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GREAT  NEWS) 

Ever  since  Lili  had  its  record- 
breaking  run  at  this  theatre 
our  patrons  have  asked  us 
for  another  Leslie  Caron 
picture  of  e$ual  charm 
and  beauty...  We've  got  it 
for  you 

M-G-M-s  enchanting  love  stotj 

Gaby 

LESLIE  CARON 
JOHN  KERR 


OUR  NEXT  ATTRACTION / 


THEY’RE  WAITING 
FOR "GABY” 

Photo  of  Trans-Lux 
52nd  St.  front.  It  is 
fitting  that  "Gaby” 
has  its  N.Y.  Premiere 
here  where  M-G-M’s 
"Lili”  ran  for  almost 
2 years. 


GOING  AFTER'GABY” 

Telling  the  nation!  Billboards,  Newspapers,  Magazines,  Radio,  TV! 


Leslie 


Sldrrinq 


Canon 


BASED  ON*  SCREEN  PLAY  BY  FROM  THE  PLAY 
S.  N.  BEHRMAN.  PAUL  H.  RAMEAU  • “WATERLOO  BRIDGE" 
AND  GEORGE  FROESCHEL  BY  ROBERT E. SHERWOOD 


EASTMAN  COLOR 


PRINT  BY 


’ play  by  Albert  Hackeit*  Frances  Goodrich  and  Charles  Leoerer 
TECHNICOLOR  • directed  by  CURTIS  BERNHARDT  • produced  by  EDWIN  H.  KNOPF 


NATIONWIDE  POSTING  CAMPAIGN 

Above  is  the  beautiful,  specially  lithographed  24-sheet  that 
sells  "Gaby”  from  hundreds  of  billboards  across  the  nation 
in:  Buffalo,  Boston,  Cleveland,  Houston,  Los  Angeles, 
Memphis,  New  Orleans,  Philadelphia,  Pittsburgh,  Portland, 
Ore.,  Salt  Lake  City,  St.  Louis,  San  Francisco,  Seattle. 

NATIONAL  MAGAZINE  CAMPAIGN 

Full  pages  in  4-colors  in:  Life,  Redbook,  Cosmopolitan, 
Seventeen.  Look  (two  facing  V2  pages  in  4- colors). 

"PICTURE  OF  THE  MONTH”  COLUMN:  Look,  Collier’s 
Good  Housekeeping,  McCall’s,  Woman’s  Home  Companion 
Cosmopolitan,  Parents’,  American. 

"LION’S  ROAR’’  COLUMN:  Saturday  Evening  Post. 

AND  NEWSPAPERS!  AND  RADIO!  AND  TV! 

★ 

( Available  in  Magnetic  Stereophonic,  Perspecla  Stereophonic  or  1-Channel  Sound) 


Full  Pages  In 
Top  National 
Magazines 


LIFE 


seventeen 


‘CRITICS  AND  TICKET-BUYERS  WILL  DECLARE  IT  THE  BEST  W 
‘STAGECOACH’  AND  ‘SHANE’!  A BOX-OFFICE  TRIUMPH!”  * “THE 

SHOWMEN'S  TRADE  REVIEW 

MAKES  ONE  OF  THOSE  RARE  PICTURES  FOR  THE  ‘DISCRIM 
■UNDOUBTEDLY  ONE  OF  THE  GREATEST  WESTERNS  EVER  MAD- 
THE  SOUTHWEST  CAN  COMPARE  WITH  IT!"  * “A  CONTENDE 

HOLLYWOOD  REPORTER 

WESTERNS  TO  COME  ALONG  IN  YEARS!”  * “ONE  OF  THE 

FILM  DAILY 

ENTERTAINMENT  HISTORY!"  * “ONE  OF  THE  BEST  WESTERNS 

M.  P.  HERALD  INDEPEN 


JEFFREY  HUNTER  • VERA  MJIES  • WARD  BOND  • NATALIE  WOOD 


SCREEN  PLAY  BY  FRANK  S.  NUGENT  • EXECUTIVE  PRODUCER  MERIANC.  COOPER  •ASSOCIATE  PRODUCER  PATRICK  FORD  DIRECTED  BY  4 -TIME  ACADEMY  AWARD 


ESTERN  EVER  MADE!”  * “IT  RANKS  WITH  ‘COVERED  WAGON’, 

BOXOFFICE 

REUNION  OF  JOHN  FORD,  JOHN  WAYNE  AND  MERIAN  COOPER 
INATING’  AUDIENCE  AS  WELL  AS  THE  GREAT  MASS  OF  FANS!” 

M.  P.  DAILY 

E!  FOR  SHEER  SCOPE,  GUTS  AND  BEAUTY-NO  PICTURE  OF 
R FOR  THE  BIG  MONEY  STAKES!”  * "ONE  OF  THE  FINEST 

VARIETY 


GREAT  ONES!  PROMISES  TO  MAKE  ECONOMIC  AS  WELL  AS 
IN  YEARS!" 

DENT  FILM  JOURNAL 


WINNER  (JOHN  FORD 


PRESENTED  BY 


Warner  Bros. 


. *r  -x> 


There  never  was  a man  like  THE 


HAH 


mo 

METER 

WAS 


for 


Smash  Openings; 
Rave  Reviews; 

Great  Word 
Of  Mouth; 


NO  WONDER  HE’S 

BOXOFF/CE 

MAGIC 

WHEREVER  HE  GOES! 


CLIFTON  GLORIA 

WEBB  GRAHAME 

with  ROBERT  FLEMYNG.  JOSEPHINE  GRIFFIN  - STEPHEN  BOYD 

PRODUCED  BY  DIRECTED  BY  SCREENPLAY  BY 

ANDRE  HAKIM. RONALD  NEAME • NIGEL  BALCHIN 


"It’s  a pleasure  to  do 
business  with  20th!” 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD 


MARTIN  QUIGLEY , Editor-in-Chief  and  Publisher 


Vol.  203,  No.  I 


MARTIN  QUIGLEY,  JR.,  Editor 


April  7,  1956 


Mutual  Fault 

NO  one  will  deny  that  there  are  certain  practices 
and  customs  in  motion  picture  distribution  and 
exhibition  which  need  correction.  Too  often 
progress  in  improving  a condition  acknowledged  to  re- 
quire attention  is  uncertain  and  halting  because  each  side 
wants  to  blame  the  other.  Sometimes  this  results  in 
more  time  and  effort  spent  on  apportioning  fault  than 
in  remedying  the  condition.  In  such  circumstances  it 
would  be  well  for  distributors  and  exhibitors  alike  to 
profit  from  an  attitude  of  American  Admiralty  Law.  It 
is  the  doctrine  of  “mutual  fault”.  If  there  is  a collision 
at  sea,  under  U.  S.  Admiralty  jurisdiction  the  total  dam- 
age to  the  two  ships  involved  is  added  up  and  each  party 
must  pay  half  even  though  only  a fraction  of  the  fault 
is  on  one  side  and  most  of  the  fault  on  the  other  side. 

The  basic  principle  is  that  when  both  parties  are  in- 
volved in  a situation  and  any  blame  reasonably  may  be 
attached  to  each,  it  is  idle  to  attempt  to  apportion  the 
fault.  Damage  is  made  a collective  responsibility.  Only 
when  one  ship  is  completely  blameless  is  the  other  re- 
quired to  pay  all  costs.  It  is  to  be  doubted  that  anyone, 
in  distribution  or  exhibition,  would  assert  that  their  side 
is  free  of  all  responsibility  for  any  of  the  current  trade 

practices  causing  conflict  and  loss  of  revenue. 

$ ^ ^ ^ 

There  are  many  situations  within  the  industry  to 
which  the  “mutual  fault”  principle  may  be  applied  with 
advantage.  However,  there  is  one  that  is  surely  a re- 
sponsibility of  both  distributors  and  exhibitors  and  one 
that  is  subject  to  prompt  correction.  It  has  nothing  to 
do  with  rentals,  clearance,  arbitration,  pre-releases  or 
any  of  the  other  trade  practices  usually  cited  as  being 
most  troublesome.  It  is  the  matter  of  simultaneous 
bookings  in  subsequent  runs  which  deprive  potential 
patrons  of  a reasonable  choice  of  attractions. 

This  is  a problem  that  is  prevalent  in  many  cities. 
While  circuits  are  primarily  responsibile  in  some  areas 
many  independent  exhibitors  also  have  fallen  into  or  have 
embraced  these  booking  practices. 

LET  it  be  understood  that  there  is  no  criticism  of 
booking  simultaneously  the  same  picture  in  a 
number  of  theatres  in  a metropolitan,  state  or 
regional  area.  Criticism  is  directed  at  the  booking  prac- 
tices which  put  the  same  program  in  most  or  all  the 
theatres  conveniently  available  to  patrons  living  in  a 
community  or  neighborhood.  In  metropolitan  and  sub- 
urban areas  throughout  the  country  most  patrons  reside 
in  convenient  walking  or  driving  distance  of  two  or  more 
theatres.  No  useful  purpose  and  much  harm  is  done 
when  such  theatres  book  regularly  the  same  programs 
at  the  same  time.  If  the  patron  or  his  wife  has  seen  one 


of  the  pictures — or  does  not  want  to — that  family  patron- 
age is  lost  on  occasions  when  all  the  nearby  theatres 
are  showing  the  identical  feature  or  features. 

Circuits  which  practice  these  booking  habits — and  dis- 
tributors which  encourage  them  for  convenience  or  other 
reasons — are  throwing  away  one  of  the  best  assets  of 
the  motion  picture.  That  is  its  ability  to  be  presented 
at  different  places  at  different  dates  in  order  to  serve 
the  convenience  of  patrons. 

The  custom  of  these  identical  bookings  down  the  line 
is  so  prevalent  that  there  must  be  some  good  reasons 
why  it  has  prevailed  so  long  and  to  such  a great  extent. 
Readers  are  invited  to  comment  on  the  benefits — if  any — 
to  distributors  and  exhibitors  as  well  as  to  the  public. 

Until  strong  arguments  to  the  contrary  are  offered,  it 
must  be  held  that  these  bookings  often  are  “mutual 
faults”  and  the  responsibility  for  their  curtailment  must 
rest  equally  on  distribution  and  exhibition. 

■ ■ ■ 

IJ  Arthur  L.  Mayer,  exhibitor,  distributor  and  trade 
association  official,  has  taken  up  once  again  the  activity 
he  first  pursued  in  the  industry — advertising  and  pub- 
licity. Those  who  have  followed  his  long  and  varied 
career  will  watch  with  interest  his  handling  of  the  pro- 
motion campaign  for  “War  and  Peace”.  This  work 
brings  Mr.  Mayer  back  to  Paramount  after  a quarter  of 
a century.  In  1932  he  was  director  of  advertising  and 
publicity  for  Paramount  Publix  Corp. 

■ ■ ■ 

€J  The  financial  report  of  Twentieth  Century-Fox  for 
1955  pointed  up  the  importance  of  the  foreign  market. 
While  special  circumstances  prevailed  with  the  foreign 
release  of  so  many  CinemaScope  films  during  the  year, 
it  is  noteworthy  that  substantially  more  income  taxes 
were  paid  by  the  company  last  year  abroad  than  in  the 
United  States.  Almost  fifty  per  cent  of  20th-Fox’s  film 
rentals  were  outside  the  United  States  and  Canada. 

■ ■ ■ 

C]  The  British  have  a charming  way  of  keeping  gov- 
ernmental divisions  in  their  proper  places.  When  the 
producers  of  “Private’s  Progress”  submitted  the  script 
to  the  War  Office,  seeking  the  usual  permission  for  the 
use  of  military  facilities,  they  received  a curt  rejection 
with  the  statement  that  the  military  thought  the  project 
should  be  dropped.  Nevertheless,  the  film  was  made  and 
is  now  being  distributed  by  British  Lion,  a firm  wholly 
controlled  by  the  British  Government’s  National  Film 
Finance  Corp.  The  latter  body  has  the  last  laugh  as  the 
film,  described  by  Peter  Burnup  as  one  that  “cocks  a 
cheerful  snoot  at  Army  Life,”  is  an  outstanding  success. 

— Martin  Quigley,  Jr. 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD 


Next  Week 

THE  HERALD 
INSTITUTE 


The 

HERALD 

INSTITUTE 

of  Industry, 
k Opinion 


The  HERALD  Institute  of  Industry  Opinion  is  preparing  for 
publication  next  week  a study  of  three  basic  aspects  of  the 
troubled  exhibition  picture  of  today.  They  are  arbitration , the 
nature  and  kind  of  the  so-called  product  shortage,  and  an  exam- 
ination of  the  present  admission  price  structure. 

The  study  now  being  completed  comes  at  a crucial  time  in 
trade  practice  relations.  These  three  subjects  were  prominently 
discussed  at  the  opening  of  the  Senate  Small  Business  Committee 
hearings  in  Washington  last  week.  The  results,  an  index  of  ex- 
hibitor thinking  on  the  problems,  may  well  have  a hearing  on 
the  conclusions  of  the  Committee. 

The  section  on  arbitration  especially  examines  first  of  all  the 
question  of  how  many  exhibitors  favor  an  arbitration  system,  who 
they  believe  should  staff  the  arbitration  boards,  and  what  subjects 
they  believe  should  be  arbitrable. 

Subject  Number  Thirteen  undertaken  by  the  Herald  Institute, 
this  may  well  be  the  most  timely  and  important  in  the  Institute’s 
five  year  history. 


WHEN  AND  WHERE 

April  17-19  : Convention  of  Washington, 
D.  C.,  exchange  area  members  of  the 
Virginia  Motion  Picture  Theatre  Associa- 
tion, Shoreham  Hotel* Washington. 

April  29-May  4 : Semi-annual  convention 

of  the  Society  of  Motion  Picture  and 
Television  Engineers,  Statler  Hotel,  New 

*'  i York. 

May  8:  Annual  convention  of  Allied  Inde- 
pendent Theatre  Owners  of  Kansas- 
Missouri,  Kansas  City,  Mo. 

May  8-9:  Spring  meeting  of  the  Montana 
Theatres  Association,  Northern  Hotel, 
Billings,  Montana. 

May  8-9:  Annual  convention  of  Allied 

Independent  Theatre  Owners  of  lowa- 
Nebraska,  Fontenelle  Hotel,  Omaha. 

May  9-12:  Annual  convention  of  Variety 
Clubs  International,  Waldorf-Astoria, 
New  York. 

May  15-16:  North-Central  Allied  Indepen- 
dent Theatre  Owners,  annual  conven- 
tion, Nicollet  Hotel,  Minneapolis. 


May  29-31  : Annual  convention  of  the  Mo- 
tion Picture  Theatre  Owners  and  Oper- 
ators of  Georgia,  Biltmore  Hotel, 
Atlanta. 

June  I 1-13:  Annual  convention  of  the  New 
Mexico  Theatre  Association,  Hilton 
Hotel,  Albuquerque. 

June  17-19:  Mississippi  Theatre  Owners 
Association,  16th  annual  convention, 
Edgewater  Gulf  Hotel,  Edgewater  Park, 
Miss. 

September  19-25:  Annual  convention  of 

Theatre  Owners  of  America,  in  conjunc- 
tion with  the  annual  convention  and 
trade  shows  of  the  Theatre  Equipment 
Dealers  Association  and  Theatre  Equip- 
ment and  Supply  Manufacturers  Associa- 
tion, Coliseum,  New  York. 

October  5-7:  Third  annual  national  con- 
vention of  the  Women  of  the  Motion 
Picture  Industry,  Dinkler-Plaza  Hotel, 
Atlanta. 

October  15-16  : Annual  regional  conven- 

tion of  Independent  Exhibitors  of  New 
England  and  the  Drive-In  Theatre  Asso- 
ciation of  New  England,  Winchendon, 
Mass. 

October  23-24:  Allied  Theatre  Owners  of 
Indiana,  Marott  Hotel,  Indianapolis. 


April  7,  1956 


EASTER  HOLIDAY  business  booms 
in  keys  throughout  country 

Page 

12 

HALF  A BILLION  reasons  things  are 
looking  up — report  on  product 

13 

TRADE  PRACTICE  poll  is  urged  by 
exhibition  leaders 

14 

U.  S.  LEVELS  trust  lance  at  drive-in 
operation;  Omaha  exhibitors  cited 

19 

THE  OLD  Opera  House  and  its  "Next 
Week:  ’East  Lynne’  " 

22 

PINANSKI  sees  "good  case"  for  tax 
relief  if  it's  pushed 

24 

RKO  TO  distribute  "Oklahoma!"  in 
CinemaScope  outside  U.  S. 

28 

SERVICE  DEPARTMENTS 

Refreshment  Merchandising 

44-54 

Film  Buyers'  Rating  3rd  Cover 

Hollywood  Scene 

25 

Managers'  Round  Table 

39 

The  Winners'  Circle 

32 

National  Spotlight 

35 

What  the  Picture  Did  for  Me 

33 

In 


for  APRIL 

Section  begins  opposite 


CARPETING  for  Modernization 
IMPORTANCE  of  Projection  Screens 
TWIN  DRIVE-IN  at  Miami.  Fla. 


54 


IN  PRODUCT  DIGEST  SECTION 

REVIEWS  (In  Product  Digest):  Jubal, 

Goodbye  My  Lady,  Blackjack  Ke+chum 
Desperado,  Walk  the  Dark  Streets,  French 


CanCan,  Dark  River 

Showmen's  Reviews 

849 

Short  Subjects  Chart 

851 

The  Release  Chart 

852 

MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  Martin  Quigley,  Edit.r-ln- 
Chief  and  Publisher;  Martin  Quigley,  Jr.,  Editor;  Raymond 
Levy,  Executive  Publisher;  James  D.  Ivers,  News  Editor;  ^ 
Charles  S.  Aaronson,  Production  Editor;  Floyd  E.  Stone, 
Photo  Editor;  Ray  Gallagher,  Advertising  Manager;  Gus 
H.  Fausel,  Production  Manager.  Bureaus:  Hollywood, 

Samuel  D.’  Berns,  Manager:  William  R.  Weaver,  Editor, 
Yucca-Vine  Building,  Telephone  HOllywood  7-2145; 
Chicago,  120  So.  LaSalle  St.,  Urban  Farley,  Advertising 
Representative,  Telephone  Financial  6-3074;  Washington, 

J.  A.  Otten,  National  Press  Club;  London,  Hope  Williams 
Burnup,  Manager;  Peter  Burnup,  Editor;  William  Pay, 
News  Editor,  4 Golden  Square.  Correspondents  in  the 
principal  capitals  of  the  world.  Member  Audit  Bureau  o 
Circulations.  Motion  Picture  Herald  is  published  every 
Saturday  by  Quigley  Publishing  Company,  Inc.,  Rocke- 
feller Center,  New  York  City  20.  Telephone  Circle  7-3100; 
Cable  address;  "Quigpubco,  New  York",  Martin  Quigley, 
President^  Martin  Quigley,  Jr.,  Vice-President;  Theo.  J. 
Sullivan,  Vice-President  and  Treasurer;  Raymond  Levy, 
Vice-President,  Leo  J.  Brady,  Secretary.  Other  Quigley 
Publications:  Better  Theatres  and  Better  Refreshment  Mer- 
chandising, each  published  thirteen  times  a year  as  a 
section  of  Motion  PiGture  Herald;  Motion  Picture  Da  * I y , 
Television  Today,  Motion  Picture  Almanac,  Television 
Almanac,  Fame. 


8 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  APRIL  7,  1956 


On  the 


onzon 


BACK  IN  JUNE 

Legal  difficulties  arising 
out  of  the  reconciling  of  Dar- 
ryl Zanuck's  long  term  con- 
tract as  head  of  the  20th  Cen- 
tury-Fox studio  with  any  new 
contract  under  which  he  would 
produce  independently  for  the 
studio,  may  return  him  to  his 
studio  post  in  June  when  his 
four  month  leave  of  absence  ex- 
pires. In  New  York  this  week, 
where  he  saw  an  answer  print 
for  "The  Man  in  the  Gray  Flan- 
nel Suit",  Mr.  Zanuck  stressed 
the  legal  difficulties  in- 
volved and  said  he  might  return 
to  the  studio  in  June.  He  is 
on  his  way  to  Europe. 

TAX  COMPLAINTS? 

M.  G.  Tohadze,  formerly  own- 
er of  a string  of  theatres  in 
Shanghai  and  well-known  in 
Oriental  cinema  circles,  has 
reached  Hong  Kong  after  trying 
for  several  years  to  get  an 
exit  visa  from  Communist 
China.  Before  he  got  out,  the 
Communists  stripped  him  of  all 
his  possessions  on  the  pretext 
of  retroactive  taxes  and  re- 
tirement allowances  for  his 
employees.  He  formerly  owned 
the  Broadway,  Royal,  Shance 
and  Oriental  cinemas  in  Shang- 
hai. 

"KING  KONG"  RE-RELEASE 

RKO  will  re-release  its  1933 
s c i enc e-f i c t i on  thriller, 
"King  Kong"  in  June,  Walter 
Branson,  vice  - president  in 
charge  of  world-wide  distribu- 
tion, has  announced.  The  deci- 
sion was  made  because  of  the 
film's  drawing  power  on  TV, 
where  it  was  shown  as  a Mutual 
"Million  Dollar  Movie"  two 
weeks  ago.  There  will  be  no 
more  showings  of  the  feature, 
the  company  announced.  In  its 
theatrical  reissue  dates  it 
will  be  coupled  with  another 
thriller,  "I  Walked  With  a 
Zombie . " 

UP  TV 

Republic  Pictures'  gross 
revenue  from  its  laboratory 
and  television  operations  will 


exceed  the  company's  revenues 
from  theatrical  film  rentals  in 
the  current  fiscal  year,  Her- 
bert Yates,  Republic  presi- 
dent, told  stockholders  Tues- 
day. The  company's  TV  revenue 
includes  rental  of  studio 
space  and  the  sale  of  old 
films. 

POPEYE  TO  TV 

Allied  Artists'  television 
subsidiary.  Interstate  Tele- 
vision Corp. , is  approaching 
completion  of  negotiations 
with  Hearst's  King  Features 
for  the  acquisition  of  over  170 
Popeye  cartoons  for  a reported 
sum  of  $3,000,000,  according 
to  an  Interstate  TV  official. 
The  transaction,  negotiated  by 
G.  Ralph  Branton,  Interstate 
president  and  AA  vice-presi- 
dent, reportedly  runs  for  "a 
number  of  years"  during  which 
Interstate  would  sell  the  Par- 
amount - produced  cartoons  to 
independent  and  network  TV 
outlets  in  packages. 

NEW  TODD  FILM 

Michael  Tood's  production  of 
"Around  the  World  in  80  Days," 
filmed  in  the  Todd-AO  process, 
will  have  its  New  York  premiere 
September  6,  the  producer  an- 
nounced this  week.  He  said  he 
is  currently  negotiating  for 
another  Broadway  theatre  other 
than  the  Rivoli,  now  showing 
his  "Oklahoma!"  The  new  the- 
atre will  also  be  converted  to 
the  Todd-AO  system,  he  said. 

ULCER  PREVENTER 

If  you  want  to  avoid  that  ul- 
cer, get  away  from  the  TV  set 
and  relax  at  an  occasional 
film,  is  the  view  of  Jack  Gor- 
don, amusement  editor  of  the 
Fort  Worth,  Texas  Press . Jack 
cites  the  "matchless  calm"  of 
a motion  picture  theatre,  as 
compared  to  the  harassments 
inflicted  on  the  home  TV  view- 
er. He  mentions  such  nuisances 
as  cats,  dogs  and  children  de- 
manding attention,  unexpected 
visitors,  static  from  wife  or 
husband,  and  other  banes  of 
the  at-home  entertainment 


seeker.  Even  the  popcorn  bags 
in  film  houses  are  now  in  card- 
board boxes  ; that  means  no 
more  noise.  Jack  reminds  us. 
He  also  cites  recent  research 
replies  from  a cross  section 
of  citizens  who  claim  they  go 
to  theatres  to  relieve  pres- 
sures and  tensions  they  cannot 
escape  at  home. 

FAMILY  RATES 

The  first  independent  four- 
wall  theatre  in  Connecticut  to 
extend  special  family  rates 
this  Spring  is  the  Strand, 
downtown,  subsequent  - run 
house  in  Willimantic,  operated 
by  Carim  E.  John.  Mr.  John  is 
offering  Family  Night  on  Mon- 
day evenings,  with  a one-dol- 
lar  base  charge  per  family, 
regardless  of  the  number  of 
children.  The  plan  is  being 
watched  by  other  independent 
theatremen,  and  is  regarded  as 
a move  to  put  the  closed  thea- 
tre in  a classification  with 
area  drive-in  theatres,  which 
normally  charge  no  admission 
for  children,  accompanied  by 
adults,  any  evening. 

PASTERNAK- COLUMBIA  DEAL 

It  was  disclosed  this  week 
that  Harry  Cohn,  president  of 
Columbia  Pictures,  is  negoti- 
ating with  the  newly-formed 
partnership  of  Joe  Pasternak 
and  Sam  Katz  on  a possible 
long-term  deal. 

FILM  FETE  POSTPONED 

The  Cannes  a*  lm  Festival, 
originally  set  for  April  10- 
24,  will  be  held  April  23-May 
10,  because  of  the  approaching 
mid -April  wedding  in  nearby 
Monaco  of  Grace  Kelly  and 
Prince  Rainier.  It  is  expected 
that  hotel  accommodations  in 
the  vicinity  will  be  scarce 
during  the  wedding  period, 
what  with  newsmen  and  interna- 
tional personalities  flooding 
in;  hence  the  festival  post- 
ponement. The  Columbia  Broad- 
casting System  this  week  an- 
nounced that  its  news  produc- 
tion staff  will  produce  a 30- 
minute  film  of  the  weeklong 
ceremonies  and  highlights  of 
Miss  Kelly's  wedding.  The  news 
production  will  be  shown  on 
CBS-TV  on  April  21  from  11  to 
11:30  P.M.  EST. 

William  R.  Weaver — 
Lawrence  J.  Quirk — Jay  Remer 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  APRIL  7,  1956 


9 


NEW  YORKERS  AND  ANGELENOS  got  their  chance  to  begin  looking  at  Robert 
Rossen's  scholarly  and  exciting  dissection  of  a world  conqueror — "Alexander  the 
Great" — at  openings  the  same  evening  last  week.  At  the  Capitol,  New  York,  upper 
left,  are  United  Artists'  president  Arthur  B.  Krim  and  general  sales  manager  James 
Velde,  left,  and  distribution  vice-president  William  J.  Heineman,  right,  with  theatre 
manager  Harry  Greenman.  At  the  Fox  Wilshire,  above,  star  Fredric  March  and  his 
wife,  Florence  Eldridge,  with  Olympics  diver  Paul  Jean  Myers,  right.  The  Coast 
affair  benefited  the  Olympic  Fund;  the  one  in  New  York,  the  B'nai  B'rith. 


in  pictured 


Some 

Producers 


FRED  BRISSON,  who  put 
"Pajama  Game''  on 
Broadway  (where  it 
stays,  becoming  histor- 
ic) reports  for  work  at 
Warners.  He  will  put 
the  play  on  film,  his  first 
for  that  company. 


MERIAN  C.  COOPER 
and  C.  V.  WHITNEY,  at 
the  luncheon  last  week 
in  Hollywood  at  which 
they  told  their  news- 
paperman guests  about 
C.  V.  Whitney  Pictures' 
five  year  project:  the 
American  scene,  in  pic- 
tures which  may  in- 
struct and  certainly  will 
entertain. 


THIS  SCENE,  which  of  course  is  Times  Square  in  the 
snowstorm  which  brought  Spring  to  the  East,  is  one  to 
which  MGM  points  proudly.  Circulated  to  the  nation's 
newspapers  by  Wide  World  Photos,  it  advertises  (free!) 
the  Astor  Theatre  sign  at  the  right:  "MGM's  'Meet  Me 
in  Las  Vegas'  is  a Gold  Mine  of  Entertainment.” 

CHARLES  L.  GLETT,  studio  executive  vice-president; 
DANIEL  T.  O'SHEA,  president;  and  THOMAS  F.  O'NEILL’, 
board  chairman,  all  of  RKO,  as  they  discussed  in  New 
York  their  new  production  program. 


HARRY  B.  FRENCH,  president  of  Minnesota  Amusement  Company, 
right,  is  retiring  and  will  be  board  chairman.  Charles  W.  Win- 
ched. vice-president  and  his  assistant  since  1947,  succeeds  him. 
John  A.  Branton,  who  has  bought  and  booked,  and  George  C. 
Shepherd,  supervising  concessions,  now  become  vice-presidents 
along  with  Charles  Perrine.  Mr.  French  has  been  with  the  circuit, 
and  its  predecessors,  operating  some  60  houses,  since  1912.  Mr. 
Winched  was  a newspaper  and  publicity  man  and  the  chain's 
advertising  and  publicity  director  before  becoming  an  officer. 


CHARLES  W.  WINCHELL  JOHN  A.  BRANTON 


GEORGE  C.  SHEPHERD 


. . . and  Exhibitors 


ELMER  C.  RHODEN,  Jr.,  left,  and  RICHARD  H.  OREAR 
have  been  elected  president  and  executive  vice-president 
of  Commonwealth  Theatres,  Kansas  City.  Stockholders  of 
the  chain  (35  drive-ins,  52  indoor)  also  elected  Byron 
Spencer,  L.  W.  Morris,  and  M.  B.  Smith  directors,  R.  F. 
Withers  executive  committee  chairman,  and  reelected 
H.  E.  Jameyson  board  chairman.  Mr.  Rhoden  had  been 
executive  vice-president  and  previously  was  film  buyer. 
Mr.  Orear  was  vice-president  supervising  purchasing, 
D.  J.  GOODLATTE,  right,  managing  construction  and  maintenance, 

director  of  Associated  British  Cine- 
mas, at  the  opening  of  the  circuit's 
Regal,  Gloucester,  England,  with 
Mrs.  Goodlatte,  Mayor  E.  J.  Lang- 
don,  and  actress  Janette  Scott. 


IN  PHILADELPHIA,  actor  Richard  Widmark, 
touring  for  Universal's  "Backlash"  gathers 
around  him  in  the  Philadelphia  exchange 
these  friendly  showmen:  William  Milgram, 
Milgram  Booking;  Charles  MacDonald,  South- 
ern, York;  David  Milgram;  Leon  Serin,  Para- 
mount Theatres;  Max  Chasins,  Hamid  The- 
atres, Atlantic  City;  Ben  Goldfine,  South  City 
Drive,  Phila.;  Ed  Heiber,  Universal  branch 
manager;  Lou  Davidoff,  Ellis.  Phila.;  Robert 
Handley,  Yost  Theatres,  Harrisburg;  William 
Humphries,  Roy  Sullender,  and  Stanley  Smith- 
ers,  Tri  State  Theatres,  Phila. 


6 


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Easter  Holiday  Business  Booms  in  Key  Cities 


Business  for  the  Easter  Holiday  week  in 
New  York  and  many  other  major  cities  was 
particularly  strong  this  year  with  last 
weekend  reported  as  better  than  1955  in 
many  areas.  Among  the  films  doing  out- 
standing business  throughout  the  country 
were  "The  Conqueror,"  "Alexander  the 
Great,"  "The  Man  in  the  Gray  Flannel 
Suit"  and  "Anything  Goes." 

In  New  York,  a very  good  $195,000 
was  expected  for  the  second  week  of 
"Serenade"  at  the  Radio  City  Music  Hall, 
which  also  features  its  traditional  Easter 
stage  show,  while  an  excellent  $100,000 
was  seen  for  "Carousel"  in  its  seventh 
week  at  the  Roxy  which  also  has  an  ice 
show.  Doing  fine  business  in  first  weeks 
were  "Miracle  in  the  Rain"  at  Loew's  State, 


"On  the  Threshold  of  Space"  at  the 
Globe  and  "Patterns"  at  the  Mayfair. 

"The  Conqueror,"  which  drew  the  great- 
est first-three-days  gross  in  the  history  of 
the  Criterion,  according  to  RKO,  was  ex- 
pected to  do  $70,000  for  the  week,  a 
record  for  the  theatre.  Another  record- 
breaker  was  "Alexander  the  Great"  which 
was  expected  to  amass  the  biggest  United 
Artists  first-week  total  of  all  time  at  the 
Capitol  theatre  with  $100,000,  according 
to  the  distributor.  It  also  did  outstanding 
business  in  other  sections  of  the  country 
including  Washington,  Los  Angeles,  San 
Francisco,  Denver,  Baltimore,  St.  Louis  and 
Cleveland. 

Other  theatres  in  New  York  reporting 
fine  business  for  the  week  were  the  Astor 


with  "Meet  Me  in  Las  Vegas,"  the  Para- 
mount with  "Anything  Goes,"  the  Rivoli 
with  "Oklahoma!,"  the  Bijou  with  "Richard 
III"  and  the  Victoria  with  "The  Man  with 
the  Golden  Arm." 

The  business  along  Broadway  was  re- 
flected in  many  sections  of  the  country  as 
well  as  neighborhood  situations  in  New 
York,  according  to  a survey  of  the  major 
circuits.  American  Broadcasting-Para- 
mount Theatres,  which  has  affiliated  cir- 
cuits throughout  the  country,  reported  last 
weekend  grosses  were  better  than  the 
Easter  weekend  a year  ago. 

The  Loew's  circuit,  both  in  New  York 
and  out-of-town,  reported  business  very 
good.  Similar  reports  were  received  from 
RKO  Theatres  and  Stanley  Warner. 


•Jurisdiction 
Ruling  Set 
By  JXLBB 

WASHIXGTON : The  National  Labor 

Relations  Board  indicated  strongly  this  week 
that  it  would  not  take  jurisdiction  in  cases 
involving  a circuit  of  motion  picture  thea- 
tres with  an  annual  gross  income  of  less 
than  $10,000,000.  In  an  important  action, 
the  NLRB  upheld  a trial  examiner’s  decision 
dismissing  a labor  case  involving  the  Holly- 
wood theatre  in  Portland,  Oregon. 

Cites  Jurisdiction 

The  trial  examiner  had  held  that  the 
theatre’s  labor  policies  were  set  by  Ever- 
green State  Amusement  Corp.  rather  than 
by  National  Theatres,  Evergreen’s  parent 
concern.  This  means,  he  maintained,  that  the 
case  does  not  involve  a circuit  with  gross 
sales  of  more  than  $10,000,000  a year  and 
thus  does  not  come  within  the  board’s  juris- 
diction. He  added  that  if  National  had  set 
the  policy,  as  contended  by  the  NLRB 
general  counsel,  the  board’s  jurisdiction 
would  then  have  been  asserted. 

Exceptions  were  filed  to  the  examiner’s 
decision,  which  was  then  brought  before  the 
full  NLRB  board.  The  board  announced  it 
had  upheld  the  examiner’s  decision,  with 
two  members  dissenting.  The  examiner, 
William  E.  Spencer,  cited  as  support  for 
his  ruling  a little-noted  NLRB  decision  in 
a case  last  Fall  involving  Florida  State 
Theatres,  Inc.  In  that  case,  the  board  re- 
fused jurisdiction  over  a group  of  Florida 
theatres,  even  though  the  theatres  were 
owned  by  corporations  which  in  turn  were 
wholly-owned  subsidiaries  of  American 
Broadcasting-Paramount  Theatres,  which 


does  far  more  than  $10,000,000  business  a 
year.  The  board  then  held  that  the  theatres 
were  managed  locally  and  there  was  no 
"operational  integration”  between  the  opera- 
tion of  local  theatres  and  the  operation  of 
the  parent  corporation. 

The  Florida  and  Oregon  cases  are  im- 
portant because  the  board  is  still  working 
out  exactly  how  it  will  apply  new  standards 
for  taking  jurisdiction  in  the  retail  and 
service  fields.  The  board  some  time  back 
said  that  it  would  not  take  jurisdiction  over 
a multi-state  chain  of  retail  and  service 
stores  unless  the  entire  chain  grosses  over 
$10,000,000.  Theatres  are  apparently  to  be 
regarded  as  falling  in  this  category. 

In  the  Oregon  case,  an  individual  filed  un- 
fair labor  practice  charges  against  Local  159 
of  the  International  Alliance  of  Theatre 
Stage  Employees,  in  connection  with  em- 
ployment at  the  Hollywood  theatre.  The 
general  counsel  argued  that  the  board  should 
take  jurisdiction,  because  National  Theatres 
had  more  than  $10,000,000  a year  business. 

According  to  the  trial  examiner,  the 
Hollywood  theatre  was  operated  as  an  in- 
tegral part  of  a theatre  circuit  operated  by 
Evergreen  and  its  subsidiaries,  and  per- 
sonnel and  local  problems  were  set  locally. 
He  added  that  there  was  no  evidence  to 
show  that  theatres  in  the  Evergreen  circuit 
had  been  integrated  for  operational  purposes 
with  any  other  circuit  owned  by  National. 
Since  the  theatres  in  the  Evergreen  circuit 
do  not  gross  $10,000,000,  the  examiner  dis- 
missed the  proceedings. 


Advance  Ads  for  "Pride" 

United  Artists  has  allocated  $40,000  for 
preliminary  trade  advertising  during  the 
actual  period  of  production  on  Stanley  Kra- 
mer’s "The  Pride  and  the  Passion,”  starring 
Cary  Grant  and  Frank  Sinatra.  The  Vista- 
Vision  production  in  color  by  Technicolor 
went  before  the  cameras  in  Spain  last  week. 


so.o2r,.o.w 

20th-Vox  JVet 
for  Year 

Twentieth  Century-Fox  Corporation  and 
wholly-owned  subsidiaries  last  week  re- 
ported consolidated  earnings  of  $6,025,039 
for  the  year  (53  Weeks)  ended  December 
31,  1955.  This  amounted  to  $2.28  per  share 
on  the  2,644,486  shares  of  common  stock 
outstanding,  compared  with  earnings  for  the 
year  (52  weeks)  of  1954  of  $8,044,524  or 
$3.04  per  share  on  the  same  number. 

The  earnings  for  the  fourth  quarter  (14 
weeks)  ended  December  31,  1955  amounted 
to  $1,578,188,  equal  to  60  cents  per  share, 
as  compared  with  $2,312,461  for  the  fourth 
(13  weeks)  quarter  of  1954,  equal  to  87 
cents  per  share.  The  earnings  for  the  third 
quarter  of  1955  were  $1,656,051,  or  62  cents 
per  share. 

The  company  also  announced  that  on  the 
recommendation  of  its  accountants,  the  in- 
dependent firm  of  Touche,  Niven,  Bailey  and 
Smart,  the  negative  cost  amortization  cable 
has  been  revised  beginning  with  pictures 
released  in  the  fourth  quarter  of  1955.  . 
According  to  the  accountants,  the  revised 
table  does  not  change  the  total  amortization 
period  of  65  weeks  but  does  adjust  the  table 
within  this  period  to  more  properly  reflect 
amortization  expense  in  view  of  the  slower 
play-off  of  CinemaScope  pictures  and  the 
larger  proportion  of  foreign  film  rentals. 


Open  Atlanta  Theatre 

ATLANTA:  The  management  of  the  Bel- 
mont Hills  theatre  has  announced  its  open- 
ing in  an  Atlanta  suburb  of  the  same  name. 
It  has  a seating  capacity  of  600. 


12 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  APRIL  7,  1956 


HALF  A BILLION  REASONS 
THINGS  ARE  LOOKING  IIP 


. . . That's  the  dollar  total  of 
money  to  be  spent  on  product 
to  be  made  or  to  be  released 
during  the  current  year 

by  JAY  REMER 

The  motion  picture  industry  has  half  a 
billion  reasons  to  chase  away  any  production 
blues  that  may  be  hovering  over  the  studio 
gates. 

And  it  has  half  a billion  answers  to  its 
pessimistic  detractors  and  keepers  of  the 
doldrums. 

And  it  has  half  a billion  assurances  for 
exhibitors  that  their  theatres  will  be  stocked 
with  good  and  plenty  for  the  coming  years. 

These  reasons,  answers  and  assurances 
all  stem  from  the  same  happy  source.  Ac- 
cording to  statements  from  the  major 
companies  and  facts  gathered  from  prod- 
uct announcements,  these  companies  have 
spent  and  will  spend  in  the  aggregate  ap- 
proximately $500,000,000  on  pictures  to  be 
made  and/or  released  this  year.  In  addi- 
tion, practically  all  of  the  companies  are 
using  this  money  not  only  to  make  better 
and  bigger  pictures,  but  also  to  make 
more  pictures,  which  is,  after  all,  the  only 
method  to  counteract  the  current  (and 
valid)  cry  of  “product  shortage.” 

Still  another  factor  to  bolster  any  sagging 
industry  spirits  that  may  be  on  view  is  the 
increased  releasing  schedule  which  follows 
naturally  on  the  heels  of  increased  produc- 
tion. Many  of  the  companies  are  also  mak- 
ing separate  releasing  deals  for  indepen- 
dently-made films.  All  this  should  keep  ex- 
changes, theatres  and  patrons  bustling. 

It  was  just  last  month  that  Barney  Bala- 
ban,  president  of  Paramount,  make  a glow- 
ingly optimistic  statement  about  his  com- 
pany in  particular  and  the  industry  in  gen- 
eral. He  estimated  that  Paramount’s  invest- 
ment in  its  inventory  of  pictures  was  “con- 
siderably over  $50,000,000,”  the  highest  in 
its  history,  and  that  two  of  these  (“The  Ten 
Commandments”  and  “War  and  Peace”) 
“are  certain  to  roll  up  record  grosses.”  His 
company’s  belief  that  the  motion  picture  is 
“still  the  greatest  form  of  mass  world  en- 
tertainment ever  conceived”  is  not  confined 
only  to  Paramount. 

Big  Budgets  Cited 

A record  34-picture  production  and  re- 
lease program  budgeted  at  $100,000,000  has 
been  set  by  20th  Century-Fox.  All  of  these 
will  be  in  CinemaScope,  of  course,  with 
other  standard-dimensional  films  acquired 
for  an  expanded  releasing  program.  And 
RKO,  which  last  year  released  literally  less 
than  a handful  of  its  own  product,  an-  ’ 
nounced  in  January  an  over-all  budget  of 


$22,500,000  for  11  pictures  to  be  produced 
during  the  first  six  months  of  1956.  Daniel 
T.  O’Shea,  RKO  president,  said  it  was 
the  intent  of  the  company  to  maintain  a 
steady  flow  of  product  throughout  the  year. 

In  addition  to  these,  United  Artists  is  in- 
vesting $45,000,000  in  its  current  and  fu- 
ture crop  of  films  while  Republic  plans  to 
put  $12,000,000  to  $15,000,000  in  produc- 
tion for  the  first  six  months  of  this  year. 
Allied  Artists’  budget  is  being  considerably 
enlarged  because  so  many  important  and 
expensive  pictures  are  on  its  schedule. 

All  these  expansive  budgets  are  not  an- 
nounced for  their  publicity  value  but  have 
a very  practical  purpose — to  keep  distribu- 
tors and  exhibitors  alive  and  kicking  and 
keep  the  public  conscious  of  and  ambitious  to 
see  the  product.  Those  pictures  completed, 
shooting  or  in  preparation  from  all  the  com- 
panies are  positive  examples  of  this  think- 
ing. Just  a sprinkling  of  these  titles  should 
give  a good  idea  of  the  quality  to  be  ex- 
pected : 

ALLIED  ARTISTS— William  Wyler’s 
“The  Friendly  Persuasion,”  John  Hus- 
ton’s “Typee”  and  Billy  Wilder’s  “Ari- 
ane.” 

COLUMBIA— “The  Harder  They 
Fall,”  by  Budd  Schulberg;  the  biography 
of  Eddy  Duchin  ; “You  Can’t  Run  Away 
from  It,”  “The  Solid  Gold  Cadillac”  and 
“Pal  Joey.” 

MGM — “Bhowani  Junction,”  Paddy 


INDEPENDENTS  HELP 
EASE  FILM  SHORTAGE 

The  major  companies  always  have 
been,  and  still  are,  the  chief  source 
of  product  for  U.  S.  exhibitors.  How- 
ever, the  past  year  or  two  more  and 
more  independent  producers  and  dis- 
tributors have  sprung  up  to  help 
alleviate  the  product  shortage.  The 
shortage  is  no  longer  so  acute,  thanks 
to  the  efforts  of  such  as  Filmakers, 
American  Releasing  Corp.  (ARC), 
Distributors  Corporation  of  America 
(DCA)  and  Associated  Film  Releasing 
Corp.  (successor  to  Lippert).  While 
some  foreign  product  is  distributed 
by  these,  most  of  their  films  are 
American  product  and  quite  a few  of 
them  are  made  in  color  and/or  a 
wide  screen  technique.  And  of 
course  there  is  also  Walt  Disney’s 
Buena  Vista  Film  Distributing  Co., 
which  already  has  established  itself 
as  one  of  the  most  important  of  the 
independent  companies. 


Chayefsky’s  “The  Catered  Affair,  “Lust 
for  Life,”  “Raintree  County”  and  two  pic- 
tures with  Grace  Kelly,  “The  Swan  and 
“High  Society.” 

PARAMOUNT  — Hitchcock’s  “The 
Man  Who  Knew  Too  Much,”  “The  Vaga- 
bond King,”  “Pardners”  and  “Funny 
Face”  in  addition  to  “Peace  and  “Com- 
mandments.” 

REPUBLIC — the  first  film  in  Natu- 
rama,  “The  Maverick  Queen”;  “Lisbon” 
and  a new  film  from  John  Ford. 

RKO — Fritz  Lang’s  “While  the  City 
Sleeps.”  “Tension  at  Table  Rock,”  “Cash 
McCall”  and  a musical  version  of  “Stage 
Door.” 

20TH-FOX — “The  Man  in  the  Gray 
Flannel  Suit,”  Rodgers  and  Hammer- 
stein’s  “The  King  and  I,”  “Bus  Stop"  and 
“Can  Can.” 

UNITED  ARTISTS— “Alexander  the 
Great,”  “Trapeze”  and  Graham  Greene’s 
“The  Quiet  American.” 

U-I — “Away  All  Boats,”  “Pillars  of  the 
Sky,”  “Battle  Hymn”  and  “The  Great 
Man.” 

WARNERS — George  Stevens'  “Giant,” 
John  Huston’s  “Moby  Dick,”  “Spirit  of 
St.  Louis”  and  “The  Pajama  Game.” 

Practically  all  the  companies  are  increas- 
ing their  1956  release  schedules  over  1955. 
Warners  will  have  approximately  15  for  the 
first  eight  months,  which  will  include 
“Giant”  and  “Moby  Dick.”  RKO  will  have 
at  least  12  through  June  while  they  released 
a total  of  only  14  all  of  last  year.  Republic 
is  planning  to  release  17  for  the  first  six 
months,  while  MGM,  Columbia,  U.A.  and 
Allied  Artists  are  all  boosting  this  year’s 
total  over  last.  Universal’s  production 
calendar  for  its  current  fiscal  year-,  which 
began  last  November,  includes  36  pictures 
scheduled  to  be  made,  an  increase  of  almost 
25  per  cent  over  the  previous  year. 

This  is  the  picture.  More  money  is  to  be 
spent  on  more  pictures  of  top  quality,  with 
larger  earnings  all  the  way  down  the  line 
and  satisfied  customers  the  desired  and 
probable  result. 


Republic  Reports 
$773,461  Quarter  Net 

For  the  13  weeks  ended  January  28,  1956, 
Republic  Pictures  Corporation  and  its  sub- 
sidiaries report  a net  profit  of  $1,051,391 
before  Federal  tax  provision,  estimated 
Federal,  normal  and  surtax  of  $277,750,  or 
a net  after  taxes  of  $773,641.  For  the  13 
weeks  ended  January  29  of  last  year,  1955, 
the  company  reported  a net  profit  of  $833,- 
207  before  Federal  tax  provision,  estimated 
Federal,  normal  and  surtax  of  $450,000  or 
a net  after  taxes  of  $383,207. 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  APRIL  7,  1956 


13 


TRADE  PRACTICE  Ten  Point 


POLL  IS  URGED 


. . . Exhibition  leaders  agree  a 
study  of  opinion  on  problems 
best  in  wake  of  hearings,  but 
question  rises  on  handling 

All  exhibition  leaders,  no  matter  what 
their  affiliation,  seemed  to  be  agreed  this 
week  that  a poll  of  rank  and  file  exhibitors 
is  in  order  to  obtain  opinions  on  current 
trade  practice  problems.  The  question  is : 
who  should  conduct  the  poll  ? 

Also  in  the  wake  of  last  week’s  conclusion 
of  Phase  One  of  the  Senate  Small  Business 
subcommittee's  hearings  on  trade  practices — 
comprising  exhibition  testimony — distribu- 
tor lawyers  met  in  New  York  Tuesday  with 
lawyers  for  the  subcommittee,  in  prepara- 
tion for  testimony  by  distribution  repre- 
sentatives before  the  subcommittee  when  it 
reconvenes  after  the  Easter  recess,  probably 
the  week  of  April  23. 

Ashed  for  Data 

Distribution  lawyers,  it  is  understood, 
were  asked  to  prepare  statements  containing 
their  views  on  the  pre-release  practice,  film 
rentals,  film  shortage,  and  the  effect  on  the 
industry  of  varying  millimeter  sizes  in  which 
films  are  produced. 

Concerning  the  exhibition  poll,  Theatre 
Owners  of  America  seems  to  be  in  agree- 
ment with  the  Independent  Theatre  Owners 
Association  of  New  York  that  such  a poll 
or  survey  could  best  be  conducted  by  the 
Senate  Small  Business  subcommittee  itself. 
A TOA  spokesman  in  New  York  said  he  did 
not  know  when  his  organization’s  executives 
would  discuss  this  matter  but  that  any  for- 
mal request  would  have  to  come  from  the 
three-man  TOA  committee  which  testified 
at  the  recent  hearings.  This  included  Myron 
Blank,  TOA  president;  Herman  Levy,  gen- 
eral counsel,  and  George  Kerasotes,  assistant 
to  Mr.  Blank. 

Abram  F.  Myers,  Allied  States  Associa- 
tion general  counsel,  said  in  Washington 
that  Allied  regional  units  had  been  conduct- 
ing such  a poll  since  the  middle  of  January 
and  that  the  results  were  to  be  sent  directly 
to  the  Department  of  Justice  and  Small 
Business  subcommittee. 

No  Results  Cited 

No  specific  results  of  this  poll,  however, 
have  been  announced.  Also,  no  results  have 
been  announced  from  a poll  that  TOA  con- 
ducted among  its  members  almost  concur- 
rently, although  the  results  were  said  to 
have  been  used  in  formulating  TOA  testi- 
mony before  the  subcommittee  last  week. 

Harry  Brandt,  president  of  the  ITOA, 
New  York,  last  Friday  released  the  text  of 
a letter  which  he  had  sent  to  Senator 
Hubert  Humphrey  (D.,  Minn.),  subcom- 


mittee chairman,  formally  requesting  that 
the  subcommittee  conduct  the  survey. 

Wrote  Mr.  Brandt:  “We  are  convinced 
that  the  answer  to  these  (trade  practice) 
questions  could  more  easily  be  obtained  by 
a national  referendum  conducted  by  your 
committee.  In  conducting  such  a poll,  your 
committee  can  render  a great  service  to  this 
industry,  and  the  Independent  Theatre 
Owners  Association  heartily  endorses  such 
a move. 

“I  am  certain  that  the  findings  of  a poll 
conducted  by  your  committee  would  reflect 
the  feelings  of  theatre  owners  generally, 
including  that  great  mass  of  theatre  owners 
who  are  not  represented  by  any  exhibitor 
organization.” 

Myers  Statement 

Meanwhile,  Mr.  Brandt’s  testimony  be- 
fore the  subcommittee  last  Thursday  in- 
spired an  11-page,  single-spaced,  typewritten 
“supplemental”  statement  from  Allied’s  Mr. 
Myers.  Mr.  Myers’  statement,  released  to 
the  press  Wednesday,  will  be  inserted  into 
last  week’s  testimony  in  answer  to  certain 
statements  made  by  Mr.  Brandt  concerning 
Allied  and  especially  its  general  counsel. 

Mr.  Brandt  had  put  himself  on  record  as 
opposing  the  Allied  plan  for  Federal  reg- 
ulation of  the  industry  and  as  in  opposition 
to  the  inclusion  of  film  rentals  in  any 
arbitration  plan.  The  ITOA  has  endorsed 
the  current  draft  for  an  arbitration  system. 

Mr.  Myers,  in  his  statement,  declared  that 
Mr.  Brandt  “has  made  a career  of  attacking 
Allied  and  its  leaders  and  any  others  who 
may  from  time  to  time  have  challenged  the 
practices  of  the  major  film  companies  or 
their  affiliated  circuits.”  The  Allied  leader 
also  scoffed  at  the  ITOA  leader’s  descrip- 
tion of  his  association  (ITOA)  as  a “group 
of  small  theatres.”  The  small  theatres,  said 
Mr.  Myers,  include  some  of  the  top  Broad- 
way showcases. 

Answers  Brandt 

Mr.  Myers  also  mentioned  that  Mr. 
Brandt  runs  a booking  office  for  his  own 
theatres  and  any  of  those  ITOA  members 
“who  feel  that  the  benefit  of  large  group 
buying  might  be  of  help  to  them.”  Thus, 
said  the  Allied  general  counsel,  “when  Mr. 
Brandt  testifies  that  he  has  not  suffered 
from  some  of  the  practices  complained  about 
by  other  exhibitors,  his  testimony  must  be 
considered  in  the  light  of  the  fact  that,  when 
he  buys  pictures,  it  is  for  104  theatres.” 
Mr.  Myers  noted  that  Mr.  Brandt’s  New 
York  office  “is  within  easy  walking  distance 
of  the  principal  offices  of  the  major  film 
companies”  and  added  that  “from  this  coign 
of  vantage,  he  pretends  to  know  more  about 
what  Allied  members  in  remote  sections  of 
the  country  are  thinking  than  the  regional 
leaders  who  are  in  close  touch  with  them.” 


Plnn  Seen 
Progressing 

The  10-point  program  recommending 
ways  and  means  to  eliminate  some  of  the 
industry’s  major  problems,  which  was  sub- 
mitted last  January  by  Leonard  H.  Golden- 
son  and  Edward  L.  Hyman,  president  and 
vice-president,  respectively,  of  American 
Broadcasting-Paramount  Theatres,  Inc.,  is 
proceeding  on  schedule  and  gathering  mo- 
mentum all  the  time,  according  to  the  two. 

Mr.  Goldenson  and  Mr.  Hyman  said  it 
was  vital  that  each  and  every  point  in  the 
program  be  given  the  added  impetus  of  a 
complete  follow-through  in  order  to  avoid 
the  lethargy  that  sometimes  follows  the 
initial  enthusiasm  about  plans  of  this  nature. 
To  this  end  they  since  have  addressed  ex- 
hibitor and  producer  organizations  in  Bos- 
ton, Detroit,  Chicago  and  Los  Angeles 
explaining  the  various  points  in  the  pro- 
gram and  urging  cooperation. 

With  respect  to  the  first  point  calling  for 
an  orderly  distribution  of  quality  product 
throughout  the  year,  Mr.  Hyman  said,  “All 
of  the  distributors  have  agreed  to  the 
orderly-distribution  plan  and  I am  definitely 
of  the  opinion  that  this  coming  May  and 
June,  normally  one  of  the  ‘orphan’  periods 
I have  decried,  will  show  a substantial  im- 
provement in  quality  product.” 

Cooperation  Asked 

The  two,  in  turn,  have  urged  all  exhibitors 
to  show  their  cooperation  and  appreciation 
to  the  distributors  by  conceiving  and  con- 
summating advertising  and  exploitation 
campaigns  for  this  period  above  and  beyond 
the  normal.  Some  exhibitors  around  the 
country  already  have  sent  documentary  evi- 
dence of  their  extra  special  efforts  along 
these  lines  to  sales  managers  and  Mr. 
Hyman  has  expressed  confidence  that  the 
results  on  these  quality  pictures  in  May  and 
June  will  convince  distributors  to  continue 
with  the  plan. 

Another  point  in  the  program  which  calls 
for  the  continual  development  of  “new  faces 
and  talent”  is  being  utilized,  according  to 
the  AB-PT  executives.  Carol  Ohmart,  one 
of  Paramount’s  new  faces  soon  to  be  seen 
in  “The  Scarlet  Hour,”  will  make  personal, 
appearances  in  conjunction  with  its  open- 
ings. Mr.  Goldenson  said,  “I  feel  that  per- 
sonal appearances  of  this  kind  stimulate  and 
lend  impetus  to  the  business  in  the  areas 
where  they  take  place.  More  important  they 
are  part  of  the  ‘new  faces  and  talent’  plan 
which  I have  urged  for  a long  time.” 

Work  also  has  been  done  on  several  other 
points  in  the  program  including  “Better 
Publicity  Coverage  for  Hollywood  and 
Theatres”  and  “The  Rebirth  of  Showman- 
ship,” according  to  the  two  men.  They 
emphasized  that  every  person  with  a stake 
in  the  industry  must  not  and  cannot  cease 
his  efforts  until  the  program  is  a reality. 


14 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  APRIL  7,  1956 


Remember  his  name... 


You’ll  remember  all  of  the  exciting  p 


GLENN 

FORD 


star  of 
" Blackboard  Jungle’ 
and' 'Trial!" 
as  Jubal. . . 

Trouble  dung  to 
him- like  a 
wanton  woman! 


VALERIE 

FRENCH 


an  exciting  new 
screen  “find”, 
as  Mae... 

Restless,  young 
. . . and  married! 
She  can’t  keep  her 
hands  off  Jubal! 


ERNEST 

BORGNINE 


voted 

“Best  Actor” 
by  the  N.  Y.  Film 
Critics,  for" Marty” 
as  Shep... 
who  trusts  his  wife 
too  far  with  Jubal! 


if 


FELICIA 

FARR 


a bright  new 
talent,  as  Naomi. . 
whose  Ups  were 
untouched  by 
any  man’s 
. . . until 
Jubal! 


ROD 

STEIGER 


find  of  “On  the' 
Waterfront” 
the  badman 
who  isn’t  big 
enough... to  hold 
all  his  hate 
for  Jubal! 


Exciting 
is  the 
word  for 


Produced  by  WILLIAM  FADIMAN  • Directed iby  DELMER  DAVES  • A COLUMBIA  PICTURE 


Color  by 

CINemaScoPE  technicolor 


YOU'LL  REMEMBER  HIS  STORY.  . .THE  WAY  YOU  REMEMBER  THE  BOX-OFFICE  STORY  OF  “SHANE”! 


PRINTED  IN  U.S.A. 


U.S.  LEVELS  TRLST  LANCE 
AT  DRIVE-IN  OPERATION 


. . . Civil  anti-trust  action  cites 
Omaha  area  exhibitors,  claims 
admission,  refreshment  price 
fixing  by  defendant  firms 

WASHINGTON : In  an  action  which 
could  have  far-reaching  implication,  the 
Department  of  Justice  last  week  filed  a civil 
anti-trust  suit  charging  several  drive-in 
theatres  in  the  Omaha  area  with  fixing  ad- 
mission and  refreshment  prices. 

Named  as  defendants  in  the  suit,  filed  in 
the  Omaha  District  Court  last  Friday,  were 
the  Central  States  Theatre  Corporation,  Des 
Moines ; the  Center  Drive-In  Theatre  Com- 
pany, Lincoln,  Nebraska,  and  the  Midwest 
Drive-In  Theatre  Company,  Omaha.  Cen- 
tral States  operates  the  76th  and  West 
Dodge  drive-in  theatre  at  Omaha  and  the 
Council  Bluffs  drive-in  at  Council  Bluffs, 
Iowa.  Center  operates  the  84th  and  Center 
drive-in  at  Omaha,  while  Midwest  operates 
the  Airport  drive-in  at  Carter  Lake,  Iowa. 

Specifically  the  suit  states  that  beginning 
about  February  4,  1955,  the  defendants  be- 
came engaged  in  a combination  of  price 
fixing  for  admissions  to  their  theatres  and 
for  concessions.  The  Government  charges 
that  the  defendants  agreed : 

To  fix  uniform  and  non-com- 
petitive admission  prices; 

To  set  the  maximum  amounts 
for  newspaper  advertising  to  be 
spent  by  the  defendant  theatres; 

To  establish  non-competitive 
prices  for  food  and  beverages; 

To  threaten  to  refrain  from 
dealing  with  distributors  who 
provide  pictures  to  drive-in  thea- 
tres charging  admission  prices 
below  those  of  the  defendants. 

The  court  is  asked  to  enjoin  all  these 
practices. 

The  filing  of  civil  action  instead  of 
criminal  prosecution  was  explained  by 
Assistant  Attorney  General  Stanley  N. 
Barnes,  in  charge  of  the  anti-trust  division. 

Court  Ruling  Cited 

He  pointed  out  that  his  department  “has 
repeatedly  stated  that  it  will  normally  pro- 
ceed against  hard-core  violations,  including 
price  fixing,”  by  criminal  prosecution.  “But 
the  United  States  Court  of  Appeals  in 
1953,”  he  continued,  “held  that  an  anti-trust 
indictment  of  several  drive-in  theatres  in 
the  Chicago  area  for  fixing  admission  prices 
did  not  charge  an  offense  under  the  Sher- 
man Act. 

“It  held  that  the  allegations  in  the  indict- 
ment did  not  charge  that  the  defendants’ 
activities  restrained  interstate,  as  opposed 
from  local,  commerce.  Although  the  1953 


VIP  LIST  AMONG 
DRIVE-IN  OWNERS 

WASHINGTON:  Some  Very  Impor- 
tant People  are  connected  with  the 
defendant  companies  in  that  civil 
anti-trust  suit  filed  in  the  Federal 
District  Court  at  Omaha  against 
several  drive-in  theatres  in  that  area. 
Associated  with  the  Center  Drive-in 
Theatre  Corp.  are  United  States 
Senator  Roman  Hruska  (R.t  Neb.)  and 
Russell  Brehm,  of  Lincoln,  a Lancaster 
County  commissioner.  Officers  of  the 
Midwest  Drive-in  Theatre  Co.  in- 
clude J.  Robert  Hoff,  secretary  and 
sales  manager  of  the  Ballantyne  Com- 
pany, theatre  equipment  firm;  Bev- 
erly Hoff  and  Eugene  Blazer.  The 
president  and  treasurer  of  Central 
States  Theatres  is  Myron  N.  Blank, 
president  of  Theatre  Owners  of 
America. 


decision  involved  different  facts  and  arose 
in  a different  judicial  circuit,  we  determined 
to  make  an  exception  to  our  general  policy 
and  proceed  in  this  instance  on  the  civil  side, 
pending  a definite  judicial  ruling  on  the 
appliable  law.” 

MGM  Announces  Four 
April-May  Releases 

MGM  has  set  four  pictures  for  release 
during  April  and  May,  three  of  which  are 
in  CinemaScope  and  color  and  the  fourth  in 
wide  screen,  the  company  announces.  Two 
pictures  will  be  released  each  month.  In 
April,  there  will  be  “Tribute  to  a Bad  Man,” 
starring  James  Cagney,  Don  Dubbins, 
Stephen  McNally  and  Vic  Morrow,  and  in- 
troducing Irene  Papas,  and  “The  Swan,” 
starring  Grace  Kelly,  Alec  Guinness  and 
Louis  Jourdan.  Both  are  in  CinemaScope 
and  color.  For  May  there  will  be  “Gaby,” 
starring  Leslie  Caron,  John  Kerr  and  Taina 
Elg,  in  CinemaScope  and  color,  and  “The 
Rack,”  starring  Paul  Newman,  Wendell 
Corey,  Walter  Pidgeon  and  Anne  Francis, 
in  wide  screen  and  black  and  w’hite. 


" Lollipops " Opens  April  17 

The  opening  date  of  “Lovers  and  Lolli- 
pops” at  the  Normandie  theatre,  Newr  York, 
has  been  moved  back  one  day,  from  April 
16  to  April  17,  it  is  announced  by  Richard 
Brandt,  president  of  Trans-Lux  Distributing 
Corp.  Made  by  Morris  Engel  and  Ruth 
Orkin,  the  film  features  Lori  March,  Gerald 
O’Loughlin  and  Cathy  Dunn. 


Nine  in  VI  V>rA 
For  MGM 
During  April 

Production  will  hit  a five-year  high  at 
M-G-M  with  nine  pictures  before  the  cam- 
eras during  April,  according  to  the  produc- 
tion schedule  announced  this  week  by  Dore 
Schary,  studio  head.  Making  up  the  total 
are  six  new  starts  and  three  carry-overs. 

Leading  the  April  starts  is  "Raintree 
County,”  starring  Montgomery  Clift,  Eliza- 
beth Taylor  and  Eva  Marie  Saint.  David 
Lewis  is  producer.  Edward  Dmytryk  is 
director.  Filming  started  this  week. 

“The  Barretts  of  Wimpole  Street,”  star- 
ring Jennifer  Jones,  Sir  John  Gielgud  and 
Bill  Travers,  went  into  production  Tuesday 
at  M-G-M’s  London  studios.  Sam  Zim- 
balist  is  producer  and  Sidney  Franklin 
director. 

“Tea  and  Sympathy”  starts  Monday,  with 
Deborah  Kerr,  John  Kerr  and  Leif  Erickson 
in  starring  roles.  Pandro  S.  Berman  is  pro- 
ducer and  Vincente  Minnelli  is  director. 

“The  Power  and  the  Prize.”  starring 
Robert  Taylor,  Sir  Cedric  Hardwicke, 
Nichola  Michaels  and  Charles  Coburn,  will 
start  April  16.  Nicholas  Nayfack  is  pro- 
ducer and  Henry  Koster  is  director. 

On  the  same  day,  “The  Teahouse  of  the 
August  Moon,”  starring  Marlon  Brando, 
Glenn  Ford,  Michiko  Kyo  and  Eddie  Albert, 
goes  into  production  in  Japan.  Jack  Cum- 
mings produces  and  Daniel  Mann  directs. 

Set  for  an  April  30  start  is  "The  Painted 
Veil,”  subject  to  title  change,  with  Eleanor 
Parker  the  only  star  cast  to  date.  David 
Lewis  is  producer.  There  is  a possibility 
that  two  or  more  pictures  may  be  added  to 
the  April  schedule. 

Three  pictures  now  in  production  which 
will  carry  over  into  April  are:  “Somebody 
Up  There  Likes  Me,”  starring  Paul  New- 
man and  Pier  Angeli ; "The  Opposite  Sex.” 
starring  June  Allyson,  and  “Somewhere  I'll 
Find  Him,”  starring  James  Cagney  and 
Barbara  Stanwyck. 


New  Camera  Crane 

A new  low-cost  hydraulic  camera  crane 
which  resembles  the  long,  flexible  neck  of  its 
namesake  has  been  announced  by  S.O.S. 
Cinema  Supply  Corp.  Called  the  "giraffe.” 
it  features  an  aerial  platform  which  supports 
a load  up  to  450  pounds.  This  holds  a 
cameraman,  his  equipment,  and  an  assistant 
for  making  shots  from  high  angles,  espe- 
cially in  remote  angles. 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  APRIL  7,  1956 


19 


WASHING 


20th  CENTURY-FOX  presents 

ON  THE  THRESHOL 


starring 

GUY  MADISON  - VIRGINIA  LEITH  - JOHN  KODIAK  - DEAN  ItGGER  ««< . wimiKn . iiimi  « . s 


YING  START! 

2f , 

JfratWs  to 

ORNIA  HELICOPTER  PREVIEW! 
TON  INVITATIONAL  SHOWING! 
WEST  COAST  SATURATION ! 
GALA  NEW  YORK  PREMIERE! 

and  coming  up  next: 
NEW  ENGLAND  SATURATION! 
NTRAL  DIVISION  SATURATION! 


It  comes  backed  with  20th’ s 
area -TV  marketing  technique! 


LAUNCH  IT  WITH  OFFICIAL 
U.S.  AIR  FORCE  SUPPORT! 

Make  your  opening  a festive, 
important  event  with  the  co- 
operation of  the  USAF  base 
or  recruiting  station  nearest 
you  (see  list  in  Press  Book). 
Directive  has  alerted  all  in- 
stallations to  aid  playdates. 
Arrange  for 

PARADES 

BANDS 

DISPLAYS 

RADIO 

TOP-ECHELON 

PERSONNEL 

INFORMATION  BOOTHS 

INTERVIEWS 

CIVIC 

PROCLAMATIONS 

CEREMONIES 


Written  by 

M WINCELBERG  .n«  FRANCIS  COCKRELL  CINEMaScOPE 


COLOR  by 

DE  LUXE 


Box-office 

Altitude 

Unlimited! 


REMEMBER? 


THE  OLD  OPERA  HOUSE 


and  its 


u 


Next  Week:  'East  Lynne' 


n 


by  WALTER  BROOKS 

Director,  Managers  Round  Table 

There  are  many  of  you.  in  every  Round 
Table  meeting-,  who  will  remember  that 
billing  above — with  tears.  You  were  there, 
and  so  was  I,  since  this  is  in  first  person, — 
over  a period  of  nearly  50  years.  “Opera 
House  Tonight-’  was  where  I came  in — and 
probably,  where  I go  out.  I’ve  seen  the  show, 
and  now.  it’s  a memory.  But  the  lingering 
thought  of  the  old  Opera  Houses  has  very 
much  to  do  with  today’s  film  industry,  at  the 
local  level. 

Wonderful  Theatre 

In  my  home  town  of  Canton,  Pa.,  popula- 
tion 3,000,  we  had  a fine  Opera  House, 
seating  550,  a wonderful  theatre — a dream, 
I guess.  Built  by  a wealthy  Pennsylvania 
lumberman  in  1899,  it  was  a replica  of  the 
best  theatre  on  Broadway,  complete  in  every 
detail,  from  the  asbestos  curtain,  which 
weighed  two  tons,  and  was  painted  with  a 
stock-scene  of  the  canals  of  Venice — to  a 
marvelous  switchboard,  that  was  my  first 
love  in  the  theatre.  That  switchboard  in- 
trigued me  so  much  that  I signed  up  for  an 
ICS  course  in  electrical  engineering — but 
that’s  another  story. 

Our  Lewis  Opera  House  was  upstairs  in 
an  important  business  block,  and  it  was  con- 
demned by  the  state  authorities,  because  it 
was  upstairs,  and  that’s  why  the  old  Opera 
Houses  are  gone,  for  one  reason.  I was  the 
assistant  Property  Man — a good  job  for  a 
strong  boy  with  a weak  mind. 

Did  you  ever  see  a “Prop  List”  for  a visit- 
ing attraction?  They  wanted  such  items  as 
“one  kitchen  stove”— and  it  was  my  job  to 
borrow  same,  get  it  up  three  flights  of  stairs, 
and  get  it  back,  without  losing  a stove  lid  or 
a customer.  The  donor  got  a pair  of  passes, 
but  at  age  14,  I was  unpaid,  except  for  glory. 
I had  some  cards  printed  “Attache” — be- 
cause that  title  sounded  more  impressive 
than  “Asst.  Props.”  and  in  those  days,  you 
exchanged  cards  with  important  visitors  in 
the  profession  ! 

Really  Big  Stage 

We  had  some  good  shows  in  Canton — 
and  there  wTere  some  that  came  in  with  two 
baggage  cars  of  scenery.  We  had  a dozen 
sets  of  lines,  and,  incidentally,  32  feet  of  stage 
depth  from  the  curtain  to  the  back  wall.  The 
St.  James  theatre,  on  Broadway,  which  I 
managed  30  years  later,  and  where  “Okla- 
homa!” played  for  six  years,  has  only  28 
feet,  a smaller  stage ! Never  make  the  mis- 
take of  dismissing  the  small  town  opera 
houses ! They  were  better  than  Broadway 


boasts  today,  and  we  had  the  shows  ! Ex- 
citing, wonderful  shows ! 

It’s  amusing  to  recall  the  one-night  stand 
of  “Dr.  Jekyll  and  Mr.  Hyde” — with  me, 
smallest  of  the  theatre  staff,  under  the  sofa, 
down  stage  center.  When  “Dr.  Jekyll”  went 
into  his  conniption  fit  I was  under  that  sofa, 
handing  him  his  makeup,  to  become  the 
vicious  “Mr.  Hyde.”  Never  had  a bigger 
thrill  in  the  theatre,  in  50  years ! For  once  I 
was  playing  a part  on  the  stage,  if  not  visible 
to  the  audience. 

Canton  was  a theatrical  town — the  home 
of  Edgar  L.  Davenport,  great  Shakespearian 
actor  of  the  ’70s,  and  Kate  and  Fanny 
Davenport,  and  that  grand  old  man,  Harry 
L.  Davenport,  who  graduated  to  Hollywood 
and  died  there,  after  75  years  in  the  theatre. 
We  also  had  other  theatrical  celebrities,  and 
were  proud  of  our  traditions.  Frank  Mayo, 
another  great  actor  of  the  1870s,  was  the 
first  “Davy  Crockett” — and  he  built  a home 
in  our  town,  which  he  called  “Crockett 
Lodge.”  There  were  others — and  when  I 
was  very  young,  Canton  was  winter  quarters 
for  a circus ! 

Theatre  Condemned 

But  the  theatre  was  condemned,  and  many 
years  later  an  accumulation  of  gas  in  the 
closed-off  dressing  rooms  below  stage  ex- 
ploded in  the  night,  and  the  entire  block  was 
destroyed.  Not  merely  because  it  was  an 
"upstairs  house” — but  because  we  had  been 
condemned  to  idleness,  by  the  law,  and  the 
march  of  time.  A brick  wall,  80  feet  high  on 
the  stage  side,  blew  out  and  killed  three 
people.  Our  Opera  House  was  gone  forever, 
but  in  the  meantime,  the  movies  had  come  to 
Canton.  We  were  on  the  way  out,  but  we 
didn’t  know  it. 

The  first  of  these  new  ventures  was  the 
“AmusU”  theatre  on  Main  Street,  and  I was 
first  the  operator,  with  my  fascination  for 
electricity  in  all  its  forms.  We  built  our  own 
equipment  in  those  days,  using  an  Edison 
Klnetoscope  as  a base.  Then  followed  the 
Pastime,  the  Dreamland,  the  Plappy  Hour, 
but  this  is  a story  about  Opera  Houses.  Out- 
first  film  house  in  Canton  seated  less  than 
200,  using  the  undertaker’s  chairs — and  the 
movie  theatre  that  is  operating  today  in 
Canton  accomodates  less  than  300,  with  seats 
that  are  30  years  old. 

When  I was  16,  with  two  partners,  we 
took  over  the  Tioga  theatre  in  Owego,  N.  Y., 
another  fine  theatre  that  had  been  built  as 
a community  enterprise,  by  wealthy  people, 
as  their  contribution  to  local  culture.  It 
really  was  a fine  theatre — and  downstairs, 
on  the  street  level,  with  a great  stage,  in  a 
town  where  the  business  section  looked  like 


our  street  drop,  if  you  know  what  I mean. 
Just  about  as  active — nobody  moving,  but 
the  theatre  fooled  us  into  believing  that 
Owego  was  a good  show  town.  We  were 
using  vaudeville,  when  I made  my  first  long 
trip  away  from  home,  50  miles,  to  take  over. 

One  morning,  shortly  after  arriving  in 
Owego,  I came  down  to  the  theatre  to  find 
a disreputable  looking  group  of  characters 
on  the  front  steps,  and  I thought  there  ought 
to  be  a law  enforcement  officer  to  prevent 
such  vagrants.  I soon  found  out — this  was 
my  vaudeville  for  the  first  half!  That  night 
I made  my  first  curtain  speech,  without 
microphone.  I was  scared — and  with  reason. 
I fired  my  vaudeville  after  the  first  perform- 
ance, wrhich  was  legally  possible,  with  the 
payment  of  one-eighth  salary,  and  announced 
that  vaudeville  was  finished,  forever,  in  the 
Tioga  theatre,  under  my  management.  The 
talent  didn’t  like  it,  but  “my  public”  did! 

Straight  Picture  Policy 

They  cheered  my  resolution  to  adopt  a 
straight  picture  policy.  The  publisher  of  the 
weekly  newspaper  gave  me  his  editorial 
blessing  in  the  next  issue,  and  the  county 
sheriff  offered  me  police  protection,  which 
I needed,  until  the  authorities  escorted  my 
late  vaudeville  across  the  county  line. 

But  we  didn’t  forget  our  great  stage,  and 
to  keep  faith  with  the  community,  I pro- 
moted a home-talent  production  of  “Pina- 
fore” with  a cast  of  135  and  an  orchestra  of 
22  pieces  in  the  pit.  It  was  a great  success; 
we  rehearsed  four  weeks,  and  played  four 
days  to  capacity.  People  came  from  50  miles 
around.  I didn’t  stage  the  show — the  town 
had  the  talent.  I was  only  the  house  man- 
ager, 16  years  old,  and  frightened  out  of  my 
wits,  but  I take  credit  for  the  promotion, 
which  might  be  done  again  40  years  later. 
There’s  nothing  new  in  show  business.  The 
Tioga  is  still  operated,  by  the  Comerford  cir- 
cuit, with  the  same  showmanship  I left  there 
in  1914.  But  the  stage  is  haunted  ! 

Signed  a “ Contract’ ’ 

A lot  of  time,  and  water  under  the  bridge, 
and  then  came  Coatesville,  in  1916.  I signed 
a contract  to  manage  the  new  Auditorium 
theatre  for  the  YMCA,  for  an  assistant  sec- 
retary’s salary,  and  I married  and  furnished 
a nine-room  home.  In  Coatesville,  there 
was  also  an  old  Opera  House — decayed  and 
decrepit,  and  an  eyesore,  both  physically  and 
morally.  With  our  first  profits,  we  tore  it 
down.  The  Opera  House,  which  had  been 
a place  for  shoddy  and  off-color  shows, 
was  turned  into  a parking  lot. 

At  about  the  same  time,  nearby  Philadel- 
phia lost  many  of  its  legitimate  theatres, 
some  of  which  are  still  parking  lots.  We 
need  the  parking  lots  more  today  than  the 
old  Opera  Houses  that  formerly  occupied 
the  sites.  And  that  is  the  essence  of  this 
piece  of  personal  reminiscence.  The  Opera 
Houses  were  outmoded — and  they  were  de- 
stroyed for  local  reasons. 

All  this  is  prompted  by  the  question  put 
to  us  in  the  Allied  Independent  Theatre 
Owners  bulletin  from  Indiana,  when  Bill 
Carroll  said  that  if  we  knew  why  the  Opera 

(Continued  on  page  24) 


22 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  APRIL  7,  1956 


WE  DON’T  HAVE  TO 

DOLL  UP  THIS  AD 
FOR  YOUSE  GUYS! 

Here  are  the  amazing  Facts  about  the  holding  power 
of  "GUYS  AND  DOLLS It’s  got  LEGS!  (did  you  notice?) 

Imagine!  In  the  short  span  of  20  weeks  since  "GUYS  AND 

DOLLS”  went  into  release,  it  has  had  968  weeks  of  playing 

time  (gosh!  that’s  181/: 2 years!)  EVERYBODY  goes  to  see  it.  If 

you  haven’t  played  it  yet,  don’t  hold  out  on  your  patrons! 

Hold  it  for  a long  and  happy  run ! 

★ 

"G&D”  is  always  in  the  news.  Now  there’s  more  publicity  about  the  big  international  opening  in  Tokyo;  the  coming  ones  in  Hong  Kong 
April  11th  and  Manila , P.I.  April  13th.  Producer  Samuel  Goldwyn , star  Marlon  Brando  and  the  Goldwyn  Girls  (above)  are  there. 


Arkansas 
ITO  Meets 

HOT  SPRINGS.  ARK.:  Highlights  of  two- 
day  convention  of  the  Independent  Theatre 
Owners  of  Arkansas,  held  this  week  at  the 
\ elda  Rose  Motel  here,  were  the  election 
of  officers  and  the  talks  given  by  Robert  R. 
Livingston,  secretary  of  the  Theatre  Owners 
of  America;  Robert  J.  O’Donnell,  general 
manager  of  the  Interstate  Circuit,  Dallas, 
and  William  C.  Gehring,  20th-Fox  vice- 
president. 

Mr.  Livingston  said,  “Our  one  major 
problem,  which  we  can  all  agree  on,  can 
be  solved  by  more  product.  The  only  way 
to  get  more  product  is  through  the  divorced 
circuits.  They  have  the  means  and  they 
also  have  the  need.”  He  added  this  means 
also  more  good  product.  He  also  said  the 
goals  expressed  by  Myron  N.  Blank,  na- 
tional TOA  president,  “that  we  should  do 
everything  in  our  power  to  increase  the 
public’s  interest  in  the  motion  picture  theatre 
so  that  we  shall  have  a more  prosperous  in- 
dustry and  that  prosperity  should  be  shared 
by  all  branches  of  the  industry,”  carry  the 
support  of  its  officers,  its  board  and  its 
executive  committee. 

Mr.  O’Donnell  addressed  the  convention 
on  what  to  expect  in  theatre  operation 
while  Mr.  Gehring  spoke  on  what  to  expect 
from  producers  during  the  coming  year. 

James  Carbery,  of  Little  Rock,  was  re- 
elected president  of  the  local  group,  while 
other  officers  reelected  include  Fred  Brown, 
secretary-treasurer;  Nona  White,  executive 
secretary-treasurer,  and  K.  K.  King,  chair- 
man of  the  board.  District  vice-presidents 
reelected  were:  first,  Orris  Collins;  second, 
Bill  Headstream ; third,  E.  W.  Savage; 
fourth,  Charles  Revely;  fifth,  Roy  Cochran. 


OPERA  HOUSE 

( Continued  from  page  22) 

Houses  were  gone,  perhaps  it  could  guide 
and  serve  in  the  afifairs  of  existing  theatres. 

Bill  didn’t  think  that  local  reasons  could 
be  blamed  for  the  loss  of  the  Opera  Houses. 
Yet  the  last  time  I was  in  Indianapolis,  the 
dirtiest  theatre  I’ve  ever  known,  which  ran 
the  filthiest  kind  of  burlesque,  was  located 
on  North  Illinois  Street,  within  a block  or 
so  of  the  Allied  office. 

The  same  thing  was  true  in  Des  Moines, 
where  another  old  theatre,  decadent  and 
dirty,  ran  burlesque,  practically  across  the 
street  from  the  Fort  Des  Moines  Hotel. 
Such  entertainment  in  the  cultural  capitol 
cities  of  the  midwest ! No  wonder  they’re 
gone,  and  good  riddance. 

The  movies  put  the  Opera  Houses  out  of 
business,  and  what  comes  next  will  have 
similar  effect,  unless  and  until  we  look  into 
the  crystal  ball  and  foretell  our  own  future. 
You’ll  find  it — in  our  new  dimensions,  new 
techniques,  new  aspect  ratios,  but  you’ll 
find  nothing  but  memories  upstairs,  where 
the  old  Opera  Houses  used  to  be,  and  where 
you  will  also  find  this  observer  in  due  time. 


PINANSKI  SEES  "GOOD  CASE”  FOR 
TAX  RELIEF;  URGES  STRONG  CAMPAIGN 


Sam  Pinanski,  COMPO  co-chair- 
man, just  returned  from  Washington, 
expressed  optimism  this  week  over  the 
prospects  of  success  of  the  current 
campaign  to  bring  about  the  admission 
tax  repeal. 

“I  am  more  confident  than  ever  that 
we  can  obtain  tax  relief  at  this  session 
of  Congress,”  Mr.  Pinanski  said,  “but 
we  shall  have  to  work  for  it.  By  that 
I mean  that  theatre  men  at  the  grass- 
roots level  must  keep  after  their  Con- 
gressmen and  Senators  until  the  law- 
makers realize  that  tax  relief  is  abso- 
lutely necessary  immediately  if  this 
great  industry  is  to  continue  in  exis- 
tense.  The  Easter  Congressional  re- 
cess gives  an  excellent  opportunity  for 
this  work. 

“I  honestly  believe  our  greatest  road- 
block could  be  our  own  failure  to  press 
our  campaign  with  Senators  and  Con- 
gressmen. While  in  Washington  I 
talked  with  several  leaders  and  I was 
enormously  encouraged  by  the  friendly 
attitude  which  they  showed  toward  our 
industry  and  its  problems.  At  the 
same  time  I was  given  information 
that  indicated  we  were  completely  just- 
ified in  our  original  belief  that  this  year 


was  the  time  to  seek  tax  relief.  I can- 
not be  too  emphatic  in  stating  that  our 
prospects  are  excellent. 

“For  a long  time  I was  alone,  or 
practically  alone,  in  my  efforts  to  get 
a tax  campaign  under  way  this  year. 
Thanks,  however,  to  the  magnificent 
work  done  by  Bob  O'Donnell  and  his 
tax  committee,  as  well  as  by  Bob  Coyne 
and  the  COMPO  staff,  my  early  ap- 
peals to  exhibitors  to  seek  further  tax 
relief  are  now  bearing  fruit. 

“There  is  a great  deal  going  on  in 
Washington  that  does  not  get  into  the 
newspapers.  As  a consequence,  some 
people  in  our  industry  do  not  realize 
the  possibilities  for  tax  relief  that  can 
be  developed  if  we  only  work  hard 
enough.  I want  to  tell  my  friends  in 
the  industry  that  if  we  can  roll  up  good 
solid  support  in  both  houses  of  Con- 
gress we  will  have  an  excellent  chance 
of  success  in  this  session,  in  my  opin- 
ion. 

“In  view  of  the  conditions  that  I 
know  exist  in  Washington,  I want  to 
say  that  anybody  in  this  industry  who 
fails  to  push  this  campaign  is  doing 
himself  and  his  family  a disservice  he 
will  always  regret.” 


20th  Century-Fox  Sales 
Meeting  Held  on  Coast 

HOLLYWOOD:  A meeting  of  20th  Cen- 
tury-Fox domestic  and  Canadian  division 
managers  has  been  called  here  by  Alex 
Harrison  general  sales  manager  for  Thurs- 
day and  Friday.  President  Spyros  P. 
Skouras,  vice-presidents  Charles  Einfeld  and 
W.  C.  Gehring  and  eastern  sales  manager 
C.  Glenn  Norris  joined  field  sales  heads  at 
the  parleys  covering  the  handling  of  an 
amplified  lineup  of  34  CinemaScope  produc- 
tions budgeted  at  $100,000,000.  Studio  ex- 
ecutives headed  by  Buddy  Adler  attended 
the  meeting  to  describe  the  roster  of  coming 
CinemaScope  and  CinemaScope  55  attrac- 
tions to  be  handled  by  the  distribution  or- 
ganization in  the  coming  months. 

20th-Fox  to  Release 
Three  Films  in  April 

Continuing  its  policy  of  releasing  two 
CinemaScope  attractions  each  month,  20th 
Century-Fox  has  scheduled  two  top-bud- 
geted attractions  in  this  medium  plus  one 
regular  dimension  film  for  April  release,  the 
company  announces.  All  three  films  are  in 
color.  The  two  CinemaScope  films  are 


“Hilda  Crane,”  with  Jean  Simmons  and  Guy 
Madison,  directed  by  Philip  Dunne,  and 
“The  Revolt  of  Mamie  Stover,”  starring 
Jane  Russell  and  Richard  Egan,  directed  by 
Raoul  Walsh.  “Mohawk,”  an  Edward  L. 
Alperson  standard  dimension  film,  stars 
Scott  Brady,  Rita  Gam  and  Neville  Brand, 
and  was  directed  by  Kurt  Neumann. 

Universal  Plans  Sales 
Conference  April  19-2  7 

Lhiiversal  Pictures  Company  has  an- 
nounced a three-day  mid-year  sales  execu- 
tives conference  of  its  home  office  sales 
cabinet  and  district  sales  managers  at  the 
Hotel  Drake  in  Chicago  April  19-21  with' 
Charles  J.  Feldman,  vice-president  and  gen- 
eral sales  manager,  presiding.  Alfred  E. 
Daff,  executive  vice-president,  will  attend 
opening  day  sessions.  Highlighting  the 
agenda  will  be  formulation  of  the  company’s 
releasing  plans  for  the  Summer  and  Fall. 


Columbia  Votes  Dividend 

Columbia  Pictures  board  of  directors  has 
declared  a quarterly  dividend  of  $1.06)4  per 
share  on  the  $4.25  cumulative  preferred 
stock  of  the  company,  payable  May  15  to 
stockholders  of  record  May  1. 


24 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  APRIL  7,  195* 


iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiimiiiiimiiiiiiimi  iii  111  iii  111  mill  mi 


THIS  WEEK  IN 
PRODUCTION: 


a 


cene 


STARTED  (8] 

COLUMBIA 

Shakedown  on  Biscayne 
Bay 

MGM 

Raintree  County 
(Color) 

PARAMOUNT 

The  Loves  of  Omar 
Khayyam  (Vista- 
Vision;  Technicolor) 
The  Lonely  Man 
(Vista  Vision; 

COMPLETED  (7) 

INDEPENDENT 

Scandal,  Inc. 

(Bonanza  Prods.) 

Girls  in  Prison  (Golden 
State  Prod.) 

X — The  Unknown 
(Hammer  Prod. — 

Sol  Lesser  Co. -Prod.) 

UNITED  ARTISTS 

Blood  Brothers 
(Grant  Prods.) 

SHOOTING  (24) 

ALLIED  ARTISTS 

The  Young  Guns 
The  Intruder 

BUENA  VISTA 

Westward  Ho,  the 
Wagons!  (Walt 
Disney  Prod.; 
CinemaScope; 
Technicolor) 

COLUMBIA 

Nightfall 

(Copa  Prods.) 

Reprisal  (Romson 
Prods.;  Technicolor) 

INDEPENDENT 

Hot  Rod  Girl 

(Nacirema  Prod.) 

MGM 

Julie  (Arwin  Prods.) 
Somewhere  I'll  Find 
Him 

The  Opposite  Sex 
( CinemaScope; 
Eastman  Color) 
Somebody  Up  There 
Likes  Me 

PARAMOUNT 

The  Maverick 
(VistaVision; 
Technicolor) 

Gunfight  at  OK  Corral 
(VistaVis  ion; 
Technicolor) 


Technicolor) 

UNITED  ARTISTS 

Pharaoh's  Curse 
(Bel-Air  Prod.) 

U-l 

The  Mole  People 
The  Great  Man 

WARNER  BROS. 

The  Wrong  Man 
(Alfred  Hitchcock 
Prod.) 


Gun  the  Man  Down 
( Morrison-McLaglen) 

U-l 

Francis  in  the  Haunted 
House 

WARNER  BROS. 

The  Burning  Hills 
(CinemaScope; 
WarnerColor) 


REPUBLIC 

Thunder  Over  Arizona 
(Trucolor) 

(formerly  "'Warrens 
of  Arizona") 

RKO  RADIO 

Beyond  a Reasonable 
Doubt 

Tension  at  Table  Rock 
(Color) 

Back  From  Eternity 

20TH-FOX 

The  Day  the  Century 
Ended  (Cinema- 
Scope; Color) 

Bus  Stop  (Cinema- 
Scope; Technicolor) 

UNITED  ARTISTS 

The  Lonely  Gun 
(Robert  L.  Jacks 
Prod.) 

The  Sharkfighte  rs 
(Samuel  Goldwyn, 

Jr.  Prod.;  Cinema- 
Scope; Color) 

U-l 

Kelly  and  Me  (Cinema- 
Scope; Technicolor) 

Battle  Hymn  (Cinema- 
Scope; Technicolor) 

Istanbul  (Cinema- 
Scope; Technicolor) 

WARNER  BROS. 

Toward  the  Unknown 
(Toluca  Prods.; 
WarnerColor) 


llllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll 


HOLLYWOOD  BUREAU 

The  production  pace  mounted  during  the 
week,  on  the  start  of  photographing  of 
eight  pictures,  offset  by  the  completion  of 
shooting  on  seven  others.  The  producing 
companies,  collectively,  had  32  films  in 
camera  stage  of  production  at  weekend. 

Outstanding  among  the  new  undertakings 
is  M-G-M’s  "Raintree  County,”  which  is 
the  first  picture  to  be  filmed  in  the  company’s 
new  65mm  system,  a process  declared  cap- 
able of  furnishing  prints  of  any  and  all 
sizes  and  shapes  for  any  and  all  theatres, 
drive-ins  or  other  auditoria.  M-G-M’s  pub- 
licity has  called  this  production’s  budget, 
stated  at  $5,000,000,  the  biggest  in  the  com- 
pany’s domestic  history  (which  appears  to 
exempt  from  comparison  the  studio’s  “Quo 
Vadis”  and  possibly  other  giants  filmed 
abroad).  Montgomery  Clift,  Elizabeth  Tay- 
lor, Tom  Drake,  Eva  Marie  Saint,  Agnes 
Moorehead,  Jarma  Lewis  and  Walter  Abel 
have  principal  roles  in  the  picture,  which  is 
being  produced  by  David  Lewis  and  direc- 
ted by  Edward  Dmytryk.  The  cinematog- 
raphy, a vital  factor  in  this  or  any  $5,000,000 
innovation,  is  in  the  capable  care  of  Robert 
L.  Surtees,  whose  skill  and  artistry  are 
attested  by  two  Academy  awards. 

Two  for  Paramount 

Paramount  started  two  pictures  in  Vista- 
Vision  with  color  by  Technicolor. 

“The  Loves  of  Omar  Khayyam”  is  being 
produced  by  Frank  Freeman,  Jr.,  and 
directed  by  William  Dieterle.  It  has  Cornel 
Wilde,  Michael  Rennie,  Debra  Paget,  Mar- 
garet Hayes,  Perry  Lopez,  Joan  Taylor  and 
Henry  Brandon  in  a large  cast. 

“The  Lonely  Man”  is  being  produced  by 
Pat  Duggan  and  directed  by  Henry  Levin. 
It  has  Jack  Palance,  Anthony  Perkins, 
Neville  Brand,  Elaine  Aiken  and  Robert 
Middleton  in  important  roles. 

Alfred  Hitchcock  Productions  went  to 
work  on  “The  Wrong  Man”  in  New  York 
with  the  right  man,  Alfred  Hitchcock,  pro- 
ducing and  directing.  Henry  Fonda  and 
Vera  Miles  are  his  top  players,  and  Warner 
Brothers  will  do  the  distributing. 

Universal-International  started  two  pic- 
tures. 

Producer  Aaron  Rosenberg  started  “The 
Great  Man,”  with  Jose  Ferrer,  Joanne  Gil- 
bert, Keenan  Wynn,  Mona  Freeman,  Russ 
Morgan  and  Julie  London,  directed  by 
Ferrer. 

Producer  William  Alland  started  “The 
Mole  People,”  with  John  Agar,  Cynthia 
Patrick  and  Arthur  D.  Gilmour,  directed  by 
Virgil  Vogel. 

“Shakedown  on  Biscayne  Bay”  is  a Sam 
Katzman  production  for  Columbia,  directed 
by  Fred  F.  Sears,  with  Lee  J.  Cobb.  Patricia 
Medina.  Edward  Arnold,  Chris  Alcaide  and 
others  in  the  cast. 

“Pharaoh’s  Curse”  is  a Bel-Air  Produc- 


tion for  United  Artists  release.  Players  in- 
clude Mark  Dana,  Ziva  Shapir  and  Diane 
Brewster.  Aubrey  Schenck  is  executive 
producer,  Howard  W.  Koch  is  producer  and 
Lee  Sholem  is  directing. 

Urges  Care 
la  Pictures 
Sent  Abroad 

by  SAMUEL  D.  BERNS 

HOLLYWOOD:  “A  more  careful  selec- 
tion of  subject  material  for  films  that  will 
reach  foreign  screens  is  needed  to  influence 
our  good-will  abroad,”  Ray  Milland  said  on 
his  return  from  making  a film  in  Lisbon. 

The  actor,  who  entered  the  ranks  of  pro- 
ducer-directors with  “Lisbon,”  the  first  of 
four  films  he  will  make  for  Republic  Pic- 
tures, said  he  spent  90  per  cent  of  his  social 
life  in  Europe  trying  to  excuse  the  showing 
of  a number  of  recent  films  as  false  im- 
pressions of  the  general  life  in  America. 

The  depiction  of  violence  among  our 
youth,  which  suggest  growing  unrest  among 
the  nation’s  juveniles  is  causing  concern  in 
many  embassy  quarters.  Reactionaries 
abroad  find  these  films  good  propaganda 
weapons  against  the  country  that  produced 
them,  Mr.  Milland  stated. 

Proper  steps  should  be  taken  to  prevent 
the  export  of  films  exploiting  examples  of 
life  in  America,  which  could  be  construed 
as  being  symbolic  of  general  conditions.  All 
films  should  be  judiciously  prepared  for 
foreign  distribution.  “We  are  not  only  doing 
our  country  an  injustice  at  a time  when 
goodwill  should  be  our  chief  concern,  but 
are  also  jeopardizing  the  international  mar- 
keting of  other  films,  withheld  by  the  limited 
issuance  of  licenses,”  Mr.  Milland  said. 

“Let  us  pick  our  subjects  to  portray 
America  as  it  really  is,”  Mr.  Milland  urged. 

Walt  Disney  Feature 
To  Open  in  Atlanta 

A parade,  a costume  ball  and  other  festivi- 
ties will  highlight  the  Atlanta  world  pre- 
miere of  Walt  Disney’s  newest  feature,  “The 
Great  Locomotive  Chase,”  June  8 at  Loew’s 
Grand  theatre.  The  two-day  program  is 
under  the  joint  sponsorship  of  the  Georgia 
Federation  of  Women’s  Clubs  and  the 
Young  Matrons’  Circle  for  Tallulah  Falls 
School,  and  all  proceeds  of  the  various  func- 
tions will  go  toward  maintenance  of  the 
school.  Attending  will  be  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Disney  and  stars  of  the  picture,  including 
Fess  Parker,  Jeffrey  Hunter  and  Jeff  York. 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  APRIL  7,  1956 


25 


for  to  carry  you  away. . . 


Music  and  Movies  go  together.  Audiences  are 
carried  away  by  melody  and  action  when  the 
picture  — black  and  white  or  bright  with  color— is 
made  with  all  the  “savvy”  of  today’s  newest  tech- 
nics in  production,  processing  and  projection.  These 


technics  the  Eastman  Technical  Service,  working 
hand-in-hand  with  the  industry,  has  helped  to  de- 
velop. Inquiries  invited. 

Address:  Motion  Picture  Film  Department 

EASTMAN  KODAK  COMPANY,  Rochester  4,  N.  Y. 


East  Coast  Division 

342  Madison  Ave.,  New  York  17,  N.  Y. 


Midwest  Division 

1 37  North  Wabash  Ave.,  Chicago  2,  III. 


West  Coast  Division 

6706  Santa  Monica  Blvd.,  Hollywood  38,  Calif. 


RKO  TO  DISTRIBUTE  "OKLAHOMA!" 
IN  ALL  VERSIONS  OUTSIDE  U.S. 

RKO  Pictures  will  distribute  Rodgers  and  Hammer  stein's  “Oklahoma!” 
throughout  the  world  outside  of  the  United  States  and  Canada,  it  was 
announced  jointly  this  week  by  Daniel  T.  O’Shea,  president  of  RKO,  and 
George  P.  Skouras,  president  of  Magna  Theatre  Corp.  The  agreement 
provides  that  RKO  will  handle  the  picture  whether  it  is  shown  in  Todd-AO, 
CinemaScope,  or,  later  on,  in  standard  version. 

Following  the  conclusion  of  the  distribution  agreement,  Mr.  Skouras 
left  for  Europe  to  investigate  the  possibilities  of  opening  the  Todd-AO 
version  there. 

Mr.  O’Shea  said  RKO  is  very  interested  in  and  is  considering  the  early 
production  of  certain  important  properties  in  the  Todd-AO  system  to  be 
exhibited  on  a roadshow  basis. 

Mr.  Skouras,  in  expressing  his  confidence  in  the  concluded  agreement 
between  RKO  and  Magna,  said:  “For  many  years  RKO  has  been  a vital 
force  in  the  progress  of  the  motion  picture  industry  here  and  abroad. 
I feel  that  the  new  leadership  under  Dan  O’Shea  provides  the  strength 
and  imagination  necessary  to  the  RKO  organization  to  fulfill  the  expecta- 
tions of  such  a great  production  as  Rodgers  & Hammerstein’s 
‘Oklahoma!’.” 

Mr.  O’Shea  further  added:  “Rodgers  & Hammerstein’s  ‘Oklahoma!’  is 
more  than  a motion  picture  ...  it  is  basic  Americana.  Its  anticipated 
success  abroad  will  not  only  bring  to  the  people  of  the  world  the  greatest 
entertainment  ever  expected,  but  will  afford  an  opportunity  to  the  world’s 
motion  picture  audiences  to  enhance  their  understanding  of  our  people’s 
wholesome  attributes.” 


British  Wage 
Pact  Is  Set 
Far  Studios 

by  PETER  BURNUP 

LOS  DOS:  The  Producers’  Association 

here  announced  that  it  has  reached  agree- 
ment for  increases  in  the  wages  of  studio 
workers  in  membership  of  the  Association 
of  Cinematograph  and  Allied  Technicians. 
The  agreement  went  into  effect  as  of  March 
26.  1956. 

Details  are  as  follows : 

1.  All  minimum  salaries  for  A.C.T. 
members  (excluding  supplementary  grades) 
which  do  not  exceed  £26.  9s.  4d.  shall  be 
increased  by  £1.  Os.  Od.  per  week. 

2.  The  minimum  salaries  of  supplemen- 
tary grades  shall  be  increased  by  13s.  4d. 
per  week  (i.e.  two-thirds  of  the  increase  to 
grades  tabulated  in  the  schedule,  as  on  previ- 
ous occasions). 

3.  The  minimum  salary  of  £30.  Os.  Od. 
shall  be  increased  by  £3.  Os.  Od.  per  week. 

3.  The  minimum  salary  of  £40.  Os.  Od. 
shall  be  increased  by  £4.  Os.  Od.  per  week. 

5.  Members  not  entitled  to  payment  for 
overtime  shall  receive  a supper  allowance 
of  10s.  Od.  should  overtime  work  be  called 
for  and  worked  up  till  or  beyond  the  normal 
supper  break.  The  same  would  apply  on 
location  except  where  meals  are  provided. 

• 

H.  Victor  Green  has  been  appointed  to 
head  Republic  Pictures  in  Great  Britain. 
He  has  been  general  manager  for  the  com- 
pany in  Australia,  New  Zealand  and  South 
Africa.  Mr.  Green  was  expected  to  arrive 
in  London  with  Reginald  Armour  April  5. 
• 

Tributes  currently  are  being  showered  in 
this  town  on  Warner  Bros,  and  their  dis- 
tinguished history  as  film  makers.  The 
British  Film  Institute  is  sponsoring  a 
Warner  Season  at  the  National  Film  The- 
atre, at  which  a series  of  the  company’s 
more  notable  pictures  are  being  screened. 
Last  week  the  BBC  put  out  a television  pro- 
gramme, ‘‘Tribute  to  Warner  Bros.,”  cover- 
ing the  history  of  the  company  right  back 
into  silent  days  and  including  clips  from  a 
score  of  films. 

Highly  impressed  trade  and  technical 
audiences  attended  the  first  demonstration 
here  of  the  Vidoscope  16mm  anamorphic 
lens.  The  demonstrations  were  held  in 
Granada  Theatres’  private  projection  room 
and  were  introduced  by  Nat  Miller,  man- 
aging director  of  the  British  Vidoscope 
Company.  RCA  will  distribute  the  lens  here 
and  Vidoscope  will  distribute  it  elsewhere. 
Cost  will  be  about  £100  and  supplies  are 
immediately  available. 

• 

Following  the  appointment  of  James  F. 
Pattinson  as  20th  Century-Fox’s  managing 
director  here,  it  is  announced  that  Percy 


Livingstone,  assistant  sales  manager  to  the 
company,  becomes  general  sales  manager. 

Mr.  Livingstone  has  spent  the  whole  of 
his  working  life  with  20th-Fox.  He  joined 
the  company  in  Leeds  in  1931  as  a clerk 
and  was  appointed  a salesman  in  1934.  From 
June,  1939  until  October,  1945,  he  was 
Dublin  branch  manager. 

* 

A dividend  of  15  per  cent — against  five 
per  cent  last  year — has  been  declared  on  its 
ordinary  shares  by  British  Lion  Studio 
Company,  an  affiliate  of  the  Government- 
controlled  British  Lion  Films,  Ltd.  Two 
years  ago  there  was  no  payment  on  the 
ordinaries.  Before  that,  however,  a 15  per 
cent  dividend  had  been  paid  regularly. 

• 

More  personnel  were  employed  on  feature 
film  production  here  during  the  three  months 
ending  December  31,  1955,  than  at  any  com- 
parable period  since  September,  1953. 
Figures  issued  by  the  Joint  Production  Ad- 
visory Committee  show  a total  at  December 
31  last  of  3,977. 


Murray  Joins  Whitney 

HOLLYWOOD : Jack  Murray  has  been 
signed  to  a contract  as  supervising  editor 
of  C.  V.  Whitney  Pictures,  Inc.,  it  is  an- 
nounced by  Merian  C.  Cooper,  vice-presi- 
dent and  executive  producer. 


U.A.  to  Release  Four 
Pictures  in  April 

Robert  Rossen’s  CinemaScope  production, 
“Alexander  the  Great,”  heads  the  list  of 
United  Artists’  releases  set  for  national  dis- 
tribution in  April,  it  is  announced  by 
William  J.  Heineman,  vice-president  in 
charge  of  distribution.  Other  U.  A.  releases 
for  April  are  “Timetable,”  “The  Broken 
Star”  and  “The  Creeping  Unknown.” 
“Timetable,”  starring  Mark  Stevens,  was 
produced  and  directed  by  Mr.  Stevens  and 
written  for  the  screen  by  Aben  Kandel. 
“The  Broken  Star”  has  Howard  Duff  and 
Bill  Williams  in  the  lead  and  was  directed 
by  Leslie  Selander.  “The  Creeping  Un- 
known” stars  Brian  Donlevy  and  Margia 
Dean  and  was  directed  by  Val  Guest. 

National  Theatres  Bids 
For  Reno  Drive-in 

WASHINGTON : National  Theatres  will 
ask  the  New  York  District  Court  for  per- 
mission to  acquire  the  Midway  drive-in  thea- 
tre near  Reno,  Nevada,  according  to  Justice 
Department  officials.  No  date  has  yet  been 
set  for  the  court  hearing.  The  drive-in, 
about  two  miles  southeast  of  Reno,  has  a 
443-car  capacity,  and  can  be  expanded  to  an 
800-car  capacity.  Floyd  C.  Bernard  is  the 
present  operator. 


28 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  APRIL  7,  1956 


B ox  Office  Champions 
For  March 

The  box  office  champions  for  the  month  of  March,  listed  alpha- 
betically below,  are  selected  on  the  basis  of  reports  from  key  city 
first  ran  theatres  throughout  the  country. 


J Units  to 
Produce  for 
JXetr  Firm 

HOLLY U 'OOD : Five  independent  pro- 

duction units  have  been  signed  to  produce 
for  the  newly-formed  American  Interna- 
tional Pictures,  which  will  function  pri- 
marily as  a distributing  organization,  it  was 
announced  this  week  by  the  company. 

Tames  H.  Nicholson  heads  the  new  firm 
as  president.  World-wide  distribution  has 
been  -et  up.  and  franchises  have  been  estab- 
lished in  South  America  in  the  company’s 
universal  distribution  policy. 

Golden  State  Productions,  Sunset  Pro- 
ductions. Nacirema,  Angel  Productions,  and 
Roger  Corman  will  produce  the  features  on 
what  Mr.  Nicholson  says  will  be  “modest 
budgets  with  particular  attention  given  to 
their  exploitation  and  box  office  possibilities. 
Except  for  the  Westerns,  we  plan  to  pro- 
duce these  pictures  in  pairs,  with  double 
bill  ads  and  exploitation  material.” 

Announces  Several  Titles 

Referring  to  coming  films,  Mr.  Nicholson 
announced  that  Golden  State  will  produce 
“Girls  in  Prison”  and  “The  She  Creature,” 
to  be  followed  by  “Hell’s  Canyon.”  Sunset, 
with  Mr.  Nicholson  at  the  executive  pro- 
duction helm,  will  produce  “It  Conquered 
the  Earth”  and  “Keepers  of  the  Earth.” 
Nacirema  has  “Hot  Rod  Girl”  in  the  cut- 
ting room,  with  “The  Invisible  Monster” 
and  two  Westerns  to  follow.  Angel  Pro- 
ductions has  a May  camera  date  for  “Dead 
Man’s  Gun”  with  one  or  two  untitled  films 
to  follow.  Mr.  Corman  plans  to  produce 
three  features  through  his  own  company,  in 
addition  to  making  several  for  Sunset  Pro- 
ductions. 

Can  Create  Story  Material 

“Hot  Rod  Girl”  and  “Girls  in  Prison” 
w ill  be  released  in  mid-May  as  a double  bill, 
to  be  followed  in  June  with  the  combined 
program  of  “It  Conquered  the  Earth”  and 
“The  She  Creature.” 

In  a reference  to  story  properties,  Mr. 
Nicholson  added:  “We  feel  we  can  create 
our  own  and  tailor  them  to  the  needs  of  the 
current  market.  We  have  talked  to  ex- 
hibitors from  coast  to  coast,  including  cir- 
cuits and  independents,  and  have  outlined 
our  program  to  them.  We  have  been,  and 
will  continue  to  be,  guided  by  the  advice  and 
opinions  of  the  exhibitor.  Good  exploitable 
product  for  the  average  theatre  is  badly 
needed;  our  program  is  to  fulfill  this  need.” 


20th-Fox  Unit  Moves 

Twentieth  Century-Fox’s  Pittsburgh  ex- 
change will  move  to  new  quarters  effective 
April  16,  according  to  an  announcement 
from  the  home  office.  The  new  address  is 
1723-25  Boulevard  of  the  Allies.  Nat  Rosen 
is  branch  manager. 


Carousel 

( 20th  Century-Fox ) 

CinemaSeope  55 

Produced  by  Henry  Ephron. 
Directed  by  Henry  King.  Written  by 
Pboebe  and  Henry  Ephron  with  Music 
and  Lyrics  by  Richard  Rodgers  and 
Oscar  Hamnierstein  II.  In  De  Luxe 
Color.  Cast : Gordon  MacRae,  Shirley 
Jones,  Cameron  Mitchell,  Barbara 
Ruick,  Claramae  Turner,  Robert 
Rounseville,  Gene  Lockhart,  Audrey 
Christie,  Susan  Luckey,  William  Le 
Massena,  John  Dehner,  Jacques  D’Am- 
boise. 

The  Conqueror 

(RKO  Radio ) 

CinemaSeope 

Produced  and  directed  by  Dick 
Powell.  Written  by  Oscar  Millard. 
Associate  Producer  — Richard  Soko- 
love.  Color  by  Technicolor.  Cast: 
John  Wayne,  Susan  Hayward,  Pedro 
Armendariz,  Agnes  Moorehead, 
Thomas  Gomez,  John  Hoyt,  William 
Conrad,  Ted  de  Corsia,  Leslie  Brad- 
ley, Lee  Van  Cleef,  Peter  Mamakos. 

Guys  and  Dolls 

( Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer  ) 

CinemaSeope 

Produced  by  Samuel  Goldwyn. 
Directed  and  written  by  Joseph  L. 
Mankiewicz  (from  the  hook  by  Jo 
Swerling  and  Abe  Burrows  from  a 
Damon  Runyon  Story.)  Eastman 
Color.  Cast:  Marlon  Brando,  Jean 
Simmons,  Frank  Sinatra,  Vivian 
Blaine,  Robert  Keith,  Stubby  Kaye,  B. 
S.  Pully,  Johnny  Silver,  Sheldon 
Leonard,  Dan  Dayton,  George  E. 
Stone,  Regis  Toomey,  Kathryn  Giv- 
ney,  Veda  Ann  Borg,  Mary  Alan 
Hokanson,  The  Goldwyn  Girls. 
( Champion  for  the  fourth  month.) 


Center  Spread  Ad  on 
" Conqueror " in  New  York 

RKO  Pictures,  in  a bid  for  the  usually 
heavy  Easter  Week  business,  had  a unique 
advertisement  in  last  Friday’s  edition  of  the 
New  York  Daily  Mirror.  It  featured  a pic- 
ture and  text  center  spread  layout  which 
simulated  the  newspaper’s  usual  center 
spread  of  news  pictures.  The  ad  itself  was 
the  center  of  a 12-page  special  amusement 
section.  The  day  the  ad  appeared  was  the 
opening  day  at  the  Criterion  theatre. 


I'll  Cry  Tomorrow 

( Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer  ) 

Produced  by  Lawrence  Weingarlen. 
Directed  by  Daniel  Mann.  Written 
by  Helen  Deutsch  and  Jay  Richard 
Kennedy  (based  on  the  hook  by  Lil- 
lian Roth,  Mike  Connolly  and  Gerold 
Frank).  Cast:  Susan  Hayward,  Rich- 
ard Conte,  Eddie  Albert,  Jo  Van  Fleet, 
Don  Taylor,  Ray  Danton,  Margo. 

The  Man  With  the 
Golden  Arm 

(United  Artists) 

Produced  and  directed  by  Otto 
Preminger.  Written  by  Walter  New- 
man and  Lewis  Meltzer  (from  the 
novel  by  Nelson  Algren).  Cast:  Frank 
Sinatra,  Eleanor  Parker,  Kim  Novak, 
Arnold  Stang,  Darren  McGavin,  Rob- 
ert Strauss.  ( Champion  for  the  sec- 
ond month.) 

Picnic 

( Columbia  ) 

CinemaSeope 

Produced  by  Fred  Kohlmar.  Di- 
rected by  Joshua  Logan.  Written  by 
Daniel  Taradasli  (based  on  play  by 
William  Inge).  Technicolor.  Cast: 
William  Holden,  Rosalind  Russell, 
Kim  Novak,  Betty  Field,  Susan 
Strasberg,  Cliff  Robertson,  Arthur 
O’Connell. 

The  Rose  Tattoo 

(Paramount ) 

VistaVision 

Produced  by  Hal  B.  Wallis.  Di- 
rected by  Daniel  Mann.  Written  by 
Tennessee  Williams.  Cast:  Anna 

Magnani,  Burt  Lancaster,  Marisa 
Pavan,  Ben  Cooper,  Virginia  Grey, 
Jo  Van  Fleet. 


Milwaukee  House 
Installs  Todd-AO 

MILWAUKEE:  The  Fox-Strand  theatre 
here,  operated  by  the  Fox-Wisconsin  Amuse- 
ment Corp.,  has  been  equipped  for  Todd-AO 
in  order  to  bring  the  film  “Oklahoma  !”  to 
Milwaukee.  The  1,000-seat  house  will  have  a 
new  curved  screen,  new  projection  equip- 
ment for  the  70mm  film,  and  new  draperies. 
A1  Frank,  general  manager  of  Fox- 
Wisconsin,  has  announced  the  reopening  of 
the  Strand  is  expected  in  April  or  May. 


30 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  APRIL  7,  1956 


Vidoscope 
Has  New 
Lens  Series 

Two  new  groups  of  lenses  ol  standard 
barrel  have  been  announced  by  Walter 
Futter-Vidoscope,  New  York,  with  rated 
speed  of  f/1.4,  one  series  having  five  focal 
lengths  to  the  inch.  The  latter,  designed 
by  Pierre  Angenieux  of  France,  and  called 
Vidoscope-Angenieux  Series  86,  are  avail- 
able in  focal  lengths  from  4 to  7 inches  in 
steps  of  two-tenths  of  an  inch. 

Further  adjustment  to  picture  size  is 
supplied  by  this  series  in  the  design  of  the 


Lens  of  Vidoscope-Angenieux  86  series. 


lens  barrel  itself,  which  allows  a variation 
in  element  spacing  to  a maximum  of  prac- 
tically two-tenths  of  an  inch,  according  to 
the  announcement.  This  is  accomplished  by 
turning  a knurled  adjusting  ring  on  the 
barrel.  Thus,  it  is  stated,  a substantially 
continuous  range  of  focal  lengths  is  pro- 
vided from  3.94  inches  to  6.77  inches  (3.94 
plus  .2  equals  4.14,  etc.) 

The  other  addition  to  the  Walter  Futter 
line  are  f/1.4  lenses  in  focal  lengths  of  2.5 
and  3 inches  in  the  Vidoscope  Super  Promi- 
nar  Series.  These  sizes,  the  announcement 
states,  will  be  augmented  in  quarter-inch 
steps  as  soon  as  plant  facilities  allow. 

Allied  Artists  Holds 
National  Sales  Meet 

CHICAGO : Allied  Artists  held  its  three- 
day  national  sales  convention  here  this  week 
at  the  Blackstone  Hotel.  Wednesday  ses- 
sions were  held  between  Morey  R.  Goldstein, 
vice-president  and  general  sales  manager ; 
the  eastern,  midwest,  Southern  and  Western 
division  sales  heads,  and  Arthur  Greenblatt, 
home  office  sales  executive.  “Crime  in  the 
Streets”  and  “The  First  Texan,”  forthcom- 
ing releases,  were  to  be  screened  that  night. 
Other  executives  who  attended  the  conven- 
tion were  Roy  Brewer,  exchange  operations 
supervisor ; Martin  Davis,  eastern  director 
of  publicity  and  advertising,  and  Manny 
Goodman,  head  of  the  eastern  contract  de- 
partment. 


Cinerama  Expansion 
Program  Moving 

As  further  indication  of  Cinerama  ex- 
pansion, Stanley  Warner  Corporation  dis- 
closed last  week  that  negotiations  for  addi- 
tional Cinerama  theatres  are  under  way  in 
several  cities  throughout  the  country.  B.  G. 
Kranze,  new  vice-president  of  Stanley 
Warner,  forecast  Cinerama  installations  in 
Kansas  City,  Omaha,  Salt  Lake  City,  Tor- 
onto, Cleveland,  Denver  and  Miami  Beach. 
The  new  series  of  Cinerama-equipped  thea- 
tres began  with  the  opening  of  the  Roxy, 
Atlanta,  April  2,  and  the  Warner,  Oklahoma 
City,  set  for  May  21.  The  company  now 
has  three  Cinerama  productions  available: 
“This  Is  Cinerama,”  “Cinerama  Holiday,” 
and  the  new  Lowell  Thomas  production, 
“Seven  Wonders  of  the  World.” 

"Goodbye  My  Lady"  Opens 
In  Georgia  April  1 1 

Walter  Brennan,  Phil  Harris  and  Bran- 
don de  Wilde,  the  stars  of  Warner’s  “Good- 
bye My  Lady,”  and  William  Hopper,  who  is 
prominently  featured  in  the  Batjac  Produc- 
tion, head  the  list  of  celebrities  who  will  par- 
ticipate in  the  film’s  world  premiere  at  the 
Albany  theatre,  Albany,  Georgia,  April  11. 
The  event  will  launch  a 370-theatre,  four- 
week  saturation  booking  of  the  picture  in 
Georgia,  Tennessee,  South  Carolina  and 
Florida.  William  A.  Wellman  directed  the 
picture  from  a novel  by  James  Street. 

ABC  Vending  Company 
Income  $7,564,038 

A net  income  of  $1,564,038,  an  increase 
of  $215,481  over  the  1954  figure  of  $1,348,- 
557,  has  been  reported  for  the  52-week 
period  ending  Dec.  25  by  ABC  Vending 
Corp.  Earnings  per  share  jumped  from  $1.40 
in  1954  to  $1.63  for  1955.  Sales  increased 
from  $48,188,338  in  1954  to  $50,172,202  for 
last  year. 

Ben  Wallerstein,  56, 

Dies  on  Europe  Trip 

Ben  Wallerstein,  56,  Pacific  Coast  zone 
manager  for  Stanley  Warner  Theatres,  died 
in  Paris  last  week  of  heart  failure  while  on 
a European  trip.  Starting  his  career  in 
legitimate  road  shows  in  South  America, 
England  and  South  Africa,  Mr.  Wallerstein 
settled  in  Cleveland  about  40  years  ago  and 
operated  the  Royal,  Globe  and  Haltnorth 
theatres.  At  a later  period,  he  operated  the 
Broadway  theatre,  Buffalo,  N.  Y. 


John  S.  Goshorn 

MASSILLON,  OHIO:  John  S.  Goshorn, 
manager  of  the  theatre  seating  department 
of  National  Theatre  Supply,  died  at  Massil- 
lon Hospital  here  of  a cerebral  hemorrhage 
March  19.  He  had  specialized  in  theatre 
seating  for  NTS  since  joining  the  organi- 
zation in  1926.  He  is  survived  by  his  wife, 
Mabel. 


TV  Is  Aid 
To  Director 

HOLLYWOOD : Charles  Marquis  War- 
ren, the  producer-writer-director,  who 
divides  his  time  between  making  theatrical 
films  and  films  for  television,  finds  each 
medium  complementary  to  the  other. 

Currently  directing  “Tension  at  Table 
R^ock,”  an  RKO  feature  in  Superscope  and 
color,  for  producer  Sam  Weisenthal.  "Bill” 
Warren  has  made  capital  of  using  many  of 
the  featured  players  from  his  successful 
“Gunsmoke”  TV  series  for  important  roles 
in  this  film. 

Cites  Advantages 

Mr.  Warren  claims  his  activity  in  both 
fields  enables  him  to  sponsor  opportunities 
for  “new  faces”  and  at  the  same  time  facili- 
tate his  direction  by  working  with  per- 
formers attuned  to  his  suggestions  and  style 
of  operation. 

In  selecting  “Tension  at  Table  Rock"  as 
the  only  feature  film  he  may  be  able  to 
make  this  year,  the  director  expressed  con- 
fidence in  the  drawing  power  of  its  com- 
bination of  star  names.  Richard  Egan  and 
Dorothy  Malone  were  among  the  Top  Ten 
Stars  of  Tomorrow  for  1955,  selected  in 
The  HERALD’S  annual  Fame  poll,  and 
Cameron  Mitchell  was  in  the  Top  Ten  the 
year  before. 


means  peripheral  vision 


and  they  need  it  for 

WIDE  SCREENS 


. . . because  it  provides  definitely 
improved  wide  screen  viewing.  Ex- 
hibitors who  use  it  are  delighted. 

Ask  your  dealer  for  details  on  the 

SUP  ERA  M A 

peripheral  vision  wide  screen 

RADIANT 

MFG.  CORP.  2627  W.  Roosevelt  Rd.,  Chicago  8,  III. 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  APRIL  7,  1956 


31 


Study  PI d n 
For  Warner , 
RKO  Films 

Plans  to  realize  the  maximum  potential 
from  the  theatrical  reissue  rights  in  Warn- 
ers him  library  are  being  formulated  now, 
according  to  Kenneth  Hyman,  vice-president 
of  Associated  Artists,  the  distribution  or- 
ganization which  will  handle  the  films  which 
were  bought  by  PRM,  Inc.  At  the  same 
time,  Mr.  Hyman  reported  that  talks  still 
are  proceeding  between  PRM  and  C & C 
Super,  which  bought  RKO  Radio’s  film 
library,  about  the  possible  pooling  of  the 
two  libraries  into  one  organization. 

On  the  subject  of  theatrical  reissue  rights 
and  television  sales  plans,  Mr.  Hyman  said 
Associated  Artists  should  be  ready  to  make 
its  policies  known  very  soon.  He  told  of 
some  of  the  difficulties  of  Associated  Artists 
and  PRM  executives  in  formulating  policies 
for  various  media  since  the  $21,000,000  pur- 
chase concluded  March  2. 

Decisions  must  correctly  evaluate  the 
possible  theatrical  reissue  rights  as  against 
their  television  potential,  he  said,  as  well  as 
the  story  value  in  a possible  remake.  Some 
stories  in  the  Warner  film  library  would 
make  excellent  live  television  fare,  he  added. 
PRM,  in  its  purchase,  acquired  the  foreign 
reissue  rights  as  well  as  the  story  rights. 

Mr.  Hyman  said  there  will  be  no  hasty 
decisions  made  and  that  his  organization  is 
proceeding  “slowly  and  intelligently,”  at- 
tempting to  study  the  various  problems 
through  before  announcing  a decision. 

It  is  understood  that  Associated  Artists 
will  break  down  the  library  into  various 
sized  packages  for  television  distribution,  as 
contrasted  to  C & C Super,  which  has  sought 
to  sell  the  RKO  library  in  one  package. 

New  Jersey  Allied  Studies 
TV  Film  Clips'  Effect 

Allied  Theatre  Owners  of  New  Jersey 
has  appointed  a committee  on  television  to 
-tudy  the  utilization  of  motion  picture  film 
clips  on  TV,  and  also  to  reach  a determina- 
tion as  to  the  effect  these  showings  have 
on  theatre  business.  According  to  Sydney 
Stern,  president,  the  committee,  which  con- 
sists of  Howard  Herman,  Sam  Engleman 
and  William  Infald,  will  study  the  question- 
naires in  which  the  membership  had  listed 
their  views  on  this  and  other  industry  issues. 

Senate  Passes  Corporate 
Tax  Rate  Extension 

WASHINGTON : The  Senate  last  week 
passed  and  sent  to  the  White  House  legisla- 
tion designed  to  extend  the  52  per  cent  cor- 
porate tax  rate  until  April  1,  1957.  With- 
out action,  the  rate  would  have  dropped  to 
47  per  cent  at  the  end  of  March.  The  Presi- 
dent, who  requested  the  legislation,  is  ex- 
pected to  sign  it  into  law  promptly. 


THE  WINNERS  CIRCLE 

Pictures  which  were  reported  as  doing  above  average  business  in  key  cities  of  the 
nation  for  the  week  ended  March  31  were: 


Albany:  Anything  Goes  (Par.). 

Atlanta:  Alexander  The  Great  (U.A.)  ; 
Creature  Walks  Among  Us  (U-I) ; 
Man  in  the  Gray  Flannel  Suit  (20th- 
Fox)  ; Picnic  (Col.)  7th  week. 

Baltimore:  Alexander  The  Great  (U.A.)  ; 
Carousel  (20th-Fox)  4th  week;  The 
Conqueror  (RKO)  ; Forbidden  Planet 
(MGM) . 

Boston:  I’ll  Cry  Tomorrow  (MGM)  ; In- 
vasion of  the  Body  Snatchers  (A. A.). 

Buffalo:  Alexander  The  Great  (U.A.)  ; 
Anything  Goes  (Par.)  ; The  Benny 
Goodman  Story  (U-I)  ; The  Man  in  the 
Gray  Flannel  Suit  (20th-Fox) ; Song 
of  the  South  (B.V.)  (reissue). 

Chicago:  The  Conqueror  (RKO)  6th 

week;  Diabolique  (UMPO)  15th  week; 
Picnic  (Col.)  7th  week;  The  Rose  Tat- 
too (Par.)  6th  week;  Song  of  the 
South  (B.V.)  (reissue)  2nd  week; 
World  in  My  Corner  (U-I)  2nd  week. 

Columbus:  Marty  (U.A.) ; The  Rose  Tat- 
too (Par.)  2nd  week. 

Denver:  Carousel  (20th-Fox)  2nd  week; 
Comanche  (U.A.);  The  Ladykillers 
(Continental);  The  Rose  Tattoo  (Par.) 
3rd  week. 

Des  Moines:  The  Rose  Tattoo  (Par.)  2nd 
week. 

Detroit:  Anything  Goes  (Par.)  ; I’ll  Cry 
Tomorrow  (MGM)  3rd  week;  Picnic 
(Col.)  3rd  week. 

Hartford:  Anything  Goes  (Par.);  The 
Conqueror  (RKO);  Doctor  at  Sea 
(Rep.)  2nd  week;  Invasion  of  the  Body 
Snatchers  (A.A.)  ; The  Ladykillers 
(Continental)  ; The  Man  With  the 
Golden  Arm  (U.A.)  3rd  week;  Picnic 
(Col.)  4th  week;  Red  Sundown  (U-I). 

Jacksonville:  Alexander  The  Great 

(U.A.)  ; Anything  Goes  (Par.)  ; The 
Conqueror  (RKO). 

Kansas  City:  I’ll  Cry  Tomorrow  (MGM) 
2nd  week. 

Memphis:  The  Rose  Tattoo  (Par.)  2nd 
week. 

Miami:  Alexander  The  Great  (U.A.); 
Forbidden  Planet  (MGM);  Meet  Me 
in  Las  Vegas  (MGM)  ; Oklahoma! 
(Magna)  5th  week;  Serenade  (W.B.). 


Milwaukee:  Carousel  (20th-Fox). 

Minneapolis:  I’ll  Cry  Tomorrow  (MGM) 
4th  week;  Marty  (U.A.)  ; Mister  Rob- 
erts (W.B.)  ; Never  Say  Goodbye  (U-I)  ; 
Picnic  (Col.)  5th  week;  Rebel  Without 
a Cause  (W.B.) ; Rose  Tattoo  (Par.) 
4th  week;  Song  of  the  South  (B.V.) 
(reissue) . 

New  Orleans:  Marty  (U.A.)  2nd  week; 
Picnic  (Col.) ; Tap  Roots  (U-I)  (reis- 
sue) . 

Oklahoma  City:  Anything  Goes  (Par.) 
2nd  week;  The  Conqueror  (RKO)  ; I’ll 
Cry  Tomorrow  (MGM);  Marty  (U.A.); 
The  Rose  Tattoo  (Par.)  3rd  week. 

Philadelphia:  Anything  Goes  (Par.);  The 
Conqueror  (RKO)  5th  week;  I’ll  Cry 
Tomorrow'  (MGM)  9th  week;  Picnic 
(Col.)  5th  week;  The  Rose  Tattoo 
(Par.)  9th  week. 

Pittsburgh:  Carousel  (20th-Fox)  2nd 

week;  Guys  and  Dolls  (MGM)  9th 
week;  Night  My  Number  Came  Up 
(Continental)  ; The  Prisoner  (Col.)  3rd 
week. 

Portland:  Carousel  (20th-Fox)  2nd  week; 
I’ll  Cry  Tomorrow  (MGM) ; Marty 
(U.A.)  (reissue)  ; Picnic  (Col.)  4th 
week. 

Providence:  I’ll  Cry  Tomorrow  (MGM). 

San  Francisco:  Diabolique  (UMPO)  14th 
week;  Guys  and  Dolls  (MGM)  20th 
week;  Oklahoma!  (Magna)  7th  week; 
Picnic  (Col.)  3rd  week;  The  Prisoner 
(Col.)  5th  week;  The  Rose  Tattoo 
(Par.)  5th  week;  Samurai  (Fine  Arts) 
4th  week. 

Toronto:  Carousel  (20th-Fox)  2nd  week; 
I’ll  Cry  Tomorrow  (MGM)  ; The  Lady- 
killers  (Continental)  ; The  Lieutenant 
Wore  Skirts  (20th-Fox). 

Vancouver:  Carousel  (20th-Fox)  ; The 

Man  With  the  Golden  Arm  (U.A.)  3rd 
week;  Richard  III  (Lopert)  2nd  week. 

Washington:  I’ll  Cry  Tomorrow  (MGM) 
5th  week;  The  Conqueror  (RKO)  4th 
week;  Mister  Roberts  (W.B.) ; Picnic 
(Col.)  6th  week;  Rebel  Without  a 
Cause  (W.B.)  ; Richard  III  (Lopert) 
2nd  week;  The  Rose  Tattoo  (Par.)  4th 
week. 


B'nai  B'rith  Luncheon 
In  New  York  April  24 

Robert  M.  Weitman,  vice-president  in 
charge  of  program  development  for  CBS- 
TV,  has  been  named  chairman  of  the  Presi- 
dent’s Luncheon  of  Cinema  Lodge  of  B’nai 
B’rith  at  the  Sheraton  Astor,  New  York, 


April  24.  Honored  will  be  retiring  president 
Max  E.  Youngstein,  vice-president  of  United 
Artists.  Welcomed  will  be  newly-elected 
president  Robert  K.  Shapiro,  managing 
director  of  the  New  York  Paramount  theatre. 
New  officers  will  be  installed  at  the  luncheon, 
at  which  members,  their  wives  and  guests, 
will  be  joined  by  industry  leaders  of  all 
faiths. 


32 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  APRIL  7,  1956 


“WLt  tL 

picture  did  it 


or  me 


. . . the  original  exhibitors'  reports  department,  established  October  14,  1916.  In  it  theatremen 
serve  one  another  with  information  about  the  box  office  performance  of  product — providing  a 
service  of  the  exhibitor  for  the  exhibitor.  ADDRESS  REPORTS,  What  the  Picture  Did  for  Me, 
Motion  Picture  Herald,  Rockefeller  Center,  New  York  20. 


Columbia 

COUNT  THREE  AND  PRAY:  Van  Heflin,  Joanne 
Woodward — Here  is  a picture  that  I had  more  good 
comments  on  than  any  in  a long  time.  The  gross 
wasn’t  too  high,  but  still  made  a few  bucks.  Terms 
good.  This  is  a down-to-earth  good  picture.  Sure 
wish  I had  put  out  extra  advertising— it’s  worth  it. 
I think  it  was  the  best  picture  played  here  in  over 
a year.  Played  Sunday,  Monday,  Tuesday,  Wednes- 
day, January  29,  30,  31.  Februray  1. — Bill  Brooks, 
Liberty  Theatre,  Hailey,  Idaho. 

MAD  MAGICIAN:  Vincent  Price,  Mary  Murphy — 
Lots  of  screaming,  popcorn  eating  excitement.  Played 
in  2-D  with  three  cartoons  to  nine  million  kids  on 
Sunday  and  two  adults  on  Monday!  Played  January 
29,  30. — Lew  Bray,  Jr.,  Queen  Theatre,  McAllen,  Texas. 

MAN  FROM  LARAMIE:  James  Stewart,  Arthur 
Kennedy — Very  fine  western  filmed  in  New  Mexico. 
If  producers  had  sold  this  on  a “let  live”  basis 
earlier,  it  would  have  done  much  better  at  the  box 
office.  Played  Sunday,  Monday,  Tuesday,  February 
12,  13.  14. — Elstun  Dodge,  Elstun  Theatre,  Cincin- 
nati. Ohio. 

MY  SISTER  EILEEN:  Janet  Leigh.  Jack  Lemmon 
— A good  musical  comedy,  but  very  cold  weather  ran 
us  in  the  hole.  Terms  O.K.,  but  four  days  too  long 
to  run  it.  Played  Sunday,  Monday,  Tuesday,  Wednes- 
day, February  5,  6,  7,  8. — Bill  Brooks,  Liberty  Theatre, 
Hailey,  Idaho. 


Metro-Gold  wyn-Mayer 

HIT  THE  DECK:  Jane  Powell,  Tony  Martin- 
Hats  off  to  MGM  again  for  a most  delightful  musical. 
Our  capacity  audiences  loved  this  one.  Good  enough 
for  anybody’s  playing  time.  The  bell  in  our  cash 
register  sounded  like  church  bells  to  me  after  the 
final  capacity  house  on  Saturday!  Better  music  I 
don’t  know  of!  If  your  patrons  don’t  go  for  this, 
try  showing  them  your  next  few  films  upside  down— 
perhaps  that’s  their  kind  of  mentality!  Played  Sun- 
day, Monday.  Tuesday,  Wednesday,  Thursday.  Friday, 
Saturday,  January  15,  16,  17,  18,  19,  20,  21. — Dave  S. 
Klein,  Astra  Theatre,  Kitwe/Nkana,  Northern  Rhode- 
sia, Africa. 

KING’S  THIEF,  THE:  Edmund  Purdom,  Ann  Blyth 
— We  had  “Sabrina”  against  us,  but  still  did  near 
capacity  business  with  this  one.  Story  weak  but  en- 
joyable. Top  MGM  stars  help  make  this  pure  escapist 
entertainment.  Title  and  high  production  values  help. 
Hillbilly  towns,  lay  off  this  one — you  won’t  under- 
stand the  English  accents,  although,  mind  you,  the 
folks  may  go  for  some  of  the  action  in  it!  Played 
Wednesday,  Thursday,  Friday,  Saturday,  iFebruary  1, 
2,  3,  4. — Dave  S.  Klein,  Astra  Theatre,  Kitwe/Nkana, 
Northern  Rhodesia,  Africa. 

KISMET:  Howard  Keel,  Ann  Blyth — It  is  almost 
impossible  to  interest  enough  patrons  in  a small  town, 
to  pay  the  freight  on  a musical  that  is  branded 
“long  hair”  or  “opera.”  We  tried  and  lost  money. — 
Hugh  G.  Martin,  Palace  Theatre,  Leesburg,  Fla. 

LOVE  ME  OR  LEAVE  ME:  Doris  Day,  James 
Cagney— MGM  comes  up  with  another  terrific  box- 
office  winner.  We  played  to  capacity  for  this  most 
entertaining  film  and  heard  terrific  remarks  all  around. 
Thanks  to  MGM.  Doris  Day  puts  over  the  performance 
of  her  life.  She’s  easy  on  the  eyes  and  wonderfully 
easy  on  the  ears,  but  of  course,  James  Cagney  walks 
away  with  the  film,  as  usual.  His  is  a show-stopping 
performance — a definite  Academy  Award  winning  one! 
They  came  in  from  far  and  wide  to  see  the  old-timer, 
who  together  with  Gable,  Peck,  Tracy  and  Webb 
still  make  the  new  pretty  boys  look  feeble!  Keep 
them  in  your  films  and  you  still  have  box  office. 
Played  Sunday,  Monday,  Tuesday,  Wednesday,  Thurs- 
day, Friday,  Saturday,  January  1,  2,  3.  4,  5,  6.  7. — 
Dave  S.  Klein.  Astra  Theatre,  Kitwe/Nkana,  North- 
ern Rhodesia,  Africa. 


Paramount 

ARTISTS  AND  MODELS:  Dean  Martin,  Jerry 

Lewis — Good  weekend  business,  much  better  quality 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  APRIL  7,  1956 


than  previous  Martin  & Lewis  pictures  with  better 
direction.  Business  in  candy  counter  good.  Played 
Thursday,  Friday,  Saturday,  February  9,  10,  11. — 
Rodda  Harvey,  Jr.,  Grove  Theatre,  Lindsay,  Calif. 

LUCY  GALLANT:  Jane  Wyman,  Charlton  Heston 
—Very  well  produced  story  of  Texas.  Doubled  with 
“Lawless  Street”  (Col.)  with  Randy  Scott  to  poor 
business.  Played  Wednesday,  Thursday,  Friday,  Sat- 
urday, February  8,  9,  10,  11. — Elstun  Dodge,  Elstun 
Theatre,  Cincinnati,  Ohio. 

SHEPHERD  OF  THE  HILLS:  John  Wayne,  Betty 
Field — Business  fair.  Drew  many  oldsters  but  the 
younger  set  stayed  away.  Played  Sunday,  Monday, 
Tuesday,  February  12,  13.  14. — Rodda  Harvey,  Jr., 
Grove  Theatre,  Lindsay,  Calif. 


Republic 

DOCTOR  IN  THE  HOUSE:  Dirk  Bogarde,  Ken- 
neth Moore— Laughs  a-plenty  from  this  Technicolor 
Englishman’s  delight.  A-l  for  art  type  houses.  More 
could  be  done  with  this  than  I did  if  you  let  the 
young-at-heart  doctors  in  your  town  know  well  enough 
in  advance  when  you  have  it.  Played  Tuesday, 
Wednesday,  January  10,  11. — Lew  Bray,  Jr.,  Queen 
Theatre,  McAllen,  Texas. 


Schaefer 

DAY  OF  TRIUMPH:  Joanne  Dru,  Robert  Wilson- 
A motion  picture  portrayal  of  the  story  of  Christ. 
With  a hundred  and  thirty-six  personal  invitations 
mailed  out,  including  those  to  all  the  churches  in 
the  vicinity,  this  picture  did  for  me  what  could  be 
wished  or  hoped  for  from  any  picture.  I had  excellent 
attendance  from  all  the  best  kind  of  people,  and  praise 
was  just  no  end.  This  picture  should  justify  anyone’s 
mid-week  date.  Played  Tuesday,  Wednesday,  January 
17,  18.— Lew  Bray,  Jr.,  Queen  Theatre,  McAllen,  Tex. 


Twentieth  Century-Fox 

BOTTOM  OF  THE  BOTTLE:  Van  Johnson,  Joseph 
Cotten — Not  at  all  a good  picture.  Cast  did  not  fit 
story.  Not  high  standard  for  box  office.  Played 
Monday,  Tuesday,  February  27,  28. — David  Treadway, 
Duncan  Theatre,  Union,  S.  C. 

HOUSE  OF  BAMBOO:  Robert  Stack,  Robert  Ryan 
—Well  done,  but  people  here  just  won’t  go  for  foreign 
films.  Lost  our  shirt  on  this.  Played  Thursday, 
Friday,  Saturday,  January  5,  6,  7. — Bill  Brooks,  Liber- 
ty Theatre,  Hailey,  Idaho. 

LOVE  IS  A MANY-SPLENDORED  THING:  Wil- 
liam Holden,  Jennifer  Jones — This  was  a good  feature 
picture.  However,  two  days  is  long  enough  to  run 
it.  Came  out  a little  in  the  red,  but  they  said  they 
they  would  review  the  picture  terms  which  I consider 
too  high.  Played  Sunday,  Monday,  Tuesday,  Wednes- 
day, January  1,  2,  3,  4. — Bill  Brooks,  Liberty  Theatre, 
Hailey,  Idaho. 

TALL  MEN,  THE:  Clark  Gable,  Jane  Russell— 
This  outgrossed  the  Disney  feature  “African  Lion,” 
played  Sunday,  Monday.  The  small  town  surely 
separated  the  men  from  the  boys.  Played  Thursday, 
Friday,  January  12,  13. — Hugh  G.  Martin,  Priest 

Theatre,  High  Springs,  Fla. 

WOMAN’S  WORLD:  Clifton  Webb,  June  Allyson, 
Van  Heflin,  Lauren  Bacall,  Fred  MacMurray — 
Thanks,  Fox,  for  one  of  the  most  delightful  comedies 
we  have  played  in  a very  long  time.  Customers 
nearly  broke  our  doors  down  trying  to  get  in  to 
see  this  one  and  capacity  houses  loved  every  single 
frame  of  it!  Webb,  as  usual,  always  a draw  here, 
but  this  time  lovely  June  Allyson  stole  the  film  and 


she  had  mighty  tough  competition!  I say  play  this 
film  and  give  it  your  best  time.  When  Fox  makes 
them  this  way,  nothing  can  touch  them.  Play  it 
and  stop  yelling  for  better  films  to  show.  Played 
Wednesday,  Thursday,  Friday,  Saturday,  January  25, 
26,  27,  28. — Dave  S.  Klein,  Astra  Theatre,  Kitwe/ 
Nkana,  Northern  Rhodesia,  Africa. 


United  Artists 

MAN  WITH  THE  GUN:  Robert  Mitchum,  Jan 
Sterling — Well  done,  good  western,  but  four  days 
too  long  to  play  it.  Comments  good.  Broke  about 
even.  Played  Sunday,  Monday,  Tuesday,  Wednesday, 
January  8,  9,  10,  11. — Bill  Brooks,  Liberty  Theatre, 
Hailey,  Idaho. 

MARTY : Ernest  Borgnine,  Betsy  Blair — Personally, 
I liked  it  very  much,  but  not  the  general  public — 
subject  too  ordinary.  What  one  customer  said  is 
right — of  such  a simple  story  there  is  no  benefit  to 
make  a film.  Played  Saturday.  Sunday,  Monday, 
Wednesday,  February  4,  5,  6,  8. — R.  Soetaert,  Majes*: 
Cinema,  Ruiselede,  Belgium. 

NOT  AS  A STRANGER:  Robert  Mitchum,  Olivia 
de  Havilland — Excellent  adult  business  for  this  live 
motion  picture.  Terms  too  high  for  small  grossing 
houses.  Would  recommend  buying  flat  or  waiting  for 
a better  deal.  Played  Sunday,  Monday,  Tuesday. — 
Rodda  Harvey,  Jr.,  Grove  Theatre,  Lindsay,  Calif. 

WHITE  ORCHID,  THE:  William  Lundigan,  Peggy 
Castle — Very  poor  picture.  Good  acting,  but  box  of- 
fice not  up  to  average.  Fair  movie  for  Saturday 
with  nice  coloring,  but  actors  don’t  work  with  one 
another.  Played  Saturday,  March  3.— David  Tread- 
way, Duncan  Theatre,  Union,  S.  C. 


Universal 

ALL  THAT  HEAVEN  ALLOWS:  Rock  Hudson, 
Jane  Wyman — Stars,  story  performance  and  beautiful 
scenery  pleased  everyone,  but  due  to  awful  weather 
and  much  competition,  receipts  were  no  good.  This 
story  could  have  been  more  appealing  to  the  younger 
people  by  developing  the  love  story  more  and  bring- 
ing it  in  conflict  with  the  love  of  their  mother.  Note 
to  Douglas  Sirk.  the  director — his  pictures  are  good, 
but  to  be  excellent,  they  should  have  more  conflict. 
Played  Saturday.  Sunday,  Wednesday,  February  11, 
12,  15. — R.  Soetaert,  Majestic  Cinema,  Ruiselede,  Beli- 
gium. 

PURPLE  MASK,  THE:  Tony  Curtis,  Coleen  Moore 
—Pleased  all  the  people,  young  and  old.  I never  fail 
on  Tony  Curtis  and  he  is  always  cast  in  good  films 
for  the  whole  family — plenty  of  action,  humor  and 
charm.  I’d  like  more  like  this. — R.  Soetaert,  Majestic 
Cinema,  Ruiselede,  Belgium. 


Warner  Bros. 

COMMAND,  THE:  Guy  Madison,  Janet  Whitmore 
- Doubled  with  “Boy  From  Oklahoma”  to  a much 
better  than  average  Thursday,  but  what  happened  on 
Friday  and  Saturday— woe  is  me — I was  playing 
against  “The  Lone  Ranger”  in  the  next  block  and 
holding  an  empty  popcorn  bag.  Played  Thursday, 
Friday,  Saturday,  January  26.  27,  28. — Lew  Bray,  Jr., 
Queen  Theatre,  McAllen,  Texas. 

EAST  OF  EDEN:  Julie  Harris,  James  Dean — Top 
position  with  a sport  subject  that  failed  to  do  any 
business  because  of  playing  at  every  drive-in  in 
nearby  Orlando  as  double  feature.  They  just  won’t 
wait.  Played  Tuesday,  Wednesday,  January  17,  18.— 
Hugh  G.  Martin,  Clervue  Drive-In,  Walk-In  Theatre, 
Clermont,  Fla. 


33 


lT.  S.  Imports 
To  Australia 
Drop  ia  195o 

by  FRANK  O'CONNELL 

SYDXEY : American  feature  film  imports 
into  Australia,  which  have  been  showing 
a steady  numerical  decline  since  the  war 
(with  the  exception  of  1950-51),  dropped 
to  223  in  1955,  the  annual  report  of  the 
Chief  Commonwealth  Film  Censor  reveals. 
The  number  of  features  imported  in  1954 
was  247.  British  films  also  dropped  from 
114  in  1954  to  104  last  year,  but  foreign- 
language  films  increased  more  than  100 
per  cent  from  40  reported  in  1954  to  85 
in  1955. 

There  was  a total  of  412  feature  films  im- 
ported in  1955,  an  increase  of  11  over  the 
preceding  year.  Of  these,  212  were  classi- 
fied as  suitable  for  general  exhibition,  197 
as  not  suitable  and  three  were  rejected.  The 
number  of  general  exhibition  pictures  was 
51.1  per  cent  of  the  whole,  a drop  of  18.45 
per  cent  from  1954.  The  Censor  said,  “It 
is  hoped  that  the  severe  drop  in  the  number 
of  films  which  may  be  classified  as  suitable 
for  general  exhibition  is  of  a temporary 
nature  arising  from  a ‘seasonal  phase’  on 
the  part  of  motion  picture  producers.” 

Plans  for  Television 

The  Censor  said  the  continuation  of  film 
production  in  Australia  during  1955  was 
“gratifying”  to  note  and  added  that  two 
companies  already  have  plans  to  make  films 
for  television.  To  censor  films  for  tele- 
vision, legislation  will  have  to  be  introduced, 
the  Censor  reports,  “as  certain  powers  ex- 
ercised by  the  board  are  derived  from  state 
censorship  legislation  not  applicable  to  TV 
films.”  During  1955  there  were  406  films 
imported  especially  for  television : 68  re- 
ligious, 195  entertainment  or  educational, 
and  143  advertising. 


Stage,  Concert  Groups 
Seeking  Tax  Relief 

WASHINGTON:  Congress  has  been  urged 
to  exempt  “cultural  activities”  from  the  Fed- 
eral admissions  tax  in  a letter  from  the 
National  Association  of  Legitimate  Thea- 
tres and  the  National  Association  of  Con- 
cert Managers.  Their  recommendations 
were  placed  in  the  Congressional  Record  by 
Senator  Wiley  ID.,  Wise.).  In  an  indirect 
allusion  to  the  motion  picture  industry,  the 
letter  declares  that  the  50-cent  admissions 
tax  exemption  in  the  present  law,  “while 
of  great  value  to  other  entertainment  media, 
heightens  the  competitive  inequity  between 
fine  arts  productions  and  those  forms  of 
entertainment  which  by  their  very  nature 
are  able  to  charge  substantially  lower  ad- 
missions.” 


Robert  Riley,  vice-president  in  charge  of 
Technicolor  Hollywood  sales,  has  been 
elected  a member  of  the  board  of  directors 
of  Technicolor  Motion  Picture  Corp. 

Gotthard  Doerschel  has  been  appointed 
managing  director  of  20th-Fox  in  Ger- 
many, succeeding  Robert  A.  Kreier. 

Harry  K.  McWilliams  has  resigned  as 
assistant  director  of  advertising,  publicity 
and  exploitation  for  Magna  Theatre  Corp. 
He  is  now  with  Reemack  Enterprise. 

George  Murphy  will  be  master  of  cere- 
monies at  a testimonial  dinner  April  9 at 
the  Carter  Hotel,  Cleveland,  to  honor 
Ward  Marsh  on  his  40th  anniversary 


Dismiss  Suits  Against 
National  Theatres 

Two  anti-trust  cases  against  National 
Theatres  Corp.  were  dismissed  last  week  by 
Federal  District  Judge  Clarence  Galston  in 
Brooklyn.  The  actions  were  brought  by  two 
corporations,  which  alleged  that  they  were 
the  former  operators  of  the  Los  Angeles  and 
Towner  theatres  in  Los  Angeles.  The  com- 
plaint of  Bertha  Building  Corporation  for 
the  Tower  theatre  sought  trebled  damages  of 
$13,200,000.  The  complaint  of  Gumbiner 
Theatrical  Enterprises,  Inc.  for  the  Los 
Angeles  theatre  asked  unspecified  damages 
amounting  to  “many  millions”  based  on 
alleged  lost  profits  before  trebling  of  $11,000 
per  week  over  a 50-year  lease  period. 


Wilkinson  Head  of 
Connecticut  MPT O 

NEW  HAVEN:  George  H.  Wilkinson,  Jr., 
of  Wallingford,  Conn.,  was  reelected  presi- 
dent of  the  Motion  Picture  Theatre  Chvners 
of  Connecticut  at  the  annual  election  meet- 
ing held  here.  Others  returned  to  office  in- 
clude: Herman  M.  Levy,  general  counsel  for 
MPTOA,  executive  secretary,  and  Irving 
C.  Jacocks,  Jr.,  treasurer.  Named  to  the 
board  of  directors  are:  James  M.  Darby, 
John  Perakos,  E.  Michael  Alperin,  Lew 
Brown,  Harry  Feinstein,  B.  E.  Hoffman, 
Arthur  H.  Lockwood,  Albert  M.  Pickus, 
Samuel  Rosen,  Harry  F.  Shaw,  Sam  Weiss, 
Mr.  Wilkinson  and  Irwin  Wheeler  of  New 
Canaan. 


Lambs'  Award  April  21 

The  Lamb’s  Cup,  representing  the  tradi- 
tional pewter  mug  of  the  Lamb’s  Club,  is 
to  be  presented  to  nine  out  of  a field  of  23 
candidates  at  the  annual  Lamb’s  Gambol  at 
the  Waldorf-Astoria  April  21.  Awards  will 
be  made  on  a basis  of  individual  noteworthy 
contributions  to  the  theatre. 


as  film  critic  of  the  Cleveland  Plain 
Dealer. 

V illiam  K.  Everson,  formerl v foreign 
publicity  manager  of  Allied  Artists,  has 
joined  the  Paul  Killiam  organization  in 
a writer-producer  capacity. 

Seymour  I.  Feig  has  joined  the  legal  staff 
of  Walt  Disney  Productions  and  will 
serve  as  assistant  to  Franklin  Wald- 
heim, eastern  counsel. 

Maurice  Harris  has  been  named  perma- 
nent publicist  for  Universal  in  New  Eng- 
land. He  had  been  publicist  for  Columbia, 
RKO  Pictures  and  RKO  Theatres  before 
joining  Universal  in  1948. 


Legion  Approves  10  of 
12  New  Productions 

The  National  Legion  of  Decency  reviewed 
12  pictures  last  week.  Three  were  put  in 
Class  A,  Section  I,  morally  unobjectionable 
for  general  patronage ; seven  in  Class  A, 
Section  II,  as  morally  unobjectionable  for 
adults,  and  two  in  Class  B,  morally  objec- 
tionable in  part  for  all.  In  Section  I are: 
“Comanche,”  “The  Rack,”  “World  Without 
End.”  In  Section  II  are:  “Crashing  Las 
Vegas,”  “Crime  in  the  Streets,”  "Crowded 
Paradise,”  “A  Day  of  Fury,”  “The  Harder 
They  Fall,”  “Mohawk,”  “The  Searchers.” 
In  Class  B are:  “Alraune,”  because  the 

theme  “includes  subject  matter  which  is 
judged  to  be  morally  repellent  and  question- 
able for  entertainment  purposes,  and  contains 
suggestive  costuming  and  situations,"  and 
“No  Man’s  Woman,”  because  it  “reflects  the 
acceptability  of  and  tends  to  justify  divorce.” 

Michigan  Allied  Holds 
Annual  Convention 

DETROIT : The  37th  annual  convention  of 
Allied  Theatres  of  Michigan,  Inc.,  was  held 
here  this  week  at  the  Tuller  Hotel.  Among 
the  events  scheduled  were  business  sessions, 
screenings  of  “Oklahoma !”  and  “Toy 
Tiger,”  a session  devoted  to  trade  practices, 
concessions  and  equipment  and  the  annual 
election  of  directors  and  officers. 

Warners  Buys  Producer 
Rights  to  "Roberts" 

Warner  Bros,  announces  that  it  has  pur- 
chased the  producer’s  rights  to  the  motion 
picture,  “Mister  Roberts,”  from  Orange 
Productions,  Ltd.,  in  which  Joshua  Logan 
and  Leland  Hayward  are  the  principal  stock- 
holders. The  Warner  corporation  will  pav 
a consideration  of  37,000  shares  of  treasuw 
stock,  plus  approximately  13.000  shares  to 
be  bought  on  the  New  York  Stock  Exchange. 


34 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  APRIL  7,  1956 


ALBANY 

A fine  outdoor  season — for  which  favor- 
able weather  is  essential — should  produce 
25  per  cent  of  the  year’s  revenue  in  Albany 
exchanges,  according  to  information  sources. 
There  are  approximately  57  drive-ins  serv- 
iced from  here.  One,  Don  Gilson’s  Sunset 
at  Canton,  has  been  decommissioned.  Sum- 
mer also  is  now  a profitable  period  for  air- 
conditioned  houses,  especially  during  July 
and  August.  . . . Chief  Barker  Harold  Ga- 
brilove  named  Leo  Rosen,  manager  of 
Schine-owned  WPTR,  and  George  B. 
Chelius,  Jr.,  Sheraton-Ten  Eyck  Hotel  man- 
ager, to  serve  with  him  on  Variety  Club’s 
committee  for  the  civic  luncheon  which  it 
will  co-sponsor  April  16  with  the  Tim.es- 
Union  (as  part  of  the  paper’s  100th  anni- 
versary) for  Camp  Thacher.  William  R. 
Hearst,  Jr.,  Kingsbury  Smith  and  Frank 
Coniff  will  report  on  their  current  Far  East 
tour.  Gov.  Averell  Harriman  also  is  to  be 
a guest.  . . . Former  chief  barker  George  H. 
Schenck  received  a hi-fi  set  at  Tent  9’s  13th 
annual  dinner  dance,  attended  by  175.  . . . 
A1  Levy,  20th-Fox  Northeastern  division 
manager,  and  Bernie  Brooks,  Fabian  chief 
buyer,  headed  the  visitors  here. 

ATLANTA 

L.  Strickland,  president  of  Strickland 
Films,  checked  in  at  his  office  after  a busi- 
ness trip  out  of  the  city.  ...  Ed  Stevens, 
president  of  Stevens  Pictures,  has  opened 
his  new  800-seat  theatre  near  Atlanta.  . . . 
Commodore  Dennis  has  sold  his  Skyline 
drive-in,  Jay,  Florida,  and  will  run  for 
sheriff  for  Santa  Rosa  County.  . . . Harvey 
Reinstein,  sales  representative  for  Buena 
Vista,  is  suffering  from  a knee  injury  that 
may  require  surgery.  . . . R.  C.  Mullins, 
theatre  owner  in  Florida,  has  opened  his  new 
theatre  in  Cedar  Key,  Fla.,  with  Mrs.  Har- 
riet Felhauser,  cashier,  and  George  Daniels, 
operator.  . . . John  Burke  is  the  new  owner 
of  the  Beach  theatre,  Fairhope,  Ala.  The 
former  owner  is  Steven  Riggs.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Burke  come  to  Fairhope  from  Colum- 
bus, Ohio.  . . . Carl  Medlock,  manager  of 
the  Rialto  theatre,  Boaz,  Ala.,  has  rounded 
out  32  years  as  manager  of  that  theatre.  . . . 
C.  H.  Powell,  president  of  Moultire  Thea- 
tres Co.,  said  he  will  rebuild  the  Colquit 
theatre  there  at  once.  The  theatre  was  de- 
stroyed by  fire  several  weeks  ago.  . . . John 
Miller,  theatre  owner  in  Alabama,  will  open 
his  Manchester  drive-in  theatre,  Jasper, 
Ala.,  soon. 

BALTIMORE 

Nat  Hodgdon,  manager  for  Fruchtman 
Theatres,  is  back  after  weekending  in  Leon- 
ardtown,  Md.  . . . The  235  drive-in,  rebuilt 
after  being  damaged  by  fire,  has  reopened 
for  the  season.  . . . Leon  Back,  Rome  The- 
atres head,  has  returned  from  a California 
vacation.  . . . The  General  Pulaski  drive-in 
and  the  Shore  drive-in  have  reopened  for 
the  season.  . . . Work  is  progressing  rapidly 
on  Schwaber’s  New  Five  West  theatre  and 
an  early  June  opening  is  expected.  . . . Chick 


tioncii  Spotiic^ht 


Wingfield  is  the  Variety  Club’s  new  pool 
expert.  . . . Easter  weekend  business  was 
very  good  downtown  with  weather  cooperat- 
ing. . . . Wineland  Theatres  has  taken  over 
operation  of  the  Hillside,  Md.  drive-in  from 
the  Lust  circuit.  . . . Jake  Flaz,  Republic 
branch  manager,  in  Johns  Hopkins  Hospital. 
. . . Frank  L.  Gibson,  Sr.,  Century  chief, 
out  of  St.  Agnes  and  is  recuperating  at 
home. 

BOSTON 

Another  storm,  the  third  snowfall  in  10 
days,  hit  weekend  business  and  with  the 
traditional  Holy  Week  slump,  business  was 
sent  into  the  doldrums.  All  downtown  man- 
agers, however,  were  concentrating  on  the 
expected  boom  to  start  Easter  Day,  with 
new  product  all  along  the  Rialto.  . . . 
Joseph  DeCarlo  has  been  named  manager 
of  Louis  Richmond’s  ace  showcase,  the  Ken- 
more,  Boston,  replacing  A1  Donovan  who 
resigned.  DeCarlo  worked  for  Richmond  in 
two  of  his  smaller  theatres  and  was  also 
assistant  to  Jim  Tibbetts  at  Loew’s  Or- 
pheum.  . . . Maurice  “Bucky”  Harris,  well 
known  press  agent,  has  been  made  perma- 
nent publicist  at  Universal  for  Boston  and 
New  Haven.  He  has  had  experience  with 
the  Roxy  theatre,  New  York,  RKO  Theatres 
and  Pictures  and  Columbia  Pictures,  before 
joining  U-I  in  1948.  ...  A son,  named 
Louis,  was  born  to  the  wife  of  Larry  Las- 
key of  E.  M.  Loew  Theatres  at  Beth  Israel 
Hospital,  March  24.  . . . A1  Cohen,  Ritz 
theatre,  Lewiston,  Me.,  and  his  wife  are 
planning  an  extended  trip  to  Europe  and 
Asia  with  a stopover  in  Israel.  During 
their  absence  the  theatre  will  be  handled 
by  Irving  Cohen.  . . . Jack  Hill  has  been 
added  to  the  booking  staff  at  Affiliated 
Theatres  Corp.  . . . Dorothy  Boland,  whose 
dad  is  on  the  advertising  staff  of  the  Bos- 
ton Globe,  is  a new  secretary  at  United 
Artists. 

BUFFALO 

Charles  B.  Kosco,  manager  of  the  local 
20th  Century-Fox  exchange,  is  back  at  his 
desk  after  a trip  to  the  West  Coast.  Re- 
turning to  Buffalo  with  him  was  Mrs.  Kosco, 
who  had  been  in  California  two  months. 

. . . The  need  for  previewing  motion  pic- 
tures before  they  are  shown  locally  so 
parents  can  be  informed  about  their  value 
and  effect  on  children,  was  stressed  the  other 
day  at  an  informal  meeting  of  15  men  and 
women  interested  in  forming  a Greater 
Buffalo  Film  Council.  Mrs.  Harold  T. 
Crowe,  acting  chairman  of  the  group, 
charged  that  too  many  parents  judge  the 
movies’  suitability  for  their  children  by  the 
titles.  . . . Mrs.  Frank  Wyckoff  who  was 
associated  for  many  years  with  her  late 
husband  in  the  operation  of  the  Independent 
Poster  Exchange  at  505  Pearl  Street,  is  now 
back  in  the  industry.  She  now  is  a booker 
with  National  Screen  Service  in  the  Film 
Building  at  505  Pearl  Street.  . . . The  Para- 
mount theatre  has  booked  “Dr.  Jekyl  and 
his  Weird  Show”  for  a one-performance  on 
the  stage  at  midnight  April  27,  with  “Mighty 


Joe  Young”  on  the  screen.  The  same  show 
will  play  the  Regent  in  Rochester  April  28 
at  midnight.  . . . Sloan  Wilson,  author  of 
“The  Man  in  the  Gray  Flannel  Suit,”  who 
was  unable  to  appear  at  the  opening  of  the 
picture  at  the  Center,  is  returning  to  Buf- 
falo, his  former  home,  to  be  a guest  of 
honor  at  a reception  April  25  in  the  Am- 
herst Community  Church.  The  reception  is 
sponsored  by  the  libraries  of  Eggertsville 
and  Snyder.  . . . Lester  Pollock,  manager, 
Loew’s,  Rochester,  promoted  $600  in  prizes 
from  Noah’s  Ark  to  give  away  at  his  an- 
nual Easter  Cartoon  Show  on  April  3. 

CHARLOTTE 

The  Carolina  theatre  held  a children’s 
show  Friday  and  Saturday  mornings  last 
week  to  entertain  children  who  were  in  the 
midst  of  Easter  holidays.  A marionette 
show  was  presented  on  stage  and  a program 
of  10  cartoons  was  the  screen  attraction. 

. . . M-G-M’s  screening  of  “The  Swan,” 
part  of  which  was  filmed  on  the  Biltmore 
estate  at  Asheville,  was  so  hastily  arranged 
Charlotte  branch  manager  Jack  Reville  had 
to  wire  telegrams.  . . . Paramount  ushered 
in  spring  by  screening  “Birds  and  the  Bees” 
at  the  Carolina.  . . . Academy  Award  show- 
ings had  some  effect  on  local  attendance, 
though  many  theatre  managers  seemed  to 
think  the  regular  Wednesday  night  fights 
keep  more  patrons  from  their  theatres  than 
the  Oscar  show.  . . . Public  ice  skating  in 
Charlotte’s  coliseum  is  also  keeping  some 
patrons  from  theatres.  Over  5,000  persons 
passed  through  the  turnstiles  the  first  week 
of  skating. 

CHICAGO 

Holy  Week  was  quiet  for  theatres  in 
every  locality  of  the  city.  Four  new  films 
in  first  run  Loop  houses  did  what  is  con- 
sidered below  normal  for  top-rated  films 
making  a first  appearance.  The  greater  per- 
centage of  neighborhood  houses  played  films 
right  from  the  Loop,  but  business  was  off 
between  10  to  20  per  cent.  . . . All  but  five 
of  the  11  drive-ins  in  the  Chicagoland  area 
opened  with  fairly  good  weather  conditions 
and  choice  films  straight  from  the  Loop. 
Others  will  have  started  operations  by  mid- 
April.  . . . Following  a custom  established 
last  year,  the  Twin-Open-Air  drive-ins  held 
a special  Easter  Sunrise  Service  at  6 A.M. 

A similar  service  was  conducted  at  the 
Harlem  Avenue  Outdoor  theatre  at  7 A.M. 

. . . The  Crawford  celebrated  complete  mod- 
ernization April  1 by  providing  patrons  with 
refreshments.  . . . The  Belmont,  also  re- 
modeled throughout,  highlights  a new  air- 
conditioning  unit  of  300  tons.  . . . An  addi- 
tional drive-in  which  has  been  started  will 
probably  have  to  be  abandoned  because  it 
will  be  an  aviation  hazard  at  O’Hare  Field, 
Chicago’s  newest  airport.  The  new  project 
costing  between  $350,000  and  $400,000  with 
a 55-foot  high-screen,  would  be  situated  on 
a tract  of  land  in  line  with  O’Hare  Field 
runways.  John  L.  Donoghue,  a city  airport 

( Continued  on  following  page ) 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  APRIL  7,  1956 


35 


( Continued  from  preceding  page ) 

planning  engineer,  has  plans  to  meet  with 
Sam  Shiner  and  Michael  A.  Reese,  owners 
of  the  40-acre  tract,  and  believes  they  will 
sidetrack  their  plans  to  build  the  1.000-car 
drive-in. 

CLEVELAND 

Ten  of  Greater  Cleveland's  64  subsequent 
run  theatres  were  closed  on  Good  Friday. 
Several  included  in  their  newspaper  adver- 
tising copy  "Attend  the  Church  of  Your 
Choice."  . . . Downtown  theatres  are  strain- 
ing for  big  Easter  week  business  with  such 
pictures  as  "Alexander  the  Great,”  "The 
Man  in  the  Gray  Flannel  Suit,”  “Anything 
Goes,”  "Backlash"  in  competition  with  two 
big  holdovers,  "Carousel”  3rd  week  and 
"Rose  Tattoo”  5th  week.  . . . John  W. 
Bailey,  73,  projectionist  at  the  Mall  thea- 
tre for  38  years,  died  suddenly  in  the  booth. 
He  was  a member  of  Local  160  IATSE  and 
the  Odd  Fellows.  . . . The  Vogel  Brothers — 
Paul,  Jack  and  George — bought  back  the 
Liberty  theatre,  Wellsville,  O.,  which  the 
Internal  Revenue  closed  Feb.  6,  1956,  for 
non-payment  of  admission  taxes.  They 
redeemed  it,  following  a settlement  with  the 
Davis  estate,  upon  payment  of  $3,295.69. 
Liberty  theatre  building,  including  the 
Liberty  theatre  was  built  in  1922  by  Clar- 
ence Vogel,  the  boys’  father,  and  the  theatre 
operated  continuously  for  33  years.  Plans 
are  under  way  to  convert  it  to  other  uses. 
. . . Gordon  Bugie  has  been  transferred  by 
Paramount  from  Albany  to  the  Cleveland 
office  to  succeed  salesman  Mike  Gould  who 
resigned.  . . . H.  M.  Addison,  manager  of 
Loew  s State  here  some  25  years  ago  was 
in  town  briefly  with  Barry  Jones  to  promote 
“Alexander  the  Great.”  . . . According  to 
Loew  division  manager  Frank  Murphy’s 
office,  George  Murphy,  Loew’s  industry 
goodwill  ambassador,  was  to  come  to  be 
M.C.  at  the  Ward  Marsh  testimonial  din- 
ner April  9 in  the  Carter  Hotel.  Occasion 
is  Marsh’s  40th  anniversary  as  Plain  Dealer 
movie  critic. 

COLUMBUS 

“Carousel”  at  Loew’s  Broad  and  “Any- 
thing Goes”  at  Loew’s  Ohio  were  big  Easter 
week  attractions  here.  . . . “The  Rose  Tat- 
too was  held  for  a 16-day  run  at  Loew’s 
Broad,  benefiting  from  the  Academy  Awards. 
. . . “Marty”  and  “Summertime”  at  Loew’s 
Ohio  likewise  did  good  business  at  Loew’s 
Ohio.  . . . Manager  Robert  Horton  of  RKO 
Grand  scheduled  a spook  show  for  Friday 
the  13th.  . . . Annual  Easter  sunrise  services 
of  the  Knights  Templar  were  held  at  RKO 
Palace.  . . . Frank  Yassenoff  turned  over 
his  West  Fifth  Avenue  outdoor  theatre  to 
the  ( olumbus  Junior  Chamber  of  Commerce 
for  Easter  services  for  shutins.  . . . The 
Columbus  Dispatch  editorially  supported  the 
report  of  the  Senate  Juvenile  Delinquency 
subcommittee  on  excessive  violence  in 
movies.  . . . Sam  Goldberg,  63,  who  toured 
the  Keith  vaudeville  circuit  in  the  twenties, 
died  in  Los  Angeles.  He  was  formerly  a 
Columbus  resident.  His  stage  name  was  Pep 
Golden. 

DENVER 

The  six  Compass  drive-ins  (Wolfberg 
Theatres)  have  opened  for  the  season,  with 
new  managers  named  for  three.  They  in- 
clude Lauren  Vernon,  North;  J.  R.  (Dick) 


Holland,  Monaco;  E.  L.  Hammack,  South. 
Other  managers  on  the  job  include  A1  Ver- 
non, East;  Alva  Traxler,  West;  Jennings 
Hooks,  Valley.  . . . Clarence  Batterm 
booker  and  buyer,  is  moving  to  925  Twenty- 
first  St.,  vacated  when  Fred  Brown,  Black 
Hills  Amusement  Co.  booker  and  buyer, 
moved  to  822  Twenty-first  St.  . . . Robert 
Herrell,  owner  of  the  United  Film  Ex- 
change, was  in.  . . . Joe  Clark,  United  Film 
salesman,  resigned.  . . . Chick  Lloyd,  inde- 
pendent distributor,  moves  his  wife  and  two 
children  here  from  Salt  Lake  City.  He 
bought  a new  house  in  Broomfield  Heights. 
. . . In  for  a sales  meeting  were  James 
Velde,  Lhiited  Artists  general  sales  man- 
ager; A1  Fitter,  western  sales  manager,  and 
Ralph  Clark,  district  manager. 

DES  MOINES 

The  Terril  theatre  at  Terril  was  closed  for 
two  weeks  while  the  owners,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  R. 
Krieger,  went  on  vacation  to  the  east  coast 
and  Florida.  . . . The  Wall  Lake  Chamber 
of  Commerce  has  agreed  to  lease  and  oper- 
ate the  Rio  theatre  at  Wall  Lake  for  a year. 
The  Chamber  will  have  complete  control  of 
the  business  and  the  officers  of  the  theatre 
corporation  will  be  named  by  the  Chamber. 
It  will  be  a non-profit  affair  with  no  salaries 
paid  the  officers.  . . . Bill  Burke,  home  office 
representative,  has  been  helping  at  RKO 
here  in  the  merger  of  the  Omaha  branch 
with  the  Des  Moines  exchange.  . . . Frank 
Zanotti  has  been  named  second  booker  at 
RKO.  He  had  been  at  Universal  for  the 
last  few  months.  . . . New  steno  at  RKO  is 
Barbara  Hignote.  . . . Jay  O’Malin,  former 
RKO  salesman,  is  now  working  for  U.A. 
out  of  the  Omaha  office.  . . . Ted  Mann, 
Minneapolis  theatre  owner  and  owner  of  the 
Orpheum  in  Dubuque,  was  here  booking  for 
his  new  Iowa  theatre.  . . . Glen  Jargang  has 
announced  the  opening  of  the  Starlite  drive- 
in  theatre  in  Cedar  Falls.  A snack  bar  fea- 
tures cafeteria  style  equipment  and  new 
lenses  have  been  installed  in  the  projectors. 

DETROIT 

Robberies  sparked  the  week  in  theatrical 
circles.  The  Warfield  fell  to  $150.  At  the 
Loop  the  manager,  faced  by  an  armed  rob- 
ber locked  himself  in  the  office.  The  thief, 
forgetting  the  rules,  kicked  in  the  door  and 
escaped  with  $10.  ...  In  response  to  num- 
erous requests  the  Vogue  showed  “The 
Miracle  of  Fatima”  at  an  Easter  Monday 
matinee.  . . . First  on  the  Academy  Award 
band  wagon  was  United  Detroit  Theatres, 
showing  “East  of  Eden”  and  "Battle  Cry” 
to  be  followed  by  “Marty”  in  the  Cinder- 
ella, Bloomfield,  Fisher  and  Woods.  . . . 
The  Mayfair  theatre  which  still  shows  the 
silhouette  of  it's  synagogue  origin,  and 
which  more  recently  was  a motion  picture 
house,  faces  another  major  change.  Leased 
for  the  last  five  years  to  Wayne  University 
as  a student  theatre  it  will  be  sold  outright 
to  the  university  for  $115,000.  . . . The 
American  Cancer  Society  film  on  breast  can- 
cer detection  will  be  shown  in  50  Wayne, 
Oakland  and  Macomb  county  theatres.  There 
will  be  no  appeal  for  funds  during  the  drive 
as  Detroit  covers  all  charitable  agencies 
with  the  United  Foundation  Drive  in  No- 
vember. . . . Nicholas  George,  head  of 
George  Theatres  and  Joseph  Ellul,  Empress 
owner,  will  be  associated  with  Charles 
Creighton  of  Ft.  Lauderdale,  Florida,  in 
building  a 3,000  seat,  $1,500,000  indoor 
theatre  there. 


HARTFORD 

Samuel  P.  Cornish,  who  has  sold  his  in- 
terest in  the  Niantic  Theatre  Corporation, 
Niantic,  Conn.,  to  Socrates  Deligeorges  and 
Alphonse  Dubreuil,  is  California-bound  with 
Mrs.  Cornish.  The  couple  plans  to  live  on 
the  Coast  in  retirement,  following  some  45 
years  in  the  exhibition  end  of  the  film  in- 
dustry. Cornish  had  served  as  manager- 
partner  at  the  Niantic  theatre  in  that  Con- 
necticut shoreline  town,  for  the  past  six 
years.  . . . The  Pike  Theatre  Corporation, 
which  lists  as  principals  Phil  Simon  and 
Robert  Gloth  of  Hartford,  is  now  operat- 
ing the  Pike  drive-in  theatre,  Newington, 
Conn.  Simon  and  Gloth  have  purchased, 
for  an  undisclosed  sum,  the  interest  held 
by  their  former  associate,  Lou  Rogow,  in 
the  theatre.  Under  the  trio’s  ownership,  the 
theatre  had  been  operated  by  the  Turnpike 
Theatre  Corporation.  Paul  W.  Amadeo 
continues  as  general  manager.  . . . Francis 
Flood  of  Stanley  Warner  Theatres,  has  been 
elected  Commander,  First  District,  AM- 
VETS,  national  veterans  organization.  . . . 
Harry  Feinstein,  northeastern  zone  man- 
ager, Stanley  Warner  Theatres,  and  Mrs. 
Feinstein  have  been  vacationing  in  Palm 
Beach,  Fla. 

JACKSONVILLE 

Leo  Samuels,  Buena  Vista  leader  from 
New  York,  was  here  with  his  family  to  visit 
Marineland,  Silver  Springs  and  other 
Florida  attractions.  . . . Walter  Brooks, 
director  of  the  Herald’s  “Managers  Round 
Table,”  was  welcomed  here  by  leading  ex- 
hibitors after  he  had  concluded  a brief 
vacation  in  Zephyrhills.  With  him  was  Lee 
Henry,  owner  of  the  Home  theatre  in 
Zephyrhills.  . . . Oscar  Morgan,  head  of 
Paramount  short  subjects,  was  in  town  to 
see  Lee  Chumley,  Paramount  branch  man- 
ager, and  Harvey  Garland,  film  buyer  for 
FST.  . . . WOMPI  members  are  now  en- 
gaged in  a project  to  provide  office  equip- 
ment for  the  Pinecastle  School  for  Retarded 
Children.  . . . Pete  J.  Sones,  Bay  Lan  Thea- 
tres executive,  Tampa,  returned  to  Florida 
after  an  Hawaiian  vacation.  ...  In  town  to 
confer  with  leaders  of  theatre  circuits  were 
Paul  Hargette,  Columbia  executive,  and 
Ken  Laird,  Buena  Vista  branch  manager, 
both  from  Atlanta ; and  Harold  Laird,  Re- 
public branch  manager,  Tampa.  . . .To  wed 
on  April  7 are  Grant  Raulerson,  manager 
of  the  Outdoor  drive-in,  Clearwater,  and 
Miss  Genevieve  Conway. 

LOS  ANGELES 

Milt  Gross,  manager  of  Phil  Isley’s  Mer- 
alta,  Culver  City,  and  his  wife  have  wel- 
comed a new  baby  girl,  Elsa  Marlene.  . 
Back  at  the  Lake  theatre  to  assume  his 
duties  as  manager  after  a short  illness,  wa5 
Larry  Carroll.  . . . Staff  Sgt.  Leon  Weimer, 
son  of  Fred  Weimer  of  National  Screen 
Service,  flew  in  from  Alaska  after  receiving 
an  honorable  discharge  from  the  Army.  . . . 
Sid  Pink,  who  operates  a chain  of  theatres 
in  Los  Angeles  and  surrounding  territory, 
has  acquired  the  Corona,  Corona  from 
James  Harper.  . . . Lou  Federicci  and  Sol 
Cohen,  who  operate  the  Cinema  and  Sun- 
set theatres  here,  flew  to  Manhattan  for  the 
purpose  of  lining  up  new  product  for  their 
houses.  . . . Bob  Smith  of  the  National 
Theatre  Supply  sales  department,  has  been 
transferred  to  the  company’s  Bevalite  divi- 
sion. . . . A1  Blumberg.  veteran  National 
( Continued  on  opposite  page) 


36 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  APRIL  7,  1956 


( Continued  from  opposite  page) 
Screen  salesman,  took  off  for  a Florida 
vacation,  stopping  off  enroute  in  Dallas  to 
pick  up  Mrs.  Bluniberg.  . . . Two  former 
exhibitors,  now  in  other  lines  of  endeavor, 
were  visitors  to  the  Row:  Dave  Fred,  who 
at  one  time  operated  the  Arlin  and  Deluxe 
theatres  here,  and  who  is  now  in  the 
ladies  apparel  business ; and  Max  Gardens, 
former  theatre  operator  on  Main  St.,  now 
running  a cattle  ranch  in  Montana.  . . . 
The  new  clerk  at  the  RKO  exchange  is 
Becky  Katz. 

MEMPHIS 

Mrs.  Edward  T.  Passene,  bookkeeper  and 
housewife,  won  the  all-expense  trip  to 
Hollywood,  a season  pass  to  the  Warner 
theatre  and  a $100  wardrobe  for  the  trip 
in  a contest  held  by  the  Warner  theatre, 
Goldsmith’s  Department  store  and  The 
Press-Scimitar.  The  contest  was  in  con- 
nection with  the  opening  of  the  new  film, 
"Miracle  in  the  Rain”  at  the  theatre.  A 
soldier  drew  her  name  from  a hat.  . . . 
R.  M.  Bowers,  owner,  has  re-opened  the 
Pines  theatre,  Mountain  Pine,  Ark.,  which 
has  been  closed  for  several  months.  . . . 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  W.  T.  Ellis  have  bought  the 
Strand  theatre  at  Philadelphia,  Miss.,  from 
Strand  Enterprises  and  re-named  it  the  Ellis 
theatre.  Effective  date  of  the  sale  was  April 
1.  . . . L.  E.  Jackson  has  bought  the  Erin 
theatre  at  Erin,  Tenn.,  from  Mrs.  H.  A. 
Fitch.  . . . Warm  spring  weather  brought 
about  widespread  openings  of  drive-ins  all 
over  the  Memphis  trade  territory  this  week. 
Practically  all  were  in  operation  by  April  1 
and  2.  ...  A two-day  meeting  of  the 
Arkansas  Theatre  Owners  was  held  at  Hot 
Springs,  Ark.,  April  1 and  2.  Several 
Memphian-  attended  the  sessions. 

MIAMI 

Academy  Award  winner  Edmund  Reek 
was  in  town  shooting  interesting  spots  for 
Fox  Movietonews.  . . . New  York  was  the 
destination  of  the  Abe  (20th  Century-Fox) 
Goodmans  after  a vacation  in  our  area.  . . . 
Local  public  relations  firm  of  Matthews, 
Salzman  & Associates  had  this  end  of  the 
Florida  peninsula  aware  of  the  fact  that 
“Alexander  The  Great”  was  in  town  via 
plenty  of  newsprint  and  TV  ballying.  . . . 
Don  Tilzer,  Caughton  Circuit  public  rela- 
tions man.  was  happy  at  the  reception  given 
a new  “childadult”  admission  plan  which 
offered  a one  dollar  bargain  price  for  an 
adult  with  one  under-12  child.  This  con- 
trasted with  the  85c  adult  and  47c  child 
prices,  regularly  charged.  . . . Ralph 
Renick,  news  director  of  television  station 
WT\  J,  had  another  award  to  add  to  a 
growing  list  when  the  Miami  Board  of 
Realtors  gave  him  a special  commendation 
for  his  four-week  series,  "Bumper-to- 
Bumper,’  re  Miami's  traffic  and  parking 
problems. 

MILWAUKEE 

A fire  broke  out  in  the  projection  room 
of  the  Fox-Bay  theatre  here  last  Sunday, 
but  William  Ruben,  manager,  asked  the  800 
attending  to  be  calm  and  not  to  run  as  they 
left  the  nearest  exit.  The  theatre  was 
cleared  in  only  eight  minutes  as  the  audi- 
ence, mostly  children,  filed  out  in  orderly 
fashion.  . . . The  Grand  theatre,  Clintonville, 
a Marcus  theatre,  has  been  closed.  . . . Jack 
Frackman,  branch  manager  of  Republic,  is 


doing  nicely  after  a hernia  operation  at 
Mount  Sinai  Hospital.  . . . The  weather 
hasn’t  been  in  the  drive-in  theatres’  favor 
here  the  past  two  weeks.  However,  with 
rain,  snow  and  sleet  the  drive-ins  continue 
to  remain  open.  A co-op  ad  was  featured 
in  the  local  press  for  the  five  drive-ins  near 
Milwaukee:  Bluemound,  15  Outdoor,  Vic- 
tory, Starlite  and  41  Twin.  . . . The  High- 
way 57  Outdoor,  formerly  called  the  Porte 
Outdoor,  opened  Friday. 

MINNEAPOLIS 

RKO  Orpheum,  Minneapolis,  is  being 
modernized  with  a new  foyer  and  lobby, 
according  to  Harry  Weiss,  RKO  Theatres 
district  manager.  New  carpeting  and  new 
lighting  also  are  being  installed.  . . . Robert 
Gordon,  assistant  manager  of  the  RKO  Pan, 
has  resigned.  . . . Don  Swartz,  operator  of 
the  Independent-Lippert  exchange,  was  in 
St.  Louis  on  business.  . . . When  drive-ins 
in  the  greater  Minneapolis  area  reopen,  they 
all  will  advertise  with  one  directory-type  ad 
in  the  Morning  Tribune  and  Star,  rather 
than  individual  advertisements  as  previously. 
The  eight  outdoor  stands  will  buy  a two- 
column,  nine-inch  ad  with  each  drive-in 
taking  a two-column,  one-inch  space ; the 
remaining  space  will  be  used  for  a heading. 

. . . Ridge  theatre  at  Breckenridge,  Minn., 
has  installed  a wide  screen  and  a new  sound 
system.  . . . Edan  Bjornson,  shipper  at 
National  Screen,  is  vacationing  in  Dallas 
and  San  Diego. 

NEW  ORLEANS 

Max  Connett  has  slated  April  16  for  re- 
opening of  the  Ritz  drive-in,  Forest,  Miss. 

. . . Mr.  and  Mrs.  George  Davis,  of  the 
Globe,  Drew,  Miss,  visited  Film  Row.  Drew 
is  serviced  out  of  Memphis.  . . . Arthur 
Barnett  Theatre  Service  acquired  the  buy- 
ing and  booking  for  the  Skyview  drive-in, 
New  Orleans,  La.,  owned  and  operated  by 
New  Orleans  Drive-in  Corp.  whose  chief 
stockholders  are  S.  B.  Mortimore,  Lyall 
Shiell  and  Frank  Olah.  The  latter  also 
operates  the  indoor  Star  in  Albany,  La.  . . . 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Neal  Robinson  and  son,  Neal, 
Jr.,  assumed  all  of  W.  H.  Ward’s  interest 
in  the  Park  drive-in,  Crestview,  Fla.  This 
is  their  second  drive-in  in  that  town.  Other 
theatre  holdings  include  the  indoor  Fox  and 
Eglin,  Crestview,  Niceville,  Niceville,  Fla. 
and  Jet,  Valparaiso,  Fla.  . . . After  due 
deliberation,  Mrs.  Stephen  Guillary  advised 
Transway  that  she  will  not  transfer  the 
Melba,  Elton,  La.,  after  April  1.  Instead,  she 
will  continue  to  operate  it  on  the  same  basis 
as  at  present.  . . . N.  Solomon  Theatres  re- 
opened the  Vicksburg  drive-in,  Vicksburg, 
Miss,  which  was  closed  during  the  winter 
months.  . . . Olin  Evans,  continuing  to 
spread  his  theatre  operations  in  Alabama, 
purchased  the  Barbour  drive-in,  Louisville 
from  F.  B.  Pearce.  His  theatre  interests 
now  include  the  Fairview  drive-in,  Ever- 
green, Ala.,  the  Starlite  drive-in,  Florala, 
Ala.,  the  indoor  Geneva,  Geneva,  Ala. 

OKLAHOMA  CITY 

The  Warner  theatre  here  is  being  con- 
verted to  Cinerama.  The  initial  show,  “This 
Is  Cinerama,”  will  open  May  21.  The  1,600- 
seat  house  will  have  its  capacity  cut  to  1,000 
seats  to  accommodate  the  Cinerama  equip- 
ment. . . . Gordon  Leonard,  for  five  years 
in  Oklahoma  City  with  the  Cooper  Foun- 
dation Theatres  management,  has  been 


named  co-ordinator  of  the  Oklahoma  Semi- 
Centennial  Commission  by  Rep.  Lou  Allard, 
Drumright,  Commission  chairman.  Leonard 
will  heli>  finalize  plans  for  Oklahoma’s  50th 
anniversary  celebration  next  year.  Leonard 
was  manager  of  the  Criterion  theatre  here. 
. . . Wendell  Peck,  Salina,  Kas.,  has  been 
named  manager  of  the  Twilite  drive-in  thea- 
tre there.  He  succeeds  Joe  Hearn.  Peck  an- 
nounced improvements  at  the  Twilite  which 
include  painting  the  screen  tower.  For- 
merly with  the  Fox  Midwest  Amusement 
Corporation,  Peck  has  been  employed  for 
the  last  four  years  as  manager  of  a drive-in 
theatre  in  Arkansas  City,  Kas. 

PHILADELPHIA 

“Cinerama  Holiday,”  closing  its  more- 
than-a-year  run  at  the  Boyd  this  month, 
passed  the  $1,000,000  mark  in  box  office  re- 
ceipts on  its  58th  week.  . . . Personnel 
changes  at  the  Screen  Guild  exchange  were 
announced  with  Harry  Brillman,  salesman, 
promoted  to  branch  manager ; Joseph  Engel 
named  special  representative ; Ed  Lorson 
becoming  head  booker,  and  Mary  Shodell  as 
assistant  booker.  . . . Abe  Sundberg,  indus- 
try veteran,  has  joined  the  staff  of  Perry 
Lessy’s  Diamond  as  manager.  . . . Campaign 
to  set  up  more  Boys  Towns  in  Italy  netted 
$2,000  in  17  days,  in  cooperation  with  the 
Stanley  Warner  Theatres,  with  Dominick 
Lucente  serving  as  theatres  chairman.  . . . 
Harry  J.  Waxman  sold  his  Ridge,  including 
the  theatre  building,  for  $150,000.  . . . A1 
Frank,  owner  of  the  Circus  drive-in  on  the 
Black  Horse  Pike  near  Atlantic  City,  N.  J., 
became  the  father  of  a daughter,  Karen,  born 
last  week.  He  also  announced  that  construc- 
tion started  this  week  for  the  new  drive-in 
he  is  building  for  the  nearby  resort  of  Ocean 
City,  N.  J.  . . . Nelson  Wax,  independent 
theatre  circuit  head,  has  added  the  Senate, 
key  neighborhood  house,  to  his  local  chain. 

. . . Fire  caused  considerable  damage  to 
the  Tri-State  drive-in,  Matamoras,  Pa., 
owned  by  Irving  Hulse.  . . . Sinking  Spring 
drive-in,  near  Reading,  Pa.,  reopened  for  the 
new  season  after  being  closed  for  a few 
weeks  because  of  the  weather.  . . . Thomas 
Friday,  Comerford  Theatres  executive,  an- 
nounced the  sale  of  the  Irving,  Wilkes- 
Barre,  Pa.,  by  Sheldon  L.  Greenberg  for 
$20,000. 

PITTSBURGH 

“Jubal”  set  for  the  J.  P.  Harris  following 
the  current  “Man  in  the  Gray  Flannel  Suit.” 
It  replaces  “The  Harder  They  Fall"  orig- 
inally set  to  follow  “Suit”.  . . . Also  delayed 
was  the  revival  of  “Song  of  the  South”  in 
the  Stanley  when  “Rose  Tattoo”  went  a 
third  week.  “Miracle  In  The  Rain”  is  cur- 
rent in  the  Stanley.  . . . The  Penn  lost  its 
assistant  manager  A1  Hill,  who  moved  next 
door  to  become  assistant  manager  of  the 
Mayflower  Coffee  Shop.  . . . Critics  Karl 
Krug,  Harold  Cohen  and  Kap  Monahan  off 
to  New  York  with  Cinerama  publicist  Art 
Manson  to  take  in  Manhattan  opening  of 
“Seven  Wonders  of  the  World.”  . . . The 
Nixon,  the  city’s  sole  legit  house,  returned 
to  stage  shows  via  “Strip  For  Action”  after 
10  weeks  of  Goldwyn’s  “Guys  and  Dolls.” 
The  house  will  probably  play  “Oklahoma  !” 
this  summer.  . . . Saul  Bragin,  Stanley 
Warner  booker,  sunning  himself  in  Miami 
Beach  for  two  weeks.  . . . “Alexander  The 
Great”  set  for  the  Penn  after  “Anvthing 
Goes.” 

( Continued  on  following  page) 


PRODUCT  DIGEST  SECTION,  APRIL  7,  1956 


37 


PORTLAND 

Marty  Foster  was  in  town  for  a few  days 
from  San  Francisco  to  look  over  remodeling 
job  of  his  Guild  Art  theatre.  He  booked 
“Marty”  and  “Summertime”  as  reissues  and 
had  to  turn  customers  away.  . . . The  deluxe 
neighborhood  house,  the  Bagdad  had  a grand 
reopening  this  week.  The  house  had  been 
shuttered  for  a long  time.  Tom  Blair  had 
the  spot  remodeled.  . . . Col.  McNary,  film 
salesman  for  the  Oregon  Journal,  is  in  the 
hospital.  . . . Frank  Breall,  former  Ever- 
green manager,  is  setting  up  the  campaign 
for  Liberace’s  one  night  stand  here  in  June. 
Zolly  \ olchock,  head  of  Northwest  Releas- 
ing Corp.,  is  doing  the  same  in  Seattle.  . . . 
Jack  O’Bryan,  U.A.  branch  manager,  is  set- 
ting up  a big  “Show  of  Shows”  for  the  U.  S. 
Naval  Reserve.  Broadway  theatre  manager 
Herb  Royster  is  appointed  head  of  pub- 
licity. 

PROVIDENCE 

Local  theatremen,  quickly  recovering  from 
the  twin  blizzards,  launched  intensive  adver- 
tising campaigns  to  build  up  business  at  the 
box  offices.  Most  down-towns  booked  in 
Oscar-nominated  films.  . . . Almost  setting 
new  records  for  the  local  use  of  newspaper 
advertising  in  exploiting  an  attraction,  the 
Majestic  sent  “Carousel”  off  to  a rousing 
start.  The  production  is  more  or  less  of  a 
natural  for  the  sector,  inasmuch  as  Capt. 
Enoch  Snow,  portrayed  by  Robert  Rounse- 
ville,  was  a well-known  New  England  char- 
acter (1841-1897).  ...  At  the  request  of 
scores  of  prospeective  patrons,  unable  to  get 
through  the  recent  blizzards  to  see  Danny 
Kaye  in  “The  Court  Jester,”  A1  Siner, 
Strand  manager,  held  the  picture  over  for  a 
second  week. 

SAN  FRANCISCO 

Nate  Blumenfeld,  chief  barker,  Tent  32, 
reports  that  the  benefit  premiere  of  “Alex- 
ander the  Great”  netted  the  Blind  Babies 
Foundation  in  excess  of  $3,000.  The  plans 
of  the  Women  of  Variety  for  their  annual 
Chuck  Wagon  Dinner  for  the  benefit  of  the 
Blind  Babies  Foundation  are  progressing 
under  the  chairman,  Mrs.  Rotus  Harvey.  . . . 
The  Starlight  drive-in,  Redding,  Lippert 
Theatres,  opened  March  30,  with  Bob  Smith, 
manager.  The  drive-ins  of  the  Redwood 
Theatres  circuit  are  in  full  operation.  . . . 
Don  Donahue  will  operate  the  new  drive-in 
at  Novato,  now  being  built  by  John  Novak. 

. . . Mel  Hulling,  Allied  Artists,  western 
division  manager,  and  James  P.  Meyers, 
branch  manager,  are  attending  the  April  5-7 
A. A.  meeting  in  Chicago.  The  Rio  theatre, 
Richmond,  closed  March  19. 

ST.  LOUIS 

The  Star-Lite  drive-in  theatre  at  Salem, 
Mo.,  has  just  completed  installation  of  in- 
car  heaters  and  has  them  in  operation.  . . . 

I he  Midway  drive-in  theatre,  Dexter,  Mo., 
has  opened — full  time — for  the  season.  . . . 
Ralph  Joseph  Heft,  60  years  old,  former 
owner-operator  of  the  Palace  theatre,  Kan- 
sas City,  Mo.,  which  he  closed  about  a year 
ago  because  of  his  failing  health,  died  re- 
cently at  Veterans  Hospital  after  an  illness 
of  nine  months.  . . . Joseph  W.  Bohn,  65, 
who  was  a native  of  Louisville,  Ky.,  died 
recently  at  Indianapolis,  Ind.,  where  he  was 
owner  and  operator  of  a motion  picture  dis- 
tributing firm.  . . . The  RKO-Virginia  the- 


atre, Champaign,  111.,  has  just  completed  an 
extensive  remodeling  program,  including  in- 
side and  outside  painting,  new  lobby,  main 
floor  and  mezzanine  foyers,  according  to 
Grant  Martin,  manager.  A highlight  is  all 
plate  glass  front  doors. 

TORONTO 

Appointment  of  Emerson  S.  Torchy 
Coatsworth  as  assistant  general  manager 
was  announced  by  T.  Alex  Metcalfe,  general 
manager  of  Motion  Pictures  for  Television 
(Canada)  Ltd.  Coatsworth  was  formerly 
film  procurement  officer  of  the  CBS  and 
prior  to  that  Toronto  press  and  information 
representative  for  TV.  . . . Dick  Main,  oper- 
ator of  the  Simcoe,  Sutton,  Out.,  gave  the 
use  of  his  house  to  a church  congregation 
in  the  community  when  their  own  building 
was  burned  out.  . . . Stan  Track  has  taken 
over  the  theatre  in  Spalding,  Sask.,  from  G. 
Braget.  . . . Formerly  a vaudeville  stage 
manager  for  a touring  show  and  latterly 
stage  manager  of  the  Orpheum  and  Capitol 
in  Morse  Jaw,  James  Houghton,  71,  died 
recently.  . . . Repairs  requiring  the  theatre 
shutting  down  for  several  weeks  were  neces- 
sary at  Colin  Danson’s  Strand  in  Sussex, 
N.  B.,  following  a violent  storm.  . . . N.  J. 
Erechook,  owner  of  the  Roxy,  Wawa, 
Ontario,  piloted  his  plane  safely  home  from 
a mining  trip  just  in  time  to  halt  an  air 
search  for  the  overdue  Cessna. 


VANCOUVER 

Charter  members  of  the  Famous  Player’s 
25-year  Club  are  two  projectionists,  Hank 
Leslie,  of  the  Orpheum  (now  president  of 
Vancouver  Picture  Pioneers),  and  Ray- 
Hansom,  of  the  Capitol.  . . . The  150-seat 
Frontier,  the  only  theatre  in  Frontier,  a 
Saskatchewan  farming  community,  was  com- 
pletely destroyed  by  fire.  Theatre  had  been 
operated  by  the  Board  of  Trade.  . . . Three 
old-time  members  of  Projectionist’s  local  348 
have  retired  from  show  business.  They  are: 
Jack  Lucas,  1914;  Johnny  Roberts,  1916; 
and  Jack  Limerick,  of  Nanaimo,  1925.  . . . 
San  Ellerington  and  Bob  Foster,  of  the 
Orpheum,  on  the  sick  list  for  a long  time, 
have  returned  to  their  jobs  in  the  booth. 
. . . Jim  Webster,  formerly  assistant  at  the 
FPC  Capitol,  has  moved  over  to  the  Odeon 
circuit  and  is  working  in  the  same  capacity 
at  the  Vogue.  He  replaced  Bryan  Peaty, 
now  in  California.  . . . Earl  Barlow,  former 
manager  of  the  now  closed  FPC  Alma  thea- 
tre, is  now  a car  salesman  with  Colliers, 
Ltd.,  here.  . . . Charlie  Doctor,  manager  of 
the  Capitol,  has  moved  into  his  new  home 
at  Cypress  Park,  West  Vancouver. 

WASHINGTON 

Glenn  Norris,  20th  Century-Fox  eastern 
division  manager,  was  a recent  Washington 
visitor.  . . . Roy  Rogers  and  his  wife,  Dale 
Evans,  were  Easter  visitors  in  Washington, 
at  the  Walter  Reed  Army  Medical  Center. 

. . . James  Velde,  United  Artists  general 
sales  manager,  was  a local  Washington 
visitor  and  guest  of  honor  at  a luncheon 
at  the  Mayflower  Hotel.  . . . Hirsh  de  La 
Viez,  chairman  of  the  Variety  Club  enter- 
tainment committee,  is  planning  another 
“teen-age  juke  box”  dance  for  children  of 
Variety  members,  April  20.  . . . Wineland 
Theatres  has  taken  over  the  Hillside,  Mary- 
land drive-in  theatre.  . . . Tony  Muto, 
Washington  representative  of  20th  Century- 
Fox,  has  returned  from  a trip  to  Mexico 


and  Cuba.  . . , Orville  Crouch,  eastern 
division  manager  of  Loew’s  Theatres,  chief 
barker  of  the  Variety  Club  of  Washington, 
and  general  chairman  of  the  cherry  blossom 
festival  committee,  presented  President  and 
Mrs.  Eisenhower  with  a dozen  flowering 
cherry  trees  for  planting  on  their  Gettys- 
burg farm. 


Must  Scramble  Sound , 
Picture  on  Toll  TV 

Alexander  Ellett  and  Robert  Adler,  engi- 
neers, discussing  toll-TV  at  a symposium 
during  the  closing  sessions  of  the  44th  an- 
nual convention  of  the  Institute  of  Radio 
Engineers  in  New  York,  disclosed  that 
sound  as  well  as  picture  must  be  scrambled 
in  subscription  television  because  the  code 
which  controls  the  pay-TV  signals  can  be 
broken.  Subscription  TV  has  long  been  in 
the  news,  according  to  the  speakers,  and 
the  necessity  of  scrambling  both  media  is 
now  evident.  They  made  reference  to  tech- 
nical concern  which  have  been  “bootleg- 
ging” or  breaking  the  code  used  as  a con- 
trol signal  to  scramble  the  picture. 


Confer  with  Navy  on 
" Away  All  Boats" 

WASHINGTON : Charles  Simonelli,  Uni- 
versal’s eastern  advertising  and  publicity 
department  manager,  and  Philip  Gerard, 
eastern  publicity  manager,  conferred  here 
this  week  with  top  Naval  officials  to  set  a 
plan  of  special  events  in  connection  with 
the  launching  of  “Away  All  Boats,”  the 
company’s  new  production  in  VistaVision 
and  color  by  Technicolor  based  on  the 
Kenneth  Dodson  book.  The  company  has 
scheduled  the  film  for  Summer  release.  A 
rough  cut  was  shown  to  U.  S.  Navy  and 
Defense  Department  officials  last  month. 
The  film  stars  Jeff  Chandler,  George  Nader, 
Julie  Adams  and  Lex  Barker. 


Dumont  Laboratories 
Loss  $3,674,000 

Allen  B.  Du  Mont  Laboratories,  Inc.,  has 
reported  a gross  income  of  $58,801,000  for 
1955,  exclusive  of  income  from  broadcasting 
operations,  and  a net  loss  of  $3,674,000. 
Comparable  figures  for  1954  showed  a gross 
income  of  $71,458,000  and  earnings  of  $870,- 
000,  plus  a capital  gain  of  $6,727,000  from 
the  sale  of  television  station,  WDTV.  In  its  . 
annual  report  to  stockholders,  the  company 
points  out  that  the  loss  figure  included  a 
special  inventory  reserve  of  $1,400,000  and 
a loss  of  $2,859,000  from  broadcasting  oper- 
ations, which  the  company  no  longer  con- 
ducts. 


"Toy  Tiger"  Previews 

“Toy  Tiger,”  Universal  - International 
comedy  starring  Jeff  Chandler,  Laraine  Day 
and  Tim  Hovey,  was  given  a series  of  ex- 
hibitor theatre  “sneak  previews”  in  key  cities 
from  coast  to  coast  Easter  Week.  It  will 
be  released  in  July. 


38 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  APRIL  7,  1956 


An  International  Association  of  Motion  Picture  Showmen  — Walter  Brooks , Director 


70/1  7 ellA  Hm  7o  Work  With  iccal  HemApaperA 


THEATRE  Owners  of  America,  in  the 
first  issue  of  their  new  “Business 
Builders”  bulletin,  offer  a program 
for  cultivating  local  newspaper  men  and 
making  friends  with  editors  and  publishers 
at  the  local  level,  which  is  highly  pertinent 
material  for  this  Round  Table  meeting. 
Following  the  excellent  groundwork  that  has 
been  done  by  COMPO  in  their  long  series 
of  page  ads  in  “Editor  and  Publisher,”  this 
procedure  takes  you  directly  to  the  editorial 
desk  and  provides  the  cues  for  your  con- 
versation. 

Quoting  the  five-point  program  verbatim 
is  the  least  we  can  do  to  accent  and  applaud 
the  vigor  of  this  advice  for  your  aid  and 
benefit.  So,  take  it  from  here — as  we  did — 
and  credit  Dave  Jones  of  Kerasotes  Thea- 
tres, Springfield,  Illinois,  for  his  good  serv- 
ice to  the  industry  in  setting  down  this 
information : 

(1)  Make  your  contact  “at  the  top”  with 
the  publisher  first. 

(2)  Establish  your  contacts  with  the  edi- 
tor and  advertising  manager  of  the  paper  so 
that  you  are  a “person”  rather  than  just  a 
“theatre  name”. 

(3)  Use  the  news  columns  whenever 
possible — when  you  install  new  equipment, 
decorate,  remodel,  have  a club  meeting, 
farm  machinery  film  demonstration,  cooking 
school,  etc. 

(4)  When  you  run  a promotion  such  as 
Ten  Best  Pictures  or  Audience  Awards 
Poll,  include  the  newspaper  as  co-sponsor 
and  you  will  get  better  cooperation. 

(5)  Be  sure  the  editor-publisher  has  a 
season  pass  to  your  theatre. 

(6)  Cooperate  with  the  classified  ad  de- 
partment with  an  exchange  of  space  for 
tickets  to  entice  new  ads  or  readers  of  ads 
already  in  the  paper. 

(7)  Work  out  an  arrangement  with  the 
paper  for  carrier  boys.  Many  papers  give 
their  carrier  a “show  ticket”  for  good  jobs. 

(8)  Tie  in  with  the  paper  when  sponsor- 
ing a summer  children’s  matinee  series. 

(9)  Whenever  possible,  invite  the  editor 
to  any  special  preview  or  appearance  of  a 
film  personality  in  your  town,  or  sponsor  his 
trip  to  take  him  to  any  such  event  in  a 
nearby  larger  city. 


TEN  COMMANDMENTS 
OF  GOOD  BUSINESS 

A CUSTOMER  . . . 

is  the  most  important  person  in 
any  business. 

A CUSTOMER  . . . 

is  not  dependent  on  us — we  are  de- 
pendent on  him. 

A CUSTOMER  . . . 

is  not  an  interruption  of  our  work 
— he  is  the  purpose  of  it. 

A CUSTOMER  . . ■ 

does  us  a favor  when  he  calls — ive 
are  not  doing  him  a favor  by  serv- 
ing him. 

A CUSTOMER  . . . 

is  a part  of  our  business — not  an 
outsider. 

A CUSTOMER  . . . 

is  not  a cold  statistic — he  is  a flesh 
and  blood  human  being  tvith  feel- 
ings and  emotions  like  our  oivn. 

A CUSTOMER  . . . 

is  not  someone  to  argue  or  match 
wits  with. 

A CUSTOMER  . . . 

is  a person  who  brings  us  his 
ivants — it  is  our  job  to  fill  those 
iv  ants. 

A CUSTOMER  . . . 

is  deserving  of  the  most  courteous 
and  attentive  treatment  we  can 
give  him. 

A CUSTOMER  . . . 

is  the  fellow  that  makes  it  possible 
to  pay  our  salary  whether  we  are 
a truck  driver,  plant  employee, 
office  employee,  salesman  or  man- 
ager. 

Reprinted  from  direct  mail  advertising  issued  by 
Black,  Starr  & Gorham,  Fifth  Avenue,  New  York, 
who  set  a good  example. 


CJ  ONE  MANAGER  down  here  in  Florida 
expresses  an  idea  that  we’ve  never  heard 
mentioned  before — and  it  quite  surprised  us, 
in  view  of  all  the  talk  that  originates  with 
indignant  exhibitors. 

He  says,  “If  it  were  only  then” — mean- 
ing, if  we  had  only  had  all  the  good  pictures 
we  have  now,  back  in  1948  or  whenever  it 
was  that  the  industry  was  doing  so  well, 
with  a weekly  attendance  average  of  sev- 
enty or  ninety  million  patrons  for  motion 
pictures.  He  feels  that  our  new  product, 
in  new  dimensions  and  color,  is  so  much 
better  today,  that  it  would  have  raised  the 
industry  to  a different  level,  if  we  had  had 
it  then.  He  thinks  that  CinemaScope,  Vista- 
Vision  and  our  new  width  and  color,  outdo 
all  the  product  standards  of  a decade  ago  in 
quality  and  audience  appeal,  and  we  would 
have  created  a bigger  backlog  of  loyal  cus- 
tomers, for  their  permanent  patronage.  He 
has  all  the  new  equipment  in  his  theatre, 
and  he  wisely  plays  fewer  pictures  for 
longer  runs  than  he  did  formerly. 

There  is  new  competition  from  other  forms 
of  entertainment  that  appeal  for  divergent 
shares  of  the  public’s  amusement  dollar. 
We  have  more  people,  with  more  money  to 
spend — and  more  to  spend  it  for. 

CJ  BASEBALL,  as  an  industry,  is  doing 
something  about  its  boxofifice  potential  by 
cultivating  the  adolescent  audience — an  ex- 
ample to  follow.  The  “Little  Leagues” 
focus  attention  on  baseball  for  youngsters 
up  to  12  years  of  age,  and  now  here  in 
Florida  they  are  organizing  the  “Babe  Ruth 
League”  to  take  care  of  boys  of  13,  14  and 
15  years  of  age,  to  give  them  “three  more 
years  of  baseball.”  With  all  the  big  league 
teams  playing  ball  all  winter  in  the  Florida 
sunshine,  it’s  natural  for  baseball  to  remain 
in  the  news  through  the  off-season. 

But,  it  accents  the  necessity  for  theatre 
managers  to  apply  the  same  effort  in  build- 
ing and  keeping  juvenile  audiences.  The 
youngsters  of  today’s  “Saturday  morning” 
and  other  children’s  shows  are  your  potential 
audiences  of  tomorrow.  Keep  them  and 
you’ll  stay  in  business,  because  tomorrow 
they’ll  be  keeping  you  ! — Walter  Brooks 


MANAGERS’  ROUND  TABLE  SECTION,  APRIL  7,  1956 


39 


Sid  Blumenstock,  advertising  manager,  Hugh  Owen,  eastern 
division  manager  and  Herb  Steinberg,  exploitation  manager,  all 
of  Paramount  Pictures,  with  Ernest  Emerling,  national  advertising 
and  publicity  director  for  Loew's  Theatres,  admire  one  of  the 
floats  in  the  parade  which  launched  Loew's  "Springtime  Shower 
of  Hits"  and  which  is  particularly  devoted  to  "The  Rose  Tattoo." 


/// 


The  caravan  of  gorgeous  floats  with  beautiful  models  aboard 
had  this  display,  both  gorgeous  and  beautiful,  for  "Guys  and 
Dolls"  and  Henny  Youngman  steps  out  with  the  models,  as  part 
of  the  ceremonies  on  Times  Square.  Nice  work  if  you  can  get  it. 


IN  THE  AIR 


FLIGHT 
« COITfR 


mOSTSt 


% CEREMONY 

” WH  UAWKj; 

* RKCf  mems 


At  the  North  American  premiere  of  "Cockleshell  Heroes" 
at  the  Odeon  theatre  in  Toronto:  Left  to  right,  Jonas  Rosen- 
field,  Jr.,  Columbia  Pictures;  C.  R.  B.  Salmon  and  F.  R. 
Fisher,  of  Odeon  Theatres,  and  Jim  Hardiman,  Odeon's  pub- 
licity director,  resplendent  in  his  uniform  as  a Lieutenant 
in  the  Canadian  Naval  Reserve. 


Curtis  Mees,  manager  of  the  Paramount  theatre,  Atlanta, 
who  wrote  the  original  script  of  RKO’s  short  film,  "Sentinels 
of  the  Air"  with  Colonel  Asa  W.  Candler,  Commander  of 
the  Atlanta  Air  Reserve,  Colonel  George  H.  Wilson,  who 
is  also  star  of  the  film,  and  Colonel  Harry  D.  Copeland, 
Deputy  Chief  of  Staff  for  Atlanta. 


W.  H.  Belle,  manager  of  the  Laurelton 
theatre,  Laurelton,  L.  I.,  had  this  manne- 
quin dressed  as  a butcher  boy,  as  ex- 
ploitation for  "Marty" — and  as  you'll  see 
the  authorities  are  interested. 


Zeva  Yovan,  who  lives  somewhere  near 
the  Mexican  border,  was  able  to  bor- 
row these  authentic  Spanish  characters 
as  street  ballyhoo  for  "The  Littlest  Out- 
law" for  exploitation  at  Loew's  State 
theatre,  St.  Louis. 


This  is  submitted  as  an  exploitation 
picture  by  20th  Century-Fox  for  a cer- 
tain picture  now  in  production,  and  not 
as  yet  in  release — but  honestly,  we 
think  the  Fifth  Avenue  Bus  Corporation 
has  been  using  these  signs. 


40 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  APRIL  7,  1956 


QUIGLEY  AWARDS 
CONTENDERS 


BRIAN  BINT 
Gaumont 
Chorlton,  Eng. 

HARRY  BOESEL 
Palace,  Milwaukee 

HUGH  BORLAND 
Embassy,  Chicago 

LEW  BRAY,  JR. 
Queen,  McAllen,  Tex. 

PETER  BROWNE 
Plaza,  Guildford,  Eng. 

JOHN  P.  BRUNETTE 
Studio,  San  Jose,  Cal. 

C.  BUSHNELL 
Odeon 

Bournemouth,  Eng. 

DUNC  CAMPBELL 
Capitol 

Woodstock,  Vt. 

ALLAN  CLARK 
Odeon,  Somerset,  Eng. 

JOHN  G.  CORBETT 
Glove 

Gloversville,  N.  Y. 

BOB  COX 
Kentucky,  Lexington 

R.  J.  CRABB 
Lyric 

Wellingborough,  Eng. 

J.  Di  BENEDETTO 
Poli,  Worcester,  Mass. 

ELMER  N.  DE  WITT 
Millers,  Defiance,  O. 

JERRY  DUGGAN 
Paramount 
Kenora,  Can. 

BILL  ELDER 
Warfield 

San  Francisco,  Cal. 

WILLIAM  ELLIOTT 
Jewel 

Mt.  Clemens,  Mich. 

GEORGE  FORHAN 
Belle,  Belleville,  Ont. 

DAVE  GARVIN,  JR. 
Paramount 
Newport  News,  Va. 

BEN  GARY 
Athena,  Athens,  O. 

CHARLES  GAUDINO 
Poli,  Springfield,  Mass. 

ELAINE  GEORGE 
Star,  Heppner,  Ore. 

SAM  GILMAN 
State,  Syracuse,  N.  Y. 

AL  GLICK 

Florida  State  Theatres 
Miami,  Fla. 

ADAM  GOELZ 
Showboat 
Freeport,  Tex. 

JOE  GOLDENBERG 
Tuxedo,  Brooklyn 


STAN  GOODMAN 

Hollywood 

Sioux  Falls,  la. 

ROBERT  P.  GOSS 
Odeon,  Sale,  Eng. 

MEL  HABER 
Carib,  Miami,  Fla. 

W.  J.  HACKETT 
Kenning  Hall  Odeon 
Clapton,  Eng. 

REGINALD  HELLEY 
Rit- 

Huddersfield,  Eng. 

KEN  B.  HIPKIN 
Gaumont,  London,  Eng. 

SAM  HORWITZ 
Harbor,  Brooklyn 

WIL  HUDSON 
Liberty,  Portland,  Ore. 

MEL  JOLLEY 
Century 
Hamilton,  Can. 

HAROLD  KAPLAN 

St.  Louis  Park 

St.  Louis  Park,  Minn. 

MELVIN  KATZ 
Embassy,  Johnstown,  Pa. 

NYMAN  KESSLER 
DeWitt,  Bayonne,  N.  J. 

ARNOLD  KIRSCH 
De  Luxe,  New  York 

GEORGE  KREVO 
Palace,  Jacksonville,  Fla. 

LIM  KENG  HOR 
Cathay,  Singapore 

A.  LOEWENTHAL 
Ward,  New  York 

PAUL  H.  LYDAY 
Denver,  Denver,  Col. 

D.  MACKRELL 

Haymarket 
Newcastle,  Eng. 

TONY  MASELLA 
Palace,  Meriden,  Conn. 

P.  J.  MILLS 
Gaumont 
Liverpool,  Eng. 

LES  MITCHELL 
Capitol,  Welland,  Can. 

JIM  MOLOHON 
State,  Sioux  Falls,  la. 

S.  V.  MURDOCH 
Gaumont 
Liverpool,  Eng. 

DOUG.  G.  MURRAY 
Kings,  Montrose,  Scot. 

VICTOR  NOWE 
Odeon,  Toronto,  Can. 

M.  H.  PARKER 
Stanley  Warner 
Erie,  Pa. 

ALLAN  W.  PERKINS 
Roxy,  Midland,  Can. 


GEORGE  PETERS 
Loew's,  Richmond,  Va. 

JOHN  E.  PETROSKI 
Garde 

New  London,  Conn. 

KEN  PRICKETT 
State,  Omaha,  Neb. 

FRANK  RAMSEY 
Culver,  Los  Angeles 

D.  C.  REES 
Odeon,  Sketty,  Eng. 

H.  W.  REISINGER 
Downs,  Wilmington,  O. 

DENNIS  J.  RICH 
Cameo,  Bristol,  Conn. 

TRUMAN  RILEY 
Grand,  Paris,  Texas 

S.  ROBDRUP 
Empire 

Darlington,  Eng. 

BOB  ROSEN 
Bismarck 
Bismarck,  N.  D. 

MORRIS  ROSENTHAL 
Poli,  New  Haven,  Conn. 

S.  C.  SHINGLES 
Odeon 

South  Harrow,  Eng. 

SOL  SORKIN 
RKO  Keith's 
Syracuse,  N.  Y. 

MURRAY  SPECTOR 
Central 

Jersey  City,  N.  J. 

M.  C.  TALLEY 
State,  Lake  Wales,  Fla. 

CHARLES  TUCKER 
Holland 

Bellefontaine,  O. 

J.  W.  TURNER 
Savoy,  Sale,  Eng. 

DALE  TYSINGER 
Weller,  Zanesville,  O. 

FRED  VARLOW 
Empress 

Edmonton,  Can. 

DON  WALLS 
Center 

Oklahoma  City,  Okla. 

LEE  WENTZ 
El  Portal 

Los  Angeles,  Cal. 

T.  A.  WRIGHT 
Regal 

Birmington,  Eng. 

WILLIAM  WYATT 
Virginian 

Charleston,  W.  Va. 

R.  W.  YOUNG 
Union,  Dunstable,  Eng. 

ZEVA  YOVAN 

Orpheum 

St.  Louis,  Mo. 


Round  Table 


€A1  Bogatch,  manager  of  the  Fox  West  Coast  Fairfax  theatre, 
Los  Angeles  sub-run,  waxes  poetic  in  describing  his  circuit’s 
operation — -“We  cover  the  field  like  Rand  McNally,  From  the  Blue  Pacific 
to  the  far-flung  valley.  Our  theatres  are  large,  our  theatres  are  small, 
And  each  man  in  charge  is  on  the  ball.”  Take  a bow,  Al,  at  the  head 
of  the  column.  . . . Charles  Guadino,  manager  of  Loew’s  Poli  theatre, 
Springfield,  Mass.,  staged  a “real  nice  clam  bake”  for  “Carousel”  with 
cans  of  Capt.  Snow’s  chowder.  The  idea  is  good,  but  we  wouldn't  know 
about  the  chowder — not  having  received  any  of  the  sample  cans  that  were 
sent  to  the  press.  . . . Earle  M.  Holden,  manager  of  the  Lucas  and  Avon 
theatres,  Savannah,  Ga.,  sends  us  a sample  of  the  “Student  Identification 
Card”  which  he  has  been  using  for  the  last  five  years,  setting  the 
precedent  for  the  various  others  that  have  followed  this  good  example, 
which  was  reviewed  again  in  the  Round  Table  of  March  24th.  The  cards 
carry  a small  photograph  of  the  student,  and  are  accepted  by  all  down- 
town theatres,  in  cooperation  with  the  city  school  system.  . . . Most 
impressive  is  the  showing  of  RKO’s  “The  Conqueror”  in  Italian  language 
magazines  published  in  Rome.  . . . Cooperation  of  local  Navy  recruiting 
offices  was  secured  by  Alice  Gorham  for  United  Detroit’s  Broadway 
theatre,  for  the  opening  of  Columbia’s  “Battle  Station”  in  the  Motor  City. 
The  navy  supplied  display  models  of  all  types  of  warships  and  aircraft, 
and  gave  the  theatre  okey  to  snipe  their  “A”  boards  throughout  the 
Detroit  area.  . . . George  Peters  is  featured  for  top  billing  in  a report 
of  MGM’s  campaign  on  “Guys  and  Dolls”  at  Loew’s  theatre.  Richmond, 
with  Tom  Baldridge  represented  by  Robt.  Baral,  MGM  field  man  on  the 
job. 


CLee  Z.  Henrv,  manager  of  the  Home  theatre,  Zephyrhills,  Florida, 
breaks  the  news  columns  via  our  Jacksonville  correspondent  with 
a report  of  his  “old  folks  show”  as  a midweek  attraction  for  elderly 
patrons  in  his  Florida  small  town.  . . . Querulous,  but  provocative  card 
in  the  mail  merely  says  “T.M.W.N.V” — and  stops  cold,  with  no  hint 
of  what  it  means.  And  after  exhaustive  research,  we  have  figured  out 
“The  Man  Who  Never  Was” — and  naturally,  his  business  card  would 
be  equally  anonymous.  . . . G.  S.  G.  Patterson,  secretary-treasurer  of 
Fox  Evergreen  Theatres,  is  the  best  looking  member  of  Seattle’s  censor 
board,  and  also  the  smartest,  the  way  we  hear  it.  . . . For  the  second 
year,  Universal-International  leads  all  major  companies  in  the  number 
of  pictures  pre-sold  through  advertising  in  national  magazines  and  Sun- 
day supplements.  . . . An  important  music  promotion  for  20th  Century- 
Fox’s  “Revolt  of  Mamie  Stover”  is  a new  song  hit,  “If  you  Wanna 
See  Mamie  Tonight” — which  sounds  interesting.  . . . Loew's  out-of-town 
theatres  are  participating  in  a contest  to  send  two  prize  winners  to 
Wilbur  Clark’s  Desert  Inn,  in  Las  Vegas,  as  promotion  for  "Meet  Me 
in  Las  Vegas” — and  a neat  switch  in  the  rules  also  awards  $1,000  cash 
which  the  winners  MUST  SPEND  in  Las  Vegas,  in  addition  to  all 
transportation  and  expenses  paid.  That’s  quite  an  assignment,  but  you 
can  count  on  the  stables  to  win.  ...  In  Worcester,  Mass.,  a four-foot 
wedding  cake  was  promoted  by  manager  Murray  Howard  as  a lobby 
display  piece  for  the  opening  of  Columbia’s  “Hot  Blood”  at  the  Warner 
theatre.  No  obvious  connection,  but  clearly  conducive  to  patron’s 
inquiries  as  to  how:  and  why  it  served  the  purpose. 


Earl  Hoffman,  manager  of  the  Michigan  theatre,  Jackson, 
Mich.,  submits  a sample  script  of  copy  used  on  a local  station  as 
radio  promotion  for  Bing  Crosby's  “Anything  Goes” — which  Herb 
Steinberg,  of  Paramount,  sends  along,  with  pride.  It’s  a good  example 
of  showmanship  and  the  local  sponsor  has  had  a Bing  Crosby  show  every 
Saturday  for  the  last  eight  years,  out  of  sheer  delight  in  Der  Bingle’s 
recordings.  . . . When  the  Paramount  theatre,  Buffalo,  opened  with 
Columbia's  “Hot  Blood”  a local  disc  jockey  asked  “What  do  you  want — 
blood?”  and  of  course,  that  was  it,  with  guest  tickets  for  blood  donors. 
. . . Ben  Tureman,  manager  of  Schine’s  theatre  in  Russell,  Maryland, 
went  all  out  with  Montgomery- Ward  on  promoting  a fashion  showT 
which  was  really  a tremendous  production,  with  37  models  from  the 
city  and  country,  sixteen  of  them  children.  . . . Local  newspapers  and 
school  authorities  combined  to  make  the  campaign  for  “Our  Miss  Brooks” 
a big  success  at  the  Omaha  theatre,  Omaha,  Nebr.,  with  three  categories 
contending  in  a contest  to  select  the  most  popular  teacher  in  various 
grades.  . . . The  Capitol  theatre,  Woodstock,  Vt.,  celebrated  St.  Patrick’s 
Day  by  serving  Irish  popcorn — prepared  with  green  vegetable  food 
coloring.  . . . Dale  Schuder,  manager  of  the  Circle  theatre,  Indian- 
apolis, w:as  all  ready  and  waiting,  and  posing  in  front  of  his  lobby  dis- 
play, for  the  Academy  Award  to  Anna  Magnani  for  her  role  in  “The 
Rose  Tattoo.”  . . . Norm  Levinson  distributing  $10,000  bills  as  adver- 
tising for  “Meet  Me  in  Las  Vegas” — sure  they  were  phony,  but  they 
looked  convincing  enough  to  contribute  to  the  selling  approach  for  the 
costly  picture.  . . . Paul  W.  Amedeo,  manager  of  the  Pike  Drive-In 
theatre,  Newington,  Conn.,  ran  special  ads  to  convince  patrons  they  were 
still  in  business  after  the  recent  snow^  storms. 


MANAGERS'  ROUND  TABLE  SECTION,  APRIL  7,  1956 


41 


RULES  OF  THE 


A 


jjjjFoac 


k 


THE  CONQUEROR  — Howard  Hughes- 
RKO.  CinemaScope,  in  color  by  Techni- 
color. Two  years  in  the  making,  at  a cost 
of  $6,000,000.  John  Wayne,  in  "one  of 
the  best  pictures  I have  ever  seen,  cer- 
tainly the  best  I've  ever  been  in."  With 
Susan  Hayward  and  a cast  of  thousands. 
The  warrior  who  shook  the  world  — a 
mighty  man  whose  conquests  changed  the 
path  of  mankind.  A warrior  to  be  feared, 
but,  to  a woman,  a man  to  be  conquered. 
Mighty — the  man,  and  the  motion  picture. 
RKO,  who  excel  in  pressbooks,  outdo  them- 
selves with  a giant  campaign  book  to  sell 
this  extravagant  picture.  All  the  show- 
manship that  any  manager  can  use.  24- 
sheet  and  all  accessories  prepared  with 
RKO's  typical  favor  towards  pictorial  art 
for  poster  purposes.  Four-page  tabloid 
herald  from  Cato  Show  Print  keys  your 
campaign.  A set  of  eight  I I x 1 4's  in  color 
and  as  many  as  fifty  stills  in  color  and 
black-and-white,  for  publicity  use.  News- 
paper ad  mats  according  to  plan,  to  build 
your  campaign  up  and  UP.  All  sizes  and 
shapes,  from  very  large  to  very  small,  and 
the  complete  campaign  mat,  selling  for 
35c  at  National  Screen,  is  a prime  selec- 
tion of  eight  ad  mats  and  slugs,  plus  two 
publicity  mats,  for  small  theatres.  Publicity 
mat  No.  5-A  will  get  dominant  free  space 
if  you  show  it  to  your  newspaper  man,  and 
ask  for  it  as  a bonus  with  your  advertising 
plan.  Newspaper  ad  mat  No.  404  is  a 
reproduction  of  one  of  the  fine  color  pages 
that  have  appeared  in  national  magazines. 
"The  Conqueror"  has  been  extensively  pre- 
sold in  one  of  the  biggest  campaigns  in  the 
industry's  history.  CBS  and  NBC  radio 
and  television  stations  have  saturated  the 
country.  Publicity  mat  No.  4-A  shows 
Susan  Hayward  as  she  dances  on  the 
screen,  and  is  another  that  could  get  free 
space,  for  the  asking.  Plenty  of  merchan- 
dising tieups,  from  sarongs  to  swim  suits 
and  neckties  to  hairdos.  The  producer  has 
offered  plenty  of  cooperation  in  handling 
this  super-attraction.  Plan  your  part  to 
meet  his  generous  gesture. 


COME  NEXT  SPRING— Republic  Pictures. 

Trucolor  by  Consolidated  Laboratories.  The 
warmest,  happiest,  most  wonderful  picture 
since  The  Quiet  Man."  Ann  Sheridan 
and  Steve  Cochran,  with  Walter  Brennan 
and  all-star  cast.  "We'll  meet,  we'll  kiss, 
we  ll  cling  — the  most  lovable  family 
you've  seen  for  a long  time,  for  your 
family  audience.  You'll  take  them  to  your 
heart.  6-sheet  and  other  posters  will  make 
lobby  and  marquee  display.  Newspaper 
ad  mats  in  good  variety,  with  a composite 
mat  at  35c  for  small  theatres.  Sell  the 
song  and  you  sell  the  title.  Promotion 
angles  include  old  cars — this  is  a Model 
"T"  Ford  picture  for  their  loyal  fans. 


ON  THE  THRESHHOLD  OF  SPACE— 
20th  Century-Fox.  CinemaScope,  in  color 
by  Deluxe.  Report:  From  the  highest 

limits  of  space  that  man  has  ever  reached. 
Calling  from  altitude  I 10,690  feet.  "This 
is  it,  a different  world.  The  sky  is  black — 
there's  a star  and  a meteor — and  more. 
There's  no  sign  of  life  on  earth,  and  that's 
disturbing.  We  re  alone  in  space.  . . ." 
They  soar  to  glory — the  scientists  of  the 
U.  S.  Air  Force.  24-sheet  and  all  posters 
have  been  designed  to  give  you  pictorial 
art  for  lobby  and  marquee  display.  The 
greatest  and  most  dangerous  frontier  of 
them  all — just  17  miles  from  your  home — 
straight  UP!  Newspaper  ad  mats  sell  this 
thrilling  idea  with  lots  of  pressure  on  the 
promise  of  strato-flying,  which  is  tomor- 
row's game  of  the  future.  You'll  find  some 
interesting  ad  mats,  that  will  be  new  and 
different  to  your  jaded  amusement  page 
readers.  Plenty  of  cooperative  tieups  with 
the  flying  military  services,  and  all  informa- 
tion you  need  in  the  pressbook.  Two  color 
heralds  from  Cato  Show  Print,  and  com- 
posite mat  at  National  Screen  are  part  of 
every  showman's  selling  approach. 

• 

NEVER  SAY  GOODBYE  — Universal-In- 
ternational. Print  by  Technicolor.  A 
sophisticated  story  for  adult  entertainment, 
featuring  Rock  Hudson,  another  U-l  picture 
that  picks  up  good  box  office  names  for 
follow-up  business.  Also,  introducing  Miss 
Cornell  Borchers,  a very  good  looking  new- 
comer, and  a strong  cast.  "Was  there 
nothing  between  them  now,  but  shame — 
and  a child?"  "Was  this  the  only  way 
back  to  the  heart  of  the  child,  who  hated 
her?"  24-sheet  is  a fine  pictorial  spread 
for  lobby  or  marquee  display,  and  all 
accessories  play  up  fhe  stars  in  good  style. 
The  folder  herald  keys  the  campaign,  and 
a set  of  color-gloss  stills  will  sell  color  iri 
a special  frame,  where  your  folks  will  get 
to  iook  for  it.  Newspaper  ad  mats  in  all 
sizes,  from  very  large  down  to  the  small, 
and  the  special  composite  mat  supplies  all 
that  will  be  needed  in  many  situations,  on 
one  mat,  for  35c  at  National  Screen.  The 
picture  has  been  extensively  pre-sold  with 
powerful  "woman  appeal"  ads  and  pub- 
licity in  leading  national  magazines. 


YOU’RE  ASSURED  OF 
SATISFACTION 

WHEN  YOU  ORDER 

SPECIAL 
TRAILERS 

FROM 


I C A 0 0,  ILL 
S.  WABASH 


FILMACK 


HEW  YORK.  N.Y. 
Ml  W.  44th  ST. 


QUIGLEY 

AWARDS 

TWO  Grand  Award  plaques  will  be 
awarded  annually  to  the  two  theatre 
managers  or  theatre  publicity  men  whose 
exploitation  and  promotion  campaigns  are 
adjudged  best  throughout  the  year,  one  in 
smaller  situations,  where  the  manager  is 
"on  his  own" — the  other  in  larger  cities, 
where  there  may  be  circuit  cooperation. 

V 

Every  three  months  a committee  of 
judges  will  appraise  the  campaigns  sub- 
mitted by  confestants  during  the  preced- 
ing quarter  period  and  select  two  show- 
men to  receive  the  Quarterly  Awards  for 
outstanding  achievement.  The  next  seven 
best  will  receive  Scrolls  of  Honor.  Cita- 
tions of  Merit  will  be  awarded  to  forty 
theatre  men  whose  work  is  outstanding. 

V 

Consistency  of  effort  is  of  paramount 
importance.  Single  submissions  are  less 
likely  to  win  awards,  which  are  made  on 
the  premise  of  sustained  effort,  but  these 
may  have  news  value  in  the  Round  Table. 

V 

No  fancy  entries  are  necessary.  Costly 
and  time-wasting  "gingerbread"  decora- 
tion are  not  encouraged. 

V 

In  addition  to  exploitation  on  feature 
pictures,  entries  may  be  made  on  short 
subjects,  serials,  stage  shows,  or  institu- 
tional and  civic  promotions. 

. V 

Evidence  proving  authenticity  of  each 
entry  should  be  submitted,  such  as  photos, 
tear  sheets,  programs,  heralds,  etc. 

V 

The  Round  Table  cannot  undertake  to 
prepare  campaign  books  for  submission  to 
the  judges  from  material  sent  in  without 
assembly  at  the  source. 

V 

The  Quigley  Awards  make  no  distinc- 
tion for  size  of  theatre  or  community  except 
the  two  classifications  above.  The  judges 
make  full  allowance  for  individual  show- 
manship displayed  by  comparing  budgets, 
newspaper  facilities  and  assistance  from 
distributing  companies. 

V 

In  addition  to  the  awards  mentioned, 
special  Certificates  of  Merit  will  be 
awarded  quarterly  and  annually  to  show- 
men from  outside  the  United  States  and 
Canada.  The  campaigns  submitted  by  the- 
atre men  abroad  which  are  deemed  of 
special  merit  shall  be  included  in  the  annual 
competition. 

Address  all  entries  to: 

QUIGLEY  AWARDS  COMMITTEE 
MANAGERS’  ROUND  TABLE 
1270  Sixth  Avenue,  New  York  20,  N.  Y. 


42 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  APRIL  7,  1956 


CLASSIFIED  ADVERTISING 


Fifteen  cents  per  word,  money-order  or  check  with  copy.  Count  initials,  box  number  and  address.  Minimum  insertion  $ 1 .50.  Four 
insertions  for  the  price  of  three.  Contract  rates  on  application.  No  border  or  cuts.  Forms  close  Mondays  at  5 P.M.  Publisher 
reserves  the  right  to  reject  any  copy.  Film  and  trailer  advertising  not  accepted.  Classified  advertising  not  subject  to  agency 
commission.  Address  copy  and  checks:  MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  Classified  Dept.,  Rockefeller  Center,  New  York  (20) 


THEATRES 


EXCELLENT  THEATRE  FOR  SALE  OR  LEASE. 
Biggest  growth  area  in  New  England.  Chance  of  life- 
time. BOX  2911,  MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD. 


WANTED  TO  LEASE  DRIVE-IN  THEATRE. 
Can  manage  and  supply  projection  equipment.  Must 
be  Eastern  Pennsylvania  or  New  Jersey.  Give  com- 
plete  information.  BOX  2914,  MOTION  PICTURE 
HERALD. 


WANTED:  CONNECTICUT  THEATRE.  ALL  RE- 
plies  confidential.  BOX  2915,  MOTION  PICTURE 
HERALD. 


FOR  LEASE:  EXCELLENT  NEIGHBORHOOD 

theatre  in  growing  Indiana.  Equipment  in  good  con- 
dition. CinemaScope  screen.  Opportunity  for  right 
party.  BOX  2916,  MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD. 


LOST  LEASE!  CLOSING  OUT  COMPLETE 
equipment  conventional  theatre — 50  ton  Carrier  air- 
conditioning,  Simplex  mechanisms,  Altec  sound,  Ameri- 
can seats.  Will  sell  all  or  separately.  JOHN 
WILLIAMS,  State  Theatre,  Jackson,  Miss. 


STUDIO  EQUIPMENT 


CINEFLEX  35MM  CAMERA  W/3  LENSES; 
motor;  200'  magazines;  filter  holders  and  case,  $1,500 
value,  $695;  Akeley  Gyro  Tripod,  $900  value,  $595 
Bridgamatic  Jr.  16mm  Automatic  Processor,  $1,500 
value,  $975;  Maurer  16  Camera,  lens,  2 magazines, 
syncmotor,  12V  motor  w/battery,  all  cases,  complete 
$2,395;  5000W  Background  Projector,  reconditioned, 
$595;  Bardwell  McAlister  studio  floodlites,  3 heads 
on  rolling  stand  hold  12  bulbs,  $180  value,  $29.50; 
Quadlite  Heads  only,  $4.95;  Stands  only  $19.95;  Moviola 
35mm  composite  sound/picture,  $495.00.  S.  O-  S. 
CINEMA  SUPPLY  CORP.,  602  W.  52nd  St.,  New 
York  19. 


BOOKS 


NEW  — FOR  THEATRE  MANAGERS  — “THE 
Master  Guide  on  Theatre  Maintenance,”  compiled  from 
authorities,  handy  for  reference  with  hard  covers  and 
index.  Published  by  Aaron  Nadell.  Price  $5  postpaid. 
Send  remittance  to  QUIGLEY  BOOKSHOP,  1270  Sixth 
Ave.,  New  York  20,  N.  Y. 


RICHARDSON’S  BLUEBOOK  OF  PROJECTION. 
New  8th  Edition.  Revised  to  deal  with  the  latest  tech- 
nical developments  in  motion  picture  projection  and 
sound,  and  reorganized  to  facilitate  study  and  refer- 
ence. Includes  a practical  discussion  of  Television 
especially  prepared  for  the  instruction  of  theatre  pro- 
jectionists. and  of  new  techniques  for  advancement  of 
the  art  of  the  motion  picture.  The  standard  textbook 
on  motion  picture  projection  and  sound  reproduction. 
Invaluable  to  beginner  and  expert.  Best  seller  since 
1911.  662  pages,  cloth  bound,  $7.25  postpaid.  QUIGLEY 
BOOKSHOP,  1270  Sixth  Avenue,  New  York  20,  N.  Y. 


USED  EQUIPMENT 


BEAUTIFULLY  REBUILT  LIKE  NEW!  Super 
Simplex  projectors,  cabinet  pedestals,  3000'  magazines, 
Magnarc  or  Mogul  arc  lamps,  70/140  generator.  RCA 
PG230  sound,  price  $3,950.  Available  on  Time.  S.  O.  S. 
CINEMA  SUPPLY  CORP.,  602  W.  52nd  St.,  New 
York  19. 


PEERLESS  MAGNARCS,  EXCELLENT  CONDI- 
tion  $395;  reconditioned  Neumade  Film  Cabinets  2000', 
$2  section;  hand  rewinds  $7.95  set.  S.  O.  S.  CINEMA 
SUPPLY  CORP.,  602  W.  52nd  St.,  New  York  19. 


EXCELLENT  COATED  PROJECTION  LENSES, 

manv  brand  new!  Wollensak  “Sunrav”  Series  I; 
2”.  3",  3y2",  3 U",  5",  5>4",  5J4",  6",  7M",  $35  pair. 
Superlite  2J4”-3''-354''  $150  pr.  Trades  Taken.  Wire  or 
telephone  order  today.  S.  O.  S.  CINEMA  SUPPLY 
CORP.,  602  W.  52nd  Street,  New  York  19. 


NEW  EQUIPMENT 


PLAY  CINEMASCOPE  “55”!  MAGNAPHONIC 
Single  Channel  Magnetic  Sound  complete,  $785;  Cine- 
matic adjustable  anamorphics  $375  pr.,  Mirro-Claric 
Metallic  Seamless  screens  75c  sq.  ft.  Buy  on  Time. 
S.  O.  S.  CINEMA  SUPPLY  CORP.,  602  W.  52nd  St, 
New  York  19. 


INTERMITTENT  MOVEMENTS— NEW  SURPLUS 
for  Simplex  $69.50;  DeVry  $59.50;  Holmes  $24.50. 
Automatic  enclosed  rewinds  $69.50.  S.  O.  S.  CINEMA 
SUPPLY  CORP.,  602  W.  52nd  St.,  New  York  19. 


16MM  FILMS  WANTED 


COLOMBIAN  CONCERN  INTERESTED  FILMS 
in  16  mm.  Write  APARTADO,  POSTAL  3120,  Bogota, 
Colombia. 


POSITION  WANTED 


AGGRESSIVE,  EXPERIENCED;  EXPLOITATION 
minded  manager,  32  years  of  age,  desires  change. 
10  years’  of  experience,  married,  will  locate  anywhere. 
Starting  salary  $100.  BOX  2913,  MOTION  PICTURE 
HERALD. 


POPCORN 


WORLD-WIDE  HEADQUARTERS  FOR  POP- 
corn,  popcorn  equipment  and  supplies.  POPCORN 
VILLAGE,  Nashville,  Tenn.,  U.S.A. 


THEATRE  EQUIPMENT  AND  SUPPLY  INFORMATION  SERVICE 

"“*1  THEATRE  OWNERS  AND  MANAGERS  may  procure  the  latest 


1 would  like  the  latest  information  concerning  the 
equipment  and  supplies  indicated  by  number  below  or 
as  otherwise  specified: 

1 

1 

1 

1 

information  concerning  theatre  equipment  and  supplies  by 
writing  Motion  Picture  Herald,  indicating  their  interests. 
Merely  fill  out  the  adjoining  coupon  and  mail  in  business 
envelope.  For  further  convenience  various  classifications  are 

1 

listed  below  with  numbers  for  indicating  them  conveniently  in 

1 

1 

the  coupon.  Mail  the 
Service  Department, 

coupon  to  Motion  Picture  Herald,  1 heatre 

1 

1 

1 

1 

3 1 W — Air-conditioning 
32W — Wall  materials 
33W — Drive-in  admission 
control  systems 

42  W — Projectors 

43  W — Motor-generators 
44W — Rectifiers 

45W — Screens 

54W — Ice  cream  cabinets 
55W — Popcorn  warmers 
56W — Popping  oils 
57W — Candy  bars 

Name 

1 

1 

1 

Address 

* 

1 

1 

34W — In-car  speakers 
35W — In-car  heaters 
36W — Screen  towers 

46W — Magnetic  sound 
47W — Auditorium  seating 
48W — Curtain  tracks 
49W — Ticket  registers 
50W — Hand  driers 

58W — Candy  specialties 
59W — Candy  machines 
60W — Cigarette 
machines 

6 1 W — Coffee-makers 

Town 

1 

1 

37W — Vacuum  cleaners 
38  W — Carpeting 
39W — Rubber  mats 
40W — Interior  lighting 
4IW — Projection  lamps 

Name  of  Theatre 

Seating  Capacity 

1 

1 

1 

5 1 W — Beverage  dispensers  OZW-hlms,  snack  bar 

52W — Food  specialties  a<^v- 

53W — Frankfurter  grilles  63W — Soft  drinks,  syrup 

MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  APRIL  7,  1956 


43 


t t t • • 


What? 

No  Coke?/ 


Even  a captive  customer  can  ask  questions  - - - 

(and  that’s  when  you  lose  money!) 


Intermission  time  is  your  big  time  to  sell  refreshments.  You’d  be  surprised 
how  much  valuable  selling  time  your  attendant  can  lose  answering  the  question: 
“What?  No  Coke?”  The  more  times  this  question  has  to  be 
answered,  the  more  sales  you  lose! 

That’s  why  over  80%  of  all  theatres  selling  beverages  feature  Coca-Cola. 

You  sell  more  people  faster  . . . get  bigger  volume  . . . make  more 
profit.  There’s  no  question  about  it! 


PROVED  THREE  WAYS:  PROVEN  PRESTIGE  - PROVEN  PRE  FE  RENCE  - PRO  VEN  PROFIT 

•' Coca-Cola ’*  and  " Coke **  are  registered  trade-marks  which  distinguish  the  product  oj  The  Coca-Cola  Company. 


Exhibitors  Give  Views  on  Increasing  Sales  — 


CeAt  Promotional  £tuntA; 

Waif  A ^upplierA  Can  Mela 


what  was  your  most  suc- 
cessful stunt  to  promote  refreshment  sales 
recently?  And  what  do  you  feel  merchan- 
dise suppliers  could  do  to  serve  the  theatre 
trade  better? 

These  were  two  questions  of  significance 
in  theatre  vending  put  to  exhibitors 
throughout  the  country  as  a part  of  the 
eighth  annual  Theatre  Refreshment  Sales 
Survey  conducted  recently  by  Motion 
Picture  Herald  to  ascertain  facts  about 
service  techniques  and  merchandise.  The 
replies  revealed  a great  deal  of  activity 
on  the  part  of  theatre  operators  in  devising 
promotional  stunts,  some  emphatic  opinions 
about  what  the  suppliers  of  candy,  soft 
drinks,  etc.,  could  do  to  improve  sales  of 
such  products  in  theatres,  and  other  com- 
ments on  their  refreshment  service  in 
general. 

A full  report  on  the  main  results  of 
the  survey — including  the  names  of  the 
Theatre  Sales  Champions,  the  brands  of 
candy  and  soft  drinks  that  lead  in  sales — 
was  published  in  the  1956  Better  Thea- 
tres Guide,  which  appeared  March  24th. 


This  list  is  repeated  on  the  next  page. 

Prompted  by  the  high  profits  that  it 
brings,  most  exhibitors  reporting  on  their 
“best”  promotional  stunt  of  the  year  dis- 
closed that  it  was  directed  toward  increas- 
ing sales  of  popcorn.  And  the  survey  re- 
vealed that  a surprisingly  large  number 
of  managers  have  adopted  the  same  type  of 
scheme  for  that  purpose — placing  theatre 
passes  in  popcorn  boxes ! 

"BEST  GIMMICK  BY  FAR" 

T his  simple  but  extremely  effective  stunt 
was  called  by  an  exhibitor  in  Washington 
State  his  “best  promotional  gimmick  bv 
far.”  And  a manager  in  New  York  State 
who  also  employed  it  found  that  it  doubled 
attendance  among  his  younger  patrons. 

There  Avere  several  variations  on  this 
stunt  reported  by  the  exhibitors.  One  in 
North  Carolina  places  special  cards  enti- 
tling the  recipient  to  a free  soft  drink  in 
his  popcorn  boxes  instead  of  passes.  An 
exhibitor  in  South  Carolina  does  not  stick 
to  passes  alone  but  also  uses  pictures  of 


N the  eighth  annual  Theatre 
Refreshment  Sales  Survey 
conducted  by  MOTION  PICTURE 
HERALD,  exhibitors  were  asked 
to  name  their  "most  successful" 
refreshment  promotional  stunt 
and  to  give  comment  on  how 
merchandise  suppliers  might 
serve  the  theatre  trade  better. 
Here  is  a report  on  their  replies. 

popular  film  stars  and  plastic  “charm” 
gadgets.  The  latter  states  that  he  places 
these  in  the  boxes  “at  random”  while  other 
exhibitors  adopt  a set  scheme — such  as  one 
box  in  25,  one  in  35,  etc. 

A manager  in  Minnesota  uses  a similar 
device  to  promote  candy  bars.  He  numbers 
them  from  one  to  ten,  and  the  seven  chil- 
dren who  have  the  most  “number  7s”  are 
presented  Avith  a pass  to  the  theatre. 

In  other  promotional  efforts  to  boost 
candy  a great  deal  of  reliance  on  special 
displays  at  the  stand  was  revealed  in  the 
poll.  An  exhibitor  in  Florida,  for  example, 
makes  elaborate  and  eye-fetching  arrange- 
ments in  A\Tiich  he  gives  the  most  advan- 
tageous position  to  the  “ten-cent”  bars 
(with  their  greater  profit)  as  opposed  to 
the  smaller  size.  And  a manager  in  Wis- 
consin has  found  it  profitable  to  feature 
“mass  displays  of  higher  priced  items.” 
Two  exhibitors  reported  ingenious  use 
of  their  candy  machines  for  special  promo- 
tional effort.  One  (in  Pennsylvania)  has 


BETTER  REFRESHMENT  MERCHANDISING 


45 


7956  Theatre  Sales  Champions 


Best-Selling  Candies  and  Soft  Drinks 

Named  in  Eighth  Annual  Theatre  Vending  Survey 


Candy 

Almond  Joy 
Baby  Ruth 
Boston  Baked  Beans 

Nibs 
Payday 
Pom  Poms 
Powerhouse 

Butterfinger 

Snickers 

Charms 

Switzer's  Licorice 

Clark  Bar 

Three  Musketeers 

Hershey  Bars 
Holloway  Sucker 

Tootsie  Roll 

Hollywood  Milk  Shake 
Jujyfruits 

Bti teraqeA 

M & M's 
Mars 

Canada  Dry 

Ginger  Ale,  Orange 
and  Grape 

Coca-Cola 
Hires  Root  Beer 
Mission  Orange 
Orange  Crush 
Pepsi-Cola 
Dr.  Pepper 
Seven-Up 


Mason  Black  Crows 

Mason  Dots 

Milk  Duds 

Milky  Way 

Mounds 

Nestle  Bars 


Manufacturers  of  the  1956  Theatre  Sales  Champions  (as  announced  in  the  1956 
Better  Theatres  Guide  Number,  published  March  24th)  are  as  follows  for  brand 
names  which  do  not  themselves  identify  the  company:  Almond  Joy  and  Mounds, 
Peter  Paul  Inc.,  Naugatuck,  Conn.;  Baby  Ruth  and  Butterhnger,  Curtiss  Candy 
Company,  Chicago;  Boston  Baked  Beans,  Banner  Candy  Manufacturing  Company, 
Brooklyn,  N.  Y.;  Jujyfruits,  Henry  Heide  Company,  New  York;  M & M's,  Hawley 
& Hoops,  Newark,  N.  J.;  Milk  Duds,  M.  J.  Holloway  Company,  Chicago;  Milky 
Way,  Snickers,  and  Three  Musketeers,  Mars,  Inc.,  Chicago;  Nibs,  National  Licorice 
Company,  Brooklyn,  N.  Y.;  Payday,  Hollywood  Brands,  Inc.,  Centralia,  III.;  Pom 
Poms,  James  O.  Welch  Company,  Cambridge,  Mass.;  Powerhouse,  Walter  H. 
Johnson  Candy  Company,  Chicago;  Tootsie  Roll,  Sweets  Company  of  America, 
Hoboken,  N.  J.  The  Champions  are  listed  in  alphabetical  order. 


worked  this  out;  “I  leave  one  unit  in  the 
candy  machine  blank  with  a sign  ‘Take 
a Chance;  You  May  Get  Two  Bars!’ 
Th  is  bar  sells  two  to  one  over  any  of  the 
others  in  the  machine.” 

The  other  stunt  was  developed  by  a 
manager  in  Utah  at  his  penny  candy  ma- 
chine. He  works  it  this  way:  ‘‘I  place  a 
few  colored  balls  in  with  the  Boston  Baked 
Beans.  If  the  customer  receives  a colored 


ball,  I give  him  a 10c  bag  of  popcorn. 
This  is  quite  a money-maker!” 

Further  in  the  line  of  candy  promotion, 
another  exhibitor  in  Wisconsin  states  that 
he  has  no  “single”  scheme  but  a continual 
one.  This  involves  watching  for  magazine, 
local  newspaper  and  grocery  promotions  by 
candy  companies  and  then  making  a more 
prominent  display  for  that  particular  bar 
at  this  theatre  stand  at  the  same  time.  This 


technique  has  doubled  sales  on  many  oc- 
casions for  him. 

Among  the  other  exceptional  types  of 
refreshment  stunts  which  exhibitors  re- 
ported as  the  most  effective  were  those  in 
which  they  made  use  of  display  material 
provided  by  manufacturers  of  various  prod- 
ucts and  tie-in  campaigns  with  local  dis- 
tributors of  national  brands.  A goodly 
( Continued  on  page  52) 


46 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  APRIL  7,  1956 


New  beverage  trend  gives 
progressive  theatre  operators 
highest  refreshment  profits 


?sident 
^ a Coznf 


raerchandjSe  _ 

onjy  naf,  er 
y natlonaHy. 


' a Product.  , 

1 Preference  * 

22  reaSOns . 22 

„9uaJrty.  a , 

* '**&  '££ 

- - 

3ny  Co°Pa ratile  £i 


“naJiy 


'rtised 


^fresh, 

family i 


We  were 
generali 

Produces' 

Pro  A°t4°"v*. 
V ®anner 


*0ffle thing 
m ’ ' tJ)at  p 

2££_driaks 


exPeri , 
u are  £ 


use\bitors  - 

6 li>e  f0rej 


inued 


KraPProan 
na'!  f^eatres 


ifead  ivhat  one 
of  America’s 
biggest 

operators  says 
about 

Pepsi -Cola... 


. . . and  the  same  is  happening  in  theatres  all  over  the  country! 


Check  your  own  operation. 

Refreshment  space  is  limited.  Traffic  must  turn  over  fast. 

To  get  the  top  return  from  your  refreshment  space,  sell  the 
brands  in  the  biggest  demand.  Pepsi-Cola  is  the  fastest  growing 
beverage  in  America.  It  turns  refreshment  space  into  sales 
for  you  at  a faster  rate  than  ever  before  in  soft  drink  history. 

Pepsi  can  boost  your  beverage  sales  and  profits  all  along 
the  line! 

Write  today  for  full  details. 


Pepsi-Cola  Company,  3 West  57th  Street,  New  York  19,  New  York 


A 3-Pcint  Plan  tfw  Achieving 

Longer  Profits  on  Candy 


By  V.  M.  ANDERSON 

Anderson  Sales  Company,  Denver 


. . . with  the  emphasis  placed  on  Showmanship. 


"new  plans  for  Longer 
Profits  on  Candy.”  That  is  the  subject, 
and  I would  like  to  start  by  expressing  the 
opinion  that  frequently— maybe  in  this  case 
— new  plans  are  often  old  ideas  or  thoughts 
actually  put  to  work.  And  the  idea  of 
‘‘longer  profits”  is  intriguing,  but  before 
we  can  enjoy  “longer  profits”  we  must 
first  make  a profit. 

My  contribution  to  this  subject  can  be 
reduced  to  three  plans  or  suggestions: 

7.  MERCHANDISE 

One,  merchandise  for  profit.  Two, 
diversify  for  profit.  Three,  buy  for  profit. 

To  take  them  one  by  one.  In  saying 
“merchandise”  for  profit,  what  I actually 
mean  is  “merchandising.”  And  what  is 
merchandising?  It  is  Showmanship!  And 
who  is  better  qualified  to  “merchandise” 
than  showmen  and  concessionaires? 

For  this  is  the  group  that  buy  some  of 
the  most  widely  advertised  and  accepted 
motion  pictures.  And  you  do  not  just 
“book”  the  attraction  and  wait  for  the 
public.  You  “merchandise”  that  attraction. 
You  tie-in  with  the  national  advertising. 
You  tie-in  with  the  stars  and  their  “pleas- 
ing” attractions. 

But  you  do  not  let  the  picture  or  enter- 
tainment carry  the  full  load.  You  have 
a product — and  good,  bad  or  indifferent — 
you  merchandise  that  product.  You  are 
showmen,  and  no  one  is  better  fitted  or 
qualified  to  merchandise  than  you. 

Are  you  capitalizing  to  the  nth  degree 
on  your  showmanship  to  realize  “longer 
profits  on  candy?”  You  are  to  be  con- 
gratulated if  you  are.  But  many  are  not. 

Recently  I called  on  a small  circuit  the- 
atre operation.  The  “buyer”  was  one  of 
those  slick  young  ushers  who  operate  un- 
der the  title  of  second  assistant  manager. 
The  only  thing  true  of  the  title  is  that  he 
needs  “assistance,”  but  he  won’t  find  it  out 
until  ten  jobs  and  years  later.  He  has  a 
job — he  has  a title — and  he  thinks  that  he 
knows  it  all. 

Who  of  us  can  learn  if  he  won’t  listen? 
This  proud  and  poised  young  man  has  an 


assortment  of  20  bars,  a popcorn  warmer 
and  a drink  machine.  This  was  the  set-up 
when  he  got  the  title,  and  it  will  be  the 
same  when  he  loses  his  job.  A place  for 
everything  and  everything  in  its  place!  It 
is  less  work  that  way. 

But  who  can  make  a profit  unless  he 
moves  merchandise?  We  don’t  want  less 
work ; we  want  longer  profits ! So  let’s 
merchandise. 

Your  customers  know  what  your  display 
looks  like;  it  will  not  catch  their  eye  and 
they  will  walk  by  it.  If  a department  store 
is  crowded,  others  crowd  to  get  in  on  the 
bargain.  Why  be  in  a rush  to  get  rid  of 
your  customers? 

Candy  is  sold  on  impulse — so  do  some- 
thing to  promote  that  impulse.  Get  some 
counter  displays  and  back  bar  displays.  Put 
a special  girl  with  a display  of  one  item 
right  in  the  center  of  your  lobby  with  a 
sign  reading  “Feature  Attraction”  or 
“Sale”  or  anything  to  attract  attention. 
Build  a big  display  of  10^,  15^  or  25^ 
bars.  And  with  a modest  sign — “Limit 
one  to  a customer” — or  a free  ticket  in 
every  tenth  package — or  just  plain  “Eat 
and  enjoy  it.” 

2.  DIVERSIFY 

Number  Two — diversify  for  profits. 
First,  with  new  items.  “Gone  With  the 
Wind”  was  a great  picture,  but  you  can’t 
run  it  each  week. 

Second,  with  new  price  ranges.  A 10^ 
chocolate  bar;  a 10^  peanut  butter  cup; 
a 10^'  nut  roll  or  crunch  bar  may  be  your 
biggest  seller.  But  many  of  those  consum- 
ers can  be  boosted  to  25(f  or  39 <f  or  50^ 
purchases  if  you  stock  the  larger  size  and 
train  your  clerks  to  say:  “Large  size?” 

Who  minds  losing  a 10f!  sale  for  a quarter? 
Or  a 4^  margin  for  a dime?  This  can  be 
done- — but  not  by  appointing  a clerk  or  an 
usher — or  not  by  just  hiring  anyone  and 
putting  them  in  the  concession  counter. 
You  have  to  train  them. 

To  diversify  your  price  ranges,  don’t 
just  raise  the  price  from  a dime  to  12^. 
Do  it  by  stocking  and  merchandising  larger 


sizes.  Give  the  consumer  value  while  you 
are  doing  it.  It  is  better  to  take  a 33  1 /3 
margin  on  a 39^  item  and  make  a 13^ 
profit  than  it  is  to  make  40%  on  a 10^ 
item  and  make  a 4^  profit. 

True  you  will  not  sell  as  many  of  the 
larger  sizes.  But  you  don’t  have  to  stock 
as  many.  Most  of  the  sales  you  do  make 
will  be  increased  sales  to  those  who  for- 
merly bought  small  sizes,  or  to  adults 
who  formerly  bought  nothing  as  they  didn’t 
like  to  bite  off  a bar  but  would  munch  out 
of  a box.  Those  who  say  this  won’t  work 
— can’t  make  it  work!  But  if  you  believe, 
think  and  merchandise,  you  can  do  it  and 
enjoy  longer  profits  on  candy. 

Several  years  ago  a large  chocolate  firm 
started  making  a 4-ounce  bar  of  milk 
chocolate  to  retail  for  50^ — personalized 
for  each  location.  By  experience  I can  tell 
you  the  bar  will  not  sell  inside  a showcase. 
But  it  is  a consistent  volume  and  profit 
item  when  displayed  on  top  of  a showcase 
and  stacked  cross-cross  like  railroad  ties. 
That  is  merchandising.  And  sales  double 
when  the  girl  behind  the  counter  suggests 
“You’ll  like  this” — or  “Have  a sample” — 
or  “Take  one  home.”  This  is  not  flam- 
boyant merchandising,  but  it  is  suggestive 
and  display  merchandising. 

So  diversify.  Listen  to  the  salesman,  be 
he  jobber  or  factory  representative.  Not 
just  the  fellow  who  wants  an  order  but  to 
the  salesman  who  is  intelligent  enough  to 
ask  for  an  order  and  suggest  and  show  you 
how  to  sell  his  product.  Don’t  stock  a lot 
of  larger  items,  but  merchandise  those  you 
do  diversify  with,  and  you  will  enjoy  longer 
profits  on  candy. 

3.  BUY  TO  SELL 

Number  Three — Buying  for  profit. 

Bear  in  mind  when  “buying”  you  only  en- 
joy a profit  when  you  sell  what  you  buy. 
Sure,  24-count  bars  are  good  if  that  is  all 
you  can  get.  But  vending  or  theatre 
counts  of  100  or  120  or  200  count  size  will 
save  you  7l/2%  to  10%  over  regular  count. 

A box  of  120  count  is  only  5 boxes  of 
( Continued  on  page  53) 


48 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  APRIL  7,  1956 


1 


i 


"Armour  FREE  intermission 
shorts  increased  my  frank 

business  25%  the  first  night!" 


says  Drive-In  Manager,  C.  E.  Cook, 
Dude  Ranch  Drive-In,  Maryville,  Mo. 


"Business  has  kept  on  increasing, 
too!  It’s  now  33'/3%  over  last  year! 
I give  full  credit  to  Armour’s 
free  one-minute  color  food  films.” 

There’s  a real  recommendation  to  any  Drive-In 
manager!  And  you  can  cash  in  the  same  way — 
FREE  of  any  rental  charge!  All  you  pay  is  return 
postage.  Armour  and  Company  will  send  you  com- 
plete information  on  these  11  different  color  films — 
all  with  backgrounds  by  Bing  Crosby’s  Starlighters 
— along  with  an  illustrated  folder.  Just  mail  the 
coupon  below  today! 


Armour  and  Company 

Fresh  and  Smoked  Sausage  Dept.,  Union  Stock  Yards, 

_ Chicago  9,  Illinois.  Box  MP-456 

Please  send  me  your  folder  with  complete  information  on 
Armour  and  Company’s  intermission  shorts. 

■ Name 

m Theater  Address 

■ 

City State 


Merchandise  Mart 

★ news  of  products  for  the  theatre 
refreshment  service  and  their  manufacturers 


The  Kettle  that 
Kindles  Sales 


THE  MANLEY 

Vistapop. 

Why?  Because  the  VistaPop  is  the  only  ma- 
chine that  lets  your  customers  see  the  corn 
popping  in  front  of  their  eyes.  They  see  . . . 
and  they  buy. 

It's  the  only  popcorn  machine  on  the  market 
today  that  has  all  these  merchandising  and 
quality  control  features: 

• VistaPop  See-Thru  Kettle  for  Maximum 
Merchandising 

• Quality  Control  through  Fool-Proof  Heat 
Control 

• "Hot  Air  Conditioning"  to  Keep  Corn 
Fresh,  Hot  and  Delicious 

• Semi-Automatic  Operation 
Your  old  machine  may  be 
costing  you  money  because 
you  are  losing  customers  due 
to  a poor  quality  product  . . . 
making  a single  sale  instead 
of  multiple  sales  to  a customer  1 
...  or  losing  repeat  patron- 
age. 

Consider  trading  NOW  for  a 
new  Manley  VistaPop  and  im- 
prove  your  product  and  your 
profit  picture.  Call  your  near- 
est Manley  representative,  or 
write  to  Manley,  Inc.,  1920 
Wyandotte  St.,  Kansas  City  8, 

Mo.  Dept.  MPH-456. 


THE  SAVON  COMPANY 

CREATORS  OF 


Family  Style  PIZZA 

FOR 

DRIVE-IN  THEATRES 

EXCLUSIVELY  

Sold  at  60(f  to  65^ 

Complete  equipment 
and  ingredients  available 
WRITE  FOR  INFORMATION 

286  PENNSYLVANIA  AVE.,  PATERSON,  N.J. 


Pepsi-Cola  Dispenser 
For  Manual  Operation 

a pepsi-cola  manual  dis- 
penser made  by  S & S Products,  Inc.,  Lima, 
Ohio,  which  Avas  originally  designed  for 
plant  and  office  use  (as  indicated  in  the 
photo)  is  also  being  made  available  to  the 
theatre  market,  according  to  an  announce- 
ment by  the  manufacturer. 

The  dispenser  is  well  suited  for  “rush- 
hour  service,”  the  company  states,  because 


of  its  high-volume  capacity — 25  to  80  gal- 
lons an  hour  chilled  to  40°  Fahrenheit. 
One  attendant  can  operate  it  quickly  and 
efficiently,  it  is  pointed  out. 

The  equipment  is  designed  to  employ 
Pepsi-Cola  pre-mixed  at  the  bottling  plant 
— the  same  that  is  prepared  there  for  bot- 
tles. There  are  five  different  models  of 
the  dispenser  available. 

Soda  Fountain  Unit 
For  10-Foot  Area 

A soda  fountain  unit,  de- 
scribed by  the  manufacturer  as  “complete 
in  itself”  has  been  announced  by  Spartan 
Fountains,  New  York,  as  the  latest  addi- 
tion to  its  line  of  fountain  and  food  service 


equipment.  The  new  model  is  trade-named 
the  “Booster.” 

Constructed  so  that  it  will  occupy  but 
10  feet  of  floor  space,  the  fountain  unit 
requires  only  a hook-up  to  a water  source 
and  an  electrical  outlet  for  its  installation. 
It  is  particularly  designed,  the  manufac- 
tures states,  for  businesses  with  rigid  space 
limitations. 

The  unit  features  heavy-gauge  stainless 
steel  construction  throughout.  It  has  a 
one-piece  die-stamped  top,  plus  a new  and 
improved  corrugated  drainboard  without 
any  soldered  seams.  All  corners  are 
rounded  to  eliminate  dirt  pockets  and 
safety  hazards.  The  entire  unit  has  all- 
dry refrigeration  and  the  counter  is  of 
Formica. 

There  is  an  ice  cream  storage  capacity 
of  30  gallons.  Included  in  the  fountain  are 
four  stainless  steel  syrup  pumps;  one  heavy 
duty  stainless  steel  chocolate  pump ; five 
white  Kencoware  syrup  jars;  three  white 
Kencoware  crushed  fruit  jars  and  stainless 
steel  covers ; one  white  Kencoware  spoon 
holder  with  stainless  steel  divider;  one  in- 
sulated soda  draft  arm  ; one  insulated  water 
draft  arm ; one  stainless  steel  running  water 
dipper  well ; one  stainless  steel  pull-out 
waste  chute ; three  stainless  steel  sink 
bowls;  four  die-stamped,  fully  insulated 
stainless  steel  storage  covers;  three  lever 
type  waste  drains,  one  self-contained  com- 
pressor and  one  remote  type  carbonator. 

Improved  Carbonator 
For  Fountain  Use 

an  improved,  heavy-duty. 
carbonator  for  fountain  use,  said  by  the 
manufacturer  to  be  unique  in  design  in 
that  “there  are  no  floats,  electrodes  and 
intricate  switch  mechanisms  to  create  ser- 
vice problems,”  has  been  marketed  by  the 
Fischman  Company,  Philadelphia,  manu- 
facturer of  a line  of  soda  fountains. 

The  new  unit  is  called  the  “Improved 
Spark-L-Mix  Model  6000-\  O.”  It  em- 
ploys a special  jet  nozzle  atomizing  sys- 
tem designed  to  insure  maximum  car- 
bonated gas  absorption  and  a special  twin 
filtration  system  to  screen  impurities. 

The  carbonator  utilizes  an  all  stainless 


50 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  APRIL  7,  1956 


POPCORN  POSTERS  FOR  ALL  PATRONS 


Now  underway  in  theatres  and  other  popcorn  outlets  is  the  third  annual  Spring  Popcorn  Jamboree,  spon- 
sored by  the  Popcorn  Institute,  Chicago,  for  the  celebration  of  which  that  organization  has  developed 
the  nine  point-of-sale  display  posters  above.  In  devising  this  material  the  Institute  sought  to  appeal 
to  the  widely  varying  tastes  of  all  theatregoers — and  they  run  the  gaumt  from  "ultra-sophistication  to 
good  old-fashioned  nickelodeon  merchandising."  All  posters  feature  popcorn  in  a prominent  way  and 
the  artwork  is  in  red  and  yellow  on  brown,  black  and  white.  The  material  is  designed  for  display  not 
only  at  the  refreshment  stand  but  at  soft  drink  canteens,  the  stub  box,  and  throughout  the  lobby.  The 
pieces  are  so  designed  as  to  be  displayed  all  at  once  or  they  can  be  used  two  and  three  at  a time, 
with  a change  each  month  during  the  promotion.  The  posters  may  also  be  varied  according  to  the  pic- 
ture played  and  the  type  of  patrons  expected,  it  is  pointed  out.  The  posters  range  in  size  from  9 by 
12  to  15  by  20  inches  and  are  easily  kept  in  place  with  scotch  or  mystik  tape.  They  are  available  to 
exhibitors  at  less  than  cost  through  local  popcorn  suppliers  or  directly  from  the  Institute.  Started  on 
March  15th,  the  Jamboree  is  scheduled  to  run  through  June  15th. 


steel  tank  with  welded  stainless  steel  fit- 
tings. It  is  powered  by  a heavy-duty  Gen- 
eral Electric  h.p.  motor  with  built-in 
overload  relay. 

Counter  Drink  Unit 
For  Animated  Display 

A NON-CARBONATED,  COUn- 
ter-type  beverage  dispenser,  featuring  a 
new  animation  principle  to  rotate  the  drink 
for  display,  has  been  announced  by  the 
C.  T.  C.  Manufacturing  Corporation, 
North  Hollywood,  Calif.  Trade-named 
the  “Whirlpool,”  the  unit  is  manufactured 
in  two  sizes — a “senior”  model  with  9 to 
12  gallons  capacity  and  a “junior”  unit 
(pictured)  with  6 to  8 gallons. 

The  dispenser  stands  27  inches  high  and 
has  an  illuminated,  translucent  dome  in  se- 
lective “fruit”  colors,  over  the  Plexiglas 
bowl.  The  cabinet,  which  is  16 inches 
wide,  has  a stainless  steel  top  and  front 
with  a bright  chrome  steel  expanded  metal 
wrap  around.  The  magnetic-action  pump 
is  a newly  engineered  unit. 

The  evaporator  is  a stainless  steel  cylin- 
der inside  the  bowl  for  rapid  cooling  of 


beverages.  The  faucet,  known  as  the 
“Fast-Flo,”  is  spring-loaded  for  a quick 
shut-off.  A hermetically  sealed  Tecumseh 
compressor  powers  the  dispenser.  It  re- 
quires 115  volts,  50-60  cycle.  Other 
voltages  are  available. 

• 

NEW  MISSION  APPOINTMENT 

Donald  B.  Hall  has  been  appointed 
European  representative  for  Mission  of 
California,  Los  Angeles  according  to  an 
announcement  by  George  A.  Rodriguez, 
vice-president  of  overseas  operations  for  the 
corporation.  Mr.  Hall’s  appointment  is 
part  of  the  new  management’s  aggressive 


sales  expansion  program  announced  recently 
to  franchised  bottlers  throughout  the  world, 
it  was  stated.  He  served  in  World  War  II 
as  a Navy  lieutenant  in  the  Atlantic, 
Pacific  and  Indian  Oceans  and  as  a career 
officer  in  the  U.  S.  Foreign  Service,  spent 
four  years  in  various  consulates  throughout 
Germany.  In  recent  years  he  has  been  a 
business  consultant  to  top  European  cor- 
porations. 

Helmco  Fountain  Line 
Of  7 Models,  25  Units 

Helmco,  Inc.,  Chicago, 
manufacturer  of  food  and  mountain  service 
accessories,  has  announced  the  complete 
redesigning  of  its  “Fountainette”  line.  It 
states  that  the  new  line  consists  of  seven 
basic  models  which  allow  25  combinations 
for  varied  peak  hour  service  and  menu 
change  needs. 

All  models  of  the  new  line  are  designed 
to  fit  standard  freezer  cabinets,  including 
double-lid  models,  without  the  need  for  a 
divider  bar.  They  are  constructed  of  satin- 
finish  stainless  steel  and  feature  fast  lever 


action  pumps,  Melamine  plastic  shock-re- 
sistant bowls  and  round  corner  design  for 
easy  cleaning.  Fruit  wells,  milk  tanks  and 


pump  are  designed  to  be  interchanged  on 
all  models  within  a few  seconds. 

Literature  describing  the  new  line  will 
be  supplied  by  the  manufacturer  upon  re- 
quest (7400  W.  Lawrence  Ave.,  Chicago). 


BETTER  REFRESHMENT  MERCHANDISING 


51 


NEW  ORANGE-CRUSH  PLANT  WITH  ALL  MODERN  FACILITIES 


The  Orange-Crush  Company  is  this  year  celebrating  its  fortieth  anniversary 
and,  in  line  with  a program  of  continued  development,  recently  opened 
a modern  new  plant  at  its  national  headquarters  in  Evanston,  III.  The  building 
was  designed,  the  company  reports,  with  only  one  objective  in  mind — "to 
better  serve  (our)  bottlers  and  fountain  distributors."  How  that  aim  has 
been  carried  out  is  indicated  in  photos  above,  showing  various  departments 
of  the  company.  At  top  left  is  an  exterior  view  of  the  new  building  from 
the  front,  and  to  the  right  of  it  is  shown  the  laboratory,  from  which  the 


company  makes  available  a complete  beverage  control  service  to  its  bottlers 
to  insure  that  the  product  preserves  its  reputation  for  quality.  In  the 
blending  and  packaging  room,  shown  at  left  below,  all  ingredients  in  the 
company's  products  are  prepared  under  the  supervision  of  skilled  technicians 
and  sealed  in  sterilized  containers  for  shipment  to  bottlers  and  fountain 
distributors.  The  warehouse  and  shipping  area  is  shown  in  the  right  photo 
below.  It  is  equipped  with  the  latest  shipping  facilities  and  handling  devices 
to  expedite  service  to  customers. 


Exhibitors  Give  Their  Views  on  Vending 

( Continued  from  page  46) 


number  of  managers — more  than  in  pre- 
vious years — recounted  examples  of  out- 
standing results  when  they  used  such  mate- 
rial, indicating  that  more  of  it  is  presently 
available. 

Representative  of  the  experience  of  these 
managers  was  that  related  by  a drive-in 
operator  in  Texas.  The  local  branch  of  a 
national  milk  concern  helped  him  in  a 
campaign  to  tie-in  the  sales  of  malted  milk 
shakes  with  hamburgers.  The  company 
provided  a variety  of  sales  aids — large 
paper  signs,  badges,  streamers,  etc.  “They 
were  very  helpful,”  he  observes,  “and  we 
have  since  conducted  other  such  tie-in 
promotions.” 

An  indoor  manager  in  Colorado  had 


similarly  fine  results  when  he  worked  out 
a tie-in  with  a local  soft  drink  firm  to 
boost  sales  of  popcorn  and  their  drink. 

Special  tribute  was  paid  by  a number 
of  drive-in  operators  to  the  companies 
which  supply  them  with  film  trailers  to 
boost  refreshment  sales.  (These  are  usually 
shown  at  intermission  time.)  An  owner- 
manager  in  Arkansas  is  of  the  firm  opinion 
that  “all  products  show  a high  increase 
in  sales  when  trailers  promoting  them  are 
put  on  the  screen.”  Agreeing  with  him  is 
man  from  Florida,  who  would  like  “many, 
many  more  of  these  trailers.” 

With  some  other  exhibitors,  however, 
the  lack  of  such  material  from  the  majority 
of  manufacturers  and  suppliers  is  a bone 


of  contention.  In  this  group  a Kentucky 
drive-in  manager’s  comment  is  typical:  “I 
think  suppliers  could  advertise  a little  more, 
putting  over  their  products.  Some  do  and 
some  don’t.  After  all  we  handle  quite  a 
volume  in  a season’s  time.  I’ve  contacted 
most  of  ours  and  it  was  like  pulling  teeth 
to  get  an  ad  out  of  them.” 

NEW  PRODUCTS  WANTED 

Suppliers  could  also  help,  according  to 
a Texas  exhibitor,  by  referring  more  new 
products  to  theatre  operators.  “We  con- 
stantly travel,”  he  states,  “and  find  many 
new  items,  but  the  suppliers  don’t  often 
come  up  with  any.” 

And  speaking  of  introducing  new  prod- 
ucts, several  other  operators — both  indoor 
and  drive-in — declared  this  to  be  an  ex- 
cellent means  of  further  increasing  sales. 


52 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  APRIL  7,  1956 


An  exhibitor  in  Florida  relates  he  had 
"instant  success”  when  he  started  selling 
frankfurters  with  chili.  They  are  now  out- 
stripping plain  franfurters  in  sales! 

I his  exhibitor  also  has  found  snow  cones 
profitable,  as  has  an  operator  in  New 
Mexico,  who  stocks  five  flavors.  “This  is 
a very  good  summer  item ; in  fact  we  even 
sell  them  in  winter  when  it  is  below  freez- 
ing,” he  declares. 

Of  the  other  matters  on  exhibitors’ 
minds  for  “improvement  of  refreshment 
service  by  suppliers”  the  majority  of  com- 
ments was  on  candy.  As  in  previous  years 
there  were  complaints  about  the  “small 
size”  of  several  candy  bars;  to  an  operator 
in  West  Virginia  some  of  them  are  “a 
disgrace.” 

HIGH  COSTS  SCORED 

Also,  as  in  previous  surveys,  the  high 
price  of  some  candv  bars  was  attacked. 
As  an  operator  in  Texas  said:  “Some  of 
the  bars  have  become  so  high  it  is  no  longer 
profitable  to  handle  them.  I keep  these 
but  do  not  push  them.  For  example  ( name 
deleted)  was  my  leader.  It  is  now  the 
highest  priced  10c  bar  I sell  and  by  push- 
ing other  bars  I am  causing  it  to  drop  in 
volume  very  rapidly.” 

An  exhibitor  in  Wisconsin  would  like 
for  all  candy  companies  to  follow  the  prac- 
tice of  one  which  always  keeps  its  whole- 


sale price  the  same.  “This  way,”  he  ex- 
plains, “the  retail  price  and  margin  are 
always  the  same.” 

Observations  on  candy  packaging  were 
made  by  some  of  the  polled  exhibitors. 
One  in  Illinois,  for  instance,  would  like 
to  see  more  of  it  put  up  in  cellophane  bags. 

However,  another  manager  in  the  same 
state  wants  the  bags  eliminated.  “They 
sell  slowly,”  he  has  found,  “and  it  takes 
too  many  man  hours  at  the  stand  to  keep 
them  in  place.”  He  likes  boxes  better — 
especially  those  “with  attractive  covers.” 

CANDY  PROFITS 

( Continued  from  page  48) 

24  count.  Stack  them  high,  use  a sign 
"Fresh  Stock,”  “Just  Received” — or  any- 
thing else  and  you  can  sell  120  bars  in  the 
time  you’d  usually  sell  24.  And  you  profit 
8%  to  10%  more. 

If  you  can’t  buy  all  your  bars  in  larger 
count,  buy  part  of  them  that  way.  But 
display  them  and  promote  them. 

The  reasons — First  to  turn  them  and 
enjoy  the  value  of  that  extra  discount. 
Second — to  keep  them  fresh  and  please 
your  trade.  And  last — but  not  least  on 
buying — many  manufacturers  have  “drop 
shipments”  on  lots  of  1500  to  2000  bars 
and  up.  Freight  prepaid.  You  realize, 


first,  savings  of  the  theatre  or  vend  count 
pack;  second,  benefits  of  factory  fresh  ship- 
ments; and  third,  your  wholesaler  or  source 
of  supply  has  no  warehousing  or  extra 
handling  to  pay.  And  if  you  pay  promptly 
you  can  enjoy  an  additional  discount  that 
again  means  longer  profits  on  candy  in  your 
concession  and  in  your  pocket. 

SALE  BREEDS  SALES 

Your  candy  products  do  not  detract  from 
sales  of  beverages  and  popcorn.  If  your 
customers  eat  a bar  or  two,  they  have  a 
sweet  taste  and  want  a little  salt  and  buy 
popcorn.  And  by  the  time  they  eat  that 
they  are  thirsty  and  drink  an  orange  or 
cola.  By  that  time  they  are  hungry  and 
buy  a bar  or  box  of  candy  to  munch  go- 
ing home. 

One  complements  the  other  and  unless 
you  use  your  showmanship  and  merchan- 
dise one  to  sell  the  other,  you  are  not  re- 
ceiving your  share  of  profits — let  alone 
longer  profits  on  candy.  To  profit  from 
buying  you  must  sell.  And  to  sell,  you 
must  merchandise.  Use  your  showmanship, 
merchandise,  diversify  and  increase  your 
sales  so  you,  too,  ran  make  longer  profits 
on  candy. 

I The  above  article  is  adapted  from  a speech 
made  by  Mr.  Anderson  at  the  western  regional 
conference  of  the  Popcorn  and  Concessions 
Association  in  Las  Vegas,  Ncv.,  recently .] 


WONDERFUL  NEW  COCONUT 

It  packs  ’em  in  for  that  rich  milk 


Nestle's  delivers  wide  screen 
performance  for  a 
profit  picture  I 


milk  — the  all  time  favorite  with  the  almond —Nestle’s  exclusive  blend  crunch— all  ages  go  for  this  sur- 

rich  Nestle’s  flavor  that  sets  the  of  milk  chocolate  and  fresh  roasted  prise  bar  with  its  milk  chocolate 

standard  for  all  milk  chocolate.  almonds.  flavor  and  crisp,  crunchy  texture. 


MILK,  ALMOND  AND  CRUNCH  AVAILABLE  IN  5c  AND  IOC  SIZES  PACKED  100  BARS  TO  THE  CASE.  Sc  SIZE  NOT  AVAILABLE  ON  WEST  COAST. 

The  Nestle  Company,  Inc.,  2 William  St.,  White  Plains,  N.V. 


BETTER  REFRESHMENT  MERCHANDISING 


53 


To  Theatre  and 
Concession  Managers— 

Gain  deserved  recognition  tor  your 
better  refreshment  merchandising  ideas. 
Make  yourself  eligible  for  Motion  Picture 
Herald's  Special  Merit  Awards  by  send- 
ing in  reports  on  how  you  have  applied 
showmanship  and  built  business  at  your 
refreshment  stand.  Make  the  reports 
detailed. 

Include  photos  of  your  stand  and  sam- 
ples of  any  printed  matter. 

Reports  considered  by  the  editors  to 
be  of  interest  to  readers  will  be  pub- 
lished, with  due  credit. 

From  the  published  reports,  selections 
will  be  made  for  citations.  Citation- 
holders  qualify  as  finalists  for  the  annual 
Special  Merit  Awards. 

Send  your  entries  to:  The  Editor, 
Better  Refreshment  Merchandising 
Department,  Motion  Picture  Herald. 


"CUP-O-GOLD"  DISPLAY  BOX 

To  display  “Cup-O-Gold”  candy  bars 
made  by  the  Hoffman  Candy  Company, 
Los  Angeles,  that  firm  has  made  available 
a new  corrugated  box  in  the  shape  of  a 
basket.  It  is  printed  in  red  and  blue. 


EMPHASIZING  SERVICE  AND  CLEANLINESS 


SERVICE  AND  CLEANLINESS  are  the  guiding  spirits  of  refreshment  stand  operation  at  20th  Century 
Theatres'  Birchcliff  theatre  in  Toronto,  Ontario.  They  are  factors  which  are  too  often  forgotten  at 
some  stands,  as  manager  Grant  Millar  asserts.  The  service  comes  "with  a smile,"  too  {which  the 
attendant  demonstrates  above).  This  combination— added  to  orderly  display  and  accessibility  of 
products— keeps  stand  profits  "at  a steady  high  and  on  a par  with  first-run  downtown  theatres,"  ac- 
cording to  Mr.  Millar.  The  Birchcliff  is  an  865-seat  theatre  which  plays  films  on  a second-run  basis. 


Inquiry  Service 


ADVERTISERS'  PAGE  AND  REFERENCE  NUMBERS: 

1—  ARMOUR  AND  COMPANY. . . . ...  49 

2—  THE  COCA-COLA  COMPANY 44 

3 —  MANLEY,  INC 50 

4—  THE  NESTLE  COMPANY,  INC 53 

5—  THE  PEPSI-COLA  COMPANY  47 

6—  THE  SAVON  COMPANY 50 


INQUIRY  COUPON  «» 

To  BETTER  REFRESHMENT  MERCHANDISING  Department: 

Motion  Picture  Herald,  1270  Sixth  Avenue,  New  York  20,  N.  Y. 

I e m Interested  la  products  as  I ndlcated  by  the  reference  nambei 
belt  *,  o'  vt'ca/d  like  to  receive  literature  concerning  them. 


« 


I ( 


Theatre  

Address  


FOR  GENERAL  INQUIRY: 

• Classes  of  products  on  which  in- 
formation is  desired  may  also  be 
indicated  in  the  coupon  by  the 
number  preceding  the  item  in  the 
following  list: 

100 —  Beverage  dispensers,  coin 

101 —  Beverage  dispensers,  counter 

102 —  Candy  bars 

103 —  Candy  Specialties 

104 —  Candy  machines 

105 —  Cash  drawers 

106 —  Cigarette  machines 

1 07 —  Coffee-makers 

108 —  Cups  & containers,  paper 

109 —  Custard  freezers 

I 10 — Films,  snack  bar  adv 

111 —  Food  specialties 

112 —  French  fryers 

I 13 — Grilles,  franks,  etc. 

114 —  Gum,  chewing 

115 —  Gum  machines 

I 16 — Ice  cream  cabinets 

117 —  Mixers,  malteds,  etc. 

118 —  Popcorn  machines 

119 —  Popcorn  warmers 

1 20 —  Popping  oils 

121 —  Scales,  coin  operated 

122 —  Soda  fountains 

123 —  Soft  drinks,  syrup 

124 —  Showcases 

125 —  Vending  carts 

126 —  Warmers,  buns,  etc. 


54 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  APRIL  7,  1956 


MEANS  NOTHING  TO  THESE  GULISTAN  CARPETS 


The  fine  wools,  the  integrity  of 
/ N,  workmanship,  the  loveliness  of  creative 
• » patterns  make  Gulistan  Carpet  the 

source  of  years  of  lasting  satisfaction.  These 
heavy,  all-wool  iltons  are  specially  woven  to  endure  the 
brutal  punishment  of  day-in,  day-out  theatre  traffic.  They 
are  typical  of  the  hundreds  of  Gulistan  original  designs 
immediately  available  from  stock  in  a variety  of  color 
combinations  to  suit  your  decor.  Immediate  delivery  of 
any  yardage  can  be  made,  from  the  smallest  to  the  largest 


area  required.  They  may  be  obtained  in  a virtually  un- 
limited selection  of  colors  on  special  order,  or  if  you  prefer 
a personal  design,  the  Gulistan  Art  and  Design  Staff  is  at 
your  service. 

Gulistan  Carpet  is  well  known  for  exceptional  beauty, 
quality  and  durability.  It  reduces  maintenance  over  non- 
carpeted  floors  by  at  least  40%  and  up  to  50%*.  Consult 
your  Certified  Gulistan  Carpet  Dealer  or  write  Commercial 
Carpet,  Dept.  BT-4  at  address  below. 

* Send  for  complete  cost  study  entitled  “ Cutting  Costs  II  illi  Carpet ” 


Some  outstanding  Gulistan  installations:  Radio  City  Music  Hall,  N.  Y.,  Ambassador  Hotel,  N.  ^ .,  I arantino  s,  .^au  francisco.  ^ 

f 

MADE  IN  THE  U.  S.  A.  BY  AMERICAN  CRAFTSMEN  • A.  & M.  K ARAGH  E U S I AN,  INC.,  295  FIFTH  AVENUE,  NEW  YORK  16,  N.  Y. 


(that  goes  for  drive-ins  or  regular  houses!) 


There’s  a clear  advantage  for  you  in  this  great 
show  business  team  . . . RCA’s  "200”  Projector 
and  RCA’s  Dyn-Arc  Projection  Lamp.  It’s  an 
advantage  wise  exhibitors  recognize  right  away 
. . . pictures  that  stay  sharp  and  clear. 

Advance-engineering  and  precision  manufactur- 
ing stand  back  of  the  rock-steady  performance 
and  smooth  film  travel  of  an  RCA  "200”  Pro- 
jector. Automatic  loop  setting  aids  easy  threading. 
There’s  a minimum  of  moving  parts,  which  means 
simplified  maintenance  and  quietest  operation. 

lens  mount  supplied  with  adapter  for  Series 
II  lenses. 

A reflector-type  lamp  producing  high-level  light 


at  the  operating  cost  of  condenser-type  lamps 
. . . that’s  RCA  Dyn-Arc.  It’s  thoroughly  efficient 
with  all  of  today’s  carbons,  technically  advanced 
for  lighting  needs  of  the  future.  High-speed 
reflector  projects  maximum  light.  Complete  heat 
dissipation  system  keeps  operating  temperature 
low.  Use  Dyn-Arc  with  /1.9  or  /1.7  lenses  for 
screens  up  to  145  feet. 

Drive-in  or  indoor  . . . patrons  come  back  for  more 
of  the  quality  performances  you  screen  with  this 
stand-out  equipment  team  . . . the  RCA  "200” 
and  Dyn-Arc.  For  a pleasant  surprise,  talk  costs 
with  your  independent  RCA  Theatre  Supply 
Dealer.  He  has  the  full  story  ready  for  you  today! 


the  Line  that  builds  Lines 
at  four  Box-Office 


RCA 


THEATRE 

EQUIPMENT 


THEATRE  EQUIPMENT  SALES 

RADIO-  CORPORATION  of  AM  ERIC* 

CAMDEN , N.J. 


BETTER  THEATRES  SECTION 


3 


Bausch  & Lomb 
SUPER  CINEPHOR 
Projection  Lenses 


PRIME-UP 


right 


for  NEW 

PROFITS 

from  the 
great 

NEW 

FILMS 


New  film  techniques,  in  the  great  new  pictures  now 
being  released,  put  new  depth  and  clarity  on  the  print. 

Make  sure  your  prime  lens  can  transmit  all  this  new  brilliance, 
color  and  vivid  detail  onto  your  screen.  More  than  ever,  these  great 
movie  advances  are  bringing  customers  out  of  the  home  and 
into  the  theatres  again.  Assure  profitable  repeat  patronage 
with  B&L  Super  Cinephor  Lenses  . . . for  today’s  most 
thrillingly  vivid  screen  images  of  all  35mm  releases. 


About  People 
ctf  the  Theatre 

AND  OF  BUSINESSES  SERVING  THEM 

• 

Ben  Poblocki,  operator  of  the  Plaza  indoor 
theatre  at  Burlington,  Wis.,  and  head  of  Pob- 
locki & Sons,  Milwaukee,  manufacturers  of 
display  and  other  equipment  in  theatres,  has 
acquired  controlling  interest  in  the  Port  drive- 
in  near  Port  Washington,  Wis.  The  drive-in 
will  be  re-named  the  Highway  57  after  the 
road  on  which  it  is  located.  Booking  will  be 
done  at  the  offices  of  Poblocki  & Sons.  Mil- 
waukee. 

Albert  Dezel,  president  of  the  Guild  Thea- 
tre Corporation,  Detroit,  has  announced  com- 
pletion of  a renovation  program  at  the  Coronet 
theatre  in  that  city.  The  Coronet  operates 
under  an  “art”  film  policy.  The  lobby  and 
auditorium  of  the  theatre  were  decorated  by 
Anthony  Eugenio  and  new  draperies  devised 
by  Earl  Wilson  of  the  Harrison  Rug  Company, 
Detroit. 

Leslie  Pendleton,  former  manager  of  the 
State  theatre  in  Lake  Wales,  Fla.,  has  been 
transferred  to  the  State  theatre  in  Tallahassee, 
by  Talgar  Theatres. 

Howard  Wagenheim,  vice-president  of  Schwa- 
ber  Theatres,  Baltimore,  has  announced  pur- 
chase by  the  circuit  of  the  Parkway  theatre 
there  from  Jack  Fruchtman.  The  theatre,  which 
has  a seating  capacity  of  1,000,  will  be  re- 
modeled and  operated  under  an  “art”  film  policy. 
It  will  be  renamed  the  “5  West”  and  an  open- 
ing is  scheduled  for  early  May. 

George  Sarathain  has  been  named  manager 
of  the  Ziegfeld  theatre  in  Chicago.  He  was 
formerly  with  the  Henry  Stern  circuit,  for 
whom  he  managed  the  Cinema  for  five  years 
prior  to  accepting  his  new  post. 

Edward  Schultnan,  owner  of  seven  theatres 
in  Ohio,  Kentucky  and  West  Virginia,  has  pur- 
chased the  Vogue,  an  art  theatre  in  Denver 
from  John  Wolf  berg.  Edward  Church,  recently 
production  supervisor  in  the  radio  and  television 
school  at  Ohio  State  University,  has  been  ap- 
pointed manager  of  the  theatre,  which  Mr. 
Schulman  has  had  redecorated. 


SEE  THE  BIG  DIFFERENCE ...  FREE  DEMONSTRATION! 

Write,  wire  or  phone  tor  Catalog  E-123  and  for 
free  demonstration.  Bausch  & Lomb  Optical 
Co.,  67904  St.  Paul  St.,  Rochester  2,  N.  Y. 
Phone:  LOcust  3000.  (In  Canada,  General 
Theatre  Supply  Co.,  Ltd.,  Toronto.) 

Academy  of  Motion  Picture  Arts  and  Sciences 
Honorary  Award  for  Optical  Service  to  the  Industry 


BAUSCH  & LOMB 

SINCI  1853 

If 


£4 


John  Sirica  and  Fred  Quantrano,  western 
Connecticut  theatre  owners  and  operators  are 
again  operating  the  Hamilton  theatre  in  Water- 
bury,  following  culmination  of  a lease  held  by 
Edward  Miller. 

Herbert  Roller  is  the  new  manager  of  the 
Edgewood  theatre  in  Jacksonville,  Fla.,  having 
to  come  to  that  post  from  the  Ritz  theatre  in 
Sanford. 

Gordon  West  and  Johnny  Hatcher  have  taken 
over  operation  of  the  Tower  theatre  in  Santa 
Paula,  Calif.,  formerly  managed  by  Fox  West 
Coast  Theatres. 

August  Cianciola,  Memphis  exhibitor,  has 
announced  that  construction  is  underway  on  a 
new  theatre  in  Frayser,  Tenn.,  just  north  of 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  APRIL  7,  1956 


Why  Proponents 
of  the  New 
Projection 
Techniques  Are 


Strong  engineers,  working  with  the  developers 
of  the  various  new  projection  processes,  have  been  enabled  to  not 
only  meet  present  screen  lighting  demands  but  to  anticipate  future  requirements. 

New  conversion  features  engineered  by  Strong  to  fit  into  Super  135  projection 
arc  lamps,  to  assure  perfect  screen  lighting  for  the  new  55,  65  and  70  mm 
wide  Film  productions  are  now  ready  for  your  adoption.  When  you  equip  for  any  of  these  projection 
techniques,  provision  can  be  made  for  burning  the  20-inch  13.6  mm  carbons.  A wider  opening  can  be 
provided  in  the  nose  of  the  lamp,  it  can  be  fitted  with  a new  dowser  which  fully  covers  the  bigger 
opening,  and  a new  high  magnification  mirror. 


★ 18"  f 1.7  or  16-1/2"  f 1.9  reflector. 

■Ar  Infra  Ban  Beam  Cooler.  Diverts  heat  rays  from 
aperture.  Removable  holder.  Easy  cleaning. 
Blower  cooled. 

if  Reflector  and  frame  cooling  device. 

★ Exclusive  Lightronic  system  controls  the  burn- 
ing of  both  carbons.  Automatically  maintains 
positive  are  crater  at  the  EXACT  focal  point  of 
the  reflector.  A perfect  light,  evenly  distributed, 
of  constant  intensity  and  unchanging  color 
value,  is  maintained  WITHOUT  MANUAL  AD- 
JUSTMENTS  — exactly  the  same  for  both  lamps. 
Changeovers  cannot  be  noticed.  Eliminating 
the  need  of  hand  feeding  and  correction  of 
the  carbon  crater  position,  better  enables  the 
projectionist  to  render  a good  presentation 
of  the  more  complicated  techniques. 


"At  Burn  a choice  of  four  carbon  trims,  9,  10,  or 
11  mm  regular  and  10  mm  Hitex,  to  attain 
any  desired  degree  of  cost  of  operation,  screen 
illumination,  or  burning  time.  Quick,  simple 
changes  attain  the  correct  light  requirements 
for  VistaVision,  CinemaScope,  Cinerama,  or 
any  other  presentation  technique  — even  two 
or  more  on  the  same  program.  A TRULY  ALL- 
PURPOSE LAMP! 

★ Single  control  amperage  selection. 

★ The  arc  is  stabilized  by  its  own  magnetic  field 
(no  magnets  are  required)  and  an  air  jet. 
Prevents  deposit  of  soot  on  reflector. 

'A'  Unitized  component  design. 

At  Long-life  positive  carbon  contact.  Water- 
cooled  carbon  contact  assembly  (optional). 


THE  STRONG  ELECTRIC  CORPORATION 

The  World's  Largest  Manufacturer  of  Projection  Arc  Lamps ” 

1 City  Park  Avenue  • Toledo  2,  Ohio 

Please  send  free  literature  on  Strong  Projection  Are  Lamps. 

NAME 

THEATRE 

STREET 

CITY  & STATE 


BETTER  THEATRES  SECTION 


5 


A Complete  Line 

OF  FLOOR  MATTING 

For  Promoting  Safety 
Cutting  Maintenance 
Providing  Comfort 
Reducing  Fatigue 

AT  ALL  POINTS 
IN  THE  THEATRE 


Heavy  Duty  Corded  Rubber 

TWEED-TILE  FLOORING 

Three  sizes  (9"  x 9",  9"  x 18", 

27"  x 27")  in  three  thicknesses 
C/s".  3/16",  l/4").  White,  rust, 
green,  blue  or  pink  on  black. 

Also  six  deluxe  two-tone  combinations. 

DO-ALL  CORDED  RUBBER 
RUNNER  MATTING 

in  beautiful  green,  red,  mosaic  and 
black  with  beveled  sides. 

Flat  cross  rib  style,  thick,  23"  or 
35"  wide,  in  40-foot  or  50-foot  rolls. 

Long  rib  style,  3/16"  thick,  23"  or  34" 
wide,  in  38-foot  or  50-foot  lengths. 

1 1/2"  wide  ribs  run  parallel  to  length. 

Offering  the  most  complete  matting 
service  in  the  United  States  through 
a trained  staff  of  matting  engineers. 
Write  for  free  catalog,  "A  Mat  For 
Every  Purpose." 

AMERICAN  MAT  CORPORATION 

“The  Oldest  Name  in  Floor  Matting ** 

1722  Adams  St.,  Toledo  2,  O.,  U.  S.  A. 

In  Canada: 

AMERICAN  MAT  CORP.,  Ltd.,  Windsor.  Ontario 


Memphis.  The  theatre  will  have  a capacity 
of  1,000  seats  and  be  called  the  Northgate. 

E.  L.  Boggs  is  the  new  owner  of  the  70 
drive-in  at  Hot  Springs,  Ark. 

William  Kaltenhaiiser  has  reopened  the  Gar- 
den theatre  in  suburban  St.  Paul,  Minn.,  which 
had  been  closed  since  1951.  Theodore  Hansen 
is  the  manager. 

Jack  Luster,  general  manager  of  the  W.  W. 
Page  Amusement  Company,  Robeline,  La.,  has 
announced  start  of  construction  on  the  long- 
planned  Paco  drive-in  at  Leesville,  La.,  which 
will  accommodate  900  to  1.000  cars.  The  project 
had  been  dropped  when  the  Army  camp  there 
was  closed.  The  latter  has  now  been  made  a 
permanent  base. 

Albert  M off as  has  reopened  the  Ritz  theatre 
in  Coplay,  Pa.,  following  renovation  which  in- 
cluded a new  front,  wide-screen,  drapes,  recon- 
ditioned seats  and  a new  refreshment  stand. 
Mr.  Moffa  recently  acquired  the  theatre,  adding 
it  to  his  other  operations — the  Towne  and  19th 
Street  theatres  in  Allentown,  Pa. 

George  Kline,  who  sold  his  State  theatre  in 
Boyertown,  Pa.,  to  James  P.  Clark,  head  of 
Clark  Theatres,  Inc.,  Philadelphia,  has  retired 
from  the  industry  and  will  locate  permanently 
in  Florida. 

Olin  Evans  has  purchased  the  Barbour  drive- 
in  at  Louisville,  Ala.,  from  F.  B.  Pierce. 

The  40-year-old  Amo  theatre  in  Chicago, 
which  has  been  remodeled  throughout,  has  been 
reopened  as  the  61st  Street  theatre.  Don  Young 
is  the  manager. 

A.  A.  Hooper  has  been  appointed  manager  of 
two  theatres  in  Iowa  Falls,  Iowa.  He  had  been 
manager  of  the  Pastime  theatre  in  Maquoketa 
for  the  past  two  years — a post  in  which  he  was 
succeeded  by  Dale  Buchholtz  of  Guthrie  Center. 

Samuel  P.  Cornish,  who  recently  sold  his  in- 
terest in  the  Niantic  theatre  in  Niantic,  Conn., 
to  his  former  associates,  Socrates  Deligeorges 
and  Alphonse  Dubreuil,  was  given  a testimonial 
banquet  last  month  by  showmen  in  that  city. 
Mr.  Cornish  has  been  in  the  industry  for  45 
years. 

Robert  L.  Lippert,  theatre  exhibitor  in  Cali- 
fornia and  Oregon,  has  announced  plans  to  con- 
struct a new  indoor  theatre  in  Los  Angeles  to 
be  known  as  the  Crest.  It  will  have  a capacity 
of  1200  seats. 

Irving  Trencher,  owner  of  the  Rugby  theatre 
in  Brooklyn,  N.  Y.,  and  Dennis  Carlin  have 
taken  over  the  Carefree  theatre  in  West  Palm 
Beach,  Fla. 

Tom  Byrne  is  the  new  assistant  to  Hal  Stan- 
ton, manager  of  the  Florida  theatre  in  Miami. 

Construction  has  begun  on  a new  800-car 
drive-in  at  Eden  Praire,  near  Minneapolis,  by 
Otto  W.  Kobs,  operator  of  the  Oxboro  in  sub- 
urban Oxboro,  Minn.  Plans  call  for  an  opening 
early  in  June. 

Leo  Aved,  operator  of  the  Empress  and  the 
Navarre  Ampi-theatre  at  suburban  Lake  Min- 
netonka, Minn.,  is  constructing  a 944-car  drive- 
in  at  suburban  Coon  Rapids,  Minn. 

A.  L.  Royal,  Mississippi  exhibitor,  has  pur- 
chased the  Majestic  theatre  in  Quitman,  Miss., 
from  Louise  and  Phil  Murphy.  It  will  be  man- 
aged by  his  son,  Lloyd  Royal,  Jr. 


SCROLLS  PRESENTED  TO  PIONEERS 


Scrolls  honoring  Charles  Muller,  director  of  pro- 
jection at  Radio  City  Music  Hall,  New  York,  and 
P.  A.  McQuire,  former  advertising  manager  of 
the  International  Projector  Corp.,  for  their  many 
contributions  through  much  of  motion  picture  his- 
tory to  better  projection  and  projectionists'  wel- 
fare, have  been  presented  to  them  by  the  25-30 
Club,  fraternal  organiiation  of  New  York  projec- 
tionists. Above  Mr.  Muller  is  pictured  with  Allen 
Smith,  manager  of  the  New  York  branch  of  Na- 
tional Theatre  Supply,  who  made  the  presenta- 
tions. Below  Mr.  McGuire  is  shown  with  his  scroll. 


Jack  B.  Kline  has  been  appointed  manager  of 
the  State  theatre  in  Boyertown,  Pa.,  which  was 
recently  acquired  by  James  P.  Clark,  head  of 
Clark  Theatres,  Inc.  Mr.  Kline  is  the  son  of 
the  theatre’s  former  owner,  George  Kline,  who 
has  retired  from  the  industry. 

The  Sinking  Spring  drive-in  near  Reading, 
Pa.,  has  been  enlarged  to  accommodate  1200 
cars  in  time  for  its  recent  reopening  for  a sec- 
ond season.  Richard  T.  Kemper  is  the  manager. 

William  Claiborne  is  constructing  a new  650- 
car  drive-in  at  Security  Village,  near  Colorado 
Springs.  It  will  have  a screen  120  by  50  feet 
and  be  equipped  for  magnetic  sound  reproduc- 
tion. 

Phil  Simon  and  Robert  Gloth,  both  of  Hart- 
ford, Conn.,  have  announced  acquisition  of  Lou 
Rogow’s  interest  in  the  750-car  Pike  drive-in  at 
Newington,  Conn. 

Ray  Conner  has  been  appointed  managing  di- 
rector of  the  Roxy  theatre  in  Atlanta,  which 
was  recently  converted  for  Cinerama.  At  one 
time  manager  of  the  Palace  theatre  in  New 
York,  Mr.  Conner  has  managed  Cinerama  thea- 
tres in  Washington  and  St.  Louis. 

Mac  Polston,  formerly  manager  of  the  Hardee 
theatre,  Wauchula,  Fla.,  has  been  appointed 
manager  of  the  Garden  theatre,  Winter  Garden, 
Fla. 

Earl  Brown  has  been  named  assistant  to  man- 
ager Frank  Boyle  at  the  Fitchburg  (Mass.) 
theatre,  replacing  Emil  Perodeau. 


6 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  APRIL  7,  1956 


A FULL  HOUSE! 


It's  on  the  cards!  Strengthen  your  hand 
by  installing  Gaumont-Kalee  equipment. 
Patrons  will  enjoy  a brilliant  picture, 
sound  that  satisfies  the  connoisseur,  seating 
comfort  that’s  an  invitation  to  come  back  for 
more.  All  of  which  adds  up  to— full  houses! 


Rank  Precision 


Ltd.  provide  EVERYTHING 

lor  cinemas,  film  laboratories  and  studios 


RANK  PRECISION  INDUSTRIES,  LTD., 

Gaumont-Kalee  Division, 

37-41  Mortimer  Street, 

London,  W.  1.  England 

Cables:  “RANKALEE  LONDON” 


The  leading  European  manufacturers  and  exporters  of  everything  for  the  Motion  Picture  Industry 


BETTER  THEATRES  SECTION 


7 


PROJECTOR  CARBONS 


THE  PICTURE  IS  LIGHT... 
GIVE  IT  ALL  YOU  CAN  WITH 
“NATIONAL”  CARBONS 


For  two  generations  of  movie-goers,  the  right  car- 
bons—“National”  Carbons  — have  assured  the  finest 
possible  picture  on  America’s  movie  screens.  And  the 
advantages  of  “National”  Carbons  don’t  end  there. 
This  superior  picture  quality  is  delivered  to  the  thea- 
tre owner  at  a cost  per  unit  of  light  and  length  of 
carbon  burned  that  is  the  lowest  obtainable  anywhere! 

For  highest  quality  at  lowest  cost,  continue  to 
specify  “National”  Carbons.  It  pays  in  customer- 
satisfaction  and  in  economy  of  operation. 


The  term  “ National ” is  a registered  trade-mark  of  Union  Carbide  and  Carbon  Corporation 


NATIONAL  CARBON  COMPANY  • A Division  of  Union  Carbide  and  Carbon  Corporation 

30  East  42nd  Street , New  York  1 7,  New  York 

SALES  OFFICES: 

Atlanta.  Chicago.  Dallas,  Kansas  City.  Los  Angeles.  New  York.  Pittsburgh,  San  Francisco 
In  Canada:  Union  Carbide  Canada  Limited,  Toronto 


8 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  APRIL  7.  1956 


Fnr  April  1956 


GEORGE  SCHUTZ,  Editor 


Outmoded  Theatres 
Are  Also  a Burden 


EDITORIAL  INDEX: 


ENLIVEN  AND  UPDATE  YOUR  THEATRE  WITH  TODAYS  CARPETING 10 

MATS— MORE  KINDS  FOR  MORE  PLACES,  by  D.  W.  Moor,  Jr 13 

A TWIN  DRIVE-IN  FOR  CAPACITY  OF  1200  CARS:  THE  GOLDEN  GLADES. 

MIAMI.  FLA 14 

TO  REACH  MORE  PEOPLE  CINERAMA  GOES  ,,PORTABLE.,,  by  Curtis  Mees 16 


BETTER  PROJECTION  department: 

THE  INCREASING  IMPORTANCE  OF  THE  PROJECTION  SCREEN. 

by  Gio  Gag liardi 21 

CHARLIE  JONES  SAYS:  THE  LIFE  OF  A SMALL  TOWN  EXHIBITOR  COULD  BE 

SWEETER  28 

DESIGNING  A PROJECTION  LAMP  FOR  USE  WITH  WIDE-GAUGE  FILM. 

by  Arthur  Hatch 34 

ABOUT  PRODUCTS 30 

ABOUT  PEOPLE  OF  THE  THEATRE  4 


BETTER  THEATRES  is  published  the  Erst  week  of  the  month,  with  each  regular 
monthly  issue  a bound-in  section  of  Motion  Picture  Herald;  and  in  an  annual 
edition,  the  Market  Guide  Number,  which  is  published  under  its  own  covers  in 
March  as  Section  Two  of  the  Herald 

• 

QUIGLEY  PUBLICATIONS.  Rockefeller  Center,  New  York  20,  N.  Y.,  Circle  7-3100. 
Ray  Gallo,  Advertising  Manager.  HOLLYWOOD:  Yucca-Vine  Building;  Hollywood 
7-2145.  CHICAGO:  Urben  Farley  & Co.,  120  S.  La  Salle  St.;  Financial  6-3074. 


Motion  picture  theatres  have  lost  their 
glamor  and  that  is  hurting,  thinks  Mr. 
E.  H.  Rowley,  and  so  do  we.  The  head  of 
Rowley  United  Theatres  in  the  South- 
west, a United  Artists  Theatres  unit, 
recently  said,  to  quote  from  one  of  our 
contemporaries: 

“Everything  about  us  has  been  stream- 
lined and  ballyhooed  into  super-propor- 
tions, but  we  still  continue  to  operate  like 
those  old-fashioned  grocery  stores  which 
long  ago  discovered  that  the  supermarkets 
had  greater  appeal  for  their  former  cus- 
tomers.” 

As  with  the  art  itself,  theatres  were 
allowed  to  stay  in  the  same  groove  so  that 
by  the  time  television  came  along  as  a new 
marvel  of  technology  putting  a “motion 
picture  screen”  right  in  the  home,  every- 
thing about  this  industry  looked  like  a 
thing  of  the  past.  Mr.  Rowley’s  observa- 
tions echo  those  of  our  Curtis  Mees  in 
these  pages  last  November.  Asking  “What 
happened  to  the  glamor?”  Mr.  Mees 
pointed  out: 

“When  wje  in  the  theatre  business  were 
first  glamorizing  our  offerings,  the  grocery 
store  was  usually  a small,  badly  lit  and 
cluttered  up  establishment.  Certainly  it  had 
no  glamor.  And  even  though  they  offered 
extra  service  in  home  deliveries,  as  well  as 
generous  credit  to  their  customers,  they 
were  quickly  overwhelmed  by  the  influx  of 
super-markets  with  modernized,  slick- 
looking, brilliantly  lighted  stores. 

“Look  closely  in  your  own  neighborhood 
and  you  will  undoubtedly  find  some  few 
remaining  small  grocery  stores  trying  to 
compete  with  the  modern  new  stores  (even 
offering  the  same  prices,  in  many  cases) , 
but  you  will  find  the  women  going  a 
greater  distance  at  considerably  more  in- 
convenience to  patronize  a store  with 
glamor.” 

We  have  started  to  infuse  our  pictures 
with  more  glamor.  Without  the  new  values 


of  wide-screen,  the  greater  impact  of  the 
performance,  the  revival  of  public  talk 
about  the  movies  incited  by  it,  this  industry 
would  be  in  a much  more  difficult  position 
than  it  is,  especially  in  American  exhibi- 
tion. The  theatre  screen  has  come  alive  as 
a technology.  Theatres,  however,  with  rare 
exception  remain  relics  of  another  age  in 
entertainment,  in  the  architecture  they  sup- 
ply to  the  street,  in  the  environment  they 
offer  the  public. 


The  condition  is  the  more  serious  be- 
cause in  so  many  areas  of  exhibition  the 
money  for  rehabilitation  is  hard  to  come 
by.  Our  chickens  have  come  home  to 
roost — we  failed  to  keep  our  theatres 
abreast  with  the  times,  now  the  job  of  up- 
dating them  has  reached  proportions  that 
severely  challenge  a shrunken  net  income. 

To  meet  that  challenge  is  a problem  as 
urgent  as  any  now  engaging  the  industry’s 
attention.  — G.  S. 


9 


Cnltten  and  update  ifcur  theatre 


PRIME  CONSIDERATION  of  carpeting  in  theatres  is  that  it  is  likely  to 
be  the  most  prominent  single  element  of  decoration.  It  may  cover  more 
area  than  any  other  single  component  of  the  interior  lying  within  levels 
of  regular  normal  vision,  while  it  is  usually  more  constantly  in  sight 
than  any  portion  of  the  walls.  It  is  these  conditions  which  give  carpet- 
ing a tremendous  influence  on  the  whole  environment  of  a theatre, 
hence  make  it  such  a ready  means  of  freshening  and  restyling  a theatre 
interior. 

And  anything  of  equal  influence  is  likely  to  cost  more,  much  more. 
The  cost  of  the  fine  wools  needed  for  carpeting  suited  to  theatres,  and 
of  labor,  have  risen  radically;  these,  however,  have  been  partly  offset 
by  technical  developments  in  the  carpet  industry.  The  net  result  is  that 
the  cost  of  good  commercial  carpet  has  been  held  to  a level  no  more 
than  50%  higher  than  it  was  before  all  prices  went  spiraling  after  the 
second  world  war. 

This  is  true  even  of  all-wool  fabrics  in  theatre  grades.  The  carpet 
industry  also  has  introduced  fabrics  woven  partly  of  special  carpet 
type  nylon  wool,  which  now  is  fully  accepted  in  the  trade  as  highly 
durable  and  otherwise  adapted  to  blending  with  wool  into  a fabric  capable 
of  retaining  the  softness  underfoot  which  makes  carpeting  the  uniquely 
luxurious  floor  covering  that  it  is.  Nylon  carpet  wool  is  notable  for  its 
“trueness  to  color,”  and  for  its  ready  response  to  cleaning  processes. 

With  respect  to  cleaning,  the  idea  sometimes  encountered  that  car- 
peted area  should  he  kept  to  a minimum  because  of  the  dirt  it  collects, 
making  maintenance  more  burdensome  and  costly,  lias  no  basis  in  fact. 
According  to  a recent  investigation  of  floor  cleaning  costs,  it  is  con- 
siderably cheaper  to  maintain  carpeted  than  non-carpeted  area.  Tests 
conducted  by  Industrial  Sanitation  Counselors  of  Louisville,  Ky.,  a firm 
of  office  and  hotel  cleaning  contractors,  indicated  that  the  cost  of  keep- 
ing carpeted  floors  clean  was  50%  cheaper  than  that  of  cleaning  un- 
carpeted floors,  regardless  of  whether  the  traffic  was  heavy  or  light. 

The  reasons  for  this  are  important  for  they  hear  upon  a quality  of 
the  floor  of  special  importance  in  theatres — maintenance  of  original 
beauty.  Carpet,  reported  these  contractors,  retards  “the  daily 
drop”  in  appearance  because  it  tends  to  brush  soil  from  shoes, 
while  its  natural  flexing  action  keeps  the  soil  high  in  the  pile 
where  vacuuming  can  easily  remove  it. 

While  carpet  manufacturers  that  are  principal  sources  of 
grades  suited  to  theatres  will  make  up  special  designs  or  color 
schemes  if  the  yardage  is  enough  to  warrant  it,  their  lines  offer 
a wide  choice  of  “stock”  patterns  and  color  combinations.  These 
are  available  in  Wiltons  and  Velvets  loomed  specifically  for  the 
kind  of  traffic  carpet  must  bear  in  a theatre.  That  means  high- 
quality  fabrics,  and  it  is  of  course  folly  to  buy  lower  quality  since 
it  costs  as  much  to  install  poor  grades  as  it  does  the  best. 


Floors  are  so  conspicuous  that 
nothing  is  likely  to  have  such 
an  immediate  effect  of  in- 
terior modernization  as  new 
carpet.  And  today's  commer- 
cial lines  make  it  a very 
economical  way  to  refurbish. 


A new  pattern  of  "rippling"  feeling 
adapted  to  highly  contrasting  ground 
and  figure  colors,  available  in 
"Crestwood"  carpet  of  Alexander  Smith. 


A design  of  Indian  inspiration 
well  suited  by  its  "open"  pattern 
to  limited  spaces — from  the 
"Crestwood"  line  of  Alexander  Smith. 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  APRIL  7,  1956 


tilth  tc4aif  A carpeting 


A delicate  Mohawk  design 
suited  for  formal  period  decor. 
In  four  monochromatic  colors. 


A design  (below)  expressing  features 
of  Indian  life  symbolically,  making 
an  airy  pattern  for  bright  colors — 
from  the  line  of  Alexander  Smith. 


A bold  leaf  pattern  in  five  colors 
in  the  Mohawk  line.  This  design  is 
adaptable  to  use  with  fluorescent 
dyes  for  ultraviolet  lighting. 


A baroque  design  in  large  scale 
to  create  a classic  atmosphere.  This 
Mohawk  fabric  has  sharp  color  contrasts. 


ML.  qOMtoK*** 


The  dominant  field  of  this  modern 
RCA  Wilton  pattern  makes  it  adaptable 
to  space  of  almost  any  dimensions. 


This  Leedom  Wilton  in  the  RCA 
line  achieves  an  effect  of 
elegance  through  a floral  scheme 
of  modern  design. 


Carpet  patterns  continued 
on  the  following  page 


I I 


BETTER  THEATRES  SECTION 


Designs  from  Leading 
Lines  of  Carpeting 
continued 


PARTICULARLY  with  such  requirements  in  mind 
as  the  modernization  of  theatres,  A.  & M.  Karagheusian,  weavers  of 
Gulistan  Wilton,  has  expanded  its  stock  carpet  program.  The  pat- 
terns pictured  on  this  page  indicate  the  variety  made  immediately 
available  from  the  company  and  its  distributors  by  this  program. 
These  and  many  other  designs  can  be  obtained  in  amounts  as  little 
as  50  yards,  in  the  regular  27-inch  width  of  commercial  grades,  so 
that  certain  areas  of  a theatre  where  refurbishing  is  most  urgent  and 
which  are  sufficiently  separate  from  spaces  otherwise  carpeted,  can 
be  economically  recovered.  Yardage  for  an  entire  theatre  of  course 
is  available.  Announcement  of  the  program  points  out  the  possibility, 
where  strictest  economy  is  imperative,  of  recarpeting  a restricted  space 
of  extreme  shabbiness  at  once,  the  rest  of  the  theatre  later  on  in  the 
same  pattern.  The  fabrics  are  all-wool  and  designs  cover  a wide  range 
of  modern  geometric  configurations,  leaf  or  flower  motives  in  tra- 
ditional forms  or  modern  stylizations,  also  simple  textures  with 
the  choice  of  color  combinations  reported  to  be  almost  unlimited. 


12 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  APRIL  7,  1956 


Mats— More  Kinds 
for  More  Places 


Among  products  improved  and  extended  by  more  recent 
developments  in  industrial  chemistry  are  floor  coverings 
of  rubber.  This  article  summarizes  what  now  is  offered 
to  increase  safety,  reduce  replacements  and  maintenance. 


MTEMMlMU 


Floors  of  the  entrance  area  are  in  the  front  line  of  the  attack 
on  incoming  dirt.  Besides  making  the  surface  safe  in  wet 
weather,  rubber  matting  has  a duty  throughout  the  lobby  to 
rid  shoe  soles  of  grime  and  water,  a task  it  may  well  perform 
all  the  way  to  foyer  area.  At  left  this  is  done  with  American 
Mat  Corporation's  "Traffic  Tred"  runners,  while  above  this 
manufacturer's  "Air  Tred"  is  laid  past  the  ticket  taker's 
station  in  the  foyer.  The  company's  "Ezy-Rug"  shown  below 
is  the  rubber  link  type  for  outer  lobbies. 


By  D.  W.  MOOR,  JR. 


THEATRE  OPERATORS  are 
well-aware  of  the  importance  of  decorative 
effects  in  their  theatres  — how  otherwise 
unattractive  lobbies  and  foyers  can  be 
made  to  create  more  favorable  impressions 
on  their  patrons.  The  number  of  tickets 
sold,  in  the  long  run,  is  not  dependent 
entirely  on  what  is  billed  on  the  marquee. 
The  decor  of  the  theatre  can  also  be  a 
factor  in  attracting  patrons.  Floor  matting 
not  only  helps  a theatre  owner  establish 
part  of  the  individual  atmosphere  in  his 
theatre ; it  is  also  important  in  the  realm 
of  maintenance. 

During  the  past  several  years  radically 
different  and  attractive  new  types  have 
been  introduced  into  the  matting  field. 
Large  staffs  of  trained  engineers  have  been 
surveying  the  requirements  of  theatres, 
studying  the  amount  of  traffic  localized  in 
several  different  sections  of  the  theatre, 
analyzing  the  kind  of  matting  needed 
around  areas  of  concentrated  traffic,  doing 
research  on  operating  costs,  and  have 
emerged  with  new  ideas  to  incorporate  in 


the  development  of  matting  which  will 
completely  fill  the  needs  of  every  theatre. 

Most  theatre  owners  recognize  that  they 
need  matting  for  preventing  the  otherwise 
rapid  wear  and  tear  on  their  inside  carpet- 
ing and  floors;  and  that  they  can  have  all 
these  features  in  a matting  of  excellent 
quality  with  a low  price  tag  attached. 

Assuming  that  a theatre  owner  has  the 
need  and  desire  for  new  matting  in  his 
building,  the  things  he  should  look  for  in 
his  purchase  are  durability,  safety,  eye 
appeal  and  the  ability  to  reduce  cleaning 
and  maintenance  cos  is. 

ENTRANCE  AREA 

In  the  lobby  or  entrance  of  a theatre, 
the  transition  area  between  outside  and  in- 
side, and  the  area  over  which  the  line  of 


• 

traffic  is  the  heaviest  and  most  concen- 
trated, colored  rubber  link  matting  has 
always  been  the  most  popular  because  it 
has  perforations  which  remove  more  dirt, 
trapping  it  at  the  entrance;  it  also  is  color- 
ful, and  it  provides  safety  underfoot  even 
in  wet  weather. 

Dirt,  sand,  mud  and  tar,  ordinarily 
tracked  throughout  the  theatre,  are  scraped 
from  shoes  by  patented  links  and  fall 
through  mat  openings,  reducing  cleaning 
and  redecorating  costs,  and  carpeting  costs. 

Matting  of  this  purpose  is  now  avail- 
able in  a kind  which  can  be  cleaned  simply 
by  rolling  the  mat  back  and  sweeping  the 
dirt  collected  underneath  that  has  sifted 
through  the  links.  Attractive  original  or 
matching  designs  may  be  developed  for 
special  requirements.  Traffic  directional 
lines  can  be  introduced  in  the  pattern  to 
make  the  mat  functional  as  well  as  attrac- 
tive. Illusions  of  enlarged  or  diminished 
areas  also  can  be  created  by  the  use  of 
one  of  the  new  matting  designs.  The  up- 
keep of  the  entire  theatre  is  in  direct  pro- 
portion to  the  matting  which  is  installed  in 
the  lobby. 

A radically  new  extruded  rubber  runner 
( Continued  on  page  36) 


BETTER  THEATRES  SECTION 


13 


Picturing  and  describing  the  new 
Golden  Glades  Twin  Drive-In  at 
Miami,  Florida,  which  is  owned 
and  operated  by  Theatres  Asso- 
ciates, Inc.  The  circuit  is  headed 
by  George  Hoover,  president;  Max 
A.  Cohen  of  Cinema  Circuit  The- 
atres, New  York,  and  Tom  J.  Con- 
nors, former  general  sales  man- 
ager of  Twentieth  Century-Fox. 


PLAN  AND  ENTRANCE:  For  a total 
capacity  of  1208  cars,  the  Golden  Glades  is 
divided  into  two  separate  ramp  areas  of 
equal  size.  Patrons  are  provided  with  a 
choice  of  film  programs,  both  of  which  are 
announced  at  the  entrance  on  the  name  and 
attraction  structure  as  shown  at  right.  Two 
box-offices  serve  a total  of  four  entrance  lanes. 
Cars  proceed  from  the  entrance  lanes  a short 
distance  (view  below)  and  then  turn  to  the 
left  for  the  “east”  section  and  to  the  right 
for  the  “west,”  according  to  their  choice. 


•^greatest  sex 


MAIN  BUILDING:  Botn  ramp 

areas  of  the  drive-in  are  serviced 
by  a large  building  (shown  at  left 
below)  placed  in  the  center  of  the 
site,  so  tnat  it  is  behind  the  last 
ramp  of  each  section.  This  build- 
ing, which  is  115  feet  wide  by  40 
feet  long,  houses  refreshment 
facilities,  rest  rooms,  storage  and 
office  space  on  the  ground  floor  and 
separate  projection  booths  on  the 
second  level.  In  the  design  of  the 
building  provision  was  made  for 
extensions  at  each  end  for  the  ad- 
dition of  a enclosed  theatre,  which 
is  contemplated  for  the  future.  At 
the  end  of  the  building  on  the  left 
there  are  two  children’s  play- 
grounds (see  photo  on  facing 
page).  These  are  for  the  use  of 
patrons  of  either  ramp  section  as 
are  the  rest  rooms  which  are  en- 
tered from  the  outside  at  this  end 
of  the  building.  On  the  other  end 
of  the  building  are  the  manager’s 
office  and  storage  rooms.  The  main 
building  as  shown  in  the  view  at 
left  is  exactly  the  same  on  the 
opposite  side  for  the  other  area. 


14 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  APRIL  7,  1956 


THE  CAFETERIA:  Refreshment  service  at  the  Golden  Glades 
is  in  cafeteria  style  with  the  main  room  divided  into  two 
sections,  on  each  side  of  which  there  are  two  lanes.  (One  of  the 
four  lanes  is  shown  in  the  view  at  right  above.)  For  patrons  desir- 
ing to  eat  in  the  open  two  “sidewalk  cafe”  areas  have  been 
constructed  on  both  sides  of  the  building,  equipped  with  500 
stadium-type  chairs  and  300  portable  plastic  and  steel  chairs  with 
tables,  placed  to  give  a view  of  the  screen  (see  photo  above).  This 
terrace  section  is  elevated  and  separated  from  the  ramps  by  a 
high  brick  wall.  The  playgrounds  are  shown  below ; they  have  equip- 
ment by  Miracle.  Large  rest  rooms  (see  right)  serve  both  sections. 


SCREEN  AND  PROJECTION:  The 
two  screen  towers  (one  of  which  is 
shown  at  left)  are  constructed  of  con- 
crete and  steel  and  designed  to  with- 
stand wind  stress  up  to  240  m.p.h.  The 
screen  area  for  both  is  128  feet  by  78 
feet,  and  the  projection  throw  on  each 
side  is  598  feet.  Projectors  and  sound 
are  Century,  except  for  the  magnetic 
reproducer,  which  is  Simplex.  Projec- 
tion lamps  are  Strong  and  lenses  Bausch 
& Lomb. 


IP 


- 


BETTER  THEATRES  SECTION 


15 


To  Reach  More  People 
Cinerama  Coes  "Portable" 


Z 


HE  process  that 
spurred  the  industry  in  search 
of  more  realistic  screen  tech- 
niques is  entering  a new  phase 
of  its  career  at  the  Roxy  in 
Atlanta,  with  its  complex  equip- 
ment adapted  to  easier  installa- 
tion and  removal.  Here  is  how. 


By  CURTIS  MEES 


AFTER  THREE  YEARS 
of  prosperous  exhibi- 
tion within  the  limits 
of  the  original  techni- 
cal requirements,  Cine- 
rama is  going  mobile. 
By  that  is  meant  the 
development  of  port- 
able equipment  allow- 
ing an  installation  to 
be  made  and  removed  more  quickly  and 
less  expensively  than  its  complex  projection 
system  has  heretofore  required. 

The  first  installation  has  been  a matter 
of  first-hand  notice  to  the  writer  because 
it  has  been  going  on  in  his  own  back  yard, 
Atlanta,  where  the  “guinea  pig”  of  the 
innovation  is  the  Roxy  theatre. 


In  order  to  make  Cinerama  a mobile 
unit,  many  diverse  installation  problems 
had  to  be  considered  so  that  the  various 
building  codes  might  be  met,  and  that  ap- 
propriate revisions  might  be  suggested  and 
approved  to  make  possible  an  installation 
which  would  be  practically  “portable”  and 
at  the  same  time  be  economically  feasible. 
The  result  is  a package  deal  which  is 
100  per  cent  recoverable,  so  far  as  equip- 
ment is  concerned,  at  the  time  a change 
becomes  desirable. 

Because  many  theatres  where  it  would 
be  desirable  to  install  Cinerama  are  old 
houses  badly  in  need  of  renovation,  it  is 
difficult  to  arrive  at  a flat  time  element 
for  complete  preparation,  but  Cinerama 
engineers  expect  to  be  able  to  make  the 


The  screen  frame  installation  of  the  Roxy  in  At- 
lanta, with  part  of  central  screen  section  mounted, 
is  pictured  above.  The  auditorium  view  below 
shows  two  of  the  projection  booths,  made  of  two 
layers  of  heavy  sheet  metal  with  fiberglas  between. 

• 

projection  and  sound  installation  in  ap- 
proximately two  weeks. 

When  the  time  comes  for  a move  to 
a new  location,  the  equipment  can  be 
pulled  out  in  one  week,  leaving  the  theatre 
as  it  was  prior  to  the  Cinerama  installation 
(except,  of  course,  for  any  incidental  im- 
provements) . 

Naturally  some  streamlining  has  had  to 
be  done  to  make  Cinerama  portable.  A 
notable  achievement  in  this  direction  has 
been  to  make  the  electronic  components 


16 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  APRIL  7,  1956 


into  a unit  easily  movable.  Some  aspects 
of  the  screen  have  been  modified,  and  of 
course,  the  booths  are  entirely  different. 

THE  PORTABLE  SCREEN 

At  the  Roxy  in  Atlanta,  the  Cinerama 
screen  is  on  reinforced  metal  framework, 
in  its  regular  curvature,  with  the  screen 
extending  outside  of  the  proscenium  arch. 
The  ends,  where  the  traveler  curtain 
gathers  on  opening,  fill  space  on  the  sides 
of  the  auditorium  formerly  occupied  by 
front  boxes.  The  removal  of  these  two 
boxes,  hangovers  from  a bygone  “legit  era,” 
was  the  only  architectural  change  required 
in  this  theatre  and  offered  no  problems. 

The  screen  is  formed  of  panels  of  fabric 
as  in  a permanent  installation — one  con- 
stituting the  central  section,  narrow  strips, 
overlapping  about  one  inch,  composing  the 
side  sections  about  1200  strips  to  each  side. 
(To  the  patrons  they  appear  to  form  a 
single  fabric  joining  the  center  panel;  the 
purpose  is  to  prevent  reflection  of  light 
from  one  side  of  the  screen  on  to  the 
opposite  side.)  The  screen  in  the  Roxy 
is  66  feet  wide  and  25  feet  high,  curved 
on  a 25-foot  radius,  making  the  curve  18 
feet  deep  at  the  center.  Approximately  10 
feet  more  on  each  side  of  the  screen  are 
required  for  the  traveler  track. 

MOBILE  SOUND  SYSTEM 

The  sound  system  for  such  an  installa- 
tion uses  flexible  cable  with  plugs  for  the 
speakers  and  equipment.  This  represents 
some  modification  for  mobility ; in  all  other 
respects  the  sound  system  is  the  same  as 
in  the  permanent  installations,  with  eight 
channels  for  five  horn  systems  behind  the 
screen  and  three  sets  of  speakers  in  the 
auditorium. 

The  auditorium  channels  in  the  Roxy 
are  so  divided  that  one  with  four  speakers 
covers  the  rear  of  the  house,  while  the 
other  two  are  along  either  of  the  side 
walls,  each  with  two  speakers. 

Since  sound  plays  such  an  important 
part  in  Cinerama — it  sparked  stereophonic 
sound  in  Hollywood  — it  is  fitting  that 
this  first  mobile  unit  installation  of  Cine- 
rama has  been  made  in  Atlanta,  Ga.,  its 
designer  and  mentor,  Hazard  Reeves,  be- 
ing an  alumnus  of  Georgia  Tech. 

PROJECTION  BOOTHS 

The  regular  projection  room  of  the  Roxy 
is  used  for  two  things — it  houses  the  sep- 
arate magnetic  reproducer  for  the  seven 
tracks;  and  one  of  the  standard  35mm  pro- 
jectors is  employed  in  the  prologue,  which 
provides  strong  contrast  of  conventional 
35mm  projection  (as  in  former  regular 
practice)  with  the  magnitude  of  Cinerama. 

To  accommodate  the  three  Cinerama 


9 


YOU 


of  Consistent  Quality  and  Outstanding  Service 


Your  SIMPLEX  Projector  Mechanism  repre- 
sents a priceless  investment.  You  bought  il 
after  long,  careful  study  because  you  rec- 
ognized it  as  the  finest  projector  on  the 
market. 

Don't  take  chances  with  such  an  investment 
— the  very  success  of  your  theatre  depends 
upon  its  performance!  When  spare  parts  are 
necessary,  insist  on  the  best  — insist  on 
SIMPLEX  parts! 

From  the  smallest  stud  pin  to  the  largest  gear 
cover,  every  part  is  made  with  the  same 
precision  and  skill  as  the  mechanism  itself. 
By  using  only  SIMPLEX  parts,  you  can  be 
certain  of  maintaining  the  high  quality  of 
performance  that  has  made  SIMPLEX  the 
world's  foremost  projector  mechanism! 


Genuine  SIMPLEX  parts  are  available  only 
through 


Yout  6uanntee 


BUY... 


NATIONAL  THEATRE  SUPPLY  • 29  BRANCHES  C0AST-T0-C0AST 


BETTER  THEATRES  SECTION 


17 


Dub'l-Cones  betu 


tltfWL  UUM/t  CJCKMA. 


booths  on  the  main  floor  (each  projector 
lens  must  be  practically  on  the  central 
axis  of  the  section  of  the  screen  it  serves), 
some  seats  had  to  be  removed.  The  seating 
capacity  was  further  reduced  for  visual 
reasons — from  2440  to  1450. 

For  exhausting  fumes  from  the  projec- 
tors, special  ductwork  was  pre-fabricated 
and  installed  over  the  booths,  running  up 
through  the  obsolete  mezzanine  section  to 
the  outside. 

All  power  and  distribution  cables  are 
brought  to  the  booths  through  the  air-con- 
ditioning system  return  ducts  under  the 
floor. 


Resin  Treated  Diaphram 


Die-Cast  Aluminum  Case 


Speaker  Cone  Sealed 
Against  the  Weather 


Speaker  Mounting 


No  screws  to  warp 
frame  or  cause  voice 
coil  to  drag  on  magnetic 
post. 


Dust  Seal 


Pressure  Equalizing 
Spring  With  Neoprene 
Rubber  Cushion 

Speoker  cannot  jar  off 
mounting  pins. 


Cones  Are  Treated 
To  Repel  Water 


Reinforced  Grill 
Reinforcing  bars  offer 
additional  protection  to 
speaker  grill. 


Aluminum  Voice  Coil 


Metal  Frame  With 
Center  Arm 

Supports  outer  cone  so 
that  it  can  never  touch 
nner  cone. 


Air  Space  Between 
Cones  is  Sealed 

\ A/ ! iL  hi  n a Mr/vM  a DnUU/sr 


Screw  Mounted  Speaker  Hanger 
No  rivets  — easily  replaced. 


65.2  Cu.  In.  of  Air  Space 


Get  Both  Low  Maintenance  and  Quality  Sound 


Dub’l-Cones  give  you  far  greater  protection  against  damage  and 
weathering — protection  that  means  one  to  three  years  more  service. 

The  outer  cone,  which  protects  the  expensive  inner  cone,  can  be  replaced 
by  removing  only  2 case  screws.  No  special  tools.  No  glue.  And  it  is 
done  without  removing  the  speaker  from  the  post.  Compare  the  sound 
with  any  other  speaker  and  you'll  agree  with  hundreds  of  other  drive-in 
owners  who  have  installed  Dub'l-Cones— a premium  speaker. 


OPERATING  MOBILE  CINERAMA 

If  it  were  desirable  at  any  time  to  move 
a projection  crew  from  a permanent  to  a 
mobile  installation,  the  men  could  step  in 
without  any  consideration  for  differences 
in  operation,  b ive  men  make  up  a pro- 
jection crew.  These  are  local  men  who 
take  a training  course  in  Cinerama  pro- 
cedures. It  is  estimated  that  a crew  can 
be  trained  in  four  days.  Supervision  by 
experienced  personnel  continues  for  four 
days  of  actual  operation.  After  this,  the 
local  projectionists  are  on  their  own.  The 
crew  functions  as  follows: 

One  man  in  the  regular  booth,  operating 
the  sound  for  Cinerama  and  also  the 
35mm  projector  for  the  brief  prologue. 

One  man  in  each  of  the  three  Cinerama 
booths  on  the  main  floor. 

One  man  at  the  console  in  front  of  the 
center  booth  on  the  main  floor. 

Each  man  sets  up  his  projector,  aligning 
film  on  the  same  starting  point  of  each 
reel.  Controls  are  then  flipped  by  switch 
from  manual  operation  to  remote  control, 
which  lights  up  an  indicator  on  the  con- 
sole. The  operator  then  opens  the  dowser, 
on  orders  transmitted  from  the  console  over 
a small  speaker  system,  and  control  passes 
from  each  of  these  three  projectionists  to 
the  console  operator.  Similarly,  the  sound 
track  is  threaded  up  and  control  is  passed 
on  to  the  console  operator. 

The  console  operator  thus  becomes  the 
key  man  in  the  team,  as  he  throws  the 
control  switches  which  set  the  four  separate 
pieces  of  equipment  (three  projectors  and 
one  soundhead)  into  operation. 

There  are  two  crews  of  five  men  each, 
with  each  operating  alternate  shows  (two 
shows  daily).  Each  crew  has  its  own  print. 
(This,  incidentally,  develops  a competi- 
tive spirit  between  the  two  crews  to  see 
which  can  maintain  its  print  in  the  best 
condition,  put  on  the  best  show,  have  the 
least  mechanical  breakdowns,  etc.)  By 
having  two  trained  crews,  experienced  per- 
sonnel can  double  in  the  event  of  sickness 
and  for  vacations. 

Because  three  separate  films  are  projected 
side-by-side  simultaneously  to  form  one  pic- 
ture, any  break  in  the  film  of  one  pro- 
( Continued  on  page  36) 


18 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  APRIL  7,  1956 


77 


THE  THEATRE  SUPPLY 


MART “ 


Index  to  Products  Advertised 
& Described  in  this  Issue,  with 

• Dealer  Directory 

• Convenient  inquiry  postcard 


Firms  are  numbered  for  easy  identification  in  using  postcard.  Dealer  indications  refer  to  listing  on  following  page. 


ADVERTISERS 

NOTE:  See  small  type  under  advertiser's 

name  for  proper  reference  number  where 
more  than  one  kind  of  product  is  advertised. 


Reference  Adv. 

Number  Page 

1 —  Adler  Silhouette  Letter  Co 27 

Changeable  letter  algne:  Front-lighted  panel*  for 
drive-lm  (IA).  back-lighted  panels  (IB),  and 
changeable  letters  (1C).  All  dealers. 

2 —  American  Mat  Corp 6 

Rubber  runner  mats  (2A),  rubber  tile*  2B).  All 
dealers. 

3 —  American  Seating  Co 29 

Stadium  seating  for  drive-ins.  NTS. 

4 —  Ashcraft  Mfg.  Co.,  C.  S 24 

Rectifiers.  Unaffiliated  dealers. 

5 —  Ballantyne  Co.,  The 17 

In-car  speakers.  Dealers  3.  20,  22.  24.  35,  37,  42, 

47.  68.  76.  87.  92.  100.  05.  06,  116. 

6 —  Bausch  & Lomb  Optical  Co 4,  25 

Projection  lenses.  Direct,  branches  and  affiliated 
dealers. 

7 —  Blue  Seal  Sound  Devices 24 


Projectors  (7A),  projector  bases  (7B),  soundheads 
(7C).  magazines  (7D).  stereophonio  attachments 
(7E),  amplifiers  (7F),  speakers  (7G).  Direct. 


8 —  Bodde  Screen  Co 28 

Projection  screens.  Direet. 

9 —  Carbons,  Inc 21 

Projection  carbons.  Direct. 

10—  Eprad  31 

In-car  speakers.  Unaffiliated  dealers. 

1 1 —  F & Y Building  Service,  The 31 

Architectural  design  and  buflding  service. 

12 —  Faige,  Inc.,  Doc 27 

Distributor. 

13 —  International  Projector  Corp 26 

Complete  projection  and  sound  systems.  NT8. 

14 —  Karagheusian,  Inc.,  A.  & M 2nd  Cover 

Carpeting.  Direct. 

15 —  LaVezzi  Machine  Works 22 

Projector  parts.  All  dealers. 

16 —  National  Carbon  Co 8 

Projection  carbons.  All  dealers. 

17 —  National  Theatre  Supply 18,  23 

Distributor. 

18 —  Projection  Optics  Co 27 


Projection  lenses.  Distributor:  Rayton  Screen  Corp. 


Reference  Adv. 

Number  Page 

19 —  Radio  Corp.  of  America 3 

Projection  arc  lamps  (I9A),  projectors  (I9B). 
Dealers  marked  *. 

20 —  Rank  Precision  Industries,  Ltd 7 

Projectors  (20A),  projection  are  lamps  (20B),  sound 
equipment  (20C),  rectifiers  (20D).  Direct. 

21 —  RCA  Service  Co.,  Inc 22 

Projection  and  sound  equipment  maintenance. 

22 —  Ruscoe  Co.,  W.  J 26 

Drlve-in  screen  paint.  Direct. 

23 —  S.  O.  S.  Cinema  Supply  Corp 24 

Projection  lenses.  Direct. 

24 —  Spencer-Turbine  Co 29 

Vacuum  cleaners.  Direct. 

25 —  Star  Cinema  Supply  Corp 32 

Distributor. 

26 —  Strong  Electric  Corp 5 

Projection  arc  lamps.  Unaffiliated  dealers. 

27 —  Theatre  Seat  Service  Co 28 

Theatre  chair  rehabilitation  service.  Direct 

32 — Vidoscope  Corp 35 

Projection  lenses.  Direet. 

28 —  Wagner  Sign  Service,  Inc 32 


Changeable  letter  signs:  Front-lighted  panels  for 
drive-ins  (28A),  back-lighted  panels  (28B),  and 
changeable  letters  (28C).  Dealers  I,  2,  8.  II,  13, 
14.  15.  16,  18,  20,  21,  22,  23.  24,  25,  26.  27.  28, 

29,  30,  31,  32,  34  , 35,  36,  38.  39.  40,  41,  42,  43. 

44,  47.  48,  50,  52.  53.  55,  56.  58.  59,  91.  62,  63, 

65  , 66.  67.  68,  70  , 71,  74.  75.  77,  78,  80,  82,  84. 

85.  86,  87.  90,  91.  93.  94,  97.  99.  101,  102,  103, 
106,  107,  110,  Ill,  113,  115,  116,  118,  122,  123, 
124,  125. 


Reference  Adv. 

Number  Page 

29 —  Walker-American  Corp 24 

Projection  screens.  NTS. 

30 —  Westrex  Corp 26 

Distributor. 

31 —  Williams  Screen  Co 26 

Projection  screens.  Direet. 


EDITORIALLY  . . . 

AUTOMATIC  PROJECTION  UNIT,  page  30. 

Electro-mechanical  system  for  automatic  opera- 
tion of  projection  equipment  and  related  ap- 
paratus. Marketed  by  G.  B.-Kalee,  Ltd.  Postcard 
reference  number  32E. 

PORTABLE  VACUUM  BLOWERS,  page  31. 

Three  models  of  portable  electric  blowers 
announced  by  Pullman  Vacuum  Cleaner  Corpora- 
tion. Postcard  reference  number  33 E. 

DRIVE-IN  FAN  UNITS,  page  32. 

Units  designed  to  control  fog,  frost  and 
humidity  at  drive-ins.  Made  by  Diesel  Power, 
Inc.  Postcard  reference  number  34E. 

SOUND  EQUIPMENT,  page  32. 

Complete  line  of  sound  reproduction  equipment 
for  medium-sized  theatres.  From  Westrex  Corpo- 
ration. Postcard  reference  number  30. 

ANAMORPHIC  ADAPTER,  page  33. 

Adapter  for  variable  anamorphic  attachment 
to  make  it  fixed,  from  Projection  Optics  Com- 
pany, Inc.  Postcard  reference  number  18. 

PIPE  CLEANING  MACHINE,  page  33. 

Machine  for  cleaning  out  clogged  pipelines 
announced  by  Miller  Sendor  Rod  Company.  Post- 
card reference  number  35E. 


For  further  information  concerning  products  referred  to 
on  this  page,  write  corresponding  numbers  and  your  name 
and  address,  in  spaces  provided  on  the  postcard  attached 
below,  and  mail.  Card  requires  no  addressing  or  postage. 


TO  BETTER  THEATRES  Service  Department: 

Please  have  literature,  prices,  etc.,  sent  to  me  according  to  the  following 
reference  numbers  in  April  1956  issue  — 


NAME. 


THEATRE  or  CIRCUIT. 

STREET  ADDRESS 

CITY 


-STATE . 


Theatre  Supply  Dealers 

Dealers  in  the  United  States  listed  alphabetically  by  states,  numbered  or  other- 
wise marked  for  cross-reference  from  Index  of  Advertisers  on  preceding  page 


ALABAMA 

I Onuw  Feature  Service,  ItlIVi  Morris  Are.,  Birmingham. 

ARIZONA 

2 —  Soutfcnreat  Theatre  Supply,  *790  E.  Vaa  Ira,  Pbeaolx. 

ARKANSAS 

3 —  Arkansas  Theatre  Supply,  1008  Mala  St..  Llttl*  Rock. 

4—  Theatre  Supply  C*.,  IS2I  Grand  Ave..  Fort  Smith. 

CALIFORNIA 

Fresno: 

5—  Midstate  Theatre  Supply,  1908  Thom  at. 

Los  Angeles: 

8— John  P.  Filbert.  *007  S.  Vermont  Aye.* 

National  Theatre  Supply.  1961  S.  Vermont  Avo. 

7 —  Pembrex  Theatre  Supply.  1969  8.  Vermont  Avo. 

8 —  B.  F.  Shearer.  1964  S.  Vermont  Are. 

San  Francisco: 

National  Theatre  Supply.  255  Goldoa  Gate  Avo. 

9 —  P redder  Theatre  Sup  pi  lea,  187  Golden  Gate  Avo. 

10—  B.  F.  Shearer.  248  Golden  Gate  Avo. 

11 —  United  Theatre  Supply.  112  Golden  Gate  Avo. 

12 —  Western  Theatrical  Equipment  387  Golden  Gate  Avo.* 

COLORADO 

Denver: 

National  Theatre  Supply,  21 1 1 Champa  St 

13 —  Service  Theatre  Supply,  2064  Broadway. 

14—  Western  Service  A Supply.  2120  Broadway.* 

CONNECTICUT 
New  Haven 

National  Theatre  Supply,  122  Meadow  St 

DISTRICT  OF  COLUMBIA  (Washington) 

15 —  Briont  & Sons.  925  New  Jersey  Are.,  N.W.* 

16—  Ben  Luet  1001  New  Jersey  Ave..  N.W. 

17—  R A S Theatre  Supply.  920  New  Jersey  Avo..  N.W. 

FLORIDA 

18—  Joe  Hornsteln.  329  W.  Flagler  St.,  Miami. 

19—  Southeastern  Equipment.  625  W.  Bay  St.  Jacksonville.* 

20 —  United  Theatre  Supply.  206  Memorial  Highway.  Tampa. 

21 —  United  Theatre  Supply,  329  W.  Flagler  St.  Miami.* 

GEORGIA 

Albany: 

22 —  Dixie  Theatre  Service  A Supply,  1010  N.  Slappey  Dr. 

Atlanta: 

23—  Capitol  City  Supply.  161  Walton  St..  N.W. 

24 —  Dixie  Theatre  Service  &.  Supply,  95  Walton  Ave.,  N.E. 
National  Theatre  Supply,  187  Walton  SL,  N.W. 

25 —  Southeastern  Theatre  Equipment,  201-5  Luekle  8t.,  N.W. 

26—  Wil-Kin  Theatre  Supply.  301  North  Ave.,  N.E. 

ILLINOIS 

Chicago 

27 —  Abbott  Theatre  8uppiy,  1311  8.  Wabaah  Ave.* 

28 —  Gardner  Theatre  Service,  1314  S.  Wabash  Ave. 

29 —  Movie  Supply,  1318  S.  Wabash  Ave. 

Natienal  Theatre  Supply.  1325  8.  Wabash  Ave. 

INDIANA 
Evansville : 

30 —  Evansville  Theatre  Supply,  2900  E.  Chandler  Ave. 

Indianapolis: 

31 —  Gar-Bar.  Inc.,  442  N.  Illinois  St. 

Natienal  Theatre  Supply,  436  N.  Illinois  St 

IOWA 

Des  Moines: 

32 —  Des  Meines  Theatre  Supply.  1121  High  8t 
National  Theatre  Supply.  1102  High  St 

KANSAS 

Wichita: 

U 0 rathe  eel  Theatre  Eoolmeoot  P.  0.  Box  2138. 


KENTUCKY 

Louisville: 

34 —  Falls  City  Theetre  Equipment  427  S.  Third  St 

35—  Haaden  Theatre  Supply.  200  S.  3rd  St 

LOUISIANA 
New  Orleans: 

36 —  Hodges  Theatre  Supply.  1309  Cleveland  Ave. 

37 —  Johnson  Theatre  Service,  1409  Cleveland  Ave. 

38 —  Southeastern  Theatre  Equipment  214  S.  Liberty  St* 

Shreveport: 

39 —  Aion  Boyd  Theatre  Equipment  P.  0.  Bn  362. 

MARYLAND 

Baltimore: 

40—  J.  F.  Dusman  Co..  12  East  25th  St. 

National  Theatre  Supply,  417  St.  Paul  Place. 

MASSACHUSETTS 

Boston: 

41 —  Capitol  Theatre  Supply.  28  Piedmont  St.* 

42 —  Independent  theatre  Supply.  28  Winchester  St. 

43 —  Major  Theatre  Equipment.  14  Winchester  St. 

44 —  Massachusetts  Theatre  Equipment  20  Piedmont  St. 

National  Theatre  Supply,  3/  Winchester  St. 

45 —  Standard  Theatre  Supply  78  Broadway. 

46—  Theatre  Service  A 8unnly.  30  Piedmont  St. 

MICHIGAN 

Detroit: 

47 —  Amusement  Sapply.  208  W.  Mooted m St 

48 —  Ernie  Forbeo  Theatre  Supply,  214  W.  Montcalm  St* 

49 —  McArthur  Theatre  Equipment.  454  W.  Columbia  St. 
National  Theatre  Supply,  2312  Casa  Ave. 

Grand  Rapids: 

50 —  Ringold  Theatre  quipment  106  Michigan  St.,  N.W. 

MINNESOTA 

Minneapolis: 

51 —  Elliott  Theatre  Equipment.  1110  Nleallat  Ave. 

52 —  Freeh  Theatre  Supply,  IMI  Currie  Ave.* 

53 —  Minneapolis  Theatre  Supply,  75  Glenwood  Ave. 

National  Theatre  Supply,  56  Glenwood  Avo. 

54 —  Western  Theatre  Equipment,  45  Glenwood  Avo. 

MISSOURI 
Kansas  City: 

55—  Missouri  . heatre  Supply.  115  W.  18th  St.* 

National  Theatre  Supply.  223  W.  18th  St. 

56 —  Shrove  Theatre  Supply,  217  W.  18th  St. 

57 —  Stebblna  Theatre  Equipment.  1804  Wyandotte  St. 

St.  Louis: 

58 —  McCarty  Theatre,  3146  Olive  St. 

National  Theatre  Supply,  3212  Olive  St. 

59 —  St.  Louis  Theatre  Supply  Ce..  3310  Olive  St.* 

MONTANA 

60 —  Montana  Theatre  Supply,  Mlteoula. 

NEBRASKA 

Omaha: 

61 —  The  Ballantyne  Co..  1712  Jackson  St. 

National  Theatre  Supply.  1610  Davenport  St. 

62 —  Quality  Theatre  Supply,  1515  Davenport  St. 

63 —  Western  Theatre  Supply.  214  N.  15th  St* 

NEW  MEXICO 

64 —  Eastern  New  Mexleo  Theatre  Supply.  Box  1009.  Clovis. 

NEW  YORK 
Albany: 

65 —  Albany  Theatre  8upply,  443  N.  Pearl. 

Natienal  Theatre  Supply.  962  Breadway. 

Auburn: 

66—  Auburn  Tbaatre  Equipment  5 Court  St 

Buffalo: 

67—  Eastern  Theatre  Supply.  496  Pearl  St.* 

Nstlsaai  Theatre  Supply.  600  Peart  St. 


68 —  Perkins  Theatre  Supply.  505  Pearl  St 

69 —  United  Projector  A Film,  228  Frmaklla  St 

New  York  City: 

70 —  Amusement  Supply.  341  W.  44th  St 

71—  Capitol  Motloo  Picture  Supply.  630  Ninth  Ave.* 

72 —  Crown  Motion  Picture  Supplies,  354  W.  44th  8t. 

73—  Joe  Homstein,  341  W.  44th  St 
National  Theatre  Supply.  356  W.  44th  St 
126— Nor  pat  Sales,  Inc.,  630  Ninth  Ave. 

Syracuse: 

74—  Central  N.  Y.  Theatre  8opply.  219  N.  Sallna  Bt 

NORTH  CAROLINA 
Charlotte: 

75 —  Bryant  Theatre  Supply,  227  S.  Church  St 

76 —  Charlotte  Theatre  Supply,  200  S-  Poplar  St 

77 —  Dixie  Theatre  Supply.  213  W.  3rd  St. 

National  Theatre  Supply.  304  S.  Church  St 

78 —  Southeastern  Theatre  Equipment.  209  S.  Poplar  St.* 

79 —  Standard  Theatre  Supply,  219  S.  Church  St. 

60 — Theatre  Equipment  Co.,  220  S.  Poplar  St 

81 —  Wil-Kin  Theatre  Supply,  229  S.  Church  8t 

Greensboro: 

82 —  Standard  Theatre  Supply.  215  E.  Washington  St 

83 —  Theatre  Suppliers,  304  S.  Davla  St 

OHIO 

Cincinnati: 

94 — MId-Wsst  Theatre  Supply,  1838  Central  Parkway. * 

National  Theatre  Supply,  1637  Central  Parkway. 

Cleveland: 

National  Theatre  Supply.  2128  Payne  Ava. 

85 —  Ohio  Theatre  Equipment.  2108  Payne  Ava. 

86—  Oliver  Theatre  Supply.  1701  E.  23rd  St* 

Columbus: 

87—  American  Theatre  Equipment  185  N.  High  8t. 

Dayton: 

88 —  Dayton  Theatre  Supply,  III  Volkenand  St 

89 —  Sheldon  Theatre  Supply.  827  Salem  Ave. 

Toledo: 

90—  American  Theatre  Supply  Co..  439  Derr  8«. 

91—  Theatre  Equipment  Ce.,  1206  Cherry  St 

OKLAHOMA 
Oklahoma  City: 

92 —  Century  Theatre  Supply  Co.,  706  N.  Grand 

93 —  Howell  Theatre  Supplies.  12  S.  Walker  Ave. 

National  Theatre  Supply,  700  W.  Grand  Ava. 

94 —  Oklahoma  Theatre  Supply,  628  W.  Grand  Ave.* 

OREGON 

Portland: 

95—  Modern  Theatre  Supply,  1935  N.W.  Kearney  St.* 

96 —  Portland  Motion  Picture  Supply,  916  N.W.  19th  St. 

97—  B.  F.  Shearer,  1947  N.W.  Kearney  St. 

98—  Inter-State  Theatre  Equipment.  1928  N.W.  Kearney  St. 

PENNSYLVANIA 

Philadelphia: 

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National  Theatre  Supply  Co..  1225  Vine  St. 

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Pittsburgh: 

101—  Alexander  Thegtro  Supply,  84  Van  Bramm  St. 

102 —  Atlas  Theatre  Supply.  402  Mlltenbarper  St. 

National  Theatre  Supply,  1721  Blvd.  of  Allies. 

Wilkes-Barre: 

103—  Vinoent  M.  Tate.  1620  Wyemin*  Ave..  Ferty-Fort. 

RHODE  ISLAND 

104 —  Rhode  Island  Supply,  357  Westminster  SL,  Providence. 

SOUTH  DAKOTA 

105—  American  Theatre  Supply.  316  S.  Main  8L.  Sioux  Falla. 

TENNESSEE 

Memphis: 

106 —  Monarch  Theatre  Supply,  492  S.  Second  St.* 

National  Theatre  Supply.  412  8.  Second  SL 

187 — Tri-State  Theatre  Supply.  320  8.  Second  Bt. 

TEXAS 

Dallas: 

108—  Hardin  Theatre  Supply.  714  South  Hampteo  Rd. 

109—  Harbor  Bros..  406  S.  Harwood  SL 

110 —  Modern  Theatre  Equipment  1916  Jackion  St. 

National  Theatre  Supply,  300  S.  Harwood  SL 

111 —  Southwestern  Theatre  Equipment,  2010  Jackaea  SL* 

112 —  Sterling  Sales  & Service,  2019  Jackson  SL 

Houston: 

113 —  Southwestern  Theatre  Equipment  1822  Austin  Bt.* 

Son  Antonio: 

114—  Alamo  Theatre  Supply.  1108  AlamtUe  SL 

UTAH 

Salt  Lake  City: 

115 —  Intermountain  Theatre  8upply.  264  East  First  South  8t. 

116 —  Service  Theatre  Supply.  258  East  Fleet  South  SL 

117 —  Western  Sound  A Equipment  264  East  First  Seuth  9"  ' 

VIRGINIA 

118—  Norfolk  Theatre  Supply.  2780  Cellagr  Ava..  Nmfelt. 

WASHINGTON 

Seattle: 

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120 —  Inter-State  Theatre  Equipment  Ce..  2224  Bacaad  Ava. 

121 —  Modern  Theetre  Supply.  2400  Third  Ave.* 

National  Theatre  Supply,  2319  Second  8t. 

122—  B.  F.  Shearer.  2318  Second  Ava. 

WEST  VIRGINIA 

123 —  Charleston  Theatre  Supply.  506  Lee  Bt..  Charleston 

WISCONSIN 

Milwaukee: 

124 —  Manhantt  Ce.,  1705  W.  Clybeura  SL* 

National  Theatre  Supply.  1027  N.  Eighth  BL 
1*8—  Ray  Smith.  711  W.  Mate  BL 


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FIRST  CLASS 
(Sec.  34.9,  P.L.&R.) 
PERMIT  NO.  8894 
NEW  YORK,  N.  Y. 


Wetter  Projection 

h Department  on  PROJECTION  S.  SOUND 


PICTURE . . . 

PERFECTION 


YOURS  WITH  THE  LIGHT  OF 


The  Increasing  Importance 
of  the  Projection  Screen 


By  GIO  GAGLIARDI 

wide  - screen  technique 
has  emphasized  the  need  for  greater  and 
greater  amounts  of  light  from  lamphouses, 
projectors  and  lenses 
in  order  to  provide 
sufficient  brightness  for 
distribution  over  the 
relatively  tremendous 
areas  of  the  new  thea- 
tre screens.  Much 
effort  and  money  was 
spent  through  the  years 
on  improvements  to 
mechanical  and  optical 
equipment  installed  in  projection  rooms, 
but  comparatively  little  progress  was  made 


in  screen  fabrication  in  its  relation  to  prob- 
lems of  picture  brightness. 

Much  has  been  written  about  the  proper 
design  and  use  of  projection  equipment. 
The  screen  should  be  recognized  as  equally 
important  in  the  overall  projection  process. 
No  matter  how  efficient  the  rest  of  the 
equipment  may  be,  the  screen  still  controls 
the  final  physical  results  to  the  audience 
and  it  serves  as  a guide  to  the  efficiency  of 
the  entire  system. 

The  brightness  of  a screen  as  viewed  by 
an  audience  in  a theatre  depends  not  only 
upon  the  quantity  of  illumination  falling 
on  the  screen  from  the  projection  optical 
system,  but  also  upon  the  directional  qual- 
ities of  the  screen,  the  angle  of  projection, 
and  the  location  of  the  spectator  in  the  au- 
ditorium. An  ideal  screen  would  be  one 
which  reflected  all  the  light  from  the  pro- 
jector back  to  the  audience,  with  every  part 


Larger  Core  Area 


for 


MORE  BRILLIANT  ILLUMINATION 
SHARPER,  BRIGHTER  PICTURE 


and 


PERFECT  COLOR  BALANCE 


GinemaScoPE 

VIST A VISION 


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BETTER  THEATRES  SECTION 


21 


ft ec.  u.s.  ni.  off. 


Any  wide  screen  system  puts  projection  equipment  to  its  severest  test. 
Slight  picture  jump  which  may  pass  on  a small  screen  cannot  be  tol- 
erated on  large  screens.  Your  dealer  is  prepared  to  show  you  how 
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22 


of  the  picture  appearing  equally  bright  to 
all  members  of  the  audience.  These  ideal 
conditions  are  difficult  to  realize,  of  course; 
however,  it  should  be  possible  to  engineer 
a screen  to  fit  a theatre  so  that  it  will 
make  the  most  efficient  use  of  all  the  light 
coming  from  the  projector. 

LIGHT  REFLECTION  PATTERN 

In  order  to  understand  the  possibilities 
and  the  obstacles  surrounding  such  an  en- 
deavor, let  us  examine  some  of  the  theory 
involved  in  the  reflection  of  light  from  sur- 
faces which  may  be  applicable  to  theatre 
screens. 

Figure  1 ( A ) shows  the  type  of  diffuse 
or  scattered  reflection  which  occurs  when 
rays  of  light  are  projected  on  to  a rough 
surface,  such  as  white  blotting  paper.  Since 
the  surface  is  broken  up  into  a great  num- 
ber of  infinitesimally  small  sections  located 
in  all  different  planes,  the  light  is  reflected 
in  a random  pattern.  The  unit  which  is 
often  used  to  represent  this  is  the  surface 
of  a white  magnesium  block  which  has 
been  freshly  scraped  and  is  absolutely  clean. 
This  type  of  surface  is  said  to  be  “matte” 
and  to  diffuse  light  in  all  directions. 

A surface  which  is  very  smooth  with 
no  break-up  into  separate  planes,  such  as  a 
silver  backing  of  a mirror,  is  said  to  have 
regular  or  specular  reflection.  This  is  shown 
in  Figure  1 ( C ).  Each  ray  is  reflected 
without  breaking  into  dispersion  and  obeys 
the  law  of  optics  which  states,  “the  angle 
of  incidence  of  a light  ray  directed  to  a 
specular  surface  will  equal  the  angle  of 
reflection  of  the  ray  being  reflected  from 
the  surface.” 

However,  it  has  been  found  that  the 
intensity  of  the  light  which  is  reflected 
from  any  surface  will  correspond  to  cer- 
tain definite  patterns  which  can  be  plotted 
and  which  can  help  in  designing  screen 
surfaces.  Figure  1 ( B ) shows  the  pattern 
that  can  be  expected  from  a matte  white 
diffusing  surface,  and  Figure  1 (D)  shows 
the  pattern  which  can  be  expected  from  an 
aluminized  flat  specular,  or  directive,  sur- 
face. 

The  light  intensity  represented  by  ray 
OB  in  Figure  1 (D)  is  considerably  greater 
than  that  from  a similar  point  OB',  in 
Figure  1 ( B ).  But  with  the  diffuse 
surface,  the  brightness  of  OB',  OA', 
OC',  etc.  will  remain  constant  over  a Very 
large  angle,  whereas  the  specular  surface 
brightness  OB  will  start  falling  off  very 
rapidly  as  the  angle  of  observation  is 
changed  from  OB  to  OA  to  OC. 

The  total  amount  of  light  being  reflected 
from  surface  O in  Figure  1 ( D ) is  not  any 
greater  than  the  amount  being  reflected 
from  surface  O in  Figure  1 (B).  If  we 
visualize  the  shape  of  the  light  outline  in 
( B ) as  a spherical  balloon,  then  in  (D) 
the  balloon  has  been  squeezed  into  the 
shape  of  an  elongated  sausage.  The  length 

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of  the  sausage  represents  the  increase  in 
intensity  in  that  direction,  but  the  actual 
volume,  or  total  light,  remains  approxi- 
mately the  same. 

DIFFUSIVE  REFLECTION 

When  light  is  projected  on  to  a matte 
white  screen  which  has  a diffusing  surface, 
this  surface  will  appear  to  have  approxi- 
mately the  same  brightness  from  practically 
all  angles  of  observation.  This  means  that 
with  a certain  amount  of  light  coming 
from  the  projectors,  as  they  are  now 
normally  located,  any  section  of  the  screen 
would  appear  to  have  the  same  brightness 
no  matter  where  the  spectator  was  located 
in  the  seating  area. 

This  can  be  illustrated  by  the  sketches 
in  Figure  2.  Light  is  delivered  by  the 
projector  to  point  O on  the  screen.  Since 


VERTICAL 

SCREEN 


HORIZONTAL 

SCREEN 


FIGURE  2 — Projection,  reflection  and  obser- 
vation patterns  for  white  matter  screen. 
Flat  frame. 


this  is  a white  matte  screen,  point  O has 
a brightness  equal  to  OA,  which  is  seen 
by  the  observer  seated  at  A.  It  also  has 
a brightness  equal  to  OB,  which  is  seen 
by  observer  B.  It  also  has  a brightness 
OC,  which  is  delivered  to  the  walls,  ceil- 
ings and  floors.  These  brightness  values 
are  all  approximately  the  same  due  to  the 
nature  of  the  screen  surface. 

Looking  at  the  plan  view  of  Figure  2, 
we  can  note  that  both  observers  will  see 
point  O,  point  P and  point  O as  having 
equal  brightness  due  to  the  fact  that  per- 
fectly diffuse  surfaces,  when  illuminated 
at  the  same  intensities,  will  have  the  same 
brightness  from  all  angles  of  view.  There- 


24 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  APRIL  7,  1956 


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fore  OA  will  be  equal  approximately  to 
OA,  or  PA  or  OB  or  PB,  etc. 

Now  let  us  observe  what  would  happen 
under  similar  conditions  if  we  replace  the 
flat  white  screen  with  another  having  an 
evenly  sprayed  aluminum  surface.  Figure 
3 shows  the  patterns  of  projected,  reflected 
and  observed  light  and  brightness.  In  the 


FIGURE  3 — Projection,  reflection  and  obser- 
vation patterns  for  smooth  aluminized  screen. 
Flat  frame. 


Horizontal  Section  the  light  beam  from 
projector  P is  directed  to  O at  the  center 
of  the  screen,  and  to  P and  Q at  opposite 
ends  of  the  screen.  The  shape  of  the  re- 
flected light  brightness  pattern  is  shown 
at  each  of  these  points. 

Observer  A,  located  at  the  rear  and  side 
of  the  auditorium  will  see  these  three 
points,  and  their  relative  brightness  will 
be  indicated  by  the  arrows  QA,  OA,  and 
PA.  You  will  note  that  due  to  the  differ- 
ent angles  of  projection  from  the  lens  to 
the  center  and  sides  of  the  screen,  the 
angle  of  each  reflected  pattern  varies  con- 
siderably. Observer  A will  note  that  to 
him,  point  Q is  brighter  than  point  O and 
point  P.  Observer  B,  who  is  located  on 
the  opposite  side  and  closer  to  the  screen, 
will  see  point  P much  brighter  than  point 
O or  point  Q. 

CURVATURE  AND  TILT 

Thus  it  is,  when  wide  aluminized 
screens  are  used  on  a flat  frame,  the  spec- 
tator seated  towards  the  sides  of  an  audi- 
torium will  experience  a drop  in  bright- 
ness of  the  screen  end  farthest  away  from 
him.  In  the  Vertical  Section  of  Figure  3, 
similar  brightness  patterns  are  indicated. 


26 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  APRIL  7,  1956 


Observer  B looking  up  at  point  R at  the 
top  of  the  screen  will  note  that  R is  not  as 
bright  to  him  as  point  O or  point  S. 

It  is  apparent  from  a study  of  the 
geometry  of  projection  on  to  wide  screens, 
that  curving  such  a screen  will  materially 
increase  the  brightness  of  the  ends  of  the 
screen  to  most  of  the  observers  in  the  audi- 
torium. Figure  4 is  drawn  to  the  same 
scale  as  the  Horizontal  Section  of  Figure  3, 
and  the  reflecting  patterns  are  drawn  at 
the  corresponding  angles.  You  will  note 
that  for  observer  A,  the  brightness  PA 
from  point  P in  Figure  4 is  considerably 
greater  than  from  PA  in  Figure  3.  Simi- 
larly, observer  B will  benefit  from  an  ap- 
parent increase  in  brightness  from  point 
0 at  the  opposite  end  of  the  screen.  The 
curvature  of  the  surface  will  vary  some- 
what, depending  on  the  shape  of  the  audi- 
torium. However,  a curvature  having  a 
radius  equal  to  the  projection  distance  has 
been  found  to  give  optimum  results. 

The  shape  of  the  reflectivity  pattern 
shown  in  Figure  1 ( D ) applies  to  prac- 
tically all  specular  surfaces  where  alumi- 
num has  been  sprayed  on  smooth  plastic 
screens.  This  pattern,  as  described  above, 
produces  considerable  gain  along  its  main 
axis,  but  has  a very  narrow  beam  which  is 
symmetrical  for  both  vertical  and  horizon- 
tal coverage.  Furthermore,  the  angle  of  re- 
flection, as  far  as  the  brightness  pattern 
is  concerned,  could  only  be  changed  by  tilt- 
ing the  vertical  plane  of  the  screen. 

It  is  evident,  by  studying  the  layout 
of  most  of  our  theatres,  that  in  order  to 
cover  the  seating  area  more  effectively, 
the  horizontal  angle  of  coverage  by  the 
brightness  pattern  must  be  considerably 
wider  than  the  vertical  angle.  This  means 
that  the  total  amount  of  light  which  is 


FIGURE  4 — Projection,  reflection  and  ob- 
servation patterns  for  smooth  aluminized 
screen.  Curved  frame. 


reflected  from  a screen  surface  should  be 
moulded  into  an  asymmetrical  distribution 
pattern  which  has  a wide  spread  hori- 
zontally to  cover  a large  floor  area,  and 
a narrower  spread  vertically  to  prevent  loss 
of  reflected  light  on  ceiling  and  stage  apron. 

This  type  of  asymmetrical  distribution 
can  only  be  produced  by  specially  designed 
screen  surfaces.  The  so-called  “lenticular” 
screen  is  an  example  of  such  a surface.  It 
has  embossed  into  it  tiers  of  minute  cup- 
like reflectors.  These  tiny  reflectors,  or 
lenticles,  have  asymmetrical  curvatures  in 
the  horizontal  and  vertical  axis  which  are 
carefully  engineered  to  reflect  the  incident 
light  from  the  projector  back  towards  the 
audience  in  a definitely  given  pattern  and 
direction.  Figure  5 shows  the  reflectivity 
pattern  of  a lenticular  screen  drawn  ap- 
proximately at  the  same  scale  as  Figure  4. 

The  horizontal  distribution  pattern  of 
Figure  5 has  been  made  considerably  wider 
and  more  uniform.  This  serves  to  equal- 
ize the  values  of  brightness  from  all  points 
on  the  screen  to  the  observer.  Note  that 
PB , PA , OB,  OA,  QB  and  QA  are  more 
nearly  equal  to  each  other  than  the  corre- 
sponding values  in  Figure  4.  At  the  same 
time  the  vertical  distribution  pattern  has 
been  kept  to  a necessary  minimum  for  the 
narrower  angles  found  in  the  vertical  seat- 
ing areas. 

Another  feature  that  has  been  added  to 
a surface  of  this  type  is  a vertical  contour 
of  the  tiny  embossed  reflectors  with  a tilt 
so  that  the  angle  of  reflection  in  a vertical 
direction  can  be  changed  by  as  much  as  10 
to  15  degrees.  This  procedure  eliminates 
the  necessity  of  tilting  the  screen  frame 
itself  and  provides  much  better  brightness 
levels  for  high  balconies  and  steep  projec- 
tion angles. 


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SAN  FERNANDO,  CALIF. 

The  Life  of  a Small  Town 


Exhibitor  Could  Be  Sweet 


at  THE  RISK  of  remind- 
ing you  of  the  less  pleasant  aspects  of  show 
business  I here  take  a look  at  “My  Day.” 
Though  the  title  may  be  a bit  of  a pla- 
giarism, I submit  “My  Day”  so  that  you 
can  draw  a comparison  with  your  own 
daily  routine  and  see  if  we  aren’t  all  in 
the  same  rocking  boat. 

Last  month  we  took  you  on  a billing 
trip,  but  we  didn’t  intend  it  to  represent 
an  average  day.  That  was  more  or  less  a 
special  occasion.  An  average  day  in  the 
life  of  every  small  town  exhibitor  is  prob- 
ably pretty  much  the  same,  plus  or  minus 
a few  variations;  but  reactions  may  not 
be  the  same.  For  comparative  purposes 
here’s  about  the  way  mine  runs,  seven  days 
a week. 

My  first  feeling  of  consciousness  and 
glimpse  of  daylight  usually  arrives  simul- 
taneously when  one  my  two-  or  three-  or 
four-year-old  daughter,  or  my  five-year-old 
son  comes  crawling  into  bed  with  me  about 
7 :30  and  says,  “Come  on,  Daddy,  it’s  time 
to  get  up,”  or  “Daddy,  will  you  fix  my 
cereal  ?”  or  some  other  remark  reminiscent 
of  a top  sergeant’s  order  to  “leave  your 
cots  and  grab  your  socks.”  I usually  an- 
swer “Phnff”  or  “Gllmmmn,”  roll  over 
and  keep  a squinted  eye  on  the  wife  to 
see  if  she  is  going  to  lie  there  all  day  or 
whether  I’m  going  to  have  to  break  prece- 
dent (always  a dangerous  thing  in  this 
business)  and  actually  get  up  and  prepare 
the  corn  flakes.  So  far  I’m  ahead  of  the 
game  in  this  little  private  racket. 

• 

Being  too  ulcerous,  restless  and  cantank- 
erous to  sweat  out  a breakfast  in  the  con- 
fusion of  noise,  spilled  milk  and  spats 
among  the  brood  of  cubs  around  the  break- 
fast table,  I usually  grab  my  hat,  coat  and 
overshoes  and  beat  a hasty  retreat  to  the 
garage. 

Thus  having  performed  my  first  daily 
act  of  desertion  before  8 a.m.,  I soothe  my 
conscience  with  the  knowledge  that  I’ll 
be  home  again  for  45  minutes  at  noon,  and 
an  hour  at  supper  time  and  will  get  to 
see  my  wife  again  along  about  midnight, 


so  it  usually  puts  me  in  a respectable  frame 
of  mind  to  digest  the  morning  paper  and 
open  the  mail  over  a morning  cup  of  coffee 
at  the  cafe. 

From  8 to  9 o’clock  is  my  hour  of  en- 
lightenment. During  this  time  I usually 
catch  up  on  whether  the  world  is  as 
snafu-ed  as  it  was  yesterday  at  this  time, 
learn  how  many  were  butchered  on  the 
highways  in  the  past  24  hours,  note  what 
the  learned  editorial  writers  would  do  if 
they  were  politicians  instead  of  copy 
writers,  and  whether  or  not  Brooklyn 
has  a chance  to  repeat  in  the  National 
league  this  year.  This  period  of  enlighten- 
ment is  usually  punctuated  by  conversation 
from  fellow  businessmen  who  are  having 
their  mid-morning  coffee  break — they  be- 
ing in  tougher  businesses  than  mine,  need- 
ing to  go  to  work  at  7 o’clock. 

• 

I’ve  trained  myself  to  digest  the  news 
and  keep  an  attentive  ear  turned  to  the 
conversation  at  the  same  time,  thus  main- 
taining both  a cosmopolitan  and  a local 
form  sheet  on  all  that  happens.  It  is  dur- 
ing this  period  that  I learn  what  was  so 
good  on  TV  last  night  that  my  patrons 
stayed  home,  or  results  of  the  game  which 
I couldn’t  attend,  or  what’s  cooking  in  the 
way  of  civic  improvements  for  the  benefit, 
enjoyment  and  entertainment  of  our  com- 
munity’s children  who  “now  have  nothing 
better  to  do  than  go  to  movies.” 

By  9 o’clock  the  coffee  is  cold,  the  paper 
is  read  and  I’ve  convinced  myself  that  I 
can’t  afford  civic  improvements  any  more 
than  I can  afford  to  have  others  afford 
them.  Neither  can  I afford  to  say  any- 
thing about  it,  so  I retire  to  the  theatre 
office  and  start  wading  through  the  mail. 
Only  rarely  is  there  anything  besides  in- 
voices, confirmations,  receipts  or  “Sorry, 
not  available”  notes  in  it,  so  for  the  next 
half-hour  the  owner  becomes  the  file  clerk 
for  the  firm.  That  done,  there  is  usually 
some  letter  to  write  asking  whyinellnot 
about  the  availability  or  the  confirmation, 
or  a don’t-be-so-impatient  note  about  the 
coverage. 


28 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  APRIL  7,  1956 


Next  comes  the  little  chore  of  decipher- 
ing last  night’s  box-office  report,  which  the 
cashier  has  left  on  my  desk,  and  getting 
it  entered  into  the  day  book.  Of  late  this 
has  consumed  no  staggering  amount  of 
time.  The  cashier’s  reports  have  been 
amazingly  accurate  lately.  She  explains  it 
this  way,  “The  less  people  there  are  the 
less  chance  of  mistakes.”  Only  trouble  I 
run  into  here  is  getting  the  concessions  sales 
mixed  up  with  ticket  sales.  They’re  fre- 
quently too  similar. 

Next  comes  a browsing  through,  and 
agreement  or  disagreement  with,  the  trade 
papers.  Next  comes  a dispeptic  period  over 
whether  to  write  or  not  to  write  a letter 
in  agreement  or  disagreement.  I usually 
don’t  write,  for  along  about  here  the  phone 
rings.  I reach  for  it  and  know  damn  well 
it  won’t  be  someone  asking  about  reserv- 
ing a block  of  seats  for  tonight’s  show. 
Almost  always  it  isn’t.  It’s  usually  the 
wife  telling  me  she  needs  flour,  eggs,  but- 
ter, sandwich  meat  and  caraway  seeds  and 
wdien  am  I coming  home  and  Janis  needs 
another  tablet  for  school.  So  shopping  I 
go  and  in  due  time  wend  my  way  home 
with  a sack  of  groceries. 

Whatinell  I do  all  afternoon  I can’t  even 
explain  to  my  wife.  You  guys  know  how 
this  goes.  Sometimes  it’s  filling  the  candy 
case,  the  popcorn  bin  or  the  soft  drink 
machine.  Sometimes,  it’s  making  up  a new 
program,  writing  an  ad,  making  out  the 
month’s  books,  writing  the  checks,  check- 
ing the  furnaces,  move  trade  paper  read- 
ing, opening  the  afternoon’s  mail,  etc.,  etc. 
At  any  rate  by  5 o’clock  I usually  just 
quit  w’hat  I’m  doing,  truck  on  home,  shave, 
change  clothes,  eat  and  after  that  I hustle 
back. 


Verily,  the  day  of  a small  town  theatre 
operator  is  as  prosaic  as  that  of  any  of  his 
patrons.  But  there  is  something  about 
showbusiness,  wherever  it  may  be,  which 
makes  most  of  us  loathe  to  quit  it  for 
another.  As  in  other  fields,  there  are  some 
people  who  would  not  be  content  with 
the  kind  of  day  I have  described.  There 
can  be  satisfaction,  however,  without  ex- 
citement, without  a feeling  of  being  “big 
time.”  No  matter  how  puny  whistle  stop 
exhibitors  may  be  individually,  they  have 
always  been  a part  of  the  importance  of 
the  motion  picture,  which  brings  to  the 
country  community  the  talents  that  the 
city  alone  enjoyed  before  it  developed  into 
the  great  medium  it  is. 

Can  TV  take  its  place?  I don’t  think 
so.  Eventually  each  will  mark  out  its  own 
special  function  in  the  life  of  the  people, 
wherever  they  live. 


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and  be  able  to  detail  your  requirements,  by  writing  advertisers 
direct.  Many  of  them  provide  coupons  specifying  literature  for  your  conve- 
nience. . . . However,  if  you  prefer  to  use  the  service  of  the  Theatre  Supply 
Mart,  you  need  only  to  indicate  the  items  by  reference  number  on  the 
detachable  postcard  provided  in  the  Mart  insert  on  page  19. 


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BETTER  THEATRES  SECTION 


29 


about  Products . . 

It  news  and  views  of  the  market  and  its  sources  of  supply 


Automatic  Projection 
Device  Placed  on  Market 

AN  ELECTRO-MECHANICAL 

system  for  automatic  operation  of  projec- 
tion equipment  and  related  apparatus  in- 
volved in  a screen  presentation,  including 
control  of  curtains,  masking  and  house 
lighting,  has  been  placed  on  the  market 
by  G.  B.-Kalee,  Ltd.,  London,  England. 
Called  the  “Projectomatic,”  the  device  was 
originally  developed  by  the  Essoldo  circuit 
in  England,  in  several  of  whose  theatres 
it  has  been  in  use  for  a year  or  more.  It 
is  being  made  available  generally  through 
G.  B.-Kalee,  which  is  handling  both  manu- 
facture and  sales.  While  policy  has  not 
been  finalized,  the  company  states  that  it  is 
considering  fabrication  in  the  United  States 
as  well  as  in  England. 

While  the  purpose  of  the  device  is  to 
perform  many  of  the  functions  of  projec- 
tionists, it  was  well  received  by  members 
of  the  British  projectionists’  organization 
(NATKE)  at  a recent  demonstration  in 
London.  There  Tom  O’Brien,  general 
secretary  of  the  association,  said,  “If  we 
find  that  this  system  is  going  to  be  injuri- 
ous we  are  going  to  oppose  it  and  stop  it 
if  we  can,  but  I think  we  see  in  Projecto- 
matic one  of  the  means  of  solving  the  prob- 
lems of  the  men  in  the  box.  We  are  from 
750  to  1,000  projectionists  short  in  this 
country.  Men  are  leaving  the  industry. 
The  modern  young  man  is  not  going  to 
work  six  nights  a week.” 

DESIGN  AND  FEATURES 

The  manager  of  the  Odeon  theatre, 
where  the  demonstration  was  held,  re- 
ported, “We  have  been  using  the  equipment 
for  four  months  and  after  minor  initial 
snags  it  has  proved  highly  efficient.  We  still 
have  our  usual  six  operators,  two  on  at 
any  given  time,  with  a junior.  But  it  has 
meant  that  we  have  been  able  to  organize 
much  better  shift  systems.” 

The  design  and  operating  features  of 
the  Projectomatic  are  described  essentially 
as  follows  in  a statement  issued  by  the 
manufacturer: 


The  Projectomatic  system  is  designed  to 
perform  automatically  the  main  operating 
functions  associated  with  a continuous  mo- 
tion picture  performance.  The  sequence 
in  which  the  various  functions  are  carried 
out  is  determined  by  the  arrangement  of 
pins  set  in  a rotating  drum ; or  in  the  case 
of  changeover  operation,  by  marks  on  the 
film.  Once  the  drum  has  been  set  up  and 
the  film  marked  prior  to  the  first  per- 
formance, the  show  will  run  continuously 
without  further  action  by  the  projection- 
ist other  than  to  clean  and  thread  the  pro- 
jectors, renew  carbons  and  change  discs 
on  the  non-sync. 

The  equipment  consists  of  a main  con- 
trol cabinet  and  a number  of  relay  units, 
which  are  operated  by  signals  received  from 
the  main  control  unit,  and  which  in  turn 
control  the  various  switching  functions  on 
the  projection  equipment. 


The  "Projectomatic"  shown  with  covers  removed. 


Rollers  are  installed  on  the  projectors  to 
detect  the  film  marks,  also  to  operate  an 
emergency  stop  circuit  in  the  event  of  a 
film  break  or  mechanical  failure. 

The  actual  functions  which  can  be  per- 
formed by  the  system,  according  to  the 
type  installed,  are : 

Projector  motors — start  and  stop  ; arcs — 
strike  and  extinguish ; dowsers — open  and 
close ; changeover  of  picture  and  sound 
(single  track  optical  or  multi-track  mag- 
netic) ; non-sync  motor — start  and  stop; 
arnplifier  system — sound  on  film  to  non- 
sync and  vice  versa  (the  pick-up  must  be 
placed  on  the  disc  by  the  operator  in  readi- 
ness for  the  automatic  operation)  ; cur- 
tains— open  and  close;  footlights — dim  up 
and  down  through  a reactor  dimmer; 
houselights — dim  up  and  down  through  a 
reactor  dimmer;  screen  masking — set  for 
three  aspect  ratios. 

The  pin  drum,  which  is  housed  in  the 
main  control  cabinet,  is  furnished  with  rows 
of  holes  spaced  at  regular  intervals  around 
its  circumference.  The  drum  is  rotated  in 
steps  by  a solenoid  operating  through  a 
ratchet  mechanism,  each  step  being  equal 
to  the  space  between  two  adjacent  rows 
of  holes.  Each  hold  in  every  row  corre- 
sponds with  a particular  function  and  is 
associated  with  a microswitch. 

SOLENOID  COIL  CONTROL 

The  solenoid  coil  is  controlled  through 
a thyratron  [ grid-controlled  current  modu- 
lation tube~\  circuit  with  a variable  time 
delay,  and  by  inserting  pins  in  the  appro- 
priate positions,  it  can  be  made  to  func- 
tion at  regular  time  intervals.  A timer 
clock  is  also  fitted  for  use  when  a longer 
interval  between  operations  is  required. 

For  automatic  changeover  operation,  a 
pin  is  set  in  an  appropriate  position  on 
the  drum.  Control  of  the  various  func- 
tions associated  with  changeover  is  now 
entirely  dependent  on  the  film  marks,  and 
the  drum  has  no  further  influence  until 
the  end  of  the  last  reel. 

Where  a changeover  is  required,  three 
marks  are  placed  on  the  film  towards  the 
tail  leader.  The  marks  are  made  by  apply- 
ing an  electrically  conducting  lacquer  to  the 


30 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  APRIL  7,  1956 


film  in  the  region  of  the  perforations. 

When  the  first  mark  passes  the  detecting 
roller,  it  causes  various  relays  to  operate 
in  the  control  unit  and  a warning  buzzer 
sounds,  indicating  to  the  projectionist  that 
a changeover  is  about  to  take  place. 

The  next  mark  follows  within  15  sec- 
onds running  time  and  operates  further 
relays,  which  start  the  motor  of  the  incom- 
ing machine  and  strike  the  arc. 

The  arc  is  struck  by  the  direct  applica- 
tion of  power,  a fusable  pellet  having  been 
placed  between  the  carbon  tips  by  the  op- 
erator during  the  non-operating  period. 

The  outgoing  machine  continues  to  run 
until  the  third  mark  passes  the  roller, 
when  its  dowser  is  closed,  its  arc  lamp 
extinguished  and  its  motor  stopped.  At 
the  same  time  sound  changeover  takes  place. 

An  emergency  stop  circuit  is  incor- 
porated in  the  control  equipment,  which 
closes  down  the  projector  in  the  event  of 
a film  break  or  mechanical  failure.  This 
circuit  can  also  be  operated  by  a switch 
on  the  projector  so  that  the  machine  is 
“made  safe”  for  lacing.  Furthermore,  in 
the  event  of  an  emergency,  the  machine  in 
operation  can  be  stopped  by  a push-button 
mounted  on  the  other  projector,  acting 
through  the  same  circuit. 

The  last  reel  of  film  is  marked  in  one 
place  only.  When  this  mark  passes  the 
detector,  the  buzzer  sounds.  The  buzzer 
circuit  also  operates  a relay  through  a time 
delay  circuit.  Whereas,  for  changeover, 
the  second  mark  cancels  the  delay  circuit 
before  it  has  time  to  operate,  when  no 
second  mark  is  received  by  the  end  of  the 
delay  period,  the  relay  operates  and  the 
drum  resumes  control.  The  drum  is  pinned 
to  close  down  the  projector  and  to  per- 
form any  other  functions  required. 

Three  New  Portable 
Electric  Blower  Units 

THREE  NEW  models  of 
portable  electric  blowers,  with  special  fea- 
tures designed  to  speed  cleaning  operations 
in  theatres,  have  been  placed  on  the  market 
by  the  Pullman  Vacuum  Cleaner  Corpora- 


You  and  I know  that  patrons  come  out,  whatever  the  weather,  if  the 
main  attraction  sounds  good.  So  drizzle  or  downpour — let  it/Come! 
J'll  always  be  ready  to  perform  beautifully.  . 


Besides  costing  very  little/ 
at  the  start,  my  upkeep / 
Is  practically  nil.  But  don’t / 
take  my  word  for  it!  Ask^/ 
any  man  who  owns  some 
EPRAD  in-the-car  speakers/  . 


'See  your  favorite  independent 
supply  dealer.  He,ll  show  you 
the  EPRAD  speaker  to  suit 
-your  needs  and  pocketbook. / 

/ / s , / / / / 


"The  Voice 
of  the 
Drive-In " 


Tops  in  performance, 
economy  and  beauty. 

★ EPRAD  MOTOR 
GENERATORS 

★ EPRAD  MAGNETIC 

SOUND  SYSTEMS 

1207  CHERRY  STREET 
TOLEDO  4,  OHIO 


tion,  Boston.  The  units  weigh  as  little  as 
7 pounds,  and  the  manufacturer  states  the 
design  is  “compact  enough  to  permit  opera- 
tors to  clean  in  and  around  difficult  theatre 
seat  areas.” 

The  units  employ  a turbine  principle 


The  F & Y Building  Service  is  the  outstanding 
agency  in  Theatre  Design  and  Construction  in 
Ohio  and  surrounding  territory. 

THE  F & Y BUILDING  SERVICE 

319  East  Town  Street  Columbus  15,  Ohio 

" The  Buildings  We  Build  Build  Our  Business' " 


BETTER  THEATRES  SECTION 


31 


Factory  List  Price 


NOW! 

FOR  THE  FIRST  TIME 

SPECIAL  PURCHASE 

and  BRAND  NEW 
[The  HOLMES  35  mm. 
PORTABLE 

Sound  on  Film 
Equipment 


HERE'S  THE 
AMAZING  DEAL 


2 — Holmes  Boll 
Booring  35  mm. 
Portable  Sound  Projectors, 
constant  speed  motors,  1000  watt 
Mazda  lamphouses.  2000'  upper  ond  lower  mogozines.  photo- 
cells. eaciler  lomps.  etc.  (Brand  New).  2— Series  1 4“  lenses, 
with  adopters  (New).  1 — Set  projector,  photocell  ond  exciter 
lomp  cobles  (New).  1— Amplifier,  late  model.  25/30  watt  out- 
put (Rebuilt  like  New).  1 —Jensen  Heavy  Duty  12"  PM  speoker, 
with  baffle  ond  75  feet  cable  (Reconed  ond  refinished),  guar- 
anteed some  os  new). 


★STAR  CINEMA  SUPPLY  CO. 

621  West  55th  Street,  New  York  19,  N.Y. 


Jree  and  CaMf 

Some  advertisements  offer  literature  on  the  product 
advertised,  and  often  a coupon  is  included  as  a 
convenient  means  of  procuring  it.  Moreover,  The 
Theatre  Supply  Mart  supplied  on  page  19  pro- 
vides a postcard  for  this  purpose.  . . . Or,  if  you 
do  not  see  what  you  want  advertised  in  this  par- 
ticular issue,  you  may  write  the  BETTER  THEATRES 
SERVICE  DEPARTMENT,  Motion  Picture  Herald, 
1270  Sixth  Avenue,  New  York  20. 


and  a motor  up  to  1 and  1/3  h.p.  There 
are  three  models  available  with  brass  ex- 
tension nozzle  attachments. 

Literature  on  the  new  blowers  may  be 
secured  by  writing  the  company  (25  Buick 
Street,  Boston  15,  Mass.). 


Fan  Units  to  "Control" 
Weather  at  Drive-Ins 

NEW  and  improved  mod- 
els of  its  “air-conditioning”  equipment  for 
drive-in  theatres,  consisting  of  a fan 
mounted  on  top  of  a pole  to  circulate  the 


air,  have  been  announced  by  Diesel  Power, 
Inc.,  Greenville,  Pa.  The  equipment  will 
be  marketed  in  the  theatre  field  through 
dealers  appointed  by  Doc  Faige  & Associ- 
ates, New  York,  nation-wide  distributor 
in  this  market. 

Models  are  available  to  control  fog  and 
frost,  as  well  as  the  humidity,  it  is  stated 
under  the  trade-names  of  “Fogmaster”  and 
“Weathermaster.”  The  units  will  “oper- 
ate satisfactorily  over  areas  as  large  as 
seven  acres  and  are  effectively  used  for 
greater  areas,”  according  to  the  manu- 
facturer. 

The  new  models  have  special  features 
to  overcome  the  mosquito  nuisance,  it  is 
claimed,  in  addition  to  greatly  reducing 
humidity  in  treated  areas.  In  increasing 
the  power  and  propeller  size  of  the  new 
models  and  decreasing  the  rotational  speed, 
the  sound  level  of  the  equipment  was  effec- 
tively lowered,  it  is  stated. 

The  equipment  was  demonstrated  at  the 
National  Allied  Drive-In  Convention  in 
Cleveland  in  February. 


7!/2-Kilowatt  Electric 
Generating  Plant 

a NEW  7500-watt  a.c., 
air-cooled,  gasoline-powered  electric  gen- 
erating plant  has  been  announced  by  D.  W. 
Onan  & Sons,  Inc.,  Minneapolis,  Minn. 
The  new  unit  has  been  pattered  after  the 
company’s  “CW”  series  which  has  been 
available  in  5-  and  10-kilowatt  capacities 
since  1952  and  features  the  company’s 
“Vacu-Flo”  cooling  system. 

This  latter  system  employs  a powerful 
centrifugal  blower  that  pulls  cooling  air 
through  the  generator  and  over  the  heated 
engine  parts,  and  then  expels  the  heated 
air  through  a duct  to  the  outside.  This 
feature  enables  the  new  generators  to  be 
installed  in  completely  enclosed  compart- 
ments in  a space  just  slightly  larger  than 
the  unit  and  its  accessories,  with  allowances 
for  an  air-intake  vent  and  exhaust  outlet. 

The  prime  mover  for  the  units  is  a two- 
cylinder  opposed,  4-cycle  engine  of  20  h.p. 
Other  features  include  forged  steel  crank- 
shaft and  rods,  extra-large  bearing  surfaces, 
full  pressure  lubrication,  copper  mesh  air- 
cleaner,  Stellite-faced  valves  and  seat  in- 
serts. 

The  generators  are  designed  for  both 
mobile  and  portable  use.  Readily  trailer- 
mounted  or  available  on  a skid  or  dolly, 
they  can  also  be  equipped  with  a heavy- 
duty  weatherproof  housing  designed  to 
enable  them  to  operate  in  all  weather. 


New  Westrex  Sound  Units 
for  Medium-Size  Theatres 

the  westrex  Corpora- 
tion, New  York,  has  announced  details  of 
the  second  of  its  three  new  lines  for  1956 
of  sound  reproducing  equipment  for  thea- 
tres. (The  first  of  the  lines  was  described 
in  Better  Theatres  for  March,  1956.) 

Designed  to  meet  the  requirements  of 


The  51  B multi-channel  magnetic  pre-amplifier 
cabinet  in  the  Westrex  Standard  sound  system. 

theatres  of  medium-size,  the  second  line  is 
designated  the  Westrex  Standard.  It  in- 
cludes complete  multi-  and  single-channel 
systems  for  both  magnetic  and  optical  re- 
production. The  company  states  that  the 


32 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  APRIL  7,  1956 


new  systems  are  “simpler,  smaller  in  size 
and  from  5%  to  30%  cheaper  than  com- 
parable 1955  equipment.” 

It  is  pointed  out  that  the  Westrex  Stand- 
ard single-channel  sound  systems  utilize  the 
new  major  components  of  the  multi-channel 
sound  systems  and  are  designed  “to  give 
the  best  sound  reproduction  for  theatres 
not  yet  ready  to  convert  to  stereophonic 
sound.”  These  systems  can  readily  be  ex- 
panded into  multi-channel  systems,  it  is 
stated. 

Included  in  the  line  are  the  RIO  stereo- 
phonic penthouse  reproducer,  the  Westrex 
R6  optical  sound  reproducer,  and  51 B 
multi-channel  magnetic  pre-amplifier — all 
with  features  as  described  last  month  in 
Better  Theatres.  The  Westrex  Stand- 
ard line  also  includes  the  26  type  30-watt 
power  amplifier  with  associated  power  sup- 
plies and  the  47  type  single-channel  trans- 
mission cabinet. 

The  latter  is  only  20  inches  high  and 
may  be  wall  or  table  mounted.  The  booth 
monitoring  loudspeaker  is  located  within 
this  cabinet  and  is  large  enough  to  permit 
operation  at  a relatively  low  level  to  be 
distinctly  heard  thoughout  the  booth.  The 
Westrex  26  type  30-watt  amplifier  is 
mounted  in  the  base  of  this  cabinet  and 
may  be  easily  removed  for  maintenance 
or  replacement  by  removing  its  input  and 
output  plug-in  connections.  Space  is  pro- 
vided for  an  additional  26  type  amplifier 


The  Westrex  Standard  sound  system’s  15  type  loud- 
speaker assembly  with  the  Westrex  80°  high- 
frequency  unit. 


The  53B  multi-channel  transmission  cabinet  in  the 
Westrex  Standard  sound  system.  This  unit  is  for 
four-channel  stereophonic  reproduction;  others  are 
available  for  three-channel  stereophonic  and  single 
channel  sound. 

should  this  single  channel  system  be  ex- 
panded for  complete  emergency  operation. 
The  Westrex  26  type  30-watt  amplifier 
contains  its  own  power  supply. 

Westrex  Standard  type  15  loudspeaker 
assembly  features  the  Westrex  713B  high- 
frequency  unit  and  the  type  803A  low- 
frequency  speaker.  The  713B  high-fre- 
quency unit  is  capable  of  handling  the  full 
undistorted  output  of  the  Westrex  Stand- 
ard multi-channel  and  single  channel  sys- 
tems in  the  frequency  range  of  800  to 
10,000  cycles  and  used  with  either  a 50° 
or  80°  multi-cellular  horn.  This  speaker 
unit  utilizes  a duralumin  diaphragm  in  an 
oversized  permanent  magnet.  The  type 
803A  speaker  handles  the  low-frequency 
range. 

ANAMORPHIC  LENS  ADAPTER 

For  drive-in  theatres  with  a throw  re- 
quiring a focal  length  beyond  7 inches,  the 
Projection  Optics  Company,  Inc.,  Roches- 
ter, N.  Y.,  has  developed  an  adapter  for 
its  “Hilux-Val”  variable  anamorphic  at- 
tachment. With  it,  the  attachment  is  re- 
versed and  can  be  so  applied  with  any 
standard  projection  lens.  It  then  becomes 
a fixed  anamorphic  lens. 

• 

RCA  EQUIPMENT  FOR  REDSTONE 

Redstone  Drive-in  Theatres,  Boston  cir- 
cuit, will  install  the  latest  RCA  projec- 
tion and  sound  equipment  in  six  of  its 
outdoor  operations  in  time  for  the  new 
season,  according  to  an  announcement  by 


Michael  Redstone,  president  of  the  cir- 
cuit, and  A.  J.  Platt,  manager,  RCA  thea- 
tre equipment  sales,  Camden,  N.  J. 

Machine  to  Clean 
Clogged  Pipelines 

A machine  for  cleaning 
out  clogged  pipelines,  including  wash 
basins,  floor  drains,  urinals  and  toilets,  has 
been  announced  by  the  Miller  Sewer  Rod 
Company,  Chicago.  The  equipment,  which 
is  trade-named  the  “Miller  Rod  House,” 
is  designed  to  clean  a pipe  area  up  to  100 
feet  in  length. 

In  operating  the  machine,  the  manufac- 
turer states  that  the  first  step  is  to  push 
the  special  rod  into  the  pipeline  until 
resistance  is  met.  Next  the  speed  handle 
is  slid  within  a few  inches  of  the  opening. 
Then  the  operator  tightens  the  set  screw, 
applies  a slight  pressure  and  turns  the  han- 
dle. The  rod  then  goes  through  the  grease, 
rag,  sand,  etc. 

There  are  several  special  features  of  the 
rod,  it  is  pointed  out,  including  the  end 
which  is  in  the  shape  of  a hook  and  de- 
signed to  make  every  bend  in  the  pipe. 
When  the  speed  handle  is  turned  forward, 
the  rod  will  go  down  a tee  fitting  in  pipe, 
it  is  explained,  and  when  it  is  reversed 
the  rod  will  go  up  the  tee.  There  are 
no  additional  attachments  needed  to  fit  on 
the  end  of  the  rod. 

The  rod  is  further  constructed  so  that 
it  can  be  pushed  back  into  its  drum  con- 


tainer quickly  and  thus  prevent  spreading 
dirt  over  the  floor  or  clothing.  The  con- 
tainer protects  the  rod  when  it  is  not  in  use. 

The  machine  is  portable  and  can  be 
carried  in  one  piece.  The  rod  is  supplied 
in  varying  sizes  for  different  uses;  it  is 
stated  that  the  5/16  or  Y&- inch  in  50-foot 
lengths  are  best  for  all-around  use.  The 
j^-inch  is  recommended  for  floor  drains 
and  larger  lines. 

Complete  literature  and  specifications 
may  be  secured  by  writing  the  company 
(4640  North  Central  Ave.,  Chicago  30.) 


BETTER  THEATRES  SECTION 


33 


Designing  a Projection  Lamp 
for  Use  with  Wide-Cauge  Film 


By  ARTHUR  HATCH,  vice-president  in 
charge  of  engineering,  Strong  Electric 
Corporation,  Toledo 

IN  designing  projection  arc 
lamps  to  meet  requirements  of  the 
new  wide  film  processes  (55mm, 
65mm,  etc.)  it  has  been  necessary 
to  take  into  consideration  the  fact 
that  many  theatres  will  continue 
using  35mm  film  even  after  adopt- 
ing one  or  more  of  the  new  tech- 
niques. Accordingly,  it  has  been 
desirous  for  currently  produced 
lamps  to  be  readily  convertible  to 
these  new  processes  and  also  as 
easily  reconverted  to  35mm  projec- 
tion. 

Approaching  the  problem  from 
this  logical  angle  has  resulted  in 
the  further  development  of  a ver- 
satile lamp  as  well  as  several  items 
of  conversion  equipment.  With  this 
accomplished  it  is  possible  for  any 
theatre  to  install  new  Super  135 
projection  lamps  now  with  the 
assurance  that  by  utilizing  these 
new  conversion  parts,  they  will 
meet  any  and  all  wide  film  demands 
and  that  the  changeover  can  be 
made  quickly,  easily  and  economi- 
cally. 

IN  INDOOR  THEATRES 

The  projection  of  pictures  which 
have  been  shot  in  55mm  and  then 
reduced  to  35mm  prints,  of  course, 
requires  no  conversion  of  these 
new  lamps. 

Indoor  theatres  in  adopting  the 
wide  gauge  film,  in  most  cases  prob- 
ably will  not  increase  their  screen 
size,  assuming  they  installed  new 
wide  screens  with  the  advent  of 
CinemaScope.  They  should,  how- 
ever, install  lamps  with  automatic 
carbon  position  control  in  order  to 
obtain  a picture  of  constant  color 
rendition  in  keeping  with  the  higher 
image  quality  that  they  will  be  able 
to  obtain. 

Drive-in  theatres  naturally  will 
welcome  the  availability  of  the 
wider  film,  because  they  will  now 
be  enabled  to  put  a greater  volume 


of  light  through  the  larger  apertures 
to  their  mammoth-size  screens 
without  increasing  the  aperture  heat 
per  unit  area. 

A LARGER  SPOT 

The  prime  light  source  require- 
ment for  these  wider  gauge  films 
is  a larger  spot  projected  to  the 
aperture.  The  required  degree  of 
increase  in  the  size  of  the  spot  at 
the  aperture  can  best  be  determined 
by  comparisons  of  the  diagonals  of 
the  new  size  apertures.  For  ex- 
ample, the  standard  35mm  aperture 
has  a diagonal  of  approximately  one 
inch,  while  the  diagonals  of  the  new 
wider  apertures  vary  from  1%" 
to  2*/4''. 

A light  spot  of  such  increased 


The  Strong  Super  135  lamp. 


size  as  to  fully  cover  these  larger 
apertures  could  be  obtained  by 
either  using  a higher  magnification 
mirror  or  by  burning  carbons  of 
larger  diameter.  However,  employ- 
ing either  of  these  procedures 
singly  is  impractical  because  of  un- 
economical power  requirements 
and/or  impractical  projection  lamp 
dimensions. 

To  obtain  the  increase  in  aper- 
ture spot  size  in  the  instance  of  the 
new  Strong  Super  135  projection 


arc  lamp,  there  has  already  been 
developed  a new  mirror  of  higher 
magnification.  This  mirror  fits  into 
the  present  mirror  holder  and  re- 
quires only  a small  correction  of 
focus  as  the  relative  position  of  the 
mirror  and  carbon  remains  un- 
changed. 

Anticipating  the  impending  ad- 
vent of  wide  gauge  films,  Strong 
has  in  shipment  since  April  1955 
provided  for  an  opening  in  the  nose 
of  the  Super  135  which  will  pass 
wider  beams  of  light  to  the  aper- 
ture. The  opening  had  to  be  in- 
creased from  5*/2"  in  diameter  to 
10"  in  diameter.  Those  using  the 
Strong  Super  135  for  35mm  projec- 
tion need  only  remove  the  cast  ring 
or  heat  filter  assembly  casting  when 
they  convert  to  wide  film  projec- 
tion. 

LARGE-SIZE  DOWSER 

A new,  large-size  dowser  is  then 
fitted  into  place  so  as  to  cover  this 
larger  opening  in  the  lamp  nose. 
Aside  from  the  substitution  of  a 
200  ampere  ammeter,  the  only  addi- 
tional measure  required  in  convert- 
ing the  lamp  to  wide  film  projection 
is  the  installation  of  contacts  and 
carbon  feed  rollers  designed  to 
handle  13.6mm  positive  carbons, 
and  a new  8-thread  per  inch  nega- 
tive carbon  feed  lead  screw'  to 
accommodate  the  associated  larger 
diameter,  slower  burning  negative. 
The  carbon  contacts  are  water 
cooled  so  as  to  aid  in  removing 
heat  from  the  lamp  house  and  may 
be  connected  to  the  water  circula- 
tor used  to  cool  the  film  gate.  In- 
cluded with  the  13.6mm  contacts  is 
a new  heat  baffle. 

As  may  be  readily  seen,  none  of 
these  measures  for  converting  to 
wide  film  preclude  the  use  of  the 
lamp  for  35mm  projection,  since 
most  of  the  conversion  equipment 
can  even  continue  to  remain  in 
service.  Actually  the  only  material 
change  required  is  the  resubstitu- 
tion of  the  lower  magnification 
mirror. 


34 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  APRIL  7,  1956 


WALTER  FUTTER 

DOES  IT  AGAIN! 


$500  per-pair  . . . 

LIMITED  number  available  for 
immediate  delivery. 


Also  Ready  Now! 


yjposcopf 

now  brings  you 

THE  MOST  SENSATIONAL 
LENS  FOR  WIDESCREEN  and 

G|NemaScOPE 


£/l  fl 


Check  these  tremendous  features  — 

• Transmits  more  light  — Saves  Power 

• Open  your  “DRIVE-IN”  earlier  in  the  evening 

• Fastest  projection  lens  in  the  world 

• All  sizes  from  4 inch  through  7 inch  focal  length 
— barrel  dia.  4 inch 

• Variable  — in  tenths  of  inches  to  fit  every  screen 
size 


Wire,  Call,  Write  your  dealer,  or  — 


f/1.4  WIDE  ANGLE  VIDOSCOPE  SUPER-PROMINAR 
IN  IV i and  3"  FOCAL  LENGTHS  - $280.00  ea. 


jiDOSCOpr 


730  Fifth  Ave.,  New  York,  N.  Y.  — PLaza  7-7380 


BETTER  THEATRES  SECTION 


35 


Mo  re  Mats  for  More  PI  aces 

( Continued  from  page  13) 


which  combines  all  the  advantages  of  rub- 
ber. link  and  corrugated-perforated  types 
has  been  developed  in  only  the  past  year. 
Segments  are  woven  on  rust-resistant  gal- 
vanized steel  spring  wire,  with  no  open- 
ings large  enough  to  catch  even  the  small- 
est domestic  or  imported  shoe  heels.  New 
designs  which  have  never  before  been  pos- 
sible in  link  or  solid  rubber  matting  are 
incorporated  in  this  type.  Circles,  spots 
and  diagonals  can  now  be  used,  and  the 
colors  available  are  many  and  varied.  From 
the  safety  standpoint,  it  affords  non-slip 
footing  in  wet  or  dry  weather,  while  spe- 
cial scrapeage  characteristics  allow  it  to 
trap  dirt  from  shoes  and  prevent  it  from 
being  tracked  through  the  theatre.  There 


are  91  drainage  areas  per  square  foot. 
With  ^-inch  thickness,  it  is  a superior 
means  of  providing  carpet  protection  inside. 

REFRESHMENT  AREAS 

For  around  concession  stands,  soft  drink 
machines  and  fountains  there  is  rubber 
matting  which  hugs  the  floor  firmly  and 
has  beveled  edges  for  accident  prevention. 
This  very  tough,  deep-grooved  matting  has 
many  applications.  It’s  economical,  slip 


proof,  easily  cleaned  and  will  stand  up 
under  heavy  traffic.  The  grooves  below  the 
level  of  the  foot  keep  spilled  drinks  or 
dropped  candy  from  reaching  the  carpeting. 

Moulded  from  new  rubber  and  cotton 
cord,  it  is  a rugged,  long-wearing,  all- 
purpose matting  which  can  beautify  the 
worn  floor  areas,  or  be  used  for  an  over- 
carpet protection  runner.  The  mat  scrapes 
grit  off  the  shoes  and  safeguards  against 
abrasive  wear  on  carpets. 

HAZARDOUS  SPACES 

One  of  the  two  most  accident-prone  areas 
in  a theatre  is  the  restroom.  Here  the 
right  kind  of  matting,  providing  a non-slip 


surface,  can  prevent  accidents  and  possible 
lawsuits.  Today  one  can  obtain  such  a 
type  made  of  cotton  cord  bound  together 
with  rubber  compounds  so  as  to  be  tough 
and  long-wearing,  yet  easily  rolled  up  for 
mopping  floors. 

By  giving  thoughtful  consideration  to 
the  placement  of  rubber  matting  on  the 
stairs  to  balconies  or  down  to  a lower- 
level  restroom,  another  of  the  too  many 
accidental  hazards  can  be  eliminated.  One 
reason  for  installing  a superior  matting 


Even  though  used  by  employees,  stairs  should  be 
safe  and  can  be  made  so  by  rubber  treads  like 
that  above  from  the  American  Mat  Corporation 
line,  of  corded  rubber  extended  to  form  a nosing. 

here  is  to  prevent  slipping.  This  can  be 
accomplished  by  use  of  stair  treads  made  of 
live,  resistant,  corded  rubber.  Such  treads 
are  exceptionally  slip-resistant,  wet  or 
dry,  and  long  lasting  under  the  most  severe 
conditions.  They  are  easy  to  install  and 
to  clean.  They  also  have  a marked  effect 
on  silencing  footsteps,  while  dirt-catching 
recesses  keep  the  stairways  free  of  visible 
dirt  tracked  in  by  muddy  feet. 

It  is  best  to  rely  on  technical  knowledge 
and  the  experience  of  matting  engineers  in 
making  selections  for  theatres.  It’s  not  like 
buying  mats  for  a home  or  an  automobile. 
A theatre’s  mats  take  special  consideration 
from  all  angles  to  make  sure  they’re  being 
used  where  they  are  needed,  in  the  way 
they’ll  do  the  most  good. 

[/).  IV.  Moor,  Jr.,  author  of  the  above  article, 
is  president  of  the  American  Mat  Corporation 
of  Toledo,  leading  supplier  of  theatre  matting .] 

• 

Cinerama  Goes  "Portable" 

( Continued  from  page  18) 
jector  affects  the  other  two.  Every  foot 
of  Cinerama  film  is  serially  numbered,  and 
in  the  event  of  a break  a replacement  of 
the  exact  footage  can  be  secured  overnight 
from  New  York.  If  only  one  or  two  frames 
are  damaged,  they  can  be  temporarily  cov- 
ered by  the  installation  of  an  equal  amount 
of  blank  film,  which  goes  through  with 
only  a flash  on  its  portion  of  the  screen. 

If  there  were  a break  during  the  show, 
naturally  all  three  projectors  would  have 
to  be  halted  and  re-aligned  for  a new  start- 
ing point  after  threading  up  the  damaged 
reel.  Having  two  prints  on  hands  at  all 
times,  and  with  careful  inspection  after 
each  showing,  such  mechanical  difficulties, 
occur  very  seldom. 

House  renovations,  which  undoubtedly 
would  have  to  be  made  in  most  instances, 
would  be  an  additional  expense.  The  Roxy 
in  Atlanta,  for  example,  was  repainted 
throughout,  the  seats  were  reupholstered 
and  recovered,  and  carpeting  put  in. 

An  experienced  Cinerama  executive  is 
brought  in  as  managing  director  of  the 
theatre,  and  serving  under  him  are  care- 
fully trained,  and  generally  experienced 
people  with  theatre  backgrounds,  as  house 
manager  and  treasurer. 


Refreshment  spaces  of  every  kind  call  for  rubber  matting  specifically  designed  and 
fabricated  for  such  applications.  For  floors  behind  counters,  particularly  of  drive-in 
refreshment  stands,  heavy  "slatted"  rubber  mats  are  made  (above,  left).  For  place- 
ment in  front  of  soft  drink  dispensers,  counters,  etc.,  there  is  deeply  grooved  mat- 
ting, such  as  the  American  Mat  Corporation's  "Do-All"  illustrated  at  right  above. 


36 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  APRIL  7,  1956 


FILM  BUYERS  RATING 


Film  buyers  of  independent  circuits  in  the  U.  S.  rate  current 
product  on  the  basis  of  its  performance  in  their  theatres.  This 
report  covers  94  attractions , 2,96  5 playdates. 

Titles  run  alphabetically.  Numerals  refer  to  the  number  of  en- 
gagements on  each  attraction  reported.  The  tabulation  is  cumula- 
tive. Dagger  (f)  denotes  attractions  published  for  the  first  time. 
Asterisk  (*)  indicates  attractions  which  are  listed  for  the  last  time. 

EX  means  Excellent ; A A — Above  Average ; AV — Average; 
BA — Below  Average;  PR — Poor. 


EX 

AA 

AV 

BA 

PR 

African  Lion,  The  (B.V.) 

1 

6 

18 

12 

15 

All  That  Heaven  Allows  (U-l)  . . 

4 

13 

8 

1 

4 

Apache  Ambush  (Col.) 

- 

- 

4 

1 

2 

Apache  Woman  (A.R.C.) 

1 

7 

2 

2 

- 

Artists  and  Models  (Par.)  

10 

32 

16 

7 

1 

At  Gunpoint  (A. A.)  

- 

1 

9 

24 

2 

f Backlash  (U-l) 

- 

3 

- 

3 

- 

Bengali  ( RKO ) 

- 

- 

- 

3 

6 

Benny  Goodman  Story,  The  (U-l) 

1 

6 

6 

5 

5 

Big  Knife,  The  ( U.A. ) 

- 

- 

1 

10 

14 

Blood  Alley  (W.B.) 

- 

8 

29 

20 

3 

Bottom  of  the  Bottle  (20th-Fox) 

- 

2 

8 

9 

22 

Come  Next  Spring  (Rep.)  

_ 

1 

1 

6 

1 

Comanche  (U.A.) 

- 

1 

- 

- 

17 

Count  Three  and  Pray  (Col.) 

4 

10 

21 

9 

7 

Court  Jester,  The  (Par.) 

- 

- 

5 

3 

1 

Court  Martial  of  Billy  Mitchell  (W.B.) 

1 

40 

18 

6 

- 

Day  the  World  Ended  (A.R.C.) 

_ 

6 

1 

1 

_ 

Deep  Blue  Sea,  The  ( 20th- Fox ) 

- 

1 

2 

7 

Desert  Sands  (U.A.) 

- 

- 

5 

10 

1 1 

Desperate  Hours,  The  (Par.) 

1 

1 

1 1 

19 

19 

Diane  (MGM) 

- 

- 

- 

7 

23 

Duel  on  the  Mississippi  (Col.) 

1 

1 

5 

2 

2 

Flame  of  the  Islands  (Rep.) 

_ 

1 

1 

3 

3 

Forever  Darling  (MGM) 

6 

21 

II 

7 

2 

Fort  Yuma  (U.A.)  

s 

- 

5 

9 

1 

Fury  at  Gunsight  Pass  (Col.)  

- 

1 

1 

2 

1 

Gentlemen  Marry  Brunettes  (U.A.) 

_ 

9 

20 

14 

16 

Girl  in  the  Red  Velvet  Swing,  The  ( 20th- Fox ) 

- 

3 

20 

31 

23 

Glory  ( RKO ) 

- 

3 

5 

5 

5 

Good  Morning  Miss  Dove  ( 20th- Fox 

1 

15 

10 

31 

1 1 

Guys  and  Dolls  (MGM) 

13 

3 

- 

1 

- 

Helen  of  Troy  (W.B.) 

_ 

2 

21 

1 

_ 

Hell  on  Frisco  Bay  (W.B.) 

- 

6 

6 

7 

21 

(Hot  Blood  (Col.) 

- 

- 

1 

1 

3 

1 Died  a Thousand  Times  (W.B.) 

_ 

1 

5 

II 

9 

I'll  Cry  Tomorrow  (MGM) 

7 

- 

- 

_ 

- 

Indian  Fighter  (U.A.), 

| _. 

10 

18 

1 1 

6 

It's  a Dog  Life  (MGM) 

- 

- 

5 

10 

1 1 

It's  Always  Fair  Weather  (MGM)  . ... 

- 

3 

15 

24 

28 

Jail  Busters  (A. A.)  . 

_ 

2 

3 

Kismet  (MGM) 

Last  Frontier  (Col.) 

Last  Hunt,  The  (MGM) 

Lady  Godiva  (U-l) 

Lawless  Street  (Col.)  

Lieutenant  Wore  Skirts,  The  ( 20th- Fox ) 
Littlest  Outlaw  ( B. V. ) 

Lone  Ranger,  The  (W.B.) 

Lucy  Gallant  ( Par.) 

Man  Alone,  A.  (Rep.)  , . 

Man  Who  Never  Was  ( 20th- Fox ) 

Man  With  the  Golden  Arm  (U.A.) 

Man  With  the  Gun  (U.A.)  . . 

McConnell  Story,  The  (W.B.) 

Naked  Dawn  ( U-l ) . . . 

(Never  Say  Goodbye  (U-l) 

Night  Holds  Terror,  The  (Col.) 

Night  of  the  Hunter  (U.A.) 

Picnic  (Col.)  . . . 

Prisoner,  The  (Col.) 

Queen  Bee  (Col.) 

Quentin  Durward  (MGM) 

Rains  of  Ranchipur  (20th-Fox) 

Ransom  ( MGM ) 

Rebel  Without  a Cause  (W.B.) 

Red  Sundown  (U-l) 

Return  of  Jack  Slade  (A. A.) 

Rose  Tattoo,  The  (Par.) 

Running  Wild  (U-l)  . . . 

Second  Greatest  Sex  (U-l) 

Shack  Out  on  101  (A. A.) 

Sincerely  Yours  (W.B.) 

Slightly  Scarlet  (RKO) 

Spoilers,  The  (U-l)  .... 

Square  Jungle  (U-l)  

Tall  Men,  The  ( 20th- Fox ) 

Tarantula  ( U-l ) 

Target  Zero  (W.B.) 

Teen  Age  Crime  Wave  (Col.) 

Tender  Trap,  The  (MGM) 

Tennessee’s  Partner  (RKO) 

Texas  Lady  ( RKO)  

There's  Always  Tomorrow  (U-l) 

Three  Stripes  in  the  Sun  (Col.) 

To  Catch  a Thief  (Par.) 

To  Hell  and  Back  (U-l) 

Treasure  of  Pancho  Villa  (RKO) 

Trial  (MGM)  . 

Trouble  With  Harry  (Par.)  

Twinkle  in  God's  Eye,  The  (Rep.)  . . 

Ulysses  (Par.)  . . 

Unconquered  (Par.) 

World  in  My  Corner  (U-l)  .. 


EX 

AA 

AV 

BA 

PR 

- 

4 

17 

21 

18 

_ 

_ 

1 1 

14 

2 

- 

2 

5 

3 

3 

- 

1 

5 

7 

5 

1 

5 

14 

4 

1 

- 

9 

20 

19 

- 

5 

7 

8 

1 

- 

6 

10 

3 

- 

2 

- 

- 

23 

17 

II 

_ 

8 

23 

10 

II 

- 

- 

4 

- 

5 

2 

8 

9 

4 

- 

1 

20 

14 

7 

13 

2 

39 

35 

14 

3 

_ 

- 

3 

5 

3 

- 

2 

3 

- 

- 

- 

- 

3 

7 

19 

- 

4 

15 

18 

5 

4 

7 

_ 

_ 

_ 

1 

- 

2 

- 

3 

_ 

_ 

1 1 

9 

10 

- 

- 

5 

12 

26 

_ 

8 

27 

21 

7 

1 

- 

18 

14 

8 

10 

54 

20 

6 

- 

- 

5 

2 

1 

1 

- 

2 

1 1 

3 

- 

- 

3 

8 

3 

- 

2 

1 1 

3 

2 

4* 

_ 

6 

7 

14 

3 

- 

3 

2 

- 

1 

- 

1 

8 

17 

15 

- 

2 

- 

1 

3 

- 

9 

12 

8 

1 

- 

- 

1 

9 

27 

7 

44 

19 

5 

2 

1 

13 

3 

3 

- 

- 

1 

4 

2 

1 

- 

4 

4 

2 

- 

9 

29 

28 

13 

- 

2 

16 

1 1 

6 

- 

2 

9 

13 

4 

- 

- 

2 

3 

19 

1 

5 

17 

9 

5 

7 

15 

23 

16 

5 

27 

43 

6 

1 

- 

- 

1 

13 

14 

20 

1 

1 1 

41 

18 

4 

4 

- 

7 

6 

1 

- 

2 

8 

1 

- 

3 

1 

14 

13 

10 

- 

- 

1 

3 

1 

_ 

_ 

1 

3 

19 

ADDED 

FEATURE 


BING  CR0S1Y-  donald  O'CONNOR 
ANMAIRE  mitziGAYNOR  phiiHARI 


YOUR  THEATRE 


The  new  mobile  banner  frame  for  car  top  advertising 


y 


Adaptable  to  low  overheads! 

Hang  ’em  from  Marquee  or  Sign  Posts  ! 

No-Slip  Clamps  attach  to  your  car  fops 
with  rubber-cushioned  gutter-grips! 


Every  street  and  highway  is  packed 
with  potential  patrons.  And  you  can 
reach  them  all  with  bright,  colorful 
banners  that  sell  your  stars  and 
shows. 

TRAVEL- AD  fra  mes  will  do  it. 
Get  them  on  your  car. ..  the  cars  of 
your  staff. ..and  on  the  vehicles  of  all 
cooperating  merchants. 

Find  out  how  you  can  have  an  ad- 
vertising fleet  on  every  street  with  the 
new,  inexpensive  TRAVEL-AD  plan  at 
your  branch  of 

rrtioiuh , \ Ci£€/i  service 

V Pft/Zf  BQBY  Of  fHf  mOUSTRY 


HERALD 


STREETS,  THE  LAST  TEN  DAYS.  A DAY  OF 


Grace  Kelly 

THE 

SWAN" 


Leslie  Caron 

GABY" 


« 

f 


Paul  Newman 

"THE 

RACK" 


Ava  Gardner 


BHOWANI 

JUNCTION 


99 


The  love  story  of  a prin- 
cess. Grace  Kelly,  Alec 
Guinness,  Louis  Jourdan 
and  more.  The  picture 
that  everyone  wants  to 
see.  A magnificent  eye- 
filling production  in  Color 
and  CinemaScope. 


The  kind  of  youthful 
romance  for  which  movies 
were  born.  Leslie  Caron, 
topping  her  “Lili”  per- 
formance, John  Kerr  of 
the  stage’s  “Tea  and  Sym- 
pathy,” Backed  by  a giant 
promotion  campaign. 
Color-CinemaScope. 


It’s  got  all  the  drama,  the 
suspense,  the  power  of 
“The  Caine  Mutiny.” 
Watch  for  new  star,  Paul 
Newman.  Plus  great  per- 
formances by  Wendell 
Corey,  Walter  Pidgeon, 
Edmond  O’Brien,  Anne 
Francis,  Lee  Marvin. 


Just  screened  at  M-G-M. 
Sensational!  One  of  the 
year’s  big  pictures.  Ava 
Gardner  gorgeous,  Stewart 
Granger  rugged  in  a drama 
of  passion  and  excitement. 
Filmed  in  Pakistan.  Color- 
CinemaScope. 


"Guys  And  Dolls”  ( Samuel  Goldwyn 
Production  — M-G-M  release)  and 
M-G-M’s  "I’ll  Cry  Tomorrow”  are 
America’s  top-grossing  attrac- 
tions, setting  hold-over  records 
everywhere.  "Forbidden  Planet” 
sensational  Coast  to  Coast.  "Meet 
Me  In  Las  Vegas”  outstanding 
nationwide.  And  now  more  Big 
Ones  from  Hit  Headquarters. 


wm  M-G-M* 


SOT/ 


i 


Ernest  Borgnine 

THE  CATERED 
AFFAIR” 


Every  audience  Preview 
sensational.  Starring  Bette 
Davis,  Ernest  Borgnine, 
Debbie  Reynolds,  Barry 
Fitzgerald.  The  Academy 
Award-winning  team,  star 
and  author  of  “Marty” 
Ernest  Borgnine  and 
Paddy  Chayefsky  deliver 
another  wonderful  story. 


Glenn  Ford 


THE  FASTEST 
GUN  ALIVE 

Glenn  Ford’s  powerful 
performance  as  a peaceful 
man  who  suddenly  reveals 
a hidden  skill  as  a marks- 
man. The  startling  sur- 
prise ending  will  be  kept 
a secret  in  promotion.  The 
co-stars:  Jeanne  Crain, 
Broderick  Crawford,  Russ 
Tamblyn. 


Kirk  Douglas 


LUST  FOR 
LIFE 

A masterpiece  in  every 
sense  of  the  word,  filmed 
in  the  beauty  of  its  Nether- 
lands background.  The 
story  of  the  tragic,  tender, 
bewildered  great  painter 
van  Gogh,  perfectly  por- 
trayed by  Kirk  Douglas. 
A brilliant  supporting  cast. 
Metrocolor-  CinemaScope . 


All  Star! 

HIGH 

SOCIETY” 

A Big  musical  enterprise. 
Great  love  story,  Cole 
Porter  songs  and:  Bing 
Crosby,  Grace  Kelly, 
Frank  Sinatra,  Celeste 
Holm,  John  Lund, 
Louis  Calhern,  Sidney 
Blackmer,  Louis  Arm- 
strong and  Band.  Color- 
VistaVision. 


2 BILLION  YEARS  IN  THE 
MAKING!  The  whole 
flaming  story  of  raging 
animal  life  on  earth 
from  its  prehistoric 
beginning  to  M > - j 

the  present!  ' II 


Filmed  by  27 
production  crews 
on  mass  safaris 
throughout  the  globe! 


ACADEMY  AWARD  MAKER  of 
THE  SEA  AROUND  US  ’ 


IAZE  THE  S 


TERRITORIAL 
SATURATIONS 
THROUGHOUT 
THE  MONTH  OF 
JUNE!  MASSIVE 
TV  AND  RADIO 
BOMBARDMENT 
WILL  ROAR  NIGHT 
AND  DAY!  IT'S 
THE  SHOWMANSHIP 
SHOW  OF  THE  AGE 
FOR  ALL  AGES ! 

(COAST  PREVIEWS  NOTHING  BUT  ALL-OUT  RAVES!) 

SEE  THE  TRADE 
SHOW!  SET  IT  IN 
AND  SET  IT  UP 
FOR  A MOP-UP! 


CHECK  YOUR  WARNER  MAN  FOR 
DATING  SCHEDULE  IN  YOUR  AREA! 


TRADE  SHOWS 
APRIL  18 

ALBANY 

20tH  Century-Fox  Screening  loom 

io$2  Iwor  2 oo  p.m. 

ATLANTA 

20th  («ntury-Foi  Screening  loom 
197  Wolton  St.  N.W.  • 2 00  P.M. 
BOSTON 

20th  (entury-Fei  Screening  loom 
115  Iway.  - 2 00  P.M. 

BUFFALO 

Motion  Piet.  Opeiators  Holl 
491  Peorl  St.  * I 00  P.M. 
CHARLOTTE 

20th  (enlury-Foi  Screening  loom 

308  S.  Church  St.  * 2 00  P.M. 

CHICAGO 

Warner  Screening  loom 

1307  So.  Wobash  Ave.  * 1 30  P.M. 

CINCINNATI 

IKO  Poloce  Th.  Screening  loom 

12  E.  6th  St.  ■ 8 00  P.M. 

CLEVELAND 

20th  Century-Foi  Screening  loom 
2219  Payne  Ave.  • 2 00  P.M. 
DALLAS 

20th  (entury-Foi  Screening  loom 
1803  Wood  St.  ■ 2:00  P.M. 
DENVER 

Paramount  Screening  loom 
2100  Stout  St.  * 2:00  P.M. 

DES  MOINES 
20th  Century-Fox  Screening  Room 
1300  High  St.  ' 12  45  P.M. 
DETROIT 

Film  Exchange  Screening  loom 

2310  Cats  Ave.  * 2 00  P.M. 

INDIANAPOLIS 

Universal  Screening  loom 

517  No.  Illinois  St.  • 1:00  P.M. 

JACKSONVILLE 

Florida  Theatre  Bldg.  Sc.  Im. 

128  E.  Forsyth  St.  • 2 00  P.M. 
KANSAS  CITY 
20th  Century-Fox  Screening  Room 
1720  Wyandotte  St.  - 1:30  P.M. 
LOS  ANGELES 

Warner  Screening  Room 

2025  So.  Vermont  Ave.  - 2 00  P.M. 

MEMPHIS 

20th  Century-Fox  Screening  loom 
151  Vonce  Ave.  • 3 00  P.M. 
MILWAUKEE 

Warner  Theatre  Screening  loom 

212  W.  Wisconsin  Ave.  * 8 00  P.M. 

MINNEAPOLIS 

Warner  Screening  loom 

1000  Currie  Ave.  North  • 2 00  P.M. 

NEW  HAVEN 

Stanley  Warner  Screening  Room 

70  College  St.  • 1:30  P.M. 

NEW  ORLEANS 
20th  Century-Fox  Screening  Room 
200  liberty  St.  • 2 00  P.M 
NEW  YORK 
Home  Office 

321  W.  44th  St.  • 2:15  P.M. 
OKLAHOMA 

20th  Century-Fox  Screening  loom 
10  North  Lee  St  • 10  00  A.M. 
OMAHA 

20th  Century-Fox  Screening  Room 

1502  Davenport  St.  * 1:30  P.M. 

PHILADELPHIA 

Warner  Projection  loom 

230  No.  13th  St.  • 2 00  P.M. 

PITTSBURGH 

IKO  Screening  loom 

1811  llvd.  of  Allies  * 130  P.M. 

PORTLAND 

Star  Screening  Room 

925  N W.  19th  Ave.  • 2 00  P.M. 

SALT  LAKE  CITY 

20th  Century-Fox  Screening  loom 

216  East  1st  South  * 100  P.M. 

SAN  FRANCISCO 

Republic  Screening  loom 

221  Golden  Gote  Ave.  - 1 30  P.M. 

SEATTLE 

Venetian  Theotre 

15th  Ave.  I E.  Pine  St.  • 2 00  P.M. 

ST.  LOUIS 

S renco  Screening  loom 

3143  Olive  St.  ■ 1:00  P.M. 

WASHINGTON 

Warner  Theatre  Building 

13th  t E.  Sts.  N.W.  • 10  30  A M. 


-i*W3jL 


ONLY  HE  KNEW 


TO  HAPPEN.... 


His  only  clues... 


His  only  weapon... 


: 


WKtM/Mili 


23  Paces  to  Bake*  Street 


COLOR  by  DE  LUXE 


also  starring 


CECIL  PARKER 

Based  on  a Novel  by  PHILIP  MacDONALD 


Produced  by 

HENRY 

EPHRON 


Directed  by 

HENRY 

HATHAWAY 


Screenplay  by 

NIGEL 

BALCHIN 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD 


MARTIN  QUIGLEY,  Editor-in-Cbief  and  Publisher 


Vol.  203,  No.  2 


MARTIN  QUIGLEY,  JR.,  Editor 


April  14,  1956 


Exhibitors  on  Arbitration 

ONCE  again  a test  poll  has  indicated  that  the  ex- 
hibitors of  the  country  are  overwhelmingly  in 
favor  of  the  establishment  of  an  industry  arbitra- 
tion system.  In  this  week’s  issue  are  the  results  of  a 
poll  of  the  Herald  Institute  of  Industry  Opinion  showing 
that  most  exhibitors  want  some  kind  of  an  arbitration 
system.  By  coincidence  this  poll,  prepared  in  advance 
of  the  Senate  Small  Business  Committee  hearings,  is 
especially  timely  because  the  committee  is  now  deciding 
whether  all  exhibitors  should  be  sent  questionnaires,  and 
if  so,  by  whom  and  to  find  out  what. 

In  the  past  few  years  The  HERALD  has  conducted 
several  polls  on  arbitration.  In  every  poll  sentiment  for 
arbitration  has  been  surprisingly  high.  It  certainly  can 
be  accepted  as  one  of  the  facts  of  industry  life  that  the 
majority  of  exhibitors  would  like  to  see  some  kind  of  an 
arbitration  system  tried  again. 

Naturally,  differences  exist  about  what  kind  of  a sys- 
tem should  be  set  up  and,  particularly,  what  kinds  of 
subjects  should  be  arbitrated.  In  connection  with  the 
former  the  majority  of  exhibitors  reporting  as  members 
of  the  Herald  Institute  of  Industry  Opinion  prefer  the 
use  of  arbitration  panels  drawn  from  both  inside  and 
outside  the  industry  rather  than  arbitrators  exclusively 
from  the  industry.  This  is  a type  of  arbitration  panel 
that  has  not  yet  been  advocated  by  the  exhibition  organi- 
zation leaders. 

One  of  the  criticisms  directed  against  the  old  arbitra- 
tion system  administered  by  the  American  Arbitration 
Association  was  that  with  only  “outside”  arbitrators 
much  time  was  wasted  in  educating  these  men  in  the 
ways  and  terms  of  the  business.  On  the  other  hand, 
the  problem  of  selecting  arbitration  panels  drawn  from 
persons  in  the  business  is  complex  because  few  men  in- 
deed would  be  equally  acceptable  to  both  exhibitors  and 
distributors. 

ONE  of  the  most  important  points  at  issue  is  wheth- 
er film  rentals  or  rental  policies  should  be  sub- 
jects of  arbitration.  In  this  connection  there  is 
widespread  disagreement  and  considerable  misunder- 
standing. Part  of  this  is  a question  of  semantics.  Exhibi- 
tors do  not  always  mean  precisely  what  they  say  when 
they  ask  for  arbitration  of  rentals.  Some  exhibitors  look 
upon  this  approach  as  an  organized  method  of  getting 
“a  look,”  an  adjustment.  From  the  exhibitor’s  point  of 
view  in  such  a system  the  worst  that  could  happen  is 
that  his  argument  for  a lower  film  rental  might  be 
denied. 

However,  any  assumption  which  implies  that  distribu- 
tors would  be  forced  to  arbitrate  rentals — only  one  way, 


down — is  quite  alien  to  the  nature  of  arbitration.  It  is 
well  to  remember  that  arbitration  properly  defined  is 
by  nature  voluntary.  No  one  can  be  made  to  agree  to 
an  arbitration  system  unless  he  wishes.  Another  problem 
is  that  some  people  think  of  arbitrators  as  another  name 
for  conciliators,  “peace  makers”  or  compromisers.  While 
arbitrators  sometimes  act  in  those  capacities,  the  correct 
function  of  arbitrators  is  to  judge.  The  parties  concerned 
are  bound  to  abide  by  the  decisions  of  boards  of  arbi- 
tration just  as  they  must  obey  decisions  of  a court  of 
law. 

In  applying  basic  arbitration  principles  to  the  motion 
picture  industry,  it  is  important  to  realize  that  distribu- 
tors cannot  be  forced  to  arbitrate.  Furthermore,  if  arbi- 
tration of  selling  is  agreed  upon,  all  decisions  would  not 
necessarily  be  in  the  exhibitor’s  favor. 

If  exhibitors  do  favor  some  kind  of  an  arbitration  sys- 
tem, surely  another  attempt  should  be  made  to  agree  on 
details  and  test  the  system. 


Uses  of  Television 

THERE  have  been  criticisms,  especially  from  ex- 
hibition, about  the  effectiveness  of  certain  types  of 
feature  promotion  via  television  arranged  thus  far 
by  the  film  companies. 

One  of  the  difficulties  is  that  one  of  the  most  effective 
of  the  ticket  sellers — a trailer — is  not  always  satisfactory 
on  television.  Television  program  producers,  under- 
standably, want  film  clips  that  are  entertaining  in  them- 
selves. This  usually  means  rather  lengthy  scenes,  each  as 
complete  as  possible.  This  is  the  opposite  of  the  theatrical 
trailer  whose  purpose  is  not  to  entertain  but  to  whet  the 
appetite  by  arousing  interest  and  the  mysterious  and 
illusive  “want-to-see”  factor. 

A large  proportion  of  Hollywood’s  output  is  in  color. 
Many  films  are  in  CinemaScope.  All  are  made  for  wide 
screen  projection.  Clips  from  such  features  can  not  look 
inviting  on  small,  black  and  white  screens  in  the  old  1.33 
to  1 aspect  ratio. 

Solution  of  the  problem  requires  more  experimentation. 
Eventually  it  is  likely  that  a new  form  of  “trailer”  will  be 
evolved  and  only  a few  scenes — or  none  at  all — from  a 
feature  will  be  used  in  television  promotion.  The  goal  is 
to  find  effective  ways  of  publicizing  theatrical  features. 
Exhibitors  who  have  any  suggestions  on  methods  of 
using  television  more  effectively  for  the  promotion  of 
features  and  attendance  at  theatres  are  invited  to  make 
their  observations  known  for  the  mutual  benefit  of  ex- 
hibitors, producers  and  distributors. 

— Martin  Quigley,  Jr. 


All  in  Color 

To  the  Editor: 

I note  a tendency  among  studios  to  pro- 
duce a growing  number  of  black  and  white 
standard  pictures  again. 

I repeat  a belief  that  there  is  no  picture 
made  in  black  and  white  that  wouldn’t  gain 
by  being  in  color  and  CinemaScope. 

We  should  by  every  means  in  our  power 
be  ahead  of  television.  Any  idea  of  imitation 
by  using  their  stars  or  padded  versions  of 
their  stories  will  meet  in  failure. 

It  is  shocking  to  see  how  poorly  people 
have  been  sold  on  pictures  in  recent  months, 
and  in  the  trade  most  of  all,  a penny  saved 
on  advertising  is  a dollar  wasted.  There 
must  be  more  family  entertainment,  not 
Blondie  type  pictures,  but  "Greatest  Show 
on  Earth”  and  similar  type  pictures  to  re- 
build our  classics  of  the  screen  for  future 
families  to  enjoy. — JOHN  P.  LOWE, 
G reen field,  M assach  usetts. 

No  "B"  Profit 

To  the  Editor: 

Since  there  is  no  profit  in  B pictures  for 
producer  or  exhibitor,  the  producers  are  try- 
ing to  concentrate  on  A product.  Of  course 
they  don’t  all  hit  the  mark  by  any  means, 
and  so  we  will  continue  to  have  B product. 

I stand  a better  chance  at  a profit  with  a 
big  picture  at  double  playing  time,  even  at 
50  per  cent,  as  my  patrons  won’t  come  out 
for  a mediocre  show ; as  a consequence,  I 
cannot  show  a profit  on  average  product. 
— F.  W.  DAVIS,  Morgentown,  North 
Carolina. 

"Local"  for  " Favorite " 

To  the  Editor: 

Any  movie  theatre  showing  a picture  the 
public  wants  to  see  is  a favorite  theatre. 
So  why  do  the  national  ads  in  the  magazines 
always  carry  the  line  “Watch  For  It  At 
Your  Favorite  Theatre.”  Why  not  just 
“Coming  Soon  To  Your  Local  Theatre.” — 
EARL  M.  HOLDEN , Theatre  Manager, 
Lucas  and  Avon  Theatres,  Savannah,  Ga. 


Thanks  from  Pakistan 

To  the  Editor: 

I have  now  been  getting  your  renowned 
magazine  for  about  two  years  and  I want 
to  express  my  thanks  for  the  valuable  busi- 
ness information  which  I am  getting  from 
The  HERALD  that  has  enabled  me  to  book 
the  right  sort  of  pictures  and  improve  my 
business  and  exploit  them  in  a right  way. 
I think  it  is  essential  for  every  exhibitor 


"FAME"  SUPERB 

To  Martin  Quigley: 

You  and  your  associates  are  to  be 
congratulated  on  this  year's  issue  of 
Fame.  It  is  a superb  achievement 
and  all  hands  rate  top  marks  on  their 
report  cards. — SAMUEL  G.  ENGEL, 
20th  Century-Fox  Film  Corp.,  Beverly 
Hills,  Calif. 


to  have  The  HERALD.  Your  issues  of 
Better  Theatres  have  also  been  of  great  help 
to  me. — AGHA  RAFIQUE  AHMED,  New 
Majestic  Talkies,  Hyderabad.  Sind,  W. 
Pakistan. 

• 

Can't  Buy 

To  the  Editor: 

In  my  situation  I am  only  open  three 
nights  a week  and  consequently  cannot  buy 
all  of  the  product  available.  But  the  distrib- 
utors will  not  let  me  take  my  choice  and  I 
do  have  to  be  discriminating  in  order  to 
stay  in  business  at  all.  However,  they  insist 
that  I play  the  very  poor  ones  before  I can 
have  the  good  ones. 

Another  complaint — the  film  rental  is  too 
high.  Also,  very  few  salesmen  call  any  more 
and  when  I write  in  for  a picture  or  pic- 
tures I might  receive  an  answer  and  I might 
not.  It  has  reached  the  stage  where  I am 
practically  begging  for  pictures.  And  there 
definitely  are  not  enough  small  town  pic- 
tures being  made  any  more. — MARCELLA 
SMITH,  McArthur,  Ohio. 


KING-SIZE  FOR 
"ALEXANDER" 

The  campaign  accompanying  the 
launching  of  "Alexander  the  Great" 
by  United  Artists  is  newsworthy  in  the 
industry  because  of  its  vigor,  extent, 
magnitude  and  intensity.  One  phase 
of  the  campaign,  for  instance,  is  the 
king  size  pressbook  sent  out  this  week 
to  exhibitors  covering  every  possible 
exploitation  angle  from  elephants  to 
street  signs. 

Hailing  that  campaign,  now  under 
a full  head  of  steam  following  the 
opening  of  the  picture,  is  a special 
Managers'  Round  Table  treatment 
detailing  the  attentions  being  lavished 
upon  this  U.A.  box  office  giant.  Start- 
ing on  page  43. 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD 


April  14,  1956 


Page 

HERALD  INSTITUTE  REPORT:  Ex- 
hibitors want  arbitration  system  12 

POST-EASTER  business  in  key  cities 
strong  despite  storms  14 

TAX  GROUP  of  COMPO  backs 
King  revenue  bill  14 

DISTRIBUTORS  prepare  for  senate 
hearings;  TOA  requests  exhibitor  poll  19 


RECORD  YEAR  reported  for  Gra- 
nada in  Britain  22 

MGM  AND  COLUMBIA  in  deal 
with  Wilcox  to  make  films  22 

THIRD  CINERAMA  film  opens  in 
New  York:  A Review  23 

ALLIED  ARTISTS'  domestic  billings 
show  sharp  rise  23 

CHICAGO  EXHIBITOR  urges  plan 
to  increase  theatre  attendance  24 

ACADEMY  AWARD  nominations  on 
television  may  be  dropped  24 

MEETING  SET  on  problems  of  films 
for  armed  service  theatres  28 


SERVICE  DEPARTMENTS 


Refreshment  Merchandising  42 

Film  Buyers'  Rating  3rd  Cover 

Hollywood  Scene  25 

Managers'  Round  Table  39 

The  Winners'  Circle  28 

National  Spotlight  33 

IN  PRODUCT  DIGEST  SESTION 

Showmen's  Reviews  857 

Short  Subjects  859 

The  Release  Chart  860 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  Martin  Quigley,  Editor-In- 
Chief  and  Publisher;  Martin  Quigley,  Jr.,  Editor;  Raymond 
Levy,  Executive  Publisher;  James  D.  Ivers,  News  Editor; 
Charles  S.  Aaronson,  Production  Editor;  Floyd  E.  Stone, 
Photo  Editor;  Ray  Gallagher,  Advertising  Manager;  Gus 
H.  Fausel,  Production  Manager.  Bureaus:  Hollywood, 

Samuel  D.  Berns,  Manager:  William  R.  Weaver,  Editor,. 
Yucca-Vine  Building,  Telephone  HOIlywood  7-2145; 
Chicago,  120  So.  LaSalle  St.,  Urben  Farley,  Advertising 
Representative,  Telephone  Financial  6-3074;  Washington, 
J.  A.  Otten,  National  Press  Club;  London,  Hope. Williams 
Burnup,  Manager;  Peter  Burnup,  Editor;  William  Pay, 
News  Editor,  4 Golden  Square.  Correspondents  in  the 
principal  capitals  of  the  world.  Member  Audit  Bureau  of 
Circulations.  Motion  Picture  Herald  is  published  every 
Saturday  by  Quigley  Publishing  Company,  Inc.,  Rocke- 
feller Center,  New  York  City  20.  Telephone  Circle  7-3100; 
Cable  address;  "Quigpubco,  New  York",  Martin  Quigley, 
President;  Martin  Quigley,  Jr.,  Vice-President;  Theo.  J. 
Sullivan,  Vice-President  and  Treasurer;  Raymond  Levy, 
Vice-President,  Leo  J.  Brady,  Secretary.  Other  Quigley 
Publications:  Better  Theatres  and  Better  Refreshment  Mer- 
chandising, each  published  thirteen  times  a year  as  a 
section  of  Motion  Picture  Herald;  Motion  Picture  Daily, 
Television  Today,  Motion  Picture  Almanac,  Television 
Almanac,  Fame. 


8 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  APRIL  14,  1956 


WHEN  AND  WHERE 


On  the 


onzon 


TODD  AND  SOVIET 

Michael  Todd  said  this  week 
that  he  has  "no  comment  to  make 
at  this  time"  on  published  re- 
ports that  he  is  negotiating 
with  Soviet  officials  to  pro- 
duce "War  and  Peace"  in  Soviet 
Russia.  A deal  is  said  to  have 
been  worked  out  in  recent  con- 
versations between  Mr.  Todd 
and  Russian  government  repre- 
sentatives. Mr.  Todd  added 
that  the  matter  will  be  clari- 
fied by  announcement  in  about 
ten  days. 

BOX  OFFICE  PICK-UP 

Elmer  Rhoden,  president  of 
National  Theatres,  says  that 
v/ith  better  product  forthcom- 
ing, prospects  at  the  box 
office  appear  better  than  a 
year  ago  at  this  time.  He  said 
pre-Easter  business  had  not 
been  quite  as  good  as  last 
year. 

DECCA  DIVIDENDS 

The  dividend  rate  and  earn- 
ings of  Decca  Records  and 
subsidiaries,  among  them  Uni- 
versal Pictures,  "will  be 
maintained  and  will  show  con- 
tinued improvement,"  Milton  R. 
Rackmil,  president,  told  com- 
pany stockholders  at  the  an- 
nual meeting.  Decca's  1955 
net,  including  earnings  of 
Universal  Pictures,  was  $3,- 
794,585,  or  $2.27  per  common 
share,  Mr.  Rackmil  reported. 

SHIP  OPTICAL  'CAROUSEL' 
Shipment  of  initial  optical 
sound  track  "Carousel"  prints 
to  exhibitors  began  this  week, 
an  official  of  20th  Century- 
Fox  announced.  To  date,  the 
company  had  only  magnetic 
stereophonic  prints  available 
for  distribution.  The  official 
estimated  that  225  optical 
prints  will  be  made  available 
for  distribution. 

SCHWARTZ-RKO  PACT 

The  existing  employment  con- 
tract of  Sol  A.  Schwartz, 
president  of  RKO  Theatres,  has 
been  extended,  the  circuit  has 
announced.  The  continuation 


of  Mr.  Schwartz  as  president 
was  disclosed  in  the  wake  of 
the  proposed  acquisition  by 
RKO  Theatres  Corp.  of  the  as- 
sets of  the  Cleveland  Arcade 
Co.,  the  principal  asset  of 
which  is  common  stock  of  Gera 
Corp. , a diversified  enter- 
prise engaged  in  textile  fish- 
ing, electronic  research  and 
manufacturing. 

RKO  DRIVE-INS 

Consideration  of  the  pur- 
chase of  drive-in  theatres  is 
reported  in  the  1955  fiscal 
report  to  stockholders  of  RKO 
Theatres  Corp.  Noting  that  83 
theatres  in  the  nation  are  op- 
erated by  the  circuit,  the 
board  reported  that  considera- 
tion has  been  given  to  the 
acquisition  of  several  drive- 
ins  during  the  past  year  and 
that  the  circuit  is  in  a posi- 
tion to  purchase  additional 
theatres  with  the  approval  of 
the  Federal  Court.  The  board 
reported  a net  working  capital 
of  $8,547,000,  as  against  $8,- 
143,100  a year  ago. 

REJECT  PLAN 

The  four  maj  or  agencies  which 
furnish  news  film  to  televi- 
sion in  the  United  States  have 
rejected  as  completely  unac- 
ceptable a plan  by  the  Aus- 
tralian Olympics  committee  to 
sell  film  coverage  of  the 
Olympic  Games  in  Melbourne  in 
November.  The  agencies  asked 
the  Australians  to  accept  the 
principles  of  free  access  to 
news  coverage  by  television 
motion  picture  cameras  on  the 
same  basis  on  which  newspaper 
reporters  and  still  picture 
cameramen  are  allowed  to  cover 
the  games. 

PIN-POINTING 

With  Columbia  studio's  Bob 
Joseph  making  22  different 
trailers  for  promotion  of  the 
forthcoming  "Earth  Versus  the 
Flying  Saucers" — different  in 
length,  in  content,  in  ap- 
proach, style,  point,  and  as  to 
medium — the  science  of  selec- 
tive showmanship  may  be  said 


April  29-May  4:  Semi-annual  convention  of 
the  Society  of  Motion  Picture  and  Televi- 
sion Engineers,  Statler  Hotel,  New  York. 

May  8:  Annual  convention  of  Allied  Indepen- 
dent Theatre  Owners  of  Kansas-Missouri, 
Aladdin  Hotel,  Kansas  City,  Mo. 

May  8-9:  Spring  meeting  of  the  Montana 
Theatres  Association,  Northern  Hotel,  Bill- 
ings, Montana. 

May  8-9:  Annual  convention  of  Allied  Inde- 
pendent Theatre  Owners  of  lowa-Nebraska, 
Fontenelle  Hotel,  Omaha. 

May  9-12:  Annual  convention  of  Variety  Clubs 
International,  at  the  Waldorf-Astoria,  New 
York. 

May  15-16:  North-Central  Allied  Independent 
Theatre  Owners,  annual  convention,  Nicol- 
let Hotel,  Minneapolis. 

May  29-31:  Annual  convention  of  the  Motion 
Picture  Theatre  Owners  and  Operators  of 
Georgia,  Biltmore  Hotel,  Atlanta. 

June  11-13:  Annual  convention  of  the  New 
Mexico  Theatre  Association,  Hilton  Hotel, 
Alburquerque. 

June  17-19:  Mississippi  Theatre  Owners  Asso- 
ciation, 16th  annual  convention,  Edgewater 
Gulf  Hotel,  Edgewater  Park,  Miss. 

September  19-25:  Annual  convention  of  The- 
atre Owners  of  America,  in  conjunction 
with  the  annual  convention  and  trade  shows 
of  the  Theatre  Equipment  Dealers  Associa- 
tion and  Theatre  Equipment  and  Supply 
Manufacturers  Association,  Coliseum,  New 
York. 

October  5-7:  Third  annual  national  conven- 
tion of  the  Women  of  the  Motion  Picture 
Industry,  Dinkler-Plaza  Hotel,  Atlanta. 

October  15-16:  Annual  regional  convention  of 
Independent  Exhibitors  of  New  England  and 
the  Drive-In  Theatre  Association  of  New 
England,  Winchendon,  Mass. 

October  23-24:  Allied  Theatre  Owners  of 
Indiana,  Marott  Hotel,  Indianapolis. 

November  24-28:  Allied  States  Association, 

Fall  board  meeting  and  annual  convention, 
Statler  Flotel,  Dallas,  Texas. 


to  have  progressed  further  and 
faster  than  Exhibition  at 
large  has  realized,  and  to  be 
well  on  its  way  toward  an  ulti- 
mate city-by-city,  town-by- 
town pin-pointing  trailer 
technique . 

William  R.  Weaver — 
Lawrence  J.  Quirk — Jay  Remer 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  APRIL  14,  1956 


9 


IN  CHICAGO,  telling  the  Allied  Artists  story 
for  the  future.  The  scene  at  the  Hlaekstone 
Hotel,  as  Ed  Morey,  vice-president,  led  dis- 
cussions. With  him  on  the  dais,  Arthur 
Greenhlatt,  home  office  sales  executive;  L.  E. 
Cold  hammer,  eastern  sales  manager;  Martin 
S.  Davis,  eastern  advertising-publicity  man- 
ager; and  Morey  Goldstein,  vice-president 
and  general  sales  manager. 


IN  NEW  YORK,  telling  about  Allied  Art- 
ists’ record  and  prospects  and  as  cus- 
tomary also  commenting  in  general. 
President  Steve  Broidy,  following  the  con- 
vention, told  newsmen  U.S.  billings  are 
42  per  cent  ahead  of  last  year’s  the  same 
period,  and  foreign  grosses  also  are 
ahead ; that  his  company  plans  no 
mergers;  that  it  would  continue  to  rent 
studios  because  its  plans  to  build  are 
being  reviewed ; that  it  resents  losing 
thousands  in  legal  fees  by  being  included 
in  anti-trust  suits  naming  members  of 
the  MPAA;  and  that  the  company  is  “in 
the  black,”  with  a release  program  of 
about  36  features  this  year,  and  the  best 
times  ahead. 


Ok 


wee 


k 


in  pictures 


PRESS  CONFERENCE,  in  New 
York,  as  Steve  Bosustow,  presi- 
dent of  CPA  Pictures,  tells  be- 
fore leaving  for  Europe,  of 
projects  and  prospects.  He  is 
opening  a London  office  for  TV 
production,  and  will  expand  the 
one  in  New  York;  he  is  buying 
TV  rights  from  Columbia 
(8200.000)  to  old  cartoons  and 
with  CBS  will  make  26  half  hour 
cartoon  shows;  and  he  is  dis- 
appointed with  theatrical  cartoon 
playoffs.  The  money,  for  him, 
is  in  TV. 


by  the  Herald 


A NEW  YORK  BENEFIT,  Warners’  “Miracle 
in  the  Rain”  at  the  Loew’s  State,  for  the 
Cathedral  Canteen.  At  the  left,  some  attend- 
ants, Madame  Julie  Gabor,  and  Dr.  and  Mrs. 
John  Williams.  Warners  photographed  some 
of  the  New  York  location  picture  at  St. 
Patrick’s  Cathedral,  sponsor  of  the  service- 
men’s canteen. 


A LONDON  OPENING, 
for  “The  Vagabond 
King.”  At  the  Plaza 
Theatre,  right,  Oreste, 
and  his  mother,  Mrs. 
Kirkop,  flanking  F.  E. 
Hutchinson,  managing 
director  of  sales  for 
Paramount  in  Great 
Britain.  Mr.  Kirkop,  of 
Malta,  is  described  as  a 
new  singing  sensation, 
and  demonstrated  for 
the  top-drawer  audi- 
ence. 


by  the  Herald 


A.  E.  BOLLENGIER,  left, 
now  has  become  vice-presi- 
dent and  treasurer  of  Mag- 
na Theatre  Corporation, 
succeeding  Malcolm  Kings- 
berg,  who  resigned.  Mr. 
Bollengier  was  previously 
with  United  Artists,  Hal 
Roach,  Eagle  Lion  and 
Universal. 


THAT’S  OUR  MAN,  the 

very  roving  reporter, 
below  at  the  left,  pencil 
poised,  interviewing 
producer  Charles  Schnee 
in  Hollywood.  He’s  Al- 
len Widem,  Hartford 
Times  movie  editor  and 
the  fellow  who  tells  us 
the  news  in  Connecticut. 


ON  THE  SET  of  Allied 
Artists’  “The  Yo u n g 
Guns,”  star  Russ  Tam- 
blyn,  center,  poses  with 
visitors  H.  J.  Griffith, 
left,  president  of  Fron- 
tier Theatres,  and  Phil 
Isley,  president  of  Phil 
Islev  Theatres. 


IT’S  GRACE  KELLY,  in 
MGM’s  “The  Swan,”  which 
the  company  with  a cer- 
tain confidence  feels  has 
a built-in  boxoffice  draw. 
Its  release  this  Monaco 
wedding  month  is  coinci- 
dental. The  picture  is  re- 
viewed this  week  in  the 
Product  Digest. 


his  business  is  good 


by  the  Herald 


INVESTMENT  BY  SHOWMEN  is  working  out  and  Con- 
tinental Distributing  now  lias  more  than  $1,000,000  to  buy 
more  European  pictures,  Walter  Reade,  Jr.,  its  chairman, 
told  trade  writers  last  week  before  leaving  New  York  for 
the  Cannes  Film  Festival  and  a round  of  European  screening 
rooms.  With  him  is  Frank  Kassler,  president.  More  than  14 
exhibitors  and  groups  have  joined  “The  Continental  Plan” 
they  asserted,  and  declared  their  company  can  give  imports 
necessary  special  handling  because  its  people  are  specialists 
and  exclusively  employed,  many  of  its  clients  are  to  some 
extent  partners,  and  the  company  sells  one  picture  at  a time. 
Continental's  “The  Ladykillers”  will  gross  over  $1,000,000, 
Mr.  Reade  predicted.  He  also  added  he  will  reopen  his 
Park  Avenue  theatre,  New  York,  this  Fall. 


by  the  Herald 


TALENT  IS  THE  TOPIC,  at  a reception  in  New  York 
for  Harold  Hecht  of  Heeht-Lancaster  Productions. 
He  hopes,  he  said,  to  develop  12  young  stars  within 
five  years.  He  added  H-L  has  signed  Susan  Hayward 
and  already  has  Ernest  Borgnine.  Max  Arnow  will 
supervise  the  talent  development.  H-L  will  invest 
$7,000,000  in  four  pictures  this  year,  he  promised. 


