Variety (February 1961)

PICTOUES T Wednesday, February 1, 1961 RISE OF NEGRO MATINEE IDOL 4 - ‘Ain’t Seen Nuttin Yet’ Philosophy Of UA on 10th Re-Birth Anni On the basis of the lineup of pic¬ tures scheduled for release by United Artists during 1961, the 10th anni year of the present man¬ agement team may emerge as the best since it took over a flounder¬ ing distribution organization in 1951. Since the Arthur Krim-Bob Ben¬ jamin - Max Youngstein - William liam Heineman-Arnold Picker team took over the helm, tTie company has blossomed forth as one of the powerhouses of the industry and has played the most significent role in bringing about the present Industry policy geared to inde¬ pendent production. For 10 straight years, the firm has increased its gross and net each successive stanza. Wall Street pundits see the UA stock hitting a new high during 1961 as a result of the potentially strong releases that will be forthcoming. A few years ago, in order to fi¬ nance part of its growth, the com¬ pany issued convertible bonds. The subsequent conversion of these bonds resulted in an increase in the number of< common shares out¬ standing, so that per share earn¬ ings in the past four years de¬ clined despite the continued rise in total net income, the Wall St. firm of Hayden, Stone. & Co. has pointed out. However, it notes that with the convertible issue now eliminated, per share earnings in 1961 are expected to reflect the excellent progress made by the company. This aspect, of^course, will play a factor in UA’s expected upturn in 1961, but the big plus still re¬ mains the product. Titles and cast¬ ing point to a lineup,—-if it clicks as expected, that can push UA into the stratosphere as far as film companies are concerned. Most of the income from “Ex-, odus,” “The Facts of Life” and “The Alamo” will be on the books during 1961. In addition, there are (Continued on page 28) QUEBECOIS DITTOING OF CANADIAN MAGS Le Magazine Maclean, bimonthly French-Canadian edition of Can¬ ada’s fortnightly Maclean’s, preems Feb. 15 with an expected 80.000 subscribers. It’s figured about 85^0 of Maclean’s advertisers will use the sister mag as well. Combined rates are set at $6,040 for a stand¬ ard four-color page on a one-to- five-time basis: $4,265 for b. & w. Pierre de Bellefeuille, editor, in¬ sisted that articles used in both appear in Le Magazin Maclean at least as soon as in Maclean’s, to avoid affronting French-speaking readers. R. Kennedy Stewart is ad manager. Gordon Rumgay is cir¬ culation manager for both mags. Maclean-Hunter Ltd.’s French- language edition of its Chatelaine —using same name, natch—teed i last September with 75,000 circu¬ lation in the bag, having taken over well-established La Revue Moderne. Martins, Columbus, Ga., Operators Add 45 Nashville, Jan. 31. ‘Call Girl’ Gag Number Too Close to FBI HQ Albuquerque, Jan. 31. Special advance promotion for Warner’s “Girl of the Nights,” which opened to SRO crowds here last Wed. (18),“At downtown Sun¬ shine Theatre, nearly got the Al¬ buquerque Theatres Inc. manage¬ ment into a hassle with local Fed¬ eral Bureau of Investigation office. However, the FBI didn’t get in¬ volved because of touchy prostle theme nor of calling cards, but rather because of telephone num¬ ber. Louis Gasparini, city manger for chain, dreamed- up stunt of running series of teaser ads in dailies in advance of opening with a tele¬ phone number for local persons to call. Trouble was the number had the same exchange and first three digits as telephone number for local FBI office. Result: for a good solid week t> local FBI office had difficulty in getting calls ~in, be¬ cause lines were jammed, and busy signal would result before full seven units could be dialed. FBI itself didn’t complain, but rather the local telephone company started checking because of large volume of calls and found the rea¬ son. Phone firm official said the FBI number carries an “essential rating” so the theatre promotion number had to be changed. TOA Prepares Reply For Those Who Assail Fix For Daring Content Concerned about recent criti¬ cisms of the content Of motion pic¬ tures, Theatre Owners of America is preparing “a constructive self regulatory program” for the thea- treowners of the U. S. According i to a statement issued by Albert M. Pickus, TOA prexy, the exhibitor I organization’s program “will en- ■ compass the present motion pic- | ture production code.” i TOA's plan on self regulation will be presented by a special com¬ mittee at the trade association’s board meeting in Washington in March. TOA, Pickus declared, will recommend united exhibitor effort to implement this program. “We do this in the sincere belief that we can, and shall, solve our own problems,” he added. The TOA action has been appar¬ ently taken to stave off censorship legislation by states and munici¬ palities in light of the recent U. S. Supreme Court decision upholding the prior licensing of films by local censor boards. “We recognize that there has been criticism of the content of some current motion pictures,” Pickus said. “Because we have an inherent responsibility to the pub¬ lic, we have concerned ourselves with these criticisms. We believe that any