The Exhibitor (1963)

The NEW YORK Scene By Mel Konecoff SEVERAL SCORE top exhibitors in the metropolitan area were deeply impressed by a campaign outlined by Bob Ferguson, vice-president in charge of advertising and publicity at Columbia, to mark the non-roadshow playoff of “Lawrence of Arabia.” They gathered at the Criterion Theatre, scene of the world premiere of the film that took the lion’s share of Academy Awards and listened intently as Ferguson recalled the back¬ ground of the film, its initial presentation, and the efforts that went into making it the success that it became. They liked his offer to help exhibitors garner some outstanding business with the feature and sat in awe as he revealed that several million dollars had been spent on advertising the film, much of it in the New York area. He wryly noted that only one out of every ten features presented is a profitable enterprise and “Lawrence was cer¬ tainly an outstanding example of a profitable “one.” He asked his listeners to take full advantage of the talent and enthusiasm found in the company’s effort and lend their support and cooperation. A year of campaigning was reviewed and then he swung into the pattern for the future when a number of theatres will open with the film. There will be ads in Life listing the theatres, subway cards, 200 television buys, 340 radio spots on every radio station, local paper ads and additional exploiteers have even been added with each responsible for a given area etc. There will be posting, tie-ups, windows etc., just as though the film was making its initial bow. At the conclusion of his address and a question and answer period, just to show you what a fine presentation it was, an exhibitor got up to offer praise on behalf of his fellow theatre operators for the way the entire operation was handled. ACTION DEPT.: Warners asking exhibitors for “Cleopatra” terms for the forthcoming “My Fair Lady.” BREAD DEPT.: Universal’s affable vice-president and general sales manager Henry “Hi” Martin invited the press to lunch on the wind-up day of the company’s sales con¬ vention at the Waldorf just to be sociable and also to witness the presentation of Photoplay Magazine’s “Front Cover Award” to Universal by Frederick A. Klein, executive vice-president of Macfadden-Bartell. (This is the second time this award was made and we have yet to see a copy of the magazine announcing same). Klein felt that the utilization of techniques and successful patterns of the past is helping the major studios to set new records and to create new and brighter horizons for the future. It is providing disti'ibutors, exhibitors, the American public, and the world with a change that means bright, fresh, exciting screen product. He said today, as never before, the motion picture industry is geared to the enormous goal of anticipating the changing needs and desires of the public and to providing that public with new faces and new talent. Klein paid tribute to Universal for its “New Horizons Program”; its twenty million dollar expansion and building program; its seeking new ways to meet the public’s increasingly discriminate taste; its consistency in developing both screen and behindthe-screen talent to produce the finest films. President Milt Rackmil accepted, promising more quality product would be forthcoming in the future as such well-known outsiders as Tony Randall, Art Tolchin, Sam Seletsky, Russ Downing, Matty Polon, Bernie Meyerson and Harry Mandel looked on. POLL NOTE: Newsday, largest daily newspaper on Long Island, ran a series of pieces on the moviegoing habits of one town area taken by an independent research organization at the behest of Associated Independent Theatres. Asked for top recent films, 109 persons listed “West Side Story”; 85 selected “To Kill A Mockingbird”; 74 picked “Days of Wine and Roses” and six liked “Ben Hur.” From the foreign group “Never On Sunday,” “The Mark,” “Room At The Top” and “Two Women” were prominently noted. Walt Disney and Doris Day were top favorites while a picture like “Marienbad” was strongly disliked. Hollywood films were found twice as enjoyable as art films while 188 liked dramas, 144 liked comedies and 52 went for spectaculars. Double features were not popular with 219 preferring single features and 159 liked double feature programs if the second picture was “worthwhile.” Shorts were preferred by the great majority with travelogues the most popular followed by cartoons, newsreels and sport reels. A great deterrent to attendance