The Exhibitor (1966)

Ben Sack Marks 15 th Anniversary As Hun Showman Wiih Sik Premiere BOSTON — In the most spectacular of the many glittering Hollywood style premieres which have been staged at the several Sack I heatres over the years, Boston’s motion pic¬ ture magnate Ben Sack marked the 15th an¬ niversary of Sack Theatres at the new Cheri Twin with the gala premiere of “A Man For All Seasons” on roadshow. An elite black-tie audience of 800, led by Mayor John F. Collins and other city and state officials, British Consul General F. Selby, lead¬ ing television and radio personalities, and dis¬ tinguished members of Boston’s social, intel¬ lectual, and business community, were feted at a champagne reception in the tastefully decored lobby of the new Cheri prior to the performance. After the premiere showing, Sack hosted a supper party for 800 guests at the Sidney Hill Country Club in Chestnut Hill, Newton, Mass. At the party following the premiere, mes¬ sages of congratulations which poured in from all over the country — from major distributors, trade press publishers, studio executives, and political officials — were read. Leaders of civic organizations and business organizations pre¬ sented Sack with plaques on his 15 years as a showman. With kleig lights set up at the theatre, guests, Including executive producer of the film Wil¬ liam N. Graf and top executives of Columbia Pictures from New York and Hollywood, were introduced to the crowd from a huge band¬ stand erected in front of the theatre while tele¬ vision cameras recorded. Newspaper writers conducted interviews with the celebrities at the theatre, and radio reporters covered the events live. Inside the theatre, guests were treated to a champagne reception hosted by Mr. and Mrs. Sack, with champagne bottle corks popping to the accom¬ paniment of strolling violins. A huge anniver¬ sary cake simulating the facades and marquees of the seven Sack Theatres in Boston adorned the lobby. Theatre magnate Sack was the recipient of •scores of citations and plaques and telegrams of congratulations. Mayor John F. Collins pre¬ sented Sack with the following proclamation at the dinner party: “Whereas Ben Sack had the vision, the cour¬ age, and the faith in the City of Boston to expend substantial amounts of risk capital and endless time and energy in the resuscitation of the motion picture industry in Boston and “Whereas Ben Sack and the seven Sack 1 heatres in Boston have made it possible for Bostonians and visitors to the city of Boston to enjoy the finest in motion picture entertain¬ ment in the most comfortable luxurious, and elegant surroundings and “Whereas Ben Sack and the Sack Theatres celebrate the fifteenth anniversary of the Sack Theatres in Boston on Tuesday, January 31st, it is hereby proclaimed that the aforesaid Tuesday, January 31st, 1967, shall be Sack Theatres Day in Boston and all Bostonians are hereby requested to salute Ben Sack, who is truly ‘A Man For All Seasons’.” In adidtion to the tributes, Sack also won the distinction of being the first exhibitor in Boston to be the subject of a newspaper edi¬ torial. The Boston Record American on Saturday, Jan. 21, ran the following editorial under a heading of “Anniversary” : Samantha Eggar receives a nominating award for Anouk Aimee for "best actress" in Allied Artists' "A Man and A Woman" by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association at the recent nominating cocktail party at the Ambassador Hotel, Los Angeles. Exhib Found Innocent In Mass. Obscenity Trial GREENFIELD, MASS. — Superior Court Judge John W. Coddaire has handed down verdicts of innocent in a jury-waived trial concerning alleged obscenity in Eve Films attraction, “Loma.” Robert Zerenski, Pioneer Drive-In, Orange, Mass., had been charged with possession of an obscene film, exhibition of an obscene film, and possession of an obscene film for exhibition to minors under 18 years of age. The judge said he felt “constrained and obliged” to render an innocent finding on the first two charges because of recent Supreme Court rulings dealing with obscenity. On the third charge — or exhibiting to a minor — Judge Coddaire remarked that he had reasonable doubt as to evidence of guilt. When Massachusetts State Police took the “Lorna” print from the Zerenski drive-in, it had