The Exhibitor (1966)

BV Sales Force Meets At Studio Conferences N. K Politicos Mull Censor Bills; Doubt Effects Of Self-Regulution BURBANK, CALIF.— Buena Vista’s sales forces are assembling at the Walt Disney Studios here for a week-long sales and product 1 convention, marking the 13th anniversary of the Disney wholly owned subsidiary. Irving H. Ludwig, BV president and general sales manager, heads the contingent of execu¬ tive and key sales personnel, including district ! managers, branch managers and salesmen from the company’s 26 domestic branch offices. Members of the merchandising division and music company, along with BV’s foreign rep¬ resentatives are also on hand. Conventioneers were welcomed at the studio by Roy O. Disney, president of Walt Disney Productions; Card Walker, parent company i vice-president of marketing and sales; and Bill Anderson, vice-president in charge of pro¬ duction. The convention was to start off on a high note with the screening of Walt Disney’s “happy family musical,” “The Happiest Mil¬ lionaire.” The studio will also screen other future product which BV will be distributing throughout 1967 and 1968. Every facet of future product sales — adver¬ tising, publicity, promotion and merchandising — will be explored at the four-day session, in¬ cluding the activities of the other divisions. Attending from the Buena Vista home of¬ fice in New York are Lou Gaudreau, vicepresident and treasurer; Leo Greenfield, vicepresident and domestic sales manager; Herb Robinson, eastern division sales manager; and Don Conley, western division sales manager. Also, Joseph Laub, vice-president and gen¬ eral counsel; Anthony Farinacci, Howard Hein, Steve Keller, Joe Flynn, Mike Poller, Mai Bar¬ bour, publicity manager; Frank Petraglia, Mike Hertz and Arlene Ludwig. From the northeastern district are Herb Schaefer and Florio Simi, Boston; and Jack Chinell, Buffalo. Representing the eastern district are Mort Magill and Leonard Mintz, Philadelphia; Joe Brecheen and Harry Howar, Washington, D.C.; and Larry Seidelman, Pittsburgh. Out of the east central district are Pat Halloran and Dave Hardy, Cleveland; William Brower, Cincinnati; and Harold Morrison, Detroit. The southeastern district will be represented by Kenneth Laird and Walter Walker, Atlanta; Lawrence D. Terrell, Charlotte; and Bob Pol¬ lard, Jacksonville. From the southwestern district are Douglas Desch and Sebe Miller, Dallas; and Paul Back, New Orleans. Midwestern district: Harris Dudelson and Charles Good, Chicago; Lee Heidingsfeld, Indianapolis; James Spitz, Milwaukee; and Avron Rosen, Minneapolis. Rocky Mountain district: Marvin Goldfarb and Mike Bisic, Denver; Tom McMahon, Salt Lake City; George Cohn, St. Louis; and Dick Resch, Omaha. Pacific Coast district: Andrew M. Heederik, Jr. and Roger Lewin, Los Angeles; Don Fuller and Paul Williams, San Francisco; and Nor¬ man Chester, Seattle. From Canada are Walt Disney’s tv division representative Bruce Butler, and Herb Math¬ ers and Gerry Collins, of Empire Films, dis¬ tributors of Walt Disney product in Canada. Representing Buena Vista International at the Walt Disney studios are Ned Clarke, presi¬ dent; Dick McKay and Harry Archinal. From London are Cyril Edgar, Alfred Jarrett, Joe Westreich and Arthur Allighan. From Japan, Alex Caplan; from Australia, Walter Granger; and from the Far East, Albert Odell. Jocelyne La Garde, featured in UA's "Hawaii," poses with reproductions from UA's "Thunderbirds Are Go!," which recently had its world premiere in London. Miss La Garde is currently in the U.S. on the second half of her world tour on behalf of "Hawaii." Universal Literary Hunt Bags Three Properties NEW YORK — Implementing the company’s announced policy of an extensive expansion throughout the world of its efforts to acquire literary properties for film production, the purchase of three major properties by Univer¬ sal Pictures was announced by William Darrid, executive head of the company’s New York literary division. The first of these properties is “The Jupiter Estate” by Stanley Ellin, whose “House of Cards,” which is being published in February by Random House, was purchased last year by Universal. This new work by Ellin, which has been purchased from an outline and for which no publisher has as yet been set, is described as a romantic action thriller which takes place here and abroad. The second literary