Variety (March 1959)

74 PICTURES PfitSBSfr Wednesday, March 11, 1959 Commerce Clams-Up on Dividends Blurring of Data Under New Rule, But Films In January Bettered Year Before Washington, March 10. Dividends paid by film firms in January increased almost $150,000 over the same month last year, latest Commerce Dept, report re¬ veals. Total for the opening month of ’59 was $1,788,000, compared to $1,642,000 a year earlier. Major difference between the two months was that Chesapeake Industries Inc., paid a dividend this year and not last January. Although National Theatres Inc., disbursed a dividend in January ’58 and not this year (because of a change in the paying cycle), the Chesapeake payment was larger, accounting for most of the differ¬ ence. „ Walt Disney Productior.s t Inc., with more stock issued in the meantime, paid a slightly. higher amount this year. List Industries Corp. also recorded a dividend larger in a small degree this Jan¬ uary. Other companies paying January dividends which were the same both years were Du-Art Film La¬ boratories and Republic Pictures Corp. Commerce Dept., under a new clam-up rule, no longer states amounts in dollars of dividend payments by companies. Fox West Coast Chain To Vamoose LA. Film Row Los Angeles, March 3. Fox-West Coast Theatres has put Cons Aid Heart Fund Pittsburgh, March 10. Inmates of the Western Pennsylvania Prison here en¬ riched the Variety Club Heart Fund by $500 at Christmas time. It was in appreciation for the motion picture enter¬ tainment, as well as holiday shows, the showmen’s organi¬ zation has supplied them with over the year. Money was handed over to Bernie Elinoff, manager of Stanley-Warner’s Squirrel Hill Theatre, who has been in charge of film fare and live shows for the prison, working through both the Variety Club and SW. Dallas, March 10. Kyle Rorex, executive director for Texas COMPO, reveals that six “campaign packages” for the spe¬ cific purposes of stimulating confi¬ dence in theatre personnel have been created by Texas COMPO and are now available at production cost. Creators of the campaigns believe that the industry enthu¬ siasm and confidence thus kindled in members of a theatre staff will in turn be reflected to patrons, building public appreciation ; for the industry in general and for forthcoming product in particular. Included in each of the packages is a 60-second trailer, multicolor 40x60-inch display and composite mat, these three items being com- i bined in each package to sell a single idea. The first package endorses a par¬ ticular pic with the manage] seal; the second announces a money back guarantee of the com¬ ing top attraction, the third con¬ veys a personal endorsement and guarantee of an unexcelled motion pic; the fourth headlines the phrase: “Nothing Finer Than ’59er _ _ p. -Movies,” and points cut that the Use Mgr. as Baby-Sitter: new p ics w p not be , ° n ;, v uov » * ' j for many years to come if at all. Charlotte, N. C, March 10. j Package five outlines efforts of the The City Council has met with [ management to make the theatre owners of downtown theatres to . the finest in town for the patron to plan a crackdown on sex offenses: find enjoyment and pleasure and against children in the theatres.: the sixth package- announces a sea- Some council members, reported ; SO n of outstanding motion pics, receiving complaints from parents' ‘Molesting’ Issue Raised; But Does Mama Park Kid, that adults had molested young children. Assurance was given that pre¬ cautions are being taken to prevent molestation of children and teen¬ agers in the Charlotte theatres. Better lighting and assignment of a person to patrol the aisles will be part of stepped up vigil- Burg Repeals Tax Refief; 10% on Vending Machines’ Gross But 10% Rebated Regina, Sask., March 10. Town council at Unity, Sask., has Another Time Round For it., I ance. The mayor also pointed out! rescinded a six-month amusement for sale with intent of ^witching to * that chiWren should be instructed • tax exemption granted last summer for sale, with intent of switching to t(j report any incident to the man ., to theatreman Harry Selinger. ager, the usher or ticket seller iro-f Decision