MR.  EXHIBITOR  WANTS 


The 

HERALD 

INSTITUTE 

of  Industry. 
Opinion 


Arbitration  Plan- 
Including  Rentals 


Average  Admission  Prices , Advanced  Scales , 
Product  Shortage , Next  Institute  Subjects 

The  present  average  admission  price,  including  all  classes  of  operation, 
hovers  around  60  cents  for  adults  and  22  cents  for  children.  Slightly 
more  than  half — 52.6  per  cent — of  all  exhibitors  believe  this  price  is 
about  right  in  the  present  market,  24.5  per  cent  of  them  think  it  is  too 
high,  and  22.9  per  cent  of  them  think  it  is  too  low. 

Advanced  price  scales  for  special  attractions  in  the  past  three  months 
have  averaged  as  high  as  7114  cents  for  adults  and  25.8  cents  for 
children. 

These  are  the  results  of  the  second  part  of  the  present  Herald  Institute 
study,  the  details  of  which  will  be  presented  in  full  next  week. 

The  study  also  covers  exhibitor  reactions  to  the  product  shortage  and 
what  they  think  should  he  done  about  it.  A summary  of  the  study  and 
details  of  what  the  panel  members  have  to  say  on  the  subject  will  he 
published  in  subsequent  issues  of  The  HERALD. 


MR.  EXHIBITOR,  squeezed  by  com- 
petition and  economics,  is  overwhelm- 
ingly in  favor  of  an  arbitration  system 
which  will  adjust  his  trade  practice 
problems.  He  wants  it  flexible  enough 
to  cover  all  his  problems,  he  thinks  he 
would  get  a better  break  if  the  arbitra- 
tors included  men  from  both  within 
and  outside  the  industry,  and  he’s  in 
favor  also  of  a conciliation  plan  if  it 
would  help  him. 

That  is  the  substance  of  the  first  section 
of  a new  study  by  the  Herald  Institute  of 
Industry  Opinion  which  has  special  point 
at  this  time  in  the  midst  of  the  Senate  Small 
Business  Committee  hearings. 

The  statistics  are  overwhelming — 84.9 
per  cent  in  favor  of  an  arbitration  system, 
15.1  per  cent  opposed — but  behind  them  is 
the  clear  indication,  reflected  in  the  re- 
sponses of  the  Institute  panel  members,  that 
there  is  a real  and  grave  need  for  relief 
of  the  frictions  which  are  grinding  at  the 
bearings  of  the  trade’s  economic  structure. 

The  exhibitor  is  in  favor  of  arbitration 
in  a kind  of  desperation,  or  if  he  is  op- 
posed, it  is  a kind  of  despairing  opposi- 
tion. An  indication  of  that  desperation 
is  the  cry,  repeated  in  one  way  or  another 
on  most  of  the  responses,  “If  we  are 
going  to  arbitrate,  let’s  arbitrate  every- 
thing.” Many  panelists  indicated  they 
would  support  arbitration  only  if  rentals 
as  well  as  all  trade  practices  were  arbi- 
trable. 

The  vote  in  favor  of  arbitration  was  high 
in  all  four  groups  of  exhibitors  included  in 
the  Institute  study,  but  highest  of  all  in  the 
group  from  towns  of  30,000  to  100,000 — 
89.5  per  cent  in  favor.  It  was  lowest  in 
the  7,500  to  30,000  group,  perhaps  because 
most  one  theatre  towns  are  in  this  area. 

Agree  on  Arbitrators 

The  panelists  were  quite  clear  in  indicat- 
ing that  the  arbitrators  should  be  drawn 
from  both  within  and  outside  the  industry 
in  order  to  insure  both  knowledge  of  the 
problems  to  be  handled  and  impartial  and 
objective  judgments.  The  vote  was  about 
three  to  two. 

Here  too,  as  in  most  the  responses,  there 
were  reservations  which  reflect  the  exhibi- 
tor’s desperate  approach  to  the  problem.  For 
instance,  M.  E.  Hensler  of  Auburndale, 
Florida,  said, 

“No  arbitration  or  conciliation  plan  will 
work  without  the  complete  willingness  of 
both  parties  to  be  completely  aboveboard 
and  fair.  This  hasn’t  happened  so  far !” 

A New  Jersey  exhibitor  said : 

“If  such  a setup  could  eliminate  some  of 


the  suits  being  instituted,  the  savings  in 
legal  fees  and  time  consumed  would  be 
worth  the  effort.  Many  problems,  including 
clearance  and  rentals  could  be  handled 
quickly.  However  an  equitable  make-up  of 
any  board  would  be  most  necessary.  The 
independent  would  be  entitled  to  representa- 
tion as  well  as  the  circuit  operator.  Would 
the  ‘upper  crust’  of  the  industry  buy  this?” 
In  the  same  spirit  in  which  they  favored 
arbitration — that  is,  if  it  will  do  any  good 
and  if  everything  can  be  arbitrated — the 
Institute  panel  members  in  all  sectors  of 


PREVIOUS  VOTE  WAS 
94%  FOR  ARBITRATION 

Arbitration  was  the  subject  of  the 
first  Herald  Institute  study,  the  results 
of  which  were  published  January  19, 
1952.  At  that  time  94  per  cent  of  the 
combined  industry,  exhibition,  distri- 
bution and  production  was  in  favor 
of  some  kind  of  arbitration  system. 
The  sentiment  for  boards  combining 
industry  members  with  an  impartial 
outside  member  was  about  the  same 
as  shown  in  the  present  response — 60 
per  cent.  Subjects  for  arbitration, 
rated  in  order  of  importance,  were 
clearance,  runs,  competitive  bidding, 
sales  policy  on  features,  sales  policy 
on  shorts,  prints  and  rentals. 


exhibition  favor  the  establishment  of  a con- 
ciliation plan.  This  would  be  either  in  con- 
junction with  an  arbitration  system  or  alone 
ifnecessary.  Under  it,  problems  would  be 
negotiated  and  recommendations  made  but 
the  recommendations  would  not  be  binding 
as  they  would  be  in  the  case  of  arbitration. 

The  panelists  are  in  favor  about  three 
to  one.  One  of  them  put  it,  “If  we  can’t 
arbitrate,  let’s  concililate.” 

The  table  of  results  shows  the  subjects 
the  panel  member  would  like  to  see  available 
for  arbitration  and  the  relative  importance 
they  attach  to  them.  First  in  this  order 
comes  clearance.  Second,  and  insistently,  is 
rentals.  Runs,  withholding  of  prints,  and 
forcing  follow  in  that  order.  Under  “Others” 
were  listed  such  subjects  as  forced  bidding 
and  length  of  prior  runs. 

On  the  subject  matter,  many  of  the 
panelists  insisted  that  arbitration  must  be 
an  all  or  nothing  matter.  Many  of  them 
stressed  rentals  as  being  of  prime  impor- 
tance. “Either  work  out  an  arbitration 
system  that  includes  the  main  reason  for 
differences  between  sections  of  the  industry 
— that  is,  rentals — or  let's  forget  about  try- 
ing to  get  together,”  one  said. 

In  this  area  it  became  apparent  from  study 
of  the  exhibitor  responses  that  the  trade 
practice  complaints  which  have  been  troub- 
ling the  water  of  industry  relations  still 
loom  large. 

A scattering  of  the  remarks : 

“Film  rentals,  in  many  cases  are  far  too 
high.  The  exhibitor  has  no  chance  for 
( Continued  on  opposite  page ) 


12 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  APRIL  14,  1956 


What  the  Institute  Panel  Members  Say 

Are  you  in  favor 

of  the  establishment  a 

>/  an  industry  arbitration  system? 

Up  to 

7,500- 

30,000- 

Over 

7,5  00 

30,000 

100,000 

100,000 

Exhibition 

Yes 

86.6% 

75% 

89.5% 

82.7% 

84.9% 

No 

13.4 

25 

10.5 

17.3 

15.1 

Are  you  in  favor 

of  a formal  conciliation  plan? 

Yes 

77 .4 

85.7 

78.6 

60.8 

75.6 

No 

22.6 

14.3 

21.4 

39.2 

24.4 

Do  you  believe  that  arbitrators  should  be  selected  from  inside  the  indus- 

try , or  from  inside  and 

outside? 

Inside 

42.3% 

42.5% 

6-9% 

55% 

39.1% 

Combination 

57.7 

57.5 

93.1 

45 

60.9 

* 

* * 

* 

* 

What  subjects  do  you  think  should  be 

subject  to 

arbitration?  [ Figures 

indicate  relatively  “ favorite ” subjects .] 

Clearance 

19.2 

23.8 

17.6 

23.8 

22.1 

Rentals 

20.\ 

19. 

20.7 

21.6 

20.2 

Runs 

17.6 

20. 

20.5 

22.7 

20.1 

Withholding 

21.6 

18.2 

16.1 

15. 

17.4 

Forcing 

18.4 

14.3 

16.2 

13.7 

15.5 

Others 

3.2 

4.7 

8.9 

2.3 

4.7 

a fair  profit.  There  is  no  incentive  to  im- 
prove theatre  properties  since  no  profit  is 
in  sight.  The  entire  picture  is  too  one- 
sided. Distribution  is  not  giving  exhibition 
a chance  to  survive.” — Indiana  exhibitor. 

“Elimination  of  bidding  is  of  paramount 
importance.  If  not  forced  directly,  it  is 
forced  indirectly  by  increasing  demands  in 
terms  for  sub-runs  and  drive-ins,  even  when 
the  operations  are  not  comparable.  In  this 
territory  the  practice  is  spreading  to  an 
alarming  degree.” — North  Carolina  exhibi- 
tor. 

“Our  problem  today  is  the  inability  to 
buy  film  early  enough.  And  if  we  do  buy 
anything  early  we  cannot  get  prints  until 
60  to  90  days  after  they  have  played  the 
towns  we  must  follow.” — August  Mar che si, 
Amboy,  Illinois. 

More  on  Rentals 

And,  once  more  on  rentals,  T.  J.  Evans 
of  Clinton,  Iowa,  said, 

“It  is  my  feeling  that  changing  sales 
policies  are  the  greatest  problem.  It  is  my 
firm  opinion  that  if  the  distributors  would 
set  a top  of  40  per  cent  for  the  best  pictures 
with  a sliding  scale  down  to  25  per  cent 
based  on  an  honest  overhead,  many  of  the 
problems  would  be  solved.” 

C.  J.  Beechler  of  Charlotte,  Michigan, 
suggested  moderation  and  a procedure  which 
he  thinks  would  make  either  arbitration  or 
conciliation  unnecessary. 

“I  believe  that  decisions  formulated  by 
outside  interests  are  neither  just  nor  nec- 
essary,” he  said.  “We  in  the  industry, 
both  exhibition  and  distribution,  have 
a wonderful  opportunity  to  settle  our 
own  differences.  Keeping  our  respective 
houses  in  order  is  a task  only  those  in 
the  industry  can  possibly  accomplish. 
The  courts  of  law  cannot  contribute 
much  to  our  welfare.  A meeting  of  the 
minds  is  necessary  to  accomplish  to  the 
satisfaction  of  both  the  present  threats 
to  the  industry.  Lack  of  understanding 
is  our  only  obstacle.  As  simple  a revela- 
tion as  this  may  seem,  I firmly  believe  it 
to  be  true.  Until  we  can  meet  on  a com- 
mon ground  and  discuss  our  differences 
and  our  mutual  problems  we  can  gain 
little  in  the  fields  of  arbitration  or  con- 
ciliation. A plausible  solution  to  many  of 
our  problems  could  be  the  addition  of  a 
branch  representative  of  each  company 
with  positive  power  to  act.  His  decision 
should  and  must  be  final.” 

Somewhat  the  same  theme  of  getting  to- 
gether and  talking  it  out  was  stressed  by 
an  Omaha  exhibitor.  “I  do  not  believe  in 
arbitration  of  disputes,”  he  said.  “If  I 
cannot  get  along  with  my  suppliers  without 
it,  I ought  to  get  out  of  business.  In  my 
opinion  we  need  cooperative  get-togethers 
with  the  distributors  in  order  to  show  them 
the  impossibility  of  their  present  selling 
practices  which  do  not  give  an  exhibitor  a 
chance  for  a “white  alley”  and  give  an 
exhibitor  no  incentive  to  improve  himself.” 

F.  G.  Prat,  Jr.  of  Vacherie,  La.,  took  a 
more  cynical  approach.  “What’s  the  use 
of  talking  to  distributors,”  he  said.  “Local 


branch  managers  either  are  not  informed  or 
the  directives  are  countermanded  the  same 
day  they  are  issued.  Perhaps  going  to  the 
Government  will  get  us  nothing.  Perhaps 
it  will.  At  least  we  tried  to  discuss  our 
problems  with  distribution.  Surely  we  can 
be  no  worse  off  than  we  are  now,”  Mr.  Pratt 
added. 

The  magnitude  of  the  trade  practice  fric- 
tion and  its  corrosive  effect  was  touched  on 


Eric  Johnston,  president  of  the  MPAA, 
returned  to  New  York  this  week  after  seven 
weeks  in  southeast  Asia  and  faced  a bar- 
rage of  questions  by  newspapermen  at  his 
New  York  office  48  hours  later. 

He  told  the  press,  after  meeting  with  the 
company  presidents,  that  he  felt  his  survey, 
ranging  from  Japan  to  Pakistan,  had  been 
successful  and  that  he  had  spoken  to  the 
heads  of  government,  businessmen,  news- 
papermen and  exhibitors  and  producers 
about  common  problems. 

He  pointed  out  that  the  market  accounts 
for  24-25  million  dollars  of  revenue  to  the 
U.  S.  companies.  'I  would  like  to  predict, 
he  said  that  "this  market  could  double — 
oh  it  could  be  halved.  It  depends  on  what 


by  a New  Jersey  panelist  who  said,  “In  spite 
of  the  fact  that  I have  been  a member  of 
TO  A since  its  inception  and  a member  for 
many  years  of  Allied  before  that,  the  con- 
stant friction  between  the  film  companies 
and  exhibitors  has  had  a wearing  effect  on 
me.  This  condition  is  unhealthy  to  say  the 
least,  especially  when  the  friction  is  ex- 
posed to  the  public.  As  a result  our  public 
relations  are  nil." 


we  do."  He  indicated  that  American  com- 
panies must  cooperate  with  native  industry 
and  native  economy  if  they  expect  to  main- 
tain their  position. 

On  domestic  issues,  he  pleaded  his  re- 
cent return  and  the  fact  that  he  had  not 
yet  seen  his  mail.  He  said  that  a meeting 
of  the  MPAA  committee  on  setting  changes 
in  the  Code  would  have  to  be  postponed 
because  of  the  absence  from  the  country 
of  some  of  the  members. 

He  said  he  felt  there  is  a great  deal 
more  optimism  concerning  the  domestic 
fate  of  the  industry  since  the  first  of  the 
year.  "I  haven’t  heard  of  anyone  who 
thinks  the  industry  is  sick  or  dying,"  Mr. 
Johnston  added. 


Johnston  Sees  Expanding  Asian  Market 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  APRIL  14,  1956 


13 


SPRING  GROSS 
RLOSSOMING 


Tax  Group 
Bachs  King 
Bo  von  ac  Bill 


. . . Post-Easter  business  in 
key  cities  strong  on  top  films 
despite  severe  storms  which 
affect  theatres  in  East 

Post-Easter  business,  especially  in  the 
south  and  midwest,  appears  to  be  consider- 
ably higher  than  last  year,  according  to 
reports  from  theatres  and  circuit  executives. 
The  northeastern  states,  however,  had  to 
cope  with  severe  storms  last  weekend  which 
cut  somewhat  into  the  post-Easter  grosses. 

An  upward  trend  of  about  15  per  cent 
over  the  same  period  last  year  is  reported 
in  the  Atlanta  area.  Sonny  Shepherd,  of 
Florida’s  Wometco  circuit,  said  patronage 
compared  favorably  with  that  of  last  year, 
although  Easter  came  earlier  this  year.  A1 
Weiss,  division  supervisor  for  Florida  State 
Theatres  said  business  has  been  picking  up 
although  the  season  “started  slow.” 

Increase  in  Chicago 

In  Chicago,  post-Easter  business  increased 
from  10  to  25  per  cent  over  the  same  period 
in  1955,  according  to  a survey  of  theatres 
in  the  Loop  and  in  neighborhood  sections. 
Loop  theatre  managers  attributed  this  to 
such  top  product  as  “Alexander  the  Great,” 
"The  Man  in  the  Gray  Flannel  Suit”  and 
"Miracle  in  the  Rain.” 

Others  said  “Picnic,”  “The  Rose  Tattoo,” 
"The  Conqueror”  and  “There’s  Always  To- 
morrow” were  "life  savers”  as  they  out- 
grossed  last  year’s  business  by  approxi- 
mately 15  per  cent.  Neighborhood  theatres 
shared  the  same  optimistic  outlook  with 
such  films  as  “I'll  Cry  Tomorrow,”  "The 
Rains  of  Ranchipur,”  "Marty,”  “The  Last 
Frontier”  and  "Invasion  of  the  Body 
Snatchers,”  which  outgrossed  corresponding 
attractions  for  1955,  it  was  said. 

Although  a spokesman  for  Paramount 
Gulf  Theatres  said  business  was  spotty  in 
New  Orleans,  “Picnic”  reportedly  did 
"towering”  business,  surpassing  that  of  the 
1955  Easter  attraction,  "The  Long  Gray 
Line,”  while  “Carousel”  continued  to  draw 
well  in  its  second  week.  Drive-in  and  neigh- 
borhood theatres  in  the  New  Orleans  area 
reported  business  was  far  better  than  that 
of  last  year’s  Easter  and  post-Easter  periods. 
They  attribute  the  improvement  to  better 
product  and  Academy  Award  selections. 
Pictures  doing  well  were  “Marty,”  "Rebel 
Without  a Cause,”  “Mister  Roberts”  and 
"Love  Me  Or  Leave  Me.” 

Storm  Hits  ISetv  York 

Many  first  run  theatres  in  New  York 
reported  weeker  d business  was  bit  by  the 
rain  Saturday  and  the  snow  Sunday,  al- 
though grosses  ii  many  situations  held  up 
nicely  at  the  end  of  the  Easter  Holiday, 


despite  the  weather.  At  the  Radio  City 
Music  Hall,  a big  $170,000  was  seen  for 
the  third  week  of  "Serenade,”  coupled  with 
the  traditional  Easter  stage  show.  A fine 
$52,000  was  forecast  for  the  second  week 
of  “Alexander  the  Great”  at  the  Capitol 
while  an  excellent  $47,000  was  expected  for 
the  second  week  of  "The  Conqueror”  at  the 
Criterion.  Other  films  doing  well  were 
"Carousel"  with  $42,000  expected  in  its  last 
week  at  the  Roxy  (which  also  featured  an 
ice  show),  “Anything  Goes”  with  $40,000 
seen  for  its  fourth  week  at  the  Paramount 
and  "Meet  Me  in  Las  Vegas”  with  $35,000 
expected  in  its  fifth  week  at  the  Astor. 

Last  Sunday’s  freak  storm  of  snow,  rain, 
thunder,  lightning  and  gales  caused  severe 
damage  to  power  systems  in  the  Boston 
area.  Patronage  was  small  that  evening  in 
the  two  drive-ins  in  Boston  proper.  Snow 
storms  in  Connecticut  forced  many  drive-ins 
to  close  while  the  box  office,  in  large  cities 
and  small,  suffered  accordingly. 

One  particularly  bright  note  throughout 
the  country  was  business  on  "The  Con- 
queror.” Walter  Branson,  RKO’s  vice-presi- 
dent in  charge  of  worldwide  distribution, 
said  it  had  holdovers  in  all  the  major  situa- 
tions of  its  158  Easter  dates.  Its  first  week 
gross  in  New  York  set  a new  house  record 
at  the  Criterion  which  also  had  new  records 
for  opening  day  and  every  following  day. 

Television  Film  Rights 
Before  High  Court 

WASHINGTON : The  U.  S.  Supreme 
Court  has  been  asked  to  review  an  Appellate 
Court  decision  which  held  that  telecasting 
of  a 1936  prizefight  motion  picture  was  an 
invasion  of  the  privacy  and  property  rights 
of  one  of  the  boxers.  The  suit  was  origi- 
nally brought  against  Philco  Television 
Broadcasting  Corp.  and  Chesebrough  Man- 
ufacturing Co.  by  Albert  Ettore,  who  fought 
Joe  Louis  in  1936.  The  film  of  this  fight 
was  telecast  over  Philco's  Philadelphia  TV 
station  in  1949  and  1950. 

Philadelphia  Women 
Urge  Censor  Board 

PHILADELPHIA:  The  Philadelphia  Fed- 
eration of  Women’s  Clubs,  in  executive  ses- 
sion here  last  week,  expressed  “deep 
concern”  over  the  lack  of  motion  picture 
censorship  in  Pennsylvania.  It  drew  up  a 
recommendation  to  be  sent  to  Governor 
George  M.  Leader  asking  that  a qualified 
censor  board  be  appointed.  The  41-year- 
old  Pennsylvania  Motion  Picture  Censor- 
ship Act  was  declared  unconstitutional 
March  13  by  the  State  Supreme  Court  on 
the  grounds  that  the  terms  used  in  the  law 
were  vague. 


The  Council  of  Motion  Picture  Organi- 
zations has  announced  that  the  tax  steering 
committee  was  throwing  its  full  support 
behind  Representative  Cecil  King’s  tax  bill, 
H.R.  9875,  with  the  belief  it  has  the  best 
chance  of  adoption  both  by  Congress  and 
the  Administration.  H.R.  9875  is  “A  Bill  to 
amend  the  Internal  Revenue  Code  of  1954 
to  provide  that  the  tax  on  admissions  shall 
apply  only  with  respect  to  that  portion  of 
the  amount  paid  for  any  admission  which 
is  in  excess  of  one  dollar.” 

Copies  of  the  bill  are  being  sent  to  all 
members  of  COMPO  Tax  Campaign  com- 
mittees with  the  request  they  write  their 
Congressmen  at  once,  urging  them  to  sup- 
port the  bill  and  to  urge  their  colleagues 
on  the  House  Ways  and  Means  Committee 
to  do  likewise. 

Robert  J.  O’Donnell,  national  chairman 
of  COMPO’s  tax  committee,  in  a letter  sent 
with  the  reprint  of  the  bill,  says:  “Since 
the  $1  exemption  applies  to  all  admissions, 
we  believe  the  bill  is  fair  to  motion  picture 
theatres  charging  higher  admissions.  In 
addition  to  that,  the  exemption  should  en- 
list the  support  of  legitimate  theatres,  sports 
interests  and  other  enterprises  that  have 
admission  charges  over  $1. 

“We  intend  to  urge  the  House  Ways 
and  Means  Committee  to  hold  hearings  on 
this  measure  as  soon  as  possible  and  to  pass 
it  on  without  delay  for  consideration  by  the 
full  House.  Accordingly,  we  urge  that  you 
write  your  Congressman  at  once,  asking 
him  to  suport  H.R.  9875  and  to  urge  his  col- 
leagues on  the  House  Ways  and  Means 
Committee  to  support  it.” 


Fight  Massachusetts 
Minimum  Wage 

BOSTON:  The  proposed  minimum  wage 
order  for  the  Commonwealth  of  Massachu- 
setts was  aired  at  a public  hearing  at  the 
State  House  here  last  week,  attended  by  a 
large  group  of  theatre  managers,  exhibitors 
and  circuit  heads,  all  present  for  the  purpose 
of  protesting  the  new  schedule  as  set  up  by 
the  Minimum  Wage  Commission  of  the 
Department  of  Labor  and  Industry.  In  op- 
posing the  new  wage  order,  which  would 
increase  wages  from  75  cents  an  hour  to  90 
cents,  and  usher  pay  from  65  to  80  cents  an 
hour,  attorney  E.  Curtis  Mower  said  if  the 
order  became  law  it  would  have  a profound 
effect  upon  the  financial  structure  of  the 
industry.  “I  am  speaking  for  a sick  in- 
dustry,” Mr.  Mower  declared.  Francis 
Perry,  Jr.,  owner  of  the  Orpheum,  Foxboro, 
told  the  commission  that  he  had  12  em- 
ployees, all  on  part  time.  “My  wife  sells 
tickets,  my  daughter  sells  candy,  so  if  these 
salary  increases  are  approved,  I will  have 
to  lock  my  door.” 


14 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  APRIL  14,  1956 


REPUBLIC  PICTURES,  INC. 
is  proud  to  present  the 
breath-taking  grandeur 
of  their  new 
wide  screen  process 
photographed  in  ratio 
of  2:35  to  1 

This  process  will  eliminate  distortion,  grain  and 
improve  photographic  and  color  quality 
without  requiring  any  additional  costly  projection 
equipment  in  your  theatre,  provided  you  are 
equipped  with  Anamorphic  lenses  and  wide  screen. 


An  announcement  of  great  importance 
to  exhibitors  world-wide! 


The  FIRST  magnificent  and  thrilling  motion  picture 
filmed  in  this  new  miracle  of  the  screen! 

HERBERT  J.  YATES  presents 
BARBARA  BARRY 

STANWYCK  • SULLIVAN 

SCOTT  MARY 

BRADY  • MURPHY 

THE  MAVERICK  QUEEN 

with  Wallace  Ford  • Howard  Petrie  • Jim  Davis  • Emile  Meyer 
Walter  Sande  • George  Keymas  • John  Doucette  • Taylor  Holmes 
Screenplay  by  Kenneth  Garnet  and  DeVallon  Scott 
Based  on  the  novel  by  Zane  Grey  • Music  by  Victor  Young 

JONI  JAMES  sings  "The  Maverick  Queen”  by  Ned  Washington  and  Victor  Young 
Associate  Producer-Director,  JOE  KANE 

Photographed  in  the  colorful  state  of  Colorado 
in  exquisite  TRUCOLOR 

by  Consolidated  Film  Industries 


DfSfiJM  ."Wiiiiry  AVmov 


IRtfKP 


HERBERT  J.  YATES  presents  in  the  majestic 
beauty  of  REPUBLIC’S  new  wide  screen  process 
a daring  motion  picture  of  romance  and  intrigue! 


RAY  MILLAND  • MAUREEN  O’HARA 
CLAUDE  RAINS • YVONNE  FURNEAUX 


Photographed  in  the  lovely  pastoi  al  country  of  Portugal 

in  beautiful  trucolor  by  Consolidated  Film  Industries 

with  Francis  Lederer,  Percy  Marmont,  Jay  Novello  • Screenplay  by  John  Tucker  Battle 
Story  by  Martin  Rackin  • Associate  Producer,  R.  A.  Milland  • Directed  by  R.  Milland 


A sensational  music  score  by  NELSON  RIDDLE, 
celebrated  arranger  and  conductor,  featuring  the  musical  hit  of  the  year 

GsSotv  ^nticjua 


DISTRIBUTORS  PREPARE 
FOR  SENATE  HEARINGS 


. . . Counsel  laying  plans  for 
early  appearance;  TOA  re- 
quests that  committee  poll  ex- 
hibitors; Berger  urges  confer- 
ences 

The  best  defense  is  a good  offense.  That 
may  well  be  the  strategy  employed  by  dis- 
tribution representatives  when  they  take  the 
stand  in  the  resumption  of  the  Senate  Small 
Business  subcommittee’s  hearings  on  motion 
picture  industry  trade  practices. 

This  was  indicated  in  Washington  last 
week  by  subcommittee  counsel  Jack  Flynn 
after  he  and  co-counsel  Charles  Noone  had 
spent  a day  in  New  York  briefing  Adolph 
Schimel,  Universal  Pictures  general  counsel 
as  well  as  chairman  of  the  Law  Committee 
of  the  Motion  Picture  Association,  on  the 
areas  on  which  distribution  is  likely  to  be 
questioned  by  the  Senate  subcommittee.  The 
hearings,  which  spotlighted  exhibition  com- 
plaints two  weeks  ago,  are  expected  to  re- 
sume with  distribution  testimony  the  week 
of  April  23. 

TOA  Asks  Poll 

Other  trade  practice  news  of  the  week 
came  from  New  York,  where  Theatre  Own- 
ers of  America  officially  announced  its  en- 
dorsement of  a proposed  poll  of  exhibition 
by  the  Senate  subcommittee  itself ; from  De- 
troit, where  Benjamin  Berger,  chairman  of 
Allied  States  Association’s  Emergency  De- 
fense Committee,  brought  back  the  idea  of 
top  level,  intra-industry  roundtable  confer- 
ences; and  from  Hollywood,  where  Steve 
Broidy,  president  of  Allied  Artists,  com- 
mented laconically  on  Allied’s  Federal  regu- 
lation bill : “I  have  never  seen  any  industry 
legislated  into  a success.”  Mr.  Broidy,  how- 
ever, prefaced  his  remark  by  saying  that  “a 
man  has  the  right  to  go  anywhere  he  wants 
to  seek  a cure  for  his  pains.” 

In  their  talks  in  New  York  with  Mr. 
Schimel,  Mr.  Flynn  and  Mr.  Noone  were 
given  the  decided  impression  that  distribu- 
tion representatives  at  the  forthcoming  hear- 
ings would  not  only  answer  the  recent 
charges  made  by  exhibition,  but  would  also 
come  up  with  a few  complaints  of  their  own. 
Topics  on  which  the  Senators  will  want  in- 
formation from  distribution  include  an  in- 
dustry arbitration  system,  film  rentals,  pre- 
release and  first  run  practices,  film  shortages 
and  the  production  of  films  in  varying  milli- 
meters. 

Time  Not  Set 

According  to  Mr.  Flynn,  Mr.  Schimel  of- 
fered the  complete  cooperation  of  the  dis- 
tributors. In  providing  this  information,  Mr. 
Schimel  was  unable  to  say,  however,  how 


much  time  the  distributors  would  want  on 
the  stand,  or  when  it  would  be  convenient 
to  appear  before  the  subcommittee. 

Perhaps  the  most  interesting  aspect  of 
TOA’s  request  that  the  Senate  subcommittee 
conduct  a poll  of  exhibition,  contained  in  a 
letter  to  Chairman  Hubert  Humphrey  (D., 
Minn.),  was  the  theatre  organization’s  ad- 
mission that  its  poll  of  its  own  members 
had  not  been  successful  in  securing  com- 
plete membership  cooperation. 

Myron  Blank,  TOA  president,  asked  that 
Senator  Humphrey  and  his  committee  con- 
duct a poll  of  exhibitors  in  order  to  get  their 
views  on  matters  “now  before  your  com- 
mittee.” Mr.  Blank  said,  “We  have  a copy 
of  the  Independent  Theatre  Owners  Asso- 
ciation, Inc.,  letter  to  you,  signed  by  Harry 
Brandt,  as  president,  respectfully  urging  you 
to  have  the  Subcommittee  on  Retailing,  Dis- 
tribution and  Fair  Trade  Practices  of  the 
Senate  Select  Committee  and  Small  Busi- 
ness conduct  a poll  of  exhibitors.  . . . We 
make  the  same  request. 

Previous  Poll  Described 

“We  have  tried  for  several  months  now 
to  get  our  members  to  answer  a question- 
naire in  the  field.  We  sent  a questionnaire 
to  each  of  our  members  and  three  follow-up 
letters,  but  only  approximately  25  per  cent 
have  answered — not  nearly  enough  to  make 
a useful  analysis.  We  feel  certain  that  your 
poll,  because  of  the  stature  of  your  commit- 
tee, would  have  a much  greater  response.” 

Mr.  Blank,  in  mid-January,  announced 
that  TOA  was  sending  out  an  industry  ques- 
tionnaire to  3,600  members  representing 
9,000  theatres  to  survey  them  for  viewpoints 


THEATRE  UNITS  BACK 
ARBITRATION  STAND 

WASHINGTON:  The  Department  of 
Justice,  whose  representatives  are  ex- 
pected to  testify  in  the  course  of  the 
second  half  of  the  Senate  Small  Busi- 
ness subcommittee's  hearings  on  film 
industry  trade  practices,  revealed 
here  last  week  that  it  has  received 
copies  of  resolutions  passed  by  ap- 
proximately two  dozen  member  or- 
ganizations of  Theatre  Owners  of 
America  and  Allied  States  Associa- 
tion supporting  the  joint  TOA-Allied 
stand  on  arbitration  of  film  rentals 
and  production  by  divorced  circuits. 
According  to  a Department  spokes- 
man, the  majority  of  the  resolutions 
support  both  proposals,  although  a 
few  of  them  support  only  production 
by  divorced  circuits,  with  pre-emptive 
rights  for  those  circuits. 


on  pertinent  exhibition  problems.  He  said 
that  a compilation  of  the  questionnaire 
would  be  used  as  the  basis  for  TOA  testi- 
mony before  the  SSBC. 

Mr.  Berger’s  “roundtable”  remarks  were 
made  in  the  course  of  his  banquet  address 
at  the  37th  annual  convention  of  Allied  The- 
atres of  Michigan.  Said  Mr.  Berger:  the 
ultimate  solution  to  industry  trade  practice 
problems  will  come  through  the  “unity  of 
exhibitors  forcing  roundtable  discussions  at 
the  top  levels”  between  exhibition  and  dis- 
tribution. 

Admitting  that  Allied  was  asking  Con- 
gress to  inaugurate  legislation  similar  to 
that  existing  for  a long  time  in  Europe  and 
South  America,  the  EDC  chief  said  he  felt 
that  solutions  could  be  worked  out  at  across- 
the-table  conferences.  The  so-called  failure 
of  similar  roundtable  conferences  jointly 
conducted  last  year  by  Allied  and  TOA  and 
with  the  individual  film  companies,  helped 
spur  the  current  push  for  Federal  regula- 
tion. 

Mr.  Berger  said  that  the  distributors  nev- 
er had  expected  that  divorcement  would  be- 
come a reality.  By  the  same  token,  he  said, 
they  will  not  be  able  to  stem  the  tide  of 
distributing  product  at  “decent,  not  confis- 
catory prices,”  because  it  is  the  “will  and 
right  of  the  public.” 

Einfeld  to  Europe  for 
Promotion  of  Six  Films 

Long-range  promotion  on  six  Cinema- 
Scope  productions,  five  to  be  filmed  in 
Europe,  and  conferences  with  film  industry 
leaders  on  the  continent  and  executives  of 
20th  Century-Fox's  International  Corp.  are 
part  of  the  agenda  set  by  Charles  Einfeld, 
20th-Fox  vice-president,  who  was  sched- 
uled to  fly  to  Paris  this  week,  it  was  an- 
nounced. The  trip  will  set  into  immediate 
motion  comprehensive  advertising,  publicity 
and  exploitation  plans  to  pre-sell  each  of 
the  attractions  well  ahead  of  release,  accord- 
ing to  the  company.  Among  the  pictures 
to  be  made  in  Europe  are  “Anastasia,”  “Can 
Can,”  “Boy  on  a Dolphin,”  “Sea  Wyf”  and 
“The  Black  Wings.”  Mr.  Einfeld  will  re- 
turn to  New  York  in  about  three  weeks. 


Plan  "Madame  Butterfly" 
Advance  Previews 

IFE  Releasing  Corporation  announces  an 
intensive  campaign  of  previews  for  “Ma- 
dame Butterfly,”  which  premieres  at  the 
Baronet  theatre,  New  York,  April  23,  as 
a benefit  for  the.  Hospitalized  Veterans 
Service  of  the  Musicians  Emergency  Fund. 
According  to  IFE,  the  screening  campaign 
is  pin-pointing  the  previews  toward  key 
personnel  in  educational,  musical  and 
women’s  organizations. 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  APRIL  14,  1956 


19 


JANE  RUSSELL  RICHARD  EGAN 

Tke.  7%evo  °f 

JMnmE  STovbjz, 

COLOR  by  DE  LUXE 

Cl  N emaScoPE 

co-starring  JOAN  LESLIE 

»„»  AGNES  MOOREHEAD 

MICHAEL  PATE 

Produced  fcy  Directed  by  Screenpiay  by 

BUDDY  ADLER  • RAOUL  WALSH  • SYDNEY  BOEHM 
Based  on  the  Novel  by  William  Bradford  Huie 


VAN  JOHNSON  • VERA  MILES 

23  Paces  to 
Baker  Street 

COLOR  by  DE  LUXE  @ 

CINemaS  coPc 

also  starring 

CECIL  PARKER 

Produced  by  HENRY  EPHRON 
Directed  by  HENRY  HATHAWAY 
Screenplay  by  NIGEL  BALCHIN 
Based  on  a Novel  by  Philip  MacDonald 


nd  out  why 
Stover  hod  to 
an  Francisco- 


0UgTflN'@|jT 


The  spectacular  story 
°f  D-Day. ..  and  a 
searing  romance! 


In  the  ,raC,1,lo"||yf the  Kidr  , 
Wyatt  Earp>'  ] James- 
Bo,  person, 


ROBERT  VIRGINIA  JEFFREY 

RYAN  • MAYO  - HUNTER 

THE 

Proud  ones 

COlOR  by  DE  LUXE 

CINemaScopE 

- — « ROBERT  MIDDLETON 
• WALTER  BRENNAN 

RODOLFO  ACOSTA  • ARTHUR  O'CONNELL 
Produced  by  ROBERT  L.  JACKS 
Directed  by  ROBERT  D.  WEBB 
Screenplay  by  EDMUND  NORTH  and  JOSEPH  PETRACCA 
From  the  Novel  by  Verne  Athanas 


ROBERT  RICHARD  DANA  EDMOND 

TAYLOR  TODD  WYNTER  O’BRIEN 


THE  SIXTH 
OF  JUNE 


1 COLOR  by  DELUXE  @ 

CinemaScoPE: 

- JOHN  WILLIAMS 

Produced  by  CHARLES  BRACKETT 
Directed  by  HENRY  KOSTER 
screenplay  by  IVAN  MOFFAT  and  HARRY  BROWN 
Based  on  the  Novel  by  Lionel  Shapiro 


REPORT  RECORD 

FOR  GRANADA 


Columbia* 
Metro  Deal 
With  Wilcox 


. . . Report  for  year  of  British 
company  shows  net  profit  gain; 
cites  television  progress  but 
sees  room  for  both  media 

by  PETER  BURNUP 

LONDON : In  his  annual  report  to  Gran- 
ada Theatres’  stockholders,  chairman  Sidney 
Bernstein  points  to  his  company’s  record 
year  to  September  30,  1955.  At  a time  of 
generally  acknowledged  box  office  depres- 
sion, Granada’s  60  select  theatres  returned 
a trading  surplus  of  £401,043,  showing  an 
increase  of  £28,769  on  the  previous  year. 
After  providing  for  depreciation  and  other 
charges,  including  staff  superannuation,  the 
net  profit  is  £258,881,  compared  with 
£242,920  last  year. 

Cites  High  Taxes 

Mr.  Bernstein,  in  his  report,  points  out 
that  out  of  the  net  profit  of  £258,881  no  less 
than  £168,253  required  to  be  set  aside  to 
meet  the  demands  of  income  tax  and  profits 
tax.  Moreover,  as  the  Granada  chairman 
points  out,  there  is  also  the  inequitable 
burden  of  entertainment  tax,  which  takes  £35 
out  of  every  £100  paid  in  at  the  box  office. 

^Those  figures  may  bring  home  spec- 
tacularly to  American  theatre  men,  lament- 
ing their  own  currently  sorry  fate,  the  bur- 
dens which  their  British  brothers  are  called 
upon  to  bear.  In  his  report,  nevertheless, 
Mr.  Bernstein  dismisses  those  burdens 
briefly  and  prefers  to  dwell  on  the  bright 
future  which  awaits  his  stockholders  in  their 
venture  into  television. 

Granada’s  subsidiary,  Granada  TV  Net- 
work, Ltd.,  has  been  appointed  the  Monday- 
to-Friday  programme  contractor  to  the 
commercial  Northern  Region  Station.  It 
will  broadcast  from  two  transmitters  serv- 
ing a population  of  some  13  millions;  one 
going  on  the  air  next  month  and  the  other 
in  the  autumn  of  this  year. 

Stresses  Ad  Value 

Shrewdly,  Mr.  Bernstein  seeks  to  reassure 
stockholders  on  the  power  of  television  to 
sell  goods ; for  it  is  notorious  that  a num- 
ber of  advertisers  have  come  to  rue  their 
original  roseate  eagerness  for  time  on  the 
London  commercial  station.  The  Granada 
chief  cites  unnamed  makers  of  cosmetics, 
confectionery  and  soap  powders,  all  of  whom 
have  found  sales  advances  by  benefit  of  TV 
advertising,  and  proceeds  to  say : 

‘‘If,  when  independent  television  covers 
some  70  per  cent  of  the  population  of  Great 
Britain — as  it  will  by  the  end  of  this  year 
— it  is  allocated  only  10  per  cent  of  the 
national  advertising  budget,  its  success  is 


assured.  I have  no  doubt  that  the  value  of 
the  medium  to  British  industry  will  justify 
an  even  greater  allocation  than  this.” 

Mr.  Bernstein  adds  that  it  will  be  his  ob- 
ject from  the  start  to  blend  the  claims  of 
entertainment  and  social  responsibility  into 
his  TV  programmes  “which  will  attract  the 
interest  and  respect  of  the  British  public.” 
It  will  take  time,  he  says,  for  advertisers 
to  learn  how  best  to  sell  their  goods  through 
the  powerful  medium  of  TV. 

Which  Side? 

Not  only  concerned  stockholders  in  Gran- 
ada but  theatre  men,  with  no  opportunity 
of  sharing  in  television’s  potential  harvest 
and  who  still  see  in  the  medium  their  mortal 
enemy,  wonder,  in  the  face  of  the  Bernstein 
report,  whether  the  Granada  chief  has  gone 
over  to  the  other  side. 

That  possibility  will  remain  one  of  the 
industry’s  imponderables  for  the  time  being. 
But  the  informed  point  out  that  Granada 
holds,  against  an  issued  capital  of 
£1.550,000,  theatre  assets  currently  valued 
at  £3  million.  Also  relevant  is  Mr.  Bern- 
stein’s statement  to  his  stockholders  a year 
ago:  “I  believe  there  is  room  to  develop 
television  entertainment  alongside  the 
cinema  in  this  country ; indeed  not  to  do 
so  would  be  to  deny  the  present  logic  of 
show  business.” 

• 

Paramount’s  “Vagabond  King”  opened 
triumphantly  at  the  company’s  Plaza  theatre. 
Following  a notable  advertising  campaign 
to  make  known  the  name  of  Oreste,  a con- 
siderable section  of  the  national  critics  shied 
off  from  the  picture  and  gave  it  half-hearted 
and  slightly  apprehensive  accord.  They 
proved  to  be  wrong,  for  standing-room-only 
business  has  since  been  registered. 


HOLD  LITTLE  HOPE  FOR 
BRITISH  TAX  CUT 

LONDON:  As  many  see  it,  this  Tues- 
day, April  17,  will  be  the  day  of 
destiny  for  the  film  business  here.  It 
will  be  then  that  Chancellor  of  the 
Exchequer  Harold  Macmillan  opens 
his  much  feared  budget  to  the  House 
of  Commons.  Considering  the  drastic 
"austerity"  measures  already  put  into 
effect  by  the  Chancellor,  it  seems 
highly  unlikely  that  the  film  industry 
will  win  any  substantial  tax  relief.  In- 
dustry members,  however,  continue 
their  campaign  in  the  hope  of  some 
chance  crumbs  of  comfort  for  the 
small  exhibitor. 


MGM  and  Columbia  Pictures  plan  a joint 
investment  of  some  $3,000,000  in  four  inde- 
pendent productions  to  be  produced  within 
the  next  12  months  in  Great  Britain  by 
Herbert  Wilcox.  Mr.  Wilcox,  in  describ- 
ing the  three-picture  deal  with  MGM  and 
the  one-picture  arrangement  with  Columbia, 
stated,  “this  deal  is  a tangible  demonstration 
that  British-produced  films  are  wanted  in 
this  market.” 

The  producer  added  that  the  three  MGM 
films  will  be  produced  in  wide  screen  and 
Perspecta  sound,  with  joint  financing,  while 
the  Columbia  film  also  will  be  in  wide 
screen  with  that  studio  financing  the  pro- 
duction 100  per  cent. 

All  four  pictures  will  be  made  under  the 
banner  of  Mr.  Wilcox’s  Everest  Films  and 
Imperadio  Pictures.  Mr.  Wilcox  announced 
that  he  will  produce  “Eastern  Approaches,” 
“The  Battle,”  and  a third  film  for  MGM 
and  “Sitting  Duck”  for  Columbia,  the  latter 
with  a $1,000,000  budget. 

Mr.  Wilcox  called  the  four-picture  pro- 
gram “a  shot  in  the  arm  to  the  British  pro- 
duction industry  as  there  is  a credit  squeeze 
in  force,  a hardening  of  the  pound.”  Com- 
menting on  his  other  activities,  the  British 
producer  said  he  made  a deal  with  George 
Schaefer  to  take  over  the  U.S.  distribution 
of  his  “My  Teenage  Daughter”  with  United 
Artists  to  handle  the  Western  Hemisphere 
distribution  of  “King’s  Rhapsody.”  Noel 
Coward,  Mr.  Wilcox  said,  would  present  his 
wife,  Anna  Neagle,  on  three  90-minute  color 
television  spectaculars  during  the  1956-1957 
programming  season. 

Goldwyn  Urges  Fewer, 
Better  Productions 

TOKYO:  Samuel  Goldwyn,  in  Japan  for 
the  premiere  of  “Guys  and  Dolls,”  said  last 
week  that  “the  only  way  for  the  motion 
picture  business  to  survive  the  competition 
from  TV  is  to  produce  fewer  pictures  and 
only  good  ones.”  He  added,  “a  bad  picture 
on  a wide  screen  is  twice  as  bad.”  Speak- 
ing of  “Blackboard  Jungle”  (banned  in 
some  parts  of  Japan),  he  said,  “When  a 
country  chooses  only  to  show  nice  things 
about  itself  and  not  the  other  aspects,  then 
it  becomes  propaganda.  Life  in  no  country 
is  only  beautiful  and  therefore  should  be 
shown  as  it  is.  I was  and  am  in  favor  of 
sending  such  a picture  abroad.” 


RKO  Moves  Exchange 

NEW  HAVEN:  RKO  has  moved  its  ex- 
change to  a new  location  on  Meadow  Street 
here.  Branch  manager  Barney  Pitkin  and 
his  staff  are  now  on  the  floor  level  of  the 
Film  Center  Building  annex.  All  exchanges 
are  expected  to  shift  within  a year. 


22 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  APRIL  14,  1956 


Allied  Artists 
Billings  in 
Sharp  Bise 

Allied  Artists’  domestic  billings  during 
the  39-week  period  of  the  present  fiscal  year, 
ended  March  30,  are  approximately  42  per 
cent  ahead  of  the  corresponding  period  of 
last  year  and  exceed  the  entire  domestic 
gross  of  1955,  Steve  Broidy,  president  of 
the  company,  disclosed  this  week.  Express- 
ing confidence  in  his  company’s  and  the 
industry’s  future,  Mr.  Broidy  said  foreign 
grosses  of  the  company  are  “keeping  par’’ 
with  the  U.  S.  advances  in  billings,  and  dis- 
closed that  the  39-week  billings  totaled 
$8,663,000.  The  entire  1955  U.  S.  billings 
totaled  $8,615,000,  he  said. 

36  Films  Due 

Mr.  Broidy  added  that  A.A.  will  distribute 
about  36  films  this  year  and  that  the  com- 
pany’s production  program  is  based  “on  the 
turnover  of  our  money.”  He  added:  “The 
improvement  in  product-quality  and  in  num- 
ber, and  the  understanding  of  our  customers 
enables  us  to  lay  our  biggest  and  best  plans. 
The  product  from  our  company,  and  that  of 
other  companies,  starting  in  June,  will  en- 
able exhibitors  to  have  their  best  year  ever 
and  the  good  business  may  carry  over  into 
the  following  year.” 

Mr.  Broidy,  in  praising  the  accomplish- 
ments of  the  A.A.  team,  also  cited  the  im- 
provement in  merchandising  of  product  at 
the  point  of  sale  which,  he  said,  had  come 
about  from  the  number  of  percentage  deals 
made  on  films.  He  also  said  his  company 
is  now  cutting  “The  Friendly  Persuasion,” 
and  that  John  Huston  will  begin  production 
on  “Typee”  in  July.  Other  productions 
slated,  he  added,  are  Billy  Wilder’s  pro- 
duction of  “Ariane”  in  August;  Humphrey 
Bogart’s  “Underworld,  U.S.A.”  in  Septem- 
ber, and  “Hunchback  of  Notre  Dame”  with 
Anthony  Quinn  and  Gina  Lollobrigida,  now 
nearing  completion  in  Paris. 

Mr.  Broidy  denied  reports  Allied  Artists 
has  any  plans  to  merge  with  another  com- 
pany, adding  it  has  entered  into  distribution 
deals  with  RKO  in  some  foreign  territories 
because  the  number  of  licenses  afforded  A.A. 
precludes  the  firm  opening  its  own  offices. 

“Popeye”  Deal  in  Air 

He  said  his  company  is  currently  review- 
ing its  plans  to  build  a studio  because  of 
a revision  in  costs,  that  a deal  to  acquire 
“Popeye”  cartoons  from  King  Features  is 
still  hanging  fire,  that  Ralph  Branton  of 
Interstate  Television  is  handling  the  “Pop- 
eye”  project,  and  that  A.A.  has  no  immedi- 
ate plans  to  sell  more  product  to  TV. 

Mr.  Broidy  also  mentioned  “the  large 
amount  of  money  which  A.A.  is  wasting  on 
legal  fees.”  He  said,  “Since  we  joined  the 
Motion  Picture  Association  of  America,  the 
company  has  been  included  in  many  anti- 
trust suits  in  which  we  have  done  nothing 


"Wonders"  Continues  Cinerama 

A dazzling,  new  Cinerama  production  came  to  Broadway  this  week,  specifically,  Lowell 
Thomas'  "Seven  Wonders  of  The  World."  The  third  Cinerama  show  had  an  appropri- 
ately dazzling  premiere  at  New  York’s  Warner  theatre  Tuesday  night  with  stars  of  stage 
and  screen,  and  civic,  government  and  business  leaders  in  attendance.  The  newest 
Stanley  Warner  presentation,  ushered  in  with  pomp,  ceremony  and  complete  television 
coverage  (carried  locally  by  WABD  and  across  the  country  on  the  NBC-TV  network), 
immediately  succeeds  "Cinerama  Holiday,"  which  just  completed  a 60-week  stand  at 
the  Warner  theatre,  and  the  initial  presentation,  "This  Is  Cinerama,"  which  chalked  up  a 
record  of  122  weeks  in  New  York. 


"Seven  Wonders"  has  all  the  looks  of  an- 
other Cinerama  block-buster.  At  heart,  it 
is  another  huge  travelogue,  but  one  of  such 
magnificence  and  variety  that  perhaps  Mr. 
Thomas  was  right  when,  at  a preview  Mon- 
day, he  asked  the  audience  to  come  up 
with  a word  other  than  travelogue  to  de- 
scribe the  show.  "Travelogue,"  said  Mr. 
Thomas  curtly,  "is  a word  that  belongs  to 
Burton  Holmes."  He  suggested  that  may- 
be odyssey  or  adventure  would  better  fit 
the  new  show.  In  actual  fact,  they  all  fit. 

The  new  title,  "Seven  Wonders  of  The 
World,"  is  something  of  a misnomer,  for 
there  are  probably  several  hundred  won- 
ders in  this  show.  With  Mr.  Thomas  as  ar- 
ticulate narrator-guide,  the  audience  is  tak- 
en on  a criss-cross  journey,  back  and  forth 
around  the  world,  to  visit  both  natural  and 
man-made  wonders  in  Brazil,  Egypt,  Arabia, 
India,  Italy,  Japan,  Indo-China,  Greece, 
Turkey,  to  say  nothing  of  the  United  States. 

To  at  least  one  reviewer,  "Seven  Won- 
ders" seems  a vastly  more  interesting  show 
than  the  second  presentation,  simply  be- 
cause the  visual  kaleidoscope  is  more 


varied.  The  show  is  at  its  best  when  the 
camera  is  moving,  as  in  the  flying  sweeps 
around  Rio  de  Janeiro,  the  pyramids  of 
Egypt  and  the  lost  city  of  Angkor  Wat. 
The  now  standard  "thrill"  section  of  the 
film  is  a wild  and  amusing  ride  on  a "run- 
away" narrow  gauge  railroad  train  down 
the  side  of  a Himalayan  mountain.  The 
most  impressive  scenes,  however,  are  those 
made  in  Rome  of  Pope  Pius  XII  in  cere- 
monies at  St.  Peters  and  at  the  summer 
residence  of  Castel  Gandolfo.  A couple  of 
sequences,  notably  those  in  Japan,  are  too 
long  and  not  particularly  revealing.  In  other 
instances,  the  treatment  is  strictly  once- 
over-lightly.  But  in  total,  it  remains  a film 
experience  unlike  any  other. 

The  color,  sound  and  photography  are 
excellent.  Directors  of  various  sections  in- 
clude Tay  Garnett,  Paul  Mantz,  Andrew 
Marton,  Ted  Tetzlaff  and  Walter  Thomp- 
son. Responsible  for  the  photography  are 
Harry  Squire,  Gayne  Rescher  and  Merian 
C.  Cooper.  Emil  Newman,  David  Ra'^jftn 
and  Jerome  Moross  composed  the  music. 
— Vincent  Canby. 


to  the  exhibitor  who  brought  about  the  suit. 
It  isn’t  the  exhibitor’s  fault,  but  his  attor- 
ney’s, who  just  list  the  association’s  member- 
ship in  the  complaint.  By  the  time  we  get 
ourselves  cleared,  it  costs  us  a few  thousand, 
all  wasted.”  He  added  that  he  had  written 
to  the  heads  of  TOA  and  Allied  referring 
to  this  matter,  but  got  no  reply. 

Mr.  Broidy’s  remarks  came  on  the  heels 
of  the  close  of  the  Allied  Artists  national 
sales  conference  in  Chicago,  which  featured 
panel  discussions  and  other  sessions  attended 
by  division  sales  chiefs  and  branch  man- 
agers in  their  respective  territories.  Morey 
R.  Goldstein,  A.A.  vice-president  and  gen- 
eral sales  manager,  presided. 


New  York  House  Sold 

Berk  & Krumgold,  theatrical  real  estate 
specialists,  in  conjunction  with  O’Gara  & 
Co.,  announce  the  sale  of  the  Regent  theatre 
property,  on  Third  Avenue,  New  York  City, 
to  film  producer  Nicholas  Farkas.  Seller 
was  the  Playhouse  Operating  Co.  Mr. 
Farkas  plans  to  immediately  convert  the 
property  into  a studio  for  the  production  of 
both  theatre  and  TV  film. 


Spyros  Skouras  Heads  UJA 
Corporate  Committee 

Spyros  P.  Skouras  will  be  the  chairman 
of  the  corporate  gifts  committee  of  the 
Motion  Picture  and  Amusement  Division 
of  the  United  Jewish  Appeal  of  Greater 
New  York,  it  was  announced  this  week  by 
Leon  Goldberg,  vice-president  of  United 
Artists,  over-all  chairman  of  the  division. 
For  many  years,  Mr.  Skouras  has  been  an 
active  UJA  supporter  and  served  on  many 
of  the  division’s  committees. 

Whitney  Buys  Rights  to 
"Missouri  Traveler " 

Motion  picture,  television  and  dramatic 
rights  to  “The  Missouri  Traveler,”  a novel 
by  John  Burress,  have  been  purchased  by 
C.  V.  Whitney  Pictures,  it  has  been  an- 
nounced. The  book,  published  by  Vanguard 
Press,  will  be  adapted  for  the  screen  by 
Frank  Nugent.  It  may  be  the  next  of  the 
feature  productions  planned  by  Whitney  as 
part  of  a five-year  program  of  portrayals 
of  America. 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  APRIL  14,  1956 


23 


otninations 
On  TV  May 
Be  Dropped 

A proposal  which  may  eliminate  the 
future  telecasting  of  the  Academy  Award 
Oscar  nominations  may  be  recommended 
to  the  board  of  directors  of  the  Academy 
of  Motion  Picture  Arts  and  Sciences  which 
will  meet  shortly  in  Hollywood,  it  was 
hinted  last  week  by  George  Seaton,  Acad- 
emy president,  during  a visit  to  New  York. 

Mr.  Seaton,  in  Manhattan  on  connection 
with  the  Ford  Foundation  production  of 
“The  Williamsburg  Story,”  stated  that  it 
costs  approximately  $800,000  to  televise 
both  tlie  nominations  and  the  “Oscar”  pres- 
sentation  programs  over  the  facilities  of 
NBC.  The  Oldsmobile  Divison  of  General 
Motors  has  been  the  sponsor  of  past 
Academy  Awards  nominations  and  presen- 
tations events. 

Mr.  Seaton  said:  “The  Academy  is  hop- 
ing that  the  telecasting  of  the  next  ‘Oscar’ 
show  would  be  sponsored  by  the  10  pro- 
ducer-distributor companies  and  has  al- 
ready extended  an  invitation  to  them  in  re- 
gard to  this,”  Mr.  Seaton  said.  He  added 
that  thus  far  he  hasn’t  heard  whether  or 
not  the  companies  have  replied  to  the 
Academy  concerning  the  invitation. 

Mr.  Seaton  also  remarked  that  if  a pro- 
posal to  eliminate  the  nominations  telecast 
should  be  adopted  by  the  Academy  board, 
the  sponsors’  costs  of  the  “Oscar”  show 
would  run  about  $400,000.  “If  the  10  com- 
panies would  sponsor  next  year’s  show,  the 
cost  to  each  individual  company  would  be 
equal  to  the  cost  of  a page  in  Life  magazine 
under  their  national  magazine  advertising 
rates,”  he  said.  He  said  that  if  the  indus- 
try sponsors  the  telecast,  the  programming 
night  would  most  likely  take  place  on  a 
weekday  evening  that  isn’t  “a  good  business 
night  for  theatres.” 


General  Tire  Refuses 
RKO  Teleradio  Price 

AKRON,  OHIO:  General  Tire  & Rubber 
Company  recently  refused  an  offer  to  sell 
RKO  Teleradio  Pictures  for  $50,000,000,  it 
is  disclosed  by  William  O’Neil,  president. 
Mr.  O’Neil,  making  the  announcement  at  his 
company’s  annual  meeting,  noted  that  the 
subsidiary  is  carried  on  General  Tire  books 
for  less  than  $2,000,000.  He  added  that  the 
consolidated  reports  of  General  Tire  do  not 
include  the  profits  of  its  radio,  television  and 
motion  picture  subsidiary.  It  purchased 
RKO  Radio  Pictures  from  Howard  Hughes 
for  $25,000,000  in  July,  1955.  RKO  was 
then  put  under  the  control  of  Thomas  F. 
O’Neil,  president  and  board  chairman  of 
General  Teleradio,  a subsidiary  of  General 
Tire.  RKO  recently  sold  its  film  library  to 
C & C Television  Corp.  for  $15,200,000  and 
reactivated  its  production  and  distribution 
program. 


CHARLOTTE  PAPER 
HONORS  KINCEY 

CHARLOTTE,  N.  C.:  H.  F.  (Mike)  Kincey 
has  been  in  the  film  industry  since  1916 
and  because  of  his  long  and  successful 
career  and  his  civic  activity  duties  here, 
he  was  honored  with  an  article  in  the 
Charlotte  Observer  this  week.  The  article 
tells  how  he  became  a theatre  manager  in 
his  native  Selma,  Ala.,  upon  graduation 
from  school  and  then  switched  to  theatres 
in  Birmingham  and  then  to  Atlanta,  where 
he  was  in  the  buying  and  booking  depart- 
ment. He  later  became  a member  of  a 
theatre  producing  group  in  Greensboro, 
Durham  and  Fayetteville,  N.  C.,  and  after- 
wards was  general  manager  of  theatres 
owned  by  Wilby-Kincey  & Associates.  In 
1928  he  became  affiliated  with  what  is 
now  known  as  American  Broadcasting-Para- 
mount Theatres  and  four  years  later  moved 
his  company's  office  to  Charlotte.  Wilby- 
Kincey  sold  its  interests  to  AB-PT  in  1949 
and  he  continued  to  operate  the  Para- 
mount theatres  in  the  Carolinas  and  Vir- 
ginia. With  respect  to  Charlotte,  he  says, 
"After  24  years  here  I think  the  citizens 
are  working  together  to  a greater  extent 
than  ever  before  for  Charlotte's  better- 
ment." He  was  elected  president  of  the 
YMCA  this  year  following  14  years  as  a 
director  and  he  is  also  director  of  Ameri- 
can Trust  Co.,  Theatre  Owners  of  North 
and  South  Carolina,  and  Theatre  Owners 
of  America. 


Eastman  Share  Owners 
Double  in  10  Years 

The  number  of  Eastman  Kodak  Company 
share  owners  has  more  than  doubled  in  the 
last  10  years,  it  was  revealed  this  week  in 
a Kodak  survey  of  share  ownership.  Last 
December  there  were  89,668  owners  of  the 
18,277,260  shares  of  common  stock  outstand- 
ing. This  compares  with  42,055  share 
owners  at  the  end  of  1946.  The  increase 
amounted  to  113  per  cent.  The  survey  also 
revealed  that  the  61,657  shares  of  Kodak 
preferred  stock  are  held  by  1,308  owners. 

May  5 IATSE  Banquet  to 
Honor  Richard  Walsh 

Richard  F.  Walsh,  international  president 
of  the  IATSE,  will  be  guest  of  honor  at 
a banquet  May  5 to  be  given  by  New  York 
District  No.  10  at  the  St.  George  Hotel, 
Brooklyn,  it  is  announced  by  Thomas  Mur- 
tha,  district  chairman.  The  banquet  will 
honor  Mr.  Walsh  for  his  election  to  the 
executive  council  of  the  combined  AFL-CIO. 
Other  guests  of  honor  will  be  Russell  Down- 
ing, managing  director  of  Radio  City  Music 
Hall,  and  Deputy  Commissioner  Charles  W. 
Halloran  of  the  New  York  State  Depart- 
ment of  Labor. 


Uryes  1*1  an 
To  Increase 
. 1 1 tendance 

CHICAGO : A joining  of  forces  among 
exhibitors  and  distributors  on  a nationwide 
scale,  for  the  purpose  of  stepping  up  motion 
picture  attendance,  was  suggested  last  week 
by  James  Jovan,  a veteran  in  the  business 
and  owner-operator  of  the  Monroe  theatre 
in  Chicago’s  Loop.  The  gist  of  Mr.  Jovan’s 
proposal  involves  setting  up  a central  pub- 
lic relations  office  through  the  combined 
effort  of  distributors  and  exhibitors  (pos- 
sibly through  COMPO)  where  the  prime 
function  would  pivot  around  getting  people 
out  of  their  homes  in  the  evening,  to  at- 
tend a film. 

While  declaring  that  he  was  not  unmind- 
ful that  exploitation  techniques  play  an  im- 
portant part  in  stimulating  business  at  the 
box  office,  Mr.  Jovan  contends  that  exhibi- 
tors as  a body  could  do  a most  effective 
job  along  those  lines.  “Every  theatre  owner 
I talk  to  seems  to  be  in  the  same  boat,”  said 
Mr.  Jovan.  "We  are  constantly  deploring 
box  office  recessions,  but  no  one  seems  to 
be  putting  emphasis  on  a plausible  solution 
to  the  problem.  We  have  a job,  and  that 
job  is  making  a sincere  effort  to  draw  peo- 
ple away  from  TV  sets  and  into  the 
theatres.” 

Mr.  Jovan  proposes  that  the  type  of  or- 
ganization he  hopes  to  see  established 
should  concentrate  on  one  basic  theme: 
making  people  continuously  aware  of  the 
fact  that  a change  in  entertainment  would 
be  refreshing,  say  between  the  hours  of  five 
and  nine  o’clock ; that  instead  of  sitting  at 
home  night  after  night  in  front  of  a TV 
set,  a movie  be  made  a habit  at  least  once 
a week.” 

20th  Century-Fox  Holds 
Regional  Sales  Talks 

Implementation  of  sales  and  promotional 
plans  mapped  at  a Hollywood  meeting  of 
20th  Century-Fox  division  managers,  called 
by  Alex  Harrison,  general  sales  manager, 
last  week,  was  effected  in  a series  of  re- 
gional conclaves  across  the  country  this 
week.  Discussed  was  the  14-picture  slate, 
budgeted  at  more  than  $30,000,000,  to  be 
completed  or  in  production  by  the  end  of 
June.  Special  attention  was  given  “The 
King  and  I,”  due  for  July  release;  “The  Man 
in  the  Gray  Flannel  Suit,”  currently  going 
into  release,  and  “The  Sixth  of  June,”  a 
June  release. 


SMPTE  Booklet  Available 

The  Society  of  Motion  Picture  and  Tele- 
vision engineers  has  announced  that  free 
copies  of  its  booklet  on  wide-screen  proc- 
esses are  still  available.  The  12-page  pocket- 
size  booklet,  published  last  September,  sum- 
marizes essential  characteristics  of  the 
methods  in  use  up  to  that  time. 


24 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  APRIL  14,  1956 


iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!iiiiiiiiiiiimimimiiiii 


THIS  WEEK  IN 
PRODUCTION: 


Sc 


cene 


STARTED  (9) 

ALLIED  ARTISTS 

House  on  Lookout 
Mountain 
Yaqui  Drums 

ARC  (American  Releas- 
ing Corp.) 

It  Conquered  the  World 
(Sunset  Prod.) 

INDEPENDENT 

Snowfire 

(McGowan  Prods.; 
Eastman  Color) 
Creatures  from  Green 
Hell  (Gross-Krasne 
Prod.) 

COMPLETED  (8) 

ALLIED  ARTISTS 

The  Young  Guns 
The  Intruder 

INDEPENDENT 

Hot  Rod  Girl 
(Nacirema  Prod.) 

MGM 

Somebody  Up  There 
Likes  Me 

REPUBLIC 

Thunder  Over  Arizona 

SHOOTING  (24) 

BUENA  VISTA 

Westward  Ho,  the 
Wagons!  (Walt 
Disney  Prod.; 
CinemaScope; 
Technicolor) 

COLUMBIA 

Shakedown  on  Biscayne 
Bay 

Nightfall 

(Copa  Prods.) 

Reprisal  (Romson 
Prods.;  Technicolor) 

MGM 

Raintree  County 
(65mm;  Color) 

Julie  (Arwin  Prods.) 
Somewhere  I’ll  Find 
Him 

The  Opposite  Sex 
(CinemaScope; 
Eastman  Color) 

PARAMOUNT 

The  Loves  of  Omar 
Khayyam  (Vista- 
Vision;  Technicolor) 
The  Lonely  Man 
(VistaVision; 
Technicolor) 

The  Maverick 
(VistaVision; 
Technicolor) 

Gunfight  at  OK  Corral 
(VistaVision; 
Technicolor) 


MGM 

Tea  and  Sympathy 

PARAMOUNT 

Funny  Face 
(VistaVision; 
Technicolor) 

U-l 

Gun  for  a Coward 
(Technicolor) 

Star  Light 

( CinemaScope; 
Technicolor) 


(Trucolor) 

20TH-FOX 

The  Day  the  Century 
Ended  (Cinema- 
Scope; Color) 

UNITED  ARTISTS 

The  Lonely  Gun 
( Robert  L.  Jacks 
Prod.) 

U-l 

Instanbul  (Cinema- 
Scope; Technicolor) 

RKO  RADIO 

Beyond  a Reasonable 
Doubt 

Tension  at  Table  Rock 
(Color) 

Back  from  Eternity 

20TH-FOX 

Bus  Stop  (Cinema- 
Scope; Technicolor) 

UNITED  ARTISTS 

Pharaoh's  Curse 
(Bel-Air  Prod.) 

The  Sharkfighte  rs 
(Samuel  Goldwyn, 

Jr.  Prod.;  Cinema- 
Scope; Color) 

U-l 

The  Mole  People 

The  Great  Man 

Kelly  and  Me  (Cinema- 
Scope; Technicolor) 

Battle  Hymn  (Cinema- 
Scope; Technicolor) 

WARNER  BROS. 

The  Wrong  Man 
(Alfred  Hitchcock 
Prod.) 

Toward  the  Unknown 
(Toluca  Prods.; 
WarnerColor) 


HOLLYWOOD  BUREAU 

Nine  pictures  were  activated,  and  eight 
others  were  sent  to  editing  departments,  in 
the  post-Easter  weekend.  The  new  under- 
takings were  spread  out  extensively  as  to 
sponsorship,  with  five  distributing  organi- 
zations represented  and  two  pictures  going 
into  camera  stage  without  a distribution 
commitment. 

Possibly  the  standout  among  the  new 
projects  is  Paramount’s  “Funny  Face,”  a 
VistaVision  production  with  color  by  Tech- 
nicolor, which  has  Audrey  Hepburn,  Fred 
Astaire,  Kay  Thompson,  Robert  Flemyng 
and  a great  many  others  in  the  cast.  Roger 
Edens  is  the  producer,  and  Stanley  Donen 
is  directing. 

Technicolor  is  in  the  news  of  new  shoot- 
ing as  relates  to  “Star  Light,”  likewise,  this 
time  in  combination  with  CinemaScope.  The 
picture  is  by  Producer  Aaron  Rosenberg 
for  Universal-International,  and  Jack  Sher 
is  directing  George  Nader,  Julie  Adams, 
Marianne  Cook,  Elsa  Martinelli,  Sydney 
Chaplin  and  Grant  Williams. 

And  Technicolor  is  in  the  new-pictures 
list  a third  time  as  the  pigmentation  process 
in  use  for  U-I’s  “Gun  for  a Coward,”  a 
William  Alland  producing  job  directed  by 
Abner  Biberman,  with  Fred  MacMurray, 
Jeffrey  Hunter,  Dean  Stockwell,  Janice 
Rule,  Chill  Wills  and  Josephine  Hutchinson 
among  the  players. 

“ Tea  and  Sympathy ” Starts 

Outstanding  in  its  own  special  way, 
which  could  turn  out  remarkably  in  one 
meaning  of  the  term  or  another,  is  M-G-M’s 
“Tea  and  Sympathy,”  from  the  stage  play 
of  like  title.  There  was  much  conjecture 
and  some  dismay  about  the  decision  to  try 
to  make  a picture  of  the  property  without 
inviting  charges  of  one  or  another  unpleas- 
ant kind.  The  conjecturing  continues. 
Whatever  the  outcome,  M-G-M  is  giving 
the  project  the  full  treatment,  with  Pan  dr  o 
S.  Berman  doing  the  producing,  Vincente 
Minnelli  contributing  the  direction,  and  with 
Deborah  Kerr,  who  starred  in  it  on  the 
stage,  heading  a cast  that  contains  John 
Kerr,  Leif  Erickson  and  Dick  York. 

Allied  Artists  started  two  pictures. 

“The  House  on  Lookout  Mountain”  is  a 
Ben  Schwalb  production  directed  by  Edward 
Bernds,  with  Bill  Elliott,  Kathleen  Case, 
John  Dennis  and  Jean  Cooper  in  the  cast. 

One  from  Broidy 

Producer  William  F.  Broidy  started 
“Yaqui  Drums,”  directed  by  Jean  Yar- 
brough, with  Rod  Cameron,  J.  Carrol  Naish, 
Mary  Castle,  Robert  Hutton  and  Roy 
Roberts  in  the  player  lineup. 

Producer-directors  Roger  Corman  and 
James  H.  Nicholson  of  Sunset  Productions 
began  filming  “It  Conquered  the  World” 


for  American  Releasing  Corporation  dis- 
tribution. Peter  Graves,  Beverly  Garland, 
Lee  Van  Cleef  and  Sally  Fraser  are  the 
top  players. 

Gross-Krasne  Productions  rolled  “Crea- 
tures from  Green  Hell,”  with  Jim  Davis, 
Robert  E.  Griffin,  Barbara  Turner,  Eduardo 
Ciannelli  and  Joel  Fluennen.  Jack  J.  Gross 
and  Philip  N.  Krasne  are  executive  pro- 
ducers, A1  Zimbalist  is  producer,  Sol  Dol- 
gin  is  associate  producer,  and  Kenneth 
Crane  is  director. 

McGowan  Productions,  in  which  Dorrell 
McGowan  is  producer  and  Stuart  Mc- 
Gowan is  director,  began  shooting  “Snow- 
fire”  in  Eastman  color.  Don  McGowan, 
Molly  McGowan,  Melodie  McGowan  and 
Claire  Kelly  head  the  cast. 


Warners  to  Present 
"Story  of  Mankind" 

HOLLYWOOD : Jack  L.  Warner,  execu- 
tive producer,  has  approved  final  plans  for 
an  international  schedule  for  the  production 
of  Irwin  Allen’s  “The  Story  of  Mankind,” 
to  be  presented  by  Warner  Bros.  The  pro- 
duction will  trace  the  million-year  history 
of  man  on  earth  and  will  be  photographed 
in  color  by  Technicolor  for  wide-screen 
presentation.  The  film,  already  in  pre-pro- 
duction preparation  for  more  than  a year, 
is  based  on  the  Hendrik  Van  Loon  best 
seller  which  has  already  sold  over  21  mil- 
lion copies  published  in  17  languages. 


First  Payne-Seltzer  Film 

“The  Boss,”  starring  John  Payne,  will  be 
the  first  film  produced  by  the  recently- 
formed  joint  company  set  by  the  actor  in 
association  with  Seltzer  Films,  it  has  been 
announced  by  Arthur  B.  Krim,  president  of 
United  Artists,  which  will  release  the  pic- 
ture. Byron  Haskin  will  direct  and  Frank 
Seltzer  will  produce  with  Walter  Seltzer 
as  associate. 


RKO  Signs  John  Wayne 

HOLLYWOOD : John  Wayne  has  been 
signed  by  RKO  Radio  to  star  in  a new  pro- 
duction, “Pakistan”,  it  is  announced  by  Wil- 
liam Dozier,  vice-president  in  charge  of 
production.  Stanley  Rubin  will  produce  and 
Sterling  Silliphant  will  write  the  screenplay. 


Mayer  on  Films 

Arthur  L.  Mayer,  industry  veteran,  in 
a recent  article  in  The  Saturday  Review, 
called  “Myths,  Movies  and  Maturity,”  offers 
an  interesting  discussion  of  film  economics 
as  exemplified  in  films  such  as  “Marty,” 
and  points  out  that  the  economics  of  good 
films  are  crucially  important,  now  that  TV 
is  competing  with  the  motion  picture. 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  APRIL  14,  1956 


25 


/Anything 


Paramount 


Torrent 


Starring 


BING  ^CROSBY 


DONALD 


O’CONNOR 


JEANMAIRE 


MITZI 


PHIL 


GAYNOR 


HARRIS 


w 

vistaVision  and  technicolor 

Music  and  Lyrics  by  Cole  Porter  • Produced  by  Robert  Emmett  Dolan 
Directed  by  Robert  Lewis  • Screen  Story  and  Screen  Play  by 
Sidney  Sheldon  • From  the  Play  by  Guy  Bolton  and  P.  G.  Wodehouse 
(Revised  by  Howard  Lindsay  and  Russel  Crouse) 

Five  magnetic  stars  singing  great 
Cole  Porter  tunes  — in  the  picture  that’s 
delighting  the  crowds  from  coast  to  coast. 


Hits 


IS  SENDING 


THE 


SOARING  TO 


NEW  HIGHS 


Hour 


Starring 

CAROL' 


OHMART 


I 


TOM  CfTRYON 
JODY.^LAWRANCE 

Guest  Star 

NAT  “KING”  COLE 

Produced  and  Directed  by  Michael  Curtiz 
Screen  Play  by  Rip  Van  Ronkel,  Frank  Tashlin  and 
John  Meredyth  Lucas 

vistaVision 


Showmen,  here’s  the  answer  to  your 
S.O.S.  for  new  talent.  Three  Michael  Curtiz 
star-discoveries  in  a chiller  of  a thriller. 


THE  [JBlRDS  and 


THE 


Starring 


GEORGE 


GOBEL 


MITZI  GAYNOR 


DAVID 


NIVEN 


vistaVision  and  technicolor 

Co-starring 


REGINALD  GARDINER  . FRED  CLARK 
Produced  by  Paul  Jones 
Directed  by  Norman  Taurog 
Screen  Play  by 

Sidney  Sheldon  and  Preston  Sturges 
Based  on  a Story  by  Monckton  Hoffe 


George  Gobel’s  boxoffice  tour  of  selected 
first  dates  is  building  up  nationwide  interest 
— while  the  title  song  soars  to  popularity. 


the  [Leather 


aint 


Starring 

PAUL^DOUGLAS 
JOHN  DEREK 


JODY 


LAWRANCE 


CESAR 


ROMERO 


Co-starring  ERNEST  TRUEX  • RICHARD  SHANNON  . with  Ricky  Vera 
Produced  by  Norman  Retchin  • Directed  by  Alvin  Ganzer 
Story  and  Screen  Play  by  Norman  Retchin  and  Alvin  Ganzer 

vistaVision 


This  one’s  dating  fast!  Word  is  out 
that  it’s  a “Going  My  Way”  type  of  story, 
headed  for  the  same  type  of  business. 


5 


, 


i 


t 


t 


* 


5 


Best  Actress 
The  Country  Girl’ 


Today’s  Headline  Star 
in  4 Top  Pictures 


THE  COUNTRY  GIRL 


A Perlberg  - Seaton  Production  • Starring  BING  CROSBY 
GRACE  KELLY  • WILLIAM  HOLDEN  • Produced  by 
William  Perlberg  • Written  for  the  Screen  and  Directed 
by  George  Seaton  • From  the  Play  by  Clifford  Odets 


ALFRED  HITCHCOCK’S 


TO  CATCH  A THIEF 


Starring 

CARY  GRANT  and  GRACE  KELLY  • with  Jessie  Royce  Landis 
John  Williams  • Directed  by  Alfred  Hitchcock  • Screen  Play 
by  John  Michael  Hayes  • Based  on  the  Novel  by  David  Dodge 

vistaVision  and  technicolor 


ALFRED  HITCHCOCK’S 


REAR  WINDOW 


Starring  JAMES  STEWART  • Co-starring  GRACE  KELLY 
WENDELL  COREY  • THELMA  RITTER  • with  Raymond  Burr 
Directed  by  Alfred  Hitchcock  • Screen  Play  by  John  Michael 
Hayes  • Based  on  the  Short  Story  by  Cornell  Woolrich 

TECHNICOLOR 


JAMES  A.  MICHENER'S 


THE  BRIDGES  AT  TOKO-RI 


A Perlberg -Seaton  Production  • Starring  WILLIAM  HOLDEN 
GRACE  KELLY  • FREDRIC  MARCH  • MICKEY  ROONEY 
with  Robert  Strauss  • Charles  McGraw  • Keiko  Awaji 
Produced  by  William  Perlberg  and  George  Seaton 
Directed  by  Mark  Robson  • Screen  Play  by  Valentine  Davies 
From  the  Novel  by  James  A.  Michener 
TECHNICOLOR 


AND* 


save  that  Decoration  Day  date  for 


ALFRED  HITCHCOCK’S 

D^Dan^Zho 

w ‘TPoo  DlaJuch 


^7 
■Ci 


vistaVision  and  technicolor 

Starring 


uames  Stewart  • Doris  day 


Directed  by  ALFRED  HITCHCOCK 
Screenplay  by  JOHN  MICHAEL  HAYES 
Based  on  a Story  by  Charles  Bennett  and  D.  B.  Wyndham-Lewis 


|\*\%\\YYXA\XXXXX\XXXXXXXAXXY*\\XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX^XXYXXXXXYXXXXXX\VXYXXXV 


THE  WINNERS  CIRCLE 

Pictures  which  were  reported  as  doing  above  average  business  in  key  cities  of  the 
nation  for  the  week  ended  April  7 were: 


Fleet  on  Film 
Showings 
To  Services 

A series  of  conferences  with  individual 
film  companies  on  problems  relating  to  U.  S. 
Armed  Forces  service  theatres  have  been 
conducted  in  New  York  by  Pentagon  offi- 
cials and  their  New  York  representatives, 
it  was  reported  this  week.  The  conferences, 
dealing  with  issues  ranging  from  clearances 
to  print  availability,  were  reported  to  be  in- 
conclusive and  further  meetings  are  said  to 
be  planned.  Among  the  companies  visited 
by  Armed  Forces  representatives  were  20th 
Century-Fox,  Loew’s,  United  Artists,  RKO 
and  Republic. 

The  individual  conferences  stemmed  from 
the  February  15  meeting  between  military 
representatives  and  the  sales  managers  com- 
mittee, a meeting  marked  by  the  military 
voicing  its  dissatisfactions.  Previously,  the 
complaints  have  come  from  exhibitors 
operating  theatres  near  military  base 
theatres. 

Company  officials  in  New  York,  asked  to 
comment  on  the  meetings,  said  one  situa- 
tion complicating  the  picture  is  the  print 
problem  on  big  films  which  are  put  in  the- 
atrical release  as  soon  as  prints  are  avail- 
able. One  company  executive  said  there  are 
not  enough  prints  available  on  such  pictures 
for  pre-release  engagements  at  Armed 
Service  theatres. 

Another  executive  said  there  are  still 
areas  in  the  country  in  dispute  as  to  clear- 
ance with  local  exhibitors.  He  said  such 
problems  will  continue  to  appear  and  should 
be  solved  in  a give-and-take  spirit.  He  cited 
the  situation  in  Texas,  where  commercial 
theatres  now  get  priority  over  big  pictures 
premiered  there  and  “normal”  pictures  have 
pre-release  engagements  in  Armed  Service 
theatres,  as  an  example  in  equity. 


All  Drive-Ins  Open 
In  New  Haven  Area 

NEW  HAVEN:  All  New  Haven  area 
drive-ins  resumed  operations  last  week.  They 
were  the  Bowl,  West  Haven ; Summit, 
Branford;  New  Haven,  North  Haven;  E. 
M.  Loew’s  on  the  Post  Road,  Milford,  and 
the  Southington  Drive-In.  All  reported  fair 
to  good  patronage.  Capacity  audiences  are 
expected  shortly  as  the  season  goes  into 
fair  weather. 


Schwalberg  in  Ad  Deal 

A.  W.  Schwalberg,  president  of  Artists- 
Producers  Associates,  Inc.,  has  announced 
the  conclusion  of  an  agreement  between  his 
organization  and  Gold  Medal  Productions, 
Inc.,  under  which  the  Schwalberg  group 
will  supervise  and  direct  sales,  distribution 
and  advertising.  Mr.  Schwalberg  has  been 
named  a member  of  Gold  Medal’s  board  of 
directors.  Martin  H.  Poll  heads  Gold  Medal. 


Albany:  Carousel  (20th-Fox). 

Atlanta:  Alexander  the  Great  (U.A.) 
2nd  week;  The  Kettles  in  the  Ozarks 
(U-I)  ; The  Man  in  the  Gray  Flannel 
Suit  (20th-Fox) ; Too  Bad  She’s  Bad 
(Kingsley)  9th  week. 

Boston:  Anything  Goes  (Par.) ; The  Con- 
queror (RKO) ; I’ll  Cry  Tomorrow 
(MGM) ; The  Man  in  the  Gray  Flan- 
nel Suit  (20th-Fox) ; Night  My  Num- 
ber Came  Up  (Cont.  Dist.). 

Buffalo:  Alexander  the  Great  (U.A.)  2nd 
week;  Anything  Goes  (Par.)  2nd  week; 
The  Benny  Goodman  Story  (U-I)  2nd 
week;  Carousel  (20th-Fox) ; Guys  and 
Dolls  (MGM) ; The  Man  in  the  Gray 
Flannel  Suit  (20th-Fox)  2nd  week. 

Chicago:  The  Court  Jester  (Par.)  2nd 
week;  The  Creature  Walks  Among  Us 
(U-I)  2nd  week;  Diabolique  (UMPO) 
16th  week;  Forever  Darling  (MGM) 
3rd  week;  Picnic  (Col.)  8th  week;  The 
Rose  Tattoo  (Par.)  7th  week;  Song  of 
the  South  (B.V.)  3rd  week  (reissue); 
There’s  Always  Tomorrow  (U-I)  2nd 
week;  World  in  My  Corner  (U-I)  3rd 
week. 

Columbus:  Anything  Goes  (Par.) ; Carou- 
sel (20th-Fox) ; Song  of  the  South 
(B.V.)  (reissue). 

Denver:  Alexander  the  Great  (U.A.) ; 
Anything  Goes  (Par.) ; Carousel  (20th- 
Fox)  3rd  week;  I’ll  Cry  Tomorrow 
(MGM)  ; The  Ladykillers  (Cont.)  2nd 
week;  The  Man  in  the  Gray  Flannel 
Suit  (20th-Fox) ; Too  Bad  She’s  Bad 
(Kingsley)  ; World  Without  End  (A.A.) 

Des  Moines:  Carousel  (20th-Fox)  2nd 
week;  Meet  Me  in  Las  Vegas  (MGM). 

Detroit:  I’ll  Cry  Tomorrow  (MGM)  4th 
week;  Picnic  (Col.)  4th  week. 

Hartford:  Anything  Goes  (Par.)  2nd 

week;  The  Conqueror  (RKO)  2nd  week; 
Doctor  at  Sea  (Rep.)  3rd  week;  Forbid- 
den Planet  (MGM) ; The  Ladykillers 
(Cont.)  2nd  week;  Picnic  (Col.)  5th  week. 

Indianapolis:  Anything  Goes  (Par.)  2nd 
week;  Meet  Me  in  Las  Vegas  (MGM)  ; 
Song  of  the  South  (B.V.)  2nd  week 
(reissue). 

Jacksonville:  Alexander  the  Great  (U. 
A.) ; Carousel  (20th-Fox) ; The  Con- 
queror (RKO). 

Kansas  City:  Anything  Goes  (Par.)  ; 

Carousel  (20th-Fox) ; Song  of  the 
South  (B.V.)  (reissue). 

Memphis:  Carousel  (20th-Fox) ; Forbid- 
den Planet  (MGM) ; Miracle  in  the 
Rain  (W.B.) ; The  Court  Jester  (Par.). 

Miami:  Alexander  the  Great  (U.A.)  2nd 
week;  Meet  Me  in  Las  Vegas  (MGM) 
2nd  week;  Oklahoma!  (Magna)  6th 
week;  Serenade  (W.B.)  2nd  week. 


Milwaukee:  Carousel  (20th-Fox)  3rd 

week;  The  Conqueror  (RKO);  Song  of 
the  South  (B.V.)  (reissue). 

Minneapolis:  Carousel  (20th-Fox) ; Mister 
Roberts  (W.B.) ; Picnic  (Col.)  6th 
week;  Rebel  Without  a Cause  (W.B.) 
2nd  week;  Song  of  the  South  (B.V.) 
(reissue)  2nd  week. 

New  Orleans:  Carousel  (20th-Fox)  ; Meet 
Me  in  Las  Vegas  (MGM);  Never  Say 
Goodbye  (U-I) ; Picnic  (Col.) ; Trouble 
With  Harry  (Par.). 

Oklahoma  City:  Anything  Goes  (Par.) 
2nd  week;  Carousel  (20th-Fox)  2nd 
week;  I’ll  Cry  Tomorrow  (MGM)  3rd 
week;  Rock  Around  the  Clock  (Col.); 
The  Rose  Tattoo  (Par.)  4th  week. 

Philadelphia:  Carousel  (20th-Fox)  4th 

week;  The  Harder  They  Fall  (Col.) ; 
I’ll  Cry  Tomorrow  (MGM)  10th  week; 
Miracle  in  the  Rain  (W.B.) ; Picnic 
(Col.)  6th  week;  The  Rose  Tattoo 
(Par.)  10th  week;  Serenade  (W.B.). 

Pittsburgh:  Carousel  (20th-Fox)  3rd 

week;  Guys  and  Dolls  (MGM)  10th 
week;  The  Man  in  the  Gray  Flannel 
Suit  (20th-Fox)  2nd  week;  Night  My 
Number  Came  Up  (Cont.)  3rd  week. 

Portland:  Carousel  (20th-Fox)  3rd  week; 
I’ll  Cry  Tomorrow  (MGM)  2nd  week; 
Meet  Me  in  Las  Vegas  (MGM). 

Providence:  CAROUSEL  (20th-Fox)  2nd 

week;  I’ll  Cry  Tomorrow  (MGM)  2nd 
week. 

San  Francisco:  Alexander  the  Great 

(U.A.)  2nd  week;  Diabolique  (UMPO) 
15th  week;  Doctor  at  Sea  (Rep.)  2nd 
week;  Guys  and  Dolls  (MGM)  21st 
week;  Meet  Me  in  Las  Vegas  (MGM) 
2nd  week;  Oklahoma!  (Magna)  8th 
week;  On  the  Threshold  of  Space 
(20th-Fox)  2nd  week;  Picnic  (Col.)  4th 
week;  The  Prisoner  (Col.)  6th  week; 
Samurai  (Fine  Arts)  5th  week. 

Toronto:  Anything  Goes  (Par.)  2nd  week; 
Carousel  (20th-Fox)  3rd  week;  The 
Great  Waltz  (MGM) ; I’ll  Cry  Tomor- 
row (MGM)  2nd  week;  The  Ladykill- 
ers (Cont.)  2nd  week;  The  Lieutenant 
Wore  Skirts  (20th-Fox)  2nd  week. 

Vancouver:  Anything  Goes  (Par.);  The 
Littlest  Outlaw  (B.V.) ; Picnic  (Col.) ; 
Richard  III  (Lopert). 

Washington:  Alexander  the  Great  (U. 
A.) ; Anything  Goes  (Par.) ; Forbidden 
Planet  (MGM) ; The  Man  in  the  Gray 
Flannel  Suit  (20th-Fox) ; Picnic 
(Col.)  7th  week;  Richard  III  (Lopert) 
3rd  week;  The  Rose  Tattoo  (Par.)  5th 
week;  Song  of  the  South  (B.V.)  (re- 
issue) . 


28 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  APRIL  14,  1956 


f-^aramount 

CONGRATULATES 

ANNA  MAGNANI 

ON  WINNING  THE 
ACADEMY  BEST  ACTRESS  AWARD 


IN 


AND  IS  PROUD  OF  THE  ACADEMY  AWARD 


ACHIEVEMENTS  IN 


VISTAVISION  PHOTOGRAPHY 


(Black  and  White) 


(Color) 


THE  ROSE  TATTOO 


TO  CATCH  A THIEF 


’THE  ROSE  TATTOO" 


Trans-Lux  Reports  1955 
Profit  at  $143,878 

Trans-Lux  Corp.,  and  its  wholly-owned 
subsidiaries,  reported  that  operations  for 
the  year  ended  December  31.  1955,  resulted 
in  a net  profit  of  $143,878,  according  to 
Percival  E.  Furber,  president  and  chairman 
of  the  board,  in  the  company’s  annual  re- 
port. This  compares  with  $184,612  the  pre- 
ceding year.  Mr.  Furber  also  announced 
the  company  would  hold  its  annual  meeting 
April  26  in  New  York  to  elect  a board  of 
11  directors.  In  the  report.  Mr.  Furber 
said,  “In  general,  theatre  business  this  past 
year  has  reflected  the  substantial  shortage 
of  films  being  produced  by  the  major  com- 
panies in  Hollywood  and  showed  a down- 
ward trend.  Because  of  this,  the  company 
has  decided  to  further  its  interests  in  ac- 
quiring the  distribution  rights  in  the  West- 
ern Hemisphere  for  motion  pictures  pro- 
duced independently  both  here  and  abroad.” 


B'nai  B'rith  Event  Set 

Jacob  K.  Javits,  New  York  State  Attor- 
ney General,  will  be  the  principal  speaker  at 
the  Cinema  Lodge  B’nai  B’rith  Presidents 
Luncheon  at  the  Hotel  Sheraton  Astor, 
New  York,  April  24,  Robert  M.  Weitman, 
luncheon  chairman,  has  announced.  The 
luncheon  honors  retiring  president  Max  E. 
Youngstein  and  newly-elected  president 
Robert  K.  Shapiro. 


France  After 
A etc  Market 

by  HENRY  KAHN 

PARIS:  An  extensive  report,  recently  re- 
leased by  Unifrance  Film,  throws  an  in- 
teresting light  on  the  efforts  now  being 
made  by  France  to  win  a wider  international 
market  for  her  motion  pictures. 

Last  year,  according  to  the  report,  4,000 
journalists  in  70  countries  received  news 
and  information  in  20  different  languages 
about  French  productions.  This  year,  it  is 
promised,  the  number  will  be  increased  even 
further.  Also,  last  year,  Unifrance  Film 
distributed  some  65,000  photographs.  At  the 
moment  Unifrance  has  15  offices  covering 
Germany,  Argentina,  the  United  States, 
Greece,  Turkey,  Italy,  Scandinavia,  Spain, 
Mexico,  Peru,  Hong  Kong,  Japan,  Switzer- 
land, Venezuela  and  Great  Britain. 

The  report  also  describes  the  progress 
made  by  French  films  in  various  areas.  It 
terms  Germany,  Switzerland,  Belgium, 
Canada,  Italy  and  Spain  “defensive  zones” 
because  the  aim  there  is  to  hang  onto  the 
ground  that  has  been  won.  The  United 
States  is  described  as  an  “observation” 
country,  where  French  producers  are 
“watching  and  waiting”  developments  and 
the  effect  of  the  new  French  film  office  in 
New  York. 


RKO  Theatres  Seeks 
Expansion  Approval 

RKO  Theatres  Corp.  has  announced  that 
stockholders  in  a meeting  to  be  held  May 
8 will  be  asked  to  approve  the  acquisition 
by  RKO  Theatres  of  all  the  assets  of  the 
Cleveland  Arcade  Co.  in  exchange  for  1,- 
043,706  shares  of  the  circuit’s  common  stock 
and  the  assumption  of  liabilities.  Cleveland 
Arcade’s  principal  asset  is  84.4  per  cent  of 
the  common  stock  of  Gera  Corp.,  a diver- 
sified enterprise  engaged  in  textile  finishing, 
electronic  research  and  manufacturing, 
weaving  of  synthetic  fabrics  and  various 
real  estate  operations.  Stockholders  also  will 
be  asked  to  authorize  the  board  of  directors 
to  make  an  offer  to  acquire  the  15.6  per  cent 
of  Gera  Corp.  common  stock  not  owned  by 
Cleveland  Arcade  in  exchange  for  an  ad- 
ditional 216,294  shares  of  stock.  The  May 
8 meeting  has  been  called  in  lieu  of  the 
annual  meeting  deferred  from  the  second 
Friday  in  April. 

Bonded  Will  Handle 
Allied  Artists  Shipping 

Bonded  Film  Service  will  do  all  physical 
handling  and  shipping  of  Allied  Artists 
product  commencing  April  15,  Roy  M. 
Brewer,  AA  supervisor  of  branch  opera- 
tions, has  announced.  Bonded  is  a member 
of  National  Film  Service.  Previously,  Allied 
Artists  had  been  handling  its  own  shipments. 


SUPERHUMAN  MONSTER  AND  MONSTROUS  BEAST 


The  most  spectacular  serial 

fantasy 

2hi  * WL-  ' ever  shown! 

wm  '*w  ” v 

Will  make 
'em  come 
hack 
for 
more! 


with  Robert  LOWERY  ‘ George  MACREADY  • Ralph  MORGAN  • Carole  MATHEWS 

Original  Screen  Play  by  SHERMAN  LOWE  and  ROYAL  K.  COLE  • Produced  by  RUDOLPH  C.  FL0TH0W  • Directed  by  HOWARD  BRETHERT0N  • A COLUMBIA  Reprint 


4m  EXCITING  CAMPAIGN  BOOK  FOR  THE  SCREEN'S  MOST  EXCITING  SERIAL! 


30 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  APRIL  14.  1956 


Academy  winners  since  1934. 


‘The  Continental”  - Con  Conrad,  Herbert  Magidson 

'Lullaby  of  Broadway”  — Harry  Warren,  Al  Dubin 

‘The  Way  You  Look  Tonight”  - Jerome  Kern,  Dorothy  Fields 

'Sweet  Leilani”  - Harry  Owens 

‘Thanks  for  the  Memory”  — Ralph  Ranger,  Leo  Robin 

‘Over  the  Rainbow”  - E.  Y.  Harburg,  Harold  Arlen 

‘When  You  Wish  Upon  A Star"  - Ned  Washington,  Leigh  Harline 

‘The  Last  Time  I Saw  Paris”  - Jerome  Kern,  Oscar  Hammerstein  2nd 

"White  Christmas”  - Irving  Berlin 

‘You’ll  Never  Know”  — Harry  Warren,  Mack  Gordon  1 

‘Swinging  On  A Star”  - James  Van  Heusen,  Johnny  Burke 

'It  Might  As  Well  Be  Spring"  - Rodgers  and  Hammerstein 

"On  the  Atchison,  Topeka  and  Santa  Fe”  - H.  Warren,  J.  Mercer 

‘Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah”  - Allie  Wrubel,  Ray  Gilbert 

‘Buttons  and  Bows”  — Jay  Livingston,  Ray  Evans  i 

L 

‘Baby,  It's  Cold  Outside”  - Frank  Loesser  * i 


ASCAP  congratulates  the  1955  Winners 
“LOVE  IS  A MANY  SPLENDOREO  THING" 

W:  Paul  Francis  Webster — M:  Sammy  Fain 
Published  by  Miller  Music  Corporation 


Year  after  year,  ever  since 
Oscars  have  been  instituted, 
songs  of  ASCAP  members 
have  been  acclaimed 
as  the  outstanding  tunes 
used  in  motion  pictures 
and  have  won  Academy  Awards 


A 


Jli>.  Zukor* 

Dies  at  SO 

Mrs.  Lottie  Kaufman  Zukor,  80,  wife  of 
Adolph  Zukor.  chairman  of  the  board  of 
directors  of  Paramount  Pictures,  died  April 
7 at  Doctors’  Hospital,  New  York,  follow- 
ing a long  illness. 

Born  in  Hungary  in  1875,  she  and  her 
parents  arrived  in  the  United  States  in  1883. 
In  1890  she  moved  with  her  parents  to  Chi- 
cago. Seven  years  later  she  married  Adolph 
Zukor,  a young  fur  merchant  who  had  also 
immigrated  to  this  country  from  Hungary. 
Two  years  later,  in  1899,  she  and  her  hus- 
band moved  to  New  York,  where  Mr.  Zukor 
had  become  interested  in  the  then-new  de- 
velopment of  penny  arcades  and  motion 
pictures.  From  then  on,  the  Zukor s spent 
their  lives  in  New  York  City  and  at  their 
model  estate  at  Mountain  View  Farm  in 
New  City,  Rockland  County,  N.  Y. 

During  her  lifetime,  Mrs.  Zukor  was 
deeply  interested  in  charity  work,  and  was 
president  or  a member  of  the  Board  of 
Directors  of  more  than  20  leading  chari- 
table organizations.  Following  three  terms 
of  office  as  president  of  the  United  Ladies 
Aid  Society,  she  was  three  years  ago  named 
honorary  chairman  of  the  organization  in 
perpetuity. 

Mrs.  Zukor  is  survived,  in  addition  to 
her  husband,  by  a daughter,  Mrs.  Mildred 


Zukor  Loew;  a son,  Eugene  J.  Zukor;  five 
grandchildren,  E.  John  Zukor,  Adolph 
Zukor  II,  James  R.  Zukor,  Arthur  M.  Loew 
Jr.,  and  Mrs.  Boyd  Morse;  four  great- 
grandchildren, Lynda  Morse,  Boyd  Morse, 
Jr.,  Kendall  Morse  and  Michael  Morse,  a 
brother,  Albert  A.  Kaufman,  and  three 
sisters. 


T.  N.  Childress 

DALLAS:  T.  N.  Childress,  69,  owner  of 
the  Crest  theatre,  died  here  April  2 after 
a month’s  illness.  He  had  been  in  declining 
health  for  the  past  two  years.  He  took  over 
the  Crest  theatre  in  1947.  He  is  survived 
by  his  widow,  a son,  two  brothers  and  two 
sisters. 


Albert  Swerdlove 

BOSTON : Albert  Swerdlove,  58,  head  of 
Screen  Guild  of  New  England,  Classics  of 
New  England  and  Federal  Film  Co.,  died 
suddenly  in  New  York  April  3.  Surviving 
are  his  wife,  the  former  Mollie  Haase,  and  a 
brother,  Jules,  of  Montreal. 


Adolf  Schwartz 

BRIDGEPORT,  CONN.:  Adolf  Schwartz, 
85,  former  owner  of  the  West  End  theatre, 
died  here  last  week.  Since  his  retirement 
some  years  ago,  his  son,  Jack  Schwartz,  had 
been  operating  the  theatre. 


Robert  Etris,  Pioneer 
Theatre  Manager 

PHILADELPHIA:  Robert  Etris,  82,  a 
pioneer  motion  picture  maker  and  manager 
of  the  Ambassador  theatre,  Washington, 
until  his  retirement  two  years  ago,  died  here 
April  4.  He  entered  the  film  industry  with 
the  Lubin  company,  and  was  connected  with 
a number  of  companies  through  the  years, 
as  well  as  film  exchanges  in  Philadelphia. 
A daughter  survives. 


Phiiip  E.  Fitzpatrick 

PHILADELPHIA : Philip  E.  Fitzpatrick, 
55,  chief  engineer  at  the  Stanley  Warner 
circuit’s  Mastbaum  theatre,  died  here  April 
5.  He  had  been  with  the  circuit  25  years. 


John  O.  Hopkins 

WILMINGTON,  DEL.:  John  O.  Hopkins, 
66,  a veteran  exhibitor  who  operated  the 
Hopkins  theatre  here  for  many  years,  died 
here  recently.  His  son,  John  O.  Hopkins, 
Jr.,  now  manages  the  house. 


Purchase  Drive-in 

PITTSBURGH:  Morris  Finkel  and  Nor- 
bert  Stern’s  Associated  Drive-in  Theatres 
has  acquired  this  area’s  largest  drive-in,  the 
Echo  on  Route  51  near  Large,  Pa.,  from  A1 
Kurtak. 


COLUMBIA  PICTURES  ANNOUNCES  THAT  PRINTS  OF  THE  FOLLOWING 
PICTURES  ARE  NOW  AVAILABLE  IN  OUR  EXCHANGES  FOR  SCREENING 

GIENN  FORD 
ERNEST  B0R6NINE 

JOSE  TREVOR 

FERRER  HOWARD 

ROD  STEIGER 

■pi 

— - — ' — i 

introducing 

OnemaScoP^ 

VALERIE  FRENCH  • FELICIA  FARR 

color  by 

TECHNICOLOR 

with  BASIL  REJYSDAEL  • NOAH  BEERY,  Jr. 

Screen  Play  by  RUSSELL  S.  HUGHES  and  DELMER  DAVES 
Based  on  a Novel  by  PAUL  1.  WELLMAN 

Screenplay  by  BkYAN  KJkBtS  and  klUHAKL)  MAI  BAUM 
Executive  Producers:  IRVING  ALLEN  and  ALBERT  R.  BROCCOLI 

Produced  by  WILLIAM  FADIMAN  • Directed  by  DELMER  DAVES 

Directed  by  JOSE  FERRER 

C|NemaScoP£  Coiorby TECHNICOLOR 

A WARWICK  PRODUCTION 

32 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  APRIL  14,  1956 


ALBANY 

A firm  Easter  Week  start  and  strong 
product  presaged  a profitable  April,  indus- 
try people  believed.  Some  exhibitors  appear 
more  skeptical  about  May,  due  to  the  Day- 
light Saving  Time  check-in  and  possible 
spotty  release  schedules.  . . . The  drive-in 
season,  delayed  by  snowfalls,  had  a later 
handicap  in  mud.  Owners,  however,  felt 
early  attendance  indicated  a good  year.  . . . 
Of  the  announced  plans  for  new  drive-ins, 
one  certain  to  materialize  soon  is  the  400- 
car  Unadilla,  near  Walton.  John  W.  Gard- 
ner, owner  of  Turnpike  at  Westmere,  and 
A.  O.  La  Flamme,  present  director  of 
Strand,  will  open  it  in  May.  Successful  in- 
door manager  here  since  1930,  La  Flamme 
is  leaving  Stanley  Warner  post  May  5.  He 
may  obtain  a winter  assignment  with  that 
organization.  . . . Schine  Circuit  offices 
scheduled  a warm  welcome  for  Louis  W. 
Schine,  on  his  return  to  Gloversville  from 
Florida  after  recuperation  from  surgery  in 
New  York.  . . . Other  exhibitors  who  re- 
cently sunned  in  Florida  include : Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Clarence  Dopp,  of  Frankfort,  North- 
ville  and  Poland,  Mrs.  Wadad  Boumansour, 
of  Malone. 

ATLANTA 

Joe  Hendren,  of  the  Capital  theatre  and 
Holiday  drive-in,  Erwin,  Tenn.,  has  launched 
a $15,000  program  of  remodeling  and  mod- 
ernization of  both  theatres.  . . . Herman 
Meiselman,  of  Charlotte,  N.  C.,  owner  of  a 
chain  of  theatres  in  the  Carolinas,  will  soon 
start  work  on  a conventional  theatre  in  Fay- 
etteville, N.  C.  . . . A 20-ton  air  condition- 
ing system  has  been  installed  in  the  Lake 
theatre,  Clearmont,  Fla.  . . . Roy  Jones, 
owner  of  the  Palmetto  drive-in,  Palmetto, 
Fla.,  reports  that  his  brother  Harry,  who 
was  injured  in  a plane  crash  while  en  route 
to  Evanston,  111.,  is  holding  his  own. 

BOSTON 

More  than  400  friends  and  industryites 
turned  out  for  the  funeral  of  Albert  Swerd- 
love,  president  of  Screen  Guild  of  New  Eng- 
land, which  was  held  at  Levine’s  Chapel, 
Brookline.  Standees  lined  the  aisles  and  rear 
of  the  chapel.  . . . Mai  Green,  head  booker 
for  Interstate,  will  be  laid  up  for  several 
months  due  to  a skiing  accident  in  which 
he  broke  a leg  in  five  places.  . . . Ellis  Gor- 
don, New  England  representative  for  Conti- 
nental Films,  has  moved  his  office  to  20 
Winchester  Street  on  the  first  floor  of  the 
building  recently  purchased  by  Joseph 
Levine  for  a new  home  for  his  Embassy 
Pictures  Corp.  . . . Papers  have  passed  on 
the  Nashua  Drive-in,  Nashua,  N.  H.,  sale 
to  the  Yamins  circuit.  Joe  Bronstein  and  his 
partners,  Kessler  and  Lifman,  have  given 
title  in  an  outright  purchase  of  the  property. 
Accommodating  500  cars,  the  theatre  was 
built  about  five  years  ago.  Under  the  new 
ownership,  major  improvements  will  be 
made  for  a late  April  opening.  A new  play- 
ground area  will  be  installed.  This  acquisi- 
tion marks  the  seventh  for  Yamins. 


BUFFALO 

William  R.  Raikin  and  Peter  G.  Becker 
are  founders  of  the  Foundation  for  the  Pre- 
servation of  the  Legitimate  Theatre  of  West- 
ern New  York  which  will  take  over  the 
Erlanger  theatre  July  1.  The  Erlanger  was 
sold  several  months  ago  by  the  Dipson  cir- 
cuit of  Batavia  to  Ike  Gordon  of  Rochester, 
who  owns  the  property  and  who,  it  is  under- 
stood, has  made  a very  lenient  deal,  extend- 
ing for  a year,  with  the  two  young  men.  . . . 
White  Cloud,  Indian  knife  thrower  and  a 
girl  assistant,  will  be  in  a half  dozen  West- 
ern New  York  cities  and  towns  the  middle 
of  April  to  help  exploit  “Mohawk,”  which 
opens  at  the  Paramount  in  Buffalo  on  April 
27.  Other  towns  to  be  visited  by  White 
Cloud  will  be  Lockport,  Batavia,  Rochester, 
Canandaigua,  Newark,  Elmira  and  Bing- 
hamton. . . . Mrs.  Lee  Gross  Adams,  booker 
in  the  local  AB-PT  executive  offices  is  vaca- 
tioning in  Florida,  to  which  point  she  flew 
the  other  day  with  Mr.  Adams.  . . . Art 
Moger,  Warner  Bros,  exploitation  repre- 
sentative, with  headquarters  in  Boston,  was 
in  Buffalo  the  past  week  discussing  pro- 
motion plans  for  "The  Searchers,”  with  Ar- 
thur Krolick  and  Clias.  B.  Taylor  at  the 
Paramount  Theatres  executive  office.  John 
Wayne  will  visit  Buffalo  in  connection  with 
the  opening  here. 

CHARLOTTE 

George  Carpenter  of  the  Colonial  Theatres, 
Valdese,  is  the  owner  of  a new  car,  courtesy 
the  Variety  Club  supper  club.  The  club  held 
its  first  meeting  March  31  in  the  clubrooms. 
. . . Monday  was  moving  day  for  Allied  Art- 
ists exchange  which  has  occupied  its  new 
home  at  225  W.  4th  St.  Manager  Gene 
Dyer  and  his  salesmen  opened  the  office 
Easter  Monday  and  the  staff  reported  to 
the  new  location  the  next  day.  Easter  Mon- 
day was  a holiday  for  film  exchange  work- 
ers here.  . . . Mrs.  Emery  Wister  spent  the 
Easter  week  end  with  her  parents  at  their 
home  near  Marion.  . . . Business  was  off 
Easter  Sunday  and  exhibitors  blamed  the 
fine  weather  which  caused  thousands  to 
spend  their  time  out  of  doors  rather  than 
inside.  “Come  Next  Spring”  opened  simul- 
taneously at  three  drive-ins  and  the  Visulite 
theatre  here.  . . . MGM  exploiteer  Tom 
Baldridge  was  here  from  Washington. 

CHICAGO 

Business  in  theatres  all  over  the  city  has 
gained  appreciably  since  Easter  Sunday 
night.  Reports  from  various  parts  of  the 
city  indicate  that  box  office  receipts  are  from 
10  to  25  per  cent  higher  than  they  were  for 
the  same  period  a year  ago.  Industry  heads 
feel  that  last  year  was  especially  bad  because 
income  tax  time  coincided  with  the  close  of 
the  Lenten  Season.  . . .“I’ll  Cry  Tomorrow,” 
“Rains  of  Ranchipur,”  “Marty,”  “Last  Fron- 
tier” and  “Invasion  of  the  Body  Snatchers” 
all  gave  strong  support  at  drive-in  and  out- 
lying theatre  box  offices  during  the  past 
week.  . . . The  Belmont  theatre,  remodeled 
and  air-conditioned,  is  reviving  favorite 


musical  selections  on  the  Belmont  theatre 
organ.  . . . Ralph  Banghart,  RKO  field 
representative,  has  discovered  considerable 
added  interest  in  the  reissue  of  “Citizen 
Kane”  at  the  Surf  theatre.  Chicago  news- 
papers have  been  giving  space  in  editorial 
columns  to  the  return  engagement  of  the 
film.  . . . The  Chicago  Daily  News  April  3 
printed  the  largest  movie  ad  in  the  81-year 
history  of  the  newspaper.  It  was  placed  by 
Balaban  & Katz  at  a cost  exceeding  $5,000, 
on  “Alexander  the  Great”  which  opened  at 
the  Chicago  theatre  April  4.  . . . The  Amuse- 
ment and  Recreation  groups,  headed  by  Ar- 
thur Schoenstadt  (president  of  Schoenstadt 
Theatre  Circuit)  contributed  $10,000  to  this 
year’s  Red  Cross  Fund.  Last  year’s  con- 
tributions from  the  same  groups  totaled 
slightly  more  than  $8,000. 

CLEVELAND 

While  downtown  first  runs  are  doing  busi- 
ness with  big  pictures  on  extended  hold- 
overs, subsequent  run  houses  report  business 
down  from  last  year  except  for  the  occa- 
sional outstanding  picture.  . . . Local  sales- 
men staged  a farewell  luncheon  for  MGM 
salesman  Tom  Farrell  who  is  transferred  to 
the  Cincinnati  branch.  . . . Leo  Jones,  Upper 
Sandusky,  on  a Film  Row  visit,  was  accom- 
panied by  his  son,  Dick,  just  completing  his 
freshman  year  at  Notre  Dame  University. 
. . . M.  B.  Horwitz,  head  of  the  Washing- 
ton circuit  and  his  wife  headed  south  to 
vacation  in  Miami  Beach.  . . . Henry  Green- 
berger,  president  of  the  Cleveland  Motion 
Picture  Exhibitors  Association  and  Mrs. 
Greenberger,  returned  with  a three-month 
coat  of  Florida  tan.  . . . Jim  Dempsey  who 
until  recently  had  an  interest  in  three  Toledo 
drive-ins,  has  reportedly  acquired  an  indoor 
and  an  outdoor  theatre  in  Danville,  Ky.  . . . 
George  and  Thomas  Manos  of  Toronto,  O., 
important  Ohio  circuit  owners,  plan  to  have 
their  new  1000-car  drive-in  in  Canton,  O. 
completed  about  May  1.  . . . 20th-Fox  branch 
manager  I.  J.  and  Mrs.  Schmertz  are  back 
from  Florida. 

COLUMBUS 

“Carousel”  proved  one  of  the  biggest  at- 
tractions of  the  year  in  its  first  week  at 
Loew’s  Broad  and  was  held  for  a second 
week.  “Song  of  the  South”  had  a good  re- 
vival week  at  RKO  Palace  and  was  moved 
to  RKO  Grand  for  a second  week.  “Dia- 
bolique”  at  the  Bexley  and  “The  Littlest 
Outlaw”  at  the  World  were  held  for  second 
weeks.  . . . Manager  Robert  Little  of  the 
Bexley  has  recovered  from  a painful  case  of 
poison  ivy.  . . . Manager  Walter  Kessler 
of  Loew’s  Ohio  arranged  for  the  presenta- 
tion of  a wristwatch  sponsored  by  Cyd 
Charisse  and  Dan  Dailey  of  “Meet  Me  In 
Las  Vegas”  to  the  Sweetheart  Queen  of  A. 
Z.  A.,  local  junior  organization  of  B’nai 
B’rith.  . . . Floyd  Gooding  has  purchased 
the  15-acre  Zoo  Park  opposite  Columbus 
Zoo  and  plans  installation  of  new  amusement 
rides  and  general  renovation  of  the  area. 

( Continued  on  following  page ) 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  APRIL  14,  1956 


33 


( Continued  from  preceding  poge) 

The  park  formerly  was  operated  by  the  late 
Leo  Haenlein  and  his  brother,  Elmer.  Good- 
ing is  well-known  in  local  amusement  cir- 
cles and  was  active  in  the  Variety  Club.  . . . 
L«cal  film  editors  have  been  invited  to  attend 
the  premiere  of  Twentieth  Century-Fox’s 
“On  The  Threshold  of  Space"  at  Dayton, 
Ohio. 

DENVER 

Robt.  Smith,  partner  in  the  Chief,  Steam- 
boat Springs,  Colo.,  was  elected  mayor  of 
Steamboat  Springs  one  day,  and  the  very 
next  day  became  the  father  of  a six-pound 
son.  . . . Fred  Helweg,  Buena  Vista  auditor, 
who  headquarters  here,  left  on  an  auditing 
trip  to  Salt  Lake  City  and  Butte,  Mont.  . . . 
Jesse  Chinich,  western  division  sales  man- 
ager, Buena  Vista,  was  in,  and  with  Marvin 
Goldfarb,  district  manager,  they  made  a tour 
of  Goldfarb's  exchanges,  stretching  from  St. 
Louis  to  Salt  Lake  City.  . . . Frank  Monaco, 
Universal  booker,  father  to  Frank  Joseph 
Jr.  . . . Wm.  Claiborne  will  name  his  new 
drive-in  being  built  south  of  Colorado 
Springs,  Colo.,  the  Vista  View.  . . . Sam 
Langwith,  Western  Theatre  Supply  owner, 
taken  ill  as  he  started  on  a trip,  and  entered 
local  hospital  to  recuperate.  . . . Jack  Ber- 
wick, of  the  publicity  department  of  Fox 
Inter-Mountain  Theatres,  and  house  man- 
ager of  their  Esquire,  has  been  made  adver- 
tising and  promotion  manager  locally  by 
Columbia  Pictures. 

DES  MOINES 

John  McKee  Heffner,  81,  for  more  than 
25  years  manager  of  the  Palace  and  Bijou 
theatres  in  Mason  City,  died  at  his  home 
after  an  illness  of  several  months.  Mr. 
Heffner  opened  the  first  theatre  in  Mason 
City,  the  Bijou,  in  1906.  The  first  seats  were 
kitchen  chairs  and  the  projection  room  was 
over  the  ticket  box.  In  recent  years,  Mr. 
Heffner  was  business  manager  of  the  Tyden 
Seed  Co. ; he  retired  in  1953.  . . . The  Lori- 
more  theatre  at  Lorimore,  which  had  been 
closed  for  nearly  a year,  has  reopened  under 
the  management  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Don  Wil- 
liams. The  theatre  is  operating  two  nights 
a week;  businessmen  of  the  community  are 
co-operating  in  supporting  the  establish- 
ment. . . . The  Mallard  theatre  at  Mallard 
is  feeling  an  attendance  slump  and  in  order 
to  tide  the  theatre  over,  members  of  the 
Mallard  Commercial  Club  have  established 
a fund.  Luella  Kress,  theatre  manager,  has 
contributed  a month’s  salary,  and  Wilson 
Brown,  winner  of  $100  at  a recent  “Mallard 
Night,”  has  turned  the  money  back  to  help 
keep  the  theatre  doors  open.  . . . Saturday 
and  Sunday  nights  have  been  made  family 
nights  at  the  Bagley  Legion  theatre  in  Bag- 
ley.  On  designated  weekends,  entire  families 
will  be  admitted  for  one  dollar  despite  the 
size  of  the  family. 

DETROIT 

Brandy  snifters  engraved  “In  a Glass  by 
Itself”  were  passed  out  to  all  local  critics 
by  Howard  Pearl,  United  Artists  publicist. 
Pearl  is  also  planning  a double-page  spread 
in  all  three  local  newspapers  for  “Alexander 
the  Great.”  This  will  be  the  first  time  in 
Detroit  history  that  more  than  one  page  has 
been  used  for  a single  ad.  . . . Only  local 
theatre  damage  reported  in  the  April  3 
tornadoes  was  a blow-down  of  an  Essex 


Township,  Ontario  drive-in  screen.  . . . The 
Detroit  Yacht  Club  is  the  first  private  organ- 
ization in  this  area  to  install  equipment  to 
handle  CinemaScope,  Superscope  and  Vista- 
Vision.  ...  A 38-year-old  Pleasant  Ridge 
housewife  won  the  “Bold  and  Brave”  let- 
ter contest  sponsored  by  RKO  and  United 
Detroit  Theatres.  Mrs.  Mary  Lober,  wife 
of  a Chrysler  tool  and  diemaker,  will  re- 
ceive a four-day  New  York  trip  with  her 
husband  and  sponsor.  . . . Kay  Jordan,  sec- 
retary of  the  president  of  the  Bank  of  the 
Commonwealth,  flew  to  Hollywood  as  win- 
ner of  the  Central  Business  District  salute 
to  women  who  work  in  Detroit.  She  will 
lunch  with  Jane  Wyman.  . . . Harry  Gold- 
smith left  Universal  to  set  up  his  own  Italian 
film  booking  service.  . . . The  Fordson  in 
Dearborn  has  been  closed  by  Frank  Yroso- 
honis. 

HARTFORD 

Ernest  Dorau,  formerly  manager  of  the 
New  Haven  drive-in  theatre,  North  Haven, 
Conn.,  and  at  one  time  general  manager 
of  the  Middletown  Theatres,  Middletown, 
Conn.,  for  the  Morris  Pouzzner  interests, 
has  been  named  manager  of  the  Newington 
theatre,  Newington,  Conn.,  by  Paul  Tolis. 
. . . Robert  Duffy,  assistant  manager,  East 
Windsor  drive-in,  East  Windsor,  Conn.,  has 
been  promoted  to  manager  of  the  Pix  drive- 
in,  Bridgeport,  Conn.  Both  situations  are 
part  of  Lockwood  & Gordon  Theatres.  . . . 
Bercal  Theatres  Inc.,  operators  of  the  Par- 
sons and  Star  here;  Manchester  drive-in, 
Bolton  Notch;  and  Plainfield,  Plainfield,  all 
in  Connecticut,  have  moved  from  the  Star 
building,  1255  Main  St.  to  the  Parsons  build- 
ing, 1087  Main  St.  ...  Joe  Heidt  of  the 
Columbia  exploitation  staff  met  with  George 
E.  Landers,  Hartford  division  manager, 
E.  M.  Loew’s  Theatres,  on  regional  bow  of 
“Rock  Around  the  Clock,”  starring  Bill 
Haley.  . . . Lockwood  & Gordon  Theatres 
have  reopened  the  long-dark  Strand  theatre, 
the  only  conventional,  four-wall  theatre  in 
Winsted,  Conn.,  following  extensive  remod- 
eling of  the  1955-flood  damaged  structure. 
Remodeling  cost  over  $55,000.  Mrs.  Hazel 
Florian  continues  as  resident  manager. 

INDIANAPOLIS 

James  Paikos  and  Art  Cheronis  have 
bought  the  Diana  at  Noblesville  from  the 
Vonderschmitt  circuit,  giving  them  two 
houses  there.  . . . Ed  Lynch  has  announced 
plans  for  a new  drive-in  near  Boonville. 
Work  will  start  May  1,  with  a view  to  a 
summer  opening.  . . . Dick  Frank,  Para- 
mount branch  manager,  is  remodelling  the 
offices  here.  New  air-conditioning  is  part 
of  the  deal.  . . . Jack  Safer,  manager  of 
Safer  Film  Distributors,  was  at  General 
Hospital,  Boston,  last  week  for  a checkup. 

. . . Claude  McKean,  Warners  branch  man- 
ager, is  vacationing  in  Florida.  . . . George 
McDonald  has  succeeded  Herschell  Spencer 
as  manager  of  the  Strand  at  Muncie.  . . . 
Gene  G.  Himelstein  has  bought  the  Eastern 
at  Fort  Wayne  from  Kenneth  and  Forrest 
Hibler.  . . . Reuben  Chambers  has  sold  the 
Jewel  at  Jamestown  and  it  will  be  converted 
for  commercial  use. 

JACKSONVILLE 

Variety  members  of  Tent  44  staged  a 
Saturday  night  “fun  frolic”  at  the  Lakewood 
Woman’s  Club.  . . . Fred  Hull,  MGM  branch 
manager,  expects  to  move  his  staff  into 


Loew’s  handsome  new  building  at  the  corner 
of  Forsyth  and  Washington  streets  about 
May  15.  . . . WOMPI  members  will  cele- 
brate the  first  anniversary  of  their  large 
organization  here  at  Fred  Abood’s  res- 
taurant the  night  of  April  20.  ...  A deli- 
cious luncheon  in  the  Studio  theatre  hon- 
ored the  April  birthdays  of  FST  film  buyer 
Harvey  Garland,  booker  Tom  Gerard  and 
secretary  Bea  Christ.  Attending  was  the 
FST  home  office  staff  and  Film  Row  branch 
managers.  . . . John  Spearing,  projectionist 
and  IATSE  business  manager,  was  rushed 
to  a hospital  for  an  emergency  appendec- 
tomy. . . . The  downtown,  first-run  Palace 
theatre,  which  opened  April  6,  1919,  was 
closed  indefinitely  the  night  of  April  1 by 
Florida  State  Theatres.  Its  first  run  policy 
was  shifted  immediately  to  the  next-door 
Imperial,  a subsequent  run  house  for  many 
years,  and  the  Imperial  policy  went  into  the 
next-door  Empress  which  had  been  shut- 
tered for  nearly  two  years.  . . . J.  J.  Deitch 
and  French  Harvey,  FST  executives,  left  on 
a field  trip  into  the  Miami  area. 

KANSAS  CITY 

One  of  the  most  important  subjects  to  be 
presented  to  the  annual  convention  of  the 
Allied  unit  of  Kansas  and  Missouri  May  8 
will  be  the  Senate  Committee  hearings  on 
industry  trade  practices.  Rube  Shorr,  presi- 
dent of  National  Allied,  will  handle  this 
matter.  Benjamin  Berger,  vice-president  of 
National  Allied,  will  also  speak.  It  will  be 
a one-day  meeting  at  the  Aladdin  hotel,  with 
an  all-industry  luncheon  and  election  of  of- 
ficers at  the  last  afternoon  session.  . . . The 
board  of  directors  of  the  Kansas-Missouri 
Theatre  Association  will  hold  its  first  board 
meeting  under  the  presidency  of  Don  Bur- 
nett, April  18.  . . . The  board  of  directors  of 
the  Greater  Kansas  City  Motion  Picture 
Association  is  to  hold  a meeting  early  in 
April.  . . . George  R.  (Russ)  Stephens,  who 
recently  took  over  as  manager  of  the  RKO 
Missouri  theatre,  has  found  a house,  and 
is  expecting  his  family  to  join  him  here 
shortly. 

LOS  ANGELES 

Ladies  of  Variety  are  honoring  Mrs. 
Morton  A.  Scott,  past  vice-president  of  the 
organization,  at  a luncheon  at  the  Ambassa- 
dor hotel.  Mrs.  M.  J.  McCarthy  is  president 
of  the  club  and  Mrs.  Roy  Reid  is  secretary. 

. . . Roy  Miller,  who  built  the  beautiful 
Carthay  Circle  theatre  with  his  brother 
Fred,  is  very  ill  at  Hollywood  Presbyterian 
Hospital.  . . . Fred  Stein  Enterprises  has 
acquired  the  operation  of  the  Lyric  theatre 
in  Monrovia.  . . . Hugh  Braly,  district  man- 
ager for  Distributors  Corp.  of  America, 
flew  to  San  Francisco.  . . . Bill  Pernett, 
former  pilot  of  the  Village  theatre  in  Clare- 
mont, has  been  transferred  by  Fox  West 
Coast  to  their  Banning  theatre  as  manager 
to  replace  Bob  Dye,  who  has  been  shifted  to 
the  Fox  in  Taft.  . . . Milton  Frankel,  of- 
fice manager  of  Favorite  Films,  has  been 
promoted  to  salesman  with  the  organization. 

. . . On  crutches  after  injuring  her  ankle 
is  Rose  Webb  of  the  B.  J.  Leavitt  organi- 
zation. . . . Manuel  Carnakas,  Mayor  of 
Bakersfield  and  owner  of  the  Vista  and  Vir- 
ginia theatres  there,  was  in  town  to  secure 
some  new  product  for  his  houses.  . . . The 
Film  Row  Club  annual  picnic  date  has  been 
set  for  Saturday,  July  21,  at  the  Crystal 
Springs  area  in  Griffith  Park. 

( Continued  on  opposite  page) 


34 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  APRIL  14,  1956 


MEMPHIS 

The  Ritz  theatre,  Reyno,  Ark.,  which 
was  destroyed  by  fire  recently,  is  being  re- 
built from  the  ground  up  by  its  owner, 
Faye  Lamb.  ...  A baby  girl  has  been  born 
to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Adolph  Baker.  Baby’s 
name  is  Rebecca  Ann  Baker.  Mr.  Baker  is 
city  manager  for  Malco  Theatres,  Inc.,  at 
Owensboro,  where  Malco  operates  the 
Malco  and  Strand  theatres.  . . . WOMPI, 
composed  of  women  of  the  motion  picture 
industry,  had  a second  birthday  party  with 
a dinner  at  Hotel  Chisca.  Joe  Young, 
branch  manager  of  Warner  Bros.,  spoke. 
He  praised  the  assistance  of  WOMPI  in  the 
Variety  Club’s  work  for  the  Home  for  Con- 
valescent Children.  . . . George  Willett  is 
the  new  owner  of  Lindy  theatre  at  Linden, 
Tenn.  . . . Alfred  Bishop,  owner,  has  closed 
the  Houlka  theatre,  Houlka,  Miss.,  for  the 
summer.  . . . Orris  Collins,  owner,  was  in 
town  with  announcement  that  the  Sunset 
drive-in,  Paragould,  Ark.,  was  open  for  the 
new  season.  . . . Loew’s  Palace,  showing  the 
20th-Fox  film,  “Carousel,”  and  Loew’s 
State,  with  MGM’s  “Forbidden  Planet,”  had 
twice  average  business — best  in  several 
weeks. 


MIAMI 

Johnny  Gould,  son  of  United  Artists’  Joe 
Gould,  is  remaining  here  for  ear  surgery  by 
Dr.  Walter  Hotchkiss.  The  Goulds  have 
been  vacationing  in  our  area  and  Mrs.  G is 
staying  on  with  the  child.  . . . Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Harry  (FST’s  district  supervisor)  Botwick 
celebrated  21  years  of  marriage  with  a holi- 
day in  New  York.  . . . Johnny  Johnston 
made  personal  appearances  at  the  theatres 
showing  "Rock  Around  the  Clock,”  and  the 
Paramount  had  a continuous  showing  of  the 
film  for  38  hours.  . . . Vacationing  at  the 
Saxony  were  the  Kes  (WBBM  TV  exec) 
Weinrotts  of  Chicago.  . . . The  Eden  Roc 
was  the  locale  for  the  annual  spring  fashion 
luncheon  of  the  Variety  Club  Women’s 
Committee  which  was  chairmanned  by  Mrs. 
Ed  Melniker,  and  which  benefits  the  Variety 
Children’s  Hospital. 

MILWAUKEE 

The  Bluemound  theatre  here,  managed  by 
Dick  Grede,  will  install  car  heaters  this 
summer  to  be  ready  for  use  this  coming 
fall  and  winter,  it  was  announced  by  Bob 
Gross,  district  manager  for  Smith  Manage- 
ment Co.  . . . The  Violet  theatre  here  now 
is  being  run  by  Petter  Doctor.  . . . Mrs. 
Irene  Zeni,  owner  of  the  Realto  theatre  at 
Norway,  Wis.,  was  in  town  this  week.  Her 
theatre  will  be  handled  by  Theatre  Service. 
. . . John  Vallin,  home  office  representative 
of  United  Artists,  was  visiting  the  exchange 
this  week.  . . . New  personnel  at  the  United 
Artists  exchange  include  Mrs.  June  Steel, 
booker's  clerk,  and  Miss  N.  Stewart,  biller. 
. . . Seen  along  Film  Row  this  week  were 
Don  Deakin  from  Wisconsin  Dells,  and  Red 
Erickson  from  Loyal  Wisconsin.  . . . “The 
Man  in  the  Gray  Flannel  Suit”  was  sneak 
previewed  at  the  Fox-Wisconsin  theatre. 


manager  of  Triangle  Outdoor  Theatres,  is 
back  from  Florida,  where  he  spent  the  win- 
ter. . . . Ray  Lehrman,  salesman  in  north- 
ern Minnesota  for  United  Artists,  resigned. 

. . . The  Navarre  drive-in  at  suburban  Lake 
Minnetonka  is  the  first  in  the  Twin  Cities 
to  open  for  the  season.  Drive-ins  in  the 
Twin  Cities  operated  by  Minnesota  Enter- 
tainment Enterprises  were  scheduled  to  open 
April  13,  but  openings  were  dependent  on 
the  weather.  ...  Ted  Mann,  operator  of  the 
World  theatres  in  the  Twin  Cities,  was  in 
New  York  on  business.  ...  A tentative  list 
of  speakers  at  the  North  Central  Allied  con- 
vention May  15-16  at  the  Nicollet  hotel, 
Minneapolis,  includes  Myron  Blank,  TOA 
president;  A1  Sindlinger,  tax  consultant  for 
National  Allied ; Jack  Kirsch,  president  of 
Allied  of  Illinois;  Senator  Hubert  H. 
Humphrey  of  Minnesota,  and  William  Geh- 
ring,  vice-president  of  20th  Century-Fox. 

NEW  ORLEANS 

The  “Meet  Me  in  Las  Vegas”  contest  is 
in  full  swing  at  the  Saenger  theatre,  where 
young  and  old  are  casting  their  votes  for 
their  favorite  New  Orleans  disc  jockey.  . . . 
W.  G.  Bradley,  Paramount  southern  divi- 
sion manager,  returned  to  home  base  in 
Atlanta  following  a sales  meeting  here  witli 
manager  Bill  Holiday  and  staff.  . . . L.  J. 
“Jack”  Downing,  Haven,  Brookhaven, 
Miss.,  say  that  “if  the  picture  is  appealing 
to  the  teen  agers,  it  will  register  big 
grosses”  these  days.  . . . H.  H.  Moreau, 
Shreveport,  La.,  has  asked  Trans  way  to  re- 
sume transportation  service  to  his  Tiger 
drive-in,  Marksville,  La.  It  has  been  closed 
during  the  winter  months.  The  new  man- 
ager is  Tommy  Ducote,  who  resides  at  the 
theatre.  . . . Universal’s  new  office  manager 
is  Bill  Houston,  who  was  recently  trans- 
ferred here  from  the  Dallas  branch.  . . . 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Harold  “Babe”  Cohen  are 
in  New  York  for  two  weeks  of  business  in 
the  interest  of  Harold  Cohen  Enterprises, 
Inc.  . . . A1  Morgan  of  McLendon  Theatres, 
returned  to  headquarters  at  Union  Springs, 
Ala.,  after  a three-day  buying  and  booking 
trip  here.  . . . Ed  Doherty  of  Exhibitors’ 
Service,  Memphis,  Tenn.,  has  acquired  the 
buying  and  booking  for  the  reopened  Star- 
lite  drive-in,  Canton,  Miss.,  by  James  Sis- 
trunk.  Mr.  Doherty  advised  that  it  will  be 
serviced  out  of  New  Orleans. 

OKLAHOMA  CITY 

United  Theatre  Owners  of  Oklahoma  held 
its  regular  monthly  meeting  April  2.  . . . 
Mrs.  Ethel  Coxey,  manager  of  the  Skytrain 
theatre,  is  in  the  hospital  recovering  from 
an  operation.  She  expects  to  be  home  in 
a few  days.  . . . The  new  concession  stand 
for  the  77  drive-in  theatre  is  being  com- 
pleted and  will  be  ready  for  use  in  another 
week.  It  is  much  larger  and  a great  im- 
provement over  the  present  stand.  . . . Lee 
Bosie,  Clark,  59,  part  owner  of  the  Clark- 
William  Enterprises  and  manager  of  the 
company’s  four  theatres  in  El  Dorado,  Ark., 
died  March  31.  Mr.  Clark  was  an  early 
leader  in  the  theatre  business  at  El  Dorado. 
Survivors  include  his  wife,  two  daughters, 
a brother  and  three  sisters.  . . . T.  N.  Chil- 
dress, owner  of  the  Crest  theatre,  Dallas, 
Texas,  died  April  2 in  a Dallas  hospital.  He 
was  69  years  old.  He  had  owned  the  Crest 
theatre  for  eight  years.  Survivors  include 
his  wife,  a son,  two  brothers,  and  two 
sisters.  . . . “Top  Gun”  is  playing  at  four 
suburban  theatres  here  this  week. 


PHILADELPHIA 

David  Supowitz,  outstanding  theatre 
architect,  was  honored  at  a testimonial  din- 
ner April  9 at  the  Bellevue-Stratford  hotel 
given  by  the  Motion  Picture  Division  of  the 
1956  Allied  Jewish  Appeal.  Jack  Beresin, 
former  International  Chief  Barker  of  the 
Variety  Clubs,  and  branch  manager  How- 
ard G.  Minsky,  were  co-chairmen  of  the 
event,  which  honored  Mr.  Supowitz  not  only 
for  his  architectural  talents  but  for  his  in- 
tensive communal  and  philanthropic  work. 

. . . A memorial  exhibition  of  paintings  by 
the  late  John  Kenneth  Love,  manager  of 
Hunt’s  Beach,  Cape  May,  N.  J.,  is  being 
staged  this  month  at  that  house  in  the  lobby. 

. . . Donald  Tufillaro,  Norristown,  Pa.,  real- 
tor, heads  a syndicate  planning  to  build  an 
open-air  theatre  for  year  round  operation 
near  that  city.  . . . Robert  A.  Forrest,  script 
writer  for  Universal  and  Warner  Brothers 
while  on  the  West  Coast  between  1944  and 
1949,  was  named  program  director  of 
WCAU-TV  here.  . . . Melvin  Fox,  who 
heads  the  independent  chain  of  Fox  Thea- 
tres, is  building  his  eighth  drive-in,  the 
Valley  Forge,  at  King  of  Prussia,  Pa.  Con- 
struction has  already  started  for  his  drive- 
in  at  Olympia  Lakes,  N.  J.,  where  he  also 
operates  an  amusement  park. 

PITTSBURGH 

The  Guild  theatre  gets  its  first  Alec 
Guinness  picture,  “The  Ladykillers,”  fol- 
lowing the  current  “The  Night  My  Number 
Came  Up.”  All  previous  Guinness  pictures 
have  played  the  Squirrel  Hill.  . . . The  city’s 
only  burlesque  house,  the  Casino,  operated 
by  "the  I.  Hirst  Enterprises,  folded  suddenly, 
( Continued  on  following  page) 


means  better  ivide  screen  viewing 


Your  customers  will  notice  and  like 
the  difference  . . . and  that  pays  off 
at  the  box  office.  Costs  no  more 
than  ordinary  screens. 

SUP  E R A M A 

peripheral  vision  wide  screen 

ttJSLTDTILl&T 

MFG.  CORP.  2627  W.  Roosevelt  Rd„  Chicago  8,  III. 


MINNEAPOLIS 

Fire  at  the  Chief  theatre  at  Red  Wing, 
Minn.,  did  about  $10,000  in  damages.  The 
blaze,  which  originated  and  was  confined 
to  the  marquee,  also  did  smoke  damage  to 
the  projection  booth  and  equipment.  House 
is  operated  by  Jack  Wright.  . . . Reno  Wilk, 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  APRIL  14,  1956 


35 


( Continued  from  preceding  page ) 

and  the  chances  are  it  will  stay  closed.  . . . 
"The  Littlest  Outlaw,”  transferred  from  its 
original  booking  in  the  Squirrel  Hill  to  the 
downtown  Stanley,  where  it  will  be  followed 
by  “Serenade.”  . . . Paul  Donahue  switched 
from  the  J.  P.  Harris  to  the  Penn  as  as- 
sistant manager.  . . . “Seven  Wonders  of  the 
World”  has  an  impressive  advance  sale  be- 
fore it  opens  April  19  in  the  Warner.  . . . 
It’s  a daughter  for  the  John  Moriaritys. 
Dad  is  a traveling  auditor  for  the  Stanley 
Warner  Corp.  . . . The  sister  of  Leonard 
Mendlowitz,  Sun-Telegram  movie  critic, 
underwent  surgery  in  McKeesport  Hospital. 
. . . Morris  Finkel  and  Norbert  Stern’s  As- 
sociated Theatres  have  bought  the  Echo 
drive-in  on  Route  51,  the  largest  drive-in 
in  this  area. 

PORTLAND 

Barbara  Nyberg,  daughter  of  Ever- 
green’s Oregon  district  manager  Oscar  and 
Mrs.  Nyberg,  has  the  role  of  Kate  in  the 
University  of  Oregon  production  of  “All 
My  Sons.”  . . . All  of  the  Evergreen  man- 
agers are  off  for  Seattle  for  a big  meet  with 
boss  Jim  Runte.  . . . Orpheum  theatre  man- 
ager Kenny  Hughes  and  Columbia  Field 
Man  Sammy  Siegel  set  up  a big  promotion 
for  “Rock  Around  the  Clock.”  The  climax 
was  a premiere  of  the  film  at  5 P.M.  with  a 
big  stage  show  and  lots  of  prizes.  . . . Mon- 
roe Carlson,  RKO  booker,  has  the  top  role 
in  “Dial  M for  Murder”  at  Civic  theatre. 

PROVIDENCE 

An  application  for  a liquor  license  for  a 
proposed  cocktail  lounge  and  restaurant  on 
the  grounds  of  the  Warwick  Musical  theatre 
was  recently  taken  under  advisement  by  the 
Warwick  Board  of  Police  Commissioners, 
after  a lively  hearing.  More  than  35  persons 
attended  the  hearing,  with  more  than  20 
speaking  in  opposition  to  granting  of  the 
application.  Burton  Bonoff,  producer  at  the 
theatre,  alone  spoke  in  favor.  Residents  of 
the  Quaker  Lane  area,  where  the  proposed 
theatre-cafe  would  be  erected,  were  among 
the  opponents.  A decision  will  be  rendered 
at  the  next  town  meeting  scheduled  this 
month.  . . . One  of  the  largest  downtown 
Pawtucket  real  estate  deals  in  many  years, 
involving  sale  of  virtually  an  entire  city 
block,  is  in  prospect,  it  was  disclosed  re- 
cently. Joseph  J.  Zurmoski,  prominent 
restaurant  owner  and  real  estate  dealer,  said 
a group  he  heads  will  buy  for  $350,000  the 
property  at  Broad,  Beatty,  Mason  Streets 
and  Goff  Avenue.  Comprising  55  tenant 
business  firms;  including  the  Leroy  theatre, 
Pawtucket’s  largest  first  run  house,  the 
property  is  being  sold  by  the  Broad  Street 
Power  Co.,  associated  with  the  operation 
of  the  Leroy.  . . . Rapid  recovery  from  the 
avalanche  of  snows  was  evidenced  by  three 
nearby  drive-ins,  the  Bay  State,  Cranston 
Auto  theatre  and  Route  44  drive-in,  now  ad- 
vertising their  re-opening  attractions. 
Others  are  expected  to  follow  just  as  soon 
as  bulldozers  remove  the  tons  of  snow. 


SAN  FRANCISCO 

Ward  Pennington,  sales  manager  of  the 
local  Paramount  Film  Dist.  office,  transfers 
this  week  to  Milwaukee  as  branch  manager 
of  that  office.  . . . House  records  of  the  Stage 
Door  theatre  are  already  broken  by  the 
$220,000  gross  of  “Guys  and  Dolls”  which 
is  nearing  the  end  of  its  run  there.  That 
gross  is  $20,000  more  than  the  receipts  of 
“Red  Shoes,”  $40,000  more  than  “Hamlet,” 
and  $52,000  more  than  “Julius  Caesar,”  pre- 
vious record  holders.  . . . Stephen  Moore, 
manager  of  the  Vogue  is  on  vacation.  . . . 
The  Calinga  drive-in,  Calinga  was  to  re- 
open the  13th  with  Dick  Kelly  as  manager. 

ST.  LOUIS 

The  Delta  drive-in  theatre,  Sikeston,  Mo., 
was  damaged  for  the  third  time  within  a 
matter  of  months  by  a wind  storm  of  tor- 
nado-like velocity.  The  two  previous  times 
the  screen  was  badly  damaged.  This  time  it 
escaped  the  blow  and  the  concession  house 
received  most  of  the  damage.  The  theatre 
is  closed  while  the  damage  is  being  repaired. 
. . . Mr.  and  Mrs.  Anthony  Fenton,  owners 
and  operators  of  the  Starlite  drive-in,  Boon- 
ville,  Mo.,  have  installed  CinemaScope 
equipment  and  have  opened  the  theatre  for 
the  current  season.  . . . The  management  of 
the  Mid- Way  drive-in,  Highway  61  Lil- 
bourn  Junction  near  Portageville,  Mo.,  will 
open  for  the  season  April  16.  . . . The  Silver 
Star  drive-in  theatre,  north  of  Kirksville, 
Mo.,  did  a lot  of  repairing  and  renovating, 
prior  to  its  recent  opening  for  the  summer 
season. 

TORONTO 

Superintendent  of  the  film  laboratory  at 
Associated  Screen  News  Ltd.,  for  more  than 
27  years,  Morris  Metzger,  70,  died  at  his 
home  in  Montreal  following  a lengthy  ill- 
ness. Metzger,  who  accompanied  Admiral 
Perry’s  1909  polar  expedition,  was  also 
known  as  an  inventor.  In  the  film  industry 
he  was  responsible  for  the  design  of  the 
turret  lens  and  an  automatic  splicing  ma- 
chine to  join  movie  film.  ...  Of  the  275,000 
entries  in  the  Name  the  Oscar  Winners 
Contest  in  Toronto,  through  The  Telegram, 
103  were  winners,  agreeing  with  the  ex- 
perts. A tie-breaker  is  to  be  held  to  ascer- 
tain who  is  going  to  pick  up  the  101  prizes. 

. . . Hamilton  Theatre  Managers  Associa- 
tion have  planned  a stage  and  screen  show 
at  the  Palace  in  Hamilton  in  aid  of  Variety 
Village,  Toronto  Tent  No.  28’s  pet  project. 

. . . Theatres  in  Montreal,  usually  granted 
automatic  renewal  of  their  municipal  per- 
mits, along  with  clubs,  restaurants,  taverns 
and  pool  rooms  May  1,  have  to  make  special 
application  for  their  permits  this  year. 

VANCOUVER 

Bill  Winterton,  manager  of  the  Capitol, 
Saskatoon,  Sask.,  finds  it  pays  to  be  friendly 
with  radio  station  staffs.  Members  of 
CFCQ,  after  seeing  “Trial,”  wrote  a 15- 
minute  script  giving  the  film  a top-flight 


buildup.  It  went  over  the  air  for  free ! . . . 
The  strike  of  100  Famous  Players  and 
Odeon  Theatres  projectionists  has  been 
called  off.  Contract  settlement  was  reached 
between  the  companies  and  B.  C.  projection- 
ists before  the  strike  deadline  which  would 
have  closed  36  theatres  in  the  Vancouver 
and  Nanario  area.  Both  sides  made  conces- 
sions. with  the  arbitration  board’s  finding 
completely  ignored.  . . . The  Provincial 
Government’s  amusement  tax  cut  from  15 
to  10  per  cent  is  now  in  effect  but  the  movie 
and  theatre-going  public  probably  won’t 
notice  it.  Theatre  operators  will  not  pass  on 
the  cut.  They  say  increased  costs  of  opera- 
tion don’t  warrant  a reduction  in  admission 
prices.  . . . Ted  Ross  is  back  on  Film  Row 
after  being  with  Myers  Enterprises  for  the 
past  four  years.  He  is  now  with  Interna- 
tional Film  Distributors  as  office  manager, 
replacing  Jimmy  Davie,  who  is  now  16mm 
manager  and  road  salesman  at  International 
Films.  . . . Warwick  Johnson,  Orpheum  as- 
sistant manager,  is  leaving  Vancouver.  He 
will  spend  six  months  in  Hollywood  before 
leaving  for  his  native  Australia.  He  was 
replaced  at  the  Orpheum  by  Arthur  Lori- 
mer,  former  manager  of  the  now  closed 
Kitsilang  theatre  here. 

WASHINGTON 

The  Variety  Club  of  Washington  was  to 
salute  the  Washington  Senators  baseball 
team  in  the  club  rooms  April  14.  Norman 
Kal  was  chairman  of  the  event.  . . . Robert 
Etris,  82,  retired  manager  of  the  Stanley 
Warner  Ambassador  theatre,  died  April  4 
in  Yeadon,  Pa.  Etris  came  to  Washington 
in  1916  in  connection  with  “Birth  of  a 
Nation.”  He  became  associated  with  the 
Crandall  Theatres  at  that  time,  and  re- 
mained when  the  companv  was  taken  over 
by  Warner  Bros,  and  later  Stanley  Warner. 
. . . Maureen  O’Sullivan  was  in  town  to 
present  awards  for  the  Business  and  Pro- 
fessional Women’s  Club,  the  Hecht  Co.  and 
McCall’s  Magazine.  . . . Jack  Foxe,  Loew’s 
Capitol,  Palace  and  Columbia  publicity'  di- 
rector, and  his  family,  were  vacationing  in 
Florida.  . . . The  Tivoli  theatre  had  a live 
stage  show,  its  first  in  25  years,  when  it 
presented  “Dr.  Jekyl  and  His  Weird  Show.” 
. . . Sara  Young,  booker  at  20th  Century- 
Fox,  is  a grandmother  again.  Her  son. 
Dick,  and  his  wife  are  the  parents  of  a 
second  boy.  . . . The  Washington  Cherry- 
Blossom  Festival,  which  benefited  from  the 
talents  of  Loew’s  eastern  division  manager. 
Orville'  Crouch,  and  Loew’s  Capitol  theatre 
manager,  Joel  Margolis,  drew  the  largest 
crowds  in  its  history. 


WOMPI  Convention  Set 

ATLANTA : The  third  annual  convention 
of  the  Association  of  Women  of  the  Motion 
Picture  Industry,  originally  scheduled  to 
be  held  here  in  October,  has  been  changed 
to  September  28-30,  according  to  Laura 
Kenny,  chairman  of  the  convention  com- 
mittee, who  said  the  event  would  be  held 
at  the  Dinkler-Plaza  hotel. 


2i35  SCREEN  ASPECT  RATIO  WITH  OPTICAL  SOUND 


SUPERSCOPE  STANDARDIZES 
THE  WIDE  SCREEN 

ONLY  SUPERSCOPE  PROVIDES  ANAM0RPHIC 
RELEASE  PRINTS  FROM  STANDARD  "FLAT"  NEGATIVES 


PRINTS  BY  TECHNICOLOR  OR  IN  BLACK  AND  WHITI 


2(55  SCREEN  ASPECT  RATIO  WITH  MAGNETIC  SOUND 


36 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  APRIL  14,  1956 


London  Will 
l it* ml  Allied 
Of  Alichiyan 

DETROIT : Milton  London  of  this  city 
was  elected  president  of  Allied  Theatres  of 
Michigan  at  the  closing  day  of  the  37th 
annual  convention  of  the  organization  here 
last  week.  Other  officers  named  are:  Alden 
Smith,  vice-president;  William  Wetsman, 
treasurer,  and  Bernard  J.  Kilbride,  Jr., 
secretary.  The  advisory  board  consists  of 
Sam  Barrett,  Carl  Buermele,  Clive  Wax- 
man,  William  Clark,  Lou  Mitchel  and  Floyd 
Chrysler.  The  new  board  of  directors  in- 
cludes Mr.  Smith,  Mr.  Wetsman,  Irving 
Belinsky,  Emmett  Roche,  Mr.  Kilbride, 
Adolph  Goldberg,  Frank  Forman,  Mrs.  D. 
Cassidy,  Walter  Fisher,  William  Rice, 
Frank  Spang,  Mr.  London,  Harold  Sharp- 
ley  and  Martin  Newman. 

At  the  convention  banquet,  guest  speaker 
Benjamin  Berger,  of  Minneapolis,  urged 
Michigan  Allied  to  pitch  into  the  struggle 
to  secure  top  pictures  he  said  are  now  denied 
small  town  and  suburban  houses.  Mr.  Ber- 
ger, a member  of  the  committee  presenting 
Allied's  platform  to  the  Senate  Small  Busi- 
ness subcommittee,  said  he  felt  the  ultimate 
solution  to  current  problems  would  come 
through  unity  of  exhibitors  forcing  round 
table  discussion  at  top  levels  among  indus- 
try branches.  He  added  that  even  as  the 
distributors  had  never  expected  divorcement 
to  go  through,  they  would  not  ultimately  be 
able  to  stem  the  tide  running  to  proper  dis- 
tribution of  product  at  decent,  not  con- 
fiscatory, prices. 

Lee  and  Simons  Speak 

Other  addresses  during  the  convention 
included  those  by  Joseph  L.  Lee,  branch 
manager  of  20th  Century-Fox,  and  Mike 
Simons,  customer  relations  head  for  M-G-M. 
Mr.  Lee’s  talk  dealt  primarily  with  Cinema- 
Scope  55,  while  Mr.  Simons  treated  ex- 
hibition generally,  predicting  a rash  of  new 
theatre  building  in  the  near  future,  espe- 
cially drive-ins,  which,  he  predicted,  would 
exceed  in  size  any  now  existing. 

Harold  Brown,  appearing  as  the  local 
chairman  for  the  national  committee  for  the 
elimination  of  the  excise  tax,  gained  the 
convention’s  pledge  of  Michigan  Allied 
support. 

New  York  Variety  Club 
Epilepsy  Drive  April  15 

The  New  York  Variety  Club  Foundation 
to  Combat  Epilepsy  will  commence  its  an- 
nual drive  for  funds  April  15,  it  was  an- 
nounced this  week  by  William  J.  German, 
the  Foundation’s  president.  The  Founda- 
tion is  establishing  and  will  support  the 
Variety  Club  Clinic  for  Children  with 
Epilepsy  at  the  Albert  Einstein  College  of 
Medicine-Bronx  Municipal  Hospital  Center, 
and  will  install  a research  laboratory  there. 


Irving  N.  Margolin  has  been  elected  vice- 
president  and  member  of  the  board  oi 
Cinerama  Productions,  Inc.  He  also  re- 
mains treasurer  of  the  company. 

Charles  L.  Glett,  RKO  executive  vice- 
president,  returned  to  his  Hollywood  office 
this  week  following  a series  of  home  office 
conferences  with  Thomas  F.  O’Neill, 
chairman  of  the  board,  and  Daniel  T. 
O’Shea,  president. 

A.  E.  Bollengier  has  been  appointed  vice- 
president  and  treasurer  of  Magna  Theatre 
Corp.,  succeeding  Malcolm  Kingsberg, 
recently  resigned. 

Charles  Handel  has  been  appointed  pub- 
licit)-  manager  of  I.F.E.  Releasing  Corp. 


Testimonial  Dinner  Held 
For  Cleveland  Critic 

CLEVELAND : About  200  guests  attended 
the  W.  Ward  Marsh  40th  anniversary  tes- 
timonial dinner  held  this  week  at  the  Carter 
Hotel  here.  Mr.  Marsh  has  been  with  the 
Cleveland  Plain  Dealer  40  years  and  is  now 
its  motion  picture  editor.  Among  the  guests 
were  Jerry  Wald,  George  Murphy,  Charles 
Einfeld,  Ernest  Emerling,  Mori  Krushen, 
Jerome  Pickman,  Charles  Simonelli  and 
S.  H.  Fabian.  The  speakers  included  Gov- 
ernor Frank  J.  Lausche,  Mayor  Anthony 
Celebrezzi  and  Allen  Lowe,  official  city 
greeter.  Two  oldtime  films  were  shown — 
a 1915  travelogue  and  a feature,  “New  York 
Hat,”  with  Mary  Pickford  and  Lionel 
Barrymore.  Mr.  Marsh  was  presented  a 
plaque  from  the  Cleveland  City  Council  with 
a resolution  of  commendation  for  his  pro- 
motion of  good  entertainment  and  also  a 
resolution  of  commendation  from  the  In- 
dependent Theatre  Owners  of  Ohio. 

Honor  Supowitz 
At  Testimonial 

PHILADELPHIA : David  Supowitz,  well- 
known  architect  who  has  remodeled  or  built 
almost  500  theatres  along  the  eastern  sea- 
board, was  honored  April  9 at  a testimonial 
dinner  given  by  the  Theatrical  Division  of 
the  1956  Allied  Jewish  Appeal.  The  scene 
was  the  Bellevue-Stratford  Hotel  here. 
William  C.  Gehring,  20th  Century-Fox 
vice-president  and  executive  assistant  to 
Spyros  P.  Skouras,  president,  was  the 
principal  speaker  for  the  occasion. 


Warners  Votes  Dividend 

A dividend  of  30  cents  per  share  has  been 
declared,  payable  May  5,  1956,  to  the 
holders  of  common  stock  of  Warner  Bros, 
of  record  April  20. 


Fred  Goldberg,  advertising  and  publicity 
manager,  who  will  leave  the  company 
April  27,  has  been  appointed  head  of 
the  New  York  office  of  the  Arthur  P. 
Jacobs  Company  and  coordinator  of  the 
firm’s  European  activities. 

Harold  J.  Salemson  has  been  added  to  the 
home  office  sales  staff  of  Continental  Dis- 
tributing, Inc.  He  had  been  assistant  to 
the  executive  vice-president  of  Italian 
Films  Export  for  two  years. 

Mrs.  Edith  Evans,  Malco  theatre  manager, 
Newport,  Ark.,  was  honored  recently  at  a 
banquet  and  dance  at  the  Hotel  Gayoso, 
Memphis,  in  recognition  of  Malco  theatre 
managers  who  have  had  at  least  18  years 
service  with  the  company. 

UP  A Buys  Up 
Its  Columbia 
Cartoons 

United  Productions  of  America  has  pur- 
chased the  TV  rights  to  all  UPA  cartoons 
from  Columbia  Pictures  for  $200,000  with  a 
view  toward  using  the  old  cartoons  for 
UPA’s  TV  program  to  be  inaugurated  over 
the  CBS  network  early  this  Fall.  The  com- 
pany also  revealed  that  Columbia  will  con- 
tinue to  release  new  theatrical  UPA  cartoons. 

Steve  Bosustow,  president  of  UPA  Pic- 
tures, Inc.,  in  New  York  last  week  before 
leaving  for  Europe,  announced  that  he  and 
Ernest  Scanlon,  vice-president,  will  set  up 
a London  office  shortly.  Mr.  Bosustow,  com- 
menting on  the  forthcoming  TV  program, 
said  that  some  26  UPA  cartoons  among 
those  purchased  from  Columbia  will  be 
shown  during  the  52-week  half-hour  pro- 
gram. A seven-year  partnership  contract 
between  UPA  and  CBS  has  been  signed,  it 
was  stated.  The  program  has  an  annual  ad- 
vertising cost  of  $1,638,000,  and  calls  for 
two  six-minute  “featurettes”  and  three 
three-minute  “vignettes.” 

Mr.  Bosustow  added  that  some  78  TV 
featurettes  have  been  completed  to  date, 
while  20  more  are  in  the  planning  stages. 
He  said  the  enlarged  New  York  office  and 
the  one  in  Burbank,  California  will  continue 
to  produce  motion  picture,  commercial,  TV 
spot,  industrial  and  educational  films. 


McEldowney  Back 

Kenneth  McEldowney,  producer  of  “The 
River,”  has  announced  his  return  to  motion 
picture  production  with  the  re-activation  of 
Oriental  International  Films.  Inc.  He  plans 
to  film  three  pictures  in  the  next  two  years, 
all  in  color  and  wide  screen. 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  APRIL  14,  1956 


37 


CLASSIFIED  ADVERTISING 


Fifteen  cents  per  word,  money-order  or  check  with  copy.  Count  initials,  box  number  and  address.  Minimum  insertion  $ 1 .50.  Four 
insertions  for  the  price  of  three.  Contract  rates  on  application.  No  border  or  cuts.  Forms  close  Mondays  at  5 P.M.  Publisher 
reserves  the  right  to  reject  any  copy.  Film  and  trailer  advertising  not  accepted.  Classified  advertising  not  subject  to  agency 
commission.  Address  copy  and  checks:  MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  Classified  Dept.,  Rockefeller  Center,  New  York  (20) 


BOOKS 


NEW  EQUIPMENT 


THEATRES 


EXCELLENT  THEATRE  FOR  SALE  OR  LEASE.  | 
Biggest  growth  area  in  New  England.  Chance  of  life- 
time. BOX  2911,  MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD. 


WANTED  TO  LEASE  DRIVE-IN  THEATRE. 
Can  manage  and  supply  projection  equipment.  Must 
be  Eastern  Pennsylvania  or  New  Jersey.  Give  com- 
plete information  BOX  2914,  MOTION  PICTURE 
HERALD. 


WANTED:  CONNECTICUT  THEATRE.  ALL  RE- 
plies  confidential.  BOX  2915,  MOTION  PICTURE 
HERALD. 


FOR  LEASE:  EXCELLENT  NEIGHBORHOOD 

theatre  in  growing  Indiana.  Equipment  in  good  con- 
dition. CinemaScope  screen.  Opportunity  for  right 
party.  BOX  2916,  MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD. 


LOST  LEASE!  CLOSING  OUT  COMPLETE 
equipment  conventional  theatre — 50  ton  Carrier  air- 
conditioning,  Simplex  mechanisms,  Altec  sound,  Ameri- 
can seats.  Will  sell  all  or  separately.  JOHN 
WILLIAMS,  State  Theatre,  Jackson,  Miss. 


STUDIO  EQUIPMENT 


CINEFLEX  35MM  CAMERA  W/3  LENSES; 
motor;  200'  magazines;  filter  holders  and  case,  $1,500 
value,  $695;  Akeley  Gyro  Tripod,  $900  value,  $595 
Bridgamatic  Jr.  16mm  Automatic  Processor,  $1,500 
value,  $975;  Maurer  16  Camera,  lens,  2 magazines, 
svncmotor,  12V  motor  w/battery,  all  cases,  complete 
$2,395;  5000W  Background  Projector,  reconditioned, 

$595;  Bardwell  McAlister  studio  floodlites,  3 heads 
on  rolling  stand  hold  12  bulbs,  $1S0  value,  $29.50; 
Quadlite  Heads  only,  $4.95;  Stands  only  $19.95;  Moviola 
35mm  composite  sound/picture,  $495.00.  S.  O.  S. 
CINEMA  SUPPLY  CORP.,  602  W.  52nd  St.,  New 
York  19. 


NEW  — FOR  THEATRE  MANAGERS  — “THE 
Master  Guide  on  Theatre  Maintenance,”  compiled  from 
authorities,  handy  for  reference  with  hard  covers  and 
index.  Published  by  Aaron  Nadell.  Price  $5  postpaid. 
Send  remittance  to  QUIGLEY  BOOKSHOP,  1270  Sixth 
Ave.,  New  York  20,  N.  Y. 


RICHARDSON’S  BLUEBOOK  OF  PROJECTION. 
New  8th  Edition.  Revised  to  deal  with  the  latest  tech- 
nical developments  in  motion  pictupe  projection  and 
sound,  and  reorganized  to  facilitate  study  and  refer- 
ence. Includes  a practical  discussion  of  Television 
especially  prepared  for  the  instruction  of  theatre  pro- 
jectionists. and  of  new  techniques  for  advancement  of 
the  art  of  the  motion  picture.  The  standard  textbook 
on  motion  picture  projection  and  sound  reproduction. 
Invaluable  to  beginner  and  expert.  Best  seller  since 
1911.  662  pages,  cloth  bound,  $7.25  postpaid.  QUIGLEY 
BOOKSHOP,  1270  Sixth  Avenue,  New  York  20,  N.  Y. 


USED  EQUIPMENT 


BEAUTIFULLY  REBUILT  LIKE  NEW!  Super 
Simplex  projectors,  cabinet  pedestals,  3000'  magazines, 
Magnarc  or  Mogul  arc  lamps,  70/140  generator.  RCA 
PG230  sound,  price  $3,950.  Available  on  Time.  S.  O.  S. 
CINEMA  SUPPLY  CORP.,  602  W.  52nd  St.,  New 
York  19. 


PEERLESS  MAGNARCS,  EXCELLENT  CONDI- 
tion  $395;  reconditioned  Neumade  Film  Cabinets  2000’, 
$2  section;  hand  rewinds  $7.95  set.  S.  O.  S.  CINEMA 
SUPPLY  CORP.,  602  W.  52nd  St.,  New  York  19. 


EXCELLENT  COATED  PROJECTION  LENSES, 
manv  brand  new!  Wollensak  “Sunray”  Series  l; 
2”,  3”,  3J4”,  314",  5“.  554",  5 54",  6",  M",  $35  pair. 
Superlite  254"-3"-354“  $150  pr.  Trades  Taken.  Wire  or 
telephone  order  today.  S.  O.  S.  CINEMA  SUPPLY 
CORP.,  602  W.  52nd  Street,  New  York  19. 


PLAY  CINEMASCOPE  “55”!  MAGNAPHONIC 
Single  Channel  Magnetic  Sound  complete,  $785;  Cine- 
matic adjustable  anamorphics  $375  pr.,  Mirro-Claric 
Metallic  Seamless  screens  75c  sq.  ft.  Bnv  on  Time. 
S.  O.  S.  CINEMA  SUPPLY  CORP.,  602  W.  52nd  St  , 
New  York  19. 


INTERMITTENT  MOVEMENTS— NEW  SURPLUS 
for  Simplex  $69.50;  DeVry  $59.50;  Holmes  $24.50. 
Automatic  enclosed  rewinds  $69.50.  S.  O.  S.  CINEMA 
SUPPLY  CORP.,  602  W.  52nd  St.,  New  York  19. 


DRIVE-IN  EQUIPMENT 


IN-CAR  SPEAKERS  $4.25!  YEAR  WARRANTY. 
4"  unit,  steel  case  painted  blue-white.  Pri  e per  set 
2 speakers  junction  box,  $12.25.  S.O.S.  CINEMA 
SUPPLY  CORP.,  602  \V.  52nd  St.,  New  York  19. 


POSITION  WANTED 


AGGRESSIVE,  EXPERIENCED,  EXPLOITATION 
minded  manager,  32  years  of  age,  desires  change. 
10  vears’  of  experience,  married,  will  locate  am  where. 
Starting  salary  $100.  BOX  2913,  MOTION  PICTURE 
HERALD. 


POPCORN 


WORLD-WIDE  HEADQUARTERS  FOR  POP- 
corn,  popcorn  equipment  and  supplies.  POPCORN 
VILLAGE,  Nashville,  Tenn.,  U.S.A. 


HELP  WANTED 


WANTED:  EXPERIENCED  FILM  EDITOR  TO 
relocate  in  Washington,  D.  C.  Experience  in  sound 
work  helpful  but  not  necessary.  Send  complete  resume, 
salary  wanted,  etc.  BOX  2917,  MOTION  PICTURE 
HERALD. 


THEATRE  EQUIPMENT  AND  SUPPLY  INFORMATION  SERVICE 


I would  like  the  latest  information  concerning  the 
equipment  and  supplies  indicated  by  number  below  or 
3S  otherwise  specified: 


"I 


, 

I 

| 

I 

I 

Name | 

Address ^ 

I 

Town ; 

Name  of  Theatre Seating  Capacity , 


THEATRE  OWNERS  AND  MANAGERS  may  procure  the  latest 
information  concerning  theatre  equipment  and  supplies  by 
writing  Motion  Picture  Herald,  indicating  their  interests. 
Merely  fill  out  the  adjoining  coupon  and  mail  in  business 
envelope.  For  further  convenience  various  classifications  are 
listed  below  with  numbers  for  indicating  them  conveniently  in 
the  coupon.  Mail  the  coupon  to  Motion  Picture  Herald,  Theatre 
Service  Department,  1270  Sixth  Avenue,  New  York  20,  N.  Y. 


3 I W — Air-conditioning 
32W — Wall  materials 
33W — Drive-in  admission 
control  systems 
34W — In-car  speakers 
35W — In-car  heaters 
36W — Screen  towers 
37W — Vacuum  cleaners 
38W — Carpeting 


39W — Rubber  mats 
40W — Interior  lighting 
4IW — Projection  lamps 

42  W — Projectors 

43  W — Motor-generators 

44  W — Rectifiers 
45W — Screens 

46W — Magnetic  sound 
47W — Auditorium  seating 


48W — Curtain  tracks 
49W — Ticket  registers 
50W — Hand  driers 
51 W — Beverage  dispensers 
52W — Food  specialties 
53W — Frankfurter  grilles 
54W — Ice  cream  cabinets 
55W — Popcorn  warmers 
56W — Carry-out  trays 


38 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  APRIL  14,  1956 


An  International  Association  of  Motion  Picture  Showmen — Walter  Brooks , Director 


A tf/lwe  Jaticrable  China te  Jot  Jfletm  pictured 


Nr  OT  necessarily  a Florida  climate,  but 
a better  acceptance  of  motion  pic- 
tures generally  by  opinion  makers. 
This  is  something  which  shines  as  the  sun, 
or  maybe  under  a cloud.  Temperatures  can 
drop,  with  important  areas  of  the  public- — 
and  you’ll  notice  the  chill,  at  the  box  office. 

We  quote  the  phrase,  which  we  use  as 
a headline  on  this  page,  from  Dave  Jones’ 
excellent  contribution  to  the  TOA  “Busi- 
ness Builders’  ” bulletin.  He  is  a substantial 
member  of  the  organization’s  showmanship 
committee  and  speaks  with  the  authority 
derived  from  experience  with  the  Kerasotes 
Theatres  in  Springfield,  111.  We  never  met 
him,  but  we  know  his  town  and  have  visited 
some  of  these  theatres  at  the  local  level. 

The  bulk  of  his  good  advice  in  this  bulletin 
is  to  urge  theatre  managers  to  become  better 
acquainted  with  their  newspaper  men  who 
determine  the  “climate”  for  motion  pictures 
in  their  own  pages,  and  to  a large  extent, 
in  their  communities.  But  there  are  many 
more  who  fortify  their  general  objective 
— and  the  theatre  manager  who  “covers  the 
waterfront”  in  his  own  town  is  a man  of 
many  parts  and  plays  many  roles  in  com- 
munity affairs. 

He  is  as  familiar  with  the  local  civic  of- 
ficials, school  authorities,  church  leaders, 
women’s  clubs  and  businessmen’s  organiza- 
tions as  he  is  with  editors  and  publishers. 
In  fact,  if  he  gets  over  his  business  front, 
the  newspaper  man  will  look  up  to  the  thea- 
tre manager  as  a leader — and  a shounnan. 
There  is  nothing  in  community  relations  that 
doesn’t  require  showmanship,  and  even  a 
newspaper  needs  the  benefits  of  the  same 
skills  that  sell  tickets  at  the  box  office.  Your 
editor  will  know  that  when  he  knows  you 
— if  you  are  both  alert  and  can  see  eye  to 
eye,  with  a clear  vision  of  the  road  ahead. 

Theatre  managers  who  have  properly 
developed  their  newspaper  relations  have 
helped  to  sell  advertising  to  other  coopera- 
tive merchants,  and  even  get  behind  cam- 
paigns or  contests  to  build  circulation, 
which  pays  off  in  added  coverage  at  the 
point  of  sale. 


HALF  A BILLION  DOLLARS 

Jay  Remer,  in  his  by-line  story  in  last 
week's  HERALD,  gave  a factual  report  of 
new  product  coming  up,  with  the  headlined 
twist  of  "Half  a Billion  Reasons  Things  Are 
Looking  Up" — referring  to  the  $500,000,- 
000.00  that  producers  must  put  on  the  line 
to  pay  for  pictures  that  are  to  be  made  or 
released  during  the  current  year. 

We  sometimes  wonder  if  working  man- 
agers realize  just  what  this  means,  or  do 
the  box-car  numbers  help  to  conceal  the 
issue.  As  a matter  of  fact,  it's  not  news 
that  film  industry  must  provide  new  money, 
every  year,  if  new  pictures  are  to  be 
created.  Ours  is  one  of  a few  special  in- 
dustries wherein  production  must  be  re- 
financed, in  its  entirety,  to  enable  the 
studios  to  turn  out  new  films.  Most  of  the 
major  companies  and  the  accumulated  in- 
dependents, spend  as  much  as  fifty  to  one 
hundred  million  dollars  per  year,  separately. 

Exhibition  in  theatres  doesn't  require  this 
burden  of  new  financing,  for  the  cost  of  a 
new  theatre  can  be  amortised  over  as  long 
a period  as  thirty  years.  But  the  produc- 
tion cost  of  films  must  be  amortised  in  as 
short  a time  as  thirty  months,  and  it  is  not 
uncommon  for  the  inventory  value  of  a pic- 
ture that  has  been  as  long  in  release  to  be 
carried  at  $1.00  on  the  company's  books. 
Where  do  they  get  the  money  for  new 
pictures?  Well,  it  has  to  reproduce  itself — 
or  there  wouldn't  be  any  new  product. 


<J  CURTIS  MEES,  who  writes  with  au- 
thority for  Better  Theatres,  made  a per- 
sonal appearance  on  last  week’s  Round 
Table  picture  page  in  his  alternate  capacity 
as  manager  of  the  Paramount  theatre  in 
Atlanta.  He  was  surrounded  with  so  many 
Colonels  in  the  Air  Force  Reserve,  who  had 
to  be  identified,  that  we  didn’t  have  caption 
room  enough  to  give  him  further  credit  as 
a member  of  our  editorial  staff. 


«I  ANOTHER  manager  in  our  travels  is 
reported  for  a system  which  is  neither  new 
nor  exclusive,  for  determining  the  proper 
age  of  juveniles  who  cross  the  box  office 
barrier  between  adolescence  and  being 
“grown-up”  for  a higher  admission  price. 
He  doesn’t  question  them  about  vital  statis- 
tics nor  ask  them  to  produce  a birth  certi- 
cate.  Fie  merely  backs  them  against  the  wall 
— where  there  is  a strong  black  line  marked 
in  enduring  stencil,  and  if  they  measure  “up 
to  here”  they  are  grown-up,  but  if  they  lack 
an  inch  or  so,  they  are  still  eligible  for  chil- 
dren’s admission.  It  saves  a lot  of  argument 
and  the  safety  factor  is  considerable,  for  even 
juveniles  can  be  overgrown  to  the  point  of 
promoting  disorder  among  the  small  fry. 
Back  to  the  wall,  there  is  no  argument — if 
you’re  taller  than  the  rules  allow. 

This  is  surely  an  inexpensive  and  orderly 
way  to  encourage  youngsters  to  be  on  good 
terms  with  the  doorman  and  to  be  well  and 
favorably  known  for  their  good  behavior  as 
well  as  their  right  age. 

€J  SARAH  KELLAR,  who  is  a good  booker 
for  MGM  and  also  president  of  WOMPI,  in 
Jacksonville,  has  an  idea  which  is  worth 
attention,  since  it  strikes  home  on  a particu- 
larly sensitive  spot  in  industry  relations.  She 
thinks  that  every  local  or  regional  unit  of  the 
Women  of  Motion  Picture  Industry  should 
have  at  least  one  man  on  the  board — and 
currently,  they  are  mulling  over  the  idea  of 
calling  this  fortunate  male  their  “Mascot” — 
which  is  not  at  all  what  it  should  be.  They 
concede  that  men  are  sometimes  useful  as 
well  as  ornamental,  and  they  want  to  have 
a man  around  the  place,  who  will  be  specially 
favored  with  the  privilege  of  extending  his 
influence  in  behalf  of  WOMPI  on  their 
home  grounds.  Such  a selection  would  truly 
be  “The  Man  of  the  Year”  along  every  Film 
Row — and  we  pause  to  watch  for  the  first 
announcement  of  this  appointment — extend- 
ing our  sincere  congratulations,  and  sym- 
pathy, to  the  lucky  guy.  — Walter  Brooks 


MANAGERS’  ROUND  TABLE  SECTION,  APRIL  14,  1956 


39 


This  tall  gal — standing  twenty  feet  high  in  the 
lobby  of  the  Capitol  Theatre,  on  Broadway,  is 
apt  to  be  on  view  for  quite  a long  time, 
announcing  the  "next  attraction"  to  succeed 
"Alexander  the  Great."  Jane  is  also  Great, 
in  her  special  way,  and  Alexander  would  have 
liked  her — nor  will  he  object  to  the  billing. 


Alice  Gorham  presents  another  of  her  fine 
lobby  displays,  this  one  devoted  to  apprecia- 
tion of  Detroit's  women  workers,  at  the 
Michigan  theatre.  United  Detroit  Theatres 
have  a Quigley  Grand  Award  winner  in  charge 
of  their  Department  for  Ticket  Sales. 


GORDON  MACRAE  SHIRLE 
THE  GREATEST  ADYAN 


A real  carousel,  juvenile  size,  was  part  of  street  ballyhoo,  for  the  opening  of 
Carousel  at  the  Fox  Wisconsin  theatre,  Milwaukee.  You  can  find  these 
amusing  little  contraptions  around  the  country,  where  owners  plan  to  please 
children  for  a small  fee. 


John  Roach,  manager  of  the  Stanley  theatre,  Philadelphia,  at  left,  poses  with 
the  winners  in  his  "Rock  n1  Roll"  contest — they  were  dancing  in  the  lobby.  At 
right,  the  bashful  young  man  who  can't  take  the  flashlights  is  Bill  Haley,  in 
person,  with  Jimmy  Meyers,  a music  sponsor. 


The  Honolulu  Hawai- 
ian Drill  Corps  pro- 
vided the  street  attrac- 
tion for  the  opening  of 
"Threshold  of  Space" 
at  the  Fox  theatre,  San 
Francisco. 


Vic  Nowe,  manager 
of  Odeon's  flagship 
theatre  in  Toronto,  had 
a complete  Japanese 
room  built  in  his  lobby, 
as  special  atmospheric 
display  for  "Three 
Stripes  in  the  Sun."  A 
renowned  singer  of 
local  reputation  was  in- 
trigued with  the  pro- 
ceedings. 


40 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  APRIL  14,  1956 


St 


owm  en  in 


^y4cti 


on 


We’re  happy  to  report  that  we’ve  been  to 
see  Monty  Salmon,  at  the  Cedars  Hospital, 
Gulfport,  near  St.  Petersburg,  and  that  lie’s 
progressing  nicely  in  the  pleasant  setting 
of  Florida  sunshine,  with  nice  surroundings 
and  good  care.  Just  to  show  you  that  the 
Round  Table  is  an  association  of  good  show- 
men who  are  also  men  of  good  will,  a letter 
comes  from  Walter  Tremor,  manager  of 
Florida  States’  Florida  theatre,  in  St.  Peters- 
burg, who  says  that  he  and  Frank  Bell,  divi- 
sion manager,  called  on  Monty,  too,  and  had 
a great  time,  talking  over  old  times  and 
swapping  jokes. 

Monty  and  Frank  Bell  are  friends  from 
their  days  in  Atlanta,  and  that  was  long  ago 
— so  they  had  some  hearty  laughs  and  thor- 
oughly enjoyed  the  reunion,  which  will  be 
good  for  Monty.  They  took  pains  to  provide 
the  Cedars  Hospital  with  plenty  of  passes 
for  the  movies,  in  true  Salmon  tradition — 
and  say  they  are  going  to  get  him  over  to 
the  theatre,  on  his  crutches,  but  comfortably, 
to  see  some  of  the  newer  films  that  are 
coming  up.  Walter  says  that  Monty  is  sort 
of  a celebrity  in  town,  and  that  some  St. 
Petersburg  newspaper  boys  and  girls  have 
been  over  to  interview  him.  The  word  will 
be  passed  around  among  Round  Table  mem- 
bers that  Monty  is  temporarily  a resident  of 
the  Sunshine  City. 

T 

Jim  LaFarr,  manager  of  Schine’s  Seneca 
theatre,  Salamanca,  N.  Y.  had  an  Easter 
talent  show,  with  kiddies  under  12  as  con- 
tenders, and  the  superintendent  of  schools 
as  a judge,  with  prizes  promoted  from  local 
merchants.  There’s  nothing  about  this  sort 
of  an  Easter  show  that  can’t  be  done  over 
and  over  again,  at  all  seasons  of  the  year. 

T 

Audrey  Hepburn  has  recorded  her  first 
song,  the  Gershwin’s  “How  Long  Has  This 
Been  Going  On?”  for  Paramount’s  “Funny 
Face” — and  all  showmen  are  alerted  to  the 
fact  that  her  throaty,  whispery  delivery  of 
the  sentimental  lyrics  will  make  news,  on 
paper  and  in  the  air  waves.  Her  song 
wowed  them  in  the  control  room,  and  she’s 
a great  actress — who  can  turn  out  a mean- 
ingful song,  not  merely  a jumble  of  words. 
Fred  Astaire  will  be  her  co-star  and  ever- 
loving  admirer. 

▼ 

Elmore  D.  Heins,  manager  of  National 
Theatres  American  theatre  in  Roanoke,  Va., 
is  another  who  writes  to  tell  us  that  Kincey 
houses  have  been  using  the  student  discount 
card,  recently  described  in  the  Round  Table, 
for  a number  of  years,  but  we  still  applaud 
the  Wisconsin  Allied  organization  for  re- 
discovery rights,  which  will  put  the  good 
idea  into  wider  circulation  and  use  in  de- 
veloping ticket  sales.  The  sample  submitted, 
from  the  Carolina  and  National  theatres, 
Greensboro,  N.  C.,  carries  rules  of  order, 
and  a photograph.  It  is  re-issued  every  year, 
to  juvenile  patrons  of  good  character. 


Coming  back  to  New  York  via  Washing- 
ton, for  a reunion  with  friends  there  at  the 
National  Press  Club,  we  noticed  most  espe- 
cially the  face-lifting  job  that  has  been  done 
at  the  RKO  Keith’s  theatre,  with  the  en- 
tire building  rejuvenated.  Across  14th 
Street,  the  United  States  Treasury  has  had 
similar  treatment — and  we  don’t  know  who 
set  the  example,  but  it’s  a great  improve- 
ment. Even  those  49,780  starlings  have  been 
dispossessed  from  the  Treasury  building — 
and  they  no  longer  chatter  and  commit  other 
atrocities  far  into  the  night.  Guess  we  will 
credit  RKO  Theatres  with  a major  civic 
and  national  benefit,  since  this  is  circuit 
policy  throughout  the  country. 

▼ 

Word  comes  that  our  old  and  good  friend, 
Claude  Mundo,  whom  we’ve  seen  on  sev- 
eral occasions  in  Little  Rock,  Arkansas,  will 
be  in  New  York  this  week  to  take  over  his 
new  assignment  as  administrative  assistant 
to  Myron  Blank,  president  of  Theatre  Own- 
ers of  America,  in  their  New  York  head- 
quarters. We’ll  be  looking  forward  to  an 
early  meeting  with  Claude,  and  this  time, 
on  our  home  grounds,  and  we  want  to  wel- 
come him  in  the  same  way  that  he  wel- 
comed us,  down  there. 

▼ 

Gorgeous  Carol  Ohmart — and  we’re  not 
merely  quoting  the  Paramount  release  with 
these  fine  words — for  we’ve  seen  her  be- 
fore, will  be  the  guest  in  Salt  Lake  City  for 
the  world  premiere  of  her  first  starring  film, 
“The  Scarlet  Hour.”  Sorry  we  can’t  be  in 
Salt  Lake  City,  but  we  do  hope  to  see  her 
someday  in  New  York. 

T 

Fox  West  Coast  Theatres  are  starting 
now  to  push  their  drive  for  Memorial  Day 
with  circuit  managers,  which  comes  Wednes- 
day, May  30th,  and  is  pertinent  to  all  parties 
concerned,  including  local  merchants,  civic 
and  veterans  organizations,  etc.  Showmen 
will  make  an  important  day  of  it,  depending 
on  their  abilities. 


Mrs.  Mary  Quinn,  lucky  winner  of  the 
$5 00  first  prize  in  RKO  Theatres'  recent 
"Deep  Blue  Sea"  contest  in  which  $1,000  was 
distributed  to  writers  of  the  best  advice  to 
Vivian  Leigh,  who  played  the  part  of  a wife 
with  a deep  personal  problem.  Here,  Mrs. 
Quinn  receives  her  check  from  William  W. 
Howard,  vice  president  of  RKO  Theatres. 


“The  Birds  and  the  Bees”  is  another  up- 
coming Paramount  picture  with  plenty  of 
exploitation  possibilities,  and  we  want  to  re- 
mind Jerry  Pickman’s  boys  that  the  gentle- 
men of  the  press  are  only  slightly  familiar 
with  the  origin  of  this  title,  or  the  meaning 
of  it,  so  it  should  be  explained,  with  gestures 
and  suitable  exhibits. 

T 

The  Legion  Theatre  in  Mayfield,  Ken- 
tucky, is  having  a real  to-do  this  week  with 
the  opening  of  United  Artists’  “Quincan- 
non,  Frontier  Scout”  on  something  like  his 
old  home  grounds.  Lige  Brien,  director  of 
special  events  for  UA,  is  on  the  spot,  spear- 
heading the  activities. 

▼ 

We  are  advised  that  James  Burns,  man- 
ager of  the  Regal  cinema,  Glasgow,  who 
won ’this  year’s  Associated  British  Cinemas, 
Ltd.,  contest  as  the  Champion  Manager,  and 
a trip  to  the  U.  S.  as  his  award,  will  not 
be  here  temporarily  “for  domestic  reasons” 
— and  when  he  comes  over,  his  family  will 
be  larger  than  it  is  now. 


In  Baltimore,  Technical  Sergeant  Frank  Ronrs,  of  the  United  States  Marines,  and 
Rodney  Collier,  select  the  winning  secretary  in  the  Stanley  Theatre's  contest  for  "Miracle 
in  the  Rain" — and,  at  right,  in  New  York,  the  Cathedral  Canteen  chooses  the  one 
millionth  service  man  in  another  contest  for  the  same  "Miracle"  at  Loew's  State  theatre 
on  Broadway.  Father  Kelly  and  Lou  Ann  Simms  congratulate  the  winner.  Private 
John  Nielson. 


MANAGERS'  ROUND  TABLE  SECTION,  APRIL  14,  1956 


41 


A 


pprocic 


k 


FORBIDDEN  PLANET  — MGM.  Cinema- 
Scope,  in  Eastman  Color.  Nothing  like  it, 
ever.  In  the  year  2200,  a space  cruiser 
reaches  a remote  planet,  Altair — and  a 
fabulous  forbidden  world  opens  up  to  the 
earthmen!  Amazing,  is  the  word  for  it. 
With  Walter  Pidgeon,  Anne  Francis,  Leslie 
Nielsen,  and  Robby  the  Robot.  He's  quite 
a guy,  and  has  been  attending  exhibitor 
conventions  for  MGM's  department  of 
ticket  sales.  24-sheet  is  strong  display,  with 
suitable  art  for  cutouts  in  your  lobby  or 
theatre  front.  A very  good  herald,  from 
Cato  Show  Print,  is  a good  prospectus  of  a 
visit  to  "Forbidden  Planet"  and  will  sell  all 
the  fans  who  like  science  fiction.  It's  a big 
herald,  with  a coloring  contest  cover.  Buy 
it  with  the  back  page  blank  and  sell  the 
idea  to  a cooperative  advertiser.  In  fact, 
there  are  two  kinds,  either  with  or  without 
the  coloring  contest  page,  and  without,  it 
features  a big  picture  of  "Robby  the 
Robot" — perhaps  a good  idea  to  buy  some 
of  each,  and  mix  them  up,  with  a "lucky 
number"  on  the  coloring  page.  Newspaper 
ad  mats  are  descriptive  and  varied  for 
size  and  shape,  with  the  complete  cam- 
paign mat  at  35c  offering  ten  ad  mats  and 
slugs,  plus  two  publicity  mats  and  some 
free  borders,  more  than  sufficient  to  pro- 
vide a choice  of  material  in  small  situations. 
This  is  one  of  the  pictures  included  in 
MGM's  deal  with  "Quaker  Oats"  which 
gives  free  tickets  to  children  who  are  ac- 
companied to  the  theatre  by  paying  adults. 
We  urge  you  to  take  advantage  of  this 
fine  merchandising  tieup,  which  will  pay 
a profit,  and  cost  you  nothing,  in  the  actual 
doing.  Remember,  the  drive-ins  always  ad- 
mit children,  for  free.  A very  big  standee 
of  "Robby  the  Robot'  is  worth  the  $8.50  it 
costs,  for  it  has  a "3-D"  effect.  You  may 
find  that  your  supermarkets  and  food  stores 
will  display  this  effective  item. 

• 

THE  BOLD  AND  THE  BRAVE  — RKO- 

Radio  Pictures.  SuperScope.  The  Guts 
and  Glory  Story,  boldly  and  bravely  told. 
The  loves  of  the  bold — the  glory  of  the 
brave!  Wendell  Cory,  Mickey  Rooney, 
Don  Taylor,  Nichole  Maurey  and  a brave 
cast,  in  a story  of  our  fighting  men.  No 
poster  larger  than  the  6-sheet,  but  all  are 
planned  for  lobby  and  marquee  display 
purposes.  The  folder  herald  keys  the  cam- 
paign in  a majority  of  situations.  RKO's 
pressbook  is  a mine  of  information  for 
showmen,  and  is  not  replaced  by  this  re- 
view. An  Army  tieup  is  compulsory — and 
there  isn't  a town  that  doesn't  have  a 
Veterans'  Post.  Liberty  Records  have  a 
music  tieup.  Newspaper  ad  mats  are 
strong  and  good,  while  the  special  35c  ad 
mat  fills  all  requirements  for  small  theatres, 
for  the  price  of  a single  mat. 


ANYTHING  GOES — Paramount.  In  Vista- 
Vision,  with  color  by  Technicolor.  Bing 
Crosby,  Donald  O'Connor,  Jeanmaire, 
Mitzi  Gaynor,  Phil  Harris — when  these 
shining  stars  sing  and  dance  those  Cole 
Porter  melodies — you'll  know,  it's  "Any- 
thing Goes."  All  the  song  hits  of  a great 
stage  hit,  in  a big,  new  musical  motion  pic- 
ture. The  gayest  stars  in  the  greatest 
music — "You  Can  Bounce  Right  Back" — for 
"It's  DeLovely!"  24-sheet  and  all  posters 
have  that  pictorial  art  to  make  your  own 
kind  of  lobby  and  marquee  display.  Buy 
your  posters — don't  rent  'em — paste  'em 
and  cut  'em  up  for  special  handling.  News- 
paper ad  mats  are  representative  of  Para- 
mount's fine  pressbook  style,  from  a set  of 
teaser  ads  that  will  attract  to  display  mats 
of  all  sizes  and  shapes,  including  the  com- 
plete campaign  mat,  for  35c  at  National 
Screen,  which  is  especially  well  planned  for 
the  promotion  of  small  theatres,  with  six 
ad  mats  and  slugs,  and  three  publicity  mats, 
all  for  one  price.  Special  herald  keys  the 
campaign,  new  color  stills  sell  color  with 
color  in  your  special  lobby  frame,  to  com- 
pete with  TV.  Music  tieups  are  naturally  the 
basis  of  local  cooperation,  and  Bing  is  al- 
ways popular  with  disc  jockeys  and  music 
stores.  Merchandising  promotion  with  a 
title  as  zingy  as  "Anything  Goes"  will  sug- 
gest a tieup  along  your  own  Main  Street, 
for  sponsorship  by  a cooperative  advertiser. 


POSTMARK  FOR  DANGER— RKO-Radio 
Pictures.  A good  action  thriller,  made  in 
England  against  authentic  settings,  with  an 
American  cast  and  direction.  Terry  Moore, 
Robert  Beatty,  William  Sylvester,  Geoffrey 
Keen,  Josephine  Griffin,  in  a fast  moving 
story  that  starts  with  a crash,  right  in  the 
main  title,  and  never  lets  down.  A glamour 
star,  an  exciting  story  and  an  exotic  setting 
— who  could  ask  for  more?  It's  a natural 
for  exploitation  and  it's  postmarked  for 
profits.  No  poster  larger  than  the  6-sheet, 
but  all  are  good  and  will  serve  for  lobby 
and  marquee  cutouts.  Newspaper  ad  mats 
are  okey  and  the  composite  35c  mat  sup- 
plies eight  ad  mats  and  slugs,  plus  two 
publicity  mats  for  small  theatres.  It's  a 
good  show  for  theatres  competing  with 
television,  so  use  it. 


. . . Timely  news  supplementing  the 
special  monthly  department  covering 
all  phases  of  refreshment  service. 


Pepsi-Cola  ~s 
Sales  at  Peak 

Earnings  of  the  Pepsi-Cola  Company  and 
its  gross  profit  on  sales  reached  a new  high 
in  1955,  according  to  a report  by  company 
officials. 

The  company’s  earnings  rose  to  a new 
record  of  $9,456,766  or  $1.60  a common 
share,  it  was  stated.  This  compares  with  a 
net  profit  of  $6,212,690  or  $1.07  a share,  the 
previous  year.  At  the  same  time  gross  profits 
on  sales  climbed  to  a new  peak  of  $62,823.- 
327  from  $51,787,727. 

Case  and  dollar  volume  of  Pepsi-Cola  sales 
in  1955  were  the  highest  in  the  firm’s  his- 
tory, the  report  revealed,  with  domestic  sales 
running  19%  ahead  of  1954.  For  competi- 
tive reasons,  companies  in  the  soft  drink 
field  customarily  do  not  release  actual  vol- 
ume figures. 

Further  increases  in  sales  and  earnings 
are  expected  for  the  company  in  1956,  ac- 
cording to  Herbert  L.  Barnet,  president,  who 
predicts  a further  jump  of  between  18%  and 
20%.  This  has  been  corroborated  by  board 
chairman  Alfred  Steele,  who  said,  “Our  pro- 
gram is  to  step  up  our  earnings  and  divi- 
dends reasonably  fast.” 

Pepsi-Cola  accounts  for  about  18%  of  the 
domestic  soft  drink  market.  Its  officials 
have  noted  that  the  firm’s  expansion  ranges 
from  a growing  vending  machine  business 
to  increased  volume  overseas. 

In  the  first  two  months  of  1956,  domestic 
case  sales  for  the  company  ran  22%  above 
the  1955  volume. 


Candy  Sales  Show  Jump 
In  First  '56  Report 

The  candy  industry  started  the  new  year 
on  the  upbeat  with  the  sales  for  January 
totaling  8%  over  the  comparable  period  for 
last  year,  according  to  a report  issued  by 
the  Bureau  of  the  Census,  U.  S.  Department 
of  Commerce,  Washington,  D.  C.  The  Jan- 
uary sales  of  confectionery  and  competitive 
chocolate  products  were  estimated  at  $91,- 
240,000.  Sales  of  manufacturer-wholesalers, 
retail  manufacturers  and  chocolate  manu- 
facturers were  all  over  the  figures  for  1955. 
Bar  goods,  with  an  increased  poundage  of 
18%  and  a 10%  rise  in  value,  were  one  of 
the  main  contributors  to  the  increase. 


42 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD  APRIL  14,  1956 


An  International  Association  of  Motion  Picture 


Showmen  — Walter  Brooks , 


Director 


Alexander  " the  (jreat—%  Term*  Rex  Office 


a^OMETHIXG  new  has  been  added  to 
the  merchandising  and  promotion  of 
motion  pictures,  in  the  national  pre- 
selling  and  follow-up  for  Alexander  the 
Great”  originating  by  and  with  United 
Artists,  for  your  benefit.  A million  dollars 
in  promotional  effort,  plus  the  new  energy 
of  young  and  aggressive  management,  will 
make  your  box  office  sing  a new  song,  in 
these  difficult  days. 

It  has  been  said  that  “there’s  nothing  new 
in  advertising  or  promotion  for  motion  pic- 
tures”— and  it  does  seem  as  though  every 
idea  dates  back  to  Phineas  1 . Barnum.  But 
when  a major  company  can  acquire  its 
majority  status  in  our  industry,  and  this 
progress  is  based  on  a new  approach,  then 
we  welcome  youth  at  the  helm.  Our  old 
timers  must  be  tired — for  it  shows  too 
plainly  in  contrast  with  younger  showmen  in 
action.  We  think  the  infusion  of  this  new 
blood  will  help  all  of  motion  picture  industry, 
and  we  proclaim  the  day  of  its  arrival.  For 
if  there  is  one  way  in  which  there  is  no 
monopoly  in  show  business,  it  is  the  vigor 
of  showmanship. 

Let’s  say  that  United  Artists  have  not 
captured  something  new  and  different — but 
that  they  have  strengthened  our  ancient  arts 
with  new  force,  and  given  us  an  example  to 
follow — and  outdo,  if  you  are  able.  We  be- 
lieve that  the  young  men  of  UA  would  wel- 
come any  real  effort  to  match  their  progress, 
in  pictures  produced  and  ready  for  the  thea- 
tre, or  in  the  exploitation  and  merchandising 
of  this  program,  at  the  point  of  sale.  Nobody 
has  any  copyright  on  showmanship,  and  as 
Roger  Lewis,  who  now  bosses  UA  advertis- 
ing, said  recently,  “Merchandising  includes 
sales — and  in  that  order.” 

Coming  from  the  agency  field — Roger 
Lewis  had  five  years  of  good  training  with 
Monroe  Greenthal — he  uses  such  terms  as 
“the  intregated  concept”  and  “organized 
creativity” — but  don’t  let  that  worry  you. 
There  is  no  substitute  for  showmanship  in 
this  business,  and  some  of  our  oldest  devices 
remain  the  best.  We  like  the  manner  in 
which  he  dwells  on  “merchandising” — and 
remember  the  years  we  put  in  under  the 
able  supervision  of  Henderson  Richey,  at 


HONORING  'ALEXANDER' 

This  special  meeting  of  the  Round  Table 
boasts  a guest  of  honor — “Alexander,  the 
Great" — son  of  Phillip  of  Macedon,  and 
top  quality  product  from  United  Artists — 
to  mix  our  metaphors  by  a few  thousand 
years.  "Alexander"  and  United  Artists 
have  something  valuable  in  common — a 
new,  young  leadership  that  is  out  to  break 
all  existing  records  and  looking  for  new 
worlds  to  conquer. 

The  home  office  of  United  Artists  is 
crowded  with  "Alexanders" — in  person, 
but  maybe  we  better  not  pursue  that 
corollary.  Max  Youngstein  doesn't  wear 
armor,  but  he  has  sinews  of  steel,  when  it 
comes  to  progress  forward  for  his  com- 
pany, against  the  odds  of  our  new  com- 
petition. If  the  original  Phillip,  or  his 
offspring,  were  placing  bets  today,  it  would 
be  on  Max,  and  the  eager  beavers  at  UA. 
"The  largest  field  exploitation  staff  in  the 
industry" — and  so,  no  wonder,  for  our 
esteem  and  regard  in  these  columns.  If 
space  and  time  permit,  we  would  like  to 
list  all  these  fifty  field  men,  their  names 
and  addresses,  and  the  areas  they  serve, 
for  your  benefit. 

Time  was  recorded — in  the  period  of  the 
original  "Alexander" — as  "B.  C."  For  1956 
years,  it  has  been  "A.  D."  But  now,  in  film 
industry,  it  may  be  recorded  as  "U.  A.," 
who  set  the  pace,  today. 


Metro — where  “Merchandising  the  picture” 
was  not  only  a slogan,  but  a matter  of  policy, 
in  all  of  our  travels,  up  and  down  the  land. 
And  “merchandising”  means  more  than 
merely  nailing  the  pressbook  to  the  front 
door,  and  expecting  your  audience  to  break 
down  the  doors  to  get  in,  even  though  your 
public  will  stop  to  read  publicity  and  pro- 
motion when  they  are  exposed  to  it.  The 
problem  is  to  make  that  exposure  more  com- 
plete and  consistent  with  the  quality  of 
product  that  you're  receiving  today  from 
major  companies.  With  “Alexander” — 
you’ve  had  substantial  help. 


CJ  ROBERT  ROSSEN’S  record-grossing 
spectacle,  “Alexander  the  Great”  is  being 
held  over  in  all  of  its  21  regional  engage- 
ments to  date.  This  multi-million  dollar 
CinemaScope  epic,  shaping  up  as  United 
Artists’  all-time  boxoffice  success,  has  been 
hailed  by  local  critics  for  its  brilliant  enter- 
tainment and  production  values. 

The  film,  which  is  breaking  boxoffice 
records  from  coast  to  coast  holds  over  in  the 
following  situations:  Atlanta,  Loew’s  Grand: 
Baltimore,  New  Theatre ; Buffalo,  Loew’s 
Buffalo ; Cleveland,  Loew’s  Stillman ; Dallas, 
Majestic  Theatre;  Denver,  Paramount  Thea- 
tre, and  Ft.  Lauderdale,  Florida  Theatre. 

Also  Houston,  Loew's  Theatre;  Jackson- 
ville. 5 Points  Theatre;  Los  Angeles,  Fox 
Wilshire  Theatre;  Miami,  the  Colony  and 
Florida  Theatres;  New  York,  Capitol  Thea- 
tre ; St.  Petersburg,  Phiel  Theatre ; St.  Louis 
Loew’s  State;  San  Francisco,  United  Artists 
Theatre;  South  Miami.  Loew’s  Riviera: 
Tampa.  Palace  Theatre;  Washington,  D.  C., 
Capitol  Theatre,  and  West  Palm  Beach. 
Carefree  Theatre.  This  week,  the  picture 
opened  at  t he  Chicago  Theatre,  Chicago. 

Written,  produced  and  directed  by  Robert 
Rossen,  the  Technicolor  film  stars  Richard 
Burton,  Fredric  March,  Claire  Bloom  and 
Danielle  Darrieux. 

c^V, 

<f  LIFT  UP  HERE,  from  the  bottom  of 
this  editorial  page,  and  see  a prime  example 
of  fine  color  advertising  for  “Alexander  the 
Great” — four  pages  in  this  Round  Table  to 
'-how  you  what  United  Artists  are  providing 
as  advertising  and  promotion  for  their 
$4,000,000  film.  The  talent  and  craftsman- 
-hip  of  technicians  and  artists  of  28  nations 
went  into  the  production  of  the  picture — 
and  now  showmanship  of  a new  order  in 
film  industry  goes  into  the  merchandising 
of  the  product.  “Merchandising”  is  not  a 
new  word  in  our  business,  but  it  has  been 
misunderstood,  and  diverted  from  original 
purposes,  to  detours  that  spread  out  in 
various  directions,  away  from  the  box  office. 
Not  all  merchandising  is  good — but  all 
progressive  advertising  will  be  as  good  as 
you  make  it.  — Walter  Brooks 


MANAGERS'  ROUND  TABLE  SECTION,  APRIL  14,  1956 


43 


Ingenious — this  walking  24-sheet  ballyhoo,  with  nine  "Greek  warriors"  carrying 
panels  cut  from  the  poster — and  when  they  join  them,  as  below,  you  see  the 
full  display.  It's  a neat  stunt,  that  can  be  worked  anywhere,  or  for  that  matter, 
again  and  again.  Credit  the  United  Artists  Theatre.  San  Francisco. 


Cinkm*5coP£ 

NICOLOR 


Starts  Thors.  MortK.29n.  ' 

UHITID  ARTISTS  IBtRTH 


The  campaign  was  riding  high  over  Florida  in 
this  blimp  billboard  which  patrolled  the  Gold 
Coast  day  and  night,  for  the  opening  in  Miami 


r/iTi#*  Stunts 
in  Hr  ire  For 
\ 1 le.vti  tutor  * 


Elephants  to  ride  upon — "Alexander's"  favorite 
animals,  in  key  cities,  from  Buffalo  to  beyond. 


A corps  of  "Macedonian  maidens"  with  trumpets  hailed  the 
coming  of  "Alexander"  at  tho  New  Theatre  in  Baltimore.  Street 
stunts  such  as  those  underscored  colorful  promotion  in  key  cities. 


Hundreds  of  thousands  in  Chicago  saw  this  lavish  traveling  dis- 
play spotlighting  tho  debut  of  "Alexander"  at  the  Chicago  theatre. 
Spectacular  promotion  resulted  in  greatest  businoss  in  UA  history. 


Grecian"  beauties  and  spear-carrying  "warriors"  rode  this 
attention  getting  28-foot  float  in  a mammoth  city-wide  campaign 
for  the  premiere  of  "Alexander"  at  the  Wilshire,  Los  Angeles. 


Typical  of  the  lively  exploitation  backing  "Alexander"  around  the 
country,  a Marine  color  guard  and  youngsters  of  the  Boys'  Club 
Olympics,  paraded  for  the  premiere  at  Loew's  Grand  in  Atlanta. 


£ 


ariijMiqn 


UA's  GIANT  $1,000,000  PROGRAM 
BUILDS  BIG  "ALEXANDER”  AUDIENCE 


The  24-sheet,  selling  both  size  and  'Scope,  Is  one  of  scores  of  advertising  accessories. 


With  its  $1,000,000  promotion  for  Robert 
Rossen’s  epic  CinemaScope  production  of 
"Alexander  The  Great,”  United  Artists  has 
delivered  a superb  showmanship  package 
that  is  stirring  extraordinary  excitement 
both  in  and  out  of  the  industry. 

Spectacular,  smart  and  sparkling  with  the 
kind  of  exploitation  that  is  certain  to  draw 
mass  boxoffice  support  in  any  situation,  the 
campaign  prepared  by  Roger  H.  Lewis’s  UA 
ad-publicity-exploitation  staff  may  well  serve 
as  a standard  for  selling  and  pre-selling  on 
the  grand  scale. 

Major  elements  of  the  campaign,  easily 
the  biggest  and  boldest  ever  waged  by  L A. 
include  an  unprecedented  $190,000  program 
of  two-page  and  other  large  newspaper  ad>, 
$251,000  worth  of  national  magazine  ads,  a 
17-week  schedule  of  personal  appearance 
tours,  and  a record  barrage  of  blue-chip 
newspaper,  magazine  and  TV-radio  publicity. 

1 1 n /treceilen  loti  Prom otion 

Supplementing  this  saturation  ad-publicity 
effort,  which  is  registering  upwards  of 
300,000  impressions,  i*  a massive  merchan- 
dise tie-up  program  backing  "Alexander” 
with  $341,000  worth  of  co-op  advertising 
and  other  prime  local  support. 

Coordinated  phases  of  the  jumbo  effort 
for  "Alexander”  are  targeted  for  the  men's 
and  women's  fashion  fields,  primary  and 
secondary  school  students,  sports  enthusiast* 
and  the  general  consumer  market.  A record 
UA  field  force  of  50  exploitation  men  and 
women  is  expeditng  the  huge  roster  of  spe- 
cial promotions,  junkets,  contests  and  spec- 
tacular ballyhoo  building  community-wide 
attention  for  the  CinemaScope  production. 

The  avalanche  of  magazine  and  newspaper 
publicity  for  “Alexander”  has  been  spear- 
headed bv  an  unprecedented  13-page  spread 
in  Life.  Other  big-space  spreads  reaching 
tens  of  millions  have  broken  in  Collier's, 
Coronet,  Cosmopolitan,  Look,  American 
Magazine,  l ime,  Seventeen,  Tempo,  Adven- 
ture, American  Weekly,  Day  and  Night. 
Husiness  Week,  The  Saturday  Rezdeio  and 
key  fan  magazines. 

Unparalleled  newspaper  breaks  include  20 
full-page  spreads  and  80  layouts  of  from  a 
quarter-  to  a half-page  in  cities  across  the 


country.  Top-drawer  TV  ballyhoo  has  been 
beamed  to  over  more  millions  over  national 
networks  via  personal  appearances  and  spe- 
cial video  films  seen  on  Dave  Garroway's 
"Today,”  the  Ed  Sullivan  show,  Steve 
.Mien'*  “Tonight,"  "Adventure,"  "Strike  It 
Rich,”  "The  Home  Show,”  Ernie  Kovacs’ 
program,  the  Herb  Sheldon  show  and  "Tex 
and  Jinx."  Hundreds  of  plugs  on  local  out- 
lets provided  additional  area  penetration. 

Co-op  activity,  timed  to  back  area  open- 
ings of  “Alexander,"  is  being  spotted  at 
more  than  200,000  outlets  blanketing  the  32 
exchange  areas.  Keyed  to  their  "Alexander 
The  Great"  collection  of  cuff  links  and  tic 
clasps,  Shields  Jewelry  is  spotlighting  the 


Highest  rilling  . . . “Alexander”  is  a stu- 
pendous lilni  . . . An  absorbing  historical 
picture. 

The  I\rtc  York  Times — 

Spectacular  entertainment  . . . Exciting 
pageant  . . . Eye  filling  and  spectacular 
. . . Trul>  mammoth  scene*  . . . the  sound 
and  fury  and  the  violence  and  bestiality 
of  men  and  unimul*  crashing  in  eonihat 
2300  years  ago  makes  a colorful  and 
thunderous  show. 


epic  spectacle  with  more  than  30  big-space 
newspaper  insertions,  capped  by  full-page 
displays  in  The  Ncu<  York  Times  Magazine 
and  Look.  The  company  is  distributing 

15.000  promotional  kits  to  hypo  point  of 
sale  displays. 

American  Airlines  is  saluting  "Alexander" 
with  full-page  newspaper  ads  and  display  of 

12.000  counter  cards  at  ticket  offices,  air 
terminals  and  travel  agencies  across  the 
country.  Dell  Publishing  Company  is  trig- 
gering attention  at  1 10,000  drug  stores,  news 
stands  and  book  outlets  with  saturation 
promotion  of  a 34-page  "Alexander  The 
Great"  comic  book,  which  will  also  key 
school  promotion. 


Staggering  in  its  enormity  a*  well  a*  its 
concept  . . . Wrilcr-produccr-dircctor  Rob- 
ert Rosscn  lias  curved  himself  a whopping 
slice  of  historical  biography  . . . Sweeping 
battle  scenes  in  which  all  tbe  panoply  and 
color  of  ancient  urmed  conflict  urc  visual- 
ly capitalized  upon. 

Veic  \ ork  II  orlil-Ti'Icprain  unit  Sun — 

Excitement  seekers  will  find  their  wan;* 
amply  filled  . . . Numerous  vast  battle 
scenes  ranking  in  scale  and  ferocity  with 
anything  ever  fi'med. 


How  the  Critics  Acclaimed  "Alexander" 


\eic  ) ork  Daily  Aeic.s — 


Veie  1 ork  Daily  Mirror — 


LIFT  UP 


All  International  Association  <>/  Motion  Picture  Showmen  — Walter  Brooks,  Director 


Alexander  U the  (jreat  —9n  Tew*  cfi  Rex  Office 


)M1  l lll\t.  new  has  been  added  to 
iIm  inert  handling  and  promotion  of 
^ motion  pictures,  in  the  national  pre- 
selling and  follow-up  for  “Alexander  the 
Great"  originating  by  and  with  United 
Artists,  for  your  benefit.  A million  dollars 
in  promotional  effort,  plus  the  new  energy 
of  young  and  aggressive  management,  will 
make  your  box  office  sing  a new  song,  in 
these  difficult  days. 

It  has  been  said  that  “there's  nothing  new 
in  advertising  or  promotion  for  motion  pic- 
tures*'—and  it  does  seem  as  though  every 
idea  dates  back  to  Phineas  T.  Barnum.  But 
when  a major  company  can  acquire  its 
majority  status  in  our  industry,  and  tin- 
progress  is  based  on  a new  approach,  then 
we  welcome  youth  at  the  helm.  Our  old 
timers  must  be  tired — for  it  shows  too 
plainly  in  contrast  with  younger  showmen  in 
action.  We  think  the  infusion  of  this  new 
blood  will  help  all  of  motion  picture  industry, 
and  we  proclaim  the  day  of  its  arrival.  For 
if  there  is  one  way  in  which  there  is  no 
monopoly  in  show  business,  it  is  the  vigor 
of  showmanship. 

Let’s  say  that  United  Artists  have  not 
captured  something  new  and  different — but 
that  they  have  strengthened  our  ancient  arts 
with  new  force,  and  given  us  an  example  to 
follow — and  outdo,  if  you  are  able.  W e be- 
lieve that  the  young  men  of  UA  would  wel- 
come any  real  effort  to  match  their  progress, 
in  pictures  produced  and  ready  for  the  thea- 
tre, or  in  the  exploitation  and  merchandising 
of  this  program,  at  the  point  of  sale.  Nobody 
has  any  copyright  on  showmanship,  and  as 
Roger  Lewis,  who  now  bosses  UA  advertis- 
ing. said  recently,  "Merchandising  includes 
sales — and  in  that  order." 

Coming  from  the  agency  field — Roger 
Lewis  had  five  years  of  good  training  with 
Monroe  Greenthal — lie  u-es  such  terms  a- 
“the  intregated  concept"  and  "organized 
creativity” — but  don’t  let  that  worry  you. 
There  is  no  substitute  for  showmanship  in 
this  business,  and  some  of  our  oldest  devices 
remain  the  best.  We  like  the  manner  in 
which  he  dwells  on  "merchandising”— and 
remember  the  years  we  put  in  under  tin- 
able  supervision  of  Henderson  Richey,  at 


HONORING  'ALEXANDER' 

This  special  meeting  of  the  Round  Table 
boasts  a guesl  of  honor — "Alexander,  the 
Great" — son  of  Phillip  of  Macedon,  and 
top  quality  product  from  United  Artists — 
to  mix  our  metaphors  by  a few  thousand 
ears.  "Alexander"  and  United  Artists 
ave  something  valuable  in  common — a 
new,  young  leadership  that  is  out  to  break 
all  existing  records  and  looking  for  new 
worlds  to  conquer. 

The  home  office  of  United  Artists  is 
crowded  with  "Alexanders" — in  person, 
but  maybe  we  better  not  pursue  that 
corollary.  Max  Youngstein  doesn't  wear 
armor,  but  he  has  sinews  of  steel,  when  it 
comes  to  progress  forward  for  his  com- 
pany, against  the  odds  of  our  new  com- 
petition. If  the  original  Phillip,  or  his 
offspring,  were  placing  bets  today,  it  would 
be  on  Max,  and  the  eager  beavers  at  UA. 
"The  largest  field  exploitation  staff  in  the 
industry" — and  so,  no  wonder,  for  our 
esteem  and  regard  in  these  columns.  If 
space  and  time  permit,  we  would  like  to 
list  all  these  fifty  field  men,  their  names 
and  addresses,  and  the  areas  they  serve, 
for  your  benefit. 

Time  was  recorded — in  the  period  of  the 
original  "Alexander" — as  "B.  C."  For  1956 
years,  it  has  been  "A.  D."  But  now,  in  film 
industry,  it  may  be  recorded  as  "U.  A.," 
who  set  the  pace,  today. 


Metro— where  “Merchandising  the  picture" 
was  not  only  a slogan,  but  a matter  of  policy, 
in  all  of  our  travels,  up  and  down  the  land. 
And  “merchandising"  means  more  than 
merely  nailing  the  pressbook  to  the  front 
door,  and  expecting  your  audience  to  break 
down  the  doors  to  get  in,  even  though  your 
public  will  stop  to  read  publicity  and  pro- 
motion when  they  are  exposed  to  it  The 
problem  is  to  make  that  exposure  more  com- 
plete and  consistent  with  the  quality  of 
product  that  you're  receiving  today  from 
major  companies.  With  “Alexander” — 
you’ve  had  substantial  help. 


€]]  ROBFRT  ROSSK.VS  Mjgld-grossing 
spectacle.  "Alexander  the  Great"  is  being 
held  over  in  all  of  its  21  regional  engage- 
ments to  date.  This  multi-million  dollar 
CinemaScope  epic,  shaping  up  a-  United 
Artists'  all-time  hoxoffice  success,  has  been 
hailed  by  local  critics  for  its  brilliant  enter- 
tainment and  production  values. 

The  film,  which  is  breaking  boxoffice 
records  from  coast  to  coast  holds  over  in  the 
following  situations:  Atlanta,  Loew's  Grand  : 
Baltimore.  New  Theatre;  Buffalo,  Loew's 
Buffalo;  Cleveland,  Loew's  Stillman;  Dallas. 
Majestic  Theatre;  Denver,  Paramount  Thea- 
tre, and  Ft.  Lauderdale,  Florida  Theatre. 

Also  Houston,  Loew’s  Theatre;  Jackson- 
ville. 5 Points  Theatre;  Los  Angeles,  Fox 
Wilshire  Theatre;  Miami,  the  Colony  and 
Florida  Theatres;  New  York,  Capitol  Thea- 
tre; St.  Petersburg,  Phiel  Theatre;  St.  Louis 
Loew's  State;  San  Francisco,  United  Artists 
Theatre;  South  Miami.  Loew’s  Riviera. 
Tampa.  Palace  Theatre : Washington,  I).  C , 
Capitol  Theatre,  and  West  Palm  Reach. 
Carefree  Theatre.  This  week,  the  picture 
opened  at  the  Chicago  Theatre.  Chicago. 

Written,  produced  and  directed  by  Robert 
Rossen,  the  Technicolor  film  stars  Richard 
Burton,  Fredric  March,  Claire  Bloom  and 
Danielle  Darrieux. 

<1!  LIFT  UP  HERE,  from  the  bottom  of 
this  editorial  page,  and  see  a prime  example 
of  fine  color  advertising  for  “Alexander  the 
Great" — four  pages  in  this  Round  Table  to 
-how  you  what  United  Artists  are  providing 
as  advertising  and  promotion  for  their 
$4,000,000  film.  The  talent  and  craftsman- 
-hip  of  technicians  and  artists  of  28  nations 
went  into  the  production  of  the  picture — 
and  now  showmanship  of  a new  order  in 
film  industry  goes  into  the  merchandising 
of  the  product.  "Merchandising"  is  not  a 
new  word  in  our  business,  but  it  has  been 
misunderstood,  and  diverted  from  original 
purposes,  to  detours  that  spread  out  in 
various  directions,  away  from  the  box  office. 
Not  all  merchandising  is  good — but  all 
progressive  advertising  will  be  as  good  as 
you  make  it.  — Waller  Brooks 


MANAGERS'  ROUND  TABLE  SECTION,  APRIL  14.  1956 


Mtecnrd,  A.  1".  Opening  Sets 
Aniinnnl  "Ale.x”  Pattern 


United  Artists’  all-time  record-grossing 
engagement  of  " Alexander  The  Great"  at 
the  Capitol  Theatre  on  Broadway  was 
launched  with  a giant  campaign  parlaying 
two-page  ads,  city-wide  “circus”  bally  and 
retail  support  at  1,900  outlets  blanketing  the 
metropolitan  area. 

Other  campaigns,  following  the  history- 
making UA  promotion  blueprint  used  in 
New  York,  have  raised  the  curtain  on 
record-setting  runs  in  19  more  situations 
from  coast  to  coa-t.  Forthcoming  openings 
of  the  multi-million-dollar  CinemaScope 
spectacle  throughout  the  country  will  also  lie 
patterned  after  the  smash  Capitol  exploita- 
tion program. 

The  Newspaper#  Carried 
Hi g "Alexander"  ids 

The  monumental  campaign,  featured  in 
United  Artists'  81,000,000  overall  support 
for  "Alexander  The  Great,"  added  a new 
chapter  to  the  manual  of  motion  picture 
showmanship  with  eye-popping  two-page  ads 
m the  Sunday  edition  of  The  New  York 
Times  (circulated  throughout  the  country) 
and  in  week-day  editions  of  The  ATaus,  the 
J oiirnal- American  and  The  Tost.  A 2,000- 
line  double-truck  display  was  run  in  the 
World-Telegram,  with  a full-page  ad  spotted 
in  the  Daily  Mirror  and  a seven-column  in- 
sertion placed  in  the  Herald  Tribune. 

To  emphasize  the  colorful  and  spectacular 
entertainment  in  “Alexander,"  three  brightly- 
painted  elephants,  a 12-foot-high  mechanical 
elephant,  six  racing  chariots  and  a dazzling 
20-foot  float  cruised  Manhattan,  The  Bronx. 
Brooklyn  and  Queens  for  three  days  before 
the  premiere  and  during  opening  week.  The 
bally  caravan,  manned  by  "Macedonian 
maidens"  and  armored  "Greek  sentinels" 
was  also  seen  by  150.000  spectators  when 
it  rolled  up  Fifth  Avenue  in  the  Greek  Inde- 
pendence Day  parade. 


Other  street  activity  carrying  news  of  the 
Capitol  opening  to  additional  hundreds  of 
thousands  of  New  Yorkers  featured  "Grecian 
orators,”  who  patrolled  the  Times  Square 
area  with  placards  and  boomed  out  an- 
nouncements of  the  premiere  date.  In  a tie- 
in  with  Wat-A-Kote  Rainwear,  six  models 
made  a mass  tour  of  Broadway,  wearing 
coats  lettered.  "Snow  or  rain.  I'm  going  to 
see  ‘Alexander’  at  the  Capitol."  Dave  Bal- 
lard, the  seven-foot,  five-inch  "Alexander" 
giant  who  made  a 39-city  national  tour,  also 
participated  in  the  street  hoopla. 

A slate  of  300  radio  spot  announcements, 
the  most  intensive  ever  employed  bv  UA, 
was  broadcast  to  an  estimated  10,000,000 
listeners  over  12  New  York  stations  during 
the  week  of  the  premiere. 

Saturation  co-op  activity  was  spotted  at 
newsstands,  drug  stores,  book  shops,  cigar 
stores,  men's  shops,  department  stores,  air 
terminals  and  travel  agencies  in  the  five 
boroughs  and  in  major  market  centers  in 
New  Jersey,  Westchester,  Long  Island  and 
Connecticut. 

Book  Trades  Join 
In  Ollier  Tienps 

Promotion  of  the  Dell  Comic  book  of 
"Alexander  The  Great”  keyed  displays  at 
700  newsstands  and  stationery  stores.  The 
Bantam  edition  of  “Alexander  of  Macedon” 
was  intensively  merchandised  at  1.100  loca- 
tions and  billboarded  on  the  truck  fleet  of 
the  American  News  Company.  Shields 
Jewelry  and  Burma-Bibus  Ties  were  the 
pegs  for  effective  window  and  counter  dis- 
plays at  70  stores.  Other  windows,  linked  w 
the  fashions  inspired  by  the  "Alexander" 
wardrobe  costumes,  were  set  at  Alexander's 
and  Gertz  department  stores,  displaying 
Grecian  costumes,  a replica  of  a chariot  and 
fashions  inspired  by  the  "Alexander"  ward- 
robe. 


Elephants  were  everywhere  . . . 


Weather  or  no,  the  ballyhoo  . . . 


Paraded  promotion  at  the  point  of  sale. 


The  Capitol  lobby  focused  attention  on 
the  forthcoming  opening  of  the  UA  release 
with  a display  of  costumes  used  in  the  film 
and  a contest,  sponsored  by  Gimbels  depart- 
ment store,  requiring  entrants  to  guess  the 
value  of  a collection  of  gold  Alexander  coins. 
The  winner  will  be  flown  by  North  Ameri- 
can Airlines  to  Miami  Beach  for  a one-week 
stay  at  the  Hotel  New  Yorker. 

The  spectacular  ballyhoo  was  sustained  at 
the  brilliant  Capitol  premiere,  which  bene- 
fited the  National  B’nai  B’rith  Agencies. 
Twelve  shapely  girl  heralds  atop  the  mar- 
quee trumpeted  celebrities  arriving  by  ele- 
phant and  chariot. 


Bo t office  lines  like  this  one  New  York  are  rolling  up  record-breaking  business  all  around  the  country. 


NOW.  . . 

THE  COLOSSUS  OF  MOTION  PICTURES 


IBIWBBMBHBI 


WRITTEN,  PRODUCED 
AND  DIRECTED  BY 


IWIIH  THE 
FRENCH  STAR 


Record.  X.  Y.  O petting  Sets 
Xat iinmt  ”X lex"  Pattern 


United  Artists’  all-time  record-grossing 
engagement  of  “ \lexander  The  Great’’  at 
the  Capitol  Theatre  on  Broadway  was 
launched  with  a giant  campaign  parlaying 
two-page  ads.  city-wide  “circus”  bally  and 
retail  support  at  1.900  outlets  blanketing  the 
metropolitan  area. 

Other  campaigns,  following  the  history- 
making UA  promotion  blueprint  used  in 
Xew  York,  have  raised  the  curtain  on 
record-setting  runs  in  19  more  situations 
front  coast  to  coast.  Forthcoming  openings 
of  the  multi-million-dollar  CinemaScope 
spectacle  throughout  the  country  will  also  be 
patterned  after  the  smash  Capitol  exploita- 
tion program. 

The  Newspapers  Carried 
Rig  “ Alexander ” Ads 

The  monumental  campaign,  featured  in 
United  Artists'  SI. 000.000  overall  support 
for  “Alexander  The  Great,”  added  a new 
chapter  to  the  manual  of  motion  picture 
showmanship  with  eye-popping  two-page  ads 
in  the  Sunday  edition  of  The  New  York 
Times  (circulated  throughout  the  country) 
and  in  week-day  editions  of  The  News,  the 
J ournal- American  and  The  Post.  A 2,000- 
line  double-truck  display  was  run  in  the 
World-Telegram,  with  a full-page  ad  spotted 
in  the  Daily  Mirror  and  a seven-column  in- 
sertion placed  in  the  Herald  Tribune. 

To  emphasize  the  colorful  and  spectacular 
entertainment  in  “Alexander,”  three  brightly- 
painted  elephants,  a 12-foot-high  mechanical 
elephant,  six  racing  chariots  and  a dazzling 
20-foot  float  cruised  Manhattan,  The  Bronx. 
Brooklyn  and  Queens  for  three  days  before 
the  premiere  and  during  opening  week.  The 
bally  caravan,  manned  by  “Macedonian 
maidens”  and  armored  “Greek  sentinels” 
was  also  seen  by  150,000  spectators  when 
it  rolled  up  Fifth  Avenue  in  the  Greek  Inde- 
pendence Day  parade. 


Other  street  activity  carrying  news  of  the 
Capitol  opening  to  additional  hundreds  of 
thousands  of  New  Yorkers  featured  “Grecian 
orators,”  who  patrolled  the  Times  Square 
area  with  placards  and  boomed  out  an- 
nouncements of  the  premiere  date.  In  a tie- 
in  with  Wat-A-Kote  Rainwear,  six  models 
made  a mass  tour  of  Broadway,  wearing- 
coats  lettered,  “Snow  or  rain.  I’m  going  to 
see  ‘Alexander’  at  the  Capitol.”  Dave  Bal- 
lard, the  seven-foot,  five-inch  “Alexander” 
giant  who  made  a 39-city  national  tour,  also 
participated  in  the  street  hoopla. 

A slate  of  300  radio  spot  announcements, 
the  most  intensive  ever  employed  by  UA, 
was  broadcast  to  an  estimated  10,000,000 
listeners  over  12  New  York  stations  during 
the  week  of  the  premiere. 

Saturation  co-op  activity  was  spotted  at 
newsstands,  drug  stores,  book  shops,  cigar 
stores,  men’s  shops,  department  stores,  air 
terminals  and  travel  agencies  in  the  five 
boroughs  and  in  major  market  centers  in 
New  Jersey,  Westchester,  Long  Island  and 
Connecticut. 

Book  Trades  Join 
In  Other  Tieups 

Promotion  of  the  Dell  Comic  book  of 
“Alexander  The  Great”  keyed  displays  at 
700  newsstands  and  stationery  stores.  The 
Bantam  edition  of  “Alexander  of  Macedon” 
was  intensively  merchandised  at  1.100  loca- 
tions and  billboarded  on  the  truck  fleet  of 
the  American  News  Company.  Shields 
Jewelry  and  Burma-Bibus  Ties  were  the 
pegs  for  effective  window  and  counter  dis- 
plays at  70  stores.  Other  windows,  linked  tr’ 
the  fashions  inspired  by  the  “Alexander” 
wardrobe  costumes,  were  set  at  Alexander’s 
and  Gertz  department  stores,  displaying 
Grecian  costumes,  a replica  of  a chariot  and 
fashions  inspired  by  the  “Alexander”  ward- 
robe. 


Elephants  were  everywhere  . . . 


Weather  or  no,  the  ballyhoo  . , . 


Paraded  promotion  at  the  point  of  sale. 


The  Capitol  lobby  focused  attention  on 
the  forthcoming  opening  of  the  UA  release 
with  a display  of  costumes  used  in  the  film 
and  a contest,  sponsored  by  Gimbels  depart- 
ment store,  requiring  entrants  to  guess  the 
value  of  a collection  of  gold  Alexander  coins. 
The  winner  will  be  flown  by  North  Ameri- 
can Airlines  to  Miami  Beach  for  a one-week 
stay  at  the  Hotel  New  Yorker. 

The  spectacular  ballyhoo  was  sustained  at 
the  brilliant  Capitol  premiere,  which  bene- 
fited the  National  B’nai  B’rith  Agencies. 
Twelve  shapely  girl  heralds  atop  the  mar- 
quee trumpeted  celebrities  arriving  by  ele- 
phant and  chariot. 


Box  office  lines  like  this  one  New  York  are  rolling  up  record-breaking  business  all  around  the  country. 


FILM  BUYERS  R AT  I N C 


Film  buyers  of  independent  circuits  in  the  U.  S.  rate  current 
product  on  the  basis  of  its  performance  in  their  theatres.  This 
report  covers  95  attractions,  3,078  playdates. 

Titles  run  alphabetically.  Numerals  refer  to  the  number  of  en- 
gagements on  each  attraction  reported.  The  tabulation  is  cumula- 
tive. Dagger  (t)  denotes  attractions  published  for  the  first  time. 
Asterisk  (*)  indicates  attractions  which  are  listed  for  the  last  time. 

EX  means  Excellent;  AA — Above  Average;  AY — Average; 
BA — Below  Average;  PR — Poor. 


African  Lion,  The  (B.V.) 

EX 

1 

AA 

6 

AV 

18 

BA 

13 

PR 

15 

All  That  Heaven  Allows  (U-l) 

4 

14 

8 

1 

4 

Apache  Ambush  (Col.)  

- 

- 

4 

1 

2 

Apache  Woman  (A.R.C.) 

1 

7 

2 

2 

- 

Artists  and  Models  (Par.) 

10 

32 

18 

7 

1 

At  Gunpoint  (A. A.) 

- 

1 

9 

24 

2 

Backlash  (U-l)  

- 

3 

1 

3 

- 

Bengazi  (RKO) 

- 

- 

- 

3 

6 

Benny  Goodman  Story,  The  (U-l) 

1 

6 

6 

5 

5 

Big  Knife,  The  (U.A.)  

- 

- 

1 

10 

14 

Blood  Alley  (W.B.) 

- 

8 

29 

21 

3 

Bottom  of  the  Bottle  f 20th- Fox ) 

j~ 

2 

8 

10 

22 

Come  Next  Spring  (Rep.) 

- 

1 

1 

7 

1 

Comanche  (U.A.) 

- 

1 

- 

- 

17 

Count  Three  and  Pray  (Col.)  

4 

10 

22 

9 

7 

Court  Jester,  The  (Par.)  

- 

- 

5 

3 

2 

Court  Martial  of  Billy  Mitchell  (W.B.) 

1 

41 

19 

7 

- 

Day  the  World  Ended  (A.R.C.) 

— 

6 

1 

1 

- 

Deep  Blue  Sea,  The  (20th-Fox) 

- 

- 

1 

2 

7 

Desert  Sands  (U.A.)  

- 

- 

5 

10 

1 1 

Desperate  Hours,  The  (Par.) 

1 

1 

1 1 

19 

19 

Diane  (MGM)  

- 

- 

- 

7 

23 

Duel  on  the  Mississippi  (Col.)  . . 

1 

1 

5 

2 

2 

Flame  of  the  Islands  (Rep.) 

_ 

\ 

1 

4 

3 

Forever"  Darling  (MGM) 

7 

22 

1 1 

7 

2 

Fort  Yuma  (U.A.)  

- 

- 

5 

12 

1 

Fury  at  Gunsight  Pass  (Col.) 

- 

1 

1 

2 

1 

Gentlemen  Marry  Brunettes  (U.A.) 

_ 

9 

20 

14 

16 

Girl  in  the  Red  Velvet  Swing,  The  (20th-Fox) 

- 

3 

20 

31 

23 

Glory  (RKO)  

1 

3 

5 

5 

5 

Good  Morning  Miss  Dove  (20th-Fox) 

1 

15 

10 

31 

1 1 

Guys  and  Dolls  (MGM)  

16 

6 

- 

I 

3 

Helen  of  Troy  (W.B.) 

- 

3 

21 

1 

- 

Hell  on  Frisco  Bay  (W.B.) 

- 

6 

6 

8 

21 

Hot  Blood  (Col.)  

- 

- 

1 

1 

3 

1 Died  a Thousand  Times  (W.B.) 

_ 

1 

5 

1 1 

9 

I'll  Cry  Tomorrow  (MGM)  

9 

- 

- 

- 

- 

Indian  Fighter  (U.A.) 

- 

10 

18 

II 

6 

It's  a Dog's  Life  (MGM) 

- 

- 

5 

10 

12 

It's  Always  Fair  Weather  (MGM) 

- 

3 

15 

24 

28 

Jail  Busters  (A. A.)  

- 

2 

3 

- 

- 

Kismet  (MGM) 

_ 

4 

17 

21 

19 

Last  Frontier  (Col.) 

Last  Hunt,  The  (MGM) 

Lady  Godiva  ( U-l ) 

Lawless  Street  (Col.) 

Lieutenant  Wore  Skirts,  The  (20th-Fox) 
Littlest  Outlaw  (B.V.) 

Lone  Ranger,  The  (W.B.) 

Lucy  Gallant  (Par.) 

Man  Alone,  A (Rep.) 

Man  Who  Never  Was  ( 20t h- Fox ) 

Man  With  the  Golden  Arm  (U.A.) 
Man  With  the  Gun  (U.A.) 

McConnell  Story,  The  (W.B.) 

Naked  Dawn  (U-l) 

Never  Say  Goodbye  (U-l) 

Night  Holds  Terror,  The  (Col.) 

Night  of  the  Hunter  (U.A.) 

|Our  Miss  Brooks  (W.B.) 

Picnic  (Col.) 

Prisoner,  The 

Queen  Bee  (Col.) 

Quentin  Durward  (MGM) 

Rains  of  Ranchipur,  The  ( 20th- Fox ) 
Ransom  (MGM)  . 

Rebel  Without  a Cause  (W.B.) 

Red  Sundown  (U-l) 

Return  of  Jack  Slade  (A. A.) 

Rose  Tattoo,  The  (Par.) 

Running  Wild  (U-l) 

Second  Greatest  Sex  (U-l) 

Shack  Out  on  101  (A. A.)  . 

Sincerely  Yours  (W.B.) 

Slightly  Scarlet  (RKO) 

Spoilers,  The  ( U-l ) 

Square  Jungle  (U-l) 

Tall  Men,  The  (20th-Fox) 

Tarantula  (U-l) 

Target  Zero  (W.B.) 

Teen  Age  Crime  Wave  (Col.) 

Tender  Trap,  The  (MGM) 

Tennessee's  Partner  (RKO) 

Texas  Lady  (RKO) 

There's  Always  Tomorrow  (U-l) 

Three  Stripes  in  the  Sun  (Col.) 

To  Catch  a Thief  (Par.)  ... 

To  Hell  and  Back  (U-l) 

Treasure  of  Pancho  Villa  (RKO) 

Trial  (MGM)  

Trouble  With  Harry  (Par.) 

Twinkle  in  God's  Eye,  The  (Rep.) 

Ulysses  ( Par.) 

Unconquered  (Par.) 

World  in  My  Corner  (U-l) 


EX 


5 

6 


2 

1 

2 


4 

I 


I 

10 


I 

3 


7 

2 


9 


I 

7 

27 

I 

4 

3 


AA 

AV 

BA 

PR 

1 

1 1 

14 

3 

2 

6 

3 

3 

1 

5 

7 

5 

5 

14 

4 

1 

9 

20 

19 

- 

7 

9 

1 

13 

10 

3 

- 

2 

- 

23 

17 

1 1 

8 

23 

10 

1 1 

- 

7 

- 

5 

8 

10 

5 

- 

20 

15 

8 

13 

39 

35 

14 

3 

— 

3 

5 

3 

4 

3 

2 

- 

- 

3 

7 

19 

4 

15 

18 

5 

- 

1 

- 

4 

7 

2 

- 

3 

- 

1 1 

9 

10 

- 

5 

12 

26 

9 

27 

21 

7 

- 

18 

14 

9 

54 

20 

6 

- 

5 

2 

1 

2 

2 

II 

3 

- 

3 

8 

4 

- 

1 1 

3 

2 

- 

6 

7 

14 

3 

3 

3 

- 

1 

1 

8 

17 

15 

2 

- 

1 

3 

9 

13 

10 

1 

- 

1 

1 1 

27 

44 

19 

5 

2 

13 

3 

4 

- 

1 

4 

2 

1 

6 

4 

2 

- 

29 

28 

13 

1 

2 

16 

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6 

2 

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4 

- 

3 

3 

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6 

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5 

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23 

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6 

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II 

41 

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4 

- 

7 

6 

1 

2 

8 

1 

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14 

13 

10 

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19 

WTMN  HGTMG 


IE  RACK,  THE  ANIMAL  WOI 


CARIB  GOLD,  TERROR  AT 


MIDNIGHT.  MAKE  ME 


'cui  York  City,  U.  S.  A.,  under  the  act  of  March  3,  1879.  Pub- 
■ef tiler  Center,  Xew  York  20,  S'.  Y.  Subscription  prices:  $5.00 
contents  copyrighted  1956  by  Quigley  Publishing  Company,  Jnc. 


AND  NOW! 


2 SENSATIONAL  M-G-M 
PREVIEWS  IN  1 WEEK ! 


BHOWANI  BOMBSHELL! 


AVA 

GARDNER 
was  never  so 
alluring 

STEWART 

GRANGER 

rugged, 

romantic 


M-G-M  s “BHOWANI  JUNCTION”  screened  in 
home  office  projection  room  last  week.  It’s  one  of 
the  year’s  BIGGEST.  Two  years  in  production. 
Cast  of  10,000.  Filmed  in  exotic  Pakistan.  GREAT. 

M-G-M  presents  in  CinemaScope  * "BHOWANI  JUNCTION"  starring  AVA 
GARDNER  * STEWART  GRANGER  * with  BILL  TRAVERS  * Abraham 
Sofaer  * Screen  Play  by  Sonya  Levien  and  Ivan  Moffat  * Based  on  the  Novel  by  John 
Masters  ' Photographed  in  Eastman  Color  • Directed  by  George  Cukor  • Produced  by 
Pandro  S.  Berman. 

★ 


BOX-OFFICE  AFFAIR ! 


Truly  All-Star 


ERNEST  BORGNINE 
Academy  Award 
star  terrific 


BETTE  DAVIS 
A brilliant 
triumph 


DEBBIE  REYNOLDS 
Her  greatest 
performance 


BARRY  FITZGERALD 
At  his 
funniest 


M-G-M’s  “THE  CATERED  AFFAIR”  previewed 
at  Loews  Lexington,  N.  Y.  last  week  got  audience 
rating  equal  to  “Blackboard  Jungle.”  Star-bright 
with  great  performances,  including  another  fine 
role  for  the  Academy  Award  winning  star  of 
“Marty.”  Headed  for  fame  and  fortune. 

t 

M-G-M  presents  "THE  CATERED  AFFAIR"  starring  BETTE  DAVIS  • ERNEST 
BORGNINE  • DEBBIE  REYNOLDS  • BARRY  FITZGERALD  • Screen  Play 
by  Gore  Vidal  * From  a Play  by  Paddy  Chayefsky  • Directed  by  Richard  Brooks 
Produced  by  Sam  Zimbalist. 

★ 


M-G-M!  THE  TALK  OF  THE  INDUSTRY! 


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r.enr-*-- 

V.llV 


300-theatrBworld  Premiere  tor  the  Southi 


a Story  of  the  South  - ^ Filmed  in  the  South  -that  the  Whole  Nation  will  take  to  its  Heart] 


A one-boy  dog... 

a one-dog  boy... 
a one-of-a-kind 

motion  picture! 


^TANKIINL* 


WALTER  BRENNAN  PHIL  HARRIS 


AM  & 

m 


HERE’S  THE  WAY  % 
EVERYONE  WHO  SEES  IT  M 

RAVES! 


Screen  Play  by  SIO  FLEISCHMAN 


BATJAC  Production  • Directed  by  WILLIAM  A.WELLMAN  . Presented  by  WARNER  BROS. 


AND 


PHIL  SILVERS— 

‘“Goodbye,  My  Lady"  is 
everybody’s  motion 
picture— You’ll  laugh 
and  you’ll  love  it!" 

MARTHA  RAYE- 

“It’s  a picture  for  the 
whole  family  to  see. 

My  daughter  and  I 
loved  it!" 

JOHN  WAYNE- 

“There’s  a greatness 
about  ‘Goodbye,  My  Lady’ 
that  makes  it  one  of  the 
important  pictures  of  this 
or  any  year!" 

MARIO  LANZA- 

"I  was  delighted  by  it 
and  know  everybody 
else  will  be!" 

HENRY  FONDA- 

“I  can’t  imagine  anyone 
not  being  completely 
captivated  by  every 
minute  of  it!” 

SHIRLEY  JONES- 

“A  really  heart-warming  film!” 

ART  CARNEY- 

“It’s  great!  A picture 
everyone  will  go  for!” 

GUY  LOMBARDO- 

“It’s  terrific!  I’m  going  again!" 

TAB  HUNTER- 

“Anyone  who  misses  it  is 
missing  a terrific  picture!" 

ALAN  LADD- 

“Walter  Brennan  is  on  his 
way  to  another  Oscar!  A 
really  great  picture!” 

RED  SKELTON- 

“One  of  the  best  films  I’ve 
ever  seen!" 


GIL  HODGES- 

“A  real  good  picture  I 
certainly  recommend! 


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With 

pride 

in  a motion  picture 
whose  special  charm 
and  rare  quality  have 
won  the  hearts  of  all 
who  have  seen  it, 
Warner  Bros,  announce 
the  general  release  of 


“Good-bye,  My  Lady 7 


• • • • t I 

* • • • • •*!  4 • 



1 Moulin  Rouge 


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i „ .flC  M«tiny  \ 

V Came  



Guys 

And  Dolls 


N£xt  attraction 

mvJ  HtfllS 


amo 


t»ov* 


HE* 


YORK 


CAR"01, 

%»ai£ 


Rati 


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Date 


May 


9th, 


2 Oth 


Ration 


ard  Ca 


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'rA&Tfevolt  op  L j 

Iri 

COLOR  by  DE  LUXE  ;®i 

OnemaScoPE 


MAM,£'S  C0mi"9  s°°"  \au  the  best  houses.  The  boys  and  girts  will  be  lining  up  eariy 

o watch  th/s  dance-hali  queen  m action,  so  get  your  date  in  today! 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD 




MARTIN  QUIGLEY,  Editor-in-Chief  and  Publisher 

MARTIN  QUIGLEY, 

JR., 

Editor 

Vol.  203,  No.  3 

f April 

21, 

1956 

Opportunity  for  Lawyers 

AT  the  present  time  the  lawyers  of  the  motion  picture 
industry  have  an  opportunity  to  make  a contribu- 
>-  tion  of  lasting  value  not  only  to  their  own  com- 
panies or  organizations  but  to  the  welfare  of  the  whole 
business.  It  would  not  be  an  exaggeration  to  say  that 
the  lawyers  now  have  an  unequalled  opportunity  to  serve. 
In  fact,  conditions  in  the  area  of  trade  relations  have 
reached  such  a state  that  it  may  well  be  that  the  lawyers, 
and  they  alone,  are  in  a position  to  point  the  way  and 
supply  the  leadership  necessary  in  finding  just  solutions 
to  many  pressing  problems. 

Lawyers  traditionally,  and  perhaps  for  special  reasons 
arising  in  motion  picture  history,  are  reluctant  to  urge 
positive  action  on  their  principals.  It  is  so  much  easier — 
and  often  so  much  safer — to  say  “No.”  However,  it  may 
well  be  that  the  time  for  the  negative  approach  is  over 
unless  damage  be  done  to  all  concerned,  including  the 
companies  and  associations  represented  by  the  lawyers. 

In  the  Roaring  ’20s  and  in  the  Depression  decade  of  the 
’30s  many  companies  ran  afoul  of  the  anti-trust  laws, 
presumably  by  not  heeding  the  advice  of  their  lawyers. 
While  it  is  to  be  doubted  that  many  distribution  lawyers 
ever  adopted  an  “I-told-you-so”  attitude,  it  was  natural 
and  perhaps  inevitable  that  the  pendulum  would  swing 
and  lawyers  in  the  field  of  trade  practices  would  enjoy 
unprecedented  sway. 

Sooner  or  later  some  of  the  trade  practices  in  the  indus- 
try that  have  been  creating  excessive  friction  between 
buyers  and  sellers  will  have  to  be  tackled.  It  would  be 
much  better  to  attempt  to  work  out  solutions  within  the 
industry  rather  than  before  a Committee  of  Congress, 
a Government  bureau  or  in  the  Federal  Courts.  Handling 
the  problem  within  the  industry  not  only  would  be  less 
costly  or  much  quicker  but  it  would  also  have  a much 
better  chance  of  being  of  lasting  benefit. 

A LTHOUGH  means  of  communication  have  steadily 
b\  been  improved  since  the  Phoenicians  invented  our 
•*-  alphabet,  there  still  is  no  substitute  for  person-to- 
person  meetings.  In  fact,  when  problems  have  persisted 
as  long  as  some  within  the  industry  and  have  reached 
the  acutely  critical  stage,  expressions  from  either  side 
often  take  the  form  of  statements  which  tend  to  make 
permanent  solutions  more  difficult  to  find.  When  the 
attempt  is  made  to  carry  on  a discussion  at  a distance 
it  is  easy  to  fall  into  bombastic  generalities  and  attacks 
on  personalities  rather  than  deal  with  the  issues. 

In  these  circumstances  lawyers  of  the  major  companies 
and  of  the  exhibitor  associations  should  cease  trying  to 
discourage  meetings.  Certainly  in  this  era  neither  ex- 
hibitor, distributor  nor  producer  intends  to  meet  for  the 


purpose  of  illegal  conspiracy  or  restraint  of  trade.  There 
are  skilled  attorneys  on  all  sides  to  avoid  such  dangers. 
Moreover,  the  Department  of  Justice  is  prepared  to  give 
advice  and  counsel  so  that  no  illegal  plan  may  be  put 
into  operation.  Government  spokesmen  have  repeatedly 
made  clear  that  there  is  nothing  illegal  about  exhibitors 
and  distributors  sitting  around  a table  and  discussing 
industry  problems. 

Certainly  no  one  could  confidently  predict  in  advance 
whether  an  all-industry  meeting  or  conference  at  this 
time  could  result  in  benefits  to  all  parties.  On  the  other 
hand  nothing  would  be  lost  by  making  such  an  attempt 
to  deal  with  pressing  trade  practice  issues. 

No  move  for  such  a meeting  can  succeed  without  the 
approval  of  the  key  lawyers  in  the  industry.  It  would 
have  best  chance  of  success  if  these  lawyers  actively 
encouraged  the  project. 


Support  H.  R.  9875 

ROBERT  J.  O’DONNELL,  chairman  of  the  COM- 
PO  tax  campaign,  announced  last  week  that  the 
- organization  is  supporting  H.  R.  9875,  a bill  in- 
troduced March  12  by  Congressman  Cecil  King  of  Cali- 
fornia. The  bill  provides  for  the  exemption  from  the 
Federal  admissions  tax  of  all  admissions  less  than  $1.01. 
The  10  percent  tax  would  apply  only  to  the  portion  of 
the  admission  in  excess  of  $1.  The  COMPO  committee 
believes  this  bill  has  the  best  chance  of  the  several  pro- 
viding admission  tax  relief.  Exhibitors  are  urged  to  write 
immediately  to  their  own  congressman  to  seek  his  own 
support  of  the  King  bill  and  also  to  urge  the  members 
of  the  House  Ways  and  Means  Committee  to  act  favor- 
ably on  it. 

■ ■ ■ 

€J  During  the  past  four  weeks  eleven  new  pictures  have 
been  rated  excellent  by  The  HERALD’s  reviewers.  This 
is  remarkable  evidence  of  the  consistently  high  quality 
of  many  of  the  attractions  coming  onto  the  market.  It 
would  be  difficult  to  find  any  comparable  period  in  which 
so  many  films  of  so  much  box  office  promise  have  been 
screened  for  the  trade  within  the  period  of  just  one  month. 

■ ■ ■ 

€J  Quotable  quote : “The  number  of  potential  customers 
of  motion  picture  theatres  will  increase  substantially  in 
each  year  over  the  next  few  years  because  approximately 
four  million  children  are  now  becoming  teen-agers  each 
year.  This  is  a very  much  larger  figure  than  for  prior 
years.” — 1955  annual  report  of  General  Precision  Equip- 
ment Corporation. 


— Martin  Quigley,  Jr. 


E3 


John  Davis  on  Product 

To  the  Editor  : 

My  attention  has  been  drawn  to  the  para- 
graph on  Page  9 of  the  Motion  Picture 
Herald  issue  of  February  25th.  This,  in 
my  opinion,  gives  a completely  misleading 
interpretation  of  the  comments  which  I did 
make.  An  intelligent  examination  of  prod- 
uct problems  is  of  major  importance  to  this 
industry  and  it  is  also  of  major  importance 
that  these  comments,  which  I made  with  a 
great  sense  of  responsibility,  should  be  cor- 
rectly recorded. 

What  I said  on  that  occasion  of  the  Cir- 
cuits Management  Association  Convention 
in  London  on  February  21st  was: 

"Now — product.  There  is  a grave  short- 
age of  product  in  this  industry  today-,  and 
the  gravest  shortage  is  the  product  which 
is  coming  from  the  Lhiited  States.  I have 
been  in  this  industry  actively  now  for  over 
twenty  years,  and  I think  I can  honestly  say 
that  the  quality  which  is  coming  through, 
with  certain  outstanding  exceptions,  is  low- 
er than  it  has  ever  been  before,  and  that  in 
itself  is  creating  grave  problems  for  us.  I 
think  the  trouble  has  been  that  the  Amer- 
ican industry  has  been  in  two  minds  as  to 
where  it  is  going.  One  day  it  is  enthusi- 
astic ; a picture  is  a hit  at  the  box  office. 
The  next  day  a picture  which  they  thought 
would  succeed  has  failed  and  they  are  de- 
pressed, and  their  production  policy  seems 
to  change  with  the  immediate  results  at  the 
box  office.  Good  films  cannot  be  made  under 
such  conditions.  World-wide,  America  sup- 
plies 60%  to  70%  of  the  films  which  are 
acquired  for  the  world  market. 

“Now  it  is  a very  dangerous  thing  for 
this  industry  when  you  have  your  major 
supplier  vacillating  and  being  undecided  as 
to  the  type  of  product  it  should  make.  Tele- 
vision is  a competitor,  and  a competitor 
which  we  can  beat,  but  we  cannot  beat  it 
if  we  give  indifferent  programmes.”  — 
JOHN  DAVIS,  Deputy  Chairman  and 
Managing  Director,  The  Rank  Organisa- 
tion, Ltd.,  London, 

From  Russia 

(The  following  communication  was  re- 
ceived this  week  by  The  HERALD  from 
an  unknown  reader  behind  the  Iron  Curtain, 
The  envelope,  surmarked  “Soviet  Interna- 
tional Mail”  and  obviously  passed  by  suc- 
ceeding echelons  of  ce)isors  carried  an  in- 
decipherable postmark.  It  was  written  and 
probably  passed  under  the  smiling  skies  of 
“the  Geneva  spirit.”  ) 

To  the  Editor: 

Produce  more  films  about  the  Soviet  man 
in  the  street,  about  his  hopes  and  sentiments, 
his  work  and  private  life.  We  want  to  see 


films  about  the  life  of  Soviet  youth,  students, 
and  young  patriots  . . . the  virgin  soil 
pioneers.  Give  us  more  comedies  and 
musicals. 

Such  are  the  demands  of  Soviet  cinema- 
goers  who  eagerly  follow  cinema  progress. 
What  is  Soviet  cinematography  planning 
for  this  year? 

Moscow  News  posed  this  question  to 
Alexander  Jyodorov,  chief  of  the  Central 
Film  Production  Administration. 

Here  is  his  answer  : 

The  Moscow  film  studios  will  begin  work 
on  20  feature  films  this  year.  More  films 
will  be  made  in  Leningrad,  Kiev,  Minsk, 
Tbilisi,  Riga,  Odessa,  Baku,  Tallin.  Alma- 
Ata,  Tashkent,  Yerevan,  Vilnius,  Ashkha- 
bad, Stalinabad  and  other  cities. 

There  will  be  all  types  of  films  covering 
a wide  range  of  topics.  The  40th  anniver- 
sary of  the  October  Socialist  Revolution — 
a great  event  the  Soviet  people  will  cele- 
brate in  1956 — has  inspired  our  film  pro- 
ducers to  tackle  historical  subjects. 

Besides  full-length  feature  films  about 
the  revolution,  this  year’s  productions  will 
include  films  on  contemporary  themes,  com- 
edies, and  musicals ; adventure,  sports  and 
children’s  films.  To  meet  cinema-goer’s  de- 
mands some  popular  classical  and  modern 
novels  will  be  screened.  The  Leningrad 
studios  have  started  “Don  Quixote.”  Other 
studios  are  working  on  Constantin  Jedin’s 
“Early  Joys”  and  “No  Ordinary  Summer.” 
Valentin  K.  Aayers  “For  Soviet  Power”  and 
Constantin  Simonov’s  “The  Garrison  Im- 
mortal”— depicting  the  glorious  feat  of  the 
Brest  fortress  defenders  in  the  opening  days 
of  the  Great  Patriotic  War. 

Writers  whose  scripts  will  be  filmed  in 
1956,  include  one  of  the  oldest  Tajik  authors  ; 
Alexander  Korneichuk,  a Ukrainian  play- 
wright ; Konstantin  Lordkipan,  a Georgian 
writer ; Marhti  Gussein,  and  many  others. 

Young  novelists  and  script  writers  are 
also  represented.  They  include  Rosa  Budant- 
seva,  who  made  her  name  with  the  film 
“Saetanat,”  shown  in  Paris  recently.  She 
has  prepared  a new  script:  “The  Night- 
ingales Sing.”  A young  Armenian  script 
writer,  Marro  Erzinkian  who  recently  grad- 
uated from  the  Institute  of  Cinematography 
has  sent  her  second  script  to  the  Yerevan 
film  studios. 

Cinema-goers  are  sure  to  enjoy  our  new 
comedies  “The  Honeymoon”  a picture  about 
students’  life,  and  “The  Precious  Gift”  a 
merry  study  about  the  adventures  of  fisher- 
men— made  by  such  well  known  comedians 
as  Volodin,  Aironova  and  Rona  Felyonaya, 
and  Strelnikov’s  musical  comedy  “Kholopka.” 

We  believe  that  “Swan  Lake”  will  make 
an  exceptionally  beautiful  ballet  film.  The 
well  known  producer  A.  Ptashko,  who  made 
“Sadko”  has  begun  work  on  “Ilya  of  Mu- 
rom” a Russian  epic. 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD 


April  21,  1956 


Page 


INSTITUTE  PANELISTS  study  price 
scales  and  product  shortage  12 

CBS  ANNOUNCES  plan  to  use  tele- 
vision-on-tape 14 

WORLD-WIDE  promotional  program 

set  for  "Ten  Commandments"  14 

UNIVERSAL  to  release  ten  films  from 
July  to  October  1 9 

THOMAS  O'NEIL  SAYS  technology 
widens  film  horizons  19 

SENATE  WON'T  poll  industry;  hear- 
ings adjourned  until  May  22 

TOLL  TV  HEARINGS  set  for  week  of 
April  23rd  22 

104  WARNER  FILMS  to  be  reissued 
by  Dominant  Pictures  24 

RKO'S  FILM  service  unit  for  tele- 
vision industry  ready  24 

FOREIGN  FILM  producers  to  appeal 
for  more  playing  time  in  U.  S.  26 

BRITISH  FILM  finance  unit  starts 
study  of  industry  rules  28 

SERVICE  DEPARTMENTS 

Refreshment  Merchandising  41 

Film  Buyers'  Rating  3rd  Cover 

Hollywood  Scene  29 

Managers'  Round  Table  37 

The  Winners'  Circle  31 

National  Spotlight  33 

What  the  Picture  Did  For  Me  32 

IN  PRODUCT  DIGEST  SECTION 

Showmen's  Reviews  865 

Short  Subjects  867 

The  Release  Chart  868 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  Martin  Quigley,  Eaitor-in- 
Chief  and  Publisher;  Martin  Quigley,  Jr.,  Editor;  Raymond 
Levy  Executive  Publisher;  James  D.  Ivers,  News  Editor; 
Charles  S.  Aaronson,  Production  Editor;  Floyd  E.  Stone, 
Photo  Editor;  Ray  Gallagher,  Advertising  Manager;  Gus 
H Fausel  Production  Manager.  Bureaus:  Hollywood, 
Samuel  D.'  Berns,  Manager:  William  R.  Weaver,  Editor, 
Yucca-Vine  Building,  Telephone  HOIlywood  7-2145; 
Chicago,  120  So.  LaSalle  St.,  Urben  Farley,  Advertising 
Representative,  Telephone  Financial  6-3074;  Washington, 
J.  A.  Otten,  National  Press  Club;  London,  Hope  Williams 
Burnup,  Manager;  Peter  Burnup,  Editor;  William  Pay, 
News  Editor,  4 Golden  Square.  Correspondents  in  the 
principal  capitals  of  the  world.  Member  Audit  Bureau  of 
Circulations.  Motion  Picture  Herald  is  published  every 
Saturday  by  Quigley  Publishing  Company  Inc  Rocke- 
feller Center,  New  York  City  20.  Telephone  Circle  7-3 100, 
Cable  address;  "Quigpubco,  New  York",  Martin  Quigley, 
President;  Martin  Quigley,  Jr.,  Vice-President;  Theo.  J. 
Sullivan,  Vice-President  and  Treasurer;  Raymond  Levy, 
Vice-President,  Leo  J.  Brady,  Secretary.  Other  Quigley 
Publications:  Better  Theatres  and  Better  Refreshment  Mer- 
chandising, each  published  thirteen  times  a year  as  a 
section  of  Moiion  Picture  Herald;  Motion  Picture  Doily. 
Television  Today,  Motion  Picture  Almanac,  Television 
Almanac,  Fame. 


8 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  APRIL  21,  1956 


WHEN  AND  WHERE 


On  the  Olt 


ovizon 


WATCHING  COLOR  TV 

Exhibitors  take  note:  Color 
television  isn't  just  around 
the  corner;  it's  already  here. 
That  was  the  unofficial  theme 
of  this  week's  annual  conven- 
tion of  the  National  Associa- 
tion of  Radio  and  Television 
Broadcasters  in  Chicago.  It 
also  was  dramatically  demon- 
strated in  the  dominant,  pre- 
convention activity — NBC-TV's 
dedication,  of  its  Chicago 
outlet,  WNBQ,  as  the  nation's 
first  all-color  TV  station. 
The  effect  of  WNBQ's  new  policy 
on  the  sales  of  color  receivers 
in  the  Chicago  area  is  some- 
thing that  will  be  watched  by 
the  film  industry  as  well  as 
the  more  immediately  concerned 
television  industry.  For  the 
record  it  should  be  reported 
that  the  NARTB  meeting  drew 
an  all-time  record  of  2,500 
broadcasters,  compared  to 
1,293  last  year. 

"FLOATING  CINERAMA"  SUNK 

A House  appropriations  sub- 
committee has  scuttled  the 
U.S.  Information  Agency's 
"Floating  Cinerama"  project, 
it  is  reported  from  Washing- 
ton. The  agency  had  requested 
$3,790,500  in  Federal  funds  to 
recondition  a mothballed  air- 
craft carrier  and  equip  it  to 
show  Cinerama  films  in  major 
foreign  ports,  with  an  audi- 
ence of  some  2,000  to  be  accom- 
modated on  the  former  flight 
deck.  It  was  argued  that  this 
would  be  an  effective  method 
of  selling  foreign  audiences 
on  the  U.S.  The  subcommittee 
headed  by  Rep.  Rooney  (D.  , 
N.Y.)  vetoed  the  funds  re- 
quest. The  matter  is  currently 
before  the  full  House  Appro- 
priations Committee. 

TELEMETER  PROGRAMS 

The  first  Telemeter  program 
in  Canada  will  be  held  in  Van- 
couver, B.C.  next  year,  it  is 
announced  by  John  J.  Fitzgib- 
bons,  president  and  managing 
director  of  Famous  Players 
Canadian  Corp.  Mr.  Fitzgib- 
bons  has  been  in  Vancouver  ar- 
ranging for  a studio  location 
that  will  transmit  regular 
feature  films  by  direct  wire. 


Characterizing  Vancouver  as 
"the  toughest  marketing  city 
on  the  continent,"  he  said,  "if 
it  works  here  it  will  have  a 
good  chance  elsewhere.  "Con- 
cerning Vancouver,  where  the 
circuit  has  closed  eight  houses 
recently,  Mr.  Fitzgibbon  said, 
"The  day  of  the  small  neighbor- 
hood theatre  is  finished." 

TESTING 

Possibly  the  surest  test  of 
the  Hollywood  policy  of  pick- 
ing up  a television  property 
after  50,000,000  viewers  have 
seen  it  gratis  and  making  it 
into  a theatrical  motion  pic- 
ture to  be  offered  for  viewing 
at  a price  is  to  assign  a set 
of  statisticians  to  keep  books 
on  the  four  such  properties  the 
new  RKO  is  committed  to  furnish 
exhibitors.  The  four  proper- 
ties are  said  to  have  been 
standouts  in  their  video  ver- 
sions. They  are  "Public  Pigeon 
Number  One,"  "Deal  a Blow"  (to 
be  retitled  "Strike  a Blow"), 
"The  Prowler"  (being  expanded 
to  "The  Lady  and  the  Prowler") 
and  "The  Day  They  Gave  Babies 
Away."  If  matters  are  left 
that  way,  statisticans  as- 
signed to  the  proect  could  thus 
get  data  on  (1)  two  telepix 
sold  via  the  box  office  with 
due  titular  notification  of 
origin  and  (2)  two  telepix 
wearing  titular  disguises.  By 
collating  the  data  on  the  four 
pictures  from  the  same  studio, 
a statistician  might  come  up 
with  information  of  virtually 
incalculable  value  to  the 
trade  at  large. 

SUBPOENA  WALCOTT 

Joe  Walcott,  a featured  per- 
former in  Columbia's  "The 
Harder  They  Fall,"  was  sub- 
poenaed to  testify  before  the 
Cook  County  Grand  Jury  as  a 
result  of  his  TV  and  radio  ap- 
pearances in  Chicago  in  con- 
nection with  the  film's  pro- 
motional campaign.  During  a 
recent  TV  show  Walcott  tangled 
with  Illinois  boxing  commis- 
sioner Lou  Radzienda,  who  is 
also  president  of  the  National 
Boxing  Association,  and  the 
ex-heavyweight  champion  de- 
clared boxing  needs  "strong 


April  29-May  4:  Semi-annual  convention  of 
the  Society  of  Motion  Picture  and  Televi- 
sion Engineers,  Statler  Hotel,  New  York. 

May  8:  Annual  convention  of  Allied  Indepen- 
dent Theatre  Owners  of  Kansas-Missouri, 
Aladdin  Hotel,  Kansas  City,  Mo. 

May  8-9:  Spring  meeting  of  the  Montana 
Theatres  Association,  Northern  Hotel,  Bill- 
ings, Montana. 

May  8-9:  Annual  convention  of  Allied  Inde- 
pendent Theatre  Owners  of  lowa-Nebraska, 
Fontenelie  Hotel,  Omaha. 

May  9-12:  Annual  convention  of  Variety  Clubs 
International,  at  the  Waldorf-Astoria,  New 
York. 

May  15-16:  North-Central  Allied  Independent 
Theatre  Owners,  annual  convention,  Nicol- 
let Hotel,  Minneapolis. 

May  29-3 1 : Annual  convention  of  the  Motion 
Picture  Theatre  Owners  and  Operators  of 
Georgia,  Biltmore  Hotel,  Atlanta. 

June  11-13:  Annual  convention  of  the  New 
Mexico  Theatre  Association,  Hilton  Hotel, 
Alburquerque. 

June  17-19:  Mississippi  Theatre  Owners  Asso- 
ciation, 16th  annual  convention,  Edgewater 
Gulf  Hotel,  Edgewater  Park,  Miss. 

June  27:  Annual  golf  tournament  and  dinner 
party  of  Albany  Variety  Club,  Shaker  Ridge 
County  Club,  Albany,  N.  Y. 

September  19-25:  Annual  convention  of  The- 
atre Owners  of  America,  in  conjunction 
with  the  annual  convention  and  trade  shows 
of  the  Theatre  Equipment  Dealers  Associa- 
tion and  Theatre  Equipment  and  Supply 
Manufacturers  Association,  Coliseum,  New 
York. 

October  5-7:  Third  annual  national  conven- 
tion of  the  Women  of  the  Motion  Picture 
Industry,  Dinkler-Plaza  Hotel,  Atlanta. 

October  15-16:  Annual  regional  convention  of 
Independent  Exhibitors  of  New  England  and 
The  Drive-In  Theatre  Association  of  New 
England,  Winchendon,  Mass. 

October  23-24:  Allied  Theatre  Owners  of 
Indiana,  Marott  Hotel,  Indianapolis. 

November  24-28:  Allied  States  Association, 
Fall  board  meeting  and  annual  convention, 
Statler  Hotel,  Dallas,  Texas. 


men  to  clean  it  up."  In  the 
Columbia  film,  which  is  an 
expose  of  crooked  dealings  in 
the  fight  game,  Walcott  ap- 
peared as  a boxing  trainer. 

William  R.  Weaver — Lawrence 
J.  Quirk — Floyd  Stone 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  APRIL  21,  1956 


9 


AX  HISTORIC  PICTURE.  Loew’s  board,  as  it  met  at  the  studio,  the  first 
time.  The  directors  saw  what  makes  a motion  picture.  They  met  personally 
the  men  and  women  behind  the  scenes.  They  talked  with  and  had  an  oppor- 
tunity to  assay  studio  executives  and  department  heads.  Above,  seated,  Paul  E. 
Manheim,  Lehman  Brothers;  Joseph  Holleran,  First  National  Bank;  William  A. 
Parker,  Incorporated  Investors;  Dore  Schary,  studio  head;  Arthur  Loew,  presi- 
dent; John  L.  Sullivan,  attorney;  George  A.  Brownell,  attorney;  Charles  C. 
Moskowitz,  vice-president  and  treasurer;  and  Charles  J.  Stewart,  Lazard  Freres. 
Standing,  Irving  Greenfield  and  Benjamin  Melniker,  attorneys;  Edward  Mannix, 
Charles  Reagan,  Howard  Dietz,  and  J.  J.  Cohn,  vice-presidents.  Host  during 
two  days  of  inspection  was  Mr.  Schary. 


wee 


l 


IN  NEW  YORK,  right,  extension  of 
the  agreement  whereby  Mrs.  Rosa 
Ekernian  distributes  for  National  The- 
atre Supply  in  Brazil.  At  the  signing: 
Arthur  F.  Baldwin,  vice-president  and 
export  manager;  Mrs.  Ekernian;  and 
Walter  E.  Green,  NTS  president. 


SER\  ICE,  loyally,  interest,  and  attendance. 
. . . Atlanta’s  WOMPI  of  the  year,  Mrs. 
Stella  Poulnot,  left,  receives  the  Laura 
Kenny  annual  award  from  Mrs.  Kenny. 


IN  LONDON,  below,  the 
Warner  sales  conference; 
and  among  the  attendants, 
Goff  Nash ; Arthur  S. 
Abeles,  Jr.,  managing  di- 
rector for  Great  Britain ; 
Dr.  Eric  Fletcher;  Wolfe 
Cohen,  president  of  War- 
ner International  Corpora- 
tion; and  Carl  Steck. 


A FRIEND  OF  THE  INDUSTRY,  and 
“dean  of  the  motion  picture  critics”  in 
the  estimation  of  local  showmen,  the 
Cleveland  Plain  Dealer's  W.  Ward  Marsh 
marked  40  years’  picture  peering  as 
guest  at  a Cleveland  banquet  to  which 
came  friends  from  as  far  as  Hollywood. 
At  the  dais,  left,  are  Philip  Porter, 
Wright  Bryan,  Mr.  Marsh,  toastmaster 
George  Murphy,  Governor  Frank  Lausche, 
Allen  Lowe,  Father  Joyce,  and  Mayor 
Anthony  Calabrezze. 


SOUTHERN  CEREMONY,  and  saturation  campaign,  as 
Warner's  ‘"Good-bye,  My  Lady”  not  only  opened  at  Albany, 
Ga.,  but  also  in  370  houses  in  that  state,  Tennessee,  South 
Carolina,  and  Florida.  Above,  in  front  of  the  Albany  Theatre, 
actor  'Walter  Brennan,  Jane  Towerv  (Miss  Albany),  Mrs. 
Brennan.  Mayor  Bill  McAfee,  and  announcer  Bud  Hulick. 


RX:  psychodynamics 


by  the  Herald 

MENTAL  MANIPULATION  is  what  the  industry’s  show- 
men need,  Claude  Mundo  of  Arkansas  opined  as  he  sat 
down  to  a new  desk  last  week  in  New  York,  as  administra- 
tive assistant  to  the  president  of  the  Theatre  Owners  of 
America.  The  format  which  Madison  Avenue  lately  has 
elevated  to  high  fashion  and  terms  brainstorming  (not 
brainpicking)  should  be  the  local  fashion.  The  overween- 
ing industry  job  is  to  make  people  return  to  the  theatre 
as  an  institution,  he  believes.  Small  exhibitors  in  whose 
heads  churn  original  ideas,  too  long  have  been  too  timid  to 
talk,  and  they  have  got  to  be  made  to.  The  TOA  Los  Angeles 
convention  at  which  committees  were  told  to  knock  heads 
together  and  produce  before  the  meeting’s  end.  was  right; 
so  was  the  MGM  Workshop,  although  stressing  picture  sell- 
ing; the  coming  New  York  TOA  convention  may  systema- 
tize brainstorming,  he  indicated.  Speaking  of  returning  to 
the  theatre.  Mr.  Mundo  has  returned,  after  four  years  away 
as  a promotional  consultant  to  politicians  and  professional 
men,  to  give  it  “all  the  help  I can." 


NEW  YORK  BENEFIT  (The  March  of  Dimes)  as  20th-Fox 
opened  its  ‘‘The  Man  in  the  Gray  Flannel  Suit”  at  the  Roxy 
Theatre.  Above,  Columbia  executive  vice-president  Jack 
Cohn;  National  Theatres  president  Elmer  C.  Rhoden,  and 
Roxy  managing  director  Robert  C.  Rothafel. 


BALLYHOO,  for  a cause.  New  York’s  Times  Square 
becomes  Asthma  Square,  for  the  Denver  Jewish 
National  Home  for  Asthmatic  Children  planned  re- 
search institute.  The  dedicators  above  are  Max  E. 
Youngstein,  a United  Artists  vice-president  and  the 
drive’s  national  chairman;  actress  Myrna  Loy;  and 
former  patient  Paul  Gamberg. 


THE  RENEWAL  of  association 
between  United  Artists  and  the 
Hecht-Lancaster  companies. 
Above,  seated,  Harold  Hecht  and 
Burt  Lancaster;  and  standing, 
UA  president  Arthur  Krim,  Coast 
vice-president  Robert  Blumofe, 
H-L  partner  James  Hill,  and  UA 
chairman  Robert  Benjamin. 


THE  SATISFIED  MAN  at  the  right 
is  Eric  A.  Johnston,  president  of 
the  Motion  Picture  Association  of 
America,  as  he  told  in  New  York 
last  week  of  talks  in  Southeast 
Asian  countries  with  industry  and 
national  leaders.  Nothing  specific: 
just  an  exchange  of  viewpoints 
which  should  lead  to  understanding. 


by  the  Herald 


INSTI  I I TE  PANELISTS 
STUDY  PRICE  SCALES 
AND  PRODUCT  SHORTAGE 


by  JAMES  D.  IVERS 

EXHIBITORS  today  are  almost  unanimous  in  blam- 
ing many  of  the  industry’s  present  economic  ills  on 
a relative  shortage  of  product.  Their  composite 
opinion  is  that  a minimum  of  385  Hollywood  pictures  are 
required  for  good  operation.  Over  three  quarters  of  them 
are  filling  out  their  leaned  booking  schedules  with  foreign 
pictures,  mostly  British.  And  the  most  wanted  type  of  pic- 
ture, as  of  today,  is  comedy. 

In  another  phase  of  the  economic  picture,  a little  over  half  of  all  exhibitors 
think  present  admission  scales  are  about  right.  But  one  quarter  of  them  think 
they  are  too  high,  and  only  slightly  fewer  of  them  think  they  are  too  low. 
“Too  high  for  the  public  and  too  low  for  the  exhibitor,”  is  their  opinion. 

Present  average  admission  for  all  situations  is  about  60  cents  but  for  special 
engagements  in  the  last  three  months  it  has  averaged  as  high  as  71J4  cents. 
And  more  than  a third  of  exhibitors  whose  normal  prices  are  50  cents  or  less 
increased  their  price  to  over  50  cents  an  average  of  five  times  the  last  12  months. 


The 
HERALD 
INSTITUTE 

of  Industry. 
Opinion 


These  are  the  conclusions  of  a new  re- 
port by  The  Herald  Institute  of  Industry. 
The  first  section  of  the  present  report,  pub- 
lished last  week,  indicated  that  exhibitors 
are  heavily  in  favor  of  an  arbitration  sys- 
tem to  ease  trade  practice  problems. 

Although  most  members  of  the  Institute 
exhibitor  panel  agreed  there  is  a product 
shortage,  most  of  them  also  stressed  the 
opinion  that  it  is  a shortage  in  kind  even 
more  than  in  number.  Other  factors  bearing 
on  the  situation,  of  course,  are  such  things 
as  double  billing,  the  number  of  competing 
theatres,  and  the  number  of  changes  per 
week  in  each  situation.  These  affect  the 
averages  indicated  in  the  table  for  theatres 
in  different  population  categories.  They  also 
affect  the  numbers  considered  as  “ideal” 
for  Hollywood’s  annual  production  total. 
These  range  from  a modest  10  or  12  top 


productions  beyond  the  present  supply  to 
“twice  as  many  as  now.”  [It  is  estimated 
that  from  320  to  340  pictures  will  be  released 
this  year.] 

Typical  of  the  various  approaches  taken 
by  the  panelists  to  the  fact  of  the  product 
shortage  are  these  comments : 

A Colorado  exhibitor  : “There  is  a short- 
age of  top  quality  pictures,  first  and  second 
bracket,  for  small  town  single  bill  situa- 
tions. For  double  bill  situations  more  pic- 
tures are  needed  although  here  too  they 
suffer  from  a lack  of  box-office  productions.” 
A Texas  exhibitor  in  a town  of  30,000: 
“There  is  a definite  shortage  of  quality 
pictures.  More  ‘B’  and  lesser  pictures  than 
can  be  liquidated  in  this  market  are  avail- 
able now.” 

A New  Jersey  small  town  exhibitor: 

“Small  town  theatres  cannot  survive  on  a 


PRESENT  ADMISSION 
PRICES  ARE: 


About 

Too 

Too 

right 

high 

low 

Average,  all  exhi- 

bition  

52.6% 

24.5% 

22.9% 

Population  Groups: 

Up  to  7,500 

71  % 

18.4% 

10.6% 

7,500-30,000 

41.7% 

33.3% 

25  % 

30,000-100,000 

41.2% 

29.4% 

29.4% 

Over  100,000 

56.6% 

16.6% 

26.8% 

one  or  two  change  week.  We  have  been 
forced  to  go  to  two  changes  a week  due  to 
a lack  of  good  product.” 

A panelist  from  Grand  Rapids,  Michigan 
and  one  from  a small  town  in  Kansas  took 
parallel  approches  to  the  same  problem. 
The  Michigan  exhibitor  said:  “There  is  no 
numerical  shortage  of  current  product.  The 
shortage  is  in  the  types  of  pictures  in  cur- 
rent release,  and  the  almost  complete  elim- 
ination of  the  ‘family  series’  type  and  the 
medium  budget  color  westerns  for  the  grass 
roots  audiences.” 

The  Kansas  panelist:  “There  is  a short- 
age of  top  product  necessary  to  break  into 
the  crowded  recreational  time  of  the  aver- 
age family.” 

A noticeable  fraction  of  exhibitors  main- 
tained that  the  product  shortage  is  artifi- 
cially created,  or  at  least  taken  advantage 
of,  by  distributors  in  order  to  increase 
rentals.  An  Oregon  exhibitor  complained 
that  the  product  shortage  is  aggravated  by 
a lack  of  sufficient  prints. 

Similarly,  a Carolina  circuit  owner  said, 


Normal  Price  Scales  and  Advanced  Admissions 


Normal 

admission  scale 


Highest  special 
charge  this  year 


Adults 


Children 


Adults 


Children 


Normal  50  cent  houses  which 
have  occasionally  charged 
more  this  year 


Average,  all  exhibition  60.3  cents  22.2  cents  71.5  cents  25.8  cents  35.8%  (Average  of  5 times) 

Population  groups: 

Up  to  7,500  52  cents  18  cents  56.6  cents  20.9  cents 

7,500-30,000  62.9  cents  21.9  cents  76.9  cents  23.4  cents 

30,000-100,000  58.4  cents  24.4  cents  73  cents  28.8  cents 

Over  100,000  68  cents  23.6  cents  79.4  cents  30.2  cents 


15.6%  (Average  of  5 times) 
33  % (Average  of  2 times) 
54.5%  (Average  of  8 times) 
50  % (Average  of  6 times) 


12 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  APRIL  21,  1956 


The  Product  Shortage  and  Foreign  Pictures 

Average,  all  exhibition 

Believe  there  is 
a product  shortage 
f%  of  total  1 

89.9% 

Suggested 
number  of 
films  per  year 

385 

Have  booked 
foreign  pic- 
tures in 
J955-56 
f%  of  total 1 

76.7% 

Population  groups: 
Up  to  7,500 

81.6% 

368 

64.1% 

7,500-30,000  

90  % 

365 

vO 

O^ 

00 

CO 

30,000-100,000 

98  % 

378 

88.7% 

Over  100,000  

90  % 

427 

66  % 

" There  is  no  doubt  about  the  product  short- 
age being  our  number  one  problem.  We  are 
gradually  closing  up  theatres  for  good.  We 
have  closed  four  and  have  three  or  four 
more  which  will  have  to  close  in  the  next 
year  unless  more  product  is  forthcoming.” 

The  problem  of  the  number  of  pictures 
available  is  of  course  closely  tied  to  the 
kind  of  pictures  available  and  the  kind 
wanted.  In  general  the  panelists  favored 
comedies,  family  pictures,  musicals,  outdoor 
action,  westerns,  women’s  stories  and  mys- 
teries in  that  order. 

But  the  synopsized  figures  do  not  re- 
flect the  emphasis  which  the  panelists 
placed  on  the  need  for  wholesome  com- 
edies and  family  pictures.  “We  need  at 
least  a 25  per  cent  increase  in  salable 
pictures  that  have  an  appeal  for  family 
groups.  We  can  get  them  in  if  we  get 
the  pictures,”  said  a Massachusetts  ex- 
hibitor. 

‘‘Less  blood  and  brutality”  was  a cry  that 
was  repeated  frequently. 

On  a wider  base  another  exhibitor  said, 
“All  types  are  urgently  needed,  but  the  treat- 
ment given  pictures  in  the  past  has  been 
either  stereotyped  or  much  too  unusual.  We 
advocate  the  homey  type  pictures,  regard- 
less of  story.” 

In  repeatedly  stressing  the  need  for  good 
comedies  many  panelists  protested  against 
the  present  flood  of  “heavy  pictures”  and 
emphasis  on  crime. 

Tied  to  the  product  shortage  also  are 
the  figures  showing  the  bookings  of  for- 
eign pictures,  including  British.  More 
than  three-quarters  of  all  the  panelists 
reported  booking  one  or  more  with  the 
mean  at  around  four.  The  figures  exclude 
strictly  art  houses  and  thus  indicate  an 
extraordinary  amount  of  screen  .time 
available  in  American  theatres  for  other 
than  domestic  pictures. 

British  pictures  far  outnumbered  others, 
the  ratio  running  about  five  to  one,  with 
Italian  pictures  running  second  and  French 
third.  These  three  were  the  only  ones  with 
a sizable  representation  but  there  was  re- 
ported a scattering  of  German,  Spanish, 
Australian,  Swedish  and  Japanese  bookings. 

Prices  Too  High  Or  Low 

While  slightly  more  than  half  the  panel- 
ists felt  that  present  normal  admission  scales 
are  about  right  (national  average  60.3 
cents),  almost  half  reported  their  opinion 
that  the  present  prices  are  either  too  high 
or  too  low,  with  opinion  divided  about 
equally  between  the  two  extremes. 

Expressing  succinctly  the  opinion  of 
those  who  believe  the  line  must  be  held 
where  it  is,  a Kansas  panelist  said,  “There 
is  a tendency  to  price  ourselves  out  of 
the  market.  We  should  remain  enter- 
tainment for  the  masses.”  An  Oregon 
owner  supplemented  this  with,  “Prices 
are  as  high  now  as  they  can  go  without 
affecting  patronage.” 

Among  those  who  believe  prices  are  too 
high,  a North  Carolina  exhibitor  said,  “Our 
experience  in  a number  of  smaller  towns  is 
that  admission  prices  generally  are  too  high. 


We  have  inaugurated  bargain  days  in  several 
situations — one  day  of  each  week  when  our 
price  is  much  lower.  This  is  a surprising 
success  and  gives  many  patrons  an  oppor- 
tunity to  continue  enjoying  the  habit  of 
movie-going.  In  one  town  we  reduced  the 
top  admission  to  35  cents  and  business  is 
better  than  it  has  been  in  several  years.” 

A number  of  panelists  cited  the  50  cent 
tax  exemption  as  a limiting  factor.  Thus 
a Michigan  panelist:  “The  prices  indicated 
are  for  sub-run  neighborhood  houses.  These 
prices  would  be  increased  if  the  tax  were 
eliminated.  We  formerly  got  60  cents  with 
the  tax.” 

Another  exhibitor,  near  a large  mid 
western  city,  said,  “In  this  territory  98  per 
cent  of  all  first  run  situations  are  circuit 
controlled,  and  by  one  circuit.  They  are 
cheap  first  run  admission  houses.  Since 
nearly  all  the  surrounding  small  towns  must 
follow  these  circuit  first  run  houses,  inde- 
pendent exhibitors  are  held  down  in  their 
own  scales.  They  would  raise  prices  if  the 
first-run  circuit  houses  also  raised  enough 
to  create  a wide  enough  differential  be- 
tween theatres.” 

Although  the  normal  scale  averages  out 
at  60.3  cents  for  all  situations  and  ranges 
from  52  cents  to  68  cents,  depending  on  the 
population  situation,  an  astonishing  number 
of  panelists  indicated  frequent  departures 
upward  from  this  price  for  special  attrac- 
tions. The  average  of  these  advanced  ad- 
missions, charged  in  the  last  three  months, 


PREFERRED  TYPES 

The  Institute  panelists  favor  these 
types  of  pictures  ( relative  weight  on 


scale  of  100): 

Comedies  40.8 

Family  23.6 

Musicals  11.8 

Outdoor  action  9.2 

Westerns  5.4 

Women's  5.3 

Mysteries  3.9 


was  71.5  cents  for  adults  and  25.8  cents  for 
children.  The  normal  average  for  children 
is  indicated  as  22.2  cents. 

Even  among  those  theatres  which  nor- 
mally charge  50  cents  or  less,  the  advanced 
price  is  not  unusual.  The  reports  show  that 
35.8  per  cent  of  such  theatres  have  increased 
beyond  the  50  cent  mark  at  various  times 
in  the  last  year,  the  average  number  of 
times  being  five,  but  ranging  in  individual 
cases  as  high  as  15. 


" Bank  Night " Ruled  Lottery 
By  Superior  Court  Judge 

EAST  PROVIDENCE,  R.  I.:  “Bank 
Night”  as  conducted  by  the  Elmwood 
Amusement  Corp.  at  its  Hollywood  theatre 
from  1941  to  1949  was  a lottery,  Superior 
Court  Judge  Patrick  Curran  ruled  recently. 
Because  the  cash  prize  drawings  were  so 
categorized  by  the  court,  the  judge  ruled 
that  the  theatre  cannot  be  required  to  pay 
some  $3,500  allegedly  owed  by  it  to  Good- 
will Advertising  Company,  Boston,  which 
licensed  it  to  conduct  the  drawings.  Judge 
Curran  directed  a jury’s  verdict  for  the  thea- 
tre as  defendant  in  a contract  suit  by  the 
Boston  firm  to  collect  $10  weekly  in  license 
fees  from  sometime  in  1943,  when  payments 
allegedly  were  stopped,  plus  cost  of  supplies 
and  interest  on  the  debt. 


16mm  Awards  Set  for 
Chicago  April  23-27 

CHICAGO : A total  of  22  Golden  Reels  will 
be  awarded  to  the  outstanding  16mm  docu- 
mentary and  educational  films  produced  in 
1955  at  the  Golden  Reel  Film  Festival  of 
the  third  annual  American  Film  Assembly, 
April  23-27  at  Chicago.  More  than  2,500 
representatives  of  the  16mm  industry  will 
meet  to  see  final  screenings  of  300  films  and 
sound  slide-films  which  were  chosen  from 
hundreds  of  entries  by  a group  of  accredited 
jurors  throughout  the  country.  Golden  Reels 
are  to  be  presented  in  each  of  the  22  cate- 
gories, and  Silver  Reels  and  Certificates  of 
Merit  will  be  awarded  other  top  pictures. 
The  Assembly  is  sponsored  by  the  Film 
Council  of  America,  Evanston,  111. 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  APRIL  21,  1956 


13 


Plan  Super 
Campaign  on 
lit*  M ill c Epic 


CBS  WILL  USE 
RECORDED  TV 


Charles  P.  Ginsburg,  senior  project  engineer  in  charge  of  video  development,  and  Phillip  L 
Gundy,  manager  of  the  audio  division,  responsible  for  the  project,  inspect  the  magnetic 
head  assembly  in  Ampex  Corporation's  new  television  tape  recorder. 


CHICAGO : The  long-predicted  revolution 
in  the  business  of  recording  and  reproduc- 
tion of  sound  motion  pictures  seemed  a good 
deal  closer  here  last  Saturday  when  the 
Ampex  Corporation  demonstrated  its  new 
system  for  the  recording  and  reproduction 
of  television  programs  on  magnetic  tape. 
Concurrent  with  the  demonstration  was  the 
announcement  that  the  CBS  Television  net- 
work has  purchased  three  of  the  Ampex 
Video  Tape  Recorders  at  a cost  of  approxi- 
mately $75,000  each  and  will  have  them  in 
operation  late  this  year. 

CBS-TV’s  immediate  use  of  the 
video  tape  recorders,  now  capable 
only  of  reproducing  a black  and 
white  picture,  will  be  to  record  live 
programs,  currently  recorded  by 
kinescope  film,  to  overcome  the 
three-hour  east-west  time  differen- 
tial. According  to  those  who  saw 
the  demonstration  here,  held  in  con- 
junction with  the  annual  convention 
of  the  National  Association  of  Radio 
and  Television  Broadcasters,  picture 
quality  is  considerably  better  than 
that  obtained  with  present  kinescope 
techniques  using  film.  Also  the  reso- 
lution of  the  pictures  is  said  to  be 
vastly  superior  to  kinescope  film. 

However,  even  more  important  than  the 
reproduction  of  recorded  programs  with 
“live”  quality,  are  said  to  be  the  operational 


and  economic  advantages  of  the  tape  re- 
corder. Programs  can  be  recorded  directly 
from  the  TV  camera,  from  a TV  receiver, 
from  television  transmission  lines  or  from 
microwave  relay  systems.  Just  as  with  the 
conventional  tape  sound  recorder,  the  video 
programs  can  be  immediately  replayed  with 
no  processing  of  any  kind  necessary. 

The  Ampex  VTR  system  records  both 
picture  and  sound  on  a single  magnetic  tape 
two  inches  wide  traveling  at  a speed  of  15 
inches  a second.  More  than  a full  hour’s 
program  can  be  on  a single  14-inch  reel 
of  tape. 

RCA  also  is  known  to  be  working  on  a 
similar  tape  recording  process,  the  principal 
difference  being  that  its  system  uses  a more 
narrow  tape  and  thus  moves  at  a greater 
speed  to  record  comparable  picture  “infor- 
mation.” In  both  cases  the  sound  that  ac- 
companies the  picture  is  recorded  in  the 
ordinary  manner  along  one  edge  of  the 
magnetic  tape. 

Commenting  on  the  recording  of  color 
television  programs  on  magnetic  tape. 
Phillip  L.  Gundy,  manager  of  Ampex’s  audio 
division,  said  that  the  company’s  engineers 
have  determined  that  there  are  several  prac- 
tical approaches  to  expanding  the  basic 
technique  to  include  color.  “Ampex  has 
under  way  the  development  of  a system  for 
recording  programs  in  full  color  as  a logical 
extension  of  the  current  development,”  he 
said. 


A world  wide  promotion  program  that 
may  be  unparalleled  in  scope,  thoroughness 
and  duration,  has  been  developed  for  Cecil 
B.  DeMille’s  “The 
Ten  Com  m a n d- 
ments,”  and  was 
outlined  last  week 
by  Maxwell  Hamil- 
ton, coordinator  of 
presentation  plans 
for  the  picture.  Mr. 

Hamilton,  new  to 
the  industry,  but 
with  wide  experi- 
ence in  industrial 
and  corporate  public 
relations,  will  ad- 
minister a special 
campaign  for  a min- 
imum of  two  and  one-half  years  which  will 
begin  where  most  campaigns  planned  for 
productions  of  exceptional  importance  ordi- 
nary end.  It  will  include  phases  and  areas 
of  promotion  which  promise  to  attract  the 
non-theatre-goer,  rather  than  the  regular 
and  occasional  patrons  at  whom  the  theatri- 
cal campaign  will  be  aimed  and  conducted 
separately. 

He  said  the  program  will  be  designed  to 
reach  even  those  whose  proudest  boast  is 
that  they  “never  go  to  a movie”  and  that 
“we  want  to  reach  everyone  able  to  attend  a 
theatre  and  get  them  to  see  this  picture  at 
least  once.”  He  added  that  due  to  the  nature 
and  excellence  of  the  picture,  as  well  as 
the  extended  duration  of  the  campaign,  it 
is  expected  to  set  new  industry  records  for 
repeat  business.  Mr.  Hamilton  will  be  aided 
by  a staff  of  six  people  in  New  York  and 
seven  in  Hollywood  which  will  work  sep- 
arately from  the  regular  Paramount  promo- 
tional forces. 

News  Bureau  Formed 

In  addition,  a news  bureau  has  been  estab- 
lished on  the  Paramount  lot  to  be  used 
exclusively  for  stories  on  “The  Ten  Com- 
mandments.” Those  working  on  this  bureau 
include  Ann  del  Valle,  A1  Finestone,  Frank 
Friedrichsen  and  Paul  Simqu.  At  the  studio, 
this  bureau  within  the  DeMille  unit  will 
function  under  the  immediate  direction  and 
supervision  of  Art  Arthur,  Mr.  DeMille’s 
executive  assistant  in  charge  of  public  rela- 
tions. 

Adolph  Zukor,  chairman  of  the  board  of 
Paramount,  and  Jerome  Pickman,  director 
of  advertising  and  publicity,  also  spoke  with 
confident  enthusiasm  of  the  picture  and 
prospects  of  its  success.  Said  to  be  the 
most  costly  picture  ever  made,  its  first  six 
dates  have  been  announced  by  Paramount. 
They  are:  Criterion  theatre,  New  \ork; 
RKO  Keith’s,  Washington;  Loew’s  Ohio, 
Cleveland ; Warner  Beverly,  Hollywood ; 
New.  Baltimore,  and  Astor,  Boston. 


14 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  APRIL  21.  1956 


The  First 
Production, 

THE  SEARCHERS 


the 

Second 

Production 

of 

the 

American 


C.  V.  WHITNEY  PICTURES  INC. 


MERIAN  C.  COOPER,  Vice-President  in  Charge  of  Production 


will  be  the 
picturization 


of  a brilliant 
novel,  personally 
selected  by 
C.  V.  Whitney 


\ 


It  is  laid  in  the  early  twenties  and  peopled  with  en- 
chanting characters  of  this  heartland  as  only  John  Burress, 
since  Mark  Twain,  has  so  realistically  and  warmly  captured. 


C.  V.  Whitney  and  Merian  C.  Cooper  will  give  THE 
MISSOURI  TRAVELER  the  same  care  in  production  they 
gave  THE  SEARCHERS,  which  displays  so  magnificently  the 
rough  Texas  life  of  1868-1873. 


a novel  by 

JOHN  BURRESS 


THE  MISSOURI  TRAVELER  is  the  story  of  the  heartland 
of  America — our  great  Middle  West  — often  called  the 
"Mark  Twain  country". 


- — — _ _ 


THE  SEARCHERS  was  presented  by  C.  V.  Whitney, 
president,  with  Merian  C.  Cooper,  executive  producer; 
John  Ford,  director;  Patrick  Ford,  associate  producer; 
Frank  Nugent,  screenplay;  Winton  C.  Hoch,  photography; 
H.  Lee  Van  Hoozer,  special  assistant  to  the  vice-president; 
Lowell  Farrell,  production  manager;  in  color  by  Techni- 
color; in  VistaVision. 

C.  V.  Whitney  Pictures,  Inc.,  expects  to  give  THE 
MISSOURI  TRAVELER  the  all-star  casting  that  was  done 
in  THE  SEARCHERS. 


For  THE  MISSOURI  TRAVELER  C.  V.  Whitney  Pictures, 
Inc.,  will  team  most  of  the  same  picture  makers  — C.  V. 
Whitney,  president;  Merian  C.  Cooper,  executive  producer; 
Patrick  Ford,  associate  producer;  Frank  Nugent,  screen- 
play; Winton  C.  Hoch,  photography;  H.  Lee  Van  Hoozer, 
special  assistant  to  the  vice-president;  Lowell  Farrell,  pro- 
duction manager;  color  by  Technicolor;  in  VistaVision. 


Whitney  and  Cooper  have  selected  Ted  Tetzlaff, 
famed  for  his  direction  of  the  Vatican  sequence  in  Seven 
Wonders  of  the  World,  to  direct  THE  MISSOURI  TRAVELER. 


C.  V.  Whitney  Pictures,  Inc.,  hopes  to  put  on  the 
screen  the  kind  of  spirit  of  the  United  States,  which,  in  its 
heartland , is,  to  quote  the  Vanguard  Press,  publishers  of 
THE  MISSOURI  TRAVELER. 

"Warm  and  happy  and  touched  with  the  magic  of 
living  as  seen  through  young  eyes ." 


From  an  interview  with  C.  V.  WHITNEY 
by  Thomas  M.  Pryor  in  the  New  York  Times... 


"We  may  not  always  succeed  in 
our  aims,  but  I will  promise  you 
that  no  C.  V.  Whitney  picture 
will  ever  misrepresent  or  paint  a 
false  picture  of  the  United  States 
or  its  people.” 


v v.«»  • 


C.  V.  WHITNEY  PICTURES,  INC. 

C.  V.  WHITNEY,  President 


MERIAN  C.  COOPER,  Vice-President  in  Charge  of  Production 


1256  WESTWOOD  BLVD.,  LOS  ANGELES  24,  CALIFORNIA 


O'Neil  Says: 


Universal 
Sets  Dates 

On  Ten 

Universal  Pictures  will  release  ten  im- 
portant productions  from  July  through 
October,  Charles  J.  Feldman,  vice-president 
and  general  sales  manager,  told  the  com- 
pany’s home  office  sales  executives  and  dis- 
trict sales  managers  at  its  four-day  mid- 
year sales  conference  in  New  York  this 
week.  Of  these  10  films,  eight  are  in  color, 
two  are  in  CinemaScope  and  one  is  in  Vista- 
Vision. 

Highlighting  the  releases  will  be  “Away 
All  Boats,”  based  on  the  best-seller  by 
Kenneth  Dodson  and  the  most  expensive 
production  ever  made  by  Universal,  accord- 
ing to  the  company.  It  will  be  given  a 
series  of  pre-release  openings  in  July  with 
the  regular  release  date  set  for  August. 
Edward  Muhl,  vice-president  in  charge  of 
production,  has  received  from  Rear  Admiral 
E.  B.  Taylor,  Chief  of  Information,  U.  S. 
Navy,  official  and  enthusiastic  approval  of 
the  film,  Mr.  Feldman  told  the  meeting. 

Admiral  Taylor  also  informed  Mr.  Muhl 
that  all  Navy  commands  have  been  sent  a 
special  directive  urging  them  to  give  all-out 
cooperation  in  connection  with  the  film’s 
release,  which  the  Navy  salutes  as  “one  of 
the  great  stories  of  World  War  . . . not  only 
great  entertainment  but  inspirational  to  a 
degree  which  places  it  among  the  finest  mo- 
tion pictures  about  the  Armed  Forces.” 

The  release  schedule  for  the  four  months 
is  as  follows : 

July:  "Toy  Tiger,”  color,  starring  Jeff 
Chandler,  Laraine  Day  and  Tim  Hovey  with 
a series  of  territorial  saturation  pre-release  en- 
gagements set  for  the  beginning  of  school  holi- 
days in  June;  “The  Rawhide  Years,”  color, 
with  Tony  Curtis,  Colleen  Miller  and  Arthur 
Kennedy,  and  “Congo  Crossing,”  color,  with 
Virginia  Mayo,  George  Nader  and  Peter  Lorre. 

August:  “Away  All  Boats,”  color  and 
VistaVision,  starring  Jeff  Chandler,  George 
Nader,  Julie  Adams  and  Lex  Barker,  and 
“Francis  in  the  Haunted  House”  with  Mickey 
Rooney. 

September:  “The  Proud  Land,”  based  on 
the  book  “Apache  Agent,”  color  and  Cinema- 
Scope.  starring  Audie  Murphy,  Anne  Bancroft 
and  Pat  Crowley;  “Raw  Edge,”  color,  with 
Rory  Calhoun  and  Yvonne  DeCarlo,  and  “Be- 
hind the  High  Wall,”  with  Sylvia  Sidney  and 
Tom  Tully. 

October:  “Pillars  of  the  Sky,”  color  and 
CinemaScope,  starring  Jeff  Chandler,  Dorothy 
Malone,  Ward  Bond  and  Keith  Andes,  and 
“Showdown  at  Abilene,”  color,  with  Jock 
Mahoney,  Martha  Hyer  and  Lyle  Bettger. 


'Swan'  Opens  April  26 

MGM’s  “The  Swan,”  starring  Grace 
Kelly,  Alec  Guinness  and  Louis  Jourdan, 
opens  April  26  at  Radio  City  Music  Hall, 
the  company  announces.  Based  on  Ferenc 
Molnars  play,  the  film,  personally  produced 
by  Dore  Schary,  was  directed  by  Charles 
Vidor.  It  has  been  produced  in  Cinema- 
Scope and  Eastman  Color  and  features  Agnes 
Moorehead,  Jessie  Royce  Landis,  Brian 
Aherne  and  Leo  G.  Carroll. 


General  Precision  in 
Nationwide  Deal 

General  Precision  Laboratory,  Inc.,  Pleas- 
antville,  N.  Y.,  has  arranged  with  the  Altec 
Service  Corporation  of  New  York  to  provide 
a nationwide,  franchised  service  for  its  in- 
dustrial television  equipment.  Coupled  with 
its  sales  representation  throughout  the 
United  States  and  Canada,  the  new  arrange- 
ment will  permit  purchasers  of  its  equipment 
to  contract  for  regular  service  and  parts  re- 
placement whatever  their  location.  Altec  has 
200  field  engineers  and  30  branch  offices 
and  stock  points  from  coast  to  coast,  it  is 
said. 

Report  Hits 
Hollywood 
** Distortion  " 

WASHINGTON : The  U.  S.  Advisory 

Commission  on  Information  told  Congress 
last  week  that  too  many  Hollywood  films 
going  overseas  give  a distorted  view  of 
American  life,  and  added  that  in  its  opinion 
the  motion  picture  industry  should  cooperate 
with  the  Government  to  correct  the  situation. 
The  Commission  consists  of  five  private 
citizens  who  keep  an  eye  on  the  govern- 
ment’s Overseas  Information  Program.  The 
statements  on  the  Hollywood  films  appeared 
in  the  11th  semi-annual  report  to  Congress. 
The  Commission’s  criticism  followed  soon 
after  similar  criticism  by  USIA  chief 
Theodore  Streibert  and  several  members  of 
the  Senate  Foreign  Relations  Committee. 

According  to  the  report,  various  handicaps 
must  be  overcome  in  order  to  make  the 
government’s  foreign  propaganda  efforts 
more  effective.  One  of  these  handicaps,  the 
report  stated,  was  the  distribution  abroad 
of  American  books,  magazines  and  motion 
pictures  “which  give  a distorted  image  of 
what  American  people  and  life  in  America 
are  like.” 

The  number  of  commercial  films  which 
produce  a bad  effect  overseas  is  not  a large 
percentage  of  the  total  volume,  the  com- 
mission admitted.  “Unfortunately,  however,” 
it  added,  “several  rotten  apples  can  spoil 
the  whole  barrel.”  The  commission  opined 
that  nothing  in  the  situation  called  for  Con- 
gressional enactment  of  a censorship  law, 
but  said  the  matter  “does  require  under- 
standing and  cooperation”  between  the 
USIA  and  the  motion  picture  and  publishing 
industries.  It  also  noted  that  USIA  has  been 
working  on  the  problem  but  said  “the  re- 
sults thus  far  leave  much  to  be  desired.” 

The  commission  urged  Congress  to  set  up 
a special  joint  House-Senate  committee  to 
work  with  USIA  in  devoloping  a more  ef- 
fective overseas  information  program.  Sen- 
ator Humphrey  (D.,  Minn.)  at  once  intro- 
duced in  the  Senate  a resolution  to  set  up 
such  a committee,  composed  of  nine  House 
and  nine  Senate  members.  Rep.  Feighan 
(D.,  Ohio)  has  already  sponsored  such  a 
bill  in  the  House. 


Technoloyy 
IV  ideas  Film 
Horizons 

PHILADELPHIA:  Thomas  F.  O’Neil, 
president  of  RKO  Teleradio  Pictures,  Inc. 
and  chairman  of  the  board  of  RKO  Radio 
Pictures,  Tuesday  night  told  the  Poor  Rich- 
ard Club,  which  honored  him  here  with  a 
silver  medal  and  citation,  that  when  his  com- 
pany purchased  “30  superior  and  recent  films 
held  by  the  Bank  of  America”  and  showed 
them  on  TV,  “the  results  were  astonish- 
ing, even  to  ourselves.  Against  every  kind 
of  competition,  at  any  hour  of  the  day,  in 
any  size  market,  these  films  proved  them- 
selves consistent  successes  with  the  televi- 
sion audience.  They  proved,  moreover,  that 
good  movies  have  a vitality  and  appeal 
uniquely  their  own.” 

Given  the  citation  by  the  club  “for  his 
contribution  to  the  American  way  of  life 
and  for  his  role  in  the  development  of  vari- 
ous fields  of  entertainment,”  Mr.  O’Neil 
took  as  his  main  subject,  “Technology — The 
New  Creative  Force  in  Entertainment.” 

Competition  Is  “ Healthy ” 

“I  believe  in  competition  as  a healthy 
force,”  he  said.  “In  entertainment,  as  in 
other  businesses,  I think  we  can  prove  that 
the  success  of  one  medium  tends  to  stimu- 
late the  efforts  of  another,  tends  to  make 
all  media  stronger  and  better,  and  all  to 
the  advantage  of  the  public.  I refuse  to 
believe  that  the  development  of  any  good 
and  worthwhile  thing  is  done  at  the  expense 
of  another  good  and  worthwhile  thing.  My 
confidence  in  the  vitality  of  all  these  media 
of  entertainment  is  borne  out  by  our  com- 
pany’s continuing  interest  and  investment  in 
them  all — in  an  ambitious  future  production 
schedule  at  RKO  Radio  Pictures,  as  well  as 
in  radio,  television,  and  most  recently,  pho- 
nograph recording  facilities.” 

Mr.  O’Neil  added:  “We  believe  that  the 
integration  of  these  many  areas  of  enter- 
tainment means  more  entertainment  for 
everybody.  Partly  because  the  maximum 
part  of  the  production  dollar  will  go  into 
the  product  itself.  Partly  because  this 
healthy  cross-fertilization  will  tend  to  keep 
each  group  alert,  flexible  and  lively. 

“In  the  development  of  all  these  forms 
of  entertainment,”  he  continued,  “we  will 
be  looking  to  technology,  which  first  made 
them  possible,  for  increasing  ways  to  make 
them  even  more  attractive  to  the  even  bigger 
audiences  we  know  we  are  going  to  have.” 


Opens  Dallas  Exchange 

In  line  with  its  current  expansion  pro- 
gram, Continental  Distributing,  Inc.,  has 
opened  an  exchange  in  Dallas,  under  the 
management  of  Ray  Jones.  The  announce- 
ment was  made  by  Frank  Kassler,  president. 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  APRIL  21,  1956 


19 


DARRYL  F.  ZANUCK  presents 

GREGORY  PECK 
JENNIFER  JONES 
FREDRIC  MARCH 

in 

20th  CENTURY-FOX'S 

" TU 

Mm.  m, 
+Kjl  (xrtq 

SvCdT” 

COLOR  by  DE  LUXE 

CINemaScoP^ 

co-starring 

MARISA  PAVAN-LEE  J.COBB 
ANN  HARDING  • KEENAN  WYNN 
GENE  LOCKHART 

Produced  by 

DARRYL  F.  ZANUCK 

Written  for  the  Screen  and  Directed  by 

NUNNALLY  JOHNSON 

From  the  Novel  by  sloan  wilson 


m 


M 


From  DETROIT!  From  PITTSBURGH!  From  DENVER!  From  NEW  YORK! 
From  CLEVELAND!  From  BOSTON!  From  BUFFALO!  From  HOUSTON! 
From  SEATTLE!  From  WASHINGTON!  From  LOS  ANGELES! 

From  CHICAGO!  From  MEMPHIS!  From  INDIANAPOLIS! 

From  SAN  FRANCISCO!  From  KANSAS  CITY!  From  BIRMINGHAM! 
From  LEXINGTON!  From  SYRACUSE!  From  SAN  ANTONIO! 

From  ATLANTA!  From  RICHMOND!  From  ALBANY!  From  MILWAUKEE! 

Sensational  openings  setting  the  style  everywhere! 
Be  in  trend  with  fashion  - play  THE  BIG  PICTURE! 


SENATE  WON’T 
POLL  INDUSTRY 


Toll  TV 
Hearings 
April  23 


. . . Senator  Humphrey  says 
TOA  request  would  tax  commit- 
tee staff;  hearings  adjourned 
until  early  next  month 

The  Senate  Small  Business  subcommittee 
has  turned  down  the  requests  of  two  ex- 
hibitor organizations  that  the  subcommittee 
poll  theatre  owners  on  the  questions  of  ar- 
bitration and  production  by  the  divorced 
circuits.  Senator  Hubert  H.  Humphrey, 
chairman  of  the  subcommittee,  said  in  Wash- 
ington that  he  feels  such  a project  would 
be  too  time-consuming  and  would  make 
too  heavy  demands  on  the  subcommittee’s 
limited  staff. 

To  Resume  April  30 

At  the  same  time  this  week,  it  was  indi- 
cated that  the  subcommittee’s  hearings  on 
motion  picture  industry  trade  practices  will 
not  resume  before  the  week  of  April  30, 
when  representatives  of  distribution  and  the 
Department  of  Justice  will  be  heard.  Ex- 
hibition representatives  testified  the  week 
before  Easter.  Although  the  subcommittee 
still  hasn’t  set  a definite  time  for  the  hear- 
ings to  resume,  it  is  reported  to  be  aiming 
at  the  week  of  April  30.  In  New  York,  Ken- 
neth Clark,  vice-president  of  the  Motion  Pic- 
ture Association  of  America,  said  that  he 
understood  that  distribution  representatives 
would  testify  “some  time  in  May.” 

Senator  Humphrey’s  turn-down  of  the 
survey  request  was  outlined  in  letters  to 
Myron  Blank,  president  of  Theatre  Owners 
of  America,  and  Harry  Brandt,  president 
of  the  Independent  Theatre  Owners  Asso- 
ciation of  New  York.  In  separate  letters 
both  had  requested  that  the  subcommittee 
poll  theatre  owners. 

The  matter  originated  when  the  subcom- 
mittee was  hearing  TOA  testimony  last 
month.  Senator  Humphrey  said  the  sub- 
committee would  like  to  know  exhibitors’ 
views  on  arbitration  of  film  rentals  and  on 
preemptive  showing  rights  for  divorced  cir- 
cuits making  films. 

Poll  “ Good  Idea ” 

The  subcommittee  chairman  suggested 
that  the  major  exhibitor  organizations  poll 
their  members.  Mr.  Brandt  and  Mr.  Blank 
later  suggested  that  such  a poll  be  conducted 
by  the  subcommittee  instead,  arguing  that 
the  subcommittee,  because  of  its  prestige, 
would  get  better  response. 

In  his  letters  to  Mr.  Blank  and  Mr. 
Brandt,  Senator  Humphrey  said  he  still 
thought  a poll  wa  a good  idea  and  that  the 
subcommittee  would  like  to  have  the  results 
of  any  study  that  might  be  made  by  an  in- 
dependent polling  organization  or  other 
group.  However,  he  declared,  the  subcom- 


HUMPHREY  INVITED 
TO  ALLIED  MEETING 

MINNEAPOLIS:  Chairman  Hubert  H.  Hum- 
phrey (D.,  Minn.)  of  the  Senate  Small  Busi- 
ness subcommittee,  has  been  invited  to  at- 
tend the  annual  convention  here  of  North 
Central  Allied  Independent  Theatre  Own- 
ers, May  15-16,  at  the  Nicollet  Hotel.  Ac- 
cording to  the  present  schedule,  this  would 
be  after  the  conclusion  of  the  subcommit- 
tee’s hearings  on  motion  picture  industry 
trade  practices.  Others  invited  to  the  con- 
vention include  Jack  Kirsch,  president  of 
Illinois  Allied;  Myron  Blank,  president  of 
Theatre  Owners  of  America;  W.  C.  Geh- 
ring,  vice-president  of  20th  Century-Fox, 
and  Al  Sindlinger,  of  Sindlinger  & Co. 


mittee  doesn’t  have  the  manpower  to  make 
such  a study  and  would  have  to  devote  too 
much  time  to  the  project  even  if  it  had  the 
staff. 

When  it  asked  the  Senate  subcommittee 
to  conduct  the  poll,  TOA  explained — with 
what  some  observers  thought  was  remark- 
able candor — that  a recent  poll  of  its  own 
resulted  in  too  small  a response  (approxi- 
mately 25  per  cent  of  the  number  of  ques- 
tionnaires sent  out  were  returned)  on  which 
to  base  any  reliable  conclusions. 

Abram  F.  Myers,  chairman  of  the  board 
and  general  counsel  of  Allied  States  Asso- 
ciation, however,  was  not  in  favor  of  any 
such  subcommittee  poll.  Mr.  Myers  said  the 
poll  was  unnecessary  because  the  informa- 
tion sought  from  exhibitors  was  already 
available.  Some  observers  felt  that  the  TOA- 
ITOA  requests  to  the  subcommittee  tended 
to  weaken  the  exhibitors’  testimony  before 
the  subcommittee. 

If  the  Senate  subcommittee  does  not  re- 
sume the  film  industry  hearings  before  the 
middle  of  May,  it  will  be  virtually  impossible 
for  any  legislation  to  result  from  the  hear- 
ings this  year,  since  Congress  is  scheduled 
to  adjourn  by  the  end  of  June.  Any  report 
or  recommendation  by  the  committee,  assum- 
ing it  proposed  legislation  in  the  first  place, 
would  be  most  unlikely  to  be  acted  upon  in 
the  short  time  remaining  in  the  session. 


" Requiem " Starts  in  London 

“Requiem  for  a Redhead,”  an  Amalgamted 
Productions,  Inc.  film,  started  production 
April  9 at  the  Nettlefold  Studios,  London. 
In  wide-screen  black  and  white,  “Requiem" 
is  being  produced  by  William  G.  Chalmers, 
directed  by  MacLean  Rogers  and  stars 
Richard  Denning,  Carole  Matthews  and 
Brian  Worth.  ' 


WASHINGTON : The  Senate  Commerce 
Committee  has  announced  it  would  hold 
hearings  on  subscription  television  every 
day  during  the  week  of  April  23,  with  some 
20  witnesses  to  be  heard.  Proponents  of 
toll  TV  will  be  led  by  officials  of  the  three 
firms  that  have  asked  the  Federal  Com- 
munications Commission  to  authorize  a toll 
TV  service:  Zenith  Radio  Corp.,  Interna- 
tional Telemeter  Corp.,  and  Skiatron  Elec- 
tronics Television  Corp.  Opponents  will  be 
led  by  spokesmen  for  the  committee  against 
Pay-As-You-See  TV,  Columbia  Broadcast- 
ing System,  and  New  York  City  Council. 

The  committee  has  been  studying  televi- 
sion industry  problems,  and  chairman 
Magnuson  (D.,  Wash.)  said  the  next  phase 
of  the  committee’s  investigation  would  be 
the  toll  TV  controversy.  The  hearings  will 
start  each  day  at  10  a.m.  the  week  of  the 
23rd,  except  Wednesday,  when  the  hearings 
will  start  at  2 p.m. 

Mr.  Magnuson  announced  the  following 
witness  list: 

Monday,  April  23:  James  Landis.  Skiatron; 
Paul  Raibourn,  Telemeter,  and  Ray  Kohn, 
Allentown,  Penna. 

Tuesday,  April  24:  Television  Exhibitors 
of  America,  Inc.;  and  W.  Theodore  Pierson 
and  four  other  witnesses  for  Zenith. 

Wednesday,  April  25:  Abe  Stark,  presi- 
dent, New  York  City  Council;  Harold  Fellows, 
president,  National  Association  of  Radio-Tele- 
vision Broadcasters,  and  American  Federation 
of  Television  and  Radio  Artists. 

Thursday,  April  26:  Richard  S.  Salant, 
CBS  ; Andrew  Beimiller,  AFL-CIO  ; Lawrence 
H.  Rogers,  WSAZ-TV,  Huntington,  West  Va  ; 
Mort  F.  Farr,  National  Appliance  & Radio-T\ 
Dealers  Association ; Wilton  D.  Radford,  New 
York  City;  and  Marcus  Cohn,  counsel,  Com- 
mittee Against  Pay-As-You-See  TV. 

Friday,  April  27:  Milton  Shapp,  Jerrold 
Electronics  Corporation,  Philadelphia,  and  a 
limited  rebuttal  by  selected  representatives  ot 
the  proponents. 

Mayer  Is  Optimistic 
On  Future  of  Films 

WASHINGTON : Arthur  L.  Mayer  told 
the  Washington  Area  Exhibitors  Conven- 
tion here  Wednesday  that  for  the  first  time 
in  five  years  he  has  become  highly  optimistic 
concerning  the  immediate  future  of  the  film 
industry.  The  former  executive  vice-presi- 
dent of  COMPO  was  the  keynote  speaker  at 
the  second  day’s  meeting  of  the  three-dav 
convention  of  theatremen  from  Delawaie, 
Maryland,  West  Virginia,  Virginia  and  the 
District  of  Columbia.  Mr.  Mayer  said  his 
recent  visits  to  Hollywood  and  Europe  have 
convinced  him  that  the  industry  s period 
of  experimentation  is  over,  and  a steady 
stream  of  fine  films  will  be  released  in  the 
next  12  months,”  adding  that  “more  good 
pictures  will  be  forthcoming  in  the  next  year 
than  were  released  in  the  previous  three 
years.” 


22 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  APRIL  21.  1956 


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and  hep  exhibitors  are  playin’ it  that  way! 


TO  REISSUE  104 
WARNER  FILMS 


. . . Dominant  Pictures/  buyer  of 
rights  for  TV,  preparing  many 
features  for  sale  to  theatres 
before  broadcasting 

Plans  for  the  theatrical  reissue  in  the 
U.  S.  of  segments  of  the  Warner  Brothers 
film  library  were  announced  last  weekend  by 
Norman  Katz,  executive  vice-president  of 
Dominant  Pictures  Co.,  a subsidiary  of  As- 
sociated Artists  Productions. 

L nder  the  plans,  two  reissue  packages  of 
52  pictures  each,  both  containing  restrictions 
on  television  showings,  will  be  marketed  to 
theatres.  The  first  package,  containing  films 
considered  the  most  commercial  theatrically, 
will  carry  a restriction  clause  barring  TV 
screenings  of  the  films  until  September  1, 
1957.  The  other  52-picture  package  will  con- 
tain films  barred  to  television  until  six 
months  after  their  theatrical  distribution. 
Dominant,  Mr.  Katz  said,  will  use  its 
franchise  holders  throughout  the  county  to 
distribute  the  films. 

He  said,  “We  should  get  rolling”  on  the 
first  package  in  about  45  days  and  added  that 
Dominant  does  not  plan  to  flood  the  reissue 
market,  but  will  maintain  a flexible  policy 
in  each  area  of  the  country,  marketing  the 
films  according  to  each  section’s  require- 
ments. The  first  combination  to  be  offered, 
he  said,  will  be  “Task  Force”  and  “The 
Fighting  69th.” 

Films  for  Art  Theatres 

In  addition  to  the  two  packages,  Mr.  Katz 
said,  there  will  be  a special  group  consisting 
of  a “classic  theatre  of  silent  films”  marketed 
to  art  theatres,  and  perhaps  a special  group 
of  films  starring  A1  Jolson.  Another  group, 
considered  film  classics,  such  as  “Green  Pas- 
tures,” “The  Petrified  Forest”  and  “A  Mid- 
summer Night’s  Dream”  will  go  to  art 
houses.  On  the  art  house  pictures  Mr.  Katz 
gave  no  absolute  TV  restriction  pledge,  say- 
ing that  each  picture  and  each  situation  will 
be  evaluated  separately  and  everything  will 
be  done  with  TV  clearances,  if  possible. 

The  balance  of  the  pictures,  he  continued, 
will  go  into  theatrical  release  as  selected, 
with  no  guarantees  regarding  television,  and, 
in  fact,  with  TV  having  precedence.  More 
than  750  features  were  in  the  Warner  li- 
brary, purchased  by  PRM,  Inc.,  and  which 
is  being  distributed  by  Associated  Artists, 
both  to  TV  and  theatres  through  Dominant 
in  the  U.  S.  It  is  reported  that  foreign  re- 
issue distribution  for  theatres  in  some  areas 
will  be  handled  by  \rarners. 

Among  the  films  -.elected  for  the  first  52- 
picture  package  are : “Casablanca,”  “Rope,” 
“Mildred  Pierce,”  “The  Dark  Passage,” 
“Kings  Row,”  “Look  for  the  Silver  Lining,” 


NORMAN  KATZ 


by  the  Herald 


“I  Am  a Fugitive  from  a Chain  Gang,” 
“Black  Fury,”  “Night  and  Day”  and  sev- 
eral films  starring  Errol  Flynn. 

Meanwhile  Bob  Rich,  general  sales  man- 
ager of  Associated  Artists,  said  there  is 
much  interest  in  the  Warner  library  for 
television.  The  films  have  been  broken  down 
into  13  groups  of  52  pictures  each.  Accord- 
ing to  present  plans,  26  pictures  have  been 
allocated  for  network  sale,  with  an  addition- 
al 52  pictures  scheduled  for  national  sale  to 
large  firms.  Not  planning  to  go  into  all-or- 
nothing  deals,  Mr.  Rich  said  sales  will  be 
made  to  stations  on  the  basis  of  packages  of 
52  at  a time.  Calling  the  market  greatly 
flexible,  he  said  negotiations  will  be  carried 
out  according  to  circumstances,  station  con- 
ditions and  the  market.  All  films  will  be 
identified  with  the  Warner  name  while  pro- 
motion plans  call  for  a kit  containing  news- 
paper mats,  slides  for  on-the-air  promotion 
and  one-minute  trailers. 

It  was  also  announced  last  weekend  that 
Dominant  had  acquired  theatrical  and  tele- 
vision distribution  rights  in  the  U.  S.  to  five 
new  films  from  British  Lion.  Mr.  Katz  said 
they  will  be  kept  off  the  TV  market  for 
three  years.  They  include:  “John  and  Julie,” 
“End  of  the  Road,”  “Orders  Are  Orders,” 
“Blue  Peter”  and  “Child’s  Play.” 


Trans-Lux  Debuts  in 
Television  Field 

Trans-Lux  Pictures  Corp.  announced  the 
formation  of  a subsidiary  which  will  bring 
the  Trans-Lux  firm  into  the  television  field. 
Richard  Brandt,  vice-president  of  the  new 
company,  announced  the  formal  acquisition 
of  the  distribution  rights  to  the  entire 
Encyclopedia  Britannica  library,  which  in- 
cludes a backlog  of  700  short  subjects  as 
well  as  approximately  60  new  productions 
each  year.  Mr.  Brandt  added  that  Trans- 
Lux  will  service  the  television  industry  with 
these  films  in  packages  of  26  and  39  films. 


RK09s  Film 
Service  Unit 
Ready  Tar  Tl 7 

HOLLYWOOD : RKO  has  established  a 
major  film  service  unit  for  television  and  has 
announced  that  the  new  unit — with  com- 
pletely-equipped and  operating  studios  on  the 
west  and  east  coasts — would  serve  every 
branch  and  segment  of  the  TV  industry  in 
the  production  of  all  types  of  television  films. 
The  decision  was  made,  according  to  Charles 
L.  Glett,  executive-vice-president,  as  a re- 
sult of  surveys  which  had  been  made  and 
discussions  which  were  held  in  New  York 
the  past  three  weeks  among  Daniel  T. 
O’Shea,  president ; Mr.  Glett,  and  RKO 
home  office  executives. 

“Our  purpose  at  this  time  is  to  serve  the 
television  industry  in  every  area,”  Mr.  Glett 
said.  “We  will  service  the  wants  and  re- 
quirements of  television  producers,  advertis- 
ing agencies,  sponsors,  etc.,  with  our  unex- 
celled service  facilities  and  the  aggregate  of 
our  resources  in  both  manpower  and 
material. 

“Ultimately,  RKO  will  produce  its  own 
films  for  television  but  our  basic  intention 
at  this  time  is  to  make  available  to  the  tele- 
vision industry  our  facilities,  which  in  our 
opinion  cannot  be  duplicated  anywhere  else, 
for  the  production  of  any  kind  or  type  of 
television  film  anyone  may  want.” 

Appointed  to  supervise  the  immediate  op- 
erations of  the  new  service  unit,  with  the 
title  of  supervisor  of  television  operations,  is 
Fred  Ahern,  who  has  been  RKO  Studio  pro- 
duction coordinator  and  previous  to  that  was 
director  of  operations,  CBS-TV,  Hollywood, 
for  five  years.  His  headquarters  will  be  at 
the  RKO  Pathe  Studio  in  Culver  City  and 
he  will  divide  his  time  between  there  and 
RKO’s  New  York  studio. 


Barry  to  Head  All 
MGM  TV  Operations 

Charles  C.  (Bud)  Barry,  executive  at  the 
William  Morris  Agency  in  New  York  has 
been  named  to  organize  and  assume  charge 
of  the  television  operations  for  MGM,  it 
is  announced  by  Arthur  M.  Loew,  president 
of  Loew’s,  Inc.  Mr.  Barry  will  also  take 
charge  of  the  release  of  the  MGM  film 
library  to  TV,  it  is  understood.  In  an- 
nouncing the  appointment,  Mr.  Loew  said 
that  Mr.  Barry  will  also  act  as  a liaison 
between  New  York  and  California  for  TV 
production  at  the  MGM  studios,  making  his 
headquarters  in  New  York.  Mr.  Barry  will 
report  directly  to  Mr.  Loew.  Prior  to  join- 
ing the  William  Morris  Agency,  Mr.  Barry 
was  vice-president  in  charge  of  radio  and 
television  programming  for  the  National 
Broadcasting  Co.  Previously  he  was  in  a 
similar  capacity  at  the  American  Broad- 
casting Co. 


24 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  APRIL  21,  1956 


COLUMBIA 

SUPER 

SERIAL 

reprint 


[GEORGE  MACREADY 
CAROLE  MATHEWS 


ROBERT  LOWERY 
RALPH  MORGAN 


)?WL  1 

AivlTiTi 

Ijlj  uEi 

Original  Screen  Play  by  SHERMAN  LOWE  and  ROYAL  K.  COLE 
Produced  by  RUDOLPH  C.  FLOTHOW  • Directed  by  HOWARD  BRETHERTON 


SENSATIONAL  CAMPAIGN  BOOK! 


Tox  to  Have 
Aeiv  Sates 
Hivisions 

Alex  Harrison,  20th-Fox  general  sales 
manager,  has  announced  a re-organization  of 
held  supervision  of  the  company's  branches, 
dividing  the  United  States  and  Canada  into 
four  divisions  and  entailing  a number  of  im- 
portant promotions.  The  move  puts  into  im- 
mediate effect  a policy  where  control  and 
-upervision  of  the  field  organization  will  be 
under  four  division  managers  directly  re- 
sponsible to  Mr.  Harrison  with  Arthur  Sil- 
verstone  as  assistant  general  sales  manager. 

The  four  division  managers  will  supervise 
eight  newly-established  districts  embracing 
33  branches  in  the  United  States  and  six  in 
Canada.  The  realignment  brings  promotion 
to  the  following: 

C.  Glenn  Norris  to  supervision  of  a new 
Central-Canadian  division  that  will  include 
the  Canadian,  Central  and  Midwestern  dis- 
tricts. 

New  Eastern  Division 

Martin  Moskowitz  to  supervision  of  a 
newly-formed  Eastern  division  that  will  in- 
clude the  Atlantic  and  Northeastern  districts. 

Abe  Dickstein  to  the  Atlantic  district 
managership.  He  had  been  New  York 
branch  manager  since  February  1951. 

The  four  divisions  are  constituted  as  fol- 
lows : 

Eastern  under  supervision  of  Martin  Mos- 
kowitz, division  manager,  will  include  two 
districts;  Northeast  with  A1  Levy  as  district 
manager,  supervising  Boston,  New  Haven, 
Albany  and  Buffalo ; and  Atlantic,  with  Mr. 
Dickstein  as  district  manager  supervising 
New  York,  Philadelphia,  Washington  and 
Pittsburgh. 

The  Central  Canadian  division  under  the 
supervision  of  Mr.  Norris,  with  Peter  Myers 
district  manager  of  the  Canadian  branches 
including  Toronto,  Montreal,  St.  John,  Win- 
nipeg, Calgary  and  Vancouver;  the  Mid- 
western district  with  Morton  A.  Levy  as 
district  manager  supervising  the  Minne- 
apolis, Milwaukee,  Omaha,  Des  Moines, 
Kansas  City  and  St.  Louis;  and  the  Central 
district  with  Tom  O.  McCleaster  as  district 
manager  supervising  Chicago,  Cleveland, 
Cincinnati,  Detroit  and  Indianapolis. 

Balance  in  South 

Southern  Division,  with  Harry  G.  Bal- 
lance,  division  manager,  supervising  two  dis- 
tricts including  the  Southeast  with  Paul  S. 
Wilson  district  manager  supervising  At- 
lanta, Charlotte,  Jacksonville  and  New 
Orleans ; and  the  Southwest  with  Mark 
Sheridan,  Jr.  supervising  Dallas,  Houston, 
Oklahoma  City  and  Memphis. 

Western  division  with  Herman  Wobber 
division  manager  and  Reville  Knifflin  as  as- 
sistant division  manager  supervising  Los 
Angeles,  San  Francisco,  Portland,  Seattle, 
Salt  Lake  City  and  Denver. 


“ Godzilla " Premieres 
In  New  York  April  27 

‘‘Godzilla,  King  of  the  Monsters,”  will 
have  its  first  American  showing  at  Loew’s 
State  Theatre,  New  York,  April  27,  accord- 
ing to  Joseph  Levine,  president  of  Embassy 
Pictures,  distributors  of  the  film.  The  New 
England  premiere  will  be  held  May  2 at 
the  Paramount  and  Fenway  in  Boston  and 
at  400  theatres  throughout  New  England. 
The  New  York  opening,  Mr.  Levine  stated, 
will  be  backed  by  a strong  TV  campaign 
on  CBS-TV,  radio  saturation  on  station 
WOR,  and  a newspaper  campaign. 

More  Time 
Tor  Toreitja 
Tit  mbs  Asked 

An  appeal  to  U.  S.  exhibitors  for  more 
playing  time  for  overseas-produced  films 
may  be  put  forth  at  the  annual  convention 
of  the  Theatre  Owners  of  America  Sept.  19- 
25  in  New  York,  being  held  in  conjunction 
with  the  TESMA-TEDA-IPA  trade  shows 
and  conventions.  The  appeal  will  be  made 
by  some  foreign  producers  who  are  expected 
to  visit  this  country  at  the  time  of  the  1956 
meeting  of  the  national  exhibitor  associa- 
tion, according  to  a representative  of  TO  A. 

The  representative  also  said  that  TO  A ex- 
ecutives Myron  N.  Blank,  E.  D.  Martin  and 
Walter  Reade  will  extend  invitations  to  a 
number  of  prominent  foreign  industry  people 
while  touring  Europe  on  their  current  trip. 
It  is  expected  that  Italo  Gemini,  president 
of  the  Union  Internationale  de  L’Exploita- 
tion  Cinematographique,  will  be  one  of  the 
European  exhibitor-producers  who  would  re- 
ceive an  invitation. 

Mr.  Blank  will  address  the  general  as- 
sembly of  the  UIEC  in  Paris  next  month. 
He  is  TOA’s  representative  to  the  inter- 
national group.  The  TO  A president  was  a 
guest  speaker  to  the  UIEC’s  Rome  conven- 
tion in  late  1955  and  at  that  time  urged 
foreign  producers  to  make  films  suitable  for 
the  U.  S.  market.  However,  a number  of 
foreign  film  men  have  stated  that  their 
product  couldn’t  get  proper  playing  time  in 
the  U.  S.  and  among  them  was  Gemini,  who 
came  to  America  for  the  1955  annual  TOA 
meeting  in  Los  Angeles. 

The  1956  meeting  of  the  exhibitor  group 
will  have  an  “international  flavor,”  accord- 
ing to  reports,  as  a number  of  foreign  equip- 
ment manufacturers  and  suppliers  have  noti- 
fied TESMA  of  their  intentions  to  take  part. 


Friedman  Quits  Paramount 

Martin  Friedman  has  resigned  as  head 
of  the  home  office  play-date  department  of 
Paramount  Film  Distributing  Corporation, 
the  company  has  announced.  Mr.  Friedman 
said  he  would  announce  details  on  his  as- 
sumption of  a new  industry  post  upon  his 
return  to  New  York  from  a short  vacation. 


Hirectors  of 
Toe  a'  *.v.  Mae 
See  Studio 

Headed  by  Arthur  M.  Loew,  president, 
MGM  directors  and  top-echelon  home  office 
executives  of  Loew’s,  Inc.,  attended  a two- 
day  meeting  April  12-13  at  the  MGM  Culver 
City  Studios.  This  marked  the  first  occasion 
on  which  a major  film  company’s  board  had 
met  at  its  production  center.  It  also  marked 
another  step  in  Mr.  Loew’s  expressed  policy 
of  creating  a closer  understanding  and  work- 
ing relationship  between  Loews  distribution 
and  production  executives. 

During  the  two  day  meetings  the  directors 
met  with  studio  executives,  producers,  direc- 
tors, stars  and  department  heads,  and  visited 
a number  of  sound  stages  to  see  pictures  be- 
fore cameras.  They  also  attended  screenings 
of  several  recently  completed  but  unreleased 
films.  Among  the  innovations  witnessed  was 
the  operation  of  “MGM  Camera  65,”  which 
is  being  introduced  to  the  industry  with  the 
film  “Raintree  County.”  The  new  65  mm 
process  is  being  employed  on  this  $5,000,000 
production,  produced  by  David  Lewis  and 
directed  by  Edward  Dmytryk.  Montgomery 
Clift,  Elizabeth  Taylor  and  Eva  Marie  Saint 
star. 

The  tour  of  the  studio  and  the  screenings 
of  completed  films  ran  the  gamut  from  incep- 
tion of  a story  idea  to  completion  of  the 
project  on  film.  Among  the  pictures 
screened  and  ready  for  world-wide  release 
are  “The  Swan,”  “Bhowani  Junction,”  "Lust 
for  Life,”  “The  Rack,”  “The  Catered  Af- 
fair,” “The  Fastest  Gun  Alive,”  and  “High 
Society.”  All  will  be  released  during  the 
spring  and  summer  months,  according  to 
the  company. 

Plans  were  discussed  for  subsequent  dis- 
tribution and  promotion  of  such  films  as 
“Somebody  Up  There  Likes  Me,”  “The  Op- 
posite Sex,”  “Tea  and  Sympathy,”  “Some- 
where I’ll  Find  Him,”  “The  Barretts  of 
Wimpole  Street,”  “The  Power  and  the 
Prize,”  “Teahouse  of  the  August  Moon,” 
and  a number  of  others  on  the  current  pro- 
duction schedule. 

The  visitors  were  welcomed  to  the  studio 
by  Dore  Schary,  production  head,  E.  J. 
Mannix,  Ben  Thau,  J.  J.  Cohn  and  other 
studio  executives. 


" Trapeze " Stars  Will  Tour 
Country  in  Early  Summer 

Stars  Burt  Lancaster,  Tony  Curtis  and 
Gina  Lollobrigida  will  make  a unique  na- 
tion-wide tour  early  this  Summer  in  behalf 
of  the  forthcoming  Hecht-Lancaster  Cin- 
emaScope  production  of  “Trapeze,”  it  is 
announced  by  Roger  H.  Lewis,  UA  national 
director  of  advertising,  publicity  and  ex- 
ploitation. Produced  by  James  Hill  and 
directed  by  Sir  Carol  Reed,  “Trapeze”  was 
filmed  entirely  on  location  in  Paris.  Katy 
Jurado  heads  the. supporting  cast. 


26 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  APRIL  21,  1956 


you  can  say  it 
again  and  again 
and  again - 
picture  after 
picture  proves 
‘ he’s  the  hottest 
thing  in 
show  business 
today!” 


He’s  got  what  the 
customers  want...ar 
here  he  is  in  the  big 
kind  of  western  that 
spells  the  biggest 
kind  of  boxoffice! 


CO-STARRING 


KEENAN  WYNN 


WILLIAM  CONRAD  • PHYLLIS  KIRK 
with  WALLACE  FORD.  WILLIS  BOUCHEY.  Screenplay  by  DAVID  P.  HARMON  and  DON  McGUIRE 
Based  on  a story  by  DAVID  P.  HARMON  • Directed  by  DON  McGUIRE 
Produced  by  FRANK  SINATRA-  A Kent  Production 


START  STUDY  OF 
INDUSTRY  RULES 


. . . Head  of  British  Film  Finance 
Unit  to  get  opinions  from  all 
factions  on  regulation  of  trade 
by  Government 

by  PETER  BURNUP 

LONDON : Old  Etonian  David  Kingsley, 
managing  director  of  the  National  Film 
Finance  Corporation,  may  look  forward  to 
a busy  if  not  exceedingly  harassed  time  over 
the  next  few  weeks.  For  descending  upon 
him  will  be  the  voluminous  views  of  every 
section  of  the  industry — important  or  other- 
wise— on  the  shape  of  things  to  come. 

Like  all  other  informed  persons,  the  pres- 
ident of  the  Board  of  Trade,  Mr.  Peter 
Thorneycroft,  has  been  concerned  about  the 
slightly  amorphous  and  confused  body  of 
regulations  and  devices  which  have  devel- 
oped over  the  years  in  regard  to  the  in- 
dustry’s operations.  They  include  things 
like  Quota,  the  so-called  Eady  Plan,  and  the 
Government's  Finance  Corporation  set  up 
to  subsidize  production  out  of  public  funds. 

Mr.  Thorneycroft  announced  some  time 
ago  to  the  House  of  Commons  that  he  pro- 
posed a survey  into  the  whole  structure  of 
the  industry  in  the  course  of  the  autumn 
of  this  year  and  that  as  an  initial  basis 
for  his  own  guidance  he  had  asked  the 
Finance  Corporation  to  obtain  the  views  of 
various  sections  of  the  industry  itself.  Mr. 
Thorneycroft  made  it  clear  that  he  would 
not  necessarily  accept  any  or  all  of  those 
views. 

Clearly  the  film  trade  here  is  destined 
throughout  the  foreseeable  future  to  be 
shackled  with  rigid  Governmental  control 
and  whatever  happens  will  become  the  sub- 
ject of  Parliamentary  legislation.  But  con- 
scious of  the  fact  that  next  autumn  will 
be  the  time  of  decision,  the  preparation  of 
their  views  has  given  the  several  interests 
anxious  if  not  grave  concern. 

Views  in  Draft  Form 

The  various  trade  associations  now  have 
their  respective  views  in  draft  form  and 
awaiting  formal  ratification  by  their  Gen- 
eral Councils.  Very  little,  except  in  the  case 
of  splinter  factions  like  minor  trades-unions, 
has  been  allowed  to  emerge.  But  the  clue  to 
the  situation  is  probably  best  seen  in  the 
change  of  thinking  which  has  come  over 
exhibitors  in  the  last  few  years. 

Apart  from  the  so-called  vertically  in- 
tegrated combines  with  an  obvious  stake 
of  their  own  in  the  matter,  theatremen  gen- 
erally took  no  interest  in  the  fate  of  pro- 
ducers. It  was,  indeed,  only  with  a degree 
of  bitter  resentment  that  they  accepted,  at 
the  outset,  the  Treasury’s  Eady  Plan.  But 
exhibitors  accept  it  now  as  an  axiom  that 


a prospering  production  industry  is  as  much 
to  their  own  interest  as  to  producers  them- 
selves. A proper  flow  of  British-made  films 
is  a safeguard,  as  they  now  see  it,  against 
exorbitant  film-hire  demands  from  the  U.  S. 
Still  at  issue,  nevertheless,  is  the  means  by 
which  an  ailing  production  business  may  be 
sustained;  and  that  has  been  the  matter  of 
concerned  and  occasionally  embittered  de- 
bate in  CEA’s  branches. 

The  stern  logicians  in  the  Association’s 
Scottish  branch,  for  example,  advocate  the 
ultimate  abolition  of  both  Quota  and  Eady 
levy. 

Other  interests  advocate  the  restoration 
of  the  so-called  renters’  quota,  although  that 
device  was  generally  regarded  as  unwork- 
able and  unnecessary  when  it  was  in  opera- 
tion some  years  ago. 

SELLING  SOUTH  AMERICA 

The  second  phase  in  the  Rank  Organisa- 
tion’s militant  selling  campaign  in  Latin 
America  has  opened,  it  is  stated  here,  with 
the  signing  of  an  important  deal  in  Uruguay. 

The  deal  establishes  an  agency  for  Rank 
product  through  the  medium  of  International 
Films  Ltd.,  whose  managing  director  is 
Sr.  J.  Ellenberg,  and  in  association  with  a 
leading  exhibiting  concern  in  Montevideo, 
Campagna  Central  Cinematografica,  whose 
managing  director  is  Sr.  Sanchez  Varela. 
The  arrangement  ensures  first-run  facilities 
in  Montevideo’s  two  largest  theatres. 

Rank  officials  here  claim  that  the  deal 
not  only  affords  an  unprecedented  oppor- 
tunity to  British  films  in  the  territory,  but 
represents  a particularly  successful  placing 
of  films  far  superior  to  anything  achieved 
by  any  other  film  company  of  any  nation- 
ality. The  operation  was  preceded  by  an 
intensive  publicity  campaign  for  the  Organ- 
isation’s distribution  plans  in  Latin  America. 


BUDGET  KILLS  HOPE 
FOR  TAX  REPEAL 

LONDON:  As  the  film  trade  here 
had  expected,  there  was  no  crumb  of 
entertainment  tax  relief  for  the  mo- 
tion picture  exhibitor  in  the  new 
budget,  presented  Tuesday  to  the 
House  of  Commons  by  Chancellor  of 
the  Exchequer  Harold  MacMillan. 
Despite  the  recently  re-instituted 
austerity  measures  of  the  Govern- 
ment, the  film  trade's  tax  committee 
had  pursued  its  campaign  for  relief, 
in  the — as  it  turned  out — vain  hope 
of  winning  some  measure  of  aid  for 
the  small  exhibitor,  especially  hard- 
pressed  these  days. 


In  the  spearhead  of  the  Rank  attack  are 
Colan  MacArthur,  formerly  chief  of  the 
Rank  bureau  in  Rome,  and  W.  H.  Jamieson, 
who  for  a number  of  years  was  controller 
of  publicity  in  the  Rank  Overseas  Division, 
Both  men  are  permanently  stationed  in 
South  America,  Hut  back  of  them  is  Harry 
Norris,  managing  director  of  the  Overseas 
Organisation.  It  is  understood  that  Mr. 
Norris  will  shortly  be  travelling  to  West 
Africa  to  establish  a selling  unit  there. 

GOING  TO  CANNES 

A spirit  of  aggressive  salesmanship  is 
likely  to  inspire  also  Britain’s  delegation  to 
the  forthcoming  Cannes  Film  Festival.  The 
British  contingent  there  is  an  impressive 
one.  It  will  be  led  by  John  Davis,  in  his 
capacity  as  president  of  the  British  Film 
Producers’  Association,  and  will  include 
Associated  British’s  executive  producer 
Robert  Clark  and  Sir  Henry  French.  On 
the  safari,  also,  will  be  a covey  of  this  coun- 
try’s most  prepossessing  women-stars  and 
practically  every  available  actor. 

It  will  not  be  Mr.  John  Davis’  fault  if 
the  good  name  of  British  films  and  their 
potential  value  to  exhibitors  are  not  made 
known  in  every  country  on  the  Continent. 
A most  elaborate  information  centre  with 
cabling  and  telephone  facilities  has  already 
been  established  in  Cannes.  A crowded 
schedule  of  receptions  has  also  been  ar- 
ranged at  which  exhibitors  and  the  press 
of  all  lands  will  be  able  to  meet  this  coun- 
try’s stars  and  learn  of  their  films. 

Victor  Green  has  now  been  inducted 
formally  as  Republic’s  leading  man  here  by 
Reginald  Armour.  He  was  presented  to 
a gathering  of  the  company’s  sales  force 
from  all  parts  of  the  British  Isles  and  from 
the  Continent. 

Mr.  Armour  told  the  assembled  men  of 
what  he  called  “the  tremendous  production 
activity”  in  Republic’s  Hollywood  studios 
and  spoke  enthusiastically,  in  particular,  of 
“Lisbon”  and  “Magic  Fire.”  The’  former, 
he  said,  would  be  entered  for  this  year’s 
Venice  Festival  and  “big  plans”  are  being 
made  for  its  presentation  in  Britain  later 
this  year.  Mr.  Armour  also  told  his  sales- 
men that  Republic  would  have  completed 
a minimum  of  eight  more  pictures  in  Na- 
turama  before  the  end  of  1956. 

• 

“Carousel”  had  a gala  premiere  at  20th- 
Fox’s  Carlton  theatre  here  Tuesday.  Fox 
officials  claimed  that  it  was  to  be  the  “first, 
true,  full-scale  television  premiere  ever 
mounted  by  a film  company.”  It  is  the  first 
occasion,  they  say,  when  a film  company 
has  planned  its  premiere  in  conjunction  with 
BBC’s  Television  Service  and  to  fit  into 
the  latter’s  programme. 

• 

George  Hoover,  Variety  Club’s  Interna- 
tional Chief  Barker,  is  scheduled  to  visit 
London  early  next  month.  He  will  be 
entertained  privately  at  luncheon  by  the 
Crew  of  the  British  Tent  May  3 and  fly  to 
New  York  immediately  thereafter  to  prepare 
for  the  Club’s  International  Convention. 


28 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  APRIL  21,  1956 


1 1 II I II 1 1 1 1 1 II II I III  I II I II 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 II 1 1 1 1 1 II  i I ! I M ! H I 


THIS  WEEK  IN 
PRODUCTION: 


Sdo((uwoocl  Sc 


y cene 


STARTED  (8) 

COLUMBIA 

Guns  of  Fort  Petticoat 
(Brown-Murphy  Pic.) 

MGM 

Barretts  of  Wimpole 
Street  (Cinema- 
Scope;  Color) 

Teahouse  of  the  August 
Moon  (CinemaScope; 
Color) 

PARAMOUNT 

Hollywood  or  Bust 
( VistaVision;  Techni- 
color) 

COMPLETED  (3) 

MGM 

Somewhere  I'll  Find 
Him 

RKO  RADIO 

Tension  At  Table  Rock 
(Color) 

SHOOTING  (30) 

ALLIED  ARTISTS 

House  On  Lookout 
Mountain 

Yaqui  Drums 

AMERICAN  INT'L  PIC. 

It  Conquered  the 
World  (Sunset  Prod.j 

BUENA  VISTA 

Westward  Ho,  The 
Wagon!  (Walt  Dis- 
ney Prod.;  Cinema- 
Scope;  Technicolor) 

COLUMBIA 

Shakedown  on  Biscayne 
Bay 

Nightfall  (Copa  Prods.) 

Reprisal  (Romson 
Prods.;  Technicolor) 

INDEPENDENT 

Snowfire  (McGowan 
Prods.;  Eastman 
Color) 

Creatures  From  Green 
Hell  ( Gross-Krasne 
Prod.) 

MGM 

Tea  and  Sympathy 

Raintree  County 
(65  mm;  Color) 

Julie  (Arwin  Prods.) 

The  Opposite  Sex 
( CinemaScope; 
Eastman  Color) 

PARAMOUNT 

Funny  Face  (Vista- 
Vision;  Technicolor) 

The  Loves  of  Omar  • 


20TH  CENTURY-FOX 

The  Last  Wagon  (Cine- 
maScope; De  Luxe 
Color) 

One  in  a Million  (Cine- 
maScope; De  Luxe 
Color) 

UNITED  ARTISTS 

The  Brass  Legend  (Bob 
Goldstein  Prod.) 

The  Bess  (Boss  Prod.) 


UNITED  ARTISTS 

Pharaoh's  Curse  (Bel- 
Air  Prod.) 


Khayyam  (Vista- 
Vision;  Technicolor) 
The  Lonely  Man  (Vista- 
Vision;  Technicolor) 
The  Maverick  (Vista- 
Vision;  Technicolor) 
Gunfight  at  OK  Corral 
(VistaVision;  Techni- 
color) 

RKO  RADIO 

Beyond  a Reasonable 
Doubt 

Back  From  Eternity 

20TH-FOX 

Bus  Stop  (Cinema- 
Scope; Technicolor) 

UNITED  ARTISTS 

The  Sharkfighters 

(Goldwyn,  Jr.  Prod.; 
CinemaScope;  Color) 

UNIVERSAL-INT'L 

Star  Light  (Cinema- 
Scope; Technicolor) 
Gun  For  a Coward 
(Technicolor) 

The  Mole  People 
The  Great  Man 
Kelly  And  Me  (Cinema- 
Scope; Technicolor) 
Battle  Hymn  (Cinema- 
Scope; Technicolor) 

WARNER  BROS. 

The  Wrong  Man 
(Alfred  Hitchcock 
Prod.) 

Toward  the  Unkown 
(Toluca  Prods.; 
WarnerCoIor) 


1 1 II 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 II 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 


HOLLYWOOD  BUREAU 

Production  gained  substantially — from  33 
to  38  on  start  of  eight  pictures  and  com- 
pletion of  three  others — last  week.  Five  of 
the  new  undertakings  are  being  made  in 
expanded  screen  processes  and  in  color. 

MGM’s  Sam  Zimbalist  launched  "The 
Barretts  of  Wimpole  Street”  in  London, 
with  Jennifer  Jones  starred  in  a company 
including  Sir  John  Gielgud,  Bill  Travers, 
Virginia  McKenna  and  Laurence  Smith. 
Sidney  Franklin  is  directing  the  production, 
which  goes  in  CinemaScope  and  color. 

Also  in  CinemaScope  and  color,  MGM’s 
“Teahouse  of  the  August  Moon”  got  going 
in  Japan,  with  Marlon  Brando,  Glenn  Ford, 
Machiko  Kyo,  Eddie  Albert,  Louis  Calhern 
and  Henry  Morgan.  Jack  Cummings  is  the 
producer;  Daniel  Mann  is  directing. 

Hal  B.  Wallis  started  his  next  Martin- 
Lewis  picture  for  Paramount  release,  “Hol- 
lywood or  Bust,”  in  VistaVision  with  color 
by  Technicolor,  with  Pat  Crowley  opposite 
the  boys  and  with  Frank  Tashin  directing. 

William  Hawks  commenced  shooting 
“The  Last  Wagon”  for  20th-Fox,  with 
Delmer  Daves  directing  Richard  Widmark, 
Tommy  Rettig*,  Ken  Clark,  Stephanie  Grif- 
fin and  others.  It’s  in  CinemaScope  and 
De  Luxe  color. 

James  Mason  is  producing  and  starring  in 
“One  in  a Million”  for  20th-Fox,  which 
has  Barbara  Rush  and  Walter  Matthau, 
among  others,  in  a cast  directed  by  Nicholas 
Ray.  CinemaScope  and  De  Luxe  color. 

Boss  Productions,  a new  independent  pro- 
ducing company  headed  by  the  accomplished 
Seltzer  brothers — Frank  as  producer,  Wal- 
ter as  associate  producer — started  “The 
Boss,”  for  LViited  Artists  release.  It  has 
John  Payne.  William  Bishop.  Gloria 
McGhee,  Doe  Avedon,  Roy  Roberts,  Robin 
Morse  and  Joe  Flynn  in  a balanced  cast 
directed  by  Byron  Haskin  with  Lew  Bor- 
zage  as  assistant  director. 

Audie  Murphy  is  starred  in  “Guns  of 
Fort  Petticoat,”  a Brown-Murphy  produc- 
tion for  Columbia  release,  with  Kathryn 
Grant,  Lucy  Marlow,  Aline  MacMahon,  Jeff 
Donnell  and  Isobel  Elsom  in  the  cast.  Harry 
Joe  Brown  is  down  as  producer.  George 
Marshall  is  directing. 

“The  Brass  Legend”  is  a Bob  Goldstein 
production  for  United  Artists  release,  with 
Herman  Cohen  credited  as  producer  and 
Gerd  Oswald  directing.  The  cast  includes 
Hugh  O’Brian  and  Nancy  Gates. 


Loew  Jr.  Making  Plans 

Arthur  Loew,  Jr.,  producer  of  MGM’s 
“The  Rack,”  has  been  in  New  York  working 
on  plans  for  his  recently-announced  inde- 
pendent producing  organization.  After  a 
trip  to  the  West  Coast  he  will  return  to  New 
York  to  confer  with  publishers  and  authors 
with  a view  to  lining  up  story  material. 


Producers 
Abroad  Seek 
Aid  in  U.S. 

by  SAMUEL  D.  BERNS 

HOLLYWOOD:  Foreign  film  producers 
are  much  more  conscious  today  of  the  in- 
ternational market,  and  are  consequently 
seeking  association  with  American  com- 
panies for  the  best  organized  approach, 
Robert  Siodmak  stated  during  his  recent 
visit  here  from  France. 

The  producer-director  of  many  American 
films  intends  to  back  up  his  claims  by  in- 
viting qualified  American  producers  to  join 
him  in  a co-production  arrangement  for 
three  films  he  will  make  in  France  and 
Germany. 

Mr.  Siodmak  held  several  preliminary 
meetings  with  major  producing-distributors 
and  independent  producers  during  his  visit 
to  complement  the  casting  of  top  American 
names  with  those  he  has  already  secured 
for  his  projects.  It  is  his  intention  to  make 
each  of  the  films  in  one  English  and  one 
foreign  language  version,  for  which  his 
company  is  prepared  to  furnish  the  foreign 
currency  required  and  completion  guaran- 
tee, Mr.  Siodmak  said. 

The  first  of  these  films,  to  be  produced 
in  Berlin  in  May,  will  be  “My  Father,  the 
Actor,”  which  will  star  O.  W.  Fischer, 
whom  Universal  recently  placed  under  a 
three-picture  contract.  An  American  femi- 
nine star  is  sought  for  the  lead.  Mr.  Siod- 
mak reported  he  has  also  made  arrange- 
ments with  Wolfgang  Reinhardt  to  produce 
Thomas  Mann’s  “The  Magic  Mountain,”  for 
which  the  Italian  star.  Sophia  Loren,  has 
been  signed.  The  third  film,  which  Mr. 
Siodmak  will  direct  and  produce  through 
SPEVA,  his  French  company,  will  be 
“Temptation  in  Paris,”  which  will  star 
Martine  Carroll.  James  Mason  is  re- 
portedly interested  in  the  co-starring  role. 


Newsreel  Cancer  Trailer 
Now  in  General  Release 

The  1956  newsreel  trailer  of  the  American 
Cancer  Society,  featuring  Gregory  Peck,  has 
gone  into  national  release  in  the  organiza- 
tion’s current  fund-raising  campaign  of 
$26,000,000.  In  his  narration,  the  star  asks 
audiences  to  fight  cancer  in  two  ways : with 
a check-up  and  a check.  The  five  newsreel 
companies,  Fox  Movietone  News,  MGM 
News  of  the  Day,  Paramount  News,  Warner- 
Pathe  and  Universal  Newsreel,  are  releasing 
the  special  subject. 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  APRIL  21,  1956 


29 


Outline  jXeic 
HKO  Circuit 
Structure 

A 72-page  proxy  statement,  outlining  the 
reorganization  contemplated  by  RKO  The- 
atres as  a consequence  of  its  proposed  deal 
to  purchase  the  assets  of  the  Cleveland  Ar- 
cade Co.,  was  mailed  to  stockholders  at  the 
weekend.  The  proposed  acquisition  and  re- 
organization plan  will  be  voted  upon  at  the 
May  8 meeting  of  stockholders  in  Delaware. 
Albert  A.  List,  chairman  of  the  board  and 
principal  stockholder  in  RKO  Theatres,  will 
not  vote  his  shares,  according  to  the  proxy. 
Arcade,  as  was  stated  previously,  is  wholly 
owned  by  Mr.  List  and  members  of  his 
family. 

In  an  accompanying  letter,  RKO  Theatres 
president  Sol  A.  Schwartz  said  that  upon 
consummation  of  the  proposed  diversification 
plan,  the  corporation’s  name  would  be 
changed  to  RKO  Industries.  Mr.  List  would 
become  chief  executive  officer  of  RKO  In- 
dustries Corp.,  in  which  event  he  intends  to 
devote  the  major  part  of  his  time  and  efforts 
to  its  business.  Mr.  Schwartz  will  continue 
as  president  and  chief  executive  officer  of 
RKO  Theatres,  which  would  continue  to 
carry  on  the  corporation’s  theatre  operations. 

To  Increase  Board 

It  is  contemplated  that  the  board  of  direc- 
tors would  be  increased  to  include  A.  H. 
Parker,  president  of  Old  Colony  Trust  Co., 
and  William  A.  Broadfoot  and  Royal  B. 
Lord,  two  of  the  directors  and  principal 
officers  of  Gera,  the  company  in  which  Ar- 
cade owns  84.4  percent  of  the  outstanding 
stock.  Gera  is  a diversified  enterprise  en- 
gaged in  textile  finishing,  electronics  re- 
search and  manufacturing,  weaving  of  syn- 
thetic fabrics,  and  real  estate  operations. 

It  also  was  disclosed  that  Mr.  Schwartz 
has  extended  his  contract  from  April  30, 
1957  to  April  30,  1959.  The  contract  pro- 
vides for  a salary  of  $78,000  per  year  during 
his  active  employment,  to  be  followed  by  a 
five-year  consultant  arrangement  at  an  an- 
nual fee  of  $30,000,  subject  to  certain  rights 
of  Mr.  Schwartz  and  the  corporation  to 
terminate  active  employment  at  an  earlier 
date. 


Raymond  Klune  Named 
To  RKO  Studio  Post 

HOLLYWOOD : Raymond  A.  Klune  has 
been  named  executive  manager  of  studio 
operations  at  RKO  Radio,  it  is  announced 
by  Charles  L.  Glett,  RKO  executive  vice- 
president.  During  his  many  years  in  Holly- 
wood, Mr.  Klune  served  as  executive  pro- 
duction manager  for  20th  Century-Fox  and 
as  general  production  manager  for  Selznick 
International.  He  is  a member  of  the  ex- 
ecutive branch  of  the  Academy  of  Motion 
Picture  Arts  and  Sciences. 


Boyce  Nemec,  executive  secretary  of  the 
Society  of  Motion  Picture  and  Television 
Engineers  has  announced  he  has  resigned 
from  that  post,  effective  June  15,  and  that 
he  will  establish  a management  consulting 
service  specializing  in  work  on  problems 
of  corporate  structure,  cost  analysis, 
market  studies  and  the  like,  in  the  motion 
picture  and  television  industries. 

Leonard  H.  Goldenson,  president  of  Amer- 
ican Broadcasting-Paramount  Theatres, 
Inc.,  was  named  a director  of  Marshall 
Field  Awards,  Inc.,  a new  non-profit  or- 
ganization. 

Gene  Lockhart  will  receive  the  eighth  an- 
nual Catholic  Institute  of  the  Press  award 
at  the  organization’s  annual  Communion 
Breakfast  at  the  Hotel  Plaza,  New  York, 
April  22. 

Alex  M.  Arnswalder  has  been  named 
manager  of  20th  Century-Fox’s  New  York 


B'nai  B'rith  Citations  to 
Honor  Youngstein,  Levine 

Max  E.  Youngstein,  retiring  Cinema 
Lodge  B’nai  B'rith  president,  and  Martin 
Levine,  co-chairman,  will  receive  special 
citations  from  the  Metropolitan  Council  of 
B’nai  B’rith  at  the  lodge’s  Presidents’  lunch- 
eon to  be  held  at  the  Hotel  Sheraton  Astor 
April  24.  The  citations  are  for  their  con- 
tributions in  making  possible  the  “Alexander 
the  Great”  New  York  premiere  as  a fund- 
raising project  for  the  national  B’nai  B’rith 
agencies.  Jacob  K.  Javits,  attorney  general 
of  the  state  of  New  York,  will  be  the  princi- 
pal speaker.  Harvey  Platt,  president  of  the 
Metropolitan  Council  of  B’nai  B’rith,  which 
represents  more  than  200  lodges  and  chap- 
ters in  the  Greater  New  York  area  and 
close  to  50.000  members,  will  make  the  pres- 
entations. 


" Trapeze " Spotlighted 
In  "New  York  Times" 

Hecht-Lancaster  spotlighted  its  forth- 
coming CinemaScope  production  of  “Tra- 
peze” and  its  global  film-making  program 
with  a full-page  back-cover  ad  in  the  April 
13  New  York  Times.  Headed  “$6,000,000 — 
T rapeze  and  the  ‘Global  Look.’  ” the  full- 
page  display  features  photographs  of  stars 
Burt  Lancaster,  Tony  Curtis  and  Gina 
Lollobridiga,  superimposed  on  a reproduc- 
tion of  the  globe.  The  $6,000,000  figure  re- 
fers to  the  $4,000,000  production  cost  of 
“Trapeze”  and  the  $2,000,000  promotion 
program  that  will  boom  it  around  the  world. 
Produced  by  James  Hill  and  written  by 
James  Webb,  the  film  will  have  its  world 
premiere  in  June. 


exchange,  succeeding  Abe  Dickstein  who 
was  appointed  Atlantic  district  manager. 

Peter  G.  Perakos,  Sr.,  president,  Perakos 
Theatres  Associates,  New  Britain,  Conn., 
circuit,  will  be  guest  of  honor  at  the  New 
Britain  Press  Club’s  “Man  of  the  Year 
Awards”  dinner  at  the  Hedges  Restaurant 
May  10. 

Bill  Finkel,  veteran  Pittsburgh  theatre 
owner  and  an  official  of  the  Allied  Motion 
Picture  Theatre  Owners  of  Western  Penn- 
sylvania, has  announced  his  retirement 
after  41  years  in  show  business.  He  sold 
his  Arcade  theatre  to  his  brother. 

Harold  Young  has  just  returned  from  Key 
West,  Fla.  where  he  directed  the  first  film 
for  Splendora  Pictures,  “Carib  Gold.” 
Pinky  Herman,  radio  and  television 
editor  of  Motion  Picture  Daily,  wrote  the 
title  song. 

S II " Quarter 
Profit  Up 

S.  H.  Fabian,  president  of  Stanley  Warner 
Corporation,  announced  this  week  an  in- 
crease of  60  per  cent  in  net  profit  for  the 
company  compared  with  the  earnings  for  the 
corresponding  quarter  in  the  previous  year. 

The  net  profit  for  the  quarter  ended  Feb- 
ruary 25,  1956  after  all  charges  was  $818,- 
600,  as  compared  to  $511,400  earned  in  the 
same  period  during  the  prior  fiscal  year. 
This  is  equivalent  to  37  cents  per  share  on 
the  common  stock  outstanding  which  is  an 
increase  of  14  cents  per  share  over  last 
year’s  quarter  earnings  of  23  cents  per 
share  on  the  then  outstanding  shares. 

Theatre  admissions  and  merchandise  sales, 
rents  from  tenants,  etc.,  aggregated  $23,450,- 
600  for  the  1956  13-week  period,  which 
compares  with  $22,091,400  for  the  same 
period  in  the  prior  year. 

The  net  profit  for  the  26  weeks  ended 
February  25,  1956,  after  all  charges  was 
$1,629,000,  equivalent  to  74  cents  per  share 
on  the  outstanding  common  stock.  This  com- 
pares with  $1,621,600,  equivalent  to  73  cents 
per  share  on  the  common  stock  outstanding 
during  the  26-week  1955  period. 


Name  SMPTE  Press  Head 

Sue  Grotta  has  been  named  director  of 
press  relations  for  the  Society  of  Motion 
Picture  and  Television  Engineers,  it  is  an- 
nounced by  Boyce  Nemec,  executive  secre- 
tary. Miss  Grotta  will  also  edit  the  En- 
gineers’ monthly  newsletter,  National  News 
and  Notes. 


30 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  APRIL  21,  1956 


THE  WINNERS  CIRCLE 

Pictures  which  were  reported  as  doing  above  average  business  in  key  cities  of  the 
nation  for  the  week  ended  April  14  were: 


Leo  Spits 
Dies  at  67 

HOLLYWOOD:  Leo  Spitz,  67,  a former 
president  of  RKO  Radio  Pictures  and  a co- 
founder of  International  Pictures,  which  lie 
later  helped  merge 
with  Universal,  died 
here  April  16  after 
a three-year  illness. 
A native  of  Chicago 
and  a graduate  of 
the  University  of 
Chicago,  he  was  a 
lawyer  in  that  city 
before  entering  show 
business.  In  1935 
he  was  named  pres- 
ident of  RKO  and 
the  following  year 
served  as  president 
of  the  Keith-Albee 
Orpheum  and  B.  F.  Keith  Corp.  Later  he 
joined  William  Goetz  in  the  formation  of 
International  Pictures,  Inc.  in  1943.  He 
served  as  board  chairman  of  the  firm  prior 
to  its  consolidation  with  Universal  in  1946. 
He  then  became  executive  head  of  produc- 
tion for  Universal-International,  resigning 
in  1953  because  of  poor  health.  He  held 
membership  in  the  Motion  Picture  Pio- 
neers and  the  Chicago  and  American  Bar 
Associations. 


A.  Laurence  Mackay 

A.  Laurence  Mackay,  for  many  years  a 
theatre  manager,  died  April  9 in  Temple 
University  Hospital  after  a long  illness.  At 
the  time  of  his  death  he  managed  the 
Suburban  theatre,  Ardmore,  Penna.  At  one 
time  he  managed  the  Arcadia,  Philadelphia; 
the  King,  Lancaster,  Penna.,  and  the  Up- 
town, Philadelphia.  His  mother  survives. 


Goldwyn  Booklet  Out 

“Samuel  Goldwyn — the  Producer  and  His 
Films,’’  by  Richard  Griffith,  has  been  pub- 
lished by  the  Museum  of  Modern  Art  Film 
Library  and  is  now  available  at  the  main 
desk  of  the  Museum.  Distributors  are  Simon 
and  Schuster,  New  York.  The  work  covers 
the  entire  period  of  Mr.  Goldwyn’s  career. 
A cycle  of  Goldwyn  films  is  currently  being 
shown  at  the  Museum. 


Legion  Approves  10  of 
13  New  Productions 

Of  the  13  pictures  reviewed  last  week 
by  the  National  Legion  of  Decency,  four 
were  put  in  Class  A,  Section  I,  morally  un- 
objectionable for  general  patronage;  six  in 
Class  A,  Section  II,  as  morally  unobjec- 
tionable for  adults,  and  three  in  Class  B, 
morally  objectionable  in  part  for  all.  In  Sec- 
tion I are : “Alexander  the  Great,”  “Ballet 
of  Romeo  and  Juliet,”  “Outside  the  Law,” 
and  "The  Swan.”  In  Section  II  are  “The 


Albany:  The  Man  in  the  Gray  Flannel 
Suit  (20th-Fox). 

Atlanta:  Comanche  (U.A.)  ; Goodbye  My 
Lady  (W.B.) ; The  Man  With  the 
Golden  Arm  (U.A.);  Serenade  (W.B.). 

Baltimore:  Alexander  the  Great  (U.A.) 
2nd  week;  Anything  Goes  (Par.);  The 
Conqueror  (RKO)  2nd  week. 

Boston:  The  Conqueror  (RKO)  ; I’ll  Cry 
Tomorrow  (MGM)  ; The  Man  in  the 
Gray  Flannel  Suit  (20th-Fox). 

Buffalo:  Carousel  (20th-Fox)  2nd  week; 
The  Last  Hunt  (MGM);  The  Man  in 
the  Gray  Flannel  Suit  (20th-Fox)  3rd 
week;  Miracle  in  the  Rain  (W.B.)  ; 
Never  Say  Goodbye  (U-I). 

Chicago:  Alexander  the  Great  (U.A.) 
2nd  week;  Backlash  (U-I)  2nd  week; 
Forbidden  Planet  (MGM) ; The  Harder 
They  Fall  (Col.) ; The  Man  in  the 
Gray  Flannel  Suit  (20th-Fox)  2nd 
week;  Miracle  in  the  Rain  (W.B.) 
2nd  week;  Picnic  (Col.)  9th  week;  Song 
of  the  South  (B.V.)  4th  week  (re- 
issue) ; There’s  Always  Tomorrow 
(U-I)  3rd  week. 

Cleveland:  Alexander  the  Great  (U.A.) 
3rd  week. 

Columbus:  Carousel  (20th-Fox)  2nd  week; 
Meet  Me  in  Las  Vegas  (MGM). 

Denver:  Alexander  the  Great  (U.A.) 
2nd  week;  Anything  Goes  (Par.)  2nd 
week;  I’ll  Cry  Tomorrow  (MGM)  2nd 
week;  The  Ladykillers  (Cont.)  3rd 
week;  The  Man  in  the  Gray  Flannel 
Suit  (20th-Fox)  2nd  week. 

Des  Moines:  The  Man  in  the  Gray  Flan- 
nel Suit  (20th-Fox). 

Detroit:  I’ll  Cry  Tomorrow  (MGM)  5th 
week;  The  Man  in  the  Gray  Flannel 
Suit  (20th-Fox)  2nd  week;  Oklahoma 
(Magna)  8th  week. 

Hartford:  Anything  Goes  (Par.)  3rd 

week;  Carousel  (20th-Fox)  ; Doctor  at 
Sea  (Rep.)  4th  week;  The  Ladykillers 
(Cont.)  3rd  week;  Meet  Me  in  Las 
Vegas  (MGM)  ; Miracle  in  the  Rain 
(W.B.)  ; Rock  Around  the  Clock  (Col.) 

Indianapolis:  Day  the  World  Ended 

( A.R.C.) ; The  Man  in  the  Gray  Flan- 
nel Suit  (20th-Fox)  ; Miracle  in  the 
Rain  (W.B.). 

Jacksonville:  The  Creature  Walks  Among 
Us  (U-I);  Forbidden  Planet  (MGM); 
Goodbye  My  Lady  (W.B.) ; Meet  Me  in 
Las  Vegas  (MGM). 

Memphis:  The  Man  in  the  Gray  Flannel 
Suit  (20th-Fox). 


Evil  Forest,”  “The  Gamma  People,”  “The 
Man  in  the  Gray  Flannel  Suit,”  “Shadow 
of  Fear,”  “Star  in  the  Dust,”  and  “The 
Way  Out.”  In  Class  B are  “The  Birds  and 
the  Bees,”  because  of  “light  treatment  of 


Miami:  Alexander  the  Great  (U.A.)  3rd 
week;  The  Harder  They  Fall  (Col.); 
The  Man  in  the  Gray  Flannel  Suit 
(20th-Fox)  ; Meet  Me  in  Las  Vegas 
(MGM)  3rd  week;  Oklahoma  (Magna) 
7th  week. 

Milwaukee:  Carousel  (20th-Fox)  ; The 

Conqueror  (RKO) ; Song  of  the  South 
(B.V.)  (reissue). 

Minneapolis:  Apache  Ambush  (Col.); 

Backlash  (U-I)  ; Battle  Stations 
(Col)  ; Carousel  (MGM)  2nd  week; 
Meet  Me  in  Las  Vegas  (MGM). 

New  Orleans:  Carousel  (20th-Fox)  2nd 
week;  Meet  Me  in  Las  Vegas  (MGM) 
2nd  week;  Never  Say  Goodbye  (U-I) 
2nd  week;  Picnic  (Col.)  3rd  week;  Ten- 
nessee’s Partner  (RKO) ; Trouble 
With  Harry  (Par.)  2nd  week. 

Oklahoma  City:  Carousel  (20th-Fox)  2nd 
week;  The  Conqueror  (RKO)  2nd  week; 
Miracle  in  the  Rain  (W.B.)  2nd  week; 
Rock  Around  the  Clock  (Col.)  2nd 
week. 

Philadelphia:  Carousel  (20th-Fox)  5th 

week;  Diabolique  (UMPO)  2nd  week; 
The  Harder  They  Fall  (Col.)  2nd 
week;  I’ll  Cry  Tomorrow  (MGM)  11th 
week;  Meet  Me  in  Las  Vegas  (MGM)  ; 
The  Rose  Tattoo  (Par.)  11th  week; 
Serenade  (W.B.)  2nd  week. 

Pittsburgh:  CAROUSEL  (20th-Fox)  4th 

week;  Diabolique  (UMPO)  ; The  Man 
in  the  Gray  Flannel  Suit  (20th-Fox) 
3rd  week;  Night  My  Number  Came  Up 
(Cont.  Dist.)  3rd  week. 

Portland:  Carousel  (20th-Fox)  4th  week; 
I’ll  Cry  Tomorrow  (MGM)  3rd  week; 
Marty  (U.A.)  (re-release)  3rd  week; 
Rock  Around  the  Clock  (Col.). 

Providence:  The  Conqueror  (RKO)  ; I’ll 
Cry  Tomorrow  (MGM)  3rd  week;  The 
Littlest  Outlaw  (B.V.). 

San  Francisco:  Alexander  the  Great 

(U.A.)  3rd  week;  Anything  Goes 
(Par.)  2nd  week;  Diabolique  (UMPO) 
16th  week;  Doctor  at  Sea  (Rep.)  3rd 
week;  Guys  and  Dolls  (MGM)  22nd 
week;  Meet  Me  in  Las  Vegas  (MGM) 
3rd  week;  Oklahoma  (Magna)  9th 
week;  Picnic  (Col.)  5th  week;  The 
Prisoner  (Col.)  7th  week;  Samurai 
(Fine  Arts)  6th  week. 

Toronto:  Carousel  (20th-Fox)  4th  week; 
The  Ladykillers  (Cont.  Dist.)  3rd 
week;  The  Man  With  the  Golden  Arm 
(U.A.) . 

Vancouver:  The  Court  Jester  (Par.)  3rd 
week;  Picnic  (Col.)  2nd  week. 


marriage;  suggestive  costuming  and  situa- 
tions” ; “The  Come  On,”  because  of  “low 
moral  tone;  suggestive  costuming  and  situa- 
tions,” and  “A  Kiss  Before  Dying”  because 
of  “low  moral  tone.” 


Leo  Spitz 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  APRIL  21,  1956 


31 


lAdhat  the 

Picture  did  it 


if 


or  me 


. . . the  original  exhibitors’  reports  department,  established  October  14,  1916.  In  it  theatremen 
serve  one  another  with  information  about  the  box  office  performance  of  product — providing  a 
service  of  the  exhibitor  for  the  exhibitor.  ADDRESS  REPORTS,  What  the  Picture  Did  for  Me, 
Motion  Picture  Herald,  Rockefeller  Center,  New  York  20. 


Allied  Artists 

JAIL  BUSTERS:  Leo  Gorcey,  Huntz  Hall — Mine 
is  the  sub- run  of  the  two  downtown  houses  in  McAllen, 
so  I play  all  the  Bowery  Boys*  pictures  first  time 
in  town.  They’re  a natural  Sunday  feature  for  all 
my  little  friends.  If  you  have  enough  potential  from 
the  kids,  you  ought  not  to  pass  these  up  for  at  least 
one  bread  and  butter  day  on  weekend  time.  Played 
Sunday,  Monday.  January  22,  23. — Lew  Bray,  Jr., 
Queen  Theatre.  McAllen,  Texas. 


Buena  Vista 

AFRICAN  LION:  Disney’s  True  Life  Adventure — 
I have  yet  failed  to  see  a good  Disney  feature.  How- 
ever, this  was  about  our  lowest  grosser  of  Disney 
films.  Very  cold — zero  to  20  below — and  most  every- 
one stayed  home  by  the  fire,  but  still  broke  even. 
Plaved  Thursday,  Friday.  Saturday,  February  2,  3,  4. 
— Bill  Brooks,  Liberty  Theatre,  Hailey,  Idaho. 


Columbia 

MAN  FROM  LARAMIE:  James  Stewart.  Arthur 
Kennedy — This  excellent  picture  gave  me  extra  busi- 
ness on  Sunday  night.  So  many  people  had  read  the 
story,  which  helped  a lot  also.  Stewart  always  brings 
them  in  here.  Play  it.  This  one  brought  out  some  of 
the  stay-at-home  TV  viewers.  Small  town  and  rural 
patronage.  Played  Sunday,  Monday,  February  5,  6. — 
James  Hardy,  Shoals  Theatre,  Shoals,  Ind. 

TEN  WANTED  MEN:  Randolph  Scott — A good 
Scott  western  with  plenty  of  violent  action.  Played 
Sunday,  Monday,  Tuesday,  Wednesday,  Thursday, 
January  1.  2,  3,  4.  5. — Agha  Rafique  Ahmed,  New 
Majestic  Theatre,  Hyderabad  Sind,  Pakistan. 

VIOLENT  MEN,  THE:  Glenn  Ford,  Barbara  Stan- 
wyck— Fair.  My  first  CinemaScope  picture  that  failed 
at  the  box  office.  Played  Friday,  Saturday,  Sunday, 
Monday,  Tuesday,  Wednesday,  Thursday,  January  6, 
7.  8.  9,  10.  11.  12. — Agha  Rafique  Ahmed,  New  Majes- 
tic Theatre,  Hyderabad  Sind,  Pakistan. 


Continental 

NIGHT  MY  NUMBER  CAME  UP,  THE:  Michael 
Redgrave.  Alexander  Knox — If  you’re  superstitious 
about  dreams  or  have  enough  customers  who  are. 
here’s  a fair  suspenser  which  I should  have  double- 
billed instead  of  playing  mid-week.  Played  Tuesday, 
Wednesday.  February  14,  IS. — Lew  Bray,  Jr.,  Queen 
Theatre,  McAllen,  Texas. 


Paramount 

ARTISTS  AND  MODELS:  Dean  Martin.  Jerry 

Lewis — Very  good  acting.  Nice  for  all  the  family. 
High  box  office,  but  then  we  always  do  good  business 
on  Martin  & Lewis.  Played  Monday,  Tuesday,  Wednes- 
day, January  16.  17,  18. — David  Treadway,  Duncan 
Theatre,  Union,  S.  C. 

LUCY  GALLANT:  Jane  Wyman,  Charlton  Heston — 
Gave  preferred  time  to  a worthy  picture.  However, 
it  had  played  too  many  nearby  drive-ins  as  half  a 
double  feature  program.  Just  cannot  possibly  keep 
your  patrons  fenced  in  until  you  are  granted  playing 
time.  Film  is  the  only  product  sold  in  a discrimi- 
nating manner  if  you  have  the  price  to  pay — but  that’s 
the  rules  the  distributors  force  us  to  live  by.  There  is 
little  compensation  for  the  small  town  exhibitor  who 
hasn’t  exercised  the  chance  to  invade  the  “big  fellow’s” 
territory.— Hugh  G.  Martin,  Lake  Theatre,  Clermont, 
Fla. 


RKO  Radio 

BENGAZI:  Richard  Conte,  Victor  MacLaglen — 

Failed  to  hold  the  interest  of  the  majority  of  our 
patrons.  Doubled  with  “The  Caine  Mutiny”;  played 


too  late  due  to  terms  demanded  by  Columbia. — Elstun 
Dodge,  Elstun  Theatre,  Cincinnati.  Ohio. 

ROB  ROY : Richard  Todd,  Glvnis  Johns — A good 
Walt  Disney  live-action  Technicolor  picture  about  the 
Scottish  rebel.  Played  Friday,  Saturday,  Sunday, 
Monday,  Tuesday,  Wednesday  Thursday  January  13, 
14,  15,  16.  17,  18,  19. — Agha  Rafique  Ahmed,  New 
Majestic  Theatre.  Hyderabad  Sind,  Pakistan. 


Twentieth  Century-Fox 

DESIREE:  Marlon  Brando,  Jean  Simmons — Critics 
again  panned  this  one.  So,  as  usual,  we  packed  out 
at  all  performances.  Some  of  the  CinemaScope  scenes 
were  really  breathtakingly  beautiful  and  performances 
very  good,  especially  Brando’s.  This  was  heavy  going 
throughout  with  very  little  action  and  humor  to  help 
it.  However,  as  a top  drama,  it  can  stand  as  it  is. 
Suitable  for  the  bigger  houses.  Played  Wednesday, 
Thursday.  Friday,  Saturday,  February  8,  9,  10,  11.— 
Dave  S.  Klein.  Astra  Theatre.  Kitwe/Nkana,  Northern 
Rhodesia,  Africa.  , 

GOOD  MORNING,  MISS  DOVE:  Jennifer  Jones, 
Robert  Stack — This  I know  is  tops,  but  the  absence 
of  patrons  is  definite  proof  that  new  and  good 
roads,  more  cars  and  double  feature  offering  in  nearby- 
larger  places  will  take  40%  of  patronage  that  was 
formerly  yours.  The  “scale”  arrangement  is  the 
brightest  light  in  an  otherwise  dark  and  disappointing 
engagement.  Played  Tuesday,  Wednesday,  January 
19,  20.— Hugh  G.  Martin,  Lake  Theatre,  Clermont,  Fla. 

LEFT  HAND  OF  GOD:  Humphrey  Bogart,  Gene 
Tierney — A good  picture  that  was  well  received,  but 
lost  about  $6.00  because  of  high  terms.  Also  four 
days  too  long  to  run  it.  Played  Sunday,  Monday.  Tues- 
day, Wednesday,  January  15,  16,  17,  18.— Bill  Brooks, 
Liberty-  Theatre,  Hailey,  Idaho. 


United  Artists 

APACHE:  Burt  Lancaster,  Jean  Peters — Was  not 
very  good.  Did  not  have  enough  story  to  please. 
Played  Saturday,  Sunday.  December  24,  25. — R.  Soe- 
taert,  Cinema  Majestic,  Ruiselede,  Belgium. 

VERA  CRUZ:  Gary  Cooper,  Burt  Lancaster — 

Pleased  the  audience  and  gave  us  good  receipts.  Per- 
sonally, I expected  more  of  this  film  and  thought  it 
too  exaggerated  in  many  places.  You  are  great,  Burt, 
and  you  please  the  audience,  but  they  don’t  believe 
you  are  such  a hero  as  you  seem  to  be.  And  you 
should  not  have  died  at  the  end — people  like  to  be 
happy,  and  therefore  you  too  must  be  happy  at  the 
end.— R.  Soetaert,  Cinema  Majestic,  Ruiselede,  Bel- 
gium. 


Universal 

CAPTAIN  LIGHTFOOT:  Rock  Hudson.  Barbara 
Rush— A good,  entertaining  CinemaScope  Technicolor 
adventure  story  about  rebellious  doings  in  old  Ireland. 
Did  very  good  business.  Played  Friday,  Saturday, 
Sunday,  Monday,  Tuesday,  Wednesday,  Thursday, 
January  20,  21,  22,  23,  24,  25.  26. — Agha  Rafique  Ahmed, 
New  Majestic  Theatre,  Hyderabad  Sind,  Pakistan. 

SIGN  OF  THE  PAGAN:  Jeff  Chandler,  Jack 

Palance — An  excellent  spectacular  of  the  fifth  century. 
Hollywood’s  best-liked  bad  man,  Palance,  gives  a 
powerful  performance  as  “Attila.”  We  received  many 
good  comments  about  him.  Did  outstanding  business 
in  spite  of  the  very  severe  cold  throughout  its  run. 
I don’t  understand  why  Universal  is  not  making  more 
films  in  CinemaScope.  I prefer  CinemaScope  to  any 


other  medium.  Played  two  weeks,  from  Friday, 
December  23,  through  Thursday,  January  5. — Agha 
Rafique  Ahmed.  New  Majestic  Theatre,  Hyderabad 
Sind,  Pakistan. 

TARANTULA:  John  Agar,  Mara  Corday — Excellent 
business  which  broke  house  record.  Topped  all  candy 
counter  income  for  a Sunday.  Had  SRO  out  for  first 
time  in  three  years.  Percentage  O.K.  Played  Sunday, 
Monday,  Tuesday,  January  15,  16,  17.— Rodda  Harvey, 
Jr.,  Grove  Theatre,  Lindsay,  Calif. 


Warner  Bros. 

EAST  OF  EDEN:  Julie  Harris,  James  Dean- 
Very  great  and  noble  class  picture.  Pleased  nearly 
everyone,  but  not  a few  who  have  no  understanding 
of  the  human  heart  and  not  enough  spirit.  Received 
very  favorable  comments  from  many  patrons.  One 
of  the  great  pictures  of  film  history.  Played  Satur- 
day, Sunday,  Monday,  December  17,  18,  19. — R.  Soe- 
taert, Majestic  Cinema,  Ruiselede,  Belgium. 

HELEN  OF  TROY:  Rosanna  Podesta,  Jack  Sernas 
— Very  good  box  office.  Excellent  acting  in  this  family 
movie.  Large  cast  with  very  good  work  in  action. 
Both  stars  will  climb  to  great  height.  Very  enjoyable 
to  all  who  see  it.  Played  Monday,  Tuesday,  March 
5,  6. — David  Treadway,  Duncan  Theatre,  Union,  S.  C. 

SINCERELY  YOURS:  Liberace,  Joanne  Dru— Excel- 
lent. High  standard  family  movie,  not  too  "high 
brow.”  Very  entertaining.  Had  verv  good  box  office. 
Played  Wednesday.  February  22.— t)avid  Treadway, 
Duncan  Theatre,  Union,  S.  C. 

Shorts 

Columbia 

MADCAP  MAGOO:  Mr.  Magoo — Better  than  aver- 
age cartoon — Rodda  Harvey,  Jr.,  Grove  Theatre,  Lind- 
say, Calif. 

Metro-Gold  wyn-Mayer 

MEXICAN  POLICE  ON  PARADE:  Fitzpatrick 

Travel  Talk — First  of  these  Traveltalks  I’ve  seen — 
and  the  customers  too — for  quite  a while,  but,  as  usual, 
these  are  interesting,  educational  and  in  Technicolor. 
Excellent  for  a family  program. — Lew  Bray.  Jr.,  Queen 
Theatre,  McAllen,  Texas. 

Universal 

BIG  TEST,  THE:  Color  Parade — A short  with  Roy 
Rogers,  car  testing,  etc.  No  horses,  but  O.  K.  short. 
— S.  T.  Jackson,  Jackson  Theatre,  Flomaton.  Ala. 

FLYING  TURTLE:  Foolish  Fable  — Universal 

cartoons  are  certainly  improving.-  Ralph  Raspa.  State 
Theatre,  Rivesville,  W.  Va. 

SH-H-H-H:  Walter  Lantz  Cartune — These  cartoons 
are  tops  for  getting  laughs  out  of  adults. — Ralph 
Raspa,  State  Theatre,  Rivesville,  W.  Va. 

SH-H-H-H:  Walter  Lantz  Cartune — This  is  a stupid 
cartoon - the  patrons  said  so.- — Michael  Chiavenlone. 
Valley  Theatre,  Spring  Valley,  111. 

Warner  Bros. 

TO  BE  ON  A JURY:  Joe  McDoakes  Comedy — Very 
funny  McDoakes’  short.  Joe  always  ends  up  behind 
the  eight  ball.  Our  patrons  like  this  series. — Michael 
Chiaventone,  Valley  Theatre,  Spring  Valley,  111. 


32 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  APRIL  21,  1956 


^Jhe  l^Jationai  Spotlight 


ALBANY 

A variety  of  giveaways  has  featured  drive- 
in  reopenings,  everything  from  chamois 
skins  to  roses,  cigars,  candy  and  passes.  . . . 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  David  Rosenbaum’s  Capitol, 
Elizabethtown,  N.  Y.,  has  reopened  on  a 
weekend  schedule.  . . . Stanley  Warner  Cor- 
poration, which  increased  its  stock  interest 
from  50  to  100  per  cent,  appointed  William 
A.  Riple,  former  vice-president  of  WTRY- 
Radio,  as  general  manager  for  WTRI-TV, 
scheduled  to  resume  regular  programming 
July  1 with  ABC  network  shows.  Off  the 
air  since  February,  1955,  after  a reported 
loss  of  more  than  $400,000  in  1 1 months  of 
telecasting,  the  UHF  outlet  will  have  Kal 
Ross,  former  DuMont  network  director  of 
news,  sports  and  special  events,  as  opera- 
tions manager.  . . . An  increasing  number 
of  small  theatres,  indoor  and  outdoor,  re- 
portedly are  projecting  CinemaScope  on 
standard  ratio  screens.  Some  drive-ins  ex- 
perience difficulty  in  obtaining  State  ap- 
proval for  screen-extensions,  because  of 
structural  requirements.  . . . Mike  Lane, 
who  plays  the  fighter  in  “The  Harder  They 
Fall,”  and  the  ballyhoo  bus  used  in  Colum- 
bia release,  visited  town. 

ATLANTA 

George  M.  Jones,  formerly  sales  manager 
for  Universal,  Atlanta,  made  a flying  trip 
from  Miami  to  complete  arrangements  to 
move  his  family  to  Miami  which  will  be  his 
headquarters.  . . . W.  M.  Agree,  booker, 
said  that  the  Twin-City  drive-in,  McCays- 
ville,  Ga.,  and  the  Newport  drive-in,  New- 
port, Tenn..  have  been  opened  for  the  sea- 
son. Both  are  owned  by  the  Newport  Amuse- 
ment Co.,  Newport,  Tenn.  . . . Mr.  and  Mrs. 
H.  H.  Diggs,  Twin-City  drive-in,  Bluff 
City,  Tenn.,  were  on  the  Row  visiting.  . . . 
W.  C.  (Bill)  Haines,  former  United  Artists 
branch  manager,  Indianapolis  and  Dallas, 
was  visiting  on  the  Row.  Bill  is  now  in  the 
laundry  business.  . . . George  Pabst,  south- 
ern district  manager,  United  Artists,  held  a 
sales  meeting  here  with  manager  Byron  and 
field  representatives.  . . . Bob  Tarwater, 
U.A.  sales  manager,  his  wife  and  daughter 
are  back  after  a visit  in  Haynesville,  Ala.  . . . 
The  Starlite  drive-in,  Crossville,  Ala.,  has 
been  reopened  for  the  season  by  owner  C.  B. 
Webb.  . . . M.  W.  Patton  and  B.  M.  Parker 
have  opened  the  Starlite  drive-in,  Macon. 

BALTIMORE 

Borah  Burman,  Film  Centre,  is  directing 
stage  productions  for  the  little  theatre  group, 
the  Stagecrafters.  . . . Kolman  Lampe,  pro- 
motion man  about  town,  died  recently.  . . . 
Hal  Colley,  publicity  director  for  the  New 
and  Century,  has  returned  to  his  desk  after 
a siege  of  illness.  . . . Stanley  Baker,  head 
of  Hicks-Baker  circuit,  has  returned  from 
a Florida  vacation.  . . . Abe  Levin,  asso- 
ciated with  his  brother  in  the  operation  of 
the  Irvington  theatre,  passed  away  after  an 
illness  of  several  years.  . . . Bill  Alexander, 
Timonium  drive-in  manager,  is  supervising 
the  grading  of  the  approaches  to  that  thea- 


tre. . . . Hank  Vogel  is  readying  the  opening 
of  his  new  drive-in  in  Bengies,  Md.  . . . Mrs. 
Pearl  Bryant,  manager  of  the  Federal  thea- 
tre, Federalsburg,  Md.,  has  become  a grand- 
mother. Her  daughter  became  the  mother  ol 
a baby  girl.  . . . George  Hendricks,  Mayfair 
manager,  visited  in  Philadelphia. 

BOSTON 

The  news  of  the  sudden  death  of  Bill 
Arvin,  49,  who  had  been  the  letter-carrier 
for  Film  Row  for  more  than  12  years,  came 
as  a shock  to  the  many  friends  he  had  made 
over  the  years.  . . . Samuel  Lowe,  Jr.,  of 
Theatre  Candy  Company,  was  elected  first 
vice-president  of  the  Alumni  Association  of 
Deerfield  Academy  at  the  prep-school’s  an- 
nual dinner  held  at  the  Hotel  Statler.  . . . 
Massachusetts  Theatre  Equipment  Company 
has  installed  full  stereophonic  sound  with 
effect  speakers  in  the  Stadium,  Woonsocket, 
R.  I.  . . . The  original  wooden  screen  and 
tower  at  the  Adams  drive-in,  Adams,  blew 
down  during  the  recent  freak  snow  storm, 
spreading  debris  over  a large  area  of  the 
theatre.  Owner  Stanley  Rothenberg  imme- 
diately ordered  a new  steel  Selby  screen 
101  Hi  x 44  ft.,  which  is  to  be  erected  shortly. 

. . . Three  more  theatre  closings  have  been 
reported,  two  in  Vermont  and  one  in  Maine. 
Edna  B.  Hall  has  closed  the  Brooks,  Maine, 
theatre  and  has  removed  the  equipment.  In 
Vermont,  Vincent  Choate,  who  is  secretary 
of  the  Vermont  Chamber  of  Commerce,  has 
called  it  a day  at  his  Shea’s  theatre,  Turner’s 
Falls,  while  in  Richford,  Roy  Brown  has 
given  up  the  lease  on  the  Park  theatre  to 
devote  his  full  attention  to  the  Savoy  in 
Northfield  which  he  owns. 

BUFFALO 

Lou  Lieser,  well-known  in  distribution 
and  exhibition  departments  of  the  industry 
in  New  York  state,  is  now  in  charge  of  sales 
in  the  Buffalo  exchange  area  for  Allied  Art- 
ists Film  Exchange  Inc.,  according  to  an 
announcement  by  Harry  Berkson,  branch 
manager.  . . . White  Cloud  and  Lili,  Indian 
chief  and  his  assistant,  were  touring  West- 
ern New  York  the  past  week  doing  some 
tub-thumping  for  “Mohawk,”  which  is  hav- 
ing simultaneous  premieres  in  cities  and 
towns  of  New  York  State  around  April  27, 
on  which  date  it  opens  at  the  Center  theatre 
in  Buffalo.  On  Sunday,  April  15,  the  Indians 
gave  a sneak  preview  of  their  knife-throwing 
act  at  the  Buffalo  Zoo.  On  Monday  they 
visited  Lockport  and  Batavia  and  on  Tues- 
day went  to  Rochester.  . . . The  Foundation 
Theatre  has  announced  sale  of  capital  stock 
to  aid  it  in  realizing  its  goal — preservation 
of  the  legit  theatre  on  the  Niagara  Frontier. 
The  organization  will  operate  the  Erlanger, 
starting  July  1,  on  a lenient  year-long  lease 
from  Ike  Gordon  of  Rochester. 

CHARLOTTE 

Howard  McNally,  Fayetteville,  N.  C., 
theatre  owner,  was  to  attend  the  Washing- 
ton area  theatre  owners  meeting  in  Wash- 


ington April  17-19.  . . . Jack  White,  owner 
of  the  Carolina  theatre  in  Allendale,  S.  C.,  is 
moving  to  Shallotte,  N.  C.,  from  Allendale 
to  enter  business.  He  will  continue  to  oper- 
ate his  theatre  in  Allendale.  . . . The  board 
of  directors  of  the  Theatre  Owners  Asso- 
ciation of  North  and  South  Carolina  met 
here  April  9.  Several  issues  were  discussed 
and  a certificate  of  appreciation  from  the 
National  Association  for  Infantile  Paralysis 
was  presented  the  theatre  owners  for  their 
part  in  the  polio  campaign  last  January. . . . 
Mrs.  Pauline  Griffith,  adviser  to  the  theatre 
owners,  has  been  released  from  the  hospital 
following  an  operation.  . . . Mrs.  Bill  Suther, 
wife  of  the  manager  of  the  Pastime  theatre 
in  Concord,  died  last  week.  . . . Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Jay  Schraeder,  and  son  Robert,  oper- 
ators of  the  Visulite  theatre  here,  have  moved 
into  their  new  home. 

CHICAGO 

Mrs.  Walter  Banford,  wife  of  MGM’s 
midwest  division  manager,  died  last  Friday 
morning  at  St.  Luke’s  Hospital.  Mrs.  Ban- 
ford  had  been  ill  for  many  months.  . . . 
State’s  attorney  Gutknecht  has  filed  suit 
against  Sam  Shiner  and  Michael  A.  Reese, 
owners  of  a proposed  1 ,000  car  drive-in  near 
O’Hare  Field.  The  suit  filed  in  County  Court 
charged  the  owners  of  the  40-acre  tract  are 
violating  a county  dirt  removal  ordinance. 
Assistant  State’s  Attorney  Martin  Handle- 
man  said  construction  workers  halted  work 
on  the  $400,000  project  after  the  owners  were 
notified  of  the  court  order.  . . . Arthur  Sachs, 
head  of  LaSalle  Productions,  announced  that 
national  release  date  for  their  latest  film, 
“The  Naked  Hills,”  is  June  17.  Formerly 
titled  “The  Four  Seasons,”  the  picture  stars 
David  Wayne,  Marcia  Henderson  and  Kee- 
nan Wynn.  While  LaSalle  Productions  is  a 
Chicago  company,  studios  are  located  in 
Hollywood.  ...  A $1,330,000  drive-in  proj- 
ect, to  include  a motel,  bowling  allev  and 
restaurant,  is  being  planned  by  Sam  Levin. 
On  an  85-acre  tract  in  Stickney  Township, 
it  will  have  two  screens,  one  visible  to  1 ,650 
cars  and  the  other  to  1,500. 

CLEVELAND 

While  “Alexander  the  Great”  is  drawing 
heavy  attendance  downtown,  “Diabolique,” 
French  murder  mystery,  is  establishing  a 
new  all-time  high  attendance  record  at  the 
Heights  Art  theatre.  Manager  Nico  Jaco- 
bellis  reports  he  called  for  police  assistance 
to  manage  the  crowds  that  extend  more  than 
a block  from  the  box  office.  . . . H.  E.  Mac- 
Manus,  for  the  past  eight  years  assistant  to 
Milton  A.  Mooney,  president  of  Co-operative 
Theatres  of  Ohio,  has  resigned,  effective 
May  1,  to  become  general  manager  of  three 
drive-ins  in  Toledo — the  Parkside,  Starlite 
and  Telegraph — owned  by  Ray  Searles  and 
sons.  . . . Funeral  services  were  held  this 
week  for  Mrs.  Hyman  Kaplan,  retired  thea- 
tre owner,  who  died  following  a long  illness. 
. . . W.  A.  Gray  has  notified  exchanges  of 
the  May  1 closing  of  his  250-seat  Rapids 

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MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  APRIL  21,  1956 


33 


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theatre.  Grand  Rapids,  O.  . . . Following  an 
annual  policy  Sam  Shia  is  closing  his  hard- 
top Old  Trail  theatre,  St.  Clairsville,  simul- 
taneous with  the  opening  of  his  nearby 
Shia  s drive-in.  . . . Nat  Friebeger.  manager 
of  the  Washington  Circuit's  Flaza  theatre, 
welcomed  his  fourth  grandchild  when  a son 
was  born  to  his  daughter,  Joan  Pollen,  for- 
merly with  the  local  20th-Fox  exchange. . . . 
At  the  Thursday,  April  19,  meeting  of  the 
Motion  Picture  Council  of  Greater  Cleve- 
land. guest  speaker  will  be  Mr.  Edward  W. 
Plumb,  film  director  of  the  Standard  Oil 
Company,  who  will  discuss  the  use  of  films 
in  "Industrial  Public  Relations.” 

COLUMBUS 

"Diabolique,”  the  French  film  which  went 
into  a third  week  at  the  Bexley  Art  house, 
is  giving  Manager  Robert  Tittle  one  of  his 
biggest  engagements.  Long  lines  have  been 
the  rule  since  the  feature  opened.  . . . Bev- 
erly Schecter,  of  suburban  Bexley,  won  the 
title  of  Sweetheart  Queen  of  the  A.  Z.  A. 
Sweetheart  Ball  and  was  presented  with  a 
wrist  watch  which  manager  Walter  Kessler 
of  Loew’s  Ohio  arranged  to  have  presented 
as  a gift  from  Cvd  Charisse  and  Dan  Dailey, 
stars  of  MGM's  “Meet  Me  in  Las  Vegas.” 
. . . "Carousel”  had  a big  second  week  at 
Loew's  Broad.  Manager  Robert  Sokol  of  the 
Broad  is  lining  up  a campaign  for  the  pre- 
release test  engagement  of  MGM’s  “The 
Rack"  for  the  week  of  April  27.  . . . Cather- 
ine Stattmiller,  writing  a letter  to  the  editor 
of  the  Columbus  Dispatch,  disagreed  with 
the  statement  of  Robert  Wile,  secretary  of 
the  Independent  Theatre  Owners  of  Ohio, 
that  the  end  of  state  censorship  has  not 
harmed  the  moviegoing  public.  She  said 
that  “many  pictures  shown  in  Ohio  during 
the  past  year  can  be  classified  as  obscene.” 

DENVER 

Merf  Evans,  manager  of  the  Denham,  has 
formed  A-Best-Drive-In,  Inc.,  and  the  com- 
pany has  leased  the  closed  Wadsworth,  a 
1.000-car  drive-in,  in  a Denver  suburb,  for 
10  years.  Terms  of  the  lease  are  for  nine 
per  cent  of  ticket  sales,  five  per  cent  of  con- 
cession income,  and  25  per  cent  of  net  profits 
before  income  taxes.  Evans  is  president  of 
the  company  and  will  be  managing  director. 

. . . Mary  Ann  Hogle  has  been  elected  presi- 
dent of  the  Women  of  the  Motion  Picture 
Industry,  Chapter  10.  Others  named  include 
Irene  Canino,  1st  vice-president;  May  Al- 
statt.  2nd  vice-president ; Gloria  Genevese, 
recording  secretary;  Edith  Musgrave,  cor- 
responding secretary;  Charlotte  Steuver, 
treasurer.  Board  members  include  Ann  Le 
Gendre,  Dorothy  Elmore,  Lillian  Halpern, 
Grace  Fuschimo,  June  Farmer,  Jean  Ger- 
base  and  Pauline  Hall.  . . . Lem  Lee  will 
again  operate  the  Centennial  drive-in,  that 
is,  at  least  until  he  finds  out  if  the  lights 
they  are  putting  up  for  night  racing  at 
nearby  Centennial  race  track  interfere. 

DES  MOINES 

Iowans  don’t  attend  the  movies  as  much 
as  they  used  to  and  the  decline  is  pointed/ 
up  by  the  latest  state  sales  tax  figures.  The 
report  for  July,  August  and  September,  1955, 
just  out,  shows  that  compared  with  the  same 
three  months  the  year  before,  Iowans  spent 
$458,400  less  for  movie  tickets.  On  the  other 
hand  the  figures  showed  that  residents  of 
the  state  spent  47  per  cent  more  for  athletic 


events  and  other  amusements  during  this 
period.  This  was  in  contrast  to  the  year 
1954  when  movies  were  the  big  thing  in 
Iowa's  collective  entertainment  budget.  Then, 
residents  spent  $5,289,000  to  see  movies  and 
$4,281,300  for  athletic  events  and  other 
amusements.  . . . Howard  Brookings  has 
closed  the  theatre  at  Oakland  and  dismantled 
the  equipment.  Brookings  said  the  move  re- 
sulted from  lack  of  business ; lie  had  oper- 
ated in  Oakland  for  12  years.  . . . Bob  Hutte, 
manager  of  the  Lyric  in  Osceola,  has  an- 
nounced his  candidacy  for  the  Democratic 
nomination  for  state  representative.  . . . The 
King  at  Ida  Grove  has  been  reopened  after 
having  been  closed  several  weeks.  . . . High 
winds  damaged  a recently-constructed  screen 
at  the  Bel-Air  drive-in  at  Davenport.  . . . 
Jim  Ricketts,  Columbia  booker,  spent  a 
week’s  vacation  in  Indianapolis.  . . . The 
Boone  drive-in  opened  for  the  season  with 
a free  admission  open  house. 

DETROIT 

Alden  Smith’s  Oak  drive-in,  Royal  Oak, 
will  tell  passers  on  Route  10  (Woodward 
Ave.)  the  current  billings.  The  new  sign, 
located  half  a mile  from  the  theatre,  will 
show  1,000  feet  each  way  on  the  eight-lane 
highway.  . . . Dillon  Krepps,  managing  di- 
rector of  the  United  Artists,  reports  that 
attendance  at  “Oklahoma  !”  is  running  two 
to  one  out-of-town  patrons,  a trend  that  will 
help  hold  business  up  during  the  expected 
long  run.  . . . Dr.  Abraham  Eiseman,  owner 
of  the  Michigan,  Flint,  died  at  the  age  of  71. 
. . . Wayne  University,  winner  of  one  Look 
Magazine  Producers  Guild  award,  has  re- 
leased another,  “A  Professional  Career.” 
The  14-minute  short  was  produced  by  the 
Visual-Auditory  Center,  directed  by  Sher- 
man Wilson  and  Larry  Silverman.  . . . Art 
Herzog  is  back  in  town  after  a 10-day  east- 
ern trip.  . . . Betty  Robbins,  of  the  Film 
Building,  has  returned  to  St.  Johns  for  fur- 
ther surgery.  . . . The  park  view  across  the 
street  from  the  Adams  and  the  Madison  is 
temporarily  gone  as  work  progresses  on  a 
new  underground  garage. 

HARTFORD 

Connecticut’s  Supreme  Court  of  Errors, 
in  a unanimous  decision,  has  given  Jack 
Leitao,  East  Hartford,  Conn.,  the  go-ahead 
sign  for  his  construction  of  a drive-in  thea- 
tre at  Glastonbury,  Conn.  The  high  court 
said  that  Common  Pleas  Court  Judge  Fitz- 
gerald was  correct  when  he  dismissed  an 
appeal  by  a group  of  Glastonbury  property 
owners  who  protested  a Zoning  Board  action 
granting  Leitao  permission  to  locate  an  out- 
door theatre  in  an  industrial  zone.  . . . Peter 
G.  Perakos,  Sr.,  president,  Perakos  Theatre 
Associates,  New  Britain,  Conn.,  will  be 
guest  of  honor  at  the  New  Britain  Press 
Club's  Man  of  the  Year  Awards  Dinner,  set 
for  the  Hedges  Restaurant,  on  the  Hartford- 
New  Britain  Road,  May  10.  . . . Dennis  J. 
Rich,  manager,  Stanley  Warner  Cameo, 
Bristol,  Conn.,  has  resumed  his  duties,  fol- 
lowing recuperation  from  a heart  attack.  . . . 
P.  J.  Buchieri,  manager,  Hartford  Theatre 
Circuit’s  Lyric,  Hartford,  has  resigned  to 
join  Stanley  Warner  Management  Corpora- 
tion. His  replacement  is  Michael  Carr,  most 
recently  with  E.  M.  Loew’s  Theatres. 

INDIANAPOLIS 

Murray  Devaney,  new  distributor  chair- 
man for  industry  drives,  has  resigned  as  first 
assistant  chief  barker  of  Variety.  But  he 


was  immediately  elected  second  assistant  in 
place  of  Dale  McFarland,  who  moved  up  to 
first  assistant.  . . . Herman  Black  has  been 
appointed  chairman  of  Variety’s  member- 
ship committee.  . . . Variety  will  hold  its 
annual  "500”  Speedway  Dance  May  26.  . . . 
Ken  Collins,  former  general  manager  of 
Greater  Indianapolis,  is  moving  to  Fort 
Worth,  Texas.  . . . Ray  Schmertz  was  in 
Cleveland  last  week  for  a 20th- Fox  branch 
managers’  meeting.  . . . Hugh  McLachlan, 
maintenance  supervisor  for  Y & W,  has  been 
appointed  chairman  of  the  Allied  Theatre 
Owners  of  Indiana  equipment  study  com- 
mittee. . . . Claude  McKean,  WB  branch 
manager,  has  returned  from  a vacation  in 
Florida. 

JACKSONVILLE 

J.  L.  Cartwright,  FST  district  supervisor, 
came  in  from  Daytona  Beach  for  a home 
office  advertising  meeting.  . . . French  Har- 
vey, F'ST  ad  chief,  returned  from  10  days  in 
the  Miami  area.  . . . Making  his  first  trip 
to  town  was  Don  Yarbrough,  new  20th-Fox 
exploitation  man  for  the  southeast,  who 
headquarters  in  Atlanta.  The  area  was  for- 
merly handled  by  Jimmy  Gillespie  out  of 
Dallas.  . . . Abner  Camp  and  Evelyn  Hazouri, 
Howco  Exchange,  hosted  exhibitor  screen- 
ings on  four  new  independently-produced 
films  for  which  Howco  has  southeastern  dis- 
tribution rights.  One  of  them,  “Swamp 
Women,”  was  produced  in  Louisiana.  . . . 
Fred  F.  Sears,  director  of  Columbia’s  "Rock 
Around  the  Clock,”  appeared  on  stage  when 
the  film  ran  at  the  Palace  in  Tampa,  and 
Johnny  Johnston,  the  picture’s  star,  appeared 
at  the  Paramount  in  Miami.  . . . Judge  May, 
amusements  editor  of  the  Florida  Times- 
Union,  vacationed  briefly  in  Miami. 

KANSAS  CITY 

Thomas  E.  Bailey,  who  started  with  MGM 
in  Cincinnati  in  1930,  has  moved  from 
branch  manager  at  St.  Louis  to  that  position 
in  Kansas  City,  succeeding  the  late  William 
D.  Gaddoni.  Mr.  Bailey  had  been  booker  at 
Cincinnati,  then  head  booker  at  Charlotte, 
N.  C.  His  experience  also  includes  selling. 
. . . Mrs.  Myrtle  Cain,  with  the  MGM 
branch  at  Kansas  City  for  20  years,  most  of 
the  time  as  secretary  to  the  branch  manager, 
continues  in  that  position  under  Mr.  Bailey. 
. . . Hardy  Hendren,  Jr.,  head  of  United 
Film  Service,  and  Dick  Wiles,  of  the  Fleart 
drive-in  company,  were  named  directors  of 
the  Motion  Picture  Association  of  Greater 
Kansas  City,  at  a board  meeting  April  19. 
They  succeed  William  D.  Gaddoni  and 
Robert  Shelton,  who  died  recently.  Harry 
Gaffney  was  elected  vice-president,  to  suc- 
ceed Mr.  Gaddoni  in  that  office.  . . . Most 
drive-ins  here  have  a policy  of  showing  three 
features — starting  the  last  as  late  as  12:52. 
Three  drive-ins  show  four  features. 

LOS  ANGELES 

Sero  Amusement  Company  has  reopened 
its  Cherry  Pass  drive-in  theatre  for  the  new 
season,  with  August  Nardoni  piloting  the 
project.  . . . Ground  has  been  broken  by 
Columbia  Pictures  for  their  own  exchange 
building,  located  on  21st  St.  adjacent  to  the 
Paramount  exchange.  Structure  is  planned 
for  occupancy  by  fall.  . . . Off  to  Arizona  on 
a business  trip  was  Jack  Sherriff,  Kranz- 
Levin  salesman.  . . . Sid  Pink  has  darkened 
the  Fontana  theatre  in  Fontana;  it  had  been 

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34 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  APRIl  21,  1956 


(Continued  from  opposite  page) 

operating  on  weekends  only.  . . . The  Ander- 
son Brothers  disposed  of  their  California 
theatre  m Ontario  to  Associated  Theatres, 
headed  by  Sam  Decker,  Eddie  Ashkins  and 
A1  Olander.  . . . Sherrill  Corwin,  head  of 
Metropolitan  Theatres,  was  guest  of  honor 
at  a dinner  meeting  of  the  National  Press 
Photographers  Ass'n  in  Phoenix,  where 
Corwin  was  cited  for  his  public  service  in 
covering  community  news  via  T\  on 
KAKE-TV,  which  he  owns  in  Wichita. . . . 
A Film  Row  visitor  was  Philip  Bland,  whose 
son  Jules  owns  the  Alvarado  theatre  here. 
The  elder  Bland  is  celebrating  his  50th  anni- 
versary in  show  business,  having  started  by 
running  a theatre  in  San  Jose  in  1906.  . . . 
Robert  Kronenberg,  head  of  Manhattan 
Films,  headed  for  New  York  on  business. 

MEMPHIS 

Star  theatre,  Trenton,  Tenn.,  was  sold  by 
Strand  Enterprises  to  Andy  Jonas  and  J.  V. 
Burton,  well  known  West  Tennessee  ex- 
hibitors. . . . T.  C.  Speer,  owner  of  the 
Bailey  theatre,  Cabot,  Ark.,  which  has  been 
operating  on  weekends  only,  has  gone  into 
full  operation.  . . . J.  E.  Singleton  has 
bought  Tommie’s  drive-in,  Kennett,  Mo., 
from  A.  T.  Boyd.  . . . With  most  drive-ins 
in  the  Memphis  trade  territory  already  in 
operation  for  the  summer,  film  company 
salesmen  report  theatre  business  in  the  area 
is  picking  up  nicely.  . . . George  C.  Hoover, 
Miami,  chief  barker  for  Variety  Clubs  Inter- 
national, was  in  Memphis  to  speak  to  Tent 
20’s  general  membership  meeting.  . . . Mr. 
Hoover  revealed  that  he  will  take  a trip  to 
England  within  a month  to  present  the 
Humanitarian  Award,  given  annually  by 
Variety,  to  Sir  Winston  Churchill.  The 
presentation  will  be  made  at  a luncheon  at 
10  Downing  Street,  the  official  home  of 
Prime  Minister  Sir  Anthony  Eden. 

MIAMI 

The  local  sports  pages  were  a fertile  field 
for  the  exploitation  seeds  of  “The  Harder 
They  Fall’’  and  Morris  McLemore,  sports 
editor  of  the  Miami  Daily  News  devoted  a 
full  column  to  the  film,  to  the  delight  of 
Sonny  Shepherd  of  the  Wometco  circuit 
which  had  three  theatres  playing  the  feature. 

. . . Down  from  New  York  on  a holiday  was 
Allied  Artists’  vice-president  Maurice  R. 
Goldstein.  . . . The  freak  windstorm  which 
severely  damaged  our  area  recently,  wrecked 
the  screen  at  the  Ochs  Amusement  Co.- 
owned  Dania  drive-in  in  that  city.  Flying 
debris  broke  the  leg  of  an  early  patron  and 
a ticket  taker  was  injured  as  the  booth  fell 
around  him.  According  to  theatre  manager 
Ed  Cannon,  only  the  early  hour  avoided 
greater  tragedy.  Theatre  is  expected  to  re- 
open in  a couple  of  months  after  repairs. . . . 
Peter  Seaborn,  48.  manager  of  the  Trail 
theatre,  died  and  his  widow,  Lucy,  survives. 

. . . Victor  Mature,  who  is  on  location  in 
the  Cuban  Isle  of  Pines  shooting  “The 
Sharkfighters,”  took  time  out  for  relaxing 
in  this  area. 

MILWAUKEE 

Morey  Anderson  will  be  the  new  branch 
manager  at  the  RKO  exchange  here  effective 
April  21.  Mr.  Anderson  replaces  Mr.  L. 
Elman  who  is  going  to  Los  Angeles.  Mr. 
Anderson  has  been  with  RKO  for  the  past 
27  years  as  salesman.  He  also  is  a very 
active  member  of  Wisconsin  Variety.  . . . 


Estelle  Steinbach  is  managing  director  for 
"Oklahoma  ! ” which  will  open  May  4 at  the 
Fox-Strand  theatre,  now  being  equipped 
with  Todd-AO.  Tickets  are  now  on  sale. . . . 
Karl  Kelly,  formerly  a theatre  manager  here 
for  a good  many  years,  tells  his  friends  in 
the  industry  that  he  is  moving  to  Phoenix, 
Arizona,  and  will  sell  Cadillacs  there.  . . . 
Dean  Fitzgerald  presented  “The  Pajama 
Game”  at  the  Orpheum  theatre  in  Madison. 
. . . The  Riverside  theatre  now  has  joined 
the  ranks  of  the  houses  showing  a “rock  and 
roll”  revue  on  its  stage.  . . . Irving  Wer- 
thamer  is  leaving  his  post  as  branch  man- 
ager at  the  Paramount  exchange  about  the 
first  part  of  May.  Ward  Pennington,  San 
Francisco,  will  replace  Mr.  Werthamer  here. 

MINNEAPOLIS 

John  Farley,  booker  at  Theatre  Asso- 
ciates, buying  and  booking  combine,  is  back 
from  a vacation  in  Palm  Springs,  Calif.,  and 
Los  Angeles.  . . . Ray  Lehrman,  formerly 
salesman  at  United  Artists,  has  joined  Don 
Swartz’  Independent  Film  Distributors  as 
sales  manager.  Earl  Perkins,  former  sales- 
man with  Independent,  has  resigned.  . . . 
Valerie  French,  star  of  Columbia’s  “Jubal,” 
was  in  for  personal  appearances  in  connec- 
tion with  the  picture’s  opening  at  the  RKO 
Orpheums  in  Minneapolis  and  St.  Paul.  . . . 
New  product  and  sales  policies  were  on  the 
agenda  of  a meeting  of  20th-Fox  branch 
managers  in  the  midwest  held  by  M.  A. 
Levy,  20th-Fox  midwest  district  manager, 
at  the  Calhoun  Beach  Hotel,  Minneapolis. 
Attending  were  branch  managers  Dave 
Gold.  Des  Moines ; George  Regan,  Omaha ; 
Gordon  Halloran,  St.  Louis;  Joe  Neger, 
Kansas  City ; Jack  Lorenz,  Milwaukee ; and 
Sol  Malisow,  Minneapolis.  . . . On  the  Row 
were  Nicky  Goldhammer,  Allied  Artists 
eastern  division  sales  manager  : Herb  Green- 
blatt,  western  sales  manager  of  RKO,  Sam 
Gorelick.  RKO  Midwest  district  manager, 
and  Ben  Marcus,  Columbia  midwest  dis- 
trict manager. 

NEW  ORLEANS 

H.  B.  Guillory  and  Alex  U.  Fontenot  re- 
assumed ownership  of  the  Lark  drive-in, 
Ville  Platte,  La.,  and  scheduled  April  20  for 
reopening.  . . . Ed  Stevens,  of  Stevens  Pic- 
tures, operating  1 1 exchanges  throughout  the 
southland,  returned  to  his  home  in  Atlanta 
after  several  days  conference  with  reinstated 
manager  Ed  Constantine,  who  replaces 
Francis  H.  Hein,  resigned.  . . . Cy  Bridges, 
MGM  city  salesman,  is  confined  to  his  home 
because  of  illness.  . . . Sid  Havener  and 
family,  former  residents  of  Lake  Charles, 
La.,  have  established  a permanent  abode 
here.  Havener  is  general  manager  and  film 
buyer  of  Exhibitors’  Cooperative  Service  Inc., 
located  on  the  third  floor  in  the  218  South 
Liberty  St.  Film  Exchange  Building.  Andy 
Bevelo  is  the  booker.  . . . Nat  Sanders,  vice- 
president  of  Times  Film  Corp..  Continental 
Distributing  Inc.  and  United  Motion  Picture 
Organization,  was  here  for  several  days  to 
confer  with  Don  Kay  who  has  taken  over 
their  complete  line-up  of  pictures  for  terri- 
tory distribution. 

OKLAHOMA  CITY 

The  Tinker  drive-in  theatre,  which  has 
been  closed  for  the  winter,  reopened  April 
12.  . . . Mrs.  Christine  Hatchcox  has  been 
named  manager  of  the  Chieftain  theatre. . . . 
Mrs.  Ethel  Coxie  has  resumed  her  position 


as  manager  of  the  Skytrain  theatre,  after 
spending  several  weeks  in  the  hospital.  . . . 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Pat  Donavan  are  now  em- 
ployed at  the  Del  City  theatre.  Mr.  Donavan 
is  manager  and  Mrs.  Donavan  is  cashier  at 
the  theatre.  . . . Valerie  French  was  an 
Oklahoma  City  visitor  this  weekend,  making 
personal  appearances  at  the  Center  theatre 
Saturday  and  Sunday.  . . . Kay  theatre, 
Ponca  City,  Okla.,  dropped  its  matinee  this 
week  while  interior  decorating  was  in  prog- 
ress. . . . The  Admiral  Twin  drive-in  thea- 
tre, Tulsa,  Okla.,  held  a gala  reopening 
April  12. 

PHILADELPHIA 

Authoress  Rachel  Baker,  who  is  also  the 
founder  of  “Resources  Unlimited,”  in  behalf 
of  handicapped,  received  the  annual  award 
of  the  Ladies  Auxiliary  of  the  Philadelphia 
Variety  Club  at  a luncheon  last  week.  Ruth 
Chatterton  and  Pearl  Buck  were  previous 
recipients  of  the  honor  given  for  “unselfish 
devotion  to  humanitarian  causes.”  . . . Rob- 
inson, Adelman  & Montgomery  Advertising 
Agency  was  named  to  handle  the  publicity 
for  James  Clark’s  National  Film  Service. 
. . . Shirley  Duglin,  after  15  years  as  secre- 
tary to  20th  Century-Fox  branch  manager 
Sam  Diamond,  resigned  to  settle  down  to 
household  chores.  . . . Jesse  J.  Shields,  presi- 
dent of  Local  307-A,  Moving  Pictures 
Operators  Union  of  Philadelphia,  has  an- 
nounced his  candidacy  for  the  Pennsylvania 
State  Legislature.  . . . With  “rock  and  roll” 
revues  booked  in  for  weekend  dates  at  the 
Stanley  houses  in  Camden,  N.  J.,  and  in 
Chester,  Pa.,  the  Stanley  Warner  Theatres 
settled  differences  with  the  local  musicians 
union  and  was  removed  from  the  union’s 
“unfair  list.” 

PITTSBURGH 

“Diabolique”  is  gunning  for  a new  record 
in  Squirrel  Hill.  . . . Bill  Finkel  is  quitting 
movie  business  here  after  41  years  to  retire 
with  his  wife  to  Sarasota.  Fla.,  Finkel  selling 
his  Arcade  theatre  in  the  Southside  to  his 
brother,  Morris.  . . . "Backlash”  replaced 
“Carousel”  in  the  Fulton,  with  that  house 
also  setting  “On  the  Threshold  of  Space" 
and  “The  Revolt  of  Mamie  Stover.”  . . . 
“Seven  Wonders  of  the  World”  had  a gala 
premiere  benefit  for  the  United  Nations  Asso- 
ciation of  Pittsburgh.  . . . “Alexander  the 
Great”  has  a May  25  date  at  the  Penn.  “The 
Swan”  is  there  currently.  . . . Karl  Krug,  Nim- 
Tclegrapli  drama  head,  back  on  the  job  after 
a gander  at  the  New  York  plays.  . . . “They 
Who  Dare”  booked  next  for  the  Studio,  and 
the  Squirrel  Hill  has  set  “Doctor  at  Sea,” 
pushing  back  the  previously  scheduled 
“Lease  on  Life.”  . . . Virus  germs  bedded 
M.  A.  Silver  and  Henry  Burger,  Stanley 
Warner  executives,  and  Art  Manson,  Cine- 
rama publicist.  . . . Bill  Haley’s  “Rock 
Around  the  Clock”  in  a first  run  mass  book- 
ing with  “Blackjack  Ketchum,  Desperado” 
did  well  in  the  drive-in  and  neighborhood 
houses. 

PORTLAND 

Jim  Runte,  Evergreen  boss,  was  in  town 
for  a few  days  to  confer  with  Oregon  dis- 
trict manager  Oscar  Nyberg.  Also  in  was 
Frank  Christie,  Evergreen  film  buyer.  . . . 
Walter  Hoffman,  Paramount  field  man,  was 
in  town  on  one  of  his  infrequent  trips.  . . . 
Bill  Scholl,  U.A.  representative  from  Los 

(Continued  on  following  page ) 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  APRIL  21,  1956 


35 


( Continued  from  preceding  page) 

Angeles,  was  here  for  the  week  working  out 
“Alexander  the  Great’’  details  with  Para- 
mount theatre  manager  Dick  Newton.  . . . 
H.  Neal  East,  western  division  sales  man- 
ager for  Paramount,  was  here  from  Holly- 
wood. . . . Paramount  branch  manager 
W ayne  Theriot  just  returned  from  a busi- 
ness tap  to  Los  Angeles  where  he  met  with 
George  Weltner. 

PROVIDENCE 

For  only  the  third  time  in  13  weeks,  a 
sunny  weekend  was  experienced  in  this  area 
— the  Easter  weekend  at  that.  Late  Friday 
it  appeared  that  a heavy  snowstorm  which 
raked  the  Middle-West  would  hit  New  Eng- 
land, but  a change  in  the  wind  took  the 
vicious  storm  out  to  sea.  Theatre  business, 
just  fair  on  Easter  Saturday,  picked  up  Sun- 
day evening,  after  the  traditional  Easter 
parades.  . . . The  Avon  Cinema  was  the  site 
of  the  R.  I.  premiere  of  Walt  Disney’s  “The 
Littlest  Outlaw.”  On  the  same  program, 
Disney’s  “Johnny  Appleseed.”  ...  At  the 
Majestic,  “Carousel”  held  for  a second  week. 
. . . E.  M.  Loew’s  drive-in,  at  the  Provi- 
dence-Pawtucket  city  line,  opened  for  the 
season ; the  last  of  the  open-airers  in  this 
area  to  inaugurate  ’56  operations.  . . . Lin- 
coln Park,  nearby  amusement  center,  was 
the  first  in  its  category  to  open  for  the  sea- 
son. . . . The  famed  Ballet  Russe  de  Monte 
Carlo  headed  for  a one-night  stand  at  the 
Veterans’  Auditorium.  . . . Juvenile  atten- 
dance was  up  noticeably  at  most  downtown 
houses  during  the  annual  Easter  school  vaca- 
tion period.  . . . Joe  Jarvis,  impresario  of 


the  Gilbert  Stuart  Playhouse,  Riverside, 
emphasized  the  fact  in  his  advertising,  that 
MGM  movie  tickets  found  in  a popular-make 
cereal  would  be  honored  any  day,  except 
weekends  and  holidays. 

SAN  FRANCISCO 

John  Parsons,  Telenews  theatre,  and 
Maury  Schwarz,  Schwarz  theatres,  merged 
interests  and  added  theatres  to  their  new 
chain,  Continental  Theatres.  The  Bridge, 
Rio,  Rita,  and  Four  Star  in  San  Francisco; 
the  Piedmont  in  Oakland ; the  Manor  in 
Sacramento,  and  the  Golden  Bough  and  Hill 
theatres  in  Carmel,  make  up  the  chain. 
Schwarz  Theatres  recently  bought  out  the 
50  per  cent  interest  in  the  Bridge,  an  art 
house,  held  by  the  Walter  Reade  Theatres, 
Inc.  Continental  Theatres  announce  that  the 
remodeling  of  the  Bridge  theatre  has  begun. 
The  Four  Star  will  be  an  art  house.  Other 
theatres  will  be  refurbished  soon.  . . . “The 
Man  in  the  Grey  Flannel  Suit”  had  a pre- 
miere at  the  Fox  theatre  for  the  benefit  of 
Boys  Towns  of  Italy.  Mrs.  George  Skouras 
made  personal  appearances  on  local  radio 
and  television  and  San  Francisco  socialites 
sold  orchids  in  the  lobby  for  the  same  cause. 

ST.  LOUIS 

The  Sky-View  drive-in  theatre  in  Litch- 
field, 111.,  which  has  opened  for  the  season, 
has  announced  the  same  policy  as  last  year 
will  prevail,  with  the  exception  that  there 
will  be  a double  feature  program  on  bargain 
nights  each  Thursday.  . . . The  Beardstown 
Starlight  drive-in  on  the  Arensville  road 
near  Beardstown,  111.,  which  has  just  opened 


I'M  ON 
MY  WAY 


...to  one  of  the  6,000  theatres  ALTEC  is  proud 
to  number  among  its  satisfied  customers. 

"In  that  bag  I carry  are  numerous  special 
instruments  expressly  designed  by  ALTEC  to 
assure  the  best  possible  sound  service 
procedures. 

“In  the  trunk  of  my  car  are  ALTEC  instruments, 
tools,  and  test  films  to  achieve  maximum  quality 
performance  of  all  types  of  sound  systems. 

“200  other  ALTEC  field  engineers  are  similarly 
equipped. 

"Accompanying  us  every  step  of  the  way  are  the 
resources,  technical-know-how  and  reputation 
of  ALTEC  SERVICE  CORPORATION,  the  finest 
sound  service  organization  in  the  motion 
picture  industry. 

“Are  YOU  on  my  call  list?” 


161  Sixth  Avenue 
New  York  13,  New  York 


SPECIALISTS  IN  MOTION  PICTURE  SOUND 


tor  its  fourth  season,  gave  all  children  under 
II  years  of  age  a treat  when  it  staged  an 
Easter  egg  hunt.  . . . The  Skyvue  drive-in 
at  Arkadelphis,  Ark.,  which  was  constructed 
five  years  ago,  has  doubled  the  size  of  its 
screen.  . . . The  Sullivan  drive-in  at  Sulli- 
van, 111.,  has  made  a number  of  improve- 
ments for  this  season,  including  an  over- 
hauling of  the  snack  bar.  . . . The  Family 
drive-in  theatre,  Dester,  Mo.,  has  been  sold 
to  Winifred  Garner,  Dr.  E.  G.  Bailey,  Sr. 
and  Dr.  E.  G.  Bailey,  Jr.,  by  the  Lawrence 
family.  The  theatre  was  built  in  1950  by  the 
late  Yewell  Lawrence  and  had  been  owned 
and  operated  by  the  Lawrence  family  ever 
since.  . . . The  screen  tower  at  Highway  63 
drive-in  theatre,  Moberly,  Mo.,  owned  by 
Elmer  Bills  of  Salisbury,  Mo.,  has  been 
widened  from  50  to  75  feet  to  permit  the 
showing  of  CinemaScope  films. 

TORONTO 

Eugene  E.  Fitzgibbons,  head  of  Famous 
Players’  TV  department  and  general  man- 
ager of  the  Kitchener  and  Quebec  City  TV’ 
stations  in  which  the  company  owns  50  per 
cent,  was  elected  to  the  board  of  directors  of 
the  Canadian  Association  of  Radio  and  Tele- 
vision Broadcasters  in  Toronto.  . . . Amuse- 
ment attendance  in  Nova  Scotia  was  down 
about  1,000,000  during  the  last  fiscal  year, 
cutting  revenue  of  the  Nova  Scotia  Board 
of  Censors  by  some  $66,000,  S.  A.  Doane, 
chairman  of  the  board  reported  to  the  Legis- 
lature. . . . Amusement  tax  cut  okayed  in 
the  province  of  Manitoba  goes  into  effect 
May  1.  Exemption  has  been  raised  from  a 
25  cent  ticket  to  a 30  cent  one  and  the  re- 
duction is  from  two  cents  to  one  cent  on 
tickets  costing  31  cents  to  34  cents.  . . . 
Maurice  Chevalier  was  a guest  of  the  To- 
ronto Varietv  Tent  No.  29.  He  congratu- 
lated the  tent  for  its  work  with  Variety 
Village.  Clubs’  annual  baseball  night  will  be 
June  15  this  year,  with  Harvey  Harnick, 
chairman  of  the  Fund-Raising  Committee  in 
charge  of  the  project,  while  Charles  S. 
Chaplin  heads  the  Program  Committee.  . . . 
E.  Montcalm’s  280-seat  Theatre  Moderne  in 
St.  Julienne,  Quebec,  was  completely  de- 
stroyed by  fire.  A six-day  house,  showed  only 
French-language  films  and  its  opposition  was 
Maurice  Simard’s  360-seat  Chateau. 

VANCOUVER 

The  new  Towne  theatre  at  Medicine  Hat, 
Alberta,  was  opened  recently  and  will  be 
managed  by  Hardy  Diemart.  . . . Presenta- 
tion of  a stage  show  by  the  Paragon  theatre 
at  Melville,  Saskatchewan,  and  violation  of 
the  Lord’s  Day  Act,  cost  Hugh  Vassos  a 
fine  of  $50.  . . . J.  J.  Fitzgibbons,  president 
of  Famous  Players,  was  here  for  a short  stay 
en  route  from  his  Hollywood  home  to 
Toronto.  . . . British  Columbia  Exhibitors 
Association  re-elected  their  executives  for 
1956.  They  are:  Owen  Bird,  president:  Max 
Chechik,  vice-president ; Gerry  Sutherland, 
secretary,  and  Earl  Hayter,  treasurer.  All 
are  from  Vancouver.  . . . Jimmy  Webster, 
assistant  at  the  Odeon-Vogue,  resigned  for 
health  reasons  and  was  replaced  by  Tomas 
Fisher,  formerly  of  the  Orpheum  staff.  . . . 
Good  to  see  retired  Famous  Player  district 
manager  Frank  Gow  up  and  around  after 
his  illness.  . . . Frank  Soltice,  theatre  man- 
ager, is  a new  member  of  the  Canadian  Pic- 
ture Pioneers  (Vancouver).  He  is  in  charge 
of  the  Pines  drive-in  at  Penticton.  . . . Hin- 
ton, Alberta,  with  a population  of  360,  now 
has  its  first  theatre,  a 35mm  house. 


36 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  APRIL  21,  1956 


An  International  Association  of  Motion  Picture  Showmen — Walter  Brooks , Director 


Hundred  tfUllicn  hollar  Hing  Abdicate*  Hi*  “Throne 


A NATIONALLY  known  newspaper 
that  we  often  buy,  because  it  circu- 
lates for  the  most  part  in  16,000 
small  towns — and  we  therefore  have  respect 
for  its  viewpoints — prints  a feature  story 
about  “Davy  Crockett” — to  say  that  he  ac- 
counted for  one  hundred  million  dollars  in 
movie  merchandising — but  that  his  reign  has 
passed.  We  can  believe  that  the  era  of 
“Davy  Crockett”  will  remain  one  of  the 
legends  of  this  business. 

His  popularity  soared  by  leaps  and  bounds, 
and  reached  a peak  in  the  Spring  of  1955. 
More  than  3,000  trademarked  items  bearing 
his  name  and  endorsement  came  into  the 
market,  many  of  them  having  very  little  to 
do  with  the  hero  “who  shot  himself  a b’ar.” 
“The  King  of  the  Wild  Frontier”  was  king 
of  the  merchandising  counters — and  remains 
unchallenged  in  sheer  volume  and  weight  of 
numbers.  A rivet  factory  in  the  East  was 
jammed  with  orders  to  take  care  of  pistol 
holsters,  and  all  manner  of  things  from  bath 
towels  to  ukeleles  were  on  sale.  More  than 
4,000,000  recordings  were  made,  and  you 
heard  most  of  them.  The  price  of  raccoon 
tails  went  up  from  25c  a pound  to  more 
than  $8.00  a pound — much  to  the  chagrin 
of  small  fry  and  their  paying  parents. 

It’s  strange  that  there  was  no  follow  up. 
Walt  Disney  has  so  many  interests  that 
even  $100,000,000  is  a minor  item — but  we 
in  film  industry  recall  that  the  movie  thea- 
tres helped  to  make  him  his  first  million. 
There  were  supposed  to  be  several  more 
“Davy  Crockett”  pictures  and  announcement 
was  made  that  these  had  been  produced  in 
Ohio,  on  location,  but  they’ve  not  been  seen 
on  any  theatre  screen,  to  our  knowledge. 
The  original  Disney  film  was  released  first 
on  television,  and  it  was  said  that  the  fol- 
lowing releases  would  come  as  TV  programs 
— but  it  will  be  too  late  to  keep  any  part 
of  the  merchandising  empire  of  the  wild 
frontier.  By  this  time,  moths  have  eaten 
up  the  raccoon  caps  that  swept  the  country 
It  seems  a shame  to  abdicate  a throne, 
when  the  market  so  badly  needs  more  good 
films  for  children’s  shows. 

Some  say  that  “Davy”  suffered  because 
of  the  prior  release  on  TV,  but  we  don’t 


THE  DAYS  OF  THE  WEEK 

There's  something  hauntingly  familiar 
with  some  aspects  of  TV  advertising.  They 
talk  about  "Tops  for  Tuesday" — "New 
Midweek  Specials" — "Thursday  Variety" 
etc.  and  it  all  seems  like  old  fashioned 
showmanship,  calculated  to  "get  them 
out" — or  to  "get  them  in"  for  attractions 
that  are  current,  rather  than  coming. 
You'll  note  that  television  sells  what  it  has 
today , rather  than  sometime  in  the  future. 
"The  TV  Guide"  lists  what  is  now  playing 
on  the  air  waves. 

One  theatre  manager  we  visited  with 
in  Florida  told  us  something  that  seemed 
quite  shocking — until  we  thought  it  over, 
and  came  to  agree  with  his  point  of  view. 
He  said  he  was  going  to  skip  his  regular 
monthly  program  card,  for  a few  issues, 
to  see  what  the  result  would  be.  He  be- 
lieved that  his  patrons  read  the  program 
for  a month  in  advance,  picked  out  a 
couple  of  pictures  they  wanted  to  see — 
and  then  missed  both  of  them  because  of 
bingo,  or  a box  social,  or  basketball,  that 
interferred  at  the  last  moment. 

He  said  he  wanted  his  audience  to  get 
back  into  the  habit  of  just  coming  down  to 
the  theatre  and  taking  pot  luck,  as  he  had 
to — and  he  felt  they  would  come  oftener 
and  be  just  as  satisfied  if  they  weren't 
so  darned  selective.  He  tried  to  make  his 
theatre  the  attraction,  so  he  didn't  want  to 
be  tuned-out  by  an  arbitrary  choice  that 
went  astray  before  it  reached  his  box  office. 


believe  it.  We  saw  some  excellent  campaigns 
on  “Davy” — one  from  W.  T.  Hastings,  man- 
ager of  the  RKO  Orpheum  theatre,  Denver, 
who  was  last  year’s  Quigley  Grand  Award 
winner,  in  large  situations.  Bill  used  “Davy” 
for  what  he  was  worth — a great  attraction 
for  thousands  of  kids  and  their  parents,  at 
the  peak  of  popularity.  Roy  Rogers  and 
Gene  Autrey  are  among  others  who  have 
walked  away  from  their  loyal  fans  in  film 
theatres — and  too  bad  ! 


•J  ARGUMENT  in  favor  of  the  COMPO- 
sponsored  King  Tax  Bill,  H.  R.  5875,  intro- 
duced by  Representative  Cecil  King  of  Cali- 
fornia, to  amend  the  Internal  Revenue  Code 
so  tax  will  apply  only  to  admissions  in  excess 
of  $1.00 — may  be  found  in  a slight  matter  of 
political  and  practical  economics,  brought 
about  in  the  past  twenty  years.  We  are  now 
exempt  on  admission  prices  up  to  and  in- 
cluding 50c — but  the  hard  and  bitter  truth 
is  that  we  are  dealing  in  50c  dollars,  so  what 
used  to  be  50c  is  now  only  a quarter  of  a 
dollar,  and  the  new  top  level  of  $1.00  will 
merely  restore  the  previous  50c  level,  for  all 
practical  purposes.  Everything  costs  a lot 
more  than  it  did — including  the  production 
of  motion  pictures,  and  labor  in  all  its 
brackets.  There  is  more  of  the  public,  and 
they  have  more  dollars  to  spend,  but  these 
dollars  are  actually  worth  about  half  what 
they  were  worth  prior  to  1945.  Even  the 
kids  know  that  pennies  and  nickels  are  no 
good  any  more,  except  to  pay  sales  taxes  on 
top  of  increased  prices. 

€J  GEORGE  KREVO,  manager  of  the 
Palace  theatre,  Jacksonville,  and  chairman  of 
the  “Miss  Jacksonville”  contest  recently  con- 
ducted as  the  local  contribution  to  the  “Miss 
America”  contest  nation-wide,  had  a news 
picture  in  the  Round  Table  recently,  posed 
with  his  attractive  winner.  But,  at  Florida 
State  Theatres  home  office  the  other  day,  he 
gave  us  a copy  of  the  excellent  brochure  pre- 
pared for  both  national  and  local  circula- 
tion, handsomely  printed  with  a four-color 
cover,  with  national  advertisers  to  pay  the 
costs,  plus  24  inside  pages  on  slick  paper, 
and  plenty  of  illustrations.  The  four  pages 
in  the  front,  and  a similar  four  pages  at  the 
end,  were  the  special  Jacksonville  section, 
and  all  local  contenders,  the  local  committee 
and  sponsors,  were  credited,  with  their 
pictures,  including  a much  better  photograph 
than  we  had  seen  of  Shirley  Jeanne  Ost,  the 
Jacksonville  girl  who  won  the  top  honors. 
We  have  known  for  a long  time  that  “Miss 
America”  was  a great  idea  for  local  show- 
men, and  sponsorship.  — Walter  Brooks 


MANAGERS'  ROUND  TABLE  SECTION,  APRIL  21,  1956 


37 


Julianna  Enders,  winner  of  the  Buffalo  contest  on 
"Miracle  In  the  Rain"  receives  her  airplane  tickets 
from  Helen  Neville,  of  WGR-TV,  and  Arthur  Krolick, 
district  manager  for  Paramount  Theatres. 


Here  they  go,  25 
secretaries  from  25 
key  cities,  local  win- 
ners in  the  "Miracle 
Can  Happen  to 
You”  contest  which 
took  them  all  to 
Hollywood,  as  guests 
of  the  various  co- 
sponsors. 


And  below,  they 
romp  through  the 
studios  with  what 
seems  to  be  a rea- 
sonable facsimile  of 
Van  Johnson,  co-star 
with  Jane  Wyman, 
in  the  Warner 
Brothers'  picture. 


“Miracle 99  In 
Exploitation 


Harry  Botwick,  southern  district  manager  for  Florida  State 
Theatres,  and  Frank  Peterson,  vice-president  of  Burdine's — 
Miami's  largest  department  store — discuss  the  details  of 
their  "Miracle"  contest  which  selected  the  best  secretary  in 
south  Florida  for  her  prize-winning  trip  to  Hollywood.  You 
don't  have  to  be  told  that  this  sponsor  is  happy  about  the 
proposition  in  promotion. 


Excellent  window  display  for  the  "Miracle"  in  Mem- 
phis, used  by  a cooperative  store  for  the  Press - 
Scimitar  and  the  Warner  Theatre,  which  sells  the  idea. 


Clyde  Crump, 
manager  of  Fox  - 
Orpheum  theatre, 
Wichita,  Kansas, 
with  the  winner  in 
his  local  contest,  for 
"Miracle  In  the 
Rain"  in  cooperation 
with  the  Wichita 
Beacon. 


38 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  APRIL  21,  1956 


St 


owmen  in 


^yQction 


Mrs.  Hazel  Florian,  of  Lockwood  and 
Gordon’s  Strand  theatre,  Winsted,  Conn., 
has  started  the  Strand  Student  Club,  provid- 
ing reduced  admissions  for  teen-age  high 
school  students.  To  encourage  attendance  in 
the  12-to- 18-year-old  bracket,  Mrs.  Florian 
has  issued  wallet-sized  identification  cards 
for  a service  charge  of  50c  which  entitle 
the  bearer  to  special  prices,  below  adult 
admission  scales.  One  special  show  is 
planned  for  all  card-holders,  admission  free. 

▼ 

Murray  .Spector,  who  does  his  thinking 
ahead  of  time,  has  already  made  arrange- 
ments with  a cooperative  sponsor  for  free 
carnations  as  “Mother’s  Day’’  gifts  at  the 
Stanley  Warner  Central  theatre,  Jersey  City. 
He  says  “a  substantial  amount’’  from  the 
friendly  florist. 

T 

Another  idea  to  make  the  Monthly  Pro- 
gram Calendar  more  valuable  to  small  the- 
atres is  reported  in  TOA’s  Business  Build- 
ers for  March.  When  the  patron  has  pre- 
sented his  calendar  so-many  times  at  the 
box-office,  and  each  time  had  it  stamped  on 
the  playdate  by  the  cashier — then  the  calen- 
dar itself  becomes  a guest  pass  for  two, 
when  presented.  The  bulletin  suggests 
“thrift  stamps” — we  suggest  just  a rubber 
stamp,  which  will  cost  less. 

T 

Wometco’s  “Contact”  reveals  that  51  of 
the  770  who  are  employed  by  the  Florida 
circuit  are  from  24  countries  outside  of  the 
U.  S.,  which  is  making  Miami  an  interna- 
tional port — as,  indeed  it  is,  legally,  geo- 
graphically and  realistically. 

T 

Socrates  Deligeorges  and  Alphonse  Du- 
breuil,  of  the  Niantic  theatre,  Niantic,  Conn., 
send  a sample  of  the  22nd  in  a series  of 
cooperative  ads  which  have  appeared  in  the 
New  London  Evening  Day  urging  shoppers 
and  entertainment-minded  travelers  to  pat- 
ronize the  Niantic  shopping  district  and 
theatres,  sponsored  by  the  Retail  Merchants 
division  of  the  East  Lyme  Chamber  of 
Commerce. 

T 

Jack  Mercer  and  Janies  Tibbetts,  man- 
agers of  the  State  and  Orpheum  theatres, 
and  Karl  Fasick,  publicity  for  Loew’s  The- 
atres in  Boston,  took  advantage  of  the 
Boston  Post's  four-day  cooking  school  at  a 
local  armory,  attended  by  15,000  persons,  to 
publicize  “Picnic”  as  a perfectly  natural 
promotion.  Stunts  used  resulted  in  news- 
paper and  radio  plugs  for  the  Columbia 
picture. 

V 

Jack  Mitchell,  manager  of  Schine’s 
Olympic  theatre,  Watertown,  N.  Y.,  had 
“Carousel”  as  an  Easter  attraction — and  the 
handling  was  up  to  the  season.  One  window 
display  had  a carousel,  revolving  at  all  times, 
and  backed  up  with  stills  and  door  panels. 
The  back  page  of  the  herald  was  sold  to  a 
cooperative  advertiser  to  defray  all  costs. 


A music  store  augmented  special  window 
display  with  cooperative  newspaper  adver- 
tising. The  picture,  and  its  theme,  were  all 
over  town,  in  a variety  of  tieups. 

T 

Bernie  Depa,  manager  of  Schine’s  Strand 
theatre,  Lexington,  Ky.,  has  a happy  spon- 
sor who  for  the  fifth  year  has  donated  roses 
to  the  first  50  ladies  on  Easter  Sunday. 

T 

Among  notes  while  driving  across  Florida. 
Some  vandal  has  shot  out  the  middle  let- 
ters in  the  sign  for  the  Kissimmee  Drive-in 
theatre,  so  it  now  reads  “Kiss  Mee” — which 
apparently  doesn’t  hurt  business  very  much, 
or  there  would  be  rapid  repairs  made. 

T 

Jerry  Baker,  manager  of  the  resplendent 
RKO  Keith's  theatre  in  Washington,  is  dis- 
playing a lobby  poster  for  an  attraction  that 
is  seven  months  away.  He  proudly  announces 
Cecil  B.  deMille’s  “The  Ten  Command- 
ments” for  presentation  in  the  Fall. 

T 

Regal  Shoe  Stores  in  38  principal  cities 
are  participating  in  the  promotion  of  Darryl 
F.  Zanuck’s  “The  Man  in  the  Gray  Flannel 
Suit” — with  20th  Century-Fox  field  exploi- 
tation men  cooperating  in  the  displays  for 
the  benefit  of  local  playdates. 

T 

Lew  “Bozo  Kelly”  Rich,  the  clown,  has 
returned  to  E.  M.  Loew  s Milford,  Conn., 
Drive-In  for  his  eighth  season.  He  provides 
nightly  entertainment  throughout  the  sum- 
mer evenings,  starting  at  6 :30  p.m. 


Leo  Shull,  whom  we’ve  known  from  way 
back  when  he  started  “Actor’s  Cues”  in  Wal- 
gren’s  basement  at  44th  Street  and  Broadway, 
has  launched  a contest,  based  on  a news- 
paper poll,  to  determine  “Who  is  the  most 
cooperative  press  agent?”  and  also — “Who 
is  the  least  cooperative  press  agent?”  More 
than  375  domestic  and  foreign  editors  will 
respond,  in  New  York  City. 

▼ 

Dave  Garvin,  Jr.  manager  of  the  Para- 
mount theatre,  Newport  News,  Va.,  wrote 
us  to  say  that  he  always  thought  “What  I 
Did  For  the  Picture” — which  had  been  pro- 
posed as  an  alternate  heading  for  THE 
HERALD’s  original  department  of  exhibitor 
comment  in  their  own  words — was  the  basic 
purpose  of  the  Round  Table.  We  try  to  tell 
the  manager’s  story  of  “What  I Did  For  the 
Picture”  and  it  could  be  basic  as  an  inter- 
pretation of  Round  Table  policy. 

T 

Mother’s  Day  is  Sunday,  May  13th — and 
don’t  let  that  one  slide  by  in  your  Show- 
man’s Calendar,  for  it  is  the  right  time  for 
expressing  your  sincere  appreciation  to  the 
one  person  who  brings  the  family  to  the 
movies — the  year  around.  No  real  showman 
needs  a nudge  to  know  his  obligation,  and 
the  opportunity  which  he  has  to  capitalize 
on  showmanship. 

▼ 

Incidentally,  we’ve  just  passed  an  un- 
inspired date  of  no  consequence,  “Mother- 
In-Law’s  Day”  which  is  supposed  to  intro- 
duce “National  Laugh  Week” — probably 
because  of  all  the  “mother-in-law”  jokes — 
but  never  let  that  sort  of  thing  influence  you. 
It  just  isn’t  so — and  don’t  diminish  yourself 
and  your  theatre  with  such  trivia.  Our  own 
mother-in-law  is  94,  and  she’s  a doll!  Treat 
your  mother-in-laws  with  the  respect  and 
admiration  they  deserve. 


Roger  H.  Lewis,  national  director  of  advertising,  publicity  and  exploitation  for  United 
Artists,  views  the  avalanche  of  advance  publicity  on  "Alexander  the  Great" — which  has 
netted  more  than  100  pages  in  the  first  key-city  runs.  This  "Alexander"  not  only  looks 
forward  to  more  Worlds  to  conquer — but  also  the  Posts,  Journals,  Tribunes,  News,  Times, 
and  other  newspaper  coverage  for  saturation  playdates  in  300  situations,  coming  up  soon. 


MANAGERS'  ROUND  TABLE  SECTION,  APRIL  21,  1956 


39 


Try  These  Street  Stunts — 
For  Size— In  Your  Town 


"Will  Spring  Time  Be  Kettle  Time  This  Year" — that  has  become  an  annual  quote  from 
sources  who  sell  tickets  with  just  such  an  idea.  Here's  a couple  of  grey  mules  and  a 
Model  T Ford,  attracting  as  much  attention  as  any  chariot  on  wheels — for  "The  Kettles 
In  the  Ozarks"  at  the  Paramount  theatre,  Des  Moines,  where  Gene  Moore  makes  with 
exploitation,  along  tried  and  true  lines. 


And  for  a pre-release  of  Howard  Hughes'  "The  Conqueror"  at  the  Cactus  Drive-In 
theatre,  Phoenix,  Arizona,  only  these  two  convincing  characters  in  costume,  to  make  a 
parade — and  we'll  be  darned  if  those  mustachios  don't  look  like  John  Wayne's  and  the 
girl  is  not  a bad  substitute  for  Susan  Hayward.  They  are  getting  attention  from  all 
angles,  in  this  photograph,  as  you  can  see. 


Jack  Auslett,  our  live-wire  correspondent 
in  New  Orleans,  sends  us  tear  sheets  which 
he  says  are  a “first”  in  New  Orleans — full 
page  ads  in  the  Item  and  Times  Picayune 
for  the  opening  of  “The  Swan”  at  Loew’s 
State.  The  advertising  is  really  deluxe,  de- 
voting almost  the  entire  page  to  a fine  por- 
trait of  Grace  Kelly,  who  will  be  “Her 
Serene  Highness”  by  the  time  you  read  this. 
It’s  red-carpet,  royal  treatment  in  the  press, 
and  the  first  examples  we’ve  seen. 

AD 


Bernie  Depa,  manager  of  Schine’s  Strand 
theatre,  Lexnigton,  Ky.  tied  up  with  a men’s 
clothing  store  for  a display  that  was  a 
crowd  stopper.  “Harry”  lay  prone  with  a 
sign  over  him  saying,  “ ‘The  Trouble  With 
Harry’  Was  That  He  Didn’t  Shop  Here. 
Our  Customers  Are  the  Livest  Looking  Men 
in  Town.”  The  store  also  gave  passes  to 
the  first  25  men  named  “Harry”  who  entered 
the  store,  along  with  information  on  the 
picture. 


Martin  Uses 

Tteo-Uaced 

Ualentlars 

While  we  found  one  Florida  manager 
who  startled  us  with  his  comment  on  pro- 
gram calendars,  nevertheless  Hugh  G.  Mar- 
tin of  MCM  T heatres,  with  headquarters  at 
Leesburg,  Florida,  supports  the  monthly 
calendar  idea,  and  goes  one  better,  by  print- 
ing  these  on  both  sides.  For  example,  the 
program  for  the  Lake  theatre  at  Clermont, 
hla.,  and  the  Clervue  Drive-In,  nearby,  are 
printed  back-to-back,  and  Hugh  says  patrons 
prefer  it  that  way.  They  can  keep  track 
of  what  is  playing  in  both  places,  and  it 
all  hangs  up  on  a convenient  nail.  He  says 
they  formerly  issued  folded  programs  but 
patrons  didn’t  keep  them,  as  they  do  the 
monthly  calendars. 

Hugh  Martin  believes  in  crediting  his 
managers  for  carrying  out  showmanship 
ideas  and  making  them  work,  so  Mrs.  Phyl- 
lis Pontius,  at  the  Lake,  and  Leonard  Pen- 
ington,  at  the  Clervue,  have  top-billing  on 
the  calendar  for  their  respective  theatres. 
He  uses  the  calendar  itself  as  a free  pass 
for  next  months  shows,  if  you  see  all  of  the 
current  attractions,  and  bring  your  calendar 
in  to  be  stamped.  At  the  Clervue,  Monday 
is  "free  car”  night,  and  all  cars  of  one  cer- 
tain make  enjoy  guest  privileges,  with  the 
sponsorship  of  the  local  dealer.  This  rotates 
between  twelve  different  makes  of  cars,  so 
you  are  sure  of  hitting  the  jackpot  once  in 
twelve  weeks,  on  Monday  night,  but  the 
name  of  the  winning  car  is  kept  secret  until 
the  first  patron  passes  the  gate.  That  adds 
suspense,  and  keeps  them  coming,  every 
Monday,  out  of  speculation. 

Calendars  are  delivered  from  door  to 
door  in  Clermont,  with  the  manager  driv- 
ing a jeep,  and  two  ambitious  youngsters 
to  do  the  leg  work  on  both  sides  of  the 
street.  They  never  distribute  less  than  4,000 
of  the  monthly  calendars,  and  1,500  are 
mailed  out  to  the  rural  routes  and  outlying 
communities.  Hugh  Martin  is  the  kind  of 
showman  who  often  tries  new1  ideas — and 
then  passes  them  on  to  other  showmen  who 
can  profit  by  his  experience. 


Schine  Managers  Pick 
"Miss  Springtime" 

Seymour  Morris  sends  us  a “flash”  from 
Schine’s  publicity  department,  Gloversville, 
N.  Y.,  to  show  how  Spike  Cary,  manager 
of  the  circuit’s  Oneonta  theatre,  Oneonta, 
N.  Y.,  launched  a local  contest  to  find  “Miss 
Springtime  of  1956”  with  a double  truck- 
advertisement,  sponsored  by  twenty  mer- 
chants and  dealers  in  the  area.  Each  section 
of  the  two-page  ad  carried  a picture  of  one 
of  the  20  contenders,  selected  by  local  schools 
to  represent  their  classes.  The  contest  had 
accumulative  value,  with  interest  building  to 
a terrific  climax,  and  plenty  of  parents  and 
friends  out  promoting  their  favorites. 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  APRIL  21,  1956 


<Set(ina 


ina  S'Tpproaci 


It 


THE  MAN  IN  THE  GRAY  FLANNEL  SUIT 
— 20th  Century-Fox.  CinemaScope,  in 
Color  by  DeLuxe.  The  Superb  Best-Seller, 
Now  a Superlative  Motion  Picture.  The 
novel  you  read  with  such  intensity,  comes 
to  the  screen  with  compelling  power  and 
an  unprecedented  cast.  Gregory  Peck, 
Jennifer  Jones,  Fredric  March,  with  Marisa 
Pavan,  Lee  J.  Cobb,  Ann  Harding  and 
Keenan  Wynn.  One  of  the  outstanding 
pictures  of  the  year.  24-sheet  and  all 
posters  feature  the  title  pose,  which  is  the 
merchandising  tieup  of  the  season.  Even 
the  Wall  Street  Journal  has  commented  on 
how  "The  Man  With  the  Gray  Flannel 
Suit"  has  lifted  the  men's  clothing  trades. 
It  will  do  as  much  for  yours.  Jumbo  herald 
from  Cato  Show  Print  is  an  exploitation 
piece  that  you  can  sell  to  cooperative  ad- 
vertisers— giving  them  the  big  back  page 
for  local  printing.  Newspaper  advertising 
is  big  and  inspired  by  the  selling  title. 
You'll  find  everything  needed  for  every 
situation,  including  teaser  ads  that  will 
serve  for  all  purposes,  and  the  special 
composite  campaign  mat,  complete  with 
eight  ad  mats  and  slugs,  plus  two  publicity 
mats,  all  for  35^  at  National  Screen.  The 
special  merchandising  section  of  the  press- 
book  is  worthy  of  extra  attention,  and  will 
get  it,  because  the  men's  wear  tieups 
are  unusual  and  valuable  to  every  working 
theatre  man.  There's  been  a nine  month's 
build-up  of  the  best-selling  book  as  pre- 
selling for  the  picture,  and  you  can  cash 
in.  National  magazines  and  newspapers 
have  gone  all  out  to  publicize  the  film  in 
feature  material.  Door  panels,  standees 
and  other  display  materials  are  available 
for  use  in  clothing  store  windows. 

• 

PATTERNS — United  Artists.  No  guns,  no 
bullets — but  weapons  more  deadly — the 
patterns  of  power,  patterns  of  greed,  pat- 
terns of  greed  and  lust,  that  explode  inside 
the  gray  flannel  world  of  "big  money"  in 
the  most  dangerous  battlefield  of  all — 
the  skyscraper  jungle.  Van  Heflin,  Everett 
Sloane,  Ed  Begley,  Beatrice  Straight,  in  an 
original  story  that  won  the  Sylvania  Award 
as  a TV  presentation.  No  poster  larger 
than  the  6-sheet,  but  suitable  for  display 
uses  in  lobby  and  marquee  advertising. 
The  dramatic  herald  from  Cato  Show  Print 
has  the  same  selling  approach,  and  you 
can  use  it  as  a pattern  for  "Patterns." 
Glamor  ads  and  tiein  suggestions  point 
the  way  for  sponsor  cooperation  in  the 
retail  field.  Newspaper  ad  in  sufficient 
variety,  and  the  composite  ad  mat  has 
eight  ad  mats  and  slugs,  plus  two  publicity 
mats,  for  small  theatres,  all  at  the  low 
price  of  35^  for  the  whole  selection.  Some 
unusual  treatments  will  be  found  in  the 
pressbook  for  your  local  application. 


MEET  ME  IN  LAS  VEGAS— MGM.  In 

CinemaScope,  and  Eastman  Color.  It's  a 
gorgeous,  glorious,  glittering  gold  mine  of 
entertainment,  starring  Dan  Dailey  and 
Cyd  Charisse,  and  a big  cast,  plus  guest 
stars,  Jerry  Colonna,  Paul  Henreid,  Lena 
Horne,  Frankie  Laine  and  others.  You're 
loyal  fans  will  tear  themselves  away  from 
television  for  "Meet  Me  in  Las  Vegas." 
Special  herald  from  Cato  Show  Print  sup- 
plies all  the  best  selling  approach  in  one 
compact  package.  It's  like  a little  press- 
book,  for  the  public.  24-sheet  is  really  de- 
signed for  special  use  in  lobby  and  mar- 
quee display,  and  it's  a stopper!  All  posters 
have  the  same  theme — Cyd  Charisse  and 
her  chassis.  Newspaper  ad  mats  in  good 
assortment  to  suit  all  situations,  and  the 
complete  campaign  mat  has  nine  ad  mats 
and  slugs  and  two  publicity  mats,  all  on  one 
big  mat  for  a small  price — only  35c  and 
the  biggest  showmanship  bargain  in  the 
industry.  MGM  used  one  hundred  $10,000 
bills,  the  real  thing,  as  lobby  display  at  the 
Astor  theatre  on  Broadway,  but  they  say 
you  can  spell  out  the  same  thing  with  140 
silver  dollars,  under  glass  and  under  guard. 
Silver  dollars  are  a trademark  for  Las  Vegas 
and  the  Nevada  play  spots. 

• 

DOCTOR  AT  SEA — J.  Arthur  Rank — Re- 
public Pictures.  A film  that  has  very  evi- 
dently pleased  as  a boisterous  comedy 
with  Canadian  and  overseas  audiences. 
Republic  have  fitted  it  up  with  an  Amer- 
ican-type pressbook,  so  show  men  here  will 
have  the  proper  accessories  to  work  with. 
It's  about  the  funniest  crew  aboard  ship 
since  "Mr.  Roberts" — and  you  won't  go 
wrong  in  pushing  it  with  discriminating 
audiences.  The  newspaper  ad  mats  are 
good,  and  there  is  an  attractive  cast,  in- 
cluding Brigitte  Bardot — "every  man's 
dream  of  France."  You'll  find  some  ab- 
solutely new  advertising  slants  in  the  sell- 
ing approach  for  this  picture.  No  com- 
posite mat,  which  would  be  a help  for 
small  theatres,  and  no  poster  larger  than 
the  6-sheet,  but  these  are  good,  and  have 
smart  showmanship  in  pictorial  art  to  sell 
tickets.  A gratis  mat  for  a circus  herald 
will  be  furnished  free  for  the  asking,  by 
your  Republic  exchange. 


