The Exhibitor (1966)

Stormy History Of Sacks Capris Could Make One Believe In Jinxes BOSTON — Boston movie magnate Ben Sack is much too realistic a man to believe in jinxes. Nevertheless, when the Capri Theatre comes into his mind these days, he must give some consideration and credence to the propo¬ sition that a jinx must surely enshroud his operations. When Sack acquired the old Copley The¬ atre in 1959, the theatre had already served under the tutelage of some nine theatrical entrepreneurs, included among whom were the Shubert interests. The theatre had been op¬ erated as a legitimate theatre, as a repertory theatre, and as a motion picture theatre under one policy or another, and no one could make a go of it. Sack was assured by his industry colleagues and even by members of his own staff that he would surely suffer the same fate. There were even those prophets of doom and gloom who suggested that his quarter million dollar investment in the theatre would prove to be his Waterloo. At the outset, the pessimists appeared to be prophetically true in their clairvoyant prog¬ nostications. Sack had one failure after an¬ other; he tried foreign film, double features, reserved-seat engagements, free coffee and donuts, ladies’ days, family nights — everything imaginable to put the theatre over with the public. Nothing worked. Excuses abounded: the theatre was off the beaten path; the theatre had a poor image; the theatre was not readily accessible to public transportation; the theatre was lacking in parking facilities. The more Sack failed, the more determined he became to succeed. Finally, Sack induced one of the major film companies to play one of its all-time record-grossing pictures at the Capri — a decision it was loth to make in view of the poor track record of the theatre. De¬ termined to break the vicious cycle. Sack posted a very substantial guarantee and landed “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” with Audrey Hep¬ burn. All of a sudden, the old banal excuses for failure vanished, instead, there were long and endless lines. The Capri had finally been established. Alas! Along came the Massachusetts Turn¬ pike Authority and the Capri had to make way for the new toll road. Just as several years of hard work and staggering financial losses were to be crowned with success, the victory was snatched from Sack’s hands and, in a few short weeks, the theatre and its appurtenances lay strewn in a heap of rubble. Undaunted, the indomitable Sack took his marquee and what little else he could salvage up the road a piece to the site of the Strand Theatre, which had been allowed to fall into disrepair. As Sack recalls, “f had to seal off the theatre and send in a crew of extermina¬ tors to fumigate the place, fn the condition the theatre was in, it would have been easier to build a new theatre from the ground up.” After very extensive renovations, the new Capri Theatre opened in July of 1962. But the process started all over again. The public had to be educated as to the new location. Once again, all the excuses for failure were voiced. Once again, every device was at¬ tempted in an effort to put the new Capri across to the public. But the failures were re¬ peated, continuous, and staggering. Finally, a little picture entitled “Zorba the Greek” opened unceremoniously at the theatre, and, before long, the theatre off-the-beaten path which could not be found by the public was the scene of long queues. The new Capri was finally established. Following “Zorba,” which ran for a record 17 weeks, there was “The Collector,” with Academy Award nomi¬ nee Samantha Eggar. The new Capri was, indeed, an established success on the local movie scene. And then, the Christian Science Church announced its multi-million dollar program for the redevelopment of the area surrounding the Mother Church, ft was not long before the Church negotiated a deal with the Capri land-lord for acquisition of the property, which was located right in the heart of the redevelop¬ ment area. So once again, Ben Sack was de¬ prived of the fruit of success after finally turn¬ ing the corner. On May 31, the new Capri Theatre will close its doors for the last time, and the fol¬ lowing day, June 1, an auction sale of all of the appurtenances of the theatre will serve as a harbinger of the razing of the structure which will ensue shortly thereafter. But Sack hasn’t quit. Anticipating the taking of the Capri and as determined as ever to operate a theatre in the Back Bay, which Sack confidently expects to be the b^^st location in the city in the near future, Sack built the Cheri Theatre in the Auditorium Garage op¬ posite the Sheraton Boston Hotel near the Prudential Centre, fncorporating a new con¬ cept in theatre construction with a 1,000 car garage immediately above the theatre. The Cheri, the first drive-up theatre in the world opened in February. Unlike the two Capris, the Cheri was an immediate success, with Sam Spiegel’s “The Chase” enjoying a seven-week run, followed by “The Group,” the movie hit based on the best-seller by Mary McCarthy, and, soon, “The Sleeping Car Murder,” a mystery thriller starring Simone Signoret which has been doing a land-office business in New York. Asked whether he thought “Capri” was a jinx. Sack replied wryly: “What’s in a name?” Queried whether he proposed to find a new location for a third Capri, Sack snapped, with a twinkle in his eye, “Could be, I don’t give up easily!” Jack J. Valenti, newly elected president of the Motion Picture Association of America, Inc., recently held his first meeting with the presidents and top executives of the member companies of the association. Seated left to right are Darryl F. Zanuck, president, 20th Century-Fox; Spyros Skouras, chairman of the board, 20th-Fox; George Weltner, president. Paramount; Louis Nizer, general counsel, MPAA; Mrs. Anna M. Rosenberg, head, Anna M. Rosenberg Associates; Jack Warner, president, Warner Brothers; Barney Balaban, chairman of the board. Paramount; Edwin WeisI, chairman of the executive committee of Paramount Pictures; Abe Schneider, president, Columbia Pictures; Ralph Hetzel, executive vice-president, MPAA; Valenti; Milton Rackmil, president, Universal; Arthur Krim, president. United Artists; Robert Benjamin, chairman of the board. United Artists; Leo Jaffe, executive vice-president, Columbia; Richard Zanuck, vice-president in charge of production, 20th Fox; Seymour Poe, executive vice-president, 20th Fox; Benjamin Kalmenson, executive vice-president, Warner Brothers; Sidney Schreiber, general attorney, MPAA; Arnold Picker, executive vice-president. United Artists; and standing, Lew Wasserman, MCA, Inc. 1 1 May 25, 1 966 MOTION PICTURE EXHIBITOR