work is “Mrs. Satan” by Johanna Johnson which is to be published in March by Putman. It is a biography of Victoria Woodhull, the colorful 19th Century American suffragette who among other things, was the first woman to run for President of the United States; was the first woman to ever address the American Congress; started a stock brokerage house; was a newspaper publisher and an ardent advocate of “free love.” The third book is “The Contract” by Henry Carlyle for which publication has as yet not been set and which has been purchased from a partially written manuscript. It has been described as an American story of terror and suspense. Rand Agency Elects Ellman NEW YORK— Steve Ellman, formerly account supervisor, has been elected vicepresident of Harold Rand and Company, Inc. Ellman will oversee all administrative affairs and national and foreign business operations. Prior to joining the Rand agency, Ellman was assistant to the director of world-wide publicity of Joseph E. Levine’s Embassy Pic¬ tures. A former member of the Metro-GoldwynMayer publicity staff, he also served as associate director of the Independent Film Journal and with the Film Daily. ALBANY — The introduction, by Assemblyman Joseph W. Kunzeman, R. -Queens Village, of a bill affecting the mailing and selling of “obscene” publications and prints (motion pictures, among them), was expected to be fol¬ lowed by the presentation later in the 1967 legislative session of other measures. These concern classification and admission of unac¬ companied less-than-16’s to theatres advertis¬ ing “For Adults Only” films. Several Democratic lawmakers, among them Assemblyman Jules Sabbatino, Long Island City, and Assemblyman Lawrence P. Murphy, Brooklyn, were delaying the reintroduction of their 1966 film proposals until they learned how the situation would shape up in the Sen¬ ate — specifically, what moves John H. Hughes, R. -Syracuse, chairman of the powerful Judici¬ ary Committee, and others might make. Sena¬ tor Hughes co-sponsored with Murphy a com¬ pulsory classification bill in 1965 and 1966. It easily passed the Lower Flouse the first year, but died in Senate Rules Committee. The routing of the measure to that group caused a sharp floor debate between Senator Hughes and then-Majority Leader Joseph Zaretzki, D.-Bronx. Zaretzki, who declared, “The courts had in¬ validated censorship,” blocked a parliamentary maneuver by Hughes to discharge Rules from “further consideration,” thus bringing the con¬ troversial bill to a vote in Upper House. The latter has not taken a ballot on any screen legislation in recent years. Proponents believe one or more of them would have been adopted, if there were a roll call. Opponents believe “censorship is a dead horse, which can not be revived.” The old FIughes-Murphy act was considered of particular significance, because the Senator amended it to bring the state licensing law into harmony with tribunal rulings — among them, by U.S. Supreme Court — on the legal pattern under which a licensing agency con¬ ceivably might function. Motion Picture Association of America and other industry organizations contend the Hughes revisions to be “unconstitutional.” While the waiting continues, Capitol Hill proponents of classification claim the new Pro¬ duction Code is “powerless to stop the present flow of filth, especially that from abroad.” Sev¬ eral of them have also become critical of Jack J. Valenti, president of MPAA. Assemblyman Sabbatino, who originally spoke well of Valenti’s ability, now thinks he is too much tethered and exercises too little “real control.” Sabbatino concedes Valenti is “highly articulate,” but doubts the “effective¬ ness” of his leadership in keeping films “within reasonable moral limitations.” The public is “partly to blame” for the pres¬ ent situation, according to Assemblyman Sab¬ batino, because a considerable segment appar¬ ently “patronizes” the sky-is-the-limit fare. BV’s Herschlag Turns Author NEW YORK — Jack Herschlag has resigned as advertising manager of Buena Vista to pur¬ sue a writing career. His first book, “The Innocent Assassins,” will be published in January by E. P. Dutton & Co. It was written in collaboration with the explorer Fred A. Salazar, and deals with an expedition into the Brazilian jungles. Herschlag was with the Disney organization for five years. January 18, 1967 MOTION PICTURE EXHIBITOR 13