three others will be here from U A for “Solomon and Sheba,” while still three others will arrive for Buena Vista’s “The Big Fisherman.” "Ben-Hur" Schedule Set NEW YORK— “Ben-Hur,” the biggest film ever made, will have 10 performances a week when it premieres at Loew’s new State in November. Evening performances will be scheduled every night with matinees Wed¬ nesday, Saturday, Sunday, and Holidays. The price scale for the film, described as “the experience of a lifetime,” will be $2.00 to $3.00 Monday through Thursday evenings; $2.50 to $3.50 Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and Holiday evenings. Wednesday matinees will be scaled from $1.50 to $2.50, with all other matinees from $1.50 to $2.75. With a running time of just under four hours, evening performances will start at 8:00pm, Sundays at 7:30pm. At a recent discussion of U-I's "Operation Petticoat" in New York City were, left to right, Phil Gerard, U-l publicity manager; Cary Grant; MOTION PICTURE EXHIBITOR'S Mel Konecoff; and Hy Hallinger.