Variety (December 1957)

‘Pal Joey & ‘Les Girls Show Zip, But November So-So; ‘Jailhouse ‘Hunchback/ ‘Mad Ball’ Draw Wei (Variety’s regualr. Meekly 4-rrr — . 1 - --—>-tt—•* boxoffice reports are surrimar- -. v I J tied each niofith, retrospective - NOYdDDCF L63u6rS ly.. Based on an average of 24 ., - ■ .* J W /TT ., key situations, the source data , J* iv ■■' constitute an adequate sam- ' pling of current releases but is 8 not. of course, fully definite. £* An index of relative grossing.. *• strength in the V. S.-Canada market, the monthly report V. ^Mad Ball (Cpl). does not pretend io express *• 1 .L C ^ e i'? ma ^ total rentals.) - 3 me *<?£>. ; . ■ . 10. “Commandments” (Far). . Although having the benefit of three holidays !—- Election Day, 12. Pcrrl (BV). ,• Armistice Day and Thanksgiving— . 1 " ■ ■ j 1 ■■■""“ November proved very spotty. The I ff 9 n fl B spread 6 ? influenza, and/or the I.Afl nOOII I I OCT fear of same, kept thousands at \Jfftl lUttfll I Vuvl home. Cities which depend on part of their business from out-of-town- | . ) ers found that such patronage |f|A no ApTAIT _ shunned the big city. Return of lylv Qu AvlUl •milder weather in. many cities also . hurt. It took the blockbusters to v\*i| p « ^S****. p.x *«.. Billy liraham downbeat. But this did not pre- 1 vent “Around the World ..in 80 ✓ Minneapolis, Dec. 3. Days” (UA) from copping, the. No- . At his sponsor’s headquarters vember laurels This made the: here evangelist Billy Graham de¬ sixth month the Mide Todd opus, nied a Hollywood report that he has been champion nationally. may play the role of the minister Coming up fast as the month ™'-' a ^re-filming^>f “The Little Shep- closed was “JPal Joey” ((Col), which. herdKingdom .Come. or that finished November a strong^second, -he 11 ■Set m any other feature. It figured in returns only three “I do not feel that .the Lord has weeks; In many key cities, “Joey” called upon me. to act,” he told the surpassed forecasts, combo of Tribune’s Will Jones. Sky pilot Frank Sinatra, Kim Novak! and revealed that he has refused a Rita Hayworth in the leads proving number of offers to appear on big bait. screen during the past several Another musical, “Les Girls” y ears - (M-G), and like “Joey,” a new- He believes the “Shepherd of comer last month, sewed up third Kingdom Come” report might have position. Pic also was out in re- been occasioned by the fact that lease only three Sessions. “Seven in Hollywood recently he met with Wonder of World” (Cinerama), Y. Frait Freeman, Paramount pro- which was fourth last round, again ductiomfiead, arid the latter’s son, is winding up in fourth spot. producAFreeman .Jr., at luncheon. “Jailhouse Rock” (M-G) finished f luittheon .discussion, Elvis Presley stirrer catch- in* on amazingly in its opening ,?* weeks. “Hunchback of Notre Premised, to. -read it and 6 *ve the Dariie” (AA) did amazingly well ^ reeman s his opinion. for a third version of the same Graham’s own company just story and finished sixth. “Opera- finished a Western, “The Per¬ son Mad Ball” (Col) landed suader,” in which he doesn’t appear, seventh, going as high as third and also will filiri a color feature place in one week's survey. movie, dealing with some teenage “Search for Paradise" (Ciner- delinquents converted by him dur- ama.y, Just getting started around ln ** lus recent New..York crusade, in different keys, showed enough to finish eighth. “Time Limit”. (UA) ^ ■ .«*■* % ni olSents par, was GothamDirectors • 10 th place winner, depending on multiple-run dates to achieve this 1 \* 1 (f I) f o I since having placed its top first- |||A|f|||f | A I |f||f runs in major .cities, “Raintree l/lvllvl lil JulllA County” (M-G) wound up 11th, this showing coming from reserved-seat Screen Directors International runs, in some four key cities. It’s Guild, the organization Of film (Continued on page 24) directors working in the east, is (Continued on page 24) directors working in the east, is -—--———- exploring the possibility Of affiliat¬ ing with the International Alliance IT 1 I ■* i of Theatrical stage Employees. I lull An AlTKK Initial talks have already been held vlUlvU ill Uvlv with IA executive Walter Diehl and IA attorney Harold Spivak. DhaL The eastern film directors union, IVIllllTITx I ll\ll which was recently organized, has ITlUUlllO U » opened negotiations with, the N.Y. . ., . , , i . Producers Assri., a trade group -■ Detailed territorial plans for that'.represents film-makers in the . United Artists already-set full pro- commercial, educational, documen- gram of releases for 19o8 will be tary and telepix fields. These talks, mapped at two national conventions however, have been moving slowly this month at which distribution and the union is said to be making V-P* Williairi J. Keineman and gen- little progress in obtaining its ini- eral sales manager James R. Velde tial contract. Support of the IA, will join with other homeoffice: which represents other technicians and field execs. fin the.film business, Would help to First meeting is in Miami Dec. 8 -; hasten the negotiations, it’s felt. 10, the second in San Francisco ] _ * ■ : • Dec. 12-14. Also sitting in from. New York will be vp. mm ,e j M a Jc e Meinhardt Barker fveSS teaStern> a " d A1 Fitter i Stress is to be placed on the fact 5***“*? that UA’s lineup of top productions, iTues.) at Toots Shors. 