Motion Picture Herald (Oct-Dec 1956)

Davis Visit Is Called Routine Routine discussions with officials of Rank Organisation affiliates in this country and Canada were advanced by John Davis, head of Rank film and theatre operations, as the primary purpose of his current visit to America. Mr. Davis said that while the Organisation’s interest in its own distribution setup for America continues active, nothing will be done on that John Davis matter at the pres ent time. He added that the matter as it has been discussed for the past three years has not changed, and that it remains in the discussion stage only. Mr. Davis arrived in New York last week after visiting Rank offices in Montreal and Toronto. In his party, which is due to return to London shortly, were Mrs. Davis, Kenneth Winckles, Kenneth Hargreaves and Harry Norris. Mr. Norris brought with him prints of three new Rank productions, for which he is setting up American distribution arrangements during his visit here. In Chicago, Mr. Davis said he talked with Bell & Howell officials on new equipment developed by the company. He added that Mr. Rank has a long term agreement with B & H for equipment manufactured under a joint licensee program for distribution in many parts of the world. National Telefilm Buys Rainbow Productions Oliver A. Unger, executive vice-president of National Telefilm Associates, Inc., and Paul Raibourn, vice-president of Paramount Pictures Corp., have announced the signing of an agreement for the acquisition of Rainbow Productions by National Telefilm Associates. Rainbow Productions is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Paramount Pictures and is the owner of a group of motion pictures and story properties. The acquisition includes six films and two story properties for the sum of $775,000. The films include the Bing Crosby-Ingrid Bergman starrer, “Bells of St. Mary’s” (1945) ; “Good Sam,” starring Gary Cooper and Ann Sheridan; Somerset Maugham’s ‘Encore” and “Trio,” and the Max Fleischer Technicolor “spectaculars,” “Gulliver’s Travels” and “Mr. Bugs Goes to Town.” The two properties are “Private Property” and “One More Tomorrow.” Lewis Heads MPAA Unit Roger H. Lewis, national director of advertising, publicity and exploitation for United Artists, was elected chairman of the Advertising and Publicity Directors Committee of the Motion Picture Association of America at a meeting of the committee last week in New York. Mr. Lewis succeeds Jerry Pickman, vice-president in charge of advertising and publicity for Paramount Pictures. At the same time, the committee made preparations to present its newly developed promotional plan, based on the Academy Awards, to the “Summit” conference of top company executives held in New York late this week. The plan, which would be a type of “sweepstakes merchandising and promotion idea based on the ‘Oscar’ presentation awards,” was included in the over-all recommendations of the Advertising and Publicity Directors Committee report, submitted for the study of the company presidents, domestic and foreign sales heads and domestic and foreign advertising-publicity heads. The advertising-publicity committeemen last week also honored Manning (Tim) Clagett of the MPAA for his work with the committee in the past. He is moving to the MPAA Washington office. C|NemaScoP£ A WARWICK PRODUCTION Reserve It Now for New Year’s Eve... from COLUMBIA! 1 * 1 r /jH wp : JD x Jfat I Ijfcrr * £