. . . Timely  news  supplementing  the 
special  monthly  department  covering 
all  phases  of  refreshment  service. 


Pennsylvania  Legislature 
Exempts  Candy  from  Tax 

Candy  has  been  excluded  from  the  3% 
sales  tax  in  the  state  of  Pennsylvania.  This 
was  brought  about  largely  through  the  ef- 
forts of  the  Pennsylvania  Manufacturing 
Confectioners’  Association  with  the  assis- 
tance of  the  National  Confectioners’  Asso- 
ciation. The  action  began  last  November 
when  the  House  of  Representatives  passed 
a bill  taxing  candy  but  exempting  all  other 
foods.  The  PMCA  Legislative  Committee, 
headed  by  Philip  Wunderle  III  of  Ph.  Wun- 
derle  carried  on  a series  of  meetings  with 
a PMCA  delegation  and  Phil  Gott  and  H. 
MacGregor  Tuttle,  Jr.  of  the  NCA.  C. 
Rudolph  Kroekel  of  Kroekel-Oetinger,  Inc. 
appeared  before  the  Senate  Finance  Com- 
mittee and  presented  the  arguments  for 
“justice  for  candy.”  After  many  weeks  of 
expounding  the  “unfairness”  of  the  tax,  suc- 
cess was  achieved  in  eliminating  it  from  the 
legislation. 


Hires  Develops  New 
Combination  Snack  Bar 

A new  Hires’  snack  bar,  6 feet,  6 inches 
in  length  and  equipped  to  prepare  and  serve 
frankfurters  and  Hires  root  beer,  has  been 
added  to  its  line  of  food  and  beverage  dis- 
pensing units  by  the  Charles  E.  Hires  Com- 
pany, Philadelphia.  Features  of  the  new  unit 
include  a 45-gallon  Hires  Keg,  a 7-cubic  foot 
refrigerator,  a thermostatically  controlled 
bun  warmer  and  an  automatic  roller  grill. 
The  snack  bar  is  30  inches  wide  and  has  a 
counter  height  of  45  inches.  A premiere 
showing  of  the  new  snack  bar  will  be  made 
during  the  Restaurant  Show  in  Chicago 
from  May  7 to  11,  according  to  John  G. 
Magee,  Hires  vice-president  and  manager 
of  the  Fountain  Division. 


Disposable  Drive-In  Tray 

The  Keyes  Fibre  Company,  Waterville, 
Me.,  manufacturers  of  a line  of  plates,  trays 
and  dishes,  has  developed  a new  molded  pulp 
tray  for  outside  service  of  refreshments  at 
drive-in  theatres.  Called  the  “Keyes  Carry- 
Out  Tray,”  it  has  four  cup  compartments 
and  “ample”  space  for  sandwiches  and  other 
foods.  The  disposable  tray  is  waterproofed, 
grease-resistant  and  has  a non-skid  surface. 
It  is  sterilized  in  manufacture  and  shipped 
by  the  company  in  dust-proof  cartons. 


MANAGERS'  ROUND  TABLE  SECTION,  APRIL  21,  1956 


41 


CLASSIFIED  ADVERTISING 


Fifteen  cents  per  word,  money-order  or  check  with  copy.  Count  initials,  box  number  and  address.  Minimum  insertion  $ 1 .50.  Four 
insertions  for  the  price  of  three.  Contract  rates  on  application.  No  border  or  cuts.  Forms  close  Mondays  at  5 P.M.  Publisher 
reserves  the  right  to  reject  any  copy.  Film  and  trailer  advertising  not  accepted.  Classified  advertising  not  subject  to  agency 
commission.  Address  copy  and  checks:  MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  Classified  Dept.,  Rockefeller  Center,  New  York  (20) 


THEATRES 


BOOKS 


NEW  EQUIPMENT 


WANTED  TO  LEASE  DRIVE-IN  THEATRE. 
Can  manage  and  supply  projection  equipment.  Must 
be  Eastern  Pennsylvania  or  New  Jersey.  Give  com- 
plete information.  BOX  2914,  MOTION  PICTURE 
HERALD. 


WANTED:  CONNECTICUT 
plies  confidential.  BOX  2915, 
HERALD. 


THEATRE.  ALL  RE- 
MOTION PICTURE 


FOR  LEASE:  EXCELLENT  NEIGHBORHOOD 

theatre  in  growing  Indiana.  Equipment  in  good  con- 
dition. CinemaScope  screen.  Opportunity  for  right 
partv  BOX  2916,  MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD. 


LOST  LEASE!  CLOSING  OUT  COMPLETE 
equipment  conventional  theatre — 50  ton  Carrier  air- 
conditioning,  Simplex  mechanisms,  Altec  sound,  Ameri- 
can seats.  Will  sell  all  or  separately.  JOHN 
WILLIAMS,  State  Theatre,  Jackson,  Miss. 


NEW  — FOR  THEATRE  MANAGERS  — “THE 
Master  Guide  on  Theatre  Maintenance,”  compiled  from 
authorities,  handy  for  reference  with  hard  covers  and 
index.  Published  by  Aaron  Nadell.  Price  $5  postpaid. 
Send  remittance  to  QUIGLEY  BOOKSHOP,  1270  Sixth 
Ave.,  New  York  20,  N.  Y. 


RICHARDSON’S  BLUEBOOK  OF  PROJECTION. 
New  8th  Edition.  Revised  to  deal  with  the  latest  tech- 
nical developments  in  motion  picture  projection  and 
sound,  and  reorganized  to  facilitate  study  and  refer- 
ence. Includes  a practical  discussion  of  Television 
especially  prepared  for  the  instruction  of  theatre  pro- 
jectionists. and  of  new  techniques  for  advancement  of 
the  art  of  the  motion  picture.  The  standard  textbook 
on  motion  picture  projection  and  sound  reproduction. 
Invaluable  to  beginner  and  expert.  Best  seller  since 
1911.  662  pages,  cloth  bound,  $7.25  postpaid.  QUIGLEY 
BOOKSHOP,  1270  Sixth  Avenue,  New  York  20,  N.  Y. 


PLAY  CINEMASCOPE  “55”!  MAGNAPHONIC 
Single  Channel  Magnetic  Sound  complete,  $785;  Cine- 
matic adjustable  anamorphics  $375  pr.,  Mirro-Claric 
Metallic  Seamless  screens  75c  sq.  ft.  Buy  on  Time. 
S.  O.  S.  CINEMA  SUPPLY  CORP.,  602  W.  52nd  St, 
New  York  19. 


INTERMITTENT  MOVEMENTS— NEW  SURPLUS 
for  Simplex  $69.50;  DeVry  $59.50;  Holmes  $24.50. 
Automatic  enclosed  rewinds  $69.50.  S.  O.  S.  CINEMA 
SUPPLY  CORP.,  602  W.  52nd  St.,  New  York  19. 


DRIVE-IN  EQUIPMENT 


IN-CAR  SPEAKERS  $4.25!  YEAR  WARRANTY. 
4"  unit,  steel  case  painted  blue-white.  Price  per  set 
2 speakers,  junction  box,  $12.25.  S.O.S.  CINEMA 
SUPPLY  CORP.,  602  W.  52nd  St.,  New  York  19. 


STUDIO  EQUIPMENT 


USED  EQUIPMENT 


POSITION  WANTED 


CINEFLEX  35MM  CAMERA  WAS  LENSES; 
motor;  200'  magazines;  filter  holders  and  case,  $1,500 
value,  $695;  Akeley  Gyro  Tripod,  $900  value,  $59s 
Bridgamatic  Jr.  16mm  Automatic  Processor,  $1,500 
value,  $975;  Maurer  16  Camera,  lens,  2 magazines, 
syncmotor,  12V  motor  w/battery,  all  cases,  complete 
$2,395;  5000W  Background  Projector,  reconditioned, 

$595;  Bardwell  McAlister  studio  floodlites,  3 heads 
on  rolling  stand  hold  12  bulbs,  $180  value,  $29.50; 
Quadlite  Heads  only,  $4.95;  Stands  only  $19.95;  Moviola 
35mm  composite  sound/picture,  $495.00.  S.  O.  S. 
CINEMA  SUPPLY  CORP.,  602  W.  52nd  St.,  New 
York  19. 


BEAUTIFULLY  REBUILT  LIKE  NEW!  Super 
Simplex  projectors,  cabinet  pedestals,  3000'  magazines, 
Magnarc  or  Mogul  arc  lamps,  70/140  generator,  RCA 
PG230  sound,  price  $3,950.  Available  on  Time.  S.  O.  S. 
CINEMA  SUPPLY  CORP.,  602  W.  52nd  St.,  New 
York  19. 


PEERLESS  MAGNARCS,  EXCELLENT  CONDI- 
tion  $395;  reconditioned  Neumade  Film  Cabinets  2000', 
$2  section;  hand  rewinds  $7.95  set.  S.  O.  S.  CINEMA 
SUPPLY  CORP.,  602  W.  52nd  St.,  New  York  19. 


POPCORN 


WORLD-WIDE  HEADQUARTERS  FOR  POP- 
corn,  popcorn  equipment  and  supplies.  POPCORN 
VILLAGE,  Nashville,  Tenn.,  U.S.A. 


EXCELLENT  COATED  PROJECTION  LENSES, 
many  brand  new!  Wollensak  “Sunray”  Series  I; 
2",  3",  3J4”,  3U",  5”,  5 K",  Sy2",  6”,  7M",  $35  pair. 
Superlite  2)4"-3"-3j4''  $150  pr.  Trades  Taken.  Wire  or 
telephone  order  today.  S.  O.  S.  CINEMA  SUPPLY 
CORP.,  602  W.  52nd  Street,  New  York  19. 


AGGRESSIVE,  EXPERIENCED,  EXPLOITATION 
minded  manager,  32  years  of  age,  desires  change. 
10  years’  of  experience,  married,  will  locate  anywhere. 
Starting  salary  $100.  BOX  2913,  MOTION  PICTURE 
HERALD. 


HELP  WANTED 


WANTED:  EXPERIENCED  FILM  EDITOR  TO 
relocate  in  Washington,  D.  C.  Experience  in  sound 
work  helpful  but  not  necessary.  Send  complete  resume, 
salary  wanted,  etc.  BOX  2917,  MOTION  PICTURE 
HERALD. 

MANAGERS  WANTED  FOR  CONVENTIONAL 
and  drive-in  theatres  in  New  Jersey.  Many  benefits 
including  retirement  plan.  Apply  in  writing.  BOX  2918, 
c/o  MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD. 


THEATRE  EQUIPMENT  AND  SUPPLY  INFORMATION  SERVICE 


I would  like  the  latest  information  concerning  the 
equipment  and  supplies  indicated  by  number  below  or 
as  otherwise  specified: 


THEATRE  OWNERS  AND  MANAGERS  may  procure  the  latest 
information  concerning  theatre  equipment  and  supplies  by 
writing  Motion  Picture  Herald,  indicating  their  interests. 
Merely  fill  out  the  adjoining  coupon  and  mail  in  business 
envelope.  For  further  convenience  various  classifications  are 
listed  below  with  numbers  for  indicating  them  conveniently  in 
the  coupon.  Mail  the  coupon  to  Motion  Picture  Herald,  Theatre 
Service  Department,  1270  Sixth  Avenue,  New  York  20,  N.  Y. 


1 

1 

3 1 W — Air-conditioning 

39W — Rubber  mats 

48W — Curtain  tracks 

1 

32W — Wall  materials 

40W — Interior  lighting 

49W — Ticket  registers 

Name 

1 

33W — Drive-in  admission 

4IW — Projection  lamps 

50W — Hand  driers 

| 

control  systems 

42  W — Projectors 

51 W — Beverage  dispensers 

Address 

1 

34W — In-car  speakers 

43  W — Motor-generators 

52W — Food  specialties 

1 

35W — In-car  heaters 

44W — Rectifiers 

53W — Frankfurter  grilles 

Town 

1 

36W — Screen  towers 

45W — Screens 

54W — Ice  cream  cabinets 

1 

37W — Vacuum  cleaners 

46W — Magnetic  sound 

55W — Popcorn  warmers 

Name  of  Theatre 

Seating  Capacity 

1 

38W — Carpeting 

47W — Auditorium  seating 

56W — Carry-out  trays 

42 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  APRIL  21,  1956 


FILM  BUYERS  RATING 


Film  buyers  of  independent  circuits  in 

the  U.  S. 

rate  current 

EX 

AA 

AV 

BA 

PR 

product  on  the  basis  of  its  performance  in  their  theatres.  This 

report  covers  97  attractions,  3,2  5 6 playdat 

es. 

Last  Hunt,  The  (MGM) 

1 

2 

1 1 
9 

15 

7 

3 

3 

Titles  run  alphabetically.  Numerals  refer  to  the  number  of 

en- 

Lady  Godiva  (U-l) 

, 

1 

5 

7 

5 

easements  on  each  attraction  reported.  The  tabulation  is 

cumula- 

Lawless  Street  (Col.) 

6 

14 

4 

1 

tive.  Dagger  (|)  denotes  attractions  published  for  the  first  time. 

Lieutenant  Wore  Skirts,  The  (20th-Fox) 

9 

20 

21 

Asterisk  (*)  indicates  attractions  which  are 

listed  for 

the  last  time. 

Littlest  Outlaw  (B.V.) 

8 

9 

3 

13 

Lone  Ranger,  The  (W.B.) 

6 

| | 

3 

2 

EX  means  Excellent;  AA — Above  Average 

AV — 

Average; 

Lucy  Gallant  (Par.) 

23 

1 7 

BA — Below  Average;  PR — Poor. 

Man  Alone,  A (Rep.) 

- 

8 

23 

10 

1 1 

EX 

AA 

AV 

BA 

PR 

Man  Who  Never  Was  ( 20th- Fox ) 

- 

- 

7 

_ 

5 

Man  With  the  Golden  Arm  (U.A.) 

2 

II 

1 1 

5 

_ 

African  Lion,  The  (B.V.) 

1 

6 

18 

13 

15 

Man  With  the  Gun  (U.A.) 

1 

20 

15 

8 

13 

All  That  Heaven  Allows  ( U - 1 ) 

5 

16 

8 

1 

4 

’McConnell  Story,  The  (W.B.) 

2 

39 

35 

14 

3 

’Apache  Ambush  (Col.) 

- 

- 

4 

1 

2 

Naked  Dawn  (U-l) 

3 

5 

Apache  Woman  (A.R.C.) 

1 

7 

2 

2 

- 

Never  Say  Goodbye  (U-l) 

6 

4 

3 

Artists  and  Models  (Par.)  

10 

32 

18 

7 

1 

’Night  Holds  Terror,  The  (Col.) 

3 

7 

1 9 

At  Gunpoint  (A. A.) 

“ 

1 

10 

24 

2 

’Night  of  the  Hunter  (U.A.) 

- 

4 

15 

18 

5 

Backlash  ( U-l ) 

- 

5 

1 

8 

- 

Our  Miss  Brooks  (W.B.) 

| 

4 

’Bengali  ( RKO ) 

- 

- 

- 

3 

7 

Benny  Goodman  Story,  The  (U-l) 

1 

6 

7 

6 

5 

Picnic  (Col.) 

9 

8 

_ 

_ 

_ 

Big  Knife,  The  ( U.A.) 

_ 

_ 

1 

1 1 

14 

Prisoner,  The  (Col.) 

| 

2 

3 

Blood  Alley  (W.B.) 

__ 

8 

29 

21 

3 

Bottom  of  the  Bottle  ( 20th- Fox ) 

_ 

2 

8 

10 

22 

Queen  Bee  (Col.) 

- 

1 1 

9 

10 

Quentin  Durward  (MGM) 

- 

5 

12 

26 

Come  Next  Spring  (Rep.) 

_ 

1 

1 

10 

2 

Comanche  (U.A.)  

_ 

1 

_ 

_ 

17 

Rains  of  Ranchipur,  The  (20th-Fox) 

9 

27 

21 

8 

Count  Three  and  Pray  (Col.) 

4 

10 

23 

9 

7 

Ransom  (MGM) 

1 

- 

18 

17 

10 

Court  Jester,  The  (Par.) 

6 

5 

3 

2 

Rebel  Without  a Cause  (W.B.) 

10 

54 

20 

6 

- 

Court  Martial  of  Billy  Mitchell  (W.B.) 

1 

41 

19 

7 

Red  Sundown  (U-l) 

5 

2 

1 

2 

Return  of  Jack  Slade  (A. A.) 

2 

1 1 

3 

- 

Day  the  World  Ended  (A.R.C.) 

- 

20 

1 

1 

- 

Rose  Tattoo,  The  (Par.) 

II 

4 

10 

4 

1 

Deep  Blue  Sea,  The  (20th-Fox) 

- 

- 

1 

2 

9 

Running  Wild  (U-l) 

3 

1 1 

4 

2 

_ 

’Desert  Sands  (U.A.) 

- 

- 

5 

10 

1 1 

Desperate  Hours,  The  (Par.)  

1 

1 

1 1 

19 

19 

Second  Greatest  Sex  (U-l) 

8 

7 

17 

3 

Diane  (MGM)  

_ 

_ 

_ 

7 

24 

Shack  Out  on  101  (A. A.) 

3 

3 

- 

1. 

Duel  on  the  Mississippi  (Col.) 

1 

1 

5 

2 

2 

Sincerely  Yours  (W.B.) 

1 

8 

17 

15 

Slightly  Scarlet  (RKO) 

_ 

2 

_ 

1 

3 

Flame  of  the  Islands  (Rep.)  

- 

1 

1 

5 

3 

fSong  of  the  South  (B.V.) 

3 

_ 

2 

_ 

16 

Forever  Darling  (MGM)  

7 

22 

26 

7 

2 

Spoilers,  The  ( U-l ) 

_ 

9 

13 

10 

2 

Fort  Yuma  ( U.A.)  

- 

- 

5 

12 

1 

Square  Jungle  ( U-l ) 

_ 

1 

1 

1 1 

27 

Fury  at  Gunsight  Pass  (Col.) 

- 

1 

3 

2 

1 

Tall  Men,  The  (20th-Fox) 

7 

44 

19 

5 

2 

Gentlemen  Marry  Brunettes  (U.A.) 

- 

9 

20 

14 

16 

Tarantula  (U-l)  

2 

13 

3 

4 

_ 

Girl  in  the  Red  Velvet  Swing,  The  ( 20th- Fox ) 

- 

3 

20 

31 

23 

Target  Zero  (W.B.) 

_ 

1 

4 

2 

1 

Glory  ( RKO) 

1 

3 

5 

6 

5 

Teen  Age  Crime  Wave  (Col.) 

_ 

6 

6 

2 

_ 

Good  Morning  Miss  Dove  (20th-Fox)  . . . . 

1 

15 

10 

31 

II 

Tender  Trap,  The  (MGM) 

9 

29 

28 

13 

2 

Guys  and  Dolls  (MGM) 

18 

6 

- 

1 

3 

’Tennessee’s  Partner  (RKO) 

- 

2 

18 

1 1 

6 

Helen  of  Troy  (W.B.) 

5 

21 

1 

Texas  Lady  (RKO)  

2 

10 

14 

4 

Hell  on  Frisco  Bay  (W.B.) 

_ 

6 

10 

8 

22 

There's  Always  Tomorrow  (U-l) 

- 

3 

3 

19 

Hot  Blood  (Col.) 

1 

2 

3 

Ihree  Strioes  in  the  Sun  (Col.) 

1 

7 

17 

10 

6 

’To  Catch  a Thief  (Par.)  

7 

15 

23 

16 

5 

1 Died  a Thousand  Times  (W.B.) 

- 

1 

5 

1 1 

9 

’To  Hell  and  Back  (U-l) 

27 

43 

6 

1 

- 

I'll  Cry  Tomorrow  (MGM) 

9 

- 

1 

- 

- 

Treasure  of  Pancho  Villa  (RKO) 

- 

1 

13 

14 

20 

Indian  Fighter  (U.A.)  . .. 

- 

10 

18 

1 1 

6 

Trial  (MGM)  

1 

II 

41 

19 

4 

’It's  a Dogs  Life  (MGM) 

- 

- 

5 

10 

13 

Trouble  With  Harry  (Par.) 

10 

- 

7 

6 

1 

’It's  Always  Fair  Weather  (MGM) 

- 

3 

15 

24 

28 

Twinkle  in  God's  Eye,  The  (Rep.) 

.. 

2 

8 

2 

- 

’Jail  Busters  (A. A.) 

2 

3 

3 

| 

14 

13 

10 

Unconquered  (Par.)  

1 

3 

1 

(Kettles  in  the  Ozarks  (U-l). 

i 8 • 

- 

3 

- 

2 

Kismet  (MGM) 

- 

4 

17 

21 

19 

World  in  My  Corner  (U-l) 

- 

1 

5 

19 

PRf/f  HP H>  Of  THf  tfWt/STRY 


„ York  City.  V . S.  A..  under  the  act  of  March  3.  1879. 
Iler  Center.  Mac  York  20.  V.  Y.  Subscription  prices: 
ontents  copyrighted  1956  by  Quigley  Publishing  Company 


rub- 
85.00 
, Inc. 


SEEING  IS  WORTH  A 
THOUSAND  WORDS! 


When  we  showed  “THE  CATERED 
AFFAIR”  in  a New  York  neighbor- 
hood theatre  exhibitors  said:  “If  only 
showmen  throughout  the  nation  could 
be  here  to  witness  the  electrifying 
response!”  The  audience  applauded, 
cried,  laughed  and  just  plain  loved 
it.  The  Film  Research  Surveys  poll 
equalled  famed  “Blackboard  Jungle.” 
That’s  why  we’re  showing  it  in 
Exchange  cities  nationwide.  Seeing  is 
believing.  Circuit  heads,  bring  your 
Managers.  Local  press  and  opinion 
makers  will  be  there  too. 


BETTE 

DAVIS 


Triumphant 


ERNEST 

BORGNINE 


Star  of  "Marty" 


One  of  the  many  RE^l  NOLDS 

Her  Greatest 

Big  Ones  from  M-G-M, 

The  Hottest  Company! 

* 

Screen  Play  ty  Directed  by 

GORE  VIDAL  * RICHARD  BROOKS 

From  A Play  Ly  PADDY  CHAYEFSKY 

Produced  fy 

SAM  ZIMBAUST 

{Available  in  Perspecta  Stereophonic  or  l-Channel  Sound) 

His  Funniest 


BARRY 

FITZGERALD 


“THE  BEST  WESTERN  EVER  MADE!’’--  FOR  THE  MOST  EXCITING  D 


m 

n 

f 

S /&L 

11 

\\ 

m 

i 

III 

3^, 

B(  INESS! 


Her  story  has  shock  values. 
Her  picture  has  star  values. 
The  campaign  gives  it  all 
plus  values.  You’ll  want  to  keep 

HILDA  CRANE  for 
extra  playing  time -and 
Hilda  knows  how  to  arrange  it! 

CALL  THIS  GIRL  AT  20fh  TODAY! 


A 


passionate 

outcry 

against 

impulsive 

marriages 

and  the 

multiple 

divorces 

of  today's 

youth! 


Hilda  Cr; 

JEAN  SIMMONS  - GUY  MADISON  - JEAN  PIERRE  AUMQNT 


20th  Century-Fox  presents 


Print  by  TECHNICOLOR  GnemaScoPE  with  Judith  Evelyn  • Evelyn  Varden 

Produced  by  Herbert  B.  Swope,  Jr. 
Written  for  the  Screen  and  Directed  by  Philip  Dunne 
From  the  Play  by  Samson  Raphaelson 


"It's  a pleasure  to  do  business  with  HILDA  CRANE!" 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD 


MARTIN  QUIGLEY,  Editor-in-Chief  and  Publisher 


Vol.  203,  No.  4 


MARTIN  QUIGLEY,  JR.,  Editor 


April  28,  1956 


More  Work  for  COMPO 

ALTHOUGH  the  full  energies  of  the  executive  staff 
h\  of  COMPO  must  be  concentrated  on  the  tax  relief 
*4-  -A.  campaign  during  these  final,  critical  weeks  of  this 
session  of  Congress,  it  is  not  too  early  to  consider  the 
next  major  COMPO  drive. 

Leon  Enken,  Jr.,  vice-president  of  the  Robins  Amuse- 
ment Company  of  Warren,  Ohio,  has  proposed  that 
COMPO  organize  a national  campaign  “to  get  people 
out  of  their  homes  and  into  the  theatres.”  From  time  to 
time  in  the  past  others  have  suggested  similar  COMPO 
activities.  There  is  no  doubt  that  the  most  important 
basic  problem  of  the  industry  is  building  box  office 
receipts. 

Increasing  attendance  is  more  important  than  tax 
relief — and  tax  relief  is  vital  to  the  survival  of  hundreds 
of  theatres  and  urgently  needed  by  thousands.  Increasing 
attendance  is  more  important  than  arbitration,  rentals, 
advanced  prices,  pre-releases  or  any  other  trade  practice. 
Increasing  attendance  is  so  important  that  it  deserves  the 
major  attentions  of  the  leaders  in  all  branches  of  the 
industry  and  in  all  types  of  situations. 

Before  Summer  comes  and  good  business  lulls  many 
into  a state  of  complacency,  the  COMPO  executive 
board  should  hold  a special  meeting  and  plan  to  launch 
in  the  early  Fall  a drive  to  maintain  and  increase  theatre 
attendance.  If  COMPO  is  not  prepared  to  conduct  such 
a campaign,  the  initiative  should  be  taken  by  others.  The 
problem  of  increasing  theatre  attendance  is  one  subject 
that  producers,  distributors  and  exhibitors  should  be 
glad  to  discuss  in  an  all-industry  conference. 

■ ■ ■ 

C.  V.  Whitney’s  Film  Program 

A YEAR  and  a half  ago  C.  V.  Whitney  formed  a pic- 
ture company  to  plan  the  production  of  three 
types  of  pictures:  1)  An  American  Series; 

2)  Nature  Dramas,  and  3)  Films  of  Fantasy.  Already 
the  first  film  “The  Searchers”  has  been  completed  and 
hailed  as  one  of  the  best  Westerns  ever  produced.  Five 
other  films  are  in  active  preparation.  Mr.  Whitney  makes 
no  secret  of  the  fact  that  his  principal  interest  is  in  the 
first  group,  what  he  calls  “The  American  Series.”  With- 
out criticizing  what  others  have  done  he  feels  that  there 
are  many  great  stories  that  show  America  that  should 
be  filmed.  His  films  are  to  show  the  United  States  as  the 
young  and  sometimes  rough  country  but  “they  will  never 
misrepresent  or  paint  a false  picture  of  the  United  States 
or  its  people.”  Mr.  Whitney  deplored  the  use  in  some 
films  of  violence  for  violence’s  sake.  Mr.  Whitney  is  no 
stranger  to  motion  pictures,  having  been  identified  with 
the  first  three  color  features  made  with  the  use  of  Tech- 


nicolor, and  as  a director,  and  still  a part  owner,  of  “Gone 
With  the  Wind.”  Additional  evidence  of  the  promise  of 
C.  V.  Whitney  Pictures  as  a source  of  fine  motion  pic- 
tures is  the  excellent  group  of  associates,  headed  by 
Merian  Cooper,  executive  producer.  Mr.  Whitney’s  in- 
structions to  Mr.  Cooper  were,  “Get  the  best.”  That  is 
the  way  to  create  great  films. 


Foreign  Product  in  U.S.A. 

A CCORDING  to  a poll  of  the  exhibition  panel  of 
j-\  The  HERALD’s  Institute  of  Industry  Opinion — 
-4  which  represents  a good  cross  section  of  all  types 
of  operations  throughout  the  country — foreign-made 
films  are  being  booked  in  a surprisingly  high  number  of 
theatres.  The  Institute  Panelists  reported  an  average  of 
foreign  bookings  made  in  over  76  percent  of  the  theatres. 
In  the  exhibition  population  classifications  of  7,500  to 
30,000  and  in  30,000  to  100,000,  about  88  percent  of  the 
theatres  had  booked  some  foreign  product  within  the 
year.  Even  in  the  small  towns  and  large  cities  almost 
two-thirds  of  the  theatres  had  booked  such  product.  This 
poll  indicates  that  the  problem  of  the  foreign  picture  in 
the  United  States  is  not  simply  getting  a booking.  Such 
pictures  need  better  advance  promotion  and  advertising, 
both  to  the  trade  and  to  the  public,  together  with  joint 
local  distributor-exhibitor  ticket-selling  activities. 


CJ  Signs  of  Spring:  It  used  to  be  said  that  in  the 
Spring  young  men’s  (and  young  misses’)  fancy  turned 
to  thoughts  of  love.  Be  that  as  it  may,  nowadays  Spring 
thoughts  also  bring  out  expressions  of  protest.  Among 
the  sillier  of  this  season  are  those  of  the  Los  Angeles 
Medical  Society  and  the  National  Council  of  the  Writers’ 
Guild  of  America.  The  Medical  group  is  aroused,  ’tis 
said,  because  the  Medic  television  program  has  deleted 
a scene  showing  details  of  a caesarean  birth.  The  writers’ 
group  has  declared  war  on  anyone  who  attempts  to  in- 
fluence a writer.  Doctors  and  writers  have  rights  but  so 
also  do  producers,  exhibitors,  sponsors  and  the  public 
at  large. 

s ■ ■ ■ 

CJ  Quotable  Quote:  “So  long  as  there  are  people  to  be 
entertained — and  there  are  more  of  them  all  the  time — 
we  can  count  on  technology  to  make  more  entertainment 
available  to  more  people  in  more  ways.  In  this  way,  it  is 
truly  a creative  force — now  and  for  the  future.” — Thomas 
F.  O’Neil,  chairman  of  the  board,  RKO  Radio  Pictures, 
in  a recent  address  to  the  Poor  Richard  Club,  Philadel- 
phia. 


— Martin  Quigley,  Jr. 


<dCetterd  to  the  ^Jderciid 


His  Day 

To  the  Editor  : 

Charlie  Jones,  of  Northwood,  Iowa,  im- 
pressed me  as  a pretty  active  fellow  when 
I went  on  his  billing  trip  with  him  in  the 
last  issue  of  The  HERALD  \Bcttcr  Thea- 
tres. April  7,  page  28],  However,  after  read- 
ing "His  Day,”  I am  more  sure  than  ever 
my  “retirement”  will  be  both  soft  and 
sweet,  as  a small  town  exhibitor  only. 

At  present,  and  for  the  past  ten  years, 
I have  been  sales  manager  of  a local  machine 
tool  builder,  quadrupling  in  size  during  this 
time  to  the  tune  of  an  ever-increasing  stream 
of  phone  calls,  telegrams,  letters,  blueprints 
and  people  that  flow  into  my  office  from 
8 A.M.  to  five  weekdays  and  Saturdays  (the 
5-day  week  didn’t  hit  small  towns  yet). 
And  this  covers  just  one-third  of  my  activi- 
ties. 

During  my  45-minute  lunch  “hour”  I stop 
at  the  bank  with  last  night’s  deposit  (when 
we’re  a step  ahead  of  the  overdraft),  but 
usually  the  theatre  manager  has  already 
phoned  me  at  9 A.M.  to  draw  another  salary 
check  ahead  so  she  can  take  it  down  to 
the  bank  to  honor  her  signature,  which 
happens  to  be  the  same  as  mine  except  with 
a “Mrs.”  in  front  of  it. 

Usually,  the  other  half  of  our  family 
corporation  has  spent  the  morning  checking 
the  mail,  cleaning  the  house,  checking  her 
box  office  statement,  planning  lunch,  catch- 
ing up  on  bookkeeping  and  writing  checks, 
the  latter  of  which  seems  to  be  our  biggest 
trouble.  Her  afternoons  are  spent  checking 
housekeeping  at  the  theatre,  interviewing 
salesmen,  reading  trade  magazines,  checking 
in  supplies,  and  making  lists  of  “chores”  for 
me  to  do  between  five  and  six  P.M.  (I  don’t 
know  when  she  does  her  regular  advertising, 
and  dreams  up  her  promotion  stunts,  unless 
she  wakes  up  in  the  middle  of  the  night  for 
a “swing  shift.”) 

• 

After  supper,  when  Charlie’s  story  ends 
(at  least  in  The  HERALD)  mine’s  just 
starting.  First,  do  up  the  supper  dishes 
so  Florence  can  open  the  theatre  at  6:45 
(until  we  got  her  a dishwasher  this  winter). 
Then  go  down  and  throw  Junior’s  wash  in 
the  automatic  (son-in-law  is  still  in  college, 
or  he’d  be  doing  this  like  I did  for  Junior’s 
mother),  and  race  up  to  the  theatre  hoping 
I can  sneak  by  the  boss  in  the  box  office, 
and  get  inside  the  door  to  “supervise  the 
house,”  and  of  course  see  the  feature. 

Usually  I’m  caught  and  dispatched  up- 
stairs after  replenishments  for  the  candy 
case,  finish  what  I didn’t  get  done  before 
supper,  fill  the  coke  case,  and  sweep,  shovel 
and  empty  the  floor,  sidewalk  and  old  maids 
(from  the  bottom  of  the  Popper). 

Then  when  I do  get  set  down  in  the 
auditorium,  and  after  getting  up  to  turn 


the  heat  down,  or  the  sound  up,  I spend 
the  rest  of  the  night  riding  herd  on  the 
gum  crackers  and  neckers,  taking  feet  and 
leg  off  the  seat  in  front,  and  managing  to 
be  right  behind  the  student  gulping  down 
his  last  swallow  of  coke  and  setting  the 
bottle  in  the  aisle  or  seat  ahead,  to  tell  him 
to  take  it  back  to  the  lobby. 

Then,  after  spending  a few  seconds  mul- 
tiplying (without  pencil  or  paper,  such 
small  digits)  extensions  of  students  and 
adults  (children  come  on  Sunday  afternoon) 
my  wife  picks  up  the  money  bag  (it  isn’t 
heavy  enough  for  Emily  Post  to  care 
whether  I carry  it),  and  I back  the  car 
around  to  pick  her  up,  we  trek  homeward. 

Sometimes  we  talk  awhile  before  retiring, 
usually  wondering  when  spring  thaws  will 
stop  the  ruinous  ice  skating  and  skiing  in 
this  winter  sport  crazy  town,  how  quick  the 
high  school  basketball  team  will  get  knocked 
out  of  the  tournament  so  there’s  enough 
people  to  run  a second  show,  when  the 
big  winter  TV  programs  will  fold  up  for 
the  summer,  and  most  of  all,  when  the 
tourists  will  start  flocking  to  this  beautiful 
resort  town.  Also  figuring  up  on  the  calen- 
dar ahead  when  I’ll  get  my  next  salary 
check,  and  wondering  what  we'll  do  if  an- 
other overdraft  notice  arrives  first. 

• 

Weekends,  between  Friday  the  13th  mid- 
night shows,  Saturday  Shoppers  Matinees, 
and  Sunday  Kiddie  Shows  and  working  on 
the  boat  (Minnesota  summers  are  so  short 
there  is  more  motor  and  hull  maintenance 
than  cruising)  I spend  taking  care  of  the 
many  requests  from  our  tenants,  without 
whom  the  mortgage  payments  on  our 
“Three-plex”  couldn’t  be  met. 

But,  seriously,  show-business  is  wonder- 
ful. It  sends  us  to  Florida  winters  (only 
a two-week  flying  trip  at  present),  provides 
a new  car  every  couple  of  years,  bought  us 
our  new  home,  and  may  make  a teacher 
out  of  our  teen-ager,  unless  of  course  Color 
or  Subscription  TV,  movies  and  special 
events  in  the  new  high  school  auditorium, 
etc.,  knock  the  bottom  out  of  everything. 
And  I really  think  if  show  business  holds 
up  another  25  years  until  I’m  eligible  for 
Social  Security,  Mother  can  quit  work  and 
go  back  to  being  a house-wife. 

And  any  other  small-town  exhibitor  can 
do  the  same  thing — all  he  has  to  do  is  get 
a good  paying  job  daytimes,  and  a good 
healthy  wife  who  will  manage  a theatre 
along  with  her  house  in  her  daytimes,  and 
still  stay  good  looking  enough  to  spend 
half  a century  in  the  box  office  nights; 
after  all,  our  concession  sales  aren’t  so  big 
either,  that  when  they  get  mixed  up  with 
the  ticket  sales  there  still  isn’t  enough 
enough  money  to  keep  a cashier  busy. — 
BOB  FICK,  Co-owner,  Hollywood  Theatre, 
Lake  City,  Minn. 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD 


April  28.  1956 


Page 


CARTOON  MATS  in  Texas  boost 
films  over  television  12 

ABRAM  MYERS  aslcs  all-industry 

conference  in  Allied  bulletin  12 

QUALITY  FILMS  cited  in  annual 
report  of  MPAA  by  Johnston  13 

C.  V.  WHITNEY  company  charts  an 
ambitious  production  course  14 

TOLL  TV  spokesmen  ask  congress 
authorize  use  now  18 

GEHRING  ASKS  united  fight  to 
build  box  office  grosses  20 

FILM  FESTIVAL  set  for  Berlin  June 
22 -July  3 20 

PRODUCTION,  ADVERTISING  codes 
backed  by  film  councils  group  22 

PRODUCER  HITS  MPAA  ban  on 
"Kiss  Before  Dying"  ads  22 

MGM  OPENS  DOOR  to  independents, 
sales  to  TV  and  play  production  24 

TODD-AO  "compatible"  projection 

equipment  and  screen  ready  26 


SERVICE  DEPARTMENTS 


Refreshment  Merchandising  45 

Film  Buyers'  Rating  40 

Hollywood  Scene  30 

Managers'  Round  Table  41 

The  Winners'  Circle  32 

National  Spotlight  33 


IN  PRODUCT  DIGEST  SECTION 

Showmen's  Reviews  873 

Short  Subjects  874 

The  Release  Chart  876 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  Martin  Quigley,  Editor-in- 
Chief  and  Publisher;  Martin  Quigley,  Jr.,  Editor;  Raymond 
Levy,  Executive  Publisher;  James  D.  Ivers,  News  Editor; 
Charles  S.  Aaronson,  Production  Editor;  Floyd  E.  Stone, 
Photo  Editor;  Ray  Gallagher,  Advertising  Manager;  Gus 
H.  Fausel,  Production  Manager.  Bureaus:  Hollywood, 

Samuel  D.'  Berns,  Manager:  William  R.  Weaver,  Editor, 
Yucca-Vine  Building,  Telephone  HOIlywood  7-2145; 
Chicago,  120  So.  LaSalle  St.,  Urben  Farley,  Advertising 
Representative,  Telephone  Financial  6-3074;  Washington, 
J.  A.  Otten,  National  Press  Club;  London,  Hope. Williams 
Burnup,  Manager;  Peter  Burnup,  Editor;  William  Pay, 
News  Editor,  4 Golden  Square.  Correspondents  in  the 
principal  capitals  of  the  world.  Member  Audit  Bureau  of 
Circulations.  Motion  Picture  Herald  is  published  every 
Saturday  by  Quigley  Publishing  Company,  Inc.,  Rocke- 
feller Center,  New  York  City  20.  Telephone  Circle  7-3100; 
Cable  address;  "Quigpubco,  New  York",  Martin  Quigley, 
President;  Martin  Quigley,  Jr.,  Vice-President;  Theo.  J. 
Sullivan,  Vice-President  and  Treasurer;  Raymond  Levy, 
Vice-President,  Leo  J.  Brady,  Secretary.  Other  Quigley 
Publications:  Better  Theatres  and  Better  Refreshment  Mer- 
chandising, each  published  thirteen  times  a year  as.  a 
section  of  Motion  Picture  Herald;  Motion  Picture  Dajly, 
Television  Today,  Motion  Picture  Almanac,  Television 
Almanac,  Fame. 


8 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  APRIL  28,  1956 


On  the  Oht 


onzon 


FOR  TOLL  TV 

Governor  Edwin  C.  Johnson  of 
Colorado,  former  U.  S.  Senator 
from  that  state  and  chairman 
of  the  Senate  Commerce  Commit- 
tee, told  his  former  colleagues 
on  the  committee  that  they 
should  ask  the  Federal  Com- 
munications Commission  to  au- 
thorize subscription  tele- 
vision. Governor  Johnson's 
statement  was  read  to  the  com- 
mittee Tuesday  at  the  request 
of  Zenith  Radio  Corp.  Others 
urging  Zenith's  cause  were 
Charles  Caveny,  dean  of  the 
undergraduate  division  of  the 
University  of  Illinois,  and 
Ralph  Bellamy,  president  of 
Actors  Equity.  Senator  John 
0.  Pastore  (D.  , R.I.),  spoke 
Wednesday  in  support  of  motion 
pictures  declaring  that  he  at- 
tends films  two  or  three  times 
each  week.  Details  of  earlier 
testimony  are  on  page  18. 

GERMAN  FILM  REVIVAL 

Revival  of  the  German  film 
industry  will  be  speeded  dur- 
ing the  next  year  with  the 
emergence  of  powerful  new  mo- 
tion picture  corporations  sim- 
ilar to  the  combines  which 
spawned  UFA  and  other  German 
film  companies  during  the  pre- 
war years,  according  to  Dr. 
Anton  Schelkopf,  one  of  the 
governors  of  the  German  Motion 
Picture  Export  Association  and 
chairman  of  the  TV  committee 
of  SPIO,  an  organization  rep- 
resenting all  branches  of  the 
German  industry.  He  said  the 
first  such  corporation,  Ba- 
varia Films,  is  already  oper- 
ating in  Munich. 

20  ON  CONTRACT 

While  presses  still  were 
printing  news  of  the  United 
Artists-Hecht-Lancaster  con- 
tract renewal  covering  $40,- 
000,000  worth  of  product,  the 
independent  company's  vice- 
president  Maxwell  Arnow  signed 
up  for  a long  term  the  first  of 
20  players  who  are  to  make  up 
a permanent  talent  roster.  No 
independent  in  modern  times 
has  maintained  as  many  con- 
tract players.  The  H-L  move  in 
this  direction  is  directly 
contrary  to  the  current  major 


studio  trend  toward  reduction 
of  contract  lists.  If  the  con- 
trary trends  continue  un- 
checked, a complete  reversal 
of  positions  is  a necessary 
outcome.  Whether  all  this 
bodes  good  or  bad  for  exhibitor 
interests  is  an  open  question, 
answerable  only  limitedly,  for 
the  present,  by  the  pleasant 
memories  of  the  times  when  all 
the  major  studios  had  great 
contract  lists  and  turned  out 
the  most  memorable  pictures, 
by  and  large,  in  history. 

MORE  FOR  COMPO 

The  board  of  directors  of  the 
Motion  Picture  Association  at 
their  annual  meeting  Tuesday 
approved  an  appropriation  of 
$40,000  to  be  contributed  to 
the  Council  of  Motion  Picture 
Organizations  to  match  funds 
contributed  by  exhibition. 
Earlier  in  the  fiscal  year  the 
MPAA  contributed  $50,000  in 
matching  funds.  Details  of  the 
MPAA  annual  report  are  on  page 
13. 

WEDDING  PICTURES 

Getting  motion  pictures  of 
the  wedding  of  its  own  star 
wasn't  quite  so  easy  for  MGM 
as  they  thought  it  might  be. 
The  company  approached  Prince 
Rainier  for  permission  to  take 
an  exclusive  color  reel  of  the 
ceremony.  The  Prince  refused 
and  said  he  had  set  up  his  own 
company,  Cital,  under  the  di- 
rection of  M.  Raoul  Paz,  to 
handle  the  motion  picture 
rights.  Later  Cital  approached 
MGM  and  concluded  a deal  under 
which  MGM  would  actually  film 
the  wedding  but  the  distribu- 
tion rights  for  the  resulting 
picture  would  be  owned  by  Cital 
for  all  markets  outside  the 
U.  S.  And  that's  the  way  it  was 
done . 

"WAR  AND  PEACE"  ADS 

Paramount  will  kick  off 
its  elaborate  advertising  cam- 
paign on  "War  and  Peace"  with 
important  trade  paper  adver- 
tising during  May,  full  six 
months  ahead  of  the  release  of 
the  VistaVision — Technicolor 
production  of  the  famous  Tol- 
stoy novel.  Full-page  newspa- 


WHEN  AND  WHERE 

April  29-May  4 : Semi-annual  convention  of 
the  Society  of  Motion  Picture  and  Televi- 
sion Engineers,  Statler  Hotel,  New  York. 

May  8:  Annual  convention  of  Allied  Indepen- 
dent Theatre  Owners  of  Kansas-Missouri, 
Aladdin  Hotel,  Kansas  City,  Mo. 

May  8-9:  Spring  meeting  of  the  Montana 
Theatres  Association,  Northern  Hotel,  Bill- 
ings, Montana. 

May  8-9:  Annual  convention  of  Allied  Inde- 
pendent Theatre  Owners  of  lowa-Nebraska, 
Fontenelle  Hotel,  Omaha. 

May  9-12:  Annual  convention  of  Variety  Clubs 
International,  at  the  Waldorf-Astoria,  New 
York. 

May  15-16:  North-Central  Allied  Independent 
Theatre  Owners,  annual  convention,  Nicol- 
let Hotel,  Minneapolis. 

May  29-31  : Annual  convention  of  the  Motion 
Picture  Theatre  Owners  and  Operators  of 
Georgia,  Biltmore  Hotel,  Atlanta. 

June  11-13:  Annual  convention  of  the  New 
Mexico  Theatre  Association,  Hilton  Hotel, 
Albuquerque. 

June  17-19:  Mississippi  Theatre  Owners  Asso- 
ciation, 16th  annual  convention,  Edgewater 
Gulf  Hotel,  Edgewater  Park,  Miss. 

June  25:  Annual  golf  tournament  and  dinner 
party  of  Albany  Variety  Club,  Shaker  Ridge 
Country  Club,  Albany,  N.  Y. 

September  19-25:  Annual  convention  of  The- 
atre Owners  of  America,  in  conjunction 
with  the  annual  convention  and  trade  shows 
of  the  Theatre  Equipment  Dealers  Associa- 
tion and  Theatre  Equipment  and  Supply 
Manufacturers  Association,  Coliseum,  New 
York. 

September  28-30:  Third  annual  national  con- 
vention of  the  Women  of  the  Motion  Pic- 
ture Industry,  Dinkler-Plaza  Hotel,  Atlanta. 

October  15-16:  Annual  regional  convention  of 
Independent  Exhibitors  of  New  England  and 
The  Drive-In  Theatre  Association  of  New 
England,  Winchendon,  Mass. 

October  23-24:  Allied  Theatre  Owners  of 
Indiana,  Marott  Hotel,  Indianapolis. 

November  24-28:  Allied  States  Association, 
Fall  board  meeting  and  annual  convention, 
Statler  Hotel,  Dallas,  Texas. 


per  ads  in  important  newspa- 
pers are  planned  also  in  an 
"interest-whetting"  campaign. 
The  film  stars  Audrey  Hepburn, 
Henry  Fonda  and  Mel  Ferrer. 

William  R.  Weaver — Lawrence 
J.  Quirk — Floyd  Stone 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  APRIL  28,  1956 


9 


wee 


t 


AN  AWARD  of  some  distinc- 
tion. The  Poor  Richard  Cluh 
of  Philadelphia  last  week 
gave  RKO  Teleradio  presi- 
dent Thomas  F.  O’Neil  its 
Silver  Medal  of  Achievement, 
for  developing  “various 
fields”  of  entertainment.  In 
array,  club  president  George 
M.  Neil,  Mr.  O’Neil,  and  RKO 
branch  manager  Charles 
Zagrans. 


THE  DEAL,  for  Paddy 
Chayefsky’s  “Middle  of 
the  Night.”  Seated,  in 
New  York,  director  Del- 
bert Mann,  Columbia  ex- 
ecutive vice-president  Jack 
Cohn,  and  playwright 
Chayefsky.  Standing,  vice- 
presidents  Leo  Jaffe  and 
Abe  Montague,  and  Colum- 
bia International  president 
Lacy  Kastner.  The  play  is 
now  on  Broadway. 


IT’S  PRESS  DAY  in 
New  York  for  Mark 


in 


pic 


tured 


Robson,  producer 
and  director  of  “The 
Little  Hut,”  as  he 
leaves  for  London  to 
make  the  picture  for 
MGM.  It  will  star 
Ava  Gardner,  Stew- 
art Granger,  and 
David  Niven. 


b;  the  Herald 


ALEX  M.  ARNS- 
WALDER,  left,  now 
is  manager  of  the 
20th-Fox  New  York 
exchange,  advancing 
from  assistant  to 
manager  Abe  Dick- 
stein.  The  latter  was 
made  Atlantic  dis- 
trict manager. 


NAT  RUDICH  this 

week  became  assis- 
tant publicity  man- 
ager at  United  Art- 
ists, in  New  York. 
He  came  to  the  com- 
pany in  1935  as  ra- 
dio and  television 
contact  and  thus 
qualifies  as  a pio- 
neer. He  will  work 
under  publicity 
manager  Mort  Nath- 
anson. 


by  the  Herald 

THE  PRESIDENTS.  AB-Paramount  president  Leonard  Goldenson  felicitates 
men  honored  Tuesday  by  the  New  York  Cinema  Lodge,  B’nai  B'rith  at  lunch- 
eon. They  are  Max  E.  Youngstein,  a United  Artists  vice-president,  retiring 
as  president;  Robert  K.  Shapiro,  Paramount  Theatre  managing  director, 
whom  the  Lodge  installed  as  new  president;  and  Robert  M.  Weitman,  CBS, 
luncheon  chairman.  Mr.  Youngstein  and  Martin  Levine,  another  past  president, 
received  plaques  for  fund  raising. 


n 


GLITTER.  That  describes  the  opening  Monday  night  at  the  Baronet, 
New  York,  of  IFE’s  “Madame  Butterfly”.  The  audience  was  of  the 
Metropolitan  Opera  genus,  socially  and  artistically.  In  array  above  are 
Edwin  Gage,  Walter  Reade  circuit  vice-president,  and  his  wife,  and 
Frank  Kassler,  Continental  Distributors  president,  and  Mrs.  Kassler. 


by  the  Herald 

THE  people  who  administer  the  Production  Code  (especially 
Geoffrey  Shurlock)  protect  the  industry  against  the  enemies 
who  in  every  state  wait  for  mistakes.  That’s  Norman 
Krasna’s  comment.  The  producer  of  “The  Ambassador  s 
Daughter”  which  he  made  in  France  for  Lnited  Artists, 
said  in  New’  York  this  week  he  found  the  Code  personnel 
helpful  rather  than  harmful;  their  purpose,  it  seems  to 
him,  is  to  show  him  how  to  treat  certain  themes  and  scenes. 
“It  is  a matter  of  ingenuity,”  he  comments.  He  finds  it  is 
“the  mark  of  the  amateur  to  attack  the  Code  people,”  and 
also  the  mark  of  the  “opportunist.”  He  insisted  he  dis- 
agreed with  some  arbitrary  Code  restrictions  but  added 
these  are  being  revised.  Mr.  Krasna  made  out  a case  for 
romantic  comedy,  which  he  likes  to  produce:  it  is  difficult 
(people  cry  but  do  not  laugh  at  the  same  things)  ; the 
output  of  the  McCareys,  Lubitsches,  Fosters,  is  sparse;  but 
it  is  what  the  industry  needs.  “It  makes  a pleasant  evening,” 
Mr.  Krasna  said. . 


"The  Code  helps  me... 


ON  THE  SET  of  Warners’  “Toward  the  Unknown” 
Abbott  J.  Sher  and  Mrs.  Sher  of  the  Jayhawk  Amuse- 
ment Company,  Kansas  City,  Kas.,  are  guests  of  star 
Lloyd  Nolan. 


by  the  Herald 


BENJAMIN  OLEVSKY,  13  years  a projectionist  at  the 
Radio  City  Music  Hall  in  New  York,  has  stepped  into 
the  late  Charles  Muller’s  post,  as  chief  of  projection. 
Before  his  Music  Hall  career,  he  was  13  years  with  the 
Randforce  circuit,  also  in  that  city. 


by  the  Herald 


THE  ACCEPTANCE.  William  A.  M.  Burden,  president  of  the  Museum  of 
Modern  Art,  uses  the  occasion  of  a cocktail  reception  Monday  evening  to 
announce  his  grateful  acceptance  of  producer  Samuel  Goldwyn’s  donation  to 
the  Museum’s  film  library  of  “Stella  Dallas,”  “The  Night  of  Love,”  “Wuthering 
Heights”  and  “The  Little  Foxes,”  all  of  which  now  are  historic.  With  Mr. 
Burden  are  James  Mulvey,  president  of  Samuel  Goldwyn  Productions,  and 
Richard  Griffith,  library  curator.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Goldwyn,  Mr.  Burden  com- 
mented, have  from  the  beginning  been  interested,  sympathetic,  “continu- 
ously and  intelligently  helpful”. 


flyers  Asks 
All - In  d us  try 

Conference 

Jl  ASHINGTON:  A plan  whereby  the  film 
industry  could  be  “rescued  from  the  dol- 
drums” was  advanced  last  week  by  Allied 
States  Association  in  a special  bulletin  is- 
sued by  Abram  F.  Myers,  general  counsel. 
Referring  to  the  top  executives  as  “doctors” 
who  could  diagnose  the  industry’s  ills,  he 
said  "all  they  need  do  is  see  to  it,  each  for 
his  own  company,  that  for  the  remainder  of 
1956,  all  pictures  released  shall  be  played 
by  the  theatres  on  their  regular  availabili- 
ties, or  as  close  thereto  as  possible,  and  at 
rentals  that  they  can  afford.” 

He  also  recommended  that  the  top  ex- 
ecutives call  a “great”  conference  of  rep- 
resentatives of  all  branches  of  the  industry 
to  take  advantage  of  the  “good  feeling  and 
hopefulness  thus  engendered.”  The  parley 
would  be  designed,  he  said,  “to  consider 
thoroughly  what  each  branch,  each  organ- 
ization and  each  individual  can  do  to  rescue 
the  business  from  the  doldrums,  to  fully 
exploit  the  pictures  as  they  are  released  and 
to  entice  millions  of  lost  customers  back  to 
the  theatres.” 

“Coo/  Reception ” to  Idea 

His  proposal  for  this  all-industry  parley 
received  “a  cool  reception”  in  top-echelon 
distribution  circles,  it  was  indicated  by  some 
company  sales  heads.  A veteran  distribution 
executive  said  a big  joint  parley  among  ex- 
hibition and  distribution  leaders  “would  be 
a waste  of  time  because  issues  could  only 
be  discussed  in  generalities  and  not  in 
specifics.”  He  said  that  while  the  proposal 
“may  have  some  merit,”  it  is  up  to  the  com- 


WASHINGTON:  The  Senate 
Small  Business  subcommittee  in- 
vestigating film  industry  trade  prac- 
tices announced  this  week  it  will 
hear  testimony  from  distributor  of- 
ficials May  21.  Subcommittee  offi- 
cials said  they  do  not  have  the 
names  of  the  distributor  spokesmen 
who  will  testify.  The  date  set  for 
the  hearing  means  there  will  be 
little  chance  for  action  this  year  on 
any  recommendations  calling  for 
Congressional  attention. 


pany  presidents  to  decide  on  the  matter  and 
that  “more  progress  could  be  made  if  a 
small  group  of  exhibition  leaders  would  sit 
down  with  distribution  company  executives 
to  work  out  any  issues  on  an  individual 
basis.” 

Mr.  Myers’  proposals  stemmed  from  two 
sources.  First,  he  charged  that,  based  on 
reports  from  some  Allied  field  units,  MGM 
was  doubling  the  percentage  terms  and  the 


Who  Said  “Spectaculars”? 


TSKitSK!  A VERY  BAD  CASE  OF  STAY- 
AT-HOME-  1TIS  i TAKE  HER  TO  SEE  A 
016  SHOW  OH  A THEATRE  SCREEN 
AT  LEAST  ONCE  A week! 


MULTI  MILLION  OOLLAR. 
SPECTACULARS  ^TECHNICOLOR, 

ON  THE  , 

GIANT  THEATTfcE  SCREEN! 


L.  E.  Forester  of  the  advertising-publicity  department  of  Frontier  Theatres, 
Inc.,  of  Dallas,  Texas,  has  come  up  with  a barbed  but  good-natured  set  of 
cartoon  mats  that  illustrate  the  entertainment  predominance  of  motion 
pictures  over  TV.  As  Mr.  Forester  puts  it:  “Our  company  feels  it  is  time 
to  take  off  the  kid  gloves  and  put  on  the  brass  knucks  in  dealing  with  the 
epidemic  spread  of  television  viewing.  We  think  that  TV’s  claim  tee  the 
‘color  spectacular’  is  not  only  highway  robbery  of  the  movie  industry  but 
ridiculous  as  well.  As  any  sensible  person  must  concede,  a one-hour  assort- 
ment of  one-and-two-reel  comedy  and  musical  short  subjects  in  Technicolor 
presented  on  a theatre’s  wide  screen,  exceeds  in  entertainment  value  and 
spectacular  presentation  just  about  anything  that  TV  so  far  has  been  able 
to  offer.  And  shorts  are  but  a prelude  to  our  really  spectacular  features.” 


normal  playing  time  on  “I'll  Cry  Tomor- 
row” and  that  one  unit  claimed  the  com- 
pany was  following  the  same  course  on 
its  current  musical  comedy,  “Meet  Me  in 
Las  V egas.” 

A second  factor  is  Mr.  Myers’  view  of 
the  forthcoming  distributors’  “day  in  court” 
with  the  Senate  Small  Business  subcommit- 
tee. He  said  the  company  presidents  were 
“remaining  serenely  aloof”  and  that  the 
companies’  defense  was  being  prepared  by 
lawyers  who,  with  sales  department  rep- 
resentatives, will  do  the  testifying. 

“As  the  sales  heads  are  the  authors  and 
enforcers  of  the  policies  and  practices  that 
are  causing  such  hardships  among  exhibi- 
tors,” Mr.  Myers  said,  “the  prediction  is 
being  made  that  they  will  come  to  the  hear- 
ing in  a belligerent  mood,  unwilling  to  make 
any  concessions  of  any  kind  toward  happier 
conditions  in  the  business.” 


"Moby  Dick " Artist 
On  Nationwide  Tour 

John  Huston’s  motion  picture  version  of 
“Moby  Dick”  for  Warner  Bros,  has  inspired 
a 26-week,  52-city  nationwide  lecture  tour 
and  presentation  of  paintings  based  on  the 
Herman  Melville  novel  by  American  artist 
Gil  Wilson.  Mr.  Wilson  launched  his  tour, 
arranged  by  Warners  and  the  Melville 
Society,  April  23  in  New  Bedford,  Mass., 
where  the  film  will  have  its  world  premiere 
June  27  simultaneously  at  three  theatres. 
Gregory  Peck  is  the  star  of  the  Moulin  Pro- 
duction, and  Richard  Basehart,  Leo  Genn 
and  Orson  Welles  are  co-starred.  The  pic- 
ture was  directed  by  Mr.  Huston  for  War- 
ners in  color  by  Technicolor  from  a screen- 
play on  which  Mr.  Huston  and  Ray  Brad- 
bury collaborated. 


12 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  APRIL  28,  1956 


HAIL  QUALITY  FILMS  IA 
MPAA  ANNUAL  REPORT 


. . . Johnston  cites  year  lineup 
as  testimony  to  confidence  of 
industry  in  future;  notes  the 
adjustment  to  new  processes 

Eric  Johnston,  president  of  the  Motion 
Picture  Association  of  America,  this  week 
hailed  the  lineup  of  top  quality  product  for 
1956  as  unprecedented  as  well  as  testimony 
to  the  confidence  of  the  industry  in  the  fu- 
ture. This  generally  optimistic  picture  was 
drawn  by  the  film  industry  leader  in  the 
Association’s  annual  report,  the  principle 
subject  of  discussion  at  the  annual  meeting 
in  New  York  Tuesday  of  the  MPAA  mem- 
bers. 

Officers  Reelected 

The  MPAA  members  elected  all  present 
directors  of  the  Association,  following  which, 
at  its  first  quarterly  meeting,  the  Associa- 
tion’s board  unanimously  reelected  all  incum- 
bent officers. 

In  his  annual  statement,  titled  “American 
Films  Build  World  Trade,”  Mr.  Johnston 
noted  that  “the  year  1955  was  a year  of  dif- 
ficult adjustments  for  the  motion  picture  in- 
dustry” and  that  “these  problems  and  un- 
certainties were  reflected  in  the  volume  of 
business  and  profits  for  1955,  which  did  not 
come  up  to  the  reasonable  hopes  of  the  in- 
dustry.” 

“But,  also,”  he  continued,  “1955  was  the 
year  in  which  the  industry  adjusted  itself 
to  the  uses  of  the  new  forms  of  production 
and  projection.  It  plunged  into  new  rela- 
tionships with  television,  which  give  promise 
of  an  important  participation  in  a new  mar- 
ket in  a way  which  strengthens  the  indus- 
try’s ability  to  improve  the  product  for  its 
theatrical  customers.  It  worked  out  stabil- 
ized conditions  in  several  foreign  markets. 

“Most  important  of  all,”  he  said,  “during 
1955  the  industry  has  put  into  production 
a list  of  great  motion  pictures  which  will 
appear  on  the  screens  in  1956.  There  has 
been  within  my  memory  no  year  in  which 
the  new  product  promised  so  much  for 
theatre-goers  and  for  the  industry  than 
1956.” 

More  Approved 

In  other  sections  of  the  report,  Mr.  Johns- 
ton noted  that  the  Production  Code  Admin- 
istration had  approved  more  films  by  mem- 
ber companies  last  year  than  in  1954  and 
that  there  had  been  a slight  increase  in  the 
percentage  of  advertising  and  publicity  items 
either  disapproved  or  revised  by  the  Adver- 
tising Code  Administration  in  1955  com- 
pared with  1954. 

Under  the  heading  of  “A  Decade  of 
Change  and  Challenge,”  in  the  MPAA  re- 
port, Mr.  Johnston  reviewed  some  of  the 


highlights  of  the  past  10  years  domestically. 
He  noted  that  “at  the  close  of  1955  efforts 
were  still  being  made  to  bring  about  a peace- 
ful solution  of  the  industry’s  business  prob- 
lems through  a system  of  arbitration  and 
conciliation. 

“The  Production  Code  Administration,” 
the  review  continued,  "during  the  decade 
was  put  to  a severe  test  after  divorcement 
of  the  theatres  from  the  major  distributors. 
The  studios  and  their  parent  companies  have 
repeatedly  rallied  to  the  support  of  the  PCA. 
While  some  defections  within  the  industry 
did  occur,  they  were  held  down  to  a rare 
few.  A standing  committee  on  the  Code  has 
been  named  by  Mr.  Johnston  to  make  a 
thorough  study  of  the  Code  and  its  opera- 
tion,” the  review  continued. 

In  a footnote  to  the  report,  United  Artists’ 
resignation  from  the  Association,  “effective 
January  6,  1956,”  was  noted.  The  company 
resigned  following  the  PCA’s  refusal  to 
grant  a Code  Seal  to  “The  Man  With  the 
Golden  Arm”  because  of  the  picture’s  nar- 
cotics theme. 

To  Fight  Censor 

Turning  to  the  problem  of  government 
censorship,  the  review  said  that  Mr.  Johns- 
ton has  made  it  clear  that  censorship  of  films 
would  be  fought  in  the  legislatures  as  well 
as  in  the  courts.  The  review,  speaking  of 
the  Children’s  Film  Library,  said  that  re- 
cently there  have  been  some  setbacks  in  the 
program  because  of  the  shortage  of  suitable 
prints.  "However,  there  are  indications  that 
this  valuable  activity  will  be  renewed  and 
expanded  in  the  coming  months,”  the  review 
stated. 

Canada  as  a motion  picture  market  and 


CODE  REVISION  GROUP 
HOLDS  FIRST  SESSION 

Immediately  following  the  meeting 
of  the  board  of  directors  of  the 
Motion  Picture  Association  of  Amer- 
ica in  New  York  Tuesday,  Eric  Johns- 
ton, president,  presided  over  the  first 
meeting  of  the  MPAA's  special  com- 
mittee to  study  revision  of  the  Pro- 
duction Code.  Meeting  with  Mr. 
Johnston  were  the  three  other  mem- 
bers of  the  committee,  Barney  Bala- 
ban,  president  of  Paramount  Pictures; 
Abe  Schneider,  vice-president  of 
Columbia  Pictures,  and  Daniel  T. 
O'Shea,  president  of  RKO  Radio  Pic- 
tures. It  is  understood  that  the  talks 
were  principally  of  an  “exploratory" 
nature.  It  was  agreed  that  the  com- 
mittee would  meet  again  in  New  York 
May  15. 


an  example  of  mutual  cooperation  was 
pointed  up  in  the  report.  “Though  television 
has  made  some  inroads  in  the  past  two 
years,”  the  report  stated  that  Canada’s  “box 
office  figures  are  still  running  over  $100,- 
000,000  a year.” 

In  another  section,  the  report  contained 
a statistical  analysis  of  the  number  of  films 
approved  by  the  PCA  from  1945  to  1955. 
In  1955,  210  features  from  member  com- 
panies were  approved  by  the  PCA,  compared 
with  187  in  1945,  considered  one  of  the  lush 
years  of  the  industry.  However,  it  was 
pointed  out,  in  1945  there  were  128  features 
from  non-member  MPAA  companies  receiv- 
ing PCA  approval,  compared  with  31  in 
1955,  indicative  of  the  growing  number  of 
independents  releasing  through  the  majors. 

The  total  number  of  features  approved  by 
the  PCA,  taking  in  the  domestic  and  foreign 
films,  member  and  non-member  companies, 
were  305  in  1955,  compared  with  303  in 
1954  and  390  in  1945.  The  1945  total  con- 
tained one  reissue,  it  was  noted.  The  in- 
crease in  the  number  of  foreign  films  han- 
dled by  member-MPAA  companies  also  was 
reflected  in  the  analysis.  The  PCA  in  1955 
approved  45  foreign  features  handled  by 
member  companies,  against  41  in  1954  and 
14  in  1945. 

Feiv  Items  Rejected 

Concerning  the  slight  percentage  increase 
in  the  number  of  advertising-publicity  items 
disapproved  or  revised  by  the  Advertising 
Code  Administration,  the  report  said  that  a 
total  of  159,930  items  were  submitted  to  the 
ACA  in  1955,  4,086  of  which  were  either 
rejected  or  revised. 

In  the  MPEA  annual  report,  Mr.  Johns- 
ton reviewed  the  last  10  years  and  said  they 
have  been  good  years  for  American  motion 
picture  companies  in  the  overseas  market, 
with  1955  a record  high.  “This  income,”  he 
continued,  “received  from  overseas,  supple- 
menting domestic  revenues,  has  made  it  pos- 
sible for  Hollywood  to  cope  with  the  greatly 
increased  costs  of  producing  the  high  quality 
‘new  iook’  films  now  enjoying  such  great 
popularity  in  the  United  States  and  through- 
out the  world.” 

Turning  to  the  question  of  foreign  film 
imports  to  the  United  States,  the  MPEA 
report  stated  that  “in  recent  years  the  play- 
ing time  and  gross  business  of  foreign  films 
in  U.  S.  theatres  have  been  markedly  in- 
creasing.” Four  territories,  Denmark,  Spain, 
Turkey  and  Greece  were  listed  as  areas  with 
unresolved  problems  at  the  year’s  end. 

MPAA  officers  reelected  with  Mr.  Johns- 
ton included:  Ralph  Hetzel,  Kenneth  Clark, 
G.  Griffith  Johnson  and  Geoffrey  Shurlock, 
vice-presidents ; Sidney  Schreiber,  secre- 
tary; Stanley  R.  Weber,  treasurer;  Thomas 
J.  McNamara,  assistant  treasurer ; James  S. 
Howie,  assistant  secretary-treasurer. 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  APRIL  28,  1956 


13 


WHITNEY  CHARTS  AN 
AMBITIOUS  COURSE 


Photos  by  the  Herald 

C.  V.  Whitney  and  Merian  C.  Cooper  at  the  New  York  press  conference  at  which  they 
outlined  their  production  plans. 


C.  V.  Whitney  Pictures  is  a permanent 
organization  and  intends  to  sign  personali- 
ties and  have  a permanent  staff  of  film- 
making  artisans,  C.  V.  Whitney,  president, 
told  the  trade  press  in  New  York  last  week. 

With  the  company’s  first  picture,  “The 
Searchers,”  directed  by  John  Ford  and 
starring  John  Wayne,  now  in  distribution, 
and  its  second,  “The  Missouri  Traveler,” 
in  work,  Mr.  Whitney  disclosed  additional 
productions  and  plans  for  the  immediate 
future. 

He  said  the  company  will  produce  three 
types  of  pictures : the  American  Series, 
Nature  Dramas  and  Films  of  Fantasy. 

“The  Searchers,”  “Missouri  Traveler,”  a 
third  production  now  in  preparation — “The 
Valiant  Virginians,”  an  as  yet  unpublished 
novel — “William  Liberty,”  and  “The  Amer- 
ican” belong  to  the  first  classification. 

For  the  second  classification  a production 
unit  is  now  at  work  in  the  Middle  East 
with  Lowell  Farrell  as  producer,  Winton 
Hoch,  co-director  and  serving  as  cameraman 
with  Alfred  Gilks.  Work  is  proceeding  also 
on  the  re-production  of  “Chang”  which  was 
produced  originally  by  Merian  C.  Cooper, 
executive  producer  of  Whitney  Pictures,  in 
association  with  Ernest  B.  Schoedsack.  Mr. 
Cooper,  also  producer  of  “King  Kong”  in 
association  with  Mr.  Schoedsack,  will  have 
a major  part  in  the  production  of  Films  of 
Fantasy  which  Mr.  Whitney  said  will  be 
made  occasionally. 

IS  etc  Film  for  Ford 

Mr.  Whitney  announced  that  John  Ford, 
now  in  Ireland,  will  also  direct  “The  Valiant 
Virginians.”  This  Civil  War  story  will  be 
made  on  an  elaborate  scale,  he  said,  likening 
it  to  “Gone  With  the  Wind”  and  “Birth  of 
a Nation.” 

Mr.  Whitney,  Mr.  Cooper  and  Blake 


McVeigh,  press  representative,  left  this 
week  for  Richmond  and  Lexington,  Va., 
where  they  will  spend  several  days  confer- 
ring with  authorities  on  plans  for  the  pic- 
ture. Approximately  15  months  of  prepara- 
tion will  go  into  the  production,  Mr.  Whit- 
ney said,  which  will  go  before  the  cameras 
in  the  Fall  of  1957.  James  Warner  Bellah, 
author  of  the  story,  will  work  on  the  screen- 
play in  collaboration  with  a prominent 
screen  dramatist  whom  Mr.  Whitney  said 
he  could  not  identify  yet. 

Of  the  forthcoming  Whitney  pictures,  six 
will  be  made  in  color  by  Technicolor,  with 
which  Mr.  Whitney  has  been  identified  for 
a long  period.  It  was  indicated,  without  any 
details  given,  that  the  as  yet  unrevealed  new 
Technicolor  process  will  play  an  important 
part  in  the  Whitney  company’s  production 
plans.  However,  he  said  the  new  process 
would  not  be  ready  for  use  in  time  for  “The 


C.  V.  WHITNEY 


Missouri  Traveler,”  filming  of  which  is 
planned  for  August. 

He  said  “Traveler”  would  be  made  in 
Vista  Vision,  as  was  “The  Searchers”  and 
he  expressed  enthusiastic  approval  of  the 
results  obtained  with  VistaVision  in  the 
latter.  He  also  said  he  had  no  plans  to  use 
Cinerama,  in  which  he  is  financially  inter- 
ested and  with  which  Mr.  Cooper  also  was 
associated,  in  his  future  productions.  While 
Warners  is  distributing  “The  Searchers,” 
no  distribution  commitment  has  been  made 
for  the  ensuing  product. 

Expresses  His  Aims 

Discussing  his  aims,  Mr.  Whitney  said, 
“I  feel  that  motion  pictures  can  be  as  re- 
spected an  art  as  any  other.  But  art  cannot 
be  turned  out  on  an  assembly  line.  We 
producers  must  strive  for  finer  entertain- 
ment to  appeal  to  the  finer  tastes  of  our 
growing  audiences.” 

He  also  repeated  the  statement  featured 
in  his  recent  trade  advertising:  “We  may 
not  always  succeed  in  our  aims,  but  I will 
promise  you  that  no  C.  V.  Whitney  picture 
will  ever  misrepresent  or  paint  a false  pic- 
ture of  the  United  States  or  its  people.” 

Mr.  Whitney  also  announced  last  week 
that  George  Miller  was  named  general  man- 
ager of  distribution  for  the  organization.  He 
was  formerly  associated  with  National  The- 
atres. 


Wile  Urges  Film  Ads 
Throughout  News  Pages 

COLUMBUS : The  “lost  audience”  might 
well  be  recaptured  by  expenditure  of  adver- 
tising budgets  on  other  pages  of  the  nation’s 
newspapers,  in  addition  to  theatre  pages, 
said  Robert  Wile,  secretary  of  the  Inde- 
pendent Theatre  Owners  of  Ohio,  in  a bul- 
letin to  Ohio  exhibitors.  Mr.  Wile  said 
arguments  to  this  effect  by  Paul  Lazarus, 
advertising  executive  of  Columbia,  “make 
good  sense.”  Mr.  Wile  added  that  the  task 
of  advertising  and  publicity  is  to  reach  those 
people  who  had  not  considered  going  to  a 
movie. 


MERIAN  C.  COOPER 


14 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  APRIL  28,  1956 


IF 


IT’S 


L 


r 


J 


TURN  HERE 


1 


ALERTING 


ALL 

SHOWM 


PARAMOUNT  has  a 

picture  that  ranks  with  the  biggest.’Its 
heap  of  boxofhce 
ingredients  will  reap  a 
boxofhce  pay-off  that’s  certain 
to  place  it  among  1956’s 
top  grossers.  Hold  plenty 
of  time  for  it  — start  your 
planning  now.  Its  profit  is 
sure . . . and  the  bigger  the 
planning,  the  bigger 


IF  YOU  LIKE  BIG  GROSSES,  YOU’LL  LIKE  WHAT  THIS  ONE’S  GOT- TO  GET  THEM! 


IT’S  GOT  TODAY’S  RED  HOT  STARS 


GET  IT  AND  GET  YOUR  BIG  PLANS  STARTED 


JAMES  STEWART 
DORIS  DAY 

THE  MAN  WHO 

KNEW  TOO  MUCH 


ASK  CONGRESS 
PUSH  TOLL  TV 


. . . Spokesmen  of  Skiatron  and 
Telemeter  bid  Senate  commit- 
tee urge  FCC  to  authorize  use 
of  subscription  television  now 

by  J.  A.  OTTEN 

II  ' ASHINGT ON : Spokesmen  for  two  pro- 
ponents of  subscription  television — Skiatron 
and  Telemeter — Monday  asked  Congress  to 
urge  the  Federal  Communications  Commis- 
sion to  authorize  subscription  television  im- 
mediately. 

Paul  Raibourn,  board  chairman  of  Inter- 
national Telemeter  Corp.,  and  James  Landis, 
special  counsel  for  Skiatron  Electronics  and 
Television  Corp.,  made  this  plea  in  testi- 
mony befort  the  Senate  Commerce  Com- 
mittee. 

Week  of  Hearings 

The  Committee  Monday  opened  a week 
of  hearings  on  the  toll  television  question 
in  relation  to  the  problems  of  UHF  broad- 
casters. These  are  the  first  Congressional 
hearings  touching  on  the  toll  TV  problem. 

Mr.  Raibourn  asked  for  “an  immediate 
and  forthright  declaration”  from  the  com- 
mittee "that  the  Commission  should  take 
immediate  steps  to  give  pav-as-you-see  tele- 
vision a chance ; that  the  Commission  should 
place  no  artificial  barriers  in  its  path  and 
place  no  artificial  restrictions  on  its  use.” 
Mr.  Landis  asked  the  committee  to  “exert 
at  least  its  moral  influence”  with  the  FCC 
“in  behalf  of  the  formulation  of  a program 
now.”  Both  Mr.  Raibourn  and  Mr.  Landis 
argued  that  toll  TV  would  save  many  hard- 
pressed  broadcasters,  especially  UHF 
stations. 

Mr.  Landis  told  Sen.  Alan  Bible  (D., 
Nev.),  who  presided  in  the  absence  of  com- 
mittee chairman  Warren  G.  Magnuson  (D., 
Wash.),  that  Skiatron  feared  “a  delay  of 
four  or  five  or  six  years”  before  the  Com- 
mission acts  on  subscription  TV. 

/Vo  Firm  Reaction 

Only  three  of  the  15  committee  members 
were  present  during  the  Raibourn  and  Lan- 
dis testimony,  and  none  gave  any  firm  reac- 
tion to  the  plea  that  Congress  pressure  the 
FCC  to  authorize  toll  TV. 

Mr.  Landis  told  the  committee  the  type 
of  program  Skiatron  envisaged  for  toll  TV 
“might  well  appeal  to  a group  of  people  not 
now  watching  television,”  and  that  he  didn’t 
think  toll  TV,  if  authorized,  “would  weaken 
the  circulation  of  the  networks.”  He  ad- 
mitted, however,  that  the  authorization  of 
toll  TV  would  hurt  motion  picture  theatre 
revenues. 

He  told  the  committee  that  it  would  “cut 
into  the  amusement  dollar”  and  would  take 
its  greatest  cut  out  of  the  share  now  going 


to  motion  picture  theatres.  Motion  pictures, 
he  said,  would  be  toll  TV’s  “Best  Fare,” 
because  they  are  “always  there,  always 
available  and  a stable  source  of  program 
material.” 

Cites  Likely  Cost 

Mr.  Raibourn  estimated  a $2  top  for 
Telemeter’s  toll  TV  programs,  and  said  he 
thought  installation  of  the  decoder  and  coin 
box  would  cost  between  $30  and  $50.  He 
also  said  he  thought  a program  that  would 
run  from  one  to  two  hours  could  be  seen  for 
$1,  and  that  the  viewer  could  get  about  20 
viewing  hours  a week  for  from  $4  to  $10 
a month. 

Assuming  that  25  per  cent  of  the  tele- 
vision households  in  the  country  install 
pay-TV  by  I960  and  spend  an  average  of 
$1  a week  on  programs,  Mr.  Raibourn  said, 
the  aggregate  revenue  would  be  about 
$600,000,000.  If  90  per  cent  of  the  tele- 
vision households  have  installed  it  by  that 
time,  lie  went  on,  the  revenue  would  be 
$5,000,000,000. 

Mr.  Raibourn  maintained  that  toll  TV 
programs  would  be  geared  to  a specialized 
audience  and  not  the  mass  audience  to 
which  commercial  television  now  caters. 
Toll  TV  would  bring  many  “fine,  high- 
calibre  programs,”  he  said,  drawing  them 
from  new  films,  stage  presentations,  opera, 
sports  and  educational  groups. 

Gives  Price  Range 

“Current  motion  pictures  of  high  quality” 
would  be  among  the  most  important  types 
of  entertainment  which  would  be  used  on 
toll  TV,  he  said.  These  could  be  presented 
on  TV  at  a price  range  of  from  25  to  40 
cents  for  an  average  picture,  30  to  60  cents 
for  a class  A feature,  and  55  cents  to  $1.20 
for  an  “exceptionally  expensive”  picture. 

In  toll  TV,  he  declared,  “high  quality 
feature  films  would  be  a regular  occur- 
rence.” Telemeter  is  willing  to  invest  sub- 
stantial sums  of  money  in  bringing  these 
pictures  to  the  television  audience,  he  said. 
Mr.  Raibourn  was  accompanied  on  the  stand 
by  another  Telemeter  official,  Paul  McNa- 
mara, who  told  the  committee  that  organ- 
ized baseball  management  is  “all  in  favor” 
of  subscription  television.  "Baseball  has 
been  crippled  by  television,”  Mr.  McNamara 
said,  pointing  out  that  22  leagues  hadn’t 
started  this  year. 

Mr.  Raibourn  attacked  the  networks,  the 
National  Association  of  Radio  and  Tele- 
vision Broadcasters,  and  the  American  Tele- 
phone and  Telegraph  Co.  “The  committee 
should  reaffirm  and  make  clear,”  he  said, 
that  network  organizations  are  subject  to 
anti-monopoly  laws  just  as  other  American 
businesses  are.”  He  said  he  opposed  the 
licensing  of  networks  because  this  might 
give  “further  insulation  from  competition 


and  give  them  possibly  immunity  to  con- 
tinue the  present  restraints,”  which  he  ar- 
gued must  be  removed  if  subscription  tele- 
vision is  to  have  a fair  opportunity  to 
develop. 

Mr.  Raibourn  declared  he  could  not  un- 
derstand the  NARTB’s  opposition  to  toll 
TV,  and  accused  it  of  “not  representing  the 
best  interests  of  the  stations  or  the  public.” 

He  asked  the  committee,  in  cooperation 
with  the  FCC,  to  “take  appropriate  meas- 
ures” to  require  A.  T.  and  T.  to  “expand 
and  improve  interconnection  transmission 
facilities  and  offer  them  to  all  seeking  their 
use  at  tariffs  which  are  reasonable  and  non- 
discriminatory.” 


Census  Bureau  to  Release 
Film  Industry  Statistics 

WASHINGTON:  The  Census  Bureau 

hopes  to  issue  late  this  month  preliminary- 
statistics  on  its  motion  picture  industry 
census  last  year.  The  bureau  took  the  figures 
in  1955,  based  on  1954  business,  for  all 
branches  of  the  industry.  They  now  expect 
to  put  out  in  about  two  or  three  weeks  one 
preliminary  report  giving  nationwide,  geo- 
graphic, area  and  state  totals  for  motion 
picture  exhibition,  both  conventional  and 
drive-in.  Later  they  plan  a like  preliminary 
report  for  production,  distribution  and 
service  trades. 


Variety  Club  Names 
Starr  as  Greeter 

The  Variety  Club  of  New  York.  Tent  35, 
has  announced  the  appointment  of  Martin 
Starr,  Hollywood  commentator  for  the 
Mutual  Broadcasting  System,  as  “Mister 
Showman,”  to  act  as  greeter  to  the  ex- 
pected 1,200  delegates  at  the  forthcoming 
20th  annual  convention  of  Variety  Clubs 
International  at  the  Waldorf-Astoria  May 
9-12.  Mr.  Starr  will  also  appear  on  a 
series  of  TV  and  radio  programs  and  at 
civic  events  and  will  participate  in  news- 
paper interviews  wherein  he  will  relate  the 
story  of  the  Variety  Club  and  tell  of  its 
many  functions. 


Warners  Names  Morris 
Agent  for  TV  Shows 

Warner  Bros,  announced  last  week  that 
the  William  Morris  Agency,  Inc.  has  been 
appointed  exclusive  sales  representative  for 
a projected  series  of  four  one-half  hour  tele- 
vision shows,  which  are  now  ready'  for  im- 
mediate production.  Each  of  the  four  titles 
will  be  produced  as  a series  of  one-half  hour 
shows  for  television  by  the  TV  division  of 
Warner  Bros.,  with  Jack  M.  Warner  as 
producer.  The  four  titles  are:  “Amazon 
Trader,”  starring  John  Sutton;  “96  William 
Street,”  starring  Lee  Bowman ; “Joe 
McDoakes,”  starring  George  O’Hanlon,  and 
“Port  of  Call,”  which  is  scheduled  to  star 
John  Ireland. 


18 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  APRIL  28,  1956 


the  Patrons  and  Praises 

will  go  to 

“the  )Proud  and  Profane 


William  Perlberg 


i REASON  #1  : 

Produced  by  Perlberg-Seaton 

From  the  producers  of 

“The  Country  Girl”  and  “The  Bridges  at  Toko-ri” 
—this  one  made  to  top  them  both! 

...coming  in  the  big  boxoffice  months  ahead  from  PARAMOUNT 


ASKS  FIGHT  TO  Berlin  Film 


BUILD  GROSSES 


At  the  closing  of  the  Washington  Area  Motion  Picture  Convention,  left  to  right: 
J.  L.  Whittle,  vice-president  of  Allied  States  Association  of  Maryland;  William  G, 
Gehring,  20th-Fox  vice-president;  Julian  Brylawski,  president  of  the  Motion  Picture 
Theatre  Owners  of  Washington;  Wade  Pearson,  general  chairman;  Seymour  Hoffman, 
president,  Virginia  Motion  Picture  Theatre  Owners;  Albert  E.  Sindlin ger  and  Arthur 
Mayer. 


WASHINGTON : Exhibitors  and  pro- 

ducers were  urged  last  week  to  cease  fight- 
ing each  other  and  instead  to  “join  forces 
against  our  common  enemy — declining  box 
office”  in  an  address  by  William  C.  Gehring, 
vice-president  of  20th  Century-Fox,  before 
the  convention  of  Washington  exchange  area 
exhibitors  at  the  Shoreham  Hotel. 

With  the  current  Senate  Small  Business 
Subcommittee  hearings  apparently  in  mind, 
Mr.  Gehring  said  it  was  wrong  for  the  in- 
dustry to  wash  its  dirty  linen  in  public.  He 
said  he  opposes  Federal  regulation  of  the  in- 
dustry, believing  that  “there  is  not  a legis- 
lator who  can  make  or  sell  a picture  better 
than  the  producers  can  or  who  can  promote 
a picture  better  than  the  exhibitors.” 

Urges  One  Group 

He  also  said  Allied  States  Association 
and  the  Theatre  Owners  of  America  were 
more  closely  united  than  ever  and  he  would 
like  to  see  one  large  organization  as  in  Great 
Britain. 

Mr.  Gehring  denied  charges  that  distribu- 
tors are  neglecting  small  theatres.  He  said 
six  and  one-half  per  cent  of  the  total  film 
rental  in  the  U.  S.  and  Canada  comes  from 
the  bottom  5,000  theatres  and  that  “no  com- 
pany is  in  such  a good  position”  that  it  can 
neglect  six  and  one-half  per  cent  of  its  take. 

Another  speaker  at  the  three-day  conven- 
tion was  Arthur  L.  Mayer,  who  said  for 
the  first  time  in  five  years  he  has  become 
highly  optimistic  concerning  the  immediate 
future  of  the  industry.  Recent  visits  to  Hol- 
lywood and  Europe,  Mr.  Mayer  said,  have 
convinced  him  that  the  industry’s  “period 
of  experimentation  is  over,  and  that  a steady 
stream  of  amazingly  fine  films  will  be  re- 
leased in  the  next  12  months.”  He  said 
“more  good  pictures  will  be  forthcoming  in 


the  next  year  than  were  released  in  the 
previous  three  years.” 

Mr.  Mayer  pointed  out  that  just  as  time 
was  required  for  adjustments  during  the 
development  of  sound,  so  has  it  taken  time 
for  producers,  directors,  technicians  and 
writers  to  take  full  advantage  of  the  new 
large  screen  processes  and  the  new  adjust- 
ment is  now  complete. 

He  also  said  it  was  “high  time”  that  the 
industry  “cut  out  its  internecine  squabbling.” 
He  said  that  “threat,  abuse  and  insults  in 
the  press  and  before  Congressional  commit- 
tees should  be  abandoned  in  favor  of  con- 
centration on  how  best  to  publicize  this 
magnificent  new  product.”  He  added  that 
“no  industry  can  be  successful  which  makes 
a practice  of  broadcasting  to  the  public  how 
badly  it  is  conducted.” 

Other  speakers  included  Ralph  Pries,  con- 
cession expert  of  ABC  Vending  Co.,  who 
said  new  packaging  techniques  and  the  use 
of  more  machine  selling  is  increasing  re- 
freshment sales  in  theatres,  and  Jack 
Braunagel,  executive  assistant  to  the  presi- 
dent of  United  Theatres  Corp.,  North  Little 
Rock,  Ark. 

Exhibitors  from  the  District  of  Columbia, 
Maryland  and  Virginia  took  part  in  the 
convention. 


To  Film  "Billy  Budd" 

Anthony  B.  Farrell,  New  York  producer- 
financier  and  owner  of  the  Mark  Hellinger 
theatre,  and  Gabriel  Katzka,  young  financier, 
have  purchased  film  rights  to  the  play  “Billy 
Budd.”  The  play  was  adapted  by  Louis 
Coxe  and  Robert  Chapman  from  the  novel 
by  Herman  Melville.  Mr.  Farrell  and  Mr. 
Katzka  plan  to  shoot  the  film  in  England 
next  fall. 


Festival  Set 

Berlin,  Germany  will  be  the  scene  of  the 
Sixth  International  Film  Festival  in  that 
city  June  22  to  July  3.  Among  the  many 
interesting  and  colorful  events  scheduled 
are  premieres  of  the  latest  films  produced 
throughout  the  world  in  their  unabridged, 
original  versions;  judging  of  the  films  by 
an  international  jury;  awards  of  the  gold 
and  silver  Berlin  bears  to  the  films  judged 
the  best  artistically  by  a jury  decision;  a 
public  vote  on  all  the  Festival  films;  an- 
nouncement and  awarding  of  the  German 
film  prizes  for  the  best  German  pictures 
by  the  federal  minister  of  the  interior ; 
screening  of  classical  films,  lectures  on 
topical  film  problems,  and  an  international 
film  ball. 

According  to  Dr.  A.  Bauer,  festival  di- 
rector, “it  is  the  task  of  the  International 
Film  Festival  of  Berlin  to  promote  film  art 
in  the  most  efficient  way  and  to  facilitate  the 
establishment  and  deepening  of  business 
relations  by  means  of  a direct  exchange  of 
views  between  film  producers,  distributors 
and  film  artists  of  all  parts  of  the  world. 
At  the  Berlin  Film  Festival  the  most  recent 
films  of  the  international  production  will 
be  shown  in  broad  publicity.  The  judging 
of  the  films  and  the  prize-awarding  by  an 
international  jury,  as  well  as  the  famous 
Berlin  public  vote,  which  in  the  course  of 
the  last  years  has  become  more  and  more 
popular  with  the  international  film  industry, 
will  give  our  festival  a peculiar  note  of  its 
own. 

“The  decision  of  the  International  Federa- 
tion of  Film  Producers  Associations  to 
recognize  the  Berlin  Film  Festival  as  an 
international  festival  having  the  character 
of  competition  has  greatly  raised  the  im- 
portance of  the  Berlin  event  and  put  it  on 
a par  with  the  festivals  of  Cannes  and 
Venice.” 

Kentucky  House  Passes 
Tax  Reduction  Bill 

FRANKFORT , KY. : Kentucky’s  House  of 
Representatives  has  passed  and  sent  to  the 
State  Senate  a bill  to  reduce  the  state  tax 
on  admissions  by  about  $650,000  a year. 
State  Revenue  Department  officials  said  this 
would  mean  a cut  of  about  45  per  cent  from 
the  $1,450,000  a year  the  tax  now  yields. 
The  measure  would  exempt  admission 
charges  of  50  cents  or  less  from  the  state 
tax.  Present  Kentucky  law  exempts  only 
admission  charges  of  11  cents  or  less  from 
the  levy. 

Paul  Beniamin  Dies 

Paul  J.  Benjamin,  former  production  man- 
ager of  National  Screen  Service  until  his 
retirement  a few  years  ago,  died  April  25 
in  Miami.  He  was  59  years  old.  Mr.  Ben- 
jamin was  treasurer  and  vice-president  of 
Ampa  and  a member  of  the  Motion  Picture 
Pioneers.  He  is  survived  by  his  widow, 
Hazel  Benjamin. 


20 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  APRIL  28,  1956 


the  Patrons  and  Praises 

will  go  to 

“the  )Proud  and  Profane 


i REASON  #2  j 
Starring 

WILLIAM  HOLDEN 

as  tough  and  terrific  as  he  was*  when  he  won 
the  Oscar  in“Stalag  17”...  as  romantic  as 
he  was  in  “Love  Is  A Many  Splendored  Thing” 

...coming  in  the  big  boxoffice  months  ahead  from  Ea.RAMOTj^NT 


CODES  BACKED  Hits  MPA  A 

BY  FEDERATION 


. . . Film  councils  group  lauds 
production,  advertising  codes 
as  Shurlock  praises  report  of 
juvenile  delinquency  unit 

ST.  LOUIS:  The  Federation  of  Motion 
Picture  Councils  last  week  urged  all  pro- 
ducers to  curtail  brutality  and  violence  in 
motion  pictures  in  treatment  and  in  detail. 
Another  resolution,  passed  at  the  Federa- 
tion’s second  annual  convention  here,  op- 
posed legal  censorship  involving  restraint 
and  expressed  the  intention  of  encouraging, 
supporting  and  cooperating  with  the  Motion 
Picture  Association  of  America  in  its  pro- 
gram of  voluntary  self-regulation. 

The  resolution  also  expressed  confidence 
in  the  ability  and  experience  of  the  board 
of  directors  of  the  MPAA  to  determine  if 
and  when  changes  in  the  Production  and 
Advertising  Codes  are  desirable  to  meet 
changes  in  public  taste  and  concepts  of  right 
living. 

Praises  Committee 

Geoffrey  Shurlock,  director  of  the  Pro- 
duction Code  Administration,  spoke  before 
the  convention  on  the  report  of  the  Senate 
Judiciary  subcommittee  studying  juvenile 
delinquency,  which  combined  criticism  and 
praise  of  the  motion  picture  industry.  Fie 
called  the  report  of  the  subcommittee,  which 
is  headed  by  Senator  Estes  Kefauver  (D., 
Tenn.),  “intelligent,  constructive  and  tem- 
perate.” 

The  PCA,  Mr.  Shurlock  said,  since  No- 
vember, 1954,  has  waged  a campaign  against 
excessive  emphasis  on  violence  and  brutality 
on  the  screen  and  “the  results  are  now  be- 
ginning to  show.”  He  compared  the  current 
treatment  in  “Jubal”  with  “Shane”  and 
“Crime  in  the  Streets”  with  “Blackboard 
Jungle”  as  examples  in  the  de-emphasis  on 
brutality.  Mr.  Shurlock  drew  a distinction 
between  violence,  which  he  said  is  a valid 
element  of  drama,  and  brutality,  which  he 
saw  as  an  overemphasis  on  individual  per- 
sonalized scenes,  “showing  details  inserted 
for  their  shock  value.” 

Mr.  Shurlock’s  commendation  of  the  sub- 
committee report  was  in  contrast  to  the 
position  taken  by  Ronald  Reagan,  Motion 
Picture  Industry  Council  president,  who  had 
said  that  “the  investigation  findings  of  the 
committee  were  based  on  testimony  of  a few 
prejudiced  witnesses.”  The  commitee  in  its 
report  said  the  industry  should  liberalize  its 
Production  and  Advertising  Codes,  and  then 
stick  to  them  better  than  at  present. 

Codes  Under  Study 

The  PCA  administrator  told  the  conven- 
tion that  currently  the  Code  and  its  machin- 
ery are  up  for  examination  before  a com- 


mittee of  industry  experts  to  see  whether  or 
not  there  is  room  for  broadening  and  up- 
dating. “This  is  in  line  with  the  fact  that 
the  Code  is  part  of  a growing,  expanding 
and  maturing  industry,”  he  said.  He  also 
pointed  out  that  the  Code  has  lost  its  sanc- 
tions since  the  theatres  were  freed  from 
adherence  to  it  in  1942,  adding  producers 
and  distributors  have  adhered  to  the  Code 
since  then,  “not  because  without  its  seal 
they  could  not  get  into  theatres;  but  be- 
cause they  considered  it  a good  thing  for 
films  and  also  for  the  film  audiences. 

“If  this  can  be  made  to  stick  in  the 
future,  as  it  has  in  the  past,  it  is  of  course 
much  better  than  any  attempt  to  enforce 
the  Code  by  means  of  fines  or  other  sanc- 
tions. The  Code  was  accepted  freely  by 
the  industry,  in  the  first  instance.  Like  our 
Constitution,  it  exists  by  the  will  and  con- 
sent of  those  governed,  and  not  out  of  fear 
of  reprisals,”  he  said. 

He  reviewed  the  history  of  the  Code,  its 
wide  acceptance  both  in  the  U.  S.  and 
abroad  by  mass  audiences,  described  how  the 
Code  machinery  works  and  discussed  other 
facets  of  the  trade,  varying  from  what  is 
considered  an  adult  picture  to  what  is  viewed 
as  salacious. 

Backs  Foreign  Films 

Another  speaker  at  the  convention  was 
Ralph  D.  Hetzel,  Jr.,  vice-president  of  the 
MPAA,  who  urged  delegates  to  see  and 
promote  foreign  films.  He  said  film  pro- 
ducers of  other  countries  have  a right  to 
tke  American  market  based  on  the  merit  of 
their  product.  He  pointed  out  that  the 
foreign  market  for  American  films  must  be 
maintained  and  expanded  and  said  it  is  a 
market  which  will  grow  and  that  today  films 
are  geared  to  the  world  market. 

Mr.  Hetzel  said  producers  in  foreign 
countries  are  concerned,  however,  because 
of  the  large  number  of  American  films 
shown,  as  in  Britain  where  80  per  cent 
of  the  screen  time  is  occupied  by  American 
pictures.  He  pointed  out  the  tremendous 
obligation  of  American  producers  to  produce 
good  films  for  the  world  market  because 
“there  is  no  device  for  American  relations 
more  effective  than  American  films.” 

John  Ford,  Warners  in 
Deal  for  "Shamrock" 

HOLLYWOOD : Jack  L.  Warner  last  week 
announced  completion  of  a deal  whereby 
Warners  will  present  “Three  Leaves  of  a 
Shamrock,”  a Four  Provinces  Production 
currently  under  Mr.  Ford’s  direction  in 
Ireland.  The  production,  based  on  a script 
by  Frank  Nugent,  stars  a cast  of  Irish 
players  including  Noel  Purcell,  John  Crow- 
ley, Maureen  Connell  and  others.  Producer 
is  Lord  Michael  Killanin. 


Robert  L.  Jacks,  producer  of  “A  Kiss 
Before  Dying,”  forthcoming  United  Artists 
release,  has  criticized  the  Motion  Picture 
Association  of  America  for  refusing  to  ap- 
prove ads  prepared  for  the  film  by  United 
Artists  because  of  the  use  of  the  word 
“pregnant”  in  the  copy.  United  Artists  an- 
nounced last  week  it  had  rejected  a demand 
by  the  MPAA  that  the  copy  line  “I’m  preg- 
nant” as  spoken  by  an  unmarried  college 
girl,  portrayed  by  Joanne  Woodward,  be 
changed  to  “I’m  in  trouble.” 

In  backing  the  stand  taken  by  U.A.  and 
its  vice-president,  Max  E.  Youngstein,  Mr. 
Jacks  said : 

“The  motion  picture  industry  too  often 
has  been  accused  of  using  misleading  adver- 
tising in  publicizing  pictures.  Now  we’re 
trying  to  be  completely  honest  and  are  told 
that  we  can’t  be.  ‘A  Kiss  Before  Dying' 
was  a best-selling  novel  by  Ira  Levin.  The 
plot  revolves  around  a college  girl  who  be- 
comes pregnant  out  of  wedlock.  Naturally 
we  used  the  same  theme  in  transferring  it 
to  the  screen.  Since  we  were  allowed  by 
the  Johnston  office  to  use  the  phrase  ‘I’m 
pregnant’  in  the  picture,  it’s  ridiculous  not 
to  be  able  to  use  it  in  the  advertising.  (The 
film  has  received  a Production  Code  seal.) 

“We  feel  that  the  American  public  is  a 
mature  public  and  can  decide  for  itself 
whether  or  not  it  wants  to  see  a picture 
based  on  this  theme.  Motion  picture  patrons 
deserve  to  be  told  what  the  picture  is  about. 
And  it’s  not  about  a girl  who  gets  in  trouble, 
which  could  mean  anything,  but  about  a girl 
who  becomes  pregnant.  We  have  no  inten- 
tion of  changing  our  ads.” 

“A  Kiss  Before  Dying”  co-stars  Robert 
Wagner,  Jeffrey  Hunter,  Virginia  Leith 
and  Joanne  Woodward.  Miss  Woodward 
plays  the  pregnant  co-ed  and  Wagner  her 
campus  lover  who  subsequently  murders  her. 

George  Roberts  Heads 
Boston  B'nai  B'rith 

BOSTON : George  Roberts  was  unani- 

mously elected  president  of  the  Greater 
Boston  Council  of  B’nai  B’rith  at  its  annual 
election  of  officers  recently,  the  Council 
has  announced.  Mr.  Roberts  is  treasurer  of 
New  England  Allied  Artists  Productions 
and  treasurer  of  the  Rifkin  Theatres  cir- 
cuit. The  council  is  composed  of  30  lodges 
and  21  chapters  in  the  Greater  Boston  area, 
with  a combined  membership  of  over  10,000. 


Walt  Disney  Cited 

Walt  Disney  this  week  received  the  an- 
nual award  of  the  Daughters  of  the  Ameri- 
can Revolution  for  the  Best  Children’s  Film 
of  1955,  the  organization  announced,  in  cit- 
ing his  production,  “The  Lady  and  the 
T ramp.” 


22 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  APRIL  28,  1956 


REASON  #3 


STARRING 


m her  most  alluring  and  dramatically 
stunning  performance  since  “From  Here  To  Eternity” 


...coming  in  the  big  boxoffice  months  ahead  from  PARAMOUNT 

II 


the  Patrons  and  Praises 

will  go  to 

THE  )PkOUD  AND  )PkOFANE 


MGM  Opens  Door  to  Independents, 
Sales  to  Television  and  Play  Production 


Maurice  Silverstein  Charles  C.  Barry  Sidney  Phillips 


Loeu?  Profit 

SI.  fit /.(Hi 2 

In  IS  11  oetis 

Loews,  Incorporated,  and  subsidiaries,  in- 
cluding theatre  subsidiaries,  reports  for  the 
16- week  period  ended  March  15,  1956  con- 
solidated net  profit  after  taxes  of  $1,641,682. 
equi\  alent  to  31  cents  per  share  compared 
with  $1,753,102,  equivalent  to  34  cents  per 
share  in  the  corresponding  period  of  the 
previous  year.  Gross  sales  and  operating 
revenues  for  this  period  amounted  to  $52,- 
837.000  compared  with  $52,613,000  for  the 
same  period  of  the  previous  year. 

Net  profit  for  the  28  weeks  ended  March 
15,  1956,  amounted  to  $1,889,843,  equivalent 
to  36  cents  per  share,  compared  with  $3,- 
274,451  or  64  cents  per  share  in  the  corre- 
sponding period  of  the  previous  year.  Gross 
sales  and  operating  revenues  for  this  period 
amounted  to  $87,439,000,  compared  with 
$92,399,000  for  the  same  period  of  the  previ- 
ous year.  Figures  are  subject  to  year-end 
'audit  and  adjustments.  Arthur  M.  Loew, 
president  of  Loew’s,  Inc.,  stated  that  the 
second  quarter  results  represented  an  im- 
provement in  earnings  over  the  first  quarter 
of  the  current  fiscal  year. 

In  a letter  to  the  stockholders  accompany- 
ing the  report  of  the  stockholders’  meeting 
of  February  23.  Mr.  Loew  reported  that 
shares  of  the  company’s  stock  had  been  re- 
cently purchased,  pursuant  to  stock  option 
agreements  approved  by  stockholders,  by  the 
following:  Arthur  M.  Loew,  33,000  shares; 
Charles  C.  Aloskowitz,  15,000  shares;  Dore 
Scharv,  50.000  shares;  Louis  K.  Sidney, 
18.332  shares;  Benjamin  Thau,  22,000 
shares,  and  Joseph  R.  Vogel,  22,500  shares. 

House  Committee  Rejects 
"Floating  Cinerama " 

WASHINGTON : The  full  House  Appro- 
priations Committee  has  rejected  the  ad- 
ministration’s “floating  Cinerama”  plan.  The 
scheme  involved  appropriating  $3,790,500 
to  the  U.  S.  Information  Agency  to  de- 
mothball an  aircraft  carrier  and  send  it  to 
foreign  ports  with  a Cinerama  setup  on 
the  flight  deck.  U.S.I.A.  officials,  who  argue 
that  the  idea  would  reach  foreigners  who 
otherwise  could  not  be  reached,  will  un- 
doubtedly ask  the  Senate  to  restore  the 
funds.  The  committee’s  action  came  as  it 
voted  on  an  appropriation  bill  carrying  funds 
for  the  U.S.I.A.  and  certain  other  agencies. 
4 he  committee  sharply  slashed  the  funds 
requested  for  U.S.I.A.  as  a whole. 


Crowell-Collier  in  TV 

Paul  C.  Smith,  president  of  the  Crowell- 
Collier  Publishing  Company,  New  York,  an- 
nounces that  his  firm  has  acquired  all  of 
the  common  stock  of  the  Television  Cor- 
poration of  America,  operators  of  Stations 
KULA  and  KULA-TV  in  Honolulu. 


MGM,  which  in  recent  years  has  aug- 
mented its  producer-distributor  activities 
with  a radio  station  and  a record  com- 
pany, this  week  announced  three  more 
phases  in  an  ever-expanding  diversifica- 
tion program. 

Foremost  is  the  appointment  of  Mau- 
rice Silverstein  as  a liaison  with  the  in- 
dependent producers  whose  pictures  will 
be  released  through  MGM.  He  will  ini- 
tiate new  package  deals  with  independent 
producers  as  well  as  supervise  those  con- 
tracts already  agreed  upon. 

MGM,  the  last  of  the  majors  to  con- 
tract with  independents,  now  has  29  pic- 
tures scheduled  from  this  source.  The 
latest  to  be  announced  was  “The  Little 
Hut,”  to  be  co-produced  by  F.  Hugh 
Herbert  and  Mark  Robson,  directed  by 
Mr.  Robson  and  to  star  Ava  Gardner, 


Women's  Club  Votes 
Against  Toll-Television 

LOS  ANGELES:  The  Los  Angeles  Dis- 
trict Federation  of  Women’s  Clubs  passed 
a resolution  unanimously  requesting  the 
FCC  and  Congress  to  make  no  ruling  in 
favor  of  subscription-TV  at  their  54th  con- 
vention here.  The  organization  also  re- 
quested that  no  measures  be  passed  changing 
the  “fundamental  system  of  broadcasting 
and  telecasting  in  the  United  States  devoted 
to  free  entertainment.” 


In  Variety  Club  Post 

SALT  LAKE  CITY:  Irving  Gillman  of 
United  Intermountain  Theatres,  has  been 
named  chief  barker  of  Variety  Club’s  Salt 
Lake  City  Tent  38  for  the  coming  year. 
Other  officers  are  K.  O.  Lloyd,  20th  Cen- 
tury-Fox, first  assistant;  John  Krier,  Inter- 
mountain Theatres,  second  assistant;  S.  S. 
McFadden,  Columbia,  dough  guy ; and  Gene 
Jones,  Paramount,  property  master. 


Stewart  Granger  and  David  Niven.  Other 
independents  on  its  schedule  include 
“The  Iron  Petticoat”  with  Bob  Hope  and 
Katharine  Hepburn,  Albert  Lewin’s  “The 
Living  Idol,”  Arwin  Productions’  “Julie” 
and  Sol  C.  Siegel’s  “High  Society.”  The 
last  named  will  make  a total  of  six  for 
the  company.  British  companies  headed 
by  Michael  Balcon  and  Herbert  Wilcox 
will  also  produce  several  films  for  release 
by  MGM. 

Also  announced  this  week  was  the  ap- 
pointment of  Charles  C.  “Bud”  Barry  to 
organize  and  assume  charge  of  televi- 
sion operations.  He  will  handle  the  re- 
lease of  the  MGM  film  library  to  TV. 

In  addition,  MGM  will  enter  theatrical 
production  this  fall  and  Sidney  Phillips 
will  supervise  a play-producing  depart- 
ment recently  established. 


Exchange  Area  Theatres 
To  Screen  "Catered" 

MGM  will  hold  all-industry  screenings  of 
“The  Catered  Affair”  in  all  exchange  cen- 
ters during  the  week  of  April  30,  the  com- 
pany has  announced.  Each  of  the  screenings 
will  be  held  in  a theatre  between  regular 
showings  of  the  current  attractions.  Theatre 
owners,  buyers,  bookers,  circuit  managers, 
branch  managers  of  other  companies  as  well 
as  MGM,  press  representatives  and  TV  and 
radio  contacts  are  invited. 


Artransa  to  Produce  Films 

Artransa  Pty.  Ltd.  of  Sydney,  Australia, 
has  announced  plans  to  produce  films  at 
studios  now  being  erected  in  French's 
Forest,  a suburb  of  Sydney.  The  20-acre 
lot  has  been  planned  to  allow  for  rapid 
sound  stage  expansion.  According  to  Leon 
Becker,  assistant  manager,  Artransa’s  en- 
trance into  the  film  world  is  the  result  of 
three  years  advance  planning. 


24 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  APRIL  28,  1956 


© 


the  Patrons  and  Praises 

will  go  to 


j REASON  #4  • 

• • 


HOLDEN  and  KERR  TOGETHER 

in  a man-woman  conflict 
that  will  excite  and  enthrall  women 
* . . and  their  men ! 

...coming  in  the  big  boxoffice  months  ahead  from  PARAMOUNT 


AB-PT  Net 
Ip  34%  for 

Quarter 

Estimated  net  operating  profit  of  Amer- 
ican Broadcasting- Paramount  Theatres,  Inc. 
for  the  first  quarter  of  1956  increased  34 
per  cent  over  the  same  period  in  the  previous 
year.  Leonard  H.  Goldenson,  president,  has 
reported.  These  earnings  were  $2,570,000. 
or  60  cents  a share  common,  compared  with 
$1,917,000,  or  45  cents  a share  common  in 
1955. 

With  capital  gains  of  $253,000  compared 
with  $33,000  in  the  same  quarter  of  1955, 
consolidated  earnings  amounted  to  $2,823,- 
000.  or  66  cents  per  share,  compared  with 
$1.950,0000,  or  46  cents  per  share  in  1955. 
In  his  report  to  stockholders.  Mr.  Goldenson 
listed  a number  of  top  quality  motion  pic- 
tures to  be  released  within  the  next  four 
months  which  are  are  expected  to  enjoy  a 
good  box  office  reception  at  the  theatres. 
He  stated  that  there  was  evidence  of  prog- 
ress toward  a more  even  flow  of  pictures 
by  distributors  which  should  be  beneficial  to 
theatre  business,  particularly  in  the  second 
quarter. 

The  ABC  Division,  Mr.  Goldenson  said, 
is  presently  setting  its  television  program- 
ming for  the  coming  Fall  season  which 
will  include  a number  of  new  properties. 
“Omnibus,”  produced  by  the  Radio-TV 
Workship  of  the  Ford  Foundation  and  one 
of  television’s  outstanding  programs,  is  mov- 
ing over  from  another  network  to  ABC  in 
October.  “With  emphasis  on  high-quality 
entertainment  gaining  greater  public  and 
advertiser  acceptance,”  Mr.  Goldenson 
stated,  “ABC  should  share  on  an  ever- 
broadening  scale  in  the  expected  growth 
of  television.” 

Max  Youngstein  Receives 
Annual  "Joey"  Award 

United  Artists  vice-president  Max  E. 
Youngstein  received  the  first  annual  “Joey” 
Award  of  the  Asthma  Medical  Center  April 
21  at  the  “Parade  of  Stars”  show  in  New 
York’s  Town  Hall.  The  presentation  hon- 
ored Mr.  Youngstein’s  leadership  of  the 
nationwide  “Attack  on  Asthma”  campaign. 
Mr.  Youngstein  is  national  chairman  of  the 
fund-raising  effort  for  the  Home  and  gen- 
eral chairman  of  the  “Parade  of  Stars,” 
which  featured  23  headliners  from  motion 
pictures,  the  stage,  television,  radio  and  the 
music  world. 


Ginsberg  in  New  York 

Henry  Ginsberg  has  been  in  New  York 
conferring  with  Warner  Bros,  home  office 
executives  on  preliminary  exploitation  and 
advertising  plans  for  George  Stevens’  pro- 
duction of  Edna  Ferber’s  “Giant,”  starring 
Elizabeth  Taylor,  Rock  Hudson  and  James 
Dean.  The  film  is  currently  being  edited  at 
the  Burbank  studio. 


Todd-AO  Compatible''  Projection 
Equipment  and  Adjustable  Screen  Ready 


Refinements  in  Todd-AO  equipment, 
including  a newly  developed  "special 
printer,"  will  accelerate  the  pace  of  open- 
ing Rodgers  & Hammerstein’s  "Oklahoma!" 
as  a roadshow  attraction  in  key  cities 
throughout  the  country,  George  P. 
Skouras,  president  of  Magna  Theatre  Cor- 
poration, told  a trade  press  luncheon  in 
New  York  Tuesday. 

Mr.  Skouras  said  that  the  development 
of  the  Todd-AO  compatible  exhibition 
equipment  is  now  "complete."  The  "com- 
patible" equipment  comprises  the  previ- 
ously announced  Todd-AO  all-purpose 
projector  and  an  all-purpose  adjustable 
screen  which  can  handle  not  only  Todd-AO 
productions  but  also  those  in  conventional 
35mm,  CinemaScope  or  any  other  system. 

The  most  interesting  aspect  of  the  new 
Todd-AO  compatibility,  as  described  by 
Mr.  Skouras,  is  the  "special  printer"  which 
corrects  a Todd-AO  print  to  the  necessary 
degree  so  that  projection  from  the  existing 
booths  of  any  theatre,  no  matter  what  the 
angle  of  projection  may  be,  is  now  possible 
without  distortion.  The  earlier  Todd-AO 
prints  had  to  be  projected  from  screen- 
level  booths  to  prevent  "keystoning."  The 
printer,  he  said,  had  been  developed  by 
Dr.  Brian  O'Brien,  vice-president  of  the 
American  Optical  Company  and  director 
of  the  Institute  of  Optics  at  the  University 
of  Rochester. 

Screen  Can  Be  Adjusted 

The  new,  all-purpose  Todd-AO  screen, 
said  Mr.  Skouras,  can  be  adjusted  from  a 
flat  to  a curved  screen,  and  vice  versa,  as 
required,  with  the  size  determined  solely 
by  the  size  of  theatre.  With  the  installation 
of  Todd-AO  equipment  now,  he  continued, 
the  theatre  is  provided  "with  the  finest  and 
most  adaptable  exhibition  equipment  avail- 
able, without  relocation  of  the  existing 
booth,  costly  rearrangement  of  seating,  or 
drastic  structural  changes  in  the  stage." 

The  cost  of  adapting  the  average  thea- 
tre with  Todd-AO  equipment,  he  said, 
would  be  between  $20,000  and  $25,000. 
This  would  include  $7,500  each  for  two  pro- 
jectors, about  $4,000  for  additional  sound 
equipment — two  more  tracks  if  the  theatre 
already  is  equipped  to  handle  four-track 
magnetic  sound,  approximately  $2,100  for 
the  screen  frame  and  $600  for  the  screen, 
and  $1,150  for  a pair  of  projection  lenses. 

Mr.  Skouras  described  himself  as  an 
optimist  about  the  motion  picture  business 
and  a confirmed  believer  in  the  65mm 
Todd-AO  process,  the  advent  of  which 


GEORGE  P.  SKOURAS 


"marks  the  separation  of  home  entertain- 
ment from  motion  picture  theatre  enter- 
tainment." He  revealed  also  that  there 
are  now  16  Todd-AO  cameras  and  the/ 
are  so  adjusted  that  with  the  turn  of  a 
lever  it  can  first  photograph  a scene  in 
straight  Todd-AO,  and  then  in  a version 
that  can  be  reduced  for  35mm  Cinema- 
Scope  exhibition.  Technicolor,  he  added, 
also  can  print  down  65mm  Todd-AO  to 
35mm.  CinemaScope. 

Neiv  Openings  for  “Oklahoma!” 

Concerning  the  initial  Todd-AO  produc- 
tion "Oklahoma!",  he  declared  that  in  its 
present  run  at  the  Rivoli  theatre  in  New 
York  it  already  has  grossed  more  than 
"Gone  With  the  Wind"  in  its  original  re- 
lease. Plans  are  underway  to  open  the  film 
in  Paris,  Rome,  Berlin,  Milan  and  Dussel- 
dorf  sometime  in  the  early  autumn.  Be- 
cause of  the  admission  tax  burden  in  Eng- 
land, however,  the  film  will  open  its  initial 
London  engagement  in  the  35mm  Cinema- 
Scope version. 

Mr.  Skouras  also  revealed  that  he  hopes 
negotiations  will  be  concluded  shortly  for 
the  production  of  Rodgers  & Hammer- 
stein's  "South  Pacific"  in  Todd-AO.  Sched- 
uled to  have  its  first  screening  May  25  is  a 
special  Todd-AO  short  subject,  produced 
by  Louis  de  Rochemont,  depicting  "the 
wonders  of  America."  The  Magna  Corp. 
chief  also  announced  at  the  luncheon  that 
Gael  Sullivan,  formerly  executive  director 
of  Theatre  Owners  of  America,  has  joined 
the  advertising-publicity  staff  of  the  com- 
pany. 


26 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  APRIL  28,  1956 


the  Patrons  and  Praises 

will  go  to 

the  Proud  and  Profane 


WORLD  PREMIERE 
ENGAGEMENTS  SOON: 

ASTOR  FOUR  STAR 

NEW  YORK  LOS  ANGELES 


REASON  #5 


IT  ALL  ADDS  UP 

to  timely,  top  saleability  of  a boxoffice  leader  that  will  be 
reinforced  by  the  pre-selling  power  that  has  made  Paramount  famous . . . 

WILLIAM  HOLDEN 
DEBORAH  KERR 

A Perlberg-  Seaton  Production 

the  Proud  and  Profane 

co-starring 

THELMA  RITTER  • DEWEY  MARTIN 

with  WILLIAM  REDFIELD  • Produced  by  WILLIAM  PERLBERG 
Written  for  the  Screen  and  Directed  by  GEORGE  SEATON 

Based  on  a Novel  by  Lucy  Herndon  Crockett 
A Paramount  Picture 


...coming  in  the  big  boxoffice  months  ahead  from  PARAMOUNT 


SAIETE  Set 
l nr  Spring 
Con  von  tion 

More  than  1.000  motion  picture  and  tele- 
' 1>10n  technicians  and  engineers  are  ex- 
pected to  attend  the  79th  semi-annual  con- 
vention of  the  Society  of  Motion  Picture  and 

ele\  ision  Engineers  which  opens  at  the 
Hotel  Statler,  New  York,  April  30.  Half 
ot  the  20  technical  sessions  will  be  devoted 
exclusively  to  TV  subjects,  it  was  an- 
nounced. 

Xew  developments  in  motion  picture  and 
television  equipment,  designed  to  improve 
quality  and  reduce  costs,  will  be  featured  in 
nioie  than  o5  exhibits.  Among  the  equip- 
ment to  be  exhibited  to  the  trade  for  the 
first  time  will  be  a 16mm  projector  with 
interchangeable  optical  and  magnetic  sound 
mechanisms  and  separate  magnetic  sound 
unit  for  recording  and  playback  on  sprock- 
eted tape.  Another  development  to  be  ex- 
hibited is  a combination  16mm-35mm  proc- 
ess camera  for  use  in  animation  and  optical 
printer  work. 

Technical  sessions  will  begin  April  30 
and  continue  through  May  4.  Dr.  John  G. 
Fiarne,  president  of  the  Society,  will  preside 
at  the  traditional  get-together  luncheon  on 
opening  day  and  will  speak  on  “Motion  Pic- 
tures and  4 \ — Inseparable  Media.”  He  will 
introduce  the  guest  speaker,  Dr.  Albert  W. 
I rueman,  Canadian  Film  Commissioner  and 
chairman  of  the  National  Film  Board  of 
Canada,  who  will  discuss  “The  Documentary 
Film — Communicating  Experience.” 

Another  highlight  of  the  convention  will 
be  an  address  by  Jo  Mielziner,  stage  de- 
signer,  at  a special  luncheon  for  television 
studio  lighting  engineers  at  the  Belmont- 
Plaza,  May  2.  This  luncheon  is  part  of  an 
extensive  T Y lighting  program  which  also 
includes  three  technical  sessions  on  lighting 
techniques  and  problems. 

Highlight  of  the  social  activities  will  be 
the  annual  banquet  May  3 in  the  Statler 
ballroom. 


Eastman  Kodak  Company 
Cites  Sales  Increase 

First  quarter  sales  and  earnings  of  East- 
man Kodak  Company  were  better  than  in 
the  previous  first  quarter,  it  is  reported  by 
Thomas  J.  Hargrave,  chairman,  and  Albert 
K.  Chapman,  president.  Consolidated  sales 
of  the  company’s  United  States  establish- 
ments for  the  12- week  period  ending  March 
18,  1956,  were  $154,744,604,  up  four  per 
cent  over  the  $149,174,688  for  the  corre- 
sponding 1955  period.  Net  earnings  after 
taxes  for  the  first  quarter  were  $16,998,185, 
an  increase  of  15  per  cent  over  the  $14,763,- 
628  earned  in  the  first  quarter  a year  ago. 
The  previous  first  quarter  high  for  sales 
and  earnings  was  set  in  1955.  Earnings  be- 
fore taxes  were  $37,426,048,  up  13  per  cent 
over  the  $33,246,604  in  the  first  quarter  of 
1955. 


BLUMENSTOCK  RESIGNS 
POST  AT  WARNERS 


MORT  BLUMENSTOCK,  Warner 
Bros,  vice-president  in  charge  of  adver- 
tising and  publicity,  has  resigned  from 
the  company  effective  May  4.  Announc- 
ing his  resignation,  Mr.  Blumenstock 
said,  “As  my  wife’s  health  requires 
us  to  return  to  California  as  soon  as 
possible,  I have  asked  for  release  from 
my  contract,  and  Warner  Bros,  have 
graciously  consented,  making  it  effective 
as  of  May  4.”  Mr.  Blumenstock,  who 
thus  terminates  25  years  of  employment 
with  Warner  Bros.,  has  been  vice-presi- 
dent in  charge  of  advertising  and  pub- 
licity since  1945.  Future  plans,  he  said, 
will  be  formed  after  returning  to  Cali- 
fornia. 


Movietone  News  Staff 
Honors  A . A.  Brown 

Led  by  Edmund  Reek,  producer,  and  Jack 
Haney,  general  manager,  nearly  100  of  his 
fellow  workers  on  Movietone  News  paid 
their  respects  to  A.  A.  Brown  last  week  at 
a New  York  restaurant.  A veteran  of  nearly 
30  years  on  Movietone’s  New  York  contact 
staff,  Mr.  Brown  is  retiring  at  the  end  of 
this  month.  One  of  the  original  contact 
men  on  Movietone  News  when  it  was  the 
only  sound  newsreel  in  existence,  he  covered 
most  of  the  big  stories  that  broke  around 
New  York  City  during  the  past  three  years. 


Virginia  Unit  Elects 

WASHINGTON : Seymour  Hoffman  was 
reelected  president  of  the  Virginia  Motion 
Picture  Theatre  Association  at  its  meeting 
here  last  week.  All  other  officers  and  direc- 
tors of  the  association  were  also  reelected 
for  a second  term,  as  is  the  custom  in  the 
organization.  Robert  Johnson  was  added  to 
the  board  of  directors. 


CEA  Angry 
At  Euilure 
Of  Tux  Elea 

by  PETER  BURNUP 

LONDON:  Dismay,  anger  and  indignant 
surprise  marked  CEA’s  general  council 
when  it  assembled  last  week  the  morning 
after  Chancellor  of  the  Exchequer  Harold 
Macmillan  completely  ignored  the  industry’s 
claim  for  tax  relief  in  his  budget  speech  to 
the  House  of  Commons. 

The  fact  that  many  sources  close  to  the 
Government  had  warned  of  the  eventual 
outcome  is  of  little  comfort  to  the  Joint 
Industry  Committee  which,  it  is  generally 
agreed,  presented  an  impressive  if  not  over- 
whelming case  for  relief. 

Harry  Meat's,  one-time  CEA  president 
and  leader  now  of  a breakaway  faction,  bit- 
terly accused  the  association’s  present  lead- 
ers of  not  punching  home  their  case  suf- 
ficiently strongly.  Others  demanded  “direct 
and  drastic  action”  against  the  Chancellor 
himself.  At  the  end  of  the  debate,  the  cooler 
heads  had  their  way.  A resolution  was 
adopted,  instructing  CEA’s  tax  committee 
to  give  immediate  consideration  of  the  mat- 
ter “with  power  to  take  such  action  as  it 
may  think  best.” 

The  procedure  in  regard  to  Britain’s  na- 
tional finances  is  a highly  involved  business. 
The  Chancellor’s  basic  budget  proposals, 
once  they  have  been  accepted  by  the  House 
of  Commons,  are  embodied  in  the  finance 
bill  which  then  becomes  the  subject  of  debate 
lasting  several  weeks.  It’s  on  the  committee 
stage  of  the  bill  that  the  opportunity  for 
achieving  an  albeit  reduced  scale  of  tax  re- 
lief will  arise. 

As  a protest  against  the  Chancellor’s  re- 
fusal to  grant  any  tax  relief,  especially  to 
the  small  exhibitors,  the  Management  Coun- 
cil of  the  Association  of  Independent  Cin- 
emas Tuesday  recommended  that  its  mem- 
bers withhold  paying  the  Eady  Levy.  This 
action,  of  course,  is  subject  to  the  approval 
of  the  main  body  members,  reported  to 
represent  700  cinemas. 


Jersey  Allied  Meeting 
Set  for  May  27-28-29 

The  37th  annual  convention  of  Allied 
Theatre  Owners  of  New  Jersey  will  take 
place  May  27-29  at  the  Concord  Hotel, 
Kiamesha  Lake,  N.  Y.  All  those  attending 
the  convention,  it  is  announced,  may  stay 
on  for  an  extra  day,  May  30,  Decoration 
Day  at  regular  convention  rates.  According 
to  Richard  D.  Turteltaub,  convention  chair- 
man, many  reservations  already  have  been 
received.  Walter  E.  Green,  president  of 
National  Theatre  Supply,  and  several  of  his 
branch  representatives  will  be  present  and 
plan  to  hold  a sales  meeting.  Also  in  at- 
tendance will  be  many  of  the  branch  and 
home  office  personnel. 


28 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  APRIL  28,  1956 


Turning  to 
”j\etr  Took 99 

by  SAMUEL  D.  BERNS 

HOLLYWOOD:  “Conventional  stories  and 
conventional  productions  are  gone  forever,” 
Frank  P.  Rosenberg  said  last  week  during 
a visit  to  his  office  at 
the  Warner  Broth- 
ers studios. 

“New  processes 
are  not  the  answer 
— new  stories  are. 
Synthetic  comedies 
and  synthetic  dramas 
are  out.  Story  ma- 
terial must  be  news- 
worthy, fresh,  some- 
thing the  public  did 
not  see  last  month,” 
the  producer  added 

Frank  P.  Rosenberg  to  his  remarks  on 

current  day  sights 
for  the  production  front. 

Commenting  on  complaints  by  exhibitors 
regarding  the  shortage  of  product,  Mr. 
Rosenberg,  who  was  formerly  national  pub- 
licity and  advertising  director  for  Columbia 
Pictures  and  spent  four  years  at  20th  Cen- 
tury-Fox as  a producer  before  joining 
Warners,  said  that  Hollywood  can  no  longer 
be  looked  upon  as  a “film  factory.” 

A good  motion  picture  will  make  more 
money  than  ever  before  in  the  history  of 
the  motion  picture  business,  despite  the 
“lost  audience,”  Mr.  Rosenberg  pointed  out. 
He  said  he  was  well  aware  of  the  ranks 
of  habitual  ticket  buyers  being  depleted,  due 
to  higher  living  costs  and  the  convenience 
of  free  television,  but  maintained  they  would 
still  put  their  money  on  the  line  for  worth- 
while big  screen  entertainment,  the  kind  that 
gives  them  top  stories,  production  values, 
personalities  and  exciting  thrills  that  cannot 
be  experienced  via  a 21-inch  TV  set.  “A 
movie  star  is  still  the  world’s  most  glamor- 
ous figure,  a greater  attraction  than  any 
TV  or  other  personality,”  he  reasoned. 

Three  ISeiv  Properties 

The  producer  of  “Miracle  in  the  Rain,” 
whose  production  course  has  been  charted 
under  the  guidance  of  Jack  L.  Warner, 
spoke  of  three  important  properties  that 
have  been  delegated  to  his  supervision: 
“Why  Was  I Born?”,  which  has  just  been 
selected  as  the  title  for  the  Helen  Morgan 
story;  “The  Girl  I Left  Behind,”  a story 
on  the  peace  time  draft,  which  David  Butler 
will  return  to  the  studio  to  direct  as  a star- 
ring vehicle  for  Tab  Hunter  and  Natalie 
Wood;  and  Robert  Penn  Warren’s  best 
selling  novel,  “Band  of  Angels,”  now  being 
turned  into  a screenplay  by  Ivan  Goff  and 
Ben  Roberts. 

“Why  Was  I Born?”  will  prove  a pre- 
production  fanfare  natural,  Rosenberg  pre- 


d 


cene 


HOLLYWOOD  BUREAU 


llllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllMIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII' 


Three  pictures  went  into  active  production 
last  week,  two  of  them  abroad,  and  eight 
others  were  completed  as  to  camera  work, 
to  slacken  the  recent  upward  movement  quite 
perceptibly  as  of  the  weekend. 

Independent  Producer  Stanley  Kramer’s 
gigantic  “The  Pride  and  the  Passion,”  a 
$4,000,000  project  to  be  distributed  by 
United  Artists,  got  started  in  Spain,  with 
Cary  Grant,  Frank  Sinatra  and  Sophia 
Loren  in  top  roles,  and  with  Producer 
Kramer  directing.  The  picture,  widely  re- 
garded as  one  of  the  likeliest  properties  on 
the  international  production  horizon,  is 
being  filmed  in  VistaVision  and  with  color 
by  Technicolor. 

Allied  Artists  is  distributor  of  the  other 
two  new  ventures. 

“Notre  Dame  of  Paris,”  which  got  started 
in  that  city  under  producership  of  Robert 
and  Raymond  Hakim,  has  Gina  Lollobrigida 
and  Anthony  Quinn  in  principal  roles  under 
Jean  Delannoy’s  direction.  It’s  in  Technicolor. 

On  this  side  of  the  water  Allied  Artists’ 
Ben  Schwalb  started  “Night  Target,”  di- 
rected by  the  gifted  Jean  Yarbrough,  which 
has  Bill  Elliott,  Eleanor  Tannen,  Don  Hag- 
gerty, and  Douglas  Dick  in  the  cast. 

United  Artists  Opens 
Jacksonville  Exchange 

JACKSONVILLE:  United  Artists  has 

opened  a new  exchange  office  here,  James 
R.  Velde,  general  sales  manager,  has  an- 
nounced. The  branch,  which  will  facilitate 
service  of  U.A.’s  expanding  business  in  the 
Florida  area,  is  scheduled  to  start  operations 
this  summer,  bringing  to  33  the  total  of  U.A. 
exchanges  in  the  United  States  and  Canada. 
Byron  Adams,  branch  manager  in  Atlanta 
since  1951,  will  be  transferred  to  head  the 
Jacksonville  exchange.  William  Hames, 
who  managed  U.A.’s  Dallas  branch  until  his 
resignation  in  1954  to  go  into  private  busi- 
ness, will  manage  the  Atlanta  exchange. 


dieted,  due  to  a current  surge  of  excitement 
on  the  casting  of  the  lead  role,  which  has 
not  been  felt  in  Hollywood  for  some  time. 
Agents  of  dramatic  and  singing  stars  are 
showering  the  studio  with  wires  and  phone 
calls  from  all  parts  of  the  country;  and 
the  studio  is  preparing  to  make  extensive 
tests  to  find  the  most  suitable  prototype, 
whether  she  be  a star  or  unknown. 

“The  Girl  I Left  Behind”  began  as  an 
idea  by  Jack  L.  Warner.  Rosenberg  brought 
Marion  Hargrove  to  Hollywood  to  write 
the  story.  This  is  believed  to  be  the  first 
time  that  a story  assignment  developed  into 
the  writing  of  a novel,  soon  to  be  published, 
for  which  Guy  Trosper  has  since  written 
the  screenplay. 


THIS  WEEK  IN 
PRODUCTION: 

STARTED  (3) 


ALLIED  ARTISTS 

Night  Target 
Notre  Dame  of  Paris 
(Technicolor) 

COMPLETED  (8) 

ALLIED  ARTISTS 

House  on  Lookout 
Mountain 
Yaqui  Drums 

BUENA  VISTA 

Westward  Ho,  The 
Wagons!  (Walt  Dis- 
ney, Prod.;  Cinema- 
Scope:  Technicolor) 

COLUMBIA 

Shakedown  on  Biscayne 
Bay 

SHOOTING  (31) 

AMERICAN  INT'L  PIC. 

It  Conquered  the 
World  (Sunset  Prod.) 

COLUMBIA 

Guns  of  Fort  Petticoat 
(Brown-Murphy  Pic.) 

INDEPENDENT 

Creatures  From  Green 
Hell  (Gross-Krasne 
Prod.) 

MGM 

Barretts  of  Wimpole 
Street  (CinemaScope; 
Color) 

Teahouse  of  the  August 
Moon  (CinemaScope: 
Color) 

Tea  and  Sympathy 
Raintree  County 
(65  mm;  Color) 

Julie  (Arwin  Prods.) 

The  Opposite  Sex 
( CinemaScope: 
Eastman  Color) 

PARAMOUNT 

Hollywood  or  Bust 
(VistaVision;  Techni- 
color) 

Funny  Face  (VistaVision; 

Technicolor) 

The  Loves  of  Omar 
Khayyam  (VistaVision; 
Technicolor) 

The  Lonely  Man  (Vista- 
Vision; Technicolor) 
The  Maverick  (Vista- 
Vision; Technicolor) 
Gunfight  at  OK  Corral 
(VistaVision;  Techni- 
color) 


UNITED  ARTISTS 

The  Pride  and  the  Pas- 
sion (Stanley  Kramer 
Prod.;  VistaVision; 
Technicolor) 

Nightfall  (Copa  Prods.) 
Reprisal  (Romson  Prods.; 
Technicolor) 

INDEPENDENT 

Snowfire 

(.McGowan  Prods.; 
Eastman  Color) 

UNIVERSAL-INT’L 

Kelly  and  Me  (Cinema- 
Scope; Technicolor) 

RKO  RADIO 

Beyond  a Reasonable 
Doubt 

Back  From  Eternity 

20TH-FOX 

The  Last  Wagon 
( CinemaScope; 

De  Luxe  Color) 

One  in  a Million 
(CinemaScope; 

De  Luxe  Color) 

Bus  Stop  (Cinema- 
Scope; Technicolor) 
The  Day  the  Century 
Ended  (Cinema- 
Scope; Color) 

UNITED  ARTISTS 

The  Brass  Legend 

( Bob  Goldstein  Prod.) 
The  Boss  (Boss  Prods.) 
The  Sharkfighters 

(Goldwyn,  Jr.  Prod.; 
CinemaScope;  Color) 

UNIVERSAL-INT'L 

Star  Light  (Cinema- 
Scope; Technicolor) 
Gun  for  a Coward 
(Technicolor) 

The  Mole  People 
The  Great  Man 
Battle  Hymn  (Cinema- 
Scope; Technicolor) 

WARNER  BROS. 

The  Wrong  Man 
(Alfred  Hitchcock 
Prod.) 

Toward  the  Unknown 
(Toluca  Prods.; 
WarnerColor) 


30 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  APRIL  28,  1956 


er  presents  “Marty"  starring  Ernest  Borgnine  and  Betsy  Blair  l 
nplay  by  Paddy  Chayefsky*  Directed  by  Delbert  Mann  i 
Harold  Hecht*  Associate  Producer:  Paddy  Chayefsky  4 


on  the 


P r. 


ACADEMY  AWARDS 


to  HAROLD  HECHT 

“Best  Motion  Picture  of  the  Year” 


to  ERNEST  BORGNINE 

“Best  Performance  by  an  Actor 


>9  9 


to  DELBERT  MANN 

“Best  Achievement  in  Directing 


to  PADDY  CHAYEFSKY 

“Best  Screenplay” 


THE  WINNERS  CIRCLE 

Pictures  which  were  reported  as  doing  above  average  business  in  key  cities  of  the 
nation  for  the  week  ended  April  21  were: 


Tax  Cut  Gets 
/In  Assist 

II  ASHI  \ GTON : A House  Ways  and 
Means  subcommittee  recently  suggested  that 
the  full  committee  might  want  to  consider 
additional  admissions  tax  relief.  The  rec- 
ommendation came  from  a subcommittee 
studying  technical  excise  tax  changes.  Sub- 
committee chairman  Forand  (D.,  R.  I.)  an- 
nouncing this  and  other  subcommittee  ac- 
tions, said  the  full  committee  had  promised 
to  consider  the  subcommittee’s  report  “as 
soon  as  possible.”  He  refused  to  predict  the 
likelihood  of  action  on  any  of  the  recom- 
mendations. 

The  subcommittee  was  barred  by  the  full 
committee  from  making  firm  recommenda- 
tions on  changes  in  tax  rates,  and  was 
empowered  only  to  recommend  technical 
changes.  The  subcommittee  report  conceded 
this  restriction  on  its  activity,  but  it  none- 
theless called  the  admissions  tax  problem  to 
the  attention  of  the  full  committee  in  these 
words : 

"The  Ways  and  Means  Committee,  in 
view  of  the  continuing  problems  besetting 
the  theatre  industry,  arising  primarily  from 
competition  from  the  television  industry, 
may  also  wish  to  consider  further  relief  in 
the  admissions  tax  field.”  The  subcommit- 
tee’s recommendation,  while  it  certainly  does 
not  guarantee  action  by  the  full  committee, 
does  give  the  industry  an  important  boost 
in  its  attempts  to  get  a full  committee  hear- 
ing or  vote  on  the  King  bill.  That  measure 
would  exempt  from  the  admissions  tax  any 
portion  of  the  admission  price  under  $1. 

Charles  MacArthur,  60, 
Journalist-Writer,  Dies 

Charles  MacArthur,  60,  journalist,  writer, 
producer  and  director,  died  April  21  follow- 
ing a long  illness.  Husband  of  Helen  Hayes, 
stage  and  film  actress,  he  was  born  in  Scran- 
ton, Pa.,  in  1895  and  entered  journalism 
after  his  army  service  in  World  War  I.  Co- 
author of  several  plays,  including  “The 
Front  Page”  and  “Salvation,”  he  joined 
MGM  in  1931  as  a writer  and  thereafter 
was  author,  producer  and  director  of  many 
features.  In  1935  he  won  an  Academy 
Award  for  the  film  “The  Scoundrel”  which 
he  co-produced  with  Ben  Hecht.  Among 
Mr.  MacArthur’s  noteworthy  films  were 
“Twentieth  Century,”  “Crime  without  Pas- 
sion,” “Barbary  Coast,”  “Wurthering 
Heights,”  “His  Girl  Friday,”  “Soak  the 
Rich,”  “Once  in  a Blue  Moon,”  and  “The 
Senator  Was  Indiscreet.” 


Archie  S.  Feinberg,  Air 
Conditioning  Pioneer 

Archie  S.  Feinberg,  64,  a founder  of  the 
United  States  Air  Conditioning  Corporation 
and  a pioneer  in  theatre  air  conditioning, 
died  of  a heart  attack  April  6 in  Dallas, 
Texas.  He  helped  organize  the  Arctic  Nu- 


Albany:  Guys  and  Dolls  (MGM) ; The 
Ladykillers  (Cont.). 

Atlanta:  Anything  Goes  (Par.)  ; Bottom 
of  the  Bottle  (20th-Fox) ; Dance  Lit- 
tle Lady  (Trans-Lux);  Man  With  the 
Golden  Arm  (U.A.)  2nd  week;  The 
Swan  (MGM). 

Baltimore:  Alexander  the  Great  (U.A.) 
3rd  week;  The  Conqueror  (RKO)  4th 
week;  The  Man  in  the  Gray  Flannel 
Suit  (20th-Fox) ; The  Swan  (MGM). 

Buffalo:  Carousel  (20th-Fox)  3rd  week; 
Jubal  (Col.);  The  Man  in  the  Gray 
Flannel  Suit  (20th-Fox)  4th  week; 
Serenade  (W.B.) ; The  Swan  (MGM). 

Chicago:  Alexander  the  Great  (U.A.)  3rd 
week;  Diabolique  (UMPO)  18th  week; 
Forbidden  Planet  (MGM)  2nd  week; 
The  Harder  They  Fall  (Col.)  2nd 
week;  The  Man  in  the  Gray  Flannel 
Suit  (20th-Fox)  3rd  week;  Meet  Me  in 
Las  Vegas  (MGM)  ; The  Swan  (MGM). 

Columbus:  Forbidden  Planet  (MGM). 

Denver:  Anything  Goes  (Par.)  3rd  week; 
I’ll  Cry  Tomorrow  (MGM)  3rd  week; 
Jubal  (Col.) ; The  Ladykillers  (Cont.) 
4th  week. 

Des  Moines:  The  Man  in  the  Gray  FLan- 
nel  Suit  (20th-Fox)  2nd  week;  The 
Swan  (MGM). 

Detroit:  Jubal  (Col.) ; Picnic  (Col.)  6th 
week. 

Hartford:  Carousel  (20th-Fox)  2nd  week; 
Creature  Walks  Among  Us  (U-I); 
Jubal  (Col.) ; Littlest  Outlaw  (B.V.) ; 
The  Man  in  the  Gray  Flannel  Suit 
(20th-Fox)  ; Meet  Me  in  Las  Vegas 
(MGM). 

Indianapolis:  The  Man  in  the  Gray  Flan- 
nel Suit  (20th-Fox)  2nd  week;  The 
Swan  (MGM). 

Jacksonville:  The  Littlest  Outlaw  (B. 
V.) ; Miracle  in  the  Rain  (W.B.) ; 
Rock  Around  the  Clock  (Col.) ; The 
Swan  (MGM). 

Kansas  City:  The  Man  in  the  Gray  Flan- 
nel Suit  (20th-Fox). 

Memphis:  Anything  Goes  (Par.);  The 
Man  in  the  Gray  Flannel  Suit  (20th- 
Fox). 

Miami:  The  Man  in  the  Gray  Flannel 
Suit  (20th-Fox)  2nd  week;  Oklahoma! 
(Magna)  8th  week;  The  Swan  (MGM). 


Aire  Corporation  in  Boone,  Iowa  in  1926. 
He  also  took  an  active  part  in  the  founding 
of  U.  S.  Blower  and  Heater  Company  in 
Minneapolis,  and  subsequently  in  the  found- 
ing of  usAIRco,  successor  to  the  earlier 
companies.  Later  he  had  his  own  organiza- 
tion, Great  National  Air  Conditioning  Corp. 


Milwaukee:  The  Conqueror  (RKO)  3rd 
week;  The  Man  in  the  Gray  Flannel 
Suit  (20th-Fox)  2nd  week. 

Minneapolis:  Jubal  (Col.)  ; The  Swan 
(MGM). 

New  Orleans:  Comanche  (U.A.) ; Doctor 
at  Sea  (Rep.) ; Forbidden  Planet 
(MGM);  The  Man  in  the  Gray  Flan- 
nel Suit  (20th-Fox)  ; Picnic  (Col.)  3rd 
week;  Trouble  With  Harry  (Par.)  2nd 
week. 

Oklahoma  City:  Carousel  (20th-Fox)  4th 
week;  The  Conqueror  (RKO)  2nd  week; 
The  Man  in  the  Gray  Flannel  Suit 
(20th-Fox)  2nd  week;  The  Swan 
(MGM) ; Tribute  to  a Bad  Man  (MGM) 
2nd  week. 

Philadelphia:  Carousel  (20th-Fox)  6th 

week;  Meet  Me  in  Las  Vegas  (MGM) 
2nd  week;  Picnic  (Col.)  6th  week; 
Serenade  (W.B.)  2nd  week;  The  Swan 
(MGM). 

Pittsburgh:  Carousel  (20th-Fox)  5th  week; 
Diabolique  (UMPO)  2nd  week;  The 
Man  in  the  Gray  Flannel  Suit  (20th- 
Fox)  3rd  week;  Night  My  Number 
Came  Up  (Cont.  Dist.)  4th  week;  Sere- 
nade ( W.B.) . 

Portland:  I’ll  Cry  Tomorrow  (MGM)  4th 
week;  The  Man  in  the  Gray  Flannel 
Suit  (20th-Fox)  ; Marty  (U.A.)  (reis- 
sue) 4th  week;  Meet  Me  in  Las  Vegas 
(MGM)  3rd  week. 

Providence:  Rock  Around  the  Clock 

(Col.). 

San  Francisco:  Diabolique  (UMPO)  17th 
week;  Doctor  at  Sea  (Rep.)  4th  week; 
Guys  and  Dolls  (MGM)  23rd  week; 
The  Man  in  the  Gray  Flannel  Suit 
(20th-Fox)  2nd  week;  Oklahoma! 
(Magna)  10th  week;  The  Prisoner 
(Col.)  8th  week. 

Toronto:  The  Court  Jester  (Par.) ; I’ll 
Cry  Tomorrow  (MGM)  4th  week;  The 
Ladykillers  (Cont.)  4th  week;  The 
Man  With  the  Golden  Arm  (U.A.) 
2nd  week;  Richard  III  (Lopert)  8th 
week. 

Vancouver:  The  Conqueror  (RKO);  Meet 
Me  in  Las  Vegas  (MGM). 

Washington:  Alexander  THE  Great  (U.A.) 
3rd  week;  Blacklash  (U-I) ; The  Man 
in  the  Gray  Flannel  Suit  (20th-Fox) 
3rd  week;  Miracle  in  the  Rain  (W.B.) ; 
Picnic  (Col.)  9th  week. 


Drive-in  at  Miami 

MIAMI:  The  new  North  Dade  drive-in, 
operated  by  Wometco  Theatres,  opened  here 
April  22.  It  is  located  only  a short  distance 
from  the  Golden  Glades  drive-in,  opened 
last  winter. 


32 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  APRIL  28,  1956 


BALTIMORE 

Herb  Bennin,  MGM  branch  manager,  was 
in  town  visiting  accounts.  . . . Jake  Flax, 
Republic  branch  manager,  has  left  Johns 
Hopkins  Hospital  and  returned  to  his  desk 
in  Washington.  . . . Mr.  and  Mrs.  I.  M. 
Rappaport.  of  Town  and  Hippodrome  the- 
atres, have  returned  from  White  Sulphur 
Springs.  . . . Tom  Baldridge,  MGM  repre- 
sentative. was  in  town  arranging  for  loan  of 
B & O RR  equipment  to  be  used  in  filming 
“Raintree  County”.  . . . George  Browning, 
Stanley  theatre  publicist,  week-ending  in 
New  York.  . . . Mike  Weiss,  Paramount 
exploiteer,  was  in  town.  . . . Irv  Cantor, 
Hippodrome  manager,  was  visiting  in  up- 
state New  York.  . . . Dorothy  Roberts,  long 
time  cashier  at  the  Hippodrome,  has  taken 
a new  position  with  Schwaber’s  Cinema 
theatre. 

BUFFALO 

The  Buffalo  Scholastic  Legion  of  Decency 
has  awarded  a film  citation  to  “Carousel,” 
now  in  its  fourth  week  at  the  Century  thea- 
tre. The  picture  is  being  promoted  in  all 
Catholic  schools  of  the  diocese,  according 
to  an  announcement  by  Grace  Dowling, 
legion  secretary — much  to  the  satisfaction  of 
Century  general  manager,  Robert  T.  Mur- 
phy. . . . Dipson  Theatres  of  Batavia  have 
taken  over  the  operation  of  the  Hornell 
drive-in.  on  a lease,  from  the  company 
headed  by  Harry  Berkson  of  Buffalo.  . . . 
The  Avenue  Drive-In  Theatre  Corporation 
of  Buffalo,  of  which  Harry  Berkson  is  the 
head,  has  acquired  the  Boulevard  drive-in 
on  the  Niagara  Fails  boulevard  in  the  town 
of  Wheatfield.  . . . Sam  Slotnick  is  opening 
a new  drive-in  in  the  town  of  Liverpool, 
near  Syracuse.  . . . James  L.  Russell  has 
taken  over  the  operation  of  the  Rialto  thea- 
tre in  East  Rochester.  The  Rialto,  owned 
by  Harold  Dykert.  was  operated  for  several 
years  by  Schine  Theatres.  . . . Following  a 
run  of  16  weeks  of  “Guys  and  Dolls,”  the 
Cinema  theatre  in  downtown  Buffalo  has 
gone  back  to  its  regular  policy  of  showing 
unusual  pictures  from  this  country  and 
abroad.  The  current  attraction  is  “Doctor 
At  Sea.”  . . . Two  firefighters  were  felled 
by  smoke  while  battling  a two-alarm  fire 
in  the  Roxy  theatre,  Basil  circuit  community 
house,  in  Buffalo,  early  the  other  day.  The 
fire  caused  $20,000  damage  to  the  balcony 
projection  booth  and  second  floor. 

CHARLOTTE 

Mrs.  Pauline  Griffith,  who  was  confined 
to  a hospital  bed  for  some  time  because  of 
a broken  hip,  has  returned  to  her  home. 
Mrs.  Griffith  is  adviser  to  the  Theatre  Own- 
ers Association  of  North  and  South  Caro- 
lina. . . . MGM  publicist  Tom  Baldridge  was 
here  from  Washington.  . . . Several  members 
of  the  Charlotte  WOMPI  Club  will  give  a 
party  at  which  a young  girl  of  Thompson 
Orphanage  will  be  honor  guest.  The  club 
will  “adopt”  the  girl,  buying  her  clothes 
and  doing  various  other  things  for  her.  The 
club  will  elect  new  officers  soon  and  there 


is  considerable  politicking  on  Film  Row.  . . . 
“The  Harder  They  Fall”  did  disappointing 
business  at  the  Center  and  “I’ll  Cry  Tomor- 
row” was  not  quite  up  to  expectations  at 
the  Manor.  “Man  in  the  Gray  Flannel  Suit” 
opened  fair  at  the  Carolina.  . . . Auditorium 
and  Coliseum  events  have  also  had  rough 
sledding  here  recently. 

CHICAGO 

Business  throughout  the  city  showed  a 
slump  in  varying  degrees.  Managers  say 
they  expected  it,  as  every  year  income  tax 
date  takes  a toll  in  the  movie  business.  Loop 
business  was  helped  by  an  unusual  number 
of  convention  visitors,  however.  . . . Jules 
Bernstein,  who  was  stage  manager  and  chief 
electrician  for  Balaban  & Katz  for  over  30 
years,  died  April  19.  . . . Faye  Chazdon  is 
a new  addition  to  the  Allied  Artists  office 
force.  . . . Herb  Wheeler,  of  Stanley  War- 
ner Theatres,  departed  this  week  for  a vaca- 
tion on  the  east  coast  of  Florida.  . . . Ed 
Wolk,  head  of  Ed  Wolk  Supply  Company, 
entered  Columbus  Memorial  Hospital  for  a 
checkup.  . . . White  way  Sign  Company  just 
completed  a new  $4,000  canopy  for  the 
Coronet  theatre.  . . . A1  Golden  of  Universal- 
International  is  in  the  hospital  following  an 
automobile  accident.  He  is  getting  along 
fine,  but  his  car  was  completely  demolished. 
. . . Mary  O’Leary  of  U-I  was  to  be  married 
to  Joe  Callahan  April  28.  . . . Les  Weinrott, 
who  was  CBS-TV  production  chief  here, 
resigned  to  become  executive  vice-president 
at  Kling  Film  Studios.  . . . Robert  Mitchum 
arrived  Sunday  night  for  three  days  of  ad- 
vance publicity  for  “Foreign  Intrigue.” 

CLEVELAND 

T.  L.  Irwin  has  resigned  from  Paramount 
after  almost  30  years  with  the  company  in 
Detroit,  Columbus  and  Cleveland  as  auditor, 
booker  and  salesman.  He  joins  Buena  Vista 
as  auditor  with  headquarters  in  Cleveland. 
This  necessitated  the  following  Paramount 
changes:  Irwin  Sears  promoted  to  head 
booker,  Helen  Thoma  former  branch  man- 
ager’s secretary  to  booker,  and  Lillian  Ack, 
cashier,  to  double  as  cashier  and  office  man- 
ager. . . . Word  comes  from  the  Sarasota 
Hospital,  Sarasota,  Fla.  that  Nat  L.  Lefton, 
prominent  local  distributor  until  his  retire- 
ment about  10  years  ago,  is  critically  ill. 
With  him  are  his  wife;  daughter,  Natalie 
Perlmuter,  and  sons,  Benton  and  Gilbert, 
all  of  Cleveland.  . . . H.  E.  MacManus  will 
be  tendered  a farewell  testimonial  dinner 
May  14  in  Rosso’s  Restaurant,  prior  to  his 
leaving  Co-operative  Theatres  of  Ohio  to 
take  over  the  management  of  the  Telegraph, 
Parkside  and  Starlite  drive-ins,  Toledo.  . . . 
Rhoda  Koret,  Columbia  booker  who  is  active 
in  little  theatre  dramatics,  is  playing  her 
last  role  of  the  season  in  “Dark  Tower,” 
presented  by  Community  Theatre.  She  plans 
to  resume  the  work  in  the  fall.  . . . Twenty- 
five  Cleveland  subsequent  run  theatres 
played  “Picnic”  the  week  of  April  18-25  in 
one  of  the  most  comprehensive  saturation 
bookings  ever  held  here.  . . . Jerry  Safron, 


Columbia  booker,  announces  four  Columbia 
first  run  local  openings  within  a three-week 
period.  They  are  “Cockleshell  Heroes”  at 
the  Allen  April  25;  “Jubal”  at  the  Hippo- 
drome April  27 ; “Hot  Blood”  at  the  Palace 
May  3 and  “Autumn  Leaves”  May  9 at 
the  Allen. 

COLUMBUS 

Advertising  rates  of  the  Columbus  Citizen 
will  be  raised  two  cents  per  line  effective 
June  1.  Present  advertising  rate  for  the 
amusement  page  is  26 Yz  cents.  . . . Louis 
Sher  and  Ed  Shulman,  operators  of  the 
Bexley  Art  theatre  here,  announced  the 
acquisition  of  an  art  house  in  Milwaukee, 
Wisconsin.  The  Sher-Shulman  circuit  in- 
cludes theatres  in  Ohio,  Kentucky,  West 
Virginia,  Michigan  and  Colorado.  . . . 
Loew’s  Broad  will  soon  acquire  a new  up- 
right sign  and  new  marquee  signs.  Dis- 
mantling of  the  present  signs  is  now  in 
progress.  . . . Edee  Roberts,  local  18-year- 
old  beauty,  was  chosen  Queen  of  the  Page 
One  Ball  in  finals  held  on  the  RKO  Palace 
stage.  Manager  Edward  McGlone  of  the 
Palace  co-operated  with  the  Newspaper 
Guild,  sponsors  of  the  event.  . . . Norman 
Nadel,  Columbus  Citizen  theatre  editor,  and 
Harry  Franken,  of  the  Citizen  editorial 
staff,  attended  the  premiere  of  Twentieth 
Century-Fox’s  “On  the  Threshold  of  Space” 
held  at  RKO  Keith’s  theatre  in  Dayton, 
Ohio.  . . . Robert  Wile,  secretary  of  the 
Independent  Theatre  Owners  of  Ohio,  an- 
nounced the  signing  of  two  McConnelsville, 
Ohio  men  as  newest  members  of  the  asso- 
ciation. They  are  Charles  M.  Barkhurst, 
Ace  Hi  Drive-in  and  Charles  P.  Sloan,  Sr., 
Twin  City  Opera  House. 

DENVER 

Vern  Austin,  who  has  been  manager  of 
the  Oriental,  Denver,  has  gone  to  Rapid 
City,  S.  D.,  to  manage  the  Rex,  a Black 
Hills  Amusement  Co.  house.  . . . Robert 
Hill,  Columbia  branch  manager,  went  to 
Alberquerque,  N.  M.,  on  a sales  trip.  There 
he  will  meet  Wayne  Ball,  district  manager. 
. . . F.  A.  Bateman,  Republic  district  man- 
ager, was  in  calling  on  the  circuits  and 
conferring  with  Gene  Gerbase,  branch  man- 
ager. . . . H.  F.  Taylor  is  building  a 300- 
car  drive-in  at  Taos,  N.  M.,  for  a May  10 
opening.  Arch  Boardman  is  doing  the  book- 
ing and  buying.  . . . Dorothy  Rutherford, 
new  to  the  business,  is  the  new  bookkeeper 
at  Service  Theatre  Supply,  succeeding  Otis 
Dunlap,  former  theatre  manager,  who  has 
gone  to  Oklahoma.  . . . Ralph  Bonar,  Alex- 
ander Film  Co.  representative,  has  been 
placed  on  the  jury  that  will  hear  the  Graham 
murder  trial.  The  trial  concerns  a bomb  ex- 
plosion of  an  airliner  in  which  44  persons 
were  killed.  Pauline  Hall,  secretary  at  Para- 
mount Pictures,  won  an  excuse  from  serv- 
ing. . . . Hal  Fuller,  Dimension  Pictures 
exchanges  owner,  flew  in  from  Salt  Lake 
City  headquarters.  This  after  he  had  just 
bought  a Cadillac  Eldorado. 

( Continued  on  following  page) 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  APRIL  28,  1956 


33 


DES  MOINES 

Firemen  were  called  to  the  Hiland  theatre 
in  Des  Moines  when  Mrs.  Pearl  Fort,  the 
manager,  noticed  smoke  in  the  building. 
Firemen  said  they  believed  an  electric  fan 
motor  overheated.  Patrons  remained  in  the 
theatre  and  there  was  no  panic.  . . . The 
Story  theatre  in  Story  City  has  installed 
two  new  Century  sound  reproducers  to  go 
with  their  new  projectors.  . . . Drive-in  the- 
atres around  the  state  have  been  opening 
with  the  good  weather.  The  Starlite  at 
Algona  held  an  open  house  and  test  night 
recently.  Four  cartoons  were  shown  and 
the  snack  bar  was  open.  Manager  is  Virgil 
Rohlf.  . . . Children  under  12  were  admitted 
without  charge  to  the  opening  of  the  Corral 
drive-in  at  Storm  Lake.  . . . Ann  Branco, 
Universal  booker’s  secretary,  went  to 
Davenport  to  take  part  in  a bowling  tourna- 
ment. . . . Lou  Levy,  Universal  manager, 
visited  the  Muscatine-Moline-Davenport  and 
Rock  Island  area.  . . . The  women’s  division 
of  Variety  Club  held  its  regular  monthly 
meeting  at  the  Standard  Club.  Mabel  Kutch 
of  Younkers  gave  a program  on  fashion.  . . . 
The  Seymour  Community  Club,  in  co-opera- 
tion with  Dwight  Miller  of  Kansas  City, 
owner  of  the  Lyric  theatre  at  Seymour,  has 
made  plans  to  operate  the  house  on  Satur- 
day nights.  The  Lyric  has  been  closed  for 
months ; if  arrangements  go  through  as 
planned,  the  club  will  lease  the  Lyric  once 
a week  with  free  admission  to  children  and 
a 25-cent  charge  for  adults.  ...  Two  youths 
in  blue  jeans,  each  carrying  a sawed-off 
shotgun,  held  up  the  Algona  drive-in  thea- 
tre and  fled  %vith  about  $140.  They  drove 
off  in  a car  which  later  was  found  aban- 
doned near  Algona.  . . . Tom  Ryan  of  Cairo, 
Neb.,  has  been  named  manager  of  the  King 
theatre  and  the  drive-in  at  Albia  Ryan,  who 
sold  the  theatre  he  had  operated  in  Cairo, 
succeeds  Robert  Morton  who  has  been  trans- 
ferred to  Fremont,  Neb.,  by  the  Central 
States  circuit. 

DETROIT 

Drive-in  operators  have  suffered  heavily 
with  the  late-late  spring.  Near  freezing 
nighttime  temperatures  plus  above  normal 
rain  and  snow  have  shoved  the  flow  of 
patronage  back  almost  a month.  . . . Lew 
Wisper,  Wisper-Wetsman  Theatres  head, 
has  stepped  into  the  drive-in  field  for  the 
first  time.  Together  with  David  Newman, 
Richard  Roach  and  Norman  Stockmeyer, 
he  has  built  a new  plant,  the  Walake  on 
Maple  Rd.  in  Walled  Lake.  Opening  is 
scheduled  for  Decoration  Day.  . . . Legality 
of  drive-in  construction  in  the  city  of 
Livonia  has  confused  the  council  of  that  city 
to  the  point  of  postponing  indefinitely  is- 
suance of  a permit  to  the  Wayne  Amuse- 
ment Co.  There  is  an  ordinance  on  the 
books  forbidding  drive-ins  but  whether  the 
ordinance  itself  is  legal  is  a question  that 
still  needs  clarification.  . . . Walter  Norris, 
Butterfield  ad  man,  is  traveling  the  state- 
wide Butterfield  circuit.  . . . IFE  has  opened 
a Detroit  office  with  Lee  Goldsmith  at  the 
head  desk.  . . . The  Fox  re-ran  “Carmen 
Jones,”  cashing  in  part  on  the  publicity 
Henry  Belafonte  has  piled  up  during  his 
stay  at  the  Shubert  in  “Sing,  Man,  Sing.” 
. . . Mrs.  Max  Williams  of  Royal  Oak, 
president  of  the  Federation  of  Motion  Pic- 
tures, Inc.,  went  to  St.  Louis  for  the  100 
council  meeting.  Mrs.  C.  R.  Belz  and  Mrs. 
Francis  Van  Deusen  were  the  delegates  to 
the  meeting. 


HARTFORD 

Miss  Marjorie  Jacobson,  daughter  of 
Morris  Jacobson,  general  manager,  Strand 
Amusement  Company,  Bridgeport,  Conn., 
and  Mrs.  Jacobson,  has  been  accepted  at 
the  University  of  Pittsburgh’s  College  of 
Medicine.  She  is  now  completing  her  pre- 
medical studies  at  the  University  of  Michi- 
gan. . . . David  Miller,  assistant  manager, 
Bijou  theatre,  Springfield,  Mass.,  has  been 
promoted  to  manager,  Arch  St.  theatre,  New 
Britain,  Conn.,  by  Perakos  Theatre  Asso- 
ciates. . . . Joseph  Roche,  columnist  for  the 
New  Britain  Herald,  will  be  toastmaster  for 
the  New  Britain  Press  Club  Man  of  the 
Year  Awards  dinner  honoring  Peter  G. 
Perakos,  Sr.,  president,  Perakos  Theatre  As- 
sociates, on  May  10  at  7 P.M.,  at  the  Hedges 
Restaurant,  Hartford-New  Britain  Road.  . . . 
George  LeWitt’s  plans  to  build  a drive-in 
theatre  at  Berlin,  Conn.,  continue  to  be 
thwarted  by  local  opposition.  A special  town 
meeting  has  approved  an  ordinance  banning 
construction  of  drive-in  theatres,  by  a close 
vote  of  67  to  62,  and  it  is  presumed  that 
LeWitt  now  will  carry  his  case  into  a court 
appeal.  Local  residents,  opposing  the  proj- 
ect, have  charged  that  a drive-in  theatre 
will  bring  added  traffic  hazards  and  other 
nuisances. 

INDIANAPOLIS 

The  wedding  hullabaloo  in  Monaco  evi- 
dently did  not  help  “The  Swan”  here,  as 
it  opened  rather  quietly  at  Loew’s  Friday. 
. . . Dick  Frank,  Paramount  branch  man- 
ager, and  Dave  Friedman,  field  representa- 
tive, spoke  before  a meeting  of  the  Indiana 
Council  of  Women  Thursday.  . . . Charles 
Hood  has  been  named  city  manager  of 
Syndicate  houses  in  Elwood.  Hood  form'erly 
managed  in  Alexandria  for  Alliance  circuit. 
. . . Jack  Bornstein,  who  operates  a jewelry 
store  with  his  father,  has  taken  over  man- 
agement of  the  Starlite  at  Tell  City.  . . . 
A1  Hendricks,  manager  of  the  Indiana,  took 
a press-radio  party  to  Dayton  Wednesday 
for  the  premiere  of  “On  the  Threshold  of 
Space.”  . . . Manny  Marcus,  head  of  Marcus 
Enterprises,  was  called  to  Cincinnati  last 
week  by  the  death  of  a sister  there.  . . . Sol 
Greenberg,  Y & W booker,  was  incapaci- 
tated by  a virus  infection.  . . . Earl  Cun- 
ningham has  installed  a new  SilverScope 
screen  at  the  Fountain  Square.  . . . Trueman 
Rembusch,  Allied  leader,  has  returned  from 
a Florida  vacation. 

JACKSONVILLE 

WOMPI  members  celebrated  on  April  20 
at  Fred  Abood’s  Steer  Room  the  first  an- 
niversary of  the  club’s  formation,  with  pres- 
ident Sarah  Keller  giving  the  main  address. 
Many  of  the  girls’  Film  Row  bosses  were 
especially  invited  guests.  . . . Roy  Smith 
visited  with  Georgia  exhibitors  in  Valdosta 
and  Homerville.  . . . Jack  Rigg,  booker  for 
12  independents,  has  moved  his  office  from 
Jacksonville  Beach  to  the  local  Lynch  Build- 
ing. . . . Tubby  Watson  staged  a well-at- 
tended benefit  night  for  the  Oceanway 
School  at  his  nearby  Oceanway  drive-in. 
. . . LaMar  Sarra,  FST  vice-president,  an- 
nounced that  the  downtown  Palace  theatre, 
closed  April  1,  will  be  demolished  to  make 
way  for  a parking  lot.  . . . Visiting  exhibi- 
tors were  Bob  Skaggs,  St.  Augustine ; 
Harry  Dale,  Lake  Butler ; R.  C.  Mullis, 
High  Springs;  Lee  Z.  Henry,  Zephyrhills; 
Ed  Roberts,  Gainesville;  Jimmy  Biddle, 


Jasper;  and  Mrs.  A.  H.  Gawthrop,  Palatka. 

. . . Alfred  E.  Butterfield  has  produced  in 
cooperation  with  Florida’s  Marine  Studios 
a documentary  of  feature  length  called  “The 
Miracle  of  the  Reef,”  which  pictures  coastal 
marine  life.  . . . Federal  Judge  Bryan  Simp- 
son has  dismissed  (April  17)  a $450,000  suit 
against  the  Normandy  Twin  Outdoor  thea- 
tres, 1,500-car  drive-in  west  of  the  city 
which  is  operated  by  Loew’s,  Inc.  Com- 
plainants were  owners  of  the  Main  Street 
drive-in  theatre,  in  north  Jacksonville,  who 
sought  to  break  the  Normandy’s  policy  of 
obtaining  first  access  from  distributors  to 
second  run  pictures  in  Duval  County.  Jack- 
sonville Theatre  Co.  operates  the  Main 
Street  outdoorer. 

KANSAS  CITY 

Preparatory  meetings  are  being  held  in 
districts  of  the  Fox  Midwest  circuit,  for 
Rhoden  Week,  in  honor  of  Elmer  Rhoden, 
head  of  National  Theatres  and  former  pres- 
ident and  general  manager  of  Fox  Midwest. 
The  Greater  Kansas  City  district,  No.  1, 
Leon  Robertson,  manager,  held  its  meeting 
April  18.  Rhoden  Week  will  be  in  the 
middle  of  June.  . . . Leonard  Wood,  assist- 
ant manager  for  RKO  theatres  at  Omaha, 
is  at  the  RKO  Missouri  this  week  while 
George  (Russ)  Stevens,  the  manager,  is  in 
Minneapolis.  . . . Fine  weather,  mild  and 
sunny  has  coincided  with  a poor  week  for 
most  motion  picture  theatres.  Also,  the  Ice 
Capades,  at  the  Auditorium,  has  not  helped. 
. . . Most  drive-ins  show  three  features 
weekends.  Three  show  only  two  features. 
. . . Several  drive-ins  are  using  large-space 
newspaper  advertising;  in  some  cases,  two 
are  joining  in  display  ads  comparable  with 
those  of  first  runs. 

LOS  ANGELES 

Fire  caused  damage  to  the  interior  of 
Mort  Wexler’s  Linda  Lea  theatre  on  Main 
street  but  repair  work  is  underway  and  the 
Japanese  language  film  house  is  scheduled 
to  re-open  soon.  . . . After  several  years  as 
manager  of  Fox  West  Coast’s  Uptown, 
Jerry  Shur  is  leaving  to  join  United  Artists 
as  manager  of  that  circuit’s  UA  downtown. 
He  succeeds  Danny  Rochin,  transferred  to 
the  United  Artists  in  Pasadena.  Taking  over 
at  the  Uptown  is  Walt  Reis.  . . . The  Earl 
Johnson  office  has  been  assigned  the  buying 
and  booking  duties  for  the  Sombrero  theatre 
in  Phoenix,  Ariz.  House  was  formerly 
operated  by  Louis  Leithold  as  an  art  thea- 
tre. . . . Lester  Tobias  of  Manhattan  Films 
headed  for  Chicago  to  join  his  boss,  Robert 
Kronenberg  at  a TV  conference  dealing  with 
the  sale  of  old  theatrical  features  to  video. 
. . . Lou  O’Brasky,  booker  for  Azteca, 
checked  out  of  the  hospital  after  an  opera- 
tion. . . . Bill  Zimmerman,  co-owner  and 
manager  of  the  Arden  in  South  Gate,  de- 
parted on  a vacation  to  the  European  Con- 
tinent. ...  In  town  for  a buying  and  book- 
ing stint  were  Ernest  Martini,  Rancho  thea- 
tre, Arvin  and  Jack  Feder,  Roxy  theatre 
in  Long  Beach. 

MEMPHIS 

Memphis  city  officials  have  announced 
they  are  going  to  crack  down  on  collection 
of  Sunday  assessments  of  theatres  in  effect 
since  Sunday  opening  was  permitted  in  the 
early  ’30s.  Money  goes  to  welfare  department 
which  has  had  unusually  heavy  calls  lately. 

( Continued  on  page  36) 


34 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  APRIL  28,  1956 


I/-V 


proudly  announces 
that  the  long-run 


VICTORIA  THEATRE 

NEW  YORK 


BORN  YESTERDAY 


THE  MOON  IS  BLUE 


THE  MAN  WITH  THE  GOLDEN  ARM 


has  selected 


Vincent  M.  Fennelly’s  production 


for 

World  Premiere  Presentation 

in  May 


And  Introducing 


Co-starring 


JAMES  WHITMORE ■ JOHN  CASSAVETES  - SAL  MINEO.mk  hoeu . 

A VINCENT  M.  FENNELLY  PRODUCTION  • Directed  by  DONALD  SIEGEL  • Story  and  Screenplay  by  REGINALD  ROSE  • Music  by  FRANZ  WAXMAN 


WITH 

OENISE  ALEXANDER 


{Continued  from  page  34) 
Assessments  based  on  seating,  range  from 
$8.50  to  $75  per  Sunday  and  some  haven’t 
been  paying.  Theatre  owners  may  protest 
as  they  feel  tax  is  unfair.  . . . Moses  Sliman, 
owner  of  the  Murr  at  Osceola  and  Lux  at 
Luxora  has  bought  Delta  drive-in,  Osceola, 
from  Mrs.  Violet  Martin.  . . . Grady  Cook, 
owner  of  the  Joy  at  Pontotoc,  Miss.,  died 
last  week.  . . . Mid-south  drive-in  owners  are 
hoping  for  warmer  weather.  It  has  been 
too  cool  for  business.  . . . John  Eaton  has 
taken  over  operation  of  the  the  Rialto  in 
Memphis.  He  also  owns  and  operates  the 
Normal.  . . . Mrs.  Nate  Evans,  whose  hus- 
band has  an  interest  in  the  Idlewild  and 
W.  C.  Handy  Theatres  in  Memphis,  in  ad- 
dition to  ownership  of  one  construction 
firm  and  partnership  in  another,  died  last 
weekend  after  a long  illness.  She  was  active 
in  Jewish  affairs,  especially  in  work  with 
teenage  groups.  She  was  52. 

MIAMI 

There  were  trial  runs  and  previews  on 
the  two  evenings  preceding  the  official  April 
27th  opening  of  the  latest  link  in  the 
Wometco  chain,  the  N.  Dade  drive-in.  The 
theatre  offers  "Eye-Fi”  projection  plus 
“Hi-Fi’’  sound  with  charcoal  broiled  burgers 
and  real  Italian  pizzas,  in  its  confection 
pavillion,  an  added  bonus.  . . . An  upward 
swing  in  foreign  film  viewing  throughout 
the  state  is  reported  by  Arthur  Davis  of 
Gold  Coast  Pictures  with  the  Italian  product 
"Too  Bad  She’s  Bad”  getting  more  play- 
dates  than  any  previous  Italian  film  booked 
here.  . . . The  George  (Variety  Club’s  chief 
barker)  Hoovers  are  on  a whirlwind  tour 
of  Europe  which  will  bring  them  back  in 
time  for  barking  at  the  national  convention 
in  New  York  early  in  May.  . . . An  exploita- 
tion man’s  dream  came  into  fulfillment  for 
Wometco's  Sonny  Shepherd  when  he  was 
guest  columnist  for  a day  and  subbed  for 
George  Bourke,  vacationing  amusement 
editor  of  the  Miami  Herald.  . . . The  Atlanta 
office  of  20th  Century-Fox  was  minus  ex- 
ploiteer  Don  Yarbough  recently  when  he 
spent  some  time  planning  promotion  in  this 
sector.  . . . The  Miracle  theatre  started  a 
new  policy  of  opening  at  1 1 :45  A.M.  instead 
of  the  usual  1 :45  P.M.,  offering  “early  bird” 
screenings. 

MILWAUKEE 

Joseph  Reynolds,  Jr.,  son  of  Joe  Reynolds, 
manager  of  the  Towne  theatre,  who  will 
have  a tryout  with  the  Milwaukee  Braves 
this  month,  has  also  heard  from  two  other 
ball  clubs — the  Chicago  White  Sox  and 
the  Philadelphia  Phillies.  His  position  is 
catcher.  . . . Due  to  the  local  transport  strike, 
leaving  Milwaukee  without  bus  or  streetcar 
service,  the  box  office  downtown  has  fallen 
off  20  to  25  per  cent.  Neighborhood  houses 
reported  very  good  business,  however.  . . . 
Members  and  guests  of  the  Better  Films 
Council  of  Milwaukee  County  will  be  meet- 
ing in  front  of  the  Warner  theatre  May  7 
at  8:30  A.M.  They  are  going  to  Chicago 
on  a tour  to  see  “Cinerama  Holiday”  and 
attend  a luncheon.  Three  Greyhound  buses 
will  take  the  women  down. 

MINNEAPOLIS 

Norm  Levinson,  MGM  Minneapolis  press 
representative,  has  been  transferred  to 
Jacksonville,  Fla.  Replacing  him  will  be 
Bob  Stone,  who  has  been  MGM  exploiteer 


for  the  Omaha  and  Des  Moines  territories 
with  headquarters  in  Omaha.  . . . Russ 
McCarthy,  formerly  of  the  Paramount  sales 
staff,  is  the  new  salesman  for  United  Artists 
in  North  Dakota  and  South  Dakota,  replac- 
ing Ray  Lehrman,  who  joined  Independent 
Film  Distributors.  . . . Funeral  services  were 
held  in  Minneapolis  for  Bill  Shartin,  56, 
who  was  district  manager  for  Favorite 
Films  in  Seattle.  Mr.  Shartin  was  killed 
by  a car  as  he  was  crossing  a street  in 
downtown  Seattle.  At  one  time  he  was  a 
salesman  in  Minneapolis  for  Universal  and 
Warner  Bros,  and  later  was  district  man- 
ager for  Warners  in  Chicago.  . . . Mrs. 
Florence  Fick,  operator  of  the  Hollywood 
at  Lake  City,  Minn.,  booked  a new  type  of 
double  feature — a film  and  a wrestling  show 
which  featured  women  wrestlers  in  the 
semi-finals.  She  had  40  ringside  seats  on  the 
stage.  . . . Harold  Wiesenthal  of  Phoenix 
Films,  New  York,  was  in  calling  on  the 
circuits  and  buying  combines.  . . . Claire 
Higgins,  bookkeeper  at  RKO,  was  hospital- 
ized with  severe  body  bruises  she  received 
in  a car  collision. 

NEW  ORLEANS 

The  WOMPI’S  are  busily  engaged  in 
booking  trailers  for  the  local  Cancer  Society 
of  America  to  all  theatres  in  the  territory. 
. . . Sammy  Wright  of  Southern  Theatre 
Service  and  his  partner  in  theatre  and 
Dixie  Film  Exchange  operation,  Frank  Lais, 
are  on  a combined  business  and  pleasure 
tour  in  Florida.  . . . The  WOMPI’S  also 
have  two  important  events  on  tab  for  the 
month  of  May.  One  is  the  election  of  a 
new  slate  of  officers  for  1956-57  term  and 
the  other  is  the  annual  “Bosses”  luncheon 
which  will  be  staged  at  the  Variety. Club 
quarters.  . . , Bill  Holliday,  manager,  Para- 
mount, and  Mary  Kell,  Universal,  were  the 
lucky  winners  of  Easter  baskets  raffled  by 
the  WOMPI’S  which  netted  the  club  $52.55. 
In  addition  they  also  garnered  a profit  of 
$41.55  from  sale  of  Easter  eggs.  . . . Joy 
N.  Houck  and  associate  owners  of  the 
Panorama  have  launched  a $100,000  pro- 
gram for  the  improvement  of  the  theatre. 
The  program  includes  new  carpets,  seats, 
general  redecoration  and  the  installation  of 
Todd-AO  equipment. 

OKLAHOMA  CITY 

High  school  seniors  from  all  city  schools 
were  guests  of  the  Air  Force  at  a free 
movie  showing  Saturday.  The  motion  pic- 
ture tells  the  “scientific  side”  of  Uncle  Sam’s 
Air  Force.  The  sneak  preview  of  “On 
the  Threshold  of  Space”  at  the  Harber 
was  arranged  by  the  Oklahoma  City  recruit- 
ing office.  Besides  all  12th  grade  boys  and 
girls  in  town,  a number  of  high  ranking 
Air  Force  officers  were  invited  to  attend. 
. . . “Man  With  the  Golden  Arm”  was  show- 
ing at  four  suburban  theatres  in  Oklahoma 
City  this  week.  . . . Hi-Way  66  drive-in 
theatre,  at  Tulsa,  Okla.,  will  be  tem- 
porarily closed,  due  to  major  construction 
of  the  highway  which  make  it  difficult  to 
reach  the  theatre.  It  will  reopen  when  the 
road  will  permit.  . . . The  Airline  drive-in 
theatre  at  Ponca  City,  Okla.,  has  “buck 
nite”  every  Wednesday  and  Thursday 
nights. 

PHILADELPHIA 

A salute  is  set  for  Sam  Diamond,  20th 
Century-Fox  branch  manager,  for  May  27 


to  June  30.  . . . Tri-State  Buying  and  Book- 
ing Service  is  now  handling  the  Orient, 
Dunmore,  Pa.,  for  Percy  Carr.  ...  New 
Jersey  Messenger,  film  delivery  service,  has 
remodeled  its  quarters  at  305  No.  12th 
Street  along  film  exchange  row.  . . . Ted 
Schlanger,  zone  head  for  the  Stanley  War- 
ner Theatres  here,  was  reelected  to  the 
board  of  directors  of  the  Philadelphia  chap- 
ter of  the  Multiple  Sclerosis  Society.  . . . 
Hopes  have  dwindled  here  for  a movie  cen- 
sorship bill  to  be  passed  at  this  session  of 
the  State  Legislature  now  that  Senate  lead- 
ers have  announced  that  several  bills  now 
pending  probably  are  unconstitutional.  . . . 
Motion  Picture  Machine  Operators  Union, 
Local  329,  in  Scranton,  Pa.,  elected  Sam 
Kessler  as  business  agent,  and  Edward 
Pantle  as  president.  Kessler  served  the 
local  as  business  agent  for  18  years  prior 
to  World  War  II,  and  succeeds  Percy  Carr 
who  recently  resigned.  . . . Although  no 
election  on  the  Sunday  movie  issue  has 
been  held  or  is  scheduled  for  South  Heidel- 
berg Township  near  Reading,  Pa.,  the  Sink- 
ing  Spring  drive-in  there  has  resumed  Sun- 
day operation.  . . . Charles  R.  Koerner,  man- 
ager of  the  Colonial,  Lancaster,  Pa.,  an- 
nounced that  an  $100,000  modernization  pro- 
gram has  been  started  during  the  three  weeks 
that  the  house  will  be  closed,  reopening  next 
month  as  the  Boyd — the  property  having 
recently  been  purchased  by  the  A.  R.  Boyd 
Enterprises  here.  . . . The  A.  M.  Ellis  The- 
atres have  set  “Hill  24  Doesn’t  Answer,” 
the  Israeli  feature  in  English,  for  an  area 
first  showing  in  six  of  their  neighborhood 
houses. 

PITTSBURGH 

“Alexander  the  Great”  has  a definite 
Penn  date  now,  May  25.  . . . The  Capitol 
theatre,  a 1,575-seater  in  Braddock,  closed 
down  after  33  years  of  operation  when  the 
building  was  sold  to  a Pittsburgh  investment 
company.  The  house  was  originally  built 
by  the  Rowland  and  Clark  interests.  . . . 
“Adorable  Creatures”  went  first  run  into 
the  Art  Cinema.  . . . “Umberto  D”  which 
never  got  started  in  the  Studio  Art  theatre 
in  Bellevue  was  replaced  by  another  re- 
issue of  “Red  Shoes.”  . . . “Seven  Wonders 
of  the  World”  received  a gala  premiere 
after  a big  press  campaign  by  Arthur  Man- 
son.  The  United  Nations  Association  of 
Pittsburgh  sponsored  the  premiere.  . . . Dick 
Purvis,  former  assistant  manager  at  the 
Ritz,  is  home  for  a few  days  after  complet- 
ing his  basic  training  in  Parris  Island,  S.  C. 
. . . Consistent  business  at  the  Fulton  re- 
sulted in  a fifth  week  for  “Carousel”  and  a 
fourth  for  “Man  in  the  Gray  Flannel  Suit” 
in  the  J.  P.  Harris.  . . . Milt  and  Tony 
Antonoplos,  owners  of  several  East  Pitts- 
burgh houses,  are  planning  to  build  a new 
drive-in  on  Route  22. 


PORTLAND 

Barbara  Nyberg,  daughter  of  Evergreen 
Oregon  district  manager  Oscar,  and  Mrs. 
Nyberg,  was  praised  by  the  critics  for  her 
role  in  “All  My  Sons”  at  the  U.  of  Oregon 
Drama  Theatre.  ...  Bill  Scholl,  UA  pub- 
licity executive  from  Los  Angeles,  heads 
back  to  the  film  capitol  after  setting  up  a 
big  campaign  on  “Alexander  the  Great” 
with  Paramount  theatre  manager  Dick  New- 
ton. . . . Mrs.  J.  J.  Parker  has  given  her 
ace  Broadway  theatre  a facelifting.  . . . 

( Continued  on  page  38) 


36 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  APRIL  28,  1956 


The  BOXOFFICE  and 


Big  openings  and  solid  day-by-day 
business  in  every  early  date— 
Detroit  and  the  entire  Butterfield 
Circuit,  Michigan  . . .Watch  the 
multi-theatre  run  in  Los  Ange- 
les...the  openings  in  San  Fran- 
cisco, Pittsburgh,  and  more 
and  more  key  cities  through- 
out the  cou 


A HAL  E.  CHESTER  Production  • Directed  by  LEWIS  R FOSTER 

Story  and  Screenplay  by  ROBERT  LEWIN 


( Continued  from  page  36) 

Zollie  Yolcheck,  head  of  NW  Releasing, 
is  handling  the  Liberace  show  in  Seattle. 
Frank  Breall,  former  Evergreen  manager, 
handles  the  Portland  stand  of  the  show.  . . . 
Nancy  Welch  continues  to  remodel  her 
Guild  theatre. 

PROVIDENCE 

Because  of  the  overwhelming  opposition 
to  a proposal  of  the  Warwick  Tent  Theatre 
to  operate  a cocktail  lounge  and  bar  in 
conjunction  with  its  entertainment  facilities, 
Burton  Bonoff,  impresario,  recently  with- 
drew his  application  for  a liquor  license. 
Of  some  30  persons  who  attended  the  orig- 
inal hearing,  29  opposed  the  plan.  Bonoff 
was  the  only  one  present  who  favored  it. 

. . . Maria  Riva  and  Alan  Baxter  are  sched- 
uled to  make  a personal  appearance  at  the 
Veterans’  Memorial  Auditorium,  late  this 
month,  in  “Tea  and  Sympathy.”  For  the 
first  time  in  local  entertainment  history,  two 
performances  of  a play  will  be  given  the 
same  evening.  . . . Following  a pleasant 
weekend  (Easter),  one  of  the  very  few  in 
the  past  four  months,  last  weekend  started 
off  in  a most  inauspicious  manner.  Satur- 
day was  raw,  cold  and  windy,  with  occa- 
sional rain  squalls.  A heavy  wet  snowstorm 
greeted  Rhode  Islanders  Sunday  morning, 
and  continued  until  late  afternoon.  Driving, 
while  not  slippery,  was  quite  dangerous  and 
miserable.  Some  three  to  four  inches  of 
heavy,  sticky  snow,  mixed  with  ice  and  sleet, 
coated  the  highways.  Transportation  was 
close  to  normal,  but  many  would-be  movie- 
goers remained  in  the  comfort  of  their  homes 
as  the  thermometer  hovered  around  freezing. 
Drive-ins  were  the  most  seriously  affected, 
and  despite  emergency  efforts  to  remove  the 
snow,  most  lost  Sunday  night’s  business. 

ST.  LOUIS 

Manager  Miller  of  the  Hi-Way  theatre  at 
Crystal  City,’  Mo.,  announced  this  week  that 
the  theatre  would  be  closed  temporarily  be- 
cause of  the  acute  shortage  of  suitable  first 
run  pictures.  The  Miller  theatre  will  con- 
tinue to  operate  as  usual.  ...  It  was 
announced  the  Wabash  Railroad  will  run 
another  excursion  from  Decatur,  111.,  to  St. 
Louis,  May  5 (with  pick-up  stops  at  towns 
en  route)  to  see  the  “Seven  Wonders  of  the 
World”.  . . . The  Lyric  theatre  building  in 
Greenfield,  111.,  has  been  purchased  by  10 
business  men  and  three  farmers  and  plans 
are  to  open  a skating  rink  and  maintain 
space  for  dances  and  parties.  ...  For  the 
first  time  in  a half  century  there  will  be  no 
“Empire”  sign  at  325  Court  street  in  Pekin, 
111.,  where  the  Empire  theatre  has  been 
closed.  It  is  to  be  converted  into  business 
places.  . . . The  State  theatre  at  Shawnee- 
town,  111.,  has  been  sold  by  D.  O.  Lanham 
to  James  M.  Gill,  a furniture  store  pro- 
prietor of  Shawneetown,  who  will  continue 
to  operate  the  house.  . . . Autovue  drive-in, 
Bloomfield,  has  a new  playground  and  a 
merry-go-round  for  the  youngsters. 


ROY  SMITH 

RES.  REAL  ESTATE  BROKER 

Specializing  in 

FLORIDA  THEATRE  PROPERTIES 

1207  - 19th  STREET  TAMPA,  FLA. 


SAN  FRANCISCO 

L.  S.  Hamm  announced  Wednesday  that 
the  newly  formed  Southern  Alameda  The- 
atres Corp.  will  build  the  first  conventional 
theatre  of  the  post  war  period  in  this  area 
at  Livermore.  Designed  by  Gus  Santacono, 
the  1,000  seat  house  will  cost  $250,000  and 
will  be  operated  by  the  Roy  Cooper  The- 
atres. Since  the  long  time  industry  of  this 
region  is  viniculture,  the  theatre  is  named 
The  Vine.  Westside  Theatres  Inc.  and 
Walter  G.  Preddy  Equipment  Co.  each  hold 
half  interest  in  the  Southern  Alameda  The- 
atres Corp.  . . . Westside  Theatres  is  en- 
larging and  modernizing  the  Valley  drive-in 
at  Pleasanton.  Three  additional  ramps,  a 
wide  screen  tower,  CinemaScope,  a recrea- 
tion area,  and  snack  bar  are  being  added  at 
a cost  of  $50,000.  . . . The  Bridge  theatre  is 
being  extensively  remodeled  for  a June  15 
re-opening  with  Alec  Guiness  in  “The  Lady- 
killers”.  . . . The  Cedar  theatre,  Nevada 
City,  a United  California  Theatres  house, 
has  been  sold  to  Verne  Sandow. 

TORONTO 

Tyrone  Guthrie,  well-known  English 
theatre  director,  is  directing  the  production 
of  “Oedipus  Rex”  at  the  Audio  Pictures 
studio  here.  The  film,  to  run  70  or  80  min- 
utes, will  take  from  two  to  three  weeks  to 
film  on  a budget  of  $400,000.  In  the  cast 
are  players  who  were  in  the  stage  produc- 
tion at  Stratford.  . . . Four  pictures  were 
classified  “adult  entertainment”  by  the  On- 
tario Board  of  Censors  during  the  month 
of  March.  . . . Newest  members  of  the  Mo- 
tion Picture  Theatres  Association  of  Ontario 
are  the  Esquire,  Southampton;  Rio,  Egan- 
ville;  Royal,  West  Lome;  and  Plaza,  Mar- 
mora. . . . “Oklahoma !”  was  to  open  in 
Todd-AO  at  the  Tivoli,  April  25.  House 
under  managership  of  Fred  Trebilcock  has 
an  all-seat  reserved  policy,  with  a top  of 
$2.25  during  the  evenings,  matinees,  $1.50 
and  a dinner  show  for  $1.75.  . . . More  than 
50,000  persons  participated  in  the  Name 
the  Oscar  Winners  Contest  in  Ottawa.  . . . 
Max  Chic,  for  the  last  two  years  associate 
editor  of  The  Canadian  Moving  Picture 
Digest,  has  announced  his  resignation.  He 
joins  Premium  Media  Services,  Ltd. 

VANCOUVER 

The  Surrey  drive-in,  near  White  Rock  in 
the  Fraser  Valley  area,  reopened  for  the 
season  on  a two-day  schedule:  Friday  and 
Saturday.  . . . Two  veteran  projectionists, 
both  of  whom  have  served  over  50  years 
in  local  booths,  will  retire  from  show  busi- 
ness in  June.  They  are  Wally  Woolridge 
of  the  Strand  and  Nippy  Gowen  of  the  In- 
ternational Cinema.  . . . Many  exhibitors 
here  are  worried  regarding  the  more  than 
seasonable  box  office  slump.  A considerable 
number  of  top  pictures  haven’t  clicked.  It 
is  thought  that  one  or  two  years  ago  the 
same  films  would  have  delivered  much 
better.  . . . Maynard  Joiner,  B.  C.  district 
manager  for  Famous  Players,  is  on  an  in- 
spection trip  covering  Vancouver  Island 
theatres.  . . . Beverly  Clark,  formerly  with 
Famous  Players  district  publicity  office  here 
and  who  quit  to  go  with  Vancouver  General 
Hospital  to  handle  public  relations,  is  back 
in  shew  business  with  Odeon  Theatres.  She 
will  cover  newspaper  layouts  for  the  chain, 
replacing  Don  Barnes  who  resigned  to  live 
in  California.  . . . Bob  Kelly,  manager  of 
the  Odeon  Dunbar,  is  back  from  a vacation 


spent  in  Portland,  Ore.  . . . Earl  McMillan, 
of  the  Studio,  is  holidaying  in  California 
and  Mexico. 

WASHINGTON 

Joseph  Cherner,  58,  prominent  civic  and 
philanthropic  leader  in  Washington,  and  an 
associate  member  of  the  Variety  Club,  died 
April  17.  . . . Wade  Pearson,  district  man- 
ager of  Neighborhood  Theatres,  Inc.,  was 
general  chairman  of  the  Washington  mo- 
tion picture  exchange  convention,  held  at 
the  Shoreham  Hotel  April  17-19.  . . . Vir- 
ginia R.  Collier,  president  of  the  D.  C. 
Motion  Picture  and  TV  Council,  will  rep- 
resent that  group  at  the  annual  conference 
of  the  Federation  of  Motion  Picture  Coun- 
cils in  St.  Louis.  . . . Mrs.  Ben  Caplon,  54, 
wife  of  the  branch  manager  of  Columbia 
Pictures,  died  April  10  at  Sibley  Hospital. 

. . . The  Variety  Club  approved  the  follow- 
ing for  associate  membership:  Paul  and 
Jack  Cooper,  partners,  Capital  Equipment 
Co.;  Dr.  Milton  F.  Weingarten,  surgeon; 
and  Alan  R.  Klompus,  executive  vice-presi- 
dent, Food  Town,  Inc.  . . . Gerald  Wagner, 
general  manager  of  Lopert  Washington 
Theatres,  was  married  April  7 to  Ruth 
Shumaker,  a writer  for  the  Washington 
Post  and  Times-Herald.  . . . Co-chairmen 
for  the  Variety  Club  Teen-Age  Juke  Box 
Dance  in  the  club  rooms  April  20  were 
Joel  Margolis,  Herman  Paris,  Norman  Kal, 
Bill  Hoyle  and  Hirsh  de  La  Viez. 

George  Murphy  Represents 
U.S,  at  Cannes  Festival 

Actor  George  Murphy  will  be  official 
U.  S.  representative  at  the  Ninth  Interna- 
tional Film  Festival  at  Cannes,  the  U.  S. 
Information  Agency  has  announced.  USIA 
Director  Theodore  Streibert  said  this  was 
the  first  time  an  industry  leader  had  been 
the  chief  U.  S.  representative  at  an  inter- 
national film  festival  and  that  it  was  “a  fine 
example  of  how  industry  and  government 
can  and  do  cooperate  in  promoting  U.  S. 
objectives  abroad.”  The  festival,  in  which 
34  countries  will  participate,  runs  from 
April  23  to  May  10.  Among  U.  S.  com- 
mercial films  being  entered  at  the  Cannes 
event  are : “I’ll  Cry  Tomorrow,”  “The  Man 
Who  Knew  Too  Much,”  “The  Man  in  the 
Gray  Flannel  Suit,”  “The  Harder  They 
Fall,”  “The  Face  of  Lincoln,”  “Wonders 
of  Manhattan,”  and  “Gerald  McBoing- 
Boing  on  the  Planet  Moo.”  The  only  U.  S. 
Government  entry  is  a 15-minute  USIA 
documentary,  “Salute  to  France.” 

" Alexander " Set  for 
May  Saturation  Dates 

Following  upon  its  21  initial  engagements 
around  the  country,  Robert  Rossen’s  Cin- 
emaScope production  of  “Alexander  the 
Great”  has  been  set  for  a saturation  Dec- 
oration Day  booking  of  300  dates,  it  is 
announced  by  William  J.  Heineman,  UA 
vice-president  in  charge  of  distribution.  Key 
features  of  the  film’s  extensive  promotion 
include  circus-style  exploitation,  intensive 
TV-radio  plugging,  city-wide  store  support, 
contests,  school  tie-ins,  personal  appearance 
tours,  saturation  newspaper  advertising  and 
all-media  publicity. 


33 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  APRIL  28,  1956 


r-l  Plans 
Foreign  Unit 
Meet  May  7 

Universal  - International  has  announced 
completion  of  plans  for  the  1956  Global 
Conference  which  gets  under  way  in  Holly- 
wood May  7 with  72  delegates  representing 
55  countries,  U-I  foreign,  domestic  and  stu- 
dio executives.  An  extensive  program  has 
been  arranged  for  the  five-day  Hollywood 
meeting,  the  first  in  U-I’s  history,  which 
will  familiarize  the  overseas  delegates  with 
all  phases  of  company  policy,  operation  and 
long  range  sales  and  promotion  plans  for  the 
foreign  field. 

Alfred  E.  Daff,  Universal  Pictures  Com- 
pany executive  vice-president  and  president 
of  the  foreign  subsidiary,  Universal  Inter- 
national Films,  will  preside.  The  sales  meet- 
ings will  be  conducted  by  foreign  general 
manager  Americo  Aboaf. 

Included  in  the  “global  policy  in  action” 
program  arranged  for  the  delegates  will  be 
the  outlining  of  projected  plans  for  further 
expansion  in  the  overseas  markets  and  the 
visual  presentation  of  sales  and  promotion 
information  at  the  general  sessions,  and 
tours  of  the  studio  to  acquaint  the  delegates 
with  actual  production  procedure.  In  addi- 
tion to  Mr.  Daff  and  Mr.  Aboaf,  the  U.  S. 


Thomas  F.  O’Neil,  president  of  RKO 
Teleradio  Pictures,  was  in  Hollywood 
this  week  for  conferences  with  studio 
executives  and  Don  Lee  network  execu- 
tives. 

Philip  Gerard,  Universal’s  eastern  pub- 
licity manager,  flew  to  Europe  this  week 
in  connection  with  pre-production  pub- 
licity plans  on  “Interlude”  which  will  go 
into  production  in  Munich  in  June.  It 
will  star  June  Allyson  and  Rossano 
Brazzi. 

Milton  Howe  has  been  named  assistant 
director  of  publicity  and  Phil  Gersdorf’s 
editorial  assistant  at  RKO  Studios  in 
Hollywood. 


contingent  will  be  headed  by  Nate  J.  Blum- 
berg,  chairman  of  the  board  of  Universal 
Pictures  Company;  Milton  R.  Rackmil,  pres- 
ident; Edward  Muhl,  vice-president  in 
charge  of  production;  Charles  J.  Feldman, 
vice-president  and  U.  S.  general  sales  man- 
ager, and  David  Lipton,  promotion  vice- 
president. 


Louis  Lober,  general  manager  of  United 
Artists’  foreign  department,  flew  to 
Bogota,  Colombia,  this  week  for  the  first 
stop  in  a tour  of  the  company’s  offices  in 
Central  and  South  America. 

William  Zimmerman,  former  vice-presi- 
dent of  Gregory-Goldman  Productions, 
has  been  appointed  vice-president  of  the 
Wolfson  Management  Corp. 

Rudolph  Bach  has  been  named  sales  rep- 
resentative for  I.F.E.  Releasing  Corp. 
in  Buffalo  and  Pittsburgh,  succeeding  Lou 
Lieser,  resigned. 

Charles  Levy  has  been  appointed  eastern 
publicity  representative  for  Bryna  Pro- 
ductions. 


Crescent  Managers  Meet 

NASHVILLE:  Mike  Simons,  MGM,  New 
York,  and  Alfred  Starr,  TOA,  Nashville, 
were  featured  speakers  at  the  spring  meet- 
ing of  the  75  managers  of  Crescent  Amuse- 
ment Co.  Also  attending  were  a score  of 
assistants  from  the  larger  houses  of  the 
circuit. 


Allied  Theatre  Owners  of  New  Jersey,  Inc. 

is  proud  to  announce  its 

37th  ANNUAL  CONVENTION 

at  the 
Fabulous 

CONCORD  HOTEL 

Kiamesha  Lake,  New  York 
on 

Sunday- Monday -Tuesday,  May  27-28-29* 


FULL  SCHEDULE  OF  ACTIVITIES  FOR  YOU  AND  YOUR  WIFE 

* Bonus  Attraction:  Decoration  Day,  May  30th,  at  regular  convention  rates,  if  you  wish  to  stay  on. 

LAST  CALL  FOR  RESERVATIONS-Contact  Allied  Office,  LAckawanna  4-2530 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  APRIL  28,  1956 


39 


FILM  BUYERS  RATING 


Film  buyers  of  independent  circuits  in  the  U.  S.  rate  current 
product  on  tlx  basis  of  its  performance  in  their  theatres.  This 
report  covers  S 6 attractions,  2,894  playdates. 

Titles  run  alphabetically.  Numerals  refer  to  the  number  of  en- 
gagements on  each  attraction  reported.  The  tabulation  is  cumula- 
tive. Dagger  (t)  denotes  attractions  published  for  the  first  time. 
Asterisk  (*)  indicates  attractions  which  are  listed  for  the  last  time. 

EX  means  Excellent;  AA — Above  Average;  AV — Average; 
BA — Below  Average;  PR — Poor. 


African  Lion,  The  (B.V.)  

EX 

1 

AA 

7 

AV 

18 

BA 

13 

PR 

15 

All  That  Heaven  Allows  (U-l)  

5 

21 

8 

1 

4 

Apache  Woman  (A.R.C.)  

1 

7 

2 

2 

- 

Artists  and  Models  (Par.) 

10 

33 

18 

7 

1 

At  Gunpoint  (A. A.)  

- 

1 

10 

24 

2 

Backlash  (U-l)  

_ 

5 

2 

10 

_ 

(Battle  Station  (Col.)  

- 

4 

- 

1 

- 

Benny  Goodman  Story,  The  (U-l) 

1 

6 

8 

21 

1 1 

Big  Knife,  The  (U.A.)  

- 

- 

1 

II 

14 

Blood  Alley  (W.B.)  

- 

8 

29 

21 

3 

Bottom  of  the  Bottle  (20th-Fox) 

- 

2 

8 

10 

22 

(Carousel  (20th-Fox)  

1 

5 

1 

_ 

_ 

Come  Next  Spring  (Rep.)  

- 

1 

1 

1 1 

2 

Comanche  (U.A.)  

- 

1 

- 

- 

17 

Count  Three  and  Pray  (Col.) 

5 

10 

23 

9 

7 

Court  Jester,  The  (Par.)  

- 

6 

5 

6 

2 

Court  Martial  of  Billy  Mitchell  (W.B.) 

1 

41 

26 

9 

- 

Day  the  World  Ended  (A.R.C.) 

- 

20 

1 

1 

_ 

Deep  Blue  Sea,  The  ( 20th- Fox ) 

- 

- 

1 

2 

9 

Desperate  Hours,  The  (Par.) 

1 

1 

1 1 

19 

19 

Diane  (MGM)  

- 

- 

1 

8 

27 

Duel  on  the  Mississippi  (Col.) 

1 

1 

5 

2 

2 

Flame  of  the  Islands  (Rep.) 

_ 

1 

2 

♦ 

6 

3 

Forever  Darling  (MGM)  

7 

23 

26 

7 

8 

Fort  Yuma  (U.A.)  

- 

- 

5 

12 

1 

Fury  at  Gunsight  Pass  (Col.)  

- 

1 

3 

2 

1 

Gentlemen  Marry  Brunettes  (U.A.) 

_ 

9 

20 

14 

16 

Girl  in  the  Red  Velvet  Swing,  The  (20th-Fox)  . . 

- 

3 

20 

31 

23 

Glory  (RKO)  

1 

3 

6 

7 

5 

Good  Morning,  Miss  Dove  ( 20th- Fox ) 

1 

15 

10 

31 

12 

Guys  and  Dolls  (MGM)  

20 

6 

- 

1 

3 

Helen  of  Troy  (W.B.)  

_ 

6 

21 

, 

1 

Hell  on  Frisco  Bay  (W.B.)  

- 

7 

10 

9 

22 

Hot  Blood  (Col.) 

“ 

1 

2 

3 

1 Died  a Thousand  Times  (W.B.) 

- 

1 

5 

1 1 

9 

I'll  Cry  Tomorrow  (MGM)  

9 

- 

1 

- 

- 

Indian  Fighter  (U.A.)  

13 

20 

1 1 

6 

Kettles  in  the  Ozarks  (U-l)  

- 

_ 

3 

2 

2 

Kismet  (MGM)  

- 

4 

17 

21 

20 

EX  AA  AV  BA  PR 


Last  Frontier  (Col.)  

- 

2 

13 

15 

3 

Last  Hunt,  The  (MGM) 

- 

2 

12 

9 

3 

Lady  Godiva  (U-l)  

- 

1 

5 

7 

5 

Lawless  Street  (Col.)  

1 

6 

14 

4 

1 

Lieutenant  Wore  Skirts,  The  ( 20th- Fox ) . . 

- 

9 

22 

21 

2 

Littlest  Outlaw  (B.V.)  

5 

9 

9 

3 

19 

Lone  Ranger,  The  (W.B.) 

6 

16 

5 

- 

2 

Lucy  Gallant  (Par.)  

- 

23 

17 

II 

Man  Alone,  A ( Rep.) 

9 

23 

10 

1 1 

Man  Who  Never  Was  (20th-Fox)  

I 

7 

- 

8 

Man  With  the  Golden  Arm  (U.A.) 

2 

12 

13 

1 1 

- 

Man  with  the  Gun  (U.A.)  

1 

20 

16 

8 

13 

Naked  Dawn  (U-l)  

_ 

_ 

3 

5 

3 

Never  Say  Goodbye  (U-l) 

6 

4 

4 

- 

Our  Miss  Brooks  (W.B.)  

- 

- 

1 

- 

4 

Picnic  (Col.)  

1 1 

9 

1 

_ 

_ 

Prisoner,  The  (Col.)  

1 

- 

2 

- 

3 

Queen  Bee  (Col.)  

_ 

_ 

12 

9 

10 

Quentin  Durward  (MGM) 

- 

5 

12 

26 

Rains  of  Ranchlpur,  The  (20th-Fox) 

_ 

9 

29 

21 

8 

Ransom  (MGM)  

1 

- 

18 

17 

10 

Rebel  Without  a Cause  (W.B.)  

10 

54 

20 

6 

- 

Red  Sundown  (U-l)  

5 

3 

1 

3 

Return  of  Jack  Slade  (A. A.)  

2 

1 1 

3 

- 

Rose  Tattoo,  The  (Par.)  

1 1 

5 

1 1 

4 

1 

Running  Wild  (U-l)  

3 

1 1 

5 

2 

- 

Second  Greatest  Sex  (U-l)  

_ 

8 

7 

17 

4 

Shack  Out  on  101  (A. A.)  

3 

6 

1 19 

2 

Sincerely  Yours  (W.B.) 

1 

8 

17 

16 

Slightly  Scarlet  (RKO)  

2 

- 

1 

3 

Song  of  the  South  (B.V.)  (Reissue) 

3 

- 

3 

h . 

16 

Spoilers,  The  (U-l)  

9 

13 

14 

2 

Square  Jungle  (U-l)  

1 

1 

1 1 

27 

Tall  Men,  The  (20th-Fox)  

7 

44 

19 

5 

2 

Tarantula  (U-l)  

2 

13 

3 

4 

- 

Target  Zero  (W.B.)  

1 

4 

2 

1 

Teen  Age  Crime  Wave  (Col.) 

6 

6 

2 

- 

Tender  Trap,  The  (MGM)  

9 

30 

28 

13 

2 

Texas  Lady  (RKO)  

2 

10 

14 

4 

There's  Always  Tomorrow  (U-l) 

1 

4 

3 

19 

Three  Stripes  in  the  Sun  (Col.)  

1 

7 

17 

10 

9 

Treasure  of  Pancho  Villa  (RKO)  

1 

13 

14 

20 

Trial  (MGM)  

1 

II 

41 

19 

4 

Trouble  with  Harry  (Par.)  

10 

1 

7 

6 

1 

Twinkle  in  God's  Eye,  The  (Rep.) 

2 

8 

2 

“ 

*Ulysses  (Par.)  

3 

1 

15 

13 

10 

Unconquered  (Par.)  (Reissue)  

1 

3 

1 

World  in  My  Corner  (U-l)  

- 

2 

7 

19 

40 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  APRIL  28,  1956 


An  International  Association  of  Motion  Picture  Showmen — Walter  Brooks , Director 


"PerMnalijed"  Prcwtbn  U a tj/lanayer  A £eM  Policif 


JACK  BRAUNAGLF,  United  Theatres 
Corp.,  Little  Rock,  Ark.,  addressing  a 
convention  of  theatre  men  in  the  Wash- 
ington, D.  C.  exchange  area  last  week,  used 
“promotion”  as  his  theme,  and  accented  one 
approach  which  has  always  had  acclaim  in 
these  meetings.  He  said  promotion  must  be 
“personalized” — and  “Every  manager  should 
make  this  effort  his  personal  enterprise — and 
by  united  endeavor,  illuminate  the  entertain- 
ment advantages  of  the  movies.” 

We  have  proclaimed  this  point  of  view 
over  a period  of  years,  beginning  with  the 
activity  of  that  grand  old  showman,  J.  P. 
Harrison,  in  Denton,  Texas,  who  has  twice 
been  a winner  of  the  Quigley  Grand  Award, 
with  his  policy  of  “mechanize,  dramatize, 
personalize”  your  promotions.  Bob  O’Don- 
nell, and  the  Interstate  circuit,  think  the 
world  of  “J.  P.” — who  last  year  celebrated 
his  fiftieth  year  in  this  business.  And  he 
knows  whereof  he  speaks,  when  he  urges 
managers  to  put  their  ingenuity  and  per- 
sonality behind  promotion. 

Jack  Braunagle  spoke  further  of  what  he 
calls  an  accelerating  lack  of  trained  man- 
power in  motion  picture  business.  He  con- 
trasted the  sometimes  careless  methods  by 
which  theatre  owners  build  their  manage- 
ment reserve  with  other  lines  of  business 
who  go  out  seeking  likely  candidates  for 
advancement.  He  says  our  in-training  pro- 
gram is  sadly  neglected,  and  there  is  little 
evidence  of  methodical  processing  of  new 
talent  in  promotion  and  public  relations.  At 
the  close  of  his  talk,  there  was  active  in- 
terest in  a question-and-answer  period  which 
extended  for  almost  two  hours,  while  the 
speaker  was  plied  with  questions  ranging 
from  the  fundamental  to  the  complex. 

But  the  speaker  also  made  another  point, 
with  which  we  can  agree,  from  personal 
observation  at  many  conventions,  over  a 
dozen  years  and  thirty  key  cities.  He  said 
that,  in  his  belief,  more  than  200  motion 
picture  theatres  within  a one-hour  drive  of 
the  Shoreham  Hotel,  where  the  convention 
was  in  session,  were  not  represented  by  their 
managers,  and  he  regarded  this  as  an  un- 
conscionable failure  to  grasp  opportunity 
when  it  was  presented. 


VARIETY  VISITORS 

Very  soon,  many  good  showmen  who 
are  members  of  this  Round  Table  and  the 
Variety  Club  in  their  own  areas,  will  be 
visiting  New  York,  to  attend  the  annual 
convention  of  Variety  Clubs  International, 
at  the  Waldorf-Astoria,  May  9th  to  12th. 

Since  it  is  our  constant  habit  to  visit 
Variety  Clubs  out  of  town,  we  hope  this  in- 
flux of  visitors  to  the  Rockefeller  Center 
area  will  bring  old  friends  and  new,  to  call 
on  us.  Martin  Quigley,  Jr.,  editor  of  the 
Herald,  has  expressed  his  desire  that  out- 
of-town  showmen  will  drop  in,  at  their  con- 
venience, to  meet  the  various  members  of 
cur  editorial  staff,  and  to  have  their  pic- 
tures taken,  by  Floyd  Stone.  The  Herald 
is  the  only  motion  picture  trade  paper  with 
an  official  photographer  on  its  editorial 
staff,  and  Floyd  does  the  interviews. 

We  surely  know  that  the  Variety  Club  is 
our  other  office,  and  permanent  address, 
when  we  are  out  of  town.  There  are  many 
cities  in  these  United  States  where  the 
Variety  Club  is  an  oasis,  and  the  only  place 
where  you  will  meet  showmen,  ready  and 
willing  to  talk  show  business.  It's  not  only 
convenient,  but  almost  compulsory,  to  be  a 
member  of  Variety  in  a majority  of  key 
cities.  We  have  just  visited  the  newest, 
Tent  No.  44,  in  Jacksonville,  Fla.,  a young 
and  thriving  association  of  good  showmen, 
and  a home  away  from  home. 


There  is  a lack  of  showmanship,  in  some 
desolate  areas  where  you  see  or  hear  little 
of  “personalized”  promotion,  public  or  com- 
munity relations,  but  the  inertia  persists,  in 
the  face  of  a growing  crisis.  The  same  ones 
are  doing  the  good  jobs — with  not  enough 
new  names  and  faces  in  these  meetings — 
not  enough  new  progress  across  the  board. 
There  are  many  “complaints”  that  business 
is  off — when  it  seems  unlikely  that  it  could 
be  otherwise,  without  greater  and  more 
“personalized”  effort. 


<|  WE  POINT  with  pride  to  important 
new  sources  of  independent  production,  com- 
ing into  this  market  for  the  benefit  of  every 
theatre  manager.  Notably,  the  new  C.  V. 
Whitney  Pictures,  announced  in  the  trade 
press  but  recently,  and  described  in  basic  in- 
terviews with  Mr.  Whitney  and  his  col- 
leagues. This  is  production  on  a lasting 
basis — and  more  important,  on  a completely 
professional  basis,  away  from  amateurism. 
What  we  particularly  like  is  Mr.  Whitney’s 
remark  in  an  interview  with  Tom  Pryor,  of 
the  New  York  Times.  He  said,  “We  may 
not  always  succeed  in  our  aims,  but  I will 
promise  you  that  no  C.  V.  Whitney  picture 
will  ever  misrepresent  or  paint  a false  pic- 
ture of  the  United  States  and  its  people.” 
You  can  take  that  message,  and  its  meaning, 
right  back  to  your  home  grounds.  When 
your  theatre  program,  and  your  management 
in  local  affairs,  is  truly  representative  of 
family  life  in  America,  as  we  live  it  and 
know  it,  then  you  and  the  entertainment  you 
offer  will  be  a lasting  credit  to  your  com- 
munity. Anything  less  will  diminish  the 
movies  in  the  public  interest — and  against 
your  future  in  this  business. 

Cfl  ERNIE  EMERLING  is  excited  about 
the  presentation  of  a new  series  of  awards 
of  merit  to  be  designated  by  the  Lambs 
Club — bv  long  odds,  the  best  theatrical  club 
in  New  York,  and  the  only  one  of  its  kind. 
But  the  Lambs  are  primarily,  and  quite  ex- 
clusively devoted  to  what  is  laughingly  called 
“the  legitimate  theatre”— and  so,  we  can 
hardly  recognize  any  of  the  names  men- 
tioned, except  Ernie,  as  being  identified  with 
film  industry.  For  a long  time  we’ve  felt 
that  if  there  were  an  “Oscar”  for  showman- 
ship, for  newspaper  relations,  and  for  pub- 
licity in  line  with  our  objectives,  it  might 
be  called  an  “Ernie” — after  a very  real  per- 
son who  stands  for  all  these  things,  in  an 
outstanding  way.  Anything  that  would  bring 
the  movies  in  closer  contact,  with  less  criti- 
cism from  either  side,  would  be  an  advantage 
to  our  industry.  The  enlightening  sign  is 
that  the  future  may  recognize  more  in 
common.  — Walter  Brooks 


MANAGERS'  ROUND  TABLE  SECTION,  APRIL  28,  1956 


41 


fOREVER  \S 
WRUNG 


They  had  a world  premiere  for  MGM's  "The 
Swan"  in  Philadelphia — Grace  Kelly's  home 
town,  and  before  she  became  "Her  Serene 
Highness" — so  naturally,  Gimbel's  had  a win- 
dow display  for  the  bride  and  her  wedding 
gown,  properly  befitting  the  love  story  of  a 
princess. 


Clayton  Pruitt,  man- 
ager, and  Pat  Grosso, 
publicist,  at  the  RKO 
Albee  theatre  in  Brook- 
lyn, had  this  "Br'er  Rab- 
bit" birthday  party  for 
"Song  of  the  South" — 
with  free  Tinkerbell  Toi- 
letries, for  little  Glam- 
our Girls. 


Dan  Dailey  auto- 
graphs his  recording 
from  "Meet  Me  in  Las 
Vegas"  for  a visiting 
rabbit,  prior  to  the  run 
of  the  picture  at  the 
Paramount  theatre  in 
Los  Angeles.  The  songs 
were  "Gal  With  Yeller 
Shoes"  and  "My  Lucky 
Charm."  — an  MGM 
Record. 


Alfred  Loewenthal,  diligent  showman  and  manager  of  the  Skouras  Ward  theatre 
in  the  Bronx,  New  York — promoted  200  copies  of  "The  Bride's  Magazine"  as  a 
giveaway,  with  "Forever  Darling."  June  is  also  a month  for  brides,  especially 
after  the  current  headlines. 


ii  MU 

KUUl  i 

imm 


ANiO  SftiOtS  ID  0E 


FREE  GIVEAWAY 

200  BRIDE  MAGAZINE 


SAT  EVENING  APR  7 


m £>3  SAT 


Robby  the  Robot 
appeared  on  five  TV 
shows,  for  the  eleven 
theatre  opening  of 
"Forbidden  Planet" 
in  Los  Angeles,  and 
here  he  shakes  hands 
with  Jack  Bailey,  and 
the  TV  "Queen"  for 
the  day. 


The  Goldwyn  Girls  are  going  around  the  world — and  here 
they  are  greeted  and  interviewed  by  Australian  radio  star, 
Jack  Davey,  after  their  successful  appearance  on  his  "Ampol 
Show" — over  41  stations  of  the  Macquarie  network,  which 
originates  in  Sydney.  These  are  a new  crop  of  G.  G.'s  for 
"Guys  and  Dolls" — and  they  seem  to  get  better  and  better. 


42 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  APRIL  28,  1956 


Sk 


oivmen  in 


^s4ctl 


on 


ADD — Selling  Approach:  Fox  West  Coast 
Forward,  “from  one  showman  to  another” 
prints  a warning,  which  is  a very  important 
“must”  to  every  Fox  manager  yet  to  play 
“The  Man  in  the  Gray  Flannel  Suit.”  They 
must  use  the  new  style  ad  mats,  now  avail- 
able from  National  Screen  Service,  and 
which  are  sketched  in  the  bulletin.  The 
difference  is  that  the  new  ads  incorporate 
the  action-atmosphere  and  love  interest,  in- 
stead of  the  more  dignified  gray  flannel  sil- 
houette featured  in  the  initial  campaign. 

T 

Cultural  note  from  Rockefeller  Center : 
The  barber  shop  directly  across  the  street 
from  this  building  now  features  the  new 
"Flat  top”  haircut  for  teen-agers,  and  if 
you  see  something  that  you  can  scarcely 
believe — that  will  be  it ! 

T 

More  news  from  Monty  Salmon.  Mrs. 
Wilma  Totten,  of  the  Round  Table,  has  just 
returned  from  her  Florida  vacation,  and  she 
saw  Monty,  at  the  Cedars  Hospital  in  Gulf- 
port, last  week.  She  says  he  is  much  im- 
proved and  looking  forward  to  his  return  to 
New  York,  right  after  the  first  of  May.  We 
expect  to  see  him  here,  soon. 

T 

Julia  Smith,  manager  of  the  Stanley 
Warner  State  theatre,  Waterbury,  Conn., 
arranged  a lobby  display  of  scale  models 
through  a tieup  with  local  Naval  Reserve 
units  when  she  played  “Victory  at  Sea.” 

T 

George  E.  Landers,  Hartford  division 
manager  of  E.  M.  Loew’s  theatres  ran  teaser 
ads  in  advance  of  his  “Jubal”  advertising 
and  also  played  up  the  Academy  Award 
winner,  Ernest  Borgnine.  A three-column 
newspaper  story  helped  his  box  office. 


CONTRACT:  The  Krim  theatre  in  De- 
troit, offering  Orson  Welles’  “3  Cases  of 
Murder,”  essayed  this  novel  advertising  and 
exploitation  approach,  by  printing  these 
“Articles  of  Agreement” — "With  the  pur- 
chase of  a ticket  I do  hereby  agree  that  I, 
the  party  of  the  first  part,  in  consideration 
of  the  fullest  enjoyment  of  this  film,  will 
not  by  my  own  free  will  or  under  duress, 
directly  or  indirectly,  reveal  the  mysterious 
plots  and  surprise  endings  of  ‘3  Cases  of 
Murder’  to  my  friends,  relatives,  or  even 
enemies.” 

T 

MGM  is  offering  something  new,  not  pre- 
viously described  in  Selling  Approach,  but 
included  in  a special  release:  Two  60  x 40 
full  color  murals,  on  “Meet  Me  in  Las 
Vegas”  for  just  $3  for  both.  They  are 
mailed  in  a tube,  printed  on  one  side  only, 
and  you  could  find  many  uses  for  them,  in 
theatre  displays  or  commercial  tieups. 

T 

Robert  H.  Thill,  assistant  manager  at 
the  Radio  City  theatre,  Minneapolis,  where 
John  McCashin  is  the  manager,  sends  us 
pictures  of  the  small  carousels — two  of  them 
which  he  used  for  the  opening  of  the  20th 
Century-Fox  picture — one  sponsored  by 
Coca-Cola  and  the  other  by  Wonder  Bread, 
both  catering  to  the  children’s  interest  in 
musical  merry-go-rounds,  at  street  level. 

T 

Doug  Amos,  general  manager,  Lockwood 
& Gordon  Theatres,  and  Harry  Sullivan, 
manager  of  the  circuit’s  East  Windsor 
Drive-In,  East  Windsor,  Conn.,  have  been 
using  head  and  shoulder  photos  of  stars  in 
newspaper  ads — something  a little  different 
from  the  usual  star  portraits  that  are  pub- 
lished in  the  papers. 


Jerry  Schur,  manager  of  the  Uptown  the- 
atre, Los  Angeles,  shows  off  his  "jalopy" 
giveaway,  which  really  brought  them  in,  Fri- 
day the  13th.  Sold  hundreds  of  extra  tickets 
— and  the  car  cost  exactly  fifteen  bucks! 


Lou  Cohen,  manager  of  Loew’s  Poli  thea- 
tre, Hartford,  Conn.,  had  good  newspaper 
cooperation  in  the  form  of  a three-column 
story  about  “The  Swan”. 

T 

Tony  Masella,  manager  of  Loew’s  Poli 
Palace,  Meriden,  Conn.,  tied  in  with  a local 
beauty  salon  for  an  ad  which  pictured  Kim 
Novak  and  mentioned  “Picnic”. 

T 

Bob  Spodick,  Len  Sampson  and  Norm 
Bialek  of  the  Fine  Arts  theatre,  Westport, 
Conn.,  held  a special  benefit  preview  of 
“Man  in  the  Gray  Flannel  Suit”  for  United 
Cerebral  Palsy,  with  seats  selling  for  $5. 
Parts  of  this  picture  were  filmed  in  the 
Westport  area. 

T 

RKO,  who  are  proud  of  the  review  they 
had  of  “Bold  and  the  Brave”  on  the  hard- 
to-please  TIME  movie  page,  are  slightly 
disturbed  because  we  omitted  the  24-sheet 
in  our  description  of  the  selling  approach 
for  this  picture.  We  said  “nothing  larger 
than  a 6-sheet”  which  is  an  injustice,  for 
they  have  a full  line  of  accessories,  and 
RKO  is  always  way  out  in  front  in  their 
urge  to  use  better  and  bigger  posters. 


Vern  Huntsinger,  manager  of  the  Gopher  theatre,  in  Minneapolis, 
turned  in  the  best  action  pictures  of  his  "Rock  Around  the  Clock" 
promotion — which,  incidentally,  swept  the  country,  with  "Rock  'n 
Roll"  addicts  doing  teen-age  tailspins,  and  liking  it.  In  the  first  pic- 
ture above,  they've  gathered  in  front  of  the  theatre — and  those  big 
blobs  that  look  like  golf  balls  are  really  snow  flakes,  as  caught  by 


the  camera  in  Minnesota.  At  right,  the  same  youngsters  are  dancing 
in  the  theatre  lobby — and  they  not  only  would,  but  could,  dance 
indefinitely  to  such  swing  music.  High  school  student  councils  and 
newspaper  editors  were  appreciative  of  the  harmless  quality  of  this 
youthful  exuberance,  as  natural  publicity  for  a motion  picture.  We'll 
see  you  later,  alligator!  After  a while,  crocodile! 


MANAGERS'  ROUND  TABLE  SECTION,  APRIL  28,  1956 


43 


* '6  oof/ - hijv. 

Saturation 


This  Round  Table  is  very  partial  to  small- 
town premieres,  and  we  mean  away  from 
the  big-  towns,  where  they  have  everything, 
and  get  most  of  that.  Albany,  Georgia,  has 
a population  of  slightly  more  than  30,000, 
but  it  is  also  the  Turner  Air  Force  Base, 
which  makes  a difference  in  their  favor. 
Warners  decided  to  have  the  world  premiere 
of  “Good-bye,  My  Lady”  at  the  Albany 
theatre,  and  we  applaud  the  result  of  that 
decision,  because  it  helps  our  industry  at 
the  grass  roots  to  do  a better  job — and  do 
it  oftener.  There'll  always  be  praise  from 
this  corner  for  a small-city  premiere;  where 
folks  are  folks. 

In  Albany,  Walter  Brennan,  Phil  Harris, 
Brandon  de  Wilde  and  other  Hollywood 
personalities  sparked  a 370-theatre  satura- 
tion engagement  of  the  picture  throughout 


The  Ogilvies  Are  Good 

Bruce  A.  Ogilvie,  manager  of  the  Palms 
theatre,  Phoenix,  Arizona,  writes  us  in 
April  in  answer  to  a letter  we  wrote  him 
last  October — as  he  says,  approximately 
1,000,000,001  popcorn-pops  later,  but  we’re 
glad  that  he  is  still  popping — with  news  of 
his  good  showmanship.  Bruce  had  orchestra 
tieups  for  “The  Benny  Goodman  Story” — 
and  he  gets  good  returns  from  cooperative 
music  dealers.  We  found  a picture  of  an- 
other Bruce  Ogilvie  in  a Canadian  news- 
paper, but  it  was  no  kinfolk. 


My  Lady** 
Pretniere 


Georgia,  Tennessee,  South  Carolina  and 
Florida.  Above,  the  Brandon  de  Wilde  fan 
club — and  nice  youngsters,  all  of  them — 
greet  their  favorite  at  the  airport.  Next,  you 
see  the  youthful  star  with  one  of  those  rare 
“Basenji”  beagles,  the  dog-star  of  the  pic- 
ture, and  Walter  Brennan. 

Then,  below,  Peggy  Halleck,  of  the  cast, 
congratulates  12-year  old  Freeland  Brown, 
of  Colquitt,  Ga.,  when  his  entry  wins  the 
championship  in  the  annual  Georgia  Fat 
Cattle  Show,  while  Brandon  looks  on,  with 
proper  admiration;  and  at  right,  patrons 
with  beards  and  sideburns,  in  costume,  at  the 
Terrel  County  Centennial,  which  was  part 
of  this  celebration.  “Good-bye  My  Lady”  is 
a one-boy-dog,  one-dog-boy,  one-kind-of-a- 
picture  that  we  should  be  thankful  for,  in 
small  situation. 


So  Are  the  Lew  Brays 

Lew  Bray,  Jr.,  distributed  small  envelopes 
containing  an  imitation  pearl,  and  an  invita- 
tion to  obtain  a pass  to  see  a real  “Pearl  of 
the  South  Pacific”  at  the  Queen  theatre, 
McAllen,  Texas,  if  you  were  that  lucky. 
The  whole  promotion  job  was  done  without 
any  particular  expense,  with  the  envelopes 
typed  in  the  manager’s  office.  He  also  had 
two  3-sheet  posters  and  a 24-sheet  on  dis- 
play. The  Chief  of  Police  wouldn’t  let  him 
paste  down  the  2-sheet  on  the  sidewalk — 
although  they  do  this  in  other  towns. 


".Wo/irtirA-  **#.v 
On  the  Trail 
—Upstate! 

20th  Century-I  "ox  followed  historic  prece- 
dent with  the  world  premiere  of  “Mohawk,” 
new  color  film  starring  Scott  Brady,  Rita 
Gam  and  Neville  Brand,  opening  April  23rd 
at  the  Mohawk  theatre,  in  Amsterdam,  N.  Y., 
and  launching  a 100-theatre  saturation 
premiere,  along  the  Mohawk  Trail.  A special 
traveling  unit  from  Hollywood  is  hitting  the 
trail  in  a 29-city  tour  of  the  Mohawk  Valley. 

The  full-blooded  Mohawk  Indian,  White 
Cloud,  one  of  Hollywood’s  best  known  stunt 
men,  whose  specialty  is  knife  throwing,  and 
an  Iroquois  Indian  girl,  Lili,  will  partici- 
pate with  the  unit  in  a round  of  promotional 
activities  culminating  in  personal  appear- 
ances at  the  theatres.  The  unit  will  appear 
on  radio  and  television  shows,  moving  on 
to  Albany,  Gloversville,  Little  Falls,  Her- 
kimer, Illion  and  Utica,  to  round  out  the 
second  week  of  a 3-week  tour. 

That  celebrated  chief,  Seymour  Morris, 
and  his  tribesmen  from  the  Schine  reserva- 
tion, have  much  to  do  with  this  uprising  of 
publicity  and  promotion  on  historic  grounds. 
It’s  an  old  Mohawk  Valley  legend  that 
Schine  showmen  bring  home  the  bacon  in 
the  exploitation  of  key-city  premieres 
along  the  river  trail. 

The  Ken  Finlays— and  the 
Round  Table— Have  a Baby 

We  don’t  often  mention  new  babies  in  this 
department — it’s  against  Round  Table  policy 
to  devote  our  limited  space  to  such  personal 
matters,  but  the  Ken  Finlays,  and  the  Round 
Table,  have  just  had  a new  arrival,  more  or 
less  jointly.  Ken  is  an  old  member,  who 
deserted  us  for  other  lines,  and  is  now  com- 
ing back  to  film  industry — of  course,  after 
the  baby  was  born,  so  we’ve  been  working 
on  this  project.  For  the  past  several  months, 
we've  been  interested  in  his  possible  new 
assignment  as  a theatre  manager — and  now, 
perhaps,  he’ll  go  back  to  work. 

The  only  reason  we  devote  this  much  time 
and  space  to  Dorothea  Violet  Finlay,  of 
Newburgh,  N.  Y.,  is  the  announcement 
which  comes  in  the  mail.  It  says,  modestly 
(the  Violet  is  after  Ken!)  that  Cecil  B. 
DeMille  should  postpone  his  all-time  great- 
est, for  the  Finlays  have  done  it.  They 
proudly  present  “the  greatest  production  of 
all  time.”  And  the  announcement  is  in 
showmanship  style,  with  art  work  and  copy 
by  Ken  Finlay.  Again,  we  wouldn’t  men- 
tion this  very  personal  matter,  only  it  just 
happens  that  this  announcement  is  sponsored 
with  back-cover  advertising,  by  Lucky 
Strike,  Ford  Motor  and  Coca-Cola ! 

There  isn’t  much  doubt,  now  that  paternal 
obligations  have  been  completed,  and  he  has 
nothing  else  to  do  but  manage  a theatre  for 
somebody — that  this  good  publicist  could  sell 
productions  at  the  box  office,  with  the  same 
creative  flair  for  getting  attention. 


44 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  APRIL  28,  1956 


A 


pproac 


k 


GOOD-BYE,  MY  LADY — Warner  Brothers. 

A one-boy  dog  and  a one-dog  boy,  in  a 
one-of-a-kind  picture,  to  touch  your  heart. 
Walter  Brennan,  Phil  Harris  and  Brandon 
de  Wilde,  in  one  of  the  few  films  for  all 
the  family  that  will  please  every  loyal 
theatre  audience.  The  saturation  premiere 
of  this  picture  in  370  situations  throughout 
the  South  is  a news  story  in  this  week's 
Round  Table.  It  is  only  once  in  a while 
that  showmen  have  such  an  opportunity.  A 
story  filmed  in  the  South,  that  the  whole 
nation  will  take  to  its  heart!  A southern 
boy,  a southern  man,  a runaway  Basenji 
dog,  all  living  deep  in  the  bayou  country, 
just  a heartbeat  away  from  you!  No 
posters  larger  than  the  6-sheet,  but  all 
have  appealing  pictorial  art  for  lobby  and 
marquee  display.  Newspaper  ad  mats, 
with  some  especially  selected  for  southern 
situations  are  all  good,  and  with  plenty  of 
choice  for  size  and  shape.  The  combination 
ad  and  publicity  mat  has  five  ad  mats  and 
slugs,  plus  two  publicity  mats,  adequate 
for  small  theatres,  and  all  for  35c  at  Na- 
tional Screen.  We  urge  Round  Table  mem- 
bers to  take  advantage  of  a fine  audience 
picture  for  the  family  trade.  Such  attrac- 
tions are  increasingly  hard  to  get. 

• 

TRIBUTE  TO  A BAD  MAN— MGM.  Cine- 
maScope,  in  Eastman  Color,  starring  James 
Cagney,  in  a performance  you'll  never 
forget.  The  tough!  The  weak!  The  beauti- 
ful! The  wicked!  Cagney  at  his  best — 
which  is  enough  to  guarantee  a picture. 
Two-color  herald  from  Cato  Show  Print 
has  all  the  best  selling  approach.  24-sheet 
and  all  posters  have  strong  pictorial  art 
for  lobby  and  marquee  displays.  News- 
paper advertising  features  Cagney  in 
strong  poses  that  show  him  in  a new  light 
for  his  old  fans.  There  are  enough  ads  in 
all  sizes  and  styles  for  a majority  of  uses. 
While  the  special  campaign  mat  runs 
heavily  to  slugs,  it  is  still  the  best  bargain 
along  Film  Row,  with  an  assortment  for 
small  theatres,  selling  at  35c  for  the  whole 
selection.  A set  of  8x10  color  prints  will 
sell  color  with  color  in  special  lobby  dis- 
play. A special  standee  is  low  priced  for 
so  much  advertising  value. 

THE  KETTLES  IN  THE  OZARKS— Univer- 
sal-International. Ihe  family  that  fun  made 
famous,  and  a brand-new  "Kettle"  in  the 
pot — lovable,  lazy  "Uncle  Sedge."  They've 
got  a house  full  of  city  slickers,  and  a 
secret  in  the  old  red  barn.  When  the 
shootin'  starts,  they  howl  with  joy!  No 
posters  larger  than  the  6-sheet,  but  these 
will  serve  your  purpose.  There  is  also  a 
good  herald,  and  we  believe  in  the  use  of 
a herald  to  sell  "The  Kettles" — where  their 
style  of  humor  is  quickly  identified  and  re- 
membered for  past  performances. 


MOHAWK  — 20th  Century-Fox.  Wide- 
Vision,  in  Eastman  Color.  A flaming  saga 
torn  from  the  exciting  pages  of  upstate 
New  York  history.  The  legend  of  primitive 
love  that  spoke  louder  than  war  drums. 
Frontier  drama  as  it  was  originally  played 
along  the  Mohawk  Trail.  24-sheet  and  all 
posters  calculated  to  put  showmanship  be- 
hind saturation  campaigns.  Herald  has 
cover  and  spread  in  style  to  set  your  ad- 
vertising for  this  attraction,  and  room  for 
a cooperative  sponsor  to  buy  part  of  the 
back  page.  Newspaper  ad  mats  are  suffi- 
cient, and  well  assorted  for  size,  but  closely 
follow  the  original  theme,  for  there's  little 
variation  possible.  The  complete  campaign 
mat  is  made  to  order  for  small  situations, 
and  has  six  good  ad  mats  and  slugs,  plus 
three  publicity  mats,  which  will  get  edi- 
torial attention.  This  frontier  film  has  music 
tieups  also,  with  the  title  song,  "Love  Plays 
the  Strings  of  My  Banjo". 

• 

THE  SCARLET  HOUR— Paramount.  Vista- 
Vision.  The  most  provocative  drama  in 
years.  Michael  Curtiz,  Academy  Award 
winner  and  discoverer  of  stars,  presents 
three  exciting  new  personalities — Carol 
Ohmart,  Tom  Tryon,  Jody  Lawrence,  in  a 
thrill-packed,  love-murder  story.  Pressbook 
says,  "Sensationalize  your  selling" — and 
you  can  use  that  as  advice,  or  as  a warn- 
ing, depending  on  your  patronage.  24- 
sheet  poster  and  all  accessories  carry  out 
this  advertising  theme.  There  is  a herald, 
not  illustrated,  but  it  probably  has  the 
same  approach. 

• 

HOT  BLOOD — Columbia  Pictures.  Jane 
Russell  and  Cornell  Wilde,  in  CinemaScope 
and  color  by  Technicolor.  It's  a picture 
with  plenty  of  advertising  possibilities  and 
the  billing  has  top  stars  and  'Scope.  Bride 
for  sale — for  $2000  cash,  she's  yours,  if 
you  can  catch  her!  Unkissed,  untamed,  un- 
ashamed! No  poster  larger  than  the  6- 
sheet,  but  all  accessories,  including  the 
herald  have  the  selling  approach  necessary 
to  sell  this  picture.  Newspaper  ad  mats  are 
interesting  and  carried  for  size  and  shape, 
with  the  composite  campaign  mat  giving 
you  seven  ad  mats  and  slugs,  two  publicity 
mats,  for  35c. 


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Plans  Set  far 
PI  \ 1 Shaw 

The  Popcorn  and  Concessions  Associa- 
tion (formerly  the  International  Popcorn 
Association)  will  hold  its  1956  convention 
and  exhibition  at  the  Coliseum  and  Hotel 
Statler  in  New  York  City  September  20th 
through  24th.  These  events  will  be  held 
simultaneously  and  in  conjunction  with  the 
combined  conventions  and  trade  show  of  the 
Theatre  Owners  of  America,  the  Theatre 
Equipment  and  Supply  Manufacturers  Asso- 
ciation and  the  Theatre  Equipment  Dealers 
Association. 

The  PCA’s  plans  were  announced  follow- 
ing a recent  meeting  of  the  officers  and 
board  of  directors  in  New  York.  Accord- 
ing to  PCA  president  Bert  Nathan,  of  the 
Theatre  Popcorn  Vending  Corporation, 
Brooklyn,  N.  Y. : “We  conservatively  antici- 
pate a combined  attendance  of  at  least  8,000 
buyers  from  the  popcorn,  theatre,  conces- 
sion and  vending  industries  during  the  four- 
day  show.” 

The  combined  convention  and  trade  show 
will  be  designed  to  develop  the  theme — “sell 
more  at  a profit” — according  to  PCA  board 
chairman  J.  J.  Fitzgibbons,  Jr.  of  Theatre 
Confections  Limited,  Toronto. 

Named  as  general  convention  chairman 
was  Lee  Koken,  RKO  Theatres;  and  Lester 
Grand,  Confection  Cabinet  Corporation, 
Chicago,  was  appointed  exhibit  chairman. 
Heading  the  entertainment  committee  is 
Melville  B.  Rapp,  Apco,  Inc.,  New  York, 
assisted  by  Kenneth  H.  Wells,  Theatre  Con- 
fections Limited. 


Pepsi-Cola  Plant  in  Bogota 

The  opening  of  a new  Pepsi-Cola  bottling 
plant  in  Bogota,  Colombia — the  third  of  21 
new  overseas  plants  scheduled  to  be  opened 
during  1956 — has  been  announced  by  Wil- 
liam B.  Forsythe,  president  of  Pepsi-Cola 
International.  The  new  plant  is  the  com- 
pany’s fourth  in  Colombia. 


Appointed  Nestle  Chairman 

Clive  C.  Day,  formerly  vice-chairman,  has 
been  elected  chairman  of  the  Nestle  Com- 
pany, Inc.,  White  Plains,  N.  Y.  He  succeeds 
the  late  Daniel  F.  Norton.  Mr.  Day  has 
been  with  the  Nestle  company  for  a period 
of  35  years. 


MANAGERS'  ROUND  TABLE  SECTION,  APRIL  28,  1956 


45 


CLASSIFIED  ADVERTISING 


Fifteen  cents  per  word,  money-order  or  check  with  copy.  Count  initials,  box  number  and  address.  Minimum  insertion  $ 1 .50.  Four 
insertions  for  the  price  of  three.  Contract  rates  on  application.  No  border  or  cuts.  Forms  close  Mondays  at  5 P.M.  Publisher 
reserves  the  right  to  reject  any  copy.  Film  and  trailer  advertising  not  accepted.  Classified  advertising  not  subject  to  agency 
commission.  Address  copy  and  checks:  MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  Classified  Dept.,  Rockefeller  Center,  New  York  (20) 


THEATRES 


WANTED  TO  LEASE  DRIVE-IN  THEATRE. 
Can  manage  and  supply  projection  equipment.  Must 
be  Eastern  Pennsylvania  or  New  Jersey.  Give  com- 
plete information.  BOX  2914,  MOTION  PICTURE 
HERALD. 


WANTED:  CONNECTICUT  THEATRE.  ALL  RE- 
plies  confidential.  BOX  2915,  MOTION  PICTURE 
HERALD. 


FOR  LEASE:  EXCELLENT  NEIGHBORHOOD 

theatre  in  growing  Indiana.  Equipment  in  good  con- 
dition. CinemaScope  screen.  Opportunity  for  right 
party.  BOX  2916,  MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD. 


LOST  LEASE!  CLOSING  OUT  COMPLETE 
equipment  conventional  theatre — 50  ton  Carrier  air- 
conditioning,  Simplex  mechanisms,  Altec  sound,  Ameri- 
can seats.  Will  sell  all  or  separately.  JOHN 
WILLIAMS,  State  Theatre,  Jackson,  Miss. 


STUDIO  EQUIPMENT 


CINEFLEX  35MM  CAMERA  W/3  LENSES; 
motor;  200'  magazines;  filter  holders  and  case,  $1,500 
value,  $695;  Akeley  Gyro  Tripod,  $900  value,  $595 
Bridgamatic  Jr.  16mm  Automatic  Processor,  $1,500 
value,  $975;  Maurer  16  Camera,  lens,  2 magazines, 
svncmotor,  12V  motor  w/battery,  all  cases,  complete 
$2,395;  5000W  Background  Projector,  reconditioned, 
$595;  Bardwell  McAlister  studio  floodlites,  3 heads 
on  rolling  stand  hold  12  bulbs,  $180  value,  $29.50; 
Quadlite  Heads  only,  $4.95;  Stands  only  $19.95;  Moviola 
35mm  composite  sound/picture,  $495.00.  S.  O.  S. 
CINEMA  SUPPLY  CORP.,  602  W.  52nd  St.,  New 
York  19. 


POPCORN 


WORLD-WIDE  HEADQUARTERS  FOR  POP- 
corn,  popcorn  equipment  and  supplies.  POPCORN 
VILLAGE,  Nashville,  Tenn.,  U.S.A. 


BOOKS 


NEW  - FOR  THEATRE  MANAGERS  - “THE 
Master  Guide  on  Theatre  Maintenance,”  compiled  from 
authorities,  handy  for  reference  with  hard  covers  and 
index.  Published  by  Aaron  Nadell.  Price  $5  postpaid. 
Send  remittance  to  QUIGLEY  BOOKSHOP,  1270  Sixth 
Ave.,  New  York  20,  N.  Y. 


RICHARDSON’S  BLUEBOOK  OF  PROJECTION. 
New  8th  Edition.  Revised  to  deal  with  the  latest  tech- 
nical developments  in  motion  picture  projection  and 
sound,  and  reorganized  to  facilitate  study  and  refer- 
ence. Includes  a practical  discussion  of  Television 
especially  prepared  for  the  instruction  of  theatre  pro- 
jectionists. and  of  new  techniques  for  advancement  of 
the  art  of  the  motion  picture.  The  standard  textbook 
on  motion  picture  projection  and  sound  reproduction. 
Invaluable  to  beginner  and  expert.  Best  seller  since 
1911.  662  pages,  cloth  bound,  $7.25  postpaid.  QUIGLEY 
BOOKSHOP,  1270  Sixth  Avenue,  New  York  20,  N.  Y. 


USED  EQUIPMENT 


BEAUTIFULLY  REBUILT  LIKE  NEW!  Super 
Simplex  projectors,  cabinet  pedestals,  3000'  magazines, 
Magnarc  or  Mogul  arc  lamps,  70/140  generator.  RCA 
PG230  sound,  price  $3,950.  Available  on  Time.  S.  O.  S. 
CINEMA  SUPPLY  CORP.,  602  W.  52nd  St.,  New 
York  19. 


PEERLESS  MAGNARCS,  EXCELLENT  CONDI- 
tion  $395;  reconditioned  Neumade  Film  Cabinets  2000', 
$2  section;  hand  rewinds  $7.95  set.  S.  O.  S.  CINEMA 
SUPPLY  CORP.,  602  W.  52nd  St.,  New  York  19. 


EXCELLENT  COATED  PROJECTION  LENSES, 
many  brand  new!  Wollensak  “Sunray”  Series  I; 
2”,  3”,  3J4",  3M",  5”,  5J4",  554",  6",  7J4",  $35  pair. 
Superlite  2-)4"-3"-354"  $150  pr.  Trades  Taken.  Wire  or 
telephone  order  today.  S.  O.  S.  CINEMA  SUPPLY 
CORP.,  602  W.  52nd  Street,  New  York  19. 


FOR  IMMEDIATE  SALE  1,800  USED  HEY- 
wood-Wakefield  upholstered  theatre  seats.  Will  sacri- 
fice. Anv  reasonable  offer  accepted.  Oiler  ends  June 
7.  BOX  2919,  MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD. 


NEW  EQUIPMENT 


PLAY  CINEMASCOPE  “55”!  MAGNAPHONIC 
Single  Channel  Magnetic  Sound  complete,  $785;  Cine- 
matic adjustable  anamorphics  $375  pr.,  Mirro-CIaric 
Metallic  Seamless  screens  75c  sq.  ft.  Buy  on  Time. 
S.  O.  S.  CINEMA  SUPPLY  CORP.,  602  W.  S2nd  St  , 
New  York  19. 


INTERMITTENT  MOVEMENTS— NEW  SURPLUS 
for  Simplex  $69.50;  DeVry  $59.50;  Holmes  $24.50. 
Automatic  enclosed  rewinds  $69.50.  S.  O.  S.  CINEMA 
SUPPLY  CORP.,  602  W.  S2nd  St.,  New  York  19. 


THE  BUY  OF  A LIFETIME!  BRAND  NEW 
Holmes  Projectors,  high  serial  numbers,  with  Maga- 
zines, Lenses,  Cables,  late  Amplifier  and  Speaker 
(rebuilt  like  new)  all  for  onlv  $499.50!  Don’t  pass  this 
up!  STAR  CINEMA  SUPPLY,  621  West  55th  St., 
New  York  19. 


DRIVE-IN  EQUIPMENT 


IN-CAR  SPEAKERS  $4.25!  YEAR  WARRANTY. 
4"  unit,  steel  case  painted  blue-white.  Price  per  set 
2 speakers,  junction  box,  $12.25.  S.O.S.  CINEMA 
SUPPLY  CORP.,  602  W.  S2nd  St.,  New  York  19. 


HELP  WANTED 


THOROUGHLY  EXPERIENCED  MANAGER  FOR 
drive-in  theatre.  Must  be  sober,  honest  and  energetic. 
References  required.  Contact  JESSE  WELLONS, 
Fayetteville,  N.  C. 


WANTED:  EXPERIENCED  FILM  EDITOR  TO 
relocate  in  Washington,  D.  C.  Experience  in  sound 
work  helpful  but  not  necessary.  Send  complete  resume, 
salary  wanted,  etc.  BOX  2917,  MOTION  PICTURE 
HERALD. 


THEATRE  EQUIPMENT  AND  SUPPLY  INFORMATION  SERVICE 


I would  like  the  latest  information  concerning  the 
equipment  and  supplies  indicated  by  number  below  or 
as  otherwise  specified: 

I 

I 


I 

| 

— — — I 

I 

I 

Name 

Address 

Town 

Name  of  Theatre 


.Seating  Capacity. 


THEATRE  OWNERS  AND  MANAGERS  may  procure  the  latest 
information  concerning  theatre  equipment  and  supplies  by 
writing  Motion  Picture  Herald,  indicating  their  interests. 
Merely  fill  out  the  adjoining  coupon  and  mail  in  business 
envelope.  For  further  convenience  various  classifications  are 
listed  below  with  numbers  for  indicating  them  conveniently  in 
the  coupon.  Mail  the  coupon  to  Motion  Picture  Herald,  Theatre 
Service  Department,  1270  Sixth  Avenue,  New  York  20,  N.  Y. 


3 I W — Air-conditioning 
32W — Wall  materials 
33W — Drive-in  admission 
control  systems 
34W — In-car  speakers 
35W — In-car  heaters 
36W — Screen  towers 
37W — Vacuum  cleaners 
38W — Carpeting 


39W — Rubber  mats 

40W — Interior  lighting 

4IW — Projection  lamps 

42W — Projectors 

43  W — Motor-generators 

44W — Rectifiers 

45W — Screens 

46W — Magnetic  sound 

47W — Auditorium  seating 


48W — Curtain  tracks 
49W — Ticket  registers 
50W — Hand  driers 
5IW — Beverage  dispensers 
52W — Food  specialties 
53W — Frankfurter  grilles 
54W — Ice  cream  cabinets 
55W — Popcorn  warmers 
56W — Carry-out  trays 


46 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  APRIL  28,  1956 


Try  to  buy  a copy  of 

the  1956  edition  from 
any  of  its  subscribers 

(before  the  1957  edition  is  available) 


Best  way  to  judge  subscribers’  opinions  of  a reference  book  is  to  try  to  buy  a 
copy  when  the  edition  is  a sell-out  (we’ve  been  sold  out  of  Motion  Picture 
Almanac  since  February).  People  coming  to  our  offices  to  find  their  facts  in 
our  file-copies  have  related  their  attempts  to  buy  a copy  from  acquaintances 
who  have  it  on  their  desks. 


Edited  by  Charles  S.  Aaronson 


THE  ALMANAC  is  the  ONLY  reference  book  in  this  field  that  is  organized 
in  15  thumb-indexed  sections — and  one  of  those  sections  is  the  ONLY  real 
“Who’s  Who”  of  the  industry  (over  11,000  concise  biographies).  THE 
ALMANAC  is  the  finest  compendium  of  live  and  factual  information  and 
industry  listings  of  all  kinds — literally  at  your  finger-tips. 

Many  reservations  for  the  1957  edition  have  already  been  received. 


Order  either 
volume , or  both 

Either  volume  is 
$5,  postpaid — 
or  $8.50  for  the 
companion  pair. 


QUIGLEY  PUBLICATIONS,  1270  Sixth  Ave.,  New  York  20,  N.  Y. 
Please  reserve  for  me  a copy  of  the  1957  edition  of: 

□ MOTION  PICTURE  ALMANAC  ($5) 

□ TELEVISION  ALMANAC  ($5) 

□ COMPANION  SET  OF  THE  TWO  ALMANACS  ($8.50) 

□ Payment  herewith 
| | Bill  me  when  shipped 

Date  of  this  reservation ...... 

Name 


Address 


OITATK 


WATCH  FOR 


Local  prizes  gal< 
nner,  via  Air  Frai 


GO  ON  SAFARI  CONTEST1 
all  expenses  pa 


Murderous  Mau-Mau! 
Maddened  beasts! 
Actual  Hon  hunts,  rhino 
charges,  elephant 
stampedes  unmatched 
for  motion  picture 
realism  and  impact! 


COLUMBIA  PICTURES  presents  A WARWICK  Production 


VICTOR  JANET 
MATURE  • LEIGH 


JOHN  JUSTIN  ■ ROLAND  CULVER 


LIAM  REDMOND  • EARL  CAMERON  . ORLANDO  MARTINS  | - ' 

Screenplay  by  ANTHONY  VEILLER  • Directed  by  TERENCE  YOUNG  • Produced  by  IRVING  ALLEN  and  ALBERT  R.  BROCCOLI 


Technicolor 


Color  by 


FROM 


screen  and  TV 


NOTION,  THE  MAN  WHO  KNEW  TOO  MUCH.  THE  REVOLT 
SLEEPS,  HILDA  CRANE,  THE  MAVERICK  QUEEN,  GODZILLA 
STAR  OF  INDIA,  THE  BALLET  OF  ROMEO  AND  JULIET 


ice,  at  Nczv  York  City,  U.  S.  A.,  under  the  act  oi  March  3.  1879.  Pub- 
Rockefeller  Center,  New  York  20,  A’.  Y . Subscription  prices : $5.00 
ts.  All  contents  copyrighted  1956  by  Quigley  Publishing  Company,  Inc. 


WHILE  THE  INDUSTRY  IS  STILL 
TALKING  ABOUT  THESE  PREVIEWS- 


BHOWANI 

BOMBSHELL! 

"BHOWANI  JUNCTION"  is  a 
showman’s  dream.  The  Preview 
revealed  AVA  GARDNER  in 
her  most  seductive  role  as  the 
half-caste  girl  of  many  loves. 
STEWART  GRANGER  co-stars 
in  a cast  of  thousands.  2 years  in 
production.  Filmed  in  Cinema- 
Scope  and  Color  in  Pakistan. 
It’s  a real  BIG  one! 


BOXOFFICE 
AFFAIR  ! 

"THE  CATERED  AFFAIR"  is  the 
talk  of  every  Film  Row  following 
its  sensational  nationwide  audi- 
ence Previews  in  all  exchange 
cities.  A great  cast:  BETTE 
DAVIS,  ERNEST  BORGNINE, 
DEBBIE  REYNOLDS,  BARRY 
FITZGERALD.  Fine  perform- 
ances including  another  great  job 
by  the  star  of  "Marty."  It’s  a BIG 
"AFFAIR"! 


"Sing  out 
the  news 
about  M-G-M’s 

'HIGH 

SOCIETY'!” 


HERE’S  ANOTHER 
BIG  ONE 

JUST  PREVIEWED! 


HIGH  AS 
THE  SKY! 

M-G-M’s  "HIGH  SOCIETY”  had  its 
first  screening  last  week.  Another  block- 
buster joins  Leo  the  Lion’s  arsenal  of 
hits!  Imagine  BING  CROSBY,  GRACE 
KELLY,  FRANK  SINATRA  and  Louis 
Armstrong  and  his  Band  and  the  first 
original  COLE  PORTER  score  for  films 
in  10  years.  The  BIG  ONES  are  coming 
one  after  another  from  M-G-M’s  HIT 
HEADQUARTERS  and  here’s  one  of 
the  BIGGEST!  You’ll  be  HIGH  on 
M-G-M’s  "HIGH  SOCIETY.” 


ACT  FAST! 

Top  Showmen  have  booked  it! 

"THE  WEDDING 
IN  MONACO” 

The  Only  Exclusive,  Complete,  Official 
CinemaScope  and  Color  Featurette  of  this 
historic  occasion.  By  arrangement  with 
Prince  Rainier  III. 

Call  M-G-M  Immediately  For  This  Hot  Booking! 


M-G-M, 

HOTTEST 

COMPANY! 


REPORTER.' 


Wednesday,  April  18,  1956 


Unusual  Allen  Pic 
Gigantic  Effort 

“THE  ANIMAL  WORLD” 

( Windsor- Warner*  I 


Irwin  Allen,  who  wrote,  directed 
and  produced  this  Windsor  production 
for  Warners,  has  taken  on  the  job  here 
of  telling  the  story  of  “The  Animal 
World"  on  this  planet,  exclusive  of 
man.  from  the  beginning  of  creation 
to  the  present  time.  It  is  a really  gi- 
gantic effort  and  obviously  no  pains 
have  been  spared  to  make  it  factual 
and  impressive.  If  there  are  any  flaws 
in  the  presentation,  any  faults  an  in- 
dividual might  find,  they  are  sins  of 
omission  rather  than  commission  and 
they  are  venial.  If  anyone  doubts  that 
audiences  find  this  sort  of  science-fact 
endlessly  intriguing,  he  has  only  to 
consult  this  week's  Life  magazine 
where  one  of  the  most  popular  picture 
magazines  of  our  time  is  pursuing 
somewhat  the  same  sort  of  anthropo- 
logical-historical study  with  gratifying 
circulation  results.  And  the  Technicolor 
screen  is  capable  of  far  greater  excite- 
ment than  any  magazine  page. 

The  story  begins  with  the  creation 
of  the  earth,  with  the  first  appearance 
of  single-cell  animal  life  and  follows 
it  from  the  sea  to  the  land.  There  it 
records  the  development  of  prehistoric 
beasts  and  records  too,  their  death 
throes  in  stunning  pictorial  terms.  It 
goes  on  to  show  how  all  members  and 
species  of  the  animal  world,  from  the 
ant  to  the  elephant,  came  into  being 
in  the  era  of  man  and  how  each  con- 
tinues to  this  day. 

This  brief  summary  does  no  justice 
to  “The  Animal  World,”  because  this 
is  a major  work,  in  conception  and  in 
execution,  and  the  achievement  is  cor- 
respondingly great.  One  sequence,  in- 
dicative of  the  magnitude  of  the  film 
and  one  that  is  certain  to  be  widely 
commented  upon,  is  that  of  the  age  of 
dinosaurs.  These  great  animals  have 
never  before  been  so  realistically  cre- 
ated as  they  are  here  and  the  violent 
scenes  of  their  battles  and  final  ex- 
tinction have  a terrifying  grandeur 
about  them  and  even — and  here  is  the 
touch  of  genius — a kind  of  pathos.  It 
may  seem  incongruous  to  shed  a tear 
for  a brontosaurus,  but  even  these  60- 
foot  reptiles  are  dwarfed  and  made 
pitiful  by  the  cataclysms  that  Allen  has 
devised  to  show  their  last  days. 

If  there  is  pathos  and  tragedy,  there 
is  also  humor.  It  is  no  discredit  to 
Allen’s  originality  and  creative  ability 
to  say  that  there  is  the  same  sort  of 
humor  here  that  Walt  Disney  achieves 
so  well  in  his  much  smaller-scaled  ani- 
mal pictures.  This  is  the  kind  of  an- 
thropomorphic humor  that  the  critics 
invariably  denounce  and  that  audiences 
invariably  take  to  enthusiastically.  It 
is  good  pacing,  because  it  gives  “The 
Animal  World"  needed  variety  to  con- 
trast the  fierceness  and  brutality  that 
is  so  much  a part  of  any  depiction'of 
animals,  in  any  age  or  time. 

There  isn’t  a TV  screen  in  existence 
or  conception  that  could  do  justice  to 
the  magnificence  of  "The  Animal 
World.”  Irwin  Allen,  who  received  an 
Academy  Award  for  his  previous  film, 
“The  Sea  Around  Us,”  will  certainly 
be  mentioned  for  similar  honors  with 
"The  Animal  World.”  Put  this  one 
down  as  a blue  chip  product  with  ex- 
traordinary values  for  the  exhibitor 
providing  it  is  presented  to  the  cus- 
tomers for  what  it  is:  a unique  film 
on  a subject  never  before  covered  in 
anything  like  the  scope  and  splendor 
it  receives  here. 


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Ci 
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Holly 
Presid 
Hollyw 
are  IVi 
Heinem 
Sugarma 
rectors  v 
president 
and  past 
Olesen,  is 
Denels,  pi 
Merchantor 
gene  Stern, 
Initial 

for  immed 
bounded  by 
Hollywood 
tween  Sun 
the  entire 
La  Brea  ar 
integrated 


The  w 
the  mail 
picture  i 
and  Col 
length  p 
and  yel 
gags  th 
Ford, 
this  se 
haven' 
words 
Thi 
Dust,’ 

Zugsr 
and  I 
prove 
pleasi 
ney 
whic 

nove 
appea 
action 
fans. 

along  more 
in  the  writi 
Charles  Haas, 
fine  natural  ef 
tine  of  stock 
mere  sake  of 
is  no  lack  of  t 
including  ev< 
between  two 
While  the 
it  has  enoug 
cations,  pk 
played  by  1 
attention  al 
new  sheriff 
Richard 
fenced  to  f 
three  farm 
Erickson, 
town  banl- 
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lowers  a 
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town  to 
are  com 
sheriff 

throughi^l*!^ 1 .u.  is  even  mo' 

important  to  this  picture  and  it  is 
new  footage  It  is  magnificent.  I 


color  by 


Technicolor  ■ a winds 


“A  bigger 
and  better 
picture 
than 
Academy 
Award 
winning 
‘Sea 
Around 
Us’!” 

M.  P.  DAILY 


OR  PRODUCTION  • WRITTEN,  PRODUCED  AND  DIRECTED  BY  IRWIN  ALLEN  * PRESENTED  BY  WARNER  BROS. 


“Should 
attract 
audiences 
of  all 
ages!” 

FILM  DAILY 


“Fantastic 

revelations! 

Startling 

photography! 

Combines 
scientific  fact 
with  top 
showmanship  !,f 

VARIETY 


“Should  not 
be  missed 
by  anyone ! 
Most  unusual 
in  drama , 
suspense  and 
excitement !” 


SHOWMEN’S 
TRADE  REVIEW 


“A  masterpiece! 
A bell-ringer 
for  the 
coming 


M.  P.  HERALD 


summer 

months!” 


20th's  Greetings  to 

SMPTE 

and  20th  s Gratitude  to 

FAME  MAGAZINE 


fliH.ru 


presented  during  the  convention  of  the  Society 
of  Motion  Picture  and  Television  Engineers 
this  week  at  the  Hotel  Statler,  New  York 


SOON 

IN  THE  COMPLETE 
GRANDEUR  OF 

gb  CINEMASCOPE 


DARRYL  F.  ZANUCK  presents 

RODGERS  and 
HAMMERSTEIN'S 


XM 


ami 


COLOR  BY  DE  LUXE 


THE  WONDER 
ENTERTAINMENT 
OF  THE  WORLD! 


A 


cm 


Tnbi 


r4 


o 


The  editors  op  FAME  anardto 


THE  RESEARCH  AND  TECHNICAL 
STAFF  OF  20TH  CENTURY-FOX 


tws  ACHIEVEMENT  AWARD  in  RSCoewTXM  or 

THEIR  NOTABLE  CONTRIBUTION  TO  THE  ART  AND  M0U8TRV 
OF  MOTION  MCTURE8  BT  THE  DEVELOPMENT  OR  SIMM 
ONEMASC0f>£  TECHNIQUE  FOR  THE  ENHANCEMENT  OF 
THE  ENTERTAINMENT  POWER  OF  THE  MOTION  PICTURE 


SCREEN. 


MAGAZINE 


FAME 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD 


• 7tm 

MARTIN  QUIGLEY,  Editor-In-Chief  and  Publisher 

1 MARTIN  QUIGLEY,  JR., 

Editor 

Vol.  203,  No.  5 

May 

1956 

What? — No  Snake  Oil! 

ALL  through  history  it  has  been  a characteristic  of 
j-\  human  nature  to  seek  panaceas,  cure-alls  and 
-4-  -A  nostrums.  In  another  era  in  this  country  the 
medicine  man  and  his  snake  oil  were  offered  to  heal  the 
ills  of  mind  and  body,  real  and  imagined.  However,  all 
ages  have  had  their  snake  oil.  Our  own  times  are 
peculiarly  apt  for  pitch  men  with  the  statistical  brands 
of  snake  oil. 

The  motion  picture  industry  has  gone  through  several 
cycles  of  romance  with  statistics.  More  than  a decade 
ago  Hollywood  was  bitten  hard  by  the  research,  statis- 
tics and  fact-and-fancy  finders.  In  one  period  Dr.  George 
Gallup  was  looked  upon  as  an  oracle.  Little  was  then 
done  in  the  film  capital  without  the  advice  and  consent 
of  pollsters.  Many  thought  that  a magic  formula  had 
been  found  for  determining  such  inevitable  indetermi- 
nates  as  the  perfect  film  title,  the  ideal  story  and  the 
best  lures  for  both  the  ardent  and  the  cool  potential 
patron.  Eventually  the  excitement  subsided. 

Now  there  is  another  interest  wave  in  statistics.  This 
time  the  fire  is  directed  principally  at  exhibition  and 
distribution  rather  than  production.  With  the  passage 
of  time  the  wonder  and  complexity  of  the  figures  and 
the  areas  in  which  attempts  are  made  to  measure  senti- 
ment have  been  magnified.  One  of  the  principal  expo- 
nents of  this  new  activity  is  Sindlinger  and  Company. 
Alfred  Sindlinger  and  his  organization  rendered  com- 
petent and  useful  statistical  research  service  to  COMPO 
in  connection  with  the  admission  tax  repeal  campaigns. 
The  organization  has  broadened  its  activities  and  covers 
many  film  topics,  plus  television. 

WHEN  pollsters  leave  the  business  of  fact-finding 
and  venture  to  weigh  and  assess  opinion,  they 
invite  criticism.  For  example,  it  is  one  thing  to 
inquire  whether  an  individual  plans  to  vote  for  Eisen- 
hower or  Stevenson  and  something  quite  different  to  ask 
if  he  believes  that  the  Government  should  concentrate 
on  a 5,000-mile  guided  missile  rather  than  on  one  of  a 
range  of  1,000  to  2,000  miles.  In  the  former  case,  the 
individual  has  direct  control  over  the  action.  If  the  poll 
is  based  on  a representative  sample,  the  results  will 
closely  parallel  actual  voting.  On  the  other  hand,  in  the 
second  case  most  individuals  polled  would  not  have  the 
knowledge  necessary  to  form  a responsible  opinion  or 
have  any  influence  on  the  action  to  be  taken. 

There  is  nothing  wrong  with  many  forms  of  so-called 
audience  research.  Dangers  are  that  some  may  mis- 
usderstand  and  misinterpret  the  results.  There  is  also 
the  related  problem  that  some  may  take  the  so-called 
conclusions  furnished  by  research  organizations  as  sub- 
stitutes for  their  own  thinking,  or  even  worse,  as  sub- 
stitutes for  action.  When  figures  are  flying  around  in- 


discriminately one  may  always  recall  the  saying  of  Mark 
Twain — “There  are  lies,  damned  lies  and  statistics.” 

At  present  the  Sindlinger  organization  is  circulating 
to  clients,  and  to  the  press  for  publicity  purposes,  a flow 
of  statistics  in  bewildering  array.  Mr.  Sindlinger  and 
his  staff,  among  other  things,  specialize  in  what  people 
are  talking  about,  measurements  of  “know-how,” 
“appeal”  and  “intensity  of  appeal.”  They  also  have 
advice  on  how  pictures  should  be  sold  to  the  public. 

SOME  of  the  conclusions  reached  are  obvious  and 
require  no  so-called  research.  Others  are  debatable. 
Others  are  simply  unprovable.  One  example  of  the 
latter  category  may  be  cited.  Television  promotion  of 
“Carousel”  is  estimated  to  have  “cost  the  exhibitors  of 
the  nation  2,843,260  lost  admissions,  and  more  than 
$3,513,500  in  box  office  receipts.”  A debatable  comment 
is,  “Its  audience  will  be  of  ‘drop-in-from-the-street’ 
nature”  (“Tribute  to  a Bad  Man”).  In  the  obvious  cate- 
gory are  references  to  Disney’s  “Song  of  the  South,” 
“let  the  kids  know  when  you  play  it”  and  “The  appeal 
and  intensity  of  this  attraction  is  exclusively  the  teen- 
agers” (“Rock  Around  the  Clock”). 

Research  is  important.  Compilation  and  study  of 
statistics  are  important.  But  these  potentially  effective 
tools  should  confine  themselves  to  their  proper  field  of 
fact-finding.  They  should  not  attempt  to  invade  the 
province  of  judgment  and  experience — for  which  they 
are  no  substitute. 


CJ  The  motion  picture  industry  now  has  an  opportunity 
to  establish  a $500,000  medical  project  in  the  new  Albert 
Einstein  College  of  Medicine  of  Yeshiva  University  in 
New  York  City.  Samuel  Rosen,  executive  vice-president 
of  Stanley  Warner  Theatres,  and  a director  of  the  Col- 
lege, is  spearheading  the  drive.  This  is  the  first  medical 
school  established  in  New  York  State  in  a century. 
Despite  the  tremendous  needs  for  more  doctors,  there 
are  fewer  than  four  score  medical  colleges  in  the  whole 
country.  The  campaign  for  this  important  medical 
project  deserves  fullest  support. 


Despite  expressions  to  the  contrary,  Hollywood  is 
still  making  pictures  for  the  family  trade.  Some  com- 
panies have  always  tried  to  have  a number  of  such  attrac- 
tions on  each  year’s  production  program.  A particularly 
happy  example  of  a good  family  picture  is  Universal’s 
“Toy  Tiger,”  starring  Jeff  Chandler,  Laraine  Day  and 
Tim  Hovey.  Thousands  of  theatres  need  more  films  suit- 
able for  parents  and  children. 

— Martin  Quigley , Jr. 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD 


The  Quigley  Awards  Judging 

The  twenty-second  annual  judging  for  the  Quigley  Au/ards  for  Showmanship  will 
be  Ijeld  next  Monday  in  New  York.  The  judges,  as  always,  will  comprise  the  top  adver- 
tising, publicity  and  exploitation  executives  of  the  distributing  companies  and  major 
circuits.  They  will  examine  the  campaigns  submitted  during  the  last  year  to  the  Man- 
agers’ Round  Table  and  select  three  winners,  one  each  for  large  and  small  situations  and 
the  foreign  market.  Below  are  comments  of  some  judges  who  have  been  invited. 


The  Quigley  Showmanship  Awards  have 
become  an  important  event  in  our  industry 
and  deserve  every  support.  I wish  you 
continuing  success  at  your  forthcoming 
event  on  May  7." — Barney  Balaban,  Presi- 
dent, Paramount  Pictures  Corp. 

"Congratulations  . . . for  instigating  and 
maintaining  these  awards  for  Good  Show- 
manship. The  success  of  this  project  is 
clearly  indicated  to  me  by  fhe  many 
Skouras  Theatres  managers  who  compete 
for  and  so  proudly  display  their  Quigley 
Awards  emblems." — Spyros  S.  Skouras, 
President,  Skouras  Theatres  Corp. 

'The  Showmanship  Awards  serve  a very 
constructive  purpose  in  our  industry,  and 
if  there  is  any  chance  of  changing  my 
schedule  ...  I will  certainly  be  with  you." — 

F.  H.  Ricketson,  Jr.,  President,  Fox-Inter- 
Mountain  Amusement  Corp.,  Denver,  Colo. 

"...  I have  no  notions  about  anything 
being  wrong  with  film  advertising.  In  my 
opinion,  the  fellows  by  and  large  do  a swell 
job,  considering  the  material  they  work 
with  and  the  conditions  under  which  the 
ads  are  produced.' — Harry  Goldberg, 
Stanley  Warner  Mgmt.  Corp. 

"It  strikes  me  that  your  Twenty-second 
Judging  should  be  the  best  of  all  of  the 
previous  Quigley  Showmanship  Awards 
that  have  helped  to  shape  our  industry." — 

Dave  A.  Bader,  Vice-president,  Astor  Pic- 
tures Corp. 


Over  the  years  this  annual  affair  of  the 
Quigley  Publications  has  assumed  greater 
importance  in  focusing  the  attention  of 
motion  picture  people  on  sound  showman- 
ship methods.  — Charles  E.  McCarthy, 
Information  Director,  Council  of  Motion 
Picture  Organizations. 


".  . . the  panel  discussion,  which  is  to 
deal  with  the  question  of  'What's  Right 
and  What's  Wrong  With  Film  Advertising' 
is  a topic  which  is  mighty  close  to  me." — 

George  F.  Dembow,  President,  National 
Screen  Service  Corp. 


"Although  they  do  not  appear  on  your 
balance  sheet,  the  Quigley  Awards  repre- 
sent one  of  the  greatest  assets  of  your 
internationally  read  publication  because  of 
the  vital  role  they  have  played  for  more 
than  two  decades  in  promoting  and  estab- 
lishing high  standards  of  showmanship 
throughout  the  world." — Samuel  Cohen, 
Foreign  Publicity  Director,  United  Artists 
Corp. 


"Count  me  in.  No  Quigley  Award  win- 
ner can,  with  good  conscience,  turn  his 
back  on  an  opportunity  to  contribute  to 
the  health  of  the  showmanship  awards." — 

J.  Raymond  Bell,  Columbia  Pictures  Corp. 

• 

Bad  Housekeeping 

To  the  Editor: 

Just  a few  lines  to  point  up  a discussion 
I’ve  heard  here  lately,  one  I’m  sure  is  na- 
tion-wide and  not  purely  local. 

It’s  the  old  cry: — “They’re  just  not  com- 
ing in.”  Well,  I’m  sorry  to  say  but  the  boys 
have  no  one  to  blame  but  themselves. 

Twenty  years  ago  you  went  into  a beauti- 
fully kept  theatre  with  good  service,  saw  a 
lavish  program  and  came  out  satisfied.  To- 
day you  go  into  a dirty  theatre  and  are 
greeted  by  indifferent  help,  see  a single  or 
double  feature  and  pay  twice  the  amount 
that  a neighborhood  theatre  charges  to  see 
the  picture  14  days  sooner — if  you’re  that 
interested. 

Downtown  theatres  are  just  as  dirty,  just 
as  badly  staffed  as  the  one  around  the  cor- 
ner. The  only  thing  that  they  put  out  in 
the  way  of  customer  service  is  a more  highly 
specialized  effort  to  get  any  small  change 
you  might  have  for  the  concession  stand. 

If  a retail  merchant  in  any  other  line  of 
business  was  as  poor  a merchandiser,  and 
as  indifferent  to  his  clientele  as  a theatre 
manager,  he  would  have  been  in  the  poor- 
house  years  ago.  I’ve  been  in  the  theatrical 
business  thirty  years,  nine  of  which  I spent 
managing  downtown  theatres,  and  I know 
what  I’m  talking  about. 

I hope  you  wake  the  boys  up  before  it’s 
too  late. — FRANK  M.  PAUL,  Indianapolis, 
Ind. 


May  5,  1956 


Page 


FAME  ACHIEVEMENT  award  pre- 
sented to  20th-Fox  engineers  12 

MASSACHUSETTS  exhibitors  an- 
gered by  16mm  shows  in  cafes  12 

ALLIED  AND  TOA  map  new  joint 
strategy;  leaders  plan  meeting  13 

TV  MONOPOLY  charge  by  Bricker 
brings  quick,  vigorous  denial  13 

TOLL  TV  still  a question  mark;  no 
action  seen  soon  I 6 

LOEWS  INTERNATIONAL  plans  new 
theatres  overseas  16 

"COLD  WAR"  between  TV  and  in- 
dustry at  end,  SMPTE  told  17 

HOLLYWOOD'S  talent  training  re- 
ported to  be  paying  off  20 

BRITISH  INDUSTRY  still  sees  hope 
for  tax  relief  22 

EXPECT  1,000  at  Variety  Club  annual 
convention  in  New  York  May  9 24 

ANNOUNCING  the  box  office 
champions  for  April,  1956  26 

SERVICE  DEPARTMENTS 

Refreshment  Merchandising  41 

Film  Buyers'  Rating  3rd  Cover 

Hollywood  Scene  27 

Managers'  Round  Table  37 

The  Winners'  Circle  30 

National  Spotlight  31 

What  the  Picture  Did  for  Me  35 

IN  PRODUCT  DIGEST  SECTION 

Showmen's  Reviews  881 

The  Release  Chart  884 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  Martin  Quigley,  Editor-in- 
Chief  and  Publisher;  Martin  Quigley,  Jr.,  Editor;  Raymond 
Levy,  Executive  Publisher;  James  D.  Ivers,  News  Editor; 
Charles  S.  Aaronson,  Production  Editor;  Floyd  E.  Stone, 
Photo  Editor;  Ray  Gallagher,  Advertising  Manager;  Gus 
H.  Fausel,  Production  Manager.  Bureaus:  Hollywood, 

Samuel  D.  Berns,  Manager:  William  R.  Weaver,  Editor, 
Yucca-Vine  Building,  Telephone  HOIlywood  7-2 145; 
Chicago,  120  So.  LaSalle  St.,  Urben  Farley,  Advertising 
Representative,  Telephone  Financial  6-3074;  Washington, 
J.  A.  Otten,  National  Press  Club;  London,  Hope  Williams 
Burnup,  Manager;  Peter  Burnup,  Editor;  William  Pay, 
News  Editor,  4 Golden  Square.  Correspondents  in  the 
principal  capitals  of  the  world.  Member  Audit  Bureau  of 
Circulations.  Motion  Picture  Herald  is  published  every 
Saturday  by  Quigley  Publishing  Company,  Inc.,  Rocke- 
feller Center,  New  York  City  20.  Telephone  Circle  7-3100; 
Cable  address;  "Quigpubco,  New  York",  Martin  Quigley, 
President;  Martin  Quigley,  Jr.,  Vice-President;  Theo.  J. 
Sullivan,  Vice-President  and  rreasurer;  Raymond  Levy, 
Vice-President,  Leo  J.  Brady,  Secretary.  Other  Quigley 
Publications:  Better  Theatres  and  Better  Refreshment  Mer- 
chandising, each  published  thirteen  times  a year  as  a 
section  of  Motion  Picture  Herald;  Motion  Picture  Daily, 
Television  Today,  Motion  Picture  Almanac,  Television 
Almanac,  Fame. 


8 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  MAY  5,  1956 


On  the 


onzon 


BIDDING  FOR  WARNERS? 

High  level  and  high  finance 
negotiations  were  reported 
this  week  involving  the  con- 
trolling interest  in  Warner 
Brothers  Pictures,  now  owned 
by  Harry,  Jack  and  Albert  War- 
ner and  their  families.  Re- 
ports at  midweek  were  that 
Elliot  Hyman,  president  of  As- 
sociated Artists,  for  himself 
and  for  a syndicate  of  Canadian 
financiers  including  Louis 
Chesler,  had  offered  the 
equivalent  of  $26  a share  for 
all  the  assets  of  the  corpora- 
tion, a deal  similar  to  that 
under  which  Howard  Hughes  sev- 
eral years  ago  bought  outright 
all  the  assets  of  RKO  Pictures 
Corp.  The  cash  would  amount  to 
more  than  $60,000,000.  Mr. 
Hyman  and  Mr.  Chesler  were 
the  principals  who  bought  the 
Warner  backlog  of  pictures  for 
TV  recently.  Late  Wednesday 
Jack  L.  Warner  in  Hollywood 
and  a Chesler  spokesman  in  New 
York  denied  a deal  with  the 
Chesler  group  was  in  negoti- 
ation. 

NATURAMA  EXHIBITED 

Republic  Pictures  recently 
screened  its  new  Naturama 
process  for  the  trade  press  in 
New  York.  The  process,  an  ana- 
morphic  one  campatible  with 
similar  processes,  has  an  as- 
pect ratio  of  2:35  to  1,  re- 
quiring no  additional  equip- 
ment for  those  theatres  that 
are  now  equipped  with  ana- 
morphic  lenses.  "The  Maverick 
Queen,"  the  first  Republic 
picture  utilizing  the  process, 
is  reviewed  in  the  Product  Di- 
gest in  this  issue.  With  the 
new  system,  Republic  will  re- 
lease an  optical  sound  track 
only. 

STEPPING  UP 

In  1955  Bel-Air  Productions, 
the  Aubrey  Schenck-Howard  W. 
Koch  producing  company,  made 
nine  pictures,  the  largest 
number  of  features  turned  out 
by  an  independent.  To  maintain 
this  rate  of  production  the 
company  added  story  and  cast- 
ing to  their  organization  and 
broadened  its  promotional  ac- 
tivities, which  are  co-ordi- 
nated with  those  of  United 
Artists,  its  distributor.  This 


year,  with  four  pictures  com- 
pleted and  a fifth  in  prepara- 
tion, Bel-Air  has  set  out  to 
make  an  even  dozen  in  1956.  The 
Bel-Air  example  could  turn  out 
to  be  the  pattern  of  the  pro- 
duction future  of  the  film  in- 
dustry. 

12  SUITS  DISMISSED 

A total  of  12  anti-trust 
suits,  involving  more  than 
$18,000,000,  were  dismissed 
with  prejudice  in  New  York  Fed- 
eral Court  this  week.  The  de- 
fendants included  the  major 
companies  and  the  Skouras  and 
Metropolitan  Playhouse  cir- 
cuits. Among  the  plaintiffs 
were  East  Islip  Theatre,  Inc.  ; 
South  Shore  Theatres ; Leff- 
Myers  Corp.  ; Phoenix  Theatre, 
Inc.  ; Tower  Amusement  Corp. 

20TH-F0X  MEXICAN  FILMS 

20th  Century-Fox  will  spend 
$8,000,000  in  the  production 
of  six  pictures  in  Mexico  this 
year,  most  of  them  in  Cinema- 
Scope  and  Technicolor,  the  com- 
pany announces.  Durango  State 
will  be  the  principal  locale 
because  of  desirable  terrain 
and  special  facilities  pro- 
vided by  the  Mexican  govern- 
ment. At  least  half  of  the 
$8,000,000  outlay  will  remain 
in  Mexico,  it  is  expected. 

NICOLE  TOURS  QUEBEC 

Nicole  Maurey,  bi-lingual 
French  actress  who  appears  in 
the  Irving  H.  Levin  production, 
"The  Bold  and  the  Brave"  for 
RKO,  took  the  Province  of  Que- 
bec, including  Montreal,  by 
storm  on  her  recent  publicity 
junket  for  the  film,  according 
to  Joe  Longo,  RKO  field  man  and 
Alan  Bader,  RKO  publicity  man, 
who  accompanied  her.  Inter- 
views with  the  press,  public 
appearances,  a greeting  from 
Montreal  mayor  Jean  Drapeau, 
radio  and  TV  appearances,  all 
were  part  and  parcel  of  Miss 
Maurey 's  successful  promotion 
barrage. 

FOR  POP 

Milton  LeRoy,  enterprising 
operator  of  the  Blue  Hills 
Drive-In  Theatre,  Bloomfield, 
Conn. , has  promoted  use  of  a 
TV  set  in  his  concession  build- 
ing on  Wednesday  nights,  in 


WHEN  AND  WHERE 

May  8:  Annual  convention  of  Allied  Indepen- 
dent Theatre  Owners  of  Kansas-Missouri, 
Aladdin  Hotel,  Kansas  City,  Mo. 

May  8-9:  Spring  meeting  of  the  Montana 
Theatres  Association,  Northern  Hotel,  Bill- 
ings, Montana. 

May  8-9:  Annual  convention  of  Allied  Inde- 
pendent Theatre  Owners  of  lowa-Nebraska, 
Fontenelle  Hotel,  Omaha. 

May  9- 1 2:  Annual  convention  of  Variety  Clubs 
international,  at  the  Waldorf-Astoria,  New 
York. 

May  15-16:  North-Central  Allied  Independent 
Theatre  Owners,  annual  convention,  Nicol- 
let Hotel,  Minneapolis. 

May  29-31  : Annual  convention  of  the  Motion 
Picture  Theatre  Owners  and  Operators  of 
Georgia,  Biltmore  Hotel,  Atlanta. 

June  11-13:  Annual  convention  of  the  New 

Mexico  Theatre  Association,  Hilton  Hotel, 
Albuquerque. 

June  17-19:  Mississippi  Theatre  Owners  Asso- 
ciation, 16th  annual  convention,  Edgewater 
Gulf  Hotel,  Edgewater  Park,  Miss. 

June  25:  Annual  golf  tournament  and  dinner 
party  of  Albany  Variety  Club,  Shaker  Ridge 
Country  Club,  Albany,  N.  Y. 

September  19-25:  Annual  convention  of  The- 
atre Owners  of  America,  in  conjunction 
with  the  annual  convention  and  trade  shows 
of  the  Theatre  Equipment  Dealers  Associa- 
tion and  Theatre  Equipment  and  Supply 
Manufacturers  Association,  Coliseum,  New 
York. 

September  28-30:  Third  annual  national  con- 
vention of  the  Women  of  the  Motion  Pic- 
ture Industry,  Dinkler-Plaza  Hotel,  Atlanta. 

October  15-16:  Annual  regional  convention  of 
Independent  Exhibitors  of  New  England  and 
The  Drive-In  Theatre  Association  of  New 
England,  Winchendon,  Mass. 

October  23-24:  Allied  Theatre  Owners  of 

Indiana,  Marott  Hotel,  Indianapolis. 

November  24-28:  Allied  States  Association, 
Fall  board  meeting  and  annual  convention, 
Statler  Hotel,  Dallas,  Texas. 

November  25-27:  44th  annual  convention  of 
the  Theatre  Owners  of  North  and  South 
Carolina,  Hotel  Charlotte,  Charlotte,  N.  C. 


return  for  a card  display, 
plugging  the  co-operative  TV 
dealer.  Wednesday  night  is  fea- 
tured boxing  night  on  metro- 
politan Hartford  TV  channels. 

William  R.  Weaver — Vincent 
Canby — Floyd  Stone 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  MAY  5,  1956 


9 


NOW  IT’S  ALL  PAID  FOR.  IATSE  president  Richard  Walsh,  Cleveland 
Local  160  business  manager  Perry  Carter,  and  IATSE  secretary-treasurer 
Harland  Holmden  burn  the  local’s  mortgage,  in  a ceremony  the  climax  of 
dinner  and  dancing  the  other  midnight  at  the  Hollenden  Hotel.  The  mort- 
gage was  on  headquarters  built  in  1949. 


IT’S  A NEW  OFFICE,  and  a new  promotion.  Byron 
Adams,  left,  who  has  been  managing  United  Artist’s  of- 
fice at  Atlanta  since  1951,  will  head  its  new'  exchange 
at  Jacksonville  when  it  opens  this  summer.  Bill  Hames, 
formerly  Dallas  branch  manager,  will  go  to  Atlanta. 


THIS  IS  ACTRESS 
ANN  GRIFFITH,  con- 
ferring with  Bill  Elliott 
on  the  lot  of  Allied  Art- 
ists’ “Night  Target.’’ 
We  bring  her  to  your 
attention  because  she  is 
an  exhibitor’s  daughter. 
Henry  J.  Griffith,  of 
Dallas,  president  of 
Frontier  Theatres,  Inc., 
is  her  father.  Miss  Grif- 
fith is  making  her  de- 
but in  a supporting 
role  in  the  new,  drama- 
tic film. 


ALLIED  ARTISTS’  youngest  star  (and 
youngest  stockholder),  10  year  old 
Richard  Ever,  gets  some  tips  on  the 
market  from  Edward  T.  McCormick, 
president  of  the  American  Stock  Ex- 
change, which  incidentally  lists  AA. 
Master  Richard  was  in  New  1 ork  last 
week  helping  to  promote  ^ illiam 
Wyler’s  “Friendly  Persuasion.’’ 


THE  IHT  OF  THE  SHOW  — New 
York  Variety’s  luncheon  preparatory 
to  its  sponsorship  of  the  international 
convention — master  dialectician  My- 
ron Cohen  illustrates  a point.  With 
him,  convention  chairman  Martin  Le- 
vine, actress  Cleo  Moore,  and  tent  35 
chief  barker  Harold  Klein,  who  ap- 
pealed for  convention  support. 


by  the  Herald 


ON  TOUR,  Gil  Wilson,  artist, 
painter  of  “Moby  Dick”  scenes. 
At  the  right,  he  is  being  inter- 
viewed in  New  Bedford  by 
WBSM’s  Hal  Peterson.  With 
him  are  Harry,  Mort,  Fisher,  and 
Robert  Zeitz  of  the  Zeitz 
Theatres.  The  Warners  release 
will  have  its  world  premiere  in 
New  Bedford  June  27. 


ON  TOUR,  Nicole  Maurey,  actress,  of  France,  and 
of  RKO’s  “The  Bold  and  the  Brave.”  Below,  she 
is  the  guest  at  a reception  in  Montreal,  and  her 
new  friends  are  John  Speradkos,  United  Amuse- 
ments advertising  director;  George  De  Stounis, 
film  buyer;  John  Ganatakos,  president;  Jack 
Labow.  RKO  district  manager;  and  Allan  Spencer, 
United  Amusements  publicity  manager. 


PHILANTHROPY,  below.  The  appeal,  at  luncheon 
in  New  York  last  week,  was  for  Yeshiva  Univer- 
sity’s Einstein  College  of  Medicine.  The  speaker 
is  Stanley  Warner  vice-president  Samuel  Rosen. 
With  him,  William  Brandt,  Nathaniel  Goldstein, 
Dr.  Arthur  Abramson,  and  Michael  M.  Nisselson. 
Mr.  Rosen  is  on  the  University  board  and  was 
luncheon  chairman. 


OPENING  SHELLY  FILMS,  LTD.,  new  service  studio  at 
Toronto.  In  array  are  Peter  Meyers,  20th  Fox;  N.  A.  Tay- 
lor, International  Filin  Distributors;  Leon  C.  Shelly;  O.  S. 
Silverthorn,  Ontario  censor  chairman ; Haskell  Masters, 
Warners;  Frank  Fisher,  Odeon  Theatres  general  manager. 


A LITTLE  LUNCHEON  for  James  Velde,  new  UA  general 
sales  manager,  and  A1  Fitter,  who  came  from  Paramount 
to  be  western  division  manager.  At  the  St.  Francis  Hotel, 
San  Francisco,  in  usual  order,  are  Mike  Naify,  United  Cali- 
fornia Theatres;  Mr.  Velde;  George  Mann,  Mann  Theatres; 
Mr.  Fitter;  August  Panero,  Panero  Theatres;  John  C. 
Bowles,  Bowles  Theatres;  and  Ralph  Clark,  UA  west  coast 
manager. 


IT’S  JAMES  STEWART  with  a knife  which  of  course  he  doesn’t  really 
know  howr  to  use  (merely  having  found  it  in  that  body).  To  find  out 
more  about  this  strange  circumstance,  please  turn  to  page  881,  this  week’s 
Product  Digest,  for  Paramount’s  new  Hitchcock  thriller,  “The  Man  Who 
Knew  Too  Much.” 


I ■"II  "!■  'SlIVlBlimiH  !IIK!IIBIII!BII!HIIH!llMI!HlllBii:Mt!!!KIIIHI[IK!l!HilKI[n!i:!HlllM!ll 


Present  FAME  Achievement 
Award  to  2 Oth-Fox  Engineers 


DR.  JOHN  G.  FRAYNE,  president  of 
the  Society  of  Motion  Picture  and 
Television  Engineers,  presented  the 
1956  FAME  Achievement  Award  Wednes- 
day at  the  opening  of  the  organization's 
annual  convention  devoted  to  motion  pic- 
ture equipment. 

Earl  I.  Sponable,  director  of  the  research 
and  development  division  of  20th  Century- 
Fox,  accepted  the  award  from  Dr.  Frayne 
on  behalf  of  the  entire  research  and  tech- 
nical staff  of  the  company.  The  FAME 
Award  cites  the  notable  contribution  to  the 
art  and  industry  of  motion  pictures  made 
by  the  development  of  the  CinemaScope 
55  technique  for  the  enhancement  of  the 
entertainment  power  of  the  motion  picture 
screen. 

"Since  this  is  the  first  year  that  this 
award  has  been  given  to  engineers,"  Dr. 
Frayne  said,  "it  is  fitting  that  it  be  pre- 
sented as  a part  of  the  SMPTE  convention." 

Accepting  the  award,  Mr.  Sponable  told 
the  delegates,  "Doing  a job  of  this  kind  is 
strictly  a team  job.  The  20th  Century-Fox 
team  works  together  well.  My  job  is  largely 


Earl  I.  Sponable,  above 
left,  director  of  the  re- 
search and  development 
division  of  20th  Century- 
Fox,  accepts  the  7956 
FAME  Achievement  Award 
from  Dr.  John  G.  Frayne, 
president  of  the  SMPTE. 

Meanwhile,  left,  on  the 
West  Coast  Buddy  Adler, 
center,  20th-Fox  executive 
producer,  congratulates 
Lorin  Grignon,  left,  sound 
development  engineer,  and 
Sol  Halprin,  head  of  the 
camera  department,  on  the 
presentation  of  the  Award 
to  their  department. 

to  explain  to  Spyros  Skouras  why  it  all  costs 
so  much  and  why  we  can  t do  it  sooner." 

Mr.  Sponable  introduced  members  of 
the  20th-Fox  technical  staff  present  includ- 
ing H.  E.  Bragg,  assistant  director  of  the 
research  division,  hailed  as  "the  father  of 
the  55mm  process;"  Otto  Wantuch,  spe- 
cialist in  processing;  Alex  Alden,  printer; 
Ralph  Whitmore;  Yorick  Hurd,  screens.  Not 
present  was  Fred  Leslie,  projection,  who 
v/as  in  Germany.  Mr.  Sponable  also  cited 
the  important  contribution  to  the  process 
made  by  Lorin  Grignon,  sound  develop- 
ment engineer  at  the  studio;  Sol  Halprin, 
head  of  the  camera  department;  Jimmy 
Gordon,  Henry  Goldford,  and  between  50 
and  60  other  engineers  and  technicians  in 
California. 

Martin  Quigley,  Jr.,  represented  FAME 
magazine  and  the  other  Quigley  Publica- 
tions at  the  presentation  ceremony.  The 
SMPTE  equipment  session  was  under  the 
chairmanship  of  Fred  J.  Kolb,  Jr.,  who  also 
expressed  thanks  that  such  an  award  was 
given  to  engineers  and  congratulated  Mr. 
Sponable  and  his  associates. 


tE  ■ ■ M ■ ■ B ■ B ■ II  ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ SB 


Owners  Are 
Angered;  by 
Cute  Shows 

The  Federal  Bureau  of  Investigation  has 
been  asked  by  Columbia  Pictures  to  deter- 
mine how  a 16mm  print  of  its  "Three 
Stripes  in  the  Sun”  was  shown  at  a Spring- 
field,  Mass.,  cafe.  Columbia  said  no  regular 
16mm  release  of  the  film  was  planned  for 
at  least  two  years  and  that  the  only  legiti- 
mate 16mm  prints  in  existence  were  made 
for  Armed  Service  use. 

It  was  reported  from  Springfield  last 
week  that  one  of  the  cafes,  Miller’s,  played 
the  film  one  week  before  it  played  day-and- 
date  at  E.  M.  Loew’s  Riverside  Drive-in 
and  Nicholas  Zeo’s  Parkway  drive-in,  North 
Wilbraham.  Springfield  drive-in  operators 
and  owners  of  regular  theatres  were  re- 
ported angered  at  the  cafe  situation,  with 
a few  local  cafes  showing  16mm  films  free 
of  charge  twice  a week,  and  Miller’s  play- 
ing them  nightly. 

Other  Films  Shown 

Other  films  shown  in  the  cafes  were  “The 
Outlaw,”  “A  Prize  of  Gold,”  "Magnificent 
Obsession,”  “The  Glenn  Miller  Story”  and 
a double  bill  of  “War  Arrow”  and  “Dead 
Reckoning.”  Shorts  are  added  to  round  out 
a program  similar  to  that  in  a theatre. 

There  are  eight  drive-ins  in  the  area  and 
13  regular  theatres.  As  cafes  need  no  license 
to  show  16mm  films  because  they  are  free 
of  charge,  some  of  the  drive-in  owners  are 
organizing  to  remedy  the  situation  by  ap- 
pealing directly  to  the  film  companies. 

Chicago  Welcome  Mat 
Out  for  George  Gobel 

CHICAGO : George  Gobel’s  home  town 
saluted  the  TV  comedian  and  star  of  Para- 
mount’s “The  Birds  and  the  Bees”  during 
his  visit  here  May  1-2.  Features  included 
an  invitational  homecoming  premiere  of 
"The  Birds  and  the  Bees,”  at  the  State-Lake 
theatre,  an  interview  appearance  on  TV, 
luncheon  with  Chicago  film  critics,  and  radio 
taping.  On  May  3 Mr.  Gobel  departed  for 
Boston  and  other  cities  on  the  second  leg 
of  his  “Birds  and  Bees”  key  cities  promotion 
tour. 

Glowmeter  Corporation 
Is  Declared  Bankrupt 

BUFFALO : The  Glowmeter  Corporation  of 
North  Tonawanda,  N.  Y.,  manufacturer  of 
motion  picture  theatre  screens,  has  been  ad- 
judged bankrupt  in  an  order  signed  by  Fed- 
eral Judge  Justin  C.  Morgan.  The  order 
was  signed  after  attorneys  for  stockholders, 
certificate  holders,  wage  claimants  and  credi- 
tors appeared  before  Judge  Morgan.  Radiant 
Manufacturing  Co.  of  Chicago,  a creditor  of 
Glowmeter  for  $646,809,  made  the  original 
motion  for  the  order. 


12 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  MAY  5,  1956 


ALLIED  AND  TOA  TO  MAP 
NEW  JOINT  STRATEGY 


. . . Leaders  will  meet  after 
committee  hears  testimony  of 
distributors  May  21;  Justice 
Department  asked  for  report 


Television  Monopoly  Charge  by  Bricker 
Brings  a Quick  and  Vigorous  Denial 


Preparations  were  going  ahead  on  all 
fronts  this  week  in  anticipation  of  D-day, 
May  21,  the  day  the  distributors  will  take 
the  stand  in  Washington  before  the  Senate 
Small  Business  subcommittee  studying  mo- 
tion picture  industry  trade  practices.  In- 
cluded in  those  preparations  were: 

The  appointment  by  distribution 
of  a committee  of  four  men  to  rep- 
resent the  film  companies  in  testi- 
mony answering  exhibition  com- 
plaints ; 

The  subcommittee’s  request  that 
the  Justice  Department  submit  by 
May  20  written  replies  to  the 
charges  made  against  the  Depart- 
ment by  exhibitor  witnesses  in  the 
first  phase  of  the  subcommittee’s 
hearings ; 

The  appointment  by  Theatre 
Owners  of  America  of  a committee 
of  four  to  sit  in,  as  observers,  along 
with  Allied  States  Association  lead- 
ers, on  the  distribution  testimony; 
and 

An  invitation  from  Allied  to  TOA 
leaders  asking  the  latter  “to  sit  in 
and  listen  in”  to  the  meeting  of  Al- 
lied’s Emergency  Defense  Commit- 
tee, which  will  be  convening  in 
Washington  the  day  after  distribu- 
tion testimony  and  which  kicks  off 
with  the  Allied  board  meeting. 

The  four-man  committee  which  will  rep- 
resent the  film  companies  at  the  May  21 
hearings  is  comprised  of  Charles  Reagan, 
general  manager  of  sales  and  distribution 
for  Loew’s,  Inc.;  Charles  J.  Feldman,  vice- 
president  and  general  sales  manager  of  Uni- 
versal Pictures;  Adolph  Schimel,  vice- 
president  and  general  counsel  of  Universal 
Pictures ; and  Louis  Phillips,  vice-president 
and  general  counsel  of  Paramount  Pictures. 
It  had  been  expected  earlier  that  sales  man- 
agers from  all  the  companies  would  testify, 
but  because  distribution  testimony  must  be 
completed  in  one  day,  a committee  was 
named.  A number  of  distribution  sales  ex- 
ecutives are  expected  to  attend  anyhow. 

In  its  written  testimony  to  the  committee, 
the  Justice  Department  is  expected  to  an- 
swer exhibitor  charges  that  the  department 
has  been  lax  in  policing  the  Paramount  con- 
sent decrees  and  has  done  a generally  poor 
job  of  enforcing  anti-trust  laws  in  the  mo- 
tion picture  industry.  Subcommittee  chair- 
man Hubert  Humphrey  (D.,  Minn.)  of  the 
subcommittee  said  he  wanted  the  Justice  De- 
partment’s answers  by  May  20  so  that  the 


WASHINGTON:  The  Columbia  Broadcast- 
ing System  and  the  National  Broadcasting 
Company  "exercise  a stranglehold"  over 
the  entire  television  industry,  Senator  John 
W.  Bricker  (R.,  Ohio)  said  last  week.  In  a 
report  on  networks,  prepared  for  the  Sen- 
ate Commerce  Committee,  of  which  he  is 
a member,  Mr.  Bricker  recommended  that 
Congress  initiate  legislation  to  empower 
the  Federal  Communications  Commission 
to  regulate  the  networks. 

He  has  been  a long-time  decryer  of  the 
networks'  activities  and  was  instrumental 
in  bringing  about  hearings  on  the  television 
industry  currently  conducted  by  the  Senate 
Commerce  Committee. 

Sharp  and  emphatic  exception  to  Mr. 
Bricker's  statement  was  taken  by  Frank 
Stanton,  president  of  CBS.  He  said  that 
"by  no  accepted  standards  does  CBS  have 
anything  even  approaching  a monopoly  in 
the  television  broadcasting  business." 

Mr.  Bricker  also  recommended  that  either 
Congress  or  the  FCC  reduce  service  areas 
of  VHF  stations  in  heavily  populated  sec- 
tions of  the  country,  in  order  to  build  up 
smaller  television  stations;  and  eliminate 
the  five-station  ownership  rule,  substituting 
"a  more  realistic  population  criterion  . . . 
opening  the  door  to  the  establishment  of 
competing  network  organizations."  He 
said  he  was  introducing  a bill  to  imple- 
ment his  recommendations. 

Mr.  Bricker  said  that  CBS  and  NBC,  to- 
gether with  their  eight  wholly  owned  sta- 
tions, had  a net  income  before  taxes  in 
1954  which  equalled  46  per  cent  of  the 
entire  television  industry's  income.  Both 
the  American  Broadcasting  Company  and 


subcommittee  could  close  its  record  and  pre- 
pare a report  on  the  hearings  soon  after  the 
May  21  session.  A subcommittee  spokesman 
said  further  that  since  the  department’s  com- 
ments would  deal  solely  with  exhibitor  testi- 
mony, it  was  decided  to  ask  for  those  com- 
ments now  to  save  time. 

Comprising  the  TOA  committee  of  ob- 
servers at  the  May  21  hearings  will  be  Al- 
fred M.  Pickus,  vice-president;  Alfred  Starr, 
chairman  of  the  executive  committee;  Her- 
man Levy,  general  counsel,  and  George 
Kerasotes,  assistant  to  the  TOA  president, 
Myron  Blank.  The  latter,  currently  in  Eu- 
rope, may  return  in  time  to  attend. 


the  DuMont  network  reported  a loss  for 
the  year,  he  said. 

He  maintained  that  the  large  market 
stations  "preempted  service  areas  extend- 
ing far  beyond  any  limits  imposed  by  eco- 
nomic necessity"  and  said  the  effect  was 
to  "abnormally  depress  the  economic 
potential  of  the  smaller  market." 

The  Senator  believes  that  not  only  a 
network  affiliation  but  also  actual  access 
to  substantial  numbers  of  network  pro- 
grams "is  nearly  100  per  cent  essential  to 
profitable  operation  of  the  individual  sta- 
tion." The  smaller  station  is  barred  from 
network  affiliations  in  many  instances,  he 
said,  because  it  reaches  a narrow  market 
and  the  continuance  of  this  practice  can 
bring  about  two  results:  "many  such  sta- 
tions will  be  forced  off  the  air;  television 
broadcasting  will  be  vested  in  the  hands 
of  a few  superpower  stations  serving  vast 
areas." 

Mr.  Stanton  said  Senator  Bricker's 
charges  are  "utterly  without  foundation. 
While  CBS  does  not  apologize  for  its  suc- 
cess, the  Senator  has  ignored  those  basic 
and  easily  ascertainable  facts  which  demon- 
strate how  far  short  of  monopoly  CBS  tele- 
vision falls. 

"CBS  television  owns  less  than  one  per 
cent  of  all  TV  stations  in  the  country;  CBS 
television  division  receives  only  3.2  per 
cent  of  the  national  advertising  dollar,  and 
about  20  per  cent  of  the  TV  advertising 
dollar;  all  network  programs  occupy  less 
than  17  per  cent  of  all  broadcasting  hours 
of  all  stations  in  the  U.S.  and  the  most 
intense  competition  prevails  in  TV  opera- 
tions and  other  national  ad  media." 


Allied’s  intention  to  invite  TOA  leaders 
to  sit  in  on  the  EDC  meeting  was  revealed 
by  Rube  Shor,  national  Allied  president. 
Mr.  Shor,  in  New  York  last  week,  said  the 
agenda  for  the  Allied  board  meeting  was 
still  being  formulated  but  that  a new  drive 
for  complete  elimination  of  the  Federal  ad- 
missions tax  “might  be  discussed.” 

Two  days  later,  in  Minneapolis,  Benjamin 
Berger,  president  of  North  Central  Allied 
and  leading  spirit  in  the  EDC,  repeated  the 
call  for  an  all-industry  conference  and  added 
that  he  believed  that  a one-year  trial  of  “all- 
inclusive”  arbitration  was  the  “best  and  most 
peaceful  method”  of  settling  differences. 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  MAY  5,  1956 


13 


You’ll  be  one 


In  the  tradition  of 
Wyatt  Earp...Wild 
Bill  Hickok...Bat 
Masterson... Billy  the 
Kid. ..Jesse  James! 


1 

20th  Century-Fox  presents 

the  Proud  ones 

starring 

ROBERT  RYAN  • VIRGINIA  MAYO  • JEFFREY  HUNTER 


also  starring 


ROBERT  MIDDLETON  with  WALTER  BRENNAN  • rodolfo  acosta  • Arthur  oxonnell 

Produced  by  ROBERT  L.  JACKS  • Directed  by  ROBERT  D.  WEBB  • Screenplay  by  EDMUND  NORTH  and  JOSEPH  PETRACCA  • From  the  Novel  by  VERNE  ATHANAS 


COLOR  by  DE  LUXE 


*>•  Plans 
Aetr  Minuses 


TOLL  TV  STILL  A 
QUESTION  MARK 


. . . Senate  Commerce  Commit- 
tee completes  hearing,  but 
shows  no  sign  of  action  now, 
especially  in  election  year 

by  J.  A.  OTTEN 

WASHINGTON : The  Senate  Commerce 
Committee,  having  concluded  a week  of 
hearings  on  subscription  television,  seemed 
in  no  rush  to  do  anything  about  the  subject, 
one  way  or  the  other. 

Friends  and  foes  of  toll  TV  rehashed  the 
old  arguments  during  the  hearings.  When 
it  was  all  over,  the  general  feeling  among 
observers  was  that  the  committee  wanted 
to  think  the  matter  over  for  a long  time — 
especially  in  an  election  year — before  mak- 
ing any  recommendation  on  the  subject. 

In  fact,  only  a small  minority  of 
the  committee  attended  the  hear- 
ings. Ten  of  the  15  committee  mem- 
bers never  appeared  at  any  point, 
and  an  eleventh  member  for  only  a 
few  minutes  on  one  day.  Rarely  were 
there  more  than  one  or  two  Senators 
present  in  the  hearing  room,  indicat- 
ing some  lack  of  committee  enthusi- 
asm for  the  very  hot  and  contro- 
versial subject. 

Proponents  of  toll  television  testified  first, 
arguing  that  the  new  service  would  improve 
the  quality  of  television  fare  with  fine  new 
films,  theatre  attractions,  ballet  and  other 
cultural  events.  The  backers  included  wit- 
nesses for  the  three  firms  proposing  sub- 
scription television — Zenith,  Skiatron  and 
Telemeter — and  various  “public”  witnesses 
rounded  up  by  Zenith. 

Then  the  opponents  had  their  innings, 
centering  their  attack  on  the  claim  that  toll 
television  would  ultimately  destroy  free  tele- 
vision. These  witnesses  included  spokesmen 
for  the  Committee  Against  Pay-to-See-TV, 
the  National  Association  of  Radio  and  Tele- 
vision Broadcasters,  the  New  York  City 
Council,  Columbia  Broadcasting  System,  the 
AFL-CIO,  the  National  Appliance  and 
Radio-TV  Dealers  Association,  the  Ameri- 
can Federation  of  Television  and  Radio 
Artists,  and  other  private  groups.  Finally 
a witness  for  Jerrold  Electronics  put  in  a 
plug  for  his  firm’s  TV  cable  system. 

Take  No  Stand 

The  few  committee  members  who  attended 
the  hearings  were  careful  not  to  indicate  any 
stand  one  way  or  the  other,  trying  to  ques- 
tion both  sides  critically  so  as  to  develop  all 
the  facts. 

Some  time  this  month  the  committee  will 
turn  to  the  next  phase  of  its  television  in- 
dustry study — a look  at  TV  network  prac- 
tices. The  committee  will  hear  this  month 


the  complaints  of  independent  station  opera- 
tors, and  next  month  will  get  rebuttal  testi- 
mony from  the  networks.  The  committee 
staff  has  sent  out  to  the  networks  and  sta- 
tions a detailed  questionnaire  on  network 
practices,  with  a May  7 deadline  for  replies. 

Here’s  what  some  of  the  closing  witnesses 
in  the  toll  television  hearings  had  to  say : 

Marcus  Cohn,  counsel  for  the  Committee 
Against  Pay-to-See-TV : The  Communica- 
tions Act  does  not  authorize  subscription 
television  systems,  and  Congress  must  deter- 
mine the  question  itself.  He  warned  that 
if  the  consuming  public  ever  were  told  it 
had  to  pay  to  see  television  programs,  “the 
Boston  Tea  Party  will  fade  into  an  insigni- 
ficant skirmish.” 

Harold  Fellows,  president  of  the  NARTB  : 
Free  television  will  bring  better  and  better 
programs  to  the  public.  If  subscription  tele- 
vision were  authorized,  “the  sources  of  pro- 
gramming for  free  television  would  quickly 
wither.”  He  argued  that  if  toll  TV  came 
along  and  were  successful,  the  free  broad- 
casters would  have  to  jump  on  the  band- 
wagon whether  they  liked  it  or  not. 

Abe  Stark,  New  York  City  Council  presi- 
dent : Pay-as-you-see  TV  would  give  the 
public  nothing  new  except  a bill  at  the 
end  of  the  month.  He  attacked  the  PCC 
Commissioner  Robert  E.  Lee,  who  wrote  a 
magazine  article  defending  toll-TV,  as  hav- 
ing “prejudged  the  case.” 

Richard  Salant,  CBS  vice-president: 
There  is  “a  reasonable  chance  that  pay  TV 
will  never  get  off  the  ground,”  but  if  by 
any  chance  it  does,  it  would  “gravely  hurt, 
if  not  destroy,  free  television.” 

Owners  Would  Protest 

Former  Rep.  Andrew  Biemiller,  legisla- 
tive representative  of  the  AFL-CIO:  Toll 
TV  would  transfer  the  cost  of  television 
programs  from  the  commercial  advertisers 
to  the  viewing  public.  The  35,000,000  TV 
set  owners  “would  not  accept  this  drastic 
shift  without  protest.” 

Mort  F.  Farr,  president  of  the  Radio- 
TV  dealers  group:  TV  dealers  feel  an  ob- 
ligation to  set  owners  who  bought  their  sets 
“on  the  assumption  that  the  service  would 
be  free  and  full.” 

Milton  J.  Shapp,  president  of  Jerrold 
Electronics,  urged  motion  picture  exhibitors 
to  join  his  company  in  the  development  of 
the  Jerrold  Cable  Theatre — a coaxial  cable 
system  for  the  distribution  of  subscription 
television  programs.  He  said  the  exhibitor 
has  been  intimidated  by  the  apparent  ef- 
forts of  Zenith,  Skiatron  and  Telemeter  to 
dominate  the  new  medium  by  controlling 
both  the  transmission  facility  and  the  enter- 
tainment merchandising  of  subscription 
programs.  Toll  TV,  he  added,  should  be 
tested  and  then  the  companies’  proposals 
“will  fall  of  their  own  weight.” 


Overseas 

Loew’s  International  plans  to  have  one 
exhibition  outlet  in  every  key  city  of  West- 
ern Germany,  under  its  theatre  expansion 
program,  it  has  been  announced  by  Arthur 
M.  Loew,  president  of  Loew’s,  Inc.,  in  a 
report  to  stockholders. 

The  report,  consisting  for  the  most  part 
of  an  account  of  the  stockholder  meeting 
last  February  23,  also  contained  a brief 
letter  in  which  Mr.  Loew  outlined  company 
plans.  With  regard  to  theatre  expansion 
abroad,  Mr.  Loew  said  the  German  program 
was  inaugurated  with  Loew’s  International’s 
operation  of  the  Waterloo  theatre  in  Ham- 
burg, and  that  the  company  has  acquired 
its  first  foreign  drive-in  in  Salisbury,  the 
largest  city  and  capital  of  Southern  Rhode- 
sia, Africa.  Mr.  Loew  added  that  this  also 
represented  the  initial  move  in  a long-range 
plan  to  lease,  buy  or  construct  drive-in 
theatres  in  areas  particularly  suited  to  this 
type  of  operation.  He  said  that  in  Buenos 
Aires,  Argentina,  the  company  will  open  its 
new  2,500-seat  Metro  theatre  sometime  this 
Spring. 

Regarding  TV,  Mr.  Loew  said  the  com- 
pany “continues  to  explore  various  arrange- 
ments looking  toward  the  presentation  of 
MGM  pictures  on  TV.”  A revised  format 
of  “The  MGM  Parade”  is  considered  for 
Fall  presentation,  he  added. 

Under  the  option  agreement  previously 
approved  by  stockholders,  the  following  ex- 
ercised their  options : Mr.  Loew,  33,000 
shares ; Dore  Schary,  vice-president  in 
charge  of  production,  50,000 ; Louis  K.  kid- 
ney, vice-president,  18,332;  Benjamin  Thau, 
vice-president,  22,000,  and  Joseph  R.  Vogel, 
president  of  Loew’s  Theatres,  22,500. 

Referring  to  current  operations,  Mr. 
Loew  said  “The  Swan,”  starring  Grace 
Kelly,  has  opened  in  more  than  250  theatres 
since  its  Philadelphia  opening  April  11. 

Plan  Short  Story  Series 
In  Cinemiracle  Process 

A series  of  short  stories,  both  factual  and 
fictional,  on  the  order  of  what  would  be  a 
1956  “March  of  Time,”  is  one  of  the  plans 
contemplated  for  the  first  production  in  the 
Cinemiracle  process,  according  to  producer 
Louis  de  Rochemont. 

Mr.  de  Rochemont,  who  is  currently  plan- 
ning a series  of  Cinemiracle  productions, 
conferred  in  New  York  recently  with  El- 
mer Rhoden,  president  of  National  Theatres, 
which  developed  the  process. 

Mr.  de  Rochemont  also  maintained  that 
“wonderful  refinements”  on  the  system  have 
been  recently  made  on  the  Coast.  He  said 
he  may  go  to  the  Coast  shortly  for  further 
work  on  the  system  and  production  plans. 
Currently,  he  added,  he  is  assembling  his 
technical  crew  and  will  get  into  production 
as  soon  as  possible. 


16 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  MAY  5,  1956 


TWO  MEDIA  “COLD  WAR 
AT  END.  SMPTE  TOLD 


by  the  Herald 


"THE  OPENER,"  at  the  79 th  semi-annual  convention  of  the  Society  of  Motion  Picture 
and  Television  Engineers  was  Dr.  Albert  William  Trueman,  chairman  of  the  National 
Film  Board  of  Canada.  With  him  on  the  dais  during  the  opening  luncheon  are  W.  F. 
Kelley,  Motion  Picture  Research  Council;  Barton  Kreuzer,  of  RCA,  SMPTE  executive 
vice-president;  Dr.  John  G.  Frayne,  SMPTE  president;  Herbert  Barnett,  past  president; 
Vice-Admiral  George  F.  Hussey,  Jr.,  American  Standards  Organization,  and  Norwood 
Simmons,  SMPTE  editorial  vice-president. 


. . . Frayne,  president,  says  the 
society  aided  in  bridging  gap; 
equipment  exhibit  and  techni- 
cal papers  occupy  delegates 

This  week’s  79th  semi-annual  convention 
of  the  Society  of  Motion  Picture  and  Tele- 
vision Engineers — Monday  through  Friday 
at  the  Statler  Hotel  in  New  York — drew 
near-record  attendance  of  1,000  delegates  as 
the  spotlight  was  focused  with  equal  bright- 
ness on  both  motion  pictures  and  television. 

At  least  half  of  the  convention’s  20  ses- 
sions and  approximately  the  same  percent- 
age of  technical  papers  read  at  the  meeting 
were  devoted  to  matters  relating  to  televi- 
sion, a factor  which  prompted  Dr.  John  G. 
Frayne,  SMPTE  president,  to  point  out  in 
his  initial  luncheon  address  that  the  “cold 
war”  between  the  two  media  is  at  an  end. 

Equipment  Exhibit 

Another  feature  of  the  convention  was  the 
equipment  exhibit,  with  more  than  40  com- 
panies participating  in  displays  of  film  proc- 
essing and  editing  machines,  motion  picture 
and  high  speed  cameras,  lenses,  sound  and 
animation  equipment,  and  TV  color  cameras 
and  projectors.  Preceding  the  Wednesday 
afternoon  session,  Dr.  Frayne  presented  the 
"Fame”  Award  for  1956  to  20th  Century- 
Fox  technicians  in  recognition  of  the  de- 
velopment of  CinemaScope  55. 

It  was  at  the  get-together  luncheon  Mon- 
day that  a capacity  audience  heard  Dr. 
Frayne  welcome  the  recent  end  of  “the  cold 
war”  between  motion  pictures  and  television 
on  the  commercial  side.  At  the  same  time 
the  SMPTE  president  noted  that  to  the  en- 
gineer there  has  long  been  a close  alliance 
between  the  two  media.  The  Society,  said 
Dr.  Frayne,  has  been  responsible  to  some 
degree  for  bridging  the  technological  gap 
“by  offering  to  technical  specialists  in  both 
areas  a common  technical  forum  of  long 
standing  and  experience.” 

First  TV  Paper  in  1923 

Interest  in  television  on  the  part  of 
SMPTE  members  existed  for  many  years 
before  the  SMPE  became  the  SMPTE  in 
1950,  he  said.  In  1923,  the  first  paper  on 
television  was  presented  before  the  Society 
by  C.  Francis  Jenkins,  its  founder.  At  the 
13  conventions  since  the  1950  change,  50  of 
the  173  technical  sessions  have  been  devoted 
to  television  subjects.  At  the  present  con- 
vention, he  continued,  10  of  the  20  sessions 
related  to  TV. 

“On  the  commercial  side  of  the  film  in- 
dustry, however,”  Dr.  Frayne  said,  “the  de- 
velopment of  television  on  a large  scale  was 
less  gracefully  received.”  He  declared  that 
the  evolution  of  compatible  business  rela- 


tionships “has  followed  by  10  to  15  years 
the  meeting  of  the  technical  minds.” 

For  the  future  Dr.  Frayne  predicted  the 
introduction  — in  TV  film  production  — of 
electronic  techniques  and  other  cost-cutting 
devices  and  methods  developed  by  the  TV 
industry  for  their  live  programming.  These 
will  be  necessary,  he  said,  “in  order  to  make 
films  for  television  of  a high  artistic  quality 
. . . at  a cost  the  television  industry  can  af- 
ford.” 

Guest  speaker  at  the  Monday  luncheon 
was  Dr.  Albert  W.  Trueman,  chairman  of 
the  National  Film  Board  of  Canada,  who 
discussed  the  documentary  film  and  its  role 
in  maintaining  the  stability  of  a democratic 
society  and  in  helping  to  solve  great  na- 
tional and  international  problems. 

With  distance  losing  its  former  signifi- 
cance, he  declared,  the  necessity  of  greater 
sympathy  and  understanding  among  far- 
flung  peoples  grows  greater.  “The  documen- 
tary film,  capable  of  treating  an  enormous 
variety  of  subjects,  of  conveying  accurate 
information  in  interesting  pictorial  form,” 
is  a potent  instrument  for  extending  and  en- 
riching individual  experience,  he  said. 

Broadens  Knowledge 

Applying  his  remarks  to  the  influence  of 
feature  films,  Dr.  Trueman  said  that  the 
recent  Academy  Award  winner,  “Marty,” 
has  increased  “the  measure  of  sympathy, 
kindness  and  understanding  of  the  world.” 
It  represents  people  authentically  and  the 
United  States  authentically,  he  said,  and 
thus  broadens  the  knowledge  and  experience 
of  those  who  see  it. 

Dr.  Trueman  also  reported  that  motion 


picture  production,  technical  developments 
and  facilities  have  been  steadily  increasing. 
Last  year,  he  said,  the  National  Film  Board 
produced  487  reels,  all  of  which  were  docu- 
mentary films  or  parts  of  documentary  films. 

Monday’s  morning,  afternoon  and  evening 
sessions  had  to  do  primarily  with  laboratory 
practices,  although  there  also  was  a concur- 
rent session  on  television  studio  lighting. 
Among  the  subjects  tackled  in  the  laboratory 
practices  sessions  were  the  use  of  stainless 
steel  bearings  in  film  processing  machines, 
the  use  of  plastics  in  film  processing  ma- 
chines, an  experimental  machine  for  clean- 
ing motion  picture  film,  scene  change  cueing 
in  motion  picture  printing,  and  the  improve- 
ment of  contact  motion  picture  printers 
through  the  use  of  internally  directed  air. 

Tuesday  morning  the  delegates  attended 
a special  screening  at  the  Rivoli  theatre  of 
Magna  Corporation’s  “Oklahoma !”  the  first 
motion  picture  filmed  in  the  65mm  Todd-AO 
process.  Dr.  Walter  Zigmund,  of  the  Amer- 
ican Optical  Company,  was  on  hand  to  de- 
scribe the  process  and  introduce  the  film, 
during  the  showing  of  which  the  projection 
booth  was  open  for  inspection  by  the  dele- 
gates. 

Discuss  Commercials 

The  entire  Tuesday  afternoon  session  was 
turned  over  to  the  subject  of  television  film 
commercials,  featuring,  among  others,  Rob- 
ert Klaeger,  of  Transfilm,  Inc.,  who  dis- 
cussed what  the  television  film  commercial 
producer  expects  from  the  cooperating  ad- 
vertising agency.  The  importance  of  the 
television  film  commercial  to  film  producers 
(Continued  on  page  20) 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  MAY  5,  1956 


17 


..CONTACT  YOUR  BUENA  VIST t 


HOLLYWOOD'S  TALENT 
TRAINING  PAYING  OFF 


Esteemed  Editor  : 

Last  week’s  several  announcements  of  in- 
tention to  set  up  talent-training  courses  for 
young  players,  for  the  purpose  of  grooming 
replacements  for  waning  stars  and  of  ex- 
panding beyond  the  present  short  supply 
the  number  of  players  whose  names  on  a 
marquee  mean  money  in  the  exhibitor’s  cash 
drawer,  are  more  firmly  grounded  on  go- 
ing precedent  than  most  people — even  most 
Hollywood  people — realize. 

The  going  precedent  is  the  Universal- 
International  talent-training  school,  now  in 
its  sixth  year  of  operation  and  showing  a 
decidedly  rewarding  profit  on  a substantial 
investment. 

In  l\eiv  Building 

The  U-I  talent  school,  recently  moved 
from  adapted  housing  into  its  own  new 
$50,000  building  on  the  studio  grounds, 
costs  about  $1,000,000  a year  to  maintain. 
That  is  a bulky  and  comprehensive  figure, 
including  in  its  total  the  salaries  of  all  the 
players — usually  about  25 — attending  the 
classes.  All  of  these  are  U-I  contract  play- 
ers, under  pact  to  the  studio  for  seven  years 
from  date  of  signing,  subject  to  the  usual 
optional  provisions. 

These  players  attend  training  classes  as 
regularly  as  employees  in  any  category  re- 
port for  work  at  their  places  of  employment. 
On  occasion,  depending  on  their  progress, 
they  are  withdrawn  from  their  studies  and 
cast  in  U-I  pictures  in  roles  suited  to  them 
and  to  the  display  of  their  personalities  and 
talents.  When  they  have  completed  their 
roles,  they  return  to  school. 

A complete  list  of  the  players  who  have 
learned  their  profession  at  the  U-I  training 
school  would  have  to  contain,  to  be  sure, 
the  names  of  a good  many  who  didn’t  move 
on  to  stellar  billing.  Ditto  Harvard,  Yale, 
Columbia.  But  here  are  10  who  did. 

Jeff  Chandler,  Rock  Hudson,  Tony  Curtis, 
Audie  Murphy  and  George  Nader  are  U-I 
school  graduates;  Piper  Laurie,  Julie 
Adams,  Mamie  Van  Doren,  Leigh  Snowden 
and  Mara  Corday  are  five  more.  The  10, 
paired  in  he-and-she  co-starrings,  can  carry 
five  pictures,  at  a pairing  to  each,  to  highly 
successful  grosses.  It  is  extremely  doubtful 
that  any  other  studio  in  Hollywood  can 
star-cast  five  features  at  one  time  without 
going  outside  of  its  own  talent  roster.  If 
all  studios  could — or  if  only  all  10  of  the 
major  studios  that  are  members  of  the  As- 
sociation of  Motion  Picture  Producers 
could — there’d  be  no  star  shortage  to  plague 
producers,  and  therefore,  presumably,  no 
product  shortage  to  plague  exhibitors. 

• 

The  pro-Hollywood  people  who  have  been 
contending  for  30  or  40  years  that  a prop- 
erly-disposed and  journalistically  skilled 
columnist  can  cover  the  production  com- 


munity revealingly  and  interestingly  for  his 
readers  without  resorting  to  rumor,  gossip, 
innuendo  or  outright  slander,  are  having  it 
proved  for  them,  most  pleasantly  indeed, 
by  E.  T.  Buck(  real  name)  Harris,  long 
time  public  relations  director  of  the  Screen 
Actors  Guild,  official  spokesman  for  the 
AFL  Film  Council,  and  since  the  first  of 
the  year  the  Hollywood  columnist  of  the 
nationally-distributed  AFL-CIO  News. 

At  the  close  of  his  fourth  month  in  news- 
print Mr.  Harris  is  reaching  an  estimated 
1,000,000  readers.  As  his  column  is  not 
contractually  restricted  to  publication  in  the 
newspaper  of  its  birth,  his  potential  reader- 
ship  is  unlimited. 

Publicist  Harris,  who  writes  his  “Holly- 
wood Observer”  column  under  the  pseu- 
donym Paul  Patrick,  is  a graduate  of  rank- 
ing newspapers  in  his  native  San  Francisco, 
Alaska,  Salt  Lake  City,  Seattle  and  Min- 
neapolis, and  got  a solid  grounding  in  public 
relations  theory  and  practice  as  chief  of 
the  publicity  division  of  the  San  Francisco 
World’s  Fair  in  those  bland  years  before 
world  war  made  world’s  fairs  obsolete. 

With  Co-ordinator 

When  wartime  circumstances  brought 
about  the  creation  of  the  Office  of  the”  Co- 
ordinator of  Inter-American  Affairs  he 
devoted  himself  to  the  San  Francisco  branch 
of  that  instrumentality,  and  came  to  Los 
Angeles  in  the  final  months  of  the  conflict 
to  take  up  his  present  SAG  post. 

In  a dozen  years  of  intimate  participation 
in  the  affairs  of  a guild  whose  membership 
consists  of  some  10,000  actors,  together  with 
weekly  attendance  at  the  meetings  of  the 
24,000-member  AFL  Film  Council,  a public 
relations  man  can  be  expected  to  learn  about 
all  there  is  to  know  about  the  uses  and 
misuses  of  newsprint  in  reporting  the  per- 
sonal and  professional  doings  of  entertain- 
ment personalities.  This  is  the  knowledge, 
thorough,  deep,  seasoned,  first-hand,  that 
he  brings  to  the  writing  of  his  “Hollywood 
Observer.”  It  shines  through  his  writing, 
gives  the  stamp  of  accuracy  to  his  state- 
ments, authenticates  his  commentary. 

Whether  his  “Hollywood  Observer”  over- 
flows its  present  single  channel  and  spreads 
by  syndication  into  lay  publications  of  all 
varieties,  or  doesn’t,  it  is  peforming  a vital 
service  in  proving  a point  of  trade-wide  im- 
portance and  in  providing  an  example  that 
newspaper  publishers  disposed  to  give  the 
motion  picture  an  even  break  with  its  sister 
arts,  column-wise,  can  follow  as  a pattern. 

—WILLIAM  R.  WEAVER 


Stanley  Warner  Dividend 

The  board  of  directors  of  Stanley  Warner 
Corporation  has  declared  a dividend  of  25 
cents  per  share  on  the  common  stock,  pay- 
able May  25,  1956  to  stockholders  May  4. 


SMPTE  MEET 

( Continued  from  page  17) 

was  pointed  up  by  Mr.  Klaeger,  who  noted 
that  the  TV  film  commercial  industry  has 
increased  in  dollar  volume  more  than  1,000 
times  in  nine  years  to  become  a $30,000 
000-a-year  industry. 

Also  participating  in  this  session  were 
Frank  Arlinghaus,  president  of  Modern 
Talking  Picture  Service ; Ben  Bloom,  pro- 
duction manager  of  Movielab  Film  Labora- 
tories; William  Nemeth,  president  of  Movie- 
optics,  Inc.,  and  William  Gibbs,  film  super- 
visor at  Young  & Rubicam.  Chairman  was 
William  Morris,  production  manager  of 
Wilding  Productions,  Inc. 

Much  of  Wednesday  was  devoted  to  vari- 
ous lighting  problems  as  they  relate  to  black 
and  white  television  and  color  television, 
both  for  live  and  film  production.  A con- 
current session  Wednesday  morning  was  de- 
voted to  a report  of  the  activities  of  the 
magnetic  sound  subcommittee  of  the  sound 
committee.  Ellis  W.  Darcy  was  chairman 
of  the  session  which  included  an  open  forum 
for  debate  on  the  question  of  the  number  of 
frames  by  which  the  sound  leads  the  picture 
on  a 16mm  film  with  a magnetic  track. 

Another  concurrent  session  Wednesday 
afternoon  heard  papers  on  automatic  film 
inspection,  a dual-purpose  sound  synchron- 
izer, and  a 35mm  projector  for  color  tele- 
vision. C.  R.  Daily,  of  Paramount  Pictures, 
Hollywood,  discussed  a new  type  of  high  ef- 
ficiency rear-projection  screen  which  per- 
mits a projected  color  picture  to  be  photo- 
graphed on  standard  Eastman  color  nega- 
tive film.  Jasper  S.  Chandler,  of  Eastman 
Kodak,  read  a paper  on  film  projection  with 
large  reels.  In  addition,  there  were  two  film 
showings ; one  a 2,000-foot  35mm  film  on 
the  history  of  projection,  and  another  a 
series  of  early  film  clips  (1895-1915)  to  il- 
lustrate a talk  by  Paul  Killiam  of  the  “Movie 
Museum,”  New  York,  on  famous  “firsts”  in 
newsreel  reporting.  Wednesday  evening  was 
devoted  to  manner  and  uses  of  underwater 
television. 

Sound  Recording  Sessions 

Thursday’s  sessions  were  divided  about 
equally  between  papers  on  high-speed  pho- 
tography and  sound  recording.  In  the  lat- 
ter category  was  a paper  by  Ellis  W.  Darcy, 
EDL  Company,  Gary,  Ind.,  describing  a 
magnetic-sound  camera  conversion  and  a 
sync-shifting  apparatus ; and  another  by  C. 
Robert  Fine  and  Elmer  O.  Wilschke,  of 
Fine  Sound,  New  York,  describing  the  ver- 
satility of  combined  magnetic-optical  film. 
In  the  afternoon  Mr.  Darcy  was  moderator 
of  a panel  discussion  on  the  use  of  pre- 
striped magnetic  film. 

Thursday  evening  was  highlighted  by  the 
formal  banquet,  while  the  concluding  ses- 
sions Friday  were  devoted  to  television,  in- 
cluding papers  on  the  development  of  a 
new  “zoom”  lens  for  commercial  and  indus- 
trial telecasting,  closed  circuit  TV,  color 
kinescope  recording  on  embossed  film  and 
television  as  a military  intelligence  and  com- 
munications medium. 


20 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  MAY  5,  1956 


Highest  Rating!  Impact 
and  suspense !" 

—N.  Y.  DAILY  NEWS 

A-l  movie!  Absorbing! 
Fascinating!  Powerful!' 

-N.  Y.  DAILY  MIRROR 

Powerful  stuff!  Highly 
dramatic!"  -boxoffice 


Powerful  drama!" 

-N.  Y.  TIMES 

'Should  be  a top 
boxoffice  grosser! 

-HARRISON'S  REPORTS 


Tightly  knit! 
Tensely  and 
sharply  played 

drama!" 

-FILM  BULLETIN 

‘Fine  picture 
making! 
Intensely 
gripping!" 

-VARIETY 


Superior!"  -n.y.post 

Excellent!  Emotionally 

powerful!" 

-SHOWMEN'S  T.  R. 


VAN  HEFLIN 


and  featuring 


EVERETT  SLOANE-  ED  BEGLEY  • BEATRICE  STRAIGHT  • ELIZABETH  WILSON 


Original  & Screenplay  by  Rod  Serling-  Director  of  Photography  Boris  Kaufman,  A.S.C.  • Directed  by  Fielder  Cook 
Produced  by  Michael  Myerberg-  A Jed  Harris  & Michael  Myerberg  Presentation 


M m lUV.m § 

^ t ! m 

STILL  HOPE  FOR 
BRITISH  TAX  AID 


• . . Industry  leaders,  despite 
rejection  by  Chancellor,  offer 
facts  in  effort  to  win  relief  in 
late  stage  of  measure 


by  PETER  BURNUP 


LOR  DON:  In  a comparative  calm  follow- 
ing- the  storm  of  indignation  at  the  Chan- 
cellor of  the  Exchequer’s  bland  turndown 
of  their  tax  relief  claims,  industry  leaders 
here  have  turned  to  the  question’ of  ways 
and  means  of  gathering  some  crumb  of 
comfort. 

The  all-industry  tax  committee  set  out 
again  particulars  of  the  original  claim  for 
relief  in  the  hope  of  some  body  of  M.P.s 
continuing  their  campaign  on  the  commit- 
tee stage  of  the  Government’s  Finance  Bill ; 
but  more  likely  with  the  intention  of  keep- 
mg  the  Commons  aware  of  the  industry’s 
plight  when  the  fight  is  resumed  next  year. 

Equity  Is  Conceded 


Supported  by  impressive  facts  and  figures, 
the  all-industry  committee  called  for  an 
over-all  concession  of  £20,000,000  out  of  the 
total  of  £35.9  million  which  now  passes  an- 
nually  to  the  Exchequer  as  cinema  enter- 
tainment tax.  The  equity  of  the  claim  is 
conceded,  but  the  Chancellor  has  settled  for 
austerity  as  the  only  means  of  defeating  the 
peril  of  inflation. 

CEA  strategists  have  decided  on  unilat- 
eral action  to  help  the  small  exhibitor  only. 
They  have  arranged  to  have  a new  clause 
moved  for  in  the  committee  stage,  introduc- 
ing a new  principle  of  tax  rebate  to  exhibi- 
tors with  weekly  gross  up  to  £350  as  follows : 


Weekly  Gross 
Up  to  £ 1 25 
Over  £125  to  £200 
Over  £200  to  £250 
Over  £250  to  £300 
Over  £300  to  £325 
Over  £325  to  £350 


Tax  Rebate 
£22.  10.  0 
£17.  10.  0 
£12.  10.  0 
£7.  10.  0 
£5.  0.  0 
£2.  10.  0 


CEA  prescience,  it  is  generally  felt,  was 
revealed  also  in  the  submission  now  made 
bv  the  Association  to  the  National  Film 
Finance  Corporation  in  regard  to  the  fu- 
ture policy  of  the  industry. 

Entei  tainment  tax  naturally  looms  large 
in  the  course  of  the  association’s  lengthy 
and  closely  reasoned  document.  “So  far  as 
it  is  shown  that  there  is  an  absence  of  a 
state  of  health  in  either  British  film  produc- 
tion or  exhibition,”  runs  the  document,  “ex- 
hibitors would  point  to  one  major  reason 
foi  this  state  of  affairs,  i.e.,  the  excessively 
heavy  rate  of  entertainment  tax.” 

But  significantly  the  document  goes  on  to 
argue  that  a healthy  production  industry  is 
essential  “to  the  extent  that  it  provides  a 
healthy  balance  against  what  would  other- 
wise be  the  need  to  show  100  per  cent  im- 
ported pioduct.  It  concedes  also  the  neces- 
sity of  providing  a secure  home  market  for 
producers  based  on  quota  and  “subject  to 
certain  qualifications,  direct  financial  assis- 
tance.” 

Those  qualifications  relate  mainly  to  ex- 
hibitor arguments  that  tax  relief  is  an  es- 
sential prerequisite  to  the  continuance  of 
the  Eady  Levy  and  also  that  quota  percent- 
ages be  fixed  more  flexibly  and  have  regard 
to  local  conditions,  the  size  of  theatres  and 
such  things.  CEA  also  demands  that,  al- 
though the  levy  be  continued  on  a so-called 
voluntary  basis,  the  industry  should  have 
power  to  deal  with  Eady  defaulters. 

IT  ant  No  Divorce 


But  more  importantly  the  association’s 
submission  throws  down  proposals  discrim- 
inating against  Americans  as,  for  example, 
the  suggestion  that  tax  relief  be  granted 
when  a British  film  is  shown  or  that  the 
renters’  quota  be  reimposed.  CEA  also 
doesn’t  want  “divorcement”  introduced  here. 

I hey  consider,”  says  the  document,  “that 
the  danger  of  divorcement  being  followed, 
as  in  America,  by  shrinking  output  from 
British  studios  is  considerable  and  conse- 
quently they  do  not  favour  it.” 


It  is  calculated  that  those  extremely  mod- 
est amounts  of  Governmental  benevolence 
would  about  suffice  to  keep  several  hundreds 
of  little  theatres  in  business.  It  is  reasoned 
also  that  Chancellor  Macmillan,  having  got 
his  major  and  grim  financial  proposals 
through  the  Commons,  may  well  be  in  a 
mood  of  sympathy  with  a body  of  hard- 
pressed  business  men  and  at  the  cost  to  the 
country  of  a mere  £2  million. 

That  stage  of  the  bill  will  not  be  reached 
until  early  June,  but  lobbying  of  M.P.s  shows 
that  many  of  them  are  prepared  to  chal- 
lenge the  Government  on  the  issue.  The 
little  exhibitors  are  keeping  their  fingers 
crossed. 


CEA  JOURNAL  ADS 
CAUSE  CONCERN 

Trade  journals  here  view  with  a degree 
of  concern  CEA’s  recently  announced  de- 
cision to  permit  advertising  announcements 
in  its  fortnightly  Film  Report,  which  is 
issued  to  all  members  of  the  Association 
and  carries  assessments  of  films  on  current 
offer. 

It  is  generally  admitted  that  CEA  “mark- 
ings” in  the  Report  carry  considerable 
weight,  at  least  with  independent  theatre 
men. 

Approached  on  the  matter  by  CEA’s  offi- 
cers, the  Renters’  Society  held  to  the  posi- 


tion that  it  could  not  advise  its  members  to 
add  to  their  advertising  budgets  by  taking 
space  in  the  Report.  CEA  retorted  by  regis- 
tering its  dissatisfaction  at  the  decision; 
adding  that  it  felt  what  it  called  a blanket 
decision  was  “unreasonable  and  a retro- 
grade step  in  regard  to  the  hopes  for  greater 
unity  in  the  industry  and  a set  back  to  the 
recent  progress  towards  individual  trading.” 

CEA  sets  great  store  by  that  tendency 
toward  individual  trading  between  distrib- 
utor and  exhibitor.  It  has  now  engaged  an 
advertising  contractor  to  sell  space  in  its 
Report,  which  admittedly  has  a guaranteed 
and  closely-read  circulation  among  virtually 
every  exhibitor  in  the  country. 

Teaser  announcements  have  begun  to  ap- 
pear in  advertisement  trade  journals  em- 
phasising the  virtue  of  space  in  the  Ex- 
hibitors’ Report.  They  are  directed,  momen- 
tarily, at  the  vendors  of  confectionery, 
cigarettes,  soft  drinks  and  the  like.  But 
underground  approaches  are  being  made 
also  to  individual  film  distributors.  It  is  felt 
that  if  one  distributor  defies  the  KRS  bar 
a deluge  of  advertisements  will  follow  from 
his  competitors. 

• 

Reports  from  West  Germany  indicate  that 
the  executors  of  the  late  Sir  Alexander 
Korda’s  will  are  negotiating  the  sale  of  the 
Korda  interests  in  Deutsche  London  Film 
G.m.b.H.  Sir  Alexander,  it  is  known,  had 
considerable  holdings  in  distribution  con- 
cerns not  only  in  Germany  but  other  coun- 
tries through  which  his  London  Film  prod- 
uct proceeded. 

Deutsche  London  Film,  specialising  in 
the  local  exploitation  of  British  films,  has 
moved  up  into  the  top  echelon  of  West  Ger- 
many distributors.  Its  current  offering  is 
comprised  of  12  German  features,  five  Brit- 
ish, and  two  others.  It  already  has  been 
announced  that  prominent  in  the  company’s 
offerings  for  the  1956-57  season  will  be 
London  Films’  "Richard  III”  and  it  is  sur- 
mised here  that  close  trading  relations  will 
continue  between  the  West  German  concern 
and  the  British  company. 

Officials  of  London  Films  who  had  been 
appointed  also  executors  of  Sir  Alexander’s 
will  decline  currently  to  comment  on  the 
West  German  reports. 

• 

Taylor,  Taylor  and  Hobson,  Ltd. — a 
member  company  of  the  Rank  Precision  In- 
dustries Group — celebrated  its  70th  anni- 
versary April  12.  Trade  press  representa- 
tives were  bidden  to  an  exhibition  of  the 
company’s  products  and  factory  on  that  day. 

The  band-mark  of  Tavlor-Hobson  is 
associated  throughout  the  world  with  high 
quality  lenses.  The  company  is  equally 
famous  in  industry  for  its  high-precision 
measuring  instruments  and  machine  tools. 
Each  year  its  factory  sells  £750, 000-worth 
of  goods. 

The  Board  of  Trade  announces  that  Mr. 
A.  R.  Mingaye,  film-studio  organizer  for 
the  National  Association  of  Theatrical  and 
Kine  Employees,  has  been  appointed  a mem- 
ber of  the  Government’s  Cinematograph 
Films  Council  as  a representative  of  em- 
ployees in  the  film  industry. 


22 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  MAY  5,  1956 


office  of 

J.  FELDMAN 


Universal  Film  exchanges,  Inc. 

445  PARK  AVENUE 
N EW  YORK,  N.  Y. 


AN  OPEN  LETTER  TO  OUR  CUSTOMERS: 

“7""*  ~ “u 

duty. 

, mophine  I must  take  this  means  to 
Lacking  such  a machine,  Universal  who 

salute  the  many  t0  Lip  make  the  6th  Annual 

rhartes^FetLn  Drive  an  outstanding  success. 

The  true  measure  of  forthcoming  product 

Ld^r/im™  merchandising  effort  we  shall  put 
behind  each  picture. 

Best  wishes  for  summer-long  good  business. 

Sincerely, 


Vice  President  and  General  Sales  Manager 


Expect  1,000  at  Variety  Club  Annual 
Convention  in  New  York  May  9-12 

At  least  1,000  members  of  Variety  Clubs  from  all  over  the  world  are 
expected  to  attend  the  20th  annual  convention  at  the  Waldorf-Astoria 
Hotel,  New  York,  May  9-12,  it  was  announced  by  Martin  Levine,  conven- 
tion chairman,  at  the  New  York  Variety  Club  Tent  No.  35  luncheon  last 
week.  He  said  that  more  than  600  registrations  have  been  received 
thus  far. 

Besides  the  regular  convention  sessions,  which  will  be  held  all  four 
days,  there  will  be  several  special  events  for  the  ladies  and  many  social 
activities,  including  a visit  to  the  United  Nations,  a cruise  around  Man- 
hattan, “Mardi  Gras  Nite”  and  the  Humanitarian  Award  dinner. 

At  the  luncheon,  Harold  J.  Klein,  chief  barker,  appealed  to  the  local 
tent’s  membership  for  more  support  of  the  organization’s  activities  and 
announced  the  launching  of  a campaign  on  behalf  of  the  Variety  Club 
Foundation  to  Combat  Epilepsy.  He  also  announced  that  the  Cinema- 
Scope  short  subject,  produced  by  20th  Century-Fox,  dealing  with  epilepsy 
is  completed  and  will  be  available  for  distribution  shortly.  The  guests 
of  honor  at  the  luncheon,  held  at  Toots  Shor’s  Restaurant,  were  Cleo 
Moore,  Myron  Cohen  and  Martin  Starr,  Mutual  broadcaster  and  “Mr. 
Showman”  for  the  forthcoming  international  convention. 


/ o.v  Closes 
SI. 7. 000.000 
Credit  Deal 

Twentieth  Century-Fox  has  entered  into 
a new  credit  agreement  with  a group  of 
banks  for  $15,000,000,  it  was  disclosed  in 
the  company’s  recent  annual  report  to  stock- 
holders, issued  by  Spyros  P.  Skouras,  pres- 
ident. Thus  far,  the  report  stated,  the  com- 
pany has  borrowed  a total  of  $8,000,000 
under  the  new  agreement,  of  which  $2,000,- 
000  was  obtained  during  the  month  of  April. 
The  agreement,  dated  September  9,  1955, 
calls  for  a loan  of  $15,000,000,  “all  or  any 
part  of  which  can  be  borrowed  from  time  to 
time  until  December  31,  1957,’’  and  there- 
after the  debt  consists  of  serial  notes  which 
become  due  quarterly  in  increasing  amounts 
from  March  31,  1958,  to  and  including  De- 
cember 31,  1962. 

During  the  year,  it  was  stated,  $5,125,000 
was  paid  to  redeem  a like  amount  of  notes 
outstanding  under  a former  loan  agreement 
which  originated  June  13,  1952.  Reporting 
on  the  projected  takeover  of  African  Thea- 
tres, Ltd.,  in  South  Africa,  the  company 
stated  that  its  offer  to  purchase  100  per 
cent  of  the  circuit’s  stock  “will  be  accepted” 
according  to  “present  indications.” 

The  report  stated  that  $1,026,000  has  been 
spent  in  converting  the  old  Western  Avenue 
studio  into  a completely  modern  plant  for 
the  making  of  TV  films.  The  total  cost  of 
the  entire  conversion  will  be  $2,250,000. 

Other  Announcements 

Other  announcements : Investments  and 
other  assets  were  increased  by  $1,564,000, 
reflecting  the  purchase  of  the  remaining  25 
per  cent  minority  interest  in  the  theatre  cir- 
cuit in  New  Zealand,  and  a deposit  in  escrow 
of  $1,406,550  in  South  Africa  to  facilitate 
the  expected  acquisition  of  the  African  the- 
atre circuit  in  June. 

Referring  to  the  company’s  projected  pro- 
gram to  develop  new  personalities,  the  re- 
port stated  that  a similar  program  will  be 
carried  out  for  the  purpose  of  developing 
writing  talent.  The  writing  phase  of  the 
program  will  be  under  the  supervision  of 
Joseph  Moskowitz,  head  of  the  company’s 
literary  department,  who  will  collaborate 
with  Buddy  Adler,  acting  studio  head. 

Referring  to  TV,  Mr.  Skouras  said,  “We 
have  received  offers  to  sell  such  films  pro- 
duced up  to  and  including  the  year  1948  for 
television  purposes,  and  we  believe  that  it 
is  to  the  interest  of  our  stockholders  and 
the  corporation  not  to  entertain  any  such 
offers  unless  the  price  offered  is  more  com- 
mensurate with  the  true  value  of  the  films. 

“Management  at  this  time  can  give  no 
indication  as  to  whether  we  may  in  the  im- 
mediate or  distant  future  sell  these  assets  for 
cash,  or  distribute  our  library  to  television 
stations  throughout  our  own  distribution  or- 
ganization. or  spin  off  these  assets,  as  well 
as  other  specific  assets.” 


Council  Lifts  Boycott 
On  " Daniel  Boone " 

HOLLYWOOD:  The  AFL  Film  Council 
has  announced  the  lifting  of  the  nationwide 
boycott  against  the  Ganaway-Ver  Halen 
production,  “Daniel  Boone,”  following  con- 
summation of  new  contracts  with  council- 
member  guilds  and  unions  and  a promise  to 
consult  with  the  council  before  again  under- 
taking production  outside  the  United  States. 
The  council  imposed  the  boycott  several 
weeks  ago,  claiming  that  Ganaway-Ver 
Halen  had  produced  “Daniel  Boone”  in 
Mexico  without  using  Hollywood  production 
crews,  in  contravention  of  the  council’s  rule 
against  “runaway  production”  by  Hollywood 
producing  companies. 

Big  Magazine  Promotion 
For  UA's  "Trapeze" 

United  Artists  will  inaugurate  a national 
magazine  advertising  program  budgeted  at 
$333,000  for  the  film  “Trapeze,”  which  stars 
Burt  Lancaster,  Tony  Curtis  and  Gina 
Lollobrigida,  the  company  announces.  Fea- 
tures of  the  drive,  which  will  be  triggered 
in  late  May  and  carry  through  July,  will  be 
multi-page  and  full-page  insertions  in  pub- 
lications with  a combined  readership  of 
175,000,000.  The  Hecht-Lancaster  produc- 
tion was  filmed  in  CinemaScope  and  color 
by  DeLuxe  on  location  in  Paris. 


Disney  Releases  in  July 

The  national  release  date  for  two  new 
Walt  Disney  theatrical  features,  “Davy 
Crockett  and  the  River  Pirates”  and  “Man 
in  Space,”  has  been  set  for  July  17,  it  is 
announced  by  Leo  F.  Samuels,  president  and 
general  sales  manager  of  Buena  Vista,  Dis- 
ney film  distributors. 


IFE  Has  Six 
Far  Release 

I.F.E.  Releasing  Corporation  has  acquired 
six  new  films  for  distribution  in  1956,  it 
was  announced  last  week  by  Seymour  Poe, 
executive  vice-president.  The  new  films  in- 
clude three  in  color,  one  in  CinemaScope 
and  five  spoken  in  English.  The  addition  of 
these  films  makes  a total  of  13  currently 
on  I.F.E.’s  schedule  for  this  year.  The  new 
films  are: 

“Roman  Tales”  (tentative  title)  in  color 
and  CinemaScope,  starring  Silvana  Pam- 
panini,  Vittorio  De  Sica  and  Toto  and  based 
on  stories  by  Alberto  Moravia. 

“Symphony  of  Love,”  a musical  drama- 
tization of  the  life  of  Franz  Shubert  in 
color,  starring  Marina  Vlady,  Lucia  Bose 
and  Claude  Laydu  and  spoken  in  Engish. 

Film  with  Fernandel 

“Forbidden  Fruit,”  the  company’s  first 
French-produced  film,  starring  Fernandel 
and  Francoise  Arnoul. 

“Torpedo  Zone,”  an  American  language 
film  starring  Lois  Maxwell  and  Renato 
Baldini. 

“Con  Men,”  an  American  language  film 
starring  Broderick  Crawford  and  Richard 
Basehart,  produced  by  Titanus  Films  and 
directed  by  Federico  Fellini. 

“Fabulous  India,”  a Titanus  production, 
narrated  in  English  and  photographed  in 
color  by  Claude  Renoir. 

Other  films  on  the  company’s  schedule 
include  “Riviera,”  “The  Return  of  Don 
Camillo,”  “Lease  of  Life,”  “Maddalena,” 
“Madame  Butterfly,”  “Lost  Continent”  and 
“Neapolitan  Carousel.”  The  last  two  are 
scheduled  for  release  shortly. 


24 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  MAY  5,  1956 


Confidential 


Gray  Flannel  Executives  on 
great  newspaper  in  dirty  triple-cross 


WHILE  THE  CITY  SLEEPS 


TEN  TOP  STARS!  TEN  PEAK  PERFORMANCES!  starring: 

DANA  ANDREWS -RHONDA  FLEMING- GEORGE  SANDERS -HOWARD  DUFF-THOMAS  MITCHELL 
VINCENT  PRICE  • SALLY  FORREST  • JOHN  BARRYMORE,  Jr.  • JAMES  CRAIG  and  IDA  LUPINO 


Directed  by  FRITZ  LANG  Produced  by  Bert  Friedlob 
Screen  Play  by  Casey  Robinson  Music  by  Herschel  Burke  Gilbert 


The  most  talked-about  movies  are  coming  from 
the  NEW  RKO 


Paramount  *.v 
*JJ  Revenue 
W JXetr  Peak 

Paramount  Pictures’  operating  revenue 
last  year  was  $114,000,000,  reportedly  the 
highest  since  the  new  company  began  opera- 
tion in  1950,  Barney  Balaban,  president, 
told  stockholders  this  week  in  the  company’s 
annual  report.  The  report  is  a 33-page 
document,  illustrated  with  scenes  from 
forthcoming  Paramount  product,  including 
Cecil  B.  DeMille’s  “The  Ten  Command- 
ments'’ and  the  Ponti-DeLaurentiis  produc- 
tion of  "War  and  Peace.” 

Mr.  Balaban  also  pointed  out  that  the 
company's  1955  net  profit  of  $9,700,000, 
recently  announced,  was  the  highest  since 
1950,  and  more  than  maintained  the  per- 
centage of  revenue  improvement  over  the 
net  of  the  preceding  year.  The  operating 
revenue  for  last  year  was  an  increase  of 
almost  five  per  cent  over  1954. 

"In  1955,”  Mr.  Balaban  stated,  “the  box 
office  response  to  more  appealing  pictures 
produced  for  the  industry  as  a whole  was 
generally  good,  and  Paramount  with  its 
smash  box  office  hits  made  its  full  contribu- 
tion not  only  to  its  own  improved  results 
but  to  its  exhibitor  customers  as  well.”  He 
added  that  following  two  relatively  slow 
quarters — the  final  for  1955  and  the  first 
of  1956 — he  anticipates  "a  marked  improve- 
ment in  film  rentals  in  the  second  quarter 
and  progressively  during  the  balance  of  the 
present  year  as  the  momentum  of  releases 
accelerates  and  Paramount  begins  to  feel  the 
benefit  of  its  important  pictures  with  higher 
revenue  potentials,  culminating  with  the 
showing  of  “War  and  Peace”  and  “The 
Ten  Commandments.” 


Esther  Williams , NBC 
In  " Spectacle " Pact 

Actress  Esther  Williams  and  the  National 
Broadcasting  Co.  have  entered  into  an 
agreement  for  the  production  of  “The  Aqua 
Spectacle  of  1957,”  which  will  have  its 
world  television  premiere  in  a 90-minute 
version  as  an  NBC  color  spectacular  during 
the  early  Fall  of  this  year,  it  is  announced. 
The  first  of  the  four  spectaculars,  all  to  be 
produced  during  a two-year  period,  is  ex- 
pected to  take  place  some  time  during  Octo- 
ber, and  the  second  in  the  Spring  of  1957. 
The  announcement  added  that  the  points  of 
origin  will  be  the  NBC-TV  studios  in 
Brooklyn,  N.  Y.,  and  Burbank,  Calif. 


Schlesinger  to  ATP 

LONDON : John  Schlesinger  and  A.  E. 
Harmel,  directors  of  the  Schlesinger  Or- 
ganization, South  African  motion  picture 
company  and  financiers,  have  joined  the 
board  of  Associated  Talking  Pictures  and 
its  subsidiary  Ealing  Studios.  Barry  Wie- 
land,  the  Schlesinger  United  Kingdom  rep- 
resentative, will  be  alternate  director. 


B ox  Office  Champions 
For  April 

The  box  office  champions  for  the  month  of  April,  listed  alpha- 
betically below,  are  selected  on  the  basis  of  reports  from  key  city 
first  run  theatres  throughout  the  country. 


Alexander  the  Great 

( United  Artists) 

CineniaScope 

Producer,  Director  and  Writer: 
Robert  Rossen.  Technicolor.  Cast: 
Richard  Burton,  Fredric  March, 
Claire  Bloom,  Danielle  Darrieux, 
Harry  Andrews,  Stanley  Baker,  Niall 
MacGinnis,  Peter  Cushing,  Michael 
Hordern. 

Carousel 

( 20th  Century-Fox ) 

CinemaScope  55 

Produced  by  Henry  Ephron. 
Directed  by  Henry  King.  Written  by 
Phoebe  and  Henry  Ephron  with 
Music  and  Lyrics  by  Richard  Rodgers 
and  Oscar  Hammerstein  II.  In  De 
Luxe  Color.  Cast:  Gordon  MacRae, 
Shirley  Jones,  Cameron  Mitchell,  Bar- 
bara Ruick,  Claramae  Turner,  Robert 
Rounseville,  Gene  Lockhart,  Audrey 
Christie,  Susan  Luckey,  William  Le 
Massena.  ( Champion  for  the  second 
month.) 

I'll  Cry  Tomorrow 

(Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer  ) 

Produced  by  Lawrence  Weingarten. 
Directed  by  Daniel  Mann.  Written  by 
Helen  Deutsch  and  Jay  Richard  Ken- 
nedy (based  on  the  book  by  Lillian 
Roth,  Mike  Connolly  and  Gerold 
Frank).  Cast:  Susan  Hayward,  Rich- 
ard Conte,  Eddie  Albert,  Jo  Van  Fleet, 
Don  Taylor,  Ray  Danton,  Margo. 
( Champion  for  the  second  month.) 


The  Man  in  the 
Gray  Flannel  Suit 

( 20th  Century-Fox ) 

CinemaScope 

Produced  by  Darryl  F.  Zanuck. 
Directed  and  written  by  Nunnally 
Johnson  (from  the  novel  by  Sloan 
Wilson).  Color  by  De  Luxe.  Cast: 
Gregory  Peck,  Jennifer  Jones,  Fredric 
March,  Marisa  Pavan,  Lee  J.  Cobb, 
Ann  Harding,  Keenan  Wynn,  Gene 
Lockhart,  Gigi  Perreau,  Portland 
Mason,  Arthur  O’Connell. 

Meet  Me  in  Las  Vegas 

(Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer  ) 

CinemaScope 

Produced  by  Joe  Pasternak. 
DirectetJ  by  Roy  Rowland.  Written 
by  Isobel  Lennart.  Color  by  Eastman 
Color.  Cast:  Dan  Dailey,  Cyd  Cha- 
risse,  Agnes  Moorehead,  Lili  Darvas, 
Jim  Backus,  Oscar  Karlweis,  Liliane 
Montevecchi. 

Picnic 

( Columbia) 

CinemaScope 

Produced  by  Fred  Kohl  mar. 
Directed  by  Joshua  Logan.  Written 
by  Daniel  Taradash  (based  on  play 
by  William  Inge).  Technicolor.  Cast: 
William  Holden,  Rosalind  Russell, 
Kim  Novak,  Betty  Field,  Susan  Stras- 
berg,  Cliff  Robertson,  Arthur  O’Con- 
nell. ( Champion  for  the  second 
month.) 


20th-Fox  Has  Five 
Releases  for  May 

Hitting  an  accelerated  distribution  pace 
going  into  the  important  summer  exhibi- 
tion season,  20th  Century-Fox  has  an- 
nounced that  five  major  productions,  four 
in  CinemaScope  and  one  in  standard  dimen- 
sion, will  be  in  simultaneous  release  during 
May.  All  five  are  in  color.  The  five-picture 
slate,  keyed  for  diversified  exhibitor  pro- 
gramming, numbers  two  May  and  three  late 
April  releases  which  will  be  in  key  first-run 
situations  during  the  next  four  weeks  domes- 
tically and  in  Canada.  Listed  for  May  are 
“23  Paces  to  Baker  Street”  and  “The  Proud 
Ones.”  The  three  late  April  offerings  are 
“The  Revolt  of  Mamie  Stover,”  “Hilda 
Crane”  and  “Mohawk.” 


New  York  Theatres  Asked 
To  Join  Summer  Festival 

New  York  theatres  will  be  asked  to  join 
the  city’s  1956  Summer  Festival  program 
again  this  year,  Thomas  W.  MacLeod,  pres- 
ident and  chairman  of  the  New  Tork  Con- 
vention and  Visitors  Bureau,  has  announced. 
Mr.  MacLeod  said  theatres  will  be  asked 
to  herald  the  festival  in  their  advertisements. 
The  city’s  many  summer  events  will  be  em- 
phasized this  year  by  the  bureau  to  make 
New  York  “the  most  popular  vacation  spot 
in  the  world,”  Mr.  MacLeod  said.  Royal 
W.  Ryan,  executive  vice-president  of  the 
bureau,  said  it  still  is  planning  to  put  on 
a film  festival  in  New  York.  He  said  such 
a festival,  if  it  comes  off,  will  not  be  an 
international  one,  but  an  American  one. 


26 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  MAY  5,  1956 


iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiimmiiiiiiiiiimmiiii 


THIS  WEEK  IN 
PRODUCTION: 


J^offuwooJ, 


'cene 


STARTED  (9) 

ALLIED  ARTISTS 

Chasing  Trouble 

MGM 

A Man  Is  Ten  Feet  Tall 
(Jonathan  Prod.) 

The  Power  and  the  Prize 

RKO  RADIO 

Public  Pigeon  Number 
One 

20TH-FOX 

Best  Things  in  Life  Are 
Free  (CinemaScope; 
Technicolor) 

COMPLETED  (8) 

ALLIED  ARTISTS 

Night  Target 

AMERICAN  INTL. 

It  Conquered  the  World 
(Sunset  Prod.) 

RKO  RADIO 

Beyond  a Reasonable 
Doubt 

Back  from  Eternity 

20TH-FOX 

The  Day  the  Century 

SHOOTING  (26) 

ALLIED  ARTISTS 

Notre  Dame  de  Paris 
(Technicolor) 

COLUMBIA 

Suns  of  Fort  Petticoat 
(Brown-Murphy  Pic.) 

INDEPENDENT 

Creatures  from  Green 
Hell  (Gross-Krasne 
Prod.) 

MGM 

Barretts  of  Wimpole 
Street  (Cinema- 
Scope;  Color) 

Teahouse  of  the  August 
Moon  (CinemaScope: 
Color) 

Tea  and  Sympathy 

Raintree  County 
(65  MM;  Color) 

Julie  (Arwin  Prods.) 

The  Opposite  Sex 
(CinemaScope: 
Eastman  Color) 

PARAMOUNT 

Hollywood  or  Bust 
(VistaVision: 
Technicolor) 

Funny  Face  (Vista- 
Vision;  Technicolor) 

The  Loves  of  Omar 
Khayyam  (Vista- 
Vision;  Technicolor) 

The  Lonely  Man 
(VistaVision 


UNITED  ARTISTS 

Five  Steps  to  Terror 
(Grand  Prod.) 

U-l 

Tammy  (CinemaScope; 

Technicolor) 

I've  Been  Here  Before 

WARNER  BROS. 

The  Old  Man  and  the 
Sea  ( WarnerColor) 


Ended  (Cinema- 
Scope; Color) 

UNITED  ARTISTS 

The  Sharkfighters 

(Goldwyn,  Jr.  Prod.); 
CinemaScope;  Color) 

U-l 

The  Mole  People 

WARNER  BROS. 

Toward  the  Unknown 
(Toluca  Prods.; 
WarnerColor) 


Technicolor) 

The  Maverick  (Vista- 
Vision; Technicolor) 
Gunfight  at  OK  Corral 
(VistaVision: 
Technicolor) 

20TH-FOX 

The  Last  Wagon 
(CinemaScope; 

De  Luxe  Color) 

One  in  a Million 
( CinemaScope: 

De  Luxe  Color) 

Bus  Stop  (Cinema- 
Scope; Technicolor) 

UNITED  ARTISTS 

Pride  and  the  Passion 
(Stanley  Kramer 
Prod.;  VistaVision; 
Technicolor) 

The  Brass  Legend  (Bob 
Goldstein  Prod.) 

The  Boss  (Boss  Prods.) 

U-l 

Star  Light  (Cinema- 
Scope; Technicolor) 
Gun  for  a Coward 
(Technicolor) 

The  Great  Man 
Battle  Hymn  (Cinema- 
Scope; Technicolor) 

WARNER  BROS. 

The  Wrong  Man 
(Alfred  Hitchcock 
Prod.) 


IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIHIIIIMMII 


HOLLYWOOD  BUREAU 

Nine  picture  properties  reached  camera 
stage  during  the  week,  and  eight  others 
were  turned  over  to  film  editors  on  comple- 
tion of  the  photography,  for  a gain  of  one 
production,  over-all,  to  a total  of  35.  The  new 
ventures  are  of  wide  variety  as  to  subject 
matter,  budget,  processes  and  personnel. 

Possibly  most  notable  in  a number  of 
somewhat  special  respects  is  the  Warner 
production  of  “The  Old  Man  and  the  Sea,” 
the  richly  awarded  and  artistically  distin- 
guished Ernest  Hemingway  story  which, 
most  people  agree,  is  going  to  take  extraordi- 
nary handling  to  hold  mass  audiences  for  a 
feature  length  of  time. 

So  it  is  receiving  the  attention  of  extraor- 
dinary talents — Leland  Hayw'ard  as  pro- 
ducer, Fred  Zinnemann  as  director — and 
there  is  assurance  in  the  presence  of  Spencer 
Tracy  in  the  role  of  the  old  man.  Actor 
Tracy  played  a comparable  role  in  another 
story  of  the  sea  back  in  1937  and  won  an 
Academy  Award  for  it.  That  role  was  played 
in  “Captains  Courageous.”  The  present  pic- 
ture is  being  shot  in  Cuba  and  in  Warner- 
Color. 

Gordon  MacRae,  Dan  Dailey,  Ernest 
Borgnine  and  Sheree  North  are  the  highly 
exploitable  personalities  playing  the  top 
roles  in  “The  Best  Things  in  Life  Are  Free,” 
a 20th-Fox  production  in  CinemaScope  with 
color  by  Technicolor  which  looks  mighty 
promiseful.  Production  is  by  Henry  Ephron, 
who  provided  exhibitors  with  “Carousel,” 
and  direction  is  by  Michael  Curtiz,  whose 
contributions  to  the  commercial  welfare  of 
the  American  box  office  (and  usually  to  the 
artistic  welfare  of  the  medium)  are  far  too 
numerous  and  well  recognized  to  require 
naming. 

Robert  Taylor  Starred 

MGM’s  Robert  Taylor,  a box  office  power 
whether  cast  as  hero  or  heel,  has  Elizabeth 
Mueller,  Charles  Coburn,  Burl  Ives,  Mary 
Astor  and  Sir  Cedric  Hardwicke  as  cast 
companions  on  “The  Power  and  the  Prize,” 
which  Nicholas  Nayfeck  is  producing,  with 
Henry  Koster  directing. 

MGM  is  also  represented  in  the  list  of 
new  undertakings  by  “A  Man  Is  Ten  Feet 
Tall.”  a film  that’s  been  some  while  in  the 
making  in  New  York  by  Jonathan  Produc- 
tions, for  MGM  release.  This  is  a former 
television  production,  converted  now  to 
theatrical  use,  and  it  has  TV’s  John  Cassa- 
vetes, Sidney  Poitier  of  “Blackboard 
Jungle,”  Jack  Warden  and  a good  many 
other  players,  largely  from  television,  whose 
names  are  yet  to  acquire  marquee  meaning. 
David  Suskind,  who  produced  this  and  many 
other  television  shows,  is  producing  the  film, 
and  Martin  Ritt,  a Broadway  actor  and  di- 
rector, is  directing  the  production  as  his 
first  endeavor  in  the  motion  picture  medium. 

Universal  launched  two  films,  one  of 


which  is  “Tammy”  in  CinemaScope  and  in 
color  by  Technicolor,  with  Debbie  Reynolds 
and  Leslie  Nielson  in  principal  roles.  Ross 
Hunter  is  the  producer,  and  Joseph  Pevney 
is  directing. 

“I’ve  Been  Here  Before”  is  the  first  of 
the  many  projected  “reincarnation  pictures” 
to  go  before  the  cameras.  It  has  Jock 
Mahoney  and  Leigh  Snowden,  two  of  U-I’s 
outstanding  younger  stars,  in  the  lead  roles, 
and  is  produced  by  Howard  Christie,  di- 
rected by  Richard  Bartlett. 

Red  Skelton  went  to  work  in  RKO's 
“Public  Pigeon  Number  One,”  produced  by 
Harry  Tugend  and  directed  by  Norman 
McLeod.  Others  in  the  cast  are  Vivian 
Blaine,  Janet  Blair,  Allyn  Joslyn,  J.  C.  Flip- 
pen  and  Benny  Baker. 

Ruth  Roman  and  Sterling  Hayden  are 
top  names  in  “Five  Steps  to  Terror,”  a 
Grand  Productions  enterprise  for  United 
Artists  release.  Henry  S.  Kesler  is  the 
producer.  Elbe  Fredericks  is  directing. 

“Chasing  Trouble”  is  the  first  of  the 
Bowery  Boys  (Dead  End  Kids,  etc.)  pic- 
tures to  go  to  the  cameras  without  Leo 
Gorcey  in  who -can -remember -how -many 
years,  but  Huntz  Hall  is  still  on  hand  and 
Stanley  Clements  is  back  in  the  cast,  along 
with  other  regulars  and  with  Adele  Jergens. 
Ben  Schwalb  is  the  producer  and  George 
Blair  is  directing. 


O'Shea,  Dozier  Plan 
RKO  Film  Schedule 

Daniel  T.  O’Shea,  president  of  RKO 
Radio  Pictures,  and  William  Dozier,  RKO 
vice-president  in  charge  of  production,  are 
conferring  in  New  York  on  the  next  group 
of  films  to  be  put  into  production  by  RKO 
in  the  near  future.  Among  the  projected 
films  to  be  discussed  are:  “Bundle  of  Joy,” 
starring  Eddie  Fisher  and  Debbie  Reynolds; 
“Run  of  the  Arrow,”  to  be  produced  by 
Stanley  Rubin:  “Strike  a Blow”  starring 
James  MacArthur,  and  “The  Day  They 
Gave  Babies  Away,”  to  be  produced  by  Sam 
Wiesenthal. 

"Duchin  Story"  Set 
For  CBS  Promotion 

Columbia  Pictures  announces  it  will  spon- 
sor 25  segments  of  eight  top  CBS  radio  net- 
work programs  to  promote  its  forthcoming 
release,  “The  Eddy  Duchin  Story,”  starring 
Tyrone  Power.  The  company’s  sponsorship 
of  the  programs  gets  under  way  June  24  and 
will  continue  over  a three-week  period.  In- 
cluded are  the  following  shows : “Edgar 
Bergen  Hour,”  “Bing  Crosby  Show,”  “Amos 
’n  Andy  Music  Hall,”  “Jack  Carson  Show,” 
“Galen  Drake  Show,”  Peter  Potter’s  “Juke 
Box  Jury,”  the  “Mitch  Miller  Show”  and 
the  “Robert  Q.  Lewis  Show.” 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  MAY  5,  1956 


27 


FJPC  Net 
Shows  Drop 
for  1953 

TOROS  TO:  Fewer  boxoffice  hits  released 
in  1955  and  increased  installation  of  TV  sets 
in  Canada  were  given  as  reasons  for  the 
drop  in  theatre  revenue  of  Famous  Players 
Canadian  Corp.  Ltd.  in  1955  by  president 
John  J.  Fitzgibbons. 

In  the  company’s  36th  annual  financial 
report,  for  the  year  ending  December  31, 
1955.  the  consolidated  net  profits  of  the  com- 
pany were  down  to  $2,933,112  as  compared 
with  $3,384,825  the  year  previous. 

Earnings  from  operations  were  $4,823,285, 
as  compared  with  1954’s  $6,241,121.  The 
statement  shows  $1.69  per  share  earned  in 
1955  as  compared  with  $1.95  the  previous 
year. 

Mr.  Fitzgibbons’  statement  to  the  share- 
holders said  substantial  progress  was  made 
in  reducing  costs,  however,  “it  was  not  pos- 
sible to  reduce  these  costs  sufficiently  to 
offset  entirely  the  drop  in  business.” 

The  company’s  policy,  he  said,  “has  been 
to  divest  itself  of  unprofitable  or  marginal 
operations.  During  the  past  year  it  has  dis- 
posed of  several  theatres,  including  one 
drive-in  theatre.” 

Improved  Financial  Condition 

Sales  of  the  theatre  properties  which  were 
disposed  of  within  the  year  were  “carried 
on  the  books  at  $195,087  and  were  sold  for 
a total  consideration  of  $574,085,”  said  the 
statement. 

An  improvement  in  the  company’s  finan- 
cial position  was  shown  in  the  balance  sheet, 
with  net  current  assets  of  $9,202,147,  an  in- 
crease of  $489,311. 

During  1955,  the  company  paid  dividends 
of  $1.50  per  share,  but  the  10  cent  per  share 
bonus  dividend  paid  during  the  previous  two 
years  was  not  paid  “in  order  to  maintain 
the  strong  financial  position  which  your 
company  has  always  enjoyed.” 

A total  of  $8,781,000  in  taxes  was  paid  by 
the  company  and  all  of  its  subsidiary  and 
affiliated  companies,  of  which  $4,598,000  was 
paid  in  amusement  taxes.  These  were  de- 
scribed by  Mr.  Fitzgibbons’  statement  as 
being  “unfair  and  discriminatory,”  but  that 
the  company  in  association  with  other  the- 
atre interests  throughout  the  country,  is  con- 
tinuing to  make  representations  on  this  tax 
to  the  various  Provincial  and  Municipal 
governments  concerned. 


Ballantyne  Fete  May  8 

OMAHA:  The  Ballantyne  Company  will 
hold  a -ilver  anniversary  party  celebrating 
“25  years  of  continued  and  uninterrupted 
service  to  all  exhibitors”  at  their  plant,  1712 
Jackson  Street,  here  May  8.  Features  will 
be  a reception,  inspection  of  plant  facilities, 
buffet  supper  and  entertainment. 


William  Goldman  Acquires 
Theatres  in  Reading , Pa. 

READING,  PA.:  William  Goldman,  presi- 
dent of  William  Goldman  Theatres,  Inc., 
has  announced  the  acquisition  of  two  major 
theatres  here.  The  houses,  the  Astor  and 
the  Strand,  were  acquired  from  Harry  J. 
Schad  of  Schad  Theatres.  The  Goldman  firm 
assumes  actual  operation  May  30.  Extensive 
renovations  are  now  in  progress  at  both. 


1 ,1A  Drive 
To  Dpen  in 
NY.  May  23 

Industry  leaders,  corporation  executives 
and  independent  theatre  operators  through- 
out the  New  York  entertainment  field  have 
accepted  membership  on  the  Motion  Picture 
and  Amusement  Division’s  executive  com- 
mittee for  the  United  Jewish  Appeal,  ac- 
cording to  Leon  Goldberg,  1956  chairman 
of  the  industry’s  drive  and  vice-president 
of  United  Artists. 

This  year’s  annual  luncheon,  which  will 
be  held  as  a testimonial  to  Adolph  Schimel, 
general  counsel  and  vice-president  of  Uni- 
versal Pictures,  will  be  held  May  23  at  the 
Park  Lane  Hotel. 

Mr.  Goldberg,  in  a special  statement  to 
the  industry,  said:  “The  regular  New  York 
UJA  campaign,  in  keeping  with  the  high 
budgetary  needs  of  its  six  major  beneficiary 
agencies,  is  seeking  $109,230,000  nationally 
for  the  conduct  of  worldwide  humanitarian 
programs.  In  addition,  all-out  contributions 
are  being  solicited  for  the  Special  Survival 
Fund,  set  up  by  the  national  United  Jewish 
Appeal,  to  finance  absorption  in  Israel  of 
45.000  refugees  expected  from  North  Africa 
this  year.  It  is  estimated  that  at  least  $45,- 
000,000  will  be  required  for  this  purpose 
alone,  in  addition  to  $50,000,000  required 
to  meet  emergency  needs  unanticipated  at 
the  time  of  the  Fund’s  establishment.” 

The  executive  committee  members  are : 
Maurice  A.  Bergman,  Charles  Boasberg, 
William  B.  Brenner,  Julius  M.  Collins,  Ned 
E.  Depinet,  S.  Charles  Einfeld,  Edwin  L. 
Fabian,  Leopold  Friedman,  Emanuel  Frisch, 
William  J.  German,  Harry  Goldberg,  Leon- 
ard H.  Goldenson,  Irving  H.  Greenfield, 
Edward  L.  Hyman,  Arthur  Israel  Jr.,  Leo 
Jaffe,  Saul  Jeffee,  Harry  Kalmine,  Malcolm 
Kingsberg,  Arthur  Krim,  A1  Lichtman, 
Harry  Mendel,  Abe  Montague,  Joseph  H. 
Moskowitz,  Charles  B.  Moss,  Louis  A. 
Novins,  Arnold  M.  Picker,  Eugene  Picker, 
Milton  Rackmil,  Harold  J.  Rinzler. 

Also  Samuel  Rinzler,  Emanuel  Sacks, 
Arthur  Rosen,  Abraham  Schneider,  Leonard 
W.  Schneider,  Fred  J.  Schwartz,  Leslie 
Schwartz,  Sol  A.  Schwartz,  Maurice  Silver- 
stone,  Nathan  B.  Spingold,  Solomon  Straus- 
berg,  Morton  Sunshine,  Adam  Wachtel, 
Major  Albert  Warner,  Robert  M.  Weitman, 
Mortimer  Wormser,  and  Max  E.  Young- 
stein. 


Teiecastiny 
Starts  Soon 
In  Australia 

by  FRANK  O’CONNELL 

SYDNEY : In  introducing  a new  broadcast- 
ing and  television  bill  into  the  Australian 
Parliament  recently,  Postmaster  General  C. 
W.  Davidson  announced  that  national  tele- 
vision stations  in  Sydney  and  Melbourne 
would  start  with  a service  of  15  hours  a 
week  in  November  and  that  the  service 
would  be  increased  to  approximately  25 
hours  a week  by  the  middle  of  1957. 

The  Postmaster  General  told  the  House 
that  the  four  commercial  companies  were 
well  advanced  with  preparations  to  start 
telecasting  this  year.  Directly  or  indirectly, 
some  34,000  Australians  are  shareholders  in 
the  four  companies.  The  broadcasting-tele- 
vision bill  provides  for  the  following: 

1.  Ownership  or  control  of  the  TV  sta- 
tions by  any  person  would  be  limited  to 
one  in  any  capital  city  and  two  in  the  Com- 
monwealth ; 

2.  Licenses  would  be  granted  to  stations 
initially  for  five  years  instead  of  three,  as 
at  present,  and  would  be  renewable  annually ; 

3.  No  less  than  80  per  cent  of  issued 
capital  of  a TV  company  must  be  owned 
by  Australian  residents ; overseas  sharehold- 
ers are  limited  to  15  per  cent. 

Mr.  Davidson  said  also  that  the  principle 
of  self-regulation  by  stations  to  keep  un- 
desirable material  off  the  air  would  be  en- 
couraged. The  Australian  Broadcasting 
Control  Board  at  present  has  absolute  con- 
trol over  radio  and  TV  censorship,  but  Mr. 
Davidson  said  *this  power  would  only  be 
used  where  it  had  reason  to  believe  that 
matter  about  to  be  telecast  would  be  objec- 
tionable. 

In  another  bill,  the  Postmaster  General 
asked  for  an  increase  in  the  price  for  radio 
and  TV  licenses,  because  of  the  heavy  in- 
crease in  radio  profits,  he  said.  It  is  ex- 
pected that  the  listener’s  license  fee  for  a 
TV  set  will  be  £5  (about  $11.25)  annually. 


Ireland  Film  Festival 
To  Be  Held  May  21-27 

Arrangements  are  now  well  advanced  for 
the  International  Film  Festival,  one  of  the 
highlights  of  Cork’s  An  Tostal  program, 
which  will  open  in  the  Savoy  Cinema,  Cork, 
May  21  to  May  27.  The  festival  is  to  be 
held  with  the  approval  of  the  Federation  In- 
ternationale Des  Associations  de  Produc- 
teurs  de  Films.  Among  the  countries  send- 
ing entries  are  Britain,  Egypt,  Japan, 
France,  Malaya,  India,  the  U.  S.,  Ireland 
and  New  Zealand.  Italy  and  Western  Ger- 
many will  also  be  represented.  A feature  of 
the  program  will  be  morning  lectures  by 
outstanding  figures  in  the  film  world,  includ- 
ing Thorold  Dickinson  of  Britain,  who  di- 
rected “Hill  24  Doesn’t  Answer.” 


28 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  MAY  5,  1956 


Film  Import 
Rule  Eased 
In  Germany 

WASHINGTON : The  West  German  Gov- 
ernment has  agreed  not  to  institute  any 
licensing  system  or  other  restrictions  on 
film  imports  for  two  or  three  years,  it  was 
announced  here  by  the  State  Department. 
This  was  among  the  main  provisions  of  a 
modification  announced  for  the  German 
tariff  concessions  on  motion  picture  films 
under  the  general  agreement  on  trade  and 
tariffs.  The  modifications  were  signed  at 
Bonn. 

In  return,  the  Germans  were  given  the 
right  to  go  as  high  as  they  wish  in  fixing 
screen  quotas  for  domestic  films.  There  was 
no  indication  whether  they  would  set  such 
quotas  or  how  high  they  would  go.  Motion 
Picture  Export  Association  officials  indi- 
cated they  were  satisfied  with  the  changes 
which  they  said  would  guarantee  them  the 
right  to  send  an  unlimited  number  of  films 
to  Germany  in  the  coming  few  years. 

Old  Clause  Never  Used 

A clause  in  the  old  tariff  agreement  pro- 
vided that  if  the  German  Government 
wanted  to  establish  a screen  quota  for  dom- 
estic films,  it  couldn’t  go  higher  than  27 
per  cent.  The  Government  never  used  this 
provision,  but  objected  bitterly  to  the  low 
figure.  Some  months  ago,  the  German  Gov- 
ernment indicated  it  wanted  to  set  up  an 
import  licensing  system,  release  tax  or  other 
restriction  on  foreign  films.  Negotiations 
have  been  going  on  since  then,  culminating 
in  the  recent  announcement.  Under  the  new 
agreement,  the  State  Department  agreed  to 
remove  the  ceiling  on  the  screen  quota  that 
could  be  set  for  German  films.  In  return, 
the  Germans  agreed  not  to  impose  restric- 
tions on  the  films  coming  into  Germany 
through  December  31,  1957,  with  extension 
of  this  provision  for  another  year  after  that 
unless  one  Government  serves  notice  in  ad- 
vance that  it  does  not  want  the  extension. 

The  Germans  also  agreed  that  if  at  the 
end  of  the  period  a screen  quota  should  be 
necessary,  and  if  the  German  foreign  ex- 
change positions  should  demand  further 
restrictions  on  foreign  films,  those  restric- 
tions could  only  take  the  form  of  a limit 
on  convertibility  and  transfer  of  earnings. 

'Boats'  Pre-release 
Openings  in  July 

“Away  AH  Boats,”  Universal-Interna- 
tional’s Vista  Vision  and  Technicolor  pro- 
duction based  on  the  book  by  Kenneth 
Dodson,  will  be  given  a series  of  key  city 
pre-release  openings  during  the  month  of 
July  with  the  cooperation  of  the  U.  S.  Navy, 
which  has  endorsed  the  film,  it  is  announced 
by  Charles  J.  Feldman,  U-I  vice-president 
and  general  sales  manager.  The  film  is  an 
August  release. 


Youngstein  in  Europe 
For  Top  Conferences 

Max  E.  Youngstein,  vice-president  of 
United  Artists,  has  flown  to  Europe  to  con- 
duct a series  of  conferences  in  Paris,  Rome 
and  Madrid  on  U.A.’s  new  program  of 
global  production  and  promotion.  In  Paris, 
on  the  first  leg  of  a three-week  tour,  he 
will  meet  with  Charles  Smadja,  vice-presi- 
dent in  charge  of  European  production ; 
Francis  M.  Winikus,  executive  assistant  to 
Mr.  Youngstein,  and  Ben  Halpern,  manager 
of  advertising,  publicity  and  exploitation  for 
Europe  and  the  Middle  East.  In  Spain  he 
will  confer  with  Stanley  Kramer  on  produc- 
tion and  advance  promotion  of  “The  Pride 
and  the  Passion,”  VistaVision  production  in 
color  by  Technicolor  now  before  the  cameras 
there,  and  in  Rome  he  will  meet  with  local 
U.A.  officials  and  producers  preparing  films 
for  release  by  the  company. 

Allied  Artists  Arranges 
Netherlands  Distribution 

Allied  Artists  International  Corp.  an- 
nounces consummation  of  a long-term  agree- 
ment with  City  Film,  the  Hague,  Nether- 
lands, for  the  exclusive  distribution  of  Allied 
Artists  product  in  that  territory.  The  deal 
was  negotiated  by  Edwin  J.  Smith,  AA  In- 
ternational Corp.,  vice-president  in  charge 
of  European  operations,  and  H.  P.  Juten  of 
City  Film.  Mr.  Smith  has  been  touring 
Europe  for  the  past  few  months. 


Set  Formula 
For  Import 
Permits  Split 

Eric  Johnston,  president  of  the  Motion 
Picture  Export  Association,  announced  last 
week  that  the  MPEA  member  companies, 
after  lengthy  negotiations,  had  reached  a 
final  decision  on  a worldwide  formula  for 
the  division  of  foreign  import  licenses. 

Eight  nations — Japan,  France,  Italy,  Bel- 
gium, Spain,  Indonesia,  Formosa  and 
Bolivia — are  covered  in  the  formula,  since 
they  are  the  only  countries  in  which  there 
are  official  restrictions  on  the  number  of 
film  imports  from  the  United  States.  Divi- 
sion of  permits  in  each  of  the  countries  in- 
volved is  based  on  the  following: 

1.  Thirty-six  per  cent  of  the  permits  to 
be  divided  equally  among  the  10  member 
companies. 

2.  Thirty-two  per  cent  of  the  permits  to 
be  based  on  the  billings  of  each  company’s 
American  pictures  in  the  country  covered. 

3.  Thirty-two  per  cent  to  be  based  on 
the  combined  billings  of  each  member  com- 
pany in  the  group  of  seven  representative 
countries,  including  the  United  States. 

Japan,  when  MPEA  member  companies 
have  a total  of  102.09  import  permits,  will 
be  the  first  country  where  the  new  formula 
will  be  applied,  Mr.  Johnston  said. 


When  this  man  walks  into  your  theatre... 


...your  service  worries  are  over.  In  thousands  of  theatres  throughout  the 
United  States,  exhibitors  and  projectionists  welcome  the  appearance  of 
an  ALTEC  field  engineer. 

Why? 

Because  ALTEC  SERVICE  is  always  one  step  ahead  of  the  industry’s 
continuing  technical  parade. 


Whether  your  sound  is  optical,  magnetic,  optical-magnetic, 
single  or  multiple  channel,  ALTEC  field  engineers  have  the 
right  answer  for  every  problem. 

Get  in  step  with  ALTEC.  Join  6,000  ALTEC 
customers  in  the  march  to  better  sound. 

SPECIALISTS  IN  MOTION  PICTURE  SOUND 

161  Sixth  Avenue  • New  York  13,  New  York 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  MAY  5,  1956 


29 


Savini  Dies 
Ait  Age  of  71 

MIAMI:  Robert  Madison  Savini,  71,  an 
early  motion  picture  distributor  and  head 
of  Astor  Pictures  Corporation  of  New  York, 
died  April  29  at  his 
winter  home  on  the 
Florida  Keys  near 
here.  Born  in  New 
Orleans,  he  entered 
film  distribution  with 
the  Dixie  Film  Com- 
pany in  New  Or- 
leans, then  a War- 

ner exchange. 

Afterward  he  or- 
ganized Savini  Film, 
Inc.,  with  offices  in 
New  Orleans,  At- 
lanta, Charlotte  and 

Memphis.  After 
1925  he  operated  theatre  enterprises  in  Flor- 
ida, and  financed  many  films.  In  1933  he 
formed  Astor  Pictures  Corp.  He  also  was 
president  of  Yucca  Pictures,  Ajax  Pictures, 
Charbob  Pictures,  Astor  Export  Corp.,  and 
Atlantic  Television  Pictures  Corp. 

In  recent  years,  his  26  companies,  of 

which  the  Astor  concern  is  the  parent  or- 
ganization, reissued  films  for  television  and 
educational  purposes.  Mr.  Savini  at  one 
time  held  a near-exclusive  franchise  to  dis- 
tribute early  motion  pictures  in  many  south- 
ern states.  He  was  a member  of  the  Motion 
Picture  Pioneers  and  Variety  Clubs  Inter- 
national and  is  survived  by  two  brothers  and 
two  sisters. 


Robert  M.  Savini 


Edward  Arnold,  66, 

Veteran  Actor 

HOLLYWOOD:  Edward  Arnold,  66,  vet- 
eran screen  character  actor  who  entered 
films  in  1915,  died  here  April  26  of  a cere- 
bral hemorrhage.  Born  Guenther  Schneider 
in  New  York  February  IS,  1890,  he  made 
his  stage  debut  in  1907,  later  winning  prom- 
inence in  films.  Among  the  many  pictures 
in  which  he  appeared  were  “Diamond  Jim,” 
“Sutter's  Gold,”  “Come  and  Get  It,”  “Dear 
Ruth,”  “Three  Daring  Daughters,”  “City 
that  Never  Sleeps”  anil  “Man  of  Conflict.” 
He  is  survived  by  his  widow  and  three  chil- 
dren by  a previous  marriage. 


Edward  Weiss 

CUYAHOGA  FALLS,  OHIO:  Edward 
Weiss,  manager  of  the  State  theatre  here, 
died  April  24  in  Mariemont  Hospital  of  a 
heart  condition.  A wife  and  daughter  sur- 
vive. 


Reissue  " Divorcement " 

“A  Bill  of  Divorcement,”  produced  by 
David  O.  Selznick  for  RKO  Radio  in  1932 
and  starring  John  Barrymore  and  Katharine 
Hepburn,  opens  for  a limited  run  May  9 
at  the  72nd  Street  Playhouse,  New  York. 
George  Cukor  directed. 


THE  WINNERS  CIRCLE 

Pictures  which  were  reported  as  doing  above  average  business  in  key  cities  of  the 
nation  for  the  week  ended  April  28  were. 


Albany:  The  Ladykillers  (Cont.)  2nd 
week;  Meet  Me  in  Las  Vegas  (MGM). 

Atlanta:  Body  Snatchers  (A. A.) ; Inde- 
structible Man  (A.A.) ; The  Man 
With  the  Golden  Arm  (U.A.)  3rd 
week;  Meet  Me  in  Las  Vegas  (MGM); 
Miracle  in  the  Rain  (W.B.). 

Boston:  I’ll  Cry  Tomorrow  (MGM) ; 

The  Ladykillers  (Cont.) ; The  Swan 
(MGM);  Touch  and  Go  (U-I). 

Buffalo:  Forbidden  Planet  (MGM) ; Jubal 
(Col.)  2nd  week;  The  Man  in  the  Gray 
Flannel  Suit  (20th-Fox)  5th  week; 
Mohawk  (20th-Fox). 

Chicago:  Alexander  the  Great  (U.A.)  4th 
week;  Comanche  (U.A.)  2nd  week; 
Come  Next  Spring  (Rep.)  2nd  week; 
Diabolique  (UMPO)  19th  week;  Forbid- 
den Planet  (MGM)  3rd  week;  The 
Harder  They  Fall  (Col.)  3rd  week; 
The  Man  in  the  Gray  Flannel  Suit 
(20th-Fox)  4th  week;  Meet  Me  in  Las 
Vegas  (MGM)  2nd  week;  The  Swan 
(MGM)  2nd  week. 

Cleveland:  Cockleshell  Heroes  (Col.); 
Jubal  (Col.). 

Columbus:  On  the  Threshold  of  Space 
(20th-Fox)  ; The  Swan  (MGM). 

Denver:  Ballet  of  Romeo  and  Juliet 
(Tohan) ; The  Creature  Walks  Among 
Us  (U-I);  Heartbreak  Ridge  (Tudor); 
Jubal  (Col.)  2nd  week;  The  Ladykill- 
ers (Cont.)  5th  week;  The  Swan 
(MGM). 

Des  Moines:  The  Man  in  the  Gray  Flan- 
nel Suit  (20th-Fox)  3rd  week. 

Detroit:  I’ll  Cry  Tomorrow  (MGM)  7th 
week;  Oklahoma!  (Magna)  10th  week; 
The  Swan  (MGM). 

Hartford:  Carousel  (20th -Fox)  3rd 

week;  Comanche  (U.A.) ; Diabolique 
(UMPO);  Jubal  (Col.)  2nd  week;  Lit- 
tlest  Outlaw  (B.V.)  2nd  week;  The 
Man  in  the  Gray  Flannel  Suit  (20th- 
Fox)  2nd  week;  On  the  Threshold  of 
Space  (20th-Fox). 

Indianapolis:  Forbidden  Planet  (MGM)  ; 
The  Man  in  the  Gray  Flannel  Suit 
(20th-Fox)  3rd  week;  Rock  Around  the 
Clock  (Col.). 

Jacksonville:  Littlest  Outlaw  (B.V.) ; 

The  Man  in  the  Gray  Flannel  Suit 
(20th-Fox) ; Serenade  (W.B.). 

Kansas  City:  The  Man  in  the  Gray  Flan- 
nel Suit  (20th-Fox)  2nd  week;  The 
Swan  (MGM). 


Memphis:  The  Swan  (MGM). 

Miami:  The  Man  in  the  Gray  Flannel 
Suit  (20th-Fox)  3rd  week;  Oklahoma! 
(Magna)  9th  week;  The  Swan  (MGM) 
2nd  week. 

Milwaukee:  Forbidden  Planet  (MGM) 

2nd  week;  The  Man  in  the  Gray  Flan- 
nel Suit  (20th-Fox)  3rd  week;  The 
Man  With  the  Golden  Arm  (U.A.) ; 
The  Swan  (MGM)  3rd  week. 

Minneapolis:  Diabolique  (UMPO)  2nd 

week;  The  Swan  (MGM). 

New  Orleans:  Forbidden  Planet  (MGM) 
2nd  week;  Jubal  (Col.);  The  Man  in 
the  Gray  Flannel  Suit  (20th-Fox)  2nd 
week;  The  Swan  (MGM). 

Oklahoma  City:  Jubal  (Col.)  2nd  week; 
The  Man  in  the  Gray  Flannel  Suit 
(20th-Fox)  3rd  week;  On  the  Thresh- 
old of  Space  (20th-Fox)  2nd  week; 
Serenade  (W.B.) ; The  Swan  (MGM) 
2nd  week. 

Philadelphia:  Carousel  (20th-Fox)  7th 

week;  The  Man  in  the  Gray  Flannel 
Suit  (20th-Fox) ; Meet  Me  in  Las 
Vegas  (MGM)  3rd  week;  Picnic  (Col.) 
9th  week;  Serenade  (W.B.)  4th  week; 
The  Swan  (MGM)  2nd  week. 

Pittsburgh:  Backlash  (U-I);  Diabolique 
(UMPO)  3rd  week;  The  Man  in  the 
Gray  Flannel  Suit  (20th-Fox)  3rd 
week;  Night  My  Number  Came  Up 
(Cont.  Dist.)  4th  week;  The  Swan 
(MGM). 

Portland:  The  Man  in  the  Gray  Flannel 
Suit  (20th-Fox)  2nd  week. 

Providence:  The  Swan  (MGM). 

San  Francisco:  Diabolique  (UMPO)  18th 
week;  Doctor  at  Sea  (Rep.)  5th  week; 
The  Man  in  the  Gray  Flannel  Suit 
(20th-Fox)  3rd  week;  Oklahoma! 
(Magna)  11th  week;  The  Sea  Shall 
Not  Have  Them  (U.A.)  2nd  week;  The 
Swan  (MGM)  2nd  week. 

Toronto:  The  Birds  and  the  Bees  (Par.) ; 
The  Court  Jester  (Par.)  2nd  week; 
Forbidden  Planet  (MGM)  2nd  week; 
I’ll  Cry  Tomorrow  (MGM)  5th  week; 
The  Ladykillers  (Cont.)  5th  week;  The 
Man  With  the  Golden  Arm  (U.A.) 
3rd  week;  Serenade  (W.B.). 

Vancouver:  The  Swan  (MGM). 

Washington:  The  Harder  They  Fall 

(Col.)  ; Picnic  (Col.)  10th  week;  The 
Man  in  the  Gray  Flannel  Suit  (20th- 
Fox)  4th  week;  The  Swan  (MGM). 


Two  New  York  Houses  Sold 

Two  theatres  in  New  York  City  have 
been  sold  by  Samuel  Friedman,  it  is  an- 
nounced by  Berk  & Krumgold,  theatrical 


real  estate  specialists.  Assessed  for  a total 
of  $300,000,  they  are  the  1,500-seat  Palestine 
theatre  and  the  1,000-seat  Charles  theatre. 
Buyer  was  an  investing  client  of  Gainsburg, 
Gottlieb,  Lavitan  & Cole. 


30 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  MAY  5,  1956 


She  rlationai  Spotlight 


ALBANY 

A sizeable  portion  of  the  territory’s  spring 
business  drop-off  can  be  attributed  to  drive- 
ins,  forced  first  to  postpone  openings — 
because  of  heavy  snowfalls — and  then  to 
operate  under  handicaps  of  cold  and  wet 
weather,  according  to  many  Film  Row  ob- 
servers. . . . Total  of  drive-ins  serviced  from 
here  will  approach  60,  when  Joseph  Warren 
opens  one  under  construction  near  Ballston 
Spa.  Owner  of  the  Greater  Pittsburgh  drive- 
in  and  of  the  Super  30  drive-in  (McKees- 
port), Warren  hopes  to  have  the  1,000-car 
business  operating  by  July  1.  He  is  said  to 
plan  bidding  for  the  first  run  in  Saratoga 
area.  . . . Catholics  employed  in  motion  pic- 
ture industry  are  eligible  for  membership  in 
the  new  Communications  Art  Guild  of  Dio- 
cese of  Albany,  which  will  be  addressed  by 
Bishop  William  A.  Scully  at  a May  dinner 
meeting.  . . . Marriages : Adam  Mlinarick, 
Columbia  head  shipper  and  Local  B-43  presi- 
dent, and  Louise  Cavotta,  in  Mechanicville ; 
Sarah  Torre.  20th-Fox  biller,  to  Ronald 
Houghtaling,  in  Albany. 

ATLANTA 

The  McLendon  theatre  circuit,  Union 
Springs,  Ala.,  has  again  taken  over  the 
Claydon.  Clayton,  Ala.,  and  the  Brundidge 
theatre,  Brundidge,  Ala.,  from  Olin  Evens. 
. . . Sidney  Flever  has  closed  his  Regal 
theatre  Smyrna,  Tenn.,  and  F.  H.  Timmons 
has  closed  his  Star,  Goodlettsville,  Ala.  . . . 
The  Film  Booking  Office  has  taken  over  the 
buying  and  booking  for  the  Kingsport  drive- 
in,  Kingsport,  Tenn.,  owned  by  Max  Wilson. 
. . . The  Atlanta  Variety  Club  held  its  April 
meeting  in  its  club  rooms  with  Clyde  King, 
manager  of  the.  Atlanta  baseball  team,  as 
guest  speaker.  Plans  were  set  for  Old  News- 
boy’s Day,  May  18,  the  proceeds  from  which 
go  to  the  Atlanta  cerebral  palsy  school. 

BOSTON 

“The  Swan”  took  top  honors  in  its  first 
week  at  Loew’s  State  and  Orpheum  theatres 
for  the  new  films,  while  “The  Ladykillers” 
led  the  field  at  the  Kenmore  in  the  hold- 
overs. . . . Joseph  E.  Levine,  president  of 
Embassy  Pictures  Corp.,  has  acquired  the 
New  England  rights  for  “Female  Jungle” 
starring  Jayne  Mansfield.  May  2 is  known 
as  “Godzilla  Day”  when  Embassy  Pictures 
opens  the  shock-thriller  “Godzilla”  in  nearly 
300  situations  in  this  territory.  It  is  backed 
by  a strong-  TV  saturation  campaign  over 
stations  in  Boston,  New  Haven,  Providence, 
Bangor,  Mt.  Mansfield,  and  Mt.  Washing- 
ton. . . . James  Guarino  is  operating  the 
Memorial  drive-in,  West  Springfield,  which 
ATC  had  leased  for  many  years.  . . . UA’s 
“Alexander  the  Great”  is  booked  into  Loew’s 
State  and  Orpheum  theatres  for  a May  17 
opening.  Two  publicists,  Joe  Mansfield  of 
UA  and  Karl  Fasick  of  Loew’s  Theatres  are 
working  out  a campaign.  . . . The  first  of 
the  new  drive-ins  for  this  season  opened  its 
gates  April  25  when  Steve  Minasian  wel- 
comed prominent  townspeople  and  industry- 
ites  at  the  Route  114  drive-in,  Middleton, 
Mass. 


BUFFALO 

Elmer  F.  Lux,  chief  barker,  Variety  Club 
of  Buffalo  and  past  president  of  the  Common 
Council,  spoke  before  the  newly  organized 
Greater  Buffalo  Film  and  TV  Council  the 
other  day  in  the  Katharine  Pratt  Horton 
Chapter  of  the  DAR  and  told  the  members 
they  should  become  interested  in  learning 
the  true  facts  about  Hollywood  and  its  peo- 
ple and  that  their  energies  should  be  directed 
along  the  lines  of  constructive  criticism. . . . 
Rudolph  Bach,  former  sales  representative 
for  Allied  Artists  in  the  Buffalo  and  Albany 
territories,  has  been  named  to  the  same 
position  for  I.F.E.  Releasing  Corp.,  in  the 
Buffalo  and  Pittsburgh  areas,  with  head- 
quarters in  Buffalo.  . . . John  R.  Zimmer- 
man, 68,  Williamsville,  for  almost  20  years 
the  owner  of  the  Candy  Vending  Machine 
Company,  is  dead.  Surviving  is  his  wife, 
Mrs.  Mayme  Haas  Zimmerman.  . . . The 
Teck  theatre’s  international  attendance  in 
April  has  bested  the  first  April  of  Cinerama 
in  Buffalo,  a year  ago,  by  30  per  cent,  ac- 
cording to  Boris  Bernardi,  managing  direc- 
tor of  the  house.  “Cinerama  Holiday”  is  in 
its  third  month  on  Main  Street,  and  Bernadi 
considers  its  steady  advance  beyond  marks 
set  early  last  year  by  “This  Is  Cinerama.” 

CHARLOTTE 

Bob  Sandbach,  United  Artists  exploitation 
man,  was  here  to  publicize  “Alexander  the 
Great.”  . . . “Man  in  the  Gray  Flannel  Suit” 
went  into  its  second  week  at  the  Carolina  as 
“I'll  Cry  Tomorrow”  began  its  fourth  at  the 
Manor.  . . . “The  Swan”  opened  at  the  Plaza 
just  one  day  before  the  first  ceremony  of  the 
Prince  Rainier-Grace  Kelly  wedding.  . . . 
“Goodbye  My  Lady”  had  a good  opening  at 
the  Imperial.  . . . Cy  Dillon,  Republic  branch 
manager,  and  Jimmy  Greenleaf,  Universal- 
International  exchange  chief,  went  to  Flor- 
ida for  a fishing  trip.  . . . Everett  Olsen, 
South  Carolina  Beach  drive-in  operator,  was 
here  to  book  and  buy  pictures  for  his  thea- 
tres. . . . Gene  Dyer,  manager  of  Allied 
Artists  exchange,  just  can’t  seem  to  get 
away  from  the  former  location  of  his  office 
on  Poplar  St.  Gene  parked  his  car  in  a 
small  space  next  to  the  exchange  and  after 
leaving  it  the  emergency  brake  suddenly 
popped  loose.  Gene  heard  it  rolling  and 
looked  around  just  in  time  to  see  the  car, 
which  had  backed  into  the  street,  smash 
through  the  plate  glass  window  of  the  old 
building. 

CHICAGO 

Big  news  for  the  week  was  George  Gobel’s 
return  to  the  city.  A Hollywood-type  pre- 
miere, with  searchlights  and  celebrities,  in- 
troduced Gobel’s  first  film,  “The  Birds  and 
the  Bees,”  May  1 at  the  State  Lake  theatre. 

. . . Eleven  outdoor  theatres,  all  in  full 
swing  operation,  have  had  some  “ups  and 
downs”  as  far  as  the  weather  is  concerned, 
but  a roundup  report  shows  a profit  at  the 
various  box  offices.  Several  managers  feel 
the  “suburbanites”  on  whom  they  largely 
depend  for  patronage  may  be  welcoming 
first  run  films  out  of  the  loop  after  a winter 


of  TV.  . . . The  Essaness  Halsted  Outdoor 
has  designated  Friday  evening  as  “College 
Night.”  It’s  especially  for  young  people  who 
want  to  meet  with  friends  from  school  and 
enjoy  top  film  fare  and  popular-priced  food 
and  beverages.  . . . Mr.  and  Mrs.  John  Bala- 
ban  celebrated  their  40th  wedding  anniver- 
sary this  week. 

CLEVELAND 

Continued  cold  and  rainy  weather  has 
worked  a hardship  on  drive-in  theatres  in 
this  area  but  has  failed  to  redound  to  the 
benefit  of  indoor  theatres  as  expected.  . . . 
Cleveland  Cinema  Club  with  president  Sally 
Swisher  presiding,  celebrated  its  40th  anni- 
versary April  25  with  a luncheon  in  the 
Higbee  Lounge.  Main  speaker  was  Miss 
Bertelle  Lyton,  one  of  its  founders,  who  re- 
called some  of  the  club’s  accomplishments 
such  as  coining  the  phrase  "better  films,” 
urging  a film  delivery  service  to  supplant 
the  then  current  managers’  pick-up  of  films, 
organizing  junior  cinema  clubs  in  High 
Schools  to  study  the  various  arts  in  motion 
pictures  for  better  evaluation  and  the  estab- 
lishment of  selected  films  for  children’s 
matinees.  . . . John  Dugan  is  here  from  St. 
Louis  to  join  Co-operative  Theatres  of  Ohio, 
filling  the  gap  created  by  the  resignation  of 
H.  E.  MacManus.  . . . Variety  Club  mem- 
bers at  a forthcoming  meeting  will  vote  on 
a new  club  location.  Present  location  is  in 
the  Hollenden  Hotel.  Chief  barker  Marshall 
Fine  announces  July  27  as  the  date  of  the 
annual  golf  tournament  to  be  held  at  the 
Lake  Forest  Country  Club. 

COLUMBUS 

The  New  Lexington  theatre  at  New  Lex- 
ington, Ohio,  has  been  acquired  by  the 
Epifano  Corporation  of  New  Lexington 
from  Paul  Russell,  who  will  continue  to 
operate  the  Russell  theatre  at  nearby  Som- 
erset, Ohio.  . . . Manager  Robert  Sokol  of 
Loew’s  Broad  and  Ralph  G.  Pollock  of 
United  Artists  persuaded  Mayor  M.  E. 
Sensenbrenner  to  sign  a petition  addressed 
to  the  U.  S.  Treasury,  asking  the  recoinage 
of  Indian  head  pennies.  The  stunt,  which 
landed  in  local  newspapers,  was  arranged 
in  advance  of  the  opening  of  the  Carl 
Krueger  Western,  “Comanche.”  The  Treas- 
ury discontinued  the  minting  of  Indian  head 
coins  some  20  years  ago.  . . . Free  drive-in 
operated  by  the  Inter-denominational  Chris- 
tian Theatre  on  West  Mound  Street  opened 
for  the  summer  season  on  April  28.  The 
theatre,  which  is  supported  by  free-will 
donations,  operates  Saturday  nights  only. 
James  Rea  is  manager. 

DENVER 

Park-In  Theatres  Inc.,  Camden,  N.  J., 
which  claims  to  own  patent  rights  on  drive- 
in  theatres,  won  a judgment  of  $36,530  from 
the  Denver  Drive-In  Theatre  Corp.,  oper- 
ating the  North,  East,  West  and  South 
drive-ins  here.  The  judgment  was  entered 
in  U.  S.  district  court.  The  suit  was  filed 

( Continued  on  following  page ) 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  MAY  5,  1956 


31 


( Continued  from  preceding  page ) 
because  of  a contract  that  called  for  $1,000 
down,  and  354  per  cent  of  net  boxoffice  re- 
ceipts. . . . Don  Beers,  owner  of  the  Santa 
Fe.  Santa  Fe,  N.  M.,  went  to  California  on 
a two-week  vacation.  . . . The  office  force 
at  Metro  gave  Mike  Cramer,  sales  manager, 
a party  in  celebration  of  his  25  years  with 
the  company.  They  gave  him  a pen  and  pen- 
cil set.  . . . Sam  Langwith,  owner  of  West- 
ern Service  & Supply,  is  on  the  mend  after 
a stay  in  St.  Luke’s  hospital.  . . . Berverly 
McAdam,  booking  secretary  at  Columbia, 
and  Robert  Biesemeier  were  married  at 
Venango,  Neb.  . . . C.  U.  Yaeger,  Atlas 
Theatres  president,  has  returned  from  a 
lengthy  stay  in  Florida,  and  he  and  Dave 
Davis,  general  manager,  are  making  a tour 
of  the  company  theatres  in  Lamar,  Salida, 
Gunnison,  Monte  Vista,  Golden  and  Denver, 
all  in  Colorado. 

DES  MOINES 

John  Houseman  of  MGM  was  speaker  at 
a three-dav  regional  convention  of  the  Cath- 
olic Theatre  Conference  at  Dubuque  re- 
cently. Delegates  from  Illinois,  Wisconsin, 
Michigan,  Nebraska  and  Iowa  attended. . . . 
A premiere  showing  of  Alec  Guinness  in 
“The  Prisoner”  added  about  $500  to  the 
treasury  of  the  Scott  County  Association 
for  Mental  Health.  The  showing  was  held 
at  the  Coronet  theatre  in  Davenport  and 
tickets  were  sold  for  $1.50  each.  . . . I.  C. 
Jensen,  56.  manager  of  the  Met  theatre  at 
Iowa  Falls,  since  1944,  died  at  Ellsworth 
Municipal  hospital  there.  He  had  been  ill 
for  three  months.  Before  moving  to  Iowa 
Falls,  Mr.  Jensen  had  managed  a theatre  in 
Fort  Dodge  and  had  been  in  the  banking 
business  in  Clear  Lake  and  Mason  City.  . . . 
A WOMPI  chapter  has  been  organized  in 
Des  Moines  by  a group  of  about  35  women. 
Dorothy  Pobst  of  United  Artists  was  named 
president  of  the  newly-formed  chapter.  First 
vice-president  is  Thelma  Washburn  of  RKO  ; 
Alice  Weaver  of  Realart  Pictures  is  second 
vice-president;  Joleen  Callahan,  Paramount, 
recording  secretary;  Betty  Hemstock,  NSS, 
corresponding  secretary,  and  Enda  Cloo- 
nan,  RKO,  treasurer.  Board  members  in- 
clude Florence  Work  and  Mary  Jane  Jones, 
Central  States  Theatre  Corp. ; Gladys  Cran- 
dall and  Nan  Bishop,  Iowa  Film  Delivery ; 
Kaye  Hansen,  RKO;  Pearl  Fort,  Tri-States 
Theatre  Corp.,  and  Mable  Magnusson,  Uni- 
versal. 

DETROIT 

Oldtime  and  well-known  circus  publicist 
Frank  Braden  was  in  for  “Trapeze.” 
Braden,  who  has  passed  out  Ringling  tickets 
over  the  years,  knows  a lot  of  newsmen 
usually  untouchable  through  regular  chan- 
nels. . . . Censors  looked  at  457,000  feet  of 
film  without  a cut.  One  theatre  front  out  of 
a possible  31  was  objectionable.  . . . Jack 
Krass’s  Main  in  Royal  Oak  will  offer  new 
seats.  Service  Seating  Co.  doing  the  job. . . . 
Harry  Balk  moves  up  to  supervisor  at  Kor- 
man  Enterprises.  . . . Bernard  Samuels  takes 
over  management  of  the  Jolly  Roger  drive- 
in.  ..  . Injunction  against  Highland  Park’s 
no  overhanging  sign  ordinance  has  been  ex- 
tended another  six  months. 

HARTFORD 

John  O’Connell  has  been  named  manager 
of  the  Manchester  drive-in  theatre,  Bolton 
Notch,  Conn.,  by  Bercal  Theatres  Inc.  of 
Hartford.  . . . Gregory  Stewart  has  been 


Friends  Pay  Tribute  to  Vollendorf  on  His 
Retirement  from  Milwaukee  Film  Post 


MILWAUKEE:  Eddie  Vollendorf,  veteran 

booker,  is  shown  above,  second  from  right, 
seated,  at  the  farewell  luncheon  tendered 
him  here  recently  by  the  local  Variety 
Club.  He  is  flanked  by,  left  to  right:  his 
daughter,  his  wife  and  his  son-in-law. 
Standing  are,  left  to  right:  Oliver  Trampe, 
H.  Perdewitz,  Harold  Peason  and  Edward 
Johnson.  Over  100  attended  the  luncheon 
for  Mr.  Vollendorf,  who  in  his  many  years 
in  the  industry  worked  for  such  outfits  as 
General  Film  Co.,  Pathe  News,  Fox  Mid- 
western Theatres  and  Warners.  Prior  to 
the  recent  heart  condition  which  sidelined 
him,  he  served  14  years  as  booker  and 
buyer  for  Theatre  Service.  Eddie  is  repair- 
ing to  Florida  for  his  health. 


Among  the  guests  who  got  up  to  sing 
his  praises  were  such  as  Jack  Lorentz, 
branch  manager  of  20th  Century-Fox,  \\ho 
said  Eddie's  "cards  were  always  face  up"; 
Mr.  Perlewitz  of  Theatre  Service,  who  said 
"Eddie's  word  was  law.  He  always  wound 
up  on  top.  We  never  had  a picture  go 
wrong,  and  there  never  was  a time  he 
couldn't  take  care  of  his  work.  I never 
worked  with  a squarer  person  than  him." 
Harold  Fitzgerald,  known  as  the  "dean  of 
Wisconsin  Showmen,"  said:  "If  it  wasn't 
for  the  Eddie  Vollendorfs  there  wouldn't  be 
any  big  producers.  The  booker  is  the  heart 
of  the  business."  Eddie's  friends  presented 
him  an  inscribed  watch,  indicative  of  the 
high  esteem  in  which  he  is  held. 


named  assistant  manager,  Brandt’s  Port- 
land drive-in,  Portland,  Conn.  . . . Four  cir- 
cuit suburban  theatres  have  increased  adult 
admissions  by  ten  cents.  The  Hartford  Thea- 
tre Circuit  has  boosted  adult  charge  from 
60  to  70  cents  at  the  Lennox,  Hartford. 
Same  situation  went  from  25  to  30  cents  on 
children’s  admissions.  Perakos  Theatre  As- 
sociates increased  adult  charge  from  60  to 
70  cents  at  the  Eastwood,  East  Hartford, 
and  Elm,  West  Hartford,  and  children’s 
price  from  25  to  30  cents  at  the  Elm.  The 
Eastwood  had  been  charging  30  cents  for 
children  for  sometime.  The  Plaza,  Windsor, 
Lockwood  & Gordon  house,  has  gone  from 
60  to  70  cents  on  adult  admissions. 

INDIANAPOLIS 

The  Variety  Club  will  hold  its  annual  golf 
tournament  and  outing  at  the  Indianapolis 
Country  Club  Thursday,  Aug.  9.  . . . Dick 
Frank,  Paramount  branch  manager,  and 
Dave  Friedman,  field  representative,  spoke 
before  the  Indiana  Council  of  Women  here 
Thursday.  . . . William  H.  McNabb,  retired 
theatre  owner,  died  at  Mooresville  April  18. 
He  was  81.  . . . Jerry  Haugk  of  Mooresville 


has  been  named  manager  of  the  Wheel-In 
there.  . . . Mike  Make  has  installed  a new 
78-by-40  screen  at  the  Airline  drive-in, 
Winchester.  . . . Dick  Hand  also  has  in- 
stalled a new  wide  screen  at  the  Melody 
drive-in,  Culver.  . . . Ben  Misenheimer,  for- 
mer Monticello  hardware  store  owner,  has 
bought  the  DeLuxe  drive-in  at  LaPorte. . . . 
Jerry  Allan,  ex-field  representative  for 
MGM  here,  has  started  an  independent 
agency  to  help  with  theatre  or  circuit  pro- 
motions. . . . Mrs.  Ed  Spiers,  president  of 
the  Variety  Club’s  ladies  auxiliary,  will 
attend  the  Variety  International  convention 
in  New  York. 

JACKSONVILLE 

Jack  Wiener,  MGM  press  representative 
for  Florida,  resigned  his  post  and  left  for 
New  York  City.  . . . Evelyn  Carmichael  is 
Tom  Sawyer’s  new  secretary  at  FST.  . . . 
Veteran  film  salesman  and  booker  Abner 
Camp  has  been  appointed  branch  manager 
of  the  local  Howco  Exchange.  . . . The 
United  Artists  organization  is  in  the  process 
of  setting  up  a full-fledged  branch  office  here 
( Continued  on  opposite  page ) 


32 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  MAY  5,  1956 


( Continued  from  opposite  page ) 
with  Byron  Adams  moving  in  from  Atlanta 
to  serve  as  manager.  Salesman  “Buck” 
Robuck  has  maintained  an  office  here  for  a 
long  time.  . . . Leonard  Allen,  Paramount 
publicist,  came  in  from  Atlanta  to  promote 
bookings  of  “The  Birds  and  the  Bees.”  . . . 
Thomas  P.  Tidwell,  20th-Fox  branch  man- 
ager, spent  several  days  in  South  Florida. 

. . . Leon  D.  Netter  Sr.,  retired  FST  presi- 
dent, and  Mrs.  Netter  have  moved  from 
Ponte  Vedra  Beach  to  Broxville,  N.  Y.  . . . 
Dick  Beck  came  in  from  Kissimmee  to  visit 
his  son  Bill  Beck,  manager  of  the  Five 
Points  theatre.  . . . Jimmy  Bello,  Capitol 
Releasing  Corp.,  Atlanta,  was  a caller  at 
circuit  and  booking  offices.  . . . J.  R.  Mc- 
Cloud has  acquired  the  Cedar  theatre,  Cedar 
Key,  from  R.  C.  Mullis. 

KANSAS  CITY 

The  program  for  the  meeting  May  8,  at 
Kansas  City,  of  the  Allied  unit  of  Kansas 
and  Missouri,  will  include  presentation  of 
the  Federal  tax  situation,  by  Senn  Lawler, 
general  manager  of  Fox  Midwest.  Mr. 
Lawler  is  chairman  of  the  tax  committee  for 
the  exchange  area.  . . . The  Cowtown  drive- 
in  at  St.  Joseph.  Mo.,  operated  by  Beverly 
Miller,  has  a new  and  spectacular  sign — an 
animated  neon  portraying  a cowboy  lassoing 
a cow.  . . . Mr.  and  Mrs.  Herbert  Miller, 
exhibitors  of  Junction  City,’  Kas.,  drove  their 
son’s  car  to  Ft.  Collins,  Colorado,  for  deliv- 
ery to  him  at  Camp  Carson.  . . . The  board 
of  directors  of  the  Kansas-Missouri  Theatre 
Association  met  recently  under  the  chair- 
manship of  Don  Burnett,  president,  and  dis- 
cussed plans  for  the  next  general  meeting. 

LOS  ANGELES 

Leah  Rosenbaum  has  resigned  her  position 
at  Columbia  to  join  the  Favorite  Film  office 
as  secretary.  . . . The  Loma  theatre  in  Bur- 
bank. which  was  closed  due  to  damage  by 
fire,  will  re-open  May  9,  owner  Chuck  re- 
ports. . . . Freddie  Stein  has  appointed 
George  Walcott,  formerly  of  the  United 
Artists  circuit,  manager  of  his  recently  ac- 
quired Lyric  theatre  in  Monrovia.  . . . Back 
from  Seattle  was  N.  P.  Jacobs,  president  of 
Favorite  Films  of  Calif.  . . . Resigning  as 
salesman  from  Republic  was  Ken  MacKaig, 
who  has  joined  an  organization  producing 
prefabricated  products.  . . . The  stork  visited 
the  home  of  Connie  Baker,  who  handles  the 
theatre  directory  for  the  Los  Angeles  Herald 
Express,  and  delivered  a baby  girl.  . . . Saul 
Goldman  has  been  transferred  from  Chicago 
to  the  sales  department  of  RKO  here.  . . . 
In  from  Las  Vegas  to  line  up  some  new 
product  for  the  Nevada  Theatres  was  Lloyd 
Katz.  . . . Hugh  Braly  of  Distributors  Corp. 
of  America,  departed  for  Portland  and 
Seattle.  . . . Seymour  Borde  and  Harry 
Novak,  manager  and  booker  respectively  at 
RKO,  are  chairmen  for  Film  Row  of  the 
May  United  Cerebral  Palsy  drive. 

MEMPHIS 

Sale  of  Houlka  theatre,  Houlka,  Miss.,  to 
L.  L.  Latham  by  Alfred  Bishop  is  announced. 
. . . Dixie  theatre,  Ripley,  Miss.,  has  been 
sold  by  Strand  Enterprises,  Inc.,  to  Gradon 
Farrow  and  Wesley  McGar.  . . . Malco 
Theatres,  Inc.,  Memphis  is  increasing  its 
drive-ins  to  five.  Two  new  685-car  drive-ins 
are  being  built  in  Memphis,  one  near  Jack- 
son  Avenue  where  it  reaches  the  Raleigh 
Community  and  one  on  Highway  61,  South, 
at  Raines  Avenue,  M.  A.  Lightman,  Jr., 


announced.  Both  will  be  finished  during 
May  and  opened  right  away  for  the  1956 
season.  This  new  construction  will  give 
Memphis  10  drive-ins  with  more  than  5,000 
parking  spaces.  . . . Ned  Green  has  opened 
his  Cardinal  drive-in,  Mayfield,  Ky.,  for  the 
summer.  . . . W.  T.  Ellis,  owner,  has  closed 
the  Ellis  theatre,  Philadelphia,  Miss.,  tem- 
porarily for  repairs  and  remodeling.  . . . 
The  Missouri  theatre,  Parma,  Mo.,  which 
has  been  closed,  has  reopened  for  weekend 
operations. 

MIAMI 

Hank  Meyer,  publicity  chief  for  Miami 
Beach,  was  exuberant  over  the  fact  that  11 
national  network  shows  were  originated 
from  Miami  last  week.  “Big  Payoff”  had  five 
daytime  shows  and  Arthur  Godfrey  con- 
tributed the  remainder.  . . . Hollywoodian 
hoopla  christened  the  recent  opening  of 
North  Dade  drive-in,  according  to  manag- 
ing director  George  Wilby.  This  750-car 
operation,  latest  in  the  Wometco  chain,  had 
all  the  AT  P’s  of  the  circuit  and  its  company 
affiliate,  WTVJ,  together  with  the  station’s 
TV  personalities  in  a grand  turnout  to  meet 
the  opening  crowd.  . . . Arthur  Davis  of 
Gold  Coast  Pictures  reports  the  Sunset  in 
South  Miami  has  gone  first  run,  on  an  inde- 
pendent picture  basis.  . . . FST  reports  some 
personnel  changes  with  Harry  Margolesky 
managing  the  Beach,  Allan  Johnson  manag- 
ing the  Gables  and  Lynn  Goodyear  coming 
down  from  Daytona  to  manage  the  Warner 
in  Ft.  Lauderdale,  Fla. 

MILWAUKEE 

Wisconsin  Variety  Club,  Tent  14,  held  an 
eventful  farewell  luncheon  for  Lewis  Elman, 
former  branch  manager  at  the  RKO  ex- 
change, who  is  returning  to  the  West  Coast. 
The  luncheon,  attended  by  about  100,  was 
held  at  the  Jewish  Center.  A watch  was  pre- 
sented to  Mr.  Elman.  . . . Joe  Reynolds, 
manager  of  the  Towne  theatre,  ran  a suc- 
cessful contest  promoting  “Forbidden  Plan- 
et” which  has  done  very  well  there.  The 
contest  was  promoted  over  WOKY.  Con- 
testants had  to  write  on  a post  card  as  many 
times  as  they  could  “Robbie  the  Robot.” 
Two  Robots  were  given  to  the  ones  who 
wrote  the  three  words  the  most  on  the 
cards.  . . . United  Artists’  new  division  man- 
ager, A1  Fitter,  will  make  his  first  visit  to 
Milwaukee  since  his  appointment  with  Mike 
Lee,  district  manager.  Mr.  Fitter  is  from 
Minneapolis.  . . . Gerry  Schober,  contract 
clerk  at  United  Artists,  is  vacationing  in 
New  Orleans.  . . . Nina  Stewart,  stenogra- 
pher at  United  Artists,  was  married  last 
Saturday  to  Douglas  Knowlton. 

MINNEAPOLIS 

The  town  board  and  the  zoning  board  of 
suburban  Eden  Prairie  have  voted  not  to 
rezone  land  needed  for  the  proposed  Flying 
Cloud  drive-in  from  agricultural  to  com- 
mercial. Otto  W.  Kobs,  operator  of  the 
Oxboro  theatre  in  suburban  Oxboro,  had 
planned  to  erect  an  outdoor  stand  on  the 
property.  . . . Don  Swartz’  Independent  Film 
Distributors  has  been  given  the  franchise 
for  distribution  of  product  of  Associated 
Film  Releasing  Corp.  of  Beverly  Hills, 
Calif.,  in  the  Minneapolis  film  zone.  Five 
pictures  are  being  put  into  immediate  re- 
lease. . . . Don  Urquhart,  salesman  at  War- 
ner Bros.,  is  the  father  of  a baby  girl,  Mary 
Kay.  . . . C.  J.  (Fay)  Dressell,  branch  man- 
ager of  RKO,  is  back  at  work  after  being 


hospitalized.  ...  Ted  Mann,  operator  of  the 
World  theatres  in  the  Twin  Cities,  and 
Charles  Rubenstein,  operator  of  the  Holly- 
wood, Minneapolis,  and  the  Faust  and  Dale, 
St.  Paul,  vacationed  in  Hot  Springs,  Ark. 

. . . Norm  Levinson,  former  press  repre- 
sentative in  Minneapolis  for  MGM  who  was 
recently  transferred  to  Jacksonville,  Fla., 
and  Atlanta,  is  engaged  to  Claudia  Johnson 
of  Duluth,  Minn.  A summer  wedding  is 
planned.  . . . A1  Fitter,  new  UA  division 
manager,  was  in  to  meet  circuit  heads  along 
with  Mike  Lee,  UA  district  manager. 

NEW  ORLEANS 

The  secretary  of  the  state  of  Mississippi 
in  Jackson  issued  a charter  to  the  Beverly 
Drive-in  Theatre  Corp.,  Hattiesburg.  Capi- 
tal stock  was  listed  as  $20,000.  Herb  and 
Sue  Hargroder  are  the  chief  owners  of  the 
drive-in.  . . . Mr.  and  Mrs.  Billie  Bray  re- 
opened the  82  drive-in,  Stamps,  Ark.  The 
drive-in  has  been  closed  since  the  middle  of 
the  summer  last  year.  . . . Arthur  C.  Brom- 
berg, president  of  Allied  Artists  Southern, 
returned  to  his  home  in  Bayou  La  Batre, 
Ala.  after  a week’s  stay  in  a hospital  here 
for  a check-up.  . . . Sammy  Wright,  Jr.,  of 
Southern  Theatre  Service,  and  his  partner, 
Frank  Lais,  Jr.  in  theatre  and  Dixie  Film 
Exchange  operation,  accompanied  their  fam- 
ilies on  an  early  vacation  jaunt  to  Florida. 
. . . A.  L.  Royal  informed  Transway  that 
the  reopening  of  the  Meridian  drive-in, 
Meridian,  Miss,  was  been  delayed  to  May 
4.  . . . WOMPI  members,  Augusta  Wool- 
verton,  MGM,  and  Ruth  Toubman,  South- 
eastern Theatre  Equipment  Co.,  attended  the 
district  convention  of  the  Pilot  Club  at  the 
Buena  Vista  Hotel,  Biloxi,  Miss.,  April  21- 
23.  . . . Cecil  Kelly  reopened  the  Cil  in 
Stamps,  Ark.  Kelly  also  operates  the  Fox, 
Plain  Dealing,  La. 

OKLAHOMA  CITY 

Work  has  been  started  on  Barton’s  new 
Hillcrest  drive-in  theatre  in  the  Hillcrest 
Addition.  The  theatre  will  have  a twin 
screen,  150  by  75  feet  and  the  tower  will  be 
about  100  feet  tall.  Completion  is  scheduled 
for  early  Fall.  . . . The  concession  stand,  a 
twin  cafeteria,  is  now  completed  at  the  77 
drive-in  theatre.  . . . The  Warner  theatre 
is  now  being  converted  to  handle  Cinerama 
for  the  local  premiere  May  21  of  “This  Is 
Cinerama.”.  . . “Guys  and  Dolls”  was  be- 
ing shown  for  the  first  time  at  two  sub- 
urban theatres  this  week : Barton’s  Redskin 
theatre  and  the  Will  Rogers  theatre.  . . . 
“The  Life  of  Vervi”  is  at  the  Plaza  theatre 
this  week.  . . . Jack  Benny  was  in  Oklahoma 
City  April  28  at  the  Municipal  Auditorium. 
Proceeds  from  the  show  went  to  the  Okla- 
homa City  Symphony  and  the  Oklahoma 
County  Council  for  Mentally  Retarded  Chil- 
dren. 

PHILADELPHIA 

Frank  Wolf,  veteran  Stanley  Warner 
Theatres  manager,  leaves  the  circuit  to  be- 
come steward-manager  of  the  local  Variety 
Club;  and  Charlotte  Zeglin  leaves  Berio 
Vending  Company  to  replace  Molly  Ross  as 
club  secretary.  . . . The  Orient,  Dunmore, 
Pa.,  has  been  reopened  and  is  now  under  the 
management  of  Percy  Carr,  former  business 
agent  of  Local  329,  Motion  Picture  Projec- 
tionists Union  in  Scranton,  Pa.  The  post  of 
business  agent  is  now  held  by  Sam  Kessler, 
( Continued  on  following  page) 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  MAY  5,  1956 


33 


( Continued  front  preceding  page) 
of  the  Comeriord  Theatres  there.  . . . George 
Resnick  lias  sold  his  Dell,  neighborhood 
house  here,  to  Sam  Shapiro ; and  William 
Fishman  has  transferred  the  operation  of  his 
Vogue,  also  a neighborhood  house,  to  Sam 
Stiefel,  who  also  operates  the  Uptown.  . . . 
Jack  Jaslow,  independent  distributor,  is  han- 
dling the  area  distribution  for  “The  Sheep 
Has  Five  Legs’’  and  "Diabolique.”.  . . 
George  Beatty,  William  Goldman  Theatres 
executive,  was  hospitalized  and  is  now  in 
Florida  recuperating  from  ulcer  trouble.  . . . 
Tom  Walker,  Comerford  Theatres  execu- 
tive. was  named  to  serve  on  the  Sustaining 
Fund  Committee  in  the  current  Chamber  oi 
Commerce  membership  drive  in  Scranton, 
Pa.  . . . Management  of  the  Manor,  Wil- 
mington Manor,  Del.,  announced  that  be- 
cause of  the  noise  and  mischief,  no  children 
or  teenagers  will  be  permitted  to  attend  the 
theatre  unless  accompanied  by  parents.  . . . 
Republic  exchange  is  conducting  a Bookers’ 
Month  drive. 

PITTSBURGH 

"Hilda  Crane”  has  been  added  to  the 
Harris  booking  chart  following  “The  Harder 
They  Fall.”.  . . Shortage  of  top  product  is 
driving  the  Stanley  back  into  the  double 
bill  policy  again.  “Slightly  Scarlet”  and 
“Glory,”  both  from  RKO,  are  set  for  the 
big  de  luxer.  . . . “Bhowani  Junction”  and 
“Lust  For  Life”  booked  into  the  Penn  after 
the  May  25th  date  of  “Alexander  the  Great.” 

. . . “Seven  Wonders  of  the  World”  is  go- 
ing great  guns  in  the  Warner,  with  show 
trains  from  Akron,  Canton  and  Cleveland 
helping  a lot.  . . . The  local  critics  have 
been  invited  to  New  York  May  15  by  United 
Artists  for  “Trapeze”  screenings.  . . . The 
Fulton  snagged  “The  Revolt  of  Mamie 
Stover”  to  follow  “Backlash.”.  . . Business 
in  the  neighborhood  art  houses  is  still  potent, 
with  “The  Night  My  Number  Came  Up” 
staying  a fifth  week  and  “Diabolique”  going 
a fourth.  . . . Clara  Smith,  hospitalized 
Stanley  Warner  switchboard  operator,  re- 
turned to  her  job.  . . . John  Wood,  Harris 
utility  manager,  temporarily  filling  in  at  the 
Penn,  which  the  Harris  interests  operate 
for  George  Skouras. 

PORTLAND 

Marty  Foster,  managing  director  of  the 
Guild  theatre,  has  returned  to  his  office  in 
San  Francisco.  . . . Liberace  will  be  in  town 
on  night  for  a concert  at  the  Auditorium 
and  Foster  has  set  the  pianist  to  cut  the 
ribbon  on  opening  night  of  the  redecorated 
Guild,  May  17.  . . . Colleen  McKay  in  town 
for  a week  on  a personal  appearance  tour. 
She  has  returned  home  after  appearing  in 
several  U-I  films.  . . . Herb  Royster,  man- 
ager of  J.  J.  Parker’s  Broadway  theatre, 
reports  that  the  deluxe  first  run  is  nearing 
completion  of  its  big  overhaul  job.  Mrs. 
J.  J.  Parker  has  just  returned  from  a brief 
trip  to  Los  Angeles. 

PROVIDENCE 

A1  Siner,  Strand  manager,  recently  re- 
turned to  this  city  following  an  emergency 
plane  trip  to  California,  to  the  bedside  of  his 
ailing  father.  Happily  enough,  his  father’s 
condition  sufficiently  improved  for  A1  to 
come  back  to  Providence  sooner  than  ex- 
pected. . . . The  New  England  premiere  of 
“Serenade,”  starring  Mario  Lanza,  took 
place  at  the  Majestic.  . . . The  Rhode  Island 
premiere  of  “The  Bed”  was  screened  at  the 

34 


Avon  Cinema.  ...  A gun  fight  by  two 
patrons  armed  with  water  pistols  was  broken 
up  recently  at  the  Park  theatre,  Woonsocket, 
by  a deputy  of  that  city’s  law  enforcement 
department.  . . . Phil  Nemirow,  Albee  man- 
ager, treated  his  patrons  to  a special  sneak 
preview  of  “The  Bold  and  The  Brave”  re- 
cently, in  addition  to  the  regular  screening 
of  the  current  attraction,  "The  Conqueror.” 

. . . E.  M.  Loew’s  Providence  drive-in  in- 
augurated the  first  of  its  Sunday  stage 
shows,  presenting  the  Dial  Trio  in  addition 
to  the  customary  double-feature  film  fare. 
No  extra  admission  charge  was  required.  . . . 
For  the  first  time  in  many  years,  a full  page 
advertisement  was  used  in  newspapers  to 
exploit  a coming  attraction.  Bill  Trambukis, 
Loew’s  State  manager  used  the  large  unit 
to  herald  “The  Swan.” 

ST.  LOUIS 

Among  the  drive-in  theatres  that  have 
opened  for  the  season  in  this  area  are  the 
following : Harrisburg  drive-in  at  Harris- 
burg, 111.;  the  Skyway,  Forrest  City,  Ark.; 
Haven,  Wynne,  Ark. ; Starlite,  Brinkley, 
Ark.;  Pine  Hill,  Piedmont,  Mo.;  Midway, 
New  Madrid,  Mo. ; Strand,  Lancaster,  Mo. ; 
Starlight,  Alton,  111. ; Starlite,  Boonville, 
Mo.;  Hilltop,  Ste.  Genevieve,  Mo.;  21  drive- 
in,  Ellington,  Mo.;  Rolla,  Rolla,  Mo.;  East 
St.  Louis,  East  St.  Louis,  111. ; Cowtown, 
Durwood  and  Skylark,  St.  Joseph,  Mo.  . . . 
The  Autovue  drive-in  theatre,  Malden,  Mo., 
has  provided  a new  playground  and  merry- 
go-round  for  the  children.  . . . Police  ar- 
rested a 20-year-old  youth  who  assaulted 
Louis  Speros,  manager  of  the  Marquette 
theatre,  while  Speros  was  carrying  the  box 
office  receipts  to  the  projection  room.  As 
Speros  went  down  he  dropped  the  cash  box, 
which  flew  open  and  scattered  the  money, 
causing  the  youth  to  flee.  . . . MGM  will 
film  part  of  “Raintree  County”  at  Reelfoot 
Lake  in  Arkansas  this  month. 

SAN  FRANCISCO 

Stan  Lefcourt,  first  assistant  chief  barker 
of  Tent  32,  announced  the  following  new 
members  of  Variety,  inducted  at  the  April 
24  meeting:  Irvin  Atkins,  John  Bakhurst, 
James  Chisholm,  Joseph  Emerson,  Martin 
Foster,  Richard  Ivy,  Sidney  Klein,  Elwood 
Slee,  Paul  Spiegel,  Henry  Stark  and  Jack 
Stevenson.  . . . John  Bowles  is  booker  and 
buyer  for  the  Valley  theatre,  Anderson.  The 
owner  is  Louis  Blair.  . . . The  Lucky  drive- 
in,  Turlock,  was  sold  by  Bob  Clark  to  the 
Affiliated  Theatres,  effective  April  29.  . . . 
Jesse  Levin,  General  Theatrical  Co.,  is  the 
agent  for  the  booking  and  buying  for  the 
Mountain  View  drive-in,  Mount  Shasta.  . . . 
Sam  Goldwyn  arrived  here  last  Thursday 
aboard  the  President  Cleveland  following 
the  Tokyo  premiere  of  “Guys  and  Dolls.” 

TORONTO 

Named  to  succeed  Emerson  S.  (Torchy) 
Coatsworth  as  film  procurement  officer  of 
the  Canadian  Broadcasting  Corp.  was  Wil- 
liam K.  Moyer.  Coatsworth  resigned  re- 
cently to  become  assistant  general  manager 
of  Motion  Pictures  for  Television  (Canada) 
Limited,  an  Empire-Universal  subsidiary 
headed  by  T.  A.  Metcalfe.  . . . James  R. 
Nairn,  publicity  and  advertising  head  of 
Famous  Players  Canadian  Corp.,  was  the 
recipient  this  year  of  the  Variety  Club  Tent 
No.  28  annual  Heart  Award.  He  was  the 
11th  person  to  be  honored  with  such  an 
award.  He  was  given  the  award  for  his 


work  in  connection  with  the  various  charity 
events  conducted  by  the  club.  . . . The  11th 
Anniversary  of  Tent  28  was  also  the  occa- 
sion to  honor  the  11  founders  of  the  club, 
while  the  first  chief  barker,  J.  J.  Fitzgib- 
bons,  was  given  a new  lifetime  rank  by  the 
club.  . . . Turning  in  a perfect  paper  of  60 
correct  answers  in  a tiebreaker,  Mrs.  Billie 
Hutson,  25-year-old  switchboard  operator, 
won  an  Oldsmobile  automobile,  the  top  prize 
in  the  recent  Academy  Awards  contest  spon- 
sored by  83  theatres  in  Metropolitan  Toronto 
and  The  Telegram. 

VANCOUVER 

Peter  Barnes,  a Texas  rancher  who  also 
operates  six  theatres  in  Washington  State 
on  the  British  Columbia  border  and  three 
in  British  Columbia,  has  expanded  his  hold- 
ings with  the  purchase  of  nine  theatres  in 
the  Columbia  Basin  circuit  in  eastern  Wash- 
ington. His  15  theatres  now  comprise  the 
largest  independent  chain  in  the  area.  . . . 
Frank  Fisher,  vice-president  of  Odeon  The- 
atres, is  here  from  Toronto  on  an  inspection 
trip  of  Pacific  coast  theatres.  . . . Pioneer 
theatre  operator,  Mrs.  Annie  Graham,  87, 
died  after  a brief  illness.  From  1914  to  1926 
she  operated  the  Star  theatre  on  Main 
Street.  It  was  torn  down  recently  to  make 
way  for  the  new  police  building.  Her  son 
Guy  is  a veteran  ‘projectionist.  . . . Mickey 
Stevenson,  office-manager-salesman  at  Para- 
mount Pictures  here,  was  promoted  to 
branch  manager  in  Toronto.  He  was  re- 
placed by  Mel  Hayter,  former  shipper ; 
Marvin  Proudlock  moves  from  Warner 
Bros,  to  succeed  Hayter.  . . . Richard  Walsh, 
president  of  IATSE,  was  here  on  his  way 
to  Toronto  to  attend  the  labor  convention. 
. . . The  FPC  Capitol  in  Victoria  is  closing 
May  5 for  a face-lifting  job.  This  includes 
a new  marquee  and  new  sound  equipment. 
The  theatre  is  expected  to  be  closed  three 
to  six  months. 


WASHINGTON 

Mrs.  Earl  Warren,  wife  of  Chief  Justice 
Earl  Warren,  will  be  the  Variety  Club’s 
“Mother  of  the  Year”  and  will  be  honored 
at  a Mother’s  Day  Luncheon  in  the  Statler 
Hotel  May  14.  . . . The  Metropolitan  Opera 
appeared  at  Loew’s  Capitol  theatre  for  one 
performance  April  30.  “The  Marriage  of 
Figaro”  was  presented.  . . . George  Gobel 
is  expected  in  Washington  on  May  9,  for  a 
personal  appearance  at  the  Ontario  theatre, 
for  “The  Birds  and  the  Bees.”.  . . The  Vari- 
ety Club  Board  of  Governors  will  meet  on 
May  7 ...  . More  than  100  youngsters  at- 
tended the  Variety  Club  Teen  Age  Juke  Box 
Dance  in  the  club  rooms  April  20.  Disk 
jockeys  and  record  artists  were  present.  . . . 
“Cinerama  Holiday”  is  attracting  hundreds 
of  the  nation’s  capital  sightseeing  visitors. 


" Gaby " Opens  May  9 

The  gala  opening  of  “Gaby,”  starring 
Leslie  Caron,  will  be  held  at  the  Trans-Lux 
theatre,  New  York,  May  9.  The  proceeds 
will  go  to  the  French  Hospital.  The  French 
consul  general  and  his  staff  will  attend. 
Curtis  Bernhardt  directed  “Gaby,”  which 
was  produced  by  Edwin  H.  Knopf  for  MGM 
in  CinemaScope  and  Eastman  Color. 

MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  MAY  5,  1956 


. . . the  original  exhibitors'  reports  department,  established  October  14,  1916.  I r>  it  theatremen 
serve  one  another  with  information  about  the  box  office  performance  of  product — providing  a 
service  of  the  exhibitor  for  the  exhibitor.  ADDRESS  REPORTS,  What  the  Picture  Did  for  Me, 
Motion  Picture  Herald,  Rockefeller  Center,  New  York  20. 


Columbia 

CREATURE  WITH  THE  ATOM  BRAIN:  Richard 
Denning,  Angela  Stevens— This  type  of  picture  always 
brings  in  extra  business.  Played  it  late  which  did  not 
hurt  too  much.  Small  town  and  rural  patronage. 
Played  Friday,  Saturday,  February  17,  18.— James 
Hardy,  Shoals  Theatre,  Shoals,  Ind. 

IRON  GLOVE,  THE:  Robert  Stack,  Ursula  Thiess 
— A la  “Knights  of  the  Round  Table,’’  Robert  Stack 
leads  two  other  “miks”  in  restoring  the  merry  old 
King  of  England  to  his  rightful  throne  and  over- 
throwing George,  the  tyrant,  and  various  other 
heavies.  Ran  with  three  cartoons  to  a house  full  of 
kids,  so  I didn’t  do  any  worse  than  usual.  Played 
Sunday.  Monday,  February  12,  13. — Lew  Bray,  Jr., 
Queen  Theatre,  McAllen,  Texas. 

THREE  HOURS  TO  KILL:  Dana  Andrews,  Donna 
Reed — A good  Technicolor  western  that  did  very  well 
at  the  box  office.  Played  Sunday.  Monday,  Tuesday, 
Wednesday,  Thursday,  January  15,  16,  17,  18,  19. — 
Agha  Rafique  Ahmed;  New  Majestic  Theatre,  Hyder- 
abad Sind,  Pakistan. 

THREE  HOURS  TO  KILL:  Dana  Andrews,  Donna 
Reed — Good  Technicolor1  western  with  Dana  Andrews 
as  a misunderstood  hero  who  comes  back  to  settle 
accounts.  Doubled  with  “Fire  Over  Africa,”  but  didn’t 
make  expenses.  Played  Thursday,  Friday,  Saturday, 
March  15.  16.  17. — Lew  Bray,  Jr.,  Queen  Theatre, 
McAllen,  Texas. 


IFE 

OUTLAW  GIRL:  Silvana  Mangano — An  English 

speaking  Italian  picture  that’s  all  right  for  the  art 
fans  but  not  for  family  fare.  Had  a few  of  my  young 
adult  ticket  buyers  who  are  Saturday  afternoon  fans 
come  down  and  mistake  the  one-sheets  for  something 
of  a western,  so  when  the  show  was  over,  they  were 
on  the  disappointed  side.  From  comments  made  by 
art  fans  and  otherwise,  there  is  no  apparent  connection 
between  the  title  and  plot,  but  other  than  this,  com- 
ments were  most  generally  favorable,  and  business  was 
better  the  second  night  than  the  first.  Played  Tuesday, 
Wednesday,  March  13,  14. — Lew  Bray,  Jr.,  Oueen 
Theatre,  McAllen,  Texas. 

THEODORA,  SLAVE  EMPRESS:  Gianna  Maria 

Canale,  George  Marshal— Playing  to  the  kids  and 
families  on  both  ends  of  the  week  and  art  fans  mid- 
week is  getting  better  all  the  time.  Not  making  any 
money — iust  not  losing  as  much.  This  Technicolor 
Roman  Empire  affair  was  a patron  pleaser,  and  Miss 
Canale  is  quite  a looker.  Played  Tuesday.  Wednesday, 
March  20,  21. — Lew  Bray,  Jr.,  Queen  Theatre,  Mc- 
Allen, Texas. 

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer 

ESCAPE  FROM  FORT  BRAVO:  William  Holden, 
Eleanor  Parker — This  makes  the  second  time  in  two 
years  I’ve  shown  this,  and  about  the  fifth  time  I’ve 
seen  it,  and  I still  think  it’s  the  best  Technicolor 
“hoss,”  Cavalry  and  “Injuns”  I’ve  seen  yet.  Business 
was  average  on  Sunday  and  nothing  on  Monday,  but 
if  I’m  ever  in  California,  Bill  Holden  is  the  first  person 
I’d  like  to  meet.  Played  Sunday,  Monday,  March  18, 
19. — Lew  Bray,  Jr.,  Queen  Theatre,  McAllen,  Texas. 

MANY  RIVERS  TO  CROSS:  Robert  Taylor, 

Eleanor  Parker — Nothing  wrong  with  this  picture — a 
very  good  one  to  put  on  your  weekend  billing.  At 
least,  that’s  what  I did  and  it  turned  out  O.K.  for  me. 
Excellent  picture,  comments  good.  Play  it.  I played 
it  late.  Comments  100%  an  this  picture.  Small  town 
and  rural  patronage.  Played  Saturday,  January  19.— 
James  Hardy,  Shoals  Theatre,  Shoals,  Ind. 

STUDENT  PRINCE,  THE:  Ann  Blyth,  Edmund 

Purdom — Here  to  date  is  our  record  breaker!  Not  only 
did  it  play  to  over  16,000  patrons  at  our  theatre  (our 
town  has  about  6,000  cinema-goers)  but  it’s  broken 
records  at  nearly  every  theatre  it  played  in  South 
Africa!  Our  patrons  call  it  one  of  the  very  best 
musicals  ever  seen— by  the  sound  our  cash  register 
made,  nobody  argues  with  them.  I personally  loved 
this  film  too.  I noticed  when  over  in  the  States  that 


nobody  seemed  to  be  over-thrilled  with  this  film- 
why,  I would  not  knowl  Played  second  time,  Wednes- 
day, Thursday,  Friday,  Saturday,  January  11,  12,  13, 
14. — Dave  S.  Klein,  Astra  Theatre,  Kitwe/Nkana, 
Northern  Rhodesia,  Africa. 

TERROR  ON  A TRAIN:  Glenn  Ford,  Anne  Vernon 
— A couple  whose  marriage  is  at  the  near-breaking 
point  is  reconciled  as  the  husband,  Glenn  Ford,  is 
called  in  the  middle  of  night  to  locate  and  disarm  a 
time-bombed  mine  on  a loaded  munitions  train.  Taking 
place  in  England,  the  saboteur  is  caught,  his  plot 
foiled,  and  all’s  well  that  ends  well.  Played  Thursday, 
Friday,  Saturday,  February  9,  10,  11. — Lew  Bray,  Jr., 
Queen  Theatre,  McAllen,  Texas. 


Paramount 

TO  CATCH  A THIEF:  Cary  Grant,  Grace  Kelly 

— Played  a benefit  show  Friday  night,  March  16,  to 
practically  no  one.  Excellent  Technicolor  cops  and 
robbers  a la  French  Riviera  that  was  funny,  serious, 
tense,  enjoyable  and  downright  good  entertainment  for 
all  but  the  24,950  people  who  didn’t  see  it — so  who  got 
up  early,  stayed  late  and  didn’t  make  any  money? 
Weather  bad. — Lew  Bray,  Jr.,  Queen  Theatre,  Mc- 
Allen, Texas. 

TRAIL  OF  THE  LONESOME  PINE:  Fred  Mac- 
Murray,  Henry  Fonda — We  had  small  crowds  for  this, 
but  we  did  get  several  who  had  seen  it  before.  Color 
and  scenery  beautiful.  Since  it  isn’t  out  of  date,  it 
seems  it  might  be  brought  back  again  and  again— a 
fine  story  of  the  feuding  mountain  people.  Played 
Thursday,  Friday.  March  8,  9. — C.  B.  Sullivan,  Crown 
Theatre,  Camp  Hill,  Ala. 

ULYSSES:  Kirk  Douglas,  Silvana  Mangano — Very 

good  spectacular  Technicolor  production  of  Homer’s 
“Odyssey.”  Action  spectaculars  are  always  big  box 
office  hits  here.  Did  outstanding  business.  Played 
three  weeks,  Friday,  February  17,  to  Thursday,  March 
8. — Agha  Rafique  Ahmed,  New  Majestic  Theatre, 
Hyderabad  Sind,  Pakistan. 


Republic 

DIVIDED  HEART,  THE:  Cornell  Borchers, 

Yvonne  Mitchell — This  was  beautifully  handled — never 
a sob  story,  but  intensely  human.  Interest  was  held 
to  the  end  and  many  came  out  saying  the  decision 
wasn’t  just.  Our  sympathy  was  first  with  one  mother, 
then  the  other.  Both  mothers  well  played.  Played 
Sunday,  Monday.  February  5,  6. — C.  B.  Sullivan, 
Crown  Theatre,  Camp  Hill,  Ala. 

HEADLINE  HUNTERS:  Rod  Cameron,  Julie 

Bishop — Doubled  this  cops  and  robbers  a la  ace  re- 
porter with  “Ten  Wanted  Men”  (Col.)  for  a fair  week- 
end date.  Played  Thursday,  Friday,  Saturday,  March 
22,  23,  24. — Lew  Bray,  Jr.,  Queen  Theatre,  McAllen, 
Texas. 


Twentieth  Century-Fox 

BLACK  WIDOW:  Gene  Tierney,  Van  Heflin— One 
of  the  best  thrillers  seen  for  a long  time  and  doubly 
enjoyable  due  to  CinemaScope.  Performances  all 
excellent,  with  enough  suspense,  humor  and  action  to 
make  this  suitable  for  all  tj'pes  of  houses.  With  this 
title  and  the  impressive  cast,  together  with  the  catch- 
line not  to  reveal  the  ending,  this  ought  to  do  business 
for  most  of  you.  Played  Wednesday,  Thursday, 
Friday,  Saturday,  February  15,  17,  18. — Dave.  S. 

Klein,  Astra  Theatre,  Kitwe/Nkana,  Northern  Rho- 
desia, Africa. 

GIRL  IN  THE  RED  VELVET  SWING,  THE:  Ray 


Milland,  Joan  Collins — Just  finished  this  to  one  of  our 
lowest  grosses  in  six  months — not  the  type  for  our 
customers.  Played  Friday,  Saturday,  February  10, 
11. — Bill  Brooks,  Liberty  Theatre,  Hailey,  Idaho. 

TALL  MEN,  THE:  Dark  Gable,  Jane  Russell- 
Best  grosser  in  more  than  a year — a natural  for  here. 
It  was  partly  filmed  west  of  here.  Played  Saturday, 
Sunday,  Monday,  Tuesday,  January  21,  22,  23,  24. — 
Bill  Brooks,  Liberty  Theatre,  Hailey,  Idaho. 

TALL  MEN,  THE:  Clark  Gable,  Jane  Russell— 
This  is  old  and  had  played  all  around  us,  but  drew 
above  average  business  on  Sunday,  Monday,  January 
15,  16. — Hugh  G'.  Martin,  Princess  Theatre,  Mt.  Dora, 
Fla. 


Universal 

ABBOTT  AND  COSTELLO  MEET  THE  MUM- 
MY : Bud  Abbott,  Lou  Costello— No  creeps  for  Abbott 
and  Costello  when  they  meet  the  mummy.  But  they 
are  back  at  their  crazy  antics,  this  time  in  Egypt. 
Did  good  business.  Played  Friday.  Saturday,  Sunday, 
Monday,  Tuesday,  Wednesday,  Thursday,  February 
10,  11,  12,  13,  14,  15,  16. — Agha  Rafique  Ahmed,  New 
Majestic  Theatre,  Hyderabad  Sind,  Pakistan. 

AIN’T  MISBEHAVIN’:  Rory  Calhoun.  Piper  Laurie 
— This  picture  sure  surprised  me — a cute  picture  with 
a good  plot,  also  swell  songs.  Pleased  all  who  came 
out  to  see  it,  good  color,  good  cast.  Play  it.  Small 
town  and  rural  patronage.  Played  Wednesday,  Feb- 
ruary 29. — James  Hardy,  Shoals  Theatre,  Shoals,  Ind. 

FEMALE  ON  THE  BEACH:  Joan  Crawford,  Jeff 
Chandler — I never  fail  with  Chandler.  This  one  is  a 
little  heavy  for  small  towns,  but  I think  it  will  give 
you  extra  on  mid-week  hilling,  as  it  did  me.  1 
have  several  Chandler  fans  here.  Play  it.  Played 
Tuesday.  Wednesday,  February  14,  15. — James  Hardy, 
Shoals  Theatre,  Shoals,  Ind. 

TARANTULA:  John  Agar,  Mara  Corday — Excellent 
business  which  broke  house  record.  Topped  all  candy 
counter  income  for  a Sunday.  Had  SRO  out  for  first 
time  in  three  years.  Percentage  O.K.  Played  Sun- 
day, Monday,  Tuesday,  January  15,  16,  17. — Rodda 
Harvey,  Jr.,  Grove  Theatre,  Lindsay,  Calif. 

TOO  HELL  AND  BACK:  Audie  Murphy,  Marshall 
Thompson — I can  say  one  thing  on  this  picture — it 
sure  brought  back  some  of  mv  lost  patrons.  A swell 
picture,  play  it.  This  is  the  first  time  I have  turned 
patrons  away  on  account  of  a full  house  in  three  years. 
This  is  the  kind  of  picture  that  puts  a smile  on  your 
face.  It  looked  like  old  times.  Terms  are  a little 
steep,  which  is  the  only_  thing  wrong  with  this  picture. 
If  I could  get  three  pictures  a month  like  this,  my 
worries  would  be  over.  Small  town  and  rural  patron- 
age. Played  Sunday,  Monday,  Tuesday,  February  26, 
27,  28. — James  Hardy,  Shoals  Theatre,  Shoals,  Ind. 


Warner  Bros. 

COMMAND,  THE:  Guy  Madison,  Joan  Weldon— 
A good  outdoor  Technicolor  CinemaScope  picture  with 
plenty  of  action.  Did  good  business.  Played  Friday, 
Saturday,  Sunday,  Monday.  Tuesday,  Wednesday, 
Thursday,  February  3 4,  5.  6.  7,  8,  9.— Agha  Rafique 
Ahmed,  New  Majestic  Theatre,  Hyderabad  Sind, 
Pakistan. 

HELEN  OF  TROY:  Rosanna  Podeska.  Jack  Sernas 
— Very  good  box  office.  Excellent  acting  in  this  family 
movie.  Large  cast  with  very  good  work  in  action. 
Both  stars  will  climb  to  great  heights.  Very  enjoy- 
able to  all  who  see  it.  Played  Monday,  Tuesday, 
March  5,  6.— David  Treadway,  Duncan  Theatre,  Union, 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  MAY  5,  1956 


35 


Seek  Single 
Censor  Unit 
For  (tin  mitt 

TORONTO : A single  national  censorship 
board  for  Canada  has  been  advocated  by 
the  chairman  of  Ontario’s  Board  of  Cen- 
sors, 0.  J.  Silverthorne.  Such  a board,  in 
Mr.  Silverthorne’s  opinion,  should  include 
the  Province  of  Quebec,  instead  of  having 
it  on  the  outside. 

Mr.  Silverthorne’s  opinion,  respected  both 
in  this  country  and  in  the  U.  S.,  was  asked 
following  recent  suggestions  from  Manitoba 
and  Saskatchewan  cabinet  ministers  that 
there  be  two  censor  boards — one  from  the 
west  and  one  from  the  east,  with  the  pos- 
sible exception  of  Quebec.  “We  seem  always 
to  be  excluding  Quebec  in  our  thinking,” 
Mr.  Silverthorne  observed.  “Why  shouldn’t 
we  find  common  ground  with  Quebec?” 

Sparking  the  current  interest  in  a single 
board  was  a comment  by  Manitoba  censor, 
M.  V.  B.  Newton,  who  was  supported  by 
his  superior,  C.  L.  Shuttleworth,  Minister  of 
Utilities.  The  British  Columbia  censor, 
Raymond  McDonald  said  the  matter  merited 
discussion.  Most  non-committal  of  all  was 
Charles  S.  Chaplin,  president  of  the  Cana- 
dian Motion  Picture  Distributors  Associa- 
tion, saying  that  the  CMPDA  “would  look 
with  interest  on  such  a plan.”  He  was  in 
favor,  however,  of  a single  board  for  the 
west. 

Suggestion  of  combining  censorship 
boards  was  brought  up  by  Honorable  C.  C. 
Williams,  Minister  of  Labor,  for  the 
Province  of  Saskatchewan,  in  the  provincial 
legislature.  His  portfolio  includes  the  cen- 
sorship board  headed  by  the  Rev.  D.  J. 
Vaughan.  Mr.  Williams  said  there  were 
too  many  boards. 

Film  (Companies  Scored 

While  unflattering  to  the  film  companies 
— “some  motion  pictures  use  the  filthiest 
of  words  and  expressions  which  have  noth- 
ing to  do  with  the  theme  or  story” — Mr. 
Williams  charged  film  companies  play  off 
censor  boards,  one  against  the  other.  He 
said  the  boards  are  subject  to  strong  pro- 
tests from  the  film  owners  who  “then  use 
every  means  at  their  command  to  have  the 
decisions  reversed,  and  with  some  success.” 

“The  film  companies,”  he  said,  “lament  the 
amount  of  money  they  will  lose,  and  that 
censors  of  other  provinces  have  passed  the 
same  picture,  or  most  of  the  states  have 
passed  it,  and  so  on.”  He  said  it  was  doubt- 
ful whether  Quebec  would  enter  his  plan  for 
two  censor  boards  for  Canada.  Quebec  laws 
were  “quite  strict.” 


' Lincoln ' Set  for  Cannes 

The  Academy  Award-winning  short  film, 
“The  Face  of  Lincoln”  will  be  shown  at 
this  year’s  Cannes  Film  Festival,  it  is  an- 
nounced by  Harvey  Pergament,  president 
of  Cavalcade  Pictures,  Inc.,  the  distributor. 


Eric  Johnston,  Motion  Picture  Association 
of  America  president,  will  be  host  at  a 
dinner  in  Hollywood  May  31  to  Indonesia 
President  Soekarno. 

