The Exhibitor (1966)

Three New NATO Committees Study Practices, Blind Bids, Subsidies HOLLYWOOD — Sherrill C. Corwin, presi¬ dent, National Association of Theatre Owners, has announced the formation of three impor¬ tant working committees to tackle the major problems besetting the motion picture theatre industry. Corwin revealed formation of a trade practices committee, a blind bidding elimina¬ tion committee, and a production subsidy com¬ mittee. Initial meetings of all three commit¬ tees will be held in conjunction with the board meeting in San Juan, Puerto Rico, the week of Jan. 8, 1967. Sumner M. Redstone will head the trade practices committee. Redstone operates the Northeast Drive-In Theatre Circuit and the Redstone Management Circuit, headquartered in Boston. He was NATO’s first chairman of the board. Assisting him on the trade practices committee will be Jack Armstrong, Armstrong Circuit, Bowling Green, Ohio; Roy Cooper, West Side-Valley Theatres, San Francisco; Thomas J. Crehan, RKO Theatres, New York City; Irving Dollinger, Triangle Theatre Ser¬ vice, New York City; Marshall H. Fine, Asso¬ ciated Theatres, Cleveland; Salah Hassanein, Skouras Theatres, New York City; George Kerasotes, Kerasotes Theatres, Springfield, Ill.; Bernard Levy, American-Broadcasting Cos., New York City; Jack Lowrey, Lowrey Theatres, Russellville, Ark.; David E. Milgram, Milgram Theatres, Philadelphia; Ber¬ nard R. Myerson, Loew’s Theatres, New York City; Glenn Norris, Norris Theatres, Washing¬ ton; C. L. Patrick, Martin Theatres, Colum¬ bus, Ga.; Trueman Rembusch, Syndicate The¬ atres, Franklin, Ind.; Julian Rifkin, Rifkin Theatres, Boston; Wilbur Snaper, Triangle Theatre Service, New York City; T. G. Solo¬ mon, Gulf States Theatres, McComb, Miss.; George Stern, Associated Theatres, Pittsburgh; William H. Thedford, National General Corp., Los Angeles; Ray T. Vonderhaar, Tentelino Circuit, Alexandria, Minn.; and Melvin R. Whitman, General Cinema Corp., Boston. The purpose and policy of the NATO trade practices committee were expressed recently by Corwin in an address delivered in Atlanta. “As the year goes on we will move from strength to strength, unified by a common pur¬ pose and presenting our position with the dig¬ nity of responsible and mature men. There will be no retreat to appeasement or sur¬ render of our rights; no obsequious acceptance of anything casually served up to us without proper consultation. Ours is a simple and well defined purpose. We will gain respect, and we will merit respect, and we will fight tena¬ ciously to correct the injustices that threaten exhibition.” Past-president Marshall H. Fine will be chairman of the blind bidding elimination committee. In his keynote address at the NATO convention, Fine had expressed his bitter disappointment in “the failure and out¬ right neglect of the Department of Justice to hold the promised hearings, requested by the Federal Court over one year ago, on blind bidding and other related unfair practices.” Fine had pledged that he would devote his full-time effort to a crusade to bring about the elimination of blind bidding. At Fine’s request, the committee has been limited to only four members: Stuart H. Aarons (who also serves as chairman of NATO’s legal affairs committee), Irving Dol¬ linger, Bernard R. Myerson, and Sumner M. Father Sullivan Heads Catholic Film Office NEW YORK — Father Patrick Sullivan has been named to succeed Monsignor Thomas Little as head of the National Catholic Office for Motion Pictures. Father Sullivan was assistant to the Monsignor, and since Little’s transfer to the position of Pastor in a Queens church, he has been acting head of the office. U.S.C. Honors Freeman LOS ANGELES — Y. Frank Freeman, vicepresident of Paramount Pictures Corp., a member of the University of Southern Cali¬ fornia board of trustees since 1949, has been elected a life trustee of USC. Freeman, who said that service as a USC trustee has been one of the highlights of his career, asked that he become a life trustee because of his inability to attend all meetings now that he is living in La Jolla much of the time. Redstone. “I want to reiterate that we are not going to rest until we eliminate the vicious, uncon¬ scionable blind bidding that has grown like a monster and has placed us in the position of agreeing to exorbitant terms on pictures we have never seen.” Corwin emphatically stated. “No him company will ever convince us that they have to fill their July 4 playing time eight months in advance to protect them¬ selves against their competition, if their com¬ petition isn't permitted to do the very same thing. What started out as a rare