Motion Picture Herald (Oct-Dec 1956)

WHEN and WHERE On the onzon CONFIDENCE The new Loew's Inc., management successfully withstood the threat of a proxy fight this week when the board of directors gave a vote of confidence to the administration of Joseph R. Vogel, president. Only hours before, at a New York lawyer's office press conference, Joseph Tomlinson of Fort Lauderdale, Fla. , contractor, investor and owner of 250,000 shares of Loew's common, threatened action. His attorney, Benjamin Javits, also owns Loew's stock. Management changes are sought by Mr. Tomlinson, and he said achievement of them will prevent a fight. The Loew's annual meeting is set for February 28. The company indicated later that Mr. Tomlinson had been offered a place on the board on several occasions. It was indicated this week also that Loew's earnings for the first quarter of the fiscal year amounted to 33 cents per share compared to five cents a share in the comparable quarter a year ago. NO REPUBLIC SALE Herbert J. Yates, president of Republic Pictures, this week issued a statement declaring that his stock in the company is "no longer for sale to anyone," and denied that he has been approached, as reported in some quarters, by any individual or group recently for purchase of his holdings. Mr. Yates added that December will be a big month for Republic, both in gross and volume of playdates, and that the company will start three pictures in January. THREAT OR PROMISE If the Government elects to apply pending proposals for revising tax statutes in such wise as to do away with advantages enjoyed by independent producing corporations whose chief income consists of salary paid their incorporators, a good many of the stars who cut loose from major studio payrolls to go into business on their own, and sell their product back to their erstwhile employing companies, may be expected to shut up shop and return to their starting places. Whatever else may be said of the big shift of famed personalities to independent status, it is a fact in plain evidence that their fame was made, in virtually every instance, on some studio's payroll. It could turn out that the tax threat is a promise instead. U-I PUSHES TALENT Universal Pictures' program of developing executive distribution talent within its own organization by promoting from within the ranks of the company saw the elevation of 16 executives during the past year to the posts of assistant general sales manager , division manager , district manager, branch manager, sales manager and salesman, Charles J. Feldman, vicepresident and general sales manager reported this week. Among the more prominent promotions were those of F. J.A. McCarthy to assistant general sales manager ; and Henry H. Martin, Robert N. Wilkinson, Walter E. Armbruster, Thomas Dunn, Orville Ray, Herbert Martinez, Albert Kolkmeyer and Edward Elder. JERRY TO PALACE This week it was made officially known Jerry Lewis will play the Palace theatre. New York, with the announcement that he and Sol A. Schwartz, president of RKO Theatres, have signed an agreement calling for personal appearances starting February 7. All seats will be reserved and will go on sale immediately for all performances of the fourweek engagement which must be limited to that period because of Jerry's prior commitments. There will be nine shows weekly, every night except Monday. TV'S OLD-TIME HOOPLA For five days recently Minneapolis was the scene of one of the most concentrated as well as most elaborate motion picture promotion campaigns in history, comprising all the old standbys plus a few new gimmicks — radio and television ads and plugs, newspaper ads and feature stories, girl stunts, and personal appearance by starlets, by Betty January 8: Cleveland Motion Picture Exhibitors Association, general meeting to elect new officers, Cleveland, O. January 29-30: Annual convention of the Kansas-Missouri Theatre Owners Association, Hotel Phillips, Kansas City, Mo. January 29-31: Allied States Association, national drive-in convention, Netherlands-Plaza Hotel, Cincinnati, Ohio. February 1-2: Allied States Association, annual winter board meeting, Terrace Plaza Hotel, Cincinnati. February 26-27: Annual convention of the Kansas-Missouri Theatre Association, Pickwick Hotel, Kansas City, Mo. March 3-5: Theatre Owners of America, mid-winter board meeting, Blackstone, Hotel, Chicago. March 6-7: Second annual convention of the United Theatre Owners of Oklahoma, Biltmore Hotel, Oklahoma City. April 2-3: Annual convention of North Central Allied, Nicollet Hotel, Minneapolis. June 23-25: Annual convention of the Mississippi Theatre Owners Association, Edgewater Gulf Hotel, Ed’gewater Park, Miss. Furness and by Leo the Lion. It should have been something to gladden the exhibitor's heart. There was just one drawback. The object of all this promotion was the television premiere Saturday night on KMGM-TV, Minneapolis, of the first feature from the pre-1948 MGM library. Hoopla, obviously, still pays off. Even granting the vast difference in circumstances between selling a theatre film and a free TV film, the results were impressive. The premiere presentation, the 15 year old "Honky Tonk, " starring Clark Gable and Lana Turner, captured 48.8 per cent of the area's total TV audience, against 27.1 per cent, 16.9 per cent and 7.2 per cent for competing shows. The Sunday night presentation, "Above Suspicion," made an equally impressive showing against equally impressive opposition. MOTION PICTURE HERALD, DECEMBER 22, 1956 9