16 in all, is to be spaced evenly . Other officers named were through the year along with the Charles Sriiakwitz, first assistant;: programmers; Arthur B. Krim, Irvirig Dolllnger, second assistant; president, recently stated the full 1 Wilford W. Bower, property, masj program represents^ investment ter, arid Jack H; Hoff berg, dough of $50,000,000. " « u y- By ROBERT McSTAY Toronto, Dec. 3. j. With film attendance reported as '. down some 30-40% in television areas across Canada, a feeling of gloom pervaded the . anriual meet-? ings here, of the national commit¬ tee of. (a) the Motion Picture Ex- < hibltors Associatidns of Canada and (b) Motion Picture. Theatres As¬ sociation of Ontario. Some 85 the¬ atres have been closed in this coun¬ try during the past year, with a concentration of 26 victims in the; Marltimes. Other owners are op¬ erating at no profit or a loss, it'was stated by spokesmen. .The annual meeting also saw ; Morris Stein; chairman - (who is ; Eastern Division managing direc¬ tor of Famous Players Canadian), | outrightly condemning, his boss, : J. J. Fitzgibbons, president of Fa¬ mous, for the latter’s public speech¬ es. regarding the proposed, forth-, coining use of Telemeter, whose’ Canadian rights are held by Fa-.' mous. Stein wanted to know the Cost of. the pay-at-home venture for’motion pictures, who was going ■■ to buy the service; he confessed he. could not find out so, obviously, could, make no comment. Bfgtime Demise? Stein claimed, however, that. Fitzgibbons’ pessimistic reports to j. the press that bigtime show biz is • over were, not: fair to the film in¬ dustry, even if these were state- - ments made on behalf of Famous Players Canadian and riot for the. industry as whole. Soiriethirig must be done, Stein told the meet¬ ing, to offset such pessimistic re¬ ports; everi though these were a plug for Telemeter. On the -question of alarm, con¬ cern and gloomy forecast, this gov-! erned by the personal problems of j investment, plus looking out for employees, .Stein, reminded the -coast-to-coast delegates that “We can. find nobody who knows the answers”, but that the “Association can. get better results than any in¬ dividual representative of any Pro- ! vincfal exhibitor association in Cari- ada.” He said; “We exhibitors have an obligation to forrnulate constructive thought for action; arid, we are pretty skiinpy on ideas. We must be practical arid! realistic to dispel this spirit of gloom. The one as¬ pect that sells a picture is word-of- mouth advertising. Once! you can get an .attraction out in the' open: arid talked about, you are in. But if all exhibitors talk pessimism, this including newspapers and . na¬ tional magazines, such interviews will see a good picture playing to practically empty houses. How¬ ever, do .not lie about a picture’s potentialities; on entertainment in newspaper ads.” He admitted that smaller thea¬ tres are in difficulty arid may riot even survive, with the public more sophisticated and selective, but there, is a hefty investment to be protected. (‘The film business, is not all Shot to hell; but we are living with changes. We must fight competition arid there is no logic.iri linking showmen with-.pessimism; - the two just don’t combine.”). On the round-table discussions, two principal topics were rimuse- (Continued on page 20 ) | Television and Industrial Strife In Vancouver; Circuits Order News Blackout on Theatre Closings Global Do-for-DafF An 18-week sales drive, in the name of Alfred E. Daff; ■ president of Universal over¬ seas subsidiary, will be launched in late Decem¬ ber, per foreign manager Americo Aboaf. Universal’s 41 branches will join in the global, push from Dec. 29 to May and be cap¬ tained by assistant foreign manager Ben M. Cohn, Alaskan Raps Allied Artists Policy Switch Hollywood, Dec. 3. Allied Artists: production pol¬ icies—past. and present—-have coirie under fire of a group of A A stockholders repping nearly 50,-: 0()fl>§hares Of that company's stock, the Syndicate being particularly, -•unhappy in over curtailment of the program of major films. Roger Hurlock of Juneau, Alas¬ ka, spokesman for the group, lias confirmed that he arid his associ¬ ates are demanding AA rev up its Production, patterning it for “A” pix. Hurlock said, too, that his group is unhappy over the $465,000 loss chargeoffs for prelim work, ori John. Huston’s projected “Typee,” dropped by AA (Ben Bogeaus, sep¬ arately, is now shooting same story