The Exhibitor (1965)

Yugoslav Firm Schedules 25 For World Market NEW YORK — Avala Films of Yugoslavia will produce approximately 25 motion pictures for worldwide distribution this year, it was revealed by Ratko Drazovic, general manager of the firm. Drazovic said that Avala, previously asso¬ ciated with Columbia’s “The Long Ships,’’ owns 40 per cent of “Uncle Tom’s Cabin,” a German co-production, and is also partnered on “Girls For The Army,” official entry at the Cannes Film Festival, produced by Mau¬ rice Ergas, directed by Mario Zurlini, starring Mario Adorf and Anna Karina. Avala owns 48 per cent of “The Long Ships” and 51 per cent of the studio’s newest release, “Genghis Khan,” produced by Irving Allen, directed by Henry Levin, starring Omar Sharif, James Mason, Stephen Boyd, and Rob¬ ert Morley, according to Drazovic. “Of the 25 films we will produce this year,” Drazovic said, “there will be 10 Yugoslavian films to be dubbed and subtitled for other na¬ tions; four German co-productions; four Italian co-productions; three films with di¬ rector Nicholas Ray, the first of which is ‘The Doctor and the Devils,’ to star Maximilian Schell; plus one English co-production deal. There are five other films yet to be filmed,” he added. Drazovic said that Avala Films now has six modem sound stages located in Belgrade and that Yugoslavian location sites can dup¬ licate the English countryside, China, Nica¬ ragua, the Fjords of Norway, and the Russian steppes, among others. Caras Joins Kubrick Firm NEW YORK— Stanley Kubrick announced the appointment of Roger Caras as vicepresident of his Polaris Productions here in New York. Caras recently resigned as Co¬ lumbia national director of mercandising for the United States and Canada. He had been with Columbia for 10 years performing in various executive capacities. He is a wellknown author as well as film executive. Happy Birthday, Barney NEW YORK — Leaders of the motion pic¬ ture industry helped Barney Balaban, board chairman, Paramount Pictures Corporation celebrate his 78th birthday at United Jewish Appeal headquarters. House Unit To Hear Wage Plea By COMPO WASHINGTON — The date of Monday, June 21, has been set for a hearing for the Council of Motion Picture Organizations before a subcommittee of the House Edu¬ cation and Labor Committee on the Ad¬ ministration’s bill amending the Fair Labor Standards Act Charles E. McCarthy, COMPO executive vice-president revealed that he had re¬ ceived a letter from Rep. James Roose¬ velt, chairman of the subcommittee, invit¬ ing COMPO to present its case at 9:45 a.m. in the committee hearing room in the Raybum House Office Building. Who will rep¬ resent COMPO at the hearing has not yet been decided upon, McCarthy said. The bill, as presently written, calls for elimination of the exemption of motion pic¬ ture theatre employees from the Federal Minimum Wage Law. This exemption was written into the law in 1961, after a cam¬ paign by COMPO. JtMlIItt 0 IIItlMIIMIHtMIIIIIMIIIIMI tllltll I mill MMtllll II II M M M I II lit* I Mill HIM III • III II 1 1 • tllllt II III Ml I IIM Ml f I • 1 1 1 II 1 1 1 1 M 1 1 1 II Ml I M I M 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 M II II I III 1 1 1 1 1 1 M 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 • 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 II 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 II MMI Mil lltl I III 1 1 1 1 1 1 M III llllll II I II 1 1 1 1 1 1 • 1 1 1 1 millll llll»ll ItllMIII I *11 IK 1 1 (1 1 1 1 LONDON Observations s By Jock MacGregor FROM EVERY ANGLE, THE PREMIERE OF 20TH-FOX’S “THOSE MAGNIFICENT Men in Their Flying Machines” at Rank’s Astoria was among the best. It was royal, star studded, and exhilarating. No sooner had the Duke of Edinburgh met Darryl F. Zanuck and his stars in the foyer than he was quipping about the cigars protruding from the breast pocket of director Ken Annakin and script writer Jack Davies. In the auditorium, spirits were also high. As soon as the royal fanfare faded and the tabs opened for the main titles, the evening dress audience who had paid top prices to support flying charities was with it. Indeed, I have rarely known a better house on such an occasion. They enthusiastically lapped up this scintillating Todd-AO mixture of slapstick, high comedy and adventure of the early days of aviation and the first air race between London and Paras. No greater credit can be paid to the picture than to record that despite the free champagne being lashed around during the intermission, no one was late for the second half — and certainly no one took advantage of the break to slip away. That’s something in itself! Afterwards, Percy Livingstone hosted a supper dance for his chief, Darryl F. Zanuck, Irina Dimick, Stuart Whitman, Terry-Thomas, Alberto Sordi, Sarah Miles, and others connected