The Exhibitor (1959)

Battle Lines Drawn In Censorship Test HARRISBURG — Exceptional circumstances involving crimes of violence justify the state’s controversial Motion Picture Control Act, Harold E. Stassen declared in Dauphin County Court here. The former Minnesota governor made his second appearance here within a week, seek¬ ing action on behalf of a Philadelphia mother who wants to side with the state in the pending battle for constitutionality of the newly -created movie censorship measure. His latest appearance spelled out — legally — why Stassen felt his client, Mrs. Virginia Knauer, a Philadelphia councilwoman, should be permitted to intervene with the state as an additional defendant. Earlier, he said Mrs. Knauer, mother of a minor daughter, felt that the control act was reasonable and necessary as a safeguard against crimes of violence and juvenile de¬ linquency. President Judge William H. Neely at that time allowed Stassen a week to file a brief supporting the woman’s legal right to enter the lawsuit. Stassen’s latest move contends that the con¬ stitutionality of the act will not be ade¬ quately defended unless Mrs. Knauer is per¬ mitted to intervene. He claimed her right as intervenor lies in what he termed exceptional circumstances in¬ volving the alarming rate of violent crimes, particularly against women and children, and the relationship between the crimes and the widespread showing of obscene motion pic¬ tures. Stassen added that Mrs. Knauer is prepared to present competent proof to the court that the exceptional circumstances exist. The rule if granted would be directed to the Motion Picture Control Board and to the plaintiffs who launched the legal battle last year — William Goldman Theaters Inc. and the Pennsylvania Association of Amusement Industries, both of Philadelphia, and 20thFox. Since first litigation was filed by the film companies, Dauphin County Court has per¬ mitted Catholic congregations from through¬ out the state to intervene as “friend of the court.” Harrisburg attorney John H. Bream, coun¬ sel for the Catholic groups, said he will argue in support of the constitutionality of the act. Hearing on arguments involving the suits has been slated for March 9 before the five judges of Dauphin County. Union Marks 50 Years BOSTON — Moving Picture Machine Op¬ erators Union, Local 182, will have their 50th Anniversary Banquet on June 22 at the Brad¬ ford Hotel, Boston. President Jack Rosenberg has appointed two former presidents of the Local, Joseph Caplan and Joseph Nuzzolo, Sr., to head this affair. The co-chairmen will be Rosenberg and Ralph Frazier, business representative. Des Moines Tent Elects DES MOINES — The Variety Club, Tent 15, elected as chief barker Don Allen, general manager, Tri-States Theatre Corporation. Other officers named are first assistant chief barker, Joe Young, branch manager of War¬ ner Bros.; second assistant chief barker, Dick Frank, branch manager of Paramount; prop¬ erty master, Dave Gold, branch manager of Fox; and dough guy, Lou Levy, branch man¬ ager of Universal. Local Level Effort Aims To Prove Films Can Be Sold In Any "Season" Penna. Censors Prepare To "Set Up Shop" Soon HARRISBURG, PA. — Attorney General Anne X. Alpern last fortnight said that the State’s new movie censorship board will start operating soon despite a pend¬ ing court test of its constitutionality. “We believe the board is a duly consti¬ tuted agency and have ordered it to set up shop and start reviewing films immedi¬ ately,” Miss Alpem said. The board will operate in the Depart¬ ment of Public Instruction. Peter T. Dana, Pittsburgh, a retired sales executive for Universal -Interna¬ tional, is chairman; and the other members of the board are Ira C. Sassaman, Hummelstown, and Mrs. Mae M. Bergin, Philadelphia. * The Legislature appropriated $75,000 for the board's operations. Dana will get $5,500 a year, and the others will receive $5000 each. Chasman To UA Ad Post NEW YORK — David Chasman has been appointed United Artists advertising man¬ ager, it was announced by Roger H. Lewis, UA vice-president in charge of advertising, publicity, and exploitation. He re¬ places Joseph Gould, resigned. As an advertising ex¬ ecutive with top nation¬ al ad agencies over the past 