for RKO with k $600,000 total budget.) ; On behalf of the syndicate he reps, Hurlock has presented his group’s complaints to AA exec v.p. George Burrows. Hurlock persuad¬ ed his associates not to take, firm action at this time because A A prexy Steve Broidy is in a hospital recovering from irijuries received in an auto accident, and isn’t ex¬ pected back at his job for several weeks. “I seriously -object to Allied withdrawing from production of major films. That is the only hope for the Company. We want a con¬ tinuation of major pictures, and a lessening of grinding out of in¬ ferior, low-budgeters,” said Hur- lock. The Alaskan real estate man arid investor-returned to Juneau over the . weekend, and plans to be back . in Hollywood' for; confabs with Broidy vpn the issues involved, When! the AA topper has recqv- j ered. I Harriet F,- Pilpel Interestingly reyi The Show Biz Legal Developments Of 1957 another Editorial Feature in . the upcoming 52d Anniversary Number of variety George Muchnic? George Muchnic, who has been : playing an iriCreasirigly important role in LoCw’s Inc.’s top echelon executive lineup since Joseph R. ; Vogel assumed the presidency of jthe company, is reportedly, being groomed to succeed. E. J. Mannix as studio manager. Muchnic, who had been shifted from the company’s International . subsid, has been spending con¬ siderable time at the .. Culver City ' plant learning the . ropes. It’s un- : derstood that he will take over his j new duties as soon as Mannix’s j ’. contract expires or when a settle -1 ment of the pact can be arranged, j Rex Harrisbh and Kay Kendall ; signed by Metro to co-star in “The j Reluctant Debutante," which will; be: filmed in London and Paris. i By JAY TOMSON Vancouver, Dec. 3. There has been a steady shut¬ tering of film situations in the metropolitan Vancouver area dat¬ ing from the arrival fcof television program service four years ago*. Against an average of 60 to 70 houses theretofor perhaps 40 now operate. Five .are seasonal driye- ins. Subject is not one about which the two main operating circuits Odeon (18 in city) and Famous Players (13 in city) are confiding. Meantime there’s plenty of film “rumor-tism,” to borrow Variety’s term, this winter. Five more theatres are reported as on the block pending closure, but Odeon-FP ‘ clamup pact pre¬ vents verification.. Exhibitors have been told not to talk. FP’s Alma, Kitsilano and. Windsor theatres are fairly recent shutterings, the latter replaced by a gas station. The Roxy is now a church. Provincial ta* department source confirms continuing gener¬ al coin weakness at exhib wickets of an area that’s still rated third highest in per capita cinema turn T out in Canada, While declining to confirm lo¬ cal facts and figures because of official zipped-lip policy, Earle H. Dalgleish, head of ‘Warner’s dis- trib outfit here, said, “The. big ones (films) are doing big—even bigger than during the war, and for us business is healthy. We gross around 10 % urider our high years.” Dalgleish disagreed with reasons for “panic by people in high spots” stemming from video, pulp and paper strikes, pending closure of Britannia Beach mine and plant and logging layoffs cur¬ rently oppressing the coast; and Said, “When the people find they’ve got to coiyjt their dollars as they’re having to d|> right now, the the¬ atres do good. What other enter¬ tainments can compete with the price of movies?” Mainland and* Vancouver Island theatres also pad'oeked by video and/or cashless customers since. 1955 iriclude, Odeon,. at Marpole; Atlas, Victoria; Woodland, Youbou; Haney, Haney; Abbotsford, Abbots¬ ford (see story this issue); Odeon, Ladysmith;. Village, Qualicum; Ho, Cumberland; Odeon, Sapperton; Copper Mountain theatre; Ross- land, Rossland; Aldergrove, Alder- grbve; PM, Port Moody^Port, Port Coquitlam. Gem theatre at Sydney is for sale. Boston Jury Finds For Distributors Boston, Dec. 3. A ; Federal Court jury has found a group of motion picture distribu- I tore innocent of charges that they conspired to prevent Park Napon- set Corp. of Walpole, Mass,, from showing first-run pictures. Latter sued for $1 million damages al¬ leging antitrust violation. George S: Ryan, was Park Neponset coun¬ sel. Robert W. Meserve headed the battery of defense counsel. Defendants were Philip .and Richard Smith. M & P Theatres Inc., New England Theatres Inc., American Theatres Corp., Loew’s Boston Theatre Co., Keith Massa¬ chusetts Corp., RKO Theatres Inc., Loew’s Inc., Warner Bros., RKO Radip Inc., United Artists, Univer¬ sal, Coluinbia, Republic and Mono¬ gram Pictures. Fleischer on T,000 Hills’ Hollywood, Dec. 3. Richard Fleischer will direct “These Thousand Hills,” for pro¬ ducer David Weisbart at 20th-Fox. Fleischer recently finished direc¬ tion on “The Vikings,” Kirk Doug¬ las starrer for actoF-’s Bfyna Pro¬ ductions. “Hills” is based on the best-sell¬ er; by A. 3. Guthrie Jr.