The Exhibitor (1966)

Arts Council Film Program Builds Audience Of Future PEEKSKILL, N.Y. — Hugh McCauley, man¬ ager, Paramount here, sends along details of his campaign to boost his audience. It should interest all theatremen. “I thought perhaps that the MOTION PIC¬ TURE EXHIBITOR would be interested in my small efforts in furthering the enlargement of the motion picture audience, at a local level. “After a number of meetings, 1 have been able to attract the New York State Council On The Arts to sponsor film series at this theatre. “I immediately became interested in this program when I had read about the proposed program in the trade magazines, with five up¬ state Schine Theatres as the first theatres to be selected for the showing of the film series pro¬ gram. Of course, I recognized the value of such a program for building a larger audience for the future, as well as a more aware audience of the present. “Contact was made with the New York State Council On The Arts, and after a few hectic months of planning, five dates were set for the film series: Oct. 18, 19, Nov. 15, Dec. 6, and Jan. 17. Two weeks prior to the first series date, a seminar was held at this theatre for all the Peekskill area school teachers. “In addition to the outstanding art film classics that were shown and have yet to be shown, such as ‘David and Lisa,’ ‘I’m Alright Jack,’ ‘Ballad Of A Soldier,’ ‘Singing In The Rain,’ and ‘The Bicycle Thief,’ Judith Crist, well-known film critic of the World-JournalTribune, was present at the theatre for one of the discussion periods that follow each evening showing. Besides Miss Crist, Herb Hollis of the Saturday Review is scheduled to visit this theatre and participate in a discussion period. “During the day, there are three separate showings: elementary school students in the morning, junior high and high school students in the afternoon, and adults in the evening. All student discussions are held at the schools, while the adult discussions follow the evening showing. It should be noted that, through the cooperation of the Board of Education, this film program was incorporated into the school curriculum, and is therefore compulsory for the students. This compulsory attendance has been 1100 elementary and 1400 junior high and high school students per day. “Besides bringing a new awareness of film to the students and adults, the film series pro¬ gram has brought out a totally new audience for the Peekskill area. Admissions on the film series nights (Tuesdays) has been five and six times what would be considered the norm for a Tuesday night at this time of the year. “Through the cooperation of the Peekskill Branch of The Association of American Uni¬ versity Women, local sponsoring agent, the Board of Education, N.Y.S. Council On The Arts, and the Motion Picture Association of America, the film series program at this the¬ atre has been a success and holds definite promise for a very successful future.” Second For Sonny & Cher NEW YORK — Motion Pictures Inter¬ national president Steve Broidy has announced the signing of singing stars Sonny and Cher for a second motion picture feature, tentatively titled “Ignaz.” Exercising his option under an orginal twopicture contract, the second film starring Sonny and Cher will be a musical-comedy to be filmed in color and scheduled to begin shooting in April, 1967. Levin Lines Up Aid T 01*11 (urtcHIl Contest in mcm Proxy Fight Stirs British Interest NEW YORK — Notices to solicit proxies have been filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission and the New York Stock Exchange by associates of Philip J. Levin, MGM’s dissident director. Levin, owner of approximately 10 per cent of MGM’s outstanding common stock, filed notice recently that he intends to fight for control of the film company. The stockholders who filed the notices, indicating that they are supporting Levin’s efforts, are Jack Wilder, Martin Horowitz, and William S. Vernon. Their combined holdings of MGM common stock amount to about 16,000 shares. Gershwin-Kastner Slate 14 Films At $42 Million NEW YORK — A slate of 14 major motion pictures budgeted at more than $42,000,000 to be produced within the next two years was announced by the independent picture produc¬ ing team of Jerry Gershwin and Elliott