only one more night to run before the theatre closed for the winter. Cooper To UA Pub Post NEW YORK — Saul Cooper has been ap¬ pointed United Artists’ supervisor of produc¬ tion publicity for Great Britain and Continental Europe, it was announced by Fred Goldberg, UA vice-president. Cooper is making his head¬ quarters in Paris. He replaces Charles P. Juroe, recently resigned. Cooper began his film industry career work¬ ing for the Lynn Farnol public relations office. He subsequently held staff and executive posi¬ tions with several of the major motion picture companies. “Next Tuesday marks a major milestone for Ben Sack, Boston’s dominant showman and the biggest individual theatre operator in the city. The seven Sack Theatres in Boston will celebrate the 15th anniversary of their found¬ er’s entry into Boston show business. The occa¬ sion will t highlighted by the black tie New England premiere of ‘A Man For All Seasons.’ Most appropriately, the title of that movie serves as a tribute to Ben Sack. He has been exactly that for Boston's entertainment indus¬ try these past 15 years.” Show-A-Rama Taps Saxon As Top Supporting Actor KANSAS CITY — An award to John Saxon as the best supporting actor of the year will be made by Show-A-Rama X at the exhibitor gathering at the Hotel Muehlebach Feb. 27March 2. The executive committee nominated Saxon for his outstanding performance in Uni¬ versal’s “The Appaloosa.” Glen Dickinson, Jr., president of the United Motion Picture Association, said Saxon has stated he will be in Kansas City to receive the honor. Serving on the executive committee with Dickinson are Richard Orear, Commonwealth Theatres; Fred Souttar, Fox Midwest The¬ atres; James Cook, Maryville, Mo.; Beverly Miller, Miller Theatres; Abbott Sher, Exhibi¬ tors Film Delivery; and Douglas Lightner, Commonwealth. Leon Hoofnagle, district man¬ ager for Commonwealth, and Richard Conley, district manager for Fox Midwest, are teamed as co-chairmen. In an unusual arrangement, the convention will go en masse to the Midland Theatre for the Wednesday morning session, beginning with a continental breakfast and with Stanley Durwood, president of the circuit which oper¬ ates the theatre, as master of ceremonies. The session on “Motion Picture Product Presenta¬ tion” promises to provide some of the most useful information of the entire program, as at least 10 major distribs are set to provide details on spring and summer releases. Scheduled to participate in the product in¬ formation section are American International, Buena Vista, Columbia, Embassy, Metro, Para¬ mount, Twentieth-Fox, United Artists, Uni¬ versal, and Warner Brothers. Snacks with the concessionaires in the theatre equipment and concession display in the exhibition hall of Hotel Muehlebach will be the luncheon for the day. The special award to Saxon followed the previous nod by the exhibitors to Richard Brooks, who is to receive an accolade as “Di¬ rector of the Year.” Still to be announced is the award for “The Star of the Year,” and that will be forthcoming shortly, said the cochairmen. All of the 14 committees working on the show are burning midnight oil on final arrange¬ ments. The show is virtually a full-time job for a host of theatre men and film row executives here, as each year it seeks to surpass previous years in interest and attendance, Conley ex¬ plained. As the show returns to its point of origina¬ tion this year, there is no sparing of expense and effort to make sure that it tops all previous performances, Hoofnagle explained. After being originated by the exhibitor organization here 10 years ago and being held here for eight years, it was moved to Denver in 1966 when there no longer were large enough accommodations. Opening of the huge new Muehlebach convention center provides the necessary elbow room for staging the big show, its many meetings, and trade show. Hence, the move back to Kansas City for 1967. |F Circuit Aids Hospital BALTIMORE, MD. — The JF Theatres’ circuit office here announced the grand total accrued from audience collections for the bene¬ fit of the Will Rogers Memorial Hospital and O’Donnell Research Laboratory fund amounts to $5,182.32. A check will be presented to the hospital by Jack Fruchtman, president of JF Theatres, Inc. 10 MOTION PICTURE EXHIBH OR February 8, 1 967