The Exhibitor (1964)

Zanuck Reports Half Year Burnings Showings Continued 20thFox Surge NEW YORK— Darryl F. Zanuck, 20th Cen¬ tury-Fox president, reported that the com¬ pany showed net earnings for the second quarter ended June 27, 1964, of $3,395,000, or $1.26 a share, which brings the net earn¬ ings for the first half up to $4,931,000, or $1.83 a share. The comparable periods for 1963, Zanuck added, were $2,468,000 or 91 cents a share. “Because of the availability of a previous loss carried forward into 1963 into the first and second quarters of 1964,” the 20th-Fox statement read, “provision for a federal income tax is not required.” Revenues for film rentals in the first halfof 1964 totalled $44,891,000, compared to $45,667,000 in the first half of 1963. The total film revenues for the first half of 1964 break down to $35,588,000 for features and shorts, compared to $32,080,000 for the first half of 1963. Features licensed for tv in the first half of 1964 amounted to $8,220,000, compared to $11,031,000 for the same period in 1963, while film series produced especially for television earned $1,083,000 in the first half of 1964 and $2,556,000 in the first half of 1963. Miscellaneous income, including the film processing library, was $1,129,000 for the first half of 1964 and $2,193,000 in the first half of 1963. Dividends, interest, and oil royalities ac¬ counted for $894,000 in 1964’s first half, com¬ pared to $1,333,000 for the comparable 1963 period. Amortization of film costs in the first six months of 1964 amounted to $30,047,000 against $29,669,000 in the first half of 1963. In the 1964 period, there was no expense in con¬ nection with studio facilities, whereas in the same period of 1963, the expenses of main¬ taining idle studio facilities amounted to $2,144,000. In the first half of 1964, selling, general and administration expenses accounted for $9,673,000, down from the $10,122,000 of the first half of 1963. Depreciation and amortiza¬ tion of fixed assets too were down to $251,000 against $263,000. WOMPI To St. Louis ST. LOUIS— Members of 17 local WOMPI clubs will assemble here Sept. 18-20, at the Chase Park-Plaza Hotel, for the 11th annual convention of the Women of the Motion Pic¬ ture Industry International. A large registra¬ tion is expected. The program planning and social activities are under the direction of Miss Grace Engelhard and Miss Marcella Devinney, St. Louis, co-chairmen of the con¬ vention committee. Miss Mary Heueison, Kansas City, presi¬ dent of the International, will preside. New WOMPI clubs to be welcomed at their first convention will be Chicago, chartered earlier this year, and Cleveland, chartered in 1963. Climaxing the convention will be the installa¬ tion banquet Saturday night, at which the officers elected for the coming year will be installed. Also, a check for $2,000 will be presented to the Will Rogers Memorial Hospi¬ tal and O’Donnell Research Laboratories for the sponsorship of the WOMPI room at the hospital, which is an annual international project of WOMPI. DeHavilland For Crawford In 20th-Fox's "Hush" HOLLYWOOD— Olivia De Havilland will replace Joan Crawford as Bette Davis’ co-star for The Associates and Aldrich Company — 20th Century-Fox “Hush . . . Hush, Sweet Charlotte.” it was revealed from Paris by Producer-director Robert Aldrich. The decision to replace Miss Crawford, who is still in Cedars of Lebanon Hospital recovering from a recurrence of virus pneumonia, was based on a report that the actress would not be able to resume regular work schedules for some time. “Hush . . . Hush, Sweet Charlotte,” which also stars Joseph Cotten and Agnes Moorehead, was shut down July 29 for the second time due to the illness of Miss Crawford. Speaking of Miss Crawford’s replace¬ ment in “Hush . . . Hush, Sweet Charlotte,” producer-director Aldrich said, “We feel a great sense of sorrow at not being able to complete our picture with Joan.” “The Playground” Shooting As All-Boston Feature BOSTON — First feature art film to be shot entirely in Boston, “The Playground,” is in a six weeks shooting schedule in its Berkeley st. studio and on location in over 20 sites throughout greater Hub. This first all Boston picture, produced and directed by Richard Hilliard, Brookline, Mass., through General Films, Inc., is employing, with few exceptions, Boston personnel in both acting and technical capacities. The film will be ready for