changes should be accom¬ plished through our own self regu¬ lation, rather than governmental regulation.” Still imbued with the belief that movies - are - your - best-entertain¬ ment, E. D. and Roy E. Martin, owners of Martin Theatres of Co¬ lumbus, Ga., have bought approxi¬ mately 45 film houses belonging to The Crescent Amusement Co. of Nashville. Theatres are located in Tennessee, Alabama and Kentucky. Sale was made, according to Ros- coe Buttrey, prexy of Crescent, as a major step in implementing that circuit’s program of diversification which has been underway for some time. Martins stated that “we are very enthusiastic regarding the future of motion picture theatres as en¬ tertainment centers of America, I where everyone in comfort and! without interruption can enjoy the I finest selection of entertainment.” 1 Fight That $1.25 Hoar, Rorex Warns Texans Dallas, Jan. 31. Kyle Rorex of Texas Council of Motion Picture Organizations has sent a letter to all Texas exhibitors urging them to contact their repre¬ sentatives in Congress to get mo¬ tion picture theatre employees ex¬ empted from the anticipated mini¬ mum $1.25 hourly wage law favor¬ ed by President John F. Kennedy. The letter pointed out that it was especially important to contact Senator Ralph Yarborough, who is on the Senate labor and welfare committee. A sample letter to send to the legislators was included in the mailing piece. , ‘Spartacus’ Tops Jan. Estimates; Tailed By ‘Exodus’ and ‘Grass’; Late-Month Bliz-Blitz Slows All NEW HOF AMERICAN BLACK By ROBERT H. WELKER Associate Professor, Humanities, of Case Institute of Technology Cleveland, Jan. 31. The young man standing in the record store window was actually only a four-color cardboard display figure, nearly life-size, and plainly recognizable as Johnny Mathis. Nothing to be startled about;. in advertising, this technique is about as new as the cigar store Indian holding a fistful > of stogies. But I was startled anyway;-there was something here that commanded attention. I thought about it, and it came out like this: Mathis is a singer, but he’s not singing, just standing there casually, looking over his shoulder. He’s colored, but he’s not leaning on a bale of cotton, or wearing a torn straw hat or a magenta shirt, or dancing a jig, or beating a drum made from an oil barrel. He’s smiling, but not flashing every tooth in his head; simply a nice grin, with no calculated servil¬ ity about it anywhere. Just a good- looking young American male who happens to have a Ibt of talent as a singer, and who happens- to be a Negro—and here was my answer. Window displays are put there to persuade people to buy; the rec¬ ords of Johnny Mathis were being plugged by the youngster’s own good looks, and, when I checked, there seemed to be plenty of takers. it is my cheerful suggestion that this is something pretty new. In times past, male Negro singers were not sold via sex appeal (and this has nothing much to do. with what they looked like); today they are. Nor is Mathis the first; for example, prior to him came Nat Cole and Billy Eckstine, and then the biggest of them all, Harry Bela- fonte—people loaded with talent, certainly, but that’s not all. Does it work? You could check the sales of records; you might also ask any hip female old enough to join the Girl Scouts. Another source of information would be the person or persons un¬ known who decided a few year^ back to banish Belafonte from sight. It was a curious business. (Continued on page 19) Closer to normal weather condi¬ tions plus some new films will give first-runs in key cities a brighter hue this round. Not all of new product is doing well, but there are enough big, fresh pix to boost the overall total. Moving up to first place is “Swiss Family Robinson” (BV) by dint of some additional smash playdates which enabled this opus to gross $265,000 in keys covered by Variety. “Exodus” (UA), which was third last stanza, is pushing up to second position. The upsurge of “Family” is dropping “Sparta- cus” (U) down to third place. “Where Boys Are” (M-G). fifth a week ago, is winding up fourth. “Ben-Hur” (M-G), seventh last stanza, is taking fifth money. “World of Suzie Wong” (Par) is finishing sixth. “Grass Is Greener” (U) is cap¬ turing seventh position as com¬ pared with sixth last round. “Wack¬ iest ShV’ (Col) is finishing eighth, same as last week. “Can-Can” (20th), which showed promise last week' in initial dates on popscale runs, is doing well enough to take ninth soot. “Go Naked in World” (M-G). a newcomer, is landing 10th place though a bit spotty. “Never On I Sunday” (Lope) Is finish : ng ilth | while “Alamo” (UA) rounds out I the Too 12. I “V-’T — - Go - Round” '?0t’’), “Fever in„ Blood” (WB), .a fairly I January’s Top 12 1. “Spartacus” (U). 2. “Exodus” (UA). 3. “Grass Is Greener** (U). 4. “Sundowners’* (WB). 5. “Ben-Hur** (M-G). 6. “Suzie Wong*' (Par). 7. “Family Robinson** (BV). 8. “Facts of Life” (UA). 9. “Wackiest Ship” (Col), j 10. “Where Boys Are” (M-G). 11. “Alamo” (UA). 