The Exhibitor (1960)

NEWS CAPSULES FILM FAMILY y\ ALBUM Arrivals Shelley Robin was born to Mr. and Mrs. Richard Graff. The father is Universal De¬ troit branch manager. Lauren Hilary was born to Marty and Cynthia Blau at White Plains Hospital on Dec. 16. Blau is assistant publicity manager at Columbia Pictures. This is their third child. Obituaries Florence Goryl, wife of Walter Goryl, Uni¬ versal Detroit office manager, died last week. Glen H. Haviland, 52, veteran salesman for 20th Century -Fox in Seattle, died of a heart attack. He had been in the industry for over 20 years. Mrs. Helen B. Hildinger, widow of Charles C. Hildinger, died at her home in Ewing Township near Trenton, N. J. She owned the Strand, Trenton, N. J., and had an interest in the Greenwood and Mayfair Theatres. Siirviving are a daughter and a son, both of Trenton. Max Milbauer, 49, owner of two drive-ins in Dayton, Ohio, died of a heart attack at his home. Joseph Nolan, 62, vice-president and gen¬ eral manager, William Goetz Productions, died in a Santa Barbara, Calif., hospital fol¬ lowing a hecul attack. He is survived by his wife, and for many years had been associated with RKO. Gregory Ratoff, 63, actor and director, died in a Swiss clinic where he had been under treatment for a blood disease. His last acting role was in “Exodus.” Jonas Rosenfield, Jr., 18, son of Jonas Rosenfield, Columbia vice-president in charge of advertising, died in the airplane collision over Brooklyn, N. Y. He was returning home from college at the time. Mrs. Pauline Rudick Wise, wife of Nathan S. Wise, chief barker. Tent Three, Variety Clubs, Cincinnati, died in Jewish Hospital there after a long illness. Other survivors are a daughter and her mother. Viking Case Postponed PHILADELPHIA — ^The Viking anti-trust case was postponed in Federal C-urt last week until May 15. Kirsch Exits As Allied Prexy Because Of Health CHICAGO — Jack Kirsch, recently elec¬ ted president of National Allied, and head of the group in 1946-47, resigned last week because of ill health. He is seriously ill of a heart condition in Michael Reese Hos¬ pital, this city. At the time of his election, he is said to have agreed to serve again against the advice of his wife and physician. FORMS FOR THIS PAGE CLOSED AT 2 P.M. ON MON., DEC. 19 San Francisco Exhibs File Anti-Trust Suits By MARK GIBBONS SAN FRANCISCO— Seven neighborhood and suburban movie houses and drive-ins last Friday (16) filed suit in Federal Court here against 10 major exhibiting and dis¬ tributing firms. Charging a “Market Street monopoly” of first run product for more than 23 years, the plaintiffs seek treble damages amounting to $5,400,000. At the same time and in a separate action, A. J. Longtin, Sacramento exhibitor, filed a $300,000 ($900,000 in treble damages) anti¬ trust action against the same defendants and others, charging his house, the Encore, was similarly discriminated against. The larger of the two monopoly suits was filed by Joseph L. Alio to, who also is coun¬ sel for Samuel Goldwyn in the latter’s 10year-old $2,000,000 suit against National The¬ atres and others. Defendants are Paramount Film Distribu¬ ting Corp., Columbia Pictures Corp., Fox West Coast Theatres Corp., Loew’s, Inc., 20th Century-Fox Film Co., Universal Film Ex¬ change, Warner Bros. Picture Distributing Corp., Market and Taylor Building Corp., California Paramount Theatres, Inc., and RKO Theatres Inc. San Francisco is also the scene of the long pending Embassy Theatre anti-trust suit, which at last reports was nearing completion. WB Purchasing Stock NEW YORK — Warner Bros. Pictures, Inc., announced that the board of directors author¬ ized an invitation for tenders of the com¬ pany’s common stock. Under the terms of the invitation, the compamy will purchase up to 300,000 shares of common stock at the lowest prices tendered, but reserves the right to purchase a greater number. No shares will be purchased at a price in excess of $55 per share. All tenders must be submitted not later than Jan. 30, 1961, on the company’s form of ten¬ der, which will be mailed to all stockholders shortly and will designate the agency where the tenders are to be deposited. BROADWAY y\ GROSSES Big Opening For "Exodus" NEW YORK — Boxoffices of the first-run Broadway houses, reflected the pre-Christmas slump last week-end, with the exception of “Exodus” opening at the Warner. According to usually reliable sources reaching MOTION PICTURE EXHIBITOR, the break-down was as follows: “FLAMING STAR” (20th -Fox). Paramoimt claimed $28,000 for the opening week of the Presley starrer. “THE SUNDOWNERS” (WB). Radio City Music Hall hit $96,000 for Thursday through Sunday, with the second session expected to hit $157,000. Christmas stage show. “BUTTERFIELD 8” (MGM). Capitol re¬ ported $57,000 for the fifth week. “BEN-HUR” (MGM). Loew’s State an¬ nounced that the 56th week would tally $26,000. Road show. “SPARTACUS” (U-I). DeMille tallied $20,000 on the 10th week of hard -ticket engage¬ ment. “EXODUS” (UA). Warner announced that the opening week would reach a capacity $50,000. “CINDERFELLA” (Paramount). Victoria reported $28,000 for the opening week of the Jerry Lewis fantasy. “INHERIT THE WIND’ (UA). Astor re¬ ported $8,000 for the 10th and last week. “THE THREE WORLDS OF GULLIVER” (Columbia). Forum claimed $26,000 for the opening week. “THE ALAMO” (UA). Rivoli announced the eighth week of the hard-ticket engage¬ ment at $22,000. NT Realty Firm Names Two BEVERLY HILLS, CALIF. — Appointments of Jesse H. Elliott and Franklin Prince as vice-presidents of National Realty, the new¬ ly-formed division of National Theatres & Television, Inc., were announced by Irving Epsteen, president of National Realty, who said the move was a key step in the com¬ pany’s accelerated program to strengthen and diversify operations and broaden activities. Presentation of Special Merit Medal of Parents Magazine to U-I's "Spartacus" was made re¬ cently in New York by Robert S. Cramer, vice-president, to Henry H. "Hi" Martin, vice-presi¬ dent and general sales manager of Universal. On the left is F. J. A. McCarthy, assistant gen¬ eral sales manager of Universal and sales director for "Spartacus"; and on the right is Jeff Livingston, executive coordinator of sales and advertising for Universal, who has been super¬ vising promotional activity on "Spartacus." 6 MOTION PICTURE EXHIBITOR December 21, I960