were poorly written pictures; some thought pictures were getting too adult and too impressionable for teenagers. Some thought that prices were too high and that they went up every time a better film was presented. One reply didn’t care for candy machines stating “The candy is usually hard and the potato chips are stale.” One viewer summed up her reaction by voting for cuter ushers, lower prices and more necking. Critic Mike McGrady by-linecl the piece. THE METROPOLITAN SCENE: The Lincoln Square Theatre, due for a November opening, will feature not only live shows (dramatic and otherwise) but lectures, concerts and 16mm — which will be presented bi-monthly. Some are privately-produced, experi¬ mental and have never been shown prior. They may have the makers at the screenings for discussions and the theatre may even sponsor one or more of the experimental films. Anyone interested in this type of thing drop a note to Mark Mason, Theatre Workshop. 5 West 63 st., N.Y.C. . . . ASIDE TO LIGE BRIEN: The merchandising on “A New Kind of Love” attracting much attention. . . . ASIDE TO PETER LAWFORD: Welcome to the ranks of distinguished subscribers. . . . Saturday Review Magazine has a piece in it by Arthur Mayer, sometime exhibitor, distributor, writer, publicist, exploiteer, toastmaster, etc., wherein he discusses “The New Film Frontier.” His theme seems to be — pictures are for people everywhere especially in these enlightened days. BV Marks 10th Birthday; Execs Attend Sales Meet BURBANK, CALIF. — Irving H. Ludwig, president of the Buena Vista Distribution Company, heads the New York delegation at the annual Walt Disney-Buena Vista sales convention currently being held at the Walt Disney Studio. Buena Vista is celebrating its 10th anniversary as the Disney organiza¬ tion’s distribution subsidiary. Attending the convention from the New York Buena Vista office are James V. O’Gara, eastern division manager; Leo Greenfield, western division manager; Howard Hein, Herb Robinson, Emmet Cashman, Joe Flynn, Mike Poller, Charles Raffaniello, Steve Keller, Vito Sperti. From the TV Syndication dept.— Stuart Ludlum, Barr Sheets, Bert Herbert. From the publicity-advertising staff — Charles Levy, director of advertising and publicity, Bob Dorfman, Frank Petraglia, Jack Herschlag, Mike Hertz. From the administrative staff — Louis E. Gaudreau, vice-president and treasurer, John Durkin. From the legal staff — Joseph Laub, general counsel of Buena Vista, Anthony Farinaeci. From branch op¬ erations — Jack de Waal. Representing the Walt Disney Character Merchandising divi¬ sion will be W. H. G. Smith, A1 Konetzni, and Joe Pellegrino. From the Buena Vista Record division, Kelly Cammarata and Sandy Strohbeck will be attending. Additionally, Buena Vista is also flying out the entire branch office sales staff, which in¬ cludes Herb Schaefer, district manager, north¬ eastern district; John Feloney and Jack Chinell — salesmen; Mort Magill, district man¬ ager, eastern district; Joe Brecheen, Larry Seidelman, Leonard Mintz — salesmen; Ted Levy, district manager east central district; Jerome Levitt, William Brower, and Frank Jones — salesmen; Kenneth Laird, southeastern district manager; Lawrence Terrell, Bob Pol¬ lard, and Walter Walker — salesmen; Douglas Desch, southwestern district manager; Sebe Miller and Paul Back— salesmen; Harris Dudelson, midwestem district manager; Char¬ les Good, Lee Heidingsfeld, Frank Yablans, and Avron Rosen — salesmen; Marvin Goldfarb, Rocky Mountain district manager; Tommy Thompson, Thomas McMahon, Wayne Stephenson, and Patrick Halloran — salesmen; Don Conley, Pacific Coast district manager; Don Fuller, Ernest Piro, and Leo Jensen — salesmen. Clem Saila, Walt Disney Character Mer¬ chandising representative in Canada, and Bruce Butler, Walt Disney Television Sales representative from Canada, will also be on hand, as will the following from EmpireUniversal — Disney’s Canadian distributor: Mark Plottel, Barry Carnon, and Herb Mathers. From BV’s expanding foreign operation, Jim Alexander and Jean Thomachot will rep¬ resent the Paris office, Tosh Ishikawa the Tokyo office, and Hans Muth the Frankfurt, Germany, office. Nizer Keynotes TOA Meet NEW YORK — TOA president John H. Stembler has announced that Louis Nizer is scheduled to be the keynote speaker at the opening luncheon meeting of the theatre owners convention on Monday, Oct. 28. The luncheon will be held in the Georgian Ballroom of the Americana Hotel. 8 MOTION PICTURE EXHIBITOR October 16, 1963