J.  Emmett  Dalton  has  been  appointed  ex- 
clusive representative  for  the  Superscope 
235  process  in  Great  Britain. 

Morris  Lefko  will  join  Paramount  Film 
Distributing  Corp.  May  7 to  become  as- 
sociated with  Charles  Boasberg  in  the 
world-wide  distribution  of  “The  Ten 
Commandments”  and  “War  and  Peace.” 

Dick  Dickson,  veteran  circuit  executive, 
has  resigned  his  post  at  United  Artists 
theatres.  No  successor  has  been  named. 


Legion  Approves  17  of 
2 1 New  Productions 

Of  the  21  productions  reviewed  last  week 
by  the  National  Legion  of  Decency,  seven 
were  put  in  Class  A,  Section  I,  morally  un- 
objectionable for  general  patronage;  10  in 
Class  A,  Section  II,  as  morally  unobjection- 
able for  adults;  three  in  Class  B,  morally 
objectionable  in  part  for  all,  and  one  in 
Class  C,  condemned.  In  Section  I are  “Earth 
vs.  the  Flying  Saucers,”  “Goodbye;  My 
Lady,”  “King  of  the  Coral  Sea,”  “The 
Leather  Saint,”  “Quincannon,  Frontier 
Scout,”  “Screaming  Eagles”  and  “Toy 
Tiger.”  In  Section  II  are  “Bhowani  Junc- 
tion,” “The  Catered  Affair,”  “Emergency 
Hospital,”  “Foreign  Intrigue,”  “Johnny 
Concho,”  “Kid  for  Two  Farthings,”  “The 
Last  Ten  Days,”  “Massacre,”  “Murder  on 
Approval”  and  “Safari.”  In  Class  B are: 
“The  Killing,”  because  of  “low  moral  tone;” 
“The  Revolt  of  Mamie  Stover,”  because  it 
is  “highly  questionable  for  entertainment 
purposes,”  and  “tends  to  glamorize  and 
arouse  undue  sympathy  for  an  immoral  char- 
acter, and  contains  suggestive  dialogue  and 
situations,”  and  “While  the  City  Sleeps” 
because  of  suggestive  costuming,  dialogue 
and  situations.  In  Class  C is  “The  Naked 
Night,”  because  of  “grossly  suggestive  cos- 
tuming, dialogue  and  situations  seriously 
dangerous  to  Christian  and  traditional  stand- 
ards of  morality  and  decency.  It  is  com- 
pletely lacking  in  morally  compensating 
values.” 

Wisconsin  Allied  Meets 
At  Resort  June  11-13 

MILWAUKEE:  Wisconsin  Allied  will  hold 
its  annual  convention  at  the  Schwartz  Resort 
Hotel  Elkhart  Lake,  Wisconsin,  June  11- 
12-13,  the  group  announces.  This  will  he 
the  first  year  in  Wisconsin  Allied’s  history 
that  its  convention  was  not  held  in  Milwau- 
kee. According  to  Angelo  Provinzano,  pres- 
ident, the  resort  offers  complete  meeting 
facilities  and  also  recreational  resources. 


George  H.  Wilkinson,  Jr.,  president  of 
the  Motion  Picture  Theatre  Owners  of 
Connecticut,  and  operator  of  the  Wilkin- 
son theatre,  Wallingford,  has  been  named 
to  the  advisory  board  of  the  Wallingford 
branch  of  the  Union  and  New  Haven 
Trust  Co. 

M ervin  Houser,  RKO  studio  publicity  di- 
rector, arrived  in  New  York  this  week 
from  Hollywood  for  a series  of  meetings 
at  the  home  office. 

David  A.  Levy,  retired  Universal  executive, 
will  be  honored  by  the  Motion  Picture 
Bookers  Club  of  New  York  at  the  Hotel 
Taft  on  May  14.  The  occasion  will  be 
a closed  meeting. 

•Japan  Trade 
Intportan  tz 
Goldwyn 

HOLLY]\7OOD : The  need  for  recognition 
of  Japan’s  intention  of  trading  with  the  west, 
rather  than  have  its  goods  marketed  to 
Communist  China,  was  pointed  up  by  Sam- 
uel Goldwyn  last  week,  following  his  return 
from  a six-week  tour  of  the  Far  East. 

He  said  that  during  his  trip  he  had  the 
opportunity  of  talking  to  many  persons  in 
various  walks  of  life  and  that  there  is  a 
real  liking  for  Americans.  However,  “they 
were  also  obviously  perplexed  and  surprised 
at  what  to  them  appears  a violent  anti- 
Japanese  sentiment  in  the  U.  S.  as  repre- 
sented by  such  action  as  that  of  the  South 
Carolina  legislature  in  requiring  firms  sell- 
ing Japanese  textiles  to  place  on  the  front 
of  their  places  of  business  large  signs  stat- 
ing that  fact. 

“ Best  Foreign  Customer" 

“The  perplexity  of  the  Japanese  is  in- 
creased by  the  fact  that  they  know  that 
Japan  is  the  best  foreign  customer  for 
American  cotton  coming  from  the  same 
southern  state  now  agitating  against  Japa- 
nese imports.  They  also  realize  that  Japan 
is  the  best  foreign  customer  for  American 
wheat  from  our  farms  in  the  Middle  \\  est 
and  for  rice  from  California.” 

Mr.  Goldwyn  added  that  the  Japanese 
“have  heard  our  leaders  declare  that  it  is 
important  to  keep  Japan  on  the  side  of  the 
free  world  and  they  know  that  Japan  cannot 
be  a healthy  partner  without  the  opportunity 
to  trade  and  export  her  goods.  If  these 
Tapanese  goods  cannot  be  sold  to  Americans 
and  other  nations  of  the  free  world,  they 
will  look  elsewhere  and  the  most  readily 
available  alternate  market  in  their  eyes  is 
Communist  China.” 


36 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  MAY  5,  1956 


An  International  Association  of  Motion  Picture  Showmen — Walter  Brooks , Director 


Clause  tflutufc  SringA  a Veto  Outlook  to  Crcadtoaif 


REUNION  of  old  friends,  here  at  the 
Round  Table  last  week,  with  Claude 
Mundo,  newly  appointed  administra- 
tive assistant  to  the  president  of  Theatre 
Owners  of  America,  sitting  as  a judge  of 
the  quarterly  entries  for  the  Quigley 
Awards.  We’ve  known  Claude  as  a hospi- 
table and  capable  exhibitor  leader  on  his 
home  grounds,  in  Little  Rock,  Arkansas, 
where  we've  attended  conventions  at  the 
Marion  Hotel.  He  will  bring  his  grass-roots 
philosophy  and  practical  common  sense  to 
the  New  York  headquarters  of  TO  A,  at 
the  request  of  Myron  Blank. 

We  welcome  the  refreshing  viewpoint  of 
a good  showman  and  a true  representative 
of  motion  picture  theatre  operation  at  the 
local  level.  Like  many  with  a Southern  ac- 
cent, Claude  is  also  a good  politician,  and 
he  speaks  always  for  the  ‘‘little  guy”  in 
show  business.  We’ve  known  a lot  of  poli- 
ticians who  were  showmen,  and  a lot  of 
so-called  showmen  who  were  merely  poli- 
ticians, but  Claude  combines  the  best  fea- 
tures of  both.  We  predict  that  he  will  pro- 
vide Theatre  Owners  of  America  with  a 
new  personality  in  this  scene  which  will 
be  more  indicative  of  America  “West  of 
the  Hudson  River.” 

And  also,  we  had  with  us  as  a judge  on 
this  occasion,  Mike  Simons,  who  with  us 
counts  Claude  Mundo  as  his  good  friend. 
We  attended  four  out  of  24  of  the  MGM 
Ticket-Selling  Workshops  for  which  Mike 
was  primarily  responsible,  in  key  cities  from 
coast  to  coast.  Nothing  that  has  been  done 
in  recent  years  has  been  so  valuable  to  film 
industry  as  these  constructive  contributions 
to  the  fine  art  of  selling  tickets  at  the  box 
office.  But  Mike  is  on  the  go  so  much  that 
we  have  never  been  able  to  pin  him  down 
for  a quarterly  judging  on  schedule.  And, 
as  a result  of  his  viewing  the  entries  last 
Friday,  we  can  tell  you  that  he  went  away 
with  some  new  ideas  for  future  use.  And 
he  told  us  of  one  grand  new  idea  he  has, 
which  he  will  announce  in  his  own  time 
and  fashion.  He  says  it  will  do  as  much 
for  ticket  sales  as  the  Workshops,  and  that 
we  believe.  It  involves  a national  business- 
building organization,  and  a national  maga- 


THINGS  TO  REMEMBER 

We've  heard  "Rube"  Bolstead,  vice- 
president  of  Famous  Players-Canadian 
Corporation,  deliver  his  inspirational  talks 
to  their  managers  in  meetings  in  Canada, 
and  we  have  high  respect  for  his  good 
showmanship,  which  is  typical  of  John  J. 
Fitzgibbons,  and  the  whole  circuit  organi- 
zation, from  the  Maritimes  to  Victoria 
Island.  Famous  Players-Canadian  boasts 
more  two-time  Quigley  Grand  Award  win- 
ners than  any  other  theatre  organization  in 
the  world,  and  such  work  is  truly  inspired 
by  their  top  executives. 

Now,  we  like  "Twelve  Things  To  Remem- 
ber" which  comes  as  a note  from  R.  W. 
Bolstead,  to  the  men  in  the  field.  As  Dan 
Krendel  says,  "it's  verbal  dynamite" — 
twelve  points  that  are  potent  enough  to 
incorporate  into  the  plan  and  policy  of 
every  working  theatre  manager.  We  quote 
them  verbatim,  as  submitted  in  Dan 
Krendel's  "Ballyhoo  Bulletin." 

1.  The  value  of  time. 

2.  The  success  of  perseverance. 

3.  The  pleasure  of  working. 

4.  The  dignity  of  simplicity. 

5.  The  worth  of  character. 

6.  The  influence  of  example. 

7.  The  power  of  kindness. 

8.  The  obligation  of  duty. 

9.  The  wisdom  of  economy. 

10.  The  virtue  of  patience. 

11.  The  improvement  of  talent. 

12.  The  joy  of  originating. 


zine — and  we  think  the  idea  is  a honey. 
Now  we’re  trying  to  persuade  him  to  take 
just  one  of  the  top  campaigns  in  this  last 
quarter  as  a prime  exhibit  of  showmanship 
as  it  is  practiced  by  managers  who  are  also 
capable  of  merchandising  their  motion  pic- 
tures. Just  one  example — because  it  would 
be  confusing  to  offer  two  or  twenty  different 
campaigns,  to  prove  a point. 


C]j  BOB  WILE,  in  his  bulletin  from  the 
Independent  Theatre  Owners  of  Ohio,  com- 
ments on  the  double-truck  newspaper  ad 
placed  for  “Alexander  the  Great”  in  the 
Cleveland  Plain  Dealer,  which,  he  says,  cost 
$2,000  and  he  laments  the  expenditure  of 
so  much  money  for  such  a purpose.  He 
wishes  that  the  320  inches  of  space  had  been 
used  as  eighty  4-inch  ads  on  as  many  pages 
in  the  Sunday  issue,  thus  getting  on  every 
page,  because  the  potential  movie-goers 
read  the  amusement  page,  and  make  up 
their  minds,  without  the  impact  of  a block- 
buster. Maybe,  but  we  think  that  anything 
that  is  new  and  different  has  impact — and 
it  may  be  a good  thing  to  try  Bob’s  idea, 
next  time.  But,  meanwhile,  the  splurge  that 
United  Artists  put  behind  “Alexander”  will 
conquer  new  worlds  in  advertising — and  any- 
one can  play  the  field,  if  they  have  money 
to  put  down  on  win,  place  or  show.  Many 
small  ads,  repeated  on  as  many  as  80  pages, 
would  certainly  provide  impact — just  once. 
And  so  will  the  double-truck  on  “Alex- 
ander”— it’s  a one-time  shot,  not  to  be  re- 
peated soon  by  any  others. 

tj  PERHAPS,  there’s  nothing  new  in 
this  business,  but  there  are  new  twists  for 
old  ideas.  And  we  quote  Dave  Jones,  of 
Kerasotes  Theatres,  Springfield,  111.,  for 
another  good  one,  which  he  outlined  at  an 
exhibitors’  luncheon,  recently.  We’ve  all 
had  children’s  shows,  with  soft-drink  bottle- 
caps  as  currency,  good  for  admisson  at  the 
box-office.  Frank  Boucher  once  reported 
that  they  turned  in  over  a quarter  of  a mil- 
lion bottle-caps  in  payment  of  children’s 
admissions  at  the  five  K-B  Theatres  in 
Washington.  But  now — Dave  tells  of  an 
auction,  on  stage,  with  the  kids  bidding  bot- 
tle-caps for  whatever  they  would  buy.  As 
in  any  auction,  the  top  bidder  takes  the 
prize.  Nothing  said  as  to  whether  or  not 
they  paid  coin  of  the  realm  for  admission, 
but  the  attraction  value  of  the  bottle-cap 
auction  is  something  to  conjure  with.  Why 
does  it  take  so  long  for  good  ideas  to  find 
acceptance  among  showmen  always  looking 
for  these  twists?  — Walter  Brooks 


MANAGERS'  ROUND  TABLE  SECTION,  MAY  5,  1956 


37 


Jim  Barnes,  manager  of  Stanley-Warner's  Lyric 
theatre,  Huntington  Park,  Cal.,  is  close  enough  so  he 
can  take  the  youngster  who  won  his  "Song  of  the 
South"  contest  on  a personally  conducted  tour  of 
"Disneyland" — and  here  they  are  at  Mickey  Avenue 
and  Dopey  Drive. 


Bill  Burke,  manager  of  the  Capitol  theatre,  Brantford,  Ontario,  had 
a lucky  break  when  he  played  "The  Lone  Ranger" — because  Jay  Silver- 
heels  is  a home  town  boy,  and  Brantford  has  a "Tonto"  fan  club.  Here 
his  brother  and  sister  talk  with  the  star  from  the  Capitol  stage,  with  the 
local  audience  listening  to  the  long  distance  conversation  from  Hollywood. 


"Tribute  to  a Bad  Man"  opened  for  a "location  area 
premiere"  at  the  Fox  theatre,  Montrose,  Colorado,  where 
the  MGM  picture  was  made — they  had  a real  western 
celebration,  with  a "bad  man”  at  large,  and  the  price  on 
his  head  going  up  $5  per  hour,  until  caught. 


Lige  Brien,  special  events  manager  for  United  Artists, 
staged  a lively  world  premiere  of  "Quincannon,  Frontier 
Scout"  in  the  western  Kentucky  town  of  Mayfield.  Here 
Tony  Martin  addresses  the  crowd  outside  the  Legion  theatre, 
where  Ned  Greene  is  the  manager. 


Jim  Cameron,  district  manager  at  Famous  Players- 
Canadian  Capitol  theatre,  Fort  William,  Ontario,  is  one 
of  the  best  of  showmen — and  always  has  something  new  to 
offer.  Above,  one  of  the  cooperative  window  displays  in 
the  popular  "Fashion  Frolics"  arranged  by  the  Teener's 
Advisory  Council,  a long-range  plan  for  youthful  participation. 


And,  at  right,  Jim  Cameron  also  shows  the  interest  of 
young  patrons  in  his  fourth  annual  "Salute  to  Education 
Week"  art  show,  another  factor  that  has  been  built  up  as 
an  asset  to  the  theatre  in  a substantial  program  of  school 
and  community  relations.  The  paintings  originated  with  the 
students  of  creative  art  classes  in  local  schools. 


c 


38 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  MAY  5,  1956 


VIC  NOWE  AND  JERRY  BAKER 
TOPS  IN  THE  FIRST  QUARTER 


Problems  arising,  as  a result  of  differ- 
ences in  quality  and  quantity  of  Quigley 
Awards  entries  for  the  first  quarter  of  1956, 
have  created  a new  condition.  We  have 
chosen  two  representative  campaigns,  both 
in  large  situations,  as  top  winners.  There 
were  a total  of  69  entries,  and  many  small 
situations  among-  the  runners-up,  hut  no 
one  campaign  that  could  be  called  “best” 
from  the  smaller  theatres.  Since  those  that 
were  close  were  so  even  in  quality,  the 
judges  couldn’t  make  a distinction.  It  never 
happened  before,  in  our  point-system  of 
grading  entries  for  merit. 

Vic  Nowe,  manager  of  the  Odeon  theatre, 
Toronto,  is  one  of  the  winners,  and  Jerry 
Baker,  manager  of  the  RKO  Keiths  theatre, 
in  Washington,  D.  C.,  is  the  other.  Both 
campaigns  are  on  “Guys  and  Dolls” — and 
again,  there  was  an  additional  point  made 
that  in  these  campaigns,  the  managers 
“didn’t  miss  a bet”  in  making  every  conceiv- 
able contact  in  merchandisng  this  hit-and- 
run  picture.  When  “Guys  and  Dolls”  does 
eleven  weeks  in  J.  Arthur  Rank’s  flagship 
theatre  in  Canada,  that’s  news  of  importance 
in  film  business,  worth  special  attention. 

Scroll  of  Honor  and 
O verseas  Winners 

The  seven  Scroll  of  Honor  winners,  in 
the  usual  alphabetical  order,  are  listed  with 
full  knowledge  that  they  were  not  only  run- 
ners-up, but  neck-and-neck  behind  the  top 
winners.  It  would  be  hard,  indeed,  to  dis- 
tinguish between  this  seven  for  preference : 

Ken  Bromley,  Metro  theatre,  Melbourne, 
Australia. 

C.  Bushnell,  Odeon  theatre,  Bournemouth, 
England. 

Max  Cooper,  Cove  theatre,  Glen  Cove, 
New  York. 

Frank  Henson,  State  theatre,  St.  Louis,  Mo. 
Donald  Mackrell,  Haymarket  theatre,  New- 
castle, England. 

Allan  Perkins,  Roxy  theatre,  Midland,  On- 
tario, Canada. 

William  Wyatt,  Virginian  theatre,  Charles- 
ton, West  Va. 

The  overseas  winners  presented  another 
problem.  We  have  so  many  good  entries 
from  overseas,  and  it  is  so  hard  to  decide 
just  which  is  “best” — so  we  compromised 
with  campaigns  from  two  theatres  in 
Australia.  Therefore,  Arthur  Bowe,  of  the 
Metro  theatre,  Sydney,  and  Harry  Marsden, 
of  the  Metro  theatre,  Manly  will  share  the 
overseas  award  for  material  they  submitted 
jointly.  You  will  find  others  from  overseas 
among  the  Scroll  of  Honor  and  Citation 
winners  in  this  quarter.  There  were  good 
campaigns  from  England,  as  always — and  in 
fact,  with  Australia  and  Canada  considered, 
the  sun  never  sets  on  good  evidence  of 
British  showmanship. 


Old  friend s who  have  seen  a lof  of  showmanship  across  the  board,  were  our  judges 
in  the  first  quarter.  Above,  Mike  Simons,  who  headed  twenty-four  MGM  Ticket-Selling 
Workshops  in  as  many  key  cities  last  year,  and  conducted  these  constructive  discussions 
with  more  than  7,000  showmen.  Next,  Claude  Mundo,  administrative  assistant  to  the 
president  of  Theatre  Owners  of  America,  now  assigned  to  the  New  York  headquarters 
office  of  this  exhibitors  organization,  and  at  right,  a friend  and  associate  in  our  daily 
contact  with  film  industry.  Charlie  Franke,  trade-press  representative  for  Paramount. 


1st  Quarter  Citation  Winners 


J.  A.  BARTOLOTTI 
Paramount  Films 
Rome,  Italy 

HUGH  BORLAND 
Embassy,  Chicago,  III. 

PETER  BROWNE 
Plaza,  Guildford,  Eng. 

JIM  CAMERON 
Capitol 

Ft.  William,  Can. 

ALLAN  CLARK 
Odeon 

Bridgewater,  Eng. 

JOHN  J.  CORBETT 
Glove 

Gloversville,  N.  Y. 

ELMER  DE  WITT 
Millers,  Defiance,  O. 

J.  Dl  BENEDETTO 
Poli,  Worcester,  Mass. 

BILL  ELDER 
Warfield 

San  Francisco,  Cal. 

JOHN  M.  ENDRES 
Calderone 
Hempstead,  N.  Y. 

BEN  GARY 
Athena,  Athens,  O. 


CHARLES  GAUDINO 
Poli 

Springfield,  Mass. 

JOHN  W.  GODFROY 
Paramount,  Ashland,  Ky. 

ADAM  GOELZ 
Showboat,  Freeport,  Tex. 

JOE  GOLDENBERG 
Tuxedo,  Brooklyn,  N.  Y. 

W.  J.  HACKETT 
Kenning  Hall  Odeon 
Clapton,  Eng. 

EARL  HOFFMAN 
Michigan 
Jackson,  Mich. 

MEL  JOLLEY 
Century,  Hamilton,  Can. 

MELVIN  KATZ 
Embassy,  Johnstown,  Pa. 

NYMAN  KESSLER 
DeWitt,  Bayonne,  N.  J. 

ARNOLD  KIRSCH 
DeLuxe,  New  York 

BYRON  D.  LAMB 
Odeon 

Manchester,  Eng. 

FRANK  LAWSON 
Danforth,  Toronto,  Can. 

A.  LOEWENTHAL 
Ward,  New  York 


JOHN  LORENZ 
Pascack 

Westwood,  N.  J. 

ABE  LUDACER 
Valentine,  Toledo,  O. 

PAUL  LYDAY 
Denver,  Denver,  Col. 

C.  L.  McFARLING 

Orpheum 

Sioux  City,  Iowa 

TONY  MASELLA 
Palace,  Meriden,  Conn. 

M.  H.  PARKER 
Strand,  Erie,  Pa. 

TOM  PERCY 
Metro 

Melbourne,  Aust. 

G.  E.  RATHMAN 
New  Marion 
Marion,  Iowa 

TRUMAN  RILEY 
Grand,  Paris,  Tex. 

TED  RODIS 
Astoria,  Astoria,  N.  Y. 

FRED  ROSS 
Guild 

Crystal  City,  Tex. 

G.  SANTERAMO 
State 

Jersey  City,  N.  J. 


IRVING  SCHMETZ 
Forest  Hills 
Forest  Hills,  N.  Y. 

J.  A.  SHARP 
Shaw  Brothers 
Singapore 

SOL  SORKIN 
Keith's,  Syracuse,  N.  Y. 

MURRAY  SPECTOR 
Central 

Jersey  City,  N.  J. 

M.  C.  TALLEY 
State,  Lake  Wales,  Fla. 

EVAN  THOMPSON 
Fox,  Hackensack,  N.  J. 

WALDEMAR  TORRES 
Metro- Goldwyn- Mayer 
Rio  de  Janeiro,  Brazil 

G.  C.  WILLIAMS 
Regent,  Chatham,  Eng. 

BARRY  WORTH 
Metro,  Brisbane,  Aust. 

T.  A.  WRIGHT 
Regal,  Birmingham,  Eng. 

R.  W.  YOUNG 
Union,  Dunstable,  Eng. 

ZEVA  YOVAN 
Orpheum,  St.  Louis,  Mo. 


MANAGERS'  ROUND  TABLE  SECTION,  MAY  5,  1956 


39 


■■I 


SI, 


oivmen  in 


Jldi 


on 


Steve  Allen,  manager  of  the  Odeon  thea- 
tre, Haney,  B.  C.,  sends  a tear  sheet  of  a 
full-page  cooperative  ad  which  he  sold  to 
18  sponsors  at  $10  each.  That  realized  $180. 
which  gave  the  newspaper  $80  for  the  space, 
and  the  theatre  got  $80  as  "rental"  for  the 
special  children's  show.  That  left  $20  to  buy 
480  ice  cream  bars  which  were  given  to 
the  first  kids  in  line — which  is  nice  provid- 
ing. for  all  parties  concerned. 

▼ 

National  Dairy  Month  is  June,  according 
to  Bob  Wile’s  Ohio  bulletin,  and  Dale  Tv- 
singer,  Shea  Theatres,  Zanesville,  Ohio,  has 
already  sold  a cooperative  deal  to  Borden’s, 
which  will  net  $500  profit  to  the  theatre. 
Dale  also  accepts  cash  register  receipts  from 
the  Big  Bear  Super-Market,  each  one 
amounting  to  $10  good  for  one  free  admis- 
sion, which  the  sponsor  reimburses  at  re- 
duced rates.  Questioned  at  the  box-office, 
these  recipients  turned  out  to  be  “infrequent” 
movie-goers ; in  other  words,  they  wouldn’t 
have  been  there  otherwise. 

▼ 

Dave  Kaplan,  manager  of  the  Trans-Lux 
theatre,  Boston,  had  a contest  last  year  for 
the  best  letter  on  “Why  I Like  the  Movies” 
— with  a trip  to  New  York  as  a prize.  He 
had  answers  from  all  over  New  England, 
and  this  year  he’s  repeating  the  offer,  with 
the  help  of  the  same  sponsors,  including 
American  Airlines,  and  the  Hotel  Taft. 

V 

Fox  Midwest  Theatres  are  copying  some 
other  entertainment  arts  in  formulating 
“Ladies  Day”  in  Kansas  City,  with  a slight 
difference  in  tactics.  Ladies  will  be  admitted 
free  when  accompanied  by  masculine  escort, 
who  pay  and  pay  and  pay.  The  plan  will 
become  a regular  weekly  feature. 

V 

Motion  Picture  Daily  reports  a 36-hour 
dance  marathon  in  Atlanta,  which  gave 
“Rock  Around  the  Clock”  a big  send-off 
at  the  Centre  theatre.  The  picture  went  on 
at  1 p.m.  Friday  and  closed  at  1 a.m.  on 
Sunday.  Between  those  hours,  3,000  teen- 
agers packed  the  theatre,  and  50  spent  the 
night.  We  don’t  know  whether  or  not  this 
is  good  business. 

T 

L.  E.  Forester,  director  of  advertising 
and  publicity  for  Frontier  Theatres,  Tower 
Petroleum  Bldg.,  Dallas,  Texas,  offers  a 
set  of  mats  to  sell  the  idea  “May  Time  is 
Movie  Time — On  Your  Giant  Screen”  at 
the  reasonable  price  of  $4  for  the  set,  which 
is  just  about  enough  to  cover  cost  of  pro- 
duction and  mailing  to  fellow  exhibitors. 

T 

Ralph  Bradshaw,  manager  of  the  Biltmore 
Motor-Vue  drive-in  theatre,  Tucson,  Ari- 
zona, has  appointed  “thirty  little  Indians” — 
and  they  are  real  Scouts — to  prevent  vandal- 
ism, and  they  are  real  detectives  when  it 
comes  to  finding  out  who-dun-it ! They  are 
friends  of  the  theatre  management  and  aim 
to  stop  destruction  of  theatre  property. 


Maude  and  Jeff  Jefferis  have  reopened 
the  Pine  Drive-In,  two  miles  east  of  Pied- 
mont, Mo.,  for  the  summer,  and  we  have 
the  first  of  their  program  calendars,  backed 
with  a mimeographed  but  personal  message 
to  patrons.  They  are  boasting  of  a new  cof- 
fee machine,  and  likewise  hot  chocolate, 
besides  pizza  pies.  They  also  have  a TV 
set  in  the  screen  tower,  and  “if  you  must 
see  the  $64,000  question,  you  can  still  go 
to  the  movies.”  Hardly  any  better  showmen, 
than  Maude  and  Jeff,  across  this  broad  land 
of  ours. 

y 

Ed  Linder  has  a good  idea  at  the  Villa 
theatre,  Rockville,  Maryland,  in  suburban 
Washington.  He  admits  any  member  of  the 
American  Legion  and  one  guest,  if  he  pre- 
sents the  Commander’s  letter  for  the  month, 
which  contains  a special  postscript  to  that 
effect.  And  he  has  given  the  local  Baptist 
Church  free  use  of  the  Villa  theatre  on  Sun- 
day mornings,  while  they  are  building. 

▼ 

Gene  Moulinson,  manager  of  Loew’s  thea- 
tre, Canton.  Ohio,  sends  tear-sheets  and 
photos  to  prove  his  very  efficient  tieup  with 
Stark’s  Department  Store  in  the  promotion 
of  “Guys  and  Dolls” — a natural  with  mer- 
chants for  cooperative  advertising. 

y 

RKO-Pathe  have  a current  Screenliner, 
“Her  Honor,  The  Nurse,”  which  is  adver- 
tised directly  to  12,000  hospital  schools  of 
nursing,  and  nursing  career  committees  in 
a current  newsletter  from  the  National 
League  for  Nursing,  Inc.  That  should  be 
sufficient  information  for  showmen. 


Sol  Sorkin,  manager  of  the  RKO  Keith's 
theatre  in  Syracuse,  N.  Y.,  was  deluged  with 
letters  of  reply  in  his  newspaper-sponsored 
promotion  for  "The  Lone  Ranger" — in  which 
the  neswpaper  man  was  just  as  happy. 


Old  friend  and  good  showman,  Jack  Sanson, 
manager  of  the  Strand  theatre,  Hartford, 
Conn.,  poses  with  his  winner  in  the  "Miracle 
in  the  Rain"  contest,  which  resulted  in  an 
avalanche  of  interest. 

G.  E.  Rathman,  manager  of  the  New 
Marion  theatre,  Marion,  Indiana,  and  whom 
we  haven’t  heard  from  in  too  long  a time, 
is  back  in  the  mail  with  an  account  of  his 
campaign  on  “Ulysses” — which  was  aimed 
especially  at  the  schools.  Educators  re- 
ceived a personal  letter  from  him,  regarding 
the  picture,  and  with  the  announcement  of 
special  school  matinees,  at  student  prices. 
Teachers,  chaperones  and  school  bus  drivers 
had  guest  passes,  good  for  any  occasion. 

y 

Edwin  F.  Zabel,  addressing  all  district 
managers  and  theatre  managers  of  the  Fox 
West  Coast  Theatres,  gave  them  detailed  in- 
structions and  plently  of  promotion  tips  for 
the  proper  handling  of  Columbia’s  “Rock 
Around  the  Clock” — using  an  original  cam- 
paign from  the  Coliseum  theatre,  Seattle, 
Washington,  as  inspiration. 

y 

Mrs.  Lillian  Claughton,  of  Claughton 
Theatres,  Miami,  took  over  a popular  col- 
umnist’s stint  while  he  was  on  vacation  and 
turned  in  professional  copy,  of  interest  to 
readers  and  the  benefit  of  moving  pictures 
in  Claughton  theatres,  generally.  It  was  a 
real  good  job,  and  got  nice  applause  from 
local  newsboys  and  gals.  Mrs.  Claughton 
got  on  some  licks  from  her  temporary  ros- 
trum that  had  to  do  with  film  rentals,  too. 
With  praise  for  new  pictures  that  are  so 
good  they  can  hold  over,  far  beyond  the  old 
days  of  regular  runs. 

y 

Phil  Katz,  longtime  good  showman  and 
member  of  this  Round  Table,  now  adver- 
tising manager  for  Stanley  Warner  Man- 
agement Corporation  in  the  Pittsburgh  zone, 
sends  tear  sheets  of  good  copy  originating 
with  local  newspaper  by-line  writers  in  be- 
half of  better  appreciation  of  our  good 
movies  on  today’s  screens.  Censorship  is  a 
recurrent  problem  in  Pennsylvania,  and  good 
managers  are  more  in  favor  of  it  than  other- 
wis,  on  the  grounds  that  the  absence  of  any 
censorship  is  an  invitation  for  trouble  with 
opinion  makers. 


40 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  MAY  5,  1956 


A 


pproac 


k 


THE  BIRDS  AND  THE  BEES— Paramount. 

VistaVision,  in  Color  by  Technicolor.  Tell 
your  patrons  they  have  never  really  seen 
George  Gobel  until  they  see  him  on  the 
giant  screen  in  your  theatre,  in  this  lush, 
lavish,  colorful  fiim  production!  The  tele- 
vision star  himself  says,  "I've  never  had  it 
so  good."  Clowning  with  Mitzi  Gaynor 
and  David  Niven — in  the  hit  with  the  new 
hit  song.  24-sheet  and  all  posters  have 
been  created  by  Paramount  to  help  you 
make  lobby  and  marquee  displays,  with 
pictorial  art  that  sells  comedy  and  tickets 
at  the  box  office.  Folder  herald  keys  the 
campaign  with  all  the  best  sales  approach. 
Picture  has  been  extensively  pre-sold  in  TV 
Guide,  with  4,000,000  circulation  through 
40  regional  editions.  Newspaper  ad  mats 
are  fine  and  dandy,  in  all  sizes  and  shapes, 
from  the  teasers  to  the  special  composite 
mat  for  small  situations,  which  contains 
eleven  ad  mats  and  slugs,  plus  two  pub- 
licity mats,  all  for  35c  at  National  Screen. 
Paramount  is  currently  doing  the  best  job 
in  selecting  and  preparing  these  composite 
ad  mats.  There's  a regular  trailer,  a teaser 
trailer,  a TV  trailer  and  assorted  radio 
plugs,  available  from  the  pressbook.  George 
Gobel  cooperative  ad  page  heads  read 
"You  can't  Hardly  Get  Bargains  Like  These 
No  More” — which  line  will  be  recognized 
by  his  TV  fans.  There's  a George  Gobel 
game  promotion,  and  music  tieups  with 
exploitable  parodies  on  the  hit  song,  for 
the  special  use  of  disc  jockeys.  There's  a 
big,  new  George  Gobel  coming  into  your 
life — and  twenty  million  TV  viewers  can't 
be  wrong  about  his  comedy  antics.  With 
Mitzi  Gaynor  to  help  him,  in  VistaVision 
and  Color! 


SERENADE  — Warner  Brothers.  Warner- 
Color.  The  incomparable  singing  of  Mario 
Lanza  in  all  the  excitement  of  James  Cain's 
best  seller.  The  story  of  a farm  hand  who 
won  fame  as  a singer,  and  nearly  lost  his 
soul  as  a man.  Mario  sings  as  never  be- 
fore, "Serenade,"  "My  Destiny"  and  many 
more!  The  thrill  of  his  voice,  the  thrill  of 
a great  story,  the  thrill  of  a new  motion 
picture  triumph.  24-sheet  and  all  posters 
have  been  designed  to  provide  pictorial 
art  materials  for  your  special  lobby  and 
marquee  requirements.  No  herald  men- 
tioned, but  you  can  use  oversized  news- 
paper ad  mats  to  print  your  own.  There 
are  plenty  of  these  in  all  sizes,  from  teasers 
to  5-column  widths.  The  special  composite 
mat  supplies  five  ad  mats  and  two  pub- 
licity mats,  all  for  35c  at  National  Screen. 
Record  promotion,  with  RCA-Victor's  al- 
bum, and  various  disc-jockey  stunts,  are 
suggested  in  the  pressbook.  A set  of 
twelve  8x10  color  stills  will  tell  your  audi- 
ence you  have  superior  color  on  your  big 
theatre  screen,  and  you  have  it  now. 


MIRACLE  IN  THE  RAIN  — Warner 
Brothers.  You  will  see  a picture  of  very 
special  greatness!  Jane  Wyman,  Van 
Johnson,  in  the  story  of  a lonely  girl,  a 
soldier  and  their  street-corner  date.  This 
is  the  way  it  begins,  to  change  a girl's 
life,  and  bring  to  yours,  a new  excitement, 
a very  rare  glow  of  happiness.  You  can 
make  the  "Miracle"  come  true  in  your 
town,  by  following  the  excellent  contest 
idea  which  Warners  inaugurated  across 
the  country,  and  which  has  been  described 
in  the  Round  Table  and  repeated  in  the 
pressbook.  24-sheet  and  other  posters 
have  the  trademark  advertising  approach 
for  this  picture,  of  the  street-corner  meet- 
ing, in  the  rain.  Women  will  love  this 
tender  story  of  young  lovers.  Just  a kiss 
ago,  she  was  afraid  of  men.  Newspaper 
ad  mats  are  interesting  and  varied  for  size 
and  shape,  but  all  with  that  poignant 
quality  that  stands  out  in  sales  approach. 
The  combination  ad  mat  has  been  slighted, 
but  still  supplies  six  ad  mats  and  two  pub- 
licity mats.  You  better  look  further  into 
the  pressbook  for  more  to  work  with,  even 
in  small  situations.  No  herald  mentioned, 
but  you  can  print  your  own,  using  oversized 
ad  mats,  and  finding  a cooperative  adver- 
tiser to  pay  all  costs. 


COCKLESHELL  HEROES— Columbia  Pic- 
tures. CinemaScope,  in  Color  by  Techni- 
color. Jose  Ferrer,  Trevor  Howard,  in  one 
of  the  most  astounding  true-adventure 
stories  ever  printed  in  Reader's  Digest.  Ten 
brave  men  started  out  on  the  most 
desperate  mission  of  the  war,  in  canoes  so 
tiny  they  didn't  even  have  room  to  shake 
with  fright!  They  called  them  "canoe 
commandoes" — and  they  paddled  seventy 
miles  to  silently  invade  a great  harbor,  and 
blow  the  blockade  armada  to  bits.  One 
of  the  most  breath-taking  motion  pictures 
in  many  years.  No  poster  larger  than  the 
6-sheet,  but  these  have  pictorial  art  you 
can  make  into  lobby  and  marquee  display. 
Folder  herald  keys  the  campaign  with  the 
proper  advertising  approach.  Newspaper 
ad  mats  are  good,  and  in  sufficient  variety 
for  all  situations,  large  or  small.  The  special 
composite  mat,  is  well  put  together,  to 
include  seven  ad  mats  in  I-  and  2-column 
size,  and  two  publicity  mats. 


YOUR  ORDERS  FOR 

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ATTENTION 

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. . . Timely  news  supplementing  the 
special  monthly  department  covering 
all  phases  of  refreshment  service. 


PC  A to  Have  1 80  Booths 
At  Annual  Trade  Show 

Visitors  to  the  trade  show  of  the  Popcorn 
and  Concessions  Association  set  for  Sep- 
tember 20th  to  24th  at  the  New  York  Coli- 
seum will  find  180  booths  with  exhibits  of 
the  latest  in  vending  equipment,  according 
to  an  announcement  by  Lester  Grand,  Con- 
fection Cabinet  Corporation,  Chicago,  PCA 
exhibit  chairman.  The  trade  show  and  con- 
vention of  PCA  are  being  held  in  conjunc- 
tion with  the  conventions  and  trade  show  of 
the  Theatre  Owners  of  America,  the  Theatre 
Equipment  and  Supply  Manufacturers  As- 
sociation and  the  Theatre  Equipment  Deal- 
ers Association.  “This  year’s  trade  show  will 
have  everything  for  use  in  the  popcorn, 
theatre,  concession  and  vending  industries,” 
Mr.  Grand  said,  “and  all  conveniently  lo- 
cated on  one  floor  designed  with  good-size 
booths,  wide  aisles  and  no  obstructing  pil- 
lars.” The  area  will  be  designated  as  the 
“Popcorn-Candy  and  Concession  Hall.” 


Frankfurter  on  a Stick 

Equipment  to  cook  and  merchandise  “hot 
dog  on  a stick” — a concoction  made  by  in- 
serting a stick  into  a frankfurter,  dipping  it 
in  batter,  and  quick  frying  it — has  been  de- 
veloped by  the  Party  Batter  Company.  The 
new  chrome-steel  cooker  is  said  to  produce 
four  frankfurters  a minute  and  is  obtainable 
in  110  or  220  volt  models.  The  infra-red 
display  unit  uses  two  250-watt  bulbs  that 
illuminate  the  product  as  well  as  keep  it 
warm.  The  company  also  merchandises  bat- 
ter mix,  sticks,  signs,  posters  and  other  pro- 
motional material  for  this  food  item. 


Dime-Size  for  Tootsie  Rolls 

A dime-size  package  for  its  Chocolate 
Tootsie  Rolls,  recently  adopted  by  the 
Sweets  Company  of  America,  Hoboken, 
N.  J.,  is  now  being  marketed  nationally.  The 
box,  which  weighs  2y2  ounces,  utilizes 
chocolate  as  the  basic  color,  set  off  by  an 
orange  trim. 


New  Line  of  Hard  Candies 

A line  of  hard  candies  packaged  in  cello- 
phane bags,  designed  to  retail  at  39c  each, 
has  been  announced  by  Stephen  F.  Whitman 
& Son,  Inc.,  Philadelphia.  It  consists  of  four 
assortments — “sour  balls,”  “sparkling  mix,” 
“mint  wheels,”  and  “assorted  toffee.” 


MANAGERS'  ROUND  TABLE  SECTION,  MAY  5,  1956 


41 


CLASSIFIED  ADVERTISING 


Fifteen  cents  per  word,  money-order  or  check  with  copy.  Count  initials,  box  number  and  address.  Minimum  insertion  $ 1 .50.  Four 
insertions  for  the  price  of  three.  Contract  rates  on  application.  No  border  or  cuts.  Forms  close  Mondays  at  5 P.M.  Publisher 
reserves  the  right  to  reject  any  copy.  Film  and  trailer  advertising  not  accepted.  Classified  advertising  not  subject  to  agency 
commission.  Address  copy  and  checks:  MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  Classified  Dept.,  Rockefeller  Center,  New  York  (20) 


THEATRES 


LOST  LEASE!  CLOSING  OUT  COMPLETE 
equipment  conventional  theatre — 50  ton  Carrier  air- 
conditioning,  Simplex  mechanisms,  Altec  sound,  Ameri- 
can seats.  Will  sell  all  or  separately.  JOHN 
WILLIAMS,  State  Theatre,  Jackson,  Miss. 


STUDIO  EQUIPMENT 


AMER.  CINEMATOGRAPHERS  HANDBOOK.  >4 
price.  $2.50;  10'  Title  Animation  Stand,  $975.00;  Bridga- 
matic  Jr.  16mm  Automatic  Processor,  $1,500.00  value, 
S975.00;  Maurer  16  Camera,  lens,  2 magazines,  sync- 
motor,  12V  motor  w/battery.  all  cases,  complete 
$2,395.00;  5000W  Background  Projector,  reconditioned, 
$595.00;  Bardwell  McAlister  studio  floodlites,  3 heads 
on  rolling  stand  hold  12  bulbs,  $180  value,  $29.50; 
Quadlite  Heads  only,  $4.95;  Stands  only  $19.95;  Moviola 
35mm  composite  sound  picture,  $495.00.  S.O.S.  CINEMA 
SUPPLY  CORP.,  602  W.  52nd  St.,  New  York  19. 


BOOKS 


NEW  - FOR  THEATRE  MANAGERS  — “THE 
Master  Guide  on  Theatre  Maintenance,”  compiled  from 
authorities,  handy  for  reference  with  hard  covers  and 
index.  Published  by  Aaron  Nadell.  Price  $5  postpaid. 
Send  remittance  to  QUIGLEY  BOOKSHOP,  1270  Sixth 
Ave.,  New  York  20,  N.  Y. 


RICHARDSON’S  BLUEBOOK  OF  PROJECTION. 
New  8th  Edition.  Revised  to  deal  with  the  latest  tech- 
nical developments  in  motion  picture  projection  and 
sound,  and  reorganized  to  facilitate  study  and  refer- 
ence. Includes  a practical  discussion  of  Television 
especially  prepared  for  the  instruction  of  theatre  pro- 
jectionists. and  of  new  techniques  for  advancement  of 
the  art  of  the  motion  picture.  The  standard  textbook 
on  motion  picture  projection  and  sound  reproduction. 
Invaluable  to  beginner  and  expert.  Best  seller  since 
1911.  662  pages,  cloth  bound,  $7.25  postpaid.  QUIGLEY 
BOOKSHOP,  1270  Sixth  Avenue.  New  York  20,  N.  Y. 


POPCORN 


WORLD-WIDE  HEADQUARTERS  FOR  POP- 
corn,  popcorn  equipment  and  supplies.  POPCORN 
VILLAGE,  Nashville,  Tenn.,  U.S.A. 


USED  EQUIPMENT 


FOR  IMMEDIATE  SALE  1,800  USED  HEY- 
wood-Wakefield  upholstered  theatre  seats.  Will  sacri- 
fice. Anv  reasonable  offer  accepted.  Offer  ends  June 
7.  BOX  2919,  MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD. 


BEAUTIFULLY  REBUILT  LIKE  NEW!  SUPER 
Simplex  projectors,  cabinet  pedestals,  3000'  magazines, 
Magnarc  or  Mogul  Arclamps.  70/140  generator,  RCA 
PG230  sound.  Price  $3,950.00.  Available  on  Time. 
S.O.S.  CINEMA  SUPPLY  CORP..  602  W.  52nd  St.. 
New  York  19. 


LOADED  WITH  H.I.  LAMPHOUSES!  Peerless 
Magnarcs,  $395  pr. ; Strong  Mogul,  Brenkert  Enarc, 
Ashcraft  “E”  $350:  Forest  U.T.,  Ashcraft  “D”  Ballan- 
tyne  $300 — all  good  condition.  Available  on  1 ime. 
S.O.S.  CINEMA  SUPPLY  CORP..  602  W.  52nd  St.. 
New  York  19. 


EXCELLENT  COATED  PROJECTION  LENSES- 
many  brand  new!  Wallensak  “Sunray”  Series  I: 
2”,  3",  354",  344",  5”.  5J4",  6”,  7j4"— $35.00  pair. 
Superlite  Series  III  C coated  234”  - 3"  - 354”  $150.4)0  pr. 
Trades  taken.  Write  or  telephone  order  today.  S.O.S. 
CINEMA  SUPPI  Y CORP.,  602  W.  52nd  St..  New 
York  19. 


DRIVE-IN  EQUIPMENT 


IN-CAR  SPEAKERS  $4.25!  YEAR  WARRANTY. 
4"  unit,  steel  case  painted  blue-white.  Price  per  set 
2 speakers,  junction  box,  $12.25.  S.O.S.  CINEMA 
SUPPLY  CORP.,  602  W.  52nd  St..  New  York  19. 


NEW  EQUIPMENT 


THE  BUY  OF  A LIFETIME!  BRAND  NEW 
Holmes  Projectors,  high  serial  numbers,  with  Maga- 
zines, Lenses,  Cables,  late  Amplifier  and  Speaker 
(rebuilt  like  new)  all  for  onlv  $499.50!  Don’t  pass  this 
up!  STAR  CINEMA  SUPPLY,  621  West  55th  St., 
New  York  19. 


BEST  CINEMASCOPE  VALUE!  AVAILABLE  ON 
on  Time — Cinematic  IV  adjustable  anamorphic  $375  pr. 
Metallic  seamless  screens  75c  sq.  ft.  Send  projection 
throw,  screen  size — we’ll  figure  vour  requirements. 
S.O  S.  CINEMA  SUPPLY  CORP.,  602  W.  52nd  Street. 
New  York  19. 


INTERMITTENT  MOVEMENTS  — NEW  SUR- 
PLUS  for  Simplex  $69.50;  DeVry  $59.50;  Holmes 
$24.50.  Automatic  enclosed  rewinds  $69.50.  S.O.S. 
CINEMA  SUPPLY  CORP.,  602  W.  52nd  St.,  New 
York  19. 


HELP  WANTED 


WANTED:  EXPERIENCED  FILM  EDITOR  TO 
relocate  in  Washington,  D.  C.  Experience  in  sound 
work  helpful  but  not  necessary.  Send  complete  resume, 
salary  wanted,  etc.  BOX  2917,  MOTION  PICTURE 
HERALD. 


THEATRE  MANAGER  POSITIONS  OPEN  IN 
lower  New  York  State  with  one  of  the  larger  national 
circuits.  Must  be  experienced  in  actual  house  manage- 
ment, and  capable  of  handling  own  advertising.  In 
reply,  give  personal  details,  previous  experience  and 
salary  requirements.  Inquiries  treated  confidential. 
Box  2920,  MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD. 


MANAGERS  WANTED  FOR  CONVENTIONAL 
and  drive-in  theatres  in  New  Jersey.  Many  benefits, 
including  retirement  plan,  group  insurance,  and  hospi- 
talization. Applv  WALTER  READE  THEATRES. 
OAKHURST.  X.  J..  or  call  Kellogg  1-1600. 


THEATRE  EQUIPMENT  AND  SUPPLY  INFORMATION  SERVICE 


I would  like  fhe  latest  information  concerning  the 
equipment  and  supplies  indicated  by  number  below  or 
as  otherwise  specified: 

I 

— I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 
I 

I 

I 

— I 

Sealing  Capacity , 


Name 

Address 

Town 

Name  of  Theatre 


THEATRE  OWNERS  AND  MANAGERS  may  procure  the  latest 
information  concerning  theatre  equipment  and  supplies  by 
writing  Motion  Picture  Herald,  indicating  their  interests. 
Merely  fill  out  the  adjoining  coupon  and  mail  in  business 
envelope.  For  further  convenience  various  classifications  are 
listed  below  with  numbers  for  indicating  them  conveniently  in 
the  coupon.  Mail  the  coupon  to  Motion  Picture  Herald,  Theatre 
Service  Department,  1270  Sixth  Avenue,  New  York  20,  N.  Y. 


3 I W — Air-conditioning 
32W — Wall  materials 
33W — Drive-in  admission 
control  systems 
34W — In-car  speakers 
35W — In-car  heaters 
36W — Screen  towers 
37W — Vacuum  cleaners 
38  W — Carpeting 


39W — Rubber  mats 
40W — Interior  lighting 
4IW — Projection  lamps 

42  W — Projectors 

43  W — Motor-generators 
44W — Rectifiers 

45W — Screens 

46W — Magnetic  sound 

47W — Auditorium  seating 


48W — Curtain  tracks 
49W — Ticket  registers 
50W — Hand  driers 
51 W — Beverage  dispensers 
52W — Food  specialties 
53W — Frankfurter  grilles 
54W — Ice  cream  cabinets 
55W — Popcorn  warmers 
56W — Carry-out  trays 


42 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  MAY  5,  1956 


FILM  BUYERS  RATING 


Film  buyers  of  independent  circuits  in  the  U.  S.  rate  current 
product  on  the  basis  of  its  performance  in  their  theatres.  Tins 
report  covers  91  attractions,  3,0  5 8 play  dates. 

Titles  run  alphabetically.  Numerals  refer  to  the  number  of  en- 
gagements on  each  attraction  reported.  The  tabulation  is  cumula- 
tive. Dagger  (f)  denotes  attractions  published  for  the  first  time. 
Asterisk  (*)  indicates  attractions  which  are  listed  for  the  last  time. 

EX  means  Excellent;  AA — Above  Average;  AV — Average; 
DA — Below  Average;  PR — Poor. 


African  Lion,  The  (B.V.) 

All  That  Heaven  Allows  ( U - 1 ) . . 

f Anything  Goes  (Par.)  

Apache  Woman  (A.R.C.) 

Artists  and  Models  (Par.) 

At  Gunpoint  (A.A.)  

Backlash  (U-l) 

Battle  Station  (Col.) 

Benny  Goodman  Story,  The  (U-l) 
Big  Knife,  The  (U.A.) 

Blood  Alley  (W.B.)  

Bottom  of  the  Bottle  (20th-Fox) 


Carousel  (20th-Fox)  

Come  Next  Spring  (Rep.) 

Comanche  (U.A.)  

(Conqueror,  The  (RKO)  

Count  Three  and  Pray  (Col.)  

Court  Jester,  The  (Par.)  

Court  Martial  of  Billy  Mitchell  (W.B.) 


Day  the  World  Ended  (A.R.C.)  

Deep  Blue  Sea,  The  (20th-Fox)  

Desperate  Hours,  The  (Par.)  

Diane  (MGM)  

(Dig  That  Uranium  (A.A.) 

Duel  on  the  Mississippi  (Col.)  


Flame  of  the  Islands  (Rep.) 
Forever  Darling  (MGM) 

Fort  Yuma  (U.A.)  

Fury  at  Gunsight  Pass  (Col.) 


Gentlemen  Marry  Brunettes  (U.A.)  

Girl  in  the  Red  Velvet  Swing,  The  ( 20th- Fox ) . . 

Glory  (RKO)  

(Goodbye,  My  Lady  (W.B.)  

Good  Morning,  Miss  Dove  (20th-Fox)  

Guys  and  Dolis  (MGM)  


Helen  of  Troy  (W.B.) 

Hell  on  Frisco  Bay  (W.B.) 
Hot  Blood  (Col.)  


I Died  a Thousand  Times  (W.B.) 
I’ll  Cry  Tomorrow  (MGM) 

Indian  Fighter  (U.A.)  

(Inside  Detroit  (Col.)  


EX 

AA 

AV 

BA 

PR 

1 

7 

18 

13 

19 

5 

24 

9 

16 

4 

- 

- 

- 

3 

2 

1 

7 

2 

2 

_ 

10 

33 

18 

7 

2 

- 

1 

1 1 

26 

2 

_ 

5 

3 

10 

- 

4 

- 

2 

— 

1 

6 

9 

21 

1 1 

- 

- 

1 

1 1 

14 

— 

8 

29 

21 

3 

- 

2 

8 

1 1 

22 

1 5 

1 

2 

2 

1 

1 

12 

3 

2 

1 

_ 

17 

3 

3 

- 

- 

5 10 

24 

9 

7 

6 

5 

6 

2 

1 41 

27 

9 

- 

- 20 

1 

1 

- 

- - 

1 

2 

10 

1 1 

1 1 

19 

19 

— - 

1 

8 

27 

4 

1 

- 

- 

1 1 

5 

2 

2 

1 2 

7 

3 

7 26  27 

7 

8 

- - 5 

12 

2 

1 3 

2 

1 

- 

9 

20 

15 

16 

- 

3 

20 

31 

23 

1 

3 

6 

7 

5 

- 

3 

- 

3 

- 

1 

16 

13 

33 

12 

20 

6 

3 

1 

3 

- 

7 

23 

1 

1 

- 

8 

10 

9 

22 

- 

1 

3 

3 

1 

5 

1 1 

9 

9 

1 

2 

- 

- 

- 

13 

24 

12 

6 

- 

_ 

: - 

4 

2 

EX  AA  AV  BA  PR 


Kettles  in  the  Oiarks  (U-l) 
Kismet  (MGM)  


16  3 2 

4 17  21  20 


Last  Frontier  (Col.  ) 

Last  Hunt,  The  (MGM) 

Lady  Godiva  (U-l) 

Lawless  Street  (Col.)  . 

Lieutenant  Wore  Skirts,  The  (20th-Fox) 

Littlest  Outlaw  (B.V.)  

Lone  Ranger,  The  (W.B.)  

Lucy  Gallant  (Par.) 


2 16  18  4 

3 13  9 3 

-15  7 5 

I 6 14  4 I 

9 24  25  3 

5 9 9 6 19 

7 17  7-2 

- 23  17  II 


Man  Alone,  A (Rep.) 

Man  Who  Never  Was  ( 20th- Fox ) 
Man  With  the  Golden  Arm  (U.A.) 
Man  With  the  Gun  (U.A.) 


9 23  10  II 

- 2 8 - 10 

4 16  14  II 

I 20  16  8 13 


Naked  Dawn  (U-l) 

Never  Say  Goodbye  (U-l) 


-353 

7 5 4 - 


Our  Miss  Brooks  (W.B.) 


2 I 4 


Picnic  (Col.) 
Prisoner,  The  (Col.) 


12  10  I - - 

1-2-3 


Queen  Bee  (Col.) 

Quentin  Durward  (MGM) 


12  10  10 

5 12  26 


Rains  of  Ranchipur,  The  ( 20th-  Fox ) 

Ransom  (MGM)  

Rebel  Without  a Cause  (W.B.) 

Red  Sundown  ( U-l ) 

Return  of  Jack  Slade  (A.A.) 

Rose  Tattoo,  The  (Par.) 

Running  Wild  (U-l) 


I 

10 


1 1 
3 


9 

54 
5 
2 
5 
1 1 


29 

18 

20 

4 
1 1 
13 

5 


23 

17 

6 

1 

3 

4 

2 


8 
1 1 

3 

I 


Second  Greatest  Sex  (U-l)  ... 

Shack  Out  on  101  (A.A.)  

Sincerely  Yours  (RKO)  

Slightly  Scarlet  (RKO)  . . . . 
Song  of  the  South  (B.V.)  (Reissue) 

Spoilers,  The  (U-l)  

Square  Jungle  (U-l) 


-8  8 18  4 

-46-2 

I 9 17  16 

-2-15 
3 I 3-16 
I II  13  15  2 

I I I I 30 


Tall  Men,  The  ( 20th- Fox ) 

Tarantula  (U-l)  

Target  Zero  (W.B.) 

Teen  Age  Crime  Wave  (Col.) 

Tender  Trap,  The  (MGM) 

Texas  Lady  (RKO)  

There's  Always  Tomorrow  (U-l)  . 
Three  Stripes  in  the  Sun  (Col.) 
Treasure  of  Pancho  Villa  (RKO) 
Trial  (MGM) 

Trouble  with  Harry  (Par.)  

Twinkle  in  God's  Eye,  The  (Rep.) 


7 

2 

9 

I 

I 

10 


44 

19 

5 

2 

13 

3 

4 

- 

1 

4 

2 

1 

6 

7 

2 

_ 

30 

30 

15 

2 

2 

to 

14 

6 

- 

5 

3 

19 

7 

17 

10 

9 

1 

14 

14 

21 

1 1 

41 

20 

4 

1 

7 

8 

1 

2 

9 

2 

_ 

Unconquered  (Par.)  (Reissue) 


3 


World  in  My  Corner  (U-l) 


3 9 19 


Willi  AM  MAOWAO 


WHY  DID 
MAMIE  STOVER 
HAVE  TO  LEAVE 
SAN  FRANCISCO  ? 


20th  CENTURY-FOX 

PRESENTS 


JANE  RICHARD 

RUSSELL  EGAN 


The  Revolt 


AfCtW/e 


Stover 


JOAN  LESLIE 


AGNES  MOOREHEAD 

JOKJA  CURTRIGHT  • MICHAEL  PATE 
RICHARD  COOGAN  • ALAN  REED 
EDDIE  EIRESTQNE  JEAN  Wll.LES 


The  SttNOEE's 

got  just  the  patron- 
pulling eye-appeal 
to  boost  your 
boxofffice! 

See  that  it  gets  around  ...  in 
your  lobby,  out-front,  in  ho- 
tels and  terminals,  all  over 
town!  Wherever  this  life- 
like, traffic-stopping  Bally- 
hoo faces  the  public...  it 
boosts  the  talk  about  your 
shows ! 

Get  “Mamie”  tonight! 
Call  your  nearest  branch  of 


CHAMOISING: 

dex  . , . King  Sizes  for  Bigger  Profits 


York  City,  U.  S.  A.,  tin 
■r  Ct'nicr,  New  York  20 
II  contents  copyrighted  1956  fc.i 


act  of  March  3,  1879.  Pub- 
Subscription  prices:  $ 5.00 
ublishing  Company,  Inc. 


for  MAY 


Buyers  Index 
Exploiting  Stereophonic  Sound 
to  Actual  Screen  Performance 


ASTOR 

Completes  HOT 
2-month  run! 

"MEET  ME  IN 
LAS  VEGAS” 

Dan  Dailey , Cyd  Charisse, 
and  all-star  cast 
CinemaScope — Color 


X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 


M-G-M,  THE 
HOTTEST 


COMPANY 


/ 

/ 


// 


i i L I \ x X 


\ 


V 


V 


GLOBE 

Love  Adventures  of  the 
Planet  Girl  and  the  Earth- 
Man  amazing  Broadway. 

"FORBIDDEN 

PLANET” 

Walter  Pidgeon,  Anne  Francis, 
Leslie  Nielsen  and  Robby,  The  Robot 
CinemaScope — Color 


J 


Here’s  how  Leo  welcomed  Variety 
International  to  New  York  town! 


RADIO  CITY 
MUSIC  HALL 


Packed  houses  love  it. 
Never  such  reviews. 

"THE  SWAN” 

Grace  Kelly , Alec  Guinness , 
Louis  Jourdan 
CinemaScope — Color 


RADIO  CITY 
MUSIC  HALL 


( Next  Attraction  ) 

Aflame  with  love  and 
revolt.  A Big  One. 

"BHOWANI 

JUNCTION” 

Ava  Gardner , Stewart  Granger 
CinemaScope — Color 


VICTORIA 

( Coming ) 

Young  love  faces  life 
with  joyous  courage. 

"THE  CATERED 
AFFAIR” 

Bette  Davis,  Ernest  Borgnine, 
Debbie  Reynolds,  Barry  Fitzgerald 


PLAZA 

( Starts  May  22) 

Nothing  like  it  ever! 

A screenful  of  romance 
and  beauty. 

"INVITATION 
TO  THE  DANCE” 

Gene  Kelly,  Tamara  Toumanova, 
Igor  Youskevitch 
Technicolor 


TRANS- 


LUX 

52nd  STREET 

Not  since  famous  "Lili” 
such  screen  entertainment! 
The  love  story  of 

"GABY” 

Leslie  Caron,  John  Kerr 
CinemaScope — Color 


EXTRA!  SPECIAL! 

GUILD 

(Soon) 

The  Exclusive  Featurette 
in  CinemaScope  — Color 

"WEDDING 
IN  MONACO” 

and 

The  Prize  Picturization 
in  CinemaScope  — Color 

"BATTLE  OF 
GETTYSBURG” 


CO-STARRING 

IN  vistaVision  AND  COLOR  by  Technicolor  JEFFREY  HUNTER  • VERA  MIZES'  • 

motion  *ictu*c  MiGM.noeuTY 

SCREEN  PLAY  BY  FRANK  S.  NUGENT-  EXECUTIVE  PRODUCER  MERIAN  C.  COOPER  ASSOCIATE  PRODUCER  PATRICK  FORD  DIRECTED  BY  4-TI 


■ 


WARD  BOND  'NATALIE  WOOD 

ME  ACADEMY  AWARD  WINNER  JOHN  FORD  PRESENTED  BY  WARNER  BROS. 


Thank  you 
Mr.  Exhibitd^ 

Thank  you 
Mr.  Trade  P\tper! 
Thank  you 
Mr.  Column&M 
For  calling 

“THE  BIGGEST" 
ROUGHEST,  TOUGHEST.. 
AHD  MOST  BEAUTIFUL 
PICTURE  EVER  MADE!” 


through 


these 


pictures 


pass 


the  most 


bountiful 


girls 


on  the 


screen 


20th  CenturyfFox  presents 
FAN  SIMMONS  • GUY  MADISON 
JEAN  PIERRE  AUMONT  in  HILDA 
CRANE  with  Judith  Evelyn  • Evelyn 
Varden  * Print  by  TECHNICOLOR 
CINEMASCOPE  • Produced  by  Herbert 
B.  Swope,  Jr.  • Written  for  the  Screen 
ond  Directed  by  Philip  Dunne  ' From 
the  Play  by  Samson  Raphaelson 


It's  a pleasure  to 
do  business  with 
girls  like  these ! ^ 


20th  Century-Fox  presents 
JANE  RUSSELL- RICHARD  EGAN  in  THE 
REVOLT  OF  MAMIE  STOVER  co-star- 
ring  Joan  Leslie  with  Agnes  Moore- 
head  ■ Michael  Pate  • COLOR  by 
DE  LUXE  • CINEMASCOPE  • Produced 
by  Buddy  Adler  • Directed  by  Raoul 
Walsh  • Screenplay  by  Sydney  Boehm 


* 


V 


t 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD 


MARTIN  QUIGLEY,  Editor-in-Chief  and  Publisher 

MARTIN  QUIGLEY, 

JR; 

Editor 

Vol.  203,  No.  6 

WHJ  May 

12, 

1956 

Spotlight  on  Advertising 

A DVERTISING  was  the  topic  of  a panel  discussion 
May  7 following  the  judging  of  the  22nd  annual 
- -A  showmanship  awards  sponsored  by  the  Managers 
Round  Table  of  The  HERALD.  It  was  a timely  topic 
for  the  judges,  including  distribution  and  exhibition 
circuit  executives,  who  had  just  studied  the  outstanding 
examples  of  theatre  promotion  which  were  submitted  in 
the  contest  during  1955.  Advertising  is  and  always  must 
be  the  fundamental  instrument  of  motion  picture  ticket 
selling  promotion. 

The  panelists  were  representative  of  exhibition  and 
distribution.  Ernest  Emerling,  advertising  and  publicity 
director  of  Loew’s  Theatres,  and  Seymour  Morris,  ad- 
vertising, publicity  and  public  relations  director  for  the 
Schine  Circuit,  spoke  for  exhibition.  The  operations  of 
the  circuits  represented  run  from  the  largest  metropoli- 
tan situations  to  small  communities.  Distribution’s 
position  was  outlined  by  Silas  F.  Seadler,  Loew’s,  Inc., 
advertising  manager,  and  Charles  Schlaifer,  head  of 
Charles  Schlaifer  & Co.,  advertising  agency. 

The  positions  taken  by  the  speakers  were  moderate 
and  constructive  in  tone.  In  addition  to  the  direct  bene- 
fits of  learning  more  about  the  other  fellow’s  viewpoint 
which  often  may  be  obtained  at  an  open  forum,  it  is 
likely  that  some  of  the  suggestions  made  will  be  care- 
fully studied  both  by  exhibitor  and  distributor  advertis- 
ing executives. 

First  of  all  the  discussion  helped  to  clarify  the  impor- 
tance of  the  role  of  advertising  in  film  merchandising 
and  the  difficulties  involved.  No  other  industry  or  retail 
sales  outlet  faces  the  problem  of  constantly  selling  en- 
tirely new  products,  each  with  a specialized  appeal  and 
each  requiring  an  advertising  approach  of  its  own.  There 
rarely  is  an  opportunity  for  second-guessing.  In  contrast 
the  advertising  approach  for,  say,  a soft  drink  may  be 
changed  again  and  again.  Moreover,  in  most  other  fields 
a successful  advertising  format  may  be  used  for  months 
and  years  with  little  or  no  change. 

DISTRIBUTOR  advertising  men  present  at  the 
discussion  were  doubtless  pleased  to  hear  the 
experienced  spokesmen  for  exhibition  suggesting 
that  production  should  pay  more  attention  to  advertis- 
ing than  usually  has  been  the  case  up  to  now.  The  adver- 
tising staff  in  New  York  of  a distributor  often  is  pre- 
sented with  a problem  of  selling  to  the  public  a type  of 
production  for  which  it  is  difficult  to  arouse  mass  en- 
thusiasm. On  occasion  the  advertising  department  also 
does  not  receive  from  Hollywood  enough  good  stills  and 
other  material  with  which  to  work  in  planning  adver- 
tising and  publicity. 

The  success  that  is  accomplished  each  year  with  over 
three  hundred  feature  films,  most  of  which  have  special 


campaigns,  is  a tribute  to  the  skills  of  the  distributor 
advertising  staffs. 

Speakers  at  the  forum  pointed  out  that  there  is  much 
that  most  theatres  could  do  better  with  advertising 
materials  made  available  by  the  distributors.  There 
is  no  denying  that  many  fine  advertisements  are 
“butchered”  at  the  local  level  and  thereby  lose  appeal. 
Moreover,  at  least  in  some  situations  there  is  a tendency 
to  take  the  position  that  advertising  is  the  distributor’s 
responsibility  and  after  cooperative  advertising  is  run, 
all  the  theatre  need  do  is  have  a directory  size  listing. 
Such  policies,  of  course,  hurt  the  theatre  as  much  or 
more  than  they  do  the  film  company. 

The  principal  purpose  of  the  panel  discussion  was  to 
spotlight  the  fact  that  the  most  important  problem  facing 
the  industry  is  selling  more  tickets  and  that  advertising 
is  the  medium  on  which  the  major  share  of  the  burden 
of  accomplishing  this  good  end  must  rest.  Every  one  in 
the  business,  in  every  branch,  has  a substantial  stake  in 
the  effectiveness  of  the  advertising  placed  daily  in  news- 
papers of  the  country  by  the  theatres.  As  good  as  most 
film  advertising  is — like  everything  else — improvements 
can  be  made  both  in  content  and  in  more  effective  use. 

■ m m 

Wall  Street  on  Movies 

OF  LATE  Wall  Street  observers  and  commentators 
have  been  taking  a guardedly  optimistic  view  of 
the  motion  picture  industry.  This  is  in  welcome 
contrast  to  the  prophecies  of  doom  voiced  five  years  or 
so  ago.  One  of  the  more  penetrating  recent  Wall  Street 
studies  of  the  motion  picture  industry  was  published 
May  7 by  Arnold  Bernhard  & Co.  in  The  Value  Line 
investment  survey.  “Basically  the  motion  picture  indus- 
try should  be  benefiting  from  a favorable  economic  cli- 
mate over  the  next  few  years,”  according  to  the  report. 
Favorable  factors  are  “bigger,  better  and  more  pictures,” 
the  growth  of  leisure  time  and  the  sharp  increase  in  per- 
sons in  the  age  group  from  15  to  24  years,  the  best  movie 
customers.  Storm  clouds  are  cited,  though.  These  in- 
clude the  possibility  that  outside  groups  may  obtain 
control  of  one  or  more  of  the  principal  producer-distribu- 
tor companies  for  the  purpose  of  liquidation,  competition 
of  television  for  feature  films  and  the  lack  of  teamwork 
between  branches  of  the  industry. 

The  Value  Line  commented,  “This  service  does  not 
attempt  to  pass  judgment  on  either  side  (i.e.,  producer- 
distributor  or  exhibitor)  ; we  do  feel,  however,  that  such 
‘family  squabbles’  are  highly  injurious  to  the  entire 
industry.”  The  tax  repeal  campaign  was  cited  as  one 
area  in  which  the  branches  of  the  industry  have  already 
demonstrated  an  ability  to  work  together  effectively. 

— Martin  Quigley,  Jr. 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD 


Turned  Tables 

To  the  Editor: 

For  years  the  exhibitor  has  been  con- 
fronted with  some  kind  of  a drive,  cam- 
paign. week  or  month  put  on  by  the  pro- 
ducers and  distributors  honoring  everyone 
from  the  company  president  to  the  shipping 
clerk.  If  they  aren’t  honoring  some  indivi- 
dual then  it’s  the  company  itself  such  as. 
Paramount  Week,  and  the  exhibitor  is  asked 
to  bend  over  backwards  to  make  it  a success. 

For  some  time  I’ve  felt  that  something 
should  be  done  to  give  the  exhibitor  a boost 
so  I decided  to  do  something  about  it,  as 


you  will  note  from  the  above  heading.  Not 
that  I’ll  get  any  concessions,  knowing  pro- 
ducers and  distributors  as  I do,  but  at  least 
the  tables  are  turned.  Business  being  what 
it  is  my  month  could,  if  nothing  else,  get  a 
laugh  in  among  today’s  sobs. — BURR  IV. 
CLI.\E,  Mgr.,  Jamestoren  Theatres,  James- 
town, North  Dakota. 

Better  Dressed 

To  the  Editor: 

Pardon  be,  a common  layman,  a mere 
paying  patron  of  cinemas  since  1908,  aver- 


WHEN  AND  WHERE 

May  15-16:  North-Central  Allied  Indepen- 
dent Theatre  Owners,  annual  convention, 
Nicollet  Hotel,  Minneapolis. 

May  27-29:  Joint  annual  convention  of  the 
Motion  Picture  Theatre  Owners  and  Op- 
erators of  Georgia  and  Alabama  Thea- 
tres Association,  Dinkler-Plaza,  Atlanta. 

June  I 1-13:  Annual  conventon  of  the  New 
Mexico  Theatre  Association,  Hilton 
Hotel,  Albuquerque. 

June  11-13:  Annual  convention  of  Allied 
Theatres  of  Wisconsin,  Schwartz  Hotel, 
Elkhart  Lake,  Wisconsin. 

June  17-19:  Mississippi  Theatre  Owners 
Association,  1 6th  annual  convention, 
Edgewater  Gulf  Hotel,  Edgewater  Park, 
Miss. 

June  25:  Annual  golf  tournament  and  din- 
ner party  of  Albany  Variety  Club,  Shaker 
Ridge  County  Club,  Albany,  N.  Y. 


THANKS  FOR  HELP 

TO  THE  EDITOR: 

As  a fairly  newcomer  to  the  the- 
atre business,  I wish  to  thank  you  and 
The  HERALD  for  the  help  it  has 
been  to  me  in  my  business. — M.  E. 

DUNN,  Gem  Theatre,  Edmonton, 
Alberta. 


age  thrice  weekly,  intruding  among  you 
academians,  but  I must  protest  against  to 
whom  and  for  why  the  1955  Oscars  were 
awarded  for  the  best  costuming. 

Far  better,  far  more  effectively,  dressed 
Chinese  girls  are  regularly  seen  apart  from 
“Love  is  a Many-Splendored  Thing.” 
Charles  Le  Maire  has  a genius  for  making 
women  look  drab.  Going  to,  in,  and  return- 
ing from  the  theatre  that  picture  played 
here,  I saw  at  least  a dozen  really  well 
dressed  girls.  My  choice  of  the  best  dress- 
ing on  and  off  the  screen  in  1955  was  in 
“Young  at  Heart,”  particularly  Doris  Day. 
“The  View  from  Pomoey’s  Head”  is  excellent 
— that  subtle  artistry  of  a girl  preventing  the 
man  she  wants  going  all  out  for  her  by  insist- 
ing upon  wearing  jeans  and  scarlet  breeches. 
No  wonder  Dick  wasn’t  so  very  sad  at  the 
final  farewell. — DOUGAL  GRANTHAM, 
Apo  269  Mexico  1,  D.  F.  Mexico. 


September  19-25:  Annual  convention  of 
Theatre  Owners  of  America,  in  conjunc- 
tion with  the  annual  convention  and 
trade  shows  of  the  Theatre  Equipment 
Dealers  Association  and  Theatre  Equip- 
ment and  Supply  Manufacturers  Associa- 
tion, Coliseum,  New  York. 

September  28-30:  Third  annual  national 
convention  of  the  Women  of  the  Motion 
Picture  Industry,  Dinkler-Plaza  Hotel, 
Atlanta. 

October  15-16:  Annual  regional  conven- 
tion of  Independent  Exhibitors  of  New 
England  and  The  Drive-In  Theatre  Asso- 
ciation of  New  England,  Winchendon, 
Mass. 

October  23-24:  Allied  Theatre  Owners  of 
Indiana,  Marott  Hotel,  Indianapolis. 

November  24-28:  Allied  States  Association, 
Fall  board  meeting  and  annual  conven- 
tion, Statler  Hotel,  Dallas,  Texas. 


May  12,  1956 


Page 


ADS  MUST  BE  "TNT"  to  spur  public, 
Quigley  Awards  judges  told  12 

NATIONAL  THEATRES  reports  net  of 
$923,806  in  six  months  19 

TAX  CAMPAIGN  "gathering 
strength,"  says  Robert  Coyne  19 

UNIVERSAL-INTERNATIONAL  over- 
seas gross  reported  up  78%  22 

VARIETY  CLUB  barkers  come  to 
Broadway  for  annual  convention  24 

SMPTE  is  told  of  videotape  in  closing 
convention  session  26 

BRITISH  PRODUCTION  weak,  annual 
report  of  film  group  shows  30 

SERVICE  DEPARTMENTS 

Refreshment  Merchandising  48-66 

Film  Buyers'  Rating  3rd  Cover 

Hollywood  Scene  3 I 

Managers'  Round  Table  43 

The  Winners'  Circle  32 

National  Spotlight  36 

What  the  Picture  Did  for  Me  47 


Section  begins  opposite  66 
BUYERS  INDEX:  Market  Directory 
BACKING  UP  Technical  Progress 
SCREEN  "Light  Gain"  Values 

IN  PRODUCT  DIGEST  SECTION 

REVIEWS  (In  Product  Digest):  Away  All 
Boats,  Crowded  Paradise,  Star  in  the  Dust, 
Zanzabuku,  Stranger  at  My  Door 

Showmen's  Reviews  889 

Short  Subjects  890 

The  Release  Chart  892 

MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  Martin  Quigjey,  Editor-in- 
Chief  and  Publisher;  Martin  Quigley,  Jr.,  Editor;  Raymond 
Levy,  Executive  Publisher;  James  D.  Ivers,  News  Editor; 
Charles  S.  Aaronson,  Production  Editor;  Floyd  E.  Stone, 
Photo  Editor;  Ray  Gallagher,  Advertising  Manager;  Gus 
H.  Fausel,  Production  Manager.  Bureaus:  Hollywood, 

Samuel  D.  Berns,  Manager:  William  R.  Weaver,  Editor, 
Yucca-Vine  Building,  Telephone  HOIlywood  7-2145; 
Chicago,  120  So.  LaSalle  St.,  Urben  Farley,  Advertising 
Representative,  Telephone  Financial  6-3074;  Washington, 
J.  A.  Otten,  National  Press  Club;  London,  Hope  Williams 
Burnup,  Manager;  Peter  Burnup,  Editor;  William  Pay, 
News  Editor,  4 Golden  Square.  Correspondents  in  the 
principal  capitals  of  the  world.  Member  Audit  Bureau  of 
Circulations.  Motion  Picture  Herald  is  published  every 
Saturday  by  Quigley  Publishing  Company,  Inc.,  Rocke- 
feller Center,  New  York  City  20.  Telephone  Circle  7-3100; 
Cable  address;  "Quigpubco,  New  York",  Martin  Quigley, 
President;  Martin  Quigley,  Jr.,  Vice-President;  Theo.  J. 
Sullivan,  Vice-President  and  rreasurer;  Raymond  Levy, 
Vice-President,  Leo  J.  Brady,  Secretary.  Other  Quigley 
Publications:  Better  Theatres  and  Better  Refreshment  Mer- 
chandising, each  published  thirteen  times  a year  as  a 
section  of  Motion  Picture  Herald;  Motion  Picture  Daily, 
Television  Today,  Motion  Picture  Almanac,  Television 
Almanac,  Fame. 


JUNE  1 to  30 

Celeb  rate-JfllH£SIOlUn  THffilfif'S 

"WHAT  IS  PROFIT?"  MOUTH 

Mr.  Distributor,  Mr.  Producer  — JOIN  THE  FUN  ! 

GET  O.  Tv*  BAK»*GOv  »««  YCHJ>  Cl »TK>.  ev  GIVING 


8 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  MAY  12.  1956 


On  the  Ort 


onzon 


"GET  TO  WORK" 

"We  can't  lick  the  common 
enemy,  television,  as  long  as 
you  theatre  owners  and  man- 
agers stay  at  home,  watch  Perry 
Como  and  then  telephone  your 
box  office  to  see  how  business 
is."  Thus  W.  C.  Gehring,  as- 
sistant to  the  president  of 
20th  Century-Fox,  spurred  the 
Allied  Independent  Theatre 
Owners  of  Iowa  and  Nebraska 
at  their  convention  in  Omaha 
Wednesday.  Mr.  Gehring  urged 
personalized  operation  and 
old-time  showmanship.  He  also 
blasted  the  exhibitors  for  the 
numerous  suits  being  filed  in 
the  courts  and  urged  a single 
exhibitor  organization.  For 
other  news  of  the  convention, 
see  page  35. 

SKOURAS  VERSUS  TOLL-TV 

Spyros  P.  Skouras,  president 
of  20th  Century-Fox,  is  ex- 
pected to  come  out  strongly 
against  subscription  televi- 
sion when  he  appears  May  21  be- 
fore the  Senate  Commerce  Com- 
mittee in  Washington.  Mr. 
Skouras  recently  anounced  that 
his  company  had  refused  an 
offer  of  $2,000,000  plus  a 
prof  it-participation  deal , for 
a group  of  old  20th-Fox  fea- 
tures, packaged  for  possible 
sale  to  TV.  He  also  stated  that 
20th  Century-Fox  may  produce 
black-and-white  subjects  in 
Cinemascope . 

BRITISH  QUOTAS 

Commerce  Department  film 
chief  Nathan  D.  Golden  says 
British  films  accounted  for 
29.4  per  cent  of  the  first  fea- 
tures shown  in  British  thea- 
tres during  the  year  ending 
September  30,  1955,  and  for 
31.2  per  cent  of  the  supporting 
programs.  The  Cinematograph 
Films  Act  provides  that  30  per 
cent  of  the  first  films  and  25 
per  cent  of  the  supporting 
films  must  be  British.  How- 
ever, exceptions  for  relief 
cases  actually  dropped  the 
quota  requirements  to  25.3  per 
cent  for  first  features  and 
23.8  per  cent  for  supporting 
programs.  Mr.  Golden  added 
that  the  three  major  British 


circuits,  which  are  not  eligi- 
ble for  quota  relief,  exceeded 
their  quotas  for  both  type  of 
films. 

MORE  LOCAL  CENSORSHIP? 

The  Philadelphia  City  Coun- 
cil will  explore  the  possibil- 
ity of  local  motion  picture 
censorship,  it  is  indicated. 
State  control  was  knocked  out 
recently  by  a Pennsylvania  Su- 
preme Court  decision.  The  need 
for  power  to  ban  obscene,  im- 
moral and  crime-inciting  films 
was  emphasized  in  the  final  re- 
port of  the  April  grand  jury  to 
Judge  Eugene  V.  Alessandroni . 
The  judge  said  that  the  city 
ought  to  have  a censorship  or- 
dinance. However,  the  city 
council  may  not  be  able  to  pass 
a local  law  without  special 
enabling  state  legislation, 
according  to  Council  Presi- 
dent James  H.  J.  Tate. 

SELZNICK-20TH  HUDDLE 

David  0.  Selznick,  indepen- 
dent motion  picture  producer, 
is  reportedly  discussing  an 
independent  production  agree- 
ment with  20th  Century-Fox  ex- 
ecutives which  could  embrace  a 
number  of  pictures.  Mr.  Selz- 
nick who  recently  voided  an  in- 
dependent production  agreement 
at  RKO,  seeks  a deal  whereby 
20th-Fox  would  partially  or 
wholly  finance  his  future  pro- 
ductions, it  is  said.  Under  his 
RKO  deal,  Mr.  Selznick  had 
planned  to  produce  an  unspeci- 
fied number  of  top  films,  in- 
cluding a remake  of  "A  Farewell 
to  Arms . " 

"HIGH  NOON"  AGAIN 

Stanley  Kramer's  Academy 
Award-winning  "High  Noon," 
starring  Gary  Cooper  and  Grace 
Kelly,  has  been  set  for  na- 
tional re-release  in  June.  Ac- 
cording to  William  J.  Heniman, 
United  Artists  vice-president 
in  charge  of  distribution,  the 
picture  which  was  initially 
released  in  May,  1952,  has 
played  more  than  22,000  do- 
mestic dates  and  grossed  over 
$4,000,000.  The  re-release 
will  be  backed  with  a new  ad- 
vertising campaign,  a full- 


scale  publicity  drive  and  in- 
tensive promotion  of  the  title 
song.  The  picture  was  directed 
by  Fred  Zinnemann. 

THEATRE  CLOSINGS  HALTED 

Businessmen  of  two  Minnesota 
towns  and  one  Iowa  community 
have  pledged  their  financial 
support  to  three  theatres  on 
the  verge  of  closing.  On  the 
theory  that  a town's  economic 
well  being  depends  on  keeping 
marquee  lights  flashing,  mer- 
chants of  Hinckley  and  St. 
Charley,  Minn,  and  Seymour, 
La. , have  pitched  in  with  con- 
tributions . 

"MOBY  DICK"  COLOR  UNIQUE 

"Moby  Dick,"  new  John  Huston 
production  for  Warners  re- 
lease, is  unique  in  its  use  of 
color.  Mr.  Huston  has  in- 
creased the  dramatic  impact  by 
employing  "color  moods"  to 
create  moods  in  keeping  with 
the  theme.  These  were  achieved 
partly  in  photographing  the 
picture  and  partly  by  applica- 
tion of  certain  flexible  Tech- 
nicolor processing  techniques. 

BIG  BUDGET 

Last  week's  repeat  - tele- 
casting of  "A  Night  to  Remem- 
ber," a production  of  the 
Titanic  story  rivalling  in 
number  of  sets  and  players,  and 
in  its  use  of  them,  the  narra- 
tive effectiveness  of  the 
full-scale  motion  picture, 
convinced  Hollywood's  most  de- 
termined die-hards  that  fur- 
ther reliance  on  sheer  size  of 
budget  to  protect  the  theatri- 
cal motion  picture  from  the 
counter-pull  of  free  video  is 
absurd. 

CENSOR  TURNS  MANAGER 

"It's  quite  a change  meeting 
the  public,  running  a theatre 
and  arranging  for  their  en- 
tertainment, after  censoring 
movies  for  moral  objections." 
Thus  retired  Police  Lieutenant 
William  F.  McTernan,  for  18 
years  an  amusement  inspector, 
recently  summed  up  his  first 
week  of  work  as  a Providence, 
R.  I.,  theatre  manager.  He  has 
assumed  direction  of  the  Elm- 
wood, a cozy  neighborhood  house 
in  the  district  of  the  same 
name . 

William  R.  Weaver — Lawrence 
J.  Quirk — James  D.  Ivers — 
Floyd  Stone 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  MAY  12,  1956 


9 


VICTORS  AND  THE  VICTORS — Governor  Happy  Chandler  of  Kentucky  signs 
the  bill  repealing  Kentucky  ticket  tax  on  admissions  of  50  cents  or  less.  Watching 
are  the  men  who  fought  for  it:  Exhibitors  Russ  Brown,  Jim  Denton,  Johnny  Smith, 
Jim  Atteberry,  Box  Cox  and  Gene  Lutes,  chairman  of  the  tax  repeal  committee. 


4HI V ERSARIO 

,,,31 A PK 


FOR  CUBA — Jack  Cohn,  above  at  right,  Columbia  Pictures  executive  vice- 
president,  presents  a silver  howl  to  Ernesto  Smith,  manager  for  the  company  in 
Havana,  on  the  25th  anniversary  of  Columbia  in  Cuba.  The  presentation  was 
made  at  a party  for  Cuban  exhibitors. 


wee 


k 


FESTIVE  CAKE  — 
at  a dinner  in  honor 
of  the  election  of 
Richard  F.  Walsh, 
president  of  the 
IATSE,  to  the  AFL- 
CIO  Executive  Coun- 
cil. Cutting  the  cake 
are  Charles  W.  Hal- 
loran,  Mr.  Walsh, 
Russell  Downing. 


NEW  PRESIDENT, 
right,  of  ASCAP  is  Paul 
Cunningham. 


CHARTER  MEMBERS — below,  of  Variety  Tent  28,  Toronto, 
were  honored  at  the  recent  Heart  Award  dinner  of  the  group. 
Here  are  Nat  Taylor;  John  J.  Fitzgibbons,  Big  Boss;  Ernie 
Raw  ley  and  Oscar  Hanson,  charter  members;  Dave  Griesdorf, 
chief  barker;  Ben  Okun  and  Gordon  Lightstone,  charter 
members,  and  Rev.  G.  A.  Cherrier,  O.  B.  E.,  tent  chaplain. 


“THE  MAN  WHO  KNEW  TOO  MUCH” — Jimmy  Stewart 
fights  his  way  through  one  of  the  many  labyrinthine  turns  in 
Paramount’s  new  Alfred  Hitchcock  picture  ready  for  release 
for  Summer  business. 


IN  SINGAPORE — below,  Mrs.  Loke  Wan 
Tho,  wife  of  the  head  of  the  Cathay  Organi- 
zation, exhibitors  and  distributors,  presents 
an  award  to  star  Yuen  Chuen  at  a premiere 
at  the  Odeon  theatre. 


GLOBAL  CONFERENCE  — Universal- 
International  brought  its  foreign  sales 
heads  to  Hollywood  this  week  for  an 
international  meeting.  (See  page  22.) 


“D-DAY,  THE  SIXTH  OF  JUNE”— Robert 
Taylor  and  Dana  Wynter,  shown  below,  star 
with  Richard  Todd  and  Edmund  O’Brien  in 
this  new  20th-Fox  release. 


PLANNING  the  premiere  of  MGM’s  “Invitation  to  the  Dance”  are 
Walter  Brecher,  executive  of  New  York’s  Plaza  theatre,  and  Mrs.  Walter 
Shirley,  Jr.,  and  Mrs.  Bruce  Gimbel,  of  the  Ballet  Theatre  Foundation. 


by  the  Herald 


STUDIO  CONFERENCE— 
above  left.  Billy  Wilder, 
Mario  Lanza,  Jack  L.  Warner 
and  Steve  Trilling  at  the 
Warner  studio.  Mr.  Wilder 
is  directing  “The  Spirit  of 
St.  Louis”  for  Warners 
and  Mr.  Lanza  stars  in  their 
“Serenade.” 


WELCOME— Sir  Tom  O’Brien,  in 
New  York  from  London  for  the 
Variety  Club  convention,  is  hon- 
ored by  Alan  Horn,  right,  deputy 
director  of  the  British  Information 
Service,  at  a cocktail  party.  Ralph 
Champion,  chief  of  the  London 
Mirror  U.  S.  Bureau,  is  at  left. 


INTRODUCTION.  John  H.  Vickers,  chairman  of  the  luncheon  the 
National  Film  Carriers  and  National  Film  Service  tendered  in  New'  York 
to  their  friends  in  distribution  and  the  press,  introduces  NFC  president 
M.  S.  Wyeoff,  of  the  Wycoff  Company,  Salt  Lake  City.  Also  with  him 
on  the  dais,  M.  H.  Brandon,  chairman  of  the  NFC  executive  committee; 
A.  W.  Sehwalberg,  producers’  representative;  Chester  M.  Ross,  NFS 
executive  vice-president;  Clarence  Hill,  20th-Fox;  Meyer  Adelman,  NFC. 


by  the  Herald 


| ADS  MUST  BE  "TXT"  TO 
j SPUR  PUBLIC,  QUIGLEY 

I AWARDS  JUDGES  TOLD 


by  CHARLES  S.  AARONSON 

Utilizing  the  promotional  facilities  at  its  command,  the  motion  picture  indus- 
try must  use  “more  TNT”  to  shock  the  public  out  of  its  lethargic  state  and 
into  the  film  theatres  of  the  nation. 

That  premise,  in  essence,  was  the  keynote  of  a panel  discussion  of  current 
motion  picture  advertising  procedure  which  featured  the  22nd  annual  Quigley 
Awards  luncheon,  held  Monday  at  Toots  Shor’s  on  New  York’s  51st  Street. 


The  winners  of  the  Quigley  Awards  for 
1955  were: 

GEORGE  KEMP,  Grand  Award  Win- 
ner for  Large  Situations,  manager  of 
the  Stanley  Warner  Montauk  thea- 
tre, Passaic,  N.  J. 

JOHN  McKIM,  Winner  of  the  Grand 
Award  for  Small  Situations,  man- 
ager of  the  Odeon  Theatres  (Can- 
ada) Ltd.,  Odeon  theatre,  Lady- 
smith, B.  C. 

H.  G.  SCHENK,  Overseas  Award. 
Paramount  Films  of  Germany, 
Frankfort  am  Main,  Germany. 

Mr.  Kemp  has  been  a Round  Tabler  since 
1949,  and  has  been  a manager  for  the  Fabian 
circuit  and  the  Schine  circuit.  He  won  the 
Stanley  Warner  Newark  zone  grand  prize 
of  a trip  to  Europe  in  1955.  He  won  the 
second  quarterly  award  and  the  Grand 
Award  for  the  same  campaign. 

Mr.  McKim,  a member  of  the  Round 
Table  -ince  July,  1954.  won  a Scroll  of 
Honor  in  two  quarterly  contests,  and  ha? 
also  won  a promotion  to  the  home  office  of 
Odeon  Theatres  in  Toronto. 

Mr.  Schenk  won  a Scroll  of  Honor  in  the 
third  quarter  of  1954  and  the  second  of  1955. 

Following  the  annual  judging  of  the  en- 
tries in  The  HERALD  Managers’  Round 


The  Committee  of  Judges  for 
the  Awards  will  he  found  listed 
on  page  45. 


Table  showmanship  competition,  with  some 
70  judges  inclusive  of  the  higher  echelon 
of  promotional  and  sales  executives  in  New 
York,  both  of  circuit  and  distribution  man- 
agement, a panel  discussion  on  current  ad- 
vertising practices  in  the  industry  was  held. 

Representative  of  the  circuit,  or  exhibition 
point  of  view  in  the  discussion  were  Ernest 
Emerling,  director  of  advertising  and  pub- 
licity for  Loew’s  Theatres,  and  Seymour 
Morris,  director  of  advertising  and  publicity 


for  the  Schine  Circuit.  On  the  other  side 
of  the  table,  so  to  speak,  and  representing 
distribution,  were  Charles  Schlaifer,  presi- 
dent of  Charles  Schlaifer,  Inc.,  agency  spe- 
cializing in  motion  picture  promotion,  and 
for  years  an  advertising  executive  in  the 
motion  picture  industry,  and  Silas  F.  Sead- 
ler,  advertising  manager  foi  MGM. 

Presiding  at  the  luncheon,  and  moderator 
of  the  panel  discussion.  Martin  Quiglev  wel- 
comed the  judges  and  guests,  introduced 
previous  Quigley  Award  winners,  and  cited 
the  fact  that  the  Managers  Round  Table  cur- 
rently is  enjoying  its  largest  membership, 
under  the  direction  of  Walter  Brooks,  with 
the  total  now  in  excess  of  7,000  members. 
The  former  winners  introduced  were : Lige 
Brien,  director  of  special  events  for  United 
Artists:  J.  Raymond  Bell,  public  relations 
executive  for  Columbia;  Charles  R.  Hacker, 
manager  of  operations,  Radio  City  Music 
Hall,  and  Harry  Goldberg,  director  of  ad- 
vertising and  publicity  for  Stanley  Warner. 

Morris  Makes  Plea 

The  most  trenchant  plea  for  a new  and 
vital  spark  to  he  set  behind  the  advertising 
guns  was  voiced  by  Mr.  Morris,  who  de- 
scribed himself  as  continuing  to  be  optimis- 
tic about  the  industry,  its  product  and  its 
progress.  If  the  current  media  and  methods 
of  advertising  are  not  enough,  he  said,  we 
must  use  new  methods. 

“Big  pictures,”  he  said,  “need  big  ad 
campaigns.”  At  the  same  time,  he  decried 
those  motion  picture  themes  which  by  their 
basic  nature  made  it  necessary  that  the  ad- 
vertising campaigns  for  those  pictures  be 
based  on  indirection  and  innuendo,  instead 
of  a direct  approach.  A negative  type  of 
ad  campaign  selling  was  a serious  error,  he 
felt,  and  incidentally  cited  the  book  best- 
seller as  “over-rated,”  insofar  as  motion  pic- 
ture selling  is  concerned. 

“If  a picture  cannot  be  sold  adequately 
and  properly  (by  reason  of  its  theme),”  he 
said,  “it  should  not  have  been  made  in  the 
first  place.” 

( Continued  on  page  14) 


Erne sf  Emerling 


Charles  Schlaifer 


Seymour  Morris 


Silas  F.  Seadler 


12 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  MAY  12,  1956 


Alex  Harrison,  Rodney  Bush. 


Daniel  T.  O'Shea,  Sol  Schwartz  and  Walter  Branson. 


Robert  J.  Rubin  and  Robert  Moc hr/e,  below. 


Walter  Brooks,  Monroe  G reenthal  and  James 
Hardiman,  above. 

Alfred  Stern  and  Charles  Reagan,  below. 


Seymour  Morris,  Jerome  Pickman  and  Sidney 
Blumenstock. 


Samuel  Rinzler  and  William  Heineman. 


THE  WINNERS  OF  THE  GRAND  AWARDS 


GEORGE  KEMP,  left,  and  H.  G.  SCHENK,  right,  are  the  Grand  Award  winners  for  large 
situations  and  oversees.  JOHN  Me  KIM  won  the  award  for  small  situations.  Mr.  Kemp, 
manager  of  the  Stanley  Warner  Montauk  theatre  in  Passaic,  N.  J.;  Mr.  Me  Kim,  the 
Odeon  theatre,  Ladysmith.  B.  C.;  Mr.  Schenk  is  Paramount  publicity  head  in  Germany. 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  MAY  12,  1956 


Herman  Robbins,  Martin  Quigley  and  Sol 
Schwartz. 

QUIGLEY  AWARDS 

( Continued  from  page  12) 

Mr.  Seadler  agreed  with  the  need  for 
“dynamite”  as  applied  to  advertising  cam- 
paigns on  pictures,  but  defended  his  col- 
leagues in  distributor  advertising,  declaring 
that  too  often  the  fault  lay  in  studio — and 
agent — insistence  on  specific  allocations  in 
advertising  for  the  billing  of  stars  and  other 
talent.  Contractual  billing  requirements,  he 
insisted,  make  most  difficult  the  advertising 
man’s  task  of  preparing  adequate  ads,  since 
the  personality  billings  occupy  so  much  of 
the  available  space. 

He  cited  for  the  consistent  high  type  of 
theatre  institutional  advertising  it  has  em- 
ployed over  the  years  the  Radio  City  Music 
Hall  and  its  managing  head,  Russell  Down- 
ing. Mr.  Morris  in  that  connection,  how- 
ever. made  the  point  that  what  is  good  for 
the  Music  Hall  in  New  York  would  not 
necessarily  be  good  for  a theatre  in,  say, 
Columbus,  Ohio. 

Some  Constructive  Criticism 

Mr.  Emerling,  in  a careful,  analytical 
citing  of  chapter  and  verse,  with  due  ac- 
knowledgement of  the  capabilities  of  the 
men  re>ponsible  for  the  promotional  activity 
of  the  industry,  focused  attention  on  certain 
areas  which  he  felt  were  in  need  of  improve- 
ment. His  intent  was  for  constructive  cri- 
ticism, he  said. 

Often,  he  said,  the  man  who  creates  the 
ad  fails  to  appreciate  that  it  will  appear  on 
a newspaper  amusement  page,  which  is  clut- 
tered, crowded  and  “messy,”  and  that  the 
ad  must  be  prepared  in  such  a way  that  it 
will  stand  out  from  its  surroundings  sharply 
and  effectively.  Also,  he  said,  copy  in  some 
instances  was  not  sufficiently  informative 
and  should  be  more  specific. 

Pressbooks,  he  said,  were  not  out  soon 
enough  to  be  of  greatest  value.  Greater 
variety  should  be  provided  in  pressbook  ads, 
he  felt,  and  too  often  the  ads  ignore  the 
fact  that  some  65  per  cent  of  the  nation’s 
theatres  operate  on  a double  bill  policy,  and 
leave  the  exhibitor  no  space  adequately  to 


Gerald  Shea,  Russell  Downing,  Lynn  Farnol. 


Walton. 


Sidney  Schaefer  and 
Mervin  Houser,  above. 


Roger  Lewis,  Sidney 
Blumenstock  and  Jeffer- 
son Livingston,  left. 


Robert  Shapiro.  Harry 
Monde/  and  Steve  Ed- 
wards, below. 


cover  the  announcement  of  his  second  fea- 
ture. 

Trailers  are  of  prime  value  and  impor- 
tance, Mr.  Emerling  declared,  and  they 
should  be  timed  to  have  the  greatest  possible 
impact  on  their  captive  audience.  He  found 
fault  with  the  quality  of  still  photographs 


available  today,  said  that  the  use  of  tele- 
vision is  of  value  if  the  material  is  such 
that  the  public  will  be  intrigued  by  it,  and 
said  the  quality  of  the  distribution  exploita- 
tion men  going  into  the  field  today  has  im- 
proved, and  the  results  prove  their  value. 

{Continued  on  page  45) 


14 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  MAY  12,  1956 


THE 

GREATEST 

NOVEL 

EVER  WRITTEN  . . . 

Paramount  is  pleased  to  announce  to  the  exhibitors  of  the 
world  that  production  has  been  completed,  editing  is  under 
way  and  unparalleled  preselling  has  started . . . for  the  most 
important  literary  property  that  has  ever  reached  the  boxoffice. . . 


The  motion  picture  which  has  challenged  the  dreams  of  every  producer  for  the  fifty  years  of  screen  history  has  at  last 
been  made.  The  miracle  of  VistaVision,  the  talent  of  an  international  cast,  the  tireless  work  of  eleven  years  prepara- 
tion, the  vast  filming  project  of  many  months  ...  all  these  have  now  placed  this  masterpiece  in  its  final  stages  of 
editing.  Already  the  tide  of  public  interest  is  rising  higher  and  higher— in  anticipation  of  this  epic  story  of  the  grandeur 
of  man  and  the  horror  of  war.  And  the  far-flung  mass  audience  awaiting  it  will  share  in  the  most  deeply  felt  love 
story  the  screen  has  ever  had  the  privilege  to  record.  “WAR  AND  PEACE ” will  reach  theatres  late  this  year.  It  will 
be  a milestone  in  exhibition,  as  well  as  in  production.  It  will  be  a major  experience  in  the  lives  of  all  who  see  it. 


A PONTI-DE  LAURENTIIS  PRODUCTION 
Co-starring 


HELMUT  DANTINE  • BARRY  IONES  • ANNA  MARIA  FERRERO  • MILLY  VITALE  • JEREMY  BRETT  and 


Produced  by  DM  DE  LAURENTIIS  - Directed  by  KING  VIDOR 

Based  on  the  novel  "War  And  Peace"  by  LEO  TOLSTOY 

Color  by  TECHNICOLOR 

yistaVision 

MOTION  noun  I HIOM-FIDfUTV 


T IN 

(AS.*- 


Urges  Push 
For  Grosses 

BILLINGS,  MONT.:  Claude  C.  Mundo, 
administrative  assistant  to  the  president  of 
the  Theatre  Owners  of  America,  spoke  on 
the  forthcoming  TOA  convention  at  the 
spring  meeting  of  the  Montana  Theatres 
Association,  held  this  week  at  the  Northern 
Hotel  here. 

He  said  the  exhibitor  must  choose  one  of 
two  courses  open  to  him  in  the  present 
status  of  the  declining  box  office — “to  re- 
main dormant,  refusing  to  admit  its  actual 
existence  ...  in  the  hope  of  a tomorrow’s 
miracle  . . or  “to  lend  his  constructive 
talents  by  attending'  TOA's  national  conven- 
tion (September  19-25),  the  greatest  yet, 
devised  to  present  the  most  practical  and 
tangible  concentration  of  minds  ever  assem- 
bled.” 

Mr.  Mundo  said  there  is  no  greater  forum 
for  the  exchange  of  industry  information 
than  conventions,  which  are  so  important  to 
the  American  economic  scene.  “Special  in- 
terest problems,”  he  said,  “soon  develop 
into  aggressive  action  . . . when  it  becomes 
known  they  are  of  common  interest.”  He 
added  that  the  exhibitor’s  attendance  at  the 
convention  “is  an  apprenticeship  in  tomor- 
row’s operation”  and  that  “the  solutions  of 
many  perplexing  problems  might  well  come 
from  such  a meeting.” 

Billboard  Campaign 
Set  for  "Trapeze" 

As  part  of  its  $2,000,000  promotion  for 
‘Trapeze,”  United  Artists  has  set  a high- 
way billboard  campaign  which  will  spot 
2,500  conventional  and  luminous  24-sheets 
at  key  highway  locations  in  California, 
Connecticut,  Illinois,  Louisiana,  Maryland, 
Massachusetts,  Michigan,  Minnesota,  Mis- 
souri, New  York,  Ohio,  Pennsylvania,  Tex- 
as, Washington  and  Wisconsin.  The  film 
wdl  have  its  world  premiere  at  the  Fox 
Wilshire  theatre  in  Los  Angeles  May  29. 
The  Hecht-Lancaster  film  stars  Burt  Lan- 
caster, Tony  Curtis  and  Gina  Lollobrigida 
and  features  Katy  Jurado. 


Allied  Artists  Dividend 

At  a meeting  of  the  executive  committee 
of  the  board  of  directors  of  Allied  Artists 
Corporation  May  2,  a quarterly  dividend  of 
13'’4  cents  per  share  on  the  company’s 
Sl/2  per  cent  cumulative  preferred  stock  was 
voted,  payable  June  15,  1956  to  stockholders 
of  record  June  4. 


To  Guide  Convention 

BOSTON:  Michael  Redstone  and  Nathan 
Yamins  have  been  named  co-chairmen  of 
the  1956  convention  of  Independent  Exhi- 
bitors, Inc.  of  New  England,  it  is  announced 
by  Edward  W.  Lider,  president.  The  two- 
day  convention  is  set  for  October  15-16  at 
Toy  Town  Tavern,  Winchendon,  Mass. 


Konczakowski  Suits 
Limitations  Sets 

The  Konczakowski  Circuit,  in  its  anti- 
trust suit,  was  barred  in  New  York’s  Fed- 
eral District  Court  recently  from  claiming 
damages  against  certain  defendants  prior  to 
December  30,  1949.  The  defendants  involved 
in  the  decision  were  Paramount  Pictures, 
Paramount  Film  Distribution  Co.,  Buffalo 
Paramount  Corp.  and  American  Broadcast- 
ing-Paramount Theatres.  The  circuit,  which 
operates  theatres  in  the  Buffalo  area,  was 
barred  under  the  statute  of  limitations,  ac- 
cording to  the  decision.  The  anti-trust  ac- 
tion concerns  the  following  Konczakowski 
theatres:  the  Mario,  Circle,  Senate  and 
Regent.  The  eight  majors  are  the  other  de- 
fendants of  the  action,  which  seeks  damages 
of  $31,200,000  for  the  four  theatres. 

Stepping  Up 
Tax  Drive 

The  campaign  against  the  Federal  admis- 
sions tax  is  “gathering  strength”  every 
week,  as  work  in  the  field  progresses,  Robert 
Coyne,  special  counsel  of  the  Council  of 
Motion  Picture  Organizations,  reported  this 
week.  He  said,  “If  Congress  does  have  an 
opportunity  to  vote  on  the  admissions  tax 
reduction  bill,  I think  we’ll  be  in  a strong 
position.” 

COMPO,  which  is  organizing  and  spon- 
soring the  campaign,  is  supporting  the 
King  measure,  which  would  limit  the  appli- 
cation of  the  Federal  admissions  tax  “to 
that  portion  of  the  amount  paid  for  any 
admission  which  is  in  excess  of  $1.” 

Describing  the  current  Washington  out- 
look, Mr.  Coyne  said  “it’s  touch  and  go,” 
explaining  that  the  general  subject  of  tax 
reduction  is  tied  up  with  the  question  of 
reducing  the  public  debt.  Another  issue 
which  impinges  on  the  possibility  of  ticket 
tax  reduction  is  a move  to  decrease  the  in- 
come tax,  he  said.  There  is  no  question 
that  the  budget  will  be  balanced  this  year, 
Mr.  Coyne  added. 


John  Wayne  to  Tour 
For  "The  Searchers" 

John  Wayne  will  make  a personal  appear- 
ance tour  in  connection  with  the  world 
premiere  of  his  new  Warner  film,  “The 
Searchers,”  directed  by  John  Ford  in  Vista- 
Vision  and  color  by  Technicolor.  Mr. 
Wayne’s  tour  will  take  him  to  Chicago, 
where  the  film  opens  May  16;  Buffalo,  De- 
troit and  Cleveland.  “The  Searchers”  is  a 
C.  V.  Whitney  Picture  produced  by  execu- 
tive producer  Merian  C.  Cooper. 


New  Tennessee  Drive-in 

NASHVILLE,  TENN.:  The  Colonial 

Drive-in  Theatres,  Inc.,  May  20,  will  open 
the  new  Warner  Park  Drive-in  on  Highway 
100  here.  A 700-car  capacity  and  the  latest 
innovations  will  be  features. 


National  Net 
S!>2:UUHi  in 
Six  Months 

LOS  ANGELES : Consolidated  net  income, 
after  all  charges,  of  National  Theatres,  Inc., 
and  subsidiaries  for  the  first  half  of  the  cur- 
rent fiscal  year,  was  $923,806,  equal  to  34 
cents  per  share  on  the  2,715,186  shares  of 
common  stock  outstanding  for  the  period 
ending  March  24,  1956,  Elmer  C.  Rhoden, 
president,  has  reported  to  stockholders.  For 
the  corresponding  period  ending  March  26, 
1955,  net  income  was  $1 ,280,549,  or  46  cents 
a share  on  the  2,769,486  shares  then  out- 
standing. 

For  the  13  weeks  ended  March  24,  1956, 
consolidated  net  income  was  $720,753,  or  27 
cents  a share.  This  is  slightly  less  than  last 
year’s  figure  of  $734,133,  also  approximately 
27  cents  per  share. 

Mr.  Rhoden  said  that  results  of  the  first 
few  weeks  of  the  current  period  (the  third 
quarter)  were  almost  identical  with  the  same 
weeks  of  last  year.  However,  he  added  that 
“films  booked  for  the  remaining  weeks  of 
this  current  period  are  of  better  quality  than 
those  last  year,  and  should  produce  improved 
theatre  grosses  and  profits.” 

The  company’s  program  of  liquidating  un- 
productive and  unprofitable  real  estate  prop- 
erties contributed  substantially  to  second 
quarter  results,  net  gain  from  such  sales 
after  taxes  being  $271,000.  For  the  26-week 
period,  the  net  total  from  this  source  was 
$202,000.  The  comparable  amounts  included 
in  last  year’s  earnings  were  $30,000  for  the 
second  quarter  alone  and  $17,000  for  the 
26  weeks.  To  date  29  theatre  properties  and 
24  non-theatre  properties  have  been  disposed 
of  for  a total  gain  of  $821,000. 

Schlesinger  Widow 
Seeks  Accounting 

Mrs.  M.  A.  Schlesinger,  widow  of  M.  A. 
Schlesinger,  is  seeking  a legal  accounting 
from  the  Schlesinger  Organization  in  South 
Africa  and  from  20th  Century-Fox,  which 
has  contracted  to  acquire  the  organization’s 
theatres.  The  accounting  request  is  reported 
to  be  based  on  a partnership  agreement  be- 
tween M.  A.  Schlesinger  and  his  brother, 
the  late  I.  W.  Schlesinger,  founder  of  the 
organization.  On  the  death  of  I.  W. 
Schlesinger  in  1948  his  son  John  became 
chairman  of  all  the  companies  in  the  group. 
M.  A.  Schlesinger  maintained  the  organiza- 
tion’s office  in  New  York  for  over  30  years 
until  his  death,  which  occurred  three  years 
ago.  Should  the  courts  confirm  the  exist- 
ence of  a basic,  over-riding  partnership  be- 
tween the  Schlesinger  brothers,  it  is  reported 
that  agreements  made  for  the  disposition  of 
assets  of  the  Schlesinger  organization,  such 
as  the  20th-Fox  theatre  deal,  would  be  af- 
fected. In  addition  to  theatre  operations, 
the  Schlesinger  organization  is  active  in 
many  fields,  including  insurance,  advertising, 
catering,  real  estate  and  orange  production. 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  MAY  12,  1956 


19 


ROBERT  TAYLOR  • RICHARD  TODD  • DANA  WYNTER  • EDMOND  O'BRIEN  in  "THE  SIXTH 
OF  JUNE"  • CINEMASCOPE  • COLOR  by  DELUXE  • with  JOHN  WILLIAMS  • Produced  by 
CHARLES  BRACKETT  • Directed  by  HENRY  KOSTER  • Screenplay  by  IVAN  MOFFAT  and 
HARRY  BROWN  • Based  on  the  Novel  by  LIONEL  SHAPIRO  • from  20th  CENTURY-FOX 


READY  FOR  DELIVERY 
ON  YOUR  OWN  D-DaTE; 

Decoration  D ayi 


1-1  OVERSEAS 
GROSS  IIP  78% 


Berger  II  ill 
Press  for 
Beg  u la  tion 


. . . Daff  and  Aboaf  tell  foreign 
staff  of  success  of  company's 
films  in  world  markets  and 
plans  for  future  releases 

HOLLYW 00D : Overseas  business  of  Uni- 
versal International  Films,  Universal’s  for- 
eign subsidiary,  has  increased  78  per  cent 
since  1951,  Americo  Aboaf,  vice-president 
and  general  manager,  told  the  delegates  to 
the  company’s  first  Global  Sales  Conference 
held  this  week  at  the  studios  here. 

Mr.  Aboaf  also  pointed  out  that  Universal 
pictures  were  playing  in  excess  of  25,000 
situations  throughout  the  world,  exclusive 
of  the  U.  S.,  Canada  and  the  Iron  Curtain 
countries.  Between  1950  and  1955,  the  per- 
centage of  Universal’s  foreign  business  in 
relation  to  the  company’s  total  percentage 
increased  from  33  to  43  per  cent,  Mr.  Aboaf 
added,  with  the  European  market  showing 
an  increase  of  36.58  per  cent  since  1951. 

Welcomed  by  Daff 

Alfred  E.  Daff,  executive  vice-president 
of  Universal  and  president  of  the  foreign 
subsidiary,  welcomed  the  delegates  from  55 
countries  at  the  opening  session  of  the  week- 
long  conference  and  said  the  gathering  of 
these  branch  managers  and  executives 
marked  the  culmination  of  his  desire  for 
many  years  to  have  the  whole  foreign  sales 
organization  meet  in  Hollywood  so  they 
would  have  the  opportunity  to  absorb  the 
atmosphere  and  to  appreciate  the  magnitude 
of  the  operation  of  the  studios,  as  well  as 
to  meet  the  personalities  making  the  pictures 
and  to  familiarize  themselves  generally  with 
the  great  detail  involved  in  the  production 
of  the  pictures  they  sell. 

Mr.  Daff  also  told  the  delegates  that 
Universal  International  will  release  30  top 
budget  films  in  the  foreign  market  during 
the  1956-57  releasing  year  which  runs  from 
March  1,  1956  to  February  28,  1957.  Of 
the  30  to  be  released,  20  have  already  been 
completed  or- are  in  the  final  stages  of  pro- 
duction, 18  are  in  color,  10  in  CinemaScope 
and  one,  “Away  All  Boats,”  is  in  Vista- 
Vision,  he  said. 

“To  make  possible  the  production  of  this 
program  of  pictures,  which  is  designed  to 
have  the  widest  possible  appeal  to  the  world 
market  and  yield  the  greatest  potential  in 
the  history  of  the  company,  we  have  spent 
the  greatest  sum  of  money  we  have  ever  in- 
vested in  story  properties  during  the  past 
12  months,”  Mr.  Daff  said. 

Another  speaker  at  the  convention  was 
Milton  R.  Rackmil,  president  of  the  parent 
company,  who  said  the  American  film  in- 
dustry has  not  yet  fully  reached  its  potential 
in  the  markets  of  the  free  world.  He  pre- 
dicted that  the  industry’s  foreign  business 


will  continue  to  progress  and  expand  as 
the  living  standards  improve. 

“I  do  not  believe  we  have  reached  any- 
thing like  our  peak  in  the  international 
field,”  he  said.  “Universal  is  pursuing  a 
policy  of  careful  analysis  of  the  subject  mat- 
ter of  all  its  pictures  to  make  certain  that 
they  all  have  international  appeal,  because 
we  have  found  that  tastes  vary  but  slightly 
where  good  entertainment  is  concerned. 

“We  have  embarked  upon  an  ambitious 
program  of  global  talent  development,  hav- 
ing signed  some  of  the  top  stars  and  direc- 
tors of  other  countries  with  an  idea  to  en- 
hancing the  world  wide  appeal  of  some  of 
our  future  productions  while  introducing 
stimulating  new  personalities  to  the  Ameri- 
can film  audiences,”  he  added. 

French  Group  to  Study 
Problems  of  Screen 

by  HENRY  KAHN 

PARIS : A committee  comprising  all  facets 
of  the  French  film  industry,  production,  dis- 
tribution, exhibition  and  the  technical  and 
engineering  branches,  has  been  set  up  on 
a permanent  basis  to  explore  ways  and 
means  of  increasing  the  popularity  of  motion 
pictures.  Proportionately,  fewer  people  at- 
tend the  cinema  in  France  than  in  most  other 
countries.  Henry  Frenay,  chief  of  the  pro- 
ducer representatives,  reported  that  the  com- 
mittee already  has  several  “interesting” 
proposals  before  it,  but  would  not  discuss 
them  at  this  time.  The  French  film  industry, 
said  Mr.  Frenay,  would  be  in  a safe  posi- 
tion if  it  were  possible  to  recover  about  80 
per  cent  of  a picture’s  cost  in  France.  At 
the  present  time,  he  added,  only  about  60 
per  cent  can  be  returned  from  exhibition 
in  France.  One  of  the  committee’s  primary 
aims  is  to  increase  that  percentage. 


Sidney  Tours  for  "Duchin" 

George  Sidney,  president  of  the  Screen 
Directors  Guild,  plans  a nationwide  tour 
of  key  cities  as  part  of  Columbia’s  advance 
exploitation  campaign  on  “The  Eddy 
Duchin  Story,”  which  Mr.  Sidney  directed 
recently  on  loan-out  from  MGM.  Press 
conferences,  radio  and  TV  appearances  and 
conferences  with  exhibitors  are  scheduled. 


Craft  Earnings  $118 

HOLLYWOOD : Craft  workers’  earnings 
averaged  $118.70  per  week  in  March  for  a 
40.2  hour  work  week,  according  to  the 
monthly  report  of  California  Divisions  In- 
dustrial Relations.  Average  earnings  last 
March  were  $124.95  for  a 42.6  hour  week. 


MINNEAPOLIS : Despite  his  announced 
hope  for  a round-table  conference  between 
distribution  and  exhibition  leaders,  Benja- 
min Berger,  president  of  North  Central 
Allied,  has  not  abandoned  his  project  to 
seek  Government  regulation  of  distribution 
practices. 

Mr.  Berger,  who  plans  a six-week  tour 
of  Europe  following  the  distributors’  session 
with  the  Senate  Small  Business  subcommit- 
tee in  Washington  May  21,  said  his  recent 
suggestion  for  the  top-level  intra-industry 
conferences  was  to  “win  some  immediate 
relief  for  exhibitors.”  He  said  he  hoped 
some  concessions  could  be  obtained  from  the 
distributors,  but  that  he  still  planned  to 
press  for  Congressional  action. 

The  North  Central  Allied  chief’s  formal 
statement  said  in  part : 

“Some  observers  have  thought  Allied  in- 
consistent because  its  spokesmen  have  con- 
tinued to  press  their  fight  for  remedial  legis- 
lation while,  at  the  same  time,  agreeing  to 
or  actively  working  for  a top  level  round 
table  discussion  with  the  producers  and  dis- 
tributors. 

“There  is  really  no  inconsistency.  The 
plight  of  the  small  exhibitor  is  such  that 
every  day,  even  every  moment  of  time,  is 
of  the  essence.  If  redress  of  their  grievances 
were  to  come  tomorrow,  it  would  be  too  late 
for  many  small  exliibitors.  . . . 

“Under  these  circumstances,  Allied, 
through  its  leadership  and  expressing  the 
feeling  of  the  rank  and  file,  is  pressing  for 
Government  intervention  which  will  give 
the  small  exhibitor  a fair  and  square  deal. 

. . . Only  all-out  arbitration  of  all  griev- 
ances including  present  film  pricing  policies 
will  give  the  exhibitors  the  relief  they  need 
if  they  are  to  continue  in  business.” 

Dallas  WOMPIs  Elect 
Grace  Folsom  Head 

DALLAS : At  a luncheon  meeting-  of  the 
Dallas  Women  of  the  Motion  Picture  Indus- 
try recently  Mrs.  Grace  Folsom  of  Inter- 
state Theatres  was  elected  president  for  the 
coming  year.  Mrs.  Lorena  Cullimore  is  the 
retiring  president.  Other  officers  include: 
Billie  Webb,  first  vice-president,  programs; 
Rosemary  White,  second  vice-president, 
membership;  Dorothy  Johns,  recording 
secretary;  Jean  Johnson,  corresponding 
secretary,  and  Mildred  Freeman,  treasurer. 


Long  Island  House  Opens 

HICKSVILLE,  L.  I.:  The  completely  mod- 
ernized Prudential  Hicksville  theatre  here 
opened  recently.  A wall-to-wall  screen,  re- 
built stage,  and  new  lounge  and  rest  rooms 
are  among  the  improvements. 


22 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  MAY  12,  1956 


BOBO  DONNELL 
LOVED  &(Ubu&  "THE 

EDDY  DUCHIN  STORY!" 


s7  85 

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D ^ T1  PTOWlffiS  C0RP‘ 

WH*  ^CKTER’  C0W‘B  n m„cH  E®«' 

72?  SEV©™  AVE.  ,^10 -B.*0-’ 

just  scbew®  Zb*  gbdOTS  m ***  ** 

o«b  - «*  ~ « — WW  ~ * rtfWsnc  «— 

®ST  JOB  BO®  * *®  SBOO®  " 0 *KB  I * 

•nif  KY  IT  ^GHr  * 

HB  APE  I^OT 

grjB  O’  D0^£Ui 


VARIETY  CLUB  BARKERS 
COME  TO  BROADWAY 


Beating  the  drum,  right,  in  pre- 
convention hoop-la  are  Martin 
Starr,  official  greeter  for  Tent 
35,  the  hosts;  Myron  Cohen, 
comedy  star,  and  Cleo  Moore. 
• 

From  Mexico  City,  below,  came 
Adalberto  Miranda,  Marc 
Frisch,  Louis  Moulinie,  Alfonso 
Carrasco;  Ed  Lachman,  chair- 
man of  the  reception  commit- 
tee; Guillermo  Haza,  Tony 
Perez;  Guillermo  Santibanez. 


AT  the  20th  annual  convention  of  Variety  Clubs  International,  held  this  week  at  the 
Waldorf-Astoria  Hotel,  New  York,  Nathan  D.  Golden,  International  Heart  chairman, 
reported  that  the  Variety  tents  spent  about  $2,700,000  during  1955  in  various  projects 
to  aid  underprivileged  children. 

Among  the  highlights  of  the  convention,  which  was  attended  by  approximately 
1,500  delegates  from  45  Variety  Club  tents,  were  the  announcement  of  the  winners 
of  the  Heart  Award,  given  each  year  to  the  tent  which  has  been  judged  the  best  in  its 
charity  work;  the  presentation  of  the  Humanitarian  Award;  the  election  of  officers, 
and  the  Mardi  Gras  ball. 

The  annual  Humanitarian  Award  is  given  to  the  individual  named  by  a committee 
of  publishers  and  editors  as  having  made  the  most  outstanding  contribution  to  human- 
ity in  the  past  year.  As  reported  early  in  the  week,  the  nominees  included  Francis 
Cardinal  Spellman,  Henry  Ford  II  and  Dr.  Sidney  Farber.  Past  winners  have  included 


Herald  photos  by  Floyd  Stone 


Variety 


Office 


Below  left.  The  present  Variety  Inter- 
national officers  who  will  retire  during 
this  convention:  seated,  John  H.  Row- 
ley,  first  assistant  chief  barker;  George 
C.  Hoover,  international  chief  barker; 
George  W.  Eby,  second  assistant  chief 
barker;  standing,  Edward  E manual, 
property  master,  and  J.  B.  Dumestre, 
Jr.,  international  dough  guy. 

• 

Below  right.  From  the  midwest  and 
the  coast:  Rotus  Harvey,  Rev.  Syl- 
vester M.  McCarthy  and  Marc  Wolf. 


24 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  MAY  12,  1956 


Sir  Winston  Churchill,  Herbert  Hoover,  George  C.  Marshall,  Helen  Keller,  Paul  G. 
Hoffman,  Bernard  Baruch,  Father  Flanagan,  Cordell  Hull  and  Sister  Elizabeth  Kenny. 

At  midweek  it  was  indicated  that  John  H.  Rowley,  president  of  Rowley  United 
Theatres  and  former  chief  barker  of  the  Dallas  tent,  would  become  international  chief 
barker,  succeeding  George  C.  Hoover. 

Featured  at  the  Mardi  Gras  ball,  at  which  the  Pepsi-Cola  Company  was  host,  was 
an  all-star  band  featuring  such  names  as  Benny  Goodman,  Artie  Shaw,  Paul  Whiteman, 
Tommy  Dorsey  and  Jack  Teagarden.  Others  present  included  Bobby  Hackett,  "Pea- 
nuts" Huccho,  Russell  Swan  and  Polly  Bergen. 

Mr.  Hoover,  who  just  returned  from  a two-month  European  trip,  visited  tents  in 
London,  Dublin.  Hamburg,  Madrid  and  Rome.  He  said  that  Variety  Clubs  in  Europe 
"have  been  considerably  strengthened  by  my  getting  together  with  individual  tents 
and  discussing  mutual  problems"  and  added  that  for  some  time,  in  Europe,  there  was 
a feeling  that  Variety  Clubs  were  solely  an  American  undertaking,  but  "that  is  no 
longer  so.  Variety  Clubs  are  international  in  their  operations  and  activities." 

Discussing  Europe  in  general,  Mr.  Hoover  said  that  some  fear  is  expressed  by 
exhibitors  as  to  the  impact  of  commercial  television,  especially  in  Great  Britain. 
However,  he  said  from  the  opinions  and  discussions  which  he  heard,  TV  is  "no  great 
threat,  especially  in  markets  where  American  films  are  in  competition  to  TV." 

A few  of  the  other  highlights  at  the  convention  included  a boat  ride  around 
Manhattan  Island,  with  dinner,  beverages  and  dancing  Thursday  evening  sponsored 
by  Coca-Cola;  and  a fashion  show  luncheon  for  the  400  feminine  members  sponsored 
by  Saks  Fifth  Avenue. 


Jack  Hoffberg,  Nathan  Golden. 


Left.  The  Las  Vegas  delegation 
arrives:  Joe  Rosenberg,  Abe 
Schiller,  Harry  White,  Bob 
Levoff  and  Jack  E.  Schieff. 


Below.  Arriving  from  London: 
Leslie  Faber,  Sir  Tom  O’Brien, 
British  labor  leader  ; Nat  Cohen; 
Col.  James  Carreras,  and  Ben 
Rosenfeld. 


Below  left.  Pittsburgh,  where 
Tent  No.  1 was  organized  in  the 
spirit  of  charity  which  has 
motivated  Variety  ever  since, 
sends  its  delegates.  Here  are 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Roy  Scott  and 
Hugo  Iacovetti. 


Below  right.  From  across  the 
country,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Harry 
Weinberg  of  Los  Angeles. 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  MAY  12,  1956 


25 


SMPTE  HEARS 
OF  VIDEOTAPE 


. . . Closing  session  of  meeting 
learns  details  of  remarkable 
device  and  its  uses  for  film  pro- 
duction and  television 

The  long-range  possibilities  and  the  im- 
mediate limitations  of  the  Ampex  videotape 
recorder,  the  first  demonstration  of  which 
proved  a dramatic  bombshell  at  the  recent 
Chicago  convention  of  the  National  Asso- 
ciation of  Radio  and  Television  Broadcas- 
ters. were  outlined  in  New  York  last  week 
by  an  Ampex  official  at  the  79th  semi-annual 
convention  of  the  Society  of  Motion  Picture 
and  Television  Engineers. 

Ao  Speculation 

R.  H.  Snyder,  manager  of  the  motion  pic- 
ture equipment  department  of  Ampex.  speak- 
ing at  one  of  the  concluding  sessions  of  the 
convention,  declared  in  sober  terms  that 
"any  speculation  on  the  replacement  of  the 
35mm.  camera  by  videotape  is,  in  our  opin- 
ion, foolish  at  this  time.”  Mr.  Snyder  read 
a paper  prepared  by  Charles  P.  Ginsberg, 
chief  video  engineer  of  Ampex. 

It  might  be  possible,  said  Mr.  Snyder, 
for  a motion  picture  director  to  shoot  scenes 
simultaneously  in  film  and  videotape  and 
immediately  review  the  tape  recording  while 
his  cast  and  sets  are  still  assembled.  “This 
procedure,"  he  said,  “could  reduce  produc- 
tion time  and  costs  in  movies.”  However, 
“since  video  quality  is  simply  not  compar- 
able with  ordinary  good  original  film,  and 
not  even  remotely  comparable  to  the  new 
larger-negative  film  processes,”  Mr.  Snyder 
said  Ampex  sees  “no  immediate  application 
for  videotape  here,  and  probably  very  little 
even  in  the  future.” 

He  continued:  “The  machine  was  de- 
signed specifically  for  the  purpose  of  pro- 
gram delay  and  it  is  for  this  purpose  only 
that  it  will  be  first  employed  by  CBS  and 
NBC,  to  overcome  the  three-hour  east-west 
time  difference.  . . . Usefulness  of  the  video- 
tape apparatus  for  other  purposes  awaits  ex- 
ploration after  experience  is  gained  with 
the  equipment  in  actual  operation  by  NBC 
and  CBS.” 

l\emec  Honored 

Boyce  Nemec,  executive  secretary  of  the 
Society,  who  has  tendered  his  resignation 
effective  June  1,  was  honored  by  the  organ- 
ization at  the  convention’s  concluding  ban- 
quet. Dr.  John  G.  Frayne,  SMPTE  presi- 
dent, presented  Mr.  Nemec  a scroll  during 
the  banquet  in  acknowledgement  of  his  con- 
tributions toward  the  growth  of  the  organ- 
ization. 

Signed  by  both  Dr.  Frayne  and  Wilton 
R.  Holm,  secretary,  the  scroll  read : “The 
board  of  governors  of  SMPTE  unanimously 


commend  Boyce  Nemec,  whose  foresight, 
initiative  and  complete  devotion  to  duty 
as  executive  secretary  of  SMPTE  have  been 
a major  contribution  in  bringing  the  Society 
to  its  present  high  level  of  prestige  and  ac- 
complishment.” 

Other  concluding  sessions  of  the  conven- 
tion were  devoted  to  alternate  uses  of  tele- 
vision on  closed  circuits,  for  educational  pur- 
poses in  colleges  and  universities  and  its 
diversified  possibilities  as  a weapon  for  the 
military  during  times  of  war. 

With  regard  to  closed  circuit  TV,  John 
Howland,  of  Thompson  Products,  Inc.,  told 
SMPTE  members  that  there  are  more  than 
enough  varied  types  of  closed  circuit  TV 
equipment  to  meet  the  needs  of  the  public. 
These  camera  systems,  he  said,  “are  built 
around  the  characteristics  of  the  vidicon 
camera  tube  which  is  rugged,  simple  and 
capable  of  consistent  performance  with  little 
attention.”  They  are  the  simplest  of  live 
cameras,  he  added,  and  weigh  less  than  10 
pounds. 

Course  Refused 

The  SMPTE  proposal  to  inaugurate  an 
educational  program  at  Columbia  University 
to  familiarize  technicians  within  the  industry 
of  up-to-date  advancements,  was  refused  by 
that  institution  on  the  ground  that  the  pro- 
posed syllabus  and  non-credit  course  would 
be  contrary  to  the  university’s  educational 
policies. 

Two  such  educational  programs  currently 
are  being  conducted  under  SMPTE  sponsor- 
ship at  the  University  of  Southern  Califor- 
nia and  the  University  of  California  at  Los 
Angeles.  Two  Columbia  professors,  Lloyd 
Vardon  and  Frank  Lee,  both  of  the  Graphic 
Department,  told  the  convention  last  week 
that  Columbia  only  offers  courses  that  give 
credit  toward  a degree  and  with  a syllabus 
that  is  university-controlled. 

While  no  direct  action  was  taken  by  the 
SMPTE  last  week,  it  was  indicated  that  the 
Society  was  considering  other  colleges  with- 
in New  York  City  for  the  program.  Named 
as  prospects  were  the  City  College  of  New 
York  and  New  York  University. 

The  Society’s  next  convention  will  be  held 
October  7-12  in  Los  Angeles. 


Reelects  Officers 

BOSTOA  : The  entire  slate  of  officers  of 
Local  182,  IATSE,  has  been  reelected. 
Ralph  brazier  is  business  agent;  Joseph 
Caplan,  president ; Walter  Diehl,  vice-presi- 
dent ; Benjamin  Bearman,  financial  secre- 
tary; James  Gibbons,  recording  secretary; 
Jack  Rosenberg,  treasurer.  The  executive 
board  comprises  Morris  Goldman,  Joseph 
Nuzzolo,  Sr.  and  Frank  Laby.  Named  two- 
year  delegates  to  the  national  convention 
are  Walter  Diehl  and  Morris  Goldman. 


3IG3I  Takes 
Drive-in  Spot 
In  Australia 

by  FRANK  O'CONNELL 

SYDNEY : MGM  has  entered  the  drive-in 
field  here,  with  the  purchase  for  £102,000 
(approximately  $229,500)  of  the  drive-in 
license  for  the  Sydney  suburb  of  Chullora. 
The  move  has  all  the  aspects  of  the  begin- 
ning of  an  industry  war,  say  many  observers. 

The  Chullora  license  was  purchased  from 
a syndicate  in  which  a well-known  Sydney 
bookmaker  was  a prominent  director,  and 
was  one  of  two  drive-in  licenses  that  had 
gone  to  interests  outside  the  big  exhibitor 
combine  in  the  recent  granting  of  licenses 
by  the  Theatres  and  Films  Commission. 
The  move  probably  means  also  that  the  ex- 
hibitor combine  will  have  to  open  their 
drive-ins  sooner  than  they  had  anticipated. 
The  Chullora  situation  is  a twin  drive-in 
with  capacity  for  660  cars. 

Although  N.  B.  Freeman,  managing  di- 
rector of  Metro,  would  not  confirm  the  fact 
that  his  company  had  paid  £102,000  for  the 
Chullora  operation,  he  did  say  that  MGM 
was  building  a twin  drive-in  at  Oakleigh  in 
Victoria.  This  is  to  cost  approximately 
£300,000  (about  $675,000)  and  is  to  open 
in  December. 

John  Glass,  general  manager  of  Hoyt’s 
Theatres,  Ltd.,  also  made  drive-in  news  with 
the  announcement  that  the  five  drive-ins  to 
be  operated  by  combined  exhibitor  interests 
at  Bass  Hill,  Dundas,  North  Ryde,  Caring- 
bah  and  French’s  Forest,  will  open  simul- 
taneously next  Spring.  The  five  theatres 
cost  about  £200,000  ($450,000)  each. 

Paul  Cunningham  Named 
President  of  ASCAP 

Paul  Cunningham,  a writer-member  of 
the  American  Society  of  Composers,  Authors 
and  Publishers  for  35  years,  was  elected 
president  of  the  organization  at  its  recent 
annual  meeting.  He  replaced  Stanley  Adams, 
who  had  held  the  office  for  three  years.  Of- 
ficers reelected  to  serve  another  term  were 
vice-presidents  Louis  Bernstein  and  Otto 
A.  Harbach,  vice-presidents;  John  T. 
Howard,  secretary ; Saul  H.  Bourne,  treas- 
urer ; George  W.  Meyer,  assistant  secretary ; 
Frank  H.  Connor,  assistant  treasurer. 
Mickey  Skopp  was  elected  to  the  publishers’ 
panel.  According  to  ASCAP  constitutional 
regulations,  a president  is  permitted  to  hold 
office  only  for  three  consecutive  terms. 


License  Fee  Up 

WASHINGTON:  The  District  of  Co- 
lumbia commissioners  have  increased  the 
annual  license  fees  for  Washington  theatres 
from  $75  to  $135  a year,  effective  July  1. 
The  increase  was  part  of  a general  increase 
in  business  license  fees  in  the  District. 


26 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  MAY  12,  1956 


HECHT  AND  LANCASTER  Present 

BURT  LANCASTER  tony  CURTIS 
gina  LOLLOBRIGIDA 


also  starring  KATY  JURADO  • THOMAS  GOMEZ 
with  JOHN  PULEO  • MINOR  WATSON 

Directed  by  CAROL  REED 

Produced  by  JAMES  HILL 

Screenplay  by  JAMES  R.  WEBB 
Adaptation  by  LIAM  O BRIEN  • A SUSAN  PRODUCTION 

o C|NemaScoP£ 


State  of  New  York 
County  of  New  York,  ss 


Hot#  f ^ 

Qutlifltd 

kflfllTttUo 


Ex I “ 


William  J.  Heineroan  being  duly  sworn,  deposes  and  says: 

I was  privileged  to  attend  a projection  room  screening  of  TRAPEZE  in 
London,  England  on  Friday  evening,  March  2nd. 

I consider  TRAPEZE  to  be  one  of  the  finest  motion  pictures  that  it 
thas  ever  been  my  good  fortune  to  view.  TRAPEZE  has  the  finest  box-office 
:ast  in  Burt  Lancaster,  Tony  Curtis  and  Gina  Lollobrigida , as  the  three 
[op  stars,  plus  a talented  supporting  cast,  of  any  motion  picture  that 
lited  Artists  has  ever  distributed. 

Carol  Reed,  who  has  many  great  films  to  his  credit,  has  - in  my  opinion 
"done  the  most  outstanding  job  of  direction  in  his  brilliant  career.  The 
background  story  of  TRAPEZE,  dealing  with  the  circus  and  circus  life, 
lends  itself  to  gorgeous  color  and  presents  Cinemascope  at  its  finest. 

TRAPEZE  is  a very  gripping,  warmly  human  and  thrilling  story  of  the 
lives  and  loves  of  circus  aerialists,  with  the  aerial  shots  made  all  the 
more  breathtaking  by  Cinemascope  and  accompanied  by  a magnificient  musical 
score.  I believe  that  these  showmanship  ingredients,  supported  by  one  of 
the  largest  national  advertising  campaigns  in  United  Artists'  history,  will 
make  TRAPEZE  one  of  the  greatest  box-office  attractions  of  our  time. 

I feel  certain  that  every  exhibitor  will  share  my  great  enthusiasm 
for  the  quality  and  box-office  potentials  of  TRAPEZE,  when  he  sees  it. 

We  are  now  requesting  bids  for  playing  time  commencing  Thursday, 

June  28th  and  as  the  negative  will  not  arrive  in  New  York  until  mid-May 
and  screening  prints  will  not  be  available  in  sufficient  time  for  bidding 
and  the  advertising  of  the  opening  date  of  June  28th,  I am  furnishing  you 
with  this  sworn  statement  to  attest  to  the  exceptionally  fine  quality  of 
TRAPEZE  and  to  aid  you  in  evaluating  it  when  you  make  your  important  bid. 


Sworn  to  and  subscribed 
.W^Ca.D.,  1956 


**  thi8 

K:nq» 

R-&  . 

f ^ 


rlliam  J.  Heineman,  Vice-Pres 
£n  charge  of  Distribution  for 
United  Artists  Corporation 


Paramount 
Stockholder 
Meet  June  3 

Stockholders  of  Paramount  Pictures  Corp. 
will  meet  in  New  York  June  5 to  elect  a 
board  of  directors,  composed  of  12  members, 
and  to  transact  other  business,  according  to 
a company  announcement. 

Nominated  for  reelection  to  the  Para- 
mount board  are  Adolph  Zukor,  chairman  of 
the  board : Barney  Balaban,  Paramount 
president;  Y.  Frank  Freeman,  vice-president 
in  charge  of  the  studio ; A.  Conger  Good- 
year, Stanton  Griffis,  Duncan  G.  Flarris, 
John  D.  Hertz,  Earl  I.  McClintock,  Maurice 
Newton.  Paul  Raibourn,  Edwin  L.  Weisl 
and  George  Weltner,  president  of  Para- 
mount International  and  Paramount  Film 
Distributing  Corp. 

According  to  the  notice  mailed  to  stock- 
holders, Mr.  Balaban  owns  the  largest  num- 
ber of  shares,  13,100,  of  all  the  directors. 
Holding  100  shares  of  Paramount  stock  are 
board  members  McClintock,  Raibourn  and 
Weisl,  with  the  remainder  of  the  directors 
having  other  varying  amounts  of  shares. 

The  Paramount  announcement  also  dis- 
closes that  Mr.  Balaban,  in  his  capacity  as 
a director  and  president,  received  $124,800 
in  fees,  salaries  and  commissions  during 
1955.  Mr.  Freeman  received  $130,000;  Mr. 
Raibourn,  $57,750;  Mr.  Weltner,  $65,000, 
and  Mr.  Zukor  $78,000.  It  was  also  an- 
nounced that  Louis  A.  Novins,  secretary  of 
Paramount,  was  issued  an  option  exercisable 
prior  to  June  23,  1960,  to  purchase  at  $3  per 
share  12,500  shares  of  the  capital  stock  of 
International  Telemeter  Corp. 

Collier  Young's  "Huk" 

An  August  Release 

Collier  Young,  producer  of  “Huk,”  which 
was  made  in  the  Philippines,  is  in  New  York 
to  confer  with  United  Artists  executives  on 
promotion  and  distribution  of  the  film.  The 
release  of  the  film  has  been  moved  up  from 
December  to  August  to  get  maximum  drive- 
in  dating,  it  was  announced.  The  native 
Philippine  film  industry  participated  with 
U.A.  in  financing  the  film  and  will  share  in 
the  world  profits.  Mr.  Young  believes  inter- 
national co-production  deals  such  as  this 
will  expand  old  and  open  up  new  markets 
for  U.  S.  films  overseas.  His  next  for  U.A., 
which  it  will  finance  100  per  cent,  is  “The 
Halliday  Brand,”  starring  Joseph  Cotten. 


Heads  Cancer  Drive 

Leonard  Ginsberg  has  been  named  chair- 
man of  the  New  York-New  Jersey-New 
England  area  of  the  newlv-organized  Suzan 
Ball  Memorial  Fund  for  Cancer  Research, 
it  is  announced  by  Dick  Powell  and  June 
Ally  son,  national  co-chairmen  of  the  drive. 
Mr.  Ginsberg  is  now  president  of  Leonard 
Ginsberg  Associates,  management  consult- 
ants, New  York. 


Pulitzer  Trustees 
Refuse  Film  Awards 

The  Pulitzer  Prize  trustees  have  refused 
flatly  to  consider  the  awarding  of  a prize 
to  the  best  motion  picture  produced  each 
year,  it  was  announced  after  a closed  meet- 
ing this  week  when  they  acted  on  award 
nominations  for  the  coming  year.  The 
question  of  a film  award  has  been  on  the 
committee’s  agenda  since  1932,  when  it  was 
first  introduced  by  Jack  L.  Warner.  The 
trustees,  however,  have  annually  refused  to 
take  action,  stating  that  motion  pictures  do 
not  deserve  classification  with  their  yearly 
awards  which  are  given  for  journalism, 
letters  and  music. 

Toho  Company  of  Japan 
Opens  Yokohama  Unit 

The  Toho  Company  of  Japan,  producers, 
distributors  and  exhibitors  of  films,  have 
opened  the  lavish  Yokohama  Toho  Kaikan 
building,  which  houses  four  separate  thea- 
tres in  one  structure.  The  Yokohama  Toho 
and  the  Yokohama  Scala-Za  are  on  the 
first  and  third  floors  while  the  Toho  Cinema 
and  the  Toho  Meiga-Za  are  underground. 
The  ceremony  celebrating  the  opening  was 
held  concurrently  with  one  commemorating 
the  complete  renovation  of  Toho’s  Yoko- 
hama Takarazuka  theatre  nearby. 

Arthur  Miller  in 
Pathe  Lab  Post 

Arthur  J.  Miller,  pioneer  in  the  develop- 
ment of  wide  screen  motion  picture  film 
processes,  has  been  appointed  technical  di- 
rector of  Pathe  Laboratories,  Inc.,  which 
processes  film  for  Hollywood  studios  and 
television.  In  his  new  post  Mr.  Miller  will 
oversee  development  and  improvement  of 
machines,  techniques  and  processes. 

Alabama,  Georgia  Groups 
Convene  May  27-29 

ATLANTA : The  Alabama  Theatres  Asso- 
ciation and  the  Motion  Picture  Theatre 
Owners  and  Operators  of  Georgia  will  hold 
their  joint  annual  convention  May  27-29  at 
the  Dinkier  Plaza  here,  the  associations  have 
announced.  Chief  feature  will  be  a cyclorama 
of  modern  exhibition  clinics  dealing  with  all 
the  major  phases  of  theatre  operation  and 
management. 


Name  Two  to  MPIC 

HOLLYWOOD : George  J.  Flaherty  and 
Fred  Lehne  have  been  elected  vice-president 
and  treasurer,  respectively,  of  the  Motion 
Picture  Industry  Council.  Previously  elected 
were  Ronald  Reagan,  president,  and  Marvin 
Faris,  secretary. 


Peter  Latchis  Dies 

Peter  Latchis,  an  officer  of  the  Latchis 
circuit  of  New  England  and  brother  of 
Spero  Latchis,  died  Tuesday  at  his  Newport, 
N.  H.  theatre.  He  was  60  years  old. 


Special  Deal 
Arranged  on 
DeMille  Film 

An  unique  selling  pattern  for  Paramount  s 
“The  Ten  Commandments”  was  revealed 
last  week  in  New  York  by  a company  sales 
executive.  The  chief  feature  of  the  pattern 
is  the  payment  by  the  company  of  a flat  sum 
to  theatres  booking  the  picture,  the  sum 
representing  agreed-upon  theatre  costs  and 
a profit. 

The  selling  pattern,  it  was  explained,  is 
a marketing  approach  separate  and  distinct 
from  deals  under  which  the  distributor 
leases  the  theatre  and  operates  it.  Under 
the  deal  negotiated  for  “The  Ten  Command- 
ments,” Paramount  will  not  engage  in  the 
operation  of  the  theatres,  nor  is  leasing  an 
issue. 

The  arrangements  to  date  were  described 
as  film  deals,  unique  in  that  they  feature  a 
flat  sum  to  the  theatre,  with  monies  above 
the  flat  sum  accruing  to  Paramount.  An- 
other feature  of  the  deals  is  that  extended 
runs  are  agreed  upon,  and  include  options 
for  additional  playing  time.  Some  of  the 
deals  made  by  Paramount  thus  far,  it  was 
added,  involve  a sliding  scale  as  to  the  flat 
sum  paid  by  Paramount  over  the  run,  with 
the  sum  decreasing  with  the  length  of  the 
run  in  some  instances. 

The  Paramount  executive  said  the  com- 
pany had  evolved  the  selling  pattern  because 
of  the  “costliness  and  greatness”  of  the 
Cecil  B.  DeMille  production,  and  because 
of  Paramount’s  willingness  to  “gamble”  on 
the  expected  returns.  The  film  will  open  at 
the  Criterion,  New  York,  November  4,  with 
seven  other  engagements  in  the  United 
States  and  Canada  already  slated  before  the 
end  of  the  year. 

"Oklahoma!"  to  Open 
In  Tulsa  in  June 

Rodgers  & Hammerstein’s  production, 
“Oklahoma  !”  produced  in  the  new  Todd-AO 
process,  will  have  its  Oklahoma  premiere 
in  Tulsa  some  time  early  in  June,  it  is 
announced.  The  Rialto  theatre  in  that  city 
has  been  chosen  for  the  event,  according  to 
Ted  O’Shea,  vice-president  and  general  sales 
manager  of  Magna  Theatre  Corporation, 
distributors  of  “Oklahoma !”  and  Jack  Hull, 
general  manager  of  Tulsa’s  Downtown 
Theatres. 


Technicolor  Reports 
$503,904  Net  Profit 

The  consolidated  net  profit  after  taxes  on 
income  of  Technicolor,  Inc.,  for  the  quarter 
ended  March  31,  1956,  is  estimated  at  $503,- 
904,  equivalent  to  25  cents  per  share  on  the 
stock  outstanding,  according  to  a company 
report.  This  compares  with  36  cents  and  19 
cents  per  share,  respectively,  for  the  first 
quarters  of  1955  and  1954. 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  MAY  12,  1956 


29 


PRODUCTION  IN 
BRITAIN  WEAK 


. . . Annual  report  of  National 
Film  Finance  Corporation  shows 
production  in  England  still  is  an 
unprofitable  operation 

by  PETER  BURNUP 

LONDON:  Three  major  conclusions 

emerge  in  the  just  issued  annual  report  of 
the  National  Film  Finance  Corporation. 
They  are : 

1.  The  continued  unprofitability 
of  British  independent  production 
taken  as  a whole; 

2.  Increasing  American  infiltra- 
tion into  the  production  business 
here. 

3.  The  certainty  of  the  continu- 
ance of  the  Finance  Corporation’s 
operations  in  some  way  or  another 
after  the  expiration,  at  the  end  of 
March,  1957,  of  the  present  Author- 
ising Act  of  Parliament. 

As  announced  last  week,  the  corporation 
has  made,  since  its  inception  in  1948,  ad- 
vances to  a total  of  £12,292,801,  of  which 
£5,497,310  has  been  repaid  to  date.  Against 
the  balance  of  £6,795,491  no  less  a sum  than 
£4,716,094  has  been  written  off  or  provided 
for  losses,  including  £54,679  provided  in 
the  last  12  months. 

It  is  to  be  remembered  that  the  major 
part  of  the  immense  deficit  arose  in  the 
advances  up  to  £3  million  made  to  the 
original  and  now  defunct  British  Lion  Com- 
pany and  that,  indeed,  the  Finance  Corpora- 
tion’s operations  during  the  year  to  March 
31  last  showed  a profit  of  £79,132. 

Fete  Profitable 

Nevertheless,  the  report  estimates  that  in 
spite  of  assistance  from  the  Eady  Fund 
only  62  of  the  152  films  which  received 
advances  from  the  Finance  Corporation  in 
the  years  1952  to  1956  are  likely  to  be 
profitable.  “It  seems  clear,”  says  the  report, 
“that  British  independent  production  as  a 
whole  is  still  unprofitable  and,  with  the  pres- 
ent downward  trend  in  box  office  takings, 
this  state  of  affairs  is  likely  to  continue.” 
The  number  of  feature  films  for  which 
loans  were  approved  during  last  year  is 
27,  eight  less  than  in  the  year  to  March, 
1955.  The  drop  in  numbers,  the  report 
claims,  arises  because  no  applications  were 
received  from  producers  distributing  through 
the  Rank  Organisation,  which  now  wholly 
finances  its  increased  production  pro- 
gramme; whereas  loans  were  approved  for 
seven  such  films  in  the  year  to  March,  1955, 
eight  in  1953-4  and  16  in  1952-3. 

But  another  passage  in  the  report  runs : 


“An  increasing  number  of  British  films  are 
being  set  up  in  conjunction  with  American 
controlled  distributing  companies  and  it 
seems  likely  that  whilst  this  state  of  affairs 
continues  the  proportion  of  British  films 
made  without  assistance  from  this  corpora- 
tion will  increase.” 

Cite  U.  S.  Interests 

There  has  been  growing  concern  in  cer- 
tain circles  here  at  the  number  of  “Ameri- 
can” films  made  in  Britain  and  securing 
thereby  the  benefits  of  the  Quota  Act  and 
Eady  bonuses.  David  Kingsley,  NFFC’s 
managing  director,  was  closely  pressed  on 
the  point  at  his  press  conference  which  fol- 
lowed the  publication  of  the  report.  He  was 
asked  in  particular  whether  his  corporation 
“looked  with  alarm  on  the  large  holdings 
of  American  companies  in  the  British  in- 
dustry.” 

Mr.  Kingsley  was  characteristically  cauti- 
ous in  his  reply.  “I  think,”  he  said,  “that 
is  going  to  be  one  of  the  major  points  we 
will  have  to  deal  with  when  we  report  to 
the  president  of  the  Board  of  Trade  in  the 
next  few  weeks.  I do  not  want  to  prejudge 
the  issue,  but  it  is  obviously  an  important 
one.” 

Under  further  pressure,  Mr.  Kingsley  said 
that  feeling  in  the  industry  was  divided  be- 
tween satisfaction  at  the  American  part  in 
the  industry  and  a desire  for  an  entirely 
native  British  film  industry,  financing, 
producing  and  distributing  its  own  films 
throughout  the  world. 

Groups  Wide  Apart 

That  may  well  be  taken  as  an  understate- 
ment on  the  part  of  the  cautious  Mr.  King- 
sley; for  the  views  of  various  interests  are 
poles  apart  on  this  question  of  what  is 
called  American  infiltration.  Discounting 
certain  doctrinaire  and  leftist  factions  in  the 
trades  unions  notoriously  and  invariably 
anti-American,  there  are  independent  ex- 
hibitors whose  primary  concern  is  the  main- 
tenance of  a supply  of  worthwhile  films. 

However,  there  is  a considerable  body  of 
producers  who  claim  that  the  Eady  Plan 
was  introduced  solely  and  especially  to  sus- 
tain a falling  native  production  industry. 
They  will  urge  on  the  Board  of  Trade  pres- 
ident that  “American-made”  pictures  are 
only  technically  British  in  the  sense  that 
they  meet  the  legalistic  requirements  of  the 
Quota  Act  and  demand  that  a differential 
be  imposed  against  them  in  the  distribution 
of  Eady  bonuses  according  to  the  amount 
of  foreign  financial  interest  involved. 

At  the  medial  point  between  the  oppos- 
ing poles  are  the  distributors.  The  majority 
of  KRS  membership  is,  of  course,  American 
and  it  is  difficult  to  see  how  those  KRS 
members — with  a considerable  financial  in- 


terest at  stake — can  agree  with  purely  Brit- 
ish producers  on  the  point.  The  matter 
clearly  bristles  with  difficulties. 

• 

Twentieth  Century-Fox  announces  here 
that  after  many  months  of  intensive  techni- 
cal research,  the  company  in  conjunction 
with  the  Army  Kinenia  Corporation  has 
succeeded  in  applying  CinemaScope  tech- 
nique to  the  16mm  medium.  Wednesday  this 
week  the  first  public  showing  of  a 16mm 
CinemaScope  film,  “Untamed,”  was  held  in 
the  historic  Great  Hall  of  the  Royal  Hos- 
pital, Chelsea. 

The  development  of  this  new  technique 
means,  it  is  stated,  that  military  units  in 
operational  commands  such  as  Cyprus  and 
Malaya  will  be  able  to  see  the  latest  Cinema- 
Scope films.  The  same  facilities  will  be 
available  to  troop  ships,  small  isolated  units 
and 'garrisons  all  over  the  world. 

• 

Arrangements  are  well  in  hand  for  the 
general  assembly  of  the  International  Fed- 
eration of  Film  Producers  to  be  held  in 
London  July  25-2 7.  Some  32  delegates  are 
expected  to  attend.  They  will  be  the  guests 
of  honour  at  a luncheon  given  by  Bb  PA 
July  25. 

Richard  Mealand  Resigns 
Paramount  British  Post 

Richard  L.  Mealand,  for  the  past  five 
years  general  production  representative  in 
Great  Britain  for  Paramount  Pictures  and 
managing  director  of  Paramount  British 
Productions,  Ltd.,  has  resigned  because  of 
ill  health.  He  will  be  succeeded  by  Law- 
rence P.  Bachmann.  Before  assuming  the 
British  post,  Mr.  Mealand  was  Paramount’s 
New  York  story  editor  and  later  Hollywood 
studio  story  and  writer  head.  Mr.  Bach- 
mann, son  of  the  late  Jack  Bachmann,  for- 
mer Paramount  Hollywood  studio  executive, 
is  a London  resident  and  active  in  motion 
picture  writing  and  independent  production 
there. 

Norman  Wisdom  to  Star 
In  American  Film 

Norman  Wisdom,  English  comedian,  has 
been  signed  by  Irving  Allen  and  A.  R. 
Broccoli  for  his  first  American  motion  pic- 
ture, a musical  comedy  in  color,  entitled 
“An  Englishman  in  Las  Vegas,”  Mr.  Allen 
and  Mr.  Broccoli  announce.  The  film  will 
be  produced  by  George  Jessel  under  the 
Warwick  Production  banner,  for  release  by 
Columbia  Pictures. 

Galindo  Again  Head  of 
Mexican  Industry  Unit 

MEXICO  CITY : The  National  Cinemato- 
graphic Industry  Chamber  is  again  headed 
by  Cesar  Santos  Galindo,  manager  of  the 
Churubusco  Studios  here,  who  was  reelected 
president  for  the  ensuing  year.  Other  of- 
ficers are:  Santos  Martinez,  vice-president; 
Jose  A.  Quiroga,  treasurer;  Mrs.  Eugenia 
Lance  Montes,  deputy  treasurer;  and  Ed- 
uardo Chavez  Garcia,  secretary. 


30 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  MAY  12,  1956 


Big . If/  Brire 
Blanneti  for 
"King  anti 

The  second  CinemaScope  55  attraction, 
Rodgers  & Hammerstein’s  "The  King  and 
I,”  is  being  pre-sold  by  20th  Century-Fox 
in  an  all-media  campaign.  The  musical, 
starring  Deborah  Kerr  and  Yul  Brynner, 
opens  in  July.  The  seven-month  advance 
drive  continuing  in  all  stages  of  exhibition, 
is  described  as  larger  in  scope  than  those  for 
“The  Robe,”  “How  to  Marry  a Millionaire,” 
“The  Egyptian.”  "The  Seven  Year  Itch" 
and  “Carousel,”  the  first  CinemaScope  55 
release. 

The  Rodgers  & Hammerstein  score  from 
“The  King  and  I”  has  been  packaged  by 
Capitol  Records  into  a sound  track  album 
for  release  June  1.  A comprehensive  cam- 
paign has  been  set  by  Capitol  to  merchan- 
dise the  album  in  conjunction  with  theatre 
engagements  of  “The  King  and  I.” 

Three  coming  CBS-TY  presentations  of 
“The  20th  Century-Fox  Hour,”  sponsored 
by  General  Electric,  will  feature  scenes  from 
the  picture  and  interviews  with  its  stars 
as  part  of  a TV  publicity  campaign.  Other 
important  programs  which  have  devoted  or 
will  devote  considerable  attention  to  the 
picture  are  the  Ed  Sullivan  Show,  CBS-TV; 
the  Perry  Como  Show,  NBC-TV';  the  Eddie 
Fisher  Show.  NBC-TV;  Steve  Allen’s  “To- 
night,” NBC-TV;  Tex  & Jinx,  NBC,  and 
others. 

The  production  also  has  received  inter- 
national publicity  through  the  continuing 
series  of  exhibitor  and  press  demonstrations 
of  CinemaScope  55. 


Seven-Year  Columbia 
Pact  to  Schneider 

HOLLYIl'OOD : A new  seven-year  con- 
tract for  A.  Schneider,  vice-president  and 
treasurer  of  Columbia  Pictures,  has  been  ap- 
proved. it  is  announced  by  Harry  Cohn,  com- 
pany president.  Mr.  Schneider,  who  also  is 
a member  of  the  company’s  board  of  direc- 
tors, and  recently  was  appointed  to  the  self- 
regulatory  review  committee  of  the  Motion 
Picture  Association  of  America,  has  been 
with  Columbia  Pictures  throughout  his  en- 
tire career. 


Brynner , Wilcoxon  on 
" Buccaneer " Assignment 

Yul  Brynner  will  direct  a remake  of  Cecil 
B.  DeMille's  1938  production,  “The  Buc- 
caneer,” Paramount  has  announced,  with 
Henry  Wilcoxon,  Mr.  DeMille’s  associate 
producer  on  “The  Ten  Commandments,”  as 
producer.  Mr.  DeMille  has  announced  that 
he  will  “take  an  active  interest  in”  the  pro- 
duction. Mr.  Brynner.  who  has  directed  live 
TV  shows,  studied  Mr.  DeMille’s  methods 
closely  during  production  of  “The  Ten  Com- 
mandments,” in  which  Mr.  Brynner  stars. 


d jS i 


cene 


HOLLYWOOD  BUREAU 

Production  held  steady  to  fair,  as  Wall 
Street  would  describe  it,  at  the  weekend, 
following  completion  of  two  pictures  and 
start  of  shooting  on  another. 

The  new  undertaking  is  a Columbia  vehi- 
cle for  Judy  Holliday,  who’s  been  a bread- 
winner for  Columbia  and  Columbia  custom- 
ers on  each  of  her  previous  rides  to  market, 
and  it  is  being  produced  by  Fred  Kohlmar, 
whose  most  recent  contribution  to  the  pros- 
perity of  the  industry  is  the  decidedly 
profitable  “Picnic.”  Richard  Quine  is  di- 
recting the  picture,  which  has  in  the  cast 
supporting  Miss  Holliday,  Richard  Conte, 
Esther  Minciotti  and  Trudy  Marshall. 


ON  THE  SET 


iiiiiMiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiimiiiiiim 

THIS  WEEK  IN 
PRODUCTION: 

STARTED  (I) 

COLUMBIA 

Full  of  Life 

COMPLETED  (2) 

INDEPENDENT  UNITED  ARTISTS 

Creatures  from  Green  The  Brass  Legend  (Bob 
Hell  (Gross-Krasne  Goldstein  Prod.) 

Prod.) 


Otto  Preminger  will  make  three  pictures 
for  United  Artists  in  five  years,  with  Shaw’s 
“Saint  Joan”  scheduled  as  the  first.  He 
will  produce  and  direct  the  stage  classic, 
which  has  never  been  filmed  before,  follow- 
ing completion  of  “Bonjour  Tristesse”  for 
MGM. 

• 

Roberto  Rossellini,  the  Italian  director, 
has  been  signed  by  Sumar  Productions  to 
direct  “Sea  Wyf”  for  20th  Century-Fox 
release.  It  will  be  made  in  London  in  color 
and  CinemaScope  and  will  star  Richard 
Burton. 

• 

Mark  Goodson  and  William  Todman, 
television  producing  team,  will  produce  three 
pictures  for  Columbia  release,  one  of  which 
will  be  based  on  the  television  series,  “The 
Web,”  which  Goodson  and  Todman  have 
produced  for  TV  release  by  Screen  Gems, 
Columbia  subsidiary. 

• 

RKO  has  announced  several  important 
production  and  casting  assignments  this 
week.  . . . “Portofino,”  an  original  story 
has  been  purchased  which  John  Farrow 
will  produce  and  direct  with  Anita  Ekberg 
and  Robert  Ryan.  . . . “The  Peerless 
Knight,”  based  on  the  life  of  Roderigo 
Diaz  De  Vivar,  Spanish  hero,  will  be  one 
of  the  studio’s  most  important  films  in  1957 
and  will  be  made  entirely  in  Spain.  . . . 
An  original  screenplay  by  Winston  Mil- 
ler. “Escapade  in  Japan,”  will  be  filmed  in 
Tokyo  also  in  1957.  Sam  Wiesenthal  will 
produce  this  and  “The  Day  They  Gave 
Babies  Away,”  which  will  start  this  sum- 
mer. . . . Richard  Sokolove  has  been  signed 
as  a staff  producer.  He  was  recently  as- 
sociate producer  for  Columbia’s  “You  Can’t 
Run  Away  from  It.” 

• 

Arthur  Hornblow,  Jr.  will  produce 
“Solomon  and  Sheba”  in  association  with 
Edward  Small  in  Spain  next  year  for 
U.A.  release.  . . . Carmen  Sevilla,  famous 


SHOOTING  (33) 

ALLIED  ARTISTS 

Chasing  Trouble 
Notre  Dame  de  Paris 
(CinemaScope; 
Eastman  Color) 

COLUMBIA 

Guns  of  Fort  Petticoat 
(Brown-Murphy  Pic.) 

MGM 

A Man  Is  Ten  Feet  Tall 
(Jonathan  Prod.) 

The  Power  and  the  Prize 
Barretts  of  Wimpole 
Street  (CinemaScope; 
Color) 

Teahouse  of  the  August 
Moon  (Cinema- 
Scope; Color) 

Tea  and  Sympathy 
Raintree  County 
(65mm;  Color) 

Julie  (A  rwin  Prods.) 

The  Opposite  Sex 
( CinemaScope; 
Eastman  Color) 

PARAMOUNT 

Hollywood  or  Bust 
(VistaVision; 
Technicolor) 

Funny  Face  (Vista- 
Vision;  Technicolor) 
The  Loves  of  Omar 
Khayyam  (Vista- 
Vision;  Technicolor) 
The  Lonely  Man  (Vista- 
Vision;  Technicolor) 
The  Maverick  (Vista- 
Vision;  Technicolor) 
Gunfight  at  OK  Corral 
(VistaVision; 
Technicolor) 


RKO  RADIO 

Public  Pidgeon  Number 
One 

20TH-FOX 

Best  Things  in  Life  Are 
Free  (CinemaScope; 
Technicolor) 

The  Last  Wagon 
( CinemaScope; 

De  Luxe  Color) 

One  in  a Million 
(CinemaScope; 

De  Lu  xe  Color) 

Bus  Stop  (Cinema- 
Scope; Technicolor) 

UNITED  ARTISTS 

Five  Steps  to  Terror 
(Grand  Prod.) 

Pride  and  the  Passion 
(Kramer  Prod.;  Vista- 
Vision; Technicolor) 
The  Boss  (Boss  Prods.) 

U-l 

Tammy  (CinemaScope; 

Technicolor) 

I've  Lived  Before 

(formerly  "I've  Been 
Here  Before") 

Star  Light  (Cinema- 
Scope; Technicolor) 
Gun  for  a Coward 
(Technicolor) 

The  Great  Man 
Battle  Hymn  (Cinema- 
Scope; Technicolor) 

WARNER  BROS. 

The  Old  Man  and  the 
Sea  ( WarnerColor) 
The  Wrong  Man 
(Alfred  Hitchcock 
Prod.) 


IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINIMIIIIIIIIII 

Spanish  actress,  was  signed  to  star  in 
“Flamenca,”  Nomad  Production  for  Para- 
mount release.  . . . Roger  Corman  will 
produce  and  direct  “The  Hypnosis  of  Diana 
Love”  for  Allied  Artists.  It  has  a “Bridev 
Murphy”  theme. 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  MAY  12,  1956 


31 


Filins  Need 
Oil'll  Stories „ 
Says  Waltl 

In  a strong  dissent  against  the  use  of  T\ 
story  material  for  motion  pictures,  Jerry 
Wald,  vice-president  in  charge  of  produc- 
tion for  Columbia  Pictures,  called  the  gross- 
ing totals  for  ‘‘Marty,”  teleplay-turned- 
motion  picture,  a "freak.”  Discounting  the 
trend  set  by  the  Academy  Award-winning 
"Marty.”  he  challenged  the  oracles  to  look 
over  the  other  pictures  adapted  from  TV 
dramas  and  see  how  they  made  out  at  the 
box  office.  He  predicted  that  less  and  less 
TV  material  will  be  bought  for  motion  pic- 
ture adaptation,  and  added  that  he  would 
readily  match  the  grossing  performance  of 
"Marty”  against  "Picnic,”  maintaining  that 
there  is  a $5,000,000  profit  differential  in 
favor  of  “Picnic.” 

Mr.  Wald  went  on  to  declare  that  a com- 
plete “retooling”  is  needed  in  Hollywood, 
and  argued  that  all  branches  of  the  industry 
must  recognize  “the  cold  hard  facts”  that 
only  a fresh,  exciting  story  properly  cast 
will  bring  people  out  of  their  homes.  “Every- 
body,” he  continued,  “is  trying  to  copy 
yesterday’s  hit”  which  results  in  "look 
alikes”  that  are  unsuccessful.  Fresh,  differ- 
ent story  material  that  has  the  “chemistry” 
to  bring  people  out  of  their  homes,  is  what 
is  needed,  Mr.  Wald  said,  and  asked,  “Why 
should  people  pay  to  see  a 48-minute  TV 
script  stretched  to  feature-length  propor- 
tions when  they  saw  the  original  version  at 
home  free?” 

Discusses  Properties 

Mr.  Wald  said  that  he  bought  “Anderson- 
ville,”  the  MacKinlay  Kantor  novel,  seven 
months  ago  for  the  very  reason  that  many 
people  in  Hollywood  said  that  the  property 
is  not  another  "Gone  With  the  Wind.”  He 
expressed  deep  satisfaction  at  the  awarding 
of  the  Pulitzer  Prize  to  the  novel,  and  added 
that  the  film  version,  which  he  is  producing, 
should  go  before  the  cameras  by  the  end  of 
the  year. 

He  said  Irving  Ravetch  is  working  in 
Paris  with  Mr.  Kantor  on  a screen  treat- 
ment, and  should  have  the  script  ready 
shortly,  after  which  casting  will  begin.  As 
another  example  of  material  that  is  not 
familiar,  Mr.  Wald  cited  “Sons  and  Lovers,” 
a novel  by  D.  H.  Lawrence,  which  he  will 
produce.  With  backlogs  of  features  now 
sold  to  TV,  Mr.  Wald  argued  that  “old- 
fashioned”  material  now  available  on  TV 
screens  cannot  be  sold  at  the  box  office. 


" Rosanna " to  Open 

“Rosanna,”  drama  starring  Rossana  Po- 
desta,  a Fine  Arts  release  distributed  by 
Jacon  Film  Distributors,  will  open  at  the 
World  theatre  in  New  York  May  16. 
Directed  by  Emilio  Fernandez,  the  film 
was  shot  on  location  in  Mexico. 


THE  WINNERS  CIRCLE 


Pictures  which  were  reported  as  doing  a 

nation  for  the  week  ended  May  5 were: 

Albany:  The  Ladykillers  (Cont.)  3rd 
week. 

Atlanta:  The  Court  Jester  (Par.)  ; For- 
bidden Planet  (MGM) ; The  Man  With 
the  Golden  Arm  (U.A.)  4th  week;  The 
Revolt  of  Mamie  Stover  (20th-Fox). 

Baltimore:  Bold  and  the  Brave  (RKO); 
The  Man  in  the  Gray  Flannel  Suit 
(20th-Fox)  3rd  week;  On  the  Thres- 
hold of  Space  (20th-Fox). 

Boston:  The  Ladykillers  (Cont.);  Mo- 
hawk (20th-Fox) ; Touch  and  Go 
(U-I). 

Buffalo:  Hilda  Crane  (20th-Fox) ; The 
Maverick  Queen  (Rep.) ; Slightly 
Scarlet  (RKO)  ; Tribute  to  a Bad  Man 
(MGM). 

Chicago:  Birds  and  the  Bees  (Par.)  ; Di- 
abolique  (UMPO)  20th  week;  Magic 
Fire  (Rep.)  2nd  week;  Meet  Me  in  Las 
Vegas  (MGM)  3rd  week;  The  Swan 
(MGM)  3rd  week. 

Cleveland:  Forbidden  Planet  (MGM). 

Columbus:  The  Man  in  the  Gray  Flan- 
nel Suit  (20th-Fox). 

Denver:  Kettles  in  the  Ozarks  (U-I)  ; 
Letters  from  My  Windmill  (Tohan)^ 
Meet  Me  in  Las  Vegas  (MGM). 

Des  Moines:  The  Man  in  the  Gray  Flan- 
nel Suit  (20th-Fox)  4th  week. 

Detroit:  Oklahoma!  (Magna)  11th  week. 

Hartford:  Diabolique  (UMPO)  2nd  week; 
Godzilla,  King  of  the  Monsters  (Em- 
bassy) ; The  Man  in  the  Gray  Flan- 
nel Suit  (20th-Fox)  3rd  week;  The 
Maverick  Queen  (Rep.) ; Sea  Shall 
Not  Have  Them  (U.A.) ; The  Swan 
(MGM)  ; Tribute  to  a Bad  Man 
(MGM). 

Indianapolis:  Birds  and  the  Bees  (Par.). 

Jacksonville:  The  Harder  They  Fall 

(Col.)  ; Hot  Blood  (Col.)  ; Jubal  (Col.) ; 
The  Man  Who  Never  Was  (20th-Fox). 

Memphis:  Bold  and  the  Brave  (RKO). 


bove  average  business  in  key  cities  of  the 

Milwaukee:  The  Man  With  the  Golden 
Arm  (U.A.)  2nd  week. 

Minneapolis:  The  Man  in  the  Gray  Flan- 
nel Suit  (20th-Fox). 

New  Orleans:  The  Man  in  the  Gray 
Flannel  Suit  (20th-Fox)  2nd  week; 
Serenade  (W.B.)  ; Star  in  the  Dust 
(U-I)  ; The  Swan  (MGM)  2nd  week. 

Oklahoma  City:  Indestructible  Man  (A. 
A.)  2nd  week;  Jubal  (Col.)  3rd  week; 
The  Man  in  the  Gray  Flannel  Suit 
(20th-Fox)  4th  week;  The  Maverick 
Queen  (Rep.)  ; Serenade  (W.B.)  2nd 
week. 

Philadelphia:  The  Man  in  the  Gray  Flan- 
nel Suit  (20th-Fox)  2nd  week;  Meet 
Me  in  Las  Vegas  (MGM)  4th  week; 
Picnic  (Col.)  9th  week. 

Pittsburgh:  Diabolique  (UMPO)  4th 

week;  The  Ladykillers  (Cont.)  ; The 
Swan  (MGM)  2nd  week. 

Portland:  Forbidden  Planet  (MGM); 

Jubal  (Col.);  Serenade  (W.B.). 

Providence:  The  Man  in  the  Gray  Flan- 
nel Suit  (20th-Fox). 

San  Francisco:  Dance  Little  Lady  (Trans- 
Lux)  2nd  week;  Diabolique  (UMPO) 
19th  week;  Doctor  at  Sea  (Rep.)  6th 
week;  The  Harder  They  Fall  (Col.) 
2nd  week;  The  Man  in  the  Gray  Flan- 
nel Suit  (20th-Fox)  4th  week;  Okla- 
homa! (Magna)  12th  week;  Richard  III 
(Lopert)  2nd  week. 

Toronto:  Birds  and  the  Bees  (Par.)  2nd 
week;  The  Court  Jester  (Par.)  3rd 
week;  The  Ladykillers  (Cont.)  6th 
week. 

Vancouver:  The  Invasion  of  the  Body 
Snatchers  (A.A.) ; Rock  Around  the 
Clock  (Col.). 

Washington:  The  Harder  They  Fall 

(Col.)  2nd  week;  Jubal  (Col.)  ; The 
Man  in  the  Gray  Flannel  Suit  (20th- 
Fox)  5th  week;  Picnic  (Col.)  11th  week; 
The  Rack  (MGM);  The  Swan  (MGM) 
2nd  week. 


Two-Continent  Tour  Set 
For  "Foreign  Intrigue" 

A two-continent  program  of  personal  ap- 
pearances covering  24  cities  in  the  LJnited 
States  and  Europe  has  been  set  in  behalf  of 
"Foreign  Intrigue”  for  star  Robert  Mit- 
chum,  producer-director-writer  Sheldon 
Reynolds  and  associate  producer  Nicole 
Milinaire,  it  is  announced  by  Roger  H. 
Lewis,  United  Artists  national  director  of 
advertising,  publicity  and  exploitation.  The 
three-pronged  international  junket,  spot- 
lighting the  film  via  press  interview,  TV- 
radio  and  theatre  stands,  begins  May  24. 


"Great  Day"  to  Saturate 
Rocky  Mountain  Area 

A strong  saturation  booking  in  the  Rocky 
Mountain  area  has  been  set  for  RKO  s 
“Great  Day  in  the  Morning,”  which  opens 
in  215  situations  in  the  Denver  and  Salt 
Lake  City  exchanges  within  two  weeks  of 
its  May  16  world  premiere  at  the  Orpheum 
theatre,  Denver,  it  is  announced  by  Walter 
Branson.  RKO  vice-president  in  charge  of 
worldwide  distribution.  A gala  debut 
program,  including  producer  Edmund 
Grainger  and  stars  of  the  production  will 
kick  off  the  release  of  the  RKO  film. 


32 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  MAY  12,  1956 


C.  V.  WHITNEY  TOLD  MERIAN  C.  COOPER 


II 


COOPER  asked  a? 

JOHN  FORD  to  have  filmland's 


most  gifted  and  daring  stuntmen 

enact  the  hand-to-hand  combat  the  C.  V.  WHITNEY  Pictures,  Inc.,  attraction 


scenes.  They  were: 

BILLY  CARTLEDGE 
CHUCK  HAYWARD 
SLIM  HIGHTOWER 
FRED  KENNEDY 
FRANK  McGRATH 
CHUCK  ROBERSON 
DALE  VAN  SICKLE 
HENRY  WILLS 
TERRY  WILSON 


JOHN  WAYNE . 


co-starring 


JEFFREY  HUNTER  •VERA  MILES  •WARD  BOND  • NATALIE  WOOD 


from  a novel  personally  selected  by  C.V.  WHITNEY,  president 
MERIAN  C.  COOPER  , vice-president  in  charge  of  production 

directed  by  JOHN  FORD 

Color  by  TECHNICOLOR  • in  VistaVision 
soon  to  be  presented  by  WARNER  BROS. 


C.  V.  WHITNEY  TOLD  MERIAN  C.  COOPER 


Then  COOPER  asked 
JOHN  FORD  to  capture  the  full 
sweep  of  the  novel,  THE 
SEARCHERS.  FORD  took  the  entire 
company  to  Monument  Valley 
where  he  got  real  Navajos.  The 
entire  trifi^xcHapetatejdT^por 


the  C.  V.  WHITNEY  Pictures,  Inc.,  attract 

JOHN  WAYNE 

US  iMMW 


co-starring 

JEFFREY  HUNTER  • VERA  MILES  •WARD  BOND*  NATALIE  WOOD 

from  a novel  personally  selected  by  C.V.  WHITNEY  , president 
MERIAN  C.  COOPER  , vice-president  in  charge  of  production 

directed  by  JOHN  FORD 

Color  by  TECHNICOLOR  • in  VistaVision 
soon  to  be  presented  by  WARNER  BROS. 


LITHO  IN  U.S.A. 


Moira  Allied 
Ras  Talk  on 
I] guipnten  t 

OMAHA:  Trade  practices,  the  hearings  of 
the  Senate  Small  Business  subcommittee  and 
new  developments  in  motion  picture  produc- 
tion and  projection  techniques  were  the 
prime  topics  for  discussion  here  Tuesday 
and  Wednesday  as  the  Allied  Independent 
Theatre  Owners  of  Iowa  and  Nebraska  met 
in  annual  convention  at  the  Fontenelle 
Hotel. 

The  chief  speaker  on  production  and  pro- 
jection techniques  was  Herbert  Barnett, 
assistant  to  the  president  of  General  Pre- 
cision Equipment  Corporation  and  who 
represented  the  Theatre  Equipment  and 
Supply  Manufacturers  Association. 

Speaking  to  the  convention  Tuesday,  Mr. 
Barnett  declared  that  among  the  more  im- 
portant innovations  has  been  “the  concept 
of  increased  screen  dimensions”  which  has 
brought  along  “several  undesirable  factors 
which  engineering  must  eventually  correct.” 
The  undesirable  factors,  he  said,  include 
loss  of  picture  quality  through  magnification 
of  the  35mm  frame,  inadequate  screen  illu- 
mination and  increase  in  flicker. 

“ Not  All  Quality  Realized ” 

To  meet  these  problems,  he  told  how  20th 
Century-Fox  had  developed  55mm  Cinema- 
Scope  and  MGM  and  Columbia  were  ex- 
perimenting with  65mm  film,  both  of  which 
systems  are  designed  to  increase  the  reso- 
lution of  the  “printed  down”  35mm  print. 
He  continued : “The  degree  to  which  im- 
proved picture  quality  can  be  maintained  in 
transfer  to  35mm  release  print  will  deter- 
mine the  merits  of  such  procedure  ...  it  is 
not  likely  that  all  the  quality  available  on 
the  wide  negative  will  be  realized  on  the 
35mm  release  print.” 

The  logical  way  of  solving  the  light  prob- 
lem, he  said,  is  to  use  wider  release  prints, 
but  these  are  costly  both  to  producers  and 
to  exhibitors  who  must  buy  new  projection 
equipment.  “The  question  as  to  eventual  re- 
lease in  wide  film  versions  is  a rather  com- 
plex one.  he  added,  “and  no  conclusion  has 
been  reached  at  this  time.” 

Go/dwyn  Girls  Attend 
"Guys"  Rio  Premiere 

RIO  DE  JANEIRO : The  Latin  American 
premiere  of  Samuel  Goldwyn’s  “Guys  and 
Dolls”  was  held  here  May  9 for  charity. 
It  was  sponored  by  Mrs.  Juscelino  Kubis- 
chek,  wife  of  the  country’s  new  president. 
Five  Goldwyn  Girls,  now  on  a promotion 
tour  of  South  and  Central  America,  were 
hostesses.  The  audience  comprised  members 
of  the  Government,  foreign  diplomats  and 
social  leaders.  The  girls  are  covering  Lima, 
Rio,  Sao  Paulo,  Montevideo,  Buenos  Aires, 
Santiago,  Panama,  Medellin,  Barranquilla, 
Bogota,  Caracas,  San  Juan  and  Mexico  City. 


"Kiss  Before  Dying"  Ad 
Dispute  Settled  by  U.A. 

United  Artists  and  the  Advertising  Code 
Administration  of  the  Motion  Picture  Asso- 
ciation of  America  have  settled  their  dif- 
ferences over  the  wording  of  the  advertising 
copy  for  Robert  L.  Jack’s  production  of  “A 
Kiss  Before  Dying,”  it  has  been  announced. 
The  ad  campaign  for  the  film  will  now  be 
keyed  on  copy  which  reads : “She  was  going 
to  have  a baby.  Now  he  knew  he  had  to 
kill  her.” 

Rogers  Fund 
Drive  Flans 
Near  Ready 

Plans  are  nearing  completion  for  the  sec- 
ond annual  theatre-audience  collection  for 
the  Will  Rogers  Memorial  Hospital  and 
Research  Laboratories,  it  is  announced  by 
S.  H.  Fabian,  national  chairman  for  the 
hospital’s  special  audience  collection  drive, 
and  treasurer  of  its  hospital  fund.  National 
presentation  of  the  program  will  he  made 
to  the  industry  via  a country-wide  telephone 
broadcast  May  17.  The  broadcast  will  orig- 
inate in  New  York  and  will  be  received, 
amplified,  at  points  designated  by  the  cam- 
paign distributor  chairmen  in  all  exchange 
cities. 

In  making  the  announcemnt,  Mr.  Fabian 
said:  “It  is  absolutely  necessary  and  im- 
perative, for  the  continued  advancement  of 
our  hospital  and  its  research  accomplish- 
ments, that  we  look  outside  the  family  of 
industry  employees  for  additional  financial 
aid.  Industry  employees  are  generous  in 
their  contributions  to  the  Christmas  Salute, 
but  more,  much  more,  money  is  needed  to 
enable  the  hospital  to  fulfill  its  serious  pur- 
pose of  caring  for  and  healing  the  unfortu- 
nate among  us  who  are  stricken — of  restor- 
ing health  and  useful  lives  to  our  people  of 
show  business,  and  maintaining  and  expand- 
ing our  research  work,  which  benefits  not 
only  our  own  but  all  mankind.” 

Montague  at  Broadcast 

The  kick-off  broadcast  meeting  will  be 
presided  over  by  A.  Montague,  president  of 
Will  Rogers  Hospital,  and  vice-president  of 
Columbia  Pictures.  Independent  and  circuit 
exhibitors  will  be  invited  to  attend,  as  will 
be  film  salesmen  and  distributor  representa- 
tives of  all  companies,  National  Screen  Ser- 
vice branch  managers  and  Will  Rogers 
Hospital  campaign  workers. 

The  special  appeal  trailer  will  feature 
Henry  Fonda  this  year.  The  running  time 
is  less  than  two  minutes,  and  it  will  be 
supplied  gratis  to  theatres  pledging  their 
participation.  Exhibitors  can  get  added  in- 
formation from  National  Screen  Service, 
which  is  handling  the  film.  Exhibitors  are 
also  asked  to  show  the  trailer  and  take  up 
audience  collections  during  the  week  of 
July  16. 


Educa  tional 
Film  Need 
Ms  Stressetl 

MILWAUKEE : The  need  for  more  educa- 
tional films  and  an  over-all  growth  of  the 
motion  picture  industry  to  progress  uniform- 
ly with  public  acceptance  of  the  medium  was 
stressed  here  at  the  12-day  Festival  of 
American  Arts  held  at  Marquette  Univer- 
sity. Roger  Albright,  educational  director 
of  the  Motion  Picture  Association  of  Ameri- 
ca, told  members  that  the  industry  lags  be- 
hind public  acceptance  simply  because  all 
sections  of  the  nation  do  not  progress  uni- 
formly in  this  acceptance.  He  added  that 
the  industry  must  follow  the  more  reluctant 
segments  of  the  population. 

Illustrating  the  growth  of  the  industry 
and  its  contrast  with  that  of  the  public, 
Mr.  Albright  declared  that  an  audience  of 
30  years  ago  would  have  been  shocked  to 
hear  the  word  "pregnant”  in  a film,  but  to- 
day families  talk  about  it  freely.  While  stat- 
ing that  industry  product  is  as  pure  as  ever, 
he  said,  “far  greater  use  is  being  made  of 
it  educationally  and  scientifically.” 

He  noted  that  although  production  had 
dropped  from  600  to  300  films  a year  in  the 
past  two  decades,  the  production  of  what 
he  termed  “masterpieces”  is  greater  and  will 
continue  to  increase.  Mr.  Albright  admitted 
to  the  impact  of  TV  on  the  industry,  but 
believed  TV  to  be  only  one  of  the  entertain- 
ment forms  taking  a share  of  the  public’s 
leisure  time.  He  added  that  the  decline  in 
theatre  attendance  is  leveling  off.  Some 
1,900  members  of  the  industry  attended  the 
festival,  which  featured  a film  on  “A  His- 
tory of  the  Motion  Picture  in  America,” 
originally  produced  for  an  international  ex- 
position held  in  1940  in  Paris. 

David  Bader  Again 
Named  AtAPA  Head 

David  Bader  was  reelected  president  of 
the  Associated  Motion  Picture  Advertisers, 
Inc.,  New  York,  for  1956-57  at  a recent 
luncheon  meeting.  Also  reelected  was  Hans 
Barnstvn,  treasurer.  Others  elected  were 
Blanche  Livingston,  vice-president;  Bob 
Montgomery,  secretary,  and  Marcia  Stern, 
recording  secretary.  Elected  to  the  board  of 
trustees  for  a three-year  term  was  Vincent 
Trotta.  Elected  to  the  board  of  directors 
were  Lige  Brien,  Martin  Davis,  Steve  Ed- 
wards, Ed  Kastenbaum  and  Burton  Robbins. 


Regents  Reject  "Eden" 

ALBANY : “The  Garden  of  Eden,”  which 
has  as  its  background  a Florida  nudist  camp, 
cannot  be  licensed  for  public  exhibition  in 
New  York  State  unless  Excelsior  Pictures 
Corp.  eliminates  scenes  involving  nudity, 
according  to  the  Board  of  Regents.  The 
board’s  decision  affirmed  the  prior  action  of 
the  State  Education  Department,  which 
ruled  the  film  “indecent”  as  submitted. 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  MAY  12,  1956 


35 


ALBANY 

Saturday  is  now  the  big  theatre  night 
hereabouts.  W ednesday,  which  is  the  opener 
for  some  first-runs,  is  off.  . . . Settlement  of 
the  strike  at  Mohawk  drive-in,  Albany- 
Schenectady  Rd. — through  agreement  to  hire 
a part-time  stage  hand  for  marquee  changes 
— was  welcomed  all  around.  Philip  J.  Har- 
ling,  Fabian  home  office  attorney,  came  here 
for  the  wrap-up  with  Local  12,  IATSE. 
Members  of  Projectionists  Local  324  re- 
mained off  the  job  during  strike.  . . . Tent  9 
had  a delegation  of  12  to  15  at  20th  annual 
convention  of  Variety  Clubs  International  in 
New  York.  Jack  Goldberg  was  arrangements 
chairman.  ...  A Fabian  spokesman  denied 
newspaper  reports  that  Erie,  Schenectady, 
would  be  razed  immediately.  He  said  the 
showing  of  motion  pictures  and  stage  plays 
— when  the  latter  are  available — would  con- 
tinue indefinitely.  A petition  for  demolition 
and  conversion  into  a parking  lot  has  been 
filed  by  representatives  of  two  estates  own- 
ing theatre  building,  but  no  date  has  been 
set. 

ATLANTA 

The  new  owner  of  the  Richland  theatre, 
Richland,  Ga.,  is  Herman  Abrams,  who  also 
owns  the  Lumpkin  theatre,  Lumpkin,  Ga. 
He  bought  the  Richland  from  C.  R.  Cowart, 
who  has  moved  to  Jacksonville,  Fla.  . . . The 
Crescent  Amusement  Co.,  Nashville,  has  in- 
stalled CinemaScope  in  the  Elite  theatre.  . . . 
The  City  of  Atlanta  has  purchased  the  prop- 
erty of  the  Tenth  Street  theatre  for  a re- 
ported price  of  $120,000.  The  property  will 
be  used  for  part  of  a midtown  expressway. 
The  theatre  was  owned  by  the  Georgia  The- 
atre Co.  . . . Henry  G.  Krumm,  former  film 
man  in  Atlanta  and  who  now  lives  in  San 
Antonio,  Texas,  was  a visitor  on  the  Row. 

. . . J.  H.  Thompson,  president  of  the  Geor- 
gia Theatre  Owners  and  Operators  Associa- 
tion and  head  of  the  Martin  and  Thompson 
Theatres,  was  in  Atlanta  holding  a meeting 
with  his  executive  committee.  . . . Dick  Ken- 
nedy', president  of  Alabama  Theatre  Owners, 
also  was  in.  . . . The  screen  tower  of  the 
Skyway  drive-in,  Fitzgerald,  Ga.,  was  blown 
down  during  a windstorm.  It  will  be  rebuilt 
at  once.  . . . C.  L.  Patrick,  general  manager, 
Martin  Theatres,  Columbus,  Ga.,  visited  the 
local  office. 

BALTIMORE 

Baltimore  Variety  Club  Tent  19  is  co- 
sponsoring, along  with  the  Maryland  Jockey 
Club,  the  revival  of  the  Preakness  Ball.  The 
dinner  dance,  discontinued  during  the  war, 
was  one  of  the  outstanding  social  events  of 
the  year.  The  Variety  Sponsorship  this  year 
will  see  the  ball  in  the  Southern  Hotel  Ball- 
room with  tickets  priced  at  $30  per  plate. 
I.  K.  Makover  is  the  chairman  for  the  Vari- 
ety Club  and  the  proceeds  will  be  going  to 
the  club’s  Heart  Fund.  . . . Milton  Schwaber, 
head  of  Schwaber  Theatres,  has  donated  a 
lot  to  the  city  for  a branch  of  the  Enoch 
Pratt  Free  Library.  . . . Estate  left  by  the 
late  Frank  Durkee,  head  of  the  Durkee  enter- 
prises, was  announced  as  $388,888,  according 


to  the  inventory  filed  in  Orphan’s  Court. . . . 
Maynard  Madlen  is  the  new  Republic  sales- 
man for  this  territory,  succeeding  the  late 
Sam  Tabor.  . . . Oscar  Kantor,  Warner 
salesman  in  this  territory,  is  vacationing 
with  Mrs.  Kantor  in  the  Caribbean.  . . . 
Herb  Gillis,  Paramount  branch  manager, 
was  in  town  visiting  accounts.  . . . The  fire 
in  the  Edgewood  Shopping  Center  forced 
the  Hiway'  theatre  to  close  for  two  days. 

BOSTON 

Redstone  Drive-in  Theatres  has  changed 
its  corporate  name  to  North  East  Drive-in 
Theatre  Corporation.  Michael  Redstone  is 
president.  Two  new  men  have  been  added 
to  its  managerial  staff.  Hervey  Keator  is 
manager  at  the  Salinas  drive-in,  Rochester, 
N.  Y.,  and  Jack  Keagan  has  been  named 
supervisor  of  the  circuit’s  three  western 
New  York  drive-ins.  Edward  Redstone 
states  that  positions  for  managers  and  assis- 
tants are  still  open  in  the  circuit.  . . . Nathan 
Yarnins  was  re-elected  president  of  Temple 
Mishkan  Telifla,  Roxbury,  at  the  99th  annual 
meeting.  . . . Jack  McCarthy,  former  Warner 
salesman  has  joined  Embassy  Pictures  as 
salesman  for  six  New  England  states.  . . . 
The  anti-trust  case  of  the  Ideal  theatre,  Mil- 
ford, owned  by  Leon  Task,  against  the  ma- 
jor distributors  is  docketed  for  trial  during 
the  latter  part  of  May  in  U.  S.  Federal  Court 
here.  . . . Joseph  Liss,  critically  injured 'in 
an  auto  accident  last  June,  returned  to  a 
Worcester  Hospital  for  further  surgery. 
This  time  a silver  plate  was  placed  at  the 
top  of  his  head.  His  return  to  his  Boston 
office  where  he  was  district  manager  for 
Stanley  Warner  Massachusetts  theatres  is 
indefinite.  ...  A second  son  and  third  child 
was  born  to  the  wife  of  Charles  School, 
Metro  office  manager.  The  baby  has  been 
named  Conrad  Jerome  School. 

BUFFALO 

Patrons  of  the  Niagara,  a Paramount  com- 
munity house  on  Buffalo’s  west  side,  were 
unaware  they  were  central  figures  in  a real 
“cop-bomb”  thriller  the  other  evening. 
About  100  patrons  filed  out  of  the  theatre 
and  received  passes  for  a future  show  when 
they  were  told  “technical  difficulties”  pre- 
vented showing  “Gunpoint,”  an  action- 
packed  Westerner.  They  were  not  told  they 
were  leaving  because  an  anonymous  tele- 
phone caller  said  a bomb  had  been  planted 
in  the  building.  Asst,  manager  Blase  Palumbo 
said  he  used  the  excuse  in  fear  patrons  would 
panic  if  told  about  the  call.  The  threat  was 
just  a phony,  police  said.  . . . Staging  a late 
show  of  their  own  in  Shea’s  Kensington, 
also  a Buffalo  community  theatre  at  3051 
Bailey  Avenue,  burglars  broke  into  two  vend- 
ing machines  and  a charwoman’s  locker 
early  last  Saturday  and  took  $8.25  in  cash. 
. . . J.  Joseph  Bernard,  vice-president  and 
general  manager  of  the  WGR  Corporation 
of  Buffalo,  and  E.  Lee  Jahncke,  Jr.,  vice- 
president  and  assistant  to  the  president  oi 
the  American  Broadcasting  Corporation, 
have  signed  an  affiliation  agreement  between 
ABC  and  WGR  for  both  radio  and  television. 
. . . Lester  Pollock,  manager  of  Loew’s  the- 


atre in  Rochester,  again  is  chairman  of  the 
entertainment  committee  for  the  annual  Blue 
Badge  Ball  in  Kodak  Town  May  29.  Lester 
has  booked  Sammy  Kaye  and  his  band  to 
play  for  this  big  police  benefit  affair.  . . . 
The  capacity  of  the  Lakeside  drive-in  in 
Rochester  is  being  doubled  by  the  installa- 
tion of  additional  ramps.  New  refreshment 
and  toll  buildings  also  are  being  constructed 
at  this  Redstone-operated  out-doorer. 

CHARLOTTE 

A 36-hour  marathon  showing  gave  “Rock 
Around  the  Clock”  a good  sendoff  here  at 
the  Center  theatre.  . . . “Alexander  the 
Great”  opened  well  at  the  Carolina  here.  . . . 
Glen  Grove,  manager  of  the  Imperial  thea- 
tre, was  looking  for  a Besenji  hound  like 
the  one  in  “Goodbye  My  Lady,”  a picture 
he  was  showing.  He  not  only  found  a Besen- 
ji, he  found  one  which  was  a descendant  of 
the  one  in  the  picture.  . . . Here  last  week  to 
help  promote  new  product  were  several  ex- 
ploitation men  including  John  Newfield  of 
Columbia,  Ed  Hale  of  Columbia  and  Tom 
Baldridge  of  MGM.  . . . The  next  meeting 
of  the  board  of  directors  of  Theatre  Owners 
Association  of  North  and  South  Carolina  is 
scheduled  for  Myrtle  Beach  in  June,  exact 
date  and  location  to  be  announced  later. . . . 
Scott  Lett,  manager  of  the  Howco  Exchange 
here,  went  to  Jacksonville,  Fla.  . . . MGM 
held  a sneak  screening  of  “Catered  Affair" 
at  the  Plaza  theatre  Monday  night. 

CHICAGO 

Irving  Mack,  head  of  Filntack  Trailer 
Company,  said  Theatre  Poster  Service  of 
Oklahoma  City  had  been  appointed  to  repre- 
sent his  company  for  the  purpose  of  “pro- 
viding more  personalized  service  for  ex- 
hibitors in  the  southwest.”  . . . Several  mem- 
bers of  the  Variety  Club  of  Illinois  attended 
the  national  convention  at  the  Waldorf- 
Astoria  Hotel  in  New  York  City.  Included 
in  the  Chicago  group  were  Irving  Mack, 
chairman  of  the  committee  handling  matters 
for  the  local  delegation,  John  Jones,  Mike 
Stern,  Sam  Levinsohn,  Mannie  Smerling 
and  Dudley  Gazollo.  . . . Ed  Mager.  well 
known  on  Film  Row  for  more  than  40  years, 
died.  He  was  associated  with  Allied  Thea- 
tres of  Illinois  at  the  time  of  his  passing. 
. . . Sinuel  Roberts,  owner  of  the  California 
theatre,  is  hospitalized.  . . . Band  music  has 
been  revived  at  the  Halsted  Outdoor  theatre 
every  Sunday  at  dusk.  . . . Dennis  Bell  has 
been"  promoted  to  assistant  manager  at  the 
Cinema.  ...  A renovation  program  is  in 
progress  at  the  4 Star  theatre. 

CLEVELAND 

After  long  speculation  as  to  the  future  of 
the  750-car  Pearl  drive-in’  theatre  built  last 
year  at  7591  Pearl  Rd.,  it  is  now  announced 
that  an  arrangement  has  been  reached 
whereby  it  will  be  operated  this  season  bv 
Frank  Schiessl  and  Alfred  H.  Stromeier 
under  an  option  to  purchase  at  the  end  of  the 
season.  None  of  the  present  owners  will 
(Continued  on  page  38) 


36 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD.  MAY  12,  1956 


RKO 


((  ontiniicd  from  page  36) 
have  anything  to  do  with  the  operation  of 
the  theatre  which  is  built  on  land  leased 
from  James  J.  Barton,  State  Representative, 
who  is  seeking  another  term  on  the  Repub- 
lican ticket.  . . . Morris  Lefko,  RKO  district 
manager,  terminated  26  years  with  the  com- 
pany to  join  Paramount  in  New  York  as 
special  representative  for  “War  and  Peace” 
and  "Ten  Commandments”  with  headquar- 
ters in  New  \ ork.  A farewell  testimonial  in 
his  honor  is  in  the  preparatory  state.  . . 
Robert  \ odice,  44,  one-time  assistant  man- 
ager at  Loew's  State  theatre  and  in  recent 
years  manager  of  a chain  of  parking  lots, 
died  this  week.  . . . Barbara  Salzman,  booker 
and  office  manager  for  IFE,  resigned  and  is 
temporarily  succeeded  by  Florence  Friedman 
Harris  who  handled  the  job  prior  to  her 
marriage.  . . . Paula  Stutz,  one  of  the  twin 
daughters  of  E.  J.  Stutz,  managing  director 
of  the  Circle  theatre  was  married  April  29 
to  Lawrence  Lilbiger, 

COLUMBUS 

“The  Man  in  the  Gray  Flannel  Suit”  went 
into  a second  week  at  RKO  Palace.  . . . 
Loew's  Ohio  will  show  “The  Wedding  in 
Monaco  on  the  bill  with  "Alexander  the 
Great”  starting  May  16.  . . . “The  Birth  of 
a Nation,  D.  \\  . Griffith’s  masterpiece,  was 
booked  by  Charles  Sugarman  at  the  Indian- 
ola  art  house.  The  Ohio  censor  board  banned 
the  film  over  40  years  ago.  . . . Herbert 
Schloss,  exploitation  representative  for  Co- 
lumbia Pictures,  was  in  town  in  advance  of 
“The  Harder  They  Fall.”  Manager  Walter 
Kessler  of  Loew’s  Ohio  invited  sports 
writers  to  see  the  film,  with  the  result  that 
Earl  Flora  of  the  Ohio  State  Journal  and 
Lew  Bryer  of  the  Columbus  Citizen  devoted 
full  columns  to  the  Columbia  feature.  . . . 
Manager  Edward  McGlone  of  RKO  Palace 
was  host  to  the  annual  cooking  school  at  the 
theatre.  . . . The  Empress  neighborhood 
house  has  been  turned  into  the  United  House 
of  Prayer.  “Sweet  Daddy”  Grace,  traveling 
evangelist,  has  been  the  attraction  there. . . . 
Miles  drive-ins  booked  a first  run  dual  bill 
including  “The  Indestructible  Man”  and 
“Invasion  of  the  Body  Snatchers.” 

DENVER 

Stewart  Granger  and  his  wife,  Jean  Sim- 
mons, have  bought  a large  ranch  near  Silver 
City,  N.  M.,  and  plan  to  build  a $250,000 
ranch  home.  . . . Word  reaching  here  says 
that  Ward  Pennington,  a former  branch 
manager  here  for  Paramount,  has  been 
made  branch  manager  for  the  company  in 
Milwaukee.  . . . Tillie  Chalk,  Paramount 
cashier,  vacationing  and  entertaining  her 
daughter  and  four  grandchildren,  who  leave 
soon  for  a four-year  stay  in  Germany.  . . . 
Paramount  has  cut  down  to  two  salesmen, 
leaving  the  territory  divided  between  John 
Vos  and  John  Thomas.  Wm.  Peregrin  re- 
enters the  office  as  office  manager,  Frank 
Carbone  becomes  booker,  and  Donald  Cook, 
booker,  has  quit  to  drive  a truck  for  Safe- 
way Stores.  The  job  of  Sylvia  Grief,  biller, 
was  cut  off.  . . . Mayer  Monsky,  Universal 
branch  manager,  and  Mrs.  Monsky,  to  New 
York  on  vacation.  . . . Leon  Blender,  Ameri- 
can Releasing  Corporation  sales  manager, 
was  in  with  his  wife  Miriam,  who  is  a niece 
of  Oscar  Galanter,  Universal  branch  man- 
ager. . . . Chick  Lloyd  takes  over  Realart, 
American  Releasing  Corporation  and  others, 
from  Robert  Herrell,  moving  exchange  to 
820  Twenty-first  Street. 


DES  MOINES 

Lloyd  Hierstein  and  Jack  Segal,  Des 
Moines  drive-in  theatre  managers,  appeared 
at  the  city  council  meeting  to  express  oppo- 
sition to  a proposed  daylight  savings  time 
program  for  the  city  of  Des  Moines.  Despite 
their  opposition,  however,  the  plan  won  pre- 
liminary approval  from  the  council  with 
Charles  lies,  council  member  and  head  of 
Film  Transportation  Co.,  voting  against  the 
plan.  May  20  would  be  the  date  for  the  plan 
to  go  into  effect.  . . . W.  H.  Eddy,  78,  pio- 
neer theatre  operator,  died  here  at  Mercy 
hospital.  He  built  the  Empress  theatre  in 
Indianola  and  had  continued  actively  at  its 
control  until  seven  years  ago.  He  moved  to 
Indianola  from  Hawarden  where  he  had 
been  a bank  president.  Prior  to  that  he  was 
a bank  executive  at  Boyden.  He  is  survived 
by  his  widow,  two  sons  and  a brother.  . . . 
Dorothy  Pobst,  UA,  entertained  members  of 
the  newly-organized  WOMPI  board  at  her 
home.  . . . Thelma  Washburn,  RKO  office 
manager  and  head  booker,  is  finishing  a com- 
plete remodeling  and  redecorating  job  at 
her  home.  . . . Fred  Thacker  has  put  his 
theatre  equipment  and  fixtures  at  Titonka 
up  for  public  auction. 

DETROIT 

The  $57, 000-three-day  gross  record  set  by 
the  Fox  theatre  rock-n-roll  show  last  winter 
prompts  a return  of  the  popular  stage  attrac- 
tion. Robert  Bothwell,  Fox  manager,  has 
booked  top  recording  stars  for  the  week  of 
June  21.  . . . Universal  booker,  Kenneth 
Owen,  is  home  following  a long  hospital 
siege.  . . . Sid  Bowman,  manager  at  United 
Artists,  is  on  the  hospital  list.  . . . Lyle 
Clark  will  operate  the  Lincoln  at  Lincoln. 

. . . Arnold  Gornall  will  re-upholster  and 
re-set  theatre  chairs  out  of  his  new  plant  in 
Northville.  . . . The  Butterfield-operated 
Capitol  in  Lansing  has  closed,  as  has  the 
Star  in  Elkton.  . . . Jack  Dickson  has  fled 
the  theatre  business  for  a summer  at  Edge- 
water  Park.  . . . The  Westown  in  Bay  City 
is  scheduled  to  be  reopened  by  Ed  Johnson. 

. . . Mac  Krim,  western  half  of  the  Krim 
Enterprises,  has  bought  a real  estate  devel- 
opment in  Cheviot  Hills,  now  lives  at  2900 
Krim  Drive.  . . . Ernest  Conlon,  secretary 
of  Allied  Theatres  of  Michigan,  issued  an 
appeal  to  exhibitor-members  to  urge  Con- 
gressional support  of  bill  H.  R.  9875  to  in- 
crease exemption  on  Federal  tax  from  50c 
to  $1. 

HARTFORD 

A sizable  film  industry  delegation  was  ex- 
pected at  the  New  Britain  (Conn.)  Press 
Club’s  Man  of  the  Year  Award  Dinner, 
slated  for  Thursday  at  the  Hedges  Restau- 
rant, on  the  Hartford-New  Britain  Road. 
Guest  of  honor  was  to  be  Peter  Perakos,  Sr., 
president  of  Perakos  Theatre  Associates, 
one  of  this  region’s  largest  independent  cir- 
cuits. . . . Rudy  D’Angotia  has  resigned  from 
the  advertising  staff  of  Bercal  Theatres  Inc. 

. . . Eddie  O’Neill,  Connecticut  district  man- 
ager for  Brandt  Drive-in  Theatres,  reports 
appointment  of  Albert  Hawkins  as  assistant 
manager,  Bridge  drive-in,  Groton,  Conn. 
G.  Malcolm  Clark  is  resident  manager.  . . . 
Hartford  visitors : Harry  F.  Shaw,  division 
manager,  and  Lou  Brown,  advertising-pub- 
licity manager,  Loew’s  Poli-New  England 
Theatres  Inc.;  Lou  Ginsburg,  president, 
Amalgamated  Buying  & Booking  Service, 
New  Haven. 


INDIANAPOLIS 

The  Allied  Theatre  Owners  of  Indiana 
board  will  meet  at  the  office  here  at  noon 
Tuesday,  May  15.  . . . Gene  Marietta  and 
Gene  Hathaway  have  a new  drive-in  undei 
construction  at  Clinton.  . . . Burdette  Peter- 
son, National  Theatre  Supply  branch  man- 
ager, has  been  elected  a Variety  representa- 
tive on  the  Cerebral  Palsy  board.  . . . The 
Indianapolis  Colosseum  held  its  spring  dance 
at  the  Marott  Saturday  night.  . . . Hal  Rose 
has  come  here  from  Des  Moines  to  handle 
the  northern  Indiana  territory  for  Allied 
Artists.  He  replaces  Lou  Siebert,  who  was 
transferred  to  Des  Moines.  Sam  Ross  is  now 
working  the  southern  territory,  which  Sie- 
bert formerly  handled.  . . . Herschel  Smith 
has  reopened  the  Hope  theatre  at  Hope. 

JACKSONVILLE 

Cecil  Cohen’s  new  Arlington  theatre,  an 
800-seat  house,  opened  its  doors  on  May  3. 
Located  on  suburban  Chaseville  Road,  it  has 
a subsequent-run  policy  and  is  the  first  in- 
door theatre  built  here  in  many  years.  . . . 
On  May  2,  FST’s  suburban  Brentwood  the- 
atre, managed  by  Vivien  “Bob”  Greenleaf, 
was  closed  indefinitely.  . . . With  h new 
CinemaScope  screen,  the  Ritz  theatre,  Clear- 
water, is  to  be  re-opened  by  Steve  Barber. 

. . . Alex  Harrison,  20th-Fox  general  sales 
manager,  was  honor  guest  at  a luncheon 
attended  May  1 by  many  leading  Florida 
exhibitors.  . . . Jerry  Christofersen,  for- 
merly of  Washington,  D.  C.,  has  replaced 
Evelyn  Hazouri  as  a booker  in  the  Howco 
Exchange.  . . . Visiting  here  from  Miami 
were  Harry  Botwick,  FST  district  super- 
visor, and  Eddie  Stern,  Wometco  executive. 

LOS  ANGELES 

Clint  Glenny  of  the  Twin-View  drive-in 
headed  out  for  a vacation  in  Hawaii.  . . . 
Hugh  Thomas,  former  circuit  operator  in 
Florida,  has  purchased  the  Carlton  theatre 
from  Fred  Dee.  . . . Tent  25,  Variety  Club  of 
Southern  California,  had  a farewell  party 
for  members  who  were  departing  for  Man- 
hattan to  attend  the  Variety  Clubs  Inter- 
national convention.  . . . Palm  Springs  ex- 
hibitor George  Strebe  was  seriously  injured 
when  his  car  left  the  road  while  he  was  en- 
route  to  his  home  from  nearby  Cathedral 
City.  . . . Mel  Wasserman,  formerly  with 
U-I  in  San  Francisco,  joined  the  local  branch 
as  a booker  and  Lew  Elman  transferred  to 
Milwaukee  as  a salesman.  . . . Back  from  a 
business  trek  to  New  York  were  Robert 
Kronenberg  and  Frank  Tobias  of  Manhattan 
Films.  . .. . William  Mcllwain,  who  heads 
Western  operations  for  Cinerama,  took  off 
for  Oklahoma  City  to  supervise  installation 
of  the  equipment  at  the  Warner  theatre 
there.  . . . Charles  Kranz,  of  Kranz-Levin 
Pictures,  took  off  on  a swing  around  the 
western  territory.  . . . Joanne  Katz,  Favorite 
Films  stenographer,  has  resigned  her  posi- 
tion to  enter  another  field.  ...  In  town  on 
a buying  and  booking  assignment  were  Bert 
Kramer,  of  the  Village,  Coronado,  and 
Manual  Carnakas,  mayor  of  Bakersfield  and 
operator  of  the  Vista  and  Virginia  theatres 
there. 

MEMPHIS 

One  new  theatre  and  two  new  drive-ins 
in  Memphis  are  nearing  completion  and  be 
ready  for  formal  opening  by  June  1.  . . . 

( Continued  on  opposite  page ) 


38 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  MAY  12,  1956 


( Continued  from  opposite  page) 
Northgate  theatre,  a 1,000-seat  air-condi- 
tioned showplace  in  the  Frayser  Shopping 
Center,  costing  more  than  $200,000,  will  be 
finished  in  about  two  weeks.  The  new  show 
is  being  built  by  Augustine  Cianciolo,  who 
operates  Plaza,  Rosemary,  Luciann  and  Ros- 
wood  theatres  in  Memphis.  . . . Malco  The- 
atres, Inc.,  will  finish  within  the  next  two 
or  three  weeks  two  new  685-car  drive-ins, 
one  at  Highway  61  and  Raines  Avenue  and 
the  other  at  Jackson  Avenue  just  west  of 
Raleigh.  . . . Moses  Sliman,  Osceola  and 
Luxora,  Ark.,  exhibitor,  has  purchased  the 
Delta  drive-in  at  Osceola  and  is  spending 
more  than  $20,000  on  modern  improvements 
including  CinemaScope.  . . . Clark  Shivley 
and  Henley  Smith  have  leased  from  Howard 
Langford  the  Folly  theatre  at  Marks,  Miss. 
. . . Vernon  Adams,  Memphis,  has  leased 
the  Roxie  theatre  in  Memphis  from  Strand 
Enterprises,  Inc. 

MIAMI 

May  13th  will  see  the  closing  of  two 
Claughton  houses,  the  Embassy  in  Miami 
(making  way  for  progress  with  the  building 
being  replaced  by  a new  structure  to  house 
the  First  National  Bank)  and  the  Variety 
on  Miami  Beach.  The  latter  closure  is  due 
to  a “severe  shortage  of  suitable  feature 
pictures”  but  the  theatre  will  reopen  in  the 
winter.  . . . The  “Renick  Reporting”  show 
on  WTVJ  is  being  supplied  with  on  the 
spot  film  coverage  in  the  Far  and  Middle 
East.  by  the  company  president,  Mitchell 
V olfson,  who  is  filming  his  way  while  on 
a world  tour.  . . . The  A1  (publicist)  Ry- 
landers  were  in  town  on  a vacation  from 
duties  at  NBC.  . . . The  Fontainebleau  has 
Charles  (Loew’s  Inc.)  Moskowitz,  enjoy- 
ing its  charms,  for  a holiday.  . . . May  31st 
and  the  Eden  Roc  have  been  selected  for 
\\  ometco’s  Old  Guard  banquet  which  will 
also  see  the  installation  of  the  following  of- 
ficers: Tim  Tyler,  president;  Joe  St. 

Thomas,  treasurer;  Ethyl  Gubernick,  secre- 
tary, and  directors  Lynn  Lucas  and  Harry 
Kronewitz. 

MILWAUKEE 

Oliver  Trampe,  chief  barker  of  Wisconsin 
Variety  Club,  Tent  14,  attended  the  national 
convention  of  Variety  in  New  York  City. 

. . . Dean  Fitzgerald,  Capitol  Theatres,  has 
gone  to  Europe  for  a month’s  vacation.  He 
landed  in  Rome  and  will  also  visit  Spain, 
Portugal,  Germany  and  Switzerland.  . . . 
Charley  Hebst,  Jr.,  sound  engineer,  died 
recently  of  a cerebral  hemorrhage.  . . . Simm 
Chapman,  former  Columbia  Film  salesman 
and  exhibitor,  passed  away  April  29  of  a 
heart  attack.  . . . Theatre  Service  has  moved 
two  doors  east  from  their  former  location. 
Their  address  is  now  1025  West  Wells 
Street.  . . . Another  rock  ’n  roll  review  will 
be  held  on  the  stage  of  the  Colonial  theatre 
May  1 1 . These  shows  have  become  very 
popular  here. 

MINNEAPOLIS 

In  a realignment  of  managerial  personnel 
in  Minneapolis  announced  by  Minnesota 
Amusement  Co.,  Charles  Zinn,  Twin  Cities 
district  manager  of  MACO  as  well  as 
managing  director  of  Radio  City  theatre, 
will  now  concentrate  on  being  district  man- 
ager. Thomas  Martin,  formerly  manager  of 
the  State,  will  be  managing  director  of 
Radio  City;  Francis  Wiggins,  formerly 


manager  of  the  Lyric,  will  be  manager  of 
the  State;  and  Douglas  Martin,  formerly 
manager  of  theatres  operated  by  Dan  Peter- 
son in  Pierre,  S.  D.,  will  be  manager  of  the 
Lyric.  . . . Organ  music  will  be  reintroduced 
into  Radio  City  on  a trial  basis.  A new 
organ  has  been  installed,  and  Frankie  Cam- 
marata,  student  at  the  University  of  Min- 
nesota, has  been  hired  as  organist.  . . . 
Donna  Aved,  daughter  of  Leo  Aved,  opera- 
tor of  the  Empress  and  the  Navarre  drive- 
in,  was  married  to  Donald  Krietzman.  . . . 
Snow  storms  in  southern  Minnesota  played 
havoc  with  drive-in  business,  closing  some 
in  that  section  of  the  state.  Most  outdoor 
stands  in  the  territory  are  open  now,  but 
business  has  been  poor  because  of  unseason- 
ably cold  weather.  . . . Irving  Marks,  Allied 
Artists  branch  manager,  held  a screening 
of  “Crime  in  the  Streets”  in  Huron,  S.  D., 
for  exhibitors  in  South  Dakota. 

NEW  ORLEANS 

Leroy  Bickel,  MGM  branch  manager  in 
Dallas,  Texas,  accompanied  by  Mrs.  Bickel 
stopped  off  on  their  return  from  a Florida 
vacation  to  visit  relatives  and  friends  here. 
. . . The  WOMPI’s  special  guests  at  their 
May  luncheon  at  the  Variety  Club  were  to 
be  their  bosses.  . . . The  Sunset  drive-in, 
Winona,  Miss,  reopened  for  its  third  season 
of  operation.  The  drive-in  was  completely 
modernized  during  the  winter  months,  in- 
cluding installation  of  CinemaScope  equip- 
ment and  an  attractive  entrance  sign.  J.  L. 
Flowers  is  the  owner.  . . . The  reopening  of 
the  43  drive-in,  McIntosh,  Ala.,  whose  screen 
tower  was  badly  damaged  by  cyclonic  wind, 
has  been  postponed  to  May  12.  . . . O.  O. 
Cummings  and  Ed  Ortte  have  slated  May  17 
for  a gala  opening  of  their  new  deluxe  Don 
drive-in  in  Mississippi  City,  half  way  be- 
tween Gulfport  and  Biloxi,  Miss.  It  will 
boast  one  of  the  largest  screens  in  this 
area,  measuring  116  by  50  feet.  . . . The 
WOMPI’s  current  lend-a-hand  is  taking  15 
children  from  three  needy  families  to  den- 
tists for  needed  dental  work. 

OKLAHOMA  CITY 

The  Warner  theatre  closed  April  29  as 
a conventional  motion  picture  theatre  and 
the  face-lifting  program  started  Monday  in 
preparation  for  the  introduction  of  Cinerama 
May  21.  The  remodeling  program  includes 
in  addition  to  many  structural  changes,  the 
installation  of  newly  upholstered  seats,  floor 
coverings,  and  the  removal  of  a great  num- 
ber of  seats  necessary  to  accommodate  the 
large  Cinerama  screen  and  stereophonic 
sound  apparatus.  . . . The  Airline  drive-in 
theatre  at  Ponca  City,  Okla.,  held  “buck 
night”  May  1-2  when  single  admission  was 
50  cents,  two  admissions  or  a car  load  was 
$1.  . . . The  Starlite  drive-in  theatre,  Okmul- 
gee, Okla.,  admitted  children  under  12  free 
during  the  showing  of  “Lady  and  the 
Tramp.”  . . . Fire  destroyed  the  Lyric  thea- 
tre building  at  Idabel,  Okla.,  April  29,  with 
damage  estimated  at  $80,000.  No  injuries 
were  reported.  Cause  of  the  blaze  was  not 
determined. 

PHILADELPHIA 

Fifty-one  per  cent  of  the  young  women 
in  Atlantic  City,  N.  J.,  according  to  a survey 
conducted  by  the  Atlantic  County  YWCA 
there,  choose  movies  or  the  theatre  as  their 
preferred  “just  for  fun”  activity.  It  wTas  part 
of  a nationwide  YWCA  survey  to  determine 
the  major  interests  of  young  girls.  . . . Vid- 


eograf,  Inc.,  was  formed  here  tor  the  dis- 
tribution of  motion  pictures  and  animated 
pictures  for  theatres  and  TV.  . . . Russell 
Carlson,  operator  of  the  Elton,  Harrisburg, 
Pa.,  is  recuperating  from  a recent  eye  opera- 
tion, and  has  Milton  Fromm  filling  in  for 
him.  . . . Mt.  Penn  drive-in  near  Reading, 
Pa.,  is  located  along  a new  high  speed  line 
which  highway  engineers  are  planning  as 
new  routes  approaching  that  city.  . . . New- 
est among  the  independent  distributors  in 
the  area  is  Majestic  Pictures  which  has 
opened  offices  along  film  exchange  row  at 
1237  Vine  Street.  The  new  firm  is  handling 
“The  Bed”  and  the  14-minute  short  subject, 
“Report  on  Love  a la  Kinsey.”  . . . Jack 
Brodsky,  assistant  to  Ellis  Shipman,  auditor 
for  the  Stanley  Warner  theatre  here,  de- 
parted for  India  with  Lowell  Thomas  and 
a Cinerama  production  unit.  He  will  serve 
as  the  comptroller  for  the  group.  . . . Mrs. 
Maude  Karrer,  of  Atlantic  City,  N.  J.,  sold 
her  Star,  neighborhood  house  here,  to 
George  Tomko,  of  Wind  Gap,  Pa.  He  op- 
( Continued  on  following  page) 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  MAY  12,  1956 


39 


f Continued  from  preceding  page) 
erated  the  house  for  some  time  following 
the  death  of  her  husband,  William  Karrer. 
Purchase  price  was  given  as  $35,000. 

PITTSBURGH 

The  opening  date  of  “Oklahoma !”  in  the 
Nixon  is  now  June  14  instead  of  June  7, 
to  allow  the  house  more  time  to  install  the 
Todd-AO  equipment.  . . . “Comanche”  went 
into  the  Penn  after  "The  Birds  and  the 
Bees.”  . . . "The  Ladykillers”  opened  to 
tremendous  business  in  the  Guild,  which 
expects  to  follow  it  eventually  with  "Holiday 
for  Henrietta.”  . . . Cleo  Moore  due  here 
late  this  month  for  two  weeks  of  personal 
appearances  throughout  the  tri-state  terri- 
tory. . . . The  Harris  has  acquired  “The 
Eddie  Duchin  Story”  for  an  early  June  date. 
. . . "The  Man  Who  Knew  Too  Much”  has 
a two-week  date  with  the  Stanley  starting 
May  16  to  be  followed  by  "The  Searchers.” 
. . . Frank  Braden.  ex-Ringling  Brothers, 


Barnum  & Bailey  press  agent,  got  reams  of 
publicity  for  himself  and  "Trapeze”  from 
his  many  newspaper  cronies  here.  . . . The 
Variety  Club  will  sponsor  a "Gay  Nineties” 
ball  on  June  30,  the  last  day  before  the 
Hotel  Schenley  Park  is  sold  to  the  Univer- 
sity of  Pittsburgh. 

PORTLAND 

First  run  business  has  been  on  the  skids 
for  the  past  few  weeks  and  several  so-called 
big  films  have  taken  a beating.  . . . Monroe 
Carlson,  RKO  branch  booker,  has  a big 
role  in  the  Civic  theatre  production  of  “Dial 
M for  Murder.”  . . . Colleen  McKay,  U-I 
starlet,  has  returned  home  for  a week  to 
visit  her  family  and  do  some  lectures  for 
the  Maria  Easterly  Model  Agency  and 
School.  . . . Paramount  theatre  manager 
Dick  Newton  is  proud.  His  sister  was 
selected  as  “Mrs.  Washington”  and  is  en 
route  to  the  "Mrs.  America”  contest  with 
her  husband.  She  stopped  over  here  to  see 
Dick.  . . . Facelifting  news : J.  J.  Parker’s 
Broadway  theatre  nearly  completed. 

PROVIDENCE 

One  of  the  largest  throngs  ever  assembled 
to  greet  an  entertainer  here  gave  Peggy- 
Wood,  star  of  stage,  screen  and  TV,  a 
rousing  ovation  when  she  recently  appeared, 
in  person,  at  the  Outlet,  southern  New 
England’s  largest  department  store,  on  the 
occasion  of  the  store’s  62nd  anniversary. 
. . . Heralding  the  screening  of  "The  Man 
in  the  Gray  Flannel  Suit.”  headed  for  the 
Majestic,  considerable  advance  publicity 
breaks  appeared  in  local  newspapers.  Lead- 
ing stores  tied  up  their  menswear  depart- 
ments with  the  film.  . . . Several  hundred 
persons  attended  “A  Night  in  Las  Vegas” 
at  Rhodes-On-the-Pawtuxet,  given  by  the 
Warwick  Young  Women's  Club  for  the 
benefit  of  the  new  Veterans’  Memorial  High 
School.  Cooperating  in  the  gala  event  was 
Bill  Trambukis,  Loew’s  State  manager,  in 
conjunction  with  the  forthcoming  showing 
of  "Meet  Me  in  Las  Vegas.” 

ST.  LOUIS 

A local  benefit  organization  of  St.  Louis, 
headed  by  Sidney  Saalmon.  gave  a benefit 
show  for  Boys’  Towns  of  Italy  by  showing 
“Anything  Goes.”  . . . The  Plaza  theatre, 
Marion.  111.,  which  was  operated  by  the 
El  Fran  Theatres  of  Jacksonville.  111.,  for 
the  last  three  years,  closed  recently'.  J.  V. 
Walker,  the  manager,  was  transferred  to 
another  theatre.  . . . Lawrence  H.  Breunin- 
ger,  city  manager  for  the  Topeka-Fox  The- 
atres in  Topeka,  Kan.,  has  retired  and  has 
been  succeeded  by  C.  A.  (Cobby)  Stewart. 
Earlier  in  his  career  he  and  two  partners 
bought  the  Cozy  theatres  in  Topeka  and 
later  several  others  which  were  sold  to  the 
Midwest  Theatres,  Inc.  . . . Louis  P.  Chap- 
man, 62.  associated  with  theatres  at  Bruns- 
wick. Mo.,  for  a number  of  years,  died 
in  that  city  recently.  . . . The  building  at 
Greenfield.  111.,  which  had  been  occupied 
for  a number  of  years  by  the  Lyric  theatre, 
was  sold  at  public  auction  recently. 

SAN  FRANCISCO 

The  Ackerman-Rosener  Theatres  are  re- 
modeling their  Regal  and  Nob  Hill  theatres. 
The  Richard  Eckles  Co.  is  redesigning  the 
marquee,  box  office  and  entrance  doors  of 
the  Regal  and  the  lobby  of  the  Nob  Hill.  . . . 
Charlie  Gray,  United  Artists  booker,  has 


transferred  to  Universal  Film  Exchanges. 
Naomi  Spring,  contract-clerk,  resigned  to 
be  married.  . . . Lou  Astor,  Columbia  New 
York  office  representative,  visited  the  local 
office.  . . . Murray  Gerson,  sales  manager 
of  the  Universal  Film  Exchange,  will  marrv 
Nancy  Lachtman  in  June.  . . . Martha 
Andersola,  Columbia  clerk,  was  recalled  to 
San  Salvador  by  the  death  of  her  father. 
. . . Tiny  Siita  is  the  new  Warner  Bros, 
third  shipper,  replacing  Eric  Smith,  who 
resigned. 

TORONTO 

Matter  of  confusion  has  been  cleared  up 
with  the  name  of  Odeon’s  flagship  here.  The 
company  has  been  wont  to  call  it  the  Odeon- 
Toronto,  however,  an  announcement  from 
the  company  calls  the  house  the  Odeon- 
Carlton.  ...  Fire  destroyed  the  Palace,  Val 
d’Or,  Que.,  causing  $135,000  damage,  and 
forcing  300  patrons  in  the  theatre  to  leave. 
. . . Canada’s  top  and  most  popular  TV 
show,  Holiday  Ranch,  will  be  presented  as 
a stage  attraction  at  the  Odeon-Carlton, 
Toronto,  in  addition  to  the  film  attraction. 
. . . Freddie  Fink  has  closed  down  the  Gem, 
Gaiety  and  Kenwood,  but  is  continuing  the 
operation  of  the  Astor.  . . . Members  of  the 
Winnipeg  Film  Board  for  1955-56  are  Sam 
Pearlman,  president.  Columbia;  Barry 
Meyers,  vice-president,  RKO;  Len  Norrie, 
secretary,  Empire-Universal;  Frank  Davis, 
fire  marshal,  Warner  Bros.;  and  Stu  Mc- 
Quay,  assistant  fire  marshal,  JARO. 

VANCOUVER 

Frank  Fisher,  vice-president  of  Odeon 
Theatres  of  Canada,  on  his  recent  visit  said 
overall  theatre  business  across  western 
Canada  is  holding  up  well  in  spite  of  TV 
and  bingo  competition.  . . . Bill  Myers,  Jr., 
local  projectionist,  has  joined  the  staff  of 
Wally  Hamilton’s  Trans-Canada  Films.  He 
will  work  in  the  studio.  . . . Bert  Pollock, 
veteran  projectionist  at  the  Capitol,  is  going 
into  the  oil  business  with  his  son.  . . . Alfred 
Perry,  president  of  Empire-Universal  Films, 
was  here  on  a yearly  visit  and  briefing  his 
newly  appointed  branch  manager,  Charlie 
Backus,  on  new  product,  etc.  ...  A huge 
bingo  game  held  in  Victoria  recently  grossed 
$18,000,  with  thousands  turned  away.  The 
theatres  were  really  hurt.  . . . Outdoor  thea- 
tre operations  are  in  full  swing  in  British 
Columbia  and  Alberta,  with  business  re- 
ported on  the  slow  side. 

WASHINGTON 

Sidney  Lust  Theatres  sponsored  its  annual 
party  for  the  opening  baseball  game  of  the 
Washington  Senators.  . . . Samuel  F.  Roth, 
president  of  Roth  Theatres,  died  May  1 of 
cancer,  on  his  55th  birthday.  He  was  in 
the  theatre  business  since  boyhood.  The 
nucleus  of  his  theatre  chain  had  its  begin- 
ning in  Harrisonburg.  Virginia  in  1934.  He 
had  holdings  in  Washington.  D.  C.,  Mary- 
land, Virginia  and  West  Virginia,  and  his 
offices  were  in  Washington.  . . . Universal 
Pictures  salesman.  Stan  Taylor,  42.  died  of 
a heart  attack.  . . . Martin  Moskowitz,  super- 
visor of  the  eastern  division  of  20th  Cen- 
tury-Fox. was  a recent  Washington  visitor. 
. . . "The  Catered  Affair”  had  a sneak  pre- 
view at  Loew’s  Capitol  Theatre  on  May  2, 
and  was  enthusiastically  accepted.  . . . Offi- 
cial representatives  of  Variety  Club  Tent  11 
at  the  international  convention  were  Jake 
Flax  and  Morton  Gerber,  delegates,  and 
Marvin  Goldman,  international  canvasman. 


40 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  MAY  12,  1956 


Compromise  Settles 
New  England  Suit 

BOSTON : The  anti-trust  case  of  Roy  Bur- 
roughs, operator  of  the  Strand  theatre, 
Amesbury,  and  the  Strand  and  Premier  the- 
atres, Newburyport,  Mass.,  has  been  settled 
for  a fraction  of  the  $750,000  in  trebled 
damages  that  was  asked.  According  to  a 
report,  $70,000  was  awarded  the  plaintiff. 
In  his  suit  Mr.  Burroughs  claimed  that  the 
new  Port  theatre,  Newburyport,  built  and 
operated  by  Warner  Circuit  Management 
and  Massachusetts  Amusement  Corp.,  was 
erected  in  an  effort  to  squeeze  him  out  of 
business.  He  brought  suit  against  the  War- 
ner circuit,  Massachuetts  Amusement  Corp. 
and  Warner  Brothers  Film  Distributing 
Corp. 

JVo  Blochs 
To  Foreign 
Films:  Blank 

PARIS:  American  exhibitors  are  not  dis- 
criminating against  European-produced  mo- 
tion pictures,  Myron  N.  Blank,  president  of 
the  Theatre  Owners  of  America,'  told  the 
Union  Internationale  de  L’Exploitation 
Cinematographique  here  recently.  Address- 
ing a meeting  of  the  global  theatre  associa- 
tion, which  representatives  of  some  11  coun- 
tries attended.  Mr.  Blank  denied  that  there 
was  any  form  of  discrimination  against  for- 
eign pictures  in  the  United  States  and  stated, 
“the  opposite  is  true.” 

The  motion  picture  business  is  “inter- 
national in  scope,”  the  TOA  president  said 
during  his  address  before  the  group.  He 
mentioned  film  rental  problems  and  empha- 
sized the  necessity  of  motion  pictures  stress- 
ing moral  force. 

Among  other  subjects  which  were  dis- 
cussed at  the  meeting  were  the  high  prices 
of  copyright  on  American  films  and  the  ex- 
pense of  installing  new  CinemaScope  equip- 
ment in  order  to  play  CinemaScope  55  prod- 
uct, as  only  30  per  cent  of  all  European  thea- 
tres are  equipped  for  CinemaScope. 

Johnston  to  Confer 
On  "Oscar"  Issue 

Questions  relating  to  the  Academy 
Awards  telecast  are  expected  to  be  taken 
up  in  Hollywood  the  end  of  this  month 
between  Eric  Johnston,  president  of  the 
MPAA,  and  George  Seaton,  president  of 
the  Academy  of  Motion  Picture  Arts  and 
Sciences.  Discussed  will  be  such  issues  as 
possible  industry  sponsorship  and  the  elim- 
ination of  the  nominations  telecast.  Mr. 
Seaton  has  gone  on  record  as  preferring  that 
the  industry  sponsor  the  show  henceforth, 
and  said  he  would  make  such  a recommenda- 
tion to  Mr.  Johnston  and  the  MPAA  board 
of  directors.  The  1955  “Oscar”  telecast  was 
sponsored  by  the  Oldsmobile  Division  nf 
General  Motors. 


9J2  W arner 
Beissnes  Set 

Dominant  Pictures  Corporation  will  han- 
dle directly  the  reissue  of  52  Warner  features 
recently  acquired  by  PRM,  Inc.,  it  is  an- 
nounced by  Norman  Katz,  vice-president  in 
charge  of  distribution  for  Dominant. 

According  to  Mr.  Katz,  the  new  company 
will  be  ready  with  physical  distribution  of 
the  features  in  about  three  weeks.  About  15 
exchanges  throughout  the  country  are  ex- 
pected to  be  set  up.  Many  of  the  features 
are  considered  among  the  top  Warner  prod- 
uct, and  are  available  for  theatrical  exhibi- 
tion for  the  first  time  since  their  original 
release.  They  will  be  backed  by  an  advertis- 
ing and  promotion  campaign. 

Among  the  stars  represented  in  the  re- 
releases  are  Bette  Davis,  James  Cagney, 
Fredric  March,  Humphrey  Bogart,  Joan 
Crawford,  Gary  Cooper,  Errol  Flynn,  Ed- 
ward G.  Robinson,  Ida  Lupino,  Jane 
Wyman,  Paul  Muni,  Olivia  DeHavilland, 
Cary  Grant,  James  Stewart,  Rosalind 
Russell,  Ingrid  Bergman  and  Lauren  Bacall. 

Features  include  “Jezebel,”  “Johnny  Be- 
linda,” “To  Have  and  Have  Not,”  “Pos- 
sessed,” “Marked  Woman,”  “Kings  Row,” 
“Each  Dawn  I Die,”  “Sergeant  York,” 
“Mildred  Pierce,”  “The  Fighting  69th,” 
“Rope,”  “Rhapsody  in  Blue,”  “Casablanca,” 
“San  Quentin,”  “Adventures  of  Robin 
Hood”  and  “Angels  with  Dirty  Faces.” 

Edinburgh  Film  Festival 
Set  for  August  19-Sept . 9 

EDINBL  RGH : The  tenth  International 
Edinburgh  Film  Festival,  which  is  held  con- 
currently with  the  famed  International  Fes- 
tival of  Music  and  Drama,  will  be  held  here 
from  August  19  to  September  9,  the  Edin- 
burgh Film  Guild,  administrator,  announces. 
Performances,  to  be  attended  by  many  film 
notables,  will  be  held  every  weekday  for 
three  weeks  at  the  Cameo  Cinema,  Tollcross. 
At  the  last  festival,  films  were  shown  from 
some  28  nations.  Selected  are  films  “which 
by  their  originality  and  imagination,  bv 
their  quality  of  truth  and  their  sense  of 
revelation,  reach  out  toward  a new  and 
living  cinema — a cinema  that  is  fresh  and 
natural,  that  is  close  to  the  people  and  the 
drama  of  our  times,  and  that  uses  to  the 
full  the  unique  creative  powers  of  the  film.” 

Pledge  $190,000 
At  UJA  Luncheon 

More  than  $190,000  has  been  pledged  by 
some  50  leaders  of  the  motion  picture  and 
amusement  industry  of  New  York  City  at  a 
special  luncheon  called  by  Barney  Balaban, 
president  of  Paramount  Pictures,  to  launch 
the  1956  United  Jewish  Appeal  of  New 
York  drive.  Leon  Goldberg,  amusement  in- 
dustry division  chairman,  lauded  the  “un- 
surpassed generosity”  of  industry  leaders’ 
pledges. 


Richard  Walsh  Cites 
Labor  Cooperation 

The  first  few  meetings  of  the  executive 
council  of  the  merged  AFL-CIO  have  clear- 
ly demonstrated  that  the  labor  leaders  of 
America  can  function  as  a unit  in  peace  and 
harmony,  Richard  F.  Walsh,  president  of 
the  IATSE,  declared  at  a recent  dinner  in 
New  York  celebrating  his  election  to  the 
council.  Mr.  Walsh  was  one  of  three  guests 
of  honor  at  the  biennial  dinner  at  the  St. 
George  Hotel,  Brooklyn,  by  IATSE  District 
No.  10,  composed  of  New  York  state  locals. 
Cited  along  with  him  for  their  contributions 
to  labor-management-government  harmony 
were  Russell  Downing,  managing  director 
of  the  Radio  City  Music  Hall,  and  Charles 
W.  Halloran,  the  state’s  first  deputy  indus- 
trial commissioner.  Presentations  on  behalf 
of  the  district  were  made  by  Mayor  Robert 
F.  Wagner  of  New  York. 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  MAY  12,  1956 


41 


Change  Cited 
By  Goldsmith 

MILWAUKEE:  Technological  changes  and 
a ruthless  foe  are  forcing  Americans  to  con- 
sider new  concepts  of  growth  and  self- 
preservation.  Dr.  Alfred  N.  Goldsmith, 
pioneer  scientist  and  inventor,  declared  at 
the  annual  Founder’s  Day  meeting  of  the 
Milwaukee  School  of  Engineering.  Dr. 
Goldsmith,  a consultant  of  the  Radio  Corpo- 
ration of  America,  told  an  audience  of 
educators,  industrialists  and  engineers  that 
industrial  unity  and  cooperation  were  be- 
coming vital  necessities  to  the  nation’s  se- 
curity and  economic  progress. 

"The  size,  complexity  and  rapidly  chang- 
ing pattern  of  our  industrial  structure,”  he 
said,  "demand  the  closest  cohesion  of  the 
industrialist,  the  engineer  and  the  technician, 
for  the  complete  success  of  the  operation. 
Industrial  progress  requires  the  buttressing 
talents  of  the  scientist  and  the  engineer,  sup- 
ported by  the  technician. 

"The  scientist  and  the  engineer  must  have 
behind  them  the  full  resources  of  the  indus- 
trialist— the  services,  equipment  and,  above 
all.  encouragement.” 

Dr.  Goldsmith  added : ‘‘When  all  three 
work  together  in  intelligence  and  under- 
standing. the  impossible  becomes  the  com- 
monplace.” He  cited  the  development  of 
RCA  compatible  television  as  an  example 
of  such  cooperation,  declaring  that  “out  of 
a set  of  near  impossible  specifications  and 
through  the  closest  teamwork,  a new  com- 
munications medium  evolved  which  today  is 
transforming  the  cultural  and  entertainment 
landscape  of  America.” 

Columbia,  Schneer 
In  Three-Film  Deal 

HOLLYWOOD : Columbia  Pictures  re- 

cently completed  an  agreement  with  Morn- 
ingside  Productions,  of  which  Charles 
Schneer  is  president  and  producer,  for  three 
feature  films,  it  is  announced  by  Harry 
Cohn,  president  of  Columbia.  The  first  of 
the  three,  as  yet  untitled,  will  be  in  the  cate- 
gory of  such  “special  effects”  features  as  “It 
Came  from  Beneath  the  Sea”  and  “Earth 
vs.  the  Flying  Saucers,”  both  produced  by 
Mr.  Schneer  for  the  Sam  Katzman  unit  at 
Columbia.  A previous  distribution  deal  made 
by  Mr.  Schneer  with  RKO  has  been  can- 
celed by  mutual  agreement,  RKO  production 
chief  William  Dozier  having  agreed  to  re- 
lease the  producer  so  that  he  might  continue 
with  Columbia. 


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Samuel  Roth,  Washington 
Exhibitor  Many  Years,  Dies 

WASHINGTON : Samuel  F.  Roth,  promi- 
nent local  exhibitor,  died  May  1,  his  55th 
birthday.  In  the  theatre  business  from  boy- 
hood, Mr.  Roth  at  the  time  of  his  death  was 
president  of  Roth  Enterprises,  Inc.,  which 
operates  some  17  theatres  in  the  District  of 
Columbia,  Maryland,  Virginia  and  West 
Virginia.  He  was  formerly  director  of  the 
Virginia  Motion  Picture  Theatre  Owners 
Association  and  assistant  chief  barker  of  the 
Washington  Variety  Club,  Tent  No.  11. 
Surviving  are  his  wife,  two  daughters,  a 
sister,  and  two  brothers,  Charles  and'  Harry, 
who  are  partners  in  Roth  Enterprises. 


Phillip  Foto 

NEW  ORLEANS : Phillip  Foto,  85,  retired 
theatre  operator,  died  here  May  1.  Before 
his  retirement  in  1944  Mr.  Foto  operated 
Foto’s  Follies  theatre,  Algiers,  which  he 
opened  in  1915.  Later  he  was  affiliated  with 
the  United  Neighborhood  Theatre  Circuit. 
He  started  in  1908  as  owmer-operator  of  the 
Market  theatre,  Algiers.  His  widow,  a 
daughter  and  two  grandsons  survive. 


Simm  Chapman 

MILWAUKEE:  Simm  Chapman,  50,  oper- 
ator of  a group  of  theatres  in  Southern  Wis- 
consin since  1951,  died  here  April  30  of  a 
heart  condition.  Prior  to  entering  exhibition, 
he  was  for  18  years  a salesman  for  Colum- 
bia Pictures.  His  wife,  two  daughters  and 
two  brothers  survive. 


Charles  Herbst,  Jr. 

MILWAUKEE : Charles  Herbst,  Jr.,  owner 
of  Theatre  Engineering  Service  here,  died 
April  24.  Formerly  a field  engineer  for 
RCA,  he  had  been  in  theatre  engineering 
for  four  years.  He  leaves  a wife,  son  and 
daughter. 


Frank  Vennett 

BOSTON:  Frank  Vennett,  68,  former  man- 
ager of  the  Paramount  theatre,  died  here 
last  week.  Because  of  a lingering  illness 
he  had  been  in  semi-retirement  for  the  past 
two  years.  He  is  survived  by  his  wife  and 
three  children. 


Harry  Strong 

TOLEDO,  OHIO:  Harry  H.  Strong,  69, 
president  of  Strong  Electric  Corp.,  died 
here  May  3.  He  was  a member  of  SMPTE. 
He  was  in  the  electrical  field  many  years. 


Reade  Drops  Theatre 

Walter  Reade  Theatres,  Inc.  has  divested 
itself  of  its  50  per  cent  interest  in  the  Bridge 
theatre,  San  Francisco,  it  was  announced 
recently  by  Walter  Reade,  president.  The 
Bridge,  San  Francisco  art  house,  has  been 
jointly  operated  by  the  Reade  Circuit  and 
Schwarz  Theatres  of  California  since  Octo- 
ber, 1953. 


Carriers  in 
Annual  Meet 

National  Film  Carriers,  Inc.,  the  organ- 
ization of  film  delivery  companies,  held  its 
annual  convention  this  week  at  the  Sheraton 
Astor  Hotel,  New  York.  Much  of  the 
agenda  was  devoted  to  its  subsidiary, 
National  Film  Service,  Inc.,  which  handles 
much  of  the  film  delivery  for  the  major 
companies  in  the  various  exchanges  through- 
out the  country  and  most  of  it  for  the  in- 
dependents. 

National  Film  Service  does  the  physical 
distribution  for  United  Artists  and  Buena 
Vista  in  all  the  exchange  cities,  for  prac- 
tically all  the  companies  in  Butte  and  Jack- 
sonville and  for  RKO,  Republic  and  Allied 
Artists  in  many  of  them.  Paramount,  MGM, 
Warners,  Columbia  and  Universal  utilize 
the  service  in  at  least  one  of  the  cities, 
some  of  them  in  several. 

A public  relations  campaign  for  National 
Film  Service  is  currently  being  executed  by 
Robinson,  Adleman  & Montgomery;  Inc.,  of 
Philadelphia,  where  National  Film’s  head- 
quarters are  located. 

Committee  to  Study 
Film  Interests  in  TV 

WASHINGTON : The  Federal  Communi- 
cations Commission  has  agreed  to  compile 
information  on  the  extent  to  which  motion 
picture  producers  and  distributors  hold  in- 
terests in  TV  stations,  according  to  Jack 
Flynn,  counsel  to  the  Senate  Small  Business 
subcommittee  now  looking  into  distributor- 
exhibitor  problems.  The  original  suggestion 
for  the  compilation  was  made  by  Senator 
Humphrey  (D.  Minn.)  subcommittee  chair- 
man, Mr.  Flynn  said. 


U.S.  Had  Most  Films  in 
Yugoslavia  in  1955 

WASHINGTON : More  U.  S.  films  were 
shown  in  Yugoslavia  during  the  first  nine 
months  of  last  year  than  those  of  any  other 
country,  but  French  films  outdrew  the  U.  S. 
offerings,  Nathan  D.  Golden,  Commerce 
Department  film  chief,  reported.  He  said 
the  U.  S.  contributed  189  films  during  the 
period,  compared  with  58  from  Britain,  49 
from  France  and  43  from  Yugoslavia.  How- 
ever, he  added,  the  average  attendance  for 
U.  S.  films  was  only  18,700  compared  with 
28,000  for  the  French  features. 

Motion  Picture  Council 
Revamps  Structure 

HOLLYWOOD : The  Motion  Picture  In- 
dustry Council,  representing  all  major 
guilds,  unions  and  management  groups,  with 
the  exception  of  the  Screen  Directors’  Guild, 
has  revamped  its  organizational  structure 
to  facilitate  future  operations.  Principal 
changes  involve  the  rotation  system  of  the 
presidency  and  the  reduction  of  the  num- 
ber of  authorized  delegates. 


42 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD.  MAY  12,  1956 


An  International  Association  of  Motion  Picture  Showmen  — W alter  Brooks , Director 


YraditfoHA  the  "theatre  Our  SuMneAA  iegacif 


CURRENTLY,  in  New  York,  we  have 
two  events  that  stress  the  importance 
of  our  traditions  in  show  business. 
The  22nd  annual  judging  in  the  Quigley 
Awards  competition  is  fully  reported  in  this 
issue  of  the  Herald.  And,  during  the  past 
week,  we  have  witnessed  the  annual  conven- 
tion of  Variety  Clubs  International,  at  the 
W aldorf-Astor  ia. 

The  substance  of  showmanship  is  con- 
tained in  our  legacy  from  those  who  have 
built  the  foundations  of  our  business,  and 
such  events  serve  to  point  with  pride  to  the 
basis  of  accomplishment  which  makes  the 
theatre  an  enduring  institution,  through 
changing  times.  We  have  no  cause  for 
serious  concern,  where  the  heritage  of  good 
ideas  and  lively  effort  persists,  at  the  local 
level  of  theatre  operation. 

The  Variety  Clubs  International  have  a 
record  registration  with  more  than  1,200 
barkers  expected  from  forty-five  Tents, 
around  the  world.  There  is  a wonderful 
spirit  in  the  Variety  Clubs — of  respect  and 
admiration  for  theatrical  tradition,  and  a 
great  humanitarian  effort  which  is  founded 
in  the  legend  of  the  theatre.  The  financial 
report  of  Variety’s  accomplishment  in  works 
of  charity  is  beyond  comparison. 

Our  attitude  in  the  contemplation  of  such 
circumstances  is  not  self-admiration,  but 
calls  for  a thorough  examination  of  these 
assets,  and  a self-appraisal  of  their  basic 
worth,  in  terms  of  growth.  We  may  improve 
our  vision  ahead  with  a stronger  apprecia- 
tion, in  retrospect.  Never  let  down  the  fine 
traditions  of  the  theatre,  never  diminish  the 
things  that  are  fine  and  good,  never  degrade 
our  place  in  public  opinion  with  stunts  that 
are  below  the  level  of  decency. 

Consider  the  circus,  in  passing.  Ringling 
Brothers-Barnum  & Bailey  are  completing 
another  successful  engagement  at  Madison 
Square  Garden.  Things  have  been  “tough” 
for  the  circus — but  “the  big  show”  goes  on. 
Television  hurts  the  circus  less  than  some 
other  amusements — because,  after  all,  “the 
Barnum  Show”  has  always  had  ’Scope  and 
Color!  It’s  the  bigness  of  the  Big  Top  that 
makes  it  go,  while  smaller  shows  drop  out, 


MORE  MERCHANDISING 

A nice  letter  in  the  mail,  the  other  day, 
from  Lester  Pollock,  manager  of  Loew's 
theatre,  Rochester,  N.  Y.,  expressing  his 
appreciation  for  a citation  which  he  re- 
ceived from  "Better  Refreshment  Mer- 
chandising"— a division  of  "Better  The- 
atres" appearing  every  month  in  the 
Herald,  and  currently,  in  this  issue. 

The  plan  has  been  to  stimulate  the  flow 
of  ideas  and  an  exchange  of  ideas  be- 
tween managers  for  the  improvement  of 
refreshment  sales,  and  it's  a reciprocal 
proposition  that  pays  off,  both  ways — for 
the  party  of  the  first  part,  who  reports  his 
original  showmanship  in  this  particular  de- 
partment— and  for  the  thousands  of  others 
who  read  and  apply  constructive  ideas  in 
their  respective  situations. 

The  trouble  has  been — and  still  is — that 
refreshment  selling  falls  into  a groove, 
with  the  tendency  to  downgrade  results 
because  "after  you've  seen  a dozen, 
you've  seen  them  all."  But  that  isn't  quite 
so,  for  every  once  in  a while  there  are 
new  twists  that  immediately  push  up 
counter  sales  per  patron,  all  because 
somebody  on  the  management  line  saw 
something  that  gave  him  an  idea  for  his 
own  use  and  benefit. 

We  urge  Round  Table  members  to  sub- 
mit their  good  and  new  tricks  for  recog- 
nition in  "Better  Refreshment  Merchan- 
dising"— and  to  gain  the  rewards  that  go 
with  this  interchange  of  ideas  at  the  point 
of  sale.  There  are  new  things,  constantly, 
if  you  are  alert  to  the  sources — and  take 
advantage  of  the  opportunity. 


because  of  rising  costs,  especially  transporta- 
tion and  labor.  We  saw  the  circus  this  year 
in  Sarasota,  Florida,  a town  that’s  full  of 
“show  folks” — as  they  call  themselves.  And 
John  Ringling  left  a monument  to  “the  big 
show”  that  holds  old  timers  in  constant 
loyalty  to  the  business  they  inherited. 


<][  AGAIN,  our  appreciation  to  the  panel 
of  judges  who  have  contributed  so  much  to 
the  succuess  of  the  Quigley  Awards  com- 
petition, and  the  conduct  of  the  Round  Table, 
through  the  years.  It  is  the  live  inspira- 
tion of  these  industry  leaders  that  keeps  the 
competition  alive,  and  makes  this  a living 
forum  of  practical  showmanship.  More 
than  70  served  in  the  current  judging  and 
we  are  indebted  and  grateful. 

One  thing  we  must  say,  for  the  record. 
The  Round  Table  has  more  than  7,000  active 
members  today,  a greater  number  than  all 
the  managers  employed  by  all  the  major 
circuits  around  the  world.  Of  these,  90% 
are  in  the  domestic  field  of  operations,  and 
only  10%  are  overseas.  But  the  tangible 
results  of  showmanship  are  more  than  10% 
apparent  when  you  examine  the  entries  from 
abroad.  It’s  no  wonder  that  distributors 
derive  a greater  share  of  income  from  over- 
seas operations,  because  these  are  so 
thoroughly  professional,  and  inspired. 

We  said  last  week  that  “the  sun  never 
sets  on  British  showmanship” — and  that  is 
true,  for  we  have  current  examples  to  prove 
it,  from  England,  from  Canada,  from  Aus- 
tralia— an  embarrassment  of  riches,  out- 
standing in  any  competition  involving  our 
own  operations.  They  zeork  harder — and 
perhaps  that  is  what  we  should  do. 

<fl  THE  SALE  of  "unproductive  real 
estate”  has  improved  the  cash  position  and 
profit  basis  for  National  Theatres,  Inc.,  ac- 
cording to  the  statement  to  stockholders 
dated  May  3rd.  We  like  that  phrase,  because 
there  is  such  a thing  as  “unproductive  real 
estate”  in  this  business — and,  perhaps,  in- 
creasingly so.  An  outmoded  theatre  can 
no  longer  occupy  valuable  downtown  space 
that  is  properly  needed  as  a parking  lot, 
measured  by  present-day  standards  and  cir- 
cumstantces.  We  wonder  if  Elmer  Rhoden 
read  our  piece  on  “Old  Opera  Houses”  in 
the  April  7th  issue  of  the  Herald,  on  page 
22?  It  wasn’t  in  the  Round  Table — but  it 
does  reflect  a part  of  our  business  that  is 
subject  to  change.  — Walter  Brooks 


MANAGERS’  ROUND  TABLE  SECTION.  MAY  12,  1956 


43 


Well,  you  can't  all  do  this  — but  Allan  W. 
Perkins,  manager  of  the  Roxy,  Capitol  and  Midland 
Drive-In  theatres  for  Famous  Players-Canadian, 
Midland,  Ontario,  weighs  300  pounds,  so  he  can 
pose  with  and  for  the  exploitation  for  "Marty." 


John  DiBenedetto, 
manager  of  Loew's 
Poli  theatre,  Wor- 
cester, Mass.,  poses 
with  Princess  Jerri 
Adams,  Columbia 
recording  star,  be- 
fore the  tall  standee 
display  for  Princess 
Grace  Kelly,  who 
was  currently  ap- 
pearing in  "The 
Swan." 


A happy  prize  winner  receives  her  loot  in  a cash-and-carry  deal,  as 
Ivan  Fuldauer,  MGM  field  man,  at  left,  and  an  airlines  hostess,  with 
Don  Doty,  local  TV  personality,  and  Vern  Huntsinger,  manager  of  the 
Gopher  theatre,  Minneapolis,  give  her  free  tickets  to  "Las  Vegas"  by 
air  — and  one  hundred  silver  dollars,  in  a "Lncky  Jackpot"  bucket. 


They  took  a statue  out  of  Detroit's  Grand 
Circus  Park,  and  fast-moving  publicists  at  the 
Madison  theatre  appointed  this  usher,  in  cos- 
tume, to  take  over  for  "Alexander." 


Ray  Thom,  right,  man- 
ager of  the  Malco  theatre 
in  Memphis,  squares  with 
giant  Mike  Lane,  who  is 
featured  in  the  film  and  on 
tour  as  personal  promotion 
for  Columbia's  "The  Hard- 
er They  Fall." 


Karl  Fasick,  publicist  for 
Loew's  theatre  in  Boston, 
rigged  up  this  traveling 
street  ballyhoo  with  two 
fighters  in  action,  as  pro- 
motion for  "The  Harder 
They  Fall"  at  the  State  and 
Orpheum  theatres. 


44 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  MAY  12.  1956 


QUIGLEY  AWARDS 


( Continued  from  page  14) 

The  motion  picture  industry,  and  its  own 
advertising  and  promotional  personnel  are 
altogether  too  self-critical,  in  the  opinion  of 
Mr.  Schlaifer.  He  declared  it  his  opinion 
that  the  promotional  effort  of  the  motion 
picture  industry  is  superior  to  that  of  most 
other  businesses,  and  is  one  of  the  few  with 
a real  sense  of  values.  He  cited  the  Adver- 
tising Code  adhered  to  by  this  industry, 
and  noted  that  no  other  industry  has  a 
similar,  self-imposed  set  of  regulations  of 
its  own  making  and  in  addition,  of  its  own 
choosing. 

He  urged  a new  and  increased  awareness 
of  the  industry’s  strength,  and  suggested  that 
new  emphasis  on  the  promotion  of  the  mo- 
tion picture  theatre,  as  such,  would  be  of 
tremendous  public  value  to  the  industry  as 
a whole. 

Pre-Release  Handled  Badly 

Mr.  Morris  was  sharply  critical  of  the 
pre-release  method  of  handling  big  pictures, 
contending  that  by  the  time  the  film  in 
question  reached  the  general  run  of  smaller 
theatres,  even  in  the  fairly  large  cities,  the 
values  of  the  advertising  campaign  which 
had  been  undertaken  were  dissipated.  The 
point-of-sale  selling  of  the  film  under  those 
circumstances  was  losing  out,  he  said,  be- 
cause the  national  campaign  impact  was 
gone. 

In  the  final  analysis,  in  Mr.  Morris’  opin- 
ion, a return  to  the  old-fashioned  methods 
of  showmanhip  was  in  order,  and  a definite 
need  of  the  moment,  for  maximum  results 
at  the  box  offices  of  the  nation. 


British  Manager  Invents 
A " Reminder " Schedule 

What  we  sometimes  call  a “tickler” — 
something  that  you  keep  on  file  to  tell  you 
what  you  have  to  remember — has  been  cre- 
ated by  Harry  Murray,  veteran  manager  of 
the  Gaumont  theatre,  Streatham,  London,  to 
account  for  every  detail  of  front-of-the- 
house  management  and  away-from-the- 
theatre  exploitation  on  any  given  attraction. 
He  sets  down  these  headings : Foyers, 

stalls;  entrance,  doors;  mirrors,  kiosk;  pay- 
boxes, staircase;  exits,  stage;  staff  partici- 
pation; shop  tieups;  civic;  press  and  “per- 
sonals” as  his  guide  and  directory  of  what  to 
do,  against  what  has  been  done.  A sample 
demonstrates  he  covered  the  assignment 
on  all  fronts,  and  could  report  “mission 
accomplished.”  Harry  Murray  won  his  first 
Quigley  Award  recognition  as  a Scroll  of 
Honor  winner  in  1936,  and  is  well  known 
to  our  office  in  London,  where  Peter  Burnup 
and  Hopie  are  his  friends. 

We  have  another  letter  from  Harry  Mur- 
ray, by  later  British  mail,  which  will  make 
news  on  next  week’s  Round  Table  editorial 
page.  He  claims  the  special  “Oscar”  we 
suggested  for  the  first  showman  who  really 
delivered  something  really  new  in  show- 
manship. 


THE  COMMITTEE  OF  JUDGES 

Following,  alphabetically  listed,  are  the  film  industry  executives  who  served  as  judges  at 
the  22nd  annual  Quigley  Awards  judging,  held  in  New  York  this  week: 


DAVID  A.  BADER,  vice-presi- 
dent, Astor  Pictures  Corp. 

LEON  J.  BAMBERGER,  sales 
promotion  manager,  RKO 
Radio  Pictures. 

J.  RAYMOND  BELL,  Columbia 
Pictures. 

DAVID  BLUM,  publicity  direc- 
tor, Loew's  International. 

SIDNEY  BLUMENSTOCK,  ad- 
vertising manager,  Paramount. 

WALTER  BRANSON,  vice- 
president,  world  wide  sales, 
RKO  Radio. 

LIGE  BRIEN,  director  of  pro- 
motion and  special  events, 
United  Artists. 

THOMAS  BUCHANAN,  Mon- 
roe Greenthal  Co.,  Inc. 

RODNEY  BUSH,  exploitation 
manager,  Twentieth  Century- 
Fox  Film. 

DAVID  CANTOR,  RKO  Radio 
Pictures. 

CHARLES  COHEN,  Allied 
Artists  Pictures. 

SAMUEL  COHEN,  foreign 
publicity  director,  United  Art- 
ists. 

MARTIN  S.  DAVIS,  eastern 
advertising  and  publicity  man- 
ager, Allied  Artists  Pictures. 

RUSSELL  V.  DOWNING, 
president,  Radio  City  Music 
Hall. 

STEVE  EDWARDS,  director  of 
advertising  and  publicity,  Re- 
public Pictures. 

ERNEST  EMERLING,  advertis- 
ing-publicity director,  Loew  s 
Theatres. 

LYNN  FARNOL,  Lynn  Farnol 
Associates. 

ANDRE  GEBSTAEDT,  Repub- 
lic Pictures. 

WILLIAM  J.  GERMAN,  presi- 
dent, W.  J.  German,  Inc. 

FRED  GOLDBERG,  Arthur 
Jacobs  Agency. 

HARRY  GOLDBERG,  adver- 
tising and  publicity  director, 
Stanley  Warner. 

JOSEPH  GOULD,  United  Art- 
ists. 

HARRY  GREENMAN,  man- 
aging director,  Capitol  Thea- 
tre. 


MONROE  W.  GREENTHAL, 
president,  Monroe  Greenthal 
Co. 

CHARLES  R.  HACKER,  man- 
ager of  operations,  Radio  City 
Music  Hall. 

JAMES  HARDIMAN,  director 
of  advertising  and  publicity, 
Odeon  Theatres  (Canada) 
Ltd.,  Toronto. 

ALEX  HARRISON,  general 
sales  manager,  Twentieth  Cen- 
tury-Fox Film. 

W.  J.  HEINEMAN,  vice-presi- 
dent, in  charge  of  distribution, 
United  Artists. 

MERVIN  HOUSER,  RKO  Pic- 
tures studio  publicity  director. 

MEYER  HUTNER,  eastern  di- 
rector of  advertising  and  pub- 
licity, Samuel  Goldwyn  Pro- 
ductions. 

HERMAN  KASS,  eastern  ex- 
ploitation manager,  Universal 
Pictures. 

G.  R.  KEYSER,  advertising  and 
publicity  director,  Warner  Pic- 
tures International. 

ROGER  H.  LEWIS,  national 
director  advertising,  publicity 
and  exploitation,  United  Art- 
ists. 

LAWRENCE  LIPSKIN,  assis- 
tant to  the  president,  Colum- 
bia Pictures  International. 

JEFF  LIVINGSTON,  eastern 
advertising  manager,  Univer- 
sal Pictures. 

IRVING  H.  LUDWIG,  sales 
administrator,  Buena  Vista 
Film  Distributing  Co. 

CHARLES  McCarthy,  infor- 
mation director,  Council  of 
Motion  Pictures  Organizations. 

J.  T.  McGREEVEY,  chief  book- 
er, Harris  Amusement. 

HARRY  MANDEL,  national 
director  of  advertising  and 
publicity,  RKO  Theatres. 

ALBERT  MARGOLIES,  adver- 
tising and  publicity  director, 
Buena  Vista  Film  Distributing. 

WILLIAM  MILLER,  Roxy  The- 
atre. 

ROBERT  MOCHRIE,  vice- 
president,  Samuel  Goldwyn 
Productions. 


SEYMOUR  MORRIS,  director 
advertising,  publicity  and  pub- 
lic relations,  Scbine  Circuit. 

SIDNEY  NEWMAN,  Skouras 
Theatres  Corp. 

DANIEL  T.  O'SHEA,  president 
RKO  Radio  Pictures. 

JEROME  PICKMAN.  vice- 
president,  Paramount  Film 
Distributing  Corp. 

ARTHUR  PINCUS,  assistant 
director  publicity  and  adver- 
tising, Loew's  International. 

CHARLES  M.  REAGAN,  gen- 
eral manager  of  sales  and  dis- 
tribution, Loew's,  Inc. 

SIDNEY  RECHETNIK,  Warner 
Bros.  Pictures. 

SAMUEL  RINZLER,  president, 
Randforce  Amusement. 

HERMAN  ROBBINS,  chairman 
of  the  board,  National  Screen 
Service. 

LESLIE  ROBERTS,  J.  Arthur 
Rank  Organization. 

JONAS  ROSENFIELD,  JR., 
Columbia  Pictures. 

ROBERT  J.  RUBIN,  Paramount 
Film  Distributing. 

SIDNEY  SCHAEFER,  director 
of  media  and  printed  advertis- 
ing, Columbia. 

CHARLES  SCHLAIFER, 
Charles  Schlaifer  & Company. 

SOL  SCHWARTZ,  president, 
RKO  Pictures. 

SILAS  F.  SEADLER,  advertis- 
ing manager,  Loew's,  Inc. 

ROBERT  SHAPIRO,  managing 
director,  Paramount  Theatre. 

GERALD  SHEA,  Shea  Theatri- 
cal Enterprises. 

ALFRED  E.  F.  STERN,  publicity 
manager,  RKO  Pictures. 

IRA  H.  TULIPAN,  publicity 
manager,  20th-Fox  Film. 

JAMES  VELDE,  United  Artists 
Corp. 

E.  L.  WALTON,  RKO  Radio 
Pictures. 

MEAD  WALWORTH,  sales 
promotion  manager,  Westrex. 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  MAY  12,  1956 


45 


o i v men  in 


Ooops  ! Sorry ! In  the  listing  of  citation 
winners  for  the  first  quarter  of  1956,  in 
the  Round  Table  issue  of  May  5th,  there 
was  an  error  in  crediting  a campaign  on 
“Strategic  Air  Command’’  to  J.  A.  Barto- 
lotti,  instead  of  Vieri  Niccoli,  who  was 
properly  responsible  for  the  excellent  job 
done  for  Paramount  Films,  Rome,  Italy. 
We  should  have  known  better,  since  Vieri 
Xiccoli  has  been  here  personally,  as  a visi- 
tor, and  he  is  a previous  Quigley  Award 
winner.  As  a matter  of  fact,  there  was  no 
name  on  the  campaign  book,  and  because 
of  the  size,  it  became  separated  from  the 
covering  letter.  But  now  we  have  written 
in  the  correct  name,  and  hope  that  all  con- 
tenders will  do  this  in  the  future,  so  such 
mistakes  won’t  happen. 

▼ 

Sol  Sorkin,  who  always  does  the  excep- 
tional in  showmanship  at  RKO  Keith’s 
theatfe,  Syracuse,  N.  Y.,  is  in  the  mail  witli 
tear  sheets  of  his  publicity  in  the  Post- 
Standard  for  the  opening  of  a new  movie 
season,  with  four  halftones  in  a four-column 
layout,  for  free,  and  an  equal  display  in 
paid  advertising  for  “Serenade.” 

▼ 

W.  S.  “Bill”  Samuels,  manager  of  the 
Texas  theatre,  Dallas,  sends  in  newspaper 
tear  sheets  and  photographs  to  prove  how 
he  handled  the  25th  Anniversary  publicity 
for  this  largest  of  the  Rowley  Oak  Cliff 
Theatres,  seating  2,000. 

T 

Eleven  full-page  and  page-dominating  ad- 
vertisements by  Brooklyn's  best  store, 
Abraham  & Strauss,  were  a major  tieup  for 
the  opening  of  “Mamie  Stover”  at  the  Capi- 
tol theatre  on  Broadway,  with  the  full  spon- 
sorship of  these  cooperative  merchants. 


Milton  LeRoy,  manager  of  the  Blue  Hills 
Drive-In,  Bloomfield,  Conn.,  has  promoted 
the  use  of  a TV  set  in  his  concession  build- 
ing on  Wednesday  nights — boxing  night  in 
this  territory — in  return  for  a card  display 
plugging  the  TV  dealer. 

▼ 

Bill  Howard,  manager  of  Lockwood  & 
Gordon’s  Plaza  theatre,  Windsor,  Conn., 
sold  officers  of  the  Wilson  School  Parent- 
Teacher  Council  on  the  sponsorship  of  four 
Saturday  matinee  shows,  featuring  revival 
of  top  children’s  films,  with  tickets  sold  in 
advance  in  the  .school  rooms. 

T 

Fred  R.  Greenway,  manager  of  Loew’s 
Palace  theatre,  Hartford,  Conn.,  got  news- 
paper breaks  on  the  fact  that  parts  of  “The 
Man  in  the  Gray  Flannel  Suit”  were  shot 
in  Connecticut,  and  his  ads  referred  to  that 
“Connecticut  commuter.” 

▼ 

Would  you  believe  that  a man  in  Seattle 
and  a woman  in  Portland  wrote  the  word 
“Picnic”  on  a postcard,  6000  times?  Bob 
Turner,  manager  of  the  Paramount  theatre, 
Seattle,  and  Kenny  Hughes,  manager  of  the 
Orpheum,  Portland,  are  prepared  to  prove 
it,  with  the  winners  in  a promotion  contest, 
which  ran  through  Fox  West  Coast  and 
Evergreen  theatres. 

▼ 

Fred  Ross,  manager  of  the  Guild  theatre, 
Crystal  City,  Texas,  wants  you  to  know 
that  a theatre  manager  in  a small  town  can 
sell  a full-page  cooperative  advertisement 
to  local  merchants,  with  his  own  ad  riding 
free,  and  he  proves  it  with  a tear-sheet  from 
the  Sentinel.  Crystal  City  has  4,500  popula- 
tion and  over  half  are  Spanish-Americans, 
with  the  Alameda  theatre  catering  to  Span- 
ish-language  audiences. 


Speed  Kroman,  manager  of  Brandt's  May- 
fair  theatre,  on  Broadway,  welcomes  Valerie 
French,  as  she  arrives  for  an  autograph 
session  in  the  theatre  lobby,  for  Columbia's 
"Jubal." 


Alberta  Pike,  publicist  for  the  Denver 
theatre,  Denver,  Colorado,  is  a new  mem- 
ber of  the  Round  Table — (please  to  meet’cha, 
Alberta)  and  she  leans  towards  the  feminine 
approach  in  exploiting  “Jubal”  and  “The 
Harder  They  Fall”  — using  local  girls 
dressed  in  cowboy  hats,  or  wearing  boxing 
gloves,  as  required  in  the  act.  No  doubt  at 
all  but  that  Alberta  inherits  showmanship 
from  some  branch  of  her  family  who  have 
been  around  the  theatre. 

T 

Earl  Podolnick  writes  from  the  Austin, 
Texas  offices  of  Trans-Texas  Theatres,  to 
report  the  unusual  success  of  their  Easter 
egg  hunt,  at  the  Burnet  and  Chief  drive-in 
theatres.  It  was  all  sponsored,  and  started 
at  5 p.m.,  long  before  curtain  time  on  the 
big  drive-in  screen,  to  capacity  audiences. 
They  used  up  5,000  candy  eggs,  1,000  bal- 
loons, 1,000  giveaway  loaves  of  bread.  And 
eight  very  large  stuffed  rabbits,  as  special 
prizes,  with  other  extras,  such  as  merchan- 
dising orders,  and  guest  tickets. 


T 

Bert  Greene,  manager  of  the  St.  James 
theatre,  Asbury  Park,  N.  J.,  won  first  prize, 
and  Joe  Somers,  of  the  Paramount  theatre, 
Long  Branch,  N.  J.,  was  second  in  Walter 
Reade’s  “Manager  of  the  Month”  contest 
for  February,  for  the  best  all-over  job  done 
throughout  the  circuit  of  forty  theatres. 

T 

Sid  Kleper,  manager  of  Loew’s  College 
theatre,  New  Haven,  Conn.,  had  a tieup 
with  the  local  Air  Force  Recruiting  office 
during  the  showing  of  “On  the  Threshold 
of  Space”  in  which  residents  of  the  area 
had  an  opportunity  to  send  free  messages 
to  friends  and  relatives  in  the  service  any- 
where. 

T 

Irving  Hillman,  manager  of  Stanley 
Warner’s  Sherman  theatre,  New  Haven, 
Conn.,  hosted  Davie  Ffolkes,  who  designed 
more  than  6,000  costumes  for  “Alexander 
the  Great”  and  who  came  to  address  Yale 
University  drama  students,  with  a resulting 
two  column  newspaper  write-up. 


"Swamp  Women"  in  Philadelphia?  Here  in  horseshoe  style  are  some  of  the  60  show- 
men who  took  part  in  a saturation  premiere  of  the  picture.  Around  the  circle — Sandy 
Gottlieb,  Carole  Matthews,  Jack  H.  Harris,  Eddie  Prize r,  Harry  Brillman,  Paul  Klieman, 
Louis  Kellman,  Mrs.  Kellman.  I.  J.  Seg all,  Ted  Schlanger,  Mel  Fox  and  Jerry  Gaghan. 


4b 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  MAY  12,  1956 


/\AJLat  the 

Picture  did 


9f 


or  me 


. . . the  original  exhibitors'  reports  department,  established  October  14,  1916.  In  it  theatremen 
serve  one  another  with  information  about  the  box  office  performance  of  product — providing  a 
service  of  the  exhibitor  for  the  exhibitor.  ADDRESS  REPORTS,  What  the  Picture  Did  for  Me, 
Motion  Picture  Herald,  Rockefeller  Center,  New  York  20. 


Allied  Artists 

INVASION  OF  THE  BODY  SNATCHERS:  Kevin 
McCarthy,  Dana  Wynter — This  was  pretty  good,  but 
I personally  think  it  should  be  used  on  a double  bill. 
Played  Thursday,  Friday,  April  5,  6. — S.  T.  Jackson, 
Jackson  Theatre,  Flomaton,  Ala. 

JAIL  BUSTERS:  Leo  Gorcey,  Huntz  Hall— Mine 
is  the  sub-run  of  the  two  downtown  houses  in  McAllen, 
so  I play  all  the  Bowery  Boys’  pictures  first  time 
in  town.  They’re  a natural  Sunday  feature  for  all 
my  little  friends.  If  you  have  enough  potential  from 
the  kids,  you  ought  not  to  pass  these  up  for  at  least 
one  bread  and  butter  day  on  weekend  time.  Played 
Sunday,  Monday,  January  22,  23. — Lew  Bray,  Jr., 
Oueen  Theatre,  McAllen,  Texas. 

Buena  Vista 

LADY  AND  THE  TRAMP:  Cartoon  Feature — This 
one  gave  extra  business — a cute  picture  worth  any- 
one’s time  to  see,  and  I mean  adults  as  well  as  chil- 
dren. Only  thing  wrong— terms  too  steep,  which  took 
most  of  my  profit.  Small  town  and  rural  patronage. 
Played  Sunday.  Monday,  March  4,  5. — James  Hardy, 
Shoals  Theatre,  Shoals,  Ind. 

20,000  LEAGUES  UNDER  THE  SEA:  Kirk  Doug- 
las, James  Mason — Mr.  Disney  always  gives  great 
surprise,  and  this  was  a great  surprise  for  Christmas. 
We  have  played  many,  many  CinemaScope  pictures 
(American  and  European)  but  never  before  has  the 
influence  of  ’Scope  been  so  perfect  and  the  magnetic 
stereophonic  sound  so  good.  Played  Sunday,  December 
25,  through  Saturday,  December  31,  at  the  Kino- 
Palatsi  theatre,  and  Sunday,  January  1 through 
Wednesday,  January  4,  at  the  Kino-Halli  Theatre.— 
Jussi  Kohonen,  Kotka,  Finland. 

Columbia 

COUNT  THREE  AND  PRAY.  Van  Heflin,  Joanne 
Woodward — This  one  brought  some  of  my  old  patrons 
back,  which  looked  good  to  me.  A natural  for  small 
towns.  I played  it  late  and  still  did  above  average 
business  on  it.  Van  Heflin  at  his  best.  Play  it! 
Comments  100%  good.  Played  Sunday,  Monday, 
March  11,  12. — James  Hardy,  Shoals  Theatre,  Shoals, 
Ind. 

HELL  BELOW  ZERO:  Alan  Ladd,  Joan  Tetzel— 
Played  this  with  three  cartoons.  The  title  is  the 
temperature  on  location  with  an  Antarctic  whaiing 
fleet  where  this  was  filmed  in  Technicolor.  Played 
Sunday,  Monday,  April  15,  16. — Lew  Bray,  Jr.,  Queen 
Theatre,  McAllen,  Texas. 

MASTERSON  OF  KANSAS:  George  Montgomery, 
Nancy  Gates— Doubled  with  ‘'Fighting  Chance”  (Rep.) 
for  within  a hair’s  breadth  of  breaking  even.  Cus- 
tomers I had  with  this  left  very  satisfied  with  having 
seen  a pretty  good  program.  Plaved  Thursday,  Fri- 
day, Saturday,  April  12,  13,  14.— Lew  Bray,  Jr.,  Oueen 
Theatre,  McAllen,  Texas. 

VIOLENT  MEN,  THE:  Glenn  Ford,  Barbara  Stan- 
wyck-Played it  late.  This  picture  is' excellent,  to  my 
notion.  \\  ell  liked  by  all  who  saw  it,  but  guess  my 
playing  it  late  made  it  fail  at  the  box  office.  Small 
town  and  rural  patrons.  Played  Saturday,  March  31.— 
James  Hardy,  Shoals  Theatre,  Shoals,  Ind. 

I.F.E. 

THEODORA,  SLAVE  EMPRESS:  Giana  Maria 

Canale.  George  Marchal  — Very  good  Technicolor 
Italian  spectacle  of  Byzantium  Empire.  The  story  is 
about  a slave  girl  who  becomes  the  queen  and  teaches 
democratic  ideas  to  Justinian.  It  has  a very  exciting 
chariot  race.  Did  outstanding  business.  Plaved  two 
weeks  from  Friday,  December  2 through  Thursday, 
December  15. — Agha  Rafique  Ahmed,  New  Majestic 
Theatre,  Hyderabad  Sind,  Pakistan. 

Metro-Gold  wyn-Mayer 

MOONFLEET:  Stewart  Granger,  Viveca  Lindfors — 
O.  K.  for  its  type,  but  Metro  has  too  many  of  this 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  MAY  12,  1956 


type.  Priced1  right,  but  people  will  not  come  to  see 
them.  Played  Sunday,  April  8. — S.  T.  Jackson,  Jack- 
son  Theatre,  Flomaton,  Ala. 

PRODIGAL:  Lana  Turner,  Edmund  Purdom — When 
they  make  poor  historic  pictures  in  the  USA,  then 
the  pictures  are  really  terrible.  Sorry  for  our  patrons 
who  pay  for  such.  Played  Sunday,  January  22,  to 
Saturday,  January  28. — Jussi  Kohonen,  Kino-Palatsi 
Theatre,  Kotka,  Finland. 

SEVEN  BRIDES  FOR  SEVEN  BROTHERS:  Jane 
Powell,  Howard  Keel-  This  picture  made  a great  fiasco 
in  Helsinki,  but  in  this  town  it  was  a great  triumph. 
In  many  years  we  have  not  had  from  Hollywood  so 
perfect  a musical.  Thanks.  CinemaScope  gave  splen- 
did chance  for  the  actors  in  dancing  scenes  and 
Michael  Kidd’s  dances  were  something  new  under  the 
sky.  Our  patrons  will  want  to  see  more  of  Russ 
Tamblyn.  Played  Sunday,  January  15,  through  Satur- 
day, January  21.— Jussi  Kohonen,  Kino-Palatsi  Thea- 
tre, Kotka,  Finland. 

Paramount 

YOU’RE  NEVER  TOO  YOUNG:  Dean  Martin. 

Jerry  Lewis — I never  fail  with  this  team.  They  al- 
ways bring  in  extra  business.  This  is  one  of  their 
best  pictures,  to  my  notion.  Plenty  of  comedy,  and 
it  seems  that’s  what  the  people  want  these  days. 
Play  it — good  for  any  situation.  Small  town  and  rural 
patronage.  Played  Sunday,  Monday,  March  18,  19. — 
James  Hardy,  Shoals  Theatre,  Shoals,  Ind. 

RKO  Radio 

APPOINTMENT  IN  HONDURAS:  Glenn  Fold, 
Ann  Sheridan — A fairly  good  action  picture  with 
jungle  background  and  good  color.  Did  very  well 
with  it.  Played  Sunday,  Monday,  Tuesday,  Decem- 
ber 11,  12,  13. — Agha  Rafique  Ahmed,  New  Majestic 
Theatre,  Hyderabad  Sind,  Pakistan. 

BENGAZI:  Richard  Conte,  Victor  MacLaglen — 

Failed  to  hold  the  interest  of  the  majority  of  our 
patrons.  Doubled  with  ‘‘The  Caine  Mutiny”;  played 
too  late  due  to  terms  demanded  by  Columbia. — Elstun 
Dodge,  Elstun  Theatre,  Cincinnati,  Ohio. 

PEARL  OF  THE  SOUTH  PACIFIC:  Virginia 

Mayo,  Dennis  Morgan — Doubled  this  with  “She  Wore 
a Yellow  Ribbon”.  A little  extra  promotion  on  this 
almost  paid  off,  at  least  all  items  but  one.  I posted 
a 24- sheet  on  the  sidewalk  late  the  night  before  open- 
ing and  jokingly  commented  I would  probably  find 
out  the  next  day  from  the  city  I couldn’t  do  it.  That’9 
just  what  happened.  Bright  and  early  opening  day 
I was  told  by  the  chief  of  police  I was  to  remove  it 
immediately.  At  least  I kept  a couple  of  threes  up. 
though.  Played  Thursday,  Friday,  Saturday,  April 
19,  20,  21. — Lew  Bray,  Jr.,  Queen  Theatre,  McAllen, 
Texas. 

Twentieth  Century-Fox 

BOTTOM  OF  THE  BOTTLE:  Van  Johnson,  Toseph 
C'otten — Received  many  excellent  comments  on  this 
picture.  I didn’t  see  it  all,  but  it  must  have  been  good 
from  what  I heard. — S.  T.  Jackson,  Jackson  Theatre, 
Flomaton,  Ala. 

GOOD  MORNING,  MISS  DOVE:  Jennifer  Jones, 
Robert  Stack— One  of  the  best  pictures  in  a long,  long 
time.  Perfect  cast.  But  too  many  of  my  friends 
missed  it ! In  other  words,  it  did  poor  business. 
Played  Monday,  Tuesday,  Wednesday.  April  9,  10, 
11. — S.  T.  Jackson,  Jackson  Theatre,  Flomaton,  Ala. 

PRINCE  OF  PLAYERS:  Richard  Burton,  Maggie 
McNamara — One  of  the  most  beautiful  movies  seen 
for  a long  time!  Thanks,  Fox,  for  a most  exquisite 


film.  It  must  be  a matter  of  deep  concern  to  a 
studio  when  a film  like  this  bites  the  dust  at  the 
world’s  box  offices.  It  met  with  a very  poor  reception 
in  South  Africa  too.  So  when  I booked  it,  I decided 
to  advertise  it  differently.  I warned  my  patrons  on 
the  program  and  with  a special  slide  that  this  film 
was  only  for  discriminating  film  goers.  Now,  nobody 
likes  to  be  told  they  are  not  discriminating,  so  we 
killed  two  birds  with  one  stone.  We  played  to  very 
good  houses  for  this  film  and  kept  the  cowboys  away! 
I was  mighty  proud  to  stand  in  the  foyer  after  every 
performance,  and  perhaps  this  is  the  first  film  I have 
shown  where  so  many  people  came  out  to  shake  my 
hand!  The  story  (which  should  be  of  immense  in- 
terest to  American  film  goers)  is  of  historical  value, 
color,  acting  all  first  rate,  with  just  enough  passages 
from  Shakespeare’s  best  works  to  make  it  interesting. 
Just  because  it  has  a little  Shakespeare  in  it  and  not 
Betty  Grable  riding  a horse,  it  is  plain  box-office 
murder  to  condemn  the  picture.  I did  find,  however, 
two  glaring  faults— the  title  (which  means  not  a thing 
to  most  people)  and  the  very  bad  trailer,  the  two  most 
important  selling  angles.  We  lost  no  money  on  this 
one,  but  it  gave  us  a lot  of  satisfaction.  Played 
Thursday,  Friday,  Saturday,  February  23  , 24  . 25.— 
Dave.  S-  Klein,  Astra  Theatre,  Kitwe/Nkana,  North- 
ern Rhodesia,  Africa. 

United  Artists 

MALTA  STORY:  Alec  Guinness,  Jack  Hawkins — 
Guinness  plays  the  part  of  a mild-mannered  RAF  pilot 
who  falls  in  love  with  a local  girl  during  the  strife  on 
Malta.  Weak  picture,  though,  which  hardly  pleased 
even  the  Guinness  fans.  Played  Tuesday.  Wednesday, 
April  10,  11.— Lew  Bray,  Jr.,  Queen  Theatre,  McAilen, 
Texas. 

YOUR  KNOW  WHAT  SAILORS  ARE:  Akim  Ta- 
miroff,  Donald  Dinden — I know  what  sailors  are  now 
— and  it’s  not  what  pays  the  film  rental.  Played 
Tuesday,  Wednesday,  April  17,  18. — Lew  Bray,  Jr., 
Queen  Theatre,  McAllen,  Texas. 

Universal 

CAPTAIN  LIGHTFOOT:  Rock  Hudson,  Barbara 
Rush — The  people  in  this  town  want  to  see  old  favor- 
ites, and  in  this  picture  were  only  new  faces,  and 
so  the  result  was  poor.  Played  Sunday,  Monday, 
Tuesday,  Wednesday,  Thursday,  Friday,  Saturday, 
February  19,  20,  21,  22,  23,  24,  25. — Jussi  Kohonen, 
Kino-Palatsi,  Kotka,  Finland. 

Warner  Brothers 

NEW  YORK  CONFIDENTIAL:  Broderick  Craw- 
ford, Richard  Conte — A fair  crime  melodrama  that 
did  poor  business.  Since  I have  started  CinemaScope 
pictures,  black  and  white  films  no  longer  do  any  busi- 
ness. Played  Sunday,  Monday,  Tuesday,  December 
4,  5,  6. — Agha  Rafique  Ahmed,  New  Majestic  Theatre, 
Hyderabad  Sind,  Pakistan. 

PETE  KELLY’S  BLUES:  Jack  Webb,  Janet 

Leigh — A very  good  picture,  but  I did  below  average 
Sunday  night  business.  The  teen-agers  like  these 
modern  day  pictures,  but  the  middle-aged  people  don’t. 

I always  fail  with  musicals  here — they  just  don’t  go 
any  more.  Small  town  and  rural  patronage.  Played 
Sunday,  Monday.  February  19,  20. — James  Hardy, 
Shoals  Theatre,  Shoals,  Ind. 

SINCERELY  YOURS:  Liberace,  Joanne  Dru— Be- 
cause of  unfavorable  reviews,  I would  like  to  say  that 
this  was  well  received  here.  All  agreed  the  music  was 
excellent,  settings  and  supporting  actors  and  actresses 
good.  We  felt  Liberace  was  giving  us  his  best,  and 
there  were  no  unfavorable  comments.  Played  Sunday, 
Monday,  March  11,  12. — C.  B.  Sullivan,  Crown  Theatre, 
Camp  Hill,  Ala. 


47 


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As  Refreshment 


Products  Crow  in  Size 
—So  Do  the  Profits! 

About  the  time  that  theatre  screens  began  to  get  wider,  snack 
bar  products  started  to  grow,  too— with  "giant"  popcorn  boxes, 
"jumbo"  soft  drinks  and  larger  candies  added  to  the  standard 
10c  items.  These  efforts  have  met  with  great  success— raising 
sales  volumes  and  profits  to  new  heights  for  many  exhibitors, 
some  of  whom  tell  how  it  was  accomplished  in  this  article. 


OF  the  practices  adopted 
by  theatre  exhibitors  in  recent  years  to  in- 
crease revenue  from  refreshment  merchan- 
dising, one  of  the  most  outstanding  has 
been  the  introduction  of  “large-size”  ver- 
sions of  their  products — “giant”  popcorn 
boxes;  “jumbo”  soft  drinks;  and  15c  or 
even  25c  candy  bars.  This  procedure  was 
undertaken  first  by  only  a few  exhibitors 
here  and  there ; the  reaction  of  theatre 
patrons  to  buying  a 20c  drink  instead  of  a 
10c  one  was  an  unknown  factor  which  had 
to  be  put  to  a test. 

What  began  thus  as  an  experiment  has 
been  sufficiently  successful  within  the  past 
two  or  three  years  to  be  recognized  as  a 
trend.  Both  indoor  and  drive-in  theatre 
managers  in  all  parts  of  the  country  have 
been  adding  the  larger  items  to  their  reg- 
ular merchandise  with  results  in  many 
cases  even  better  than  had  been  hoped. 
\ olume  is  up  in  some  instances  as  much 
as  50% — thanks  primarily,  the  managers 
report,  to  the  bigger  packages.  And  con- 
sequently profits  are  way  up,  too,  which 
assures  the  “jumbo”  items  of  a secure  niche 
at  theatre  stands  in  the  future. 

How  have  the  “big”  products  been  put 
over?  Ask  any  manager,  and  he  will  assure 
you  first  of  all  that  they  won’t  sell  them- 
selves. It  requires  a concentrated  campaign 
to  prove  to  the  customer  that  although  he 
is  paying  more  he  is  getting  his  full  money’s 
worth. 

That  is  the  theory  behind  the  promotion- 
al technique  which  has  made  the  “giant” 
products  successful  throughout  northern 


Ohio,  according  to  Irwin  Shenker  of  the 
Berio  Vending  Company,  Cleveland,  which 
services  almost  90%  of  the  stands  in  that 
area.  To  announce  the  new  sizes  to  patrons 
he  has  employed  banners  on  the  backbar, 
supplemented  by  counter  displays  in  which 
the  “bigness”  of  the  product  is  emphasized 
to  convince  the  patron  that  the  higher 
price  is  justified. 

ADULTS  BUY  MORE 

Mr.  Shenker  has  found  that,  as  a rule, 
the  large  items  are  more  apt  to  be  pur- 
chased by  adults.  They  are  the  best  cus- 
tomers, for  instance,  for  candies  priced  at 
25c  and  35c,  so  these  are  prominently  dis- 
played on  weekdays  and  nights.  On  Satur- 
days and  Sundays,  these  usually  give  way 
to  the  smaller  packages  selling  for  10c  and 
15c  which  appeal  to  children. 

Success  has  also  been  achieved  with  sales 


of  a giant  50c  box  of  popcorn — which  is 
promoted  as  being  “big  enough  for  the 
whole  family.”  And,  of  course,  Mr. 
Shenker  explains,  “we  always  have  on  dis- 
play the  Buttercup  boxes  which  sell  for 
25c  each. 

“We  find  that  it  pays  to  eliminate  the 
15c  box  of  popcorn  and  concentrate  on  the 
25c  and  50c  sizes.  Our  reasoning  is  that 
the  customer,  given  three  prices  from  which 
to  choose,  will  pick  the  cheapest.  With  only 
two  choices  confronting  him,  he  will  take 
either  the  25c  or  50c  size,  without  any 
thought  of  the  old  15c  price.” 

A “family  size”  popcorn  box  has  also 
become  a best-seller  in  theatres  throughout 
Tennessee,  Kentucky  and  Alabama,  accord- 
ing to  John  L.  Link,  manager  of  merchan- 
dise and  supplies  for  the  Crescent  Amuse- 
ment Company  of  Nashville,  which  has  75 
theatres  in  those  states.  Mr.  Link  says  that 
ushers  have  noticed  that  “just  as  many  in- 


BETTER  REFRESHMENT  MERCHANDISING 


49 


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One  of  the  most  successful  means  that 
refreshment  managers  have  employed  to 
induce  patrons  to  buy  the  "large-size" 
products  rather  than  the  small  ones  has 
been  through  the  offer  of  prizes.  Sales 
of  25c  or  "family-size"  popcorn  boxes 
jumped  at  the  State  theatre  in  Bowling 
Green,  Ky.,  when  manager  Bill  Scales 
offered  an  admission  pass  to  patrons 
coming  up  with  a box  number  ending  in 
"13,"  announcing  this  promotion  with 
the  special  display  shown  at  left.  Similar 
success  has  been  achieved  with  "jumbo" 
soft  drinks  by  Theatre  Confections,  Ltd., 
in  Canada  who  have  numbered  the  cups 
and  presented  the  holders  of  the  "lucky" 
numbers  with  a variety  of  prizes.  The 
display  above  is  dominated  by  a rotund 
clown  to  emphasize  the  "bigness"  of  the 
drinks.  In  the  scheme  used  at  this  the- 
atre— the  Paramount  in  Kentville — the 
numbers  are  carried  over  from  week  to 
week  as  the  back  bar  sign  advises. 


! dividuals  tackle  the  big  boxes  as  do  groups 
sharing  them.” 

T his  package  has  been  promoted  in  a 
variety  of  ways,  one  of  the  most  successful 
being  the  offer  of  a free  admission  ticket 
to  any  purchaser  who  comes  up  with  a box 
bearing  a number  which  ends  in  “13.” 
(The  lobby  display  advising  patrons  of  this 
offer  as  arranged  at  the  State  theatre  in 
Bowling  Green,  Ky.,  by  manager  Bill 
Scales,  is  shown  in  the  photograph  directly 
above.) 

As  for  soft  drinks,  those  selling  at  21c 
(which  includes  a lc  sales  tax)  now  com- 
prise 50%  or  60%  of  Crescent’s  drink 
sales,  according  to  Mr.  Link.  ‘‘Our  at- 
tendants have  been  instructed  to  say, 
‘small  or  large?’,  whenever  a patron  asks 
for  a drink,”  he  explains,  “and  it  certainly 
works !” 


With  the  large-size  candy  bars  the  Cres- 
cent circuit  has  not  been  so  successful,  but 
Mr.  Link  believes  the  reason  lies  in  the 
matter  of  display.  He  cites  a recent  test 
made  of  a 15c  bar  in  all  75  theatres.  To 
date  not  a single  theatre  manager  has  re- 
ordered the  bar  although  most  exhausted 
their  original  supply. 

Seeking  a reason  for  the  failure  of  this 
bar,  Mr.  Link  theorizes  that  it  was  be- 
cause it  was  displayed  right  alongside  regu- 
lar 10c  items.  “You  can’t  sell  a 1 5c  candy 
bar  when  it  is  put  in  the  case  right  next 
to  a 10c  one,”  he  explains.  “But  if  other 
well-known  bars  came  that  way,  too,  we 
believe  we  could  do  a lot  more  business 
in  large-size  candies.” 

In  the  drive-in  field  Mr.  Link  reports 
that  popcorn,  drinks  and  candy  do  well  in 
“jumbo”  versions — but  neither  prices  nor 


50 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  MAY  12,  1956 


sizes  have  been  increased  on  such  items  as 
hamburgers  and  chicken  suppers.  The 
theory  is  that  if  a patron  is  still  hungry 
after  eating  one  of  these,  he  can  secure  a 
second  or  third  portion. 

GIANT  HAMBURGERS 

On  the  other  hand  word  comes  from 
the  Southwest  that  operators  are  now  of- 
fering hamburgers  in  “giant”  sizes  in  ad- 
dition to  the  regular  ones — and  that  the 
former  are  going  over  big!  This  was 
pointed  out  recently  by  Mortie  Marks  of 
the  Jefferson  Amusement  Company,  Inc., 
Beaumont,  Tex.,  in  a report  on  trends  in 
drive-in  refreshment  merchandising  in  that 
nart  of  the  country. 

At  that  time  Mr.  Marks  said:  “Some- 
time ago,  when  drive-in  snack  bars  first 
came  into  their  own  right,  most  operators 
found  that  extra  items  meant  extra  busi- 
ness, and  the  trend  was  toward  larger  con- 
fectionery buildings  where  everything  was 
sold  from  soup  to  nuts.  The  trend  now  is 
to  curtail  most  of  these  odd  items  that 
proved  to  have  a low  margin  of  profit,  and 
to  concentrate  more  on  the  high  volume 
— high  profit  items.  Additional  space  is 
being  allowed  these  items,  thus  offering 
faster  and  better  service  to  the  patron.” 

That  is  the  reason,  Mr.  Marks  believes, 
that  drive-in  operators  in  the  Southwest  are 
selling  “much  more  dollar  volume  in  15c, 
25c  and  45c  items  than  ever  before.” 

These  operators  “learned  their  lesson” 
first  with  soft  drinks,  according  to  Mr. 
Marks.  “We  were  once  content  with  offer- 
ing a selection  of  soft  drinks;  but  now  we 
offer  the  same  or  a wider  selection  but 
present  it  in  sizes  to  fit  the  patron’s  thirst. 
Our  drinks  now  come  in  small,  large  or 
medium  sizes,  graduating  from  9 to  24 
ounce  cups.  We  place  them  in  this  order, 
because  of  the  increase  in  volume  of  the 
12-ounce  cup  after  putting  in  the  24-ounce 


cup,  and  we  found  that  the  patrons  hear 
the  last  item  suggested.” 

“And  now  after  learning  a lesson  in  cold 
drink  sales,  operators  are  offering  both  the 
regular  hamburgers  and  the  giant  or  jumbo 
size.  In  some  locations,  sales  are  in  the 
ratio  of  two  regulars  for  each  jumbo  sold. 
But  no  matter  how  you  slice  it  or  serve  it 
the  hamburger  . . . makes  you  money.” 

“Whether  it  be  apples  or  doughnuts, 
pickles  or  pizza,  we  are  trying  to  make  it 
easier  for  them  to  buy — the  large  size,” 
Mr.  Marks  concluded. 

DRINKS  TOP  NORTHWEST 

In  the  Northwest  it  is  soft  drinks  in  the 
large-size  version  which  have  gone  over 
with  the  most  notable  success,  according  tc 
a report  from  the  Herald  correspondent 
in  Portland,  Ore.  Most  of  the  theatres  in 
that  region  wage  intensive  campaigns  to 
push  the  “big”  drinks  during  the  hot 
weather  months — when  the  demand  is 
naturally  most  heavy. 

One  circuit  which  has  found  it  profitable 
to  stock  large  candy  bars  as  well  is  the 
Evergreen  State  Amusement  Corporation, 
which  has  25  theatres  in  Oregon  and  Wash- 
ington. It  is  the  policy  of  the  circuit  to 
leave  the  promotional  emphasis  to  the  dis- 
cretion of  individual  managers,  as  the  de- 
mand for  the  large  products  varies  not  only 
with  the  seasons  but  with  local  patron 
preference. 

In  some  instances  the  merchandising  is 
directed  primarily  toward  “suggestive” 
selling  (having  the  attendant  say,  “large 
or  small?”)  and  display.  This  is  the  case 
at  Evergreen’s  Orpheum  theatre  in  Port- 
land where  manager  Kenny  Hughes  ar- 
ranges the  display  to  give  the  most  promi- 
nent positions  to  the  large-size  products 
not  only  so  the  patrons  will  see  them  first 
but  so  that  they  have  to  reach  over  them 
to  pick  up  the  regular  merchandise. 


A photo  of  the  Orpheum  stand  on  this 
page  illustrates  this  procedure. 

Large-size  candy  bars  are  stacked  neatly 
on  the  top  of  the  counter  next  to  the 
drink  dispensers  on  the  left  and  packages 
are  also  arrayed  on  the  right  end  (next  to 
the  attendant).  In  addition  they  are  placed 
in  the  showcase  along  with  the  11^  mer- 
chandise. (The  6<f  candies  are  in  the 
showcase  on  the  back  bar.)  The  prices  of 
all  types  are  plainly  indicated  by  white 
plastic  tags  with  black  numerals. 

In  addition  the  Orpheum  sells  ice  cream 
in  the  “giant”  sundae  size  which  is  given 
an  advantageous  position  in  the  well-lighted 
self-service  case. 

A spokesman  for  J.  J.  Parker  Theatres, 
Portland,  reports  that  their  success  with 
“large-size”  products  seems  to  depend  on 
the  type  of  picture  being  played.  A “class” 
film  has  been  found  to  attract  customers 
willing  to  spend  greater  sums  for  their 
refreshments  while  “family”  pictures  bring 
patrons  who  purchase  only  the  less  expen- 
sive merchandise.  Buttered  popcorn  at  25^ 
is  the  biggest  seller  in  the  “giant”  class 
for  this  circuit,  which  nonetheless  stocks  a 
few  large  candy  bars,  and  sells  ice  cream 
and  mixed  nuts  for  25^. 

REPORT  FROM  CANADA 

In  Canada  the  trend  to  large-size  began 
two  years  ago  with  results  that  are  very 
satisfactory,  according  to  J.  J.  Fitzgibbons, 
Jr.,  of  Theatre  Confections  Limited,  which 
services  theatres  throughout  the  country 
from  headquarters  in  Toronto. 

Describing  his  selling  techniques  he 
states:  “We  did  not  deliberately  remove 
the  10c  items.  We  only  made  the  20c  and 
25c  items  more  attractive  by  using  special 
promotions  to  induce  the  patron  to  try  the 
larger  size.  The  results  to  date  are  very 
satisfactory,  because  with  a decrease  in  at- 
( Continued  on  page  60) 


How  counter  displays  can  be 
devised  to  give  special  emphasis 
to  "large-size"  products  is  demon- 
strated in  this  one  at  the  Ever- 
green circuit's  Orpheum  theatre 
in  Portland,  Ore.,  by  manager 
Kenny  Hughes.  Large-size  candy 
bars  are  stacked  on  top  of  the 
counter  in  easy  reach  of  the 
patron;  these  products  are  at  the 
left  by  the  drink  dispensers  and 
at  the  right  next  to  the  attendant. 
In  this  way  the  patron  sees  them 
first,  and  secondarily  turns  his 
attention  to  the  6c  items  in  the 
back  bar  case  and  the  lie  items 
in  the  front  showcase  where  there 
are  also  several  of  the  "large-size" 
candies.  In  addition  ice  cream  in 
a "giant"  sundae  size  is  given 
prominent  display  in  the  big  self- 
service  case  on  the  counter. 


BETTER  REFRESHMENT  MERCHANDISING 


51 


?'  ; ' '•  . 

THE  FLAVORS  THEY  LIKE  — 


sells  the  name 

on  the  cup! 


Srinqinq  CaMer  spirit 
to  the  Attack  £tatuf 


Easter  rabbits  dominated  the  displays  at 
the  two  Canadian  stands  pictured  above  at 
left.  At  the  Famous  Players'  Monarch 
theatre  in  Medicine  Hat,  Alberta  (shown 
at  left),  F.  G.  Tickell,  city  manager  for  the 
circuit,  also  employed  a fan-shaped  back- 
ground made  of  silver  flitter,  using  red 
crepe  paper  on  the  back.  Adding  greatly 
to  the  effect  were  lights  placed  behind  this 
display.  Manager  T.  Murray  Lynch,  while 
decorating  the  stand  at  the  Paramount 
theatre  in  Moncton,  N.  B.  with  cut-outs 
and  one-sheets  as  shown  at  top,  also  pro- 
moted the  sale  of  admission  book  tickets 
through  posters  at  the  stand.  "We  don’t 
know  just  what  percentage  of  our  book 
ticket  sales  can  be  attributed  to  the  dis- 
play," he  writes,  "but  the  happy  old  rabbit 
drew  popular  comment  from  the  young  fry." 


Floral  decorations  and 
rabbit  cut-outs  were  ar- 
ranged on  the  backbar 
wall  at  the  "Refreshery" 
of  Walter  Reade's  May- 
fair  theatre  — showcase 
for  that  circuit  in  the 
New  Jersey  resort  city 
of  Asbury  Park.  Credit 
for  the  results  as  evi- 
denced at  right  goes  to 
John  Balmer,  city  man- 
ager, and  Marion  Jeff- 
rey, his  assistant  there. 


54 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  MAY  12,  1956 


Merchandise  Mart 

★ news  of  products  for  the  theatre 
refreshment  service  and  their  manufacturers 


Molded  Pulp  Trays 
For  Carry-Out  Service 

a new  molded  pulp  tray 
for  outside  service  of  refreshments  at  drive- 
in  theatres,  equipped  with  four  cup  com- 
partments and  “ample”  space  for  sand- 


the  proper  coin  in  the  slot,  can  observe  the 
process  through  a 'window  in  the  machine. 

Seasoning  is  packed  into  the  bags  of  un- 
popped kernels.  When  popped  electronic- 
ally, the  seasoning  permeates  the  popcorn 
kernels  without  making  them  greasy  or 
sticky,  according  to  the  manufacturer.  The 
bags  used  are  transparent. 


1 he  drink  is  packed  in  both  a 6-ounce 
can  (72  per  case)  and  an  8-ounce  can. 
The  can  label,  the  front  of  which  is  repro- 
duced here,  lists  the  following  ingredients 
on  the  back  side : “contains  sugar  syrup, 
non-fat  dry  milk  solids,  cocoa  malt,  vege- 


Chocolate  Flavored 


wiches  and  other  foods,  has  been  announced 
by  the  Keyes  Fibre  Company  of  Waterville, 
Me.,  manufacturers  of  a line  of  plates, 
trays  and  dishes.  The  disposable  unit  is 
called  the  “Carry-Out  Tray.” 

The  pulp  trays  are  individually  molded 
for  extreme  strength  and  rigidity.  They 
are  waterproofed  and  grease-resistant  and 
have  a non-skid  surface.  The  trays  are 
sterilized  in  manufacture. 

Electronic  Popcorn 
By  Coin  Machine 

an  automatic  coin  ma- 
chine designed  to  prepare  popcorn  as  the 
customer  watches  and  then  serve  it  to  him 
in  a sealed  bag  has  been  developed  by  the 
Cymac  Corporation,  San  Francisco.  It  is 
called  the  “Insta-Fresh  Popcorn  Vending 
Machine.” 

Employing  high  frequency  radiation,  the 
machine  works  this  way:  A small  flat  bag 
of  kernels  is  automatically  dropped  between 
two  electrodes.  Radio  energy  passing 
through  the  kernels  causes  violent  internal 
agitation  producing  heat. 

In  10  to  15  seconds  the  flat  bag  becomes 
a huge  puffed-out  bag  filled  with  seasoned 
popcorn  kernels  popped  in  the  conventional 
manner.  The  purchaser,  after  dropping 


Mew  Chocolate  Drink 
To  Serve  Hot  or  Cold 

A CHOCOLATE  - FLAVORED 
drink  packaged  in  individual  cans  and  de- 
signed for  serving  either  hot  or  cold  has 
been  placed  on  the  market  by  Dutch 
House,  Inc.,  Philadelphia.  The  company 
is  a subsidiary  of  Marstan  Distributing 
Company,  Inc.,  Philadelphia,  manufac- 
turer and  distributor  of  non-carbonated 
beverages  and  syrups  in  the  east  since  1946. 

For  some  time  Marstan  produced  a hot 
chocolate  drink  and  discovered  that  there 
was  a demand  for  one  which  could  be 
served  cold  as  well.  The  result  was  their 
development  of  the  new  product,  which  is 
trade-named  “Dutch  Treete.” 


Drink 


table  stabilizer,  salt,  and  vanillin  (an  arti- 
ficial flavor).” 

To  promote  the  drink  at  drive-in  thea- 
tres, where  the  8-ounce  can  is  designed  for 
sale  at  25f,  the  company  has  available  a 
supply  of  materials,  including  animated 
cartoon  trailers,  streamers,  brochures  and 
can  openers.  The  drink  requires  no  refrig- 
eration and  is  ready  to  serve — either  by 
attendant  or  through  self-service. 

The  drink  will  not  be  available  to  the 
retail  trade,  it  is  stated,  and  will  be  sold 
to  the  theatre  trade  through  Fabco  Asso- 
ciates, Bronx,  N.  Y.,  which  has  been  ap- 
pointed national  distributor  for  that  market. 


'is  NIBS . . . again  c Theatre 
Sales  Champion! 

Packed 
60-count 

Now  also  available  in  this  new 
double-window  King  Size  carton 

National  Licorice  Company 

Brooklyn,  N.  Y.  • Philadelphia,  Pa.  • Moline,  III. 


BETTER  REFRESHMENT  MERCHANDISING 


55 


People  who  go  places  like  a light  refreshment . . . 


That’s  why  Pepsi-Cola  is  America’s 


fastest  growing  soft  drink ! 

And  Pepsi  means  more  drinks  per  gallon— more  profit  per  drink,  too! 


Pepsi-Cola  Company,  3 West  57th  Street,  New  York  19,  New  York 


How  Shrimp  Rolls  Are  Processed— from  Factory 


to  Drive-In  Theatre 


Flavos  Shrimp  Rolls  are  a mixture  of  shrimp,  celery  and  seasoning 
encased  in  a flaky  noodle  jacket.  In  preparing  them  at  the  com- 
pany's large  plant  in  New  York  the  emphasis  is  placed  on  quality, 
according  to  Adam  Kunze,  production  manager.  This  means,  first  of 
all,  "top-notch"  raw  material,  he  explains,  with  shrimp  bought  directly 
from  fishing  areas  in  the  Gulf  of  Mexico  and  Panama.  Peeled  and 
de-veined  at  the  source,  it  arrives  at  the  plant  in  frozen  blocks  to  be 
processed.  Fresh  table  celery  arrives  daily  from  Florida,  California 
and  New  York  State  to  be  cut  and  cooked  promptly.  The  ingredients 
are  then  individually  rolled  into  egg  noodle  jackets  by  a trained  staff 
as  demonstrated  above. 


^ The  shrimp  rolls  are  shipped  frozen  and  packed  50  rolls  to  the 
carton.  Shipments  are  made  all  over  the  country;  the  one  above 
is  being  readied  for  a trip  to  the  Mid-West.  The  truck  is  refrigerated 
with  the  temperature  kept  at  zero  while  product  is  in  transit.  Included 
in  each  case  are  glassine  serving  bags  furnished  at  no  extra  charge. 


Five  summers  ago  a new  food  specialty  was  intro- 
duced in  drive-in  theatres  in  the  east— Flavos 
Shrimp  Rolls,  originated  by  Flavo-Rite  Foods,  Inc., 
Bronx,  N.  Y.  An  immediate  success,  they  have  since 
spread  to  other  parts  of  the  country.  How  they 
are  handled  is  described  and  pictured  herewith. 


2 The  next  steps  in  preparing  the  shrimp  rolls  are  to  cook  and  then 
• to  freeze  them.  For  the  first  procedure  the  company  has  at  its 
plant  especially  designed  double  battery  fryers  (shown  above)  to  assure 
a uniform  product.  The  success  of  the  shrimp  rolls  caused  Flavo-Rite 
to  outgrow  its  production  facilities  early;  it  has  since  expanded  them 
once  and  is  now  preparing  to  do  so  again. 


4 At  drive-in  theatres 
• the  frozen  shrimp 
rolls  can  be  prepared 
in  three  minutes  by  fry- 
ing them  at  3 75 3 . (This 
process  is  demonstrated 
at  left  at  the  Valley 
Stream  drive-in,  Long 
Island,  N.  Y.)  To  pro- 
mote the  shrimp  rolls 
the  company  supplies 
exhibitors  with  special 
film  trailers  and  point- 
of-sale  display  material. 
They  also  manufacture 
the  Turkey  Steamroller 
— first  in  a contem- 
plated line  of  prepared 
hot  sandwiches.  Made 
of  turkey,  peas,  gravy 
and  seasonings  baked 
in  a biscuit-type  bun,  it 
has  likewise  been  well 
received  in  drive-in 
theatres  where  it  has 
been  introduced. 


58 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  MAY  12,  1956 


New  Hires  Snack  Bar 
With  Frankfurter  Grill 


a new  snack  bar  unit, 
equipped  to  serve  frankfurters  and  Hires 
root  beer,  has  been  added  to  its  line  of 
food  and  beverage  dispensing  equipment  by 
the  Charles  E.  Hires  Company,  Philadel- 
phia. The  new  unit  is  6 feet,  6 inches 
long;  30  inches  wide;  and  has  a countei 
height  of  45  inches. 

Its  features  include  a Hires  Keg  with  a 
capacity  of  45  gallons ; a 7-cubic  foot  re- 


frigerator ; a bun  warmer,  which  is  ther- 
mostatically controlled ; and  an  automatic 
roller  grill. 

The  new  snack  bar  was  scheduled  to  be 
unveiled  publicly  at  the  Restaurant  Show 
in  Chicago  May  7th  through  11th,  accord- 
ing to  John  G.  Magee,  vice-president  of 
Hires  and  manager  of  its  fountain  division. 
He  reports  that  fountain  sales  are  currently 
the  highest  in  the  company’s  80-year  his- 
tory. 


To  Theatre  and 
Concession  Managers— 

Gain  deserved  recognition  for  your 
better  refreshment  merchandising  ideas. 
Make  yourself  eligible  for  Motion  Picture 
Herald's  Special  Merit  Awards  by  send- 
ing in  reports  on  how  you  have  applied 
showmanship  and  built  business  at  your 
refreshment  stand.  Make  the  reports 
detailed. 

Include  photos  of  your  stand  and  sam- 
ples of  any  printed  matter. 

Reports  considered  by  the  editors  to 
be  of  interest  to  readers  will  be  pub- 
lished, with  due  credit. 

From  the  published  reports,  selections 
will  be  made  for  citations.  Citation- 
holders  qualify  as  finalists  for  the  annual 
Special  Merit  Awards. 

Send  your  entries  to:  The  Editor, 
Better  Refreshment  Merchandising 
Department,  Motion  Picture  Herald. 


i 1 


FOR  DRIVE-IN  THEATRES 


Chocolate  Drink 

delicious  hot  or  cold 


None  Better 

An  exceptionally  fine  chocolate 
flavored  drink,  specially 
prepared  for  drive-in  theatres 
—will  not  be  sold  retail.  Gives 
you  an  excellent  profit  mark-up 
without  competition  from  local 
stores.  A high  quality  beverage, 
in  an  8 oz.  can,  that  tastes 
good  and  is  good  for  you  and 
your  customers. 


National  Sales  Agents 
for  the  Drive-In  Theatres 

FABCO  ASSOCIATES 

643  Brook  Avenue,  New  York  55,  N.  Y.  • MO.  5-3823 

Distributed  by  CpV  ^ 

DUTCH  HOUSE,  INC.,  1411  North  Sydenham  Street,  Philadelphia,  Penna. 


HEY!  MR.  CONCESSIONAIRE 

SNOW  MAGIC 


rr 


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Fully  automatic,  20x27,  three  door,  cast  aluminum  cabinet  with  built-in 
J/2  h.p.  G.E.  power  unit.  Produces  over  1,500  lbs.  of  snow  per  hour 
(enough  for  6,000  snow  cones). 

AMERICA'S  FASTEST— MOST  ECONOMICAL— EFFICIENT 


ONLY 


$285  00 


F.  O.  B.  Dallas 


AND 


"SNOW  MAGI  C,  JR." 

A smaller  version  of  the  “Snow  Magic.”  Incorporating  all  the  features  of  its  big  brother. 


FULLY  AUTOMATIC 


BOX  7803 


ONLY  $150.00  F.  O.  B.  Dallas 
Both  Machines 

— PATENTED  — 

SAMUEL  BERT  MANUFACTURING  CO. 
FAIR  PARK  STATION 


GUARANTEED 


DALLAS,  TEXAS 


BETTER  REFRESHMENT  MERCHANDISING 


59 


by  Gus  Baculini 

• • • 

his  nibs  goes  “King 
Size”  . . . the  1955 
and  ’56  Theatre  Sales 
Champ  Nibs,  a Na- 
tional Licorice  Com- 
pany product  and  a 
leading  seller  for  over  25  years,  is  being 
made  in  a larger  size.  Art  Mackey,  assis- 
tant sales  manager,  said  in  discussing  the 
new  package,  “We’ve  given  ’is  Nibs  a 
double  windowed  castle  and  now  he  weighs 
2l/s  oz.  His  theatre  and  vending  friends 
had  asked  that  something  ‘big’  should  be 
done  for  his  Nibs.’’ 

The  new  package  is  also  red  and  yellow, 
the  same  color  scheme  as  the  smaller  pack- 
age. Art  Mackey  continued : 

“We  tested  king  size  Nibs  in  both  small 
and  large  theatres  before  presenting  it  for 
national  distribution.  King  size  Nibs 
proved  a natural.  Orders  for  over  a mil- 
lion packages  came  in  from  the  test  areas. 
Now  that  the  warmer  weather  is  setting  in 
the  peak  selling  season  for  Nibs  starts.  We 
co-ordinated  our  efforts  so  that  the  theatre 
market  rvould  benefit  this  season  from  in- 
creased king  size  Nibs  sales.” 

• 


COME  OfrE,  COME  ALL  . . . Hershey  sent 
an  invitation  to  anyone  riding  through  the  area 
of  Hers  hey,  Pa.  to  drop  in  and  look  over  one  of 
the  world’s  largest  chocolate  manufacturing  en- 
terprises. They're  certain  that  it’ll  be  an  un- 
forgettable experience  and  we  say  “ditto”,  froth- 
ing is  so  awe-inspiring  as  getting  a first  hand 
glimpse  of  American  industry  at  work.  And 
especially  in  the  company  of  gracious  hosts. 


DEEP  IN  THE  HEART  OF  TEXAS 


Hagan  Brokerage  Company  of  Dallas, 
has  taken  the  northern  half,  and  Reingold 
& Sons  Brokerage  Company  of  Houston, 
the  southern  half,  of  Texas  for  Flavorite 
Foods  of  Brooklyn,  N.  Y.  These  new  serv- 
ice facilities,  according  to  Larry  Blumen- 
thal,  were  set-up  to  insure  prompt  deliv- 
eries in  this  expanding  market.  Flavorite 
has  announced  new  point-of-sale  material. 
• 

THERE’S  ALWAYS  A WAY.  Writes  F.  G. 
Tickell,  city  manager,  of  Famous  Players  Cana- 
dian Corporation.  “Here’s  a little  tip  that  may 
pay  off  as  it  did  me.  A candy  salesman  gave 
me  samples  of  one  of  his  bars  to  be  given  out 
to  patrons.  We  had  one  of  his  lines  that  was  a 

( Continued  on  page  66) 


Selling  "Large-Size"  Products 


( Continued  from  page  51) 


tendance,  and  in  gross  sales,  the  profits 
percentage-wise  are  ahead.” 

1 he  two  leaders  in  the  large-size  group 
are  25c  cellophane  candy  bags  and  soft 
drinks,  Mr.  Fitzgibbons  said.  “At  one 
time  the  10c  cello  was  popular;  now  the 
largest  volume  is  in  the  25c  package  of  the 
same  lines  and  25c  soft  drinks  are  slowly 
but  surely  catching  up. 

“On  popcorn  we  have  always  held  the 
same  price — 10c  per  box — because  a few 
years  ago  the  patron  was  receiving  two 
ounces  of  popped  corn ; now  with  better 
hybrids  resulting  in  higher  expansion,  wTe 
would  be  definitely  cheating  the  patrons 
who  keep  us  in  business  by  increasing  the 
price  5c  and  giving  less.  The  same  line 
of  thinking  applies  to  buttered  corn.  The 
price  is  still  20c  per  cup,  and  we  still  have 
patrons  who  go  away  satisfied  that  they  re- 
ceived value  and  quality  for  their  20c.” 

To  promote  the  large-size  products,  The- 
atre Confections  has  employed  a number  of 
schemes  which  Mr.  Fitzgibbons  calls 
“very  simple  and  inexpensive” — yet  they 
obtain  results.  The  most  popular  is  the 
device  of  putting  a lucky  star  or  number 
on  large-size  cups.  Prizes  can  range  from 
passes  to  books  of  theatre  tickets. 

“The  higher  the  give-away  costs,”  he 
explains,  “the  less  number  of  lucky  stars 
or  numbers  per  thousand  cups.  For  quick 
results  we  have  found  the  ‘United  Na- 


tions Flags’  give-away  the  best.  By  giving 
away  two  flags  on  a 20c  purchase,  with  38 
different  flags  to  a set,  a good  manager 
can  create  a great  deal  of  interest,  sell  more 
drinks  and  shew  a greater  profit.” 

“The  simplest  method  of  promotion,”  in 
Mr.  Fitzgibbons’  opinion,  “is  to  show  the 
10c  and  25c  items  side  by  side,  particu- 
larly with  drinks,  and  to  instruct  the  at- 
tendant to  courteously  ask  the  patron — 
‘large  or  small?’ 

“Just  having  large-size  items  will  not 
produce  the  best  results,  but  advertising, 
good  displays  and  a neat,  courteous  attend- 
ant, merchandising  quality  and  quantity  at 
the  right  price,  definitely  will  bring  those 
extra  earnings.” 

REPORT  FROM  MINNESOTA 

In  Minnesota,  two  refreshment  man- 
agers of  circuits  operating  a large  number 
of  theatres  in  Minneapolis  and  St.  Paul 
and  adjacent  territory,  report  success  with 
popcorn  in  the  bigger  package — but  very 
little  response  to  the  larger  candies. 

According  to  George  Sheppard,  con- 
cessions manager  of  the  Minnesota  Amuse- 
ment Company,  which  has  over  40  theatres 
in  the  territory:  “Any  effort  to  sell  any- 
thing in  the  way  of  candy  over  10c  has 
been  a dismal  failure  over  the  years.  Even 
( Continued  on  page  66) 


Placing  a 50c  size  popcorn  box  between  its  smaller  versions — which  sell  for  15c  and  25c  helps  to 
set  it  off  and  emphasize  its  “bigness"  by  contrast,  as  is  demonstrated  in  this  display  at  the  Granada  thea- 
tre in  Cleveland,  Ohio.  This  practice  helps  to  show  the  customer  that  although  he  is  paying  more  he 
is  getting  his  money  s worth,"  according  to  Irwin  Shenker  of  the  Berio  Vending  Company,  Cleveland, 
which  services  this  operation.  This  stand  is  also  well-stocked  with  large-size  candy  bars  in  the  front  case. 


60 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  MAY  12.  1956 


BEVERAGES 

American  Citrus  Corporation,  333  N.  Michigan  Ave- 
nue, Chicago. 

Bireley’s,  1127  North  Mansfield,  Los  Angeles,  Calif. 

CANADA  DRY  GINGER  ALE,  INC.,  100  Park 
Avenue,  New  York,  N.  Y.  See  pages  52-53. 

Cantrell  & Cochrane  Corporation,  Route  4 and  Nordoff 

Place,  Englewood,  N.  J. 

COCA-COLA  COMPANY,  515  Madison  Avenue, 
New  York,  N.  Y.  See  page  48. 

Dad’s  Root  Beer  Company,  2800  North  Talman  Ave- 
nue, Chicago  18,  111. 

Delaware  Punch  Company  of  America,  San  Antonio 
6,  Tex. 

Doctor  Pepper  Company,  P.O.  Box  5086,  Dallas  2, 
Texas. 

Double-Cola  Company,  1478  Market,  Chattanooga  8, 
Tenn. 

DUTCH  HOUSE,  INC.,  1411  N.  Syndenham 
Street,  Philadelphia,  Pa.  (chocolate).  See 
page  59. 

The  Grapette  Company,  Incorporated,  112  E.  Grin- 
stead,  Camden,  Ark. 

Green  Spot,  Inc.,  1501  Beverly  Boulevard,  Los 
Angeles,  Calif. 

CHARLES  E.  HIRES  COMPANY,  206  S.  24th  Street, 
Philadelphia  3,  Pa. 

Kestenbaum  Brothers,  1790  First  Avenue,  New  York 
City. 

lulep  Company,  353  W.  Grand  Avenue,  Chicago,  111. 

Mission  Dry  Sales,  P.  O.  Box  2477,  Los  Angeles,  54, 
Calif. 

National  Fruit  Flavor  Company,  Inc.,  4201  Girod, 
New  Orleans  6,  La. 

Nehi  Corporation,  10th  & 9th  Avenues,  Columbus,  Ga. 

Nesbitt  Fruit  Products.  Inc.,  2946  East  11th,  Los 
Angeles  23,  Calif. 

ORANGE  CRUSH  COMPANY,  2201  Main  Street, 
Evanston,  111. 

O-So-Grape  Company,  1931  W.  63rd  Street,  Chicago 
36,  111. 

PEPSI-COLA  COMPANY,  3 W.  57th  Street,  New 
York.  See  pages  56-57. 

Red  Rock  Bottlers,  Incorporated,  901  W.  Peachtree, 
Atlanta,  Ga. 

Rich  Maid  Products  Company,  1943  West  Highland 
Avenue,  San  Bernardino,  Calif. 

Richardson  Corporation,  1069  Lyell  Avenue,  Roch- 
ester 3,  N.  Y. 

Rio  Syrup  Company.  324  W.  44th  Street,  New  York 
City. 

3ero-Syrup  Company,  255  Freeman  Street,  Brook- 
lyn, N.  Y. 

Seven-Up  Company,  1316  Delmar,  St.  Louis,  Mo. 

Sunkist  Growers,  Inc.,  707  W.  Fifth  Street,  Los  An- 
geles 13,  Calif. 

The  Squirt  Company,  202  S.  Hamilton  Drive,  Bev- 
erly Hills,  Calif. 

Doctor  Swett’s  Root  Beer  Company,  Incorporated, 
134  S.  LaSalle  Street,  Chicago,  111. 

Tone  Products  Company,  3846  W.  Lake  Street,  Chi- 
cago 24,  111. 

Tru-Ade,  Incorporated,  20  N.  Wacker  Drive,  Chi- 
cago 6,  111. 

C.  J.  Van  Houten  & Zoon,  Inc.,  557  Greenwich  Street, 
New  York  13,  N.  Y.  (instant  cocoa). 

James  Vernor  Company,  239  Woodward  Avenue. 

Wander  Company,  360  N.  Michigan  Avenue,  Chicago, 
111.  (chocolate  milk). 

The  Welch  Grape  Juice  Company,  Westfield,  N.  Y. 


BEVERAGE  DISPENSERS 

Apco,  Inc.,  a subsidiary  of  U.  S.  Hoffman  Machinery 
Corp.,  1740  Broadway,  N.  Y.  (cup  dispenser). 
Automatic  Syrup  Company,  46-7  Vernon  Blvd.,  Long 
Island  City,  N Y. 

Barvend.  Inc.,  San  Marcos,  Calif,  (copper  dispenser). 

Bastian-Blessing  Company,  4201  Peterson  Avenue, 
Chicago  30,  111. 

Bert  Mills  Corporation,  400  Crescent  Blvd.,  Lombard, 
111.  (coffee). 

Best  Products  Company,  220  West  Addison  Street. 
Chicago  18,  111.  (coffee). 

C.  G.  Bradley  & Sons,  431  N.  Franklin  St.,  Syracuse, 
•N.  Y. 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  MAY  12,  1956 


C 4;  C.  Manufacturing  Corporation,  North  Hollywood, 
Calif. 

CANADA  DRY  GINGER  ALE,  INC.,  100  Park 
Avenue,  New  York  17,  N.  Y.  See  pages  52-53. 

Carbonic  Dispenser  Co.,  Canfield,  Ohio. 

Coan  Manufacturing  Co.,  2070  Helena,  Madison,  Wis 
(cup  dispenser). 

COCA-COLA  COMPANY,  SIS  Madison  Avenue, 
New  York,  N.  Y.  See  page  48. 

Cole  Products  Corporation,  39  South  La  Salle  Street, 
Chicago  3,  111, 

Dad’s  Root  Beer,  Fountain  Service,  2800  North  Talman 
Avenue,  Chicago  18,  III. 

Drincolator  Corporation,  3700  Oakwood  Avenue, 
Youngstown,  Ohio. 

Everfrost  Sales,  Inc.,  14815  South  Broadway,  Gardena, 
Calif. 

The  Fischman  Company,  10th  & Allegheny,  Philadel- 
phia, Pa. 

Fruit-O-Matic  Manufacturing  Company,  5225  Wilshire 
Blvd.,  Los  Angeles  36,  Calif,  (milk  and  juices). 

Heat  Exchangers,  Inc.,  2003  West  Fulton  Street,  Chi- 
cago 12,  111. 

CHARLES  E.  HIRES  COMPANY,  206  S.  24th  Street, 
Philadelphia  3,  Pa. 

Jet  Spray  Cooler  Company,  33  Simmons  Street,  Boston 
20,  Mass. 

W28  I^st£nbaum-  Inc*  1790  First  Avenue,  New  York 

Knickerbocker  Beverage  Dispenser,  Inc.,  453  6th 
Avenue,  New  York,  N.  Y. 

Lunch-O-Mat  Corporation  of  America,  2112  Broadway, 
New  York,  N.  Y.  (coffee,  milk  and  sandwiches  hot 
and  cold). 

Lyon  Industries,  373  Fourth  Avenue,  New  York  City. 

Majestic  Enterprises,  Inc.,  Ltd.,  959  Crenshaw  Blvd., 
I.os  Angeles,  Calif. 

MANLEY,  INC.,  1920  Wyandotte  Street,  Kansas 
City  8,  Mo. 

Milk-O-Mat  Corporation,  500  Fifth  Avenue,  New  York 
City  (cup  dairy  drink). 

Mighty  Midget  Manufacturing  Company,  2824  East 

Washington,  Phoenix,  Ariz. 

Mills  Industries,  4110  Fullerton  Avenue,  Chicago,  111. 

^fission  Dry  Sales.  P.  O.  Box  2477,  Los  Angeles  54. 
Calif. 


LIST  OF  BRAND  NAMES 


On  page  64  are  candy  bars,  beverages 
and  chewing  gums  widely  sold  at  thea- 
tres, listed  alphabetically  by  trade  name, 
with  the  manufacturer  of  each  indica  ted. 


This  is  for  the  purpose  of  ascertaining 
the  name  of  the  manufacturer  when  only 
the  name  of  the  product  is  known.  The 


manufacturers  are  listed  alphabetically 
with  addresses,  according  to  product 
classification  in  the  directory  beginnina 
on  this  page 


Modern  Refreshers,  Inc.,  1812  West  Hubbard  Street, 
Chicago,  III. 

Multiplex  Faucet  Company,  4319  Duncan  Avenue,  St. 
Louis,  Mo. 

Ohio  Beverage  Dispensers,  Inc.,  Wooster,  Ohio  (port- 
able dispensers). 

ORANGE  CRUSH  COMPANY,  2201  Main  Street, 
Evanston,  III. 

PEPSI-COLA  COMPANY,  3 West  57th  Street, 
New  York  City.  See  pages  56-57. 

Rowe-Spacarb,  Inc.,  Div.  of  Rowe  Manufacturing  Co., 
31  East  17th  St.,  New  York  City  3. 

S & S Products  Company,  P.  O.  Box  1047,  Lima,  Ohio. 

Seco  Company,  Incorporated,  5206  S.  38th,  St.  Louis 
16,  Mo. 

Selmix-Mills,  28-25  Borden  Avenue,  Long  Island  City, 
N.  Y. 

Snively  Vending  & Sales  Company,  Winter  Haven, 
Fla. 

Star  Manufacturing  Company,  6300  St.  Louis  Avenue, 
St.  Louis,  Mo. 

STEEL  PRODUCTS,  INC.,  40  Eighth  Ave.,  N.W., 
Cedar  Rapids,  la. 

SUPERIOR  REFRIGERATOR  COMPANY,  822-24 
Hodiamont  Avenue,  St.  Louis  3,  Mo.  See  page 
64. 

Telecoin  Corporation,  12  E.  44th  St.,  New  York  City. 

Tone  Products  Company,  3846  W.  Lake  Street,  Chi- 
cago 24,  111. 

Unifiow  Manufacturing  Company,  Erie,  Pa. 

Vendolator  Manufacturing  Company,  P.  O.  Box  1586, 
Fresno,  Calif,  (bottle  milk). 

John  W.  Young  Foundation,  29  Fairway  Drive,  Bar- 
rington, R.  I. 


CANDY  BARS  AND  SPECIALTIES 

R.  L.  Albert  & Son,  Inc.,  52  West  Houston  Street, 
New  York,  N.  Y. 

Fred  W.  Amend  Company,  8 S.  Michigan  Avenue, 
Chicago,  111. 

Bachman  Chocolate  Manufacturing  Company,  Mount 
Joy,  Pa. 

Walter  Baker  & Company,  Inc.,  Pierce  Square,  Dor- 
chester, Mass. 

BANNER  CANDY  MANUFACTURING  CORPORA- 
TION, 700  Liberty  Street,  Brooklyn,  N.  Y. 

A.  L.  Bazzini  Company,  Inc.,  108-116  Park  Place,  New 
York,  N.  Y. 

Paul  F.  Beich  Company,  Bloomington,  111. 

E.  J.  Brach  & Sons,  4656  W.  Kenzie,  Chicago,  111. 

Blumenthal  Brothers,  Margaret  & James  Streets, 
Philadelphia  37,  Pa. 

Blum's,  Inc.,  Polk  & California  Streets,  San  Francisco. 
Calif. 

Brock  Candy  Company,  1111  Chestnut  Street,  Chatta- 
nooga, Tenn. 

Bunte  Brothers-Chase  Candy  Company,  3301  W. 
Franklin  St.,  Chicago,  111. 

Cadbury-Fry,  Inc.,  261  Broadway,  New  York  7,  N.  Y. 

Candy  Crafters,  Inc.,  Stewart  and  Union  Avenues, 
Lansdowne,  Pa. 

Candymasters,  Inc.,  3-5  N.  15th  St.,  Minneapolis, 
Minn. 

Cardinet  Candy  Company,  2150  Marker  Street,  Oak- 
land, Calif. 

Charms  Company,  601  Bangs  Avenue,  Asbury  Park, 
N.  J. 

Cherry  Smash  Company,  Inc.,  1401  Lee  Highway. 
Arlington,  Va. 

Cook  Chocolate  Company,  4825  S.  Rockwell.  Chicago. 

111. 

The  Cracker  Jack  Company,  4800  W.  66th  Street, 
Chicago,  111. 

Curtiss  Candy  Company,  1101  Belmont  Avenue,  Chi- 
cago 13,  111. 

Dennis  Candy  Factory,  Inc.,  793  Monroe  Avenue 
Rochester,  N.  Y. 

Deran  Confectionery  Company,  Incorporated,  134  Cam- 
bridge, Cambridge  41,  Mass. 

Drake  America  Corporation,  20  East  50th  Street,  New 
York  22,  N.  Y 

Elmer  Candy  Company,  540  Magazine  Street,  New 
Orleans,  La. 

The  Euclid  Candy  Company  of  Calif.,  Incorporated. 
715  Battery,  San  Francisco  26,  Calif. 


61 


F & F Laboratories,  Inc.,  3501  West  48th  Place. 
Chicago,  111. 

Ferrara  Candy  Company,  Inc.,  2200  W.  Taylor  Street, 
Chicago  12,  111. 

Fisher  Nut  & Chocolate  Company,  2327  WyclitT  St., 
St.  Paul  4,  Minn. 

Gold  Medal  Candy  Corporation,  2857  W.  8th  Street, 
Brooklyn,  N.  Y. 

Golden  Nugget  Sweets,  Ltd.,  1975  Market  Street. 
San  Francisco,  Calii. 

D.  Goldenberg,  Incorporated,  ‘‘I”  & Ontario,  Phila- 
delphia, Pa. 

H.  K.  Hart  Confections,  Inc.,  540  39th  Street,  Union 
City,  N.  J. 

Hawley  & Hoops.  Inc.,  200  N.  12th  St.,  Newark,  N.  J. 

HENRY  HEIDE,  INCORPORATED,  313  Hudson 
Street,  New  York,  N.  Y.  See  page  SO. 
HERSHEY  CHOCOLATE  CORPORATION,  19  E. 
Chocolate  Avenue,  Hershey,  Pa. 

Hoben  Candy  Corporation,  Ashley,  111. 

M.  J.  Holloway  Company,  308  West  Ontario,  Chicago 

10.  I1L 

HOLLYWOOD  CANDY  DIVISION,  Hollywood 

Brands,  Inc.,  Centralia,  III.  See  page  63. 
WALTER  H.  JOHNSON  CANDY  COMPANY,  4500 
W.  Belmont  Avenue,  Chicago  41,  III. 

Robert  A.  Johnston  Company,  4033  W.  National  Ave- 
nue, Milwaukee  1,  Wis. 

Kimbell  Candy  Company,  6546  W.  Belmont,  Chicago, 
IU. 

Kontney  Carton  Company,  418  North  Clay  Street, 
Green  Bay,  Wis. 

Kraft  Foods  Company,  500  North  Peshtigo,  Chicago, 

111. 

Leaf  Brands,  Inc.,  1155  Cicero  Avenue,  Chicago,  111. 

Edgar  P.  Lewis  & Sons,  Incorporated,  183  Commer 
cial  Street,  Malden  48,  Mass. 

Life  Savers  Corporation  North  Main  Street,  Port 
Chester,  N.  Y. 

Luden’s,  Inc.,  200  North  Eighth,  Reading,  Pa. 
Lummis  & Company,  148  N.  Delaware,  Philadelphia 
6,  Pa. 

Lusk  Candy  Company,  2371  Bates  Avenue,  Daven- 
port, la. 

McAfee  Candy  Company,  Inc.,  Macon.  Ga. 

Mars,  Incorporated,  2019  N.  Oak  Park  Avenue,  Chi- 
cago 35,  111. 

Mason.  Au  & Magenheimer  Confectionery  Manufac- 
turing Company,  P.  O.  Box  549,  Mineola,  N.  Y. 

Melster  Candies.  Cambridge,  Wis. 

NATIONAL  LICORICE  COMPANY,  106  John 

Street,  Brooklyn.  N.  Y.  See  page  55. 

THE  NESTLE  COMPANY,  2 William  Street,  White 

Plains,  N.  Y. 


THE  SAVON  COMPANY 

CREATORS  OF 


Family  Style  PIZZA 

FOR 

DRIVE-IN  THEATRES 

EXCLUSIVELY  

Sold  at  60^  to  65^ 

Complete  equipment 
and  ingredients  available 
WRITE  FOR  INFORMATION 

286  PENNSYLVANIA  AVE„  PATERSON,  N.J. 


SPRUCE-UP! 

,>»  > DRAPERIES 
STAGE  CURTAINS 
WALL  COVERINGS 
m > CURTAIN  TRACKS 
and  CONTROLS 
Complete  Decorating 

INOUIRIES  INVITED 

NOVELTY  SCENIC  STUDIOS,  Inc. 

Phone:  TR  6-0800 
432  East  91st  St„  N.  Y.  28,  N.  Y. 

37th  YEAR  OF  UNSURPASSED  WORK- 
MANSHIP AND  SUPERIOR  SERVICE 


62 


New  England  Confectionery  Company,  254  Massachu- 
setts Avenue,  Cambridge  39,  Mass. 

Norris  Candy  Company,  Atlanta,  Ga. 

Peter  Paul,  Incorporated,  New  Haven  Rd.,  Naugatuck, 
Conn. 

Planters  Nut  & Chocolate  Company,  Wilkes-Barre, 
Pa. 

Quaker  City  Chocolate  & Confectionery  Company. 
Incorporated,  2140  Germantown  Avenue,  Philadel 
phia,  Pa. 

Queen  Anne  Candy  Company,  Hammond,  Ind. 

Reed  Candy  Company,  1245  Fletcher  Street,  Chicago. 

111. 

II.  B.  Reese  Candy  Company,  Hershey,  Pa. 

Rennie  Nut  Company,  82  BriarclifI  Road,  Larchmont. 
N.  Y. 

Thomas  D.  Richardson  Company,  Atlantic  and  I. 
Philadelphia  34,  Pa. 

Ridleys,  159  Carlton  Avenue,  Brooklyn  5,  N.  Y. 

Rockwood  & Company,  88  Washington  Avenue,  Brook 
lyn  5,  N.  Y. 

Schutter  Candy  Division,  Universal  Match  Corpora 
tion,  1501  Locust  Street,  St.  Louis  3,  Mo. 

Sperry  Candy  Company,  Milwaukee,  Wis. 

Squirrel  Brand  Company,  1012  Boardman  Street,  Cam- 
bridge, Mass. 

Howard  E.  Stark,  181  N.  Broadway,  Milwaukee  2, 
Wis. 

Sweets  Company  of  America,  Incorporated,  1515  Wil- 
low Avenue,  Hoboken,  N.  J. 

Switzer  Licorice  Company,  612  N.  First  Street,  St. 
Louis,  Mo. 

Terry  Candy  Company,  963  Newark  Avenue,  Eliza- 
beth, N.  J. 

C.  J.  Van  Houten  & Zoon,  Inc.,  557  Greenwich  Street, 
New  York  13,  N.  Y. 

James  O.  Welch  Company,  810  Main,  Cambridge. 
Mass. 

Wilbur-Suchard  Chocolate  Candy,  Incorporated,  48 
N.  Broad,  Lititz,  Pa. 

Williamson  Candy  Company,  4701  Armitage  Avenue, 
Chicago  39,  111. 

York  Caramel,  Box  1147,  York,  Pa. 

George  Ziegler  Company,  408  West  Florida,  Milwaukee 
4,  Wis. 


CANDY  MACHINES 


Belvend  Manufacturing  Company,  122  South  Michigan 
Avenue,  Chicago,  111. 

Columbus  Vending  Company,  2005  East  Main  Street, 
Columbus,  Ohio. 

Arthur  H.  DuGrenier,  Inc.,  15  Hale  Avenue,  Haver- 
hill, Mass. 

Mills  Automatic  Merchandising  Corporation,  21-30  44th 
Road,  Long  Island  City,  N.  Y. 

Mills  Industries,  4100  Fullerton  Avenue,  Chicago,  III. 

National  Vendors,  Inc.,  5055  Natural  Bridge  Road. 
St.  Louis,  Mo. 

The  Rowe  Corporation,  31  East  17th  Street,  New  York 
City. 

Sanitary  Automatic  Candy  Corporation,  259  West  14th 
Street,  New  York  City. 

Stoner  Manufacturing  Corporation,  328  Gale  Street, 
Aurora,  111. 


CIGARETTE  MACHINES 

Arthur  H.  DuGrenier,  Inc.,  15  Hale  Avenue,  Haver- 
hill, Mass. 

THE  ROWE  CORPORATION,  31  East  17th  Street, 
New  York  City. 


DISPLAY  CASES  AND 
COUNTER  EQUIPMENT 

Columbus  Show  Case  Company,  850  W.  Fifth  Avenue, 
Columbus  8,  Ohio. 

Confection  Cabinet  Corporation,  234  Central,  Newark, 
N.  J. 

Continental  Coin  Devices,  Inc.,  Cicero,  IU.  (automatic 
change-maker). 

Grand  Rapids  Store  Equip.  Company,  1340  Monroe 
Avenue,  N.  W.,  Grand  Rapids  2,  Mich. 

Indiana  Cash  Drawer  Co.,  Shelbyville,  Ind. 

Klopp  Engineering,  Inc.,  Livonia,  Mich,  (automatic 
change  maker). 

MANLEY,  INC.,  1920  Wyandotte  Street,  Kansas  City, 
Mo. 

Monticello  Manufacturing  Company,  Elwood,  Ind. 

Master-Kraft  Fixtures  Company,  2320  Lipps  Lane, 
Baltimore  23,  Md. 

Pronto  Pop  Corn  Sales  Corporation,  702  Beacon  Street, 
Boston  15,  Mass,  (cafeteria  equipment). 

National  Market  Equipment  Company,  Royal  Oak, 
Mich,  (ice  cream  display  cases). 

Supurdisplay  Corporation,  1324  West  Wisconsin  Ave- 
nue, Milwaukee  3,  Wis. 

Weber  Showcase  & Fixture  Company,  5700  Avalon 
Boulevard,  Los  Angeles  54,  Calif. 

West  Coast  Sheet  Metal  Works,  935  Venice  Boulevard. 
Los  Angeles,  Calif. 


FOOD  SERVICE  EQUIPMENT 

Acton  Manufacturing  Company,  605  South  Summer 
St.,  Arkansas  City,  Kans.  (portable,  hot  or  cold 
food  container). 

American  Playground  Devices  C«>Tnpany,  Anderson 
Ind.  (outdoor  grills). 


BAKERS  PRIDE  OVEN  CO.,  INC.,  1641  East 
233rd  St.,  New  York  66,  N.  Y.  (pizza  pie  ovens). 

Bell  Engineering  Company,  55  M unroe  Street,  Lynn, 
Mass,  (frankfurter  rotisserie). 

Burger-Mat  Corporation,  341  39th  Street,  Brookhn 
32,  N.  V. 

Cinesnax  Corporation,  988  Market  Street,  San  Fra- 
cisco,  Calif,  (frankfurter  bar). 

I.  J.  Connolly,  Inc.,  457  West  40th  Street,  New  York 
18,  N.  Y.  (frankfurter  and  roll  grill). 

Cory  Corporation,  221  LaSaUe,  Chicago  1,  111.  (coffee 
brewer). 

Dalason  Products  Manufacturing  Company,  825  West 
Madison  Street,  Chicago  7,  IU.  (frankfurter  steamer 
and  bun  warmer). 

Dairy  Service  Company,  100  East  Main  Street. 
Menominee  Falls,  Wis.  (fudge  server  and  food 
warmer). 

Doughnut  Corporation  of  America,  393  7th  Avenue, 
New  York  City,  N.  Y.  (doughnut  mixer). 

Everfrost  Sales,  Inc.,  14815  South  Broadway,  Gardena, 
Calif. 

Garvis  Manufacturing  Company,  210  Court  Street,  Des 
Moines,  la.  (frankfurter  and  bun  warmer). 

Greer  Enterprises,  Inc.,  281  North  Grant  Avenue, 
Columbus,  Ohio. 

Harvic  Supply  Corporation,  154  Nassau  Street,  New 
York,  N.  Y. 

Heat-O-Mat,  Inc..  483  Raymond  Boulevard,  Newark, 
N.  J.  (food  warmer  display  cases). 

Helmco,  Inc.,  7400  W.  Lawrence  Avenue,  Chicago  31, 
111.  (barbecue  sandwich  equipment). 

Hollywood  Servemaster  Company,  114  W.  18th  Street. 
Kansas  City  8,  Mo.  (frankfurter  grill). 

Hotpoint.  Inc.,  5600  W.  Taylor  Street,  Chicago  44, 
111.  (deep  fryer  and  roll  warmer). 

Jobil  Products  Company,  Detroit,  Mich,  (self-service 
baby  bottle  warmer). 

W.  Kestenbaum,  Inc.,  1790  First  Avenue,  New  York 
28,  N.  Y.  (griddle  stand). 

Kneisley  Electric  Company,  2509  LaGrange,  Toledo, 
Ohio,  (hot  and  cold  drinks). 

MANLEY,  INC.,  1920  Wyandotte  Street,  Kansas 
City  8,  IVIo.  (Frankfurter  grille).  See  page  50. 

Nu-Matic  Machines,  Inc.,  250  West  57th  Street.  New 
York  City  (coin  opertaed  frankfurter  and  roil  dis- 
pensers). 

J.  C.  Pitman  4 Sons,  711  Broad  Street,  Lynn,  Mass, 
(deep  fryer). 

Prince  Castle  Sales,  121  West  Wacker  Drive,  Chicago. 
111.  (beverage  mixers). 

Pronto  Popcorn  Sales  Corporation,  702  Beacon  Street, 
Boston  15,  Mass,  (frankfurter  steamer  and  pizza 
dispensers,  egg  roll  and  shrimp  dispensers). 

Star  Manufacturing  Company,  6300  St.  Louis  Avenue 
St.  Louis  20,  Mo. 

Steel  Products,  Inc..  Cedar  Rapids,  la. 

SAVON  COMPANY,  286  Pennsylvania  Avenue,  Pat- 
erson, N.  J.  (food  and  popcorn  warmer). 

Stewart  In-Fra-Red,  Inc.,  Harvard.  111. 

Supurdisplay  Corporation,  1324  West  Wisconsin  Ave- 
nue, Milwaukee  3,  Wis. 


FOOD  SPECIALTIES 

L.  L.  Antle  & Company,  Atlanta,  Ga.  (canned  barbe- 
cue chicken). 

Armour  & Company,  Union  Stock  Yard,  Chicago,  111. 
(frankfurters). 

Blue  Jay  Products  Co.,  Inc.,  36  Bainbridge  Street, 
Brooklyn  22,  N.  Y.  (biscuits). 

Castleberry’s  Food  Company,  Augusta,  Ga.  (canned 
barbecue  pork). 

Coast  Packing  Company,  3275  E.  Vernon,  Vernon, 
Calif,  (potato  chips). 

Frito  Company,  Inc.,  2600  Cedar  Springs,  Dallas,  Tex. 

(potato  chips). 

FLA VO-RITE  FOODS,  INC.,  643  Brook  Avenue, 
Bronx  55,  N.  Y.  (shrimp  rolls,  turkey-in-a-»un). 
See  page  63. 

Frozen  Farm  Products,  Inc.,  1735  Margaret  Avenue, 
Altoona,  Pa.  (frozen  breaded  chicken  in  basket). 

Hygrade  Food  Products  Corporation,  2811  Michigan 
Avenue,  Detroit,  Mich,  (frankfurters). 

Meadors  Manufacturing  Company,  Greenville,  S.  C 
f biscuits). 

Nino  Food  Products,  Inc.,  152  Watson  Avenue,  Newark. 
N.  J.  (frozen  pizza  pie). 

Pronto-Pup,  Incorporated,  619  1st  National  Bank 
Bldg.,  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  (frankfurters). 

National  Biscuit  Company,  449  West  14th  Street,  New 
York  10,  N.  Y.  (biscuits). 

Purity  Pretzel  Company,  38th  & Derry  Streets.  Har 
risburg.  Pa.  (pretzels). 

S & S Foods,  8128  Olive,  St.  Louis  24,  Mo. 

SAVON  COMPANY,  286  Pennsylvania  Avenue, 
Paterson,  N.  J.  (French  fried  potato  sticks  and 
pizza  pie).  See  this  page. 

So-Good  Potato  Chip  Company,  2929  Gravois,  St 
Louis,  Mo.  (potato  chips). 

Swift  & Company,  Union  Stockyards,  Chicago,  111 
(frankfurters). 

Temple’s  Frosted  Foods,  Inc.,  454  Berry  Street,  Brook- 
lyn 11,  N.  Y.  (frozen  Chinese  egg  rolls). 


« 


CUM,  CHEWING 

American  Chicle  Company,  30-30  Thompson  Street. 
Long  Island  City,  N.  Y. 

Beechnut  Packing  Company,  10  E.  40th  Street,  New 
York,  N.  Y. 

Bowman  Gum,  Inc.,  4865  Stenton  Avenue,  Philadelphia. 
Pa. 

Clark  Bros.  Chewing  Gum  Company,  Merchant  St.. 
N.S.  Pittsburgh  12,  Pa. 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  MAY  12.  1956 


Frank  H.  Fleer  Corporation,  10th  & Somerville,  Phila- 
delphia 41,  Pa. 

William  Wrigley,  Jr.,  Company.  410  N.  Michigan 
Avenue,  Chicago,  111. 

• 

ICE  CREAM  AND  FROZEN 
SPECIALTIES  EQUIPMENT 

Atlas  Tool  & Manufacturing  Company,  5147  Natural 
Bridge  Avenue,  St.  Louis,  Mo.  (ice  cream  vendor). 

Automatic  Canteen  Co.  of  America,  Merchandise  Mart, 
cago  39,  111.  (ice  cream  freezers). 

Badger  Vending  Machine  Company,  710  N.  Planking- 
ton,  Milwaukee,  Wis.  (cup  ice  cream  vendor). 

SAMUEL  BERT  MANUFACTURING  CO.,  Fair 
Park  Station,  Dallas,  Tex.  (snow  cones).  See 
page  59. 

Craig  Machine  Company,  Danvers,  Mass,  (ice  cream 
vendor). 

Dari-Delite,  Inc.,  1524  Fourth  Avenue,  Rock  Island, 
111.  (soft  ice  cream  treezers). 

DeCicco’s  Bon  Bon  Corporation,  451  N.  Rodeo  Drive, 
Beverly  Hills,  Calif,  (chocolate  covered  ice  cream). 

Everfrost  Sales,  Inc.,  14815  South  Broadway,  Gardena. 
111.  (cabinets). 

Freez-King  Corporation,  2518  W.  Montrose  Avenue, 
Chicago  18,  111. 

General  Equipment  Sales,  Incorporated,  824  S.  W . 
Street,  Indianapolis  2,  Ind.  (ice  cream) 

Icecreamolator  Corporation,  3700  Oakwood  Avenue, 
Youngstown,  Ohio  (ice  cream). 

La  Crosse  Cooler  Company,  2809  Losy  Boulevard, 
South,  La  Crosse,  Wis.  (ice  cream). 

K.  Merritt  & Associates,  Azusa,  Calif,  (ice  cream 
cabinets).  . 

Mills  Industries,  Inc.,  4110  Fullerton  Avenue,  Chi- 
cago 39,  111.  (ice  cream  freezers) 

Multiple  Products  Company,  225  W.  39th  Street,  New 
York  18,  N.  Y.  (cone  dispenser) 

Port  Morris  Machine  & Tool  Companyq,  208  E.  135th 
St.,  New  York  City  (soft  ice  cream  and  custard 
machine). 

Rowe  Manufacturing  Corporation,  31  East  17th  Street, 
New  York  City,  (ice  cream  pop  and  sandwich  auto- 
matic vendor). 

Sno-Master  Manufacturing  Company,  124  Hopkins 
Place,  Baltimore  1,  Md.  (iCe  shaver) 

Sweden  Freezer  Manufacturing  Company,  3401  17th 
Avenue,  West,  Seattle  99,  Wash,  (frozen  custard 
and  cone  dispenser). 

Swirley  Manufacturing  Company,  2518  West  Montrose 
Avenue,  Chicago  18,  111.  (soft  ice  cream). 

West  Coast  Sheet  Metal  Works,  935  Venice  Boulevard, 
Los  Angeles,  Calif,  (self-service  ice  cream  cabinet). 

Whirla-Whip,  Incorporated,  W.  O.  W.  Bldg,  Omaha. 
Neb.  (soft  ice  cream) 


PAPER  CUPS  AND  TRAYS 

Dixie  Cup  Company,  24th  & Dixie  Avenue,  Easton,  Pa. 

Hi-Land  Paper  Company,  274  Madison  Avenue,  New 
York  City. 

Lily-Tulip  Cup  Corporation,  122  East  42nd  Street,  New 
York  City. 

U.  S.  Envelope  Company,  68  Prescott,  Worcester  5, 
Mass. 

Tyson-Caffey  Corporation,  8 Briar  Road,  Wayne,  Pa. 
(carryout  trays). 

• 

POPCORN  BAGS  AND  BOXES 

Andre  Paper  Box  Company,  San  Francisco,  Calif. 

The  Best  Foods,  Incorporated,  1 E.  43rd  Street,  New 
York,  N.  Y. 

Grand  Bag  & Paper  Company,  Inc.,  Ossining,  N.  Y. 

MANLEY,  INCORPORATED,  1920  Wyandotte  Street, 
Kansas  City  8,  Mo. 

Oneida  Paper  Products,  Incorporated,  10  Clifton 
Boulevard,  Clifton,  N.  J. 

Regal  Products  Company,  1400  W.  37th  Street,  Chi- 
cago 9,  111. 

Rex  Specialty  Bag  Co.,  21-09  Borden  Avenue,  Long 
Island  City  1,  N.  Y. 

Rockford  Paper  Mills,  33  S.  LaSalle  St.,  Chicago,  111. 

3UPURDISPLAY  CORPORATION,  1324  West  Wis- 
consin Avenue,  Milwaukee  3,  Wis. 

C.  F.  Simonin’s  & Sons,  Incorporated,  Tioga  & Bel- 
grade Street,  Philadelphia,  Pa. 

Tidy  House  Paper  Corporation  of  New  York,  101 
Onderdonk,  Brooklyn  37,  N.  Y. 


POPCORN  POPPERS 

C.  CRETORS  & COMPANY,  600  W.  Cermak  Road, 
Chicago,  111. 

MANLEY  INCORPORATED,  1920  Wyandotte  Street, 
Kansas  City  8,  Mo. 

Star  Manufacturing  Company,  6300  St.  Louis  Avenue, 
St.  Louis  20,  Mo. 

• 

POPCORN,  RAW 

A.  B.  C.  Popcorn  Company,  Incorporated,  3441  V/ 
North  Avenue,  Chicago,  111. 

American  Pop  Corn  Company,  Sioux  City  6,  Iowa. 

Blevins  Popcorn  Company,  3098  Charlotte  Avenue, 
Nashville,  Tenn. 

Centra!  Popcorn  Company,  Schaller,  Iowa. 

C.  CRETORS  & COMPANY,  Box  1329,  Nashville, 
Tenn. 

Charles  E.  Darden  & Company,  308  S.  Harwood 
Street.  Dallas,  Tex. 

Albert  Dickinson  Company,  P.  O.  Box  788,  Chicago 
90,  111. 


Quicker  lo  serve  ond  enjoy.  #1  in  popularity, 
sales  and  profits  from  toast  lo  toast. 

Individual  serving  bags.  Trailers 


and  signs  available. 


For  details  write 


/ / //  MAKERS  OF  /THE  BALANCED  LINE  OF  “BEST  SELLERS” 

lioll ij UUOOQ  CANDY  DIVISION 

HOLLYWOOD  BRANDS,  INC.  - CENTRALIA,  ILLINOIS 


The  Balanced 


Line  of  “Best  Sellers” 
in  Candy  Bars 


Stock  Payday,  Milk 
Shake,  Butter-Nut,  Zero 
and  Smooth  Sailin  . . . and 
you’ll  have  a combination 
that  can’t  be  beat.  It’s 
Hollywood’s  famous  bal- 
anced line  of  “best  sellers”. 
Cash  in  on  the  great  profit 
opportunity  it  offers. 


FLAVOS 


FLAVOS 

SHRIMP  ROLLS 

Shrimply  Delicious 


TURKEY 

BAKED-INNA-BUN 

TURKEY  STEAMROLLERS  A 


BETTER  REFRESHMENT  MERCHANDISING 


63 


Dore  Popcorn  Company,  5913  W.  North  Avenue,  Chi- 
cago, 111. 

Indiana  Popcorn  Company,  Muncie,  Ind. 

Interstate  Popcorn  Company,  Fremont,  Nebr. 
MANLEY,  INCORPORATED,  1920  Wyandotte  Street, 
Kansas  City  8,  Mo. 

J.  A.  McCarty  Seed  Company,  Evanaville,  Ind. 
Premier  Popcorn  Company,  Watseka,  111. 
SUPURDISPLAY  CORPORATION.  1324  W. 

Wisconsin  Avenue,  Milwaukee,  Wis. 
Wyandotte  Popcorn  Company,  Marion,  Ohio. 

Y & Y Popcorn  Supply  Company,  526  N.  13th  Street. 
Philadelphia,  Pa. 

Betty  Zane  Com  Products  Company,  640  Bellefontaine 
Avenue,  Marion,  Ohio. 


POPCORN  SEASONING 
AND  SEASONING  DISPENSERS 

APCO  INC.,  a subsidiary  of  U.  S.  Hoffman  Machinery 
Corp.,  1740  Broadway,  New  York  City,  (butter  dis- 
penser). 

Arlington  Edible  Oil  Products,  38  Yetten  Place,  Wal- 
tham, Mass,  (seasoning). 

Best  Foods,  Incorporated,  1 E.  43rd  Street,  New 
York  City,  N.  Y.  (seasoning). 

Capital  City  Products,  525  West  First  Street,  Colum- 
bus, Ohio. 

Cargill,  Inc.,  200  Grain  Exchange,  Minneapolis,  Minn. 

C.  CRETORS  & COMPANY,  Box  1329,  Nashville, 
Tenn.  (butter  dispenser). 

Dairy  Service  Company,  100  East  Main  Street, 
Menominee  Falls,  Wis. 

Dell  Food  Specialties,  Inc.,  Beloit,  Wis.  (cheese  and 
barbecue  flavoring). 

E.  F.  Drew  & Company,  15  East  26th  Street,  New 
York  City  (seasoning). 

Helmco,  Inc.,  1215  Fullterton  Avenue,  Chicago,  111. 
(butter  dispenser). 

MANLEY,  INC.,  1920  Wyandotte  Street,  Kansas 
City  8,  Mo.  (cheese  seasoning). 

Phoenix  Foods  Company,  460  Illinois  Street,  East 
Chicago  90,  111.  (cheese  flavoring). 

SAVOROL  COMPANY,  Popcorn  Building,  Nashville, 
Tenn. 

C.  F.  Simonin  Sons,  Incorporated,  Tioga  and  Belgrade 
Street,  Philadelphia,  Pa.  (seasoning). 

SUPURDISPLAY  CORPORATION,  1324  W.  Wis- 
consin Avenue,  Milwaukee,  Wis.  (butter  dispenser). 


POPCORN  WARMERS 
AND  DISPENSERS 

Blessing-Hoffman  Corporation,  2422  W.  Cermak  Road. 
Chicago,  IU.  (warmer). 

Bonanza,  Inc.,  2980  W.  Pico  Blvd.,  Los  Angeles,  Calif. 

C.  CRETORS  & COMPANY,  Box  1329,  Nashville, 
Tenn. 

Hollywood  Servemaster  Company,  114  West  18th 
Street,  Kansas  City  8,  Mo.  (warmer). 

MANLEY,  INC.,  1920  Wyandotte  Street,  Kansas  City, 
Mo. 


Ask  Your  Equipment  Distributors 
About  The  New  1956  Imperial 

HEAVY  DUTY 
"SODAMAKER" 


Large  Circuits 
Leading  Drive-Ins 
All  over  U.  S.  and 
Canada  are  using 
"SODAMAKERS" 
with  outstanding 
success  and 
exceptional  profits 

• Completely  Self  Contained 

• Less  Service  Problems  with  Gravity  Flow  Syrup 

• Drinks  37°  Both  Carbonated  and  Plain  Water 

• Refrigerated  Faucets 

• Carbonator  100  Gal.  per  Hour  with  Horse 
Power  Compressor 

Or  Write  Direct  To 

SUPERIOR  REFRIGERATOR  MEG.  C0„  INC. 

822-824  Hodiamont  Ave. 

St.  Louis  12,  Mo. 


National  Theatre  Supply,  92  Gold  Street,  New  York 
City  (popcorn  warmer). 

Popcorn  Equipment  Company,  2004  Broadway,  Santa 
Monica,  Calif,  (warmer). 

Pronto  Popcorn  Sales,  702  Beacon  Street,  Boston  15, 
Mass,  (warmer  and  dispenser). 

Queen  City  Manufacturing  Company,  1020  Richmond 
Street,  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  (dispenser). 

SAVON  COMPANY,  286  Pennsylvania  Avenue,  Pater- 
son, N.  J.  (warmers). 

West  Coast  Sheet  Metal  Works,  935  Venice  Boule- 
vard, Los  Angeles,  Calif,  (warmer). 


VENDING  CARTS 

Federal  Quality  Corporation,  Atlanta,  Ga. 

Poblocki  & Sons,  2159  S.  Kinnikinnic  Avenue,  Mil- 
waukee 7,  Wis. 

Walky  Service  Company,  401  Schweiter  Bldg.,  Wich- 
ita, Kans. 


BRAND  NAMES 


[Addresses  of  the  following  list  can 
be  found  by  referring  to  proper  classi- 
fication in  the  preceding  directory.] 

BEVERAGES 

BIRELEY'S:  General  Foods  Corporation. 

CANADA  DRY  (cherry,  cream,  ginger  ale,  grape, 
lemon  lime,  orange,  root  beer:  Canada  Dry 
Ginger  Ale,  Inc. 

COCA-COLA:  Coca-Cola  Company. 

DAD'S  ROOT  BEER:  Dad’s  Root  Beer  Company. 
DELAWARE:  Delaware  Punch  Company  of  America. 
DR.  PEPPER:  Dr.  Pepper  Company. 

DR.  SWETT'S:  Dr.  Swett's  Root  Beer  Company. 
ESCO  (orange,  grape,  pineapple,  papaya,  and 
coconut):  Kesterbaum  Brothers. 

GRAPETTE:  The  Grapette  Company. 

GREEN  RIVER:  Schoenhofen  Edelweiss  Company. 
GREEN  SPOT:  Green  Spot,  Inc. 

HAWAIIAN:  Pacific  Citrus  Products  Company. 
HIRES  ROOT  BEER:  The  Charles  E.  Hires  Co. 
HI-SPOT:  Canada  Dry  Ginger  Ale,  Inc. 
PEPSI-COLA:  Pepsi-Cola  Company 
RED  ROCK:  The  Red  Rock  Bottlers,  Inc. 

ROYAL  CROWN  COLA:  Nehi  Corporation. 
SEVEN-UP:  The  Seven-Up  Company. 

SPUR:  Canada  Dry  Ginger  Ale,  Inc. 

SQUEEZE:  National  Fruit  Flavor  Company,  Inc. 
SQUIRT:  The  Squirt  Company. 

TRU-ADE:  True-Ade,  Inc. 

VtRNOR'S:  James  Vernor  Corporation. 

WELCH:  The  Welch  Grape  Juice  Company. 
WONDER  ORANGE:  Wonder  Orange  Company. 


CANDY  BARS  and  SPECIALTIES 

ALMOND  JOY:  Peter  Paul,  Inc. 

BABY  RUTH:  Curtiss  Candy  Company. 

BAFFLE  BAR:  Cardinet  Candy  Company. 

BIG  PAYOFF:  Hollywood  Candy  Co. 

BIG  TIME:  Hollywood  Candy  Division,  Hollywood 
Brands,  Inc. 

BIT-O-HONEY:  Schutter  Candy  Div.  of  Universal 
Match  Corporation. 


BLACK  CROWS:  Mason,  Au  & Magenheimer 
Confectionery  Company. 

BONOMO'S  TURKISH  TAFFY:  Gold  Medal  Candy 
Company. 

BOSTON  BAKED  BEANS:  Banner  Candy  Mfg.  Co. 
BROCK  BAR:  Brock  Candy  Co. 

BUTTERFI NGER:  Curtiss  Candy  Company. 
BUTTERNUT:  Hollywood  Candy  Division,  Holly- 
wood Brands,  Inc. 

CADBURY  HAZEL  NUT:  Cadbury  Fry  Export,  Ltd. 
CHARMS:  Charms  Candy  Company. 

CHOCOLATE  BREEZE:  Henry  Heide,  Inc. 
CHOCOLATE  MALTED:  Hoben  Candy  Corp. 
CHOCOLATE  SPONGE:  Henry  Heide,  Inc. 
CHOCOLETTOS:  Peter  Paul,  Inc. 

CHUCKLES:  Fred  W.  Amend  Company. 

CLARK  BARS:  D.  L.  Clark  Company. 

COCO-BELA:  Hoben  Candy  Corp. 

CRACKER  JACK:  The  Cracker  Jack  Company. 
CUP-O-GOLD:  E.  A.  Hoffman  Candy  Co.,  Inc. 
DAIRY  MAID:  Jacobson  Candy  Company. 
DARLING  CREAMS:  Henry  Heide,  Inc. 

DEEP  FREEZE:  Brock  Candy  Co. 

DOCTOR'S  ORDERS:  Walter  H.  Johnson  Co. 
DOTS:  Mason  Au  & Magenheimer  Confectionery. 
DREAM  BOATS:  Brock  Candy  Co. 

FIFTH  AVENUE:  Ludens,  Inc. 

FOREVER  YOURS:  Mars,  Inc. 

FOURSOME:  Brock  Candy  Co. 

GOOBERS:  Blumenthal  Bros. 

GOOD  & PLENTY:  Quaker  City  Chocolate  Co. 
HAWAIIAN  FUDGE:  Euclid  Candy  Co. 

HERSHEY:  Hershey  Chocolate  Company. 
JUICELETS:  F & F Laboratories,  Inc. 

JUJUBES:  Henry  Heide,  Inc. 

JUJYFRUITS:  Henry  Heide,  Inc. 

JUMBO  BLOCKS:  Planters  Nut  & Chocolate  Co. 
JUNIOR  MINTS:  James  O.  Welch  Company. 
KRAFT  KARAMELS:  Kraft  Food  Company. 
LEAF-MINTS:  Overland  Candy  Company. 
LICORICE  PASTILLES:  H enry  Heide,  Inc. 
LICORICE  TWIST:  Switzer's  Licorice  Company. 
LIFE  SAVERS:  Life  Savers  Corporation. 

LOVE  NEST:  Euclid  Candy  Co. 

M & M's:  Hawley  & Hoops  Co. 

MALT  BALLS:  Leaf  Brands,  Inc. 

MALTED  MILK  BALLS:  Walter  H.  Johnson  Candy 
Company. 

MARS:  Mars,  Inc. 

MASON  MINTS:  Mason,  Au  & Magenheimer  Co. 
MASON  PEAKS:  Mason,  Au  & M agenheimer  Co. 
MILK  DUDS:  M.  J.  Holloway  Company. 
MILK-SHAKE:  Hollywood  Candy  Division,  Holly- 
wood Brands,  Inc. 

MILKY  WAY:  Mars,  Inc. 

MOUNDS:  Peter  Paul,  Inc. 

MR.  GOODBAR:  Hershey  Chocolate  Company. 

NECCO  BOLSTER:  New  England  Confectionery  Co. 
NECCO  PEPPERMINTS:  New  England  Conf.  Co. 
NECCO  WAFERS:  New  England  Confectionery  Co. 
NESTLES:  Nestle  Chocolate  Company. 

NIBS:  National  Licorice  Company. 

OH  HENRY:  Williamson  Candy  Company. 

OLD  NICK:  Shutter  Candy  Co. 

PAYDAY:  Hollywood  Candy  Company. 

PEANUT  BUTTER  CUP:  H.  B.  Reese  Candy  Co. 
PECAN  PETE:  Fred  W.  Amend  Co. 

PECAN  ROLL:  Sperry  Candy  Company. 
PLANTER'S  PEANUTS:  Planters  Nut  & Chocolate 
POLAR:  Hollywood  Candy  Co. 

POM  POMS:  James  O.  Welch  Company. 
POWERHOUSE:  Walter  H.  Johnson  Candy  Co. 
RAISINET:  Blumenthal  Bros. 


64 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  MAY  12,  1956 


A New  Refreshment  Stand 
NOT  Made  out  of  Bamboo 

A brand  new  snack  bar  was  under  construction 
recently  at  Famous  Players'  Oakwood  theatre  in 
Toronto — and  at  an  early  stage  of  the  proceedings 
one  ot  the  upcoming  films  was  Twentieth  Century- 
Fox'  "The  House  of  Bamboo."  So  Manager  A. 
Easson  grasped  the  opportunity  for  a clever  tie-in 
stunt  by  devising  the  display  sign  shown  above. 
It  reads  thus:  "This  is  not  'The  House  of  Bamboo.' 
It's  our  new  confection  bar.  But  'The  House  of 
Bamboo'  in  CinemaScope  and  color  is  coming 
soon."  Mr.  Easson,  incidentally,  was  one  of  the 
winners  of  MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD’s  Special 
Merit  Awards  for  refreshment  merchandising  in 
1955  and  also  a runner-up  in  the  1956  competition. 


RED  DEVILS:  Banner  Candy  Mfg.  Co. 

RED  SAILS:  Hollywood  Candy  Division,  Hollywood 
Brands,  Inc. 

ROOT  BEER  DROPS:  Chase  Candy  Corp. 

ROYAL  BAR:  Klein  Chocolate  Company 
7-11:  Mason,  Au  & Magenheimer  Conf.  Co. 
SMOOTH  SAILIN:  Hollywood  Candy  Division, 

Hollywood  Brands,  Inc. 

SOFTEES:  Mason,  Au  & Magenheimer  Conf.  Co. 
SNICKERS:  Mars,  Inc. 

SUCKERS:  M.  J.  Holloway  & Company. 

3 MUSKETEERS:  Mars,  Inc. 

TOOTSIE  ROLL:  Sweets  Company  of  America. 

25  KARET:  Charms,  Inc. 

VAN  HOUTEN  BARS:  C.  J.  Van  Houten  & Zoon. 
WAYNE  BUN:  Wayne  Candies,  Inc. 

WELCH'S  COCOANUT:  James  O.  Welch  Co. 
WELCH  JR.  MINTS:  James  O.  Welch  Co. 

WHIZ:  Paul  F.  Beich  Co. 

ZERO:  Hollywood  Candy  Co. 


Two  Beech-Nut  Gum  Flavors 

The  Beech-Nut  Packing  Company,  Cana- 
joharie,  N.  Y.,  lias  marketed  two  new  prod- 
ucts for  gum  vending  machines — peppermint 
and  spearmint  flavors  of  "3C  slab  gums.” 
The  new  special  size  of  “tab”  or  "slab  style” 


gum  is  made  to  fit  the  columns  of  tab  gum 
machines  carrying  candy-coated  gums.  It 
was  brought  out  because  many  operators  of 
tab  machines  having  multiple  columns  for 
candy-coated  gums  have  asked  for  a tab  or 
slab  style  piece  of  popular  flavors  to  fit  some 
of  these  columns,  according  to  M.  C.  Bush, 
manager  of  vending  sales. 


Candy  Sales  Continue  Up 

Sales  of  candy  in  the  month  of  February 
continued  the  upward  trend  for  1956  re- 
corded in  the  month  before,  according  to  the 
latest  report  issued  by  the  Bureau  of  the 
Census,  U.  S.  Department  of  Commerce, 
Washington,  D.  C. 


Inquiry  Service 


ADVERTISERS'  PAGE  AND  REFERENCE  NUMBERS: 

Ref.  No.  Page  No. 

1—  SAMUEL  BERT  MFG.  CO 59 

2—  CANADA  DRY  GINGER  ALE,  INC .52-53 

3—  THE  COCA-COLA  COMPANY 48 

4—  DUTCH  HOUSE,  INC.  59 

5—  FLAVO-RITE  FOODS,  INC.  63 

6—  HENRY  HEIDE,  INC 50 

7—  HOLLYWOOD  BRANDS,  INC.  63 

8 —  MANLEY,  INC 50 

9 —  NATIONAL  LICORICE  COMPANY  55 

10—  NOVELTY  SCENIC  STUDIOS,  INC.  62 

I I— THE  PEPSI-COLA  COMPANY  56-57 

12—  THE  SAVON  COMPANY 62 

13—  SUPERIOR  REFRIGERATOR  MFG.  CO.,  INC.  64 


INQUIRY  COUPON  sus* 

To  BETTER  REFRESHMENT  MERCHANDISING  Department: 

Motion  Picture  Herald,  1270  Sixth  Avenue,  New  York  20,  N.  Y. 

I am  Interested  In  products  as  indicated  by  the  reference  numbers  written  In 
below,  and  would  like  to  receive  literature  concerning  them. 


Nome  . 
Address 


Theatre 


I 


FOR  GENERAL  INQUIRY: 

• Classes  of  products  on  which  in- 
formation is  desired  may  also  be 
indicated  in  the  coupon  by  the 
number  preceding  the  item  in  the 
following  list: 

100 —  Beverage  dispensers,  coin 

101 —  Beverage  dispensers,  counter 

102 —  Candy  bars 

103 —  Candy  Specialties 

104 —  Candy  machines 

105 —  Cash  drawers 

106 —  Cigarette  machines 

1 07 —  Coffee-makers 

108 —  Cups  & containers,  paper 

109 —  Custard  freezers 

I 10 — Films,  snack  bar  adv 
I I I — Food  specialties 

112 —  French  fryers 

113 —  Grilles,  franks,  etc. 

I 14 — Gum,  chewing 

I 15 — Gum  machines 
I 16 — Ice  cream  cabinets 
117 — Mixers,  malteds,  etc. 

I 18 — Popcorn  machines 
I 19 — Popcorn  warmers 

1 20 —  Popping  oils 

121 —  Scales,  coin  operated 

122 —  Soda  fountains 

123 —  Soft  drinks,  syrup 

1 24 —  Showcases 

125 —  Vending  carts 

126 —  Warmers,  buns,  etc. 


BETTER  REFRESHMENT  MERCHANDISING 


65 


CLASSIFIED  ADVERTISING 


Fifteen  cents  per  word,  money-order  or  check  with  copy.  Count  initials,  box  number  and  address.  Minimum  insertion  $ 1 .50.  Four 
insertions  for  the  price  of  three.  Contract  rates  on  application.  No  border  or  cuts.  Forms  close  Mondays  at  5 P.M.  Publisher 
reserves  the  right  to  reject  any  copy.  Film  and  trailer  advertising  not  accepted.  Classified  advertising  not  subject  to  agency 
commission.  Address  copy  and  checks:  MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  Classified  Dept.,  Rockefeller  Center,  New  York  (20) 


THEATRES 


LOST  LEASE!  CLOSING  OUT  COMPLETE 
equipment  conventional  theatre — 50  ton  Carrier  air- 
conditioning,  Simplex  mechanisms,  Altec  sound,  Ameri- 
can seats.  Will  sell  all  or  separately.  JOHN 
WILLIAMS,  State  Theatre,  Jackson,  Miss. 


BOOKS 


NEW  - FOR  THEATRE  MANAGERS  - “THE 
Master  Guide  on  Theatre  Maintenance,”  compiled  from 
authorities,  handy  for  reference  with  hard  covers  and 
index.  Published  by  Aaron  Nadell.  Price  $5  postpaid. 
Send  remittance  to  QUIGLEY  BOOKSHOP,  1270  Sixth 
Ave.,  New  York  20,  N.  Y. 


RICHARDSON’S  BLUEBOOK  OF  PROJECTION. 
New  8th  Edition.  Revised  to  deal  with  the  latest  tech- 
nical developments  in  motion  picture  projection  and 
sound,  and  reorganized  to  facilitate  study  and  refer- 
ence. Includes  a practical  discussion  of  Television 
especially  prepared  for  the  instruction  of  theatre  pro- 
jectionists. and  of  new  techniques  for  advancement  of 
the  art  of  the  motion  picture.  The  standard  textbook 
on  motion  picture  projection  and  sound  reproduction. 
Invaluable  to  beginner  and  expert.  Best  seller  since 
1911.  662  pages,  cloth  bound,  $7.25  postpaid.  QUIGLEY 
BOOKSHOP.  1270  Sixth  Avenue,  New  York  20,  N.  Y. 


DRIVE-IN  EQUIPMENT 


IN-CAR  SPEAKERS  $4.25!  YEAR  WARRANTY. 
4"  unit,  steel  case  painted  blue-white.  Price  per  set 
2 speakers,  junction  box.  S12.25.  S.O.S.  CINEMA 
SUPPLY  CORP..  602  W.  52nd  St..  New  York  19. 


USED  EQUIPMENT 


FOR  IMMEDIATE  SALE  ‘ 1,800  USED  HEY- 
wood-Wnkefield  upholstered  theatre  seats.  Will  sacri- 
fice. Any  reasonable  offer  accepted.  Offer  ends  June 
7.  BOX  2919,  MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD. 


BEAUTIFULLY  REBUILT  LIKE  NEW!  SUPER 
Simplex  projectors,  cabinet  pedestals.  3000'  magazines, 
Magnarc  or  Mogul  Arclamps,  70/140  generator,  RCA 
PG230  sound.  Price  $3,950.00.  Available  on  Time. 
S.O.S.  CINEMA  SUPPLY  CORP.,  602  W.  52nd  St.. 
New  York  19. 


LOADED  WITH  H.I.  I.AMPHOUSES!  Peerless 
Magnarcs,  $395  pr. ; Strong  Mogul,  Brenkert  Enarc, 
Ashcraft  “E”  $350;  Forest  U.T.,  Ashcraft  “D”  Ballan- 
tyne  $300 — all  good  condition.  Available  on  lime. 
S.O.S.  CINEMA  SUPPLY  CORP.,  602  W.  52nd  St.. 
New  York  19. 


EXCELLENT  COATED  PROJECTION  LENSES- 
many  brand  new!  Wallensak  "Sunray”  Series  I: 
2",  3",  3'A",  344".  5",  5Ji".  6",  744"— $35.00  pair. 
Superlite  Series  III  C coated  234”  - 3"  - 354”  $150.00  pr. 
Trades  taken.  Write  or  telephone  order  today.  S.O.S. 
CINEMA  SUPPLY  CORP.,  602  W.  52nd  St..  New 
York  19. 


STUDIO  EQUIPMENT 


AMER.  CINEMATOGRAPHERS  HANDBOOK,  >4 
price.  $2.50;  10'  Title  Animation  Stand,  $975.00;  Bridga- 
matic  Jr.  16mm  Automatic  Processor,  $1,500.00  value, 
$975.00;  Maurer  16  Camera,  lens,  2 magazines,  sync- 
motor,  12V  motor  w/battery.  all  cases,  complete 
$2,395.00;  5000W  Background  Projector,  reconditioned, 
$595.00;  Bardwell  McAlister  studio  floodlites,  3 heads 
on  rolling  stand  hold  12  bulbs,  $180  value,  $29.50; 
Quadlite  Heads  only,  $4.95;  Stands  only  $19.95;  Moviola 
35mm  composite  sound/picture,  $495.00.  S.O.S.  CINEMA 
SUPPLY  CORP.,  602  W.  52nd  St.,  New  York  19. 


NEW  EQUIPMENT 


THE  BUY  OF  A LIFETIME!  BRAND  NEW 
Holmes  Projectors,  high  serial  numbers,  with  Maga- 
zines, Lenses,  Cables,  late  Amplifier  and  Speaker 
(rebuilt  like  new)  all  for  onlv  $499.50!  Don’t  pass  this 
up!  STAR  CINEMA  SUPPLY,  621  West  S5th  St., 
New  York  19. 


BEST  CINEMASCOPE  VALUE!  AVAILABLE  ON 
on  Time — Cinematic  IV  adjustable  anamorphic  $375  pr. 
Metallic  seamless  screens  75c  sq.  ft.  Send  projection 
throw,  screen  size— we’ll  figure  vour  requirements. 
S.O  S.  CINEMA  SUPPLY  CORP.,  602  W.  52nd  Street. 
New  York  19. 


INTERMITTENT  MOVEMENTS  — NEW  SUR- 
PLUS for  Simplex  $69.50;  DeVry  $59.50;  Holmes 
$24.50.  Automatic  enclosed  rewinds  $69.50.  S.O.S. 
CINEMA  SUPPLY’  CORP.,  602  W.  52nd  St.,  New 
York  19. 


POPCORN 


WORLD-WIDE  HEADQUARTERS  FOR  POP- 
corn,  popcorn  equipment  and  supplies.  POPCORN 
VILLAGE.  Nashville,  Tenn.,  U.S.A. 


HELP  WANTED 


MANAGERS  WANTED  FOR  CONVENTIONAL 
and  drive-in  theatres  in  New  Jersey.  Many  benefits, 
including  retirement  plan,  group  insurance,  and  hospi- 
talization. Apply  WALTER  READE  THEATRES, 
OAKHURST,  N.  J..  or  call  Kellogg  1-1600. 


SUPERVISOR,  EXPERIENCED.  DRIVE-IN  AND 
indoor  theatre  concessions.  Eastern  division.  Write  or 
phone  for  interview.  State  experience,  references,  etc. 
Catering  Dept.,  WALTER  READE  THEATRES, 
Mayfair  House,  Deal  Rd.,  Oakhurst,  N.  J.  Kellogg 
1-1600. 


People  and  Products 

( Continued  from  page  60) 

poor  seller.  I attached  one  of  the  samples  to 
the  poor  selling  bar  with  an  elastic  band  and 
displayed  them  on  my  candy  bar.  It  was  a suc- 
cess because  it  nearly  sold  out  the  slow  moving 
bars.  I hope  my  experience  will  be  of  value  to 
others.”  In  behalf  of  those  it  may  help,  we 
thank  you.  Mr.  Tickell. 

AWAKENING  CUSTOMERS 

We  are  flabbergasted  at  the  amount  of 
dollars — millions  and  millions — that  are 
spent  yearly  by  the  beverage  and  candy 
people  in  consumer  advertising  through 
newspapers,  magazines  and  TV.  It’s  all 
spent  to  make  customers  of  the  reader  or 
viewer.  And  it  means  that  the  theatre  and 
drive-in  owner  receives  tremendous  sales 
boost  at  the  candy  counter  or  concession. 
According  to  one  of  the  leading  manufac- 
turers : 

“With  this  kind  of  help  your  people  that 
sell  our  products  can’t  miss.” 

Your  reporter  will  check  further  into 


this  phase  of  selling  and  at  a future  date 
spell  it  out  to  see  what  it  means  to  the 
theatre  owner. 

Cole  Products  to  Construct 
New  Offices  and  Warehouse 

A new  general  office  and 
warehouse  building,  to  be  completed  before 
the  end  of  the  year,  will  be  constructed  in 
Highland  Park,  111.,  by  Cole  Products 
Corporation,  manufacturers  of  “Cole-Spa” 
and  “Hot-Spa”  automatic  cup  drink  dis- 
pensers. The  Chicago  office  of  the  firm, 
presently  on  Lake  Street,  will  be  moved  to 
the  new  one-story  brick  structure,  which 
is  in  a northshore  suburb  of  Chicago,  ac- 
cording to  a report  by  Richard  Cole,  vice- 
president. 

The  new  building  will  contain  30,000 
square  feet  of  floor  space,  he  said,  and 
enough  land  has  been  purchased  to  enable 
the  firm  to  more  than  treble  the  building 
area  in  the  event  of  any  desired  future 
expansion. 


Selling  "Large-Size" 

( Continued  from  page  60) 
in  the  days  way  back  when  candy  was 
scarce,  the  larger  sizes  would  not  sell.” 

With,  popcorn,  however  the  story  is 
different.  The  large  size  at  25c  a box  sells 
well,  Mr.  Sheppard  said,  adding  that  “this 
is  probably  better  popcorn  territory  than 
candy  country.” 

As  for  soft  drinks,  the  10c  size  is  the 
best  seller.  “Rather  than  get  a large-size 
drink,  patrons  seem  to  prefer  to  come  back 
for  a second  10c  one,”  he  declared. 

On  the  other  hand  William  Sears, 
manager  of  Minnesota  Entertainment 
Enterprises,  which  operates  several  drive- 
ins  in  the  Twin  Cities,  has  found  that  “both 
the  10c  and  20c  soft  drinks  sell  well.”  He 
said  that  candy  is  not  pushed  in  his  drive- 
in  operations  and  he  feels  that  “there  is 
not  much  of  a field  here  for  the  higher- 
priced  sizes.”  However,  popcorn  is  popular 
in  all  three  types  of  packages — 10c,  15c 
and  25c. 

— Richard  Gertner 


66 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  MAY  12,  1956 


woD-aiwzi-  • aaui-t-uJui-Dauj  -za-zi-ujzazouj 


Backing  Up  Technical  Progress: 

The  Theatre  Screen 
Needs  Theatre  Appeal 

Sound  for  Sale: 

The  Sumter  Story 


FOUNDED  1923 


MAY  1956 


1 F 1.64—18  in.  High  Speed  Precision  Focus 
Bousch  & Lomb  Reflector.  Collects  and  pro- 
jects the  maximum  light  Perfect  coordina- 
tion with  F 1.5— F 1.8  or  F 1.7  High  Speed 
Projection  lenses. 


3 While  the  standard  I I mm  carbon  is  rec- 
ommended at  118  to  130  amperes,  the 
Cinex  lamp  can  be  operated  with  every 
size  carbon  from  9 to  II  mm. 


5 Complete  circuit  forced  air  injection  into 
lamphouse  through  duct  system  and  com- 
plete forced  exhaust  permits  use  of  higher 
arc  currents— protects  reflector  and  main- 
tains low  operating  temperatures. 


3 High  Powered  — Low  Angle  — Super 
Brilliant— Magnetically  Controlled  Arc 
produces  more  light  at  source  than  can  be 
obtained  from  conventional  high  angle, 
uncontrolled  arcs. 


4 The  Cinex  lamp  does  not  rely  upon  air 
cooling  alone.  An  automatic— dependable 
water  recirculator  maintains  the  carbon 
contacts  at  exactly  the  right  temperature 
for  optimum  operation 


6 Heavy  duty— water  cooled  carbon  contacts 
allow  perfect  high  current  conduction  to 
rotating  positive  carbon.  Contacts  are 
maintained  at  low  temperature  at  all  times. 


MONEY  CAN'T  BUY  THESE  ASHCRAFT  FEATURES  IN  ANY  OTHER  LAMP! 


U S.  Distribution  through  INDEPENDENT  THEATRE  SUPPLY  DEALERS  • Foreign:  WESTREX  CORPORATION  . Canada:  DOMINION  SOUND  EQUIPMEMTS.  LTD. 


3P 


S.  ASHCRAFT  MANUFACTURING  CO.,  INC. 

36-32  THIRTY-EIGHTH  STREET,  LONG  ISLAND  CITY  1,  NEW  YORK 


MEANS  NOTHING  TO  THESE  GULISTAN  CARPETS 


The  fine  wools,  the  integrity  of 
workmanship,  the  loveliness  of  creative 
patterns  make  Gulistan  Carpet  the 
source  of  years  of  lasting  satisfaction.  These 
heavy,  all-wool  Wiltons  are  specially  woven  to  endure  the 
brutal  punishment  of  day-in,  day-out  theatre  traffic.  They 
are  typical  of  the  hundreds  of  Gulistan  original  designs 
immediately  available  from  stock  in  a variety  of  color 
combinations  to  suit  your  decor.  Immediate  delivery  of 
any  yardage  can  be  made,  from  the  smallest  to  the  largest 


area  required.  They  may  be  obtained  in  a virtually  un- 
limited selection  of  colors  on  special  order,  or  if  you  prefer 
a personal  design,  the  Gulistan  Art  and  Design  Staff  is  at 
your  service. 

Gulistan  Carpet  is  well  known  for  exceptional  beauty, 
quality  and  durability.  It  reduces  maintenance  over  non- 
carpeted  floors  by  at  least  40%  and  up  to  50%*.  Consult 
your  Certified  Gulistan  Carpet  Dealer  or  write  Commercial 
Carpet,  Dept.  BT-5  at  address  below. 

*Send  for  complete  cost  study  entitled  “ Cutting  Costs  With  Carpet ” 


Some  outstanding  Gulistan  installations:  Radio  City  Music  Hall,  N.  Y.,  Ambassador  Hotel,  N.  Y.,  Tarantino’s,  San  Francisco. 


MADE  IN  THE  U.  S.  A.  BY  AMERICAN  CRAFTSMEN  • A.  & M.  KARAGH E U SIAN,  INC.,  295  FIFTH  AVENUE,  NEW  YORK  16,  N.  Y. 


BETTER  THEATRES  SECTION 


3 


Another  bonus  in  screen  brightness! 


11%  more  light. . . 


20%  slower  burning. . 


1~J 


Greatly  improved  I ra  Iational  lOmm  x 20" 
High  Intensity  Projector  Carbons 


The  past  two  years  have  seen  constant  improvement 
in  “National”  Projector  Carbons.  A new  “Suprex” 
7mm  Carbon,  “Suprex”  8mm  Carbon,  and  now,  a greatly 
improved  10mm  High  Intensity  Carbon  — all  designed  to 
give  you  more  light  and  longer  burning. 

The  objective  of  all  these  improvements  is  to  provide 
for  exhibitors  the  finest  picture  quality  at  lowest  cost. 
The  same  leadership  that  has  made  “National”  Projector 
Carbons  outstanding  over  the  years  is  still  at  work  for 
you  — with  more  new  improvements  to  come. 

Carbons  are  such  a small  part  of  overall  cost,  yet  such 
the  picture  is  LIGHT...  an  important  element  of  superior  projection.  Be  sure  you 

give  it  all  you  can  with  have  the  best  — always  buy  “National”  Carbons. 

“NATIONAL”  CARBONS 


The  terms  “National"  and  "Suprex”  are  trade-marks  of  Union  Carbide  and  Carbon  Corporation 

NATIONAL  CARBON  COMPANY  • A Division  of  Union  Carbide  and  Carbon  Corporation  • 30  East  42nd  Street,  New  York  17,  N.Y. 

SALES  OFFICES:  Atlanta,  Chicago,  Dallas,  Kansas  City,  Los  Angeles,  New  York,  Pittsburgh,  San  Francisco  • IN  CANADA:  Union  Carbide  Canada  Limited,  Toronto 


4 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  MAY  12,  1956 


American  Seating  “come 
pays  off  big  at  the 


again”  comfort 
box  office! 


It’s  a fact:  Luxurious  comfort  pays  off  at  the  box  office.  And  luxurious 
comfort  is  the  reason  why  American  Bodiform®  Chairs  are  the  choice  of 
leading  theatres  from  coast  to  coast! 

Bodiform  design  is  based  on  exhaustive  tests,  experiments,  and  surveys 
involving  hundreds  of  men,  women,  and  children  — for  the  purpose  of 
finding  what  measurements  and  contours,  what  pitch  of  seat  and  shape 
of  back  would  assure  the  greatest  comfort  for  the  most  people. 

What’s  more,  practical  Bodiform  features  save  space,  simplify  house- 
keeping, cut  maintenance  costs,  lengthen  service  life.  For  full  details,  call 
your  American  Seating  man,  or  contact  National  Theatre  Supply  — today! 


WORLD'S  LEADER  IN  PUBLIC  SEATING 

Grand  Rapids  2,  Michigan.  Manufacturers  of  Theatre,  School,  Church,  Auditorium,  Trans- 
portation, Stadium  Seating;  Folding  Chairs.  Branch  Offices  and  Distributors  in  Principal  Cities. 

ALSO  DISTRIBUTED  BY  NATIONAL  THEATRE  SUPPLY 


Automatic,  silent,  34-fold  seat  action  holds 
seat  within  zone  of  folded  safety,  ready 
to  be  “ridden  down”  by  occupant;  con- 
cealed, self-adapting  hinges  stay  clean, 
can't  pinch  fingers. 


Bodiform  Spring-Arch  seat  has  serpentine 
springs  in  die-formed  steel  frame,  for  uni- 
form resilience,  long  life,  evenly  distributed 
support  for  rubber  padding.  Won’t 
"bottom.” 


All-steel  back,  including  inner  upholstery 
panel,  makes  Bodiform  Chair  practically 
indestructible.  Standards  (right)  are  of 
lifetime  gray  iron;  won't  break,  bend, 
or  dent. 


BETTER  THEATRES  SECTION 


5 


Dubi-Cone 

tLt  A^eakeX.  tlcat~  Lew  Evefriftkifiq 


About  People 
ctf  the  Theatre 


Resin  Treated  Diaphram 


Die-Cast  Aluminum  Case 


Dust  Seal 


Aluminum  Voice  Coil 


Metal  Frame  With 
Center  Arm 

Supports  outer  cone  so 
that  it  can  never  touch 
inner  cone. 


Air  Space  Between 
Cones  is  Sealed 
With  Neoprene  Rubber 


Screw  Mounted  Speaker  Hanger 
No  rivets  — easily  replaced 


Speaker  Mounting 

No  screws  to  warp 
frame  or  cause  voice 
coil  to  drag  on  magnetic 
post. 


65.2  Cu.  In.  of  Air  Space 


Speaker  Cone  Sealed 
Against  the  Weather 


Cones  Are  Treated 
To  Repel  Water 


Reinforced  Grill 
Reinforcing  bars  offer 
additional  protection  to 
speaker  grill. 


Pressure  Equalizing 
Spring  With  Neoprene 
Rubber  Cushion 


Speaker  cannot  jar  off 
mounting  pins. 


Dub’l-Cone  outpoints  any  single  cone 


AND  OF  BUSINESSES  SERVING  THEM 


Joe  Hendrey,  owner  of  the  Capital  theatre 
and  the  Holiday  drive-in,  in  Erwin,  Tenn.,  has 
reported  a program  of  remodeling  and  modern- 
ization for  both  operations. 

The  Lorimore  theatre,  Lorimore,  Iowa,  closed 
for  more  than  a year,  has  been  reopened  under 
the  management  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Don  Williams. 
The  theatre  is  operating  two  nights  a week, 
and  businessmen  of  the  community  are  cooperat- 
ing to  support  the  establishment. 

Ernest  Doran  has  been  named  manager  of 
the  Newington  theatre  in  Newington,  Conn., 
by  Paul  Tolis.  Mr.  Doran  was  formerly  man- 
ager of  the  New  Haven  drive-in  theatre,  North 
Haven,  Conn.,  and  was  at  one  time  general 
manager  of  the  Middletown  Theatres,  Middle- 
town,  Conn. 


John  C.  Dexter,  folding  chair  product  man- 
ager of  the  American  Seating  Company,  Grand 
Rapids,  Mich.,  has  been  promoted  to  the  newly 
created  position  of 
sales  promotion  man- 
ager, according  to  an 
announcement  by 
James  M.  VerMeulen, 
executive  vice-presi- 
dent of  the  company. 

The  statement  said: 

“The  expanding  vol- 
ume of  our  seating 
business  in  the  school, 
auditorium,  theatre, 
church,  stadium,  and 
transportation  seating  John  c Dexfer 

heldfc,  calls  for  in- 

erased  emphasis  on  the  merchandising  of  our 
products.  In  his  new  position,  Mr.  Dexter  will 
have  the  responsibility  to  plan  and  direct  the 
promotion  of  the  company’s  products  in  coopera- 
tion with  other  company  executives  through 
conventions,  sales  meetings,  sales  contests,  liter- 
ature and  sales  training.”  Mr.  Dexter  has  been 
with  the  company  since  July,  1950,  as  manager 
of  the  Folding  Chair  Division. 


Lower  Maintenance  Cost — The  Dub’l-Cone  gives  far  greater  protection 
against  damage  and  weathering.  Rugged  Dub’l-Cone  construction  means 
one  to  three  years  more  service. 

Quality  Sound — Listen  to  it.  Compare  it  with  any  other  speaker  and  you'll 
agree  with  the  hundreds  of  drive-ins  who  use  the  Dub’l-Cone  exclusively. 

Easy  to  Service — Service  it  at  the  post.  The  outercone  which  protects 
the  expensive  inner  cone  can  be  replaced  by  removing  two  screws.  No 
special  tools.  No  glue.  And  you  do  it  without  removing  the  speaker 
from  the  post. 


1712  Jackson  OMAHA,  NEBRASKA 


Robert  Duffy,  formerly  assistant  manager  of 
its  East  Windsor  drive-in,  East  Windsor,  Conn., 
has  been  promoted  to  manager  of  the  Pix  drive- 
in  at  Bridgeport,  Conn.,  by  Lockwood  & Gor- 
don Theatres. 

The  Strand  theatre,  Winsted,  Conn.,  which 
is  that  town’s  only  indoor  theatre  and  had  been 
closed  for  a long  time  following  damage  by 
flood,  has  been  reopened  by  Lockwood  and 
Gordon  Theatres.  The  theatre  was  completely 
remodeled.  Mrs.  Hazel  Florian  is  continuing 
as  resident  manager. 

James  Paikos  and  Art  Cheronis  have  pur- 
chased the  Diana  theatre  in  Noblesville,  Ind., 
which  gives  them  two  operations  there. 

Modernization  of  the  Colonial  theatre  in  Lan- 
caster, Pa.,  is  now  underway,  with  a reopening 


6 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  MAY  12,  1956 


Developed  at  tlio  request  of  customers  who  wauled  a machine  with  more  than  one 
pre-set  slop.  Here's  a machine  that  has  intermediate  stops  in  addition  to  the 
full  close  and  full  open.  All  stops  arc  automatically  controlled.  It's  no  longer  neces- 
sary for  the  operator  to  depend  on  his  eve  to  control  the  movement  of  the  theatre 
curtain. 


MULTI-STOP 


The  new,  completely  automatic  machine  that  takes 
the  guesswork  out  of  curtain  controlling. 


AUTOMATICALLY  pre-sets  your  aspect  ratios 

Another  ADC  £xdusufe! 

Write  for  further  information  or  contact  your  nearest  supply  dealer. 


AUTOMATIC  DEVICES  COMPANY 


2121  S.  12th  STREET 


ALLENTOWN,  PENNSYLVANIA 


originators  of  the  famous  ADC  line  of  curtain  tracks  and  machines 


BETTER  THEATRES  SECTION 


7 


NEW! 

Automatic 
Trash  Pick-up 

LITTER 

BUG 


Pays  for  itself  first 
season  in  labor  savings 


Picks  Up  Everything  But 

Gravel  — Litter  Bug  uses  vacuum 
alone,  no  brushes,  to  gather  all  paper  litter 
— trays,  boxes,  spoons,  straws  — plus 
cigarette  butts,  matches,  even  ticket  stubs. 
Yet  it  does  not  remove  gravel  or  stone. 

Easy  to  Operate  — Gathers  trash 

at  a walking  pace  — no  need  to  stop  or 
stoop.  Weighs  less  than  100  lbs.,  perfectly 
balanced.  30"  intake  for  wide  area 
pick-up. 

Long  Life , Service-Free  — 

Powered  by  2^2  HP  Briggs  Stratton  4 
cycle  engine  that  operates  at  2/3  rated 
RPM.  No  chains  or  sprockets  to  lubricate 

or  replace. 

Mid  East  Sales  Co. 

Box  62  Lockland,  Ohio 


scheduled  for  this  month,  according  to  Charles 
R.  Koerner,  manager.  The  theatre,  which  was 
recently  purchased  by  the  A.  R.  Boyd  Enter- 
prises, Philadelphia,  is  to  be  renamed  the  Boyd. 

Plans  for  building  a new  theatre  in  Livermore, 
Calif.,  to  be  called  the  Vine,  have  been  an- 
nounced by  L.  S.  Hamm  of  the  newly  formed 
Southern  Alameda  Theatres  Corporation.  De- 
signed by  Gas  Santacono,  the  1000-seat  theatre 
will  be  operated  by  Roy  Cooper  Theatres. 

The  Valley  drive-in  theatre  at  Pleasanton, 
Calif.,  was  recently  enlarged  and  modernized 
by  Westside  Theatres,  Inc.  The  project  included 
the  addition  of  three  ramps,  a wider  screen 
tower,  and  a new  playground  and  snack  bar. 

Verne  Sandow  has  purchased  the  Cedar  thea- 
tre in  Nevada  City  from  United  California 
Theatres. 

George  McDonald  has  succeeded  Herschell 
Spencer  as  manager  of  the  Strand  theatre  in 
Muncie,  Ind. 

Vern  Austin  has  been  appointed  manager  of 
the  Rex  theatre,  an  operation  of  the  Black  Hills 
Amusement  Company  in  Rapid  City,  S.  D.  Mr. 
Austin  was  formerly  at  the  Oriental  theatre  in 
Denver. 

Tom  Ryan  of  Cairo,  Nebr.,  has  been  named 
manager  of  the  King  theatre  and  the  drive-in  at 
Albia,  Iowa.  Mr.  Ryan,  who  sold  the  theatre 
he  had  operated  in  Cairo,  has  succeeded  Robert 
Morton,  who  has  been  transferred  to  Fremont, 
Nebr.,  by  the  Central  States  circuit. 

David  Miller,  assistant  manager  of  the  Bijou 
theatre,  Springfield,  Mass.,  has  been  promoted 
to  manager  of  the  Arch  Street  theatre,  New 
Britain,  Conn.,  by  Perakos  Theatre  Associates. 

Charles  Hood  has  been  named  city  manager 
in  Elwood,  Ind.,  by  Syndicate  Theatres,  Inc. 
Mr.  Hood  was  formerly  a manager  for  the 
Alliance  Theatre  Corporation  in  Alexandria. 


Oscar  F.  Neu,  president  of  Neumade  Products 
Corporation,  New  York,  and  William  C.  DeVry, 
president  of  Paromel  Electronics  Corporation, 
Chicago,  left  late  last  month  for  an  extended 
business  trip  to  Europe.  Both  men  are  interested 
in  expanding  the  overseas  market  for  theatre 


equipment  and  plan  to  renew  contacts  with 
dealer  representatives  there.  The  countries  they 
will  visit  include  England,  Belgium,  Holland, 
France,  Germany,  Switzerland,  Italy,  Spain  and 
Portugal.  They  plan  also  to  attend  the  Cannes 
International  Film  Festival  prior  to  their  return 
to  this  country  about  the  middle  of  June. 

Louis  Sher  and  Ed  Shulman,  operators  of  the 
Bexley  theatre  in  Columbus,  Ohio,  have  an- 
nounced the  acquisition  of  another  art  theatre 
in  Milwaukee.  The  Sher-Shulman  circuit  con- 
sists of  theatres  in  Ohio,  Kentucky,  West  Vir- 
ginia, Michigan  and  Colorado. 

Winijer  Garner  has  purchased  the  Family 
drive-in  near  Dexter,  Mo.,  from  Mrs.  C.  L. 
Godwin,  who  had  operated  it  since  the  death 
of  her  father,  Yewell  Lawrence,  state  senator 
of  Bloomfield,  Mo. 

Altec  Service  Corporation  recently  completed 
installation  of  four-track  magnetic  sound  equip- 
ment in  Guion  Hall,  theatre  on  the  campus  of 
Texas  A & M College.  It  is  one  of  the  com- 
paratively few  colleges  in  the  United  States  to 
use  a stereophonic  sound  system. 


NEW  1500-SEAT  THEATRE  OPENED  IN  MANILA 


The  newest  theatre  to  be  constructed  in  the  Philippines  is  the  Galaxy  in  Manila,  which  was  opened  early 
this  year.  Seating  1500,  the  modern  theatre  has  a screen  which  is  63  feet  by  32  feet.  The  equipment 
includes  Westrex  sound;  Griggs-RCA  "push-baclc"  chairs  in  the  auditorium;  and  draw  curtain  and 
contour  curtains  supplied  by  J.  R.  Clancy,  Inc.  The  theatre  is  owned  by  Primitivo  Garcia. 


Oscar  F.  Neu 


William  C.  DeVry 


8 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  MAY  12,  1956 


Wagner  Knows 


Show  Merchandising 


v-w 


VSJ 


J jJ*z 


WILLIAM  nwuucn  GLENN  i-iihi  i 

HAN  FROM  COLORADO"  t*« 
|S  RELENTLESS' hmt  w^s* 


STARUTE  DRIVE-IN,  Niagara  Falls,  N.  Y, 


de- 


installation by  Cooper  Sign  Co. 


— and  provides  the  most  effective  means  of  selling  every  attraction  . . . panels  and 
letters  which  combine  the  best  in  “point  of  sale’’  display.  That’s  why  more  theatre 
owners  install  them  than  all  other  makes.  Wagner  window  type  panels  are  available 
in  any  size  and  readily  serviced  without  removing  frames.  Economical  Enduronamel 
panels  comprise  background  and  letter  mounting  arrangement. 


You  also  have  a wider  selection  of  sizes  and  colors  when  you  use  Wag- 
ner changeable  letters  with  the  exclusive  tapered  slot.  Immovable  by 
wind  or  vibration,  yet  easier  to  change. 


If  you're  building  or  remodeling  an  indoor  theatre  or 
drive-in,  large  or  small,  you’d  better  get  the  free 
Wagner  literature. 

Send  the  coupon  NOW! 


WAGNER  SIGN  SERVICE,  INC. 

218  S.  Hoyne  Ave.  Chicago  12,  III. 

Please  send  free  literature  on  Wagner  show-selling  equipment. 

NAME 

TH  E ATRE 

STREET __ 

CITY  & STATE 


BETTER  THEATRES  SECTION 


9 


The  Greenbrier  is  styled  and  decorated  by  Dorothy  Draper,  Inc.  Installation  of  Heywood-W akefield 
theatre  chairs  was  supervised  by  The  Chrichton  Engineering  Company  of  Charleston , West  Virginia. 


TT^ROM  ALL  PARTS  of  the  country,  leading  executives  gather 
■*-  at  the  Greenbrier  Hotel  for  top  level  meetings  and  conferences. 
Typical  of  the  superb  comfort  and  convenience  offered  these  guests 
is  the  new  auditorium  where  Heywood-Wakefield  “Airflo”  Rocking 
Chair  Loges  are  always  a topic  of  conversation.  The  restful  rocking 
chair  action  and  deep-down  comfort  invite  complete  relaxation. 

In  commercial  theatres,  too,  the  invitation  to  complete  relaxation 
is  a strong  inducement  to  steady  patronage.  Let  your  Heywood- 
Wakefield  representative  give  you  complete  details. 


HEYWOOD-WAKEFIELD  COMPANY  Theatre  Seating  Division,  Menominee,  Michigan  • Sales  Offices:  Baltimore  • Chicago  • New  York 


10 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  MAY  12,  1956 


For  MAY  1956 


GEORGE  SCHUTZ,  Editor 


Harry  Strong 


EDITORIAL  INDEX: 


THE  THEATRE  SCREEN  NEEDS  THEATRE  APPEAL,  by  Curtis  Mees 12 

REMODELED  FOR  "INTIMATE"  DECOR  AND  COMFORT:  THE  VILLA  THEATRE, 
ROCKVILLE.  MD 13 

SOUND  FOR  SALE:  THE  SUMTER  STORY 14 

BETTER  PROJECTION  department: 

WHAT  "LIGHT  GAIN"  MEANS  TO  ACTUAL  SCREEN  PERFORMANCE. 

by  Gio  Gag liardi  18 

WHAT  HATH  JONES  WROUGHT!— An  OscilloSpectrcPrismoScope!. 


by  Charlie  Jones  32 

THREE  SCORE  N TEN  AND  STILL  GROWING:  70TH  ANNIVERSARY  OF  THE 

AMERICAN  SEATING  COMPANY  30 

about  Products 26 

THE  BUYERS'  INDEX 33 

ABOUT  PEOPLE  OF  THE  THEATRE 6 


BETTER  THEATRES  is  published  the  first  week  of  the  month,  with  each  regular 
monthly  issue  a bound-in  section  of  Motion  Picture  Herald;  and  in  an  annual 
edition,  the  Market  Guide  Number,  which  is  published  under  its  own  covers  in 
March  as  Section  Two  of  the  Herald, 

• 

QUIGLEY  PUBLICATIONS.  Rockefeller  Center,  New  York  20.  N.  Y.,  Circle  7-3100. 
Ray  Gallo.  Advertising  Manager.  HOLLYWOOD:  Yucca-Vine  Building;  HOIlywood 
7-2145.  CHICAGO:  Urben  Farley  & Co.,  120  S.  La  Salle  St.;  Financial  6-3074. 


Success  is  represented  by  a great  variety 
of  attainments.  Wealth  is  a common  meas- 
ure of  it,  and  so  long  as  they  are  acquired 
within  the  accepted  moral  code,  material 
possessions  supply  a competent  criterion. 
If  they  come  from  an  exercise  of  talent  and 
industry,  they  are  the  more  convincing.  Yet 
the  mark  of  complete  success,  so  widely 
granted  a man  because  of  broadly  dis- 
tributed evidence  of  his  material  achieve- 
ments, is  sometimes  denied  him  by  those 
less  restricted  in  their  knowledge  of  him. 

The  full  measure  of  Harry  Strong’s  suc- 
cess is  best  known  by  those  who  knew  him 
best.  Feeling  his  death  as  a personal  loss, 
they  can  recall  instance  after  instance  in 
his  life  which  make  his  passing  also  a loss 
to  much  of  the  motion  picture  community. 

• 

The  Strong  Electric  Corporation,  known 
throughout  the  world,  is  the  accomplish- 
ment of  a projectionist.  The  contributions 
it  has  made  to  one  of  the  most  critical  func- 
tions of  motion  picture  technology  must 
stand  a monument  to  technical  genius. 
That  it  has  been  built  to  continue  as  a con- 
structive force  in  that  technology  beyond 
the  reckoning  of  his  time  as  the  head  of  it, 
must  attest  to  his  business  acumen. 

And  those  intimately  familiar  with  thi? 
career  are  witness  to  his  giving  of  both 
his  uncommon  creative  gifts  and  his  or- 
ganizing ability  to  the  welfare  of  the  mo- 
tion picture  equipment  field  at  large. 

• 

The  equipment  manufacturers’  associa- 
tion— Tesma — and  the  dealers’  organiza- 
tion— Teda — must  date  the  beginning  of 
their  association  in  an  annual  trade  show, 
now  grown  to  industry-wide  significance, 
with  the  1946  convention  and  exhibit  in 
Toledo  underwritten  by  Harry  Strong.  He 
had  less  than  most  to  gain  from  the  enter- 
prise but  he  understood  the  need  of  it  for 
the  general  good. 

He  could  respond  as  readily  to  in- 


dividual need.  We  are  thinking  here  of  a 
certain  company  starting  out  with  a prod- 
uct which  the  Strong  Electric  Corporation 
already  was  in  a position  to  make.  The 
field  was  left  to  the  newcomers,  a couple  of 
young  fellows  whom  Harry  Strong  thought 
worthy  of  a prosperous  little  business  of 
their  own. 


There  were  many  such  occasions  to  be 
remembered  by  those  who  knew  this  man. 
And  those  who  know  the  history  of  this 
business  may  further  note  in  his  passing 
the  removal  of  another  of  the  personalities 
who  so  long  supplied  the  industry  most  of 
the  technological  progress  through  which  it 
grew  great.  — G.  S. 


II 


flacking  Up  “technical  PrcyreAA 


The  industry’s  effort  to  deal  with 
the  new  conditions  under  which  it 
must  operate  seems  to  have  developed 
considerable  restraint.  Three  years 
ago  it  launched  a program  of  tech- 
nical advancement  with  surprising 
vigor.  This  could  not  reach  all  of  the 
problems  introduced  or  aggravated 
bv  television  and  a changing  social  or- 
der, hut  it  was  basic  in  any  movement 


equal  to  the  need.  Starting  with  the 
art,  which  has  always  blazed  the  trail 
for  the  business,  it  was  reasonable  to 
expect  that  the  effort  would  soon  em- 
brace the  whole  physical  establish- 
ment for  the  exploitation  of  the  art, 
developing  also  a movement  of  the- 
atre modernization  and  relocation. 

It  only  begs  the  question  to  argue 
that  technical  improvements  have  not 


proved  competent  alone  to  support 
general  revision  of  exhibitor  facilities. 
They  could  offer  no  quick,  cheap  gim- 
mick to  restore  adequate  profits,  and 
in  such  influence  as  they  could  have 
on  the  box-office  they  have  received 
only  half-hearted  encouragement.  In- 
stead of  industrial  co-ordination, 
practical  progress  has  had  to  suffer 
insistence  upon  proprietary  interests. 
Stereophonic  sound — even  magnetic 
prints — have  been  resisted.  Thous- 
ands of  theatres  make  only  a pretense 
of  “wide-screen”  presentation,  and 


The  Theatre  Screen 
Needs  Theatre  Appeal 

. . . yet  a tired  old  exhibition  plant  lingers 
on  in  this  new  age  of  movies  at  home. 


arious  uncertainties  in  the 
motion  picture  industry  today  are  respon- 
sible for  the  fact  that  many  plans  for  new 
theatres  have  been  held  up  awaiting  cer- 
tain decisions  of  the  industry  regarding  the 
size  of  the  film,  the  size  of  the  screen,  the 
further  development  of  sound  pictures  and 
the  use  of  color.” 

Sound  familiar?  R.  W.  Sexton  had  that 
to  say  way  back  in  1930 — 26  years  age — in 
an  article  on  design  of  the  theatre  in  those 
trying  times ! Yet  we  find  ourselves  faced 
today  with  much  the  same  problems,  added 
to  which,  of  course,  has  been  the  effect  the 
Consent  Decree  has  exerted  to  prevent  ex- 
pansion by  the  major  circuits,  which  nor- 
mally led  the  theatre  construction  parade. 
. . . Here  is  another  little  quote  you  might 
try  to  place : 

“The  competition  which  the  development 
of  television  in  the  individual  home  may 
offer  the  theatre  industry  should  pronounce 
the  need  of  improving  the  theatre  structure 
and  of  creating  in  it  a motivating  atmos- 
phere which  would  cause  the  patron  to  be 
drawn  to  it  in  preference  to  remaining  at 
home  to  be  entertained.” 

That,  too,  was  said  in  1930,  hv  Ben 
Schlanger  in  an  article  on  “The  Theatre 
of  Tomorrow,”  which  was  incorporated  in 
Air.  Sexton’s  American  Theatres  of  Today. 

So  we  find  that  our  problems  of  today 
were  fully  recognized  more  than  a quarter 
of  a century  ago,  but  the  implementation  of 
a program  to  overcome  them  has  been  woe- 
fully neglected  and  overlooked. 

Part  of  this  is  tied  in  with  the  lack  of 
construction  of  new  theatres,  it  is  true,  but 
there  is  much  that  could  be  done  by  present 
theatres  to  meet  Mr.  Schlanger’s  observa- 
tion of  the  pressing  need  for  “creating  in 
it  [the  theatre]  a motivating  atmosphere 
which  would  cause  the  patron  to  be  drawn 
to  it  in  preference  to  remaining  at  home 
to  be  entertained.” 

What  have  we  done?  Almost  nothing. 
In  all  too  many  cases  our  theatres  fall  be- 
low the  standards  of  comfort  and  pleasant 


By  CURTIS  MEES 


surroundings  found  in  our  patrons’  own 
homes.  That  is,  our  drapes  are  drab  and 
worn,  our  carpets  may  be  worn  down  to 
the  base  fabric  in  many  places,  our  houses 
need  fresh  paint,  and  our  seats  are  anti- 
quated to  the  point  of  actually  being  un- 
comfortable  in  many  cases! 

These  are  things  which  should  normally 
be  corrected  as  a matter  of  sound  mainte- 
nance, but  because  of  the  pressures  of  the 
times  there  seems  to  be  a growing  inclina- 
tion to  hold  off  improvements  while  waiting 
to  see  what  tomorrow  will  bring. 

Perhaps  our  greatest  hope  lies  in  the 
possibility  that  in  the  relatively  near  future 
the  major  circuits  may  be  given  permission 
by  the  courts  to  expand  again,  once  they 
have  fulfilled  the  requirements  for  divest- 
ment of  theatres  in  those  situations  where 
monopoly  was  alleged.  With  the  building 
of  some  new  theatres,  designed  along  the 
lines  foreseen  as  necessary  for  the  next 
twenty-five  years  of  exhibition  by  the  dis- 
tinguished architects  who  are  specialists  in 
theatre  design,  the  comparative  differences 
in  old  and  new  houses  will  be  so  glaringly 
obvious  that  changes  will  be  forced  upon 
us  by  a public  which  always  demands  what 
is  better. 

That  is  the  way  we  came  by  so-called 


“movie  palaces”  in  their  day,  then  sound, 
followed  by  more  recent  innovation  of 
various  wide-screen  systems  and  stereo- 
phonic sound. 

Even  so,  we  learn  that  more  than  2,300 
theatres  right  now  have  not  equipped  for 
CinemaScope,  thereby  losing  out  on  that 
major  product  in  these  days  of  shortages  of 
good  films!  Progress  in  the  picture  indus- 
try seems  to  come  only  under  tremendous 
pressure — pressure  which  finally  reaches 
into  the  pocketbook,  forcing  consideration 
on  a “life  or  death”  basis  for  the  theatres, 
or  which  stirs  up  the  interest  of  new  capital 
investment  in  opposition  houses  (or  oppo- 
sition production  companies,  in  the  case  of 
Hollywood ) . 

THE  ISSUE  ON  THE  HOME  FRONT 

One  TOA  executive  was  recently  quoted 
in  the  trade  press  as  saying,  “Remember, 
once  your  patron  came  to  the  theatre  to 
enjoy  the  air-conditioning  and  the  easy 
chairs  as  well  as  the  movies.  Today  he  has 
that  at  home.  So  we  have  got  to  give  more 
and  better  product,  no  matter  how,  to  en- 
tice him  back  into  the  theatre.” 

No  one  is  apt  to  argue  with  the  gentle- 
man that  more  product  is  needed,  and  of  a 
high  caliber  (though  we  won’t  ride  all  the 
way  down  the  line  on  the  “multi-million 
dollar  picture”  theory  which  currently  has 
Hollywood  in  its  grip)  ; but  it  is  our  feel- 


12 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  MAY  12,  1956 


many  have  not  yet  adopted  it  at  all. 

Modernization  of  theatres  and  re- 
fitting it  geographically  as  well  to  the 
social  scene  do  not  complete  the  meas- 
ures required  hy  the  situation.  Action 
in  that  area  of  the  problem  is  itself 
partly  contingent  upon  decisions  of 
production  and  distribution.  What- 
ever the  cost,  wherever  the  decisions 
lie,  the  need  of  theatres  styled  for 
the  times,  located  for  convenience, 
equipped  for  comfort  must  he  recog- 
nized for  its  vital  hearing  on  the  suc- 
cess of  any  other  action. 


ing  he  missed  a point  as  he  compared  the 
comfort  features.  Today,  in  many  cases, 
we  are  actually  giving  less  in  the  way  of 
physical  surroundings  and  comfort  than 
can  be  enjoyed  in  the  home,  which  means 
we  must  also  close  that  gap  and  offer  a 
more  luxurious  atmosphere. 

Five  requisites  of  a good  theatre  have 
been  said  to  be:  safety,  good  acoustics,  good 
vision,  pleasant  surroundings  and  comfort. 
The  first  three  are  built  into  the  theatre, 
but  those  last  two — pleasant  surroundings 
and  comfort — offer  a perpetual  challenge 
to  the  theatre  operator — -a  challenge  which 
changes  with  the  seasons  and  the  times. 

Forget  for  a moment  those  product  prob- 
lems, and  take  a good  look  at  your  house 
as  your  patrons  view  it.  So  far  as  pleasant 
surroundings  are  concerned,  would  you  say, 
in  all  honesty,  that  the  atmosphere  of  your 
house  is  one  of  luxury  and  pleasure,  a 
pleasant  contrast  to  one’s  living  room  at 
home?  Do  your  feet  sink  down  into  deep 
piling  of  beautiful  carpet  as  you  enter  the 
lobby,  or  is  there  the  hard  feeling  of  packed 
down  lining  under  carpet  worn  almost 
threadbare,  with  myriad  patches  of  differ- 
ent colored  carpet,  along  with  blobs  of 
chewing  gum  and  spilled  drinks? 

Does  your  marquee  and  facade  reflect  a 
modern  outlook  and  a sincere  belief  in  the 
future  of  the  motion  picture  theatre  busi- 
ness, or  is  it  a hangover  which  you  put  up 
with  while  you  “wait  and  see  what  happens 
tomorrow”  in  the  rat  race  ? 

ATMOSPHERE  OF  INVITATION 

A most  important  item  contributing  to 
pleasant  surroundings,  and  one  about  which 
something  can  be  done  at  relatively  little 
cost,  is  the  service  staff.  Are  they  uni- 
formed in  bright,  clean  and  fairly  new 
costumes?  And  does  the  attitude  of  staff 
members  reflect  pleasure  in  greeting  and 
serving  your  patrons? 

All  of  these  things,  and  more,  add  up  to 
the  viewpoint  your  patrons  have  of  your 
house  as  they  consider  whether  the  sur- 
( Continued  on  page  51) 


Remodeling  for  " Intimate " Decor  and  Comfort 


IN  THE  article  on  the  need  {or 
theatre  modernization  on  these  pages 
Curtis  Mees  refers  to  "pleasant 
surroundings"  and  "comfort"  as  two 
primary  requisites  of  a good  theatre 
— which  were  factors  that  guided  the 
Orbo  Theatre  Corporation  of  Rock- 
ville, Md.,  in  its  recent  remodeling  of 
the  old  Milo  theatre  in  that  city. 

Rechristened  the  Villa  theatre,  it  has 
a new  front  (above)  of  modern  de- 
sign with  glass  entrance  doors  giving 
an  inviting  view  of  the  interior 
where  the  foyer  (right)  has  been 
given  an  "intimate"  decor.  The 
remodeling  program  also  included  a 
new  wide-screen  (below),  RCA 

stereophonic  sound  and  projection,  and  RCA-Griggs  "push-back"  auditorium  seats.  The  Villa 
is  the  first  theatre  in  a new  circuit  planned  by  Orbo,  according  to  Edmund  E.  Linder,  its 
managing  director.  Frank  H.  Boucher  anj  Victor  J.  Orsinger  are  also  members  of  the  new 
corporation.  Architects  for  the*  remodeling  of  the  Villa  were  Fon  J.  Montgomery  and  John 
H.  Sullivan,  Silver  Spring,  Md. 


BETTER  THEATRES  SECTION 


13 


Backing  Up  Technical  Progress 


THE  SOI  TER  PAItV  HEM,  SUMTER 


ionic  Sounds  Adds  To  Real 


THrRSDAY  AFTERSOOV  march  , 


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'r*tt*S*  TV 


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Sound  for  Sale: 
The  Sumter  Story 


Heyward  Crowson,  photographer 
of  the  Sumter,  S.  C.,  Daily  Item, 
snaps  John  Mitchell,  Daily  Item 
feature  writer,  meeting  Robert 
Curry,  Altec  engineer  (left)  and 
Lawrence  Goldsmith,  co-owner  of 
Sumter's  Carolina  theatre  (center), 
thereby  beginning  the  Altec  Serv- 
ice Corporation's  campaign  to  give 
stereophonic  sound  greater  effect 
in  the  exploitation  of  the  screen's 
new  techniques.  The  Sumter  story 
shows  how  the  scheme  is  created. 


elieving  that  tech- 
nical progress  of  the  motion  picture  is  news, 
the  Altec  Service  Corporation  has  instituted 
a campaign  to  get  it  reported  in  newspapers. 
That  is  putting  the  effort  in  its  simplest 
terms.  Altec  is  here  concerned  primarily 
with  stereophonic  sound,  which  is  one  dis- 
tinctive phase  of  developments  during  the 
past  three  years  that  have  enlarged  and 
widened  the  projected  picture  in  many  the- 
atres. The  objective  at  this  stage  of  the 
new  techniques  goes  beyond  public  inter- 
est in  something  new;  the  aim  is  rather  to 
make  the  public  aware  of  stereophonic 
sound  as  one  of  the  reasons  a local  theatre 
can  provide  greater  realism  on  its  screen. 

Some  advancements  in  an  art  like  that 
of  the  theatre  screen  are  not  merchandisable 


in  themselves.  They  are  quite  as  important 
to  the  business,  however,  as  improvements 
more  obvious,  since  they  enter  into  the 
whole  scheme  of  the  performance  to  make 
it  more  convincing,  or  more  dramatic,  or 
more  beautiful. 

When  the  screen  image  is  substantially 
enlarged  and  widened  so  as  to  give  it  quite 
a different  shape  from  what  it  was  before, 
the  change  is  immediately  apparent  to  pa- 
trons. Improvements  in  sound  are  not  so 
discernible.  At  some  times  sound  can  be 
recognized  as  “stereophonic”  by  its  side-to- 
side  “directionalism,”  but  otherwise  is  gen- 
erally a “hidden”  source  of  satisfaction. 

The  Altec  program,  recently  instituted 
under  the  supervision  of  Bert  Ennis,  is  cal- 
( Continued  on  page  16) 


14 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  MAY  12,  1956 


Wide-screen  projection  needs  all  the  light  you  can 
give  it.  And  to  show  big  wide-screen  box-office  hits 
successfully,  your  drive-in  needs  RCA  Projection 
Lamps.  Powerful,  rugged  RCA  Wide-Arcs  for  per- 
formance that’s  both  efficient  and  economical  . . . the 
latest,  advanced  RCA  Dyn-Arcs  for  the  maximum 
possible  light  with  an  fl.7  lens  and  screens  140 
feet  wide. 

RCA  Wide-Arcs  and  Dyn-Arcs  give  more  light  per 
ampere  than  any  other  projection  lamp  for  drive-in 
use.  Even  through  thousands  of  showings,  "Instant 
Acting”  ventilating  assembly  keeps  reflector  cool  and 
free  of  carbon  dust.  There’s  an  automatic  water  cir- 
culator to  keep  over-all  operating  temperature  low. 


With  a large,  high-speed  reflector,  RCA  Projection 
Lamps  distribute  more  light  to  the  screen  with  more 
even  distribution.  Low  speed  carbon  rotation  provides 
maximum  stability.  Whether  you  use  standard  or 
Hitex  carbons,  low  burning  rate  saves  operating  dol- 
lars. And  only  Dyn-Arc  design  will  allow  you  to  use 
larger,  higher-amperage  carbons  when  such  operation 
becomes  technically  feasible. 

The  most  projection  light  at  the  least  possible  expense 
. . . that’s  the  RCA  Wide-Arc  and  Dyn-Arc  story.  Your 
independent  RCA  Theatre  Supply  Dealer  can  fill  you 
in  on  the  details.  Contact  him  now  ...  be  ready  with 
wide  screen  when  they  start  driving  in! 


THEATRE  EQUIPMENT 

RADIO  CORPORATION  of  AMERICA 

ENGINEERING  PRODUCTS  DIVISION  CAMDEN,  N.J. 

In  Canada:  RCA  VICTOR  Company  Limited,  Montreal 


(Zepcrter  (jetA  an 
Zifetful  cfi  £cuhc(... 


Robert  Curry,  Altec  field  engineer,  shows  John  Mitchell,  feature  writer  of  the  Sumter  Daily  Item, 
components  of  the  Carolina  theatre  sound  system  in  briefing  him  for  his  story.  He  is  shown  the 
complex  wiring  of  a four-channel  amplifier  rack  (left),  and  (above,  center)  a magnetic  reproducei 
which  picks  up  the  record  as  a pattern  of  electrical  signals.  In  the  over  view  Mr.  Curry  is  pictured 
using  a special  meter  to  demonstrate  to  Mr.  Mitchell  the  procedure  necessary  to  make  sure  the 
three  screen  speakers  are  matched  for  uniform  distribution  of  sound  at  full  frequency  range. 


( Continued  from  page  1 + ) 
culated  to  point  it  out  to  the  public  as  one 
of  the  ways  in  which  technological  genius 
is  making  the  theatre  screen  yet  a greater 
medium  of  entertainment.  The  method  is 
to  “sell”  the  editors  of  representative  news- 
papers on  this  “marvel”  right  there  in  their 
own  communities  as  a subject  for  a story. 

The  program  is  illustrated  in  the  initial 
effort,  which  produced  more  than  half  a 
page  of  text  and  pictures  in  the  Sumter, 
S.  C.,  Daily  Item.  The  editors  of  this 
leading  newspaper  were  persuaded  that 
there  was  “a  story”  in  the  installation  at 
Sumter’s  Carolina  theatre,  which  has  a 
four-channel  sound  system  despite  its  capac- 
ity of  only  350  seats,  and  assigned  two  men 
to  “cover”  it. 

John  Mitchell,  feature  writer,  and  Hey- 
ward Crowson,  photographer,  were  shown 
the  equipment  required  for  this  special, 
highly  complex  kind  of  “hi-fi”  sound  equip- 
ment, with  Robert  Curry,  Altec  field  engi- 
neer attached  to  the  Southern  Division,  ex- 
plaining what  it  does  and,  if  not  how,  at 


least  why  in  terms  they  could  pass  on  to 
their  readers.  The  results  are  indicated  by 
this  passage  from  Mr.  Mitchell’s  story: 
“Ever  wonder,”  it  began,  “what  gives 
you  that  extra  tingle  when  you  see  a movie 
produced  by  modern  methods  and  shown 
on  the  wide,  wide  screen  ? 

“It’s  not  the  size  of  the  screen,  although 
the  picture’s  a lot  easier  to  see  than  those 
on  the  old  small  screen  were. 

“Stereophonic  sound — which  has  a wi'der 
range  than  the  screen — is  responsible  for 


the  realism  experienced  when  viewing  a 
completely  modern  motion  picture.” 

Then  the  story  went  on  to  tell  why  this 
was  so  at  the  Carolina  theatre,  all  of  it,  like 
the  opening,  according  to  the  reporter’s 
sketchy  understanding  of  what  he  had  been 
shown,  but  equal  to  the  purpose  of  planting 
in  the  public  mind  the  idea  that  modern 
technology — the  kind  of  progress  which  has 
produced  television — is  making  the  motion 
picture  theatre  a greater  source  of  enter- 
tainment. 


The  350-seat  auditorium  of  the  Carolina  theatre 
(left)  has  four  Altec-600  surround  speakers.  Picture 
width  is  constant  at  22  feet.  The  height  is  changed 
manually  by  a counterweight  system  of  masking 
(above).  Also  pictured  is  the  projection  room, 
which  is  22  by  12  feet  and  is  air-conditioned. 


16 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  MAY  12,  1956 


Wide  screens  are  here  to  stay! 


Stereophonic  Sound* is,  too ! 

Producers  with  new  techniques  are  filling  your  big  screens  with 
sharp-focus,  spectacular  pictures. 

Big  screens  need  Stereophonic  Sound  to  complete  the  revolution 
of  improvement  which  is  renewing  the  interest  of  millions  in  talk- 
ing pictures. 

Stereophonic  Sound  is  better  than  sound  from  any  single  loud- 
speaker assembly. 

* Three  channel,  four  channel,  or  six  channel 


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Wetter  Projection 


A Department  on  PROJECTION  S,  SOUND 

What  "Light  Cain"  Means  to 
Actual  Screen  Performance 


This  is  the  second  of  two  articles  on  projection  screens  as  affected 
by  the  larger  picture.  In  Better  Theatres  for  April,  "The  Increas- 
ing Importance  of  the  Projection  Screen"  discussed  reflection 
characteristics  of  the  basic  types  now  available.  This  article 
deals  with  "light  gain"  as  a practical  quality  of  the  new  types. 


by  GIO  GAGLIARDI 

since  the  introduction 
of  large-sized  metallic  surfaced  screens,  a 
great  deal  has  been  said  about  the  relative 
light-reflecting  quali- 
ties of  screens.  Many 
persons  in  the  theat- 
rical field  are  laboring 
under  an  erroneous  in- 
terpretation of  the 
meaning  of  the  term 
“light  gain”  when  it 
is  applied  to  the  the- 
atre projection  screen. 

Naturally  a screen, 
by  itself,  does  not 
emit  light,  but  the  surface  of  the  screen, 
when  it  is  illuminated  by  light  from  the 
projector,  reflects  this  illumination  in 
whole  or  in  part,  and  this  surface  will 
appear  to  have  a certain  brightness  when 
observed  by  a person  in  the  auditorium. 
The  amount  of  brightness  apparent  to  the 
observer  will  depend  on  these  factors: 

1.  The  quantity  of  illumination  falling 
upon  the  screen  from  the  projector’s  op- 
tical system. 

2.  The  efficiency  of  the  screen  surface 
as  a reflective  medium. 

3.  The  directional  qualities  of  the  sur- 
face. 

4.  The  angle  of  projection. 

5.  The  location  of  the  observer  with 
respect  to  the  screen. 

In  order  to  compare  the  performance  of 
different  types  of  screen  surfaces,  it  is 
necessary  to  establish,  or  to  refer  back  to, 
a standard.  First,  it  should  be  understood 
that  there  are  no  surfaces  which  can  be 
considered  as  perfect  reflectors.  All  sur- 
faces have  inherent  losses  which  tend  to 


reduce  the  efficiency  of  total  light  energy 
reflection  to  some  value  less  than  100%. 

The  actual  quantitative  comparison  of 
reflective  efficiency  can  be  made  by  using 
an  integrating  spherometer  which  will 
measure  total  light  emission  from  various 
sample  surfaces. 

REFLECTION  VALUES 

It  has  been  customary  to  use  a surface 
consisting  of  freshly  scraped  magnesium 
oxide  as  a secondary  standard  of  the  best 
possible  diffuse  reflection.  If  we  assume 
that  the  efficiency  of  this  type  of  surface 
is  100%,  then  by  actual  comparison,  the 
efficiency  of  perforated  white  screens  ranges 
from  75%  to  80%,  and  the  efficiency  of 
aluminum  - surfaced  perforated  screens 
ranges  from  62%  to  65%. 

These  values  indicate  that  the  metaliic- 
surfaced  (aluminum)  screens  actually  have 
less  overall  relative  efficiency  than  the 
white  matte-surfaced  screens.  Of  the  total 
amount  of  light  falling  upon  a white  matte 
screen,  about  78%  is  reflected  back  some- 
where into  the  auditorium.  The  rest  is 
lost  through  the  perforations  and  absorbed 
by  the  screen  itself.  A similar  process  hap- 
pens to  the  aluminum-surfaced  screen,  but 
more  of  the  light  energy  is  absorbed  by 
the  aluminized  surface;  only  about  63% 
of  the  total  light  is  reflected  back  into  the 
auditorium. 

That  being  the  case,  then  why  are  we 
always  talking  about  the  higher  reflectivity 
gains  of  the  metallic-surfaced  screen  as 
compared  to  the  white  screen?  The  reason 
is  principally  that  the  diffuse  surface  of  a 
white  screen  reflects  light  in  all  directions 
away  from  the  screen,  and  the  reflected 
light  energy  is  distributed  into  a hemi- 


GIO  GAGLIARDI 


18 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  MAY  12,  1956 


any 
drive-in 
worth 
building 
deserves 
a * • * 


.. G 


PROJECTION 

and 

SOUND 

SYSTEM 


PROJECTOR  MECHANISM 


MANUFACTURED  BY  INTERNATIONAL  PROJECTOR  CORPORATION 
DISTRIBUTED  BY  NATIONAL  THEATRE  SUPPLY 

SUBSIDIARIES  OF  GENERAL  PRECISION  EQUIPMENT  CORPORATIOr 


BETTER  THEATRES  SECTION 


19 


Hi  LUX 


Comparison  tests  in  famous  theaters  through- 
out the  world  have  proven  Hilux  Anamorphic 
Projection  Lenses  vastly  superior.  Precision 
designed  and  built,  they  have  optimum  op- 
tical correction  for  color,  definition  and  dis- 
tortion. You  owe  it  to  your  audiences  to  use 
Hilux  Anamorphics  for  ALL  prints. 


An  amazingly  precise  variable  anamorphic  that  gives 
non-vignetting  performance  with  both  4"  (101.6mm? 
and  2J5/)2"  (70.6mm)  diameter  prime  lenses.  Complete 
control  up  to  2X  without  shifting  lens  or  projector. 


A high  quality  2X  fixed  anamorphic  for  all  projection 
lenses  up  to  225/s2"  (70.6mm)  with  a 64mm  free  rear 
aperture  for  maximum  non-vignetting  light  trans- 
mission. 


A 1.5X  to  2. OX  variable  anamorphic  for  all  standard 
2i5/n"  (70.6mm)  projection  lenses.  64mm  free  rear 
aperture  assures  maximum  light  with  no  vignetting. 

Hilux  264  and  152  are  available  with  either  fixed  or 
variable  corrector  lenses.  For  catalog  sheets  and  focal 
length  computer,  write  Dept.  BT-56. 


ROJECTION 
OPTICS 

v ) 

PROJECTION  OPTICS  CO.,  INC. 
Rochester,  N.  Y.  • London,  England 


spherical  zone.  The  specular  surface  of  an 
aluminized  screen,  however,  concentrates 
the  reflected  light  energy  into  a restricted 
zone  looking  somewhat  like  an  elongated 
balloon. 

Even  though  the  total  light  energy  from 
a metallic  screen  is  actually  less  than  from 
a white  screen,  the  apparent  brightness  of 
the  metallic  screen,  as  observed  from  cer- 
tain directions,  may  be  considerably  great- 
er because  the  characteristics  of  a metallic 
screen  tend  to  concentrate  this  energy  into 
a smaller  or  more  confined  space. 

MEASURING  REFLECTANCE 

Luckily  there  is  a comparatively  simple 
way  to  measure  or  compare  the  reflectivity 
characteristics  of  any  of  the  surfaces  used 
for  projection  screens.  The  methods  have 
been  described  in  several  back  issues  of  the 
SMPTE  Journals. 

Figure  1 shows  a sketch  from  one  of 
these  articles  and  may  serve  to  illustrate 
the  procedure.  A small  light  projector  C, 
using  a regulated  power  source,  is  used  to 
project  a spot  of  light  a few  inches  in 
diameter  upon  a screen  sample  set  up  on 
a small  frame  A.  A photocell  B and 
meter  D are  used  to  read  the  value  of 
the  light  reflected  from  this  illuminated 
spot  on  the  screen.  By  arranging  the  de- 
vice so  that  the  photocell  can  be  swung 
in  an  arc  from  0°  to  90°,  the  brightness 
of  the  spot  on  the  screen  may  be  observed 
and  measured  from  different  positions 
ranging  from  practically  perpendicular  to 
the  screen,  to  any  angle  between. 


With  this  kind  of  a test  bench,  many 
screen  samples  can  be  tested  and  compared. 
As  we  said  before,  the  surface  of  a mag- 
nesium carbonate  block  has  been  used  as 
a standard.  If  such  a surface  is  located 
in  position  A in  the  test,  then  the  reading 
obtained  can  be  used  as  a reference  point 
for  making  comparisons  with  all  other 
samples. 

An  easy  procedure  is  to  control  the  light 
intensity  of  lamp  C until  a reading  of  100 


Super-Hilux * 


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to  be  designed  with  emphasis  on 
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to  be  chosen  by  leading  DRIVE- 
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Four  reasons  why  a Super-Hilux 
should  be  1st  on  your  list  of  “Musts.” 
Write  for  comparison  tests  and  focal 
length  computer  to  Dept.  BT-56 


20 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  MAY  12,  1956 


is  in  direct  proportion  to  the 


efficiency  of  the  reflector.  All  mirrors 


gradually  deteriorate.  Replace  yours  now  with 


Strong  Precision  Reflectors.  Types  and  sizes 


for  use  in  all  standard  projection  arc 


lamps  regularly  stocked  for 


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21 


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transmits  all  the  brilliance,  color  and  vivid  detail 
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22 


IS  obtained  at  meter  D when  using  the 
magnesium  sample.  If  the  light  is  main- 
tained at  this  constant  brightness,  then  all 
readings  on  the  meter,  when  using  other 
screen  samples,  will  be  in  direct  percen- 
tages of  the  standard  and  may  be  used 
directly  for  comparison. 

By  using  this  procedure,  it  has  been 
possible  to  gather  a great  deal  of  informa- 
tion on  the  reflective  characteristics  of 
white  matte  screens,  of  low  and  high 
“gain”  smooth  aluminum  screens,  and  of 
lenticulated  aluminum  screens.  Photocell 
B in  Figure  1 represents  the  spectator  in 
a theatre,  and  the  values  of  light  measured 
by  the  cell  would  be  directly  related  to 
the  brightness  of  the  screen  section  as 
viewed  by  the  spectator.  By  keeping  the 
distance  between  the  section  of  the  screen 
and  the  photocell-observer  constant,  the 
brightness  of  the  screen  section  can  be 
observed  and  measured  by  the  photocell 
from  zero  angle,  such  as  a point  on  the 


FIGURE  2 — Brightness  characteristics  of  similar 
low  gain"  samples  of  aluminum  surfaced  screens. 

perpendicular  to  the  screen  (head-on  to 
the  screen),  or  completely  around  for  a 
total  arc  of  180°. 

The  values  of  light  reflectivity  may  be 
plotted  easily  on  graph  paper.  The  hori- 
zontal scale  represents  the  viewing  angle 
and  is  plotted  for  every  10°  point  on  each 
side  of  a perpendicular  to  the  screen.  The 
vertical  scale  represents  the  reflectivity  of 
the  screen  sample  in  percentage  of  the  re- 
flectivity of  the  standard  magnesium  car- 
bonate surface,  which  is  assumed  to  be 
100%  reflective  at  all  angles.  The  values 
on  the  curves  of  reflectivity  in  the  various 
figures  will  then  represent  reflectivity  gains 
if  they  are  greater  than  100%,  and  re- 
flectivity losses  if  they  are  less  than  100%. 

METALLIC  SURFACES 

Metallic  screens  have  surfaces  which 
combine  diffuse  and  specular  properties.  • 
The  effective  ratio  of  these  properties  de- 
termines the  resultant  characteristics  of 
the  screen.  Three  types  of  metallic  screen 
surfaces  are  represented  in  the  charts. 
Figure  2 shows  a family  of  curves  obtained 
from  so-called  medium  gain  sprayed  alum- 
inum smooth  surfaces.  The  brightness 
value  for  each  sample  was  plotted  for 

MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  MAY  12,  1956 


every  10°,  using  the  same  scale  so  they 
could  be  compared.  From  these  different 
plots,  an  average  curve  (shown  in  heavy 
line)  was  obtained  for  final  comparison 
in  Figure  5. 

The  same  procedure  was  followed  with 
the  high  gain  smooth-surfaced  aluminum 
screens.  Figure  3 shows  the  results  of 


FIGURE  3 — Brightness  characteristics  of  similar 
"high  gain"  samples  of  aluminum  surfaced  screens. 

measurements  of  several  samples  of  very 
bright  surfaces  and  here  again  the  average 
for  this  family  was  plotted  for  later  com- 
parison in  Figure  5. 

A third  series  of  curves  were  plotted  in 
Figure  4.  Here  samples  of  aluminum 
lenticular  surfaces  were  used.  The  sur- 
faces were  all  very  bright,  but  the  lenticu- 
lar formation  served  to  introduce  a de- 
sired amount  of  diffusion  so  as  to  increase 
the  relative  amount  of  light  energy  re- 


FIGURE  4— Brightness  characteristics  of  similar 
samples  of  aluminum  surfaced  lenticular  screens. 

fleeted  at  angles  of  20°  to  60°  from  the 
perpendicular.  An  average  curve  has  also 
been  plotted  for  this  group  and  is  shown 
in  heavy  line. 

Figure  5 shows  a direct  comparison  of 
the  brightness  characteristics  of  five  dif- 
ferent types  of  surfaces  or  screens.  Curve 
1 represents  the  magnesium  carbonate  sur- 
face. This  surface  is  used  as  a standard ; 
it  is  not  perforated  and  it  shows  100% 
reflectivity,  not  only  at  0°,  but  for  all 


. . . the  SUPER  SNAPLITE 
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have  ever  seen  on  your 
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ter definition,  more  light  on 
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• High  Fidelity  Speaker  Systems 

BLUE  SEAL  SOUND  DEVICES 

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BETTER  THEATRES  SECTION 


23 


Your  concessions  may 
delight  gourmets. . . 


Your  lounge  may 
be  the  smartest. . . 


BUT 

EVERY  PERFORMANCE 
STILL 

MUST  BE  PERFECT! 

First  matinee  or  midnight  show,  perfect  performances  demand  equip- 
ment that  runs  like  a top.  There's  no  expert  like  an  expert  RCA  Theatre 
Service  Engineer  to  keep  everything  humming.  He’s  the  only  man  with 
full  backing  of  RCA’s  long-famed  technical  resources. 

RCA  SERVICE  COMPANY,  INC. 

A Radio  Corporation  of  America  Subsidiary  Camden,  N.J. 


angles  of  view  up  to  70°,  which  is  the 
limit  of  the  charts.  (There  actually  is  a 
slight  deviation  from  these  values  at  the 
larger  angles,  but  these  were  not  consid- 
ered, for  sake  of  simplification.) 

Curve  2 shows  the  brightness  values 
for  a white  matte  screen.  You  will  note 
that  this  surface  has  lower  reflectivity  than 
the  “standard”  and  a slight  fall-off  at  60° 


FIGURE  5 — Comparison  between  average  charac- 
teristics of  different  types  of  screen  surfaces. 
Curves  refer  to  ( I ) unperforated  magnesium  oxide, 
(2)  perforated  white  coated  screen,  (3)  "low  gain" 
aluminized  plastic  screen,  (4)  "high  gain"  alumin- 
ized plastic  screen,  (5)  aluminized  lenticular  screen. 


Let  s Play 
BALL! 


Toss  your  worries  to  the  wind 
and  come  and  play  ball  with 
me.  Wet,  dry,  hot  or  cold  — 
whatever  the  weather  — I'm 
always  ready  to  perform  beau- 
tifully. 

You'll  also  find  I'm  very  easy 
on  your  pocketbook.  Besides 
costing  very  little  to  start  with, 
my  upkeep  is  practically  nil. 

I’ve  been  told  I'm  the  pret- 
tiest, but  I’m  especially  proud 
of  my  voice.  But  don't  take  my 
word  for  it!  Ask  the  man  who 
owns  some  EPRAD  in-the-car 
speakers.  See  your  favorite  in- 
dependent supply  dealer. 


The  Speaker  with  the 

"BIG"  SOUND 


“ The  Voice  of  the  Drive-In” 

1207  CHERRY  STREET  • TOLEDO  4,  OHIO 


ELECTRICAL  PRODUCTS  RESEARCH 


DEVELOPMENT  COMPANY 


and  70°.  However,  this  curve  is  very 
similar  to  the  “standard,”  except  for  its 
lower  efficiency  due  to  perforations  and 
surface  material. 

Curve  3,  which  represents  the  average 
brightness  values  for  low  gain  aluminum 
screens,  shows  that  at  an  observation  angle 
of  zero  degrees  (head-on)  the  brightness 
has  been  increased  over  the  “standard”  to 
180%.  This  is  the  principal  reason  why 
this  screen  would  be  classified  as  having 
a gain  of  1.8  over  the  standard. 

However,  let  us  look  at  what  happens 
to  this  gain  as  the  viewing  goes  from  head- 
on  over  to  the  side  of  the  center  line.  At 
10°  the  gain  becomes  about  1.5;  at  20° 
the  gain  becomes  1.2;  at  302  the  gain 
is  less  than  the  “standard,”  or  .80;  and 
at  50°  the  gain  has  dropped  to  .25,  or 
25%  of  the  “standard.” 

This  is  the  principal  reason  why  the 
simple  statement  of  screen  gain  is  value- 
less unless  it  is  accompanied  by  a plot  of 
the  actual  gain  and  distribution  brightness 
characteristics  for  all  angles  of  view. 

Curve  4 shows  the  average  plotted 
values  for  a high  gain  aluminum  screen. 
The  head-on  gain  is  equal  to  330%  of  the 
white  “standard,”  but  at  20 3 viewing 
angle  the  gain  is  200%,  and  at  30 3 the 
gain  has  dropped  to  .8,  or  80%  of  the 
white  “standard.” 

Curve  5 shows  the  brightness  values  for 
a metallic-surfaced  lenticular  screen.  T he 
center,  or  head-on,  gain  for  this  screen  is 


24 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  MAY  12,  1956 


about  1.65,  or  165%  of  the  “standard” 
white.  The  brightness  gain  for  side  view- 
ing, however,  is  considerably  better  than 
the  plain  surfaced  screen  of  Curve  3. 

At  10°  the  lenticular  screen  has  160% 
gain,  at  20°  the  gain  is  145%,  at  30°  the 
gain  is  130%,  and  at  40°  it  is  still  better 
than  “standard,”  being  105%.  In  fact, 
this  lenticular  type  of  screen  does  not  drop 
below  the  brightness  of  a regular  white 
screen  until  the  viewing  angle  exceeds  50°. 

Figure  5 should  demonstrate  very  clearly 
that,  where  reflective  efficiencies  are  equal, 
brightness  gain  may  be  increased  for  a 
selected  viewing  angle,  but  only  at  a 
sacrifice  of  brightness  for  the  wider,  or 
side,  viewing  angles.  The  higher  the  gain 
for  the  narrow  viewing  angles,  the  greater 
the  loss  for  the  side  angles  (compare  Curves 
3 and  4 with  Curves  1 and  2). 

The  embossing  on  the  surface  of  a 
lenticular  screen  produces  tiny  optical  re- 
flectors so  designed  and  adjusted  that  the 


SCREEN 


FIGURE  6 — Seating  areas  covered  by  differ- 
ent screen  characteristics.  Brightness  range 
between  maximum  and  half  maximum  values 
for  each  type.  Screen  Curve  3 covers  area 
under  GHi.  Screen  Curve  4 covers  area 
under  LEK.  Screen  Curve  5 covers  area 
under  ABC. 


brightness  pattern  of  this  surface  may  be 
re-arranged  for  a better  light  distribution 
to  seating  having  the  wider  viewing  angles. 
Compare  Curve  5 (for  a lenticular  screen) 
with  Curve  3 (for  an  unlenticulated  me- 
tallic screen  of  similar  “gain”). 

In  order  to  demonstrate  the  angle  of 
coverage  for  different  screens,  we  have 
taken  the  brightness  distribution  values 
represented  by  Curves  3,  4 and  5 and  set 
them  out  in  Figure  6.  In  this  sketch,  GHI 
is  the  seating  area  in  which  all  parts  of 
the  high  gain  screen  from  Curve  4 would 
appear  to  have  a brightness  ranging  from 
maximum  to  half  of  maximum.  Any 
greater  difference  in  brightness  is  bad. 

The  total  area  under  curve  LEK  repre- 
sents the  seating  space  similarly  covered 
by  a lower  gain  aluminized  screen,  such  as 
demonstrated  by  Curve  3. 

( Continued  on  page  31) 


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getting  it  FASTER  and  with  greater  EASE  of  handling. 

That  is  because  no  corners  are  cut  in  the  design  and  manufacture  of 
Spencers.  They  are  FULL-POWERED,  continuous-duty,  rugged  commercial-indus- 
trial equipment  . . . the  very  best  that  the  field  can  produce.  The  line  is 
COMPLETE  . . . the  RIGHT  machine  and  the  RIGHT  tools  for  your  job.  Get  the 
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When  this  man  walks  into  your  theatre... 


...your  service  worries  are  over.  In  thousands  of  theatres  throughout  the 
United  States,  exhibitors  and  projectionists  welcome  the  appearance  of 
an  ALTEC  field  engineer. 

Why? 

Because  ALTEC  SERVICE  is  always  one  step  ahead  of  the  industry’s 
continuing  technical  parade. 

Whether  your  sound  is  optical,  magnetic,  optical-magnetic, 
single  or  multiple  channel,  ALTEC  field  engineers  have  the 
right  answer  for  every  problem. 

Get  in  step  with  ALTEC.  Join  6,000  ALTEC 
customers  in  the  march  to  better  sound. 

SPECIALISTS  IN  MOTION  PICTURE  SOUND 

161  Sixth  Avenue  • New  York  13,  New  York 


BETTER  THEATRES  SECTION 


25 


about  Products . . 

^ news  and  views  nf  the  market  and  its  sources  of  supply 


TO  PROCURE  FURTHER  INFORMATION  about  products  described  editorially,  postcards  of  the  Theatre  Supply  Mart 
insert  (pages  35-36)  may  be  employed.  Convenient  reference  numbers  are  given  in  the  insert  (page  36). 


Portable  Cart  to  Collect 
And  Burn  Drive-In  Refuse 


A portable  cart  for 
collecting  debris  on  drive-in  theatre 
grounds  which  also  functions  as  an  “in- 


cinerator’’ in  which  to  burn  the  refuse 
has  been  marketed  by  County  Specialties, 
Ossining,  X.  Y.  The  new  unit  has  been 


trade-named  “Portable  Incinerator  Cart.” 

With  a capacity  of  18  cubic  feet,  the 
cart  is  constructed  of  all-welded  steel  and 
has  wide  wheel  treads.  It  may  be  used  to 
collect  and  burn  papers,  leaves,  and  all 
such  types  of  material,  according  to  the 
manufacturer. 

New  Literature 

Drive-in  Theatre  Equipment : Folders 

and  catalogues  describing  its  complete  line 
of  equipment  for  drive-in  theatres  have 
been  issued  by  the  Ballantyne  Company, 
Omaha.  “Planning  a Drive-In?”  is  a four- 
page  folder  which  tells  of  the  service  the 
company  offers  to  help  operators  “from 
planning  to  opening  and  during  operation” 
and  it  includes  a listing  and  photographs 
of  the  Ballantyne  “drive-in  theatre  equip- 
ment package.”  The  company  has  also  re- 
leased two  folders  containing  numerous 
photographs  of  drive-in  theatres  which  it 
has  equipped.  These  include  the  Lakeland 
drive-in,  Lakeland,  Fla. ; Grandview,  Gor- 


ham, N.  H.;  Bayshore,  Bayshore,  Long 
Island,  N.  Y. ; Danville,  Danville,  Pa.; 
North  Wilkesboro,  North  Wilkesboro, 
N.  C.;  Oakland,  Oakland,  Md. ; Lafayette 
Twin,  Lafayette,  La.;  Paducah  Twin, 
Paducah,  Ky. ; Y-Not,  West  Point,  Nebr., 
and  many  others. 

Another  folder  is  devoted  to  the  Ballan- 
tyne stereophonic  sound  systems  for  the- 
atres. It  includes  photographs  and  descrip- 
tions of  the  “6400  series  package”  for 
theatres  with  capacities  that  are  over  1200 
seats;  and  the  “3400  series  package”  for 
theatres  with  seating  capacities  of  less  than 
1200. 

Ballantyne  has  also  issued  a catalogue  of 
its  equipment  for  drive-in  sound  and  pro- 
jection. Complete  with  photographs  and 
descriptive  data,  it  describes  the  “Dub-1- 
Cone”  in-car  speakers,  the  “Sound-Master” 
amplification  system  specifically  designed 
for  drive-ins,  and  other  projection  and 
sound  equipment  included  in  the  Ballan- 
tyne “package”  for  drive-ins. 


DRIVE-IN  SCREEN  "BEFORE"  AND  "AFTER"  APPLYING  NEW  PAINT 


One  of  the  first  drive-ins  to  use  "Perma-Brite,"  the  new  outdoor  screen 
paint  manufactured  by  the  W.  J.  Ruscoe  Company,  Akron,  Ohio,  was  the 
Montrose  drive-in  at  Akron — with  results  as  pictured  here.  The  screen  is 
shown  in  its  "before"  status  at  left  where  the  patterns  of  its  transite  block 
construction  are  in  evidence.  In  the  view  at  right  the  screen  is  shown 


following  application  of  "Perma-Brite."  (Also  note  the  contrast  achieved 
by  use  of  "Perma-Brite  Black'  at  the  base  of  the  tower.)  The  new  paint  has 
a rubber  base  and  can  be  either  brushed  or  sprayed  on.  It  comes  in  five- 
gallon  drums.  A free  sample  of  a half-pint  is  available  to  exhibitors  writing 
the  company  on  their  letterheads  (483  Kenmore  Street,  Akron  13,  Ohio). 


26 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  MAY  12,  1956 


Cloth  Net  for  Cars 
To  Keep  Out  Insects 


A cloth  net  designed  to 
fit  onto  automobile  windows,  acting  as  a 
screen  to  keep  out  mosquitoes,  flies  and 
other  insects  has  been  placed  on  the  market 
by  the  J.  Tibbatts  Company,  Union  City, 
N.  J.  The  manufacturer  suggests  that 
drive-in  exhibitors  sell  it  directly  to  their 
patrons,  who  can  then  reuse  it  throughout 
the  season,  storing  it  between  times  in  the 
glove  compartment. 

Called  the  “Car-Net,”  it  is  a window 


screen  made  of  close-mesh  fabric  with  an 
elastic  hem  designed  to  make  it  fit  snugly 
on  all  types  of  car  doors.  It  will  not  inter- 
fere in  any  way  with  in-car  speakers,  it  is 
stated,  and  takes  only  a few  seconds  to  be 
installed  and  removed.  The  nets  are  pack- 
aged in  sets  of  two. 

The  manufacturer  reports  that  the  nets 
were  pre-tested  in  several  drive-ins  in  New 
Jersey,  where  it  was  found  that  more  than 
half  of  the  sales  were  made  to  patrons  who 
had  children  asleep  in  the  car. 

New  Frame  and  Screen 
for  16mm  Projection 


Pesky  Pests  Pilfer  Profit 

“SWINGFOGGING”  Gets  it  Back 


Protect  your  Drive-In  and  Concession  area 
against  mosquitos,  gnats,  eye-midges  and 
pests  that  cause  patron  discomfort  and 
reduced  receipts. 


Insure  patron  relaxation  and  profit 


protection- "SWINGFOG"  YOUR  DRIVE-IN. 


Know  More  About  "SWINGFOG"  Portable  Pest  Control  Units 


Swingfog  generates  7000  cu.  ft.  of  insect  killing, 
dry-fog  per  min.  . . . without  harm  to  humans. 
Quick-shot  of  dry-fog  application  under  dash 
safely  and  surely  protects  patrons  from  insects. 

Swingfog,  dry-fogs  or  sprays.  Spray  attach- 
ments permit  unit  to  be  used  in  controlling 
ragweed  and  other  noxious  weeds  with  herbi- 
cides. Swingfog  spraying  assures  clean  looking 
premises  and  helps  destroy  insects’  habitat. 


Swingfog  accomplishes  insect  control  over  15 
to  20  acres  within  30  minutes. 

Swingfog  is  an  engineered  mechanism,  all- 
steel  construction,  only  2 moving  parts,  mainte- 
nance negligible,  simple  to  operate.  New, 
quick,  self-starting  device  operated  by  specially 
designed,  long-life  dry  cell  battery  (S'/i"  h x 
2x/i”  w x ll/i"  d)  that  sets  into  built-in 
holder. 


The  Portable  Swingfog  Unit  guarantees  scientific  pest- 
control  for  Drive-Ins.  Swingfog  is  now  in  operation  in 
Drive-Ins  throughout  the  country.  Total  weight  25  lbs. 
Spare  parts  kit  included  with  each  unit.  $395  list. 


The  Trail  Drive-In,  Houston,  Texas,  is  just  one  of  the 
many  Drive-In  theatres  using  Swingfog  equipment  with 
amazingly  effective  results.  Jack  Farr,  mgr.,  has  been 
making  the  boxoffice  hum  by  giving  top  billing  to  Swing- 
fog in  Trail’s  newspaper  ads. 


Write  jor  Information — Sold  Direct  or  Thru  Your  Supply  Dealer 


SWINGFOG  DISTRIBUTORS— c o The  FOG-AIR  Company 

415  LEXINGTON  AVENUE,  NEW  YORK  17,  N.  Y.  • MUrray  Hill  7-14S8 


a new  screen  frame  of 
tubular  steel  especially  designed  for  16mm. 
projection  has  been  announced  by  the  Tru- 
Roll  Corporation,  Glendale,  Calif.  At  the 
same  time  the  Bodde  Screen  Company, 
San  Fernando,  Calif.,  revealed  that  it  is 
manufacturing  a new  screen  for  use  with 
semi-portable  16mm  frames. 