10 years, Chasman CHASMAN comes to UA with ex¬ tensive promotional experience in all media. For the past five years he has served as special consultant on advertising campaigns and promotions for UA, Universal, and 20thFox. Prior to his appointment, Chasman held a series of key advertising posts with Grey Advertising, Inc., and the Monroe Greenthal Agency. Martin Joins NSS NEW YORK — Burton E. Robbins, vicepresident in charge of sales of National Screen Service, has announced the appoint¬ ment of David Martin as director of advertis¬ ing and publicity. Martin was formerly edi¬ tor of Harrison’s Reports. Robbins earlier announced the appoint¬ ment of Ben Lass as St. Louis branch man¬ ager, succeeding the late H. A. Washburn. At the same time, Robbins made known the appointment of Gene Beckham as sales rep¬ resentative for the St. Louis area. Texas Circuit Ups Furman ABILENE, TEX. — W. E. Mitchell, vicepresident and general manager of Texas Con¬ solidated Theatres, Inc., and Truman Riley, city manager for the theatres in Abilene, named Donald Furman as manager of their Park Drive-In. Furman replaces Jim W. Tharp who has assumed the duties of city manager for Texas Consolidated properties in Brownwood. NEW YORK — Edward L. Hyman, vicepresident of American Broadcasting-Para¬ mount Theatres, Inc., announced that final plans have been set for one of the most im¬ portant phases of the April-May-June Ex¬ hibition Drive being spearheaded by ABPT affiliates. The major factor in this forthcoming drive will be the specialized selling attention which will be given to the quality attractions made available during that period. Hyman has ar¬ ranged with each of the distributors involved for their respective advertising personnel to work with circuit affiliates creating advertis¬ ing and exploitation campaigns for the qual¬ ity attractions which each distributor will make available. As finalised, plans call for the following AB-PT affiliates to work with the advertising personnel of the companies designated: Paramount-Arthur Krolic, Buffalo Para¬ mount Corporation, Buffalo, and Gene Pleshette, Brooklyn Paramount; 20th-Fox-Don Allen and Don Knight, Tri-States Theatres, Des Moines, and Bob Shapiro, New York Paramount; MGM-John Krier, Intermoun¬ tain Theatres, Salt Lake City; United ArtistsWoody Praught, United Detroit Theatres, Detroit; Columbia-Henry Spiegel, New York and Brooklyn Paramount; Universal-George Aurelius, Arizona Paramount Corporation, Phoenix; Warner Brothers -Jerry Zigmond, Los Angeles and San Francisco; and Allied Artists-Ed Seguin, Balaban and Katz, Chicago. The information and details of these cam¬ paigns will not only be made available to affiliates but will also be sent to all exhib¬ itors in the country who have endorsed orderly distribution, so that they can add what can only be done at the local level. Hy¬ man indicated that distribution advertising personnel of each of the respective distribu¬ tors has revealed to him its ideas for this project, and that in each instance these ideas are different, thus assuring the fact that the germ of sameness will not be present. He is urging exhibitors everywhere to go all out with these campaigns, and thus demonstrate to the distributors what can be accomplished at the local level during any “season.” Interboro Joins TOA NEW YORK — Solomon M. Strausberg, president of Interboro Circuit, has enrolled 21 of his circuit’s theatres in the greater New York area in Theatre Owners of Amer¬ ica, it was announced by Albert M. Pickus, TOA president. Strausberg is widely known in exhibitor and industry circles, and his organization is one of the larger independent theatre organi¬ zations in the Metropolitan New York area. Philip F. Harling, TOA assistant to the pres¬ ident, worked with Strausberg in arranging the membership, Pickus said. The theatres include one in Manhattan, five in the Bronx, eight in Brooklyn, and seven in Queens. COMPO Meeting Postponed NEW YORK — Sidney Schreiber, secretary, Council of Motion Picture Organizations, Inc., last week announced that the February and March meetings of the executive committee have been postponed until a date in May to be fixed by the members of the Governing Board. 1 1 February 10, I960 MOTION PICTURE EXHIBITOR