occurrence has become the standard method of selling, and although we haven’t yet convinced the Justice Department to move ahead with dis¬ patch and resolution, we will be persistent, we will be persuasive, and we will ultimately pre¬ vail.” As suggested by Harry Brandt at the Octo¬ ber board of directors meeting in New York, Corwin has designated a NATO committee to investigate and determine the feasibility of production subsidy plans designed to increase the supply of motion picture films. Nat D. Fellman, Stanley Warner Theatres, has been tapped to head this committee. Corwin also appointed the following members to the pro¬ duction subsidy committee: Stuart H. Aarons, Stanley Warner Circuit, New York City; Harry Brandt, Brandt The¬ atres, New York City; Sam Clark, AmericanBroadcasting Cos., New York City; Marshall H. Fine, Associated Theatres, Cleveland; Irving H. Levin, National General Corp., Los Angeles; Ben Marcus, Marcus Theatres, Mil¬ waukee; Martin Newman, Century Theatres, Long Island, N. Y.; Sperie Perakos, Perakos I heatres, New Britain, Conn.; Matthew Polon, RKO Theatres, New York City; Walter Reade, Jr., Walter Reade Circuit, Oakhurst, N. J.; Sumner M. Redstone, Redstone Man¬ agement, Boston; Julian Rifkin, Rifkin The¬ atres, Boston; John H. Rowley, Rowley United Theatres, Dallas; and Arthur M. Tolchin, Loew’s Theatres, New York City. Trans-Lux Accelerates Film Releasing Pace NEW YORK — Trans-Lux Distributing Cor¬ poration plans to release a him a month in 1967, it was announced by Richard Carlton, vice-president in charge of the Trans-Lux en¬ tertainment division. Three pictures are being readied now with the first breaking key cities in late January and early February. Sidney Ginsberg, general sales manager, who just returned from a five-week buying trip in Europe, has acquired “The Fear” and “Paris In the Month of August” for theatrical distri¬ bution in the United States. “The Fear,” which was the official Greek entry at the 1966 Cannes Film Festival, is the story of a deafmute girl and her young seductor in a series of violently passionate events leading to a sur¬ prise shock ending. “Paris In the Month of August” is a French him starring Charles Aznavour and Susan Hampshire. Aznavour, world-famous as a singer, turns dramatic actor in his sensitive role of a middle-aged family man, grown desperate in his brief encounter with young love. The hrst release will be “The Hunt,” a con¬ troversial Spanish him acquired recently by Ginsberg, following its critically acclaimed showing at the last New York Film Festival. “Paris” is slated to follow, with “The Fear” scheduled for late March release. Ginsberg, who is currently negotiating for additional him properties in New York, will attend the Cannes Film Festival in May and then cover western Europe for more new product. He said that the accelerated TransLux release pattern is more than justihed by the increased demand for European imports. “The booking potential for such films is better than it has ever been,” he observed, “and we’ll be releasing pictures at a faster pace than we have done in the past hve years. “New theatre construction is increasing in suburban areas across the country and they’ll serve a new generation of sophisticated art him enthusiasts,” Ginsberg noted. “Trans-Lux in¬ tends to keep ahead of this expanding exhibitor demand for appealing imports.” Richard Whorf Dies HOLLYWOOD — Death from a heart attack has claimed actor-director Richard Whorf, 60, in St. Johns Hospital at Santa Monica. Fie came to Hollywood after a distinguished career on Broadway where he was long associated with Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne, acting in their “Taming of the Shrew,” “Amphitryon 38,” and “Idiot’s Delight.” He also won Broadway acclaim as a set designer. His movie credits include “Blues In The Night,” “Keeper of the Flame,” “Yankee Doodle Dandy,” and “Assignment in Brit¬ tany.” For tv, he directed “Beverly Hillbillies” and “Gunsmoke” and produced the Tammy Grimes Show. Son of noted artist Henry Church Whorf and brother of John Whorf, one of the nation’s foremost water colorists, he also gained recognition as a painter and exhibited in various galleries. He is survived by his wife, and three sons. U In Pressbook Switch NEW YORK — Herman Kass, Universal Pictures executive in charge of exploitation, has notified exhibitors across the country that beginning with “Gambit,” Universal has changed the format of their pressbook. Kass feels after careful study that the exhibitor is looking for a pressbook where the information is concise and easy to locate. 12 MOTION PICTURE EXHIBITOR December 28, 1966