was made that the tax mediately. , bylaw should take full effect from The mayor also said it was rec-; April 1, with exemptions only on ommended that children be per- ‘ entertainment given for religious, mitted to re m a in for one show ; educational or charitable purposes, only. Often, it was said, some ; Selinger was given an exemption mothers use the theatre facilities ) when he said he could not operate fnr haViu cit+ina rinmncpc IpsvJnP • k:. „ k..;. if another location jstill undetermined. Deal would include not only the executive offices, which includes a luxurious penthouse built origi¬ nally by the late Charles Skouras, then National Theatres prexy. for his own use, but also the Boulevard Theatre, a nabe since the early ’ 20 s. St. Paul, March 10. Like other Paramount branches throughout the nation, the Twin Cities’ exchange has been greatly enriched by “Ten Commandments” film rentals. But now the stage is set for another stream of such rentals from the De Mille smash to help make the Twin Cities’ branch prosperous. After having initially played downtown as a hard-ticket attrac¬ tion at roadshow prices for -nine weeks and later in many neigh¬ borhood houses here, “Command¬ ments” now is back in the loop’s Riviera at regular $1 admission. Picture is slated for similar handling in the other twin, Min¬ neapolis, where it has chalked up a 13-week loop hard-ticket run at top and engagements of as long as a month in a considerable number of neighborhood houses at steeply upped admissions. In Minneapolis it’ll return down¬ town for what’s .expected to be another long run, this time at the RKO Pan. “Commandments” now also Is playing return engagements in all of the Minnesota Amusement Co. (Paramount) key towns and has a numher of bookings set in situa¬ tions of less than 1,000 population where exhibitors will get it on a royalty basis, paying Paramount 50c . and 20c, respectively, for every adult and childreh’s ticket sold at whatever admission the ex- hib chooses for his scale. Because daylight saving time and steep terms kept many ozoners from playing it and because Para¬ mount refused to release it to the drive-ins late in the season, “Com- jmandments” thus far has played j only three of the territory’s out¬ door theatres. But this summer is ; expected to see it in great demand by the ozoners, especially if DST is defeated in the state legislature. for baby sitting purposes, leaving their youngsters for several hours. Two-Stage Toronto Studio For Features and Telepix Toronto, March 10. Construction of a film studio on 'the outskirts of this city is ex¬ pected to be ready for operation by May 1. The plant, to be known as Studio City, is .being erected by Toronto International Film Studios Ltd., headed by N. A. Taylor, a company \\hich last summer opened a studio in the heart of the city. The new studio is being built on a 150-acre dude ranch which can be employed for outdoor location shooting. The installation will con¬ sist of two 80 ft. by 120 ft. sound stages and auxiliary buildings, in¬ eluding a mill, administration offices, and commissary. In addition to Taylor, officials . of Toronto International include! SAN DIEGO, PORTLAND, his theatre on a full-time basis if he bad to absorb the tax. Under an amendment to the by¬ law, admissions to 31c to 74c will be charged five cents tax and the ma snmnv iimiTmi; tax on tickets 75c and over will be TO GET WINDJAMMER i 1 Q c. Presold tickets will also be . j taxed accordingly. Los Ange.es March 10. j Coin machines will be included National Theatres Inc. is <hs- j ^ the amusement tax bylaw at 10% patching two more Cmemiracle m- j D f the gross take, with 10% of the stallations for additional Coast : tax to be refunded to the individual rVinnfinitF A? itc thpcA.n<inal fkm . . .. ■ . . FIRST SCREENPLAY SOLD AS PAPERBACK BOOK Hollywood. March 10. Joseph Petracca and Leonard (Kantor have sold their original ' screenplay, “The Journey of the [Java Bride,” to Dell Publications ! for paperback printing, in a re¬ versal of customary sales proce¬ dure. | Authors waited until they ar- • ranged for publication before of¬ fering property to studios. showings of its three-panel pic, “Windjammer.” Will open in San Diego and Portland, Ore. While definite sites haven’t yet been set, the Fox in. San' Diego and considered. Plans call for March openings. ONLY THEATRE SOLD Will Furniture Store Absorb Meredith’s Cinema ? on whose premises the machines are operating. 