The Exhibitor (1966)

7’jmmimmmmiiinmm The NEW YORK Scene By Mel Konecoff IS THIS CITY SO BIG AND SOPHISTICATED AFTER ALE? MANY SMALL towns and villages that we know of have had general meetings of the inhabitants, sessions with elected officials, etc., known as town meetings, ever since the days of the Pilgrims. Now, exhibitor Sam Horwitz has presented a plan to the Independent Theatre Owners of New York, whereby local theatres would hold open house Town Hall Forums one evening each month. Local neighborhood residents would thus be brought together in a large place of public assembly to hear dignitaries, elected officials, and city and state department heads discuss problems of interest to the community. Horwitz, one of the vice-presidents of the ITOA, will act as liaison between interested theatre owners, merchants, and government officials to set these forums, which it is hoped will prove instructive on a city-wide basis. To initiate the activity, Plorwitz will hold the first forum in his Tilyou Theatre in Brooklyn during the third week in January. He gives credit to NATO for the suggestion that theatres become involved in community activities. SUDDEN THOUGHT: FOR SOME TIME, NOW, WE HAVE BEEN BELLYACHING that films have been much too long. The other day, we saw “Funeral in Berlin" with Michael Caine, and we found ourselves wishing that it wouldn’t end quite so soon. Caine is the new femme fantasy stirrer, but good. MAIL: DEAR MEL: ON RETURN FROM A 14-WEEK TRIP TO THE WEST Coast and the Far East, I read three issues of the (New York Tent’s) Variety Barker, which I found to be “super” for this type of organization publication. Congratulations on a job mightily well done. Happy holidays to you and yours. Regards, Leon Bamberger Dear Leon: Thank you for them thar kind words. By now, either you will have seen or heard the news that we have resigned as press guy of the New York Tent and as editor of The Barker, monthly informational publication. After serving as press guy for three years and as editor of the recently reactivated bulletin, which resumed publication earlier this year, this was not a move that was lightly taken. For your information and at least two others, who we know will be interested, the move was brought on when the Tent hired a new executive director, who is an expert in public relations and who can devote his full time to publication work as well as to matters of fund raising. The results should be an improvement for the Tent, which is what we would like to see. MURDER: TO RJF AT COLUMBIA— JUST WANT YOU TO KNOW THAT THE girlie calendar on “Murderers’ Row” is the hit of the locker room of the New York Tele¬ phone Company. How did this come about, you ask. Well, we had a repairman in the office the other day (we’ve been having trouble hearing our boss when he calls) when in walked the mailman bearing the rolled-up peepshow. When we straightened out the thing, the phone began to ring like crazy as a couple of wires were fused together across the room. So, what else could we do but offer it to the chap, who promised very prominent posting. THE METROPOLITAN SCENE: DAVID FLEXER HAD A CHRISTMAS “AT Home” reception in the new offices of Inflight Motion Pictures. You would have thought that a party on an air liner would have been in order to show somebody’s new film and to show off the latest equipment improvements. . . . That building across the street from Governor Rockefeller’s local offices that looks like a fancy apartment house is not. It’s a deluxe garage known as The Motor Mansion and is being heralded as “the last word in luxury parking and facilities for motor cars of distinction, foreign and domestic.” Getting the feel of the place before it was officially opened were three Lotus-Formula I racing cars used in the filming of MGM-Cinerama’s “Grand Prix.” . . . Pesky rains Avere flooding Para¬ mount’s efforts to aid the victims of devastating Italian floods via three special benefit previews for “Arrivederci, Baby” at the Forum on Broadway last week. . . . Anyone having a problem balancing exterior sunlight and interior arc or blue light while filming