12. “Butterfield 8” (M-G). ; K.C.’s Plaza Grinds During Repairs for Big Neg And Philharmonic Platform Kansas City, Jan. 31. Major joD of remodelling the deluxe Plaza Theatre in the Coun¬ try Club Plaza district is well along here, scheduled • for some further work within the next month^or^so. Basically, the house, a 1,900-seafer built in 1928, is being prepped for 70m projection, and at the’ same time its stage is being enlarged to more comfortably house the Kansas City Philharmonic Orches¬ tra which presents part of its- sea¬ son there. Switch to new negative, from Cinemascope screen requires bringing the screen in front of the proscenium and is costing the house a number of seats. It will end at about 1630 bottoms. The change has also brought a 60-ft stage for the orchestra, in front of the big screen, and when tried out last week for tlie first time. Theatre is handled by Hugh Si- verd, circuit vet who has been there 18 years. He is continuing regular operation throughout the I period of remodelling. new pic in release; “Tunes of Glory” (Lope) and “Please Turn Over” (Col) are the runner-up pix in that order. “Village of Damned” (M-G) shapes as potentially the best new entrant, being big in Washington, mighty in Cleveland and socko in Buffalo, “Savage Innocents” (Par), also new, is good in Detroit. “Behind Great Wall” (Cont) is rated lofty in Frisco. “Don Quixote” (M-G) shapes smash in N.Y. where playing two arty theatres. “Cimar¬ ron” (M-G), also fairly new, is a bit uneven currently but good in L.A. and neat in K.C. “Two-Way Stretch” (Indie), big in Toronto, looks smash in N.Y. “Butterfield 8” (M-G), which has finished most of its big first-run playdates, is okay in N.Y. after a very longrun and potent in L.A. •“Carry On, Nurse” {Gov), good in Denver and Buffalo, shapes okay in Boston and hot in Cleveland. “General Della Rovere” (Cont>, just getting around, still is sma^h in N.Y., fancy in Philly and good in Washington. “Facts of Life” (UA), long high on the list, is hep in Minneapolis and potent in Boston. “Flaming Star” (20th), okay in Minneapolis, is dim in Phil'y. “Make Mine Mink” (Cont), big in N.Y. and Pittsburgh, is okay in Wa c hington. (Complete Boxoffice Reporti Onfages A-Q) . By MIKE WEAR Variety’s regular weekly boxoffice reports are summa¬ rized each month, retrospec¬ tively. Based on an average of 24 key situations, the source data constitue an adequate sampling of current releases, but are not, of course, fully “definitive .” An index of rela¬ tive grossing strength in the U. S . - Canada market, this monthly reprise does not pre¬ tend to express total rentals. Following rather desultory re¬ sults of December, heightened only by the sharp upbeat of post-Christ¬ mas week, January’s first-runs, covered by Variety “soared”. It was only at the tag end of the month, when zero weather and bliz¬ zards sloughed trade, that business at these key city deluxers tapered off. The fact that many thea f res st:il were playing product launched for the year-end holiday up to the final weeks of January naturally cut into the overall take in con¬ cluding sessions. “Spartacus” (U), which just missed winding up on top in December, finally made it last month, and wound up No. 1 pic. This hard-ticket opus finished the month with nearly $1,000,000 gross in key cities covered by Var t e:y. It was first in three out of the four weeks used in the tabulation. While only grossing abound $700,- 000, “Exodus” (UA) was a close second because of the amazing in¬ dividual showings in a majority of playdates. And it likely^ will be heard from in the future "as addi¬ tional engagements are launched. In most weeks in which it was in release, “Exodus” w f as showing in only five to six keys. “Grass Is Greener” (U) captured third position, showing $363.0.;0 gross. In fourth place was “The Sundowners” (WB). The fact that it (Continued on page 20) BRITISH ‘NURSE’ PILFS UP OTTAWA MILEAGE 1 Ottawa, Jan. 31. 20th Century’s release, “Carry On Nurse.” a British comedy, is turning out to be a boxoffice sleeper in eastern Ontario. It preemed at the Nelson and Elm- dale filmers in Ottawa Oct. 24, 1959, then played to healthy busi¬ ness at the Somerset, Linden, May- fair and Autosky ozoner, before leaving this capital. ^ Looking around for a filler for the normally dull Christmas week Ernie 'Warren, manager of the dual Elgin and Little Elgin Theatres (in one building but. operated se* a- ratelyj, saw “Nurse,” coupled v..th another British comedy, “The Cap¬ tain’s Table,” was in its 25th week at the Cinema, Hamilton, Ont., and booked the pair. They stayed for a boffo three w r eeks at the; main Elgin, and are in their 6th week at the Little Elgin and still col¬ lecting okay business. Hurricane-Postponed, Re-Sked Florida TOA Tampa, Jan. 31. Annual convention of th.e Motion Picture Exhibitors of Florida, a Theatre Owners of America affil- ate, postponed last December be¬ cause of Hurricane Donna, will be held here March 6-7 at the Flori¬ dian Hotel. Robert Daugherty, of Generii Drive-In Corp., will be general charman. Teitel Broadens Zone Chicago, Jan. 31. Regional distrib Charles Te'tel ; is expanding his alliance with Lux Films of America. Henceforth he’ll also book De¬ troit, Indianapolis, Des Moines, St. Louis and Omaha. National Boxoffice Survey Biz Perks Up; ‘Family’ New Champion, ‘Exodus’ 2d, ‘Spartacus’ 3d, ‘Boys’ 4th, ‘Ben-Hur’ 5th