'HOLLYWOOD' OF DALLAS 'Gila Monster 5 Shooting Ends— Preems New McLbndon House Dallas, March 3. • “The Gila Monster,” second fea¬ ture by so-called Hollywood Pic¬ tures Corp. of Dallas (headed by B. R. McLendon and h ; s son, Gor¬ don, of Tri-States Theatres) winds this week-at the United National Film Corp. studio. Don Sullivan and Lisa Simone Meredith, JI. H., March 10. Meredith Town Hall building, David Griesdorf, veepee; H. S.: which housed the community’s only MandeU, secretary-treasurer; Emile f filra theatre for more than a quar- . , c ... ... . Harvard, general manager, and M. ; *er century, has been sold by the | have the leads Sullivan will be L. Axler, director. Axler, who just! town for $15,000 to two local | heard smgrng three of his own returned from a Hollywood ’survey, women, Mrs. Cordelia Berquest,. so in ine pic. is 'supervising the construction. 1 and her daughter, Mrs. Herberta ! a 5f S U |- F ^ she ;’’ Northstar Pictures Ltd. signed . Stark. 1 Stnrmv the first deal to. occupy space at | The wotoen, who did not re-; Studio City, planning a program, veal how they plan’to use the I. son ^n ^x^Don F of, telepix and feature films. three and a half story structure, 1 ' . • I?*,*..« Show Biz’s $140,000 Boost For Cedars Research Unit Hollywood, March 10. Entertainment industry raised $140,000 for the Cedars of Lebanon Hospital’s $1,000,000 research cen¬ ter, at a dinner held last week at home of Alfred Hart, general cam¬ paign manager and Columbia Pic¬ tures director! Aiding Hart in industry’s drive are Cedars vp Samuel J. Briskin and trustees Arm and S. Deutsch, Steve Broidy and Milton Sperling. Campaign is now past the 75% mark, having raised excess of $750,000. PITTSBURGH PRE-OSCARCAST ■ thoiA f ,*k nr i Pat Reeves, Fred Graham, vecu YEGGSDON'T KNOW OWN-W;SS^&S t an adjoining building.. Blow Up Theatre Safe —Money Lodges In Rafters Vancouver, March 10. .Clumsy safecrackers blew safe arid office apart of the Varsity, Odeon’nabehouse, 10 days ago, but ekhib Dorothy Smith found the . Tommie Russell, Grady Vaughn, j Yolanda Salas, Howard Ware, Des- ; mond Doogb and Beverly Thurman, j The “world premiere” of the pic j is to be held in June at the new ! 1,000-seat Preston Royal Theatre, | now under construction by the McLendons. lodged In the rafters. Inept yeggs ! with Columbia, are scheduled for got only $70 petty cash. . {.production within a three-month 'There’s been a rash of theatre ^ period .that extends to June 1. At robberies here this past 12 -months, the same time, an additional 20 pix thought owing to employment i are set for production for the last slump but all have been more or . s ix months of this year, less abortive. . ! As of present. Col’s roster of in- Recent hold-up at Orpheum, dependent producers adds up to 33, Famous Players^ situation, paid off : but the company is continuing its merely small change since exhib j efforts to make new deals. Ivan Ackery had just cleared the wicket 'of receipts. Previously, yeggs made off with safe of Do¬ minion, Famous Players downtown theatre, and found it empty. Safe was recovered. Bandera Road Drive-In near San Antonio is operating currently on a five night a week basis. The czoner is closed on Tuesday and I Wednesday nights. Boston. March 10. Rudy Kuehn, managing director of the . Boston, Stanley Warner Cinerama theatre here since open¬ ing in November, 1953, has left for Los Angeles, having requested a transfer due to family conditions. Kuehn’s exit is effective March 1 , and he goes to L. A. for assignment by Stanley Warner Co. in the L. A. Zone. _ A farewell party was tendered to him at Steuben’s tonight, Tuesday ( 10 ), attended by big turnout of friends and associates .in- Hub film* circles. Priefi-Fix Charge To TrialUnder Justice Prod Omaha, March 10. A trial into alleged outdoor the¬ ater price-fixing in 1955 / opened last week in Federal District Court here. Charged with fixing