The  screen  frame  is  made  in  four  stand- 
ard sizes:  8 feet,  6 inches  by  19  feet;  7 feet, 
6 inches  by  18  feet;  6 feet,  6 inches  by 
17  feet  and  9 by  12  feet.  It  is  made  of 
2 by  2-inch  tubular  steel  and  can  be  dis- 
mantled or  assembled  within  15  or  20  min- 
utes, according  to  Jack  Grosh,  president  of 


You’re  on  the  way  to 


A FULL  MOUSE 

when  you  install  Gaumont-Kalee  seating. 

You’ll  find  its  luxurious  comfort  is 
an  invitation  to  come  again. 


Rank  Precision  Industries  Ltd.  provide  EVERYTHING 
for  cinemas,  film  laboratories  and  studios. 

Rank  Precision  Industries  Ltd.. 

Gaumont-Kalee  Division, 

37-41  Mortimer  Street,  London  W.i  England 
Cables:  “RANKALEE  LONDON” 


The  leading  European  manufacturers  and  exporters  of  everythin'  for  the  Motion  Picture  Industry 


BETTER  THEATRES  SECTION 


27 


Booklet  on  Planning  and 
Equipping  a Drive-In  Theatre 

A NEW  booklet  with  16  pages 
describing  methods  of  building 
a drive-in  theatre,  covering  all 
major  aspects  from  selecting 
the  site  through  choosing 
equipment,  has  been  published 
by  National  Theatre  Supply. 
The  booklet,  which  is  called 
“Let’s  Build  a Drive-In,”  in- 
cludes many  explanatory  dia- 
grams, typical  drive-in  layouts 
and  various  statistics.  It  is 
available  free  of  charge  to 
drive-in  exhibitors. 

Some  of  the  aspects  of  drive-in  planning  covered  in  the  16-page 
booklet  are  as  follows:  pitfalls  to  avoid  in  site  selection,  pre-determin- 
ing the  proper  car  capacity,  design  of  entrance  and  exit  roadway  system, 
comparison  of  single  ramp  and  double  ramp  layouts,  proper  car  spacing 
and  speaker  locations,  surfacing  materials  and  drainage  allowances, 
calculating  the  size  and  angle  of  the  screen  tower  with  regard  to 
projection  room  location,  landscaping  and  fencing,  selection  of  attrac- 
tion boards,  location  and  design  of  the  box-office,  layout  suggestions  for 
concessions,  location  of  playground  facilities  and  location  and  opera- 
tion of  projection  rooms. 

Information  for  the  book  was  obtained  from  field  experience  of 
National  Theatre  Supply  representatives  in  its  many  branches  through-  , 
out  the  country  who  have  helped  plan  and  equip  drive-ins  since  1937. 
It  is  pointed  out  that  drive-in  owners  will  find  that  the  guide  provides 
a handy  checklist  of  the  latest  innovations  in  drive-in  design  which  they 
can  use  to  evaluate  the  efficiency  of  their  own  theatres. 

In  the  section  devoted  to  selection  of  the  site  it  is  stated  that  “raising 
the  surface  area  of  a 600-car  drive-in  just  1 inch  requires  1,000  cubic 
yards  of  additional  fill.”  A general  guide  for  calculating  the  acreage 
required  for  various  car  capacities  shows  that  “it  takes  about  10  acres 
of  ramp  area  for  450  cars  while  only  half  again  as  much  acreage  is 
needed  to  handle  twice  as  many  cars.”  In  working  out  the  length 
of  an  entrance  roadway  it  is  suggested  that  an  entrance  road  equal  to 
30%  of  the  drive-in’s  car  capacity  should  be  allowed.  A layout  for 
providing  this  “storage  area”  is  illustrated  in  the  book. 

In  a section  on  mapping  out  the  viewing  area,  it  is  recommended  that 
the  maximum  angle  fanning  out  from  the  screen  tower  should  not 
exceed  80  degrees.  Ramps,  it  is  stated,  should  be  spaced  at  least  40 
feet  apart,  and  there  should  be  20  feet  between  speakers.  The  reasons 
for  these  distances  are  discussed  fully  in  the  book. 

Included  also  is  a general  guide  for  approximating  the  size  of  the 
screen  tower  for  car  capacities  from  200  to  over  1200.  For  the  200-to 
350-car  drive-in  a picture  size  of  75  by  32  feet  is  suggested.  For  over 
1200  cars,  it  should  be  141  by  60  feet,  according  to  the  book. 

In  a section  on  concessions  it  is  pointed  out  that  since  these  sales 
account  for  40%  or  more  of  the  total  gross  income  of  most  drive-ins 
planning  of  the  refreshment  operation  is  most  important.  Studies  have 
shown,  it  is  declared,  that  cafeteria-style  concessions  gross  from  20% 
to  25%  more  than  station  types.  The  reasons  for  this  are  explored  in 
the  book,  and  ratios  of  concession  areas  to  drive-in  capacities  are  also 
provided. 

Copies  of  “Let’s  Build  a Drive-In”  may  be  secured  by  writing  to 
local  branches  of  National  Theatre  Supply  or  to  the  main  office  at  92 
Gold  Street,  New  York  38,  N.  Y. 


28 


ITu-Roll.  The  frame  can  be  ordered  with 
or  without  casters  and  either  flat  or  curved. 
It  has  special  lacing  hooks  and  when  dis- 
mantled comes  in  a package  approximately 
12  by  12  inches  by  the  width  of  the  frame. 

The  new  Bodde  screen  is  constructed 
with  the  same  features  as  those  in  the  com- 


pany’s “Premium”  line  for  35mm.  projec- 
tion, according  to  B.  M.  Bodde,  vice-presi- 
dent and  general  manager  of  Bodde.  The 
screen  is  seamless  and  washable,  he  said, 
and  the  surface  is  “impregnated  throughout 
the  thickness  of  the  material  and  will  not 
flake  off.” 

Wesfrex  Sound  Systems 
for  Small-Size  Theatres 

a line  of  sound  systems 
designed  especially  for  theatres  of  small 
capacity,  called  the  “Westrex  Economy 
System,”  has  been  announced  by  the 
Westrex  Corporation.  This  is  the  third  of 
the  company’s  new  lines  of  sound  equip- 
ment for  1956;  the  ones  designed  for 
large  theatres  wTere  described  in  Better 
Theatres  for  March  1956;  those  for 
medium-sized  theatres,  in  the  issue  of  April. 

As  with  the  previously  announced  lines, 
the  company  states  that  the  Westrex 


The  Westrex  Economy  sound  system's  26  type  30- 
watt  power  amplifier  with  its  associated  24B  pre- 
amplifier. 

Economy  single-channel  sound  system  is 
“less  costly  than  1955  equipment.”  In  ad- 
dition it  is  said  the  equipment  is  easier  and 
quicker  to  install  and  maintain  than  that 
available  before. 

The  Westrex  Economy  sound  systems 
are  composed  of  the  following  main  units: 
The  Westrex  Rll  optical  reproducer 

MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  MAY  12,  1956 


which  features  silent  chain  drives  and  oilite 
and  ball  bearings.  This  unit’s  rotary  film 
drum  is  precision  mounted  and  is  equipped 
with  turret-mounted  dual  exciter  lamps. 

The  Westrex  Economy  45A  single  chan- 
nel transmission  cabinet,  which  may  be 
wall  or  table  mounted.  This  cabinet  con- 


Loudspeaker  assembly  (14  type)  in  the  Westrex 
Economy  sound  system  line.  It  features  the  Westrex 
71 3B  high-frequency  units  with  its  associated  multi- 
cellular horn.  The  15-inch  low-frequency  unit  is 
acoustically  matched  to  its  front-loaded  horn. 


i-  YOUR  DRIVE-IN  PATRONS  DESERVE  ~i 
COMFORT  CONSIDERATION 

a n Lipwr 


Mi 


I rr 


MAKE  THE  CAR-NET  AVAILABLE 

TO  THEM  FOR  POSITIVE  PROTECTION  FROM  INSECTS 


and  — profit 

2 WAYS 


] ...  At  the  boxoffice — because  com- 
fortable patrons  stay  and  return.  One 
Drive-In  in  New  Jersey  had  an  average 
of  10%  return  receipts  nightly  before 
“Car-Net”.  Since  selling  “Car-Net”  the 
returns  dropped  to  less  than  1%  average. 

2 . . . “Car-Net”  is  not  a giveaway  item 
. . . it’s  sold!  Additional  profit  is  rea- 
lized from  fast-selling  “Car-Net” — the 
product  that  gives  true  protection  from 
mosquitoes,  flies  and  other  insects.  Pa- 
trons with  children  are  the  best  cus- 
tomers. They  know  the  fool-proof  value 
of  “Car-Net”. 

$32,000  SOLD  IN 
JUST  ONE  DRIVE-IN 

In  one  season  “Car-Net”  sales  in  a 
N.  J.  Drive-In  totalled  32,000.  In  East- 
ern States  over  64,000  Drive-In  patrons 
bought  “Car-Net”.  That’s  proof  positive 
of  “Car-Net”  acceptance. 

"CAR-NET"  SELLS  WELL  INSIDE 
ENTRANCE  OR  AT  CONCESSION 

I Set  (2  Car-Nets)  sell  to  your 
patron  tor  $1 .00 


CAR-NET"  IS  . . . 


an  especially  designed  Drive-In  product.  Fits  all  car  doors. 
Made  of  high-quality,  close-mesh  netting  with  elastic  hem  to 
insure  a snug  protective  fit.  Two  nets  in  each  package.  Does 
not  interfere  with  speaker.  Easily  put  on  and  quickly  removed. 
Fits  into  glove  compartment  for  re-use.  There’s  no  product 
like  it.  . . . “Car-Net”  keeps  insects  out — let’s  fresh  air  in  I 


SPECIAL  OFFER 

Mosquitoes  and  insects  can’t  be  talked  out  of  pestering  your 
patrons.  Face  it!  We  know  ($64,000  worth)  that  your  customers 
buy  “Car- Net’’  . . . why  don’t  you?  Now!  Special  Offer  . . . 

I sample  set.  post  paid.  $1.00.  Try  it  on  your  car  . . . don’t 
like  it  . . . money  back  or  price  of  sample  deducted  from  1st 
order  . . . V2  gross  minimum  trial  order. 


SOLD  DIRECT  . . . FOR  QUANTITY  AND  DISCOUNT  INFORMATION  WRITE 

J.  TIBBATTS  CO.,  1712  NEW  YORK  AVE.,  UNION  CITY,  N.  J 


tains  the  Westrex  26  type  30  watt  power 
amplifier  and  associated  24B  pre-amplifier. 
An  additional  emergency  transmission  ca- 
binet is  available  if  desired. 

Westrex  Economy  26  type  30  watt 
power  amplifier,  which,  with  its  new  cir- 
cuits and  specially  wound  coils,  is  designed 
to  deliver  more  output  with  less  distor- 
tion and  less  current  with  standard  vacuum 
tubes  than  with  previous  30  watt  amplifiers. 
Tubes  used  in  this  amplifier  are  obtainable 
from  ordinary  commercial  sources,  it  is 
pointed  out. 

The  Westrex  Economy  14  type  loud- 
speaker assembly.  This  system  features  the 
Westrex  713B  high  frequency  unit  with 
its  associated  multi-cellular  horn.  The 
N800D  nework  effectively  divides  the  high 
and  low  frequencies.  The  15  inch  low 
frequency  unit  is  acoustically  matched  to 
its  front  loaded  horn  and  has  a 3 inch 
voice  coil  with  a powerful  magnetic  struc- 
ture. 

"SUPER-HILUX"  LENSES  SELECTED 

The  Stanley  Management  Corporation 
has  selected  “Super-Hilux”  projection 
lenses  for  installation  in  the  Wilterne 
theatre  in  Los  Angeles  and  the  Mastbaum 
in  Philadelphia.  The  lenses  are  manufac- 
tured by  the  Projection  Optics  Company, 
Rochester,  N.  Y. 


TICKET  BOXES 


PORTABLE 
TICKET  BOX 


Made  especially  for  DRIVE-IN- 
THEATRES. Made  of  sturdy 
2 piece  construction.  Comes 
equipped  with  key  and  lock. 
Furnished  in  a variety  of  crackle 
finishes. 

Shipping  weight  approximately 
6 lbs. 


The  Goldberg  Bros.  Ticket 
Box  features  the  disappear- 
ing schedule  holder  when  not 
needed.  Door  fastened  to 
body  by  body  hinge  and 
equipped  with  lock.  Finished 
with  a removable  white  fin- 
ished ticket  stub  container. 

Furnished  in  a variety  of 
crackle  finishes.  Base  and 
top  finished  in  black  crackle 
finish  or  top  can  be  furnished 
in  a satin  chromium  finish  at 
additional  cost. 

Shipping  weight  approximate- 
ly 40  lbs. 


Ticket  boxes  sold  through  theatre  supply  dealers  only. 

GOLDBERG  BROS 

DENVER,  COLORADO 


BETTER  THEATRES  SECTION 


29 


Still  Crowing  at 
Three  Score' n Ten 


Plans  for  expansion  mark  the  70th  Anniversary  of  the  American 
Seating  Company,  which  began  in  1886  with  the  modest  factory 
sketched  at  top  and  now  is  outgrowing  the  vast  plant  shown  above. 


w " o field  of  manufacturing 
not  created  by  the  motion  picture  has  had  so 
large  a share  in  its  history  as  that  of  audi- 
torium seating.  That  the  impact  of  one 
upon  the  other  should  be  what  it  became 
was  not  foretold  in  the  nickelodeons  which 
started  “moving  picture”  exhibition  on  its 
way.  For  them  were  sufficient  the  bare 
wooden  chairs  which  had  been  made  for 
assembly  halls  for  a long  time.  Not  for 
years  would  the  screen  play  aspire  to  thea- 
tres seated  with  the  “opera  chair”  made  for 
big  city  stage  theatres. 

With  theatres,  however,  to  match  the 
creative  and  technical  status  achieved  by 
the  screen  in  the  late  ’teens,  auditorium 
seating  became  an  allied  technique,  recog- 
nizing and  beginning  to  meet  new  demands 
of  comfort,  beauty,  safety  and  assembly, 
with  considerations  of  economy  imposed  by 
popular  patronage  in  every  size  of  town. 

On  hand  when  it  all  started,  the  Amer- 
ican Seating  Company  has  figured  prom- 


Yesterday  and  today  in  motion  picture  theatre 
seating — above,  an  American  installation  of  the 
early  I920's;  right,  New  York’s  Rivoli  as  reseated 
with  American  "Bodiform"  chairs  last  fall. 


inently  in  these  efforts  ever  since.  Under 
this  name,  its  career  indeed  parallels  that 
of  the  motion  picture.  But  having  been 
founded  as  the  Grand  Rapids  School  Furni- 
ture Company  in  1886,  it  this  year  is  cele- 
brating its  70th  Anniversary. 

The  first  factory  was  a small  three-story 
building  in  Grand  Rapids,  Mich.,  turning 
out  school  and  office  furniture.  The  young 
business  did  so  well  that  only  two  years 
later  a much  larger  plant  was  built,  with 
the  location  chosen  with  such  foresight  that 
the  property  accommodates  the  immense 
manufacturing  facilities  required  by  the 
business  today. 

In  the  first  years  of  this  century,  a series 
of  consolidation  and  mergers  in  the  school 
and  public  seating  field  brought  eighteen 
manufacturers,  widely  spread  geographi- 
cally, together  under  the  name  American 
Seating  Company.  This  organization  of- 


fered a complete  line  of  seating  for  schools, 
churches,  theatres  and  other  auditoriums, 
and  offices.  It  is  a leading  supplier  of 
products  in  all  of  these  classifications  today. 

With  the  erection  throughout  the  1 920’s 
of  large,  luxurious  motion  picture  theatres 
in  principal  cities,  and  smaller  imitations 
of  them  in  hundreds  of  lesser  towns,  the 
theatre  seating  division  of  the  company, 
expanding  phenomenally,  made  “American 
Seating”  a name  closely  identified  with  the 
standards  of  comfort  which  the  ambitious 
motion  picture  industry  was  establishing  as 
distinguishing  features  of  screen  theatres. 

In  the  1 930’s,  modern  design,  as  opposed 
to  traditional  ornamental  forms  and  em- 
bellishment, became  a dominant  influence 
and  theatre  chairs  were  subjected  to  the 
“streamlining”  demanded  by  the  new  style. 
But  changes  in  design  were  not  dictated 
by  the  new  mode  alone.  Posture  studies 


30 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  MAY  12,  1956 


and  research  in  engineering  sought  a theatre 
chair  that  was  better  functionally.  One  of 
the  results  of  these  new  concepts  was  the 
American  Seating  Company’s  “Bodiform” 
chair,  which  with  improvements  and  added 
models  since  is  still  featured  in  the  line. 

In  the  70  years  of  continuous  operation 
being  celebrated  this  year,  the  manufactur- 
ing plant  has  grown  from  that  little  three- 
story  building  to  one  covering  20  acres, 
providing  750,000  square  feet  of  floor  space, 
plus  over  a million  square  feet  of  ware- 
house space  to  cope  with  seasonal  demands. 
The  company  now  employs  more  than 
2,000  pepole  in  Grand  Rapids  alone,  and 
there  are  branches  and  distributors  in  even- 
principal  city  in  the  U.  S. 

But  even  that  growth  does  not  represent 
the  ultimate  spread  of  the  plant  seeded 
back  in  1886.  This  year  the  company  is 
adding  to  its  facilities  with  a building 
program  to  cost  a million  and  a half  dollars. 


Game  for  Novelty  Item 
At  Drive-In  Snack  Bars 

“Travel  Bixgo,”  a new 
game  by  the  A.  Trader  Publishing  Com- 
pany, Chicago,  has  been  announced  to  the 
drive-in  theatre  market  as  a novelty  item 
for  sale  at  refreshment  stands.  The  manu- 
facturer describes  the  game  as  one  “de- 
signed to  provide  pleasure  for  the  whole 
family  while  on  an  automobile  trip.” 

There  are  four  different  games  in 
“Travel  Bingo,”  designated  as  “traffic 
signs,”  “automobiles,”  “highway  trade- 
marks,” and  “billboards.”  Each  of  the  four 
games  can  be  played  in  three  different  ways 
by  one  person  or  as  many  as  four  people. 
As  the  various  signs  or  cars  come  into  view, 
each  player  marks  his  card  if  the  name  ap- 
pears on  it.  The  first  player  to  complete 
a line  of  marks  wins  the  game. 

Complete  instructions  for  playing  the 
game  are  included  with  each  set,  which  con- 
tains eight  plastic-coated  cards  for  scoring, 
four  crayons  and  a supply  of  tissues  to  wipe 
crayon  marks  from  the  cards  so  the  game 
may  be  replayed. 


SCREEN  LIGHT  GAIN 

( Continued  from  page  25) 

The  lenticular  screen  of  Curve  5,  be- 
cause of  its  greater  angle  of  coverage,  can 
produce  similar  brightness  ratios  in  the 
seating  space  traced  by  ABC. 

The  selection  of  a screen  for  any  given 
theatre  should  be  done  very  carefully.  The 
picture  is  best  lighted  for  most  of  the 
audience  when  the  curvature,  the  gain, 
and  the  brightness  distribution  characteris- 
tics of  the  screen  are  properly  designed  to 
fit  the  dimensions  (geometry)  of  audi- 
torium seating  areas. 


ONE  SOURCE 


plete 


PLANNING  EQUIPMENT  FINANCING 


From  blueprint  stage  on  . . . NATIONAL  carries  the 
load!  Whether  you  need  a new  wide-screen  tower  or  an 
enlargement  of  your  present  one ...  a new  projector  or 
a new  lens ...  a new  sound  system  or  new  car  speakers 
. . . new  concession  equipment  or  new  displays  — what- 
ever you  need,  whenever  you  need  it  — National  has 
all  the  Drive-In  equipment  you’re  looking  for  . . . 
plus  a convenient  finance  plan  to  fit  your  individual 
requirements! 

Don’t  delay!  Contact  your  National  man  today! 

NATIONAL  THEATRE  SUPPLY 

Branches  Coast-to-Coast 


Your  Guarantee 

OF  CONSISTENT  QUALITY 
AND  OUTSTANDING  SERVICE 


BETTER  THEATRES  SECTION 


31 


. . . there's  no  business  tike 
show  business  and  there 
are  no  ladders  like... 


Daylon 

safety  ladders 


approved  and  labeled  by 
Underwriters'  Laboratories 

Daytons  are  built  of  selected,  tested, 
kiln-dried  Sitka  Spruce.  Designed  to 
specifications  of  the  American  Standards 
Association  Safety  Code. 


DAYTON  Type-A  is  construct- 
ed of  tested  airplane  spruce, 
reinforced  with  rigid  steel 
supports  for  great  strength, 
lightness  of  weight.  Steel 
handrails  guard  large, 
roomy  platform  for  add- 
ed safety.  Can  be  set  up 
instantly.  Easy  to  carry, 
folds  compactly  for 
storing.  Automatic 
locking  feature  in- 
sures safety  while 
ladder  is  in  use. 

Standard  neoprene 
rubber  safety 
shoes  at  no  extra 
cost.  Sizes  3'  to 
12'  to  platform. 


DAYTON  Type-H,  an  ex- 
tremely rugged  type  lad- 
der, designed  and  built  to 
meet  the  demand  for  a 
platform  ladder  with  mill- 
wright (rung)  back  con- 
struction. Tool  shelf  on 
top.  Ladder  shoes 
standard  equipment. 
Folds  perfectly  flat  for 
easy  storage.  Features 
include  pinch-proof 
spreaders,  corrosion 
resistant  zinc  hard- 
ware, slip-proof 
treads.  Sizes  4'  to 
16'  to  platform. 


Dayton 


For  FREE 
literature 
write 
Dept.  O. 


safety 


ladder  eo. 


2339  Gilbert  Ave.,  Cincinnati,  Ohio 
In  Canada:  SAFETY  SUPPLY  CO.,  Toronto 


What  Hath  Jones  Wrought!  — 
An  OscilloSpectroPrismoScope! 

described  by 

• . . owner-manager  of  the  Northwood  theatre  in  Northwood,  la. 


AFTER  KEEPING  tab  for 
several  months,  I have  discovered  that  I 
average  over  eleven  hours  a week  read- 
ing weekly  and  daily  trade  papers.  Bor- 
rowing from  Shakespeare  and  para- 
phrasing Julius  Caesar , I might  say  of  my- 
self, “He  reads  too  much.  Such  men  are 
dangerous.”  Being  able  of  late  to  fill  the 
role  of  the  “lean  and  hungry”  Cassius 
without  rehearsing,  let  me  turn  the  x-ray 
inward  on  myself  and  we’ll  see  if  there  is 
danger  in  letting  such  a character  run  loose. 

The  prairies  are  probably  a stupid  place 
to  build  an  observatory.  Nevertheless,  I’ve 
been  using  my  spare  time,  (that  which  isn’t 
confined  to  helping  the  flatland  Indians 
skin  their  buffaloes)  in  building  a reverse 
action  observatory.  This  will  be  the  first 
(and,  let’s  hope,  the  only)  report  from  this 
scientific  seat. 

• 

I’ve  equipped  my  observatory  with  the 
world’s  only  polaroid  OscilloSpectroPris- 
moScope. (I’d  thought  of  shortening  that 
to  OSPS,  but  I was  afraid  it  might  be 
mistaken  for  some  Government  agency  and 
I’d  be  overrun  by  either  politicians  or  sub- 
sidy seekers,  or  both,  so  I’m  going  to  stick 
with  the  long  name  and  confuse  every- 
body.) 

Phis  gadget  allows  me  to  see  things  in 
reverse.  Not  only  do  I see  them  in  reverse, 
but  I see  them  de-magnifled  at  a ratio  of 
99.44/1  through  an  aperture  of  2.37/1. 
(I  figure  everyone  else  had  their  own  aper- 
ture ratio  and  I might  just  as  well  have 
mine.) 

As  you  may  have  guessed  from  the  Pola- 
roid part  of  the  name,  I see  things  in  every 
dimension  known  and  unknown  to  science. 
By  reversing  a knob  I can  view  them  upside 
down.  The  “Spectro”  part  of  the  thing 
allows  me  to  see  whatever  I’m  looking  at 
in  perfect  color — only  the  color  reverses. 
Blues  become  orange,  yellows  become 
greens,  blacks  become  blues,  etc.  The  only 
color  that  remains  constant  is  red.  I proved 
this  recently  by  looking  through  the  tube 
at  my  last  six  months’  books. 

The  “Prismo”  part  of  the  great  glass  is 
a home-made  invention  worked  out  by  my 
projectionist,  an  obscure  genius.  This  al- 


lows you  to  look  at  things  and  see  some- 
thing that  isn  t.  Do  you  follow  me? 

Well,  let’s  say  you  look  at  a cow  and 
it  will  look  like  a bull.  Look  at  a squirrel 
and  it  will  be  a rabbit.  Look  at  a star  and 
it  turns  into  a character  actor.  At  first  I 
didn  t know  how  I’d  make  use  of  this  part 
of  the  invention,  but  I’ve  discovered  it 
adds  greatly  to  the  value  of  the  instrument 
and  also  to  the  definite  advantage  of  the 
viewer. 

The  “Scope”  part  of  the  machine  is — 
well,  everyone  in  the  industry  knows  what 
“Scope”  is.  Maybe  none  of  us  can  define 
it,  but  we  throw  it  in.  It’s  a new  adjective, 
at  least  we  use  it  as  such,  and  besides, 
hardly  anyone  else  knows  what  it  means 
either ! 

Now  that  you  know  what  I have,  let 
me  tell  you  what  it’s  done  for  me.  I’ve 
been  reading  my  trade  papers  through  it. 
I figure  I’m  so  far  removed  from  home 
offices,  production  origins,  policy  meetings, 
branch  offices  and  the  like  that  I might  as 
well  make  a machine  that  can  view  my  in- 
dustry with  the  unbiased  eye  of  science 
through  my  OSPS.  I can  bring  into  focus 
like  the  great  astronomers  focus  on  Mars 
and  then,  like  they  do,  theorize  the  rest. 
Since  I completed  the  observatory  I’m 
known  around  Worth  County  as  the  Peep- 
ing Tom  of  Ramolap — which  to  those  of 
you  who  are  in  a hurry  to  finish  this,  is 
Palomar  spelled  backwards. 

The  first  time  I used  my  “looking  glass” 
on  our  industry  I saw  a beautiful  picture 
of  tranquility,  charm,  grace  and  content- 
ment, a veritable  pastoral  of  compassion, 
harmony  of  color  and  balance.  Transposing 
the  reading  into  reality  and  deciphering 
with  my  sliding  scale  rule,  which  I didn’t 
invent),  the  result  which  came  out  on  my 
graph  paper  was  a picture  of  three  wolves, 
each  devouring  another. 

As  I said,  the  picture  I got;  the  rest  I 
theorized.  I could  see  why  that  one  wolf 
was  trying  to  eat  that  other  one  up.  After 
all,  wolf  No.  1 had  sold  his  hide  to  TV 
and  that  made  wolf  No.  2 mad  because  he 
had  been  suckling  from  No.  1 for  40  years. 

( Continued  on  page  51) 


32 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  MAY  12,  1956 


A CATALOG  OF  THEATRE  EQUIPMENT,  FURNISHINGS,  SUPPLIES,  ARCHITECTURAL 
MATERIALS  . . . LISTING  MANUFACTURERS  ACCORDING  TO  CLASSES  OF  PRODUCT 

[For  refreshment  service  products,  see  BUYERS  INDEX  of  BETTER  REFRESHMENT  MERCHANDISING  preceding  Better  Theatres ] 


AIR-CONDITIONING  AND 
VENTILATINC  EQUIPMENT 


assurance  of  clean, 
comfortable  atmospheric  conditions  in  a 
theatre  usually  requires  some  means  at 
least  of  cooling  the  auditorium  during  the  warm 
months. 

In  regions  of  little  hot  weather,  and  particu- 
larly of  low  relative  humidity,  simple  ventila- 
tion— filter-equipped  intake  and  one  or  more 
blowers  of  liberal  capacity  at  the  screen  end 
of  the  auditorium,  also  an  exhaust  vent  and  fan 
at  the  opposite  end — may  be  adequate. 

Due  to  the  amount  of  heat  and  moisture  in- 
troduced into  the  air  by  people  seated  close 
together  in  an  enclosure  for  two  or  three  hours, 
theatres  generally  need  cooling  facilities  (which 
are  commonly  what  is  meant  by  the  term  air- 
conditioning,  although  that  term  properly  sig- 
nifies positive  control  of  sensible  heat,  relative 
humidity  and  air  motion). 

Comfort-cooling  can  be  supplied  by  (1)  built- 
up  plants  consisting  of  one  or  more  compressors 
and  in  coils  for  transfer  of  heat  in  the  air  to 
water  or  refrigerant  (direct  expansion,  which 
method  is  not  permitted  in  some  cities)  ; (2)  a 
similar  central  plant  but  consisting  in  one  or 
more  unit  conditioners;  (3)  unit  conditioners 
installed  for  direct  space  cooling ; and  (4)  air 
washers  (evaporative  cooling). 

Unit-conditioners  are  designed  to  provide  all 
of  the  essentials  of  a complete  cooling  plant, 
including  an  evaporative  condenser,  with  coils 
for  heating  if  desired.  In  their  smaller  sizes 
(generally  from  5 to  10  tons),  they  can  be  in- 
stalled within  room  zones  to  be  cooled  (space 
cooling),  thus  conditioning  air  supplied  through 
a simple  ventilation  system.  Unit  condition- 
ers are  available  in  various  capacities  from  3 to 
75  tons  (3,  5,  7 y2,  10,  15,  20,  30,  etc.).  For 
central  plants,  they  can  be  had  for  ceiling  as 
well  as  floor  mounting. 

Engineers  generally  regard  built-up  plants 
more  desirable  from  100  tons  up. 

Either  unit  or  built-up  plants  can  be  ar- 
ranged for  use  of  two  or  more  compressors 
together  or  separately  so  as  to  provide  for 
variation  in  load  requirements.  Such  flexibility 
may  also  be  adapted  to  cooling  (also  heating) 
of  a theatre  by  divisions,  or  zones  (as  main  sec- 
tion of  auditorium,  in  or  under  balcony,  lounge- 
foyer-lobby  area,  etc.) 

Evaporative  cooling  is  commonly  regarded 
as  being  adapted  to  regions  where  relative 


humidity  is  seldom  higher  than  12%.  That  fac- 
tor is  minimized,  however,  by  designers  of 
some  types  of  evaporative  cooling  equipment  on 
the  market. 

Such  equipment  is  not  to  be  confused  with 
evaporative  condensers,  which  are  devices  for 
cooling  the  refrigerant  of  mechanical  cooling 
plants.  They  reduce  water  consumption  for 
this  purpose  (estimated  at  95%).  For  some 
installations,  a cooling  tower  may  prove  cheaper. 
Some  water-saving  device  is  required  in  a 
growing  number  of  localities. 

Since  a large  audience  even  in  winter  can 
raise  relative  humidity  above  the  comfort  level, 
it  is  well  to  integrate  heating  and  cooling, 
preferably  under  automatic  control. 

AIR  DISTRIBUTION 

Blowers:  Fans  usually  preferable  for  the  ven- 
tilation of  theatres  are  of  multi-blade  (“squirrel 
cage”)  type.  They  range  in  air  volume  capacity 
from  those  adapted  to  simple  ductless)  ventila- 
tion systems,  to  large  sizes  capable  of  overcom- 
ing the  resistance  of  extensive  duct  systems.  As 
a rule,  a simple  ventilation  system  should  in- 
clude an  exhaust  faiu 

Diffusers:  To  assure  uniform  distribution  of 
conditioned  air  to  each  zone  of  the  auditorium 
and  other  areas  of  the  theatre,  without  an  effect 
of  draft,  outlets  for  duct  systems  should  be  of 
“aspirating”  type,  which  mixes  the  conditioned 
air  with  the  room  air  before  it  reaches  the 
breathing  zone.  Such  diffusers  are  available  in 
circular  flush-set  or  projecting  ceiling  types, 
flush  wall  types,  and  rectangular  ceiling  types 
(the  latter  are  indicated  particularly  for  inte- 
gration with  ceiling  tiles).  Each  has  readily 
adjustable  dampers. 

For  concealment  of  outlets  that  are  merely 
dampered  openings  in  ducts  or  in  walls,  con- 
cealing dampers  or  blowers,  ornamental  grilles 


PRODUCT  NEWS  ....  Page  26 

The  department  "About  Products" 
on  general  equipment  and  supplies 
is  on  page  26. 

DEALERS Page  52 

Dealers  in  the  United  States  are 
listed  following  Buyers  Index. 

ADVERTISERS  INDEX  . . . Page  35 


are  available  in  various  stock  sizes  and  also 
built  to  specifications  in  bronze,  stainless  steel. 

aluminum  or  other  metals,  with  finish  to  match 
other  metal  fittings  or  the  decorative  scheme 
of  the  room. 


AIR  CLEANSING 

Whether  the  theatre  is  air-conditioned  or  has 
only  a simple  ventilating  system,  the  incoming 
air  should  pass  through  efficient  filters  to  re- 
move as  much  dust  and  pollen  as  possible. 
Throw-away  type  filters  are  discarded  when 
dirty ; permanent  type,  of  which  there  are  many 
kinds,  are  occasionally  washed.  One  type  is 
treated  also  for  elimination  of  odor  from  out- 
side air. 

Equipment  for  cleaning  air  of  unpleasant 
odors  and  of  bacteria  responsible  for  many 
air-borne  diseases  is  available  in  electrical  and 
chemical  types. 

CONTROL  EQUIPMENT 

An  air-conditioning  system  can  be  designed 
for  the  simplest  manual  control  or  for  automatic 
operation  embracing  a complex  system  of  damp- 
ers and  switches,  safety  valves,  etc.,  all  respond- 
ing, in  fixed  relation  to  each  other,  to  changes 
in  temperature  and  moisture. 

AIR  WASHERS 

Air  Devices,  Inc.,  185  Madison  Avenue,  New  York  16, 
N.  Y. 

American  Blower  Corporation,  8111  Tireman  Avenue, 
Detroit  32,  Mich. 

United  States  Air  Conditioning  Corporation.  3310 
Como  Avenue,  S.E.,  Minneapolis,  Minn. 


BLOWERS  AND  FANS 

American  Blower  Corporation,  8111  Tireman  Avenue. 
Detroit  32.  Mich. 

Ug  Electric  Ventilating  Company,  2850  N.  Crawford 
Avenue.  Chicago.  111. 

United  States  Air  Conditioning  Corporation,  3310 
Como  Avenue,  S.E.,  Minneapolis,  Minn. 
Westinghouse  Electric  Corporation,  Sturtevant  Divi- 
sion, Hyde  Park.  Boston.  Mass. 

COILS 

McQuay,  Inc.,  1600  Broadway,  N.  E.,  Minneapolis, 
Minn. 


CONDITIONERS,  UNIT  (5 -tons  up) 

Airtemp  Division,  Chrysler  Corporation,  P.  O.  Box 
1037,  Dayton  1,  Ohio. 

Alton  Manufacturing  Company,  1112  Ross  Avenue, 
Dallas,  Tex. 


BETTER  THEATRES  SECTION 


33 


Buensod- Stacey  Air-Conditioning,  Inc.,  60  E.  42nd 
Street,  New  York  City  (integrated  dry  and  wet  bulb 
reader). 

Curtis  Manufacturing  Company,  1905  Kienlen  Street, 
St.  Louis  20,  Mo. 

Carrier  Corporation,  Syracuse,  N.  Y. 

Frigidaire  Division,  General  Motors  Sales  Corp.,  300 
Taylor  St.,  Dayton  1,  Ohio. 

General  Electric  Company,  5 Lawrence  Street,  Bloom- 
field. N.  J. 

Governair  Corporation,  605  West  Main  Street,  Okla- 
homa City,  Okla. 

Typhoon  Air  Conditioning  Co.,  Inc.,  505  Carroll  Street, 
Brooklyn,  N.  Y. 

United  States  Air  Conditioning  Corporation,  3310 
Compo  Avenue,  S.  E.  Minneapolis,  Minn. 

York  Corporation,  Roosevelt  Avenue,  York,  Pa. 

Westinghouse  Electric  Corporation,  Sturtevant  Divi- 
sion, Hyde  Park,  Boston  36,  Mass. 

CONTROLS  & INSTRUMENTS 

The  Brown  Instrument  Company,  Philadelphia,  Pa. 

Buensod-Stacey  Air  Conditioning,  Inc.,  60  E.  42nd 
Street,  New  York  City  (integrated  dry  and  wet  bulb 
reader). 

Minneapolis  - Honeywell  Regulator  Company,  2822 
Fourth  Avenue,  S.,  Minneapolis,  Minn. 

Monitor  Controller  Company,  51  S.  Gay  Street,  Balti- 
more. Md. 


FILTERS 

American  Air  Filter  Company,  First  and  Central 
Avenues,  Louisville  8,  Ky. 

O wens-Corning  Fiberglas  Corporation,  Ohio  Building, 
Toledo.  Ohio. 

Research  Products  Corporation,  1015  East  Washington 
Street.  Madison  3,  Wis.  (line  includes  odor-elimina- 
tion filters). 

Trion,  Inc.,  McKees  Rock,  Pa. 

Universal  Air  Filter  Company,  Duluth.  Minn. 


GRILLES  AND  DIFFUSERS 

Air  Devices,  Inc.,  185  Madison  Avenue,  New  York  16, 
N.  Y. 

Anemostat  Corp.  of  America,  10  E.  39th  Street,  New 
York  City. 

Barber- Colman  Company,  Rockford,  111. 

W.  B.  Connor  Engineering  Corporation,  114  East  32nd 
Street,  New  York  16,  N.  Y. 

Multi-Vent  Division,  The  Pyle-National  Company, 
1334  North  Kester  Avenue,  Chicago,  111. 

Tuttle  & Bailey.  New  Britain,  Conn.  — 


REFRIGERATION  MACHINES 

Airtemp  Division,  Chrysler  Corporation,  P.  O.  Box 
1037,  Dayton  1,  Ohio. 

American  Blower  Corporation,  8111  Tireman  Avenue, 
Detroit  32,  Mich. 

Carrier  Corporation,  Syracuse,  N.  Y. 

Curtis  Manufacturing  Company,  1905  Kienlen  Avenue, 
St.  Louis,  Mo. 

Frigidaire  Division,  General  Motors  Sales  Corporation, 
300  Taylor  Street,  Dayton,  Ohio. 

General  Electric  Company,  5 Lawrence  Street,  Bloom- 
field, N.  J. 

General  Refrigeration  Corporation,  Shirland  Avenue, 
Beloit,  Wis. 

Governair  Corporation,  605  West  Main  Street,  Okla- 
homa City  1.  Okla. 

Typhoon  Air  Conditioning  Co.,  Inc.,  505  Carroll  Street, 
Brooklyn.  N.  Y. 

United  States  Air  Conditioning  Corporation,  3310 
Come  Avenue,  S.E.,  Minneapolis,  Minn. 

York  Corporation.  Roosevelt  Avenue,  York,  Pa. 

Westinghouse  Electric  Corporation,  Sturtevant  Divi- 
sion, Hyde  Park,  Boston  36,  Mass. 

Worthington  Pump  & Machinery  Corporation,  Harri- 
son, N.  J. 

• 

AMPLIFIERS  AND 
AMPLIFYING  TUBES 

amplifiers  for  theatre 
motion  picture  sound  systems  consist  in 

pre-amplifiers,  power  amplifiers,  and  moni- 


tor amplifiers,  with  requirements  varying 
according  to  auditorium  dimensions  (including 
presence  or  absence  of  balcony  seating),  to 
number  of  speaker  channels,  and  to  whether  the 
sound  signal  is  optical  or  magnetic. 

Output  per  channel  ranges  from  15  watts  to 
medium-size  auditoriums.  Minimum  limita- 
tions for  amplifier  wattage  relative  to  seating 
capacity  have  been  established  by  the  Motion 
Picture  Research  Council  of  the  American  in- 
dustry. Leading  manufacturers  of  sound  equip- 
ment follow  these  standards  in  their  installa- 
tion specifications. 

In  addition  to  speaker  power,  modern  sound 

system  power  amplifiers  for  optical  (single) 
track  reproduction  (usually  in  a cabinet  with 
control  panel  and  possibly  also  including  provi- 
sions for  record  player  and  radio  input)  typi- 
cally supply  polarizing  voltage  to  photocells 
and  also  filament  and  plate  current  to  pre- 
amplifiers (possibly  additionally  to  monitor 
amplifier). 

Magnetic  recordings  require  amplification 
equipment  of  different  characteristics.  The  rela- 
tively weak  magnetic  signal  is  a factor.  Pre- 
amplifiers are  powered  separately  with  d.  c.  fil- 
ament current  and  carefully  regulated  plate 
voltage  from  a power  pack.  Regardless  of  the 
number  of  channels,  a switching  arrangement 
can  be  provided  for  transfer  from  magnetic  to 
optical  pickup,  and  vice  versa. 

Multiple-track  (“stereophonic”)  sound  re- 
quires at  least  three  channels  of  amplification 
(for  screen  speakers).  These  tracks,  always 
magnetic  according  to  present  practice,  may  be 
augmented  by  one  or  more  additional  tracks  for 
auditorium  “effects”  speakers,  and/or  volume 
control,  and/or  switching  in  certain  supple- 
mentary speakers.  An  “effects”  track  requires 
a fourth  system  of  amplification.  With  multi- 
ple-channel installations,  a monitor  that  can  be 
tapped  into  any  one  channel  is  supplied  by  its 
own  amplifier. 

Supplementary  amplifiers  may  be  required 
for  “cry-room”  speakers,  group  hearing  aids, 
separate  public  address  system,  etc. 

For  drive-in  sound  systems  with  in-car 
speakers,  amplification  may  be  built  up  to 
required  output  by  the  addition  of  main  ampli- 
fiers or  booster  units  according  to  the  number 
of  speakers,  with  arrangement  for  switching 
certain  ramps  in  or  out.  There  are  integrated 
systems  of  this  kind  designed  especially  for 
drive-ins. 

For  reproduction  of  multiple-track  (screen 
speaker  signal)  magnetic  sound  by  a single 
screen  horn  system  (as  used  for  standard  opti- 
cal sound),  special  amplification  equipment  is 
available,  incorporating  a “mixer”  to  combine 
the  signals  of  all  tracks.  Such  an  “adapter” 
can  be  obtained  with  a button-on  type  magnetic 
pickup  ( see  Soundheads') . 

AMPLIFIERS 

ALTEC-LANSING  CORPORATION,  9356  Santa 
Monica  Boulevard,  Beverly  Hills,  Calif. 

Ampex  Corporation,  934  Charter  Street,  Redwood  City, 
Calif. 

Amplifier  Company  of  America,  398  Broadway,  New 
York  13.  N.  Y. 

THE  BALLANTYNE  COMPANY,  1712  Jackson 
Street,  Omaha,  Neb. 

BLUE  SEAL  DEVICES,  P.  O.  Box  1008,  New 
Canaan,  Conn.  See  page  23. 

CENTURY  PROJECTOR  CORPORATION,  729  Sev- 
enth Avenue,  New  York  City. 


The  F & Y Building  Service  is  the  outstanding 
agency  in  Theatre  Design  and  Construction  in 
Ohio  and  surrounding  territory. 

THE  F & Y BUILDING  SERVICE 

319  East  Town  Street  Columbus  15,  Ohio 

“ The  Buildings  We  Build  Build  Our  Business ” 


INTERNATIONAL  PROJECTOR  CORPORATION, 
55  LaFrance  Avenue,  Bloomfield,  N.  J. 

MOTIOGRAPH,  INC.,  4431  West  Lake  Street,  Chi- 
cago, 111. 

PAROMEL  ELECTRONICS  CORP.,  3956  West  Bel- 
mont Avenue,  Chicago,  111. 

RADIO  CORPORATION  OF  AMERICA,  Engineering 
Products  Department,  Camden,  N.  J. 

WENZEL  PROJECTOR  CORPORATION,  2505-19 
South  State  Street.  Chicago  16,  I1L 

WESTREX  CORPORATION,  111  Eighth  Avenue, 
New  York  11,  N.  Y.  (except  in  U.  S.  and  Canada). 


AMPLIFYING  TUBES 

Continental  Electric  Company,  715  Hamilton  Street, 
Geneva,  111. 

General  Electric  Company,  1 River  Road,  Schenectady, 

N.  Y. 

Gordos  Corporation,  250  Glenwood  Avenue,  Bloomfield, 

N.  J. 

RADIO  CORPORATION  OF  AMERICA,  Engineering 
Products  Department,  Camden,  N.  J. 

Radiant  Lamp  Corporation,  700  Jeliff  Avenue,  New- 
ark, N.  J. 

Raytheon  Manufacturing  Company,  Foundry  Avenue, 
Waltham,  Mass. 

Sylvania  Electric  Products,  Inc.,  1740  Broadway,  New 
York  City. 

Westinghouse  Electric  Corporation,  Bloomfield,  N.  J. 

Western  Electric  Company,  195  Broadway,  New  York 
City. 


ANCHORS  FOR  CHAIRS 

expansion  bolts  suited 
to  anchoring  chairs  in  concrete  flooring 
are  available  with  metal  jacket.  A leading 
make  of  metal  anchor  consists  of  an  especially 
long  tapered  fin  head  bolt,  conical  cup,  lead 
sleeve,  washer  and  hexagon  nut. 

Chicago  Expansion  Bolt  Company,  1338  West  Concord 
Place,  Chicago,  ILL 

Fen&in  Seating  Company,  1139  South  Wabash  Ave.. 
Chicago,  IU. 


ARCHITECTURAL  MATERIALS 
AND  THEATRE  DESIGN  SERVICE 

[See  also  Fabrics  and  Wallpapers ] 

the  number  of  archi- 
tectural materials  especially  applicable  to 
the  facing  of  the  fronts  and  finishing  of 
the  interiors  of  theatres  has  been  greatly  aug- 
mented by  modern  industrial  science.  Following 
is  an  indication  of  the  variety  of  these  ma- 
terials for  various  purposes : 

Laminated  (built-up)  tiles  and  sheets  with 
permanent  baked  plastic  finish  provide  wall 
finishes  in  solid  color,  in  patterns  and  natural 
woods  with  the  practical  advantage  of  re- 
sistance to  scratching  and  repeated  washing 
Such  plastic-finished  wallboards  are  obtainable 
with  either  semi-gloss  or  high-gloss  surface; 
the  latter  is  especially  suited  to  refreshment 
stand  counters. 

Wood  veneering  (plywood)  now  makes  the 
choicest  grain  available  for  woodwork  finishes 
of  relatively  moderate  cost. 

Architectural  glass,  which  has  many  interior 
applications,  is  notably  successful  as  a means 
of  giving  the  theatre  front  rich  color  without 
gaudiness.  Glass  blocks  are  excellent  for  ex- 
terior panels  (translucent  window  effect,  etc.), 
interior  partitions,  illuminated  standee  rails, 
and  so  on.  Mirrors  may  be  considered  architec- 
tural materials,  too,  when  used  in  floor-to- 
ceiling  panels. 

Some  of  the  natural  beauty  of  terra  cotta 
has  been  imparted  to  the  best  grades  of  porce- 
lain enamel  finishing  of  metallic  forms  designed 
for  exterior  facing ; these  are  obtainable  in 
shapes  which,  when  assembled,  give  a rib  pat- 
tern, and  in  a variety  of  colors  with  either 
glossy  or  dull  finish.  Aluminum  and  steel  mem- 
bers are  available  to  facilitate  erection  of  fronts 
employing  such  porcelain  enamel  facing  or 
structurally  comparable  materials. 

Modern  glass  products  include  dear-vision 
doors  which  allow  a charming  interior  to  be 
visible  from  the  street.  For  colorful  doors 
of  solid  shade  or  designed  in  a multicolored 
pattern  the  laminated  plastics  have,  in  addition 


34 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  MAY  12,  1956 


THEATRE  SUPPLY 


MART 

WITH  BUSINESS  REPLY  POSTCARDS  FOR  CONVENIENT  IN9UIRY 

• INDEX  OF  PRODUCTS  ADVERTISED  IN  THIS  ISSUE:  refer  to  Advertisers  Index  for  postcard  reference  numbers. 

• INDEX  OF  PRODUCTS  DESCRIBED  EDITORIALLY  in  this  issue  (following  page)  with  postcard  reference  numbers. 

• KINDS  OF  EQUIPMENT  AND  SUPPLIES  listed  and  numbered  on  following  page  for  further  use  of  inquiry  postcard. 


ADVERTISERS 


NOTE:  See  small  type  under  advertiser's 
name  for  proper  reference  number  where 
more  than  one  kind  of  product  is  advertised. 
Where  dealers  are  indicated  by  number  or 
other  symbol,  they  can  be  identified  in  list 
of  supply  dealers  appearing  on  page  52. 


Page 


I — Adler  Silhouette  Letter  Co 

Changeable  letter  signs:  Front-lighted 
drive-ins  (IA),  back-lighted  panels 
changeable  letter*  (1C).  All  dealers. 


panels  for 
(IB),  and 


43 


2 — Altec  Service  Corp. 

Projection  and  sound  equipment  maintenance  service. 


25 


3 — American  Seating  Co. 

Auditorium  chairs.  NTS. 


4—  Ashcraft  Mfg.  Co.,  C.  S 2nd  Cover 

Projection  arc  lamps.  Unaffiliated  dealers. 

5 —  Automatic  Devices  Co 7 

Curved  curtain  tracks  (5A),  curtain  machines  (5B). 

All  dealers. 


6 —  Ballantyne  Co.,  The 6 

In-car  speakers.  Dealers  3.  20,  22,  24,  35,  37,  42, 

47,  68  . 76.  87.  92.  100,  105,  (06.  116,  126. 

7 —  Bausch  & Lomb  Optical  Co 22 

Projection  lenses.  Direct,  branches  and  affiliated 
dealers  in  all  major  cities. 


8 —  Blue  Seal  Sound  Devices 23 

Projectors  (8A),  projector  bases  (8B),  soundheads 
(80,  magazines  (8D),  stereophonic  attachments 
(8E),  amplifiers  (8F),  speakers  (8G).  Direct. 

9 —  Bodde  Screen  Co 48 

Projection  screens.  Direct. 


10 — Camera  Equipment  Co. 

Distributors. 


48,  50 


1 1 — Carbons,  Inc 

Projection  carbons.  Franchise  dealers. 


12 — Century  Projector  Corp 49 

Projectors  (12A),  sound  systems  (I2B).  Unaffiliated 
dealers. 


14 — Eprad  

In-car  speakers.  Unaffiliated  dealers. 


Page 

24 


Page 

32 — Projection  Optics  Co 20 

Projection  lenses.  Distributor:  Raytone  Screen  Corp. 


15 —  F & Y Building  Service,  The 34 

Architectural  design  and  building  service. 

16 —  Faige  & Associates,  Doc 46 

Distributors. 

17—  Fog  Air  Co 27 

Portable  insecticide  togging  equipment  for  drlve-lns. 
Direct. 

18 —  Sarver  Electric  Co 48 

Rectifiers.  Unaffiliated  dealers. 

19 —  General  Register  Corp 41 

Ticket  issuing  machines.  Unaffiliated  dealers. 

20 —  Goldberg  Bros 29 

Portable  ticket  box  for  drive-ins.  All  dealers. 

21 —  Heyer-Shultz,  Inc 47 

Metal  projection  arc  reflectors.  All  dealers. 

22 —  Heywood-Walcefield  Co 10 

Auditorium  chairs.  Dealers  6,  10,  14,  26,  32,  41, 

55,  58,  94,  97  and  branches. 


33 —  Radio  Corp.  of  America, 

Theatre  Equipment  Sales 15 

Projection  arc  lamps.  Dealers  marked  *, 

34 —  Rank  Precision  Enterprises 27 

.Auditorium  chairs.  Direct. 

35 —  RCA  Service  Co 24 

Projection  and  sound  equipment  maintenance  service. 

36 —  Robin,  Inc.,  J.  E 47 

Rectifiers  (36A),  motor- generators  (36B).  Direct. 

37 —  S.  O.  S.  Cinema  Supply  Corp 44 

Projection  lenses.  Direct. 

38 —  Spencer-Turbine  Co 25 

Vacuum  cleaners.  Unafflliated  dealers. 

39 —  Star  Cinema  Supply  Corp 46 

Distributors. 

40 —  Strong  Electric  Corp.,  The 21 


Metal  projection  arc  reflectors.  Unaffiliated  dealers. 


23 —  International  Projector  Corp 19 

In-car  speakers  (23A),  complete  projection  and  sound 
systems  (23B).  NTS. 

24 —  Karagheusian,  Inc.,  A.  & M 3 

Carpeting.  Direct. 

25 —  Kollmorgen  Optical  Co 23 

Projection  lenses.  NTS  and  all  dealers. 

26 —  LaVezzi  Machine  Works 45 

Projector  parts.  All  dealers. 

27 —  Manko  Fabrics  Co 37 

Seat  covers  (27A).  upholstery  materials  (27B). 
Direct. 

28 —  Mid-East  Sales  Co 8 

Portable  vacuum  debris  collector  tor  drlve-lns. 
Direct. 

29 —  National  Carbon  Co 4 

Projection  carbons.  All  dealers. 

30 —  National  Theatre  Supply 31 

Distributors. 


41 —  Theatre  Seat  Service  Co 39 

Theatre  chair  rehabilitation  service.  Direct 

42 —  -Thermolator  Corp 51 

In-car  heaters.  Unaffiliated  dealers. 


43 —  Tibbatts  Co.,  J 29 

Screens  for  cars  at  drive-ins.  Direct. 

44 —  Yocalite  Screen  Corp 39 

Projection  screens.  Unaffiliated  dealers. 

45 —  Wagner  Sign  Service,  Inc 9 

Changeable  letter  signs:  Front-lighted  panels  Tor 

drive-ins  (45A),  back-lighted  panels  (45B),  and 
changeable  letters  (45C).  Dealers  I,  2,  8.  II,  13, 

14,  15,  16,  18.  20,  21,  22.  23,  24.  25.  26,  27.  28, 

29,  30  . 31,  32  . 34.  35.  36,  38,  39,  40,  41,  42.  43, 

44,  47  . 48.  50  . 52.  53,  55  , 56,  58.  59,  61,  62.  63. 

65  , 66.  67.  68  . 70.  71,  74  , 75.  77,  78,  80.  82,  84, 

85  . 86,  87,  90,  91.  93  , 94,  97,  99,  101,  102,  103, 

106,  107,  110,  III,  113,  115,  116,  118,  122,  123, 

124,  125. 

46—  Walker-American  Co 50 

Projection  screens.  NTS. 

47 —  Westrex  Corp |7 

Foreign  distributors. 


13 — Dayton  Safety  Ladder  Co, 

Ladders.  All  dealers. 


32  31 — Pic  Corp 

Incense  for  mosquitoes  at  drive-ins.  Direct. 


40  48 — Williams  Screen  Co.. . 

Projection  screens.  Direct. 


23 


For  information  concerning  products,  write  corresponding  numbers  and  your  name  and 
address  in  spaces  provided  on  postcard  and  mail . Card  requires  no  addressing  or  postage. 


To  Better  Theatres  Service  Department: 

Please  have  literature,  prices,  etc.,  sent  to  me  according  to  the 
following  reference  numbers  in  Better  Theatres  for  May  1956 — 


NAME  

THEATRE  or  CIRCUIT 
STREET  ADDRESS  ... 


I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 


To  Better  Theatres  Service  Department: 

Please  have  literature,  prices,  etc.,  sent  to  me  according  to  the 
following  reference  numbers  in  Better  Theatres  for  May  1956 


NAME  

THEATRE  or  CIRCUIT 


STREET  ADDRESS 


CITY 


STATE 


CITY 


STATE 


Market  Information  Service 


CONTINUED  FROM 
PRECEDING  PAGE 


PRODUCTS  DESCRIBED  EDITORIALLY  IN  THIS  ISSUE: 


PORTABLE  CART  to  collect  and  burn  drive-in  refuse:  Story  on  page  26 
NEW  LITERATURE  on  line  of  drive-in  equipment:  Story  on  page  26 
DRIVE-IN  SCREEN  PAINT  with  rubber  base:  Story  on  page  26  . . 

CLOTH  NET  for  car  screen  at  drive-ins:  Story  on  page  27  . . 

FRAME  AND  SCREEN  for  16mm  projection:  Story  on  page  27  . . 

SOUND  SYSTEMS  for  theatres  of  small  capacity:  Story  on  page  28 
NEW  BOOKLET  on  building  a drive-in  theatre:  Story  on  page  28 
NEW  GAME  for  novelty  item  at  drive-ins:  Story  on  page  31  . 


POSTCARD  REFERENCE  NO.  E47. 
POSTCARD  REFERENCE  NO.  E48. 
POSTCARD  REFERENCE  NO.  E49. 
POSTCARD  REFERENCE  NO.  E50. 
POSTCARD  REFERENCE  NO.  E51. 
POSTCARD  REFERENCE  NO.  E52. 
POSTCARD  REFERENCE  NO.  E53. 
POSTCARD  REFERENCE  NO.  E54. 


CLASSIFIED  LIST  OF  EQUIPMENT  AND  SUPPLIES:  Indicate  on  postcard  by  number 


ADVERTISING 

101 —  Display  frames 

102 —  Lighting  fixtures 

103 —  Changeable  letters 

104 —  Attraction  signs 

105 —  Theatre  name  sign 

AIR  SUPPLY 

201 —  Air-conditioning,  complete 

202 —  Air  washers 

203 —  Blowers  and  fans 

204 —  Compressors 

205 —  Unit  conditioners 

206 —  Filters 

207 —  Heaters,  unit 

208 —  Outlets  (diffusers) 

ARCHIT'RE  & DECORATION 

301 —  Acoustic  material 

302 —  Decorating  service 

303 —  Wall  fabric 

304 —  Mirrors 

305 —  Tiles,  ceramic 

306 —  Wall  boards  and  tiles 

307 —  Wall  paper  and  plastics 

308 —  Plywood 

DRIVE-IN  THEATRES 

401 —  Admission  control  system 

402 —  Design  service 

403 —  Electric  cable  (underg'd) 

404 —  In-car  heaters 

405 —  In-car  speakers 

406 —  Insecticide  foggers 


407 —  Lighting  fixtures  (outd'r) 

408 —  Screen  paint 

409 —  Screen  towers 

410 —  Signs,  ramp  and  traffic 

411 —  Stadium  seating 

412 —  Vending  carts 

GENERAL  MAINTENANCE 

501 —  Blower,  floor  cleaning 

502 —  Carpet  shampoo 

503 —  Ladders,  safety 

504 —  Lamps,  germicidal 

505 —  Sand  urns 

506 —  Vacuum  cleaners 

FLOOR  COVERINGS 

601 —  Asphalt  tile 

602 —  Carpeting 

603 —  Carpet  lining 

604 —  Linoleum 

605 —  Mats,  rubber 

LIGHTING 

701 —  Black-light  supplies 

702 —  Dimmers 

703 —  Downlighting  equipment 

704 —  Luminaires 

(See  also  Advertising,  Stage) 

PROJECTION  and  SOUND 

801 —  Acoustic  materials 

802 —  Amplifiers 

803 —  Cabinets,  accessory 


804 —  Cabinets,  carbon 

805 —  Cabinets,  film 

806 —  Effect  projectors 

807 —  Exciter  lamps 

808 —  Fire  shutters 

809 —  Hearing  aids 

810 —  Lamps,  reflector  arc 

811 —  Lamps,  condenser 

812 —  Lenses,  condenser 

813 —  Lenses,  projection 

814 —  Lenses,  anamorphic 

8 1 5 —  Magazines 

8 1 6 —  Microphones 

817 —  Motor-generators 

818 —  Non-syncr  turntables 

819 —  Photoelectric  cells 

820 —  Projectors,  standard 

821 —  Projectors,  16-mm. 

822 —  Projector  parts 

823 —  Rectifiers 

824 —  Reels 

825 —  Reflectors  (arc) 

826 —  Rewinders 

827 —  Rheostats 

828 —  Screens 

829 —  Screen  frames 

830 —  Speaker  systems  (screen) 

831 —  Speakers,  surround 

832 —  Splicers 

833 —  Splicing  cement 

834 —  Soundheads,  optical 

835 —  Soundheads,  magnetic 
B36 — Stereopticons 

837 — Rewind  tables 


SEATING 

901 —  Auditorium  chairs 

902 —  Upholstering  fabrics 

SERVICE  and  TRAFFIC 

1001 —  Crowd  control  equip't 

1002 —  Directional  signs 

1003 —  Drinking  fountains 

1004 —  Uniforms 

1005 —  Water  coolers 

STAGE 

I 101 — Curtains  and  drapes 
I 102 — Curtain  controls  & track 

1103 —  Lighting  equipment 

1104 —  Rigging  and  hardware 

1 105 —  Switchboards 

TICKET  SALES 

1 201 —  Box-offices 

1 202 —  Changemakers 

1203 —  Signs,  price 

1204 —  Speaking  tubes 

1205 —  Ticket  boxes 

1206 —  Ticket  registers 

TOILET  ROOMS 

1301 —  Hand  driers,  electric 

1302 —  Paper  dispensers 

1303 —  Soap  dispensers 
(See  also  Maintenance) 


FIRST  CLASS 

PERMIT  NO.  8894 
( Sec.  34.9,  P.L&R.) 
NEW  YORK,  N.  Y. 


Postage  will  be  paid  by — 

QUIGLEY  PUBLISHING  COMPANY 
ROCKEFELLER  CENTER 
1270  SIXTH  AVENUE 
NEW  YORK  20/  N.  Y. 


FIRST  CLASS 

PERMIT  NO.  8894 
(Sec. 34.9,  P.L&  R.) 
NEW  YORK,  N.  Y. 


Postage  will  be  paid  by — 
QUIGLEY  PUBLISHING  COMPANY 
ROCKEFELLER  CENTER 
1270  SIXTH  AVENUE 
NEW  YORK  20/  N.  Y. 


BUSINESS  REPLY  CARD 

No  Postage  Stamp  Necessary  If  Mailed  in  the  United  States 


BUSINESS  REPLY  CARD 

No  Postage  Stamp  Necessary  If  Mailed  in  the  United  States 


co  the  qualities  cited  above,  the  ability  to  seal 
the  structure  against  weather. 

Ceramic  tile  is  obtainable  in  types  suited  to 
many  interior  areas  besides  outer  lobbies  and 
toilet  rooms,  while  for  fronts  it  facilitates  the 
naking  of  varicolored  architectural  forms  and 
patterns. 

Fluted  (corrugated)  asbestos  sheets  can  be 
shaped  to  an  architectural  form  on  the  job. 
Mineral  and  glass  fibre  tiles,  solid  or  perforated 
for  acoustical  purposes,  may  be  laid  in  patterns 
of  decorative  effect. 

Perforated  metal  plates,  with  baked  finish, 
are  applicable  especially  to  ceilings  of  areas  near 
the  auditorium,  with  noise-control  material 
above;  also,  clipping  on,  they  permit  easy  ac- 
cess to  electrical  or  other  installations  above. 

Arketex  Ceramic  Corporation,  Brazil,  Ind.  (ceramic 
tiles). 

The  Celotex  Corporation,  120  S.  LaSalle  Street,  Chi- 
cago, 111.  (mineral  and  vegetable  fibre  tiles). 

F & Y BUILDING  SERVICE,  319  E.  Town  Street, 
Columbus,  Ohio  (design  and  construction). 
See  page  34. 

The  Formica  Insulation  Company,  4616  Spring  Grove 
Avenue,  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  (laminated  plastic  sheets). 
The  Kawneer  Company,  1105  North  Front  Street. 
Niles,  Mich,  (steel  frame  and  porcelain  enamel  front 
structures). 

Libbey  Owens-Ford  Glass  Company,  Vitrolite  Division, 

608  Madison  Avenue,  Toledo,  Ohio  (architectural 
glass,  glass  doors). 

Marsh  Wall  Products,  Inc.,  Dover,  Ohio  (plastic- 
finished  paneling,  plastic  and  metal). 

Mosaic  Tile  Company,  Zanesville,  Ohio,  (ceramic  tile). 
Parkwood  Corporation,  Wakefield,  Mass.  (wood 
veneer) 

Pittsburgh  Plate  Glass  Company,  1 Gateway  Center, 
Pittsburgh,  Pa.  (architectural  glass,  glass  doors). 
Poblocki  & Sons.  2159  South  Kinnickinnic  Avenue, 
Milwaukee  7,  Wis.  (Stainless  steel  and  porcelain 
enamel  front  structures). 

Rigidized  Metals  Corporation,  658  Ohio  Street,  Buf- 
falo, N.  Y.  (perforated  metal  plates). 

United  States  Gypsum  Company,  300  W.  Adams 
Street.  Chicago.  111.  (mineral  boards  and  tiles). 
United  States  Plywood  Company,  55  West  44th  Street, 
New  York  city  (wood  and  plastic  veneers,  and 
coated  fabric  wall  covering). 

Westinghouse  Electric  Corporation,  Micarta  Division, 
East  Pittsburgh,  Pa.  (Micarta  for  decorative  pur- 
poses: U.  S.  Plywood  Corporation,  see  above). 


BASES — See  Projectors  and  Accessories. 


“BLACK  LIGHT”  MATERIALS 
AND  LIGHTING  EQUIPMENT 

“black  light”  is  the 
term  popularly  applied  to  the  application 
of  near-ultraviolet  light,  to  surfaces 
painted  with  luminescent  lacquer  which  near-UV 
light  causes  to  glow. 

Fluorescent  materials  in  paint  form  may  be 
readily  applied  with  either  brush  or  sprayer. 
A variety  of  colors  is  obtainable. 

Filament  ultraviolet  lamps  are  available  in  a 
250-watt  size  with  a bulb  of  filter  glass,  hence 
no  additional  filter  or  ballast  is  required.  How- 
ever, the  ultraviolet  output  of  this  lamp  (Pur- 
ple X)  is  relatively  low. 

Fluorescent  ultraviolet  lamps,  called  360  BL 
lamps,  are  available  in  the  sizes  and  wattages 
of  standard  F-lamps.  These  are  efficient  gener- 
ators of  near-ultraviolet,  and  the  tubular  shape 
lends  itself  readily  to  display  work,  and  direc- 
tional and  similar  signs  are  available  in  stock 
models,  or  may  be  made  up  especially.  Light 
density  filters  are  required  since  these  lamps 
produce  some  visible  light  also. 

Mercury  ultraviolet,  or  Type  H lamps,  are 
concentrated  sources  of  ultraviolet  and  visible 
light ; hence,  they  are  particularly  useful  to  ob- 
tain a spot  beam  of  “black  light”  for  spec- 
tacular effects.  A relatively  dense  filter  must 
be  used  to  absorb  the  visible  light  and  to 
create  effective  fluorescence. 

General  Electric  Company,  Lamp  Dept.,  Nela  Park, 
Cleveland,  Ohio  (lamps). 

G'olde  Manufacturing  Company,  4888  North  Clark 
Street,  Chicago  40.  111. 

Kliegl  Bros.,  321  W.  50th  Street,  New  York  City 
(light  sources). 

Keese  Engineering  Company,  7380  Santa  Monica 
Boulevard,  Los  Angeles,  Calif,  (paints,  light  sources'!. 


The  Strobite  Company,  75  West  45th  Street,  New 
York  City  (paints,  lamps). 

Westinghouse  Electric  Corporation,  Lamp  Division, 
Bloomfield,  N.  J.  (lamps). 


BOX-OFFICES  AND  ACCESSORIES 

BOX-OFFICES  ARE  COITl- 
monly  built  “on  the  job’’  from  specifica- 
tions of  the  designer  of  the  front  and 
entrance  area ; however,  box  offices  may  be 
obtained  ready  for  erection,  in  styles,  colors  and 
materials  to  harmonize  with  the  vestibule  or 
lobby  treatment. 

Besides  ticket  issuing  machines  and  coin 
changers  (which  see),  box-office  accessories  in- 
clude speaking  tubes  and  admission  price  and 
show  time  signs  (see  Signs,  Directional) . 

Metallic  speaking  tubes  covering  an  aperture 
in  the  box-office  window  to  protect  the  cashier 
from  cold  and  infection,  are  usually  louvred,  but 
are  also  available  with  a resonating  disk. 

Everbrite  Electric  Signs,  Inc.,  1440  North  Fourth 
Street,  Milwaukee  12,  Wis.  (complete  box-office 
structures,  protective  shields). 

GOLDBERG  BROS.,  3500  Walnut  Street.  Denver, 
Colo,  (speaking  tube). 

Poblocki  & Sons,  2159  South  Kinnickinnic  Avenue, 
Milwaukee  7,  Wis.  (complete  box-office  structures). 

Westinghouse  Electric  Corporation,  Micarta  Division, 
East  Pittsburgh,  Pa.  (Micarta  for  decorative  pur- 
poses; U.  S.  Plywood  Corporation,  see  unde» 
Architectural  Materials) . 


CABINETS  FOR 
FILM  AND  CARBONS 

FULLY  FIREPROOF  cabi- 

ncts  for  film  storage  are  essential  acces- 
sories of  the  projection  room  if  the  pro- 
tection required  either  by  law  or  theatre  opera- 
tor’s responsibility  is  to  be  provided  both  pro- 
jectionists and  patrons.  With  the  2,000-foot 
reel  standard  in  the  American  film  industry 
(two-film  stereoscopic  pictures  require  5,000-foot 
reels  for  a single  intermission  performance), 
film  storage  facilities  should  accommodate  at 
least  this  size  of  reel  in  metal  compartments. 

The  desired  safety  is  provided  by  a sectional 
cabinet  of  relatively  thick  (approximately  V/2 
inches)  steel  walls  insulated  with  fireproof  ma- 
terial. Such  cabinets  are  obtainable  with  or 
without  vents  (vents  required  by  fire  regula- 
tions in  some  communitiesj  and  with  or  without 
sprinkler  heads  inside. 

Golde  Manufacturing  Company,  4888  North  Clark 
Street.  Chicago  40,  111. 

GOLDBERG  BROS.,  3500  Walnut  Street,  Denver. 
Colo. 

Mosler  Safe  Company,  320  Fifth  Avenue,  New  York 
N.  Y. 

Neumade  Products  Corporation,  250  West  57  Street, 
New  York  City. 

WENZEL  PROJECTOR  COMPANY,  2509  South  State 
Street,  Chicago,  111. 

Edw.  H.  Wolk,  1241  South  Wabash  Avenue,  Chicago, 
111. 


CARBONS,  PROJECTION 

motion  picture  projec- 
tion carbons  are  required  for  projection 
in  most  motion  picture  theatres  (all  ex- 
cept those  using  filament  projection  lamps). 
The  type  and  size  of  carbons  required  depends 
upon  the  type  of  arc  (see  Lamps,  D.  C.  Pro- 
jection Arc). 

Helios  Bio  Carbons,  Inc.  (mfd.  by  Ringsdorflf  Werke, 
Mehlem  Rhein,  Germany),  122  Washington  Street, 
Bloomfield.  N.  T. 

LORRAINE  CARBONS,  INC.  (mfrd.  by  Societe 
Le  Carbone  Lorraine,  Pagny,  France),  Boon- 
ton,  N.  J.  See  page  18. 

NATIONAL  CARBON  COMPANY,  INC.,  30  East 
42nd  Street,  New  York  17,  N.  Y.  See  page  4. 


CARBON  SAVING  DEVICES 

various  devices  are 
available  to  join  new  carbons  and  stubs  so 
as  to  continue  use  of  short  lengths  to 
about  1 inch.  Some  are  simple  clamps ; others 
consist  in  a jaw  device  permanently  installed 
in  the  lamp.  In  still  another  method,  carbons 
are  purchased  especially  processed  for  such 
use  of  short  lengths. 

Best  Devices  -Company,  10921  Briggs  Road,  Cleve- 
land, Ohio. 

“End-Gripper"  Company,  1224  Homedale  Avenue. 
N.  W.,  Canton  8,  Ohio. 

Freeland  Screw  Machine  Products  Company,  2305  N. 
Sydenham,  Philadelphia  32,  Pa. 

Hal  1.  Huff  Manufacturing  Corporation,  3774  Selby 
Avenue,  Los  Angeles  34,  Calif. 

Motion  Picture  Accessories  Inc.,  1678  \V.  17th  Place, 
Hollywood,  Cal. 

PAYNE  PRODUCTS,  2451  West  Stadium  Boulevard, 
Ann  Arbor,  Mich. 

S.  O.  S.  CINEMA  SUPPLY  CORPORATION,  602 
West  52nd  Street,  New  York  City. 

Weaver  Manufacturing  Company,  Ltd.,  1639  E.  102nd 
Street,  Los  Angeles,  Calif. 


CARPETING 

types  of  carpeting  suited 
to  heavy-duty  requirements  of  theatres  are 
(to  name  them  alphabetically)  Axminster 
(only  in  the  finest  grades,  except  possibly  when 
used  in  small  lounges),  Broadloom,  Chenille 
(an  expensive  weave  feasible  only  in  rare  in- 
stances in  which  superior  carpet  of  special 
shape  is  absolutely  required),  Patent-Back  (a 
special  type  consisting  in  Broadloom  sections 
cut  into  desired  shapes  and  colors  and  cemented 
to  a backing),  Velvet  (pattern  dyed)  and 
Wilton  (pattern  woven).  The  last  two  are  the 
weaves  most  widely  used  in  theatres  because  of 
their  durability  and  relatively  moderate  price 
while  providing  a wide  selection  of  interesting 
patterns  and  colors. 

A special  type  of  carpeting  consists  in  a 
Velvet  fabric  attached  by  adhesive  to  a latex 
(rubber)  base,  which  is  cemented  directly  to  a 
floor,  and  repairs  can  be  made  by  cutting  out 


MANKO 


TAILOR-MADE 
SEWED  COMBINATION 


SEAT  COVERS 


KEEP  YOUR  THEATRE  CHAIRS  LOOKING  NEW- 
AT  THE  LOWEST  POSSIBLE  COST!!! 


OVER  50.000 
TAILOR-MADE  MANKO 
SEAT  COVERS  SOLD  IN 
LESS  THAN  2 YEARS 

Priced  from  $1.25 


Complete  Stock  of  Finest  Quality 

MOHAIR,  CORDUROY, 
LEATHERETTES  IN  POPULAR 
THEATRE  COLORS 


OVER  100,000 

PRE-CUT  SEAT  SQUARES 
SOLD  IN  LESS  THAN 

2 YEARS 

Priced  from  45<f 


PROVE  IT  TO  YOURSELF! 

Mail  your  old  seat  cover  to  us  with 
your  check  for  $1.50  (to  cover  handling 
and  mailing)  and  we  will  send  you  a 

new  tailor-made  Manko  cover.  Color  will  be  matched  as  closely  as  possible  from  our  large  stock  of 
fabrics  which  are  also  sold  by  the  yard. 

WE  GUARANTEE  TO  FIT  ALL  STANDARD  MAKES  OF  CHAIRS 
^ Write  for  Current  Price  List  — Discounts  to  Recognized  Ocslcrs 

MANKO  FABRICS  CO.,  INC.  (Seating  Division)  156  W.  28th  ST.,  N.  Y.  1,  N.  Y. 


BETTER  THEATRES  SECTION 


37 


the  faulty  section  and  inserting  a new  one. 

Many  stock  patterns  suited  to  theatres  (some 
primarily  designed  for  them)  are  available  in 
Velvet  and  Wilton  weaves  especially,  either 
with  all-wool  or  wool-rayon  facing.  In  the 
latter  type,  the  fabric  is  woven  partly  with 
synthetic  carpet  yarns,  which  have  proved  of 
advantage  in  giving  the  face  toughness  and 
in  realizing  true  color. 

Theatres  are  usually  carpeted  in  a single 
pattern,  but  consideration  should  be  given  to 
the  advisability  of  using  another  design,  or  a 
plain  Broadloom,  or  the  same  design  in  a 
smaller  scale,  for  areas  like  lounges,  which  differ 
greatly  in  size  and  function  from  foyers  and 
standee  areas ; and  also  on  stairs,  where  some 
patterns  can  be  confusing. 

Bigelow-Sanford  Carpet  Company,  Inc.,  140  Madison 
Avenue,  New  York  City.  (Line  includes  patent- 
back  type). 

Sidney  Blumenthal  & Company,  1 Park  Avenue,  New 
York  City  (Loma-Loom  laytex-back  carpet). 

Goodall  Fabrics,  Inc.,  525  Madison  Avenue,  New 
York  City  (patent-back). 

A.  & M.  KARAGHEUSIAN,  INC.,  295  Fifth 
Avenue,  New  York  City.  See  page  3. 

Thomas  L.  Leedom  Company,  Bristol,  Pa. 

James  Lees  & Sons  Company,  Bridgeport,  Pa. 

C.  II.  Masland  & Sons,  295  Fifth  Avenue,  New  York 
City 

Mohawk  Carpet  Mills,  Inc.,  295  Fifth  Avenue,  New 
York  City. 

RADIO  CORP.  OF  AMERICA,  Engineering  Products 
Department,  Camden,  N.  J. 

Alexander  Smith,  Inc.,  295  Fifth  Avenue,  New  York 
N.  Y. 

• 

CARPET  CLEANING  COMPOUNDS 

for  partial  or  complete 
cleaning  of  carpeting  from  time  to  time 
(that  is,  dry  shampooing  as  distinguished 
from  daily  vacuum  cleaning),  a soapless  lather 
is  available,  which  may  easily  be  applied  with 
a rubber  mop  or  similar  implement ; drying 
requires  but  an  hour  or  two. 

A powder  is  also  obtainable  for  carpet  and 
fabric  cleaning ; this  is  sprinkled  on  small  areas 
at  a time  and  brushed  in,  then  after  a few 
hours,  when  the  fabric  is  entirely  dry,  the  resi- 
due can  be  removed  with  a brush  type  vacuum 
attachment. 

There  is  also  a liquid  cleaner  (which  may 
also  be  used  on  upholstery,  linoleum,  and  wash- 
able wallpaper)  for  both  regular  and  spot 
cleaning  of  carpets.  It  contains  a soil-resistant 
silica  and  may  be  applied  to  rugs  with  either 
a regular  scrub  brush  or  rotary  scrubbing  ma- 
chine. It  dries  within  two  hours. 

Artloom  Carpet  Company,  Inc.,  Philadelphia  33,  Pa. 
Bigelow-Sanford  Carpet  Company,  140  Madison  Avenue, 
New  York  City. 

Car  bona  Products  Company,  302-304  West  26th  Street, 
New  York  City. 

• 

CARPET  LINING 

carpet  lining  or  under- 
lay generally  suited  to  theatres  is  made 
of  hair  and  jute,  or  entirely  of  hair,  or 
foam  rubber  (latex).  Lining  entirely  of  jute 
(vegetable  fibre)  does  not  retain  uniform  re- 
silience (it  is  not  “waffled”),  and  is  otherwise 
not  so  serviceable  as  the  other  types. 

Foam  rubber  lining  is  available  in  54-inch 
thickness  and  in  widths  of  36  and  53  inches, 
some  types  with  “waffling”  on  both  sides.  Sec- 
tions can  be  joined  with  adhesive  binding  tape. 
American  Hair  & Felt  Company,  Merchnadise  Mart, 
Chicago,  111. 

E.  I.  du  Pont  de  Nemours  Company,  Fairfield,  Conn. 

Fremont  Rubber  Company,  Fremont,  Ohio. 

Hewitt -Robins,  Inc.,  666  Glenbrook  Rd.,  Stamford,  Conn. 

Sponge  Rubber  Products  Co.,  284  Derby  Place,  Shel- 
ton, Conn. 

United  States  Rubber  Company,  Chemical  Sponge 
Dept..  Naugatuck.  Conn. 

Waite  Carpet  Company,  Oshkosh,  Wis. 

• 

CHAIR  CUSHIONS 
OF  FOAM  RUBBER 

cushions  for  auditor- 
ium chair  seats  and  backs  (or  lounge 


chairs,  settees,  etc.)  are  obtainable  in 
foam  rubber.  Such  cushions  may  take  the  place 
of  padding  and  coil  springs,  the  fabric  being 
fitted  over  them ; or  be  used  as  padding  over  the 
springs. 

This  material  may  be  moulded  to  fit  any  chair 
dimensions  or  design  formation.  Except  for 
hollow  cores,  the  cushion  appears  solid,  but 
actually  has  access  to  air  throughout  its  struc- 
ture. 

Foam  rubber  cushions  are  vermin-repellent. 
Dunlop  Tire  & Kuooer  Corporation  “Dunlopillo”  Divi- 
sion, Buffalo,  N.  Y. 

Firestone  Industrial  Products  Company,  Foamex  Div., 
Akron,  Ohio. 

B.  F.  Goodrich  Company,  Akron,  Ohio. 

Goodyear  Tire  & Rubber  Company,  Airfoam  Division, 
1144  East  Market  Street,  Akron,  Ohio. 
Hewitt-Robins,  Inc.,  666  Glenbrook  Rd.,  Stamford, 
Conn. 

U.  S.  Rubber  Company,  Chemical  Sponge  Dept.,  Nau- 
gatuck, Conn. 

HEYWOOD- WAKEIELD  COMPANY,  Gardner, 
Mass. 


CHAIR  FASTENING  CEMENT 

THE  METAL  pieces  to 
which  theatre  chairs  are  bolted  are  firmly 
fastened  to  the  floor  by  special  cement 
made  for  that  purpose,  which  hardens  in  ap- 
proximately ten  minutes.  In  reseating  a thea- 
tre, the  old  chair  bolts  are  removed  from  the 
floor,  and  new  ones  inserted  and  recemented 
( See  Anchors  for  Chairs.) 

Fensin  Seating  Company,  1139  South  Wabash  Avenue, 
Chicago  25,  III. 

General  Chair  Company,  1308  Elston  Street,  Chicago. 
Eastern  Seating  Company,  138-13  Springfield  Blvd., 
Springfield  Gardens,  N.  Y. 


CHAIR  REPAIR  SERVICE 
AND  FABRIC  PATCH  KITS 

AN  INSTALLATION  of 
auditorium  seating  can  be  completely  re- 
conditioned, or  certain  chairs  be  given 
major  repairs,  usually  without  interruption  of 
operation  if  the  experience  in  organizing  such 
work,  and  the  necessary  skill  and  equipment 
are  available.  A number  of  companies  special- 
izing in  seating  rehabilitation  operate  nationally. 

For  minor  repair  of  coated  seating  fabric  by 
the  theatre  staff,  kits  are  available  containing 
small  amounts  of  “leatherette”  in  a color 
selected  to  match  most  closely  the  fabric  of 
the  seating,  and  cement  solvent  with  which 
to  attach  a patch.  Colors  regularly  available 
are  blue,  brown,  red,  green,  ivory  and  black. 

Fensin  Seating  Company,  1139  South  Wabash  Avenue, 
Chicago  25.  111. 

MANKO  FABRICS  COMPANY,  156  West  28th 
Street,  New  York  1,  N.  Y.  See  page  37. 

Eastern  Seating  Company,  138-13  Springfield  Blvd., 
Springfield  Gardens,  N.  Y. 

Rosco  Laboratories,  Inc.,  367  Hudson  Avenue,  Brook- 
lyn, N.  Y. 

THEATRE  SEAT  SERVICE  COMPANY,  160  Her- 
mitage Avenue,  Nashville,  Tenn.  See  page  39. 


CHAIRS,  AUDITORIUM 

AUDITORIUM  CHAIRS 

best  suited  to  the  motion  picture  theatre 
are  those  manufactured  from  designs 
developed  specifically  to  meet  the  conditions  en- 
countered in  film  theatre  operation. 

Chairs  may  be  obtained  with  seat  cushions 
of  box-spring  or  spring-edge  type ; or  with  no- 
sag springs,  alone  or  in  combination  with  coil 
springs  (the  no-sag  springs  absorbing  the  shock 
of  initial  tension  imparted  to  the  coils)  ; and 
with  combination  coil  and  Marshall  spring  con- 
struction. 

The  backs  may  be  either  of  spring  or  padded 
type,  and  here  it  should  be  noted  that  the  choice 
affects  the  row  spacing,  spring  back  cushions 
being  substantially  thicker  than  padded  backs 
(spacing  should  not  be  less  than  34  inches  back- 


to-back  for  chairs  with  padded  backs,  and  as 
much  as  38  inches  for  spring  backs).  Chairs 
available  include  models  with  self-raising  seats 
and  with  retracting  or  with  combination  re- 
tracting-rising  seats  designed  to  facilitate 
passage  between  rows.  There  are  also  especially 
luxurious  models  designed  for  loge  sections. 

While  end  standards  may  be  obtained  in 
special  designs,  regular  models  offer  some 
choice  of  patterns,  which  may  be  readily  exe- 
cuted in  colors  suggested  by  the  color  scheme  of 
the  auditorium.  Arm  rests  may  be  of  wood  or 
plastic,  in  “blonde”  shades  enhancing  visibility ; 
or  they  may  be  foam  rubber  covered  with  fabric. 

End  standards  can  be  supplied  with  or  with- 
out aisle  lights. 

Aisle  light  fixtures  are  also  obtainable  for 
attachment  to  standards  not  providing  for  them. 

American  Desk  Manufacturing  Company,  P.  O.  Box 
416,  Temple.  Tex. 

AMERICAN  SEATING  COMPANY,  Ninth  & 
Broadway,  Grand  Rapids,  Mich.  See  page  5. 
GRIGGS  EQUIPMENT  COMPANY,  Box  630,  Belton, 

Tex. 

HEYWOOD-WAKEFIELD  COMPANY 

Mass.  See  page  10. 

IDEAL  SEATING  COMPANY,  Grand  Rapids,  Mich. 
INTERNATIONAL  SEAT  CORPORATION, 
Union  City,  Ind. 

Irwin  Searing  Company,  Waters  Building,  Grand 
Rapids,  Mich. 

Eastern  Seating  Company,  138-13  Springfield  Blvd., 
Springfield  Gardens,  N.  Y. 

Southern  Desk  Company,  Hickory.  N.  C. 

Lawrence  Metal  Products  Co.,  60  Prospect  Avenue. 
Lynbrook,  N.  Y.  (ash  receptacles). 

RANK  PRECISION  INDUSTRIES,  LTD.,  Cau- 
mont-Kalee  Div.,  37-41  Mortimer  St.,  London, 
W.  I.,  England.  See  page  27. 


CHANCE-MAKERS 

change- making  ma- 
chines which  speed  up  ticket  selling  and 
prevent  annoying  errors,  are  available  with 
different  degrees  of  facility,  some  issuing  change 
in  any  amount,  including  pennies,  upon  depres- 
sion of  single  key ; others  delivering  on  depres- 
sing keys  of  admission  price ; some  with  split- 
change  keys  (dimes,  quarters,  etc.) 

For  attachment  to  change  makers  without 
such  provision,  where  admission  taxes  in 
pennies  are  added  to  the  regular  price,  a penny 
chute  is  available.  It  is  clamped  to  the  side  of 
the  change-maker  and  holds  about  150  pennies. 
Brandt  Automatic  Cashier  Company,  Watertown,  Wis. 
Coinometer  Corporation,  1223-27  South,  Wabash  Ave., 
Chicago  5,  111. 

Golde  Manufacturing  Company,  4888  North  Clark 
Street,  Chicago  40,  111. 

Johnson  Fare  Box  Company,  4619  North  Ravenswood 
Avenue,  Chicago  40,  111. 

Metal  Products  Engineering,  Inc.,  45  West  45th  Street, 
New  York  36,  N.  Y. 


, Gardner, 


CHANCEOVERS  AND 
CUEINC  DEVICES 

switching  out  one  pic- 
ture projector  while  switching  in  the 
other  may  be  accomplished  in  various 
ways  according  to  the  several  types  of  devices 
available.  The  electrical  type  in  general,  per- 
forming its  functions  at  the  touch  of  a switch 
(either  foot  or  hand),  cuts  off  the  light  by  a 
shutter  arrangement  while  opening  and  closing 
the  alternative  circuits.  There  is  also  a me- 
chanical device  which  merely  cuts  off  the  light 
at  one  projection  port  while  opening  the  other. 

One  mechanism  that  employs  the  port  cutoff 
method  of  light  interruption,  is  electrically  op- 
erated and  includes  circuit  switching  means. 
One  of  the  electrical  changeovers  cutting  off 
the  light  at  the  aperture  also  provides  for  clos- 
ing the  speaker  circuit,  if  this  is  desired.  Yet 
another  electrical  device  cuts  off  the  light  by 
a dissolving  shutter  mechanism  in  front  of  the 
projected  lens. 

Several  types  of  changeover  time  indicators 
are  available,  including  reel-end  alarm  bells 
actuated  by  film  tension. 

For  making  changeover  cues  on  film  effec- 
tively but  without  mutilating  the  film  there  are 
devices  which  make  a neat  ring  in  the  emulsion. 
The  better  ones  are  designed  to  mark  four 


38 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  MAY  12,  1956 


cues  in  one  operation  in  accordance  with 
Standard  Release  Print  specifications. 

Ace  Electric  Manufacturing  Co.,  1458  Shakespeare 
Ave.,  New  York  52,  N.  Y. 

American  Theatre  Supply,  2300  First  Avenue,  Seattle. 
Wash,  (reel  end  signal). 

Clint  Phare  Products,  282  E.  214th  Street,  Euclid. 
Ohio,  (cueing  device). 

Dowser  Manufacturing  Company,  P.  O.  Box  214, 
East  Northport,  N.  Y. 

Essannay  Electric  Manufacturing  Company,  1438  North 
Clark  Street.  Chicago,  111.  (changeover). 

Golde  Manufacturing  Company,  4888  North  Clark 
Street,  Chicago  40,  111. 

Signal  Electric  Engineering  Company,  179  Hopewell 
Avenue,  Aliquippa,  Pa. 


FILM  CEMENT  — See  Splicers  and  Film 
Cement. 


CLEANINC  MECHANISMS 

theatres  require  heavy- 
duty  vacuum  cleaning  equipment.  Ordi- 
nary domestic  type  cleaners  are  useful  as 
auxiliary  equipment,  but  they  have  neither  the 
endurance  nor  the  suction  demanded  by  theatre 
cleaning. 

Of  the  heavy-duty  equipment,  two  types  may 
be  regarded  as  specifically  adapted  to  theatre 
work.  One  is  the  central  system,  with  pipes 
leading  to  outlets  so  placed  as  to  provide  ac- 
cess at  least  to  all  public  areas  of  the  theatre. 
The  other  is  a portable  type,  with  power  plant, 
suction  mechanism  and  dirt  disposal  equipment 
on  rollers,  to  which  equipment  the  hose  is  at- 
tached. Portable  models  are  available  with 
motor  and  suction  devices  detachable,  to  be 
used  as  a hand  unit.  Theatres  require  a hose 
length  in  portable  models  of  not  less  than  20 
feet,  and  this  may  be  provided  in  two  sections, 
if  desired,  10-foot  lengths  being  connected  by  a 
brass  coupling.  Portable  heavy-duty  vacuum 
equipment  for  theatres  should  have  motors  of  at 
least  }i-h.p. 

Nozzles  and  brush  attachments  are  available 
with  both  central  and  portable  types  for  every 
kind  of  dry  pick-up,  and  also  for  wet  pick-up. 

In  portable  units,  the  mechanism,  with  at- 
tached dust  bag,  should  not  weigh  over  SO 
pounds  so  as  to  be  conveniently  carried  on  stairs 
and  in  seating  area.  Sound-deadening  is  a fea- 
ture of  some  heavy-duty  equipment. 

Blower  type  cleaning  mechanisms  are  par- 
ticularly useful  in  blowing  popcorn  boxes  and 
similar  refuse  from  under  auditorium  seating, 
so  that  it  may  be  conveniently  removed,  and 
they  are  obtainable  both  in  floor  portable  and 
hand  models.  Some  heavy-duty  vacuum  equip- 
ment has  a blower  attachment  for  this  purpose 
Floor  machines  are  obtainable  for  general 
maintenance  of  terrazzo,  composition,  tile  and 
other  flooring  materials,  in  models  adapted  to 
use  by  a theatre  porter,  and  to  compact  storage 
and  convenient  portability.  Such  floor  machines 
scrub,  wax,  polish  and  remove  stains. 

Breuer  Electric  Manufacturing  Company,  5100  Ravens- 
wood  Ave.,  Chicago  40,  I1L  (vacuum  and  blower 
equipment;  floor  maintenance  machines). 

Clements  Manufacturing  Company,  6632  South  Nar- 
ragansett,  Chicago,  111. 

Holt  Manufacturing  Company,  651  20th  Street,  Oak- 
land 12,  Calif. 

Ideal  Industries,  Inc.,  307  North  Michigan  Avenue. 
Chicago,  111. 

Invincible  Vacuum  Cleaner  Manufacturing  Company, 
15  West  15th  Street,  Dover,  Ohio. 

Lamson  Company.  Allen  Billmyre  Division,  Syracuse. 
N.  Y. 

Multi-Clean  Products,  Inc.,  2277  Ford  Parkway,  St. 
Paul,  Minn. 

National  Super  Service  Company,  1946  North  13th 
Street,  Toledo,  Ohio. 

Pullman  Vacuum  Cleaner  Corporation,  33  Allerton 
Street,  Boston,  Mass. 

SPENCER  TURBINE  COMPANY,  Hartford, 
Conn.  See  page  25. 


CROWD  CONTROL 
EQUIPMENT  & SUPPLIES 

posts,  brackets  and 
ropes  for  controlling  patron  traffic  in  lob- 
bies, foyers,  etc.,  are  available  with  posts 
which  screw  into  sockets  permanently  sunk  in 


the  floor,  or  pedestal  type  posts  with  solid  brass 
bases  which  need  only  to  be  lifted  out  of  the 
way. 

Control  ropes  are  made  of  cotton  strands 
over  which  is  a woven  fabric,  and  the  covering 
is  usually  velour,  which  can  be  of  most  any 
desired  color. 

Apex  Brass  & Bronze  Works,  Inc.,  116  Walker  Street, 
New  York  13,  N.  Y. 

Lawrence  Metal  Products,  Inc.,  60  Prospect  Avenue, 
Lynbrook,  N.  Y. 

Newman  Brothers,  Inc.,  670  West  Fourth  Street,  Cin- 
cinnati 3,  Ohio. 


CUE  MARKERS  — See  Changeovers  and 
Cueing  Devices. 


CURTAIN  CONTROLS  & TRACKS 

smooth  and  silent 
opening  and  closing  of  curtains  are  ef- 
fected, either  from  backstage  or  from  the 
projection  room,  by  automatic  machines  that  op- 
erate at  the  touch  of  a button.  The  curtain 
may  be  stopped  at  any  point  along  the  track, 
or  its  motion  reversed  as  desired.  Such  equip- 
ment is  available  in  heavy-duty  (for  large  stage 
openings  and  heavy  curtains)  and  in  lightweight 
type  (for  relatively  small  stages,  displays,  etc.) 

Equipment  consists  of  electric  control  mech- 
anism for  controlling  travel  of  curtain,  and  steel 
track  with  carriers. 

Such  equipment  is  available  also  for  con- 
tinuing the  curtain  travel  on  curved  track 
around  screen  or  along  sides  of  stage,  with  turn 
of  small  radius. 

Control  equipment  for  contour  curtain  opera- 
tion is  likewise  available,  some  adapted  to 
limited  overhead  space. 

AUTOMATIC  DEVICES  COMPANY,  2121  South 
12th  Street,  Allentown,  Pa.  See  page  7. 

J.  R.  Clancy,  Inc.,  1010  West  Belden  Avenue.  Syra 
cuse.  N.  Y 

R.  L.  Grosh  & Sons,  4112  Sunset  Boulevard,  Holly- 
wood 29,  Calif. 

NOVELTY  SCENIC  STUDIOS,  INC.,  426-432  East 
91st  Street,  New  Ycrk  28,  N.  Y. 

Triple-S-Supply  Company,  7S0  Golden  Gate  Avenue, 
San  Francisco,  Calif. 

Vallen,  Inc.,  225  Bluff  Street,  Akron,  Ohio. 

• 


DECORATION,  INTERIOR 

THE  COMPLETE  job  of 
interior  decoration,  including  designing, 
may  be  assigned  to  a studio  specializing 
in  theatres  and  similar  buildings.  Handling  the 
work  on  a contract  basis,  such  a studio  can 
supply  all  necessary  decorative  materials  as 
well  as  the  decorating  talent  and  installation 
labor. 

Knoxville  Scenic  Studios,  Maryville  Pike,  P.  O.  Box 
1029,  Knoxville,  Tenn. 

H.  R.  Mitchell  & Co.,  P.  O.  Box  690,  Hartselle, 
Ala. 

Novelty  Scenic  Studios,  426-432  East  91st  Street, 
New  York  28,  N.  Y. 

Premier  Studios,  414  West  45th  Street,  New  York 
City. 

Rau  Studios,  Inc.,  104  West  42nd  Street,  New  York 
18,  N.  Y. 


DIMMERS 

THESE  ELECTRO-ME- 

chanical  devices  for  controlling  stage  and 
auditorium  illumination,  permitting  fad- 
ing out  of  any  desired  set  of  lights  and  fading 
in  of  others,  are  available  in  various  types  and 
capacities. 

Resistance  types  without  interlocking  features 
are  suited  to  small  circuits  subject  to  individual 
control  (spotlight,  floodlight,  etc.).  Interlock- 
ing models  are  for  multiple-circuit  installations 
(as  needed  for  complex  stage  lighting).  There 
are  also  reactance  (electronic)  dimmers  for 
staee  f performance')  liarhting-  control. 


...and 

suddenly 

your 

bd. 

jumps 


WRITE,  WIRE  or 
PHONE 
ALPINE 
5-8459 


MANUFACTURERS— 

Foam  Rubber  & Spring  Cushions, 
back  and  seat  covers. 


Box  offices  bulge  when  you  pro- 
vide your  patrons  with  comfort- 
able, relaxing  seats.  We  repair  or 
replace  your  broken  down  seating 
. . . without  interrupting  your 
show  for  a moment.  Results  are 
so  BIG  . . . cost  so  little. 


Ask  US  about  it! 


DISTRIBUTORS— 

fpholstery  fabrics  and  general  seating 
supplies. 


theatre  seat 
seruiie  co. 


160  Hermitage  Avenue 
Nashville,  Tenn. 


THE  WORLD  FAMOUS 

“SILVERLITE” 

ALL  PURPOSE  SILVER  SCREEN 
and  the  NEW  ULTRA  WHITE 

HI-LITE  SCREEN 

100%  VINYL  PLASTIC,  MOLD  & FUNGUS 
PROOF 

Theatre  Screens  with  a World-Wide  Reputation 
since  1927 

VOCAUTE  SCREEN  CORP. 

ROOSEVELT,  NEW  YORK 


BETTER  THEATRES  SECTION 


39 


Autotransformer  dimmers  are  adapted  to 
simple  auditorium  house-lighting  circuits ; they 
may  be  installed  for  single-switch  remote  con- 
trol (as  from  the  projection  room),  or  be  bank- 
mounted  in  various  interlocking  assemblies  for 
flexible  control  of  a number  of  circuits  (as  for 
illumination  in  different  colors  or  locations). 
Due  to  transformer  action,  dimming  is  smooth 
regardless  of  lamp  load. 

Dimming  of  cathode  type  light  sources 
("neon"  and  fluorescent  lamp)  is  possible 
with  equipment  especially  installed  for  this  pur- 
pose according  to  the  lighting  installation.  For 
dimming  hot-cathode  lamps,  electronic  control, 
using  two  thyratron  tubes,  is  recommended  for 
full  range  from  and  to  complete  black-out. 

One  fluorescent  dimmer,  consisting  of  a con- 
trol unit  and  matching  ballast,  permits  turning 
on  the  lamps  at  any  desired  point  within  the 
dimming  range  by  means  of  a knob. 

Frank  Adam  Electric  Company,  3650  Windsor  Place. 
St.  Louis.  Mo. 

Capitol  Stage  Lighting  Company,  527  West  45th  Street, 
New  York  19,  N.  Y. 

Century  Lighting;  Inc.,  521  West  43rd  St.,  New  York 
City. 

Eastern  Precision  Resistor  Corp.,  130-11  90th  Avenue, 
Richmond  Hill,  N.  Y. 

Cutler-Hammer,  Inc.,  315  N.  12th  Street,  Milwaukee. 
Wis. 

General  Electric  Company,  570  Lexington  Avenue. 
New  York  City. 

Hub  Electrical  Corporation,  2227  West  Grand  Avenue, 
Chicago.  111. 

Kliegl  Bros.,  351  West  50th  Street  New  York  19,  N.  Y 
Superior  Electric  Company,  Bristol,  Conn. 
Ward-Leonard  Electric  Company,  91  South  Street,  Mt. 
Vernon,  N.  Y. 

Westinghouse  Electric  Corporation.  East  Pittsburgh 
Pa. 


DISPLAY  FRAMES,  POSTER 

poster  cases  with  frames 
of  extruded  aluminum  and  of  stainless 
steel  are  fabricated  in  sizes  for  single  one- 
sheets,  while  the  frame  units  may  be  adapted 
also  to  long  lobby  displays,  usually  set  flush  in 
the  wall.  Standard  cases,  with  glazed  doors 
that  swing  on  hinges  and  lock,  are  available  for 
mounting  against  a wall  as  well  as  recessed ; 
also  with  or  without  lighting  provisions 
(sources  may  be  all  around,  or  along  longest 
sides,  and  are  regularly  fluorescent  tubular 
lamps  concealed  behind  the  edge  of  the  frame). 
They  are  also  available  in  models  adapted  to 
black-light  sources  for  luminescent  displays. 

Easel  frames  of  either  aluminum  or  stainless 
steel  construction  are  also  on  the  market. 

Standard  poster  size  frames  are  also  available 
in  Kalamein  mouldings  (metal  on  wood),  fin- 
ished in  stainless  steel,  chromium,  aluminum  or 
bronze. 

Extruded  aluminum  insert  frames  are  obtain- 
able in  a variety  of  sizes  for  single  or  multiple 
still  displays. 

Alto  Manufacturing  Company,  1647  Wolfram  Street. 
Chicago  13,  111. 

Ames  Metal  Moulding  Company,  Inc.,  226  East  144th 
Street.  New  York  City. 

Art  Metal  Manufacturing  Company,  1408  North 
Broadway,  St.  Louis,  Mo. 

Champion  Moulding  Manufacturing  Company,  23-t 
East  151st  Street.  New  York  City. 

Everbrite  Electric  Signs,  Inc.,  1440  North  Fourth 
Street.  Milwaukee  12,  Wis. 

Poblocki  & Sons,  Inc.,  2159  S.  Kinnickinnic  Avenue, 
Milwaukee,  7,  Wis. 


DRIVE-IN  EQUIPMENT, 

SUPPLIES  AND  SERVICES 

MUCH  OF  THE  equipment 
of  drive-in  theatres  is  the  same  as  that  of 
regular  theatres.  Noted  here  are  the  kind' 
specifically  associated  with  this  type  of  opera- 
tion. (Accordingly,  for  projectors,  sound  equip 
ment,  projection  lamps,  motor-generators,  recti- 
fiers, and  projection  accessories  such  as  splicer'. 


rewinders,  etc.,  reference  should  be  made  to  the 
classifications  in  The  Buyers  Index  that  deal 
with  these  individually.) 

Items  applying  specifically  to  drive-in  theatres 
are  as  follows : 


ADMISSION  CONTROL 

Equipment  especially  devised  to  record  drive- 
in  admissions  is  available  in  various  types,  some 

eliminating  the  use  of  tickets,  others  printing  a 
ticket,  while  others  are  modifications  of  ticket 
issuing  systems  used  in  regular  theatres. 

Systems  eliminating  tickets  may  also  provide 
for  registration  of  the  car  by  trip  of  a treadle 
when  the  car  passes  over  it ; and  for  registration 
of  the  entire  transaction  on  an  overhead  indi- 
cator visible  at  considerable  distance. 

Some  admission  registration  equipment  may 
be  installed  for  remote  registration,  as  in  the 
manager’s  office. 

.SV<?  also  TICKET  ISSUING  MACHINES. 

The  Electronic  Signal  Company.  483  Willis  Avenue. 
Williston  Park.  N.  Y. 

GENERAL  REGISTER  CORPORATION,  4301 
22nd  Street,  Long  Island,  N.  Y.  See  page  41. 

K-Hill  Signal  Company,  326  West  Third  Street, 
Uhrichsville,  Ohio  (ticket  control  car  register). 
Ohmer  Corporation,  740  Bolander,  Dayton.  Ohio. 

Palmer  Engineering  & Development  Co.,  2459^2  Chico 
Avenue,  El  Monte,  Calif,  (car  counter). 

Perey  Turnstile  Company,  101  Park  Avenue,  New 
York  City,  (turnstiles). 

Taller  & Cooper,  Inc.,  75  Front  Street,  Brooklyn  1, 
N.  Y. 

ATTRACTION  ADVERTISING 

Changeable  letter  frames  with  lighted  glass 
panels,  and  using  aluminum  and  plastic  letters, 
as  installed  on  the  marquees  and  fronts  of 
indoor  theatres,  are  variously  adapted  to  drive- 
ins.  Where  a screen  tower  or  other  facility 
structure  is  near  the  highway,  the  attraction 
advertising  equipment  may  be  mounted  thereon 
Otherwise  special  sign  structures  are  indicated, 
with  the  name  of  the  theatre  and  attraction 
frames  integrated  in  an  attractive  pattern  with 
suitable  illumination.  (See  Signs,  Electric,  for 
Theatre  Names.) 

Changeable  letter  frames  are  also  available 
for  front  illumination  by  reflector  lamps,  de- 
signed to  be  readily  attached  to  walls,  posts  or 
similar  supports.  These  are  made  in  standard 
units  for  convenient  erection  on  the  job  to  am 
size  of  panel.  Besides  use  as  attraction  boards 
at  the  drive-in.  they  are  effective  for  remote 


HOW  MANY  PATRONS  DO  YOU  LOSE  _ 


PIC  is  already  serving  more  than  PIC  saved  many  Drive-In  businesses 

300  satisfied  Drive-In  Theatres.  this  summer;  it  will  save  yours,  too. 

A 25*  pock  will  last  for  12  hours 
INSTANTLY  EFFECTIVE  or  approximately  4 full  shows. 


exploitation,  as  along  the  highway,  at  nearby 
gasoline  stations,  etc.  (See  also  Letters  and 
Frames  for  Attraction  Advertising.) 

For  changing  attraction  board  letters  at 
heights  that  cannot  be  reached  without  use  of 
a ladder,  a "mechanical  hand”  device  that  grasps 
the  letter  by  use  of  a tensioning  lever  at  the 
end  of  a handle  is  available. 

ADLER  SILHOUETTE  LETTER  COMPANY, 

11843  West  Olympic  Blvd.,  Los  Angeles  64, 
Calif.  See  page  43. 

Bevelite,  Inc..  1615  Cordova  St.,  Los  Angeles,  Calif. 
Poblocki  & Sons,  Inc.,  2159  S.  Kinnickinnic  Avenue, 
Milwaukee  7,  Wis. 

WAGNER  SIGN  SERVICE,  INC.,  218  South 
Hoyne  Avenue,  Chicago,  ill.  (changeable  let- 
ters and  letter  mounting  tool).  See  page  9. 

AUTOMOBILE  ATTACHMENTS 

To  encourage  a greater  attendance  when  it 
rains,  drive-in  operators  can  secure  automobile 
visors  to  attach  to  the  front  of  patrons’  cars, 
thereby  eliminating  the  need  for  using  wind- 
shield wipers.  Some  visors  are  made  of  plastic 
with  an  aluminum  tube  frame ; others  are  of 
canvass  with  steel  rods.  They  come  in  various 
colors.  They  can  be  distributed  to  patrons  on 
a rental  basis,  if  desired. 

To  combat  mosquitoes  and  other  insects  there 
is  a cloth  net  to  be  installed  on  automobile  win- 
dows acting  as  a screen.  It  fits  snugly  onto  the 
car  door  and  does  not  interfere  with  placement 
of  in-car  speakers. 

Kleer-View,  90  Anderson  Street,  Portland,  Me.  (canvas 
visor). 

Rainview  Visors,  732  Bush  Street.  Toledo  11,  Ohio. 
Sightmaster  Corporation,  New  Rochelle.  N.  Y. 

J.  TIBBATT5  COMPANY,  1712  New  York 
Ave.,  Union  City,  N.  J.  See  page  29.  (screens) 

DESIGN  AND  CONSTRUCTION 

Professional  designers  experienced  in  ramp 
grade  requirements,  drainage,  traffic  plans,  etc., 
as  well  as  structural  needs  and  the  operating 
peculiarities  of  driveins,  are  available  for  plans 
and  construction  supervision. 

, Such  service  may  also  include  actual  con- 
struction of  the  project. 

BALLANTYNE  COMPANY,  1712  Jackson  Street, 
Omaha  2,  Nebr. 

F & Y BUILDING  SERVICE,  319  East  Town  Street, 
Columbus  15,  Ohio  (design  and  construction). 

DIRECTIONAL  SIGNS 

These  include  electrically  lighted  ramp  mark- 
ers, with  manual  means  of  indicating  when  the 
ramp  is  full;  stop-and-go,  exit  signs,  etc.  A 
portable  type  with  plexiglas  inserts  for  traffic 
instructions  or  other  copy  is  available;  others 
are  designed  for  mounting  on  a pedestal  or  wall. 

BALLANTYNE  COMPANY.  1712  Jackson  Street. 
Omaha,  Nebr 

DA  WO  CORPORATION,  14S  North  Erie,  Toledo,  Ohio. 
Urive-ln  Theatre  Manufacturing  Company,  5U5  West 
9lh  Street,  Kansas  City,  Mo. 

Poblocki  & Sons,  2159  S.  Kinnickinnic  Avenue.  Mil- 
waukee, Wis. 

kevere  Electric  Manufacturing  Co..  6020  Broadway. 
Chicago  40  III 

Signs,  Inc.,  48  Geneva  Ave.,  Boston  21,  Mass,  (direc- 
tional signs  and  moonlight  towers). 

FANS  IFOG.  HUMIDITY  CONTROL I 

Fans  working  on  a helicopter  principle  to 
move  large  quantities  of  air  for  various  pur- 
poses can-  he  installed  on  drive-in  theatre 
grounds.  One,  equipped  with  a vertical  pro- 
peller, is  designed  to  provide  higher  air  veloci- 
ties at  car  level,  thus  reducing  humidity,  while 
at  the  same  time  acting  to  combat  mosquitoes 
and  other  insects.  A second  fan  is  designed  to 
combat  fog ; it  has  a high  horizontal  propeller 
for  that  purpose. 

Diesel  Power  Company,  Greenville,  Pa. 

GROUNDS  MAINTENANCE 

Refuse  carts  are  available  to  facilitate  daily 
grounds  cleaning.  There  is  a model  with  a steel 
basket  mounted  on  wheels  and  demountable  so 
debris  may  be  burned  in  it ; it  can  also  be  had 
with  a utility  platform  for  light  cartage. 

Outdoor  “vacuum”  sweepers  are  available  for 
clearing  the  drive-in  grounds  of  paper  litter  such 
as  popcorn  boxes  and  bags,  cups,  and  food  wrap- 


40 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  MAY  12,  1956 


LIGHTING 


pers.  These  units  are  self-propelled  and  will 
vacuum,  cut  up  and  bag  the  debris. 

Atwater-Strong  Company,  Atwater,  Ohio  (refuse 
sweeper). 

County  Specialties,  Box  468,  Ossining,  N.  \.  (mcinera- 

MID-EAST  SALES  COMPANY,  106  Pendery 
Avenue,  Cincinnati  15,  Ohio.  See  page  8. 
(refuse  sweeper). 

Poblocki  & Sons,  2159  S.  Kinnickinnic  Avenue,  Mil- 
waukee, Wis. 


IN-CAR  SPEAKERS  AND  HEATERS 

In-car  speakers  are  available  in  a variety  of 

models,  with  speaker  units  ranging  from  3 to  6 

inches. 

In-car  speaker  equipment  can  be  obtained  with 
or  without  lights  for  illuminating  post  and  ramp. 

Small  electric  coil  heaters  are  available  for 
installation  and  use  similarly  to  in-car  speakers ; 
power  is  supplied  by  special  wiring  to  the  speak- 
er posts,  from  which  the  in-car  heaters  are  sus- 
pended to  be  taken  into  cars  as  occupants  desire. 

Following  manufacture  in-car  speakers  oiih 
unless  otherwise  specified : 

Arvin  Industries,  Inc.,  13th  & Big  Four  R.R.,  Colum- 
bus, Ind.  (heaters  only). 

THE  BALLANTYNE  COMPANY,  1712  Jackson 
Street,  Omaha,  Nebr.  See  page  6 
CENTURY  PROJECTOR  CORPORATION,  729 
Seventh  Avenue.  New  York  City. 

DAWO  CORPORATION,  145  North  Erie,  Toledo,  Ohio. 
Drive-in  Theatre  Manufacturing  Company,  505  West 
9th  Street,  Kansas  City,  Mo. 

Electromode  Division  of  Commercial  Controls  Corp 
45  Crouch  Street.  Rochester  3,  N.  Y.  (heaters  only) 
EPRAD  COMPANY,  1206  Cherry  Street,  Toledo,  Ohi 
page  24. 

General  Electric  Company.  Electronics  Dept.,  Syra 

INTERNATIONAL  PROJECTOR  CORPORA 
TION,  55  LaFrance  Avenue,  Bloomfield,  N.  J 

Minneapolis  Speaker  Recoiling  Company,  2312  Ceda 
Ave  South,  Minneapolis  4,  Minn,  (speaker  reconing) 
Minnesota  Mining  & Manufacturing  Company,  bt 
Paul  Minn  (rainproof  speaker  cover). 
MOTIOGRAPH,  INC.,  4431  W.  Lake  Street,  Chicago 

Permoflux  Corporation,  4900  W.  Grand  Avenue,  Chi 
cago,  111. 

RADIO  CORPORATION  OF  AMERICA,  Engineering 
Products,  Camden,  N.  J. 

RAYTONE  SCREEN  CORPORATION,  165  Clermont 
Avenue,  Brooklyn,  N.  Y.  (speaker  guard). 

Sonken-Galamba  Corporation,  2nd  and  Riverview 
Kansas  City,  Kans.  (speaker  stands  with  guide  light 
posts). 

THERMOLATOR  CORP.,  1628  Victory  Blvd., 
Glendale,  Calif.  See  page  51.  . .. 

Utah  Radio  Products  Co.,  Inc.,  1123  East  Franklin 
Street,  Huntington.  Ind.  (dual  cones). 

WESTREX  CORPORATION,  111  Eighth  Avenue, 
New  York  11,  N.  Y.  (except  in  U.  S.  and  Canada). 


INSECTICIDE  FOGGING.  SPRAYING.  ETC. 

Equipment  mountable  on  a small  truck  is 
available  for  application  of  insecticides  by  the 
fogging  method  (mist  carried  by  air  over  broad 
area,  effective  particularly  to  discourage  mos- 
quitos and  similar  pests  from  entering  drive-in 
area.)  Some  equipment  is  designed  also  for 
spraying  insecticides  (within  buildings,  on  foli- 
age, etc.)  and  weed  killers.  Other  uses  include 
spray  painting  and  tire  inflation. 

Another  type  of  insecticide  fogging  equipment 
is  carried  by  the  operator,  suspended  from 
shoulder  strans. 

To  control  flies,  mosquitos  and  other  insects 
at  drive-in  refreshment  buildings  and  restrooms, 
there  are  electrical  vaporizing  units  which  can 
be  mounted  on  the  wall.  When  they  are 
plugged  into  an  ordinary  electric  outlet,  the 
heat  generated  vaporizes  an  insecticide,  either 
crystal  or  liquid. 

Also  available  is  a wick  type  insect  repellent, 
which  may  be  sold  or  given  to  natrons.  Its 
fumes  are  effective  over  area  of  a car. 


Mushroom  and  pylon  fixtures  are  available 
for  lighting  drives  and  walks,  while  for  general 
illumination,  especially  of  the  ramp  area,  there 
are  floodlights  for  mounting  on  screen  towers 
and  or  special  tall  structures,  or  poles.  Pre- 
fabricated members  are  available  for  erecting 
steel  “moonlight”  structures. 

Kliegl  Bros.,  351  West  50th  Street  New  York  19,  N.  Y. 
Revere  Electric  Manufacturing  Company,  6020  Broad- 
way, Chicago  40,  111. 

Steber  Manufacturing  Company,  Broadview,  111. 

PLAYGROUND.  FIREWORKS.  ETC. 

Drive-in  playgrounds  for  the  younger  chil- 
dren usually  include  teeter-totters,  slides  and 
swings.  These  are  available  in  many  designs, 
built  to  assure  safety  and  painted  in  lively 
colors.  But  the  playground  may  be  made  more 
interesting  by  the  addition  of  other  pastimes, 
notably  rides.  Ride  equipment  includes  small 
carousels  and  miniature  trains ; also  “thrill’' 
rides  such  as  “airplanes”  swung  from  a pole,  a 
small,  safe  version  of  “The  Whip,”  etc.  These 
4 re  operated  by  motors  of  around  1 h.p. 

AMERICAN  PLAYGROUND  DEVICES,  Andeison, 
Ind. 

Bally  Manufacturing  Company,  2640  Belmont  Ave., 
Chicago,  111. 

J.  E.  Burke  Playground  Equipment  Co.,  Fon  du  Lac, 
Wise. 

King  Amusement  Company,  Mt.  Clemens,  Mich. 
Joyrider  Co.,  Ontario,  Calif. 

Liberty  Fireworks  Company,  Box  98,  Franklin  Park, 
111. 

W.  F Mangels  Company,  2863  West  8th  Street, 
Brooklyn  24.  N.  Y. 

Miniature  Train  Go..  Rensselaer  Tnd 
MIRACLE  EQUIPMENT  COMPANY,  Box  275,  Grin- 
nell,  Iowa. 

National  Amusement  Device  Co.,  Dayton  7,  Ohio. 

Pedal  Plane  Manufacturing  Company,  South  Beloit, 
Wis. 

Play-Way  Company,  3227  Indiana  Avenue,  St.  Louis 
18.  Mo 

B.  A.  Schiff,  901  S.W.  69th  Avenue,  Miami,  34,  Fla. 


PRFEABRICATED  FENCING 

Prefabricated  fencing  of  durable  timber  (such 
as  white  cedar)  is  available  in  styles  particularly 
suited  to  drive-in  theatres,  for  defining  the  limits 
of  the  theatre  with  visual  isolation  from  high- 
ways and  adjoining  property,  and  to  accomplish 
this  in  a rustically  decorative  manner.  It  may  be 
had  in  heights  from  4 to  8 feet,  in  natural  bark 
or  pealed  palings,  in  straight-top  or  escalloped 
forms.  The  fencing  comes  in  sections  ready  for 
erection,  including  gates  and  hardware. 

Arnold-Dain  Corp.,  Mahopac,  N.  Y. 

Fence  Company  of  America.  Auburndale,  Fla. 

Habitant  Shops,  Inc.,  Bay  City,  Mich. 

SCREENS  AND  SCREEN  SURFACING 

Prefabricated  screen  towers  are  available 
with  steel  framing  designed  to  withstand  pres- 
sures equivalent  to  wind  of  90  miles  per  hour. 
Some  types  are  designed  for  convenient  en- 
closure of  the  frame  with  wood  or  other 
materials,  also  for  attachment  of  a stage.  The 
members  come  complete  for  erection  by  local 
labor,  including  materials  for  the  screen  itself. 

Materials  for  the  screen  area  of  the  tower 
are  available  in  fibreglas  fabric,  which  is  given 
a special  coating ;in  self-surface  metallic  plates; 
and  in  aluminum  panels  fluted  to  control  reflec- 
tion angles  (the  latter  developed  by  Motion 
Picture  Research  Council,  1421  N.  Western 
Avenue,  Hollywood,  Calif.). 

Paint  is  available  especially  prepared  for 
drive-in  screens  and  applicable  to  surfaces  of 
metal,  asbestos  board,  etc.  These  include  alumi- 
num paints  compounded  especially  for  outdoor 
screens. 


Detjen  Corporation,  303  West  42nd  Street,  New  York 

City  (pest  electrode). 

FOG-AIR,  INC.,  415  Lexington  Avenue,  New 
York  17.  N.  Y.  See  page  27. 

Devenco,  Inc.,  150  Broadway,  New  York  38,  N.  Y. 

Lindavap  Corporation,  Ann  Arbor,  Mich,  (electrical 
vaporizer). 

Magic  Fog.  Inc.,  Cissna  Park,  111. 

PIC  CORPORATION,  837  Broad  Street,  Newark, 
N.  J.  See  page  40.  (insecticide  vaporizer) 

TODD  SHIPYARDS  CORPORATION  Combustion 
Equipment  Division,  Columbia  & Halleck  Streets, 
Brooklyn,  N.  Y. 

Welch  Equipment,  Inc.,  224  S.  Michigan  Avenue, 
Chicago  4,  111. 


BALLANTYNE  COMPANY,  1712  Jackson  Street, 
Omaha,  Nebr. 

Drive-In  Theatre  Manufacturing  Company,  505  W. 
9th  Street,  Kansas  City,  Mo.  (screen  surfacing  and 
screen  towers). 

ERPAD  COMPANY,  1206  Cherry  Street,  Toledo,  Ohio 
(screen  paint). 

First-American  Products,  Inc.,  1717  Wyandotte  St., 
Kansas  City  8,  Mo.  (screen  surfacing  and  screen 
towers). 

Manco-Vision,  Box  8,  Butler,  Wis. 

Natco  Wonder  Screen  Company.  2031  Jackson  Street, 
Dallas  1,  Texas  (fiberglas  fabric). 

Open-Air  Development  Corporation,  82  Newbury  Street, 
Boston,  Mass,  (screen  surfacing). 


The  Admission 
Comtroil  System 
that  means 
Good  Business 
Good  Showmanship 


IS 

made  only  by 


General 


Corporation 


Genera!  Register  Corp. 

43-01  Twenty-Second  Street 
Long  Island  City  1,  N.  Y. 

1013  So.  Wabash  Ave.,  Chicago  5,  III. 


BETTER  THEATRES  SECTION 


'41 


Perkins  Electric  Supply  Co.,  Inc.,  505  Pearl  Street, 
Buffalo,  X.  V.  (screens  and  wide-screen  frames). 
Protective  Coatings,  Inc.,  807  North  Fremont  Road, 
Tampa,  Fla.  (screen  surfacing). 

RAYTONE  SCREEN  CORPORATION,  165  Clermont 
Ave.,  Brooklyn,  N.  Y.  (screen  paint). 

Selby  Industries,  Inc.,  1350  Ghent  Hills  Road,  Akron 
13,  Ohio  (screen  towers). 

Signs,  Inc.,  48  Geneva  Avenue,  Boston,  Mass,  (screen 

tower). 

Tropical  Paint  &-  Oil  Company,  11481246  West  70th 
Street,  Cleveland,  Ohio  (screen  paint). 

Poblocki  & Sons,  2159  S.  Kinnickinnic  Avenue,  Mil- 
waukee, Wis.  (Metallic  self-surface  plates). 


SPEAKER  AND  UNDERGROUND  CABLE 

For  wiring  an  in-car  sound  system,  a type  of 
cable  (neoprene-covered)  is  available  which 
may  be  laid  underground  without  conduit  and 
without  reference  to  frost  line. 

For  safer  connection  of  in-car  speakers  to  the 
terminal  than  that  provided  by  ordinary  cable, 
self-coiling  cable  is  available.  Leading  makes  of 
in-car  speakers  are  obtainable  with  self-coiling 
cords  instead  of  the  straight  type. 

First-American  Products,  Inc.,  1717  Wyandotte  Street, 
Kansas  City  8,  Mo.  (speaker  cords,  underground 
cable.) 

General  Electric  Company,  Bridgeport,  Conn,  (under- 
ground cable). 

KOILED-KORDS,  INC.,  Hamden,  Conn,  (coiled  cords 
for  speakers). 

Wchtein  insuiated  Wire  Company,  1001  East  62nd 
S”eeT  Angeles  1,  Calif. 

THE  WHITNEY-BLAKE  COMPANY,  New  Haven, 
Conn,  (underground  cable). 

STADIUM  AND  TERRACE  SEATING 

Typically  of  hardwood  on  metal  frames,  chairs 
are  obtainable  in  folding  or  fixed  types,  the  lat- 
ter models  designed  for  safe  attachment  to  wood 
or  concrete. 

AMERICAN  SEATING  COMPANY,  901  Broad- 
way. Grand  Rapids,  Mich. 

GRIGGS  EQUIPMENT  COMPANY,  Box  630,  Belton, 
Texas. 

[DEAL  SEATING  COMPANY,  Grand  Rapids.  Mich. 


EMERGENCY  LIGHTING  AND 
ELECTRIC  POWER  EQUIPMENT 

AUTHORITIES  IN  SORie 

localities  require,  and  all  theatres  should 
have,  equipment  which  safely  illuminates 
at  least  the  auditorium  and  exit  areas  in  the 
event  of  power  line  failure,  going  into  opera- 
tion automatically.  Storage  battery  systems  are 
available  for  this  purpose.  Small  portable  flood- 
lights that  merely  plug  into  an  electric  outlet 
and  automatically  go  on  when  line  power  fails, 
taking  their  power  from  a dry  cell  battery, 
are  also  marketed  for  this  purpose. 

Plants  capable  of  supplying  current  for  con- 
tinued operation  of  the  theatre  in  case  of  line 
power  failure,  or  where  there  is  no  public  util- 
ity service,  are  obtainable  with  either  gasoline 
or  Diesel  engine  power  in  motor-generator 
units  readily  portable  on  trucks  as  well  as  for 
stationary  installation.  Such  units  are  made  in 
capacities  approximately  from  15  to  35  kilo- 
watts. There  are  also  water  turbine  types.  In 
all  cases,  for  emergencies,  switching  is  auto- 
matic. 

Chatham  Products  Company,  15  East  Runyon  Street, 
Newark  5,  N.  J.  (battery  floodlamp). 

Consolidated  Diesel  Electric  Corporation,  230  East 
Eighth  Street,  Mt.  Vernon,  N.  Y.  (power  plants). 
Electric  Storage  Battery  Company,  Allegheny  Avenue 
and  19th  Street,  Philadelphia,  Pa.  (storage  battery 
lighting  systems,  and  battery  floodlamp). 

Fairbanks,  Morse  & Company,  600  South  Michigan 
Avenue,  Chicago.  111.  (power  plants). 

General  Electric  Company,  Schenectady,  N.  Y.  (power 
plants). 

Lamplighter  Products  Co.,  Inc.,  95  Atlantic  Avenue, 
Brooklyn  2,  N.  Y.  (battery  floodlamps). 

D.  W.  Onan  & Sons,  University  Avenue,  S.E.,  at 
25th,  Minneapolis  14,  Minn,  (power  plants). 
Portable  Light  Company.  216  Williams  Street,  New 
York,  N.  Y.  (battery  flood -lamps). 

Ready-Power  Company,  Kales  Building,  Detroit,  Mich, 
(power  plants). 

U-C  Lite  Manufacturing  Company,  1050  W.  Hubbard 
Street,  Chicago,  I1L  (battery  floodlamp). 

U.  S.  Motors  Corporation,  412  Nebraska  Street,  Osh- 
kosh. Wis  (power  plants). 

Westinghouse  Electric  Corporation,  East  Pittsburgh, 
Pa  (power  plants). 


EXPLOITATION  & PROMOTIONAL 
DEVICES  & MERCHANDISE 

for  quick  and  easy  cut- 
ting of  figures,  settings,  etc.,  out  of  com- 
position or  wooden  board,  in  making 
atmospheric  lobby  displays,  etc.,  electric  saws 
are  avaiable  designed  especially  for  such 
purposes. 

Posters  can  be  quickly  and  conveniently  made, 
often  by  persons  of  little  or  no  training  in 
poster  art,  with  the  aid  of  a poster  projector. 

Slide  projectors  that  plug  into  electric  light 
outlets  are  available  in  small  models  adapted  to 
projecting  advertising  on  a screen  in  the  lobby 
or  elsewhere. 

A motor-driven  revolving  tre  holder  is  avail- 
able for  Christmas  decoration  and  mounting 
large  exploitation  material. 

Automatic  Devices  Company,  2121  South  12th  Street, 
Allentown,  Pa.  (revolving  Christmas  tree  holder). 

Best  Devices  Company,  10921  Briggs  Rroad,  Cleve- 
■ d.  Ohio  (slide  projector). 

BODDE  SCREEN  CO.,  11541  Bradley  Ave.,  P.O.  Box 
711,  San  Fernando,  Calil.  (automatic  projector). 
Graham  Dible  Orchid  King,  417  East  Sth  Street,  Los 
Angeles,  Calif. 

tiale  Dorothea  Mechanisms,  37-61  8Sth  Street.  Jackson 
Heights,  New  York  City  (continuous  automatic  slide 
projector ) . 

Flowers  of  Hawaii,  Ltd.,  670  La  Kayctie  Park  Place, 
Los  Angeles  5,  Calif,  (orchids). 

General  Die  & Stamping  Company,  262-272  Mott 
Street,  New  York  12,  N.  Y.  (revolving  stand). 

Golde  Manufacturing  Company,  4888  North  Clark 
Street,  Chicago  40,  111. 

International  Register  Company,  2620  West  Washing 
ton  Street,  Chicago.  111.  (cutout  machines). 

K & W Automatic  Stand  Company,  Muskegon,  Mich 
(Christmas  tree  stand). 

F.  D.  Kees  Manufacturing  Company,  P.  O.  Box  105. 
Beatrice,  Neb.  (slide  projectorj. 


FABRICS  FOR  WALLS, 

CURTAINS  & STAGE  DRAPES 

FABRICS  ADAPTED  tO  lUOSt 

drapery  requirements  of  motion  picture 
theatres  are  of  four  general  types : cotton- 
rayon  damask ; plastic  coated  fabric ; fabric 
woven  of  glass  filament ; weaves  combining 
glass  and  cotton,  also  glass  and  asbestos. 

Fabrics  of  these  types  are  suited  to  audi- 
torium walls,  either  for  covering  acoustical 
materials  or  for  purely  decorative  purposes,  and 
for  the  decoration  of  all  other  public  areas,  as 
wall  coverings,  door  and  window  drapes,  etc. 
The  cotton-rayon  and  glass  filament  fabrics  are 
also  stage  drape  and  curtain  materials. 

Cotton-rayon  fabric  should  be  (usually  must 
be)  flame-proofed  before  erection  and  as  neces- 
sary thereafter  to  maintain  adequate  resistance 
to  fire.  Fiberglas,  plastic  woven  and  glass- 
asbestos  fabrics  are  non-combustible.  The  cotton 
of  Fiberglas-cotton  fabric  is  flame-proofed 
before  weaving 

Dazian's,  Inc.,  142  West  44th  Street,  New  York  18, 
N.  Y.  (cotton-rayon  damasks). 

Duracote  Corporation,  350  North  Diamond  Avenue. 

Ravena,  Ohio  (plastic  coated). 

Goodall  Fabrics,  Inc.,  525  Madison  Avenue,  New  York 
City  (cotton  and  wool). 

Maharam  Fabric  Corporation.  130  West  46th  Street. 

New  York  City  (cotton-rayon  damasks). 

MANKO  FABRICS  COMPANY,  INC.,  156  West 
28  Street,  New  York  1,  N.  Y. 

Hubert  Mitchell  & Company,  P.O.  Box  690,  Hartselle, 
Ala. 

New  York  Flameproofing  Company,  115  Christopher 
Street.  New  York  14,  N.  Y. 

NOVELTY  SCENIC  STUDIOS,  INC.,  432  East  91st 
Street,  New  York  28. 

Plymouth  Fabrics,  Fall  River,  Mass.  (Fiberglas-cotton). 
Thortel  Fireproof  Fabrics,  Inc.,  101  Park  Avenue. 

New  York  City  (Fiberglas). 

United  States  Plywood  Company,  55  West  44th  Street, 
New  York  City  (plastic  coatedj. 

United  States  Rubber  Company.  1230  Sixth  Avenue. 
New  York  City  (glass-asbestos  and  plastic  coated). 

• 

FIRE  EXTINCUISHERS 

FIRE  EXTINGUISHING 
materials  available  for  putting  out  small 
fires  by  means  of  personally  portable 
equipment  are  of  four  basic  types — liquids  using 
carbon  tetrachloride  or  comparable  compound 
(not  injurious  to  fabrics),  soda-acid,  foam,  and 


carbon  dioxide.  There  are  extinguishers  of  va- 
rious designs  for  applying  them. 

A guide  in  selection  of  the  required  pre- 
ferred type  is  supplied  by  the  Underwriters’ 
Laboratories,  which  classifies  fires  as  follows : 
Class  A — Wood,  paper,  textiles,  rubbish,  etc., 
with  which  quenching  and  cooling  effect  is  of 
first  importance. 

Class  B — Oil,  grease,  inflammable  liquids,  etc., 
which  require  smothering  effect. 

Class  C — Electrical  equipment,  for  which 
fire  extinguishing  material  must  be  a non-con- 
ductor for  protection  of  person  applying  it. 

Some  compounds  are  for  more  or  less  general 
use.  Carbon  dioxide,  however,  is  specific  in  its 
efficiency  for  Class  B fires  and  is  effective  at 
temperatures  as  low  as  40°  below  zero. 

Besides  such  pressure  or  pump  equipment, 
small  extinguishing  “bombs”  are  available. 
Containing  a material  of  general  purpose,  they 
are  thrown  into  the  fire;  the  container  is  shat- 
tered, releasing  the  extinguishing  medium. 

American  LaFrance  & Foamite  Industries,  100  East 
LaFrance  Street,  Elmira,  N.  Y. 

Bostwick  Laboratories,  706  Bostwick  Avenue,  Bridge- 
port, Conn. 

Buffalo  Fire  Appliance,  221  Crane  Street,  Dayton  1. 
Ohio. 

General  Detroit  Corporation,  2272  East  Jefferson  Street. 
Detroit,  Mich. 

Pyrene  Manufacturing  Company,  560  Belmont  Avenue. 
Newark,  N.  J. 


FIRE  SHUTTERS, 

PROJECTION  ROOM 

FIREPROOF  SHUTTERS 
for  projection  room  ports  to  isolate  the 
projection  room  in  an  emergency,  operate 
either  automatically  (by  melting  of  fusible  linki 
in  rase  of  fire),  or  manually. 

A special  switch  is  available  for  tripping  the 
port  shutters  by  electro-mechanical  action,  in- 
stead of  by  means  of  fusible  links,  and  at  the 
same  time  actuating  an  exhaust  fan  to  draw  the 
fumes  into  a projection  room  ventilation  duct. 
' Best  Devices  Company,  10921  Briggs  Rroad,  Cleve- 
land, Ohio. 

Murch  Electric  Company,  Franklin,  Me. 

RAYTONE  SCREEN  CORPORATION,  165  Clermont 
Avenue,  Brooklyn,  N.  Y. 

The  Trumbull  Electric  Manufacturing  Company,  Wood- 
ford Avenue,  Plainville,  Ohio. 


FLAMEPROOFING 

FLAMEPROOFING  OF  any 
combustible  fabrics  used  for  walls,  stage 
drapes  or  curtains  should  be  carried  out  be- 
fore they  are  set  in  place  and  as  often  there- 
after as  is  necessary  to  maintain  their  resist- 
ance to  fire.  Compounds  are  available  in  pow- 
der form  to  be  diluted  with  warm  water.  Appli- 
cation can  be  made  either  by  immersion  or 
spraying. 

Flamort  Chemical  Company,  746  Natoma,  San  Fran- 
cisco, Calif. 

Monsanto  Chemical  Company,  Merrimac  Div.,  Everett 
St.,  Boston,  Mass. 

Neva-Bum  Product  Corporation,  67  Sullivan  St.,  New 
York  City. 

New  York  Flameproofing  Company,  115  Christopher 
St.,  New  York  City 

Signal  Chemical  Manufacturing  Company,  15116 
Kinsman,  Cleveland,  Ohio. 

L.  Sonneborn  Sons,  Inc.,  300  4th  Avenue,  New  York 
City. 

• 

FLOOR  SURFACING 
MATERIALS,  COMPOSITION 

composition  floor  cover- 
ings of  roll  or  tile  type  are  available  for 
colorful  pattern  effects  as  well  as  solid 
tones  in  heavy-duty  qualities  adapted  to  non- 
public areas  of  theatres,  also  to  certain  sections 
of  public  areas,  such  as  lobbies,  in  front  of  re- 
freshment counters  and  drinking  fountains ; and 
to  toilet  rooms  (not  below  grade)  where  ter- 
razzo  or  ceramic  tiles  would  be  too  expensive 
relative  to  hours  of  operation. 

Such  materials  make  serviceable  baseboards, 


42 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  MAY  12,  1956 


and  composition  bases  of  cowled  type  are  avail- 
able for  this  purpose. 

Composition  flooring  of  heavy-duty  grade, 
without  design,  is  recommended  for  projection 
rooms. 

American  Floor  Products  Company,  1526  M Street, 
N.  W.,  Washington  5.  D.  C. 

AMERICAN  MAT  CORPORATION,  1722  Adams 
Street,  Toledo  2,  Ohio. 

Armstrong  Cork  Company,  Lancaster,  Pa. 
Congoleum-Nairn,  Inc.,  Kearny,  N.  J. 

Fremont  Rubber  Company,  Fremont,  Ohio. 

Goodyear  Tire  & Rubber  Company,  1144  E.  Market 
Street,  Akron,  Ohio. 

R.  C.  Musson  Rubber  Company,  10  South  College 
Street,  Akron  8,  Ohio. 

Tile- Tex  Company,  1232  McKinley  Avenue,  Chicago 
Height.  111. 

U.  S Rubber  Company,  1230  Sixth  Avenue.  New  York 
City. 


FOUNTAINS  AND 
WATER  COOLERS 

drinking  water  foun- 
tains are  of  two  general  types:  (1)  com- 
plete water  coolers  (cabinets  with  me- 
chanical reirigeration  equipment  enclosed  and 
mounted  with  bubblers;  and  (2)  ornamental 
fountains,  which  may  be  directly  connected  to 
the  main  where  water  is  available  at  suitable 
temperatures  (without  prolonged  running),  or 
be  piped  to  a concealed  mechanical  refrigera- 
tion unit.  (In  some  cities,  among  them  New 
York,  water  cooling  equipment  must  be  isolated 
from  patrons.) 

To  assure  sufficient  drinking  water  where 
cooling  is  necessary,  the  equipment  should  de- 
liver a gallon  per  hour  for  every  hundred  of 
seating  capacity,  and  have  storage  provisions  for 
several  gallons. 

Bradley  Washfountain  Company.  2203  North  Michigan 
Avenue,  Milwaukee.  Wis. 

The  Ebco  Manufacturing  Company,  401  West  Town 
Street.  Columbus,  Ohio. 

General  Electric  Company,  5 Lawrence  Street,  Bloom- 
field. N.  J. 

Rundle  Spence  Manufacturing  Company,  52  Second 
Street,  Milwaukee,  Wis. 

Sunroc  Company,  Glen  Riddle,  Pa. 

The  Halsey  W.  Taylor  Company,  Warren,  Ohio. 
Temprite  Products  Corporation,  47  Piquette  Avenue, 
Detroit  2,  Mich. 


FRAMES  FOR  SCREENS— See  Screens,  Mo- 
tion Picture. 


HAND  DRIERS,  ELECTRIC 

ELECTRIC  DRIERS  for 
hands,  and  of  course  applicable  also  to  the 
face,  eliminate  towels,  which  practically 
always  are  of  paper  in  theatre  wash  rooms. 

Such  driers  are  available  with  heating  units, 
and  related  fans  capable  of  drying  hands  in 
about  20  seconds. 

They  can  be  had  in  either  pedestal  or  wall 
models,  the  former  operated  by  a foot  pedal, 
the  latter  by  either  foot  or  hand  control ; and  in 
black,  brown,  gray  or  ivory  as  well  as  white 
enamel  finish. 

Active-Aire  Devices,  Inc.,  103  E.  16th  St.,  New  York 
13,  N.  Y. 

Chicago  Hardware  Foundry  Company,  North  Chicago, 
111. 

Electronic  Towel  Corporation,  342  Madison  Avenue, 
New  York  City. 

Michael  Electric  Company,  P.  O.  Box  141,  New 
Haven,  Conn. 

National  Dryer  Corporation,  616  Adam  Street,  Chicago, 
111. 


IN-CAR  SPEAKERS — Sec  Drive-In  Equip- 
ment and  Supplies. 


LADDERS,  SAFETY 

THE  SAFETY  ladder  min- 
imizes the  risk  of  accident  and  of  law- 
suits arising  from  accidents  occurring 
while  lamps  are  being  replaced,  attraction  board 
letters  changed,  etc.  Sizes  range  from  3 to  16 
feet.  Besides  those  constructed  of  wood  with 
steel  reinforcement,  there  are  ladders  of 


aluminum  construction ; also  models  with  casters 
and  platforms. 

Abbeon  Supply  Company,  17915  Jamaica  Avenue, 
Jamaica  32,  N.  Y. 

Atlas  Industries  Corporation,  849  39th  Street,  Brook- 
lyn, N.  Y. 

DAYTON  SAFETY  LADDER  COMPANY,  2337 
Gilbert  Avenue,  Cincinnati,  Ohio.  See  page  32. 

First-American  Products,  Inc.,  1717  Wyandotte  Street, 
Kansas  City  8,  Mo. 

Goshen  Manufacturing  Company  Goshen,  Ind. 

M & M Manutacturing  Company,  7517  Hamilton 
Avenue,  Pittsburgh,  Pa. 

The  Patent  Scaffolding  Company,  Inc.,  38-21  12th 
Street,  Long  Island  City,  N.  Y. 

Precision  Equipment  Company,  3714  North  Milwau- 
kee Avenue,  Chicago  41,  111. 

LAMPS,  D.C.  PROJECTION  ARC 

PROJECTION  ARCS  of 
high-intensity  characteristics,  operated  on 
direct  current  for  35  mm  projection,  are 
of  two  general  classes — condenser  and  reflector. 

Condenser  type  high-intensity  projection  arc 
lamps  specifically  adapted  to  theatres  are  those 
operating  at  120  to  170  amperes,  and  68  to  78 
volts. 

Condenser  lamps  in  some  models  may  be 
uctea  with  a water-cooled  jaw  assembly  (which 
includes  a special  electromagnet  unit)  ; a similar 
device  is  available  also  for  operation  of  re- 
flector lamps  at  the  higher  amperages. 

Reflector  type  high-intensity  carbon  arc  lamps 
may  be  divided  into  three  general  groups,  pro- 
viding a capacity  range  embracing  the  require- 
ments of  theatres  from  small  to  large  and  in- 
cluding what  appears  to  be  the  practical  re- 
quirements of  drive-in  theatres. 

The  smallest  capacity  is  that  of  the  so-called 
“one-kilowatt”  arc,  which  employs  a cored  nega- 
tive carbon  of  composition  designed  to  give 
smooth  operation  at  very  low  current  densities, 
with  operation  at  40  amperes,  2 7)4  volts,  or 
about  1 kw  at  the  arc. 

In  the  middle  capacity  range,  the  arc  is  oper- 
ated at  currents  from  42  to  65  amperes,  and 
31  to  40  volts  at  the  arc.  Carbon  combinations 
are  7mm  positive  with  6mm  or  7mm  negative 
for  42-45  amperes ; and  8mm  positive,  with  7mm 
negative  for  56-65  amperes. 

Reflector  lamps  with  16-inch  mirrors  are 
available  for  carbon  trims  of  greater  light  out- 
put, using  a 9mm  rotating  positive  carbon  for 
operation  at  around  85  amperes ; a 10mm  posi- 
tive of  similar  characteristics  for  operation  at 
about  95  amperes ; and  a 10mm  positive  of 
greater  density  for  operation  up  to  135  amperes  ; 
a 11mm  positive  for  operation  up  to  125 
amperes. 

Also  becoming  available  are  reflector  lamps 
with  18-inch  mirrors  adapted  to  the  entire  series 
of  trims  indicated  above,  and  would  be  adapted 
to  carbons  of  higher  current  rating,  some  of 
which  are  still  experimental.  The  larger  mirrors 
give  this  lamp  a higher  output  rating  (approxi- 
mately 25%)  when  used  with  lenses  of  com- 
parable speed,  and  with  projector  shutter  design 


ADLER 


NEW  SNAP-LOK 
PLASTIC  LETTERS 

Snap  on  and  off  frames  easily;  spring 
clip  keeps  its  gripping  power  after  being 
used  20,000  times.  Tests  show  these 
4"-6"-8"  letters  stay  on  frames  even  in  a 
60-mile  wind. 


WRITE  FOR  FREE  CATALOG 


ADLER  SILHOUETTE  LETTER  CO. 

11843-6  W.  Olympic  Blvd.,  Los  Angeles  64 


adapted  to  efficient  use  of  the  light  thus  made 
available  at  the  aperture. 

These  larger  lamps  are  equipped  with  quartz 
glass  filters  which  intercept  the  beam  at  the 
aperture  to  “filter  out”  light  of  greatest  heat 
characteristics,  thus  to  reduce  heat  on  the  film. 

For  arc  illumination  in  16mm  projection, 
lamps  are  available  for  high-intensity  carbon 
trims  of  6mm  positive  with  5.5mm  negative  oper- 
ated at  30  amperes  and  28  volts.  A 46-ampere 
size  is  also  available. 

C.  S.  ASHCRAFT  MANUFACTURING  COM- 
PANY, 36-32  Thirty-eighth  Street,  Long  Island 
City,  N.  Y.  See  second  cover. 

BALLANTYNE  COMPANY,  1712  Jackson  Street, 
Nebr. 

Forest  Electronic  Co.,  Inc.,  358  W.  44th  St.,  New  York 
36,  N.  Y. 

RADIO  CORPORATION  OF  AMERICA,  Engi- 
neering Products  Department,  Camden,  N.  J. 
See  page  IS. 

J.  E.  McAuley  Manufacturing  Company,  554  West 
Adams  Street,  Chicago.  Til. 

MOTIOGRAPH,  INC.,  4431  Lake  Street.  Chicago, 

111. 

Murch  Electric  Company,  Franklin,  Me. 

RANK  PRECISION  INDUSTRIES,  LTD.,  Gaumont- 
Kalee,  Div.,  37-41  Mortimer  St.,  London  W.  1, 
England. 

THE  STRONG  ELECTRIC  CORPORATION,  87  City 
Park  Avenue,  Toledo,  Ohio. 


LAMPS,  FILAMENT 
FOR  PROJECTION 

filament  (“mazda”) 
lamps  for  theatre  motion  picture  projec- 
tion are  characterized  by  a high  degree  of 
source  concentration  and  relatively  high  wat- 
tage. The  most  effective  lamp  for  this  purpose 
— the  2,100-watt,  60-volt  T-24  bulb — is  designed 
for  lower  voltage  to  secure  additional  source 
concentration.  Hence  a transformer  with  volt- 
age-regulating characteristics  is  required. 

There  are  also  available,  1,000-watt  prefocus 
base,  and  1500-watt  bipost  base,  100-120  volt, 
T-20  bulb  lamps  employing  the  biplane  filament 
construction.  This  construction  makes  possible 
relatively  high  source  concentration  for  lamps 
operating  at  ordinary  circuit  voltages. 

For  portable  35-mm.  motion  picture  projectors 
there  are  the  500-watt  monoplane-filament,  and 
the  750-watt  and  1,000-watt  biplane  filament 
lamps  in  T-20  bulbs  with  medium-prefocus 
bases.  The  750-watt  and  1,000  -watt  require 
forced  ventilation. 

Another  type  of  1,000- watt  projection  lamp 
designed  to  burn  base  down  gives  considerably 
greater  output  of  light,  and  does  not  require  the 
inclusion  of  anti-blackening  electric  grids  in- 
ternally. 

For  stereopticon  projectors  there  are  500- 
watt  short  T-20,  medium-prefocus  base  projec- 
tion lamp,  and  a 1,000-watt  long  T-20  bulb, 
mogul-prefocus  base  lamp.  Both  are  of  the  100- 
120  volt  type  and  employ  monoplane  filaments 

General  Electric  Company,  Incandescent  Lamp  De- 
partment, Nela  Park,  Cleveland,  Ohio. 

Westinghouse  Electric  Corporation,  Lamp  Division. 

Bloomfield.  N.  J. 


LAMPS  FOR  GENERAL 
THEATRE  ILLUMINATION 

general  service  filament 
lamps,  in  sizes  from  15  to  1000  watts, 
serve  the  majority  of  lighting  applica- 
tions in  and  around  theatres.  Except  for  the 
tubular  bulb  bipost  lamps,  all  are  designed  for 
burning  in  any  position ; all  are  available  with 
inside-frosted  finish  up  to  1000  watts,  and  in 
clear  lamps  from  100  to  1000  watts  (also  a 
10- watt).  The  frosting  absorbs  little  light — in 
fact,  inside-frosted  and  clear  lamps  (clear  lampt 
are  regularly  available  in  sizes  above  100  watts) 
have  the  same  rating  in  light  output. 

Sign  and  Decorative  General  Service  Lamps: 
The  6-watt  S14,  10-watt  SI  1,  10-watt  S14, 
25-watt  A 19  and  40-watt  A21  sizes  have  out- 
door enamel  coating  on  outside  of  bulb. 
Principal  colors : red,  green,  blue,  yellow,  white, 
flametint,  and  orange. 


BETTER  THEATRES  SECTION 


43 


Outside  coated  lamps  for  interior  use  include 
7)4  watt  SI  1 , 15-watt  A 15,  60-watt  A21,  and 
100- watt  A23. 

Lumiline  lamps  are  a tubular  filament  type 
in  clear,  inside  frosted,  straw  and  white ; 30  and 
60  watts  ( 17^4  inches  long),  40  watts  (11)4 
inches  long).  Other  colors  red,  orange,  blue, 
green,  surprise  pink.  They  may  be  used  exposed 
or  in  narrow  reflecting  and  shielding  equipment. 

Fluorescent  lamps  (often  referred  to  as 
F-lamps)  are  now  available  in  straight  tubes  of 
the  following  sizes : 


Length 

Diameter 

Average  lamp 
watts  at 
200  ma. 

42  inches 

34  inch 

25 

64  inches 

34  inch 

37 

72  inches 

1 inch 

36.5 

96  inches 

1 inch 

49 

General  line 

Length 

Diameter 

Wattage 

9 inches 

34  inch 

6 

12  inches 

34  inch 

8 

21  inches 

34  inch 

13 

15  inches 

1)4  inches 

14 

18  inches 

1 or  1)4  inches 

15 

24  inches 

1)4  inches 

20 

36  inches 

1 inch 

30 

48  inches 

1)4  inches 

40 

60  inches 

2)4  inches 

100 

The  most 

useful  “white”  F-lamps  for  the- 

atres  are  the  deluxe  cool  white  (keyed  to 
natural  daylight)  and  deluxe  warm  white 
(keyed  to  filament).  Lamps  are  also  available 
in  standard  cool  white,  standard  warm  white, 
red,  green,  blue,  pink,  gold. 


are  available  in  8,  12  and  16-inch  diameters. 

Projector  lamps  are  of  filament  type  with 
spot  and  flood  lens  cover  glasses  for  narrow  or 
wide  beams.  These  lamps  differ  from  the  usual 
type  filament  lamps  in  that  they  contain  their 
own  reflecting  surface,  which  is  hermetically 
sealed  within  the  lamp,  providing  a high- 
intensity  beam  of  light  for  supplementary  light- 
ing. They  are  made  of  rugged,  heat  resisting 
glass  and  are  suitable  for  service  inside  and 
outdoors.  They  are  equipped  with  medium 
screw  bases  to  fit  regular  sockets  and  are  avail- 
able 150  watts  (PAR  38).  The  150-watt  PAR 
38  are  available  with  medium  screw  bases  to  fit 
regular  sockets  and  side  prong  base.  The  200- 
watt  PAR  46  lamps  are  available  with  a side 
prong  base  and  the  300-watt  PAR  56  lamps 
with  end  prong  base.  The  latter  two  are  nar- 
row-beam spots. 

The  Reflector  spot  and  flood  lamps  also  have 
built-in,  mirror-like  surfaces.  Available  in  75, 
150,  300,  and  500  watte  sizes  in  spot  and  flood 
distribution.  The  300  and  500  watt  sizes  are 
available  in  heat-resistant  glass  for  outdoor 
use.  The  75,  150,  and  300  watt  sizes  are  avail- 
able in  ordinary  glass  for  indoor  use.  {See  also 
Black  Lighting  Equipment.) 

New  line  of  reflector  color  lamps  with  color 
coating  fired  on  end  of  bulb.  Made  in  150  watt 
R40  spot  type  only.  Four  saturated  colors- 
red,  yellow,  green  and  blue.  Two  tints  pink 
and  blue — white.  For  decorative  lighting  stages 
and  curtains,  and  for  general  lighting  of  patron 
areas. 

Germicidal  lamps  are  for  air  disinfection 
They  can  be  used  in  patron  areas  in  suitable 
equipment  or  in  air  ducts. 


Slimline  is  another  type  of  fluorescent  lamp, 
which  is  characterized  by  instant  start  opera- 
tion. For  general  lighting  the  1)4"  diameter 
group  is  the  most  popular.  All  are  designed  to 
operate  at  0.425  amperes. 


Length  Average  lamp  watts 

48  inches 38 

72  inches 55 

96  inches 74 


Length 

Diameter 

Nominal 
lamp  watts 

12  inches 

34  inch 

8 

18  inches 

1 inch 

15 

36  inches 

1 inch 

30 

36  inches 

34  inch 

16* 

23 

30 

36 

Where  space  is  limited,  small  diameter  types 
are  available.  These  may  be  operated  at  120. 
200,  or  300  milliamperes. 

Circline  or  Circlarc  lamps,  fluorescent  lamps 
of  curved  shape,  are  useful  for  decorative  ef- 
fects, such  as  mirror  lighting  in  the  lounge. 
Deluxe  warm  white  and  deluxe  cool  white  lamps 


*Slimline  type.  Average  lamp  watts  at  120,  220,  300, 
and  420  milliamperes. 

Ozone-producing  lamps  (4-watt  Sll  bulb) 
are  used,  with  suitable  equipment,  for  odor 
control  in  such  locations  as  wash  rooms.  One 
lamn  per  1000  cubic  feet  is  recommended. 


“No  hesitancy  in  recommending  Cinematic  IV  Lenses” 

says  Wm.  A.  Suprenant,  director  Faunce  House  Theatre 

Brown  University,  Providence,  R.I. 

«;  Ontu  *375 

Permanent  mounting  brackets  for  all  projectors  1*AMR 


BEST  VALUES 
in  Metallic 
Seamless 
Screens, 
Aperture 
Plates  and 
Everything 
for 

CinemaScope 


S.O.S.  CINEMA  SUPPLY  CORP. 


Get  Ready  for  Cinemascope  "55" 
and  Other  Magnetic  Prints! 

IVfagnaphonic  Cl  Single  Channel  Magnetic  Sound  System 

Complete  with  two  penthouse  reproducers,  wall  cabinet  including 
self-powered  preamp,  fader,  projection  changeover,  ^ 
optical-magnetic  selector  switch  and  cables •p/oD 


FOXHOLE  SPROCKETS  — PAD  ROLLER  KIT 


44 


General  Electric  Company.  Incandescent  Lamp  De- 
partment. Ncla  Park,  Cleveland,  Ohio. 

Radiant  Lamp  Corp.,  700  Jeliff  Avenue,  Newark, 
N.  J. 

Westinghouse  Electric  Corporatio,  Lamp  Division, 
Bloomfield,  N.  J. 


LAMPS,  P.  E.  CELL  EXCITER 

these  lamps  provide 
the  light  which,  interrupted  or  varied  by 
a photographic  sound  track,  actuates  the 
photoelectric  cell  and  initiates  the  process  of 
sound  reproduction  from  such  a track. 

General  Electric  Company,  Incandescent  Lamp  Depart- 
ment, Nela  Park,  Cleveland,  Ohio. 

RADIO  CORPORATION  OF  AMERICA,  Engineering 
Products  Department,  Camden,  N.  J. 

Westinghouse  Electric  Corporation,  Lamp  Division, 
Bloomfield,  N.  J 


LENSES,  PROJECTION: 

OBJECTIVE  & ANAMORPHIC 

there  are  two  general 
classes — the  condenser  lens,  which  focuses 
the  light  of  a projection  lamp  arc  on  the 
film  in  the  projector  aperture;  and  the  objec- 
tive. The  latter,  commonly  referred  to  as  the 
projection  lens,  expands  the  light  to  form  the 
screen  image.  It  is  made  in  two  standard 
barrel  diameters  (2-25/32  and  4 inches)  for 
35mm  projection,  in  various  speed  and  focal 
lengths,  with  the  latter  in  quarter-inch  steps. 

Knowing  the  sizes  of  the  screen  image,  and 
the  distance  of  the  screen  from  the  lens 
("throw”),  the  manufacturer  or  dealer  can  de- 
termine the  proper  focal  length  for  a specific 
system.  In  ordering  projection  lenses,  one 
should  also  name  the  type  of  light  source,  the 
make  and  model  of  projector,  and  the  projec- 
tion angle,  if  any  (this  angle  affects  the  pic- 
ture height).  Different  focal  lengths  are  of 
course  required  for  anamorphic  prints  than  for 
“standard”. 

Speeds  of  //1.8,  //1.9,  f/2. 0 are  available  in 
focal  lengths  from  2 inches  (or  3)4  inches,  de- 
pending on  type)  to  5 inches,  in  )4-inch  steps; 
and  slower  speeds  from  5)4  to  7 or  9 inches  all 
in  2-25/32-inch  diameter.  Speeds  of  //1.9  and 
//2.0  are  available  also  in  focal  lengths  from 
4)4  through  7 inches  (longer  focal  lengths  at 
slower  speeds)  with  4-inch  barrel.  The  faster 
lenses  are  regularly  coated ; others  may  be  had 
either  coated  or  uncoated.  Coated  lenses  are 
standard  in  theatre  projection. 

Objective  lenses  of  //1.7  have  more  recently 
been  added  to  speeds  available  in  the  2-25/32- 
inch  barrel.  One  type  (adapted  to  projectors 
of  less  recent  design)  is  available  in  focal 
lengths  from  2 through  4 inches.  The  other, 
with  a longer  barrel,  is  in  focal  lengths  from 
2 through  3 inches. 

To  obviate  moving  the  projector  to  center 
the  optical  system  and  the  picture  on  the  screen 
in  changing  from  CinemaScope  prints  (which 
have  special  frame  size  and  placement)  to 
prints  with  Academy  standard  frames,  a mount 
for  the  projection  lens  is  available  which  allows 
both  lateral  and  vertical  movement  of  the  lens. 

Lenses  required  for  projection  of  anamorphic 
films  are  of  two  kinds  — cylindrical  and 
prismatic.  Cylindrical  types  have  a fixed  rate 
of  magnification  (currently  confined  to  the 
2/1  compression-expansion  ratio  of  Cinema- 
Scope). Prismatic  types  are  adjustable  to  any 
ratio  up  to  about  3/1.  The  latter  is  ad- 
justable to  CinemaScope  and  other  anamorphic 
prints.  CinemaScope  lenses  can  be  used  only 
for  prints  of  that  process. 

Also  on  the  market  is  a type  of  objective 
lens,  the  focal  length  of  which  can  be  adjusted 
according  to  picture  width  desired.  ( Also  see 
Todd- AO  process  under  Projectors  & Acces- 
sories.) 

BALLANTYNE  COMPANY,  1712  Jackson  Street, 

Omaha,  Nebr.  

BAUSCH  & LOMB  OPTICAL  COMPANY.  679  St. 

Paul  St„  Rochester,  N.  Y.  See  page  22. 

Bell  & Howell,  7100  McCormick,  Chicago,  111. 

MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  MAY  12,  1956 


Ilex  Optical  Manufacturing  Company,  600  Portland 
Avenue.  Rochester,  N.  Y. 

KOUMORGEN  OPTICAL  COMPANY,  30 
Church  Street,  New  York,  N.  Y.  See  page  23. 

Pacific  Optical  Corporation,  5965  West  98th  Street, 
Los  Angeles  45,  Calif,  (adjustable  focal  length). 
PROJECTION  OPTICS  COMPANY,  Inc.,  334 
Lyell  Avenue,  Rochester,  N.  Y.  See  page  20. 

Panavision.  Inc.,  1917  Pontius  Ave.,  Los  Angeles  25, 
Calif.  (Distributors  of  Panatar  anamorphic  lenses, 
Radiant  Manufacturing  Corp.,  2627  Roosevelt  Rd., 
Chicago,  111.) 

J.  E.  Robin,  Inc.,  267  Rhode  Island  Avenue,  East 
Orange.  N.  J. 

RANK  PRECISION  INDUSTRIES,  LTD.,  Gaumont- 
Kalee,  Div.,  37-41  Mortimer  St.,  London,  W.  1, 
England  (anamorphic). 

S.O.S.  CINEMA  SUPPLY  CORP.,  602  West  52nd 
St.,  New  York  19,  N.  Y.  See  pag  44. 

Superscope,  Inc.,  780  Gower  Street,  Hollywood  38, 
Calif. 

VIDOSCOPE,  730  Fifth  Ave.,  New  York,  N.  Y. 
WENZEL  PROJECTOR  COMPANY,  2505-19  S.  State 
St.,  Chicago,  III.  (lens  holder). 

Wollensak  Optical  Company,  872  Dudson  Avenue, 
Rochester,  N.  Y. 

• 

LENS  ASSEMBLIES,  SOUND 

optical  units  are  com- 
posed of  lens  or  lenses  and  prisms,  and 
include  either  a slit  opening  or  a wedge- 
shaped  prism,  by  means  of  which  the  exciting 
light  of  the  sound  system  is  focused  on  the 
sound  track,  and  reduced  to  the  height  deter- 
mined by  the  smallest  frequency  to  be  repro- 
duced. 

BAUSCH  & LOMB  OPTICAL  COMPANY,  679  St. 

Paul  Street,  Rochester,  N.  Y. 

KOLLMORGEN  OPTICAL  COMPANY,  347  King 
Street,  Northampton,  Mass. 

WESTREX  CORPORATION,  111  Eighth  Avenue, 
New  York  11,  N.  Y.  (except  in  U.  S.  and  Canada). 

• 

LETTERS  AND  FRAMES  FOR 
ATTRACTION  ADVERTISING 

changeable  letter  equip 
ment  is  available  in  frame  design  and  in 


styles  and  sizes  of  letters  and  accessories 
that  allow  forceful  as  well  as  highly  legible 
announcements  of  current  attractions  at  the 
front  of  the  theatre  (usually  on  a marquee), 
and  of  coming  attractions  in  the  lobby,  as 
above  entrance  doors,  facing  the  interior.  (Also 
see  Marquees;  and  Attraction  Advertising 
under  Drive-In  Equipment.) 

Standard  practice  for  indoor  theatres  employs 
lighted  white  backgrounds  with  black  aluminum 
silhouette  or  translucent  colored  plastic  letters. 

Frames  designed  to  fit  into  marquee  or  com- 
parable structures,  with  white  translucent  glass 
panels,  variously  provide  for  convenient  ser- 
vicing of  the  lamp  box  and  for  attachment  of 
letters.  In  all,  however,  bars  for  letter  attach- 
ment are  spaced  7 inches  and  all  letters  (above 
4-inch  types)  are  designed  to  fit  interchange- 
ably. Regular  sizes  are  8,  10,  12,  17,  24  and  30 
inches.  Four-inch  letters  are  attached  by  means 
of  a special  interlinear  frame. 

Plastic  letters  are  obtainable  in  red,  blue 
and  green,  and  other  colors  may  be  had  to 
order.  Aluminum  silhouette  letters  in  color  are 
also  available.  Yet  another  type  of  letter  is 
fluorescent. 

Frames  of  similar  letter  provisions  against 
steel  panels  are  available  for  attachment  to  a 
wall  or  other  structure,  with  illumination  by 
shielded  lamps  placed  in  front  (see  Drive-In 
Equipment) . 

For  changing  attraction  board  letters  at 
heights  that  cannot  be  reached  without  use  of 
a ladder,  a “mechanical  hand”  device  that 
grasps  the  letter  by  tensioning  members  at  the 
end  of  a handle  is  available. 

A tapered  slotting  for  the  attraction  board 
letters  designed  to  “lock’  them  on  the  bar  and 
thus  prevent  dislodgement  by  high  winds  or 
other  disturbances  is  also  available. 

Theatres  wishing  to  use  regular  marquee 
changeable  letters  to  make  up  signs  for  the 
lobby  area  or  over  the  refreshment  stand,  can 


secure  horizontal  bar  assemblies  which  will 
hold  the  slotted  letters  on  any  flat  surface. 

ADLER  SILHOUETTE  LETTER  COMPANY, 

22843  West  Olympic  Blvd.,  Los  Angeles  58, 
Calif.  See  page  43. 

Bevelite,  Inc.,  1615  Cordova  Street,  Los  Angeles,  Calif. 

Falk  Glass  & Plastics  Co.,  Inc.,  48-10  Astoria  Blvd., 
Long  Island  City  3,  N.  Y. 

First-American  Products,  Inc.,  1717  Wyandotte  Street, 
Kansas  City  8,  Mo. 

Poblocki  & Sons,  2159  South  Kinnicinnic  Avenue,  Mil- 
wauee  7,  Wis. 

Triple-S-Supply  Company,  780  Golden  Gate  Avenue, 
San  Francisco,  Calif. 

WAGNER  SIGN  SERVICE,  INC.,  218  S.  Hoyne 
Avenue,  Chicago,  III.  See  page  9. 


LIGHTS,  SPOT  AND  FLOOD 

spotlights  and  flood- 
lights are  available  in  many  sizes  and 
light  capacities,  and  in  both  lamp  bulb 
and  arc  types — the  former  for  use  on  and  near 
the  stage,  for  display  and  architectural  lighting 
(see  Projector  and  Reflector  Lamps  under 
Lamps  for  General  Theatre  Illumination)  ; the 
arc  sources  for  stage  lighting  from  the  pro- 
jection room. 

Filament  lamp  spot-  and  floodlights  (most 
spotlights  are  adapted  to  flood  applications)  are 
designed  for  wattages  of  from  75  to  2,000.  Arc 
equipment  is  available  in  capacities  of  from  25 
to  170  amperes. 

Best  Devices  Company,  10921  Briggs  Road,  Cleve- 
land, Ohio. 

Century  Lighting,  Inc.,  521  West  43rd  Street,  New 
York,  N.  Y. 

Genarco,  Inc.,  97-04  Sutphin  Boulevard,  Jamaica,  N.  Y. 
General  Electric  Company.  Schenectady,  N.  Y. 

Golde  Manufacturing  Company,  4888  North  Clark 
Street,  Chicago  40,  111. 

Killark  Electric  Manufacturing  Company,  Vandeven- 
ter  & Easton  Avenues,  St.  Louis  13.  Mo. 

Mallard  Manufacturing  Company,  7 Factory  Street, 
New  Haven,  Conn. 

Major  Equipment  Company,  Inc.,  4603  Fullerton  Ave- 
nue, Chicago  111. 

Kliegl  Brothers,  321  W.  50th  Street,  New  York  City. 


Sf  ° film 
f wifh  thi 
^eouty 
d“ced  s 
Slant  j/1e( 

brocket  £ 


to  fine 
c,°  ted 


LaVezzi  Machine  Works 


CHICAGO  44,  ILL. 


BETTER  THEATRES  SECTION 


45 


Xe  .made  Products  Corporation,  250  West  57  Street, 
New  York  City. 

Stroblite  Company,  75  West  45th  Street,  New  York 
Citv. 

STRONG  ELECTRIC  CORPORATION,  87  City  Park 
Avenue,  Toledo,  Ohio. 

Westinghouse  Electric  Corporation,  Lamp  Division, 
Bloomfield,  N.  J. 


LOBBY  POSTS  AND  ROPES— See  Crowd 
Control  Equipment. 


MAGAZINES — See  Projectors  and  Acces- 
sories. 


MARQUEES 

marquees  have  become 
more  closely  associated  with  the  general 
architectural  form  of  the  theatre  from 
than  they  originally  were.  They  are  usuail> 
constructed  according  to  specifications  supplied 
by  an  architect  who  has  designed  the  marquee 
itself,  along  with  other  display  and  sign  ele- 
ments of  the  front,  as  a part  of  the  facade;  or 
by  the  design  department  of  the  fabricator  for 
a specific  installation. 

ularquees  are  generally  of  sheet  metal  con- 
struction, painted,  or  with  porcelain  enamel 
finish  in  desired  colors,  %/ith  soffits  of  metal 
or  glass  illuminated  by  exposed  filament  or 
fluorescent  lamps. 


NOW! 

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Portoble  Sound  Projectors, 
constant  speed  motors,  1000  waft 
Mo i do  lamphouses.  2000'  upper  and  lower  mogazines,  photo- 
cells. exciter  lomps,  etc.  (Brand  New).  2— Series  1 4"  lenses, 
with  odapters  (New).  1 — Set  projector,  photocell  and  exciter 
lomp  cobles  (New).  (—Amplifier,  late  model.  25/30  wott  out- 
put (Rebuilt  like  New).  1 —Jensen  Heavy  Dufy  12“  PM  speaker. 


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630  Ninth  Ave„  N.  Y.  36.  N.  Y 


An  inside  service  type  marquee  is  available 
with  a room  for  storage  of  letters,  lamps,  etc., 
from  which  sign  copy  and  lamps,  which  are 
mounted  in  prismatic  reflectors,  can  be  changed. 
The  panel  bars  accommodate  standard  letters. 
American  Sign  Company,  1911  West  18th  Street.  Cin- 
cinnati. Ohio. 

Artkraft-Strauss  Sign  Corporation,  820  Twelfth  Ave 
nue.  New  York  City. 

Continental  Signs,  Inc.,  550  E.  170th  Street,  New 
York  City. 

Everbrite  Electric  Signs,  Inc.,  1440  North  Fourth 
Street,  Milwaukee  12,  Wis. 

Flexlume  Sign  Corporation.  1464  Main  Street,  Buffalo 
9.  N.  Y. 

Poblocki  & Sons,  2159  S.  Kinnickinnic  Avenue,  Mil- 
waukee, Wis.  (inside  service  type). 

White  Way  Sign  & Maintenance  Company,  1850  W 
Fulton  Street,  Chicago,  111. 

• 

MATS  FOR  LOBBIES 
RUNNERS,  SPACE  UNITS 

lobby  mats  (specifically 
for  vestibule  and  similar  outer  lobby  areas 
preceding  carpeted  space)  are  available  in 
heavy-duty  rubber  and  thickness  in  link-belt  and 
perforated  types  required  for  scuffing  off  grit 
and  dirt  so  that  it  won’t  be  tracked  in  upon  the 
carpeting. 

Lighter  mats,  with  corrugated  surface,  are 
available  in  runner  widths  (usually  36  inches) 
for  spreading  over  carpeting  in  traffic  lanes  dur 
ing  stormy  weather,  laying  behind  or  in  front  of 
retreshment  counters,  etc.;  and  in  various  indi- 
vidual mat  sizes  for  placing  in  front  of  fountains, 
vending  machines,  etc.  There  are  also  ribbed 
types  for  placing  behind  refreshment  counters, 
with  a variety  that  may  be  readily  cut  to  fit  the 
space. 

Mats  of  any  of  these  qualities  can  be  obtained 
on  special  order  in  most  any  practicable  dimen- 
sions, and  in  color,  including  special  patterns. 

There  are  also  space  mats  and  runners  of 
other  materials  than  rubber,  such  as  cocoa  and 
sisal  fiber. 

The  following  manufacturers  make  rubber 
mats,  unless  otherwise  specified. 

American  Floor  Products  Company,  1526  M Street 
N W . Washington  5.  D.  C. 

AMERICAN  MAT  CORPORATION,  1722  Adams 
Street,  Toledo,  Ohio. 

American  Tile  & Rubber  Company,  Foot  of  Perrine 
Avenue.  Trenton,  N.  J. 

Firestone  Industrial  Products.  Inc.,  Akron,  Ohio. 
Fremont  Rubber  Company,  Fremont,  Ohio. 

Goodyear  Tire  & Rubber  Company,  1144  E.  Mark*-* 
Street,  Akron,  Ohio. 

B.  F.  Goodrich  Company,  500  South  Main  Street. 
Akron  18,  Ohio. 

HEYWOOD-WAKEFIELD  COMPANY,  Gardner. 
Mass,  (cocoa  mats). 

Interstate  Rubber  Products  Corporation,  908  Avila 
Street,  Los  Angeles  12,  Calif,  (electric). 

O.  W.  Jackson  & Company,  290  Fifth  Avenue,  New 
York  City. 

Lorraine  Rubber  Engineering  Company.  286  Fifth  Ave- 
nue, New  York  City. 

R.  C.  Musson  Rubber  Company.  10  South  College 
Street,  Akron,  Ohio. 

National  Mat  Company,  106  Kingsley  Street.  Buffalo 
8.  N.  Y. 

Perfo  Mat  * Rubber  Company.  Inc.,  281  Fifth 
Avenue,  New  York  City. 

Thermo-Mat  Company,  814  South  Robertson  Boule 
vard,  Los  Angeles  35.  Calif. 

United  States  Rubber  Company,  1230  Sixth  Avenue. 
New  York  City. 

• 

MOTOR-GENERATOR  SETS 
FOR  D.C.  ARC  SUPPLY 

MOTOR  - GENERATOR  sets 
are  made  in  models  specifically  designed 
for  motion  picture  and  related  direct  cur- 
rent carbon  arc  light  sources  of  all  outputs. 
Capacity  provides  for  operation  of  two  lamps 
simultaneously  during  changeover. 

Close-regulation  sets  for  large  theatres  are 
available  up  to  400  amperes  at  100  volts  for  con- 
tinuous operation,  or  about  600  amperes  at 
changeover.  The  larger  sets  have  structural 
steel  bases  and  vibration  dampeners. 

Sets  of  lower  voltage  for  6mm  to  8mm  suprex 
carbon  trims  have  double  overload  capacity  for 
the  changeover  period.  They  are  obtainable 
with  vibration  dampeners  if  installation  con- 
ditions require  them. 


The  type  and  capacity  needed  depends  on  the 
type  of  arc  and  amount  of  light  it  must  produce 
(see  Lamps,  D.C.  Projection  Arc). 

AUTOMATIC  DEVICES  COMPANY,  2121  South 
12th  Street,  Allentown,  Pa.  See  page  7. 

Century  Electric  Company,  1806  Pine  Street,  St.  Louis, 

Mo. 

Crocker- Wheeler  Division,  Elliott  Company,  Jeanette, 
Pa. 

General  Electric  Company,  1 River  Road,  Schenectady, 
N.  Y 

Hertner  Electric  Company,  12690  Elmwood  Avenue, 
Cleveland,  Ohio. 

imperial  Electric  Company,  Inc.,  64  Ira  Avenue. 
Akron.  Ohio. 

MOTIOGRAPH,  INC.,  4431  West  Lake  Street,  Chi- 
cago 24,  111. 

ROBIN-ESCO  DIVISION,  Electric  Specialty 
Company,  267  Rhode  Island  Avenue,  East 
Orange,  N.  J.  See  page  47. 

Westingnouse  Electric  Corporation,  East  Pittsburgh. 

• 

PHOTOELECTRIC  CELLS 

although  it  has  a 
number  of  applications  in  many  fields,  in 
the  theatre  the  photoelectric  cell  operates 
in  the  sound  system  to  transform  the  light  of 
the  exciter  lamp,  after  it  has  passed  through  a 
photo  type  film  sound  track  into  the  electrical 
energy  which,  amplified,  actuates  the  loud- 
speakers. 

Continental  Electric  Company,  Geneva,  111. 

General  Electric  Company,  Schenectady,  N.  Y. 

Gordos  Corporation,  250  Glenwood  Avenue,  Bloom- 
field, N.  J. 

RADIO  CORPORATION  OF  AMERICA,  Engineering 
Products  Department,  Camden,  N.  J. 

Radiant  Lamp  Corporation,  Newark,  N.  J. 

Sylvania  Electric  Products,  Inc.,  1740  Broadway,  New 
York  City. 

Westinghouse  Electric  Corporation,  East  Pittsburgh, 
Pa. 


PROJECTION  LAMPS:  See  Lamps,  D.  C. 
Projection  Arc. 


PROJECTOR  REPLACEMENT  PARTS 

REPLACEMENT  PARTS  for 

a projector  (provided  the  model  has  not 
been  too  long  obsolete)  are  of  course 
available  from  its  manufacturer,  while  some 
parts  are  obtainable  from  other  manufacturers 
lur  certain  makes.  When  a projector  head 
must  De  removed  for  overhauling  at  the  factory, 
it  is  usually  possible  to  .replace  it  meanwhile 
with  a head  borrowed  from  the  manufacturer 
or  his  dealer. 

In  selecting  replacement  parts  it  is  highly 
important  to  be  assured  that  the  new  part  is 
precision-tooled  for  the  projector  to  which  it  is 
to  be  applied. 

THE  BALLANTYNE  COMPANY.  1712  Jackson 
Street,  Omaha,  Nebr. 

CENTURY  PROJECTOR  CORPORATION,  729  7th 
Avenue,  New  York  City. 

PAROMEL  ELECTRONIC  CORPORATION,  3956  W. 

Belmont  Avenue,  Chicago,  111. 

INTERNATIONAL  PROJECTOR  CORPORATION, 
SS  LaF ranee  Avenue,  Bloomfield,  N.  J. 

LAVEZZI  MACHINE  WORKS,  4635  West  Lake 
Street,  Chicago  44,  III.  See  page  45. 
MOTIOGRAPH.  4431  West  Lake  Street,  Chicago,  IU. 
RADIO  CORPORATION  OF  AMERICA,  Engineering 
Products  Department,  Camden,  N.  J. 

WENZEL  PROJECTOR  COMPANY,  2509  South  State 
Street,  Chicago,  111. 

Edw.  H.  Wolk,  1241  Wabash  Avenue.  Chicago.  II. 

a 

PROJECTORS  & ACCESSORIES: 
STANDARD  35-MM.,  THEATRE 

projector  mechanisms 
for  theatrical  and  comparable  professional 
projection  of  35mm  motion  picture  film 
are  available  in  both  heavy-duty  and  light-duty 
models.  Heavy-duty  equipment  is  usually  in- 
dicated even  for  theatres  not  operating  on  a 
daily  continuous  policy,  but  the  lighter  equip- 
ment may  suffice  for  small  theatres  presenting 
only  a few  performances  a week.  Such  light- 
duty  equipment  is  “portable”  in  a limited  sense. 

Heavy-duty  mechanisms  are  available  with 
various  types  of  shutters,  but  all  with  rear  ihut- 
ters  either  exclusively  or  optionally.  Some  may 


46 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  MAY  12,  1956 


be  had  with  rear  shutters  of  single  or  doubh 
type;  or  with  single  rear  and  front  shutter. 

For  reduction  of  film  gate  heat,  a water- 
cooled  gate  assembly  may  be  procured  for  some 
models  of  projectors.  If  a lamp  with  water- 
cooled  carbon  jaw  assembly  is  used,  the  film 
gate  device  and  jaw  assembly  may  use  the 
same  water  supply. 

For  cooling  the  aperture  area  itself,  an  air 
jet  device  is  available  for  some  models  of 
projectors.  This  device  directs  an  air  stream 
on  each  side  of  the  film  within  the  aperture  with 
the  stream  on  the  lamp  side  being  ejected  inter- 
mittently in  synchronization  with  the  pull-down. 
In  one  system,  the  air  jet  device  is  incorporated 
with  water  cooling  of  the  gate. 

Made  by  the  manufacturer  of  the  projector 
head  and  designed  in  integration  with  it,  the 
necessary  bases  and  magazines  are  separate 
items  of  purchase.  Bases  are  adapted  to  any 
standard  carbon  arc  lamp,  and  are  adapted  to, 
or  include  models  designed  for,  tilting  upwards 
as  required  by  drive-in  theatres. 

The  takeup  for  the  lower  magazine  is  also  a 
separate  item. 

Projectors  (including  base  and  both  magnetic 
and  optical  soundheads)  of  special  design  for 
the  Todd-AO  wide-film  process  (65mm  without 
sound  tracks,  70mm  with  six  magnetic  tracks) 
are  adapted  also  to  35mm  projection  with  sub- 
stitution of  certain  untis  supplied  for  the  pur- 
pose. The  Todd-AO  system  also  requires  other 
special  equipment,  including  an  equalizer-relay 
rack  providing  interchangeability  of  sound  sys- 
tems, projection  lenses,  rewinders  and  reels,  all 
available  from  the  Todd-AO  Corporation. 
BALLANTYNE  COMPANY.  1712  Jackson  Street, 
Omaha  2.  Nebr. 

BLUE  SEAL  DEVICES,  P.  O.  Box  1008,  New 
Canaan,  Conn.  See  page  23. 

CENTURY  PROJECTOR  CORPORATION,  729 
Seventh  Avenue,  New  York  City.  See  page  49. 

Hal  I.  Huff  Manufacturing  Co.,  3774  Selby  Avenue, 
Los  Angeles  34,  Calif,  (carbon  cooler). 

INTERNATIONAL  PROJECTOR  CORPORA- 
TION, 55  LaFrance  Avenue,  Bloomfield,  N.  J. 
See  page  19. 

RADIO  CORPORATION  OF  AMERICA.  Engi- 
neering Products  Department.  Camden.  N.  J. 
NORTH  AMERICAN  PHILIPS  CO.,  INC.,  100  East 
42nd  Street,  New  York  17,  N.  Y. 

MOTIOGRAPH,  INC.,  4431  West  Lake  Street, 
Chicago,  III. 

PAROMEL  ELECTRONICS  CORPORATION,  3956 
West  Belmont  Avenue,  Chicago  18,  111. 

RANK  PRECISION  INDUSTRIES,  LTD.,  Caumont- 
Kalee  Div.,  37-41  Mortimer  St.,  London  W.  1,  England. 
ROB1N-WEBER  DIVISION,  Weber  Machine  Cor- 
poration. 267  Rhode  Island  Avenue,  East  Orange, 
N.  t 

WENZEL  PROJECTOR  COMPANY,  2509  South  State 
Street,  Chicago,  III. 

• 

PROJECTORS,  16-MM. 

HEAVY-DUTY  TYPE 

projectors  for  16-mm. 
film,  incorporating  soundheads  and  with 
complete  sound  reproducing  system  avail- 
able, are  obtainable  in  heavy-duty  models 
adapted  to  regular  theatres  as  auxiliary  equip- 
ment for  such  purposes  as  the  presentation  of 
local  newsreels,  educational  subjects,  etc.  Either 
low-intensity  or  high-intensity  carbon  arc  lamps 
are  obtainable  for  such  equipment  ( see  listing 
under  Lamps,  D.C.  Projection  Arc). 

Ampro  Corporation,  2851  North  Western  Avenue,  Chi 
cago.  111. 

Bel!  & Howell,  7100  McCormick,  Chicago,  111. 

Eastman  Kodak  Company,  Rochester,  N.  Y 
Holmes  Projector  Corporation,  1815  Orchard  Street, 
Chicago,  111. 

Mitchell  Camera  Corporation,  666  W.  Harvard  Street. 
Glendale  4.  Calif. 

RADIO  CORPORATION  OF  AMERICA,  Engineering 
Products  Department,  Camden,  N.  J. 

Victor  Animatograph  Corporation,  Davenport,  Iowa. 

• 

PUBLIC  ADDRESS  SYSTEMS 

public  address  and 
sound  re-enforcement  systems  may  pro- 
vide any  one  or  all  of  various  services. 
They  can  be  utilized  for  amplifying  stage  sound, 
for  managers’  announcements,  etc. 

In  the  theatre  the  public  address  system  may 
consist  of  microphones  suitably  connected  to  the 
standard  sound  installation,  or  an  entirely 
separate  system,  with  its  own  amplification. 
ALTEC-LANS1NG  CORPORATION.  9356  Santa 
Monica  Boulevard,  Beverly  Hills,  Calif. 


Ampex  Corporation,  934  Charter  Street,  Redwood  City, 
Calif. 

General  Electric  Company,  Electronics  Dept.,  Syracuse. 
N.  Y. 

INTERNATIONAL  PROJECTOR  CORPORATION, 
55  LaFrance  Street,  Bloomfield,  N.  J. 

MOTIOCRAPH,  INC,  4431  West  Lake  Street,  Chi- 
cago, III. 

PAROMEL  ELECTRONICS  CORPORATION,  3956 
West  Belmont  Avenue,  Chicago  19,  III. 

RADIO  CORPORATION  OF  AMERICA,  Engineering 
Products  Department,  Camden,  N.  J. 

Western  Electric  Company,  195  Broadway,  New  York 
City. 


RECTIFIER  TUBES 

lines  of  Tungar  tubes 
made  by  the  manufacturers  listed  below 
embrace  types  and  amperages  for  exciter 
lamp  and  for  field  supply  required  by  some 
speaker  systems,  as  well  as  those  for  projection 
arc  supply  rectifiers.  These  gas-filled  tubes  are 
not  of  the  mercury  type,  but  some  may  contain 
4 small  amount  of  mercury.  Amperages  run 
from  2 to  15.  (See  Rectifiers.) 

Baldor  Electric  Company,  4353  Duncan  Avenue,  St. 
Louis,  Mo. 

Continental  Electric  Company,  715  Hamilton  Street 
Geneva,  III. 

General  Electric  Company,  Merchandise  Department 
1285  Boston  Avenue.  Bridgeport.  Conn. 

Gordos  Corporation,  250  Glenwood  Avenue,  Bloomfield 
N.  J. 

Radiant  Lamp  Corporation,  300  Jelliff  Avenue.  Newara 
N.  J. 


RECTIFIERS  AND  POWER  UNITS 

rectifiers  for  changing 
the  alternating  current  supply  to  direct 
current,  for  operation  of  the  projection 
arc,  are  available  in  either  Tungar  tube  or  dry 
type  employing,  according  to  the  various  makes, 
copper  oxide,  magnesium-sulphide  or  selenium 
as  the  rectifying  agent.  Regular  models  are  de- 
signed for  single-  or  three-phase  operation  up  to 
fourtube  capacities,  inclusively ; higher  capaci- 
ties are  three-phase.  Capacities  range  from  20 
to  80  amperes  in  most  makes,  and  higher  in 
some,  including  selenium  plate  types  to  to  135 
amperes. 

Sound  system  rectifiers  also  are  made  in  tube 
and  disc  types. 

AMERICAN  SELECTIFIER  DIV.,  630  Ninth  Avenue, 
New  York  36,  N.  Y. 

C.  S.  ASHCRAFT  MANUFACTURING  CO.,  36-32 
Thirty-eighth  Street,  Long  Island  City,  N.  Y. 

Baldor  Electric  Company,  4353  Duncan  Avenue,  St. 
Louis.  Mo. 

BALLANTYNE  COMPANY,  1712  Jackson  Street, 
Omaha,  Nebr. 

BLUE  SEAL  DEVICES,  P.  O.  Box  1008,  New  Canaan, 
Conn. 

CENTURY  PROJECTOR  CORPORATION,  729  Sev- 
enth Avenue,  New  York  City. 

GARVER  ELECTRIC  COMPANY,  Union  City, 
Ind.  See  page  48. 

General  Electric  Company,  Merchandise  Department, 
128  5 Poston  Avenue.  Bridgeport,  Conn. 

Kneisley  Electric  Company,  2509  LaGrange,  Toledo  3, 
Ohio  (selenium  conversion  unit). 

McColpin-Christie  Corporation.  Ltd.,  4922  S.  Figuera 
Los  Angeles  37,  Calif. 


Westinghouse  Electric  Corporation.  Bloomfield.  N 1 


“ROBIN-ARC” 

SELEMIUM 

RECTIFIERS 

FOR  IN-DOOR  OR 

DRIVE-IN 

THEATRES 

are  proving  themselves  in  the  field. 
Running  costs  are  sufficiently  re- 
duced to  effect  amortization  of  the 
first  cost  within  3 years  thru  power 
savings. 

Robin-Arc  Rectifiers  assure  depend- 
able, unlimited  performance  and 
maintenance  is  negligible. 

ROBIN  COMPLETE  PROJECTION 
BOOTH  EQUIPMENT 
Projectors;  Amplifiers;  Sound  Sys- 
tems; Rectifiers;  Motor  Generators; 
Ballast  Rheostats. 

Write  for  Information 

ROBIN,  Inc. 

C 267  Rhode  Island  Ave. 
East  Orange,  N.  J. 


mm 


QUEAfe/A/O  MIRRORS? 

xjoa  cart  A x^ouh.  p JiMim.  witk. 

weyer-  shultz  UNBREAKABLE 

METAL  REFLECTORS 

5 YEAR  GUARANTEE  •Mamtutm  SCREEN  ILLUMINATION 

SEE  YOUR  THEATRE  SUPPLY  DEALER  * Manufactured  bu  +1 EYER-SHULTZ, INC.,  Cedar  Drove, N.J. 


BETTER  THEATRES  SECTION 


47 


MOTIOGRAPH.  INC.,  4431  West  Lake  Street, 
Chicago  24.  111. 

PAROMEL  ELECTRONICS  CORPORATION,  3956 
West  Belmont  Avenue,  Chicago  18,  111. 

Richardson  & Allen  Corporation,  116-15  15th  Avenue, 
College  Point,  N.  Y. 

J.  E.  ROBIN,  INC.,  267  Rhode  Island  Avenue, 
East  Orange,  N.  J.  See  page  47. 

RANK  PRECISION  INDUSTRIES,  LTD.,  Gaumont- 
Kalee  Div.,  37-41  Mortimer  St.,  London  W.  1,  England. 
THE  STRONG  ELECTRIC  CORPORATION,  87  City 
Park  Avenue,  Toledo,  Ohio. 

\Vestinghouse  Electric  Corporation,  East  Pittsburgh, 
Pa. 

• 

REELS 

REELS  NECESSARY  for 
takeup  magazines  of  projectors  (and  in 
best  practice,  also  in  place  of  the  film 
exchange  reel  in  the  upper  magazine),  and 
otherwise  constantly  utilized  in  the  projection 
room,  are  available  in  a number  of  sizes  and 
types  of  construction.  The  standard  reel  in  the 
United  States  takes  2.000  feet  of  35-mm.  film. 
Reels  24  inches  in  diameter  for  as  much  as 
5.000  feet  of  film  are  also  available. 

Reels  for  standard  footage  are  available  in 
two  sizes  to  accommodate  35mm  projectors 
in  use — 15-inch  diameter  with  5-inch  hub,  and 
14-inch  diameter  with  4-inch  hub.  (Exchange 
shipping  reels  are  1434-inch  in  diameter  with 
434 -inch  hub.) 

Reels  suitable  for  projection  and  other  gen- 
eral use  in  the  theatre  projection  room  should 
have  hubs  constructed  to  provide  enduringly 
rigid  firm  support  for  the  flanges  with  the  lat- 
ter firm  enough  to  hold  their  shape,  yet  be  light 
in  weight.  Reels  suited  to  theatre  use  generally 
have  flanges  of  welded  wire  or  cast  aluminum 
construction. 

Reels  are  also  obtainable  in  1000-foot  sizes, 
having  diameters  of  10  inches  and  2-inch  hubs. 

GOLDBERG  BROTHERS,  3500  Walnut  Street,  Den- 
ver, Cclo. 

Hollywood  Film  Company,  946  Seward  Street,  Holly- 
wood, Calif. 


Neumade  Products,  Inc.,  250  West  57th  Street,  New 
York  City. 

Tayloreel  Corporation,  2 Commercial  Street,  Roches- 
ter, N.  Y. 

U.  S.  Fabrics  Industrial  Plastics,  Inc.,  Norwood,  N.  J. 

WENZEL  PROJECTOR  COMPANY,  2500  South  State 
Street,  Chicago,  IU. 

• 

REFLECTORS,  PROJECTION  ARC 

mirrors  for  reflector 
type  projection  arc  lamps  are  available  in 
the  diameters  required  by  the  various 
models  of  lamps  in  either  glass  or  metal,  in- 
cluding both  rhodium  and  aluminum  {see 
Lamps,  D.  C.  Projection  Arc). 

Glass  shields,  called  mirror  guards,  are  ob- 
tainable for  protection  of  glass  reflectors  against 
pitting.  The  guards  themselves  are  pitted  in 
time,  but  are  much  less  expensive  than  the  re- 
flectors. 

BAUSCH  & LOMB  OPTICAL  COMPANY,  679  St. 

Paul  Street,  Rochester,  N.  Y. 

HEYER-SHULTZ,  INC.,  Cedar  Grove,  N.  J. 

'metal  reflectors'.  See  page  47. 
INTERNATIONAL  PROJECTOR  CORPORATION, 
55  LaFrance  Avenue,  Bloomfield,  N.  J. 
KOLLMORGEN  OPTICAL  CORPORATION,  347  King 
Street,  Northampton,  Mass. 

Mirror-Guard  Company.  837  Eleventh  Avent_.  New 
York  City. 

RADIO  CORPORATION  OF  AMERICA,  Engineering 
Products  Department,  Camden,  N.  J. 

THE  STRONG  ELECTRIC  CORPORATION,  87 
City  Park  Avenue,  Toledo,  Ohio.  See  page  21. 


REWINDERS,  FILM 

film  rewinders  are 
available  in  two  general  types,  open  and 
fireproof  enclosed.  The  open  type  is  of- 
fered in  a number  of  different  models,  either  as 
a single  unit  or  as  two  separate  units  that  are 
clamped  to  the  rewind  table,  or  bolted  in  place. 
The  enclosed  type  is  a single  unit. 

Both  open  and  enclosed  types  may  be  hand- 


GARVEIt  rectifiers 

. . . since  1915,  the  standard  of  the  industry 

Keen  competition  in  the  entertainment  field  necessitates  the  best  possible  presenta- 
tion. Join  the  impressive  numbers  of  drive-in  theatres  now  using  GARVER 
projection  rectifiers.  They  are  satisfying  critical  present  day  audiences. 

Whatever  your  requirements  may  be  in  Bulb  or  Selenium  type  rectifiers,  single  or 
three  phase,  Garver  engineers  can  produce  it  for  you. 

Write  today  for  full  details. 

THE  GARVER  ELECTRIC  COMPANY,  Union  City,  Indiana,  U.  S.  A. 

Domestic  Distributor : Export  Distributor : 

THE  BALLANTYNE  CO.  STREUBER  & LA  CHICOTTE,  INC. 

Omaha.  Neb.  250  W.  57th  St.,  New  York  19,  N.  Y. 


See  your  local 
supply  center  or 


THE  ECONOMICAL,  BUT  THE 
FINEST,  FOR  WIDE-SCREEN, 


contact  us  direct 


VISTAVISION  & CINEMASCOPE 


BODDE  SCREEN 

Company 


Screen  Samples  and 
Literature  on  Reques 


11541  BRADLEY  AVE., 


SAN  FERNANDO,  CALIF. 


Splices 

NOT  HOLDING  \ 

Film  breaks  are  costly.  Play  safe 

b,“in,JEFR0NA 

All-purpose  CEMENT 

Has  greater  adhesive  qualities.  Don't 
take  our  word  for  it.  Send  for  FREE 
sample  and  judge  for  yourself. 

CAMERA  EQUIPMENT  CO. 

315  West  43rd  St.,  New  York  36,  N.  Y. 


driven  or  motor-driven,  may  have  sleeve  bear- 
ings or  ball  bearings,  may  accommodate  either 
1.000-  or  2,000-foot-reels,  or  both,  and  may  have 
either  one  or  several  driving  speeds. 

Some  of  the  motor-driven  types  incorporate 
accessories  by  means  of  which  the  same  motor 
can  be  used  for  general  machine  work,  such  as 
grinding  and  polishing. 

Rewind  tables  of  metal  provide  a fireproof 
work  bench  especially  adapted  to  projection 
room  needs  and  are  available  with  tool  drawer, 
rack  for  film  cabinet,  and  clamping  blocks  ac- 
commodating any  type  of  rewinder. 

Clayton  Products  Company,  31-45  Tibbett  Avenue, 
New  York  City. 

GOLDBERG  BROTHERS,  3500  Walnut  Street,  Den- 
ver, Colo. 

GOLDE  MANUFACTURING  COMPANY,  4888 
North  Clark  Street,  Chicago  40,  111. 

Hollywood  Film  Company.  946  Seward  Street,  Holly- 
wood  Calif. 

INTERNATIONAL  PROJECTOR  CORPORATION, 
55  LaFrance  Avenue,  Bloomfield,  N.  J. 

Lakewood  Automatic  Rewind  Switch,  1298  Hathaway 
Avenue,  Lakewood  7.  Ohio. 

The  Neumade  Products  Corporation,  250  West  57th 
Street,  New  York  City. 

WENZEL  PROJECTOR  COMPANY,  2506  South  State 
Street,  Chicago,  III. 

Edw.  H.  Wolk,  1241  South  Wabash  Avenue,  Chicago, 

Illinois. 

• 


SAND  URNS 


these  receptacles  spe- 
cifically for  cigarette  butts  and  used 
matches,  usually  needed  at  entrances,  are 
available  in  either  metal  or  ceramic,  plain  or 
modeled  types,  and  in  a number  of  sizes  from 
about  12  to  18  inches  high. 

Atlas  Products  Company,  3825  South  Racine  Avenue, 
Chicago  9.  111. 

GOLDBERG  BROTHERS,  3500  Walnut  Street,  Den- 
ver, Colo. 

Ex-Cell  Products  Corporation,  457  North  Racine 
Avenue,  Chicago,  111. 

Glaro  Machine  Product*  Co.,  Inc.,  3711  Edgemere 
Avenue.  Far  Rockaway,  N.  Y. 

Golde  Manufacturing  Company.  4888  North  Clark 
Street,  Chicago  40,  111. 

Lawrence  Metal  Products  Company,  60  Prospect  Ave., 
Lynbrook,  N.  Y. 

• 

SCREENS,  PROJECTION 
AND  SCREEN  FRAMES 

motion  picture  screens 
are  of  two  basic  types : Diffusive  and 
Specular.  Another  type  is  Translucent, 
used  with  rear  projection. 

Specular  screens  are  required  for  third- 
dimensional  (stereoscopic)  projection  (orig- 
inally specular  screens  were  fabricated  speci- 
fically for  relatively  narrow  auditoriums.) 

Specularity  may  be  of  advantage,  howeve\ 
for  screen  images  that  are  so  wide  that  they  tax 
available  light  sources,  since  it  signifies  a high- 
er reflectance  factor.  For  such  applications,  an- 
gular embossing  of  the  screen  surface,  and/or 
curving  the  screen  on  a radius  equal  to  the  pro- 
jection distance,  or  nearly  so,  reduces  “fade- 
away” (light  loss  at  sides  from  audience  area 
due  to  extreme  angles  of  incidence).  . 

For  wide-screen  installations  frames  are 
fabricated  of  wood  or  metal  and  with 
means  of  adjusting  them  readily  to  the  desired 
curvature,  and  to  tilting  projection  angle  (above 
about  12°).  If  the  exact  size  of  the  screen  and 
its  curvature  are  known,  the  frame  may  be  ob- 
tained with  lacing  hooks  installed.  Frames  are 
available  for  attachment  to  floor,  or  mounted 
on  casters,  or  designed  to  be  flown. 

Diffusive  screens  (for  indoor  theatres)  are 
variously  fabricated — entirely  of  vinyl  plastic, 
with  plastic  coating,  in  coated  cotton  fabric, 
and  in  fibreglas  fabric  with  a special  coating  for 
that  material. 

Theatre  screens  are  regularly  perforated  for 
transmission  of  sound,  but  unperforated  screens 
are  obtainable. 

Artkraft-Strauss  Sign  Corporation,  830  Twelfth  Ave- 
nue, New  York  City  (wide-screen  frames). 

BALLANTYNE  COMPANY,  1712  Jackson  Street, 
Omaha  2,  Nebr. 

BODDE  SCREEN  COMPANY,  P.  O.  Box  711. 

San  Fernando,  Calif.  See  this  page. 

Da-Lite  Screen  Company,  2723  North  Pulaski  Road, 
Chicago,  IU. 


48 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  MAY  12,  1956 


Drive-In  Theatre  Manufacturing  Company,  505  West 
Ninth  Street.  Kansas  City,  Mo.  (wide-screen  irames). 
R.  L.  Grosh  & Co.,  Scenic  Studios,  4114  Sunset  Blvd., 
Hollywood,  Calif,  (screen  frames). 

Hollywood  Curvascope  Frame  Company,  2311  Foshay 
Tower,  Minneapolis  2.  Minn,  (wide-screen  frames). 
Knoxville  Scenic  Studios,  Inc.,  Maryville  Pike,  P.  O. 

Box  1029,  Knoxville,  Tenn.  (wide-screen  Irames). 

H.  R.  MITCHELL  & COMPANY,  P.O.  Box  690, 
Hartselle,  Ala.  (wide-screen  frames). 

Natco  Wonder  Screen  Company,  2031  Jackson  Street. 
Dallas  1,  Tex. 

RADIANT  MANUFACTURING  CORPORATION, 
2622  Roosevelt  Road,  Chicago,  111. 

RADIO  CORPORATION  OF  AMERICA.  Engi- 
neering Products  Department,  Camden,  N J 
Raven  tscicen  l nip. -latum.  12-t  East  I24ih  Street. 
New  York  C ity 

RAYTCNE  SCREEN  CORPORATION,  165  Clermont 
Avenue,  Brooklyn,  N.  Y. 

J.  E.  ROBIN,  INC.,  267  Rhcde  Island  Avenue,  East 
Orange,  N.  J. 

Stewart  Trans-Lux  Corp.,  1111  W.  Sepulveda  Blvd., 
Torrence.  Calif. 

Tcxtileathcr  Div.,  General  Tire  it  Rubber  Company, 
Toledo  3,  Ohio. 

Unistrut  Products  Corporation,  1013  W.  Washington 
Blvd..  Chicago  7,  111.  (wide-screen  frame). 

VOCALITE  SCREEN  CORPORATION,  19  Debe- 
voise  Avenue,  Roosevelt,  N.  Y.  See  page  39. 
WALKER- A MERIC  AN  CORPORATION,  2665 

Delmar  Blvd.,  St.  Louis  3,  Mo.  See  page  50. 

Williams  slRucN  coiviaah y,  i^u  summit 

Lake  Boulevard,  Akron,  Ohio.  See  page  23. 

• 


SCREEN  PAINT  — See  Screens  under 
Drive-In  Equipment. 


SCREEN  TOWERS — See  Drive-In  Theatre 
Equipment. 

o 


SEATING — See  Chairs,  Auditorium. 

SICNS  (ELECTRIC) 

FOR  THEATRE  NAME 

electric  signs  (metal) 
framework  with  illumination  provisions, 
are  available  in  a wide  variety  of  designs 
more  or  less  closely  associated  with  the  archi- 
tecture of  the  theatre  front.  While  they  are 
commonly  especially  designed  by  the  architect 
or  sign  construction  company,  there  are  also 
standardized  designs  adaptable  to  the  theatre 
front.  ( See  also  Attraction  Advertising  under 
Drive-In  Theatre  Equipment.) 

Artkraft-Strauss  Corporation,  820  Twelfth  Avenue. 
New  York  City. 

Everbrite  Electric  Signs,  Inc.,  1440  North  Fourth 
Street,  Milwaukee,  Wis. 

Flexlume  Sign  Corporation,  1464  Main  Street,  Buffalo. 
N.  Y. 

Long  Sign  Company,  bl  West  Hubbard  Street,  Chi- 
cago. III. 

Poblocki  & Sons,  2159  South  Kinnickinnic  Avenue,  Mil- 
waukee, Wis. 


SIGNS:  DIRECTIONAL, 

BOX-OFFICE,  IDENTIFICATION 

signs  for  all  the  pur- 
poses of  theatres  are  available  in  a variety 
of  materials  and  modern  styles  that  effi- 
ciently perform  their  function  while  lending  at 
the  same  time  a detail  of  decorative  interest,  and 
at  such  low  relative  cost  that  ordinary  box  and 
painted  signs  are  never  warranted. 

They  can  be  had  either  in  stock  or  readilv 
made-up  models  to  indicate  exits,  location  oi 
balcony  stairs,  toilet  rooms,  etc.,  fabricated  oi 
decorative  metal,  etched  glass  and  plastic,  and 
there  are  types  with  free-standing  luminescent 
plastic  letters  lighted  by  a concealed  black-light 
lamp,  still  others  of  plastic  with  letters  so  en- 
graved as  to  be  defined  by  edge  lighting. 

Signs  of  engraved  plastic  are  available  for 
such  copy  as  “No  Admittance,”  “Information,” 
etc.,  and  as  poster  date  strips ; and  for  the  box- 
office  there  are  admission  price  signs  available 
with  or  without  show  time  clocks  of  the  same 
material. 

Art-Metal  Manufacturing  Company,  1408  North  Broad- 
way. St.  Louis.  Mo 

ASSOCIATED  TICKET  & REGISTER  CO.,  354  West 
44th  Street,  New  Ycrk  City. 


Capitol  Stage  Lighting  Company,  527  West  45th  Street, 
New  York  19,  N.  Y. 

L Buhr  Company,  123  West  Canton  Street,  Boston 

18,  Mass. 

Edgar  S.  Bowman.  124  West  21st  Stieet,  New  York 

11,  N.  Y. 

Everbrite  Electric  Signs,  Inc.,  1440  North  Fourth 
Street.  Milwaukee,  Wis. 

Kliegl  Brothers.  521  W.  50th  Street,  New  York  City 
McFadden  Lighting  Company,  Inc.,  2308  South  Sev- 
enth Boulevard,  St.  Louis,  Mo. 

Novelty  Lighting,  2480  East  22nd  Street,  Cleveland 
15,  Ohio. 

Poblocki  & Sons  Company,  2159  South  Kinnickinnic 
Avenue,  Milwaukee,  Wis. 

Posterloid  Corporation,  693  Broadway,  New  York 

12,  N.  Y. 

The  Tablet  & Ticket  Company,  1021  West  Adams 
Street,  Chicago  7,  111. 

Vio-Glo  Plastics  Corporation,  249  West  34th  Street, 
New  York  City,  (black-light  signs). 


SLIDES — See  Stereopticons 

« 

SOUNDHEADS 

sound  reproducers,  or 
heads,  are  of  two  basic  types:  Optical,  for 
reproducing  photographic  tracks,  and 
Magnetic,  for  reproducing  magnetic  film  record- 
ings. 

Optical  reproducers  (for  standard  35mm  pic- 
ture-sound prints)  are  designed  for  attachment 
to  any  modern  standard  projector,  between  the 
mechanism  and  the  take-up  magazine. 

Magnetic  heads  are  available  for  either  sep- 
arate or  attached  installation. 

Separate  magnetic  heads  of  some  types 
are  mounted  on  a pedestal,  others  are  associated 
with  the  amplifiers  and  controls  in  a cabinet. 

“Button-on”  magnetic  heads  are  designed  for 
attachment  between  the  projector  mechanism 
and  the  upper  magazine.  They  vary  in  sprocket 
and  threading  arrangement,  but  all  are  film- 
driven,  and  while  regularly  designed  to  pick 
up  the  four  tracks  of  the  CinemaScope  system, 
they  niay  be  adjusted  to  other  track  schemes. 

AMPEX  CORPORATION,  934  Charter  Street,  Red- 
wood City,  Calif. 

THE  BOILANTYNE  COMPANY,  1712  Jackson 
Street,  Omaha,  Nebr. 

BLUE  SEAL  DEVICES,  P.  O.  Box  1003,  New 
Canaan,  Conn.  See  oage  23. 

CENTURY  PROJECTOR  CORPORATION,  729 
7th  Avenue,  New  York  19,  N.  Y.  See  below. 

Fairchild  Recording  Equipment  Co.,  154  St.  & 7th  Ave., 
Powell’s  Cove  Blvd.,  Whitestone,  N.  Y. 

INTERNATIONAL  PROJECTOR  CORPORA- 
TION. SS  LaFrance  Avenue,  Bloomfield,  N.  J. 
See  page  19. 


MCTICCRAPH,  4431  West  Lake  Street,  Chicago,  III. 
PARGMEL  ELECTRONICS  CORPORATION,  3956 
West  Beimcnt  Avenue,  Chicago  18,  111.  See  page  40. 
RADIO  CORPORATION  OF  AMERICA,  Engineering 
Products  Department,  Camden,  N.  J. 

S.  O.  S.  CINEMA  SUPPLY  CORPORATION,  602 
West  52nd  Street,  New  York  City. 

WENZEL  PROJECTOR  CORPORATION,  2S09-19 
South  State  St.,  Chicago  16,  HI. 

WESTREX  CORPORATION,  111  Eighth  Avenue, 
New  York  11,  N Y.  (except  in  U.  S.  and 
Canada.  See  page  17. 

• 

SOUND  SYSTEMS,  COMPLETE 

all  of  the  components 
of  a sound  reproducing  installation  ma> 
be  purcha>ed  as  an  integrated  system  of  a 
single  manufacturer,  with  most  of  his  own  fabri- 
cation and  possibly  the  rest  (notably  speakers) 
products  oi  other  manufacturers  on  which  he 
pas  standardized.  Thus  are  offered  complete 
systems  for  regular  theatres  of  different  seating 
capacities  (for  either  photographic  or  magnetic 
track  reproduction),  and  also  for  large  outdoor 
installations  such  as  in  drive-in  theatres. 

Equipment  for  reproduction  of  a single  opti- 
cal track  by  three  speakers  placed  behind  the 
screen  as  for  stereophonic  sound,  is  available 
in  the  Perspecta  system,  which  introduces  a 
device  acting  in  the  manner  of  a variable  gain 
amplifier.  Called  an  “integrator,”  it  has  three 
circuits,  each  responsive  to  certain  frequencies 
superimposed  on  the  picture  sound  record. 

(See  Amplifiers  and  Amplifying  Tubes;  Sound- 
heads,  Speakers  and  Horns.) 

( Also  see  Todd- AO  process  under  Projectors 
& Accessories.) 

AMERICAN  OPTICAL  COMPANY,  Southbridge, 
Mass. 

Ampex  Corporation,  934  Charter  Street,  Redwood  City, 
Calif. 

THE  BALLANTYNE  COMPANY,  1707-11  Davenport 
Street,  Omaha,  Neb. 

BLUE  SEAL  DEVICES,  P.  O.  Box  1008,  New 
Canaan,  Conn.  See  page  23. 

CENTURY  PROJECTOR  CORPORATION,  729 
Seventh  Avenue,  New  York  City.  See  below. 
INTERNATIONAL  PROJECTOR  CORPORA- 
TION, 55  LaFrance  Avenue,  Bloomfield,  N.  J. 
See  !>aee  19. 

Fairchild  Recording  Equipment  Co.,  154th  St.  and  7th 
Ave.,  Powell’s  Cove  Blvd.,  Whitestone,  N.  Y.  (Per- 
specta sound). 

James  B.  Lansing  Corporation,  2439  Fletcher  Drive, 
Los  Angeles  39,  Calif. 

Magnasync  Manufacturing  Co.,  Ltd..  5517  Satsuma 
Avenue.  North  Hollywood.  Calif. 

MOTIOGRAPH,  4431  West  Lake  Street,  Ch'cago,  111. 


CENTURY  PROJECTION  & SOUND  EQUIPMENT 


/TV  M o*e 

FKOHJABte 

TOBOtr 


....  for  proof  look  at  the  terrific  picture 
CENTURY  puts  on  any  screen  under  any 
conditions. 

Then  realize  what  this  means  in  customer 
satisfaction  and  repeat  business. 

You'll  like  the  low  maintenance  and  ease 
of  operation  for  which  CENTURY  holds  the 
highest  score  in  the  industry  today. 

CENTURY  Sound  is  tops  (it  won  an  Acad- 
emy Award  for  unusually  high  fidelity) — 
leave  it  to  your  patrons  to  appreciate  this! 

In  other  words,  see  and  hear 
CENTURY  to  see  what  we  mean. 


See  your  CENTURY  dealer  or  write: 

CENTURY  PROJECTOR  CORP. 

NEW  YORK  19,  N.  Y. 


BETTER  THEATRES  SECTION 


49 


PAROMEL  ELECTRONICS  CORPORATION,  3956 
West  Belmont  Avenue,  Chicago  18,  III. 

RADIO  CORPORATION  OF  AMERICA,  Engineering 
Products  Department,  Camden,  N.  J. 

RANK  PRECISION  INDUSTRIES,  LTD.,  Gaumont- 
Kalee  Div.,  37-41  Mortimer  St.,  London  W.  1,  England. 
Stelma  Electronics,  3S9  Ludlow  St.,  Stamford,  Conn. 
Todd-AO  Corporation,  1270  Sixth  Avenue,  New  York 
20.  N.  Y. 

WESTREX  CORPORATION,  111  Eighth  Avenue. 
New  York  City  (except  in  U.  S.  and  Canada). 
See  page  17, 


SPEAKERS  AND  HORNS 

MOTION  PICTURE  sound 

systems  of  indoor  theatres  (standard  35mm 
projection)  require  for  proper  reproduction 
of  either  optical  or  magnetic  sound  tracks, 
speaker  equipment  consisting  in  a system  of 
low-frequency  and  high-frequency  units  with  a 
dividing  network.  In  such  a system,  the  low- 
frequency  units  typically  number  four,  housed 
in  a horn  baffle ; while  two  or  more  high- 
frequency  units  are  mounted  above  the  baffle 
in  a multicellular  horn  arrangement,  with  the 
entire  system  installed  for  the  directionalism 
required  to  “cover”  the  seating  area.  ( For  in- 
car  speakers  see  Drive-In  Theatre  Equipment 
and  Supplies.) 

Stereophonic  sound,  specifically  as  employed 
in  “wide-screen”  presentation,  with  three  tracks 
for  reproduction  at  the  screen,  requires  three 
such  horn  system,  with  each  centered  on  a 
third  of  the  screen  width.  These  speakers  must 
be  positively  matched  in  power  and  frequency 
response. 

For  auditorium  effects  (as  supplied  by  a 
fourth  track)  supplementary  cone  speakers  are 
ranged  along  the  walls  of  the  auditorium  in 
wattages  according  to  the  output  of  this  channel 
and  proper  spacing  of  the  speakers  for  coverage. 
Altec- Lansing  Corporation,  9356  Santa  Monica  Boule- 
vard, Beverly  Hills,  Calif. 

Ampex  Corporation,  934  Charter  Street,  Redwood  City, 
Calif. 

BALLANTYNE  COMPANY,  1712  Jackson  Street, 
Omaha.  Nebr. 

BLUE  SEAL  DEVICES,  P.  O.  Box  1008,  New 
Canaan,  Conn.  See  page  23. 

General  Electric  Company,  Electronics  Dept..  Syra- 
cuse, N.  Y. 


INTERNATIONAL  PROJECTOR  CORPORA- 
TION, 55  La  France  Avenue.  Bloomfield,  N.  J. 
Oxford  Electric  Corporation,  3911  South  Michigan 
Ave..  Chicago,  111. 

RADIO  CORPORATION  OF  AMERICA,  Engineering 
Products  Department,  Camden,  N.  J. 

Stephens  Manufacturing  Company,  Culver  City,  Calif. 
WESTREX  CORPORATION,  111  Eighth  Avenue, 
New  York  11,  N.  Y.  (except  in  U.  S.  and  Canada). 


SPLICERS  AND  FILM  CEMENT 

devices  for  splicing  film 
are  available  in  various  models,  including 
those  which  supply  heat  for  creating  a 
weld  in  the  shortest  possible  time ; however, 
splicers  used  in  theatre  projection  rooms  are 
usually  of  the  pressure  type,  depending  on  me- 
chanical force  to  effect  to  firm  splice. 

Pressure  types  can  be  had  in  either  perforated 
or  non-perforated  models,  and  these  for  1/10- 
and  5/32-inch  splice.  There  are  16mm  splicers 
which  also  splice  35mm  film. 

Film  cement  generally  recommended  for 
theatre  use  is  of  the  weld,  rather  than  the  ad- 
hesive, type,  and  is  classified  as  all-purpose.  It 
is  adapted  to  the  splicing  of  acetate  (safety)  as 
well  as  nitrate  film.  With  acetate,  however,  the 
splice  should  be  kept  under  pressure  in  the 
splicer  for  at  least  15  minutes,  and  it  should  not 
be  pulled  until  at  least  5 minutes  afterward. 

Ace  Electric  Mfg.  Co.,  1458  Shakespeare  Ave.,  New 
York  52,  N.  Y. 

Fisher  Manufacturing  Company,  1 Salter  Place, 
Rochester,  N.  Y.  (film  cement). 

Griswold  Machine  Works,  Port  Jefferson,  N.  Y. 

Lake  Products  Company,  6576  Oleatha  Avenue,  S< 
Louis  9,  Mo.  (cement). 

NATIONAL  THEATRE  SUPPLY,  90  Gold  Street, 
New  York  38,  N.  Y.  (cement). 

Neumade  Products  Corporation,  250  West  57th  Street, 
New  York  City  (splicers,  cement). 

Prestoseal  Manufacturing  Corporation.  37-27  33rd 
Street.  Long  Island  City.  N.  Y.  (splicers). 

SPOTLIGHTS — See  Lights,  Spot  and  Flood 


Investigate  Ace,  a completely  new  splicing 
method.  It  not  only  makes  a strong  splice 
on  acetate,  but  will  splice  the  new  DuPont 
Cronar  base  and  join  Cronar  to  acetate.  Made  of 
non-magnetic  material,  it  will  not  harm  magnetic 
sound  tracks.  Handles  16mm  to  70mm  film.  Also 
cuts  sound  tape  for  splicing.  See  it  today. 


CAMERA  EQUIPMENT  COMPANY  315  West  43rd  Street,  New  York  36,  N.  Y. 


Ace  Clear  Vision  Splicer 

joins  “CRONAR”  to  acetate 


CLARITY!  BRILLIANCE! 

LONG-LASTING  ECONOMY! 


MANAGERS! 

Get  This  Handy  Helper — 

The  Master  Guide  to 
Theatre  Maintenance 

—a  book  of  practical 
information  to 

READ  and  KEEP  for  REFERENCE 
$5.00  postpaid 

Published  by  Aaron  Nadell.  Order  from  — 

QUIGLEY  BOOKSHOP 

1270  Sixth  Avenue,  New  York  20,  N.  Y. 


STAGE  LIGHTING  EQUIPMENT 

EQUIPMENT  FOR  lighting 
the  stage  in  its  use  for  live-talent  perform 
ances  basically  requires  such  permanent 

installations  as  footlights,  borderlights  and  strip- 
lights.  What  is  additionally  required  depends 
on  the  kind  of  stage  prouctions  to  be  offered ; 
these  may  need  a variety  of  portable  floo  and 
spotlights  equipped  for  color  effects. 

Most  productions,  even  of  home  talent,  advise 
the  availability  of  at  least  one  small  spotlight  for 
projection  room  installation  or  comparable  loca- 
tion. 

According  to  these  factors  of  scale,  control 
equipment  may  be  of  the  simpler  dimmer  types 
indicated  in  the  Buyer’s  Index  under  Dimmers 
or  elaborate  preset  interlocking  switchboards  of 
resistance,  autotransformer  or  electronic  type. 

Companies  listed  below  manufacture  complete 
lines  of  stage  lighting  equipment  (except  pos- 
sibly actual  switchboard  units)  ; others  limited 
to  certain  items  are  so  indicated. 

Capitol  Stage  Lighting  Company,  527-529  West  45th 
Street,  New  York  City. 

Century  Lighting  Equipment,  Inc.,  521  West  43rd 
Street,  New  York  City.  7 

GoldE  Manufacturing  Company,  4888  North  Clark 
Street,  Chicago  40,  111. 

R.  L.  Grosh  & Sons,  4114-4122  Sunset  Boulevard, 
Hollywood  29,  Calif. 

Kliegl  Bros.,  321  West  50th  Street,  New  York  City. 

STRONG  ELECTRIC  CORPORATION,  87  City  Park 
Avenue,  Toledo,  Ohio  (spot  and  floodlights). 

Superior  Electric  Company,  Bristol,  Conn. 

Ward-Leonard  Electric  Company,  91  South  Street, 

Mt.  Vernon,  N.  Y.  (diimmers). 

• 

STEREOPHONIC  SOUND-See  Sound  Sys- 
tems, Complete. 


STEREOPTICONS  AND 
SLIDE  PROJECTORS 

LIGHT  PROJECTORS  for 
advertising  copy,  pictorial  and  effect  slides 
are  available  in  single,  double  and  triple 
dissolving  types  that  permit  striking  effects  and 
novelties.  Light  sources  are  available  in  both 
carbon  arc  and  filament  lamp  types. 

Slides  for  the  projection  of  song  lyrics,  adver- 
tising and  effects  are  available  made  up  on  glass, 
and  in  a flexible  material  on  which  a message 
can  be  typewritten  at  the  theatre. 

American  Optical  Corporation,  Buffalo.  N.  Y. 

BAUSCH  & LOMB  OPTICAL  COMPANY,  *79  St. 

Paul  Street,  Rochester,  N.  Y. 

Beseler  Visual  Products  Co.,  Inc.,  200  East  23rd 
Street,  New  York  City. 

Best  Devices  Company,  10921  Briggs  Road,  Cleveland, 
Ohio. 

Brenkert  Light  Projection  Company,  6545  St.  Antoine 
Avenue,  Detroit,  Mich. 

Golde  Manufacturing  Company,  4888  North  Clark 
Street,  Chicago  40,  111. 

Kliegl  Bros.,  321  West  50th  Street,  New  York  19,  N.  Y. 

STRONG  ELECTRIC  CORPORATION,  87  City  Park 
Avenue,  Toledo,  Ohio. 

SLIDES 

National  Studios,  145  West  45th  Street,  New  York 
19,  N.  Y. 

North  American  Slide  Company,  206  North  Linden 
Avenue,  Kirklyn,  U.  D.  Pa. 

• 

TAKEUPS — See  Projectors  and  Accessories. 

TICKET  BOXES  AND 
ADMISSION  CONTROL  SYSTEMS 

ticket  collection  equip- 
ment ranges  from  simple  receptacles  for 
the  tickets  or  stubs,  and  similar  boxes 
with  knives  for  chopping  the  tickets  to  prevent 
further  use,  to  collection  and  filing  mechanisms 
designed  to  effect  a record  of  ticket  sequence  to 
prevent  collusion. 

Simple  boxes  are  typically  of  steel  construc- 
tion on  an  iron  base  of  weight  to  resist  tipping, 
finished  attractively,  usually  in  color,  with  a 


50 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  MAY  12,  1956 


bowled  hinged  top  of  aluminum  or  comparable 
metal. 

Chopper  boxes  are  of  similar  construction  and 
design,  plus  knives  actuated  manually  by  an 
outer  wheel. 

Collection  and  filing  systems  consist  in  a 
receptacle  of  regular  ticket  box  dimensions  and 
comparably  attractive  in  external  finish,  with 
means  of  cutting  the  ticket  in  two  and  filing  stubs. 

GENERAL  REGISTER  CORPORATION,  43-01 
22nd  Street,  Long  Island  City,  N.  Y.  See 
page  41. 

Golde  Manufacturing  Company,  4888  North  Clark 
Street,  Chicago  40.  111. 

GOLDBERG  BROTHERS,  3500  Walnut  Street, 
Denver,  Colo,  (portable  ticket  box)  See  page 
29. 

TICKET  ISSUING  MACHINES 

automatically  regis- 
tering ticket  dispensers  facilitate  the  han- 
dling of  box-office  peaks,  and  impart  the 
impression  of  efficiency,  cleanliness  and  busi- 
nesslike methods ; they  eliminate  all  excuses  for 
errors  on  the  part  of  the  cashier  (some  type 
of  dispensers  make  the  usual  errors  impossible)  ; 


and  they  may  be  regarded  as  necessary  to  any 
real  assurance  that  box-office  losses  are  not 
occurring  tnrougn  cashier-doorman  collusion. 
They  are  obtainable  in  motor-driven  and  manu- 
ally operated  types. 

Ticket  issuing  machines  are  also  available 
with  the  mechanism  for  the  ejection  of  each 
channel  of  tickets  built  as  a complete  unit.  If 
any  unit  gets  out  of  order,  it  is  promptly  re- 
placed without  disturbing  the  rest  of  the  equip- 
ment. Housings  are  available  to  accommodate 
up  to  three,  and  up  to  five  units. 

Argus  Manufacturing  Company,  1141  N.  Kilbourn 
Avenue,  Chicago  51,  111. 

GENERAL  REGISTER  CORPORATION,  43-01 
22nd  Street,  Long  Island  City,  N.  Y.  See 
page  41. 

Golde  Manufacturing  Company,  4888  North  Clark 
Street,  Chicago  40,  111. 

National  Cash  Register  Corporation,  Dayton,  Ohio. 
Ticket  Register  Industries,  1223-27  South  Wabash 
Avenue,  Chicago  5,  111. 

WENZEL  PROJECTOR  CORPORATION,  2S0S-1J 
South  State  Street,  Chicago  16,  III.  (manual  type) 

• 

UNIFORMS 

while  leading  uniform 
manufacturers  can  readily  meet  special 


design  specifications,  their  catalog  models 
provide  a variety  of  styles  that  have  proved 
effective  in  distinguishing  the  functions  of 
ushers,  doormen,  porters  and  other  attendants. 

These  can  be  had  in  such  materials  as  regular 
weight  worsted,  tropical  worsted,  serge  and 
gabardine,  with  caps  to  match;  and  poplin  for 
refreshment  attendant  apparel.  Some  lines  also 
include  such  accessories  as  gloves,  hoods  and 
capes,  shoulder  knots,  etc. 

Angelica  Uniform  Company,  1471  Olive  Street,  St. 
Louis,  Mo. 

S.  Appel  & Company,  840  Broadway,  New  York  City. 
Brooks  Uniform  Company,  75  West  45th  Street,  New 
York  City. 

Delta  Uniform  Division,  Highway  Outfitting  Com- 
pany, 3 East  28th  Street,  New  York  16.  N.  Y. 
Maier-Lavaty  Company,  315  South  Peoria  Street,  Chi- 
cago 7. 

Mills  Uniform  Co.,  Wister  St.  & Godfrey  Ave.,  Phila- 
delphia 38,  Pa. 

Marcus  Ruben,  Inc.,  625  South  State  Street,  Chicago, 
IU. 

Reversible  Collar  Company,  111  Putnam  Avenue, 
Cambridge,  Mass,  (dickies  only). 

Russell  Uniform  Company,  192  Lexington  Avenue, 
New  York. 


VACUUM  CLEANERS — See  Cleaning  Mecn- 
anisms. 


The  Theatre  Screen 
Needs  Theatre  Appeal 

( Continued  from  page  13) 

roundings  you  offer  are  any  inducement  to 
them  to  leave  the  atmosphere  and  conve- 
nience of  their  homes. 

As  for  air-conditioning,  people  expect  a 
theatre  to  have  it  when  hot,  muggy  weather 
comes.  The  air-conditioning  industry  is  de- 
veloping the  home  market  rapidly;  cooling 
already  is  common  among  stores,  restau- 
rants, offices.  Theatre  auditoriums  need  it 
a great  deal  more  than  any  of  these  places 
do. 

What  were  once  “luxurious”  theatre 
chairs  are  in  all  too  many  cases  now  thor- 
oughly antiquated  traps  which  tear  stock- 
ings, punch  the  anatomy  with  broken 
springs,  and  leave  one  with  an  acute  feel- 
ing of  r/Mcomfort  after  two  hours  in  one 
spot!  Reupholstering,  with  better  fabrics 
may  be  a partial  answer  where  it  is  not 
possible  to  install  completely  new  chairs 
with  additional  space  between  rows.  The 
so-called  “art”  houses  have  proven  the 
merit  of  these  touches  of  elegance  and 
solicitude ! 

Circuits,  which  ordinarily  lead  the  parade, 
have  become  reluctant  in  many  cases  be- 
cause of  the  prodding  of  the  financial  boys 
who  insist  on  being  guided  only  by  profit 
statements  and  who  have  only  a vague  idea 
of  the  operating  requirements  behind  re- 
quests for  house  improvements. 

We  talked  with  one  circuit  executive 
recently  who  said  that  ten  or  fifteen  years 
ago  his  outfit  charged  oft  roughly  six  mil- 
lion dollars  annually  for  depreciation,  turn- 
ing back  half  of  this  amount  to  the  theatres 
for  maintenance  and  improvements.  Now 
they  charge  off  only  about  three  million 
dollars  annually  (they  have  reduced  their 
theatre  holdings,  accounting  for  most  of 
this  reduction  in  amortization),  but  they 
haven’t  disbursed  even  one  million  dollars 


in  the  past  five  years  for  maintaining  and 
up-grading  their  theatres! 

To  dip  back  into  the  past  once  again, 
showing  that  this  is  a continuing  challenge 
ever  before  us,  we  pick  up  an  editorial 
from  Better  Theatres  as  its  editor 
looked  forward  to  1936 — twenty  years  ago! 

“.  . . The  very  atmosphere  of  many  thea- 
tres is  gloomy.  Properties  are  physically 
run  down,  dilapidated  and  shabby,  and  the 
personnel  is  likely  to  have  the  jitters.  . . . 
The  theatre  itself  must  be  bright  and  fresh, 
in  tune  with  the  times.  And  the  personnel 
must  be  assured  that  the  jobs  of  the  theatre 
are  among  the  important  work  of  this  in- 
dustry. These  are  requisite  to  a cheerful 
outlook  in  1936.” 

They  are  requisite  to  a constructive 
attitude  toward  this  business  in  1956 — 
and  the  years  to  come. 


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400  or  500  Watt 
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— Custom  made  for 
Your  Theatre  — 220, 
208  or  1 10  Volts. 


Charlie  Jones  on  His 
OscilloSpectroPrismoScope 

( Continued  from  page  32) 

No.  1 was  mad  because  TV  had  made  No. 
2 extra  thin  and  hungry  and  had  thus 
dried  up  his  source  of  sustenance. 

Being  a disciple  of  the  philosophy,  “If 
you  can’t  lick  ’em,  jine  ’em,”  No.  1 started 
patronizing  the  supermarket.  He  once 
raided  his  own  garden  and  ate  its  produce, 
but  the  law  of  civilization  forbade  him  to 
continue  eating  at  the  expense  of  the  rest 
of  the  pack.  That’s  the  trouble  with  civili- 
zation— it  leaves  no  place  for  wolves.  (I 
think  the  law  of  diminishing  returns  comes 
in  here  somewhere,  too,  but  I’ll  have  to 
draft  a New  Deal  economist  to  help  me 
figure  where.) 

Wolf  No.  1 and  Wolf  No.  2 had  never 
been  real  chummy,  but  both  being  wolves, 
each  justified  his  wolfly  actions  by  the  very 
fact  that  he  was  a wolf  and  entitled  to  the 
wolf’s  share  of  the  public  carcass.  Each 
knew  that  if  he  was  given  a shank  to  eat, 
the  other  would  take  a hind  quarter,  so 
it  was  better  to  eat  each  other  clear  up  and 
then  the  one  that  was  left  could  have  it  all. 

Admittedly,  this  is  a pretty  stupid  pic- 
ture. It  doesn’t  even  take  into  considera- 
tion Wolf  No.  3,  whom  my  assistant  has 
said  is  not  a wolf  at  all,  but  a dog  with  a 
bad  case  of  mange.  Maybe  so,  for  all  he 
does  is  run  around  yelping  at  his  com- 
panions. 

Such  is  the  picture  through  the  OSPS ! 

Before  you  jump  to  the  conclusions,  how- 
ever, and  throw  in  the  towel,  I hasten  to 
tell  you  there  is  more  to  the  picture.  I have 
put  my  VieivBrightner  attachment  on  the 
OSPS  and  am  happy  to  report  that  it 
showed  a hazy  brightening  on  the  horizon. 
I cannot  promise  that  this  is  Dawn,  but 
we  may  be  passing  out  of  the  Dark  Ages. 
Let’s  hope! 

Some  machine,  huh? 


BETTER  THEATRES  SECTION 


51 


TERRITORIAL  DEALERS 
IN  THE  UNITED  STATES 


Numbered  for  identification  as  dealers  for  certain  manufacturers  listed  in  Advertisers  Index  of  Theatre  Supply  Mart  insert 


ALABAMA 

1 —  Queen  Feature  Servlee,  1912'/,  Morris  Ave..  Birmingham. 

ARIZONA 

2 —  Southwest  Theatre  Supply.  3750  E.  Van  Buren.  Phoenix. 

ARKANSAS 

3 —  Arkansas  Theatre  Supply.  1008  Main  St..  Little  Rock. 

4 —  Theatre  Supply  Co..  1921  Grand  Ave..  Fort  Smith. 

CALIFORNIA 

Fresno: 

5—  Midstate  Theatre  Supply.  1906  Thomas. 

Los  Angeles: 

6—  John  P Filbert,  2007  S.  Vermont  Ave.* 

National  Theatre  Supnty.  1961  S.  Vermont  Ave. 

7 —  Pembrex  Theatre  Supply.  1969  S.  Vermont  Ave. 

8 —  B.  F.  Shearer.  1964  S.  Vermont  Ave. 

Son  Francisco: 

National  Theatre  Supoly,  255  Golden  Gate  Ave. 

9 —  Preddev  Theatre  Supplies.  187  Golden  Gate  Ave. 

10—  B.  F.  Shearer.  243  Golden  Gate  Ave. 

11 —  United  Theatre  Supply,  112  Golden  Gate  Ave. 

12 —  Western  Theatrical  Equipment.  337  Golden  Gate  Ave.* 

COLORADO 

Denver: 

National  Theatce  Supoly.  2111  Chamna  St. 

13 —  Seryiee  Theatre  Supply.  2054  Broadway. 

14 —  Western  Service  & Supply.  2120  Broadway.* 

CONNECTICUT 
New  Haven 

National  Theatre  Supply,  122  Meadow  St. 

DISTRICT  OF  COLUMBIA  (Washington) 

15—  Brient  ft,  Sons.  925  New  Jersey  Ave..  N.W.* 

16—  Ben  Lust.  1001  New  Jersey  Ave.,  N.W. 

(7 — R & S Theatre  Supply,  920  New  Jersey  Ave.,  N.W. 

FLORIDA 

18—  Joe  Hornstein.  329  W Flagler  St..  Miami. 

19—  Southeastern  Equipment.  625  W.  Bay  St..  Jacksonville.* 

20 —  United  Theatre  Supply.  206  Memorial  Highway.  Tampa. 

21 —  United  Theatre  Supply,  329  W.  Flagler  St.,  Miami.* 

GEORGIA 

Albany: 

22 —  Dixie  Theatre  Service  &.  Supply,  1010  N.  Slappey  Dr. 

Atlanta: 

23 —  Capitol  Citv  Supply.  161  Walton  St..  N.W. 

24 —  Dixie  Theatre  Service  &.  Supply.  95  Walton  Ave.,  N.E. 
National  Theatre  Simply.  187  Walton  St.,  N.W. 

25—  Southeastern  Theatre  Equipment.  201-3  Luekie  9t.,  N.W. 

26—  Wil-Kln  Theatre  Supply.  301  North  Ave.,  N.E. 

ILLINOIS 

Chicaao 

27 —  Abbott  Theatre  Supply.  1311  S.  Waba»h  Ave.* 

28 —  Gardner  Theatre  Service.  1314  8.  Wabash  Ave. 

29 —  Movie  Supply.  1318  S.  Wabash  Ave. 

National  Theatre  Supply.  1325  S.  Wabash  Ave. 


INDIANA 
Evansville • 

30—  Evansville  Theatre  Supply,  2900  E.  Chandler  Ave. 

Indianapolis: 

31 —  Ger-Bar.  Inc..  442  N.  Illlnoi.  St. 

National  Theatre  Supply.  436  N.  Illlnoi,  St. 

IOWA 

Des  Moines: 

32 —  Des  Moines  Theatre  Supply.  1121  High  St. 
National  Theatre  Supply,  1102  High  St. 

KANSAS 

Wichita: 

33 —  Southwest  Theatre  Equipment.  P.  0.  Box  2138. 

KENTUCKY 

Louisville: 

34 —  Fal's  Cl+v  Theatre  Equipment.  427  8 Third  St. 

35 —  Hadden  Theatre  Supply.  209  S.  3rd  St. 


LOUISIANA 
New  Orleans: 

36 —  Hodges  Theatre  Supply.  1309  Cleveland  Ave. 

37 —  Johnson  Theatre  Service.  1409  Cleveland  Ave. 

38 —  Southeastern  Theatre  Equipment,  214  S.  Liberty  St.* 

Shreveport: 

39—  Alon  Boyd  Theatre  Equipment.  P.  0.  Box  362. 


52 


MARYLAND 

Baltimore: 

40 —  J.  F.  Dusman  Civ.,  12  East  25th  St. 

National  Theatre  Supply.  417  St.  Paul  Place. 

MASSACHUSETTS 

Boston: 

41 —  Capitol  Theatre  Supply,  28  Piedmont  St.* 

42 —  Independent  vheatre  Supply.  28  Winchester  St. 

43 —  Major  Theatre  Equipment.  44  Winchester  St. 

44 —  Massachusetts  Theatre  Equipment.  20  Piedmont  St. 
National  Theatre  Supply,  3'  Winchester  St. 

45 —  Standard  Theatre  Supply  78  Broadway. 

46 —  Theatre  Service  &.  Simply,  30  Piedmont  St. 

MICHIGAN 
Detroit : 

47 —  Amusement  Supply.  208  W.  Montcalm  St. 

48 —  Ernie  Forbes  Theatre  Supply,  214  W.  Montcalm  St.* 

49 —  McArthur  Theatre  Equipment.  454  W.  Columbia  St. 
National  Theatre  Supply,  2312  Cass  Ave. 

Grand  Rapids: 

50 —  Ringold  Theatre  ' quipment,  106  Michigan  St.,  N.W. 

MINNESOTA 

Minneapolis: 

51 —  Elliott  Theatre  Equipment.  1110  Nicollet  Ave. 

52 —  Frosch  Theatre  Supply,  INI  Currie  Ave.* 

53 —  Minneapolis  Theatre  Supply,  75  Glenwood  Ave. 

National  Theatre  Supply.  56  Glenwood  Ave. 

54 —  Western  Theatre  Equipment,  45  Glenwood  Ave. 

MISSOURI 
Kansas  City: 

55 —  Missouri  . heatre  Supply.  115  W.  18th  St.* 

National  Theatre  Supply.  223  W.  18th  St. 

56 —  Shreve  Theatre  Supply,  217  W.  18th  St. 

57 —  Stebbins  Theatre  Equipment,  1804  Wyandotte  St. 

St.  Louis: 

58 —  McCarty  Theatre,  3146  Olive  St. 

National  Theatre  Supply,  3212  Olive  St. 

59 —  St.  Louis  Theatre  Supply  Co.,  3310  Olive  St.* 

MONTANA 

60 —  Montana  Theatr*  Supply,  Missoula. 

NEBRASKA 

Omaha: 

61 —  The  Ballantyne  Co..  1712  Jackson  St. 

National  Theatre  Supply,  1610  Davenport  St. 

62 —  Quality  Theatre  Supply,  1515  Davenport  St. 

63—  Western  Theatre  Supply,  214  N.  15th  St.* 

NEW  MEXICO 

64 —  Eastern  New  Mexico  Theatre  Supply,  Box  1009,  Clovis. 

NEW  YORK 
Albany: 

65 —  Albany  Theatre  Supply.  443  N.  Pearl. 

National  Theatre  Supply.  962  Broadway. 

Auburn: 

66 —  Auburn  Theatre  Equipment.  5 Court  St. 

Buffalo: 

67 —  Eastern  Theatre  Supply.  496  Pearl  St.* 

National  Theatre  Supply.  500  Pearl  St. 

68 —  Perkin,  Theatre  Supply,  505  Pearl  St. 

69 —  United  Projector  & Film.  228  Franklin  St. 

New  York  City: 

70 —  Amusement  Supply.  341  W.  44th  St. 

71 —  Capitol  Motion  Picture  Supply,  630  Ninth  Ave.* 

72 —  Crown  Motion  Picture  Supplies.  354  W.  44th  St. 

73 —  Joe  Hornstein.  341  W.  44th  St. 

National  Theatre  Supoly.  356  W 44th  St. 

126 — Norpat  Sales,  Inc.,  630  Ninth  Ave. 

Syracuse: 

74 —  Central  N.  Y.  Theatre  8upply.  210  N.  Sallna  St. 

NORTH  CAROLINA 
Charlotte: 

75 —  Bryant  Theatre  Supply.  227  S.  Church  St. 

76 —  Charlotte  Theatre  Supply.  209  S.  Poplar  8t. 

77 —  Dixie  Theatre  Supply,  213  W.  3rd  St 
National  Theatre  Supply,  304  S.  Church  St. 

78 —  Southeastern  Theatre  Equipment.  209  S.  Poplar  St.* 

79 —  Standard  Theatre  Supply.  219  S.  Church  St. 

BO— Theatre  Equipment  Co..  220  S.  Poplar  St. 

81 —  Wil- K in  Theatre  Supply.  229  S.  Church  St. 

Greensboro* 

82 —  Standard  Theatre  Supply.  215  E.  Washington  St. 

83 —  Theatre  8uoo«Ser*.  304  8.  Davie  St. 


OHIO 

Cincinnati: 

84 — Mid- Wes!  Thaatra  Supply.  1638  Central  Parkway.* 
National  Thaatra  Supply.  1637  Cantral  Parkway. 


Cleveland: 

National  Theatre  Supply,  2128  Payne  Ave. 

85 —  Ohio  Theatre  Equipment,  2108  Payne  Ave. 

86—  Oliver  Theatre  Supply,  1701  E.  23rd  St.* 

Columbus: 

87—  American  Theatre  Equipment.  165  N.  High  St. 

Dayton: 

88 —  Dayton  Theatre  Supply,  1 1 1 Volkenand  St. 

89 —  Sheldon  Theatre  Supply.  627  Salem  Ave. 

Toledo: 

90 —  American  Theatre  Supply  Co..  439  Doit  8t. 

91 —  Theatre  Equipment  Co..  1206  Cherry  St. 

OKLAHOMA 
Oklahoma  City: 

92 —  Century  Theatre  Supply  Co..  706  N.  Grand 

93—  HoweM  Theatre  Supplies.  12  S.  Walker  Ave. 

National  Theatre  Supply,  700  W.  Grand  Ave. 

94 —  Oklahoma  Theatre  Supply,  628  W.  Grand  Ave.* 

OREGON 

Portland: 

95—  Modern  Theatre  Supply.  1935  N.W.  Kearney  St.* 

96 —  Portland  Motion  Picture  Supply.  916  N.W.  19th  St 

97—  B.  F.  Shearer.  1947  N.W.  Kearney  St. 

98—  Inter-State  Theatre  Equipment,  1928  N.W.  Kearney  St. 

PENNSYLVANIA 

Philadelphia: 

99 —  Blumberg  Bros.,  1305-07  Vine  St.* 

National  Theatre  Supply  Co.,  1225  Vine  St. 

100 —  Superior  Theatre  Equipment.  1315  Vine  St. 

Pittsburgh: 

101 —  Alexander  Theatre  Supply.  84  Van  Bramm  St. 

102 —  Atlas  Theatre  Supply.  402  Miltenberger  St. 

National  Theatre  Supply,  1721  Blvd.  of  Allies. 

Wilkes-Barre: 

103 —  Vincent  M.  Tate  1620  Wyoming  Ave..  Forty-Fort. 

RHODE  ISLAND 

104—  Rhode  Island  Supply.  357  Westminster  St..  Providence. 

SOUTH  DAKOTA 

105 —  American  Theatre  Supply.  316  S.  Main  St..  Sioux  Falls. 

TENNESSEE 

Memphis: 

106 —  Monarch  Theatre  Supply.  492  S.  Second  8t.* 

National  Theatre  Supply.  412  S.  Second  St. 

167 — Tri-Stete  Theatre  Supply,  320  8.  Second  St. 

TEXAS 

Dallas: 

108 —  Hardin  Theatre  Supply,  714  South  Hampton  Rd. 

109 —  Herber  Bros..  406  S.  Harwood  St. 

110 —  Modern  Theatre  Equipment.  1916  Jackson  St. 

National  Theatre  Supply,  300  S.  Harwood  St. 

111 —  Southwestern  Theatre  Equipment,  2010  Jackson  St.* 

112 —  Sterling  Sales  & Service.  2019  Jackson  St. 

Houston: 

M3 — Southwestern  Theatre  Equipment,  1622  Austin  St.* 

San  Antonio: 

114 —  Alamo  Theatre  8upply.  1308  Alamotee  St. 

UTAH 

Salt  Lake  City: 

115 —  lntermountaln  Theatre  Supply,  264  East  First  South  St. 

116 —  Service  Theatre  Supply,  256  East  First  South  St. 

117 —  Western  Sound  & Equipment,  264  East  First  South  8t  * 

VIRGINIA 

118 —  Norfolk  Theatre  Supply,  2700  Colley  Ave.,  Ntrfelk. 

WASHINGTON 

Seattle: 

119 —  American  Theatre  Supply.  2300  First  Ave. 

120 —  Inter-State  Theatre  Equipment  Co..  2224  8eeond  Avs. 

121  — Modern  Theatre  Supply.  2400  Third  Ave.* 

National  Theatre  Supply.  2319  Second  St. 

122 —  B.  F.  Shearer.  2318  Second  Ave. 

WEST  VIRGINIA 

123 —  Charleston  Theatre  Supply,  506  Lee  8t.,  Charleston. 

WISCONSIN 

Milwaukee: 

124—  Manhardt  Co..  1705  W.  Clyboum  8t.* 

National  Theatre  Supply.  1027  N.  Elghtk  8t. 

125—  Ray  Smith.  718  W.  State  St. 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  MAY  12,  1956 


FILM  BUYERS  RATING 


Film  buyers  of  independent  circuits  in  the  U.  S.  rate  current 
product  on  the  basis  of  its  performance  in  their  theatres.  This 
report  caters  99  attractions,  3,182  playdates. 

Titles  run  alphabetically.  Numerals  refer  to  the  number  of  en- 
gagements on  each  attraction  reported.  The  tabulation  is  cumula- 
tive. Dagger  (t)  denotes  attractions  published  for  the  first  time. 
Asterisk  (*)  indicates  attractions  which  are  listed  for  the  last  time. 

EX  means  Excellent;  A A — Above  Average;  AV — Average; 
DA — Below  Average;  PR — Poor. 


African  Lion,  The  (B.V.)  . 

All  That  Heaven  Allows  (U-l) 
Anything  Goes  (Par.) 

Apache  Woman  (A.R.C.) 

Artists  and  Models  (Par.)  . 

At  Gunpoint  (A. A.) 

Backlash  ( U-l ) 

Battle  Station  (Col.) 

Benny  Goodman  Story,  The  (U-l) 
Big  Knife,  The  (U.A.) 

Blood  Alley  (W.B.) 

Bottom  of  the  Bottle  (20th-Fox). 


Carousel  ( 20th- Fox ) 

Come  Next  Spring  (Rep.) 

Comanche  ( U.A.) 

Conqueror,  The  (RKO) 

Count  Three  and  Pray  (Col.) 

Court  Jester,  The  (Par.) 

Court  Martial  of  Billy  Mitchell  (W.B.) 


Day  the  World  Ended  (A.R.C.) 
Deep  Blue  Sea,  The  ( 20th- Fox ) 
Desperate  Hours,  The  (Par.) 
Diane  ( MGM  ) . 

Dig  That  Uranium  (A. A.) 

Duel  on  the  Mississippi  (Col.) 


Flame  of  the  Islands  (Rep.) 
fForbidden  Planet  (MGM) 
Forever  Darling  (MGM) 

Fort  Yuma  ( U.A.) 

Fury  at  Gunsight  Pass  (Col.) 


10 


AA 

AV 

BA 

PR 

7 

18 

13 

19 

24 

9 

17 

4 

- 

- 

3 

2 

7 

2 

2 

- 

33 

19 

7 

2 

1 

1 1 

26 

2 

8 

3 

II 

4 

- 

2 

- 

7 

9 

24 

13 

- 

1 

1 1 

14 

0 

29 

21 

3 

2 

8 

1 1 

22 

5 

1 

3 

2 

1 

3 

13 

3 

3 

1 

- 

17 

3 

4 

- 

- 

10 

24 

9 

7 

6 

5 

6 

3 

47 

27 

9 

- 

20 

1 

1 

- 

1 

2 

1 1 

1 

1 1 

19 

19 

_ 

1 

8 

28 

4 

1 

- 

- 

1 

5 

2 

2 

1 

2 

7 

3 

2 

3 

- 

- 

27 

28 

7 

8 

- 

5 

13 

2 

Kettles  in  the  Ozarks  (U-l) 
Kismet  (MGM)  . 


Last  Frontier  (Col.) 

Last  Hunt,  The  (MGM) 

Lady  Godiva  (U-l) 

Lawless  Street  (Col.) 

Lieutenant  Wore  Skirts,  The  (20th-Fox) 
Littlest  Outlaw  (B.V.) 

Lone  Ranger,  The  (W.B.) 

Lucy  Gallant  (Par.) 


Man  Alone,  A (Rep.) 

Man  Who  Never  Was  ( 20th- Fox ) 
Man  With  the  Golden  Arm  (U.A.) 
Man  With  the  Gun  (U.A.) 
fMarty  (U-l)  (Reissue) 

(Miracle  in  the  Rain  (W.B.) 


Naked  Dawn  (U-l) 

Never  Say  Goodbye  (U-l) 


(On  the  Threshold  of  Space  (20th-Fox) 
Our  Miss  Brooks  (W.B.) 


Picnic  (Col.) 
Prisoner,  The  (Col.) 


Queen  Bee  (Col.) 

Quentin  Durward  (MGM) 


Rains  of  Ranchipur,  The  (20th-Fox) 
Ransom  (MGM) 

Rebel  Without  a Cause  (W.B.) 
Red  Sundown  (U-l) 

Return  of  Jack  Slade  (A. A.) 

(Rock  Around  the  Clock  (Col.) 
Rose  Tattoo,  The  (Par.) 

Running  Wild  (U-l) 


Second  Greatest  Sex  (U-l) 

Shack  Out  on  101  (A. A.) 

Sincerely  Yours  (W.B.) 

Slightly  Scarlet  (RKO) 

Song  of  the  South  (B.V.)  (Reissue) 
Spoilers,  The  (U-l) 

Square  Jungle  (U-l) 

(Swan,  The  (MGM) 


Gentlemen  Marry  Brunettes  (U.A.)  - 9 20  15  16 

Girl  in  the  Red  Velvet  Swing,  The  ( 20th- Fox ) . . - 3 20  31  23 

Glory  (RKO)  I 3 6 7 5 

Goodbye,  My  Lady  (W.B.)  . . . — 3 13- 

Guys  and  Dolls  (MGM)  20  6 4 I 3 

Good  Morning,  Miss  Dove  ( 20th- Fox ) I 16  13  33  12 


Helen  of  Troy  (W.B.)  - 7 24  I 4 

Hell  on  Frisco  Bay  (W.B.)  ...  — 8 10  9 22 

Hot  Blood  (Col.)  - I I 3 3 


Tall  Men,  The  (20th-Fox) 

Tarantula  (U-l) 

Target  Zero  (W.B.)  

Teen  Age  Crime  Wave  (Col.) 
Tender  Trap,  The  (MGM) 

Texas  Lady  (RKO) 

There's  Always  Tomorrow  (U-l) 
fThree  Bad  Sisters  (U.A.) 

Three  Stripes  in  the  Sun  (Col.) 
Treasure  of  Pancho  Villa  (RKO) 
Trial  (MGM) 

Trouble  With  Harry  (Par.) 

Twinkle  in  God's  Eye,  The  (Rep.) 


I Died  a Thousand  Times  (W.B.) 
I'll  Cry  Tomorrow  (MGM) 

Indian  Fighter  (U.A.)  

Inside  Detroit  (Col.)  


I 5 11  9 

9 7 3 

13  24  12  6 

---42 


Unconquered  (Par.) 
(Uranium  Boom  (Col.) 


World  in  My  Corner  (U-l) 


EX  AA 

AV 

BA 

PR 

2 

8 

3 

2 

4 

17 

22 

20 

- 

2 

17 

18 

4 

- 

3 

13 

1 1 

3 

- 

1 

5 

7 

5 

1 

6 

14 

4 

1 

- 

9 

25 

25 

3 

5 

9 

9 

6 

19 

7 

19 

7 

_ 

2 

- 

- 

23 

17 

1 1 

9 

23 

10 

1 1 

2 

8 

- 

10 

5 17 

15 

1 1 

- 

1 20 

16 

8 

13 

4 

- 

1 

1 

- - 

- 

7 

1 

- 

- 

3 

5 

3 

- 

8 

5 

4 

- 

_ 

1 

1 

3 

2 

- 

2 

2 

4 

13 

12 

1 

_ 

1 

- 

2 

- 

3 

- 

- 

12 

1 1 

10 

- 

- 

5 

12 

26 

- 

9 

31 

23 

8 

1 

- 

18 

17 

1 1 

10 

55 

20 

6 

1 

- 

6 

4 

1 

3 

- 

2 

1 1 

3 

- 

3 

3 

3 

- 

- 

1 1 

6 

13 

4 

1 

3 

12 

6 

2 

- 

- 

8 

8 

18 

4 

- 

4 

6 

- 

2 

- 

1 

9 

17 

16 

- 

2 

3 

1 

7 

3 

1 

3 

2 

16 

1 

1 1 

14 

15 

3 

- 

1 

1 

1 1 

31 

- 

5 

- 

- 

- 

7 

44 

19 

5 

2 

2 

13 

3 

5 

- 

- 

1 

5 

2 

1 

- 

6 

7 

2 

- 

9 

30 

31 

15 

2 

- 

2 

10 

14 

6 

- 

_ 

6 

4 

19 

- 

2 

2 

1 

- 

1 

7 

17 

10 

9 

- 

1 

14 

14 

21 

1 

1 1 

42 

20 

4 

10 

1 

7 

8 

1 

- 

2 

9 

2 

- 

1 

3 

1 

- 

_ 

- 

2 

3 

4 


10  20 


■H 


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Emanue 


M-G-M  IS  HOT  NEWS! 


Blankets  Broadway— 

"THE  SWAN"  at  the  Music  Hali 
"BHOWANI  JUNCTION”  next  at  the  Music  Hall 
"FORBIDDEN  PLANET"  at  the  Globe 
"GABY"  at  the  Trans-Lux  52nd  Street 
"WEDDING  IN  MONACO"  and 
"BATTLE  OF  GETTYSBURG"  at  the  Guild 

THE  CATERED  AFFAIR”  coming  to  the  Victoria 
"INVITATION  TO  THE  DANCE”  May  22nd  at  the  Plaza 


FIREWORKS  WEEK  AFTER  WEEK! 


Preview  No.  1 

BHOWANI  JUNCTION 

A bonanza  of  bigness  for  today’s  market.  Ava 
Gardner  eagerly  awaited  and  gorgeous!  Stewart 
Granger’s  most  rugged  role.  Thousands  in  the 
cast.  2 years  in  production.  Authentic  Pakistan 
backgrounds  magnificent  in  CinemaScope -Color. 

Preview  No.  2 


THE  CATERED  AFFAIR" 

Seeing  is  believing!  A wonderful  story  of  young 
love  facing  life  with  joyous  courage.  Theatre 
previews  in  all  exchange  cities  have  alerted  show- 
men to  this  sure-fire  audience  attraction.  Great 
performances  by  Bette  Davis,  Ernest  "Marty” 
Borgnine,  Debbie  Reynolds,  Barry  Fitzgerald. 


And  Now  Another  Hot  Preview! 


Paul  Newman 
Pier  Angeli 
electrifying! 


"SOMEBODY  UP 
THERE  LIKES  ME" 

It  hit  Hollywood  like  a bomb-shell!  A true-life 
biography  filmed  with  the  same  skill  and  power 
that  M-G-M  gave  to  real-life  "Love  Me  Or  Leave 
Me”  and  "I’ll  Crv  Tomorrow.”  This  is  what  the 

j 

fans  want  and  it’s  a BIG  one.  They’re  coming 
one  after  another! 


THE  HOTTEST  COMPANY 


( more  about  “BHOWANI  JUNCTION ” on  page  27) 


mnnnj 


GARY 

OOPEI 


It’s  always 
good 
showmanship 
to  put  on 
a good  show! 
WARNERS’ 
giant 
action 
re-release  is 
ready  for 
immediate 
dating! 


The  Sup 


Blade  in  his  hand 
— blood  in  his  eye 
— Capt.  Wyatt, 
Swamp-Fighter! 


mmri  aldon  • NIVEN  BUSCH  an  MARTIN  RACKIN 

DIRECTED  BY 

> RAOUL  WALSH  • a UNITED  3 TE$  PICTURES  prod 

..  Music  by  Md.  ' ».m»uo  ■>  WARNER  BROS 


- — 


■■■* 


Mm m*m* 


OlRECTED  BY 

STUART  HEISLER 


with  Mimic  by  Written  bjr 

RAVMONO  MASStr  • BARBARA  PAHON  -Mu  Steiner  - JOHN  TWIST' 


____ 


I 


‘ ■ 


COOPER 
...  RUTH 


ALSO  STARRING 


STEVE  COCHRAN 


< 


New  ads, 
new  accessories, 
new  pressbooks- 
all  delivering 
a double 
barrage  of 
double-barreled 
Cooper 
excitement! 


Wk 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD 


MARTIN  QUIGLEY,  Editor-In-Chief  and  Publisher 


Vol.  203,  No.  7 


MARTIN  QUIGLEY,  JR.,  Editor 


May  19,  1956 


New  Management  for  Warners 

IT  IS  significant  that  in  these  times  an  experienced 
and  financially  responsible  group  was  formed  to 
acquire  for  approximately  $20,000,000  the  controlling 
stock  interest  in  Warner  Bros.  Picture  Co.  held  by  the 
three  Warner  brothers.  It  is  also  noteworthy  that  the 
Warners  are  retaining  substantial  blocks  of  the  stock 
and  will  continue  as  directors.  Moreover,  Jack  L.  Warner 
at  least  for  the  time  being  will  continue  as  head  of  pro- 
duction. 

In  the  announcement  of  the  sale  Serge  Semenenko, 
first  vice-president  of  the  First  National  Bank  of  Boston, 
was  listed  as  head  of  the  group.  It  was  also  stated  that 
the  group  intends  “to  continue  to  operate  the  company 
actively  and  aggressively  under  strong  and  competent 
management.”  The  management  is  to  be  headed  by  Si 
Fabian,  provided  the  Department  of  Justice  raises  no 
objections.  Mr.  Fabian,  of  course,  could  divest  himself 
of  stock  in  the  Stanley  Warner  Theatres.  The  basic 
consent  decree  problem  is  reported  to  concern  itself  with 
possible  common  management  policies  of  Warner  Bros, 
and  Stanley  Warner  Theatres. 

Mr.  Fabian  is  ideally  qualified  by  his  long  experience 
in  exhibition  and  his  leadership  in  industry  activities, 
such  as  the  War  Activities  Committee,  the  American 
Theatres  Association  and  the  Theatre  Owners  of  Amer- 
ica, to  head  a great  world-wide  production  and  distribu- 
tion company  such  as  Warner  Bros.  It  is  to  be  hoped 
that  the  government  gives  its  approval  so  that  he  may 
be  elected  president  of  Warners. 

■ ■ ■ 

Heart  of  Variety 

THE  men  and  women  of  show  business  who  comprise 
the  membership  of  the  various  Variety  tents  in  this 
country  and  abroad  are  justly  proud  of  the  wonder- 
ful charitable  record  established  each  year.  If  it  were  not 
for  the  charities  each  tent  would  be  just  another  social 
organization.  A special  or  adopted  charity  gives  a united 
purpose  to  the  membership  and  also  enhances  the  stand- 
ing of  the  organization  in  the  community. 

With  charity  so  fundamental  in  the  purpose  of  the 
Variety  Clubs  International  it  is  understandable  that  the 
annual  charity  citation  award,  generally  known  as  the 
Heart  Award,  is  an  honor  held  in  high  esteem.  Each  year 
a number  of  the  tents  make  presentations  of  their  charity 
activities  in  the  hope  of  winning  the  Heart  Award.  Other 
tents,  either  because  they  have  already  won  the  award 
or  because  their  charity  project  is  just  being  initiated  or 
reorganized,  do  not  contend.  However,  each  reports  on 
its  philanthropic  work. 

The  problem  of  selecting  the  best  of  the  many  excellent 


charitable  undertakings  is  a difficult  one.  The  judges 
must  take  into  consideration  how  the  local  tent  picked 
a charity  activity  especially  needed  in  its  community  and 
how  the  project  was  successfully  carried  out.  The  amount 
of  money  collected  is  not  a factor  of  importance. 

According  to  the  report  of  Nathan  D.  Golden,  Interna- 
tional Heart  Committee  Chairman,  during  1955  the  tents 
spent  about  $2,700,000  on  the  various  projects  to  aid 
children.  During  1956  the  sums  pledged  amount  to  over 
$3,000,000.  A quarter  of  a million  children  benefit  directly 
from  these  activities,  many  others — including  the  10,000 
Variety  club  barkers — derive  great  benefit  from  the  work 
they  do  in  helping  the  physically  handicapped  youngsters. 

■ ■ ■ 

Features  on  Television 

EXHIBITORS  now  have  no  course  open  to  them 
but  to  adjust  as  best  as  possible  to  the  realization 
that  all  features  made  by  Hollywood  are  available 
to  television.  First  the  major  distributors  hesitated  on 
account  of  the  potential  effects  of  such  sales  on  their 
theatre  customers.  Then  for  some  years  the  offering  price 
per  feature  was  so  low  that  there  was  no  great  incentive 
to  make  a deal.  Currently  many  deals  are  being  nego- 
tiated. 

Historically  the  first  major  change  came  with  the  pur- 
chase of  RKO  by  General  Teleradio.  This  reversed  the 
situation  of  buyer  and  seller.  A broadcaster  now  owned  a 
major  film  company,  including  its  backlog.  Whether  the 
break  in  the  dike  came  as  it  did  at  RKO  or  elsewhere,  it 
was  probably  inevitable  that  it  would  happen. 

Now  a scramble  may  be  expected  to  dump  pre-1948 
features  on  the  television  market  before  their  value  de- 
clines sharply  on  account  of  over-supply.  In  time  the 
various  contract  restrictions  about  films  made  after  1948 
will  be  overcome — it  is  only  a question  of  money.  Even- 
tually most  films  will  probably  be  available  for  free  show- 
ing on  television  a few  years  after  they  have  completed 
theatrical  exhibition.  The  full  long  range  implication  of 
such  a new  order  are  matters  of  speculation  at  this  time. 

An  important  consideration  for  exhibitors  is  that 
Hollywood’s  features  are  tailor-made  for  the  theatre 
screen.  By  and  large  they  are  well  made  for  that  purpose. 
How  popular  they  will  be  when  televised  in  great  num- 
bers after  being  cut  to  arbitrary  time-slots  and  inter- 
spersed with  commercials  is  unknown.  Their  appeal  will 
surely  be  much  less  than  it  was  in  the  theatres. 

Meanwhile  there  is  a marked  upturn  in  feature  produc- 
tion and  production  planning  especially  by  independents. 
Returns  that  a feature  can  get  on  television  now  or  in 
the  foreseeable  future  are  “peanuts”  in  comparison  with 
potential  theatrical  box  office  receipts. 

— Martin  Quigley,  Jr. 


Trade  Statistics 

To  the  Editor: 

Obviously,  I read  your  editorial  of  May 
5 with  interest ! I would  like  to  make  these 
points. 

1.  When  one  reads  an  editorial  in  an  as- 
tute publication  such  as  yours,  he  becomes 
extremely  sensitive  when  his  name  is  in- 
correctly spelled,  especially  after  having 
been  associated  with  the  industry  for  thirty 
years,  and  having  received  a Quigley  Award 
in  1935  for  theatre  exploitation.  The  name 
has  always  been  spelled  “Albert.” 

2.  We  do  not  specialize  in  measurements 
of  “Know  How” — . We  do  measure  “Know- 
About.” 

3.  Do  I understand  that  even  though  you 
refer  to  our  . . . “competent  and  useful  sta- 
tistical research  service  to  COMPO  in  con- 
nection with  the  Admission  Tax  Repeal 
campaigns  . . .”  that  I am  now  to  tell  the 
Treasury  and  other  Government  economists 
that  Motion  Picture  Herald  calls  this 
“snake  oil  ?” 

4.  I am  sorry  you  don’t  like  the  comments 
we  make  to  our  clients.  They  do,  and  they 
find  them  profitable. 

5.  What  I don’t  see  in  your  article  is  any 
charge  that  our  facts  are  wrong. 

6.  Why  do  the  movies  so  strongly  resist 
any  news  from  the  jury  ‘when  their  whole 
life  depends  upon  the  jury’s  verdict? — 
ALBERT  E.  SINDLINGER,  Sindlinger 
and  Company,  Inc.,  Ridley  Park,  Pennsyl- 
vania. 

Editor's  Note:  The  editorial  in  question 
made  a distinction  between  factual  re- 
search, which  is  a vital  need  in  this  as  in 
every  other  industry,  and  "opinion  re- 
search," whose  value  is  still  to  be  proved. 


To  the  Editor: 

After  reading  that  portion  of  your  edi- 
torial of  May  5,  1956,  dealing  with  polls, 
fact-finding,  etc.  I came  to  the  conclusion 
that  you  had  swallowed  a particularly  sour 
bunch  of  grapes  before  sitting  down  at  your 
typewriter. 

The  disservice  of  your  piece  is  that  it  in- 
sidiously though  indirectly  supports  the 
theory  that  we  should  continue  to  run  the 
motion  picture  business  by  ear  and  to  hell 
with  the  facts.  This,  in  spite  of  the  misdi- 
rection of  industry  efforts  over  the  years 
resulting  in  it  not  knowing  where  it  had 
been,  where  it  was  or  where  it  was  going. 

It  is  my  opinion  that  lack  of  proper  audi- 
ence sampling,  effectiveness  of  industry  ad- 
vertising, knowledge  about  various  competi- 
tive forces,  drawing  power  of  personalities 
and  the  depressing  effect  of  certain  trade 
practices,  is  the  basic  reason  for  the  box 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD 

May  19,  1956 


office  decline  of  over  $400,000,090  and 
1,500,000,000  admissions  from  1947  to  1955. 

Some  years  back  when  Eric  Johnston 
wanted  to  install  a statistical  department  in 
the  Johnston  office,  his  employers,  the  pro- 
ducers and  distributors,  to  the  detriment  of 
the  entire  industry,  turned  thumbs  down  on 
the  idea.  You  advocate  continuing  to  run 
the  industry  on  a basis  of  “judgment  and 
experience.”  Don’t  you  think  the  condition 
of  the  box  office  points  up  the  fact  that  the 
judgment  of  production-distribution  is  damn 
bad  and  as  far  as  experience  is  concerned, 
the  industry  seems  to  define  experience  by 
living  in  the  past,  when  they  produce  pic- 
tures and  merchandise  their  pictures. 

Sindlinger  and  Associates  are  trying  to 
find  out  what  makes  this  industry  tick  and 
that  is  more  than  a lot  of  people  I know,  in- 
cluding some  trade  paper  publishers,  are 
doing  about  the  present  desperate  condition 
of  the  industry. — TRUEMAN  T.  REM- 
BUSCH,  Franklin , Indiana. 

Gratitude 

To  Martin  Quigley: 

Let  me  express  to  you  our  unreserved 
gratitude  for  the  privilege  of  receiving  the 
Quigley  Publications  “Fame”  achievement 
award  at  the  convention  of  the  Society  of 
Motion  Picture  and  Television  Engineers 
May  2.  This  trophy  will  remain  one  of  our 
proudest  possessions,  coming  as  it  does  from 
your  enlightened  organization. 

My  deepest  regret  is  that  1 was  not  able 
to  be  present  and  share  in  the  ceremony 
with  Earl  Sponable  and  Herbert  Bragg,  but 
I am  happy  that  these  gentlemen  were  pres- 
ent because  they  are  well  deserving  of  the 
tribute  you  paid  to  them. 

Naturally,  this  recommendation  from  your 
publications  is  tremendously  gratifying  to 
my  associates  and  myself  because,  as  you 
know,  we  invested  heavily  in  this  advance- 
ment in  order  to  help  our  industry  by  pro- 
viding better  entertainment  to  overcome  the 
competition  of  television.  It  is  nice  to  have 
a “pat  on  the  back”  after  making  a great 
effort  to  contribute  to  the  industry’s  wel- 
fare.— SPYROS  P.  SKOURAS,  President, 
20th  Century-Fox  Film  Corp. 


The  Letters  to  the  Herald  de- 
partment is  a forum  for  the 
expression  of  opinion  of  all 
those  concerned  with  the  welfare 
of  this  industry.  Its  columns  are 
always  open  to  anyone  with  a 
message  which  he  would  have 
brought  to  the  attention  of  the 
entire  motion  picture  business. 


Page 

FUN,  FROLIC  and  philanthropy  as 
barkers  come  to  town  I 1 

20TH-FOX  leases  52  feature  films  to 
NTA  for  television  14 

NATIONAL  TELEFILM  acquires  as- 
sets of  UM  & M 14 


LOEWS  NAMES  two  vice-presi- 
dents; tables  action  on  TV  sales  23 

EARNINGS  UP  34%  for  AB-PT  over 
same  period  for  last  year  23 

FABIAN'S  WARNER  role  hinges  on 
consent  of  Justice  Department  26 

MPAA  DIRECTORS  discuss  plans  for 
credit  card  to  bolster  grosses  31 

PARAMOUNT  sets  heavy  schedule 
of  films  for  rest  of  1956  31 

"PERMISSIVE"  key  word  for  Code, 
Shurlock  tells  Federation  34 

HOLLYWOOD  guessing  the  future 
of  Warners  36 

NORTH  CENTRAL  Allied  holds  an- 
nual meet  at  Minneapolis  40 

SERVICE  DEPARTMENTS 

Refreshment  Merchandising  57 

Film  Buyers'  Rating  3rd  Cover 

Hollywood  Scene  37 

Managers'  Round  Table  53 

The  Winners'  Circle  42 

National  Spotlight  48 


IN  PRODUCT  DIGEST  SECTION 


Showmen's  Reviews  897 

Short  Subjects  899 

The  Release  Chart  900 

The  Company  Chart  905 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  Martin  Quigley,  Editor-In- 
Chief  and  Publisher;  Martin  Quigley,  Jr.,  Editor;  Raymond 
Levy,  Executive  Publisher;  James  D.  Ivers,  News  Editor; 
Charles  S.  Aaronson,  Production  Editor;  Floyd  E.  Stone, 
Photo  Editor;  Ray  Gallagher,  Advertising  Manager;  Gus 
H.  Fausel,  Production  Manager.  Bureaus:  Hollywood, 

Samuel  D.  Berns,  Manager:  William  R.  Weaver,  Editor, 
Yucca-Vine  Building,  Telephone  HOIlywood  7-2145; 
Chicago,  120  So.  LaSalle  St.,  Urben  Farley,  Advertising 
Representative,  Telephone  Financial  6-3074;  Washington, 
J.  A.  Otten,  National  Press  Club;  London,  Hope  Williams 
Burnup,  Manager;  Peter  Burnup,  Editor;  William  Pay, 
News  Editor,  4 Golden  Square.  Correspondents  in  the 
principal  capitals  of  the  world.  Member  Audit  Bureau  of 
Circulations.  Motion  Picture  Herald  is  published  every 
Saturday  by  Quigley  Publishing  Company,  Inc.,  Rocke- 
feller Center,  New  York  City  20.  Telephone  Circle  7-3100; 
Cable  address;  "Quigpubco,  New  York",  Martin  Quigley, 
President;  Mart'n  Quigley,  Jr.,  Vice-President;  Theo.  J. 
Sullivan,  Vice-President  and  Measurer;  Raymond  Levy, 
Vice-President,  Leo  J.  Brady,  Secretary.  Other  Quigley 
Publications:  Better  Theatres  and  Better  Refreshment  Mer- 
chandising, each  published  thirteen  times  a year  as  a 
section  of  Motion  Picture  Herald;  Motion  Picture  Daily, 
Television  Today,  Motion  Picture  Almanac,  Television 
Almanac,  Fame. 


8 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  MAY  19,  1956 


On  the  OJL 


onzon 


SKOURAS  TO  RUSSIA 

Spyros  P.  Skouras,  president 
of  20th  Century-Fox,  will  visit 
the  Soviet  Union  in  September, 
it  is  announced.  Previously 
Mr.  Skouras  had  reported  plans 
to  visit  Moscow  in  the  fall, 
without  a date  being  fixed. 

FILM  FESTIVAL 

The  MPAA  Board  of  Directors 
is  currently  discussing  the 
possibility  of  staging  a film 
festival  in  the  United  States, 
according  to  George  Murphy, 
MGM  studio  public  relations 
director.  Mr.  Murphy  also  dis- 
closed that  an  incorporated 
organization  in  California, 
the  Santa  Barbara  Film  Festi- 
val, Inc.  has  sent  a "man  to 
Europe  to  scout  operations  of 
various  film  festivals  with  a 
view  to  staging  one  in  the 
United  States." 

RKO  SOUND  EQUIPMENT 

The  RKO  Radio  Studio  has  an- 
nounced that  $200,000  worth  of 
new  sound  equipment  will  be  in- 
stalled there  immediately.  The 
installation  of  the  latest 
type  equipment  is  in  line  with 
the  new  RKO  management's  pol- 
icy of  providing  the  finest 
technical  equipment  available 
to  insure  outstanding  tech- 
nical quality.  John  Aalberg, 
director  of  the  RKO  Sound 
Department,  is  installation 
supervisor. 

BRITISH  DIP 

The  British  Board  of  Trade 
reports  a drop  in  admissions 
to  theatres  in  Britain  of  about 
seven  per  cent,  compared  with 
1954  totals  for  the  same  pe- 
riod. This  is  termed  the 
greatest  annual  drop  since  the 
first  statistics  in  1950.  A 
total  of  4,472  theatres  in 
Britain  are  now  operating  com- 
mercially. 

TODD-RUSSIA  DEAL? 

According  to  a report  from 
Moscow,  Mike  Todd  is  quoted  as 
saying  he  will  co-produce  five 
productions  with  the  Soviet 
Government,  possibly  includ- 
ing "War  and  Peace. " Todd  added 


that  he  will  submit  the  "War 
and  Peace"  script,  written  by 
the  late  Robert  E.  Sherwood,  to 
Russian  authorities  for  their 
approval  following  his  return 
to  the  United  States. 

WIDESPREAD  TV 

Three  out  of  four  households 
have  television  sets,  accord- 
ing to  the  Census  Bureau,  which 
said  a sample  survey  in  Febru- 
ary revealed  that  35,000,000 
households — 75  per  cent  of  the 
households  covered  in  the  sur- 
vey— had  one  or  more  TV  sets. 
This  is  a 10  per  cent  increase 
over  the  last  survey  in  June 
1955,  when  the  figure  was  67 
per  cent.  In  1950,  first  time 
a survey  was  made,  the  total 
was  about  12  per  cent. 

PERFECT  EXPOSURE  CAMERA 

A new  camera  which  automati- 
cally adjusts  the  lens  to  pre- 
vailing light  conditions  for 
perfectly  exposed  pictures  has 
been  introduced  by  Bell  & 
Howell  Company  at  the  Conrad 
Hilton  Hotel,  Chicago.  The 
camera  has  a photoelectric 
cell  immediately  beneath  the 
taking  lens  which  activates  a 
small  battery-driven  motor 
which  turns  the  lens.  Should 
the  light  be  insufficient  to 
take  properly  exposed  pic- 
tures, a red  flag  goes  up  in  the 
view  finder.  Charles  H.  Percy, 
Bell  & Howell  president, 
claims  the  16mm  camera  will 
simplify  amateur  picture  tak- 
ing by  allowing  concentration 
on  action  and  composition. 
Soon  to  go  on  the  market,  the 
camera  will  sell  at  $289.95. 


WHEN  AND  WHERE 

May  27-29:  Joint  annual  convention  of  the 
Motion  Picture  Theatre  Owners  and  Op- 
erators of  Georgia  and  Alabama  Thea- 
tres Association  at  the  Dinkler-Plaza, 
Atlanta. 

June  I 1-13:  Annual  convention  of  the  New 
Mexico  Theatre  Association,  Hilton 
Hotel,  Albuquerque. 

June  11-13:  Annual  convention  of  Allied 
Theatres  of  Wisconsin,  Schwartz  Hotel, 
Elkhart  Lake,  Wisconsin. 

June  17-19:  Mississippi  Theatre  Owners 

Associaton,  16th  annual  convention, 
Edgewater  Gulf  Hotel,  Edgewater  Park, 
Miss. 

June  25:  Annual  golf  tournament  and  din- 
ner party  of  Albany  Variety  Club,  Shaker 
Ridge  County  Club,  Albany,  N.  Y. 

September  19-25:  Annual  convention  of 

Theatre  Owners  of  America,  in  conjunc- 
tion with  the  annual  convention  and 
trade  shows  of  the  Theatre  Equipment 
Dealers  Association  and  Theatre  Equip- 
ment and  Supply  Manufacturers  Associa- 
tion to  be  held  at  the  Coliseum,  New 
York  City. 

September  28-30:  Third  annual  national 

convention  of  the  Women  of  the  Motion 
Picture  Industry,  Dinkler-Plaza  Hotel, 
Atlanta. 

October  7-12:  80th  semi-annual  conven- 

tion of  the  Society  of  Motion  Picture  and 
Television  Engineers,  Los  Angeles. 

October  15-16:  Annual  regional  conven- 

tion of  Independent  Exhibitors  of  New 
England  and  The  Drive-In  Theatre  Asso- 
ciation of  New  England,  Winchendon, 
Mass. 

October  23-24:  Allied  Theatre  Owners  of 

Indiana,  Marott  Hotel,  Indianapolis. 

November  24-28:  Allied  States  Association, 
Fall  board  meeting  and  annual  conven- 
tion, Statler  Hotel,  Dallas,  Texas. 


ANNOUNCEMENT 

Martin  Quigley,  Jr.,  editor  of  Motion  Picture  Herald,  has  been 
appointed  Editorial  Director  of  all  of  the  publications  issued  by  Quigley 
Publishing  Company.  The  new  duties  which  he  will  assume  are  in 
addition  to  editor  of  The  HERALD.  The  newly  created  position  is 
intended  to  amplify  and  strengthen  the  editorial  content  of  Quigley 
publications  in  keeping  with  the  new  and  developing  conditions  in  the 
entertainment  industries.  No  changes  in  the  editors  or  editorial  staffs 
of  the  several  publications  are  contemplated.  Mr.  Quigley  has  been  a 
member  of  the  editorial  staffs  of  Quigley  Publications  since  1939  with 
the  exception  of  the  period  from  December,  1941,  to  October,  1945, 
when  he  was  on  wartime  missions  abroad. 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  MAY  19,  1956 


9 


IN  LONDON,  cele- 
brating Amalgam- 
ated’s first,  “Requi- 
em for  a Redhead”: 
Peter  Burnup,  our 
London  representa- 
tive; stars  Carole 
Mathews  and  Rich- 
ard Denning;  and 
co-producer  Richard 
Gordon. 


IN  HOLLYWOOD, 
planning  “The  Pajama 
Game” : co-producers 
Frederick  Brisson  and 
George  Abbott,  and  di- 
rector Stanley  Donen. 


JOHN  McKIM,  winner  last 
week  of  the  Annual  (Juig- 
ley  Award,  has  been 
moved  from  management 
of  the  Odeon,  Ladysmith, 
B.  C.,  to  the  Odeon  adver- 
tising dept.,  Toronto. 


ANOTHER  BOOST  for  the  executives 
and  staff  of  the  Production  Code  came 
last  week  from  producer  Collier  Young, 
who  spoke  during  a New  York  interview 
of  matters  relating  to  his  latest,  “Huk,” 
a United  Artists  release.  Mr.  Young  had 
good  words  for  Geoffrey  Shurlock  and 
helpers  who,  he  said,  appeared  anxious 
merely  to  interpret  certain  scenes  cor- 
rectly. He  ascribed  to  the  Code  his  suc- 
cessful handling  of  a subplot  concerning 
sterility.  Mr.  Young  said  the  industry 
seems  to  be  less  liable  to  probing  by  in- 
dignant and  censorious  lawmakers,  than 
television.  He  hopes  to  introduce  “Huk” 
in  New  York  and  Manila  in  August,  and 
may  tinker  with  the  name.  His  next  will 
be  “Halliday  Brand”  and  he  also  makes 
a television  film  series,  “On  Trial.” 


THE  OPENING  of  MGM’s 
“Gaby”  at  the  Trans-Lux 
52nd  Street,  New  York, 
drew  a notable  group 
which  speculated  whether 
the  new  picture,  also  star- 
ring Leslie  Caron,  would 
equal  the  two  year  record 
of  “Lili.”  At  the  left,  Ar- 
thur Loew,  Jr.,  producer, 
and  actress  Joan  Collins. 


REPORT,  on  the  Cannes  Festival,  the 
European  scene,  and  a number  of  other 
matters,  including  the  desirability  of  regu- 
lating your  affairs  before  the  government 
does.  In  New  York:  Myron  Blank,  TOA 
president.  Background,  Herman  Levy. 


wee 


l 


in 


me 


ictured 


OFFICERS  for  the 
new  RKO  Industries 
Corp.,  below:  Albert 
A.  List,  left,  presi- 
dent and  board 
chairman ; and  Sol 
A.  Schwartz,  execu- 
tive president.  For 
further  details  see 
story  on  page  40  of 
this  issue. 


FUN,  FROLIC,  PHILANTHROPY 
AS  BARKERS  COME  TO  TOWN 


Variety  Club  barkers  and  tlieir  ladies  to  the  resounding  number 
of  some  1,500  descended  upon  New  York  last  week  for  the  organ- 
ization's 20th  annual  convention  at  the  Waldorf-Astoria  Hotel  and 
by  the  end  of  the  four-day  meeting  such  diverse  names  and  places, 
as  John  Rowley,  Henry  Ford  II.  Las  Vegas,  London  and  New 
Orleans  had  made  important  news. 

Mr.  Rowley,  who  is  president  of  Rowley  United  Theatres  of 
Dallas,  was  elected  chief  barker  (youngest  man  ever  to  be  so 
honored),  succeeding  George  Hoover,  who  was  unanimously 
chosen  executive  director.  Also  elected  were  George  Eby,  first 
assistant ; Edward  Emanuel,  second  assistant ; Rotus  Harvey,  prop- 
erty master,  and  J.  B.  Dumestre,  Jr.,  dough  guy. 

Mr.  Ford  was  the  recipient  of  the  annual  Humanitarian  Award 
given  at  the  closing  banquet.  It  was  presented  to  Dr.  Robert 
Schmid  of  the  Ford  Foundation  as  Mr.  Ford,  unaware  of  the 
honor  voted  him  by  newspaper  editors  throughout  the  country, 
was  on  the  coast  attending  to  prior  commitments.  Sir  Tom 
O’Brien,  representing  Winston  Churchill,  made  the  presentation. 
Previous  winners  include  Sir  Winston,  Dr.  Karl  F.  Meyer,  Dr. 
Selman  A.  Waksman,  Helen  Keller,  Herbert  Hoover.  General 
George  C.  Marshall,  Bernard  Baruch,  Sir  Alexander  Fleming, 
George  Washington  Carver  and  Father  Flanagan. 

Las  Vegas  and  London  shared  one  of  the  prizes,  the  annual 
Heart  Award.  For  the  first  time,  two  tents  received  the  award, 
given  annually  to  the  one  which  has  done  the  best  charitable  work 


for  the  year.  Las  Vegas  was  given  its  award  for  the  work  done 
in  its  School  for  Special  Education  for  handicapped  children,  while 
London,  instead  of  supporting  a single  charity  and  making  dona- 
tions to  various  other  causes,  as  is  the  case  with  all  other  tents, 
set  up  its  own  charity  company.  Known  as  “The  Heart  of  Variety, 
Ltd.,’’  it  assists  smaller  charitable  organizations  in  promoting  the 
welfare  of  children. 

London  again  made  the  headlines  when  it  was  picked  as  the  site 
of  the  1958  convention  while  New  Orleans  will  be  host  next  year 
to  the  busy  barkers.  The  selection  of  a city  two  years  in  advance 
was  made  following  a resolution  adopted  which  allowed  host  tents 
to  have  more  time  to  prepare  for  the  event. 

Not  all  of  the  convention  was  devoted  to  business.  There  were 
luncheons,  dinners,  banquets  and  cocktail  parties  galore  with  Coca- 
Cola  and  Pepsi-Cola  the  hosts  at  several.  And  there  was  an  eve- 
ning cruise  around  Manhattan,  a visit  to  the  United  Nations  with 
luncheon  and  a fashion  show  for  the  ladies,  the  “Mardi  Gras” 
costume  ball  and  the  grand  finale  cocktail  party  and  dinner.  The 
big  and  handsome  convention  journal  this  year  was  edited  by 
Herbert  Berg. 

Altogether  the  convention  was  a huge  success  and  it  would 
appear  the  visit  to  New  Orleans  next  year  can’t  come  too  soon  for 
the  deserving  members  of  Variety  Clubs  International. 

The  story  of  the  convention  in  pictures  will  be  found  on  this 
and  pages  12,  13.  24  and  25. 


Dr.  Robert  Schmid,  center  above,  of  the  Ford  Foundation,  accepts 
the  Humanitarian  Award  on  behalf  of  the  winner,  Henry  Ford  II.  It 
is  presented  by  Sir  Tom  O'Brien  and  watching  are  George  Eby,  left; 
George  Hoover,  second  from  right;  and  John  H.  R owley. 


Nathan  D.  Golden,  center  above,  International  Heart  Chairman,  pre- 
sents the  annual  award  to  representatives  of  the  two  winning  Tents. 
At  right  is  Fred  Soly,  Chief  Barker  of  Tent  39,  Las  Vegas,  and  at  let* 
is  Nat  Cohen,  Chief  Barker  of  Tent  36  of  London. 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  MAY  19,  1956 


Hearts  Are  Lighter 


Twenty-four  tents  told  from  10  in  the  morning  till  7 
at  night  how  they  aid  the  unfortunate  young.  Abe 
Montague  asked  Variety  not  to  forget  its  own,  the 
Will  Rogers  Hospital. 


A Pictorial  Report  by  FLOYD  E.  STONE 


DAY  OF  JUDGMENT.  For  Nevada,  Fred  Soly  the  stand,  and  with  him  Morton  Gerber, 
Al  Shafton,  Nate  Golden,  Bob  O'Donnell  and  Abe  Montague. 


WALTER  BROWN,  New  England 


BRUCE  SLATER,  for  Houston 


FRED  SCLY,  Nevada 


ED  H.  UTAY,  Des  Moines 


MR.  MONTAGUE  pleads 


SYLVAN  COHEN,  for  Philadelphia 


W.  E.  J.  MARTIN,  for  Buffalo 


DUKE  DUNBAR,  for  Colorado 


12 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  MAY  19,  1956 


VANCE  KING.  Cincinnati 


CARL  J.  CARTER.  Fla. 


ROY  KANTER.  Dallas 


DON  TULLIUS,  Okla.  City 


New  York  is  host  at 
Convention  Lunches 


. . . the  women  also  had  one  of  their  own , a United 
Nations  affair,  with  a Fashion  Show. 


FIRST  DAY  LUNCHEON,  and  convention  chairman  Martin  Levine  welcomes  all.  With  him, 
John  Rowley,  George  Hoover,  Bob  O'Donnell. 


C.  A.  Dolsen,  Dallas;  John  Jones,  Chicago;  Murray  Weiss,  Boston. 


Jack  Dumestre,  Jr.,  Atlanta;  Nat  Cohen,  London;  Rotus  Harvey.  San  Francisco. 

[Pictures  continued  on  page  23] 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  MAY  19,  1956 


13 


FOX  LEASES  52  FEATURE 
FILMS  TO  XTA  FOR  TV 


. . . Skouras  tells  stockholders 
of  deal  for  films  made  between 
1935  and  1947;  cites  Zanuck's 
plan  for  20  films  in  7 years 


National  Telefilm  with  Fox  Lease 
Under  Belt , Acquires  U M & M Assets 


Twentieth  Centurv-Fox,  one  of  the  last 
of  the  major  companies  to  withhold  its  prod- 
uct from  television,  announced  Tuesday  it 
had  concluded  an  agreement  with  National 
Telefilm  Associates  under  which  the  latter 
will  distribute  to  TV  a block  of  52  features 
2'Oth-Fox  produced  between  1935  and  1947. 

The  announcement,  made  by  Spyros  Skou- 
ras. 20th-Fox  president,  at  the  company’s 
annual  stockholders  meeting  in  New  York, 
was  said  by  the  20th-Fox  chief  to  be  “in  the 
form  of  an  experiment  to  test  this  market, 
to  determine  whether  in  the  future  we  will 
dispose  of  any  further  films  or  merchandise 
them  ourselves  through  our  own  sources  to 
the  television  stations." 

Zanuck  Deal  Set 

Two  other  highlights  of  the  annual  meet- 
ing included  announcements  that: 

The  company  has  an  agreement,  subject 
to  court  approval,  with  Darryl  F.  Zanuck 
for  the  latter  to  produce  independently  for 
the  company  a total  of  20  pictures  over  a 
seven-year  period  and  that  such  court  ap- 
proval is  expected  within  the  “next  two  or 
three  weeks,”  at  which  time  Buddy  Adler 
will  be  automatically  installed  as  production 
chief ; and 

The  company’s  consolidated  net  earnings 
for  the  first  quarter  ended  March  31,  1956, 
declined  to  $460,739,  or  17  cents  per  share 
of  common  stock,  from  $1,423,811  or  54 
cents  per  share  in  the  first  quarter  of  1955. 

“This  domestic  decline,”  Mr.  Skouras  told 
stockholders,  “in  part  was  caused  by  the 
transitional  period  involved  in  the  change  of 
studio  management,  but,  principally,  because 
of  the  impact  of  free  home  television  and 
the  large  number  of  films  which  are  now 
showing  on  television.” 

Mr.  Skouras  described  as  “one  gratifying 
development”  the  “dramatic”  improvement 
in  the  company’s  foreign  business.  The  for- 
eign gross  in  1955  rose  to  $53,200,000  from 
$41,337,000  in  1954,  and  although  the  com- 
pany’s domestic  business  declined  last  year, 
the  global  gross  in  1955  was  $109,567,000, 
compared  with  $106,355,000  in  1954.  Earn- 
ings per  share  declined  from  $3.04  in  1954 
to  $2.28  last  year. 

1ST  A Pact  for  10  Years 

The  distribution  agreement  with  National 
Telefilm  Associates  covers  a period  of  10 
years  and  calls  for  payment  by  NTA  to 
20th-Fox  of  a guarantee  plus  a percentage. 
Although  no  specific  money  figures  were 


1 wo  product  acquisition  announcements 
of  major  scale  highlighted  the  first  annual 
stockholders  meeting  (as  a publicly-owned 
corporation)  of  National  Telefilm  Asso- 
ciates Tuesday  afternoon  in  New  York.  Ely 
A.  Landau,  NTA  president,  opened  the 
meeting  with  the  announcement  that  NTA 
had  just  that  morning  concluded  a deal  with 
20th  Century-Fox  for  the  distribution  to 
television  by  NTA  of  a block  of  52  20th- 
Fox  films  (see  adjoining  story),  and  in 
addition  had  acquired  100  per  cent  stock 
interest  in  the  U M & M TV  Corporation. 

In  the  latter  deal,  NTA  thus  acquires 
the  television  rights  to  approximately  1,450 
short  subjects  produced  by  Paramount  Pic- 
tures up  through  1950  and  purchased  by 
U M & M from  Paramount  for  approxi- 
mately $3,500,000  several  months  ago.  NTA, 
said  Mr.  Landau,  is  paying  “in  excess  of” 
$4,000,000  for  the  U M & M library  which 
also  includes  a number  of  syndicated  film 
series  made  expressly  for  television — “Duf- 
fy’s Tavern,”  “Janet  Dean,”  etc.  In  an- 
nouncing the  20th-Fox  deal,  the  NTA  chief 
said  he  looks  forward  to  “its  evolution  to 
include  other  important  releases”  from  the 
same  company.  This  original  contract  is 
for  a period  of  10  years. 

NTA  is  the  company  that  six  months  ago 


mentioned  by  Mr.  Skouras,  he  did  call  the 
deal  “a  multi-million  dollar  transaction.”  It 
is  understood  that  the  money  accruing  to 
20th-Fox  will  be  regarded  as  straight  earned 
income  and  will  not  come  under  any  capital 
gains  setup. 

The  television  rights  involved  cover  the 
United  States  and  its  possessions,  Canada, 
Cuba  and  TV  stations  on  the  Mexican  bor- 
der. The  films,  including  “How  Green  Was 
My  Valley”  (1941),  “The  Oxbow  Incident” 
(1943),  “The  House  on  92nd  Street” 
(1945),  “Les  Miserables”  (1935)  and 
“Mother  Wore  Tights  (1947),  were  said 
to  have  been  selected  as  a cross-section  from 
a total  of  650  films  made  in  the  1935-47 
period. 

The  transaction  was  negotiated  in  New 
York  by  William  C.  Gehring,  vice-president 
of  20th-Fox,  and  Ely  Landau  and  Oliver  A. 
Unger,  president  and  executive  vice-presi- 
dent, respectively,  of  NTA.  It  was  actually 
concluded  only  a matter  of  hours  before  the 
respective  20th-Fox  and  NTA  stockholders 
meetings  which  were  held  Tuesday  after- 
noon. 


made  TV  industry  history  and  set  something 
of  a precedent  when  it  purchased  10  major 
pictures  from  David  O.  Selznick  for  ap- 
proximately $110,000  each,  the  highest  price 
then  paid  by  a television  distributor  for  in- 
dividual theatrical  films.  In  connection  with 
the  Selznick  deal,  Mr.  Landau  told  the 
stockholders  the  company  already  has  suf- 
ficient contracts  to  cover  the  capital  risks 
involved  and  should  show  “a  substantial 
profit”  in  the  near  future. 

The  U M & M acquisition,  Mr.  Landau 
continued,  gives  NTA  television  rights  to 
the  Paramount  shorts  worldwide,  plus  the- 
atrical rights  outside  the  United  States  and 
Canada. 

It  also  brings  the  company’s  current  assets 
up  to  more  than  $10,000,000,  from  the 
total  of  $6,125,573  reported  as  of  January 
31,  1956. 

Mr.  Landau  further  reported  that  total 
film  rentals  in  the  first  six  months  of  the 
current  fiscal  year  were  $1,494,888,  equal 
to  105  per  cent  of  the  total  film  rentals  for 
the  full  fiscal  year  ended  July  31,  1955. 
NTA’s  net  income  of  $145,051  in  the  six 
months  ended  January  31,  1956,  was  equiva- 
lent to  22  cents  per  share,  compared  with 
a net  loss  for  the  entire  fiscal  year  ended 
last  July  31. 


Mr.  Skouras  told  the  stockholders  further 
that  the  NTA  transaction  would  add  to  the 
20th-Fox  earnings  for  the  first  six  months 
of  1956  and  would  bring  those  earnings  up 
to  or  above  the  $1.06  per  share  earned  dur- 
ing the  first  six  months  of  1955. 

“We  purposely  included  as  few  pictures 
as  possible  in  this  deal,  at  a price  which  is 
satisfactory,  and  this  will  contribute  to  our 
income  for  the  second  quarter,”  Mr.  Skou- 
ras said. 

As  a result  of  the  competition  of  free 
home  television,  the  20th-Fox  chief  said  the 
company  already  has  “instituted  substantial 
economies  which  will  be  reflected  in  the  last 
six  months  of  our  operation.  A survey  of 
our  operation  and  departments  will  enable 
us  to  make  further  economies  to  maintain 
the  company  on  a profitable  basis.” 

He  went  on  to  cite  as  another  “detriment 
as  great  as  the  competition  of  free  home 
television”  the  scarcity  of  box  office  stars 
and  the  “unbelievable  demands  being  made 
for  salaries  as  well  as  participation.”  Up  to 
this  time,  said  Mr.  Skouras,  the  company 
( Continued  on  page  23) 


14 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  MAY  19,  1956 


Right  now  being  filmed  in  its  entirety  in  the 
spectacular  Bakhtiari  mountain  land  of  Iran! 


Color  by  TECHNICOLOR 

First  of  the  breathtaking 

NATURE  DRAMAS 

from 


C.  V.  WHITNEY  PICTURES,  INC 

C.  V.  WHITNEY,  president  MERIAN  C.  COOPER  , vice-president  in  charge  of  production 


to  be  followed  immediately  by  the  second 

ofthe  NATURE  DRAMAS, 


C.  V.  WHITNEY  PICTURES,  INC., 
is  making  3 kinds  of  pictures: 
THE  AMERICAN  SERIES  • 
NATURE  DRAMAS  • 

FILMS  OF  FANTASY. 

Again  MERIAN  C.  COOPER  has 
followed  C.  V.  WHITNEY'S 
instruction: 


The  Baba  Ahmedi  sub-tribe  of  the  Bakhtiari 
of  Iran,  nearing  the  end  of  its  incredible  trek, 
as  pictured  in  GRASS. This  scene  is  from  the 
original  production,  which  was  written, 
directed,  photographed  and  edited  by 
Ernest  B.  Schoedsack  and  Merian  C.  Cooper. 


A completely  new  production  of  GRASS  is  cur- 
rently being  filmed,  with  a Technicolor  camera 
expedition  now  on  location  in  Iran. 


WORLD  ACCLAIM 
INSPIRED  TODAY’S 
RE-PRODUCING 
. OF  THE  FILM 
MASTERPIECE 

GRASS! 


Ernest  B.  Schoedsack  Mrs.  Marguerite  E.  Harrison  Merian  C.  Cooper 

THEIR  ORIGINAL  NATURE  DRAMA  PAVED  THE  WAY! 


GRASS  is  based  on  a copyrighted  book  of  reality  by 
Merian  C.  Cooper,  with  photographs  by 

Ernest  B.  Schoedsack. 

No  European  or  American  has  ever  crossed  the 
Zardeh  Kuh  mountain  range  or  has  ever  swum  the 
Karun  River,  except  Cooper  and  Schoedsack  and 
Mrs.  Marguerite  E.  Harrison,  writer  and  interpreter, 
who  shared  their  hardships. 

They  accomplished  these  feats  as  young  adventurers 
32  years  ago  to  film  GRASS,  the  authentic  story  of  nomadic 
Persian  tribes  who  live  alongside  the  series  of  mountains 
that  stretch  1,000  miles  from  the  Black  Sea  to  the 
Persian  Gulf. 

Grass  grows  on  each  side  of  the  mountain  ranges, 
but  never  on  both  sides  the  year  around.  Every  Spring  and 
Fall,  when  the  grass  dies  on  one  side  of  the  mountain, 
all  the  tribes  must  migrate  to  the  other  side. 


HERE’S  WHAT  THE  CRITICS  SAID 
ABOUT  THE  ORIGINAL  PRODUCTION! 

“For  your  own  sake  don’t  miss 
‘Grass’.  It  is  the  perfect  production." 

-HERALD  TRIBUNE 
“You  will  be  cheating  yourself 
if  you  put  off  seeing  ‘Grass’.’’ 
-THE  DAILY  NEWS 
“ ‘Grass’  comes  closer  to  the 
limitless  screen  than  any  picture 
I have  ever  seen.  It  is  the  most 
vital  thing  ever  offered.” 
-MORNING  TELEGRAPH 
“ ‘Grass'  is  great.  It  is  magnificent." 

-TELEGRAM -MAIL 
“The  pictured  story  of  the  primitive 
trek  for  grass  in  the  20th  century  is 
an  amazing  one.  It  is  a story  that  has 
an  epic  quality  and  a memory  of  the 
nomadic  period  in  our  civilization.” 

JOHN  H.  FINLEY 
Late  president,  American  Geographical 
Society,  and  associate  editor  of  the 
New  York  Times 


This  horde  of  30,000  men,  women  and  children  — carrying 
all  their  worldly  possessions,  the  women  with  babies 
strapped  to  their  backs  in  wooden  cradles— presents  an 
awesome  spectacle.  Driving  half  a million  goats,  horses 
and  cattle,  they  swim  raging,  icy  rivers  2nd  cross  the 
perilous,  snow-crowned  12,000-foot  Zardeh  Kuh  to 
reach  the  grasslands  which  mean  the  difference 
between  life  and  death. 


When  Cooper  and  Schoedsack  screened 

their  completed  film  for 

Jesse  L.  Lasky,  he  immediately 

bought  it  for  Paramount 

release.  Critics  and  audiences 

the  world  over  acclaimed 

GRASS  one  of  the 

outstanding  motion 

pictures  of  all  time. 


+ * «•  > 


Dima,  Jun8  the  first 

A w E.  Harrl®itb  the  Baba 

•-■s  “*r"  “ 

ilstrlct  m 

rniR  KHAN 


JANG  w*” 

a Baktyarl  p_lnce  of  the 

by  Amlr  of  June , 192k 

before  me  by  w 20th  day  ol 


a 


n 

Robert  *.  United  States 
Vice  Consul  ol  ^ 


NOW  IN  PRODUCTION! 


ON  LOCATION  IN  IRAN 


What  Cooper  and  Schoedsack  did  32  years  ago  is  now  being  done 
on  an  even  greater  scale  by  a C.  V.  Whitney  Pictures,  Inc.,  expedition 
sent  into  the  field  by  President  C.  V.  Whitney  and  Executive  Producer 
Cooper.  It  is  headed  by  producer  Lowell  Farrell,  co-director  with 
Winton  C.  Hoch,  the  expedition’s  cinematographer.  Technicolor, 
wide  screen,  and  every  new  technique  are  being  utilized  to  present 
this  amazing  Nature  Drama  in  its  fullest  grandeur. 

C.  V.  Whitney  gave  his  consent  to  Merian  C.  Cooper,  his  vice- 
president  in  charge  of  production,  to  form  this  expedition,  which  is 
functioning  at  this  very  moment  beyond  the  reach  of  communication. 

Again  Whitney  gave  Cooper  his  famous  dictum:  "Get  the  best!" 
Cooper  has  sent  the  best. 


Lowell  Farrell 


Winton  C.  Hoch 


they’re  making 
the  new  production 
of  GRASS 


NOW  IN  PREPARATION! 


the  second  in  the  NATURE  DRAMAS  series  from 


C.  V.  WHITNEY  PICTURES,  INC. 

C.  V.  WHITNEY,  president 

MERIAN  C.  COOPER,  vice-president  in  charge  of  production 


Ernest  B.  Schoedsack  and  Merian  C.  Cooper  turned  down  many 
Hollywood  film  projects  in  order  to  write,  direct  and 
photograph  CHANG,  made  in  the  Laos  country  of  northern 
Siam,  the  world’s  most  famous  man-eating  tiger  jungle. 

They  spent  14  months  in  the  wilds  of  Siam  filming  the 
real  life  drama  of  CHANG,  the  story  of  a primitive  family’s 
fight  for  survival  against  desperate  odds. 

CHANG  is  raw  jungle  reality.  It’s  the  story  of  a family’s 
bravery  in  a jungle  world  surrounded  by  sudden  death. 

Critics  throughout  the  world  acclaimed  Chang  as  the  best 
picture  of  the  year.  The  public  agreed  and  made  it  one 
of  the  leading  box  office  successes  of  all  time. 

Merian  C.  Cooper  Ernest  B.  Schoedsack 


As  a result  of  their  work  on  this  monumental  picture, 
Schoedsack  and  Cooper  were  nominated  by  the  critics  — 
long  before  Academy  Awards  — to  the  list  of  the 
10  best  directors. 

AND  NOW- 

The  re-production  of  CHANG  is  being  prepared  as  one 
of  the  C.  V.  WHITNEY  PICTURES,  INC.,  series  of 
NATURE  DRAMAS  — a furtherance  of  Whitney's  and 
Cooper's  determination  to  demonstrate  the  friendship  of  the 
United  States  for  peoples  of  other  countries. 


CRITICS  BECAME  PRESS  AGENTS  WHEN  THE  FIRST  CHANG  CRASHED  IN 


"The  picture  contains  the  most  exciting  episode  in  cinema 
history  — that  moment  when  that  tremendous  herd  of 
stampeding  elephants  bursts  through  the  Siamese  village 
and  plunges  headlong  right  over  the  top  of  the  camera!’ 

-NEW  YORK  HERALD  TRIBUNE 

"Mark  this  one  down  on  your  calendar.  It  is  one  of  the 
motion  pictures  you  must  see— you  and  your  wife  and 
your  children.  Chang  holds  more  thrills  than  any  big  top 
ever  erected.  It  is  one  of  the  finest  adventure 
pictures  ever  made  — bar  none!’  NEW  YORK  TELEGRAPH 

Chang  is  a pictorial  achievement.  Its  beauty,  thrills  and 
forcefulness  holds  its  audience  spellbound!’ 

-NEW  YORK  AMERICAN 

"There  is  now  to  be  seen  in  New  York  a picture  which  is 
not  only  the  finest  of  its  type  shown  so  far  — but  also  one  of 
the  best  pictures  ever  made,  regardless  of  classification. 

It  is  called  Chang."  —THE  NEW  REPUBLIC 

"Chang  has  captured  the  jungle  and  its  natives  and  wild 
beasts  and  all  the  unbelievable  drama  that  dwells  therein. 

Here  is  mighty  drama!’  -MOTION  PICTURE  MAGAZINE 

WHITNEY  and  COOPER  hope  critics  will  voice  even  greater 
praise  for  the  re-production  of  CHANG,  in  which  entirely 
new  motion  picture  techniques  will  be  introduced! 

CHANG 


It  is  a copyrighted  property. 


and 


Dr.  Herbert  T.  Kalmus,  president  of  Technicolor,  Inc., 

who  has  caught  Whitney's  and  Cooper's  enthusiasm  for  these 
two  great  properties,  will  personally  supervise  color 
production  on  GRASS  and  CHANG. 

Color  by  TECHNICOLOR. 


CHANG 


First 
of  the 

NATURE  DRAMAS 
from 


C.V.  WHITNEY  PICTURES,  INC. 

C.  V.  WHITNEY 
president 

MERIAN  C.  COOPER 
vice-president  in  charge  of  production 

the  company 
which  recently 
completed 
the  first  of  its 
AMERICAN  SERIES 


JOHN  WAYNE 

in 

THE  SEARCHERS 


directed  by  JOHN  FORD 

co-starring  JEFFREY  HUNTER  • VERA  MILES 
WARD  BOND  • NATALIE  WOOD 

associate  producer  PATRICK  FORD 
screenplay  by  FRANK  NUGENT 

(a  WARNER  BR^^Sa  presentation) 

C.  V.  Whitney  Pictures,  Inc.,  is  also 
preparing  the  second  of  the  AMERICAN  SERIES 

from  a novel  by  JOHN  BURRESS 


Printed  in  U.S.A. 


C.  V.  WHITNEY  PICTURES,  INC. 

1256  WESTWOOD  BLVD.,  LOS  ANGELES  24,  CALIFORNIA 


EiMt  tii tiffs  Ip  Loew's  Names  Two  New  Vice-Presidents; 
itt  ^ €?#!#•  Tables  Action  on  Sale  to  Television 


Charles  C.  Barry,  recently  placed  in  charge  of  MGM  television  opera- 
tions, and  Frank  B.  alker,  general  manager  of  MGM  Records,  were 
named  vice-presidents  of  Loew’s,  Inc.  at  the  regular  monthly  meeting  ot 
the  hoard  of  directors  of  that  company  in  New  York  Wednesday. 

The  board  considered  but  took  no  action  on  at  least  10  offers  made 
by  television  interests  for  the  company’s  library  of  pictures  or  proposals 
to  dispose  of  them.  Primary  among  these,  it  was  reported,  was  an  offer 
of  850,000,000  for  the  entire  library  made  by  the  Ridgeway  Corporation, 
a “shell”  company  owned  by  Louis  Chesler,  Canadian  financier  whose 
PRM,  Inc.  recently  bought  the  Warner  backlog.  The  S50.000.000  would 
he  for  outright  sale  of  the  entire  library,  including  all  rights  to  the  770 
pictures  and  about  900  short  subjects  produced  between  1928  and  1948. 

Along  with  the  offers  for  leasing  or  purchasing,  the  company  has  under 
consideration  a plan  to  set  up  its  own  distribution  company  to  handle 
the  pictures  for  television. 

An  important  factor  in  the  consideration  of  any  sale  is  said  to  be  the 
possibility  that  the  Bureau  of  Internal  Revenue  may  rule  that  a motion 
picture  company  can  sell  only  television  rights,  retaining  all  others  and 
still  classify  the  proceeds  as  capital  gain  rather  than  ordinary  income. 
This  would  involve  the  “principle  of  separation”  under  which  an  author, 
for  instance,  sells  certain  specified  rights  to  his  work. 

Loewis  at  midweek  had  not  made  formal  application  for  such  a ruling 
but  it  is  known  that  attorneys  for  the  company  have  had  informal  talks 
with  Bureau  officials. 

The  hoard  may  act  on  the  matter  at  its  next  regular  meeting  or  if 
management  approves  one  of  the  propositions  before  then  a special 
board  meeting  may  be  held. 

A dividend  of  25  cents  on  the  common  stock  of  the  company,  payable 
June  30  to  holders  of  record  June  14,  was  declared. 


Far  in- nr 

An  increase  of  34  per  cent  in  the  op- 
erating profit  over  the  same  period  last 
year  for  American  Broadcasting-Paramount 
Theatres  was  announced  by  Leonard  H. 
Goldenson,  president,  at  the  recent  annual 
stockholders’  meeting  in  New  York.  Mr. 
Goldenson  also  said  that  the  corporation 
will  continue  to  show  increased  net  earn- 
ings for  the  second  quarter,  which  ends 
June  30. 

He  told  some  300  stockholders,  represent- 
ing 87.3  per  cent  of  the  outstanding  common 
stock,  that  theatre  business  is  not  up  to  last 
year’s  level  in  comparison  with  the  emer- 
gence of  the  broadcasting  division  as  a 
rapidly  growing,  sound  and  increasingly 
profitable  operation. 

Discussing  the  operation  of  United  Para- 
mount Theatres,  the  AB-PT  head  added, 
“I  do  want  to  stress  that  our  theatre 
business  lias  been  and  is  a consistently  prof- 
itable operation  which,  in  addition,  sup- 
plies a good  cash  flow  through  its  high 
depreciation.” 

Mr.  Goldenson,  continuing,  said,  “The 
present  short  supply  of  pictures  has  brought 
about  a seller’s  market  with  increased  com- 
petition for  pictures  by  exhibitors.  Conse- 
quently, theatres  are  being  forced  to  pay 
substantially  higher  film  rentals  for  pictures. 
This  product  shortage,  moreover,  has  con- 
tributed to  a pattern  of  uneven  distribution, 
which  results  in  acute  scarcity  of  product 
during  certain  periods  of  the  year.” 

Cites  ABC  Progress 

Replying  to  a query,  Mr.  Goldenson  said 
that  the  AB-PT  advance  10-point  program, 
which  was  highlighted  by  an  orderly  release 
of  product  throughout  the  year,  “was  mak- 
ing some  progress.”  Mr.  Goldenson  added 
that  the  company  operates  589  theatres,  16 
having  been  divested  since  the  end  of  1955. 
He  told  the  operators  that  the  company  is 
intensifying  its  examination  of  the  theatre 
operations  and  “in  the  course  of  evaluating 
our  present  properties,  we  may  dispose  of 
those  theatres  which  may  become  uneco- 
nomic and  do  not  show  a proper  return  on 
our  investment.” 

He  cited  as  the  most  significant  develop- 
ment during  1955  the  emergence  of  ABC  as 
a sound  and  increasingly  profitable  opera- 
tion in  the  field  of  television.  He  indicated 
that  color  TV  may  appear  on  ABC  in  the 
autumn  of  1957,  and  added  that  this  de- 
pended on  the  number  of  color  TV  re- 
ceivers in  home  operation  at  that  time. 

Mr.  Goldenson  also  expressed  himself  as 
in  favor  of  an  industry  roundtable  meeting 
to  solve  mutual  problems.  This  was  in  an- 
swer to  a question  concerning  Allied  States 
Association’s  call  for  such  a meeting.  The 
stockholders  elected  all  AB-PT  directors 
and  approved  a management-recommended 


resolution  to  amend  the  bylaws  to  have  17 
directors  on  the  board.  Directors  elected 
include:  Earl  E.  Anderson,  John  Balaban, 
A.  H.  Blank,  John  A.  Coleman,  Charles  T. 
Fisher,  Jr.,  E.  Chester  Gersten,  Mr.  Gold- 
enson, Robert  H.  Hinckley,  Robert  L.  Huf- 
fines,  Jr.,  William  T.  Kilborn,  Robert  E. 
Kintner,  Sidney  M.  Markley,  Walter  P. 
Marshall,  H.  Hugh  McConnell,  Edward  J. 
Noble,  Robert  H.  O’Brien,  Robert  B.  Wilby. 


FOX  FILMS  TO  TV 

( Continued  from  page  14) 

has  avoided  large  participation  deals  and  is 
resisting  them  “to  the  best  of  our  ability.” 
He  added  that  the  company  hopes  to  over- 
come the  problem  with  a talent  school. 

Mr.  Skouras  prefaced  his  review  of  20th- 
Fox’s  operations  as  a producer  of  TV  film 
shows  by  saying  that  in  his  opinion  the 
“motion  picture  theatre  will  always  be  the 
pre-eminent  source  of  great  income  for 
feature  film  production.”  He  declared  that 
the  once-monthlv  “Twentieth  Century-Fox 
Hour,”  sponsored  by  General  Electric  on 
CBS-TV,  has  been  a successful  undertaking 
and  has  been  renewed  by  the  sponsor  for  a 
second  year.  The  film  company  also  is  mak- 
ing the  current  “My  Friend  Flicka”  for 
CBS-TV  and  hopes  to  have  additional  sub- 
jects on  the  air  by  the  end  of  the  year. 
“We  look  forward  to  this  as  an  important 


source  of  income,”  said  the  20th-Fox  presi- 
dent. 

Last  year  also  saw  the  company  receive 
its  first  earnings  from  its  oil  operations, 
he  continued,  which  earnings  have  been  ap- 
plied principally  to  drilling  costs.  In  time, 
these  costs  “will  be  paid  off  and  the  income 
will  be  substantial,”  he  added. 

Concerning  product,  Mr.  Skouras  men- 
tioned the  introduction  of  CinemaScope  55 
last  year  and  the  release  of  the  first  picture 
in  the  process,  “Carousel.”  Besides  the 
money-making  “Man  in  the  Gray  Flannel 
Suit,”  now  in  release,  the  company  has 
coming  such  potential  hits  as  “The  King 
and  I.”  the  second  film  in  CinemaScope  55, 
for  July,  and  Marilyn  Monroe  in  “Bus  Stop” 
for  August.  He  declared  that  there  are  now 
17,058  CinemaScope  installations  in  the 
United  States  and  Canada,  plus  another 
18,400  abroad.  “By  the  end  of  1956,  we 
expect  to  have  more  than  40,000  theatres 
equipped  for  CinemaScope.” 

In  conclusion,  he  said  that  the  company 
is  doing  everything  in  its  power  to  meet 
competition  “by  producing  motion  pictures 
that  will  attract  audiences  to  the  theatres, 
which  must  be  far  superior  in  the  quality 
of  entertainment  to  that  on  television.” 

Following  the  stockholders  meeting,  which 
reelected  all  directors,  the  board  reelected  all 
officers.  The  board  also  declared  a quarterly 
cash  dividend  of  40  cents  per  share  of  out- 
standing common  stock,  payable  June  30, 
1956.  to  stock  of  record  June  15,  1956. 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  MAY  19,  1956 


23 


Barkers  at  work  and  at  play ... 

[Pictorial  Report  continued  from  page  13] 


Mike  Frankovich,  Leslie  Faber,  London. 


Bill  Srere,  M.  J.  McCarthy,  Los  Angeles. 


Al  Grubstick,  Cal.;  Ed  Cruea,  R.  Johnson,  P.  Grunewald,  Seattle. 


Sam  Lipman,  Bill  Landsman,  J.  Walderman,  Baltimore. 


The  Dan  Sonneys  and  Roy  Reids  of  Los  Angeles. 


Mr.  and  Mrs.  O.  A.  Woody,  Lubbock;  Glenn 
White,  Houston. 


Ed  Fabian,  Mrs.  Burton  Robbins. 


J.  Schrader,  the  Paul  Bronders,  Pittsburgh. 


George  Eby,  Pittsburgh;  Louis  Schine, 
Gloversville,  N.  Y. 


George  Altman,  Toronto;  Ed  Sonney, 
California. 


24 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  MAY  19,  1956 


Jack  Whittle,  Baltimore. 


Joel  Bluestone,  Los  Angeles. 


Sir  Tom  O'Brien,  London. 


Robert  Hoff,  Omaha. 


Edmund  Cruea,  Seattle. 


I.  M.  Weiner,  Omaha. 


John  Balmer,  Pittsburgh. 


Ralph  Pries,  Philadelphia. 


Bill  Srere,  Los  Angeles. 


Jack  Dumestre,  Jr.,  Atlanta. 


Maury  Ashman,  Miami. 


Carl  J.  Carter,  Florida. 


Ray  Scott,  Pittsburgh. 


John  Jones,  Chicago. 


Leslie  Carreras,  London. 


Clive  Waxman,  Grand  Rapids. 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  MAY  19,  1956 


25 


FABIAN’S  WARNER  ROLE 
HINGES  ON  VIEW  OF  ®.  S. 


Jack,  Harry  and  Major  Albert  Warner,  who  with  their  late  brother  Sam,  started  and 
built  Warner  Brothers  Pictures. 


. . . Justice  Department  consent 
sought  for  the  Stanley  Warner 
president  to  head  producing 
company  after  purchase  deal 

The  Brothers  Warner,  Harry,  Albert  and 
Jack,  genuine  motion  picture  industry  pio- 
neers who  opened  their  first  theatre  in  1903 
and  later  went  on  to  increased  fortune  in 
production,  last  week  announced  they  were 
selling  the  major  portion  of  their  holdings 
in  Warner  Brothers  Pictures,  Inc.,  to  a 
group  headed  by  Serge  Semenenko,  first 
vice-president  of  the  First  National  Bank  of 
Boston. 

The  spare,  two-sentence,  official  announce- 
ment said  simply: 

“Messrs.  Harry,  Albert  and  Jack 
Warner  have  agreed  to  sell  the 
major  portion  of  their  holdings  in 
Warner  Brothers  Pictures,  Inc.,  to 
a group  headed  by  Mr.  Serge  Sem- 
enenko who  plan  to  continue  to 
operate  the  company  actively  and 
aggressively  under  strong  and 
competent  management.  The  three 
Warner  Brothers  will  continue  on 
the  board  of  the  company  and  they 
and  their  families  will  retain  a sub- 
stantial stock  interest  in  the  com- 
pany.” 

Although  the  official  statement  carried  no 
indication  of  the  number  of  shares  involved, 
it  is  reported  that  the  figure  is  close  to 
800,000  and  that  the  new  group  has  paid 
$27.50  a share,  which  would  amount  to 
almost  $21,500,000. 

Jack  L.  Warner  is  slated  to  continue  in 
his  present  position  as  production  head  of 
the  company’s  studios  in  Hollywood.  Also 
playing  a role  in  the  deal,  but  so  far  an  un- 
official one,  is  Simon  H.  Fabian,  president 
of  Stanley  Warner  Corporation  which  in- 
December,  1952,  took  over  the  controlling 
interest  in  the  divorced  Warner  Theatres 
circuit. 

Despite  recurrent  reports  that  the  veteran 
circuit  operator  may  head  the  new  manage- 
ment group  at  Warner  Brothers,  Mr.  Fabian 
and  his  associates  issued  no  statement  this 
week.  This  reticence  was  attributed  to  the 
Federal  consent  decrees  which  bar  an  active 
interest  in  a film  producing  company  by  an 
individual  who  owns  a major  stock  interest 
in  a divorced  theatre  circuit. 

Management  Intact 

Early  this  week  it  was  learned  that  the 
management  of  Warner  Brothers  will  be 
left  intact  until  a clarification  is  obtained 
from  the  Department  of  Justice  as  to  Mr. 
Fabian’s  possible  role  in  the  new  setup. 
Legal  papers  are  being  prepared  for  sub- 


Serge Semenenko 


mission  to  the  Department  shortly,  and 
these  presumably  will  explore  the  consent 
decree  provisions  separating  production-dis- 
tribution from  exhibition.  It  is  understood 
Mr.  Fabian  is  willing  to  give  up  his  stock 
interest  in  the  circuit  to  assume  active 
leadership  in  the  picture  company. 

The  New  York  Times,  meanwhile,  quoted 
Mr.  Semenenko  as  saying  that  Mr.  Fabian 
“is  participating  in  this  transaction,”  the 
first  official  acknowledgment  of  Mr.  Fabian’s 
role.  It  is  remembered  too,  that  Mr.  Sem- 
enenko, who  has  an  active  hand  in  many 
industry  transactions,  helped  in  the  nego- 
tiations by  which  Mr.  Fabian  bought  control 
of  the  divorced  Warner  Theatres  in  1952. 
In  1953,  of  course,  Mr.  Fabian’s  Stanley 
Warner  Corporation  took  over  control  of 
Cinerama,  for  the  production  and  exhibi- 
tion of  films  in  that  big-screen  process.  This 
only  was  accomplished  after  Justice  De- 
partment approval  which  included  sharp 
limitations  on  Mr.  Fabian’s  Cinerama 
activity. 

The  disclosure  that  until  the  Department 
of  Justice  renders  its  opinion  there  will  be 
no  changes  in  Warner  Brothers  manage- 
ment, leaves  Harry  M.  Warner  as  president, 


S.  H.  Fabian 


Albert  Warner  as  vice-president,  and  Jack 
L.  Warner  as  vice-president  in  charge  of 
the  studio. 

One  spokesman,  in  on  the  new  deal,  said 
this  week  that  Warner  operations  will  not 
be  altered  “in  the  slightest”  in  the  interim 
period — that  is,  the  length  of  time  it  takes 
the  Justice  Department  to  render  an  opinion. 
If  and  when  the  deal  goes  through,  the 
Warner  brothers  and  the  family  will  retain 
about  10  per  cent  of  their  stock  in  the  com- 
pany, the  total  of  such  stock  believed  to  be 
between  200,000  and  300.000  shares. 

It  is  further  understood  that  Mr.  Fabian’s 
willingness  to  assume  the  helm  of  the  new 
Warner  Brothers  management  sparked  the 
Semenenko  group,  although  the  group  is 
reported  to  be  ready  to  obtain  another  ex- 
ecutive of  Mr.  Fabian’s  stature  if  the  latter 
cannot  be  had.  Not  so  incidentally,  the 
announced  plan  to  continue  “active”  and 
“aggressive”  management  of  the  company 
was  seen  as  a pledge  that  the  distribution 
and  studio  arms  of  the  company  will  be  kept 
intact. 

The  sale  of  the  Warner  Brothers  stock 
came  in  the  wake  of  the  contingency  sale 
( Continued  on  page  31) 


26 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  MAY  19,  1956 


PIN-POINT 
ON  A 
MAP- 

M-G-M  took  a complete 
company  on  the  first 
great  Hollywood  venture 
in  far-off  Pakistan. 

A PRODUCTION  MIRACLE! 
After  two  years  of  intensive 
work,  a mighty  entertain- 
ment emerges  based  on  the 
turbulent  novel  of  a 
seductive  half-caste 
girl  in 

"BHOWANI 

JUNCTION" 


AVA  GARDNER 
as  the 
''Chee  Chee 
beauty  of 
two  worlds. 


Among  BIG 
pictures,  this 
is  one  of 
the  BIGGEST! 
M-G-M’s  drama, 
aflame  with 
love  and  revolt, 
fulfills  every 
audience  desire 
to  be  thrilled 
and  entertained! 


M-G-M  presents  in  CINEMASCOPE  and  COLOR 


IBHOWANI  JUNCTION 


_ _ STARRING  

AVA  STEWART 
GARDNER  GRANGER 

.BILL  TRAVERS  ABRAHAM  SOFAER  SONYA  LEVIEN  and  IVAN  MOFFAT 

(OHNMASFfRS  PhoiogiopSed  in  EASTMAN  COLOR  Directed.by  GEORGE  CUKOR  Producedby  PANDRO  S.  BERMAN  an m g m ptciuEf 


THIS  N, 
FULL  PAGE 
FULL  COLOR  AD 
appears  in 
LIFE,  LOOK, 
SATURDAY 
EVE.  POST  y 


NO  TRAVEL- FOLDER  INDIA,  THIS!  Far 

from  the  Taj  Mahal  is  this  suspense-tense 
town  where  men  daily  bet  their  lives 
to  stop  a British  train  or  terrorist  bomb! 


HER  HOT-BLOODED  "CHEE  CHEE"  SWEETHEART  proves 
to  be  heroic  in  disaster,  but  dare  she  tell  him  what 
happened  to  the  man  who  attacked  her  on  that  terrible 
night  in  an  alley  dark  with  lust? 


A powerful  love  story  filmed 
by  M-G-M  in  Pakistan 
against  an  exotic  background  of 
turmoil  and  revolt! 


"GET  UP!  GET  DRESSED!"  A predawn 
invader  of  her  bedroom  forces  her  to 
aid  him  in  his  last  chance  to  escape! 


mmmm 


POUNDING  PULSES  RACE  a smouldering 
dynamite  fuse  to  save  2000  lives  in  the 
mile-long  Mayni  Tunnel  of  terror. 


"A  novel  about 
love,  lust,  violence 
and  conspiracy  . . . 
Three  men  and  a girl 
in  a relationship  of 
wonderful  intricacy 
. . . Railroad  strikes, 
train  derailments, 
party  demonstra- 
tions. animosities 
and  the  unpredict- 
able ways  of  love — 
or  of  sex.” 

— New  York  Times 


A LAND — AND  THREE  LOVERS — of  violent  contrasts ! 
Turbulent  India  is  mirrored  in  the  stormy  love  affairs 
of  a "chee  chee”  beauty  with  an  In- 
dian, a white  man,  and  a half-caste. 


| BHOWANI  JUNCTION  | 


WITH 


BILL  TRAVERS 


ABRAHAM  SOFAER  SCREEN  PLAY  BY  SONYA  LEVIEN  and  IVAN  MOFFAT 

PHOTOGRAPHED^  DIRECTED  BY  GEORGE  CUKOR  PRODUCED  BY  PANDRO  S.  BERMAN  An  M-G-M  Picture 


MPA  A Directors  Discuss  Plan  for 
Credit  Card  to  Bolster  Crosses 

The  condition  of  the  box  office  at  present  and  for  the  immediate 
future  and  what  can  be  done  about  it  was  discussed  at  a two  hour  meet- 
ing of  the  directors  of  the  Motion  Picture  Association  in  New7  York  Mon- 
day afternoon. 

Among  the  proposals  discussed  for  giving  a lift  to  patronage  was  a 
plan  for  a national  credit  eard  to  he  issued  to  the  public  on  lines  similar 
to  gasoline  eredit  cards  issued  by  the  oil  companies.  Such  a proposal 
was  put  forward  in  a HERALD  editorial  last  January  21.  The  directors 
are  reported  to  have  discussed  wavs  of  testing  the  plan  but  no  decision 
was  reached. 

Various  proposals  to  improve  operational  efficiency  within  the  in- 
dustry hv  altering  methods  of  physical  distribution  also  were  discussed. 

At  the  meeting  were  Eric  Johnston,  Spyros  P.  Skouras,  Arthur  M. 
Loew,  Robert  J.  Rubin,  W.  C.  Miehel,  John  J.  O’Connor,  Theodore  Black, 
Abe  Schneider,  Jack  Cohn,  William  Clark,  E.  W.  Hammons,  Sam 
Schneider,  Edward  Morey. 


IVi  r«  at  o ii  n t 
Has  Heavy 
Schedule 

A heavy  schedule  has  been  set  by  Para- 
mount Pictures  for  the  remaining  months 
of  1956.  More  than  a score  of  films,  all  in 
\ ista\  ision,  will  be  forthcoming.  The  fol- 
lowing eight  films  have  been  completed  and 
await  release: 

"The  Man  Who  Knew  Too  Much,”  di- 
rected by  Alfred  Hitchcock  and  co-starring 
James  Stewart  and  Doris  Day ; “The  Leath- 
er Saint,”  produced  and  directed  by  Alvin 
Ganzer  and  Norman  Retchin,  and  starring 
Paul  Douglas,  John  Derek,  Jody  Lawrance 
and  Cesar  Romero;  “The  Proud  and 
Profane,”  a William  Perlberg-George  Sea- 
ton romantic  drama  co-starring  William 
Holden  and  Deborah  Kerr;  “That  Certain 
Feeling,”  produced,  written  and  directed  by 
Norman  Panama  and  Melvin  Frank  and 
starring  Bob  Hope.  Eva  Marie  Saint, 
George  Sanders  and  featuring  Pearl  Bailey; 
“Pardners,”  new  Dean  Martin-Jerry  Lewis 
comedy  directed  by  Norman  Taurog,  “The 
\ agabond  King,”  co-starring  Kathryn 
Grayson  and  Oreste,  directed  by  Michael 
Curtiz;  "The  Mountain,”  co-starring  Spen- 
cer Tracy  and  Robert  Wagner,  produced 
and  directed  by  Edward  Dmytryk;  “War 
and  Peace.”  directed  by  King  Vidor  and 
starring  Audrey  Hepburn,  Henry  Fonda 
and  Mel  Ferrer. 

Set  for  opening  in  several  key  theatres 
throughout  the  world  late  in  the  year  is 
Cecil  B.  DeMille  s "The  Ten  Command- 
ments, with  a cast  including  Charlton 
Heston,  \ ul  Brynner  and  Anne  Baxter. 

Many  Currently  Filming 

Currently  filming  either  at  the  studio  or 
on  location,  are  the  following  six  large- 
scale  productions : "Funny  Face,”  starring 
Audrey  Hepburn  and  Fred  Astaire,  directed 
by  Stanley  Donen;  “The  Loves  of  Omar 
Khayyam,”  directed  by  William  Dieterle 
and  starring  Cornel  Wilde,  Michael  Rennie, 
Debra  Paget  and  John  Derek;  “Gunfight  at 
OK  Corral,”  directed  by  John  Sturges  and 
starring  Burt  Lancaster  and  Kirk  Douglas; 
“The  Maverick,”  co-starring  Charlton  Hes- 
ton and  Anne  Baxter, ' directed  by  Rudolph 
Mate;  “Hollywood  or  Bust,”  starring  Dean 
Martin  and  Jerry  Lewis,  directed  by  Frank 
Tashlin;  "The  Lonely  Man,”  co-starring 
Jack  Palance  and  Anthony  Perkins,  directed 
by  Henry  Levin. 

Four  important  productions  are  scheduled 
to  start  shooting  during  June.  These  are : 
"The  Jim  Piersall  Story,”  starring  Anthony 
Perkins,  directed  by  Robert  Mulligan ; “The 
Buster  Keaton  Story,”  starring  Donald 
O’Connor,  directed  by  Sidney  Sheldon; 
"Flamenca,”  to  be  produced  in  Spain  with 
Donald  Siegal  directing  and  a cast  to  be 
announced ; “The  Rainmaker,”  co-starring 
Katharine  Hepburn  and  Burt  Lancaster, 
directed  by  Joseph  Anthony. 


FABIAN -WARNER 

{Continued  from  page  26) 

in  March  of  the  Warner  film  library  (of 
product  up  through  1948)  to  a Canadian 
group  headed  by  Louis  Chesler.  The  library 
will  be  used  for  TV  exhibition,  as  well  as 
theatrical  reissues.  The  contingency  in  the 
$21,000,000  Chesler  deal  involves  a favor- 
able capital  gains  ruling  on  the  deal  by 
the  Internal  Revenue  Service. 

Fabian  Enterprises,  which  purchased  the 
controlling  interest  in  the  divorced  Warner 
circuit,  is  a family  enterprise  of  which  Mr. 
Fabian  is  president.  The  profits  of  Fabian 
Enterprises  are  said  to  go  to  Mr.  Fabian, 
his  sister  and  other  members  of  the  Fabian 
family.  This  raises  the  question  of  whether 
even  if  Mr.  Fabian  is  willing  to  divest  him- 
self of  his  stock  interest  in  Stanley  Warner 
and  Fabian  Enterprises,  the  Justice  Depart- 
ment would  consider  it  a complete  separa- 
tion of  exhibition  and  production-distribu- 
tion interests. 

It  is  pointed  out  that  Justice  permitted 
the  members  of  the  Skouras  family  to 
separate  their  interests  in  production-dis- 
tribution from  exhibition,  with  Spyros 
Skouras  retaining  the  presidency  of  20th 
Century-Fox  and  the  late  Charles  P.  Skou- 
ras assuming  the  presidency  of  National 
Theatres.  Justice  Department  officials,  how- 
ever, were  not  too  happy  about  the  situation 
and  it  remains  an  open  question  whether 
they  would  permit  a similar  situation  again. 

Prime  mover  in  the  deal,  Mr.  Semenenko 
has  been  prominent  in  motion  picture  indus- 
try transactions  since  the  late  1930s.  Born 
in  Russia  52  years  ago,  he  was  educated  in 
Constaninople  and  at  the  Harvard  Business 
School.  He  began  his  business  career  in 
1926  with  the  credit  department  of  the  bank 
of  which  he  now  is  senior  vice-president. 
He  is  credited  with  having  played  a prom- 
inent part  in  the  acquisition  of  Universal 
Pictures  by  Decca  Records  and  in  the  ne- 


gotiations in  1951  for  purchase  of  the  War- 
ner Brothers  family-held  stock  by  the  Louis 
R.  Lurie  syndicate. 

The  Lurie  deal,  involving  an  offer  of 
$27,000,000,  collapsed  in  the  closing  stages 
when  the  Warners  insisted  that  the  pur- 
chasers assume  liability  in  litigation  pending 
against  the  company,  and  Mr.  Lurie’s  at- 
torneys refused.  Apart  from  those  more 
spectacular  deals,  Mr.  Semenenko  also  has 


1904  to  1956 

Warner  Bros,  had  its  origin  in  the  90-seat 
Cascade  theatre  in  Newcastle,  Pa.,  in  1904, 
an  enterprise  of  Harry  M.  Warner,  who 
brought  into  the  business  his  three  brothers, 
Sam,  Albert  and  Jack.  Sam  died  in  1927, 
just  after  he  and  his  brothers  had  contrib- 
uted to  the  birth  of  sound  with  their  his- 
toric "The  Jazz  Singer." 

From  1904  to  1913  the  Warner  enter- 
prises expanded  into  distribution  and  other 
phases,  and  in  the  latter  year  Warner  Fea- 
tures was  organized.  The  Warner  Bros,  con- 
cern of  the  modern  era  was  organized  and 
incorporated  as  a producing  and  distribut- 
ing firm  in  1923,  and  in  1924  acquired  its 
first  theatre  in  Youngstown,  Ohio. 

In  1953  came  consummation  of  the  reor- 
ganization plan  which  split  the  Warner 
company  into  a new  theatre  concern  and 
a new  production-distribution  company  in 
compliance  with  the  consent  decree. 


been  responsible  for  considerable  motion 
picture  financing  by  his  bank. 

Meanwhile,  Allied  States  Association,  in 
a telegram  signed  by  its  president,  Rube 
Shor,  and  general  counsel,  Abram  F.  Myers, 
told  the  Justice  Department  Monday  that 
Allied  has  no  objection  to  Air.  Fabian’s 
participation  if  he  “in  good  faith”  cuts  him- 
self off  from  any  theatre  interests. 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  MAY  19,  1956 


31 


$ 


THE 

EDDY 

DUCHIN 

STORY 


THE  EDDY  DUCHIN  STORY 


IT  IS  A PICTURE  FOR  ALL 


TYRONE  POWER 
KIM  NOVAK 


WHO  SAY:  CATCH  ME  A STAR. 


PAINT  ME  A SUNSET- BUT 


MOST  OF  ALL  TELL  ME  A 


STORY!  A STORY  THAT'LL 


HAVE  ME  LAUGHING. 


HURTING.  SPELLBOUND - 


AND  ATOP  THE  MOON! 


TELL  ME  A STORY 


I'LL  NEVER  FORGET. 


THE  EDDY  DUCHIN  STORY! 


CO  STARRING 


REX  THOMPSON  • JAMES  WHITMORE  w.™  shepperd  strudwick 


AND  INTRODUCING 

VICTORIA  SHAW 


screen  play  by  S A M U EL  T A YLO R • story  by  LEO  KATCH  ER  • piano  recoro.nos  by  carmen  c“'° 
proooceo  by  JERRY  WALD  • o.recteo  by  GEORGE  SIDNEY  • assoc, ate  producer  jon.e  taps  A COLUMB 


Cll  M EM, 


COLOR  BY 

T E C H N I C O 


LOR 


0 


0 


0 


Ml 


THE  EDDY  DUCHIN 


STORY 


...THE  UNPRECEDENTED  ADVANCE 
PUBLICITY  HAS  BEEN  GAINING 
MOMENTUM  FOR  MONTHS  AND 
WILL  CONTINUE  TO  BUILD 
FOR  MONTHS. ..ALL  ACROSS 
THE  COUNTRY! 


THE  EDDY  DUCHI 


■■ 

bmI 


at  Town  Hall  in  New  York,  in 
s'  February,  started  the  opinion-makers  talking ..  .writing ..  .telecasting ...  drum- 

beating!  Advertised  to  millions!  Publicized  to  millions  more! 


first  few 

weeks  alone,  over  every  major  network  in  the  country.  SEEN  on  the 
Perry  Como  Show,  Stop  the  Music,  Ted  Mack’s  Matinee,  Jack  Paar  Show, 
Tex  and  Jinx,  Maggi  McNellis’  Top  Ten  Dance  Party,  Music  Week  Show, 
etc.,  etc.  HEARD  on  the  Bing  Crosby  Show,  Jane  Pickens  Show,  Week- 
daV>  Monitor,  Mitch  Miller  Show,  Luncheon  at  Sardi’s,  Bob  Crosby  Show, 
John  Gambling  Show,  Ruby  Mercer  Show,  Mary  Margaret  McBride,  Bob 
Haymes  Show,  Martha  Wright  Show,  etc.,  etc.! 


MAGAZINES  AND  NEWSPAPERS  COAST-TO- COAST 


have  been  — and  will  be 
“ P^u99'n9  it!  Watch  Life,  Saturday  Evening  Post,  Seventeen,  Parade, 
Coronet,  American  Magazine,  This  Week,  Esquire,  Woman’s  Day,  American 
Weekly,  Mademoiselle,  UP,  King  Features,  every  fan  publication! 


PERMISSIVE  KEY 
WORD  FOR  CODE  ££££* 


. . . Shurlock  tells  Federation 
the  Production  Code  cannot  be 
called  restrictive;  cites  aim  of 
Code  Administration  generally 

“The  (Production)  Code  is  basically  a 
permissive  document,  not  a restrictive  one," 
Geoffrey  Shurlock,  director  of  the  Produc- 
tion Code  Administration,  told  the  members 
of  the  motion  picture  department  of  the 
International  Federation  of  Catholic  Alum- 
nae this  week  at  its  annual  luncheon  at  the 
Hampshire  House,  New  York. 

“Its  aim,”  he  said,  “is  to  tell  pro- 
ducers hoiv  they  can  treat  any  sub- 
ject— that  is,  in  consonance  with 
sound  moral  principles.  Only  half  a 
dozen  areas  of  subject  matter  are 
totally  forbidden  ; purely  on  grounds 
of  expedience.  This  phase  of  the 
Code  can  be  amended  any  time  the 
organized  industry  so  chooses. 

“But  what  cannot  be  amended  is 
the  basic  approach  of  the  Code;  that 
all  subject  matter  must  be  treated 
morally,  first  and  foremost;  and 
secondarily,  within  the  confines  of 
decency  and  reasonable  good  taste.” 

Mr.  Shurlock  then  told  how  these  moral 
principles  are  applied  and  cited  a statement 
by  Joseph  Breen — “Our  aim  is  to  make  cer- 
tain that  films  are  reasonably  acceptable, 
morally,  to  reasonable  people.” 

He  said  that  to  achieve  this,  “we  bear 
in  mind  that  Hollywood  movies  are  meant 
for  mass  family  entertainment.  In  this  re- 
spect they  differ  fundamentally  from  most 
foreign  films,  which  are  intended  primarily 
for  adult  audiences. 

“No  matter  how  refractory  the  basic 
material,  the  purpose  of  the  Code  is  to 
treat  it  in  such  a manner  that  the  end 
result  will  neither  frustrate  the  intelligent, 
nor  offend  the  innocent.  By  and  large,  we 
feel  that  we  attain  this  objective.” 

He  added  that  although  films  have  been 
accused  of  naivete  “in  hammering  home  so 
persistently  that  virtue  gets  its  due  reward,” 
there  is  proof  morality  pays  dividends  not 
only  here,  but  in  other  countries.  He  cited 
an  article  in  the  French  trade  paper,  Le 
Film  Francais,  which  was  called  “Scandal 
Doesn’t  Pay.” 

Cites  “ Spade-W  ork ” 

In  discussing  the  workings  of  the  PCA, 
Mr.  Shurlock  told  the  Federation,  “Though 
the  quality  of  our  work  does  not  always 
meet  with  your  unqualified  approval — this 
we  learn  to  our  sorrow,  twice  monthly — 
nevertheless  we  want  to  brag  a bit  about 
the  quantity  of  the  spade-work  that,  over 
a period  of  18  years — to  take  one  instance 


— has  managed  to  convert  a shocking  novel 
like  ‘Serenade’,  to  a picture  which  you 
rate  as  A-l.  . . . 

“There  are  many  in  this  room  who  know 
how  many  hundreds  of  cases  there  are, 
like  the  above,  out  of  the  10, 000-odd  pic- 
tures referred  to,  in  which  the  spadework 
done  by  the  PCA  approaches  the  propor- 
tion of  a major  job  of  excavation.  This 
labor  of  ours  not  only  contributes  to  better 
movies ; we  like  to  think,  also,  that  it  makes 
happier  and  easier  the  task  of  moral 
assessors  like  yourselves.” 

Mr.  Shurlock  also  discussed  the  phrase, 
“adult  picture.”  He  said  there  has  been 
much  concern  lately  as  to  whether  or  not 
Hollywood  films  are  veering  too  much  in 
that  direction  and  that  the  concern  is  justi- 
fied if  the  term  “adult”  is  used  to  connote 
something  questionable.  However,  he  be- 
lieves an  adult  picture  “ought  to  mean  one 
which  appeals  directly  to  the  grown-up  men- 
tality and  which  adolescents  can  take  or 
leave.  . . . Looking  back  over  the  past  year 
or  so,  perhaps  the  mosF'adult  picture  I recall 
is  ‘A  Man  Called  Peter.’  ” He  added  that 
“The  End  of  the  Affair”  is  perhaps  the 
most  mature  in  treatment  of  films  dealing 
with  sex  and  sin. 

Foreign  Market  Big 

He  also  spoke  of  a new  problem  on  the 
horizon — “the  foreign  market  for  Hollywood 
films  is  becoming  larger  and  more  im- 
portant. . . . Last  year  we  received  well  over 
45  per  cent  of  our  revenue  from  abroad.  If 
this  proportion  continues  to  rise,  it  will  be 
inevitable  that  the  industry  will  have  to 
think  more  and  more  of  what  will  interest 
and  attract  audiences  outside  the  U.  S.  A.” 

Mr.  Shurlock  told  the  Federation,  “In 
guiding  and  purifying  the  yearnings  of  the 
movie  public,  people  like  yourselves  play  a 
vital  part.  We  of  the  Code  Administration 
are  profoundly  grateful  for  your  interest  and 
support.  We  seem  to  have  worked  together 
well  in  the  past.  There  is  nothing  on  the 
horizon  that  can  endanger  this  happy  state 
of  affairs,  provided  we  continue  in  mutual 
tolerance  and  understanding.” 

Disney,  RKO  Plan 
Foreign  Deals 

RKO  Radio  will  distribute  four  new  Walt 
Disney  full-length  features  and  accompany- 
ing short  subjects  in  Latin  America,  the 
Far  East  (excluding  Japan),  Australasia 
and  Switzerland,  it  is  jointly  announced  by 
W’alter  Branson,  vice-president  in  charge  of 
world  wide  distribution  for  RKO,  and  Leo 
Samuels,  representing  Walt  Disney.  Mr. 
Branson  and  Mr.  Samuels  also  disclosed  that 
RKO  will  distribute  world  wide  a series  of 
18  single-reel  Walt  Disney  re-release  classics. 


Another  call  for  an  industry  round  table 
— and  including  Allied  States  “gladly” — has 
come  from  the  Theatre  Owners  of  America, 
as  its  president,  Myron  Blank,  returned  to 
New  York  headquarters  last  Wednesday 
after  five  weeks  in  Europe. 

“Unless  there  is  self  regulation,  we  will 
certainly  get  legislation,”  he  said.  He  added 
he  is  against  such  legislation,  and  “men  of 
good  will  should  sit  down”  to  see  what  they 
may  do  to  avoid  it.  He  predicted  the  legisla- 
tion would  result  from  recommendations  to 
Congress  by  the  Senate  Small  Business  sub- 
committee which  is  now  investigating  the 
business. 

Someone  from  TOA  will  sit  in,  by  invita- 
tion, on  the  Allied  Emergency  Defense  Com- 
mittee meeting  May  22  in  Washington,  Mr. 
Blank  promised.  He  found  in  Europe  that 
governmental  regulation  of  film  rentals 
seems  to  benefit  the  industry.  Julius  Gor- 
don, National  Allied  secretary,  was  also 
overseas  and  will  report  to  his  organiza- 
tion on  such  regulation,  he  said. 

At  the  Cannes  Film  Festival,  he  spoke 
to  many  European  picture-makers,  he  said, 
about  our  need  for  their  product.  He  added 
he  urged  these  persons  to  make  pictures 
which  would  be  suitable  for  the  market  and 
also  give  showmen  a profit.  He  also  stressed 
these  aspects,  he  reported,  in  speeches  to 
French  and  British  film  industry  organiza- 
tions. 

He  has  invited  some  150  executives  of 
foreign  film  industries  to  the  1956  annual 
convention  and  trade  show  September  19-25 
in  New  York,  and  predicts  it  will  have  an 
international  mien.  He  cited  at  least  40 
acceptances  from  French  officials.  There 
will  be  at  that  convention  a profitable  inter- 
change of  information,  he  believes. 

He  also  reiterated  the  TOA  hopes  to  have 
an  industry  “film  fair”  rather  than  a “film 
festival.”  He  stressed  that  at  a fair  product 
is  on  display  rather  than  competing. 

Trampe  Elected  President 
Of  Film  Carriers  Group 

Ray  Trampe  of  Milwaukee  was  elected 
president  of  the  film  carriers  group  of  the 
National  Film  Service  during  the  semi-an- 
nual meeting  in  New  York.  Ira  S.  Stevens, 
executive  secretary  of  National  Film  Serv- 
ice, was  named  to  the  same  post  with  the 
film  carrier  group,  replacing  Clint  Weyer, 
who  resigned  because  of  poor  health.  Other 
officers  named  for  the  carrier  group  were 
M.  S.  Wycoff  of  Salt  Lake  City,  vice-presi- 
dent, and  George  Callahan  of  Pittsburgh, 
treasurer.  Named  to  the  executive  commit- 
tee were  M.  H.  Brandon  of  Memphis,  chair- 
man; Earl  Jameson  Jr.  of  Kansas  City; 
Mr.  Trampe,  and  John  H.  Vickers,  Jr.,  of 
Charlotte. 


34 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  MAY  19,  1956 


JOHN  JUSTIN  ROLAND  CULVER 

LIAM  REDMOND’.  EARL  CAMERON  • ORLANDO  MARTINS 
Screenplay  by  ANTHONY  VEILLER  ■ Directed  by  TERENCE  YOUNG  • Produced  by  IRVING  ALLEN  and  ALBERT  R.  BROCCOLI 

CinemaScoPE:  :i,t.  Technicolor 


Spectacular  CinemaScope  and  Technicolor  vistas 
never  before  possible!  Teeming  with  mammoth 
thrills  out  of  Africa’s  darkest  heart! 


EVERYTHING  ABOUT  IT  IS 


COLUMBIA  PICTURES  presents  A WARWICK  Production 

VICTOR  JANET 
MATURE  LEIGH 


tiJakcL  jjtyi/  Mul 

REAL  WHITE  HUNTER  P.A.  TOUR!  American-born  Wally  Jones,  technical  adviser  on  “Safari”,  and  actual  African  Safari  guide  and  White  Hunter  will  make 
eight-week  sweep  of  key  cities  in  advance  of  picture!  Theatre,  TV,  Radio  and  Lecture  appearances,  using  actual  Mau-Mau  and  other  African  materials! 


I 


HOLLYWOOD  GUESSING 
THE  WARNER  FUTURE 


Hollywood,  midweek 

Esteemed  Editor  : 

Professional  Hollywood  took  the  news  of 
the  Warner  sale  calmly.  There  had  been 
some  conditioning  for  it.  The  family’s  sale 
of  its  whopping  picture  library  to  television 
had  been  a strikingly  uncharacteristic  ac- 
tion. running  totally  contrary  to  the  Warner 
tradition  of  rock-solid  resistance  to  compe- 
tition of  any  and  all  kinds. 

Something  Afoot 

Then,  the  failure  to  react  typically,  or 
even  by  immediate  replacement,  to  the  sur- 
prising resignation  of  vice-president  Mort 
Blumenstock  after  a quarter-century  of  virile 
dedication  to  the  promotion  of  Warner 
product  and  prestige  had  been  construable 
as  a signal  to  the  watchful  that  change,  of 
one  sort  or  another,  was  surely  afoot  in 
Burbank. 

And  in  the  final  days  before  the  ultimate 
affirmation  came  through  channels,  the  for- 
ever frank  and  forthright  Warner  brothers 
had  withdrawn  untypically  behind  a whole- 
sale “no  comment.”  The  news  surprised  the 
townsfolk,  to  be  sure,  but  it  didn’t  panic  a 
professional  population  that  had  become 
hardened  in  recent  years  to  seeing  another 
major  studio  change  hands  again  and  again 
without  upsetting  the  employment  apple 
cart  noticeably. 

Probably  the  most  surprising  feature  of 
the  sale  announcement,  from  the  point  of 
view  of  the  professional  worker  in  produc- 
tion, was  the  statement  that  Col.  Jack  L. 
Warner  is  to  continue  in  charge  of  produc- 
tion. It  would  he  a tougher  assignment  than 
Diogenes'  to  find  a production  worker,  from 
producer,  director,  writer,  actor  and  camera 
man  on  down  to  the  last  man  on  a Holly- 
wood payroll,  or  off  of  one,  who  could  be 
persuaded  to  believe  for  a moment  that  Col. 
Warner  is  going  to  take  production  orders 
from  the  Serge  Semenenko  group  or  any 
member  of  it. 

Minding  the  Store 

Taking  orders  is  not  one  of  his  talents, 
and  nobody  who  knows  him  figures  lie’s 
likely  to  want  to  begin  learning  how  in  his 
hale  and  hearty  64th  year.  On  the  contrary, 
the  profession  conceives  of  this  aspect  of 
the  sale  agreement  as  tantamount  to  a 
promise  on  his  part  to  keep  the  store  open 
and  running  until  the  new  storekeeper  is 
ready  to  take  over.  From  this  point  of  con- 
clusion the  production  worker,  whose  pro- 
fessional interest  is  certain  to  be  affected 
in  some  degree,  moves  on  into  conversa- 
tional speculation  as  to  the  identity  of  the 
executive  who  will  take  over  from  Col. 
\\  arner  when  time  for  taking  over  even- 
tually comes. 

One  of  the  leading  candidates  in  this  en- 
tirely conjectural  canvass  of  successional 


possibilities  is  Jerry  Wald,  holder  at  this 
writing  of  an  officially  equivalent  post  at 
Columbia  studio,  but  widely  and  variously 
reported  to  be  in  negotiation  for  a change 
of  contract  status.  Producer  Wald  made 
his  name  and  fame,  inclusive  of  earning  the 
Academy’s  Irving  G.  Thalberg  Award,  un- 
der the  Warner  trademark. 

Reported  Groomed 

Frequently  during  his  long  stay  at  the 
Burbank  studio  he  was  reported  under 
grooming  for  the  Warner  responsibility. 
There  was  no  doubt  in  most  quarters, 
especially  after  his  “Johnny  Belinda,”  of  his 
ability  to  handle  the  studio,  but  the  assign- 
ment didn’t  materialize  and  he  left  the 
company.  His  reported  unease  in  his  pres- 
ent post  fosters  the  professional  thinking  in 
his  behalf  at  this  point. 

A numerically  strong  section  of  the  pro- 
fessional citizenry  looks  further  back  into 
Warner  history  and  comes  up  with  the  name 
of  Darryl  F.  Zanuck  as  likeliest-to-succeed 
Col.  Warner.  Like  Mr.  Wald’s,  the  early 
Zanuck  name  and  fame  were  horn  and  worn 
on  the  Warner  production  premises.  Like 
Mr.  Wald’s,  his  career  took  him  from  there 
to  the  formation  of  an  independent  produc- 
tion partnership  and  on  from  there  to  charge 
of  a major  studio’s  production. 

Not  so  much  like  Mr.  Wald,  in  that  his 
present  freedom  to  decide  what  he’ll  do 
next  is  of  his  own  making  and  is  temporary, 
vice-president  Zanuck  of  2'0th  Century-Fox 
doubtless  could  take  over  the  Warner  obli- 
gation if  he  wished  to  do  so.  But  this  sec- 
tion of  professional  analysts  bogs  down 
when  it  comes  to  the  matter  of  stating  a 
reason  why  the  wish  might  overtake  him. 
[Late  Tuesday  Spyros  Skouras  announced 
an  independent  production  deal  for  Zanuck. ] 

LeRoy  Mentioned 

Another  Warner  graduate  mentioned  as 
qualified  for  the  post  to  be  vacated  by  Col. 
Warner  is  Mervvn  LeRoy,  now  back  at 
work  on  the  Warner  acreage,  and  Academy- 
awarded  for  that  distributor’s  “Mister 
Roberts,”  after  a long  stretch  of  years  as 
producer  and  director  (“Quo  Vadis”,  to 
name  the  biggest)  of  MGM  productions. 
The  LeRoy  record  embraces  many  or  most 
of  the  experiences  that  go  to  rounding  out 
a production  proficiency  equal  to  the  require- 
ments of  studio  direction. 

He  started  in  vaudeville,  switched  to  writ- 
ing, moved  over  to  directing,  then  to  pro- 
ducing, sometimes  combining  the  latter  two. 
Whether  he  could  swing  a major  studio  is 
a moot  question  his  adherents  answer  in  the 
affirmative.  Whether  he  would  want  to  is 
another  question.  At  56,  with  a many  per- 
sonal awards  in  hand  as  most  men  expect  to 
accumulate  in  a successful  lifetime,  the  job 
might  strike  him  as  just  what  he  needs  to 


wind  up  his  career  in  a cloud  of  glory. 

Other  names  are  heard  in  mention : Louis 
B.  Mayer,  David  O.  Selznick,  Samuel 
Bischoff,  Don  Hartman.  But  other  sequels 
to  the  Warner  sale  are  heard  in  mention, 
too.  Foremost  among  these  is  the  possibil- 
ity that  the  new  management  of  the  Warner 
company  may  decide  to  dispense  with  the 
standard  head-of-production  post  entirely, 
and  turn  the  company’s  destiny  in  the  di- 
rection of  company-financed  independent 
production  units,  company-housed  and  col- 
lectively-serviced as  to  wardrobe,  mechani- 
cal facilities  of  all  kinds,  laboratories  and 
so  on.  A growing  proportion  of  the  com- 
munity’s industry  analysts  believe  that  is  the 
way  Hollywood  at  large  is  sure  to  go, 
eventually. 

Deutsch  Producing 

Production  of  “A  Pattern  of  Malice,”  the 
picture  to  be  based  on  “A  Public  Figure,” 
the  Kraft  Theatre  teleplav  based  on  the  tell- 
all  type  of  periodical,  is  in  good  hands.  In 
bad  hands  it  could  have  been  sensationalized 
beyond  general  use.  In  producer  Armand 
Deutsch’s  it  is  quite  likely  to  set  for  Holly- 
wood a long-needed  standard  for  the  cine- 
matic treatment  of  story  properties  acquired 
from  television,  for  the  Deutsch  record  of 
film  production  is  one  of  unswerving  devo- 
tion to  quality  and  the  present  undertaking 
will  take  its  place  alongside  his  “Three  Guys 
Named  Mike,”  “Kind  Lady”  and  “Green 
Fire”  in  his  lengthening  list  of  screen 
credits. 

He  says,  “If  I ever  win  an  Academy 
Award  I want  it  to  be  given  for  quality  and 
nothing  else.  There  is  no  finer  reward  than 
to  have  one’s  work  approved  on  grounds  of 
quality  — especially  by  his  fellow  profes- 
sionals, who  are  the  best  informed  and 
sincerest  critics.  I have  never  made  a pic- 
ture which  I didn’t  believe  had  prospects  of 
quality  and  I never  shall.” 

W eidman  Writing 

The  producer  of  “The  Magnificent 

Yankee”  and  “The  Girl  Who  Had  Every- 
thing” engaged  Jerome  Weidman,  the  au- 
thor of  “I  Can  Get  It  for  You  Wholesale” 
and  other  successful  novels,  to  write  the 
screenplay  for  “A  Pattern  of  Malice,”  and 
in  the  course  of  their  extended  conferences 
on  the  script  the  producer  and  the  author 
broadened,  deepened  and  elaborated  the 
single-stranded  “A  Public  Figure”  story  for 
the  theatre.  They  are  not  divulging  the 
details  of  their  departures  from  the  tele- 
play, but  the  producer  says,  in  answer  to 
the  usual  question  about  the  policy  of  chang- 
ing the  title  of  a teleplav  already  seen  by 
perhaps  50,000,000  potential  theatre-goers, 
the  alterations  are  substantial  and  important 
enough  to  prevent  disappointment  among 
theatre-goers  who  may  have  seen  the  origi- 
nal on  TV.  Precisely  this  procedure  might 
turn  out  to  be  the  long  sought  method  of 
taking  the  best  of  TV  for  the  theatre  with- 
out incurring  the  box  office  handcap  of  title 
familiarity. 

WILLIAM  R.  WEAVER. 


36 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  MAY  19,  1956 


RKO  Plans 
70  Shorts 

Walter  Branson,  RKO  vice  president  in 
charge  of  worldwide  distribution,  has  an- 
nounced the  company’s  short  subject  pro- 
gram for  the  1956-1957  season.  Ihe  various 
series  total  up  to  26  two-reel  pictures  and  44 
single-reels,  with  the  possibility  of  addi- 
tional special  releases.  Bearing  the  group 
title  of  the  RKO  Playhouse,  there  will  be 
12  subjects  in  a new  series  of  two-reelers 
of  comedy,  dramatic  and  melodramatic  na- 
ture. Mr.  Branson  stated  that,  as  far  as 
possible,  these  pictures  will  contain  good  box 
office  names  and  he  believes  they  will  be 
worthy  of  added  feature  billing  on  any 
program. 

Planned  for  release  are  12  RKO-Pathe 
Specials,  documentary  two-reelers  along  the 
lines  heretofore  offered;  a Sports  Special 
entitled  “Football  Highlights”  and  another 
entitled  “Basketball  Highlights.”  The  one- 
reel  subjects  will  be  preceded  by  a series  of 
18  “Walt  Disney  Classics,”  in  color  by 
Technicolor.  The  releases  have  been  care- 
fully selected  from  Disney’s  extensive  film 
library.  Most  of  them  have  not  been  avail- 
able to  motion  picture  audiences  for  some 
years,  and  each  of  them  was  hailed  as  a 
cartoon  gem  when  originally  released. 

The  RKO  program  will  again  include  13 
single-reel  Sportscopes  and  the  13  single- 
reel Screenliners,  both  produced  at  RKO- 
Pathe  Studio.  RKO  branches  have  been  in- 
formed on  the  selling  policy  of  all  these 
series  so  that  negotiations  for  playing  them 
can  be  started  immediately. 


' Prince ' Starts  July  30 

Marilyn  Monroe  and  Sir  Laurence  Olivier 
will  go  before  the  cameras  July  30  in  the 
Laurence  Olivier  Productions,  Ltd.  film, 
“The  Sleeping  Prince,”  it  was  announced 
recently  by  Milton  H.  Greene,  vice-presi- 
dent of  Marilyn  Monroe  Productions,  Inc. 
The  film,  in  wide-screen  and  color,  will  be 
direct  xl  by  Sir  Laurence  at  Pinewood  Stu- 
dios, England.  Warner  Bros,  will  present 
it  in  the  U.  S. 


ON  THE  SET 


Hall  Wallis  has  purchased  N.  Richard 
Nash’s  forthcoming  play,  “Girls  of  Sum- 
mer,” to  be  made  next  year.  . . . Linda 
Darnell  will  co-star  with  Jeff  Chandler 
in  his  first  independent  film,  “Drango,”  for 
United  Artists  release.  ...  Jo  Van  Fleet 
has  been  signed  for  Russ-Field’s  “The  King 
and  Four  Queens”  which  stars  Clark 
Gable  and  Eleanor  Parker.  . . . Karl 
Malden  co-stars  with  Anthony  Perkins 
in  the  baseball  story,  “The  Jim  Piersall 
Story”  for  Paramount.  . . . Tommy  Noonan 
has  been  borrowed  from  20th-Fox  by  RKO 
to  appear  with  Eddie  Fisher  and  Debbie 
Reynolds  in  “Bundle  of  Joy.”.  . . David 
Chandler  is  writing  the  screenplay  for 
Bel-Air’s  “Mark  of  the  Apache”  to  be  re- 
leased by  U.A. 


'cene 


HOLLYWOOD  BUREAU 

“Fire  Down  Below,”  a Warwick  produc- 
tion for  Columbia  release,  stands  out  as  the 
most  imposing  of  the  five  new  films  turned 
over  to  the  cameras  during  the  week.  It 
has  impressive  billing  power — Rita  Hay- 
worth, Robert  Mitchum,  Jack  Lemmon, 
Technicolor,  CinemaScope — and  it  comes 
(if  turf  talk  may  be  permitted)  from  a smart 
barn.  That  is  to  say,  the  producers  are 
Irving  Allen  and  A.  R.  Broccoli,  whose  pic- 
tures have  run  up  a record  of  prodigious 
prosperity,  wherever,  and  with  whomever, 
filmed.  This  one’s  filming  in  Trinidad,  un- 
der direction  of  Robert  Parrish. 

On  its  own,  Columbia  started  two  other 
pictures. 

“The  White  Squaw”  is  being  produced  by 
Wallace  MacDonald  and  directed  by  Ray 
Nazzarro,  with  David  Brian,  May  Wynn, 
William  Bishop  and  William  Leslie. 

“Cha,  Cha,  Cha”  is  another  in  the  cur- 
rent Columbia  vein  of  rhythm  subjects,  and 
it  has  the  Mary  Kaye  Trio,  Perez  Prado, 
Sylvia  Lewis,  Stephen  Dunne  and  Gon- 
sales  among  the  player  personnel.  Sam  Katz- 
man  is  producing  the  film,  with  Fred  Sears 
directing. 

Bel-Air  Productions,  whose  production  of 
12  pictures  within  12  months  is  a new  high 
in  the  field  of  independent  productions, 
started  “Fort  Laramie,”  for  United  Artists 
release.  John  Dehner,  Frances  Helm,  Gregg 
Palmer  and  Don  Gordon  are  principals. 
Aubrey  Schenck  is  executive  producer, 
Howard  W.  Koch  is  producer,  and  Lesley 
Selander  is  director. 

“The  She-Creature”  is  a provocatively 
titled  project  of  Golden  State  Productions, 
for  American  International  release.  Its  cast 
is  composed  of  such  staple  performers  as 
Chester  Morris,  Marla  English,  Ron  Ran- 
dell,  Cathy  Downs,  Lance  Fuller,  Tom  Con- 
way, Frieda  Inescort,  El  Brendel  and 
Frank  Jenks.  Behind  the  camera  line  are 
executive  producer  Samuel  Z.  Arkoff,  pro- 
ducer Alex  Gordon  and  director  Edward  L. 
Cahn. 


Illlllllllllllll Illlllll Ill Illllllllllllllll 

THIS  WEEK  IN 
PRODUCTION: 


Paramount  Honors  Weltner 
In  26-Week  Sales  Drive 

The  Paramount  domestic  distribution  or- 
ganization will  honor  George  Weltner, 
world  sales  head,  with  a 2'6-week  sales  drive 
from  July  1 to  December  29.  Called  “Para- 
mount’s Salute  to  George  Weltner,”  the 
tribute,  in  which  every  employee  in  all 
branches  will  participate,  is  in  recognition 
of  the  distribution  executive’s  34  years  of 
service  to  the  company.  The  drive  will  be 
divided  into  two  periods  of  13  weeks  each, 
the  first  to  include  the  two  “Paramount 
Weeks,  July  25-August  7”  and  the  second, 
starting  September  30,  to  conclude  with  a 
“Booker-Salesman  Month.” 


STARTED  (5) 

AMERICAN  INT'L 

The  She-Creature 
(Golden  State  Prod. 

COLUMBIA 

Cha,  Cha,  Cha 
The  White  Squaw 
Fire  Down  Below 


COMPLETED  (3) 

U-l 

Gun  for  a Coward 
(Technicolor) 

The  Great  Man 


SHOOTING  (31) 

ALLIED  ARTISTS 

Chasing  Trouble 
Notre  Dame  de  Paris 
( CinemaScope: 
Eastman  Color) 

COLUMBIA 

Full  of  Life 

Guns  of  Fort  Petticoat 
(Brown-Murphy  Pic.) 

MGM 

A Man  Is  Ten  Feet  Tall 
(Jonathan  Prod.) 

The  Power  and  the  Prize 
Barretts  of  Wimpole 
Street 

( CinemaScope: 

Color) 

Teahouse  of  the  August 
Moon  (CinemaScope: 
Color) 

Tea  and  Sympathy 
Raintree  County 
(65mm;  Color) 

Julie  (Arwin  Prods.) 

The  Opposite  Sex 
(CinemaScope; 
Eastman  Color) 

PARAMOUNT 

Hollywood  or  Bust 
( VistaVision; 
Technicolor) 

Funny  Face  (Vista- 
Vision;  Technicolor) 
The  Loves  of  Omar 
Khayyam  (Vista- 
Vision;  Technicolor) 
The  Lonely  Man 
(VistaVision; 
Technicolor) 

The  Maverick  (Vista- 
Vision; Technicolor) 
Gunfight  at  OK  Corral 
(VistaVision; 
Technicolor) 


(Warwick  Prod. 

CinemaScope; 

Technicolor) 

UNITED  ARTISTS 

Fort  Laramie 
( Bel-Air  Prod.) 


Battle  Hymn 
(CinemaScope; 
Technicolor) 


RKO  RADIO 

Public  Pigeon  Nu 


One 


ber 

Eastman  Color) 


20TH-FOX 

Best  Things  in  Life  Are 
Free  (CinemaScope; 
Technicolor) 

The  Last  Wagon 
( CinemaScope; 

De  Luxe  Color) 

One  in  a Million 
( CinemaScope; 

De  Luxe  Color) 

Bus  Stop 

( CinemaScope; 
Technicolor) 

UNITED  ARTISTS 

Five  Steps  to  Terror 
(Grand  Prod.) 

Pride  and  the  Passion 
( Kramer  Prod.; 
VistaVision ; 
Technicolor) 

The  Boss  (Boss  Prods.) 

U-l 

Tammy  (CinemaScope; 

Technicolor) 

I've  Lived  Before 

(formerly  "I've  Been 
Here  Before") 

Four  Bright  Girls 
(CinemaScope; 
Technicolor) 

(formerly  "Star 
Light" ) 

WARNER  BROS. 

The  Old  Man  and  the 
Sea  ( WarnerColor) 
The  Wrong  Man 
(Alfred  Hitchcock 
Prod.) 


Illllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllillilll 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  MAY  19,  1956 


37 


PERLBERG-SEATON’S 


THE  PROUD  AND  PROFANE 


William  Holden,  Deborah  Kerr, 
Thelma  Ritter,  Dewey  Martin. 
VistaVision 


THE  LEATHER  SAINT 


Paul  Douglas,  John  Derek, 
Jody  Lawrance,  Cesar  Romero 
VistaVision 


THAT  CERTAIN  FEELING 


Bob  Hope,  Eva  Marie  Saint, 
George  Sanders,  Pearl  Bailey. 
VistaVision  and  Technicolor 


PARDNERS 


Dean  Martin  and  Jerry  Lewis 
VistaVision  and  Technicolor 


ALFRED  HITCHCOCK’S 


THE  MAN  WHO  KNEW  TOO  MUCH 


James  Stewart,  Doris  Day. 
VistaVision  and  Technicolor 


, . ■ out  All  O.ver-,o 

me  Bust'"  ° Prod  n,'3 

WiTh  Ro  I"  Next  7 Months 

TO  and  in  a m°ve 

1 - — 


To  ° 

"e  ptv!  Of  the  a^e  ?ar  Witt  bit  an  ^ongst  ^ starring 

»•  ^ at  that  tun  > -uitchcochs  . “The  J°Ber  . , • -r^oducingt 

the  came  nth.  A “The  3un  ^ tember  &&&? ’’  « ^ue\  J • BnsfV  ^ starring 

Anthony  i Martin  & three  to  roi 
and  ahTv  Don  WcGnnf-  a'  clark  Gable 
Erected  ^er’s  Pet,  s Nichols  Story, 

O-TiSi*  “The  rtelson  and  Rose 

The  «®f  of  Omar  ^^fight  at 
pace,”  ^ „Tbe  ^aver.\  wood  Or  Bust. 

tGeunfigW”a^togthne. 

^stitt  be  fi'mmg 


he  cameras  a ^ ^ Jim 

aeously  tha  June  will  mctod^Jns  ^ 
starting,  Anthony  ^ MuUigan 

d ST%, reducing  and  „ starring 

PaKU  ^ Buster  ^ib  and  Sidney 

tag;  Tf.  mth  Robert  Smi  directs; 

lld  °’ producing,  ^g^gal  directs  for 
don  e0„P  h:eti  Donald  Sl  ® ,.  starring 

imenca,  odtavn;  “Beau  Rose  pro- 

iueer  Bruc ■ 0^  stovelson-3  shaveteon 

r\  Hope,  a hi  wn\  produce  »»  star- 

cti°n  "Saf^’ 

reef,  and  burnandBur 

-^-^'PheSonsof^e 
°Sepix  set  for  Gadd  *^£pa’i 

Elder,”  star^“  g to  roll  m 'trA'a 

Briskin  Prod"  rio„"  starring  Bre  Alfred 

^ Solan  the  Pt0^'an 
■Robert  h>- 


Cinerama  in 
.4  Deal  with 
Other  Units 

Cinerama  Productions  Corp.  expects  to 
complete  satisfactorily  its  current  negotia- 
tions with  Stanley  Warner  Corp.,  Cinerama, 
Inc.,  and  the  Lansing  Foundation,  aimed 
at  smoother  working  relations  and  more 
satisfactory  financial  returns  to  Cinerama 
Productions,  it  was  announced  by  Milo  J. 
Sutliff.  president  of  Cinerama  Productions, 
at  the  May  15  annual  meeting  of  stock- 
holders at  the  Barbizon  Plaza  Hotel.  New 
York. 

Mr.  Sultiff  told  the  stockholders  in  his 
view  the  corporation  had  made  admirable 
progress  over  the  last  year  and  a half  in 
cutting  expenses  and  renegotiation  of  con- 
tracts aimed  at  more  favorable  terms.  He 
was  optimistic  concerning  the  future.  The 
deals  with  the  other  companies  currently 
pending,  he  said,  would  make  for  a unity 
of  purpose  and  eliminate  overlapping  of 
function  and  disagreements.  Further  details, 
Mr.  Sutliff  added,  would  be  forthcoming 
after  completion  of  the  various  impending 
deals. 

The  net  profit  of  the  company  for  the 
year  ended  October  31,  1955,  Mr.  Sutliff 
said,  was  $277,095.14  before  taxes,  as  com- 
pared with  $161,887.60  before  taxes  for  the 
same  period  in  1954. 

Board  Members  Reelected 

All  seven  members  of  the  board  of  direc- 
tors were  reelected  by  the  stockholders  at 
the  meeting.  These  are:  Louis  B.  Mayer, 
Milo  J.  Sutliff,  Perry  N.  Selheimer,  Ira  S. 
Stevens,  Theodore  R.  Kupferman,  John  R. 
Boland  and  Irving  N.  Margolin.  The  stock- 
holders ratified  a stock  option  arrangement 
for  Mr.  Sutliff,  tendered  as  an  inducement 
to  continue  with  the  company,  which  Mr. 
Sultiff  has  served  as  president  without 
salary.  Granted  is  an  option  on  5,000  shares 
of  the  company’s  stock,  exercisable  between 
December  1,  1956,  and  December  1,  1959. 
According  to  the  company’s  annual  report 
there  are  now  1,024,000  shares  outstanding, 
and  options  and  warrants  representing  35,- 
500  shares. 

Mr.  Sutliff  told  the  stockholders  the  com- 
pany had  paid  off  in  full,  as  of  June  24,  1955, 
the  loan  at  the  Banker’s  Trust  Company, 
which  at  one  time  had  been  $1,600,000. 
The  present  negotiations  with  Stanley  War- 
ner, he  said,  are  aimed  at  arranging  for  a 
percentage  to  be  paid  to  Cinerama  Produc- 
tions currently  of  income  from  future  pro- 
ductions. 

Negotiations  with  the  Lansing  Founda- 
tion, he  said,  call  for  the  reduction  and 
termination  of  the  company’s  obligation  to 
the  Foundation  in  connection  with  its  orig- 
inal interim  loan  made  prior  to  the  final 
transfer  of  Cinerama  Productions’  rights 
and  obligations  in  the  Cinerama  process  to 
Stanley  Warner. 


Baltimore  Judge  Upholds 
"Golden  Arm " Censor  Ban 

BALTIMORE : Judge  Joseph  Brynes  in 
City  Court  here  upheld  the  ban  on  the  show- 
ing of  “The  Man  with  the  Golden  Arm” 
by  the  Maryland  Board  of  Motion  Picture 
Censors.  “After  viewing  the  film  it  became 
clear  to  this  court  why  a number  of  film 
critics  deplored  the  bad  taste  shown  by  the 
producer  in  filming  the  story,”  Judge  Brynes 
ruled.  The  United  Artists  home  office  has 
announced  that  it  will  appeal  the  ban. 


It  HO  Name 
Change  Is 
Approved 

The  members  of  the  board  of  directors  of 
RKO  Theatres  Corporation,  meeting  for  the 
first  time  since  the  stockholders  approved 
the  acquisition  of  the  assets  of  the  Cleveland 
Arcade  Company,  including  its  controlling 
stock  of  Gera  Corporation,  has  announced  a 
change  of  name  to  RKO  Industries  Cor- 
poration. Three  new  directors  have  been 
appointed  and  new  officers  elected.  These 
are : Albert  A.  List,  chairman  of  the  board 
and  president;  William  A.  Broadfoot,  vice- 
chairman  of  the  board,  and  Sol  A.  Schwartz, 
executive  vice-president.  Mr.  Schwartz  will 
continue  as  chief  executive  of  RKO  Thea- 
tres, Inc. 

Other  officers  of  RKO  Industries  Cor- 
poration include:  Dudley  G.  Layman,  finan- 
cial vice-president ; William  F.  Whitman, 
secretary  and  general  counsel;  Fred  E. 
Squire,  treasurer;  Harold  E.  Newcomb, 
comptroller;  Edward  Avery  and  Earl  Chad- 
wick, assistant  treasurers;  Louis  Joffe  and 
Lloyd  G.  Wilson,  assistant  secretaries. 

The  three  new  members  of  the  board 
are  Mr.  Broadfoot,  General  Royal  B.  Lord 
and  A.  H.  Parker.  Mr.  Broadfoot  is  chief 
executive  officer  of  the  U.  S.  Finishing- 
Aspinook  Division  of  Gera.  Mr.  Lord  is 
the  chairman  of  the  executive  committee  of 
Gera,  and  Mr.  Parker  is  president  of  the 
Old  Colony  Trust  Company  in  Boston.  The 
other  seven  directors  are  Theodore  R.  Col- 
born,  David  J.  Greene,  Dudley  G.  Layman, 
Albert  A.  List,  A.  Louis  Oresman,  Edward 
C.  Raftery,  and  Sol  A.  Schwartz.  RKO 
Industries  Corporation  is  a diversified  en- 
terprise with  approximately  6,500  employees 
and  has  two  principal  subsidiaries : RKO 
Theatres,  Inc.,  and  RKO  Gera  Corporation. 
RKO  Theatres  operates  83  houses  in  the 
principal  cities  of  the  United  States. 


SuperScope  Agent  Named 

Eichberg  Films  of  Berlin,  Munich  and 
Frankfurt,  Germany  has  been  named  ex- 
clusive representative  of  the  SuperScope 
anamorphic  widescreen  processes  in  Europe, 
it  is  announced  by  Joseph  Tushinsky,  presi- 
dent of  SuperScope.  Eichberg  Films  will 
handle  the  servicing  of  SuperScope  in 
Germany,  France,  Austria  and  Spain. 


N.  C.  Allied 
Meets  in 
Minneapolis 

MINNEAPOLIS:  Senator  Hubert  H. 

Humphrey  (D.,  Minn.)  recently  expressed 
himself  as  “hopeful”  that  the  House  Ways 
and  Means  Committee  will  act  favorably  on 
the  motion  picture  industry’s  request  for  re- 
peal of  the  remaining  10  per  cent  Federal 
admission  tax.  He  expressed  this  view  in  a 
telegram  to  Benjamin  N.  Berger,  president 
of  North  Central  Allied,  which  was  read  at 
the  opening  session  of  the  annual  convention 
here. 

Senator  Humphrey,  chairman  of  the  Sen- 
ate Small  Business  Subcommittee,  had  been 
invited  to  speak  at  the  two-day  session  but 
was  unable  to  attend  because  of  the  pressure 
of  business  in  Washington.  Approximately 
150  exhibitors  from  Minnesota,  the  Dakotas, 
and  Northwestern  Wisconsin  heard  Mr. 
Berger’s  opening  address,  a sharp  attack  on 
film  distributors  for  their  refusal  to  agree 
upon  rental  terms  for  the  small  theatres, 
based  on  the  ability  to  pay. 

Stanley  Kane,  executive  counsel  of  NCA, 
warned  that  three  major  problems  loomed 
ahead,  most  important  of  which  is  the  recom- 
mendation of  an  amusement  industry  fact- 
finding commission  that  the  minimum  wage 
for  motion  picture  theatres,  bowling  alleys 
and  dance  halls  be  increased  to  one  dollar 
per  hour.  He  also  warned  that  the  State 
League  of  Municipalities,  which  meets  in 
June,  is  prepared  to  recommend  passage  of 
state  legislation  next  winter  which  would 
permit  the  imposition  of  municipal  admis- 
sions taxes.  The  third  pitfall  ahead,  he  said, 
was  the  growing  clamor  by  labor  unions  and 
other  groups  for  passage  of  a daylight  sav- 
ing law,  which  would  be  a heavy  blow  to 
mid-summer  drive-in  theatre  patronage. 

A1  Sindlinger,  principal  speaker  of  the 
afternoon,  voiced  optimism  for  the  exhibitor 
in  the  future,  giving  his  recipe  for  theatre 
prosperity,  which  included  the  point  that 
theatres  “stop  competing  with  themselves” 
via  film  company  sponsored  television  pro- 
grams. He  also  suggested  a drive  to  regain 
the  dwindling  women  audiences,  and  a re- 
sumption of  children’s  shows  to  capture  “the 
300,000  children  who  turn  12  years  of  age 
each  week.” 

Louis  Calhern,  Actor , Dies 

Louis  Calhern,  61,  for  over  40  years  a 
stage  and  screen  actor,  died  in  Japan  May 
12  of  a heart  attack.  He  had  been  await- 
ing scenes  in  which  he  was  to  figure  in 
MGM’s  “Tea  House  of  the  August  Moon,” 
in  which  he  had  been  assigned  the  role  of 
Colonel  Purdy.  The  actor  died  at  his  hotel. 
After  a long  and  distinguished  Broadway 
career,  he  appeared  in  many  films,  includ- 
ing “The  Magnificent  Yankee,”  “Rhapsody,” 
“Red  Danube,”  “Invitation,”  “Arch  of  Tri- 
umph,” “The  Life  of  Emile  Zola,’  “The 
Count  of  Monte  Cristo,”  and  “The  Last 
Days  of  Pompeii.” 


40 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  MAY  19,  1956 


WASHINGTON 

Keith 

SAN  DIEGO 

Spreckles 

LOS  ANGELES 

Uptown, 
Orpheum,  Iris 

CLEVELAND 

Allen 

PHILADELPHIA 

Stanley 

ATLANTA 

Rialto 

OKLAHOMA  CITY  Center 

LITTLE  ROCK 

Center 

BOSTON 

Pilgrim 

BAY  CITY 

Washington 

LAWTON 

Ritz 

KNOXVILLE 

Riveria 

MILWAUKEE 

Alhambra 

MINNEAPOLIS 

Orpheum 

ST.  PAUL 

Orpheum 

HARTFORD 

E.  M.  Loew 

NEW  ORLEANS 

Orpheum 

BALTIMORE 

Town 

CHATTANOOGA 

State 

TULSA 

Delman 

L.  BEACH,  CAL. 

Lakewood  D.l. 
& State 

PHOENIX 

Paramount 

DENVER 

Denver 

SALT  LAKE  CITY  Lyric,  Hyland  D.I., 
Redwood  D.l. 

PORTLAND,  ORE.  Orpheum 

SEATTLE 

5th  Avenue 

LOUISVILLE 

Mary  Anderson 

SAN  FRANCISCO  St.  Francis 

TUCSON 

Paramount 

GREENSBORO 

Center 

COL.  SPRINGS 

Chief 

PASADENA 

Academy 

S.  BERNARDINO 

Ritz 

SAN  PEDRO 

Warner 

RIVERSIDE 

De  Anza 

HOT  SPRINGS 

Malco 

ABERDEEN 

Orpheum 

\ '-'H  - '3* 

r*' , 

i ' ' V.  • 


THE  BEST  HOUSES 

IN  THE  LAND 

ARE  RINGING 

THE  BELL  WITH 


\\ 


PICTURES 


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U latch  these  top  dcites  pou/i  w tc  Co&MubUv  \ 


THE  WINNERS  CIRCLE 

Pictures  which  were  reported  as  doing  above  average  business  in  key  cities  of  the 
nation  for  the  week  ended  May  12  were: 


"Searchers 9 
Opens  Big 
In  Chicaga 

CHICAGO:  The  Whitney-Warner  film, 
“The  Searchers,”  had  its  world  premiere 
here  May  16  with  star  John  Wayne  and  a 
celebrity-studded  audience  on  hand  for  the 
opening.  “The  Searchers”  is  the  seventh 
picture  to  combine  the  talents  of  star  W ayne 
and  director  John  Ford.  The  C.  \ . Whitney 
film  is  in  color  by  Technicolor  and  Vista- 
Vision.  Governor  William  G.  Stratton  of 
Illinois  was  on  hand  for  the  event,  and  pre- 
sented to  Mr.  Wayne  a special  citation  de- 
signating him  the  leading  motion  picture 
star  of  Illinois. 

This  was  Mr.  Wayne’s  first  personal  ap- 
pearance in  Chicago.  He  is  currently  mak- 
ing a joint  four-city  tour  on  behalf  of  the 
film,  which  will  take  him  to  Buffalo,  Detroit 
and  Cleveland.  Merian  C.  Cooper  is  execu- 
tive producer  of  the  film,  adapted  from  a 
novel  by  Alan  LeMay  and  filmed  on  loca- 
tion throughout  the  scenic  Monument  Valley 
area  of  Arizona  and  Utah ; Gunnison,  Col- 
orado, and  Alberta,  Canada.  Co-starring 
with  Wayne  are  Jeffrey  Hunter,  Vera  Miles, 
and  Natalie  Wood.  Ward  Bond,  who  also 
appears  in  the  film,  accompanies  Mr.  Wayne 
on  the  tour.  Also  featured  in  the  film  is 
Wayne’s  16-year-old  son,  Pat  Wayne.  The 
celebrities  were  introduced  at  a special  CBS 
broadcast  from  the  Chicago  theatre  lobby. 
They  included  Mayor  Dick  Daley  of  Chi- 
cago, Nat  “King”  Cole,  Harry  Belafonte 
and  Betty  Madigan. 

C.  V.  Whitney,  president  of  C.  V. 
Whitney  Pictures,  Inc.,  has  announced  that 
“Grass”  and  “Chang,”  two  adventure  dra- 
mas made  by  Merian  C.  Cooper  and  Ernest 
B.  Schoedsack  in  the  1920s,  will  be  filmed 
by  the  Whitney  firm.  They  will  be  the  first 
two  pictures  of  Mr.  Whitney’s  projected 
Nature  Drama  series. 

Paramount  Eastern 
Division  Meets 

BOSTON : A meeting  of  Paramount’s  east- 
ern division  was  held  here  May  14-15,  the 
company  announced.  George  Weltner,  Para- 
mount world  wide  sales  head,  presided.  This 
was  the  third  in  a series  of  seven  scheduled 
divisional  meetings  over  which  Mr.  Weltner 
is  scheduled  to  preside.  The  Boston  gather- 
ing focused  on  sales  programs  for  current 
and  forthcoming  product,  including  “The 
Ten  Commandments”  and  “War  and  Peace”, 
both  of  which  will  begin  release  in  1956. 


To  Premiere  African  Film 

“Man  of  Africa,”  produced  there  with  an 
all-native  cast  by  John  Grierson,  has  been 
acquired  for  presentation  in  the  Western 
Hemisphere  by  Eden  Distributing  Co.,  Inc. 
of  New  York,  and  will  have  its  American 
premiere  soon,  it  is  announced. 


Albany:  Alexander  the  Great  (U.A.). 

Atlanta:  Cockleshell  Heroes  (Col.);  The 
Revolt  of  Mamie  Stover  (20th-Fox) ; 
Rock  Around  the  Clock  (Col.) ; Trib- 
ute to  a Bad  Man  (MGM). 

Baltimore:  Birds  and  the  Bees  (Par.)  ; 
Jubal  (Col.) ; Meet  Me  in  Las  Vegas 
(MGM). 

Boston:  Godzilla,  King  of  the  Monsters 
(Embassy);  Meet  Me  in  Las  Vegas 
(MGM). 

Buffalo:  Birds  and  the  Bees  (Par.)  ; The 
Harder  They  Fall  (Col.);  The  Revolt 
of  Mamie  Stover  (20th-Fox). 

Chicago:  The  Last  Hunt  (MGM)  2nd 
week;  Meet  Me  in  Las  Vegas  (MGM) 
4th  week. 

Cleveland:  Autumn  Leaves  (Col.); 

Samurai  (Fine  Arts)  ; Tribute  to  a 
Bad  Man  (MGM). 

Columbus:  The  Man  in  the  Gray  Flan- 
nel Suit  (20th-Fox)  2nd  week. 

Denver:  Forbidden  Planet  (MGM)  ; Gaby 
(MGM)  2nd  week;  Letters  from  My 
Windmill  (Tohan)  2nd  week;  Miracle 
in  the  Rain  (W.B.) ; Samurai  (Fine 
Arts ) . 

Des  Moines:  The  Revolt  of  Mamie  Stover 
(20th-Fox). 

Detroit:  Alexander  the  Great  (U.A.)  ; 
The  Harder  They  Fall  (Col.). 

Hartford:  Birds  and  the  Bees  (Par.); 
Diabolique  (UMPO)  3rd  week;  The 
Harder  They  Fall  (Col.) ; The  Man  in 
the  Gray  Flannel  Suit  (20th-Fox)  4th 
week;  Serenade  (W.B.)  ; The  Swan 
(MGM)  2nd  week. 

Indianapolis:  The  Bold  and  the  Brave 
(RKO)  ; The  Revolt  of  Mamie  Stover 
(20th-Fox) . 

Jacksonville:  Birds  and  the  Bees  (Par.); 
Comanche  (U.A.)  ; Patterns  (U.A.)  ; 
Tribute  to  a Bad  Man  (MGM). 


UP  A Opens  New 
Studio  in  London 

Stephen  Bosustow,  president  of  UPA 
Pictures,  Inc.,  announces  that  UPA,  Ltd.,  a 
European  branch,  is  officially  established  in 
London  and  is  starting  production  on  its 
first  animated  television  spot.  The  new 
studio,  headed  by  Leo  Salkin,  UPA  Bur- 
bank director,  will  house  a staff  of  20 
Britons  and  Americans.  Mr.  Bosustow  re- 
turned from  a month’s  visit  to  Europe  to  be 
present  with  vice-president  Don  McCormick 
at  the  formal  opening  of  UPA’s  expanded 
studio  facilities  in  New  York.  UPA  in  New 
York  is  primarily  involved  in  television  com- 
mercial production. 


Memphis:  The  Bold  and  the  Brave 

(RKO) ; Jubal  (Col.). 

Miami:  The  Revolt  of  Mamie  Stover 
(20th-Fox) . 

Milwaukee:  Alexander  the  Great  (U.A.)  ; 
The  Man  With  the  Golden  Arm 
(U.A.)  3rd  week;  Meet  Me  in  Las 
Vegas  (MGM). 

Minneapolis:  The  Man  in  the  Gray 

Flannel  Suit  (20th-Fox)  2nd  week. 

New  Orleans:  Alexander  the  Great 

(U.A.) ; Anything  Goes  (Par.);  The 
Harder  They  Fall  (Col.)  ; Hilda  Crane 
(20th-Fox) ; Slightly  Scarlet  (RKO). 

Oklahoma  City:  Birds  and  the  Bees 

(Par.)  ; Gaby  (MGM)  2nd  week;  The 
Harder  They  Fall  (Col.);  The  Lady- 
killers  (Cont.)  2nd  week;  The  Maver- 
ick Queen  (Rep.)  2nd  week. 

Philadelphia:  Alexander  the  Great 

(U.A.)  ; Hilda  Crane  (20th-Fox)  ; The 
Man  in  the  Gray  Flannel  Suit  (20th- 
Fox)  3rd  week;  Meet  Me  in  Las  Vegas 
(MGM)  5th  week. 

Pittsburgh:  Diabolique  (UMPO)  5th 

week;  The  Harder  They  Fall  (Col.); 
The  Ladykillers  (Cont.) 

Portland:  Forbidden  Planet  (MGM)  2nd 
week;  The  Harder  They  Fall  (Col.); 
Serenade  (W.B.)  2nd  week. 

Providence:  Diabolioue  (UMPO);  The 

Man  in  the  Gray  Flannel  Suit  (20th- 
Fox)  2nd  week;  Never  Say  Goodbye 
(U-I). 

Toronto:  The  Conquerer  (RKO)  ; Hilda 
Crane  (20th-Fox)  ; The  Ladykillers 
(Cont.)  7th  week;  Oklahoma  (Magna) 
3rd  week. 

Vancouver:  The  Benny  Goodman  Story 
(U-I);  Serenade  (W.B.). 

Washington:  Comanche  (U.A.)  ; Hilda 

Crane  (20th-Fox) ; Meet  Me  in  Las 
Vegas  (MGM);  Picnic  (Col.)  12th 
week. 


Abe  Dickstein  Again 
Heads  UJA  in  New  York 

Abe  Dickstein,  Atlantic  District  manager 
of  exchanges  for  20th  Century-Fox,  is  again 
chairman  of  the  United  Jewish  Appeal  of 
Greater  New  York  for  a drive  among  ex- 
change employees  and  executives,  UJA  an- 
nounces. The  United  Jewish  Appeal  of 
Greater  New  York  is  the  sole  fund-raising 
agency  in  the  metropolitan  area  for  the 
United  Israel  Appeal,  the  Joint  Distribution 
Committee  (including  ORT),  the  New  York 
Association  for  New  Americans,  the  Na- 
tional Jewish  Welfare  Board,  and  the  Amer- 
ican Jewish  Congress.  The  New  York 
UJA’s  fund  goal  is  $109,205,000. 


42 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  MAY  19,  1956 


Johnston  to 
England  on 
Problems 

Eric  Johnston,  president  of  the  Motion 
Picture  Association  of  America,  plans  to 
visit  London,  possibly  in  June,  to  discuss 
British  and  American  film  problems,  accord- 
ing to  Sir  Tom  O’Brien,  labor  member  of 
the  British  Parliament  and  general  secretary 
of  the  National  Association  of  Theatrical 
and  Kinematograph  Employees.  Sir  Tom 
revealed  that  Mr.  Johnston  had  told  him  of 
his  intended  visit,  which  will  include  other 
European  capitals  as  well.  Sir  Tom  also 
said  he  had  held  informal  talks  with  Richard 
Walsh,  IATSE  president,  and  had  invited 
Mr.  Walsh  to  visit  London  for  further  talks 
on  common  labor  problems. 

Noting  that  he  welcomed  Mr.  Johnston’s 
planned  London  visit,  Mr.  O'Brien  said  that 
talks  there  will  be  formal.  He  acknowledged 
the  London  talks  could  be  construed  as  pre- 
liminary conferences  for  the  projected  Fall 
negotiations  for  renewal  of  the  Anglo-Amer- 
ican pact. 

Sir  Tom  forecast  that  pact  talks  would 
be  “unusually  difficult”  in  the  face  of  what 
he  termed  pressures  in  Parliament  to  in- 
crease the  quota  for  British  films  as  well 
as  pressures  to  lessen  the  number  of  Amer- 
ican film  imports  to  save  dollars.  He 
added : “I  personally  have  a great  sympathy 
with  the  Herculean  task  that  will  confront 
Eric  Johnston  when  these  talks  take  place.” 
Sir  Tom  criticized  the  disparity  in  the  re- 
spective playing  time  occupied  by  the  films 
of  Britain  and  the  United  States.  He  said 
that  British  films  occupy  less  than  two  per 
cent  of  the  playing  time  in  American  thea- 
tres, while  United  States  pictures  have  80 
per  cent  of  the  playing  time  in  Britain.  He 
added  that  there  will  be  pressure  on  any 
British  Government  to  try  to  remedy  this 
situation. 

Todon  Schedules  Eight 
Films  Over  12  Months 

Todon  Productions  will  invest  a total  of 
$9,250,000  in  the  filming  of  eight  features 
within  the  next  12  months,  the  company  an- 
nounces. Owned  by  Tony  Owen  and  Donna 
Reed,  the  company  already  has  six  of  the 
eight  story  properties  in  various  stages  of 
pre-production  activity  with  two  set  to  roll 
this  summer.  Todon  currently  has  five 
features  in  release  in  the  United  States  and 
global  markets. 

Clampett  Plans  Film 

Robert  Clampett  and  his  wife,  Sody,  plan 
a motion  picture  production  to  star  “Cecil 
the  Seasick  Sea  Serpent.”  “Beany,”  “Willie 
the  Wolf,”  and  other  Clampett-created  pup- 
pet and  cartoon  characters  of  radio  and  TV. 
Mr.  Clampett’s  recently-formed  Clampet- 
Toon  Commercials,  Inc.  will  finance  the 
projected  film  in  wide  screen  and  color. 


David  A.  Lipton,  Universal  vice-president, 
arrived  in  New  York  this  week  for  con- 
ferences with  home  office  executives.  He 
discussed  final  promotional  plans  on 
“Away  All  Boats”  and  “Toy  Tiger.” 

G.  J.  Hessick  has  been  appointed  manager 
of  National  Theatre  Supply  in  Los  An- 
geles, succeeding  M.  B.  Smith,  who  re- 
signed. He  joined  National  in  1941. 

Frank  S.  Daniel  has  been  appointed  spe- 
cial representative  in  Austria  for  Republic 
Pictures  International  Corp. 


United  Artists  Holds 
"Trapeze"  Previews 

United  Artists  is  flying  135  newspaper, 
magazine  and  TV-radio  representatives  from 
30  cities  to  three  special  press  previews  of 
the  Hecht-Lancaster  CinemaScope  produc- 
tion of  “Trapeze”  in  New  York,  Chicago 
and  Los  Angeles,  it  is  announced  by  Roger 
H.  Lewis,  United  Artists  national  director 
of  advertising,  publicity  and  exploitation. 
The  advance  showings,  designed  to  hypo  pre- 
opening publicity  in  the  current  “Trapeze” 
promotional  campaign,  were  launched  in 
New  York  with  a press  preview  at  the  Vic- 
toria theatre.  The  Los  Angeles  preview  is 
set  for  May  23  at  the  Academy  theatre  for 
press  representatives  from  the  local  area  and 
also  San  Francisco,  Portland,  Seattle,  San 
Diego  and  Salt  Lake  City.  A press  showing 
on  the  same  date  at  the  Esquire  theatre  in 
Chicago  will  be  attended  by  newsmen  from 
Dallas,  Kansas  City,  Cleveland,  Detroit, 
Indianapolis,  and  other  points.  Newspaper 
and  magazine  reviewers  and  editors  from 
key  publications  across  the  country  were 
represented  at  the  New  \ ork  showing. 

“Trapeze”  will  have  its  New  York  pre- 
miere at  the  Capitol  theatre  June  4,  United 
Artists  announces.  The  red-carpet  opening 
will  be  attended  by  Lancaster,  Curtis  and 
Sir  Carol  Reed,  who  directed  the  film.  James 
Hill,  the  producer,  and  Harold  Hecht  are 
also  expected  to  attend. 

King  Brothers  Plan 
Television  Series 

HOLLYWOOD:  The  newly-formed  tele- 
vision department  of  the  King  Brothers  has 
completed  final  preparation  for  its  inaugural 
series,  “The  Adventures  of  Sinbad  the 
Sailor.”  The  pilot  film  has  a script  by  Fred 
Frank,  co-author  of  "The  Greatest  Show  on 
Earth,”  “The  Ten  Commandments”  and 
“Samson  and  Delilah.”  Photography  is  by 
Jack  Cardiff,  who  did  “The  Red  Shoes.” 
Location  filming  starts  June  5 on  location  in 
Persia  and  Turkey,  with  Kurt  Neumann  di- 
recting. Associate  producer  is  Barry  Crane. 


George  Ettinger,  television  and  radio  man- 
ager for  Columbia  Pictures  for  nearly  18 
years,  resigned  last  week. 

Arnold  Eisen,  head  of  Massachusetts  the- 
atres for  the  B & Q circuit,  Boston,  since 
1944,  has  resigned  to  become  general  man- 
ager of  the  southern  office  of  Harry 
Walker  talent  agency  with  headquarters 
in  Miami  Beach,  Fla. 

Dave  Harris  has  been  appointed  amusement 
editor  of  the  Atlanta  Journal  replacing 
Jon  Barnes,  now  public  relations  man  with 
the  Dinkler-Plaza  Hotel,  Atlanta. 

Texas  Mieatl 
Censor  Asks 
End  of  Tax 

DALLAS : A resolution  favoring  the  elimi- 
nation of  the  Federal  admissions  tax  has 
been  forwarded  to  Texas  Congressmen  by 
Mrs.  Roderic  B.  Thomas,  president  of  the 
Dallas  Motion  Picture  Board  of  Review. 
She  said  the  board  unanimously  adopted  the 
resolution  after  careful  study  of  the  tax 
question  showed  the  industry  must  have  relief. 

Also,  in  a letter  to  the  presidents  of  the 
National  Federation  of  Motion  Picture  Re- 
view Boards  throughout  the  country,  Mrs. 
Thomas  urged  that  the  resolution  be  adopted 
and  submitted  to  their  Congressmen  in  sup- 
port of  the  tax  campaign. 

The  resolution  read  in  part : “The  Dallas 
Motion  Picture  Board  of  Review  is  deeply 
concerned  with  the  present  plight  of  the 
motion  picture  industry,  particularly  the  ex- 
hibitors in  the  United  States.  Approximately 
10,900  of  the  19,200  theatres  are  in  some 
form  of  distress.  About  27  per  cent  are  now 
operating  in  the  red,  and  about  29  per  cent 
are  approaching  the  break-even  point.  This 
situation  has  developed  during  a period  of 
record-breaking  prosperity  and  profit  for 
nearly  every  other  major  industry.  . . . Un- 
less tax  relief  is  forthcoming,  many  more 
suburban  and  small  town  theatres  will  be 
forced  to  close.  It  will  be  recalled  that  the 
20  per  cent  Federal  admissions  tax  was 
largely  responsible  for  the  closing  of  more 
than  6,000  theatres  between  1946-1954.” 


Garfman  Heads  Drive 

Harry  Garfman,  Brooklyn  and  Queens 
business  representative  of  Local  306,  Moving 
Picture  Machine  Operators,  has  been  named 
chairman  of  the  motion  picture  industry  divi- 
sion of  the  drive  conducted  by  the  Cystic 
Fibrosis  Association. 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  MAY  19,  1956 


43 


ow  that  Howard  Hughes'  The  Conqueror 
as  been  launched  and  is  heading  for  the 
greatest  gross  in  RKO's  history  . . . the 
combined  promotion  forces  of  RKO  are 
being  focussed  on  Edmund  Grainger's 
"GREAT  DAY  IN  THE  MORNING" 

FIRST  TAR  GET... The  Big  Denver 
-Salt  Lake  Area  Premiere  May  16-17, 
embracing  more  than  100  theatres  in 
five  states  . . . backed  by  a tremendous 
National  Campaign  with  coast-to-coast 
TV  and  Mutual  network  promotion. 

WATCH  IT  GO! 

R K 

JO 

PICTURES 


THE  BUGLE  BLAST  THAT 
ECHOED  THROUGH  HISTORY! 


I 


From  Robert  Hardy  Andrews' 
Civil  War  best-seller  that 
thrilled  all  America! 

EDMUND  GRAINGER  presents 


Distributed  by 

Produced  by  EDMUND  GRAINGER  RADIO 


RAYMOND  BURR  led 


SAMUELS 


GORDON 


REGIS  TOOMEY 


Directed  by  JACQUES  TOURNEUR 


Screenplay  by  LESSER 


■R 


Motra  A.ilied 
in  Xteetiny 

OMAHA : The  Allied  Independent  Theatre 
Owners  of  Iowa  and  Nebraska,  at  the  con- 
cluding session  of  its  meeting  here,  offered 
several  resolutions  designed  for  considera- 
tion by  the  distributors.  These  were: 
"Given  an  adequate  supply  of  suitable 
pictures  to  be  played  on  availability  at  prices 
they  can  afford,  the  exhibitors  can  and 
will  win  back  their  audiences. 

"\\  e recognize  that  the  existing  acute 
film  shortage  is  the  basic  evil  in  the  business 
today  and  we  recommend  to  the  Attorney 
General  and  to  the  Senate  Select  Committee 
on  Small  Business  that  the  so-called  di- 
vorced circuits  be  permitted  to  engage  in 
the  production  and  distribution  of  films 
under  such  reasonable  terms  and  conditions 
as  will  prevent  any  recurrence  of  former 
monopolistic  acts  and  practices  and  at  the 
same  time  not  discourage  the  circuits  from 
bringing  additional  product  into  the  market. 

"That  we  petition  the  Attorney  General 
for  a more  forceful  and  vigilant  policy  by 
the  anti-trust  division  of  the  Department  of 
Justice  in  policing  and  assuring  compliance 
with  the  decrees  in  the  Paramount  case, 
particularly  as  regards  the  pre-releasing  of 
pictures,  the  forced  raising  of  admission 
prices,  unreasonable  clearances  and  unrea- 
sonable delayed  availabilities  on  top  quality 


Kelly  Wedding  Film 
Released  by  MGM 

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer  is  currently  dis- 
tributing a documentary  featurette,  “The 
Wedding  in  Monaco.”  covering  the  marriage 
of  Grace  Kelly  and  Prince  Rainier.  Filmed 
in  CinemaScope  and  color,  the  30-minute 
film  was  produced  by  Cital  Monaco  at  the 
request  of  Prince  Rainier  and  with  the  co- 
operation of  the  Compagnie  Francais  de 
Films.  The  religious  and  civil  ceremonies, 
views  of  Monaco,  including  the  palace  and 
the  inhabitants,  are  on  view  in  the  film. 


Drive-in  Refurbished 

JACKSONVILLE,  FLA.:  The  Normandy 
Twin  Open  Air  Theatre  here  has  been  com- 
pletely modernized  over  the  past  few  months, 
manager  Jim  Corey  announces.  The  drive-in 
was  acquired  by  Loew’s  Theatres  in  June 
1955,  and  300  additional  in-car  speakers 
have  been  added,  along  with  new  concession 
facilities  and  an  emergency  power  unit. 


pictures  needed  to  attract  patrons  into  the 
theatres.” 

Reelected  at  the  meeting  were  all  officers, 
including  Leo  Wolcott,  chairman  of  the 
board;  A1  Myrick,  president;  Jim  Watts, 
Harold  Struve,  Lester  Vesteeg  and  A.  B. 
Jefferis,  vice-presidents;  Charles  Jones, 
secretary;  Elmer  Huhnke,  treasurer,  and 
Robert  Krueger,  executive  vice-president. 


it  HO  Library 
in  40  Spats 

The  RKO  Radio  Pictures  film  library, 
acquired  by  Matty  Fox’s  C & C Television 
Corp.  for  release  to  television  in  the  U.  S. 
and  Canada,  already  has  been  sold  in  40  of 
the  242  TV  markets,  according  to  a C & C 
Television  official.  He  indicated  that  thus 
far  the  company  has  realized  a “profit  close 
to  $4,000,000.”  The  library  of  750  features 
and  924  short  subjects  was  acquired  for 
$15,200,000  of  which  $12,200,000  was  paid 
immediately  with  the  balance  to  be  paid 
within  three  years. 

Mr.  Fox  had  previously  announced  that 
the  entire  RKO  film  library  would  be  sold 
in  one  package  in  deals  with  LT.  S.  and 
Canadian  TV  stations  and  networks,  under 
which  purchasers  will  own  the  rights  to  each 
film  permanently. 

Meanwhile,  E.  H.  Ezzes,  C & C TV  vice- 
president  and  general  sales  manager,  an- 
nounced that  Jerome  M.  Weisfeldt,  veteran 
film  salesman,  has  been  added  to  the  com- 
pany’s sales  force. 


RKO  to  Release  "Vault" 

RKO  Radio  Pictures  will  release  the 
Wayne-Fellows  production,  “Man  in  the 
Vault.”  according  to  Walter  Branson,  vice- 
president  in  charge  of  world  distribution. 


COLUMBIA  PICTURES  ANNOUNCES  THAT  PRINTS  OF  THE  FOLLOWING 
PICTURES  ARE  NOW  AVAILABLE  IN  OUR  EXCHANGES  FOR  SCREENING 

VICTOR  JANET 
MATURE  • LEIGH 

„,J0HN  JUSTIN -ROLAND  CULVER 

LIAM  REDMOND  . EARL  CAMERON  - ORLANDO  MARTINS 
Screenplay  by  ANTHONY  VEILLER  . Directed  by  TERENCE  YOUNG 
Produced  by  IRVING  ALLEN  and  ALBERT  R.  BROCCOLI 
A WARWICK  Production 

Cl— I 1 Nl fv/i /v *--«< — r*>P^  • Color  by  TECHNICOLOR 

Laurence  HARVEY-Anthony  STEEL 
James  Robertson  JUSTICE 

A ZOLTAN  KORDA  Production 

Storm 
tSe  Nile 

introducing 

Mary  UREwUh  GEOFFREY  KEEN  . RONALD  LEWIS  • IAN  CARMICHAEL 

Screenplay  by  R.  C.  SHERRIFF  • From  a Novel  by  A.  E.  W.  MASON 
Directed  by  TERENCE  YOUNG  and  ZOLTAN  KORDA  • Produced  by  ZOLTAN  KORDA 

C ~ 1 |Sj fiv/i . Color  by  TECHNICOLOR 

Secret  oaTreasure 

mountain  . 

| starring 

VALERIE  FRENCH -RAYMOND  BURR 
WILLIAM  PRINCE-LANCE  FULLER 

ory  and  Screen  Play  by  DAVID  LANG  • Produced  by  WALLACE  MecDONALD  • Directed  by  SEYMOUR  FRIEDMAN 

45 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  MAY  19.  1956 


Man  becomes  own  best  friend 


Simple  enough,  nowadays — even  when  it’s  color! 
For  with  today’s  precision  equipment,  effects 
such  as  this  are  merely  a matter  of  complete 
co-ordination  of  production  and  processing  . . . 
plus  over-all  expert  technical  know-how. 

Here  is  the  result  of  constant  exploration  . . . 
with  finer,  more  versatile  picturemaking  the  goal. 

To  aid  the  industry  in  attaining  its  ultimate  the 
Eastman  Technical  Service  for  Motion  Picture 
Film  maintains  branches  in  strategic  areas. 
Inquiries  invited. 


Address:  Motion  Picture  Film  Department 

EASTMAN  KODAK  COMPANY 

Rochester  4,  N.  Y. 


East  Coast  Division  Midwest  Division  West  Coast  Division 

342  Madison  Avenue  137  North  Wabash  Avenue  6706  Santa  Monica  Blvd. 
New  York  17,  N.  Y.  Chicago  2,  Illinois  Hollywood  38,  Calif. 


y* « 


ALBANY 

Delay  in  releasing  product  following  the 
peak  of  national  exploitation,  and  also  in 
dating  it,  has  contributed  to  recent  unsatis- 
factory box  office  response,  several  informed 
exhibitor  sources  said  here  recently.  . . . 
Acquisition  by  Jules  Perlmutter  of  the  lease 
on  Star-Lit  drive-in,  Watertown — operated 
last  season  by  Joseph  C.  Agresta,  of  Mas- 
sena — gives  the  Albanian  four  outdoor  the- 
atres. The  others  are  in  Lake  George  Vil- 
lage, Corinth  and  Richmondville.  Perlmut- 
ter, who  will  reopen  400-car  Star-Lit  May 
25,  also  runs  conventional  theatres  in  six 
communities.  . . . Sylvester  Albano  is  con- 
structing a drive-in  outside  Ravena.  . . . 
Variety  Club  will  co-sponsor  the  eastern 
finals  for  U.  S.  Olympics  boxing  team  at 
Hawkins  Stadium  August  22-23,  for  Camp 
Thacher.  . . . Norman  Weitman,  Universal 
manager,  is  arranging  a sneak  preview  of 
“Away  All  Boats,”  to  which  Navy  recruiters 
will  be  invited. 

ATLANTA 

Bailey  Theatres,  with  headquarters  in 
Atlanta,  has  purchased  from  the  Talgar 
Theatres  of  Jacksonville,  Fla.,  the  Twinkle 
Star  drive-in,  Auburndale,  Fla.  . . . S.  E. 
Britton,  Florida  theatre  owner,  will  open  a 
new  conventional  theatre  in  Tampa  about 
August  16.  It  will  be  named  the  Britton 
and  will  have  1,925  seats.  . . . The  Palace 
theatre,  Jacksonville,  Fla.,  for  27  years  an 
entertainment  landmark,  is  being  razed  to 
make  way  for  a parking  lot  to  serve  sev- 
eral other  houses  owned  by  Florida  State 
Theatres.  . . . Charlie  Lester,  southern  dis- 
trict manager  for  National  Screen  Service, 
was  off  on  a trip  to  Memphis.  . . . Florida 
Theatres  has  closed  the  Brentwood  theatre, 
Jacksonville,  and  Crescent  Amusement  Co., 
Nashville,  has  closed  the  Best,  Palaski, 
Tenn.  . . . Robert  Coxe,  for  the  past  several 
years  manager  of  the  Broadway  drive-in, 
Talladega,  Ala.,  has  been  transferred  as 
manager  of  the  Ritz,  same  city.  . . . C.  L. 
King,  manager  of  the  State  theatre,  Plant 
City,  Fla.,  has  returned  to  his  home  in 
Plant  City  after  a stay  in  the  hospital  in 
Lakeland. 

BALTIMORE 

George  Gobel,  escorted  by  a Paramount 
exploiteer,  stopped  off  in  town  for  a quick 
breakfast  with  press,  radio  and  TV  person- 
nel on  behalf  of  his  picture  “Birds  and 
Bees.”.  . . Jake  Flax,  Republic  branch  man- 
ager, is  back  in  Hopkins  Hospital  on  Mar- 
burg Ward.  ...  Ira  Sichelman,  20th  Cen- 
tury-Fox branch  manager,  in  town  visiting 
accounts.  . . . The  5-West,  newest  of  the 
art  theatres  in  the  Schwaber  Circuit,  is 
scheduled  to  open  May  24.  This  brings  the 
number  to  three  of  this  particular  type  the- 
atre, the  other  two  being  the  Playhouse  and 
the  Cinema.  . . . The  Ritz  theatre  has  closed. 

. . . Durkee  Circuit  has  re-seated  the  Am- 
bassador and  Grand  theatres  with  reclining 
chairs.  . . . Dick  Dizon,  Hiway  manager 
visiting  in  Atlantic  City. 


BOSTON 

Arnold  Eisen,  general  manager  of  B & Q 
Theatres  for  Massachusetts  since  1944,  has 
left  his  job  to  head  the  southern  operation 
of  Harry  Walker  Talent  Agency  with  of- 
fices in  Miami,  effective  July  1.  No  replace- 
ment has  been  announced,  but  there  will 
be  a change  in  policy.  Larry  Lapidus  will 
come  up  from  New  Jersey  to  head  buying 
and  booking  for  the  Massachusetts  area  from 
the  Boston  office.  It  previously  was  handled 
out  of  New  Haven.  . . . Complete  stereo- 
phonic sound  equipment  has  been  installed 
by  owner  and  operator  Benjamin  Sack  in 
his  Beacon  Hill  theatre,  one  of  Boston’s 
best  known  art  houses.  First  offering  is 
Metro’s  “Wedding  in  Monaco.”  . . . James 
Velde,  UA’s  newly  appointed  general  sales 
manager,  was  introduced  to  60  exhibitors 
and  circuit  heads  at  a luncheon  at  Boston’s 
Sheraton-Plaza,  May  10.  Accompanying 
him  were  John  Turner  and  Milton  Cohen 
of  the  New  York  UA  office.  . . . The  Alamo 
theatre  of  Bucksport,  Maine,  gave  its  last 
show  May  5.  The  building  will  become  a 
supermarket. 

BUFFALO 

George  H.  Mackenna,  general  manager, 
Basil’s  Lafayette,  has  been  elected  president 
of  the  Buffalo  Business  Federation.  Mac- 
kenna also  is  president  of  the  Main  Street 
Association  and  an  officer  in  several  other 
organizations.  . . . A1  Becker  Jr.,  has  re- 
signed as  an  officer  of  Foundaton  Theatre, 
Inc.,  formed  to  save  the  Erlanger  for  legi- 
timate productions.  Becker  was  slated  to 
be  manager  of  the  Erlanger  when  Founda- 
tion took  it  over  on  July  1.  The  Erlanger 
was  sold  by  Dipson  Theatres  of  Batavia  to 
Issac  Gordon  of  Batavia  several  months  ago 
and  Gordon  had  planned  to  raze  the  build- 
ing and  make  a parking  lot  on  the  site.  The 
future  of  the  Erlanger  is  still  problematical. 

. . . Elmer  F.  Lux,  chief  barker,  Variety 
Club,  installed  the  new  1956  officers  of  the 
Women’s  League  of  the  club  Thursday 
evening,  May  17  in  the  headquarters  of 
Tent  7 on  Delaware  Avenue.  A large  crowd 
was  on  hand  to  applaud  the  outgoing  crew. 

. . . Chris  Pope,  Buffalo  and  Albany  area 
booker  for  the  Schine  circuit,  was  in  Buf- 
falo last  week  on  a booking  trip  and  visits 
with  old  acquaintances  along  Film  and  First 
Run  Row. 

CHICAGO 

Duke  Shumow  has  taken  over  the  Em- 
bassy and  will  remodel  it  for  early  reopen- 
ing. Shumow,  who  recently  took  over  the 
Brandt  and  Liberty,  some  time  ago  mod- 
ernized the  DeLuxe  and  subsequently  sold 
it  to  Van  Nomikos,  owner  of  a chain.  . . . 
Charles  Nesbitt,  co-manager  at  the  Chicago 
theatre,  left  the  city  for  a vacation.  During 
his  absence,  Jerry  Cohen  is  taking  over  his 
chores.  . . . Harold  Hamilton,  just  back 
from  a tour  with  the  Air  Force,  has  been 
named  assistant  manager  at  the  Roosevelt. 

. . . The  English  Speaking  Union  has  ar- 
ranged a benefit  show  at  the  Esquire,  and 
will  time  it  with  the  premiere  of  “Lady 


Killers.”  May  26  the  Daughters  of  the 
British  Empire  will  stage  a benefit  show 
at  the  Surf.  . . . "Trapeze”  will  be  screened 
for  the  trade  at  the  Esquire  on  May  22.  . . . 
Filmack  Trailer  Company  is  producing  a 
“Hot  Dog  Month”  30-second  trailer  which 
Tee-Pak,  Inc.,  sponsor  of  National  Hoi 
Dog  Month  in  July,  is  purchasing  in  quan- 
tities to  be  sold  to  local  packers  on  a self- 
liquidating  basis  at  several  dollars  each.  . . . 
Pat  O’Brien  arrived  here  to  address  the 
Petroleum  Club.  From  here  he  went  to 
Milwaukee,  his  “home  town,”  where  he  was 
honored  as  “the  Wisconsin  entertainer  of 
the  year.”  . . . Plans  for  a $400,000  outdoor 
theatre  in  the  vicinity  of  O’Hare  Airport 
have  been  abandoned  by  the  owners,  Michael 
A.  Reese  and  Sam  Shiner.  . . . Herschel  R. 
Spencer,  for  many  years  with  Y & W Man- 
agement Corp.,  Indianapolis,  is  now  man- 
aging the  North  Kokomo  drive-in  theatre, 
Indiana  for  Alliance  Amusement  Corp., 
Chicago. 

CLEVELAND 

June  18  is  the  date  set  for  the  industry’s 
farewell  testimonial  dinner  to  be  held  in 
the  Cleveland  Hotel  for  Morris  Lefko  who 
recently  resigned  as  RKO  district  manager 
to  join  Paramount  as  special  representa- 
tive handling  sale  of  “Ten  Commandments” 
and  “War  and  Peace”  with  headquarters 
in  New  York.  Prior  to  his  leaving  Cleve- 
land last  week,  the  local  office  personnel 
presented  him  with  an  Omega  wrist  watch. 
. . . Abe  Schwartz,  one  of  the  Lexington 
theatre  owners,  is  convalescing  from  an  ill- 
ness in  Mt.  Sinai  Hospital.  . . . Mrs.  Harris 
Harris,  who  closed  her  Fayette  theatre, 
Fayette  on  account  of  illness,  has  recovered 
and  reopened  the  house.  . . . Kenneth  Sun- 
shine, son  of  A1  Sunshine  of  Advanads, 
Inc.,  was  confirmed  May  16  in  the  Euclid 
Ave.  Temple.  . . . R.  Ulmer  will  inaugurate 
a midweek  art  policy  in  his  State  theatre, 
North  Canton,  and  if  successful  will  extend 
the  policy.  . . . Tom  Simon  of  the  Shea 
organization  has  been  transferred  from  Man- 
chester, N.  H.,  to  the  State  theatre,  Con- 
neaut,  succeeding  Lee  McFerren.  . . . Al- 
lied Artists  office  and  sales  personnel  turned 
the  spotlight  May  10  on  Sam  Schultz, 
branch  manager,  in  a surprise  ice  cream- 
and-cake  birthday  party.  . . . Herbert  Hor- 
stemeier  is  buying  and  booking  for  the 
Harbor  theatre,  Ashtabula  Harbor. 

COLUMBUS 

Lillian  Gish,  seen  currently  at  the  In- 
dianola  art  house  in  D.  W.  Griffith’s  “Birth 
of  a Nation,”  was  a Columbus  visitor,  mak- 
ing several  radio  and  TV  appearances  and 
being  interviewed  by  the  press.  . . . Harry 
Aitken,  who  financed  “Birth  of  a Nation” 
with  his  brother  Roy,  also  was  a Columbus 
guest  during  running  of  the  picture.  Now 
nearing  80,  Aitken  was  brought  here  by 
Don  Faught,  distributor  of  the  Griffith 
masterpiece.  . . . Mrs.  Jane  Throckmorton. 
Gem,  St.  Paris,  is  the  newest  member  of 
the  Independent  Theatre  Owners  of  Ohio, 
announced  Robert  Wile,  ITO  secretary.  . . . 

( Continued  on  opposite  page ) 


48 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  MAY  19,  1956 


( Continued  from  opposite  page ) 
Sheldon  Reynolds,  32-year-old  producer, 
director  and  writer  of  United  Artists’ 
“Foreign  Intrigue”  is  slated  to  come  to 
Columbus  for  interviews  in  advance  of  open- 
ing of  the  film  May  30  at  Loew’s  Broad. 
. . . Walter  Kessler,  manager  of  Loew’s 
Ohio,  was  a judge  in  the  annual  May  Week 
float  parade  on  the  Ohio  State  University 
campus.  Trophy  sponsored  by  Fredric 
March,  seen  in  United  Artists’  “Alexander 
the  Great,”  was  presented  to  the  winning 
entry.  . . . “The  Man  in  the  Gray  Flannel 
Suit”  is  proving  to  be  one  of  the  top  box 
office  draws  of  the  spring  season.  The  20th 
Century-Fox  film  moved  to  RKO  Grand  for 
a third  week  after  two  big  weeks  at  RKO 
Palace. 

DENVER 

George  Gobel  was  here  to  deliver  the 
keynote  speech  at  a Y.M.C.A.  drive  kickoff, 
and  to  appear  at  the  opening  of  “Birds  and 
Bees”  at  the  Denham.  . . . Mrs.  Alda  S. 
Emerson,  64,  mother  of  Joseph  C.  Emer- 
son, RKO  branch  manager  in  San  Fran- 
cisco, was  killed  in  an  auto  accident  in  Utah 
while  she  was  going  on  a visit  to  her  son. 
. . . A.  P.  (Tony)  Archer,  president  of 
Civic  Theatres,  and  Mrs.  Archer  are  on  a 
Mediterranian  cruise.  . . . Frank  H.  Ricket- 
son,  Jr.,  Fox  Inter-Mountain  Theatres 
president,  to  Los  Angeles  on  business.  . . . 
Lucille  Rice,  wife  of  Harold  Rice,  Fox 
Inter-Mountain  Theatres  district  manager, 
suffered  a brain  concussion  when  she  fell 
from  a stepladder,  and  was  taken  to  a hos- 
pital. . . . Fox  Inter-Mountain  Theatres  has 
booked  “The  Boy  Friend,”  stage  show,  into 
the  Denver  June  19-23,  for  seven  shows. 
. . . Lou  Astor,  Columbia  sales  executive, 
N.  Y.,  and  Wayne  Ball,  district  manager, 
Los  Angeles,  were  in.  . . . Allied  Rocky 
Mountain  Independent  Theatres  have  set 
directors  meeting  at  Denver  headquarters 
June  5,  with  all  members  invited.  It  is  to 
take  place  of  the  annual  convention. 

DES  MOINES 

Bob  Thomas,  operator  of  the  Orpheum 
theatre  at  Strawberry  Point,  has  applied  a 
“do-it-yourself”  policy  to  the  improvements 
at  his  theatre  and  as  a result  has  provided 
his  patrons  with  an  up-to-date,  comfortable 
house.  The  theatre,  by  its  manager’s  own 
labor,  has  been  completely  insulated,  air- 
conditioned,  had  its  roof  repaired,  has  a 
new  screen  and  a new  graduated  floor.  In- 
stallation of  150  new  seats  soon  will  be  com- 
pleted. . . . Several  Iowa  drive-ins  are  in- 
stalling new  screens  and  other  new  equip- 
ment. Pioneer  theatre  manager  Art  Down- 
ard  has  installed  a screen  at  the  Corral  near 
Webster  City.  The  Marshalltown  drive-in, 
owned  by  H.  N.  Schrodt,  has  a new  screen 
and  CinemaScope  projector.  A new  screen 
has  been  erected  at  the  Corral  in  Perry.  The 
Corral  south  of  Moline  is  getting  a screen 
to  replace  one  destroyed  by  a recent  wind- 
storm. 

DETROIT 

Three  shows  will  rock  with  Elvis  Presley 
at  the  Fox  Mav  25.  One  weekend  ad  an- 
nouncing the  engagement  started  phones 
at  the  Fox  ringing  for  further  information. 
. . . The  widow  of  the  late  Glen  Beach  will 
reopen  his  Glen-Arah  theatre  at  White 
Cloud.  . . . d'lie  Perry  Yeager  and  Lloyd 
Dasey-operated  Chief  will  be  reopened  in 


Mackinaw  City.  . . . Roger  Ellul  is  man- 
aging the  Empress,  Joe  Hammond  having 
left  for  Boston.  . . . The  Saul  Korman 
Apollo  has  closed  for  remodelling.  . . . The 
Garden  is  being  reconverted  from  a church 
to  a theatre,  the  Sheridan  becomes  a church. 
. . . Peter  Iodice  has  been  elected  president 
of  the  Michigan  Theatrical  Booking  Agents 
Association  backed  by  William  O’Halloran, 
Val  Campbell  and  A1  Rice.  . . . Backroom 
service  of  the  Allied  Film  Exchange  will  be 
handled  by  National  Film  Service.  . . . Tom 
Allen’s  ulcer  having  been  dealt  with,  he  is 
now  recuperating  at  home.  . . . Frank  Shan- 
non is  now  operating  at  the  Coronet.  . . . 
The  Robert  Cox  Au  Gres  at  Au  Gres  will 
be  reopened  and  operated  by  Morris  Pom- 
nierville.  . . . Mortimer  Fox  has  been  re- 
placed at  the  Van  Dyke  by  Samuel  Cornelia. 
. . . Harvey  Trombley,  Columbia  booker, 
underwent  throat  surgery. 

HARTFORD 

A1  Schuman,  formerly  general  manager, 
Hartford  Theatre  Circuit,  and  Mrs.  Schu- 
man are  vacationing  in  Europe.  They  will 
return  to  their  Daytona  Beach,  Fla.,  home 
early  in  June.  . . . Harry  F.  Shaw,  division 
manager,  Loew’s  Poli-New  England  Thea- 
tres, Inc.,  and  Mrs.  Shaw  were  on  a cruise 
to  the  West  Indies.  . . . Judge  Joseph  A. 
Adorno,  son  of  Sal  Adorno,  Sr.,  general 
manager,  M&D  Theatres,  Middletown, 
Conn.,  has  been  elected  chairman  of  the 
Middlesex  County  Chapter,  National  Foun- 
dation for  Infantile  Paralysis.  . . . William 
F.  Murphy  of  the  Allyn  theatre,  Hartford, 
and  Mrs.  Murphy  are  parents  of  their  sec- 
ond son.  . . . Nicole  Maurey,  featured  in 
RKO's  “The  Bold  and  Brave,”  met  the 
Connecticut  press,  radio  and  TV  commenta- 
tors, prior  to  the  film’s  openings.  Joe  Longo 
of  RKO  exploitation  department  and  Barney 
Pitkin,  RKO’s  resident  manager,  set  up  in- 
terviews and  visits. 

INDIANAPOLIS 

The  Cantor  circuit  opened  “Diabolique” 
first  run  simultaneously  for  a week  at  the 
Lafayette  Road  and  Shadeland  drive-ins  and 
for  an  extended  run  at  the  Esquire,  art 
film  house.  . . . John  Woehrle  has  been  given 
a zoning  permit  to  build  a drive-in  on  his 
farm  northeast  of  Jeffersonville.  The  zon- 
ing board  there  had  turned  down  three  ap- 
plications in  the  last  few  months.  . . . War- 
ren A.  Jackson,  87,  who  owned  Muncie’s 
first  motion  picture  theatre,  died  April  19. 
He  had  been  living  in  retirement  at  Hudson, 
Wis.  . . . William  S.  Conway  has  closed  the 
Irvin  at  Cannelton  on  account  of  poor  at- 
tendance. . . . George  Mailers  has  installed 
an  85x65  screen  at  the  Sky-Vue  drive-in, 
Portland.  . . . Marc  Wolf  was  in  New  York- 
last  week  attending  the  Variety  Interna- 
tional convention.  . . . T.  O.  McCleaster. 
20th-Fox  central  division  manager,  was  here 
Thursday.  . . . A1  Hendricks,  manager  of 
the  Indiana,  drew  a full  house  for  “The 
Biggest  Rock  and  Roll  Show  of  ’56”  on 
his  stage  Thursday  night. 

JACKSONVILLE 

Newly-married  Mrs.  Wilbur  Racine  re- 
turned to  her  desk  at  20th-Fox  after  honey- 
mooning at  Niagara  Falls.  . . . Exhibitors 
here  included  B.  B.  Garner,  head  of  Talgar 
Theatres,  Lakeland ; lorn  Conner,  Golden 
Glades  drive-in.  and  Leon  Trask,  22nd  Ave. 
drive-in,  both  of  Miami;  Raymond  Mackes, 
Madison ; and  Jerry  Bender,  Brunswick,  Ga. 


. . . Calling  at  booking  offices  were  Arthur 
Davis,  Gold  Coast  Pictures,  Miami,  and 
Ernest  Gribble,  Selected  Pictures,  New 
York.  . . . Norman  Levinson,  new  MGM 
press  representative  for  Florida,  arrived 
here  after  driving  down  from  Minneapolis. 
Introducing  him  around  was  Judson  Moses, 
MGM  office,  Atlanta.  . . . K.  F.  Jackson, 
20th-Fox  office  manager  and  cashier,  left  for 
a vacation  in  Atlanta.  . . . R.  Cameron  Price, 
RKO  branch  manager,  will  head  the  Will 
Rogers  Memorial  Hospital  drive  in  Florida 
this  year.  . . . Bob  Anderson,  veteran  man- 
ager of  the  Main  Street  drive-in  theatre  will 
serve  as  chairman  of  the  Motion  Picture 
Exhibitors  of  Florida  annual  convention 
here  at  the  Roosevelt  Hotel  on  October 
28-30. 

LOS  ANGELES 

Bert  Pirosh,  National  Theatres  film  buyer, 
is  recuperating  from  minor  surgery  at  the 
Hollywood  Presbyterian  Hospital.  . . . 

( Continued  on  following  page ) 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  MAY  19,  1956 


49 


( Continued  from  preceding  page ) 
Wayne  Hanson  of  the  Southlvn  Theatres 
chain  and  his  wife  are  spending  their  vaca- 
tion in  Florida.  . . . Off  to  Manhattan  for 
a three-week  holiday  was  Harry  Goldfarb, 
National  City  exhibitor,  accompanied  by 
his  wife  and  daughter.  ...  In  town  on  one 
of  his  rare  visits  was  James  Snelson  who 
operates  the  Bagdad  theatre  in  Bagdad, 
Arizona.  Snelson  has  opened  another  the- 
atre in  the  town  of  Payson,  Ariz.,  which 
will  operate  on  weekends  only.  . . . With 
proceeds  going  to  help  finance  the  Univer- 
sity Religous  Conference  at  UCLA,  ‘'The 
Man  Who  Knew  Too  Much.”  will  be  given 
a charity  premiere  May  22  at  the  Holly- 
wood Paramount.  Stars  James  Stewart  and 
Doris  Day,  along  with  Alfred  Hitchcock, 
who  produced  and  directed  the  production, 
will  be  among  those  present.  . . . Harold 
Wirthwein,  western  sales  head  for  Allied 
Artists,  headed  for  Portland  and  Seattle 
for  branch  conferences.  . . . Leo  Adler, 
travelling  auditor  for  United  Artists, 


about  the 

BIG 

BALLYHOO 

PLANS 


checked  in  from  New  York  for  a survey 
of  local  exchange  operations.  ...  In  town 
to  buy  and  book  were  Jack  Lowenbein, 
Academy,  San  Diego,  and  Joe  Markowitz, 
LaPaloma,  Encinitas. 

MEMPHIS 

Memphis  Variety  will  join  witli  Knights 
of  Columbus  to  sponsor  a Giants-Cardinals 
baseball  game  in  Memphis  Sept.  23,  proceeds 
going  to  Variety’s  Hospital  and  St.  Jude’s 
Hospital  funds.  . . . Robbers  broke  into 
Variety  clubrooms  and  made  off  with  quite 
a few  greenbacks.  It  was  insured.  . . . Mr. 
and  Mrs.  R.  L.  Bostick,  National  Theatre 
Supply  Co.,  attended  the  Variety  sessions  in 
New  York.  . . . Savannah  theatre,  Savan- 
nah, Tenn.,  has  closed  for  the  summer.  . . . 
Mrs.  Betty  Jones  is  the  new  stenographer 
at  20th-Fox.  . . . When  “Swamp  Women,” 
came  to  Strand  theatre  this  week,  it  was 
revealed  it  was  shot  in  the  Louisiana  swamps 
by  Barner  Woolner,  former  Memphis  ex- 
hibitor, and  his  brother,  Lawrence,  New 
Orleans  theatre  man,  who  have  formed 
Woolner  Bros.  Pictures  to  produce  motion 
pictures.  . . . Clark  Shivley  and  Henley 
Smith,  partners,  have  bought  the  Folly  thea- 
tre, Marks,  Miss. 

MIAMI 

The  speed  with  which  the  new  TV  sta- 
tion WCKT  is  zooming  skyward  may  set 
new  construction  records  at  the  rate  it  is 
going.  Largest  ever  used  in  Florida  are 
the  63  foot  beams  which  form  the  roof  of 
the  main  studio.  The  building  itself  will  have 
40,000  square  feet  of  floor  space  which 
should  see  active  use  in  July  when  the 
station  is  expected  to  be  on  the  air.  . . . 
Academy  Award  winning  writer  Dan  Tara- 
dash  was  in  town  recently,  as  was  Judson 
Moses,  MGM’s  southeastern  director  of  ex- 
ploitation, who  was  introducing  Norman 
Levinson,  new  Florida  representative.  . . . 
Sympathy  was  extended  to  Herman 
(Wometco  booking  and  buying)  Silverman 
on  the  recent  death  of  his  mother  in  Chat- 
tanooga, Tenn. 

MILWAUKEE 

The  Kino  theatre,  where  German  lan- 
guage films  are  shown  here  and  which  is 
operated  by  Bernhard  Hofmann,  featured  the 
German  film  “Muenchhausen.”  The  movie, 
produced  in  color  in  Germany  by  UFA  in 
1943,  had  its  first  United  States  showing 
here.  . . . Carl  Swenson  has  closed  his  Iola 
theatre,  Iola,  Wisconsin.  ...  A.  Walters  has 
closed  his  theatre  at  Mosinee,  Wisconsin. 
. . . Mrs.  Barbara  Hanley  will  manage  the 
Coronet  theatre  here,  a new  prestige  thea- 
tre which  was  formerly  the  Hollywood.  . . . 
Mr.  George  Shepard  is  the  new  operator 
of  the  Omro  theatre,  Omro,  Wisconsin.  . . . 
The  five  drive-in  theatres  near  Milwaukee 
have  been  doing  collective  radio  advertising. 

MINNEAPOLIS 

A 5 to  4 majority  of  the  advisory  board 
on  minimum  wages  for  women  and  minors 
in  the  Minnesota  amusement  industry  is 
prepared  to  recommend  a $1  hourly  wage. 
The  recommendation  is  expected  to  arouse 
a storm  of  protest  from  operators  of  theatres 
and  other  amusement  places  covered  by  the 
order.  A final  report  by  the  hoard  is  being 
held  up  until  the  minority  decides  whether 
to  file  a dissenting  report.  . . . James  Stroud 
i>  the  new  assistant  manager  of  the  Lyceum, 


St.  Paul,  and  John  Read  is  the  new  assistant 
manager  of  the  World,  St.  Paul.  Both  houses 
are  operated  by  Ted  Mann.  . . . Burglars 
who  broke  into  the  neighborhood  Riverview 
stole  only  $25  from  coin  machines  but  dam- 
aged the  machines  to  the  extent  of  $500. 

. . . Minnesota  Amusement  Co.  has  com- 
pleted transfer  of  its  accounting  depart- 
ment from  its  Minneapolis  headquarters  to 
the  Balaban  & Katz  offices  in  Chicago. 

NEW  ORLEANS 

Joseph  Moreland  returned  to  Theatres 
Service  Company  as  assistant  to  the  general 
manager,  Page  Baker,  after  an  absence 
of  seven  or  eight  years  during  which  time 
he  was  office  manager  at  Universal.  More- 
land’s original  position  at  Theatres  Service 
was  in  the  booking  department.  . . . W.  A. 
Hodges,  president  of  Hodges  Theatre  Sup- 
ply, reports  that  they  completely  refurnished 
United  Theatres’  Carrollton  and  Beacon 
with  the  newest  in  comfort  seats.  . . . Dis- 
tributors Corporation  of  America,  with  Roy 
Nicaud  as  manager,  has  taken  office  space 
with  Harold  F.  Cohen’s  Enterprises,  which 
will  handle  the  distribution.  ...  I.  M. 
Gauthier  reopened  the  Castle,  White  Castle, 
which  had  been  closed  since  March  because 
of  the  rapid  decline  in  business  at  that  time. 

. . . Bob  Elzey,  who  has  been  counter  clerk 
at  Southeastern  Theatre  Equipment  here 
since  his  release  from  the  Navy  a few  years 
ago,  will  be  transferred  to  Atlanta  territory 
as  the  company’s  field  representative.  Don- 
ald Todaro  will  replace  him. 

OKLAHOMA  CITY 

United  Theatre  Owners  of  Oklahoma, 
Inc.,  held  their  regular  board  meeting  May 
7,  with  24  members  attending.  Mrs.  Ray 
Miller,  owner  of  the  Grotto  theatre  in  Tur- 
ley, Okla.,  was  special  guest.  Ed  Thorne, 
chairman  of  the  board,  resigned  and  Earl 
Snider,  Tulsa,  was  named  chairman.  It  was 
agreed  to  hold  regional  meetings,  the  first 
one  to  be  held  in  Tulsa  in  July.  Mr.  Snider 
was  named  general  chairman  of  this  meet- 
ing. The  next  regular  board  meeting  will 
be  held  the  first  Monday  in  June.  . . . E.  R. 
Slocum  is  going  to  Texas  on  a business 
trip  in  the  near  future.  He  will  visit  Army 
Camps  there.  . . . Plans  for  an  elaborate 
premiere  showing  of  Cinerama  with  pro- 
ceeds going  to  the  Oklahoma  City  Sym- 
phony Orchestra  and  the  Boy  Scouts  was 
announced.  The  unveiling  at  the  converted 
Warner  theatre  is  scheduled  for  the  evening 
of  May  21. 

PHILADELPHIA 

William  Goldman,  president  of  the  Wil- 
liam Goldman  Theatres,  Inc.,  was  named  by 
Mayor  Richardson  Dilworth  to  the  city’s 
Advisory  Committee  for  the  Public  Trans- 
portation Company.  . . . Louis  J.  Goffman, 
theatrical  attorney  who  headed  the  local 
Variety  Club  and  is  now  vice-president  of 
the  Variety  Club  Camp  for  Handicapped 
Children,  was  re-elected  for  a third  year  as 
president  of  the  YM  and  YWHA.  . . . 
George  Mest,  manager  of  the  Towne,  Levit- 
town,  Pa.,  staged  a special  children’s  morn- 
ing matinee  to  celebrate  the  first  anniversary 
of  the  Pomeroy  Department  Store  which 
played  host  to  the  children  attending.  . . . 
Ralph  Pries,  executive  of  the  Berio  Vending 
Company  and  former  chief  barker  of  the 
local  Variety  Club,  was  elected  a trustee  of 
( Continued  on  opposite  page) 


50 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  MAY  19,  1956 


( Continued  from  opposite  fiogc) 
the  Main  Line  Reform  Temple  of  Wynne- 
wood.  . . . Bill  Mansell,  Warner  Brothers 
district  head,  met  with  branch  heads  from 
Midwest  centers  in  Pittsburgh,  Pa.,  along 
with  division  manager  Jules  Lapidus.  . . . 
For  the  first  time  in  Reading,  Pa.,  elections, 
a candidate  for  the  State  Legislature  is  run- 
ning on  a ticket  pledged,  if  elected,  to  work 
for  legalizing  bingo  games  in  that  city.  . . . 
The  Exchange  Finance  Company,  serving 
the  industry  primarily,  announced  that  it 
will  move  its  offices  away  from  film  ex- 
change row  on  Vine  Street  to  a center-city 
location  at  1901  Market  Street.  . . . The 
Northampton  Theatre  Company,  Inc.,  took 
over  the  operation  of  the  Savoy  in  Catasau- 
qua,  Pa. 

PITTSBURGH 

“Diabolique,”  still  going  strong  in  its 
sixth  week  at  the  Squirrel  Hill,  may  yet  top 
“Marty,”  which  holds  that  house’s  record  at 
eight  weeks.  . . . “The  Prisoner”  gave  the 
Guild  a brand  new  high  formerly  held  by 
the  re-issue  of  Garbo’s  “Camille.”  . . . Crit- 
ics Karl  Krug,  Kap  Monahan  and  Harold 
Cohen  off  to  New  York  to  see  United  Art- 
ists’ “Trapeze”  and  a few  Broadway  plays. 

. . . “The  Harder  They  Fall”  which  started 
off  slowly  at  the  Harris  picked  up  enough 
momentum  to  earn  a second  week.  . . . 
Sheldon  Reynolds  due  here  late  this  month 
to  plug  his  Penn-bound  movie,  “Foreign 
Intrigue.”  . . . “Doctor  at  Sea”  and  “Lease 
for  Life”  are  on  the  Squirrel  Hill  booking 
chart.  . . . Zvi  Kolitz,  author  and  executive 
producer  of  the  Israeli-made  feature,  “Hill 
24  Doesn’t  Answer,”  addressed  a meeting  of 
the  United  Jewish  Federation.  . . . Director 
George  Sidney,  a former  Pittsburgher,  due 
here  next  month  to  plug  his  new  Columbia 
Picture,  “The  Eddy  Duchin  Story.” 

PORTLAND 

William  Thedford,  Evergreen  president, 
was  in  town  for  a few  days  to  meet  with 
Oregon  district  manager  Oscar  Nyberg  be- 
fore returning  to  his  office  in  San  Francisco. 
Also  here  was  Jim  Runte,  Evergreen  boss 
from  the  Seattle  office.  . . . M.  M.  Mesher, 
head  of  the  Portland  Paramount  theatre,  is 
back  at  his  desk  after  a brief  visit  to  Seattle. 
. . . Pat  Mannen,  Fox  theatre  employee, 
would  like  to  be  a midget  auto  race  driver. 
...  Will  Connors,  Hamrick  Theatres  ex- 
ecutive, was  in  town  from  Seattle  for  a few 
days  to  meet  with  Liberty  theatre  manager 
Will  Hudson.  . . . Actor  Thomas  Mitchell 
in  town  for  a day  to  promote  “Mayor  of  the 
Town”  seen  on  KPTV. 

PROVIDENCE 

Many  surrounding  drive-ins  have  adopted 
the  policy  of  inserting  time-tables  in  their 
newspaper  advertisements.  With  the  advent 
of  daylight  saving  time  this  is  an  important 
service,  and  much  appreciated  by  patrons. 
. . . “The  Swan”  held  for  a second  week  at 
Loew’s  State,  as  did  “The  Bed”  at  the  Avon 
Cinema.  . . . Twenty-one  surrounding 

houses,  including  first  runs  in  town,  neigh- 
borhooders,  and  drive-ins,  combined  in  of- 
fering the  first  screenings,  in  this  area,  of 
“Godzilla.”  This  is  believed  to  be  the  larg- 
est number  of  theatres  ever  to  participate  in 
a joint  exploitation,  with  theatres  represent- 
ing Pawtucket,  East  Providence,  Cranston, 
Centerdale,  East  Greenwich,  Johnston,  Ux- 


bridge, Bellingham,  No.  Smithfield  and 
Seekonk.  . . . The  McGuire  Sisters  are 
slated  to  make  a personal  appearance,  in  the 
near  future,  at  Rhodcs-On-The-Pawtuxct. 

. . . Rocky  Point  was  the  last  of  the  nearby 
amusement  parks  to  open  for  the  1956  sea- 
son. . . . E.  M.  Loew’s  Providence  drive-in 
is  attracting  good  Sunday  night  patronage 
with  their  stage  shows. 

ST.  LOUIS 

Mrs.  Frances  Blankenship  of  Columbia 
Pictures  was  hostess  at  a reception  at  the 
Hotel  Gayoso  in  Memphis,  Tenn.,  May  6, 
honoring  board  members  and  retiring  of- 
ficers of  the  Women  of  the  Motion  Picture 
Industry.  . . . Free  movies  will  be  shown 
every  Saturday  evening  in  the  City  Park  at 
Girard,  111.,  during  the  summer  months  and 
will  be  sponsored  by  the  merchants  of  Gir- 
ard. . . . The  Ski-Hi  drive-in  at  Hannibal, 
Mo.,  has  just  completed  the  installation  of 
an  enlarged  screen.  Children  under  12  are 
admitted  there  free.  ...  A Yiddish  movie 
with  English  sub-titles,  “Where  Is  My 
Child?”  was  shown  recently  at  the  theatre 
of  the  Jewish  Community  Center  in  Kansas 
City,  Mo. 

TORONTO 

Recent  screening  was  held  by  20th  Cen- 
tury-Fox for  1,200  members  of  the  Royal 
Canadian  Air  Force  of  “On  the  Threshold 
of  Space”  at  the  Odeon,  Ottawa.  . . . Harry 
Pulos,  87,  co-owner  in  recent  years  of  the 
System,  Montreal,  died  at  Fasset,  Que. 
Born  in  Greece  in  1868,  he  came  to  Canada 
in  1902  and  started  in  the  restaurant  busi- 
ness in  Montreal.  . . . The  Hollywood,  Niag- 
ara Falls,  was  converted  into  a legitimate 
house  and  renamed  the  Princess  by  M.  W. 
Zahorchak  and  Eric  Greenwood.  Zahorchak 
operates  a drive-in  near  St.  Catharines  and 
a house  in  Grimsby.  . . . Irvin  (Babe)  Coval 
of  Warner  Bros,  was  elected  to  succeed  Abe 
Cass  as  president  of  the  Toronto  Film 
Board  of  Trade.  Cass  was  president  for 
three  years  and  Coval  previously  vice-presi- 
dent, and  replaced  by  A1  Iscove  of  Para- 
mount. Myer  Nackimson,  RKO  and  Irving 
Stern,  JARO,  were  named  fire  marshal  and 
assistant  marshal  respectively.  The  film 
boards  are  affiliated  with  the  distributors’ 
association.  . . . Annual  Variety  Village 
benefit  show  of  Essex  County  Theatres  As- 
sociation held  in  the  Capitol,  Windsor,  net- 
ted $600. 

VANCOUVER 

Regina,  Sask.,  exhibitors  informed  the  City 
Council  that  their  theatres  would  have  to 
close  unless  the  Council  exempted  theatres 
from  the  city  amusement  tax,  removed  the 
75-cent  seat  tax  entirely,  or  barred  travel- 
ing shows  or  taxed  them  heavily.  Action  by 
Council  is  expected  shortly.  ...  A new 
booking-buying  organization  is  now  ready 
to  go  in  British  Columbia.  It  will  be  man- 
aged by  Joe  Garfin,  former  branch  manager 
of  Empire-Universal  at  Toronto.  A partner 
in  the  new  company  is  Owen  Bird,  president 
of  the  B.  C.  Exhibitors  Association,  who 
also  operates  the  Ladner  theatre,  Ladner,  in 
the  Fraser  Valley  area  of  B.  C.  . . . Wally 
Hopp,  International-Cinema  manager,  was 
in  Kipling,  Sask.,  to  attend  the  funeral  of 
his  father,  75,  who  died  in  Wolseley  Hospi- 
tal. . . . Ike  Longhurst,  62,  who  was  in 
charge  of  all  local  theatre  cleaning  and  serv- 
icing staffs  for  the  past  30  years,  died  after 


a long  illness.  . . . A1  Perry,  president  of 
Empire-Universal,  and  Alex  Metcalfe,  sales 
manager  of  16mm  for  Sovereign  Films,  the 
outlet  for  E-U  in  Canada,  were  here  on  their 
way  to  the  Universal  convention  at  the  Hol- 
lywood Studios. 

WASHINGTON 

The  Variety  Club  o f Washington  paid 
tribute  to  Mrs.  Earl  Warren,  wife  of  the 
Chief  Justice  of  the  U.  S.  Supreme  Court, 
May  14,  in  the  Presidential  Room  of  the 
Staffer  Hotel,  at  a Mothers’  Day  Luncheon 
honoring  her  as  “Mother  of  the  Year.”  Close 
to  400  people  attended.  . . . Norman  Kal,  of 
the  Kal,  Ehrlich  & Merrick  Advertising 
Agency,  and  a Variety  Club  member,  and 
Mrs.  Kal,  left  for  a trip  to  Europe,  this 
week.  . . . Robert  Miller,  Universal  booker, 
was  promoted  to  salesman.  . . . Sam  Galanty, 
Columbia  Pictures  mideast  division  man- 
ager, attended  meetings  in  Cincinnati.  . . . 
George  Gobel  was  a Washington  visitor  to 
promote  “The  Birds  and  the  Bees.” 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  MAY  19,  1956 


51 


"Floating 

Cinerama 99 
Hits  Snags 

WASHINGTON : The  Administration’s 

"Floating  Cinerama”  project  ran  into  cri- 
tical questioning  this  week  before  a Senate 
Appropriations  subcommittee. 

U.  S.  Information  Agency  Director  Theo- 
dore C.  Streibert  asked  the  subcommittee 
to  restore  the  $25,000, 000  the  House  cut 
from  the  agency’s  budget  request  for  the 
coming  year,  including  the  $3,790,000  sought 
to  show  Cinerama  in  foreign  ports  on  a 
demothballed  aircraft  carrier.  U.S.I.A.  had 
asked  $135,000,000  for  the  coming  year, 
compared  with  $S7,000,000  for  the  current 
year.  The  House  voted  only  $110,000,000 
and  specifically  vetoed  the  funds  for  the 
floating  Cinerama  project. 

Subcommittee  Chairman  Johnson  (D., 
Tex.)  admitted  that  “this  Billy  Rose  deal” 
had  some  appealing  aspects,  and  that  he 
wasn’t  “laughing  it  off,”  but  warned  that 
there  was  a very  great  chance  that  the 
American  people  wouldn’t  understand  the 
project  and  would  “accuse  you  of  providing 
Cinerama  for  every  kangaroo.” 

Navy  Should  Handle  It 

“It’s  going  to  border  on  the  ridiculous 
unless  you  can  get  some  more  substantial 
testimony  that  we  have  been  having,”  Sena- 
tor Johnson  declared.  He  and  Sen.  Mundt 
(R.,  S.D.)  asked  why  it  wouldn’t  be  better 
to  have  the  Navy  operate  the  ship  than  to 
have  it  operated,  as  planned,  by  a private 
foundation.  Sen.  Dirksen  (R.,  111.)  asked 
whether  a showing  on  an  aircraft  carrier 
“would  reach  the  right  people.” 

U.S.I.A.  officials  estimated  the  ship  would 
go  to  some  30  ports  the  first  year  and 
reach  an  average  of  40,000  people  in  each 
port,  making  the  cost  the  first  year  only 
about  $3  a person  instead  of  the  $9  a person 
asserted  in  the  House  by  Rep.  Rooney  (D., 
N.  Y.).  Asked  what  films  would  be  shown 
aboard  the  carrier,  U.S.I.A.  film  chief 
Turner  Shelton  said  the  Governemnt  hoped 
to  show  eventually  a film  prepared  by  Cin- 
rama  on  the  subject  of  atomic  energy,  and 
if  that  weren’t  ready  by  the  time  the  carrier 
was  ready  it  would  show  the  first  Cinerama 
film,  “This  Is  Cinerama.” 


Goldwyn  Cited  at 
Charities  Luncheon 

HOLLYWOOD : Samuel  Goldwyn,  founder 
of  the  Permanent  Charities  Committee,  was 
honor  guest  at  a luncheon  in  the  Beverly 
Hills  Hotel  here  this  week  following  the 
ground-breaking  ceremonies  for  the  organ- 
ization’s new  headquarters,  for  which  Mr. 
Goldwyn  donated  $75,000.  Mayor  Norris 
Poulson  of  Los  Angeles  and  more  than  a 
hundred  other  civic,  community  and  indus- 
try leaders  attended  the  ceremonies. 


Bailantyne  Host  at 
25th  Anniversary 

OMAHA : The  Allied  Independent  Theatre 
Owners  of  Iowa  and  Nebraska,  300  strong, 
met  here  for  their  annual  two-day  conven- 
tion and  attended  the  Bailantyne  Company’s 
25th  anniversary  party  here  last  week.  Mem- 
bers and  guests  inspected  plant  facilities  be- 
fore a cocktail  hour  and  buffet  supper  at 
which  the  firm  was  host. 

Biograph 
Plant  Solti  to 
Gold  Medal 

A new  company,  Gold  Metal  Studios,  Inc., 
has  acquired  the  famed  Biograph  Studios 
in  the  Bronx,  closed  since  1936,  it  is  an- 
nounced by  Alfred  W.  Schwalberg,  chair- 
man of  the  board  of  the  new  company.  The 
studios  will  be  completely  modernized  and 
will  be  known  as  the  Gold  Medal  Studios. 
The  facilities,  Mr.  Schwalberg  said,  will 
be  rented  to  both  motion  picture  and  tele- 
vision production  units. 

President  of  the  new  firm  is  Martin  H. 
Poll,  formerly  executive  producer  of  Thea- 
tre Network  Television.  Mr.  Schwalberg, 
former  president  of  Paramount  Film  Dis- 
tributing Corporation,  is  founder  and  pres- 
ident of  Artists-Producers  Associates,  Inc. 
Vice-president  and  secretary  is  David  Stein- 
berg, president  of  Imperial  Scenic  Studios, 
set-builders  for  Broadway  legitimate  thea- 
tres. Sy  Weintraub,  vice-president  and 
treasurer  of  the  new  concern,  is  also  execu- 
tive vice-president  of  Flamingo  Films,  a 
television  distribution  company.  Mr.  Wein- 
traub is  also  president  of  Station  KEYD- 
TV  in  Minneapolis. 

Complete  Film  Center 

According  to  Mr.  Schwalberg,  the  cur- 
rent deal  was  concluded  by  Mr.  Poll  and 
Ben  Gertner,  president  of  Biograph  Realty 
Company.  Studio  manager,  he  added,  will 
be  Tom  Ward.  The  two  buildings  housing 
the  facilities,  he  said,  will  be  a complete 
motion  picture  center,  including  two  of  the 
largest  sound  stages  in  the  country,  with 
accommodations  including  commissary, 
showers,  dressing  rooms,  air  conditioned 
stages,  cutting  rooms  and  projection  rooms. 

The  Biograph  Studios  were  completed  in 
1913.  Famous  names  connected  with  it  in 
the  decade  that  followed  included  D.  W. 
Griffith,  Mack  Sennett,  Mary  Pickford,  Lil- 
lian Gish,  Mabel  Normand  and  Blanche 
Sweet.  The  old  Fox  company  and  Para- 
mount Famous  Players-Lasky  used  this 
studio  before  building  their  own. 

Samuel  Goldwyn  and  Lewis  J.  Selznick 
produced  films  here,  and  later  on  the  Fatty 
Arbuckle  series  and  the  Buster  Keaton 
comedies  were  done  here,  as  were  films  star- 
ring Richard  Barthlemess,  A1  St.  John  and 
others. 


JUit  Plans  to 
Extend  E.S. 

11  age  hairs 

WASHING!  ON:  A Senate  labor  subcom- 
mittee has  requested  more  detailed  informa- 
tion concerning  the  number  of  theatres  that 
would  be  affected  by  various  pending  pro- 
posals to  extend  Federal  minimum  wage 
coverage.  The  request  was  made  as  A. 
Julian  Brylawski,  chairman  of  the  legisla- 
tive committee  of  TOA,  and  TOA  adminis- 
trative assistant  Claude  Mundo,  testified  in 
opposition  to  including  theatre  coverage 
under  the  Federal  law. 

The  bills  pending  would  include  employees 
of  theatres  grossing  over  $500,000  annually, 
as  well  as  those  employed  by  circuits  with 
at  least  four  or  five  houses.  At  present 
the  Federal  Minimum  Wage  Law  exempts 
all  theatres.  Mr.  Brylawski,  who  also  tes- 
tified for  Allied  States  Association,  warned 
the  subcommittee  that  the  financial  condi- 
tion of  all  theatres  in  the  country  was  so 
precarious  that  they  could  not  support  any 
higher  wages. 

Acting  chairman  Kennedy  (D.,  Mass.) 
asked  Mr.  Brylawski  to  supply  for  the  com- 
mittee record  the  number  of  theatres  in  the 
country  grossing  more  than  $500,000  an- 
nually. Mr.  Brylawski  said  he  thought  the 
figures  would  represent  a fraction  of  one 
per  cent,  but  promised  to  supply  the  accurate 
number.  Senator  Kennedy  also  requested 
figures  on  the  number  of  theatre  circuits  in 
the  country  and  the  number  maintaining 
more  than  four  or  five  theatres.  Mr.  Ken- 
nedy said  he  doubted  that  more  than  10  per 
cent  or  15  per  cent  of  the  theatres  in  the 
country  would  be  affected  by  the  proposals. 

Mr.  Mundo  stressed  to  Mr.  Kennedy  that 
all  theatres  in  the  country,  “even  the  big- 
gest,” are  in  financial  difficulties.  Senator 
Kennedy  asked  if  the  exhibitors  would  sup- 
port a proposal  to  be  covered  by  the  $1  an 
hour  minimum  wage  provisions  of  the  law 
if  they  were  exempted  from  the  law’s  pro- 
visions regarding  time  and  a half  for  over- 
time. Mr.  Brylawski  replied  that  he  would 
like  to  see  theatres  exempted  from  overtime 
but  was  not  empowered  to  speak  on  a further 
query  from  Mr.  Kennedy  as  to  whether  Mr. 
Brylawski  would  support  the  $1  minimum. 


Velde  Greets  Boston 
Exhibitors , Bookers 

BOSTON : James  Velde,  newly-appointed 
general  sales  manager  for  United  Artists, 
greeted  about  60  circuit  heads,  buyers,  book- 
ers and  independents  at  a recent  luncheon 
here.  Harry  Segal,  United  Artists  branch 
manager,  was  host.  Mr.  Velde  told  the  group 
of  plans  for  the  world  premiere  in  Boston  of 
“A  Kiss  Before  Dying”  June  6,  followed  by 
at  least  100  bookings  backed  by  a strong  TV 
saturation  campaign.  He  cited  such  forth- 
coming United  Artists  productions  as  "Tra- 
peze,” "Foreign  Intrigue,”  “Johnny  Concho.” 


52 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  MAY  19,  1956 


An  International  Association  of  Motion  Picture  Showmen — Walter  Brooks , Director 


Who  £a id  If  he  re  WaA  Vc  thing  f\eu>  £ince  barnum? 


