The Exhibitor (1966)

Dallas Review Board In 7th Month; Future Still Is With The Courts DALLAS, TEX.— Dallas’ once controver¬ sial movie classification ordinance is seven months old, but nobody seems to care very much, according to Bob Sloan, staff writer for the DALLAS TIMES HERALD. The Motion Picture Classification Board, created by the ordinance meets every Wednes¬ day to classify all the new pictures that come to Dallas. In most cases the board routinely classifies the film the way the exhibitor wants — either “suitable” or “unsuitable” — for young persons under 16. If the film gets the “unsuitable” stamp, as 167 have so far this year, the theatre owner has to put up a sign and mark his newspaper ads to that affect. If they don’t, they could be fined up to $200. Attorney Jerry Williamson in the city at¬ torney’s office said most of the exhibitors com¬ ply with this rule. “Every now and then we find an ad that doesn’t have the phrase (‘not suitable for young persons’). We give the man a call and the next day his ad is corrected. We’re not going to get hardnosed about this thing unless we have to,” he said. The ordinance also says the exhibitor has to use “reasonable diligence” in seeing that no child under 16 gets in to see a picture with an “unsuitable” classification. But apparently no one is checking to see if the theatres are stopping the kids. “We don’t have any evidence that the the¬ atre owners are openly trying to violate the ordinance,” Williamson said. “There have been no complaints against a theatre owner, and we enforce this ordinance only when there is a complaint.” A complaint can come from a citizen, he said, or from the police. “The police do make periodic checks of the theatres to see if they have the “unsuitable” notice displayed. They also check with the ticket seller every so often to see if she has been letting any chil¬ dren in,” he added. The city fought long and hard to get an ordinance that would stand up in the courts. The theatre owners have been fighting just as hard to get the ordinance thrown out as unconstitutional. Even now the case is before the Fifth Court of Appeals in New Orleans. If the court says the ordinance is legal, the theatre owners plan to appeal to the U. S. Supreme Court. If the New Orleans judge rules in favor of the theatres, the city will appeal. “Right now we are just waiting to see what happens,” Williamson said. The movie opera¬ tors have agreed to live with the ordinance during the court fight. And as long as they are not violating the law in our faces, we aren’t worrying about strict enforcement.” Chikofsky Landau/Unger VP NEW YORK — Murray J. Chikofsky has been named vice-president for legal and busi¬ ness affairs of The Landau/Unger Co., it was announced by Ely Landau, president. Prior to joining The Landau/Unger Co., Chikofsky was corporate secretary and head of the legal division of Movielab, Inc. He previously served for more than 20 years with 20th Century-Fox, where he was assistant house counsel and house counsel for De Luxe Laboratories, wholly-owned subsidi¬ ary' of 20th-Fox. Carl Peppercorn, left, and Irving Wormser recently announced the founding of their own film dis¬ tribution-production company, Peppercorn-Wormser, Inc., Film Enterprises, at a New York press conference at the Warwick Hotel. Phila. Industry To Honor Beresin On 75th Birthday PHILADELPHIA — Jack Beresin, vicechairman of ABC Consolidated Corp., one of the nation’s largest food service concerns, will be honored at a dinner on the occasion of his 75th birthday by the Motion Picture Associates Foundation of Philadelphia. Beresin’s career in the field of vending and food services goes back many years. The Berio Vending Co., which today is a division of ABC Consolidated, was founded by Beresin in 1924. In 1947, Berio merged with the Sanitary Candy Corp., which became known as ABC Vending Corp., and in 1964 became ABC Con¬ solidated Corp. Beresin has been an executive officer and director of ABC Vending since its formation. He was elected president in 1951 and named vice chairman of the board of directors in July of this year. Beresin’s business career has been paralleled by his efforts in helping others, particularly with regard to handicapped children. His con¬ nections with the Shriners’ Hospital for Crip¬ pled Children goes back to the 20’s. Elis activities with the Variety Clubs have carried him from the office of chief barker of Philadelphia Tent 13, to that of chief Barker of Variety Clubs Internatonal. He is at present a member of the board of directors of the executive committee of Variety Clubs Interna¬ tional. He was influential in the activities which resulted in the establishment of Old Newsboys Day, a tremendous effort conducted in coop¬ eration with the Philadelphia Inquirer which raises funds for the Variety Club of Philadel¬ phia’s Camp for Handicapped Children. Beresin is on the board of directors of nu¬ merous organizations including the Will Rogers Memorial Hospital, the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, the Police Athletic League, Villanova College, and the Home for the Jewish Aged. The dinner will be a black tie affair. The proceeds will go to the Welfare Fund of the Motion Picture Associates Foundation of Philadelphia. Don Hicks, branch manager for Paramount Pictures in Philadelphia, is president. Wormser, Peppercorn Form Production-Distrib Firm NEW YORK — Irving Wormser and Carl Peppercorn announced jointly that they have established their own motion picture company, Peppercorn-Wormser, Inc. Film Enterprises. Through their new company, the two industry executives stated, they will acquire and co¬ produce feature films for theatrical, television and 16mm distribution. Wormser, who will be board chairman of the firm, was formerly president of Continental Distributing. Inc. He entered the film industry originally with Pathe films, later served many years as a sales executive with Columbia Pic¬ tures, and was a vice-president of Distributing Corp. of America before joining Continental in 1958. Peppercorn, who will function as president, recently resigned as vice-president and general sales manager of Cinema V Distributing, Inc. He held executive sales positions with Embassy, Continental and RKO, as well as similar posts with firms outside the film industry. In launching their new operation, Wormser and Peppercorn revealed that they have four features which they will place into national release within the next six months. The four are: “Seventeen,” “Les Pianos Mecaniques.” “I Pugui in Tasca,” and “The Runaways,” filmed in English in Italy and based on the novel, “A House in Naples.” The first three films will be released in both sub-titled and English-dubbed versions. Movie Month Workshops HOLLYWOOD — First of studio workshops to finalize selling plans for NATO’S National Movie Month during October is scheduled at Columbia Studios, it was announced by South¬ ern California co-chairman Robert W. Selig and Bruce Corwin. MPAA exec Duke Wales, coordinating for studios participating in “beef-up” of normally “no release” period, screening of “Alvarez Kelly” and show-selling session afterwards with John Flynn. Columbia’s studio publicity chief, a member of industry steering com¬ mittee. Selig and Corwin said second studio visita¬ tion is set for Walt Disney lot where ad¬ vertising head Paul Lyday and publicity topper John Connor will welcome exhibitor team with preview of “Fighting Prince of Donegal” and workshop afterpiece. Thereafter, balance of 12 attractions will be diagnosed and campaigned at rate of two studios per week, according to Selig and Cor¬ win. Embassy's First Roadshow NEW YORK— “Romeo and Juliet,” Joseph E. Levine’s presentation of Britain’s Royal Ballet with Margot Fonteyn and Rudolf Nureyev in a new film version of Prokofiev's classic ballet, will have a simultaneous World Premiere at three theatres in the New York metropolitan area on Oct. 5. The Paul Czinner production, Embassy’s first roadshow attraction, will open at the 57th Street Lincoln Art Theatre in Manhattan, United Artists Theatres’ Manhassat Theatre in Manhassat, Long Island, and the same cir¬ cuit’s Teaneck Theatre in Teaneck, New Jer¬ sey. This color version of one of the Royal Ballet’s most popular productions, will also play a minimum of 30 other reserved-seat engagements throughout the country during the fall. 10 MOTION PICTURE EXHIBITOR August 31, 1966