the prices of admission and of concession- stand commodities are the Central States Theater Corp., the Center Theater Corp., the Midwest Drive- in Theater Corp., (now defunct) and Frank D. Duebel of Des Moines, described as an agent of Central States. The trial is before U.S; District Judge John W. Deleharit, retired, serving by assignment. ' A three-man team of Govern¬ ment lawyers from the Antitrust Division of the Dept, of Justice is handling the prosecution. The team is led by Earl Jinkinson, chief of the Chicago office. Omaha theater owner Ralph Blank, op. of the Admiral, Chief and Skyview theaters here, testi¬ fied as a Government witness. He said that on Feb. 7, 1955, he re¬ ceived a call from Ruebel in which he said some of the outdoor thea¬ ter men had agreed to certain price and wage scales. Blank said he asked for written confirmation. Introduced as evidence was a letter allegedly. sent him by Ruebel which said the Airport, 84th and Center, 76th and Dodge and the Council Bluffs Drive-in, the four theaters concerned, agreed: (a) That newspaper advertising for each theater would not exceed $120 a week except for special at¬ tractions. (b) That no theater* would charge less than 65c regular admis¬ sion except on Buck Nights from the opening of the season until Sept. 1 . Bernard Dudgeon, manager of the 76th and Dodge drive-in, testi¬ fied that he had attended a meet¬ ing at an Omaha hotel in which admission and concession prices had been discussed. He said that he and three other theater managers discussed the matter but came to no decision. This is the first court action con- , cerning the motion picture busi- j ness -in Nebraska siijce an anti- ! trust suit brought by Lincoln the- ! ater owner Clarence D. Frasier j seeking $750,000 in treple damages :from 20th Century-Fox and eight ; other film companies was dis- ; missed in United States District ; Court last August. Three Critics Sponsored By First- Run Theatres Pittsburgh, March 10. Downtown theatre owners will again sponsor an Academy Awards Preview over Ch. 11 for half an hour immediately preceding the Oscarcast night of April 6 . It’ll fea¬ ture, as in past, film critics from three local newspapers, Karl Krug of Sun-Telegraph, Kap Monahan of Press and Win Fanning of Post- Gazette,- assistant ta Harold V. Cohen. Latter will be attending Variety Club convention in Las Vegas. Cohen, however; will be repre¬ sented on the show via his wife, Stephanie Diamond actress-an¬ nouncer, - who’ll moderate the panel-program. Gipson on ‘McPheeters* Hollywood, March 10. Fred Gipson was signed here to screenplay “Jamie MePheeters,” for Lawrence Weingarten’s Avon Productions at Metro. H. N. Swanson agency negoti¬ ated the deal for the writer, who had scripted “Recollection Creek” for producer Pandra. Berman .at Metro. Loew’s ‘10 CY Easter Bookings Scale 99c Paramount’s release of “10 Commandments” has been booked to play the Loew’s circuit in New York at Easter time with an ad¬ mission price of 99c. Although in distribution less than three years, this will mark the third time that some of the Loew’s outlets will have played the Cecil B. Detdille production. It went out first as a “pre-release,” then on a “special engagement” basis and now on a “regular” run. Over 35m Pix-Escape British Prod, Levy London, March 10 . The legal position of theatres showing pix in Todd-AO, Techni- rama 70 and other wider than 35m. processes is currently causing debate in here. Concern arises over the government’s inability to claim the British Production Fund levy from such houses. This levy is applied under the Cinemato¬ graph Films Act. Since this act covers only 35m.. films, all those outside that category escape its obligations. Not only do the cin¬ emas projecting such pix remain untouched on the levy, but also they don’t have, to comply with the requirement to screen a proportion of British -quota films. The. levy part of the matter be¬ comes of some major importance when it’s realized that “South Pacific” (Magna), for example,, is heading for an all-time record gross over here. So far “Around World In 80 Days” isn’t,.involved for the simple reason that it isn’t being shown in full Todd-AO.