BACK  in  January,  on  this  editorial  page, 
we  headlined  “Barnum  Was  Right — 
There’s  No  New  Showmanship”  and 
since  then,  we’ve  had  rebuttal  from  points 
as  remote  as  Texas,  and  London.  Things 
that  are  new  in  the  Round  Table — and  that 
makes  news  any  time. 

J.  E.  Brassell,  a booker  with  Bill  O’Don- 
nell’s Trans-Texas  circuit,  where  we  have 
good  Round  Table  members  in  various 
cities,  sends  us  proof  sheets  and  the  story 
of  his  “Seven  Days  of  . . .”  programs,  which, 
he  says,  “have  been  the  best  money  makers” 
in  the  past  several  years.  In  the  adjoining 
column,  we  reproduce  one  of  the  excellent 
mats  which  the  circuit  provides  to  advertise 
this  ticket-selling  idea.  They  have  been  very, 
very  successful  with  “Seven  Days  of  the 
Bowery  Boys” — “Seven  Days  of  Abbott  & 
Costello”  and  currently,  “Seven  Days  of 
Space  Thrills.”  The  low  flat  rental  pictures, 
picked  up  long  after  they  are  out  of  the  top- 
price  booking  range,  are  offered  in  lots 
sufficient  to  fill  seven  days  of  double  bills. 
We  can  imagine  there  are  many  more  com- 
binations that  would  fill  this  bill,  and  man- 
agers running  action  houses  could  “pick  up 
a buck — and  plenty.” 

Mr.  Brassed  says,  “you  can  play  them 
year  after  year”  and  "the  concession  business 
is  simply  fantastic.”  The  idea  “makes  money 
every  time” — and  he  thinks  other  managers 
should  be  alert  to  such  a business  oppor- 
tunity. He  knows  the  scheme  will  make 
“lots  of  the  long  green  in  the  short  future”— 
and  our  thanks  to  him  for  a reciprocal  ex- 
change of  showmanship,  in  these  meetings. 

And  then,  Harry  Murray,  manager  of  the 
Gaumont  theatre,  Streatham,  London,  Eng- 
land— “the  sun  never  sets  on  British  show- 
manship ' — claims  the  “Oscar”  we  mentioned 
for  doing  something  new  and  different.  For 
“Romeo  and  Juliet”  at  the  Odeon,  Camber- 
well, he  put  out  1200  personal  letters  in 
Braille,  addressed  to  the  blind,  with  the 
grateful  appreciation  of  the  Royal  Institute 
for  the  Blind.  As  he  says,  “Barnum  couldn’t 
have  done  this!”  and  we  think  it  was  a fine 
example  of  personal  and  community  rela- 
tions to  the  credit  of  the  film  industry.  Of 
course,  they  couldn’t  see  the  picture,  but  they 


SOMETHING  DIFFERENT 


Described  in  this  week's  editorial  is  the 
money-making  idea  of  "Seven  Days  of  . . 
from  Trans-Texas  Theatres,  which  we  cite 
particularly  for  their  excellent  mat  service 
— something  that  is  more  highly  developed 
with  theatre  circuits  in  the  south  and  west 
than  elsewhere.  Bill  O'Donnell's  circuit 
gets  up  these  good  mats  for  their  own 
theatres — and  we've  seen  other  examples, 
in  addition  to  those  which  Kyle  Rorex  puts 
out  for  Texas  COMPO. 


enjoyed  it  anyway,  listening  to  the  sound- 
track, and  using  the  Braille  letter  to  explain 
the  action  as  the  scenes  unfolded  on  the 
screen.  He  says,  "The  postage  was  quite  an 
item,  because  each  letter  was  bulky,”  but  he 
is  proud  of  the  result  obtained,  with  a grate- 
ful audience.  National  newspapers  and 
magazines  proclaimed  this  showmanship  on 
the  part  of  a British  manager,  who  knows 
the  value  of  public  relations. 


€|  NICE  LETTERS  in  the  mail,  from  old 
and  good  friends  of  this  Round  Table.  J.  P. 
Harrison,  from  the  Campus  theatre,  Denton, 
Texas,  writes  to  the  publisher  of  the  Herald, 
with  praise  for  Texas  COMPO,  who  have 
“continuously  hammered  home  . . . the  strug- 
gle to  get  further  relief  from  our  Federal 
Tax  on  admissions.”  J.  P.  praises  the  trade 
press  for  the  vital  role  they  play  in  this 
dramatic  struggle,  “which  will  mean  either 
the  death  or  survival  of  many  in  our  ranks.” 

Hugh  S.  Borland,  ingenious  manager  of 
the  Villas  theatre,  Cicero,  111.,  who  boasts 
that  his  theatre  operations  have  been  "last 
run  in  Chicago” — and  he’s  always  displaying 
pure  showmanship  in  these  most  difficult 
situations — has  written  to  our  friend  Mel 
Jolley,  manager  of  the  Century  theatre, 
Hamilton,  Ontario,  asking  for  further  in- 
formation which  will  help  him  to  launch 
a new  “Junior  Press  Club”  in  his  Chicago 
area,  patterned  after  the  phenomenally  suc- 
cessful newspaper  tieup  which  Mel  estab- 
lished with  the  Hamilton  Spectator.  We’re 
going  to  bring  the  “Junior  Press  Club”  idea 
to  the  attention  of  the  National  Press  Club, 
in  Washington — the  best  newspaperman’s 
club  in  the  country — as  a prime  example  of 
theatre-newspaper  relations,  in  the  handling 
of  the  “greatest  children’s  show  on  earth” — 
which  gets  pages  and  pages  of  publicity.  It 
makes  this  Round  Table  go  round  with  much 
pleasure,  to  see  such  good  ideas  take  root 
and  grow  on  fertile  ground,  with  other 
showmen. 

From  Phillipsburg,  Kansas,  Ralph  Win- 
ship  writes  to  tell  us  he  liked  the  “Old 
Opera  House”  story  in  The  HERALD  of 
April  7th,  and  that  after  51  years  in  the 
theatre,  he  is  retiring  now,  to  rest  and 
travel,  turning  over  the  Majestic  theatre, 
established  50  years,  and  the  new  Drive-In, 
to  his  son-in-law,  D.  T.  "Bud”  Broun,  whom 
we  welcome  as  a new  and  active  member 
in  these  meetings.  — Walter  Brooks 


MANAGERS'  ROUND  TABLE  SECTION,  MAY  19,  1956 


53 


Seymour  Morris,  director  of  advertising  and  pub- 
licity tor  the  Schine  Circuit,  with  a group  of 
authentic  Indians,  as  they  plan  an  uprising  for 
the  exploitation  of  the  picture,  "Mohawk." 


Stan  Burns,  of  WINS,  introduces  George  Gobel 
to  his  radio  audience,  as  one  of  many  appear- 
ances on  the  airwaves  for  the  TV  star  of  "The 
Birds  and  the  Bees." 


Along  the  "Mohawk"  Trail,  in  upper  New  York  State,  where  real 
Indians  were  the  first  Americans.  Above,  Chief  White  Cloud,  and 
Princess  Lili,  an  Iroquois  girl,  with  Indian  leaders,  the  Mayor's  Aide,  and 
the  Safety  Commissioner,  at  Amsterdam,  N.  Y. 


Bill  Blake,  publicist,  and 
Bill  Elder,  manager  of 
Loew's  Warfield  theatre, 
San  Francisco,  introduced 
the  space  characters  at 
left,  as  street  ballyhoo  for 
"Forbidden  Planet" — and, 
at  right,  to  show  there  are 
more  ways  of  making  mon- 
ey— they  photograph  a 24- 
sheet  traveling  billboard  in 
front  of  a substantial  build- 
ing which  just  happens  to 
be  the  United  States  Mint! 
Good  background  to  prove 
a point  about  promotion. 


Nicole  Maurey,  French  star  of  RKO's  "The  Bold  and  the  Brave,"  arrives 
in  Montreal  for  personal  appearances  in  conjunction  with  the  Canadian 
premiere  of  the  picture.  Above,  she  is  greeted  on  arrival  at  the  airport 
by  John  Ganetakos,  president  of  United  Amusements.  Jack  Labow,  RKO's 
Canadian  district  manager,  and  Harry  Cohen,  RKO's  Montreal  branch 
manager.  Nicole  was  very,  very  popular  with  French  language  audiences 
in  Canada,  and  she  appeared  on  bi-lingual  TV  and  disc  jockey  shows. 


54 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD.  MAY  19,  1956 


owmen  in 


This  week,  in  Atlanta,  they’re  having  the 
sixth  annual  "Old  Newspaper  boys’  Day” 
to  raise  $100,000  in  one  day,  for  the  Variety 
Club’s  crusade  to  aid  cerebral  palsied  chil- 
dren. Last  year,  we  were  down  there  to 
see  this  terrific  drive,  with  Variety'  barkers 
in  top  hats  and  newsboys’  aprons,  selling 
copies  of  the  Atlanta  Constitution  and  Jour- 
nal, on  the  streets,  at  fantastic  prices.  Curtis 
Mees  was  one  of  the  “old  newsboys”  we 
recognized,  getting  $10  and  up,  for  today’s 
paper,  with  all  the  income  going  into  the 
fund.  Last  year,  the  goal  was  a mere  $75,000 
for  the  one  day’s  take — and  they  went  over 
the  top  with  a margin  of  $1,500.  This  year, 
they’ve  raised  their  sights  by  another  $25,- 
000  and  we  predict  they’ll  again  surpass  ex- 
pectations, in  this  super-colossal  showman- 
ship effort  for  the  Cerebral  Palsy  School 
and  Clinic,  supported  by  the  Atlanta  Tent 
of  the  Variety  Clubs. 

▼ 

Alan  Bader  was  going  to  do  us  a story 
in  fractured  French  about  the  personal  ap- 
pearance tour  of  Nicole  Maurey,  star  of 
"The  Bold  and  the  Brave”  through  French 
Canada,  but  he  lest  his  nerve,  although 
he  went  along  on  the  trip,  and  should  have 
at  least  acquired  a French  accent. 

T 

Fred  R.  Greenway,  manager  of  Loew’s 
Palace  theatre,  Hartford,  Conn.,  ran  a news- 
paper contest  on  “The  Man  in  the  Gray 
Flannel  Suit,”  offering  guest  tickets  for  the 
best  25  replies  to  the  question,  “What  would 
you  do  if  you  were  in  the  wife’s  situation?” 
T 

Bernie  Menschell,  manager  of  the  Par- 
sons theatre,  Hartford,  Conn.,  invited  busi- 
ness, civic  and  educational  leaders  from  the 
area  to  a sneak  preview  of  UA’s  “Patterns” 
and  had  newspaper  stories  on  Ed  Begley 
and  Elaine  Kaye,  local  players. 

T 

Bob  Schwartz,  manager  of  the  Lake 
Drive-In,  Waterbury,  Conn.,  offers  free  ad- 
mission on  Tuesday  evenings  to  drivers  of 
Packard  cars.  Entry  forms  in  a Packard 
essay  contest  are  handed  to  these  drivers. 
T 

Wm.  J.  Trambukis,  manager  of  Loew’s 
State  theatre,  Providence,  R.  I.,  had  a deal 
with  the  Rhode  Island  Junior  Women’s 
Club  which  resulted  in  a full-page  of  pub- 
licity in  the  Sunday  Journal  with  equivalent 
returns  at  the  box  office. 

T 

The  Perakos  circuit  has  tied  in  with  two 
regional  dealers  for  co-sponsorship  of  a 
competition  offering  a Chevrolet  to  patrons 
of  the  Plainville  Drive-In,  Plainville.  Conn. 
The  dealers  are  publicizing  the  contest  which 
requires  entrants  to  finish  the  sentence  in 
25  words  or  less,  "I  prefer  to  own  a 1956 
Chevrolet  because  ...  ”,  with  extensive 
radio,  TV  and  newspaper  advertising. 


More  than  100,000  book,  department,  drug 
and  chain  stores  will  feature  the  paper- 
backed 25c  edition  of  “The  Sixth  of  June” 
which  is  20th  Century-Fox’s  top  attraction 
for  late  May,  with  the  pressure  of  a two- 
months  campaign  ahead  of  the  playdates. 
300  field  agents  of  Curtis  Publications  arc 
touring  the  country  to  put  over  point-of- 
sale  pre-selling  for  the  Bantam  Book. 

T 

Murray  Spector  has  his  audience  search- 
ing the  small  ads  on  the  classified  page  of 
the  Central  Shopper  to  find  clues  that  will 
lead  to  free  passes  to  the  Central  theatre, 
Jersey  City. 

T 

James  J.  Hayes,  manager  of  the  Cinema 
— "a  theatre  of  distinction”  in  Buffalo — sent 
out  3,500  postcards  to  all  doctors  and  nurses 
within  fifty  miles  as  only  part  of  his  cam- 
paign for  “Doctor  At  Sea”  which  will  en- 
joy a long  run  in  the  450-seat  house  in  a 
downtown  location.  “Guys  and  Dolls”  did 
17  weeks  in  the  same  theatre. 

T 

Sid  Kleper,  manager  of  Loew’s  College 
theatre,  New  Haven,  celebrated  “Rock 
Around  the  Clock”  in  the  teen-age  tempo, 
and  also,  “Threshold  of  Space”  with  inter- 
planetary promotion. 


THESE  PEOPLE  ARE  REALLM  ON  A 

Magic  Carpet! 


Through  the  medium  of  a strip  of  film,  these  people 
know  the  value  of  frequent  "movie  excursions"!  There's 
nothing  like  a couple  of  hours  or  the  movies,  and  they 
can  be  sandwiched  in  even  on  the  most  hectic  days. 
It's  really  refreshing! 

You  visit  the  far  corners  of  the  earth  . . . for  so  little 
in  cost.  The  movies  can  whisk  you  from  the  Alps  to 
Hawaii,  from  darkest  Africa  to  outer  space!  Your 
admission  is  your  flying  carpet  to  adventure  and 
romance.  Try  it  and  see  how  refreshing  a few  hours 
at  the  movies  can  be! 


Sll  A MOVIE  rONIGHTI  MAY  WE  SUGGESTi 


From  TOA's  very  competent  “Business 
Builders"  bulletin,  we  borrow  this  very  ex- 
cellent institutional  advertisement,  originat- 
ing with  Commonwealth's  very  able  showman, 
M.  B.  Smith,  of  Kansas  City.  We  compliment 
TOA  and  suggest  a special  institutional 
pressbook  with  mats. 


Col.  Bob  Vox 
And  Friends* 
With  ‘ Bobby 9 

The  area  premiere  of  MGM’s  “Forbidden 
Planet  ” at  the  Ben  Ali  theatre,  Lexington, 
Ky.,  was  conceived  by  Col.  Bob  Cox,  divi- 
sion manager,  and  executed  by  Bob  Swan- 
son, who  came  down  from  Indiana  to  join 
the  Schine  staff  in  Kentucky,  Sam  Clemmons 
and  Bernie  Depa — all  good  Round  Table 
members — with,  of  course,  a great  deal  of 
help  from  “Robby  the  Robot”  who  has 
been  making  personals  for  the  picture.  It 
followed  Seymour  Morris’  suggestion  of 
Schine  showmanship,  with  “Robby”  as  the 
star  attraction. 

They  really  went  to  town  with  “Robby” 
— who  appeared  in  food  stores,  at  a Lion’s 
Club  luncheon,  on  TV  and  for  the  schools, 
although  he  is  quite  large  for  his  age,  and 
it’s  hard  for  him  to  get  through  undersized 
doors.  The  gag  angle  worked  to  perfection, 
with  the  heralds,  the  coloring  contest,  and 
particularly,  MGM’s  tieup  with  Quaker  Oats 
paying  big  dividends.  Stan  Bernstein, 
Quaker  Oats  representative,  set  up  ten  store 
displays — and  there  were  several  cooperative 
newspaper  pages,  all  built  around  the  tieup 
which  provided  free  tickets  for  kids,  when 
accompanied  by  adults.  And  why  not,  since 
the  drive-in  theatres  have  always  admitted 
children  under  12  for  free — and  this  was  a 
generous  advertising  gesture  that  no  more 
than  equalled  the  score,  with  the  parents 
under  pressure  to  bring  the  youngsters  to 
see  “Robby”  in  a conventional  theatre? 

“Robby”  had  a home  of  his  own,  on  tour, 
a trailer  home — and  he  traveled ! Toy  store 
tieins  had  toy  robots,  and  winners  in  color- 
ing contests  won  miniature  robots — which, 
however,  will  never  grow  up.  Everybody  in 
town  was  well  aware  that  “Robby  was 
there  promoting  “The  Forbidden  Planet”- — 
for  you  couldn't  help  seeing  him,  or  hearing 
all  about  him. 

T 

National  Screen  Service  has  a special  bul- 
letin on  Children’s  Matinees  which  can  mean 
money  in  the  box  office  for  all  theatres  who 
display  the  new  40x60's  and  use  the  pack- 
age of  promotion  which  is  offered. 

▼ 

Ray  McNamara,  manager  of  the  Allyn 
theatre,  Hartford,  Conn.,  set  up  long-dis- 
tance phone  interviews  for  local  critics  with 
Nicole  Maurey  of  “The  Bold  and  the 
Brave,”  and  George  Gobel  playing  in  “The 
Birds  and  the  Bees.” 

T 

Universal-International  will  use  the  first 
global  advertising  for  “Away  All  Boats”  in 
the  international  editions  of  the  Reader’s 
Digest,  printed  in  twenty-nine  countries.  A 
full  page,  two  color  ad  will  appear  in  as 
many  languages.  The  only  comparable  kind 
of  producer-distributor  advertising  is  in  TV- 
Guide,  with  its  thirty-six  regional  editions, 
all  over  these  United  States. 


MANAGERS'  ROUND  TABLE  SECTION,  MAY  19,  1956 


55 


George  GobeTs  Game 
Is  To  Sell  Tickets 


Robert  Shapiro,  managing  director  of  the  Paramount  theatre,  on  Broadway,  passes 
out  gift  boxes  of  " The  George  Gob  el  Game"  to  youngsters  who  came  on  the  opening  day 
of  "The  Birds  and  the  Bees."  The  game  is  one  of  scores  of  tieups  on  the  picture. 


Heavy  emphasis  on  tieups  has  character- 
ized Paramount’s  campaign  on  “The  Birds 
and  the  Bees” — since  it  has  been  obvious 
from  the  moment  that  George  Gobel  was 
signed  for  the  leading  role,  that  housewives 
and  youngsters — in  fact,  all  persons  who 
patronize  retail  stores  were  targets  for  pro- 
motion, with  a favorite  TV  comedian  in  the 
leading  role.  And  the  “Pm  George  Gobel” 
game  is  exploitation  meat  for  showmen — 
also  a recreation  for  youngsters  and  adults 
alike.  In  the  picture  above,  you  see  Bob 
Shapiro  passing  out  souvenir  games  to  early 
arrivals  at  the  Paramount  theatre. 

Television  means  sponsors — and  so,  among 
others  who  have  made  the  merchandising 
tieups  for  the  picture  are  Dial  Soap  and  Pet 
Milk,  who  are  George’s  best  friends  on  TV. 
There  are  blouses,  created  by  Edith  Head, 
Paramount’s  top  studio  designer,  with  “birds 
and  bees”  as  a motif,  which  will  appeal  to 


the  ladies  as  contest  prizes,  giveaways  and 
for  cooperative  advertising.  The  national 
magazines  have  been  printing  pictures  of 
this  blouse,  in  action.  A special  counter 
and  floor  display  lias  been  provided  for  local 
stores  who  can  participate  in  a campaign 
with  the  theatre  manager. 

Another  tieup  that  has  been  helping  to 
prime  the  pre-selling  was  set  with  Corn 
Products  Refining  Co.,  supported  by  full- 
color  ads  in  the  Saturday  Evening  Post. 
Television  stations  throughout  the  country 
are  being  used  by  Bulova  Watch  Company, 
with  proper  credit  to  “The  Birds  and  the 
Bees.”  Mitzi  Gaynor,  who  co-stars  with 
Gobel,  lent  her  personality  to  a tieup  with 
Lustre-Creme  shampoo,  represented  by  ads 
in  national  magazines  reaching  many  mil- 
lions of  readers.  These  ads  will  begin  to 
break  when  the  new  picture  gets  into  gen- 
eral circulation. 


N ow  It's  "Radio  Weefc7/  Matt  Saunders,  manager  of  Loew’s  Poli 

theatre,  Bridgeport,  Conn.,  had  two-column 
National  Radio  Week  is  being  celebrated  newspaper  story  with  picture  about  his  es- 
— with  127  million  radio  sets  in  use,  and  say  contest  for  “Alexander  the  Great.” 
the  American  family  listening  to  radio  an 
average  of  21  hours  a week!  That  sounds 
slightly  familiar,  reminiscent  of  “Let’s  Go 
To  The  Movies” — but  American  families 
spend  a lot  less  than  21  hours  a week  in 
movie  theatres,  and  there  are  a lot  less  than 
127,000.000  persons  of  all  ages  and  sexes 
that  go  to  the  movies  in  any  week.  Our  in- 
dustry doesn’t  congeal  and  combine  all  our 
assets  to  create  a “Greater  Movie  Season” 

— not  since  1927,  in  our  memory,  and  that’s 
crowding  twenty  years  ago. 


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A.  trurtls  For 
14  British 
Contenders 

Unpublicized  at  the  annual  judging  for 
the  Quigley  Awards  last  week,  but  assigned 
as  a special  exhibit  of  fine  showmanship 
from  overseas,  were  the  fourteen  entries  on 
“Prize  of  Gold”  which  were  received  here 
from  Columbia  Pictures  International,  as  a 
group,  and  we  admit,  we  were  baffled.  In  the 
first  place,  we  put  them  away  so  carefully 
that  we  couldn’t  find  them  again  until  we 
sorted  and  sifted  the  500  entries  for  the  final 
judging.  And  also,  as  we  told  Larry  Lip- 
skin,  these  had  been  judged  abroad — and 
nobody  in  this  corner  could  decide  a point 
of  superiority,  over  first,  second  and  third 
prize,  to  say  nothing  of  a half  dozen  spe- 
cial awards  and  honorable  mentions.  To 
our  eyes,  they  were  too  even  in  quality, 
with  proverbial  British  showmanship. 

G.  J.  Baker,  manager  of  the  Gaumont 
theatre,  Manchester,  won  first  prize  over 
there,  and  his  campaign  is  perfect.  He  gets 
an  immediate  citation  for  merit  from  this 
desk,  for  a complete  job  which  was  original 
in  every  way.  This  one,  we  hold  and  re- 
enter in  the  second  quarter  of  1956,  as  an 
original  entry  for  the  Quigley  Awards  this 
year.  And,  the  second  prize  went  to  Frank 
Page,  manager  of  the  Regent  Cinema,  Deal, 
Kent,  for  a campaign  that  looks  to  us  to 
be  of  equal  merit.  You  have  to  know  these 
situations  to  distinguish  a difference  in 
skills.  Third  prize  was  given  to  R.  Rais- 
trick,  manager  of  the  Gaumont,  Sheffield, 
and  again  we  couldn’t  tell,  one,  two  or  three 
in  order  of  preference. 

Among  the  special  awards  in  this  group 
we  are  just  as  much  at  sea.  H.  Bedford, 
manager  of  the  Gaumont,  Derby,  has  a good 
exhibit  of  his  showmanship ; E.  C.  Carter, 
manager  of  the  Gaumont,  Dagenham,  had  a 
“Golden  Wedding”  celebration  for  a “Prize 
of  Gold” — R.  G.  Porter,  manager  of  the 
Majestic  theatre,  Leeds,  used  a small  car 
as  a prize,  and  distributed  golden  rules  of 
the  highway  code,  which  he  says  is  original, 
and  won  praise  from  the  Chief  Constable. 
C.  A.  Tappy,  manager  of  the  Gaumont, 
Bournemouth,  ran  the  picture  for  seven  days 
with  a fine  campaign  involving  bars  of  solid 
gold ; F.  A.  Connett,  manager  of  the  Gau- 
mont theatre,  Weymouth,  Dorset,  had  all 
hands  digging  for  gold  on  nearby  beaches, 
with  a car  giveaway;  A.  G.  Crisp,  manager 
of  the  Gaumont  theatre,  Norwich,  applied 
“The  Golden  Rule”  to  measure  up  in  show- 
manship; J.  B.  Fenner,  manager  of  Queen’s 
Hall,  Newcastle-on-Tyne,  had  “Prize  of 
Gold”  Night  at  Oxford  Galleries,  as  exploi- 
tation ; P.  A.  Cross,  manager  of  the  Gau- 
mont, Leicester,  had  a “Golden”  coiffure 
for  a “Golden  Girl”  as  a grand  prize ; F.  W. 
Salter,  manager  of  the  Gaumont,  Sutton, 
Surrey;  A.  A.  LaHaye,  manager  of  the 
Gaumont,  Acton,  and  G.  A.  Cox,  of  the 
Gaumont,  Walford,  were  also  given  special 
awards  by  their  judges  in  Britain. 


56 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  MAY  19,  1956 


British  Bound  Table 


RRIAN  RIN'J',  manager  of  the  Gau- 
mont,  Manchester,  persuaded  the  editor 
of  a local  newspaper  to  give  him  good  space 
with  art  for  “Artists  and  Models”  and  again 
for  "The  Big  Knife.”  . . . C.  E„  Bushnell,  a 
citation  winner  in  the  recent  Quigley  Awards 
first  quarterly  judging,  puts  the  emphasis  on 
street  ballyhoo  for  ““You’re  Never  Too  Young” 
and  “My  Sister  Eileen,”  and  both  of  these  good 
campaigns  will  be  entered  in  the  next  competi- 
tion. . . . Peter  Button,  manager  of  the  Play- 
house, Bexhill-on-the-Sea,  made  the  most  of  it 
when  some  “joker”  put  a four  foot  stuffed  al- 
ligator in  the  back  of  his  car  several  weeks 
before  he  played  “An  Alligator  Named  Daisy” 
and  the  newspaper  gave  it  a front  page  story. 
Then  he  discovered  that  the  mother  of  the 
book’s  author  was  a local  resident  and  crippled 
with  arthritis,  so  he  drove  her  to  the  theatre. 

. . . D.  M.  Campbell,  manager  of  the  Regal 
cinema,  Stirling,  Scotland,  used  banners  on  six 
luxury  coaches  which  toured  the  town  and  then 
parked  near  the  theatre  to  exploit  “Tiger  in 
the  Sky.”  He  also  distributed  1,000  painting 
contest  leaflets,  with  good  results.  . . . G.  M. 
Chantrey,  manager  of  the  Gaumont  cinema, 
Dundee,  Scotland,  held  a Queen  of  Industry 
beauty  contest  during  his  “Seven  Little  Foys” 
playdate,  with  a trip  to  New  York  for  the  win- 
ner. . . . H.  F.  Crane,  manager  of  the  Adelphi 
cinema,  Birmingham,  had  what  he  called  one 
of  his  best  pieces  of  publicity  for  “Storm  Over 
the  Nile.”  The  Army  recruiting  office  cooper- 
ated with  a display  in  the  lobby  guarded  by 
a Sergeant,  Army  Nurse  and  WRAC  Sergeant 
who  took  a salute  on  stage.  . . . A.  G.  Crisp, 
manager  of  the  Gaumont,  Norwich,  gives  credit 
to  A.  Soanes,  assistant  at  the  Odeon,  Lowes- 
toft, and  D.  P.  Lowe,  assistant  at  the  Odeon, 
Norwich,  for  his  fine  campaign  book  on  the 
Golden  Harvest  Showmanship  Drive,  which  will 
be  judged  in  the  next  Quigley  Awards  competi- 
tion some  time  in  July. 

V T 

€T.  F.  Grazier,  back  at  the  Arcade  thea- 
tre, Darlington,  reports  on  exploitation 
carried  out  while  he  spent  three  months  at  the 
Odeon  theatre  there.  A tieup  on  “Richard  III” 
with  Heinz,  the  57  Varieties  people,  gave  him 
30  excellent  window  displays,  resulting  in  better 
than  average  box  office.  . . . W.  A.  C.  Hall, 
manager  of  the  Capitol,  Cardiff,  Wales,  ran  a 
contest  to  find  the  prettiest  girl  named  “Eileen” 
to  tie  in  with  the  playdate  of  “My  Sister 
Eileen”  and  had  a “My  Sister  Eileen”  girl  jazz 
band  parade  through  the  streets.  . . . Manager 
J.  D.  Hole-Gate  of  the  Odeon  cinema,  Halifax, 
secured  over  150  inches  of  space  in  six  news- 
papers on  his  “Cockleshell  Heroes”  exploitation. 
In  line  with  the  picture,  a group  of  Army 
Cadets  traveled  to  London  and  back — 420  miles 
—in  a 48  hour  period  with  only  emergency 
rations  and  sixpence  each,  with  gold  watches 
for  the  first  six.  . . . D.  Hughes,  manager  of 
the  Cabot  cinema,  Bristol,  distributed  over- 
printed ballons  and  painting  contest  leaflets  for 
advance  publicity  on  “Storm  Over  the  Nile.” 

. . . C.  Jones,  manager  of  the  Plaza  cinema, 
Southhampton,  had  a 1910  Renault  and  a 1955 
Revis  racing  car  tour  the  streets  together  for 
attention-getting  “Genevieve”  exploitation.  . . . 
John  Longbottom,  manager  of  the  Odeon  thea- 
tre, Middlesbrough,  had  three  special  matinee 
performances  of  “Richard  III”  for  5,000  school 
children  as  a result  of  his  contacting  education 
authorities.  . . . Nat  Matthews,  manager  of 
the  Ritz  cinema,  Leyton,  tied  in  with  a local 
studio  who  offered  free  wedding  albums  to 
couples  getting  married  during  the  week  ‘The 
Tender  Trap”  played.  . . . S.  V.  Murdoch, 
manager  of  the  Gaumont,  Anfield,  Liverpool, 
had  live  replicas  of  “Lady  and  the  Tramp”  tour 
streets  daily  and  in  the  lobby  at  night,  to  the 
amusement  of  all.  . . . J.  R.  Critchley,  man- 
ager of  the  Odeon,  Radcliffe  had  uniformed 
nurse  in  charge  of  first  aid  lobby  display  for 
“Doctor  at  Sea.” 


■ | ( i.  V.  Savm.i.k,  manager  of  the  Gaumont 

J theatre,  Dagenham,  used  what  he  called 
a “Winter  Stunt  for  ‘Summer  Madness’  ”.  A 
band  of  highly  decorated  motor  scooters,  ban- 
nered with  the  name  of  the  picture,  toured 
through  the  town  and  a prize  was  given  to  the 
best  equipped  machine,  with  newspapers  run- 
ning story  and  pictures.  . . . S.  C.  Shingles, 
distributed  paper  handkerchiefs  with  the  im- 
print, “This  is  to  mop  up  your  tears  when  you 
cry  with  laughter  at  Danny  Kaye  in  ‘The 
Court  Jester’  at  the  Odeon,  South  Harrow,  all 
this  week”.  . . . H.  E.  Smith,  manager  of  the 
Odeon  theatre,  Reading,  estimates  that  more 
than  100,000  people  saw  his  “Richard  III”  ads 
used  in  buses  a week  in  advance  of  playdate. 
He  also  had  men  in  the  costumes  of  the  picture 
distribute  throw-aways.  . . . John  L.  Smith, 
manager  of  the  Ritz  cinema,  Edinburgh,  Scot- 
land, tied  in  with  a local  rain  wear  shop  to  set 
up  a lobby  display  for  “It’s  Always  Fair 
Weather”  and  promoted  displays  in  four  travel 
agency  windows.  . . . W.  G.  Thomas,  manager 
of  the  Gaumont,  Bristol,  held  a "Bring  Your 
Smile  Along”  contest  for  the  prettiest  smile 
and  also  arranged  the  display  of  a 20x6  foot 
banner  in  a local  dance  hall  to  exploit  the 
picture.  . . . L.  G.  Webster,  manager  of  the 
Savoy  cinema,  Northampton,  promoted  a pair 
of  glass  slippers  of  a small  size  from  a local 
shop,  for  a display  in  his  lobby  with  an  assort- 
ment of  shoes.  Ladies  were  invited  to  try  on 
the  glass  slippers,  with  the  winner  having  her 
choice  of  shoes— in  exploitation  of  “The  Glass 
Slipper”.  . . . E.  Wicks,  manager  of  the  Regal 
cinema,  Rochdale,  had  five  local  traders  co- 
operate in  a composite  page  for  “The  Tender 
Trap”,  with  good  results  for  all.  . . . G.  C. 
Williams,  manager  of  the  Regent  cinema, 
Chatham,  decided  that  a nautical  flavor  would 
be  in  order  in  his  naval  town,  so  had  a bosun's 
whistle  blown  preceding  the  last  showing  of 
“Mr.  Roberts”  each  evening. 


V T 

£1  J.  W.  Bonnick,  manager  of  the  Regal 
cinema,  Halifax,  had  “The  Tender  Trap” 
boosted  by  a famous  band  leader  who  announced 
credits  and  had  his  vocalist  sing  the  theme 
tune  at  a local  dance  hall.  . . . R.  J.  Crabb, 
manager  of  the  Lyric  cinema,  Wellingborough, 
had  advance  window  displays  in  53  shops  for 
“Mr.  Roberts”,  and  a half  page  free  ad  on  the 
front  of  a football  program  also  helped  his  box 
office.  . . . Robert  P.  Goss,  assistant  manager 
of  the  Odeon  cinema,  Cheshire,  used  a quiz  con- 
test, crossword  puzzle,  coloring  contest  and 
canoe  cut-out  in  his  exploitation  of  “Cockleshell 
Heroes”.  . . . J.  H.  Hirst,  assistant  manager 
of  the  Capitol  cinema,  Bolton,  did  terrific 
business  on  “The  Blackboard  Jungle”  and 
credits  free  editorial  space  in  newspapers.  . . . 
Graham  Humphreys,  manager  of  the  Gaumont 
theatre,  St.  Albans,  played  the  music  from 
“Summer  Madness”  two  weeks  in  advance  of 
opening  and  also  had  numerous  shop  window 
displays.  . . . Norman  Lee,  assistant  manager 
of  the  Ritz  cinema,  London,  tied  up  with  a 
local  dance  hall  to  play  the  tunes  from  “Pete 
Kelly’s  Blues”  and  plug  the  picture.  . . . Sidney 
Sale,  manager  of  the  Granada  cinema,  Dover, 
had  a minors’  contest  during  the  run  of 
“Wichita”  with  prizes  for  the  best  answers  to 
“Where  and  what  is  ‘Wichita’  ”.  . . . T.  A. 
Wright,  assistant  manager  of  the  Regal  Bir- 
mingham, tied  up  with  a local  shop  for  a lobby 
camera  display  for  “I  Am  a Camera”,  with  a 
contest  for  the  funniest  snapshot  also  drawing 
patrons.  . . . R.  W.  Young,  assistant  manager 
of  the  Union  cinema,  Dunstable,  arranged  to 
have  local  Sea  Cadets  led  by  their  band  parade 
from  their  headquarters  to  the  theatre  where 
they  were  guests  at  the  evening  performance. 
. . . Spring  vacations  and  the  recent  annual  and 
quarterly  Quigley  Awards  competitions  have 
put  us  behind  with  our  mail,  but  we  do  appre- 
ciate all  materials  received  and  hope  you  con- 
tinue to  send  your  campaigns.  — WT 


. . . Timely  news  supplementing  the 
special  monthly  department  covering 
all  phases  of  refreshment  service. 


National  Licorice  Appoints 
Petherbridge  President 

Henry  W.  Petherbridge  has  been  ap- 
pointed president  of  the  National  Licorice 
Company,  Brooklyn,  N.  Y.,  manufacturer  of 
“Nibs”  and  other  licorice-flavored  candies. 
Mr.  Petherbridge,  who  has  been  with  the 
firm  since  1927  and  was  vice-president  be- 
fore his  new  appointment,  succeeds  Daniel 
D.  Sanford,  who  has  retained  his  position 
as  chairman  of  the  board.  Succeeding  Mr. 
Petherbridge  as  vice-president  is  Charles  A. 
Smylie,  son  of  a former  National  Licorice 
official. 


Herman  Heide  Honored 

Herman  L.  Heide,  president  of  Henry 
Heide,  Inc.,  New  York,  was  honored  last 
week  at  a testimonial  dinner  by  the  Associa- 
tion of  Manufacturers  of  Confectionery  and 
Chocolate  at  the  Biltmore  Hotel  in  New 
York.  The  event  was  attended  by  represen- 
tatives of  the  candy  industry  from  all  over 
the  country,  who  gathered  to  pay  tribute 
to  Mr.  Heide,  one  of  their  “elder  statesmen.” 


New  Frozen  Candy  Bar 

A new  candy  bar  “for  the  summer 
months,”  designed  to  be  sold  as  a frozen 
item,  has  been  placed  on  the  market  by 
Candymasters,  Inc.,  Minneapolis.  The  bar, 
called  “Star-Lite,”  is  milk  chocolate  coated 
and  has  a chocolate  nougat  center. 


MAKING  IT  OFFICIAL:  William  Wilson  (left), 
manager  of  Famous  Players'  Paramount  theatre  in 
Edmonton,  Alberta,  and  winner  of  a Motion  Picture 
Herald  Special  Merit  Award  for  refreshment 
merchandising  this  year,  is  presented  his  certificate 
by  John  Ferguson  of  Winnipeg,  western  district 
supervisor  for  Famous  Players.  Mr.  Wilson  was 
one  of  four  winners  in  the  contest  in  which  theatre 
managers  are  cited  for  outstanding  ideas  in  attract- 
ing more  people  to  the  refreshment  stand  and 
promoting  better  business. 


MANAGERS'  ROUND  TABLE  SECTION,  MAY  19,  1956 


57 


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THEATRES 


LOST  LEASE!  CLOSING  OUT  COMPLETE 
equipment  conventional  theatre — 50  ton  Carrier  air- 
conditioning,  Simplex  mechanisms,  Altec  sound,  Ameri- 
can seats.  Will  sell  all  or  separately.  JOHN 
WILLIAMS,  State  Theatre,  Jackson,  Miss. 


BOOKS 


NEW  — FOR  THEATRE  MANAGERS  - “THE 
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authorities,  handy  for  reference  with  hard  covers  and 
index.  Published  by  Aaron  Nadell.  Price  $5  postpaid. 
Send  remittance  to  QUIGLEY  BOOKSHOP,  1270  Sixth 
Ave.,  New  York  20,  N.  Y. 


RICHARDSON’S  BUUEBOOK  OF  PROJECTION. 
New  8th  Edition.  Revised  to  deal  with  the  latest  tech- 
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Invaluable  to  beginner  and  expert.  Best  seller  since 
1911.  662  pages,  cloth  bound,  $7.25  postpaid.  QUIGLEY 
BOOKSHOP,  1270  Sixth  Avenue,  New  York  20,  N.  Y. 


DRIVE-IN  EQUIPMENT 


IN-CAR  SPEAKERS  $4.25!  YEAR  WARRANTY. 
4"  unit,  steel  case  painted  blue-white.  Price  per  set 
2 speakers,  junction  box,  $12.25.  S.O.S.  CINEMA 
SUPPLY  CORP.,  602  W.  52nd  St.,  New  York  19. 


NEW  EQUIPMENT 


THE  BUY  OF  A LIFETIME!  BRAND  NEW 
Holmes  Projectors,  high  serial  numbers,  with  Maga- 
zines, Lenses,  Cahles,  late  Amplifier  and  Speaker 
(rebuilt  like  new)  all  for  onlv  $499.50!  Don’t  pass  this 
up!  STAR  CINEMA  SUPPLY,  621  West  55th  St., 
New  York  19. 


BEST  CINEMASCOPE  VALUE!  AVAILABLE  ON 
on  Time — Cinematic  IV  adjustable  anamorphic  $375  pr. 
Metallic  seamless  screens  75c  sq.  ft.  Send  projection 
throw,  screen  size— we’ll  figure  vour  requirements. 
S.O  S.  CINEMA  SUPPLY  CORP.,  602  W.  52nd  Street. 
New  York  19. 


INTERMITTENT  MOVEMENTS  — NEW  SUR- 
PLUS for  Simplex  $69.50;  DeVry  $59.50;  Holmes 
$24.50.  Automatic  enclosed  rewinds  $69.50.  S.O.S. 
CINEMA  SUPPLY  CORP.,  602  W.  52nd  St.,  New 
York  19. 


HELP  WANTED 


WANTED,  MAN  TO  MANAGE  TOP  DRIVE-IN 
theatre  near  Philadelphia,  Pa.  Good  pay,  12-month 
job.  All  mail  kept  strictly  confidential.  Box  2921, 
MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD. 


POPCORN 


WORLD-WIDE  HEADQUARTERS  FOR  POP- 
corn,  popcorn  equipment  and  supplies.  POPCORN 
VILLAGE,  Nashville,  Tenn.,  U.S.A. 


USED  EQUIPMENT 


FOR  IMMEDIATE  SALE  1,800  USED  HEY- 
wood-Wakefield  upholstered  theatre  seats.  Will  sacri- 
fice. Any  reasonable  offer  accepted.  Offer  ends  June 
7.  BOX  2919,  MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD. 


BEAUTIFULLY  REBUILT  LIKE  NEW!  SUPER 
Simplex  projectors,  cabinet  pedestals,  3000'  magazines, 
Magnarc  or  Mogul  Arclamps,  70/140  generator,  RCA 
PG230  sound,  Price  $3,950.00.  Available  on  dime. 
S.O.S.  CINEMA  SUPPLY  CORP.,  602  W.  52nd  St„ 
New  York  19. 


LOADED  WITH  H.I.  I.AMPHOUSES!  Peerless 
Magnarcs,  $395  pr. ; Strong  Mogul,  Brenkert  Enarc, 
Ashcraft  “E”  $350;  Forest  U.T.,  Ashcraft  “D”  Ballan- 
tyne  $300 — all  good  condition.  Available  on  dime. 
S.O.S.  CINEMA  SUPPLY  CORP.,  602  W.  52nd  St.. 
New  York  19. 


EXCELLENT  COATED  PROJECTION  LENSES- 
many  brand  new!  Wallensak  “Sunray”  Series  I: 
2”.  3",  3'A'’,  3J4”.  5”.  5A”,  6”,  7H"-$35.00  pair. 
Superlite  Series  III  C coated  2J4”  - 3"  - 314"  $150.00  pr. 
Trades  taken.  Write  or  telephone  order  today.  S.O.S. 
CINEMA  SUPPLY  CORP.,  602  W.  52nd  St..  New 
York  19. 


STUDIO  EQUIPMENT 


AMER.  CINEMATOGRAPHERS  HANDBOOK,  $4 
price,  $2.50;  10'  Title  Animation  Stand,  $975.00;  Bridga- 
matic  Jr.  16mm  Automatic  Processor,  $1,500.00  value, 
$975.00;  Maurer  16  Camera,  lens,  2 magazines,  sync- 
motor,  12V  motor  w/battery,  all  cases,  complete 
$2,395.00;  5000W  Background  Projector,  reconditioned, 
$595.00;  Bardwell  McAlister  studio  floodlites,  3 heads 
on  rolling  stand  hold  12  bulbs,  $180  value,  $29.50; 
Quadlite  Heads  only.  $4.95;  Stands  only  $19.95;  Mcviola 
35mm  composite  sound/picture,  $495.00.  S.O.S.  CINEMA 
SUPPLY  CORP.,  602  W.  52nd  St.,  Hew  York  19. 


THEATRE  EQUIPMENT  AND  SUPPLY  INFORMATION  SERVICE 


I would  like  the  latest  information  concerning  the 
equipment  and  supplies  indicated  by  number  below  or 
as  otherwise  specified: 


Name 


Address 


Town 


Name  of  Theatre 


Seating  Capacity 


'I 

I 

J 

) 

I 

I 

I 

1 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 


THEATRE  OWNERS  AND  MANAGERS  may  procure  the  latest 
information  eoneerning  theatre  equipment  and  supplies  by 
writing  Motion  Picture  Herald,  indicating  their  interests. 
Merely  fill  out  the  adjoining  coupon  and  mail  in  business 
envelope.  For  further  convenience  various  classifications  are 
listed  below  with  numbers  for  indicating  them  conveniently  in 
the  coupon.  Mail  the  coupon  to  Motion  Picture  Herald,  Theatre 
Service  Department,  1270  Sixth  Avenue,  New  York  20,  N.  Y. 


3 I W — Air-conditioning 
32W — Wall  materials 
33W — Drive-in  admission 
control  systems 
34W — In-car  speakers 
35W — In-car  heaters 
36W — Screen  towers 
37W — Vacuum  cleaners 
38W — Carpeting 


39W — Rubber  mats 

40W — Interior  lighting 

4IW — Projection  lamps 

42W — Projectors 

43  W — Motor-generators 

44W — Rectifiers 

45W — Screens 

46W — Magnetic  sound 

47W — Auditorium  seating 


48W — Curtain  tracks 
49W — Ticket  registers 
50W — Hand  driers 
5IW — Beverage  dispensers 
52W — Food  specialties 
53W — Frankfurter  grilles 
54W — Ice  cream  cabinets 
55W — Popcorn  warmers 
56W — Carry-out  trays 


58 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  MAY  19,  1956 


FILM  BUYERS  RATING 


Film  buyers  of  independent  circuits  in  the  U.  S.  rate  current 
product  on  the  basis  of  its  performance  in  their  theatres.  This 
report  covers  101  attractions,  3,433  playdates. 

Titles  run  alphabetically.  Numerals  refer  to  the  number  of  en- 
gagements on  each  attraction  reported.  The  tabulation  is  cumula- 
tive. Dagger  (f)  denotes  attractions  published  for  the  first  time. 
Asterisk  ( * ) indicates  attractions  which  are  listed  for  the  last  time. 

EX  means  Excellent;  A A — Above  Average;  AV — Average; 
BA — Below  Average;  PR — Poor. 


African  Lion,  The  (B.V.) 

All  That  Heaven  Allows  (U-l) 

Anything  Goes  (Par.) 

Apache  Woman  (A.R.C.) 
Artists  and  Models  ( Par.)  .... 
At  Gunpoint  (A.A.) 


Backlash  (U-l)  

Battle  Station  (Col.) 

Benny  Goodman  Story,  The  (U-l) 

Big  Knife,  The  (U.A.) 

Blood  Alley  (W.B.) 

Bottom  of  the  Bottle  (20th-Fox) 


Carousel  (20th-Fo>)  

Come  Next  Sprin^  (Rep.) 

Comanche  (U.A.)  

Conqueror,  The  (RKO)  ... 

Count  Three  and  Pray  (Col.) 

Court  Jester,  Tile  (Par.) 

Court  Martial  of  Billy  Mitchell  (W.B.) 


Day  the  World  Ended  (A.R.C.) 
Deep  Blue  Sea,  The  (20th-Fox) 
Desperate  Hours,  The  (Par.)... 

Diane  (MGM)  

Dig  That  Uranium  (A.A.) 

Duel  on  the  Mississippi  (Col.).. 


Flame  of  the  Islands  (Rep.)  . . 
Forbidden  Planet  (MGM) 

Forever  Darling  (MGM) 

Fort  Yuma  ( U.A.) 

Fury  at  Gunsight  Pass  (Col.) 


Gentlemen  Marry  Brunettes  (U.A.) 

Girl  in  the  Red  Velvet  Swing,  The  (20th-Fox) 

Glory  (RKO)  

Goodbye,  My  Lady  (W.B.) 

Guys  and  Dolls  (MGM) 

Good  Morning,  Miss  Dove  ( 20th- Fox ) 


Helen  of  Troy  (W.B.)  . . 
Hell  on  Frisco  Bay  (W.B.) 
Hot  Blood  (Col.) 


I Died  a Thousand  Times  (W.B.)  . 

I'll  Cry  Tomorrow  (MGM) 

Indian  Fighter  (U.A.) 

Inside  Detroit  (Col.) 

flnvasion  of  the  Body  Snatchers  (A.A  ) 


EX  AA  AV 


I 

5 

I 

10 

I 

I 

5 

5 

I 

I 

I 

7 


I 

20 

I 


7 

25 

3 

7 

33 

I 


10 
4 
1 1 

8 

2 


6 

I 

4 

5 
10 
8 

41 


21 

I 

4 

I 


1 

2 
28 


10 

3 

3 

3 

6 

16 


7 

8 

I 


I 

1 1 

13 

I 


18 

10 

2 

19 

I I 


3 

10 

I 

29 

8 


2 

3 

I 

6 

24 

6 

27 


5 


2 

4 
29 

5 
3 


20 

20 

6 

2 

4 

13 


25 
I I 
I 


5 

4 

25 

I 


BA 


13 

18 

5 

2 

7 

26 


1 1 
2 
25 
1 1 
21 
12 


19 

14 

3 

9 

6 

10 


1 

2 
19 

8 

2 


7 

7 

13 

2 


15 

31 

8 

3 

I 

34 


I 

9 

4 


1 1 
I 

13 

4 


PR 


20 

4 

9 

2 

2 


16 

14 

3 

24 


2 

4 

17 

7 

3 


II 

19 

28 

2 


3 

8 

2 

2 


16 

23 

5 

3 

12 


10 

23 

3 


9 

6 

2 

18 


Kettles  in  the  Ozarks  (U-l) 
Kismet  (MGM)  


Last  Frontier  (Col.) 

Last  Hunt,  The  (MGM) 

Lady  Godiva  ( U-l ) . 

Lawless  Street  (Col.) 

Lieutenant  Wore  Skirts,  The  ( 20th  - Fox ) 

Littlest  Outlaw  (B.V.)  

Lone  Ranger,  The  (W.B.) 

Lucy  Gallant  ( Par.) 


Man  Alone,  A (Rep.) 

Man  Who  Never  Was  ( 20th- Fox ) . 
Man  With  the  Golden  Arm  (U.A.) 

Man  With  the  Gun  (U.A.) 

Marty  (U-l)  (Reissue) 

(Meet  Me  in  Las  Vegas  (MGM)  . 
Miracle  in  the  Rain  (W.B.) 


Naked  Dawn  ( U-l ) 

Never  Say  Goodbye  (U-l) 


On  the  Threshold  of  Space  ( 20th- Fox ) . . . . 
Our  Miss  Brooks  (W.B.) 


Picnic  (Col.)  

Piisoner,  The  (Col.) 


Queen  Bee  (Col.) 

Quentin  Durward  (MGM) 


Rains  of  Ranchipur,  The  ( 20th- Fox ) 

Ransom  (MGM)  

Rebel  Without  a Cause  (W.B.) 

Red  Sundown  ( U-l ) 

Return  of  Jack  Slade  (A.A.) 

Rock  Around  the  Clock  (Col.) 

Rose  Tattoo,  The  (Par.) 

Running  Wild  ( U-l ) 


Second  Greatest  Sex  (U-l) 

Shack  Out  on  101  (A.A.) 

Sincerely  Yours  (W.B.) 

Slightly  Scarlet  (RKO) 

Song  of  the  South  (B.V.)  (Reissue) 

Spoilers,  The  ( U-l ) 

Square  Jungle  (U-l)  

Swan,  The  (MGM) 


Tall  Men,  The  ( 20th- Fox ) 

Tarantula  ( U-l ) 

Target  Zero  (W.B.) 

Teen  Age  Crime  Wave  (Col.)  . . . 

Tender  Trap,  The  (MGM) 

Texas  Lady  ( RKO ) 

There's  Always  Tomorrow  (U-l) 

Three  Bad  Sisters  (U.A.) 

Three  Stripes  in  the  Sun  (Col.)  . 
Treasure  of  Pancho  Villa  (RKO) 

Trial  (MGM)  

Trouble  With  Harry  (Par.) 
Twinkle  in  God's  Eye,  The  (Rep.) 


Unconquered  (Par.)  (Reissue)  . ... 
Uranium  Boom  (Col.) 


World  in  My  Corner  (U-l) 


EX  AA 

AV 

BA 

PR 

5 

9 

3 

2 

4 

17 

22 

21 

- 

2 

18 

18 

4 

- 

3 

14 

14 

3 

- 

1 

5 

7 

5 

1 

6 

14 

5 

1 

- 

10 

26 

25 

3 

5 

10 

9 

6 

19 

7 

22 

8 

1 

2 

- 

- 

23 

17 

1 1 

9 

23 

10 

1 1 

2 

1 1 

- 

10 

7 19 

16 

II 

- 

1 20 

16 

8 

13 

4 

- 

2 

1 

7 

1 

1 

3 

1 

1 

7 

1 

- - 

3 

5 

3 

- 10 

5 

5 

- 

1 

1 

8 

9 

- - 

4 

4 

5 

14  19 

2 

1 

2 

1 

3 

- 

- 

12 

13 

10 

- 

- 

5 

12 

26 

- 

9 

31 

26 

9 

1 

2 

18 

17 

1 1 

10 

55 

20 

7 

1 

- 

6 

5 

2 

3 

- 

2 

1 1 

3 

- 

4 

3 

3 

- 

- 

1 1 

9 

14 

5 

1 

3 

13 

6 

2 

- 

- 

8 

8 

18 

7 

- 

4 

8 

- 

2 

- 

1 

10 

18 

19 

- 

2 

3 

1 

7 

3 

1 

3 

2 

16 

1 

1 1 

15 

16 

4 

- 

1 

1 

II 

35 

- 

5 

— 

— 

- 

7 

44 

19 

5 

2 

2 

13 

4 

5 

- 

- 

1 

5 

2 

1 

- 

6 

7 

2 

- 

9 

30 

31 

15 

2 

- 

2 

10 

14 

6 

- 

- 

6 

4 

22 

- 

3 

3 

1 

- 

1 

8 

17 

10 

9 

- 

1 

14 

14 

21 

1 

1 1 

42 

20 

5 

10 

1 

7 

8 

1 

- 

2 

9 

2 

- 

- 

- 

1 

3 

2 

— 

2 

3 

_ 

_ 

4 

10 

21 

Sell  your  BIG 
ATTRACTIONS  well 
in  advance  with 
40  x 60  Displays! 

These  colorful  eye-catchers  stir 
up  ticket-buying  excitement!  Spot 
'em  all  over  town  ...  in  your 
Lobby,  out-Front,  in  Hotels  and 
Te  r m i n a Is  . . . w h e r e ve r the 
crowds  gather!  Start  your  Big 
Show-Selling  Campaign  with 
40  x 60  Displays  . . . give  'em 
plenty  of  time  to  work  . . . and 
ring  up  Cash  Results  at  the 
Boxoffice ! 

For  Patron-Pulling  Advance- 
Sell  Ideas  . . . contact  your  near- 
est branch  of 


nmionni  \ Ci£€/l  service 

( s Pftfzr  B/tar  of  we  /nousroy 

V — 


y 


Fnte 


second-class 


January 


1931 


matter 


I tihed 


Quigley 


Co 


I nc., 


venue 


$10.00 


Fo 


:e,  at  New  York  City,  U.  .S'.  A.,  under  the  act  of  March  3,  1879.  Pub- 
Rockefeller  Center.  New  York  20.  -V.  Y.  Subscription  prices:  $5.00 
All  contents  copyrighted  195o  by  Quigley  Publishing  Company,  Inc. 


MAY  26,  1956 


BSS.D 


SENATIi  HEARING 


Distributors  blame  TV  and 
costs,  not  policy,  for  declini 


Allied  and  TO  A leaders  plan 
new  moves  at  EDC  meetings 


IVS  (In  Product  Digest): 
(In  News  Section):  TRAPEZE 


iEIGN  INTRIGUE.  SCREAMING  EAGLES,  THE  KILLING,  GHOST  TOWN. 


It  is  not 

too  early 
to  predict 
it  will  be 

tbe  years 


HIGH! 


Again,  it’s 
M-G-M, 

THE  HOTTEST 
COMPANY! 


I 


I 


i 


V 


$mz$m 


Just  previewed 


amous 


VISTAVISION 


presents  in 


FRANK 

SINATRA 


BING 

CROSBY 


CELESTE  HOLM  * JOHN  LUND 

LOUIS  CALHERN  * SIDNEY  BLACKMER 

Anj  LOUIS  ARMSTRONG  And  His  Band 

een  Play  ty  Based  on  a Play  Ly  Music  & T IT  T')/AT')  T U IT 

PATRICK  * Philip  Barry  * Lyrics  hy  JL  JK.  X Xlj  -1^ 

usic  Supervised  & Adapted  lry  JOHNNY  GREEN  and  SAUL  CHAPLIN 

>Ior  Ly  TECHNICOLOR  • Directed  Ly  CHARLES  WALTERS 
A SOL  C.  SIEGEL  PRODUCTION 

( Available  in  Perspecta  Stereophonic  or  1-Channel  Sound) 


M8§h1 

■H 


> 


ALSO  STARRING 


LLOYD 


AND 


CHI 


_ ALAN 

MDD 


h 

•c 

wh 
tak 
a tor 
for  a 
and  th 
who  pu 
on  his  h 


This  was  the 
Jungle-of-No-Return 

-AMD  NOW  THERE  WAS 
NO  TURNING  BACK! 


They  were  like 
two  blazing 
weapons  in  the 
ot  Santiago  sun., 
ash'  Adams, 
o'd  even 
e on 
nado 
price -- 
e girl, 
t a price 
ead! 


\ . ' 


' r ' . 

\V)  i 


* * I 


0fr'5S&S£F'*~  * 

'a  UIAR^RS 


LL  Wl  LLS  • MARTIN 


SCREEN  PLAY  BY 


PRODUCED  BY 


RACKINandJOHN  TWIST  • MARTIN  RACKIN  • GORDON  DOUGLAS 


/ 


BIG 

IN 


BOSTON! 


' 


BUFFALO! 

A-ONE 
IN 

ALBANY! 


Watch  it 
go  to  tom 
soon  in 

INDIANAPOLIS! 
CLEVELAND! 
CINCINNATI! 


Yes,  Sir, 
You're  next! 
Step  right  up 
to  20th  today ! 


SCOTT  RITA  NEVILLE 

BRADY  • GAM  - BRAND 

co-starring 

LORI  NELSON  • ALLISON  HAYES 

with 

John  Hoyt  • Rhys  Williams  • Vera  Vague  • Ted  de  Corsia 
Directed  by  Story  and  Screenplay  by 

KURT  NEUMANN -MAURICE  GERAGHTY  and  MILTON  KRIMS 

Associate  Producer  Music  by 

CHARLES  B.  FITZSIMONS  - EDWARD  L.  ALPERSON,  Jr. 


EASTMAN 


COLOR 


BY  PATHE 


Wide  Vision 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD 


MARTIN  QUIGLEY,  Editor-in-Chief  and  Publisher 


Vol.  203,  No.  8 


MARTIN  QUIGLEY,  JR.,  Editor 


May  26,  1956 


Nationalism  Rampant 

THERE  has  been  another  one  of  those  East-West 
friendship  meetings  in  the  “Geneva  spirit.”  This 
time  the  principals  were  motion  picture  directors 
and  the  agenda  covered  a wide  range  of  topics.  The  meet- 
ing was  held  recently  in  Paris  and  on  hand  were  sixty 
film  directors  from  half  as  many  countries.  The  principal 
action  taken  reached  a new  high  in  absurdity. 

One  of  the  most  astonishing  restrictions  ever  advo- 
cated of  the  freedom  of  the  screen  was  “accepted  in  prin- 
ciple” by  the  assembled  screen  directors.  The  proposal, 
made  by  the  French  delegation,  was  that  “great  national 
subjects  should  remain  the  property  of  the  nation  con- 
cerned.” For  example,  it  was  explained  only  the  United 
States  should  make  a film  on  the  life  of  Abraham  Lincoln 
and  only  France  on  the  life  of  Joan  of  Arc! 

The  American  directors  reported  at  the  meeting  in- 
cluded Preston  Sturges,  Otto  Preminger  and  King  Vidor. 
These  distinguished  directors  would  seem  to  owe  an  ex- 
planation to  their  colleagues  in  the  United  States  and  to 
the  industry  as  a whole  how  they  were  a part  of  a meet- 
ing that  took  such  a manifestly  illogical  and  un-American 
stand.  Press  reports  reaching  New  York  do  not  explain 
how  articulate  they  were  on  the  subject.  In  any  case  the 
damage  is  done  by  the  report  that  the  restriction  was 
“accepted  in  principle”  by  the  delegates.  The  assumption 
— in  the  absence  of  a clear  denial — will  be  that  the  Amer- 
icans participated  in  the  discussion  and  associated  them- 
selves with  the  results. 

Under  the  prevailing  U.  S.  and  foreign  copyright  laws 
there  are  no  prohibitions  concerning  the  production  of 
films  based  on  lives  and  events  abroad.  A significant 
number  of  motion  pictures  each  year  deals  with  happen- 
ings in  other  countries,  historical  or  contemporary.  That 
is  the  way  it  always  has  been  and  always  will  continue. 
Nations  have  no  proprietory  rights  over  the  lives  of 
their  citizens  living  or  dead,  heroes  or  villains. 

It  is  indeed  fortunate  that  American  delegates  to  such 
international  meetings  as  this  one  of  film  directors  have 
no  power  to  bind  this  country  or  its  citizens.  Neverthe- 
less a good  deal  of  mischief  can  be  done,  as  was  done  in 
this  instance.  Americans  should  be  wary  of  participating 
in  international  conferences  unless  they  have  a clear  un- 
derstanding of  all  that  is  at  issue.  On  any  number  of 
points  Americans  may  find  themselves  in  the  minority 
and  outvoted. 

Thinking  of  restrictions  of  every  type  and  description 
to  handicap  the  American  film  industry  has  been  a fa- 
vorite past-time  abroad  both  in  and  out  of  government 
circles  for  more  than  a generation.  The  French,  pride- 
ful as  they  are  of  their  history,  have  long  wished  to  dis- 
courage film  treatment  of  their  historical  figures  by  other 
countries.  Some  in  other  countries  which  should  be 


nameless  are  quick  to  take  up  any  proposal  that  might 
somehow  be  embarrassing  to  Hollywood. 

It  is  chauvinism  carried  to  a ridiculous  extreme  to 
assert  that  only  the  Americans  have  the  right  to  make 
a film  of  Lincoln  or  only  the  French  one  on  the  Maid  of 
Orleans.  The  Russian  directors  at  the  Paris  meeting, 
Youtkevitch  and  Vasseliev,  perhaps  felt  that  Khrushchev 
may  want  the  exclusive  world  film  rights  on  Stalin ! 


Distributors’  Rebuttal 

1AST  March  exhibitor  spokesmen  before  the  Senate 
Small  Business  subcommittee  laid  at  the  door  of 
distribution  all  of  the  ills  of  the  business.  When 
the  distributors’  turn  to  testify  came  this  week  their  rep- 
resentatives rejected  the  complaints  and  accused  exhibi- 
tors of  practices  that  cause  or  aggravate  difficulties  in 
the  industry. 

Certain  of  the  charges  that  had  been  made  by  exhibi- 
tors were  taken  personally  and  parts  of  this  week’s  re- 
buttal testimony  dealt  in  personalities  and  specific,  local 
conditions.  Whether  or  not  certain  exhibitor  spokesmen 
are  wealthy  or  whether  they  drive  hard  trading  bargains 
is  not  pertinent  to  their  competence  as  representatives 
of  their  organizations.  Surely  exhibitors  in  a free  society 
have  the  unrestricted  right  to  choose  their  own  leaders. 

When  the  distributors  departed  from  the  area  of  per- 
sonalities and  local  conditions,  they  made  an  excellent 
presentation  of  their  cases.  Taken  as  a whole,  the  briefs 
give  a broad  view  of  the  industry  as  seen  through  the 
eyes  of  production  and  distribution.  The  spokesmen  had 
facts  and  statistics  to  support  their  statements. 

The  Senate  Small  Business  committee  is  not  at  this 
time  considering  legislation  with  respect  to  the  motion 
picture  industry  so  its  conclusions  will  take  the  form  of 
recommendations.  What  these  recommendations  may  be, 
in  addition  to  pointing  out  the  need  for  additional  tax 
relief,  is  not  known  at  this  time.  However  certain  points 
are  fundamental:  1)  As  desirable  as  arbitration  may  be, 
no  exhibitor  may  be  forced  to  arbitrate ; 2)  There  is  lit- 
tle chance  now  or  in  the  forseeable  future,  of  legislation 
controlling  rentals,  and  3)  Production,  now  as  always, 
is  a risky  business  and  no  one  can,  by  government  fiat, 
be  required  to  make  more  films. 

It  is  to  be  hoped  that  out  of  the  hearings  will  come 
a greater  realization  of  the  difficulties,  problems  and  re- 
sponsibilities of  exhibitors  and  of  producer-distributors 
alike.  It  is  even  possible  that  these  sessions  may  be  the 
forerunners  of  direct  talks,  either  on  an  industry-wide 
or  company-by-company  basis,  that  may  tackle  and  solve 
some  of  the  more  pressing  trade  practice  problems. 

— Martin  Quigley,  Jr. 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD 


More  on  Statistics 

To  the  Editor: 

I am  writing  you  about  your  criticism 
of  A1  Sindlinger  and  the  figures  on  at- 
tendance that  A1  had  put  out. 

My  experience  in  this  industry  has  been 
considerable.  I have  been  in  it  about  thirty- 
five  years,  or  maybe  longer,  and  I think  I 
have  been  a pretty  intelligent  and  good  ex- 
hibitor, but  my  education  in  the  industry 
was  brought  to  a head  during  the  national 
tax  campaign  which  Pat  McGee  and  I led 
two  or  three  years  ago. 

When  that  campaign  was  started  there 
was  a meeting  of  exhibitors  in  the  COMPO 
office  in  New  York  and  I remember  saying 
to  Pat  McGee  that  the  time  was  coming 
very  quickly  when  he  and  I would  have  to 
appear  before  a cold-hearted  and  cold-headed 
bunch  of  businessmen  in  Congress  known 
as  the  Ways  and  Means  Committee.  I told 
him  then  that  this  committee  was  very 
smart,  very  capable  and  that  prayers  and 
tears  and  widows  and  orphans  would  not 
appeal  to  them.  We  would  have  to  have 
facts  ! Following  that  up.  we  went  to  the 
Johnston  office  and  I made  the  same  state- 
ment to  Eric  and  I said:  “Eric,  what  facts 
and  figures  do  you  have  in  regard  to  the 
motion  picture  industry  and  its  operation?’’ 

Eric’s  reply  was  very  straightforward  and 
very  illuminating.  He  said,  “We  have  no 
facts  and  no  figures.  You’ll  have  to  get 
those  from  the  trade  papers.”  I will  admit 
that  I was  shocked. 

Even  the  smallest  businessman  has  to 
have  a bookkeeper  or  someone  equivalent 
to  operate  his  business  and  here  we  were — 
a huge  industry — without  anything  ! 

Following  after  that,  we  contacted  Paul 
Raibourn  of  Paramount  who  had  been  using 
Mr.  Sindlinger  to  get  certain  definite,  al- 
though limited,  figures.  He  recommended 
Mr.  Sindlinger  and  we  hired  him. 

It  was  six  months  or  more  before  I re- 
ceived his  first  preliminary  report  and  I 
remember  it  very  well.  I was  in  Washing- 
ton together  with  Pat  McGee  and  a number 
of  other  exhibitor  leaders,  and  that  report 
from  Mr.  Sindlinger  gave  me  in  essence 
the  picture  of  what  had  and  what  was  hap- 
pening within  the  industry.  I stayed  awake 
all  night  and  the  next  morning  brought  this 
bare  fact  to  the  attention  of  the  group  meet- 
ing there  in  Washington.  I remember  stat- 
ing at  the  time:  “What  the  hell’s  the  use 
of  getting  off  the  20  per  cent  admission  tax 
if  the  decline  in  attendance  will  wipe  that 
out  in  four  or  five  years?” 

That  downbeat  conclusion  was  verified 
one  hundred  per  cent  by  what  has  happened 
since.  You  will  see  from  the  enclosed  that 
this  4 per  cent  to  5 per  cent  decrease  has 
continued  ever  since,  interrupted  in  only 


one  year,  1953,  by  a slight  increase  due  to 
the  tax  elimination. 

Mr.  Sindlinger  did  a wonderful  job  and 
for  the  first  time  the  motion  picture  industry 
was  informed  of  facts  that  they  should  have 
known  for  ten  years ! 

The  first  tax  campaign  fell  on  its  face 
due  to  the  veto  by  our  president  and  we 
immediately  started  to  work  on  the  second 
campaign,  which  was  successful. 

Without  the  figures  A1  gave  us  during  the 
following  year,  we  would  never  have  gotten 
by  Congress  for  the  elimination  of  the  tax 
up  to  50c  and  the  halving  for  those  over 
that  figure. 

I’m  surprised  that  your  magazine  should 
take  any  other  view.  I wouldn’t  run  a hot- 
dog  stand  without  having  records  available 
on  the  cost  of  its  operation  and  the  net 
result,  if  any ! 

It’s  all  very  well  for  the  motion  picture 
industry  to  say,  “Hush  ! Hush !”  whenever 
anybody  throws  out  a pessimistic  statement. 
Frankly,  such  pessimistic  statements  do  hurt 
the  box  office  when  brought  to  the  public ; 
but,  for  us  of  the  industry  to  hide  our  heads 
in  the  sand  and  ignore  facts  which  are 
driving  us  out  of  business  is  the  ultimate 
of  asininity. — COLONEL  H.  A.  COLE, 
Allied  Theatre  Owners  of  Texas,  Dallas. 
[Editor’s  Note:  The  HERALD  favors  all 
forms  of  factual  research.  The  editorial 
cautioned  about  the  difference  between  facts 
and  opinions .] 

Lost  and  Found 

To  the  Editor:  Showmen  all  over  the 

world  have  hearts  as  good  as  gold  and  as 
big  as  the  Radio  City  Music  Hall’s  huge 
CinemaScope  screen.  I think  I have  an 
outlet  for  some  of  our  “Lost  and  Found” 
items  that  our  showmen  would  like. 

Periodically  we  clean  out  our  own  “Lost 
and  Found”  service  and  assemble  all  our 
unclaimed  eyeglasses  and  jewelry.  They  are 
packaged  and  sent  to  a very  worthy  and 
commendable  organization  in  New  Jersey 
known  as  “New  Eyes  for  the  Needy.” 

It  occurs  to  me  that  if  all  of  our  theatres 
did  likewise  it  would  amount  to  a sizable 
contribution  from  our  industry. 

If  you  see  fit  I think  that  “New  Eyes  for 
the  Needy”  would  greatly  appreciate  your 
spreading  this  information  to  showmen  all 
over  the  world. — DAVE  GARVIN,  JR., 
Paramount  Theatre,  Newport  News,  Va. 

[New  Eyes  for  the  Needy  is  sponsored  by 
the  Short  Hills  Junior  Serznce  League  and 
was  founded  by  Mrs.  Arthur  Terry  in  1932. 
It  collects  old  eyeglasses  and  old  jetvelry 
and  uses  the  proceeds  to  provide  glasses 
for  needy  persons.  Last  year  18,000  people 
were  helped.  The  address  is  New  Eyes  for 
the  Needy,  Inc.,  Short  Hills,  New  Jersey .] 


May  26,  1956 


Page 


ALLIED  BOARD  attacks  distributors 
on  Senate  hearing  testimony  12 

BANKER  TAKES  option  to  buy  Re- 
public Pictures  12 

DISTRIBUTION  blames  TV,  not  trade 
policy,  at  hearing  I 3 

1954  RECEIPTS  at  $1,415,763,000, 
census  report  shows  18 

NEW  BRITISH  bill  would  subject  out- 
siders to  full  tax  20 

WALT  DISNEY  reports  profits  up 
sharply  in  six  months  25 

"THE  SEARCHERS"  racks  up  rec- 
ords in  three  openings  25 

MAKELIM  PLAN  abandoned;  seek 
major  release  on  first  film  26 

"TRAPEZE":  a film  review  28 

FOX  AIMS  at  summer  grosses  with 
new  film  assortment  30 

TIMING  IS  exploitation  "natural" 
says  Frank  Seltzer  33 

SERVICE  DEPARTMENTS 

Refreshment  Merchandising  45 

Film  Buyers'  Rating  3rd  Cover 

Hollywood  Scene  31 

Managers'  Round  Table  41 

The  Winners'  Circle  38 

National  Spotlight  34 

What  the  Picture  Did  For  Me  39 

IN  PRODUCT  DIGEST  SECTION 

Showmen's  Reviews  913 

Short  Subjects  914 

The  Release  Chart  916 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  Martin  Quigley,  Editor-in- 
Chief  and  Publisher;  Martin  Quigley,  Jr.,  Editor;  Raymond 
Levy,  Executive  Publisher;  James  D.  Ivers,  News  Editor; 
Charles  S.  Aaronson,  Production  Editor;  Floyd  E.  Stone, 
Photo  Editor;  Ray  Gallagher,  Advertising  Manager;  Gus 
H.  Fausel,  Production  Manager.  Bureaus:  Hollywood, 

Samuel  D.  Berns,  Manager:  William  R.  Weaver,  Editor, 
Yucca-Vine  Building,  Telephone  HOIlywood  7-2145; 
Chicago,  120  So.  LaSalle  St.,  Urben  Farley,  Advertising 
Representative,  Telephone  Financial  6-3074;  Washington, 
J.  A.  Otten,  National  Press  Club;  London,  Hope  Williams 
Burnup,  Manager;  Peter  Burnup,  Editor;  William  Pay, 
News  Editor,  4 Golden  Square.  Correspondents  in  the 
principal  capitals  of  the  world.  Member  Audit  Bureau  of 
Circulations.  Motion  Picture  Herald  is  published  every 
Saturday  by  Quigley  Publishing  Company,  Inc.,  Rocke- 
feller Center,  New  York  City  20.  Telephone  Circle  7-3100; 
Cable  address;  "Quigpubco,  New  York”,  Martin  Quigley, 
President;  Martin  Quigley,  Jr.,  Vice-President;  Theo.  J. 
Sullivan,  Vice-President  and  'reasurer;  Raymond  Levy, 
Vice-President,  Leo  J.  Brady,  Secretary.  Other  Quigley 
Publications:  Better  Theatres  and  Better  Refreshment  Mer- 
chandising, each  published  thirteen  times  a year  as  a 
section  of  Motion  Picture  Herald;  Motion  Picture  Daily, 
Television  Today,  Motion  Picture  Almanac,  Television 
Almanac,  Fame. 


8 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  MAY  26,  1956 


On  the  Olt 


onzon 


CENSORSHIP  BILLS  DIE 

The  pending  bills  to  rees- 
tablish a state  censor  board 
empowered  to  license  films  for 
exhibition  in  Pennsylvania 
died  this  week.  The  legisla- 
ture of  that  state  adjourned 
Tuesday  without  taking  action 
on  them.  At  the  same  time  the 
legislature  specifically  ex- 
empted motion  pictures  from 
application  of  the  three  per 
cent  sales  tax.  The  exemption 
is  expected  to  save  Pennsyl- 
vania theatres  an  estimated 
$900, 000  annually,  in  addition 
to  the  fees  saved  distributors 
for  censor  board  inspection  of 
their  releases. 

S CHARY  DOUBTS  TV  SALE 

Dore  Schary  recently  voiced 
sentiment  in  favor  of  leasing 
TV  rights  to  old  films  rather 
than  outright  sales  of  these 
films.  Mr.  Schary,  vice-pres- 
ident in  charge  of  the  MGM 
studio  who  sat  in  at  the  recent 
board  of  directors'  meeting 
when  various  TV  proposals  were 
discussed,  expressed  doubt 
that  Loew's  would  make  an  out- 
right sale  of  its  vast  film 
library  to  TV  interest.  He 
said  the  "direct  sales"  made 
to  TV  are  not  helping  the  pic- 
ture companies.  He  went  on  to 
say  that  he  favors  a leasing 
arrangement  whereby  the  film 
companies  can  retain  "control" 
over  their  pictures. 

REVERSAL 

The  growing  practice  of  mak- 
ing musicals  out  of  successful 
dramas,  although  easy  on  the 
production  pocket-book,  could 
get  out  of  hand  and  make  big 
trouble.  If  the  practice  con- 
tinues, it's  only  a matter  of 
time  until  somebody  begins 
making  dramatic  pictures  out 
of  musicals  ! 

LIMIT  STATION  OWNERS 

The  Supreme  Court  has  upheld 
the  right  of  the  FCC  to  limit 
the  number  of  radio  and  TV  sta- 
tions that  can  be  owned  by  one 
person  or  company.  A 7 to  2 
decision  has  overturned  a con- 
trary ruling  of  the  Court  of 
Appeals  for  the  District  of 
Columbia.  The  lower  court  had 
held  that  the  commission  did 


not  have  power  to  deny  auto- 
matically an  application  for  a 
new  station  by  a firm  already 
owning  a certain  number  of  sta- 
tions. According  to  FCC  rul- 
ings, one  person  or  firm  cannot 
control  more  than  seven  radio 
stations,  seven  FM  stations  or 
five  VHF  TV  stations. 

STUDY  BOX  OFFICE  ANGLES 

Ways  and  means  of  improving 
the  box  office  by  the  utiliza- 
tion of  advertising  and  pro- 
motional ideas  were  aired  re- 
cently at  a meeting  of  the 
advertising-publicity  direc- 
tors committee  of  the  MPAA, 
with  Eric  Johnston,  MPAA  pres- 
ident, and  Kenneth  Clark, 
vice-president.  At  the  meet- 
ing two  preliminary  and  ex- 
ploratory plans  were  advanced 
— a short  range  plan  which 
would  commence  this  fall  fol- 
lowing the  anticipated  "good 
summer  business,"  and  the  sec- 
ond, a long  range  plan  which 
might  possibly  involve  the  use 
of  credit  cards  and  the  en- 
gagement of  a business  manage- 
ment organization  to  make  an 
industry  study. 

PRESENTATION 

If  the  sharp  increase  in  per- 
sonal-appearance tours  con- 
tinues, with  more  and  more 
top-level  stars  accompanying 
their  pictures  to  more  and 
more  cities  for  their  local 
openings,  will  we  not  be  pro- 
gressing steadily  toward  a 
point  where,  by  supplying  a 
bit  of  stage-production  to 
back  them  up,  an  exhibitor  can 
find  himself  back  in  the  pres- 
entation business  initiated 
and  made  great  by  the  late  Sid 
Grauman  and  his  emulators?  And 
might  not  that  development, 
furnishing  living  entertain- 
ers again,  prove  out  to  be  the 
best  thing  that  could  happen 
to  the  motion  picture  theatre 
at  this  stage  of  its  battle 
with  the  electronic  enemy? 

THRILLARAMA  PLANS  SET 

While  no  date  for  the  world 
premiere  of  "Thrillarama  Ad- 
venture" has  been  announced, 
executives  of  Thrillarama  Re- 
leasing Corp.,  a newly-organ- 
ized Texas  firm,  expect  an  ini- 


WHEN AND  WHERE 

May  27-29:  Joint  annual  convention  of  the 
Motion  Picture  Theatre  Owners  and  Op- 
erators of  Georgia  and  Alabama  Thea- 
ters Association  at  the  Dinkler-Plaza, 
Atlanta. 

June  I 1-13:  Annual  convention  of  the  New 
Mexico  Theatre  Association,  Hilton 
Hotel,  Albuquerque. 

June  11-13:  Annual  convention  of  Allied 
Theatres  of  Wisconsin,  Schwartz  Hotel, 
Elkhart  Lake,  Wisconsin. 

June  17-19:  Mississippi  Theatre  Owners 
Association,  16th  annual  convention, 
Edgewater  Gulf  Hotel,  Edgewater  Park, 
Miss. 

June  25:  Annual  golf  tournament  and  din- 
ner party  of  Albany  Variety  Club,  Shaker 
Ridge  Country  Club,  Albany,  N.  Y. 

September  19-25:  Annual  convention  of 
Theatre  Owners  of  America,  in  conjunc- 
tion with  the  annual  convention  and 
trade  shows  of  the  Theatre  Equipment 
Dealers  Association  and  Theatre  Equip- 
ment and  Supply  Manufacturers  Associa- 
tion to  be  held  at  the  Coliseum,  New 
York  City. 

September  28-30:  Third  annual  national 
convention  of  the  Women  of  the  Motion 
Picture  Industry,  Dinkler-Plaza  Hotel, 
Atlanta. 

October  7-12:  80th  semi-annual  conven- 
tion of  the  Society  of  Motion  Picture  and 
Television  Engineers,  Los  Angeles. 

October  15-16:  Annual  regional  conven- 
tion of  Independent  Exhibitors  of  New 
England  and  The  Drive-In  Theatre  Asso- 
ciation of  New  England,  Winchendon, 
Mass. 

October  23-24:  Allied  Theatre  Owners  of 
Indiana,  Marott  Hotel,  Indianapolis. 

October  28-30:  Annual  convention  of  the 
Motion  Picture  Theatre  Exhibitors  of 
Florida,  Roosevelt  Hotel,  Jacksonville. 

November  24-28:  Allied  States  Association, 
Fall  board  meeting  and  annual  conven- 
tion, Statler  Hotel,  Dallas,  Texas. 


tial  showing  in  Dallas  or  Hous- 
ton. After  the  premiere,  25 
packages,  including  the  print 
and  necessary  equipment,  will 
be  available  for  immediate  use 
in  the  United  States  and  Can- 
ada. The  foreign  distribution 
program  for  "Thrillarama  Ad- 
venture" calls  for  showings  in 
South  and  Central  America,  the 
firm  announces. 

William  R.  Weaver — Lawrence 
J.  Quirk — James  D.  Ivers — 
Floyd  Stone 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  MAY  26,  1956 


9 


THEY  WILL  MANAGE  North  Central  Allied’s  affairs  the  year 
ahead.  The  new  officers,  elected  at  the  Minneapolis  meeting 
last  week:  seated.  Henry  Green,  treasurer;  Benjamin  Berger, 
president:  E.  L.  Peaslee,  vice-president — standing,  Stanley 
Kane,  executive  counsel;  and  Lowell  Smoots,  secretary. 


by  the  Herald 


SIR  CAROL  REED  doesn't  know  why  all  the  fuss 
about  British  pictures  here.  He’s  seen  no  preju- 
dice; the  matter  is  as  simple  as  advertising  plus 
exploitation  plus  a good  tale  plus  universal  ap- 
peal. 1 ou  can  be  parochial  but  be  truthful  and 
appealing.  The  director,  shown  with  publicist 
Bernard  Kamber,  left,  at  a New  York  talk,  be- 
lieves American  co-production  would  give  new 
British  actors,  producers  and  ideas  recognition, 
financing  for  independents  now  comes  hard.  Sir 
Carol's  latest  is  United  Artists’  “Trapeze”. 


GEORGE  WELTNER,  who 
is  a Paramount  vice-presi- 
dent and  manages  its  sales 
the  world  over,  this  week 
was  named  director  of  the 
Motion  Picture  Association 
of  America.  He  is  the  sec- 
ond from  his  company, 
the  other  being  president 
Barney  Balaban. 


THE  REPORT.  Seymour  Mayer,  who  supervises 
the  Far  and  Near  East  for  Loew’s  International, 
said  in  New  York  after  two  and  one  half  months 
in  his  territory,  that  ‘‘Guys  and  Dolls,”  although 
a musical  in  a cultural  idiom  the  Japanese  do 
not  understand,  was  remarkably  successful  in 
Tokyo  partially  because  of  Mr.  Goldwyn’s  in- 
person  promotion;  that  in  his  estimation  joining 
the  Japanese  Code  Administration  is  superfluous 
because  our  own  Code  does  a better  job;  that 
Indian  censorship  is  unfair,  unreasonable  and  in- 
tolerable and  talks  with  officials  bring  only  frus- 
tration; that  particularly  in  the  Middle  East  after 
peace  there  should  be  expansion ; and  that  even 
now,  the  company’s  business  is  15  per  cent  ahead 
of  last  year’s. 


IT’S  25  YEARS  YOUNG  for  the  Ballantyne 
Company,  which  makes  projectors  and 
sound  equipment.  The  men  below,  photo- 
graphed at  the  Omaha  plant  celebration 
(more  than  300  came  to  cocktails,  supper, 
entertainment,  and  a plant  tour)  are  Bob 
Hoff,  president ; Leo  Wolcott,  Nebraska- 
Iowa  Allied  board  chairman;  and  R.  S. 
Ballantyne,  company  board  chairman. 


FRANK  B.  WALK- 
ER, left,  now  is  a 
vice-president  of 
Loew’s,  Inc.  Direc- 
tors last  week,  in 
New  York,  elected 
him  and  also  Charles 
C.  Barry,  television 
operations  director. 
Mr.  Walker  is  gen- 
eral manager  of 
MGM  Records.  He 
was  with  Columbia, 
then  RCA,  and  came 
to  MGM  in  1945. 


MELVIN  B.  DANHEISER 
on  Monday,  at  the  New 
York  home  office  of  RKO 
Radio  Pictures,  becomes 
assistant  to  foreign  sales 
manager  Sidney  Kramer. 
He  will  supervise  sales 
control.  He  had  been  as- 
sistant for  Latin-Ameriea, 
the  Far  East  and  Austral- 
asia, and  previously  han- 
dled the  United  Kingdom, 
Europe:,  and  the  Near  East. 


THE  IDEAL,  Universal  signing  James  Stewart  and  Audie  Murphy 
for  “Night  Passage.”  In  array  at  the  studio:  production  chief 
Edward  Muhl,  Mr.  Stewart,  producer  Aaron  Rosenberg,  and 
Mr.  Murphy. 


She  discovers  us 


by  the  Herald 


SALESWOMAN.  That’s  Nicole  Maurey,  star  of  RKO  Radio’s 
“The  Bold  and  the  Brave.”  Curious,  perceptive,  beauteous, 
effulgent,  and  even  bold  and  brave,  she  has  been  helping  sell 
the  picture.  This  for  her  is  a first  effort — they  don’t  do  that 
sort  of  thing  in  her  native  France — and  her  response  is  en- 
thusiasm. In  Montreal,  Detroit,  other  eastern  cities,  she 
charmed  news,  radio,  television  writers,  theatre  owners,  and 
even  publicists.  And  they  charmed  her.  Exhibitors,  she  said, 
seem  adroit  and  shrewd,  and  so  friendly  and  so  alert.  They 
welcomed  her  into  a broader  fellowship  of  the  show  business. 
Miss  Maurey  also  discerns  in  the  American  public’s  desire  for 
a happy  ending  a healthy  optimism.  In  her  country,  she 
observes,  happy  endings  for  many  of  the  people  are  a disap- 
pointment. 


THE  AWARDS  WINNER.  Count  Leonardi  Bonzi  explains  to  the 
press  in  New  York  why  and  how  he  makes  pictures  such  as 
“Green  Magic”  and  his  latest  “Lost  Continent,”  both  of  which 
won  prizes  at  the  Berlin  and  Cannes  film  festivals.  With  him  is 
Seymour  Poe,  vice-president  of  IFE,  his  current  distributor.  The 
Count  is  primarily  a world  explorer  and  shows  to  a curious  one 
half  the  strange  other  half.  He  is  careful  and  esthetic  in  shoot- 
ing because  a good  documentary  is  liable  to  make  money  and 
encourages  future  private  investors.  His  next  will  he  about 
China’s  Great  Wall,  and  Yalu  River  dikes,  and  it  will  be  honest 
and  informative,  satisfying  curiosity,  if  any.  It  obviously  will 
help  Red  China,  he  admitted,  or  else  he  couldn’t  make  it;  and 
it  will  be  good  for  the  West.  “Or  else  I couldn’t  sell  it.” 


SIGNIFYING  there 

will  be  a picture 
“Bolivar,”  this 
grouping  about  the 
statue  of  the  South 
American  hero  in 
New  York’s  Central 
Park : attorney 

Franklin  D.  Roose- 
velt, Jr.,  Chilean  of- 
ficial Hernan  Cruz, 
producer  Lester 
Cowan,  and  writer 
Enrique  Menendez. 


by  the  Herald 


ALLIED  SCORES 
MAJORS’  VIEW 


. . . Board,  in  Washington  meet, 
attacks  "def amatory”  testi- 
mony; to  push  for  legislation  to 
cut  Federal  admissions  tax 

If  ASHI.\  GTON : In  a partial  reversal  of 
policy,  the  board  of  directors  of  Allied  States 
Association  this  week  agreed  to  urge  its 
members  to  contact  members  of  the  House 
W ays  and  Means  Committee  to  point  out 
the  need  for  further  relief  from  the  Federal 
admissions  tax. 

The  board  said  officially  that  it  feels  ac- 
tion on  the  admissions  tax  this  year  is  “un- 
certain” but  that  the  chances  are  more  fa- 
vorable than  when  the  board  met  earlier. 
It  is  understood  further  that  Allied  will  not 
cooperate  with  COMPO  on  the  tax  cam- 
paign or  will  it  back  any  specific  bill  which, 
in  effect,  would  commit  Allied  to  that  bill. 

Attend  Hearings 

The  board’s  tax  decision  was  just  one 
of  eight  major  points  made  by  Allied 
board  members  meeting  here  Tuesday  and 
Wednesday  at  the  Washington  Hotel.  Mon- 
day and  part  of  Tuesday  Allied  officials, 
joined  by  three  top  Theatre  Owners  of 
America  officials — Herman  Levy,  Alfred 
Pickus  and  Julius  Gordon — were  prominent 
in  the  audience  at  the  Senate  Small  Business 
subcommittee  hearings. 

The  occasionally  angry  and  strongly 
worded  distribution  testimony  prompted  the 
Allied  board  to  pass  a resolution  which  ex- 
pressed the  board’s  “deep  resentment”  at 
Adolph  Schimel  and  Louis  Phillips  for  their 
“intemperate  and  scandalous”  testimony  and 
at  Mr.  Phillips  for  his  “defamatory”  state- 
ment- about  Rube  Shor,  Allied  president. 

The  board  also  heard  the  report  of  the 
Allied  Emergency  Defense  Committee  which 
was  particularly  concerned  with  Paramount 
and  that  company’s  sales  policies.  After 


Paramount  announces  the  sales  terms  for  its 
“War  and  Peace”  and  after  the  Senate 
Small  Business  subcommittee  has  issued  its 
report  on  the  just  concluded  hearings,  the 
EDC  "will  consider”  a campaign  against 
“War  and  Peace.” 

Other  actions  taken  by  the  board  in- 
cluded : 

Inviting  all  Allied  members  to  send  in 
suggestions  which  will  be  incorporated  in  a 
letter  from  Mr.  Shor  to  Spyros  Skouras, 
president  of  20th  Century-Fox,  on  what 
kind  of  pictures  should  be  made.  (This  is 
in  answer  to  a letter  from  Mr.  Skouras  to 
Mr.  Shor.)  Allied  board  members  were 
said  to  feel  that  there  are  not  enough  family 
type  films ; that  there  are  too  many  spectacu- 
lar pictures  and  too  many  “problem”  pic- 
tures made  for  downtown  houses  and  the 
foreign  market. 

Putting  itself  on  the  record  against  the 
making  of  feature  films  from  dramatic  prop- 
erties taken  directly  from  television,  as  were 
“Marty”  and  “Patterns.”  Patrons  complain 
that  they  now  are  paying  for  exactly  the 
same  material  they  received  free  over  TV. 

Approved  the  wire  sent  by  Mr.  Shor  to 
the  Justice  Department  expressing  no  objec- 
tion to  S.  H.  Fabian’s  participation  in  the 
Warner  Brothers  sale  as  long  as  Mr.  Fa- 
bian “in  good  faith”  cuts  himself  off  from 
his  theatre  interests. 

Issued  a warning  to  all  exhibitors  to  make 
sure  they  get  adequate  clearance  over  first 
run  television  showings  from  Dominant  Pic- 
tures and  others  who  are  reissuing  product 
already  sold  for  TV  purposes.  The  board 
does  not  feel  that  one-year  clearance  is  ade- 
quate, especially  for  subsequent  runs. 

Gave  tentative  approval  to  holding  its  an- 
nual convention  next  November  at  Miami 
Beach,  in  conjunction  with  TESMA, 
TEDA,  IPA  and  TOA.  It  would  be  an 
eight-day  convention,  with  Allied  taking 
three  days,  and  TOA  three  days,  but  not 
over-lapping  nor  immediately  consecutive. 


COMPO  Ail 
Scores.  Tax 

Continuation  of  the  Federal  admisssion 
tax  on  motion  picture  theatres  is  an  exces- 
sive use  of  the  Government’s  taxing  author- 
ity and  therefore  is  evil  and  immoral,  ac- 
cording to  the  63rd  in  the  series  of  COMPO 
ads  appearing  recently  in  Editor  & Pub- 
lisher. 

“Since  continuation  of  the  tax  would  ob- 
viously imperil  the  existence  of  a great  in- 
dustry,” the  ad  states,  “and  its  repeal  now 
would  neither  contribute  to  inflation  nor 
throw  the  budget  out  of  balance,  our  Gov- 
ernment would  seem  to  be  morally  bound 
to  remove  this  tax  at  this  session  of  Con- 
gress.” 

In  Washington  it  was  learned  that  a 
House  Ways  and  Means  Committee  vote  on 
further  admissions  tax  relief  now  won’t  come 
until  about  the  first  of  June  at  the  latest. 
According  to  reports,  the  continued  delays 
in  the  committee’s  voting  on  the  report  of 
a subcommittee  on  excise  tax  changes,  along 
with  the  lengthy  drafting  job  ahead  of  the 
committee  lawyers,  is  making  it  increasingly 
unlikely  that  the  comprehensive  excise  tax 
change  bill  will  become  law  this  year. 

The  ad  also  pointed  out  that,  “of  the 
country’s  19,200  theatres,  10,200  pay  an  ad- 
mission tax  of  10  per  cent  on  all  admissions 
over  50  cents.  Records  show  that  about 
half  of  these  theatres  are  in  the  red,  half 
near  the  break-even  point.  Indeed,  on  a 
consolidated  basis,  the  country’s  movie  thea- 
tres suffered  an  operating  loss  of  more  than 
$8,000,000  in  the  six  months  from  last 
October  to  March  31.” 


Figaro  Signs  Hill 

George  Roy  Hill,  television  director,  has 
been  signed  to  a multiple-picture  contract 
by  Figaro,  Inc.,  it  is  announced  by  Robert 
Lantz,  executive  vice-president  of  the  in- 
dependent producing  company.  Mr.  Hill’s 
first  for  Figaro  will  be  “Good  Old  Charley 
Faye,”  which  he  directed  for  NBC-TV  last 
February.  It  will  be  released  by  United 
Artists. 


BANKER  GETS  OPTION  TO  BUY  REPUBLIC 


HOLLYWOOD:  Cantor,  Fitzgerald  and 
Company,  Inc.  Wednesday  announced 
the  acquisition  of  a 60-day  option  to  pur- 
chase working  control  of  Republic  Pic- 
tures. A minimum  of  650,000  shares  and 
a maximum  of  800,000  shares  will  be  pur- 
chased at  $12.50  per  share  under  the  terms 
of  the  option  secured  by  the  Beverly  Hills 
investment  banking  concern  which  is 
headed  by  B.  Gerald  Cantor,  New  York 
and  Chicago  business  executive,  who 
moved  his  offices  here  six  years  ago. 

[In  New  York  Wednesday  Republic 


Pictures  stock  was  selling  at  8%  on  the 
New  York  Stock  Exchange.] 

The  announcement  says  the  option 
“calls  for  Herbert  J.  Yates  to  sell  F & C 
all  his  shares  as  well  as  the  shares  owned 
by  a number  of  his  associates.”  Republic 
has  2,000,000  shares  outstanding. 

Mr.  Cantor  declined  to  specify  his  pur- 
pose in  acquiring  the  option  but  his  firm 
has  important  motion  picture  executives 
among  its  clientele.  Mr.  Cantor  is  a mem- 
ber of  the  board  of  directors  of  the 
American  Colortype  Corporation,  Butler 


Brother!?  and  the  Dallas  Transit  Com- 
pany, and  is  reported  to  own  substantial 
interests  in  the  Rapid  Electrotype  Corpo- 
ration of  Cincinnati  and  the  Smith  Co- 
rona Company. 

The  option  is  believed  to  have  been  ob- 
tained Monday.  Wednesday’s  announce- 
ment followed  various  reports  circulated 
following  recent  layoffs  at  the  studio 
which  were  officially  attributed  to  the  ces- 
sation of  production  due  to  the  large 
number  of  pictures  which  have  been  com- 
pleted by  Republic. 


12 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  MAY  26,  1956 


DISTRIBUTION  BLAMES 
TV,  NOT  TRADE  POLICY 


Distribution  Speaks  Its  Mind 

WASHINGTON:  The  following  are  resumes  of  testimony — either  oral  or  writ- 
ten— given  by  distribution  representatives  in  the  two  days  of  hearings  before 
the  Senate  Small  Business  subcommittee  in  W ashington  Monday  and  Tuesday. 


. . . Representatives  of  majors 
tell  Senate  subcommittee  fault 
lies  with  TV,  drive-in  growth 
in  rebuttal  testimony 

WASHINGTON : Competition  from  televi- 
sion and  the  evolution  of  the  drive-in — not 
distributor  trade  practices — are  at  the  root 
of  exhibition’s  present  problems.  This  was 
the  general  tenor  of  the  carefully  detailed 
testimony  which  11  top  representatives  of 
the  distribution-production  side  of  the  mo- 
tion picture  industry  delivered  here  Monday 
and  Tuesday  before  the  Senate  Small  Busi- 
ness subcommittee  studying  film  industry 
trade  practices. 

The  two  days  of  testimony  obviously  made 
quite  an  impression  on  the  two  members  of 
the  subcommittee  who  were  present — Chair- 
man Hubert  Humphrey  (D.,  Minn.)  and 
Senator  Andrew  Schoeppel  (R.,  Kans.) 
Repeatedly  the  remarks  of  these  two  Sena- 
tors indicated  that  the  distributors’  testi- 
mony had  unsettled  some  of  the  ideas  which 
the  subcommittee  had  been  given  by  the  ex- 
hibitor witnesses. 

Say  Cost  Limits  Films 

The  parade  of  distribution  executives 
denied  — some  times  angrily  — exhibitor 
charges  that  the  distributors  had  artificially 
limited  production  and  are  asking  exorbitant 
film  rentals.  They  stressed  again  and  again 
that  the  producer-distributors  get  their  in- 
come from  theatres  and  thus  find  it  to  their 
own  self-interest  to  keep  the  theatres  alive 
and  healthy.  Rising  production  and  distribu- 
tion costs  and  public  demand  for  higher 
quality  films,  if  anything,  limit  the  number 
of  films  today,  they  emphasized. 

Distributor  spokesmen  also  attacked  lead- 
ers of  Theatre  Owners  of  America  for  back- 
ing out  of  the  industry’s  arbitration  plan, 
and  leaders  of  Allied  States  Association  for 
proposing  Government  regulation  of  the 
film  industry. 

At  the  conclusion  of  the  hearings,  Chair- 
man Humphrey,  visibly  upset  at  distributor 
allegations  that  earlier  exhibitor  witnesses 
had  lied  to  the  subcommittee,  announced  that 
the  subcommittee  record  would  be  kept  open 
for  two  weeks  for  further  comments  to  be 
filed  by  anyone  who  wanted  to  attempt  to 
clear  up  contradictions.  The  Senator  said 
he  hoped  the  subcommittee  would  have  a 
report  completed  and  approved  by  mid-July. 

Testifying  Monday  were  Adolph  Schimel, 
vice-president  and  general  counsel  of  Uni- 
versal Pictures;  Y.  Frank  Freeman,  vice- 
president  of  Paramount  Pictures;  Charles 
Reagan,  vice-president  and  general  sales 
manager  of  Loew’s  Inc.;  Abe  Montague, 
vice-president  and  general  sales  manager  of 
( Continued  on  page  19) 


ADOLPH  SCHIMEL,  vice-president  and 

general  counsel  of  Universal  Pictures: 

Theatre  Owners  of  America’s  withdrawal 
from  participation  in  the  industry’s  arbitra- 
tion project  was  a “betrayal — deliberate  and 
shameless,”  said  Mr.  Schimel.  The  alleged 
betrayal  was  not  of  the  distributors  alone, 
but  of  the  recommendation  of  the  1953  arbi- 
tration committee  and  of  the  May,  1954, 
conference,  as  well  as  the  “18  months’  efforts 
and  labors  of  the  joint  committee  appointed 
by  that  conference,  and,  above  all,  of  the 
thousands  of  exhibitors  of  this  country.” 

Mr.  Schimel  said  he  could  not  help  but 
express  “disillusionment  and  keen  disap- 
pointment at  the  superficial  presentation 
made  by  TOA”  to  the  SSBC  of  the  Organi- 
zation’s point  of  view  on  the  arbitration 
draft  which  required  almost  two  years  of 
constant  meetings.  Concerning  the  arbitra- 
tion of  film  rentals,  Mr.  Schimel  declared, 
“It  is  no  exaggeration  to  say  that  the  dele- 
gation of  far  less  consequential  powers  by 
officers  and  directors  of  a company  are  and 
have  been  adjudicated  to  be  ultra  vires ; that 
is,  beyond  the  authority  and  power  of  the 
officers  and  directors  to  do.”  It  was  his  opin- 
ion that  this  abdication  of  decision  on  prices 
“involves  a complete  disruption  of  the  pro- 
ducer’s business.  . . . Nowhere  in  American 
industry  can  a parallel  for  this  suggestion 
be  found.” 

Reviewing  Allied  States  Association’s 
proposal  for  regulation  of  film  business,  he 
said  that  no  one  can  legislate  or  regulate 
the  quality  of  motion  pictures. 

He  added,  “I  cannot  conceive  that  there 
will  be  regulation  only  of  the  producer  and 
not  of  the  exhibitor.  ...  I know  of  no  en- 
actment which  can  compel  a manufacturer 
to  manufacture  and  distribute  at  a loss.  . . .” 

Y.  FRANK  FREEMAN,  Paramount  vice- 

president  in  charge  of  production: 

It  costs  the  industry  $50,000,000  more  to 
make  225  fewer  pictures  now  as  compared 
with  15  years  ago.  Paramount,  he  said,  is 
making  fewer  pictures  because  it  believes 
it  can  therefore  produce  the  better  pictures 
that  market  conditions  today  demand. 
“When  conditions  in  the  industry  are  such 
that  Paramount  can  make  a greater  num- 
ber of  pictures,  pictures  that  the  public  will 
buy,  we  will  be  happy  to  make  them.” 

Fifteen  years  ago,  said  Mr.  Freeman,  the 
industry  derived  75  per  cent  of  its  revenue 
from  the  domestic  market.  Now  the  foreign 
market  accounts  for  42  to  45  per  cent.  “I 
have  never  yet  had  any  exhibitor  express 
his  sympathy  to  me  for  Paramount  having 


invested  large  sums  of  money  in  an  unsuc- 
cessful box  office  picture.”  He  cited  “The 
Gold  Rush”  which,  he  said,  cost  $2,250,000 
to  make  and  which  will  return  only  $800,000 
domestically.  “This  happens  to  a producer 
more  than  once,  but  it  never  happens  that 
the  exhibitor  will  take  any  of  his  profits 
and  allocate  them  to  such  a picture  because 
the  producer  happens  to  be  in  trouble.” 

CHARLES  REAGAN,  vice-president  and 

general  sales  manager  of  Loew's,  Inc.: 

"We  have  made  a detailed  analysis  of” 
exhibitor  charges  on  the  product  shortage, 
excessive  film  rentals,  forced  buying,  etc., 
“in  all  situations  to  determine  whether  they 
are  justified  by  facts  as  they  relate  to  Loew’s 
and  our  investigation  shows  beyond  any 
doubt  that  the  charges  are  baseless  and  can 
only  serve  to  mislead  the  committee.” 

Loew’s,  said  Mr.  Reagan,  has  for  many 
years  maintained  an  “open  door”  policy  and 
its  branch  managers  have  authority  to  grant 
film  rental  adjustments.  “The  amount  oi 
these  adjustments  in  the  year  1953  totalled 
$1,125,604;  in  1954,  $1,634,191;  and  in  1955 
$2,038,412.  . . . This  is  a one-way  street — 
if  a picture  does  unusually  well  at  the  box 
office  so  that  higher  terms  would  have  been 
warranted — the  exhibitor  does  not  volunteer 
any  increase  in  terms.” 

Mr.  Reagan  also  questioned  the  Loew’s 
earnings  figures  given  to  the  subcommittee 
by  Abram  F.  Myers,  Allied  general  counsel. 
The  figures,  said  Mr.  Reagan,  were  swelled 
by  the  inclusion  of  both  foreign  and  domestic 
grosses  and  carefully  left  out  the  fact  that 
the  1955  total  was  $1,265,000  less  than  the 
1954  net.  “Our  records  indicate  that  based 
on  our  domestic  production  and  distribution 
income  we  have  had  losses  from  1947  to 
date.” 

A number  of  factors — television  among 
them — and  not  distributor  practices  are  re- 
sponsible for  the  present  situation.  “Nor  do 
I admit  that  the  quality  of  showmanship  dis- 
played by  exhibitors  is  uniformly  high.” 

ABE  MONTAGUE,  vice-president  and  gen- 
eral sales  manager  of  Columbia  Pictures: 

Most  of  exhibition’s  problems  stem  from 
competition  with  television  and  drive-ins. 
“Much  as  we  may  regret  the  dislocations 
and  hardships  which  have  resulted  from 
them,  I see  nothing  insidious  in  the  rise  and 
development  of  new  entertainment  media 
which  have  the  acceptance  and  approval  of 
the  public.”  Declaring  that  every  theatre 
open  helps  Columbia,  Mr.  Montague  said 
(Continued  on  follozving  page) 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  MAY  26,  1956 


13 


DISTRIBUTION  SPEAKS  ITS  MIND 


( Continued  front  preceding  page) 
that  “Columbia  does  and  will  continue  to 
do  everything  within  the  limits  of  its  power 
and  resources  to  keep  theatres  open.” 

"Exhibitors,”  he  continued,  “can  expect 
no  guarantee  of  profits  any  more  than  the 
distributors  and  producers.  They  must  bear, 
as  do  the  producer-distributors,  the  risk  that 
some  pictures  will  earn  profits  and  others 
will  result  in  losses  for  reasons  over  which 
neither  they  nor  we  have  absolute  control.” 

Mr.  Montague  said  that  contrary  to  state- 
ments made  by  Allied’s  Mr.  Myers,  Colum- 
bia’s increased  profits  since  mid-1953  came 
not  from  high  rentals  or  confiscation  of  the 
admissions  tax,  but  from  the  release  of 
several  unusually  successful  films  — “Sa- 
lome,” “From  Here  to  Eternity,”  “The 
Caine  Mutiny,”  “On  The  Waterfront” — and 
from  the  release  of  various  blocked  balances 
overseas.  “I  think  the  committee  has  a 
right  to  demand  from  those  who  seek  its  in- 
tervention greater  responsibility  and  a closer 
adherence  to  the  facts.” 

Denying  that  Columbia  had  decreased  its 
output  of  films,  he  said  nevertheless  he 
couldn't  see  why  someone  could  not  limit 
his  output  in  order  to  make  more  money 
“particularly  when  quality  is  substituted  for 
quantity.” 

ARNOLD  PICKER,  vice-president  in  charge 

of  foreign  distrbution  for  United  Artists: 

Experience  in  the  world  market  has  dem- 
onstrated that  competition,  not  government 
regulation,  is  the  answer  to  industry  prob- 
lems. Mr.  Picker  ridiculed  some  exhibitor 
statements  to  the  efifect  that  U.S.  film  out- 
put has  been  cut  down  because  of  the  quota 
restrictions  abroad.  “I  don’t  believe  there 
can  be  any  greater  distortion  of  the  truth.” 
There  are  only  import  restrictions  in  three 
countries  of  any  consequence,  said  Mr.  Pick- 
er, and  he  named  France,  Spain  and  Japan. 

“Were  we  foolish  enough  to  think  of  cut- 
ting down  production  just  because  of  im- 
port quotas  in  a few  countries,”  he  said, 
“we  would  lose  a fortune  in  other  markets 
and  in  the  United  States.”  If  American  pro- 
ducers did  not  receive  much  of  their  income 
from  abroad,  he  added,  “the  important, 
costly  and  attractive  pictures  could  not  be 
made.” 

In  reply  to  an  exhibitor  charge  that  Amer- 
ican films  which  are  sold  in  the  United 
States  for  60  per  cent  are  sold  abroad  for 
35  per  cent,  Mr.  Picker  pointed  out  that  in 
foreign  markets  “where  cartels  do  not  exist” 
many  films  are  sold  for  60  per  cent.  Regu- 
lations against  American  films  abroad  are 
made  not  to  protect  the  native  exhibitor  but 
to  “protect  and  foster  a national  motion  pic- 
ture industry  in  its  entirety.” 

LOUIS  PHILLIPS,  vice-president  and  gen- 
eral counsel  of  Paramount  Pictures: 

“Mr.  Abram  Myers  at  the  1953  hearings 
before  this  committee  made  statements  to 
the  effect  that  the  divorcement  was  not 
genuine  and  cast  aspersions  on  its  effective- 
ness. There  was  no  basis  in  fact  for  these 
assertions.  The  divorcement  was  and  is  real, 
absolute  and  complete.  How  sham  and  base- 
less these  claims  were  can  best  be  seen  from 
the  fact  that  Allied  with  TO  A is  now  asking 


that  the  former  affiliated  or  divorced  circuits 
be  permitted  to  produce  motion  pictures. 

. . . How  ironic  it  now  is  to  find  Mr.  Myers 
pulling  along  Allied  to  join  with  TOA  in 
seeking  the  aid  of  your  committee  to  bring 
about  integration  again. 

“In  a nutshell,”  said  Mr.  Phillips,  “exhibi- 
tors want  three  things : an  abundance  of 
top  pictures;  at  low  cost  to  exhbitors  and 
assuring  them  a profit;  early  delivery.  Of 
course  that  Utopia  is  a kind  of  never-never 
land  that  the  economics  of  the  business 
simply  does  not  permit.” 

Mr.  Phillips  described  Myron  Blank, 
Julius  Gordon  and  Rube  Shor,  who  had  car- 
ried the  major  part  of  exhibition’s  testimony 
before  the  subcommittee,  as  operators  of 
large  circuits,  “important  exhibitors”  who 
“have  grown  rich  in  the  industry.  Yet  they 
pose  here  as  being  driven  out  of  business 
or  likely  to  be  driven  out  of  business.” 

The  Paramount  executive  pointed  out  that 
while,  with  one  exception,  the  film  compa- 
nies were  publicly  owned  corporations 
whose  financial  statements  were  in  the  pub- 
lic domain,  “exhibitors’  income  figures  are 
not  public  property.”  However,  as  a result 
of  a suit  brought  against  Paramount  by  Mr. 
Shor’s  S & S Amusement  Corporation, 
Paramount  obtained  an  audit  of  the  books 
of  that  company.  This  audit,  said  Mr.  Phil- 
lips, revealed  Mr.  Shor’s  “plight  as  an  ex- 
hibitor.” On  an  original  investment  of 
$10,0Q0,  he  continued,  Mr.  Shor’s  corpora- 
tion had  earnings  that  were  equivalent  to 
an  average  of  375  per  cent  per  year  from 
1952  through  1954. 

BENJAMIN  KALMENSON,  vice-president 
and  general  sales  manager  of  Warner 
Brothers: 

“Theatres  are  our  only  source  of  reve- 
nue,” he  said,  and  his  company  is  anxious 


COMM9TTEE  MAY  URGE 
INDUSTRY  TAX  RELIEF 

WASHINGTON:  Senator  Humphrey 
(D.,  Minn.)  strongly  indicated  this 
week  that  the  Small  Business  subcom- 
mittee's final  report  would  include 
recommendations  for  further  theatre 
admission  tax  relief.  After  repeated 
reference  to  the  fact  that  one  thing 
which  might  help  exhibitors  would  be 
further  tax  relief,  Mr.  Humphrey 
said,  "We  will  at  least  refer  to  the 
tax  situation  in  our  report."  He 
added,  however,  that  the  Senate 
Finance  committee  and  not  his  com- 
mittee ultimately  writes  tax  legisla- 
tion. Meanwhile,  Senator  Dirksen 
(R-,  III.)  introduced  in  the  Senate  a 
bill  to  make  the  admissions  tax  apply 
only  to  that  portion  of  the  admissions 
over  $1.  This  is  the  same  as  the  King 
Bill  in  the  House.  The  latter  is  the 
official  bill  backed  by  the  industry. 


that  all  theatres  remain  in  business  and  be 
capable  of  paying  film  rentals  which  will 
enable  Warners  to  make  the  high  quality 
pictures  which  the  public  now  expects. 

He  said  Warners  has  no  fixed  policy  as 
to  the  number  of  pictures  to  be  produced 
and  released  each  season,  and  that  this  num- 
ber is  determined  each  year  by  many  fac- 
tors, most  importantly  by  costs.  Mounting 
production  and  distribution  costs,  he  argued, 
“put  an  economic  limitation  on  the  number 
of  pictures  that  can  be  produced  and  re- 
leased in  a given  12-month  period.  Particu- 
larly is  this  true  during  times  when  motion 
picture  audiences  have  become  highly  selec- 
tive.” 

Mr.  Kalmenson  gave  the  subcommittee 
figures  to  show  how  production  and  distri- 
bution costs  have  risen,  “particularly  for 
that  type  of  high  quality  picture  which  is 
absolutely  required  today  to  enable  the  pro- 
ducer to  survive  and  to  keep  theatres  in 
business.” 

He  specifically  denied  charges  that  War- 
ners forced  pictures,  pre-released  pictures 
recently,  instituted  competitive  bidding  other 
than  at  the  desire  of  local  exhibitors  or  de- 
layed availability  of  features. 

WILLIAM  J.  HEINEMAN,  vice-president 

in  charge  of  domestic  distribution  for 

United  Artists: 

The  exhibitors  who  testified  before  the 
Senate  Small  Business  subcommittee  last 
March  on  industry  trade  practices  presented 
a picture  “which  is  utterly  untrue”  by  fre- 
quently “leaving  out  facts  and  by  twisting 
statements,”  he  said. 

Discussing  the  alleged  shortage  of  prod- 
uct, he  asked  if  this  means  total  number  of 
pictures  produced  or  a shortage  of  top  prod- 
uct only.  He  said  there  were  107  pictures 
released  by  all  of  the  companies  in  1955 
which  grossed  more  than  $1,000,000  each  for 
the  distributors  and  more  than  90  in  1954. 
"This  is  top  product,  judging  wholly  from 
box  office  results,  and  is  more  top  product 
than  was  ever  produced  in  any  two-year 
period  before,”  he  said. 

“It  does  not  take  into  account  the  many 
smaller  grossing  pictures  which,  however 
artistic,  did  not  receive  a favorable  response 
from  the  public,  nor  does  it  take  into  account 
the  smaller  budgeted  pictures  which  are 
made  to  supply  exhibitor  needs  and  the 
needs  of  a producer  to  introduce  new  talent,” 
he  added. 

Mr.  Heineman  said  exhibitors  are  living 
in  a vacuum  for  either  they  are  unaware 
that  production  and  distribution  costs  have 
climbed  enormously  in  the  past  few  years 
or  they  don’t  care  to  be  concerned  with  that 
fact.  “Where  there  has  been  a decrease  in 
number,  it  has  come  only  in  the  smaller 
budgeted  pictures.” 

Commenting  on  exhibitors’  complaints 
about  availability7  after  a picture’s  release, 
he  said  each  film  must  be  specially  handled. 
“We  get  our  pictures  to  the  outlying  the- 
atres as  fast  as  is  reasonably  possible,  con- 
sistent with  good  distribution.”  he  said. 

Discussing  film  rentals,  Mr.  Heineman 
said  U.A.  has  not  asked  and  does  not  ask 
excessive  film  rentals.  “It  is  understandable, 
( Continued  on  page  19) 


14 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  MAY  26,  1956 


E THAN  YOUR  EYES 
/ER  SEEN,  we  now  add 
THAN  YOUR  HEART 
HAS  EVER  KNOWN! 


Screenplay  by 


BRACKETT  • WALTER  LANG  • ERNEST  LEHMAN 

c by  Book  and  Lyrics  by  Choreography  by 

RODGERS  and  OSCAR  HAMMERSTEIN  II -JEROME  ROBBINS 

I play  based  on  “Anna  And  The  King  Of  Siam”  by  Margaret  Landon 


1954  RECEIPTS 
$1,415,7 63,000 


. . . Census  Bureau  releases  a 
summary  of  theatres'  receipts 
for  1954,  showing  a decline  of 
only  12%  compared  with  1948 

WASHINGTON : Receipts  of  motion  pic- 
ture theatres  in  1954  amounted  to  $1,415,- 

763.000.  a 12  per  cent  decline  from  the 
$1,614,282,000  total  in  1948,  the  Census 
Bureau  reported  this  week. 

These  figures,  however,  include  admission 
taxes.  Since  the  tax  was  reduced  April  1, 
1954.  to  10  per  cent  with  admissions  under 
50  cents  exempt,  the  decline  in  actual  busi- 
ness at  the  box  office  is  not  as  great  as 
the  indicated  12  per  cent. 

It  said  receipts  of  regular  motion  picture 
theatres  had  dropped  24  per  cent  during 
this  period,  while  drive-in  receipts  had  in- 
creased almost  500  per  cent. 

Theatres  Totaled  18,560 

The  Bureau  put  the  number  of  theatres 
in  1954  at  18,560,  slightly  under  the  18,631 
reported  in  1948.  It  said  regular  theatres 
had  decreased  in  number  from  17,689  to 
14,761,  while  drive-ins  increased  in  number 
from  820  to  3,799. 

These  were  the  highlights  of  preliminary 
figures  released  by  the  Bureau  from  its  most 
recent  comprehensive  survey  of  the  film 
industry.  The  survey  was  taken  last  year, 
based  on  1954  business,  and  was  the  first 
industry-wide  survey  since  the  survey  taken 
in  1949,  based  on  1948  business. 

The  Bureau  will  release  in  another  few 
weeks  preliminary  figures  on  a similar  sur- 
vey of  production,  distribution,  and  service 
firms.  Still  later  it  will  release  detailed  and 
final  figures  for  each  of  these  groups.  To- 
day’s release,  in  addition  to  preliminary  na- 
tional totals  on  the  theatre  business,  also 
included  some  preliminary  area  and  state 
figures. 

Payroll  8290,865.000 

The  survey  said  that  in  1954  there  were 
18,560  theatres  of  both  indoor  and  drive-in 
type  in  the  U.  S.,  with  receipts  of  $1,415,- 

763.000,  a payroll  of  $290,865,000,  and  158,- 
569  paid  workers.  This  compares  with 
18,631  theatres  in  1948,  with  total  receipts 
of  $1,614,282,000,  a payroll  of  $302,511,000 
and  187,031  paid  workers. 

The  Bureau  includes  in  the  receipts  total 
not  only  amounts  paid  for  admissions  but 
also  Federal,  state  or  local  admissions  taxes 
and  sales  of  candy,  popcorn  and  other  con- 
cession items  when  these  sales  are  made 
by  the  theatre.  It  does  not  include  conces- 
sion income — neither  the  total  nor  the  thea- 
tre’s percentage — when  sales  are  made  by 
a concessionaire.  The  Bureau  also  cautioned 
that  in  comparing  1954  and  1948  figures, 


some  allowance  must  be  made  for  the  drop 
in  the  Federal  admissions  taxes  between 
those  two  dates. 

The  number  of  regular  motion  picture 
theatres  in  1954  was  put  by  the  Bureau  at 
14,761,  with  total  receipts  of  $1,186,711,000, 
payroll  of  $248,485,000,  and  paid  employ- 
ment of  138,503  workers.  This  contrasts 
with  a 1948  total  of  17,689  theatres  with 
receipts  of  $1,566,890,000,  a payroll  of  $294,- 

672,000,  and  paid  employment  of  181,322 
workers. 

Cite  Drive-in  Growth 

The  growth  in  the  drive-in  industry  was 
shown  by  the  figures  in  this  field.  The 
Bureau  said  there  were  3,799  drive-ins  in 
1954,  with  receipts  of  $229,052,000,  payroll 
of  $42,380,000,  and  paid  employment  of 
20,066  workers.  In  1948,  by  contrast,  there 
were  only  820  drive-ins,  with  only  $46,838,- 
000  of  receipts,  payroll  of  $8,569,000,  and 
paid  employment  of  5,713  workers. 

The  number  of  drive-ins  increased  in 
every  major  geographic  area  of  the  U.  S., 
the  Bureau  figures  showed.  At  the  same 
time,  the  number  of  regular  theatres  dropped 
in  every  single  area. 

Charles  Einfeld  Returns 
From  European  Trip 

Charles  Einfeld,  20th  Century-Fox  vice- 
president,  has  returned  from  Europe  follow- 
ing a business  trip  setting  long-range  inter- 
national promotion  on  six  CinemaScope  pic- 
tures, five  of  which  will  be  filmed  on  the 
continent  later  this  year.  While  there  he 
attended  the  Cannes  Film  Festival,  con- 
ferred in  Paris  with  Ingrid  Bergman  and 
Anatole  Litvak,  star  and  director,  respec- 
tively, of  the  forthcoming  “Anastasia,”  and 
blueprinted  advance  promotion  for  the  Cole 
Porter  musical,  “Can  Can,”  to  be  filmed  in 
Paris,  as  well  as  “Boy  on  a Dolphin,”  a 
Samuel  G.  Engel  production  to  be  filmed 
in  Greece.  From  France,  the  executive 
u'ent  to  London  for  meetings  with  producer 
Andre  Hakim.  Discussions  covered  cam- 
paigns for  “Sea  Wyf”  and  “The  Black 
Wings,”  two  Sumar  films  which  Mr.  Hakim 
is  producing  for  release  through  20th 
Century-Fox. 


SPG  Reelects  Engel 

HOLLYWOOD : The  Screen  Producers 
Guild  has  reelected  Samuel  G.  Engel  presi- 
dent. Also  elected  are:  Walter  Mirisch, 
first  vice-president ; Lou  Edelman,  second 
vice-president;  Julian  Blaustein,  third  vice- 
president;  Frank  McCarthy,  secretary; 
Jerry  Bressler,  treasurer;  Robert  Arthur, 
assistant  treasurer ; Hall  Bartlett,  second 
assistant  treasurer. 


Paramount 
Quarter  JYet 
722*000 

Paramount  Pictures  Corporation  last  week 
reported  estimated  consolidated  net  earnings 
of  $1,722,000  for  the  first  quarter  of  1956, 
representing  80  cents  per  share,  including 
16  cents  per  share  profit  on  installment  sale 
of  film  shorts,  etc. 

The  total  was  based  on  2,141,000  shares 
outstanding  as  of  March  31,  1956.  These 
earnings  are  the  highest  first  quarter  earn- 
ings since  the  inception  of  the  corporation, 
it  was  announced,  except  for  the  first  quarter 
of  1955,  when  consolidated  net  earnings 
reached  $2,858,000,  or  $1.31  per  share  on  the 
2,190,000  shares  then  outstanding. 

The  board  of  directors  of  Paramount  has 
voted  a quarterly  dividend  of  50  cents  per 
share  on  the  Common  Stock  payable  June 
15.  1956,  to  holders  of  record  May  28,  1956, 
the  company  announces. 

Adult  Admission  Prices 
Reported  on  Increase 

WASHINGTON : Theatre  admission  prices 
in  large  cities  increased  for  adults  and 
dropped  slightly  for  children  during  the  first 
quarter  of  1956,  according  to  the  Bureau  of 
Labor  statistics.  The  figures  were  compli- 
cated by  a change  newly  made  in  the  base 
period  for  the  admission  price  index.  For- 
merly the  1935-1939  period  was  figured  as 
the  base  period,  or  100.  From  now  on,  the 
bureau  announces,  it  will  issue  figures  using 
1947-49  as  the  base  period.  According  to  the 
bureau,  adult  admission  prices  had  risen 
from  124.2  per  cent  of  the  new  base  period 
in  the  last  quarter  of  1955  to  126.3  per  cent 
at  the  end  of  March.  Children’s  prices 
dropped  from  110  per  cent  of  the  1947-49 
figure  at  the  end  of  December  to  109.3  per 
cent  at  the  end  of  March.  The  combined 
index  rose  slightly  from  122.1  per  cent  of 
the  new  base  period  at  the  end  of  1955  to 
123.6  per  cent  at  the  end  of  the  first  quarter 
of  1956. 


"Cargo"  Release  Set 

“Forbidden  Cargo,”  recently  acquired  by 
Fine  Arts  Films,  Inc.,  will  be  distributed 
in  the  United  States  by  Jacon  Film  Dis- 
tributors, it  is  announced.  Produced  by  Sid- 
ney Box  in  England,  the  film  has  a cast 
headed  by  Nigel  Patrick,  Elizabeth  French 
and  Greta  Gynt.  Harold  French  directed. 


New  Mass,  Drive-in 

A 1,000-car  drive-in  theatre  will  be 
erected  on  Route  44  on  the  Middleboro  side 
of  the  town  line  adjoining  Middleboro  and 
Raynham,  Mass.,  it  is  announced  by  John 
J.  Abberley.  president  of  the  Meadowbrook 
Drive-in  theatre.  Some  of  the  features  will 
be  a modern  concession  building  and  a play- 
ground area  for  children. 


18 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  MAY  26,  1956 


HEARING 

( Continued  from  page  13) 

Columbia  Pictures,  and  Arnold  Picker,  vice- 
president  of  United  Artists. 

Statements  were  submitted  for  the  sub- 
committee record  by  Benjamin  Kalmenson, 
vice-president  and  general  sales  manager  of 
Warner  Brothers;  William  Heineman,  vice- 
president  of  United  Artists,  and  Walter  E. 
Branson,  vice-president  of  RKO  Teleradio 
Pictures. 

Although  the  subcommittee  had  expected 
to  finish  the  hearing  of  distributor  testimony 
in  one  day,  the  length  of  the  first  several 
statements  made  necessary  the  continuation 
of  hearings  on  Tuesday,  at  which  time  Louis 
Phillips,  vice-president  and  general  counsel 
of  Paramount  Pictures;  William  C.  Gehring, 
vice-president  of  20th  Century-Fox,  and 
Charles  J.  Feldman,  vice-president  and  gen- 
eral sales  manager,  Universal,  were  heard. 

The  hearing  room  was  jammed  with  of- 
ficials from  the  film  companies,  with  a score 
of  leaders  of  Allied  States  and  with  a few 
TOA  representatives. 

Both  Mr.  Schimel  and  Mr.  Montague 
said  they  felt  the  exhibitors’  plight  was 
largely  due  to  television  and  drive-in  com- 
petition. Mr.  Schimel  said  he  felt  the  small 
theatre  owner  in  many  instances  was  “going 
the  way  of  the  small  haberdashery  before 
the  competition  from  the  department  store, 
and  of  the  small  grocery  store  in  the  face 
of  competition  from  the  supermarket.” 

Senator  Humphrey  conceded  that  this 
was  part  of  a trend  and  a real  problem. 
Both  Senator  Humphrey  and  Senator 
Schoeppel  were  very  impressed  by  the  de- 
tails supplied  by  many  of  the  distributor 
witnesses  to  refute  exhibitor  claims  on 
distributor  profits  and  to  refute  exhibitor 
affidavits  on  alleged  distributor  “excesses” 
in  particular  situations.  Senator  Schoeppel 
said  he  wanted  to  know  what  justification 
the  earlier  witnesses  had  for  “submitting 
affidavits  contrary  to  these  facts,”  and 
Senator  Humphrey  said  that  while  he  didn't 
want  to  judge  which  side  was  telling  the 
truth,  he  did  feel  the  subcommittee  was  en- 
titled to  have  the  “true  facts.” 

The  subcommittee  chairman  said  he  did 
not  want  to  tie  up  his  staff  by  checking  the 
truth  of  the  statements  of  the  various  wit- 
nesses, but  that  if  there  were  too  many  con- 
tradictions in  the  record,  “that’s  exactly 
what  we’ll  have  to  do.” 

Mr.  Schimel  told  the  subcommittee  that 
TOA’s  last-minute  insistence  upon  arbitra- 
tion of  film  rentals  was  part  of  a “trade.” 
He  said  TOA  had  all  along  understood  that 
rentals  were  not  to  be  arbitrated,  and  its 
convention  approved  an  arbitration  plan 
without  the  rentals  clause. 

“What  happened  in  between”  the  conven- 
tion and  the  January,  1956,  TOA  stand  for 
arbitration  of  film  rentals,  Mr.  Schimel  said, 
was  that  “some  TOA  leaders  became  in- 
terested in  going  into  production  on  favored 
terms.  They  then  had  this  pact — you  go 
along  with  us  on  film  rentals  and  we  go 
along  with  you  on  production  by  divorced 
circuits,  something  Allied  opposed  all 
through  the  years.” 


CLAIM  EXHIBITORS 
ARE  MORE  IN  TV 

WASHINGTON:  It  is  the  exhibitors 
and  not  the  producers  who  are  get- 
ting into  the  television  station  busi- 
ness, Adolph  Schimel,  Universal  vice- 
president,  told  the  Senate  Small  Busi- 
ness subcommittee  this  week.  At 
previous  hearings,  chairman  Hum- 
phrey (D.,  Minn.)  had  expressed 
interest  in  the  extent  to  which  the 
film  producers  were  going  into  tele- 
vision. Mr.  Schimel  filed  an  affidavit 
which  showed  that  of  38  television 
stations  now  owned  by  film  industry 
firms,  32  were  owned  by  interests 
connected  with  exhibition  and  only 
six  by  production  interests.  Of  these, 
he  added,  five  were  owned  by  Gen- 
eral Teleradio  before  it  acquired 
RKO. 


Mr.  Schimel  said  Allied’s  willingness  to 
enter  the  pact  stemmed  from  the  fact  that 
Allied  was  in  the  embarrassing  position  of 
seeing  the  arbitration  negotiations,  which  it 
had  long  opposed,  about  to  succeed. 

Mr.  Schimel  continued  to  say  that  True- 
man Rembusch,  director  of  National  Allied, 
had  sought  to  show  that  distributors  were 
getting  a larger  and  larger  percentage  of 
total  admission  income,  while  the  exhibitor 
share  declined.  Mr.  Rembusch  distorted  the 
figures  by  including  the  tax  in  the  portion 
going  to  the  exhibitors,  and  that  when  the 
tax  was  cut,  the  distributor  percentage  na- 
turally increased,  said  Mr.  Schimel. 

According  to  the  Price,  Waterhouse  fig- 
ures, the  distributor  percentage  of  total  ad- 
missions income  rose  from  26  per  cent  in 
1947  to  a peak  of  35  per  cent  in  1953  and 
then  dropped  to  less  than  28  per  cent  in 
1955.  The  Rembusch  chart  had  shown  a 
steady  rise  from  32.5  per  cent  in  1947  to 
36.5  per  cent  in  1954  and  36  per  cent  in 
1955.  Price,  Waterhouse  also  said  that  to- 
tal film  rental  income  of  10  major  distribu- 
tors from  U.S.  theatres  had  dropped  from 
$352,593,000  in  1953  to  $328,603,000  in 
1955,  rather  than  rising  from  $362,000,000 
to  $425,000,000  as  claimed  by  Mr.  Rem- 
busch. Mr.  Rembusch  said  his  figures  came 
from  industry  statistician  Albert  Sindlinger 
and  that  he  still  assumes  they  are  right. 

In  touching  on  the  complexities  that 
would  be  involved  in  the  arbitration  of  film 
rentals,  Mr.  Schimel  noted  that  the  profits 
of  the  producer-distributors  which  the  ex- 
hibitors had  reported  in  their  testimony  in- 
cluded profits  from  film  production  and  dis- 
tribution and  from  unrelated  enterprises. 

He  continued : “The  earnings  statements 
of  the  producer-distributor  have  been  au- 
dited by  independent  auditors.  It  is  note- 
worthy that  not  a single  complete  financial 
statement  of  any  (exhibitor)  spokesman 
who  appeared  before  this  committee,  un- 
audited, no  less  audited  by  an  independent 
public  auditor,  was  presented  to  this  com- 
mittee.” 


DISTRIBUTORS 

( Continued  from ■ page  14) 

with  high  production  costs,  that  when  a 
picture  becomes  a success,  we  must  distrib- 
ute the  picture  in  such  a way  that  it  will  re- 
turn the  greatest  revenue  to  United  Artists 
and  to  the  producer,  for  without  this,  the 
producers  could  not  continue  to  produce 
costly  pictures,”  he  said. 

WALTER  E.  BRANSON,  vice-president  of 

RKO  Teleradio  Pictures: 

RKO  has  always  been  extremely  con- 
scious of  the  problems  of  small  exhibitors 
and  this  was  proven  by  the  fact  that  only 
one  specific  complaint  was  made  against 
RKO  in  the  hearings.  Mr.  Branson  ridi- 
culed charges  that  any  distributor  would 
want  to  reduce  its  market  further  by  closing 
theatres. 

“On  the  contrary,”  he  said,  “I  earnestly 
hope  that  the  long  range,  large  scale  pro- 
duction and  distribution  plans  which  we 
have  instituted  will  make  more  high  quality 
pictures  available  to  the  small  houses.” 

WILLIAM  C.  GEHRING,  vice-president  of 

Twentieth  Century-Fox: 

Mr.  Gehring  told  the  subcommittee  that 
he  wanted  to  refute  the  “amazing”  charges 
made  by  the  exhibitors  to  the  effect  that  the 
improved  film  production  and  exhibition 
techniques  of  recent  years  were  part  of  an 
effort  to  hurt  small  theatres.  He  said  the 
new  production  and  exhibition  techniques 
had  been  developed  to  win  people  back  into 
the  theatres  after  television  had  made  huge 
inroads  on  theatre  attendance,  and  that  actu- 
ally the  new  techniques  had  helped  keep  the 
industry  alive. 

The  Fox  official  denied  there  was  any 
“battle  of  the  millimeters”  and  said  that  so 
far  no  national  distributor  has  distributed 
anything  other  than  a 35  mm.  print. 

After  reviewing  at  length  the  different 
new  film  projection  and  sound  systems,  Mr. 
Gehring  said  the  different  processes  devel- 
oped by  the  various  companies  were  not  an 
attempt  to  squeeze  out  any  exhibitor  but 
rather  were  “the  result  of  professional  dif- 
ferences of  opinion  and  the  desire  of  the 
companies  continually  to  improve  upon  the 
motion  pictures  which  have  been  produced 
in  the  past.” 

Mr.  Gehring  said  the  producers  have  done 
all  they  could  to  help  each  exhibitor  take  ad- 
vantage of  the  new  developments. 

CHARLES  J.  FELDMAN,  vice-president 

and  general  sales  manager  of  Universal 

Pictures: 

Solution  of  problems  dividing  production- 
distribution  and  exhibition  must  come  from 
the  local  level.  Mr.  Feldman,  pointing  to 
the  decentralization  of  authority  in  Univer- 
sal’s distribution  setup  and  the  multiplicity 
of  problems  confronting  separate  theatre 
operations,  said  only  “local  people  on  both 
sides”  are  equipped  to  handle  the  situation. 
He  strongly  ruled  out  the  practicality  of  any 
proposed  move  for  the  Government  to  regu- 
late film  rentals.  We  know  of  no  way  by 
which  an  outside  party  to  the  transaction 
can  place  a price  tag  on  anything  like  a 
motion  picture  that  has  a different  value  in 
every  single  theatre  and  village  and  city  in 
which  it  plays.  Each  theatre  has  its  own 
yardstick  of  film  rentals.” 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  MAY  26,  1956 


19- 


BRITISH  BILL 
HITS  AMERICANS 


. . . Government  revision  would 
subject  outsiders  to  full  tax  on 
all  British-earned  income;  seen 
blow  to  U.S.  nationals 

by  PETER  BURNUP 

LOXDOX : In  common  with  their  col- 
leagues in  other  industries,  American  film 
executives  here  are  gravely  concerned  at  the 
implications  of  Clause  Nine  of  the  Govern- 
ment’s recently  issued  Finance  Bill. 

The  clause  proposes  that  nationals 
of  other  countries  paid  by  firms  in 
those  countries  but  working  in  Brit- 
ain will  be  charged  British  tax  on  all 
income,  whatever  the  source  may  be, 
as  a result  of  their  employment  here. 

Under  present  arrangements  Americans 
working  in  Britain  have  been  charged 
British  tax  only  on  that  part  of  their  income 
actually  brought  into  this  country.  The  re- 
mainder. not  required  for  living  expenses 
here  and  so  left  at  home,  has  been  free  of 
tax  in  their  own  country.  This  has  been  one 
of  the  major  incentives  for  Americans  to 
work  in  this  country  and  the  effect  of  the 
proposed  change  is  obviously  accentuated 
more  for  Americans  than  for  other  for- 
eigners by  reason  of  the  high  salary  levels 
in  the  U.S.  and  the  high  rates  of  taxation 
in  Britain. 

Representative  Americans,  hitherto  diffi- 
dent, openly  say  now  that  the  effect  of  the 
clause,  if  it  is  accepted  by  the  House  of 
Commons,  would  be  to  drive  many  Ameri- 
cans out  of  the  country.  Several  have  been 
heard  to  say  that  it  would  be  difficult  to 
persuade  Americans  to  work  in  Britain  if 
taxation  here  leaves  them  so  much  worse 
off  in  pocket  than  at  home. 

It  is  pointed  out,  for  example,  that  tax 
deductions  allowed  in  the  U.S.  are  not  per- 
mitted here,  and  that  Americans  temporarily 
resident  have  to  spend  a good  deal  on  educa- 
tion and  make  provision  for  retirement,  sav- 
ings and  the  like.  Moreover,  allowances 
against  income  tax  are  much  higher  in  the 
U.S. 

See  Cabinet  Adamant 

Columbia’s  Mike  L.  Frankovich,  now  in 
America,  is  understood  to  have  raised  the 
matter  with  Eric  Johnston  and  suggested 
that  discreet  representations  be  made  to 
Britain's  Government.  Whether  Mr.  John- 
ston would  favour  such  a course  is,  of 
course,  unknown.  But  informed  Whitehall 
circles  take  the  view  that  such  action,  in 
any  event,  would  be  useless.  Sir  Anthony 
Eden’s  cabinet  is  understood  to  be  adamant 
on  the  issue. 


One  way  out  of  the  dilemma  posed  for 
Americans  trading  here  would  be  to  have  a 
different  man  in  charge  in  London  every 
year  for  not  more  than  six  months  and  thus 
evade  tax  obligations.  Difficulties  might  arise 
thereby  in  the  maintenance  of  a continuing 
policy.  It  seems  likely,  therefore,  that  a way 
out  would  be  found  bv  posting  an  American 
managing  director  in.  say,  Paris,  and  leave 
the  day-to-day  running  of  business  here  to 
a Briton. 

URGES  IMMEDIATE 
PRODUCER  AID 

Frank  Hoare,  president  of  the  Association 
of  Specialized  Film  Producers,  is  the  latest 
prophet  of  doom  for  the  production  indus- 
try here  failing  immediate  Government  ac- 
tion. In  presenting  his  Association’s  annual 
report,  he  said  that  the  production  industry 
would  collapse  entirely  unless  the  Govern- 
ment takes  early  and  drastic  action  in  its 
support. 

Said  Mr.  Hoare:  “In  1956-57  the  destiny 
of  British  film  production  will  be  settled. 
Either  we  shall  go  ahead  progressively,  or 
decline  to  a point  where  British  film  produc- 
tion will  be  of  little,  if  any,  importance  in 
the  world. 

“It  seems  fo  us  that  if  British  film  produc- 
tion is  to  be  saved  from  collapse  the  Govern- 
ment and  the  industry  must  work  out  some 
remedy  without  waiting  for  the  end  of  the 
present  period  of  the  Eady  Levy  arrange- 
ments which  are  due  to  expire  in  October, 
1957.” 

Like  all  other  leaders  of  the  trade  here, 
Mr.  Hoare  is  shocked  and  dismayed  at  the 
Chancellor  of  the  Exchequer’s  failure  to  re- 
lieve the  industry  of  “the  frightful  burden” 
of  entertainment  tax,  but  he  and  his  asso- 
ciates have  special  reason  for  their  dismay. 
Second  features  and  shorts  are  very  much 
in  a falling  market  here  and  with  justifica- 
tion Mr.  Hoare  says  in  his  report:  “The 
failure  of  the  Government  to  deal  with  the 
tax  has  brought  about  a position  in  which 
nobody  knows  what  will  be  the  future  of  the 
British  Film  Production  Fund  when  the 
present  arrangements  end  in  October,  1957. 
This  is  the  most  serious  situation  facing  us 
as  producers  of  long  and  short  supporting 
films  for  the  cinemas”;  adding  “British  pro- 
duction cannot  survive  without  a Fund  at  a 
much  higher  level  than  has  been  achieved 
heretofore.” 

EXHIBITORS  CLOSE  DOWN 
ON  PROPAGANDA  USE 

Stemming  directly  from  the  Government’s 
turndown  of  their  tax  remission  plea,  a 
general  toughening-up  is  to  be  discerned  in 
the  attitude  of  exhibitors  here  toward  official 
requests  for  the  use  of  the  screens  in  propa- 
ganda campaigns  on  a free-for-nothing 


basis.  First  overt  indication  thereof  is  the 
reaction  of  a hard  core  of  theatre  men  to  a 
request  from  the  Government’s  Home  Office 
that  exhibitors  throughout  the  country 
should  cooperate  by  screening  recruiting 
films  for  the  national  Civil  Defence  Week 
next  autumn. 

Cinemas  in  this  country  have  a notable 
tradition  of  national  service,  particularly  in 
times  of  emergency.  No  man  questions  the 
urgency  of  such  an  appeal  at  this  time  of 
torment  in  the  international  scene  and  CEA 
leaders  were  disposed  to  recommend  the 
Association’s  membership  to  support  the 
campaign.  Whereat  a number  of  delegates 
to  the  general  council  promptly  pointed  out 
that  the  Home  Office  would  undoubtedly  pay 
for  press  and  other  advertising  in  support 
of  the  appeal,  and  why  should  exhibitors, 
many  of  them  threatened  with  extinction 
under  the  burden  of  the  Tax,  give  screen 
time  for  nothing? 

• 

It  is  understood  that  KRS  has  decided 
to  make  no  submission  to  the  Board  of 
Trade  of  its  views  on  the  future  policy  of 
the  industry. 

With  the  sharp  division  of  views  between 
the  society’s  American  majority  of  member- 
ship and  their  British  colleagues  on  Quota 
and  in  particular  with  regard  to  the  current 
controversy  regarding  films  financed  by 
American  interests  sharing  in  the  benefits 
of  Quota  and  Eady,  a unanimous  submission 
was  clearly  impossible. 

On  two  previous  occasion  when  the  au- 
thorities sought  the  trade’s  views  on  pro- 
posed revisions  of  the  Quota  Acts — namely 
in  1938  and  1948 — the  KRS  found  itself  in 
a similar  position  and  decided  to  make  no 
submission. 

Writers  Guild-West 
Elects  New  Officers 

HOLLYWOOD:  The  Writers  Guild  of 

America,  West,  recently  elected  new  officers 
according  to  an  announcement.  They  are 
Edmund  H.  North,  president:  Jesse  L. 
Lasky,  Jr.,  vice-president,  and  Ken  Englund, 
secretary-treasurer.  All  will  assume  their 
duties  immediately.  Twenty-one  other  mem- 
bers were  elected  to  various  posts,  but  not 
all  of  these  will  take  office  because  of  a de- 
cision. voted  by  the  members,  to  amalgamate 
the  guild’s  television  and  radio  branches. 
The  members  voted  unanimously  to  strike 
the  major  networks  June  4 unless  a satisfac- 
torv  working  agreement  on  film  television  is 
reached  before  them.  The  guild  approved 
the  recently  negotiated  contract  with  the 
Alliance  of"  Television  Film  Producers  As- 
sociation. 


"Giant"  Conferences  End 

Henry  Ginsberg,  George  Stevens’  produc- 
tion associate,  has  returned  to  Hollywood 
following  conferences  with  Warner  home 
office  executives  on  merchandising  plans  for 
the  company’s  forthcoming  release,  “Giant,  ’ 
Mr.  Stevens’  production  starring  Elizabeth 
Taylor,  Rock  Hudson  and  James  Dean.  The 
film  is  now  in  its  final  cutting  stages. 


20 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  MAY  26,  1956 


r 

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basis.  First  nvprf  indication  thpreof  is  the 


S 

C 

t 

fc 

I 

1. 

e 

i 

rt 


J 

c 

f 

1 

t 

c 

i 

i 

< 


The  story  of  a self-made 
failure  . . . and  the  girl  who 
turned  him  into  a man  , 
K in  spite  of  himself!  L 


Topping  that  Seven  Little 
Foys  fun  ns  Bob  plays 
pop  again  to  the  wildest 
little  Indian  of  them  all ' 


The  girl  Ihnt  almost 
got  away  gets  back 
where  she  belongs  — 
in  Bob's  arms! 


All  the  all-out  laughter 
that  Broadway  took 
to  its  heart  is  on 
the  screen  nt  lust' 


A 

with  a heart  the  size  of  a 
whale  ...  no  wonder  the  boy 
loves  him.  So  will  you  ' 


n 

WMt 

Certain 


PUT  IT  ON  YOUR  CALENDAR  MAKE  IT  A MUST 


THEATRE  SCREENINGS  IN  ALL  PARAMOUNT  BRANCH  CITIES 

Check  your  Paramount  manager  for  theatre  and  screening  time.  All 
exhibitors  are  invited- and  invited  to  bring  along  their  families  to 
this  great  family  picture.  Paramount  wants  you  to  have  that  certain 
feeling  that  you’re  about  to  play  one  of  the  top  grossing  comedies  ever!  JUL 


Stars  shine  . . . 

...  so  does  the  picture 


■■UK 


IN  CHICAGO.  Buffalo,  Detroit,  C.  V. 
Whitney's  "The  Searchers"  is  rack- 
ing up  records.  Observers  say  John 
Wayne  and  Ward  Bond,  shown  above 
in  Chicago  with  radio's  Tony  Weit- 
zel,  have  a lot  to  do  with  it.  They 
drew  $5,000  at  the  Chicago  one- 
show  opening,  and  the  theatre 
scored  $34,560  in  five  days.  Their 
one  show  at  the  Center,  Buffalo, 
drew  $3,000  and  in  five  days  the 
house  garnered  $15,549.  The  Detroit 
receipts  at  the  Palm  State  were 
$23,616.  The  picture  opened  in 
Cleveland  and  Philadelphia  Tuesday 
and  by  May  30  will  be  in  all  key 
cities.  A Warner  release,  it  was 
photographed  in  VistaVision  and 
color  by  Technicolor.  It  was  di- 
rected by  John  Ford. 


Disney  Grass 
t /i  Sharply 
Mn  H Months 

LOS  ANGELES : Gross  revenue  and  net 
profit  of  Walt  Disney  Productions  for  the 
first  half  of  the  current  fiscal  year  showed 
marked  improvement  over  the  corresponding 
months  a year  ago,  Roy  O.  Disney,  presi- 
dent, says  in  an  interim  report  to  stock- 
holders. The  company’s  interest  in  Disney- 
land amusement  park  was  not  reflected  in 
the  figures  shown  for  the  period. 

Consolidated  gross  revenue  for  the  six 
months  ended  March  31,  1956,  totaled  $12,- 
859,321,  compared  with  $9,876,175  for  the 
like  period  last  year.  After  all  charges,  net 
profit  was  $1,418,850,  equal  to  $2.17  per 
share  on  the  652,840  shares  of  common 
stock  outstanding.  For  the  corresponding 
six-month  period  a year  ago,  net  profit 
amounted  to  $430,048,  or  66  cents  per  share 

Major  reasons  given  for  the  sharp  rise 
included  the  returns  from  four  features. 
“Davy  Crockett,”  “Lady  and  the  Tramp,” 
“African  Lion”  and  “The  Littlest  Outlaw,” 
all  released  domestically  during  the  past  12 
months.  Large  foreign  potentials  lie  ahead 
for  these  films,  Mr.  Disney  said.  Other 
causes  were  good  earnings,  both  foreign  and 
domestic,  from  such  other  releases  as  “20,- 
000  Leagues  Under  the  Sea,”  “The  Vanish- 
ing Prairie”  and  “The  Living  Desert,”  also 
a 55  per  cent  increase  in  combined  revenues 
from  character  merchandising,  publications, 
music,  and  comic  strips,  all  of  which  are 
profitable  and  growing  steadily. 

In  order  to  carry  forward  a heavier  pro- 
duction schedule  of  motion  pictures  and 
television  shows,  the  company  extended  its 
bank  borrowings  to  $9,313,852  as  of  March 
31  last,  an  increase  of  $2,695,572  since 
October  1,  1955.  In  this  connection  Mr. 
Disney  said,  “We  are  making  progress  to- 
ward securing  a substantial  amount  of  long- 
term or  permanent  financing  to  replace  cur- 
rent bank  borrowings.  Our  goal  is  to  com- 
plete this  transaction  some  time  this  Fall.” 

"Tiger"  Pre-Release 
Openings  Planned 

“Toy  Tiger,”  Universal-International’s 
Technicolor  comedy  starring  Jeff  Chandler, 
Laraine  Day  and  Tim  Hovey  will  be  given 
a series  of  territorial  saturation  pre-release 
openings  starting  at  the  Fulton  Theatre, 
Pittsburgh,  May  30,  followed  by  openings  in 
Tulsa,  Oklahoma  City  and  New  Orleans 
during  the  first  week  in  June,  to  launch  a 
series  of  openings  in  those  territories.  The 
initial  territorial  openings  are  backed  by 
large  blocks  of  newspaper  advertising  space 
in  the  key  city  to  support  the  openings  in 
the  territory  which  follow  as  well  as  a com- 
prehensive territorial  promotional  campaign. 
“Toy  Tiger”  is  scheduled  for  additional 
openings  in  other  territories  to  coincide  with 
school  closings  for  the  Summer,  with  gen- 
eral release  scheduled  for  July. 


De  Rochemont  Associates 
Enter  16mm  Distribution 

Louis  de  Rochemont  Associates,  producers 
and  distributors  of  theatrical  feature  films, 
has  entered  the  16mm.  distribution  field,  it 
was  announced  by  F.  Borden  Mace,  presi- 
dent. The  organization  has  formed  the  Louis 
de  Rochemont  Associates  Film  Library  and 
its  first  three  films  are  the  Academy  Award 
winning  documentary  “Helen  Keller  in  Her 
Story,”  “The  Great  Adventure”  and  “Suez,” 
a two-reel  color  film. 


Plan  New  Art  Theatre 

The  Town  theatre,  New  Rochelle,  N.  Y., 
will  soon  be  an  art  theatre.  Berk  & Krum- 
gold,  real  estate  firm,  recently  announced 
that  they  have  concluded  a long-term  lease 
for  the  theatre  for  the  Trent  Theatre  Corp., 
headed  by  Max  A.  Cohen  and  Mark  I. 
Finkelstein.  Morris  Goldman  and  Gilbert 
Josephson  head  the  tenant  corporation. 


Lester  Cowan  to  Film 
Simon  Bolivar  Story 

Lester  Cowan,  independent  American  film 
producer,  has  announced  acquisition  of 
rights  to  a new  historical  novel,  “Simon 
Bolivar,”  by  Enrique  Campos  Menendez,  as 
the  basis  for  a film  about  the  South  Ameri- 
can liberator,  who  lived  from  1783  to  1830 
and  was  instrumental  in  freeing  Bolivia, 
Ecuador,  Colombia,  Venezuela,  Panama  and 
Peru  from  the  Spanish  yoke.  The  film  will 
mark  the  first  enterprise  in  which  South 
American  countries  will  collaborate  with  a 
United  States  producer.  Both  American  and 
Latin  American  stars  and  technicians  will 
participate  in  the  film,  which  will  be  shot 
in  the  countries  liberated  by  Bolivar.  The 
project  was  negotiated  with  Mr.  Cowan  by 
Ambassador  Santa  Cruz,  former  chairman 
of  the  United  Nations  Delegation  of  Chile 
and  spokesman  for  a Latin  American  group, 
and  Franklin  D.  Roosevelt,  Jr.,  attorney  for 
this  group. 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  MAY  26,  1956 


25 


Makelim  Plan  Abandoned;  Seek 
Major  Release  for  First  Picture 

HOLLYWOOD:  The  Makelim  Plan  lias  lieen  abandoned,  it  was  an- 
nounced last  week  by  Hal  R.  Makelim,  and  he  said  he  would  offer  “Peace- 
maker,” the  first  film  produced  under  the  arrangement,  for  distribution 
“through  established  major  distribution  channels.”  He  said  he  has  no 
deal  for  the  sale  of  the  film  “at  this  time.”  In  a letter  to  contract  holders 
in  the  Makelim  Plan  he  said,  “Contracts  received  by  Makelim  Pictures. 
Inc.,  were  not  enough  to  allow  them  to  make  proper  presentation,  or 
even  come  close  to  giving  me  hack  my  cost  of  the  picture,  to  say  nothing 
of  the  cost  of  prints,  advertising,  etc.” 

The  letter  continued,  “I  need  your  help  and  cooperation  so  I can  get 
“•Peacemaker”  on  the  road,  and  I’d  like  to  show  to  anyone  I approach 
on  distribution  of  my  picture  that  I still  have  your  goodwill  and  support.” 
He  asked  exhibitors  to  sign  and  return  the  cancellation  form.  Mr. 
Makelim  launched  the  Makelim  Plan  more  than  two  years  ago,  travelling 
around  the  country,  attending  exhibitor  conventions  and  similar  gather- 
ings, to  explain  his  belief  that  exhibitors  facing  a product  shortage  could 
benefit  themselves  by  contracting  with  him  for  12  feature  pictures  to  he 
made  in  a year’s  time. 


Uoetr  Asian 
Business  Up 
15%  in  Year 

The  motion  picture  business  for  Loew’s 
International  throughout  the  Far  East, 
Middle  East  and  Near  East  at  this  time  is 
15  per  cent  ahead  of  last  year’s  record  for 
those  territories,  according  to  Seymour  R. 
Mayer,  Far  East  supervisor  for  Loew’s  In- 
ternational. He  also  reported  that  Samuel 
Goldwyn’s  “Guys  and  Dolls”  is  doing  excel- 
lent business  in  its  engagements  there. 

“Business,”  he  said,  “is  very  good.  MGM 
films  such  as  “The  Swan,”  “I’ll  Cry  To- 
morrow',” and  “Guys  and  Dolls”  are  doing 
terrific  business.”  Mr.  Mayer  recently  re- 
turned from  a 10-week  business  trip,  part 
of  it  in  company  with  Mr.  Goldwyn  in  con- 
junction with  the  Japanese  and  Hong  Kong 
openings  of  “Guys  and  Dolls.” 

Paying  tribute  to  Mr.  Goldwyn  for  his 
help  in  launching  the  film,  Mr.  Mayer  said, 
“His  presence  boosted  our  campaign.  He 
is  a real  showman.”  He  added  that  trends 
point  to  “Guys  and  Dolls”  grossing  the 
equivalent  of  $300,000  in  Japan.  Mr.  Mayer 
also  opined  that  there  is  much  room  for 
expansion,  particularly  in  the  Middle  and 
Near  East.  He  added,  however,  that  Loew’s 
expansion  and  that  of  other  companies 
would  not  take  place  until  the  Arab-Israeli 
conflict  settles  down.  TV,  he  added,  is 
rapidly  growing  in  the  Japanese  market,  but 
thus  far  has  not  affected  the  motion  picture 
business.  The  main  reason,  he  said,  was 
that  the  price  of  sets  is  out  of  public  reach. 

The  Japanese,  he  said,  wish  to  have  the 
MPEA  join  the  EIREN,  the  Japanese  Pro- 
duction Code  Administration.  “There  is 
much  pressure  on  us  to  do  this,”  he  added, 
“and  our  current  talks  on  this  may  bring 
about  a compromise  agreement.” 

Censorship  in  India,  Mr.  Mayer  stated, 
is  “intolerable  and  unfair,  and  it  is  not 
based  on  any  rhyme  or  reason.  Foreign 
films  are  very  strictly  censored,  and  if  and 
when  approved,  are  shown  in  only  182  the- 
atres at  the  most.” 


General  Precision 
Net  Is  $346,973 

Consolidated  net  sales  of  General  Preci- 
sion Equipment  Corporation  for  the  three 
months  ended  March  31,  1956  were  $32,678,- 
823  compared  with  $34,253,560  in  the  com- 
parable period  in  1955,  Hermann  G.  Place, 
chairman  of  the  board  and  president,  has 
reported  to  stockholders.  Consolidated  net 
profit  for  the  first  quarter  of  1956  amounted 
to  $346,973,  after  taxes,  equal,  after  deduct- 
ing preferred  dividends,  to  20  cents  per 
share  on  1,065,329  shares  of  common  stock 
outstanding  as  of  March  31,  1956.  This 
compares  with  consolidated  net  profit  for 
the  1955  first  quarter  of  $961,986,  equal  to 
90  cents  per  share  on  the  972,412  shares  of 
common  stock  outstanding  last  year. 


Alfred  Daff  Attending 
U-l  Europe  Sales  Meets 

Alfred  E.  Daff,  executive  vice-president 
of  Universal  Pictures  and  president  of  Uni- 
versal International  Films,  its  overseas 
subsidiary,  and  Americo  Aboaf,  its  vice- 
president  and  general  manager,  are  in 
Europe  attending  a series  of  sales  conven- 
tions in  France,  Germany  and  Italy,  sched- 
uled as  a follow-up  to  the  U-I  1956  Global 
Conference  concluded  last  week  in  Holly- 
wood. Attending  the  meetings,  set  for 
Paris  May  21-24;  Munich,  May  25-28,  and 
Rome,  May  29-June  1,  are  executives,  sales- 
men, local  branch  managers,  bookers  and 
publicity  men  from  their  respective  coun- 
tries. Present  at  all  meetings  were  conti- 
nental supervisor  John  Spires  and  continen- 
tal sales  manager  Marion  Jordan. 

Walsh  Visits  Scotland 
For  NATKE  Conferences 

Richard  F.  Walsh,  IATSE  president,  is 
in  Edinburgh,  Scotland,  where  he  is  sched- 
uled to  address  the  convention  of  the  Na- 
tional Association  of  Theatrical  and  Kine 
Employees,  at  the  invitation  of  Sir  Tom 
O’Brien,  general  secretary  of  that  organiza- 
tion. He  will  also  meet  with  NATKE  rep- 
resentatives in  an  effort  to  help  Anglo- 
American  exhibition  problems. 


Theatre  Changes  Hands 

G.  L.  Faw  of  Albemarle,  N.  C.  and  R.  A. 
Goodman  of  Monroe,  N.  C.,  joint  owners 
of  a theatre  chain,  have  purchased  the  Dixie 
theatre  in  Troy,  N.  C.,  from  Fred  L.  Taylor 
of  Troy.  The  building  is  being  renovated 
and  new  projection  equipment  and  a Cin- 
emaScope  screen  is  being  installed.  After 
renovation,  the  Dixie  will  seat  450  patrons. 


Allied  Unit 
Bachs  Pleas 
lit  Congress 

MINNEAPOLIS : Despite  a plea  that  “the 
Government  be  kept  out  of  the  motion  pic- 
ture business  and  that  we  settle  our  prob- 
lems among  ourselves,”  by  William  C. 
Gehring,  vice-president  of  20th  Century-Fox 
at  the  North  Central  Allied  Independent 
Theatre  Owners  convention  here  last  week, 
the  convention  endorsed  a resolution  con- 
demning “short-sighted  policies  of  restrict- 
ing product  and  refusing  to  sell  except  upon 
terms  which  will  ultimately  destroy  small 
theatres.”  The  resolution  also  asked  that 
“Congress  be  urged  to  continue  its  explora- 
tion of  ways  and  means  of  advancing  the 
public  interest  by  preserving  the  small  thea- 
tres through  Federal  regulation  of  the  mo- 
tion picture  industry  if  no  other  means  can 
be  found.” 

Also  speaking  at  the  convention  was  Alex 
Harrison,  20th-Fox  general  sales  manager, 
who  asked  the  exhibitors  to  be  showmen. 
“We’ve  got  to  put  the  accent  on  merchan- 
dising our  product — be  the  greatest  ambas- 
sadors of  good  will  the  world  has  ever 
known,”  he  said. 

Other  resolutions  adopted  at  the  conven- 
tion called  for  a de-emphasis  of  sex  and 
sensationalism  in  motion  picture  advertising, 
a discouragement  of  television  film  clip  ad- 
vertising with  its  cheapening  and  adverse 
effects  on  receipts  and  opposition  to  the 
proposed  $1  minimum  wage  in  Minnesota 
for  women  and  minors. 

Officers  elected  at  the  meeting  included 
Ben  Berger,  president ; E.  L.  Peaslee,  vice- 
president;  Henry  Greene,  treasurer,  and 
Lowell  Smoots,  secretary. 


26 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  MAY  26,  1956 


FEATURE  REVIEW 

Trapeze 

U.A. — Hecht-Lancaster — High  drama 

( Color  by  DeLuxe) 

Against  the  always  intriguing,  ever-exciting  background  of  the  circus,  with  its 
o\\  n peculiar  tribe  of  artists  and  craftsmen,  the  Hecht  and  Lancaster  team  have 
wrought  a brilliantly  entertaining  motion  picture.  It  has  in  abundance  the  kinds  of 
ingredients  which  should  call  forth  a wacking  response  at  the  box  offices  of  the  na- 
tion, in  all  types  of  theatres  and  in  all  types  of  situations. 


The  story  which  lias  been  fashioned,  with 
screenplay  by  James  R.  Webb  and  adapta- 
tion by  Liam  O'Brien,  is  taut,  dramatically 
tense  and  sharply  etched.  There  is  no  lost 
motion,  dialogue  is  as  authentic  as  the  saw- 
dust of  the  circus  itself  and  the  fascinating 
atmosphere  of  the  circus  and  its  people  is 
kept  front  and  center  at  all  times.  Wisely 
the  producers  have  confined  their  locale  to  a 
small  (to  American  eyes)  French  circus  in 
Paris,  and  thus  have  made  no  problem  for  the 
viewer  in  accepting  the  scene  as  authentic. 

Withal,  the  utilization  of  color  and  Cine- 
maScope  have  enhanced  the  production 
values  enormously,  of  course,  especially  in 
the  aerial  material,  of  which  there  is  con- 
siderable. For  this  and  the  other  details  of 
production  which  have  contributed  so  tell- 
ingly to  the  effectiveness  of  the  whole,  credit 
is  due  James  Hill,  listed  as  producer  of  the 
film. 

The  cast  offers  strength  for  the  marquee, 
incidentally,  and  splendid  strength  for  the 
director,  in  this  case  the  talented,  expert 
Carol  Reed.  Leading  the  parade  is  Burt 
Lancaster  as  the  once  brilliant,  now  crippled 
aerial  great  of  an  earlier  day,  reduced  to  the 
humble  status  of  “rigger.”  With  him  are 
starred  Tony  Curtis,  who  is  gaining  in 
stature,  and  here  brings  the  proper  note  of 
devil-may-care,  nerveless  skill  to  the  role  of 
the  young  American  who  seeks  to  learn  from 
the  great  Lancaster  the  secret  of  doing  the 


"triple,”  the  frightening  triple  somersault 
high  in  the  air,  as  the  “flyer”  catapults 
from  his  trapeze  to  the  waiting  hands  of  his 
“catcher.”  The  feminine  lead  is  in  the  un- 
questionably capable  hands  of  Gina  Lollo- 
brigida,  who  combines  professional  perform- 
ing ability  with  physical  attributes  which 
make  of  her  a box  office  property  of  rare 
value.  Here  she  essays  a made-to-measure 
part  as  the  small-time  circus  performer  who 
seeks  to  horn  into  the  big-time  act,  and  gets 
herself  quite  tangled  with  romance  en  route. 

In  admirable  support  particularly  are 
Katy  Jurado,  a circus  performer  with  a soft 
spot  for  Lancaster ; Thomas  Gomez,  the 
proprietor  who  thinks  in  terms  of  the  box 
office;  Johnny  Puleo,  as  the  dwarf  handy- 
man who  is  Lancaster’s  ready  and  willing 
slave,  and  Minor  Watson,  as  John  Ringling 
North,  the  visiting  circuit  great  from  the 
United  States. 

Curtis  overcomes  Lancaster’s  dejected 
refusal  to  return  to  action,  as  he  realizes 
the  boy’s  intense  desire,  and  appreciates  the 
fact  that  here  may  be  another  who  can  do 
the  rare  “triple,”  while  he  is  mentor  and 
catcher.  But  Miss  Lollobrigida  has  other 
notions,  and  when  she  cannot  persuade  Lan- 
caster, makes  a successful  play  for  Curtis 
and  the  latter  delivers  the  ultimatum,  she’s 
in  their  act  or  he’s  out.  But  Lancaster  comes 
to  realize  she  loves  him,  and  is  playing  for 


Curtis,  and  when  the  latter  finds  the  two 
together,  he  explodes  into  violent  denuncia- 
tion of  Lancaster,  and  the  triple  seems  gone. 

But  an  opportunity  comes  suddenly,  with 
Watson  in  the  audience,  and  Lancaster  goes 
up  as  catcher  without  the  girl  or  Curtis 
aware  that  he  has  changed  places  with  the 
new  catcher.  Gomez  calls  for  the  safety  net 
to  be  removed,  thinking  thus  to  force  them 
down  to  avoid  what  he  sees  as  possible 
tragedy,  but  Lancaster  taunts  Curtis  into 
attempting  the  triple.  It  is  successful,  Lan- 
caster seeks  to  leave  unnoticed  afterwards, 
but  the  girl  catches  up  with  him,  and  they 
go  off  together,  while  the  boy  is  headed  for 
new  heights,  the  triple  his  own  now. 

A telling  of  the  story  does  not  adequately 
convey  the  sense  of  drama,  emotional  excite- 
ment and  tense  suspense  against  a back- 
ground of  movement,  laughter  and  circus  life 
which  makes  for  top  screen  entertainment. 

Reviewed  at  theatre  preview  to  rapt  at- 
tention and  substantial  applause.  Reviewer’s 
Rating:  Excellent. — Charles  S.  Aaronson. 

Release  date,  June,  1956.  Running  time,  105  minutes. 
PCA  No.  177S3.  General  audience  classification. 

Mike  Ribble Eurt  Lancaster 

Tino  Orsini Tony  Curtis 

Lola  Gina  Lollobrigida 

Rosa  Katy  Jurado 

Bouglione  Thomas  Gomez 

Max,  the  Dwarf Johnny  Puleo 

Tohn  Ringling-North Minor  Watson 

Gerard  Landry,  J.  P.  Kerrien,  Sidney  James,  Gabrielle 
Fontan,  Pierre  Tabard,  Gamil  Ratab,  Edward  Hago- 
pian,  Michel  Thomas,  Eddie  Ward,  Sally  Marlowe, 
Fay  Alexander,  Willy  Krause,  Betty  Codreano,  Circus 
Acts — The  Arriolas  (Trampoline  Acrobats),  Mme. 
Folco  Cipriano  (Equestrienne),  The  Codreanos 
(Trapeze),  Sampion  Bouglione  (Elephants),  The  Gim- 
ma  Boys  (Acrobats),  The  Clowns — Zavatta,  Mylos, 
Lulu,  Tonio 

Max  Youngstein  Returns 
From  European  Tour 

Max  E.  Youngstein,  vice-president  of 
United  Artists,  has  returned  to  the  United 
States  after  a series  of  conferences  in 
Europe  and  the  Middle  East  on  the  com- 
pany’s new  program  of  global  production 
and  promotion.  During  his  three-week  tour 
of  France,  Italy,  Spain  and  Israel,  Mr. 
Youngstein  met  with  the  company’s  overseas 
executives  and  producers  photographing  or 
preparing  films  for  United  Artists  release. 
Among  the  foreign  personnel  participating 
in  the  planning  sessions  were  Charles 
Smadja,  vice-president  in  charge  of  Euro- 
pean production,  and  Francis  M.  Winikus, 
executive  assistant  to  Mr.  Youngstein.  In 
Cannes,  Mr.  Youngstein  announced  the  com- 
pletion of  a new  production-distribution 
deal  with  Otto  Preminger  calling  for  three 
features  in  five  years. 


Pimstein  $226,000  Suit 
Against  List  Settled 

Harry  Pimstein’s  $226,000  legal  action 
against  Albert  List,  chairman  of  the  board 
of  RKO  Theatres,  has  been  settled  for  an 
undisclosed  amount  before  Federal  Judge 
Lawrence  Walsh.  Mr.  Pimstein,  former 
counsel  for  RKO,  charged  that  he  had  an 
exclusive  agreement  with  Mr.  List  to  act 
as  the  latter’s  advisor  on  the  negotiations 
under  which  Mr.  List  acquired  the  control- 
ling stock  of  the  circuit  and  that  he  had 
not  been  paid  for  his  services. 


The  Hecht-Lancaster  production  of  "Trapeze"  starring  Gina  Lollobrigida.  Burt 
Lancaster  and  Tony  Curtis,  above,  will  be  opened  at  a benefit  premiere  at  the  Fox 
Wilshire,  Los  Angeles.  May  29.  International  Variety  Boys  Club  will  receive  the  pro- 
ceeds. The  premiere  will  set  off  a series  of  openings  sparked  by  a $ 2,000,000  United 
Artists  promotion  campaign. 


28 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  MAY  26,  1956 


A 


ny  of  the  many  times 
you  need  to  know 


Mat ",  'Men,  Men  - 


here’s  the 
way  to 

the 

JactA 


(1)  Open  the  book  instantly 
at  the  section  you  need— 


(the  ALMANAC  is  organized 
in  15  thumb-indexed  sections) 


(2)  Find  the  page  number  in  seconds— 

(in  the  1957  edition  the  first  page  of  each 
section  will  list  the  section  contents  in 
large , clear  type — needing  only  a quick  glance.) 


iVO  hunting— jVO  frustrating  f u tn bl in y -AO  1 inte-trastiny— 
the  ALMAXAC  is  designed  for  constant 9 practical  use! 


Order  either  volume 
— or  both  . . . 

The  1956  ALMANAC  was  a 
sellout  early  in  the  year  because 
there  is  no  other  reference  book 
that  serves  so  well.  No  other 
volume  provides  a real  “Who’s 
Who”  of  the  industry  (over 
11,000  biographies  in  that  sec- 
tion)— and  no  other  is  organized 
in  15  thumb-indexed  sections. 

The  1957  edition  will  contain 
hundreds  of  changes  to  bring  it 
up  to  date — to  serve  you  faith- 
fully and  frequently  for  another 
12  months.  To  make  sure  of 
YOUR  copy,  reserve  now. 


QUIGLEY  PUBLICATIONS 
1270  Sixth  Ave.,  New  York  20,  N.  Y. 

Please  reserve  for  me  a copy  of  the  1957  edition  of: 

□ MOTION  PICTURE  ALMANAC  ($5) 

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Date  of  this  reservation 


Name  . 
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I 


FOX  AIMS  AT  SUMMER  GROSS 


Deborah  Kerr  and  Yul  Brynner  in  a scene  from  the  lavish  and 
splendid  Rodgers  and  Hammerstein  musical  "The  King  and  I."  The 
picture  will  be  the  second  in  CinemaScope  55. 


Von  Johnson,  Vera  Miles  and  Patricia  Latfan  in  the  mystery  detec- 
tive yam  "23  Paces  to  Baker  Street.'  In  style  and  suspense  the 
production  bears  out  the  Sherlock  Holmes  flavor  of  the  title. 


Robert  Taylor  and  Dana  Wynter  in  one  of  the  love  scenes  from 
"D-Day,  The  Sixth  of  June."  Based  on  a novel  by  Lionel  Shapiro, 
the  picture  is  woven  around  the  invasion  of  Normandy  by  the  Allies. 


HEADING  into  the  important  Summer  exhibition 
season,  20tli  Century-Fox’s  release  roster,  in  addi- 
tion to  numbering  such  strong  sellers  as  “Car- 
ousel” in  CinemaScope  55  and  Darryl  F.  Zanuek’s  “The 
Man  in  the  Gray  Flannel  Suit,”  includes  an  assortment  of 
pictures  to  handily  meet  the  requirements  of  exhibitors 
and  the  public. 

Derived  mainly  from  best-selling  novels  and  hit  Broad- 
way musical  and  dramatic  shows,  the  films  offer  theatre 
men  a diversification  and  an  importance  designed  to  at- 
tract the  widest  possible  audience. 

Currently  in  release  are  “The  Revolt  of  Mamie  Stover,” 
starring  Jane  Russell  and  Richard  Egan;  “Hilda  Crane,” 
with  Jean  Simmons,  Guy  Madison  and  Jean  Pierre 
Aumont,  and  Edward  L.  Alperson’s  “Mohawk,”  a standard 
dimension  film  in  color  starring  Scott  Brady,  Rita  Gam 
and  Neville  Brand.  Scheduled  for  a late  May  opening  are 
“The  Proud  Ones,”  starring  Robert  Ryan,  Virginia  Mayo 
and  Jeffrey  Hunter,  and  “23  Paces  to  Baker  Street,”  sus- 
pense drama  starring  Van  Johnson  and  newcomer  Vera 
Miles. 

Robert  Taylor,  Richard  Todd  and  Dana  Wynter  are  cast 
in  “D-Day  the  Sixth  of  June,”  a top-budgeted  romantic 
drama  played  against  the  background  of  the  invasion  of 
Normandy  during  World  War  II.  James  Mason’s  produc- 
tion, “’One  in  a Million,”  in  which  he  also  stars,  joins 
“D-Day  the  Sixth  of  June”  as  a June  release. 

Rodgers  and  Hammerstein’s  “The  King  and  I,”  in 
CinemaScope  55,  starring  Deborah  Kerr  and  Yul  Brynner, 
opens  in  July.  Another  major  offering,  “Bus  Stop,” 
starring  Marilyn  Monroe,  swings  into  national  release  this 
Summer. 

Strong  promotional  campaigns  have  been  devised  to 
pre-sell  these  attractions  in  all  stages  of  release.  Lined  up 
in  the  battery  of  talent  represented  by  these  films  are  pro- 
ducers Herbert  Bayard  Swope,  Jr.,  Charles  Brackett  and 
Henry  Ephron,  and  directors  Walter  Lang,  Henry  Hath- 
away, Henry  Koster  and  Philip  Dunne.  Writers  include 
Mr.  Dunne,  Ivan  Moffat,  Harry  Brown,  Nigel  Balcliin  and 
Ernest  Lehman. 

The  color  processes  employed  on  these  films  include 
Technicolor  and  DeLuxe.  Many  top  supporting  players 
are  featured  including  several  Broadway  performers. 


Jean  Simmons  and  Guy  Madison  in  "Hilda  Crane"  which  co-stars 
Jean  Pierre  Aumont.  A triangle  story,  it  is  based  on  a Broadway 
play  by  Sams  on  Raphaelson. 


30 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  MAY  26,  1956 


HKO  Plans 
New  Group  of 
Mt  Pictures 

Daniel  T.  O’Shea,  RKO  president,  has 
announced  a second  group  of  11  major  pro- 
ductions which  the  new  RKO  management 
will  put  before  the  cameras  between  June  7 
and  October  15,  following  two  weeks  of  con- 
ferences in  New  York  with  William  Dozier, 
vice-president  in  charge  of  production. 

Scheduled  to  start  in  June  are : “Bundle 
of  Joy,”  co-starring  Eddie  Fisher,  Debbie 
Reynolds  and  Adolphe  Menjou,  to  be  pro- 
duced by  Edmund  Grainger  and  directed  by 
Norman  Taurog;  “Run  of  the  Arrow,”  to 
be  produced  and  directed  by  Samuel  Fuller; 
"The  Day  They  Gave  Babies  Away,”  to  be 
produced  by  Sam  Wiesenthal  and  directed 
by  Allen  Reisner. 

Set  for  a July  start  are  “Strike  a Blow,” 
with  James  MacArthur,  Kim  Hunter,  James 
Gregory  and  Jeff  Silver,  to  be  produced  by 
Stuart  Millar  and  directed  by  John  Franken- 
heimer,  and  “I  Married  a Woman,”  starring 
George  Gobel,  to  be  produced  by  William 
Bloom. 

New  Jane  Potvell  Film 

Starting  in  August  are:  “The  Lady  and 
the  Prowler,”  to  be  produced  and  directed 
by  John  Farrow;  "The  Girl  Most  Likely,” 
starring  Jane  Powell,  produced  by  Stanley 
Rubin,  and  "Bangkok.” 

Since  acquiring  RKO  from  Howard 
Hughes,  the  new  RKO  management  has 
completed  the  filming  of  four  pictures  and 
has  another  before  the  cameras.  Completed 
are:  “The  First  Traveling  Saleslady,”  co- 
starring  Ginger  Rogers,  Barry  Nelson, 
Carol  Channing,  David  Brian  and  James 
Arness,  produced  and  directed  by  Arthur 
Lubin;  “Tension  at  Table  Rock,”  co-star- 
ring Richard  Egan,  Dorothy  Malone  and 
Cameron  Mitchell,  produced  by  Sam  Wie- 
senthal and  directed  by  Charles  Marquis 
Warren;  “Back  from  Eternity,”  co-starring 
Robert  Ryan,  Rod  Steiger  and  Anita  Ek- 
berg,  produced  and  directed  by  John  Far- 
row; and  “Beyond  a Reasonable  Doubt,” 
co-starring  Dana  Andrews  and  Joan  Fon- 
taine, produced  by  Bert  Friedlob  and  di- 
rected by  Fritz  Lang.  Now  filming  is  "Pub- 
lic Pigeon  Number  One,”  co-starring  Red 
Skelton,  Vivian  Blaine  and  Janet  Blair,  pro- 
duced by  Harry  Tugend  and  directed  by 
Norman  McLeod. 


Frank  Cooper , Columbia 
Sign  Feature  Deal 

HOLLYWOOD : Harry  Cohn,  president  of 
Columbia  Pictures,  has  announced  signing 
of  an  agreement  with  Frank  Cooper  under 
which  Cooper  will  produce  a top-budgeted 
feature  for  Columbia  release  based  on  the 
television  series,  “The  Lineup.”  Columbia 
said  the  film  will  be  the  first  to  be  made 
under  a producer-distributor  relationship. 


Jdoffywood  St 


'cene 


HOLLYWOOD  BUREAU 


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Hollywood  started  shooting  seven  new 
pictures,  and  finished  four  others,  in  the 
week  that  witnessed  the  California  weather 
making  its  bid  for  national  attention  with 
a brisk  99. 

U-I’s  “Mister  Cory,”  with  color  by  Tech- 
nicolor, has  Tony  Curtis,  Martha  Hyer, 
Charles  Bickford  and  Russ  Morgan  in  a 
cast  directed  by  Blake  Edwards  for  pro- 
ducer Robert  Arthur. 

“The  Incredible  Shrinking  Man”  is  an 
Alfred  Zugsmith  project  for  U-I,  directed 
by  Jack  Arnold,  with  Grant  Williams  and 
Randy  Stuart  in  top  roles. 

AA’s  Walter  Mirisch,  executive  producer, 
started  work  on  “The  Oklahoman,”  in 
CinemaScope  with  color  by  Technicolor, 
which  has  Joel  McCrea,  Gloria  Talbott, 
Peter  Votrian  and  Anthony  Caruso  in  the 
cast. 

Lindsley  Parsons  began  producing  “The 
Cruel  Tower,”  A A,  with  Lew  Landers  di- 
recting. John  Ericson,  Mari  Blanchard, 
Alan  Hale  and  Peter  Whitney  are  in  it. 

Producer  Pat  Duggan  launched  “The 
Search  for  Bridey  Murphy,”  for  Paramount 
release,  with  Louis  Hayward,  Ken  Tobey, 
Dick  Ryan  and  Alexander  Campbell.  It’s 
going  in  VistaVision. 

Frank  P.  Rosenberg  started  “The  Girl  He 
Left  Behind”  for  Warners.  It  has  Tab 
Hunter.  Natalie  Wood,  Jessie  Royce  Landis, 
James  Backus,  Alan  King  and  others  in  the 
cast  directed  by  David  Butler. 

Lewis  Bromberg  Productions  began  shoot- 
ing “The  Big  Boodle”  in  Cuba  for  release 
by  United  Artists.  It  has  Errol  Flynn  and 
Rosanna  Rory  in  leading  roles,  and  is  said 
to  be  the  first  feature-length  production  to 
be  produced  in  Cuba  in  its  entirety. 


ON  THE  SET 

The  first  step  in  Columbia’s  drive  for 
new  properties  and  authors  recently  an- 
nounced by  Harry  Cohn  is  the  studio’s 
sponsoring,  with  Duell,  Sloan  and  Pearce, 
of  Archie  Binns’  new  novel,  “The  Head- 
waiter.”  ...  “I  Married  A Woman”  is  the 
new  title  for  the  George  Gobel  picture  for 
RKO  formerly  called  “So  There  You  Are.” 
. . . Director  Nicholas  Ray  has  been  signed 
by  20th  Century-Fox  to  a multiple  picture 
contract.  . . . Karl  Malden  and  Warners 
have  signed  a new  seven  year  non-exclusive 
contract.  He  will  make  one  film  a year  for 
the  company.  . . . Sam  Katzman’s  Clover 
Productions  will  make  five  films  between 
now  and  October  for  Columbia  release.  They 
include  “Rumble  on  the  Docks,”  “The  Mark 
of  the  Claw,”  “The  Petrified  Man,”  “The 
Night  the  Earth  Exploded”  and  “The  Zom- 
bies of  Tora-Mau.” 


IN  PRODUCTION: 


STARTED  (7] 

ALLIED  ARTISTS 

The  Oklahoman  (Cine- 
maScope; Color) 

The  Cruel  Tower 

PARAMOUNT 

Search  for  Bridey 
Murphy  (VistaVision) 

UNITED  ARTISTS 

The  Big  Boodle  (Lewis 
Blumberg  Prod.) 

COMPLETED  (4) 

ALLIED  ARTISTS 

Chasing  Trouble 

COLUMBIA 

Guns  of  Fort  Petticoat 
(Brown-Murphy  Pic.) 

SHOOTING  (32) 

ALLIED  ARTISTS 

Notre  Dame  de  Paris 
(CinemaScope;  East- 
man Color) 

AMERICAN 

INTERNATIONAL 

The  She-Creature 

(Golden  State  Prod.) 

COLUMBIA 

Cha,  Cha,  Cha 
The  White  Squaw 
Fire  Down  Below  (War- 
wick Prod.;  Cinema- 
Scope; Technicolor) 
Full  of  Life 

MGM 

A Man  Is  Ten  Feet  Tall 
(Jonathan  Prod.) 

The  Power  and  the 
Prize 

Barretts  of  Wimpole 
Street  (CinemaScope; 
Color) 

Teahouse  of  the  August 
Moon  (CinemaScope; 
Color) 

Tea  and  Sympathy 
Raintree  County 
(65  MM : Color) 

The  Opposite  Sex 

(CinemaScope;  East- 
man Color) 

PARAMOUNT 

Hollywood  or  Bust 
(VistaVision;  Techni- 
color) 

Funny  Face  (Vista- 
Vision; Technicolor) 
The  Loves  of  Omar 
Khyyam  (Vista- 
Vision; Technicolor) 
The  Lonely  Man  (Vista- 


U-l 

The  Incredible  Shrinking 
Man 

Mister  Cory  (Techni- 
color) 

WARNER  BROS. 

The  Girl  He  Left 
Behind 


MGM 

Julie  (Arwin  Prods.) 

UNITED  ARTISTS 

The  Boss  (Boss  Prods.) 


Vision;  Technicolor) 
The  Maverick  (Vista- 
Vision; Technicolor) 
Gunfight  at  OK  Corral 
(VistaVision;  Techni- 
color) 

RKO  RADIO 

Public  Pigeon  Number 
One  (Eastman  Color) 

20TH  CENTURY-FOX 

Best  Things  in  Life  Are 
Free  (CinemaScope; 
Technicolor) 

The  Last  Wagon  (Cine- 
maScope; De  Luxe 
Color) 

One  in  a Million 
(CinemaScope;  De 
Luxe  Color) 

Bus  Stop  (Cinema- 
Scope; Technicolor) 

UNITED  ARTISTS 

Fort  Laramie  (Bel-Air 
Prod.) 

Five  Steps  to  Terror 
(Grand  Prod.) 

Pride  and  the  Passion 
(Kramer  Prod.;  Vista- 
Vision; Technicolor) 
U-I 

Tammy  (CinemaScope; 

Technicolor) 

I've  Lived  Before 
Four  Bright  Girls 

(Ci  nemaScope;  Tech- 
color) 

WARNER  BROS. 

The  Old  Man  and  the 
Sea  ( WarnerColor) 
The  Wrong  Man  (Al- 
fred Hitchcock  Prod.) 


Illllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllillllllllllll 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  MAY  26,  1956 


31 


Recreation 
Spending  Up 
It wtt  Little 

WASHINGTON : The  post-war  decline  in 
motion  picture  theatre  admissions  has  been 
responsible  for  the  relatively  small  increase 
in  consumer  spending  on  all  types  of  recre- 
ation since  1947,  the  Commerce  Depart- 
ment has  reported. 

The  information  was  contained  in  a com- 
prehensive analysis  by  a Commerce  Depart- 
ment economist  on  all  types  of  consumer 
spending  for  services.  The  article,  entitled 
“Growth  of  the  Consumer  Service  Market.” 
is  published  in  the  Department’s  latest 
monthly  “Survey  of  Current  Business.” 

Expenditures  for  all  types  of  recreational 
services  increased  sharply  during  and  im- 
mediately after  World  War  II,  but  since 
then  “have  experienced  a less-than-average 
growth,”  the  article  reports. 

“The  relatively  small  increase  in  recrea- 
tion expenditures  since  1947  has  been  due 
mainly  to  the  post-war  decline  in  motion 
picture  theatre  admissions,  which  are  the 
largest  single  service  item  in  the  group,” 
the  article  continues.  “Recreation  services 
excluding  motion  picture  theatres  rose  more 
than  total  consumption  expenditures  be- 
tween 1947  and  1955;  radio  and  television 
repair  were  particularly  important  in  this 
movement.” 

Figures  on  Admissions 

The  article  notes  that  motion  picture 
theatre  admissions  reached  a peak  of  $1.7 
billion  in  1946,  almost  2]/i  times  the  amount 
spent  in  1929.  Then,  the  article  declares,  a 
steady  decline  took  place  through  1953,  fol- 
lowed by  a rise  in  1954  and  1955.  The  over- 
all reduction  from  1946  to  1955  was  almost 
25  per  cent,  the  article  states. 

Earlier  Commerce  Department  figures 
showed  that  consumers  spent  $1,692,000,000 
on  motion  picture  theatre  admissions  in 
1946,  and  that  the  total  then  dropped  steadily 
until  it  hit  $1,227,000,000  in  1953.  It  then 
rose  to  $1,275,000,000  in  1954.  Commerce 
officials  said  no  estimate  of  1955  spending 
on  admissions  has  yet  been  published,  but 
that  they  are  sure  the  figure  is  above  1954. 

“The  decline  in  motion  picture  attendance 
since  1946  was  greater  than  the  drop  in 
boxoffice  receipts,  since  the  index  of  admis- 
sion prices  had  risen  30  per  cent  by  1955,” 
the  article  also  points  out. 

Other  conclusions  in  the  article  are  these : 
combined  admissions  to  legitimate  theatres, 
operas,  concerts  and  entertainments  of  non- 
profit institutions  have  increased  “moder- 
ately” in  post-war  years ; spending  on  base- 
ball, football,  horse  and  dog  racing  and 
other  spectator  sports  has  been  “rather  stable 
in  dollar  terms”  since  1947;  and  expendi- 
tures for  bowling,  billiards,  skating  rinks, 
swimming  pools  and  other  commercial  par- 
ticipating amusements  have  “shown  a steady 
increase”  since  1947. 


RKO  PICTURES  REALIGNS 
SEVERAL  SALES  DISTRICTS 


Sol  Sachs 


Hatton  Taylor 


Seven  promotions 
were  announced  by 
RKO  Radio  Pictures 
this  week.  Leonard  S. 
Gruenberg,  former 
metropolitan  district 
manager,  becomes 
supervisor  of  the 
Empire  State  Dis- 
trict — New  York, 
Albany,  Buffalo.  Sol 
Sachs,  former  Dallas 
manager,  will  be 

, , c _ . southwestern  district 

Leonard  5.  Gruenberg  , , ,, 

manager.  Hatton 

Taylor,  former  Boston  manager,  will  have 
the  east-central  district.  Otto  Ebert,  Detroit 
manager,  now  has  the  more  important  Bos- 
ton exchange.  Lloyd  Krause  has  been  taken 
from  Cincinnati  to  Cleveland.  Lee  J.  Hei- 
dingsfield,  Cincinnati  salesman,  becomes 
manager.  Travis  D.  Walton  succeeds  Mr. 
Sachs  at  Dallas. 


"Floating  Cinerama" 

Funds  Are  Vetoed 

WASHINGTON : The  Senate  Appropri- 
ations Committee  has  gone  along  with  a 
decision  by  the  House,  vetoing  any  funds 
for  the  Administration’s  “Floating  Ciner- 
ama” project.  The  U.S.  Information  Agency 
had  requested  $3,790,000  in  the  coming  fiscal 
year  to  show  Cinerama  in  foreign  ports  on 
the  flight  deck  of  a de-mothballed  aircraft 
carrier.  With  rejections  by  both  House  and 
Senate,  the  only  chance  for  the  project 
would  come  if  the  Senate  should  put  the 
funds  into  a pending  appropriation  bill,  and 
this  is  regarded  as  unlikely. 


Buys  Denver  Paramount 

DENVER : Joseph  B.  Gould,  holder  of 
extensive  business  and  apartment  properties 
here,  has  purchased  the  Paramount  theatre 
and  office  building  on  16th  Street  from  Wil- 
liam Zeckendorf  and  the  firm  of  Webb  & 
Knapp.  Currently,  theatre  man  John  Wolf- 
berg  holds  a lease  on  the  theatre  section  of 
the  building.  Mr.  Gould  said  he  plans  no 
immediate  major  remodeling. 


Good  Gains 
Reported 
Ry  ha  lotus 

Dr.  Herbert  Kalmus,  president  of  Tech- 
nicolor, Inc.,  told  stockholders  recently  that 
if  earnings  for  the  remainder  of  the  year 
measure  up  to  the  $678,400  net  profit  earned 
in  the  first  four  months,  the  American  and 
British  companies’  profit  would  equal  94.7 
cents  per  share.  He  revealed  that  the  April 
profit  after  taxes  was  $174,500,  or  nine 
cents  per  share.  Dr.  Kalmus  told  the  group 
that  he  foresaw  a likelihood  of  a consider- 
able saving  in  manufacturing  costs  and  that 
he  expected  some  increase  in  volume  later 
in  the  year. 

During  1955,  he  said,  Technicolor  had 
commitments  for  73  new  feature-length 
films  with  color  or  print  by  Technicolor. 
He  added  that  for  1956  the  sales  department 
estimates  new  feature  business  of  not  less 
than  80  features.  He  attributed  the  im- 
provement to  new  raw  materials  employed 
and  to  improvements  in  manufacturing 
techniques.  Another  contributing  factor, 
Dr.  Kalmus  said,  is  the  increased  flexibility 
of  Technicolor’s  process. 

Speaking  of  further  improvements  in  the 
Technicolor  process  effected  by  introduction 
of  changes  in  printers  used  in  the  laboratory, 
Dr.  Kalmus  said:  “This  step  may  require 
that  Technicolor  develop  the  negative.  The 
technical  nature  of  this  improvement  is 
secret  but  I can  say  that  the  result  is  a 
very  marked  improvement  on  the  quality  of 
the  release  prints.  Also,  by  the  use  of  a 
squeeze  or  anamorphic  lens  on  the  camera 
and  another  such  lens  on  the  printer  in  the 
Technicolor  laboratory,  we  have  been  able, 
for  example,  to  start  with  an  eight-perfora- 
tion VistaVision  type  negative  and  end 
with  a normal  35mm  CinemaScope  type 
print.” 


Johnston  Asks  Foreign 
Loans,  Not  Gifts 

CLEVELAND : The  grant,  the  gift  and  the 
handout  for  economic  development  serve 
neither  the  interest  of  the  United  States  as 
giver  nor  the  emerging  republics  of  Asia 
as  receiver,  Eric  Johnston,  president  of  the 
Motion  Picture  Association  of  America,  said 
recently  in  an  address  before  the  Cleveland 
Council  on  World  Affairs.  Mr.  Johnston 
recently  returned  from  a tour  of  Southeast 
Asia,  where  he  visted  leaders  in  India, 
Pakistan,  Burma,  Indonesia,  Vietnam,  Thai- 
land and  Japan.  To  further  self-help  in 
Asia,  Mr.  Johnston,  chairman  of  the  Gov- 
ernment’s International  Development  Ad- 
visory Board,  and  President  Eisenhower’s 
special  ambassador  to  the  Near  East,  pro- 
posed the  establishment  of  an  Asian  De- 
velopment Corporation.  As  a mechanism  for 
United  States  loans,  the  corporation  would 
be  administered  by  Asians  in  their  own 
areas. 


32 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  MAY  26,  1956 


Dates  Set  on 
“Animal" 

Warner  Bros,  has  set  a series  of  terri- 
torial saturation  hookings  on  its  forthcom- 
ing release  of  “The  Animal  World’’  timed  to 
coincide  with  the  closing  of  schools  for 
summer  vacation  in  each  area.  The  new 
film,  produced,  written  and  directed  by  Irwin 
Allen  in  color  by  WarnerColor,  covers  the 
two-billion-year  history  of  the  animal  king- 
dom. Promotion  will  be  backed  in  each 
region  by  extensive  television,  radio  and 
newspaper  campaigns,  and  will  include  ad- 
vertising, exploitation  and  publicity  corre- 
lated by  the  company’s  field  exploitation  rep- 
resentatives in  each  territory. 

The  picture  will  open  at  the  Saenger  thea- 
tre in  New  Orleans  June  1,  following  which 
it  will  be  saturated  in  all  surrounding  cities. 
In  addition  to  the  territorial  campaigns  al- 
ready in  work,  Irwin  Allen  has  been  sched- 
uled to  make  a series  of  personal  appear- 
ances in  selected  areas.  These  will  include 
newspaper  and  magazine  interviews,  and 
also  TV  and  radio  interviews  in  behalf  of 
the  picture’s  local  playdates. 

Other  regional  saturation  premieres  of 
“The  Animal  World,”  with  saturation  book- 
ings to  follow  opening  dates  in  each  area, 
have  been  set  as  follows:  Warner,  Mem- 
phis ; Paramount,  Des  Moines ; Omaha, 
Omaha,  June  6;  Paramount,  Atlanta;  Para- 
mount, Cinema  and  Coral  in  Miami,  June  7 ; 
Imperial,  Charlotte,  June  10;  Circle,  Indian- 
apolis, June  13;  Palace,  Dallas,  June  14; 
Orpheum,  Seattle,  June  15;  Orpheum,  Port- 
land, June  19;  Strand,  Albany;  Paramount 
and  Fenway,  Boston;  Roger  Sherman,  New 
Haven  ; Allen,  Cleveland  Palace,  Cincinnati ; 
Midwest,  Oklahoma  City;  Orpheum,  Min- 
neapolis; Roxy,  Kansas  City;  Utah,  Salt 
Lake  City ; Paramount  Downtown,  Pantages 
Hollywood,  Wiltern,  Wilshire  Blvd.  plus 
eight  drive-ins,  in  Los  Angeles,  June  20; 
Center,  Buffalo ; Metropolitan  and  Ambas- 
sador, Washington,  D.  C. ; Warner,  Mil- 
waukee; Pageant,  St.  Louis,  June  22;  Den- 
ver, Denver  June  24;  Paramount,  San 
Francisco,  June  26;  Stanley,  Philadelphia; 
Stanley,  Pittsburgh ; Roosevelt,  Chicago, 
June  27,  and  Palm  State,  Detroit,  July  6. 


" War  and  Peace"  Talks  On 

Arthur  L.  Mayer,  special  promotion  con- 
sultant to  Paramount  on  “War  and  Peace” 
has  inaugurated  a two-month  series  of  dis- 
cussions of  the  film  at  meetings  and  con- 
ventions in  virtually  all  sections  of  the 
country.  “War  and  Peace”  is  a Ponti- 
DeLaurentiis  production. 

New  Drive-in  Opens 

A $300,000  drive-in,  accommodating  some 
1,200  cars,  has  opened  on  Route  422,  between 
Sinking  Spring  and  Wernersville,  Pa.  The 
new  amusement  site  is  called  the  Sinking 
Spring  Drive-in,  and  has  a screen  80  feet 
high  and  142  feet  wide.  Pavilion  Drive-in, 
Inc.  of  Batavia,  N.  Y.,  operates  the  new 
drive-in. 


Timing  Provides  the  Opportunity  for 
"Exploitation  Naturals":  Frank  Seltzer 


Jules  Seltzer,  Walter  Seltzer,  John  Payne  and  Frank  Seltzer  on  the  set  ot  "The  Boss" 
at  the  Samuel  Goldwyn  Studios,  where  the  film  is  being  produced  as  a joint  venture 
with  Payne  for  United  Artists  release. 


HOLLYWOOD : Proper  timing  of  releases 
that  qualify  as  “exploitation  naturals”  has 
a potent  influence  on  today’s  grosses,  Frank 
Seltzer  remarked  to  support  his  current  in- 
terest in  production. 

During  a luncheon  dissertation  on  the 
kind  of  films  that  pay  off  at  the  box  office, 
he  called  attention  to  thought-provoking 
films  whose  stories  have  topical  punch  to 
give  the  over-all  entertainment  a touch  of 
realism.  Science-fiction  stories,  juvenile 
delinquency  treatments  and  a rare  produc- 
tion opportunity  like  MGM’s  “The  Swan,” 
whose  story  and  star  are  engulfed  in  a true- 
to-life  background  now  capturing  the  world’s 
headlines,  were  cited  by  the  producer  as  per- 
fect examples  of  the  timing  factor. 

“We’ll  have  one  ready  in  August  as  an 
exploitation  entry  that  should  attract  mil- 
lions of  voters  now  being  primed  for  the 
Presidential  polls  in  November,”  Mr.  Seltzer 
prefaced  in  discussing  “The  Boss,”  his  cur- 
rent production. 

“The  Boss,”  now  being  filmed  for  United 
Artists  release  at  the  Samuel  Goldwyn 
Studios,  was  described  as  a semi-documen- 
tary expose  of  bossism  and  machine  politics 
practiced  in  several  major  cities  throughout 


the  country.  The  subject  material  has  been 
drawn  from  actual  case  history. 

This  picture  marks  the  return  of  Frank 
Seltzer  to  the  production  scene  after  five 
years,  his  last  one  being  “711”  for  Columbia. 
It  also  marks  the  initial  project  for  Seltzer 
Films,  Inc.,  in  which  Walter  Seltzer,  widely 
known  film  publicist,  joins  his  brother  in  the 
production  ranks,  and  another  brother,  Jules, 
head  of  the  trailer  department  at  20th 
Century-Fox  Studios,  holds  an  inactive  in- 
terest. 

The  three  Seltzer  brothers,  banking  on 
their  well-established  experience  in  publicity 
and  exploitation,  consider  “The  Boss”  a 
daring,  worthwhile  civic  effort  which  will 
gain  widespread  public  appeal. 

John  Payne  was  attracted  to  the  starring 
role  with  significant  interest.  He  made  the 
deal  as  a joint  venture  with  the  Seltzer 
corporation,  stipulating  that  he  would  accept 
no  salary  for  his  role  in  the  film.  Others 
featured  in  the  film  will  be  William  Bishop, 
Doe  Avedon  and  a newcomer,  Gloria  McGhee. 

Byron  Haskin  is  directing  the  original 
screenplay  by  Ben  L.  Perry,  which  is  based 
on  three  years  of  research  by  Frank  Seltzer. 

— SAMUEL  D.  BERMS 


Unusual  Ad  for  "Crime" 

Allied  Artists’  New  York  newspaper  ad 
campaign  for  the  world  premiere  of  “Crime 
in  the  Streets”  this  week  included  a two- 
page  ad  utilizing  the  center  spread  of  the 
Daily  Mirror,  space  normally  devoted  to 
news  photos.  The  ad  closely  simulates  the 
regular  Mirror  format  with  stills  and  cap- 
tions incorporating  theatre  and  policy  copy. 
These  pages  have  been  devoted  to  film  ad- 
vertising only  once  before,  for  “The  Con- 
queror.” 


Rochester  House  Leased 

The  Rialto  theatre,  East  Rochester,  N.Y., 
has  been  leased  to  James  L.  Russell,  a 
Rochester  man  who  has  been  associated 
with  the  industry  for  some  ten  years.  The 
house,  a long-time  Schine  operation,  re- 
verted back  to  its  owner,  former  showman 
Harold  Dygert,  upon  expiration  of  the 
Schine  lease.  Plans  call  for  modernization, 
renovation  and  “a  new  policy  of  lower 
prices  and  better  programming,”  Mr.  Rus- 
sell said. 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  MAY  26,  1956 


33 


ATLANTA 

Paul  Davis,  Atlanta  booker  for  the  Para- 
mount exchange,  back  at  his  desk  after  a 
trip  to  Florida.  . . . Gordon  Bradley,  dis- 
trict manager  for  Paramount,  back  after  a 
trip  to  the  Jacksonville  branch.  . . . Frederick 
Storey,  president  of  Tenth  Street  Theatre 
Co.,  was  elected  president  of  the  Rotary 
Club  in  Brookwood.  . . . On  the  row  book- 
ing: Tommy  Thompson,  M&T  Theatres, 
Hawkinsville,  Ga. : Nat  Williams,  Interstate 
theatre.  Thomasville,  Ga. ; Sidney  Laird  and 
L.  J.  Duncan.  Al-Dun  Amusement  Co.,  West 
Point.  Ga. ; Phil  Richardson,  booker  for  the 
McLendon  theatre,  Alabama;  Mack  Jackson, 
theatres  in  Alexander  City,  Ala.  ...  Joe 
Anne  Blake,  secretary  at  U.A.,  has  resigned. 
So  has  Betty  Thompson.  . . . Mrs.  Nell  Mid- 
delton,  U.A.,  back  at  her  desk  after  a vaca- 
tion spent  in  Florida.  . . . B.  C.  Byers,  Al- 
bany, Ky..  is  the  new  owner  of  the  Ray 
Cooper  theatre,  Byrdstown,  Tenn.  He  has 
sold  his  theatre  in  Monticello,  Ky.  . . . Joyce 
Stokes  and  Margaret  Stover  have  resigned 
from  Republic  Pictures.  . . . Spence  Pierce, 
president  of  the  Family  Drive-In  Corp., 
Knoxville.  Tenn.,  has  taken  a 20-year  lease 
on  the  Skyway  and  Starlite  drive-ins  there 
from  Eugene  Monday.  . . . The  Davis  drive- 
in,  Sanford,  Kv.,  has  reopened  for  the 
summer. 

BOSTON 

Metro’s  “Catered  Affair’’  will  have  its 
world  premiere  here  May  30,  at  the  Loew’s 
State  and  Orpheum  theatres.  Publicists 
Floyd  Fitzsimmons  of  MGM  and  Karl 
Fasick  of  Loew’s  Theatres  are  working  out 
the  full  campaign  with  Emery  Austin  and 
Arthur  Canton  of  Metro,  and  Jim  Shanahan 
of  Loew’s  Theatres.  . . . Two  weeks  later, 
the  same  theatres  will  world  premiere  U.A.’s 
“Kiss  Before  Dying”  which  will  be  spurred 
on  by  a saturation  TV  campaign.  This 
opening  will  be  followed  by  100  more  book- 
ings in  the  New  England  area.  . . . E.  M. 
Loew  is  chairman  of  the  building  fund  cam- 
paign for  the  newly  established  Congrega- 
tion B’nai  Jacob  of  Milton,  Mass.  . . . 
Albany  has  been  added  to  the  territory  of 
Joe  Longo,  RKO  publicist,  who  treks 
through  New  England  and  up  to  Montreal. 
He  is  currently  working  on  the  campaigns 
for  “The  Bold  and  the  Brave”  opening  here 
May  30  at  the  Met,  and  “While  the  City 
Sleeps”  set  for  a June  date  at  the  Memorial. 
Joe’s  son  recently  won  a scholarship  to 
Harvard. 

BUFFALO 

Elmer  F.  Lux,  chief  barker,  Tent  7,  Va- 
riety club  of  Buffalo  and  former  president 
of  the  Buffalo  common  council,  has  been 
reelected  president  of  the  re-activated  Buf- 
falo Re-development  Committee,  Inc.  . . . 
Carl  L.  Ritter  has  been  elected  president  of 
the  Niagara  Cinema  League.  Other  officers 
are:  Mrs.  Frank  J.  Schlager,  vice-president 
and  program  chairman;  Loretta  J.  Kellner, 
secretary  and  newsletter  editor  and  Lau- 
rence E.  Chubb,  treasurer.  . . . Murray 


Whiteman,  past  chief  barker,  Buffalo  Va- 
riety Club,  again  this  year  will  be  in  charge 
of  "the  Buffalo  Ad  Club  day  during  the 
second  meet  at  the  Fort  Erie,  Ontario  races. 
. . . Billie  Burke  will  appear  in  “The  Solid 
Gold  Cadillac”  at  the  new  Princess  theatre 
in  Niagara  Falls,  Ontario  May  28.  The 
legit  house  has  a capacity  of  800  and  is 
the  joint  project  of  Michael  Zahorchak, 
prominent  cinema  and  restaurant  owner  of 
St.  Catharines,  Ont.  and  Eric  Greenwood, 
who  will  manage  the  house.  . . . Archie 
Kayefa  is  the  new  manager  of  the  Capitol 
in  Binghamton,  N.  Y.  He  succeeds  Moe 
Richards,  who  has  resigned  to  join  the  St. 
Lawrence  Seaway  Commission.  . . . The 
Summer  theatre  in  Lakewood,  down  in  the 
Chautauqua  Lake  country,  has  closed  for  the 
summer.  Charles  Finnerty  has  been  manag- 
ing the  Summit. 

CHARLOTTE 

A.  B.  Craver,  operator  of  the  Plaza  thea- 
tre here,  was  host  to  members  of  the  Junior 
Chamber  of  Commerce  and  their  wives  who 
came  here  for  the  North  Carolina  Jaycee 
convention.  Craver  screened  “The  Catered 
Affair”  for  the  guests  at  the  Plaza  Saturday 
morning.  . . . Leonard  Allen,  Paramount 
Pictures  exploiteer,  was  here  from  Atlanta 
planning  a campaign  for  “Birds  and  the 
Bees.”  . . . “Revolt  of  Mamie  Stover” 
opened  well  at  the  Carolina.  . . Theatre 
operators  expect  an  upturn  in  business  now 
that  the  weather  has  turned  warm.  . . . Scott 
Lett,  of  the  Howco  Exchange,  went  to 
Atlanta.  . . . The  Charlotte  chapter  of 
Women  in  the  Motion  Picture  Industry  will 
soon  elect  new  officers.  The  officers  will  be 
installed  at  a banquet  to  be  held  June  25. 

. . . Ice  skating,  which  drew  thousands  to 
Charlotte  Coliseum  in  its  first  weeks,  is  just 
another  attraction  here  now.  Business  fell 
off  so  sharply  that  the  parking  fee  was  elim- 
inated. 

CHICAGO 

Highlight  for  the  week  was  unquestion- 
ably the  successful  campaign  headed  by  John 
Wayne  and  Ward  Bond  in  behalf  of  the 
May  16  opening  of  “The  Searchers”  at  the 
Chicago  theatre.  . . . The  Paradise,  con- 
sidered something  of  a traditional  landmark 
where  theatres  are  concerned,  will  be  torn 
down.  B&K,  owners,  plan  to  close  the  house 
May  31.  The  Marbro,  located  just  around 
the  corner,  is  also  a B&K  property.  . . . 
By  contrast,  the  Tower  theatre  will  reopen 
June  1,  with  Stanford  Kohlberg  as  the  new 
operator.  B&K,  who  held  the  lease  on  the 
3,000-seat  south  side  theatre  until  March 
31  of  this  year,  closed  it  three  years  ago. 
Aside  from  completely  modernizing  the 
Tower,  Kohlberg  has  lined  up  some  unusual 
changes  in  operation.  He  plans  two  program 
changes  daily.  Matinees  will  be  for  children, 
with  films  suitable  for  children  and  teenagers 
making  up  the  programs.  . . . Following  his 
policy  of  a full  line  of  amusement  features 
at  his  Starlite  drive-in,  Kohlberg  will  set 
up  a kiddy  playground  for  children  at  the 
Tower.  This  week  the  Saturday  Evening 


Post  closed  a contract  with  Kohlberg  to  do 
a seven-page  story,  with  color  pictures,  on 
Kohlberg,  his  family  of  nine  children,  and 
his  methods  of  theatre  operation.  . . . Ralph 
McLaughlin,  manager  of  United  Film  Car- 
riers, is  able  to  work  on  a part  time  basis 
since  his  release  from  the  hospital.  His  son 
Richard,  who  carried  on  during  his  hospital 
stay,  continues  to  assist  him. 

CLEVELAND 

Some  200  industry  members  gathered  in 
Russo’s  Restaurant  May  14  to  attend  a fare- 
well testimonial  dinner  in  honor  of  H.  E. 
McManus  who  recently  resigned  as  assistant 
to  president  Milton  A.  Mooney  of  Co-opera- 
tive Theatres  of  Ohio  to  move  to  Toledo  to 
manage  three  drive-in  theatres  owned  by 
Ray  Searles  and  sons.  . . . Marshall  Fine  of 
Associated  Circuit  and  his  father,  Myer  S. 
Fine,  president  of  the  circuit  became  respec- 
tively father  and  grandfather  of  an  eight- 
pound  boy  born  last  week  in  Mt.  Sinai 
Hospital  to  Mrs.  Marshall  Fine.  He  has 
been  named  Monte  Jerome  Fine.  . . . Frank 
Murphy,  Loew  theatre  division  manager,  at- 
tended his  25th  class  reunion  at  Bridgewater 
Teaching  College,  Mass.  . . . Vogel  Brothers 
of  Wellsville  are  building  a 1,000-car  $250,- 
000  drive-in  theatre  in  Baltimore,  Md.  on 
Eastern  Rd.  near  the  Glenn  Martin  plant.  It 
will  be  called  the  Bengies  drive-in.  . . . The 
only  two  indoor  theatres  of  Greater  Cleve- 
land damaged  by  a recent  storm  of  tornado 
proportions  are  back  in  operation.  The 
Beachcliffe  was  closed  several  days  because 
the  power  was  cut  off  and  the  Hilliard 
Square  was  closed  six  days  to  repair  roof 
damage.  . . . Paul  Yurko,  who  operates  an 
amusement  resort  at  Yankee  Lake,  Ohio, 
near  Sharon,  Pa.,  plans  to  build  a drive-in 
on  his  property  there.  . . . Mrs.  Joseph  A. 
Chase  has  been  reelected  to  serve  a second 
term  as  president  of  the  Motion  Picture 
Council  of  Greater  Cleveland. 

COLUMBUS 

Fire  which  broke  out  in  a storage  room 
adjoining  the  projection  booth  of  the  King- 
man  drive-in  near  Delaware,  Ohio,  north  of 
Columbus,  destroyed  several  CinemaScope 
lenses  and  a quantity  of  theatre  supplies.  . . . 
Robert  McKinley  has  been  named  assistant 
manager  of  Loew’s  Broad,  manager  Robert 
Sokol  announced.  . . . Clyde  Moore,  Ohio 
State  Journal  theatre  editor,  was  a guest  at 
the  Chicago  premiere  of  United  Artists’ 
“Trapeze.”  The  Burt  Lancaster-Gina  Lol- 
lobrigida-Tony  Curtis  feature  has  a June 
date  at  Loew’s  Broad.  . . . Robert  Connors, 
radio,  television  and  assistant  theatre  editor 
of  the  Columbus  Dispatch , is  substituting 
for  vacationing  Samuel  T.  Wilson,  Dispatch 
theatre  editor.  . . . Lillian  Gish,  scheduled 
to  appear  here  for  press,  radio  and  televi- 
sion interviews  in  connection  with  the  show- 
ing of  “Birth  of  a Nation”  at  Charles  Sugar- 
man’s  Indianola  art  theatre,  was  unable  to 
come  to  Columbus.  The  D.  W.  Griffith  fea- 
ture has  been  giving  the  Indianola  its  best 

( Continued  on  opposite  page ) 


34 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  MAY  26,  1956 


( Continued  from  opposite  page) 

business  since  the  house  was  taken  over 
last  February  by  Sugarman.  . . . Workmen 
have  completed  remodeling  of  the  Loew’s 
Broad  upright  sign  and  marquee. 

DENVER 

Theatres  that  have  closed  in  the  Denver 
film  area  since  the  first  of  the  year,  all  of 
them  in  small  towns:  Pal,  Palisade,  Neb.; 
White,  Hayes  Center,  Neb.;  Wyo  Lin, 
Lingle,  Wyo.;  Simla,  Simla,  Colo.;  Trail, 
Evergreen,  Colo.;  Aladdin,  Minitare,  Neb. 
. . . Frank  Gomez  has  taken  over  and  has 
reopened  the  Mexico,  Denver.  . . . Ida 
Foroci  has  been  added  at  Paramount  as 
biller.  . . . Pete  Bayes,  Paramount  publicity 
man,  to  Salt  Lake  City  to  whip  up  campaign 
on  "Man  Who  Knew  Too  Much,”  which 
runs  at  the  Centre.  . . . Jack  Scales,  brother 
of  Leonard  Scales  of  the  Scales  drive-in, 
Grand  Junction,  Colo.,  is  here  from  Texas 
looking  for  a drive-in  to  buy. 

DES  MOINES 

Myron  Blank,  Central  States  Theatre 
Corp.  head,  has  returned  here  following  his 
visit  to  the  film  festival  in  Cannes,  France. 
He  was  accompanied  by  Mrs.  Blank.  . . . 
Alice  Weaver  of  Realart,  is  convalescing 
from  surgery.  . . . Thelma  Washburn,  RKO 
booker,  was  named  to  a post  with  Zonta 
International  at  its  recent  annual  meeting. 
. . . Martha  Ringland,  former  Warner  em- 
ployee, visited  the  Row.  She  now  lives  in 
Denver.  . . . M.  C.  Roskopf,  who  has  been 
in  the  entertainment  field  since  1915,  has 
sold  his  interest  in  the  Odeon  theatre  in 
Marshalltown  to  Ben  Schwartz.  Roskopf 
opened  the  Lyric  in  1915,  screening  one- 
reelers  at  an  admission  charge  of  five  cents. 
A year  later  he  built  the  Casino  theatre, 
now  the  Casino  Arcade.  He  purchased  the 
Odeon  in  1940,  in  partnership  with  Sam 
Horwitz.  . . . The  Callies  Brothers  have 
purchased  the  equipment  of  the  Tyke  thea- 
tre at  Titonka  and  plan  to  reopen  the  house 
in  the  near  future.  They  have  retained 
Walter  Haack  to  manage  the  house. 

DETROIT 

The  United  Artists  now  issues  special 
discounts  to  organized  student  groups  for 
“Oklahoma!”  on  Wednesday  through  Fri- 
day matinees  and  Monday  through  Friday 
nights,  except  holidays.  . . . Projectionists 
continue  to  move  around,  with  Jerry  Herlihy 
going  to  the  Rio,  William  Moesta  to  the 
Colonial,  William  Waddell  to  the  Cameo 
and  Louis  Wolf  to  the  Bel-Aire  drive-in. 

. . . The  Cub  up  in  Bera  Lake  has  been 
rescued  from  the  wrecker’s  iron  ball  by  Mrs. 
Stanley  Dillev.  . . . Harry  Berns  has  shifted 
from  the  Jolly  Roger  to  the  World  art 
theatre.  . . . Ida  Gottlieb  has  changed  from 
United  Artists  to  Allied  Films.  . . . Ben 
Rosen,  Jack  Zide,  Arthur  Weisberg,  Joseph 
Forbes  and  Hy  Schwartz  represented  De- 
troit at  the  Variety  International  conven- 
tion. . . . Mrs.  Leon  Robe  has  the  Elsie, 
in  Elsie,  up  for  sale.  . . . Something  called 
creative  stage  lighting  will  be  included  in 
the  Krim  Theatres  remodeling  program. 
Project  includes  new  projection  and  sound 
equipment. 

HARTFORD 

Peter  Perakos,  Jr.  of  Perakos  Theatre 
Associates,  New  Britain,  Conn.,  has  been 
named  to  the  New  Britain  Safety  Action 


Committee.  . . . Sam  Harris,  partner,  State 
theatre,  Hartford,  and  Mrs.  Harris  are  en- 
route  to  Europe  on  a six-week  vacation.  . . . 
Louis  Peterson,  Jr.,  Hartford  playwright, 
flies  to  Los  Angeles  June  1 to  start  work 
on  film  version  of  his  television  script, 
“Joey.”  Tony  Perkins  will  star  in  the  Para- 
mount attraction.  . . . Sal  Adorno,  Sr.,  gen- 
eral manager,  M&D  Theatres,  has  dropped 
Monday  through  Thursday  performances  at 
the  Capitol  theatre,  Middletown,  Conn.,  for 
the  summer  months. . . . Tex  Pavel,  WKNB- 
TV-radio  cowboy  personality,  is  now  broad- 
casting his  nightly  radio  show  from  the  con- 
cession building  at  Meadows  drive-in  thea- 
tre. Program  is  aired  from  8 to  8:30  p.m., 
and  is  first  of  its  type  to  be  presented  from 
a metropolitan  Hartford  drive-in  theatre  in 
many  years. 

INDIANAPOLIS 

Spring  and  the  Memorial  Day  500-mile 
race  preliminaries  have  put  a dent  in  thea- 
tre business  here.  Speedway  attendance 
Saturday,  when  qualification  trials  opened, 
was  125,000,  almost  as  big  as  the  race  day 
crowd  itself.  . . . Albert  Thompson  has 
taken  a new  four-year  lease  on  the  Park 
theatre  at  North  Vernon.  . . . Phil  Schloss 
has  closed  the  Crystal  at  Ligonier  indef- 
initely. . . . Bill  Brenner,  Universal  sales- 
man, has  returned  to  work  after  several 
weeks  on  sick  leave.  . . . Roy  Kalver,  pres- 
ident of  Indiana  Allied;  Trueman  Rem- 
busch,  national  director,  and  Wm.  A.  Car- 
roll,  executive  secretary,  were  attending  the 
National  Allied  board  meeting  in  Washing- 
ton this  week.  . . . The  Variety  Club  has 
announced  that  it  will  remain  open  all  sum- 
mer for  noon  lunches.  . . . Virginia  Mayo, 
accompanied  by  her  husband,  Michael 
O’Shea,  will  be  here  May  30  to  present 
the  victory  trophy  to  the  winner  of  the 
“500.” 

JACKSONVILLE 

Hoyt  Yarbrough,  former  assistant  at  the 
local  Florida  theatre,  is  now  managing  the 
Matanzas  theatre,  St.  Augustine.  . . . Mrs. 
A.  W.  Gathrop  is  building  the  Lindatu 
drive-in  at  Palatka.  She  already  operates 
the  Linda  drive-in  there.  ...  A new  speed- 
boat is  the  joy  of  Tom  Sawyer,  FST 
booker.  . . . Bob  Anderson,  Main  Street 
drive-in,  is  chairman  of  a Variety  commit- 
tee planning  a barbecue  and  dance  at  the 
Pistol  Club  on  June  16.  Janice  Claxton, 
MGM  office,  is  heading  a WOMPI  commit- 
tee to  assist  with  the  social  affair.  . . . Ed 
Chumley,  Paramount  branch  manager,  at- 
tended the  company’s  southern  sales  meet- 
ing in  Atlanta.  . . . New  film  salesman  in 
Florida  is  Frank  Lowery  from  the  Atlanta 
office  of  Astor  Pictures.  . . . Horace  Den- 
ning, Dixie  Drive-Ins  district  manager,  has 
been  named  exhibitor  chairman  for  the  com- 
ing Will  Rogers  Memorial  Hospital  Drive 
by  R.  C.  Price,  RKO  branch  manager  who 
is  area  chairman.  . . . Members  of  the  Mo- 
tion Picture  Council  have  elected  retired  ex- 
hibitor John  Crovo  as  their  president  for  a 
second  year.  . . . Grace  Parrott,  Howco  of- 
fice worker  from  Atlanta,  was  assisting  the 
local  Howco  staff. 

KANSAS  CITY 

The  Missouri  theatre  is  to  be  converted 
to  Cinerama  in  time  for  a June  14  premiere 
of  “This  is  Cinerama,”  to  be  sponsored  by 
the  Kansas  City  Philharmonic.  . . . William 


Fulton,  operator  of  the  Avenue  and  Electric 
theatres  in  Kansas  City,  Kans.,  is  on  a 
round-the-world  trip.  . . . Paul  Ricketts, 
Ness  City,  Kansas,  is  the  editor  of  a new 
Kansas-Missouri  Theatre  Owners’  monthly 
bulletin.  . . . Barney  Holt,  21 -year-old  air- 
man who  was  killed  in  a car  accident  at 
Texahoma,  Okla.,  was  the  son  of  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Barney  Holt,  Sr.,  operators  of  the 
Sands  drive-in  theatre  at  Elkhart,  Kans.  . . . 
In  session  in  Kansas  City,  the  General 
Federation  of  Women’s  Clubs  made  special 
awards  to  “A  Man  Called  Peter”  for  its 
presentation  of  the  America  of  the  future 
and  to  “The  Court  Martial  of  Billy  Mitchell” 
as  “the  best  picture  of  last  year  in  depiction 
of  historical  America.”  . . . William  T. 
Zimmerman,  owner  of  KWRE  and  the  Vista 
and  Moto-Vu  theatres  at  Warrenton,  Mo., 
announced  his  candidacy  for  representative 
in  the  Missouri  legislature  from  Warren 
County. 

( Continued  on  following  page ) 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  MAY  26,  1956 


35 


LOS  ANGELES 

Sylvia  Musicant,  booker’s  secretary  at 
Universal-International,  has  announced  her 
engagement  to  Norman  Freeman,  drug  store 
chain  operator.  . . . Fox  West  Coast  is  re- 
modelling its  State  theatre  in  Pasadena,  with 
a new  marquee,  modern  front  and  box  office, 
plus  carpeting  and  reupholstering.  House  is 
managed  by  Albert  Szabo.  . . . While  on 
vacation  in  Minnesota,  Jo  Brenner,  secretary 
to  Earl  Johnson,  was  seriously  injured  in  an 
automobile  accident.  . . . The  Montrose  the- 
atre, Montrose,  will  be  taken  over  from 
Hugh  McKee  by  Jack  Grossman,  who  oper- 
ates the  Magnolia  theatre  in  Burbank. 
Grossman  plans  to  inaugurate  a seven-day 
policy.  . . . Sero  Enterprises  has  moved  into 
the  Bevelite  Building  on  Cordova  St.  from 
their  former  address  on  Washington  Blvd. 
. . . Orlando  Karr  has  acquired  the  Lamont 
theatre  in  Lamont  from  Joe  Rogers.  . . . 
Barbara  Sheftel  resigned  her  position  at 
20th  Century-Fox.  Her  husband,  Jerry,  is 
a booker  in  the  same  office. 


MEMPHIS 

Variety  Club's  Tent  20  (Memphis)  will 
share  the  proceeds  from  a benefit  perform- 
ance here  July  4,  by  Elvis  Presley,  who 
has  recently  skyrocketed  up  the  ladder  with 
his  rock  and  roll  singing.  Variety’s  50  per 
cent  of  the  intake  will  go  to  its  Convalescent 
Children’s  Hospital — the  other  half  will 
bring  milk  to  needy  children  thru  The  Press- 
Scimitar’s  Cynthia  Milk  Fund.  . . . Jaxon 
drive-in  on  Jackson  Avenue,  and  61  drive- 
on  Highway  61  South,  are  to  be  opened  in 
Memphis  by  Malco,  Inc.,  the  first  before 
June  1,  the  second  during  the  month.  . . . 
The  Rockwood  theatre  at  Bruceton,  Tenn., 
and  the  Rice  at  Brownsville,  Tenn.,  have 
closed.  . . . Maurice  Townsend,  general 
auditor  of  Film  Transit,  Inc.,  married  Miss 
Hazel  Reaves  of  Republic  Theatres  May  13. 

. . . Mr.  and  Mrs.  Grover  Wray  (Exhibi- 
tors Services)  vacationed  for  two  weeks  in 
California.  . . . Frank  Patterson  of  the  City 
at  Junction  City,  Ark.,  has  taken  over  opera- 
tion of  the  Vic  at  Strong,  Ark. 

MIAMI 

Station  WTVJ  was  the  setting  for  the 
May  21  political  debate  between  Sen.  Estes 
Kefauver  and  Adlai  Stevenson  which  the 
ABC  network  broadcast.  . . . Florida  dis- 
tribution of  Louis  De  Rochemont’s  “The 
Great  Adventure”  has  been  taken  over  by 
Gold  Coast  Pictures  Co.,  according  to 
Arthur  Davis,  president.  . . . Maxine  Bar- 
rat’s  TV  show,  “To  See  or  Not  to  See”  over 
WITV,  had  Lillian  Claughton  as  one  of 
its  guest  movie  critics  recently  but  picture 
reviewed  was  not  playing  the  Claughton 
chain.  . . . Edward  N.  Claughton  Jr.,  28, 
was  recently  elected  to  the  board  of  directors 
of  the  Chicago  & Eastern  Illinois  Railroad 
at  the  annual  meeting  in  Chicago. 

MILWAUKEE 

The  Better  Films  Council  of  Milwaukee 
County  gave  a Mother’s  Day  party  at  the 
county  infirmary.  The  elderly  women  who 
live  at  the  infirmary  look  forward  to  this 
party  which  includes  refreshments  and  gifts. 
A picture  of  the  party  in  progress  appeared 
in  the  local  press.  ...  Ed  Safier,  Walt  Dis- 
ney representative,  was  in  the  Allied  Artist 
exchange  here  to  promote  “The  Great  Loco- 
motive Chase”  which  he  had  screened.  . . . 
A farewell  party  was  held  for  Mr.  Irving 
Werthamer,  former  branch  manager  of 
Paramount,  in  the  office  of  the  exchange 
by  the  employees.  . . . B.  D.  Stoner,  division 
manager  of  Paramount,  was  in  to  visit  the 
exchange.  . . . Orval  Petterson,  office  man- 
ager at  the  Universal  exchange,  is  leaving 
after  being  associated  with  Universal  22 
years.  Mr.  Petterson  will  be  going  to  work 
for  Delft  under  Fred  Florence. 

MINNEAPOLIS 

Minnesota  Amusement  Co.  admitted  all 
mothers  free  to  its  theatres  in  Minneapolis 
and  St.  Paul  on  Mothers’  Day.  Several  hun- 
dred mothers  took  advantage  of  the  free 
admission,  which  created  considerable  good 
will  for  the  theatres,  according  to  Don 
Alexander,  assistant  advertising  manager  of 
the  circuit.  ...  A fire  at  Western  Theatre 
Equipment  Exchange  did  an  estimated 
$5,000  damage  about  half  an  hour  after  the 
firm  closed.  . . . Redheads,  when  accom- 
panied by  an  escort,  were  admitted  free  at 
the  neighborhood  campus  during  the  show- 
ing of  “The  Man  Who  Loved  Redheads.” 


Ushers  and  doormen  at  the  loop  Gopher  are 
sporting  new  red  and  black  uniforms.  . . . 
Don  Levy,  formerly  with  Columbia,  is  the 
new  booker  at  Allied  Artists,  replacing  Earl 
Fainblit,  resigned.  . . . Marvin  Maetvold, 
formerly  head  shipper,  has  been  promoted 
to  head  booker  at  Columbia.  . . . Emmy 
Lundquist,  a former  employee  of  20th-Fox, 
has  been  named  cashier  at  United  Artists. 

NEW  ORLEANS 

The  WOMPI’s  will  pitch  an  all-dav  picnic 
June  2 at  the  Lodge  of  the  Harry  K.  Oli- 
phint’s  Circle  A Ranch  on  Route  2,  Denham 
Springs,  La.,  in  honor  of  the  club's  out-going 
officers.  . . . The  Haven,  Rex  and  Dixie 
theatres  in  Brookhaven,  Miss.,  have  been 
merged  under  the  management  of  L.  E. 
“Jack”  Downing.  Downing  has  owned  and 
operated  the  Haven  for  a score  and  more 
years,  and  several  months  ago  acquired  the 
Rex,  which  serves  Negro  patrons.  The 
Dixie,  a unit  of  Dixie  Theatre  Corp.,  was 
taken  over  by  N.  Solomon  Theatres  and 
Pike  Amusement  Co.,  McComb,  Miss., 
headed  by  Teddy  Solomon  April  1.  along 
with  all  theatres  in  the  circuit.  . . . Robert 
A.  Kelly,  Jr.,  son  of  Col.  Bob  Kelly,  former 
Dixie  Exchange  manager,  now  with  Harold 
F.  Cohen  Enterprises,  was  married  to  Fay 
Painter  May  19  in  the  Holy  Rosary  Church. 

. . . Valerie  Benson,  formerly  secretary  to 
Samuel  Wright,  Jr.,  Southern  Theatre 
Service,  resigned  to  take  up  a similar  post 
with  Roy  Nicaud,  manager,  Distributors 
Corp.  of  America.  . . . Mike  Ripps,  co-head 
of  Do  Drive-In  Theatre  Corp.,  is  back  fol- 
lowing a business  trip  to  Chicago.  . . . The 
Hub  drive-in,  Monroeville,  Ala.,  resumed 
operation  for  the  new  season.  . . . Roy 
Varnado,  second  booker  at  Warner  Bros., 
resigned  to  enter  another  industry.  Joe 
Sacco,  cashier  department,  replaced  him.  . . . 
John  Williams  closed  the  State  in  Jackson, 
Miss.  His  first  run  Lamar  continues  in 
operation. 

OKLAHOMA  CITY 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  R.  Lewis  Barton  and  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Harold  Combs  were  in  Washing- 
ton, D.  C.,  recently  on  a business  trip. 
While  there  they  visited  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Jerry 
Barton  and  baby  daughter.  Jerry  Barton  is 
the  son  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  R.  Lewis  Barton. 
. . . Jim  and  Chris  Newell,  projectionist  and 
manager  of  the  Redskin  theatre,  are  con- 
cluding a two-week  vacation.  They  will 
return  to  work  May  26.  Mrs.  Josephine 
Garettson,  relief  manager  for  Barton  The- 
atres, is  manager  of  the  Redskin  while  the 
Newells  are  on  vacation.  . . . "I’ll  Cry  To- 
morrow” was  showing  at  nine  suburban 
theatres  in  Oklahoma  City  this  week.  . . . 
The  Tecumseh  drive-in  theatre.  Shawnee, 
Okla.,  held  its  “grand  reopening”  May  18. 

PHILADELPHIA 

In  an  effort  to  bolster  matinee  attendance 
at  the  downtown  houses,  the  Viking  has  in- 
troduced a “Shopper’s  Special”  each  morn- 
ing, with  admissions  reduced  to  75  cents, 
including  tax,  until  noon.  . . . The  city’s 
Art  Commission  rejected  the  application  of 
Warner  Brothers’  Mastbaum  to  erect  a bill- 
board sign  on  the  back  of  the  theatre  build- 
ing since  it  faces  the  Pennsylvania  Boule- 
vard. . . . Mrs.  Herman  Ellis,  wife  of  the 
A.  M.  Ellis  Theatres  executive,  was  installed 
as  president  of  the  Philadelphia  section  of 

( Continued  on  opposite  page) 


36 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  MAY  26,  1956 


( Continued  from  opposite  page ) 

the  National  Council  of  Jewish  Women.  . . . 
John  J.  O’Leary,  executive  vice-president  of 
the  Comerford  Theatres,  Scranton,  Pa.,  was 
elected  to  the  board  of  directors  of  the 
Scranton-Spring  Brook  Water  Service 
Company  in  that  city.  . . . Fried  Theatres 
announced  that  it  was  making  its  1,500-seat 
City  Line  Center  theatre  available  to  the 
suburban  Overbrook  Park  Congregation  for 
the  conduct  of  religious  services  during  the 
High  Holy  Days  in  early  September.  . . . 
Veteran  exhibitor  Jay  Emanuel  named  to 
the  board  of  the  Philadelphia  branch  of  the 
Jewish  Theological  Seminary.  . . . An  out- 
door dance  patio  has  been  added  to  the 
facilities  of  A1  Frank’s  Circus  drive-in  near 
Atlantic  City,  N.  J.,  for  the  benefit  of  pa- 
trons who  wish  to  dance  before  the  start 
of  the  regular  evening  show.  . . Perry  Lessy 
and  Abe  Sundberg  have  taken  over  the 
operation  of  George  Resnick’s  Cayuga, 
neighborhood  house.  . . . J.  Lester  Stallman, 
manager  of  the  Astor,  Reading,  Pa.,  an- 
nounced the  marriage  of  his  daughter, 
Sallie,  to  Richard  Nesser. 

PITTSBURGH 

Author  Sheldon  Reynolds  and  actress 
Ingrid  Tulean  are  due  here  May  28-30  in 
connection  with  the  Penn-bound  movie, 
“Foreign  Intrigue.”  . . . Business  has  been 
way  off  in  the  downtown  houses  the  past 
few  weeks  with  only  “Seven  Wonders  of 
the  World”  and  “Man  Who  Knew  Too 
Much”  holding  up  well.  . . . The  Penn  held 
a sneak  prevue  of  the  Bob  Hope  comedy, 
“That  Certain  Feeling”  at  2 p.m.,  first  time 
any  local  house  has  ever  “sneaked”  a movie 
in  the  afternoon.  . . . The  Fulton  gets  the 
world  premiere  of  “The  Toy  Tiger,”  for 
which  Macy’s  Santa  Claus  came  to  Pitts- 
burgh. . . . Another  visitor  here  (for  two 
weeks)  is  starlet  Betti  Andrews,  Cleo 
Moore's  stand-in,  making  personal  appear- 
ances throughout  the  Tri-State  district  for 
“Over  Exposed.”  . . . “Touch  and  Go”  re- 
placed “Doctor  At  Sea”  in  Squirrel  Hill, 
with  "Lease  On  Life”  set  to  follow. 


PORTLAND 

Colleen  McKay,  U-I  starlet,  was  injured 
in  a two-car  crash  while  visiting  her  parents 
here  this  past  week.  She  is  resting  in  the 
Cowlitz  General  Hospital,  Longview,  Wash. 
. . . Arnold  Marks,  Journal  drama  editor, 
and  Herb  Larsen,  Oregonian  drama  editor, 
were  off  to  Los  Angeles  for  the  special 
screening  of  “Trapeze.”  . . . Walter  Hoff- 
man. Paramount  field  man,  was  in  town  for 
a few  days.  . . . Kenny  Hughes,  Orpheum 
theatre  manager,  had  all  of  his  usherettes 
get  a “Hilda  Crane”  hairdo  for  the  film. 
He  also  admitted  all  girls  wih  the  same 
name  free  of  charge.  . . . Cpl.  William  E. 
Sparks,  DSM,  here  for  a few  days  to  pro- 
mote “Cockleshell  Heroes.”  He  is  one  of 
the  survivors. 

PROVIDENCE 

With  several  of  Uncle  Sam’s  battlewag- 
ons,  destroyers  and  other  craft  anchored  in 
and  around  Providence,  Quonset,  and  New- 
port, this  city’s  theatres  have  seen  quite  an 
influx  of  seamen  and  marines  in  attendance 
recently.  . . . The  Rhode  Island  premiere 
of  Continental’s  “Diabolique”  took  place  at 
the  Avon  Cinema.  . . . “The  Man  in  the 
Gray  Flannel  Suit”  held  for  a second  week 
at  the  Majestic.  . . . Since  Bill  Trambukis, 


Loew’s  State  manager,  waged  a winning 
fight  against  hoodlums  and  vandals  this 
city’s  downtown  and  neighborhood  houses 
have  been  pleasantly  free  of  undesirable 
characters.  . . . “Godzilla”  which  was  simul- 
taneously premiered  in  this  state  by  over 
twenty  first  runs,  neighborhood,  and  drive- 
ins,  in  one  of  the  most  pretentious  exploita- 
tions ever  undertaken  in  this  territory,  proved 
a most  successful  production.  Virtually  all 
situations  cooperating  in  this  record-break- 
ing promotion  reported  excellent  patronage. 

ST.  LOUIS 

Pete  Faddis  will  be  the  owner  and  opera- 
tor of  a 300-car  drive-in  theatre  on  High- 
way 63,  two  and  one-half  miles  south  of 
West  Plains,  Mo.,  construction  work  on 
which  will  get  underway  soon.  It  will  be 
known  as  the  Starlight  theatre.  . . . The 
Miller  theatre  at  Festus,  Mo.,  is  among 
those  in  southeast  Missouri,  that  have 
adopted  a theatre  timetable  for  the  informa- 
tion and  convenience  of  their  patrons.  . . . 
A woman’s  Starlight  theatre  committee  has 
been  organized  in  Kansas  City,  Mo.,  and 
W.  M.  Symon,  business  manager  of  the 
association,  said  its  objectives  would  be  to 
get  the  women  of  the  community  better 
acquainted  with  the  theatre  and  its  pur- 
poses. . . . Ruby  S’Renco,  64,  who  operated 
a screening  room  in  the  RKO  exchange 
at  3143  Olive  street  in  St.  Louis  and  the 
Art  theatre  at  the  same  address,  died  at 
the  Jewish  Hospital  in  St.  Louis  May  14. 
He  is  survived  by  the  widow  and  two  daugh- 
ters. . . . The  Summit  theatre,  Kansas  City, 
Mo.,  has  been  reopened  by  Joseph  A.  Duran, 
nraitre  d’hotel  of  the  Kansas  City  Club,  for 
the  showing  of  Spanish-speaking  motion 
pictures.  . . . The  Rowe  theatre  in  St.  James, 
Mo.,  owned  by  Rowe  Carney  of  Rolla,  Mo., 
was  destroyed  by  fire  recently. 

TORONTO 

First  phase  of  the  projected  11-story  addi- 
tion to  the  CBC’s  Montreal  building,  the 
construction  of  a basement  and  five  stories, 
will  get  underway  shortly,  with  costs  set  at 
$1,023,929.  . . . Gerald  Pratley,  well-known 
CBC  commentator  on  music  from  the  films, 
spoke  to  a gathering  here  on  that  subject. 
. . . The  annual  Variety  Village  benefit  show 
of  Essex  County  Theatres  Association,  held 
in  the  Capitol,  Windsor  brought  $600.  . . . 
Clyde  Gilmour,  film  critic  for  The  Telegram 
and  the  CBC,  has  to  put  another  featured 
player  in  his  list  of  house  occupants  with 
the  arrival  of  Paul  John  Gilmour. 

VANCOUVER 

Downtown  business  was  at  an  all-time 
low  the  past  week,  with  no  theatres  hitting 
average.  . . . Alex  Myers,  Odeon  theatre 
manager,  is  still  hospitalized  but  imoroving 
from  a heart  condition.  . . . Arlene  Mitchell, 
Orpheum  cashier,  has  left  for  Alaska  where 
she  will  work  in  a night  club.  . . . Panorama 
Productions,  Ltd.,  a new  film  outfit,  has 
opened  its  Vancouver  office  with  Oldrich 
Vaclavek  as  president  and  executive  pro- 
ducer. . . . Film  and  theatre  friends  gave 
Mickey  Stevenson,  Paramount  booker,  a real 
send-off  at  a stag  party  held  at  the  Peter 
Pan  Mural  Room.  Mickey,  who  was  pro- 
moted to  the  Toronto  office  as  branch  man- 
ager, replacing  A1  Iscove,  was  given  a 
travelling  set  by  the  film  boys.  Stevenson 
was  succeeded  by  Mel  Hayter,  former  ship- 
per at  the  local  Paramount  office.  . . . Doug 
Stevenson,  former  manager  of  the  now 


closed  Marpole  theatre  and  who  has  been 
transferred  to  Toronto  by  Odeon,  is  now 
manager  of  the  Roxy  theatre,  West  Hill, 
Ontario.  . . . Lillie  Kinnee,  assistant  at  the 
Odeon-Paradise,  and  George  Sutherland,  of 
the  same  theatre,  are  both  hospitalized. 

WASHINGTON 

New  officers  of  WOMPI  are:  Madeline 
Ackerman,  president ; Mary  Agnes  Sweeney, 
vice-president;  Mary  Jane  Winebrenner, 
vice-president ; Florence  Carden,  and  Ethel 
Curtis,  secretaries;  Nelia  Turner,  treasurer. 
Appointed  to  the  executive  board  were 
Clara  Lust,  Eileen  Oliver  and  Sally  Myers. 
Lucille  Traband,  former  president,  will  be 
a delegate  at  the  national  convention.  . . . 
Rudolph  Berger,  southern  division  sales 
manager  for  Loew’s,  Inc.,  and  Mrs.  Berger 
are  vacationing  in  Florida.  . . . Station 
WWDC  will  again  handle  the  “Miss  Wash- 
ington” contest,  with  finalists  chosen  on 
the  stage  of  Loew’s  Capitol  theatre. 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  MAY  26,  1956 


37 


See  Lack 
Of  Films 
For  Family 

TORONTO : Lack  of  family-type  films  is 
particularly  noted  in  the  annual  report  of 
0.  J.  Silverthorne,  chairman  of  the  Ontario 
Board  of  Censors.  Mr.  Silverthorne  said 
the  type  of  film  ‘‘so  prominent  a few  years 
ago"  was  replaced  bv  film  appealing  “to 
the  adult  mind,”  responsible  “for  the  in- 
crease in  the  number  of  films  being  treated 
and  classified.”  By  classified,  he  means  films 
which  have  been  put  in  either  the  “restricted 
to  those  over  18  years  of  age”  or  “adult” 
entertainment. 

Just  25  per  cent  of  all  feature  subjects 
were  subjected  to  this  sort  of  treatment, 
Mr.  Silverthorne  states.  “The  absence  of 
unpretentious,  homey-type  of  film  with  con- 
structive moral  and  special  values,  once  im- 
portant economically  to  the  producer,  has 
brought  hardship  to  the  smaller  operator  in 
rural  and  urban  situations  alike,”  the  report 
by  Mr.  Silverthorne  states. 

Indicative  of  the  growth  of  immigration 
to  this  country  is  the  fact  that  23  per  cent 
of  the  485  feature  length  films  submitted 
last  year  were  in  languages  other  than 
English. 

Pre-production  ideas  gave  the  Board  an 
opportunity  to  advise  the  producers  of 
“content  likely  to  be  considered  censorable.” 
Air.  Silverthorne  said  that  the  exchange  of 
ideas  is  reflected  in  the  type  of  foreign- 
language  entertainment  arriving  from  West 
Germany,  Italy,  France  and  other  countries, 
“many  of  which  are  similar  to  films  re- 
leased in  the  English  tongue.” 

The  United  States  continues  to  lead  in 
the  number  of  films  exported  to  this  coun- 
try, with  305,  followed  by  Italy  with  76, 
Great  Britain,  57;  West  Germany,  23; 
France,  eight;  Czechoslovakia,  two;  and 
one  each  from  Poland,  India,  Israel  and 
Sweden.  Russia  sent  eight.  The  U.S.  export 
remained  steady,  although  exports  from 
Great  Britain  showed  a slight  drop. 

High  Intensity  Carbon 
Gives  Added  Light 

A new  high  intensity  carbon  for  motion 
picture  projection  that  gives  up  to  11  per 
cent  more  light  has  been  announced  by  Na- 
tional Carbon  Company,  a division  of  Union 
Carbide  and  Carbon  Corporation.  The  im- 
proved “National”  10-millimeter  by  20  inch 
positive  carbon  is  reported  to  produce  a 
whiter  light,  and  burns  with  greater  arc 
stability  and  a larger  crater  diameter.  Rec- 
ommended for  operation  at  95  to  110  am- 
peres, the  new  carbon  gives  11  per  cent 
more  light  at  maximum  current  than  did  the 
previous  carbon  at  its  maximum  current  rat- 
ing of  100  amperes.  At  a given  current 
rating,  the  new  carbon  burns  considerably 
slower — 15  to  20  per  cent  slower  in  the  95 
to  100  ampere  range. 


THE  WINNERS  CIRCLE 

Pictures  which  were  reported  as  doing  above  average  business  in  key  cities  of  the 
nation  for  the  week  ended  May  19  were: 


Albany:  The  Harder  They  Fall  (Col.) 

Atlanta:  Bhowani  Junction  (MGM)  ; 

Birds  and  the  Bees  (Par.) ; The  Bold 
and  the  Brave  (RKO). 

Buffalo:  Bhowani  Junction  (MGM)  ; Man 
Who  Knew  too  Much  (Par.) ; The  Re- 
volt of  Mamie  Stover  (20th-Fox) ; 
The  Searchers  (W.B.). 

Chicago:  Diabolique  (UMPO)  22nd  week; 
Jubal  (Col.)  2nd  week;  Madame  But- 
terfly (IFE)  ; Meet  Me  in  Las  Vegas 
(MGM)  5th  week;  Searchers  (W.B.). 

Columbus:  The  Revolt  of  Mamie  Stover 
(20th-Fox) ; Tribute  to  a Bad  Man 
(MGM). 

Denver:  Birds  and  the  Bees  (Par.)  ; The 
Bold  and  the  Brave  (RKO) ; Cockle- 
shell Heroes  (Col.)  ; The  Come  On 
(A. A.) ; Night  My  Number  Came  Up 
(Cont.) ; The  Revolt  of  Mamie  Stover 
(20th-Fox)  ; Serenade  (W.B.) ; World 
in  My  Corner  (U-I). 

Des  Moines:  Birds  and  the  Bees  (Par.). 

Detroit:  Alexander  the  Great  (U.A.) 
2nd  week;  Revolt  of  Mamie  Stover 
(Fox). 

Hartford:  Alexander  the  Great  (U.A.) ; 
The  Bold  and  the  Brave  (RKO) ; 
Diabolique  (UMPO)  4th  week;  The 
Harder  They  Fall  (Col.)  2nd  week; 
The  Man  in  the  Gray  Flannel  Suit 
(20th-Fox)  5th  week;  Patterns  (U.A.) 
2nd  week. 

Indianapolis:  Maverick  Queen  (Rep.)  ; 

World  Without  End  (A.A.). 

Jacksonville:  Gaby  (MGM)  ; Hilda  Crane 
(20th-Fox)  ; Threshold  of  Space  (Fox). 

Kansas  City:  Birds  and  the  Bees  (Par.) 
2nd  week;  Gaby  (MGM)  3rd  week; 
Meet  Me  in  Las  Vegas  (MGM)  4th 
week. 

Miami:  The  Revolt  of  Mamie  Stover 
(20th-Fox)  2nd  week. 


Milwaukee:  Alexander  the  Great  (U.A.) 
2nd  week;  Birds  and  the  Bees  (Par.); 
The  Man  With  the  Golden  Arm 
(U.A.)  4th  week. 

Minneapolis:  Forbidden  Planet  (MGM). 

New  Orleans:  Alexander  the  Great 

(U.A.)  2nd  week;  The  Bold  and  the 
Brave  (RKO) ; Hilda  Crane  (20th- 
Fox) ; The  Revolt  of  Mamie  Stover 
(20th-Fox)  2nd  week;  Tribute  to  a Bad 
Man  (MGM). 

Oklahoma  City:  Alexander  the  Great 
(U.A.)  ; Distant  Drums  (W.B.)  (Re- 
issue) ; Joe  Macbeth  (Col.) ; Birds  and 
the  Bees  (Par.)  3rd  week;  The  Revolt 
of  Mamie  Stover  (20th-Fox)  2nd  week. 

Philadelphia:  Alexander  the  Great 

(U.A.)  2nd  week;  Birds  and  the  Bees 
(Par.)  ; The  Bold  and  the  Brave 
(RKO) ; The  Man  in  the  Gray  Flan- 
nel Suit  (20th-Fox)  4th  week. 

Pittsburgh:  The  Ladykillers  (Cont.)  3rd 
week;  Man  Who  Knew  too  Much 
(Par.);  The  Revolt  of  Mamie  Stover 
(20th-Fox) . 

Portland:  Birds  and  the  Bees  (Par.) 
The  Bold  and  the  Brave  (RKO);  The 
Revolt  of  Mamie  Stover  (20th-Fox). 

Providence:  Diabolique  (UMPO)  2nd 

week;  Meet  Me  in  Las  Vegas  (MGM). 

Toronto:  Alexander  the  Great  (U.A.)  ; 
The  Conqueror  (RKO)  2nd  week;  The 
Man  in  the  Gray  Flannel  Suit  (20th- 
Fox) ; The  Revolt  of  Mamie  Stover 
(20th-Fox) . 

Vancouver:  The  Benny  Goodman  Story 
(U-I)  2nd  week;  Forbidden  Planet 
(MGM). 

Washington:  The  Revolt  of  Mamie  Stover 
(20th-Fox)  ; Meet  Me  in  Las  Vegas 
(MGM)  2nd  week;  Picnic  (Col.)  13th 
week;  Tribute  to  a Bad  Man  (MGM). 


Eastman  Kodak  Company 
Elects  New  Directors 

ROCHESTER : Newly  elected  directors  of 
Eastman  Kodak  Company,  as  announced  by 
the  company,  are : Ivar  N.  Hultman,  general 
manager  of  the  Kodak  Park  Works  here; 
James  E.  McGhee,  in  charge  of  domestic 
sales  and  advertising;  and  Edward  P.  Cur- 
tis, general  manager  of  the  company’s  inter- 
national division.  All  three  are  Kodak 
vice-presidents,  and  each  has  been  with  the 
company  over  35  years.  This  increases  the 
number  of  directors  to  15,  the  maximum 
number  authorized  by  Kodak  share  owners 
at  their  annual  meeting  April  24.  All  com- 
pany officers  were  reelected  at  the  May  15 
meeting  of  the  board. 


Fadiman  in  Columbia  Post 

William  J.  Fadiman  has  been  named  ex- 
ecutive story  editor  of  Columbia  Pictures, 
the  studio  announces.  Mr.  Fadiman,  for- 
merly a staff  producer  at  Columbia,  has 
worked  in  story  and  editorial  capacities  at 
MGM,  Columbia  and  RKO.  Kenneth  Evans 
and  Albert  Johnston  will  continue  as  story 
editors  for  Columbia,  it  was  announced. 


Raise  Boston  Fees 

BOSTON : Mayor  John  Hynes  has  asked 
the  City  Council  for  a new  ordinance  that 
would  increase  many  license  and  permit  fees. 
Included  would  be  “entertainment  licenses.” 
The  Committee  on  Ordinances  is  expected  to 
hold  a public  hearing  on  the  proposals. 


38 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  MAY  26,  1956 


'WU  tL 

picture  did  fit 


99 


or  me 


. . . the  original  exhibitors'  reports  department,  established  October  14,  1916.  In  it  theatremen 
serve  one  another  with  information  about  the  box  office  performance  of  product — providing  a 
service  of  the  exhibitor  for  the  exhibitor.  ADDRESS  REPORTS,  What  the  Picture  Did  for  Me, 
Motion  Picture  Herald,  Rockefeller  Center,  New  York  20. 


Allied  Artists 

PHENIX  CITY  STORY,  THE:  Richard  Kiley, 

Kathryn  Grant — This  picture  is  all  that  has  been 
written  about  it.  It  is  cold,  hard,  true  to  life  drama 
and  perfectly  cast.  Naturally,  not  a show  for  kids, 
but  plenty  came  anyway.  No  punches  have  been 
pulled,  and  it  will  take  a long  time  to  forget  this  one. 
Business  better  than  usual.  Played  Sunday,  Monday, 
Tuesday,  April  29,  30,  May  1. — Shirley  Booth,  Booth 
Theatre,  Rich  Hill,  Mo. 

WICHITA:  Joel  McCrea,  Vera  Miles — This  is  the 
nearest  to  the  old  Jesse  and  Frank  James  pictures  we 
have  seen  in  a long,  long  while.  Full  of  stage  hokum 
and  situations  that  the  average  show  patrons  like. 
Did  the  best  gross  of  the  year  so  far.  Played  Thurs- 
day, Friday,  Saturday,  May  3,  4,  5.— Shirley  Booth, 
Booth  Theatre,  Rich  Hill,  Mo. 


Columbia 

PRISONER,  THE:  Alec  Guinness,  Jack  Hawkins- 
Fine  performances,  good  box  office  in  this  90%  art 
house.  Played  Friday,  Saturday,  Sunday,  Monday, 
Tuesday,  March  30,  April  1,  2,  3. — H.  M.  Alschuler, 
Midway  Theatre,  Lubbock,  Texas. 


I.F.E. 

AIDA:  Sophia  Loren,  Lois  Maxwell — Great  picture, 
great  acting,  great  color.  Did  fine,  which  proves  there 
are  music  lovers  who  will  come  to  see  a worthwhile 
show.  This  is  a 90%  art  house.  Played  Saturday, 
Sunday,  Monday,  Tuesday,  April  14,  15,  16,  17. — H.  M. 
Alschuler,  Midway  Theatre,  Lubbock,  Texas. 


Metro-Gold  wyn-Mayer 

FOREVER  DARLING:  Lucille  Ball.  Desi  Amaz— 
Just  fair.  This  wouldn’t  hold  a candle  alongside  of 
“The  Ix>ng,  Long  Trailer,’’  and  business  was  accord- 
ingly lower.  They  should  have  buried  the  print  in  the 
mosquito  marsh.— William  M.  Roob,  O'zaukee  Theatre, 
Port  Washington,  Wis. 


Paramount 

DESPERATE  HOURS,  THE:  Humphrey  Bogart, 
Fredric  March — “Desperate  Hours”  resulted  in  a des- 
perate box  office  for  me,  although  it  was  exciting 
entertainment.  Played  Thursday,  Friday,  March  8,  9. 
— Major  Jay  Sadow,  Starlite  Theatre,  Rossville,  Ga. 

SEVEN  LITTLE  FOYS:  Bob  Hope,  Milly  Vitale— 
I thought  this  was  clever  and  amusing.  Apparently 
my  customers — or  those  who  used  to  be — didn’t  think 
so.  I did  way  below  average.  Played  Sunday,  Mon- 
day, March  4.  5. — Major  Jay  Sadow,  Starlite  Theatre, 
Rossville,  Ga. 

TO  CATCH  A THIEF:  Cary  Grant,  Grace  Kelly — 
Even  with  the  fact  that  Grace  Kelly  had  received  a 
world  of  publicity  with  her  marriage,  this  picture, 
which  was  unusually  well  done,  fell  flat  for  me.  Of 
course,  it  was  pretty  well  milked  before  I got  to  it. 
Played  Thursday,  Friday,  March  15,  16. — Major  Jay 
Sadow,  Starlite  Theatre,  Rossville,  Ga. 


RKO  Radio 

RAGE  AT  DAWN:  Randolph  Scott,  Mala  Powers — 
Did  above  average  business.  This  one  seems  to  be 
one  of  Randolph  Scott’s  better  ones.  Played  Sunday, 
Monday,  March  11,  12.— Major  Jay  Sadow,  Starlite 
Theatre,  Rossville,  Ga. 


Twentieth  Century-Fox 

DEEP  BLUE  SEA:  Vivien  Leigh,  Kenneth  Moore — 
We  sank  in  this  one.  This  is  a 90%  art  house.  Played 


one  week,  Friday,  February  24  to  Friday,  March  2. — 
H.  M.  Alschuler,  Midway  Theatre,  Lubbock,  Texas. 

GOOD  MORNING,  MISS  DOVE:  Jennifer  Jones, 
Robert  Stack — A very  good  picture,  enjoyed  by  those 
few  who  came.  Sent  complimentary  tickets  to  all 
teachers  in  our  county  through  the  county  school 
superintendent,  and,  believe  it  or  not,  16%  came.  And 
then  just  one  (1)  teacher  sent  me  a card  of  thanks — 
that’s  gratitude.  Then  we  wonder  about  our  teen-age 
delinquencies! — William  M.  Roob,  Ozaukee  Theatre, 
Port  Washington,  Wis. 


UMPO 

DIABOLIQUE:  Simone  Signoret,  Paul  Maurisse — 
A suspenseful  supershocker  that  “out-Hitchcocks” 
Hitchcock.  You’ll  be  doing  your  patrons  and  yourself 
a favor  by  insisting  they  see  it  from  the  start.  Other- 
wise you  may  lose  a few,  for  the  picture  is  in  French 
with  English  subtitles.  It  has  the  trickiest  ending 
I’ve  even  seen  or  could  possibly  imagine.  Not  for 
children— too  bizarre.  The  patrons  raved  about  it  and 
some  said  it  was  the  best  mystery  they  had  ever  seen. 
“Current  and  Choice”  in  “Time,”  and  this  time  the 
man  is  right.  Played  Tuesday,  Wednesday,  Thursday, 
April  10,  11,  12. — Ed  Schoenthal,  Fremont  Theatres, 
Fremont,  Nebr. 


United  Artists 

INDIAN  FIGHTER:  Kirk  Douglas,  Elsa  Martinelli 
—Very  good  with  plenty  of  action  and  good  photog- 
raphy. A good  action  picture  for  kiddies  from  6 to  86! 
— William  M.  Roob,  Ozaukee  Theatre,  Port  Washing- 
ton, Wis. 


Universal 

NEVER  SAY  GOODBYE:  Rock  Hudson,  Cornell 
Borchers — Very  good,  a real  tear  jerker  that  the 
women  love.  Advise  them  to  have  their  crying  towels 
with  them  when  they  enter  the  theatre.  Business 
fair  to  good. — William  M.  Roob,  Ozaukee  Theatre, 
Port  Washington,  Wis. 


Warner  Bros. 

BATTLE  CRY:  Van  Heflin,  Aldo  Ray — This  human 
war  picture  in  CinemaScope  and  WarnerColor  was 
without  stupid  war  propaganda,  and  therefore  it  had 
a good  influence  on  people.  Played  one  week,  Sunday, 
January  1,  through  Saturday,  January  7. — Jussi  Koho- 
nen,  Kino-Palatsi,  Kotka,  Finland. 

EAST  OF  EDEN:  Julie  Harris,  Raymond  Massey, 
James  Dean — This  excellent  Kazan  production  has  been 
the  greatest  CinemaScope  success  in  our  country 
(Helsinki  11  weeks).  I must  say  that  seldom  have  we 
had  such  satisfied  patrons.  James  Dean,  Julie  Harris, 
Raymond  Massey.  Joe  Van  Fleet  and  the  other  actors 
made  the  fine  direction  of  Mr.  Kazan  an  indelible  job. 
Played  November  7,  1955  to  January  29,  1956. — Jussi 
Kohonen,  Kino-Palatsi,  Kotka,  Finland. 

McCONNELL  STORY,  THE:  June  Ally  son,  Alan 
Ladd — To  me  this  was  a lot  better  picture  than  “Stra- 
tegic Air  Command”  (Par.)  with  a better  plot.  It 
was  well  received  by  all  who  saw  it  and  did  above 
average  business.  Play  it — you  can’t  go  wrong  on  it. 
Small  town  and  rural  patronage.  Played  Sunday, 
Monday,  March  25,  26. — James  Hardy,  Shoals  Theatre, 
Shoals,  Ind. 

RING  OF  FEAR:  Clyde  Beatty,  Pat  O’Brien- 
Picked  this  one  up  late.  Sure  glad  I did.  If  you 
haven’t  played  it,  do  so  now.  This  is  worth  a date  in 


any  situation.  Play  it — you  will  be  glad  you  did.  Small 
town  and  rural  patronage.  Played  Tuesday,  Wednes- 
day, March  27,  28. — James  Hardy,  Shoals  Theatre, 
Shoals,  Ind. 

SEA  CHASE,  THE:  John  Wayne,  Lana  Turner — 
Sea  pictures  are  always  a success  here,  and  this  pic- 
ture has  two  great  stars  too.  Business  was  therefore 
good. — Jessi  Kohonen,  Kino-Palatsi,  Kotka,  Finland. 

STAR  IS  BORN,  A:  Judy  Garland,  James  Mason- 
Miss  Garland  made  a triumphal  comeback  in  this 
excellent  picture.  It  was  the  talk  of  the  town  the  week 
we  played  it. — Jussi  Kohonen,  Kino-Palatsi,  Kotka, 
Finland. 

TALL  MAN  RIDING:  Randolph  Scott,  Dorothy 

Malone — No  need  to  comment  on  this  one — Scott  al- 
ways brings  in  extra  business.  His  pictures  never  fail. 
Good  for  small  towns.  Play  it.  Small  town  and  rural 
patronage.  Played  Friday,  Saturday,  February  24,  25 
— James  Hardy,  Shoals  Theatre,  Shoals,  Ind. 

TRACK  CF  THE  CAT:  Robert  Mitchum,  Teresa 
Wright — This  William  Wellman  picture  gave  poor 
results  because  our  patrons  do  not  want  to  see  winter 
in  movies  (it  was  -29  degrees  outside).  Played 
Wednesday,  Thursday,  Friday,  Saturday,  February  8, 
9,  10,  11. — Jussi  Kohonen,  Kino-Palatsi,  Kotka,  Fin- 
land. 


Shorts 

Columbia 


MADCAP  MAGOO:  Mr.  Magoo — Better  than  aver- 
age cartoon — Rodda  Harvey,  Jr.,  Grove  Theatre,  Lind- 
say, Calif. 

WHEN  MAGOO1  FLEW:  Mr.  Magoo— They  should 
give  an  “Oscar”  for  this  clever  and  funnv  cartoon 
in  CinemaScope. — Jussi  Kohonen,  Kino-Palatsi  Thea- 
tre, Kotka,  Finland. 


Metro-Gold  wyn-Mayer 

TOM  AND  CHERIE:  MGM  CinemaScope  Cartoon — 
The  little  mousketeers  gave  many  pleasant  moments, 
and  what  more  could  people  ask  for  a good  cartoon? — 
Jussi  Kohonen,  Kino-Palatsi,  Kotka,  Finland. 


Twentieth  Century-Fox 

COLORADO  HOLIDAY:  World  Today  Through 
CinemaScope — Very  fine  travel  picture.  We  need  more 
CinemaScope  shorts  of  this  type. — Jussi  Kohonen, 
Kino-Palatsi,  Kotka,  Finland. 

FABULOUS  LAS  VEGAS:  World  Today  Through 
CinemaScope — Outstanding.  One  of  the  best  shorts 
in  CinemaScope  seen  for  a long  time.  It  had  our 
patrons  staring  wide-eyed  and  open-mouthed,  with  a 
long  list  of  callers  to  my  office  asking  me  to  tell 
them  more,  as  I had  been  there  a few  months  back! 
An  asset  to  any  program. — Dave  S.  Klein.  Astra 
Theatre,  Kitwe/Nkana,  Northern  Rhodesia.  Africa. 


Serial 

Columbia 

PERILS  OF  the  WILDERNESS:  This  serial  has 
helped  me  make  up  my  mind  to  discontinue  them  for 
a while. — S.  T.  Jackson,  Jackson  Theatre,  Flomaton, 
Ala. 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  MAY  26,  1956 


39 


Film  Patrons 
At  Tenth  of 
Popu  la  tion 

The  weekly  total  of  motion  picture  audi- 
ences equals  one-tenth  of  the  world’s  popula- 
tion. according  to  the  third  annual  report 
on  world  communications  published  by  the 
United  Nations  Educational,  Scientific  and 
Cultural  Organization. 

The  report  describes  facilities  throughout 
the  world  for  conveying  information  and 
ideas  by  press,  radio,  film  and  television.  It 
embraces  world  press  and  its  readers,  net- 
work of  news  agencies,  radio’s  worldwide 
audience,  major  film  producers,  newsreels 
across  the  globe  and  their  production  and 
distribution.  TV  is  also  covered. 

The  UNESCO  survey  states  that  “in  re- 
cent years  various  new  techniques  have 
been  evolved  for  film  production  and  distri- 
bution. and  it  would  appear  that,  despite 
the  challenge  of  newer  media,  the  cinema 
has  retained  its  pre-eminent  role  in  the 
world  of  entertainment.” 

The  report  on  motion  pictures  is  broken 
down  into  six  sections — one  for  each  part 
of  the  world.  Regarding  Africa,  UNESCO 
says  that  the  most  active  producer  there  is 
Egypt,  where  completed  production  aver- 
aged 69  features  in  1953,  and  French 
Morocco,  where  15  companies  make  a num- 
ber of  features  yearly  in  Arabic,  French 
and  English.  There  are  368  theatres  in  the 
Union  of  South  Africa  and  there  are  365 
in  Egypt. 

V.  S.  Is  Dominant 

In  the  section  devoted  to  North  America, 
UNESCO  reports  that  the  United  States 
continues  to  hold  a dominant  place  in  world 
production  and  distribution.  With  the  ex- 
ception of  some  European  countries  and 
continental  China,  most  countries  depend  on 
the  United  States  for  at  least  70  per  cent 
of  all  features  exhibited.  United  States 
studios  annually  produce  some  350  features, 
which  enjoy  worldwide  distribution  and 
publicity  facilities,  according  to  the  report. 

Mexico  is  second  largest  producer  in  the 
Americas,  and  its  films  are  exported  to  some 
30  countries.  Argentina  leads  in  South 
America  with  an  average  of  39  features  an- 
nually. Asian  feature  production  shows  no 
signs  of  recession,  with  Japan  making  about 
300  features.  Japan  has  3,750  theatres  and 
India  2,000.  China  trails  with  800. 

“Europe  has  not  lagged  in  production,” 
UNESCO  states,  pointing  out  that  its  out- 
put represents  a large  portion  of  the  world 
today,  with  Italy,  West  Germany,  France 


Barney  Balaban,  Ned  E.  Depinet  and 
Spyros  P.  Skouras  have  been  named  on 
a committee  of  150  planning  the  dinner  in 
honor  of  Henry  R.  Luce,  editor-in-chief 
of  Time,  Life  and  Fortune,  sponsored  by 
the  National  Conference  of  Christians  and 
Jews,  to  be  held  June  6 at  the  Waldorf- 
Astoria  Hotel,  New  York. 

Arthur  L.  Mayer,  promotion  consultant  on 
Paramount’s  “War  and  Peace,”  discussed 
the  film  this  week  on  two  radio  programs 
in  New  York  and  addressed  the  student 
body  at  Abraham  Lincoln  High  School, 
Brooklyn. 

E.  S.  Gregg,  president  of  Westrex  Corpora- 
tion, went  to  London  this  week  for  meet- 
ings in  England,  France,  Switzerland, 
Spain  and  Portugal. 


and  the  United  Kingdom  the  main  producers. 
The  report  also  indicated  that  in  Russia  all 
features  produced  are  automatically  shown 
on  TV  in  that  country. 

In  its  report  on  film  attendance,  UNESCO 
stated  that  it  had  been  relatively  stable  in 
Eastern  Europe  and  Russia.  Russia,  accord- 
ing to  the  report,  now  has  40,000  theatres 
of  all  types,  including  35,000  in  the  villages. 
A decline  in  attendance  has  been  noted  in 
Scandinavia,  the  low  countries  and  the 
United  Kingdom. 

In  Oceania — Australia  and  New  Zealand 
— only  a few  features  are  made  annually, 
UNESCO  revealed.  Throughout  Oceania, 
about  80  per  cent  of  all  features  shown  come 
from  America  and  film  attendance  is  a fea- 
ture of  the  vast  area,  it  was  said. 

"Screaming  Eagles " Has 
Fayetteville  Premiere 

FAYETTEVILLE:  With  high  Army  of- 
ficials present,  Allied  Artists’  “Screaming 
Eagles,”  story  of  the  D-Day  exploits  of 
Company  D,  502nd  Regiment  of  the  101st 
Airborne  Division,  had  its  world  premiere 
here  recently  at  the  Colony  theatre.  The 
opening  was  covered  live  by  WFLB-TV 
and  the  city’s  two  radio  stations  as  well  as 
WNAC-TV  of  Raleigh.  Among  the  features 
were  newspaper,  radio  and  TV  announce- 
ments, tieins  with  local  merchants  for  full- 
page  cooperative  ads,  store  window  displays, 
and  a parade  to  the  theatre  led  by  the  82nd 
Division  Band.  The  film  stars  Tom  Tryon 
and  Jan  Merlin. 


T.  A.  M.  Craven,  a Washington  engineer, 
has  been  nominated  by  President  Eisen- 
hower to  be  a member  of  the  Federal 
Communications  Commission. 

J.  Emmett  Cashman,  formerly  director  of 
the  print  and  negative  department  of 
RKO,  has  been  named  chief  of  Buena 
Vista’s  newly-created  playdate  depart- 
ment. 

Robert  M.  Dunn  has  been  named  general 
sales  manager  of  Ansco’s  photographic 
manufacturing  division. 

Laura  La  Plante,  silent  screen  star,  will 
make  her  first  film  appearance  in  more 
than  20  years  in  the  Bryna  production, 
“Spring  Reunion.” 

Odeon  May 
Reopen  Few 

VANCOUVER,  B.  C.:  Odeon  Theatres 
may  reopen  some  of  their  shut-down  sub- 
urban cinemas  here  and  take  advantage  of 
increasing  revenues  and  audiences  won  back 
from  television,  according  to  Frank  Fisher 
of  Toronto,  Odeon  executive  vice-president. 
“Movies  in  the  surburbs  finally  seem  to 
be  holding  their  own  with  TV  and  we 
think  we  can  open  up  some  of  our  houses,” 
he  said.  Six  cinemas  were  shut  down  in 
the  Vancouver  surburbs  by  Odeon  a few 
months  ago  when  neighborhood  audience 
attendance  dipped  sharply. 

Mr.  Fisher  added  that  he  “couldn’t  agree” 
with  the  statement  of  the  Famous  Players 
president,  J.  J.  Fitzgibbons,  that  neighbor- 
hood theatres  are  dead  and  pay  television 
films  are  the  only  answer.  “Television  has 
been  excellent  competition  for  the  movies,” 
Mr.  Fisher  declared.  “It  has  brought  more 
technical  improvement — and  better  pic- 
tures— than  at  any  other  time  in  movie 
history.” 

“But,”  he  added,  “movies  don’t  need  TV 
to  stand  on  their  own  feet.  Audiences  are 
coming  back,  revenue  is  up.  and  if  first  run 
pictures  can  be  presented  in  the  suburbs, 
the  public  will  come.”  It  was  also  an- 
nounced that  any  theatres  planned  for  re- 
opening here  will  not  go  into  operation  until 
Fall — after  the  summer  lag. 


2:35  SCREEN  ASPECT  RATIO  WITH  OPTICAL  SOUND 


SUPERSCOPE  STANDARDIZES 
THE  WIDE  SCREEN 

ONLY  SUPERSCOPE  PROVIDES  ANAM0RPHIC 
RELEASE  PRINTS  FROM  STANDARD  "FLAT"  NEGATIVES 


PRINTS  BY  TECHNICOLOR  OR  IN  BLACK  AND  WHITE 


2:55  SCREEN  ASPECT  RATIO  WITH  MAGNETIC  SOUND 


40 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  MAY  26,  1956 


An  International  Association  of  Motion  Picture  Showmen  — Walter  Brooks , Director 


“these  tften  Should  foe  the  “talking  About  Advertising 


DISCUSSION  of  advertising  aids  by 
leading  executives  of  the  various 
companies,  conducted  by  the  Eric 
Johnston  office  as  a help  to  business,  has  been 
going  on  and  will  be  continued  this  week. 
It  all  seems  a little  like  Standard  drilling 
for  oil — we  thought  they  had  it ! But  these 
are  the  men  who  should  do  the  talking  on 
this  subject. 

Jerome  Pickman,  vice-president  of  Para- 
mount in  charge  of  advertising,  publicity 
and  exploitation,  is  the  chairman  of  the 
MPA  committee,  with  David  Lipton  and 
Charles  Simonelli,  of  Universal ; Sid 
Blumenstock,  of  Paramount;  Gil  Golden, 
Warner  Brothers;  A1  Stern,  RKO  Radio; 
Martin  Davis  and  Charles  Cohen,  Allied 
Artists;  Rodney  Bush  and  Abe  Goodman, 
of  20th  Century-Fox;  Paul  Lazarus,  Colum- 
bia ; Howard  Dietz  and  Si  Seadler,  of 
Loew’s ; Steve  Edwards,  of  Republic  and 
A1  Tamarin,  of  United  Artists,  represent- 
ing other  companies  in  similar  capacities. 

Much  good  can  follow  a meeting  of  top- 
bracket  advertising  executives  on  an  over- 
all plan  to  improve  our  status  at  the  box 
office.  We  are  in  a changing  market,  under 
conditions  that  are  in  transition  from  month 
to  month,  in  these  times,  and  it  requires  a 
new  look  at  the  old  problems.  The  recent 
Quigley  Awards  Forum  set  a pace  that 
will  be  followed  in  the  future ; there  should 
be  more  discussion  at  this  level. 

We  believe  that  the  individual  ads  as 
found  in  the  pressbooks  are  uniformly  good, 
and  properly  diversified  for  style.  You  can 
usually  find  “something  new  and  different” 
in  comparison  with  your  recent  or  current 
advertising,  to  give  every  new  picture  a 
slightly  different  treatment.  But  the  con- 
glomerate effect  of  the  amusement  page  is 
much  the  same,  after  all,  for  it  usually  adds 
up  to  a solid  mass  of  black  type,  with  every- 
body shouting  in  the  same  tone.  Other  lines 
solve  this  problem  by  obtaining  more  white 
space  and  separation  from  competing  adver- 
tisers in  the  same  area. 

Si  Seadler  made  a good  point  with  regard 
to  advertising  at  the  Quigley  Awards 
luncheon,  when  he  told  the  schoolroom  set-up 


COMMUNITY  THEATRES 

At  the  turn  of  the  century,  there  were 
many  examples  of  community  theatres,  built 
by  wealthy  families  as  a monument  to  their 
place  in  public  affairs,  or  by  popular  sub- 
cription,  to  provide  a cultural  center  for 
civic  benefits.  These  were  substantial  build- 
ings, and  several  that  we  knew  were  supe- 
rior to  today's  standards.  That  was  before 
the  day  of  income  taxes,  tax-free  "founda- 
tions" or  television. 

At  the  convention  of  North  Central 
Allied  in  Minneapolis  last  week,  there  were 
reports  of  local  merchants'  increasing  re- 
luctance to  allow  a town's  only  film  thea- 
tre to  pass  out  of  existence,  because  busi- 
ness suffered  and  juvenile  delinquency 
soared  to  new  highs  in  small  towns  where 
the  movie  theatre  was  shuttered.  There- 
fore, business  men  have  been  grouping  to- 
gether to  save  the  lone  theatre  from  extinc- 
tion. At  Belgrade,  Minn.,  the  Commercial 
Club  has  built  a model  theatre  as  a civic 
project,  and  at  Hinckley,  Minn.,  a Booster 
Club  has  underwritten  improvement  costs 
and  the  deficit,  to  keep  their  theatre. 

Years  ago,  we  tried  to  influence  DeWitt 
Wallace,  publisher  of  the  Readers 
Digest,  to  build  a model  theatre  in  Pleas- 
antville,  N.  Y.,  and  use  it  as  an  example 
in  the  magazine.  Then,  we  stopped  off, 
on  the  way  to  the  airport  in  Des  Moines, 
and  called  on  Meredith  Publishing  Co.,  who 
own  Better  Homes  & Gardens,  and 
offered  the  same  proposal.  Didn't  have  any 
luck,  but  both  magazines  have  since  dipped 
into  television. 


of  his  own  problems  with  credits.  The  legal 
department  writes  credit  stipulations  into 
talent  contracts — so  it  takes  some  figuring 
lor  the  advertising  department  to  find  room 
for  selling  approach.  By  the  time  you  get 
in  all  the  credits  that  are  required  on  a legal 
basis,  not  many  would  bother  to  read  the 
result  except  a Philadelphia  lawyer — and  he 
would  ask  a fee  for  his  services ! 


q ANOTHER  ORIGINAL  idea  from 
England,  where  showmanship  is  on  the 
march.  We’ve  been  finding  more  new  ideas 
over  there,  and  this  one  pleases.  Allan  Clark, 
manager  of  the  Odeon  theatre,  Bridgewater, 
Somerset,  had  a lobby  display  of  original 
drawings  of  cartoons  which  had  appeared  in 
local  and  national  newspapers.  The  editors 
and  promotion  managers  of  the  various  pa- 
pers were  highly  gratified,  and  more  than 
forty  cartoon  subjects  were  shown  to  admir- 
ing readers  and  patrons.  No  reason  why 
this  can’t  be  done  elsewhere — and  over  here, 
especially,  in  cities  where  the  friendly  news- 
paper cartoonist  is  a local  celebrity,  and  a 
mutual  objective  in  public  and  industry  rela- 
tions can  be  accomplished,  at  small  cost. 
We  refer  the  matter  to  Ernie  Emerling  for 
Loew’s  Theatres. 

Cf  THE  ZIEGFELD  theatre,  one  of  New 
York’s  finest,  has  “gone  over  the  hill”  to 
television.  Built  by  William  Randolph 
Hearst,  as  a compliment  to  Marion  Davies 
and  the  Warwick  Hotel,  across  the  street — 
the  theatre  was  designed  by  Joseph  Urban, 
to  be  completely  and  authentically  a theatre 
building.  It  was  here  that  we  saw  the  open- 
ing performance  of  the  original  “Show 
Boat”  with  Helen  Morgan,  and  the  revival, 
with  Carol  Bruce.  For  a while,  it  was 
operated  by  Loew’s  as  a double-feature 
house  and  as  such  was  a failure.  Billy  Rose 
bought  it  for  a fraction  of  what  it  cost,  and 
the  last  musical  show  to  play  there  was 
“Porgy  and  Bess” — to  good  business.  This 
week,  we  saw  the  riggers,  using  an  80-foot 
crane  to  swing  TV  equipment  approximately 
the  size  of  a box  car,  through  the  stage 
door.  Standing  on  the  corner,  was  Ward 
Morehouse,  watching  the  passing  of  a great 
theatre.  And  we  agreed  that  it  was  hope- 
lessly lost  for  the  purposes  to  which  it  was 
dedicated.  The  TV  programs  that  will 
originate  here,  in  the  future,  could  as  well 
be  produced  in  a factory  or  loft  building 
anywhere  within  commuting  distance,  and 
not  destroy  a theatre.  — Walter  Brooks 


MANAGERS'  ROUND  TABLE  SECTION,  MAY  26,  1956 


41 


"A  Roundabout" — they  call  this  in  England,  and 
20th  Century-Fox  arranged  with  the  manufacturers 
to  provide  the  attractive  display  for  "Carousel" 
as  part  of  British  national  promotion. 


D.  Mackrell,  manager  of  the  Haymarket  cinema,  Newcastle-on- 
Tyne,  had  these  "Queen  of  the  Sun"  finalists,  selling  programs  and 
adding  to  audience  participation,  with  the  cooperation  of  a sponsor, 
as  part  of  his  lively  campaign  for  "Helen  of  Troy." 


iirilain  Is 


Proud 


Of  Its  Showntunship 


The  Odeon  theatre, 
London,  staged  a picnic 
party  right  in  the  lob- 
by, with  manager  Peter 
Hall,  center,  hosting 
movie  stars  Ron  Ran- 
d el  I , Anita  Ekberg  and 
Anthony  Steel.  Open- 
ing night  guests  were 
served  a picnic  box 
lunch  in  their  seats,  be- 
fore the  picture. 


They  didn't  need  the 
whole  elephant  as  bally- 
hoo for  "Safari"  at  the 
Empire  theatre,  London. 


Miss  Lily  Watt,  valued  member  of  this  Round  Table  and 
manager  of  the  Odeon  theatre,  Coatbridge,  Scotland,  and 
her  staff,  receive  the  Odeon  and  Gaumont  Theatre  Courtesy 
and  Service  Plaque,  major  award  for  the  550  theatres  of  the 
J.  Arthur  Rank  circuits  in  Great  Britain. 


TK«  ROYAL  AIR  fORCI  ClYFMA  CORPORATION 


EFFICIEMCy  GQMPETinON 


The  Air  Chief  Marshal  and  members  of  the  Board  of 
Governors  (seated)  award  area  winners  in  the  Royal  Air 
Force  Cinema  Efficiency  Competition.  All  the  managers 
(standing)  are  members  of  the  Round  Table,  and  sorry  we 
can't  identify  them,  from  left  to  right. 


42 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  MAY  26,  1956 


owmen 


You  should  see  the  letter  that  the  Ken 
Finlay’s  had  from  Cecil  B.  DeMille.  All 
Ken  said — when  they  had  their  baby,  was 
that  the  great  producer  might  as  well 
give  up — because  “We’ve  done  it,  with  the 
arrival  of  ‘The  Greatest  Production  of  All 
Time.’  ” Mr.  DeMille  showed  the  announce- 
ment to  his  associates  and  they  all  had  a 
chuckle  out  of  it,  at  Paramount’s  studio. 

▼ 

Universal’s  field  staff  of  exploitation  and 
promotion  people  have  made  personal  calls 
on  the  motion  picture  and  Sunday  editors 
of  newspapers  in  45  cities,  as  the  beginning 
of  their  campaigns  for  “Away  All  Boats,” 
“Toy  Tiger,”  “The  Rawhide  Years”  and 
“Pillars  of  the  Sky.”  It  is  planned  that 
this  will  be  regular  procedure  in  the  future. 
Jack  Matlack,  David  Polland,  Ben  Hill, 
A-Mike  Vogel,  Julien  Bowes,  Bucky  Harris 
and  Ben  Katz  were  actively  engaged. 

T 

M.  C.  Talley,  manager  of  the  State  and 
Wales  drive-in  theatres,  at  Lake  Wales, 
Florida,  says  he  just  ran  “Carousel”  to 
one  of  the  best  turn-outs  in  his  area,  and 
used  a lemonade  stand  as  a concession  fea- 
ture with  real  merry-go-round  music  as  a 
stunt.  For  three  days,  he  says,  all  you  could 
hear  downtown  was  his  voice,  as  a barker, 
and  carnival  music. 

▼ 

Universal  is  putting  Macy’s  off-season 
“Santa  Claus”  characters  back  at  work 
again  in  their  promotion  of  “Toy  Tiger” — 
wishing  everybody  a (warm)  Merry  Christ- 
mas in  July. 

T 

Bill  Lavery.  manager  of  Schine’s  Oswego 
theatre,  Oswego,  N.  Y.,  sold  an  ad  on  a 
throwaway  herald  to  a local  dry  cleaner. 
Ten  thousand  of  these  were  distributed, 
5,000  were  slip-sheeted  into  Sunday  news- 
papers, and  the  balance  used  as  package 
stutfers  by  merchants.  The  cleaner  ran  the 
same  ad  in  the  local  newspaper  as  a tieup. 
to  hit  them  twice  in  the  same  place.  Gray 
flannel  goods ! 

T 

Paramount’s  new  tieup  with  the  Connecti- 
cut Pen  and  Pencil  Company  will  distribute 
thousands  of  colored  pencil  sets  to  children, 
together  with  drawings  from  “The  Ten 
Commandments”  to  be  filled  in  by  the  con- 
tenders. The  pencil  sets,  in  ten  colors,  with 
a different  Bible  commandment  on  each  pen- 
cil, will  be  marketed  in  several  languages, 
the  world  over,  with  a drawing  book  to 
match.  Individual  sets  are  available  for 
Catholic,  Protestant  and  Jewish  youngsters. 

▼ 

Southern  California  theatres  are  picking 
“the  cutest  candy  girl”  as  another  audience 
participation  contest,  on  their  own  premises. 
You  gotta  see  ’em  to  pick  ’em. 


Jack  Mitchell,  manager  of  Schine’s  Avon 
theatre,  Watertown,  N.  Y.,  is  getting 
ready  for  the  Jefferson  County  Fair,  which 
opens  in  July.  It  will  take  the  place  of 
the  annual  Dairyland  Festival,  and  Jack 
is  going  to  hold  the  contest  to  select  the 
Queen  of  the  Fair,  starting  May  12th  and 
continuing  through  four  weeks  at  the  thea- 
tre. The  only  cost  to  the  theatre  will  be 
a 40x60 — and  did  you  ever  see  any  to  beat 
Schine  Showmen  for  getting  out  in  front 
and  getting  there  first! 

T 

And  now,  it’s  soon  to  be  “Father’s  Day” 
— June  17th — and  the  sky’s  the  limit,  as  far 
as  promotions  are  concerned.  Most  Fox 
West  Coast  theatres  will  admit  “Fathers 
over  60,”  accompanied  by  offspring,  in 
recognition  of  “their  day.”  As  with 
“Mother’s  Day” — it’s  a perfect  chance  for 
newspaper  and  radio  sponsorship,  with  local 
cooperation  by  merchants. 

▼ 

Cooking  School  Season  is  here  again,  and 
Schine  circuit  managers  are  cooking  up 
deals  with  local  power  and  light  companies, 
to  sponsor  on-stage  affairs  that  run  every 
morning  for  several  days,  and  draw  capacity 
houses.  Lou  Levitch  has  one  at  the  River- 
side, Buffalo,  and  Lou  Hart  sets  another 
with  the  Niagara  Mohawk  Power  Corp.,  in 
Auburn.  Good  paying  customers,  who  ap- 
preciate a good  deal. 

▼ 

One  million  copies  of  the  popular  priced 
“Pocketbook”  edition  of  “Anna  and  the 
King  of  Siam”  will  go  on  sale  as  pre-selling 
for  the  new  and  grand  CinemaScope  55  pic- 
ture, from  20th  Century-Fox,  with  special 
displays  in  thousands  of  book  stores. 


Among  publicity  pictures  of  United  Artists' 
promotion  tour  of  39  cities  for  "Alexander 
the  Great"  was  this  particular  one,  posed 
with  Dave  Ballard,  giant  press  agent,  while 
visiting  Mr.  L.  W.  Brockington  I seated  I presi- 
dent of  Odeon  Theatres  ICanadal  Ltd.,  and 
Frank  Fisher,  general  manager  of  the  circuit. 
We're  happy  to  see  Mr.  Brockington,  at  any 
and  all  times. 


Florida  Man 
Is  Honored! 

DA\TONA  BEACH,  Fla. — An  unusual 
honor  was  paid  to  J.  L.  Cartwright,  Florida 
State  Theatres  executive,  here  on  May  10 
when  Julius  Davidson,  editor  of  the  Day- 
tona Beach  News-Journal,  led  a large  group 
of  city  and  county  officials  and  leading  citi- 
zens in  proclaiming  it  as  “restoration  day.” 
When  the  Empire  Theatre  building  was  en- 
tirely razed  by  fire  early  last  month,  a citi- 
zenship cup  which  had  been  presented  to 
Cartwright  in  1938  was  destroyed  in  the 
fire.  A replica  of  the  large  gold  trophy  was 
given  to  him  at  special  ceremonies  in 
Johnson’s  Terrace.  Tributes  were  paid  to 
Cartwright  by  LaMar  Sarra,  FST  vice 
president;  Mark  DuPree,  assistant  to  FST 
president  Louis  J.  Finske;  James  Dunn, 
Rotary  president ; and  by  Herbert  Davidson, 
News-Journal  editor.  The  duplicate  cup 
was  presented  by  Mrs.  Eileen  Butts,  winner 
of  the  1956  cup. 

The  restoration  day  events  were  climaxed 
by  a cocktail  party  and  dinner  at  the  Ocean 
Dunes  Club,  with  about  150  persons  attend- 
ing. Speaking  in  praise  of  Cartwright  were 
numerous  men  from  many  walks  of  life  who 
had  received  their  earliest  training  while 
serving  as  ushers,  doormen  and  assistant 
theatre  managers  under  him.  Also  on  hand 
to  cite  Cartwright  for  his  achievements  were 
Harold  Colee  of  Jacksonville,  executive 
leader  of  the  State  Chamber  of  Commerce, 
and  Tom  Baldridge  of  Washington,  D.  C., 
director  of  the  annual  Shenandoah  Valley 
Apple  Blossom  Festival  in  Virginia. 

T 

Berdett  Underwood  did  a fine  job  selling 
“The  Man  in  the  Gray  Flannel  Suit”  at 
Schine’s  Strand  theatre,  Senaca  Falls,  N.  Y. 
He  promoted  a full-page  co-op  ad  from  the 
local  Ford  dealer,  and  then  gave  free  tickets 
to  every  patron  coming  in  or  test-driving  a 
new  Ford.  All  salesmen  were  dressed  in 
gray  flannel  suits,  which  were  required  for 
the  occasion,  and  this,  too,  was  in  the  ad. 

T 

Ed  Linder,  manager  of  the  Villa  theatre, 
Rockville,  Md.,  has  reduced  prices  from 
75c  evenings  to  50c  and  for  kids,  it’s  a 
quarter.  He  also  encouraged  the  youngsters 
to  bring  their  mothers  on  Mother's  Day, 
with  a free  ticket  for  her. 

T 

Wm.  J.  Trambukis,  manager  of  Loew’s 
State  theatre,  Providence,  had  a seven-foot 
standee  of  Richard  Burton  in  his  role  in 
“Alexander  the  Great”  as  a special  lobby 
piece,  on  the  main  stairway,  six  weeks  in 
advance.  School  promotions  and  ballyhoo 
at  street  level  were  part  of  his  campaign. 

T 

Col.  Norman  E.  Sproul,  manager  of 
Durwood’s  Roxy  theatre,  Kansas  City,  re- 
ports further  that  his  experiment  with  local 
advertising  in  the  TV  Guide  is  paying  off 
so  well  that  he  has  an  enlarged  scheduled  in 
mind  for  the  future.  He  likes  it,  he  says, 
in  a situation  that  has  "monopoly  news- 
papers.” 


MANAGERS’  ROUND  TABLE  SECTION,  MAY  26,  1956 


43 


'Trapeze'  To 
Get  Another 
Big  Contest 

United  Artists  will  do  all  over  again  the 
beauty  contest  idea  they  worked  out  last 
\-ear  with  Exquisite  Form  Bra,  to  find  local 
beauties  in  32  exchange  areas,  with  $500,000 
worth  of  newspaper  co-op  advertising  and 
the  greatest  roster  of  prizes  ever  offered. 
“Trapeze”  will  be  inspired  by  the  same  pro- 
motion treatment  that  was  so  highly  suc- 
cessful before,  in  a new  search  for  “Miss 
Exquisite  Form  of  1956.” 

The  contest  will  spotlight  key-city  en- 
gagements of  the  new  and  fine  picture,  star- 
ring Burt  Lancaster,  Tony  Curtis  and  Gina 
Lollobrigida,  which  we  consider  one  of  the 
best  we’ve  ever  seen.  It  will  be  actively 
supported  by  18,000  department  stores,  at 
the  local  level,  and  will  have  the  bnefit  of 
the  sponsor’s  field  force  of  122  advertising 
men.  in  addition  to  United  Artists’  great 
staff  of  fifty  exploitation  men  in  the  field. 
Grand  prizes  will  include  vacation  trips  to 
Europe,  South  America  and  Hawaii,  mink 
coats,  motor  boats  and  station  wagons,  and 
there  will  be  thousands  of  regional  and  local 
prizes,  in  addition  to  trips  to  Hollywood  for 
top  winners.  Naturally,  the  final  judges  will 
be — Burt  Lancaster,  Tony  Curtis  and  Gina 
Lollobrigida ! 

Special  contest  accessories  distributed  by 
the  sponsor  include  150,000  window  stream- 
ers and  38,000  counter  display  cards,  in  addi- 
tion to  heavy  national  magazine  advertising 
and  TV  coverage,  which  is  also  in  the  spon- 
sor’s budget.  There  will  be  complete  pro- 
motion packets  for  dealers,  in  addition  to 
the  theatre  manager’s  pressbook.  Contest 
entry  blanks  go  into  circulation  with  the 
participating  stores  and  theatres,  beginning 
with  the  early  runs.  In  each  of  the  theatre 
contests,  local  judges  will  select  from  three 
to  five  winners,  and  from  these,  contenders 
for  the  grand  prizes  will  be  chosen.  Other 
local  and  national  sponsors  cooperating  in 
the  campaign  include  Nash-Hudson,  United 
Airlines,  Fedders  Air  Conditioners,  Fair- 
banks-Morse,  Conn  Musical  Instruments, 
Burlington  Mills,  Dairy  Queen,  Ray-O-Vac, 
Remington-Rand,  Sunbeam  Electric,  and 
a host  of  others. 


Millions  of  Balloons 

The  country  will  be  covered  with  millions 
of  toy  balloons,  an  invasion  of  “animals’ 
from  Warner  Brothers’  “The  Animal 
World” — but  certain  to  delight  a million 
voungsters.  The  balloon  animals  are  all 
out  of  “The  Animal  World”  and  will  be 
recognized  as  the  stars  of  the  picture.  Each 
will  bear  the  advertising  imprint,  “1  he 
Most  Exciting  Motion  Picture  Ever  Made.” 
And  we  begin  to  understand  the  diversified 
policy  of  the  Stanley  Warner  Corporation. 
The  balloons  are  manufactured  by  National 
Latex  Products  Company,  which  is  in  the 
corporate  family. 


Apparently,  those  fabulous  "Las  Vegas" 
characters  that  we  saw  at  the  Variety  Club 
convention  are  also  found  en  route,  for  here 
Col.  Norman  Sproul,  manager  of  Durwood's 
Roxy  theatre,  Kansas  City,  shows  us  an  im- 
promptu exploitation  stunt,  with  $ 1,000  "Las 
Vegas  Loot"  bill  passed  out  to  pretty  pros- 
pects as  promotion  procedure. 


Stanley , Pittsburgh , Sells 
" While  the  City  Sleeps" 

The  world  premiere  of  RKO’s  “While 
the  City  Sleeps”  was  an  exciting  event  at 
the  Stanley  theatre,  Pittsburgh,  to  provide  a 
pattern  which  will  be  followed  in  other  key 
city  and  subsequent  runs.  In  a tieup  with 
the  Sun-Telegraph,  the  newspaper  awarded 
$25  daily  for  the  best  news  tip  happening 
“While  the  City  Sleeps.”  Guest  tickets  were 
given  to  all  contenders.  As  a result  of  this 
promotion,  the  paper  carried  a daily  front- 
page box  plugging  the  contest  and  the  pic- 
ture. Four  days  before  the  opening,  WJAS 
ran  another  contest,  for  the  most  interesting 
occupation,  “While  the  City  Sleeps.”  There 
are  endless  possibilities  in  the  title.  Four 
hundred  local  cabs  and  the  operating  cab 
company  gave  cooperative  advertising.  A 
local  store  advertised  itself  as  "the  store 
that  never  sleeps.”  "Knight  Rider” — a late 
hour  show  on  KDKA,  had  a roving  reporter 
on  the  streets  in  the  wee  small  hours. 


"Safari"  To 
Be  a Junket 

Columbia  Pictures  announce  the  details 
of  an  “Air  France”  sponsored  contest  for 
“Safari”  which  will  be  conducted  in  50 
metropolitan  areas  this  summer  as  promo- 
tion for  their  CinemaScope  picture  of  that 
title.  The  nationwide  contest  will  wind  up 
with  a winner  and  guest,  who  will  receive 
more  than  $5,000.00  worth  of  prizes,  in  the 
form  of  (1)  a trip  to  New  York;  (2)  flight 
to  Paris  via  Air  France;  (3)  air  trip  to 
Nairobi,  in  Kenya,  East  Africa;  nine  days 
in  Kenya,  with  a private  “Safari”  to  Mt. 
Kilimanjaro,  the  Masai  Reserve  and  the 
Sarengenti  Game  Plains;  return  trip  to 
New  York;  a Marlin  big  game  hunting 
rifle,  equipped  with  Bausch  and  Lomb  power 
scope ; a pair  of  Bausch  and  Lomb  binoc- 
ulars ; a new  model  “Graphic  35”  camera 
equipped  with  flash  gun. 

It  isn’t  quite  clear  whether  or  not  all 
this  goes  to  the  top  winner  and  no  others, 
but  in  that  case,  we  nominate  Robert  C. 
Rourk,  to  win.  In  addition,  $10,000  in  other 
prizes  will  be  distributed  in  lesser  contests, 
sponsored  at  the  local  level  by  newspapers, 
television  and  radio  stations,  in  conjunc- 
tion with  theatre  playdates.  Contestants  will 
be  required  to  answer  questions  about  Africa 
— and  all  fifty  local  winners  will  then  enter 
the  national  contest  for  the  giant  jackpot. 
Local  prizes  are  20-volume  deluxe  sets  of 
“The  Book  of  Knowledge” — and  all  con- 
tenders will  need  that  knowledge. 


"Jaywalker"— Timely  Short 

Columbia  Pictures  is  putting  out  a special 
seven-minute  cartoon,  the  adventures  Oi 
Milton  Muffet  as  “The  Jaywalker”  which 
should  exactly  fill  the  bill  for  managers 
wishing  to  play  up  to  safety  groups.  Police 
authorities  especially  will  appreciate  the 
slogan,  “Laugh  and  learn  to  live  longer 
than  MufYet,  who  earned  his  wings,  the 
hardest  way.” 


Richard  Egan,  who  stars  with  Jane  Russell  in  20th  Century-Fox's  "The  Revolt  of  Mamie 
Stover,"  is  pictured  with  the  winner  and  runners-up  in  the  Abraham  6 Straus  S th  Annual 
Travel  Time  contest.  Sarah  E.  DeMorro,  center,  won  a trip  around  the  world,  via  Pan- 
American  Airlines.  The  Brooklyn  store  gave  the  contest  wonderful  newspaper  breaks. 


44 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  MAY  26,  1956 


A 


pproac 


A 


THE  HARDER  THEY  FALL  — Columbia 
Pictures.  If  you  think  On  the  Waterfront" 
hit  hard — wait  until  you  see  this  one! 
Humphrey  Bogart  in  his  most  power-packed 
role,  co-starring  Rod  Steiger  and  Jan 
Sterling,  and  with  Max  Baer  and  Jersey 
Joe  Walcott  in  the  supporting  cast.  The 
fight  racket — exposed!  The  heavyweight 
movie  of  the  year — and  new  champion! 
24-sheet  and  all  posters  have  the  punch  of 
a prize-fighter,  with  the  grim  setting  of  the 
prize-ring,  to  build  your  own  special  treat- 
ment, in  lobby  and  marquee  display.  Folder 
herald  packs  the  same  punch  and  keys 
your  campaign  in  a majority  of  situations. 
Newspaper  ads  are  excellent,  and  note  the 
supplement  enclosed  in  the  pressbook,  for 
six  special  teaser  ads  that  will  stand  alone. 
There  are  many  very  large  ads,  but  the 
special  composite  mat  for  35c  has  seven 
ad  mats  and  slugs,  and  two  publicity  mats, 
so  take  the  whole  mat  to  your  newspaper 
office  for  planning  on  the  spot.  The  Amer- 
ican Affiliation  of  Tall  Clubs,  whose  mem- 
bers must  be  real  tall,  are  cooperating  to 
point  out  Mike  Lane,  who  plays  the  part  of 
the  boxer  "Toro"  in  the  picture,  and  who 
is  6 feet  10  inches  tall.  The  pressbook  has 
a special  section  for  drive-in  showmanship, 
and  suggests  that  prize  fight  pictures  ap- 
peal to  women.  Hit  every  sports  fan  in 
town  with  power  promotion. 

• 

GABY — MGM.  In  CinemaScope  and  East- 
man Color.  Starring  Leslie  Caron  and  John 
Kerr.  One  day,  one  night — to  live  a life- 
time! And  you  live  it  with  Gaby  and  Greg, 
the  man  she  loves.  Then  comes  the  mes- 
sage that  means  he  has  gone — perhaps 
forever.  Tenderness  and  tears,  laughter  and 
love,  in  fleeting  hours  between  meeting 
and  parting!  MGM  is  posting  750  of  the 
excellent  24-sheets  in  14  key  cities.  You 
can  use  this  fine  pictorial  art,  at  low  cost, 
as  lobby  and  marquee  display.  All  posters 
and  accessories  have  a "trade-mark"  pose 
of  Leslie  Caron  as  "Gaby"  which  will  be 
widely  recognized.  Two  color  herald  from 
Cato  Show  Print  keys  your  campaign,  and 
can  be  used  by  cooperative  advertiser  who 
will  buy  the  back  page.  Newspaper  ads 
are  distinctive  and  sell  the  attractive  stars 
and  story.  There  is  a nice,  new  style  with 
combination  line  and  halftone  that  will  be 
something  different  on  the  amusement 
page.  The  complete  campaign  mat  includes 
nine  ad  mats  and  slugs,  two  publicity  mats 
and  a yard  of  border.  Take  the  whole  mat, 
which  costs  35c  at  National  Screen,  to  your 
newspaper  man.  A 6-day  "screen  lovers" 
contest  is  suggested  in  the  pressbook.  There 
are  music  and  record  tieups  in  the  Rogers 
& Hart  hit,  "Where  or  When"  which  is  the 
theme  song.  A set  of  8x10  color-prints  will 
sell  color  with  color. 


AUTUMN  LEAVES— Columbia  Pictures. 

Joan  Crawford,  in  her  most  unusual  and 
dramatic  role.  "He  was  so  young,  so  eager 
. . . and  I was  so  lonely!"  A love  story  as 
unforgettable  as  the  love  song  that  inspired 
it.  "I  knew  it  was  wrong  to  keep  him 
here."  She  reached  out  for  the  loving 
warmth  of  a man's  hands,  and  found  her- 
self in  the  grip  of  fear!  A story  of  a man's 
most  desperate  need  . . . and  a woman's! 
She  didn't  know  love  could  cost  so  much! 
24-sheet  as  well  as  all  posters  and  acces- 
sories, carry  the  theme  portrait  of  the  star 
in  her  dramatic  role.  Folder  herald  keys  the 
campaign  with  the  proper  selling  approach. 
Newspaper  ad  mats  are  dramatic  and  un- 
usual in  style,  including  many  very  large 
ones,  but  you  will  find  a size  for  every  situ- 
ation. Try  for  the  unusual,  when  it  is  of- 
fered, as  it  is  in  this  instance.  The  complete 
campaign  mat  has  seven  well  chosen  ad 
mats  and  slugs,  and  two  publicity  mats — 
all  for  35c  at  National  Screen.  A special 
page  of  drive-in  theatre  suggestions  in  the 
pressbook  is  required  reading  for  outdoor 
operators.  The  fheme  song  provides  music 
and  record  tieups.  Nat  King  Cole  sings  the 
title  song,  in  the  picture. 


23  STEPS  TO  BAKER  STREET— 20th  Cen- 
tury-Fox. CinemaScope,  in  color  by  De- 
Luxe.  A masterpiece  of  suspense  and 
deduction,  with  overtones  of  Sherlock 
Holmes  and  Scotland  Yard.  Van  Johnson 
and  Vera  Miles,  with  Cecil  Parker,  in  a top- 
bracket  mystery  story,  filmed  in  authentic 
English  settings.  Only  he  knew  what  was 
going  to  happen.  His  only  clues — the  scent 
of  perfume,  a cry  in  the  dark.  His  only 
weapon — a tape  recorder.  Two  color  her- 
ald from  Cato  Show  Print,  does  a big  job 
at  low  cost.  24-sheet  and  all  posters  have 
fine  dramatic  values  and  pictorial  art  for 
your  lobby  or  marquee  displays.  News- 
paper ad  mats  are  strong  and  will  com- 
mand attention.  The  complete  campaign 
mat,  selling  for  35c  at  National  Screen,  is 
well  selected,  and  gives  you  eight  assorted 
ad  mats  and  slugs,  plus  two  publicity  mats, 
sufficient  for  small  situations.  Buy  the  selec- 
tion for  the  price  of  a single  mat.  Press- 
book  offers  a full  page  of  exploitation  ideas 
that  are  worth  while.  Look  them  over  and 
decide  which  will  fit  your  situation. 


YOU  GET 

SPECIAL 
TRAILERS 

FAST 

FROM 


CHICAGO,  1327  S.  WABASH 
NEW  YORK,  341  W.  44th  ST. 


. . . Timely  news  supplementing  the 
special  monthly  department  covering 
all  phases  of  refreshment  service. 


New  Unit  to  Produce 
Soft  Ice  Cream  Products 

The  “212  SoftServer,”  latest  addition  to 
its  line  of  equipment  for  preparing  and  serv- 
ing soft  ice  cream  products,  has  been  an- 
nounced by  the  Sweden  Freezer  Manufac- 
turing Company,  Seattle.  The  unit  is  de- 
scribed as  a completely  self-contained  back 
bar  companion  to  the  company’s  “Shake- 
Maker,”  which  was  introduced  last  year. 
The  new  machine  has  a 5-gallon  mix  tank 
and  the  “Air-O-Metric”  mix  feed  system, 
which  requires  no  adjustment.  Production 
capacity  is  10  gallons  of  soft  serve  product 
an  hour  or  nine  2-ounce  (by  weight)  serv- 
ings a minute.  A 24  h.p.  hermetically  sealed 
water  condensing  unit  furnishes  refrigera- 
tion. 


Counter  Dispenser  for 
Non-Carhonated  Drinks 

The  Jet  Spray  Corporation,  Boston,  has 
announced  a new  counter  dispenser  for  non- 
carbonated  beverages,  which,  it  states,  “re- 
cools and  remixes  three  gallons  of  beverage 
every  minute,  thereby  providing  automatic 
temperature  control  without  the  use  of  hoses, 
arms,  shafts  or  loose  parts.”  Tradenamed 
the  “Jet  Rocket  Model,”  it  has  a totally  en- 
closed motor  with  built-in  oiling  lines  to 
provide  spray  power.  The  drip  shelf  is  of 
stainless  steel.  The  unit  holds  four  “plus” 
gallons  and  takes  up  one  square  foot  of 
counter  space  with  shelf  overhang.  It  is  22 
inches  high. 


New  Chocolate  Drop  Box 

A new  round  paper  container  illustrated 
with  a barrel  design  has  been  adopted  for  its 
chocolate  drops  by  Hollingsworth’s  Candies, 
Augusta.  Ga.  The  container  was  designed 
specifically  to  add  impulse  buying  appeal  to 
self-service  candy  counters  and  has  a trans- 
parent “window”  cover. 


Bar  for  Vending  Machines 

The  “Victoria”  cream  candy  bar,  made  by 
the  Frazier-Lewis  Company.  Sunnyvale, 
Calif.,  is  now  being  produced  in  a new  model 
especially  designed  to  be  sold  in  automatic 
vending  machines.  Weight  specifications 
have  been  changed  to  conform  to  vending 
machine  100-count  standards. 


MANAGERS'  ROUND  TABLE  SECTION,  MAY  26,  1956 


45 


CLASSIFIED  ADVERTISING 


Fifteen  cents  per  word,  money-order  or  check  with  copy.  Count  initials,  box  number  and  address.  Minimum  insertion  $ 1 .50.  Four 
insertions  for  the  price  of  three.  Contract  rates  on  application.  No  border  or  cuts.  Forms  close  Mondays  at  5 P.M.  Publisher 
reserves  the  right  to  reject  any  copy.  Film  and  trailer  advertising  not  accepted.  Classified  advertising  not  subject  to  agency 
commission.  Address  copy  and  checks:  MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  Classified  Dept.,  Rockefeller  Center,  New  York  (20) 


THEATRES 


LOST  LEASE!  CLOSING  OUT  COMPLETE 
equipment  conventional  theatre — 50  ton  Carrier  air- 
conditioning,  Simplex  mechanisms,  Altec  sound,  Ameri- 
can seats.  Will  sell  all  or  separately.  JOHN 
WILLIAMS,  State  Theatre,  Jackson,  Miss. 


BOOKS 


NEW  — FOR  THEATRE  MANAGERS  — “THE 
Master  Guide  on  Theatre  Maintenance,”  compiled  from 
authorities,  handy  for  reference  with  hard  covers  and 
index.  Published  by  Aaron  Nadell.  Price  $5  postpaid. 
Send  remittance  to  QUIGLEY  BOOKSHOP,  1270  Sixth 
Ave.,  New  York  20,  N.  Y. 


RICHARDSON’S  BLUEBOOK  OF  PROJECTION. 
New  8th  Edition.  Revised  to  deal  with  the  latest  tech- 
nical developments  in  motion  picture  projection  and 
sound,  and  reorganized  to  facilitate  study  and  refer- 
ence. Includes  a practical  discussion  of  Television 
especially  prepared  for  the  instruction  of  theatre  pro- 
jectionists. and  of  new  techniques  for  advancement  of 
the  art  of  the  motion  picture.  The  standard  textbook 
on  motion  picture  projection  and  sound  reproduction. 
Invaluable  to  beginner  and  expert.  Best  seller  since 
1911.  662  pages,  cloth  bound,  $7.25  postpaid.  QUIGLEY 
BOOKSHOP,  1270  Sixth  Avenue,  New  York  20,  N.  Y. 


IN-CAR  SPEAKERS  $4.25!  YEAR  WARRANTY. 
4”  unit,  steel  case  painted  blue-white.  Price  per  set 
2 speakers,  junction  box,  $12.25.  S.O.S.  CINEMA 
SUPPLY  CORP.,  602  W.  52nd  St..  New  York  19. 


NEW  EQUIPMENT 


BEST  CINEMASCOPE  VALUE!  AVAILABLE  ON 
on  Time — Cinematic  IV  adjustable  anamorphic  $375  pr. 
Metallic  seamless  screens  75c  sq.  ft.  Send  projection 
throw,  screen  size— we’ll  figure  vour  requirements. 
S.O  S.  CINEMA  SUPPLY  CORP.,  602  W.  52nd  Street, 
New  York  19. 


INTERMITTENT  MOVEMENTS  — NEW  SUR- 
PLUS for  Simplex  $69.50;  DeVry  $59.50;  Holmes 
$24.50.  Automatic  enclosed  rewinds  $69.50.  S.O.S. 
CINEMA  SUPPLY  CORP.,  602  W.  52nd  St.,  New 
York  19. 


HELP  WANTED 


MANAGERS  WANTED  FOR  YEAR  AROUND, 
also  for  summer  season  thetare.  Apply  MAX  COHEN, 
Rialto  Theatre,  Monticello,  N.  Y. 


WANTED,  MAN  TO  MANAGE  TOP  DRIVE-IN 
theatre  near  Philadelphia,  Pa.  Good  pay,  12-month 
job.  All  mail  kept  strictly  confidential.  Box  2921, 
MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD. 


WORLD-WIDE  HEADQUARTERS  FOR  POP- 
corn,  popcorn  equipment  and  supplies.  POPCORN 
VILLAGE.  Nashville,  Tenn.,  U.SA. 


USED  EQUIPMENT 


BEAUTIFULLY  REBUILT  LIKE  NEW!  SUPER 
Simplex  projectors,  cabinet  pedestals,  3000'  magazines, 
Magnarc  or  Mogul  Arclamps,  70/140  generator,  RCA 
PG230  sound,  Price  $3,950.00.  Available  on  Time 
S.O.S.  CINEMA  SUPPLY  CORP.,  602  W.  52nd  St.. 
New  York  19. 


LOADED  WITH  ILL  I.AMPHOUSES!  Peerless 
Magnarcs,  $395  pr. ; Strong  Mogul,  Brenkert  Enarc, 
Ashcraft  “E”  $350;  Forest  U.T..  Ashcraft  “D”  Ballan- 
tyne  $300 — all  good  condition.  Available  on  Time. 
S.O.S.  CINEMA  SUPPLY  CORP.,  602  W.  52nd  St.. 
New  York  19. 


EXCELLENT  COATED  PROJECTION  LENSES- 
many  brand  new!  Wallensak  "Sunray”  Series  I: 
2",  3",  3 3 44".  5",  5$4",  6”,  7J4" — $35.00  pair. 
Superhte  Series  III  C coated  214''  - 3"  - 3'A"  $150.00  pr. 
Trades  taken.  Write  or  telephone  order  today.  S.O.S. 
CINEMA  SUPPLY  CORP.,  602  W.  52nd  St.  New 
York  19. 


STUDIO  EQUIPMENT 


AMER.  CINEMATOGRAPHERS  HANDBOOK,  54 
price,  $2.50;  10'  Title  Animation  Stand,  $975.00;  Bridga- 
matic  Jr.  16mnt  Automatic  Processor,  $1,500.00  value, 
$975.00;  Maurer  16  Camera,  lens,  2 magazines,  sync- 
motor,  12V  motor  w/battery.  all  cases,  complete 
$2,395.00;  5000W  Background  Projector,  reconditioned, 
$595.00;  Bardwell  McAlister  studio  floodlites,  3 heads 
on  rolling  stand  hold  12  bulbs,  $180  value,  $29.50; 
Quadlite  Heads  only.  $4.95;  Stands  only  $19.95;  Moviola 
35mm  composite  souncLpicture,  $495.00.  S.O.S.  CINEMA 
SUPPLY  CORP.,  602  W.  52nd  St.,  New  York  19. 


DRIVE-IN  EQUIPMENT 


POPCORN 


Cagney  Toastmaster 
At  Cushing  Fete 

James  Cagney  will  be  toastmaster  at  the 
May  26  testimonial  dinner  to  Archbishop 
Richard  J.  Cushing  of  Boston  at  the  Hotel 
Statler  in  that  city,  by  the  Variety  Club  of 
New  England,  co-sponsors  with  the  Red 
Sox  of  the  Jimmy  Fund.  The  event  cele- 
brates the  35th  anniversary  of  the  Arch- 
bishop’s ordination.  Dr.  Sidney  ’ Farber, 
scientific  director  cf  the  Children’s  Cancer 
Research  Foundation,  will  make  a presenta- 
tion of  the  Great  Heart  Award  to  the  arch- 
bishop. In  1955  Mr.  Cagney  visited  the 
Jimmy  Fund  building  and  made  a film,  the 
Jimmy  Fund  Trailer,  which  was  viewed  by 
thousands  of  movie-goers  throughout  New 
England. 

Fred  Beilin  Elected 
President  of  Astor 

Fred  Beilin  has  been  elected  president  of 
A-tor  Pictures  Corporation  and  its  affiliated 
companies  to  succeed  the  late  Robert  M. 
Savini,  the  company  has  announced.  Others 
elected  to  top  executive  posts  include  N.  E. 
Savini,  vice-president,  and  Anthony  Tarell, 
former  controller  and  office  manager,  now 
secretary-treasurer.  It  was  also  announced 
that  the  policies  of  the  company  are  to  be 
continued. 


Rogers  Fund 
Drive  Set 

Five  of  the  major  circuits  already  have 
answered  the  call  to  participate  in  the 
audience  collection  campaign  for  the  Will 
Rogers  Memorial  Hospital,  it  is  announced. 
According  to  S.  H.  Fabian,  national  cam- 
paign chairman  for  the  collection,  Loew’s, 
Stanley  Warner,  Wometco,  RKO  and  Fab- 
ian Theatres  are  the  first  of  the  major  cir- 
cuits to  pledge  the  participation  of  all  their 
theatres  during  the  campaign  period — the 
week  of  July  16. 

“It’s  pre-campaign  cooperation  like  this,” 
Mr.  Fabian  said,  “that  not  only  foretells 
success  for  the  program,  but  more  signifi- 
cantly indicates  wholehearted  endorsement 
of  it.  In  last  summer’s  audience  collection, 
we  were  also  given  an  indication  of  the 
public’s  understanding  and  appreciation  of 
the  hospital’s  position,  for  not  one  note  of 
public  disapproval  was  reported  then.” 

The  call  for  participation  was  made  re- 
cently through  a telephone  network  by  A. 
Montague,  president  of  Will  Rogers  Hos- 
pital. He  urged  every  one  of  the  estimated 
3,000  people  assembled  in  the  32  listening 
points,  to  get  behind  this  summer’s  collec- 
tion campaign  to  make  it  the  “greatest  show- 
ing” yet  made  by  the  industry. 


Carl  Fishman,  Loew's 
Publicist,  Dies 

Carl  Fishman,  42,  publicist  and  assistant 
advertising  manager  of  Loew’s  Theatres, 
Inc.,  died  May  20  at  New  York  Hospital  of 
heart  disease.  He  started  with  Loew’s  in 
1929  as  a messenger  boy.  Until  1943  he  was 
a field  publicity  man,  later  serving  two  years 
with  the  United  States  Navy  in  World  War 
II.  A member  of  AM  PA,  he  is  survived  by 
his  wife,  Sonia,  and  a daughter,  Adele. 


Frank  A,  Wetsman 

DETROIT : Frank  A Wetsman,  59,  well- 
known  exhibitor  here,  died  May  20  of  a 
heart  attack.  He  was  associated  with  the 
Wisper  and  Wetsman  exhibitor  organization 
here.  A philanthropist  who  made  hunting 
and  fishing  his  hobbies,  he  is  survived  by 
his  wife,  Lillian,  his  father  William  Wets- 
man, also  in  exhibition,  and  several  brothers 
and  sisters. 


Dr.  Joseph  Friedman 

BINGHAMTON,  N.  Y.:  Dr.  Joseph  S. 
Friedman,  57,  senior  research  chemist  of 
the  Ansco  Corp.  here  and  a nationally 
known  authority  on  color  photography,  died 
here  recently.  An  author  of  several  works 
on  his  specialty,  he  joined  Ansco  in  1943. 


46 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  MAY  26,  1956 


FILM  BUYERS  RATING 


Film  buyers  of  independent  circuits  in  the  U.  S.  rate  current 
product  on  the  basis  of  its  performance  in  their  theatres.  This 
report  covers  104  attractions,  3 ,S76  playdates. 

Titles  run  alphabetically.  Numerals  refer  to  the  number  of  en- 
gagements on  each  attraction  reported.  The  tabulation  is  cumula- 
tive. Dagger  (f)  denotes  attractions  published  for  the  first  time. 
Asterisk  (*)  indicates  attractions  which  are  listed  for  the  last  time. 

EX  means  Excellent;  AA — Above  Average ; AV — Average; 
BA — Below  Average;  PR — Poor. 


African  Lion,  The  (B.V.)  

All  That  Heaven  Allows  ( U - 1 ) . . . 

Anything  Goes  (Par.)  

Apache  Woman  (A.R.C.)  

Artists  and  Models  (Par.)  

At  Gunpoint  (A. A.)  

Backlash  (U-l)  

Battle  Station  (Col.)  

Benny  Goodman  Story,  The  (U-l) 

Big  Knife,  The  (U.A.)  

Blood  Alley  (W.B.)  

Bottom  of  the  Bottle  ( 20th- Fox ) 


Carousel  (20th-Fox)  

Come  Next  Spring  (Rep.)  

Comanche  (U.A.)  

Conqueror,  The  (RKO)  

Count  Three  and  Pray  (Col.)  

Court  Jester,  The  (Par.)  

Court  Martial  of  Billy  Mitchell  (W.B.) 


Day  the  World  Ended  (A.R.C.) 
Deep  Blue  Sea,  The  (20th-Fox) 
Desperate  Hours,  The  (Par.)  . . 

Diane  (MGM)  

Dig  That  Uranium  (A. A.)  . . . . 
Duel  on  the  Mississippi  (Col.) 


Flame  of  the  Islands  (Rep.) 
Forbidden  Planet  (MGM)  . 
Forever  Darling  (MGM)  ... 

Fort  Yuma  (U.A.)  

Fury  at  Gunsight  Pass  (Col.) 


Gentlemen  Marry  Brunettes  (U.A.)  

Girl  in  the  Red  Velvet  Swing,  The  ( 20th- Fox ) . . 

Glory  (RKO)  

Goodbye,  My  Lady  (W.B.) 

Good  Morning,  Miss  Dove  ( 20th- Fox ) 

Guys  and  Dolls  (MGM)  


Helen  of  Troy  (W.B.)  

Hell  on  Frisco  Bay  (W.B.)  

Hot  Blood  (Col.)  

I Died  a Thousand  Times  (W.B.) 

I'll  Cry  Tomorrow  (MGM) 

Indian  Fighter  (U.A.)  

Inside  Detroit  (Col.)  

Invasion  of  the  Body  Snatchers  (A. A.) 

Kettles  in  the  Ozarks  (U-l) 

Kismet  ( MGM ) . . 


EX 

AA 

AV 

BA 

PR 

1 

7 

18 

13 

21 

5 

26 

12 

19 

4 

- 

3 

- 

6 

12 

1 

7 

2 

2 

- 

10 

33 

19 

7 

2 

- 

1 

II 

26 

2 

- 

10 

3 

14 

- 

- 

4 

- 

2 

- 

1 

12 

10 

27 

17 

- 

■— 

1 

1 1 

14 

- 

8 

29 

21 

3 

- 

2 

8 

13 

25 

1 

7 

2 

19 

2 

- 

1 

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27 

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Last  Frontier  (Col.) 

Last  Hunt,  The  (MGM)  

Lady  Godiva  (U-l)  

Lawless  Street  (Col.)  

Lieutenant  Wore  Skirts,  The  (20th-Fox) 

Littlest  Outlaw  (B.V.)  

Lone  Ranger,  The  (W.B.) 

Lucy  Gallant  (Par.)  


Man  Alone,  A (Rep.)  

(Man  in  the  Gray  Flannel  Suit  ( 20th- Fox ) 

Man  Who  Never  Was  ( 20th- Fox ) 

Man  With  the  Golden  Arm  (U.A.) 

Man  With  the  Gun  (U.A.)  

*Marty  (U-l)  (Reissue)  

Meet  Me  in  Las  Vegas  (MGM) 

Miracle  in  the  Rain  (W.B.)  


Naked  Dawn  (U-l)  

Never  Say  Goodbye  (U-l)  

On  the  Threshold  of  Space  (20th-Fox) 
Our  Miss  Brooks  (W.B.)  


Picnic  (Col.)  

Prisoner,  The  (Col.) 


Queen  Bee  (Col.)  . . 
Quentin  Durward  (MGM) 


Rains  of  Ranchipur,  The  ( 20th- Fox ) 

Ransom  ( MGM ) . . 

Rebel  Without  a Cause  (W.B.)  . . 

Red  Sundown  (U-l)  

Return  of  Jack  Slade  (A. A.) 

Rock  Around  the  Clock  (Col.) 

Rose  Tattoo,  The  (Par.) 

Running  Wild  (U-l)  

Second  Greatest  Sex  (U-l)  ... 

fSerenade  (W.B.) 

Shack  Out  on  101  (A. A.)  

Sincerely  Yours  (W.B.) 

Slightly  Scarlet  (RKO) 

Song  of  the  South  (B.V.)  (Reissue) 

Spoilers,  The  (U-l)  

Square  Jungle  (U-l)  

Swan,  The  (MGM)  . 

Tall  Men,  The  ( 20th- Fox ) 

Tarantula  ( U-l ) 

Target  Zero  (W.B.) 

Teen  Age  Crime  Wave  (Col.) 
Tender  Trap,  The  (MGM) 

Texas  Lady  (RKO) 

There's  Always  Tomorrow  (U-l) 

Three  Bad  Sisters  (U.A.)  

Three  Stripes  in  the  Sun  (Col.) 
Treasure  of  Pancho  Villa  (RKO) 

Trial  (MGM) 

(Tribute  to  a Bad  Man  (MGM) 

Trouble  with  Harry  (Par.)  

Twinkle  in  God's  Eye,  The  (Rep.) 

*Unconquered  (Par.)  (Rsissue)  ... 
Uranium  Boom  (Col.)... 


World  in  My  Corner  (U-l) 


EX 

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5 

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23 

captures  it  all... from  the  Great  Pyramids 
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color  by 


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TERRIFIC! 


COLUMBIA  PICTURES  presents  ZOLTAN  KORDA’S  Production 


DRAMATIC  ! 


Savages  by  the  thousands  storm 
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3764  natives  haul 
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introducing 


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Screenplay  by  R.  C.  SHERRIFF  • From  a Novel  by  A.  E. W. MASON  • Directed  by  TERENCE  YOUNG  and  ZOLTAN  KORDA  • Produced  by  ZOLTAN  KORDA 


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JUNE  2,  1956 


UD  AND  PROFANE,  D-DAY  THE  6TH  OF  JUNE,  THE  PROUD 
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n News  Section):  THE  EDDY  DUCHIN  STORY 


m- 


U.  S.  A.,  under  the  act  of  March  3,  1S79.  Pub- 
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1956  by  Quigley  Publishing  Company,  Inc. 


BORROW 

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EVERY  PREVIEW  ADDS  TO 
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M-G-M  presents  the  true-life  story 

SOMEBODY  UP 
THERE  LIKES  ME 

Starring 

PAUL  PIER 
NEWMAN  ' ANGELI 

with 

EVERETT  SLOANE- EILEEN  HECKARTSAL  MINEO 

Screen  Play  by  ERNEST  LEHMAN 

Based  on  the  Autobiography  of  ROCKY  GRAZIANO  * Written  with  ROWLAND  BARBER 

Directed  by  ROBERT  WISE  • Produced  by  CHARLES  SCHNEE 

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Every  heart-beat 
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PRESENT 


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JOHN  WAYNEnTHE  SEARCHERS 

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DIRECTED  btJOHNFORD  * PRESENTED  BY  Warner  Bros. 


'THE  SEARCHERS’ 

IS  THE  ALL-OUT 
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CINEMASCOPE 


COLOR  by  DE  LUXE 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD 


MARTIN  QUIGLEY,  Editor-in-Chief  and  Publisher 


Vol.  203,  No.  9 


MARTIN  QUIGLEY,  JR.,  Editor 


June  2,  1956 


Buyers  & Sellers 


IT  is  understandable  that  recent  happenings  in  the 
industry,  such  as  those  affecting  management  of 
major  companies  and  the  sale  of  hundreds  of  old 
features  to  television,  would  generate  a certain  wave  of 
uncertainty.  In  some  quarters  this  feeling  has  been  in- 
terpreted as  pessimism. 

Any  such  dim  view  of  the  industry  would  be  an  erro- 
neous conclusion.  Too  often  people  think,  “So  and  so  is 
selling  out.”  They  forget  that  for  every  seller  there  is 
a buyer.  All  the  motion  picture  company  purchases  have 
been  at  substantial  figures — quite  the  reverse  of  any  pres- 
sure selling.  General  Tire  and  Rubber  and  General  Tele- 
radio paid  $25,000,000  for  RKO.  The  Semenenko  group 
purchased  controlling  shares  of  Warners  for  $27.50  each 
at  the  time  when  the  stock  market  price  was  under  $25. 
The  equivalent  adjusted  lowest  price  of  Warner  stock 
in  the  period  from  1942  was  2%.  A California  banking 
group  now  has  an  option  to  purchase  control  of  Repub- 
lic at  $12.50  per  share,  with  the  market  about  8 y2.  In 
the  period  from  the  beginning  of  World  War  II  Re- 
public also  sold  as  low  as  2x/%. 

While  some  potential  buyers  have  contemplated  the 
purchase  of  film  companies  on  account  of  their  inventory 
assets,  further  investigation  has  uniformly  and  unani- 
mously indicated  that  the  greatest  value  is  in  continued 
operation  of  the  business  of  production  and  distributing 
new  features.  Thomas  F.  O’Neil  has  made  it  clear  just 
how  such  investigations  affected  the  thinking  of  his 
group.  Now  RKO  has  a more  active  production  sched- 
ule than  at  any  time  in  eight  years.  It  is  most  likely 
that  other  purchasers  of  the  control  of  major  companies 
will  make  a similar  decision. 


Reagan ’s  Plebiscite 


THE  extent  of  and  responsibility  for  friction  in  trad- 
ing relations  between  exhibitors  and  distributors  is 
a question  that  is  likely  to  remain  in  high  dispute 
despite  the  voluminous  testimony  from  both  sides  that 
has  been  presented  to  the  U.  S.  Senate  Small  Business 
sub-committee.  Spokesmen  for  exhibitors  asserted  wide- 
spread complaints;  spokesmen  for  distributors  dissented 
— and  that’s  putting  it  mildly. 

In  this  connection  Charles  M.  Reagan,  Loew’s  vice- 
president  and  general  sales  manager,  who  was  a distrib- 
utor witness  at  the  Washington  hearing  last  week,  has 
entered  upon  a bold  and  straightforward  undertaking 
intended  to  test  how  friendly  the  exhibitors  are  toward 
"The  Friendly  Company.”  He  has  sent  the  complete  text 
of  his  Washington  testimony — which  sharply  denied  the 


allegations  of  widespread  exhibitor  dissatisfaction — to 
more  than  7,500  theatre  owners  throughout  the  country. 
In  an  accompanying  letter  he  invited  comment  on  his 
testimony  or  on  any  phase  of  the  hearings. 

Mr.  Reagan  contends  that  through  reports  of  a large 
staff  of  sales  representatives  who  regularly  contact  ex- 
hibitors he  is  well-equipped  to  gauge  the  quality  of  rela- 
tions between  exhibitors  and  his  company.  He  asserts 
that  if  anything  like  the  extent  of  exhibitor  dissatisfac- 
tion that  has  been  alleged  actually  exists  he  would  be 
the  first  to  know  it. 

The  results  of  Mr.  Reagan’s  Plebiscite  by  means  of 
his  invitation  to  more  than  7,500  theatre  owners  to  com- 
ment on  his  testimony  should  produce  highly  interesting 
and  informative  facts. 


€}  Tony  Curtis  has  proposed  to  John  Foster  Dulles, 
Secretary  of  State,  that  the  Government  help  to  guide 
entertainment  personalities  who  travel  abroad  and  are 
subject  to  the  inevitable  and  often  interminable  press 
interviews.  Certain  of  Mr.  Curtis’  proposals  are  not 
likely  to  get  a warm  reception  at  the  State  Department. 
For  instance,  stars  who  travel  abroad  cannot  expect  U.S. 
officials  to  lend  their  prestige  for  film  promotion  inter- 
views. On  the  other  hand  the  Government  certainly 
should  give  the  traveling  star  all  the  behind-the-scenes 
guidance  possible  that  will  help  him  in  press  and  public 
relations  in  his  own  and  the  nation’s  interest  during  these 
critical  times. 


CJ  It’s  a Man’s  World — Hollywood  has  long  been  criti- 
cized  for  its  cycles.  There  is  no  doubt  that  the  box  office 
sometimes  suffers — through  no  one’s  fault — when  too 
many  pictures  of  the  identical  type  reach  the  market  at 
the  same  time.  Now  there  is  a new  type  of  “cycle” — 
different  pictures  with  similar  names:  “A  Man  Alone,” 
“Man  With  the  Gun,”  “Man  With  the  Golden  Arm,” 
“Man  in  the  Gray  Flannel  Suit,”  “Man  Who  Never 
Was,”  “Man  Who  Knew  Too  Much,”  “A  Man  Is  Ten 
Feet  Tall”  and  “The  Wrong  Man.”  There  are  probably 
few  within  the  business — let  alone  among  the  general 
public — who  can  accurately  identify  the  company,  stars 
and  general  subject  matter  of  each  of  these  “Man”  films. 


Quotable  quote:  “The  motion  picture  business  is  basic- 
ally sound — and  good  theatres,  properly  located,  equipped 
and  maintained,  do  extremely  well  in  the  exhibition  of 
quality  product,” — Leonard  H.  Goldenson,  at  annual 
meeting  of  American  Broadcasting-Paramount  Theatres. 


-Martin  Quigley,  Jr. 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD 


June  2,  1956 


" Fine  Coverage " 

To  the  Editor  : 

After  seeing  The  HERALD  of  May  19, 
I thought  I must  write  you  regarding  the 
very  fine  spread  you  did  on  the  Variety 
Club  convention.  International  Variety  is 
certainly  grateful  to  you  on  the  complete  and 
excellent  manner  in  which  you  handled  the 
convention. 

Best  of  wishes.  — GEORGE  W . EBY, 
First  Assistant  International  Chief  Barker, 
Variety  Clubs  International,  Pittsburgh,  Pa 

Patron  Viewpoint 

To  the  Editor: 

A college  girl  gave  me  the  best  answer 
yet  when  we  were  discussing  pictures  and 
sex  in  pictures.  She  asked  me  the  question : 
“Did  you  ever  see  a girl  looking  at  the  rack 
of  pocket-books — which  every  one  knows  are 
sexy?  That  would  be  just  like  admitting  our 
thoughts.  The  same  with  going  to  see  a 
picture  that  is  openly  advertised  that  way 
— we  just  won’t  admit  we’re  interested  in 


WHEN  AND  WHERE 

June  I 1-13:  Annual  convention  of  the  New 
Mexico  Theatre  Assocation,  Hilton 
Hotel,  Albuquerque. 

June  11-13:  Annual  convention  of  Allied 
Theatres  of  Wisconsin,  Schwartz  Hotel, 
Elkhart  Lake,  Wisconsin. 

June  14:  Fifth  annual  film  industry  golf 
tournament,  sponsored  by  the  Cinema 
Lodge  of  B'nai  B'rith  of  New  York,  Ver- 
non Hills  Country  Club,  Tuckahoe,  N.  Y. 

June  17-19:  Mississippi  Theatre  Owners 
Association,  16th  annual  convention, 
Edgewater  Gulf  Hotel,  Edgewater  Park, 

Miss. 

June  25:  Annual  golf  tournament  and  din- 
ner party  of  Albany  Variety  Club,  to  be 
held  at  Shaker  Ridge  Country  Club, 
Albany,  N.  Y. 

September  19-25:  Annual  convention  of 
Theatre  Owners  of  America,  in  conjunc- 
tion with  the  annual  convention  and 
trade  shows  of  the  Theatre  Equipment 
Dealers  Association  and  Theatre  Equip- 
ment and  Supply  Manufacturers  Associa- 
tion to  be  held  at  the  Coliseum,  New 
York  City. 

September  28-30:  Third  annual  national 
convention  of  the  Women  of  the  Motion 
Picture  Industry,  Dinkler-Plaza  Hotel, 
Atlanta. 


ON  "ROXY" 

Martin  Quigley,  Jr.,  editor  of  Mo- 
tion Picture  Herald,  has  received 
an  assignment  from  Dr.  Robert  Liv- 
ingston Schuyler,  editor  of  the  " Dic- 
tionary of  American  Biography,”  to 
prepare  a biographical  article  on  the 
late  Samuel  Lionel  Rothafel  who  was 
best  known  as  "Roxy.”  The  article 
on  "Roxy”  will  appear  in  the  new  Sup- 
plement of  the  "Dictionary  of  Amer- 
ican Biography”  devoted  to  prominent 
Americans  who  died  during  the  period 
from  1936  to  1940.  Friends  and  asso- 
ciates of  "Roxy”  are  invited  to  write 
to  Mr.  Quigley  giving  recollections  of 
the  famous  showman  which  have  not 
yet  appeared  in  print. 


that  sort  of  thing.  To  have  sex  blatantly 
displayed  is  distasteful  to  most  of  us,  I think. 
Subtly  and  handled  right,  it  is  fine.” — An 
Arkansas  Exhibitor. 


October  7-12:  80th  semi-annual  conven- 
tion of  the  Society  of  Motion  Picture  and 
Television  Engineers,  Los  Angeles. 

October  15-16:  Annual  regional  conven- 
tion of  Independent  Exhibitors  of  New 
England  and  The  Drive-In  Theatre  Asso- 
ciation of  New  England,  Winchendon, 
Mass. 

October  23-24:  Allied  Theatre  Owners  of 
Indiana,  Marott  Hotel,  Indianapolis. 

October  28-30:  Annual  convention  of  the 
Motion  Picture  Theatre  Exhibitors  of 
Florida,  Roosevelt  Hotel,  Jacksonville. 

November  24-28:  Allied  States  Association, 
Fall  board  meeting  and  annual  conven- 
tion, Statler  Hotel,  Dallas,  Texas. 

November  25-27:  44th  annual  convention 
of  the  Theatre  Owners  of  North  and 
South  Carolina,  Hotel  Charlotte,  Char- 
lotte, N.  C. 


The  Letters  to  the  Herald  de- 
partment is  a forum  for  the 
expression  of  opinion  of  all 
those  concerned  with  the  welfare 
of  this  industry.  Its  columns  are 
always  open  to  anyone  with  a 
message  which  he  would  have 
brought  to  the  attention  of  the 
entire  motion  picture  business. 


Page 


"HOW'S  BUSINESS?"  a report  from 
three  exhibitors  12 

DISTRIBUTION  moves  to  stimulate 
the  box  office  I 3 

NATIONWIDE  cash  giveaway  proj- 
ect offered  to  major  and  guilds  13 

TV  FILM  MAKERS  scored  by  NBC  in 
report  to  Senate  16 

TV  FILM  UNITS  form  group,  answer 
charges  by  NBC  I 6 

COMPOSITE  HEART  of  Variety  re- 
port for  1955  17 

TOA  UNIT  pledges  to  aid  distribu- 
tors in  promotion  effort  18 

CANTOR  AND  YATES  to  have  new 
discussions  on  Republic  18 

PARAMOUNT  previews  "The  Proud 
and  Profane"  at  Williamsburg  21 

WESTREX  head  sees  need  for  in- 
dustry to  standardize  24 

"THE  EDDY  DUCHIN  STORY":  A 
film  review  25 

SERVICE  DEPARTMENTS 

Refreshment  Merchandising  43 

Film  Buyers'  Rating  3rd  Cover 

Hollywood  Scene  29 

Managers'  Round  Table  39 

The  Winners'  Circle  28 

National  Spotlight  34 

IN  PRODUCT  DIGEST  SECTION 

Showmen's  Reviews  921 

Short  Subjects  923 

The  Release  Chart  924 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  Martin  Quigley,  Editor-in- 
Chief  and  Publisher;  Martin  Quigley,  Jr.,  Editor;  Raymond 
Levy,  Executive  Publisher;  James  D.  Ivers,  News  Editor; 
Charles  S.  Aaronson,  Production  Editor;  Floyd  E.  Stone, 
Photo  Editor;  Ray  Gallagher,  Advertising  Manager;  Gus 
H.  Fausel,  Production  Manager.  Bureaus:  Hollywood, 

Samuel  D.  Berns,  Manager:  William  R.  Weaver,  Editor, 
Yucca-Vine  Building,  Telephone  HOIlywood  7-2145; 
Chicago,  120  So.  LaSalle  St.,  Urben  Farley,  Advertising 
Representative,  Telephone  Financial  6-3074;  Washington, 
J.  A.  Otten,  National  Press  Club;  London,  Hope  Williams 
Burnup,  Manager;  Peter  Burnup,  Editor;  William  Pay, 
News  Editor,  4 Golden  Square.  Correspondents  in  the 
principal  capitals  of  the  world.  Member  Audit  Bureau  of 
Circulations.  Motion  Picture  Herald  is  published  every 
Saturday  by  Quigley  Publishing  Company,  Inc.,  Rocke- 
feller Center,  New  York  City  20.  Telephone  Circle  7-3100; 
Cable  address;  "Quigpubco,  New  York",  Martin  Quigley, 
President;  Martin  Quigley,  Jr.,  Vice-President;  Theo.  J. 
Sullivan,  Vice-President  and  Treasurer;  Raymond  Levy, 
Vice-President,  Leo  J.  Brady,  Secretary.  Other  Quigley 
Publications:  Better  Theatres  and  Better  Refreshment  Mer- 
chandising, each  published  thirteen  times  a year  as  a 
section  of  Motion  Picture  Herald;  Motion  Picture  Daily, 
Television  Today,  Motion  Picture  Almanac,  Television 
Almanac,  Fame. 


8 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  JUNE  2,  1956 


On  the  Oft 


onzon 


POSTPONE  EXCISE  TAX  VOTE 
The  House  Ways  and  Means 
Committee  has  again  postponed 
the  resumption  of  committee 
voting  on  excise  tax  changes. 
Once  the  committee  does  meet, 
it  faces  quite  a few  matters  to 
dispose  of  before  it  gets  to  a 
decision  on  further  admissions 
tax  relief.  The  continued  de- 
lay in  committee  meetings  on 
the  excise  tax  bill  makes  more 
and  more  uncertain  the  chances 
of  enactment  of  the  bill  this 
year. 

LIGHT  THAT  DIDN’T  FAIL 

Earthquakes,  floods,  power 
failures — and  blackouts,  come 
and  go,  but  the  intrepid  thea- 
tre manager  goes  on  doing  his 
job.  During  the  recent  black- 
out that  wrapped  up  3,000,000 
inhabitants  of  Western  New 
York  and  the  Canadian  border 
region,  Edward  Miller,  manager 
of  the  Paramount  theatre,  Buf- 
falo, got  800  of  his  viewers 
out  in  orderly  fashion,  while 
some  700  others  waited  until 
power  was  restored.  His  thea- 
tre threw  into  operation  its 
emergency  25-cycle  plant , which 
lights  the  auditorium  and  the 
marquee,  with  the  result  being 


that  the  Paramount  was  the  only 
bright  spot  on  the  entire  main 
stem.  A photo  of  the  bright 
marquee  was  used  on  the  front 
page  of  the  Buffalo  Evening 
News  under  the  title:  "The 

Light  that  Didn't  Fail  in  Buf- 
falo's Blackout." 

AMERICAN  FILMS  ABROAD 

One  out  of  every  eight  pic- 
tures made  by  American  pro- 
ducers in  1956-57  will  be 
filmed  in  part  or  in  its  en- 
tirety outside  the  United 
States,  according  to  the  Asso- 
ciation of  Motion  Picture  Pro- 
ducers and  the  MPEA.  A study 
of  production  plans  reveals 
that  some  40  full-length  fea- 
tures are  scheduled  to  be 
made  abroad  by  American  film- 
makers in  22  different  coun- 
tries during  the  12-month 
period. 

"SEARCHERS"  GROSSES  TOPS 
After  top-grossing  Chicago, 
Buffalo  and  Detroit  premieres 
of  C.  V.  Whitney's  production 
of  "The  Searchers"  for  Warner 
Bros,  presentation,  the  pic- 
ture continued  its  strong 
business  pace  with  strong 
openings  in  such  localities  as 


Cleveland,  Philadelphia,  Mil- 
waukee, St.  Louis,  Milwaukee, 
Denver,  Salt  Lake  City, 
Seattle  and  Portland,  Oregon. 
The  picture  broke  over  the 
Memorial  Day  Holiday  with  a 
total  of  360  prints  working  in 
key  cities  across  the  country. 

TV  MEXICAN  THREAT 

TV  is  now  becoming  a com- 
petitive threat  to  motion 
pictures  after  six  years  in 
Mexico,  it  is  claimed  by  the 
National  Cinematographic 
Chamber,  which  views  with 
alarm  completion  of  local  sta- 
tion facilities  in  the  outly- 
ing provinces.  The  Chamber 
fears  that  the  new  service 
will  close  some  60  theatres  in 
the  area  covered. 

STORY  SOURCE 

The  decision  on  the  part  of 
C.  V.  Whitney  Pictures,  Inc., 
to  re-produce  in  modern  di- 
mensions, color  and  sound 
the  great  silent  "Grass"  and 
"Chang"  opens  a bright  vista  of 
promise  that  other  producers 
may  be  persuaded  to  check  back 
into  the  long  list  of  pre-sound 
successes  for  similar  adapta- 
tion to  today's  finer  tech- 
niques, greater  public  and 
more  urgent  need. 

MEXICAN  FILMS  TO  RUSSIA 

Russia  has  purchased,  for  an 
undisclosed  sum,  three  Mexican 
pictures  for  exhibition  behind 
the  Iron  Curtain,  it  is  an- 
nounced by  Yuri  N.  Paporov, 
cultural  attache  of  the  Russian 
Embassy  in  Mexico  City.  One  of 
the  pictures  is  "Con  quien 
andan  nuestras  hijas?"  ("With 
Whom  do  Our  Daughters  Asso- 
ciate?") the  current  Mexican 
box  office  champion. 

THEATRE  BREATHING  SPELL? 

A sage  onlooker's  observa- 
tion: If  the  controversy  be- 
tween the  television  network 
interests  and  the  television 
film  syndicators  were  to  grow 
into  the  dimensions  of  the 
patents  war  that  slowed  down 
the  progress  of  the  motion 
picture  industry  in  its  youth, 
the  theatre  business  might 
gain  by  profiting  on  at  least  a 
breathing  spell  in  which  to 
perfect  its  defensive  strat- 
egy against  whichever  faction 
emerged  victorious. 

William  R.  Weaver — Lawrence 
J.  Quirk — James  D.  Ivers 


NBC  Buys  50%  of  Figaro 

The  National  Broadcasting  Company  has  purchased  50  per  cent  ownership  of 
Figaro,  Inc.,  independent  film  production  company  of  which  Joseph  L.  Mankie- 
wicz  is  president,  it  was  announced  this  week  by  Robert  W.  Sarnoff,  president  of 
NBC.  Mr.  Mankiewicz  retains  the  other  50  per  cent  ownership. 

Mr.  Sarnoff  said  the  agreement  provides  for  the  consultive  services  of  Mr. 
Mankiewicz  and  others  on  Figaro's  staff  to  NBC,  including  selection  of  program 
material,  talent  and  other  elements,  and  critical  analyses  and  recommendations 
as  to  programming  and  production  techniques.  It  also  grants  NBC  a favored 
position  in  connection  with  the  telecasting  of  all  films  produced  by  Figaro. 

Figaro,  which  produced  "The  Barfoot  Contessa"  for  United  Artists  release, 
recently  completed  a new  arrangement  with  U.A.  whereby  it  is  scheduled  to 
make  nine  pictures,  five  to  be  written,  directed  and  produced  by  Mr.  Mankie- 
wicz, during  the  next  four  years. 

Figaro  also  announced  the  election  of  its  board  of  directors.  Members  include 
Mr.  Mankiewicz,  chairman;  Emanuel  Sacks,  RCA  and  NBC  vice-president;  Bert 
Allenberg,  executive  vice-president  of  the  William  Morris  Agency;  Alan  Living- 
ston, president  of  Kagran  Corp.,  NBC  subsidiary;  Abraham  L.  Bienstock,  attor- 
ney; Earl  Rettig,  vice-president  in  charge  of  NBC-TV  network  services:  Robert 
Lantz,  Figaro  vice-president,  and  James  E.  Denning,  director  of  talent  and  pro- 
gram contract  administration  for  NBC. 

Officers  of  Figaro  include  Mr.  Mankiewicz;  Mr.  Sacks,  executive  vice-president; 
Mr.  Lantz;  Mr.  Rettig,  treasurer,  and  Richard  Reiss,  secretary. 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  JUNE  2,  1956 


9 


4 


DL 


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ictu 


res 


by  the  Herald 

IT  MIGHT  TAKE  merely  a few  hit  pictures  to  restore  industry  vigor; 
this  sort  of  thing  has  happened  before  (he’s  been  through  a lot  of  it) 
and  each  time  the  industry  rebounded.  Thus  opined  Sol  C.  Siegel, 
an  old  pro  of  the  industry  whose  latest  is  MGM’s  “High  Society.”  The 
producer  in  the  New  York  interview  said  television  didn’t  seem  to  keep 
people  away  from  pictures  they  really  want  to  see.  With  him,  left, 
MGM  exploitation  head  Dan  Terrell. 


ltilh  HUS1,  William  Horning, 
center,  MGM  art  head,  with  hi? 
guests  in  Hollywood,  New  Y'ork 
architect-writer  Jeffrey  Aronin, 
and  his  mother. 


BEN  Y.  CAMMACK  has 
retired  from  RKO  Radio 
after  24  years.  He  was 
district  manager  for  Dal- 
las, Oklahoma  City  and 
Memphis  the  past  16 
years,  and  previously  was 
foreign  department  assist- 
ant general  manager. 


RONALD  HOW- 
ARD, British  ac- 
tor, son  of  Leslie 
Howard,  as  he 
met  fan  and 
trade  press  writ- 
ers in  New  York 
before  leaving 
for  Hollywood 
and  Hall  Bart- 
lett’s “Drango.” 


ADOLPH  SCHIMEL,  of 
Universal,  and  UJA  amuse- 
ments chairman  the  past 
three  years,  at  the  New 
York  luncheon  honoring 
him  last  week.  W'ith  him, 
Robert  Benjamin,  I.con 
Goldberg,  Barney  Balaban, 
and  Dr.  Ruth  Gruber.  The 
affair  raised  $500,000. 


THE  CONTRACT. 
RKO’s  production 
chief,  William  Do- 
zier, welcomes  pro- 
ducer Paul  Gregory, 
right.  He  will  make 
five  the  next  three 
years.  “The  Naked 
and  The  Dead” 
conies  first. 


by  the  Herald 


Jersey  ponders . . 
all  is  concordf?) 


SIDNEY  STERN  ran  things  informally,  when  neces- 
sary, and  formally  and  privately  when  agitations 
and  incitements  needed  molding  into  form  accept- 
able to  the  industry.  He  deplored,  publicly,  the 
name-calling  at  those  Washington  hearings. 


HARRY  LOWENSTEIN  AND  SAM  FRANK 


HERB  LUBIN 


AL  HARWAN 


CHATTER  in  the  lobby:  equipment 

supplier  "Doc”  Faige  discusses  amateur 
snapshooting  with  carbons  supplier  and 
theatre  owner  Edward  Lachman,  and 
exhibitor  A.  Louis  Martin. 

i m i 


A MATTER  OF  NOMINATIONS:  Bill 

Infald  submits  the  list  and  receives  con- 
gratulations from  officers  and  delegates 
on  some  wise  choosing.  With  him,  Jack 
Unger. 


MEETING  TIME  again  for  New  Jer- 
sey's Allied;  and  the  site  once  more 
was  that  ultimate  resort,  the  Concord 
Hotel,  in  New  York's  Catskill  Moun- 
tains. At  pre-season  rates  (naturally, 
these  days)  theatre  owners  and  their 
out-of-state  and  film  row  guests  alter- 
nately escaped  the  industry's  prob- 
lems, and  wrestled  them. 

Photos  by  the  Herald 


REPORT  by  former  president  Wilbur 
Snaper:  Allied's  board  in  Washington 
will  support  individual  exhibitor  and  unit 
action  outside  COMPO  to  eliminate  tax- 
ation: the  King  bill,  most  desirable  of 
those  offered,  exempts  admissions  below 
a dollar.  With  him,  Irving  Dollinger. 


DICK  TURTELTAUB  as  secretary  re- 
ported the  convention  journal  a money 
maker;  and  he  and  president  Stern  urged 
grateful  showmen  patronize  their  adver- 
tisers. Peering  in  at  the  left,  Sam  Engle- 
man  and  A.  Louis  Martin. 


DAVE  GERTNER 


DAVID  SCHERMAN 


TED  ROSENBLATT 


HOWARD  HERMAN 


AL  SCHWALBERG  says 
he's  been  through  in- 
dustry crises  before  and 
that  his  theatre  owning 
friends  should  have 
faith,  courage  and  cer- 
tainly imagination.  He 
also  allows  a word  about 
his  new  project,  Gold 
Medal  Productions,  us- 
ing New  York's  oldest 
studio  and  that  city's 
talent  pool  which  he  in- 
sists is  there  waiting  to 
be  fished. 


HOW’S  BUSINESS? 


by  FLOYD  E.  STONE 

KIAMESHA  LAKE,  N.  Y.:  Wherever  more 
than  two  exhibitors  are  gathered  together 
as  they  were  here  this  week  for  the  Allied 
of  New  Jersey  convention,  the  inevitable 
question  is,  "How's  business?"  and  then, 
"Where  are  we  going?" 


SHELDON  SMERLING,  general  manager, 
Eastern  Outdoor  Drive-In  Theatres. 


"I  think  there  will  be  product  around. 
This  is  a business  which  is  lively  with  lively 
people.  I look  at  things  with  the  point  of 
view  of  the  drive-in  operator.  It’s  a good 
business. 

"We  will  have  drive-ins,  first  run  key 
spots,  and  art  houses. 

"I  see  that  market  having  plenty  of 
product. 

"It  will  have  to  be  good.  People  have 
become  shoppers. 

"That  is  why,  for  instance,  the  marginal 
operators  will  fail. 

“And  the  pictures  can  be  good.  Look  at 
some  of  them  they’ve  given  us  recently.  I 
say  the  answer  today  is  more  good  pictures. 

"Ten  years  ago,  52  weeks  didn’t  have  to 
be  filled  with  pictures  which  guarantee  a 
draw. 

"People  will  spend  money,  lots  of  it,  when 
they  know  they’ll  enjoy  themselves.  How 
do  they  know?  They  seem  to  smell  good 
pictures.  Word  does  get  around. 

"I  say  there  is  obsolescence  in  the  indus- 
try. It  is  the  marginal  theatre. 

"Hollywood  has  proved  ’t  keeps  up  with 
the  times.” 


NATHAN  YAMINS,  New  England  ex- 
hibitor and  past  president  of  national 
Allied. 


"I  do  not  see  any  bright  future  in  this 
business.  The  respectable  idea  of  making  a 
quicker  dollar  is  dynamite  to  us.  The  ques- 
tion these  days  is,  who  is  doing  the  buying  of 
these  film  companies?  The  danger  is,  that 
production  and  distribution  are  falling  into 
the  hands  of  people  who  see  that  by  liquidat- 
ing they  will  get  a major  portion  of  their 
investment.  The  question  then  is  where  their 
interests  will  lie.  Will  they  be  more  con- 
cerned with  making  money  by  keeping  the 
studios  alive?  Obviously,  if  they  are  smart 
business  men  who  get  control  of  companies 
only  because  those  companies’  assets  are 
far  in  excess  of  book  value,  we  are  in 
danger. 

"It  doesn’t  follow  that  our  market  will 
be  filled  because  it  exists.  That  is  one  of 
the  oldest  cliches.  Since  divorcement  there 
has  been  no  big  company.  There  are  less 
than  half  the  pictures.  The  number  doesn’t 
even  run  to  300.  I use  the  figures  the  com- 
panies supplied  at  the  recent  Washington 
hearings. 

“No  theatre  of  any  size  can  live  on  just 
a few  pictures,  however  good.  It  must  re- 
main open  not  merely  to  operate  profitably 
but  to  keep  its  patrons.  Theatre  going  is 
a habit. 

“Is  this  enough  to  bring  into  the  industry 
new  capital  ? The  banking  world  knows 
theatres  are  closing,  and  it  even  is  common 
knowledge  5.000  have  closed. 

“I  see  a reduced  market.  What  is  hap- 
pening now  is  the  accelerating  process.” 


IRVING  DOLLINGER,  New  Jersey  exhibi- 
tor and  past  president  of  Allied  of  New 
Jersey. 


"I  think  we  will  muddle  through.  Un- 
fortunately it  will  take  longer  than  neces- 
sary. 

"I  feel  it  must  be  obvious  to  the  master 
minds  of  the  industry  some  pictures  make 
money  and  for  reasons  which  seem  to  have 
little  to  do  with  generalized  and  routine 
advertising.  The  public  seems  to  smell  out 
what  it  wants,  and  it’s  because  the  pictures 
have  become  news. 

“What  I am  getting  at  is  that  for  one 
thing  I feel  we  must  get  off  the  amusement 
pages.  Years  ago,  we  started  this  directory 
system  and  now  it’s  all  like  a directory. 
The  ads — most  of  them — are  all  the  same 
and  just  aren’t  read. 

"But  more  than  that:  we  need  to  create 
the  desire  to  see.  The  pictures  which  bring 
them  in  are  those  which  apparently  have 
had  a different  kind  of  publicity.  Not  the 
sort  we  call  exploitation. 

"We  know  we  have  better  entertainment 
than  television  and  I suspect  the  public 
knows  it.  but  we  have  to  make  them  want 
to  go  out  to  see  that  entertainment. 

"Money  in  the  pictures  themselves  isn’t 
the  answer.  The  studios  have  to  make  pic- 
tures which  reflect  the  people.  I don’t  think 
they  know  who  their  audience  is,  or  what 
it  should  be.  MGM  for  instance  makes  pic- 
tures with  dancing  and  songs  which  haven’t 
changed  much  in  20  years.  But  it's  the  teen 
agers  we  want.  And  so  far  as  I know  with 
one  exception  by  Columbia — a rock  and  roll 
number — there  isn’t  anything  musical  they 
would  want  to  see. 

"I  do  not  know  of  any  other  industry 
which  lacks  statistics  so.  And,  this  is  most 
important,  marketing  and  motivation  in- 
formation and  research.  We  desperately 
need  an  industry  research  program.” 


" War  and  Peace " Opens 
In  New  York  August  23 

The  world  premiere  of  Paramount’s  “War 
and  Peace”  will  be  held  at  the  Capitol  thea- 
tre, New  York,  August  23  as  a benefit  per- 
formance for  the  Tolstoy  Foundation,  an 
organization  headed  by  Countess  Alexandra, 


daughter  of  the  late  Leo  Tolstoy.  The  pur- 
pose of  the  Foundation  is  to  bring  over  and 
assist  refugees  from  the  Iron  Curtain  coun- 
tries. The  announcement  was  made  Tues- 
day at  a reception  in  the  Hotel  Pierre, 
where  Audrey  Hepburn,  Mel  Ferrer  and 
Countess  Alexandra  were  the  guests  of 
honor.  Miss  Hepburn  and  Ferrer  are  the 
stars  in  the  film  with  Henry  Fonda. 


Richmond  Drive-in 

The  Fairfield  drive-in,  a new  theatre  with 
space  for  700  cars,  has  opened  at  Charles 
City  and  Williamsburg  Road,  Richmond, 
Va.  It  is  owned  by  the  Gleanlea  Corpora- 
tion, the  president  of  which  is  E.  A. 
Vaughan.  His  partner  is  K.  E.  Benson,  who 
has  operated  other  drive-in  theatres. 


12 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  JUNE  2,  1956 


DISTRIBUTION  MOVES  TO 
STIMULATE  BOX  OFFICE 


. . . Directors  of  MPAA  discuss 
plans  for  extensive  survey  to 
outline  advertising  and  public 
relations  campaigns 


Nationwide  Cash  Giveaway  Project  Offered 
To  Majors,  Guilds  as  Box  Office  Stimulant 


Intra-industry  disputes  over  trade  prac- 
tices and  selling  policies  notwithstanding, 
the  real  goal  of  all  branches  of  the  motion 
picture  industry  is  attracting  more  and  more 
of  the  paying  public  to  the  theatres.  With 
this  in  mind,  members  of  various  committees 
of  the  Motion  Picture  Association  have  been 
holding — without  fanfare — a series  of  meet- 
ings in  New  York  recently,  all  designed 
to  bring  greater  returns  to  the  nation’s  box 
offices. 

Although  no  official  MPAA  announce- 
ments have  been  forthcoming  from  the  meet- 
ings, it  was  reported  that  the  Association’s 
advertising-publicity  committee  at  an  eve- 
ning conference  at  the  Harvard  Club  last 
Wednesday  week  explored  such  projects  as 
a market  analysis,  industry  advertising  cam- 
paigns and  a campaign  designed  to  improve 
the  industry’s  relations  with  the  press. 

Consider  Complete  Survey 

Three  days  later,  the  sales  managers  com- 
mittee met  and  took  under  consideration  the 
advisability  of  conducting  an  all-embracing 
survey  designed  to  examine  ways  and  means 
of  boosting  the  box  office  take.  It  also  was 
reported  that  the  sales  managers  explored 
the  idea  of  instituting  a credit  plan  for  thea- 
tre-goers and  decided  that  it  should  be  ex- 
amined in  connection  with  other  box  office 
boosting  projects  in  light  of  the  all-industry 
survey. 

Those  concerned  with  the  plight  of  the 
box  office,  however,  were  not  restricted  to 
the  ranks  of  distribution.  Edward  Hyman, 
a West  Virginia  distributor,  this  week  was 
reported  to  be  trying  to  line  up  all-industry 
support  for  an  unique  cash  giveaway  plan 
(see  accompanying  story).  Obviously,  the 
future  of  the  industry  was  not  being  taken 
for  granted  by  any  one  segment. 

There  was,  however,  in  the  midst  of  all 
these  reports,  one  voice  raised  in  reassur- 
ance. 

Noting  what  he  described  as  the 
“charged”  atmosphere  in  the  trade  today, 
a top  executive  of  a major  film  company, 
who  asked  that  his  name  be  withheld,  said 
this  week  that  there  is  no  reason  for  the 
current  “hysteria”  in  the  industry.  The 
film  business,  he  said,  is  profitable  and  will 
continue  to  be  so  as  long  as  industry  mem- 
bers keep  their  feet  on  the  ground,  keep 
their  wits  about  them  and  tackle  problems 
calmly. 

This  executive  acknowledged  that  the  cur- 
rent market  is  a “difficult”  one,  with  the 
public  very  selective.  He  also  admitted  that 


A nationwide  cash  giveaway  project  de- 
signed to  stimulate  the  box  office  and,  at 
the  same  time,  rekindle  public  interest  in 
motion  pictures  has  been  presented  to  the 
major  companies  and  to  the  Hollywood 
guilds,  it  was  learned  this  week.  Although 
planned  as  a hypo  on  a national  level,  the 
campaign,  if  acceptable  to  the  companies 
and  the  guilds,  may  be  adopted  locally  or 
regionally. 

To  date  there  has  been  some  opposition 
expressed  by  the  major  companies  and  the 
guilds,  but  it  is  believed  by  the  backers 
of  the  idea  that  the  obstacles  will  be  over- 
come. The  plan  was  conceived  by  Ed  Hy- 
man, a West  Virginia  exhibitor  with  head- 
quarters in  Huntington,  who  has  been  feel- 
ing out  the  leaders  of  distribution,  produc- 
tion and  the  studio  unions  for  two  months. 

Some  of  the  opposition  is  said  to  be 
based  on  the  belief  that  the  plan  takes  the 
form  of  a lottery,  but  this  is  denied  by  the 
backers.  In  letters  to  the  studio  guilds,  Mr. 
Hyman  pointed  out  that  the  elements  of  a 
lottery  are  “consideration,  prize  and 
chance,”  but  that  the  proposed  project  would 
substitute  skill  for  chance.  It  would  work 
like  this: 

Several  one-minute  clips  would  be  flashed 
on  a theatre’s  screen  preceding  the  last  fea- 
ture on  a slow  night  of  the  week,  possibly 


some  pictures  have  been  disappointing  at 
the  box  office.  But  he  strongly  rejected  the 
idea  that  there  is  reason  to  believe  that  mo- 
tion picture  production,  distribution  and  ex- 
hibition can  no  longer  be  profitable,  as 
argued  in  some  quarters. 

In  his  opinion,  he  said,  the  recent  sales 
of  film  backlogs  “triggered”  some  of  the 
current  industry  “hysteria”  and,  similarly, 
may  have  been  the  result  of  a touch  of  the 
same  hysteria  in  selling  quarters.  The  ex- 
ecutive said  he  feels  that  as  in  the  past  there 
will  be  readjustments  within  the  industry, 
but  he  maintained  that  the  alert  showman 
will  be  flexible  in  any  situation  and  will 
survive  with  a profitable  enterprise. 

Name  Subcommittee 

Members  of  the  MPAA  advertising-pub- 
licity committee,  meeting  last  week,  report- 
edly agreed  to  divide  the  work  of  the  com- 
mittee into  five  general  categories  with 
separate  subcommittees  assigned  to  each 
category  and  scheduled  to  report  back  in  two 
weeks.  Concerning  the  press  relations  proj- 


Wednesdays.  The  audience  would  be  asked 
to  identify  the  pictures  from  which  the  clips 
were  taken  and  would  be  supplied  with 
guessing  cards  on  which  to  mark  their  an- 
swers. Those  guessing  all  correctly,  and 
in  order,  would  split  a jackpot  prize  which 
would  be  put  up  by  the  theatre.  The  cor- 
rect answers  would  be  announced  the  fol- 
lowing Wednesday  night  and  checks  mailed 
to  winners  at  that  time. 

According  to  Mr.  Hyman,  the  plan  has 
two  very  distinct  advantages : the  individual 
exhibitor  particularly  would  feel  the  effect 
at  his  own  box  office,  and  on  a national 
scale  the  resulting  increased  attendance 
would  have  a marked  effect,  increasing  the 
number  of  habitual  theatre-goers. 

The  talent  guilds  are  reported  to  have 
objected  to  the  plan  on  the  ground  they 
would  not  receive  any  direct  benefits.  Mr. 
Hyman,  however,  declared  that  they  would 
benefit,  both  indirectly,  since  the  entire  in- 
dustry benefits  when  the  box  office  goes  up, 
and  directly,  if  concurrent  contests  were  held 
in  which  the  audience  is  permitted  to  decide 
which  picture  of  the  group  it  would  like  to 
see  brought  back  to  the  theatre,  thus  giving 
a particular  picture  additional  revenue. 

National  Screen  Service  is  said  to  have 
agreed  to  improvise  and  distribute  old 
trailers  to  use  as  excerpts  for  the  contests. 


ect,  one  recommendation  was  to  underwrite 
visits  of  motion  picture  critics  and  editors 
to  Hollywood,  where  they  would  gain  an 
insight  into  production  problems  of  the 
industry. 

On  the  broad  problem  of  market  research, 
members  at  the  meeting  were  said  to  have 
expressed  a desire  for  some  basic  informa- 
tion which  could  guide  them  in  an  advertis- 
ing campaign.  A separate  subcommittee  was 
said  to  have  been  set  up  to  explore  that  pos- 
sibility. Another  subcommittee  will  inves- 
tigate the  possibility,  the  desirability  and  the 
costs  of  launching  industry  advertising  cam- 
paigns, perhaps  on  the  scale  of  the  “Movie- 
time, U.S.A.,”  campaign. 

Following  the  meeting  of  the  MPAA’s 
sales  managers  committee,  attended  by  Eric 
Johnston,  MPAA  president,  it  was  said  that 
a subcommittee  had  been  appointed  to  meet 
with  a subcommittee  of  the  MPAA  board 
on  the  advisability  of  conducting  an  all-in- 
dustry survey.  Appointed  were  Abe  Mon- 
tague of  Columbia  and  Richard  Altschuler 
of  Republic. 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  JUNE  2,  1956 


13 


THE  EDDY  DUCHIN  STORY 


oeamie... 


...IT’S  BACKED  BY  THE  MOST  OVERWHELMING  RECORD 
ALBUM  COVERAGE  IN  HISTORY ...  PACKING  COLORFUL 
PRE-SELLING  APPEAL  FOR  THE  MOST  MOVIE-MINDED 
CUSTOMERS  OF  ALI THE  16-TO-25  AGE  GROUP! 


DECCA  Sound  Track  Album,  Carmen  Cavallaro  at  the  piano!  COLUMBIA, 
Original  Eddy  Duchin  Recordings!  V3K  (Radio  Corporation  of  America)  “The 
Fabulous  Eddy  Duchin”,  Original  Eddy  Duchin  Recordings!  MERCURY, 
salute  o Eddy  Duchin,  piano  of  David  Le  Winter!  CAPITOL,  selections  from 
The  Eddy  Duchin  Story!  CORAL,  selections  from  The  Eddy  Duchin  Story, 
piano  solos  by  Carretta! 

...PLUS  numerous  recordings  of  the  individual  numbers  from  the  picture! 
. . . PLUS  major  label  recordings  of  “To  Love  Again”. . .theme  from  The  Eddy 


Bob  Manning,  Le  Roy  Holmes,  Carmen  Cavallaro! 

...AND... The  Tremendous  Disk  Jockey  Campaign  Is  Already  Under  Way! 

. . .All  plugged  coast-to-coast  by  Whopping  Window  Displays,  Counter  Displays, 
Newspaper  Ads,  National  Magazine  Ads,  Dealer  Trade  Paper  Campaigns! 


TV  FILM 
STORED 

. . . Network  report  to  Senate 
unit  charges  TV  syndicators 
with  steamrolling  an  attack  on 
all  of  network  television 

WASHINGTON-.  The  National  Broadcast- 
ing Company,  in  a 40-page  report  to  the 
Senate  Interstate  and  Foreign  Commerce 
Committee,  this  week  charged  that  a group 
of  TV  film  syndicators  is  steamrolling  an 
attack  on  network  television. 

The  NBC  charges  came  in  response  to 
a request  by  the  committee  chairman  that 
the  network  comment  on  testimony  given 
earlier  by  Richard  A.  Moore,  president  of 
Station  KTTV,  Los  Angeles.  NBC  criti- 
cized what  it  called  the  “wide  variety  of 
promoters  and  financial  traders”  who  are 
gambling  with  the  TV  network  industry 
with  hopes  of  “reaping  a mountain  of  profit 
from  their  molehill  of  contribution  to  the 
broadcasting  art.” 

Says  Public  Would  Lose 

Warning  that  such  attacks  might  push 
TV  back  to  the  days  of  the  nickelodeon, 
NBC  said  that  “the  wealth  of  fine  entertain- 
ment, educational  and  cultural  programs  . . . 
would  be  replaced  by  a continuous  flow  of 
stale  and  stereotyped  film  product”  and 
added  that  the  basic  losers  would  be  the 
public  and  the  TV  industry. 

Mr.  Moore’s  earlier  testimony  before  the 
committee  was  largely  concerned  with  pro- 
gram clearance  agreements  between  net- 
works and  stations.  In  attacking  this,  he 
campaigned  for  their  elimination  by  Gov- 
ernment regulation  and  argued  further  that 
the  network  operations  were  suppressing  the 
production  of  films  for  TV. 

NBC  denounced  Mr.  Moore’s  attack  and 
attributed  his  testimony  to  an  organized 
campaign  backed  by  a group  of  TV  film 
syndicators.  It  also  charged  that  “Mr. 
Moore  serves  as  treasurer”  and  makes  peri- 
odic reports  to  his  group  on  the  campaign. 

Members  IS  anted 

Reported  to  be  members  of  this  group 
bv  NBC  were  Ziv  TV,  Television  Programs 
of  America,  Official  Films,  Screen  Gems 
(see  accompanying  story)  and  RKO  Tele- 
radio Pictures.  NBC  added  that  the  first 
four  companies  are  TV  film  syndicators, 
of  which  one,  Screen  Gems,  is  owned  by 
Columbia  Pictures.  The  fifth  company  cited 
in  the  report,  RKO  Teleradio  Pictures,  is 
part  of  the  RKO  organization,  which  also 
produces  and  distributes  TV  films  and  owns 
TV  stations. 

From  Los  Angeles  Monday,  Mr.  Moore 
replied  to  the  NBC  charges  in  a written 
statement,  which  said  in  part: 


MAKERS 
RY  \R4 

“KTTV,  as  was  its  right,  has  consulted 
with  film  distributors  and  other  television 
stations  and  several  of  us  have  come  to- 
gether for  the  purpose  of  common  research, 
both  factual  and  legal.  From  the  outset, 
KTTV  has  advised  the  staff  of  the  network 
study  committee  and  the  Senate  Interstate 
Commerce  Committee  of  this  community  of 
interest  and  activity.  Apparently,  these 
facts,  which  have  been  referred  to  often  in 
the  trade  press,  seem  sinister  to  NBC,  which 
apparently  expects  that  the  victims  of  its 
restraints  should  lick  their  wounds  sepa- 
rately, . privately  and  passively.  . . . 

“Under  the  present  networking  system, 
independent  stations  like  KTTV  are  being 
deprived  of  fair  competitive  opportunity  to 
obtain  programs.  That  is  why  we  accepted 
the  invitation  of  the  Federal  Communica- 
tions Commission  network  study  committee 
and  the  Senate  Interstate  and  Foreign  Com- 
merce Committee  to  inform  them  of  how 
present  network  policies  are  affecting  inde- 
pendent stations  like  ours. 

“Apart  from  the  attacks  on  KTTV’s  mo- 
tives, we  welcome  NBC’s  reply  to  our  testi- 
mony. The  issues  are  serious  for  the  entire 
industry,  for  the  public,  and  for  the  regula- 
tory agencies  of  the  Government.  Vigorous 
and  open  debate  will  help  to  clarify  these 
issues  and  is  bound  to  lead  to  a constructive 
solution.” 


Set  Nationwide  Previews 
For  "Certain  Feeling" 

Exhibitors  and  film  buyers,  critics,  edi- 
tors and  other  “opinion  makers”  in  all  parts 
of  the  U.  S.  are  scheduled  to  attend  special 
nationwide  previews  of  Bob  Hope’s  new 
Paramount  film,  “The  Certain  Feeling,”  this 
week  and  next.  The  star  has  sent  telegrams 
to  the  showmen  and  press  representatives 
who  will  attend,  asking  them  to  advise  him 
of  their  reactions  to  the  picture  and,  in  ad- 
dition, will  address  the  audiences  prior  to 
the  start  of  the  film  via  a special  recording 
made  in  Hollywood.  The  picture  had  its 
first  press  preview  this  week  at  the  Plaza 
theatre,  Palm  Springs,  Calif.,  with  press 
representatives,  including  wire  services, 
columnists,  radio-television  and  trade  press, 
flown  by  Paramount  to  Palm  Springs  for 
the  benefit  preview. 


"Seville"  U.S.  Rights  Set 

United  States  and  Canadian  rights  have 
been  obtained  to  the  picture,  “Figaro,  the 
Barber  of  Seville,”  A.  W.  Schwalberg,  pres- 
ident of  Artists-Producers  Associates,  Inc., 
has  announced.  Filmed  in  Ferraniacolor, 
the  picture  was  produced  by  Ottavio  Poggi 
and  stars  Tito  Gobbi,  Irene  Genna  and 
Guilio  Neri. 


TV  Film 
Units  Reply 
To  NBC 

The  newly  formed  Association  of  Televi- 
sion Film  Distributors  this  week  announced 
its  purposes  and  at  the  same  time  issued  a 
sharp  answer  to  charges  leveled  at  TV  film 
distributors  by  the  National  Broadcasting 
Company. 

In  a statement  signed  by  Ralph  Cohn, 
president  of  Screen  Gems ; Harold  Hackett, 
board  chairman  of  Official  Films;  Milton  A. 
Gordon,  president  of  Television  Programs 
of  America,  and  John  L.  Sinn,  president 
of  Ziv  TV,  the  Association  declared : 

“ATFD  has  come  into  being  as  part  of 
the  natural  growth  and  maturity  of  the 
television  film  industry.  Joint  problems  will 
best  be  solved,  we  believe,  by  a strong,  co- 
hesive group.  It  is  our  plan  to  engage,  as 
president,  a nationally  known  and  respected 
business  personality.  Other  officers  also 
will  be  announced  shortly.” 

Supply  Networks  with  Shows 

At  the  same  time,  the  Association,  taking 
note  of  NBC’s  charge  that  TV  film  syndi- 
cators were  behind  the  current  Senate  in- 
vestigations of  the  networks,  declared  : 

“These  four  companies,  attacked  by  the 
NBC  statement,  are  now  responsible  for  a 
total  of  17  regularly  scheduled,  sponsored 
network  film  programs.  To  suggest,  as  NBC 
has,  that  the  film  companies  seek  the  de- 
struction of  television  network  structure  is 
an  absurdity  tantamount  to  stating  that  the 
film  companies  wish  to  commit  economic 
suicide. 

“.  . . It  is  our  sincere  hope  that  future 
discussions  on  this  most  important  subject 
can  be  conducted  on  a more  constructive 
plane,  so  that  all  segments  of  the  television 
industry — stations,  advertisers,  advertising 
agencies,  networks,  independent  producers 
and  distributors — will  be  free  to  function 
more  effectively  in  the  public  interest.” 


U.A.  Theatres  Heads 
Buy  Schenck  Stock 

A total  of  95,000  shares  of  United  Ar- 
tists Theatres  Circuit  stock  was  purchased 
from  Joseph  M.  Schenck,  founder  of  the 
circuit,  by  a group  mainly  composed  of 
George  P.  Skouras,  circuit  president ; E.  H. 
Rowley,  executive  vice-president;  Joseph 
Seider,  president  of  Associate  Prudential 
Theatres,  and  M.  A.  Naify,  president  of 
United  California  Theatres,  Inc.  Mr. 
Skouras  said  Mr.  Schenck  will  continue  as 
board  chairman,  and  added  that  the  group 
paid  $8.75  per  share  for  Mr.  Schenck’s 
holdings.  In  addition  to  the  principals  in 
the  group,  Mr.  Skouras  said  that  some 
shares  of  Mr.  Schenck’s  stock  went  to  at- 
torney Milton  Weisman  and  Ray  Wemple, 
vice-president  and  treasurer. 


16 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  JUNE  2,  1956 


The  Composite  Heart  of  Variety  Report  for  1955 


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1 HE  philanthropic  endeavors  of  the  Variety  (.lulls — financing  clinics,  hospitals  and  homes  recent  convention  in  New  York,  summarizes  the  expenditures  for  1955.  The  totals — 

mostly  foi  ill  and  crippled  children  are  truly  the  Heart  of  Variety.  Each  year  at  the  $2,568,271.11  spent  by  the  Tents  on  their  main  charity  and  $198,133.72  for  additional 

annual  Intel  national  convention  each  lent  reports  on  its  activities  for  the  year.  The  chart  charitable  endeavors  comprise  a truly  remarkable  and  amazing  record  by  the  “heart  of 

above,  prepared  by  Nathan  D.  Golden,  Variety  International  Heart  Chariman,  for  the  show  business.” 


AUTHORSHIP  OF  THE  CODE 

Strangely  enough,  after  a well  documented  history  of  twenty-six  years, 
a question  was  recently  raised  in  certain  quarters  as  to  the  authorship  of 
the  Production  Code.  The  question,  which  was  heatedly  argued  in  cer- 
tain amusement  industry  publications  and  elsewhere,  was  hinged  to  the 
publication  in  February  of  a sketchily  written  collection  of  autobiograph- 
ical notes  by  the  late  Rev.  Daniel  A.  Lord,  S.J.,  of  St.  Louis. 

Father  Lord’s  notes  seemed  to  imply  that  he — and  not  Martin  Quigley 
— was  the  “author  of  the  Production  Code.” 

A definitive,  informed  and  responsible  letter  on  the  subject  by  Rev. 
Wilfrid  Parsons,  S.J.,  professor  at  Georgetown  University,  was  published 
in  the  May  26th  issue  of  “America,”  a publication  of  which  he  was  for- 
merly the  editor-in-chief. 

The  Parsons  letter,  which  makes  clear  the  essential  facts,  states  in 
part  as  follows: 

Perhaps  as  one  who  was  in  on  the  initiation  and  making  of  the 
Motion  Picture  Code  from  the  first , / may  be  able  to  shed  some 
light.  . . . Mr.  Quigley  certainly  “ initiated ” both  the  idea  of  the  Code 
and  the  Code  itself.  My  first  introduction  to  it  came  in  Chicago, 
where  Mr.  Quigley  was  living  at  the  time,  at  a luncheon  with  him  and 
Joseph  I.  Breen,  a mutual  friend  of  both  of  us.  There  Mr.  Quigley 
stressed  the  need  of  a good  code  to  take  the  place  of  W ill  H.  Hays’ 
jejune  and  ill-informed  set  of  rules  and  volunteered  to  write  one. 
This  was  before  Father  Lord  knew  of  the  project,  since  the  matter 
was  confidential  among  us  three. 

In  due  time  Mr.  Quigley  sent  me  a skeleton  of  the  Code.  . . . It  was 
the  work  of  Mr.  Quigley  alone,  as  ivas  the  idea  of  a code. 

Father  Parsons  then  correctly  recites  that  Mr.  Quigley  enlisted  the  aid 
of  Father  Lord  as  “technical”  advisor  in  preparation  of  the  final  draft 
of  the  Code,  an  undertaking  for  which  Father  Lord  was  eminently  quali- 
fied on  account  of  a long-time  interest  in  the  subject  matter.  Some  years 
previously  he  had  been  invited  to  Hollywood  by  Cecil  B.  deMille  as  tech- 
nical advisor  on  “The  Kings  of  Kings”,  and  had  spent  considerable  time 
in  the  study  of  production. 

— Martin  Quigley,  Jr. 


Cantor  and 
Yates  in  J\eu? 
Discussion 

HOLLYWOOD : Further  discussions  con- 
cerning the  acquisition  by  Cantor,  Fitz- 
gerald & Company,  of  working  control  of 
Republic  Pictures  were  expected  to  take 
place  this  week  between  B.  Gerald  Cantor, 
president  of  the  banking  investment  group, 
and  Herbert  J.  Yates,  Republic  president 
and  board  chairman,  it  was  reported.  The 
investment  concern  announced  that  auditors 
would  work  on  Republic’s  books  and  records 
this  week  and  Mr.  Cantor  said  there  would 
be  no  further  comment  until  the  general 
examination  is  completed. 

The  investment  firm  has  acquired  a 60- 
day  option  to  purchase  working  control  of 
Republic  Pictures,  a minimum  of  650,000  and 
a maximum  of  800,000  shares  of  common 
stock  at  $12.50  per  share  under  the  option 
terms.  The  option  calls  for  Mr.  Yates  to 
sell  all  his  shares  as  well  as  stock  owned 
by  a number  of  his  associates.  Republic 
Pictures  has  2,004,191  shares  .of  common 
stock  issued  and  outstanding  out  of  the  au- 
thorized 2,750,000  shares  at  a par  value  of 
50  cents  per  share,  exclusive  of  804  shares 
in  the  company’s  treasury  as  of  October 
29,  1955. 

Yates’  Holdings 

Mr.  Yates’  holdings  as  of  February  1, 
1956,  according  to  the  recent  Republic  proxy 
statement,  total  37,460  common  shares. 
Members  of  his  family  were  the  owners  of 
record  of  about  10,000  shares  and  the  own- 
ers of  all  the  issued  and  outstanding  stock 
of  Tonrud,  Inc.,  a Delaware  corporation, 
which  was  the  beneficial  owner  of  12,200 
shares  of  preferred  stock  and  207,937 
shares  of  common  of  Republic,  and  72,585 
shares  of  stock  of  the  Associated  Motion 
Picture  Industries,  Inc.,  which  had  187,926 
shares  issued  and  outstanding. 

It  had  been  announced  by  an  official  of 
Cantor,  Fitzgerald  & Company  last  week 
that  the  purchasers  of  Mr.  Yates’  interests 
would  operate  the  Republic  studio  for  the 
production  of  theatrical  and  television  films, 
and  that  although  the  company  has  the  op- 
tion, that  fact  does  not  imply  that  the  firm 
will  exercise  it  solely  in  its  own  behalf. 

Consolidated  Unaffected 

Financial  sources  indicated  a belief  last 
week  that  the  Republic  shares  would  not 
convey  ownership  of  Consolidated  Film  In- 
dustries, a division  of  Republic,  to  the  pur- 
chasers of  the  stock,  because  the  laboratory 
company  has  no  outstanding  stock  and  its 
control  would  therefore  remain  with  Re- 
public. 

Meanwhile,  a regular  dividend  of  25  cents 
per  share  on  preferred  stock,  payable  July 
2,  1956,  to  stockholders  of  record  June  11, 
was  declared  last  week  by  Republic’s  board 
of  directors. 


TO  A Unit 

Pledges  Aid 
in  Prownotion 

ATLANTA : All  of  TOA’s  time,  energy 
and  effort  will  be  employed  to  support  the 
nation’s  distributors  in  their  efforts  to  make 
the  people  of  the  industry  more  motion  pic- 
ture-conscious and  kill  the  gloom  pervading 
the  industry,  Herman  M.  Levy,  TOA  gen- 
eral counsel,  told  the  joint  annual  conven- 
tion of  the  Alabama  Theatres  Association 
and  Motion  Picture  Theatre  Owners  and 
Operators  of  Georgia  this  week  in  Atlanta. 

He  called  “very  important”  the  forthcom- 
ing steps  by  the  distributors,  whose  adver- 
tising and  publicity  heads  met  to  consult  on 
the  following  projected  points:  a symposium 
to  be  staged  in  Hollywood  under  the  spon- 
sorship of  the  entire  industry,  to  which  mo- 
tion picture  critics  from  all  over  the  country 
would  be  invited,  with  a view  to  their  send- 
ing back  impressions  to  their  readers.  A 
business  management  organization  to  be  en- 


gaged to  conduct  a market  analysis  in  an 
effort  to  increase  the  operational  efficiency 
of  the  industry.  Direct  advertising  of  an 
institutional  nature  to  encourage  the  public 
to  take  a night  out  to  see  films.  New  mer- 
chandising ideas  to  be  evolved  to  boost 
attendance. 

Alfred  Starr,  past  president  of  TOA,  de- 
livered the  keynote  address  on  the  problems 
of  the  small  exhibitor.  He  reported  that 
pay-as-you-see  TV  is  not  doing  as  well  as 
expected  and  it  will  be  some  time  before  this 
eventuates. 

Panel  discussions  on  subjects  of  interest 
to  the  convention  delegates  were  held.  Other 
speakers  included  William  Gehring,  vice- 
president  of  20th  Century-Fox;  Roy  Martin 
Jr.,  Martin  Theatres;  Mack  Jackson,  Alex- 
ander City,  Ala. ; A.  B.  Padgett,  panel  chair- 
man; R.  B.  Wilby,  Dick  Kennedy,  Tommy 
Thompson,  and  Mayor  William  Hartsfield. 
Over  600  exhibitors  attended  the  event, 
which  also  featured  a cyclorama  of  modern 
exhibition  clinics. 

Tommy  Thompson  was  re-elected  presi- 
dent of  the  MPTOOG  as  were  all  other 
officers.  Likewise  Dick  Kennedy  was  re- 
elected president  of  Alabama  Theatre 
Owners. 


18 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  JUNE  2,  1956 


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^^OUNE-HOT! 

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feature  story  stents 


starring 


Hugh  MARLOWE  • Joan  TAYLOR  Donald  CURTIS 

Screen  Play  by  GEORGE  WORTHING  YATES  and  RAYMOND  T.  MARCUS 
Screen  Story  by  CURT  SIODMAK  • Technical  Effects  Created  by  RAY  HARRYHAUSEf 
Produced  by  CHARLES  H.  SCHNEER  • Executive  Producer:  SAM  KATZMAN 
Directed  by  FRED  F.  SEARS 


Cronar  Base 
Available 
This  Fall 

WILMINGTON : “Cronar,”  the  polyester 
film  base  developed  by  E.  I.  duPont  de 
Nemours  & Co.,  is  to  be  made  available  for 
motion  picture  negatives  and  prints  this 
Fall,  it  is  announced  by  J.  B.  Woodson  of 
duPont’s  home  plant  here.  “Cronar”  film 
stock  is  now  in  production  at  the  company’s 
plant  in  Parlin,  N.  J.,  on  a small  scale. 

Mr.  Woodson  added  that  no  price  increase 
is  planned  for  film  product  now  made  with 
tri-acetate  base.  These,  however,  are  to  be 
converted  to  “Cronar”  late  this  year.  Mr. 
Woodson  said  the  conversion  process  would 
be  a matter  of  time  once  the  New  Jersey 
plant  is  equipped  for  full  production,  and 
that  new  products  to  be  introduced  at  a 
later  date  probably  will  cost  more  to  make 
because  of  the  new  material. 

Pointing  out  that,  although  stronger  than 
tri-acetate  film,  “Cronar”  is  thinner,  he 
said  that  it  is  able  to  effect  a reduction  in 
weight  of  prints  shipped  to  theatres.  Where- 
as 1,000  feet  of  tri-acetate  film  has  a di- 
ameter of  9.76  inches,  he  said  the  same 
amount  of  “Cronar”  has  a diameter  of  8.86 
inches.  Tests  of  the  new  base,  he  added, 
have  resulted  in  17,000  flexings  before 
breakage,  as  contrasted  with  the  25  flexings 
for  standard  tri-acetate.  Accordingly  the 
“Cronar”  base  is  said  to  be  no  more  a fire 
hazard  than  “safety”  film  used  in  film  pro- 
duction and  print  distribution. 

Industry  tests  of  the  new  base  have  been 
made  by  duPont  and  the  IATSE  and 
MPMO  in  projectors,  while  “Cronar”  film 
was  used  by  Paramount  Pictures  for  prints 
of  “Desperate  Hours”  in  the  Chicago,  Min- 
neapolis and  Los  Angeles  exchange  areas. 
Original  plans  called  for  distribution  of 
“Cronar”  film  next  month,  but  the  scale-up 
problem  at  the  New  Jersey  plant  forced  a 
postponement,  according  to  reports. 


Allied  Artists  Gross  in 
39  Weeks  $11,911,079 

The  gross  income  for  the  39-week  period 
ended  March  31,  1956,  of  Allied  Artists 
Pictures  Corporation  and  its  subsidiaries 
was  $11,911,079,  Steve  Broidy,  president, 
announced  last  week.  This  compared  with 
$9,134,458  for  the  same  period  the  previous 
year.  The  net  profit  before  Federal  income 
taxes  amounted  to  $389,380  as  compared 
with  $684,868  for  the  corresponding  period 
last  year.  Mr.  Broidy  said  the  tax  reserve 
for  the  current  period  was  $201,000,  com- 
pared with  $224,000  last  year.  After  provid- 
ing for  the  tax  reserve,  the  net  profit  in 
the  1956  period  amounted  to  $179,380  as 
compared  with  $440,868  for  the  previous 
year.  The  figures  for  the  1955  period  in- 
cluded approximately  $527,000  of  income 
from  sale  of  old  negatives,  whereas  no  in- 
come of  this  nature  was  received  in  1956. 


PREVIEW  AT  WILLIAMSBURG 


Talking  it  over  at  a cocktail  reception  following  the  showing  of  "The  Proud  and 
Profane"  at  Williamsburg,  Vo.,  are  George  Seaton,  director  of  the  picture;  E.  J.  Garvin, 
executive  of  Wilbey  Kin cey  circuit,  and  Hap  Halligan,  Williamsburg  theatre  operator. 


Paramount's  latest  release  from  the  emi- 
nently successful  team  of  Perlberg  and  Sea- 
ton— "The  Proud  and  Profane"  — was 
shown  to  the  press  at  a sneak  preview  May 
23  in  Williamsburg,  Virginia.  At  first  glance 
there  may  not  seem  much  connection  be- 
tween the  picture,  a war  romance  laid  in 
New  Caledonia  and  photographed  in  the 
Virgin  Islands,  and  the  colonial  capital  of 
Williamsburg,  restored  in  unbelievable  au- 
thenticity by  the  Rockefellers  and  now  a 
mecca  for  tourists  and  scholars  of  Amer- 
icana. 

But  there  is  a connection — George  Sea- 


ton, writer  and  director  half  of  the  team 
is  shooting  a documentary  picture  "Life  in 
Williamsburg,"  to  be  shown  exclusively  in 
the  uniquely  designed  new  theatre  which 
is  part  of  the  restoration.  And  Mr.  Seaton, 
between  takes  of  that  picture,  was  a gra- 
cious host  to  the  press  and  the  townspeople 
of  Williamsburg.  Thelma  Ritter,  supporting 
star  of  "The  Proud  and  Profane"  was  along 
too  to  the  delight  of  the  audience  in  Hap 
Halligan's  Williamsburg  theatre. 

The  picture  is  reviewed  in  this  week's 
Product  Digest  where  it  will  be  found  on 
page  92  I . 


" King  and  V Premiere 
In  New  York  June  23 

The  gala  world  premiere  of  “The  King 
and  I,”  20th  Century-Fox’s  second  produc- 
tion in  the  CinemaScope  55  process,  will  be 
held  June  28  at  the  Roxy  theatre  in  New 
York  as  a benefit  performance  for  the  Police 
Athletic  League,  it  is  announced  by  Spyros 
P.  Skouras,  president  of  the  company. 
Charles  Brackett  produced  and  Walter  Lang 
directed  the  film  in  De  Luxe  color. 


United  Artists  Releases 
Five  Films  in  June 

United  Artists  has  set  “A  Kiss  Before 
Dying,”  “Nightmare,”  “The  Black  Sleep,” 
“Shadow  of  Fear”  and  “Star  of  India”  for 
national  release  in  June,  it  is  announced  by 
William  J.  Heineman,  vice-president  in 
charge  of  distribution.  The  re-release  of 
“High  Noon,”  a 1952  feature  starring  Gary 
Cooper,  has  also  been  announced  for  June. 


Legion  Approves  Six 
Of  Nine  Productions 

Of  the  nine  productions  reviewed  last 
week  by  the  National  Legion  of  Decency, 
three  have  been  put  in  Class  A.  Section  I, 
morally  unobjectionable  for  general  patron- 
age; three  in  Class  A,  Section  II  as  morally 
unobjectionable  for  adults;  two  in  Class  B, 
morally  objectionable  in  part  for  all,  and  one 
in  Class  C,  condemned.  In  Section  I are 
“The  Animal  World,”  “The  Maverick 
Queen”  and  “Zanzabuku.”  In  Section  II 
are  “Godzilla,  King  of  the  Monsters,”  “The 
Rawhide  Years”  and  “The  Werewolf.”  In 
Class  B are  “Hilda  Crane”  because  it  “re- 
flects and  tends  to  justify  the  acceptability  of 
divorce;  it  lacks  sufficient  moral  balance  to 
offset  the  rationalization  of  wrongdoing,” 
and  “Too  Bad  She’s  Bad,”  because  of  “sug- 
gestive costuming,  dialogue  and  situations.” 
In  Class  C is  “Rosanna”  because  “the  story 
it  tells  flounts  Christian  and  traditional 
standards  of  morality  and  decency.  More- 
over, it  contains  grossly  indecent  costuming.” 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  JUNE  2,  1956 


21 


Directed  by 

ALFRED  HITCHCOCK 

Screenplay  by 

JOHN  MICHAEL  HAYES 

Based  on  a Story  by  Charles  Bennett 
and  D.  B.  Wyndham-Le wis 


COLOR  BY 

TECHNICOLOR 


A Paramount  Picture 


JAMES 

STEWART 

DORIS 

DAY 


THE  MAN  WHO 

KNEW  TOO 

MUCH 


The  nation’s  new  boxoffice  champion  “takes  over 
No.  1 position  with  whopping  trade!”  reports  Variety’s 
coast-to- coast  survey.  And  Variety  headlines 
it  the  leader  in  key  city  after  key  city:  “Socko- 
St.  Louis!”  “Boffo-Philadelphia!”  “Huge- Boston!” 
“Whopping-Chicago!”  “Stand-out-Buffalo!” 

“Great- Pittsburgh!”  And  “A  Smash  at  the 
New  York  Paramount  where  it’s  in  for  long  run!” 


STANDARDIZE, 
GREGG  URGES 


. . . Head  of  Westrex,  in  London, 
sees  need  for  all  elements  of 
industry  to  pay  share  of  cost 
and  for  technical  agreement 

by  PETER  BURNUP 

LONDON : Eugene  Gregg,  president  of 
Westrex,  had  some  salutary  comments  to 
offer  industry  leaders  here  when  he  arrived 
last  week  on  one  of  his  periodic  tours.  “It’s 
time  other  sections  of  the  industry  bore 
their  share  of  the  cost  of  the  immense  ex- 
periments the  studios  have  undertaken  in 
behalf  of  the  industry’s  expansion,”  he  said. 

Mr.  Gregg  was  referring  to  the  upsurge 
of  eagerness  sparked  off  by  Cinerama, 
CinemaScope  and  VistaVision.  He  sees 
what  he  calls  an  inspiring  stirring  of  thought 
among  Hollywood  engineers  but  questions 
whether  exhibitors  are  appreciative  thereof. 

Must  Hold  Balance 

Mr.  Gregg  feels  the  time  is  coming  when 
Hollywood,  in  association  with  the  other 
branches,  must  'standardize  the  currently 
rivaling  processes ; but  not  at  the  expense 
of  halting  imaginative  experimentation. 

“We  have  to  maintain  a nice  balance 
between  expediency  and  experimentation,” 
he  said.  Nevertheless,  the  Westrex  chief 
maintains,  some  degree  of  standardization  is 
urgently  necessary  in  regard,  for  example, 
to  optical  sound  tracks  vis-a-vis  magnetic 
tracks. 

He  said  one  thing  remains  crystal  clear 
in  all  the  current  confusion,  that  the  35mm 
standard  for  projection  prints  will  continue 
in  ordinary  cinemas.  The  bigger  negative 
as  in  the  case  of  CinemaScope  55,  will  con- 
tinue as  a “studio-tool”  only.  Like  all  the 
other  devices  evolved,  it  is  designed  to 
inject  a greater  maximum  of  “picture  in- 
formation” into  the  35mm  projection  print, 
Mr.  Gregg  said. 

Sees  Drive-in  Need 

Wide  projection  prints  may  become  neces- 
sary ultimately  for  drive-in  shows  utilizing 
screens  spreading  out  to  as  far  as  160  feet, 
or  for  road  shows;  although,  Mr.  Gregg 
says,  promoters  of  the  latter  may  find  their 
projects  impracticable  and  the  studios  may 
well  find  the  former  an  uneconomic  outlet 
for  55mm  or  70mm  projection  prints. 

He  concedes  that  the  present  confusion  of 
Hollywood  thought  in  regard  to  negative 
dimensions  may  not  only  bewilder  exhibitors 
but  be  an  additional  alibi  for  the  latter’s 
cautious  attitude  toward  whatever  further 
investment  in  equipment  may  await  them. 
But  Mr.  Gregg  pins  his  faith  on  the  con- 
tinuation of  the  35mm  standard. 

Mr.  Gregg  questions  whether  the  “real 


stuff”  a studio  puts  into  a negative  gets 
over  in  many  cases  to  the  box  office  cus- 
tomer. He  feels  that  too  many  theatre  men 
have  an  easy-come-easy-go  attitude  toward 
developments  in  studio  techniques ; as  though 
they  were  not  their  concern.  And,  fre- 
quently, as  he  thinks,  the  projectionist  is  as 
much  to  blame  as  the  theatre  owner.  The 
operator  in  the  box  is  disposed  to  slacken 
off,  he  says.  He  doesn’t  realize  how  much 
heartache  and  enterprise  has  gone  into  the 
product  which  he  casually  handles. 

Mr.  Gregg  confesses  that  he  has  no  ex- 
perience of  the  Rank  Precision  Engineers’ 
Projectomatic  device,  although  he  proposes 
examining  it  during  his  stay  here.  But  he 
maintains  that  the  ultimate  responsibility 
must  still  depend  on  the  zeal  and  zest  put 
into  his  job  by  the  projectionist. 

NATKE  ANNUAL  MEET 
SET  FOR  EDINBURGH 

Returned  from  his  American  trip  as  one 
of  London’s  Variety  Club  emissaries,  Sir 
Tom  O’Brien  faces  immediately  the  annual 
conference  of  his  NATKE  in  Edinburgh. 
Overt  highlight  of  the  deliberations  will  be 
a six-point  resolution  concerned  with  the 
future  of  the  British  production  industry. 

Proposed  by  NATKE  representatives 
from  the  British  Lion  and,  by  so  much, 
Governmentally  owned  Shepperton  Studio, 
the  resolution  runs : “If  British  film  pro- 
duction is  to  continue  as  a medium  of  ex- 
pression and  entertainment  there  must  be 

1.  A drastic  reduction  in  Entertainment 
Tax  paid  on  all  cinema  seats; 


FOUR  BRITISH  CIRCUITS 
RAISE  TICKET  PRICE 

LONDON:  Four  major  British  cir- 

cuits announced  this  week  that  due  to 
their  increased  operating  costs  and 
the  Government's  decision  against 
reduction  in  the  entertainment  tax, 
they  were  compelled  to  increase  the 
seat  prices  in  certain  cinemas,  effec- 
tive June  25.  The  circuits  are 
Associated  British  Cinemas,  Rank's 
Circuits  Management  Association, 
Essoldo  and  Granada  Theatres.  The 
main  increases  range  from  six  pence 
on  one-shilling  seats  to  four  pence  on 
three  shilling,  two  penny  seats.  In 
making  the  announcement  the  circuits 
pointed  out  that  entertainment  tax 
still  is  taking  31.5  per  cent  or  £33,- 
425,000  of  gross  cinema  receipts.  The 
industry  continues  hopeful  of  getting 
some  tax  relief  in  later  stages  of  the 
Finance  Bill. 


2.  A high  percentage  of  this  saving  to 
go  to  film  production; 

3.  The  continuation  of  the  National  Film 
Finance  Corporation  with  a larger  sum 
available  to  British  producers ; 

4.  High-level  talks  with  American  and 
other  interests  with  a view  to  a more 
equitable  showing  of  British  films 
abroad.” 

Has  His  Approval 

Although  Sir  Tom  as  general  secretary 
of  the  Union  can  have  no  official  hand  in 
the  drafting  of  the  resolutions  presented  to 
his  Conference,  it  is  generally  accepted  that 
the  references  in  the  resolution  to  the  par- 
ticipation of  American-financed  films  in 
Eady  bonuses  and  to  the  “more  equitable 
showing  of  British  films  abroad”  have  his 
benisons.  He  has  been  talking  in  that  sense 
to  responsible  Americans  for  some  time. 

Richard  F.  Walsh,  president  of  the 
IATSE,  is  attending  the  conference  as  a 
fraternal  delegate  at  Sir  Tom’s  invitation. 
Eric  Johnston,  as  reported  last  week,  arrives 
here  in  mid-June  for  what  MPA’s  London 
office  describes  as  “economic  and  diplomatic 
consultations.” 

Both  Mr.  Walsh  and  Mr.  Johnston  will 
undoubtedly  be  primarily  concerned  — al- 
though from  different  angles — with  develop- 
ments which  threaten  to  embitter  Anglo- 
American  film  relations ; one,  the  growing 
number  of  American  pictures  here  and  the 
other,  that  old  allegation  that  American  in- 
terests wilfully  obstruct  screenings  of  Brit- 
ish pictures  in  the  U.  S.  Sir  Tom  has 
raised  both  points  forcefully  in  the  U.  S. 
He  will  continue  his  representations  to 
Americans  here. 


First  Cinemiracle  Film 
Set  To  Start  Soon 

Production  of  the  first  Cinemiracle  fea- 
ture, a musical,  is  expected  to  commence 
late  in  June  or  early  in  July  at  a Bronx 
theatre  leased  by  the  producer.  Under  an 
agreement  between  Louis  deRochemont  and 
National  Theatres,  Mr.  deRochemont  will 
produce  five  films,  including  the  initial 
Cinemiracle  feature,  and  one  each  year 
thereafter  until  1961,  all  of  which  will  be 
distributed  by  National.  Mr.  deRochemont 
will  produce  the  musical,  while  Bill  Col- 
leran  of  “The  Hit  Parade”  will  direct.  A 
spokesman  for  Mr.  deRochemont  said  the 
Mount  Eden  theatre  in  the  Bronx  is  cur- 
rently being  renovated  for  production  pur- 
poses. National  Theatres  will  produce  16 
films  in  the  new  process  over  a five-and-a- 
half-year  period,  with  preemptive  rights  to 
its  own  theatres. 


Winnipeg  Board  Elects 

WINNIPEG,  MANITOBA:  S.  Pearlman 
has  been  elected  president  of  the  Winnipeg 
Film  Board  for  1956,  the  group  has  an- 
nounced. Other  new  officers  are : B.  Meyers, 
vice-president;  L.  Norrie,  secretary;  F. 
Davis,  fire  marshal,  and  S.  McQuav,  as- 
sistant fire  marshal. 


24 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  JUNE  2,  1956 


FEATURE  REVIEW 

The  Eddy  Duchin  Story 

Columbia — Biography  with  Music 

( Color  by  Technicolor ) 

Producer  Jerry  Wald  threw  away  the  book  of  precedent  and  scrapped  the  formula 
of  convenience  when  he  set  out  to  film  the  life  and  death  of  Eddy  Duchin.  That  is 
not  to  say  that  he  sacrificed  glamor  and  glitter,  for  the  Duchin  career  was  surrounded 
by  them,  but  the  producer  didn’t  gild  the  musician’s  personality  nor  coat  his  faults 
with  fiction.  Producer  Wald  simply  told  frankly  and  well  the  life  story  of  a piano 
player  the  world  loved  to  listen  to.  And  the  straight  life  story,  as  told  by  Producer 
Wald,  in  CinemaScope  with  color  by  Technicolor,  is  a picture  the  world  is  sure  to 
relish  and  to  reward  with  profitable  patronage. 


The  supremely  competent  cast  assembled 
by  the  producer  is  headed  by  Tyrone  Power 
as  Duchin,  Kim  Novak  as  his  first  wife, 
James  Whitmore  as  his  manager,  and  Vic- 
toria Shaw,  a newcomer  to  American  films, 
as  his  second  wife.  The  Power  performance 
is  his  best  of  recent  years,  Miss  Novak’s 
is  totally  different  from  any  she’s  turned  in 
heretofore,  Whitmore’s  is  a solid  addition  to 
his  long  line  of  expert  portrayals,  and  Miss 
Shaw’s  establishes  her  at  once  as  a top- 
flight screen  personality.  (Rex  Thompson, 
as  Duchin  aged  12,  Mickey  Maga,  as  Duchin 
aged  five,  and  Warren  Hsieh  as  a wordless 
war  waif  with  a keen  ear  for  rhythm,  con- 
tribute effectively  to  the  illusion.) 

George  Sidney’s  direction  of  the  widely 
varied  materials  in  hand  is  masterly.  Pos- 
sibly it  attains  its  peak  of  artistry  in  the 
handling  of  the  hospital-room  sequence  in 
which  Duchin’s  wife  dies.  At  the  other  ex- 
treme, it  touches  a high  mark  in  the  scene 
where  Duchin,  playing  a shattered  piano  in 
a bombed  shack,  is  joined  at  the  battered 
keyboard  by  a native  boy  who  joins  him  in 
an  impromptu  duet  that  sent  a preview  audi- 
ence into  appreciative  applause.  It’s  excel- 
lent throughout. 

Producer  Wald,  Director  Sidney,  Actor 
Power  and  everybody  concerned  share 
credit,  doubtless,  for  the  astonishingly  suc- 
cessful handling  of  the  music  side,  which 
encompasses  the  seeming  performance  by 
Power  of  the  piano  score  in  renditions, 
orchestral  and  solo,  of  20  of  the  song  hits 


of  the  triple  decade — 1920-1950 — of  the 
Duchin  fame.  Although  the  preliminary 
credit  make  it  plain  to  the  audience  that  the 
piano  they  hear  is  played  off-screen  by  Car- 
men Cavallaro,  the  camera  powerfully  con- 
tradicts this  information  as  it  follows 
Power’s  hands  through  the  closest  approach 
to  perfect  dubbing  ever  seen  on  a screen. 
Morris  Stoloff’s  musical  conducting  is  out- 
standing in  these  and  all  other  facets. 

The  script  by  Samuel  Taylor,  based  on  a 
story  by  Leo  Katcher,  opens  in  the  early 
20s  with  Duchin’s  arrival  in  New  York  and 
his  meeting  with  Leo  Reisman,  whose  or- 
chestra he  joins,  and  Marjorie  Oelrichs 
(Kim  Novak)  whom  he  marries.  It  fol- 
lows Duchin  on  his  swift  flight  to  fame, 
on  to  the  birth  of  his  son  and  the  death  of 
his  wife,  then  through  the  years  of  touring 
and  of  war  that  bring  him  back  to  New 
York  and  his  son,  and  finally  to  his  death 
in  1951.  The  incidents  and  events  of  the 
Duchin  career  are  too  well  known  to  re- 
quire detailed  synopsis. 

The  Wald  treatment  of  the  subject  does 
not  glorify  Duchin.  It  presents  him  as  a 
musician  whose  life  contained  high  points 
of  professional  success  and  deep  personal 
despairs.  It  is  a picture  for  everybody. 

Previezved  at  the  Warner  Beverly  theatre  to 
an  audience  of  public,  press  and  profession 
which  applauded  spontaneously  during  as  well 
as  after.  Reviewer’s  Rating:  Excellent. — Wil- 
liam R.  Weaver. 

Release  date.  July,  1956.  Running-  time,  123  minutes. 
PCA  No.  17752.  General  audience  classification. 


Tyrone  Power  as  Eddy  Duchin  at  the  piano  with  Kim  Novak  and  James  Whitmore 
looking  on,  in  Columbia's  "The  Eddy  Duchin  Story." 


Japs  Boost 
Remittance 
Rate  to  U.S. 

WASHINGTON : The  remittance  rate  for 
film  earnings  in  Japan  has  been  increased, 
according  to  Nathan  D.  Golden,  Commerce 
Department  film  chief. 

Mr.  Golden  said  that  for  United  States 
films  imported  under  a percentage  rental 
system,  the  remittance  has  been  boosted 
from  19  per  cent  in  1955  to  25  per  cent 
this  year  on  films  where  the  non-resident’s 
share  is  not  more  than  60  per  cent,  and 
from  14  per  cent  last  year  to  22  per  cent 
this  year  when  the  non-resident’s  share  is 
over  60  per  cent.  The  Ministry  of  Finance 
is  also  considering  means  by  which  present- 
ly-blocked yen  profits  may  be  remitted,  Mr. 
Golden  stated. 

For  the  year  ending  March  31,  1957,  a 
quota  of  164  foreign  film  imports  has  been 
set  by  the  Japanese  Government,  Mr. 
Golden  reported.  Of  these,  122  will  be  al- 
located on  a global  basis  and  the  other  42 
to  the  non-dollar  area.  The  10  major  U.  S. 
companies  will  get  102.09  films  out  of  the 
global  allocation,  and  11  independent  United 
States  distributors  will  get  19.91  films. 

In  addition,  Mr.  Golden  said,  eight  bonus 
films  will  be  divided  among  companies  im- 
porting the  best  quality  pictures,  and  ex- 
porters of  Japanese  films  will  be  able  to 
import  15  more  foreign  films  on  the  basis 
of  foreign  exchange  earned.  Thus,  the  total 
quota  for  all  features  to  be  imported  will  be 
187.  Newsreel  imports  have  been  set  at  260 
and  short  subjects  at  100. 

Abandon  Cinerama  Plan; 
USIA  Fund  Is  Boosted 

WASHINGTON : The  U.S.  information 
Agency  will  operate  on  a greatly  expanded 
budget  during  the  coming  year,  but  will  not 
be  allowed  to  put  into  effect  its  proposed 
“Floating  Cinerama”  project,  the  agency 
announces.  Both  House  and  Senate  have 
voted  to  increase  substantially  the  agency’s 
appropriations,  but  both  have  specifically 
vetoed  the  proposal  to  show  Cinerama  in 
foreign  ports  on  a demothballed  aircraft 
carrier.  The  Senate  voted  to  give  the  agency 
$115,000,000  of  the  $135,000,000  it  requested 
for  the  year  starting  July  1,  while  the 
House  voted  to  give  it  $110,000,000.  Since 
the  agency  has  only  an  $87,336,630  budget 
this  year,  it  is  now  certain  of  greatly  ex- 
panded operations  next  year. 


Drive-in  Leased 

HARTFORD : The  A.  J.  Bronstein  in- 
terests of  Hartford,  drive-in  developers,  have 
leased  their  East  Hartford  Family  drive-in 
theatre  on  Route  5 to  Lockwood  & Gordon 
Theatres.  Financial  details  of  the  long-term 
transaction  were  not  disclosed.  The  650-car 
capacity  theatre  was  built  in  1954 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  JUNE  2,  1956 


25 


r 


NOT  SINCE 
“GOING  MY  WAY” 
HAS  A PICTURE 
WITH  SUCH 
WARM  APPEAL 
COME  YOUR 
BOXOFFICE  WAY! 


Paramount  presents 


_ PAUL  _ JOHN 

Douglas  Derek 


The  Lea 


ERNEST  TRUEX  (( 

with  Produced  by  Direc 

RICKY  VERA  • NORMAN  RETChIN  • ALV 


II 


Ask  your  Paramount 
branch  manager  to 
screen  for  you  this  truly 
terrific  attraction  that  the 
whole  family  will  love! 
Keep  your  eye  on  the 
business  at  its  World 
Premiere  Engagement 
at  New  York’s  Globe 
Theatre.  You’ll  be  glad 
you  had  the  foresight  to 
grab  yourself  an  early 
summer  date! 


A picture 
to  be 

remembered 
. . . about  a 
guy  you’ll 
never  forget ! 


. JODY 

LAWRANCE 


_ CESAR 

Romero 


arring 


RICHARD  SHANNON 

!■  i Story  and  Screenplay  by 

:ANZER  • NORMAN  RETCHIN  and  ALVIN  GANZER 


Columbia  to 
Bach  British 
Production 

Columbia  Pictures  International  plans  to 
invest  about  $12,000,000  on  the  production 
of  16  British  motion  pictures,  some  of  them 
involving  American  talent,  during  the  fiscal 
year  beginning  June  1,  M.  J.  Frankovich, 
managing  director  in  Great  Britain,  has 
announced.  Mr.  Frankovich  added  that  pro- 
duction deals  have  been  definitely  closed  .for 
12  films  with  British  producers,  and  that  the 
minimum  outlay  for  the  16  films  would  be 
£3.000.000  (about  $9,000,000)  but  the  utili- 
zation of  American  stars,  directors  and  pro- 
ducers in  some  of  these  16  films  would  add 
another  $3,000,000  to  the  production  invest- 
ment. 

All  16  British  films  are  slated  for  the 
international  market,  Mr.  Frankovich  said, 
adding  that  for  the  massive  production  pro- 
gram. Columbia  has  been  forced  to  increase 
its  London  studio  space  and  is  currently 
shooting  at  three  studios  there.  The  pro- 
gram has  also  necessitated  the  formation  of 
talent,  story  and  research  departments. 

Mr.  Frankovich,  in  New  York  for  confer- 
ences at  the  Columbia  home  office,  said  the 
British  film  industry  has  appointed  a com- 
mittee, headed  by  Robert  Clark  of  Associ- 
ated British  Cinema,  to  investigate  ways  of 
working  more  closely  with  the  television 
industry  “instead  of  fighting  it.”  He  said 
that  the  TV  problem  in  England  is  analyzed 
and  examined  and  discussed  much  more  than 
it  is  in  the  United  States,  and  added  that 
British  commercial  TV  is  in  the  same  stages 
that  TV  was  in  the  United  States  three 
years  ago. 

Mr.  Frankovich  predicted  that  ultimately 
the  British  film  industry  “will  all  but  con- 
trol” British  TV  and  will  have  a “unified 
policy  as  to  what  would  be  given  to  TV  for 
programming  sq  that  there  would  be  no 
more  impact  on  box  office  grosses.”  He  said 
that  many  British  theatre  circuits  now  have 
big  interests  in  TV. 

Skinner  Named  to  Head 
"Thrillarama"  Engineers 

With  the  completion  of  the  first  25  spe- 
cial Thrillarama  equipment  units,  A1  Rey- 
nolds, president  of  Thrillarama  Produc- 
tions, Inc.,  has  announced  the  appointment 
of  J.  C.  Skinner  to  head  a nationwide  staff 
of  engineers  assigned  to  “Thrillarama  Ad- 
venture.” Mr.  Skinner  is  chief  engineer  for 
Sterling  Sales  & Service  Co.,  a subsidiary 
of  Interstate  Circuit,  Inc.,  of  Dallas.  Mr. 
Skinner  and  J.  H.  Davis,  another  Sterling 
Sales  and  Service  engineer,  have  been 
closely  associated  with  the  Thrillarama 
process  since  the  early  stages  of  its  develop- 
ment. Both  Mr.  Skinner  and  Mr.  Davis 
were  responsible  for  all  technical  develop- 
ments apart  from  the  special  cameras, 
which  were  designed  by  R.  G.  Wolff  Pro- 
ductions, Inc. 


THE  WINNERS  CIRCLE 

Pictures  which  were  reported  as  doing  above  average  business  in  key  cities  of  the 
nation  for  the  week  ended  May  26  were: 


Albany:  The  Revolt  of  Mamie  Stover 
(20th-Fox) ; Touch  and  Go  (U-I). 

Atlanta:  Bhowani  Junction  (MGM)  2nd 
week;  The  Harder  They  Fall  (Col.) ; 
Jubal  (Col.);  Maverick  Queen  (Rep.). 

Boston:  Alexander  THE  Great  (U.A.)  ; 

The  Man  Who  Knew  Too  Much  (Par.) ; 
Return  of  Don  Camillo  (IFE). 

Buffalo:  Bhowani  Junction  (MGM)  2nd 
week;  The  Man  Who  Knew  Too  Much 
(Par.)  2nd  week;  The  Searchers  (W.B.) 
2nd  week;  23  Paces  to  Baker  Street 
(20th-Fox) . 

Chicago:  Apache  Ambush  (Col.)  2nd 

week;  Jubal  (Col.)  3rd  week;  Madame 
Butterfly  (IFE)  2nd  week;  The  Man 
Who  Knew  Too  Much  (Par.)  2nd  week; 
Meet  Me  in  Las  Vegas  (MGM)  6th 
week;  Tribute  to  a Bad  Man  (MGM) 
2nd  week. 

Cleveland:  The  Searchers  (W.B.). 

Columbus:  Alexander  the  Great  (U.A.). 

Denver:  Birds  and  the  Bees  (Par.)  2nd 
week;  Doctor  at  Sea  (Rep.)  ; Great  Day 
in  the  Morning  (RKO)  ; Night  My 
Number  Came  Up  (Cont.)  2nd  week; 
The  Revolt  of  Mamie  Stover  (20th- 
Fox)  2nd  week. 

Des  Moines:  The  Man  Who  Knew  Too 
Much  (Par.). 

Detroit:  Alexander  the  Great  (U.A.)  3rd 
week;  Meet  Me  in  Las  Vegas  (MGM); 
The  Searchers  (W.B.). 

Hartford:  Alexander  the  Great  (U.A.) 
2nd  week;  Cockleshell  Heroes  (Col.); 
Diabolique  (UMPO)  5th  week;  Man  in 
the  Gray  Flannel  Suit  (20th-Fox)  5th 
week;  The  Revolt  of  Mamie  Stover 
(20th-Fox) ; Slightly  Scarlet  (RKO). 

Indianapolis:  The  Man  Who  Knew  Too 
Much  (Par.). 

Jacksonville:  Cockleshell  Heroes  (Col.); 
The  Revolt  of  Mamie  Stover  (20th- 
Fox) ; The  Searchers  (W.B.). 


Kansas  City:  Alexander  the  Great 

(U.A.)  ; Gaby  (MGM)  4th  week;  The 
Ladykillers  (Cont.)  2nd  week. 

Memphis:  Alexander  the  Great  (U.A.) ; 
The  Revolt  of  Mamie  Stover  (20th- 
Fox) . 

Miami:  Cockleshell  Heroes  (Col.). 

Milwaukee:  Alexander  the  Great  (U.A.) 
3rd  week;  Birds  and  the  Bees  (Par.) 
2nd  week. 

Minneapolis:  Cockleshell  Heroes  (Col.). 

New  Orleans:  Birds  and  the  Bees  (Par.)  ; 
Bold  and  the  Brave  (RKO) ; Gaby 
(MGM) ; Rock  Around  the  Clock 
(Col.) ; Tribute  to  a Bad  Man  (MGM). 

Oklahoma  City:  Alexander  the  Great 

(U.A.)  2nd  week;  Birds  and  the  Bees 
(Par.)  3rd  week;  The  Rack  (MGM); 
The  Revolt  of  Mamie  Stover  (20th- 
Fox)  2nd  week;  World  Without  End 
( A.A.) 

Philadelphia:  Alexander  the  Great  (U.A.) 
3rd  week;  Gaby  (MGM);  Jubal  (Col.); 
Man  in  the  Gray  Flannel  Suit  (20th- 
Fox)  5th  week;  The  Man  Who  Knew 
Too  Much  (Par.);  The  Revolt  of 
Mamie  Stover  (20th-Fox). 

Pittsburgh:  Doctor  at  Sea  (Rep.)  2nd 

week;  The  Ladykillers  (Cont.)  3rd 
week;  The  Man  Who  Knew  Too  Much 
(Par.)  3rd  week. 

Portland:  Birds  and  the  Bees  (Par.)  2nd 
week;  The  Revolt  of  Mamie  Stover 
(20th-Fox)  2nd  week. 

Toronto:  Alexander  the  Great  (U.A.) 

2nd  week;  The  Harder  They  Fall 
(Col.)  ; The  Ladykillers  (Cont.)  9th 
week;  Man  in  the  Gray  Flannel  Suit 
(20th-Fox)  2nd  week;  Oklahoma 
(Magna) . 

Vancouver:  Day  the  World  Ended  (Amer. 
Rslg.) ; Jubal  (Col.). 

Washington:  Meet  Me  in  Las  Vegas 

(MGM)  3rd  week;  Picnic  (Col.)  14th 
week;  The  Revolt  of  Mamie  Stover 
(20th-Fox)  2nd  week. 


Dr.  Bowen , New  York 
Film  Censor,  Dies 

ALBANY : Dr.  Ward  C.  Bowen,  64,  twice 
acting  director  of  the  Motion  Picture  Divi- 
sion, State  Education  Department,  died  here 
May  22.  He  first  served  as  acting  chief 
censor  in  1946-1949,  and  again  following 
Dr.  Hugh  M.  Flick’s  promotion  to  executive 
assistant  to  the  education  commissioner. 
Last  September,  Dr.  Bowen  was  acting  di- 
rector when  “The  Man  with  the  Golden 
Arm”  was  licensed.  He  retired  from  the 
Motion  Picture  Division  assignment  last 
January  after  suffering  a heart  attack.  Re- 


cently he  had  been  working  part  time  at 
his  regular  position,  chief  of  the  depart- 
ment’s bureau  of  visual  aids.  He  was  with 
the  Education  Department  35  years,  and  was 
a graduate  of  Oberlin  College.  Surviving 
him  are  his  wife,  son,  daughter  and  two 
brothers. 


Wilford  C.  Wilson 

MINNEAPOLIS:  Wilford  C.  Wilson,  60, 
director  of  real  estate  for  Minnesota  Amuse- 
ment Co.,  died  here  May  21.  He  had  been 
with  the  circuit  39  years  and  director  of  real 
estate  for  20  years.  Survivors  are  his  wife, 
Elsa  E.,  and  three  grandchildren. 


28 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  JUNE  2,  1956 


Illlllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll 


THIS  WEEK  IN 
PRODUCTION: 


^ JJ'oKuwood  Sc 


y cene 


STARTED  (3) 

UNITED  ARTISTS 

The  King  and  Four 
Queens  (Russ-Field 
Prod.;  Color) 

COMPLETED  (8) 

COLUMBIA 

Cha,  Cha,  Cha 
The  White  Squaw 

MGM 

A Man  Is  Ten  Feet  Tall 
(Jonathan  Prod.) 

The  Opposite  Sex 
( CinemaScope; 
Eastman  Color) 

PARAMOUNT 

The  Lonely  Man 
( Vista  Vision ) 

SHOOTING  (32) 

ALLIED  ARTISTS 

The  Oklahoman 
(CinemaScope: 

Color) 

The  Cruel  Tower 
Notre  Dame  de  Paris 
(CinemaScope; 
Eastman  Color) 

A- 1 

The  She-Creature 
(Golden  State  Prod.) 

COLUMBIA 

Fire  Down  Below 
(Warwick  Prod.; 
CinemaScope; 
Technicolor) 

Full  of  Life 

MGM 

The  Power  and  the  Prize 
(CinemaScope) 
Barretts  of  Wimpole 
Street  (Cinema- 
Scope; Color) 
Teahouse  of  the  August 
Moon  (Cinema- 
Scope; Color) 

Tea  and  Sympathy 
Raintree  County 
(65mm;  Color) 

PARAMOUNT 

Search  for  Bridey 
Murphy  (Vista- 
Vision) 

Hollywood  or  Bust 
(Vista  Vision; 
Technicolor) 

Funny  Face  (Vista- 
Vision;  Technicolor) 
The  Loves  of  Omar 
Khayyam  (Vista- 
Vision;  Technicolor) 
Three  Violent  People 
(Vista  Vision: 
Technicolor) 

(formerly  "The 
Maverick") 


Dance  with  Me  Henry 
( Bob  Goldstein) 

Mark  of  the  Apache 
(Bel-Air  Prod.) 


UNITED  ARTISTS 

Five  Steps  to  Terror 
(Grand  Prod.) 

U-l 

I've  Lived  Before 
Four  Bright  Girls 
( CinemaScope: 
Technicolor) 


Gunfight  at  OK  Corral 
( VistaVision; 
Technicolor) 

RKO  RADIO 

Public  Pigeon  Number 
One  (Eastman  Color) 

20TH-FOX 

Best  Things  in  Life  Are 
Free  (CinemaScope; 
De  Luxe  Color) 

The  Last  Wagon 
( CinemaScope; 

De  Luxe  Color) 

One  in  a Million 
(CinemaScope; 

De  Luxe  Color) 

Bus  Stop 

(CinemaScope; 

De  Luxe  Color) 

The  Day  the  Century 
Ended (CinemaScope; 
De  Luxe  Color) 

UNITED  ARTISTS 

The  Big  Boodle 
(Lewis  Blumberg 
Prod.) 

Fort  Laramie 
(Bel-Air  Prod.) 

Pride  and  the  Passion 
( Kramer  Prod.; 
VistaVision; 
Technicolor) 

U-l 

The  Incredible  Shrinking 
Man 

Mister  Cory 
(Technicolor) 

Tammy  (CinemaScope; 
Technicolor) 

WARNER  BROS. 

The  Girl  He  Left  Behind 
The  Old  Man  and  the 
Sea  ( WarnerColor) 
The  Wrong  Man 
(Alfred  Hitchcock 
Prod.) 


iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiimi 


44 Good  Old  Days  ” in  Queensland 


Hollywood , midweek 

Esteemed  Editor: 

Exhibitors  wishful  for  a return  to  the 
“good  old  days”  when  the  motion  picture 
theatre  had  the  world  of  entertainment  all 
to  itself  in  most  centers  of  population, 
would  have  been  tempted  to  pull  up  stakes 
and  set  sail  after  a chat  last  week  with 
Here  McIntyre,  Universal  - International 
managing  director  of  Australasia,  who’d 
come  this  long  way  from  his  headquarters 
in  Brisbane  to  attend  his  company’s  Global 
Conference  and  is  now  en  route  home  via 
Europe.  For  Here  McIntyre  knows  a place 
where  the  “good  old  days”  still  prevail.  The 
place  is  Queensland. 

Mr.  McIntyre,  who  wears  his  38  years 
of  Universal  service  lightly,  brought  along 
with  him  to  the  studio  gathering  of  world- 
wide representatives  a map  of  Queensland 
and  an  album  of  photographs.  The  photo- 
graphs were  informal  snaps  of  Queensland 
theatres  in  the  category  that  would  be 
called  “subsequents”  in  the  United  States, 
and  the  map  traced,  in  color  crayon,  the 
routes  of  the  railroads  that  serve  Queens- 
land. It  is  along  the  routes  of  the  three 
principal  railroads  that  the  “good  old  days” 
and  their  theatres  still  prevail. 

A Single  Exchange 

The  single  film  exchange  in  Queensland 
is  located  in  Brisbane,  and  it  functions  much 
as  any  other  film  exchange  functions.  But 
there  is  one  important  difference.  The  film 
is  not  returned  to  the  exchange  for  in- 
spection after  each  engagement.  It  is  in- 
spected and  serviced  by  the  exhibitors  that 
play  it,  in  the  succession  of  their  playdates, 
which  is,  of  course,  the  succession  of  their 
locations  along  the  railroads  that  serve 
them.  One  of  the  railroads  runs  leisurely 
from  Brisbane  to  a point  621  miles  inland; 
a film  placed  aboard  the  baggage  car  in 
Brisbane  doesn’t  get  back  to  the  exchange 
for  30  weeks ; in  that  time  it  has  been  played 
by  30  exhibitors  in  30  towns  along  the  way, 
with  each  exhibitor  making  sure  (in  a sort 
of  Scouts’  honor  agreement)  that  the  next 
one  who  receives  it  will  find  it  in  perfect 
condition  for  screening. 

Another  line  running  inland  from  the 
Brisbane  railhead  travels  1,500  miles,  keep- 
ing a print  on  the  move  for  71  weeks  before 
it  arrives  back  at  the  exchange.  Another 
runs  1,150  miles,  keeping  a print  on  the 
road  74  weeks.  (The  system  averages  out 
at  approximately  a week  to  a town,  but 
this  doesn’t  mean  it  plays  a week  in  each ; 
a week  is  closer  to  the  case.) 

The  flat  rental  policy  is  general,  naturally, 
since  the  potentials  are  fairly  well  defined, 


but  the  company  does  cover  the  territory 
regularly  by  salesmen  who  travel  by  motor. 
These  gentlemen  maintain  watch  for  sud- 
den shifts  in  population— as  when  a new 
mine  is  opened,  or  other  bulges  in  employ- 
ment occur — and  adjust  the  rental  levels  ac- 
cordingly. 

In  quiet  Queensland,  according  to  Mr. 
McIntyre,  the  “good  old  days”  drowse  on, 
happily,  prosperously,  and  the  motion  pic- 
ture business  is  as  it  was  so  long  and  so 
profitably  everywhere  else.  But  a closing 
question  brings  a familiar  answer.  You 
ask  him,  “Have  you  got  television  yet?” 
and  he  says,  “No — it  begins  in  November — 
but  we  think  good  product,  like  the  pic- 
tures I’ve  been  seeing  here,  and  good  show- 
manship, such  as  we  practice  in  Australia, 
will  take  care  of  TV  competition  satisfac- 
torily.” So  you  don’t  pull  up  stakes,  you 
don’t  set  sail,  and  you  don’t  indicate  by  word 
or  gesture  the  slightest  shadow  of  doubt 
that  he  and  the  showmen  who’ve  worked 
with  him  for  38  years  can  do  just  that. 
For  he,  like  the  exhibitors  along  his  rail- 
road lines,  still  lives  the  “good  old  days,” 
and  he  has  six  happy  months  of  them  left. 

— William  R.  Weaver 

• 

HOLLYWOOD  BUREAU 

Three  pictures  were  started  during  the 
week,  all  of  them  for  United  Artists  release. 

Russ-Field  Productions  started  “The  King 
and  Four  Queens,”  with  Robert  Waterfield 
as  producer  and  David  Hempstead  directing 
Clark  Gable,  Eleanor  Parker,  Jo  Van  Fleet, 
Barbara  Nichols  and  Sara  Shane  in  prin- 
cipal roles. 

Bob  Goldstein  Productions  launched 
“Dance  with  Me  Henry,”  with  Goldstein  as 
producer  and  with  Charles  Barton  directing 
co-stars  Bud  Abbott  and  Lou  Costello  atop 
a cast  that  includes  Gigi  Perreau,  Rusty 
Hunter  and  Ron  Hargrave. 

Bel-Air  Productions  began  shooting 
“Mark  of  the  Apache,”  with  Chuck  Connors, 
John  Smith,  Susan  Cummings  and  Lisa 
Montell.  Aubrey  Schenck  is  executive  pro- 
ducer, Howard  W.  Koch  is  producer,  and 
Lesley  Selander  is  directing. 


Brooklyn  Unit  Sold 

The  2,000-seat  theatre  formerly  known  as 
the  Loew’s  Palace,  Brooklyn,  N.  Y.,  has 
been  sold  to  a client  of  Milton  Levitan  of 
Gainsburg,  Gottlieb,  Levitan  and  Cole,  it 
is  announced  by  Berk  and  Krumgold,  thea- 
tre realty  firm.  The  house  is  undergoing 
complete  refurbishing,  including  installation 
of  a new  screen. 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  JUNE  2,  1956 


29 


And  watch  for  20th's  Salute  to  Summer...  THE  KING  AND  I in  the  complete  gra 

MASSACRE...  BUS  STOP  CinemaScoPE  ...  BAREFOOT  BATTALION... THE  QUEEI 


o outstanding  attractions . . . 


Outstanding 
woman's  picture! 

HILDA 
CRANE 


Acd aimed  A 


Wf  MAR  m 


EmaScopE 

Print  by 

technicolor 


IMS 


On 


^MaS 


cope 


C°tOR  b 

deluxe 


Merit  mysterY; 


Exce 


ictore 


a money  P1 


93  pACtS TO 


pns:S* 


O/7/ 


Creo/  /o^e  sfory 


of  //>e 


great  war  I 


D-DAY 

..  the 

SIXTH  OF  JUNE 


— i 


PNemaScopP 

lfe^OLOR  DELUXE  32 


■■ 


cfeur  of  Cinemascope  55...  ABDULLAH’S  HAREM... 
OF  BABYLON. ..THE  LAST  WAGON  CINemaScopE  ! 


British  Offer 
J Subjects 
On  Etnpire 

The  British  Information  Service  is  releas- 
ing five  short  subjects  on  life  in  the  far- 
flung  Commonwealth.  Three  of  the  enter- 
taining and  highly  informative  items  deal 
with  England ; one  with  the  search  for  new 
oil  fields  in  India,  and  one  with  the  Edin- 
burgh Festival  in  Scotland. 

The  first,  “East  Anglian  Holiday,”  of  20 
minutes,  take  the  viewer  on  an  enchanting 
tour,  in  color  by  Technicolor,  of  this  famed 
sector  of  England  from  the  Wash  in  Norfolk 
to  Southwold  in  Suffolk.  The  beauty  of 
today  allies  with  the  historical  fascination  of 
the  past  to  make  a most  worthwhile  subject. 
British  Transport  Films  produced,  Michael 
Clarke  directed  and  the  photography  was  by 
Robert  Paynter.  “London’s  Country,”  18 
minutes,  Technicolor,  also  produced  by 
British  Transport,  was  directed  by  Syd 
Sharpies  with  photography  by  Reg  Hughes 
and  Michael  Currier-Briggs.  Citizens  flee 
the  busy  and  crowded  central  area  of  Lon- 
don for  the  surrounding  area,  which  com- 
bines a wealth  of  interesting  and  historic 
places  with  a countryside  of  great  scenic 
beaut}r.  The  varied  attractions  of  Devon 
and  Cornwall  are  shown  in  the  third  Eng- 
lish subject,  “West  Country  Journey,”  which 
runs  26  minutes.  This  was  produced  by 
British  Transport  and  directed  by  Sharpies. 

Scottish , Indian  Films 

“Festival  in  Edinburgh,”  produced  by  A. 
B.  Pathe,  Ltd.,  for  the  Films  of  Scotland 
Committee  was  photographed  in  Eastman- 
color  and  directed  by  Douglas  Clarke  with 
photography  by  Jo  Jago.  It  offers  a color- 
ful kaleidoscope  of  the  Edinburgh  Festival. 
Various  events  are  covered : stars  arriving, 
the  Diaghilev  Exhibition,  Ann  Todd  and 
Paul  Rogers  playing  “Macbeth,”  “The  Fire- 
bird” danced  by  Margot  Fonteyn  and  Michael 
Somes,  and  finally,  the  precision  of  the 
Military  Tattoo  before  the  great  castle. 

“Jungle  Search,”  with  an  Indian  setting, 
was  produced  by  Rayant  Pictures,  Ltd.,  and 
directed  by  Anthony  Gilkison  with  photogra- 
phy by  William  Pollard.  This  concerns  it- 
self with  the  search  for  oil.  Diagrams  and 
models  are  used  to  explain  the  complicated 
structure  of  the  Digboi  oilfield  in  India 
where,  through  the  years,  almost  a thousand 
wells  have  been  drilled  to  tap  the  oil  from 
strata  at  different  levels  below  the  surface. 
-L.  J.  Q. 


SDG  Reelects  Sidney 

HOLLYWOOD : George  Sidney  has  been 
reelected  president  of  the  Screen  Directors 
Guild  for  his  sixth  term.  Also  elected  were 
Rouben  Mamoulian,  first  vice-president; 
George  Stevens,  second  vice-president; 
H.  C.  Potter,  secretary,  and  Lesley  Selander, 
treasurer. 


Pat  A.  Notaro  has  been  appointed  West 
Coast  zone  manager  for  Stanley  Warner 
theatres,  succeeding  Ben  H.  Waller- 
stein,  deceased,  whom  he  had  assisted. 

Bertram  Block  will  become  associated  in 
an  advisory  capacity  with  Columbia  Pic- 
tures eastern  story  department.  He  was 
recently  20th-Fox  eastern  story  editor. 

Jack  Schachtel  has  been  named  business 
manager  of  Allied  Artists’  home  office  ad- 
vertising department. 

John  Von  Herberg  has  been  made  head 
of  Pacific  Northwest  MCA-TV,  Ltd., 
worldwide  film  syndication  division.  He 
will  direct  the  company’s  activities  in 


Tushinsky  Says  Wide  Screen 
Boosts  World  Attendance 

HOLLYWOOD : Increased  screening  of 
foreign  as  well  as  domestic  films  in  the  new 
wide  screen  techniques  is  creating  a world- 
wide upsurge  in  theatrical  attendance, 
Joseph  Tushinsky,  president  of  Superscope, 
Inc.,  declared  at  a trade  press  conference 
here  recently,  following  his  return  from  a 
six  weeks  tour  of  Europe,  engineering  ex- 
pansion plans  for  the  new  Superscope-235 
anamorphic  printing  process.  “Complete  ac- 
ceptance by  foreign  audiences  of  the  ana- 
morphic prints  which  provide  a 2.35  x 1 
screen  ratio  is  a tremendous  boost  to  the 
over-all  grosses  of  American  films,  and 
European  producers  are  now  converting  on 
a wholesale  scale  to  the  new  screening 
processes,”  Mr.  Tushinsky  said.  He  said 
his  organization  has  contracted  for  approxi- 
mately 30  superscope-235  productions  in  the 
foreign  field  within  the  next  year. 


MARTIN  QUIGLEY  IS 
HONORED  BY  POPE 

Martin  Quigley  this  week  was  ten- 
dered by  His  Eminence  Francis  Cardi- 
nal Spellman,  the  papal  decoration 
"Pro  Ecclesia  et  Pontifice"  which  had 
been  awarded  the  publisher  of  The 
HERALD  by  His  Holiness  Pope  Pius 
XII.  His  Eminence  announced  that 
the  decoration  was  awarded  in  recog- 
nition of  "Mr.  Quigley’s  outstanding 
efforts  in  Catholic  action  and  his 
long-time  devotion  to  the  highest 
ideals  in  American  life  and  living." 
Mr.  Quigley  was  previously  honored 
with  other  Papal  recognitions,  includ- 
ing that  of  the  Knighthood  of  St. 
Gregory  the  Great. 


Portland,  Seattle,  Salt  Lake  City  and 
Denver. 

Jerry  Juros  has  resigned  as  head  of  Para- 
mount’s radio-television  department  and 
will  join  the  Arthur  P.  Jacobs  Company 
as  an  account  executive  in  charge  of 
radio  and  television. 

J.  J.  Chisholm  has  resigned  as  manager 
of  the  Toronto  office  of  Associated  Screen 
News.  He  has  been  very  active  in  the 
Variety  Club  of  Toronto. 

Isabel  Moore  has  been  appointed  editor  of 
Photoplay  magazine,  while  Ann  Higgin- 
botham has  been  advanced  to  editorial 
director  of  the  publication. 


Abe  Platt  Coordinates 
TO  A Convention 

Abe  Platt,  district  manager  for  Balaban 
& Katz’s  theatres  in  Chicago,  has  been  ap- 
pointed convention  coordinator  for  the 
Theatre  Owners  of  America  annual  meet- 
ing at  the  New  York  City  Coliseum  Sept. 
19-25,  it  was  announced  by  the  national  ex- 
hibition association.  The  1956  TO  A con- 
vention will  be  held  in  conjunction  with  the 
annual  meetings  and  trade  show  of  Theatre 
Equipment  and  Supply  Manufacturers  Asso- 
ciation and  the  Concessions  and  Popcorn 
Association.  The  TOA  planning  committee 
reports  that  65  per  cent  of  the  booth  space 
available  already  has  been  sold.  Lester 
Grand,  Popcorn  Association  exhibit  chair- 
man, announced  that  indications  are  that  the 
last  available  space  will  be  sold  before 
July  15. 

Cross  to  Narrate 
Operatic  Films 

A.  W.  Schwalberg,  president  of  Artists- 
Producers  Associates,  Inc.,  has  announced 
the  conclusion  of  a deal  with  Milton  Cross, 
well  known  Metropolitan  Opera  commenta- 
tor and  dean  of  American  Broadcasting 
Company’s  staff  announcers,  to  do  the  in- 
troduction and  narration,  on  film,  for  the 
motion  pictures,  “The  Life  and  Music  of 
Giuseppe  Verdi”  and  “Figaro,  the  Barber 
of  Seville,”  which  his  company  is  releasing. 


Charlotte  WOMPI  Elects 

CHARLOTTE,  N.  C.:  Mrs.  Viola  Lister 
has  been  elected  president  of  the  WOMPI 
Club  here,  the  club  announces.  She  suc- 
ceeds Mrs.  Myrtle  Parker.  Also  elected 
were:  Miss  Nancy  Wilson,  first  vice- 

president;  Mrs.  Billie  Harris,  second  vice- 
president;  Mrs.  Margie  Thomas,  recording 
secretary;  Mrs.  Vera  Ledbetter,  correspond- 
ing secretary,  and  Mrs.  Mildred  Warren, 
treasurer. 


32 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  JUNE  2,  1956 


IN  AFRICA’S  SAVAGE  CITY  OF  OUTCASTS 
THEY  MET  IN  A RENDEZVOUS  WITH 


...each  with  a 
crime  to  flee! 
...each  with  a 
sin  to  hide! 
...each  trapped 
by  the  secret  of 
the  silent  river! 


STARRING 

Virginia  MAYO -George  NADER -Peiioir 

with  MICHAEL  PATE  • REX  INGRAM  - TONIO  SELWART  • Directed  b,  Joseph  pevney 

Screenplay  by  RICHARD  ALAN  SIMMONS -Produced  by  HOWARD  CHRISTIE  • A UNIVERSAL-INTERNATIONAL  PICTURE 


7 %;th/s  is  the  year  of 


rJ^scy  AH  goats 


ALBANY 

A long  Indian  summer  can  counter- 
balance the  extended  cold  spring,  for  area 
drive-ins — owners  in  this  area  believe  and 
hope.  . . . Kallet  Theatres’  operation  of 
the  Olympic  as  another  first  run  in  Utica 
has  brought  booking  changes.  Under  owner- 
ship of  Charles  Gordon,  the  central  down- 
towner played  fresh  20th-Fox  and  Columbia 
product — often  for  extended  runs.  With  its 
acquisition  by  circuit,  the  Olympic  is  screen- 
ing some  first  run  releases  of  other  majors. 
. . . It's  a girl  for  Milt  Levins,  Columbia 
head  booker,  and  Mrs.  Levins.  . . . Steve 
Barbett  has  been  temporarily  assigned  to 
Strand.  Albany,  from  Stanley  Warner 
Broadway  in  Lawrence.  Mass.  . . . Phil 
Harling.  Fabian  home  office  attorney,  was 
in  town  and  among  those  attending  a sneak 
preview  of  “Away  All  Boats”  at  Strand.  . . . 
Fabian's  Palace  closed  a day  in  preparation 
for  the  annual  meeting  of  N.  Y.  Central 
Railroad  shareowners  May  24. 

ATLANTA 

The  Normandy  Twin  Open  Air  theatre, 
Jacksonville,  Fla.,  has  been  completely 
modernized,  reports  manager  Jim  Corey. 
This  drive-in  was  taken  over  by  the  Loew’s 
Theatres  in  June,  1955.  . . . The  Warner 
Park  drive-in,  Nashville,  Tenn.,  with  ca- 
pacity for  700  cars,  will  be  ready  for  open- 
ing in  June.  . . . George  D.  Parselle  is  the 
new  manager  of  the  Largo  theatre,  Largo, 
Fla.,  a unit  of  Floyd  Theatres.  . . . Cliff 
King,  manager  of  the  State  theatre,  Plant 
City,  Fla.,  who  has  been  in  the  hospital  in 
Lakeland.  Fla.,  has  returned  to  his  post  in 
Plant  City.  . . . The  Lyric  theatre,  one  of 
the  oldest  in  Gainesville,  Fla.,  has  closed 
its  doors  to  make  way  for  a new  office  build- 
ing. . . . Steve  Barber,  former  manager  of 
the  Largo  Theatre,  Largo,  has  leased  the 
Ritz  theatre,  Clearwater,  Fla.,  from  Mrs. 
Millie  B.  Lewis.  The  500-seat  house,  closed 
for  over  a year,  will  soon  reopen  with 
CinemaScope  and  all  new  equipment.  . . . 
H.  M.  Abbott,  former  manager  of  theatres 
in  Chattanooga  and  in  McCoysville,  Va., 
has  been  appointed  manager  of  the  Family 
drive-in,  Johnson  City,  Tenn. 

BOSTON 

Embassy  Pictures  Corporation  has  moved 
across  the  street  to  its  new  two-story  build- 
ing at  20  Winchester  Street.  President 
Joseph  E.  Levine  has  left  for  a three-week 
swing  through  the  midwest  to  visit  “God- 
zilla” franchise  holders  in  Pittsburgh,  St. 
Louis,  Chicago,  Detroit,  and  Philadelphia. 
. . . More  than  1,000  cab  drivers  attended 
a midnight  screening  of  “The  Catered  Af- 
fair” at  Loew’s  State  theatre  May  22  under 
the  aegis  of  Floyd  Fitzsimmons,  MGM  pub- 
licist and  Karl  Fasick  of  Loew’s  Theatres. 
“Catered  Affair”  had  a gala  world  premiere 
at  Loew’s  State  and  Orpheum  Theatres, 
May  30.  The  theatres  are  following  up 
with  another  world  premiere,  UA’s  “Kiss 
Before  Dying”  June  6.  . . . Adam  Rizzo’s 


Rt.  133  drive-in,  Georgetown,  Mass.,  opened 
May  25  with  civil  officials  and  a large  crowd 
attending.  . . . The  Variety  Club  of  New 
England  will  co-sponsor  the  Jimmy  Fund 
of  the  Children’s  Cancer  Research  Center 
Foundation  with  the  Boston  Red  Sox.  . . . 
Royal  Pictures  Corporation  of  New  England 
dissolved  May  31.  Edward  Ruff,  president, 
and  Irving  “Mac”  Farber  are  setting  up 
independent  distributing  companies  for  in- 
dependent films.  Ruff’s  company,  Edward 
Ruff  Film  Associates,  will  have  offices  at 
260  Tremont  Street.  Farber’s  firm,  Royal 
Pictures  Corporation  of  New  England  will 
remain  at  47  Church  Street. 

BUFFALO 

George  H.  Mackenna,  general  manager, 
Basil’s  Lafayette,  at  the  annual  meeting  of 
the  Main  Street  Association,  of  which  he  is 
the  president,  charged  that  restrictions  on 
curb  parking  on  Buffalo’s  downtown  main 
stem  are  curtailing  revenues  on  theatres, 
stores,  restaurants  and  taverns.  Mackenna 
said  the  association  directors  would  meet 
June  1 when  it  is  the  intention  of  the  of- 
ficers to  seek  some  relief  from  the  Buffalo 
Safety  Board.  . . . The  annual  Rochester 
Police  Ball  and  stage  show  is  the  creation 
of  Lester  Pollock,  manager  of  Loew’s  thea- 
tre. Pollock,  however,  is  just  one  of  the 
many  private  citizens,  under  the  chairman- 
ship of  Carl  S.  Hallauer,  president  of 
Bausch  & Lomb,  who  aid  in  staging  the  ball 
each  year  in  behalf  of  the  Rochester  Benev- 
olent Association.  This  year’s  ball,  held 
May  29,  was  a huge  success.  . . . Church 
services  will  start  Sunday,  June  3 at  the 
Empire  drive-in  theatre  in  Rochester.  . . . 
John  Springer,  former  Rochesterian,  who 
long  has  held  an  important  position  in  the 
RKO  offices  in  New  York,  is  the  author  of 
a new  book  dealing  with  the  entertainment 
world.  It  is  “This  Was  Show  Business.” 
. . . Sherwin  Grossman  is  planning  to  re- 
enter the  broadcasting  field.  This  time  the 
former  head  of  WBUF-TV,  Inc.,  is  moving 
into  the  Miami,  Florida,  area.  He  is  trying 
to  purchase  a TV  station  there. 

CHARLOTTE 

The  Carolina  theatre  admitted  all  men 
bringing  women  to  “Birds  and  the  Bees” 
free  Monday  night,  May  21.  Usually  women 
are  admitted  free  too  in  promotions  of  this 
type,  but  as  manager  Kermit  High  said, 
“this  is  leap  year.”  . . . Tom  Baldridge, 
MGM  publicist,  came  here  from  Washing- 
ton to  set  up  campaigns  for  several  MGM 
pictures  about  to  open  in  the  territory.  . . . 
The  Visulite  theatre  presented  a varied 
program  last  week,  playing  a different  pic- 
ture every  day.  Both  American  and  foreign- 
made  pictures  were  shown.  . . . Emery  Wis- 
ter,  Charlotte  News  motion  picture  editor, 
leaves  June  8 for  his  annual  coast  trip. 

CHICAGO 

Nat  Blank,  who  was  district  manager  for 
the  Indiana  & Illinois  Theatres  organization 


here,  died  after  a heart  attack.  He  was  61. 
Surviving  are  his  wife  and  five  children.  . . . 
Starting  June  3,  the  daily  matinee  shows 
at  B&K’s  Century  will  start  at  1 P.M.,  ex- 
cept Friday  and  Saturday.  The  first  com- 
plete show  will  end  about  5 P.M.  . . . Miss 
Ethel  Miller  replaces  Regina  Bartlett  in 
the  booking  department  at  Indiana  & Illinois 
Theatres.  Miss  Bartlett  is  retiring  from 
business.  . . . Tony  Scallio,  cameraman  for 
Filmack  Trailer  Company,  became  the  father 
of  a new  son.  Irving  Mack,  head  of  Filmack 
Trailer  Company,  said  his  company  has 
completed  a drive-in  catalogue  to  be  issued 
as  a special  July  Fourth  edition.  . . . Lou 
Goldberg  of  Paramount  Pictures  announced 
that  his  son,  Jack  M.  Gould,  and  Nancy 
Sebring  were  married  May  27  at  the  Cove- 
nant Club.  . . . Bob  Lewis  of  Republic  Pic- 
tures and  his  wife  left  for  a vacation  in 
Los  Angeles  and  Hollywood.  . . . Sam  Gore- 
lick,  district  manager  here  for  RKO,  is 
spending  a holiday  in  Palm  Springs,  Florida. 
. . . Juanita  Andrews  returned  to  RKO  this 
week  with  the  report  that  she  had  a most 
enjoyable  vacation  in  New  York. 

CLEVELAND 

John  Wayne  and  Ward  Bond,  in  person, 
got  “The  Searchers”  off  to  a good  start  at 
the  Allen  theatre  with  personal  appearances 
in  the  theatre  lobby  before  the  start  of  the 
picture  and  on  stage  at  the  conclusion  of 
the  first  showing.  The  stimulus  held  over 
and  business  since  the  Tuesday  opening  has 
been  very  good.  . . . Marie  Weigler,  for 
the  past  12  years  secretary  to  the  United 
Artists  branch  manager,  has  resigned  to 
return  to  her  family  in  Boston.  Her  suc- 
cessor is  Mildred  Walchli.  . . . Carrying  out 
an  economy  move,  Republic  Pictures  has  let 
out  its  head  booker,  Sheldon  Schermer,  and 
has  turned  the  booking  department  over  to 
Joe  Krenitz,  salesman.  This  leaves  only  one 
salesman  on  the  road,  Justin  Spiegle,  and 
the  branch  manager,  Jules  Livingston.  . . . 
Herbert  Ochs  has  installed  CinemaScope  in 
all  six  of  his  Canadian  drive-ins:  the  Star 
Top,  London;  drive-in  theatre,  Kingston; 
Star  Top,  Cyrville;  Porcupine,  Timmins; 
Star  Top,  Sarnian  and  drive-in,  Belleville. 
. . . George  Hartnett,  manager  of  the  40th 
St.  drive-in,  Tampa,  Fla.,  is  here  visiting 
his  family.  . . . Herbie  Burke  has  given  up 
management  of  the  Savoy  theatre,  Toledo, 
and  returned  to  burlesque  acting. 

COLUMBUS 

“Birth  of  a Nation”  was  held  for  a third 
week  at  the  Indianola  art  house.  . . . Walter 
Kessler,  manager  of  Loew’s  Ohio,  presented 
a collection  of  pressbooks  to  the  Ohio  State 
University  Theatre  Collection  housed  in  the 
university’s  museum.  . . . Adrian  Awan, 
Twentieth  Century-Fox  exploitation  rep- 
resentative, was  here  to  arrange  a pony  give- 
away contest  in  connection  with  the  show- 
ing of  “Mohawk”  at  Loew’s  Broad.  . . . 
Wally  Jones,  the  hunter  who  served  as  guide 
for  the  Columbia  company  making  “Safari” 
( Continued  on  page  36) 


34 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  JUNE  2,  1956 


A BRAWLING 

IRE  WAS  SPAWNED  ON 

ISSOURI  RIVER  BOATS! 

i only  the  lawless  or  the  lucky  survived! 


AiQvsty,  Loving,  brawling 
days  when  Ben  Matthews 
ruled  the  river  with  Rick, 
the  Thief  to  back  his  play- 
and  a perfumed  plaything 
named  "Zoe”  danced  for 
love  and  a living! 


PRINT  BY 

[TECHNICOLOR,] 


( Continued  from  page  34) 
in  Africa,  was  scheduled  for  local  inter- 
views. . . . Clarence  Greene,  producer  of 
“Unidentified  Flying  Objects,”  was  due  in 
town  for  interviews  in  advance  of  the  show- 
ing of  the  film  at  Loew’s  Broad.  . . . An- 
swering "Used  to  be  Movie  Fan,”  a writer 
to  the  Columbus  Dispatch  Mail  Bag  who 
signs  herself  "Definitely  a Movie  Fan”  says 
she  and  her  family  attend  movies  weekly 
and  “with  few  exceptions  find  them  vastly 
entertaining.” 

DENVER 

For  the  third  week  of  “Serenade”  at  the 
Centre,  the  theatre  also  ran  a different  re- 
issue each  day  of  the  week.  . . . Lynn  Fetz 
has  added  another  truck  to  his  Fetz  Film 
Service.  . . . H.  Ford  Taylor  has  opened 
his  new  247-car  Kit  Carson  drive-in,  Taos, 
N.  M.  . . . Robert  Herrell,  owner  of  United 
Film  Exchange,  Kansas  City,  was  in  on  a 
business  trip.  . . . Atlas  Theatres  have 
closed  the  Salida,  Salida,  Colo.,  with  the 
opening  of  the  Groy  drive-in,  also  owned 
by  Atlas.  They  are  planning  only  to  have 
one  or  the  other  open  from  now  on.  . . . 
Dan  Nides,  purchasing  agent  for  Manley, 
Inc.,  Denver  branch,  has  resigned  to  enter 
other  business.  Dave  Long,  assistant,  moves 
up.  . . . Herb  Turpie,  western  division  man- 
ager for  Manley,  Inc.,  was  in  for  confer- 
ences with  Arlie  Beery,  district  manager.  . . . 
Harold  Wirthwein,  division  manager  for 
Allied  Artists,  and  Wm.  Porter,  auditor, 
were  in.  . . . Henry  Friedel,  Metro  branch 
manager,  served  on  the  jury  for  a stretch. 

. . . The  New  Woodlawn,  Littleton,  Colo., 
is  now  set  for  a September  opening.  . . . 
Denver  Shipping  & Inspection  Bureau  ex- 
pects to  open  their  new  addition  the  middle 
of  June.  . . . Marvin  Goldfarb,  Buena  Vista 
district  manager,  to  Kansas  City  and  St. 
Louis  on  a sales  trip. 

DES  MOINES 

William  W.  Proctor,  owner  of  the  Anita 
theatre  in  Anita,  has  been  named  to  manage 
the  Kerr  Theatres  in  Knoxville.  He  suc- 
ceeds Frank  Banning,  who  has  resigned. 
Proctor  had  worked  for  six  years  at  thea- 
tres in  Liberty,  Mo.,  and  Griswold,  la.  The 
Kerr  houses  in  Knoxville  include  the  Grand, 
Frontier  and  Marion.  . . . The  house  at 
Reinbeck  has  been  reopened  and  is  operating- 
on  a part-time  schedule.  Pictures  are  being 
shown  on  Saturday  and  Sunday  nights  with 
a Sunday  matinee.  . . . More  than  $100  in 
cash  was  taken  from  the  Waverly  theatre 
at  Waverly,  V.  F.  Hagemann,  owner,  told 
police.  Hagemann  said  nothing  else  in  the 
office  was  disturbed ; he  was  unable  to  dis- 
cover any  evidence  of  a break-in,  he  said. 

. . . Thelma  Washburn,  RKO  office  manager 
and  head  booker,  was  called  to  Chicago  by 
the  death  of  her  sister.  . . . Jerry  Faber  of 
Fox,  underwent  surgery  recently  at  Iowa 
Methodist  hopsital  and  is  recovering  nicely. 

. . . Pearl  Fort  of  Tri-States  Theatres  is 
vacationing  in  Hawaii  and  writes  back  that 
she’s  having  a wonderful  time.  . . . Gerry 
McGlynn,  MGM  branch  manager,  observed 
his  birthday  the  other  day  and  his  employees 
treated  him  to  cake  and  coffee  in  a surprise 
celebration.  Gerry  is  looking  fine  and  pay- 
ing more  visits  to  the  Row  as  his  health 
improves.  . . . Betty  Olson,  chairman  of  the 
women’s  committee  of  Variety,  has  an- 
nounced there  will  be  no  meetings  of  the 
group  during  June,  July  and  August.  An 


ambitious  program  is  planned  for  fall  with 
a fashion  show  in  September,  a rummage 
sale  in  October  and  a nut  sale  in  November 
in  addition  to  the  regular  meetings. 

DETROIT 

The  pre-“Searchers”  visit  of  John  Wayne 
gave  him  opportunity  to  express  his  views 
on  pay-as-you-go  television.  Wayne  vis- 
ualizes a home  screen  four  by  three  feet 
mounted  on  a wall  of  every  house.  “Movies 
and  TV  would  have  been  wed  a long  time 
ago  except  that  advertising  agencies  took 
hold  and  the  motion  picture  industry  stuck 
its  head  in  the  sand,”  he  said.  . . . The 
Stratford-on-Avon  (Ontario)  Shakespear- 
ian Festival,  considered  almost  a local  thea- 
tre, is  planning  to  film  all  20  plays  in  the 
first  folio  of  Shakespeare’s  plays.  . . . The 
Riviera,  operated  by  James  Nedelander,  will 
be  serviced  by  independent  booker  Louis 
Mitchell.  . . . The  R&V  Theatre  company, 
operated  by  Robert  Vickrey,  takes  over  the 
Macomb  and  Emsee  theatres  in  Mount 
Clemens.  . . . Calvin  Hill  will  manage  the 
Emsee  with  James  Lents  assisting  Vickrey 
at  the  Macomb.  Plans  include  three  stage 
shows  a week. 

I 

HARTFORD 

Perakos  Theatre  Associates  circuit  is  be- 
coming increasingly  cognizant  of  admission 
scales  in  subsequent-run  theatres.  Sperie 
Perakos,  general  manager  of  the  regional 
circuit,  has  reduced  adult  admissions  at  the 
Arcade  theatre,  Springfield,  Mass.,  from  60 
to  50  cents  for  evenings,  Sundays  and  holi- 
days. Move  is  advertised  as  part  of  new 
summer  policy.  Theatre  charges  30  cents  to 
1 p.m.,  and  40  cents  to  5 p.m.  . . . The  cir- 
cuit’s Arch  St.  theatre,  New  Britain,  Conn., 
is  advertising:  “You  save  40  per  cent  in 
theatre  admissions  by  waiting  a few  days 
and  seeing  two  big  features  at  our  bargain 
rates.”  Price  scale:  Matinees,  40  cents; 
evenings,  50  cents.  . . . Importance  of  “Buck 
Nights” — evenings  on  which  cars  are  ad- 
mitted for  $1  regardless  of  number  of  pas- 
sengers— is  noted  in  Connecticut  outdoor 
theatre  midweek  operations.  Numerous 
drive-in  theatres  are  running  “Buck  Night” 
policies  one  evening  a week.  And  the 
trend  seems  upward.  The  Brandt  Portland 
(Conn.)  drive-in  has  shifted  “Buck  Night” 
from  Tuesdays  to  Thursdays,  with  “Early 
Bird”  policy,  stressing  main  feature  first, 
now  on  Tuesdays.  The  Groton  (Conn.) 
drive-in,  operated  by  Henry  Picazio  and 
associates,  has  launched  “Buck  Night”  on 
Tuesdays  and  Thursdays. 