with its production, and magnificent flying men like Marshall of the Royal Air Force, Lord Douglas of Kirtleside, Wing Commander Douglas Bader, and Sir Alan Cobham, to name a few. What a joy it was to meet the principals of a movie under such circumstances and be able to be unreservedly enthusiastic. One did not have to think up something encouraging to say or fall back on that old cliche: “Gosh, you’ve done it again!” Zanuck was unquestionably elated with the reception when I congratulated him and Mile. Demick, who reveals a wonderful flair for comedy and has never looked lovelier on the screen. He was particularly pleased that the Duke had expressed his delight with the picture — and I should not mind betting that like all other parents present, he had decided that here was a “must” for children. Making one of his now rare film function appearances was Rank’s John Davis, who tours the world on business these days in much the same way as most just go to the office. He assured me — as if I needed assuring — that even if I did not see him much in film circles, he is as involved as ever. Unquestion¬ ably, this was among my happiest nights at the movies. I WISH I COULD BE AS ENTHUSIASTIC OVER “THE KNACK,” CANNES GRAND prize winner, which was premiered the previous evening. Frankly, I was relieved to have been able to slip away and get the first taxi. While I chuckled, I do not know what I could have said to anyone connected with it. Mayibe I am an old square, but I do not go for a picture which has no more than a bare story line, for lack of a better descriptive, to link a series of incidents. Arch, pretentious, its potential has presented film row experts with a big query. The MacGregor Opinion Poll has found only exhibitors in the “don’t know” category. For the record: West End business is fab. THE BRITISH FILM PRODUCERS ASSOCIATION’S ANNUAL REPORT REVEALS a major factor which has delayed the signing of the Franco-British co-production agree¬ ment. It is the French insistence that companies linked by common control cannot partici¬ pate, and that co-productions must not be handled by the same distributor in both mar¬ kets. While this is just another continental dog-in-manger dig at American companies, it also restricts Rank and makes co-production even less attractive. Frankly, in view of the poor acceptance of dubbed films here, I doubt whether more than a very few British producers are really interested in the deal being completed. TONY GRUNER ACQUITTED HIMSELF IMPRESSIVELY AT HIS FIRST PRESS conference as director of the forthcoming Commonwealth Film Festival. I do not envy him his task. Not only has he been allotted a mere $14,000 (a West End preme can cost a lot more) to cover all costs, but he also has little time to plan and organize arrange¬ ments. Other than the Indian, Commonwealth features have yet to make an impression. He is hoping to get Ghana’s first feature, a new version of “Hamlet” That should be interesting. He will have a vast number of first rate shorts from which to choose. . . . To celebrate the fifth anniversary of Pathe News items in Technicolor, Terry Ashwood invited the trade press to see his 10 minute coverage of The Derby 20 hours after the race. He could have shown earlier, but we should have had to wait longer for lunch. Covering the build-up, the race in full, and the aftermath, it is a classic reel and actually had us appaulding. It should win festival accolades. For the first tune, he tried eight highly sensitive directional microphones and then could not use all the sound: jockeys swear at each other as fruitily as unlucky punters do. . . . Gerry Levy and Howard and Dennis Lanning, Ledeck Film Productions, documentary and industrial film specialists, have launched Leap Film Distributors with Nat Gubbins as general sales manager to handle their features, three Italian Technicolor adventures and a group of Edward Small reissues. New sources of supply are as welcome to the circuits as independents. . . . At the British Film Producers Association’s cocktail party to welcome delegates to Czecho¬ slovak Film Week, which was organized in association with the Foreign Office, there were raised eyebrows when a visiting star greeted me with a big hug and a kiss. It was all right. She was Zdenka Prochazkova, and we had been properly introduced at the Argentine Film Festival. The week has been a big success, and several pictures have been bought for commercial release, including “Voyage to the End of the Universe” by American International. . . . After a shaky week in North London, “Satan Bug” has either been replaced by the UA reruns despite it being a public holiday week or had the sup¬ port changed for the South. The opposition, “Three Hats For Lisa,” also found the going tough. June 16, 1965 MOTION PICTURE EXHIBITOR 19 «iiimuiniiiiimuiunmmuuiMti>