The Exhibitor (1966)

CAPSULES v!/ FILM FAMILY ALBUM Gold Bands Jeffry Alperin, son of Alfred Alperin, metro¬ politan Hartford supervisor for General Cine¬ ma Corporation, and Mrs. Alperin, was mar¬ ried in Hartford to Miss Elena Leventhal of suburban Bloomfield, Conn. The groom, a physics major at Dartmouth College, Hanover, N.H., is grandson of Connecticut industry pioneer Mike Alperin and Mrs. Alperin. Ken Joseph, vice-president, domestic sales, for Four Star International, was married in New York City to former ballerina Rhoda Levy. Miss Terry Landsburg, Cherry Hill, N.J., and Stephen Gootblatt, New York City, were mar¬ ried. Mrs. Gootblatt is the granddaughter of Meyer Adleman, president of States Film Service, Inc. Obituaries Mrs. Anna Ettelson Fabian, wife of Simon H. Fabian, president of Stanley Warner Theatres, died of a heart ailment in Lenox Hill Hos¬ pital, New York. Also surviving are three sons, Edward L., Robert N., and Abraham N., and a daughter, Mrs. Norma Jacobson. John Lynch, projectionist at the Majestic Theatre, Bridgeport, Conn., for 30 years, died suddenly in the theatre projection booth. Mrs. Dorothy S. Rosenberg, wife of Ben L. Rosenberg, owner of the Harrisburg Drive-In, Harrisburg, Pa., died at Jefferson Hospital, Philadelphia. She was 58. In addition to her husband, Mrs. Rosenberg is survived by a son, a brother, two sisters, and a granddaughter. TONE Mid-Winter Meet BOSTON — The annual all day mid-winter showmanship meeting of Theatre Owners of New England (TONE), will be highlighted by an address by the city censor of Boston, Rich¬ ard J. Sinnott, chief of the Boston Licensing Board, at 1200 Beacon Street Hotel, Brookline, on Feb. 16. Edward S. Redstone, TONE president, an¬ nounced the speakers, which include Ruth Pologe, eastern advertising and publicity di¬ rector of American International Pictures, and a trio of newspaper and radio film writers and promotion experts. Samuel Hirsch, film and legit critic of the Boston Herald, will speak at the session, as will Jack Hamilton, amusement page advertising chief of the Boston Globe, and Herb Levin, promotion director of radio station WICE, Providence, R. I. The session starts with a continental break¬ fast at 9:30 a.m., and includes a pre-luncheon cocktail party and lunch. More than 175 mo¬ tion picture people from Maine, New Hamp¬ shire, Vermont, Rhode Island, and Massachu¬ setts are expected to attend. Carl Goldman, executive secretary of TONE, and legislative counsel, is coordinator for the n eeting. FORM . FOR THIS FACE CLOSED AT 5 P.M. ON MON., FEB. 6 Levin Answers Charges By l iGM Management NEW YORK — MGM's dissident director, Philip J. Levin, is determined to keep his end up in the current proxy contest between his Stockholders’ Committee and MGM’s incum¬ bent management. His recent bulletin, latest of numerous mailings to stockholders from both sides, answered various charges made against him by MGM board chairman Robert H. O’Brien. The bulletin stated that O’Brien was wrong in saying that Levin initially suggested the acquiring of two businesses by MGM, a hotelcasino and a race track. The casino suggestion, according to Levin, was made by Philip Roth, on O’Brien’s director slate. The race track. Levin points out, was later sold for 20 per cent more than the price proposed to MGM. O’Brien’s charge that Levin never suggested any other acquisitions was said to be false. Levin claims that he suggested the acquiring of various radio and television broadcasting companies; he pointed out that while O’Brien was in office, MGM has not made a singular corporate acquisition. The charge that five members of Levin’s slate have had experience in proxy fights was answered with the results of three of those members’ efforts. Two companies were in¬ volved, and as a result of the two victorious battles, their common stocks increased sharply in value, Levin stated. Levin concluded the bulletin with accusa¬ tions that O’Brien failed to answer certain charges against him concerning his record, failed to answer the case against him, and failed to justify his recent increases in salary and other benefits. “Instead,” Levin charges, “. . . he tries to get your vote by innuendo and unfounded personal attacks.” Levin stated that O’Brien has not given MGM the leadership it needs and deserves, and therefore has for¬ feited his right to the stockholders’ support. Levin has also issued a “program for prog¬ ress,” which lists the objectives of his board of directors, if they acquire control of MGM. It stated that the company has a great poten Here at the pre-production cocktail party of Aubrey Schenck's "To Kill A Dragon." held in Beverly Hills, are Fernando Lamas, left, one of the film's stars, and Herb Jaffe, U\ vice-president in charge of west coast operations. NCC Opens Three LOS ANGELES — Continuing its $50 mil¬ lion theatre expansion program, National Gen¬ eral Corporation was set to open three new houses, it is announced by William H. 1 hedford and Dan A. Polier, vice-presidents and co-directors of theatre operations. Making its debut with an invitational pre¬ miere (Feb. 7) in the Pacific Coast division is the $600,000 Fox Chris-Town Theatre, Phoe¬ nix, Ariz. The 956-seat house will be managed by Phil Quinn, who moves up from the Fox Vista in Phoenix. On Thursday (Feb. 9), two openings are scheduled, one again in the Pacific Coast di¬ vision and again in Arizona, and the other in the Mountain-Midwest division in downstate Illinois. The $500,000 Fox Buena Vista makes its bow in Tucson, Ariz., with an invitational pre¬ miere, while on the same evening the $500,000 Fox Country Fair Theatre opens in Cham¬ paign, Ill. Clyde C. Griffin, manager for the Fox Tuc¬ son, has been appointed to helm the new 802seat Buena Vista, while William Rector, man¬ ager of the Fox Theatre in Joplin, Mo., has been given the managerial reins of the 848seat Country Fair. Horne Joins Crown Inf. BEVERLY HILLS, CALIF.— David Horne was named as Crown International Pictures’ foreign sales representative by Newton P. “Red” Jacobs, president. Jacobs stated this was another important step in C.I.P.’s expan¬ sion program, which now has offices and dis¬ tributors in every distribution center in the United States and Canada. Horne, who from 1963 to 1966 held the position of foreign vice-president of American International Pictures, also held important foreign posts with Warner Bros., RKO, and Allied Artists. He will headquarter in New York. Gen. Cinema Elects Two BOSTON — The election by the board of directors of Herbert J. Hurwitz as assistant vice-president and William D. Zellen as con¬ troller of General Cinema Corporation was announced by Richard A. Smith, president. tial and that O’Brien’s administration has failed to develop that potential in the past and shows no signs of doing so in the future. The objectives of the Levin slate include fuller recognition of the unrealized value of MGM’s film library; greater utilization of the company’s California real estate; moderniza¬ tion and consolidation of the company’s dis¬ tribution network; avoidance of premature release of features to television; greater utiliza¬ tion of the company’s production facilities; and corporate acquisitions for the company which, as has been stated, has previously not made any significant ones in the past. Levin once more brought out the fact that his slate has a greater financial investment in MGM than any other single group, and said that this gives them the best incentive to seek to improve the company’s profitability, to bring out its latent values, and to increase the market value of its stock. He pointed out that none of O’Brien’s slate have currently in¬ creased their financial investment in the com¬ pany. The stockholders’ meeting, at which holders will elect a board of directors for MGM, is scheduled for Feb. 23.