INDIANAPOLIS 

Dale  McFarland,  general  manager  of 
Greater  Indianapolis,  closed  the  Lyric  for 
the  summer  Wednesday  night.  The  house 
also  closed  last  year.  . . . The  Cantor  circuit 
planned  a dawn-to-dusk  show,  with  free 
doughnuts  and  coffee,  for  race  fans  at  the 
Lafayette  Road  drive-in  on  the  eve  of  the 
“500”  Tuesday.  It  also  offered  free  parking 
while  they  were  at  the  Speedway,  which 
is  within  walking  distance.  . . . Harry  Cole- 
man, owner  of  the  Gay  Mark  at  Evansville, 
has  signed  a contract  with  the  operators’ 
local,  which  had  picketed  the  house.  . . . 
C.  L.  Walters  has  been  named  manager  of 
Alliance  houses  at  Vincennes,  succeeding 
Harold  O’Neil,  who  is  moving  to  Pierre, 
S.  D.  . . . Dean  Brown,  manager  of  the 
Lyric  here,  has  taken  a job  with  Starlight 


Musicals,  outdoor  stock  company,  for  the 
summer.  . . . Stanley  A.  B.  Cooper,  who 
reopened  the  Lark  at  Brazil  three  months 
ago  on  a weekend  policy,  has  suspended 
operations  until  fall. 

JACKSONVILLE 

Sarah  Keller,  MGM  booker,  has  been  re- 
elected president  of  the  local  WOMPI  chap- 
ter. . . . Mrs.  Flora  Korch,  secretary  to  FST 
president  Louis  J.  Finske,  is  confined  to  her 
home  with  a fractured  hip.  . . . Sig  Vor- 
zimer,  National  Screen  salesman,  was  here 
from  Atlanta  to  call  on  exhibitors.  ...  A. 
D.  Sheffield,  FST  traveling  auditor,  and 
Mrs.  Sheffield  left  on  a vacation  tour  of 
the  eastern  seaboard.  . . . Edith  Prescott, 
Paramount  office,  is  in  charge  of  ticket  sales 
for  Variety’s  barbecue  dinner  and  square 
dance  at  the  Pistol  Club  the  night  of  June 
16.  . . . WOMPI  members  were  soliciting 
second-hand  merchandise  for  a rummage 
sale  to  be  held  during  June.  . . . The  new 
MGM  office  and  film  exchange  will  be  of- 
fically  opened  to  exhibitors  at  a 4 to  6 cock- 
tail party  the  afternoon  of  June  4.  . . . Don 
Yarbrough,  20th-Fox  publicist  from  Atlanta, 
visited  here  and  Tampa  to  map  exploitation 
campaigns  on  “D-Day  The  Sixth  of  June.” 
. . . George  Krevo,  manager  of  the  Imperial 
theatre,  has  been  elected  to  the  board  of 
governors  of  the  Junior  Chamber  of  Com- 
merce. . . . The  Breezeway  drive-in,  New 
Port  Richey,  has  been  closed  by  A.  H. 
Stevens.  . . . Marvin  Skinner,  20th-Fox 
head  booker,  returned  to  his  desk  after  visit- 
ing in  New  York  and  New  England. 

KANSAS  CITY 

Tom  Baldwin,  Kansas  City  manager  for 
Columbia  Pictures,  celebrated  his  twenty- 
fifth  anniversary  with  the  company.  . . . 
C.  C.  Knite,  a clerk  at  Universal,  observed 
his  thirty-fifth  year  with  the  Kansas  City 
office.  . . . Beverly  Miller,  president  of 
Kansas-Missouri  Theatres  Assn.,  visited  a 
number  of  Missouri  towns  to  speak  to  ex- 
hibitors, then  went  to  Washington  for  the 
Senate  hearings  on  amusement  taxes.  . . . 
W.  Donald  Foster  holds  the  recently  created 
position  of  sales  manager  at  Paramount.  He 
came  to  Kansas  City  from  Dallas,  where 
he  was  a circuit  salesman  for  about  five 
years.  . . . L.  Howard  Pettit  is  building  a 
new  drive-in  theatre  at  Mt.  Grove,  Mo. 

LOS  ANGELES 

Evelyn  Herman,  former  secretary  at 
I.F.E.,  has  resigned  her  position  to  join 
the  Favorite  Film  organization  in  a similar 
capacity.  . . . The  Atlantic  theatre  in  North 
Long  Beach,  which  had  been  operated  under 
the  Sero  Amusements  banner,  has  been 
acquired  by  Associated  Theatres,  an  enter- 
prise consisting  of  Eddie  Ashkins,  Sam 
Decker  and  A1  Olander.  . . . Jules  Gerlick, 
U-I  salesman,  became  a proud  grandfather 
for  the  second  time,  when  his  daughter  gave 
birth  to  a baby  son.  . . . The  American  thea- 
tre in  Newhall  has  been  taken  over  by  Leo 
T.  Molitor.  . . . Off  to  Europe  on  June  8 
are  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Goldman,  whose  son 
Jack  operates  the  Aero  theatre  in  Santa 
Monica.  . . . Back  from  Phoenix  was  Judy 
Poynter,  who  heads  Film  Booking  Service. 

. . . Back  from  Manhattan,  where  they  at- 
tended the  Variety  Clubs  convention,  were 
M.  J.  McCarthy,  Allied  Artists  manager; 
Bill  Srere,  Metzger-Srere  circuit;  Ezra 
( Continued  on  opposite  page) 


36 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  JUNE  2,  1956 


( Continued  front  opposite  page) 
Stern,  chief  barker  of  Variety  Tent  25,  and 
Mrs.  Stern,  and  Harry  Weinberg.  . . . Matt 
Freed,  who  formerly  operated  the  Cinema 
theatre  here,  was  a visitor  to  the  Row. 

MEMPHIS 

Malco  Theatres,  Inc.,  this  week  opened 
its  fourth  Memphis  drive-in,  a brand  new 
685-car  outdoor  theatre  on  Jackson  Avenue 
near  the  city  limits.  In  two  or  three  weeks, 
Malco  will  open  its  fifth,  the  same  size,  the 
61  drive-in  on  Highway  61  South,  at  Raines 
Avenue.  Memphis  now  has  10  drive-ins. 
. . . Pike  theatre,  Murfreesboro,  Ark.,  closed 
for  some  time,  has  been  purchased  and  re- 
opened on  a full-time  basis  by  Hugh  Con- 
way. . . . W.  F.  Ruffin,  Jr.,  Ruffin  Amuse- 
ments Co.,  Covington,  Tenn.,  was  in  Mem- 
phis on  business.  . . . Wally  Jones,  profes- 
sional white  hunter  from  British  East 
Africa,  was  in  town  for  the  premiere  of 
the  film,  “Safari”  at  Malco  which  he  helped 
direct.  . . . Dixie  theatre  at  Adamsville, 
Tenn.,  which  has  been  closed  for  about 
a year,  has  reopened.  . . . Preston  Southard 
has  purchased  Tri-City  drive-in  at  Lynville, 
Ky.,  from  Neal  Starks.  . . . Steve  Stein, 
owner,  has  closed  Met  theatre  and  Met 
drive-in  movies  at  Jackson,  Tenn.,  tem- 
porarily. ...  A general  membership  meet- 
ing of  Memphis  Variety  was  held  this  week 
to  plan  the  July  4 show  at  Russwood  Base- 
ball Park  featuring  Elvis  Presley. 

MIAMI 

Milton  V.  O’Connell,  who  was  associated 
with  the  New  York  civil  defense  in  charge 
of  press,  TV,  motion  picture  and  other 
educational  and  information  programs  in 
that  area,  has  joined  the  staff  of  Hank 
Meyer  Associates.  Miami  Beach  public  rela- 
tions firm.  . . . Stirring  up  a breeze  by  its 
speedy  construction  is  the  new  TV  station 
WCKT-TV.  . . . The  president  of  the  Toho 
Movie  Co.  of  Japan,  Fusao  Kobayashi, 
stopped  briefly  in  Miami  after  a trip  from 
Belem.  Brazil.  . . . Desilu  Productions’  vice- 
president,  A.  E.  Hamilton  was  in  the  area 
eyeing  background  locales  for  some  future 
episodes  for  the  “I  Love  Lucy”  series. 
Writer  Robert  Carrol  was  also  absorbing 
atmosphere  for  the  shows  on  which  shoot- 
ing is  expected  to  begin  probably  late  this 
coming  Fall. 

MILWAUKEE 

The  Better  Films  Council  of  Milwaukee 
County  announces  the  25th  anniversary 
meeting  and  luncheon  at  the  Milwaukee 
Elks  Club  Monday,  June  4.  Guest  speaker 
will  be  Arthur  H.  DeBra,  community  rela- 
tions director,  Motion  Picture  Association 
of  America.  . . . During  the  luncheon  a 
style  show  will  be  presented  featuring 
gowns  worn  in  “The  Swan”  and  “The 
Catered  Affair.”  . . . Miss  Estelle  Stein- 
bach’s  picture  again  appeared  in  the  local 
press  accepting  a check  for  $2,500  from 
the  president  of  the  Women’s  Advertising 
Club.  The  check  represented  the  proceeds 
from  the  club’s  biennial  gridiron  dinner. 
. . . On  May  28  Republic  Pictures  exchange 
moved  to  1030  N.  8th  St.  The  new  loca- 
tion at  one  time  was  occupied  by  the  old 
Eagle  Lion  Corp.  . . . Paramount’s  new 
branch  manager  here,  Ward  Pennington,  is 
busy  getting  acouainted  with  his  work  here 
and  the  city.  He  and  his  family  are  still, 
house  hunting  for  a home  to  rent. 


MINNEAPOLIS 

Fire  at  6 A.M.  damaged  the  canopy  and 
box  office  of  the  Hollywood  at  Litchfield, 
Minn.  House  is  operated  by  Fred  and 
Lloyd  Sclmee.  . . . Kenny  Bergman,  booker 
at  Universal,  is  being  transferred  to  Mil- 
waukee as  office  manager  and  head  booker. 

. . . Projectionists  union,  which  demands 
two  operators  instead  of  the  present  one, 
is  picketing  the  Skyline  drive-in  at  Duluth, 
Minn.,  operated  by  Ted  Mann.  Outdoor 
stand  is  being  operated  with  a non-union 
employe.  . . . Harry  Weiss,  RKO  Theatres 
district  manager,  is  back  from  a swing 
around  his  territory.  . . . Irving  Marks,  Al- 
lied Artists  branch  manager,  and  his  sales 
staff  have  been  out  in  the  territory  on  a 
saturation  tour  for  AA’s  “The  Naked  Hills.” 
. . . Ann  Griffen,  booker  at  20th-Fox,  vaca- 
tioned in  Washington,  D.  C.,  and  Stella 
Lettus,  cashier  at  RKO,  vacationed  in  Boise, 
Idaho.  . . . Minnesota  Amusement  Co.  and 
North  Central  Allied  will  voice  their  ob- 
jections to  the  proposed  state  $1  per  hour 
minimum  wage  recommendation  when  it 
comes  up  for  a hearing  before  the  Minnesota 
industrial  commission  this  month.  . . . Wel- 
worth  circuit  will  reopen  its  Moonlite  drive- 
in  at  Moorhead,  Minn.,  which  has  been 
closed  since  1953.  An  $85,000  refurbish- 
ing job  on  the  stand  is  being  completed. 
Burnell  A.  Bengtsson,  formerly  of  Pierpont, 
S.  D.,  will  manage  both  the  Moonlite  and 
the  Starlite  at  nearby  Fargo,  N.  D. 

NEW  ORLEANS 

Parisian  Mrs.  Nicole  Milinaire,  associate 
producer  of  “Foreign  Intrigue,”  was  in 
town  to  plug  the  picture  which  is  currently 
showing  at  Loew’s  State.  . . . MGM’s  city 
salesman  Cy  Bridges  and  his  wife  are  vaca- 
tioning in  Houston  as  guests  of  Bridges’ 
brother  who  is  manager  of  Loew’s  State 
there.  . . . Wm.  Frederick  Hirstius,  father 
of  Bill  Hirstius  of  Warner  Bros.,  Roy 
Hirstius  of  MGM,  Bruce  Hirstius  of  Film 
Inspection  Service  and  Kenneth  Hirstius  of 
RKO,  died  recently.  . . . Vienna  Billelo, 
steno-booker,  Joy's  Theatres,  has  an  altar 
date  July  8 with  Robert  Montgomery.  . . . 
Clara  Cote  May  20  chalked  up  14  years  as 
receptionist  at  Paramount  Gulf  Theatres.  . . . 
Harry  Weiss,  division  manager  of  RKO 
Orpheum  with  home  base  in  Minneapolis, 
Minn.,  was  here  for  several  days’  visit  with 
manager  Asa  Booksh  and  staff.  . . . Pat 
Brown,  secretary  at  Stevens  Pictures,  is  off 
on  a two-week  vacation.  ...  I.  M.  Gauthier, 
who  in  the  early  part  of  the  year  was  com- 
pelled to  close  the  Castle,  White  Castle,  La., 
because  of  poor  business,  was  to  reopen  it 
May  27.  . . . B.  F.  Jones  reopened  the  Ritz, 
West  Enterprise,  Miss.,  May  19. 

OKLAHOMA  CITY 

“Picnic”  was  showing  at  seven  suburban 
theatres  in  Oklahoma  City  this  week.  . . . 
The  box  office  of  the  Warner  theatre  was 
opened  to  the  general  public  Tuesday  for 
sale  of  tickets  to  “This  Is  Cinerama” 
which  had  its  premiere  the  night  before.  . . . 
Tecumseh  drive-in,  Shawnee.  Okla.,  ad- 
mitted children  free  May  24,  if  they  were 
accompanied  by  parents.  . . . The  Bison 
theatre.  Shawnee,  Okla.,  had  penny  day  May 
73.  . . . Ralph  Drewry.  former  manager  of 
Tulsa.  Okla..  downtown  theatre,  said  he  is 
moving  to  Phoenix,  Ariz.,  where  he  will 
establish  an  agency  for  National  Bonded 
Cars,  an  auto  warranty  organization. 


PHILADELPHIA 

The  first  theatre  building  permits  of  the 
new  year  in  Reading,  Pa.,  went  to  the 
Astor,  which  has  recently  been  leased  to 
the  William  Goldman  Theatres  here.  The 
permit  calls  for  replacement  of  an  electric 
sign  at  a cost  of  $6,000,  and  a second  permit 
for  $15,000  to  effect  internal  improvements. 
Helen  Bortz,  manager  of  the  Warner,  across 
the  street  of  the  Astor,  took  out  a permit 
for  electric  work,  to  cost  $1,000.  J.  Lester 
Stallman,  who  managed  the  Astor  for  Harry 
Schad,  will  be  city  district  supervisor  for 
the  Goldman  interests,  with  Clayton  Evans, 
house  manager  of  the  Strand,  former  Schad 
house  also  leased  to  William  Goldman,  con- 
tinuing in  that  position.  . . . Eugene  Plank, 
manager  of  the  Embassy,  Reading,  Pa.,  an- 
nounced the  appointment  of  Mrs.  John 
Reisig  as  his  assistant  manager,  succeeding 
Earl  Sitlinger,  who  has  been  named  man- 
ager of  the  Mt.  Penn  and  the  Reading  drive- 
ins  in  that  area.  . . . Maxwell  Gillis,  Allied 
Artists  branch  manager  and  chief  barker 
of  the  local  Variety  Club,  Tent  No.  13,  is  a 
patient  in  Jefferson  Hospital.  . . . Since  the 
department  stores  and  supermarkets  are  do- 
ing it  with  great  success,  it  is  reported  that 
a number  of  neighborhood  houses  are  giving 
away  trading  stamps  of  the  Gold  Square 
type  with  theatre  admissions.  . . . Clinton 
Weyer,  in  charge  of  insurance  for  the  High- 
way Express,  film  delivery  service,  is  a 
patient  at  the  University  of  Pennsylvania 
Hospital.  . . . Ed  Rosenbaum,  veteran  mo- 
tion picture  exploiteer,  is  coming  out  of  re- 
tirement to  handle  a special  assignment  for 
United  Artists  in  Cleveland,  O.,  on  “Foreign 
Intrigue.”  ...  A “For  Sale”  sign  has  been 
posted  on  the  Laurel,  neighborhood  house 
in  Reading,  Pa. 

PITTSBURGH 

“Song  of  the  South.”  the  Disney  re-issue 
which  was  held  up  last  March  when  “Rose 
Tattoo”  held  over  a third  week  in  the  Stan- 
ley, finally  re-dated  in  that  house  for  early 
June  to  coincide  with  the  end  of  the  school 
season.  . . . Shirley  Jones  due  here  in  per- 
son for  the  Nixon  opening  of  “Oklahoma  !” 
June  14.  The  opening  will  be  sponsored  by 
the  Pittsburgh  Playhouse  where  Shirley 
got  her  start.  . . . Macy’s  Santa  Claus  got 
a flock  of  good  publicity  breaks  for  U-I’s 
“Toy  Tiger”  which  had  its  world  premiere 
in  the  Fulton  on  Memorial  Day.  . . . Paul 
Dickman  of  Altoona,  switched  from  assist- 
ant manager  of  the  Studio  theatre,  Bellevue 
to  the  Memorial  theatre,  Stanley  Warner 
house  in  McKeesport.  . . . Fred  Kunkel, 
manager  of  the  Perry,  recuperating  from  an 
accident  involving  his  auto  and  a trolley.  . . . 
“Touch  and  Go”  opened  in  the  Squirrel 
Hill,  replacing  the  previously  set  “Lease 
of  Life”  in  that  art  house. 

PORTLAND 

Roberta  Breall,  daughter  of  Frank  and 
Annette  Breall,  was  selected  as  Rose  Fes- 
tival princess  from  Cleveland  High  School. 
Frank  is  former  Evergreen  theatre  man- 
ager. . . . Nancy  Welch,  manager  of  the 
Guild  art  theatre,  will  have  a big  reopen- 
ing June  1 after  completing  a remodeling 
job.  . . . Alton  Robbins  and  Dick  Gold- 
sworthy were  in  from  Eugene  for  a day 
to  confer  with  Evergreen’s  Oregon  district 
manager,  Oscar  Nyberg.  . . . Marilyn  Leg- 
( Continued  on  following  page ) 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERAI  D,  JUNE  2,  1956 


37 


( Continued  from  preceding  page) 
gatt  is  in  as  secretary  at  Interstate  Theatre 
Equipment  Co.  Betty  Cramer  left  the  posi- 
tion to  work  for  the  Powers  Model  Agency 
here.  John  D.  Peterson,  boss  of  ITE,  has 
just  returned  from  a theatre  owners  conven- 
tion at  Billings,  Montana.  . . . Arnold 
Marks,  Journal  drama  editor,  and  Herb 
Larsen,  Oregonian  drama  editor,  back  from 
Los  Angeles  after  three  days  of  advance 
on  “Trapeze.”  . . . Mrs.  J.  J.  Parker's 
Broadway  theatre  is  nearing  completion  of 
a big  face-lifting  program. 

PROVIDENCE 

Eddie  Constantine,  former  local  boy  who 
made  good  in  the  French  film  world  star- 
ring in  outstanding  attractions,  was  the 
subject  of  a four-page  feature  article  in 
a recent  issue  of  The  Rhode  Islander,  roto 
supplement  of  the  Providence  Sunday  Jour- 
nal. . . . “Diabolique”  held  for  a third  week 
at  the  Avon  Cinema,  where  practically  all 
evening  performances  have  been  complete 
sell-outs.  . . . “Meet  Me  in  Las  Vegas”  was 
a hold-over  at  Loew's  State.  . . . Donald 
Wolin  and  Harold  Schiff,  producers  at 
Matunuck’s  Theatre-Bv-the-Sea,  Matunuck, 
for  the  past  five  years,  will  be  back  this 
season  presenting,  in  person,  Hollywood 
stars.  . . . E.  M.  Loew’s  Providence  drive- 
in.  continuing  its  popular  policy  of  present- 
ing stage  attractions  in  conjunction  with 
the  customary  film  fare,  has  scheduled  a 
midnight  horror  spook  show,  a rock  ’n’  roll 
stage  revue  and  other  attractions. 

ST.  LOUIS 

The  Secretary  of  State  at  Topeka,  Kan., 
has  granted  a charter  to  Briles  Theatre,  Inc., 
of  Emporia.  Kan.,  which  is  to  operate  the 
Strand  and  other  theatres.  Everett  E.  Steer- 
man  is  resident  agent.  . . . Frank  Dodson  of 
Ellsworth,  Kan.,  has  purchased  the  interest 
of  his  partner,  the  Commonwealth  Theatres, 
Inc.,  of  Kansas  City,  Mo.,  in  the  Bell  thea- 
tre and  the  Kanapolis  drive-in  theatre  in 
Fllsworth,  to  become  sole  owner.  . . . Vince 
Helling,  formerly  of  Strand  theatre  in  St. 
Charles,  Mo.,  now  living  in  Taylorville,  111., 
was  in  St.  Charles  recently  for  a visit  with 
relatives.  . . . The  Clark  theatre  at  Louisi- 
ana, Mo.,  has  just  started  its  second  annual 
Senior  Citizens  Matinees  during  which  all 
persons  65  years  and  older  are  admitted 
free.  There  will  be  one  show  each  month 
throughout  the  summer  and  they  are  brought 
through  the  cooperation  of  Louisiana  mer- 
chants. . . . The  Skyway  drive-in  at  Hum- 
boldt, Tenn.,  has  established  a snack  bar  and 
invites  its  patrons  to  come  dressed  as  they 
please.  . . . The  Hi-Y  drive-in  theatre  at 
Fredericktown,  Mo.,  has  established  a kid- 
dies playground  which  is  open  to  the  young- 
sters at  all  times. 

TORONTO 

In  England  are  two  J.  Arthur  Rank 
Canadian  executives,  but  with  different  pur- 
poses. Leonard  W.  Brockington,  Q.  C., 
president,  is  there  to  deliver  a speech  to 
an  educational  group,  while  Chris  Salmon 
who  went  by  boat,  is  headed  for  home  on 
a month’s  vacation.  . . . G.  M.  Miller,  of 
the  Galaxy,  Kelvington,  Sask.,  is  new  owner 
of  the  drive-in  at  Foam  Lake,  Sask.  . . . 
Norman  Elson,  formerly  assistant  manager 
of  the  Metropolitan,  Winnipeg,  is  new  man- 
ager of  the  Phillet  Theatres  in  Dauphin, 
Man.,  in  charge  of  the  Gay  and  Dauphin 


and  the  Park  drive-ins.  . . . Jim  Fustey, 
formerly  manager  of  the  Osborne,  Win- 
nipeg, was  transferred  to  the  Inter-City 
drive-in,  Fort  William-Port  Arthur.  His 
place  is  taken  by  Ed  Dulko,  moving  up 
from  the  Orpheum,  Moose  Jaw,  Sask.  . . . 
Morris  Stein,  eastern  division  manager  of 
Famous  Players  Canadian  Corp.,  has  en- 
tered the  automobile  business  in  Toronto  as 
president  of  a dealership  in  Chevrolet  cars 
and  trucks.  The  dealership  called  Plaza  Chev- 
rolet, Limited,  has  Mr.  Stein’s  sons,  Donald 
as  sales  manager,  while  Herb  is  secretary- 
treasurer.  Mr.  Stein,  Sr.  remains  with 
Famous  Players.  . . . Mickey  Stevenson, 
formerly  Paramount  manager  in  Vancouver, 
was  appointed  Toronto  manager  by  general 
manager  Gordon  Lightstone.  This  follows 
the  resignation  of  A1  Iscover.  Mel  Hayter, 
formerly  with  Warner  Bros.,  Vancouver, 
was  appointed  Vancouver  manager. 

VANCOUVER 

Ralph  Conner  resigned  as  manager  of 
the  Odeon-Trail  and  will  go  into  the  real 
estate  business  in  New  Westminster.  Jack 
Ellis,  from  the  Olympia.  Vancouver,  suc- 
ceeds him  at  Trail.  Bob  Kelly,  from  the 
Dunbar,  takes  over  at  the  Olympia.  Wil- 
liam McDonald,  former  assistant  at  the 
Odeon,  Victoria,  will  take  over  as  manager 
of  the  Dunbar  in  Vancouver.  Jimmy  Web- 
ster, former  assistant  at  the  Vogue,  moves 
over  to  the  Paradise  in  the  same  capacity. 
. . . First  run  business  has  been  on  the  skids 
for  the  past  few  weeks.  . . . Maynard  Joiner, 
FPC  B.  C.  district  manager,  is  on  vacation 
at  Banff  and  Calgary.  . . . Exhibitors  better 
take  note  that  the  censor  department  is  upset 
by  theatres  not  displaying  “Adult  Entertain- 
ment Only”  signs,  and  intends  to  make 
an  example  (closing  theatres)  of  careless 
showmen  who  do  not  live  up  to  regulations 
in  the  B.  C.  theatre  law.  . . . Margaret 
Attwater,  Orpheum  cashier,  resigned  and 
is  moving  to  California.  She  was  replaced 
in  the  Orpheum  box  office  by  Betty  Patitucci 
of  the  floor  staff.  . . . Gerry  Sutherland, 
Odeon  district  manager,  is  away  on  a 
California  vacation.  . . . Rod  Williamson 
resigned  from  the  district  office  of  Famous 
Players  advertising  department  and  is  mov- 
ing to  Ottawa  were  he  will  work  in  the 
navy  section  of  the  Federal  Government  ad- 
vertising section.  His  replacement  at  FPC 
is  Harley  Jansen,  formerly  with  Odeon 
Theatres. 

WASHINGTON 

Jay  Carmody,  drama  editor  of  the  Wash- 
ington Evening  Star,  and  recent  “Critic  of 
the  Year”  selection  of  the  Screen  Directors 
Guild,  will  lecture  at  Stanford  University 
this  summer.  . . . Alan  Otten , Motion  Picture 
Daily  and  Wall  Street  Journal  correspon- 
dent, collaborated  on  an  article  in  the  June 
issue  of  Harper’s  Magazine,  on  Senator 
Fulbright.  . . . Newest  associate  member  of 
the  Variety  Club  is  Henry  S.  Reich,  partner 
Tower  Construction  Co.  . . . Orville  Crouch, 
chief  barker  of  the  Variety  Club,  has  made 
the  following  committee  appointments : an- 
nual dinner  dance  in  November:  Marvin 
Goldman,  chairman ; annual  welfare  awards 
drive:  Alvin  Q.  Ehrlich,  Morton  Gerber, 
Jack  Fruchtman  and  Marvin  Goldman,  co- 
chairmen;  annual  golf  tournament  and  din- 
ner dance : Sam  Galanty,  George  Crouch 
and  Albert  Lewitt,  co-chairmen.  . . . Ellen 
McDonnell,  secretary  to  20th  Century-Fox’s 
Tony  Muto,  spent  her  vacation  in  Cuba. 


BOOK  REVIEW 

SAMUEL  GOLDWYN— The  Producer 
and  his  Films 

— by  Richard  Griffith.  Published  by  the 
Museum  of  Modern  Art  Film  Library. 
Distributed  by  Simon  & Schuster.  48 
pages.  95  cents. 

Richard  Griffith’s  illustrated  48-page  study  of 
the  film  career  of  Samuel  Goldwyn  is  a 
scholarly  compendium  of  facts  about  this  leg- 
endary producer  and  his  films  and  a fine  critique 
of  the  best  among  Mr.  Goldwyn’s  productions 
over  a 42-year  period.  It  is  an  item  that  trade 
folk  and  film  students  will  want  for  handy  refer- 
ence, and  also  as  a reminder  of  the  glory  that 
was,  and  is,  the  indefatigable,  individualistic 
producer  of  some  of  the  American  screen’s  great 
masterpieces. 

As  Mr.  Griffith  so  aptly  points  out,  what  set 
Samuel  Goldwyn  apart  from  many  of  his  con- 
temporaries is  his  sense  of  the  tasteful  in 
screen  fare,  his  unerring  “feel”  for  essential 
quality  in  production  mounting,  story  values, 
stars  and  direction,  and  his  magical  facility  for 
extracting  the  best  from  the  creative  talents  in 
his  employ.  A man  of  the  highest  standards, 
reflected  in  each  and  every  one  of  his  works 
through  the  years,  Mr.  Goldwyn  achieves  an 
admirable  synthesis  of  artistic  quality  and  box- 
office  potency.  “I  make  my  pictures  to  please 
myself,”  is  one  of  his  favorite  sayings. 

All  the  greater  Goldwyn  films  are  covered, 
from  the  early  Geraldine  Farrar  and  Will 
Rogers  pictures  through  the  Vilma  Banky- 
Ronald  Colman  box-office  successes  of  the 
twenties,  on  to  such  fine  dramas  as  “These 
Three”  (1936)  and  “Wuthering  Heights’’ 
(1939)  (Mr.  Goldwyn’s  favorite);  the  master- 
piece “The  Best  Years  of  Our  Lives”  (1946), 
and  up  to  and  including  “Guys  and  Dolls.” 
Mr.  Griffith  discusses  Mr.  Goldwyn’s  work 
with  stars  like  Anna  Sten,  Gary  Cooper,  Ron- 
ald Colman,  Danny  Kaye,  Merle  Oberon,  Sir 
Laurence  Olivier  and  Fredric  March,  and  also 
his  inspiring,  stimulating  supervision  of  the 
work  of  directors  William  Wyler,  King  Vidor, 
Henry  King,  and  John  Ford;  and  writers 
Robert  E.  Sherwood,  Lillian  Heilman,  Sidney 
Howard,  Ben  Hecht  and  Charles  MacArthur. 

In  his  analysis  of  many  of  the  Goldwyn  pro- 
ductions, some  of  which  are  currently  on  view 
at  the  Museum  of  Modern  Art  Film  Library 
auditorium  in  connection  with  a Samuel  Gold- 
wyn cycle  ending  in  July,  Mr.  Griffith  reveals 
in  his  observations  keen,  original  thought,  sensi- 
tive perceptions  and  painstaking  scholarship. 
Devotees  of  the  Goldwyn  works  may  not  al- 
ways agree  one  hundred  percent  with  Mr. 
Griffith’s  appraisals  of  individual  films,  espe- 
cially in  the  case  of  the  famed  “Stella  Dallas,” 
which  Mr.  Goldwyn  made  twice,  in  1925  and 
in  1937,  but  no  one  will  deny  Mr.  Griffith  a 
due  commendation  as  a researcher  and  critic. 

Mr.  Griffith  includes  in  his  text  an  apt  quete 
from  Alva  Johnston,  who  once  wrote:  “The 
‘Goldwyn  Touch’  is  not  brilliance  or  sensa- 
tionalism. It  is  something  that  manifests  itself 
gradually  in  a picture ; the  characters  are  con- 
sistent ; the  workmanship  is  honest ; there  are 
no  tricks  and  short  cuts ; the  intelligence  of 
the  audience  is  never  insulted.” 

— Lawrence  J.  Quirk 


Convention  Off 

DENVER : Allied  Rocky  Mountain  Inde- 
pendent Theatres  has  called  a directors’ 
meeting  for  June  5 at  the  Denver  headquar- 
ters which  is  to  take  the  place  of  the  usual 
annual  convention. 


3? 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  JUNE  2,  1956 


An  International  Association  of  Motion  Picture  Showmen — Walter  Brooks , Director 


The  SeAt  SuAincAA  £unkij  Sag  in  A fit  Sox  Office 


WITH  all  the  talk  about  “surveys”  of 
what  the  industry  is  doing,  at  the 
box  office  — both  nation-wide  and 
regionally — it  is  well  to  remember  there  is 
no  magic  in  this  method,  and  the  policy  can 
be  easily  applied  in  any  local  situation,  large 
or  small,  by  the  manager’s  personal  effort, 
or  by  any  group  of  theatre  owners,  survey- 
ing their  own  scene.  The  fact-finding  proc- 
ess is  more  potent  at  your  own  point  of  sale, 
than  when  conclusions  are  drawn  over  large 
areas,  by  “sampling”  here  and  there. 

Our  old  and  good  friend,  Colonel  H.  A. 
Cole,  of  National  Allied  and  the  Lone  Star 
state,  is  strongly  in  favor  of  surveys — and 
for  a good  reason.  He  employed  the  A1 
Sindlinger  service  organization  to  conduct  a 
survey  of  his  own  theatres  in  Bonham, 
Texas,  population  7,000,  where  the  Cole 
family  have  long  operated  local  theatres. 
We  can’t  all  do  the  same  thing,  but  we  can 
organize  a practical  survey  basis  that  will 
function  at  the  local  level.,  and  which  can 
be  launched  on  a scale  to  fit  the  need. 

Of  course,  the  focal  point  of  all  business 
surveys  pertinent  to  film  industry  is  that 
plate-glass  shelf  where  your  cashier  deals 
directly  with  the  public,  and  scoops  in  their 
cash  for  tickets  sold.  She  is  conducting  a 
survey,  every  hour  of  every  day  she  is  on 
duty.  And,  standing  alongside,  in  the  lobby, 
is  yourself,  watching  and  listening  to  a con- 
tinuous poll  of  audience  opinion  and  indi- 
vidual movie  habits. 

School  will  be  out,  as  this  meeting  of  the 
Round  Table  convenes,  and  all  good  man- 
agers have  had  their  final  fling  at  congratu- 
lating the  graduates,  complimenting  the 
teachers  and  school  authorities  with  guest 
tickets  for  the  summer,  and  other  good  deeds 
that  pay  dividends.  But  you  might  carry  it 
a step  farther,  this  year,  and  seek  out  some 
able  teachers  who  would  like  part-time  em- 
ployment through  the  next  several  months. 
They  would  make  ideal  questioners,  dealing 
with  parents  on  both  sides  of  every  street — 
to  find  out  what  your  absentee  public  is 
thinking  about  the  movies.  It  would  be  good 
public  relations,  even  if  you  didn’t  learn 
anything  surprisingly  new. 

College  towns,  such  as  Denton,  Texas, 


ALTERNATE  ADVERTISING 

The  best  and  most  practical  rule  for 
sustained  interest  in  your  advertising 
method  is  to  successfully  vary  it,  frequently 
enough  to  provide  "something  new  and 
different"  in  selling  approach.  There  is 
more  impact  in  the  unusual  than  in  the 
continued  repetition  of  familiar  things. 

Therefore,  try  doing  what  you  haven't 
done  recently,  as  often  as  circumstances 
will  permit,  and  apply  yourself  diligently  to 
the  study  of  your  pressbooks,  to  find  the 
unusual — which  is  so  often  there,  if  you 
are  looking  for  it.  Folks  who  complain 
about  similarity  in  pressbook  materials 
have  that  fault  in  their  vision — and  need 
to  re-examine  their  approach.  Vary  your 
style  with  new  accessories,  and  feel  that 
impact!  Get  out  of  your  routine — and  get 
out  of  the  rut  that  you  may  be  in. 

Try  "away  from  the  theatre"  advertis- 
ing, if  you  haven't  done  it  too  often;  try 
window  cards,  if  they  are  new  to  your 
customers.  Try  sponsored  tieups,  if  they 
are  strange  to  your  audience.  There  are 
so  many  things  that  you  may  have  skipped 
over  lightly,  that  can  be  applied  just  once 
with  so  much  success  that  you  will  be 
astonished  with  the  results. 

We're  working  right  now  on  "Selling 
Approach"  — and  thinking  of  so  many 
situations  we  know  personally,  where  a 
"standing  order"  and  a fixed  formula  for 
"showmanship"  have  excluded  so  many 
good  ideas  that  might  be  tried. 


where  J.  P.  Harrison  knows  his  audience — 
and  they  know  him  ! — are  good  locations  in 
which  to  engage  the  students  themselves  in 
practical  surveys.  Some  are  working  their 
way,  and  could  use  the  limited  fees  that 
accumulate,  if  they  make  enough  calls  and 
get  the  answers  to  a carefully  prepared 
questionnaire,  for  the  record.  Those  who 
are  employed  by  the  national  polls  are  usu- 
ally local  people,  and  they  must  pound  a lot 
of  pavement  to  earn  a daily  wage,  on  a 
piecework  basis. 


<jj  WALT  DISNEY  likes  engines — and  has 
a miniature  railroad  on  his  home  grounds. 
Guests  at  the  Disneys  are  apt  to  be  taken  for 
a thrilling  ride — at  the  toot  of  a whistle.  So, 
it  is  logical  that  “The  Great  Locomotive 
Chase” — released  by  Buena  Vista — is  Dis- 
ney at  his  best.  The  antique  engines  in  this 
factual  story  of  Civil  War  history  will  be  a 
delight  to  all  ages,  and  audiences,  anywhere. 
Made  on  location  in  Georgia,  near  the  place 
where  22  Union  spies  stole  a locomotive  and 
train  under  the  eyes  of  4,000  Confederate 
troops,  the  picture  is  in  CinemaScope  and 
color,  with  plenty  of  whistle  toots.  What 
we  liked  about  it,  also,  was  the  good  casting, 
with  helievable  characters — and  Fess  Parker, 
without  his  “Davy  Crockett”  clothes,  but 
continuing  as  a very  convincing  actor  and 
leading  man,  for  this  and  future  productions. 
We  may  have  lost  the  original,  but  we  have 
the  stuff  to  make  more  good  pictures. 

<]|  MORE  THEATRES  are  running  shows 
at  unorthodox  hours,  i.e.,  not  the  ancient 
schedule  that  was  established  many  years 
ago,  and  may  be  outmoded  by  today’s  timing 
of  events.  Shirley  Booth,  well  known  con- 
tributor to  this  Round  Table  and  “What  the 
Picture  Did  For  Me”  from  the  Booth  thea- 
tre, Rich  Hill,  Mo.,  writes  in  to  say  he  is 
abandoning  his  Sunday  shows,  and  the 
Editor  of  The  HERALD  replies  with  his 
hope  that  they  will  try  the  “one  show  a 
night”  idea  which  has  been  successful  else- 
where. It  is  reasonable  that  an  audience 
will  assemble  for  this  one  performance,  if 
it  is  properly  publicized.  Walter  Reade’s 
theatres  do  well  with  “Tonight  at  8:30” — 
a special  series  of  single  performances,  sold 
out  in  advance.  Conventional  theatre  owners 
will  bear  in  mind  that  many  drive-ins  can’t 
operate  in  these  latitudes  until  dark  and  that 
means  close  to  9 p.m.  daylight  saving  time. 
Then  they  are  unable  to  run  a late  show  for 
an  audience  that  must  look  forward  to  an- 
other working  day  ahead.  The  four-wall 
theatres  can  start  earlier  and  get  their 
patrons  home  earlier,  with  a single  show  on 
certain  nights.  — Walter  Brooks 


MANAGERS'  ROUND  TABLE  SECTION,  JUNE  2,  1956 


39 


Great  use  of  life-size  cutouts,  as  an  aerial  flash  for 
"Trapeze" — suspended  from  the  lobby  ceiling,  at  the 
Capitol  theatre,  on  Broadway.  It  sells  the  stars,  and 
the  idea  of  the  picture,  at  a glance. 


Lucky  Squire,  celebrated  Macy's  Santa  Claus, 
posed  with  a "Toy  Tiger"  and  a pretty  model,  as 
promotion  for  the  upcoming  U-l  film. 


Frank  Hensen,  manager  of  Loew's  theatres  in 
St.  Louis,  had  this  good  window  display  for  "The 
Swan"  in  a leading  store. 


Sam  Gilman,  manager  of  Loew's  theatre  in  Syracuse,  got  a realistic 
result  by  providing  atmospheric  ballyhoo  for  "Alexander  the  Great" — 
with  chariots  and  everything  fully  up  to  original  standards. 


Robert  K.  Shapiro,  managing  director  of  the  Paramount  theatre  on 
Broadway,  poses  with  his  opening  day  exploitation  troupe  for  the  Alfred 
Hitchcock  thriller,  "The  Man  Who  Knew  Too  Much."  Two  young  ladies 
are  in  Moroccan  costumes,  and  the  other  couple  were  selected  for  their 
resemblance  to  the  stars  of  the  picture. 


Robert  Turner,  manager  of  the  Paramount  theatre,  Seattle,  Wash.,  set 
up  this  display  for  "The  Birds  and  the  Bees"  with  the  cooperation  of  these 
sponsors — Dial  Soap,  Pet  Milk,  Karo  Syrup  and  TV-Guide.  But  the  bees 
won't  like  it,  because  Karo  is  competition.  "The  Birds  and  the  Bees" 
blouse,  which  has  been  nationally  advertised,  and  the  TV  tieup  are 
especially  prominent  in  the  display,  to  properly  connect  George  Gobel 
with  his  fans. 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  JUNE  2,  1956 


Sk 


ovumen  in 


on 


United  Artists’  terrific  contest  for  “Miss 
Exquisite  Form  of  1957“  was  reported  in 
the  Round  Table  last  week,  but  omitted  one 
very  important  item  of  information,  which 
may  be  added  as  a postscript — since  it 
wasn’t  contained  in  the  original  release. 
There  will  be  $5,000  in  savings  bonds, 
equally  divided  between  large  and  small  situ- 
ations, for  managers  who  turn  in  the  best 
campaigns,  and  $1,550  for  exploitation  men, 
which  is  something  decidedly  worth  work- 
ing for — and  such  attractive  work,  in  pleas- 
ant surroundings ! 

T 

National  Screen’s  special  bulletin  on 
“Father’s  Day”  is  in  the  mail — and  with  all 
good  men  and  true,  the  special  handling  of 
“Father’s  Day”  for  theatres  is  in  the  works. 
Every  theatre  manager  who  has  a father,  or 
ever  had,  will  do  something  about  this  im- 
portant showman’s  dates — the  others  will 
skip  it. 

T 

George  Norton,  assistant  manager  at  the 
Lee  theatre,  Lee,  Mass.,  had  an  interesting 
display  for  “On  the  Threshhold  of  Space” 
done  with  the  cooperation  of  the  Air  Force 
Recruiting  Service  in  his  area,  which  re- 
sulted in  mutual  benefits. 

▼ 

Morris  Rosenthal,  manager  of  Loew’s 
Poli  theatre,  New  Haven,  Conn.,  made  the 
most  of  Mike  Lane,  a local  boy  who  was 
making  a personal  appearance  tour  as  one 
of  the  stars  of  “The  Harder  They  Fall” — 
and  gave  away  500  photos  of  the  favorite 
at  the  local  Arena,  the  night  of  the  fight. 

T 

W.  S.  “Bill”  Samuels,  manager  of  the 
Texas  theatre,  Dallas,  asks  if  we’ve  seen 
Irving  Mack  lately? — and  sends  material 
covering  the  25th  Birthday  Party  for  the 
theatre,  which  was  recently  celebrated.  Good 
special  newspaper  publicity  and  plenty  of 
interest  on  the  part  of  the  public. 

▼ 

Melvin  Katz,  manager  of  Fabian  theatres, 
Johnstown,  Pa.,  likes  the  newspaper  column, 
“Fans  Ignored  in  Movie  Squabble”  as  writ- 
ten by  columnist  Freddy  Othman,  in  Scripps- 
Howard  newspapers.  We  saw  "our  favorite 
columnist”  in  Washington,  recently. 

T 

Bruno  Weingarten,  manager  of  E.  M. 
Loew’s  Norwich-New  London  drive-in  thea- 
tre, at  Montville,  Conn.,  points  with  pride  to 
his  new  playground  area,  just  completed  for 
the  delight  of  kids  who  come  early  (before 
dark)  to  enjoy  the  privilege. 

T 

Donald  Davies,  publicity  manager  for 
Cathay  Organisation  Theatres  in  Singapore, 
reports  that  “Rains  of  Ranchipur”  and 
“Artists  and  Models”  are  both  doing  big 
business  in  Cathay’s  Federation  of  Malay 
Theatres.  Terrific  marquee  display  for  “The 
Lieutenant  Wore  Skirts”  proclaims  the  pic- 
ture as  “one  big  laugh.” 


Sonny  Shepherd  wishes  we  were  in 
Miami,  and  that  makes  it  unanimous,  here 
and  there.  He  encloses  a column  which  he 
wrote,  subbing  for  George  Burke,  "Night 
Life”  writer  for  the  Miami  Herald — and 
hereafter,  when  George  is  on  vacation,  we 
suggest  that  he  let  Sonny  do  it ! 

T 

Mel  Jolley,  manager  of  the  Century  thea- 
tre, Hamilton,  Ontario,  sends  a sample  mail- 
ing card,  addressed  to  McBrooks,  which 
describes  “A  Braw  of  a Picture” — the  wee 
“Geordie”  in  gorgeous  colour — and  pho- 
tographed in  Scotland,  England  and  Aus- 
tralia. “The  sun  never  sets  on  British 
showmanship.” 

▼ 

Harry  Homeniuk,  manager  of  the  Palace 
theatre,  Galt,  Ontario,  mails  out  a card  of 
congratulations  for  every  baby  born  in  his 
area,  and  a double  pass  for  the  happy  par- 
ents. Out  of  five  in  the  mail  last  week, 
he  had  three  telephone  calls  of  thanks,  and 
an  expression  of  their  appreciation  for  this 
public  relations  gesture. 

T 

Charlie  Doctor,  manager  of  Famous 
Players-Canadian’s  Capitol  theatre  in  Van- 
couver— and  you’ve  heard  his  name  men- 
tioned as  a double  Quigley  Grand  Award 
winner — gets  a page  of  rave  in  Dan  Kren- 
del’s  Ballyhoo  Bulletin  for  his  promotion  of 
“Carousel” — and  an  equivalent  observation 
that  he  doesn’t  write  too  often. 

T 

Charles  Gaudino,  manager  of  Loew’s  Poli 
theatre.  Springfield,  Mass.,  sends  a tear 
sheet  of  “Co-op  ad  No.  6”  on  "The  Man 
in  the  Gray  Flannel  Suit” — this  one,  3 
columns  16  inches  in  the  Springfield  Union, 
and  with  the  other  five,  he  must  have  broken 
all  local  records  for  sponsored  space  in  local 
papers.  It  isn’t  often  that  one  co-operative 
advertiser  will  go  for  a series  of  ads. 


Narsukhran  L.  Raval  sends  this  interesting 
picture  of  front  display  at  the  exciting  Eros 
theatre,  Bombay,  for  the  first-class  "social" 
picture,  "Seema"  — produced  in  India  and 
directed  by  Amiya  Chakrabarty.  This  most 
luxurious  and  magnificent  theatre  has  been 
the  setting  for  the  premiere  performances  of 
many  fine  pictures. 


Tiff  Cook  has  good  reason  to  be  proud 
of  the  handling  of  "Oklahoma!”  in  Toronto, 
where  the  new  Todd- AO  picture  opened  at 
the  newly  modernized  Tivoli  theatre — 
which  will  be  followed  by  one  other  open- 
ing in  Canada,  at  the  Alouette,  Montreal. 
Complete  with  everything,  including  “the 
surrey  with  the  fringe  on  top”  for  our  pic- 
ture page. 

V 

Sid  Kleper,  manager  of  Loew’s  College 
theatre,  New  Haven,  Conn.,  sends  in  all 
the  pieces  of  a fine  campaign  on  "U.  F.  O.” 
— "Unidentified  Flying  Objects”  — which 
makes  news  in  the  Round  Table,  but  not  as 
an  entry  for  the  Quigley  Awards,  because 
it  isn't  assembled  for  judging  in  competi- 
tion with  others. 


Harry  G reenman,  managing  director  of  the  Capitol  theatre  on  Broadway,  congratulates 
the  winner  in  his  contest  to  find  a local  girl  who  most  resembles  Jane  Russell;  and,  at  right, 
Lionel  Gregory,  manager  of  the  Capitol,  is  pictured  beside  a poster  announcing  another 
contest,  for  the  best  letters,  on  the  subject,  "Why  Did  Mamie  Stover  Have  to  Leave.  . . ." 


MANAGERS’  ROUND  TABLE  SECTION,  JUNE  2,  1956 


41 


“Great Day” in  Denver 
For  II  or  id  Premiere 


Kwnttr 


The  world  premiere  of  Edmund  Grainger's  RKO  release,  "Great  Day  in  the  Morning" 
was  held  in  Denver  at  the  Orpheum  theatre.  Backed  by  the  local  Chamber  of  Commerce, 
the  SuperScope  Technicolor  picture  was  the  subject  of  state-wide  celebration,  with  the 
Governor,  the  Mayor  and  a contingent  of  Hollywood  stars  as  honored  guests.  Above, 
film  star  Dorothy  Malone  stands  with  Bill  Hastings,  Quigley  Award  winner  and  manager 
of  the  Orpheum,  and  Virginia  Mayo,  with  Harry  Weiss,  Denver  district  manager  of  RKO 
Theatres.  At  right,  the  Orpheum  front,  v/ith  TV  cameras  covering  the  crowd. 

Below,  further  coverage  by  station  KOA-TV,  with  producer  Edmund  Grainger,  Mayor 
Nicholson  of  Denver,  and  Rocky  Mountain  Pete,  a local  TV  personality,  on  stage  in  the 
studio.  At  right,  Larry  Starzmore,  president  of  Westland  theatres,  Mayor  Nicholson  of 
Denver,  Virginia  Mayo,  star  of  "Great  Day " — Governor  Ed  Johnson  of  Colorado,  and  Mrs. 
Johnson,  and  Arthur  Baldwin,  president  of  the  Denver  Chamber  of  Commerce. 


" Fatality  Free " Days  Are 
Sponsored  by  Theatre 

Don  Gauld,  manager  of  the  Odeon  theatre, 
Fort  William,  Ontario,  sends  a full  report 
of  the  community’s  “Fatality  Free’’  days 
which  are  observed  as  a safety  precaution 
with  the  cooperation  of  civic,  traffic  and 
police  authorities.  The  city  celebrated  its 
500th  such  day,  free  of  fatal  accidents,  and 
since  then,  a local  poster  advertising  com- 
pany has  erected  a permanent  24-sheet  sign, 
with  the  perfect  score,  now  showing  at  594 
days  of  safety  on  the  streets.  The  sign  is 
part  of  and  adjoining  the  theatre  marquee, 
and  since  this  total  is  a matter  of  constant 
interest,  the  figures  are  changed  daily  with 
the  marquee  lettering.  (We  see  it  has 
passed  615  to  date.)  Others  may  do  the  same 
sort  of  thing,  as  the  Schine  theatres  have 
done  on  a circuit  basis — and  elsewhere  in 
Canada. 


Mrs.  Elaine  George  Is  An 
Ideal  Small  Town  Manager 

We  have  long  admired  Elaine  George, 
owner  and  manager  of  the  Star  theatre, 
Heppner,  Oregon,  as  one  of  the  best  around 
this  Table,  operating  a community  theatre 
in  a small  town.  Mrs.  George  is  part  of 
her  community — and  they  mean  something 
more  to  her  than  just  potential  patrons — 
they  are  neighbors  and  friends.  We  like 
her  chatty  program  copy,  which  explains  as 
it  sells  tickets,  and  her  newspaper  ads, 
which  are  as  distinctive  and  different.  The 
response  she  gets  from  civic  and  club  lead- 
ers, in  her  town,  proves  her  active  part 
in  their  affairs.  There  are  several  letters 
enclosed  with  her  recent  campaigns  which 
show  this  participation  in  welfare  and  com- 
munity effort.  Heppner  is  in  the  Blue 
Mountains,  and  we’d  say  the  nearest  big 
city  was  Portland. 


AtanualPronu 
Shim'  it  l ways 
Biy  Success 

Two  up-and-coming  managers  have  re- 
ported their  use  of  the  “Annual  Prom  Show” 
for  the  graduating  classes,  which  was  origi- 
naily  done  by  Leo  Jones,  at  the  New  Star 
theatre,  Upper  Sandusky,  Ohio,  a few  years 
ago  (and  reported  in  LOOK  magazine) 
and  then  by  Ben  Schwartz,  Massillon,  Ohio, 
not  far  away.  Both  occasions  followed  the 
same  idea,  of  providing  an  all-night  affair, 
with  a midnight  show  at  the  theatre,  and 
ending  with  breakfast  conducted  by  a local 
organization.  In  these  cases,  also,  the  pre- 
vailing reason  for  the  “all  night”  policy  was 
to  give  the  students  a big  time,  and  previ- 
ously, there  had  been  drinking  and  fatal  acci- 
dents, which  darkened  local  homes  with 
tragedy. 

Lawrence  K.  Mason,  manager  of  the 
Arcade  theatre,  Waynesboro,  Pa.,  is  the  first 
to  send  in  an  account  of  his  “Prom  Night” — 
the  second  year  he  has  done  it — which  in- 
cluded the  High  School  dance,  a midnight 
lunch  at  the  Elk’s  Club,  a special  late  show 
at  the  theatre,  and  breakfast  at  the  Eagle’s 
Club,  with  the  entire  program  ending  at 
six  o’clock  in  the  morning.  He  says,  “Our 
policy  is  not  only  to  be  a local  theatre,  but 
part  of  the  community” — and  the  coopera- 
tion with  the  graduating  class  and  their 
parents  is  gratefully  appreciated.  A nice 
coverage  of  the  affair,  with  news  pictures, 
in  the  Waynesboro  Record  Herald,  proves 
how  thoroughly  enjoyable  it  proved  to  be. 

F.  B.  Schlax,  district  manager  for  Stand- 
ard theatres  at  Kenosha,  Wise.,  reports  his 
fourth  annual  affair,  known  locally  as  the 
“Prom  Afterglow” — which  he  says  “is  deep 
in  our  hearts  for  the  extreme  amount  of 
good  will  and  civic  pride  we  take  in  it.”  In 
Kenosha,  the  Kiwanis  Club  sponsored  the 
party,  with  a Hollywood-style  movie  pre- 
miere, dancing  at  the  Eagle’s  Club,  a floor 
show  and  buffet  supper,  ending  about  sun- 
rise-time, with  breakfast.  On  the  receiving 
lines,  and  on  stage  at  the  theatre,  local  busi- 
ness and  civic  leaders  took  part  in  news- 
paper and  radio  coverage  of  the  event.  It 
was  all  “formal” — to  please  the  sweet  girl 
graduates — and  was  something  that  will  be 
long  remembered,  and  repeated  next  year, 
as  a great  success. 


" Movie-Goer " of  the  Month 

Paul  H.  Lyday,  managing  director  of  the 
Denver  theatre,  Denver,  Colorado,  and 
long-time  showman,  has  been  conducting  a 
promotion  campaign  in  the  Denver  Post  to 
find  “the  movie-goer  of  the  month” — a twist 
that  accents  the  fact  that  there  should  be 
some  such  very  popular  person,  in  every 
community,  outstanding  among  a very  large 
number  of  persons  who  do  go  to  the  movies. 
Placing  the  accent  on  the  person,  instead 
of  the  movie,  shows  skill  in  human  psychol- 
ogy and  advertising  practice. 


42 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  JUNE  2,  1956 


A 


pproac* 


k 


GREAT  DAY  IN  THE  MORNING— RKO 
Radio  Pictures.  SuperScope,  in  Technicolor. 
Edmund  Grainger's  great  story  of  this  day, 
as  written  in  the  history  of  the  North  and 
the  South!  The’  strangest  battle,  the 
strangest  drama  to  come  out  of  the  Civil 
War,  when  Denver  was  a battlefield,  2,000 
miles  from  the  front!  The  bugle  blast  that 
echoed  through  history.  The  story  of  two 
Yankee  beauties  fighting  over  a "Johnny 
Reb" — they  fought  a civil  war  before  it 
began!  24-sheet  and  all  advertising  superb 
for  all  purposes.  Critics  of  pressbooks  may 
use  this  example  from  RKO  to  confound 
their  theories.  Newspaper  advertising  in 
varied  and  brilliant  display,  all  sizes  and 
shapes  and  styles,  for  every  situation.  The 
complete  campaign  mat,  selling  for  35c 
at  National  Screen,  is  very  well  selected, 
and  supplies  seven  ad  mats  and  slugs,  and 
two  publicity  mats,  sufficient  for  small 
theatres.  Buy  the  mat  on  standing  order 
and  take  the  whole  mat  to  your  newspaper- 
man, to  obtain  "something  new  and  dif- 
ferent." A special  section  of  display  ad- 
vertising "with  a Southern  accent"  flies  the 
Confederate  flag — and  with  our  complete 
approval  and  applause.  The  herald  keys 
the  campaign  for  all  situations,  and  a fine 
set  of  color-gloss  stills  will  sell  color  with 
color,  in  your  special  lobby  frame  for  this 
purpose.  Remember,  you've  got  the  color 
that  television  is  still  waiting  for!  And  will 
be  waiting  for,  another  year  or  more. 
They'll  never  have  our  'Scope  and  color, 
until  they  replace  36,000,000  home  tele- 
vision sets  now  in  use.  Good  promotion  in 
the  pressbook;  good  music  and  other  com- 
mercial tieups. 


• 

HILDA  CRANE — 20th  Century-Fox.  Cine- 
maScope,  with  print  by  Technicolor.  The 
many  loves  of  Hilda  Crane!  At  22,  and 
divorced  twice,  will  she  be  a three-time 
loser?  A passionate  outcry  against  im- 
pulsive marriages,  and  the  multiple  divorces 
of  today's  youth.  Why  can't  Hilda  Crane 
stay  married?  Jean  Simmons,  star  of  "The 
Robe,"  "Desiree"  and  "Guys  and  Doll,"  in 
a picture  with  audience  appeal  for  both 
men  and  women.  24-sheet  especially  good 
as  pictorial  art  for  lobby  or  marquee,  and 
all  posters  have  atmospheric  quality.  News- 
paper ad  mats  have  great  merit  in  selling 
this  attractive  star  in  her  dramatic  story, 
and  a supplement  to  the  pressbook  carries 
additional  styles  that  have  been  created  in 
the  early  runs.  The  complete  campaign  mat 
has  everything  for  small  theatres  with  eight 
one-  and  two-column  ad  mats  and  slugs, 
and  two  publicity  mats,  all  very  well  se- 
lected, as  the  best  advertising  bargain 
along  Film  Row.  Special  TV  trailers  suggest 
the  strong  appeal  to  a captive  TV  audi- 
ence. Folder  herald  from  Cato  Show  Print 
accents  all  the  best  selling  approach. 


THE  SEARCHERS — Warner  Brothers.  The 

C.  V.  Whitney  Production,  in  VistaVision 
and  Technicolor.  The  authentic  West  has 
never  given  us  a story  so  unforgettably  dif- 
ferent. Somewhere  out  there,  a girl  was 
held  captive.  Whatever  it  took — wherever 
it  took  him — he  had  to  find  her,  he  had  to 
find  her,  he  had  to  find  her!  John  Wayne, 
Jeffrey  Hunter,  Vera  Miles,  Ward  Bond, 
Natalie  Wood — a great  cast  in  a great 
picture,  directed  by  4-time  Academy 
Award  winner,  John  Ford.  All  advertising 
partakes  of  the  keenly  delightful  "different" 
styling  that  is  promised  in  all  C.  V.  Whitney 
Productions.  The  flavour  will  be  relished  by 
your  patrons  satiated  with  the  mediocrities 
of  television.  24-sheet  keys  the  campaign 
with  breathtaking  pictorial  art,  worth  your 
best  talents  as  a showman.  All  posters  and 
all  newspaper  advertising  has  distinction, 
and  all  of  it  at  this  top-level  of  professional 
skills.  No  herald  mentioned,  but  that's  the 
only  thing  missing  in  this  comprehensive 
pressbook.  Newspaper  ad  mats  are  superior 
to  anything  current  in  motion  picture  ad- 
vertising, from  a special  set  of  teasers,  and 
special  ads  for  use  off  the  amusement 
page,  to  display  in  keeping  with  the  quality 
of  the  attraction,  and  the  special  composite 
mat,  for  35c  complete. 

• 

ROCK  AROUND  THE  CLOCK— Columbia 
Pictures.  It's  the  whole  story  of  rock  and 
roll!  Bill  Haley  and  His  Comets;  The 
Platters;  Tony  Martinez;  Allen  Freed; 
Johnny  Johnston;  Alex  Talton  — all  these 
rock  and  roll  stars  mean  something  to  rock 
and  roll  addicts,  and  they  are  very  numer- 
ous! It's  the  most!  You'll  rock  in  your  seats. 
You'll  roll  in  the  aisles.  All  the  cats  are 
crazy,  to  see,  hear  and  cheer  the  Rock  and 
Roll.  What  a Ball!  Dig  this  collection! 
Posters  from  the  6-sheet,  carry  the  theme. 
Newspaper  ad  mats  are  in  style,  with  such 
as  No.  304,  which  says,  "See  you  later, 
Alligator!"  The  complete  campaign  mat 
has  six  ad  mats  and  slugs  and  three  pub- 
licity mats  of  name  stars.  They'll  be  danc- 
ing in  the  streets,  in  the  lobby  and  in  the 
aisles,  but  don't  let  them  dance  all  night. 
The  all-night  dancethons  can  get  out  of 
control — and  do  you  more  harm  than  good. 
Special  pressbook  treatment  for  drive-ins. 


YOU  GET 

SPECIAL 

TRAILERS 

FAST 

FROM 


CHICAGO.  1327  S.  WABASH 
NEW  YORK,  341  W.  44th  ST. 


. . . Timely  news  supplementing  the 
special  monthly  department  covering 
all  phases  of  refreshment  service. 


Candy  and  Milk  Promoted 
As  the  "Energy  Twins " 

A new  promotional  device,  whereby  candy 
and  milk  are  tied-in  to  emphasize  the  ‘‘natu- 
ral wholesomeness”  of  the  combination  as  a 
snack  for  young;  and  old,”  has  been  de- 
vised by  the  D.  L.  Clark  Company,  manu- 
facturers of  the  “Clark  Bar”  and  the 
Meadow  Gold  Cream  Creameries,  both  of 
Chicago.  Worked  out  on  a national  market- 
ing and  promotional  scale,  the  tie-up  is  ex- 
pected to  have  a great  country-wide  impact 
upon  the  candy  business,  according  to  in- 
dustry observers.  The  program  is  designed 
to  stress  the  value  of  candy  and  milk  as 
a natural  combination — “the  energy  twins.” 
Meadow  Gold  will  distribute  12  million  milk 
cartons  per  month  from  Pittsburgh  to  Boise, 
Idaho — each  to  feature  prominently  a repro- 
duction of  the  Clark  bar.  In  addition  the 
drive  will  be  supported  by  television,  radio 
and  newspaper  tie-in  advertising. 


Candy  Sales  Continue  Up 

Candy  sales  increased  over  last  year  for 
the  third  consecutive  month  when  March 
sales  jumped  3%  above  the  total  for  that 
month  last  year,  according  to  a report  by  the 
Bureau  of  the  Census,  U.  S.  Department  of 
Commerce,  Washington,  D.  C.  And  with 
one  quarter  of  the  year  gone,  sales  are  6% 
higher  than  they  were  in  1955,  the  report 
showed.  For  the  first  quarter  gains  were 
registered  for  bar  goods  and  the  more  ex- 
pensive package  goods.  Sales  of  other  types 
declined.  Bar  goods  sales  increased  4%  in 
value  and  12%  in  poundage. 


Two  Firms  Join  PCA 

Two  firms  have  recently  been  accepted  to 
membership  in  the  theatre-concession  seg- 
ment of  the  Popcorn  and  Concessions  Asso- 
ciation, Chicago,  by  PCA’s  membership 
committee.  They  are  Leon  Gillespie  Enter- 
prises, El  Paso,  Tex.,  to  be  represented  by 
Leon  Gillespie;  and  the  Smith  Management 
Company,  Boston,  represented  by  Melvin  R. 
Wintman. 


"Big  Mo"  Goes  Dime-Size 

A “dime-size”  edition  of  its  five-cent  “Big 
Mo”  candy  bar  has  been  announced  by  the 
Kimbell  Candy  Company,  Chicago.  The  new 
bar  weighs  three  ounces.  It  features  five 
vari-colored  layers  of  coconut. 


MANAGERS’  ROUND  TABLE  SECTION,  JUNE  2,  1956 


43 


CLASSIFIED  ADVERTISING 


Fifteen  cents  per  word,  money-order  or  check  with  copy.  Count  initials,  box  number  and  address.  Minimum  insertion  $ 1 .50.  Four 
insertions  for  the  price  of  three.  Contract  rates  on  application.  No  border  or  cuts.  Forms  close  Mondays  at  5 P.M.  Publisher 
reserves  the  right  to  reject  any  copy.  Film  and  trailer  advertising  not  accepted.  Classified  advertising  not  subject  to  agency 
commission.  Address  copy  and  checks:  MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  Classified  Dept.,  Rockefeller  Center,  New  York  (20) 


QP 


THEATRES 


NEW  EQUIPMENT 


USED  EQUIPMENT 


TWO  DRIVE-IN  THEATRES  EACH  450  CAR 
capacity,  only  drive-in  theatre  in  each  town.  Located 
in  Pennsylvania  and  Maryland.  Will  sell  separately  or 
together.  BOX  2922,  MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD. 


HELP  WANTED 


MANAGERS  WANTED  FOR  YEAR  AROUND, 
also  for  summer  season  theatre.  Apply  MAX  COHEN, 
Rialto  Theatre,  Monticello,  N.  Y. 


EXPANDING  PACIFIC  COAST  THEATRE  CIR- 

cuit  has  openings  now  for  men  of  potential  manage- 
ment calibre.  Theatre  experience  helpful  but  not  neces- 
sary. Here  is  an  opportunity  for  men  capable  of 
accepting  responsibility  to  start  a business  career 
which  is  above  average  in  excitement  and  interest 
and  which  is  also  profitable.  State  age.  marital  status, 
education  and  experience  in  reply.  BOX  2923,  MOTION 
PICTURE  HERALD. 


DRIVE-IN  EQUIPMENT 


IN-CAR  SPEAKERS  $4.25!  YEAR  WARRANTY. 
4"  unit,  steel  case  painted  blue,  white.  Price  per  set  2 
speakers,  junction  box.  $12.25.  S.O.S.  CINEMA  SUP- 
„ PLY  CORP.,  602  W.  52nd  St.,  New  York  19. 


DUAL  DEVRY  OUTFIT  $5,000  VALUE,  $2,495! 
Includes  Strong  Jr  HI  Arcs,  45  amp.  rectifiers, 
streamlined  pedestals,  dual  25  watt  DeVry  amplifiers, 
Series  II  lenses,  2 way  speakers.  Available  on  time. 
S.O.S.  CINEMA  SUPPLY  CORP.,  602  W.  52nd  St., 
New  York  19. 


INTERMITTENT  MOVEMENTS— NEW  SURPLUS 
for  Simplex  $69.50;  DeVry  $59.50;  Holmes  $24.50;  Auto- 
matic enclosed  rewinds  $69.50.  S.O.S.  CINEMA 
SUPPLY  CORP.,  602  W.  52nd  St.,  New  York  19. 


BOOKS 


NEW  — FOR  THEATRE  MANAGERS  — “THE 
Master  Guide  on  Theatre  Maintenance,”  compiled  from 
authorities,  handy  for  reference  with  hard  covers  and 
index.  Published  by  Aaron  Nadell.  Price  $5  postpaid. 
Send  remittance  to  QUIGLEY  BOOKSHOP,  1270  Sixth 
Ave.,  New  York  20,  N.  Y. 


RICHARDSON’S  BLUE, BOOK  OF  PROJECTION. 
New  8th  Edition.  Revised  to  deal  with  the  latest  tech- 
nical developments  in  motion  picture  projection  and 
sound,  and  reorganized  to  facilitate  study  and  refer- 
ence. Includes  a practical  discussion  of  Television 
especially  prepared  for  the  instruction  of  theatre  pro- 
jectionists, and  of  new  techniques  for  advancement  of 
the  art  of  the  motion  picture.  The  standard  textbook 
on  motion  picture  projection  and  sound  reproduction. 
Invaluable  to  beginner  and  expert.  Best  seller  since 
1911.  662  pages,  cloth  hound,  $7.25  postpaid.  QUIGLEY 
BOOKSHOP,  1270  Sixth  Avenue,  New  York  20,  N.  Y. 


LOADED  WITH  H.  I.  LAMPHOUSES!  PEER- 
less  Magnarcs,  $395  pr. ; Strong  Mogul,  Brenkert 
Enarc,  Forest  U.T.,  Ashcraft  D-18E,  Ballantyne  $300, 
all  good  condition.  Available  on  time.  S.O.S.  CINEMA 
SUPPLY  CORP.,  602  W.  52nd  St.,  New  York  19. 


EXCELLENT  COATED  PROJECTION  LENSES— 
many  brand  new!  Wollensak  “Sunray”  Series  I:  2”, 
3”.  354",  3H",  5",  554",  6",  7J4" — $35  pair.  Superlite 
Series  III  “C”  coated  2^4" — 3" — 3 54"  $150  pr.  Others 
available,  tell  us  your  needs.  Trades  Taken.  Wire 
or  telephone  order  today.  S.O.S.  CINEMA  SUPPLY' 
CORP.,  602  W.  52nd  St.,  New  York  19. 


STUDIO  EQUIPMENT 


NEUMADE  RK-100  FILM  RACKS,  HOLD  120-1000’ 
reels,  $165  originally,  new  $87.50;  Arriflex  II  35mm 
camera  complete,  $2,000  value,  $1,195;  1000W  Mazda 
Spotlamps  G48  Mogul  bipost,  $13.50  list,  $6.95;  Amer. 
Cinematographers  Handbook,  54  price,  $2.50;  Bridga- 
matic  Jr.  16mm  Automatic  Processor,  $1,500  value, 
$975;  Maurer  16  Camera,  lens,  2 magazines,  synemotor, 
12V  motor  w ''battery,  all  cases,  complete  $2,395; 
5000W  Background  Projector,  reconditioned,  $595; 
Moviola  35mm  composite  sound/picture,  $495.  S.O.S. 
CINEMA  SUPPLY  CORP.,  602  W.  52nd  St..  New 
York  19. 


POPCORN 


WORLD-WIDE  HEADQUARTERS  FOR  POP- 
corn,  popcorn  equipment  and  supplies.  POPCORN 
VILLAGE,  Nashville,  Tenn.,  U.S.A. 


Pacific  SMPTE  Told  of 
" Videotape " Recorder 

REDWOOD  CITY,  CALIF.:  Members  of 
the  Pacific  Coast  section  of  the  SMPTE 
were  briefed  on  the  Ampex  “Videotape” 
recorder  at  their  recent  monthly  meeting 
along  with  a tour  of  the  Ampex  Corpora- 
tion plant  and  actual  demonstrations  of 
equipment.  John  W.  Frayne,  president  of 
SMPTE;  E.  W.  Templin,  chairman  of  the 
Pacific  Coast  Section  (both  of  Westrex), 
and  Leo  Diner,  chairman  of  the  San  Fran- 
cisco section  of  SMPTE  (Leo  Diner 
Films)  all  commended  Ampex  on  its  con- 
tribution to  the  industry  with  the  advent  of 
a practical  method  for  recording  television 
programs  on  a magnetic  tape  recorder. 

Cinema  Lodge  Golf 
Tournament  June  14 

The  fifth  annual  film  industry  golf  tourna- 
ment, sponsored  by  New  York’s  Cinema 
Lodge  of  B’nai  B’ritli,  will  he  held  June  14 
at  the  Vernon  Hills  Country  Club  at  Tucka- 
hoe,  N.  Y.,  scene  of  the  previous  four  an- 
nual tournaments,  it  is  announced  by  Robert 
K.  Shapiro,  president  of  the  lodge.  Mr. 
Shapiro  cited  the  usual  wide  attendance  from 
the  various  branches  of  the  industry,  both 
for  the  tournament  itself  and  for  the  banquet 
and  prize-awarding  ceremonies  which  are 
held  afterwards. 


Canadians  to  Join 
Salute  to  Weltner 

TORONTO : Paramount’s  Canadian  divi- 
sion will  join  the  United  States  divisions 
in  “Paramount’s  Salute  to  George  Weltner” 
sales  drive,  July  1 -December  29,  Gordon 
Lightstone,  the  comp;jny’s  Canadian  gen- 
eral manager,  announced  at  the  national 
sales  meeting  here  recently.  The  conference 
was  attended  hv  an  executive  group  in  New 
York  headed  by  Mr.  Weltner,  who  is  presi- 
dent of  Paramount  Film  Distributing  Cor- 
poration and  worldwide  sales  head.  The 
home  office  delegation  included  Charles 
Boasberg,  supervisor  of  worldwide  sales  for 
Cecil  B.  DeMille’s  production  of  “The  Ten 
Commandments”  and  Ponti-DeLaurentiis’ 
“War  and  Peace”;  Jerry  Pickman,  Para- 
mount ad-puhlicity  vice-president;  Oscar 
Morgan,  short  subjects  sales  chief,  and 
Maxwell  Hamilton,  coordinator  of  world- 
wide promotion  plans  for  “The  Ten  Com- 
mandments.” 


To  Reissue  " Hamlet " 

Reissue  rights  to  Sir  Laurence  Olivier’s 
“Hamlet”  have  been  acquired  by  Jacon  Film 
Distributors,  Inc.,  it  is  announced  by  Ber- 
nard Jacon,  president.  Originally  released 
by  Universal- International,  the  film  was  ac- 
quired by  Mr.  Jacon’s  firm  from  Fine  Arts 
Films.  The  film  features  Jean  Simmons  and 
Eileen  Herlie. 


" Trapeze " Benefit  Debut 
Held  in  Los  Angeles 

Backed  by  a $2,000,000  all-media  promo- 
tion, the  United  Artists  Hecht-Lancaster’s 
CinemaScope  production  of  “Trapeze,” 
starring  Burt  Lancaster,  Tony  Curtis  and 
Gina  Lollobrigida  was  launched  recently  in 
a world  premiere  at  the  Fox  Wilshire  thea- 
tre in  Los  Angeles.  The  proceeds  bene- 
fited the  Variety  Boys’  Club  of  Los  An- 
geles. An  audience  of  almost  3,000,  including 
stars,  industry  leaders,  Government  officials 
and  civic  notables,  attended  the  opening, 
photographed  by  TV  cameras  for  a national 
broadcast  to  an  audience  of  45,000,000  on 
the  Ed  Sullivan  show  on  CBS-TV  June  3. 


Pesce  in  State  Post 

ALBANY : Louis  M.  Pesce  has  been  named 
to  the  new  position  of  assistant  director  in 
the  Motion  Picture  Division,  New  York 
State  Education  Department.  Mr.  Pesce  was 
formerly  a reviewer.  His  appointment,  effec- 
tive June  7,  is  the  result  of  a recent  competi- 
tive test  within  the  licensing  division. 


Reopens  in  Wisconsin 

The  Stanley  theatre  at  Stanley,  Wis.,  in 
the  Minneapolis  exchange  area,  has  re- 
opened after  closing  for  three  weeks.  The 
new  owner  is  Stanley  Theatre,  Inc.,  organ- 
ized and  controlled  by  John  D.  Heywood. 


44 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  JUNE  2,  1956 


FILM  BUYERS  RATING 


Film  buyers  of  independent  circuits  in  the  U.  S.  rate  current 
product  on  the  basis  of  its  performance  in  their  theatres.  This 
report  covers  106  attractions,  3,690  playdates. 

Titles  run  alphabetically.  Numerals  refer  to  the  number  of  en- 
gagements on  each  attraction  reported.  The  tabulation  is  cumula- 
tive. Dagger  (f)  denotes  attractions  published  for  the  first  time. 
Asterisk  ( * ) indicates  attractions  which  are  listed  for  the  last  time. 


EX  means  Excellent;  AA — Above  Average;  AV — Average; 


BA — Beloiv  Average;  PR — Poor. 

EX 

AA 

AV 

BA 

PR 

African  Lion,  The  (B.V.) 

1 

8 

19 

14 

21 

All  That  Heaven  Allows  (U-l) 

5 

27 

12 

19 

4 

Anything  Goes  (Par.) 

- 

3 

- 

6 

13 

Apache  Woman  (A.R.C.) 

1 

7 

2 

2 

- 

Artists  and  Models  (Par.) 

10 

33 

19 

7 

2 

At  Gunpoint  (A.A.) 

- 

1 

1 1 

26 

2 

Backlash  (U-l)  

_ 

II 

3 

14 

1 

Battle  Stations  (Col.) 

- 

4 

- 

2 

- 

Benny  Goodman  Story,  The  (U-l) 

1 

12 

13 

28 

17 

Big  Knife,  The  (U.A.)  

- 

- 

1 

1 1 

14 

Blood  Alley  (W.B.) 

- 

8 

29 

21 

3 

Bottom  of  the  Bottle  ( 20th- Fox ) 

- 

2 

8 

13 

25 

Carousel  (20th-Fox)  

1 

8 

2 

19 

2 

Come  Next  Spring  (Rep.) 

- 

1 

3 

16 

4 

Comanche  (U.A.)  

- 

4 

1 

- 

18 

Conqueror,  The  (RKO)  

5 

6 

8 

4 

- 

Count  Three  and  Pray  (Col.) 

5 

10 

24 

1 1 

7 

Court  Jester,  The  (Par.)  

- 

9 

7 

6 

5 

Court  Martial  of  Billy  Mitchell  (W.B.) 

1 

41 

28 

10 

II 

(Creature  Walks  Among  Us  (U-l)  

- 

~ 

3 

2 

Day  the  World  Ended  (A.R.C.) 

_ 

21 

1 

1 

_ 

Deep  Blue  Sea,  The  ( 20th- Fox ) 

- 

- 

1 

2 

12 

Desperate  Hours,  The  (Par.) 

1 

1 

II 

20 

19 

Diane  (MGM) 

- 

- 

1 

8 

28 

Dig  That  Uranium  (A.A.) 

- 

4 

1 

- 

- 

Duel  on  the  Mississippi  (Col.)  

1 

1 

7 

2 

2 

Flame  of  the  Islands  (Rep.) 

_ 

1 

2 

7 

3 

Forbidden  Planet  (MGM) 

- 

3 

8 

- 

- 

Forever  Darling  (MGM) 

7 

28 

29 

7 

8 

Fort  Yuma  (U.A.)  

- 

- 

5 

13 

2 

Fury  at  Gunsight  Pass  (Col.)  

1 

3 

2 

2 

Gentlemen  Marry  Brunettes  (U.A.) 

_ 

10 

20 

15 

16 

Girl  in  the  Red  Velvet  Swing,  The  (20th-Fox) 

- 

3 

20 

31 

23 

Glory  (RKO) 

1 

3 

6 

8 

7 

Goodbye,  My  Lady  (W.B.) 

- 

4 

2 

4 

- 

Good  Morning,  Miss  Dove  ( 20th- Fox ) 

1 

16 

13 

34 

12 

Guys  and  Dolls  (MGM) 

20 

7 

4 

3 

4 

(Harder  They  Fall,  The  (Col.) 

_ 

1 

_ 

5 

_ 

Helen  of  Troy  (W.B.)  

- 

7 

26 

2 

10 

Hell  on  Frisco  Bay  (W.B.) 

- 

8 

12 

1 1 

26 

Hot  Blood  (Col.)  

1 

1 

5 

3 

1 Died  a Thousand  Times  (W.B.) 

1 

5 

1 1 

9 

I’ll  Cry  Tomorrow  (MGM) 

9 

17 

5 

1 

- 

Indian  Fighter  (U.A.)  . . . . 

- 

13 

25 

13 

6 

Inside  Detroit  (Col.)  

- 

- 

1 

4 

2 

Invasion  of  the  Body  Snatchers  (A.A.) 

- 

1 

- 

- 

19 

( Jubal  (Col.)  

_ 

3 

_ 

3 

_ 

Kettles  in  the  Ozarks  (U-l) 
Kismet  (MGM) 


Last  Frontier  (Col.)  . 

Last  Hunt,  The  (MGM) 

Lady  Godiva  ( U-l ) 

Lawless  Street  (Col.) 

Lieutenant  Wore  Skirts,  The  ( 20th- Fox ) 
Littlest  Outlaw  (B.V.) 

Lone  Ranger,  The  (W.B.) 

Lucy  Gallant  ( Par.) 


Man  Alone,  A (Rep.) 

Man  in  the  Gray  Flannel  Suit  ( 20th- Fox ) 
Man  Who  Never  Was  (20th-Fox) 

Man  With  the  Golden  Arm  (U.A.) 

Man  With  the  Gun  (U.A.) 

Meet  Me  in  Las  Vegas  (MGM)  . 

Miracle  in  the  Rain  (W.B.)  . . 


Naked  Dawn  (U-l ) ...  . 
Never  Say  Goodbye  (U-l) 


On  the  Th-eshold  of  Space  (20th-Fox) 
Our  Miss  Brooks  (W.B.) 

Picnic  (Col.) 

Prisoner,  The  (Col.)  . 


Queen  Bee  (Col.) 

Quentin  Durward  (MGM) 


Rains  of  Ranchipur,  The  ( 20th- Fox ) 

Ransom  ( MGM  j 

Rebel  Without  a Cause  (W.B.) 

Red  Sundown  (U-l) 

Return  of  Jack  Slade  (A.A.) 
(Revolt  of  Mamie  Stover  ( 20th- Fox ) 
Rock  Around  the  Clock  (Col.) 

Rose  Tattoo,  The  (Par.).. 

Running  Wild  ( U-l ) 


Second  Greatest  Sex  (U-l) 
Serenade  (W.B.) 

Shack  Out  on  101  (A.A.) 

Sincerely  Yours  (W.B.) 

Slightly  Scarlet  (RKO) 

Song  of  the  South  (B.V.)  (reissue) 

Spoilers,  The  (U-l)  

Square  Jungle  (U-l) 

Swan,  The  (MGM) 


Tall  Men,  The  (20th-Fox) 

Tarantula  (U-l) 

Target  Zero  (W.B.) 

Teen-Age  Crime  Wave  (Col.) 
Tender  Trap,  The  (MGM) 

Texas  Lady  (RKO) 

There's  Always  Tomorrow  (U-l) 
Three  Bad  Sisters  (U.A.) 

Three  Stripes  in  the  Sun  (Col.) 
Treasure  of  Pancho  Villa  (RKO) 

Trial  (MGM)  

Tribute  to  a Bad  Man  (MGM) 
Trouble  With  Harry  (Par.) 

Twinkle  in  God's  Eye,  The  (Rep.) 


(Uranium  Boom  (Col.) 


World  in  My  Corner  (U-l) 


EX 

AA 

AV 

BA 

PR 

5 

1 1 

10 

3 

- 

4 

17 

22 

21 



3 

18 

18 

6 

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24 

SIX  SHEET 


tT's  m'ojsjdeRfu^  / 


THREE  SHEET 


Vr8f 


4,ov«  **!0' 


Paste  'em  on  Trucks 
passing  thru  con- 
gested Commercial 
and  Suburban  areas! 


RICHARD 


TIM  HOVEY 

„ 4 &$>  i 


WEDSHERDEMAN** 


[ A UNIVERSAt-t 


They  shout  out  from  Billboards 
iJ<k  and  Theatre  walls! 


KT^  W'h/  & 

♦‘JEFF  CHANDLER 
LARAINE  DAY 
TIM  4 HOVEY 

'•’/  m ' 

. : L’  : -U  I : • / *1  J 


Thai  b*l»oou« 


hov  ' 


4,0,1 

IIV.*t  fill  HAR: I -S'  ;N  ' ' ijg. 

I!  '(HDEVit,  - li  ivVAF:' ! :ii  i 


ONE 


SHEET 


Lots  of  exhibitors  even  sfieffac’em  down 
on  sidewalks  and  paste  ’em  up  on 
ceilings!  They’re  Boxoffice-Building, 
Patron-Pullers  anywhere. ..so  post  ’em 
EVERYWHERE! 

Your  nearest  N.S.S.  Branch  has  color- 
ful 1,  3 and  6 Sheets  to  sell  your  shows! 


nnTionni.Cb^^ 

(^/  Pff/zr  no  nr  i 


SERVICE 

Of  me  /no us mr 


Make  'em  call  your  Patrons 
from  vacant  Store  Win- 
dows! 


JUNE  9,  1956 


class 


xth 


ngement.  Operation,  Equipment 
Projection  Light  System  Output 
Inventory  for  Tax  and  Resale  Purposes 


FRESHMEN T MERCHANDISING: 


matter  January  12,  1931  at 
Publishing  Co.,  Inc.,  1270 
0.00  a year  Foreign.  Single 


>py 


Methods  for  Increasing  Soft  Drink  Sales 

Post  Office,  at  New  York  City,  U.  S.  A.,  under  the  act  of  March  3,  1879.  Pub- 
Avenue,  Rockefeller  Center,  New  York  20,  N . Y.  Subscription  prices:  $5.00 
25  cents.  All  contents  copyrighted  1956  by  Quigley  Publishing  Company.  Inc. 


for  JUNE 


M-G-M  presents  in  vistaVision  •A  SOL  C.  SIEGEL  PRODUCTION 

Starring 

BING  CROSBY- GRACE  KELLY- FRANK  SINATRA 


. Society 

Co-starring 

CELESTE  HOLM  • JOHN  LUND  • louis  calhern  • Sidney  blackmer 

And  LOUIS  ARMSTRONG  And  His  Band 


Screen  Play  by  JOHN  PATRICK 


Based  on  a Play  by  PHILIP  BARRY 


Music  & Lyrics  by 


COLE  PORTER 


Music  Supervised  & Adapted  by  JOHNNY  GREEN  and  SAUL  CHAPLIN  • Color  by  TECHNICOLOR  • Directed  by  CHARLES  WALTERS 


( Available  in  Perspecta  Stereophonic  or  1-Channel  Sound) 


JfjGfj 

rjietf 

Society 

Not  within  memory  have  preview  audiences  been  so 
demonstrative  in  their  enjoyment  of  a picture.  Get 
ready  to  welcome  to  your  screen  the  hottest  names 
in  show  business  in  a block-buster  of  box-office  bounty. 


The  White  Whale  nearly 
destroyed  him— and 
no  one  would  rest  till  the 
White  Whale  was  dead! 


IglCHAlt  3 

II  ^ 

JL 

Orson  >yfeix 1 


Never  Sjjch  Might! 


JohnHuiston 


PRODUCTION  OF  HERMAN  MELVILLE'S 


WITH  A SPECTACULAR  NEW  DEVELOPMENT  IN  COLOR  ByTECHNICOLOR 

ES  as  Father  Mapple  • ray  bradbury  and  john  huston  • a MOULIN  picture  • directed  by  JOHN  HUSTON  • PRESENTED  BY  WARNER  BROS 


20th 

CENTURY-FOX  presents 

MARILYN 

MONROE 


in 


bus  stop 

COLOR  by  DE  LUXE 

Q|MemaScoPE= 


won 


now! 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD 


MARTIN  QUIGLEY,  Editor-in-Chief  and  Publisher 


Vol.  203,  No.  10 


MARTIN  QUIGLEY,  JR.,  Editor 


June  9,  1956 


Blueprint  for  a Festival 

FROM  time  to  time  proposals  have  been  made  for 
the  establishment  of  an  annual  film  festival  some- 
where in  the  United  States  to  rival  those  of  Cannes, 
Venice  and  other  places  abroad.  George  Murphy,  official 
U.  S.  representative  at  the  recent  Cannes  Festival,  has 
urged  prompt  evaluation  of  the  merits  of  a U.  S.  film 
festival  project. 

Now  that  various  methods  and  schemes  for  building 
box  office  receipts  through  greater  public  interest  in  films 
are  being  studied,  it  is  logical  that  the  film  festival  idea 
should  be  reexamined. 

While  many  of  the  festivals  abroad  serve  important 
motion  picture  and  other  interests,  it  would  be  a mistake 
to  attempt  to  transplant  to  this  country  a film  festival 
patterned  along  the  lines  of  the  principal  festivals  abroad. 
The  festival  as  it  has  evolved  is  essentially  a European 
creation.  It  fitted  well  into  the  development  of  tourism 
for  such  places  as  Cannes  and  Venice.  Moreover,  it  was 
and  is  an  activity  that  fosters  an  “artistic”  evaluation  of 
films.  That  often  spells  box  office  in  Europe.  For  better 
or  for  worse,  the  label  “artistic”  often  is  what  some 
exhibitors  refer  to  as  “box  office  poison”  to  theatre- 
goers in  this  country. 

The  promotion  of  a film  festival  in  the  established 
pattern  requires  a sponsoring  angel  with  a big  purse.  It 
may  be  a city  interested  in  tourist  business ; it  may  be  a 
national  capital  interested  in  prestige  or  a city  celebrat- 
ing an  anniversary.  It  is  not  likely  that  outside  funds 
would  be  found  in  sufficient  magnitude  to  finance  a typi- 
cal film  festival  in  the  U.  S.  A.  There  are  no  grounds 
to  believe  that  the  major  American  producer-distributors 
would  agree  to  assume  the  whole  cost,  which  would 
amount  to  many  hundreds  of  thousands  of  dollars. 

THERE  are,  however,  other  ways  in  which  the 
festival  idea  can  be  applied  here.  Actually  our 
country  is  too  large  to  benefit  greatly  from  a 
festival  held  either  in  Hollywood,  New  York  or  some 
other  metropolitan  center.  What  is  needed  is  a festival 
movement  that  would  do  good  all  over  the  nation. 

One  plan  that  should  be  considered  is  celebrating  a 
Film  Festival  Week  in  every  first  run  theatre  that  wishes 
to  cooperate.  During  the  week  seven  forthcoming  fea- 
tures would  be  shown  at  each  theatre — each  picture  at 
only  one  performance.  A limited  number  of  seats  would 
be  set  aside  for  invited  guests,  critics  and  the  opinion- 
makers  of  the  community.  All  other  seats  would  be  sold 
in  advance  for  each  show.  The  aim  would  be  to  build 
favorable  press  and  word-of-mouth  attention  for  a large 
number  of  pictures  to  be  exhibited  in  the  months  ahead. 
Each  distributor  would  benefit  by  having  a number  of 
his  new  films  brought  to  the  attention  of  the  public. 


In  order  to  gain  maximum  public  attention  to  the 
industry  and  its  product  during  the  festival  week  the 
successful  star  tours  sponsored  by  COMPO  should  be 
revived.  Some  time  during  the  week  at  least  one  Holly- 
wood personality  should  appear  in  each  first  run  city. 

The  cumulative  effect  in  hundreds  of  cities  of  one-day 
public  “previews”  of  good  attractions  would  be  tremen- 
dous. When  carried  out  in  coordination  throughout  the 
country  the  national  impact  would  be  unprecedented.  It 
could  bring  favorable  results  exceeding  those  of  the 
“Movies  Are  the  Best  Entertainment,”  “Movies  Are 
Better  Than  Ever”  or  any  other  past  national  box  office 
promotion. 


Figures — Plain  and  Fancy 

REMARKS  on  this  page  in  the  issue  of  May  5 un- 
der the  heading  “What?  — No  Snake  Oil!”  have 
occasioned  a certain  amount  of  controversy.  That 
is  all  to  the  good.  Out  of  the  heat  of  discussion  may 
come  an  increased  understanding  of  the  nature  of  the 
various  research  figures  issued  to  the  industry.  Only 
when  figures  are  understood  do  they  provide  a proper 
basis  for  taking  action.  The  ultimate  end  of  research  in 
such  a dynamic  industry  as  the  motion  picture  is  to  pro- 
vide the  factual  foundation  for  doing  what  needs  to  be 
done. 

Some  of  those  who  were  disturbed  by  the  editorial 
failed  to  note  the  distinction  it  made  between  factual  re- 
search and  “research”  in  the  realm  of  opinion.  The  latter 
is  an  uncharted  sea,  at  best.  Others  have  praised — as  the 
editorial  did — the  effectiveness  of  research  in  the  tax 
campaign.  Much  of  the  good  in  that  activity  sprang 
from  the  fact  that  it  was  factual  research. 

One  of  the  reasons  why  the  industry  often  gets  a bad 
name  and  the  prophets  of  doom  have  a handy  argument 
is  that  the  fundamental  industry  statistic — on  weekly 
attendance  in  “the  good  old  days” — is  the  rankest  kind 
of  “snake  oil.”  The  90,000,000  figure  issued  regularly  by 
the  old  Hays  Office  was  nonsense,  as  anyone  who  cared 
to  make  a few  rough  calculations  could  determine.  But 
90,000,000  was  a good  melodious  number.  It  could  be 
contrasted  with  the  then  population  of  120,000,000. 
Three-quarters  of  the  living  citizens  of  the  United  States 
were  claimed  as  movie  patrons  each  week.  Sure  “snake 
oil” ! Attendance  in  the  “good  old  days”  never  averaged 
90,000,000  a week  in  any  year.  Whatever  the  attendance 
is  now  it  must  never  be  seriously  compared  with  the 
fictitious  90,000,000  figure. 

Factual  statistics  serve  useful  purposes,  when  properly 
understood.  Certain  other  fancy  figures  have  primarily 
an  entertainment  value. 


— Martin  Quigley,  Jr. 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD 


On  Credit  Cards 

To  the  Editor: 

Thank  you  for  your  interest  in  my  efforts 
regarding  the  credit  card  matter.  . . . The 
enclosed  letter  to  Mr.  Eric  Johnston  explains 
my  position,  . . . regarding  the  credit  cards. 
. . . So  far  as  any  further  developments  are 
concerned,  I am  afraid  they  will  have  to 
stand  in  abeyance  until  Mr.  Johnston  and  his 
people  decide  on  the  matter. 

I can’t  for  the  life  of  me  understand  why 
they  didn’t  go  into  the  credit  business  long, 
long  before  this,  at  a time  when  the  credit 
card  by  itself  whould  have  had  an  even 
chance.  To  throw  it  up  against  Pay-TV  at 
this  stage  of  the  game  will  certainly  not  be 
fair  to  the  credit  card  system — unless  they 
re-enforce  it.  However,  it’s  up  to  them  and 
for  the  sake  of  many,  many  exhibitors,  I 
hope  they  do. — E.  JOSEPH  SALAZAR, 
Los  Angeles,  Cal. 


Excerpts  from  Mr.  Salazar’s  letter  to  Mr. 
Johnston  and  the  board  of  directors  of  the 
MPAA  follow. 

Gentlemen  : 

(Recent  reports)  indicate  that  you  have 
appointed  a committee  to  investigate  . . . the 
possibility  of  regaining  part  of  the  lost  audi- 
ence by  using  the  credit  card  system. 

With  all  due  respect  to  the  various  sys- 
tems (Diner’s  Club,  gasoline  cards,  etc.), 
they  are  entirely  inadequate  as  far  as  the 
exhibitor  and  his  problem  is  concerned. 
Especially  so  with  the  impending  threat  of 
subscription  television. 

How  much  help  do  you  think  that  this 
average  credit  set  up  will  give  the  exhibitor 
once  the  impact  of  subscription  television  is 
felt?  Xot  much  really.  Keep  in  mind  that 
the  credit  card  will  be  competing  with  some- 
thing that  is  entirely  new  to  the  American 
people.  And,  I am  sure  that  you  know  how 
the  American  people  go  for  new-fangled 
ideas.  On  the  other  hand,  the  credit  card 
system  is  certainly  not  new  to  them.  Why 
do  you  think  that  the  credit  card  has  failed 
for  the  motion  picture  industry  in  the  vari- 
ous parts  of  the  country  where  it  has  been 
tried?  When  subscription  television  comes 
in,  it  will  be  something  “NEW  and  EX- 
CITING” to  the  American  people.  And  so, 
the  exhibitor  has  no  alternative  but  to  meet 
this  challenge  with  something  that  is  just  as 
new  and  exciting. 

This  NEW  and  EXCITING  thing  is  my 
purpose  in  writing  to  you.  For  sometime 
prior  to  Mr.  Martin  Quigley,  Jr.’s  article 
“Admissions  on  Credit”,  which  appeared  in 
the  January  21,  1956  issue  of  The  HERALD, 
I had  been  thinking  of  such  a credit  set  up 


for  the  motion  picture  industry.  It  wasn’t 
until  I read  Mr.  Quigley’s  article  that  my 
enthusiasm  began  to  perk  up  and  my  plan  to 
take  form.  Immediately,  I doubled  my  efforts 
in  research,  compiling  statistics,  and  sam- 
pling my  ideas.  The  more  I got  into  it,  the 
more  enthused  I became.  Not  only  myself 
but,  also,  those  people  with  whom  I discussed 
these  ideas.  Exhibitors,  at  first,  were  skep- 
tical and  reluctant.  This  I could  understand, 
because,  at  first  they  thought  of  the  normal 
credit  set  up,  which,  of  course,  was  not  new 
to  them.  But,  when  they  heard  the  rest  of 
the  plan,  which  is  the  most  important  part, 
they  immediately  began  to  show  a “wide- 
awake” interest.  The  results  were  that  they 
wanted  to  be  informed  of  the  further  devel- 
opment of  this  new  plan. 

After  this,  I began  discussing  my  plans 
with  the  “bread  and  butter”  element — the 
average  family  of  theatregoers.  They,  of 
course,  were  ready  to  go  right  now.  Espe- 
cially so  where  there  were  teen-agers  in  the 
family.  I noticed  that  their  enthusiasm 
generated  a great  amount  of  interest  in  their 
parents — that  was  important.  Now,  at  last, 
they  felt  that  they  were  part  of  our  industry. 
They  felt  sort  of  a kinship  with  their  local 
exhibitor.  From  this  I picked  up  a relation- 
ship which  I call  Family-Exhibitor  Partici- 
pation. 

• 

A system,  such  as  this,  will  go  a long  way 
toward  keeping  the  interest  of  the  American 
people  in  their  movie  theatres  for  many 
years  to  come.  It  will  give  them  an  incentive 
to  get  away  from  their  television  sets.  Not 
only  to  go  to  the  theatre  to  see  a movie, 
which  they  will  be  able  to  see  at  home,  but 
to  join  and  become  a part  of  the  activities 
which  the  whole  nation  will  be  talking  about. 

As  to  the  organizational  structure  of  a 
unit  to  handle  such  a plan,  I will  briefly  state 
that  it  can  be  either  vertical  or  horizontal, 
profit  or  non-profit,  whichever  you  desire. 

The  accounting  and  control  of  such  a unit 
can  be  simple  in  form.  Yet,  it  can  maintain 
the  highest  efficiency  in  handling  the  tremen- 
dous volume  which  would  be  inherent  in 
such  a plan.  Consideration  has  been  given 
to  the  week-ends  (loaddays)  in  order  to  dis- 
patch customers  in  an  interval  of  time  no 
longer  than  it  would  take  to  handle  a cash 
transaction. 

Thereafter,  from  the  point  of  sale,  through 
its  collections  and  to  the  final  financial  re- 
ports to  the  circuit  offices,  this  unit  would 
process  its  transactions  in  the  shortest  pos- 
sible time  commensurate  with  sound  business 
principles.  Proper  checks  and  balances  would 
be  set  up  in  order  to  safeguard  the  interests 
of  all  concerned. — E.  JOSEPH  SALAZAR, 
Los  Angeles,  Calif. 


June  9,  1956 

Page 

PARAMOUNT  stockholders  meet  in 
New  York:  A pictorial  feature  12 

MPAA  weighs  a credit  plan  and 
market  study  13 

TV  FILM  men  attack  NBC,  seek  new 

broadcasting  rules  16 

"TRAPEZE"  brings  circus  hoop-la  and 
boxoffice  joy  to  Broadway  18 

FOREIGN  FILMS  seen  getting  a new 
lease  on  theatre  life  19 

BRITISH  showmen  attack  sales  of 
films  to  television  20 

SERVICE  DEPARTMENTS 

Refreshment  Merchandising  42-58 

Film  Buyers'  Rating  3rd  Cover 

Hollywood  Scene  25 

Managers'  Round  Table  35 

The  Winners'  Circle  30 

National  Spotlight  31 


Section  begins  opposite  58 
DRIVE-IN  Playground  Provisions 
SCREEN  Brightness  Charts 
VALUE  OF  Property  Inventory 

IN  PRODUCT  DIGEST  SECTION 

REVIEWS  (In  Product  Digest):  That  Cer- 
tain Feeling,  Shadow  of  Fear,  Navy  Wife, 


Wetbacks 

Showmen's  Reviews  929 

Short  Subjects  930 

What  the  Picture  Did  for  Me  93  I 

The  Release  Chart  932 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  Martin  Quigley,  Editor-in- 
Chief  and  Publisher;  Martin  Quigley,  Jr.,  Editor;  Raymond 
Levy,  Executive  Publisher;  James  D.  Ivers,  News  Editor; 
Charles  S.  Aaronson,  Production  Editor;  Floyd  E.  Stone, 
Photo  Editor;  Ray  Gallagher,  Advertising  Manager;  Gus 
H.  Fausel,  Production  Manager.  Bureaus:  Hollywood, 

Samuel  D.  Berns,  Manager:  William  R.  Weaver,  Editor, 
Yucca-Vine  Building,  Telephone  HOIlywood  7-2145; 
Chicago,  120  So.  LaSalle  St.,  Urben  Farley,  Advertising 
Representative,  Telephone  Financial  6-3074;  Washington, 
J.  A.  Otten,  National  Press  Club;  London,  Hope  Williams 
Burnup,  Manager;  Peter  Burnup,  Editor;  William  Pay, 
News  Editor,  4 Golden  Square.  Correspondents  in  the 
principal  capitals  of  the  world.  Member  Audit  Bureaw  of 
Circulations.  Motion  Picture  Herald  is  published  every 
Saturday  by  Quigley  Publishing  Company,  Inc.,  Rocke- 
feller Center,  New  York  City  20.  Telephone  Circle  7-3100; 
Cable  address;  "Quigpubco,  New  York",  Martin  Quigley, 
President;  Martin  Quigley,  Jr.,  Vice-President;  Theo.  J. 
Sullivan,  Vice-President  and  rreasurer;  Raymond  Levy, 
Vice-President,  Leo  J.  Brady,  Secretary.  Other  Quigley 
Publications:  Better  Theatres  and  Better  Refreshment  Mer- 
chandising, each  published  thirteen  times  a year  as  a 
section  of  Motion  Picture  Herald;  Motion  Picture  Daily, 
Television  Today,  Motion  Picture  Almanac,  Television 
Almanac,  Fame. 


8 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  JUNE  9,  1956 


On  the  Olt 


onzon 


ROXY  SALE  TALKS 

Negotiations  for  the  sale  of 
the  Roxy  Theatre  by  National 
Theatres  to  Rockefeller  Cen- 
ter, Inc.  were  reported  at 
midweek  to  be  at  an  advanced 
stage.  The  Rockefeller  prop- 
erty now  extends  on  50th 
Street  to  the  back  wall  of  the 
Roxy  and  according  to  reports 
the  Rockefeller  interests  seek 
to  extend  their  property 
through  to  Seventh  Avenue. 
Being  discussed  is  said  to  be 
an  arrangement  by  which  the 
purchaser  would  lease  the 
Roxy  theatre  back  to  National 
Theatres  for  operation. 


JUNKET 

Possibly  more  to  the  point 
than  most  of  the  statistical 
surveys  of  attendance  poten- 
tials, recreational  habits  and 
competitive  force  being  made 
in  behalf  of  box  office  is  a 
study  of  the  saturation  pub- 
licity accruing  world-wide  to 
"That  Certain  Feeling"  as  di- 
rect result  of  Bob  Goodfriend's 
personally-promoted  and  fault- 
lessly conducted  press  junket 
to  Palm  Springs  on  the  May  25th 
weekend  in  the  interests  of 
that  attraction.  No  promo- 
tional undertaking  in  kind 


since  Charlie  Einf eld's  "42nd 
Street"  and  "Dodge  City"  site- 
previews  set  the  junket  pat- 
tern has  approached  the  Palm 
Springs  project  in  newsprint, 
photographic,  television  and 
radio  yield.  Showmen  studying 
the  economic  state  of  the  mo- 
tion picture  theatre  with  a 
view  toward  charting  a plan  of 
collective  activity  shouldn't 
fail  to  examine  into  the  as- 
tonishing relationship  between 
expenditure  and  reward  in  the 
junket  enterprise. 


HIGH  GROSSER 

According  to  reports,  ex- 
ceptionally high  grosses  are 
being  chalked  up  by  Para- 
mount's "The  Man  Who  Knew  Too 
Much"  in  all  sections  of  the 
country.  At  the  same  time  the 
Alfred  Hitchcock  production 
starring  James  Stewart  and 
Doris  Day  is  winning  extra 
playing  time  in  virtually  every 
situation.  The  third  week  of 
the  VistaVision  - Technicolor 
picture  at  the  New  York  Para- 
mount is  repeating  the  big 
business  of  the  second  week. 
Fine  returns  are  likewise  re- 
ported in  such  centers  as  Bos- 
ton, Philadelphia,  Pittsburgh 
and  Buffalo. 


WHEN  AND  WHERE 

June  I 1-13:  Annual  convention  of  the  New 
Mexico  Theatre  Association,  Hilton 
Hotel,  Albuquerque. 

June  11-13:  Annual  convention  of  Allied 
Theatres  of  Wisconsin,  Schwartz  Hotel, 
Elkhart  Lake,  Wisconsin. 

June  14:  Fifth  annual  film  industry  golf 

tournament,  sponsored  by  the  Cinema 
Lodge  of  B'nai  B'rith  of  New  York,  Ver- 
non Hills  Country  Club,  Tuckahoe,  N.  Y. 

June  17-19:  Mississippi  Theatre  Owners 
Association,  16th  annual  convention, 
Edgewater  Gulf  Hotel,  Edgewater  Park, 
Miss. 

June  25:  Annual  golf  tournament  and  din- 
ner party  of  Albany  Variety  Club,  to  be 
held  at  Shaker  Ridge  Country  Club, 
Albany,  N.  Y. 

September  19-25:  Annual  convention  of 

Theatre  Owners  of  America,  in  conjunc- 
tion with  the  annual  convention  and 
trade  shows  of  the  Theatre  Equipment 
Dealers  Association  and  Theatre  Equip- 
ment and  Supply  Manufacturers  Associa- 
tion to  be  held  at  the  Coliseum,  New 
York  City. 

September  28-30:  Third  annual  national 

convention  of  the  Women  of  the  Motion 
Picture  Industry,  Dinkler-Plaza  Hotel, 
Atlanta. 

October  7-12:  80th  semi-annual  conven- 

tion of  the  Society  of  Motion  Picture  and 
Television  Engineers,  Los  Angeles. 

October  15-16:  Annual  regional  conven- 

tion of  Independent  Exhibitors  of  New 
England  and  The  Drive-In  Theatre  Asso- 
ciation of  New  England,  Winchendon, 
Mass. 

October  23-24:  Allied  Theatre  Owners  of 
Indiana,  Marott  Hotel,  Indianapolis. 

October  28-30:  Annual  convention  of  the 
Motion  Picture  Theatre  Exhibitors  of 
Florida,  Roosevelt  Hotel,  Jacksonville. 

November  24-28:  Allied  States  Association, 
Fall  board  meeting  and  annual  conven- 
tion, Statler  Hotel,  Dallas,  Texas. 

November  25-27:  44th  annual  convention 
of  the  Theatre  Owners  of  North  and 
South  Carolina,  Hotel  Charlotte,  Char- 
lotte, N.  C. 

FILMS  IN  TURKEY 

According  to  a correspondent 
in  Turkey,  films  from  India 
lead  those  from  other  coun- 
tries in  the  top-gross  cate- 
gory in  Istanbul,  and  also  in 
the  interior  of  the  country. 

William  R.  Weaver — Lawrence 
J.  Quirk — James  D.  Ivers 


Warner  Sale  of  All  Film  Rights 
To  TV  Taxable  as  Capital  Gain 

In  a ruling  that  is  likely  to  have  a far-reaching  effect  on  other  motion  picture 
companies  which  may  be  contemplating  the  sale  of  their  pre-1948  features  to 
television  interests,  the  Bureau  of  Internal  Revenue  Wednesday  informed  Warner 
Brothers  that  that  company's  unlimited  sale  of  all  rights  to  its  feature  film  backlog 
can  be  considered  as  capital  gains  as  long  as  the  pictures  have  been  fully 
depreciated  on  the  company's  books. 

The  $21,000,000  sale,  announced  in  March,  of  750  Warner  features  and  1,100 
shorts  to  Louis  Chesler's  PRM,  Inc.,  was  made  contingent  on  the  favorable  capital 
gains  ruling.  The  Warner  Brothers-PRM  deal  can  thus  be  considered  officially 
closed.  It  has  been  reported  that  Loew's,  Inc.  was  especially  interested  in  the 
Bureau’s  ruling  on  the  Warner  backlog  sale,  although  Loew's  itself  had  not 
requested  such  a ruling. 

Not  only  in  purchase  price  size,  but  in  the  scope  of  the  rights  surrendered,  the 
Warner  backlog  sale  is  the  largest  such  contract  yet  negotiated  by  a film 
company.  "All  rights"  in  this  case  includes  copyright,  literary  rights,  remake 
rights,  theatrical  rights,  16mm  rights,  live  television  rights,  film  television  rights 
and  all  foreign  rights. 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  JUNE  9,  1956 


9 


NEW  OFFICERS  of  the  United  Theatre  Owners  of  Illinois,  elected 
this  week  are,  standing,  George  Kerasotes,  retiring  president  and 
now  board  chairman;  Edward  Zorn,  honorary  chairman  of  the 
board;  seated,  Ralph  Lawler,  new  president;  and  Gene  Russell, 
new  secretary-treasurer. 


C.  V.  WHITNEY  and  Mrs.  Whitney  were  hosts  at  a theatre  party 
in  New  York  last  week  ai  the  opening  of  his  film,  “The  Searchers.” 
Here  they  are  with  son  Searle  and  Gen.  Emmett  McDowell. 


CHARLES  EINFELD, 
left,  20th-Fox  vice- 
president,  and  Charles 
Ayres,  NRC  vice-presi- 
dent in  charge  of  radio, 
sign  a contract  for  a 
record  national  promo- 
tion of  the  Rodgers 
and  Hammerstein  “The 
King  and  I.”  The  open- 
ing is  set  for  June  28 
at  the  Roxy,  New  York. 


BRITISH  EXHIBITORS  MEET,  DEBATE, 
ENJOY  THEMSELVES  AT  BLACKPOOL 


The  British  Cinematograph  Ex- 
hibitors Association  held  its  annual 
convention  last  week  at  Blackpool, 
the  British  Coney  Island,  in  Lanca- 
shire. Herewith  are  pictures  of 
some  of  the  social  functions.  The 
story  of  the  meeting  is  on  page  20. 


Left.  B.  T.  Davis  and  Mrs.  John 
Davis  at  the  dinner  and  dance 
given  by  J.  Arthur  Rank  Film  Dis- 
tributors marking  the  company’s 
21st  anniversary. 


At  the  reception  given  by  Paramount:  F.  E.  Hutchinson,  Para- 

mount managing  director;  Mrs.  Rupert  Todd,  Mrs.  F.  E.  Hutchin- 
son, Rupert  Todd  of  the  Odeon,  Blackpool;  T.  C.  Reddin,  Para- 
mount publicity. 


At  the  Projectomatic  demonstration  given  hv  G.  B.  Kalee,  Ltd., 
were  Bert  Phelps,  Billericay,  Essex;  Charles  Ballands,  Mare, 
Herts;  D.  S.  Lloyd  of  Kalee’s  London  branch;  and  Norman  Hope- 
Bell,  Downham-Market,  Norfolk. 


MOST  REV.  RICHARD 
J.  CUSHING,  Archbish- 
op of  Boston,  receiving 
the  Great  Heart  Award 
plaque  given  by  the 
Variety  Club  of  New 
England.  Left  to  right, 
Edward  Fay,  Arthur 
Lockwood,  Philip 
Smith;  Dr.  Sidney  Far- 
her;  Archbishop  Cush- 
ing; James  Cagney. 


DINNER  PARTY, 
above,  in  honor  of  Fusao 
Kobayashi,  president  of 
Toho  of  Japan.  Shown 
are  Jack  Cohn,  execu- 
tive vice-president  of 
Columbia  Pictures,  the 
host;  Mr.  Kobayashi 
and  Lacy  W.  Kastner, 
Columbia  International. 


LOEW’S  HALL  OF  FAME,  below. 
Morton  A.  Spring,  first  vice-presi- 
dent of  Loew’s  International,  ex- 
amines the  display  of  1955  Award 
winners.  They  are  Star  Grace  Kelly; 
Distributor  Myron  Karlin  of  MGM 
Germany  who  won  the  award  as 
manager  in  Argentina;  and  Exhibi- 
tor Frank  Page,  manager  of  the 
Regent,  Deal,  England. 


by  the  Herald 

SPAIN  is  a proving  ground  not  merely  for  television 
films  and  now  theatrical  pictures  but  for  theories  on  the 
important  matter  of  producing  abroad.  So  reported 
Martin  Gosch,  talking  to  reporters  in  New  York  last 
week.  The  gist  of  his  theory  is  the  Spanish  worker  and 
economy  remain  stable  (that  is,  cheap)  for  the  producer; 
and  the  worker  especially  has  the  virtues  of  eagerness, 
energy  and  loyalty  if  treated  properly.  This  means  talk- 
ing Spanish,  imparting  confidences,  and  deferring  widely 
to  pride.  Mr.  Gosch  says  he  has  a “foreign  company” 
(not  an  American  one)  making  pictures  in  Spain  for  a 
•world  market.  He  is  making  two  TV  series  and  his  first 
theatre  feature  probably  will  be  “El  Cid.”  His  cost? 
50  per  cent  less  than  in  Hollywood. 


He  co-operates  . . . 


NBC  last  week  purchased  50  per  cent  of  Figaro,  Inc.,  Joseph  L. 
Mankiewicz’  independent  motion  picture  company.  New  board 
members,  above,  are:  James  Denning,  NBC;  Earl  Rettig,  NBC-TV ; 
Emanuel  Sacks,  RCA  and  NBC;  Mr.  Mankiewicz;  Abraham  Bien- 
stock,  attorney;  and  Robert  Lantz,  of  Figaro,  Inc. 


RECEPTION,  right,  in 
the  Savoy,  Cork,  at  the 
end  of  the  Cork  Inter- 
national Film  Festival: 
Louis  Elliman,  chair- 
man Odeon  of  Ireland  ; 
President  Sean 
T.  O’Kelly  of  Ireland ; 
Rev.  John  A.  Burke 
OCIC  delegate,  and 
Major  T.  D.  Mailman, 
director  of  Odeon  of 
Ireland. 


Quiz  Program 

A PICTORIAL  REPORT  BY  FLOYD  E.  STONE 

WISE  AND  CONSERVATIVE  MAN- 
AGEMENT— also  enterprising  (diversify- 
ing and  experimenting  in  other  fields) — 
was  the  atmosphere  conveyed  Tuesday 
at  the  annual  meeting  in  New  York  of 
Paramount  stockholders.  Picture  inven- 
tory now  is  $57,000,000  worth.  That's  a 
lot,  and  a record;  and  president  Barney 
Balaban  predicted  this  year's  gross 
should  at  least  equal  last  year's.  Theatre 
trouble  is  transitory  and  the  right  pic- 
tures create  their  own  markets.  Mr. 
Balaban's  board  was  reelected  virtually 
without  dissent. 


ROSALIND  MIA  COPPING,  below,  had 
questions  at  length  about  possibly  some 
official  compensations  beyond  public 
disclosure. 


ANSWERING  ALL  and 
sundry  on  complex  and 
various  matters:  (right) 

the  officers  — attorney 
Louis  Phillips,  financier 
Edwin  Weisl,  president 
Balaban,  and  executive 
aid  Louis  Novins. 


FOR  GOOD  MANAGE- 
MENT : a citation,  from 
the  United  Shareholders 
of  America,  represented 
by  Ruth  A.  Fischel,  be- 
low. 


DR.  HARRY  HEISS,  below,  wanted  to 
know  why  the  company  didn’t  sell  its 
library  through  its  established  distribu- 
tion system. 


ALFRED  K.  LEVY,  below,  wanted  to 
know  when  buying  of  stock  for  retire- 
ment would  end.  He  won  cheers  and 
laughter  as  a satisfied  “elder  stock- 
holder.’’ 


MORTIMER  ADLER,  right, 
asked  what  the  company’s  book 
value  was,  got  his  answer,  and 
then  asked  Mr.  Balaban  how 
much  the  company  is  worth. 


MEETING  OVER:  LET’S  EAT 


MPAA 

PLAN, 


WEIGHS 

MARKET 


A CREDIT 
STERY 


. . . Board,  in  meeting,  backs 
committee  recommendation  for 
inquiry  into  credit  plan  and 
selects  Indianapolis  for  test 

Two  proposals,  both  of  which  have  as 
their  primary  aim  the  revitalizing  of  the 
motion  picture  theatre  box  offices  of  the 
nation,  were  taken  under  careful  considera- 
tion by  the  board  of  directors  of  the  Mo- 
tion Picture  Association  of  America,  which 
met  in  New  York  Tuesday. 

The  first  proposal  is  a theatre  admissions 
credit  plan,  and  the  second  is  a broad  mar- 
ket analysis  of  the  industry.  Both  proposals 
have  been  receiving  the  consideration  of 
the  MPAA’s  sales  managers  and  advertis- 
ing-publicity directors  committees  in  recent 
New  York  conferences,  designed  to  explore 
ways  of  increasing  the  number  of  admissions 
at  theatres. 

The  MPAA  directors  Tuesday  approved 
the  recommendation  of  the  proposal  to  in- 
vestigate the  possibilities  of  a credit  plan, 
submitted  by  a six-man  committee  consisting 
of  Richard  Altschuler,  Republic;  A.  Mon- 
tague, Columbia ; Arthur  Loew,  Loew’s ; 
George  Weltner,  Paramount ; Spyros  Skour- 
as,  20th  Century-Fox,  and  John  J.  O’Con- 
nor, Universal. 

Plan  Meet  with  Exhibitors 

Wednesday,  the  day  after  the  meeting,  it 
was  indicated  that  Indianapolis  had  been 
selected  as  the  test  city. 

The  plan  calls  for  the  sales  managers’ 
group  of  the  committee  to  meet  with  the  ex- 
hibitors of  the  selected  city  to  discuss  the 
feasibility  of  the  project.  If  acceptable  to 
them,  a survey  of  the  public  would  be  under- 
taken at  a cost  estimated  at  between  $8,000 
and  $25,000.  If  the  public  is  receptive, 
the  group  would  go  back  for  further  talks 
with  the  exhibitors. 

In  the  course  of  the  board  meeting,  Eric 
Johnston,  MPAA  president,  made  a strong 
plea  for  the  proposed  market  analysis,  which 
would  cover  the  entire  field  of  cinema  en- 
tertainment. delving  into  the  reason  why  the 
public  goes  to  the  theatre  and  why  it  does 
not.  This  survey,  it  was  said,  would  cost 
in  the  neighborhood  of  $100,000.  No  action 
was  taken  on  the  proposal  inasmuch  as 
some  company  representatives  had  to  check 
with  higher  authorities  before  their  ap- 
provals could  be  given.  However,  favorable 
reaction  was  in  evidence  and  the  prospects 
for  the  project  appeared  to  be  bright. 

The  MPAA  directors,  in  other  business, 
voted  to  continue  its  support  of  the  Council 
of  Motion  Picture  Organizations.  Robert 
Coyne,  COMPO  special  counsel,  spoke  at 
the  meeting  and  urged  the  MPAA  support. 
In  addition  he  asked  for  $150,000  from  mem- 


ber companies,  predicting  that  the  contribu- 
tions by  exhibition  would  be  less  than  those 
of  last  year  when  $100,000  was  subscribed 
and  matched  by  distribution. 

Mr.  Coyne  declared  that  most  of  last 
year’s  budget  was  “eaten  up”  by  four  major 
projects.  These  included  the  tax  repeal 
campaign,  the  Audience  Awards  campaign, 
press  relations,  which  included  the  series  of 
advertisements  in  Editor  & Publisher,  and 
research. 

Johnston  Trip  Outlined 

Mr.  Johnston  then  outlined  what  he  hopes 
to  accomplish  in  his  forthcoming  three-week 
trip  abroad.  He  leaves  Monday  for  Spain 
where,  with  Kenneth  Clark,  MPAA  vice- 
president;  Griffith  Johnson,  Motion  Picture 
Export  Association  vice-president,  and 
Charles  Baldwin,  MPEA  Mediterranean 
manager,  he  will  resume  negotiations  on  a 
new  film  pact  with  the  Spanish  Government. 
The  MPEA  has  not  sent  any  pictures  to 
Spain  in  the  last  12  months  in  protest 
against  a Spanish  Government  proposal  to 
boost  import  fees  and  to  require  the  MPEA 
to  distribute  Spanish  product.  So  far,  at- 
tempts to  end  the  deadlock  have  not  worked. 

Later  Mr.  Johnston  will  go  to  London  to 
lay  the  groundwork  for  the  talks  this  Fall 
on  renewing  the  remittance  agreement  be- 
tween the  British  and  U.  S.  interests.  Fol- 
lowing a week  in  London  he  will  go  to 
Berlin  for  the  film  festival  and  is  expected 
to  return  to  the  United  States  about  June  30. 

Following  the  MPAA  board  meeting,  the 
board  of  the  MPEA  met.  All  officers  were 
reelected. 


URGES  CONFERENCE  OF 
PRODUCTION,  EXHIBITION 

SPRINGFIELD,  ILL.:  Here,  deep  in 

grass-roots  territory,  exhibitors  are 
worried  about  the  box  office  decline 
and,  through  the  board  of  directors 
of  the  United  Theatre  Owners  of 
Illinois,  are  seeking  a solution  through 
a nationwide  top-level  conference  of 
production  and  exhibition.  The  board 
passed  a resolution  acknowledging 
the  "serious  decline  in  theatre  at- 
tendance" and  saying  that  the  "type 
of  pictures  recently  released  has 
largely  contributed  to  this  decline." 
Therefore,  said  the  resolution,  "an 
immediate  top  level  conference  of 
production  and  exhibition  is  urgently 
needed"  and  asked  that  one  "be  im- 
mediately called  to  discuss  the  pro- 
duction of  motion  pictures  more  suit- 
able for  American  consumption." 


Warner  Net 
In  Quarter 
SLUti.'J.  7 (Hi 

Warner  Bros.  Pictures,  Inc.,  and  sub- 
sidiary companies  report  for  the  six  months 
ending  Febraury  25,  1956,  a net  profit  of 
$1,863,768  after  a provision  of  $1,650,000 
for  Federal  income  taxes  and  after  a provi- 
sion of  $200,000  for  contingent  liabilities, 
but  before  a special  credit  of  $3,000,000 
representing  a reversal  of  reserve  for  con- 
tingent liabilities  no  longer  required. 

The  net  profit  for  the  six  months  ending 
February  26,  1955,  amounted  to  $2,081,000 
after  a provision  of  $2,100,000  for  Federal 
income  taxes  and  after  a provision  of  $250,- 
000  for  contingent  liabilities.  The  net  profit 
for  the  six  months  ending  February  25, 
1956,  is  equivalent  to  75  cents  per  share  on 
the  2,474,247  shares  of  common  stock  out- 
standing at  February  25,  1956.  The  net 
profit  for  the  corresponding  period  last  year 
was  equivalent  to  84  cents  per  share  on  the 
2.474,280  shares  of  common  stock  then  out- 
standing. 

Film  rentals,  sales,  etc.,  for  the  six  months 
ending  February  25,  1956,  amounted  to 
$37,587,000  as  compared  with  $35,079,000 
for  the  corresponding  period  last  year. 

For  the  third  quarter  ending  May  26, 
1956,  film  rentals,  sales,  etc.,  are  consider- 
ably lower  than  those  of  the  corresponding 
quarter  last  year  and  those  of  the  second 
quarter  in  the  current  year.  This  decrease 
will  be  reflected  in  the  net  operating  results 
for  the  period. 

British  Equipment  Exports 
Reported  at  Record  High 

LONDON : United  Kingdom  exports  of 
cine  equipment  reached  a new  record  level 
of  £2,267,911  in  1955,  beating  the  previous 
highest  total  achieved  in  1952  by  some 
£260,000.  This  1955  total  was  achieved  de- 
spite the  holdup  in  exports  caused  by  the 
rail  and  dock  strikes  in  May  and  June.  The 
Kinematograph  Manufacturers’  Association 
reported  that  equipment  makers  exported 
their  goods  to  a total  of  121  overseas  mar- 
kets in  the  year  and  that  while  there  were 
decreases  in  some  areas,  the  increases  in 
others  were  remarkable.  The  outstanding 
case  is  that  of  Australia,  where  the  figures 
jumped  from  £300,000  in  1954  to  £427,000 
in  1955.  Exports  to  the  U.S.  market  in  1955 
were  £82,476,  more  than  double  the  1954 
total.  Other  notable  increases  were  made  in 
South  Africa,  Sweden,  Italy  and  Thailand. 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  JUNE  9,  1956 


13 


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8000  radio  spots  ...  over  375  stations  ...  covering  300  cities  throughout  the 
country,  via  a countrywide  GEMEX  WATCHBAND  tie-up  . . . featuring  strong 
plugs  for  THE  EDDY  DUCHIN  STORY! 

have  plugged-and  will  continue  to  plug-the  picture 


PREMIUM-TIME  TV  SHOWS 


4 


coast-to-coast ! 


OVER  256,000,000 
LIST ENER- VIE WER  IMPRESSIONS! 


SHOW 


RADIO 


MONITOR  (4  shows) 

RUBY  MERCER  (3  shows) 

MITCH  MILLER  (4  shows) 

LUNCHEON  AT  SARDI  S (4  shows) 

BING  CROSBY  (6  shows) 

WEEKDAY 

JANE  PICKENS 

ON  A SUNDAY  AFTERNOON 

EDGAR  BERGEN  (3  shows) 

AMOS  ’N’  ANDY  (6  shows) 

GALEN  DRAKE 
JACK  CARSON  (4  shows) 

JUKE  BOX  JURY  (3  shows) 
ROBERT  Q.  LEWIS  (2  shows) 


AUDIENCE 

16,000,000 

6,000,000 

11.976.000 
14,000,000 

18.192.000 

3.000. 000 

3.500.000 

5.000. 000 

17.553.000 

21.186.000 

3.148.000 
13,248,000 

8.355.000 

6.240.000 


TV 

PERRY  COMO  (2  shows) 
JACK  PAAR 
STOP  THE  MUSIC 
STAGE  SHOW 
STEVE  ALLEN 


68,000,000 

6,000,000 

10,000,000 

18,000,000 

7,000,000 


- PLUS  MORE  TO  COME:  CROSBY  SHOW , DINAH  SHORE , 
TENNESSEE  ERNIE , LAWRENCE  WELK,  AMOS 'N'  ANDY,  etc . 


NETWORKS,  FILM 


MEN  DO 

. . . Television  Film  Distributors 
group  attacks  NBC  derogatory 
remarks  on  their  activity,  asks 
amended  broadcasting  rules 

by  VINCENT  CANBY 

Members  of  the  motion  picture  industry, 
who  have  spent  their  quota  of  time  before 
various  Government  agencies  and  bodies  air- 
ing their  intramural  disputes,  might  be 
watching  the  television  industry  these  days 
with  more  than  just  passing  interest.  How- 
ever, because  of  the  structure  of  the  tele- 
vision industry,  its  disputes  threaten  to  be- 
come even  more  complicated  than  those  of 
its  sister  industry. 

This  week  and  last  five  different  tele- 
vision film  distributors  were  hammering 
away  at  what  they  call  the  “discriminatory” 
practices  of  network  programming.  Repre- 
sentatives of  four  major  TV  film  distribu- 
tors. members  of  the  newly  formed  Associa- 
tion of  Television  Film  Distributors,  Inc., 
la>t  Thursday  asked  the  Federal  Communi- 
cations Commission  to  amend  its  chain 
broadcasting  rules  so  that  all  “creative  pro- 
gram sources  can  have  a fair  opportunity 
to  contribute  to  the  medium.” 

Reply  to  Sarnoff 

At  the  same  time,  Ely  A.  Landau,  presi- 
dent of  National  Telefilm  Associates,  di- 
rected a strongly  worded  reply  to  NBC 
president  Robert  Sarnoff’s  recent  “statement 
of  facts’’  which  in  effect  belittled  the  crea- 
tive efforts  of  TV  film  suppliers. 

By  the  standards  of  other  industries,  tele- 
vision still  is  an  infant.  No  one  believes  that 
tlie  manner  in  which  it  “just  grew”  is  with- 
out faults.  Thus  the  current,  well-publicized 
dissentions  are  finding  many  interested  ears 
in  Washington,  especially  among  members 
of  the  FCC  and  the  Senate  Interstate  and 
Foreign  Commerce  Committee,  now  investi- 
gating the  structure  of  network  program- 
ming. 

The  Association  of  Television  Film  Dis- 
tributors, which  consists  of  Official  Films, 
Screen  Gems,  Television  Programs  of  Amer- 
ica and  Ziv  TV,  in  a detailed  analysis  of 
current  broadcasting  practices,  told  the  FCC 
that  the  present  rules  result  in  discrimina- 
tion against  the  public,  regional  and  local 
advertisers,  smaller  national  advertisers,  lo- 
cal television  stations  and  independent  film 
producers. 

Appearing  before  the  network  study  com- 
mittee of  the  FCC,  the  distributor  unit’s  ex- 
ecutives said  in  effect  that  “the  public  is  the 
biggest  loser.”  The  people  are  denied  knowl- 
edge of  thousands  of  good  services  offered 
to  them  by  the  smaller,  independent  business 


BATTLE 

organizations  of  the  U.  S.,  which  are  frozen 
out  of  peak  viewing  time,  which  is  occupied 
almost  entirely  by  network  advertisers.  Fur- 
thermore, the  public  is  denied  the  enjoyment 
and  information  which  is  supplied  by  inde- 
pendently created  programs.  . . .” 

The  producer-distributor  group  appeared 
separately  from  any  other  organization  be- 
fore the  FCC  committee  to  recommend  im- 
provements in  the  present  broadcasting  rules 
and  offered  its  own  set  of  changes  to  the 
FCC.  According  to  the  ATFD,  the  principal 
cause  of  the  present  difficulties  is  a shortage 
of  facilities,  which  enable  17  of  the  country’s 
largest  corporations  to  monopolize  50  per 
cent  of  the  network  programming  and  time 
offered  to  the  public,  while  the  two  top  net- 
works take  up  93  per  cent  of  peak  hour 
programming  in  all  but  a few  U.  S.  cities. 

Ash  FCC  Inquiry 

The  film  group  proposed  a cutback  in 
option  time  and  a limitation  on  the  number 
of  hours  stations  may  devote  to  network 
programs  so  that  peak  viewing  periods  will 
be  available  to  all  programming  sources  and 
to  all  the  sellers  of  goods  and  services  to  the 
American  consuming  public. 

They  also  asked  the  FCC  to  examine  cer- 
tain network  activities  in  acquiring  pro- 
grams so  that  quality  and  the  public  inter- 
est rather  than  profit  participation  will  be 
the  criterion  of  what  is  telecast.  If  their 
recommendations  were  followed,  the  ATFD 
executives  said,  it  would  not  be  necessary  to 
have  the  complete  abolition  of  network 
option  time,  and  divorcement  of  network 


NO  DECISION  YET  ON 
MOM  BACKLOG  SALE 

“No  decision  has  been  reached"  on 
"af  least  10  offers"  to  buy  the  MGM 
backlog  of  770  features  and  900 
shorts,  Howard  Dietz,  vice-president 
in  charge  of  advertising  and  publicity 
and  a director  of  the  company,  re- 
ported in  New  York  Monday  follow- 
ing a special  board  of  directors  meet- 
ing of  Loew's,  Inc.  At  this  week's 
meeting,  the  board  "reluctantly  ac- 
cepted" the  resignation  of  J.  Robert 
Rubin,  retired  Loew's  vice-president 
and  general  counsel,  as  a director. 
It  then  elected  Benjamin  Melniker, 
vice-president,  to  succeed  Mr.  Rubin. 
Concerning  the  company's  backlog 
of  films,  Mr.  Dietz  declared  that 
Loew's  was  "no  closer"  to  making  a 
television  deal  now  than  it  had  been 
three  weeks  ago. 


production  from  exhibition,  as  others  have 
advocated. 

In  addition  to  the  reforms  urged,  the 
ATFD  stated  that  the  long-range  objective 
of  the  Government  should  be  the  creation  of 
many  more  TV  stations,  equally  powered 
and  of  like  frequency  about  the  nation. 

The  ATFD  testimony  closely  paralleled 
the  remarks  of  NTA’s  Mr.  Landau,  made 
in  his  letter  to  the  president  of  NBC.  Mr. 
Landau  said  that  the  problem  today  is  not — 
as  Mr.  Sarnoff  would  imply — network  versus 
film.  The  question  is,  he  said,  “quite  simply 
whether  the  network  structure  as  it  exists 
today  should  be  changed,  done  away  with — 
or  expanded.”  The  answer,  he  continued,  is 
more  stations  which  “must  inevitably  lead 
to  more  networks,  which  in  turn  will  mean 
more  competition  both  for  affiliates  and  for 
the  national  advertising  dollar.” 

Landau  Objects 

Mr.  Landau  objected  to  Mr.  Sarnoff's 
earlier  inference  that  TV  film  programming 
is  “undesirable,  unoriginal,  unexciting  and 
unimportant  insofar  as  network  broadcast- 
ing is  concerned.”  He  also  objected  to  the 
networks  "taking  the  bows”  for  such  shows 
as  “I  Love  Lucy,”  “Private  Secretary”  and 
"Rin  Tin  Tin,”  which  are  produced  by  TV 
film  interests. 

Mr.  Landau  told  Mr.  Sarnoff  that  he 
wanted  "to  express  the  strongest  possible 
indignation  at  your  unwarranted  attack"  be- 
cause "the  film  syndicators,  aside  from  being 
virtually  the  only  program  sources  that  have 
enabled  the  independent  stations  to  survive, 
have  loomed  importantly  in  the  nationally- 
sponsored  program  scheme  of  things.” 


WGA  and  TV  Networks 
Sign , Avoid  Strike 

HOLLYWOOD : The  threatened  strike  by 
the  Writers  Guild  of  America  against  the 
television  networks  has  been  averted  with 
the  signing  of  a new  contract  between  the 
networks  and  the  guild,  it  is  announced.  By 
the  terms  of  the  pact,  arrangements  with  the 
networks  have  been  brought  into  line  with 
the  contracts  governing  film  studio's  TV 
units.  Accord  was  reached  on  the  two  main 
issues : non-exclusivity  of  writers’  services 
and  separation  of  rights.  The  latter  clause 
provides  that  the  network  will  not  differen- 
tiate between  writers  assigned  to  a single 
series  and  those  with  a multiple  series. 


Walter  Reade  Theatres 
Names  New  Officers 

The  appointment  of  an  executive  vice- 
president  and  four  new  vice-presidents  of 
Walter  Reade  Theatres,  Inc.,  was  announced 
by  Walter  Reade,  Jr.,  president.  Edwin 
Gage  moves  up  to  executive  vice-president; 
Jack  P.  Harris  has  been  elected  vice-presi- 
dent in  charge  of  film  buying  and  booking: 
Nicholas  Schermerhorn  has  been  named 
vice-president  in  charge  of  advertising  an  ! 
publicity,  and  Albert  Floersheimer,  Jr.,  i- 
the  new  vice-president  in  charge  of  catering 
and  food  concessions. 


16 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  JUNE  9,  1956 


SHOCK-PACKED  NEWSPAPER  MS  SPEARIEAB 


by  FLYING 


The 

Flying 


Ads 

Hit 

With 

Headline 

Impact! 


ROCKETING  YOUR  WAY... 


W atch  State 
Tax  Threat 9 
COMPO  Tip 


"Trapeze"  brings  circus  hoop-la 
and  box  office  joy  to  New  York 


SHOWN  at  one  of  Broadway’s  most  memo- 
rable and  glamor-packed  motion  picture 
openings  in  years,  the  premiere  of  Heclit- 
Laneaster’s  “Trapeze”  at  the  Capitol  are, 
above,  left  to  right:  Robert  S.  Benjamin, 
Mrs.  Mildred  Loew,  Adolph  Zukor  and  Max 
E.  Youngstein.  In  the  photo  at  right  are 
shown,  left  to  right:  James  Hill,  producer 
of  “Trapeze,”  and  Harold  Heeht.  The  local 
promotion  involved  a heavy  United  Artists 
ad  campaign  and  coverage  by  77  TV  and 
572  radio  stations.  Some  4,800  persons 
packed  the  theatre  for  the  opening.  Among 
them  was  a brilliant  roster  of  international 
celebrities.  Extensive  press,  photographic 
and  magazine  coverage,  a colorful  circus 
lobby  and  front-ef-theatre  events  featuring 
clowns,  acrobats  and  equestriennes  were 
some  of  the  added  elements.  Top  echelon 
motion  picture  distribution  and  exhibition 
officials  joined  entertainment  world  notables 
and  civic  dignitaries.  A cross-section  of 
names  on  hand  include:  Joey  Adams,  Joe 
DiMaggio,  Miriam  Hopkins,  John  Ringling- 
North,  Margaret  Sullavan,  Farley'  Granger 
and  Burt  Lancaster,  a star  of  the  film,  and 
Sir  Carol  Reed,  the  director. 


Taxation  study  committees  to  consider 
possible  revisions  in  state  revenue  laws 
have  been  appointed  in  at  least  nine  states, 
it  was  reported  this  week  by  Robert  W. 
Coyne,  special  counsel  for  the  Council  of 
Motion  Picture  Organizations.  He  advised 
exhibitors  and  other  industry  representatives 
to  familiarize  themselves  with  the  work  of 
these  committees  and  to  guard  against  the 
possibility  of  their  recommending  legisla- 
tion inimical  to  the  interests  of  the  film 
industry. 

“Exhibitors  and  distribution  regional  rep- 
resentatives should  be  particularly  alert,” 
Mr.  Coyne  said,  “to  prevent  the  introduc- 
tion of  enabling  acts  permitting  municipali- 
ties to  impose  local  admission  taxes  where 
they  do  not  already  exist.  They  also  should 
oppose  suggestions  for  high  license  fees 
or  other  imposts  which  would  be  a financial 
burden  to  exhibitors  and  distributors.  If 
any  legislation  adverse  to  the  motion  picture 
industry  is  suggested  at  public  or  private 
hearings  of  these  committees,  industry  rep- 
resentatives should  ask  for  an  opportunity 
to  present  testimony  in  opposition  to  such 
adverse  suggestions  before  the  committees 
make  their  reports. 

“Exhibitors  in  well-organized  states  and 
localities  need  no  prodding  from  COMPO. 
Organization  in  some  areas,  however,  is  al- 
most nil  and  in  these  areas  local  levies  can 
be  a great  danger,”  he  added. 

Summary  of  Studies 

A summary  of  the  tax  studies  now  in 
progress,  compiled  by  COMPO,  follows: 

Alabama — An  interim  legislative  commit- 
tee, now  in  its  organizational  stage,  has  been 
authorized  “to  make  a complete  and  detailed 
study  of  all  revenue  laws  of  the  state  of  Ala- 
bama. exclusive  of  laws  providing  revenues  for 
counties,  municipalities  and  political  subdivi- 
sions of  the  state.” 

Florida — Formation  of  the  Florida  Citizens 
Tax  Council  was  authorized  at  the  last  session 
of  the  legislature  to  study  possible  revision  of 
state  and  local  taxes. 

Iowa — A committee  has  been  created  by  a 
joint  resolution  of  the  last  General  Assembly 
to  make  a special  study  of  Iowa  taxes. 

Michigan — The  last  legislature  passed  a 
resolution  “providing  for  a bi-partisan  com- 
mittee of  the  House  of  Representatives  to  study 
specific  tax  and  revenue  problems  and  to  per- 
form such  other  services  as  might  properly 
come  before  the  committee.” 

Minnesota — Governor  Orville  L.  Freeman 
has  appointed  a tax  study  committee  composed 
of  representatives  of  business,  labor  and  agricul- 
ture to  study  the  state’s  revenue  laws. 

North  Carolina — A tax  study  commission 
is  now  functioning.  Its  method  of  operation 
is  to  have  individuals,  corporations  and  asso- 
ciations of  taxpayers  who  wish  to  make  com- 
plaints or  suggestions  concerning  the  tax  struc- 
ture file  at  least  10  copies  of  a brief  setting 
forth  their  conclusions,  and  the  reasons  therefor, 
with  the  commission. 

Mississippi — A legislative  recess  commit- 
tee composed  of  six  state  Representatives  and 


five  Senators  has  been  authorized  “to  make  a 
detailed  study  of  the  existing  tax  structure  of 
the  state,  including  but  not  limited  to  existing 
revenue  laws.” 

Oregon — A special  legislative  Interim  Tax 
Study  committee  is  authorized  “to  make  a study 
and  analysis  of  the  tax  structure  of  the  state 
and  of  all  existing  and  proposed  sources  of  tax 
revenue,  giving  full  consideration  to  the  present 
and  future  needs  of  and  demands  upon  the 
state,  county  and  municipal  governments  and 
the  desirability  and  feasibility  of  separating 
their  sources  of  revenue.” 

Texas — A study  of  the  Texas  tax  structure 
was  passed  by  the  last  legislature. 


Named  to  ABC  Vending  Post 

The  ABC  Vending  Corporation  has  in- 
creased its  board  to  eight  members  with  the 
election  of  David  G.  Baird  as  a director. 
Charles  O’Reilly,  chairman,  also  announced 
Mr.  Baird’s  election  to  the  new  office  of 
chairman  of  the  finance  committee. 


Exchange  Student  Wins 
Goldwyn  Writing  Award 

HOLLYWOOD:  Miss  Lee  Hwa  Yu.  a 
Chinese  exchange  student  from  Formosa 
studying  journalism  at  U.C.L.A.,  has  been 
awarded  the  1956  Samuel  Goldwyn  creative 
writing  award  of  $1,000  for  her  short  story, 
“The  Sorrow  at  the  End  of  the  Yangtze 
River.”  The  cash  prize  and  a mahogany 
plaque  were  presented  to  Miss  Yu  in  a brief 
campus  ceremony  attended  by  U.C.L.A. 
chancellor  Raymond  B.  Allen,  Mr.  Goldwyn, 
who  established  the  competition  in  1954,  and 
guests  from  the  professional  writing  world. 
Second  prize  in  the  campus-wide  competi- 
tion went  to  Mrs.  Anita  Marateck  Wincel- 
berg,  Los  Angeles,  for  her  original  TV 
script,  “The  Lemon  Marine  Pie.”  She  re- 
ceived a check  for  $250  from  Mr.  Goldwyn 
and  an  engraved  plaque. 


18 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  JUNE  9,  1956 


FOREIGN  FILMS  GET 
LEASE  ON  THEATRE 


NEW 


LIE 


E 


. . . Exhibitors  now  use  foreign 
language  pictures  as  rarely 
before;  see  television  partly 
responsible  for  new  trend 

by  JAY  REMER 

The  breaking  of  the  sound  barrier  in  the 
atmosphere  was  infinitely  more  perilous  al- 
though it  seems  not  nearly  as  protracted  or 
opposed  as  the  breaking  of  the  language 
barrier  taking  place  currently  in  so  many 
theatres  across  the  country. 

The  latter  phenomenon  is  not  as  clearly 
defined  as  the  former  nor  is  its  occurrence 
as  precise  or  mechanical.  As  a matter  of 
fact,  it  has  been  evolving  since  the  advent 
of  sound  when  foreign-made  pictures  were 
no  longer  able  to  compete  with  the  home- 
grown product.  The  public,  as  is  so  often 
the  case  with  anything  that  deviates  from 
the  expected  or  accustomed,  has  been  slow 
in  coming  around  to  the  attributes  of  the 
foreign  film. 

New  Markets  Opening 

The  art  theatre,  of  course,  has  filled  the 
need  for  those  people  seeking  something 
different  (or  because  it’s  the  “smart”  thing 
to  do)  but  the  general  exhibitors  have  shied 
away  from  foreign-language  films  for  ob- 
vious commercial  reasons.  The  majority 
just  wasn't  interested. 

However,  in  recent  years  and  especially 
today,  more  and  more  theatres  that  never 
strayed  from  the  Hollywood  habit  are  utiliz- 
ing product  from  other  countries  and  in 
foreign  tongues.  The  reasons  for  this  slow 
revolution  are  not  diverse  or  complex  It 
is  a case  of  simple  economics  and.  accord- 
ing to  many  of  the  distributors,  television. 

Without  intending  to  disparage  the  latter 
medium,  it  is  generally  agreed  that  much 
of  what  is  shown  on  television  today,  be  it 
live  or  film,  is  considerably  akin  to  much 
of  what  is  shown  on  the  big  theatre  screens 
today.  As  William  Shelton,  vice-president 
of  Times  Film  Corporation  said,  “People 
don’t  want  to  see  run-of-the-mill  entertain- 
ment because  of  it  (television).  Therefore 
these  specialized  films  are  being  more  and 
more  utilized.” 

Richard  Davis,  president  of  United  Mo- 
tion Picture  Organization  (UMPO),  which 
is  distributing  the  fabulously  successful 
“Diabolique,”  believes  that  because  of  tele- 
vision, the  public  wants  something  excep- 
tional in  a theatre — something  offbeat. 

As  a matter  of  fact,  the  public’s  willing- 
ness to  accept  the  offbeat  product  today, 
whereas  it  was  less  than  kindly  towards  it 
years  ago,  has  been  helped  considerably  by 
Hollywood  itself.  The  film  capital,  realizing 
it  had  to  do  something  to  offset  the  post-war 


lull,  began  to  make  many  films  that  would 
have  been  verbotcn  in  other  years.  “A 
Streetcar  Named  Desire,”  “Gentleman’s 
Agreement,”  “Come  Back,  Little  Sheba” 
and  more  recently  “Marty”  and  “The  Rose 
Tattoo”  have  proved  that  picture  audiences 
will  attend,  and  in  droves,  those  films  that 
do  not  fall  into  a pattern. 

The  economics  of  the  industry — that  is, 
fewer  and  costlier  pictures  which  has  re- 
sulted in  the  exhibitors’  cry  of  product 
shortage — is  also  forcing  the  exhibitor  to 
book  foreign  films.  British  films,  of  course, 
should  be  even  more  acceptable  but  here  too, 
there  have  been  complaints  of  a language 
barrier.  This,  too,  is  breaking  down  slowly 
and  with  the  fairly  successful  arrival  of 
dubbed  films  a few  years  ago  and  the  birth 
of  interest  in  foreign  films  currently,  there 
appears  to  be  a welcome  and  necessary  re- 
lief to  that  old  devil,  product  shortage. 

Must  Be  “ Universal ” 

Mr.  Davis,  who  perhaps  should  be  the 
most  enthusiastic  of  the  distributors,  tem- 
pers his  joy  by  saying  the  subject  matter 
of  any  film  should  be  “simple  and  universal.” 
That  is  why  American  pictures,  he  believes, 
do  so  well  in  Europe,  because  their  stories 
are  so  international  in  theme. 

Two  other  theories  advanced  for  the  re- 
juvenation of  the  foreign  film  are  generally 
bad  business  at  the  box  office  and  the  in- 
creased sophistication  of  the  public.  While 
neither  of  these  are  believed  to  be  as  im- 
portant or  as  basic  as  the  others,  there  is  a 
certain  degree  of  validity  to  them. 

The  former  is  a moot  point  as  many  ex- 
hibitors are  not  suffering  from  such  a 
plague,  but  where  it  is  in  evidence,  the 
hooking  of  foreign  films  has,  surprisingly, 
been  helpful.  Audience  sophistication  un- 
doubtedly has  increased  over  the  years  due, 
perhaps,  to  the  increase  in  the  maturity  of 
Hollywood  films  and  also  to  the  increased 
educational  advantages  offered  to  so  many 


"RICHARD"  GROSS 
REPORTED  GOOD 

"Richard  III,"  which  was  the  first 
major  film  to  be  shown  fiirst  on  tele- 
vision and  then  on  the  theatre  screen, 
has  just  concluded  its  initial  engage- 
ment in  New  York.  This  British  film, 
made  by  and  starring  Laurence 
Olivier,  had  a good  run  of  I I weeks 
at  the  small-capacity  Bijou  theatre 
and  is  reported  to  have  averaged 
$1,000  gross  per  day  during  its  run. 
More  dates  are  scheduled  for  the  film 
soon,  according  to  Lopert  Films,  its 
distributor. 


of  the  young  people  today.  And  they,  after 
all,  are  vitally  important,  now  and  tomor- 
row, to  the  industry.  But  as  one  distributor 
said,  “The  only  sophistication  needed  is  the 
ability  to  read  English  titles.” 

Edward  Harrison,  who  has  distributed 
such  acclaimed  films  as  “Gate  of  Hell”  and 
“Umberto  D,”  summed  it  up  succinctly  when 
he  said  that  general  theatres  look  out  for 
pictures  that  make  money.  And  exhibitors 
agree  with  that,  “even  if  the  dialogue  is 
in  Sanskrit.” 

Art  Theatre  Growing 

An  exceptionally  positive  result  of  this 
new-found  fertility  of  the  foreign  and/or 
offbeat  film  is  the  eminence  of  the  art  thea- 
tre. All  the  distributors  agree  (and  who 
should  know  better)  that  these  theatres  are 
growing  numerically  all  the  time.  Some 
of  the  reasons  advanced  are  that  the  fare 
they  provide  cannot  be  gotten  on  television 
and  the  basic  overhead  is  lower. 

An  interesting  sidelight  is  the  possible 
emergence  of  the  major  distributors  as  out- 
lets for  foreign  films.  Edward  Kingsley, 
who  heads  Kingsley  International  Pictures, 
is  also  in  charge  of  Columbia’s  new  special- 
ized film  department  Whose  first  release  is 
the  German  picture,  “The  Last  Ten  Days.” 
He  describes  it  as  an  exploratory  project 
but  if  it  proves  to  be  successful  more  doors 
will  be  open  than  ever  before.  There  have 
been  isolated  cases  before  including  RKO’s 
release  of  the  Japanese  film,  “Rashomon” 
and,  of  course,  the  many  British  films,  but 
this  appears  to  be  the  first  concerted  effort 
on  the  part  of  a major. 

Among  the  films  that  have  had  more  than 
average  success  (and,  for  foreign  films,  un- 
precedented success)  are  “Anna,”  which, 
with  its  dubbed  version,  has  had  approxi- 
mately 6,000  dates  according  to  its  distribu- 
tor, I.F.E. ; “Paisan,”  which  played  many 
circuits;  “Gate  of  Hell,”  and  now  of  course 
“Diabolique,”  whose  business  has  proved 
phenomenal. 

Soon  to  be  released  by  the  various  com- 
panies are  films  whose  names  may  not  be 
familiar  now  but  which  may  prove  to  be 
as  good  crowd-pleasers  as  their  predeces- 
sors, according  to  the  current  trend.  They 
include  Columbia’s  “Seven  Samurai”  and 
“The  Doctors” ; Kingsley’s  “We  Are  All 
Murderers”;  I.F.E.’s  “The  Con  Men”  and 
“Lost  Continent”;  Times’  “Nana”  and 
“Royal  Affairs  in  Versailles”;  Continental’s 
“The  Snow  Was  Black”  and  UMPO’s  “The 
Light  Across  the  Street”  and  Rene  Clair’s 
“Les  Grand  Manoeuvres.” 

All  this  should  be  good  news  for  exhibi- 
tors, in  art  or  general  theatres,  and  if  only 
a few  prove  to  be  successful,  their  shouts 
of  “magnifique,”  “bravo,”  “ole”  and  “vunder 
bar”  should  help  keep  breaking  down  that 
once  formidable  language  barrier. 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  JUNE  9,  1956 


19 


C.E.A. 

FILM 


ATTACKS 
TV  SALE 


. . . British  showmen,  in  annual 
meeting,  see  threat  to  trade 
in  backlog  sale;  study  circuit 
plan  to  increase  admissions 

by  PETER  BURNUP 

BLACKPOOL,  ENGLAND:  While  1,200 
film  men  (and  their  wives)  had  a good  time 
at  the  annual  convention  of  the  Cinemat- 
ograph Exhibitors  Association  here  last 
week,  serious  business  was  attended  to  and 
far-reaching  decisions  were  taken. 

First  on  the  agenda  of  CEA’s  general 
council  was  the  ‘‘threat”  to  theatre  prosper- 
ity— as  many  exhibitors  see  it — of  the  spate 
of  sales  of  backlog  libraries  of  films  by 
American  producers  to  television  interests. 
They  aim  to  put  a curb  on  the  process  so 
far  as  this  country  is  concerned  and,  as  it 
happens,  exhibitors  here  are  in  a particu- 
larly strong  bargaining  position  for  that. 

Pact  with  BBC 

They  have  a firm  agreement  with  both  the 
BBC  and  the  commercial  TV  networks  lim- 
iting the  time  allowed  to  excerpts  of  cur- 
rent films  and  to  TV  film  “interest”  pro- 
grammes. They  are  disposed  now  to  permit 
both  television  concerns  to  screen  up  to  12 
new  films  annually  from  a selected  pool  of 
20.  but  on  the  strict  condition  that  the  TV 
people  will  have  no  truck  with  those  old  films 
now  so  sedulously  peddled  by  American 
traders. 

That  is  an  ostensible  reversal  of  the  policy 
laid  down  a year  ago  at  CEA’s  Llandudno 
convention,  which  called  for  a boycott  of 
distributors  who  traded  with  TV,  but  in 
essence  it  is  a continuance  thereof.  General 
Council  instructed  its  officers  to  call  for  an 
early  meeting  of  the  trade’s  Four  Associa- 
tions’ Committee  which  would,  so  exhibitors 
believe,  implement  the  new  suggestions.  In 
any  event,  it  seems  obvious  that  wholesale 
unloading  of  old  films  to  TV  will  be  forbid- 
den here. 

General  Council  turned  its  attention  then 
to  the  implications  involved  in  the  announced 
intention  of  the  major  circuits  to  increase 
admission  prices  in  their  theatres.  There 
were  those  delegates  who  thought  the  deci- 
sion ill-timed,  seeing  that  the  House  of  Com- 
mons has  yet  to  deliberate  on  the  two  amend- 
ments to  the  Finance  Bill  which  would  give 
tax  relief  to  hard-pressed  small  exhibitors. 

Epitomising  these  malcontents’  objections 
was  one  speaker  who  feared  that  Parlia- 
mentarians would  now  be  asking : “Why 
have  the  motion  picture  people  been  worry- 
ing us  for  all  these  months  when  they  have 
had  in  their  own  hands  the  means  of  putting 
their  house  in  order  ?” 

Those  objections  were  overruled,  for  it  is 


now  obvious,  in  the  present  inflationary 
spiral,  that  price  increases  are  now  inevita- 
ble. Forward-looking  theatre  men  are  more 
concerned  with  the  possibility  that  the  rise 
in  prices  would  produce  higher  film  rentals 
and  that  the  benefit  of  the  increased  box 
office  "take”  would  go  to  distributors  rather 
than  exhibitors. 

They  now  demand  that  the  joint  CEA- 
KRS  committee  forthwith  discuss  an  adjust- 
ment of  break  figures  in  rental  sliding  scales. 
The  Association’s  officers  were  instructed  to 
seek  an  early  convening  of  the  joint  com- 
mittee in  that  regard. 

Urges  Use  of  Screen 

The  subsequent  debate  on  the  trade’s  en- 
tertainment tax  campaign  generally  was  en- 
livened by  an  impassioned,  vehement  speech 
by  Yorkshire’s  Jack  X.  Prendergast.  He  de- 
manded now  that  exhibitors  use  their  own 
screens  to  tell  their  patrons  of  the  industry’s 
plight  due  to  the  refusal  of  the  Chancellor 
of  the  Exchequer  to  accord  them  tax  relief 
and  of  the  reasons  for  the  price  increases. 

The  cinema  screen,  Mr.  Prendergast  cried, 
is  the  world’s  most  potent  instrument  of 
propaganda,  as  the  Government  found  in  the 
direst  days  of  the  war.  “Let’s  use  it  for  our- 
selves,” he  said. 

Mr.  Prendergast’s  unorthodox  plea  mani- 
festly disturbed  the  pundits  at  the  top  table 
of  General  Council  for  they  saw  deep  waters 
ahead  if  the  screens  were  used  for  the  in- 
dustry's own  propaganda.  The  Prendergast 
proposal  was  discreetly  referred  for  con- 
sideration by  the  Association’s  officers.  But 
more  undoubtedly  will  be  heard  of  it  in  the 
near  future. 

The  Blackpool  Convention  to  the  outer 
world  might  have  been  more  notable  for  its 
glitter  and  glamour  than  for  the  solemn 
business.  Nevertheless,  far  reaching  deci- 
sions were  made,  not  only  in  the  public 
debate  of  General  Council  but  in  back  stage 
discussions. 


BRITISH  FILMS  DOWN 
TRADE  BOARD  REPORTS 

LONDON:  The  Board  of  Trade  an- 
nounced here  this  week  that  73  full- 
length  British  feature  films  had  been 
registered  in  the  year  ended  March 
31,  compared  with  94  British  features 
registered  in  the  like  period  in  the 
previous  year.  However,  the  number 
of  foreign  features  registered  rose 
from  265  for  the  year  ended  March 
31,  1955,  to  272  for  the  year  ended 
March  31,  1956.  Of  the  total  272 
films  from  abroad,  208  were  Ameri- 
can, 28  French  and  16  Italian. 


NATKE  Hits 

Govern  men  t 
Ernde  Policy 

by  WILLIAM  PAY 

LOA  DON : Members  of  the  National  As- 
sociation of  Theatrical  and  Kine  Employees 
at  their  annual  conference  in  Edinburgh 
approved  a resolution  condemning  the  Gov- 
ernment’s economic  policy  and  instructing 
their  executive  group  to  seek  a 40-hour  week 
and  a month’s  paid  holiday  for  all  members 
of  the  entertainment  industry. 

Speaking  at  the  conference,  Sir  Tom 
O’Brien,  M.P.,  general  secretary  of  the 
union,  welcomed  the  major  circuits’  deci- 
sion to  increase  seat  prices.  He  said : “Fares 
of  all  kinds,  postal  charges,  coal,  gas,  elec- 
tricity, rents,  etc.,  have  all  gone  up  and 
have  been  passed  on  to  the  public.  Why 
should  the  cinema  workers  of  Britain  have 
to  suffer  low  wages  because  the  cinema  ex- 
hibitor cannot  pass  on  to  the  public  his 
genuine  increased  costs  of  operating  the 
cinema  ?” 

“We  must  remember,”  he  added,  “that  the 
exhibitor  will  retain  only  one  penny  three- 
farthings  of  that  sixpence  increase.  The 
rest  goes  to  the  Treasury  in  tax.  This  is 
monstrous.” 

Sir  Tom  also  referred  to  the  industry’s 
product  shortage.  “One  false  move  on  our 
part  could  easily  close  one-half  of  the  British 
cinemas,”  he  said.  “We  have  not  the  prod- 
uct, rightly  or  wrongly,  to  keep  open  our 
British  cinemas  by  our  own  resources,  how- 
ever desirable  that  may  be.” 

“When  we  talk  about  producing  British 
films  portraying  the  British  way  of  life,  we 
should  all  think  of  that  ideal  as  commend- 
able, but  we  must  remember  that  cinema- 
goers  in  Europe,  Asia,  South  America  and 
the  Far  East  are  not  much  concerned  in 
paying  to  see  the  British  way  of  life.” 

“The  United  States  has  found  the  answer 
to  satisfy  the  cinema-goers  of  their  own 
nation  and  of  many  other  countries.  If  the 
British  industry  has  not  succeeded  it  is  no 
use  crying  stinking  fish  against  any  other 
country  which  has  succeeded.  Many  British 
film  production  companies  complain  that 
they  do  not  get  sufficient  screening  time  in 
the  U.  S.  Good  films,  wherever  they  are 
produced,  have  a ready  market  anywhere.  I 
must  confess  that  the  British  films  them- 
selves fall  short  and  are  to  blame  for  the 
lack  of  enthusiasm  among  American  cinema- 
goers  for  our  own  films,”  Sir  Tom  con- 
cluded. 


Buys  Drive-in 

Lloyd  J.  Wineland,  president  of  the  Wine- 
land  Theatres,  has  announced  the  acquisition 
of  the  Hillside  drive-in  theatre,  6200  Marl- 
boro Pike,  Maryland.  The  new  modern 
drive-in  is  the  second  addition  to  the  Wine- 
land  circuit  in  the  past  year. 


20 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  JUNE  9,  1956 


DEAN 


TI 


RRY 


and 


LEWIS 


Co-starring 


LORI  NELSON -JEFF  MORROW 

with  JOHN  BARA6REY  • AGNES  MOOREHEAD  • Produced  by 
Screenplay  by  SIDNEY  SHELDON  • Screen  Story  by  JERRY  DAVIS 

Songs  by  SAMMY  CAHN  and  JAMES 


COLOR  BY 

TECHNICOLOR 


. 


u 


NO 


AT 


THIS 


SQUARE 


rybod 


as 


BuckSK 


Bee 


JACKIE  LOUGHREY 


PAUL  JONES  • Directed  by  NORMAN  TAUR06 


Based  on  a Story  by  MERVIN  J.  HOUSER  • Choreography  by  NICK  CASTLE 

VAN  HEUSEN  • A Paramount  Release 


ONE  OF  YOUR 
BIG  SUMMER 
HITS-FROM 
PARAMOUNT! 


LIST— ED  ON  THE  BIG  BOARD 


NOT  TOO  YOUNG  to  begin  making  money.  That’s  Vicki  Laura  List 
at  the  “Big  Board”  (The  New  York  Stock  Exchange)  last  week,  as  she 
ordered  100  shares  of  List  Industries,  making  its  Exchange  debut.  It 
formerly  was  RKO  Industries.  With  five-year-old  Vicki  Laura  are  her 
parents,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Albert  A.  List,  and  James  Crane  Kellogg,  chairman 
of  the  exchange.  The  company’s  stockholders,  meeting  in  New  York 
last  week,  voted  the  name  change.  Mr.  List  owns  47  per  cent  of  the 
outstanding  stock.  The  company  has  as  principal  subsidiaries  the 
83-theatre  RKO  circuit  and  the  Gera  Corp.  Three  new  directors  named 
last  week  are  William  J.  Durocher,  Gera  vice-president,  and  also  president 
of  its  U.S.F.-Aspinook  division;  Mrs.  List,  and  Anthony  Scala,  vice-presi- 
dent of  Gera  and  of  its  Chatham  Electronics  division. 


Republic  Top 
Sales  Staff 
Is  Realigned 

A complete  executive  realignment  of  Re- 
public Pictures’  distribution  setup  is  taking 
place  in  the  wake  of  the  recently  announced 
60-day  option  obtained  by  B.  G.  Cantor, 
Hollywood  investment  banker,  to  purchase 
the  holdings  in  the  company  held  by  Herbert 
J.  Yates,  president. 

Three  top  distribution  executives  left  the 
company  early  this  week — Walter  Titus,  Jr., 
John  P.  Curtin,  eastern  division  manager, 
and  Edmund  Grainger,  southern  division 
manager.  Mr.  Titus  is  being  transferred 
from  Republic  to  an  executive  post  with 
Consolidated  Film  Laboratories,  the  asso- 
ciate company.  Mr.  Curtin  and  Mr.  Grainger 
have  not  as  yet  made  announcements  of  their 
future  plans. 

Conferences  concerning  the  auditing  of 
the  Republic  books  and  records  were  taking 
place  in  New  York  this  week  between 
Mr.  Cantor,  president  of  Cantor,  Fitzgerald 
& Company  of  Beverly  Hills,  and  Joseph  D. 
Blau  & Company,  certified  public  account- 
ants and  specialists  in  corporate  analysis. 
Mr.  Cantor  came  to  New  York  this  week 
specifically  to  confer  with  the  auditing  firm. 
Under  the  option  agreement,  he  would  pur- 
chase a minimum  of  650,000  shares  and  a 
maximum  of  800,000  shares  at  $12.50  a 
share  from  Mr.  Yates  and  his  associates. 

The  Republic  sales  department  continues 
to  be  directed  by  Richard  Altschuler,  direc- 
tor of  world-wide  sales  for  the  company. 
He  is  expected  to  be  assisted  by  John  Alex- 
ander, western  division  manager,  who  will 
be  transferred  to  the  home  office,  and  by 
his  present  assistant.  Steven  Dorsey.  Also 
leaving  Republic  is  Steve  Edwards,  director 
of  advertising  and  publicity  for  the  last  15 
years.  In  all,  about  30  people  have  left  the 
company,  with  the  advertising-publicity  de- 
partment reduced  to  a half-dozen  people. 
Beatrice  Ross,  publicity  manager,  remains. 


Wider  Circulation 
Planned  for  "Kane" 

Because  of  the  strong  business  done  by 
“Citizen  Kane”  since  it  went  into  limited 
art  house  re-release  in  March,  RKO  will  give 
the  Orson  Welles  production  wider  circula- 
tion but  still  carefully-selected  bookings,  it 
was  announced  by  Walter  Branson,  RKO’s 
vice-president  in  charge  of  world-wide  dis- 
tribution. “We  are  satisfied  that  there  is 
public  acceptance  of  this  unusual  picture  in 
the  proper  theatres,  and  we  feel  that  by  con- 
tinued careful  handling  on  a very  selective 
basis,  appreciable  revenue  can  be  realized 
for  exhibitors,”  Mr.  Branson  stated.  In  situ- 
ations where  “drawing  power,  location  or 
policy”  are  conducive  to  a profitable  engage- 
ment of  the  film,  theatres  other  than  art 
houses  will  be  considered,  the  executive 
explained. 


Suzan  Ball  Memorial 
Cancer  Fund  Announced 

The  Suzan  Ball  Memorial  Fund  for  Can- 
cer Research,  to  provide  funds  for  both  re- 
search and  treatment  for  persons  suffering 
from  cancer  and  leukemia  at  the  City  of 
Hope,  near  Los  Angeles,  was  announced 
June  5 at  a press  conference  in  New  York. 
On  hand  were  June  Allyson  and  Dick 
Powell,  national  co-chairmen  of  the  drive, 
and  Richard  Long,  husband  of  the  late 
actress,  in  whose  memory,  a short  film  has 
been  produced  to  back  the  drive.  Shelley 
Winters  is  honorary  chairman  of  the  drive 
in  the  New  York  area  for  the  month  of 
June,  and  Leonard  Ginsberg  is  eastern  re- 
gional chairman.  The  conference  was  held 
at  the  Universal-International  home  offices. 


Heads  Newsreel  Unit 

Edmund  Reek,  vice-president  and  pro- 
ducer of  Fox  Movietone  News,  has  been 
named  chairman  of  MPAA’s  Newsreel  Com- 
mittee for  the  ensuing  year,  it  is  announced. 
Mr.  Reek  succeeds  Walton  Anent,  vice- 
president  of  Warner  Pathe  News,  who 
headed  the  newsreel  committee  for  the  past 
year. 


Arkansas  IT O Elects 
J.  Fred  Brown  Head 

LITTLE  ROCK,  ARKANSAS:  The  Board 
of  Independent  Theatre  Owners  of  Arkansas 
met  and  elected  the  following  officers : presi- 
dent, J.  Fred  Brown;  executive  vice-presi- 
dent, Roy  Cochran ; secretary-treasurer, 
Nona  White;  chairman  of  the  board,  K.  K. 
King.  District  vice-presidents : Orris  Collins, 
Bill  Headstrom,  E.  W.  Savage,  Charles 
Revely,  W.  L.  Pullen  and  Terry  Axlev.  Di- 
rectors: James  A.  McWilliams,  M.  S.  Mc- 
Cord, Bartus  Gray,  Mildred  Bomar,  Henry 
Haven,  Cecil  Cupp,  Carl  Burton  and  Adrian' 
White.  Representative  to  the  National  TOA 
board  meeting  is  J.  Fred  Brown.  Legisla- 
tive director  is  B.  F.  Busby. 


Ran  Safety  Drive 

NEW  BRITAIN:  Peter  Perakos,  Jr.,  of 
Perakos  Theatre  Associates  circuit  here, 
recently  concluded  a safety  promotion  cam- 
paign at  the  Arch  Street  theatre  here  with 
what  he  termed  “encouraging  results.”  He 
distributed  over  700  safety  award  passes  to 
the  theatre  to  youngsters  who  were  observed 
to  be  best  demonstrating  various  traffic  safe- 
ty precautions. 


24 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  JUNE  9,  1956 


United  Artists  Week 
Scheduled  for  July  1-7 

United  Artists  Week,  an  intensive  book- 
ing drive  aimed  at  placing  a U.A.  release  in 
every  theatre  in  the  United  States  and 
Canada,  has  been  set  for  July  1-7,  it  is  an- 
nounced by  William  J.  Heineman,  vice- 
president  in  charge  of  distribution.  Involv- 
ing a strong  concentration  of  quality  prod- 
uct, the  sales  effort  will  be  supported  by  each 
of  the  32  exchanges  in  the  domestic  terri- 
tory’s two  divisions  and  seven  districts. 
James  R.  Velde,  general  sales  manager,  is 
directing  the  field  phase  of  the  campaign. 
Cash  prizes  for  United  Artists  Week  will 
go  to  the  three  winning  exchanges.  A roster 
of  special  accessories  is  being  prepared  for 
the  U.A.  Week  push.  These  include  banners, 
posters  and  brochures  for  exhibitor  mailings. 
The  lineup  of  product  involved  in  the  spe- 
cial one-week  drive  includes  CinemaScope 
spectacles,  suspense  thrillers,  screen  versions 
of  best  sellers,  Westerns  and  adventure 
dramas,  with  heavy  promotional  backing 
from  U.A.’s  1956  ad-publicity-exploitation 
budget  of  $7,500,000. 


Continental  Distributing 
Gets  3 British  Films 

Two  J.  Arthur  Rank-Ealing  Studios  pro- 
ductions, “The  Ship  That  Died  of  Shame” 
and  “The  Love  Lottery,”  and  a new  French 
comedy,  “Paris-Canaille,”  have  been  an- 
nounced by  Walter  Reade,  Jr.,  chairman  of 
the  board,  and  Frank  Kassler,  president  of 
Continental  Distributing,  Inc.,  as  the  first 
three  films  acquired  by  Reade  during  his 
recent  month’s  trip  to  Great  Britain  and 
the  Continent.  These  represent  only  the 
first  step  in  building  up  Continental’s  1956- 
57  program  of  top  European  product,  of 
which  further  details  will  be  announced 
shortly,  they  said.  The  three  films  will  be 
released  before  the  end  of  1956,  while  the 
balance  of  Continental’s  new  product  will 
be  announced  as  soon  as  current  negotia- 
tions are  completed,  Mr.  Reade  and  Mr. 
Kassler  stated. 


Degree  to  Zanuck 

Darryl  F.  Zanuck  will  be  awarded  an 
honorary  degree  of  Doctor  of  Humanities 
from  the  University  of  Nebraska  at  the 
school’s  annual  commencement  ceremonies 
June  11  in  Lincoln,  it  is  announced.  The 
executive,  a native  son,  is  the  first  from 
the  amusement  world  to  receive  this  honor 
from  the  midwestern  institution. 


To  Reissue  Two 

"Brute  Force,”  one  of  the  top  grossers 
of  1947  and  starring  Burt  Lancaster,  has 
been  teamed  with  “Naked  City,”  of  1948, 
for  DCA  redistribution,  it  is  announced  by 
Irving  Wormser  and  Arthur  Sachson,  DCA 
sales  executives.  These  acquisitions  bring 
DCA’s  total  to  eight  films  either  in  release 
or  soon  to  be  released  for  the  first  six 
months  of  the  year. 


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HOLLYWOOD  BUREAU 

Due  perhaps  in  part  to  the  midweek  holi- 
day, first  to  be  experienced  since  the  produc- 
tion branch  of  the  industry  went  on  a five- 
day  week,  the  total  slacked  off  to  32  features 
in  work,  the  completion  of  seven  and  the 
start  of  four. 

Only  one  of  the  major  studios  launched 
a picture.  That  was  20th  - Fox,  whose 
Buddy  Adler  started  “Anastasia”  in  London. 
It  has  Ingrid  Bergman,  Yul  Brynner,  Helen 
Hayes  and  Akim  Tamiroff  in  the  cast  di- 
rected by  Anatole  Litvak.  It  is  going  in 
CinemaScope  and  DeLuxe  color. 

Three  independent  producers  started 
shooting  pictures  for  United  Artists  release. 

Bryna  Productions  began  photographing 
“Spring  Reunion,”  in  which  bounding  Betty 
Hutton  resumes  her  screen  career  with  Dana 
Andrews,  Laura  LaPlante  and  Gordon  Jones 
alongside.  Jerry  Bresler  is  the  producer, 
Robert  Pirosh  the  director. 

Earlmar  Productions  turned  cameras  on 
“Durango,”  directed  by  Jules  Bricken,  with 
Jeff  Chandler  and  Julie  London  in  principal 
roles. 

Orion-Nova  Productions  started  filming 
“Twelve  Angry  Men”,  one  of  the  best  tele- 
vision plays  ever  produced,  with  Henry 
Fonda  and  Lee  J.  Cobb  among  the  twelve 
principals.  Reginald  Rose  is  the  producer 
and  Sidney  Lumet  is  directing.  It  is  being- 
filmed  in  New  York. 


ON  THE  SET 

Dudley  Nichols  and  Nat  Holt  have  agreed 
to  form  a producing  company  with  Mr. 
Nichols  writing  the  screenplay  for  the  first, 
“Outlaws  in  Town.”  . . . Paul  Douglas  will 
co-star  with  Bob  Hope  in  Paramount’s 
“Beau  James,”  the  biography  of  James  J. 
Walker.  . . . New  castings  at  RKO  include 
Rod  Steiger,  Sarita  Montiel,  Ralph  Meeker 
and  Brian  Keith  in  “Run  of  the  Arrow” 
and  Cameron  Mitchell  and  Glynis  Johns  in 
“The  Day  They  Gave  Babies  Away.”  . . . 
Title  changes  on  two  20th-Fox  films  have 
been  announced.  “One  in  a Million”  is  now 
“Bigger  Than  Life”  and  “The  Day  the 
Century  Ended”  is  “Between  Heaven  and 
Hell.”  . . . The  British  company,  Wilcox- 
Neagle  Productions,  will  join  RKO  in  the 
production  of  “The  Sitting  Duck”  starring 
Richard  Todd.  . . . Robert  L.  Jacks,  in- 
dependent producer,  has  purchased  the  novel, 
“Breakaway.” 


RKO  to  Film  Verne  Classic 

HOLLYWOOD : Jules  Verne’s  “Journey 
to  the  Center  of  the  Earth,”  will  be  brought 
to  the  screen  as  one  of  RKO’s  major  pro- 
ductions in  1957,  it  was  announced  over  the 
weekend  by  William  Dozier,  vice-president 
in  charge  of  production.  Stanley  Rubin 
will  produce,  and  Eugene  Lourie  will  direct. 


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IN  PRODUCTION: 


STARTED  (4) 

20TH  CENTURY-FOX 

Anastasia 

( CinemaScope; 

De  Luxe  Color) 


COMPLETED  (7) 

AMERICAN 

INTERNATIONAL 

The  She-Creature 

(Golden  State  Prod.) 

MGM 

Tea  and  Sympathy 

PARAMOUNT 

Three  Violent  People 
(VistaVision; 
Technicolor) 


SHOOTING  (28) 

ALLIED  ARTISTS 

The  Oklahoman 
( CinemaScope; 

Color) 

The  Cruel  Tower 
Notre  Dame  de  Paris 
( CinemaScope; 
Eastman  Color) 

COLUMBIA 

Fire  Down  Below 
(Warwick  Prod.; 
CinemaScope; 
Technicolor) 

Full  of  life 

MGM 

The  Power  and  the  Prize 
(CinemaScope) 
Barretts  of  Wimpole 
Street  (CinemaScope; 
Color) 

Teahouse  of  the  August 
Moon  (CinemaScope; 
Color) 

Raintree  County 
(65  MM;  Color) 

PARAMOUNT 

Search  for  Bridey 
Murphy  (VistaVision) 
Hollywood  or  Bust 
(VistaVision; 
Technicolor) 

Funny  Face  (Vista- 
Vision; Technicolor) 
The  Loves  of  Omar 
Khayyam  (Vista- 
Vision; Technicolor) 
Gunfight  at  OK  Corral 
(VistaVision; 
Technicolor) 


UNITED  ARTISTS 

Twelve  Angry  Men 
(Orion-Nova  Prods.) 
Spring  Reunion 
(Bryna  Prods.) 
Drango 

( Earlmar  Prods.) 


RKO  RADIO 

Public  Pidgeon  Number 
One  ( Eastman  Color) 

20TH  CENTURY-FOX 

One  in  a Million 
(CinemaScope; 

De  Luxe  Color) 

Bus  Stop 

( CinemaScope; 

De  Luxe  Color) 

UNITED  ARTISTS 

Fort  Laramie 
(Bel-Air  Prod.) 


20TH  CENTURY-FOX 

Best  Things  in  Life  Are 
Free  (CinemaScope; 
De  Luxe  Color) 

The  Last  Wagon 
( CinemaScope; 

De  Luxe  Color) 

The  Day  the  Century 
Ended  (CinemaScope; 
De  Luxe  Color) 

UNITED  ARTISTS 

The  King  and  Four 
Queens  ( R uss- Field 
Prod.;  Color) 

Dance  With  Me  Henry 
( Bob  Goldstein) 

Mark  of  the  Apache 
(Bel-Air  Prod.) 

The  Big  Boodle  (Lewis 
Blumberg  Prod.) 

Pride  and  the  Passion 
(Kramer  Prod.;  Vista- 
Vision; Technicolor) 

U-l 

The  Incredible 
Shrinking  Man 
Mister  Cory 
(Technicolor) 

Tammy  (CinemaScope; 
Technicolor) 

WARNER  BROS. 

The  Girl  He  Left  Behind 
The  Old  Man  and  the 
Sea  ( WarnerColor) 
The  Wrong  Man  (Alfred 
Hitchcock  Prod.) 


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MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  JUNE  9,  1956 


25 


JEFF  CHANDLER  GEORGE  NA 

KEITH  ANDES- RICHARD  BOONE -JOCK  MAH 

JOHN  MclNTIRE  FRANK  l 


Me  G RAW 

OWARD  CHRISTIE 


irected  by 


Screenplay  by 


HURLED  THE  BATTLE  CRY  OF  THE  SOUTH  PACIFIC 


TECHNICOLOR 


COLOR  BY 


Motion  Picture  y High-Fidelity 


Columbia ‘s 
Xet  Profit 
SI.  IS.  7.7. 000 

Columbia  Pictures  has  announced  com- 
parative consolidated  earnings  statements  for 
the  periods  ending  March  31,  1956  and 
March  26.  1955.  For  the  40  weeks  ended 
March  31.  1956.  the  company  has  announced 
a net  profit  before  taxes  of  $3,314,000  and 
a net  profit  for  the  period  of  $1,855,000. 

For  the  39  weeks  ended  March  26,  1955, 
the  net  profit  before  taxes  is  $5,990,000  and 
after  taxes  $3,655,000.  The  earnings  per 
share  of  common  stock  after  preferred  stock 
dividends,  for  both  the  current  year  and  the 
prior  year,  are  based  on  the  1,067,327  shares 
which  were  outstanding  on  March  31,  1956. 

Jean  Hersholt,  Screen 
Veteran , Dies  at  69 

HOLD  U'OOD:  Jean  Hersholt,  69,  well 
known  and  respected  actor  best  remembered 
for  his  "Dr.  Christian”  series,  died  here 
June  2 of  cancer.  For  20  years  Mr.  Hersholt 
headed  the  Motion  Picture  Relief  Fund  and 
for  five  years  was  head  of  the  Academy  of 
Motion  Picture  Arts  & Sciences.  He  is 
widely  credited  with  implementing  the  solid 
reputation  enjoyed  by  the  Academy  today. 
A pioneer  in  the  industry,  he  began  his  50- 
year  career  in  Danish  comedies  in  1906,  ap- 
pearing in  his  first  American  film  in  1913. 
Among  his  better  known  films  were  “Greed,” 
“Viennese  Nights,”  “Stella  Dallas,”  “Grand 
Hotel,”  “Abie's  Irish  Rose”  and  “The 
Country  Doctor.”  A founder  of  the  Motion 
Picture  Country  Day  Home,  he  directed  it 
18  years.  Among  the  many  honors  bestowed 
on  him  were  a knighthood  from  his  native 
Denmark,  two  special  film  Oscars,  honorary 
degrees  from  four  American  colleges  and, 
last  month,  a testimonial  from  his  own 
people  of  Hollywood. 


Robert  F.  Withers,  61 

KANSAS  CITY:  Robert  F.  Withers,  61, 
president  of  Republic  Midwest  Film  Dis- 
tributors, died  here  May  28.  For  30  years, 
Mr.  Withers  had  been  a partner  of  Elmer 
Rhoden,  president  of  National  Theatres,  in 
theatre  holdings  as  well  as  a ranch.  He  was 
also  a member  of  the  board  of  directors  of 
Commonwealth  Theatres,  a chain  operating 
houses  in  Missouri,  Kansas,  Arkansas  and 
Nebraska.  He  had  been  with  Republic  Mid- 
west since  1935. 


C.  C.  Burr 

HOLLYWOOD:  C.  C.  Burr,  66,  one  of 
the  pioneers  of  the  industry,  died  June  4 
here  following  a long  illness.  He  entered 
the  business  in  1913  with  Famous  Players- 
Lasky,  forming  his  own  company  in  1918  to 
produce  two-reels  starring  Johnny  Hines. 
Later  he  produced  features  for  Metro,  Fox, 
Columbia,  Monogram  and  others. 


B ox  Office  Champions 
For  May 

The  box  office  champions  for  the  month  of  May , listed  alphabetically 
below,  are  selected  on  the  basis  of  reports  from  key  city  first  run 
theatres  throughout  the  country. 


The  Birds  and  the  Bees 

( Paramount ) 

VistaVision 

Produced  by  Paul  Jones.  Directed 
by  Norman  Taurog.  Written  by  Sid- 
ney Sheldon  and  Preston  Sturges 
(based  on  a story  by  Monckton  Hoffe) . 
Technicolor.  Cast:  George  Gobel, 
Mitzi  Gaynor,  David  Niven,  Reginald 
Gardiner,  Fred  Clark,  Harry  Bellaver, 
Hans  Conried,  Margery  Maude,  Clin- 
ton Sundberg,  Milton  Frome. 

Forbidden  Planet 

( Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer  ) 

CinemaScope 

Produced  by  Nicholas  Nayfack. 
Directed  by  Fred  McLeod  Wilcox. 
Written  by  Cyril  Hume  (based  on  a 
story  by  Irving  Block  and  Allen  Ad- 
ler). In  Eastman  Color.  Cast:  Walter 
Pidgeon,  Anne  Francis,  Leslie  Niel- 
sen, Warren  Stevens,  Jack  Kelly, 
Richard  Anderson,  Earl  Holliman, 
George  Wallace,  Bob  Dix,  Jimmy 
Thompson,  Janies  Devy. 

The  Harder  They  Fall 

( Columbia  ) 

Produced  by  Philip  Yordan. 
Directed  by  Mark  Robson.  Written 
by  Philip  Yordan  (based  on  a novel 
by  Budd  Schulberg).  Cast:  Humphrey 
Bogart,  Rod  Steiger,  Jan  Sterling, 
Mike  Lane,  Max  Baer,  Jersey  Joe  Wal- 
cott, Edward  Andrews,  Harold  J. 
Stone. 


The  Man  in  the 
Gray  Flannel  Suit 

( 20th  Century-Fox ) 

CinemaScope 

Produced  by  Darryl  F.  Zanuek. 
Directed  and  written  by  Nunnally 
Johnson  (from  the  novel  by  Sloan 
Wilson).  Color  by  De  Luxe.  Cast: 
Gregory  Peck,  Jennifer  Jones,  Fred- 
ric  March,  Marisa  Pavan,  Lee  J.  Cobb, 
Ann  Harding,  Keenan  Wynn,  Gene 
Lockhart,  Gigi  Perreau.  (Champion 
for  the  second  month.) 

Serenade 

(W  arner  Bros.) 

Produced  by  Henry  Blanke. 
Directed  by  Anthony  Mann.  Written 
by  Ivan  Goff  and  Ben  Roberts  and 
John  Twist  (based  on  the  novel  by 
Janies  M.  Cain).  In  WarnerColor. 
Cast:  Mario  Lanza,  Joan  Fontaine, 
Sarita  Montiel,  Vincent  Price,  Joseph 
Calleia,  Harry  Bellaver,  Vince  Ed- 
wards. 

The  Swan 

( Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer  ) 

CinemaScope 

Produced  by  Dore  Seliary.  Directed 
by  Charles  Vidor.  Written  by  John 
Dighton.  In  Eastman  Color.  Cast : 
Grace  Kelly,  Alec  Guinness,  Louis 
Jourdan,  Agnes  Moorehead,  Jessie 
Royce  Landis,  Brian  Aherne,  Leo  G. 
Carroll,  Estelle  Winwood. 


John  D.  Jones 

SAN  ANGELO,  TEXAS:  John  D.  Jones, 
67,  local  theatre  executive  who  built  most 
of  San  Angelo’s  film  houses,  died  here  May 
30.  All  of  his  44-year  career  was  spent  in 
Texas,  most  of  it  involved  in  the  growth 
of  the  Robb  and  Rowley  circuit.  Until  his 
death  Mr.  Jones  managed  the  holdings  of 
the  Rowley  group,  operating  as  Concho  The- 
atres, Inc.,  and  San  Angelo  Theatres,  Inc. 


Lawrence  Brueninger 

TOPEKA,  KANSAS : Lawrence  H.  Bruen- 
inger, who  retired  last  March  21  as  city 
manager  of  Fox-Midwest  Theatres  in 
Topeka,  died  here  last  week.  For  33  years 
he  had  been  a theatre  owner  and  manager 
here.  He  enterd  the  theatre  business  in  St. 
Joseph,  Mo.,  after  World  War  I. 


Mabel  Fay  Clark 

PROVIDENCE:  Mabel  Fay  Clark,  80,  sis- 
ter of  the  well  known  Rhode  Island  exhibi- 
tor, Edward  M.  Fay,  and  mother  of  Albert 
J.  Clarke,  former  Providence  Majestic  man- 
ager and  now  manager  of  a Springfield. 
Mass.,  theatre,  died  here  June  4.  Mrs.  Clark 
was  a well  known  club  woman  and  nation- 
ally prominent  in  music  circles. 


Jack Langan 

KANSAS  CITY:  Jack  Langan,  former 
branch  manager  of  the  Universal  Interna- 
tional exchange  in  Kansas  City  for  26  years, 
died  here  May  30.  Mr.  Langan  retired  from 
the  manager’s  post  a year  ago  because  of 
ill  health.  In  addition  to  his  Kansas  City 
period,  he  spent  15  years  in  the  picture 
business. 


28 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  JUNE  9,  1956 


THE  MARK  HELLINGER  ESTATE  IS 
PROUD  TO  ANNOUNCE  THAT 
D.C.A.  WILL  DISTRIBUTE- 


NOW  READY  FOR  BOOKING:  Contact  your  nearest  D.C.A.  exchange 


THE  WINNERS  CIRCLE 

Pictures  which  were  reported  as  doing  above  average  business  in  key  cities  of  the 
nation  for  the  week  ended  June  2 were: 


Film  Festival 
In  Ir elan tl 

. 1 Success 

by  T.  J.  M.  SHEEHY 

CORK.  IRELAND : The  International  Film 
Festival  in  this  ancient  Irish  City  came  to  a 
successful  conclusion  in  late  May  with 
awards  to  international  winners  after  show- 
ings of  films  from  such  countries  as  India, 
England.  Italy,  Egypt,  Norway,  France, 
Pakistan,  the  United  States,  New  Zealand, 
Canada,  Japan  and  Ireland. 

Awards  were  presented  by  Sean  T. 
O’Ceallaigh,  President  of  Ireland,  to  such 
winners  as:  Sachiko  Hidari,  Japanese  ac- 
tress, for  "I  Am  on  Trial'’;  Yves  Missard  for 
his  role  in  “The  Missionary”  and  Pietro 
Germi  for  his  direction  of  the  Italian  film, 
“The  Railwayman.”  Best  documentary  was 
“The  Rival  World,”  produced  by  an  Eng- 
lishman. Stuart  Legg  and  directed  by  a 
Dutchman,  Bert  Haanstra.  Best  feature  film 
was  a French  offering,  “The  Amateur 
Killers.” 

In  addition  to  the  St.  Finbarr  and  the 
Silver  Harp  awards  a number  of  Certificates 
of  Merit  for  special  qualities  were  awarded. 
Those  honored : The  Canadian  short  film, 
“The  Shepherd”;  the  Italian  film,  “Woman 
of  the  River,”  and  the  American,  “Ell  Cry 
Tomorrow”  with  special  reference  to  “the 
collective  high  quality  of  the  acting”  in  the 
MGM  production,  including  that  of  Susan 
Hayward,  Jo  Van  Fleet  and  Richard  Conte. 

Chairman  of  the  Cork  Tostal  Council, 
which  sponsored  the  festival,  is  Patrick  Mc- 
Grath, Cork’s  lord  mayor.  Vice-chairman  is 
Augustine  A.  Healy.  Organiser  was  Dermot 
H.  Breen. 

Industry  Golf  Tourney 
To  Have  Big  Turnout 

A record  turnout  from  all  branches  of  the 
entertainment  industry  is  expected  at  the 
Fifth  Annual  Film  Industry  golf  tournament 
sponsored  by  Cinema  Lodge  of  B’nai  B’rith 
at  the  Vernon  Hills  Country  Club,  Tucka- 
hoe,  X.  Y.,  June  14,  it  is  announced  by 
Martin  Levine,  tournament  chairman  and 
co-chairmen  Harold  Rinzler  and  Marvin 
Kirsh,  following  a count  of  initial  entries. 
Robert  K.  Shapiro,  Cinema  Lodge  president, 
and  past  presidents  Max  Youngstein  and 
Burton  Robbins  joined  in  urging  partici- 
pants to  make  early  reservations.  Among 
those  who  have  already  entered  are:  William 
J.  Heineman,  James  Velde,  Hugh  Owen, 
Len  Gruenberg,  Edward  L.  Fabian,  Solomon 
Strausberg,  Morris  Strausberg,  Stanley  Kol- 
bert,  Emanuel  Frisch,  Joe  Malcolm,  Charles 
Okum,  Joseph  Felder,  Dr.  Arthur  Epstein. 
Harn  Goldstone,  George  Ilornstein,  Philip 
Fliasnick,  Joseph  Wohl,  Joe  Ingber,  Joseph 
Sugar,  Martin  Kornbluth,  Saul  Gottlieb, 
Herman  Ripps,  Bernard  Brooks,  Norman 
and  Alan  Robbins,  and  Irving  Dollinger. 


Albany:  Man  Who  Knew  Too  Much 
(Par.);  The  Searchers  (W.B.). 

Atlanta:  Foreign  Intrigue  (U.A.);  The 
Harder  They  Fall  (Col.)  3rd  week;  On 
the  Threshold  of  Space  (20th-Fox)  ; 
The  Searchers  (W.B.). 

Baltimore:  D-Day  the  Sixth  of  June 
(20th-Fox) ; The  Searchers  (W.B.). 

Boston:  Man  Who  Knew  Too  Much 
(Par.);  Return  of  Don  Camillo 
(I.F.E.). 

Buffalo:  Bold  and  the  Brave  (RKO)  ; 
D-Day  the  Sixth  of  June  (20th-Fox)  ; 
Foreign  Intrigue  (U.A.) ; The  Search- 
ers (W.B.)  3rd  week. 

Cleveland:  Bhowani  Junction  (MGM); 
Man  Who  Knew  Too  Much  (Par.)  ; 
Red  Sundown  (U-I)  ; Terror  at  Mid- 
night (Rep.)  ; The  Searchers  (W.B.) 
2nd  week. 

Denver:  Doctor  at  Sea  (Rep.)  2nd  week; 
Man  Who  Knew  Too  Much  (Par.)  ; 
The  Rack  (MGM);  The  Searchers 
( W.B.) . 

Des  Moines:  The  Searchers  (W.B.). 

Detroit:  Forbidden  Planet  (MGM)  ; The 
Searchers  (W.B.)  2nd  week. 

Hartford:  Cockleshell  Heroes  (Col.)  2nd 
week;  Diabolioue  (UMPO)  6th  week; 
Foreign  Intrigue  (U.A.) ; Man  Who 
Knew  Too  Much  (Par.)  ; The  Revolt 
of  Mamie  Stover  (20th-Fox)  2nd  week; 
The  Searchers  (W.B.)  ; 23  Paces  to 
Baker  Street  (20th-Fox). 

Indianapolis:  Alexander  the  Great 

(U.A.) ; Man  Who  Knew  Too  Much 
(Par.);  The  Searchers  (W.B.). 

Jacksonville:  D-Day  the  Sixth  of  June 
(20th-Fox)  ; Great  Day  in  the  Morning 
(RKO);  Price  of  Fear  (U-I)  ; The 
Searchers  (W.B.)  2nd  week. 


Pennsylvania  Drive-in 
Fighting  Blue-Laws 

READING,  PA.:  Theatre  operators  around 
the  country  are  focusing  their  attention  on  a 
small  township  in  Berkshire  County,  South 
Heidelberg,  where  Pavilion  Drive-in  Corp. 
— with  the  whole-hearted  support  of  the 
populace — is  currently  fighting  the  “Blue 
Laws”  which  prohibit  Sunday  films  there. 
The  residents,  a spokesman  says,  feel  they 
need  the  revenue  from  theatre  amusement 
taxes  plus  the  substantial  real  estate  taxes 
that  come  from  the  $300,000  installation.  If 
Pavilion,  through  its  Sinking  Spring  Drive- 
in  theatre,  is  successful  in  its  current  fight, 
the  corporation  feels,  according  to  a repre- 
sentative, that  it  will  be  striking  a blow  for 
theatre  operators  across  the  nation. 


Kansas  City:  The  Ladykillers  (Cont.)  3rd 
Week;  Man  Who  Knew  Too  Much 
(Par.)  2nd  week. 

Memphis:  Birds  and  the  Bees  (Par.). 

Miami:  Bhowani  Junction  (MGM)  2nd 
week;  Oklahoma  (Magna)  14th  week; 
While  the  City  Sleeps  (RKO). 

Milwaukee:  Oklahoma  (Magna)  5th  week; 
The  Revolt  of  Mamie  Stover  (20th- 
Fox) ; The  Searchers  (W.B.). 

Minneapolis:  Man  Who  Knew  Too  Much 
(Par.). 

Oklahoma  City:  Man  Who  Knew  Too 
Much  (Par.)  2nd  week;  The  Searchers 
(W.B.)  2nd  week;  Song  of  the  South 
(B.V.)  (Reissue)  ; 23  Paces  to  Baker 
Street  (20th-Fox)  2nd  week. 

Philadelphia:  Jubal  (Col.)  2nd  week;  The 
Man  in  the  Gray  Flannel  Suit  (20th- 
Fox)  6th  week;  Man  Who  Knew  Too 
Much  (Par.)  2nd  week;  The  Searchers 
(W.B.) . 

Pittsburgh:  Alexander  the  Great  (U.A.)  ; 
D-Day  the  Sixth  of  June  (20th-Fox)  ; 
The  Ladykillers  (Cont.)  5th  week; 
Man  Who  Knew  Too  Much  (Par.) 
2nd  week;  Touch  and  Go  (U-I);  Toy 
Tiger  (U-I). 

Portland:  Man  Who  Knew  Too  Much 
(Par.)  ; The  Revolt  of  Mamie  Stover 
(20th-Fox)  3rd  week;  The  Searchers 
( W.B.) . 

Providence:  Diabolique  (UMPO)  4th 

week. 

Toronto:  The  Harder  They  Fall  (Col.) 
2nd  week;  The  Man  in  the  Gray  Flan- 
nel Suit  (20th-Fox)  3rd  week;  Meet 
Me  in  Las  Vegas  (MGM). 

Vancouver:  The  Harder  They  Fall  (Col.). 

Washington:  Bhowani  Junction  (MGM)  ; 
Man  Who  Knew  Too  Much  (Par.); 
Picnic  (Col.)  15th  week;  The  Searchers 
( W.B.) . 


Kingsley  Asks  Censor 
Reversal  on  "Lover" 

Edward  L.  Kingsley  has  announced  that 
papers  were  served  recently  on  the  Com- 
missioner of  Education  in  Albany  petition- 
ing the  Board  of  Regents  to  reverse  the 
decision  of  the  New  York  censors  denying 
a license  for  the  exhibition  of  “Lady  Chat- 
terley’s  Lover.”  The  French  film  version 
of  the  controversial  D.  H.  Lawrence  novel, 
starring  Danielle  Darrieux  and  Leo  Genn, 
was  recently  acquired  by  Kingsley  Interna- 
tional Pictures  from  Orsay  Films,  S.  A.,  of 
France,  for  distribution  in  the  United  States. 
Ephraim  London,  legal  expert  on  film  cen- 
sorship and  constitutional  law,  who  drewr  up 
the  petition,  has  been  retained  to  conduct 
any  future  court  action  that  may  be  taken. 


30 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  JUNE  9,  1956 


ALBANY 

Jules  Perlmutter  tiled,  re-ramped,  graveled 
and  oiled,  new-screened  and  loud-speakered, 
and  repainted  the  Star-Lit  drive-in,  Water- 
town,  before  opening  it  on  lease.  Continuing 
to  expand,  the  Albanian  is  buying  and  book- 
ing the  General  Stark,  Bennington,  Vt.,  for 
the  Hart  Estate.  . . . Variety  Club’s  15th 
annual  golf  tournament  June  25  will  also 
feature  swimming,  games,  a dinner  and  a 
show  for  $10.  Chief  barker  Harold  Gabri- 
love  is  setting  the  entertainment ; former 
chief  barker  Nate  Winig  serves  as  general 
chairman;  Simon  Backer  has  charge  of  a 
drawing.  . . . Kirk  Douglas,  whom  Tent  9 
honored  with  a dinner  in  March,  1955,  came 
here  with  Mrs.  Douglas  to  visit  his  mother 
and  sisters.  . . . Two  promotions  from  door- 
man to  assistant  manager:  Neil  Sorenson, 
at  the  Ritz,  and  George  Hogan,  at  the  Dela- 
ware. . . . Louis  M.  Pesce  advanced  from 
reviewer  to  assistant  director,  Motion  Pic- 
ture Division,  State  Education  Dept.,  June  7. 

ATLANTA 

A1  Rook,  FBO  Booking  Service,  checked 
back  in  his  office  after  a trip  to  Jackson- 
ville. . . . President  Ed  Stevens,  Stevens 
Pictures,  is  back  after  a business  trip  to 
Chicago.  . . . James  R.  Bramlett,  69,  retired 
stage  manager  and  head  electrician  at 
Loew’s  Grand  for  the  past  40  years,  died 
at  his  home  here.  He  received  his  50-year 
pin  from  the  IATSE  just  one  week  before 
he  died.  . . . H.  L.  Holbrook  is  the  new 
owner  of  the  Oxford  theatre,  Oxford,  Ala. 
It  had  been  closed  for  the  past  few  months. 

. . . E.  R.  Hood,  79,  father  of  Elmo  Finch 
of  the  accounting  department  of  United 
Artists,  died  at  his  home  here.  . . . Mrs. 
Evelyn  Jarrett,  formerly  with  Allied  Artists, 
has  returned  to  the  row  after  several  vears. 

. . . Bailey  Theatres,  with  headquarters  in 
Atlanta,  has  added  two  theatres  to  the  cir- 
cuit: the  Roxy  and  the  Twinkle  Star  drive- 
in,  Lakeland,  Fla.  . . . Alice  Parks  has 
resigned  as  secretary  to  Johnnie  Harrell, 
buyer  for  Martin  Theatres.  Ann  McNeely 
has  replaced  her.  . . . Mrs.  Ray  Collins, 
secretary  to  district  manager  Jimmy  Frew 
of  Universal,  and  her  mother  are  back  after 
a vacation  spent  in  Florida. 

BALTIMORE 

Les  Coulter,  former  manager  of  the 
Hippodrome  theatre,  is  now  managing  the 
5 West  for  the  Schwaber  Circuit. 

Stanley  Stern,  former  manager  of  the  Play- 
house. has  returned  as  manager  of  E.  M. 
Loew’s  Governor  Ritchie  drive-in  in  Glen 
Burnie.  . . . George  Daransoll,  Crest  the- 
atre manager,  is  in  Sinai  Hospital  as  the 
result  of  a heart  attack.  . . . Otto  Niquet, 
many  years  a projectionist,  died  at  home 
recently  after  an  illness.  . . . Bernie  Seaman, 
former  theatre  manager  in  Baltimore,  has 
been  appointed  manager  of  Bay  Shore  Park, 
an  amusement  and  bathing  pa’rk  located  on 
the  Chesapeake  Bay.  . . . The  Park  Theatre, 
Cresaptown,  Maryland,  has  closed  for  the 


summer.  . . . The  Variety  Club  Tent  19  has 
set  July  27- Aug.  2 for  its  second  annual 
sponsorship  of  “Ice  Capades”  at  Baltimore 
Memorial  Stadium. 

BOSTON 

Clarence  Greene,  producer  of  UA’s 
“UFO”  was  in  town  recently  for  press  in- 
terviews and  a luncheon  at  the  Ritz  Carlton. 
“UFO”  is  scheduled  to  open  this  month 
at  the  Metropolitan.  . . . Jeffrey  Hunter  and 
Virginia  Leith  featured  in  UA’s  “Kiss  Be- 
fore Dying”  had  breakfast  with  the  press 
June  4,  and  made  live  TV  appearances  to 
plug  the  film  which  had  its  world  premiere 
at  Loew’s  State  and  Orpheum  theatres, 
June  6.  UA  publicist  Joe  Mansfield  was  in 
charge  of  both  affairs.  ...  A unique  last 
minute  switch  in  plans  sent  “The  Searchers” 
originally  advertised  for  the  Paramount  and 
Fenway  theatres  into  the  Met  on  Memorial 
Day,  and  “The  Bold  and  the  Brave”  sched- 
uled for  the  Met  into  the  twin  theatres.  . . . 
The  Oxford  drive-in  theatre,  Oxford,  Mass., 
has  added  a miniature  18-hole  golf  course, 
the  first  time  this  has  been  done  in  New 
England.  A new  “Kiddieland”  section  was 
completed  in  time  for  the  Memorial  Day 
trade.  Larry  Capello  is  manager  of  the 
theatre.  . . . Closed  since  last  December, 
the  Jamestown,  R.  I.  theatre  has  been  re- 
opened by  William  E.  Dailey.  . . . Mr.  and 
Mrs.  William  Sullivan  have  closed  their 
Enfield,  N.  H.,  theatre.  . . . Ralph  Iannuzzi, 
northeast  manager  of  Warner’s,  is  recover- 
ing from  successful  surgery  at  the  New 
England  Deaconess  Hospital.  . . . Mrs.  Edna 
Hall  has  reopened  her  Brooks  theatre, 
Brooks,  Me.,  with  the  support  of  the  local 
Lions  Club  and  twelve  merchants  who 
helped  raise  $1,000  to  open  the  theatre. 

BUFFALO 

Arthur  A.  Rose,  manager  of  the  local 
branch  of  Buena  Vista  Film  Distribution 
Co.,  Inc.,  just  back  from  a vacation  in  New 
Orleans  and  Miami  Beach,  put  on  a special 
invitational  screening  of  “The  Great  Loco- 
motive Chase”  Tuesday  evening  in  the  Mo- 
tion Picture  Operators  screening  room  in 
Pearl  Street  and  received  a lot  of  laudatory 
comments  on  the  picture.  . . . Much  attention 
was  attracted  to  the  front  of  the  Paramount 
theatre  last  weekend  by  a big  U.  S.  Army 
tank  placed  there  as  a ballyhoo  stunt  in  be- 
half of  “The  Bold  and  the  Brave”  with 
uniformed  soldiers  manning  it.  The  local 
U.  S.  Army  recruiting  service  also  put  out 
several  hundred  posters  tieing  in  the  pic- 
ture with  the  recruiting  campaign.  . . . June 
Joghengen,  secretary  of  office  manager 
Marian  M.  Ryan  at  the  MGM  exchange,  is 
vacationing  in  Virginia  Beach  and  Barbara 
Thomas  is  a new  biller  in  the  same  office. 

. . . Dolores  Del  Rio  in  “Revenge,”  a real 
oldie,  was  shown  last  weekend  in  the  Dryden 
theatre  of  the  George  Eastman  House  in 
Rochester.  . . . Melody  Fair  opens  June  15 
at  Wurlitzer  Park  in  North  Tonawanda. 
when  the  musicals-in-the-round  tent  will 
present  “Plain  and  Fancy.”  This  will  be 


followed  by  “The  King  and  I,”  which  will 
be  presented  about  the  same  time  as  the 
film  version  is  being  released  around  the 
country.  . . . Robert  T.  Murphy,  manager, 
Century,  invited  former  members  of  the 
First  and  Fourth  Infantry  Divisions  and 
the  101st  and  82d  Airborne  Divisions  to  see 
“D-Day,  The  Sixth  of  June,”  as  guests  of 
the  Buffalo  Evening  News,  which  sheet  gave 
the  stunt  some  fine  publicity  and  art. 

CHARLOTTE 

Bob  Ingram,  southern  district  manager  of 
Columbia  Pictures,  came  here  from  his  At- 
lanta headquarters.  . . . Robby  Robinson, 
Charlotte  manager  of  Buena  Vista  Distri- 
bution, and  Charlotte  Nezt’s  movie  editor 
Emery  Wister  will  attend  the  world  pre- 
miere of  Walt  Disney’s  “Great  Locomotive 
Chase”  in  Atlanta  June  8.  Wister  will  leave 
the  next  day  for  Hollywood  for  his  annual 
trip  to  the  film  studios.  . . . Ben  Hill,  Uni- 
versal-International publicist,  is  here  from 
Atlanta  arranging  campaigns  for  “Toy 
Tiger.”  ...  A preview  of  Bob  Hope’s  “That 
Certain  Feeling”  was  held  at  the  Carolina 
theatre  Monday.  ...  In  the  midst  of  talk 
of  closing  some  exchange  centers,  at  least 
one  company  is  planning  a bigger  and  more 
modern  office  here.  . . . “The  Man  Who 
Knew  Too  Much”  was  given  a good  sendoff 
at  the  Carolina  theatre  here. 

CHICAGO 

Business  is  going  as  usual  despite  the 
fact  that  a $75,000  remodeling  job  is  in 
progress  at  the  Pickwick  theatre.  New  car- 
peting has  already  been  laid,  and  a Brunner 
air  conditioner  has  been  installed.  Bob 
Kase,  manager,  will  have  an  office  of  his 
own,  adjacent  to  the  theatre’s  art  gallery. 

. . . Abe  Platt  of  B&K’s  managerial  staff  and 
John  Rector,  manager  of  the  Howard  thea- 
tre, are  happy  about  arrangements  just 
finalized  with  the  Parent  Teachers  Asso- 
ciation Council  for  a series  of  children’s 
movies  to  be  presented  during  the  summer 
vacation  period.  The  series  was  to  start 
June  9.  . . . Harry  Schoenstadt,  67,  manager 
of  H.  Schoenstadt  & Sons  Theatre  Circuit, 
died  Jue  1 at  St.  Luke’s  Hospital.  He  is 
survived  bv  the  widow,  Goldie ; three  sisters, 
Alma,  Mae  and  Sarah ; and  a brother, 
Ruben.  . . . On  Sunday  mornings,  people 
driving  into  the  Halsted  Outdoor  theatre 
will  be  there  to  worship  during  Presbyterian 
church  services.  The  services,  to  be  con- 
ducted throughout  the  summer,  started  June 
10.  The  Roseland  Men’s  Council  are  spon- 
sors of  the  religious  program.  . . . Edwin 
Silverman,  head  of  the  Essaness  Theatre 
Circuit,  flew  in  from  Palm  Springs  for  a 
short  visit  here. 

CLEVELAND 

Memorial  Day  business,  according  to  ex- 
hibitor report  ranged  from  good  to  about 
average.  The  downtown  houses  playing  top 
product,  including  “Bhowani  Junction,” 

(Continued  on  following  page ) 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  JUNE  9,  1956 


31 


( Continued  from  preceding  page) 

"The  Man  Who  Knew  Too  Much,”  “D-Day, 
The  6th  of  June”  and  the  second  week  of 
"The  Searchers”  did  all  right.  Most  neigh- 
borhood theatres  report  they  suffered  from 
the  keen  competition  of  baseball,  race  track, 
little  theatres  and  picnics.  Predicted  showers 
hurt  drive-in  attendance.  . . . Funeral  serv- 
ices were  held  Friday  for  Alexander  Weiss, 
68,  member  of  Local  160,  I.A.T.S.E.  and 
longtime  projectionist  at  Loew's  State  thea- 
tre, who  died  after  an  illness  of  several 
years.  Surviving  are  his  wife,  a daughter 
and  two  sons  one  of  whom,  Arnold,  is  pro- 
jectionist at  the  Cedar-Lee  theatre.  . . . Local 
Loew  theatre  division  office  confirms  the 
report  that  Loew’s  Esquire  in  Toledo,  closed 
June  3 for  the  summer,  marking  it’s  first 
closing  since  it  was  acquired  by  Loew’s  in 
1941.  ...  A son  named  Stephen  Schoen 
was  born  to  the  wife  of  Joe  Shagrin,  Jr., 
manager  of  the  Foster  theatre,  Youngstown, 
which  makes  the  theatre  owner,  Joe  Shagrin, 
Sr.,  a first-time  grandfather.  . . . Nat  Levy 
held  an  RKO  district  sales  meeting  here 
this  week  attended  by  managers  Russ  Bret- 
linger,  Indianapolis ; Lee  J.  Heidingsfeld, 
Cincinnati;  Lloyd  Kraus,  Detroit;  Frank 
Belles,  Cleveland  and  Hatton  Taylor,  newly 
appointed  central  district  manager  succeed- 
ing Morris  Lefko,  resigned.  . . . Sylvester 
“Sly”  Pierce,  manager  of  the  Berea  theatre, 
a Modern  Theatre  circuit  unit,  was  elected 
to  serve  a 2-year  term  as  a member  of  the 
hoard  of  directors  of  the  Berea  Chamber  of 
Commerce. 

COLUMBUS 

Wally  Jones,  26-year-old  white  hunter 
who  served  as  guide  and  technical  advisor 
for  Columbia’s  “Safari”  in  Kenya,  and 
Sheldon  Reynolds,  32-year-old  writer,  pro- 
ducer and  director  of  United  Artists’ 
“Foreign  Intrigue,”  were  local  visitors.  . . . 
City  officials  of  Jackson,  Ohio,  are  in  proc- 
ess of  easing  a hardship  on  the  Markey 
theatre,  principal  source  of  income  from 
the  city’s  10-year-old  three  per  c nt  ad- 
missions tax.  After  hearing  a report  that 
the  Markey  might  curtail  its  operation  to 
three  days  a week  because  of  the  tax  burden, 
city  council  authorized  the  preparation  of 
repeal  legislation.  During  1955  the  tax  pro- 
vided Jackson  with  $2,700.  Most  of  that 
amount  came  from  admissions  at  the  Mar- 
key. . . . Booking  of  “Unidentified  Flying 
Saucers”  at  Loew’s  Broad  was  cancelled. 
. . . “The  Searchers”  at  RKO  Palace  was 
hailed  as  one  of  the  year’s  top  Westerns 
by  critics.  ...  By  coincidence,  these  two 
similarly-titled  features  were  playing  simul- 
taneously here:  “The  Man  Who  Knew  Too 
Much”  at  Loew’s  Ohio  and  “The  Man  Who 
Never  Was”  at  Loew’s  Broad. 

DENVER 

Closings  in  the  recent  months  in  the 
Denver  territory,  in  addition  to  six  pre- 
viously announced,  are  the  Zala,  Madrid, 
Neb. ; Otis,  Otis,  Colo.,  and  the  Gem,  Cul- 
bertson, Colo.  Several  houses,  also  in  the 
smaller  locations,  are  on  a two  days  a week 
basis.  . . . C.  U.  Yaeger,  Atlas  Theatres 
president,  went  to  Las  Vegas,  Nev.,  for  a 
few  days.  . . . Robbie  Jefferson,  inspectress 
at  Allied  Artists,  on  a three-month  leave 
so  she  can  travel  with  her  husband,  a Wilson 
& Co.  auditor.  The  job  is  being  filled  by 
Josephine  Shannon,  late  of  the  company 
exchange  in  Dallas.  . . . L.  E.  Hobson, 
branch  manager,  RKO,  and  A1  Kolitz,  dis- 


trict manager,  to  San  Francisco  to  a sales 
meeting.  . . . Phil  Isaacs,  Paramount  district 
manager,  and  Jim  Ricketts,  branch  manager, 
to  Dallas  for  a sales  meeting.  . . . Carl  Miller 
has  been  named  permanent  branch  manager 
here  for  Warner  Bros.  He  succeeds  Earl 
Bell,  who  has  retired.  Miller  has  been  on 
the  job  for  some  months  while  Bell  was 
out  clue  to  a heart  attack.  Bell  has  recovered 
from  the  heart  trouble. 

DES  MOINES 

Leo  F.  Wolcott  has  returned  from  Wash- 
ington, D.  C.,  where  he  attended  the  Senate 
hearing  and  the  board  meeting  of  National 
Allied.  Wolcott  recently  was  elected  chair- 
man of  the  Iowa-Nebraska-South  Dakota 
and  Mid-Central  AITO  for  the  11th  con- 
secutive year.  . . . The  Perry  theatre  is  now 
open  only  three  days  a week— Friday 
through  Sunday.  Carl  Schwanebeck,  man- 
ager, said  the  Corral  drive-in,  at  the  edge 
of  Perry,  will  remain  on  a normal  schedule. 
Reason  for  the  program  curtailment  at 
Perry’s  only  downtown  house  was  given  as 
lack  of  business.  Recently  the  house  had 
gone  to  a single  showing  nightly  in  an  at- 
tempt to  keep  the  doors  open.  . . . The  sum- 
mer vacation  movie  program  for  Creston 
school  children  will  start  June  15.  Twelve 
pictures  will  be  shown,  said  W.  Eldon  Har- 
wood, manager  of  the  Creston  Theatres. 
Season  tickets  are  $1,  individual  admissions 
25  cents.  . . . Stan  Soderberg,  Warner  sales- 
man, has  been  vacationing  in  Las  Vegas. 
Another  Warner  vacationer  is  Ralph  Davis, 
the  porter.  . . . Kay  Hanson,  RKO  steno, 
has  resigned.  Her  replacement  is  Esther 
Eyerly,  a recent  graduate  of  Maxberg  High. 

DETROIT 

Opening  of  “D-Day,  The  Sixth  of  June”  at 
the  Fox  brought  invitations  from  managing 
director  Robert  Bothwell  to  all  vets  of  the 
Omaha  Beach  landing  to  attend  as  guests 
of  the  House.  . . . Milto  London,  president 
of  Allied  Theatres  of  Michigan,  attended 
the  Senate  Small  Business  Committee  hear- 
ings in  Washington.  He  was  accompanied 
by  Allied  vice-president  Alden  Smith.  . . . 
A new  Soffit  marquee  has  been  installed 
in  the  Studio  art  house.  . . . The  Atlas  has 
been  taken  up  by  the  Oleszkowicz  family, 
Anne  Bielawaski,  Frances  Urbanek  and 
Sophia  Ciuffetelli.  . . . Sid  Bowman,  United 
Artists  manager,  is  recovering  from  a heart 
attack.  . . . Ben  Robins,  former  manager 
of  the  General  Custer  in  Monroe,  is  now 
doing  television  work.  . . . Herbert  Pulfer 
W.  Horstman  is  convalescing  from  coronary 
thrombosis.  . . . The  Janes  in  Saginaw  will 
continue  operation  on  a weekend  basis.  . . . 
Jack  Sturm  was  injured  when  he  acciden- 
tally put  his  hand  through  his  office  window. 
. . . Maxwell  Chetkin,  who  built  the  Joy 
theatre,  and  Frank  Wetsman,  senior  partner 
in  Wisper-Wetsman  Theatres,  died  recently. 
. . . Saul  Kortnan’s  Elliot  theatre  has  been 
renamed  the  York.  . . . Del  Ritter,  of  the 
Rialto  and  Rivola  theatres,  has  been  named 
head  of  Cooperative  Theatres  of  Michi- 
gan. He  will  replace  Fred  DeLodder  who 
moves  to  Florida  to  go  into  the  motel  busi- 
ness. 

HARTFORD 

Henry  L.  Needles,  formerly  Hartford 
district  manager,  Warner  Bros.  Theatres, 
has  returned  to  his  home,  13  Cedar  St., 
Wethersfield,  Conn.,  following  surgery  at 
the  Hartford  Hospital.  . . . Leon  Moors  has 


been  named  resident  manager  of  Lockwood 
& Gordon's  East  Hartford  Family  drive-in, 
South  Windsor,  Conn.  . . . Mel  Siegel,  resi- 
dent manager  of  Perakos  Theatre  Asso- 
ciates’ Southington  drive-in,  Southington, 
Conn.,  has  resigned  to  go  into  private  in- 
dustry. His  replacement  has  not  been  deter- 
mined as  yet,  with  Livio  Dottor,  manager 
of  the  circuit’s  Plalnville  drive-in,  Plain- 
ville,  Conn.,  adding  promotional  activity  for 
both  the  Southington  and  Plainville  theatres 
to  his  duties.  Harold  Temple  has  been 
named  assistant  manager  at  the  Plainville 
drive-in.  . . . Lou  Brown,  advertising  and 
publicity  manager,  Loew’s  Poli-New  Eng- 
land Theatres,  has  been  elected  vice-presi- 
dent of  the  New  Haven  Advertising  Club. 

. . . Jack  A.  Simons,  for  many  years  in  ex- 
hibition, has  left  the  industry  to  join  a 
novelty  firm  in  New  York.  He  has  resigned 
as  manager  of  the  Stanley  Warner  Rialto 
and  Palace  theatres,  Norwalk,  Conn.,  to 
become  affiliated  with  the  New  York  con- 
cern. Phil  Harrington  replaces  him  at  the 
two  Stanley  Warner  theatres.  Many  years 
ago,  Simons  managed  Loew’s  theatres  in 
Hartford  and  other  eastern  cities. 

INDIANAPOLIS 

The  Zaring-Egyptian  theatre,  the  city’s 
first  de  luxe  neighborhood  house,  has  been 
bought  from  the  estate  of  the  late  A.  C. 
Zaring  by  David  and  Kelly  Levitt.  . . . Roy 
Kalver,  president  of  the  Allied  Theatre 
Owners  of  Indiana,  has  invited  the  1958 
national  drive-in  convention  to  meet  in  the 
Hoosier  state.  ...  Ted  Mendelssohn  will 
buy  and  book  for  the  new  Starlight  drive-in, 
scheduled  to  open  at  Clinton  about  July  1. 
. . . Marc  Wolf  won  the  Cadillac  at  Variety’s 
annual  “500”  race  eve  party  May  26.  . . . 
Vernon  Powell  will  open  a new  275-car 
drive-in,  the  Sky-Air,  at  Corydon  this 
month.  . . . Robert  Fincannon  has  reopened 
the  Palace  at  Fairmont.  . . . The  concession 
building  and  projection  booth  of  Alliance’s 
North  drive-in  near  Anderson  were  de- 
stroyed by  fire  May  24.  . . . Nathan  Blank, 
61,  district  manager  of  the  Indiana-Illinois 
Theatre  Corp.,  died  at  Michigan  City,  Ind., 
May  24  after  suffering  a heart  attack  several 
days  earlier. 

JACKSONVILLE 

Mark  DuPree,  FST  executive,  Mrs.  Du- 
Pree  and  their  son  Ralph  have  moved  into 
a new  Southside  home.  ...  New  Cinema- 
Scope  installations  were  made  at  the  Grand, 
Winterhaven;  Ritz,  Arcadia;  Trail  drive-in, 
Naples;  and  Starlite  drive-in,  Chipley.  . . . 
Wayne  Spiering,  Roy  Smith  Co.  manager, 
and  Mrs.  Spiering  announced  the  birth  of  a 
son,  Gordon  Wayne,  at  St.  Lukes  Hospital. 
...  Two  Warner  film  inspectresses,  Joseph- 
ine Johnson  and  Ollie  Paeglow,  were  hos- 
pitalized. . . . Robert  R.  Harris  of  this  city, 
FST  confection  sales  manager,  gave  the 
main  address  on  “Concessions”  at  the  joint 
annual  convention  of  the  Georgia  and  Ala- 
bama theatre  owners  and  operators  in  At- 
lanta May  29.  . . . Patricia  Piper  is  the  new 
PBX  operator  at  U-I.  . . . Exhibitors  call- 
ing on  distributors  were  Elias  Chalhub, 
Palm  Beach;  Harold  Popel,  Gainesville; 
C.  W.  Mullen,  Hernando ; Harry  Dale,  Lake 
Butler;  R.  C.  Mullis,  High  Springs;  and 
S.  O.  Jenkins,  Brunswick,  Ga.  . . . Taking 
their  annual  vacations  were  Alice  Mayberry, 
Columbia;  Jane  Popplewell,  Warner  office, 
who  left  for  Miami ; and  Walter  Mock, 
Paramount  office  manager. 

( Continued  on  opposite  page) 


32 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  JUNE  9,  1956 


KANSAS  CITY 

The  Missouri  theatre  is  closed  for  instal- 
lation of  equipment  for  the  premiere  of 
Cinerama,  June  14.  To  make  room  for  new 
booths  the  seating  capacity  will  be  reduced 
from  2,600  to  1,500.  The  theatre  is  follow- 
ing a reserved-seats-only  policy  and  offering 
mail-order  service  on  tickets.  . . . Robert  F. 
Withers,  president  of  Republic  Pictures 
Midwest  Film  Distributors,  died  a short 
time  after  becoming  ill  at  a baseball  game  in 
Municipal  Stadium.  He  was  a member  of 
the  Board  of  Directors  of  Commonwealth 
Theatres,  Inc.  and  a charter  member  of  the 
Motion  Picture  Association  of  Greater  Kan- 
sas City.  . . . Beverly  Miller,  president  of 
Kansas-Missouri  Theatre  Owners  Associa- 
tion, is  serving  on  an  11-man  committee  to 
plan  an  international  trade  fair  for  Kansas 
City  in  April.  . . . Warren  V.  Snider,  owner 
of  Dixon  theatre,  Dixon,  Mo.,  is  conducting 
a tour  of  Mexico  for  five  girls  who  won 
popularity  contests  in  small-town  theatres  in 
Missouri.  Snider  started  the  project  as  a 
business  builder. 

LOS  ANGELES 

After  being  dark  for  many  months,  the 
Monterey  Park  has  been  reopened  by  the 
Edwards  Theatre  circuit.  . . - Sero  Enter- 
prises has  opened  its  newest  drive-in  known 
as  the  Mission  drive-in,  in  Pomona.  . . . Alex 
Cooperman  has  opened  an  independent  film 
distribution  office  under  the  banner  of  Cor- 
onet Films.  . . . Stan  Livingston,  formerly 
with  the  Pacific  Drive-In  Theatres,  has 
joined  the  Metzger-Srere  chain  as  a man- 
ager. . . . Off  for  a swing  through  the  ter- 
ritory was  George  A.  Hickey,  MGM  Pacific 
coast  sales  chief.  . . . Edger  Lynch,  Cameo 
theatre  manager,  was  kidnapped  by  two 
armed  bandits  and  a woman,  who  took  him 
on  a two-hour  ride  before  they  looted  the 
theatre  safe  of  $250.  Lynch  informed  the 
police  that  the  thugs  returned  with  him 
to  the  theatre  just  as  the  general  manager, 
Tom  Greene,  walked  in,  and  forced  the 
latter  to  open  the  safe.  . . . The  Cabart 
Theatres  in  Long  Beach  was  granted  a new 
trial  in  its  suit  charging  a bank  with  losing 
the  record  of  a deposit  bag  containing  more 
than  $5,300  in  receipts.  Both  plantiffs  and 
defendants  charge  negligence  in  handling 
of  the  money,  which  turned  up  missing. 
Harry  Goldfarb,  National  City  exhibitor,  his 
wife  Helen  and  daughter  Gloria  returned 
from  a two-week  vacation  in  New  York. 

MEMPHIS 

W.  T.  Wright  bought  the  Dell  theatre  at 
Dell,  Ark.,  from  S.  F.  Freeman  and  re- 
opened it  for  full-time  operation.  The  Dell 
had  been  closed  for  about  a year.  . . . Mr. 
and  Mrs.  W.  T.  Ellis,  new  owners  of  the 
Strand  theatre  at  Philadelphia,  Miss.,  have 
remodeled  the  theatre,  installed  a wide 
screen  and  renamed  it  the  Ellis  theatre.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Ellis  bought  the  Strand  a while 
ago  from  Strand  Enterprises,  Inc.,  and  closed 
it  temporarily  for  remodeling.  It  is  now  in 
full-time  operation.  . . . Mr.  and  Mrs.  Arthur 
Groom  and  family  are  on  an  automobile 
vacation  trip.  Groom  is  manager  of  Loew’s 
State  theatre  in  Memphis.  . . . The  Jaxon 
drive-in.  a new  650-car  outdoor  movie  with 
one  of  the  city’s  newest  and  most  complete 
playgrounds  for  children,  was  opened  by 
Jaxon  Enterprises,  Inc.,  headed  by  M.  A. 
Lightman,  Jr.,  Malco  Theatres,  Inc.,  execu- 
tive. The  new  Jaxon  gave  a free  show  open- 


ing night  and  had  to  turn  people  away.  Paul 
Shafer,  formerly  of  New  Orleans,  has  been 
named  manager  of  Jaxon. 

MIAMI 

Fusao  Kobayashi,  one  of  Japan’s  fore- 
most motion  picture  producers  and  theatre 
chain  owner,  was  a guest,  with  his  wife, 
of  Wometco’s  Sonny  Shepherd  who  squired 
them  about  town.  Howard  Pettingill,  public 
relations  executive  of  Florida  State  Thea- 
tres, reported  the  visitor  was  very  impressed 
with  the  Todd-AO  processed  “Oklahoma!” 
which  he  enjoyed  at  the  Sheridan.  The 
Kobayashis  are  on  a two-month  tour  of  the 
U.  S.  . . . International  chief  barker  John 
H.  Rowley  of  Variety  Clubs  International, 
was  a guest  at  the  testimonial  dinner  tended 
his  predecessor  George  C.  Hoover  recently. 
The  dinner  was  co-chairmaned  by  Hal  Pel- 
ton  and  Wallace  MacCory  of  the  local  tent. 
. . . The  A1  (FST  executive)  Weiss’s  were 
headed  for  a short  holiday  up  New  York 
and  New  Jersey  way.  . . . The  Mitchell 
Wolfsons,  who  have  just  returned  from  a 
lengthy  world  tour,  announced  the  engage- 
ment of  their  daughter  Frankie.  Wedding 
will  be  July  4 at  the  Wolfson  home  in  Ashe- 
ville, N.  C.  . . . C.  W.  F.  Bethel,  co-owner 
of  the  Wometco  Theatres  in  Nassau,  B.W.I., 
was  reelected  to  the  House  in  that  area.  . . . 
Harry  Margolesky,  manager  of  the  Beach, 
made  a hurried  flight  to  New  York  due  to 
an  emergency  operation  on  his  daughter. 

MILWAUKEE 

The  Warner  theatre  is  celebrating  its  25th 
anniversary.  A1  Meskis,  manager,  has  set 
plans  which  he  will  carry  out  throughout 
the  whole  year.  Starting  this  week,  he  ran 
a series  of  ads  among  merchants,  tying  in 
the  theatre’s  25th  anniversary  and  the  cur- 
rent presentation,  “The  Searchers,”  with 
some  merchants  presenting  a free  ticket 
with  purchase.  . . . Incidentally,  June  4,  Mr. 
Meskis  was  to  receive  an  award  from  the 
Better  Film  Council  of  Milwaukee  County, 
for  the  Warner  theatre  because  it  showed 
more  fine  pictures  during  the  year.  The 
Better  Film  Council  is  also  celebrating  its 
25th  anniversary.  . . . The  Alamo  theatre, 
operated  by  Carl  Fischer,  closed  June  4. 
Mr.  Fischer  closed  the  theatre  because  of 
his  ill  health.  . . . The  Abbey  theatre  here 
will  be  opened  weekends  only.  . . . The 
Colonial  theatre  June  1 again  had  a stage 
show — “Rock  Away  with  Dunaway.” 

MINNEAPOLIS 

A hearing  will  be  held  June  14  in  St. 
Paul  on  the  proposed  $1  minimum  wage 
recommended  for  women  and  minors  in  the 
amusement  industry  by  an  advisory  board 
of  the  state  industrial  commission.  In  spite 
of  protests  from  theatre  owners  and  others 
in  the  industry  expected  at  the  commission’s 
hearing,  it  is  predicted  that  the  new  min- 
imum will  be  adopted.  . . . Joe  Hawk,  for- 
merly a salesman  at  Republic,  is  a new 
salesman  at  RKO,  replacing  Dick  Powers, 
resigned.  . . . Ernie  Hill,  sales  manager  at 
Warners,  vacationed  in  northern  Minnesota 
fishing.  . . . George  Deutz,  box  office  clerk 
at  MGM,  retired.  He  had  been  with  the 
company  for  many  years  and  formerly  was 
with  the  home  office  in  New  York.  . . . 
Reid  H.  Ray  Film  Industries  of  St.  Paul 
has  produced  a nine-minute  CinemaScope 
short  about  Atlantic  City  entitled  “On  the 
Boardwalk.”  It  is  being  released  by  Uni- 


versal. . . . Marge  Jenson  is  the  new  branch 
manager’s  secretary  at  Independent  Film 
Distributors,  replacing  Marlene  Gibbs, 
resigned,  and  Barbara  Rafelson  is  the  new 
assistant  cashier  at  UA,  replacing  Lois 
Lundberg,  resigned. 

OKLAHOMA  CITY 

Mrs.  Edna  Fay  Still  has  been  named 
new  manager  of  the  Knob  Hill  theatre.  Mrs. 
Still  assumed  her  new  position  last  week. 
. . . Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bob  Barton  spent  the 
last  week  in  Kansas.  Mr.  Barton  is  booker 
for  the  Barton  Theatres.  . . . “This  Is 
Cinerama”  is  doing  well  in  its  second  week 
at  the  Warner  theatre.  . . . “The  Conquerer” 
was  playing  at  four  suburban  theatres  in 
Oklahoma  City  this  week.  . . . The  Harber 
theatre,  Oklahoma  City,  had  a “Magoo’s 
School’s  Out  Party,”  June  1. 

PHILADELPHIA 

Pat  Brady,  chief  barker  of  the  Variety 
Club  of  Ireland  and  who  is  associated  with 
Odeon,  Ltd.  in  Ireland,  visited  the  local 
Variety  Club  tent.  . . . The  900-car  Absecon 
drive-in  near  Atlantic  City,  N.  J.,  opened 
for  the  new  season  with  Ted  Charak  as 
local  manager  for  the  Walter  Reade  enter- 
prise. . . . Jack  Jaslow  has  located  his  in- 
dependent exchange  operation  at  1329  Vine 
Street.  . . . Abe  Sunberg  has  purchased  the 
Strand,  and  with  the  installation  of  air 
conditioning,  it  will  become  the  first  neigh- 
borhood house  to  run  24  hours  daily.  . . . 
The  first  week  in  July  has  been  designated 
as  United  Artists  Week  at  the  local  ex- 
change. . . . Unless  some  way  is  found  to 
hold  a township  election  in  the  near  future 
to  legalize  Sunday  movies  in  South  Heidel- 
berg near  Reading,  Pa.,  the  owners  and 
manager  of  Sinking  Springs  drive-in  there 
face  arrest  every  Sunday  they  operate.  Carl 
Degenhart  is  the  new  manager  of  the  drive- 
in.  . . . The  Harry  Chetco  Theatres  in  the 
Harrisburg,  Pa.,  territory  are  the  first  in 
the  upstate  area  to  offer  trading  stamps. 
Merchants’  green  stamps  are  given  to  the 
patrons  of  the  independent  chain’s  Elks, 
Middletown,  Pa. ; Elton,  Steelton,  Pa. ; Hill, 
Camp  Hill,  Pa.,  and  the  Lemoyne,  Lemoyne, 
Pa.  A stamp  is  given  with  each  adult  ad- 
mission, and  for  the  first  three  days,  20  extra 
stamps  were  given  with  each  newspaper 
coupon. 

PITTSBURGH 

Local  theatre  operators  are  happier  now 
that  the  Pirates  have  left  town  for  a long 
western  trek,  for  the  amazing  showing  of 
the  resurgent  baseball  Bucs  hurt  movie  busi- 
ness all  along  the  line.  . . . The  Penn  thea- 
tre ran  its  second  “sneak”  on  Bob  Hope’s 
“That  Certain  Feeling.”  The  first  showing 
was  a 2 P.M.  screening  about  three  weeks 
ago,  and  the  second  a Monday  night  screen- 
ing this  week.  . . . Local  showmen  amazed 
by  the  staying  power  of  “The  Ladykillers” 
in  the  Guild  theatre  as  it  goes  into  its  fifth 
week.  . . . Sheldon  Reynolds  copped  some 
nice  publicity  breaks  for  his  impending 
“Foreign  Intrigue”  movie,  heading  for  the 
Penn.  . . . “Safari”  and  “Eddie  Duchin 
Story”  both  set  for  June  dates  in  the  Har- 
ris. . . . The  Henry  Burgers  (he’s  the  Stan- 
ley Warner  city  manager)  picked  up  their 
son,  Bobby,  in  the  Fort  Union  Military 
Academy  in  Virginia,  and  then  took  off  for 

(Continued  on  following  page ) 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  JUNE  9.  1956 


33 


( Continued  from  preceding  page ) 

a Dixie  vacation.  . . . Harold  Cohen,  Post- 
Gasette  film  critic,  and  his  wife,  Stephanie, 
vacationing  for  a week  in  Bermuda.  . . . 
“Animal  W orld’’  and  “Goodbye,  My  Lady,” 
penciled  into  Stanley  as  a twin  bill  to  follow 
the  current  "The  Searchers.” 

PORTLAND 

Harry  Lewis  has  resigned  as  sales  rep- 
resentative for  the  National  Screen  Service 
here  and  formed  the  Harry  Lewis  Co.  Herb 
Cass  returns  to  NSS  post  here.  . . . Marty 
Foster,  managing  director  of  the  Guild  thea- 
tre was  in  town  from  San  Francisco  for 
the  reopening  of  the  new  Guild  art  house. 
. . . Foster  plans  to  do  the  same  soon  for 
his  Manor  theatre  in  Sacramento.  The  Guild 
now  has  CinentaScope  equipment.  . . . The 
town  is  loaded  with  visitors  for  the  annual 
Rose  Festival.  W alt  Disney  is  set  as  Grand 
Marshal  of  the  parade.  Theme  will  be 
Disneyland  with  Jimmy  Dodd  and  the 
Mouseketeers  set  to  appear  at  the  Stadium 
night  shows.  . . . The  Republic  office  closes 
here.  Jack  C.  Partin  and  a secretary  will 
hold  down  the  fort.  All  future  activity  to 
come  from  Seattle  office. 

PROVIDENCE 

The  Gish  sisters,  Lillian  and  Dorothy, 
and  Richard  Arlen  have  been  signed  by 
producers  Michael  Howard  and  Spofford 
Beadle  for  starring  roles  at  the  Casino  in 
Newport,  the  producers  recently  announced. 
The  Gish  sisters  will  appear  in  “The  Chalk 
Circle”  and  Mr.  Arlen  will  star  in  “An- 
niversary Waltz.”  . . . E.  M.  Loew’s  Prov- 
idence drive-in  received  a good  publicity 
break  when  Jim  Anderson,  pitcher  of  the 
theatre’s  entry  in  the  Providence  Amateur 
Baseball  League,  twirled  a one-hit  shut-out 
over  the  12th  District  Civic  Club.  . . . Guy 
Lombardo  has  been  signed  for  a one-night 
personal  appearance  at  Rhodes-On-The- 
Pawtuxet.  operated  by  Meyer  Stanzler.  . . . 
A pelting  rainstorm  all  but  washed-out  the 
official  openings  of  several  nearby  amuse- 
ment parks,  last  Sunday.  It  all  added  up 
to  the  17th  stormy  Sunday  during  the  past 
21  weeks. 

ST.  LOUIS 

The  Sky  view  theatre,  located  on  High- 
way No.  46,  near  Belleville,  111.,  has  in- 
stalled a lot  of  rides  for  children,  the  equip- 
ment including  fire  trucks,  live  ponies, 
trains,  ferris  wheel,  miracle  whirl,  merry- 
go-round,  swings  and  slides.  . . . Young 
kids  are  enjoying  themselves  daily  at  the 
Starlite  drive-in  theatre,  located  between 
Peoria  and  Pekin  in  Illinois  where  swings, 
a merry-go-round,  slides  and  other  equip- 
ment have  been  provided  for  their  pleasure. 

. . . A group  of  merchants  of  Centralia,  111., 
have  banded  together  to  give  free  movies 
at  the  Ulinois  theatre  in  that  city  every 
Tuesday  in  June,  beginning  at  1 o’clock  in 


the  afternoon.  . . . The  management  of  the 
Roxy  theatre  at  Shelbyville,  111.,  closed  the 
house  for  an  indefinite  period  after  the 
final  showing  June  2,  "due  to  the  economic 
conditions  prevailing  in  that  city  at  the 
present  time.”  . . . Another  theatre  that  has 
closed  for  an  indefinite  period  is  the  Webster 
in  Steeleville,  111.,  which  has  been  owned 
and  operated  by  H.  E.  Webster,  publisher 
of  the  Steeleville  Ledger. 

TORONTO 

Last  province  in  Canada  to  get  TV, 
Prince  Edward  Island,  will  receive  its  first 
signals  from  a station  in  Charlottetown  in 
July.  . . . Newest  members  of  the  Motion 
Picture  Theatres  Association  of  Ontario  are 
Michael  Herman,  Regent,  Caledonia,  and 
C.  E.  Roluf,  Island  Theatre,  McKenzie  Is- 
land, Out.  . . . Discussion  is  rife  among 
members  of  the  Toronto  Variety  Club  about 
the  possibility  of  Toronto  being  host  to  the 
1959  or  1960  convention  of  the  Variety 
Clubs  International.  . . . Jack  Chisholm, 
with  Associated  Screen  News  for  20  years, 
resigned.  He  has  become  assistant  to  the 
president  of  Associated  Broadcasting  Com- 
pany, Muzak  franchise  holder  in  Canada. 
Chisholm  will  form  a TV  production  and 
sales  division.  . . . Lionel  Slavin,  Calgary 
branch  manager  of  Astral  Films,  has  taken 
over  the  Winnipeg  office.  Slavin  has  been 
succeeded  by  Jackie  Marks,  formerly  sales- 
man in  Calgary  for  Warner  Bros.  . . . Na- 
tional Film  Board  is  in  the  process  of 
moving  its  production  section  into  its  new 
Montreal  building,  built  at  a cost  of  $6,- 
000,000.  Opening  ceremonies  of  the  new 
operation  will  be  held  when  all  moving  has 
been  completed,  with  no  date  set  yet.  Dr. 
A.  W.  Trueman,  Government  Film  Com- 
missioner, and  his  aides  remain  in  Ottawa. 

VANCOUVER 

A colorful  pioneer  Vancouver  theatre 
operator  died  suddenly  at  his  theatre.  He 
was  Hector  Quagliotti-Romano,  owner  of 
the  downtown  Colonial.  He  was  81  and 
Canada’s  oldest  active  exhibitor.  He  was 
one  of  the  last  independent  film  operators, 
known  to  the  trade  as  "Quag”  since  he 
bought  the  Colonial  in  1914.  He  was  unique 
as  he  did  not  approve  of  selling  candy  and 
soft  drinks  in  his  theatre.  . . . Fair  weather 
meant  a poor  weekend  with  first  run  busi- 
ness continuing  at  a low  level  after  hitting 
the  skids  several  weeks  ago.  Midsummer 
heat  also  has  cut  into  grosses.  . . . Marie 
Scholz,  a new  arrival  from  Europe,  joined 
the  staff  of  the  Rank  Organization,  replacing 
Kayle  Krival,  who  resigned  to  live  in  To- 
ronto. . . . Sgt.  Major  Frank  Goddard,  a 
First  World  War  veteran  who  retired  from 
the  Vogue  theatre  staff,  was  presented  with 
meritorious  service  medal  at  the  Court 
House  recently.  . . . Mike  Hall,  former  pro- 
jectionist at  the  now  closed  Metro,  New 
Westminster,  joined  Dominion  Sound  in  the 
service  department. 


WASHINGTON 

Pat  Notaro,  former  vice-president  and 
general  manager  of  Roth  Theatres,  locally, 
has  been  appointed  west  coast  zone  manager 
of  Stanley  Warner  Theatres.  . . . Sam 
Galanty,  Columbia  Pictures  mideast  division 
manager,  attended  meetings  in  Cleveland 
and  Pittsburgh.  . . . George  Flax,  Variety 
Club  member,  has  been  appointed  account 
executive  at  Station  WTTG-Dumont.  . . . 
Ann  Griffin,  former  booker  at  20th  Century- 
Fox,  and  now  with  the  company  in  Min- 
neapolis, spent  vacation  in  Washington.  Her 
hostess  was  Hazel  McCarthy  of  Metro- 
Goldwyn-Mayer.  . . . Frank  Boucher,  gen- 
eral manager  of  TV  Guide,  and  Mrs. 
Boucher  are  vacationing  in  Bermuda.  . . . 
Ben  Strouse  has  been  upped  to  president 
of  Station  WWDC.  Herman  Paris  has  been 
promoted  to  vice-president  in  charge  of 
sales.  Both  are  Variety  Club  members. 

Theatres  Get  Behind 
Will  Rogers  Fund 

More  than  1,000  theatres  already  have 
signed  pledges  to  make  the  Will  Rogers 
Hospital  audience  collection,  planned  for  the 
week  of  July  16.  Included  is  strong  rep- 
resentation from  major  circuits  throughout 
the  country  who  pledged  participation.  In- 
cluded are  Loew’s,  Stanley  Warner,  RKO, 
Fabian,  Wometco,  Alger,  Selected  Theatres, 
Mid-States,  Iowa-United,  Chakeres,  Strand 
Enterprises,  Rodgers,  Trincher,  Brandt, 
Basil,  Liggett-Florin,  Carolina  Amusement, 
General  Theatres,  Brock,  Alperin,  Eastern, 
Delft,  Associated  Theatres,  Midway  and 
Waxman.  These  circuits  will  make  the  col- 
lections in  their  theatres  throughout  the 
campaign  period.  Most  of  the  pledged  thea- 
tres have  indicated  that  they  will  run  the 
trailer,  and  will  conduct  the  audience  col- 
lections for  a full  program  change. 


" Locomotive  Chase " 

Opens  in  Atlanta 

ATLANTA : The  world  premiere  of  Walt 
Disney’s  latest  feature,  “The  Great  Locomo- 
tive Chase”  took  place  here  June  8.  Features 
included  a parade,  headed  by  Mr.  Disney 
and  the  stars  of  the  picture,  a costume  bail 
based  on  “Disneyland”  and  numerous  other 
festivities,  followed  by  the  showing  at 
Loew’s  Grand  theatre  on  Peachtree  Street. 
The  program  was  under  the  joint  sponsor- 
ship of  the  Georgia  Federation  of  Women’s 
Clubs  and  the  Young  Matrons’  Circle  for 
Tallulah  Falls  School.  All  the  proceeds  of 
the  various  functions  will  go  toward  main- 
tenance of  the  school.  On  hand  for  the 
festivities  were  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Walt  Disney, 
Fess  Parker,  Jeffrey  Hunter  and  Jeff  York. 


liJS  SCREEN  ASPECT  RATIO  WITH  OPTICAL  SOUND 


SUPERSCOPE  STANDARDIZES 
THE  WIDE  SCREEN 

ONLY  SUPERSCOPE  PROVIDES  ANAM0RPHIC 
RELEASE  PRINTS  FROM  STANDARD  "FLAT"  NEGATIVES 


PRINTS  BY  TECHNICOLOR  OR  IN  BLACK  AND  WHITI 


2t5S  SCREEN  ASPECT  RATIO  WITH  MAGNETIC  SOUND 


34 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  JUNE  9,  1956 


o 


m 


ana 


^erd 


An  International  Association  of  Motion  Picture  Showmen — Walter  Brooks , Director 


ho  We  Hattie  “To  (jitie  the  people  What  “The if  Want? 


M ARTIN  G.  SMITH,  past  president 
of  National  Allied,  and  of  Inde- 
pendent Theatre  Owners  of  Ohio 
and  good  friend  of  the  Round  Table,  often 
sends  us  things  of  interests  in  these  meet- 
ings. Now,  he  encloses  a clipping  of 
“Strictly  Personal” — a by-line  column  in  the 
Toledo  Times,  by  Sydney  J.  Harris,  who 
says,  “That  popular  selling  phrase,  ‘You 
have  to  give  the  people  what  they  want’ 
has  always  struck  me  as  a piece  of  danger- 
ous nonsense.” 

“If  Hollywood  makes  a successful  film 
about  alcoholism,  then  all  the  other  studios 
rush  in  with  their  own  sagas  about  the 
battle  with  the  bottle.  If  one  publisher 
climbs  to  the  top  of  the  best-seller  list  with 
the  story  of  the  sinking  of  the  Titantic,  then 
others  announce  their  versions  of  the  sink- 
ing of  the  Lusitania,  or  the  Morro  Castle 
or  the  Eastland.  But  if  ‘the  public’  refuse 
to  accept  the  runners-up,  this  is  known  in 
selling  circles  as  ‘fickleness’ — and  their  buy- 
ing habits  are  ‘unpredictable.’  ” 

Mr.  Harris  continues,  “It  is  my  stubborn 
contention  that  nobody  knows  what  the 
people  want — including  the  people.  If  any- 
body did — there  would  be  no  flop  shows,  no 
remaindered  books,  no  warped  records  on 
warehouse  shelves.  The  men  who  tell  you 
they  have  their  finger  on  the  public  pulse 
are  generally  taking  their  own  temperature.” 
His  theory  is  that  people  do  not  know  what 
they  want — until  it  is  given  to  them.  We 
are  all  bundles  of  vague  and  conflicting  ap- 
petites, and  the  only  thing  certain  is  that 
there  can  be  no  certainty  in  predicting  the 
popularity  of  anything. 

Samuel  Lionel  Rothafel,  the  great  "Roxy” 
— who  provided  more  “firsts”  in  showman- 
ship than  any  other  person  in  the  exhibition 
of  motion  pictures,  had  a personal  belief, 
that  the  public  didn’t  know  what  it  wanted — 
but  that  lie  did ! And  he  proved  it  by  setting 
the  formula  for  key  theatre  presentations, 
which  has  obtained  through  every  major 
house  on  Broadway,  over  all  the  years  since 
1915,  when  he  first  offered  a diversified 
program  at  the  old  Knickerbocker  theatre 
on  Broadway,  complete  with  “travelogue” — 
the  Cinerama  of  those  days — short  subjects, 


FOR  THE  FAMILY  TRADE 


GRANDPA’S,  TOO 


JUNE  17 


Remember  Dad 


The  official  poster  for  Father's  Day  has 
long  since  been  supplied  to  stores,  and 
publicity  material  distributed  to  news- 
papers, by  the  National  Father's  Day  Com- 
mittee, 50  East  42nd  St.,  New  York  17, 
where  Alvin  Austin  is  the  director.  The 
theme  this  year  is  "Liberty  Stems  from  the 
Home" — and  film  industry  can  augment 
that  statement  with  the  belief  that  our  box- 
office  depends  on  the  family  trade. 


music  and  dance.  We  are  glad  that  Martin 
Quigley,  Jr.,  is  to  do  an  article  on  “Roxy” 
as  an  assignment  for  the  new  supplement 
of  the  Dictionary  of  American  Biography, 
devoted  to  those  prominent  Americans  who 
died  during  the  period  from  1936  to  1940. 
It  is  time  that  greatness  was  appreciated — 
in  all  branches  of  motion  picture  industry, 
production,  distribution  and  exhibition — for 
Roxy  contributed  more  to  the  theatre  end 
of  this  business  than  any  other  person  be- 
cause he  understood  “what  the  public  wants.” 


(J  I HERE  SHOULD  be  some  talk  about 
the  Audience  Awards  in  the  near  future,  for 
it  is  approaching  a time  when  nominations 
will  be  in  order  for  the  first  half  of  1956. 
And,  in  this  connection,  we  want  to  comment 
again  on  the  splendid  manner  in  which  the 
popularity  awards  were  handled  in  Canada 
last  year,  for  both  the  Audience  plan,  and  as 
“Oscar”  contests  keyed  to  the  Academy 
selections.  Archie  Laurie,  and  others,  sent 
us  reports  of  better  than  usual  results,  ob- 
tained across  Canada  through  observation  of 
our  own  methods  and  their  improvements, 
based  on  what  are  obviously  "bugs”  in  our 
own  system. 

For  instance,  in  Toronto,  they  used  a 
simplified  ballot  which  was  printed  freely 
in  the  Toronto  Telegram,  and  in  a style  that 
permitted  the  customer  to  study  the  form  at 
home,  talk  it  over  with  the  family,  discuss 
movies  and  appreciate  them — in  far  better 
style  than  standing  in  a theatre  lobby,  trying 
to  recall  a hundred  pictures  and  players  in 
their  performances.  Just  as  important  as  the 
problem  of  “getting  them  out  to  the  movies” 
is  the  comparable  problem  of  getting  them 
to  think  and  act  about  the  movies  while  they 
are  still  sitting  within  reach  of  their  tele- 
vision sets,  and  may  be  both  willing  and 
able  to  turn  it  off,  for  a visit  to  their 
neighborhood  theatre,  to  deposit  their  ballots. 

CJ  IRVING  MACK  sends  us  a letter  from 
one  of  his  customers,  Vince  Helling,  of  Tay- 
lorville  Theatres  Co.,  Taylorville,  Illinois, 
wtih  a story  of  his  Leap  Year  Show,  which 
is  made  doubly  attractive  now  that  it  is 
June,  and  the  month  for  brides.  He  staged  a 
real  “Cinderella”  wedding  and  promoted 
thirty  gifts  from  merchants  for  the  lucky 
couple.  The  little  bride  was  but  a “soda 
jerker”  before  her  marriage,  and  they 
planned  a very  quiet  wedding,  but  the  town 
got  interested  in  having  these  young  folks 
honored  in  a special  way,  as  winners  all 
’round  in  a game  of  good  fortune.  It  was 
unusually  well  timed,  for  there  had  been 
tragedy  in  the  family  within  a year,  and  now 
the  newlyweds  are  well- started  for  a happy 
married  life.  — Walter  Brooks 


MANAGERS'  ROUND  TABLE  SECTION,  JUNE  9,  1956 


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John  Wayne  is 
"roped"  by  a delega- 
tion of  Wayne  Univer- 
sity co-eds,  at  the  open- 
ing in  Detroit. 


He  receives  a plaque 
from  Governor  William 
Stratton,  of  Illinois,  in 
the  lobby  of  the  Chi- 
cago theatre. 


"the  Searchers'9— a 

John  Wayne,  with 
Harold  Brown,  president 
of  United  Detroit  Thea- 
tres with  Ward  Bond. 
All  the  pictures  oppo- 
site are  from  the  De- 
troit premiere  at  the 
Palms  theatre. 


At  a western  style 
breakfast  in  Detroit, 

John  Wayne  is  given 
this  "Wheel  of  Fortune" 
by  Don  Considine,  of 
the  Department  of  Rec- 
reation, sponsored  by 
‘he  Junior  Citizens. 

John  Balaban,  of 
Balaban  and  Katz  Thea- 
tres, Chicago,  greets 
John  Wayne  in  a lobby 
broadcast  at  the  Chi- 
cago theatre. 

John  Wayne  endeared 
himself  to  Wayne  Uni- 
versity students  in  De- 
troit, by  donating  $1,000 
to  the  student  Loan 
Fund,  in  his  son  Pat- 
rick's name. 


Maj.  Ben  Dargush, 
manager  of  the  Center 
theatre,  Buffalo,  with 
John  Wayne  and  Ward 
Bond. 


"Hitch  and  carriage” 
transportation  in  De- 
troit, with  palomino 
ponies  and  a police 
escort. 


Sol  Sorkin,  manger  of 
the  RKO  Keith's  thea- 
tre, Syracuse,  with  the 
stars  of  "The  Searchers” 
— and  the  drama  editor 
of  the  leading  Polish 
language  newspaper. 


38 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  JUNE  9,  1956 


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on 


Hector  Frascadore,  manager  of  E.  M. 
Loew’s  Farmington  Drive-In  theatre, 
Forestville,  Conn.,  distributed  miniature 
sailboats — similar  to  Capt.  Snow’s  in  ‘'Car- 
ousel”— to  bolder  of  lucky  number  nightly 
during  the  run  of  the  musical. 

T 

“The  Man  in  the  Gray  Flannel  Suit”  is 
of  course  a natural  for  men’s  wear  tieup, 
and  Tony  Masella,  manager  of  Loew’s 
Palace,  Meriden,  Conn.,  was  one  of  those 
of  those  to  run  a sizable  cooperative  ad. 
For  “Alexander  the  Great”  he  tied  in  with 
a super  market  for  a cooperative  newspaper 
full  page. 

T 

John  D’Amato,  manager  of  the  Palace 
theatre,  New  Britain.  Conn.,  invited  mem- 
bers of  the  New  Britain  Civil  Air  Patrol 
and  Air  Force  Recruiting  office  to  attend 
opening  night  showing  of  “On  the  Thres- 
hold of  Space,”  and  arranged  a recruiting 
desk  in  the  lobby  during  the  run  of  the 
picture. 

T 

Bob  Harvey  handed  out  hankies  (paper 
ones)  as  crying  towels,  for  the  run  of  “I’ll 
Cry  Tomorrow”  at  the  Capitol  theatre, 
North  Bay,  Ontario.  Bob  was  always  one 
to  connect  an  idea  with  the  point  of  sale 
to  make  the  ticket  machine  sing. 

T 

Art  Cauley,  manager  of  the  Paramount 
theatre,  Peterboro,  Ont.,  fast-talked  his 
Pepsi-Cola  dealer  into  a double  rental  prop- 
osition, two  shows  in  one  day,  with  capac- 
ity for  each,  and  bottle  caps  for  admission 
price.  Two  shows  in  one  morning  is  real 
money  in  the  bank — Dan  Krendel  says — 
and  your  local  suppplier  of  Pepsi-Cola  will 
be  just  as  happy  to  work  with  you. 

T 

We  reviewed  “The  Naked  Sea”  for  the 
HERALD,  and  we  thought  this  RKO  color 
picture  was  made  to  order  for  exploitation. 
A1  Hartshorn,  manager  of  the  Regent  thea- 
tre, Oshawa,  Ontario,  sold  his  local  paper 
on  the  idea  of  a tieup,  and  had  great  sup- 
port from  sportsmen  as  well  as  the  public 
at  large. 

T 

Murray  Spector  is  running  a coloring 
contest  which  is  different  from  most  of 
those  submitted  for  the  children  to  win 
prizes.  It  involves  coloring  the  wrappers 
of  candy  found  on  the  concession  counter 
at  the  Central  theatre,  Jersey  City — and 
gives  the  youngsters  something  to  shoot  at, 
for  sure. 

▼ 

Russ  Schmidt,  city  manager  for  John 
Hamrick's  Tacoma  theatres,  always  has  in- 
genious street  ballyhoo  ideas — executed  in- 
expensively with  staff  people  acting  their 
parts.  Currently,  he  has  two  wholesome 
young  folks,  en  route  to  “Picnic”  and 
dressed  for  it,  carrying  a basket. 


Tiff  Cook  sent  this  picture  of  his  attractive 
"Surrey  With  the  Fringe  on  Top" — complete 
with  beautiful  model,  and  a driver  in  costume 
who  doesn't  show — which  was  used  as  street 
ballyhoo  for  the  opening  of  "Oklahoma!"  at 
the  Tivoli  theatre  in  Toronto. 

A1  Meskis,  manager  of  the  Warner  thea- 
tre, Milwaukee,  is  much  gratified  with  the 
success  of  his  cooperative  advertisement  for 
“The  Searchers” — with  sponsors  paying  the 
costs,  and  generous  space  for  the  theatre, 
high  and  center  on  the  page. 

T 

Eight  recordings  from  “The  Proud  Ones” 
— a super  western,  are  issued  in  advance 
of  the  20th  Century-Fox  picture  as  pre- 
selling and  promotion  ahead  of  playdates. 
Disc  jockeys,  juke  box  operators,  radio  and 
TV  station  operators,  are  alerted  to  the 
occasion. 

T 

June  is  bustin’  out  all  over — for  National 
Theatres’  managers,  who  are  ending  a 13- 
week  showmanship  contest,  with  trips  and 
cash  as  their  substantial  awards  for  their 
“Do  It  Yourself”  effort  in  the  Rhoden 
Weeks  Jackpot  sweepstakes. 

T 

Dean  Hyskell,  in  the  current  National 
Theatres’  Showman,  says  “Columnists  can 
be  your  best  friends  in  court” — meaning 
that  to  cultivate  the  newspaper  by-line  writ- 
ers is  to  be  fortified  against  unfriendly 
comment  and  on  the  side  of  opinion  makers 
who  DO  like  movies  and  aren’t  afraid  to 
say  so. 

T 

Edwin  Zabel,  general  manager  of  Fox 
West  Coast  theatres,  took  part  in  a program 
with  important  American  Legion  officials, 
and  the  Governor  of  California  as  guest 
speaker.  You  never  can  go  wrong  playing 
ball  with  the  Legion  team. 

T 

Jim  Darby,  manager  of  the  Paramount 
theatre,  New  Haven,  Conn.,  and  Ray 
McNamara  of  the  Allyn  in  Hartford, 
revived  the  “Little  Rascal”  comedies  and 


showed  seven  of  them  plus  cartoons  at 
special  Saturday  kiddie  shows  with  free 
gifts  distributed  to  all. 

T 

Sid  Kleper,  manager  of  Loew’s  College 
theatre,  New  Haven,  Conn.,  offering  guest 
tickets  to  anyone  writing  “a  comprehensive 
letter”  describing  sighting  of  unidentified 
flying  objects,  in  exploitation  of  “Uniden- 
tified Flying  Objects.” 

T 

Chet  I’hilbrook,  manager  of  the  Meadows 
Drive-In  theatre,  Hartford,  Conn.,  held  over 
“The  Revolt  of  Mamie  Stover”  and  his  eye- 
catching ad  read  “Mamie  was  forced  out  of 
’Frisco  . . . but  Hartford  loves  her  and  is 
demanding  that  she  stay  for  a second  week.” 

T 

Burt  Lancaster,  Tony  Curtis  and  Gina 
Lollobrigida  climaxed  a whirlwind  promo- 
tion for  “Trapeze”  over  the  weekend,  and 
made  personal  appearances  at  the  Capitol 
theatre,  where  3,000  autographed  photos  of 
the  stars  were  distributed. 

▼ 

Very  cute  trick  from  Warners — an 
authentic  and  very  impressive  looking  strip 
ticket,  good  for  one  round  trip  to  “The 
Animal  World" — not  however,  planned  as 
a ticket,  but  as  a piece  of  throwaway  ad- 
vertising. The  first  coupon  takes  you  from 
your  city  to  outer  space,  thence  ten  miles 
beneath  the  sea,  and  to  the  world  of  yes- 
terday. Good  for  opinion  makers,  news- 
paper by-line  writers,  school  authorities,  as 
promotion  for  the  picture. 

V 

Seventy-seven  TV  stations  and  572  radio 
coverage  of  the  gala  premiere  of  “Trapeze” 
at  the  Capitol  theatre  on  Broadway,  which 
cannot  help  but  create  “awareness”  of  this 
great  attraction,  coming  up. 

V 

George  R.  Norton,  assistant  manager  of 
the  Lee  theatre,  Lee,  Mass.,  sends  a sample 
of  the  key-chain  giveaway  used  to  advertise 
“The  Harder  They  Fall” — with  miniature 
boxing  gloves  attached,  and  encloses  other 
examples  of  his  showmanship  in  newspaper 
ads  and  lobby  display. 

T 

W.  S.  “Buster”  Samuels,  manager  of  the 
Texas  theatre,  Dallas,  promoted  gift  hats 
for  Father’s  Day — and  will  honor  the  oldest 
father,  the  youngest,  the  one  with  the 
largest  family,  at  the  Monday  night  show, 
June  18th.  His  typical  offset  advertising, 
originating  with  Buster,  is  on  the  beam  to 
sell  this  approach. 

▼ 

Norm  Levinson  is  finding  out  there’s  a 
big  difference  in  climate  between  Minne- 
apolis and  Jacksonville.  By  this  time,  the 
thermometer  is  hitting  the  early  90’s  in  his 
new  Florida  location — and  he’s  remember- 
ing how  far  below  zero  it  used  to  get  in 
Minnesota.  However,  his  showmanship  al- 
ways was  in  the  top  brackets. 

T 

Adam  G.  Goelz,  an  old  member  at  these 
meetings,  is  down  in  Texas,  as  advertising 
manager  of  Long’s  Showboat  and  Ora  thea- 
tres, in  Freeport.  He’s  been  doing  a gen- 
eral public  relations  campaign  in  an  effort 
to  stop  the  downtrend  in  movie  attendance. 


MANAGERS'  ROUND  TABLE  SECTION,  JUNE  9,  1956 


39 


‘Davy  Crockett9'  Captures 
Ireland— Sinyle  Handed! 


Fess  Parker,  the  original  “Davy  Crock- 
ett", crossing  the  Atlantic  for  the  first  time, 
begins  his  invasion  of  the  tight  little  islands 
with  the  complete  capture  of  Dublin,  as 
shown  in  these  press  pictures.  We  think  they 
are  admirable  proof  of  the  popularity  of  our 
pioneer  hero,  who  got  himself  a bar,  at  the 
age  of  three ! And  grew  up  to  become  a 
popular  hero  with  millions  of  youngsters, 
all  over  the  world. 

At  left  above,  he  visits  the  Orthopedic 
Hospital  in  Dublin,  and  you  need  no  more 
convincing  evidence  of  how  they  liked  him: 
at  right,  he  visits  the  St.  John  of  God’s 
Hospital,  also  in  Dublin,  for  a further 


demonstration  of  their  affection  and  regard. 
At  lower  left,  he  stops  at  a Tara  Street 
music  shop,  where  his  records  are  on  sale, 
and  is  mobbed  by  crowd  of  well-wishers,  and 
at  lower  right,  he  visits  with  John  Ford, 
multiple  Academy  Award  director  of  great 
motion  pictures,  and  friends,  at  the  Abbey 
theatre,  Dublin,  famous  for  its  theatrical 
traditions.  Fess  Parker  was  there  in  time 
to  see  John  Ford  shooting  scenes  on  location 
at  the  historic  playhouse. 

There’s  more  coming  up,  of  Fess  Parker’s 
visit  to  England,  Ireland,  Scotland  and 
Wales,  and  we  are  happy  to  print  the  pic- 
tures, for  such  popularity  must  be  deserved. 


$90,000  Promotion 
For  One  Premiere 

The  most  intensive  and  costliest  advance 
promotion  ever  undertaken  for  a single 
opening  is  United  Artists’  spotlighting  of 
the  Xew  York  premiere  of  “Trapeze”  at 
the  Capitol  theatre  in  New  York.  The  com- 
pany says  they  are  spending  $90,000  in  the 
record-setting,  all-media  campaign,  which 
entaiK  37.000  lines  of  big  space  newspaper 
ads,  round-the-town  billboard  advertising, 
and  round-the-clock  radio  and  TV  tieups. 
There  i-  spectacular  use  of  street  and  sky 
ballyhoo,  and  2,200  examples  of  cooperative 
deals  to  benefit  the  picture’s  opening.  In 
addition,  $330,000  in  national  magazine  ad- 
vertising has  been  timed  to  break  with  the 
premiere  as  a springboard.  Unique  lobby 
stunts  with  a fine  circus  atmosphere  will 
give  the  flavor  of  tanbark  to  Broadway  and 
the  big  Exquisite  Form  contest  for  beauty 
queens  will  get  under  way  with  the  first 
local  eliminations  in  the  national  entries. 


"Touch  and  Go"  Contest 
For  British  Picture 

Farris  Shanbour,  manager  of  the  Cooper 
Foundation’s  I’laza  theatre,  Oklahoma  City, 
ran  a “Touch  and  Go”  contest  as  an  ad- 
vertising idea  for  the  British  picture  of  that 
title.  The  plan  was  underwritten  by  spon- 
sors and  supported  by  radio  tieups  and  good 
street  ballyhoo  and  window  displays.  First 
prize  was  $100  worth  of  clothing  from  a 
good  store ; second  prize,  a month’s  pass 
good  at  any  Cooper  Foundation  theatre. 
He  promoted  a 1956  Chrysler  for  street 
ballyhoo,  with  nice  looking  passengers  to 
hand  out  publicity.  The  Chrysler  has  “push 
button  transmission”  and  that’s  “Touch  and 
Go”  in  the  cooperative  advertising.  British 
members  of  the  Round  Table  have  always 
been  ingenious  in  finding  good  exploitation 
angles,  and  we  think  they  will  like  this  ex- 
ample from  the  American  midwest,  which 
demonstrates  appreciation  for  good  British 
product. 


Crystal  City. 
Texas 9 - 1 nd 
Father's  Day 

Fred  Ross,  manager  of  the  Guild  theatre, 
Crystal  City,  Texas,  reports  what  he  is 
doing  for  Father’s  Day — and  it  is  good 
news,  too.  He  says  everybody  talks  about  it, 
but  they  seldom  do  anything  about  it.  So, 
he  leads  the  procession,  with  a present  for 
every  dad — a surprise  gift  they  won’t  have 
to  pay  for,  afterwards.  He  has  promoted 
1,000  gift  cigars  from  a friendly  sponsor, 
and  every  father  will  receive  one,  on  his 
way  in,  with  no  worry  about  getting  a bill. 

Business  is  somewhat  off  in  Crystal  City, 
because  the  Latin  American  population 
"have  gone  North  for  the  summer” — to 
show  you  that  seasonal  declines  can  happen 
for  a variety  of  causes.  But  Fred  has  stirred 
up  a series  of  twelve  “Kiddie’s  Vacation 
Shows”  and  sold  12  participating  merchants 
the  idea  of  going  along  for  $72  each.  That’s 
a total  of  $864  for  the  twelve  matinees,  un- 
derwritten in  advance,  and  the  children  who 
get  the  merchant  tickets  will  buy  plenty  of 
popcorn,  besides.  Everybody’s  happy  about 
the  prospects,  with  cooperative  advertising 
benefits  for  all  concerned. 

Maude  and  Jeff's  Alov/e 
Chatter  Is  Always  Okay 

That’s  mild  comment,  but  it  fits  as  a head- 
line, and  we’ve  said  it  before  in  various 
ways.  But  Jeff  Jefferis,  and  his  helpmate, 
Maudie,  put  more  human  relations  into  their 
program  copy  than  you  find  in  bound 
volumes  of  other  stuff.  We  have  never  yet 
visited  the  Pine  Hill  Drive-In  at  Piedmont, 
Mo.,  but  we  feel  like  an  old  friend,  at 
this  distance,  so  folks  who  really  live  there 
must  all  be  members  of  a big,  happy  family. 
One  thing  for  sure — and  that  is  that  Maude 
and  Jeff  are  always  looking  out  for  the 
family  trade,  and  making  them  feel  at  home, 
which  is  the  best  way  to  get  them  out  to 
the  movies.  He  says,  it  seems  as  if  he  spends 
the  best  part  of  his  life  either  writing  this 
monthly  chatter  or  addressing  movie  calen- 
dars by  the  bushel.  And  he  says  further — 
he  doesn’t  have  to  apologize  for  a single 
one  of  the  attractions  for  June — there  isn’t 
a single  “dawg”  on  the  entire  list ! Organ 
concerts  are  a regular  feature,  and  he  be- 
lieves the  Pine  Hill  is  the  only  drive-in  the- 
atre in  Missouri  with  a Hammond  organ. 


SOS 


WHEN  YOU  ARE 
IN  A RUSH  FOR 

SPECIAL 


■ nnibiiitw 

Yon  Won't  Be  Disappointed 
U Yon  Send  An  S.O.S.  To 

FILMACK 

40 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  JUNE  9,  1956 


RULES  OF  THE 


A 


pprocic 


k 


THE  SWAN — MGM.  The  Love  Story  of 
a Princess,  presented  in  CinemaScope  and 
Eastman  Color.  A wonderful  entertain- 
ment, magnificently  produced,  and  unques- 
tionably Grace  Kelly's  most  appealing 
performance.  Based  on  the  play  by  Ferenc 
Molnar,  with  Alec  Guinness,  Louis  Jourdan, 
Brian  Aherne,  Leo  Carroll,  Agnes  Moore- 
head,  Estelle  Winwood,  Jessie  Royce  Lan- 
dis and  VanDyke  Parks.  The  delightfully 
romantic  story  of  a beautiful,  but  shy, 
beauty,  who  had  to  fall  in  love  before  she 
could  become  a woman!  24-sheet  and  all 
posters  have  the  regal  pose  of  Her  Serene 
Highness,  in  her  last  picture  from  the 
Hollywood  studios.  Two  color  herald  by 
Cato  Show  Print  is  in  harmony  with  the 
occasion.  Posters  and  accessories  can  be 
used  in  a variety  of  ways  to  obtain  some- 
thing new  and  different  in  your  advertising 
approach.  Newspaper  ad  mats  are  fine, 
ranging  from  the  fuli-page  which  appeared 
in  key  cities,  down  to  smaller  sizes  for  all 
situations.  The  complete  campaign  mat  is 
mostly  ad  mats  and  slugs,  not  too  well 
selected  unless  augmented  with  other  mats 
— perhaps  a smash,  if  you  are  able. 

THE  REVOLT  OF  MAMIE  STOVER— 20th 
Century-Fox.  CinemaScope,  with  color  by 
DeLuxe.  Why  did  Mamie  Stover  have  to 
leave  San  Francisco?  With  Jane  Russell, 
Richard  Egan  and  all  star  cast,  to  answer 


this  leading  question.  24-sheet  and  all 
posters  and  accessories  have  the  trade- 
mark pose  of  "Mamie''  which  identifies  her 
profession.  Newspaper  ad  mats,  including 
teasers  and  the  complete  campaign  mat, 
continue  this  theme,  in  variations  of  size 
and  style,  but  featuring  that  shape.  Four- 
page,  two-color  herald  from  Cato  Show 
Print  keys  the  selling  approach  for  a ma- 
jority of  theatres.  A million  copies  of  the 
25c  Signet  book  have  been  put  on  the 
market  to  pre-sell  the  story.  Over  100,000 
book  dealers  have  been  contacted  in  ad- 
vance of  your  playdates. 

THE  PROUD  ONES  — 20th  Century-Fox. 

CinemaScope,  in  color  by  DeLuxe.  Out  of 
the  land  of  Wyatt  Earp,  Wild  Bill  Hickok, 
Bat  Masterson,  Billy  the  Kid  and  Jesse 
James,  comes  this  story  of  the  gun-fighting 
marshals  of  frontier  America  — the  men 
who  were  too  proud  to  take  one  step  back! 
Robert  Ryan,  Jeffrey  Hunter  and  Virginia 
Mayo,  in  a deluxe  western.  24-sheet  and 
all  posters  have  the  business  end  of  the 
marshal's  game,  as  it  was  played,  from  the 
hip,  and  will  provide  art  materials  for  lobby 
and  marquee  cut-outs.  An  excellent 
standee  from  National  Screen,  and  action 
herald  from  Cato  Show  Print  will  put  the 
punch  of  the  picture  in  your  selling  ap- 
proach. Newspaper  ad  mats  have  varia- 
tions of  the  same  strong  theme. 


"Carousel"  created 
exceptional  display 
opportunities  in  New 
York  neighborhood 
theatres,  as  for  in- 
stance, this  nice- 
looking  lobby  frame, 
designed  by  William 
H.  Belle,  manager  of 
the  Laurelton  thea- 
tre, Laurelton,  L.  I., 
with  atmospheric 
decorations. 


And  this  good  ex- 
ample of  the  use  of 
cut-out  figures,  with 
convincing  "Carou- 
sel" horses  in  a lobby 
display  created  and 
designed  by  Charles 
E.  Grace,  district 
manager  for  Rand- 
force  theatres,  at 
the  Embassy,  in 
Brooklyn.  Carousel 
music  was  played  by 
remote  control,  with 
twinkling  lights  and 
the  effect  of  motion. 


QUIGLEY 

AWARDS 

CTWO  Grand  Award  plaques  will  be 
awarded  annually  to  the  two  theatre 
managers  or  theatre  publicity  men  whose 
exploitation  and  promotion  campaigns  are 
adjudged  best  throughout  the  year,  one  in 
smaller  situations,  where  the  manager  is 
"on  his  own" — the  other  in  larger  cities, 
where  there  may  be  circuit  cooperation. 

V 

Every  three  months  a committee  of 
judges  will  appraise  the  campaigns  sub- 
mitted by  contestants  during  the  preced- 
ing quarter  period  and  select  two  show- 
men to  receive  the  Quarterly  Awards  for 
outstanding  achievement.  The  next  seven 
best  will  receive  Scrolls  of  Honor.  Cita- 
tions of  Merit  will  be  awarded  to  forty 
theatre  men  whose  work  is  outstanding. 

V 

Consistency  of  effort  is  of  paramount 
importance.  Single  submissions  are  less 
likely  to  win  awards,  which  are  made  on 
the  premise  of  sustained  effort,  but  these 
may  have  news  value  in  the  Round  Table. 
V 

No  fancy  entries  are  necessary.  Costly 
and  time-wasting  "gingerbread"  decora- 
tion are  not  encouraged. 

V _ 

In  addition  to  exploitation  on  feature 
pictures,  entries  may  be  made  on  short 
subjects,  serials,  stage  shows,  or  institu- 
tional and  civic  promotions. 

. V 

Evidence  proving  authenticity  of  each 
entry  should  be  submitted,  such  as  photos, 
tear  sheets,  programs,  heralds,  etc. 

V 

The  Round  Table  cannot  undertake  to 
prepare  campaign  books  for  submission  to 
the  judges  from  material  sent  in  without 
assembly  at  the  source. 

V 

The  Quigley  Awards  make  no  distinction 
for  size  of  theatre  or  community  except 
the  two  classifications  above.  The  judges 
make  full  allowance  for  individual  show- 
manship displayed  by  comparing  budgets, 
newspaper  facilities  and  assistance  from 
distributing  companies. 

V 

In  addition  to  the  awards  mentioned, 
special  Certificates  of  Merit  will  be 
awarded  quarterly  and  annually  to  show- 
men from  outside  the  United  States  and 
Canada.  The  campaigns  submitted  by 
theatre  men  abroad  which  are  deemed  of 
special  merit  shall  be  included  in  the  annual 
competition. 

Address  all  entries  to: 

QUIGLEY  AWARDS  COMMITTEE 
MANAGERS’  ROUND  TABLE 
1270  Sixth  Avenue,  New  York  20,  N.  Y. 


MANAGERS'  ROUND  TABLE  SECTION,  JUNE  9,  1956 


41 


Why  try  to  sell  things  the  hard  way? 


When  one  drink  sells  itself  the  easy  way! 


Haven’t  you  got  enough  problems  without 
taking  on  the  job  of  selling  a less  preferred  product? 

Make  life  easy!  Make  money  easy!  That’s  why  over  80%  of  all  theatres 
serving  beverages  feature  Coca-Cola!  You  sell  more  people  faster  . . . 
get  bigger  volume  . . . make  more  profit.  There’s  no  question  about  it! 


••Coca-Cola”  and  ”Coke”  are  regis- 
tered trade-marks  which  distinguish 
the  product  of  The  Coca-Cola  Company. 


ft 


PROVED  THREE  WAYS:  PROVEN  PRESTIGE  • PROVEN  PREFERENCE  • PROVEN  PROFIT 


GEORGE  SCHUTZ,  Director  . . . RICHARD  GERTNER,  GUS  BACOLINI,  Associate  Editors 


Going  After  "Extra"  Soft  Drink  Sales 


Theatre  refreshment  managers 
have  been  seeking  addition- 
al soft  drink  sales  recently 
with  a number  of  devices— in- 
cluding increasing  non-carbon- 
ated  types;  introducing  new 
flavors;  and,  in  one  instance, 
selling  "sugar-free"  beverages 
in  vending  machines.  Their  ef- 
forts are  described  herewith. 


whenever  a new  product 
is  introduced  at  the  theatre  snack  stand  for 
a trial  run,  one  of  the  primary  tests  it  must 
face  is  whether  or  not  it  detracts  from  sales 
of  other  items  already  there.  This  is  par- 
ticularly important,  of  course,  if  one  of  the 
latter  should  happen  to  bring  a larger  profit 
than  the  new  one  does. 

What  the  theatre  operator  asks  of  a new 
commodity  is  that — if  possible — it  bring  an 
additional  sale — for  that  is  one  of  the  best 
means  of  increasing  the  refreshment  gross 
and  the  profits. 

In  the  soft  drink  department,  theatre 
managers  have  been  going  after  that  “extra” 
drink  sale  recently  with  a number  of  in- 
novations— some  of  which  have  already  con- 
clusively proved  themselves  while  others 
are  still  in  the  testing  stage. 

There  is  nothing  new,  of  course,  about 
non-carbonated  beverages  at  theatre  stands. 
They  have  been  sold  in  a large  number  of 


theatres  for  many  years  as  well  as  in  auto- 
matic cup  vending  machines  placed  adjacent 
to  the  stand  or  elsewhere  in  the  theatre. 

What  is  significant  about  non-carbonated 
drinks  is  that  the  recent  survey  by  Motion 
Picture  Herald  of  theatre  vending  prac- 
tices revealed  that  more  and  more  operators 
are  selling  them  and  that  the  number  of 
flavors  available  to  the  theatre  patron  is 
larger  than  it  has  ever  been  before. 

It  is  rare  indeed,  for  instance,  to  find  an 
automatic  vending  machine  that  does  not 
offer  at  least  one  “still”  flavor  and  (if  ca- 
pacity permits)  two  or  even  more.  How- 


ever, sales  of  these  beverages  have  been 
proved  to  be  even  greater  when  they  are 
sold  directly  at  the  stand  from  manual  dis- 
pensers. 

The  reasons  for  this  are  not  hard  to 
find ; they  were  outlined  only  recently  by 
Philip  Briggs  of  the  Orange  Crush  Corn- 


Seeking  to  open  up  a "new  market  for  drinks 
among  diet-conscious  patrons,"  the  Walter  Reade 
Theatres  circuit  is  presently  experimenting  with 
Cott's  beverages  at  its  Mayfair  theatre  in  Asbury 
Park,  N.  J.  The  drinks  are  promoted  as  "sugar-free" 
and  "non-fattening"  by  several  devices,  including 
passing  out  free  samples  in  the  lobby  (shown  in 
photo  above)  and  signs  on  top  of  the  vending 
machines  (photo  at  left).  For  further  details,  see 
the  accompanying  text. 


BETTER  REFRESHMENT  MERCHANDISING 


43 


People  who  go  places  like  a light  refreshment . . . 


That’s  why  Pepsi-Cola  is  America’s 


fastest  growing  soft  drink ! 

And  Pepsi  means  more  drinks  per  gallon— more  profit  per  drink,  too! 


Pepsi-Cola  Company,  3 West  57th  Street,  New  York  19,  New  York 


REASONS  FOR  SALES 


SELLING  NEW  FLAVORS 


Soft  Drink  and  Popcorn  Tie-in  Displays 


which,  of  course,  will  really  make  the 
color  stand  out.” 

Mr.  Briggs  went  on  to  explain  that  by 
‘‘proper  display”  he  meant  animated  bev- 
erage dispensers.  “The  cascading  type  of 
dispenser  has  been  the  standard  for  non- 
carbonated  orange  units  since  we  first  in- 
troduced them,”  he  said.  “To  this  some 
units  have  added  a wash  down  bowl  effect, 
which,  besides  adding  another  animating 
feature,  keeps  your  bowl  sparkling  clean 
all  the  time.  Beverage  displayed  thusly 
just  begs  to  be  bought.” 


SINCE  POPCORN  acts  as  a thirst  stimulant  for  most  people,  it  has  been  proved 
to  be  sound  merchandising  at  theatre  refreshment  stands  to  tie-in  the  sale  of 
one  with  the  other.  Acting  on  that  theory,  the  Coca-Cola  Company  has  come 
up  with  some  new  promotional  material  which  it  is  now  offering  to  theatre 
exhibitors.  One  of  these  point-of-sale  pieces  is  the  No.  24  Popcorn  Wall 
Banner,  featuring  popcorn  and  "coke"  as  co-stars,  shown  above  as  it  was 
demonstrated  at  a recent  regional  meeting  by  Charles  Okun  (left)  special 
theatre  representative  for  Coca-Cola  and  Harold  Sharpe,  vice-president  in 
charge  of  fountain  sales.  Another  new  device  is  the  "airmobile"  or  "dangler" 
shown  at  left  below.  When  hung  on  a hook  from  the  ceiling  it  is  kept  in  constant 
motion  by  natural  air  currents  and  has  been  found  to  attract  the  attention  of 
patrons  who  wonder  what  makes  it  move.  The  company  also  has  recently 
devised  a new  sign  of  translucent  plastic,  which  can  be  illuminated  by  a light 
from  behind.  It  is  shown  below  as  installed  at  the  Golden  Glades  drive-in 
theatre  in  Miami,  Fla.  In  the  photo  Tom  Connors,  a co-owner  of  the  drive-in, 
offers  a drink  to  George  Hoover,  one  of  his  partners. 


In  agreement  with  the  idea  that  the 
non-carbonated  beverage  means  an  “extra” 
sale  is  Lee  Koken,  head  of  concessions  for 
RKO  Industries  Corporation. 

He  points  out  that  some  patrons  prefer 
them  as  a matter  of  taste  while  others 
“must  choose  it  because  of  various  stomach 
ailments  or  for  other  reasons.” 

In  RKO  theatres  non-carbonated  fla- 
vors are  installed  in  all  automatic  vending 
machines.  If  the  capacity  of  the  machine 
is  eight  drinks,  for  instance,  two  are  “still” 
ones.  The  flavors  sold  are  orange,  grape, 
lemon-lime  and  cherry. 

In  addition  this  circuit  sells  non-car- 
bonated drinks  through  manual  dispensers 
at  the  stand  in  25%  of  its  operations.  The 
dispensers  are  all  animated  types,  accord- 
ing to  Mr.  Koken,  and  the  drink  sold  is 
a 9-ounce  one,  usually  for  1 5c. 

Frankfurters  are  an  extremely  profitable 
product  for  RKO,  Mr.  Koken  said,  and 
it  has  been  found  that  “combination”  sales 
result  when  drinks  are  sold  right  at  the 
stand  at  the  same  time. 


Introducing  a new  flavor  is  an  excellent 
means  of  boosting  drink  sales — particularly 
if  it  brings  in  “extra”  sales  and  does  not 
cause  a drop  in  the  volume  of  others.  This 
test  was  passed  with  flying  colors  by  Old 
Colony  Pink  Lemonade,  last  year  when 
the  Orange  Crush  Company  devised  a spe- 
cial promotional  campaign  with  which  to 
introduce  it  in  theatres. 

The  experience  of  that  company  with 
pink  lemonade  in  theatres  has  been  re- 
counted by  Mr.  Briggs  as  follows: 

‘‘I  believe  the  movie  industry’s  first  in- 
troduction to  Pink  Lemonade  was  when 
the  Gibraltar  Theatre  organization  out  of 
Denver  and  the  Interstate  Company  of 
Texas  wrote  us  wanting  to  know  if  we 
could  make  such  a product  for  them  in 
conjunction  with  the  movie  “The  Great- 
est Show  on  Earth.”  We  told  them  we 
would  be  happy  to  add  pink  coloring  to 
our  lemonade  drink,  which  we  did,  and 
they  presented  it  to  the  public,  complete 
with  animation  and  merchandising  in  the 
form  of  papiermache  clowns,  balloons  and 


pany  at  a regional  meeting  of  the  Pop- 
corn and  Concessions  Association.  As  he 
pointed  out:  “A  non-carbonated  drink 

most  readily  lends  itself  to  the  showman- 
ship  necessary  to  sell  the  greatest  possible 
number  of  drinks.  Xon-carbonated  orange 
properly  displayed  embodies  three  extreme- 


ly important  features  of  refreshment  mer- 
chandising. 

“You  can  attractively  display  the  drink 
itself — a beverage  which  has  lots  of  color. 
You  can  animate  the  drink,  make  it  move, 
bubble,  gurgle,  thus  attracting  the  eyes  of 
your  customers.  You  can  put  light  on  it, 


46 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  JUNE  9,  1956 


QUALITY  BRANDS 

The  brand  in  demand  sells  faster  and  oftener ! When 
you  feature  known  quality  merchandise  like  Nestle’s 
Chocolate  Bars  you’re  making  old  customers  happy 
— and  you’re  making  new  customers  all  the  time. 


BUILD  TURNOVER! 

Nestle’s  Bars  are  nationally  advertised  and  have  national 
acceptance.  And  now  Nestle’s  new  pricing  structure  means 
more  profits  to  you  with  no  compromise  in  quality.  The 
Nestle  Company,  Inc. , 2 William  Street,  White  Plains,  N.  Y. 


NOW  AVAILABLE  AT  NEW  LOW  PRICES 


See  your  Nestle  Representative 


Hot  Dogs  and  Cold  Drinks 
SELL  THEMSELVES ! 


WITH  A MANLEY 

REFRESHERETTE® 


That's  right!  The  all  new  Manley  Refresher- 
ette  has  solid  merchandising  features  built 
right  in  to  the  machine  itself. 

Take  the  exclusive  Spin-A-Rama  rotary  hot 
dog  grill,  for  example  — customers  see  the 
mouth  watering  hot  dogs  slowly  cooking  on 
the  rotary  grill  right  before  their  eyes.  What 
do  they  do,  naturally— they  buy!  The  illumi- 
nated display  sign  and  Coke  sign  call  atten- 
tion to  the  dogs'  companion  item— cold  drinks. 
Result!  Two  sales  instead 
of  one. 

This  double  duty,  hot  dog 
and  cold  drink  machine, 
with  built-in  merchan- 
dising features,  can 
mean  bigger  profits 
for  your  concession! 

Why  wait? 


GET  THE  FACTS -MAIL 
THE  COUPON  TODAY! 


MANLEY,  Inc. 

1920  Wyandotte  Street,  Dept.  MPH-656 
Kansas  City  8,  Missouri 

□ I want  to  know  more  about  the  profit  oppor- 
tunities that  are  mine  with  a Manley 
REFRESHERETTE. 

□ I want  to  talk  to  a Manley  representative. 
No  obligation. 

Name 

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'Jree  and  CaMj 

Some  advertisements  offer  literature  on 
the  product  advertised,  and  often  a coupon 
is  included  as  a convenient  means  of  pro- 
curing it.  Moreover,  The  Inquiry  Coupon 
Mart  supplied  on  page  57  provides  a 
form  card  for  this  purpose.  . . . Or,  if  you 
do  not  see  what  you  want  advertised  in 
this  particular  issue,  you  may  write  the 

REFRESHMENT  MERCHANDISING  De- 
partment, Motion  Picture  Herald,  New 
York  20. 


Beverage  Display  Piece  Made  For  Two  Holidays 


This  handsome  new  display  to  promote  beverage  sales  at  theatre  refreshment  stands  was  designed  by  the 
Pepsi-Cola  Company  so  that  it  would  be  appropriate  for  two  holidays — Decoration  Day  and  the 
Fourth  of  July.  The  display  is  part  of  a "package"  of  such  promotional  material  recently  developed 
by  Pepsi-Cola  for  theatre  use  on  various  holidays.  The  plan  was  inaugurated  last  Easter  with  a special 
piece  for  that  season,  and  the  company  now  has  in  work  material  for  Halloween  and  Thanksgiving. 
The  displays  are  shipped — well  in  advance  of  each  holiday — at  no  charge  to  customers  of  Pepsi-Cola. 
The  company  reports  that  the  scheme  has  met  with  exceptional  success  and  is  now  employed  at  over 
2,000  theatres  on  a regular  schedule  basis. 


a generally  created  circus  atmosphere. 
They  reported  that  their  sales  were  phe- 
nomenal. 

“Pink  Lemonade  did  not  rear  its  beauti- 
ful, profit-packed  head  again  until  we  had 
requests  from  several  theatres  for  a Pink 
Lemonade  drink  to  be  used  in  conjunction 
with  two  movies,  namely  ‘Three  Ring 
Circus’  and  ‘There’s  No  Business  Like 
Show  Business.’  The  sales  of  the  theatres 
that  promoted  it  in  conjunction  with  these 
pictures  were  again  almost  unbelievable.  . . . 
Taking  all  of  the  facts  as  we  knew  them 
about  Pink  Lemonade,  it  became  clear  that 
it  was  not  just  an  item  to  be  run  in  con- 
junction with  a special  picture,  but  a prod- 
uct that  would  increase  overall  beverage 
sales  at  any  time  as  much  as  50  per  cent. 

“We  then  went  to  a major  cup  manu- 
facturer and  negotiated  with  them  for  a 
special  cup  to  help  dramatize  and  glamor- 
ize this  new  star  of  the  beverage  field.  Pink 
elephants  scampering  around  its  surface 
make  it  an  ideal  design  for  promoting  a 
product  such  as  this.  Pink  Lemonade  with 
pink  elephants  is  a natural. 

SPECIAL  DISPLAY  PIECES 

“We,  of  course,  recognize  that  we  could 
not  leave  the  manufacture  of  display  pieces 
up  to  the  individual  theatres.  We  produced 
special  banners,  posters  and  balloon-shaped 
displays  to  dramatically  bring  to  the  cus- 
tomers’ attention  that  Pink  Lemonade  was 
available  at  the  concession  stand.  Going 
still  further,  we  ran  across  a pink  elephant 
swizzle  stick  and  hunted  up  a multi-colored 
plastic  parasol.  To  this,  we  added  a candy- 
striped  straw. 

“Last  summer,  a complete  Big  Pinky 
Pink  Lemonade  package  was  introduced  in 
many  markets  throughout  the  United 


States  with  results  that  are  almost  unbe- 
lievable. A portion  of  a letter  received 
from  Sam  Lowe,  Jr.  of  Theatre  Candy 
Company  in  Boston,  Massachusetts  fol- 
lows: ‘The  week  that  we  promoted  Pink 
Lemonade  in  our  Meadow  Glen  Drive-In 
Theatre  in  Bedford,  Massachusetts  was 
not  hot.  However,  with  the  addition  of 
20  cent  and  30  cent  servings  of  Big  Pinky, 
we  had  the  biggest  per  person  drink  sales 
in  our  history,  an  increase  of  from  a seven 
and  one-half  cents  per  person  average  to 
over  eleven  cents  per  person  and  topped 
our  biggest  previous  week  in  the  history 
of  the  theatre  by  more  than  two  cents  per 

„ > n 

person. 

New,  also — at  least  in  the  east — is  the 
introduction  in  vending  machines  of 
Cott’s  beverages,  which  are  promoted  by 
the  Cott-Mission  Dry  Company  as  “sugar- 
free,  non-fattening”  drinks  for  the  “calorie- 
conscious” patron. 

At  the  present  time  the  Walter  Reade 
Theatre  circuit  is  experimenting  with  these 
beverages  at  its  Mayfair  theatre  in  Asbury 
Park.  To  put  them  over  an  elaborate  pro- 
motional scheme  was  worked  out  by  John 
Balmer,  city  manager  for  Walter  Reade  in 
Asbury  Park,  with  the  assistance  of  Ralph 
Langston  of  the  Walter  Reade  Catering 
Department  and  Paul  Sportell  of  Cott- 
Mission  Dry. 

The  promotion  included  the  passing  out 
of  free  samples  by  an  attractive  female 
attendant  in  the  theatre  lobby ; using  an 
animated  dispenser;  screen  trailers;  signs 
in  the  lobby  and  on  top  of  the  vending  ma- 
chine; and  art  work  at  the  stand  itself. 
(See  accompanying  photos.) 

The  circuit  is  experimenting  with  Cott’s 
in  the  belief  that  “the  low  calorie  syrup 
may  open  up  a new  market  for  drinks 
among  diet  conscious  patrons.” 


48 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  JUNE  9,  1956 


Ice  Cream  sales  are  way  up  for 
theatre  operators  who  have  moved 
the  frozen  novelties  to  the  front  of 
the  refreshment  stand.  A transpar- 
ent case,  massive  displays  and  light- 
ing all  combine  to  bring  it  sharply 
to  the  attention  of  entering  patrons. 


9ce  Cream  in  Plain  Vieu  " 
off  the  Cnteriny  Customer 


‘Ice  Cream”  in  front  and,  of  course,  the 
four  types  of  ice  cream  that  are  stacked 
in  separate  sections.  The  dispenser  is  posi- 
tioned so  that  adults  can  look  down  into 
it  from  counter  level,  while  children  can 
see  in  from  the  front,  which  is  also  of  glass. 
There  are  sliding  doors,  also  of  glass,  on 
the  top,  which  the  attendant  pushes  easily 
aside  to  take  out  the  type  that  the  customer 
asks  for.  (This  freezer,  which  is  constructed 
of  glass  and  stainless  steel,  is  a Kelvinator. ) 

SUPPLEMENTARY  STUNTS 


TODAY  ICE  CREAM  IS 
bringing  bigger  and  more  profitable  sales 
at  theatre  snack  stands  than  ever  before — 
thanks,  in  large  part,  to  the  adoption  by 
operators  of  display  cases  in  front  of  the 
stand.  Placing  ice  cream  where  the  cus- 
tomer can  see  the  actual  product  in  neat 
and  inviting  array  has  been  proved  time 
and  again  to  stimulate  that  necessary  “im- 
pulse” to  buy  that  can  make  for  new  sales 
records. 

In  some  instances  operators  have  also 
employed  self-service  by  installing  units 
into  which  the  customer  can  reach  and 
take  out  the  type  of  ice  cream  he  wants. 
While  a few  operators  have  found  this  to 
be  impractical  (pilfering  and  excessive 
handling  of  the  product  by  children,  being 
their  objections)  many  others  report  it  to 
be  an  additional  and  effective  means  of 
increasing  sales. 

The  important  factor  that  all  operators 
emphasize  is  that  ice  cream  itself  be  in 
plain  view.  And  this  goal  has  been  achieved 
with  conspicuous  success  in  a recent  in- 
stallation at  the  RKO  Hamilton  theatre 
in  New  York  City,  the  advantages  of  which 
are  illustrated  in  the  accompanying  photos. 

As  explained  by  Lee  Koken,  head  of  the 
concession  department  for  RKO  Industries 
Corporation,  this  unit,  first  of  all,  has 


Prominently  placed  in  a large  freezer 
to  the  right  of  the  stand  at  RKO's 
Hamilton  theatre  in  New  York  City, 
ice  cream  is  visible  to  youngsters 
through  a panel  in  front  (see  above) 
while  adults  can  look  down  into  the 
case  and  see  the  products  on  display 
in  four  sections  as  shown  below  (in 
photo  taken  from  behind  the  counter). 


“eye-appeal.”  As  the  patron  approaches  the 
stand  his  eye  is  attracted  by  the  lighting 
in  the  unit,  the  large  letters  spelling  out 


The  importance  of  an  ice  cream  display 
that  “puts  it  in  front  of  the  public  and 
reminds  them  that  you  have  it  for  sale” 
was  also  recently  cited  by  Burton  Olin  of 
the  Goldenrod  Ice  Cream  Company,  Chi- 
cago, who  pointed  out  in  addition  a number 
of  supplementary  ideas  that  can  be  adapted 
to  increase  sales. 

These  include  the  use  of  a small  public 
address  system  in  the  lobby,  “which  the 
girl  attendants  can  use.  Or  the  doorman 
could  suggest  a special  item  that  is  being 
featured.  Other  eye-catching  items  are 
badges  or  hats  that  can  be  worn  by  em- 


Herald Photos  By  Floyd  E.  Stone 

ployees  in  the  theatre.  Floor  displays  will 
add  color  and  variety  to  your  lobby,  and 
wall  shadow  boxes  are  also  attractive.” 


BETTER  REFRESHMENT  MERCHANDISING 


49 


Popcorn  Starts  out  Slowly , but 

£kci*>nnaMhifi  Puts  It  Over 


. . . in  an  ingenious  stunt  which  also 
helped  to  save  money  on  the  the- 
atre's cleaning  bill.  Here  it  is,  as 
devised  by  W.  H.  Wilson,  manager 
of  Famous  Players'  Paramount  thea- 
tre located  in  Edmonton,  Alberta. 


POPCORN  was  really  a late  arrival  to  the 
refreshment  stand  of  Famous  Players'  Para- 
mount theatre  in  Edmonton,  Alberta:  It  made 
its  debut  only  four  months  ago!  Its  appear- 
ance then  was  in  response  to  the  "popular 
demand"  of  patrons,  according  to  manager 
W.  H.  Wilson,  who  announced  the  installation 
of  a popcorn  warmer  with  appropriate  fan- 
fare at  the  stand.  The  signs  (see  photograph 
above)  read:  "You  asked  for  it!  Here  it  is! 
Hot  Popcorn!" 

Results  in  terms  of  sales  weren't  too  pleas- 
ing at  first,  Mr.  Wilson  found,  so  he  decided 
to  work  out  some  special  promotional  stunts 
to  get  it  off  the  ground.  The  biggest  of  these 
was  conducted  at  a children's  matinee  on 
Saturday.  And  it  served  a double  purpose; 
it  also  helped  in  saving  money  on  the  thea- 
tre's cleaning  bill!  The  other  result,  of  course, 
was  a big  boost  in  sales. 

As  Mr.  Wilson  tells  it:  "We  informed  the 
kiddies  that  if  they  brought  their  empty  pop- 
corn boxes  back  to  the  front  of  the  theatre 
(where  a special  box  was  installed)  they  might 
be  the  winner  of  a double  guest  pass  for  their 
parents.  It  worked  like  a charm.  Our  con- 
tainer wasn't  half  big  enough,  so  the  next 
time  we  will  be  governed  accordingly.  After 
the  show  there  wasn't  one  empty  box  left  in 


the  theatre.  It  was  a simple  matter  then  to  take  them  downstairs  and  burn  them 
in  our  incinerator." 

Mr.  Wilson  adds:  "We've  now  decided  we'll  keep  the  banners  up  indefinitely 
and  tuck  the  odd  pass  in  a box  of  popcorn.  We  built  the  special  box  (to  con- 
tain the  empties)  ourselves  (see  photo  top,  right)  and  crayoned  in  the  winning 
numbers  just  before  the  kids  came  out.  The  total  cost  ran  only  about  $8.50  as 
we  utilized  previous  signs." 

As  for  the  results  in  terms  of  sales:  At  the  Saturday  morning  show  alone  the 
theatre  sold  700  boxes  of  popcorn.  It  would  seem  that  it's  there  to  stay! 


52 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  JUNE  9,  1956 


by  Gus  Bacolini 

• • • 

NEW  OFFICERS  . . . 

FOR  CAN  ADA  DRY : 

Roy  W.  Moore,  Jr., 
has  been  elected  ex- 
ecutive vice-president 
and  general  manager  of  Canada  Dry  Gin- 
ger Ale,  Inc.,  and  voted  as  well  to  the 
board  of  directors’  executive  committee. 
Mr.  Moore  joined  Canada  Dry  in  1940, 
after  being  graduated  from  Harvard.  He 
started  with  the  company  as  a clerk  in  the 
purchasing  department  and  moved  up 
through  the  ranks  to  vice-president  in 
charge  of  manufacturing.  And  now,  to 
his  new  post.  Mr.  Moore  is  also  a member 
of  the  advisory  board  of  the  100  Park 
Avenue  branch  of  the  Chemical  Corn  Ex- 
change Bank. 

• 


I 


for  pepsi-international:  Directors  of 
Pepsi-Cola  International  have  elected 
Henry  M.  Winter,  previously  executive 
vice-president  to  the  presidency  of  the  com- 
pany. Mr.  Winter  succeeds  William  B. 
Forsythe,  who  will  continue  in  an  advisory 
capacity  with  the  Pepsi-Cola  Company, 
parent  concern.  Mr.  Winter  joined  Pepsi 
in  1941. 

• 

PHILADELPHIA  CALLING  . . . Maury 
Levin  of  Dutch  Treete  (the  serve-hot-or-cold 
chocolate  drink)  phoned  to  say  that  the  response 
to  their  announcement  placing  Dutch  Treete  on 
the  drive-in  market  has  been  exceptionally 
strong.  He  was  quoting  Larry  Blumenthal  of 
Fabco,  who  are  the  distributors  of  the  product. 
Larry  has  been  following  up  requests  for  more 
info  about  Dutch  Treete  that  have  come  in 
from  all  sections  of  the  country.  Here’s  lifting 
a glass  of  Dutch  Treete  to  more  of  the  same. 

• 

SWEET  SHOW  PROSPECTS 

The  Popcorn  & Concession  Association — 
new  name  of  the  International  Popcorn 
Association,  which  more  accurately  de- 
scribes its  interests — is  heading  toward  a 
mighty  representation  at  the  TOA-Tesma- 
Teda-PCA  trade  shown  in  New  York  next 
September.  At  last  count,  before  putting 
this  column  to  press,  75  firms  had  taken 
exhibit  space,  with  quite  a few  of  them 
putting  from  two  to  ten  booths  together 
to  accommodate  their  displays.  PCA’s  pres- 
ident, Bert  Nathan,  is  confident  that  all 
of  the  available  space,  nearly  200  booths, 
will  be  occupied. 


u 


FOR  DRIVE-IN  THEATRES 

£X£lU<>IZE/_(S 


An  exceptionally  fine  chocolate 
flavored  drink,  specially 
prepared  for  drive-in  theatres 
—will  not  be  sold  retail.  Gives 
you  an  excellent  profit  mark-up 
without  competition  from  local 
stores.  A high  quality  beverage, 
in  an  8 oz.  can,  that  tastes 
good  and  is  good  for  you  and 
your  customers. 


National  Sales  Agents 
for  the  Drive-In  Theatres 


FABCO  ASSOCIATES 

643  Brook  Avenue,  New  York  55,  N.  Y.  • MO.  5-3823 

Distributed  by 

DUTCH  HOUSE,  INC.,  1411  North  Sydenham  Street,  Philadelphia,  Penna. 


To  Theatre  and  Concession  Managers— 

Gain  deserved  recognition  for  your  better  refreshment  merchandising  ideas. 
Make  yourself  eligible  for  Motion  Picture  Herald's  Special  Merit  Awards  by 
sending  in  reports  on  how  you  have  applied  showmanship  and  built  business  at 
your  refreshment  stand.  Make  the  reports  detailed. 

Include  photos  of  your  stand  and  samples  of  any  printed  matter. 

Reports  considered  by  the  editors  to  be  of  interest  to  readers  will  be  pub- 
lished with  due  credit.  From  the  published  reports,  selections  will  be  made  for 
citations. 

Send  your  entries  to:  The  Editor,  Better  Refreshment  Merchandising  Depart- 
ment, Motion  Picture  Herald,  1270  Sixth  Avenue,  New  York  City,  20. 


BETTER  REFRESHMENT  MERCHANDISING 


53 


Merchandise  Mart 

★ news  of  products  for  the  theatre 
refreshment  service  and  their  manufacturers 


Panel  on  Merchandising  Problems 
Slated  for  PC  A Convention  in  September 


THEATRE  EXHIBITORS  will 
be  asked  to  state  any  problem  they  have  in 
regard  to  merchandising  refreshment  prod- 
ucts, and  a panel  of  experts  will  offer  an- 
swers at  the  annual  convention  of  the  Pop- 
corn and  Concessions  Association  scheduled 
for  September  20th  to  24th  in  New  York 
City.  The  PCA  convention  and  trade  show 
are  being  held  in  conjunction  with  the 
combined  conventions  and  trade  show  of 
the  Theatre  Owners  of  America,  Theatre 
Equipment  and  Supply  Manufacturers  As- 
sociation and  Theatre  Equipment  Dealers 
Association  at  the  Hotel  Statler,  according 
to  Bert  Nathan,  PCA  president. 

“Thousands  of  theatre  owners,  popcorn 
manufacturers  and  packers  and  concession- 
aires will  attend  to  explore  ideas,”  Mr. 
Nathan  explained,  “by  which  the  processes 
of  distribution,  selling,  promotion  and  ad- 
vertising can  keep  up  with  the  challenges 
and  opportunities  offered  by  the  great  in- 
crease in  America’s  spendable  income  and 
the  changing  pattern  with  which  this  in- 
come is  distributed.  The  purpose  of  these 
meetings,  this  year  as  in  the  past,  is  to 
bring  together  outstanding  experience  and 
talent  so  that  we  may  share  and  benefit 
from  it.” 

KOKEN  PLANS  PROGRAM 

Lee  Koken  of  RKO  Industries  Corpora- 
tion, New  York,  acting  as  general  con- 
vention chairman,  will  direct  six  separate 
segment  programs  representing  as  many 
business  interests  of  the  popcorn  and  con- 
cession industries.  Assisting  him  in  the  thea- 
tre-concession field  will  be  Nat  Buchman 
of  Theatre  Merchandising  Corporation. 

Social  functions  are  being  planned  now 
by  a special  entertainment  committee 
headed  b}  Larry  Blumenthal,  Flavo-Rite 
Foods,  Inc.,  New  York.  Members  of  the 
committee  are  Ben  Newman,  Ben  Newman 
Associaties,  New  York;  Kenneth  Wells, 
Theatre  Confections,  Ltd.,  Toronto,  On- 
tario; Mel  Rapp,  apco,  Inc.,  New  York; 


L.  D.  Harris,  L.  D.  Harris  Company,  New 
York  ; Leonard  Pollack,  Loew’s  Theatres, 
New  York;  Morrie  Yohai,  King  Kone 
Corporation,  New  York;  Frank  Strean, 
Canadian  Automatic  Candy  Company,  To- 
ronto, Ontario;  Charles  Okun,  Coca-Cola 
Company,  New  York;  and  Alan  Finley, 
Pepsi-Cola  Company,  New  York. 

Affairs  already  scheduled  are  a “house 
of  friendship”  cocktail  party  on  Thursday 
evening,  September  20th  at  the  Hotel 
Statler,  sponsored  by  all  allied  supply  firms 
to  the  popcorn  and  concession  industries; 
the  Pepsi-Cola  party  in  the  grand  ballroom 
of  the  hotel  on  Sunday,  September  23rd  and 
the  combined  pca-toa-tesma-teda  presi- 
dent’s banquet  and  champagne  supper  on 
Monday  evening,  September  24th  in  the 
grand  ballroom  of  the  Waldorf-Astoria. 

Working  closely  with  the  general  enter- 


tainment committee  is  a special  ladies’  pro- 
gram committee  headed  by  Mrs.  Charles 
Okun  and  Mrs.  Harold  Newman,  both  of 
New  York.  Serving  on  the  committee  are 
Mrs.  Arthur  Segal;  Airs.  Irving  Singer; 
M rs.  David  Adlman ; Mrs.  Bert  Nathan; 
and  Airs.  Ben  Newman.  The  ladies’  pro- 
gram will  include  a tour  of  New  York 
City,  a visit  to  and  luncheon  at  the  United 
Nations,  brunch  and  style  show  at  B.  Alt- 
man and  Company,  and  a luncheon-bingo 
party  at  the  Statler. 

The  PCA  trade  show  will  be  on  the 
third  floor  of  the  new  Coliseum  adjacent  to 
that  of  the  motion  picture  industry.  In  the 
“Popcorn-Candy  and  Concession  Hall”  sec- 
tion, consisting  of  180  booths,  equipment 
for  all  types  of  refreshments  will  be  ex- 
hibited, according  to  Lester  Grand  of  the 
Confection  Cabinet  Corporation,  Chicago, 
and  PCA  exhibit  chairman. 

FIRMS  WITH  SPACE 

He  reported  recently  that  60%  of  the 
booths  have  already  been  purchased.  Among 
the  firms  which  have  already  reserved  space 
are : 

apco,  Inc.,  Blevins  Popcorn  Company, 
Blumenthal  Brothers  Chocolate  Company, 
Canada  Dry  Ginger  Ale,  Carbonic  Dis- 
pensers, Coca-Cola  Company,  Cole  Prod- 
ucts Company,  Continental  Can  Company, 
Cretors  Corporation,  Curtiss  Candy  Com- 
pany, Dell  Food  Specialties  Company,  Dia- 
mond Crystal  Salt  Company,  F & F Labo- 
ratories, Flavo-Rite  Foods,  ghr  Enter- 
prises, Gold  Medal  Candy  Company,  Heat 
Exchangers,  Henry  Heide,  Hershey  Choco- 
late Corporation,  Hollywood  Brands. 

Also  Hollywood  Servemaster,  Jet  Spray 


Plans  for  the  1956  convention  and  trade  show  of  the  Popcorn  and  Concession  Association,  scheduled 
for  September  20th  to  24th  in  New  York,  were  formulated  at  a meeting  in  that  city  recently  at 
which  Bert  Nathan,  PCA  president,  appointed  convention  committees.  The  PCA  events  will  again 
be  held  this  year  in  conjunction  with  the  conventions  and  trade  show  of  the  Theatre  Equipment  and 
Supply  Manufacturers  Association  and  the  Theatre  Equipment  Dealers  Association.  Shown  above  at 
a dinner  following  the  PCA  pre-convention  meeting  are  (standing,  left  to  right)  Harold  Newman,  of 
Century  Theatres,  New  York;  Merlin  Lewis,  executive  secretary  of  TESMA;  Charles  Okun,  special  the- 
atre representative  for  the  Coca-Cola  Company;  Mr.  Nathan;  Lee  Koken  of  RKO  Industries  Corp.; 
Larry  Blumenthal  of  Flavo-Rite  Foods,  Bronx,  N.  Y.;  and  Ben  Newman  of  Ben  Newman  Associates. 
Seated  are  Mrs.  Nathan;  Mrs.  Segal;  Mrs.  David  Adleman;  Mrs.  Okun;  Mrs.  Harold  Newman;  Mrs. 
Irving  Singer;  and  Mrs.  Ben  Newman. 


54 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  JUNE  9,  1956 


Corporation,  Walter  H.  Johnson  Candy 
Company,  Kraft  Foods  Company,  Leaf 
Brands,  Inc.,  Majestic  Dispensers,  Inc., 
Manley,  Inc.,  Mars,  Inc.,  Maryland  Cup 
Company,  Merkel  Foods  Company,  Mis- 
sion of  California,  National  Market  Equip- 
ment Company,  Nestle  Candy  Company, 
Nehi  Corporation,  Ben  Newman  Associates, 
Northwest  Cone  Company,  Original  Crispy 
Pizza  Crust  Company,  Orange-Crush  Com- 
pany, Pepsi-Cola  Company,  Perlick  Brass 
Company,  Peter  Paul,  Inc. 

Also  Pez-Haas,  Inc.,  Planters  Nut  & 
Chocolate  Company,  Popcorn  Corporation 
of  America,  Quaker  City  Chocolate  and 
Confectionery  Company,  Reese  Candy 
Company,  Rex  Specialty  Bag  Corporation, 
Rowe  Manufacturing  Company,  the  Savon 
Company,  Schutter  Candy  Company,  Sel- 
mix  Dispensers,  Sportsservice,  Steel  Prod- 
ucts Company,  Supurdisplay,  Inc.,  Superior 
Refrigerator  Manufacturing  Company  and 
Switzer’s  Licorice. 


Double-Decker  Oven 
To  Grill  Sandwiches 

a two-level  infra-red 
oven  designed  to  toast  and  grill  up  to  eight 
sandwiches  at  a time  “within  two  minutes” 
has  been  announced  by  Daniel  H.  Sheeler 
& Sons,  Inc.,  St.  Albans,  N.  Y.  It  is  stated 
that  the  oven  will  also  heat  frankfurters, 
hamburgers,  pizzas  and  other  specialties 
just  as  quickly. 

The  oven  is  especially  designed  to  elim- 
inate the  need  for  kitchen  facilities  at  the 
serving  site,  it  is  pointed  out.  Food  may 
be  prepared  in  advance  at  a central  com- 
missary and  then  heat-sealed  in  a trans- 
parent cellophane  wrapper.  It  can  then  be 
inserted  in  either  deck  of  the  oven  or  stored 
at  normal  refrigeration  temperatures  for 
later  use. 

In  the  oven  the  infra-red  rays  pass 
through  the  wrapper,  heating  the  meat, 
cheese,  or  other  sandwich  filler,  while 


toasting  the  bread.  In  this  way  all  of  the 
ingredients  “stew”  in  their  own  cellophane- 
entrapped  vapors,  the  announcement  as- 
serts. 

The  exterior  of  the  double-decker  oven 
is  mirror-chrome  finished.  It  measures  23 
inches  wide  by  9 inches  deep  by  12 


inches  high.  1 he  two  decks  can  be  op- 
erated separately,  with  individual  timers 
controlling  each  deck.  It  operates  on  100 
volts,  either  a.c.  or  d.c. 

A five-color  flasher  sign  reading  “deli- 
cious infra-red  hot  toasted  sandwiches 
served  in  sanitary  heat  sealed  bags”  rests 
on  top  of  the  oven.  Operating  plans  and 
point-of-purchase  promotion  kits  are  sup- 
plied by  the  company. 

The  oven  is  being  distributed  in  the 
theatre  field  by  the  American  Motion  Pic- 
ture Supply  Company,  Brooklyn,  N.  Y. 


Ingredients  for  Making 
Fresh  Pizza  at  Drive-Ins 

pre-mixed  ingredients  for 
making  fresh  pizza  at  drive-in  theatres  have 
been  placed  on  the  drive-in  theatre  market 
by  Tolona  Pizza  Products,  Inc.,  Chicago. 
According  to  Nick  Ponticelli,  president,  the 
pizza  takes  only  four  minutes  to  serve.” 
The  new  product,  called  “Tolona  Pizza,” 
is  described  as  an  “original,  true-flavor” 
recipe  with  ingredients  as  follows:  “Orig- 


TWIN  ELEVATOR  WELLS  and 
AUTOMATIC  PUSH-BUTTON  SEASONING  PUMP 


WORLD'S  FINEST 


Over-the-Counter 
POPCORN  MACHINE 


• Greater  Warming 
Capacity — holds 
equivalent  of  200 
boxes  popped  corn. 

• New  Forced  Air 
Warming — Thermo- 
stat controlled;  keeps 
corn  crisp,  fresh. 

• Automatic  Electric 
Seasoning  Pump. 

• Ample  Space  for  2 
busy  attendants. 


CRETORS’  all-steel  gas  or  electric  kettle  teamed  with  dual 
elevator  wells  in  an  over-the-counter  popcorn  machine  with 
enough  popping  and  storage  capacity  to  handle  the  heaviest 
traffic.  Gives  a concession  stand  the  glamour  and  sales  appeal 
so  necessary  for  king-size  profits.  Earning  capacity  up  to 
$75.00  per  hour.  Handy,  over-the-counter  service.  See  your 
nearest  CRETORS  distributor  about  early  delivery  of  an 
“Olympic”  or  any  other  CRETORS  model. 

CRETORS  POPCORN  MACHINES 

SALES  OFFICE:  POPCORN  BLDG.,  NASHVILLE,  TENN, 
FACTORY:  CHICAGO,  ILL. 


THE  SAVON  COMPANY 

CREATORS  OF 

Family  Style  PIZZA 

FOR 

DRIVE-IN  THEATRES 

EXCLUSIVELY  

Sold  at  60^  to  65{l 

Complete  equipment 
and  ingredients  available 
WRITE  FOR  INFORMATION 

286  PENNSYLVANIA  AVE.,  PATERSON,  N.J. 


Advertised 

HENRY  HEIDE,  INC.  . NEW  YORK,  N.Y. 


BETTER  REFRESHMENT  MERCHANDISING 


55 


inal  Crispy  Pizza  Crust”;  fresh  mozzarella 
cheese ; oregano  and  pre-mixed  ingredients 
supplied  by  Tolona.  Since  the  ingredients 
are  kept  separate,  it  is  pointed  out,  “there 
is  no  'w  aste  or  spoilage.” 

The  fresh  pizza  has  already  been  intro- 
duced by  several  drive-in  circuits  in  Illinois, 
Indiana  and  Wisconsin,  it  is  stated,  with 
“excellent  results.”  The  company  has  made 
available  a trailer  in  color  to  promote  the 
product  at  intermission  periods.  This  trailer, 
which  shows  the  preparation  of  the  pizza, 
has  been  credited  by  operators  with  helping 
sales  considerably. 

Counter  Dispenser  with 
Capacity  of  3 Gallons 

a counter  dispenser  for 
non-carbonated  beverages  has  been  an- 
nounced by  the  Jet  Spray  Corporation, 
Boston.  The  manufacturer  states  that  it 
recools  and  remixes  three  gallons  of  bever- 
age every  minute,  thereby  providing  “auto- 
matic temperature  control  without  hoses, 
arms,  shafts,  or  loose  parts.” 

The  “Jet  Rocket  Model,”  as  it  is  trade- 
named,  has  a recently  developed,  totally  en- 
closed motor  with  built-in  oiling  lines  to 


provide  spray  power.  A new  type  replace- 
able bowl  seal  of  pure  gum  rubber  is  said  to 
“easily  snap  on  vertically  and  hold  hori- 
zontally.” There  is  also  a “Steri-lizer” 
lamp  which  purifies  1000  cubic  feet  with 
ozone  and  protects  the  chassis  and  area 
around  the  dispenser,  in  addition  to  repel- 
ling insects  and  destroying  bacteria. 

1 he  drip  shelf  is  of  stainless  steel  and 
the  manufacturer  states  it  is  much  larger 
than  in  previous  models,  thus  enabling  mul- 
tiple one-hand  filling  for  V-cups,  glasses, 
etc.  I he  unit  holds  four  “plus”  gallons 
and  takes  up  one  square  foot  of  counter 
space  with  shelf  overhang.  It  is  22  inches 
high. 


New  Equipment  for 
Soft  Serve  Products 

the  Sweden  Freezer 
Manufacturing  Company,  Seattle,  has  an- 
nounced the  “212  SoftServer,”  a machine 
for  preparing  and  serving  soft  ice  cream 
products  as  the  newest  addition  to  its  line 
of  such  equipment.  The  unit  is  described 
as  a completely  self-contained  back  bar  com- 
panion to  the  company’s  “ShakeMaker,” 
introduced  last  year. 

The  new  equipment  is  19  inches  high 
29l/2  inches  wide  and  16  inches  deep.  It 
has  a 5-gallon  mix  tank  and  the  “Air-O- 
Metric”  mix  feed  system. 

Production  capacity  is  10  gallons  of  soft 
serve  product  an  hour,  or  nine  2-ounce  (by 
weight)  servings  a minute.  A ^4  h.p.  her- 
metically sealed  water  cooled  condensing 
unit  furnishes  refrigeration,  while  a 1 h.p. 
General  Electric  motor  powers  the  dasher. 
The  finish  is  stainless  steel  and  baked  white 
enamel. 

The  company  has  also  announced  that 


Premium  Coupons  Help 
Build  Popcorn  Sales 

PREMIUM  coupons  placed  in  boxes  of 
popcorn  have  proved  themselves  power- 
ful stimulants  to  repeat  sales  at  the 
box-office  and  at  the  theatre  refreshment 
stand,  according  to  a report  by  William 
E.  Smith  of  The  Popcorn  Institute.  When 
these  coupons  total  a specified  number, 
they  entitle  the  holder  to  a free  box  of 
popcorn  or  to  a free  pass  to  the  theatre. 

Exhibitors  have  used  a coupon  device 
to  boost  attendance  and  popcorn  sales 
in  different  ways,  each  of  them  success- 
ful. One  exhibitor  placed  in  each  box 
of  popcorn  a coupon  good  for  five  cents 
in  trade  toward  a carton  of  popcorn.  The 
coupon  read,  "Good  for  five  centsl  This 
coupon  and  five  cents  entitle  you  to  buy 
a ten-cent  carton  of  popcorn,  during 
week  ending  " 

Another  exhibitor  placed  in  each  box 
a coupon  reading:  "Save  this  coupon! 
You  will  find  one  like  it  in  each  box  of 
popcorn  you  buy.  When  you  have  saved 
ten  coupons,  you  can  exchange  them  for 

a complimentary  ticket  to  the  

theatre." 

Children  and  teenagers  — with  their 
limited  allowances — like  to  save  coupons 
particularly,  it  was  stated.  And  while 
the  number  of  coupons  grows,  the  holder 
is  establishing  loyalty  to  the  particular 
theatre  where  he  receives  them.  Now, 
with  the  summer  months  here,  children 
will  have  more  time  to  attend  movies. 

To  build  up  full  interest,  the  coupon 
idea  should  be  promoted  in  local  news- 
paper advertising  and  in  posters  and 
wire-hangers  placed  throughout  the  lob- 
by and  at  the  refreshment  stand.  The 
exhibitor  can  have  this  point-of-sale 
material,  the  newspaper  mat,  and  the 
coupons  prepared  locally  at  small  cost 
and  with  all  the  individuality  he  wants. 


detachable  syrup  pumps  and  jars  are  now 
available  as  accessory  equipment  to  the  new 
model  “211  ShakeMaker.”  An  easily  in- 


stalled stainless  steel  bracket  holds  the  two 
standard  size  jars  and  pumps.  The  jars  can 
be  removed  easily  for  cleaning,  sterilizing 
and  refrigerating. 

Pizza  Oven  with  Capacity 
Of  Six  12-Inch  Pies 

A new  pizza  oven  with  a 
capacity  of  six  12-inch  pies  designed  to 
“cut  baking  time  to  five  minutes  per  pizza,” 
has  been  announced  by  the  Hotpoint  Com- 
pany, Chicago.  The  manufacturer  states 
this  baking  period  is  possible  “because  of 
the  oven’s  high  temperature  range  (300° 
to  600°)  and  its  very  fast  heat  recovery 
after  refrigerated  dough  is  placed  in  it.” 

The  temperature  range  allows  the  new 
oven  to  be  used  for  other  baked  goods,  it 
is  stated,  as  well  as  for  most  roasting  op- 
erations. The  sealed-heat  chamber  of  the 
oven  has  insulation  on  all  six  sides,  de- 
signed to  minimize  heat  loss  and  give  cooler, 
economical  operation,  “whatever  tempera- 
ture range  is  used.” 

The  oven  is  manufactured  in  Hotpoint’s 
Glamourline  finish  with  stainless-steel 
veneer  and  can  be  banked  or  stacked  with 
other  Hotpoint  oven  sections  to  save  space. 
The  oven  is  also  available  in  a finish  of  all 
stainless  steel. 

New  Popcorn  Seasoning 
With  "Butter"  Flavor 

a new  seasoning  designed 
for  use  with  popcorn  and  described  as 
having  a “butter-like”  flavor  has  been  an- 
nounced by  the  Dell  Food  Specialties 
Company,  Beloit,  Wise.  It  is  called  “Rich- 
bo.” 

The  manufacturer  states  that  the  prod- 
uct, in  addition  to  “giving  a ‘butter’  flavor, 
colors  product  such  as  popcorn  with  a rich 
golden  yellow.”  The  seasoning  can  be  ap- 
plied in  either  the  w-et  or  dry  popcorn 
method.  Samples  and  prices  will  be  sup- 
plied upon  request. 


56 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  JUNE  9,  1956 


Infra-Red  Food  Warmers 
With  Portable  Feature 

infra-red  food  warmers 
that  can  be  moved  from  place  to  place  in 
the  serving  area  have  been  marketed  by  the 
Charles  L.  Dick  Company,  Kent,  Wise. 
The  units  can  be  mounted  under  existing 
shelves  of  any  simple  support,  or,  if  porta- 
bility is  desired,  can  be  obtained  with  steel 
stands. 

The  heating  units  are  6 inches  wide  and 
2 Y2  inches  high,  permitting  them  to  be 
built  into  a confined  space.  Multiple  units 
can  be  placed  end  to  end  for  any  length  of 
installation. 

BACK  BAR  REFRIGERATORS 

A new  line  of  back  bar  refrigeration 
equipment  has  been  marketed  by  the 
LaCrosse  Cooler  Company,  LaCrosse, 
Wise.  Models  with  either  three  or  four 
doors  are  available.  They  have  stainless 
steel  fronts  and  ends  but  no  top  panel, 
which  is  designed  to  make  it  easy  to  work 
the  equipment  into  the  back  bar  arrange- 
ment. In  those  cases  where  it  will  not  be 
used  as  a part  of  the  back  bar  setup,  a 
stainless  steel  top  can  be  secured. 


An  outstanding  feature  of  the  refreshment  stand  at  Famous  Players'  Grand  theatre  in  Kingston,  Ontario, 
is  the  panel  of  pegboard  on  the  back  bar  wall  which  allows  for  rapid  and  easy  changes  of  display  ma- 
terial. The  pegboard  was  installed  by  Trueman  Walters,  theatre  manager,  who  also  devised  this  arrange- 
ment for  the  coming  of  spring.  At  the  same  time  he  promoted  sales  of  popcorn  and  soft  drinks  by 
offering  free  flags  of  the  United  Nations.  (There  are  38  different  flags  to  the  complete  set  which  pa- 
trons are  eventually  able  to  make.) 


Inquiry 


Service 


ADVERTISERS'  PAGE  AND  REFERENCE  NUMBERS: 

Ref.  No. 

1—  CANADA  DRY  GINGER  ALE,  INC 

2—  THE  COCA-COLA  COMPANY  . 

3—  CRETORS  CORPORATION  

4—  DUTCH  HOUSE,  INC 

5—  HENRY  HEIDE,  INC 

6—  MANLEY,  INC 

7—  THE  NESTLE  COMPANY,  INC. 

8—  THE  PEPSI-COLA  COMPANY 

9—  THE  SAVON  COMPANY  


Page  No. 
50-51 
42 
55 
53 
55 
48 
47 
44-45 
. 55 


1 

INQUIRY  COUPON  <■«<■  | 

To  BETTER  REFRESHMENT  MERCHANDISING  Department: 

Motion  Picture  Herald,  1270  Sixth  Avenue,  New  York  20,  N.  Y. 

I am  Interested  In  products  as  Indicated  by  the  reference  numbers  written  In 
below,  and  would  like  to  receive  literature  concerning  them. 


Nome  . 
Address 


Theatre  

J 


FOR  GENERAL  INQUIRY: 

• Classes  of  products  on  which  in- 
formation is  desired  may  also  be 
indicated  in  the  coupon  by  the 
number  preceding  the  item  in  the 
following  list: 

100 —  Beverage  dispensers,  coin 

101 —  Beverage  dispensers,  counter 

102 —  Candy  bars 

103 —  Candy  Specialties 

104 —  Candy  machines 

105 —  Cash  drawers 

106 —  Cigarette  machines 

1 07 —  Coffee-makers 

108 —  Cups  & containers,  paper 

109 —  Custard  freezers 

I 10 — Films,  snack  bar  adv 
I I I — Food  specialties 
I 1 2 — French  fryers 

1 13 —  Grilles,  franks,  etc. 

114 —  Gum,  chewing 

115 —  Gum  machines 

I 16 — Ice  cream  cabinets 
I 17 — Mixers,  malteds,  etc. 

I 18 — Popcorn  machines 
I 19 — Popcorn  warmers 

120 —  Popping  oils 

121 —  Scales,  coin  operated 

122 —  Soda  fountains 

123 —  Soft  drinks,  syrup 

124 —  Showcases 

125 —  Vending  carts 

126 —  Warmers,  buns,  etc. 


BETTER  REFRESHMENT  MERCHANDISING 


57 


CLASSIFIED  ADVERTISING 


Fifteen  cents  per  word,  money-order  or  check  with  copy.  Count  initials,  box  number  and  address.  Minimum  insertion  $ 1 .50.  Four 
insertions  for  the  price  of  three.  Contract  rates  on  application.  No  border  or  cuts.  Forms  close  Mondays  at  5 P.M.  Publisher 
reserves  the  right  to  reject  any  copy.  Film  and  trailer  advertising  not  accepted.  Classified  advertising  not  subject  to  agency 
commission.  Address  copy  and  checks:  MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  Classified  Dept.,  Rockefeller  Center,  New  York  (20) 


THEATRES 


TWO  DRIVE-IN  THEATRES  EACH  450  CAR 
capacity,  only  drive-in  theatre  in  each  town.  Located 
in  Pennsylvania  and  Maryland.  Will  sell  separately  or 
together.  BOX  2922.  MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD. 


HELP  WANTED 


MANAGERS  WANTED  FOR  YEAR  AROUND, 
also  for  summer  season  theatre.  Apply  MAX  COHEN, 
Rialto  Theatre,  Monticello,  N.  Y. 


EXPANDING  PACIFIC  COAST  THEATRE  CIR- 
cuit  has  openings  now  for  men  of  potential  manage- 
ment calibre.  Theatre  experience  helpful  but  not  neces- 
sary. Here  is  an  opportunity  for  men  capable  of 
accepting  responsibility  to  start  a business  career 
which  is  above  average  in  excitement  and  interest 
and  which  is  also  profitable.  State  age,  marital  status, 
education  and  experience  in  reply.  BOX  2923,  MOTION 
PICTURE  HERALD. 


DRIVE-IN  EQUIPMENT 


IN-CAR  SPEAKERS  $4.25!  YEAR  WARRANTY. 
4"  unit,  steel  case  painted  blue,  white.  Price  per  set  2 
speakers,  junction  box.  $12.25.  S.O.S.  CINEMA  SUP- 
PLY CORP.,  602  W.  52nd  St.,  New  York  19. 


NEW  EQUIPMENT 


DUAL  DEVRY  OUTFIT  $5,000  VALUE,  $2,495 ! 
Includes  Strong  Jr  HI  Arcs,  45  amp.  rectifiers, 
streamlined  pedestals,  dual  25  watt  DeVry  amplifiers, 
Series  II  lenses,  2 way  speakers.  Avaiiable  on  time. 
S.O.S.  CINEMA  SUPPLY  CORP.,  602  W.  52nd  St., 
New  York  19. 


INTERMITTENT  MOVEMENTS— NEW  SURPLUS 
for  Simplex  $69.50;  DeVry  $59.50;  Holmes  $24.50;  Auto- 
matic enclosed  rewinds  $69.50.  S.O.S.  CINEMA 
SUPPLY  CORP.,  602  W.  52nd  St.,  New  York  19. 


BOOKS 


NEW  — FOR  THEATRE  MANAGERS  — “THE 
Master  Guide  on  Theatre  Maintenance,”  compiled  from 
authorities,  handy  for  reference  with  hard  covers  and 
index.  Published  by  Aaron  Nadell.  Price  $5  postpaid. 
Send  remittance  to  QUIGLEY  BOOKSHOP,  1270  Sixth 
Ave.,  New  York  20,  N.  Y. 


RICHARDSON’S  BLUEBOOK  OF  PROJECTION. 
New  8th  Edition.  Revised  to  deal  with  the  latest  tech- 
nical developments  in  motion  picture  projection  and 
sound,  and  reorganized  to  facilitate  study  and  refer- 
ence. Includes  a practical  discussion  of  Television 
especially  prepared  for  the  instruction  of  theatre  pro- 
jectionists, and  of  new  techniques  for  advancement  of 
the  art  of  the  motion  picture.  The  standard  textbook 
on  motion  picture  projection  and  sound  reproduction. 
Invaluable  to  beginner  and  expert.  Best  seller  since 
1911.  662  pages,  cloth  bound,  $7.25  postpaid.  QUIGLEY 
BOOKSHOP,  1270  Sixth  Avenue,  New  York  20,  N.  Y. 


USED  EQUIPMENT 


LOADED  WITH  H.  I.  LAMPHOUSES!  PEER- 
less  Magnarcs,  $395  pr. ; Strong  Mogul,  Brenkert 
Enarc,  Forest  U.T.,  Ashcraft  D-18E,  Ballantyne  $300, 
all  good  condition.  Available  on  time.  S.O.S.  CINEMA 
SUPPLY  CORP.,  602  W.  52nd  St.,  New  Yorx  19 


EXCELLENT  COATED  PROJECTION  LENSES— 
many  brand  new!  Wollensak  “Sunray”  Series  I:  2”, 
3 3J4",  314",  5",  5J4".  6",  7J4" — $35  pair.  Superlite 

Series  III  “C”  coated  2J4“— 3”— 314"  $150  pr.  Others 
available,  tell  us  your  needs.  Trades  Taken.  Wire 
or  telephone  order  today.  S.O.S.  CINEMA  SUPPLY 
CORP.,  602  W.  52nd  St..  New  York  19. 


STUDIO  EQUIPMENT 


NEUMADE  RK-100  FILM  RACKS,  HOLD  120-1000' 
reels,  $165  originally,  new  $S7.50;  Arriflex  II  3imm 
camera  complete,  $2,000  value,  $1,195;  1000W  Mazda 
Spotlamps  G48  Mogul  bipost,  $13.50  list,  $6.95;  Amer. 
Cinematographers  Handbook,  price,  $2.50;  Bridga- 
tnatic  Jr.  16mm  Automatic  Processor,  $1,500  value, 
$975;  Maurer  16  Camera,  lens,  2 magazines,  synemotor, 
12  V motor  w /battery,  all  cases,  complete  $2,395; 
5000W  Background  Projector,  reconditioned,  $595; 
Moviola  35mm  composite  sound/picture,  $495.  S.O.S. 
CINEMA  SUPPLY  CORP.,  602  W.  52nd  St..  New 
York  19. 


POPCORN 


WORLD-WIDE  HEADQUARTERS  FOR  POP- 
corn,  popcorn  equipment  and  supplies.  POPCORN 
VILLAGE,  Nashville,  Tenn.,  U.S.A. 


A "COMBINATION"  TREAT 


Coca-Cola  and  Flavos  Shrimp  Rolls  are  being  pro- 
moted as  a "combination"  treat  in  this  new  point- 
of-purchase  display  sign,  demonstrated  by  George 
DeRisi,  general  manager  for  Theatre  Popcorn 
Vending  Corporation,  Brooklyn,  N.  Y.,  which  has 
placed  it  in  all  drive-in  theatres  serviced  by  that 
company  in  New  York,  Connecticut,  Massachusetts 
and  New  Jersey. 

HERSHEY  PROFITS  UP 

Net  profits  for  the  Hershey  Chocolate 
Corporation,  Hershey,  Pa.,  have  jumped  to 
$2,569,120  for  the  first  quarter  of  the  year, 
compared  with  $2,269,286  for  the  same 
period  of  1955.  Earnings  per  share  are  up 
from  90c  for  the  first  quarter  of  last  year  to 
$1.02  for  1956. 


Soft-Serve  Freezer 
With  Accessory  Groups 

A soft-serve  freezer  so 
constructed  that  one  or  more  accessory 
groups  may  be  added  to  it  as  the  operator 
may  desire  has  been  announced  by  General 
Equipment  Sales,  Inc.,  Indianapolis. 

The  basic  unit  is  designated  as  “Model 
1131  San-Serv  Super  6.”  Group  one  con- 
sists of  a recirculator  front  spigot  and 
Frigidome  spigot  insulator.  Group  two  is 
made  up  of  a scraper  blade  dasher,  instant- 
serve  product  recirculator  and  dispensing 
spigot,  and  Frigidome.  Group  three  com- 
prises Sani-Air  air  conditioning,  which  i; 
an  air  conditioning  unit  designed  to  be  oper- 
ated from  the  Super  6’s  condensing  unit, 
thus  not  requiring  its  own. 

Machine  to  Produce 
Two  Sizes  of  Ice 

AN  ICE  maker  designed 
to  produce  either  “large”  or  “chip-size” 
ice  “at  the  turn  of  a switch”  has  been 
marketed  by  the  American  Automatic  Ice 
Machine  Company,  Faribault,  Minn.  The 
unit  is  designated  as  “Model  B-200B.” 

The  standard  bin  of  the  machine  is  de- 
signed to  contain  “a  full  day’s  capacity  of 
crystal  tips  or  chips”  and  a full  width 


access  door  permits  easy  removal  of  ice. 
The  unit  will  fit  under  counters  or  bars 
and  occupies  less  than  6 square  feet  of  space. 
Among  its  design  features  is  placement 
of  the  air-cooled  condenser  away  from  the 
floor  area  where  dust  collects. 


DOUBLE-PURPOSE  DISPLAY  SIGN 


Two  merchandising  functions  are  served  at  the 
same  time  by  this  elaborate  display  sign  devised 
for  the  snack  bar  at  the  LeRose  theatre  in  Jeffer- 
sonville, Ind.,  by  A.  L.  Gardner,  manager:  If 

promotes  both  buttered  popcorn  and  the  thatere  s 
wide-screen.  He  calls  it  his  "double-purpose"  sign 
and  reports  that  the  8 by  10-inch  frames  are  con- 
structed so  the  star  portraits  can  be  changed 
every  week.  Comments  on  the  sign  are  "terrific," 
he  adds. 


58 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  JUNE  9,  1956 


uj'OD-azuzi-  • aaui-HUJui-Dauj  -sa-zi-ujzazuuj 


that  RCA  dependability  assures/ 


The  RCA  In-Car  Speaker  is  priced  surprisingly 
low,  but  its  big  plus  value  is  its  dependability. 
RCA  engineering  skill  and  manufacturing  meth- 
ods assure  year-in  and  year-out  operating  savings. 
Look  ahead  and  figure  how  many  repair  dollars 
this  RCA  Speaker  quality  can  save  you  . . . how 
many  satisfied  patrons  will  keep  turning  into 
your  admission  lanes  because  they  hear  every 
word  perfectly  every  time. 

Pick  and  choose,  from  RCA’s  complete  speaker 
line,  the  model  that  best  suits  your  equipment 
budget.  Deluxe  Starlite  finished  speakers,  or  die- 
cast  aluminum  economy  units  . . . they  all  de- 
liver sound  that’s  rich  and  clear  and  lifelike.  And 
they’re  all  built  to  perform  superbly  over  a long 
life  with  minimum  maintenance.  RCA’s  drive-in 


line  also  offers  the  unique  Circlite  Junction  Box — 
precise  electrical  connections  in  an  amazingly 
small  space,  plus  functional  post  lighting  through 
beautifully  colored  plexiglas  strips  . . . available 
in  red,  green,  and  white. 

Budgetwise,  there’s  another  RCA  attraction  for 
wise  drive-in  men.  It’s  RCA’s  Budget-Ease  Plan 
. . . to  ease  your  way  into  an  RCA  Speaker  instal- 
lation for  a small  cash  outlay  and  long,  low-cost 
terms.  Great  idea,  because  it  means  now  is  the 
time  you  can  afford  these  speakers  that  actually 
cost  you  less  because  they  save  you  more,  and 
make  more  for  you.  See  your  RCA  Theatre  Sup- 
ply Dealer  today  about  the  RCA  Speaker  value 
no  mere  price  tag  can  ever  touch. 


the  Line  that  builds  Lines 
at  Your  Box-Office 


RCA 


ffrfiHiAMiffrm 


THEATRE  EQUIPMENT  SALES 

RA  DIO  CORPORA  T/OM  of  A ME  RICA 

CAMDEN,  N.J. 


Let  Wagner 


Sell  Your  Shows! 


— with  panels  and  letters  which  combine  the  best  in  “point 
of  sale’’  display.  More  theatre  owners  install  them  than 
all  other  makes.  Wagner  window  type  panels  are  ava 
able  in  any  size  and  readily  serviced  without  removing 
frames.  Economical  Enduronamel  panels  comprise  back- 
ground and  letter  mounting  arrangement. 


You  also  have  a wider  selection  of  sizes  and 
colors  when  you  use  Wagner  changeable 
letters  with  the  exclusive  tapered  slot, 
movable  by  wind  or  vibration,  yet  easier 
to  change. 


If  you’re  building  or  remodeling  an 
indoor  theatre  or  drive-in,  large  or 
small,  you’d  better  send  for  free 
Wagner  literature. 


Glenwood  Drive-In  Installation  by  State  Neon  Co.,  Atlanta,  Ga. 


Send  the  coupon  NOW / 


WAGNER  SIGN  SERVICE,  INC. 

21S  S.  Hoyne  Ave.  • Chicago  12,  III. 

Please  send  free  literature  on  Wagner  show-selling  equipment. 

NAME 

THEATRE 

STREET 

CITY  & STATE 


BETTER  THEATRES  SECTION 


3 


About  People 
o^  the  Theatre 


The  Ballantyne  Company,  which  has  been  producing  projection  and  sound  equipment  tor  theatres  ror 
25  years,  observed  its  reaching  that  age  last  month  with  a day  of  festivities  at  the  plant  in  Omaha. 
Attending  at  the  invitation  of  J.  Robert  Hoff,  president  of  Ballantyne,  and  R.  Scott  Ballantyne,  chair- 
man of  the  board,  was  a large  group  of  theatre  owners,  dealers,  film  industry  personalities  and  friends 
from  all  over  the  country.  In  the  group  above  are  llo  M.  Brown,  Ballantyne  chief  engineer;  Herbert 
Barnett,  past  president  of  the  SMPTE;  Hugh  McLaughlin,  chairman  of  the  Equipment  Committee  for 
Allied  of  Indiana;  and  Edward  J.  Nelson,  Ballantyne  executive.  Among  others  attending  were  Bill 
Gehring,  vice-president  of  Twentieth  Century-Fox;  Leo  Wolcott,  chairman  of  the  board  for  Nebraska- 
lowa  Allied;  and  Ray  Colvin,  executive  director  of  TEDA.  Special  tribute  was  paid  to  the  Ballantyne 
Company's  oldest  dealer,  Jack  M.  Rice,  Jr.,  of  J.  M.  Rice,  Ltd.,  Winnipeg,  Canada,  shown  below 
with  his  wife,  receiving  the  congratulations  of  Mr.  Hoff.  The  guests  enjoyed  a cocktail  supper,  entertain- 
ment and  tours  of  the  company's  manufacturing  facilities. 


AND  OF  BUSINESSES  SERVING  THEM 


The  Twinkle  Star  drive-in  theatre  at  Auburn- 
dale.  Fla.,  has  been  sold  to  the  Bailey  Theatres 
circuit.  Atlanta,  by  Talgar  Theatres,  Jackson- 
ville. 

Jules  Perlmutter,  of  Albany,  N.  Y.,  has  ac- 
quired a lease  on  the  Star-Lit  drive-in  theatre 
at  Watertown,  N.  Y.,  which  was  operated  last 
season  by  Joseph  C.  Agresta  of  Massena.  This 
gives  Mr.  Perlmutter  four  drive-ins,  the  others 
being  in  Lake  George  Village,  Corinth  and 
Richmondville.  N.  Y.  He  also  operates  six 
indoor  theatres. 

Robert  Coxe,  for  the  past  several  years  man- 
ager of  the  Broadway  drive-in,  Talladega,  Ala., 
has  been  transferred  to  the  Ritz  in  the  same 
city. 

Duke  Shumow  has  assumed  operation  of  the 
Embassy  theatre  in  Chicago  and  has  announced 
plans  to  remodel  it  for  an  early  reopening. 
He  recently  also  acquired  the  Brandt  and  Liber- 
ty theatres  there. 

Herschel  R.  Spencer,  for  many  years  with 
Y & W Management  Corporation,  Indianapolis, 
is  now  managing  the  North  Kokomo  (Ind.) 
drive-in  for  the  Alliance  Amusement  Corpora- 
tion, Chicago. 

Tom  Simon  of  Shea  Enterprises,  Inc.,  has 
been  transferred  from  Manchester,  N.  H.,  to  the 
State  theatre,  Conneaut,  Ohio.  He  succeeds 
Lee  McFerren. 

Clark  Shivley  and  Henley  Smith  have  pur- 
chased the  Folly  theatre,  Marks,  Miss. 

Mrs.  Barbara  Hanley  has  been  appointed 
manager  of  the  Coronet  theatre  in  Milwaukee, 
formerly  known  as  the  Hollywood. 

George  Shepard  is  the  new  manager  of  the 
Omro  theatre  in  that  Wisconsin  town. 

James  Stroud  is  the  new  assistant  manager 
of  the  Lyceum  theatre  and  John  Read  is  the  new 
assistant  at  the  World — both  in  St.  Paul,  Minn. 
The  theatres  are  operated  by  Ted  Mann. 

Ira  Kutok,  manager  for  Edward  H.  Wolk, 
Chicago,  theatre  equipment  and  parts  supplier, 
has  been  on  a business  trip  to  the  West  Coast. 
The  trip  lasted  about  ten  days. 

B.  C.  Myers  of  Albany,  Ky.,  is  the  new  owner 
of  the  Ray  Cooper  theatre  in  Byrdsown,  Tenn. 
Mr.  Mvers  has  sold  his  theatre  in  Monticello, 
Ky. 

Archie  Kayeja  has  been  appointed  manager 
of  the  Capitol  theatre  in  Binghamton,  N.  Y.. 
succeeding  Moe  Richards,  who  resigned  to  join 
the  St.  Lawrence  Seaway  Commission. 

Paul  Yurko,  who  operates  an  amusement 
resort  at  Yankee  Lake,  Ohio,  near  Sharon,  Pa., 


has  announced  plans  to  construct  a drive-in 
theatre  on  the  property. 

Robert  McKinley  has  been  appointed  assistant 
manager  of  Loew’s  Broad,  in  Columbus,  Ohio, 
according  to  an  announcement  by  manager 
Robert  Sokol. 

Albert  Thompson  has  taken  a new  four-year 
lease  on  the  Park  theatre  in  North  Vernon,  Ind. 


Hoyt  Yarbrough,  formerly  assistant  manager 
at  the  Florida  theatre  in  Jacksonville,  has  been 
appointed  manager  of  the  Matanzas  theatre  in 
St.  Augustine. 

M.  C.  Roskopf,  who  has  been  in  the  entertain- 
ment industry  since  1915,  has  sold  his  interest 
in  the  Odeon  theatre  in  Marshalltown,  Iowa,  to 
Ben  Schwartz.  Mr.  Roskopf  opened  the  Lyric 
theatre  there  in  1915,  where  he  showed  one-reel 


4 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  JUNE  9,  1956 


€ 


Send  for  free  literature  which  describes  all  of  the 
other  reasons  why  Strong  lamps  outsell  all  others. 


Startling  advances  and  radical  changes  in  projection  techniques  have 
imposed  conditions  of  arc  operation  and  control  so  critical,  as  to  make 
the  latest  type  lamps  an  absolute  necessity  to  acceptable  screen  presen- 
tation. Error  in  the  position  of  the  positive  crater,  of  as  little  as  1/32", 
can  cause  a light  color  change  to  blue  or  brown,  and  actual  loss  in  screen 
illumination.  A little  of  this  and  you'll  also  be  losing  business.  The 
Strong  Automatic  Crater  Positioning  System,  one  of  the  features  of  the 
Strong  Super  135  Projection  Lamp,  is  your  best  insurance  against  such 
faulty  presentation. 


THE  STRONG  ELECTRIC  CORPORATION 

1 City  Park  Avenue  • Toledo  1,  Ohio 

Please  send  free  literature  on  Strong  Projection  Arc  lamps. 

Name 

Theatre 

Street 

City  t State  


BETTER  THEATRES  SECTION 


5 


far  greater  strength  and 
safety,  unequaled  popularity 


AMERICAN 

Approved 

PLAYGROUND 

EQUIPMENT 


• It’s  the  plus  factor  that  makes 
American  the  most  respected  name 
in  Playground  Equipment  . . . Plus 
in  design — American  leads  the  field. 
. . . Plus  in  performance — Approved 
Equipment  stronger,  more  ruggedly 
built  to  assure  a lifetime  of  perfect 
repair-free  service . . . Plus  in  safety — 
for  American  craftsmen  are  aware  of 
their  responsibility  for  the  safety  of 
your  children.  Thus,  with  American 
you  receive  far  superior  design  and 
.performance  and  unmatched  safety. 


Send  for  New  Catalog 


write  for  literature  featuring 
american  approved  jim  patterson 

LIFETIME  Aluminum 
DIVING  BOARD 

world’s  finest  official  board 


AMERICAN 

PLAYGROUND  DEVICE  CO. 

ANDERSON,  INDIANA,  U.S.A. 

WORLD’S  LARGEST  MANUFACTURERS  OF  FINE 
PARK,  PICNIC,  PLAYGROUND,  SWIMMING 
POOL  AND  DRESSING  ROOM  EQUIPMENT 


BRANCH  PLANT  AT  NAHMA.  MICHIGAN 


Putting  up  a Front  — 

New  and  Streamlined 


THE  STATE  theatre  in  Springfield, 

Ohio,  which  is  owned  and  operated 
by  Phil  Chakeres,  acquired  a brand 
new  front  recently  as  part  of  a re- 
modeling project  with  the  outmoded 
appearance  of  the  old  (right)  giving 
way  to  a modern,  streamlined  effect 
(below).  Under  the  direction  of 
Poblocki  & Sons,  Milwaukee,  the 
modernization  of  the  front  included 
removing  the  old  wood  doors  and 
installing  ten  new  Herculite  doors 
and  transoms  to  the  ceiling  of  the 
lobby.  The  old  box-office  was  com- 
pletely removed  and  a new  one 
placed  on  the  right.  The  new  double- 
faced  attraction  sign  beneath  the 
canopy  is  used  to  spell  out  players  in 
the  current  program  on  the  front  and 
to  announce  the  next  feature  film  on 
the  other  side  so  that  patrons  see  if 
as  they  leave  the  theatre.  In  addition 
"Super  Deluxe"  poster  cases  were  in- 
stalled: two  23  by  65s  on  the  front 
columns;  two  40  by  65  on  return  columns  and  one  100  by  65  on  each  side  of  the 
outer  lobby.  All  cases  are  illuminated  with  slimline  lamps  on  both  sides,  and 
tops  and  bottoms.  In  the  lobby  proper,  six  40  by  60  poster  cases  of  a similar 
type  have  been  installed. 


films  at  an  admission  charge  of  five  cents.  A 
year  later  he  built  the  Casino  theatre,  now  the 
Casino  Arcade.  He  purchased  the  Odeon  in 
1940  in  partnership  with  Sam  Horwitz. 

Mrs.  A.  W.  Gathrop,  who  operates  the  Linda 
drive-in  at  Palatka,  presently  has  a new  drive-in 
under  construction  there.  It  will  be  called  the 
Lindatu. 

Fox  West  Coast  Theatres  is  remodeling  the 
State  theatre  in  Pasadena,  Calif.,  with  renova- 
tion including  a new  marquee,  front,  box-office 
and  carpeting.  The  manager  is  Albert  Szabo. 


Jack  Grossman,  who  operates  the  Magnolia 
theatre  in  Burbank,  Calif.,  has  announced  plans 
to  take  over  the  Montrose  theatre  in  Montrose 
from  Hugh  McKee.  Mr.  Grossman  will  in- 
augurate a policy  of  seven-day  operation. 

Orlando  Karr  has  acquired  the  Lamont  thea- 
tre in  Lamont,  Calif.,  from  Joe  Rogers. 

Al  Frank  has  added  an  outdoor  dance  patio  to 
recreational  facilities  of  his  Circus  drive-in  near 
Atlantic  City,  N.  J.  Patrons  desiring  to  do  so 
may  dance  before  the  performance  begins. 


6 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD.  JUNE  9.  1956 


LENTICULAR 


SCREEN 

“the  screen  of  optical  precision’ 


offering  the  first  great  improvement  in 
maximum  light  distribution  & reflection— yet 
priced  lower  than  ordinary “half-there’  screens 


features: 

^amazingly  low  cost 
^ maximum  reflection 
greatest  distribution 
no  disturbing  seams 

L.  E.  CARPENTER  & COMPANY 

VICRA-LITE  SCREEN  DIVISION 


What’s  a “half -there”  screen?  It’s  a screen  that 
deprives  half  your  patrons  of  the  brightness  and 
original  clarity  of  the  fine  new  films  you’re  show- 
ing. Now,  with  L.  E.  Carpenter’s  just  developed 
screen— employing  all  of  the  important  scientific 
findings  of  Lenticulation— you’re  assured  of  top 
light  distribution  and  reflection.  That  adds  up  to 
more  satisfied  patrons— more  box  office  sales— MORE 
PROFITS  FOR  YOU  ! 

Get  the  complete  facts  now, 
today!  Contact  your  local 
theatre  supply  dealer  for  prices, 
or  write,  wire  or  phone  us  for 
our  factual  booklet. 


Empire  State  Building,  New  York  1,  N.Y.  • LO  4—0080  • Plant:  Wharton,  N.  J 


BETTER  THEATRES  SECTION 


r NATIONAL  ' 

L.  • — J 


\»9 


sCree« 


d light 


lly  g°° 


l^ont  a 


«*or,i  r.ke/il"1 


dies s „,jdth? 


New  conversion  features  ready  for  your  adoption 


when  you  equip  for  wide  film  presentation  include  provision  for  burning 


20-inch  13.6  mm  carbons,  a wider  opening  in  the  nose,  a dowser  which 


covers  the  bigger  opening,  and  a new  high  magnification  mirror.  The  Excelite  135”  comes 


equipped  with  an  18  f 1.“7  or  16-1/2  f 1.9  reflector  and  burns  a choice  of  9,  lO,  or  11  mm 


regular  orlO  mm  Hitex  carbons,  with  single  control  amperage  selection.  Long-life  positive 


carbon  contacts.  (Water-cooled  carbon  contacts  optional.)  Automatic  Crater 


Positioning  System  prevents  color  change  in  screen  light.  Air  jet  arc  stabilization 


keeps  tail  flame  from  reflector.  Prevents  deposit  of  soot  and 


formation  of  heat  absorbing  scum  which  causes  mirror  breakage. 


Blower  cooled  removable  Reflect-O-Heat  unit  for 


reducing  aperture  heat.  Unit  construction. 


PROJECTION 
ARC  LAMPS 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  JUNE  9,  1956 


For  JUNE  1956 


GEORGE  SCHUTZ,  Editor 


EDITORIAL  INDEX: 


PLAYGROUNDS  FOR  EXTRA  LURE 

LEADING  LINES  OF  PLAYGROUND  EQUIPMENT 

KNOW  YOUR  PROPERTY— THE  CONVENIENCE  AND  VALUE  OF  A COMPLETE 


RECORD  OF  WHAT  WAS  INSTALLED.  AND  WHEN,  by  Curtis  Mees 16 

A CHANCE  FOR  THEATRES  TO  HELP  SAVE  MAIN  STREET,  by  Charlie  Jones 18 


BETTER  PROJECTION  department: 

DETERMINING  PROPER  OUTPUT  OF  PROJECTION  LIGHT  SCREENS. 


by  Gio  Gagliardi 29 

"LIGHT  GAIN"  OF  METALLIC  SCREENS 34 

ABOUT  PRODUCTS 21 

ABOUT  PEOPLE  OF  THE  THEATRE 4 


BETTER  THEATRES  is  published  the  first  week  of  the  month,  with  each  regular 
monthly  issue  a bound-in  section  of  Motion  Picture  Herald;  and  in  an  annual 
edition,  the  Market  Guide  Number,  which  is  published  under  its  own  covers  in 
March  as  Section  Two  of  the  Herald. 

• 

QUIGLEY  PUBLICATIONS.  Rockefeller  Center.  New  York  20.  N.  Y..  Circle  7-3100. 
Ray  Gallo,  Advertising  Manager.  HOLLYWOOD:  Yucca-Vine  Building;  HOIlywood 
7-2145.  CHICAGO:  Urban  Farley  & Co.,  120  S.  La  Salle  St.;  Financial  6-3074. 


Tesma  Trade  Show  Going 
International  in  1956 

The  theatre  equipment  section  of  Amer- 
ica’s motion  picture  industry  absorbs  a 
dash  of  the  international  flavor  long  ago 
acquired  by  the  three  main  divisions,  with 
preparations  for  the  1956  trade  show,  to 
be  conducted  by  TOA,  Tesma,  Teda  and 
the  Popcorn  & Concessions  Association  at 
New  York’s  very  new  and  very  capacious 
Coliseum  next  September,  from  the  20th 
through  the  24th. 

This  year’s  exhibition  is,  indeed,  called 
the  International  Trade  Show,  and  of  the 
50  manufacturers  who  already  have  bought 
booth  space,  three  are  from  overseas.  One 
of  them,  the  Sansha  Electric  Manufactur- 
ing Company  of  Japan,  exhibited  rectifiers 
at  the  1955  show  in  Chicago.  This  year 
Jovy  Rectifiers  of  West  Germany  will  also 
have  a booth,  according  to  a press  release 
from  Tesma  headquarters.  Another  Japa- 
nese firm,  Victor,  manufacturers  of  pro- 
jection and  sound  equipment,  will  be 
represented,  and  yet  more  exhibits  from 
other  countries  are  in  prospect. 

Having  interests  beyond  those  of  theatre 
refreshment  service,  the  section  of  the  Pop- 
corn & Concessions  Association  (formerly 
the  International  Popcorn  Association) 
will  have  by  far  the  larger  number  of 
booths,  as  usual.  Of  the  298  booths  sched- 
uled for  this  exposition,  181  will  be  de- 
voted to  vending  equipment  and  supplies. 
The  117  of  the  Tesma  section  compares, 
however,  with  general  theatre  equipment 
representation  of  recent  years. 

• 

It  is  announced  that  70%  of  all  the 
available  space  has  been  sold,  with  50 
manufacturers  having  taken  81  booths  in 
the  Tesma  section.  A total  of  111  manu- 
facturers already  had  taken  space  by  the 
last  week  in  May.  More  than  three  months 
remaining  for  disposal  of  the  remainder,  so 
the  1956  exposition  seems  certain  of  con- 
tinuing the  pattern  of  growth  established, 
rather  surprisingly  to  many  of  us,  soon 
after  the  little  Tesma-Teda  display  in 
Toledo  ten  years  ago. 


The  impact  of  a picture  score  in  stereo- 
phonic sound  is  given  convincing  recog- 
nition in  RKO’s  announcement  that  mul- 
tiple-channel trailers  for  “The  Brave  One” 
will  be  available.  The  score  of  this  pro- 
duction, by  the  Munich  Symphony  Orches- 
tra, under  the  direction  of  Victor  Young, 
has  proved  “exceptional”  and  warrants,  in 


RKO’s  appraisal,  the  cost  of  250  stereo- 
phonic trailers  in  addition  to  optical  chan- 
nel strips.  The  announcement  does  not 
specify  a fourth  track.  The  importance  of 
surround  speakers  for  the  score  seems  so 
obvious  that  perhaps  we  can  assume  their 
use  here. 

— G.  S. 


9 


Plaif^tcund-i 

for  extra  lure 

. . . which  means,  of  course. 


Happy  youngsters  wiili  ready  smiles  for  the  photographer  at  the  Bayshore  drive-in  on  Long  Island. 


bigger  profits  for  the  drive-in. 

Told  here  are  factors  entering 
into  the  construction  of  chil- 
dren's play  areas  and  the  pos- 
sibilities for  further  expansion 
to  include  facilities  for  adults. 

long  lines  of  patrons 
waiting  to  secure  entrance  to  an  attraction 
are  a sure  sign  of  a “smash  hit”  in  show 
business,  and  some  of  the  longest  lines  to 
be  observed  these  days  are  those  in  front 
of  the  children’s  playground  at  drive-in 
theatres.  Eager  anticipation  of  the  “thrills” 
to  be  had  while  whirling  around  on  a 
carousel  or  flying  through  the  air  on  a 
swing  apparently  makes  the  youngsters 
willing  to  queue  up,  if  necessary,  to  await 
their  turn. 

Those  signs  of  the  “smash  hit”  at  many 
drive-ins  which  the  children’s  playground 
has  become  provide  a clear  indication  of 
its  status  in  an  outdoor  theatre  field  today. 
Starting  out  as  an  “added  attraction”  put 
in  hesitantly  by  a few  enterprising  opera- 
tors, it  presently  is  standard  equipment — 
just  as  important  as  the  refreshment  stand. 
(A  recent  estimate  puts  the  number  of 
drive-ins  having  a playground  or  planning 
to  install  one,  at  90%. ) And  it  has  gained 
that  place  for  a very  good  reason  — it 
attracts  more  families,  brings  them  earlier, 
and  thus  builds  both  admissions  and  re- 
freshment sales. 

The  explanation  for  the  success  of  the 
playground  is  not  hard  to  find : what  has 
“kiddie  appeal”  also  has  family  appeal, 
and  where  the  youngsters  want  to  go,  the 
older  folks  follow.  Realizing  this,  many 
operators  have  recently  begun  to  expand 
their  original  playground  facilities  and 
some  have  branched  out  even  further  to 
include  the  installation  of  sports  facilities 
for  adults  as  well. 

Nor  do  the  proven  advantages  of  the 
plaground  to  drive-in  operation  stop  with 


this  original  boost  at  the  box-office.  It  also 
helps  to  bring  the  crowds  out  early,  thereby 
easing  traffic  jams  before  the  first  per- 
formance starts.  And  pre-show  play  stimu- 
lates the  thirsts  and  appetites  of  the 
youngsters,  bringing  a bigger  demand  for 
all  the  refreshments  on  sale  at  the  conces- 
sion stand. 

LOCATING  PLAYGROUNDS 

This  latter  consideration  has  greatly  in- 
fluenced the  placement  of  play  facilities  on 
the  drive-in  grounds.  At  first  it  was  com- 
mon practice  to  install  them  in  the  area 
in  front  of  the  screen  tower,  but  today  the 
favored  position  is  behind  the  refreshment- 
restroom  building.  In  that  central  location 
the  playground  is  more  convenient  of  access 


for  parents  as  well  as  children,  and  the  ad- 
vantages of  such  proximity  to  the  snack  bar 
are  obvious. 

The  size  of  the  playground  area  and  the 
amount  of  equipment  to  be  installed  there 
will  quite  naturally  have  to  be  dictated  by 
the  space  available  and  the  money  which 
the  operator  is  able  to  invest.  In  contem- 
plating a playground,  however,  it  is  im- 
portant to  remember  that  one  can  spend  as 
little  as  $600  and  still  have  an  attraction 
with  sufficient  equipment. 

For  an  instance  of  a small  installation 
there  is  the  Hilltop  theatre  near  Escanaba, 
Mich.,  which  is  a drive-in  with  a capacity 
of  600  cars.  The  equipment  there  illus- 
trates what  might  be  a basic  layout.  It  con- 
sists of  a primary  castle  walk,  a 12-foot 
all-steel  slide,  a merry-go-round,  a see-saw 


10 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  JUNE  9,  1956 


CHARGING  ADMISSION 


set,  and  two  swing  sets,  one  of  which  is 
equipped  with  chair-type  nursery  seats  for 
the  smaller  tots.  The  equipment  at  the 
Hilltop  (which  is  pictured  in  an  accom- 
panying photo)  was  supplied  by  the  Ameri- 
can Playground  Device  Company. 

Larger  drive-ins,  of  course,  require  more 
expansive  facilities.  The  same  company  has 
also  equipped  a drive-in  at  Norfolk,  Va., 
for  Visulite  Theatres  in  a triangular  area 
300  by  215  by  185  feet.  This  playground 
is  divided  into  two  sections — a “junior” 
and  a “senior”  division.  This  practice  of 
separating  the  age  groups  has  been  found 
to  be  advisable  and  should  be  followed 
whenever  possible. 

The  senior  area  at  this  drive-in  has  the 
following  equipment:  a combination  unit 
on  a frame  10  feet  high  above  ground,  con- 
sisting of  two  see-saws,  four  swings,  two 
trapeze  bars,  and  two  sets  of  flying  rings ; 
a castle  tower,  7 feet,  9 inches  high,  capable 
of  holding  36  children ; an  all-steel  slide, 
with  a 16-foot  long  chute;  a horizontal 
ladder,  6 feet  high,  12  feet  long;  and  a 
wave  stride,  which  children  can  whirl 
around  by  gripping  the  handrail  and  push- 
ing against  the  ground  with  their  feet. 

THE  "JUNIOR"  LAYOUT 

The  junior  section  has  the  following 
equipment:  a six-swing  set,  with  chair-type 
nursery  seats  suspended  from  a frame  7 
feet  high ; a merry-go-round  with  a seat 
board  10  feet  in  diameter  and  an  enclosed 
safety  platform,  which  one  child  can  easily 
propel  when  it  carries  the  capacity  load 
of  25 ; a castle  walk  with  the  walk  6 feet 
long  and  5 feet,  3 inches  high  and  towers 
7 feet  high ; a six-swing  set  on  8-foot  high 
frames;  and  an  all-steel  slide,  with  a 12- 
foot  chute. 

On  opposite  ends  of  the  battery  of  de- 
vices in  the  junior  area  are  two  small  tri- 
angular sections,  each  equipped  with  three 


Drive-ins  of  small  capacity  with  limited  space  can  still  avail  themselves  of  the  advantages  of  a 
children's  playground  with  basic  installations  such  as  that  at  the  Hilltop  drive-in,  Escanaba,  Mich. 
There  are  an  American  primary  castle  walk,  a slide,  a merry-go-round,  a see-saw  set  and  two  swing  sets. 


No  charge  is  made  for  these  power-driven 
rides  at  Prudential  theatres,  although  the 
policy  of  charging  5c  or  10c  for  them  has 
been  adopted  by  some  drive-in  operators. 
They  feel  that  this  helps  to  pay  for  the 
cost  and  upkeep  of  such  equipment  as  well 
as  the  additional  personnel  that  its  instal- 
lation involves. 

The  carousel  and  the  ferris  wheel  at  the 
Bayshore,  for  instance,  each  require  two 
men  each  evening — one  to  operate  the  equip- 
ment, the  other  to  assist  children  on  and 


Having  found  power-driven  rides  to  have  exceptional  appeal  for  the  younger  folks,  Prudential  Theatres 
has  introduced  a third  one — the  "Mono-Rocket"  at  its  Bayshore-Sunrise  drive-in.  It  is  located  to  the 
right  of  the  screen  tower  on  a circular  track  300  feet  in  length.  Seats  are  provided  for  21  children.  The 
equipment  is  manufactured  by  Ray  Maker,  Oakland,  Calif. 


park  benches,  a picnic  table  and  a portable 
see-saw  set  for  the  very  small  youngsters. 
The  benches  are  provided  for  parents  who 
wish  to  sit  at  the  edge  of  the  playground 
and  serve  as  volunteer  supervisors — a prac- 
tice greatly  to  be  encouraged. 

It  will  be  seen  from  these  representative 
installations  that  several  types  of  equip- 
ment are  basic,  both  for  their  practical 
nature  and  appeal : swings,  see-saws,  climb- 
ers and  slides. 

These  types  have  each  been  installed  at 
the  11  drive-ins  on  Long  Island,  New 


York,  operated  by  Associated  Prudential 
Theatres,  and  in  their  larger  operations 
they  have  in  addition  introduced  power- 
driven  rides  with  great  success.  For  in- 
stance, at  the  Bayshore-Sunrise  drive-in  at 
Bayshore,  they  have  a ferris  wheel  and 
a carousel  (made  by  the  Mirr.de  Equip- 
ment Company  and  described  further  on 
page  15),  which  nightly  produce  some  of 
those  long  lines  of  youngsters  mentioned. 

Attesting  further  to  the  great  popularity 
of  these  rides,  in  the  experience  of  Pruden- 
tial executives,  is  their  recent  decision  to 
install  still  another  ride — a “Mono-rocket” 
ride  which  operates  on  a track — at  the  Bay- 
shore  (see  accompanying  photo).  This  all- 
steel  ride  which  seats  21,  has  been  installed 
with  300  feet  of  circular  track  in  front 
of  the  screen  tower  to  the  right  of  a special 
section  for  adult  games  (which  will  be  dis- 
cussed further  on). 


BETTER  THEATRES  SECTION 


This  is  the  playground  area  at  Walter  Reade  Theatres'  Absecon  drive-in,  Absecon,  N.  J.,  where  play 
facilities  are  at  the  rear  of  the  refreshment-restroom  building  instead  of  at  the  base  of  the  screen  as 
at  most  of  the  circuit's  other  drive-ins.  The  merry-go-round,  swings,  slides  and  Miracle  Whirl  were 
supplied  by  the  Miracle  Equipment  Company,  and  the  remainder  by  the  J.  E.  Burke  Company.  In 
addition,  pony  rides  are  available  free  of  charge  for  children  attending  the  Absecon. 


off.  In  all,  the  Bayshore  has  a playground 
personnel  of  ten  men,  including  a clown, 
who  is  on  hand  to  greet  and  play  with  the 
youngsters. 

This  crew  includes  maintenance  men 
whose  function  is  to  repaint  the  equipment 
regularly  and  to  make  any  repairs  that  may 
become  necessary.  Slide  side  rails,  swing 
seats  and  see-saw  boards  are  regularly  ex- 
amined as  are  swing  chains,  hooks,  hangers 
and  frame  fittings. 

As  for  the  regular  attendants  at  play- 
grounds, it  is  important  that  they  be  thor- 
oughly grounded  in  rules  for  using  the 
equipment  and  see  that  these  are  strictly 
enforced. 

IMPORTANCE  OF  FENCING 


And  on  the  right  side  of  this  drive-in  is 
a picnic  area  in  the  shade  of  several  large 
trees.  This  section  is  equipped  with  benches 
and  chairs  to  accommodate  whole  families. 

Behind  this  is  the  practical  and  profitable 
theory  that  the  drive-in  can  be  made  a 
popular  play  center  for  the  whole  family. 

READE  CIRCUIT  PRACTICE 

The  experience  of  one  of  the  leading  in- 
door-outdoor circuits  in  the  East — Walter 
Reade  Theatres — is  particularly  interesting 
for  its  bearing  on  most  of  these  aspects  of 
playgrounds,  because  it  has  involved  con- 
siderable experimentation  in  highly  com- 
petitive areas  of  New  Jersey.  In  response 
to  inquiry,  the  circuit  observes: 


“ I he  choice  of  location  between  the 
front  of  the  screen  and  the  back  of  the 
refreshment  area  almost  evens  itself  out — 
with  a slight  preference  for  the  concession 
area.  We  have  experimented  with  both  lo- 
cations and  there  is  no  loss  of  usable  space 
in  either  place. 

“The  100  feet  in  front  of  the  scieen  aie 
wasted  because  of  the  sightlines,  and  ap- 
proximately 80  feet  from  the  rear  of  the 
concession  building  (two  car  ramps,  back- 
to-back)  are  not  usable  for  the  same  rea- 
sons. The  concession  area  has  the  pref- 
erence because  of  the  proximity  to  the  rest- 
rooms and  the  refreshment  stand,  and  be- 
cause it  somewhat  limits  the  hazards  of 
children  running  between  the  ramps.  (In 
one  case,  however,  the  playground  was 
placed  behind  the  ramps.  It  was  desired 
here  to  make  the  facilities  visible  from  the 
main  highway,  which  has  heavy  traffic.) 

“While  our  play  areas  are  an  important 
and  vital  part  of  our  operations,  and  a 
proven  attraction  to  the  children,  it  is  sel- 
dom that  many  children  congregate  there 
at  one  time.  The  maximum  is  usually 
about  50  children,  and  a corresponding 
number  of  parents.  The  area  is  usually 
laid  out  in  a square,  approximately  80x80 
feet  behind  the  concession  stand,  and 
80x100  feet  (the  width  of  most  of  our 
screens)  at  the  front  of  the  theatre. 

“As  a rule,  we  install  in  each  drive-in 
about  ten  pieces  of  playground  equipment, 
including  one  mechanical  ride,  banks  of 
swings,  self-propelled  merry-go-rounds,  slid- 
ing ponds,  jungle  bars,  monkey  cages,  sand 
boxes,  see-saws,  flying  rings,  and  a mechan- 
ical carousel.  All  equipment  is  heavy-duty, 
solidly  embedded  in  concrete.  We  have 
( Continued  on  page  36) 


The  Bayshore  playground  has  been  fenced 
in  on  all  sides  with  an  attractive  white 
picket  fence,  which  is  also  used  to  separate 
the  power-driven  rides  from  the  other  sec- 
tions, which  are  further  divided  into  two 
parts  according  to  age  groups.  Fencing  is 
an  important  consideration  for  a drive-in 
playground — not  only  for  the  obvious  safety 
factors  but  also  for  the  colorful,  decorative 
appearance  it  can  give  to  the  whole  area. 

In  further  regard  to  the  construction 
of  the  playground,  there  is  the  matter  of 
ground  surfacing.  Sand  has  been  used  for 
this  purpose ; it  is  safe  but  otherwise  objec- 
tionable as  it  will  soil  clothes,  get  into 
shoes,  etc.  A good  surface  is  one  made  of 
•Hj-inch  crushed  stone  covered  with  half  an 
inch  of  very  fine  white  crushed  stone. 

Of  late  there  has  been  a trend  at  drive- 
ins  to  expand  their  recreational  facilities 
to  include  adults.  The  Bayshore  is  an 
example  of  one  which  has  found  this 
profitable.  There  is  a special  section  in 
front  of  the  screen  tower  where  shuffle- 
board  may  be  played  and  horseshoes  pitched . 
Furthermore,  a patio  in  front  of  the  re- 
freshment pavilion  is  used  for  dancing. 


Adults  can  join  in  the  playtime  fun  at  drive-ins  through  such  games  as  shuffleboard,  a section  for 
which  is  provided  at  the  Bayshore-Sunrise  drive-in  underneath  the  screen  tower. 


12 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  JUNE  9,  1956 


Leading  Lines  of  Playground  Equipment 

Describing  and  illustrating  some  of  the  representative  models 

equipment  available  for  the  drive-in  theatre  playgroundBrnM-sHHi 


American  Playground 

playground  equipment 
manufactured  by  the  American  Playground 
Device  Company,  Anderson,  Ind.,  includes 
a complete  line  of  heavy-duty  units  from 
swings,  see-saws,  and  slides  to  merry-go- 
rounds  and  climbers  and  combination  sets. 

The  American  “heavy-duty”  steel  swing 
sets  incorporate  the  “two  swings  to  the 
section"  principle,  whereby  the  child  can 
mount  or  dismount  the  swing  safety  next 
to  the  divisional  supporting  frame,  eliminat- 
ing any  possibility  of  his  being  struck  by 
adjacent  swings.  These  swings  are  fabri- 
cated with  upright  supports  of  1%-inch  and 
top  supports  of  2/4-inch  structure  steel 
pipe.  Frames  are  available  in  heights  above 
the  ground  of  8,  10,  or  12  feet. 

Also  in  the  company’s  line  are  “extra- 
heavy-duty” steel  swing  sets,  with  upright 
supports  of  2^4-inch  and  top  beam  supports 
of  3/4-inch  structural  steel  pipe.  Frames 
are  available  in  heights  above  the  ground 
of  10,  12  or  14  feet.  The  line  also  includes 
“nursery  swings”  for  children  of  pre-school 
age  and  special  three-swing  sets. 

The  “Type  C”  see-saw  units  have  rugged 
frames  fabricated  from  2^4-inch  hot  gal- 
vanized structural  steel  pipe,  locked  rigidly 
together  by  certified,  malleable  fittings.  The 
boards  are  of  8/4-inch  Oregon  fir  and  are 
10  feet  long  and  10  inches  wide.  Each  is 


The  American  Type  C see-saw. 

equipped  with  two  safety-type  handles  and 
with  three-way  adjustable  fulcrums  com- 
plete with  holding  chains. 

For  playgrounds  where  equipment  must 


be  moved  from  one  location  to  another  or 
stored  out  of  season,  the  company  has  port- 
able, two-board  units  with  strong,  rugged 
frames.  They  are  furnished  with  two 
Type-C  see-saws. 

A variety  of  all-steel  slides  is  manufac- 


The  American  all-steel  slide. 


tured  by  American,  one  of  which  is  also  a 
portable  type.  Its  “extra-heavy-duty”  con- 
struction incorporates  all-steel  chutes  with 
1 /4-inch  tested  pipe  supports,  stair  risers 
and  a portable  base.  Full  18-inch  wide 
stairways  and  chutes  have  malleable  stair 
treads  with  /4-inch  safety  handrails  and 
guardrails. 

Among  the  climbers  in  the  American 
line  are  its  “castle  towers,”  which  are  made 
1 1/16-inch  in  diameter  so  that  even  the 
smallest  child  can  grasp  and  maintain  a 
firm  handhold  on  all  the  members.  Their 
circular  construction  is  designed  to  elimi- 
nate sharp  corners  and  ends  and  provide 
large  capacity.  They  are  constructed  of 
steel  pipe. 

Other  equipment  made  by  American  in- 
cludes “heavy-duty”  merry-go-rounds — the 
“M-4”  with  a capacity  of  40  children  and 
the  “ME-3”  with  a capacity  of  25.  Both 
have  a diameter  span  of  10  feet.  In  addi- 
tion there  are  “wave  strides,”  “ocean 
waves,”  and  “giant  strides.” 

Among  the  company’s  combination  sets 
are  the  “Victory”  units,  one  of  which  has 
as  standard  equipment  two  sets  of  flying 
rings,  two  trapeze  bars,  two  horizontal  bars 


readily  adjustable  to  desired  heights,  and 
a climbing  ladder. 

Another  unit  is  the  American  No.  360 
combination,  especially  developed  for  play 
areas  where  ground  space  or  child  load  is 
limited.  Its  standard  equipment  includes 
one  heavy-duty  see-saw,  two  swings,  and 
an  all-steel  chute  slide. 

C.  W.  Doepke  Company 

for  drive-in  theatre 
playgrounds,  the  Charles  William  Doepke 
Manufacturing  Company,  Roosmoyne, 
Ohio,  has  developed  a motor-driven  pint- 
size  train,  complete  with  track,  crossings, 
and  switch  turnouts.  The  company  last 
year  introduced  its  “Yardbird”  railroad. 
The  new  ride,  called  the  “Super  Yardbird 
Streamliner,”  is  a motorized  train  in  both 
gasoline  and  electric  operated  units. 

The  locomotive,  gleaming  in  red  with 
aluminum  trim,  is  designed  to  look  like  a 
modern  diesel  train,  complete  with  “pierc- 
ing horn  and  powerful  headlamp.”  It  will 
operate  as  a separate  unit,  or  will  pull 
two  flatcars  with  a child  on  each.  The 
flatcars  are  equipped  with  handrails  so  the 
passengers  can  hang  on.  For  the  littlest 
patrons  there  is  an  easily  attached  stake 
body  designed  to  hold  them  safely  aboard. 

The  new  train  is  manufactured  for  an 
eight-inch  wide  track  and  can  be  added  to 
existing  track  layouts.  The  company  is 
now  manufacturing  extra  track  packages, 


The  Super  Yardbird  Streamliner. 

along  with  switch  turnouts  and  crossings, 
allowing  wide  varieties  of  layout  possibili- 
ties. Sidings  can  run  into  sheltered  areas 
for  loading,  unloading  and  storage.  Rubber 
bumpers  are  available  for  power  locomo- 
tives, hand  cars  and  trailers. 

In  the  gas-operated  model,  a throttle 


BETTER  THEATRES  SECTION 


13 


comes  through  the  wall  at  the  rear  of  the 
completely  covered  four-cycle  engine.  Pre- 
set at  the  factory,  it  will  chug  along  at  a 
little  more  than  two  miles  per  hour. 
A standard  lawn-mower  type  engine,  it  will 
use  “regular”  gas,  with  no  need  to  mix 
gas  and  oil,  according  to  the  manufacturer. 

The  throttle  has  an  automatic  safety  re- 
turn, so  that  when  the  engineer  lifts  his 
hand  off  it,  the  train  will  stop  in  neutral. 
Additional  handles  near  the  driver’s  seat 
give  him  “plenty  to  hang  onto,”  it  is 
pointed  out,  while  foot-rests  are  provided 
for  his  feet. 

The  electric  unit  is  operated  from  a 
standard  automobile  six-volt  battery.  This 
unit  also  has  the  safety  return  feature, 
which  is  incorporated  into  a toggle-switch. 
The  electric  unit  has  both  forward  and 
reverse  speeds.  Supplied  with  it  is  a trickle- 
charger  with  which  the  battery-power  can 
be  renewed. 

• 

King  Amusement  Company 

a line  of  playground 
equipment,  including  a ferris  wheel,  merry- 
go-round,  roller  coaster,  “jet  fighter”  ride, 
train  rides,  “air  plane”  rides,  and  others, 
has  been  marketed  by  the  King  Amusement 
Company,  Mt.  Clemens,  Mich.  Nine  of 
the  rides  are  pictured  below. 

The  “Kiddie  Ferris  Wheel”  is  equipped 
with  five  seats  in  cast-aluminum,  each  of 
which  has  a capacity  of  three  children.  It 
is  10  feet  high  and  requires  a floor  space  7 
by  9 feet.  Constructed  of  steel,  it  has  self- 
locking gears  so  that  it  does  not  need  bal- 
ancing. Two  clusters  of  light  give  illumi- 
nation, and  the  ride  comes  complete  with  a 


1 h.p.  electric  motor  and  50  feet  of  lead 
cable.  It  is  controlled  with  a push  button 
switch. 

The  “Midget  Merry-Go-Round,”  de- 
signed for  truck  or  traile>  mounting,  re- 
quires a 60-inch  circle.  A standard  trailer 
installation  is  to  have  two  of  these  machines 
mounted  on  a 16-foot  trailer  along  with 
one  music  box.  This  gives  a capacity  of  12 
children.  The  horses  and  saddles  are  made 
of  fibreglas  and  painted  in  several  colors. 
The  ride  comes  complete  with  a 1/3  h.p. 
electric  motor  and  automatic  clutch. 

The  “Kiddie  Roller  Coaster”  is  a minia- 
ture roller  coaster  with  the  cars  locked  in 
the  track  and  safety  seat  bars  to  hold  the 
children  in  securely.  The  triangular  struc- 
ture has  straight  and  curved  sections  and 
three  dips  in  its  circumference.  A train  of 
five  cars  seats  “two  average  children  or 
three  tiny  tots,  giving  a capacity  of  400 
passengers  per  hour.”  Of  all  steel  construc- 
tion, this  ride  can  be  operated  by  one  per- 
son. It  requires  a space  of  35  feet  in 
diameter. 

The  “Kiddie  Jet  Fighter  Ride”  is 
equipped  with  eight  planes,  each  with  a 
capacity  of  two  children.  The  planes  are 
built  of  marine  grade  plywood,  and  each 
has  four  lights  and  a toy  machine  gun, 
which  “gives  a loud  report.”  The  center  is 
of  all-steel  construction  and  designed  so 
that  it  can  be  erected  and  ready  for  oper- 
ation in  less  than  30  minutes.  The  outside 
diameter  is  22  feet.  Power  comes  from  a 
1 h.p.  electric  motor. 

The  “Kiddie  Pony  and  Cart  Ride”  is  de- 
signed for  portability;  it  can  be  set  up  by 
two  men  within  one  hour,  the  manufac- 
turer states,  and  requires  no  foundations. 
Telescoped  pipe  standards  are  used  and  can 


be  adjusted  to  set  on  the  ground,  wood  flooi 
or  cement  walk.  Equipped  with  eight  fibre- 
glas ponies  and  eight  fibreglas  carts,  each 
seating  two  children,  it  has  a capacity  of  16. 
It  requires  a space  of  20  feet  in  diameter. 

Other  rides  available  from  the  company 
include  an  “air  plane”  ride  with  a capacity 
of  10  children;  a “fire  engine”  ride  with 
eight  cars,  each  holding  four  children;  a 
“combination”  ride  featuring  army  tanks, 
two  fire  engines,  two  railway  engines  and 
two  tug  boats;  a “sabre-jet  auto  ride”  with 
eight  cars;  a “motorcycle”  ride;  and  a 
“supersonic  rocket”  device  with  planes  in 
the  shape  of  rockets.  These  latter  can  be 
adapted  to  present  airplane  rides  of  most 
makes,  according  to  the  manufacturer. 

There  is  also  a miniature  railway,  called 
the  “Streamlined  Flyer,”  with  trains  driven 
by  an  electric  motor  built  in  the  engine. 
It  requires  no  engineer  or  operator,  being 
put  into  operation  by  simply  throwing  a 
switch  lever.  The  train  comes  complete 
with  engine,  three  coaches  and  track  and 
its  seven  cockpit  type  seats  will  hold  a total 
of  14  small  children  or  seven  large  ones. 

• 

Smith  & Smith,  Inc. 

the  line  of  rides  for 
playgrounds  manufactured  by  Smith  & 
Smith,  Inc.,  Springville,  N.  Y.,  includes 
those  equipped  with  miniature  boats,  auto- 
mobiles and  “jet  fighter”  and  “space”  air- 
planes. 

The  “Atomic  Jet  Fighter,”  is  designed  to 
provide  not  just  a circular  motion  but  “to 
start  from  the  ground  and  fly  skyward.” 
It  is  equipped  with  eight  reinforced  fibre- 
glas plastic  jet  fighters  for  two  seats  and 
three  passengers.  Each  has  two  stationary- 
mounted,  noise-making  guns  with  controls 
in  the  cockpit  and  two  jet  exhaust  tubes. 

The  “Kiddie  Boat  Ride”  has  eight  six- 
foot  boats,  one  a pilot  boat  in  which  the 
only  motor — a 1 h.p.  heavy-duty  unit, 
single  phase,  110-220,  60  cycle  — is 

mounted.  Entirely  made  of  heavy  gauge 
aluminum,  weighing  41  pounds  each,  they 
are  exact  miniatures  of  a real  speed 
boat.  The  boat  comes  completely  equipped 
with  plexiglas  windshields,  a bell,  two 
steering  wheels,  a flag  and  it  is  trimmed 
with  marine  chrome  molding.  Each  boat 
is  painted  a different  bright  color.  Water- 
proof covers  which  snap  on  are  included. 
The  canvas  tank  is  20  feet  in  diameter  and 
20  inches  high. 

The  “Kiddie  Auto  Ride”  is  a trailer- 
mounted  unit  equipped  with  ten  reinforced 
fibreglas  plastic  cars  “patterned  after 
America’s  leading  ultra-streamlined  autos.” 
The  cars  are  painted  with  a bright  shiny 
two-tone  finish  and  come  complete  with 
steering  wheel  and  headlights.  The  plat- 
form is  of  steel  and  the  trailer  frame  is  all 
steel  welded.  The  capacity  is  20  children. 

The  “Kiddie  Space  Plane”  is  constructed 
with  five  planes  of  “interplanetary”  design; 


SPEED  BOAT  RIDE 


COMBINATION  RIDE 


ROCKET  RIDE 


MINIATURE  TRAIN 


ROLLER  COASTER 


PONY  CART  RIDE 


FERRIS  WHEEL 


JET  FIGHTER  RIDE 


FIRE  ENGINE  RIDE 


Equipment  in  the  line  of  the  King  Amusement  Company. 


14 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  JUNE  9,  1956 


each  is  made  of  reinforced  fibreglas  plas- 
tic and  is  a two-seater  for  three  children. 
The  ride  operates  by  center  drive  which 
involves  an  automatic  clutch  system  with 
speed  reducer  and  a 1 h.p.,  60  cycle,  110- 
220  single  phase  electric  motor.  Automatic 
clutch  simplifies  the  operation  and  provides 
push-button  control.  The  planes  are 
equipped  with  two  stationary-mounted, 
noise-making  guns  with  control  in  the  cock- 
pit and  two-jet  exhaust  tubes. 

The  “Kiddie  Chairplane”  is  built  much 
the  same  as  the  airplane  ride  except  that 
chairplane  seats  are  hung  from  the  sweeps 


I 


instead  of  airplanes.  The  center  drive  sys- 
tem involves  a clutch  speed  reducer  and 
electric  motor.  The  seats  are  especially 
designed  for  children  with  safety  chains 
to  fasten  them  in  securely.  The  seating 
capacity  is  20  children — ten  inside  seats, 
ten  outside. 

I he  company  also  manufactures  a ferris 
wheel,  which  has  one  lever  operation  and 
is  powered  by  an  International  U-l  engine. 
It  has  a seating  capacity  of  30  in  10  all- 
steel  seats.  It  comes  with  a fence  and  lights. 

• 

Miracle  Equipment 

the  line  of  equipment 
made  by  the  Miracle  Playground  Equip- 
ment Company,  Grinnell,  Iowa,  is  listed 
in  three  divisions:  general,  motor-driven, 
and  auxiliary. 

In  the  general  section  are  whirls,  swings, 
see-saws,  climbers  and  regular  slides. 

The  “Miracle  Skyway  Climber”  can  be 
used  both  as  a climber  and  also  as  a hand- 
over-hand ladder.  It  is  of  all  electrically 
welded  construction  with  a stainless  steel 
rod  and  is  fabricated  in  four  ladders,  10 
feet  long  and  bent  on  a 5-foot  radius,  which 
telescope  and  lock  together. 

The  “Miracle  Lifetime  Whirl”  operates 
like  “pumping  up”  a swing.  Its  special  “off- 
center”  balancing  motion  propels  it  by 
( Continued  on  page  26) 


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maintenance  cost. 

Add  new  diversion  and  beauty  to  your  play  area  with 

pluysculpture 

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BETTER  THEATRES  SECTION 


15 


Know  Your  Property 


— the  convenience  and  value  of  a complete 
record  of  what  was  installed , and  when 


by  CURTIS  MEES 


HOW  ACCURATE  is  VOUr 
knowledge  of  the  prop- 
erty you  have  under 
your  jurisdiction?  Do 
you  know  every  single 
item  of  equipment  and 
furnishings  in  the  thea- 
tre, with  price,  date  of 
purchase  and  related  in- 
formation essential  for 
book-keeping?  Or  do  you  only  have  a 
sketchy  record  of  these  things,  primarily 
retaining  knowledge  of  major  items,  such  as 
a sound  system  ? 

For  many,  many  reasons,  it  is  to  your 
advantage  to  keep  a perpetual  inventory, 
itemizing  every  single  piece  of  equipment, 
except  for  expendable  materials,  which  are 
handled  separately  at  each  inventory  period. 

WHY  AN  INVENTORY? 

An  accurate,  detailed  inventory  is  impor- 
tant for  tax  purposes;  but  many  other  rea- 
sons make  it  abundantly  clear  that  all 
theatres,  large  and  small,  should  maintain 
such  a record.  Petty  theft  can  be  mini- 
mized, with  positive  means  of  identification 
afforded  to  recover  any  stolen  property. 

In  the  event  a sale  might  be  under  con- 
sideration, valuations  can  be  quickly  arrived 
at  and  nothing  need  be  overlooked  in  the 
writing  of  contracts  which  might  arise  later 
to  plague  an  otherwise  satisfactory  bargain 
as  buyer  and  seller  wrestle  over  whether 
certain  items  of  equipment  were,  or  were 
not,  included  in  the  sale. 

Should  you  be  a landlord,  renting  your 
premises  to  another  operator,  adequate 
identification  would  be  available  to  prove 
ownership  and  condition  at  time  of  transfer 
so  that  subsequent  purchases  by  the  lessee 
would  not  mix  up  the  situation  at  expira- 
tion of  the  leasehold. 

If  you  are  a tenant  using  someone  else’s 
theatre,  it  is  to  your  best  interests  to  insist 
upon  an  opening  inventory,  with  mainte- 


nance of  a separate  inventory  of  purchases 
made  during  the  period  of  the  lease.  This 
may  later  prove  to  be  of  inestimable  value 
td  you. 

Furthermore,  as  such  questions  arise,  it 
may  be  well  to  give  thought  to  major  pur- 
chases connected  with  improvements  on 
leased  property  to  determine  which  are  so- 
called  permanent  improvements,  or  fixtures, 
that  become  the  ultimate  property  of  the 
landlord  through  prohibition  of  removal. 
Generally,  anything  which  is  physically  at- 
tached to  the  property  becomes  a part  of 
that  property,  as,  for  example,  a new 
marquee,  display  frames  attached  to  walls 
with  permanent  holdings,  toilet  fixtures 
connected  to  fixed  drains,  etc. 

Prior  to  the  installation  of  any  major 
equipment  which  might  conceivably  be  con- 
sidered a permanent  installation,  it  would 
be  advisable  to  consult  an  attorney  and  have 
a waiver  prepared  for  the  landlord’s  signa- 
ture, acknowledging  your  right  to  remove 
same  at  the  expiration  of  the  lease.  A new 
stereophonic  sound  system,  for  example, 
costing  thousands  of  dollars,  might  be  con- 
sidered a permanent  property  improvement 
because  of  the  attachment  of  speakers  and 
cables  and  be  lost  to  you  for  salvage  or 
transfer  to  a later  location. 

Some  permanent  improvements  might  be 
considered  desirable,  where  the  landlord 
cannot  be  induced  to  make  them  for  you, 
and  a perpetual  inventory  of  this  nature 
would  remind  you  of  this,  as  well  as  sug- 
gesting the  requirement  that  they  be  fully- 
depreciated  during  the  period  of  the  lease- 
hold for  your  own  tax  advantage. 

HOW  TO  INVENTORY 

For  tax  purposes,  a running  inventory  is 
a matter  of  yearly  concern.  The  price, 
anticipated  life  and  the  depreciation  rates 
can  be  quickly  and  accurately  determined 
with  a thorough  inventory,  which  is  accepted 
by  taxing  authorities  without  question 
(accepted,  that  is,  so  long  as  one  does  not 
try  to  set  up  a second  set  of  books!). 

If  you  are  starting  the  preparation  of  an 
inventory  from  “scratch,”  you  will  first 


want  to  secure  or  prepare  some  forms  to 
assist  you.  Any  office  supply  firm  can  pro- 
vide sheets  or  books  for  these  entries,  though 
a combination  of  different  forms  may  be 
desirable  for  bookkeeping,  according  to  your 
particular  needs. 

As  to  the  actual  preparation,  you  and  an 
assistant  should  start  on  the  sidewalk  in 
front  of  theatre  and  go  through  the  house 
methodically,  missing  absolutely  nothing. 
Even  questionable  items  should  be  included 
in  the  rough  pencil  copy,  which  can  be 
edited  later  to  exclude  those  not  proper 
to  such  a record,  or  to  place  them  in  their 
proper  categories.  In  the  interest  of  accur- 
acy, one  person  should  call  out  each  item  as 
it  appears  in  the  walk-through,  and  the 
other  should  write  it  down. 

WHAT  TO  LIST 

Since  the  objective  is  a running,  or  per- 
petual, inventory  for  various  uses,  pertinent 
comment  might  be  jotted  down  as  you  go 
along  in  anticipation  of  later  need  for  such 
information.  If  columns  are  not  provided 
in  the  form  with  which  you  are  working, 
take  another  line  below  each  listing  to  enter 
this  information.  If  you  are  making  up  your 
own  forms,  using  ruled  paper,  you  might 
list  the  more  important  factual  material 
according  to  such  topics  as  location, 
QUANTITY,  ITEM  & DESCRIPTION,  PURCHASE 
DATE,  PRICE,  ESTIMATED  LIFE. 

The  items  that  should  go  into  such  an 
inventory  will  vary,  of  course,  from  theatre 
to  theatre,  but  in  most  cases  they  will  in- 
clude at  least  those  given  below,  and  usually 
some  others.  The  following  classified  list  is 
offered  here  as  a helpful  guide: 

Front — Signs,  marquee,  display  frames, 
special  lighting  fixtures. 

Box  Office  — Ticket  register,  window 
drapes,  admission  signs,  change  machine, 
fans  and  heaters. 

Refreshment  Stand — Stand  itself,  cash 
register,  vending  machines,  refrigerators 
and  freezers,  permanent  signs,  popcorn  ma- 
chines, soda  fountain  equipment. 

Lobby  — Floor  runners,  standee  rails, 
curtains  and  drapes,  ticket  chopper,  furni- 


16 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  JUNE  9,  1956 


ture,  paintings  and  pictures,  special  (re- 
movable) lighting. 

Auditorium — Seats,  wall  drapes,  special 
lights. 

Stage — Curtains  and  scenery,  traveler 
tracks,  lights,  movable  screen,  sound  equip- 
ment, orchestra  stands,  chairs,  lights,  pianos, 
miscellaneous  special  equipment. 

Property  Room — All  props,  flats  and 
drops. 

Electrician’s  Room  — Movable  switch- 
boards, spots,  floodlights,  spare  motors, 
work  bench  equipment,  stepladders. 

Engine  Room — Furniture,  work  bench, 
cabinets,  movable  pumps,  motors,  etc.,  tools. 

Boiler  Room — Stokers  or  oil  burners, 
shovels,  tools,  etc.,  pumps,  control  equip- 
ment, storage  facilities. 

Art  Shop — Cutawl,  photographic  equip- 
ment, tables,  easels,  etc.,  lobby  frames,  etc., 
special  tools. 

Janitorial  Dept. — Vacum  cleaners,  floor 
polishers  and  cleaners,  ladders,  storage  fa- 
cilities. 

Projection  Room  — Projectors,  sound 
equipment,  turntable,  benches,  tables,  chairs, 
rewind  equipment,  storage  cabinets. 

Offices — Safe,  typewriters,  adding  ma- 
chines, desks,  chairs,  etc.,  files,  storage 
cabinets,  electric  fans  and  heaters,  desk 
lamps. 

Rest  Rooms — Lounge  furniture,  floor 
lamps,  pictures  and  paintings,  scales,  combs, 
napkin  vendors. 

Sign  Service  Room — Ladders,  marquee 
letters,  flasher  parts  and  motors. 

EXPENDABLE  SUPPLIES 

Under  each  of  the  above  separate  cate- 
gories, as  the  inventory  outlined  is  entered 
on  the  form,  it  would  be  advisable  to  set 
aside  a special  sub-section  where  expendable 
supplies  are  listed.  A periodic  recheck  on 
these  expendables  would  indicate  whether 
they  are  being  properly  ordered  and  used, 
help  to  prevent  excessive  overages,  and 
minimize  pilferage. 

These  represent  very  heavy  operating  ex- 
penses during  the  course  of  the  year,  and 
anything  which  will  serve  to  reduce  these 
charges  will  contribute  in  large  measure  to 
the  financial  success  of  the  theatre.  Bearing 
in  mind  that  it  takes  about  $10  or  more 
at  the  box-office  to  net  a dollar’s  profit, 
every  dollar  saved  on  supplies  and  equip- 
ment actually  represents  a saving  of  $10  of 
hard  earned  box-office  dollars! 

BUILDING  EQUIPMENT 

Items  of  major  equipment  installed  in  the 
building,  either  prior  to  leasing,  or  by  the 
tenant  operator,  which  might  be  considered 
“permanent”  in  the  sense  they  become  part 
of  the  building  itself,  should  be  inventoried 
also.  These  are  improvements  which  can  be 
depreciated  for  tax  purposes  and  they  add 
to  property  values  in  resale. 


Dub'f-Cone 


Resin  Treated  Diaphram 


Die-Cast  Aluminum  Case 


Dust  Seal 


Aluminum  Voice  Coil 


Metal  Frame  With 
Center  Arm 

Supports  outer  cone  so 
that  it  can  never  touch 
inner  cone. 


Air  Space  Between 
Cones  is  Sealed 
With  Neoprene  Rubber 


Screw  Mounted  Speaker  Hanger 
No  rivets  — easily  replaced 


65.2  Cu.  In.  of  Air  Space 


Speaker  Cone  Sealed 
Against  the  Weather 


Speaker  Mounting 


No  screws  to  warp 
frame  or  cause  voice 
coil  to  drag  on  magnetic 
post. 


Cones  Are  Treated 
To  Repel  Water 


Reinforced  Grill 
Reinforcing  bars  offer 
additional  protection  to 
speaker  grill. 


Pressure  Equalizing 
Spring  With  Neoprene 
Rubber  Cushion 


Speaker  cannot  jar  off 
mounting  pins. 


Dub’l-Cone  outpoints  any  single  cone 

Lower  Maintenance  Cost — The  Dub'l-Cone  gives  far  greater  protection 
against  damage  and  weathering.  Rugged  Dub’l-Cone  construction  means 
one  to  three  years  more  service. 

Quality  Sound — Listen  to  it.  Compare  it  with  any  other  speaker  and  you'll 
agree  with  the  hundreds  of  drive-ins  who  use  the  Dub’l-Cone  exclusively. 

Easy  to  Service — Service  it  at  the  post.  The  outercone  which  protects 
the  expensive  inner  cone  can  be  replaced  by  removing  two  screws.  No 
special  tools.  No  glue.  And  you  do  it  without  removing  the  speaker 
from  the  post. 


1712  Jackson 


OMAHA,  NEBRASKA 


BETTER  THEATRES  SECTION 


17 


...and 

suddenly 

your 


We're  not  magicians,  we're  theatre 
seat  specialists.  We  know  what  your 
customers  like  in  the  way  of  comfort. 
We  know  from  experience  how  freshly 
clean,  repaired  and  renovated  theatre 
seats  pull  them  in  at  the  box  office. 
Worried  about  the  cost?  It's  much 
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MIRACLE  WHIRLS  . . . 

FERRIS  WHEELS  . . . 
MERRY-GO-ROUNDS  . . . 
BOAT  RIDES  . . . 

For  PLAYGROUND  EQUIPMENT 
Call  JUdson  6-8040 

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! 430  Ninth  Ave.,  N.  Y.  36,  N.  Y 


A Chance  for  Theatres 

To  Help  Save  Main  Street 


. . . owner-manager  of  the  Northwood  Theatre,  Northwood,  la. 


ONE  OF  the  activities  in- 
herent in  showmanship  is  promotion. 
Whether  or  not  we  theatre  owners  in 
small  towns  are  merely  exhibitors  or  show- 
men depends  considerably  on  the  amount 
of  promotion  that  goes  into  our  operation. 

Limitations  of  a promotion  vary  with 
the  size  of  a person’s  potential,  but  the 
exhibitor  who  goes  through  a year  with- 
out at  least  a few  promotions  has  no  right 
to  call  himself  either  a showman  or  a pro- 
moter. He  is  simply  an  exhibitor,-  an  un- 
lighted display  window  on  the  back  street 
of  entertainment. 

Recent  economic  facts  of  life  have  shown 
us  that  there  does  exist  the  bona  fide  fail- 
ure of  a theatre  business,  but  the  failure 
that  is  caused  by  mere  exhibiting,  unac- 
companied by  consistent,  vigorous  show- 
manship is  unworthy  of  sympathy. 

When  we  speak  of  recent  economic  facts 
of  life,  we  refer  to  developments  of  the  past 
ten  years  which  have  had  many  of  us  reel- 
ing under  their  impact,  not  fully  realizing 
what  is  going  on,  but  blaming  first  one 
thing  and  then  another  for  what  is  actually 
inevitable  change.  We  become  advocates  of 
the  status  quo,  longing  for  the  “good  old 
days”  of  little  sowing  and  great  reaping. 

• 

Realization  of  these  economic  facts  have 
come  into  much  sharper  focus  the  past  year 
or  two.  We  are  confronted,  not  only  with 
an  economy,  but  with  a whole  society  that 
is  changing  into  a new  species  of  Bigness. 

1 doubt  seriously  that  it  has  a damn  thing 
to  do  with  politics.  Take  a look  at  your 
own  community  and  see  if  it  isn’t  follow- 
ing the  same  pattern  that  is  changing  our 
society  generally.  The  big  fish  is  eating  up 
the  little  fish  in  every  field  of  endeavor. 
Big  farms  are  replacing  the  little  farms, 
big  business  is  pouring  it  on  little  business, 
big  schools  are  devouring  little  schools,  a 
little  church  merges  with  a big  one  and 
loses  its  traditional  identity. 

Whether  or  not  the  progress  we  are  mak- 
ing is  actually  change,  or  simply  growth, 
we’ll  have  to  leave  to  those  better  qualified 
to  decide — along  with  the  question  as  to 


whether  or  not  it  is  improvement.  We  our- 
selves are  an  offspring  of  a change  which 
saw  the  replacement  of  the  opera  house, 
vaudeville  and  the  travelling  troupe.  Prog- 
ress is  not  an  invariable  law  of  nature, 
but  change  is. 

Now  the  whole  point  of  all  this  is  that 
there  is  a change  going  on  in  your  home 
town — in  your  community’s  way  of  life. 
Many  of  you  are  like  myself,  doing  busi- 
ness in  a small  town  and  feeling  the  impact 
of  this  change  in  a very  unpleasant  way. 
We  know  that  if  we  fail  we  are  simply 
another  of  the  building  blocks  falling  out 
of  the  original  structure  which  constitutes 
our  town. 

Each  business  in  it  is  a building  block 
in  your  town  and  in  your  own  personal 
future.  If  the  small  town  is  important  to 
our  individual  life  and  our  society  as  a 
whole,  then  steps  must  be  taken  to  stem 
the  tide  of  those  processes  which  are  de- 
vouring us. 

This  is  where  you,  as  a showman-pro- 
moter, steps  into  the  picture.  You  won’t 
caulk  the  dike  with  a finger-plug,  but  you 
can  point  out  the  cracks  in  the  wall  and 
do  something  that  will  educate  the  very 
people  who  are  being  hurt  as  to  what  is 
happening  to  them  and  their  community. 
It  is  paradoxical  that  despite  the  trend  to 
dispersion  of  industry,  we  are  becoming 
more  and  more  urbanized.  The  real  small 
town  and  the  village  are  getting  clobbered. 

There  is  a guy  out  here  in  Iowa,  A1 
Myrick  of  Lake  Park,  wrho  has  co-authored 
a plan  to  help  stop  the  flood  of  customer 
desertion  due  to  people  being  attracted  to 
bigger  towns  and  bigger  businesses.  The 
idea  of  the  plan  is  that  if  our  little  com- 
munities are  to  remain  a reality,  then  we 
as  business  people  must  be  just  as  big  as 
our  community  will  allow,  and  we  must 
educate  our  public  on  the  importance  of 
their  support. 

A small  town  or  village  owes  its  ex- 
istence to  the  businessman  on  Main  Street. 
Without  him  there  is  no  basis  for  such  a 
community.  Without  him  the  burden  of 
( Continued  on  page  36) 


18 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  JUNE  9,  1956 


WITH  BUSINESS  REPLY  POSTCARDS  FOR  CONVENIENT  INQUIRY 

• INDEX  OF  PRODUCTS  ADVERTISED  IN  THIS  ISSUE:  refer  to  Advertisers  Index  for  postcard  reference  numbers. 

• INDEX  OF  PRODUCTS  DESCRIBED  EDITORIALLY  in  this  issue  (following  page)  with  postcard  reference  numbers. 

• KINDS  OF  EQUIPMENT  AND  SUPPLIES  listed  and  numbered  on  following  page  for  further  use  of  inquiry  postcard. 


ADVERTISERS 

NOTE:  See  small  type  under  advertiser's 
name  for  proper  reference  number  where 
more  than  one  kind  of  product  is  advertised. 

Page 

1 —  Adler  Silhouette  Letter  Co 22 

Changeable  letter  signs:  Front- 

lighted  panels  for  drive-ins  HA), 
back-lighted  panels  l IB),  and 
changeable  letters  1 1C).  All  dealers. 

2 —  American  Playground  Device  Co....  6 

Drive-in  playground  equipment. 
Direct. 

3 —  American  Seating  Co 22 

Drive-in  stadium  seating.  NTS. 

4—  Ashcraft  Mfg.  Co..  C.  S 25 

Rectifiers.  Unaffiliated  dealers. 


5 —  Ballantyne  Co 17 

In-car  speakers.  Unaffiliated  dealers. 

6 —  Bausch  & Lomb  Optical  Co 33 

Projection  lenses.  Direct,  branches 
and  affiliated  dealers  In  all  major 
cities. 

7 —  Blue  Seal  Sound  Devices 22 


Projectors  17 A),  projector  bases 
I7B),  soundheads  1 70,  magazines 
I7D),  stereophonic  attachments 
I7E),  amplifiers,  I7F),  speakers 
I7G).  Direct. 


8 —  Bodde  Screen  Co 27 

Projection  screens.  Direct. 

9 —  Carbons,  Inc 29 

Projection  carbons.  Franchise 
dealers. 

10 — Carpenter  Co.,  Inc.,  L.  E 7 

Projection  screens.  Direct. 


Page 

11 —  Country  Specialties 36 

Portable  debris  and  incinerator  cart. 
Direct. 

12 —  Eprad 15 

In-car  speakers.  Unaffiliated  dealers. 

13 —  F & Y Building  Service,  The 24 

Architectural  design  and  building 
service. 

14 —  Heywood-Wakefield  Co 36 

Auditorium  chairs.  Unaffiliated  deal- 
ers and  branches. 

15 —  International  Projector  Corp 23 

Complete  projection  and  sound 
equipment  system.  NTS. 

16 —  LaVezzi  Machine  Works 28 

Projector  parts.  All  dealers. 

17 —  National  Theatre  Supply 8,  36 

Distributors. 

18 —  Norpat,  Inc 18 

Distributors. 

19 —  Payne  Products,  Inc 25 

Carbon  savers.  NTS  and  unaffiliated 
dealers. 

20 —  Playsculpture  Div.  of  Creative  Play- 

things, Inc 15 

Drive-In  playground  equipment. 
Direct. 

21 —  Projection  Optics  Co 35 

Projection  lenses.  Distributor:  Ray- 
tone  Screen  Corp. 

22 —  Radio  Corp.  of  America,  Theatre 

Equipment  Sales  2nd  Cover 

In-car  speakers. 

23 —  Rank  Precision  Industries,  Inc 23 

Auditorium  chairs.  Direct. 


Page 


24 —  Raytone  Screen  Corp 30 

Projection  screens.  Direct. 

25 —  RCA  Service  Co 23 

Projection  and  sound  equipment 
maintenance  service. 

26 —  Robin,  Inc.,  J.  E 27 

Rectifiers.  Direct. 

27 —  Ruscoe  Co.,  W.  J 27 

Drive-In  screen  paint.  Direct. 

28 —  S.  O.  S.  Cinema  Supply  Corp 22 

Projection  lenses.  Direct. 

29 —  Star  Cinema  Supply  Corp 36 

Distributors. 

30 —  Strong  Electric  Corp 5 

Projection  arc  lamps.  Unaffiliated 
dealers. 

31 —  Theatre  Seat  Service  Co 18 

Theatre  chair  rehabilitation  service. 
Direct. 

32 —  Tibbatts  Co.,  J 27 

Screens  for  cars  at  drive-ins. 
Direct. 

33—  Todd  Shipyards  Corp.,  Combustion 

Equipment  Div 24 

Insecticide  fogging  equipment  for 
drive-ins.  Direct. 

34 —  Vocalite  Screen  Corp 24 

Projection  screens.  Direct. 

35 —  Wagner  Sign  Service,  Inc 3 


Changeable  letter  signs:  Front- 

lighted  panels  for  drive-ins  I35A), 
back-lighted  panels  I35B),  and 
changeable  letters  13 SC).  Unaffili- 


ated dealers. 

36 —  Westrex  Corp 25 

Foreign  distributors. 

37 —  Williams  Screen  Co 23 


Projection  screens.  Direct. 


For  information  concerning  products,  write  corresponding  numbers  and  your  name  and 
address  in  spaces  provided  on  postcard  and  mail.  Card  requires  no  addressing  or  postage. 


I 

To  Better  Theatres  Service  Department: 

Please  have  literature,  prices,  etc.,  sent  to  me  according  to  the  j 
following  reference  numbers  in  Better  Theatres  for  June  1956 — 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 


NAME  | 

I 

THEATRE  or  CIRCUIT | 

I 

STREET  ADDRESS  I 


To  Better  Theatres  Service  Department: 

Please  have  literature,  prices,  etc.,  sent  to  me  according  to  the 
following  reference  numbers  in  Better  Theatres  for  June  1956- 


NAME  

THEATRE  or  CIRCUIT 
STREET  ADDRESS 
CITY 


CITY 


STATE 


STATE 


Market  Information  Service 


CONTINUED  FROM 
PRECEDING  PAGE 


PRODUCTS  DESCRIBED  EDITORIALLY  IN  THIS  ISSUE: 


SELENIUM  RECTIFIERS— one  single-phase/  one  three-phase:  Story  on  page  21 
NEW  LITERATURE  on  electric  generating  plants:  Story  on  page  21 

IN-CAR  SPEAKER,  small  in  size  and  with  fibreglas  case:  Story  on  page  21 

LANTERN  AND  INSECT  destroyer  for  drive-ins:  Story  on  page  22  ...  . 

ROTARY  POWER  motor  with  built-in  mulcher:  Story  on  page  23 

CARPET  CLEANER  made  with  silica  and  colorless  dyes:  Story  on  page  24  . . 

LENTICULAR  VINYL  projection  screen  with  patented  seam:  Story  on  page  25  . 

CHROME  CLEANING  agent  to  remove  rust  and  grease:  Story  on  page  25 


POSTCARD  REFERENCE  NO.  E38. 
POSTCARD  REFERENCE  NO.  E39. 
POSTCARD  REFERENCE  NO.  E40. 
POSTCARD  REFERENCE  NO.  E41. 
POSTCARD  REFERENCE  NO.  E42. 
POSTCARD  REFERENCE  NO.  E43. 
POSTCARD  REFERENCE  NO.  E44. 
POSTCARD  REFERENCE  NO.  E45. 


CLASSIFIED  LIST  OF  EQUIPMENT  AND  SUPPLIES:  Indicate  on  postcard  by  number 


ADVERTISING 

101 —  Display  frames 

102 —  Lighting  fixtures 

103 —  Changeable  letters 

104 —  Attraction  signs 

105 —  Theatre  name  sign 

AIR  SUPPLY 

201 —  Air-conditioning,  complete 

202 —  Air  washers 

203 —  Blowers  and  fans 

204 —  Compressors 

205 —  Unit  conditioners 

206 —  Filters 

207 —  Heaters,  unit 

208 —  Outlets  (diffusers) 

ARCHIT'RE  & DECORATION 

301 —  Acoustic  material 

302 —  Decorating  service 

303 —  Wall  fabric 

304 —  Mirrors 

305 —  Tiles,  ceramic 

306 —  Wall  boards  and  tiles 

307 —  Wall  paper  and  plastics 

308 —  Plywood 

DRIVE-IN  THEATRES 

401 —  Admission  control  system 

402 —  Design  service 

403 —  Electric  cable  (underg'd) 

404 —  In-car  heaters 

405 —  In-car  speakers 

406 —  Insecticide  foggers 


407 —  Lighting  fixtures  (outd'r) 

408 —  Screen  paint 

409 —  Screen  towers 

410 —  Signs,  ramp  and  traffic 

411 —  Stadium  seating 

412 —  Vending  carts 

GENERAL  MAINTENANCE 

501 —  Blower,  floor  cleaning 

502 —  Carpet  shampoo 

503 —  Ladders,  safety 

504 —  Lamps,  germicidal 

505 —  Sand  urns 

506 —  Vacuum  cleaners 

FLOOR  COVERINGS 

601 —  Asphalt  tile 

602 —  Carpeting 

603 —  Carpet  lining 

604 —  Linoleum 

605 —  Mats,  rubber 

LIGHTING 

701 —  Black-light  supplies 

702 —  Dimmers 

703 —  Downlighting  equipment 

704 —  Luminaires 

(See  also  Advertising,  Stage) 

PROJECTION  and  SOUND 

801 —  Acoustic  materials 

802 —  Amplifiers 

803 —  Cabinets,  accessory 


804 —  Cabinets,  carbon 

805 —  Cabinets,  film 

806 —  Effect  projectors 

807 —  Exciter  lamps 

808 —  Fire  shutters 

809 —  Hearing  aids 

810 —  Lamps,  reflector  arc 

811 —  Lamps,  condenser 

812 —  Lenses,  condenser 

813 —  Lenses,  projection 

814 —  Lenses,  anamorphic 

815 —  Magazines 

8 1 6 —  Microphones 

8 1 7 —  Motor-generators 

818 —  Non-sync,  turntables 

819 —  Photoelectric  cells 

820 —  Projectors,  standard 

821 —  Projectors,  16-mm. 

822 —  Projector  parts 

823 —  Rectifiers 

824 —  Reels 

825 —  Reflectors  (arc) 

826 —  Rewinders 

827 —  Rheostats 

828 —  Screens 

829 —  Screen  frames 

830 —  Speaker  systems  (screen) 

831 —  Speakers,  surround 

832 —  Splicers 

833 —  Splicing  cement 

834 —  Soundheads,  optical 

835 —  Soundheads,  magnetic 

836 —  Stereopticons 

837 —  Rewind  tables 


SEATING 

901 —  Auditorium  chairs 

902 —  Upholstering  fabrics 

SERVICE  and  TRAFFIC 

1001 —  Crowd  control  equip't 

1002 —  Directional  signs 

1003 —  Drinking  fountains 

1004 —  Uniforms 
(005 — Water  coolers 

STAGE 

1101 — Curtains  and  drapes 
I 102 — Curtain  controls  & track 

1103 —  Lighting  equipment 

1104 —  Rigging  and  hardware 

1 1 05 —  Switchboards 

TICKET  SALES 

1201 —  Box-offices 

1 202 —  Changemakers 

1203 —  Signs,  price 

1204 —  Speaking  tubes 

1205 —  Ticket  boxes 

1206—  Ticket  registers 

TOILET  ROOMS 

1301 —  Hand  driers,  electric 

1302 —  Paper  dispensers 

1303 —  Soap  dispensers 
(See  also  Maintenance) 


FIRST  CLASS 

PERMIT  NO.  8894 
( Sec.  34.9,  P.L&  R.) 
NEW  YORK,  N.  Y. 


Postage  will  be  paid  by — 
QUIGLEY  PUBLISHING  COMPANY 
ROCKEFELLER  CENTER 
1270  SIXTH  AVENUE 
NEW  YORK  20,  N.  Y. 


FIRST  CLASS 

PERMIT  NO.  8894 
( Sec.  34.9,  P.L&  R.) 
NEW  YORK,  N.  Y. 


Postage  will  be  paid  by — 
QUIGLEY  PUBLISHING  COMPANY 
ROCKEFELLER  CENTER 
1270  SIXTH  AVENUE 
NEW  YORK  20,  N.  Y. 


BUSINESS  REPLY  CARD 

No  Postage  Stamp  Necessary  If  Mailed  in  the  United  States 


BUSINESS  REPLY  CARD 

No  Postage  Stamp  Necessary  If  Mailed  in  the  United  States 


about  Products . . 

it  news  and  views  of  the  market  and  its  sources  of  supply 


TO  PROCURE  FURTHER  INFORMATION  about  products  described  editorially,  postcards  of  the  Theatre  Supply  Mart 
insert  (pages  19-20)  may  be  employed.  Convenient  reference  numbers  are  given  in  the  insert  (page  20). 


Two  New  Kneisley 
Selenium  Rectifiers 

THE  ADDITION  of  tWOlieW 

selenium  rectifiers — one  a 135  ampere, 
single-phase  unit;  the  other  a 180  ampere, 
three-phase  unit — to  its  line  of  projection 
arc  rectifiers  has  been  announced  by  the 
Kneisley  Electric  Company,  Toledo. 

The  180  ampere,  three-phase  model  was 
designed  to  be  used  with  arc  lamps  em- 
ploying 13.6mm  rotating  carbon  trims,  it  is 
stated.  The  135  ampere,  single-phase  unit 
was  designed  for  application  in  rural  areas 
where  three  phase  power  is  not  available. 

Both  of  the  rectifiers  feature  down-draft 
ventilating  fans  systems,  current  adjust- 
ment by  a front-panel  rotary  tap  switch, 


heavy  transformer  and  reactor  designs,  and 
pro-rated  selenium  stacks. 

The  transformer  mass  is  in  the  base  of 
the  unit.  The  four-blade  silent,  ball-bearing 
fan,  whicli  is  centrally  located  above  the 
transformers,  exhausts  1500  cubic  feet  of 
air  per  minute  over  the  stack  and  trans- 
formers out  of  the  base,  resulting  in  “ex- 
tremely cool  operating  temperatures,”  ac- 
cording to  the  manufacturer.  The  selenium 
stack  is  on  the  top  for  easy  cleaning,  where 
all  terminals  are  also  located.  The  recti- 
fiers are  housed  in  a welded  steel  cabinet. 
• 

SHIPS  GET  "HSLUX-VAL"  LENSES 

Theatres  on  ships  of  the  Cunard  Steam- 
ship Line,  in  addition  to  the  Queen  Mary 
and  the  Queen  Elizabeth,  have  been 


equipped  with  “Hilux-Val”  projection 
lenses,  according  to  Peter  Simonis,  London 
manager  for  the  Projection  Optics  Com- 
pany, Inc.,  Rochester,  N.  Y.  Mr.  Simonis 
is  presently  in  the  United  States  to  celebrate 
completion  of  the  first  year  of  production 
of  “Hilux”  anamorphic  lenses  in  Great 
Britain. 

• 

NEW  LITERATURE 

Electric  Generating  Plants:  A new  cata- 
logue, printed  in  eight  pages  and  three 
colors,  describing  its  complete  line  of  elec- 
tric generating  plants  has  been  published  by 
D.  W.  Onan  & Sons,  Inc.,  Minneapolis. 
The  illustrated  brochure  is  designed,  it  is 
stated,  “to  make  it  easy  for  the  reader  to 
select  the  proper  type  of  generating  plant 
and  necessary  accessories  for  his  particular 
needs  with  a minimum  of  effort.”  Pre- 
sented in  two-page  spreads,  each  separate 
series  of  plants  is  listed  in  complete  detail : 
1 -cylinder,  air-cooled  models;  2-cylinder 
air-cooled  models;  4,  6,  and  8-cylinder 
water-cooled  models  and  air-cooled  diesel 
models.  For  example,  one  spread  shows  the 
entire  range  of  single-cylinder,  air-cooled 
gasoline-driven  Onan  plants  in  alternating 
and  direct  current  models,  with  both  the 
size  of  the  unit  and  the  starting  method 
listed.  Below  each  photo  spread  is  a de- 
tailed “model  selection  guide”  giving  model 
number,  description,  starting  method,  type 
of  engine  and  dimensions  and  weights  of 
each  plant.  Optional  accessories  available 
for  the  units  listed  on  each  spread  are  de- 
scribed and  pictured.  The  literature, 
designated  as  catalog  A-428,  is  available 
without  charge  from  the  manufacturer 
(Minneapolis  14,  Minn.). 

New  In-Car  Speaker 
in  the  Eprad  Line 

an  in-car  speaker,  which 
is  small  in  size  and  constructed  with  a 
Fiberglas  case  has  been  added  to  its  line 
of  drivein  theatre  equipment  by  Eprad, 
Inc.,  Toledo.  The  speaker,  called  the 


63 -FOOT  SCREEN  AT  GRAUMAN'S  CHINESE 


The  famed  Srauman’s  Chinese  theatre  in  Hollywood,  scene  of  many  a world  premiere,  has  installed  a 
new  screen — a Bodde  with  an  aluminized  surface,  63  feet  wide  by  28  feet  high.  The  screen  is  "seam- 
less,'' having  been  cast  in  one  piece,  and  has  a 2:1  gain  factor,  according  to  B.  M.  Bodde,  general 
manager  of  the  Bodde  Screen  Company,  San  Fernando,  Calif.  It  was  installed  by  R.  L.  Grosh  and  Sons 
of  Hollywood.  This  is  the  second  Bodde  screen  to  be  placed  at  Grauman's  Chinese,  the  first,  which  was 
a white  matte,  24  by  18  feet,  having  been  installed  in  1938. 


m 


BOOST  DRIVE-IN  PROFITS 

with  American  Seating  Walk-In  Chairs! 

American  Seating  Walk-In  Chairs  are  conven- 
ient, durable;  invite  pedestrian  traffic  for 
increased  drive-in  profits! 

Steam-bent,  solid-wood  slats  provide  gen- 
uine comfort  for  patrons  — in  cradleform  seats 
and  deep-curved  backs.  Full  21  inches  wide. 
Quiet,  ball-bearing  seat  hinge.  Wood  and 
metal  parts  durably  enameled.  Aluminum 
hardware. 

More  theatres  buy  American  Seating  Chairs 
than  any  other  make.  Write  us  today  about 
your  seating  area,  and  let  us  recommend  a 
profitable  installation. 

WORLD’S  LEADER  IN  PUBLIC  SEATING 

Grand  Rapids  2,  Michigan.  Branch  Offices 
and  Distributors  in  Principal  Cities.  Manu- 
facturers of  Theatre,  Transportation,  School, 
Auditorium,  Church,  Stadium  Seating,  and 
Folding  Chairs. 


AMERICAN 

SEATING 


45* 


4k 

American  Seating 
Walk-In  Chair 


Ifcu  Weed  Die  re  iiyht  far 
Wide-Screen  and  Cinemadccpe 

ARC  LAMPS  GALORE! 

ALL  IN  GOOD  CONDITION 

Peerless  Magnarcs  $395  PR. 

Strong  Mogul,  Brenkert  Enarc,  Ashcraft  "E"  350  PR. 

Forest  U.T.,  Ashcraft  "D",  Ballantyne  300  PR. 

Can  be  rebuilt  to  look  and  operate  like  new  for  $ 200  per  pr. 


S.O.S.  CINEMA  SUPPLY  CORPJ&fcs 


CINEMATIC  IV  Only  $375  PAIR 

Adjustable  Prismatic  Anamorphic  Lenses  with 
Permanent  mounting  brackets  for  all  projectors. 


BEST  VALUES 
in  Metallic 
Seamless 
Screens, 
Aperture 
Plates  and 
Everything 
for 

CinemaScope 


ADLER 

I NEW  SNAP-LOK' 
PLASTIC  LETTERS 

Snap  on  and  off  frames  easily;  spring 
clip  keeps  its  gripping  power  after  being 
used  20,000  times.  Tests  show  these 
4"-6"-8"  letters  stay  on  frames  even  in  a 
60-mile  wind. 


WRITE  FOR  FREE  CATALOG 


ADLER  SILHOUETTE  LETTER  CO. 

II843-B  W.  Olympic  Blvd.,  Los  Angeles  64 


• Superior  Model  "A"  35mm  Pro- 
jectors 

• Superior  DeLuxe  Bases 

• Superior  Magazines  2000  ft.  or 
5000  ft.  cap. 

• Blue  Seal  35mm  Optical  Sound 
Heads 

• Blue  Seal  4 track  Stereophonic 

• Attachments 

• Complete  line  of  Amplifiers 

• High  Fidelity  Speaker  Systems 

BLUE  SEAL  SOUND  DEVICES 

P.  O.  BOX  1008,  NEW  CANAAN,  CONN. 


“Eprad  Hum-Dinger,”  is  6-^4  inches  by 
4-5/16  and  has  a 3j4-inch  cone. 

Other  features  include  an  aluminum 
grill,  a volume  control  knob  of  plastic,  and 


a hanger  plate  designed  so  that  the  speaker 
“will  fit  most  junction  boxes.”  The  manu- 
facturer states  further  that  the  case  has 
“molded-in”  colors  that  will  not  require 
painting  and  that  it  will  not  chip  or  rust. 

The  speaker  is  available  for  immediate 
delivery  from  independent  theatre  supply 
dealers.  Other  speakers  in  the  Eprad  line 
include  the  “Universal,”  which  has  a case 
of  die-cast  aluminum;  and  the  “Stereo  2,” 
and  the  “Star,”  both  of  which  have  a 
fiberglas  case. 

Combination  Lantern 
and  Insect  Destroyer 

A combination  “garden 
lantern”  and  insect  electrocutor  to  control 
night-flying  insects  at  drive-in  theatres  has 
been  developed  by  the  Detjen  Corpora- 
tion, Pleasant  Valley,  N.  Y.,  which  also 
manufactures  an  “electrocuting  fly  screen” 
for  door  and  window  openings. 

Called  the  “Detjen  Insectocutor  Lan- 
tern,” the  new  device  consists  of  two 
electrically  charged  grids  of  wires  around 
a medium  lamp  socket  in  which  any  con- 
ventional light  bulb  up  to  200  watts  can 
be  used,  although  a daylight  blue  lamp  is 
preferable,  the  manufacturer  states.  The 
grid  is  energized  by  a special  low  current 
transformer  enclosed  in  an  aluminum  hood. 

Flying  insects  are  electrically  destroyed 
as  they  try  to  reach  the  source  of  light.  It 
is  pointed  out  by  the  manufacturer  that 
the  electric  current  is  small  enough  to  be 
completely  harmless  to  human  beings  ot 
animals  yet  deadly  to  the  flying  insects. 

A hook  is  provided  for  easy  hanging  of 
the  unit  and  a removable  catch  basket  is 
provided  to  collect  the  dead  insects.  The 
portable  device  plugs  into  any  standard 
volt  a.c.  outlet.  Where  illumination  is  not 
important  and  when  the  unit  is  primarily 
used  as  an  insect  destroyer,  a 2-watt  Argon 


22 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  JUNE  9,  1956 


lamp  may  be  employed.  This  lamp  emits  j 
“black  light,”  which,  while  barely  visible 
to  human  eyes,  is  a strong  magnet  to  night 
insects  which  are  photogropic. 

The  lantern  is  17  inches  high  with  a 


diameter  of  9l/2  inches.  It  weighs  6l/2 
pounds.  Tne  hoods  are  furnished  in  six 
colors — silver,  gold,  red,  black,  blue  and 
green. 

New  Rotary  Power  Motor 
with  Built-In  Mulcher 

A new  heavy-duty  ro- 
tary power  mower  and  mulcher  has  been 
marketed  by  the  General  Industrial  Com- 
pany, Chicago.  It  has  a 19-inch  cutting 
width  and  a built-in  mulcher  shreds  the  cut 
grass,  then  evenly  spreads  it  as  mulch  be- 
tween the  blades.  The  mulcher  also  shreds 
leaves,  eliminating  raking  in  the  fall. 

The  wheels  are  recessed  to  permit  mow- 


Bill  Permits  Import  of 
Trade  Show  Equipment 

A House  Bill  permitting  import  into 
this  country  of  foreign-made  equipment 
for  the  TESMA  trade  show,  to  be  held 
September  20th  to  24th  at  the  New  York 
Coliseum,  has  been  signed  into  law  by 
President  Eisenhower.  The  bill  permits 
manufactured  material  to  enter  the  U.S. 
without  going  through  customs  and  also 
permits  the  sale  of  such  material  for 
delivery  in  the  U.S.  at  the  conclusion  of 
the  trade  show.  If  such  material  is  not 
sold,  it  can  then  be  returned  to  the 
country  of  its  origin  without  any  cus- 
toms interference.  The  bill  (H.R.  8942) 
was  submitted  by  Representative  Ralph 
W.  Gwinn  (Westchester,  N.  Y.). 


Your  concessions  may 
delight  gourmets. . . 


Your  lounge  may 
be  the  smartest. . . 


BUT  — ,, 
EVERY  PERFORMANCE 
STILL 

MUST  BE  PERFECT! 


First  matinee  or  midnight  show,  perfect  performances  demand  equip- 
ment that  runs  like  a top.  There’s  no  expert  like  an  expert  RCA  Theatre 
Service  Engineer  to  keep  everything  humming.  He’s  the  only  man  with 
full  backing  of  RCA’s  long-famed  technical  resources. 

RCA  SERVICE  COMPANY,  INC. 

A Radio  Corporation  of  America  Subsidiary  Camden,  N.J. 


You’re  on  the  way  to 

A FULL  HOUSE 


when  you  install  Gaumont-Kalee  projection  and  sound 
:quipment.  Then  your  patrons  know  they’ll  enjoy  a brilliant 
picture  and  sound  that  satisfies  the  connoisseur. 

Rank  Precision  Industries  Ltd.  provide  EVERYTHING  for 
cinemas,  film  laboratories  and  studios 

Rank  Precision  Industries  Ltd. 

Gaumont-Kalee  Division, 

37-41  Mortimer  Street  London  Wl  England 

Distributed  in  Canada  by : 

Dominion  Sound  Equipments  Limited 
4040  St.  Catherine  Street  West,  Montreal,  Quebec 


The  leading  European  manufacturers  and  exporters  of  everything  for  the  Motion  Picture  Industry 


WILLIAMS 


bobb 


1674  SUMMIT  LAKE  BLVD..  AKRON,  O. 

"orlolnators  n«  All-Plaitle  & Seamle.*  Plastit  Ser«n« 


MANUFACTURED  BY  INTERNATIONAL  PROJECTOR  CORPORATION 
DISTRIBUTED  BY  NATIONAL  THEATRE  SUPPLY  I 

SUBSIDIARIES  OF  GENERAL  PRECISION  EQUIPMENT  CORPORATION 


BETTER  THEATRES  SECTION 


23 


Keep  INSECTS  OUJ ...  Keep  PATRONS  IN 


Greet  your  customer,  build  attendances 
with  a fresh,  fragrant  atmosphere  . . . 
completely  insect-free.  Fog  your  premises 
with  TIFA,  first  machine  that  ever 
licked  the  adult  insect  problem.  For  11 
years  a best  seller  where  other  methods 
fail. 

1.  TIFA  destroys  on  contact  mosquitoes, 
flies,  insects  of  all  kinds. 

2.  Spreads  real  fog  that  leaves  clean 
pleasant  scent,  will  not  stain  wind- 
shields or  car  finishes. 

3.  Brings  public  goodwill  when  you  loan 
your  equipment  at  off  times  for  com- 
munity Insect  Control  problems  in 
your  area. 

TIFA  CARRIES  UNDERWRITERS’ 
LISTING  SEAL 


WLtk 

TODD  INSECTICIDAL 
FOG  APPLICATOR 

*11  years'  successful  use  in  com- 
munity fly  and  insect  programs — 
worldwide! 

Write  for  Circular  and  list  of  dealers 

PRODUCTS  DIVISION 


TODD  SHIPYARDS  CORPORATION 

Headquarters:  Columbia  & Halleck  Streets,  Brooklyn  31,  N.  Y. 
Plant:  G reen's  Bayou,  Houston  15,  Texas 


The  F & Y Building  Service  is  the  outstanding 
agency  in  Theatre  Design  and  Construction  in 
Ohio  and  surrounding  territory. 

THE  F & Y BUILDING  SERVICE 

319  East  Town  Street  Columbus  15,  Ohio 

“The  Buildings  We  Build  Build  Our  Business’’ 


THE  WORLD  FAMOUS 

“SIIVERLITE” 

ALL  PURPOSE  SILVER  SCREEN 
and  the  NEW  ULTRA  WHITE 

HI-LITE  SCREEN 

100%  VINYL  PLASTIC,  MOLD  & FUNGUS 
PROOF 

Theatre  Screens  with  a World-Wide  Reputation 
since  1927 

VOCAUTE  SCREEN  CORP. 

ROOSEVELT,  NEW  YORK 


MANAGERS! 

Get  This  Handy  Helper— 

The  Master  Guide  to 
Theatre  Maintenance 

—a  book  of  practical 
information  to 

READ  and  KEEP  for  REFERENCE 

$5.00  postpaid 

Published  by  Aaron  Nadell.  Order  from  — 

QUIGLEY  BOOKSHOP 

1270  Sixth  Avenue,  New  York  20,  N.  Y. 


The  Standard  Textbook  on  Motion  Picture  Projection  and  Sound  Reproduction 

BLUEBOOK  of  PROJECTION 

. . . extensively  revised  to  deal  with  the  latest  technical  developments 
in  projection  and  sound,  and  reorganized  to  facilitate  study  and  reference. 
This,  the  Eighth  Edition  of  the  Bluebook,  includes  a practical  discussion  of 
Television  especially  prepared  for  theatre  projectionists. 

PRICE  $7.25  postpaid 

QUIGLEY  PUBLICATIONS,  1270  Sixth  Avenue,  New  York  20,  N.  Y. 


ing  to  within  ^4-inch  of  fences,  buildings, 
etc.  The  chassis  is  one-piece,  ribbed  and 
reinforced  steel.  The  motor  is  a 1 ^4  h.p. 
gas  engine. 

To  eliminate  sharpening  the  blade  tips 
can  be  inexpensively  replaced.  A suction- 
lift  blade  bar  pulls  grass  upright  for  it  to 
be  cut  off  smoothly.  The  blade  is  fully 
surrounded  by  the  steel  housing.  Cutting 
height  is  adjustable  from  1 to  3 inches 
simply  by  removing  the  front  safety  guard. 
Weeds  10  feet  high  can  be  cut,  according 
to  the  manufacturer.  The  mower  is 
finished  in  baked  enamel. 

• 

CENTURY  LIGHTING  IN  MIAMI 

Century  Lighting,  Inc.,  has  announced 
the  opening  of  new  offices  in  Miami,  Fla., 
to  serve  theatre,  television,  film,  and 
architectural  clients  in  the  south,  Cuba  and 
Puerto  Rico.  Century  now  maintains  offices 
in  New  York  and  Los  Angeles,  in  addition 
to  Miami,  and  has  sales  representatives 
throughout  North  and  South  America.  The 
new  southern  office  will  be  headed  by 
George  Gill. 

• 


USING  NEW  CARPET  CLEANER 


One  of  the  carpet  areas  most  susceptible  to  soil 
in  theatres  is  that  adjacent  to  the  refreshment 
stand.  At  Stanley-Warner's  Suburban  theatre  in 
Ardmore,  Pa.,  the  grease  spots  in  that  section — as 
well  as  others  in  the  theatre — are  now  being 
treated  with  "duo-dellay,"  the  new  rug  and  uphol- 
stery cleaner  developed  by  the  Artloom  Carpet 
Company,  Inc.,  as  shown  being  applied  above. 
The  cleaner  (which  was  described  in  detail  in 
Better  Theatres  for  November,  1955)  contains 
DuPont's  soil-resistant  silica,  "Lucox,"  in  addition 
to  colorless,  fluorescent  dyes  designed  to  revitalize 
fabric  colors  and  a detergent.  The  manufacturer 
states  that  theatre  operators  using  "duo-dellay" 
find  it  necessary  to  clean  carpeting  thoroughly  only 
about  every  18  months  if  they  do  "touch-up"  jobs 
with  the  product  in  between  times  on  high  traffic 
areas.  No  special  equipment  is  required  to  apply 
the  cleaner,  which  is  distributed  by  National 
i Theatre  Supply. 


24 


MOTION  PIOTIIRF  HFRAID  IIINF  0 IOKA 


Lenticular  Vinyl  Screen 
With  New  Patented  Seam 

a lenticular  screen  with 
seams  formed  by  a new  patented  process 
has  been  announced  by  L.  E.  Carpenter  & 
Company,  New  York.  Marketed  as  the 
“Vicra-Lite”  screen,  it  is  of  all-vinyl  con- 
struction with  aluminized  surface  embossed 
in  a system  of  lenticles,  or  tiny  lenses,  con- 


Schemafic  drawing  of  a seam  of  the  "Vicra- 
Lite  screen  seam  prdouced  by  the  "Nichro 
Weld"  process. 


trolling  light  angles  for  a maximum  of  re- 
flection into  the  audience  area  with  substan- 
tially uniform  distribution. 

The  problem  of  producing  seams  which 
do  not  interfere  with  the  function  of  the 
lenticular  system  has  been  solved,  accord- 
ing to  the  manufacturer,  by  a process  called 
the  “Nichro-Weld.”  This  is  said  to  join 
the  panels  with  the  re- 
quired uniformity  of 
surface. 

Thomas  J.  Mulroy, 
formerly  of  the  Bausch 
& Lomb  Optical  Com- 
pany, has  joined  the 
company  as  sales  man- 
ager of  the  Vicra-Lite 
Screen  Division.  For 
the  past  five  years  Mr. 
Mulroy  has  been  prod- 
uct supervisor  of  Bausch  & Lomb  in  charge 
of  sales  of  projection  and  anamorphic  lenses. 


homas  J.  Mulroy 


CHROME  CLEANING  AGENT 


A new  cleaning  agent  designed  to  remove 
rust  and  grease  from  metal  equipment, 
fixtures,  and  appliances  has  been  announced 
by  the  Rooto  Corporation,  Detroit.  Called 
a “chrome  cleaner,”  it  is  to  be  applied  by 
sprinkling  it  on  a moist  sponge  or  coarse 
cloth.  It  will  remove  rust  from  chrome 
plumbing  fixtures,  enameled  metal  surfaces, 
stainless  steel  and  other  such  equipment,  ac- 
cording to  the  manufacturer. 


ASHCRAFT 

SELENIUM 

RECTIFIERS 

A RECTIFIER  FOR  EVERY  LAMP  AND  CARBON  SIZE 
AMPS 

50-85  7-8-9  mm  SUPREX  TO  9 mm  HIGH  INTENSITY 

70x1 00  8-9  mm  SUPREX  TO  1 0 mm  HIGH  INTENSITY 

# 70-125  9 mm  to  11  mm  HIGH  INTENSITY 

70-135  9 mm  to  10  mm  HITEX  OR  11mm  HIGH  INTENSITY 

★ 70-160  10  mm  to  13.6  mm  HIGH  INTENSITY 


Every  Ashcraft  Rectifier  has  a heavy  duty  Blower  Fan  and  contactor  starting  control 
★ Super  Cinex  Heavy  Duty  Multiphase  Rectifier 
#NEW  LOW  PRICE  3 Phase  Rectifier  for  1 1 mm  Carbon  Operation 


C.  S.  ASHCRAFT  Mfg.  Co.,  Inc. 


HOW  CARBON  COSTS  WILL  COME 
DOWN  IN  YOUR  THEATRE 

when  you  have  the 

CRON-O-MATIC 

Fully  Automatic 

CARBON  SAVER 

If  you  have  Ashcraft  "D"  or  "E", 

Brenkert-Enarc,  Peerless  Magnarc,  or 
Strong  Mogul  projection  lamps  you 
can  save  $400.00  annually  by  invest- 
ing only  $42.50  in  this  great  money- 
saver.  It  pays  an  average  return  of 
900%  on  your  investment. 

Uses  positive  carbon  stubs  of  any  length, 
without  preparation.  When  entirely  con- 
sumed, the  new  carbon  goes  into  use  with- 
out losing  the  light,  or  otherwise  affecting 
lamp  operation.  Burns  average  lengths 
( 3 1/4 " ) down  to  saving  2V2"  or  22.2% 

of  carbon  costs.  If  your  dealer  can't  supply 
you,  order  direct. 


PAYNE  PRODUCTS  CO.  <CroDni'vis'ionf c 
2451  W.  Stadium  Blvd.,  Ann  Arbor,  Mich. 

□ Send  literature  on  the  Cron-O-Matic. 

Ship  Cron-O- Mr.tic  □ C.O.D.  inc.  postage. 

□ Remittance  herewith. 

NAME  

THEATRE  

STREET  

CITY  &.  STATE 

EXPORT:  Frazar  & Hansen.  Ltd., 

San  Francisco,  New  York,  Los  Angeles 


■RBAp  T-M£  fS)S-Y&yu  n&uxt/ 


FOR  THEATRES  OUTSIDE  U.  S.  A.  AND  CANADA — 
FOR  STUDIOS  EVERYWHERE— 

No  Matter  What  You  Need ..  .Westrex  Has  It! 

Westrex  maintains  a complete  supply  and  service  organization 
to  meet  the  needs  of  studios  throughout  the  world  and  of 
theatres  outside  the  United  States  and  Canada.  Look  to  Westrex. 

Westrex  Corporation 


111  EIGHTH  AVENUE,  NEW  YORK  11,  N.  Y. 
HOtLYWOOD  DIVISION:  6601  ROMAINE  STREET,  HOLLYWOOD  38,  CAL. 


Research,  Distribution  and  Service  for  the  Motion  Picture  Industry 


BETTER  THEATRES  SECTION 


25 


Lines  of  Playground  Equipment CONTINUED  FROM  PAGE  15 


centrifugal  force  with  no  “pushing”  re- 
quired. Constructed  of  steel,  it  is  said  to 
require  no  maintenance  beyond  occasional 
painting.  One  model,  302,  is  designed  to 
accommodate  up  to  40  children  while  a 
junior  size  will  handle  up  to  12. 

The  “Miracle  Swing  Set"  is  constructed 
with  its  frames  painted  in  a candy  stripe 
design  over  a rust-proof  primer.  The 
swings  are  suspended  from  an  all-steel 
hanger.  Seats  are  available  in  seasoned  hard 
wood,  safety  belts  or  chairs,  as  designated 
by  the  purchaser.  The  frame  is  also  avail- 
able in  different  styles  and  comes  in  3,  4, 
6 and  8 swing  sets. 

Utilizing  the  same  basic  design,  the  com- 
pany has  a four-unit  all-steel  “Miracle 
Hobby  Horse  Swing.”  (See  photo.)  The 
hobby  horse  units  are  also  available  for 


Miracle  Hobby  Horse  Swings 

single  installation  on  Miracle  swing  sets  or 
conventional  swing  standards. 

Slides  with  either  permanent  or  portable 
bases  are  manufactured  by  Miracle,  and, 
in  addition  to  those  of  regular  design,  it 
has  the  “Animal  Slide”  as  illustrated  in  the 
photograph.  These  come  in  two  heights — 
the  junior  model,  which  is  5 feet  high  and 
has  a 10-foot  bedway;  and  the  senior  slide, 
which  is  7 feet  high  and  has  a 14-foot  bed- 
way. The  elephant  slide  is  standard  design 
but  others  are  available  at  additional  cost. 

Among  the  company’s  motor-driven  rides 
is  the  “Star  Gazer,”  which  is  a ferris 
wheel  (photo  on  page  10).  It  is  simply  con- 
structed with  telescoping  pipe  design  for 
fast  erection  or  disassembly  within  one 
hour’s  time.  The  motor  of  the  unit  is 
equipped  with  a Dodge  reduction  gear 
sealed  in  oil,  which  is  designed  to  prevent 
the  ride  from  moving  backwards.  There  is 
also  a safety  brake  and  safety-lock  seats. 

The  ferris  wheel  is  16  feet  high  with 
26-inch  wide,  all-metal  seats  accommodating 
two  children  each.  The  driving  mechanism 
is  located  in  the  hub  of  the  wheel,  8 feet 


The  Miniature  Train  Company’s  Model  G-16  "Suburban."  (See  text  above.) 


ride  with  a capacity  of  14  passengers,  the 
other  a ride  which  is  also  equipped  to  handle 
adults. 

The  first  of  these  is  the  “Model  G-12,” 
which  consists  of  one  locomotive,  three  cars 
and  270  feet  of  track  as  standard  equip- 
ment. Basically  a “kiddie”  ride,  it  was 
originally  designed  as  a portable  unit  but 
a number  of  drive-in  theatres  have  used  it 
as  a permanent  installation,  according  to 
the  manufacturer. 

The  G-12  is  powered  by  an  air-cooled 
motor  driving  through  fluid  clutches  on 
both  ends  of  the  motor  to  power  trucks, 
through  four  axles  and  eight  wheels.  The 
motor  will  handle  one,  two  or  three  extra 
cars.  The  coaches  are  constructed  of  all- 
steel  and  have  plastic  windows.  There  is 
corrugated  matting  in  each  car.  Passengers 
are  enclosed  on  both  sides. 

The  company’s  “Model  G-16”  has  been 
designed  as  an  adult  ride  of  a s^mi-perma- 
nent  nature,  the  manufacturer  states, 
“since  many  parents  like  to  participate  with 
their  children.”  It  is  available  in  a variety 
of  models  for  different  seating  capacities  as 
follows:  the  “Limited”  for  48  adults;  the 
“Transcontinental”  for  84;  the  “Suburban” 
for  36  and  the  “Commuter”  for  24. 

• 

Play  Sculptures 

A line  of  children’s  play- 
ground equipment  of  sculptured  design  in 
reinforced  concrete,  cast  stone,  fiberglas, 
and  steel  has  been  marketed  by  Play  Sculp- 
tures, a division  of  Creative  Playthings, 
Inc.,  New  York.  The  line  includes  equip- 


from  the  ground  and  seats.  The  frame  is 
painted  black  and  white  in  a candy  stripe 
design  to  contrast  with  the  bright  pink 
seats. 

In  its  auxiliary  playground  equipment 


The  Miracle  Animal  Slide 


line,  Miracle  has  horizontal  ladders  in  both 
junior  and  senior  models.  The  line  also 
includes  see-saws,  the  “Pony  Ride”  merry- 
go-round,  the  “Miracle  Chair  Ride,”  bi- 
cycle racks  and  picnic  table  and  bench  sets. 

In  addition  the  company  offers  cut-out 
fairyland  characters  which  can  be  used  to 
decorate  picket  fences  or  placed  at  play- 
ground entrances.  The  characters  are  fabri- 
cated of  18-gauge  cold-rolled  sheets  and 
weigh  approximately  12  pounds  each.  They 
are  screen-processed  and  finished  in  baked 
enamel  in  a wide  variety  of  colors. 


Miniature  Train  Company 

THE  miniature  Train 
Company,  Rensselaer,  Ind.,  has  a line  of 
miniature  trains  for  drive-in  playgrounds 
manufactured  in  two  sizes — one,  a “kiddie” 


26 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  JUNE  9,  1956 


ment  in  the  shape  of  play  mountains,  ani- 
mals and  other  nature  forms,  free-form 
sculptures,  arches,  caves,  tunnels,  etc. 

Included  in  the  category  of  equipment 
of  reinforced  concrete  is  the  ‘‘turtle  tent,’ 
which  is  a large  structure  (see  photo)  with 


The  Turtle  Tent  and  baby  turtles. 

a variety  of  functions  for  play  activity. 
“Children  can  slide  down  its  tail,  climb 
its  back,  straddle  its  neck,  feed  its  mouth 
and  hide  in  the  shade  of  its  hollowed  out 
shell,”  it  is  pointed  out.  It  comes  in  a 
choice  of  terra  cotta,  charcoal  grey,  or 
natural  grey  colors.  In  addition  baby  turtles 
are  available  (also  shown  in  photo)  which 
can  be  grouped  by  themselves  or  with  the 
massive  “turtle  tent”  to  establish  a sculp- 
tural environment. 

Also  of  concrete  is  the  “tunnel  bridge" 
(see  photo)  with  which  a flat  playground 


The  Tu  nne  I Bridge. 


area  can  be  converted  into  a sculptured 
hilly  surface  by  the  arrangement  of  two, 
four  or  eight  tunnel  bridges.  Abstract  in 
form,  they  can  become  “mountains,  valleys, 
caves  and  other  props  for  imaginative 
play.”  Small  children  can  burrow  and  dig 
among  the  bridges,  while  older  ones  can 
jump  directly  or  diagonally  from  tunnel 
to  tunnel. 

Other  equipment  of  concrete  includes  the 
“fantastic  village,”  consisting  of  five  play- 
houses arranged  to  form  a village  square. 
The  five  different  slab  designs  are  inter- 
changeable as  walls  or  roofs,  and  make 
each  playhouse  different  in  character  to 
appeal  to  “different  facets  of  a child’s  im- 
agination.” Varying  arrangements  can  cre- 
ate a house,  church,  store,  cage  or  firehouse, 


FREE  SAMPLE! 


OUTDOOR  MOVIE  SCREEN  PAINT 


• Stays  Brilliant! 

• Longer  Lasting! 

• Easy  to  Apply! 


• Greater  Sharpness! 

• Better  Contrast! 

• Weather  Resistant! 


Perma-Brife  is  the  sensational  new  rubber-base  outdoor  movie 
screen  paint  with  whiter,  brighter  weather  resistant  surface! 
Perma-Brite  brings  new  depth,  clarity,  contrast  and  reflectivity 
. . . more  enjoyment  for  your  patrons  . . . easier  maintenance 
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deducted  from  1st  order  . . . Y2  gross  minimum  trial  order. 

Sold  Direct  . . . For  Quantity  and  Discount  Information  write 

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CAST  IN  ONE  SINGLE  PIECE 

NO  WELDS*  NO  LINES 
NO  STREAKS*NO  CLOUDS 
AND  TRULY  WASHABLE 


SEAMLESS 

SCREENS 


See  your  local 
supply  center  or 
contact  us  direct 

BODDE  SCREEN 

Company 

11541  BRADLEY  AVE.,1 


THE  ECONOMICAL,  BUT  THE 
FINEST,  FOR  WIDE-SCREEN, 
VISTAVISION  & CINEMASCOPE 

Screen  Samples  and 
Literature  on  Request 

SAN  FERNANDO,  CALIF. 


r 


ROBIN 

COMPLETE 

PROJECTION 

BOOTH 

EQUIPMENT 

Amplifiers 
Sound  Systems 
Rectifiers 
Motor 

Generators 

Ballast 

Rheostats 


V 


“ROBIN -ARC” 

SELENIUM 


RECTIFIERS 

FOR  IN-DOOR  OF 

DRIVE-IN 

THEATRES 

are  dependable,  assure  un- 
limited performance  and 
maintenance  is  negligible. 
They  are  economical  to  op- 
erate and  amortization  is 
realized  within  three  years. 

WRITE  FOR  DATA 

J.  E.  ROBIN,  INC. 

267  RHODE  ISLAND  AVE. 
EAST  ORANGE.  N.  J. 


BETTER  THEATRES  SECTION 


27 


Jamison  equipment  at  a drive-in  in  San  Gabriel,  Calif. 


crawling  from  one  house  to  another,  across 
roofs,  out  of  windows,  etc. 

The  company’s  “spiral  slide’’  is  a 
massive  slide  of  polished  stone  with  a cave- 
like entrance  at  its  base.  Inside  is  a ladder 
which  children  can  climb  to  the  top  for 
the  descent,  which  grows  wider  as  it  ap- 
proaches the  ground.  It  is  9 feet,  4 inches 
high  and  1 1 feet  wide  at  its  base. 

Made  of  fiberglas  is  the  “playpuddle,” 
a unit  designed  to  “suggest  natural  water- 
ways," such  as  “streams,  inlets,  lagoons, 
and  lakes." 

The  company’s  line  of  steel  equipment 
includes  climbers  and  ladders  in  a variety 
of  shapes.  One  of  these  is  the  “playweb 
magic  carpet’’  (shown  in  illustration) 
which  is  designed  to  suggest  “natural  sea 
or  land  formations  or  modern  structures.” 


Its  large  scale  permits  accommodation  of 
many  children  at  once.  It  is  5 feet,  10  inches 
high  and  2 inches  wide  by  18  feet  long. 


It  has  a finish  of  royal  blue  enamel  with 
golden  yellow7  enamel  legs. 

All  equipment  made  by  Play  Sculptures 
is  described  and  pictured  in  detail  in  a new 
brochure  of  24  pages. 

Jamison  Company 

playground  equipment  in 
the  line  of  the  Jamison  Manufacturing 
Company,  Los  Angeles,  is  demonstrated  in 
a recent  installation  at  the  Edwards  San 
Gabriel  drive-in  theatre  in  southern  Cali- 


fornia, as  shown  in  the  accompanying  illus- 
tration. 

The  sw'ing  sets  are  of  “unitized"  con- 
struction consisting  of  vertical  supports  and 
a “lack  of  slanting  legs”  to  permit  more 
extensive  installations  in  less  space  as  well 
as  to  “avoid  the  possibility  of  injurious  falls 
in  darkness,”  the  manufacturer  explains. 
The  swings  are  made  in  sets  of  three  to  a 
section. 

The  other  equipment  shown  in  the  photo- 
graph is  a “Steelspin  Merry-Go-Round,” 
of  wrhich  there  are  tw-o  at  this  drive-in. 


s£PVlC£ 

1(6.  B.S.  Ml.  Off. 


4 n’t  , 

" cWe.  ossodo-ed 

?rOCk%el  .hen  -he 

scene'  -s  res- 

cind color  * 

0 jeaVis'icolW 

S°  n this  some 

„a,,e  screen  W® 

„ very  lmPor‘ 

^lepro^lonspecdV 

LaVezzi  P°r's 


LaVezzi  Machine  Works 


CHICAGO  44,  ILL. 


28 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  JUNE  9,  1956 


Metier  Projection 

A Department  on  PROJECTION  fl  SOUND 

Determining  Proper  Output 
of  Projection  Light  Systems 


Are  you  getting  as  bright  a picture  as  you  should  with  your  pro- 
jection installation?  Is  the  picture  too  big  for  the  equipment? 
What  should  the  conditions  be  for  a picture  of  optimum 
physical  quality?  These  and  related  questions  can  be  readily 
answered  by  means  of  the  tables  accompanying  this  article. 


GIO  GAGLIARDI 


by  510  GAGLIARDI 


WHEN  the  small,  squar- 
ish picture  was  standard  for  theatres,  the 
necessity  to  maintain  peak  efficiencies  in 
projection  equipment 
did  not  seem  so  obvi- 
ously and  urgently  im- 
portant as  it  does  to- 
day. In  many  of  the 
theatres  which  have 
converted  to  “wide- 
screen” projection,  the 
light  producing  proper- 
ties of  lamphouses  and 
projectors  are  being 
strained  to  their  very 
limits,  while  screen  conditions  may  also  be 
aggravating  a lack  of  sufficient  brightness 
for  a good  quality  of  performances. 

This  therefore  seems  a very  good  time  to 
take  stock  of  our  projection  equipment  in 
order  to  determine  whether  it  is  function- 
ing at  its  proper  efficiency,  and  whether  it 
can  be  improved,  or  should  be  replaced. 
In  order  to  go  about  this  investigation  logi- 
cally and  with  a minimum  amount  of  effort, 
there  are  certain  data  which  we  should  have 
on  hand. 

First  we  should  have  information  con- 
cerning the  maximum  possible  output  of  all 
possible  combinations  of  carbon  trims,  and 
of  all  projection  systems,  listed  in  such  a 
way  that  proper  comparison  can  be  made 
under  standard  operating  conditions. 

Obtaining  such  data  is  a difficult  task. 
Manufacturers  have  been  somewhat  chary 


of  divulging  such  information.  This  may 
TT’-fTT’rTTTCTTfTT’Te  are  so  many  TJTTHlWe1  fac- 
tors involved  in  a projection  train,  or  be- 
cause there  are  so  many  different  manu- 
facturers involved  in  the  components  of  a 
projection  installation. 

It  is  extremely  important,  however,  that 
such  data  be  made  available  and  that  it  be 
accurate  and  not  misleading.  When  we 
know  what  any  given  projection  system  can 
produce,  and  what  size  picture  is  required, 
it  should  be  a simple  matter  to  determine 
the  screen  illumination  and  the  screen 
brightness. 

BASIS  OF  CALCULATIONS 

In  order  to  correlate  such  data,  it  is 
necessary  to  make  certain  assumptions 
which,  however,  should  be  related  to  actual 
operating  conditions.  These  assumptions 
must  be  stated  clearly  so  that  a proper 
basis  for  comparison  may  be  used  between 
different  systems  and  different  carbons. 
Different  carbon  trims,  operated  at  various 
arc  currents,  produce  different  amounts  of 
light  on  the  screen. 

The  National  Carbon  Company  has  pub- 
lished in  the  SMPTE  Journals,  and  in 
their  own  handbooks,  considerable  data  per- 
taining to  the  light  output  of  different  car- 
bon arc  systems.  Unfortunately,  this  in- 
formation is  dated  1953,  and  a great  deal  of 
change  and  improvement  has  occurred  since 
then.  These  changes  have  been  particularly 
evident  in  the  newer  types  of  projection 
lamps  and  carbon  combinations.  Lenses, 
as  well  as  lamps,  have  been  improved  in 


m 


FOR 


defection 

More 

ILLUMINATION 

Better 

COLOR  BALANCE 

More  Light  per  Ampere 

• 

The  Larger  Cored  Carbons 
Make  Possible 

EVEN,  BRILLIANT  ILLUMINATION 

and  a 

BRIGHTER,  SHARPER  PICTURE 

over  entire  screen  area 

for 


CinemaScoPE 

VIST  A VISION 

color  or  black  & white 

SUPER  SCOPE-235 


Ask  for  Test  Samples  at  Our  Expense 
Write  for  your  FREE  NEW 

LORRAINE  CARBON  CHART 

of  recommended  amperages, 
voltage  and  arc  gaps. 


A mp. 