Kastner. In addition, Gershwin and Kastner an¬ nounced plans to produce a Broadway play, “Two Weeks Somewhere Else,” in association with The Theatre Guild. The same team which last year made its first effort “Harper” and followed it up with “Kaleidoscope” this year, already has its third picture, “The Bobo,” starring Peter Sellers, in production, and will have “Sweet November,” starring Sandy Dennis, rolling in early 1967. Properties never before announced are “Hall of Mirrors,” “Carribean,” “The Violent Land,” “Hive of Glass,” “Sard Marker,” and “Confidence Man." These are in addition to previously an¬ nounced acquisitions including “The Chill,” the “Harper” sequel again starring Paul New¬ man; “Where Eagles Dare”; “Sol Madrid”; “Boys and Girls Together”; “The Long Good¬ bye”; and “When Eight Bells Toll.” Gershwin pointed out that present plans call for seven of the pictures to be made in Hollywood and the other seven to be made “all over the world — where the action of the story takes place.” Bernard Castro (left), president of Castro Con¬ vertibles, and Larry Morris, vice-president of B. S. Moss Theatres, discuss plans for the Castro spon¬ sored Christmas children's shows to be held at Moss' Central Theatre, Cedarhurst, and Lee Theatre, Fort Lee, on Christmas Eve. LONDON — 20,000,000 is a conservative es¬ timate of how many saw the unique Alfred Hitchcock $8,400 challenge competition which Rank Film Distributors’ Tom Richards pro¬ moted with the News of the World to plug the British release of "Torn Curtain,” and they saw it on three separate occasions. In turn, every Rank Theatre, whether it was to play the film or not, and Rank club cooperated. First, 40,000 starter posters were sent to all the nation’s news agents, and five to every Rank theatre and club on Sept. 26, virtually a teaser combining full credits for both spon¬ sors. This was followed by a similar distribu¬ tion to all recipients, giving full details for display when the News of the World published I SEE THE NEWS OF THE WORLD ON OCTOBER 16th THIS IS THE ALFRED HITCHCOCK “TORN CURTAIN” CHALLENGE COMPETITION! £3,000 TO BE WON wer ALL YOU HAVE TO DO ffi-’.Hin *hi:i Cade! and cor r-&a>@ the torn fcxJqe Hut. leafed befmv with the tear which he revealed m the special arip<?i;f (Cetr.en qiven m ffui News of the World on Sunday. October 1 6th. if you think the twn edges match exactly, then test your ski:) by answering each pert of the qceshor below correctly Using any number of letters contained in ALFRED HITCHCOCK -arrange them into; a Th» oams <:>? ©rt ar-uroal e A noise m<»dd by a clock C Scunotlung sotef by bakers m nm mbs Mi S3 AOGITSS v-e 3>vd <;{ where this :e3het was obta ned C&m&iste Vina iffitff ifns mly to TORN CURTAIN C'OMPt U HON Tin# Rank Organisation. Publicity Ox pertinent, nr/ wardour -St t*ndo» w i Sff ALFRED HITCHCOCK'S "TORN CURTAIN" a half page advertisement announcing the con¬ test and asking readers to collect the entry forms from their nearest Rank I heatre or club. Four million were distributed, and man¬ agers were instructed to push them on patrons and not just leave them around. A further ad¬ vert told readers that there would be 30 $280 prizes to be won in the following week’s issue. Another appeared and readers were .asked to compare the torn edge featured with the printed tom edge printed along the bottom of the leaflets and to answer three questions. Patrons were allowed as many leaflets as they liked, and managers running short were ad¬ vised to contact neighboring theatres to see if there were a surplus. It was stressed to managers that the promo¬ tion would bring people to the theatre — people who had not visited it in years — and suggested that very attractive foyers displays and plenty of newsboard information promoting several programs should be mounted. There was a $28 prize for every manager issuing a winning leaflet. N. Y. House To F&A NEW YORK — Coming quickly on the heels of announcements of his construction of new shopping center theatres in Union and Verona, N. J., Meyer Ackerman, president of F & A Theatres, announces his purchase of the Cinema Rendezvous, New York City, from the Landau-Unger Co. Opening picture is the exclusive Manhattan engagement of “Sound of Music.” December 28, 1966 MOTION PICTURE EXHIBITOR 21