The Exhibitor (1960)

NEWS CAPSULES FILM FAMILY 7\ ALBUM Arrivals Mr. and Mrs. Milton Mortiz became the parents of a boy, Steven Wayne, seven pounds, 14 ounces, born at Cedars of Lebanon Hospital in Hollywood. Father is American-International’s national director of advertising and publicity. Obituaries Mrs. Anna Blaustein, widow of Louis Blaustein, former salesman for National Screen Service in Philadelphia, who died two months ago, died. She is survived by her brother, and six sisters. Clyde W. Eckhardt, 77, retired former man¬ ager of 20th Century-Fox’s Chicago branch, died in Los Angeles. He was with the Chicago 20th-Fox office from 1927 until 1941, when he left to manage the firm’s Los Angeles of¬ fice until his retirement in 1951. Surviving are his widow, two sons. Benjamin Freedman, president. Allied Thea¬ tres, Ltd., died in a Toronto, Canada, hospital. One of the founders of Toronto Variety Club, and a member of the Canadian Motion Pic¬ ture Pioneers Association, he had been in the industry since 1919. He is survived by his son, Bernard, who is well-known in the en¬ tertainment field. Mary C. Hastings, 70mm make-up editor, Albany Times-Union, for years and that paper’s highly efficient handler of servicing on theatre advertising, died in a local hospital after a brief illness. She was a friend of theatremen and always ready to help them. Gerald W. Movius, 53, an assistant to Eric Johnston, president. Motion Picture Associa¬ tion of America, died in Suburban Hospital, Bethesda, Md. after a short illness. A former newspaperman, he had been with Johnston since 1945. He is survived by his wife; two sisters; and a brother. Alex Stiefel, 56, veteran theatre official and attorney, died in Woman’s Hospital of cancer. Along with his brother, the late Samuel Stiefel, he had owned and conducted many Philadelphia motion picture houses and was treasurer of the Henry Amusement Corpora¬ tion, operators of the Uptown. He is survived by his wife; a son; a daughter and two sisters. William J. Zimmerman, 59, for the past seven years manager of the Cherokee DriveIn, Dalton, Ga., and associated with the Martin Circuit for some time, collapsed and died of a heart attack. He is survived by his widow, two daughters and five sons. CORRECTION A printer’s Gremlin climbed into our overset copy last week and resurrected an old photo of a Warner Brothers sales meet¬ ing of some time ago, handling it as though it were current news on page 6. We would like to assure all Warners’ branches that the home office is not con¬ ducting a special sales drive at the moment and withholding the news from you. As history, the photo was a fine example of a top sales force in action. As current events, however, it left much to be desired. FORMS FOR THIS PAGE CLOSED AT 2 P.M. ON MON., JAN. 30 Rackmil Optimistic At Sales Conference NEW YORK — During 1961, Universal-In¬ ternational will have for release a greater percentage of top box-office pictures in rela¬ tion to its entire program than at any other previous time in the history of the company, Milton R. Rackmil, president, reported at the opening sessions of the company’s week-long executives sales conference which started here yesterday. Rackmil pointed out that the results of U’s long-range planning during the past two years have now been fully realized since the company has already completed all of the pictures it intends to release during 1961 and has completed and has before the cameras a number of films it intends to release during 1962. He noted that the company will be releasing a greater percentage of potentially big boxoffice productions embodving a wider variety of subject matter than during 1960. Reviewing the Universal product coming up and projecting the future program of pic¬ tures, Rackmil noted that thev star many of the top box-office names of the industry as confirmed by all the recent trade press polls of the top box-office personalities of the past year including Doris Day, Rock Hudson, Gary Grant, Tony Curtis, Sandra Dee, Kirk Doug¬ las Marlon Brando, Gregory Peck, Richard Widmark Susan Hayward Jean Simmons, Deborah Kerr, Gina Lollobrigida and Robert Mitch um. Rackmil announced that Universal will have at least 10 important pictures in pro¬ duction during the 1961 calendar year. This will insure a continuous flow of product not only during 1961 but through 1962. He pointed out that the 1961 releases and the pictures being produced during 1961 for release dur¬ ing 1962 and thereafter, have more boxoffice ingredients, stars, stories and produc¬ tion values, than at any other previous time in the 49-year history of Universal; and that the schedule calls for the “greatest production investment in terms of dollars and talents.” Adolph Zukor, chairman of 'he board and founder. Paramount Pictures, recently cele¬ brated his 88th birthday in Hollywood, sur¬ rounded by, left to right, Y. Frank Freeman, Paramount vice-president; Jack Karp, vicepresident and studio head; actresses Pat Stan¬ ley and Geraldine Page; and Martin Rackin, executive in charge of production. \c BROADWAY GROSSES Reserved Seats Okay on B^wy NEW YORK — The houses on hard ticket policy were doing well despite the weather. The others were winding up long runs, with the exception of Radio City Music Hall, which gave signs of picking up. According to usually reliable sources reach¬ ing MOTION PICTURE EXHIBITOR the break-down was as follows: “MARRIAGE-GO-ROUND” (20th-Fox). Paramount claimed $20,000 for the fourth week. “WHERE THE BOYS ARE” (MGM). Radio City Music Hall, did $94,000 for Thursday through Sunday, with the second session sure of $140,000. Stage show. “BUTTERFIELD 8” (MGM). Capitol re¬ ported $17,000 for the 11th and last week. “BEN-HUR” (MGM). Loew’s State on re¬ served seat policy did $30,000 on the 63rd week. “EXODUS” (UA). Warner reported $59,000 for the seventh week of hard ticket policy. “SPARTACUS” (U-I). DeMille totaled $23,000 on the 17th week. “THE YOUNG ONE” (Valiant). The Vic¬ toria claimed $13,000 for the second week. “THE GRASS IS GREENER” (U-I). Astor reported $19,000 for the sixth session. “3 WORLDS OF GULLIVER” (Col ). Forum renorted the seventh and last week was $14,500. “PEPE” (Col.). Criterion announced the sixth week of road show engagement at $35,000. “THE ALAMO” (UA). Rivoli claimed the 14th week of road show engagement as $16,000. Mankiewicz To ^Xleopatra^' NEW YORK — Spyros P. Skouras, presi¬ dent, 20th Century-Fox, stated that he has prevailed upon Joseph L. Mankiewicz, four¬ time Academy Award winner, to interrupt his writing of “Justine,” Lawrence Durrell’s Alexandria quartet, to undertake the direc¬ tion of “Cleopatra.” Mankiewicz is flying to England to take charge of direction of the Elizabeth TaylorWalter Wanger production. Art House in Carnegie Hall NEW YORK — Carnegie Hall will soon have an art film theatre in its basement. The Carnegie Hall Cinema will be opened in late March as a 300-seat house leased from Carnegie Hall Corporation by Becor Theatre, Inc., headed by Eve Schlosser, Robert Firman and Meyer Ackerman, who operate theatres in the Bronx, Scarsdale, and Syracuse. Friars Name Briskin NEW YORK — Irving Briskin, Columbia Pictures vice-president, and one of the orig¬ inal founders of the Friars Club of California, has been elected chairman of the board of directors of the Friars. February I, 1961 MOTION PICTURE EXHIBITOR 5