interior scenes can solve it with a patented aerosol spray developed by British cameraman Nicholas Roeg. . . . Guess who plays the part of a secret agent? Why none other than Neil Connery, younger brother of Sean (James Bond) Connery in “Operation Kid Brother.” We can hear the thought processes of enterprising exhibitors as they think about besieging UA to be allowed to play a double bill with the brothers Connery next year. . . . Gollee, but those people out west were lucky recently. The first 200 patrons in 100 theatres opening “Spinout” received a pocket-size color photo of Elvis Presley and a 1967 calendar with March 31 included. . . . Anyone spot Natalie Wood’s sister, Lana, in “Penelope”? She was in a party scene, we are told. . . . The third edition of the ASCAP BIOGRAPHICAL DICTIONARY is off the presses compiled and edited by The Lynn Famol Group. It features brief biogra¬ phies of some 5,238 members— over 845 pages. Woe be unto anyone who doesn’t have one when the subject of composing, writing, or publishing music comes up. . . . Holiday greetings in from Disney Productions, Tommy and George Waldman, Ernie Emerling, Ted Arnow, Martha Torge, the Lee Kokens, the Irving Ludwigs, the Charles Powells, the Ernie Grossmans, Joseph Brenner, Allan Lobsenz, Jim Watters, Norman Robbins, Norman Elson, Sol “Shorty” Rissner, Charles Call. . . . To all — our best for the holiday! Pantages To Filmsync NEW YORK — Clayton G. Pantages has been appointed executive vice-president in charge of sales, and Peter Fernandez named to the post of secretary of Filmsync-TV, Ltd., it was announced by Jack Curtis, president of the newly formed post-sychronization and dubbing organization. Pantages was a 20th Century-Fox executive for 12 years before moving to the post of general sales manager for Magna Pictures Corporation. In addition to his duties for Filmsync, Pantages heads worldwide theatri¬ cal and television sales for Dome Films Inter¬ national Corporation, new indie distributor. "Doc" Gladsden Retires; Sells Paxtang Theatre HARRISBURG— Samuel “Doc” Gladsden has sold his Paxtang Theatre, for years a popular neighborhood house, and gone out in style — with a farewell tribute in Paul Beers’ “Reporter At Large” column in the Harris¬ burg Evening News. The marquee of the theatre now carries words of thanks to all his old patrons plus, "Merry Xmas, Doc and Mrs.” A native of Atlantic City, “Doc” was a fine athlete and was quite a high diver at Rutgers. He was engaged as a pharmacist in his home city and Washington, accounting for his title of “Doc.” His legal name is Samuel Goldstein. Before coming to Harrisburg and Paxtang in 1947, he had his left leg amputated. A frustrated actor, he went into the movie busi¬ ness, and his first film was a Walt Disney picture. His last appropriately was titled “Born Free.” Now he’ll retire to York in February where his son, Dr. Donald F. Gladsden, an optome¬ trist, is located. At the age of 68, "Doc” has the energy and appearance of a man 10 or 15 years younger. Cen. Cinema Earnings Up BOSTON — General Cinema Corporation reported that preliminary results for the year ended Oct. 31 indicate that net earnings after taxes rose over 23 percent while sales ad¬ vanced around 33 percent over the year pre¬ vious. Richard A. Smith, president, said that company revenues were about $33,590,000 as compared to $25,163,082 in 1965. “Earnings,” he said, “are estimated at slightly over $2,000,000 or about $1.60 a share compared to $ 1 ,643,558, equal to $1.30 a share a year ago. Glen Alden Elects List NEW YORK— Glen Alden Corporation announced the election of Austin List as presi¬ dent of the Opp and Micolas Cotton Mills, subsidiaries of the corporation. List, since 1958, has been a member of the board of directors and vice-president of the corporation. A mobile box office touring area campuses and shopping centers is being used by Columbia for the world premiere reserved seat engagement of Fred Zinnemann's "A Man for All Seasons" at New York's Fine Arts Theatre. Here, Columbia roadshow ad manager Jerry Levine shows how it works. 14 MOTION PICTURE EXHIBITOR December 21, 1966