national distribution in early 1965. Hilliard says he’s typical of the small group of young producers who have established their reputation in the film field through production of low budget films. “The title of the picture,” he said, “specifically refers to children, be¬ cause adults can learn so much from them. Children enjoy themselves. They do not fear death, and they live for today. It is only adults who are anxious about tomorrow.” Hilliard contends that there are about 20,000 film theatres in the U. S., and that, of those, “almost 1,000 are patronized regularly by audiences who demand entertainment with something to say. They want stories with originality and integrity, and it is these art film audiences at whom ‘The Playground’ is aimed. The film takes advantage of the many advances made recently in film technique. It alternates scenes of comedy and pathos, of farce and romance.” Coe Joins Youngstein NEW YORK — Producer-director Fred Coe has joined Max E. Youngstein and David Karr as a partner in Max E. Youngstein Productions. Coe will produce, direct, and write motion pictures and television projects being pre¬ pared exclusively for Columbia Pictures and Screen Gems release. He will also participate in the development and production of thatrical properties for the Youngstein group. ABC-TV Exploitation Idea Borrowed From Movies NEW YORK — Taking a showmanship leaf from the motion picture industry, ABC-TV has sent into the field a group of exploitation experts to assist its affiliates in setting up the promotional campaigns for the new season. Such use of a highly trained field force is a first in network promotion procedures. Seven field men, all with motion picture ballyhoo experience, will cover the top 30 markets in the nation. Their function is to create exploitation ideas, follow through on putting them into work, effect local tie-ups with major merchandising outlets, create novel and eye-arresting stunts, and in general to put the showmanship touches to local campaigns. The seven men are Leo Zabelin, Keith Bratton, Howard Pettingill, Marion Plessner, Norman Lamb, Henry Spiegel, and Larry Schneider. They will cover Minneapolis, Mil¬ waukee, Chicago, Grand Rapids, Indianapolis, Cincinnati, Columbus, Dayton, Ft. Wayne, South Wayne, South Bend, Dallas, Houston, New Orleans, Oklahoma City, Tulsa, St. Louis, Kansas City, Omaha, Des Moines, Cedar Rapids, Louisville, Atlanta, Nashville, Chatta¬ nooga, Memphis, Orlando, Miami, Birming¬ ham, Detroit, Cleveland, Toledo, Flint, Akron, Albany, Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse, and Pittsburg. ABC-TV’s year ’round exploitation depart¬ ment, consisting of Sid Mesibox and Leo Pillot on the east coast and Jerry Zigmond on the west coast, will cover the major cities in those areas. New Academy Committees HOLLYWOOD — Three additional special committees of the Academy of Motion Pic¬ ture Arts and Sciences have been named by Arthur Freed, president, bringing to 16 the number of groups organized to date. They are foreign language film award com¬ mittee — Roy C. Metzler, chairman; Louis Blaine, Macdonald Carey, George W. Duning, Rudi A. Fehr, Ely Levy, Luigi Luraschi, Don Prince, Carl Schaefer, Edward Schellhorn, Geoffrey M. Shurlack, Harry Tytle, Robert M. W. Vogel. Scientific or technical awards committee — Gordon E. Sawyer, chairman; John O. Aalberg, Walter Beyer, Daniel J. Bloomberg, Merle Chamberlin, Farciot Edouart, Ferdinand L. Eich, Glenn Farr, Jack P. Foreman, Alex¬ ander Golitzen, Roland Gross, George R. Groves, Sol Halprin, Wilton R. Holm, Willian Hornbeck, G. Carleton Hunt, Ub Iwerks, Emile Kuri, Hal Millar, Hal Mohr, James C. Pratt, Charles Rice, Norwood L. Simmons, Sidney P. Solow, Charles Sutter, Byron Vreeland, Waldon O. Watson, William L. Widmayer. Sound branch executive committee — Waldon O. Watson, chairman; John O. Aalberg, Robert O. Cook, James P. Corcoran, George Dutton, George R. Groves, Fred Hynes, Franklin E. Milton, Charles Rice, Gordon E. Sawyer. New Col. Pact For Rossen NEW YORK — Producerdirector Robert Rossen, whose production of “Lilith” has been selected for showing at the New York Film Festival this fall, has been signed to a new two-film deal with Columbia Pictures it was announced by M. J. Frankovich. Rossen’s new pact is in addition to his current Columbia project, which has been tentatively titled “Cocoa Beach.” 10 MOTION PICTURE EXHIBITOR September 2. 1964