Volts  Pos.  Grade  Neg.  Grade 


40  (I  Kw)  28 


42-50 

55-65 

70 

65-70 
75-80 
80-85 
80-90 
100- 1 10 
115 

115-130 

135-150 

130-150 

150-160 

170-180 


31-38 

34- 37 
38 

35- 37 
39-40 
37-40 
50-55 
54-60 
62 

60-66 

48-55 

65-67 

68-70 

68-69 


7x14 

7x14 

8x14 

8x14 

9x14 

9x14 

9x14 

9x20 

10x20 

10x20 

11x20 

13.6x18 

13.6x22 

13.6x22 

13.6x22 


54IC 

544C 

544C 

544- IOC 

544C 

544C 

544-OIC 

552-09 

552-09 

552-09 

552-09 

552- 09 

553- 01 
523 
583-08 


6x9 

6x9 

7x9 

7x9 

7x9 

8x9 

8x9 

5/16x9 

11/32x9 

3/8x9 

3/8x9 

7/16x9 

7/16x9 

1/2x9 

1/2x9 


545-20C 

545C 

545C 

545C 

545C 

545C 

545C 

557  C 

557C 

557C 

557C 

55  5C 

557C 

555C 

555CN 


There’s  a Lorraine  Carbon  for  your  particular  lamp 

In  any  lamp,  on  any  screen, 
in  any  theatre  or  drive-in 

LORRAINE  CARBONS 

are  Longer  Burning 
and  Economical  to  use 


CARBONS,  Inc.BOONTON,  N.J. 


BETTER  THEATRES  SECTION 


29 


RAYTONE 
SCREEN  it 

BEST-TEST 

Yes,  thousands  of  tests  in  theatres 
throughout  the  United  States. ..the 
whole  world  . . . over  the  last  thirty 
years  have  proved  Raytone  Screens 
to  be  tried  and  true  friend  to  exhib- 
itors everywhere. 

And  Raytone  has  kept  pace  with 
the  progress  of  the  industry,  being 
among  the  first  to  supply  a truly 
fine  seamless  silver  surface  for  all 
purpose  projection  as  well  as  seam- 
less matte  white  and  the  finest 
paints  for  outdoor  theatre  screens. 

Raytone  can  supply  a screen  sur- 
face for  every  need  because 
Raytone  has  made  it  its  business  to 
know  and  understand  every  pro- 
jection need. 

Now  is  a good  time  to  ask  your 
dealer  about  Raytone  HILUX,  the 
finest  quality  seamless  silver 
screen;  or  HILUX  JR.,  an  excel- 
lent quality  seamless  silver  screen 
that  gives  you  amazing  side- 
lighting at  economy  prices.  SILVA' 
RAY  offers  you  top  value  seamless 
silver  at  never-before  low  prices. 

And  all  Raytone  screens  are  guar- 
anteed to  meet  all  claims  or  you 
pay  nothing  for  the  screen!  Want 
the  best?  Then  try  Raytone... 
BEST  BY  TEST! 


RAYTONE 

SCREEN  CORP. 

165  Clermont  Ave.,  Brooklyn  5,  N.  Y. 
Midwest:  401  W.  St.  Charles  Rd.,  Lombard,  III. 


the  last  two  years.  These  advancements 
mean  that  new  light  output  data  should  be 
obtained  and  published  for  use  in  the  field. 

Figure  1 contains  a summary  of  pres- 
ently known  data  on  the  light  output  of  a 


further  confirmation  by  other  engineering 
personnel  should  prove  very  important  and 
valuable. 

The  light  output  in  lumens  is  given  in 
Figure  1 for  each  combination,  but  these 


FIGURE  1— Total  and  net  light  output  for  various  projection  systems. 


Total  lumens  delivered  to  the  screen  are  shown  for  both  the  traditional 
standard  aperture  and  for  the  CinemaScope  four-track  magnetic  print 
aperture  under  various  lamp  conditions.  Lens  speeds  indicated  are  minimum. 


Positive 

Carbon 

Trie 

La 

Ax 

Pat 

• 

imp 

e 

ing 

0 

£ 

Reflect. 
Pi  am. 
or 

Condsr. 

Speed 

ProJ. 

Lens 

Speed 

(min.) 

toi 

609 

.825x.6C 

Ho  S* 
Ho  T* 

Ho  PG* 

'AL  LUMEHS 
Light  Pi 
•0  apert. 

50*  s 
85*  r 
90*  PG 

TO  SCRU 
strlbutlc 
.912x.l 

Ho  S 
Ho  T 
Ho  PG 
Ho  An* 

EH 

>n 

15  apert. 

50*  S 
S5<  T 

90*  PG 
90*  An 

8mm  suprex 

60 

36 

14" 

R 

f/2.0 

11,000 

4200 

13,800 

4750 

8mm  suprex 

65 

3« 

14* 

R 

f/2.0 

12,700 

4850 

16,000 

5500 

8mm  suprex 

70 

1+0 

14" 

R 

f/2.0 

14,000 

5350 

17.500 

6000 

9mm  suprex 

65 

Hi 

lbs 

R 

f/2.0 

13,000 

4950 

16,200 

5500 

9mm  suprex 

75 

H5 

14" 

R 

f/2.0 

15,000 

5700 

18,800 

6500 

9mm  regular 

75 

52 

16" 

R 

f/1.9 

15.500 

5900 

19,500 

6700 

9mm  regular 

82 

55 

16" 

R 

f/1.9 

16,500 

6300 

20,500 

7100 

9mn  regular 

85 

58 

16" 

R 

f/1.9 

19,500 

7400 

24,000 

83OO 

9mm  regular 

90 

60 

16" 

R 

f/1.9 

21,000 

8000 

26,000 

9000 

10mm  regular 

96 

60 

16" 

R 

f/1.9 

17.500 

67OO 

21,500 

7400 

10mm  regular 

100 

60 

16" 

R 

f/1.9 

20,000 

7600 

25,000 

8600 

10mm  regular 

105 

64 

16" 

R 

f/1.9 

21,500 

8200 

27,000 

9300 

10mm  Hit ex 

120 

60 

16* 

R 

f/1.9 

20,500 

7800 

25,500 

8800 

10mm  Hit ex 

125 

64 

16" 

R 

f/1.9 

24,000 

9200 

30,000 

10,400 

10mm  Hitex 

130 

66 

16" 

H 

f/1.9 

25,500 

9800 

31,800 

11,000 

10mm  Hitex 

135 

70 

16" 

R 

f/1.9 

26,000 

10,000 

32,500 

11,200 

11mm  regular 

115 

63 

16" 

R 

f/1.9 

20,000 

7600 

25,000 

8600 

11mm  regular 

120 

65 

l6« 

R 

f/1.9 

22,500 

8600 

28,000 

9600 

11mm  regular 

125 

68 

16" 

R 

f/1.9 

23,500 

9000 

29,700 

10,100 

11mm  regular 

125 

68 

18" 

R 

f/1.7 

27.000 

10,300 

73.700 

11,700 

13.6mm  regular 

125 

68 

f/2.0 

C 

f/1.9 

14,600 

5600 

18,200 

63OO 

13.6mm  regular 

150 

74 

f/ 2.0 

C 

f/1.9 

19,500 

7500 

24,300 

8400 

13.6mm  regular 

160 

77 

f/2.0 

C 

f/1.9 

20,500 

7800 

25,600 

8800 

13.6mm  Hitex 

170 

70 

f/2.0 

C 

f/1.9 

20,700 

7900 

25,800 

8900 

13.6mm  Hitex 

180 

74 

f/2.0 

c 

f/1.9 

24,800 

9500 

31,000 

10,700 

13.6mm  regular 

160 

62 

f/1.7 

R 

f/1.7 

36,000 

13,800 

45,000 

15,500 

* S-shutter;  T — filter;  PG — port  glass;  An — an amorphic  Ions 


number  of  the  most  important  carhon  arc 
and  projection  combinations.  This  informa- 
tion is  not  necessarily  absolutely  accurate. 
It  comes  from  various  publications  and 
from  manufacturers’  advertised  data  and 
claims.  A great  deal  of  this  information  has 
been  checked  in  the  field,  however,  and 


outputs  are  all  based  on  a standard  aperture 
of  .825x.600  inches,  and  on  a CinemaScope 
aperture  of  .912x.7l5  inches.  Naturally, 
many  of  these  apertures  are- being  cropped, 
but  in  order  to  be  able  to  make  proper 
measurements  and  comparisons,  all  actual 
( Continued  on  page  33) 


30 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  JUNE  9,  1956 


DETERMINING  PROPER  OUTPUT  OF  PROJECTION  LIGHT  SYSTEMS 


FIGURE  2:  Total  Screen  Lumens,  using  "Standard"  Aperture  (.825"  x .600"). 

Piet. CENTER  ILLUMINATION  IN  FOOT-CANDLES  FOR  A SIDE-TO-CENTER  RATIO  OF  60 % 


Width 

2 

3 

4 

5 

6 

7 

8 

9 

10 

11 

12 

13 

14 

15 

16 

17 

18 

19 

20 

21 

22 

20 

440 

670 

890 

1 1 10 

1330 

1555 

1775 

2000 

2220 

2440 

2665 

2885 

3110 

3330 

3550 

3775 

3995 

4220 

4440 

4660 

4884 

22 

540 

800 

1075 

1345 

1610 

1880 

2150 

2415 

2685 

2955 

3220 

3490 

3760 

4030 

4295 

4565 

4835 

5105 

5370 

5640 

5910 

24 

640 

960 

1280 

1600 

1920 

2235 

2555 

2875 

3195 

3515 

3835 

4155 

4475 

4795 

51 15 

5435 

5755 

6075 

6390 

6715 

7030 

26 

750 

1130 

1500 

1875 

2250 

2625 

3000 

3375 

3750 

4125 

4500 

4875 

5250 

5625 

6000 

6380 

6755 

7130 

7500 

7880 

8255 

28 

870 

1305 

1740 

2175 

2610 

3045 

3480 

3915 

4350 

4785 

5220 

5655 

6090 

6525 

6960 

7395 

7830 

8265 

8700 

9135 

9570 

30 

1000 

1500 

2000 

2495 

2995 

3495 

3995 

4495 

5000 

5495 

5995 

6495 

6995 

7490 

7990 

8490 

8990 

9490 

9990 

10490 

10990 

32 

1 140 

1705 

2275 

2840 

3410 

3980 

4545 

5115 

5685 

6250 

6820 

7390 

7955 

8525 

9095 

9660 

10230 

10800 

11360 

1 1935 

12505 

34 

1280 

1925 

2565 

3205 

3850 

4490 

5130 

5775 

6415 

7055 

7700 

8335 

8980 

9625 

10265 

10905 

11550 

12190 

12830 

13475 

141  15 

36 

1440 

2155 

2875 

3595 

4315 

5035 

5755 

6475 

7190 

7910 

8630 

9350 

10070 

10790 

1 1510 

12225 

12950 

13665 

14380 

15105 

15825 

38 

1600 

2405 

3205 

4005 

4810 

5610 

6410 

7210 

8015 

8815 

9615 

10420 

11220 

12020 

12820 

13625 

14425 

15225 

16020 

16830 

17630 

40 

1780 

2665 

3330 

4440 

5330 

6215 

7105 

7990 

8880 

9770 

10655 

1 1545 

12430 

13320 

14210 

15095 

15985 

16870 

17760 

18650 

19535 

42 

I960 

2935 

3915 

4895 

5875 

6855 

7830 

8810 

9790 

10770 

11750 

12725 

13705 

14685 

15665 

16645 

17620 

18600 

19580 

20560 

21540 

44 

2150 

3225 

4295 

5370 

6445 

7520 

8595 

9670 

10755 

1 1820 

12895 

13970 

15040 

161  15 

17190 

18265 

19340 

20415 

21480 

22565 

23640 

46 

2350 

3525 

4695 

5870 

7045 

8220 

9395 

10570 

1 1745 

12920 

14090 

15265 

16440 

17615 

18790 

19965 

21140 

22315 

23480 

24660 

25835 

48 

2560 

3835 

5115 

6395 

7670 

8950 

10230 

1 1510 

12785 

14065 

15345 

16625 

17900 

19180 

20460 

21740 

23015 

24295 

25570 

50 

2780 

4160 

5550 

6935 

8325 

9710 

1 1 100 

12485 

13875 

15260 

16650 

18035 

19425 

20810 

22200 

23585 

24975 

52 

3000 

4500 

6000 

7505 

9005 

10500 

12005 

13505 

15005 

16505 

18010 

19510 

21010 

22510 

24010 

25510 

54 

3240 

4855 

6475 

8090 

9710 

11330 

12945 

14565 

16185 

17800 

19420 

21040 

22660 

24275 

56 

3480 

5220 

6960 

8700 

10440 

12185 

13925 

15665 

17405 

19145 

20885 

22625 

24365 

58 

3730 

5600 

7470 

9335 

11200 

13070 

14935 

16805 

18670 

20535 

22405 

24270 

60 

4000 

5995 

7990 

9990 

1 1990 

13985 

15985 

17980 

19980 

21980 

23975 

62 

4270 

6400 

8535 

10665 

12800 

14935 

17065 

19200 

21335 

23465 

25600 

64 

4550 

6820 

9095 

11365 

13640 

15910 

18185 

20460 

22730 

25005 

66 

4840 

7250 

9670 

12085 

14505 

16925 

19340 

21760 

24175 

68 

5130 

7700 

10265 

12830 

15395 

17965 

20530 

23100 

70 

5440 

8160 

10880 

13595 

16315 

19035 

21755 

75 

6345 

9365 

12485 

15610 

18730 

80 

7105 

10655 

14210 

17760 

21310 

85 

8020 

12030 

16040 

20050 

24060 

90  8990  13485  17980  22480 

95  10020  15025  20035  25040 

100  I 1 100  16650  22200 
105  12235  18355  24475 

110  13430  20145 

115  14680  22020 

120  15985  23975 

125  17345  26015 

130  18760 

135  20230 

140  21755 

145  23335 

150  24975 


BETTER  THEATRES  SECTION 


31 


DETERMINING  PROPER  OUTPUT  OF  PROJECTION  LIGHT  SYSTEMS 


FIGURE  3:  Total  screen  lumens,  using  CinemaScope  aperture  (.91 2"  x .71 5"). 

Piet.  CENTER  ILLUMINATION  IN  FOOT-CANDLES  FOR  A SIDE-TO-CENTER  RATIO  OF  60 % 


Width 

2 

3 

4 

5 

6 

7 

8 

9 

10 

11 

12 

13 

14 

15 

16 

17 

18 

19 

20 

21 

22 

20 

230 

350 

465 

580 

695 

810 

930 

1045 

1 160 

1275 

1390 

1510 

1625 

I74C 

1855 

1970 

2090 

2205 

2320 

2435 

2550 

22 

280 

420 

560 

700 

840 

980 

1 120 

1265 

1405 

1545 

1685 

1825 

1965 

2105 

2245 

2385 

2525 

2665 

2805 

2945 

3085 

24 

335 

500 

670 

835 

1000 

1170 

1335 

1505 

1670 

1835 

2005 

2170 

2340 

2505 

2670 

2840 

3005 

3175 

3340 

3505 

3675 

26 

390 

590 

785 

980 

1175 

1370 

1570 

1765 

I960 

2155 

2350 

2550 

2745 

2940 

3135 

3330 

3530 

3725 

3920 

4115 

4310 

28 

455 

680 

910 

1135 

1365 

1590 

1820 

2045 

2275 

2500 

2730 

2955 

3185 

3410 

3635 

3865 

4090 

4320 

4545 

4775 

5000 

30 

520 

785 

1045 

1305 

1565 

1825 

2090 

2350 

2610 

2870 

3130 

3395 

3655 

3915 

4175 

4435 

4700 

4960 

5220 

5480 

5740 

32 

595 

890 

1185 

1485 

1780 

2080 

2375 

2670 

2970 

3265 

3565 

3860 

4155 

4455 

4750 

5050 

5345 

5640 

5940 

6235 

6530 

34 

670 

1005 

1340 

1675 

2010 

2345 

2680 

3015 

3350 

3685 

4020 

4360 

4695 

5030 

5365 

5700 

6035 

6370 

6705 

7040 

7375 

36 

750 

1125 

1505 

1880 

2255 

2630 

3005 

3380 

3760 

4135 

4510 

4885 

5260 

5635 

6015 

6390 

6765 

7140 

7515 

7890 

8270 

38 

835 

1255 

1675 

2095 

2510 

2930 

3350 

3770 

4185 

4605 

5025 

5445 

5860 

6280 

6700 

7120 

7535 

7955 

8375 

8795 

9210 

40 

930 

1390 

1855 

2320 

2785 

3250 

3710 

4175 

4640 

5105 

5570 

6030 

6495 

6960 

7425 

7890 

8350 

8815 

9280 

9745 

10210 

42 

1025 

1535 

2045 

2555 

3070 

3580 

4090 

4605 

5115 

5625 

6140 

6650 

7161 

7675 

8185 

8695 

9210 

9720 

10230 

10740 

1 1255 

44 

1130 

1685 

2245 

2805 

3370 

3930 

4490 

5050 

5615 

6175 

6735 

7300 

7860 

8420 

8985 

9545 

10105 

10665 

11230 

11790 

12350 

46 

1225 

1840 

2455 

3070 

3680 

4295 

4910 

5520 

6135 

6750 

7365 

7975 

8590 

9205 

9820 

10430 

1 1045 

11660 

12270 

12885 

13500 

48 

1335 

2005 

2670 

3340 

4010 

4675 

5345 

6015 

6680 

7350 

8015 

8685 

9355 

10022 

10690 

11360 

12025 

12695 

13365 

14030 

14700 

50 

1450 

2175 

2900 

3625 

4350 

5075 

5800 

6525 

7250 

7975 

8700 

9425 

10150 

10875 

1 1600 

12325 

13050 

13775 

14500 

15225 

15950 

52 

1570 

2350 

3135 

3920 

4705 

5490 

6273 

7055 

7840 

8625 

9410 

10195 

10980 

1 1760 

12545 

13330 

141  15 

14900 

15685 

16465 

17250 

54 

1690 

2535 

3380 

4230 

5075 

5920 

6765 

7610 

8455 

9305 

10145 

10995 

1 1840 

12685 

13530 

14375 

15220 

16065 

16910 

17760 

18600 

56 

1820 

2730 

3635 

4545 

5455 

6365 

7275 

8184 

9095 

10000 

10915 

11820 

12730 

13640 

14550 

15460 

16370 

17280 

18188 

19100 

20000 

58 

1950 

2925 

3900 

4875 

5855 

6330 

7035 

8780 

9755 

10730 

11705 

12680 

13655 

14635 

15610 

16585 

17560 

18535 

19510 

20485 

21460 

60 

2090 

3130 

4175 

5220 

6265 

7310 

8350 

9393 

10440 

1 1485 

12530 

13570 

14615 

15660 

16705 

17750 

18790 

19835 

20880 

21925 

22970 

62 

2230 

3345 

4460 

5575 

6690 

7805 

8920 

10030 

1 1 145 

12260 

13375 

14490 

15605 

16720 

17835 

18950 

20065 

21180 

22295 

23410 

24520 

64 

2375 

3565 

4750 

5940 

7125 

8315 

9500 

10690 

11880 

13065 

14255 

15440 

16630 

17815 

19005 

20195 

21380 

22570 

23755 

24945 

66 

2525 

3790 

5050 

6315 

7580 

8840 

10105 

11370 

12630 

13895 

15160 

16420 

17685 

18950 

20210 

21475 

22740 

24000 

25265 

68 

2680 

4020 

5365 

6705 

8045 

9385 

10725 

12070 

13410 

14750 

16090 

17435 

18775 

201  15 

21455 

22795 

24135 

25480 

70 

2840 

4265 

5685 

7105 

8525 

9945 

11370 

12790 

14210 

15630 

17050 

18475 

19895 

21315 

22735 

24155 

25580 

75 

3260 

4895 

6525 

8155 

9785 

1 1420 

13050 

14680 

16310 

17940 

19580 

21200 

22840 

24470 

26100 

80 

3710 

5570 

7425 

9280 

1 1 135 

12990 

14850 

16700 

18560 

20420 

22270 

24130 

25980 

85 

4190 

6285 

8380 

10475 

12570 

14670 

16760 

18860 

20950 

23050 

25140 

90 

4700 

7045 

9395 

11745 

14095 

16445 

18790 

21140 

23490 

25840 

95 

5235 

7850 

10470 

13005 

15705 

18320 

20940 

23560 

26170 

100 

5800 

8700 

11600 

14500 

17400 

20300 

23200 

26100 

105 

6395 

9590 

12790 

15985 

19185 

22380 

25580 

1 10 

7020 

10525 

14035 

17545 

21055 

24560 

115 

7670 

11505 

15340 

19175 

23010 

26850 

120 

8350 

12530 

16705 

20880 

25055 

125 

9060 

13595 

18125 

22655 

27185 

130  9800  14705  19605  24505 

135  10570  15855  21140  26425 

140  11370  17050  22735 

145  12195  18290  24390 

150  13050  19575  26100 


32 


MOTION  PICTURE  HFRAID,  JUNE  9,  1956 


30 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  JUNE  9,  1956 


t 


( Continued  from  page  30) 
data  should  be  converted,  or  confirmed,  ac- 
cording to  these  two  classes  of  aperture 
dimensions. 

The  first  lumens  column  in  each  of  the 
two  classifications  refers  to  the  light  output 
without  shutter  running,  without  heat 
filters  in  place,  and  without  any  projection 
port  glass.  This  is  the  maximum  possible 
output ; however,  under  actual  operating 
conditions,  the  effect  of  these  various  fac- 
tors should  be  considered.  Therefore  the 
second  column  has  been  computed  using 
assumptions  which  are  fairly  accurate  under 
field  operation. 

It  has  been  assumed  that  the  projection 
shutter  has  a light  transmission  factor  of 
50%.  Dicroic  heat  filters  have  a transmis- 
sion of  approximately  85%,  and  projection 
port  glass  has  a transmission  of  90%.  Good 
anamorphic  attachments  have  a transmis- 
sion of  90%  and  this  factor  is  included  in 
the  CinemaScope  table.  Where  heat  filters 
are  not  necessary,  or  port  glasses  are  not 
used,  the  proper  correction  should  be  made. 
A further  condition  had  to  be  stipulated : 
The  light  on  the  screen  wras  assumed  to  have 
a side-to-center  distribution  ratio  of  60%. 

HOW  TO  USE  TABLES 

Let  us  take  an  example:  A 10mm  regu- 
lar carbon  trim  operating  in  a 16-inch  re- 
flector lamp  at  105  amperes  produces  a 
maximum  of  21,500  lumens,  using  a stand- 
ard .825x.600-inch  aperture.  However, 
after  the  corrections  are  applied,  the  net 
light  reaching  the  screen  is  only  8200 
lumens.  This  same  system  when  using  full 
CinemaScope  apertures,  can  deliver  a gross 
value  of  27,000  lumens,  or  a net  to  the 
screen  of  9300  lumens. 

Having  determined  these  values  we  now 
must  go  to  the  tables  in  Figure  2 and 
Figure  3.  Here  are  shown  the  computed 
values  of  the  amount  of  light  which  must 
reach  a screen  for  a given  picture  width  in 
order  to  produce  a required  center  incident 
illumination  when  the  side-to-center  ratio 
is  60%. 

At  the  top  of  the  tables  are  given  the 
center  light  value  in  foot-candles.  At  the 
left  are  given  the  screen  widths,  and  the 
body  of  the  table  contains  the  values  of  the 
resultant  amount  of  light  in  lumens. 

Now  let  us  continue  our  example:  Since 
the  net  value  from  a standard  aperture  is 
8200  lumens,  from  Figure  2 we  can  see 
that,  for  a 40-foot  picture,  we  should  have 
at  least  9 foot-candles  at  the  center  of  the 
screen  ; or,  conversely,  if  we  wanted  a center 
reading  of  12  foot-candles  we  should  limit 
the  picture  width  to  34  feet. 

This  same  system  can  deliver  9300  lumens 
net  with  a CinemaScope  aperture.  From 
Table  3 we  see  that  a 50- foot  picture  can 
have  a center  light  reading  of  12  foot- 
candles.  However,  if  we  were  satisfied 

( Continued  on  page  35) 


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BAUSCH  & LOMB 


"LIGHT  GAIN"  OF  METALLIC  SCREENS 


* he  demonstration  of  screen  brightness  factors  presented 
here  is  the  major  portion  of  the  article,  "What  'Light  Gain'  Means  to  Actual 
Screen  Performance by  Gio  Gagliardi,  published  in  Better  Theatres  for 
May.  Two  of  the  "cuts"  unfortunately  became  transposed  in  the  process 
of  printing  the  May  issue,  so  that  the  brightness  curves  for  low-gain 
surfaces  ultimately  appeared  above  the  caption  referring  to  lenticular 
surfaces,  while  the  curves  for  lenticular  screens  appeared  above  the 
caption  referring  to  low-gain  surfaces.  The  data  offered  are  deemed 
of  importance  to  advising  republication  of  the  entire  demonstration. 


To  compare  the  performance  of  different 
types  of  screen  surfaces,  it  is  necessary  to 
establish  a standard.  There  are  no  surfaces 
which  can  be  considered  perfect  reflectors.  All 
surfaces  have  inherent  losses  which  tend  to 
reduce  the  efficiency  of  total  light  energy  reflec- 
tion to  some  value  less  than  100%. 

It  has  been  customary  to  use  a surface  con- 
sisting of  freshly  scraped  magnesium  oxide  as 
a secondary  standard  of  the  best  possible  diffuse 
reflection.  If  we  assume  that  the  efficiency  of 
this  type  of  surface  is  100%,  then  by  actual 
comparison,  the  efficiency  of  perforated  matte 
(“White”)  screens  ranges  from  75%  to  80%, 
and  the  efficiency  of  aluminum-surfaced  perfo- 
rated screens  ranges  from  62%  to  65%. 

These  values  indicate  that  the  metallic- 
surfaced (aluminum)  screens  actually  have  less 
overall  relative  efficiency  than  the  white  matte- 
surfaced screens.  Of  the  total  amount  of  light 
falling  upon  a white  matte  screen,  about  78% 
is  reflected  back  somewhere  into  the  auditorium. 
I'he  rest  is  lost  through  the  perforations  and 
absorbed  by  the  screen  itself.  A similar  process 
happens  to  the  aluminum-surfaced  screen,  but 
more  of  the  light  energy  is  absorbed  by  the 
aluminized  surface;  only  about  63%  of  the 
total  light  is  reflected  back  into  the  seating  area 
of  the  auditorium. 

I hat  being  the  case,  then  why  are  we  always 
talking  about  the  higher  reflectivity  gains  of  the 
metallic-surfaced  screen  as  compared  to  the 
white  screen?  The  reason  is  principally  that 
the  diffuse  surface  of  a white  screen  reflects  light 
in  all  directions  away  from  the  screen,  and  the 
reflected  light  energy  is  distributed  into  a hemi- 
spherical zone.  The  specular  surface  of  an 
aluminized  screen,  however,  concentrates  the 
reflected  light  energy  into  a restricted  zone  look- 
ing somewhat  like  an  elongated  balloon. 

Even  though  the  total  light  energy  from 
a metallic  screen  is  actually  less  than  from 
a white  screen,  the  apparent  brightness  of  the 
metallic  screen,  as  observed  from  certain  direc- 
tions, may  be  considerably  greater  because  the 
characteristics  of  a metallic  screen  tend  to  con- 
centrate this  energy  into  a smaller  or  more  con- 
fined space. 

REFLECTIVITY  CHARTS 

I he  selection  of  a screen  for  any  given  thea- 
tre should  be  done  very  carefully.  The  picture 
is  best  lighted  for  most  of  the  audience  when 
the  curvature,  the  gain,  and  the  brightness  dis- 


tribution characteristics  of  the  screen  are  prop- 
erly designed  to  fit  the  dimensions  (geometry) 
of  auditorium  seating  areas. 

The  values  of  light  reflectivity  may  be 
plotted  easily  on  graph  paper.  The  horizontal 
scale  represents  the  viewing  angle  and  is  plotted 
for  every  10°  point  on  each  side  of  a per- 
pendicular to  the  screen.  The  vertical  scale 
represents  the  reflectivity  of  the  screen  sample 
in  percentage  of  the  reflectivity  of  the  standard 
magnesium  carbonate  surface,  which  is  assumed 
to  be  100%  reflective  at  all  angles.  The  values 
on  the  curves  of  reflectivity  in  the  various  fig- 
ures will  then  represent  reflectivity  gains  if 


FIGURE  I — Brightness  characteristics  of  similar 
"low  gain"  samples  of  aluminum  surfaced  screens. 


FIGURE  2 — Brightness  characteristics  of  similar 
high  gain"  samples  of  aluminum  surfaced  screens. 


they  are  greater  than  100%,  and  reflectivity 
losses  if  they  are  less  than  100%. 

METALLIC  SURFACES:  FIGURE  1 

Metallic  screens  have  surfaces  which  combine 
diffuse  and  specular  properties.  The  effective 
ratio  of  these  properties  determines  the  resul- 
tant characteristics  of  the  screen.  Three  types 
of  metallic  screen  surfaces  are  represented  in 
the  charts.  Figure  1 shows  a family  of  curves 
obtained  from  a number  of  low-gain  sprayed 
aluminum  smooth  surfaces.  The  brightness 
value  for  each  sample  was  plotted  for  every 
10°,  using  the  same  scale  so  they  could  be  com- 
pared. From  these  different  plots,  an  average 
curve  (shown  in  heavy  line)  was  obtained  for 
final  comparison  in  Figure  4. 

FIGURE  2 

The  same  procedure  was  followed  with  the 
high  gain  smooth-surfaced  aluminum  screens. 
Figure  2 shows  the  results  of  measurements  of 
several  samples  of  very  bright  surfaces  and 
here  again  the  average  for  this  family  was 
plotted  for  later  comparison  in  Figure  4. 

FIGURE  3 

A third  series  of  curves  were  plotted  in  Fig- 
ure 3.  Here  samples  of  aluminum  lenticular 


FIGURE  3 — Brightness  characteristics  of  similar 
samples  of  aluminum  surfaced  lenticular  screens. 


FIGURE  4 — Comparison  between  average  charac- 
teristics of  different  types  of  screen  surfaces. 
Curves  refer  to  ( I ) unperforated  magnesium  oxide, 
(2)  perforated  white  coated  screen,  (3)  "low  gain" 
aluminized  plastic  screen,  (4)  "high  gain"  alumin- 
ized plastic  screen,  (5)  aluminized  lenticular  screen. 


34 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  JUNE  9,  1956 


surfaces  were  used.  The  surfaces  were  all  very 
bright,  but  the  lenticular  formation  served  to 
introduce  a desired  amount  of  diffusion  so  as 
to  increase  the  relative  amount  of  light  energy 
reflected  at  angles  of  20°  to  60°  from  the  per- 
pendicular. An  average  curve  has  been  plotted 
for  this  group  and  is  shown  in  heavy  line. 

BRIGHTNESS  COMPARED:  FIGURE  4 

Figure  4 shows  a direct  comparison  of  the 
brightness  characteristics  of  five  different  types 
of  surfaces  or  screens.  Curve  1 represents  the 
magnesium  carbonate  surface.  This  surface  is 
used  as  a standard,  without  perforations,  and  it 
shows  100%  reflectivity,  not  only  at  0°,  but  for 
all  angles  of  view  up  to  70°,  which  is  the 
limit  of  the  charts.  (There  actually  is  a slight 
deviation  from  these  values  at  the  larger  angles, 
but  these  were  disregarded,  for  simplification.) 

Curve  2 shows  the  brightness  values  for  a 
white  matte  screen.  You  will  note  that  this 
surface  has  lower  reflectivity  than  the  “stand- 
ard” and  a slight  fall-off  at  60°  and  70°.  How- 
ever, this  curve  is  very  similar  to  the  “stand- 
ard,” except  for  its  lower  efficiency  due  to 
perforations  and  surface  material. 

Curve  3,  which  represents  the  average  bright- 
ness values  for  low  gain  aluminum  screens, 
shows  that  at  an  observation  angle  of  zero 
degrees  (head-on)  the  brightness  has  been  in- 
creased over  the  “standard”  to  180%.  This  is 
the  principal  reason  why  this  screen  would  be 
classified  as  having  a gain  of  1.8  over  the 
standard. 

However,  let  us  look  at  what  happens  to  this 
gain  as  the  viewing  goes  from  head-on  over 
to  the  side  of  the  center  line.  At  10°  the  gain 
becomes  about  1.5;  at  20°  the  gain  becomes  1.2; 
at  30°  the  gain  is  less  than  the  “standard,”  or 
.80;  and  at  50°  the  gain  has  dropped  to  .25,  or 
25%  of  the  “standard.” 

This  is  the  principal  reason  why  the  simple 
statement  of  screen  gain  is  valueless  unless  it 
is  accompanied  by  a plot  of  the  actual  gain  and 
distribution  brightness  characteristics  for  all 
angles  of  view. 

Curve  4 shows  the  average  plotted  values  for 
a high  gain  aluminum  screen.  The  head-on  gain 
is  equal  to  330%  of  the  white  “standard,”  but 
at  20°  viewing  angle  the  gain  is  200%,  and  at 
30°  the  gain  has  dropped  to  .8,  or  80%  of  the 
white  “standard.” 

Curve  5 shows  the  brightness  values  for  a 
metallic-surfaced  lenticular  screen.  The  center, 
or  head-on,  gain  for  this  screen  is  about  1.65, 
or  165%  of  the  “standard”  white.  The  bright- 
ness gain  for  side  viewing,  however,  is  con- 
siderably better  than  the  plain-surfaced  screen 
of  Curve  3. 

At  10°  the  lenticular  screen  has  160%  gain, 
at  20°  the  gain  is  145%,  at  30°  the  gain  is  130%, 
and  at  40°  it  is  still  better  than  “standard,” 
being  105%.  In  fact,  this  lenticular  type  of 
screen  does  not  drop  below  the  brightness  of  a 
regular  white  screen  until  the  viewing  angle  ex- 
ceeds 50°. 

Figure  4 demonstrates  that,  where  reflective 
efficiencies  are  equal,  brightness  gain  may  be 
increased  for  a selected  viewing  angle,  but  only 
at  a sacrifice  of  brightness  for  the  wider,  or 
side,  viewing  angles.  The  higher  the  gain  for 
the  narrow  viewing  angles,  the  greater  the  loss 
for  the  side  angles  (compare  Curves  3 and  4 
with  Curves  1 and  2). 

The  embossing  on  the  surface  of  a lenticular 


screen  produces  tiny  optical  reflectors  so  de- 
signed and  adjusted  that  the  brightness  pattern 
of  this  surface  may  be  re-arranged  for  a better 


SCREEN 


FIGURE  5 — Seating  areas  covered  by  differ- 
ent screen  characteristics.  Brightness  range 
between  maximum  and  half  maximum  values 
for  each  type.  Screen  Curve  3 covers  area 
under  LEK.  Screen  Curve  4 covers  area 
under  GHI.  Screen  Curve  5 covers  area 
under  ABC. 


light  distribution  to  seating  having  the  wider 
viewing  angles.  Compare  Curve  5 (for  a lentic- 
ular screen)  with  Curve  3 (for  an  unlenticu- 
lated  metallic  screen  of  similar  “gain”). 

ANGULAR  RANGE:  FIGURE  5 


In  order  to  demonstrate  the  angle  of  coverage 
for  different  screens,  we  have  taken  the  bright- 
ness distribution  values  represented  by  Curves 
3,  4 and  5 and  set  them  out  in  Figure  5.  In 
this  sketch,  GHI  is  the  seating  area  in  which 
all  parts  of  the  high  gain  screen  from  Curve  4 
would  appear  to  have  a brightness  ranging  from 
maximum  to  half  of  maximum.  Any  greater  dif- 
ference in  brightness  is  bad. 

The  total  area  under  curve  LEK  represents 
the  seating  space  similarly  covered  by  a lower 
gain  aluminized  screen,  such  as  demonstrated 
by  Curve  3. 

The  lenticular  screen  of  Curve  5,  because  of 
its  greater  angle  of  coverage,  can  produce  similar 
brightness  ratios  in  seating  area  traced  by  ABC. 

• 

PROPER  LIGHT  OUTPUT 

( Continued  from  page  33) 


with  a center  reading  of  10  foot-candles,  a 
picture  56  feet  wide  could  be  projected. 

The  data  which  has  been  collected  in 
these  three  tables  should  help  the  theatre 
operator  and  his  projection  staff  to  select 
the  proper  size  of  picture  for  a required 
center  light  intensity  for  almost  any  given 
projection  arc  system. 

By  taking  a center  reading  of  the  inci- 
dent light  on  a screen,  Figure  2 or  3 will 
give  the  net  value  of  the  total  light  on  the 
screen.  Having  this  net  value,  and  the  car- 
bon trim,  arc  current,  and  projection  optics, 
Figure  1 determines  whether  the  existing 
system  agrees  closely  with  the  theoretical 
maximum  output  value. 


Hi  LUX 


Comparison  tests  in  famous  theaters  through- 
out the  world  have  proven  Hilux  Anamorphic 
Projection  Lenses  vastly  superior.  Precision 
designed  and  built,  they  have  optimum  op- 
tical correction  for  color,  definition  and  dis- 
tortion. You  owe  it  to  your  audiences  to  use 
Hilux  Anamorphics  for  ALL  prints. 


An  amazingly  precise  variable  anamorphic  that  gives 
non-vignetting  performance  with  both  4"  (101.6mm! 
and  22%2"  (70.6mm)  diameter  prime  lenses.  Complete 
control  up  to  2X  without  shifting  lens  or  projector. 


A high  quality  2X  fixed  anamorphic  for  all  projection 
lenses  up  to  2ls/u"  (70.6mm)  with  a 64mm  free  rear 
aperture  for  maximum  non-vignetting  light  trans- 
mission. 


A 1.5X  to  2.0X  variable  anamorphic  for  all  standard 
225Al"  (70.6mm)  projection  lenses.  64mm  free  rear 
aperture  assures  maximum  light  with  no  vignetting. 

Hilux  264  and  152  are  available  with  either  fixed  or 
variable  corrector  lenses.  For  catalog  sheets  and  focal 
length  computer,  write  Dept.  BT-56. 


PROJECTION 
olPTICS 


PROJECTION  OPTICS  CO.,  INC. 
Rochester,  N.  Y.  • London,  England 


BETTER  THEATRES  SECTION 


35 


YOU  CAN  SAVE 
TIME  . . . MONEY . . . 

Yes,  drive-in  owners  have  found  that  you  can  keep 
your  grounds  clean,  quicker  and  cheaper,  with  the 
new 


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refuse  right  on  the  spot.  Just  right  for  paper, 
leaves,  twigs,  etc.  Large  capacity,  18  cu.  ft.,  yet 
perfect  balance  makes  its  easy  to  handle.  Wide 
wheel  treads;  all  welded  steel  construction  means 
lasting  wear.  Hun- 
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users.  CUTS  CLEAN- 
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WRITE  TODAY  TO  DEPT.  BT 


COUNTY  SPECIALTIES 
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“Comfort  is 
Our  Business 


HEYWOOD- 

WAKEFIELD 


THEATRE  CHAIRS 

Theatre  Seating  Division 
Menominee  • Michigan 


Yout  Guatanlee 


of  Consistent  Quality 
and  Outstanding  Service 
For  Every  Theatre  Need! 


NATIONAL  THEATRE  SUPPLY 
29  Branches  Coast  to  Coast 


Saving  Main  Street 

( Continued  from  page  18) 

schools,  churches,  streets,  sewers,  fire  de- 
partments and  all  the  social  and  civic  instal- 
lations become  an  unbearable  burden.  And 
his  existence  is  being  increasingly  threatened 
by  faster,  more  diversified  and  more  widely 
available  methods  of  communication. 

A1  is  speaking  to  Commercial  Clubs, 
Chambers  of  Commerce  and  the  like  in 
these  small  towns,  trying  to  prod  them  out 
of  their  lethargy  and  convincing  them  that 
chere  is  at  least  a fighting  chance  to  stem 
the  tide  of  attraction  to  bigger  places. 

• 

In  promoting  this  worthy  cause,  A1  and 
his  partners  have  made  up  a series  of 
“Trade  at  Home”  trailers  which  he  sells 
to  the  merchants  of  the  town  for  screening 
nightly  for  thirteen  weeks  at  local  theatres. 
The  subject  changes  weekly.  Each  subject 
points  out  the  value  to  the  town  of  the 
local  grocery  and  dry  goods  stores,  the 
clothier,  service  station,  insurance  agency, 
bank,  etc.  They  carry  a lot  of  punch  and 
they  sell  like  hot  cakes. 

After  a certain  minimum  of  sales,  A1 
contributes  all  remaining  sales  of  sponsor- 
ship to  the  local  Chamber  of  Commerce, 
the  money  to  be  spent  to  further  promote 
the  Trade-at-Home  idea  in  whatever 
medium  the  sponsors  choose.  The  campaign 
ends  with  two  or  three  days  of  free  shows 
put  on  by  the  exhibitor,  in  which  all 
thirteen  subjects  are  repeated. 

To  participate  in  this  kind  of  promotion 
is  one  of  the  finest  services  that  a theatre 
can  render  his  fellow  businessmen.  It  is 
an  educational  campaign  to  bring  home  to 
he  customer  his  importance  to  his  com- 
munity’s welfare  simply  by  trading  where 
• his  dollar  will  mean  the  most  to  home — 
at  home. 

It  took  a lot  of  promotion  to  start  this 
thing.  It  takes  promotion  by  the  exhibitor 
to  help  sell  it.  But  it  offers  small  town 
theatres  a chance  to  help  themselves  by 
helping  all  the  other  businesses  on  Main 
Street  in  a promotion  that  has  no  smaller 
purpose  than  salvation  of  the  community 
itself. 

e 

Drive-In  Playgrounds 

( Continued  from  page  12) 

found  that  in  the  long  run  the  installation 
of  good  equipment  proves  more  economical 
than  lightweight  material  that  will  not 
stand  up  to  the  test  of  constant  use  and 
weather  conditions.  Further,  it  requires 
less  maintenance  and  gives  the  parent  a 
feeling  of  security.  The  mechanical  carou- 
sel serves  two  purposes:  (1)  It  acts  as  a 
‘come-on’  to  the  children,  and  (2)  the 


operator  of  the  carousel  also  acts  as  super- 
visor of  the  area. 

“Our  entire  play  area  is  fenced  in  with 
either  picket  fencing,  corral  posts,  wire 
protections  or  some  other  suitable  material. 
The  area  is  covered  with  at  least  1 foot  of 
soft  sand  to  minimize  the  possibility  of 
children  injuring  themselves,  and  the  bor- 
der is  lined  with  parents’  benches  with  a 
seating  capacity  of  one  hundred. 

“We  have  investigated  the  practicality 
of  extensive  installations  of  paid  mechani- 
cal rides  and  find  that  they  are  not  suitable. 
The  investment  (approximately  $10,000 
for  an  array  of  carousels,  whips,  scoot- 
ers, ferris  wheels,  etc.)  is  prohibitive,  as  is 
the  maintenance  and  labor  costs.  In  addi- 
tion, parents  seem  to  resent  having  to  pay 
additional  money  for  entertainment,  once 
they  have  paid  an  entrance  fee  to  the 
theatre. 

“The  situation  is  further  complicated 
in  that  respect  by  the  fact  that  the  family 
often  comes  to  a drive-in  rather  than  a con- 
ventional theatre  because  it  saves  money. 
If  they  pay  for  rides  the  saving  factor  goes 
out  the  window. 

“The  decoration  motif  of  the  area  is 
usually  cartoon  characters  done  in  a gay 
bright  color  scheme.  The  area  is  thoroughly 
painted  each  season,  and  inspected  weekly 
by  the  theatre  manager.  Touch-up  jobs  are 
done  once  or  twfice  during  the  season,  as 
needed.  Safety  inspections  and  mainte- 
nance are  a constant  and  never-ending 
chore. 

“Parents,  however,  have  come  to  expect 
a diversified  program  of  play  activities  at 
our  drive-in  theatres,  and  we  feel  that  it 
is  one  of  the  most  important  inducements 
to  get  the  family  into  the  theatres  early. 
Obviously,  we  open  the  concession  stand 
at  the  same  time  we  open  the  play  area.” 


Factory  List  Price 


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constant  speed  motor*.  1 000  watt 
Mozdo  lomphoutet.  2000’  upper  and  lower  mogozinet,  photo- 
cells, exciter  lamps,  etc.  (Brand  New).  2— Series  1 4"  lenses, 
with  odapters  (New).  I — Set  projector,  photocell  ond  exciter 
lamp  cablet  (New).  I— Amplifier,  late  model,  25/30  wott  out- 
put (Rebuilt  like  New).  I —Jensen  Heavy  Duty  12'*  PM  speoker. 
with  baffle  and  75  feet  coble  (Reconed  ond  refinished),  guar- 
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621  West  55th  Street  New  York  19,  N.Y. 


DI^TIIDC  UCDAin  IllkIC  O iOCl 


FILM  BUYERS  RATING 


Film  buyers  of  independent  circuits  in  the  U.  S.  rate  current 
product  on  the  basis  of  its  performance  in  their  theatres  This 
report  covers  106  attractions,  3,849  playdates. 

Titles  run  alphabetically.  Numerals  refer  to  the  number  of  en- 
gagements on  each  attraction  reported.  The  tabulation  is  cumula- 
tive. Dagger  (f)  denotes  attractions  published  for  the  first  time. 
Asterisk  (*)  indicates  attractions  which  are  listed  for  the  last  time. 

EX  means  Excellent;  AA— Above  Average;  AV — Average; 
BA — Below  Average;  PR — Poor. 


African  Lion,  The  (B.V.) 

All  That  Heaven  Allows  (U-l) 
Anything  Goes  (Par.) 

Apache  Woman  (A.R.C.) 
Artists  and  Models  (Par.) 

At  Gunpoint  (A. A.)  


Backlash  (U-l) 

Battle  Stations  (Col.) 

Benny  Goodman  Story,  The  (U-l) 

Big  Knife,  The  ( U.A. ) 

Blood  Alley  (W.B.)  

Bottom  of  the  Bottle  (20th-Fox) 

Carousel  ( 20th- Fox ) 

Come  Next  Spring  (Rep.) 

Comanche  (U.A.) 

Conqueror,  The  (RKO) 

Count  Three  and  Pray  (Col.) 

Court  Jester,  The  (Par.)  

Court  Martial  of  Billy  Mitchell  (W.B.) 
fCreature  Walks  Among  Us  (U-l) 


Day  the  World  Ended  (A.R.C.) 
Deep  Blue  Sea,  The  (20th-Fox) 
Desperate  Hours,  The  (Par.) 

Diane  (MGM)  

Dig  That  Uranium  (A. A.) 

Duel  on  the  Mississippi  (Col.) 


Flame  of  the  Islands  (Rep.) 
Forbidden  Planet  (MGM) 
Forever  Darling  (MGM)  . . 

Fort  Yuma  (U.A.)  

Fury  at  Gunsight  Pass  (Col.) 


Gentlemen  Marry  Brunettes  (U.A.) 

Girl  in  the  Red  Velvet  Swing,  The  ( 20th- Fox ) 

Glory  (RKO)  

Goodbye,  My  Lady  (W.B.)  

Good  Morning,  Miss  Dove  ( 20th- Fox ) ....... 

Guys  and  Dolls  (MGM)  

(Harder  They  Fall,  The  (Col.) 

Helen  of  Troy  (W.B.)  

Hell  on  Frisco  Bay  (W.B.)  

Hot  Blood  (Col.)  

I Died  a Thousand  Times  (W.B.) 

I'll  Cry  Tomorrow  (MGM)  

Indian  Fighter  (U.A.)  

Inside  Detroit  (Col.)  

Invasion  of  the  Body  Snatchers  (A.A.) 


EX 

AA 

AV 

BA 

PR 

1 

8 

19 

14 

21 

5 

27 

16 

19 

4 

- 

4 

- 

9 

13 

1 

7 

2 

2 

- 

10 

33 

19 

7 

2 

- 

1 

1 1 

26 

2 

- 

12 

3 

16 

2 

- 

5 

- 

2 

1 

1 

12 

14 

28 

17 

- 

- 

1 

1 1 

14 

- 

8 

29 

21 

3 

2 

8 

14 

26 

1 

10 

3 

19 

8 

- 

1 

4 

17 

4 

- 

4 

1 

2 

18 

5 

8 

10 

4 

- 

5 

10 

24 

1 1 

7 

- 

9 

8 

6 

6 

1 

41 

28 

10 

1 

- 

1 

3 

2 

1 

- 21 

1 

i 

- 

- - 

i 

2 

12 

1 1 

II 

20 

19 

A 

1 

1 

8 

29 

— ‘r 

i i 

1 

7 

2 

2 

1 

2 

7 

3 

1 3 

8 

- 

5 

7 29 

29 

8 

8 

- 

5 

13 

2 

1 

3 

2 

2 

- 

10 

20 

15 

16 

- 

3 

20 

31 

23 

1 

3 

6 

8 

7 

- 

4 

2 

5 

- 

1 

16 

13 

34 

12 

20 

7 

4 

3 

4 

_ 

1 

_ 

8 

1 

- 

7 

27 

2 

1 1 

- 

8 

12 

1 1 

26 

- 

1 

1 

6 

3 

_ 

1 

5 

1 1 

9 

9 

17 

6 

1 

- 

- 

13 

26 

13 

6 

- 

- 

1 

4 

2 

- 

1 

- 

_ 

19 

7 - 3 


EX  AA  AV  BA  PR 


Kettles  in  the  Ozarks  (U-l)  - 7 12  12  3 

Kismet  (MGM)  . 4 17  22  25 

Last  Frontier  (Col.)  . ..  - 3 18  18  6 

Last  Hunt,  The  (MGM)  3 15  20  6 

Lady  Godiva  (U-l)  - I 5 7 6 

Lawless  Street  (Col.)  I 6 14  5 I 

Lieutenant  Wore  Skirts,  The  (20th-Fox)  - 10  27  25  3 

Littlest  Outlaw  (B.V.)  5 II  9 8 22 

Lone  Ranger,  The  (W.B.)  8 27  9 I 2 

Lucy  Gallant  (Par.)  ...  — - 23  17  II 

Man  Alone,  A (Rep.)  .............  - 9 23  10  12 

Man  in  the  Gray  Flannel  Suit  (20th-Fox)  3 3 2 2 5 

Man  Who  Never  Was  (20! h- Fox ) - 18  13  - 14 

Man  With  the  Golden  Arm  (U.A.)  7 19  19  II  - 

Man  With  the  Gun  (U.A.)  I 20  16  8 13 

Meet  Me  in  Las  Vegas  (MGM)  - 9 2 3 4 

Miracle  in  the  Rain  (W.B.)  - 5 3 9 9 

Naked  Dawn  (U-l)  . . . - - 3 5 3 

Never  Say  Goodbye  (U-l)  - 18  5 7 14 

On  the  Threshold  of  Space  ( 20th- Fox ) - 2 I 9 14 

Our  Miss  Brooks  (W.B.)  . — — 4 4 5 

Picnic  (Col.)  16  22  I I — - 

Prisoner,  The  (Col.)  1-224 

Queen  Bee  (Col.)  - - 12  16  II 

Quentin  Durward  (MGM)  - - 5 12  26 


Rains  of  Ranchipur,  The  ( 20 th- Fox ) 

Ransom  (MGM)  

Rebel  Without  a Cause  (W.B.) 

Red  Sundown  (U-l) 

Return  of  Jack  Slade  (A.A.) 

Revolt  of  Mamie  Stover  (20th-Fox) 
Rock  Around  the  Clock  (Col.) 

Rose  Tattoo,  The  (Par.)  

Running  Wild  (U-l)  


9 33  27  9 

I 2 18  18  II 

I I 55  20  8 I 

- 6 5 4 3 

2 II  3 - 

8 

5 6 6 1- 

II  9 15  8 3 

3 15  62- 


Second  Greatest  Sex  (U-l) 

Serenade  (W.B.)  

Shack  Out  on  101  (A.A.) 

Sincerely  Yours  (W.B.)  

Slightly  Scarlet  (RKO) 

Song  of  the  South  (B.V.)  

Spoilers,  The  (U-l)  

Square  Jungle  (U-l)  

Swan,  The  (MGM) 

Tall  Men,  The  ( 20th- Fox ) 

Tarantula  (U-l) 

Target  Zero  (W.B.)  

Teen  Age  Crime  Wave  (Col.) 
Tender  Trap,  The  (MGM) 

Texas  Lady  (RKO) 

There's  Always  Tomorrow  (U-l) 
Three  Bad  Sisters  (U.A.) 

Three  Stripes  in  the  Sun  (Col.) 
Treasure  of  Pancho  Villa  (RKO) 

Trial  (MGM)  

Tribute  to  a Bad  Man  (MGM) 

Trouble  With  Harry  (Par.)  

Twinkle  in  God's  Eye,  The  (Rep.) 


- 

8 

9 

18 

8 

- 

1 

- 

4 

4 

- 

4 

9 

1 

2 

- 

1 

10 

18 

20 

- 

2 

3 

4 

7 

6 

1 

4 

2 

16 

1 

1 1 

16 

16 

4 

- 

1 

1 

1 1 

36 

- 

8 

3 

- 

- 

7 

44 

19 

5 

3 

2 

14 

4 

6 

- 

- 

1 

5 

3 

4 

- 

6 

7 

2 

- 

9 

30 

33 

15 

2 

- 

2 

10 

14 

7 

- 

_ 

6 

7 

23 

- 

3 

3 

1 

- 

1 

8 

17 

10 

10 

_ 

1 

14 

14 

21 

1 

1 1 

42 

20 

6 

- 5 2 4 5 

10  2 7 9 I 

- 2 9 2 - 


Uranium  Boom  (Col.) 
World  in  My  Corner  (U-l) 


Jubal  (Col.) 


4 12 


25 


About  man’s  most  desperate 
need  A and  woman’s! 


I U (WJe... 


uhu^a 


“(Aa.i/V'A  , 
A v.  n 

LA  Ibv£? 


CjK^xt^L  -ilMKJL 

cLAvJ^O^^ 

..„  iy~^~ 


C/Xas\  ( 

-&AM.  (^LO<Uf? 

/•  o v 

lo>-€.  -<Ma^  ho 


Joan 

Crawford 


in  her  most  unusual  and  dramatic  role! 


AUTUMN 

LEAVES 


t 


A WILLIAM  GOETZ  PRODUCTION  EmMo*  MILES  • GREENE  • wSnEILY  #*  CLIFF  ROBERTSON  JACK  JEVNE, ®S*MOTraiP|^bR08ERT  BLEES  • ROBOT  ALDRICH  A COLUMBIA  PICTURE 


KEEP  YOUR  EYES  ON  THE  UNUSUAL  ADS 
FOR  MOST  UNUSUAL 


AND  DRAMATIC  PICTUREI 


KEEP  YOUR  EYES  ON  EXCITING  NEW  STAR 


“AUTUMN  LEAVES”  WILL  TURN  T 


•)  GOLD..  -at  your  box-office! 


Below:  One  the  ads  in  the  big  campaign. 


with  Everett  Sloane  • Eileen  Heckart  • and  Sal  Mineo  • Screen  Play  by  Ernest  Lehman 

Based  on  the  Autobiography  of  Rocky  Graziano  • Written  with  Rowland  Barber  • Directed  by  Robert  Wise  • Produced  by  Charles  Schnee 


c 

You  are  cordially  invited  to 
see  what  all  the  shooting 
is  about  at  the  nationwide 

THEATRE  PREVIEW 

of  M-G-M’s  Talk-of-the-lndustry  smash 

SOMEBODY  UP 
THERE  LIKES  ME 

In  Exchange  Cities  from  June  27th  to  July  2nd  inclusive. 
Invitations  are  in  the  mail. 

The  word  is  getting  around  that  M-G-M,  pro- 
ducers of  "I’ll  Cry  Tomorrow,”  have  struck  an- 
other gold-mine.  Life-inspired,  it  holds  audiences 
spellbound  with  its  heart  appeal  and  power.  We 
want  you  to  see  for  yourself.  That’s  why  we’re 
showing  it  in  Exchange  cities  nationwide.  Local 
press,  radio,  TV  and  other  opinion  makers  will 
be  there.  Circuit  heads,  bring  your  Managers. 
They  haven’t  had  a lift  like  this  in  a long  time. 


( Available  in  Perspecta  Stereophonic  or  1-Channel  Sound) 


ALBANY 

701k  (ealery-Fox  Sunning  loom 

1057  u«y  ■ 2 oo  p .h. 

ATLANTA 

mil  Coat«ry-Foi  Sunning  torn 
157  Wollon  SI.  N.W.  • 2 00  P.H. 
BOSTON 

20lh  Century-Fox  Sunning  loom 
IIS  t*<y  2 00  Ml. 


BUFFALO 

Mthtn  Pitlurt  Operators  Hell 
451  Poorl  SI.  ■ I 00  P.H. 
CHABLOTTE 

70lh  (tnlury-Foi  Sunning  Imih 

309  S.  Church  St.  • 1 00  P.H. 

CHICAGO 

Worn  or  Sunning  loom 

1307  So.  Wobosh  In.  • 130  P.H. 


CINCINNATI 
HO  Polace  Th.  Sunning  loom 
12  E.  ill  SI.  ■ I 00  P.H. 
CLEVELAND 

70th  (ontury-Fox  Sunning  loom 
27IP  Poynt  In.  - 2 00  P.H. 
DALLAS 

20th  (tnlury-Foi  Sunning  loom 
1103  Wood  St.  • 2 00  P.H. 


DENVER 

Paramount  Satining  loom 
2100  Stoul  St.  • 2 00  P.H. 

DES  MOINES 
20th  (onlury-Fox  Screening  loom 
1300  High  Si.  - 12:45  P.H. 
DETROIT 

20th  (ontury-Fex  Satining  loom 
2211(011  Ixo.  -2:00  P.M. 


warner  bros:  trade  shows 

^ JUNE  25™  ***** 


INDIANAPOLIS- 
Uninnol  Sunning 
S17  No.  Illinois  Si. 
JACKSONVILLE 
Florida  T neotre  lid 
123  E.  Fonylh  Si.  • 
KANSAS  CITY 
20th  Century-Fox  Sc 
1720  Wycndolte  Si. 


I 


FILMED  WITH  A SPECTACULAR 
NEW  DEVELOPMENT  IN  COLOR  BY 

Technicolor 


i 


loom 

■ 1:00  P.M. 


g.  Sc.  Im. 
2:00  P.M. 


reening  Room 
•1:30  Ml. 


LOS  ANGELES 
Fox  Weitcoott  Sc.  Rm. 

1137  So.  Vtcmont  Ave.  • 2:00  P.M. 
MEMPHIS 

20th  Century-Fox  Screening  Room 
1S1  Vonce  Ave.  • 3 00  P.M. 
MILWAUKEE 
Warner  Theatre  Screening  Room 
212  W.  Wiicontin  R<e.  - 8 00  P.M. 


MINNEAPOLIS 

Worner  Screening  Room 

1000  Currie  ive.  North  • 2 00  P.M. 

NEW  HAVEN 

Stanley  Warner  Screening  Room 

70  College  St.  • 1:30  P.M. 

NEW  ORLEANS 

20th  Century-Fox  Screening  Room 

200  Liberty  St.  - 2 00  P.M. 


NEW  YORK 
Home  Office 

321  W.  44lh  St.  • 2:15  P.M. 
OKLAHOMA 

20th  Century-Fox  Screening  Roam 
10  North  Lee  St.  - 10  00  A M. 
OMAHA 

20th  Century-Fox  Screening  Room 
1502  Davenport  St.  • 1:30  P.M. 


PHILADELPHIA 
Warner  Screening  Room 
230  No.  13th  St.  - 2 00  P.M. 
PITTSBURGH 

20lh  Century-Fox  Screening  Room 

1715  llvd.  ol  the  Allies  - 1 30  P.M. 

PORTLAND 

Star  Screening  Room 

925  N.W.  19th  Ave.  - 2 00  P.M. 


SALT  LAKE  CITY 

20th  Century-Fox  Screening  Room 

316  Eail  lit  South  - 100  P.M 

SAN  FRANCISCO 

Republic  Screening  Room 

221  Golden  Gale  Asa.  - 1:30  P.M. 

SEATTLE 

Egyptian  Theatre 

2:00  P.M. 


ST.  LOUIS 

S'renco  Screening  Room 

3143  Olive  St.  - 1.00  P.M. 

WASHINGTON 

Stanley  Warner  Screening  Ream 

13th  t E.  Sti.  N.W.  • 10:30  A.M. 


DUAL  WORLD  PREMIERE 

Roxy  Theatre,  New  York  • Chinese  Theatre,  Los  Angeles 
and  immediately  thereafter  in  the  leading  theatres  of  the  world! 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD 


MARTIN  QUIGLEY,  Editor-in-Chief  and  Publisher 


Vol.  203,  No.  I I 


MARTIN  QUIGLEY,  JR.,  Editor 


June  16,  1956 


Allied  & the  Justice  Department 

SOME  future  historian  of  the  motion  picture  industry 
will  have  a fascinating  time  charting  the  relations 
of  Allied  States  Association  and  the  Department  of 
Justice.  There  is  no  doubt  that  in  the  1930s  and  1940s 
Allied  had  a strong  influence  at  the  Department  of  Jus- 
tice. Certainly  the  protests  of  Allied  and  its  members 
played  a part  in  the  initiating  and  prosecution  of  the 
Paramount  et  al  anti-trust  suit. 

In  recent  years,  especially  since  the  advent  of  the 
Eisenhower  Administration,  there  have  been  increasing 
signs  of  a deterioration  of  the  relationship  between  Allied 
and  the  anti-trust  division  of  the  Department  of  Justice. 
Now  Allied  charges  that  division  with  a laxity  in  law 
and  decree  enforcement  and  a lack  of  sympathy  with  the 
plight  of  small  independent  exhibitors.  For  its  part  the 
Department  of  Justice  in  a long  statement  prepared  for 
the  Senate  Small  Business  Committee  asserts  that  all  the 
motion  picture  consent  decrees  are  being  properly  ap- 
plied. 

The  key  point  of  dispute  is  whether,  as  the  Depart- 
ment of  Justice  maintains,  there  now  exists  an  “equality 
of  opportunity’’  for  independent  exhibitors  and  for  all 
distributors.  Also,  certain  of  creating  additional  contro- 
versy is  the  Department’s  position  that  a distributor  may 
create  an  additional  run  or  runs,  at  will,  in  front  of  the 
usual  first  run.  Somewhat  Pickwickian  is  the  Justice 
view  that  an  exhibitor  has  to  tell  a distributor  what  ad- 
mission he  plans  to  charge  but  that  he  (the  exhibitor) 
can  change  his  mind  with  impunity  and  charge  less. 

Unless  there  is  a change  in  the  attitude  of  the  officials 
of  the  Justice  Department  it  would  seem  that  any  trade 
practice  relief  sought  by  Allied  must  come  elsewhere. 
This  means  there  should  be  a return  to  direct  negotia- 
tions with  the  distributors.  That  may  well  be  the  best 
course  of  action  anyway.  A common  front  of  exhibitors 
and  distributors  would  have  the  best  chance  of  getting 
action  from  the  Administration  or  from  Congress,  if  the 
consent  decrees  need  revision. 


Out  of  Bounds 

BOSLEY  CROWTHER,  the  eminent  motion 
picture  critic  of  the  New  York  Times,  continues 
to  be  a source  of  grave  concern  to  responsible 
elements  in  the  motion  picture  industry.  His  critical 
attentions  recently  have  been  running  the  gamut  from 
ridicule  (on  one  occasion  expressed  in  heavy-handed 
verse)  to  devastating  assault  and  abuse.  Objectivity 
and  fairly-worded  comment  seem  to  have  become 
estranged  from  his  typewriter. 


In  a long  list  of  instances  neither  the  theatre-going 
public  nor  many  industry  persons  of  qualified  judgment 
and  experience  are  able  to  make  head  or  tail  out  of  his 
observations  in  respect  to  various  particular  pictures. 
His  many  prejudices  and  favoritisms  seem  to  have  got- 
ten the  upper  hand  over  anything  in  the  way  of  balance, 
comparison  and  judgment. 

A particularly  aggravated  case — which  has  aroused 
widespread  indignation  in  the  industry  — was  the 
Crowther  review  of  “Trapeze”,  a picture  which  reckoned 
by  any  reasonable  standard  is  an  important  and  out- 
standing attraction.  The  indignation  is  by  no  means 
confined  to  persons  interested  directly  or  indirectly  in 
“Trapeze”.  The  Crowther  review  was  a solid  blasting 
in  no  way  related  or  fairly  based  upon  what  the  screen 
displays.  This  fact  is  confirmed  by  the  attendance 
records  which  the  public  is  lavishing  upon  it. 

So  much  for  the  review — but  the  worst  is  yet  to  come. 
Mr.  Crowther  in  his  special  Sunday  article  this  week  re- 
turned to  the  attack  on  “Trapeze”.  The  burden  of  this 
article  as  expressed  in  bold  headline  is  “ ‘Trapeze’  won’t 
save  the  screen  but  films  like  ‘Rififi’  can.” 

This  “Rififi”  film  which  Mr.  Crowther  is  so  enthusiastic 
about  and  which  encouraged  him  to  offer  the  invidious 
and  unethical  comparison  with  “Trapeze”  as  a type  of 
industry  savior,  curiously  enough  was  adapted  for  the 
screen  and  directed  by  Jules  Dassin  who  has  been  identi- 
fied before  a Congressional  committee  as  a member  of 
the  Communist  Party.  Mr.  Dassin  has  escaped  sub- 
poena service  by  continuing  to  reside  abroad.  “Rififi” 
is  an  import  from  France  where  it  was  produced.  It 
contains  a number  of  incidents  which  in  Mr.  Crowther’s 
own  words  are  in  violation  of  the  United  States  Produc- 
tion Code. 

Alongside  of  Mr.  Crowther’s  collection  of  curious 
prejudices  he  has  often  given  evidence  of  several  curious 
favoritisms.  The  instance  of  “Rififi”  and  what  goes 
along  with  it  is  one  that  is  not  likely  to  be  soon  for- 
gotten. 


IJ  Operators  of  drive-ins  as  well  as  conventional  thea- 
tres should  follow  developments  in  the  anti-trust  suit 
filed  two  months  ago  by  the  Department  of  Justice  in 
Omaha.  If  the  Government  wins  the  relief  sought,  wide- 
spread changes  might  be  required  in  operating  practices. 
The  Department  of  Justice  asserts  that  the  defendants 
agreed  to  fix  uniform  prices  for  admissions,  food  and 
beverages  and  to  limit  the  amounts  to  be  spent  for  news- 
paper advertising.  It  was  also  asserted  that  the  defend- 
ants threatened  to  refrain  from  dealing  with  distributors 
who  sold  pictures  to  drive-ins  charging  lower  admissions. 

— Martin  Quigley,  Jr. 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD 


On  N.Y.  Times'  Trapeze  & Rif  if  i 


To  the  Editor: 

There  are  a group  of  Americans  who 
seem  to  intensely  dislike  the  American  mo- 
tion picture  industry.  Foremost  among 
these,  it  would  appear,  is  Mr.  Bosley 
Crowther,  chief  motion  picture  editor  of 
the  .Veto  York  Times.  Mr.  Crowther  never 
misses  an  opportunity  to  criticize,  as  de- 
structively as  possible,  American  pictures 
and  the  American  motion  picture  industry. 
Since  Cinerama  and  wide  screens  are  Amer- 
ican inventions,  he  dislikes  wide  screens. 
Since  color  has  predominated  in  American 
pictures,  he  dislikes  color — he  prefers  black 
and  white.  He  criticizes  the  industry  for 
the  inadequacies  of  the  Code,  and  yet  praises 
everyone  who  successfully  disregards  it.  He 
never  fails  to  praise  a foreign  picture  far 
beyond  its  worth,  particularly  if  there  is 
connected  with  the  picture  someone  who 
belongs  to  what  is  commonly  referred  to 
as  ‘‘the  left  wing.” 

Mr.  Crowther ’s  current  rave  is  a French 
picture  entitled  "Rififi”  which  was  produced 
and  directed  by  Jules  Dassin,  who  was 
identified  before  the  House  Committee  as 
a member  of  the  Communist  Party  and 
whose  constant  presence  in  Europe  has  made 
it  impossible  for  the  House  Committee  to 
serve  him  with  a subpoena. 

Mr.  Crowther,  in  his  most  recent  column 
in  the  Sunday  New  York  Times,  compares 
“Rififi”  and  “Trapeze.”  The  headline  of 
Mr.  Crowther’s  column  says  “‘Trapeze’ 
won’t  save  the  screen  but 'films  like  ‘Rififi’ 
can.”  He  sees  in  pictures  such  as  “Rififi” 
the  salvation  of  the  American  industry. 

I think  I would  admit  that  “Rififi”  would 
have  a greater  appeal  to  the  American 
audience  than  the  average  foreign  language 
picture,  but  by  critical  standards  it  falls  far 
short  of  those  set  by  American  pictures  and 
it  is  hardly  the  type  of  picture  on  which 
we  would  want  to  base  the  future  of  the 
American  industry.  Its  hero  is  an  ex-con- 
vict and  jewel  thief.  During  the  course  of 
the  one  hour  and  forty-five  minutes  of  the 
picture,  some  eight  persons  are  brutally 
murdered  in  front  of  the  camera.  Inter- 
spersed into  the  picture,  without  much  pur- 
pose except  to  make  it  spicy,  are  bawdy 
scenes  of  prostitution.  Concerning  this  point 
Mr.  Crowther  shyly  admits  “ ‘Rififi’  contains 
about  five  things  that  would  not  get  past  the 
Hollywood  Production  Code  but  which  are 
essential  to  the  pungency  of  it.”  What  Mr. 
Dassin  has  turned  out  is  a good,  fast  moving, 
bloody,  brutal,  gangster  picture,  typical  of 
the  pictures  turned  out  by  our  American 
companies  in  the  early  1930s.  Had  this  pic- 


ture been  produced  in  America,  I am  sure 
Mr.  Crowther  would  have  criticized  it  for 
having  been  25  years  behind  the  times. 

The  American  industry  has  taken  a firm 
stand  against  the  use  of  persons  in  American 
motion  pictures  who  have,  in  the  past,  been 
identified  with  Communist  activities  and 
who  have  neglected  or  refused  to  make 
known  their  relationship  with  the  Party. 

It  is  no  secret  that  Mr.  Crowther  dis- 
approves of  this  policy  and  has  said  so. 
Whether  or  not  his  disapproval  of  this 
policy  in  any  way  influences  his  apparent 
fondness  for  foreign  pictures  made  by  per- 
sons whose  politics  are  on  the  left,  would 
be  difficult  to  determine,  but  from  where 
I sit  much  of  his  criticism  just  doesn’t  add 
up.  This  is  particularly  true  of  his  present 
position.  If  the  American  industry  has  to 
be  “saved”  for  the  purpose  of  presenting 
such  pictures  as  Dassin’s  “Rififi,”  then  a lot 
of  people  might  appropriately  ask — Why? 
— RUSSELL  M.  MOSS,  business  agent  and 
executive  vice-president,  Local  H-63 
( IATSE ),  New  York. 

• 

Censorship 

To  the  Editor: 

It  seems  that  every  time  censorship  is 
abolished  by  some  state  or  city,  there  is  a 
great  outcry  for  the  return  of  censorship 
because  of  the  influx  of  immoral  and  inde- 
cent motion  pictures.  There  are  always  a 
few  exhibitors  out  to  make  a fast  buck  at  the 
expense  of  the  good  name  of  the  industry. 

The  only  solution  seems  to  be  a continu- 
ation of  censorship  where  it  exists  and 
censorship  laws  in  states  where  they  do  not 
exist.  Now,  I realize  that  censorship  to 
most  exhibitors  is  a dirty  word,  but  the 
censorship  I am  talking  about  would  be 
instigated  by  and  be  beneficial  to  the  exhibi- 
tors themselves.  They  would  not  be  un- 
realistic laws  set  up  by  civic-minded  groups. 

The  basic  idea  of  the  industry-sponsored 
censorship  law  would  be  to  require  review 
by  a local  censor  board  of  all  reels  not  bear- 
ing the  Production  Code  seal.  Sure,  this 
would  be  censorship  to  an  extent,  but  it 
would  be  favorable  to  the  industry  as  a 
whole.  It  would  also  put  teeth  in  the  Code. 

The  motion  picture  producers  would  for 
the  first  time  have  a common  set  of  rules  to 
follow  in  determining  what  or  what  not  is 
objectionable  about  their  motion  pictures. 

Of  course,  what  happens  if  the  Production 
Code  were  amended  to  leave  the  door  open 
for  indecent  motion  pictures  is  another  ques- 
tion.— ROBERT  ZILLER,  Minneapolis. 


June  16,  1956 


Page 


U.  S.  DEFENDS  decree  as  Allied 
delivers  counter-punch  12 

TOA  REPLY  to  distributor  charges 
included  in  committee  record  13 

PROMOTION  HEADS  of  majors  seek 
meetings  with  exhibitors  16 

CRESCENT  circuit  promotes  theme, 

"Go  to  the  Movies"  16 

OUTLINE  of  an  idea:  A plan  to 

revitalize  theatre  attendance  17 

TELEVISION  networks  offer  defense 
against  monopoly  charges  20 

BRITISH  producers  join  exhibitors  to 
curb  film  sales  to  television  22 

RANK  PRECISION  industries  reports 
net  earnings  still  high  22 

"TRAPEZE"  has  its  third  big  premiere 
in  Chicago  26 

HOUSE  committee  delays  vote  on 
further  admission  tax  relief  26 


WISCONSIN  Allied  votes  to  reduce 


membership  dues  by  half 

26 

SERVICE  DEPARTMENTS 

Refreshment  Merchandising 

39 

Film  Buyers'  Rating 

3rd  Cover 

Hollywood  Scene 

25 

Managers'  Round  Table 

35 

The  Winners'  Circle 

28 

National  Spotlight 

31 

IN  PRODUCT  DIGEST  SECTION 

Showmen's  Reviews  937 

Short  Subjects  Chart  938 

The  Release  Chart  940 

MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  Martin  Quigley,  Editor-In- 
Chief  and  Publisher;  Martin  Quigley,  Jr.,  Editor;  Raymond 
Levy,  Executive  Publisher;  James  D.  Ivers,  News  Editor; 
Charles  S.  Aaronson,  Production  Editor;  Floyd  E.  Stone, 
Photo  Editor;  Ray  Gallagher,  Advertising  Manager;  Gus 
H.  Fausel,  Production  Manager.  Bureaus:  Hollywood, 

Samuel  D.  Berns,  Manager:  William  R.  Weaver,  Editor, 
Yucca-Vine  Building,  Telephone  HOllywood  7-2145; 
Chicago,  120  So.  LaSalle  St.,  Urben  Farley,  Advertising 
Representative,  Telephone  Financial  6-3074;  Washington, 
J.  A.  Otten,  National  Press  Club;  London,  Hope  Williams 
Burnup,  Manager;  Peter  Burnup,  Editor;  William  Pay, 
News  Editor,  4 Golden  Square.  Correspondents  in  the 
principal  capitals  of  the  world.  Member  Audit  Bureau  of 
Circulations.  Motion  Picture  Herald  is  published  every 
Saturday  by  Quigley  Publishing  Company,  Inc.,  Rocke- 
feller Center,  New  York  City  20.  Telephone  Circle  7-3100; 
Cable  address;  "Quigpubco,  New  York",  Martin  Quigley, 
President;  Martin  Quigley,  Jr.,  Vice-President;  Theo.  J. 
Sullivan,  Vice-President  and  Treasurer;  Raymond  Levy, 
Vice-President,  Leo  J.  Brady,  Secretary.  Other  Quigley 
Publications:  Better  Theatres  and  Better  Refreshment  Mer- 
chandising, each  published  thirteen  times  a year  as  a 
section  of  Motion  Picture  Herald;  Motion  Picture  Daily, 
Television  Today,  Motion  Picture  Almanac,  Television 
Almanac,  Fame. 


8 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  JUNE  16,  1956 


On  the  Oti 


onzon 


"DYNAMIC  FRAME"  SHOWN 

The  British  Film  Institute 
sponsored  a demonstration  to 
the  press  and  film  industry  in 
London  this  week  of  the  first 
film  to  be  made  in  the  "Dynamic 
Frame"  technique,  a process 
whereby  the  size  and  shape  of 
the  picture  frame  are  viewed 
according  to  the  dramatic  needs 
of  the  story.  Glenn  Alvey, 
originator  of  the  technique, 
adapted  H.  G.  Wells'  short 
story,  "The  Door  in  the  Wall" 
and  directed  the  film,  which 
was  made  in  color  by  Techni- 
color and  VistaVision.  The 
technique  has  been  designed  to 
overcome  what  may  be  consid- 
ered a major  drawback  of  wide 
screen  systems:  that  of  com- 
posing every  shot,  regardless 
of  its  subject  matter,  within 
a vast  but  rigid  format.  In 
the  new  process,  the  setting, 
action  and  mood  of  each  scene 
determine  its  space  require- 
ments, and  the  appropriate 
horizontal  or  vertical  formal 
can  be  varied  imperceptibly  or 
suddenly,  as  required. 

OUTLOOK  ABROAD 

Universal  - International's 
outlook  in  Continental  Europe 
is  highly  encouraging  over  the 
next  two  years  because  of  the 
company's  product  lineup,  man- 
power, and  hard  work  in  selling 
its  pictures,  according  to 
Americo  Aboaf,  vice-president 
and  general  sales  manager  of 
Universal  - International 
Films,  Inc.  Mr.  Aboaf  recently 
returned  from  France,  Germany 
and  Italy,  where  he  presided  at 
regional  sales  meetings.  De- 
claring that  business  will  be 
generally  good  for  the  indus- 
try, he  predicted  that  U-I's 
business  for  this  year  will  at 
least  be  as  high  as  last  year's 
record. 

EXTEND  CANTOR  OPTION 

Cantor,  Fitzgerald  & Com- 
pany's 60-day  option  to  buy  the 
operating  control  of  Republic 
Pictures  from  Herbert  J.  Yates 
and  associates  has  been  ex- 
tended to  September  4,  it  has 
been  announced  by  the  banking 
investment  group.  The  exten- 
sion was  said  to  be  due  to  the 


complexity  of  Republic's  books 
and  records.  The  announcement 
also  revealed  that  George  V. 
Delson,  New  York  tax  analyst, 
is  making  a study  of  Republic's 
tax  situation. 

TV  IN  EUROPE 

American  Broadcasting-Para- 
mount Theatres  has  established 
a relationship  with  European 
television  interests  with  an 
eye  toward  future  expansion 
there,  according  to  Leonard 
Goldenson,  AB-PT  president. 
According  to  Mr.  Goldenson,  he 
went  abroad  recently  "to  es- 
tablish a relationship  with 
European  television  organiza- 
tions, to  work  with  them,  and 
help  them  if  possible,  and  to 
learn  their  problems."  He  said 
he  was  impressed  with  the 
growth  of  the  TV  medium  in 
England,  France,  Italy  and 
Germany. 

TAX  PROTEST 

METZ,  FRANCE:  Rather  than 
pay  municipal  taxes,  five  the- 
atres here  have  decided  to 
close.  These  taxes  have  been 
disliked  by  exhibitors  for  a 
long  time.  Last  year  exhibi- 
tors throughout  the  country 
protested  against  the  taxes  on 
the  more  expensive  seats  and 
many  decided  to  reduce  the 
price  of  these  seats  below  the 
taxable  minimum  but  this  pol- 
icy could  not  continue.  There 
is  a possibility  that  this 
movement  may  spread.  The  thea- 
tres affected  distributed 
leaflets  throughout  the  city 
explaining  their  position  with 
apologies  to  the  public. 

MORE  FROM  RKO 

A speedup  in  the  production 
program  of  RKO  Pictures  was 
announced  Wednesday  by  Wil- 
liam Dozier,  vice-president  in 
charge  of  production,  and 
Daniel  T.  O'Shea,  president. 
A total  of  8 top  bracket  fea- 
ture films  are  scheduled  to  go 
into  work  in  the  next  70  days 
with  a total  production  in- 
vestment of  $11,000,000.  Of 
these,  three  are  to  start  in 
June,  2 in  July  and  3 in  August, 
it  was  announced. 


WHEN  AND  WHERE 

June  17-19:  Mississippi  Theatre  Owners 
Association,  16th  annual  convention, 
Edgewater  Gulf  Hotel,  Edgewater  Park, 
Miss. 

June  25:  Annual  golf  tournament  and  din- 
ner party  of  Albany  Variety  Club,  to  be 
held  at  Shaker  Ridge  Country  Club, 
Albany,  N.  Y. 

September  19-25:  Annual  convention  of 
Theatre  Owners  of  America,  in  conjunc- 
tion with  the  annual  convention  and 
trade  shows  of  the  Theatre  Equipment 
Dealers  Association  and  Theatre  Equip- 
ment and  Supply  Manufacturers  Associa- 
tion to  be  held  at  the  Coliseum,  New 
York  City. 

September  28-30:  Third  annual  national 
convention  of  the  Women  of  the  Motion 
Picture  Industry,  Dinkler-Plaza  Hotel, 
Atlanta. 

October  7-12:  80th  semi-annual  conven- 
tion of  the  Society  of  Motion  Picture  and 
Television  Engineers,  Los  Angeles. 

October  15-16:  Annual  regional  conven- 
tion of  Independent  Exhibitors  of  New 
England  and  The  Drive-In  Theatre  Asso- 
ciation of  New  England,  Winchendon, 
Mass. 

October  23-24:  Allied  Theatre  Owners  of 
Indiana,  Marott  Hotel,  Indianapolis. 

October  28-30:  Annual  convention  of  the 
Motion  Picture  Theatre  Exhibitors  of 
Florida,  Roosevelt  Hotel,  Jacksonville. 

November  24-28:  Allied  States  Association, 
Fall  board  meeting  and  annual  conven- 
tion, Statler  Hotel,  Dallas,  Texas. 

November  25-27:  44th  annual  convention 
of  the  Theatre  Owners  of  North  and 
South  Carolina,  Hotel  Charlotte,  Char- 
lotte, N.  C. 


DRIVE-IN  GRAB  BAG 

For  an  admission  price  of 
$1.75,  a patron  gets  a variety 
of  features  at  Stanford  Kohl- 
berg's  Starlite  Drive-in  thea- 
tre, Chicago.  All  this,  and 
fresh  air,  too,  are  offered: 
two  feature  pictures,  a stage 
show,  free  milk  for  children, 
free  diaper  service,  free 
candy,  souvenirs  and  dancing. 
Starting  August  17  there  will 
be  an  ice  show  with  a company 
of  30  skaters.  As  an  added  at- 
traction, there  will  be  circus 
aerial  acts  at  every  show. 

William  R.  Weaver — Lawrence 
J.  Quirk — James  D.  Ivers 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD  JUNE  16,  1956 


9 


IT’S  DOCTOR  DISNEY  now.  He’s  a 
Doctor  of  Fine  Arts,  courtesy  of  the 
Chouinard  Art  Institute,  of  Los  Angeles. 
In  array  at  the  left  are  James  Normile, 
school  assistant  director;  Walt  Disney; 
Mrs.  Nelbert  Chouinard;  and  Dr.  Cla- 
rence Thurber,  director.  Mr.  Disney  gave 
school  officials  a scroll  signed  by  Disney 
artists  educated  there. 


RANOtt 


SOUND  IS  THE  SUBJECT,  at  the  Carroll  Theatre, 
Carroll,  la.,  as  manager  Bill  Arts,  left,  editor  Howard 
Wilson,  and  J.  R.  Brown  of  Altec,  right,  listen  to  Altec 
publicity  director  Bert  Ennis  as  he  points  out  a maga- 
zine article  on  his  company’s  campaign  for  better  sound. 


tS 


wee 


L 


CHARLES  S.  STODTER,  right,  in 
early  July  becomes  executive  secre- 
tary to  the  Society  of  Motion  Pic- 
ture and  Television  Engineers.  He 
succeeds  Boyce  Nemec.  He  is  an 
electrical  engineer  who  has  had  a 
long  and  important  army  career. 


THE  PERSONAL  PUSH.  Pro- 
moting his  “The  Animal  World” 
in  12  cities,  Irwin  Allen  in  New 
Orleans  is  welcomed  by  Para- 
mount Gulf  president  Henry 
Plitt,  right,  hooker  T.  J.  Howell, 
left,  and  vice-president  Maurice 
Barr,  also  left. 


EDWIN  "PETE"  GAGE... 
five  years  a vice-president, 
he  becomes  executive  vice- 
president. 


AUTHORITY  is  the  story, 
at  the  Walter  Reade  cir- 
cuit, Oakhurst,  New  Jer- 
sey. Men  who  had  been 
specialist  executives  have 
been  made  officers  and 
their  departments  given 
autonomy.  Mr.  Reade 
commented:  "We  are  no 
less  interested  in  exhibi- 
tion than  before,  but  we 
are  becoming  more  inter- 
ested in  other  (growing) 
aspects  of  the  motion 
picture  industry  and  allied 
fields." 


JACK  P.  HARRIS,  vice- 
president  in  charge  of  film 
buying  and  booking. 


ALBERT  FLOERSHEIMER, 
JR.,  vice-president  in  charge 
of  catering  and  food  con- 
cessions. 


SHELDON  GUNSBERG, 
vice-president  in  charge  of 
advertising  and  publicity. 


NICHOLAS  SCHERMER- 
HORN,  vice-president  in 
charge  of  theatre  opera- 
tions. 


c 


t 


by  the  Herald 


THAT’S  A FLYING  SAUCER  Clarence  Greene  is  describing, 
al  the  New  York  office  of  United  Artists,  where  he  went  to 
ascertain  how  his  “U.F.O.”  is  doing.  The  picture,  you  guessed 
it,  is  about  unidentified  flying  objects.  Mr.  Greene  opines 
the  topical  and  even  the  provocative  is  that  something  differ- 
ent the  public  wants.  His  next  three  pictures,  made  along 
with  Russel  Rouse,  will  he  “from  life”  and  “sugar-coated  with 
entertainment.”  His  theory  is,  a certain  segment  of  the  public 
(enough  to  give  you  a profit)  will  like  your  type  of  picture 
and  come  when  they  see  your  brand  name. 


by  the  Herald 


FRITZ  LANG,  left,  a director  of 
vast  experience  and  some  re- 
nown, said  in  New  York  last 
week  he  saves  money  on  pic- 
tures such  as  “Beyond  a Rea- 
sonable Doubt,”  his  latest,  hv 
conferring  with  writers  before 
their  errors  are  unreversable.  As 
for  the  industry  these  days:  how- 
do  you  give  “new  faces”  to 
showmen  and  hankers  who  insist 
on  “star  values.” 


ARTHUR  J.  HATCH,  new 
president  of  Strong  Electric, 
Toledo,  succeeding  the  late 
Harry  Strong. 


by  the  Herald 


SOME  CRITICAL  WORDS  on  a crisis,  from  Dino  DeLaurentiis,  producer 
(along  with  Carlo  Ponti)  of  Paramount’s  “War  and  Peace.”  At  the  home 
office  in  New  York  last  week,  he  declared  the  crisis  is  truly  international 
and  people  want  different  treatment,  new  ideas.  Such  as,  for  instance, 
his  picture  gives.  The  battle  scenes  are  awesome,  the  acting  superb,  the 
picture  one  of  ineffable  quality.  Also,  he  adds,  one  such  picture  is  worth 
in  playing  time  five  poor  ones,  something  the  exhibitor  who  asks  continu- 
ally for  “more  pictures”  should  heed  and  believe. 


THE  FRIENDLY  EXHIBI- 
TORS. In  the  Philadelphia 
exchange  pitching  for  United 
Artists  Week,  July  1-7  are  Al 
Davis,  Freid  Circuit;  Charles 
MacDonald,  York;  Gene  Tu- 
nick,  their  host  (UA  mana- 
ger) ; and  Max  Chasins, 
Atlantic  City. 


THIS  IS  THE  CAST  MGM  has  put  into 
“High  Society”  which  in  its  sneak  pre- 
views has  the  industry’s  “ins”  excited, 
and  which  New  York’s  Radio  City  Music 
Hall  will  screen  beginning  Labor  Day. 
Here  are  renowned  performers  Margalo 
Gillmore,  Sidney  Blackmer,  Celeste 
Holm,  Frank  Sinatra,  Grace  Kelly  and 
John  Lund.  Bing  Crosby  is  also  a star  of 
the  film  which  is  in  VistaVision. 


I S.  DEFENDS  DECREE  AS 
ALLIED  COENTER-PENCHES 


WASHINGTON  : What  is  informally  known  (in  the  film  trade,  anyway)  as 
THE  Senate  subcommittee,  but  officially  called  the  Subcommittee  on  Retailing, 
Distribution  and  Fair  Trade  Practices  of  the  Senate  Select  Committee  on  Small 
Business,  has  settled  down  to  work.  By  mid-July,  it  should  have  ready  a report 
on  its  recent  hearings  on  motion  picture  industry  trade  practices.  The  record 
was  closed  late  last  week  with  the  submission  of  three  documents: 


A 25-page  letter  from  the  Department 
of  Justice  which  declared  that  the  Para- 
mount consent  decrees  have  succeeded  in 
creating  “equality  of  opportunity”  for  in- 
dependent exhibitors  and  all  distributors, 
and  which  at  the  same  time  vigorously 
defended  the  Department’s  record  in  en- 
forcing the  consent  decree; 

A 26-page  “reply  statement,”  prepared 
by  Abram  F.  Myers,  Allied  States  Asso- 
ciation general  counsel,  to  answer  the 
series  of  strong  distribution  attacks  on 
exhibition  which  Mr.  Myers  described  at 
‘length  as  “the  Great  Dispersal”;  and 

A 19-page  sworn  affidavit,  submitted  by 
Rube  Shor,  Allied  president,  designed  to 
answer  charges  made  against  him  person- 
ally before  the  subcommittee  by  Charles 
Reagan,  vice-president  and  general  sales 
manager  of  Loew’s,  Inc.,  and  by  Louis 
Phillips,  vice-president  and  general  coun- 
sel for  Paramount  Pictures. 

With  their  work  for  the  next  few  weeks 
clearly  cut  out  for  them,  subcommittee  offi- 
cials said  Monday  that  they  did  not  expect 
any  other  material  to  be  filed  with  the  sub- 
committee. However,  because  of  the  not  un- 
expectedly controversial  elements  in  the 
newest  documents,  the  officals  pointed  out 
that  individuals  and  groups  could  always 
file  additional  information  later  directly  with 
Senators  who  are  members  of  the  subcom- 
mittee. 

Analyzes  Testimony 

Mr.  Myers  launched  his  “reply  statement” 
with  a careful  analysis  of  distribution  testi- 
mony concerning  the  most  recent  failure  of 
the  industry  to  agree  on  an  arbitration  sys- 
tem. Calling  it  a “red  herring  issue,”  Mr. 
M vers  said  that  it  was  irrelevant  to  the 
business  at  hand  unless  it  could  be  demon- 
strated that  “the  current  arbitration  draft 
will  aid  measurably  in  the  solution  of  the 
present-day  problems.”  Distribution,  he  said, 
“made  little  or  no  attempt  at  such  a demon- 
stration.” r 

Declaring  that  Allied’s  views  on  arbitra- 
tion have  long  been  known  and  that  at  all 
times  Allied  officials  have  acted  to  carry  out 
the  will  of  its  membership,  Mr.  Myers  said 
that  “the  distributors’  position  boils  down  to 
this : Allied  leaders  merit  castigation  because 
they  have  not  disregarded  the  express  wishes 
of  their  members  and  made  a deal  with  the 
distributors  for  an  elaborate  and  expensive 
arbitration  system  which  would  make  no 
contribution  toward  the  solution  of  the  prob- 


lems that  are  now  keeping  exhibitors  awake 
nights. 

“In  light  of  the  foregoing,  how  can  the 
subcommittee  escape  the  conclusion  that  the 
hullabaloo  about  arbitration  is  merely  a di- 
versionary tactic  designed  to  divert  atten- 
tion from  the  exhibitors’  grievances  and  as 
an  excuse  for  name  calling?” 

Mr.  Myers  was  particularly  irritated  by 
the  testimony  of  Adolph  Schimel,  Universal 
general  counsel,  on  the  damages  provision 
in  the  latest  arbitration  draft.  The  Allied 
general  counsel  prefaced  his  remarks  with 
the  statement  that  the  distributors  could 
solve  any  threat  of  damages  by  arbitration 
on  the  run  of  a picture  by  simply  instituting 
competitive  bidding,  which  would  leave  the 
exhibitors  no  better  off  than  before.  On  the 
matter  of  damages  themselves,  the  exhibitor, 
under  arbitration,  could  win  only  actual 
damages  or,  in  addition,  exemplary  dam- 
ages, not  to  exceed  the  actual  damages,  when 
deliberate  purpose  to  injure  the  complainant 
was  proved,  he  said. 

Pointing  out  that  the  anti-trust  law  affords 
the  winning  complainant  treble  damages,  and 
that  efforts  are  being  made  to  have  this 
amended  to  let  the  judge  use  his  discretion 
in  the  amount  of  damages,  Mr.  Myers  said 
that  should  the  film  companies  secure  the  ap- 
proval of  the  subcommittee  and  the  Attor- 
ney General  to  the  damages  clause  in  the 


MYERS'  SHARP  COMMENT 
ON  PRACTICE  REPORT 

WASHINGTON:  Shortly  after  the 
Justice  Department  made  public  its 
25-page  statement  to  the  Senate 
Small  Business  subcommittee  study- 
ing film  industry  trade  practices, 
Abram  F.  Myers,  the  articulate  gen- 
eral counsel  of  Allied  States  Asso- 
ciation, was  ready  with  a comment. 
Mr.  Myers  said  tersely  that  the  De- 
partment "automatically  sides"  with 
the  distributors  and  called  the  state- 
ment "Judge  Barnes’  brief  for  the 
defendants."  The  statement,  he  con- 
tinued, "will  not  surprise  anyone  in 
Allied,  where  it  is  a subject  of  out- 
raged comment  that  the  anti-trust 
division  as  now  constituted  automati- 
cally sides  with  the  film  companies 
on  all  issues  between  them  and  in- 
dependent exhibitors." 


arbitration  draft  “they  would  have  a potent 
element  to  use  before  the  Judiciary  Commit- 
tee in  their  efforts  to  sap  the  vitality  from 
the  treble  damage  clause.” 

Mr.  Myers  also  vigorously  attacked  the 
arbitration  draft  in  respect  to  its  clauses  on 
clearance,  print  availability  and  competitive 
bidding.  “Only  a comparatively  few  years 
ago,”  he  said,  “the  several  products  were 
divided  among  the  exhibitors  without  resort 
to  bidding.  . . . This  system  made  for  peace- 
ful coexistence.  What  has  stimulated  com- 
petitive bidding  among  exhibitors  is  the 
product  shortage.” 

Some  sort  of  division  of  product  among 
exhibitors,  he  continued,  “may  not  be  ac- 
ceptable in  all  situations,  it  may  not  work 
in  some  others,  but  it  holds  the  promise  of 
hope  to  many  distracted  bidders.” 

“ Special ” Releases  Cited 

Mr.  Myers  made  note  of  the  distributors’ 
careful  differentiation  between  “pre-release” 
pictures  and  “special  release”  pictures,  and 
said  that  “Guys  and  Dolls”  is  “the  current 
horrible  example”  of  the  latter  practice,  “the 
normal  and  logical  outcome  of  the  indulgent 
attitude  of  the  Department  of  Justice  toward 
the  film  companies.”  He  took  exception  too 
to  the  Department’s  attitude  on  admission 
price  “fixing.”  Brushing  aside  the  Depart- 
ment’s opinion  that  a distributor  has  a right 
to  know  what  the  exhibitor  is  going  to 
charge,  Mr.  Myers  said  that  “it  is  element- 
ary that  an  offer  to  buy  based  on  a certain 
admission  price,  when  accepted  by  the  dis- 
tributor, becomes  an  agreement.” 

Further  in  his  statement,  Mr.  Myers  an- 
swered distribution  testimony  on  the  film 
companies’  earnings  statements.  “Upon 
close  scrutiny,  their  apparent  candor  in  deal- 
ing with  this  subject  turns  out  to  be  a dis- 
ingenuous attempt  to  overcome  the  force  of 
net  profit  figures  by  bold  assertions  or  irrele- 
vant facts  whilst  concealing  from  the  sub- 
committee pertinent  information  contained  in 
the  corporate  books  to  which  they  alone  have 
access.  The  clumsy  attempts  to  negate  the 
normal  and  natural  inference  that  the  film 
companies  have  drained  off  a disproportion- 
ate share  of  the  tax  relief  benefit  impose  a 
different  kind  of  tax  on  all  of  us — a tax  on 
our  credulity.” 

In  conclusion,  Mr.  Myers  expressed  his 
disappointment  that  the  film  company  presi- 
dents had  not  appeared  before  the  subcom- 
mittee and  that  “not  a single  constructive 
proposal  was  offered.  This  seems  to  indicate 
a lack  of  responsibility  in  high  places.”  He 
declared  “established  and  manifest”  two 
points:  “The  distributors’  assaults  on  the 
exhibitors’  case,  when  analyzed,  are  trivial 
and  of  no  force.  The  mood  of  the  distribu- 
tors is  such  that  they  will  take  no  steps  to 
( Continued  on  Opposite  Page ) 


12 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  JUNE  16,  1956 


improve  conditions  unless  (a)  they  are 
shamed  into  doing  so  or  (b)  suitable  legis- 
lation is  recommended  for  enactment  by  the 
next  Congress.” 

Mr.  Shor’s  sworn  affidavit  was  directed 
to  Senator  Hubert  Humphrey  (D.,  Minn.) 
chairman  of  the  subcommittee,  to  whom,  in 
a covering  letter,  Mr.  Shor  wrote  that  al- 
though the  subcommittee  did  not  require  a 
sworn  statement,  ‘'I  feel  I do  not  want  to 
leave  any  doubt  in  anyone’s  mind.” 

Charges  “ Half-Truths ” 

In  making  his  rebuttals,  Mr.  Shor  de- 
clared that  statements  affecting  him  made 
by  the  distributor  representatives  were  not 
accurate  and  that  the  information  given  by 
Paramount’s  Mr.  Phillips  consisted  of  “half- 
truths.”  Mr.  Shor  was  particularly  bitter 
over  Mr.  Phillips  revealing  what  Mr.  Shor 
regarded  as  confidential  data  taken  from  his 
books,  which  were  submitted  in  connection 
with  an  anti-trust  suit.  He  charged  that  Mr. 
Phillips  abused  his  privileges  and  mal-used 
the  information. 

[Mr.  Phillips  Tuesday  released  the  text 
of  a letter  written  June  11  to  the  subcom- 
mittee in  which  he  admitted  the  existence  of 
an  agreement  between  Mr.  Shor’s  lawyers 
and  Paramount  lawyers  to  the  effect  that 
Paramount  could  only  make  “defensive”  use 
of  the  Shor  financial  information.  Mr.  Phil- 
lips said  at  the  time  of  his  testimony  he 
knew  of  no  such  agreement,  but  that  if  he 
had,  he  would  have  been  justified  in  using 
the  information  “since  Mr.  Shor’s  attack 
upon  Paramount  made  it  perfectly  proper 
for  me  to  use  the  relevant  facts  defensively, 
which  was  exactly  what  I did.”] 

Mr.  Shor  pointed  out  that  at  exhibition’s 
hearings  before  the  subcommittee,  he  was 
not  pleading  for  himself  nor  for  the  larger 
theatres,  of  which  he  owns  two,  but  as  the 
president  of  Allied  in  behalf  of  the  small 
independent  exhibitors,  “who  were  being 
ruined  by  the  actions  of  the  distributors.” 

Tax  Returns  Defended 

As  to  Mr.  Phillips’  statements  made  be- 
fore the  subcommittee,  Mr.  Shor  said  that 
the  “efforts  on  the  part”  of  Mr.  Phillips  to 
insinuate  income  tax  irregularities  against 
the  Shor  companies  were  “despicable.”  All 
the  income  tax  returns  of  the  companies  that 
have  thus  far  been  audited  have  been  cleared 
by  the  Internal  Revenue  Service,  he  -said. 

Mr.  Shor  said  it  would  be  “interesting,  in- 
deed,” to  look  at  the  Paramount  income  tax 
returns  and  see  if  deductions  are  taken  by 
the  company  which  would  be  as  rigorously 
honorable  as  in  the  case  of  the  Shor  compa- 
nies. “The  reference  to  the  fact  that  S & S 
Amusement  Corporation  has  two  automo- 
biles, is  ridiculous.  In  addition,  for  his  own 
private  use."  the  affidavit  said,  Mr.  Shor  has 
two  cars  in  his  own  name,  which  he  paid 
for,  and  for  which  he  pays  all  expenses. 

The  use  of  the  station  wagon  for  use  in 
connection  with  the  theatre  is  very  apparent, 
the  National  Allied  leader  said,  adding  that 
the  Cadillac  car  is  also  a necessity  because 
one  of  the  important  factors  in  any  success- 


TOAs  Reply  to  Distributor  Charges 
Included  in  Senate  Committee  Record 


Theatre  Owners  of  America's  official 
reply,  contained  in  a telegram  to  the  Sen- 
ate Small  Business  subcommittee  studying 
motion  picture  industry  trade  practices,  to 
charges  made  by  distribution  before  the 
Senate  group,  has  been  included  in  the 
subcommittee's  records,  Senator  Hubert 
Humphrey  (D.,  Minn.)  announced  in  a state- 
ment this  week. 

Myron  Blank,  TOA  president,  last  week 
wired  Senator  Humphrey  declaring  that 
"much  of  the  distributors'  testimony  before 
your  honorable  committee  was  reckless  and 
intemperate  and  exhibitors  are  shocked 
and  disturbed."  He  continued:  "The  claim 
that  TOA's  conduct  in  temporarily  with- 
drawing its  approval  of  the  proposed  arbi- 
tration system  as  a shameless  betrayal  is  a 
baseless  accusation.  It  is  well  known  to 
distribution  that  TOA's  decision  was  be- 
cause they  wanted  to  seek  a broader  scope 
of  arbitrability  and  to  block  distribution's 
attempt  to  obtain  a whitewash.  . . . This 


was  the  almost  unanimous  vote  of  the 
members  of  our  board  and  executive  com- 
mittee. . . . 

"The  proposed  system  does  not  offer 
adequate  scope  of  arbitrability  and  TOA 
is  willing  now,  as  it  has  always  been,  to 
explore  avenues  of  broadening  that  scope. 
To  this  offer,  distribution  has  been  sig- 
nificantly silent.  We  shall  appreciate  an 
opportunity  for  rebuttal.  If  that  is  not 
proper  nor  possible,  then  we  ask  that  the 
contents  of  this  telegram  be  placed  in  the 
record. 

"We  very  much  regret  that  because  of 
distribution's  stubborn  and  illogical  refusal 
to  sit  around  the  conference  table  as  men 
of  good  faith  to  attempt  to  solve  industry 
problems,  much  of  your  honorable  commit- 
tee's important  time  was  consumed.  All 
of  us  express  to  you  . . . our  deepest  grati- 
tude for  your  patience,  for  your  courtesy 
and  for  your  sympathetic  understanding  of 
our  troubles.  . . ." 


ful  theatre  operation  is  showmanship  and 
promotion. 

“The  entire  attitude  and  half-truths  in  the 
statement  . . . indicates  one  of  the  main 
troubles  that  the  exhibitors  are  having,”  Mr. 
Shor  said  in  the  affidavit.  “It  is  apparent 
that  Paramount  resents  the  fact  that  any  ex- 
hibitor should  be  reasonably  successful,”  he 
stated.  Mr.  Shor  said  it  would  be  a bad  day 
for  this  country  if  here,  where  free  enter- 
prise “has  been  the  cornerstone  of  the  suc- 
cess of  our  system,  the  distributor  were  per- 
mitted to  dictate  how  much  any  exhibitor  is 
going  to  be  permitted  to  make.  They  do 
their  best  to  take  everything  they  can  away 
from  exhibitors,”  he  said,  adding  that  “in 
fact,  Paramount  particularly,  when  negotiat- 
ing for  film  rental  and  settlements,  uses  as 
an  attempted  criterion,  not  how  much  Para- 
mount is  getting,  but  what  they  are  going 
to  permit  the  exhibitor  to  have  left.” 

The  Justice  Report 

Meanwhile,  the  Department  of  Justice,  in 
defending  its  enforcement  of  the  consent  de- 
crees, also  defended  • against  exhibitor 
charges  many  current  policies  of  the  distrib- 
utors and  divorced  circuits.  It  defended,  for 
example,  the  special  handling  of  top  pic- 
tures’ the  licensing  of  specific  films  in  spe- 
cific instances  and  recent  theatre  acquisitions 
by  divorced  circuits.  Like  distributor  offi- 
cials who  testified  before  the  subcommittee, 
the  Department  placed  much  of  the  blame 
for  current  exhibitor  difficulties  on  competi- 
tion from  television  and  drive-ins. 

The  Department  pledged  itself  to  do  all 
it  could  to  help  the  independent  exhibitor, 
but  warned  that  many  distributor  policies 


come  within  “legitimate  business  preroga- 
tives” and  cannot  be  challenged  by  the  Gov- 
ernment. The  record  of  enforcing  the  Para- 
mount case  judgments,  the  Department  said, 
must  be  read  with  the  recognition  that  “the 
motion  picture  industry  has  recently  under- 
gone and  still  faces  a time  of  difficult  transi- 
tion.” Citing  the  drop  in  attendance  in  re- 
cent years,  it  said  “this  decline  stems  in 
the  main  from  the  growth  of  television.”  At 
the  same  time,  it  added,  many  theatres  have 
suffered  from  the  competition  of  new  drive- 
ins. 

Cites  Assistances 

The  Department  said  it  can  and  does  help 
exhibitors  in  many  ways  in  their  difficulties 
with  distributors,  and  that  the  dstributors, 
knowing  the  department’s  attitude,  "have 
developed  business  procedures  to  effectuate” 
the  aims  of  the  consent  judgments.  “The 
result  has  been  improved  compliance,”  it 
stated. 

The  Department  declared  it  had  done  all 
it  could  to  increase  the  supply  of  films,  and 
cited  its  approval  of  the  Makelim  Plan  and 
its  talk  concerning  production  by  the  Ex- 
hibitors Film  Financial  Group.  Noting  the 
recent  request  of  Allied  States  Association 
and  the  Theatre  Owners  of  America  for  per- 
mission for  divorced  circuits  to  produce 
films,  the  Department  said  it  did  not  know 
“whether  any  of  such  circuits  will  decide 
to  enter  into  production  and  distribution, 
or  whether  it  will  be  possible  to  devise  ade- 
quate safeguards  against  the  return,  as  a 
result,  of  any  such  new  integration”  of  the 
illegal  practices  existing  before  the  Para- 
( Continued  on  page  16) 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD  JUNE  16,  1956 


13 


the  covers  and  pages  of 

TIME 

LOOK 

The  Saturday  Evening 

POST 

Coiner's 

are  converting 
millions  of  readers 
into  moviegoers  for 

MARILYN  MONROE  . 
BUS  STOP 

and  introducing 

DON  MURRAY 

with  ARTHUR  O'CONNELL  • BETTY  FIELD  • EILEEN  HECKART 

Produced  by  BUDDY  ADLER 
Directed  by  JOSHUA  LOGAN 
Screenplay  by  GEORGE  AXELROD 

Based  on  the  Stage  Play  by  WILLIAM  INGE 

CinemaScoP^ 

COLOR  by  DELUXE 


PROMOTION  MEN 
SEEK  MEETINGS 


. . . Ad-pubiicity  executives  of 
major  distributors  stress  their 
willingness  to  meet  exhibitors 
to  discuss  any  proposals 

Advertising  and  publicity  executives  in 
distribution  have  said  they  would  meet  with 
exhibitors  and  their  promotion  executives  at 
any  time  to  discuss  any  proposals  which 
will  help  revitalize  the  box  office. 

This  followed  a call  by  Allied  Theatre 
Owners  of  New  Jersey  last  week  for  an  in- 
dustry conference  to  discuss  what  can  be 
done  promotionally  to  bring  the  public  back 
to  the  theatre.  The  advertising  and  publicity 
executives  reported  that  such  a meeting 
“would  be  good  for  all  concerned  if  tangible 
proposals  are  discussed.” 

The  exhibitor  organization  had  sent  let- 
ters to  the  distribution  sales  heads  asking 
for  “cooperation  and  harmony  with  exhibi- 
tion” and  to  set  up  the  conference.  The 
letters  were  accompanied  by  a resolution 
adopted  by  the  organization  at  its  recent 
annual  convention. 

The  resolution  states : “Whereas  we  be- 
lieve that  the  motion  picture  industry  is 
a great  industry  and  has  an  important  place 
in  community  life;  that  it  has  a strong 
healthy  future  and  that  we  intend  to  stay 
and  prosper  in  it,  and  whereas,  the  only 
way  that  this  can  come  about  is  by  coopera- 
tion, instead  of  complaints  and  invectives, 


and  that  production,  distribution  and  ex- 
hibition must  start  to  work  in  closer  har- 
mony and,  whereas,  the  major  cause  of 
hardships  and  trouble  is  falling  box  office 
receipts,  we  hereby  resolve  to  endeavor  to 
have  a conference  called  of  the  leading  pub- 
licity, advertising  men  in  distribution  and 
leading  exhibitors  to  discuss  what  is  wrong 
on  both  sides  in  advertising  campaigns  and 
to  develop  new  plans,  new  ideas  and  new 
methods  of  stimulating  interest  in  movies 
and  in  our  theatres.” 

Seek  Viewpoints 

The  advertising  and  publicity  officials 
pointed  out  they  are  interested  in  hearing 
viewpoints  from  exhibition  on  ways  to  im- 
prove advertising  and  merchandising.  The 
Advertising  and  Publicity  Directors  Com- 
mittee of  the  Motion  Picture  Association  of 
America,  in  its  meetings  thus  far  to  formu- 
late a program  of  boosting  the  box  office,  has 
not  talked  to  any  theatre  people.  The  com- 
mittee has  discussed  a number  of  proposals 
presented  by  its  members  and  appointed  five 
subcommittees  to  report  on  proposals. 

At  a meeting  last  week,  several  subcom- 
mittee reports  were  presented.  Paul  Lazarus 
of  Columbia  discussed  a proposal  which 
dealt  with  research  and  survey,  and  Rodney 
Bush  of  20th-Fox  reported  on  the  Holly- 
wood press  symposium  proposal  under  which 
critics  and  newspaper  film  editors  would  go 
to  the  studios  and  study  production. 


"Go  to  the  Movies"  Is  Theme  of  Crescent 
Circuit's  Business-Building  Promotion 


An  elaborate  "Go  to  the  Movies"  culti- 
vation program  was  "kicked  off"  this  week 
by  the  Crescent  Amusement  Company  of 
Nashville  in  all  its  theatres  and  drive-ins  in 
Tennessee,  Alabama  and  Kentucky.  Among 
the  promotional  material  used  are  billboard 
signs  in  color,  bumper  strips,  pennants, 
doorway  decals  and  restaurant  menu  cards. 

A few  weeks  ago,  in  Sulphur  Dell,  South- 
ern Association  baseball  park,  a giant  bill- 
board depicting  the  central  idea  of  the 
"Go  to  the  Movies"  promotion  was  un- 
veiled. And  last  week,  in  conjunction  with 
the  annual  convention  of  the  Tennessee 
Theatre  Owners  Association,  Crescent's 
uptown  houses  were  decked  out  with  cam- 
paign materials. 

According  to  John  J.  Link,  head  of  the 
concession  department  and  publicity  man- 


Cards  tor  street  distribution  are  one  of 
the  accessories  for  the  campaign.  They  carry 
slogans  such  as  "Give  the  family  a treat," 
"Leave  your  troubles  behind,"  "Forget  your 
worries." 

ager  for  the  campaign,  Crescent  would 
like  first  to  interest  all  other  theatre  owners 
in  the  state  and  then  project  it  on  the 
widest  possible  scale  in  the  industry. 

Crescent  will  pass  along  to  anyone,  any- 
where, all  items  of  promotion  material  at 
cost,  including  a film  trailer,  according  to 
Mr.  Link.  He  has  made  an  itemized  list 
;howing  the  entire  cost  at  less  than  $40. 


U.  S.  DEFENDS 


( Continued  from  page  13) 

mount  case.  However,  it  said,  being  intensely 
aware  of  the  problems  caused  by  a product 
shortage,  it  has  “taken  the  proposal  under 
advisement.” 

The  Department  then  turned  to  specific 
exhibitor  charges.  It  said  the  Paramount 
case  did  not  bar  licensing  of  pictures  based 
on  a percentage  of  box  office  receipts,  and 
that  since  an  exhibitor’s  admission  prices 
obviously  had  direct  bearing  on  the  size  of 
the  receipts,  distributors  could  base  policies 
on  the  exhibitor’s  admission  prices. 

With  respect  to  exhibitor  protests  against 
Paramount’s  “merchandising  engagements,” 
Justice  said  “the  creation  of  a new  run  when 
licensing  a picture  is  not  unlawful.” 

“Any  clearance  between  any  such  new  run 
and  the  runs  following  it  is  governed  by  the 
same  judgment  provisions  as  the  clearance 
between  other  runs,”  the  Department  said. 
It  stated  it  was  perfectly  logical  for  this  new 
special  release  run  to  take  clearance  over 
the  first  run. 

“ Guys  and  Dolls ” Case 

The  Department  reviewed  the  circum- 
stances surrounding  Mr.  Rembusch’s  at- 
tempts to  license  “Guys  and  Dolls”  in  Co- 
lumbus, Ind.  The  statement  generally  de- 
fended the  actions  of  Loew’s  in  this  matter, 
but  said  that  on  Mr.  Rembusch’s  request  the 
Department  is  again  reviewing  the  situation 
now. 

Pointing  out  that  all  but  24  of  the  original 
1,200  Paramount  case  divestitures  have  now 
been  carried  out,  the  Department  said  "the 
vigilance  of  the  Anti-Trust  Division  had 
something  to  do  with  getting  the  job  done.” 

The  Department  vigorously  replied  to  Al- 
lied charges  that  it  was  laying  down  on  the 
job  by  permitting  divorced  circuits  to  ac- 
quire theatres.  It  emphasized  that  the  De- 
partment had  insisted  that  the  divorced  cir- 
cuits be  barred  from  acquiring  theatres  until 
their  divestiture  programs  had  been  com- 
pleted, and  that  as  a result  the  divorced  cir- 
cuits had  been  barred  until  February  1955 
from  acquiring  any  theatres. 

Drive-In  Oivnership 

This  fact,  the  Department  said,  has  been 
of  great  benefit  to  independent  exhibitors, 
especially  with  respect  to  drive-in  theatres. 
It  declared  that  almost  all  the  4,600  drive- 
ins  in  the  U.S.  have  been  built  since  World 
War  II,  during  most  of  which  period  the 
divorced  circuits  could  not  acquire  theatres. 
As  a result,  the  Department  said,  most  drive- 
ins  are  independently-owned,  and  the  inde- 
pendent exhibitor  has  “an  important  head 
start”  in  the  drive-in  field. 

The  Department  promised  to  continue  to 
review  carefully  each  acquisition  proposal 
by  a divorced  circuit,  and  to  oppose  any  ac- 
quisition “which  we  feel  will  unduly  restrain 
competition.”  It  pointed  out  that  in  the  16 
months  since  the  first  acquisition  by  a di- 
vorced circuit,  there  have  been  only  13  ac- 
quisitions. 


16 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  JUNE  16,  1956 


OUTLINE  OF  AN  IDEA 


I 


Plan  to  Revitalize 
Theatre  Attendance 

by  RAYMOND  LEVY 


Facing  the  facts: 

Under  the  conditions  which  now  prevail, 
merely  to  revert  to  the  belief  so  often  proved 
to  be  correct  in  the  past — that  “there  is 
nothing  wrong  with  this  industry  that  can’t 
be  cured  by  a few  good  pictures” — would 
be  an  over-simplification  of  the  problem.  It 
remains  true  that  individual  pictures  which 
are  strong  attractions  do  wonderful  business, 
but  the  trouble  is  that  not  enough  people 
retain  a continuing  interest  in  going  to  the 
movies.  They  go  when  they  feel  a sufficiently 
strong  urge  to  see  what  happens  to  be  play- 
ing. The  key  to  the  problem  of  getting  the 
public  to  go  to  the  movies  more  often  lies 
in  that  word  “interest” — how  to  effect  a 
revival  of  continuous  interest  in  movies. 

Just  what  was  it  that  used  to  keep  the 
people  coming  to  the  theatres  so  regularly, 
even  though  many  of  the  pictures  were  not 
very  good?  More  often  than  not  it  was  a 
matter  of  whom  they  were  going  to  see  more 
than  what  they  were  going  to  see.  And  it 
was  not  only  a matter  of  beautiful  leading 
ladies  and  handsome  leading  men.  Whether 
they  were  endowed  with  those  attributes  or 
not,  the  stars  and  featured  players  held  a 
fascination  for  the  public  because  they  were 
unique  personalities  . . . and  their  ages 
ranged  from  six  to  sixty  or  more. 

Just  think  back  on  the  roster  of  names. 
Make  a list  of  them,  note  how  many,  vis- 
ualize those  outstanding  personalities  in 
their  heyday — whether  it  was  Shirley  Tem- 
ple or  Jackie  Coogan  or  Jackie  Cooper  in 
their  childhood  days,  or  Chaplin  or  Fair- 
banks or  Barrymore,  or  Garbo  or  Beery  or 
Marie  Dressier — or  any  of  a score  of  others 
who  were  distinctively  different. 

Now  consider  how  few  unique  personali- 
ties there  are  for  the  screen  today,  together 
with  the  fact  that  some  of  those,  and  most 
of  the  featured  players,  are  also  seen  so 
frequently  on  television  that  their  fascina- 
tion has  worn  thin.  (There  is  also  the  fact 
that  various  of  the  present  day  stars  are 
seen  on  TV  in  movies  produced  when  they 
were  considerably  younger.)  How  many 
magnetic  marquee  names  does  that  leave  for 
all  the  weeks  of  the  year?  Every  producer 
and  every  exhibitor  knows  the  answer  to 
that ! 

Sure  the  industry  is  conscious  of  the  need 
for  more  screen  personalities,  and  there  has 
been  some  activity  in  developing  new  stars, 
and  a few  of  them  have  that  elusive  some- 
thing that  comes  forth  as  a personality  who 


can  attract  a following.  But  their  number 
is  not  nearly  sufficient  to  make  the  public 
revive  its  interest  in  going  to  the  movies 
often  enough.  Now  we  are  back  to  those 
words,  “public  interest.”  Therein  is  the 
opportunity  for  a plan  to  quickly  stimulate 
— and  hold — public  interest  in  the  movies. 

The  haystack: 

Within  the  age  ranges  of  the  unique 
screen  personalities  who  used  to  keep  the 
public  coming  regularly  to  the  movies  there 
are  over  one  hundred  million  people  in  the 
United  States.  And  among  that  huge  num- 
ber there  certainly  are  all  the  potentially 


great  personalities  the  screen  can  ever  need ! 
The  plan  is  to  enlist  the  cooperation  of  the 
public  in  a manner  that  will  comb  every 
city,  town  or  village  in  the  nation — and  at 
the  same  time  provide  a high  degree  of  in- 
terest, to  cause  the  public  to  keep  coming 
regularly  to  theatres  in  the  meanwhile. 

Outline  of  the  plan: 

Simultaneously  throughout  the  nation,  the 
motion  picture  industry  announces  “The 
All-America  Talent  Search  for  New  Screen 
Personalities”  ...  a nationwide  campaign 
in  cooperation  with  the  public  to  discover 
the  most  promising  personalities  for  de- 


velopment as  future  motion  picture  stars 
and  featured  players.  This  is  not  merely 
a beauty  contest  or  a hunt  for  handsome 
men ; it  is  an  intensive  search  for  talent 
and  unique  personalities,  and  the  entire 
population  of  the  nation  is  invited  to  help 
to  find  them. 

This  would  be  a systematic  undertaking, 
with  the  details  carefully  worked  out  and  or- 
ganized, so  that  each  theatre  manager  would 
know  exactly  how  to  handle  his  part  in  it. 
One  or  more  mailings  to  all  newspapers 
would  go  out  from  national  headquarters — 
and  the  theatre  managers  would  then  keep 
their  local  newspapers  fed  with  a constant 
barrage  of  local  developments.  Details 
would  be  caused  to  penetrate  to  schools, 
colleges,  local  theatrical  groups,  fraternal 
organizations,  women’s  clubs  and  others 
who  know  the  talent  within  their  midst. 
Any  such  groups  can  submit  their  candidates 
on  the  application  form  available  from  the 
theatres.  Pre-auditioning  might  be  optional 
with  the  theatre  manager,  if  necessary,  be- 
fore the  public  auditions  at  which  the  thea- 
tre audience  would  vote. 

The  theatre  auditions  continue  over  a pre- 
determined number  of  days  or  weeks  (ac- 
cording to  population  size).  The  winners  of 
each  such  public  audition  then  would  com- 
pete similarly  for  nomination  as  candidate 
for  the  town.  (Provision  can  be  worked  out 
to  handle  the  problem  of  competing  theatres 
in  any  area.) 

There  are  various  angles  to  tie  in  the 
plan  with  currently  playing  pictures.  For 
example,  five-minute  scripts  from  a sequence 
in  a picture  currently  playing  at  the  thea- 
tre would  be  obtainable  by  anybody  attend- 
ing the  theatre  during  that  engagement. 
Aspirants  would  be  able  to  see  how  the 
stars  and  featured  players  performed  in  that 
scene,  and  could  rehearse  it  themselves  for 
re-enactment  at  the  public  audition  a week 
later.  Local  publicity  would  take  care  of 
making  the  public  aware  of  that  highlight 
in  the  picture,  so  that  they  will  want  to 
see  it  in  the  original  and  then  come  back 
to  see  local  talent  interpret  it. 

The  town  finalists  become  candidates  for 
state  finalists.  When  all  the  state  finalists 
have  been  thu^  determined  they  are  brought 
to  Hollywood  or  New  York  for  screen  tests 
with  established  stars  (continuous  publicity 
going  on  meanwhile).  Since  this  is  a search 
for  new  screen  personalities,  it  may  cover 
various  ages.  The  number  finally  selected 
( Continued  on  Page  20) 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD  JUNE  16,  1956 


17 


Screen  Play  by  IRWIN  SH  AW 
Produced  by  IRVING  ALLEN  a 


lirected  by  ROBERT  PARRISH 
ALBERT  R.  BROCCOLI 


the  commencement  of  shooting 


in  the  British  West  Indies  of 


THE  WARWICK  PRODUCTION 


STARRING 


PUBLIC  VALUES 
FIRST,  NETS  SAY 


. . . CBS  president  leads  off 
defense  of  monopoly  charges 
at  Senate  hearing;  says  net- 
works essential  for  operation 

W ASHINGTON : The  television  networks 
opened  a detailed  defense  of  their  policies 
here  this  week  before  the  Senate  Committee 
on  Interstate  and  Foreign  Commerce,  con- 
ducting an  inquiry  into  television. 

Frank  Stanton,  president  of  the  Columbia 
Broadcasting  System,  gave  his  testimony 
Tuesday  with  Robert  Sarnoff.  president  of 
the  National  Broadcasting  Company,  and 
Robert  Kintner,  president  of  the  American 
Broadcasting  Company,  scheduled  to  testify 
later  in  the  week  in  defense  of  charges  of 
monopoly  and  other  alleged  malpractices  in 
network  operations.  It  was  indicated  that 
CBS  and  ABC  affiliates  will  testify  some- 
time next  week. 

Public  Interest  a Factor 

Mr.  Stanton  urged  the  committee  measure 
every  proposal  for  change  in  network  prac- 
tices in  terms  of  its  effect  on  the  public. 
He  pointed  out  that  “proposals  for  change 
must  first,  last  and  always  be  subjected  to 
this  fundamental  test;  not  how  will  the 
change  affect  particular  stations  or  groups 
of  program  suppliers  or  scenic  designers, 
but  how  will  it  affect  the  public?  Will  the 
change  improve  or  degrade  what  the  public 
is  getting?  Are  you  sure  that  the  change 
will  add  to  the  public’s  fare  or  may  the 
change  involve  the  grave  risk,  instead,  of 
taking  away  from  the  public  that  which  it 
has  demonstrated  it  wants  ?” 

In  the  field  of  mass  communications,  he 
said,  “nothing  can  serve  the  American  public 
more  broadly  than  the  instantaneous  national 
interconnection  which  the  networks  alone 
supply — on  a continuing  basis.”  As  an 
example,  he  pointed  out  that  “only  a net- 
work is  equipped  to  cope  with  the  complexi- 
ties of  covering  the  conventions  this  sum- 
mer.” 

Dr.  Stanton  said,  “The  CBS  Television 
Network  does  not  constitute  a monopoly  by 
any  meaningful  definition”  and  submitted  an 
opinion  by  Cravath,  Swaine  and  Moore, 
CBS  legal  counsel,  which  concludes  that 
CBS,  in  the  TV  field,  does  not  “in  any 
respect  violate  the  anti-trust  laws.” 

Denies  Discrimination 

He  also  denied  the  charge  that  networks 
discriminate  against  the  use  of  independent 
(non-network)  produced  programs  and  said 
the  CBS  policy  “is  to  place  the  right  pro- 
gram— regardless  of  its  source — at  the  right 
time.” 

Addressing  himself  to  “the  charge  that 


the  heads  of  networks  exercise  an  arbitrary 
and  capricious  power  over  what  the  public 
sees  or  does  not  see  on  television,”  he  said, 
“it  is  absolutely  impossible  for  networks  or 
their  officers  ...  to  deny  public  taste  . . . 
or  to  manipulate  public  taste  to  their  own 
ends.” 

Concerning  option  time.  Dr.  Stanton 
testified  that,  contrary  to  charges,  it  does 
not  interfere  with  the  competitive  function- 
ing of  the  industry.  (Option  time  is  an 
arrangemeht  under  which  an  affiliated  sta- 
tion generally  agrees  to  accept  during  cer- 
tain hours  sponsored  programs  offered  by 
the  network.)  “Without  option  time  or 
something  equivalent.”  he  said,  “the  network 
function  would  be  emasculated.  With  it 
would  go  so  much  of  the  magic  of  live  tele- 
vision. The  vast  majority  of  stations,  and 
all  of  the  public,  would  be  the  loser.” 

The  CBS  president  emphasized  the  com- 
plexity of  networking  and  the  need  for 
knowing  the  facts  since  . . . “all  of  its  parts 
are  closely  interrelated,  and  no  part  can 
be  examined  in  isolation  from  the  others.” 


WCBS-TV  Buys  152  Old 
Warner  Features 

WCBS-TV  has  purchased  152  Warner 
Brothers  pictures  for  television  exhibition, 
commencing  in  early  1957,  from  Associated 
Artists  Productions,  Inc.  (PRM),  it  is  an- 
nounced by  the  flagship  outlet  of  Columbia 
Broadcasting  System.  The  agreement,  signed 
by  Sam  Cook  Digges,  general  manager  of 
the  station,  and  Robert  Rich,  general  sales 
manager  for  AAP,  calls  for  WCBS-TV  to 
acquire  most  of  the  films  January  1,  1957, 
for  showings  on  the  Early  Show  and  the 
Late  Show  in  the  New  York  area.  No  pur- 
chase price  has  been  disclosed,  but  accord- 
ing to  reports  the  remainder  of  the  films  will 
become  available  to  the  station  in  mid-1958, 
after  they  have  completed  re-runs  in  theat- 
rical circuits.  Among  the  pictures  in  the 
deal  are  “Arsenic  and  Old  Lace,”  “The 
Maltese  Falcon,”  “The  Petrified  Forest,” 
“Juarez,”  “Dodge  City,”  “George  Washing- 
ton Slept  Here,”  “The  Adventures  of  Mark 
Twain,”  “June  Bride,”  “One  Foot  in 
Heaven,”  “Devotion,”  “Of  Human  Bond- 
age” and  “A  Kiss  in  the  Dark.” 


" Somebody " Previews  Set 

MGM  will  hold  sneak  previews  of  “Some- 
body Up  There  Likes  Me”  in  all  exchange 
areas  July  2.  Representatives  from  all 
phases  of  the  industry  will  be  invited  by 
resident  MGM  managers  as  well  as  mem- 
bers of  the  press,  radio,  TV  and  special 
newspaper  and  magazine  writers.  Paul 
Newman  and  Pier  Angeli  star  in  the  film, 
which  was  directed  by  Robert  Wise. 


OUTLINE  OF  PLAN 
TO  REVITALIZE 

( Continued  from  page  17) 
would  depend  only  upon  how  many  of  them 
are  considered  to  be  sufficiently  promising. 

The  final  selections  would  be  made  by 
a panel  of  industry  experts  (such  as  pro- 
ducers, directors,  casting  specialists  and 
talent  coaches)  and  the  finalists  thus  deter- 
mined would  then  enter  into  a course  of 
intensive  training  for  motion  picture  careers 
— under  a contract  which  holds  them  ex- 
clusively, with  options  for  contracts  on  a 
progressive  basis. 

Non-Profit  Corporation 

The  studios  might  collectively  form  a cor- 
poration on  a non-profit  basis  for  talent 
training  development  and  creation  of  a new 
talent  pool.  For  a limited  period  of  years, 
the  trainees  would  agree  to  pay  the  corpora- 
tion a small  percentage  of  their  film  earn- 
ings, which  would  go  into  the  corporation’s 
fund  for  further  new  talent  training  and 
development. 

When  the  trainee  is  ready  for  featured 
roles  (which  might  be  quite  soon  in  various 
cases)  representatives  of  the  studios  would 
be  aware  of  that  fact  and  could  offer  con- 
tracts accordingly,  with  the  usual  options. 
Meanwhile,  public  interest  could  be  main- 
tained in  various  ways  (which  would  be 
easy,  since  millions  of  them  had  participated 
in  selection  of  candidates).  This  would  be 
American  democracy  at  work  and  would 
exmplify  the  progressive  character  of  the 
motion  picture  industry.  Nation-wide  in- 
terest could  be  kept  alive  continuously 
throughout  the  progress  of  the  career  of 
all  who  began  it  in  this  way. 

Newspaper  Co-operation 

It  is  obvious  that  from  the  time  of  the 
beginning  of  the  first  talent  search  the  public 
will  be  watching  movie  acting  at  their  local 
theatres  with  a new  and  different  kind  of 
interest;  and  the  newspapers,  which  derive 
continuous  revenue  from  theatre  advertising, 
will  have  something  different  and  of  keen 
local  interest  to  publish  in  their  entertain- 
ment and  general  news  columns.  When  the 
plan  is  repeated,  if  one  or  more  outstanding 
personalities  have  developed  meanwhile, 
public  interest  will  be  even  hotter  for  the 
next  cooperative  search. 

Thus,  while  movies  continue  to  be  better 
than  ever,  public  attention  would  be  focused 
on  what  the  motion  picture  industry  is  doing 
to  maintain  and  further  improve  its  superior 
position  in  the  entertainment  world.  It  re- 
quires little  imagination  to  arrive  at  a con- 
servative estimate  of  the  amout  of  extra 
revenue  that  would  begin  to  come  into  the 
theatre  box  offices  of  the  nation  very  soon 
after  the  plan  is  launched.  This  plan  could 
be  perfected  and  put  into  action  in  time  for 
the  Fall  season,  if  the  industry  evidences 
sufficient  interest  immediately. 

[ Readers  are  invited  to  comment  on  the 
plan  in  Letters  to  The  HERALD .] 


20 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  JUNE  16,  1956 


BRITISH  WOULD  Rank  Firings 
CURB  TV  FILMS  **  Ui»h 


. . . Producers  join  exhibitors 
asking  talks  with  Johnston  to 
halt  sales  of  American  films  for 
use  on  British  television 

by  WILLIAM  PAY 

LONDON : British  producers  are  to  join 
with  exhibitors  in  seeking  a discussion  with 
Eric  Johnston,  MPA  A president,  during  his 
visit  to  London,  on  the  sale  of  American 
feature  films  for  TV  in  Britain. 

This  follows  a telegram  sent  to  Mr.  John- 
ston by  the  Cinematograph  Exhibitors’  As- 
sociation, British  Film  Producers’  Associa- 
tion and  Association  of  Specialised  Film 
Producers  in  February  urging  him  to  con- 
trol or  prevent  this  happening. 

The  MPAA  head  replied  that  the  British 
industry  should  send  representatives  to 
America  to  make  a first-hand  survey  of  the 
situation.  He  also  pointed  out  that  there 
were  serious-  practical  and  legal  difficulties 
involved  in  the  British,  proposal. 

Questioned  at  his  monthly  press  confer- 
ence on  how  the  B.F.P.A.  reconciled  this 
anxiety  with  their  own  sale  of  films  to  TV 
in  America,  Sir  Henry  French,  director- 
general,  said: 

“We  draw  a sharp  distinction  between 
supplying  films  for  showing  on  TV  in  this 
country  and  supplying  films  for  showing  on 
TV  outside  this  country.  In  the  U.S.  the 
situation  is  different  from  here.  We  don’t 
get  an  adequate  showing  of  British  films  in 
U.S.  cinemas.  The  showing  of  our  films  on 
American  TV  so  far  from  doing  harm  to 
the  distribution  of  films  to  cinemas,  may 
have  exactly  the  reverse  effect.  Our  experi- 
ence in  Canada  and  elsewhere  is  that  the 
more  persistently  you  show  British  films  the 
more  the  populace  begin  to  like  them — and 
one  of  the  ways  of  putting  British  films  over 
is  through  TV.” 

Future  Not  Clear 

Sir  Henry  added  that  nobody  could  fore- 
see what  the  relationship  between  TV  and 
the  film  industry  would  be  during  the  next 
five  years.  “We  are  living  only  from  hand- 
to-mouth,”  he  concluded. 

Preliminary  approaches  have  now  been 
made  by  industry  leaders  to  the  British 
Broadcasting  Corporation  on  the  controlled 
release  of  feature  films  on  TV.  At  the 
C.E.A.  Blackpool  convention  it  was  decided 
that  up  to  12  new  films  annually  from  a 
selected  pool  of  20  should  be  offered  to  the 
B.B.C.  in  return  for  an  assurance  that  TV 
screens  would  not  be  flooded  with  old 
American  films  recently  sold  to  TV  interests 
in  America. 

Mr.  Johnston  is  expected  to  arrive  in 


London  June  19  for  talks  with  Government 
officials  and  industry  leaders.  London  com- 
panies of  the  MPAA  have  organised  a re- 
ception for  him  at  Claridge’s  Hotel  June  20. 

• 

The  Government  is  not  to  proceed  with 
its  controversial  Clause  Nine  of  the  Finance 
Bill  which  would  have  hit  American  film 
executives  domiciled  here.  The  Clause  pro- 
posed that  foreigners  working  in  the  U.K. 
would  be  taxed  at  U.K.  rates  on  the  whole 
of  their  incomes. 

During  a long  debate  in  the  House  of 
Commons  Conservative  Party  M.P.s  were 
highly  critical  of  the  move  and  in  reply 
Chancellor  of  the  Exchequer  Harold  Mac- 
millan said:  “Representations  have  been 

made  to  me,  with  some  force,  that  the  effect 
of  the  Clause  as  drafted  might  be  to  put 
obstacles  in  the  way  of  investment  and  trad- 
ing in  this  country,  and  from  this  country 
by  overseas  concerns.  ...  I have  come  to 
the  conclusion  that  such  considerations  make 
it  wise  that  in  this  case  the  logic  of  the  tax 
code  should  yield  to  expediency.” 

He  promised  that  an  amendment  to  re- 
store the  old  position  would  be  introduced 
by  the  Government  on  the  report  stage  of 
the  Bill. 

Acquire  Beaconsfield 

The  control  of  Beaconsfield  Films,  Ltd., 
has  been  acquired  from  the  Government’s 
National  Film  Finance  Corporation  by  a 
group  of  independent  producers.  The  com- 
pany will  continue  to  operate  Beaconsfield 
Studios,  which  until  1950  was  used  by  the 
Government’s  Crown  Film  Unit. 

Prominent  among  the  producing  group 
and  new  managing  director  of  the  company 
is  Peter  Rogers,  husband  of  Betty  Box,  and 
himself  a producer.  John  Baxter,  who  has 
produced  many  pictures  at  Beaconsfield,  re- 
mains on  the  board  of  the  company. 


RANK  BUYS  SEVEN 
PARAMOUNT  HOUSES 

LONDON:  Closing  of  the  deal  for 
purchase  of  seven  theatres  here  from 
Paramount  Pictures  by  the  J.  Arthur 
Rank  Organization  for  $5,180,000 
was  announced  here  last  Friday  by 
John  Davis,  Rank  managing  director. 
All  of  the  theatres  are  under  long 
term  lease  to  the  Rank  Organization. 

Rank  agreed  to  purchase  Para- 
mount's interests,  as  opposed  to  leas- 
ing, and  the  purchase  price  will  be 
paid  over  a period  of  years,  it  was 
stated.  Paramount  will  continue  to 
operate  the  Plaza  in  London. 


LONDON : Rank  Precision  Industries,  Ltd., 
biggest  makers  of  cinema  equipment  in 
Britain,  report  trading  profits  for  1955  at 
£1,377,548,  only  slightly  lower  than  those 
in  the  record  year  of  1954. 

In  his  statement  accompanying  the  ac- 
counts to  December  31,  1955,  chairman  J. 
Arthur  Rank  tells  his  stockholders  that  the 
year’s  net  profit  was  £515,342  compared  with 
£585,814  in  the  previous  year.  The  dividend 
is  maintained  at  15  per  cent. 

Comments  Mr.  Rank:  “The  trading  re- 
sults for  1955  again  reflected  the  large 
volume  of  re-equipment  orders  for  the 
cinema  industry,  but  all  sides  of  the  Group’s 
activities  have  made  their  contribution.  The 
orders  from  the  cinema  industry  were,  how- 
ever, declining  in  the  latter  part  of  the  year, 
since  a large  majority  of  cinemas  have  been 
equipped  with  the  apparatus  necessary  to 
exploit  the  new  techniques  in  films.  In  as 
far  as  our  export  sales  are  concerned,  these 
showed  an  expansion  over  1954  of  five  per 
cent  and  represent  26  per  cent  of  our  sales. 

“A  year  ago  I referred  to  our  happy  re- 
lationship with  the  Bell  & Howell  Company 
of  Chicago,  and  am  pleased  to  inform  you 
that  it  is  such  that  at  their  suggestion  we 
have  mutually  agreed  to  extend  the  existing 
agreement  until  December,  1975.  Overseas 
we  have  been  extending  our  activities  in 
all  markets.” 

"Boats"  Navy  Show 
Scheduled  for  June  19 

Launching  of  the  United  States  Navy’s 
promotional  cooperation  with  Universal- 
International  on  “Away  All  Boats”  in  the 
New  York  area  will  take  place  June  19  when 
the  Third  Naval  District,  which  has  its 
headquarters  at  the  Brooklyn  Navy  Yard, 
helps  U-I  play  host  to  press,  syndicate, 
magazine  and  television  and  radio  promo- 
tional representatives.  The  day  will  be 
climaxed  by  a special  screening  of  the  film 
aboard  the  U.S.  Navy  aircraft  carrier 
Champlain  for  some  2000  of  the  crew  and 
the  invited  guests,  an  event  similar  to  the 
U.S.  Army’s  launching  of  its  promotional 
cooperation  with  U-I  on  the  successful  “To 
Hell  and  Back”  last  year.  “Away  All  Boats” 
will  have  a simultaneous  world  premiere 
July  18  in  a number  of  key  cities. 


Universal  Half-Year  Profit 
Reported  at  $2,047,383 

Universal  Pictures  Company  Wednesday 
reported  earnings  for  the  26  weeks  ended 
April  28,  1956,  of  $2,047,383  after  provid- 
ing $1,885,000  for  Federal  taxes.  This  is 
equivalent  to  $2.08  per  share  on  the  927,254 
shares  of  common  stock  outstanding.  The 
1956  figure  compares  with  earnings  of 
$2,014,960  for  the  equivalent  period  ending 
April  30,  1955. 


22 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  JUNE  16,  1956 


HECHTand  LANCASTER 

present 

BURT  TONY 

LANCASTER  CURTIS 

GINA 

LOLLOBRIGIDA 


also  starring  KATY  JURADO  • THOMAS  GOMEZ 
with  JOHN  PULEO  • MINOR  WATSON 

Directed  by  CAROL  REED 

Produced  by  JAMES  HILL  • Screenplay  by  JAMES  R.  WEBB 
Adaptation  by  LIAM  O'BRIEN 
A SUSAN  PRODUCTIONS  Inc.  Picture 


C|NemaScoP£ 

COLOR  by  DE  LUXE 


IN 


JULY... 


THIS  IS 


TONY  CURTIS 


as  “TINO” 


NEW  YORK 

(Capitol  Theatre) 


LOS  ANGELES 

(Fox-Wilshire  Theatre) 


CHICAGO 

(United  Artists  Theatre) 


LAUNCH  THE 
BIGGEST  GROSSING 

PICTl  RE  IN 


UA  HISTORY! 


UA 


iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiimiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiimiimmmiii 


THIS  WEEK  IN 
PRODUCTION: 


llij  wood 


y cene 


STARTED  (6) 

ALLIED  ARTISTS 

54  Washington  Street 
(CinemaSeope; 

Color) 

Not  of  This  Earth 
( Roger  Corman 
Prods.) 

INDEPENDENT 

Badge  of  Marshal 
Brennan  (Albert  C. 

COMPLETED  (5) 

PARAMOUNT 

The  Loves  of  Omar 
Khayyam  (Vista- 
Vision;  Technicolor) 
Gunfight  at  OK  Corral 
( VistaVision; 
Technicolor) 

20TH  CENTURY-FOX 

The  Last  Wagon 
(CinemaSeope; 

De  Luxe  Color) 

SHOOTING  (27) 

ALLIED  ARTISTS 

The  Oklahoman 
( CinemaSeope; 

Color) 

The  Cruel  Tower 
Notre  Dame  de  Paris 
( CinemaSeope; 
Eastman  Color) 

COLUMBIA 

Fire  Down  Below 
(W  arwick  Prods.; 
CinemaSeope; 
Technicolor) 

Full  of  Life 

MGM 

The  Power  and  the  Prize 
(CinemaSeope) 
Barretts  of  Wimpole 
Street  (C  inema- 
Scope;  Color) 
Teahouse  of  the  August 
Moon  (Cinema- 
Scope;  Color) 

Raintree  County 
(65mm  Color) 

PARAMOUNT 

Seach  for  Bridey 

Murphy  (VistaVision) 
Hollywood  or  Bust 
(VistaVision; 
Technicolor) 

Funny  Face  (Vista- 
Vision; Technicolor) 

20TH  CENTURY-FOX 

Anastasia  (Cinema- 
Scope;  De  Luxe 


Gannaway  Prods.; 
Color) 

UNITED  ARTISTS 

Love  Story  (Bob  Gold- 
stein Prods.) 

Hidden  Fear  (St. 

Aubrey-Cohn  Prods.) 
The  Monte  Carlo  Story 
(Titanus  Films; 
Technicolor) 


UNITED  ARTISTS 

Mark  of  the  Apache 
( Bel-Air  Prod.) 

U-l 

Tammy  (CinemaSeope; 
Technicolor) 


Color) 

Best  Things  in  Life  Are 
Free  (CinemaSeope; 
De  Luxe  Color) 

Between  Heaven  and 
Hell  (CinemaSeope; 
De  Luxe  Color) 
(formerly  "The  Day 
the  Century  Ended") 

UNITED  ARTISTS 

Twelve  Angry  Men 
(Orion-No/a  Prods.) 

Spring  Reunion 
(Bryna  Prods.) 

Drango 

(Earlmar  Prods.) 

The  King  and  Four 
Queens  (Russ-Field 
Prod.; 

CinemaSeope) 

Da  nee  with  Me  Henry 
( Bob  Goldstein ) 

The  Big  Boodle  (Lewis 
Blumberg  Prod.) 

Pride  and  the  Passion 
(Kramer  Prod.;  Vista- 
Vision; Technicolor) 

U-l 

The  Incredible  Shrinking 
Man 

Mister  Cory 
(Technicolor) 

WARNER  BROS. 

The  Girl  He  Left 
Behind 

The  Old  Man  and  the 
Sea  ( WarnerColor) 

The  Wrong  Man  (Al- 
fred Hitchcock  Prod.) 


miiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiimiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiimiiii 


The  Era  of  Specialization 


Hollywood,  Wednesday 

Esteemed  Editor  : 

The  production  of  motion  pictures  may  be 
moving  into  an  era  of  specialization  as  to 
subject  matter  and  there  are  indications  that 
it  could  prove  to  be  a very  satisfactory  era 
indeed.  The  day  when  the  Front  Office  as- 
signed to  a contract  employee  who  happened 
to  be  momentarily  unassigned  a comedy,  a 
drama,  a suspense  film  or  a western  melo- 
drama, whichever  and  whatever  happened 
to  be  next  on  the  studio’s  list  of  subjects 
to  be  produced,  appears  to  have  passed, 
largely,  with  the  age  of  the  automatic 
audience  that  made  the  prodigious  contract 
lists  of  yesteryear  supportable  and  the 
quality  of  product  strictly  relative. 

Nowadays  most  of  the  people  making 
pictures  are  specialists  who  stick  to  their 
chosen  field,  study  it,  explore  it,  give  it 
the  whole  of  their  time  and  attention,  and 
who  have  become  established  as  experts, 
thereby,  in  their  topical  domain.  Listen  to 
two  of  them : 

“The  basic  advantage  you  have  in  making 
a suspense  film  is  that  you  know,  as  you 
go  along,  exactly  what  you’re  going  to  have 
on  the  screen.”  This  is  Andrew  Stone, 
who  has  just  completed  the  direction  of 
MGM’s  “Julie,”  a suspense  melodrama 
starring  Doris  Day,  and  who  gave  exhibi- 
tors, a year  or  so  back,  the  record-breaking 
“Night  Holds  Terror”  which  he  wrote,  pro- 
duced and  directed  all  but  single-handedly. 

He  continues,  “When  you’re  making  a 
drama,  or  a comedy — more  especially  the 
latter,  naturally — you  never  can  be  sure,  as 
you  watch  it  being  performed  for  the 
camera,  whether  the  finished  result  is  going 
to  appear  dramatic,  or  comic,  to  an  audi- 
ence viewing  it  on  a screen  in  a theatre. 
Overacting,  underacting,  misplaced  em- 
phasis, awkward  continuity — a dozen  im- 
ponderables can  ruin  your  picture.  But  when 
you  make  a suspense  picture  your  point  is 
in  your  plot — your  surprise,  shock,  or  what- 
ever your  secret  weapon  may  be,  is  written 
into  your  script  and  has  to  come  through 
on  the  screen  the  way  it’s  written.” 

• 

The  triple-talented  Stone  likes  best  to 
base  his  scripts  on  facts.  He  has  accumu- 
lated the  largest  privately  owned  collection 
of  criminal  case  histories  in  this  country, 
which  probably  means  in  the  world,  and 
his  discussion  of  crime  and  criminals,  ge- 
nerically  or  individually,  leaves  no  room  for 
doubt  that  he  knows  its  departmentalized 
depths  as  intimately  as  his  next  script. 
(That  is  a generalization,  for  he  doesn’t 
know  for  sure,  just  yet,  which  of  three 
scripts  now  ready  for  shooting  he’ll  put  in 


work  first.  There’s  a matter  of  casting  to 
be  handled,  and  this,  as  he  explains  in  color- 
ful detail  but  not  for  present  publication,  is 
a tedious  and  theory  business  at  minimum). 

Author  Frank  Gruber,  whose  screenplay 
for  “Buffalo  Grass,”  Alan  Ladd’s  next  pic- 
ture, is  from  one  of  his  own  novels,  knows 
the  Western,  which  is  his  special  field,  bet- 
ter than  its  most  notorious  heroes  ever  did. 
He  knows  it  by  research,  as  well  as  by 
personal  experience,  and  he’s  got  53  pub- 
lished Western  books  to  prove  how  much 
better  his  way  of  knowing  it  is  than  their’s 
was.  Most  of  the  53  books  have  been  pro- 
duced on  the  screen  and  the  others  doubtless 
will  be. 


Frank  Gruber’s  study  of  the  Western  in- 
cludes statistics  and  forecasts.  He  says  his 
survey  of  the  Western  market  indicates  that 
nearly  40  per  cent  of  the  pictures  to  be  made 
by  American  producers  this  year  are  West- 
erns. And  nearly  all  of  them,  he  says,  will 
deal  with  the  West  during  the  15  years 
following  the  close  of  the  Civil  War.  This 
is  the  period  of  the  great  box  office  West- 
erns, and  most  of  the  little  ones.  This  was 
the  period  covered  principally  by  the  series- 
Westerns  that  were  mainstays  of  the  motion 
picture  box  office  longer  than  any  other 
type  of  product.  Producers  venturing  far 
past  1880  have  experienced  hard  going,  in 
all  but  exceptional  instances,  and  those  ven- 
turing into  the  pre-Civil  War  era,  which 
he  calls  “the  pioneer  period,”  have  found 
it  harder.  Book  sales  parallel  this  arc,  he 
says. 

Westerner  Gruber  attributes  the  increase 
in  production  of  Westerns  this  year  to  a 
number  of  causes.  Foremost  among  these 
he  lists  the  increased  dependence  of  the 
American  film  industry  on  its  foreign  rev- 
enues. The  Western  picture  is  more  widely 
liked  in  the  countries  comprising  “the  for- 
eign market”  than  any  other  kind  of  film. 
It  is,  by  nature  of  its  subject,  timeless  in 
its  exhibition  usefulness,  an  important  factor 
overseas,  and  universal  in  its  basic  appeal. 
He  does  not  expect  the  importance  of  for- 
eign revenue  to  the  American  industry  to 
diminish,  but  rather  the  contrary. 

The  Messrs.  Stone  and  Gruber  are  spe- 
cialists. They  know  their  fields  and  do  not 
accept  invitations  into  others.  More  and 
more,  as  the  pressures  of  competitive  media 
mount,  the  production  of  motion  pictures 
appears  to  be  moving  toward  dependence 
upon  specialists  for  quality  of  product — the 
authenticity,  the  command  of  subject,  the 
intrinsic  correctness — that  must  be  had  if 
the  motion  picture  is  to  retain  its  supremacy. 
—WILLIAM  R.  WEAVER 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD  JUNE  16,  1956 


25 


Tax  Relief 
Matter  Hit 
Ry  Relays 

WASHINGTON : The  House  Ways  and 
Means  Committee  has  put  off  for  some  time 
any  vote  on  further  admissions  tax  relief. 
After  working  its  way  through  dozens  of 
recommendations  for  excise  tax  changes  in 
the  Forand  subcommittee  report,  the  com- 
mittee last  week  reached  the  subcommittee’s 
suggestion  that  the  full  committee  might 
want  to  consider  reductions  in  the  admis- 
sions and  cabaret  tax  rates. 

Chairman  Cooper  (D.,  Tenn.)  then  noted 
that  the  resolution  setting  up  the  Forand 
subcommittee  had  confined  its  jurisdiction 
to  technical  excise  tax  problems,  and  ruled 
it  would  be  out  of  order  to  discuss — in  con- 
nection with  the  subcommittee’s  report — 
any  changes  in  rates.  Rep.  Boggs  (D.,  La.) 
noted  that  the  committee  has  been  approving 
provisions  to  be  incorporated  into  a general 
excise  tax  revision  bill  and  asked  Mr. 
Cooper  whether  it  would  be  in  order  to 
offer  rate-cutting  motions  later  when  the 
committee  is  giving  a final  going-over  to 
the  actual  bill.  Mr.  Cooper  replied  that  he’d 
cross  that  bridge  when  he  came  to  it. 

Several  committee  members  later  said 
privately  they  would  definitely  offer  rate- 
cutting amendments  to  the  general  excise 
tax  revision  bill  when  it  has  been  prepared 
and  is  put  before  the  committee  for  final 
voting.  Moreover,  they  said,  they  didn’t 
think  Mr.  Cooper  would  be  able  to  rule  them 
out  of  order. 

Separate  Bill  Desirable 

Some  committee  members  are  beginning 
to  wonder,  also,  whether  the  industry  really 
should  try  to  have  an  admissions  tax  cut 
incorporated  into  the  general  excise  tax 
revision  bill.  They  argue  the  general  bill 
is  not  going  to  become  law  this  year — that 
it  will  pass  the  House  too  late  for  Senate 
action  this  year.  They  think  it  might  be 
better  strategy  for  the  industry  to  put  its 
main  effort  into  getting  action  on  admissions 
tax  relief  as  a separate  bill.  Any  possibility 
of  this  move  must  wait  until  such  time  as 
Democratic  members  of  the  committee  cau- 
cus and  decide  the  committee’s  program  for 
the  rest  of  the  year. 

Meanwhile  the  committee  turned  the  ex- 
cise tax  matter  over  to  its  staff,  to  draft 
into  a bill  the  decision  made  so  far. 


Carroll  Elliott  at  RKO 

Carroll  Elliott  has  been  named  director 
of  copy  for  RKO  Teleradio  Pictures,  Inc. 
(parent  company  of  RKO  Radio  Pictures) 
it  is  announced  by  Robert  A.  Schmid,  vice- 
president  in  charge  of  advertising  and  public 
relations.  Mrs.  Elliott  was  formerly  on  the 
staff  of  McCall’s  and  Charm,  and  was  copy 
chief  of  advertising  and  sales  promotion  for 
CBS-TV. 


Rackmil , Daff,  Muhl 
Get  New  U-l  Pacts 

Universal  Pictures  has  tendered  new  con- 
tracts to  Milton  R.  Rackmil,  president ; 
Alfred  E.  Daff,  executive  vice-president, 
and  Edward  Muhl,  vice-president  in  charge 
of  production.  These  replace  existing  con- 
tracts. Mr.  Rackmil’s  pact  runs  seven  years 
and  replaces  a previous  seven-year  deal 
dated  July  15,  1952.  Mr.  Daff’s  new  con- 
tract runs  for  five  years  and  replaces  a cur- 
rent seven-year  agreement  of  October,  1952. 
Mr.  Muhl’s  new  deal,  also  for  five  years, 
replaces  a pact  dated  August,  1952. 

Allied,  Unit 
Cuts  Member 
Rues  in  Half 

MILWAUKEE : The  board  of  directors  of 
the  Allied  Independent  Theatre  Owners  of 
Wisconsin  met  Tuesday  morning  at  Elk- 
hart Lake,  Wise.,  in  advance  of  the  organi- 
zation’s annual  convention,  and  voted  to  cut 
membership  dues  in  half  and  declare  a mora- 
torium for  one  year  to  June  30,  1957  on  all 
monies  owed  the  organization  by  members. 

The  action  of  the  board  was  taken  in 
recognition  of  the  critical  state  in  which 
some  Wisconsin  Allied  members  find  them- 
selves and  in  the  spirit  of  “Let’s  do  some- 
thing on  behalf  of  our  members,”  which 
was  the  theme  at  the  board  meeting. 

The  convention,  held  June  12  and  13  at 
the  Schwartz  Hotel  in  Elkhart  Lake,  was 
well-planned  by  Angelo  Provinzano,  presi- 
dent and  Arnold  Brumm  and  Sig  Goldberg, 
co-chairman.  Board  meetings  and  business 
sessions  were  interspersed  with  luncheons, 
receptions  and  a variety  of  recreational  pur- 
suits, topped  by  a banquet.  The  resort  of- 
fered facilities  for  swimming,  dancing, 
boating,  golf,  night-clubbing  and  relaxation 
of  all  kinds. 


Court  Will  Decide  on 
Zanuck-Fox  Settlement 

Proponents  of  the  settlement  of  Darryl  F. 
Zanuck’s  contract  with  20th  Centurv-Fox 
recently  filed  affidavits  in  New  York  Su- 
preme Court  in  reply  to  a minority  stock- 
holder objection  that  they  did  not  have  suffi- 
cient time  to  investigate  all  information 
concerning  the  settlement.  Attorney  Milton 
Paulson,  who  filed  the  affidavit,  has  declared 
that  his  brief,  in  essence,  states  that  stock- 
holders of  20th-Fox  had  adequate  time  to 
inspect  the  settlement  since  notices  were  sent 
out  by  the  company  three  weeks  ago.  At- 
torney Paulson  also  said  that  Justice  Thomas 
A.  Aurelio  will  now  decide  on  the  settlement 
on  the  basis  of  all  papers  filed  with  his  court. 
He  also  pointed  out  that  the  minority  stock- 
holders did  not  object  to  the  settlement,  but 
just  to  the  amount  of  time  which  they  have 
had  to  investigate  it. 


*' 'Trapeze 99 
In  Third  Riy 
Premiere 

On  the  heels  of  successful  openings  in 
New  York  and  Los  Angeles,  Hecht-Lan- 
caster’s  “Trapeze”  had  its  third  premiere 
June  14  at  the  United  Artists  Theatre  in 
Chicago,  backed  by  a strong  advance  cam- 
paign. 

Patterned  after  promotions  that  lifted  the 
curtain  on  engagements  at  the  Fox  Wilshire 
in  Los  Angeles  and  the  Capitol  on  Broad- 
way, the  Chicago  campaign  has  boomed 
“Trapeze”  to  an  estimated  25,000,000  in  a 
five-state  area  through  the  combined  penetra- 
tion of  full-page  and  double-truck  newspaper 
ads,  a saturation  TV  program,  heavy  retail 
support  and  personal  appearances  by  star 
Burt  Lancaster,  director  Sir  Carol  Reed  and 
producer  James  Hill.  A newspaper  ad  slate, 
budgeted  at  $23,000,  blanketed  the  Ameri- 
can, News,  Sun-Times  and  Tribune.  The 
video  promotion  reached  a combined  audi- 
ence of  about  10,000,000  with  a broadcast 
of  the  special  five-minute  filmed  features 
and  guest  appearances  bv  Lancaster  and 
Hill. 

Many  Television  Spots 

More  television  support  came  from  a sat- 
uration TV  barrage  of  200  spots,  launched 
one  week  before  the  opening.  Lancaster, 
Reed  and  Hill  have  triggered  more  mass 
attention  for  the  film  via  press  interviews 
with  film  editors  and  feature  writers  from 
newspapers  in  Chicago  and  other  key  cities 
in  Illinois,  Indiana,  Iowa  and  Wisconsin, 
Minnesota  and  Missouri. 

In  its  third  week  at  the  Fox  Wilshire  in 
Los  Angeles,  “Trapeze”  rolled  up  a total 
of  $36,700.  The  first  week  gross  at  the 
Capitol  theatre  in  New  York  was  more 
than  $102,000,  it  was  announced  by  United 
Artists.  Tony  Curtis  and  Gina  Lollobrigida 
co-star  with  Lancaster  in  the  film,  which 
will  open  in  400  key  situations  during  the 
July  4 holiday  week. 

Starlets  on  Tour  With 
" Traveling  Saleslady " 

The  first  production  under  the  aegis  of 
the  new  RKO  management,  “The  First 
Traveling  Saleslady,”  is  being  advertised, 
exploited  and  publicized  nationally  on  a 
local  level  with  a trans-continental  tour  of 
four  RKO  starlets  which  began  in  San 
Francisco  June  11.  To  assure  the  fullest 
penetration,  the  tour  is  conducted  more  than 
a month  before  the  film  goes  into  release. 
Following  an  intensive  schedule,  prepared 
in  advance  by  RKO  field  men  in  18  cities, 
the  four  specially-selected  girls  will  devote 
a major  share  of  their  activities  to  pre- 
planned local  tieups  with  the  Jantzen  Com- 
pany, makers  of  swim  wear,  and  the  Chrys- 
ler automobile  corporation. 


26 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  JUNE  16,  1956 


T-MEN  f 
SMASH  1 
PHONY 
MONEY 
RACKET! 


starring 


STARRING 


BETTY  LYNN  - JOHN  LARCH  BARNEY  PHILUPS 


with  ONSLOW  STEVENS  • JUDSON  PRATT 

Directed  by  JACK  ARNOLD 

Screenplay  by  DANNY  ARNOLD*  Produced  by  ALBERT  J.  COHEN 
jfe  A Universal-International  Picture  ^ 


and  JOHN  GAVIN 


Directed  by  ABNER  BIBERMAN  Produced  by  STANLEY  RUBIN 
Screenplay  by  HAROLD  JACK  BLOOM 
Ik  A Universal-International  Picture  _ 


-from  Onii/ersa/ 


THE  WINNERS  CIRCLE 

Pictures  which  were  reported  as  doing  above  average  business  in  key  cities  of  the 
nation  for  the  week  ended  June  9 were: 


Fox  ta  Shoot 
On  lO  in  JVext 
Two  Months 

Ten  high-budgeted  CinemaScope  features 
will  be  put  into  production  at  20th  Century- 
Fox  within  the  next  two  months,  it  was  an- 
nounced recently  by  Buddy  Adler,  executive 
producer.  The  amplified  schedule  for  1956- 
57,  according  to  Mr.  Adler,  will  include  a 
minimum  of  30  large-scale  pictures  in  addi- 
tion to  eight  features  currently  shooting  or 
already  completed.  Additionally,  Darryl  F. 
Zanuck  will  make  at  least  two  independently- 
produced  films  for  the  1956-57  program. 

Budgeted  at  an  estimated  cost  of  $85,- 
000,000,  the  schedule  includes  19  novels  and 
seven  Broalway  plays  and  musicals.  Set  for 
immediate  production  are:  “Anastasia,” 

starring  Ingrid  Bergman,  Yul  Brynner  and 
Helen  Hayes,  produced  by  Mr.  Adler  and 
directed  by  Anatole  Litvak;  “Our  Teenage 
Daughter,”  starring  Ginger  Rogers  and 
Michael  Rennie,  produced  by  Charles  Brac- 
kett and  directed  by  Edmund  Goulding; 
“The  Wayward  Bus,”  starring  Susan  Hay- 
ward, with  Mr.  Brackett  producing,  from 
the  novel  by  John  Steinbeck;  “Boy  on  a 
Dolphin,”  from  David  Divine’s  novel,  to  be 
produced  by  Samuel  G.  Engel,  directed  by 
Jean  Negulesco  and  starring  Clifton  Webb; 
“Iris,”  from  Jerome  Weideman’s  novel,  with 
David  Weisbart  producing;  “Bernardine,” 
from  Mary  Chase’s  play,  with  Engel  pro- 
ducing; “Jesse  James,”  Herbert  Bayard 
Swope,  Jr.  producing  and  Nicholas  Ray  di- 
recting, starring  Robert  Wagner  and  Jeffrey 
Hunter;  “Can  Can,”  the  Cole  Porter  mu- 
sical, to  be  filmed  in  Paris  with  Henry 
Ephron  producing  and  Henry  King  direct- 
ing; “Heaven  Knows,  Mr.  Allison,”  from 
the  Charles  Shaw  novel,  with  Mr.  Adler 
and  Eugene  Frenke  producing  and  Deborah 
Kerr  starring;  “Three  Brave  Men,”  based 
on  the  Chasanow  Story,  with  Swope  pro- 
ducing and  Philip  Dunne  directing. 

Many  Completed  Films 

Currently  in  production  or  already  com- 
pleted are:  “The  King  and  I,”  starring  Yul 
Brynner,  Deborah  Kerr  and  Rita  Moreno; 
“Bus  Stop,”  starring  Marilyn  Monroe  and 
Don  Murray;  “The  Best  Things  In  Life  Are 
Free,”  starring  Dan  Dailey,  Gordon  Mac- 
Rae,  Ernest  Borgnine  and  Sheree  North ; 
“Bigger  Than  Life”  (formerly  “One  in  a 
Million”)  starring  James  Mason  and  Bar- 
bara Rush ; “Between  Heaven  and  Hell” 
(formerly  “The  Day  the  Century  Ended”) 
starring  Robert  Wagner,  Terry  Moore  and 
Broderick  Crawford;  “23  Paces  to  Baker 
Street,”  starring  Van  Johnson  and  Vera 
Miles;  “The  Last  Wagon,”  starring  Richard 
Widmark  and  Felicia  Farr,  and  “The  Proud 
Ones,”  starring  Robert  Ryan,  Jeffrey  Hunter 
and  Virginia  Mayo. 

Other  major  productions  on  the  20th-Fox 
schedule  for  1956-57  include:  “The  Woman 
With  Three  Lives,”  produced,  directed  and 
written  by  Nunnally  Johnson ; “The  Reef,” 


Atlanta:  The  Great  Locomotive  Chase 
(B.V.) ; Hilda  Crane  (20th-Fox) ; Raw- 
hide  Years  (U-I) ; The  Searchers 
( W.B.) ; D-Day  the  Sixth  of  June 
(20th-Fox) . 

Boston:  The  Catered  Affair  (MGM) ; 
The  Man  Who  Knew  Too  Much  (Par.) ; 
The  Searchers  (W.B.) ; D-Day  the 
Sixth  of  June  (20th-Fox). 

Buffalo:  Comanche  (U.A.) ; Gaby  (MGM) 
2nd  week;  D-Day  the  Sixth  of  June 
(20th-Fox)  2nd  week;  The  Leather 
Saint  (Par.). 

Chicago:  Madame  Butterfly  (I.F.E.)  4th 
week;  The  Man  Who  Knew  Too  Much 
(Par.)  4th  week;  The  Maverick  Queen 
(Rep.)  2nd  week;  Rock  Around  the 
Clock  (Col.)  2nd  week;  23  Paces  to 
Baker  Street  (20th-Fox)  2nd  week; 
World  Without  End  (A.A.)  2nd  week. 

Columbus:  Bhowani  Junction  (MGM) ; 
Foreign  Intrigue  (U.A.) ; The  Search- 
ers (W.B.). 

Denver:  Bhowani  Junction  (MGM); 

D-Day  the  Sixth  of  June  (20th-Fox) ; 
Return  of  Don  Camillo  (I.F.E.) ; 
Screaming  Eagles  (A.A.) ; The  Search- 
ers (W.B.)  2nd  week. 

Des  Moines:  The  Man  Who  Knew  Too 
Much  (Par.)  3rd  week. 

Detroit:  D-Day  the  Sixth  of  June  (20th- 
Fox)  ; Forbidden  Planet  (MGM)  2nd 
week;  Man  Who  Knew  Too  Much  (Par.). 

Hartford:  Gaby  (MGM);  Hilda  Crane 
(20th-Fox) ; The  Man  Who  Knew  Too 
(Par.)  2nd  week;  The  Searchers  (W.B.) 
2nd  week;.  Touch  and  Go  (U-I)  ; 23 
Paces  to  Baker  Street  (20th-Fox)  2nd 
week. 

Indianapolis:  Bhowani  Junction  (MGM); 
The  Searchers  (W.B.). 

Jacksonville:  Bhowani  Junction  (MGM); 
Day  of  Fury  (U-I) ; Our  Miss  Brooks 
(W.B.) ; Song  of  the  South  (B.V.), 
Reissue. 


William  Hawks  producing;  “Fraulein”  and 
“Stopover  Japan,”  the  J.  P.  Marquand  novel, 
both  to  be  produced  by  Samuel  G.  Engel ; 
“The  Cheese  Stands  Alone”  and  “The  Iron 
Butterfly,”  both  produced  by  H.  B.  Swope, 
Jr.;  “Close  to  the  Wind”  and  “Sitka,”  both 
produced  by  Dick  Powell ; “The  Desk  Set,” 
produced  by  Henry  Ephron ; “Solo,”  pro- 
duced by  Buddy  Adler;  “Jane  Eyre,”  pro- 
duced by  James  Mason ; “The  Way  to  the 
Gold,”  produced  by  David  Weisbart;  “Lord 
Vanity,”  produced  by  Charles  Brackett;  and 
“Tigrero,”  “Do  Re  Mi,”  “Song  of  Ruth,” 
“State  Fair”  and  “Ten  North  Frederick,” 
the  last  named  based  on  John  O’Hara’s  best- 
selling novel. 


Kansas  City:  Bhowani  Junction  (MGM) 
2nd  week;  The  Ladykillers  (Cont.)  4th 
week;  The  Man  Who  Knew  Too  Much 
(Par.)  3rd  week. 

Memphis:  Gaby  (MGM);  Safari  (Col.). 

Miami:  Bhowani  Junction  (MGM)  3rd 
week;  Oklahoma  (Magna)  15th  week. 

Milwaukee:  The  Man  Who  Knew  Too 
Much  (Par.) ; The  Revolt  of  Mamie 
Stover  (20th-Fox);  The  Searchers 
(W.B.) . 

Minneapolis:  The  Searchers  (W.B.). 

New  Orleans:  Animal  World  (W.B.) ; The 
Catered  Affair  (MGM);  Safari  (Col.). 

Oklahoma  City:  Great  Day  in  the  Morn- 
ing (RKO);  The  Man  Who  Knew  Too 
Much  (Par.)  2nd  week;  The  Searchers 
(W.B.)  2nd  week;  Song  of  the  South 
(B.V.)  Reissue,  2nd  week. 

Philadelphia:  Foreign  Intrigue  (U.A.) ; 
The  Man  in  the  Gray  Flannel  Suit 
(20th-Fox)  7th  week;  The  Man  Who 
Knew  Too  Much  (Par.)  3rd  week;  The 
Searchers  (W.B.)  2nd  week. 

Pittsburgh:  Bhowani  Junction  (MGM)  ; 
The  Ladykillers  (Cont.)  6th  week; 
The  Searchers  (W.B.) ; Touch  and  Go 
(U-I)  2nd  week. 

Portland:  D-Day  the  Sixth  of  June  (20th- 
Fox) ; Gaby  (MGM);  The  Man  Who 
Who  Knew  Too  Much  (Par.)  2nd  week; 
The  Searchers  (W.B.)  2nd  week. 

Providence:  Alexander  the  Great  (U.A.) ; 
The  Searchers  (W.B.). 

Toronto:  Meet  Me  in  Las  Vegas  (MGM) 
2nd  week;  Oklahoma  (Magna)  8th 
week;  Simon  and  Laura  (Jaro)  2nd 
week. 

Vancouver:  The  Searchers  (W.B.) 

Washington:  Bhowani  Junction  (MGM) 
2nd  week;  D-Day  the  Sixth  of  June 
(20th-Fox) ; Foreign  Intrigue  (U.A.) ; 
The  Man  Who  Knew  Too  Much  (Par.) 
2nd  week;  Picnic  (Col.)  16th  week;  The 
Searchers  (W.B.)  2nd  week;  Unidenti- 
fied Flying  Objects  (U.A.). 


$1 1 3,000,000  for  USIA; 
$7,000,000  for  Films 

WASHINGTON : House-Senate  appropria- 
tions conferees  have  agreed  to  give  the  U.  S. 
Information  Agency  $113,000,000  for  its 
operations  in  the  year  starting  July  1.  This 
would  be  $22,000,000  less  than  the  agency 
sought  but  $26,000,000  above  this  year’s  ap- 
propriation. The  House  had  previously  voted 
$110,000,000  and  the  Senate  $115,000,000, 
with  the  final  figure  a compromise.  Under 
the  conference  bill,  the  film  branch  probably 
would  get  somewhat  under  $7,000,000  for  its 
operations  during  the  coming  year,  compared 
with  slightly  under  $4,500,000  this  year. 


28 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  JUNE  16,  1956 


Rodgers  & Hammerstejn 

JW 

0 n the  S creenA 


"OKLAHOMA!"  in  todd  a-O 


"CAROUSEL" 

IN  CINEMASCOPE  55 

"THE  KING  AND  I"  in  cinemascope  55 


0 n roadway 


"PIPE  DREAM" 


i^toch  t^r&Aentation 


^^T^OKLAHOMAJ^^TAROUSErnHi 


Rodgers  s HAMMERSTEiNj 


NIGHT  CONCERTS 


by  leading  symphony  orchestras 


f 


Xante  MSetsei 
As  Trustee 


Ralph  D.  Hetzel,  vice-president  of  the 
Motion  Picture  Association  of  America  and 
of  the  Motion  Picture  Export  Association, 
has  been  elected  a 
member  of  the  board 
of  trustees  of  Penn- 
sylvania State  Col- 
lege. He  was  one  of 
three  trustees  elected 
by  popular  vote  of 
the  school’s  alumni 
for  a three-year 
term. 

Mr.  Hetzel’s  father 
was  president  of  the 
college  for  a period 
of  21  years.  The  new 
trustee  himself  grad- 
uated from  the  col- 
lege in  1933  and  later  attended  the  Uni- 
versity of  London.  Prior  to  entering  the 
motion  picture  industry,  Mr.  Hetzel  was  in 
Federal  service  in  Washington  in  a num- 
ber of  executive  capacities.  He  also  served 
as  secretary  to  Governor  Pinchot  of  Penn- 
sylvania and  for  three  years  was  executive 
secretary  of  the  CIO  at  its  national 
headquarters. 


Ralph  Hetzel 


MPAA  Committee  Meets 

The  self-regulation  committee  of  the  Mo- 
tion Picture  Association  of  America  held  a 
luncheon  meeting  last  weekend  in  New  York 
to  discuss  further  and  study  phases  of  the 
industry’s  self-regulation  program.  It  was 
reported  the  committee  discussed  the  prog- 
ress made  thus  far  in  its  study. 


Rowley  Appoints  New 
Variety  Club  Officials 

John  Rowley,  newly-elected  international 
chief  barker  of  Variety  Clubs  International, 
has  announced  new  appointments  and  reap- 
pointments for  the  organization.  Reappointed 
were  Nathan  D.  Golden,  international  heart 
chairman;  Father  Sylvester  M.  McCarthy, 
international  chaplain,  and  Edward  Shafton 
and  Ezra  E.  Stern,  international  fixers. 
Among  the  new  appointments  were  Don  C. 
Douglas,  international  press  guy,  and  James 
G.  Balmer,  International  sergeant-at-arms. 
Reappointed  international  representatives 
are  C.  A.  Dolsen,  Ralph  Pries,  A1  Grubstick 
and  J.  Robert  Hoff,  while  newly-appointed 
ones  include  Paul  Bruun,  R.  L.  Bostick  and 
Normal  B.  Mervis.  C.  J.  Latta  of  London 
was  again  named  international  European 
representative. 


New  England  Club 
Holds  Annual  Outing 

BOSTON : Some  100  Variety  Club  mem- 
bers held  their  annual  “Day  at  the  Races” 
as  guests  of  Judge  Pappas  at  Suffolk  Downs, 
East  Boston,  recently.  A reception,  dinner 
at  the  Paddock  Club,  a daily  double  ticket 
to  each  member  and  a feature  race  were 
among  the  features.  Winner  of  the  daily 
double  was  Myer  Stanzler,  Providence  ex- 
hibitor. Later  in  the  week  members  and 
wives  of  the  club  were  guests  of  Captain 
Charles  Martell  aboard  the  Boston,  Amer- 
ica’s latest  guided  missile  cruiser.  Dinner 
with  the  crew  and  a sneak  preview  on  deck 
were  other  features.  Representative  Barclay 
H.  Warburton  of  Ipswich,  Mass.,  owner  of 
the  Saracen  Farm,  presented  to  the  club  a 
thoroughbred  bull  calf  which  will  be  auc- 
tioned, proceeds  going  to  the  Jimmy  Fund. 


COLUMBIA  PICTURES  ANNOUNCES  THAT  PRINTS  OF  THE  FOLLOWING 
PICTURES  ARE  NOW  AVAILABLE  IN  OUR  EXCHANGES  FOR  SCREENING 


HUGH  MARLOWE  • JOAN  TAYLOR  maid  CURTIS 

Screen  Play  by  GEORGE  WORTHING  YATES  and  RAYMOND  T.  MARCUS  • Screen  Story  by  CURT  SIODMAK 
Technical  Effects  Created  by  RAY  HARRYHAUSEN  • Produced  by  CHARLES  H.  SCHNEER 
Executive  Producer:  SAM  KATZMAN  • Directed  by  FRED  F.  SEARS 


we  WB&V/OlF 

M DON  MEGOWAN  • JOYCE  HOLDEN  • STEVEN  RITCH THE  HEW 

Story  and  Screen  Play  by  ROBERT  E.  KENT  and  JAMES  B.  GORDON  • Produced  by  SAM  KATZMAN  • Directed  by  FRED  F.  SEARS 

A CLOVER  PRODUCTION 


Curved  Gate 
Tar  Simplex 
Prajectars 

A curved  film  gate  for  Simplex  projectors 
has  been  announced  by  National  Theatre 
Supply.  It  is  available  on  new  XL  mechan- 
isms and  for  modification  of  XL  heads  in- 
stalled in  theatres.  Designed  to  give  the 
film  sufficient  rigidity  in  the  aperture  to  re- 
sist the  buckling  effect  of  projection  light 
heat,  the  gate  is  a development  of  General 
Precision  Laboratory  and  is  manufactured 
by  the  International  Projector  Corporation. 

Experiments  have  proved,  the  announce- 
ment asserts,  that  even  film  already  so  dam- 
aged by  buckling  due  to  the  relatively  high 
levels  of  light  used  for  wide-screen  projec- 
tion that  it  could  not  be  acceptably  focused 
in  a flat  gate,  can  be  projected  from  a curved 
gate  with  “quite  good  results.” 

In  passing  into  the  aperture,  the  film  is 
turned  toward  the  lamphouse.  The  form 
taken  by  the  film  here  is  also  influenced  by 
the  heat  of  the  light.  Besides  mechanical 
curvature  in  the  vertical  direction,  there  is 
some  lateral  curvature,  giving  the  frame 
something  of  a pin-cushion  shape.  Since 
this  formation  is  more  like  the  focal  field 
of  projection  lenses  than  a flat  frame,  the 
curved  gate  tends  also  to  improve  side 
definition. 

South  African  Drive-in 
Has  Unique  Screen 

A new  drive-in  theatre  has  been  opened 
in  South  Africa  with  a screen  of  cast  con- 
crete supported  by  steel  uprights.  Located 
at  Pretoria,  it  has  a capacity  of  500  cars. 
The  screen  is  110x33p2  feet.  Because  of 
the  extreme  change  in  temperature  from 
daytime  to  night,  the  concrete  structure  of 
the  screen  is  coated  with  a rubber-like 
plastic  to  allow  for  extraordinary  contrac- 
tion and  expansion  of  the  sections.  Projec- 
tion is  by  Bauer  B-12  mechanisms  equipped 
with  Bauer  arc  lamps  operated  at  110  am- 
peres. 


New  Jacobs  Unit 

Marking  another  step  in  the  expansion  of 
the  Arthur  P.  Jacobs  Company,  Inc.,  into 
an  international  organization  in  the  public 
relations  field,  the  formation  of  the  Arthur 
P.  Jacobs  Company,  Limited,  now  in  active 
operation  throughout  the  United  Kingdom 
and  Europe,  is  announced. 


Gets  German  Post 

Gustave  Zelnick  has  been  named  theatre 
supervisor  of  MGM  operations  in  Germany, 
it  is  announced  by  Morton  A.  Spring,  first 
vice-president  of  Loew’s  International  Cor- 
poration. In  this  post  Mr.  Zelnick  will  assist 
Myron  Karlin,  general  manager,  at  the  com- 
pany’s headquarters  in  Frankfort. 


30 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  JUNE  16,  1956 


ALBANY 

Fabian’s  Mohawk  drive-in,  Albany- 
Schenectady  Road,  opened  an  enlarged  and 
reequipped  playground,  fenced  oft'.  . . . The 
Palace  tied  in  with  The  Knickerbocker 
News  and  four  stores  to  promote  an  answer 
and  letter  contest  for  “Safari,”  the  grand 
national  prize  for  which  is  an  all-expense 
paid  air  trip  to  Africa  via  France.  David 
Kane,  Columbia  exploiteer,  and  William 
With,  Palace  manager,  arranged  the  local 
details.  Kane  also  worked  on  “Cockleshell 
Heroes”  at  Leland.  . . . Schine  Circuit  closed 
the  Hippodrome  in  Gloversville,  Palace  in 
Oneonta,  and  Strand  in  Hudson  Falls,  for 
the  summer;  darkened  Avon  in  Watertown 
until  June  21.  The  Palace  and  Strand  were 
weekend  operations.  . . . Tom  Murray,  for- 
merly active  in  16mm.  field  around  King- 
ston, is  now  assistant  to  Robert  W.  Case 
at  Harry  Lamont’s  Sunset  drive-in.  . . . 
Leland  Clark  is  assistant  to  Mrs.  Jeanette 
Allen  at  Lamont’s  Rock  Hill  drive-in,  Sul- 
livan Co.  . . . Patrick  M.  Kelly,  manager  of 
the  Bardavon  theatre  in  Poughkeepsie,  is 
the  father  of  a daughter,  Kande-Ann,  born 
last  week. 

ATLANTA 

John  T.  Amberson,  operator  at  the  Em- 
pire theatre,  Birmingham,  Ala.,  for  many 
years,  died  of  a heart  attack  while  on  the 
job.  . . . The  Lincoln  theatre,  New  Smyrma 
Beach,  Fla.,  has  closed  because  of  bad 
business.  . . . Pete  Howell,  head  shipper  at 
Allied  Artists  Southern  Exchanges,  is  back 
after  a fishing  trip  to  Florida.  . . . A1  Rook, 
FBO,  checked  in  at  his  office  after  a visit 
to  Jacksonville,  Fla.  . . . Dianna  Adams, 
daughter  of  Byron  Adams,  branch  manager 
at  United  Artists,  was  here  for  a visit  from 
her  home  in  Houston.  . . . Grover  Wray,  co- 
owner of  the  Exhibitor  Service,  and  the 
wife  back  after  a vacation  spent  in  Cali- 
fornia. . . . Janice  Walker,  secretary  at 
20th  Century-Fox,  and  William  K.  Kennon 
were  married.  . . . Mrs.  Mary  Rvgaard,  20th 
Century-Fox  accounting  department,  is  back 
at  her  desk  after  a three-month  leave  of 
absence,  during  which  time  she  became  the 
mother  of  a baby  girl.  . . . Fred  Orpurt  is 
the  new  manager  of  the  Glades  theatre, 
Moore  Haven,  Fla. 

BOSTON 

Over  $100,000  has  been  spent  on  remodel- 
ing the  Stadium  theatre,  Woonsocket,  R.  I., 
which  has  been  closed  for  over  five  years. 
Formerly  leased  by  N.  E.  Theatres,  Inc., 
owner  Arthur  Darman  and  manager  Ben 
Greenberg  are  planning  a gala  opening.  . . . 
B & Q Theatres  threw  a welcome  party  for 
Larry  Lapidus,  newly  appointed  booker  for 
the  circuit.  It  was  attended  by  60  distribu- 
tors and  circuit  bookers.  B & Q will  now 
handle  bookings  from  Boston  instead  of  New 
Haven.  . . . Michael  Redstone  of  Northeast 
Drive-in  Theatres,  Inc.,  is  constructing  the 
Suffolk  Downs  drive-in,  East  Boston,  at 
an  estimated  cost  of  $700,000,  his  most 
expensive  drive-in  to  date.  The  15th  in  his 
chain,  the  fill  alone  will  cost  $160,000.  . . . 


Keene  Advertising  has  moved  its  showroom 
of  premiums  and  novelties  from  38  to  22 
Church  Street.  Moving  to  the  same  office 
is  Joseph  G.  Cohen,  independent  film  buyer 
and  booker,  Myer  I.  Ruttenberg,  distriDutor 
of  theatre  premiums,  and  Fifi  Harding,  trade 
paper  reporter.  . . . Worcester  has  a new 
art  theatre.  E.  M.  Loew’s  has  renovated  its 
Olympia  theatre  and  retitled  it  the  Fine  Arts 
and  established  an  art  policy.  First  showing 
was  “Diabolique.”  . . . Jack  Francis  is  filling 
in  as  temporary  manager  of  the  Riverdale 
drive-in,  Springfield.  ...  It  seems  hardly 
likely  that  the  new  Auburn,  Mass,  drive-in 
will  be  ready  this  season.  Slow  up  is  blamed 
on  unseasonable  weather  conditions. 

BUFFALO 

Gil  Wilson,  whose  paintings  of  Melville’s 
“Moby  Dick”  are  world  famous,  is  coming 
to  Buffalo  for  a two-day,  tub-thumping  stint, 
Monday  and  Tuesday,  June  11  and  12  and 
an  extensive  program  is  being  arranged  for 
him,  including  radio,  television  and  news- 
paper interviews  and  talks  before  local 
groups  interested  in  art.  . . . The  Washing- 
ton drive-in,  East  Rochester,  will  open  in 
about  two  weeks  if  weather  permits  and 
the  Lake  Shore,  on  Ling  Road,  Greece, 
N.  Y.,  will  reopen  about  July  15.  Both 
are  links  in  the  Redstone  chain,  which 
bought  the  Lake  Share  and  leased  the 
Washington.  The  Lake  Shore  will  be  en- 
larged from  a 600  to  a 1,000  car  capacity. 
Jack  Robins  owns  the  Washington  prop- 
erty. Edward  Redstone,  an  official  of  the 
Boston-headquartered  circuit,  has  been 
in  Rochester  arranging  for  the  two  open- 
ings. . . . Helen  Huber,  cashier  at  the  Para- 
mount exchange  and  a member  of  the  Para- 
mount 25-Year  Club  is  back  from  a theatre- 
going vacation  in  New  York  City.  Gertrude 
Christ,  ledger  clerk  in  the  Paramount 
branch,  is  vacationing  in  the  country.  John 
Moore,  Paramount  district  manager,  was 
in  town  last  weekend  for  conferences  with 
branch  manager  Hugh  McGuire.  . . . The 
Astor,  formerly  the  Empire,  in  Syracuse,  is 
to  be  torn  down  to  make  room  for  a mechan- 
ical parking  structure.  The  Astor  has  been 
closed  for  almost  three  years.  . . . The  Eckel 
theatre  has  closed  in  Syracuse  and  manager 
Marvin  Coon  is  filling  in  for  other  Schine 
managers  as  they  go  on  their  vacations. 

CHARLOTTE 

Zahara  Arshad,  Indian  girl  publicizing 
Ava  Gardner’s  "Bhowani  Junction,”  came 
here  to  help  plug  the  picture  which  is  soon 
to  open  at  the  Carolina.  ...  A sneak  pre- 
view of  the  new  Bob  Hope  picture,  “That 
Certain  Feeling,”  was  held  at  the  Carolina. 
. . . Tom  Baldridge,  MGM  exploiteer,  came 
here  to  set  advertising  campaigns  for  new 
MGM  pictures.  . . . Mr.  and  Mrs.  Roy 
Fender,  parents  of  Mrs.  Viola  Wister  of 
the  Howco  Exchange,  recently  returned 
from  a trip  to  Kentucky.  . . . Robbie  Robin- 
son, manager  of  the  Buena  Vista  branch 
here,  went  to  Atlanta  for  the  world  premiere 
of  “The  Great  Locomotive  Chase.”  He  was 
accompanied  by  his  wife.  . . . Scott  Lett, 


Howco  manager  here,  went  to  New  York 
on  business.  . . . Alton  Craver,  eldest  son 
of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  A.  B.  Craver,  has  an- 
nounced his  marriage.  The  nuptials  were 
performed  eight  months  ago  but  the  event 
was  kept  secret  until  school  was  dismissed. 

CHICAGO 

During  the  month  of  May,  the  Chicago 
Censor  Board  reviewed  76  pictures.  None  of 
these  films  were  rejected,  but  14  cuts  were 
ordered.  . . . Eugene  Amado  and  Harry  E. 
Goodman  have  been  welcomed  to  Film  Row 
as  the  new  owners  of  Movie  Supply  Com- 
pany, Inc.  M.  Behrend,  former  owner,  has 
retired.  . . . Sam  Friedman,  legitimate  show 
press  agent,  currently  assigned  to  the  Cecil 
B.  DeMille  Paramount  picture,  “The  Ten 
Commandments,”  was  in  Chicago  to  set  ini- 
tial contacts  for  the  local  opening  of  the 
Biblical  epic  in  late  Fall.  . . . Jack  Rose 
went  to  New  Jersey  to  take  a first  look  at 
his  new  granddaughter,  Karen  Leslie  Rose, 
born  May  22.  Parents  are  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Murray  Lee  Rose.  . . . Mr.  and  Mrs.  Harold 
Abbott  are  spending  a few  weeks  here  get- 
ting caught  up  on  the  affairs  of  Abbott  The- 
atre Euipment  Company.  A great  part  of 
their  time  is  spent  in  Phoenix,  Arizona.  . . . 
Joseph  Mack’s  name  is  one  of  the  newest 
on  the  up-to-date  roster  of  the  Variety  Club 
of  Illinois. 

CLEVELAND 

Victor  Mature  spent  a day  here  meeting 
critics  and  making  tape  recordings  to  pro- 
mote “Safari”  which  opened  June  13  at 
the  Allen  theatre.  He  was  accompanied  by 
Joe  Hegeman  of  Warwick  Pictures.  . . . 
M.  J.  Click,  20th-Fox  salesman,  is  re- 
ported seriously  ill  in  Mt.  Sinai  Hospital. 
. . . Howard  Reif  of  Modern  Theatres  Cir- 
cuit closed  his  Florida  winter  home  and  has 
returned  here  with  his  mother.  . . . H.  B. 
Arstein  has  resigned  as  manager  of  the 
Broadvue  theatre,  a local  Associated  Circuit 
unit.  . . . Selected  Theatres,  headed  by  Nate 
Schultz,  acquired  from  Jack  Armstrong  the 
Springbrook  drive-in,  Lima.  The  circuit 
now  has  12  hardtop  and  8 skytop  theatres. 
. . . Wedding  bells  rang  June  10  for  RKO’s 
Miriam  Kustin  and  Leslie  Marks;  Rhina 
Holtz,  daughter  of  the  Film  Bldg,  barber 
shop  proprietor  Sam  Holtz,  and  Eugene 
Grief!  and  Sherry  Lewis  of  Allied  Artists 
and  Arthur  Braun.  . . . Lou  Geiger  is  back 
from  seven  months  in  Florida,  selling  thea- 
tre bicycle  deals.  . . . Ted  Levy,  Buena  Vista 
district  manager,  is  one  pint  of  blood  lighter 
in  weight.  He  is  a regular  Red  Cross 
blood  donor.  . . . Rosemary  DeFranco, 
daughter  of  U.I.  head  shipper  Frank  De- 
Franco,  has  announced  her  engagement  to 
Matt  Wey,  a junior  at  Notre  Dame  Uni- 
versity. . . . The  wife  of  Marvin  Harris, 
manager  of  the  Paramount  theatre,  Toledo, 
is  back  in  the  hospital  after  another  heart 
attack.  . . . And  in  Toledo,  a farewell  party 
was  held  June  10  at  the  Toledo  Yacht  Club 
for  Jim  Dempsey  who  has  left  to  take  sev- 
eral theatres  in  Kentucky. 

( Continued  on  following  page ) 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD  JUNE  16,  1956 


31 


COLUMBUS 

Southern,  downtown  subsequent-run  the- 
atre owned  by  Mrs.  Max  Stearn,  announced 
its  annual  summertime  reduced  admission 
scale  lor  children  under  15.  Until  Sept.  1 
children  are  admitted  weekdays  until  4 p.m. 
for  10  cents.  Bernard  Ginley,  Southern 
manager,  reported  the  plan  has  been  grow- 
ing in  popularity  each  summer.  . . . The 
Columbus  Dispatch  uppea  its  advertising 
rates  to  36  cents  per  iine  weekdays  and  40 
cents  on  Sundays.  Former  rates  were  34 
cents  and  38  cents,  respectively.  . . . RKO 
Palace  held  John  Wayne’s  "The  Searchers" 
for  a second  week,  forecasting  that  the  ex- 
pected summertime  upturn  in  business  may 
be  here.  . . . Surprise  party  at  the  Deshler- 
Hilton  Hotel  was  scheduled  for  manager 
Walter  Kessler  of  Loew’s  Ohio.  Party  for 
newspapermen,  radio  and  television  repre- 
sentatives was  for  the  purpose  of  presenting 
Mr.  Kessler  with  a plaque  from  United 
Artists  for  showmanship  achievement. 
Ralph  Pollock,  special  U.A.  representative, 
was  in  charge  of  arrangements.  . . . Robert 
Wile,  secretary.  Independent  Theatre  Own- 
ers of  Ohio,  announced  that  the  newest 
member  of  the  association  is  James  Sullivan, 
Skyline  Auto  theatre,  Dayton. 

DENVER 

At  a meeting  concerned  mainly  with  local 
operational  problems,  Allied  Rocky  Moun- 
tain Independent  Theatres  named  these  of- 
ficers: Xeil  Beezley,  president  and  national 
director;  Tom  Smiley,  vice-president;  James 
Peterson,  treasurer;  Miss  Marie  Goodhand, 
secretary.  Joe  Ashby  was  again  named  as 
general  manager.  . . . Clarence  Batterm, 
buyer  and  booker,  ill  with  strep  throat  and 
virus  pneumonia.  . . . James  Peterson,  owner 
of  Vogue,  Littleton,  Colo.,  opening  a 200- 
car  drive-in,  Castle  Rock,  Colo.  . . . The 
Emerson,  Brush,  Colo.,  has  been  closed  by 
John  Roberts  while  the  drive-in  is  open.  . . . 
Remodeling  at  the  Columbia  exchange  in- 
cludes private  offices  for  each  of  three  sales- 
men, remodeling  of  bookers’  desks,  and 
other  improvements.  . . . Betty  Fushimi, 
Universal  secretary,  and  Thomas  Yoshi- 
kawa  were  married  at  Tri-State  Buddist 
church.  Xancy  Sogi,  Universal  booking 
secretary,  sang  at  the  wedding.  . . . Barbara 
Collins  is  new  booking  secretary  at  Uni- 
versal, succeeding  Nancy  Sogi,  who  moves 
to  Los  Angeles.  . . . Wm.  Lay  has  resigned 
as  booker  at  United  Artists.  . . . Frank  H. 
Ricketson,  Fox  Inter-Mountain  Theatres 
president,  and  Joe  Dekker,  partner  in  Civic 
Theatres,  president  and  secretary,  respec- 
tively, of  Roundup  Riders,  were  moving 
spirits  in  drive  to  get  two  Texas  longhorn 
cattle  for  the  Denver  zoo. 

DES  MOINES 

Fire  has  destroyed  the  Rialto  theatre  at 
Adel.  Loss  was  estimated  at  $100,000  by 
Oliver  Doop,  owner  of  the  brick  structure 
which  was  built  in  1894  and  first  used  as 
an  opera  house.  A1  Christianson,  who  took 
over  operation  of  the  theatre  last  Septem- 
ber, was  out  of  town  on  business  at  the 
time  of  the  fire;  he  recently  had  installed 
wide  screen  equipment.  Doop,  who  with 
his  wife  has  owned  the  building  for  16 
years,  ^aid  the  loss  was  covered  by  insur- 
ance. The  Rialto  was  the  only  theatre  in 
the  Dallas  county  seat  town.  . . . The  Newell 
theatre  at  Newell  has  reopened  for  business 
under  the  management  of  Lowell  Brugge- 


man  who  has  leased  the  building  and  equip- 
ment from  Oliver  Stoeber.  Bruggeman  also 
operates  the  Time  theatre  in  Albert  City. 
. . . John  Renftle  has  purchased  the  Rose 
theatre  at  Audubon  from  F.  R.  Thompson 
and  has  taken  over  management  of  the 
house.  For  the  past  few  years,  Renftle  has 
been  sales  manager  for  a hybrid  seed  com- 
pany ; he  is  a native  of  Audubon.  Thompson, 
who  is  retiring,  has  been  in  the  theatre  busi- 
ness for  36  years,  16  of  them  in  Audubon. 
His  son,  Arlo,  has  been  in  the  theatre  busi- 
ness in  Lake  Mills  for  29  years.  . . . The 
Page  at  Shenandoah  has  scheduled  a series 
of  summer  vacation  movies  for  school-age 
children.  . . . Fred  Shirer,  63,  doorman  at 
the  Hiland  theatre  in  Des  Moines,  is  dead 
of  a heart  attack.  A native  of  Russell,  Mr. 
Shirer  came  to  Des  Moines  from  Chariton 
10  years  ago.  He  is  survived  by  his  widow 
and  two  daughters.  . . . The  Watson  theatre 
at  Graettinger  has  been  closed  and  notices 
posted  that  the  theatre  and  equipment  will 
he  sold  at  public  auction.  There  is  a dispute 
over  a mortgage  on  the  property. 

DETROIT 

New  lights  on  a new  marquee  brighten 
the  Palms,  downtown  Balaban  house.  The 
nejv  front  will  cover  twice  the  frontage  of 
the  old.  . . . George  Lane,  a veteran  of  the 
Omaha  Beach  landing,  was  flown  downtown 
by  helicopter  and  landed  in  a parking  lot 
in  connection  with  the  opening  of  “D-Day, 
The  Sixth  of  June”  at  the  Fox.  . . . Eugene 
Sloane  presented  Mumford  High  School 
with  an  eight-foot,  203-pound  shark.  The 
mounted  fish,  caught  by  Sloane  after  a two- 
hour  struggle  in  Miami,  will  be  displayed 
in  the  Mumford  science  department.  . . . 
Downtowners  knew  there  is  a rock  and  roll 
show  coming  to  the  Fox  next  week.  High 
schoolers  picketed  the  theatre  carrying  hand- 
made posters  boosting  Patti  Jerome.  . . . 
General  Motors,  cutting  down  on  many 
"non-productive”  operations,  has  boosted  its 
output  of  commercial  films,  releasing  57 
this  year.  . . . The  Columbia  at  Flint  has 
closed.  . . . Clark  Theatre  Service  has  added 
the  Ottawa  drive-in,  operated  by  Spring 
Haven  Drive-in  Theatre  Corp. ; the  Vassar, 
Harry  and  Stanley  Smith,  at  Vassar ; 
Brown  City  theatre,  just  reopened  by  Stan- 
ley Janis;  and  the  Our  at  Quince,  operated 
by  Homer  Fox.  . . . Jerry  Brie,  54,  Holly- 
wood theatre  stagehand,  died.  . . . William 
Lemay  has  moved  to  the  Lincoln  Park  from 
the  Majestic. 

HARTFORD 

Roger  Livingston,  formerly  in  indepen- 
dent exhibition  in  upstate  New  York,  has 
joined  the  Hartford  Theatre  Circuit  as 
manager  of  the  Lyric,  Hartford,  replacing 
Michael  J.  Carr,  resigned.  . . . Franklin  E. 
Ferguson  of  the  Bailey  Theatres,  New 
Haven,  has  been  named  chairman  of  the 
1956  New  Haven  Christmas  Seal  Campaign. 

. . . Elihu  Glass,  formerly  manager  of  the 
Majestic  theatre,  West  Springfield,  Mass., 
has  joined  the  Springfield  office  of  Shearson, 
Hamill  & Company,  New  York  investment 
brokers.  . . . Maurice  Bailey  of  the  Bailey 
Theatres,  New  Haven,  has  been  elected 
vice-president  of  the  New  Haven  Jewish 
Community  Center.  Dr.  Jacob  Fishman  of 
Fishman  Theatres  and  B.  E.  Hoffman, 
Connecticut  Theatres,  were  named  to  the 
board  of  directors.  . . . Carim  E.  John  has 
closed  the  subsequent-run  Strand  theatre, 
Willimantic,  Conn. 


INDIANAPOLIS 

Russ  Brentlinger,  RKO  branch  manager, 
and  Claude  McKean,  Warner  branch  man- 
ager, have  been  named  co-chairmen  for  the 
Variety  Club’s  golf  tournament  at  the  In- 
dianapolis Country  Club  August  9.  . . . The 
board  of  directors  of  the  Allied  Theatre 
Owners  will  hold  their  last  meeting  until 
Fall  June  19.  . . . Lawrence  Lindsey  has 
resigned  as  manager  of  the  Sullivan  drive- 
in.  to  accept  a job  outside  the  film  business 
in  Kokomo.  . . . Gail  Lancaster  has  closed 
the  Jefferson  at  Huntington.  . . . Jack  Safer, 
owner  of  Safer  Film  Distributors,  was  in 
Long  Hospital  for  treatment  last  week.  . . . 
Nicole  Milinaire,  co-producer  of  “Foreign 
Intrigue,”  was  here  Monday  to  meet  the 
press.  . . . Alliance  has  reopened  the  North 
drive-in,  Anderson,  which  closed  for  repairs 
after  fire  destroyed  the  concession  stand 
and  projection  booth. 

JACKSONVILLE 

Highlight  of  the  week  here  was  a cock- 
tail party  which  marked  the  formal  opening 
of  MGM’s  handsome  new  building  at  501 
East  Forsyth,  housing  the  branch  office  and 
film  exchange.  Branch  manager  Fred  Hull 
and  his  entire  staff  welcomed  175  guests 
from  other  distribution  offices,  circuits  and 
theatres.  Out-of-towners  included  Rudolph 
Berger,  MGM  Southern  regional  divisional 
manager,  Washington,  D.  C. ; and  Judson 
Moses,  MGM  publicist  from  Atlanta.  . . . 
Charles  Boasberg,  Paramount  special  sales 
representative  from  New  \ork.  was  here 
for  initial  spade  work  on  “War  and  Peace’ 
and  “The  10  Commandments.”  . . . For  the 
first  time  in  this  city’s  history,  two  inde- 
pendent first  run  houses.  (St.  Johns  and 
Five  Points)  are  booked  day-and-date 
(June  28)  on  the  same  picture.  It  is  U.  A.’s 
“Trapeze,”  with  U.A.  publicist  “Addie” 
Addison  here  to  arrange  for  spectacular 
exploitation  work.  . . . A1  Hildreth,  former 
Arcade  theatre  manager,  has  been  promoted 
to  an  FST  booking  post,  replacing  Bill 
Baskin,  who  resigned  to  take  over  his  late 
father’s  business  interests.  . . . Exhibitors 
here  were  E.  M.  Loew,  Boston,  Phil  Berler 
and  Eddie  Myerson,  Miami;  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
L.  R.  Woodard,  Madison;  Pete  Sones, 
Tampa;  Carl  Floyd.  Haines  City;  Jimmy 
Partlow,  Orlando ; Harold  Spears,  Atlanta ; 
Jimmy  Ochs,  Dania;  and  Bill  Lee,  Key- 
stone. 

KANSAS  CITY 

The  1957  convention  of  the  Kansas- 
Missouri  Theatre  Assn,  is  scheduled  for 
Feb.  26-27  at  Pickwick  Hotel.  The  date 
was  advanced  from  March  to  enable  drive- 
in  operators  to  take  advantage  of  sugges- 
tions for  opening  day  promotions.  . . . 
Joseph  A.  Duram  leased  the  Summit  thea- 
tre from  Commonwealth  Theatres  and  re- 
opened with  Spanish-speaking  films.  Duram, 
maitre  ’d’  hotel  at  the  Kansas  City  Club, 
is  new  to  film  industry.  . . . Earl  Jameson, 
Jr.,  president  of  Oklahoma  City  Shipping 
and  Inspection  Bureau,  announced  that  Re- 
public Pictures  will  be  served  by  his  firm. 

. . . Darrel  Manes,  manager,  Crest  drive- 
in,  Hickman  Mills,  Mo.,  was  married  to 
Patricia  Wffird,  and  Connie  Ronsick  became 
the  bride  of  Ralph  Buhrmeister,  new  man- 
ager at  Missouri  theatre.  ...  A 250-car 
drive-in  on  Highway  60  near  Van  Buren, 
Mo.,  is  being  constructed  by  E.  W.  Priester 
and  G.  W.  Randolph.  . . . The  new  Park 
( Continued  on  opposite  page ) 


32 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  JUNE  16,  1956 


( Continued  from  opposite  page ) 

drive-in  at  Hutchinson,  Kan.,  owned  by  Jay 
Wooten  of  Hutchinson  and  Ben  Adams  of 
El  Dorado,  Kan.,  has  200  enclosed  seats  for 
year-round  use.  ...  At  open  house  for  the 
public,  June  10,  Kansas  City’s  Starlight  the- 
atre demonstrated  high  fidelity  sound  equip- 
ment. 

LOS  ANGELES 

The  Associated  Theatres  have  purchased 
the  Puente  theatre,  Puente.  Circuit  is  headed 
by  Eddie  Ashkins,  A1  Olander  and  Sam 
Decker.  ...  In  town  on  business  was  Bob 
McCracken  from  the  Arizona  Paramount 
office  in  Phoenix.  Another  visitor  to  the 
Row  from  Arizona,  was  Leo  Leithold,  who 
operates  the  Kiva  theatre  in  Scottsdale, 
Ariz.  . . . Off  to  visit  his  offices  in  Portland, 
Seattle  and  San  Francisco,  was  N.  P. 
Jacobs,  president  of  Favorite  Films  of 
California.  . . . George  A.  Hickey,  Pacific 
coast  sales  supervisor  for  MGM,  checked 
in  from  a two-week  tour  during  which  he 
huddled  with  branch  heads  in  San  Fran- 
cisco, Portland,  Seattle  and  Salt  Lake  City. 
. . . Milt  Frankel,  Favorite  Films  salesman, 
was  back  from  a trip  through  the  territory. 
. . . Another  movie  palace  is  being  sacrificed 
to  progress,  as  the  demolishing  of  the 
Laughlin  theatre  in  Long  Beach  gets  under 
way.  The  theatre  was  built  in  1916  and  was 
the  last  word  in  deluxe  operation  for  a 
period  of  18  years,  until  it  was  darkened 
in  1934.  A retail  store  will  rise  on  the 
cleared  area. 

MEMPHIS 

Loew’s  Palace  theatre  has  a new  manager. 
Col.  Cecil  Vogel  resigned  as  manager  of 
the  Memphis  first  run,  after  26  years  in 
the  post,  due  to  ill  health.  Robert  Wester- 
mann,  of  Richmond,  Va.,  has  been  named 
to  succeed  him.  Westermann  has  been  with 
Loew’s  for  15  years.  . . . Petitions  are  being 
circulated  among  citizens  of  Jackson,  Tenn., 
to  call  an  election  August  2 in  connection 
with  the  primaries  on  that  date  in  which 
voters  would  be  given  a chance  to  vote 
for  Sunday  movies.  Movies  in  Jackson  on 
Sunday  have  not  been  permitted  and  man- 
agers Harold  Thomas  of  Malco  and  Bill 
Steppe  of  Paramount  say  these  theatres  may 
have  to  close  unless  they  are  allowed  to 
operate  on  Sunday.  A third  theatre,  operated 
by  Steve  Stein,  closed  recently.  . . . Twice 
banned  in  Memphis  by  censors,  once  when 
it  was  first  released  in  1947  and  again  when 
it  was  re-released  in  1954,  “Duel  in  the  Sun” 
has  now  received  the  approval  of  the  pres- 
ent censor  board  and  is  showing  at  Malco 
theatre.  . . . Moses  Sliman,  who  owns  and 
operates  Murr  theatre  at  Osceola,  Ark.,  is 
opening  a new  drive-in  there  this  week.  . . . 
20th  Family  Club,  employes  of  20th-Fox 
exchange,  will  spend  the  weekend  of  June 
30  at  Paris  Landing  (Kentucky  Lake),  125 
miles  northeast  of  Memphis. 

MIAMI 

The  Miami  area  and  Cuba  were  part  of 
the  vacation  itinerary  of  the  Roger  Ferri’s 
while  Mr.  F.  took  a holiday  from  his  many 
activities  at  the  New  York  office  of  20th 
Century-Fox.  . . . Arlan  Pictures’  “Daugh- 
ters of  Destiny,”  starring  Claudette  Colbert 
and  Michele  Morgan,  is  being  handled  in 
the  Florida  territory  by  Arthur  Davis’s 
Gold  Coast  Pictures  Co.  . . . Alec  Moffat, 


assistant  at  the  Royal,  has  a dual  celebration 
this  month  with  his  47th  wedding  anniver- 
sary and  his  74th  birthday.  ...  Ed  Little, 
general  manager  of  WITV  (Channel  17) 
announced  the  appointment  of  John  Crocker 
to  the  post  of  sales  manager  for  the  tele- 
vision station.  . . . WCKT  (Channel  7),  the 
NBC  basic  affiliate  due  on  the  air  in  July, 
will  have  Robert  E.  Gilbert  as  production 
manager,  according  to  a release  from  Niles 
Trammel,  president  of  organization.  . . . 
For  services  over  and  above  the  call  of 
duty,  Richard  Lewis,  usher  at  Claughton 
Theatres  for  three  years,  was  honored  with 
a breakfast  reception  by  Lillian  Claughton 
recently.  Occasion  covered  three  events, 
graduation  from  high  school,  a birthday  and 
his  entry  into  the  U.  S.  Air  Forces.  . . . 
Judy  Botwick,  daughter  of  Harry  (FST 
southeast  district  manager)  Botwick,  had  a 
gala  11th  birthday  recently. 

MILWAUKEE 

Among  those  in  the  industry  to  be  present 
at  the  Better  Film  Council’s  25th  anniver- 
sary this  week,  were  Miss  Estelle  Stein- 
bach,  Strand  theatre;  Joe  Reynolds,  Towne 
theatre;  A1  Meskis,  Warner  theatre;  Louis 
Orlove,  MGM;  Jerry  Franzen,  president  of 
Cinema,  Inc.,  and  A1  Bickler,  Uptown  thea- 
tre. . . . Mrs.  Fred  Rosenkranz,  president 
of  the  Better  Film  Council,  has  received  a 
letter  from  a man  in  Israel  asking  her  to 
help  him  organize  a film  council  in  Haifa. 
. . . At  the  last  meeting  of  the  Better  Film 
Council  the  following  received  honorary 
memberships  into  the  organization;  Jerry 
Franzen,  A1  Bickler  and  Joe  Reynolds.  . . . 
The  preview  committee  of  the  Better  Film 
Council  of  Milwaukee  county  reported  that 
they  had  previewed  229  pictures  this  year. 
...  A new  billing  clerk  at  the  Republic  ex- 
change here  is  Miss  Betty  Gallenberger. 

MINNEAPOLIS 

Ben  Berger,  president  of  Berger  Amuse- 
ment Co.  and  North  Central  Allied,  is  in 
Europe  on  a six-week  trip  to  study  Euro- 
pean methods  of  film  distribution  and  pic- 
ture costs.  . . . Joe  Murphy,  salesman  at 
Paramount,  resigned  to  enter  another  field. 
. . . C.  Glenn  Norris,  Central  Canadian 
division  manager  for  20th-Fox,  was  in  on 
his  visit  to  this  city.  The  local  Fox  ex- 
change is  part  of  his  territory.  . . . United 
Artists  screened  “Trapeze”  for  the  trade 
June  1 1 at  the  Uptown  theatre.  . . . Organist 
Frankie  Cammarata  has  been  discontinued 
for  the  summer  months  at  Radio  City  thea- 
tre, a Minnesota  Amusement  Co.  house, 
and  the  feature  will  be  resumed  in  the  Fall. 
. . . No  settlement  has  been  reached  in  the 
strike  of  union  projectionists  at  the  Skyline 
drive-in,  Duluth,  Minn.,  operated  by  Ted 
Mann  of  Minneapolis.  Union  is  demanding 
two  projectionists.  Meanwhile,  stand  is  be- 
ing operated  with  non-union  help.  . . . Fire 
believed  to  have  been  started  by  juveniles 
damaged  several  seats  at  the  Auditorium 
theatre  at  Red  Wing,  Minn.,  according  to 
James  Fraser,  manager.  . . . Harry  A. 
Johnson,  Jr.,  of  Benson,  Minn.,  is  now 
operating  the  Koronis  theatre  at  Paynes- 
ville,  Minn. 

NEW  ORLEANS 

Adelaide  Delatte,  secretary  to  Alex 
Maillho,  manager,  U.A.,  is  on  her  annual 
pleasure  leave.  . . . Abe  Berenson,  F.  G. 
Prat,  Jr.,  E.  R.  Sellers,  Joseph  Barcelona, 


Bob  deGraauw,  Locke  Bolen,  Wm.  Sendy, 
George  Goodwin,  Philip  Sliman,  J.  A. 
Parker  and  Paul  Brunet  were  officers  and 
members  of  Allied  Theatre  Owners  of  Gulf 
States  who  attended  the  monthly  board 
meeting  held  on  the  June  5 at  the  Jung 
Hotel.  President  and  national  director  Abe 
Berenson  reported  on  the  national  board 
meeting  which  was  held  in  Washington, 
D.  C.  . . . R.  A.  Martin,  co-owner  of  the 
Pines  drive-in  theatre,  Homer,  La.  and  the 
Paula  indoor  advised  Transway  of  their 
closing,  stating,  “We  have  no  immediate 
plans  for  reopening  either  of  these  situations 
in  the  near  future ; but,  should  it  ever  appear 
that  an  operation  in  Homer  may  be  justified, 
we  shall  certainly  contact  you.”  . . . Im- 
provements at  the  Marrero  drive-in,  Mar- 
rero, La.,  include  a larger  and  modernized 
concession  stand,  new  entrance  and  traffic 
counter.  Wm.  Shiell  and  Ed  Jenner  are 
the  owners.  . . . Mrs.  Yvette  Madding,  NTS 
bookkeeper  and  cashier,  is  vacationing. 

PROVIDENCE 

Gill  Wilson,  muralist  and  painter,  protege 
of  the  late  Walter  Huston,  and  now  being 
sponsored  by  Huston’s  son,  John,  was  re- 
cently in  town  doing  exploitation  for  “Moby 
Dick,”  which  will  be  screened  at  the  Majes- 
tic. Wilson  made  several  personal  appear- 
ances at  local  high  schools,  and  also  at 
the  Rhode  Island  School  of  Design,  where 
his  lectures  were  supplemented  by  showings 
of  his  famous  murals,  sketches  and  paint- 
ings. . . . William  Brennan,  a native  Bos- 
tonian, new  in  show  business,  has  been 
appointed  student-assistant  manager  at 
Loew’s  State,  this  city,  it  was  announced 
by  William  Trambukis,  manager.  . . . Abe 
Bernstein,  United  Artists  exploitation  man, 
was  recently  in  town,  working  with  Tram- 
bukis on  “Alexander  The  Great”  which 
will  be  screened  at  Loew’s  State.  . . . In- 
cidentally, “The  Wedding  at  Monaco,”  was 
exclusively  shown  in  Rhode  Island  at 
Loew’s  State.  It  was  announced  that  no 
other  house  in  the  State  would  present  this 
film.  . . . “Doctor  at  Sea”  had  its  R.  I. 
premiere  at  the  Avon  Cinema.  . . . Inter- 
mittent showers  and  some  heavy  rain  cur- 
tailed outdoor  activities  on  the  Memorial 
Day  holiday.  Virtually  all  sporting  events, 
including  automobile  races,  track  meets  and 
baseball  games  were  called  off,  resulting  in 
a little-better-than-anticipated  attendance  at 
movie  houses. 

ST.  LOUIS 

The  Drive-In  theatre,  located  near  Hol- 
comb. Mo.,  now  is  equipped  for  inside  heat- 
ing, with  air  conditioning  or  heat.  . . . The 
Lions  Club  of  Sheldon,  111.,  has  appointed 
a committee  to  investigate  the  feasibility  of 
opening  the  theatre  in  that  city.  . . . The 
Rogers  theatre,  Carbondale,  111.,  has  dis- 
continued nightly  operations  during  the 
month  of  June.  Manager  John  Carothers 
said  the  Rodgers  will  operate  on  Saturdays 
and  Sundays  only.  On  weekends  the  theatre 
will  be  continuous  operation  from  2 P.M. 
. . . The  Lindina  theatre,  Edina,  Mo.,  now 
is  operating  on  a schedule  of  five  nights  a 
week  and  is  closed  Monday  and  Tuesday. 
. . . H.  J.  Nash,  owner  and  manager  of  the 
Ritz  theatre,  California,  Mo.,  announced  that 
the  house  would  be  closed  unless  business 
improved.  He  invited  suggestions  from 
patrons  as  to  the  type  of  pictures  liked. 

( Continued  on  folloiving  page) 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD  JUNE  16,  1956 


33 


OKLAHOMA  CITY 

United  Theatre  Owners  of  Oklahoma, 
Inc.,  held  their  regular  monthly  meeting 
June  4.  with  12  members  attending.  E.  R. 
Slocum,  executive  director,  requested  head- 
quarters be  moved  to  a location  where  he 
could  have  a private  office.  Dick  Thompson 
and  Claude  Motley  were  appointed  a com- 
mittee to  take  care  of  this.  It  was  decided 
at  the  meeting  to  sent  monthly  bulletins 
to  all  members  of  the  organization.  These 
bulletins  will  be  sent  from  UTO  headquar- 
ters. Earl  Snider,  Tulsa,  discussed  the  mid- 
summer convention  to  be  held  in  Tulsa 
July  17.  . . . The  concession  stand  at  the 
North  West  Highway  drive-in,  Oklahoma 
City,  is  being  remodeled.  . . . Billy  Graham 
will  hold  “crusade  meetings”  at  the  Crite- 
rion theatre  at  noon  Tuesday  through  Friday 
during  the  month  of  June.  The  Criterion 
theatre  will  not  open  till  1 :15  P.M.  on  those 
days. 

PHILADELPHIA 

Perry  Lessy  and  Abe  Sunberg  have  dis- 
solved their  partnership  in  the  theatre  man- 
agement firm  of  Trio  Amusement,  with  Sun- 
berg taking  over  the  operation  of  the  Strand, 
local  neighborhood  house  which  will  operate 
on  a 24-hour  policy,  following  renovations 
and  the  installation  of  air  conditioning.  . . . 
WCAU’s  “Cinderella  Weekend”  radio  give- 
away show,  will  originate  in  neighborhood 
theatres  during  the  summer  months,  with  a 
different  house  for  each  weekday  night.  The 
shows  will  be  taped  and  broadcast  the  next 
day,  originating  Mondays  from  the  City 
Line,  Tuesdays  from  the  Tower,  Upper 
Darby,  Pa. ; Wednesdays  from  the  Sub- 


urban, Ardmore,  Pa.;  Thursdays  from  the 
Anthony  Wayne,  Wayne,  Pa.  . . . Myer 
Adelman,  head  of  the  New  Jersey  Mes- 
senger, film  delivery  service,  headed  the 
industry  committee  for  the  annual  Deborah 
Sanatorium  Humanitarian  dinner  honoring 
Mayor  Richardson  Dilworth.  . . . Theatres 
in  the  Reading,  Pa.,  area  faced  with  in- 
creasing competition  from  the  growing 
number  of  amusement  places  and  schools 
advertising  the  free  showing  of  16mm. 
movies.  . . . Charles  Zagrans,  RKO  branch 
manager,  and  Lester  Krieger,  assistant  zone 
manager  for  the  Stanley  Warner  Theatres, 
who  will  head  up  the  exhibitors  division, 
will  conduct  the  local  Will  Rogers  Hospital 
Collection  Drive  next  month. 

PITTSBURGH 

“Patterns”  has  been  set  for  the  Guild 
theatre,  the  neighborhood  art  house,  follow- 
ing the  run  of  the  current  “Lady  Killers.” 
. . . Charles  Funk  of  Jeannette  is  the  new 
assistant  manager  in  the  Penn.  . . . The 
entire  population  of  Smithton  (600  persons) 
turned  out  to  attend  a special  showing  of 
“Oklahoma !”  in  the  Nixon  theatre.  All 
businesses  closed  down  for  “Shirley  Jones 
Day.”  as  a tribute  to  their  native  daughter. 
. . . The  Fulton  gets  “The  King  and  I”  June 
29,  three  days  before  the  Civic  Light  Opera 
opens  its  season  with  the  same  production. 
. . . The  local  critics  have  been  invited  to 
the  “Moby  Dick”  premiere  in  New  Bedford, 
Mass.,  June  26-27.  . . . Critic  Harold  Cohen 
of  the  Post-Gazette  and  his  wife,  Stephanie, 
back  from  a week  in  Bermuda.  . . . Art 
Manson,  local  Cinerama  publicist,  and  his 
wife,  Florence  Sando,  off  to  a motor  vaca- 
tion along  the  East  Coast.  Manson  just  re- 


turned from  Kansas  City  where  he  helped 
Boris  Bernardi  and  Bill  Murphy  launch 
“This  Is  Cinerama”  in  the  Missouri  Thea- 
tre. 

PORTLAND 

Jim  Runte,  boss  of  the  Evergreen  circuit, 
was  in  Los  Angeles.  . . . Paramount  manager 
Dick  Newton  had  a big  campaign  for  a 
"Zombie”  double  feature  that  stopped  traffic. 

. . . Herbert  Rosener  was  here  from  San 
Francisco.  . . . The  Mouseketeers  are  here 
for  the  annual  Rose  Festival  show.  Jack 
Matlack,  former  J.  J.  Parker  executive, 
handled  the  promotion  for  the  Festival 
Association.  Evergreen’s  Oregon  District 
manager  Oscar  Nyberg,  ever  on  the  upbeat 
for  promotion,  presented  a “Walt  Disney” 
layout  following  the  “Night  In  Disneyland” 
theme  for  the  Rose  Festival.  When  the 
parade  was  over,  he  had  a special  show 
at  the  Orpheum  called  “Disneyrama.” 

TORONTO 

Doug  Smith,  manager  of  Odeon-Garson’s 
Casino  and  city  supervisor,  Halifax,  is  en- 
tering the  frozen  confection  field  in  Nova 
Scotia  at  the  end  of  June.  He  will  also 
represent  Alexander  Film  Company  in  the 
Halifax  and  Dartmouth  area.  . . . The  U.S. 
Consul  General  in  Montreal  was  guest 
speaker  at  the  eighth  annual  dinner  of  the 
Quebec  division  of  the  Canadian  Picture 
Pioneers  in  Montreal.  . . . Robert  Gallichan 
has  opened  his  504-seat,  seven-day  Vimy  in 
Chibougama,  Que.  J.  Hylas  Gagnon’s  500- 
seat  Chibougama  is  the  only  other  theatre 
in  the  community  and  the  two  are  using  both 
English  and  French  pictures. 

VANCOUVER 

First  run  business  continued  dull  this 
week.  Exhibitors  ask  why  and  many  blame 
the  product.  Usual  spring  dip  seems  sharper 
than  usual.  . . . Charles  R.  White,  formerly 
general  manager  of  KLEW-TV,  Lewiston, 
Idaho,  has  been  appointed  vice-president, 
and  general  manager  of  Victoria’s  new  TV 
station,  CKDA.  . . . The  sister  of  Anne 
Thompson,  manager  of  the  Odeon-Park, 
died  at  Dauphin,  Mantoba.  She  was  well 
known  in  theatre  business,  and  with  her 
husband,  Garry  Peebbles,  ran  theatres  in 
Winnipeg  and  Dauphin.  She  was  56.  . . . 
Fred  Wilson,  of  the  Strand,  was  hospitalized 
with  a heart  condition.  . . . Frank  Boothe, 
formerly  Odeon  manager  and  who  is  now 
in  charge  of  two  theatres  and  a drive-in  at 
Mount  Vernon,  Wash.,  was  in  visiting  his 
father,  Howard  Boothe,  western  manager  of 
Audio  Pictures. 

WASHINGTON 

Richard  Coe,  drama  editor  of  the  Wash- 
ington Post  and  Times-H erald , devoted  his 
entire  column  on  June  6 to  an  interview 
with  local  theatre  exhibitors,  regarding  the 
current  crop  of  films,  hopes  for  the  future 
and  the  motion  picture  business  generally. 
The  general  tone  was  optimistic.  . . . The 
Newton  theatre,  a Bernheimer  theatre,  has 
installed  Airflo  rocking  chair  seats  and  is 
informing  patrons  in  its  ads  “You’ve  never 
been  so  comfortable,  except  in  bed.”  . . . 
Entertainers  at  the  White  House  Photo- 
graphers’ Association  dinner  on  June  7, 
honoring  President  Eisenhower,  were  Bob 
Hope,  master  of  ceremonies,  and  singers 
Jane  Powell,  Pearl  Bailey  and  Vic  Damone. 
. . . The  Stanton  theatre,  under  new  man- 
ager J.  Edgar  Lillard,  will  have  an  “art” 
theatre  policy. 


ARE  YOU  A 

COUPON  CLIPPER? 


Most  coupon  clippers  are  far-seeing.  They  can  recognize 
a good  investment  at  less  than  20  paces. 

There  are  various  types  of  coupons.  The  one  below 
suggests  a good  investment,  too.  Smart  showmen  who  clip 
this  particular  coupon  are  taking  a short-cut  to  an  investment 
that  pays  dividends  in  perfect  sound,  satisfied  patrons, 
and  vanishing  service  worries. 

Mail  it  today  and  join  6,000  service-happy  exhibitors. 


SPECIALISTS  IN 

MOTION  PICTURE  SOUND 


161  Sixth  Avenue 
New  York  13,  N.  Y. 


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161  Sixth  Avenue  • New  York  13,  N.Y. 

Please  have  an  ALTEC  representative  call,  without 
obligation,  to  inform  me  about  your  service  contract. 
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City  and  State 


34 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  JUNE  16,  1956 


An  International  Association  of  Motion  Picture  Showmen — Walter  Brooks , Director 


Which  Attract*  Audience*— the  Alike,  or  Unlike? 


ONE  ancient  problem  persists  in  the 
building  of  programs,  for  the  pro- 
ducer of  motion  pictures — or  the  the- 
atre manager  at  the  point  of  sale.  It  is  the 
question  of  whether  or  not  the  public  re- 
sponds to  more  of  the  same — or  to  something 
different.  Putting  together  double  bills  used 
to  present  such  a problem — whether  to  select 
two  alike  or  two  that  were  unlike.  In  either 
case,  half  of  your  audience  would  be  de- 
lighted— or  half  would  be  displeased. 

We  are  reminded  of  this  perplexing  detail 
in  programming  by  the  preponderance  of 
similarity  in  titles  in  recent  months.  Martin 
Quigley,  Jr.  has  commented  editorially  in 
the  Herald,  on  the  continuing  series  of  titles 
beginning  with  the  words,  “The  Man  . . .” 
He  counted  seven  films  in  the  current  cycle, 
and  you  can  add  a few  more,  before  it  is 
over.  They  are  not  alike  in  story,  but  pre- 
sent an  advertising  problem,  which  is  con- 
fusing to  the  occasional  movie-goer,  who 
forgets  the  picture  he  wanted  to  see. 

Right  now,  there  is  another  “series”  in 
work,  and  these  titles  all  include  the  word, 
“Proud  . . that  leads  in  the  sales  ap- 
proach. “The  Proud  and  Profane,”  “The 
Proud  and  the  Beautiful,”  “The  Proud 
Ones”  are  listed,  and  there  will  surely  be 
more,  since  these  are  successful  films,  and 
imitation  is  the  sincerest  form  of  flattery. 
Quite  often,  working  on  “Selling  Approach” 
for  the  Round  Table,  and  contemplating  a 
pile  of  pressbooks,  we  are  aghast  to  find 
several  similar  in  title  or  style,  which  be- 
come confusing  to  those  of  us  who  must 
keep  the  records  straight. 

There’s  the  ancient  anecdote  of  the  pro- 
ducer who  was  catching  a ride  on  the  coat 
tails  of  MGM’s  highly  successful  “Trader 
Horn.”  So,  when  he  had  assembled  another 
collection  of  African  footage,  he  said  to  his 
yes-men,  “what  shall  we  call  it,  “Trader 
Who?”  And  there  is  another  oldie,  of  the 
difference  between  a pessimist  and  an  op- 
timist— both  theatre  managers.  The  former 
leaning  over  the  back  rail  had  said,  “The 
house  is  half  empty.”  The  other  took  the 
view,  “The  house  is  half  full !” 


TOLL  TV  WILL  BE  C.O.D. 

Whenever,  however — (and  if  ever!)  Toll- 
TV  finally  comes  to  this  country,  it  will 
almost  surely  be  "cash  on  delivery" — with 
the  deposit  of  coins  in  a slot,  or  very 
limited  credit,  which  will  require  payment 
before  you  can  be  re-instated  as  a cus- 
tomer. Of  the  several  processes  in  pros- 
pect, it  is  more  than  likely  that  cash  on  the 
line  will  be  the  policy. 

Coin  operated  mechanisms  can  be  most 
ingenious,  but  there  will  also  be  plenty  of 
trouble  for  both  parties  in  the  transaction. 
You  will  have  to  be  right  on  time,  with  a 
handful  of  quarters  or  half  dollars,  ready 
to  drop  them  in  the  slot  to  unscramble  the 
program  you  want  to  see.  If  you  are  late, 
you  can  still  pay  the  full  price  for  what  is 
left,  but  there  will  be  no  repeat  of  the  part 
you've  missed.  It  will  pay  to  be  punctual. 

Probably  you  will  be  able  to  hear  the 
sound  side  of  the  program  you  are  waiting 
for,  and  only  the  picture  will  be  scrambled. 
But  you  will  have  to  decide  pretty  fast,  to 
make  the  investment  worth  while.  Thus  far, 
the  fee  for  Toll-TV  has  been  bracketed  at 
about  $1.25  per  program,  and  this  will  be 
eventually  reduced,  when  they  have  millions 
of  sets  in  use.  But,  at  the  start,  you  better 
keep  quarters  and  halves  handy. 


You  can  find  about  as  much  consolation 
in  the  similarity  in  titles,  for  it  all  depends 
on  what  you  do  about  it,  personally.  Con- 
sider the  current  combination  of  MGM’s 
“Wedding  in  Monaco” — and  the  same  com- 
pany’s other  short  film,  “The  Battle  of  Get- 
tysburg”— which  is  doing  excellent  busi- 
ness across  the  country  on  a double  bill. 
These  are  certainly  different  and  yet  there 
is  something  in  common  in  the  selling  ap- 
proach. Perhaps  a similarity  that  sometimes 
follows  in  sequence,  but  in  this  case,  we 
believe  all  of  the  potential  audience  will  be 
pleased,  simultaneously,  by  your  selection. 


q TODAY’S  WOMEN  are  getting  out  of 
the  habit  of  going  to  the  movies,  according 
to  Edwin  F.  Zabel,  western  general  manager 
for  Fox  West  Coast  Theatres,  who  has  been 
conducting  a survey.  He  says  the  current 
ratio  is  only  7 women  to  1 1 men,  who  have 
the  movie-going  habit — and  it  used  to  be 
the  other  way  around.  The  women  have 
found  other  things  to  do,  he  thinks,  and 
not  the  least  of  these  is  watching  television. 
He  concludes,  “Probably  more  than  any 
other  business,  we  owe  our  growth  to  the 
women  and  children  of  America.  Particu- 
larly the  ladies.  They  were  the  ones  who 
elevated  our  greatest  to  stardom. 

We  can  add  one  thought — to  what  Mr. 
Zabel  has  so  aptly  said.  Perhaps  the  ladies 
DO  look  at  television,  and  it's  pretty  good 
through  part  of  the  day,  but  TV  can  make 
a woman’s  day  sixteen  hours  long,  without 
a breather.  She  can  work,  and  look,  all  day 
long,  and  far  into  the  night,  but  it  prolongs 
her  working  hours.  Comes  night,  and 
Mother  is  supposed  to  keep  the  kitchen 
open,  for  short  orders,  and  for  guests.  She 
would  much  prefer  to  go  out  to  the  movies, 
if  it  were  reasonably  possible 

q MOMENTS  of  silence,  in  some  current 
films,  designed  for  the  “little  art  theatres” — 
but  don’t  take  it  as  a trend  towards  a return 
to  silent  films.  On  the  contrary,  this  is  a 
dying  gasp  from  those  who  like  “antiques” — 
and  they  wish  for  the  “good  old  days”  of 
silent  films.  Two  of  the  “arty”  type  have 
long  “silent”  sequences,  and  are  now  pro- 
claimed by  some  of  our  critics  as  a trium- 
phant return  to  the  old  days.  Don’t  believe  it 
— and  don’t  turn  to  it,  except  as  sheer 
novelty  of  the  moment.  One  such  film  has 
three  long  ballet  sequences  which  may  be 
separated,  eventually,  into  three  “artistic” 
short  films,  after  they  have  had  a run  in  the 
ballet  centers,  which  are  not  numerous.  An- 
other has  a keen  crime  wave,  done  silently, 
as  most  crime  wave’s  are — but  is  no  criterion 
as  to  production  standards. — Walter  Brooks 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD  JUNE  16,  1956 


35 


nuts  i«  i*owcuok'  OtsrOr  Thousaiuk'  |S9 

BHOWANI  9 

Ifiy^TiAk*  St 


JUNCTION 

toGAmiR  Smart  GRAHGER 

STATE*  stmts 


DAVY  CROCKETT 
TRADING  POST 


$,  • **  %' 


"Girls  of  Tomorrow"  in  highly  futuristic  attire,  with 
antennas  built  in,  act  their  parts  as  street  ballyhoo  for 
Allied  Artists'  "World  Without  End"  at  the  Roosevelt 
theatre,  Chicago. 


An  enormous  crowd  congregates  outside  Robb's  store  in  Belfast, 
Northern  Ireland,  to  greet  Fes s Parker,  on  his  trip  abroad. 
Admirers  of  "Davy  Crockett"  are  now  world  wide — and,  good 
news,  his  return  is  promised  to  our  screens  in  America. 

Below,  still  another  crowd  surrounds  the  "Davy  Crockett 
Trading  Post"  in  Lewis'  store,  in  Glasgow,  Scotland.  It  is  very 
interesting  to  note  that  both  of  these  demonstrations  were  at 
stores,  without  mention  of  a theatre  in  the  caption  information. 


Associate  producer  Nicole  Milinaire,  here  from 
France  in  behalf  of  her  new  picture,  "Foreign 
Intrigue,"  discusses  promotion  with  Rodney  Toups, 
manager  of  Loew's  State  theatre,  in  New  Orleans. 


Neil  Yuckert,  assistant 
manager  of  John  Ham- 
rick's Rialto  theatre, 
Tacoma,  Wash.,  used 
staff  people  in  a proper 
pose  to  promote  "Pic- 
nic" — complete  with 
everything  for  the  pur- 
pose. 


Arnold  Gates,  manager  of  Loew's  State,  Cleveland,  Ohio, 
borrowed  one  of  those  realistic  engines  from  the  American 
Legion,  as  good  street  ballyhoo  for  "Bhowani  Junction." 


- 


TAP  (M 


I bhowani 

I JUNCTION 


""m 


36 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  JUNE  16,  1956 


Sk 


owmen  in 


fiction 


Charlie  Doctor  comes  right  back  to  life 
as  managing  director  of  the  Capitol  theatre, 
Vancouver,  and  active  member  of  this  Round 
Table,  with  news  of  his  showmanship  that 
reflects  the  reason  why  he  is  a two-time 
Quigley  Grand  Award  winner.  It  seems  that 
both  he  and/or  Ivan  Ackery  are  building 
houses,  as  well  as  running  theatres,  and  it’s 
landscaping  that  worries  him  most. 

T 

More  reports  of  that  “Mohawk  Trail” 
saturation  of  showmanship  for  “Mohawk”' — 
the  20th  Century-Fox  picture — although 
now  the  Indians  are  moving  west.  In  Cin- 
cinnati, Columbus,  Dayton  and  Indianapolis, 
local  TV  programs  and  children’s  tieups 
were  an  important  part  of  promotion.  Many 
sponsored  deals,  and  chain  stores  cooper- 
ating with  TV  stations  are  mentioned,  and 
in  Columbus,  “Little  Buckeye  Mohawk”  is  a 
new  member  in  zoo  society,  with  sorority 
girls  from  Ohio  State  taking  great  interest. 

▼ 

Bill  Hendley,  one  of  our  favorite  members 
in  these  meetings,  writes  from  the  Majestic 
theatre,  Gettysburg,  where  he  is  busy  with 
bright  ideas.  He  has  Kiddie  Shows  lined  up 
for  22  weeks,  on  a rental  basis,  and  promises 
more  to  follow.  We  met  Bill  and  Jane  in 
Atlanta,  and  wished  them  well  on  their  trip 
to  that  Northern  battleground. 

T 

Henry  Picazio  of  the  Groton  Drive-in 
theatre,  Groton,  Conn.,  admits  a carload  for 
$1  on  “Buck  Nite”,  every  Tuesday  and 
Thursday,  and  how  they  load  those  cars ! 

T 

George  E.  Landers,  Hartford  division 
manager  of  E.  M.  Loew’s  Theatres,  brought 
William  Sparks,  British  World  War  II 
Commando  and  one  of  the  two  survivors  of 
the  raid  on  which  “Cockleshell  Heroes”  is 
based,  to  meet  press,  radio  and  TV  critics 
in  connection  with  the  premiere  of  the  pic- 
ture. 

T 

Filmack  Trailers  have  just  turned  out  a 
special  job  to  accent  the  difference  between 
the  giant  wide  theatre  screen  with  the  tiny 
television  screen,  as  a means  of  selling  what 
we’ve  got  now  and  that  TV  won’t  have  for 
years  to  come.  Showmen  should  sell  their 
advantages — and  stop  worrying  about  the 
competition. 

▼ 

Vincent  Sherlock,  manager  of  Schine’s 
Waller  theatre  at  Laurel,  Del.,  and  Ray  La- 
Bounty,  at  the  Wicomico,  Salisbury,  Md., 
did  very  nicely  with  sponsored  “After  Prom 
shows,  both  being  at  substantial  rentals,  and 
loaded  with  good  will  and  community  rela- 
tions for  the  theatre  in  the  town. 

T 

Paul  Pearson,  manager  of  the  Capitol 
theatre,  Newark,  has  fifteen  merchants  lined 
up  to  sponsor  “Vacation  Movies”  for  ten 
weeks.  And  we  might  add  that  this  is  harder 
to  do  in  a city  the  size  of  Newark  than  it 
is  in  many  smaller  places. 


M.  H.  Parker,  manager  of  Stanley  War- 
ner’s Strand  theater,  Erie,  Pa.,  writes  in  de- 
tail of  his  special  Saturday  morning  chil- 
dren’s shows,  which  is  an  eight-week  promo- 
tion with  sponsors,  and  has  apportionment 
of  prizes,  so  as  many  girls  can  win  as  boys. 
That’s  a real  smart  idea,  for  the  little  ladies 
think  they  are  sometimes  pushed  around  by 
their  little  brothers. 

T 

Sol  Sorkin,  manager  of  RKO  Keith’s 
theatre,  Syracuse,  has  a hot-off -the-griddle 
tieup  with  the  Post-Standard  who  are  run- 
ning Walt  Disney’s  “Great  Locomotive 
Chase”  as  a feature  in  their  comic  section. 
And  just  to  even  things  up,  the  opposition 
Her  aid- Journal  is  giving  the  new  Disney 
picture  extra  space,  which  shows  you  that 
a good  manager  can  always  work  both  sides 
of  the  street. 

▼ 

RKO’s  “The  First  Traveling  Saleslady” 
should  get  some  special  handling,  for  RKO’s 
traveling  sales  force,  including  field  exploi- 
tation men  in  18  cities,  are  going  on  the 
road  to  give  this  girl  a great  big  hand,  be- 
ginning in  San  Francisco  with  a tour  of  four 
RKO  starlets,  to  test  the  popularity  of  these 
lovlies  at  the  local  level.  The  Jantzen  Com- 
pany, makers  of  swim  wear,  are  the  sponsors 
of  the  promotion  which  starts  this  week. 

T 

Joe  Jarno,  manager  of  Fox-West  Coast 
Ritz  theatre,  Stockton,  Cal.,  had  the  Acad- 
emy Award  winner,  “Marty”  as  opposition, 
so  he  stirred  up  local  controversy  by  run- 
ning “I’ll  Cry  Tomorrow”  against  it.  Which 
is  what  makes  horse-races  exciting. 


Sam  J.  Berman,  who  has  left  Palmerston 
to  become  the  manager  of  the  St.  Thomas 
Drive-In  theatre,  at  St.  Thomas,  Ontario, 
opened  with  gifts  for  young  and  old,  to  start 
his  new  season.  His  company  liked  the 
Mother’s  Day  idea  which  he  used  so  well 
they  sent  it  out  as  a “Salute  to  Showmen.” 

T 

Pearl  Bryant,  manager  of  Schine’s  Fed- 
eral theatre,  Federalsburg,  Maryland,  who  is 
able  and  qualified  as  one  of  the  best  women 
managers  in  the  country,  sold  her  Mickey 
Mouse  Club  in  the  form  of  Kiddie’s  Gift 
Tickets,  issued  for  any  buyers  who  wanted 
to  extend  this  courtesy  to  the  small  fry. 

T 

Irving  Hillman,  manager  of  Stanley  War- 
ner’s Roger  Sherman  theatre,  New  Haven, 
Conn.,  distributed  guest  tickets  to  78  persons 
who  donated  blood  to  the  Red  Cross  blood 
bank  during  the  run  of  “The  Bold  and  the 
Brave”,  and  tied  up  witli  the  National  Guard 
for  a theatre  front  display. 

V 

Seymour  Levine,  manager  of  the  Bowl 
Drive-In  theatre,  West  Haven,  Conn.,  urges 
greater  parent  participation  in  children’s 
playground  activity  with  the  line,  “Benches 
for  parents  too !”  in  newspaper  ads. 

T 

William  Wallos,  manager  of  the  Mid-City 
Outdoor  theatre,  Kenosha,  Wise.,  used  an 
ingenious  one-column  ad,  full-page  depth, 
with  large  letters  spelling  out  “Carousel” 
and  against  each  letter,  in  smaller  type,  the 
ad  of  a sponsor — which  we’ll  try  to  repro- 
duce in  the  Round  Table. 

T 

Mrs.  Mary  Jane  Fox,  of  the  Strand  thea- 
tre, Mystic,  Conn.,  invited  Sloan  Wilson, 
author  of  best  seller,  “The  Man  in  the  Gray 
Flannel  Suit”  as  opening  night  guest  when 
she  played  the  picture,  taking  advantage  of 
his  opportune  visit  in  town. 


Vern  Huntsinger,  manager  of  the  Gopher  theatre,  Minneapolis,  and  John  Eshelman, 
manager  of  the  Strand  theatre.  St.  Paul,  with  the  cooperation  of  Bob  Stone,  MGM  field 
press  representative,  built  this  robot  as  walking  street  ballyhoo  for  "Forbidden  Planet” — 
powered  by  one  boy  inside,  which  served  the  purposes  of  science  fiction. 


MANAGERS’  ROUND  TABLE  SECTION.  JUNE  16,  1956 


37 


This  II  as  Australia 
But  You  Cau  Bo  It I 


In  the  first  quarter  of  1956,  the  overseas 
winners  were  two  Metro  managers  in  Aus- 
tralia— Arthur  Bowe,  of  the  Metro  theatre, 
Sydney,  and  Harry  Marsden,  of  the  Metro 
theatre,  Manly,  who  jointly  entered  cam- 
paigns on  MGM’s  “Glass  Slipper’’  with  a 
Cinderella  Ball,  Treasure  Hunt  and  Quest, 
all  of  which  took  place  in  the  summer  month 
of  November,  1955.  Now  that  the  seasons 
are  approaching  summer  here,  you  can  do 
the  same  things  that  are  shown  so  graphi- 
cally in  these  pictures,  from  Manly  Beach, 
down  under. 

Above,  at  left,  you  see  the  “Glass  Slipper 
Ball-’  with  the  emissary  of  the  Prince,  re- 
splendent in  turban,  medals  and  ribbons, 
finding  and  fitting  the  lucky  girl  who  can 
wear  the  slipper.  At  the  stroke  of  twelve, 
she  is  announced  at  a Benefit  Ball  given  by 
the  Younger  Set  of  St.  Lucy’s  School  for 
Blind  Children,  as  one  of  the  main  events 
of  the  year’s  social  calendar  for  Sydney’s 
teen-agers.  The  idea  was  so  successful  it 
had  to  be  repeated  at  the  Surf  Club  Annual 
Ball  on  a following  night.  The  two  pictures 
at  the  top  show  these  attractive  young  peo- 
ple— and  for  your  information,  the  one-way 
plane  fare  to  Australia  is  about  $850. 

Below,  the  two  pictures  show  the  Treas- 
ure Hunt  and  Quest  at  Manly  Beach,  with 
younger  small  fry  engaged  in  hunting  and 
finding  treasure  buried  in  the  sand.  These 
were  miniature  glass  slippers,  bearing  lucky 


numbers,  and  publicizing  the  Leslie  Caron 
picture.  At  the  announcer’s  signal,  they  were 
off,  and  you  can  see  the  scrambling  to  find 
prizes.  We  thought  these  interesting  pictures 
described  the  two  events  so  well  that  no 
smart  showman  needs  any  further  sugges- 
tion— and  it  can  be  all  done  over  again  in 
this  part  of  the  world,  now  that  the  summer 
sun  has  swung  this  way.  Nice  looking  girls, 
good  showmanship,  a pleasant  setting  for 
promotion  — who  can  ask  for  more  ? The 
complete  campaign,  containing  newspaper 
and  magazine  tieups,  and  many  more  attrac- 
tive photos,  was  a credit  to  the  two  man- 
agers who  shared  the  overseas  honors  in  the 
first  quarter.  Australia  proves  the  slogan — 
that  the  sun  never  sets  on  good  British 
showmanship. 

Local  Newspaper  Uses 
Special  Edition  Head 

Bill  Butler  wrote  us  about  his  “once  in 
a lifetime’’  break  with  “Ransom”  at  the 
Turnage  and  Reita  theatres,  Washington, 
N.  C.,  with  a complete  remake  of  the  front 
page  of  the  Washington  Daily  News  to 
carry  an  eight-column  scare  head  adver- 
tising the  picture,  hut  looking  like  authentic 
news.  People  started  calling  the  police  to 
find  out  if  it  was  a local  kidnapping.  The 
whole  stunt,  involving  unsold  copies  of  the 
paper,  cost  only  $5.00  for  the  printer. 


Diy  Day  Far 
The  Irish  — 

In  Hasten 

It  was  a great  day  for  the  Irish,  and 
everyone  else  in  Boston,  when  “The  Catered 
Affair”  had  its  premiere  at  Loew’s  State  and 
Orpheum  Theatres. 

Publicist  Karl  Fasick  designed  the  lobby 
displays  with  an  Irish  theme  and  no  blow- 
ups. He  used  11x14  stills  and  captioned 
them  in  story  or  dialogue  form.  Colors  used 
were  Irish  greens  and  contrasting  yellows 
and  reds,  with  world  premiere  copy  on  every 
poster  and  display.  Liberal  use  of  shamrocks 
convinced  the  Irish  population  and  in  fact, 
all  of  Boston,  that  this  was  another  great 
Irish  story. 

Five  hundred  one  sheets  in  da-glo  green 
on  black  completely  dominated  the  Boston 
transit  system,  both  underground  and  on  the 
elevated  as  well  as  the  surface  station  stops. 
400  spaces  were  contracted  for ; the  theatres 
received  500.  They  contracted  for  one  week, 
and  got  two  weeks,  with  a possibility  of 
more  if  additional  business  does  not  necessi- 
tate their  removal. 

Three  hundred  window  cards  in  da-glo 
were  placed  throughout  South  Boston  where 
the  Irish  hang  their  hats.  Others  were 
tacked  on  poles  on  busily  traveled  streets. 
Seven  window  displays  were  secured. 

The  Irish  population  and  other  interested 
groups  were  reached  through  subway  post- 
ing, the  excellent  national  ads  designed  spe- 
cifically for  Boston's  Irish  population,  win- 
dow cards,  and  promoted  radio  contest,  plus 
ballyhoo  with  the  taxi  drivers  of  Beantown. 

Jimmie  Thames  Alerts 
Little  Rock  on  D-Day 

Teaser  ads  three  days  before  the  first 
regular,  advance  newspaper  ad  break  form 
part  of  an  extensive  campaign  on  “D-Day, 
The  Sixth  of  June”  in  CinemaScope  con- 
ducted by  Rowley  Theatres  for  an  opening 
today  (6)  of  the  20th  Century-Fox  produc- 
tion at  the  Capitol  Theatre,  Little  Rock. 

In  a letter  to  the  film  company  from  James 
F.  Thames,  advertising-publicity  head  of  the 
circuit,  the  executive  reports  that  the  cam- 
paign was  started  earlier  to  capitalize  on  the 
propitious  opening  date  of  the  romantic 
drama  starring  Robert  Taylor,  Richard 
Todd,  Dana  Wynter  and  Edmond  O’Brien. 

Copy  for  the  teasers  read:  “Stay  Alert 
for  D-Day  is  coming  on  the  Sixth  of  June.” 


That  Quaker  Oats  Deal 

Elmer  N.  DeWitt,  city  manager  for 
Mailers  Brothers  theatres  in  Defiance,  Ohio, 
has  had  some  good  exhibits  in  the  mail, 
to  prove  the  value  of  his  promotions,  and 
some  of  them  arrived  here  while  we  were 
on  vacation,  but  will  appear  on  a Con- 
tender’s List  for  the  Quigley  Awards.  He 
had  good  success  with  the  Quaker  Oats 
tieup  on  “Forever  Darling.” 


38 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  JUNE  16,  1956 


A 


pprocic 


k 


THE  MAN  WHO  KNEW  TOO  MUCH— 
Paramount.  VistaVision,  in  color  by  Techni- 
color. Alfred  Hitchcock  surpasses  himself, 
with  James  Stewart  and  Doris  Day,  in  a 
new  picture  that  sweeps  you  from  the 
alleys  of  Morocco  to  the  concert  halls  of 
London.  Suspense  beyond  "Rear  Window" 
or  "To  Catch  a Thief."  The  master  of 
melodrama,  who  does  hair-raising  thrillers, 
for  everybody's  entertainment,  has  topped 
his  own  record  for  excitement  on  the 
screen.  24-sheet  and  all  accessories  in 
Paramount's  pressbook,  have  been  carefully 
planned  to  give  every  showman  his  chance. 
You  can  make  good  cut-outs  for  lobby  and 
marquee  display  with  this  fine  pictorial  art, 
available  at  low  cost.  Folder  herald  keys 
the  campaign  for  a majority  of  situations. 
Newspaper  ad  mats  are  well  designed  to 
accent  the  keen  excitement  of  the  picture, 
and  to  pull  an  audience  for  the  two  ap- 
pealing stars.  You  can  kid  the  current  "The 
Man  Who  . . ."  titles  with  a teaser  ad  that 
lists  them  all,  and  says  this  is  "The  Man 
Who  Knew  Too  Much" — and  best  of  the 
bunch.  Some  very  large  newspaper  ads 
have  good  atmospheric  color  to  sell  the 
authentic  backgrounds.  Hitchcock  goes 
places — and  seldom  uses  a Hollywood 
studio  set,  when  he  can  find  the  real  thing. 
The  complete  campaign  mat  selling  for  35c 
at  National  Screen  contains  a lot  of  small 
ad  mats  and  slugs  for  some  situations,  but 
you  will  need  others  to  give  this  good  pic- 
ture a proper  break. 

• 

JUBAL — Columbia  Pictures.  CinemaScope, 
in  color  by  Technicolor.  Glenn  Ford,  Ernest 
Borgnine,  Rod  Steiger — the  stars  of  "Black- 
board Jungle,"  "Marty"  and  "On  the 
Waterfront"  in  one  overpowering  drama. 
Remember  his  name — "Jubal" — and  you'll 
remember  his  story.  Violence  followed 
"Jubal"  as  night  follows  day.  He  never  had 
to  go  looking  for  trouble — for  trouble  al- 
ways came  looking  for  him,  in  the  shape  of 
a woman!  No  posters  larger  than  the  6- 
sheet,  but  they  have  good  pictorial  art  of 
the  three  stars — and  the  woman.  Four  page 
herald  keys  the  campaign  for  most  situa- 
tions. It's  like  a miniature  pressbook  for 
the  public  and  manager  alike.  Newspaper 
ad  mats  are  strong,  in  theme  as  well  as 
style,  so  look  out  for  your  audience  prefer- 
ence. The  composite  mat  is  even  more 
complete  than  ever,  with  six  ad  mats  and 
slugs,  a publicity  mat  and  one  excellent 
drawing  of  the  stars  — all  for  35c  at 
National  Screen.  The  "Jubal"  book  is 
available  in  a 35c  paper  back  edition. 
There  are  five  kinds  of  still  picture  sets, 
including  art,  color,  horizontals,  uprights 
and  exploitation  stills.  A special  mat  shows 
the  meaning  of  various  names,  including 
"Jubal"  as  a suggested  throwaway,  to  be 
printed  locally,  or  used  as  an  ad. 


WHILE  THE  CITY  SLEEPS— RKO  Radio 
Pictures.  Suspense,  as  startling  as  a scream 
in  the  night!  Ten  top  stars,  ten  top 
performances  — Dana  Andrews,  Rhonda 
Fleming,  George  Sanders,  Howard  Duff, 
Thomas  Mitchell,  Vincent  Price,  John  Barry- 
more, Jr.,  Sally  Forrest,  James  Craig  and 
Ida  Lupino,  in  the  sensational  story  of  a 
lipstick  murder!  A foolish  girl,  a dangerous 
boy,  a fatal  moment.  It  will  keep  you  on 
the  edge  of  your  nerves!  24-sheet  and 
other  posters  encourage  you  to  use  more 
pictorial  art,  which  is  always  the  good  ad- 
vice of  RKO,  "the  showmanship  company." 
Lots  of  good  publicity  pictures,  too,  espe- 
cially a collection  of  the  ten  stars,  in 
separate  poses,  but  with  exceptional  qual- 
ity. Group  them  any  way  you  choose — 
but  use  them  for  "something  new  and 
different"  in  your  advertising  treatment. 
Newspaper  ad  mats  are  very  striking,  very 
strong,  very  good — and  you  can  go  as  far 
as  you  like  along  sensational  lines.  You 
know  your  community  responsibility.  The 
special  35c  mat  at  National  Screen  is  well 
selected,  and  has  good  material  in  both 
ad  mats  and  slugs,  and  for  publicity  stiils. 
The  paper  bound  book  is  a hot  promotion 
item,  and  there  is  a title  song.  A special 
newspaper  puzzle  mat  is  available  in  sev- 
eral sizes,  from  your  RKO  field  exploitation 
man.  The  herald  keys  the  campaign  for 
many  small  theatres. 


FOREIGN  INTRIGUE — United  Artists.  In 

Eastman  Color.  Robert  Mitchum,  in  a full 
length  production  of  Sheldon  Reynolds' 
startling  spy  hunt.  On  the  Riviera,  he  got 
a warning  wrapped  in  a tight,  silk  dress.  In 
Vienna,  it  was  a knife.  In  Stockholm,  a 
bullet,  with  his  name  on  it,  and  now  he  was 
at  the  end  of  the  line!  Mitchum  is  the 
hunted,  Europe  is  the  hunting  ground,  haif 
of  the  secret  agents  are  just  one  bullet 
behind  him.  No  posters  larger  than  the 
6-sheet,  but  all  have  that  Mitchum  pose 
you'll  find  on  this  week's  Round  Table  pic- 
ture page.  Suspense  herald,  from  Cato 
Show  Print,  has  all  the  selling  qualities  of 
the  picture.  The  newspaper  ad  mats  are 
strong  and  selective,  with  a good  approach 
for  a new  picture,  to  appear  different  on 
your  advertising  pages. 


SOS 


WHEN  YOU  ARE 
IN  A RUSH  FOR 

SPECIAL 

TRAILERS 

Yon  Won't  Be  Disappointed 
U You  Send  An  S.O.S.  To 


FILMACK 


. . . Timely  news  supplementing  the 
special  monthly  department  covering 
all  phases  of  refreshment  service. 


Automatic  Coffee  Maker 
With  Electronic  Control 

A new  automatic  coffee  maker,  designed 
to  “require  no  further  attendance  after  the 
push  button  is  pressed”  has  been  marketed 
by  the  Best  Products  Company,  Chicago. 
The  unit  is  electronically  controlled.  The 
correct  volume  of  water  at  the  proper  tem- 
perature for  brewing  coffee  (pre-set  accord- 
ing to  formula)  flows  into  the  extractor  and 
seeps  through  the  coffee  grounds.  After  the 
correct  volume  of  water  has  been  delivered, 
the  water  shuts  off  and  the  signal  light  goes 
out.  The  water  supply  in  the  water  tank  is 
replenished  automatically.  It  is  not  necessary 
to  repour  the  brewed  coffee  through  the 
coffee  grounds  manually.  When  drawing  hot 
water  for  tea,  the  water  is  replaced  auto- 
matically after  each  3 to  4 cups  have  been 
taken  out.  The  heating  also  is  automatic, 
going  on  when  the  temperature  drops  5° 
and  off  when  the  temperature  has  been 
restored. 


Curtiss  Sells  Factory 

The  Curtiss  Candy  Company,  Chicago, 
has  sold  its  Milwaukee  French  fried  potato 
and  potato  chip  plant  to  Red  Dot  Foods, 
Inc.,  according  to  an  announcement  by 
Robert  Schnering,  Curtiss  president.  The 
sale  will  enable  Curtiss  to  concentrate  more 
fully  on  candy  products,  Mr.  Schnering  said. 
The  plant  will  continue  to  produce  French 
fried  potatoes  and  potato  chips  for  Curtiss, 
it  was  stated. 


New  Bubble  Gum  Pack 

“Magic  Colors”  bubble  gum  cigarettes, 
made  by  the  Philadelphia  Chewing  Gum 
Corporation,  Havertown,  Pa.,  are  now  being 
offered  to  the  trade  in  a five-color,  32-count 
display  box  with  cellophane  overwrap.  Each 
package  contained  in  the  box  reproduces  the 
carton  of  one  of  six  popular  brands  of 
cigarettes,  contains  five  flavors  of  gum  and 
retails  for  10c.  Certificates  redeemable  by 
retailers  are  packed  in  each  box. 


New  Candy  Record  Seen 

Preliminary  estimates  of  1955  candy  sales 
indicate  an  increase  of  about  1%  over  the 
$1,019  billion  total  sales  at  the  wholesale 
level  in  1954,  according  to  Philip  P.  Gott, 
National  Confectioners’  Association  presi- 
dent. Based  on  this  estimate,  total  sales  for 
1955  should  approximate  $1,029  billion,  he 
declared. 


MANAGERS'  ROUND  TABLE  SECTION,  JUNE  16,  1956 


39 


CLASSIFIED  ADVERTISING 


Fifteen  cents  per  word,  money-order  or  check  with  copy.  Count  initials,  box  number  and  address.  Minimum  insertion  $ 1 .50.  Four 
insertions  for  the  price  of  three.  Contract  rates  on  application.  No  border  or  cuis.  Forms  close  Mondays  at  5 P.M.  Publisher 
reserves  the  right  to  reject  any  copy.  Film  and  trailer  advertising  not  accepted.  Classified  advertising  not  subject  to  agency 
commission.  Address  copy  and  checks:  MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  Classified  Dept.,  Rockefeller  Center,  New  York  (20) 


HELP  WANTED 


NEW  EQUIPMENT 


MANAGERS  WANTED  FOR  YEAR  AROUND, 
also  for  summer  season  theatre.  Apply  MAX  COHEN, 
Rialto  Theatre,  Monticello,  N.  Y. 

EXPANDING  PACIFIC  COAST  THEATRE  CIR- 

cuit  has  openings  now  for  men  of  potential  manage- 
ment calibre.  Theatre  experience  helpful  but  not  neces- 
sary. Here  is  an  opportunity  for  men  capable  of 
accepting  responsibility  to  start  a business  career 
which  is  above  average  in  excitement  and  interest 
and  which  is  also  profitable.  State  age,  marital  status, 
education  and  experience  in  reply.  BOX  2923,  MOTION 
PICTURE  HERALD. 


DRIVE-IN  EQUIPMENT 


IN-CAR  SPEAKERS  $4.25!  YEAR  WARRANTY. 
4”  unit,  steel  case  painted  blue,  white.  Price  per  set  2 
speakers,  junction  box.  $12.25.  S.O.S.  CINEMA  SLP- 
PLY  CORP.,  602  W.  52nd  St.,  New  York  19. 


WANTED  TO  BUY 


THEATRE  CARPET,  PAIR  60  AMPERE 
lamps,  changeable  letter  sign.  BOX  395,  Rochester, 
N.  Y. 


POPCORN 


WORLD-WIDE  HEADQUARTERS  FOR  POT- 
corr.,  popcorn  equipment  and  supplies.  POPCORN 
VILLAGE,  Nashville,  Tenn.,  U.S.A. 


DUAL  DEVRY  OUTFIT  $5,000  VALUE.  $2,495! 
Includes  Strong  Jr  111  Arcs,  45  amp.  rectifiers, 
streamlined  pedestals,  dual  25  watt  DcVry  amplifiers, 
Ser-es  II  ltnses,  2 way  sneakers.  Available  on  time. 
S.O.S.  CINEMA  SUPPLY  CORP.,  602  W.  52nd  St., 
New  York  19. 


INTERMITTENT  MOVEM  ENTS-NEW  SURPLUS 
for  Simplex  $69.50;  DcVry  $59.50;  Holmes  $24.50;  Auto- 
matic enclose  1 rewinds  $69.50.  S.O.S.  CINEMA 
SUPPLY  CORP.,  602  W.  52nJ  St.,  New  York  19. 


BOOKS 


RICHARDSON’S  BI.UEBOOK  OF  PROJECTION. 
New  8th  Edition.  Revised  to  deal  with  tlte  latest  tech- 
nical developments  in  motion  picture  projection  and 
sound,  and  reorganized  to  facilitate  study  and  refer- 
ence. Includes  a practical  discussion  of  Television 
especially  prepared  for  the  instruction  of  theatre  pro- 
jectionists. and  of  new  techniques  for  advancement  of 
the  art  of  the  motion  picture.  The  standard  textbook 
on  motion  picture  projee  ion  and  sound  i eproduction. 
Invaluable  to  beginner  and  expert.  Best  seller  since 
1911.  662  pages,  cloth  bound,  $7.23  postpaid.  QUIGLEY 
BOOKSHOP,  1270  Sixth  Avenue,  New  York  20,  N.  Y. 


SAVE  MONEY,  PREVENT  WASTE.  PUT  THE 
Master  Guide  To  Theatre  Maintenance  in  the  hands 
of  your  managers  and  assistant  managers.  Costs  $5.00 
— could  save  you  a thousand  times  as  much.  QUIG- 
LEY BOOKSHOP,  1270  Sixth  Avenue,  New  York 
20,  N.  Y. 


USED  EQUIPMENT 


LOADED  WITH  H.  I.  LAMPHOUSES!  PEER- 
less  Magnarcs,  $395  pr. ; Strong  Mogul,  Brenkert 
Enarc,  Forest  U.T.,  Ashcraft  D-18E,  Ballantyne  $300, 
all  good  condition.  Available  on  time.  S.O.S.  CINEMA 
SUPPLY  CORP.,  602  W.  52nd  St.,  New  York  19. 

EXCELLENT  COATED  PROJECTION  LENSES— 
many  brand  new!  Wollensak  “Sunray”  Series  I:  2", 
3".  314",  3)4",  5",  SJ4".  6",  754" — $35  pair.  Superlite 
Series  III  “C”  coated  254"— 3"— 3!4"  $150  pr.  Others 
available,  tell  us  your  needs.  Trades  Taken.  Wire 
or  telephone  order  today.  S.O.S.  CINEMA  SUPPLY 
CORP.,  602  W.  52nd  St.,  New  York  19. 


SAVINGS  GALORE  AT  STAR!  HERTNER 
70/140  generator,  reconditioned,  $595;  magnarc  lamp- 
houses,  rebuilt  like  new,  $515;  Series  I lenses,  4', 
only  $9.50  pair;  thousands  of  other  tremendous  bar- 
gains; what  do  you  need?  STAR  CINEMA  SUP- 
PLY, 621  W.  55th  St.,  New  York  19. 


STUDIO  EQUIPMENT 


NEUMADE  RK-100  FILM  RACKS,  HOLD  120-1000' 
reels,  $165  originally,  new  $87.50;  Arriflex  II  35mm 
camera  complete,  $2,000  value,  $1,195;  1000W  Mazda 
Spotlamps  G48  Mogul  bipost,  $13.50  list,  $6.95;  Amer. 
Cinematographers  Handbook,  J4  price,  $2.50;  Bridga- 
matic  Jr.  16mm  Automatic  Processor,  $1,500  value, 
$975;  Maurer  16  Camera,  lens,  2 magazines,  synemotor, 
12V  motor  w/battery,  all  cases,  complete  $2,395; 
5000W  Background  Projector,  reconditioned,  $595; 
Moviola  35mm  composite  sound/picture,  $495.  S.O.S. 
CINEMA  SUPPLY  CORP.,  602  W.  52nd  St..  New 
York  19. 


Loew's,  Inc.,  Opens 
New  Florida  Unit 

JACKSONVILLE,  FLA.:  Loew’s,  Inc., 

recently  held  the  formal  opening  of  its  new 
exchange  here  in  a building  at  501  East 
Forsyth  Street.  The  local  exchange  services 
motion  picture  theatres  throughout  Florida 
and  south  Georgia.  More  than  100  persons 
attended  an  open  house  with  Fred  G.  Hull, 
Jr.,  exchange  manager,  as  host.  The  new 
exchange  building  provides  the  firm  with 
general  and  executive  offices,  sales  offices, 
a shipping  and  storage  office  and  a film  in- 
spection room. 


Don  George  Dies 

SHREVEPORT,  LA.:  Don  George,  49, 
former  film  theatre  owner,  died  June  5 at 
his  home  here.  He  had  been  in  ill  health 
for  several  years.  Mr.  George  entered  the 
motion  picture  business  in  the  1930s,  operat- 
ing theatres  in  Shreveport,  Alexandria, 
Villa  Platte,  Natchitoches  and  Bossier  City. 
At  the  time  of  his  death  he  was  president 
of  Shreveport  Television  Company.  His 
widow  and  a daughter  survive. 


Dr.  Ciriaco  A.  Santiago 

Dr.  Ciriaco  A.  Santiago,  president  of 
Premier  Productions,  Jnc.,  Manila,  died  re- 
cently, it  was  made  known  in  New  York  this 
week.  Many  of  his  films  earned  awards  at 
various  Far  East  film  festivals. 


Chesapeake 
Action  Ms 
Dismissed 

The  $15,000,000  anti-trust  action  brought 
by  Chesapeake  Industries  on  behalf  of  Eagle 
Lion  Classics,  against  RKO  Theatres  and 
Loew’s  Theatres  was  dismissed  recently  in 
New  York  by  Federal  Judge  Archie  O. 
Dawson.  Chesapeake  had  charged  that  ELC 
product  had  been  deprived  of  a New  York 
outlet  by  RKO  and  Loew’s.  In  directing  a 
judgment  in  favor  of  the  defendants,  Judge 
Dawson  declared  that  there  had  been  no 
proof  offered  to  substantiate  the  allegations 
by  the  plaintiffs  that  their  pictures  had  been 
entirely  excluded  and  that  there  was  no 
proof  of  the  charges  that  the  defendants  had 
conspired  and  combined  to  exclude  ELC 
product  from  their  theatres. 

The  suit  was  originally  filed  in  1950.  In 
1953  the  action  was  dismissed  by  the  late 
Judge  Augustus  Hand,  who  based  his 
opinion  on  the  theory  that  by  releasing 
United  Artists  from  the  case,  all  defendants 
were  released.  U.A.  had  acquired  the  ELC 
pictures  subsequent  to  the  filing  of  the  origi- 
nal suit. 

The  case  was  appealed  and,  in  1955,  the 
prior  decision  was  reversed  and  a new  trial 
ordered. 


Legion  Approves  13  of 
16  New  Productions 

The  National  Legion  of  Decency  this 
week  reviewed  16  pictures,  putting  four  in 
Class  A,  Section  I,  morally  unobjectionable 
for  general  patronage;  nine  in  Class  A,  Sec- 
tion II,  morally  unobjectionable  for  adults, 
and  three  in  Class  B,  morally  objectionable 
in  part  for  all.  In  Section  I are  “Away 
All  Boats,”  “The  Proud  Ones,”  “Storm 
Over  the  Nile”  and  “Unidentified  Flying 
Objects.”  In  Section  II  are  “The  Ambas- 
sador’s Daughter,”  “Creeping  Unknown,” 
“Fighting  Chance,”  “Magic  Fire,”  “Narcotic 
Squad,”  “Secret  of  Treasure  Mountain,” 
“Terror  at  Midnight,”  “Three  for  Jamie 
Dawn”  and  “Track  the  Man  Down.”  In 
Class  B are  “Autumn  Leaves”  because  of 
“certain  elements  that  are  morally  repellent; 
reflects  the  acceptability  of  divorce ; sug- 
gestive situations;  “D-Day,  the  Sixth  of 
June”  because  of  “light  treatment  of  mar- 
riage; tends  to  arouse  undue  sympathy  for 
immoral  actions,”  and  “Trapeze”  because  of 
“suggestive  costuming  and  situations.” 

Holt,  Nichols  Produce 

HOLLYWOOD : Dudley  Nichols  and  Nat 
Holt  have  announced  the  formation  of  an 
independent  producing  company  in  which 
James  R.  Grainger  will  own  an  interest,  and 
will  supervise  distribution  and  sales.  “Out- 
laws in  Town”  will  be  the  first  production. 


40 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  JUNE  16,  1956 


FILM  BUYERS  RATING 


Film  buyers  of  independent  circuits  in  the  U.  S.  rate  current 
product  on  the  basis  of  its  performance  in  their  theatres.  This 
report  covers  106  attractions,  3,9 69  playdates. 

Titles  run  alphabetically.  Numerals  refer  to  the  number  of  en- 
gagements on  each  attraction  reported.  The  tabulation  is  cumula- 
tive. Dagger  (t)  denotes  attractions  published  for  the  first  time. 
Asterisk  (*)  indicates  attractions  u/hich  are  listed  for  the  last  time. 

EX  means  Excellent ; AA — Above  Average;  AV — Average; 
BA — Below  Average;  PR — Poor. 


‘African  Lion,  The  (B.V.) 

All  That  Heaven  Allows  (U-l) 

Anything  Goes  (Par.)  

‘Apache  Woman  (A.R.C.)  . . . 
Artists  and  Models  (Par.) 

At  Gunpoint  (A. A.)  


Backlash  (U-l)  

Battle  Stations  (Col.) 

Benny  Goodman  Story,  The  (U-l)  . . . 

‘Big  Knife,  The  (U.A.) 

‘Blood  Alley  (W.B.)  

Bottom  of  the  Bottle  (20th-Fox) 

Carousel  (20th-Fox)  

Come  Next  Spring  (Rep.) 

Comanche  (U.A.)  

Conqueror,  The  (RKO) 

‘Count  Three  and  Pray  (Col.)  

Court  Jester,  The  (Par.) 

Court  Martial  of  Billy  Mitchell  (W.B.) 
Creature  Walks  Among  Us  (U-l)  . . . . 


Day  the  World  Ended  (A.R.C.) 
‘Deep  Blue  Sea,  The  ( 20th- Fox ) . 
‘Desperate  Hours,  The  (Par.)... 

Diane  (MGM)  

Dig  That  Uranium  (A.A.)  

‘Duel  on  the  Mississippi  (Col.)  . . 


Flame  of  the  Island  (Rep.). 
Forbidden  Planet  (MGM)  . . 
Forever  Darling  (MGM)... 

‘Fort  Yuma  ( U.A.)  

Fury  at  Gunsight  Pass  (Col.) 


‘Gentlemen  Marry  Brunettes  (U.A.) 

‘Girl  in  the  Red  Velvet  Swing,  The  (20th-Fox)  . . 

Glory  (RKO)  

Goodbye,  My  Lady  (W.B.) 

‘Good  Morning,  Miss  Dove  (20th-Fox) 

Guys  and  Dolls  (MGM) 


Harder  They  Fall,  The  (Col.) 

Helen  of  Troy  (W.B.) 

Hell  on  Frisco  Bay  (W.B.) 
Hot  Blood  (Col.)  


*1  Died  a Thousand  Times  (W.B.) 

I'll  Cry  Tomorrow  (MGM) 

Indian  Fighter  ( U.A.) 

Inside  Detroit  (Col.)  

Invasion  of  the  Body  Snatchers  (A.A.) 

Jubal  (Col.)  


EX  AA  AV 


I 

5 

3 

I 

10 


I 


I 


17 

5 

I 


I 


I 


I 

7 


I 

I 

20 


1 1 


8 

28 

4 

7 

33 

I 


13 

7 
12 

8 
2 

10 
1 1 
4 

9 

10 

9 

41 

I 


21 

I 

4 

I 

I 

6 

29 

I 


10 

3 

3 

4 
16 

7 


I 

7 

8 

I 


I 

19 

13 

I 


7 


19 

19 

2 
19 
I I 


3 

14 

I 

29 

8 


3 

4 
I 

10 

24 

8 

28 

3 


7 


2 

8 

29 

5 

3 


20 

20 

6 

2 

13 

4 


28 

12 

I 


5 

6 

27 

I 

I 


BA 


14 

20 

9 

2 

7 

27 


17 

2 

29 

II 

21 

17 


19 

19 

3 

4 

1 I 

6 

12 

2 


1 

2 

20 

8 

2 


7 

10 

13 

2 


15 

31 

9 

5 

34 

3 


8 

5 
II 

6 


1 1 

I 

14 

4 

4 


3 


PR 


21 

4 

13 

2 

3 


2 

I 

17 

17 

3 

26 

9 

4 
19 

8 

9 

I 

I 


12 

19 

29 

2 


3 

5 

8 

2 

2 


16 

23 

8 

13 

4 


I 

12 

26 

3 


9 

6 

2 

19 


Kettles  in  the  Ozarks  (U-l) 
Kismet  (MGM)  

‘Lady  Godiva  (U-l)  

Last  Frontier  (Col.)  

Last  Hunt,  The  (MGM),. 
Lawless  Street  (Col.)  .... 
Lieutenant  Wore  Skirts,  The 
Littlest  Outlaw  (B.V.)  .... 
Lone  Ranger,  The  (W.B.)  . . 
‘Lucy  Gallant  (Par.) 


‘Man  Alone,  A (Rep.) 

Man  in  the  Gray  Flannel  Suit  ( 20th- Fox ) 

Man  Who  Never  Was  (20th-Fox) 

Man  With  the  Golden  Arm  (U.A.) 

‘Man  With  the  Gun  (U.A.)  

Meet  Me  in  Las  Vegas  (MGM) 

Miracle  in  the  Rain  (W.B.) 


‘Naked  Dawn  (U-l)  

Never  Say  Goodbye  (U-l) 

On  the  Threshold  of  Space  (20th-Fox) 
Our  Miss  Brooks  (W.B.) 


Picnic  (Col.)  

‘Prisoner,  The  (Col.) 

‘Queen  Bee  (Col.)  

Quentin  Durward  (MGM) 


Rains  of  Ranchipur,  The  (20th-Fox)  . 

Ransom  (MGM)  

‘Rebel  Without  a Cause  (W.B.)  . . . 

Red  Sundown  (U-l)  

‘Return  of  Jack  Slade  (A.A.) 

Revolt  of  Mamie  Stover  ( 20th- Fox ) 

Rock  Around  the  Clock  (Col.) 

Rose  Tattoo,  The  (Par.) 

Running  Wild  (U-l)  


Second  Greatest  Sex  (U-l) 

Serenade  (W.B.)  

Shack  Out  on  101  (A.A.) 

‘Sincerely  Yours  (W.B.) 

Slightly  Scarlet  (RKO)  

‘Song  of  the  South  (B.V.)  (Reissue) 

Spoilers,  The  (U-l ) 

Square  Jungle  (U-l)  

Swan,  The  (MGM)  


‘Tall  Men,  The  ( 20th- Fox ) 

Tarantula  (U-l)  

Target  Zero  (W.B.)  

‘Teen  Age  Crime  Wave  (Col.). 

‘Tender  Trap,  The  (MGM) 

‘Texas  Lady"  (RKO)  

There's  Always  Tomorrow  (U-l)  . 
Three  Bad  Sisters  (U.A.) 

‘Three  Stripes  in  the  Sun  (Col.) 
‘Treasure  of  Pancho  Villa  (RKO) 

‘Trial  (MGM) 

Tribute  to  a Bad  Man  (MGM) 
Trouble  With  Harry  (Par.) 
‘Twinkle  in  God's  Eye,  The  (Rep.) 


Uranium  Boom  (Col.) 
World  in  My  Corner  (U-l) 


EX 

AA 

AV 

BA 

PR 

8 

13 

14 

3 

- 

4 

17 

22 

25 

1 

5 

7 

7 

_ 

3 

18 

20 

7 

_ 

3 

19 

22 

7 

1 

6 

14 

5 

1 

_ 

10 

28 

25 

3 

5 

12 

10 

8 

22 

9 

27 

10 

1 

2 

- 

- 

23 

17 

1 1 

9 

24 

1 1 

12 

3 

3 

2 

2 

6 

_ 

18 

15 

1 

14 

7 

19 

20 

II 

- 

1 

20 

16 

8 

13 

2 

1 1 

2 

3 

4 

- 

5 

5 

15 

9 

_ 

3 

6 

3 

- 

18 

6 

7 

15 

2 

1 

9 

14 

- 

1 

5 

5 

7 

18 

22 

II 

1 

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1 

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2 

2 

4 

12 

16 

1 1 

- 

- 

5 

12 

26 

9 

33 

28 

10 

1 

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18 

1 1 

1 1 

55 

20 

8 

1 

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7 

5 

5 

3 

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2 

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3 

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6 

0 

7 

7 

1 

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1 1 

9 

15 

8 

3 

3 

16 

6 

2 

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9 

9 

18 

8 

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1 

_ 

4 

5 

_ 

4 

9 

1 

2 

_ 

1 

10 

18 

20 

_ 

2 

3 

4 

7 

6 

1 

4 

2 

16 

1 

II 

16 

17 

4 

_ 

1 

1 

II 

36 

- 

8 

3 

5 

- 

7 

44 

19 

5 

3 

2 

14 

4 

6 

- 

_ 

1 

5 

3 

4 

- 

6 

7 

2 

- 

9 

30 

33 

17 

2 

_ 

2 

10 

14 

7 

- 

_ 

8 

7 

24 

_ 

3 

3 

1 

- 

1 

8 

17 

1 1 

10 

_ 

1 

14 

14 

21 

1 

1 1 

42 

20 

6 

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5 

2 

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7 

10 

2 

7 

9 

1 

- 

2 

9 

2 

- 

- 

- 

- 

2 

3 

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4 

13 

26 

f c°*coi-OgBAl.os 


At  Last!  Heralds  EVERYONE  WILL  READ! 

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And  here  they  are  selling  Paramount's  “Certain  Feeling"  for  you!  Your  Patrons  will  want  to  take  these  Full- 
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through!  That  means  a Money-Making,  Boxoffice  Boost  for  you! 

For  these  Crowd-Gathering  Color  Cartoon 
Heralds  . . . Contact  your  nearest  branch  of  111111011111 


1 PB/Zf  BO  BY  Of  me  WDUSTBY 


SANTIAGO.  THE  CREEPING  UNKNOWN. 
>LF.  THE  DYNAMITERS.  THE  WILD  DAK 


BsfS 


' 


JUNE  23,  m(. 


ribut 


LOTS  OF  GOOD 


■'We  heard  so  much 

■TH£  f orwo^n  r net 

(CmemaScop  . Ue  N. risen 

. Anne  Francis 

Walter  Pidge°"d^bby,  The  Robot 


tribut/toT"  wi,h  0 love  -«y  ft 

IKIBUTE  TO  A BAD  MAN 


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(CinemaScope-Color) 


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***  •**£?** P'col'?n9  Picture  • 


, SOON  YOU’LL  KNOW  WHAT  ALL  THE  SHOOTING’S  FOR! 
T 1 NATIONWIDE  THEATRE  SCREENINGS  JUNE  27th  to  JULY  2nd 

1°  Rll  Exchange  Cities,  the  talk-of-the-industry  sensation 

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"Ava's  g°f^°  Vnctwn’  is  w w»  ot  mov,e' 

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"I’d  \ove  to  see  fAONACO  • 

P of  His  Serene  Hig  ^GneinaScope-Colot) 


THEY’RE  ALL  FROM  M-G-M! 

If  you  haven’t  played  them  you’re  missing  a lot  of  fine  shows.  ^ 

P.  S.  And  ask  your  M-G-M  Branch  about  the  Tom  & Jerry  Cartoon  Short 
"BUSY  BUDDIES”  now  playing  at  the  Capitol,  N.  Y.  Dorothy  Kilgallen 
over  WOR  network  said,  "Rates  Academy  Award!” 


' ^ 

' In  New  Bedford,  June  27,thi 

. ...  as  Warner  Bros’  walloping  3-year 
build-up  rolls  on  with  one  of  the  biggest 
coverages  ever  given  a motion  picture  by 
LIFE,  out  this  week;  with  the  cover  and  5 

Ml  4 ^ 

pages  in  the  next  issue  of  LOOK;  with  the 
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NATIONAL  ENGAGEMENTS 

In  New  York,  July  4th,  at  Tw< 


Warner  Bros,  present 


The  greatest  novel 
ever  written  by  an 
American!...  The 
greatest  motion 
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by  the  world! 


IN  THE 


PRODUCTION  OF  HERMAN  MELVILLE'S 


and 


as  Father  Mapple 

SCREEN  PLAY  BY  RAY  BRADBURY  AND  JOHN  HUSTON  A MOULIN  PICTURE 

DIRECTED  BY  JOHN  HUSTON  • PRESENTED  bvWARNER  BROS 


Tl 


1 


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1 

01 


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'(Three-Theatre  World  Premiere 


John  Huston  over  CBS-TV  next  Sunday; 
with  big,  raving  breaks 
CORONET,  etc.  etc. -and  with  full 


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starting  now  and  running  throughout 
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Captajn  JVkap 

L The  White  Whale 

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I He  bet  his 
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I The  blood  and 
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FILMED  WITH  A SPECTACULAR  NEW  DEVELOPMENT  IN  COLOR  BY 


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5 YEARS  ON  BROADWAY  A 
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CinemaScope  55  \A 


THE  KING  AND  I"  in  CINEMA- 
SCOPE 55  brings  you  • New  life- 
like realism  • Greater  depth  and 
scope  • Over-all  clarity  of  focus 
• Increased  sense  of  audience 
participation  • No  matter 
kwhere  you  sit  in  the  theatre 
you  are  assured  of  the 
ultimate  in  viewing 
pleasure. 


- RITA  MORENO 


Martin  Benson  • Rex  Thompson  • Terry  Saunders 


Produced  by  Directed  by  Screenplay  by  Music  by  Book  and  Lyrics  by  Choreography  by 

CHARLES  BRACKETT  - WALTER  LANG  - ERNEST  LEHMAN  - RICHARD  RODGERS.,,  OSCAR  HAMMERSTEIN II-JEROME  ROBBINS 


From  their  musical  play  based  on  "Anna  And  The  King  Of  Siam"  by  Margaret  Landon 


DUAL  WORLD  PREMIERE -Thursday  Evening  June  28th 

ROXY  THEATRE,  NEW  YORK  CHINESE  THEATRE,  LOS  ANGELES 
and  immediately  thereafter  in  the  leading  theatres  of  the  world! 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD 


MARTIN  QUIGLEY,  Editor-in-Chiej  and  Publisher 


Vol.  203,  No.  12 


MARTIN  QUIGLEY,  JR.,  Editor 


June  23,  1956 


Youth  Must  Be  Served 

IN  order  to  build  up  theatre  attendance  to  satisfactory 
levels,  new  appeals  must  be  directed  to  all  age  groups. 
However,  the  most  important  single  area  for  the  present 
and  future  well-being  of  the  motion  picture  industry  is 
the  youth  of  the  country.  In  particular  this  means  those 
in  the  teens  up  through  the  mid-twenties.  In  relation  to 
their  numbers  that  sector  of  the  population  provides  the 
best  potential  patrons.  The  boys  and  girls,  and  young  men 
and  women,  in  those  age  groups  have  the  time  and  should 
have  the  inclination  to  be  frequent  movie-goers. 

There  is,  of  course,  no  single  answer  to  explain  why  the 
appeal  of  films  today  is  less  potent  to  the  youth  than  it 
was  a decade  and  longer  ago.  Those  factors  which  are  ex- 
ternal to  the  business  are  problems  about  which  little 
may  be  done.  On  the  other  hand  the  internal  factors  can, 
should  and  must  receive  prompt  attention  for  the  mutual 
benefit  of  producers  and  exhibitors. 

As  unpleasant  as  the  facts  may  be  to  some  who  have 
helped  to  make  the  industry  great  and  continue  to  be  major 
drawing  powers  at  the  box  office,  the  majority  of  the  stars 
today  are  of  an  age  that  makes  their  appeal  to  the  teen- 
agers somewhat  limited.  Of  the  top  ranking  thirty  stars 
at  the  box  office  in  1955  not  more  than  one  or  two  are  in 
their  twenties;  only  a half  dozen  are  in  their  thirties.  The 
plain  fact  is  that  more  than  two-thirds  of  the  top  stars, 
usually  cast  in  romantic  roles,  are  old  enough  to  be  the 
father  or  the  mother  of  the  present  generation  of  teen- 
agers. 

There  are,  of  course,  occasions  when  a young  girl  takes 
a deep  interest  in  an  “older”  man  and  also — much  more 
unusual — when  a young  man  takes  an  interest  in  an 
“older”  woman.  However,  there  is  now  a lack  of  screen 
stars,  of  both  sexes,  in  the  age  group  which  today’s  teen- 
agers consider  ideal. 

While  it  is  not  difficult  to  recognize  the  existence  of  this 
problem,  ways  of  dealing  with  the  situation  are  much 
harder  to  discover.  The  trend  to  high  budget  pictures  and 
the  emphasis  on  color  and  spectacle  have  accelerated  the 
trend  to  casting  proven  stars  as  “insurance”  on  the  in- 
vestment. In  many  cases  bank  loans  and  distribution  deals 
have  been  contingent  on  starring  personalities  of  box  office 
champion  stature. 

All  these  factors,  plus  competition  of  television  for 
young  actors  and  actresses,  have  handicapped  the  develop- 
ment of  new  starring  personalities.  The  situation  now  is 
so  critical  that  all  branches  of  the  industry  should  co- 
operate. Thus  far  Universal  has  already  had  considerable 
success  with  its  contract  player  policy.  Recently  Twentieth 
Century-Fox  announced  a plan  to  develop  talent.  Other 
studios  have  projects  with  the  same  end. 

The  talent  agencies  and  the  individual  actors’  agent  also 
have  responsibilities  in  this  regard.  More  time  needs  to  be 


spent  in  finding  and  encouraging  new  personalities  for  the 
screen. 

One  of  the  biggest  obstacles  is  the  traditional  exhibitor 
resistance  to  features  with  “unknown”  names.  The  ques- 
tion, “Who’s  in  it?”  should  cease  to  be  over-emphasized. 
Even  if  an  exhibitor  does  not  know  some  of  the  new  play- 
ers in  a film  perhaps  his  younger  customers  may  or  soon 
will. 

The  only  way  stars  can  be  made  is  by  attracting  the 
public’s  favorable  attention  through  the  player’s  perform- 
ances on  the  screen. 


How  Long  Is  Too  Long? 

SOME  exhibitors  are  raising  the  question  of  the  length 
of  features.  About  five  years  ago  there  was  agitation 
on  the  point  and  many  well-known  showmen  ex- 
pressed opinions  that  90  minutes  was  the  ideal  length.  This 
approach,  of  course,  is  governed  principally  by  practical 
considerations  such  as  number  of  shows,  break  times  and 
local  bus  schedules  and  union  projectionist  rates. 

The  first  answer  that  comes  to  mind  is  that  a picture 
should  be  long  enough  to  tell  the  story.  Lincoln  was  said 
to  have  replied  to  a question  about  how  long  a man’s  legs 
should  be  with  the  remark,  “Long  enough  to  reach  the 
ground!”  And  so  it  should  be  with  pictures. 

The  concentration  by  the  studios  on  “big  pictures”  which 
have  been  big  in  budget  and  big  in  scope  has  naturally 
resulted  in  longer  attractions.  While  there  are  exceptions, 
the  picture  of  over  100  minutes  in  running  time  predomin- 
ates in  the  lists  of  box  office  champions.  At  the  present 
time  there  are  on  the  market  about  70  pictures  with  a run- 
ning time  of  over  100  minutes.  Before  the  year  is  over 
several  pictures  with  running  times  of  about  200  minutes 
will  open. 

As  in  many  other  things  here  is  a place  to  apply  the 
Golden  Rule.  Pictures  should  not  be  forced  into  any  arbi- 
trary “ideal”  length.  On  the  other  hand,  since  length  is  an 
important  factor  in  production  cost,  scripts  on  regular  pic- 
tures should  be  scrutinized  to  cut  excessive  length  before 
the  camera  rolls. 

■ a m 

Food  for  Thought: — In  1957  the  television  manufac- 
turing industry  expects  to  sell  5,000,000  black  and  white 
receivers,  plus  4,500,000  portable  TV  sets  and  500,000 
color  receivers,  according  to  Ross  D.  Siragusa,  president  of 
Admiral  Corp.  From  the  motion  picture  theatre  stand- 
point, most  significant  figures  from  now  on  will  be  those  for 
color  sets  and  for  portables.  Most  of  the  theatres  have 
already  felt  the  full  impact  of  black  and  white  television 
in  the  home. 


— Martin  Quigley,  Jr. 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD 


e> Letters  to  the  ^-J^herci id 


June  23,  1956 


We  Done  Him  Wrong 

To  the  Editor: 

Of  course  it  was  inadvertent  but  in 
the  caption  for  the  “High  Society”  scene 
still  in  last  week’s  HERALD  picture  sec- 
tion, who  was  miss- 
ing? Wonderful 
Louis  “Satchmo” 
Armstrong,  a big 
star  of  the  picture. 
Hope  you  can  put 
his  photo  in  the 
Gallery.  If  not 
you’ll  have  a flood 
of  letters  from  your 
far  - flung  interna- 
tional circulation. 
They  met  and  loved 
“Satchmo”  on  his 
widely  publicized 
world  tour  as  America’s  ambassador 
of  good  will  to  the  fans  of  the  world. 
— SILAS  F.  SEADLER,  Advertising  Man- 
ager, Loew’s  Inc.,  New  York. 


Appreciation 

To  the  Editor: 

My  thanks  and  appreciation  for  the  fine 
coverage  The  HERALD  gave  the  Para- 
mount stockholders’  meeting. 

I think  Floyd  Stone  did  a great  job  of 
photo  coverage,  and  I feel  that  your  con- 
cept of  handling  the  meeting  as  a story- 
in-pictures  was  a really  fine  and  most  un- 
usual editorial  approach. 

Again,  my  thanks  for  another  example 
of  the  “plus”  which  The  HERALD  so  often 
gets  into  its  pages. — JEROME  PICKMAN, 
Director  of  Advertising,  Publicity  and  Ex- 
ploitation, Paramount  Pictures  Corpora- 
tion, New  York. 


report  from  Japan 

To  the  Editor: 

In  Japan,  from  the  end  of  April  to  the 
beginning  of  May  we  have  festival  days 
quite  often,  namely,  April  29  is  the  Em- 
peror’s Birthday,  May  3 is  the  Constitution 
Day  and  May  5 is  the  Children’s  Day.  Be- 
sides these  festival  days  we  have  one  Sun- 
day during  this  period,  we  call  this  week 
“Golden  Week”  and  it  is  a rush  period 
next  to  the  New  Year’s  Vacation  for  movie 
business  men  like  us. 

Unfortunately  for  us  during  this  period 
in  this  year  the  weather  was  fine  every 
day,  so  many  people  went  to  the  suburbs 
for  hiking  or  to  visit  instead  of  seeing 
movies.  Consequently,  the  movie  drew  a 
very  poor  house  and  worse  than  week 
days.  About  the  problem  of  showing  hours 


which  limit  two  and  a half  hours  at  one 
time  as  I reported  in  the  last  letter,  the 
movie  Investigation  Committee  decided 
that  the  first  class  theatre  should  show 
less  than  two  and  a half  hours  and  the 
second  class  theatre  should  show  less  than 
three  and  a half  hours  at  one  time.  It  will 
be  effective  in  about  July  and  the  average 
of  showing  hours  will  be  about  three 
hours. 

It  means  that  it  will  be  almost  impos- 
sible to  show  three  movies  at  one  time 
at  any  theatre.  It  will  be  a problem  since 
the  audience  got  used  to  seeing  three  mov- 
ies at  one  time.— TOSHIO  MIYAMOTO, 
Mgr.,  Shinkoiwa  Movie  Theatre,  Tokyo, 
Japan. 

• 

Restraint 

To  the  Editor: 

Some  time  ago  I wrote  you  a somewhat 
outraged  letter  to  the  editor  on  the  rebut- 
tals made  to  a letter  appearing  in  The 
HERALD.  However,  I think  you  should  be 
commended  on  the  restraint  you  showed 
in  handling  the  letters  commenting  on 
your  May  5th  editorial  [What? — No  Smoke 
Oil!].  I suppose  that  if  you  did  not  get 
hot  under  the  collar  occasionally,  The 
HERALD  would  be  a less  interesting  jour- 
nal than  it  is. — ROBERT  E.  SCHREIBER, 
DeKaulb,  Illinois. 


THANKS  FOR  AWARD 

To  the  Editor: 

Please  accept  my  sincere  thanks 
tor  the  kind  telegraphic  congratula- 
tions which  you  sent  me  on  the  occa- 
sion of  my  winning  the  Quigley  Over- 
seas Award. 

This  appreciation  of  my  work  in  the 
service  of  international  motion  pic- 
ture showmanship  has  made  me  very 
happy  indeed,  and  to  me  it  is  a spur 
to  be  one  of  the  prize  winners  in  the 
years  to  come. 

Please  extend  my  gratitude  also  to 
the  members  and  judges  of  the 
awards  board.  I consider  their  recog- 
nition of  my  work  especialy  valuable 
since  your  committee  is  composed  of 
members  who  are  successful  and 
practiced  personages  in  all  fields  of 
the  motion  picture  industry.  I shall 
be  happy  to  make  more  documenta- 
tion of  our  showmanship  work  in  Ger- 
many available  to  you  in  the  future. 
— H.  G.  SCHENK,  Paramount  Films 
of  Germany,  Inc.,  Kaiserstrasse  48, 
Frankfurt  A.  M. 


Page 


CREDIT  CARD  system  is  big  busi- 
ness, but  not  for  films — yet  12 

MGM  PLUNGES  into  TV;  to  rent, 
make  TV  films,  seek  station  13 

KING  AND  I"  opens  on  Broadway 
June  28  at  Roxy  1 3 

NETWORKS  DEFEND  present  TV  set- 
up in  senate  hearing  14 

RKO  BUSINESS  abroad  shows  gain, 
reports  Branson  14 

TIME  FACTOR  seen  dimming  hope 
of  admission  tax  relief  16 

ALFRED  STARR  sees  worsening  of 
theatre  competition  16 

THREE  INDUSTRY  representatives 

see  bright  business  prospects  18 

ED  SULLIVAN,  friend  of  the  motion 
picture  industry  19 

ERIC  JOHNSTON  in  London  to  dis- 
cuss industry  trade  relations  20 

MGM  CONSOLIDATES  two  sales 
territories — Omaha,  Des  Moines  23 


SERVICE  DEPARTMENTS 


Refreshment  Merchandising  33 

Film  Buyers'  Rating  3rd  Cover 

Hollywood  Scene  21 

Managers'  Round  Table  29 

The  Winners'  Circle  22 

National  Spotlight  25 


IN  PRODUCT  DIGEST  SECTION 
Showmen's  Reviews  945 

Short  Subjects  947 

The  Release  Chart  948 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  Martin  Quigley,  Editor-in-Chiel 
and  Publisher;  Martin  Quigley,  Jr.,  Editor;  Raymond  Levy, 
Executive  Publisher;  James  D.  Ivers,  News  Editor;  Charles  S. 
Aaronson,  Production  Editor,-  Floyd  E.  Stone,  Photo  Editor; 
Ray  Gallagher,  Advertising  Manager;  Gus  H.  Fausel,  Production 
Manager.  Bureaus:  Hollywood,  Samuel  D.  Berns,  Manager; 

William  R.  Weaver,  Editor,  Yucca-Vine  Building,  Telephone 
HOIlywood  7-2145;  Chicago,  120  So.  LaSalle  St.,  Urben  Farley, 
Advertising  Representative,  Telephone  Financial  6-3074;  Wash- 
ington, J.  A.  Otten,  National  Press  Club;  London,  Hope 
Williams  Burnup,  Manager;  Peter  Burnup,  Editor;  William  Pay, 
News  Editor,  4 Bear  St.,  Leicester  Sq.  Correspondents  in  princi- 
pal capitals  of  the  world.  Member  Audit  Bureau  of  Circulations. 
Motion  Picture  Herald  is  published  every  Saturday  by  Quigley 
Publishing  Company,  Inc.,  Rockefeller  Center,  New  York  City  20. 
Telephone  Circle  7-3100;  Cable  address:  "Quigpubco,  New 
York",  Martin  Quigley,  President;  Martin  Quigley,  Jr.,  Vice- 
President;  Theo.  J.  Sullivan,  Vice-President  and  Treasurer; 
Raymond  Levy,  Vice-President,  Leo  J.  Brady,  Secretary.  Other 
Quigley  Publications:  Better  Theatres  and  Better  Refreshment 
Merchandising,  each  published  thirteen  times  a year  as  a section 
of  Motion  Picture  Herald;  Motion  Picture  Daily,  Television  Today, 
Motion  Picture  Almanac,  Television  Almanac,  Fame. 


Satchmo  Armstrong 


8 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  JUNE  23,  1956 


WHEN  AND  WHERE 


On  the  Olt 


onzon 


ZANUCKPACT  NEARS 

Several  giant  steps  nearer  to 
approval  of  Darryl  Zanuck's 
settlement  of  his  20th  Century- 
Fox  contract,  were  taken  when 
New  York  Supreme  Court  Justice 
Thomas  Aurelio  approved  the 
settlement  of  a suit  brought  by 
a group  of  minority  stockhold- 
ers who  had  opposed  releasing 
Zanuck  from  his  pact.  The  op- 
position group,  representing 
1,100  shares  of  20th-Fox  stock, 
has  claimed  insufficient  time 
to  study  the  ramifications  of 
Zanuck's  deal,  but  Justice  Au- 
relio stated  that  ample  time 
had  been  given.  The  contract 
was  declared  to  be  fair  and  rea- 
sonable. 

VAULT  VALUE 

With  modern  radio  detailing 
the  news  of  the  day  every  minute 
on  the  minute,  and  television 
repeating  it  every  hour  on  the 
hour,  the  newsreel  companies, 
in  their  looking  about  for  ways 
and  means  to  offset  this  usurpa- 
tion of  their  province,  might 
find  it  rewarding  to  dig  back 
into  the  vaults  of  yesteryear 
for  a look-see  at  some  copies  of 
"The  Pathe  Review"  and  its  con- 
temporary non-newsreels  that 
once  covered  well  and  profit- 
ably a field  of  audience  inter- 
est now  totally  neglected.  With 
only  the  slightest  change  of 
content,  if  indeed  any  change  at 
all,  the  newsreel  companies 
might  find  a brighter  land 
beyond  the  contracting  horizon 
of  these  over-newsed  days  by 
dropping  the  word  "news"  from 
their  names  in  favor  of  "maga- 
zine," "review,"  "digest"  and 
so  on.  Taken  as  a forward  step, 
the  change  could  prove  an  in- 
novation rating  promotional 
measures  beneficial  to  theatre 
interests  generally. 

"KONG"  SATURATION 

RKO's  "King  Kong,"  coupled 
with  "I  Walked  With  a Zombie" 
is  saturating  California  with 
116-date  bookings,  it  is  an- 
nounced by  Walter  Branson, 
RKO's  vice-president  in  charge 
of  world-wide  distribution. 
Similar  territorial  saturation 
releases  of  "King  Kong"  are  be- 
ing arranged  for  other  sections 
of  the  country,  according  to 


Mr.  Branson.  Each  area  will 
be  carefully  selected  with  an 
eye  for  the  greatest  grossing 
potential  for  each  period. 

STRONG  BOX  OFFICE 

The  energetic  promotion  ef- 
forts of  Bob  Hope,  including  his 
personal  appearance  stint  at 
the  Paramount  in  New  York,  were 
highly  praised  recently  by  Bar- 
ney Balaban,  Paramount  presi- 
dent, who  said  he  hoped  the  ex- 
ample set  by  Hope  was  one  that 
others  in  Hollywood  equally 
able  to  assist  in  the  launching 
and  sale  of  their  pictures  would 
emulate.  Mr.  Balaban  further 
stated  that  in  today's  market, 
special  efforts  are  required  to 
properly  merchandise  even  the 
most  outstanding  product,  and 
personal  appearances  by  stars 
do  much  to  swing  the  balance  in 
favor  of  a strong  boxoffice 
showing. 

GRANT  TO  CBC 

The  Canadian  Government  in  its 
1956-1957  estimates  has  an- 
nounced a grant  of  $12,000,000 
to  the  Canadian  Broadcasting 
Corporation  to  help  that  or- 
ganization meet  its  television 
deficit  this  year.  CBC  has  an- 
nounced a total  revenue  of  $35,- 
250,000  for  the  12  months. 

THOMSON  HEADS  SCOTS'  TV 

Scotland's  first  commercial 
station  will  be  operated  by 
Canada's  Roy  Thomson,  the  In- 
dependent Television  Authority 
has  announced.  Mr.  Thomson,  who 
is  chairman  of  Scottish  Tele- 
vision, Ltd.,  owns  five  radio  . 
and  two  TV-stations  in  Canada, 
as  well  as  25  newspapers  in  Can- 
ada, Florida  and  Great  Britain. 


NEW  "HERALD"  STYLE 


June  25:  Annual  golf  tournament  and  din- 
ner party  of  Albany  Variety  Club,  to  be 
held  at  Shaker  Ridge  Country  Club, 
Albany,  N.  Y. 

September  19-25:  Annual  convention  of 
Theatre  Owners  of  America,  in  conjunc- 
tion with  the  annual  convention  and 
trade  shows  of  the  Theatre  Equipment 
Dealers  Association  and  Theatre  Equip- 
ment and  Supply  Manufacturers  Associa- 
tion to  be  held  at  the  Coliseum,  New 
York  City. 

September  28-30:  Third  annual  national 
convention  of  the  Women  of  the  Motion 
Picture  Industry,  Dinkler-Plaza  Hotel, 
Atlanta. 

October  7-12:  80th  semi-annual  conven- 
tion of  the  Society  of  Motion  Picture  and 
Television  Engineers,  scheduled  to  be  in 
Los  Angeles. 

October  15-16:  Annual  regional  conven- 
tion of  Independent  Exhibitors  of  New 
England  and  The  Drive-In  Theatre  Asso- 
ciation of  New  England,  Winchendon, 
Mass. 

October  23-24:  Allied  Theatre  Owners  of 
Indiana,  meeting  at  the  Marott  Hotel, 
Indianapolis. 

October  28-30:  Annual  convention  of  the 
Motion  Picture  Theatre  Exhibitors  of 
Florida,  to  be  held  at  Roosevelt  Hotel, 
Jacksonville. 

November  24-28:  Allied  States  Association, 
Fall  board  meeting  and  annual  conven- 
tion, to  be  held  at  Statler  Hotel,  Dallas, 
Texas. 

November  25-27:  44th  annual  convention 
of  the  Theatre  Owners  of  North  and 
South  Carolina,  Hotel  Charlotte,  Char- 
lotte, N.  C. 

February  26-27:  Annual  Convention  of  the 
Kansas-Missouri  Theatre  Association, 
Pickwick  Hotel,  Kansas  City,  Mo. 


With  this  issue,  Motion  Picture  Herald  completes  a program  of  typo- 
graphical revision  for  the  purpose  of  making  its  pages  freshly  attractive 
and  more  easily  read.  The  scheme  is  modern  in  basis,  with  headings 
styled  and  spaced  for  a maximum  legibility.  Text  type  also  has  been 
changed  for  greater  legibility,  being  bolder  and  more  liberally  line- 
spaced than  heretofore.  The  result  in  type  selections,  and  in  page 
makeup  to  accord  with  them,  is  greater  visibility,  simplicity  and  order- 
liness so  that  items  of  interest  may  be  the  more  readily  discerned  and 
the  more  rapidly  read. 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  JUNE  23.  1956 


9 


d I 


THEY  CAN  DREAM.  No; 
it’s  not  Time's  Cover;  it’s 
the  cover  of  the  souvenir 
program  for  “Moby  Dick” 
at  the  New  Bedford  prem- 
iere next  Meek. 


NEW  YORK  press  and  broadcasting  writers  now  know 
more  about  matters  maritime — and  Universal’s 
‘'Away  All  Boats” — and  the  company’s  vice-president 
has  a citation.  At  the  Brooklyn  Navy  Yard,  below, 
featuring  the  all-day  outing  known  as  “junket”,  Cap- 
tain George  DeMetropoulis  hands  Charles  J.  Feldman 
the  award,  and  star  George  Nader,  left,  Matches. 


BACK  from  Asian  re- 
search on  Marlon 
Brando’s  “Tiger  on 
a Kite”,  writer  Stew- 
art Stern  and  pro- 
ducer George  Eng- 
lund  in  New  York 
urged  a broader 
Hollywood  outlook. 


by  The  Herald 


Ictured 


“THE  KING  AND  I” 
comes  Thursday  to 
New  York  (Roxy) 
and  Los  Angeles 
(Grauman’s  C h i - 
nese),  and  to  a wait- 
ing world.  Stars  Yul 
Brynner  and  Deb- 
orah Kerr  are  seen 
at  the  right  awaiting 
a final  scene. 


LOYD  FRANKLIN  is 
the  new  president  of 
the  New  Mexico  The- 
atre Association. 


id 


ALLIED  ARTISTS 
makes  Music  Hall.  Left, 
in  New  York,  Russell 
Downing,  president  of 
the  Hall,  signs  in  the 
presence  of  Morey 
Goldstein,  AA  vice-pres- 
ident, standing,  and 
sales  consultant  William 
F.  Rodgers,  for  “Friend- 
ly Persuasion”  to  open. 


wee 


l 


Some  sat  down 

. . . like,  for  in- 
stance, Mortimer 
Wormser  and  Irv- 
ing Moross  of  Co- 
lumbia, and  equip- 
ment dealer  Geo. 

Hornstein. 


Some  swam 

. . . Bernard  Lew- 
is, for  instance, 
newly  appointed 
ad-publicity  direc- 
tor for  Kingsley 
International. 


Some  played  cards 

. . . this  game 
shows  Lou  Fisch- 
ler,  Nat  Furst,  and 
Alex  Arnswalder. 


Everyone  relaxed 


. . . at  the  bar,  and 
seated  as  you  see 
some  of  them 
here,  Martin 
Schiff,  Herman 
SchefSer,  Tom 
Hayde,  and  Max 
Friedman. 


AND  THEY  GOLFED 

at  the  Vernon  Hills  Country  Club,  30  miles 
from  their  New  York  offices,  on  a sunny  96- 
degree  Thursday,  June  14.  An  annual  custom 
of  the  Cinema  Lodge,  B'nai  B'rith-  Bob 
Shapiro  presiding  host. 

(A  Herald  Report — Floyd  Stone) 


Irving  Dollinger,  Joe  Siccardi,  Jack 
Harris,  Sidney  Stern. 


George  Dembow,  Will  Fabrikant, 
Irving  Beyer,  Jack  Kerness. 


George  Trilling,  Ted  Ebenstein,  Herman  Ripps,  Max  A.  Cohen,  Nat 

Lou  Golding,  Ed  Seider.  Feldman,  Jack  Myers. 


. . . FOR  PRIZES 


LOW  GROSS:  Clem  Perry 


LOW  NET:  Leo  Jaffe 


NET  RUNNER-UP:  Chas.  Aaronson  DOOR  PRIZE:  Bob  Sherman. 


CREDIT  CARD  SYSTEM 
IS  BIG  BUSINESS , BUT 
NOT  FOR  FILMS— YET 


by  WALTER  BROOKS 

The  bits  and  pieces  of  the  colossal  puzzle 
which  is  “credit”  for  film  theatres  are  now 
on  the  table — but  putting  them  together  is 
the  trick  to  be  accomplished.  It  requires 
more  than  casual  observation,  or  cross- 
word puzzle  technique,  to  solve  this  per- 
plexing problem.  We  can  learn  much  from 
experience  in  other  lines — and  observe 
much,  to  be  avoided,  in  our  own  industry. 

Oldest,  and  by  far  the  largest  of  the 
credit  card  organizations  is  the  Diners’ 
Club,  founded  in  1950,  and  celebrating  the 
completion  of  its  sixth  fiscal  year  with  a 
full-page  ad  in  the  New  York  Times.  The 
club  has  nearly  300,000  members,  who  pay 
$5  per  year  for  the  privilege,  so  the  Diners’ 
Club  starts  with  $1,500,000  in  revenue  from 
card-holders. 

A Big  Operation 

And  that  is  only  the  beginning,  for  they 
are  handling  close  to  $5,000,000  per  month 
in  billings,  from  more  than  6,000  establish- 
ments, including  restaurants,  hotels,  auto- 
rentals, flowers,  gifts  and  other  sources, 
throughout  the  world.  They  charge  a flat 
seven  percent  fee  for  making  these  col- 
lections, and  it  is  really  big  business.  This 
year  they  will  collect  $60,000,000  in 
charges,  for  which  they  will  be  paid  $4,- 
200,000  in  fees,  in  addition  to  their  revenue 
from  card-holders. 

Ralph  E.  Schneider  was  the  founder,  and 
is  now  chairman  of  the  board  of  the  Diners’ 
Club.  Alfred  Bloomingdale  became  in- 
terested in  what  was  “just  an  idea” — and 
he  is  now  president.  It  is  a very  substan- 
tial banking  business,  for  like  all  the 
credit  clubs,  they  pay  bills  promptly,  and 
then  collect  from  their  members,  with  a 
very  small  percentage  of  loss.  Card  holders 
are  closely  examined  for  their  credit  stand- 
ing and  it  is  axiomatic  that  if  you  have  a 
Diners’  Club  card,  your  credit  will  be 
recognized  anywhere. 

Some  restaurants  object  to  paying  the 
seven  percent  fee  and  so,  when  you  pre- 
sent your  Diners’  Club  card,  the  proprie- 
tor will  edge  into  the  picture  and  offer 
you  credit  which  he  doesn’t  have  to  pay  to 
collect.  The  Club’s  attitude  toward  this 
practice  is  that  the  seven  percent  fee  is  a 
small  cost  item  for  “so  much  new  business, 
thrown  their  way.” 

A spokesman  for  Diners’  Club  told  The 
HERALD  that  they  had  a negative  attitude 
toward  film  theatres  and  film  tickets  as 
part  of  their  charge  service.  They  want 


O'Kfit  C«fd 


Trip  Chaise 

[na,ri»>«„e,r  MAfiCjj  35  ,955 


C\* 


u 

?! 

I 


Subject  to  torro*  ofxf  conditions 


on  rmm  tid* 


Trip  Charge,  a na- 
tional organization 
which  gains  its  mem- 
bers credit  almost 
any  place  from  ho- 
tels to  department 
stores  to  Cinerama 
tickets,  issues  a book- 
let, above,  to  mem- 
bers and  distributes 
placards,  right,  to 
places  of  business 
which  honor  the 
credit  cards. 


WE  HONOR 

ALL  MAJOR 

OIL  COMPANY 

CREDIT 

CARDS 

wf  are:  a J 

i Trip  Charge! 

MEMBER  CD/ 


only  accounts  with  members  who  have  in- 
comes of  $5,000  a year  and  up.  Their  mem- 
bers incur  bills  averaging  $20  per  month, 
while  the  national  level  for  film-goers  is 
closer  to  $20  per  year  for  film  tickets.  The 
Diners’  Club  takes  pride  in  its  service  in 
supplying  duplicate  bills  which  can  be 
used  for  income  tax  deductions  by  business 
men,  and  they  are  frankly  not  seeking 
business  at  the  film  theatre  level. 

They  formerly  had  a theatre  ticket 
service,  set  up  somewhat  differently  than 
their  usual  policy,  but  they  dropped  it, 
because  “it  was  too  much  trouble.”  Every- 
body wanted  the  sixth  row  in  the  orches- 
tra, for  only  the  best  shows — and  there 
were  too  many  complaints  about  “bad 
seats” — and  also  about  “bad  shows.” 

Another,  and  newer  credit  club  is  Trip 
Charge,  Inc.,  with  headquarters  in  Pitts- 
burgh. They  also  have  worldwide  lists 
where  you  may  charge  many  things,  in- 
cluding gasoline  and  theatre  tickets.  The 
company  is  said  to  be  “affiliated  with 
Cinerama” — which  likely  sprang  from 
their  Pittsburgh  home  office.  But  Cine- 
rama sells  tickets  on  a legitimate  theatre 
basis,  and  when  you  have  a $20,000,000 
gross  in  20  theatres,  you  have  something 
adaptable  to  credit  affiliations. 

In  New  York,  Trip  Charge  is  also  affil- 
iated with  LeBlang’s — which  used  to  be 
known  as  “the  cut  rate”  in  theatre  ticket 


sales.  Almost  any  ticket  broker  will  rec- 
ognize the  quality  of  your  credit  standing, 
if  you  have  a bundle  of  credit  cards  to 
offer,  but  he  will  send  his  own  bill — if  he 
knows  you  are  a good  customer. 

Trip  Charge  is  three  years  old,  and  has 
a good  list  of  places  where  the  credit  cards 
are  recognized.  It  claims  about  $8,000,000 
a year  in  billings,  plus  a $5  charge  for  each 
membership.  It  also  says  its  losses  are  less 
than  three-eighths  of  one  per  cent,  and 
that  is  really  low,  but  an  indication  of  the 
quality  of  their  credit  ratings. 

Of  course,  the  largest  number  of  credit 
cards  are  used  by  the  major  gasoline  com- 
panies, such  as  Gulf  Refining  Company,  as 
an  example.  There  are  millions  of  these 
cards  in  use,  because  it  is  a convenience 
and  a service  to  charge  gasoline  when  you 
are  driving,  anywhere  along  the  road.  You 
will  get  better  service,  and  the  filling  sta- 
tion operator  will  respect  your  credit 
standing.  The  card  is  useful  identification 
in  many  places,  where  you  may  need  it, 
en  route. 

Differs  from  Banking 

But  this  is  somewhat  different  than  a 
banking  business.  The  local  dealer  has  no 
interest  at  all  in  your  possible  failure  to 
pay,  for  he  is  guaranteed  credit  against  his 
wholesale  purchases  of  gasoline,  using 
your  credit  sales  slip  as  cash.  Very  little 
cash  changes  hands — it  is  all  trading  in 
gasoline  between  the  retail  and  the  whole- 
sale level.  The  credit  card  clubs  say  that 
there  is  a much  higher  percentage  of  loss 
in  gasoline  cards  than  is  true  in  such  or- 
ganizations as  Diners’  Club  or  Trip  Charge. 

The  Wall  Street  Journal  has  estimated 
there  are  25,000,000  persons  holding  credit 
cards  of  one  kind  or  another.  A Sheraton 
Hotels,  or  Hilton,  credit  card,  issued  to  an 
individual,  is  good  for  credit  almost  any- 
where, in  any  line  of  business.  You  not 
only  get  credit  at  department  stores,  on  a 
charge-and-send  basis,  when  you  are  far 
from  home,  but  you  get  deferential  treat- 
ment, as  a preferred  customer,  desirable  to 
those  who  recognize  the  quality  of  your 
credit  rating. 

The  concensus  of  opinion,  among  the 
credit  clubs,  is  that  the  extension  of  their 
service  to  film  theatres  is  not  desirable.  A 
spokesman  for  the  Diners’  Club  says  that 
they  already  have  turned  down  the  ap- 
proach by  film  industry  people  for  any- 
thing inclusive  in  their  books.  The  credit 
manager  of  Diners’  Club  says,  “In  view  of 
its  vast  experience  in  the  credit  field,  to 
reject  any  kind  of  transaction  with  film 
industry,  on  the  grounds  that  the  cost  of 
handling  small  charges  would  not  be 
profitable  to  either  party.  A holder  of  a 
Diners’  Club  card  has  automatic  credit  in 
6,000  places,  around  the  world,  and  it 
works — perfectly.  They  are  meticulously 
correct  about  details,  and  provide  ample 
cooperation  with  clients.  Last  year,  Trip 
Charge  was  credited  with  a “deal”  for 
credit  in  the  Fanchon-Marco  Theatres,  but 
on  a 10  per  cent  instead  of  the  usual  seven 
per  cent  basis — probably  to  cover  the  in- 
creased risk  with  smaller  charges.  Nothing 
has  been  heard  of  this,  recently. 


12 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  JUNE  23,  1956 


MGM  Plunges  Into  TV:  to  Rent, 
Make  TV  Films,  Seek  Station 


AFTER  weeks  of  consideration  of  various  offers,  the  board  of  directors  of  Loew’s  Inc. 
this  week  decided  to  make  its  library  of  770  pre-1949  talking  pictures  and  900  short 
subjects  available  to  television  on  a rental  basis  through  its  own  soon-to-be  organ- 
ized television  distribution  set-up. 


Following  the  board  meeting  in  New 
York  Wednesday,  Arthur  M.  Loew,  presi- 
dent, announced  that  the  company  will 
itself  enter  the  TV  field  and  will  negotiate 
directly  with  the  many  stations  throughout 
the  United  States  and  Canada  as  well  as  in 
other  areas  which  have  adopted  commer- 
cial TV. 

He  indicated  also  that  station  ownership 
would  be  sought. 

The  company  expects  to  be  ready  to  talk 
deals  with  stations  within  several  weeks 
and  to  have  the  films  ready  for  showing  in 
the  fall. 

The  MGM  decision  follows  by  just  one 
month  the  decision  of  20th  Century-Fox  to 
make  available  to  television  a block  of  52 
films  for  distribution,  on  long-term  lease, 
through  National  Telefilm  Associates.  In 
deciding  to  handle  its  own  films  in  TV 
contracts,  Loew’s  thus  is  following  the  lead 
taken  by  Allied  Artists  and  Columbia  Pic- 
tures, both  of  whom  handle  the  business 
through  specially  organized  subsidiary 
firms.  Sold  outright  to  TV  interests  were 
the  libraries  of  Warner  Brothers  and  RKO 
Radio  Pictures. 

For  some  months  the  industry  has  been 
speculating  on  the  disposition  of  the  MGM 
product.  Offers  made  to  the  company  in- 
cluded outright  sales  of  negatives  as  well 
as  propositions  to  lease  the  films  for  long- 
term periods.  While  the  cash  amounts  and 
percentage  offers  were  said  to  be  “substan- 
tial and  consistent  with  the  success  that 
attended  the  theatrical  presentation  of  the 
films,”  the  board  decided  that  the  company 
would  be  well  advised  to  enter  the  tele- 
vision distribution  field  on  its  own  so  that 
it  could  exploit  every  facet  and  obtain  the 
greatest  amount  of  revenue. 

To  Produce  for  TV 

Mr.  Loew  also  announced  that  MGM 
activities  will  extend  to  new  productions 
especially  produced  for  television,  with  the 
first  productions  planned  for  the  1957-58 
season.  This  would  be  in  addition  to  and 
separate  from  any  MGM  television  show 
on  the  order  of  the  MGM  Parade,  the  ill- 
fated  ABC-TV  presentation  designed  to 
promote  MGM  theatrical  features  and 
made  up  principally  of  old  MGM  shorts 
and  clips  from  old  features.  The  show 
went  off  the  air  last  month,  at  which  time 
the  company  said  it  hoped  to  be  back  on 
the  air  in  the  fall  with  a new  format. 

That  the  company  plans  to  enter  tele- 


vision whole-heartedly  in  the  future  was 
further  evidenced  by  Mr.  Loew’s  post- 
board meeting  statement  that  Loew’s  in- 
tends to  acquire  TV  station  ownership. 

Within  the  coming  months  an  MGM  TV 
distribution  organization  capable  of  nego- 
tiating in  all  cities  where  stations  are  lo- 
cated will  be  set  up  under  Charles  C. 
Barry,  vice-president  in  charge  of  the  com- 
pany’s TV  operations  and,  prior  to  his 
joining  MGM,  a network  vice-president 
and  program  executive.  Richard  Harper, 
a member  of  the  MGM  sales  department, 
will  assist  Mr.  Barry  in  this  activity. 

Among  the  feature  pictures  are  The 
Yearling,  Easter  Parade,  Mrs.  Miniver, 
Random  Harvest,  Gaslight,  National 
Velvet,  The  Great  Ziegfeld,  Boys  Town, 
Good-Bye  Mr.  Chips,  Wizard  of  Oz,  The 
Big  House,  Grand  Hotel,  Min  and  Bill, 
The  Merry  Widow,  Valley  of  Decision. 
San  Francisco,  Mutiny  on  the  Bounty, 
Meet  Me  in  St.  Louis,  Boom  Town,  The 
Good  Earth,  Little  Women,  Three  Mus- 
keteers, David  Copperfield,  Treasure  Is- 
land, and  A Tale  of  Two  Cities. 

A selected  number  of  pictures  will  be 
available  for  presentation  as  spectaculars 
on  the  networks.  Others,  such  as  the 
Hardy  Family  pictures  and  the  Dr.  Kildare 
series,  will  be  rented  in  groups. 

The  MGM  announcement  concluded  with 
the  statement  that  “with  its  own  product 
under  its  own  control,  MGM  can  appraise 
each  local  situation  and  consider  its  rela- 
tion to  its  regular  business  of  production 
and  distribution  for  theatres.” 


TV'S  BOX  SCORE 

With  this  week's  announcement  that 
Loews'  ,lnc.,  was  making  available  to 
television  its  library  of  770  pre-1949 
talking  pictures,  a total  of  2,628  first 
class  Hollywood  feature  films  have 
been  turned  TV's  way  in  the  last  six 
months.  The  following  is  a company- 
by-company  breakdown  of  that  total: 


Allied  Artists  26 

Columbia  Pictures  104 

Loew's  770 

Republic  76 

RKO  Radio  740 

Selznick  10 

20th-Fox  52 

Warners  850 

TOTAL  2,628 


" King  and  I " 

To  Be  Shown 
On  Broadway 

A major  cross-section  of  the  press  and 
motion  picture  industry  will  see  Rodgers 
and  Hammerstein’s  “The  King  and  I”  in 
CinemaScope  55,  when  20th  Century-Fox 
shows  the  Darryl  F.  Zanuck  presentation 
at  a special  screening  on  the  morning  of 
June  28  at  the  Roxy  theatre,  New  York. 
Invited  to  the  showing  will  be  the  staffs 
of  newspapers,  wire  services  and  syndi- 
cates, magazine  writers  and  critics,  their 
publishers,  as  well  as  radio  and  television 
representatives  of  the  networks  and  local 
stations. 

Also  scheduled  to  attend  the  picture’s 
first  showing  will  be  leading  exhibitors, 
their  associates  and  top  distribution  ex- 
ecutives from  the  home  offices  and  ex- 
changes in  the  metropolitan  and  surround- 
ing areas.  It  is  expected  that  theatre  men 
in  the  Philadelphia,  Washington,  Albany, 
Boston  and  New  Haven  exchange  centers 
will  also  journey  to  New  York  to  witness 
the  showing  of  the  company’s  second  Cin- 
emaScope 55  feature  for  the  year. 

“The  King  and  I,”  which  was  produced 
by  Charles  Brackett  and  directed  by  Wal- 
ter Lang  from  a screenplay  by  Ernest  Leh- 
man, will  open  at  the  Roxy  the  night  of 
June  28  with  a benefit  opening  for  the 
Police  Athletic  League.  Deborah  Kerr  and 
Yul  Brynner  head  the  cast. 

Twelve  top  Hollywood  stars,  including 
Gregory  Peck,  Susan  Hayward,  Richard 
Widmark  and  Rhonda  Fleming,  will  ap- 
pear in  a salute  to  the  film  on  the  Ed 
Sullivan  Show  on  CBS-TV,  Sunday,  June 
24.  The  dozen  personalities,  to  be  featured 
in  a 10-minute  filmed  segment,  will  be 
joined  in  the  festivities  by  the  UCLA 
Choral  Group  singing  one  of  the  songs 
from  the  20th  Century-Fox  production. 


Quits  "Old  Man" 

Leland  Hayward,  producer,  and  Fred 
Zinnemann,  director  of  Warners’  “The  Old 
Man  and  the  Sea,”  from  the  Ernest  Hem- 
ingway novel,  have  announced  that  Mr. 
Zinnemann  is  quitting  the  picture  on  an 
amicable  basis.  A new  director  will  be 
announced  when  production  is  resumed  at 
Warners  now  that  location  shots  in  Cuba 
are  completed.  , 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  JUNE  23,  1956 


13 


Networks  Defend  the 
Present  TV  System 


. . . Sarnoff,  Kintner  and  other 
affiliate,  TV-film  executives  tell 
Senate  committee  public  is  best 
served  as  TV  is  now 

WASHINGTON : The  Senate  Interstate 

and  Foreign  Commerce  Committee  this 
week  wound  up  the  network  phase  of  its 
over-all  investigation  into  television  broad- 
casting practices.  The  emphasis  in  most  of 
the  testimony  by  representatives  of  the 
networks  and  of  their  affiliates  was  on  the 
virtue  inherent  in  what  Robert  W.  Sarnoff, 
National  Broadcasting  Company  president, 
called  the  “whole  delicate  balance  of  net- 
work advertising,  affiliation  relationships 
and  service  to  the  public.” 

Executives  Testify 

Other  star  witnesses  included: 

Robert  E.  Kintner,  president  of  the 
American  Broadcasting  Company,  who  de- 
clared that  only  through  the  allocation  of 
more  TV  stations  to  create  a greater  com- 
petition within  the  industry  would  the 
“alleged  monopolistic  practices”  disappear; 

John  S.  Hayes,  president  of  WTOP-TV, 
Washington,  and  WMBR-TV,  Jacksonville, 
who,  as  one  of  the  spokesman  for  CBS-TV 
affiliated  stations,  said  that  “television  net- 
working and  affiliate-network  relation- 
ships are  operating  to  the  advantage  of 
the  public.  We  do  not  believe  our  critics 
have  proven  otherwise”; 

Ely  A.  Landau,  president  of  National 
Telefilm  Associates,  who  called  the  situa- 
tion today  “monopoly  by  default  . . . sired, 
fostered  and  perpetuated  by  the  Federal 
Communications  Commission,  the  only 
agency  authorized  by  law  to  rectify  the 
situation,”  and 

Donald  H.  McGannon,  vice-president  of 
Westinghouse  Broadcasting  Corporation, 
who  defended  the  use  of  network  option 
time  and  the  right  of  networks  to  own 
stations,  and  also  strongly  opposed  Federal 
licensing  of  TV  networks. 

No  Federal  Control 

Not  one  of  the  witnesses  who  testified 
proposed  anything  resembling  Federal 
control  as  a cure  for  TV  problems.  As 
NBC’s  Mr.  Sarnoff  warned:  the  industry’s 
vital  objective  of  developing  the  maximum 
number  of  stations  should  not  be  obscured 
or  diverted  by  attacks  on  network  opera- 
tions. If  these  attacks  should  lead  to  re- 
strictions of  network  operations  through 
Government  regulation,  he  said,  “the 
whole  delicate  balance  of  network  adver- 
tising, affiliation  relationships  and  service 
to  the  public  could  be  upset. 

“Moreover,”  he  continued,  “various 


types  of  regulation  which  have  been  pro- 
posed could  not  be  effected  without  regu- 
lating advertisers.  Such  a step  would  raise 
the  most  serious  problems  not  only  for 
television,  but  for  the  American  enterprise 
system.” 

The  NBC  president’s  38-page  statement 
included  the  first  public  report  by  any 
television  network  of  its  annual  sales  and 
income  figures.  These  revealed  that  in  its 
first  eight  years,  from  1947  through  1954, 
NBC-TV  incurred  a cumulative  loss  of 
more  than  $4,000,000.  Only  in  1955  did  the 
network  achieve  a cumulative  net  profit — 
which  amounted  to  $2,315,000,  or  less  than 
one-half  of  one  per  cent  of  the  cumulative 
net  sales  for  the  nine  years  of  the  net- 
work’s operation. 

Aids  Independents 

The  NBC-TV  network,  Mr.  Sarnoff  said, 
presents  annually  6,500  different  programs, 
serves  200  stations  and  does  business  with 
over  200  advertisers  of  all  types  and  sizes. 
He  also  testified  that  NBC  produces  less 
than  one-third  of  the  programs  in  its 
schedule,  and  instead  of  stifling  indepen- 
dent production,  encourages  it.  Other  high- 
lights in  his  testimony:  between  80  and  90 
per  cent  of  total  network  hours  are  live 
shows,  and  only  through  a network  system 
can  these  shows  be  broadcast  on  a national 
basis;  NBC’s  share  of  all  national  adver- 
tising revenue  in  1955  was  2.7  per  cent;  its 
share  of  all  television  advertising  revenue 
was  21.7  per  cent. 

ABC’s  Mr.  Kintner  called  for  a “strong 
Congressional  mandate  to  the  FCC,  not 
only  to  speed  up  the  granting  of  television 
stations  already  allocated,  but  also  to  de- 
vise new  allocations,  whereby  three,  four 
or  five  competitive  stations  can  be  estab- 
lished in  the  larger  markets  of  the  coun- 
try.” Regarding  option  time,  Mr.  Kintner 
said  “it  is  absolutely  essential  that  any 
network  have  reasonable  assurance  that  its 
programs  can  be  broadcast  in  various  parts 
of  the  country  in  prime  time.  Unless  this 
assurance  can  be  given  the  advertiser,  we 
cannot  obtain  the  revenue  necessary  to 
finance  our  investment  and  overhead.” 

Mr.  Landau,  like  Mr.  Kintner,  put  much 
of  the  blame  for  today’s  troubles  on  the 
FCC.  If  there  is  only  one  station  in  a 
market,  the  NTA  president  said,  people 
watch  that  station  or  they  don’t  watch 
television.  By  the  same  token  advertisers 
must  buy  time  on  that  station  or  they 
don’t  cover  the  market.  At  the  same  time, 
he  continued,  advertising  rates  in  smaller, 
one-station  markets  tend  to  go  up  beyond 
their  worth  because  of  the  lack  of  com- 
petition. The  networks  simply  are  taking 
advantage  of  a situation  not  of  their  own 


RKO  Business 
Gains  Abroad: 
Branson 

RKO’s  business  abroad  will  show  “a  sub- 
stantial increase  over  last  year,”  it  was 
predicted  by  Walter  Branson,  vice-presi- 
dent in  charge  of  worldwide  distribution, 
returning  from  a month’s  trip  to  RKO 
offices  in  Great  Britain  and  on  the  Conti- 
nent. “There  has  always  been  enthusiasm 
among  our  foreign  sales  staffs  and  now  we 
are  beginning  a period  of  a continuous 
flow  of  top-grade  product  from  our  own 
studio,”  Mr.  Branson  said.  “During  the 
past  year  business  has  continued  to  be 
big,”  he  added,  pointing  to  the  pace-setting 
grosses  of  Howard  Hughes’  “The  Con- 
queror” wherever  it  has  played.  “With  the 
excitement  this  box  office  picture  has 
sparked,”  he  said,  “we  are  now  going  to 
follow  quickly  with  such  new  productions 
as  ‘The  First  Traveling  Saleslady,’  ‘Back 
from  Eternity,’  ‘While  the  City  Sleeps,' 
‘Tension  at  Table  Rock,’  ‘Beyond  a Reas- 
onable Doubt’  and  ‘The  Brave  One.’ 

Business  in  general,  as  observed  by  Mr. 
Branson,  “is  similar  in  some  respects  to 
the  way  it  is  in  this  country.  Where  there 
is  commercial  television,  such  as  in 
England,  the  movie  box  office  tends  to  be 
less  active.  But  there  is  still  a great  in- 
terest among  the  public  in  films.” 


creation  and  are  following  a course  of 
action  any  businessman  would  take  under 
similar  circumstances,  he  said. 

Cite  Freedom 

All  the  spokesmen  for  the  CBS-TV 
affiliates  testified  to  their  relative  freedom 
of  action  in  programming  and  denied  any 
network  “dictatorship”  over  their  policies. 
Rex  Howell,  president  of  KREX-TV, 
Grand  Junction,  Colo.,  said  his  small  sta- 
tion might  not  be  in  business  today  were 
it  not  for  “the  existence  of  networks  oper- 
ating in  the  present  pattern.” 

Under  questioning,  Mr.  McGannon  of 
Westinghouse  admitted  his  company  had 
been  forced  to  sell  its  Philadelphia  TV 
station  to  NBC  under  threat  of  loss  of  the 
station’s  NBC  affiliation.  He  said  NBC  had 
indicated  to  Westinghouse  that  it  wanted 
a TV  outlet  in  Philadelphia  and  would 
withdraw  its  affiliation  from  the  Westing- 
house station  unless  it  were  permitted  to 
buy  it.  Since  $5,000,000  of  the  $8,500,000 
which  Westinghouse  had  given  for  the 
station  was  figured  to  be  the  value  of  its 
NBC  affiliation,  Westinghouse  was  forced 
to  let  NBC  have  the  station  in  return  for 
another  NBC  station  in  another  city,  he 
said. 

Hearings  covering  additional  phases  of 
the  committee’s  investigation  will  be  held 
either  next  week  or  the  week  after,  a com- 
mittee spokesman  indicated  Wednesday. 


14 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  JUNE  23,  1956 


M.  P.  Herald 


in  the  Full-length  Productio 

in  GOiOJtoS 


A PRE  SOLD  SPY  THRILLER! 


Produced,  Written  and  Directed  by 


“Plot  source,  Mitchum’s  and  Reynold’s  name, 
color  and  locale  should  guarantee  patronage 
and  spectator  satisfaction!”  -box  office 


“Nerve-tingler!  Fan-pleasing!  Seethes  with 
intrigue,  mayhem  and  mystery!” 

-FILM  DAILY 


“Engrossing!  Good  prospect!” 

-FILM  BULLETIN 


“Good  spy  stuff!  Suspense!”  -variety 


“Potentialities  of  being  a top  favorite  at  the 
boxoffice!”  -m.  p.  daily 


‘Good  boxoffice  potential!  Viewers  of  all  ages 
should  find  enough  here  to  keep  them  in- 
terested and  entertained!” 

—M.  P.  EXHIBITOR 


“Mitchum  never  looked  or  acted  better!” 

-HOLLYWOOD  REPORTER 


GENEVIEVE  PAGE- INGRID  TULEAN  „«h  FREDERICK  O'BRADY-  EUGENE  DECKER  -JOHN  PADOVANO-  i.  EASTMAN  COLOR 

Produced,  Written  and  Directed  by 

SHELDON  REYNOLDS 


I Now  Playing  To  Smash  Business! 


UA 


Time  Factor  Dimming 
Hope  of  Tax  Relief 


. . . Washington  observers  see 
little  chance  this  year  but  predict 
easy  passage  at  next  session  of 
Congress 

by  J.  A.  OTTEN 

WASHINGTON:  The  chances  of  admission 
tax  relief  next  year  are  quite  good  but 
the  outlook  for  this  session  of  Congress  is 
now  very  dim.  This  is  the  off-the-record, 
private  admission  of  key  members  of  the 
House  Ways  and  Means  committee. 

The  situation  still  could  change  suddenly 
this  year,  although  it  seems  unlikely.  The 
present  outlook  is  a product  of  several 
factors:  the  lateness  of  the  session,  with 
time  rapidly  running  out  on  any  possibility 
of  moving  controversial  legislation  such 
as  admissions  tax  relief;  the  continued 
opposition  of  the  Administration  to  any 
major  tax  reduction;  and  the  slowness 
with  which  the  House  Ways  and  Means 
committee  has  been  moving  this  year  on 
all  tax  bills. 

Technical  Bill  Ready 

The  industry  originally  had  hoped  to  get 
an  admissions  tax  cut  added  to  a compre- 
hensive bill  making  dozens  of  technical 
changes,  in  Federal  excise  tax  laws.  The 
Ways  and  Means  committee  has  completed 
its  initial  consideration  of  this  subject  and 
is  now  waiting  for  Congressional  drafting 
experts  to  put  the  committee’s  decisions 
into  bill  form. 

Committee  officials  say  before  the  bill  is 
ready  and  a committee  report  is  prepared 
on  the  measure,  it  would  be  early  July  at 
the  soonest  that  there  would  be  House 
floor  voting.  That  is  just  too  late,  they  say, 
to  expect  the  Senate  to  consider  such  a 
comprehensive  bill  before  Congress  ad- 
journs late  in  July.  So,  they  add,  the  tech- 
nical excise  bill  may  pass  the  House,  but 
will  go  no  farther. 

In  addition,  there  is  still  the  question  of 
whether  an  admissions  tax  could  be  added 
to  this  bill.  Chairman  Cooper  (D.,  Tenn.), 
who  is  not  very  enthusiastic  about  cutting 
the  admissions  tax  this  year,  already  has 
ruled  out  of  order  a move  to  cut  the  ad- 
missions tax  as  an  amendment  to  the  bill. 
Another  attempt  will  be  made  to  add  such 
an  amendment  when  the  committee  goes 
over  the  bill  again,  but  several  members 
of  the  committee  say  it  will  face  tough 
going. 

Failure  to  add  the  admissions  tax  cut  to 
the  general  excise  changes  bill  or  failure 
of  that  bill  to  go  anywhere  would  still 
leave  the  alternative  of  trying  to  get  ad- 
missions tax  relief  enacted  as  a separate 


measure.  But  committee  members  again 
say  privately  that  the  outlook  for  this  is 
not  too  good,  either. 

Committee  members  have  been  asked  to 
submit  a list  of  three  or  four  bills  they 
would  like  the  committee  to  vote  on  when 
it  gets  around  to  holding  a session  on 
members’  bills  soon.  Rep.  King  (D.,  Calif.), 
it  was  learned,  has  included  on  his  list  his 
bill  to  make  the  10  per  cent  admissions  tax 
apply  only  to  that  portion  of  the  admis- 
sions charge  over  $1. 

But  again  the  questions  arise  whether 
the  committee  will  approve  Mr.  King’s  bill 
or,  if  it  should  be  approved,  whether  it  is 
not  too  late  in  the  session  for  the  bill  to  go 
any  farther.  Chairman  Cooper  is  taking 
his  time  in  scheduling  the  committee  meet- 
ing on  members’  bills,  and  it  will  be  late 
this  month  or  next  month  before  the  bill 
comes  to  a vote.  If,  as  expected,  the  Treas- 
ury opposes  the  measure,  it  would  stand 
little  chance  of  passing  Congress  so  late  in 
the  year. 

This  week,  Treasury  secretary  Hum- 
phrey restated  his  “firm  conviction”  that 
tax  cuts  should  not  be  voted  this  year.  He 
did  this  in  testimony  before  the  Ways  and 
Means  committee  on  boosting  the  Federal 
debt  ceiling.  He  said  that  “not  only  is 
there  an  insufficient  surplus  this  year,  but 
the  figures  for  next  year  are  sufficiently 
uncertain”  that  tax  cuts  should  be  ruled 
out  this  session. 

New  Bill  Introduced 

While  members  of  Congress  concede  that 
the  outlook  for  tax  relief  this  year  is  now 
very  poor,  they  hasten  to  add  that  the  in- 
dustry’s tax  relief  campaign  has  not  been 
completely  in  vain.  The  campaign,  they 
say,  probably  has  laid  the  ground  for  a 
more  successful  drive  for  tax  relief  next 
year. 

Meanwhile,  Senator  Beall  (R.,  Md.)  an- 
nounced last  week  he  has  introduced  a bill 
to  remove  the  admissions  tax  and  other 
“killjoy  taxes.”  He  said  it  was  “completely 
incongruous”  for  the  government  to  pro- 
mote widespread  recreation  programs,  and 
at  the  same  time  maintain  taxes  that  kill 
recreation  opportunities.  His  bill  would 
remove  taxes  on  admissions,  club  dues, 
sporting  goods,  playing  cards  and  other 
recreation  items. 


Warners  Sets  Dividend 

At  a special  meeting  of  the  board  of  di- 
rectors of  Warner  Bros.  Pictures,  Inc.,  held 
June  20,  a dividend  of  30  cents  per  share 
was  declared  on  its  common  stock,  payable 
August  4,  1956  to  stockholders  of  record 
July  13. 


Competition  to 
Theatre  Cited 
By  Starr 

NASHVILLE:  Asking  if  the  motion  pic- 
ture theatre  is  outmoded,  Alfred  Starr, 
chairman  of  the  executive  committee  of 
the  Theatre  Owners  of  America,  told  the 
delegates  to  the  annual  meeting  of  the 
Tennessee  Theatre  Owners  Association  last 
week  that  the  situation  has  become  worse 
since  last  year. 

“More  TV  stations,  more  sets  (particu- 
larly cheaper  color  sets),  better  program- 
ming, with  improvements  such  as  wall 
projection,  are  all  coming  just  as  sure  as 
tomorrow  is  coming,”  he  said.  “Added  to 
this  condition  is  the  seriousness  of  the  sale 
of  film  libraries  to  TV,  forced  by  stock- 
holders’ demands  for  quick  profits.  How- 
ever, the  blow  that  almost  broke  our  backs 
was  the  U.S.  Treasury  Department  accept- 
ance of  these  sales  as  capital  gains. 

On  Subscription  TV 

“Another  thing  facing  us,”  he  added, 
“is  subscription  TV,  which,  if  allowed,  will 
eliminate  the  exhibitor  as  a competitor, 
even  for  new  motion  picture  film.  The 
battle  is  far  from  being  won.  An  effort 
will  be  made  after  the  general  election  this 
Fall  to  license  Toll  TV  on  a trial  basis,”  he 
said. 

Commenting  on  the  Warner  Bros,  sale, 
Mr.  Starr  said,  “we  are  hopeful  and  it  is 
most  important  that  the  transaction  fall 
into  the  hands  of  Si  Fabian.  Our  ace  in  the 
hole  is  in  the  fact  that  the  large  divorced 
circuits,  who  have  enormous  investments, 
must  survive.  If  Warners  falls  into  the 
wrong  hands,  there  is  a possibility  of  a 
direct  liquidation  to  TV  interests  and 
another  producer  will  be  gone,”  he  added. 
Claude  C.  Mundo,  administrative  assistant 
to  the  president,  said,  “too  much  negative 
thinking  was  in  no  way  helping  the  indus- 
try to  solve  its  problems  but  creative  and 
positive  thinking  would  ultimately  open 
the  way  for  exhibitors  to  improve  their 
box  office  take.” 

Also  at  the  meeting,  the  organization 
authorized  J.  Morton  Tune,  its  president, 
to  employ  a full  time  executive  secretary 
as  Tennessee  became  the  tenth  state  to 
provide  for  a special  committee  to  protect 
in  every  way  possible  the  interest  of 
theatre  owners,  particularly  in  tax  matters 
in  both  Congress  and  the  state  legislature. 


Ruff  Acquires  Franchise 

Edward  Ruff  Film  Associates,  Inc.,  Bos- 
ton, Mass.,  has  acquired  the  franchise  for 
the  New  England  territory  of  Astor  Pic- 
tures, the  firm  announces.  According  to 
Mr.  Ruff,  the  move  gives  him  the  entire 
backlog  of  Astor  product  for  theatrical  re- 
lease in  the  New  England  States. 


16 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  JUNE  23,  1956 


Through  the  keyhole 
. . and  how  Alice  got  there 


How  to  treat  a body  as  so  much  smoke . . . 
thread  it  through  a keyhole . . . materialize 
it  as  a living,  breathing  human  being.  A 
trick  of  course . . . compounded  in  optical 
and  processing  departments  to  confound 
and  charm  the  public . . . developed  by  an 
industry  that  never  fails  to  entertain.  To  aid 
in  solving  problems  such  as  this,  Kodak 
provides  Eastman  Motion  Picture  Film  for 
every  purpose . . . maintains  the  Eastman 
Technical  Service  for  Motion  Picture  Film. 


Motion  Picture  Film  Department 

EASTMAN  KODAK  COMPANY 

Rochester  4,  N.  Y. 


Divisions  at  strategic  centers,  inquiries  invited. 


West  Coast  Division 
6706  Santa  Monica  Blvd. 
Hollywood  38,  California 


Midwest  Division 

1 30  East  Randolph  Drive 
Chicago  1 , Illinois 


East  Coast  Division 
342  Madison  Avenue 
New  York  17,  N.  Y. 


SILVER  LINING  BRIGHTENS  FUTURE 


This  week  there  were  from  the  three 
branches  of  the  industry  three  specific, 
significant  reports,  upbeat  in  nature  and 
perhaps  more  indicative  of  future  pros- 
pects than  other,  better  publicized  reports. 
Among  those  speaking: 

Distributor  Max  Youngstein,  vice-presi- 
dent of  United  Artists,  who  announced  in 
New  York  Tuesday  that  his  company  will 
maintain  a release  schedule  of  at  least 
four  pictures  a month  for  the  remainder 
of  the  year,  maintaining  the  release  pace 
set  last  year  when  52  pictures  were  re- 
leased. 

Producer  Herman  King,  vice-president 
of  King  Brothers  Productions,  independent 
production  organization,  who  revealed 
New  York  this  week  that  his  organization 
will  invest  close  to  $10,000,000  in  six  pic- 
tures for  RKO  Radio  release  within  the 
next  two  years;  and 

Exhibitor  Robert  J.  O’Donnell,  general 
manager  for  Interstate  Theatres  of  Texas, 
passing  through  New  York  last  week,  re- 
ported a reversal  in  the  slack  box  office 
trend  and  that  as  a result  of  the  comple- 
tion of  school  terms  and  the  better  prod- 
uct available,  theatre  business  through- 
out the  southwest  has  taken  an  upward 
surge  in  recent  weeks. 

Mr.  Youngstein  made  his  announcement 
just  prior  to  leaving  New  York  for  Holly- 
wood, where  he  is  to  cooperate  with  pro- 
ducers releasing  through  United  Artists  on 
plans  for  distribution  of  new  product  and 
advancement  of  production  plans  for  other 
films.  The  company’s  release  schedule,  he 


said,  calls  for  three  to  five  pictures  a 
month  during  the  last  half  of  the  year. 
Last  year’s  average  of  four  films  per 
month  continued  through  the  first  half  of 
this  year,  Mr.  Youngstein  said,  giving 
United  Artists  the  largest  release  sched- 
ule in  the  industry. 

“We  at  United  Artists,”  he  observed, 
“are  optimistic.  We  had  a record  year  last 
year  and  we  are  out  to  surpass  it  this  year. 
We  think  that  a steady  flow  of  product, 
aggressively  merchandised  and  enthusias- 
tically exploited  is  the  way  to  do  it.” 

King  Is  Optimistic 

Some  of  the  same  optimism  was  ex- 
pressed by  Mr.  King,  in  New  York  for 
merchandising  conferences  for  his  latest 
production,  “The  Brave  Ones.”  He  dis- 
closed that  following  merchandising  con- 
ferences with  RKO  executives  an  adver- 
tising-publicity budget  of  $1,500,000  has 
been  set  to  promote  the  new  picture, 
filmed  in  CinemaScope  and  color  in  Mex- 
ico and  which  Mr.  King  described  as  “the 
best  we  have  ever  done.” 

The  independent  producer  said  that 
among  the  six  films  to  be  made  “with  our 
own  financing”  within  the  next  two  years 
are  “The  Syndicate,”  “Heaven  with  a 
Gun,”  “Mr  Adam”  and  “Two-Headed  Spy.” 
Two  other  properties,  as  yet  untitled,  are 
now  in  work. 

Mr.  O’Donnell’s  enthusiasm  on  the  box 
office  outlook  in  the  southwest  was  echoed 
by  prominent  exhibitors  in  other  parts  of 
the  country.  According  to  the  general 
opinion  among  leading  executives  of  na- 


tional circuits  and  important  key  city  op- 
erations, theatre  attendance  has  touched 
bottom  and  levelled  off,  with  a substan- 
tial upturn  expected  to  begin  shortly. 

The  slump,  according  to  a survey  of  the 
executives,  has  been  one  of  the  most  dis- 
turbing experienced  by  the  industry  with- 
in recent  years.  Most  theatre  operators 
report  that  it  began  immediately  after  a 
good  post-Easter  week  early  in  April.  The 
downtrend  was  not  unexpected,  but  when 
attendance  failed  to  recover  thereafter, 
and  actually  continued  to  decline,  exhibi- 
tors became  worried.  Now  they  feel  the 
bottom  has  been  reached  and  improvement 
on  a broad  scale  is  expected  to  manifest 
itself  soon. 

Theatre  operators  point  to  the  closing  of 
schools,  the  increased  leisure  time  of  the 
vacationing  public,  the  seasonal  termina- 
tion of  popular  television  shows  and  their 
replacement  with  old,  repeat  and  substi- 
tute programs,  and  most  important  to  the 
theatre,  the  increasing  release  of  a con- 
tinuous flow  of  strong  attractions  by  prac- 
tically all  national  distributors  and  a num- 
ber of  independent  producers. 

In  addition,  they  point  to  the  demon- 
strated popularity  of  air-conditioned  the- 
atres in  the  hot  weather  season,  with  good 
attendance  during  last  week’s  heat  wave 
in  many  parts  of  the  country  as  a case  in 
point.  All  of  these  factors,  exhibitors  as- 
sert, add  up  to  a significant  attendance 
increase  starting  almost  at  once.  As  Mr. 
O’Donnell  pointed  out,  the  upsurge  al- 
ready has  begun  in  the  southwest  where 
schools  in  most  instances  close  in  late  May 
and  early  June. 


Republic  Sets 
Plans  for  78 
Low-Budgets 

HOLLYWOOD:  Republic  Pictures,  which 
has  been  inactive  in  production  recently, 
will  start  to  make  feature  films  again  July 
15,  it  was  announced  by  a spokesman  for 
the  company.  He  said  Republic  will  pro- 
duce 18  low-budget  films  which  will  be  in 
the  $150,000-$200,000  class. 

In  commenting  on  the  decision,  Herbert 
J.  Yates,  Republic  president,  said,  “We 
simply  have  to  take  a more  realistic  look 
into  the  present  situation  and  operate 
within  the  bounds  of  common  sense.  Re- 
public can’t  afford  really  big  product.  The 
field  for  profitable  pictures  requires  either 
big  $2,000,000  to  $4,000,000  shows  or  very 
small  budget  pictures.  We  will  aim  for 
the  latter,  reducing  our  production  gam- 


ble, and  will  trim  all  our  overheads  to 
reach  for  the  proper  profit  potential.”  The 
report  that  Republic  will  close  its  foreign 
distribution  outlets  was  denied. 

The  company  also  reported  a net  profit 
for  the  26  weeks  ended  April  28,  1956  of 
$1,714,694,  before  Federal  tax  provision 
with  estimated  Federal,  normal  and  sur- 
tax of  $636,000,  or  a net  after  taxes  of 
$1,078,694.  This  compares  with  a net  profit 
last  year  for  the  same  period  of  $1,911,- 
613,  before  Federal  tax  provision  with  es- 
timated taxes  of  $1,033,000,  or  a net  of 
$878,613  after  taxes. 


Eastman  Wages  Up 

ROCHESTER,  N.  Y.:  Eastman  Kodak  Com- 
pany has  announced  a general  wage  in- 
crease of  approximately  five  per  cent.  The 
pay  raise,  totaling  about  $12,000,000  a year, 
will  be  effective  July  9.  It  will  go  to  about 
34,500  Kodak  people  on  hourly  and  salary 
payrolls  in  the  company’s  Rochester  plants 
and  offices  and  to  6,500  persons  in  certain 
related  company  units  in  other  parts  of 
the  United  States,  such  as  sales  divisions. 


RKO  Radio  Announces 
7956-57  Shorts 

RKO  Radio  Pictures  has  set  up  a releas- 
ing schedule  for  its  recently  announced 
program  of  short  subjects  for  the  1956-57 
season.  The  new  RKO  Playhouse  series  of 
12  diversified  two-reel  dramatic  and  mu- 
sical subjects  will  be  released  one  a month 
starting  August  24,  it  is  announced. 
Twelve  RKO-Pathe  Specials  of  documen- 
tary nature  will  be  released  one  a month 
beginning  September  7.  The  RKO-Pathe 
single-reel  subjects,  Sportscopes  and 
Screenliners,  will  go  on  an  alternate 
schedule  every  four  weeks,  the  former 
starting  August  3,  the  latter  September  14. 
The  Walt  Disney  Classics,  cartoon  re-re- 
leases in  color  by  Technicolor,  start  be- 
ing released  every  three  weeks  as  of  Aug- 
ust 3.  The  annual  “Football  Highlights,”  a 
two-reeler,  is  set  for  December  7,  and  the 
annual  “Basketball  Highlights,”  also  two 
reels,  next  April  12.  In  addition  to  these 
series  and  Sports  Specials,  two  new  color 
subjects  for  the  Wildlife  Album  series  will 
be  announced  in  the  near  future. 


18 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  JUNE  23,  1956 


ED  SULLIVAN , television 
ambassador  and  friend  of  the 
motion  picture  industry 


by  FLOYD  E.  STONE 

There  are  some  people  in  the  industry 
to  whom  Ed  Sullivan  is  more  than  a tele- 
vision personality,  a variety  show  impres- 
sario. 

They  say  he  is  the  one  who  these  days 
sells  tickets. 

They  say  he  is  exploiting  motion  pic- 
tures to  the  millions. 

They  claim  the  industry  should  give  him 
an  “Oscar.”  Or,  an  “Emmy.” 

They  know  he  is  a friend. 

They  know,  also,  he  doesn’t  feel  he  is 
in  the  camp  of  the  enemy.  He  avows  that 
both  television  and  motion  pictures  are 
entertainment,  and  that  each  may  aid  the 
other. 

He  asks  two  things;  that  the  motion  pic- 
ture people  keep  clever;  and  that  they 
use  their  medium  for  its  ability  to  expand 
beyond  the  limited  format  of  stage  and 
television.  As  he  puts  it,  the  industry 
must  keep  moving. 

Mr.  Sullivan  essays  the  role  of  candid 
friend.  Relaxed  and  easily  expansive  the 
other  day  in  his  suite  in  the  Hotel  Del- 
monico,  New  York,  he  nevertheless  had 
strong  words,  short  of  the  term  stupidity, 
for  the  attitude  of  some  executives. 

He  was  the  first  on  television,  he  avers, 
to  help  the  industry.  And  he  did  so  only 
against  the  strongest  objections  of  the  big- 
gest company  heads. 

An  Historic  Date 

An  historic  date,  he  feels,  and  he  may 
be  correct,  is  February  6,  1949.  That  is 
when  he  had  Luise  Rainer  do  a live  scene 
from  “The  Great  Ziegfeld”  on  his  TV 
show.  He  had  to  convince  Nicholas 
Schenck,  and  he  had  to  use  the  arguments 
which  previously  had  not  convinced  other 
studio  chiefs:  that  after  spending  millions 
on  pictures  how  can  it  hurt  to  exploit 
them  on  television  if  you  don’t  give  away 
the  plot?  He  points  out  Miss  Rainer  acted 
out  a scene  which  took  only  four  minutes 
and  which  came  from  a picture  made  13 
years  earlier. 

One  year  later,  he  staged  another  trail- 
blazer,  a scene  from  “Journey’s  End,” 
again  “live,”  using  David  Niven.  The  pic- 
ture in  this  instance  was  by  then  20  years 
old,  and  as  Ed  puts  it: 

“I  took  two  weeks  arguing  this  this 
time  and  had  to  pledge  my  undying  love 
of  the  industry.” 

Other  “firsts”  of  which  he  makes  much 
because  they  helped  make  television  the 
now  commonplace  and  effective  motion 
picture  advertising  aid,  were  the  Robert 
E.  Sherwood  story  November  18,  1951,  in 
which  he  used  clips  from  a motion  picture 


for  the  first  time;  and  the  appearance  of 
Walt  Disney  February  8,  1953. 

Of  the  Sherwood  affair,  he  recalls  Sam- 
uel Goldwyn  was  the  first  producer  to 
voluntarily  break  away  from  the  united 
Hollywood  “front.”  He  commented  that 
Mr.  Goldwyn  seemed  fearful  that  by  giv- 
ing television  clips  from  “The  Best  Years 
of  Our  Lives”  he  had  broken  some  sort 
of  confidence. 

Mr.  Sullivan  sees  in  the  attitude  of  the 
industry’s  seniors  a relic  of  the  days,  he 
says,  when  he  was  alone  in  Hollywood, 
and  used  to  come  almost  to  blows  in  the 
locker  (golf,  naturally)  room,  over  tele- 
vision’s actual  status. 

“I  used  to  argue  with  them  that  after 
having  seen  the  changes  and  having  grown 
with  sound,  and  with  color,  and  with 
radio,  why  should  they  figure  television  as 
nothing  but  Gorgeous  George? 

Tivo  Had  Foresight 

“In  those  days,  I recall  only  George 
Burns  and  Bob  O’Donnell,  the  Texas  ex- 
hibitor, seemed  to  have  a vision  of  tele- 
vision’s capabilities. 

“I  think  they’ve  come  a long  way  since 
then,  however.  But  I think,  mainly,  it’s 
the  independent  producer  who’s  doing 
the  job.” 

A picture  like  “Trapeze”  which  he  cur- 
rently has  been  exploiting  (another  one 
soon  will  be  “Moby  Dick”)  has  his  aid 
because  independent  producers  and  their 
distributors  and  publicists  use  the  original 
approach  he  admires.  He  not  only  saw  and 
publicized  the  production  in  Paris  but  its 
premiere  in  Los  Angeles.  And  the  publi- 
cization  was  not  haphazard:  it  was  writ- 
ten and  rehearsed;  and  was,  in  itself  a 
production. 

One  thing  he  dislikes  possibly  most 
about  industry  television  exploitation  is 
trailers. 

If  you  “trailerize”  a picture,  people  will 
turn  you  off.  he  postulates.  It  is  “1937 
thinking.”  Putting  on  just  a scene  is  “haul- 
ing in  the  picture  by  its  ears.” 

“When  you  have  50,000,000  persons 
watching,  you  have  some  responsibility. 
Exploitation  has  to  be  entertainment  be- 
cause what  those  people  are  watching  for 
is  entertainment.” 

He  enjoys  particularly  working  with 
United  Artists’  promotion  men,  and  their 
independent  producers,  he  says,  and  adds 
it  started  with  “Vera  Cruz.” 

UA  flew  him  there.  “It  was  the  first  time 
I met  a publicity  department  which  knew 
what  I was  talking  about.” 

About  “Trapeze”: 

“I  am  enthusiastic.  It  is  the  type  of  thing 
I do  on  stage.  It  is  the  kind  of  thing  Hol- 


ED SULLIVAN 


lywood  excels  at  but  unfortunately  doesn’t 
do  enough  of.  It  has  color  and  movement 
and  expanse  which  belongs  only  to  the 
motion  picture.  It  has  variety.  And  it  is 
by  an  independent  the  kind  who  is  going 
to  revolutionize  the  industry.” 

Mr.  Sullivan  spoke  of  being  recently  on 
the  MGM  lot  with  Sol  C.  Siegel,  whose 
“High  Society”  has  some  people  excited. 

Mr.  Siegel  has  some  authority  on  the  lot, 
Mr.  Sullivan  reports,  and  comments: 

“In  1937,  if  any  one  ever  suggested  that 
the  day  would  come  when  MGM  would 
yield  its  sovereignty  to  an  independent 
producer  they  would  have  taken  him  to 
Cedars  of  Lebanon  for  observation.” 


Decision  Is  Upheld 
In  " Blacklist " Suit 

LOS  ANGELES:  The  California  District 
Court  of  Appeals  recently  upheld  the  Los 
Angeles  court  in  rejecting  the  “blacklist” 
suit  brought  against  the  major  studios  by 
23  persons,  demanding  $2,250,000  damages 
each  on  the  grounds  that  they  had  been 
deprived  of  employment  “for  political 
reasons.”  The  plaintiffs  had  charged  they 
were  penalized  by  the  studios  for  refusing 
to  answer  questions  put  to  them  by  the 
House  Un-American  Activities  Committee 
in  1951.  Counsel  for  the  group  said  an  ap- 
peal will  be  taken  to  the  California  Su- 
preme Court. 


Columbia  Votes  Dividend 

The  board  of  directors  of  Columbia  Pic- 
tures Corporation  has  declared  a regular 
quarterly  dividend  of  30  cents  per  share 
on  the  common  stock  and  voting  trust 
certificates  for  common  stock,  payable 
July  30,  1956  to  stockholders  of  record 
June  29,  1956.  The  board  also  declared  a 
2Vi  per  cent  stock  dividend  on  its  out- 
standing common  stock  and  voting  trust 
certificates  for  common  stock  payable  in 
common  stock  July  30,  1956  to  stockhold- 
ers of  record  June  29,  1956. 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  JUNE  23,  1956 


19 


Johnston  in  London 
With  Full  Briefcase 


. . . President  of  MPAA  ready  to 
discuss  varied  aspects  of  relations 
between  film  trades  in  United 
States  and  England 

by  PETER  BURNUP 

LONDON:  A tight  schedule  of  engage- 
ments awaited  Eric  Johnston  on  his  ar- 
rival here  Tuesday.  Early  the  following 
morning  he  met  the  London  managing 
directors  of  the  American  companies.  In 
the  course  of  the  week  he  was  expected  to 
address  two  luncheon  meetings;  one,  at 
which  he  was  to  meet  the  editors  of  na- 
tional newspapers,  and  the  other,  organ- 
ized by  the  Four  Associations,  attended  by 
all  the  leaders  of  the  trade. 

Mr.  Johnston,  himself,  doubtless  looks 
upon  the  arranged  meeting  with  Sir  Frank 
Lee,  permanent  secretary  of  the  Board  of 
Trade,  as  his  most  important  engagement 
of  the  week.  Both  he  and  Sir  Frank 
were  anxious  to  discuss  a number  of 
vexed  questions,  including  that  relating 
to  the  degree  of  participation  in  Quota 
and  Eady  benefits  of  American  “runaway” 
pictures.  Although  no  definite  date  has 
been  arranged,  the  Four  Associations  plan 
to  have  a showdown  discussion  with  the 
MPA  president  on  recent  sales  of  backlog 
libraries  of  films  to  TV  interests. 

Mr.  Johnston  made  clear  in  advance  he 
wished  during  his  London  visit  to  express 
the  continuing  desire  of  the  U.  S.  industry 
to  maintain  the  closest  and  most  friendly 
relations  with  all  elements  of  the  British 
film  industry. 

FINANCE  BILL  DELAY 
HITS  TAX  RELIEF 

An  inordinately  crowded  Parliamentary 
programme  has  prevented  the  House  of 
Commons  hitherto  from  debating  the  two 
new  clauses  in  the  Finance  Bill  which 
would  bring  tax  relief  to  smaller  exhibi- 
tors. 

Ellis  Pinkney,  CEA  general  secretary, 
has  taken  the  opportunity  of  addressing  a 
last-minute  plea  to  the  Chancellor  of  the 
Exchequer  asking  him  to  receive  a repu- 
tation from  the  Association. 

In  his  letter  to  the  Chancellor,  Mr.  Pink- 
ney says:  “Since  representatives  of  the 
trade  waited  upon  the  financial  secretary 
in  February  last,  and  even  since  the  date 
of  the  budget,  the  operating  costs  of  cin- 
emas have  continued  to  rise  to  an  alarm- 
ing extent.” 

The  Pinkney  letter  asks  for  the  oppor- 
tunity of  making  representations  in  sup- 
port of  the  two  new  clauses  now  standing 
on  the  Commons  order  papers.  So  far, 

20 


Mr.  Pinkney  has  received  formal  acknowl- 
edgment only  of  his  letter. 

The  decision  of  the  major  circuits  to 
increase  seat  prices  forthwith  has  created 
a rare  rumpus  among  independent  ex- 
hibitors up  and  down  the  country.  They 
assert  the  decision  is  ill-timed  and  that 
the  circuits  might  have  waited  until  Par- 
liament reaches  a decision  in  regard  to 
those  new  Finance  Bill  clauses.  Signifi- 
cantly, Walter  Eckhart’s  Star  Circuit,  op- 
erating 112  theatres  in  the  North  country, 
has  decided  against  a price  increase.  It  is 
pointed  out  also  that  the  circuit  move 
conflicts  with  the  Chancellor  of  the  Ex- 
chequer’s efforts  to  curb  inflationary 
spending. 

Against  all  that  it  must  be  admitted  that 
the  circuits  are  called  upon  to  bear  an 
immense  burden  of  rising  operating  costs, 
with  no  hope  of  tax  remission  this  year 
whatever  happens  to  new  Finance  Bill 
clauses.  It  is  the  fact  also  that  the  Chan- 
cellor will  reap  more  benefit  out  of  the 
price  increases  than  anybody  else.  Out  of 
the  6d.  increase  no  less  than  4V2d.  will 
require  to  be  paid  out  in  entertainment 
tax  and  Eady  Levy. 

SIX  FILM  UNIONS 
CITE  FUTURE  POLICY 

With  singular  and  unexpected  unanim- 
ity, but  in  a cloud-cuckoo  manner  of  day- 


BRITISH  PARLIAMENT 
REJECTS  REPEAL 

LONDON:  The  House  of  Commons  has 
rejected  both  the  proposed  new  fi- 
nance bill  and  the  entertainment  tax 
clauses,  in  the  first  case  by  a majority 
of  43  votes  and  in  the  second  by  41 
votes.  In  the  course  of  debate,  mem- 
bers of  both  parties  made  an  urgent 
plea  for  remission  of  ticket  taxes  par- 
ticularly in  the  smaller  theatres.  How- 
ever, a government  spokesman  effec- 
tively spiked  all  current  hopes  saying, 
"The  Chancellor  carefully  has  con- 
sidered the  case  but  has  reached  the 
conclusion  that  this  year,  when  he  had 
had  to  introduce  a firm  and  severe 
budget  to  prove  the  national  deter- 
mination to  surmount  our  difficulties,  it 
would  be  quite  out  of  keeping  to  an- 
nounce reductions  of  any  kind  for  the 
entertainment  tax."  The  spokesman, 
however,  held  out  a vague  hope  for 
the  future  saying  that  the  Chancellor 
intended  to  study  the  case  carefully. 


dreaming,  the  six  film  unions  have  con- 
trived to  make  a joint  submission  to  the 
Board  of  Trade  in  regard  to  the  industry’s 
future  policy. 

The  unions — the  Association  of  Cinema- 
tograph and  Allied  Technicians,  British 
Actors’  Equity  Association,  the  Electrical 
Trades  Union,  the  Film  Artistes’  Associa- 
tion, the  Musicians’  Union  and  the  Nation- 
al Association  of  Theatrical  and  Kine  Em- 
ployees— preface  their  document  with  the 
forthright  statement  that  they  “place  on 
record  their  complete  lack  of  confidence  in 
the  Board  of  Trade  as  judged  by  its  policy 
today  to  take  any  measures  to  benefit 
British  production.” 

“The  Board,”  the  remarkable  document 
continues,  “has  ignored  our  approaches  on 
the  question  of  studio  space.  It  has  so  far 
been  deaf  to  the  appeals  for  urgency  in 
dealing  with  the  continuance  of  the  British 
Film  Production  Fund,  a dilatoriness 
which  is  already  leading  to  uncertainty 
and  postponements  by  companies  who 
wish  quite  properly  to  plan  ahead  their 
production  programmes.” 

Hits  U.  S.  Industry 

The  unions  then  proceed  to  chastise  the 
American  production  industry  and  advo- 
cate Governmental  measures  which  would 
virtually  kill  the  American  market  here. 
They  urge  on  the  Government  a policy 
which,  they  claim,  would  give  British 
films  the  major  portion  of  screen  time  in 
this  country  “leaving  room  only  for  the 
outstanding  films  from  the  rest  of  the 
world.” 

Says  the  submission:  “The  whole  pres- 
ent basis  of  the  Quota  is  wrong.  Instead 
of  a Quota  of  British  films  there  should  be 
a foreign  Quota.  This  is  the  understand- 
ing operating  in  commercial  television. 
The  Quota  should  be  adjusted  so  that, 
as  in  television,  the  bulk  of  the  pro- 
grammes are  British  and  a strictly  limited 
remainder  is  foreign. 

“The  Government  should  say  that 
American  companies  can  only  take  out  of 
Britain  a sum  equal  to  the  sum  British 
companies  can  take  out  of  the  U.  S.  . . . 
Distribution  by  American  companies  of 
films  in  Britain  should  only  be  permitted 
to  the  extent  that  the  same  companies  dis- 
tribute British  films  in  the  U.  S.  . . . 
A British  film  centre  should  be  established 
in  the  U.  S.  and  support  be  given  to  the 
establishment  of  an  Anglo-American  Film 
Council.” 

The  necessity  of  governmental  stimulus 
and  support  of  the  production  industry  is 
implicit  throughout  the  document. 

Significently,  the  unions  decline  to  deal 
with  the  question  of  alleged  restrictive 
practices  on  their  part.  The  statement 
says:  “We  assume  the  trades  unions  are 
not  required  to  answer  this  question.  We 
therefore  reluctantly  suppress  our  impish 
desire  to  do  so.” 

The  visionary  views  expressed  in  the 
statement  may  well  disturb  Americans.  No 
Tory  Government  is  likely  to  accept  most 
of  the  surprising  suggestions;  the  popu- 
lace, moreover,  would  rise  in  revolt  if 
they  were  denied  Hollywood  films. 

MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  JUNE  23,  1956 


THIS  WEEK  in  J4o(Lwood  Scene 

PRODUCTION  o 


. . . Started — 4 

American-International:  THE  FLESH  AND  THE  SPUR  (Hy 
Prods.;  Color); 

Paramount:  THE  RAINMAKER; 

RKO  Radio:  BUNDLE  OF  JOY  (Eastman  Color); 
Universal-International:  INTERLUDE  (CinemaScope; 

Technicolor). 

. . . Completed — 3 

Allied  Artists:  THE  OKLAHOMAN  (CinemaScope;  Color), 
THE  CRUEL  TOWER; 

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer:  THE  POWER  AND  THE  PRIZE 
(CinemaScope). 


. . . Shooting — 30 


Allied  Artists:  54  WASHINGTON  STREET  (CinemaScope; 
Color);  NOT  OF  THIS  EARTH  (Roger  Corman  Prods.); 
HUNCHBACK  OF  PARIS  (CinemaScope;  Eastman  Color) 
(formerly:  "Notre  Dame  de  Paris"). 

Columbia:  FIRE  DOWN  BELOW  (Warwick  Prods.;  Cinema- 
Scope; Technicolor);  FULL  OF  LIFE. 

Independent:  BADGE  OF  MARSHAL  BRENNAN  (Albert 
C.  Gannaway  Prods.;  Color). 

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer:  BARRETTS  OF  WIMPOLE  STREET 
(CinemaScope;  Color);  TEAHOUSE  OF  THE  AUGUST 
MOON  (CinemaScope;  Color);  RAINTREE  COUNTY 
(65mm  Color). 


Paramount:  SEARCH  FOR  BRIDEY  MURPHY  (VistaVision) • 
HOLLYWOOD  OR  BUST  (VistaVision;  Technicolor). 
FUNNY  FACE  (VistaVision  Technicolor); 

20th  Century-Fox:  ANASTASIA  (CinemaScope;  De  Luxe 
Color);  BEST  THINGS  IN  LIFE  ARE  FREE  (Cinema- 
Scope; De  Luxe  Color);  BETWEEN  HEAVEN  AND  HELL 
(CinemaScope;  De  Luxe  Color). 


United  Artists:  LOVE  STORY  (Bob  Goldstein  Prods.)- 
HIDDEN  FEAR  (St.  Aubrey-Cohn  Prods.);  THE  MONTE 
CARLO  STORY  (Titanus  Films;  Technicolor);  TWELVE 
ANGRY  MEN  (Orion-Nova  Prods.);  SPRING  REUNION 
(Bryna  Prods.);  DRANGO  (Earlmar  Prods.);  THE  KING 
AND  FOUR  QUEENS  (Russ-Field  Prod.;  CinemaScope); 
DANCE  WITH  ME  HENRY  (Bob  Goldstein);  THE  BIG 
BOODLE  (Lewis  Blumberg  Prods);  PRIDE  AND  THE 
PASSION  (Kramer  Prod.;  VistaVision;  Technicolor). 

Universal-International:  THE  INCREDIBLE  SHRINKING 

MAN;  MISTER  CORY  (Technicolor). 

Warner  Bros.:  THE  GIRL  HE  LEFT  BEHIND;  THE  OLD 
,^D  ™E  SEA  (WarnerColor);  THE  WRONG 
MAN  (Alfred  Hitchcock  Prod.). 


ON  THE  SET 

Solly  Baia.no  has  been  appointed  new- 
talent  executive  at  Warner  Studios  with 
special  responsibility  for  the  discovering 
and  development  of  acting  personalities. 

. . . Universal  now  has  22  completed 
scripts,  the  largest  number  at  any  one  time 
in  its  history,  including  the  new  produc- 
tion, “Interlude,”  with  June  Allyson  and 
Rossano  Brazzi.  Others  set  to  begin  soon 
are  “Joe  Butterfly”  with  Audie  Murphy 
and  George  Nader,  “The  Deadly  Mantis” 
with  Rex  Reason  and  Mara  Corday  and 
‘Night  Passage’  with  James  Stewart  and 
Audie  Murphy.  . . . Gregory  Peck  and  Sy 
Bartlett,  partners  in  Melville  Productions, 
have  purchased  “Thieves  Market,”  with 
the  former  set  to  star  in  the  United  Artists 
release. 

Two  more  television  directors  have  been 
signed  to  contracts.  David  Rich  with  Co- 
lumbia and  Allen  Reisner  with  RKO.  The 
latter’s  first  assignment  is  “The  Day  They 
Gave  Babies  Away.”  . . . Cecil  B.  DeMille 
has  signed  a top-ranking  film  star  of  Free 
China,  Li  Lihua. 


“ CONTROVERSIAL  WESTERN ” 


Hollywood,  Wednesday 

Esteemed  Editor: 

Yesterday  at  St.  George,  Utah,  the  “first 
controversial  Western”  went  into  active 
production.  It  is  entitled  “Run  of  the 
Arrow”  and  it  is  being  produced  and  di- 
rected by  Samuel  Fuller  from  his  own 
screenplay  and  story.  If  Western  melo- 
drama is  to  be  controversialized,  after  all 
its  decades  of  supremacy  in  the  field  of 
escapist  entertainment,  Samuel  Fuller  is 
without  doubt  the  producer  best  qualified 
to  do  the  controversializing. 

Producer-director-writer  Fuller  learned 
the  art  of  controversy  from  a past  mas- 
ter. He  started  his  professional  career  as 
copy  boy  to  the  late  Arthur  Brisbane,  edi- 
torial chief  of  the  Hearst  newspapers  and 
easily  the  champion  controversialist  of  his 
era.  The  boy  who  was  to  galvanize  the 
American  box  office  in  1951  with  his  prece- 
dental  “Steel  Helmets,”  setting  a pattern 
followed  closely  ever  since  by  producers 
of  war  stories,  watched  the  great  Brisbane 
from  close  by  as  he  propagated  controver- 
sy after  controversy  over  a chosen  topic, 
nurtured  it  to  full  bloom,  sustained  it  dur- 
ing a desired  period,  and  closed  it  off  when 
it  had  served  its  purpose. 

He  learned  from  Brisbane  copy  he  car- 
ried daily  from  typewriter  to  linotype  the 
penetrating  power,  the  command  of  in- 
terest, the  dramatic  usefulness  of  the  crisp 
phrase,  the  short,  simple  sentence.  These 
things,  and  countless  others  such  as  a boy 
learns  from  a man  he  idolizes  young  Mas- 
ter Fuller  carried  with  him  through  the 
succession  of  reporting  jobs,  writing  jobs, 
wartime  fighting  jobs  and  post-war  pic- 
ture-making jobs — as  they  carried  him  the 
while — to  yesterday  in  St.  George,  Utah. 

• 

In  his  hands,  the  “first  controversial 
Western”  could  furnish  trade  and  public 
with  a good  deal  of  talking  material,  as 
well  as  thinking  material,  and  with  box 
office  benefits  in  plenty.  (This  last  has 
never  been  further  from  the  Fuller  con- 
siderations than  it  was  from  Brisbane’s). 

The  writer,  producer  and  director  of 
“Run  of  the  Arrow”  explains,  when  in- 
quired of,  that  his  story  is  controversial  in 
connotation,  and  by  direct  parallel,  un- 
mistakable but  not  belabored.  (Of  course 
it  is  by  no  means  a challenging  of  the 
facts  of  the  Old  West  of  the  cow-men  and 
the  sheep-men  as  represented  in  some 
thousands  of  uncontroversial  Westerns,  al- 
though the  period,  the  places  and  the  in- 
cidents of  the  story  are  of  that  era). 

The  story,  its  author  says,  deals  with 
the  United  States  and  its  people  as  of  the 
end  of  the  Civil  War  and  some  years 
thereafter,  showing,  without  pointing,  that 


sectional  differences  which  existed  then 
still  exist,  virtually  unchanged,  nearly  a 
century  later.  This  is  as  much  as  the  au- 
thor believes  he  should  divulge  at  this 
point  in  the  production  of  the  picture. 

The  film,  which  is  for  RKO  release,  is 
being  shot  in  color,  with  a cast  that  in- 
cludes Rod  Steiger,  Ralph  Meeker,  Sarita 
Montiel,  Brian  Keith,  Jay  C.  Flippen,  H. 
M.  Wynant,  Neyle  Morrow  and  Stuart 
Randall. 

William  R.  Weaver 

Postscript:  To  continue  for  a moment 
in  the  vein  of  last  week’s  communication 
concerning  the  trend  toward  specialization 
in  the  relationship  of  personnel  to  sub- 
ject, it  is  of  interest  that  the  realism  of 
Tyrone  Power’s  portrayal  of  the  late  Eddy 
Duchin  in  “The  Eddy  Duchin  Story,”  now 
playing  your  Music  Hall,  owes  much  to 
the  fact  that  George  Sidney,  director  of 
the  picture,  took  music  lessons  from  Du- 
chin and  knew  by  boyhood  observation  the 
famed  pianist’s  every  move  and  manner- 
ism. 

W.  R.  W. 


Hollywood  Bureau 

Four  pictures  were  started  and  three 
others  were  finished  to  bring  a quiet  week 
to  an  uneventful  close  with  the  shooting 
total  at  34. 

Universal-International,  employing  Cin- 
emaScope with  color  by  Technicolor,  be- 
gan photographing  “Interlude,”  in  Munich, 
with  June  Allyson,  Rossano  Brazzi,  Mari- 
anne Cook,  Keith  Andes  and  Ilka  Chase 
in  principal  roles.  Ross  Hunter  is  the  pro- 
ducer, Douglas  Sirk  the  director. 

Hal  Wallis  launched  “The  Rainmaker,” 
for  Paramount  release,  which  has  Burt 
Lancaster,  Katharine  Hepburn,  Wendell 
Corey  and  Lloyd  Bridges  at  top  of  a cast 
directed  by  Joseph  Anthony. 

Producer  Edmund  Grainger  turned 
cameras  on  his  standout  contribution  to 
the  RKO  release  schedule,  “Bundle  of 
Joy,”  which  co-stars  the  country’s  most 
popular  young  couple,  Eddie  Fisher  and 
Debbie  Reynolds,  in  an  opulent  production 
in  Eastman  color  directed  by  Norman 
Taurog. 

John  Agar,  Marla  English,  Touch  Con- 
nors and  Joyce  Meadows  are  among  the 
players  in  “The  Flesh  and  the  Spur,”  a 
Hy  Prods  production  in  color  for  Ameri- 
can International  release.  Charles  Lyons 
and  Touch  Connors  are  executive  pro- 
ducers, Alex  Gordon  is  producer  and  Ed- 
ward L.  Cahn  is  directing. 

Completions  of  the  week  are  “The  Okla- 
homan” and  “The  Cruel  Tower,”  Allied 
Artists,  and  “The  Power  and  the  Prize,” 
MGM. 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  JUNE  23,  1956 


21 


Name  Marcus 
President  of 
Wisconsin  Unit 

ELKHART  LAKE,  WISC .:  Ben  Marcus 
of  Milwaukee  was  elected  president  of  Al- 
lied Independent  Theatre  Owners  of  Wis- 
consin at  the  organization’s  convention 
held  here  last  week.  Reelected  were  Wil- 
liam Charboneau,  vice-president;  Edward 
Johnson,  secretary;  Oliver  Trampe,  treas- 
urer; S.  J.  Goldberg,  national  director, 
and  Harold  Pearson,  executive  secretary. 

In  an  address  to  the  delegates,  Mr. 
Goldberg  discussed  the  proceedings  of  the 
Senate  Small  Business  subcommittee  in 
Washington  and  said  they  were  “most 
discouraging”  and  held  out  little  hope  to 
the  small  exhibitor.  “I  get  the  impres- 
sion,” he  said,  “that  they  don’t  care  what 
happens  to  the  small  exhibitor.”  He  re- 
counted attacks  upon  exhibitors  and 
charged  the  press  with  being  unfair  to 
the  country’s  theatre  owners. 

Jack  Kirsch,  president  of  Allied  Thea- 
tres of  Illinois,  also  addressed  the  group. 
He  called  for  unity  among  the  state’s  ex- 
hibitors in  striving  for  better  releases  and 
film  rentals  and  urged  the  exchange  of 
ideas  to  the  end  that  grosses  may  be  im- 
proved. 

Marcus  Scores  Studios 

Mr.  Marcus  attacked  the  systems  of 
production,  releasing  and  availability.  He 
said  that  grosses  are  at  an  all-time  low 
and  decried  the  fact  that  the  studios  are 
“no  longer  in  a position  to  plan  product 
for  the  whole  season.”  He  added  the  re- 
leasing system  is  too  seasonal,  saying 
“you  can’t  run  a business  on  a seasonal 
basis,  getting  patrons  back  only  certain 
times  of  the  year.” 

He  also  told  exhibitors  if  they  do  not 
approve  of  arbitration  of  the  price  of 
films,  then  they  should  at  least  agree  to 
arbitrate  sales  policies  on  a local  level  at 
each  exchange  center. 

Angelo  Provinzano,  out-going  president, 
urged  the  members  to  “get  close  to  their 
state  senators,”  since  the  bills  coming  up 
are,  in  many  cases,  detrimental  to  the 
industry.  Members  elected  to  the  board 
of  directors  include  John  Adler,  Russell 
Leddy,  Floyd  Albert,  Harry  Melcher,  Don 
Deaken,  Frank  Hahn,  Martin  Holzman, 
Jerry  Dodgersk  and  F.  J.  McWilliams. 

At  the  closing  session,  delegates  urged 
production  and  distribution  leaders  to  par- 
ticipate in  round  table  conferences  with 
exhibition  in  an  effort  to  arrive  at  solu- 
tions of  the  more  pressing  industry  prob- 
lems of  the  day.  Such  a meeting,  the  reso- 
lution contended,  could  serve  to  “conscien- 
tiously lay  the  groundwork  for  mutual 
understanding  and  trust  so  that  the  best 
interests  of  exhibitors  of  the  nation,  as 
well  as  of  distributors,  will  be  served.” 


THE  WINNERS  CIRCLE 

Pictures  which  were  reported  as  doing  above  average  business  in  key  theatres 
of  the  cities  of  the  nation  for  the  week  ended  June  16  were: 


Atlanta:  The  Animal  World  (W.B.);  The 
Great  Locomotive  Chase  (B.V.)  2nd  week; 
Hot  Blood  (Col.) ; The  Man  Who  Knew 
Too  Much  (Par.). 

Baltimore:  Foreign  Intrigue  (U.A.);  The 
Man  Who  Knew  Too  Much  (Par.). 

Boston:  Littlest  Outlaw  (B.V.) ; The  Search- 
ers (W.B.);  Ugetsu  (Harrison). 

Buffalo:  Gaby  (MGM)  3rd  week;  A Kiss 
Before  Dying  (U.A.) ; The  Proud  Ones 
(20th-Fox). 

Chicako:  Bhowani  Junction  (MGM)  2nd 

week;  The  Great  Locomotive  Chase  (B.V.); 
Madame  Butterfly  (I.F.E.)  5th  week; 
Trapeze  (U.A.);  23  Paces  to  Baker  Street 
(20th-Fox)  3rd  week. 

Cleveland:  Atomic  Man  (A. A.);  Safari 

(Col.);  World  Without  End  (A.A.). 

Columbus:  The  Man  Who  Knew  Too  Much 
(Par.);  The  Man  Who  Never  Was  (20th- 
Fox). 

Des  Moines:  D-Day,  The  Sixth  of  June  (20th- 
Fox)  2nd  week. 

Denver:  The  Man  Who  Knew  Too  Much 
(Par.)  3rd  week;  The  Return  of  Don 
Camillo  (I.F.E.)  2nd  week;  The  Searchers 
(W.B.)  3rd  week;  While  the  City  Sleeps 
(RKO). 

Detroit:  D-Day,  The  Sixth  of  June  (20th- 
Fox)  2nd  week;  Forbidden  Planet  (MGM) 
3rd  week;  The  Man  Who  Knew  Too  Much 
(Par.)  2nd  week. 

Hartford:  Crime  in  the  Streets  (A.A.); 

D-Day,  The  Sixth  of  June  (20th-Fox) ; Kil- 
ler Is  Loose  (U.A.);  Kiss  Before  Dying 
(U.A.);  Safari  (Col.);  Wages  of  Fear 
(D.C.A.). 

Indianapolis:  The  Animal  World  (W.B.). 

Jacksonville:  The  Animal  World  (W.B.); 
The  Great  Locomotive  Chase  (B.V.);  The 
Man  Who  Knew  Too  Much  (Par.). 


Kansas  City:  The  Ladykillers  (Cont.)  5th 
week;  The  Searchers  (W.B.). 

Memphis:  The  Animal  World  (W.B.); 

Bhowani  Junction  (MGM);  Duel  in  the  Sun 
(Selznik)  (Reissue);  The  Man  Who  Knew 
Too  Much  (Par.). 

Miami:  Bhowani  Junction  (MGM)  4th  week; 
The  Man  Who  Knew  Too  Much  (Par.); 
Oklahoma!  (Magna)  16th  Week;  The 
Searchers  (W.B.)  3rd  week. 

Milwaukee:  The  Catered  Affair  (MGM). 

Minneapolis:  The  Man  Who  Knew  Too  Much 
(Par.)  4th  week;  Screaming  Eagles  (A.A.); 
The  Searchers  (W.B.)  2nd  week. 

New  Orleans:  Bhowani  Junction  (MGM); 
The  Searchers  (W.B.);  Song  of  the  South 
(B.V.)  (Reissue);  Toy  Tiger  (U-I). 

Oklahoma  City:  D-Day,  The  Sixth  of  June 
(20th-Fox) ; The  Man  Who  Knew  Too 
Much  (Par.)  3rd  week;  Safari  (Col.);  The 
Searchers  (W.B.)  3rd  week. 

Philadelphia:  The  Man  in  the  Gray  Flannel 
Suit  (20th-Fox)  8th  week;  The  Man  Who 
Knew  Too  Much  (Par.)  4th  week;  Safari 
(Col.) 

Pittsburgh:  Foreign  Intrigue  (U.A.);  The 
Ladykillers  (Cont.)  7th  week;  Oklahoma! 
(Magna);  The  Searchers  (W.B.)  3rd  week; 
Seven  Wonders  of  the  World  (SW)  9th 
week. 

Portland:  Bhowani  Junction  (MGM);  The 
Black  Sleep  (U.A.);  Creeping  Unknown 
(U.A.);  D-Day,  The  Sixth  of  June  (20th- 
Fox)  2nd  week;  Gaby  (MGM)  2nd  week; 
The  Searchers  (W.B.)  3rd  week. 

Toronto:  Bhowani  Junction  (MGM);  The 
Searchers  (W.B.)  2nd  week;  Simon  and 
Laura  (Jaro)  3rd  week. 

Washington:  The  Man  Who  Knew  Too  Much 
(Par.)  3rd  week;  Picnic  (Col.)  17th  week; 
The  Searchers  (W.B.)  3rd  week. 


"Thrillarama  Adventure" 

In  Houston  July  25 

The  world  premiere  of  “Thrillarama 
Adventure”  will  be  held  at  the  Metro- 
politan theatre,  Houston,  Texas,  July  25, 
it  was  announced  recently  by  Albert 
Reynolds,  president  of  Thrillarama.  Ac- 
cording to  officials  of  the  company,  it 
seemed  logical  that  the  first  motion  picture 
filmed  in  the  new  dual  camera  process 
should  be  first  unveiled  in  a leading  Texas 
city,  as  the  process  was  conceived,  devel- 
oped and  financed  mainly  by  Texas  show- 
men. Filmed  by  R.  G.  Wolff  Productions, 
Inc.,  “Thrillarama  Adventure”  was  ap- 
proximately ten  months  in  the  making. 
Two  complete  production  units  traveled 
over  50,000  miles  and  filmed  approximately 
150,000  feet  of  film.  The  running  time  is 
two  hours.  Since  there  has  been  no  prior 
trade  or  press  screening,  the  Houston 
premiere  is  expected  to  be  attended  by 
many  leading  theatre  exhibitors. 


Paramount  to  View 
Final  "War"  Print 

A group  of  Paramount  executives  will 
go  to  London  July  5 to  see  the  final  Vista- 
Vision  print  of  the  Ponti-DeLaurentiis  pro- 
duction of  “War  and  Peace.”  It  was  point- 
ed out  that  thus  far,  the  only  prints  which 
were  screened  were  those  without  sound 
or  otherwise  in  rough  stages.  The  first 
completed  print  with  sound,  it  is  reported, 
will  be  ready  by  July  5,  hence  the  trip 
abroad. 


Canada  Theatre  Net  Up 

TORONTO:  Eastern  Theatres,  Limited,  op- 
erators of  Canada’s  largest  theatre,  the 
Imperial,  Toronto,  reported  a net  profit  of 
$115,616  in  1955,  10.6  per  cent  higher  than 
the  previous  year.  This  represented  earn- 
ings of  $3.61  per  share  of  common  stock, 
compared  with  $3.27  the  year  previously. 


22 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  JUNE  23.  1956 


i ; 


' \ 


i 


» 


Spanish  Deal 
Unsuccessful 


MGM  Consolidates  Two  of  Its  Sales 
Territories,  Omaha  and  Des  Moines 


MADRID:  Efforts  of  Eric  Johnston,  presi- 
dent of  the  Motion  Picture  Export  Associa- 
tion, to  effect  an  agreement  which  would 
reopen  the  Spanish  market  to  American 
films,  have  been  unsuccessful,  he  said  here 
Tuesday  as,  his  mission  unfulfilled,  he  left 
for  London. 

Spanish  government  officials  persisted  in 
their  stand  that  American  companies  must 
agree  to  distribute  one  Spanish  film  in  the 
United  States  for  every  four  Hollywood 
films  admitted  into  Spain.  The  demand 
and  its  refusal  caused  a stoppage  of  the 
flow  of  American  films  into  Spain  last 
August,  which  Mr.  Johnston,  with  his 
aides,  G.  Griffith  Johnson,  MPEA  vice- 
president,  and  Charles  Baldwin,  MPEA 
Rome  representative,  sought  to  resolve  last 
week  in  protracted  talks  with  the  Ministry 
of  Commerce.  Despite  the  failure  of  the 
talks  Mr.  Baldwin  is  remaining  here  for 
further  sessions. 

The  American  industry  takes  the  view 
that  Spanish  film  producers  could  not  de- 
liver enough  films  capable  of  standing  on 
their  own  in  the  American  market  and 
that  the  Spanish  Government’s  demands, 
therefore,  would  amount  to  an  American 
subsidization  of  the  Spanish  industry,  if 
they  were  to  be  accepted. 


Lem  Jones  Resigns  As 
20th-Fox  Shorts  Head 

Lem  Jones,  short  subjects,  newsreel  and 
16mm  sales  manager  of  20th-Fox,  has  re- 
signed from  the  company  and  is  slated  to 
leave  July  1,  it  was  announced.  He  started 
with  the  company  in  March,  1945  as  ex- 
ecutive assistant  to  Spyros  P.  Skouras, 
president,  and  was  named  to  head  the 
shorts  and  newsreel  department  in  1953. 
In  addition,  it  was  announced  by  Edward 
E.  Sullivan,  publicity  director,  that  Leo 
Pillot,  special  events  manager,  has  also 
been  appointed  national  magazine  con- 
tact. Mr.  Pillot’s  duties  as  special  events 
manager  has  included  handling  of  na- 
tional syndicates  and  promotional  tieups. 


George  Seaton  Again 
Named  Academy  Head 

HOLLYWOOD:  George  Seaton  has  been 
reelected  president  of  the  Academy  of  Mo- 
tion Picture  Arts  and  Sciences  board  of 
governors.  Others  reelected  were:  Samuel 
G.  Engel,  first  vice-president;  Fred  L. 
Metzler,  second  vice-president;  John  O. 
Aalberg,  treasurer;  Jacob  H.  Karp,  as- 
sistant treasurer,  and  Margaret  Herrick, 
executive  director.  Named  to  first  terms 
were  Hal  Elias,  secretary,  and  Perry  Lieb- 
er,  assistant  secretary.  At  the  first  such 
session  held  by  the  newly-constituted 
board,  organization  was  discussed. 


Consolidation  of  MGM’s  Omaha  and  Des 
Moines  sales  territories  has  been  an- 
nounced by  Charles  M.  Reagan,  vice-pres- 
ident and  general  sales  manager  of 
Loew’s,  Inc.  Branch  manager  Vincent  F. 
Flynn  of  these  territories  will  transfer 
his  headquarters  from  Omaha  to  Des 
Moines.  G.  E.  “Jerry”  McGlynn,  formerly 
branch  manager  at  Des  Moines,  recently 
retired  because  of  poor  health.  According 
to  Mr.  Reagan,  sales  and  booking  activi- 
ties and  all  clerical  work  in  connection 
with  accounts  in  the  two  territories  will 
be  conducted  at  MGM’s  office  in  Des 
Moines,  beginning  in  the  near  future. 
Shipping  and  inspection  of  prints  for  ac- 
counts in  the  Omaha  territory  will  con- 
tinue at  Omaha. 

Consolidation  of  the  territories  is  in  the 
best  interests  of  both  the  company  and 
its  customers,  MGM  believes.  Salesman 
will  continue,  as  in  the  past,  to  call  on 


All  Paramount  Officers 
Reelected  in  New  York 

Barney  Balaban,  president;  Adolph 
Zukor,  chairman  of  the  board,  and  all 
other  officers  of  Paramount  Pictures  Cor- 
poration were  reelected  at  a meeting  last 
week,  in  New  York  of  the  company’s 
board  of  directors.  Other  officers  reelected 
were  Stanton  Griffis,  chairman  of  the  ex- 
ecutive committee;  Y.  Frank  Freeman, 
Paul  Raibourn,  and  Louis  Phillips,  vice- 
presidents;  James  H.  Richardson,  treas- 
urer; Louis  A.  Novins,  secretary;  Russell 
Holman,  Arthur  Israel  Jr.,  and  Jacob  H. 
Karp,  assistant  secretaries. 


Technicolor  Name  Changed 

HOLLYWOOD:  Effectve  at  the  close  of 
business  June  30,  the  name  of  Technicolor 
Motion  Picture  Corporation  will  be 
changed  to  Technicolor  Corporation,  it  is 
announced  by  Dr.  Herbert  T.  Kalmus, 
president  and  general  manager.  Founded 
in  Maine,  the  company  is  a wholly-owned 
subsidiary  of  Technicolor,  Inc. 


customers  in  the  Iowa,  Nebraska  and 
South  Dakota  areas  comprising  the  Omaha 
shipping  territory.  Exhibitors  in  this  area 
have  done  most  of  their  booking  with  the 
salesmen  or  by  mail  and  telephone,  few 
making  more  than  periodic  visits  to  ex- 
change headquarters.  Since  shipping  will 
continue  from  Omaha,  there  will  be  no 
change  in  transportation  charges  involved. 
“We  believe  that  the  economy  of  opera- 
tion which  will  result  from  combining 
our  ‘bookkeeping’  functions  in  one  office 
is  as  much  in  the  exhibitors’  interest  as 
our  own,”  Mr.  Reagan  said. 

At  the  same  time  Mr.  Reagan  an- 
nounced the  promotion  of  Richard  L.  Huff- 
man from  assistant  branch  manager  to 
branch  manager  at  Charlotte,  succeeding 
the  late  Jacques  C.  Reville.  At  the  same 
time,  John  H.  Allen  was  promoted  from 
salesmen  at  Jacksonville  to  assistant 
branch  manager  at  Charlotte. 


Samuel  Go Idwyns  Embark 
For  Europe  July  5 

Samuel  Goldwyn  and  Mrs.  Goldwyn 
will  embark  for  Europe  July  5 on  a three- 
month  trip  during  which  they  will  attend 
the  European  openings  of  Mr.  Goldwyn’s 
production.  “Guys  and  Dolls,”  released 
through  MGM.  The  picture  will  have  dual 
European  premieres  in  Brussels  and  Ant- 
werp, Belgium,  July  20.  The  Goldwyns 
will  be  in  Belgium  in  advance  of  and 
during  the  premieres  and  then  will  visit 
European  cities  for  the  general  openings 
over  a three-month  period.  Before  sailing 
on  the  Queen  Mary,  Mr.  Goldwyn  will 
consult  in  New  York  with  executives  of 
Loew’s,  Inc.,  on  future  distribution  plans 
for  the  picture. 


To  Construct  Drive-in 

HARTFORD:  Plans  for  construction  of  a 
600-car  capacity  drive-in  theatre  to  cost 
$250,000,  have  been  disclosed  in  Westport, 
Conn,  by  Norman  Bialek  of  the  Sampson- 
Spodick-Bialek  Theatres. 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  JUNE  23,  1956 


23 


"Salt  of  Earth " 
Owners  Suing 

On  " Boycott " 

Almost  the  entire  industry  was  sued  in 
New  York  Federal  Court  Thursday  by  the 
makers  of  “Salt  of  the  Earth.”  They  claim 
a boycott,  ask  an  injunction  and  demand 
$7,500,000  in  damages. 

The  plaintiffs  are  Independent  Produc- 
tions Corp.  and  IPC  Distributors,  Inc., 
producer  and  distributor  of  the  picture. 
The  people  and  companies  against  whom 
they  complain  range  from  Loew’s,  Inc.,  to 
General  Precision  and  from  Howard 
Hughes  down  to  John  Does.  These  include 
62  companies  which  produce,  process,  dis- 
tribute and  exhibit  films;  two  trade  asso- 
ciations— the  MPAA  and  AMPP,  and  16 
individuals. 

They  allege  the  conspiracy  about  which 
they  complain  derives  from  their  usage  of 
writer  Michael  Wilson,  director  Herbert 
Biberman  and  producer  Paul  Jarrico,  who 
were  uncooperative  with  the  House  Un- 
American  Activities  Committee  and  since 
then  reportedly  have  been  unable  to  find 
work  in  the  major  studios. 

Simon  Lazarus  of  Los  Angeles  wholly 
owns  Independent  Productions  Corp. 


Franklin  Elected  Head  of 
New  Mexico  Association 

ALBUQUERQUE:  Lloyd  Franklin  was 
elected  president  of  the  New  Mexico  The- 
atre Owners  Association  at  its  annual 
meeting  here.  Others  named  to  office  were 
Elmo  Courtney,  secretary-treasurer:  Ma- 
son C.  Greer,  chairman  of  the  board,  and 
Ed  Tidwell,  Mr.  Courtney,  Mr.  Franklin, 
Mr.  Greer,  Louis  Gasperin,  Tom  Murphy, 
M.  O.  Rudick,  Mrs.  S.  E.  Allen,  Jack 
Brandenberg,  Russell  Allen  and  Russell 
Hardwicke,  directors.  The  association  also 
went  on  record  as  favoring  one  national 
organization  and  for  amending  the  consent 
decree  to  eliminate  competitive  bidding 
and  adding  franchises,  with  the  sale  of  all 
quality  product  on  a sliding  scale. 


"Mo by  Dick"  Airlift  to 
Ferry  Press  to  Debut 

A luxurious  airlift  will  be  the  “Moby 
Dick”  ferry  service  to  the  New  Bedford, 
Conn.,  world  premiere  of  the  Warner  Bros, 
presentation  June  27,  it  is  announced  by 
Warners.  The  personal  plane  of  W.  A.  Pat- 
terson, president  of  United  Airlines,  is 
being  used  for  the  unique  airlift,  and  will 
bring  the  press  to  the  occasion,  which  in- 
cludes a regatta,  a clambake,  a whaling 
“gam,”  a torchlight  parade,  a special  after- 
noon parade  with  55  floats  participating, 
and  the  three-theatre  opening  of  the  John 
Huston  production  of  Melville’s  novel. 


PeoJe  in  Ole  fit 


civ 5 


Charles  L.  Levy  has  resigned  from  20th- 
Fox  to  devote  himself  to  his  own  adver- 
tising-publicity agency  in  New  York.  He 
was  recently  named  eastern  representa- 
tive for  Bryna  Productions. 

Richard  A.  Harper  will  serve  in  an  execu- 
tive capacity  in  the  newly-formed  tele- 
vision department  of  Loew’s,  Inc.,  under 
the  direction  of  Charles  C.  Barry,  vice- 
president. 

M.  W.  “Red”  Kennedy  has  been  appointed 
head  of  RKO  Studio’s  transportation  de- 
partment. 

Fred  G.  Williams  has  gone  to  Honolulu 
to  assume  his  duties  there  as  president 
and  general  manager  of  Consolidated 
Amusement  Co.,  Ltd.  He  had  been  San 
Francisco  representative  for  them. 

Fred  Lida  has  been  named  national  direc- 
tor of  advertising,  publicity  and  ex- 
ploitation for  Artists-Producers  Asso- 
ciates. 

Robert  W.  Selig,  division  manager  for  Fox 
Intermountain  Theatres,  has  been  elect- 


ed president  of  the  board  of  trustees  of 
the  University  of  Denver. 

Sylvan  Oestreicher,  New  York  tax  con- 
sultant who  has  been  with  the  Samuel 
Goldwyn  organization  for  more  than  30 
years,  has  been  awarded  an  honorary 
doctorate  at  Holy  Cross  College. 

Alger  Lancaster,  managing  director  of 
the  Majestic  and  Strand  theatres  and  the 
Starvue  Drive-In,  Stuttgart,  Ark.,  was 
recently  named  aide-de-camp  with  the 
rank  of  colonel  on  the  official  military 
staff  of  Governor  Earl  Long  of  Louis- 
iana. 

Raphael  Klein,  partner  in  the  Mountain 
drive-in,  Hunter,  and  Hi-Way  drive-in, 
Coxsackie,  N.  Y.,  is  running  on  the  Dem- 
ocratic ticket  as  assemblyman  for 
Greene  County. 

Walter  K.  Scott,  formerly  chief  of  the 
Motion  Picture  Services,  U.  S.  Depart- 
ment of  Agriculture,  has  joined  Capital 
Film  Laboratories  as  a special  sales 
representative. 


Olson  Testimonial  Is 
Held  in  Milwaukee 

MILWAUKEE:  A testimonial  was  held  at 
the  Wisconsin  Club  here  for  Oscar  E.  Ol- 
son for  his  efforts  in  effecting  better  la- 
bor and  management  relations  here.  Cited 
also  were:  “All  the  men  of  Local  164  who 
have  shared  these  views  with  him.”  Spon- 
sors of  the  testimonial  were:  Harold  J. 
Fitzgerald,  chairman;  V.  T.  Touchett,  co- 
chairman;  George  A.  Haberman,  labor 
chairman.  On  the  committee  were:  A.  W. 
Brumm,  Dean  Fitzgerald,  A.  F.  Frank, 
W.  V.  Geehan,  Howard  Gleason,  L.  F. 
Gran,  Glen  D.  Kalcoff,  A.  D.  Kvool,  C.  F. 
Lorbeck,  J.  H.  Lorentz,  Robert  Lucht,  Ben 
Marcus,  Harry  Perlewitz,  Folke  Peterson, 
Angelo  Provinzano,  Henry  Putzear,  J.  J. 
Quinn,  John  B.  Schuyler  and  A.  W. 
Spheeris. 


Spyros  Skouras  on  Trip 
To  Europe,  South  Africa 

Spyros  P.  Skouras,  president  of  20th 
Century-Fox,  left  New  York  this  week 
for  a lengthy  trip  to  Europe  and  South 
Africa.  His  first  stop  was  London  where 
he  was  scheduled  to  meet  with  Otto  Koe- 
gel,  20th-Fox  general  counsel.  From  there, 
he  is  slated  to  go  to  South  Africa  to  look 
into  the  company’s  newly-acquired  prop- 
erties there.  The  duration  of  the  trip  is 
said  to  be  from  “three  to  five  weeks”  with 
no  definite  itinerary. 


Ettinger  Firm 
In  Expansion 

Don  McElwaine  will  head  the  newly 
organized  motion  picture  publicity,  pro- 
motion and  exploitation  department  of  the 
Ettinger  Company,  New  York  and  Los 
Angeles  public  relations  firm,  it  was  an- 
nounced this  week  by  the  company.  Serv- 
ice from  this  department  will  be  available 
from  pre-production  periods  through  re- 
lease for  companies  operating  in  the 
United  States  and  abroad. 

Mr.  McElwaine,  for  many  years  a pub- 
licity executive  at  MGM,  has  produced 
films  as  well  as  having  served  as  publicity 
and  advertising  manager  for  several  major 
producing  companies. 

Initial  films  to  be  represented  by  the 
company  will  be  announced  shortly,  Mar- 
garet Ettinger,  president,  announced.  As- 
sociates of  the  Ettinger  Company  are 
maintained  in  Washington,  Chicago,  Lon- 
don, Paris,  San  Francisco  and  other  cities. 


Fay  Drive  Co-Chairman 

Edward  Fay,  Providence  theatre  owner, 
has  been  named  general  co-chairman  with 
Joe  Cronin,  Boston  Red  Sox  general  man- 
ager, of  the  1956  Jimmy  Fund  Drive.  Mr. 
Fay,  now  81,  has  been  Rhode  Island  state 
chairman  of  the  Children’s  Cancer  Re- 
search Foundation  since  its  inception. 


24 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  JUNE  23,  1956 


Albany 

Stanley  Warner  managers  in  Albany, 
Troy  and  Utica  will  participate  in  “Opera- 
tion Showmanship”  from  July  1 through 
Sept.  30.  They  listened  to  addresses  by 
general  manager  Harry  Kalmine  and 
others  at  a recent  meeting  in  Hartford 
....  Harry  Lamont  supplemented  news- 
paper and  radio  advertising  with  a man- 
on-stilts  walkaround  for  the  opening  of  a 
mechanized-rides  playground  at  River- 
side drive-in,  Rotterdam  Junction  . . . . 
The  62-year-old  mother  of  Sid  Sommers, 
manager  of  Troy  in  Troy,  died  ....  Metro 
will  sneak  preview  “Somebody  Up  There 
Likes  Me”  at  Fabian’s  Palace  July  2 . . . 
Visitors  included  Louis  M.  Schine, 
Gloversville  ....  Leading  exhibitors  had 
telegrams  from  Bob  Hope  inviting  them 
to  a Palace  screening  of  “That  Certain 
Feeling,”  arranged  by  branch  manager 
Dan  Houlihan. 

Atlanta 

Tom  Lucy,  Exhibitors  Service  Co., 
and  his  family  are  back  after  a vacation 
trip  to  Florida  ....  Nell  Middleton,  MGM, 
and  her  husband  have  returned  from  a 
fishing  trip  to  south  Georgia  ....  Curley 
Bums,  booker  at  Columbia  Pictures, 
moves  up  to  sales  representative  .... 
Margaret  Stoves,  formerly  with  Republic 
Pictures,  is  now  with  Benton  Bros.  Film 
Express  ....  Catherine  Clark,  Sam  Har- 
rison, and  Bertha  Fish,  Republic  Pictures, 
are  back  at  their  desks  after  vacations 
. . . . Marta  Cash,  United  Artists,  will  be 
married  this  month  ....  George  Owens, 
after  many  years  as  a theatre  owner  in 
Alabama,  plans  to  retire,  sell  his  four 
theatres  ....  The  Skyway  drive-in, 
Fitzgerald,  Ga.  had  its  screen  damaged 
in  a storm  and  was  forced  to  close  until 
a new  screen  was  installed  ....  The  Bel- 
mont theatre,  Nashville,  Tenn.,  now  is 
operating  as  an  art  theatre  ....  The 
Palm  drive-in,  Atmore,  Ala.,  is  celebrating 
its  sixth  year.  John  Smith  is  manager  of 
the  400-car  drive-in. 

Baltimore 

The  Roslyn  theatre,  closed  recently,  is 
being  torn  down  to  allow  for  the  widening 
of  Howard  Street  ....  I.  M.  Rappaport, 
Rappaport  Theatres,  was  in  New  York  on 
business  ....  Allied  Motion  Picture  The- 
atre Owners  of  Maryland  held  a luncheon 
meeting  at  the  Variety  Club  ....  Don 
Delauney  was  in  from  Westminster  . . . . 
The  Hartford  theatre  has  finished  with  its 
redecoration  which  includes  new  screen, 
new  carpeting  and  complete  redecoration 
....  Ed  Rosenbaum,  long-time  advance 
man,  has  come  out  of  retirement  to  do 
special  work  for  “Trapeze”  ....  Irving 
Cantor,  Hippodrome  manager,  arranged  a 
press  party  with  the  B & O RR  in  a dining 
car  stationed  at  Camden  Station  and  a 
screening  of  “The  Great  Locomotive 
Chase”  ....  Rodney  Collier,  Stanley  the- 


atre manager,  is  on  vacation  ....  Bill 
Schnader,  Newspost  theatre  representa- 
tive, is  vacationing  in  Florida. 


Boston 

Three  permits  for  new  drive-ins  have 
been  granted  in  this  area.  John  G.  Abber- 
ley  and  Wilbur  Edwards  of  Connecticut 
are  planning  to  open  on  Route  44  near 
Middleboro,  Mass.  Reuben  Grossman  of 
Quincy,  Mass.,  will  break  ground  in  near- 
by Lakeville,  Mass,  on  Route  44.  Norman 
Zalkind  and  Hyman  Lepes  will  break 
ground  in  July  for  a September  opening 
in  Seekonk,  Mass,  on  Route  6.  The  latter 
drive-in  will  accommodate  1,000  cars,  and 
has  a 400  foot  entrance.  Joseph  G.  Cohen 
of  Boston  will  do  buying  and  booking  . . . 
Incidentally,  the  above  mentioned  Mr. 
Zalkind  of  Fall  River,  Mass.,  made  a 
Founder’s  Day  address  recently  at  his 
alma  mater,  Durfee  High.  He  owns  the 
Strand  theatre,  Fall  River  ...  A special 
gratis  showing  of  “Las  Vegas  Story”  for 
the  graduating  class  of  Wellesley  High 
School  was  arranged  recently  by  W.  Les- 
lie Bandslev  of  the  Community  Playhouse, 
Wellesley  Hills,  Mass.,  and  Benn  Rosen- 
wald,  resident  manager  of  Metro.  Show- 
ing was  at  two  A.M.  following  a graduat- 
ing dinner  and  dance  ....  “The  King  and 
I”  is  set  for  a Friday,  June  29,  opening 
at  the  Metropolitan  theatre,  Boston.  The 
Boston  engagement  will  be  the  first  in  the 
east  after  the  Roxy,  New  York,  world 
premiere. 

Buffalo 

The  Buffalo  Museum  of  Science  was  to 
devote  its  entire  half-hour  TV  program 
on  Saturday  to  a talk  on  prehistoric  ani- 
mals as  shown  in  the  Warner  Bros,  pro- 
duction “The  Animal  World,”  current  at 
the  Center  theatre  ...  A possibility  that 
only  the  theatre  section  of  the  Erlanger 
theatre  building  will  be  demolished,  while 
the  front  section  containing  stores  and 
offices  will  remain  intact,  is  now  disclosed 
. . . . Cash  totaling  $95  was  stolen  from 
the  candy  counter  the  other  night  in 
Basil’s  Lafayette.  George  Simon,  assistant 
manager,  reported  the  robbery  to  the 
police  . . . E.  J.  Wall,  Paramount  Pictures 
field  representative,  was  in  Buffalo  the 
other  day  with  Pearl  Bailey,  one  of  the 
stars  of  “That  Certain  Feeling”.  . . . Jay 
Golden,  district  manager,  RKO  Theatres, 
with  headquarters  in  Rochester,  is  work- 
ing out  a celebration  by  the  RKO  Palace 
in  that  city  on  July  18  to  mark  the  50th 
anniversary  of  the  opening  of  the  old 
Bijou  Dream  ....  Phil  Engel,  20th  Cen- 
tury-Fox field  representative,  who  head- 
quarters in  Boston,  has  taken  over  the 
Buffalo  and  Albany  territories  formerly 
covered  by  Joe  Lebworth.  Engel  was  in 
Buffalo  this  week  conferring  with  Arthur 
Krolick,  Charles  B.  Taylor  and  Ben  Dar- 
gush  of  the  local  Paramount  Theatres 
organization. 


Chicago 

Norman  Pyle,  head  of  MGM  publicity 
here,  was  able  to  take  a week  for  golf 
between  exploiteering  sessions  for  new 
MGM  films  scheduled  for  loop  theatres 
. . . . Dore  Schary  is  due  here  just  prior 
to  the  opening  of  the  Democratic  Con- 
vention, to  take  charge  of  the  entertain- 
ment features  ....  Mrs.  Burtis  Bishop, 
wife  of  MGM’s  divisional  sales  manager, 
underwent  surgery  last  week.  Reports 
indicate  that  she  is  progressing  nicely  .... 
Negotiations  have  started  for  the  reopen- 
ing of  the  Halfield.  It  has  been  closed  for 
about  a year  ....  Columbia  publicist 
Bob  Weiner  set  up  another  very  effective 
tie-in,  this  time  for  “The  Eddy  Duchin 
Story,”  due  at  the  Woods  theatre  in  July. 
The  Kleenex  people  cooperated  by  having 
their  paper  linen  napkins  imprinted  with 
the  film  title,  and  Columbia  handled  dis- 
tribution in  restaurants  throughout  the 
city  ....  Movies  are  on  the  program 
for  the  first  time  at  Ravinia.  “I  Know 
Where  I’m  Going”  will  open  the  motion 
picture  program  on  June  27. 

Cleveland 

More  than  125  industry  members  have 
made  reservations  to  attend  the  farewell 
testimonial  dinner  Monday  in  the  Cleve- 
land Hotel,  in  honor  of  Morris  Lefko  who 
resigned  as  RKO  district  manager  after 
26  years  with  the  company,  to  join  Para- 
mount as  assistant  to  Charles  Boasberg, 
handling  “Ten  Commandments”  and  “War 
and  Peace.”  Guests  came  from  New  York, 
including  Milton  A.  Cohen  and  John 
Turner  of  United  Artists  and  Leo  Green- 
field of  Buena  Vista,  and  from  Buffalo, 
Pittsburgh,  Cincinnati,  Indianapolis  and 
Detroit  ....  Another  26-year  film  veteran, 
Bill  Lissner,  is  retiring  from  the  business 
and  he  and  his  wife  left  by  automobile 
over  the  weekend  to  wander  through  the 
west  and  northwest.  During  his  many 
years  in  the  industry,  he  was  a film  sales- 
man in  the  Buffalo  and  Cleveland  terri- 
tories— the  last  three  years  with  the  local 
'Universal-International  branch 
Sheldon  Schemer,  a casualty  of  the  Re- 
public Pictures  economy  move,  has  been 
added  to  the  Paramount  payroll  and  is 
awaiting  an  assignment  . . . Mrs.  Kath- 
erine Mack,  veteran  film  inspectress  for 
United  Artists  until  her  retirement  some 
five  years  ago,  died  in  St.  Vincent’s  Hos- 
pital of  a stroke.  She  was  the  mother  of 
Hazel  Mack,  of  National  Screen  Service 
and  of  its  predecessor,  Exhibitors  Poster 
Service. 

Columbus 

Lou  Holleb  has  installed  an  18-hole 
miniature  golf  course  at  the  In  Town 
Auto  theatre  . . . Manager  Robert  Boda 
of  the  Hartman  legitimate  theatre  will 
erect  a modern  illuminated  marquee.  The 
(Continued  on  following  page ) 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  JUNE  23,  1956 


25 


( Continued  from  preceding  page) 
45-year-old  decorative  iron  marquee  of 
the  Hartman  has  been  torn  down  to  make 
way  for  the  new  installation  . . . Local 
friends  of  Jack  Dolde  were  delighted  to 
learn  that  he  has  been  appointed  manager 
of  the  new  Loew’s  Route  35  drive-in  in 
Monmouth  County,  New  Jersey.  Dolde 
was  formerly  assistant  manager  of  Loew’s 
Ohio  here  and  later  was  assistant  at 
Loew’s  Twins  drive-in  in  Chicago  and  at 
Loew’s  Riviera  in  Miami,  Florida  . . . 
Press,  radio  and  television  representatives 
were  guests  at  a surprise  party  for  man- 
ager Walter  Kessler  at  the  Deshler-Hilton 
Hotel  Sky  Room  at  which  he  was  pre- 
sented with  a plaque  for  master  show- 
manship from  United  Artists.  Ralph  Pol- 
lock, special  UA  representative,  made  the 
presentation.  The  award  was  for  Kessler’s 
outstanding  efforts  in  exploiting  UA  films 
. . . . Gray  Barker,  Clarksburg,  West  Vir- 
ginia business  man  who  has  written  a 
book  titled  “They  Knew  Too  Much  About 
Flying  Saucers,”  was  here  to  publicize 
“The  Day  The  World  Ended”  at  RKO 
Grand  ....  Gerald  Anderson,  manager 
of  the  Rialto,  Plain  City,  has  reopened 
the  theatre  after  closing  it  briefly  be- 
cause he  told  city  councilmen  he  could 
not  pay  $115  in  delinquent  taxes.  Ander- 
son later  agreed  to  pay  the  tax  bill. 

Denver 

Dominic  Linza  of  the  Paramount  book- 
ing staff  has  moved  to  United  Artists  as 
booker.  . . . Charles  Boasberg,  Paramount 
sales  manager  for  “War  and  Peace”  and 
the  “Ten  Commandments,  and  Morris 
Lefko,  assistant,  were  in  for  conferences 
with  Phil  Isaacs,  district  manager,  and 
Jim  Ricketts,  branch  manager.  . . . John 
Allen,  Metro  district  manager,  in  from  his 
Dallas  offices.  . . . Henry  Friedel,  branch 
manager,  honored  on  his  40th  year  with 
Metro  by  a luncheon-party  at  the  ex- 
change, and  the  force  gave  him  an  elec- 
tric barbecue  grill.  . . . Quentin  Horn, 
RKO  office  manager,  spending  his  vaca- 
tion attending  state  volunteer  firemen  con- 
vention in  Grand  Junction.  . . . Larry 
Doyle,  Allied  Artists  salesman,  to  Boston 
on  vacation.  . . . Lester  R.  Dollison  has 
reopened  the  Pinto,  Mountain  Air,  N.  M., 
and  has  renamed  it  the  Hollywood.  It 
has  been  closed  several  years.  . . . The 
Denver  Cinema  Club  has  given  Denver 
Variety  Tent  37  $600  to  add  to  the  tent’s 
heart  fund.  . . . The  screen  of  the  Greeley 
drive-in,  Greeley,  Colo.,  was  blown  over. 
Cars  in  the  front  row  noticed  the  screen 
leaning  and  backed  out  of  range.  The  ac- 
cident happened  at  about  10  P.M. 

Des  Moines 

The  Swea  theatre  at  Swea  City,  has 
reopened  under  the  managership  of  Fred 
Albers.  Albers  formerly  worked  at  the 
Swea  when  it  was  operated  by  Milo 
Svendsen.  Local  businessmen  will  spon- 
sor a “Take  a Chance  Night”  Wednesdays 
at  the  theatre  when  each  patron  will  be 
admitted  for  10  cents  with  a ticket  he  can 
obtain  free  of  charge  at  business  places 
co-operating.  . . . Silver  Cord  Lodge 
AF&M  has  purchased  the  Mound  theatre 
building  and  contents  at  Ochyeydan.  The 
Masons,  who  bought  the  property  from 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bert  Carlson,  plan  to  use 
the  ground  floor  as  a meeting  room  and 


will  rent  out  the  upstairs  apartment.  . . . 
The  Clarinda  theatre  at  Clarinda  has  gone 
on  a summer  schedule,  according  to  owner 
Herman  Fields.  The  house  will  show  pic- 
tures only  on  Friday,  Saturday  and  Sun- 
day. The  drive-in  theatre,  however,  will 
be  open  every  night.  . . . The  King  at 
Belle  Plaine  also  will  be  closed  through 
most  of  the  week,  operating  only  on  Fri- 
day, Saturday  and  Sunday.  There  will  be 
but  one  change  of  program  each  week  . . . 
Owner  Milton  Mansfield  says  this  is  the 
first  time  since  the  King  was  built  a quar- 
ter of  a century  ago  that  it  has  been  nec- 
essary to  partially  shut  down.  He  blamed 
the  curtailment  on  lack  of  patronage.  . . . 
Mike  Lee,  UA  district  manager,  was  in 
Des  Moines  for  several  days  ....  Hazel 
Hudson,  Warner  inspectress,  is  on  vaca- 
tion . . . Gwelda  Jones,  Universal  traveled 
to  Omaha  to  attend  a relative’s  funeral. 


Detroit 

The  glasswear  collection  Howard'  Pearl 
started  for  the  critics  continues  with  a 
pitcher  inscribed.  “The  Biggest  Pitcher  of 
Them  All,”  plugging  “Trapeze”  ....  Suit 
was  filed  against  Co-Operative  Theatres 
for  $650,000  by  James  Sharkey,  former 
film  buyer.  Sharkey  claims  he  had  an  oral 
contract  with  Co-Op  for  $900  a week  till 
April  1956  plus  a $5,200  bonus  and  a sec- 
ond oral  contract  for  $1,000  a month  as 
consultant  for  the  rest  of  his  life.  Both 
job  payments  were  dropped  when  Shar- 
key suffered  a heart  attack  and  was  off 
the  job  two  months  . . . Walter  Norris 
and  Henry  Capogna  are  up  to  their  ears 
launching  Butterfield  Theatres’  summer 
advertising  campaign  . . . The  Beverly  has 
reopened  with  new  seats  . . . James  Neal 
and  Door  Brown  have  opened  a 250  car 
drive-in,  the  Pine-Air  in  Michigan’s  re- 
sort area  at  Baldwin  . . . William  Wise- 
man is  operating  the  Troy  drive-in  . . . . 
First  venture  in  exhibiting  is  being  made 
by  Lyle  Clark,  now  operating  the  Lincoln 
at  Lincoln  . . . The  Shelby  at  Shelby  and 
Pentwater  at  Pentwater  have  been  opened 
by  Emmett  Roche. 


Hartford 

John  Houseman,  on  leave  from  MGM 
Studios,  Culver  City,  Calif.,  is  serving  as 
director  of  the  1956  season  at  the  ASFTA 
(American  Shakespeare  Festival  Theatre 
and  Academy),  Stratford,  Conn.  The 
playhouse  opens  June  26  with  “King 
John.”  This  year’s  performers  include 
Nina  Foch,  Mildred  Dunnock,  Arnold 
Moss,  Kent  Smith  and  other  names  fami- 
liar to  the  screen  world  . . . John  Nameika 
has  been  named  manager  of  the  Parsons 
theatre,  Hartford  . . . Pat  Meyers  has 
joined  advertising  staff  of  Bercal  Theatres 
Inc.  . . . A1  Schuman,  formerly  general 
manager  of  the  Hartford  Theatres  Circuit, 
and  Mrs.  Schuman  have  returned  to  their 
Daytona  Beach,  Fla.,  home,  following  a 
European  vacation.  They  are  expected  to 
visit  Hartford  this  summer.  Sam  Harris, 
partner,  State  theatre,  and  Mrs.  Harris 
are  vacationing  in  Europe  . . . The  Blue 
Hills  drive-in,  Bloomfield,  Conn.,  is  last 
outdoor  unit  in  metropolitan  Hartford  to 
install  a CinemaScope  screen.  Unit  bought 
by  Milton  LeRoy  and  associates  measures 
122-feet  wide. 


Indianapolis 

Irwin  Allen,  producer  of  “The  Animal 
World,”  was  here  Wednesday  for  the 
film’s  opening  at  the  Circle.  . . . Russell 
Clark,  formerly  manager  of  the  Liberty  at 
Muncie,  has  been  named  manager  of  the 
Sullivan  drive-in  to  succeed  Lawrence 
Lindsey,  who  resigned.  . . . Y & W has 
closed  the  Princess  at  New  Castle  for  the 
summer.  . . . Pete  Fortune  has  disposed 
of  the  Tuxedo  to  James  Stanley,  who  also 
operates  the  Hamilton  here.  . . . Bob  Jones 
prepared  a report  on  “cable”  theatre  for 
the  June  meeting  of  the  Allied  Theatre 
Owners  of  Indiana  board  this  week.  . . . 
Burdette  Peterson,  manager  of  National 
Theatre  Supply,  has  air-conditioned  the 
offices  here.  . . . The  Variety  Club  has  an- 
nounced a membership  picnic  June  30  at 
Northern  Beach.  . . . The  Crystal  at  Li- 
gonier,  closed  since  mid-April,  has  re- 
opened. Phil  Schloss  is  the  manager. 

Jacksonville 

Local  delegate  to  the  national  Jaycee 
convention  in  Kansas  City  was  George 
Krevo,  manager,  Imperial  theatre.  . . . 
Stricken  ill  and  confined  to  a Tampa  hos- 
pital was  Frank  Alig,  former  FST  circuit 
official  of  this  city.  . . . Here  from  Atlanta 
distribution  offices  were  John  Jarvis,  IFE 
salesman;  Jimmy  Bello  and  Frank  Low- 
ery, Capitol;  and  Grover  Livingston, 
Warner.  . . . Norman  Levinson,  MGM  pub- 
licist, left  for  Miami  Beach  to  wed  Miss 
Claudia  Johnson.  . . . Howell  Reddick 
is  the  new  manager  of  Talger’s  Ritz  the- 
atre, Winter  Haven,  replacing  Frank  Spar- 
row who  resigned.  . . . Tommy  Hyde, 
manager  of  Talgar  houses  in  Tallahassee, 
was  here  for  several  days.  . . . Variety 
held  a successful  night  barbecue  and  hill- 
billy square  dance  at  the  Pistol  Club.  . . . 
Jack  Clem,  theatre  artist  from  Miami, 
visited  here  with  Bill  Fegenbush  of  the 
FST  art  shop.  . . . Frank  Bell,  supervisor 
of  FST’s  west  coast  theatres,  came  in  for 
home  office  conferences.  . . . Bob  Corbit 
of  Orlando  was  executing  FST  newspaper 
ads  while  Edith  Smith  vacationed. 


Kansas  City 

Officials  of  the  Stanley  Warner  Cine- 
rama Corporation  who  came  to  Kansas 
City  for  the  June  14  premiere  of  Cine- 
rama at  the  Missouri  theatre  included 
Lester  B.  Isaac,  director  of  advertising 
and  publicity;  H.  M.  Kalmine,  vice-presi- 
dent and  general  manager,  and  B.  G. 
Kranze,  vice-president.  ...  As  a Father’s 
Day  promotion,  the  Crest  and  Riverview 
drive-ins  gave  cigars  to  the  first  400  fa- 
thers at  the  box  office.  . . . The  Isis  theatre 
and  Hilltop  drive-in  at  Marysville,  Kan., 
formerly  owned  by  Liberty  Theatre  Co. 
and  now  operated  by  Fox-Midwest,  are  in 
the  hands  of  a receiver.  The  courts  ap- 
pointed R.  L.  Helvering  to  operate  them 
temporarily.  . . . Hollywood  theatre,  Leav- 
enworth, Kans.,  is  offering  free  passes  to 
patrons  holding  tickets  ending  in  the  num- 
ber seven  as  a “Lucky  Seven”  patronage- 
appreciation  promotion.  . . . Death  came 
to  Lawrence  H.  Brueninger,  who  retired 
in  March  as  city  manager  for  Fox  Midwest 
in  Topeka,  Kan.  He  had  been  a Topeka 
theatre  owner  and  manager  for  33  years. 

( Continued  on  opposite  page) 


26 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  JUNE  23,  1956 


Los  Angeles 

Manny  Feldstein,  of  the  Dietrich  and 
Feldstein  Theatres,  was  in  Cedars  of  Leb- 
anon Hospital  for  a check-up  . . . Tom 
Charack,  of  Pacific  Drive-in  Theatres, 
was  off  to  Honolulu  for  a business  and 
pleasure  trip  ...  In  from  Manhattan  to 
attend  the  charity  premiere  of  “Trapeze,” 
were  United  Artists  vice-president  Bill 
Heineman,  sales  chief  Jim  Velde,  and  A1 
Fitter,  western  sales  manager  . . . Dick 
McKay  of  the  Pacific  Drive-In  Theatres, 
was  off  for  a vacation  in  Yosemite  . . . 
Hugh  Braly,  who  represents  the  western 
territory  for  DCA,  headed  for  San  Fran- 
cisco . . . Milt  Frankel  called  a meeting 
of  his  committee  to  draft  final  plans  for 
the  annual  Film  Row  Club  outing  sched- 
uled for  Saturday,  July  21,  at  Griffith 
Park.  Frankel  is  chairman  of  the  event 
. . . Jules  Gerlick,  Universal-International 
salesman,  was  hospitalized  with  a foot- 
infection  . . . Back  at  his  desk  after  a 
trip  to  New  York  was  Bob  Kronenberg 
of  Manhattan  Films,  who  stopped  off  in 
Salt  Lake  City,  Seattle  and  Denver  on 
his  way  from  the  East. 

Memphis 

Memphis  theatre  owners  are  countering 
the  spring  slump  in  attendance  with  bar- 
gain nights,  family  nights  and  cuts  in 
children’s  admissions.  . . . Malco’s  subur- 
ban circuit — Crosstown,  Linden  Circle  and 
Memphian — have  cut  the  prices  for  chil- 
dren under  12  to  10  cents.  Twenty  cents 
had  been  the  regular  admission  for  chil- 
dren. . . . The  Rosemary,  in  the  Cianciolo 
chain,  has  had  bargain  nights  with  adult 
admissions  25  cents  and  children  10  cents. 
Hollywood  has  same  rates  for  bargain 
nights.  Madison  charges  10  cents  for  chil- 
dren. . . . Linden  Circle  tried  a family 
night  with  a mother,  father  and  two  chil- 
dren all  being  admitted  for  50  cents.  . . . 
Mississippi’s  Supreme  Court  ruled  this 
week  that  the  1954  state  law  permitting 
movies  to  be  shown  between  1 and  6 P.M. 
and  between  9 P.M.  and  midnight  on  Sun- 
days repealed  local  option  laws  in  all 
cities  and  counties  which  prohibited  any 
Sunday  movies.  The  case  was  won  by 
Magnolia  theatre  in  New  Albany,  Miss., — 
which  is  in  the  Memphis  trade  territory — 
where  the  city  tried  to  prohibit  Sunday 
movies  under  a local  law. 

Miami 

FST’s  Harry  Botwick  was  host  at  the 
Sheridan  theatre  recently  for  an  invita- 
tional showing  of  “The  Miracle  of  Todd- 
AO,”  the  new  quarter-hour  film  which  in- 
dues a roller  coaster  sequence.  Miami 
News  columnist  Herb  Rau  reported  the 
super-wide  curved  screen  made  it  almost 
as  real  as  an  actual  ride.  . . . The  Claugh- 
ton  circuit  announces  construction  of  the 
Hollywood  theatre,  a 1,000-seat  house 
which  will  start  serving  first  run  films  to 
Hollywood  residents  come  November  . . . 
MGM’s  Florida  exploiteer  Norman  Levin- 
son was  due  to  join  the  ranks  of  the  bene- 
dicts . . . The  capable  hands  of  Mrs. 
Mitchell  Wolfson  will  again  be  holding  the 
reins  as  president  of  the  University  of 
Miami  Symphony  Club,  to  which  execu- 
tive spot  she  was  elected  for  the  third 
term  . . . The  wife  of  WTVJ’s  announcer 
Lee  Taylor  gave  birth  to  twin  girls  re- 


cently . . . WTVJ  is  again  cooperating 
with  the  University  of  Miami  for  a series 
of  four  concentrated  summer  courses  on 
television  and  motion  pictures. 

Milwaukee 

It  wasn’t  easy  for  Allied  members  to 
leave  Schwartz  Hotel  on  Elkhart  Lake 
after  the  convention  there  this  past  week. 
Everyone  was  relaxed,  and  agreed  it  was 
the  best  convention  yet.  . . . Pat  Malia, 
Manley,  Inc.  was  distressed  upon  arriv- 
ing at  the  Wisconsin  Allied  convention 
because  his  equipment  never  arrived.  Go- 
ing into  Plymouth  and  Sheboygan  failed 
to  solve  the  mystery  as  to  what  happened 
to  the  popcorn  machine.  ...  A new  face 
at  the  Allied  sessions  was  Mrs.  Lydia 
Ratzow  who  owns  and  operates  the  Violet 
theatre  here.  . . . John  Adler’s  Relda 
theatre  in  Marshfield  is  being  converted 
into  a store  for  the  Three  Sisters.  A long 
term  contract  has  been  signed.  . . . Also 
attending  the  Allied  meeting,  from  Niles, 
Iowa,  were  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Charles  Niles. 

. . . Golfing  awards  at  the  Allied  con- 
vention were  awarded  at  the  banquet. 
Highest  score  of  62  was  won  by  Jerry 
Goderski,  Airway  theatre,  Milwaukee.  . . . 
Europe-bound  in  the  very  near  future  are 
the  Russell  Leddys  of  Green  Bay  and  Ben 
Berger. 

Minneapolis 

The  town  board  of  suburban  Eden 
Prairie  reversed  an  earlier  decision  and 
approved  rezoning  of  land  for  the  Flying 
Cloud  drive-in  being  promoted  by  Otto  W. 
Kobs  and  Martin  F.  Grill.  Kobs  also  op- 
erated the  Oxboro  theatre  in  suburban 
Oxboro  . . . Stars  Arlene  Dahl  and  Fer- 
nando Lamas  were  in  to  help  promote  the 
sales  of  government  savings  bonds  . . . 
The  new  Cinerama  production,  “Seven 
Wonders  of  the  World,”  has  been  set  to 
open  at  the  Century  theatre  August  7, 
according  to  Philip  R.  Jasen,  managing 
director  of  the  theatre.  “Cinerama  Holi- 
day” is  in  its  47th  week  here  . . . Larry 
Bigelow  is  the  new  apprentice  booker  at 
Columbia  replacing  Jim  Simonsen,  who 
was  named  assistant  shipper  . . . Dick 
Kolling,  booker  at  Columbia,  vacationed 
on  the  north  shore  of  Lake  Superior  . . . 
Condolences  to  J.  T.  McBride,  branch 
manager  of  Paramount,  whose  brother, 
James,  passed  away  in  St.  Louis  . . . New 
on  the  row  are  Donna  Koniar,  box  office 
clerk  at  MGM,  and  Kathryn  Gordon, 
booking  stenographer  at  Paramount  . . . 
M.  A.  Levy,  20th-Fox  midwest  district 
manager,  has  been  making  a tour  of 
branches  in  his  district. 

New  Orleans 

George  Edward’s  Ritz,  Hattiesburg, 
Miss.,  is  now  equipped  with  a new  wide 
screen  and  Kollmorgen  lens.  Raymond 
Gremillion  of  Southeastern  handled  the 
sale  and  installation.  . . . Mrs.  Sue  Jones 
slated  June  29  for  reopening  of  Hill  Top, 
Clinton,  Miss.,  which  was  closed  since  the 
early  part  of  the  year.  . . . Carl  Cudia, 
assistant  manager  at  the  RKO  Orpheum, 
is  off  on  his  annual  pleasure  jaunt.  . . . 
It  is  reported  that  George  S.  Owen,  pro- 
prietor of  the  indoor  Royal,  the  Opp, 
Dixieland  and  Midway  drive-ins,  Opp. 
Ala.,  is  retiring  from  the  theatre  business 


and  has  advertised  the  four  theatres  for 
sale.  . . . Henry  Glover,  assistant  shipper 
at  RKO  and  wife  Ruth,  inspectress  at 
Stevens  Pictures,  are  on  vacation  leave. 

. . . Patsy  Brown,  Steven’s  Pictures  sec- 
retary, is  back  at  her  desk  after  vaca- 
tions. . . . The  Palms  drive-in,  Atmore, 
Ala.,  a Martin  Theatres’  unit,  held  a dual 
celebration  recently — National  Drive-In 
Theatre  Week  and  the  beginning  of  its 
sixth  year  of  operation.  John  H.  Smith  is 
the  manager.  He  also  holds  the  reins  of 
the  town’s  indoor  Strand. 

Philadelphia 

Exhibitors  Abraham  M.  Ellis,  William 
Goldman  and  Leo  Posel,  also  Variety 
Club’s  former  chief  barkers  Jack  Beresin 
and  Victor  H.  Blanc,  are  among  those 
serving  on  the  Sponsors  Committee  for 
the  Yeshiva  University  testimonial  dinner 
held  this  week.  . . . Variety  Club,  Tent  13, 
is  sponsoring  the  testimonial  dinner  to 
be  held  in  honor  of  Howard  Minsky,  Para- 
mount mideast  regional  manager,  at  the 
Bellevue-Stratford  Hotel  June  25,  on  his 
moving  his  office  to  Pittsburgh,  Pa.  . . . 
The  huge  pipe  organ  in  the  Astor,  Read- 
ing, Pa.,  which  was  recently  leased  to 
William  Goldman,  head  of  the  William 
Goldman  Theatres  chain,  is  being  rebuilt 
and  re-tuned  and  to  be  returned  to  use. 

. . . The  1,000-seat  Penypak,  key  neigh- 
borhood house  here  which  was  recon- 
structed in  1940  at  a cost  of  $100,000,  and 
equipped  with  a complete  stage  for  shows, 
is  being  offered  up  at  an  absolute  auction 
July  19.  . . . The  Laureldale,  Pa.,  Civic 
Association  has  announced  plans  to  pur- 
chase the  Laureldale  in  that  community 
for  $15,000  and  to  convert  it  into  a com- 
munity center.  The  house  was  last  op- 
erated by  Edward  L.  Foley  and  Andrew 
J.  Dzurkovich.  . . . Frank  Damis,  assis- 
tant to  the  vice-president  at  Stanley  War- 
ner Theatres,  and  general  manager  Harry 
M.  Kalmine,  were  in  town  visiting  with 
the  local  circuit  executives  and  visiting 
the  chain  houses.  . . . The  Norman  Lewis 
theatre  circuit  has  moved  its  offices  into 
the  City  Center  Building.  . . . The  local 
Variety  Club’s  annual  Johnny  Night,  July 
31  at  the  Connie  Mack  Stadium,  will  fea- 
ture a baseball  game  between  the  Phillies 
and  Chicago. 

Pittsburgh 

The  Penn  has  set  “Johnny  Concho”  to 
follow  “Trapeze”  . . . The  Stanley  held 
over  “The  Searchers”  for  a third  week, 
the  first  movie  to  achieve  that  feat  in 
many  months.  . . . “Oklahoma”  opened 
big  in  the  Nixon,  with  reams  of  publicity 
for  Shirley  Jones  who  came  home  for  the 
occasion.  . . . Leonard  Mendlowitz,  Sun- 
Telegraph  critic,  off  for  a week’s  vacation 
in  New  York  and  then  to  New  Bedford, 
Mass,  for  the  “Moby  Dick”  premiere.  . . . 
“Song  of  the  South”  re-issue  finally  got 
a date  at  the  Stanley  after  several  post- 
ponements. It  will  be  followed  by  a dual 
bill,  “Animal  World”  and  “Goodbye,  My 
Lady.”  Also  set  for  this  house  are  “Santi- 
ago,” “Great  Locomotive  Chase”  and 
“Moby  Dick”  in  that  order.  . . . The 
Squirrel  Hill  art  house  has  set  “Citizen 
Kane”  for  a July  re-issue,  to  be  followed 
by  “Lovers  and  Lollipops”.  . . . Playhouse 
actress  Janice  Norris,  a double  for  Mari- 
( Continued  on  following  page ) 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  JUNE  23,  1956 


27 


( Continued  from  preceding  page ) 
lyn  Monroe,  is  in  Hollywood  testing  for 
RKO.  Studio  footing  the  transportation, 
etc.  bills  for  the  15-year-old  beauty  and 
her  mother. 

Portland 

Lon  Chaney,  Bela  Lugosi,  John  Carra- 
dine,  and  Tor  Johnson  were  in  town  for 
one  day  to  promote  “The  Black  Sleep.” 
Dick  Newton,  manager  of  the  Paramount 
theatre,  reported  a terrific  gross  with  this 
film  teamed  with  “The  Creeping  Un- 
known”. . . . Broadway  theatre  manager 
Herb  Royster  will  show  “The  Old  Oregon 
Trail,”  filmed  by  Encyclopedia  Britannica, 
to  the  National  Teachers  Conclave  here 
the  first  week  in  July.  . . . Gunner  Gun- 
derson has  filmed  26  amateur  fights  and 
will  sell  them  to  Hariscope  productions 
in  Hollywood  for  TV  use.  . . . Allan  Ries- 
ner,  director,  and  Allan  Crosland,  assistant 
director,  are  at  Mt.  Hood  taking  back- 
ground shots  for  “The  Day  They  Gave 
Babies  Away”.  . . . Hal  H.  Pallay  owner 
of  the  21st  Ave.  theatre,  admitted  dads 
free  when  accompanied  by  a kid  on 
Father’s  Day.  . . . Paramount  theatre  man- 
ager Dick  Newton  had  clowns  march  in 
the  Rose  Festival  plugging  “Trapeze”.  . . . 

Providence 

Primarily  because  of  the  previous 
week’s  inclement  weather,  and  lull  in 
business,  and  not  due  to  any  appreciable 
activity  at  the  box  office,  this  week  saw 
several  hold-overs.  “Doctor  At  Sea”  held 
at  the  Avon  Cinema,  while  “The  Man 
Who  Knew  Too  Much”  ran  for  a second 
week  at  the  Strand,  as  did  “The  Search- 
ers” at  the  Majestic.  . . . Thieves  who  ap- 
parently hid  in  the  Elmwood  theatre, 
neighborhood  house  in  the  Elmwood  sec- 
tion, after  the  usual  closing  time,  recently 
stole  about  $100  from  a cigarette  vending 
machine  in  the  lobby,  and  ransacked  the 
office,  according  to  William  McTieman, 
former  local  motion  picture  inspector,  and 
now  manager  of  the  house.  . . . Patrons  at 
E.  M.  Loew’s  Providence  drive-in  were 
recently  treated  to  a stage  show  and  radio 
broadcast  simultaneously.  Gil  Conti  and 
his  Record  Review  company  made  per- 
sonal appearances  on  the  stage  at  the 
drive-in  to  do  their  regular  broadcast 
which  is  a prime  feature  of  station  WPAW 
. . . . Henry  Morgan,  screen  and  TV  come- 
dian, has  been  signed  by  producers  Spof- 
ford  Beadle  and  Michael  Howard  of  the 
Casino,  Newport,  to  star  in  the  opening 
play  of  the  1956  season,  the  comedy  “The 
Seven  Year  Itch”.  . . . State  and  city 
dignitaries,  theatre  men,  and  delegates 
from  all  the  state’s  civic  clubs,  including 
Town  Criers,  Kiwanis  and  Rotary,  at- 
tended the  funeral  of  Mrs.  Mabel  Fay 
Clarke,  sister  of  Edward  M.  Fay,  dean  of 
New  England  showmen;  and  mother  of 
Albert  J.  Clarke,  former  Majestic  man- 
ager. 

St  Louis 

A dance  concert  was  given  at  the  Elec- 
tric theatre  in  St.  Joseph,  Mo.,  recently 
by  the  pupils  of  Paul  Chambers  and  Clif- 
ford Kirwan.  . . . Lawrence  H.  Breuninger, 
65,  theatre  owner  and  manager  at  Topeka, 
Kan.,  for  more  than  33  years,  died  re- 


cently at  his  home  in  that  city.  He  had 
retired  last  March  as  manager  of  the 
Topeka  Fox  theatres.  He  remained  active 
in  the  theatre  business,  however,  and 
was  president  of  Chief  Drive-In  Theatre, 
Inc.  . . . Orris  Collins,  owner  of  the  thea- 
tres at  Paragould,  Ark.,  recently  was 
elected  vice-president  of  the  Independent 
Theatre  Owners  of  Arkansas.  . . . The 
Lindina  theatre,  the  only  one  in  Edina, 
Mo.,  which  had  been  operated  since  1942 
by  the  Pirtle  Circuit,  has  been  closed.  The 
Lindina  was  built  in  1932  by  the  late  C. 
B.  Linville.  . . . The  Rialto  Theatre  at 
Adel,  la.,  recently  was  destroyed  by  fire 
and  Oliver  Doop,  the  owner,  placed  his 
loss  at  $100,000. 

Toronto 

The  local  Kinsmen  Club  of  Simcoe  held 
a movie  night  when  Morley  McPhee,  of 
the  Strand,  invited  the  members  of  the 
club  to  be  guests  of  his  theatre.  Arch  H. 
Jolley,  executive-secretary  of  the  Motion 
Picture  Theatres  Association  of  Ontario 
addressed  the  dinner-meeting  beforehand. 
. . . Reported  sale  of  Batten  Films  to 
Julian  Roffman  and  Ralph  Foster  is  off, 
with  Roffman  and  Foster  returning  to 
their  old  name,  Meridian  Films,  and  the 
Batten  firm  still  on  the  sale  block.  . . . 
Harry  Coleman  has  sold  Coleman  Electric, 
Toronto,  to  General  Theatre  Supply  Co. 
Ltd.,  national  theatre  supply  firm.  Operat- 
ing in  Ontario  only,  Coleman  Electric,  or- 
ganized in  1914,  was  the  oldest  supply 
house  in  Canada.  The  stock  has  been  re- 
moved from  the  building  which  housed  it 
on  Dundas  Square,  Toronto,  and  the  name 
will  vanish.  GTS,  a subsidiary  of  Famous 
Players  Canadian  Corp.,  also  acquired  the 
goodwill,  said  Coleman,  who  isn’t  getting 
out  of  the  business.  . . . The  seventh  an- 
nual 16mm  film  festival  of  the  Regina 
Film  Council  is  scheduled  to  take  place 
October  17-19  Mrs.  D.H.O.  Woodhams  has 
been  named  chairman  of  the  Festival 
Committee.  The  1956  edition  of  the  film 
festival  will  also  include  films  from  other 
countries. 

Washington 

Nathan  D.  Golden,  director  of  the  mo- 
tion picture,  scientific  and  photographic 
products  division,  Department  of  Com- 
merce, has  again  been  named  international 
heart  chairman  of  Variety  Clubs  Inter- 
national, by  new  international  chief  bark- 
er John  Rowley.  . . . The  Variety  Club 
golf  tournament  and  dinner  dance  will  be 
held  this  year  at  the  Woodmont  Country 
Club  in  Rockville,  Md.,  October  5.  Sam 
Galanty,  George  Crouch  and  Albert  Le- 
witt  will  be  co-chairmen  of  the  affair.  . . . 
Fred  McMillan,  managing  director  of  the 
Warner  Cinerama  theatre,  has  a new  as- 
sistant, Harold  Smithson,  formerly  with 
Loew’s.  . . . Fred  Kogod,  K-B  theatre 
head,  has  been  elected  president  of  the 
Adas  Israel  Congregation.  . . . Henry  R. 
Wall,  34,  New  York  theatrical  agent,  died 
June  11.  He  was  at  one  time  assistant  to 
Frank  La  Falce,  director  of  advertising 
and  publicity  for  Warner  Bros.  Theatres  in 
Washington.  . . . Newest  members  ap- 
proved by  the  Variety  Club  board  of 
governors  for  associate  membership  are: 
Maurice  Fitzgan,  owner  of  the  Fitzgan 
Realty  Co.,  Louis  B.  Chelec,  merchant- 
loans,  and  Max  Kampelman,  attorney. 


De  Laurentiis, 
Cinerama  Deal 
Is  Discussed 

Negotiations  are  under  way  currently 
between  Dino  DeLaurentiis  and  Cinerama 
Productions,  Inc.,  whereby  the  Italian  pro- 
ducer would  make  a number  of  feature 
films  “with  story  lines”  at  his  Rome  stu- 
dios during  the  next  few  years  in  the 
Cinerama  process  and  in  standard  ver- 
sions, possibly  in  CinemaScope,  it  was 
reported  this  week. 

The  first  picture  to  be  made  under  such 
an  agreement,  it  was  said,  would  be  a 
remake  of  “The  Adventures  of  Marco 
Polo,”  with  Ernest  Hemingway  writing 
the  screenplay. 

Mr.  DeLaurentiis  and  Cinerama  Produc- 
tions would  be  equal  partners  in  the  pic- 
tures produced,  it  was  said,  and  the  deal 
would  also  provide  for  each  picture  to  be 
shown  on  a “roadshow”  bais  in  40  thea- 
tres throughout  the  world  equipped  to 
show  Cinerama  product.  In  addition,  a 
minimum  profit  for  each  film  would  be 
assured  the  producer. 

An  official  of  Stanley  Warner  Corp., 
which  has  the  exclusive  global  exhibition 
rights  to  all  Cinerama  product,  said  nego- 
tiations are  always  being  conducted  for 
more  product.  He  said  he  didn’t  know  if 
a deal  was  in  work  with  the  Italian  pro- 
ducer, pointing  out  that  Nat  Lapkin,  vice- 
president  of  Stanley  Warner  and  Cinera- 
ma Productions,  handles  all  production 
talks  for  the  company. 


Allied  Artists  Signs  New 
Distribution  Agreement 

Allied  Artists  International  Corporation 
and  Leo  Lax  Films  of  Paris,  France,  have 
signed  an  agreement  for  the  distribution 
of  Allied  Artists’  product  in  Continental 
France  and  French  North  Africa,  it  is  an- 
nounced by  Norton  V.  Ritchey,  president 
of  Allied  Artists  International,  and  Leo 
Lax,  president  of  Lax  Films.  The  recipro- 
cal arrangement  provides  for  the  distribu- 
tion in  the  U.  S.  of  French  films,  controlled 
by  the  Lax  organization,  by  Stratford 
Pictures  Corporation,  subsidiary  of  Allied 
Artists  Pictures  Corporation,  parent  com- 
pany of  Allied  Artists  International. 

"Locomotive  Chase"  Opens 
In  New  York  June  26 

The  New  York  premere  of  Walt  Disney’s 
newest  feature  film,  “The  Great  Loco- 
motive Chase,”  will  take  place  at  the  May- 
fair  theatre,  Broadway,  Tuesday,  June  26, 
it  was  announced  by  Leo  F.  Samuels,  pres- 
dent  and  general  sales  manager  of  Buena 
Vista,  distributors  of  Disney  productions. 
The  picture  is  in  CinemaScope. 


28 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  JUNE  23,  1956 


An  International  Association  of  Motion  Picture  Showmen — Walter  Brooks , Director 


FAMILY  OR  MONTHLY  TICKETS  - a Solution? 


RECENTLY,  a small  theatre  in  the 
midwest  was  saved  from  closing  by 
the  concerted  action  of  1000  friends, 
who  bought  monthly  tickets,  and  thus 
subscribed  enough  guaranteed  patronage 
to  keep  the  theatre  open.  A majority  of 
small  town  theatres  could  afford  to  use 
either  a family  or  a monthly  ticket,  or  a 
ticket-book,  to  circumvent  the  possibility 
of  closing.  Local  merchants  would  help  to 
underwrite  this  venture,  and  civic  organi- 
zations would  support  it,  to  keep  their 
theatre  open  as  a community  enterprise. 

A family  ticket  would  admit  either 
parents  or  children  on  some  coupon  basis 
that  required  two-for-one,  i.  e.,  two  cou- 
pons for  an  adult,  one  for  a child.  Thus, 
it  would  provide  half-fare  for  juveniles, 
and  the  aggregate  value  of  the  family 
ticket  would  be  “a  bargain”  when  com- 
pared with  single  admissions.  And,  a 
monthly  ticket  would  have  the  advantage 
of  a “commutation”  ticket — in  that  it 
serves  all  purposes  for  a calendar  month, 
and  would  be  re-issued  each  month  in  a 
different  color,  good  for  thirty  days. 

These  devices  would  urge  families  and 
others  to  use  up  their  ticket  privilege. 
Since  they  had  a bargain,  they  would 
not  want  to  waste  it,  and  consequently, 
would  go  oftener  to  the  movies  to  make 
the  bargain  price  effective.  Such  ticket 
forms,  or  books,  might  also  be  bought  on 
credit,  with  this  understanding — that  if 
the  book  was  not  paid  for  within  the 
month  of  issue,  it  would  be  somewhat 
more  difficult  to  obtain  another  on  credit. 

There  could  be  a certain  advantage  in 
selling  these  term  tickets  or  family  tickets 
on  credit,  for  it  would  encourage  buyers — 
and  would  also  provide  a certain  control, 
for  the  original  issue  would  have  to 
be  cleared  as  a debt  before  other  debts 
could  be  incurred.  Families  will  buy  tele- 
vision on  time,  and  meet  the  payments, 
because  they  know  the  company  will  re- 
capture the  set  if  these  payments  are  not 
met.  In  similar  fashion,  a theatre  manager 
may  give  credit  only  when  he  has  a re- 
capture opportunity,  which  thus  compels 
the  buyer  to  pay  up. 


"THE  KING  AND-YOU" 

Coming  up,  for  the  delight  of  good  show- 
men and  their  audiences,  is  the  bright  and 
brilliant  20th  Century-Fox  production  of 
"The  King  and  I"— in  CinemaScope  55,  with 
DeLuxe  Color,  and  your  richest  entertain- 
ment experience,  in  anticipation. 

With  all  the  skill  of  Rodgers  and  Ham- 
merstein,  who  have  given  you  "Carousel" 
and  "Oklahoma!"  this  year,  with  all  the 
acting  talent  of  Deborah  Kerr  and  Yul  Bryn- 
ner,  in  roles  that  have  made  Broadway  his- 
tory, with  all  the  professional  qualities  of 
half-a-hundred  theatrical  technicians— here 
is  a picture  that  has  literally  been  "made  to 
order"  to  recapture  our  lost  audience.  It 
will  be  a source  of  pleasure  and  satisfaction 
to  every  member  of  this  Round  Table,  and  to 
those  whom  you  call  your  loyal  patrons  of 
the  movies. 

Based  on  a great  book,  produced  once 
before  in  our  old  techniques,  it  is  now  su- 
perb, beyond  all  praise  from  this  corner.  You 
must  carry  the  ball  from  here— to  properly 
sell  a motion  picture  which  has  so  much  that 
it  defies  description.  You  have  never  seen 
such  color,  such  charm,  such  sheer  delight, 
on  the  big  movie  screen  which  is  our  strong- 
hold of  defense. 


Ticket  books  are  a great  institution,  not 
as  much  appreciated  here  as  in  Canada, 
where  Famous  Players  sell  millions  of 
admissions  annually  through  the  sale  of 
coupon  books.  It  is  a substantial  backlog 
of  prepaid  admissions,  with  the  cash  in  the 
bank  in  advance,  and  no  problem  of  credit 
or  collection,  whatever.  Ticket  books  give 
more  admissions  for  less  money,  and  also 
pay  a commission  to  the  seller. 


EFFECTIVE  next  week,  in  the  Round 
Table,  we  will  print  one  list  of  contenders 
for  each  quarter.  This  list,  to  run  in  the 
issue  of  June  30th,  wll  contain  all  the 
finalists  for  the  second  quarter  of  1956. 
Thus,  we  will  avoid  some  repetition  and 
duplication  which  have  occurred  in  the 
past,  and  will  save  our  valuable  space  for 
more  news  in  these  columns. 

Under  the  new  arrangement,  there  will 
be  approximately  104  contenders  listed  in 
each  quarter.  This  will  be  a third  or  less 
of  all  of  those  who  submit  material,  but 
these  have  a chance  to  win  in  the  judging. 
Others  will  be  handled  for  “news”  of  their 
showmanship  and  discussion  in  the  Round 
Table.  Of  the  contenders  listed,  two  top 
winners  in  large  and  small  situations,  and 
one  from  overseas,  will  be  chosen  by  the 
judges,  as  well  as  seven  Scroll  of  Honor 
winners  and  approximately  44  citation 
winners,  as  has  been  our  practice.  We  so- 
licit quality,  rather  than  quantity,  and 
wish  more  could  qualify  as  finalists. 

■ ■ ■ 

CHILDREN  in  Norwich,  Conn.,  will  be 
admitted  free,  if  under  12  years  of  age 
and  accompanied  by  their  paying  parents. 
The  three  theatres,  Stanley  Warner’s 
Palace,  Lord’s  Midtown  and  Norwich 
theatres,  will  apply  the  policy  at  evening 
shows,  seven  days  a week.  This  is  no  more 
than  defensive  tactics,  since  4500  drive-in 
theatres  have  been  doing  exactly  the  same 
thing  for  years  past. 

Apparently,  this  policy  will  not  disturb 
the  highly  successful  Saturday  morning 
children’s  shows,  which  are  increasingly 
subject  to  sponsorship  by  friendly  mer- 
chants, and  the  entire  house  “sold  out”  on 
a rental  basis.  Many  circuits  are  making 
this  a very  profitable  feature,  and  it  hap- 
pens at  an  hour  when  drive-ins  are  unable 
to  compete.  Also,  Mr.  Sindlinger  says,  we 
are  raising  a new  generation  who  are 
getting  completely  out  of  the  habit  of 
paying — for  television  or  the  movies.  We 
better  think  that  one  over,  very  seriously, 
because  it  sounds  quite  convincing  in  this 
editorial  corner.  — Walter  Brooks 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  JUNE  23,  1956 


29 


Famed  circus  clown  Felix  Adler  is  interviewed 
by  Dave  Garroway  from  the  lobby  of  the  Cap- 
itol theatre  in  New  York,  at  the  premiere  of 
“Trapeze”. 


Youngsters  were  attracted  by  a clown  who  distributed  some  of  100,000 
balloons,  tipping  small-fry  to  the  circus  atmosphere  of  the  Hecht-Lan- 
caster  picture  at  the  Capitol. 

The  Circus  Comes 
To  Your  Theatre 


Denise  Darcel,  and 
her  sister,  are 
greeted  by  a clown 
bearing  bouquets, 
in  the  circus-style 
opening  at  the  Cap- 
itol. 


Director  Sir  Carol  Reed,  with  Roger  H.  Lewis, 
UA’s  national  director  of  advertising,  publicity 
and  exploitation,  and  Joseph  Gould,  advertising 
manager,  look  over  proof  of  the  cross-country 
campaign  for  “Trapeze.” 


Circus  hoopla,  featuring  clowns,  ring-master,  and  the 
flavor  of  tanbark,  sold  “Trapeze”  as  big-top  excitement 
to  thousands  crowding  police  barriers  at  the  premiere. 


Harry  Greenman, 
managing  director 
of  the  Capitol, 
stressed  the  circus 
in  all  advance  dis- 
play for  “Trapeze”. 


MIOt  ... 


’ lhlC*»U:  a't; 

ft 

Inn  LANCASTER 
lor  CURTIS 
EauLOliOiRLGIM 

30 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  JUNE  23,  1956 


Sk 


o wm  en  in 


s^cti 


on 


No  one  does  a better  job  of  newspaper 
relations  than  Ernie  Emerling,  with  his 
direct-mail  approach  to  the  fraternity  in 
appreciation  for  their  cooperation.  We’ve 
said  that  before,  and  now  we  can  say  it 
again,  for  in  the  mail  comes  a special 
portfolio  with  the  headline,  “So  You’re 
Going  On  Vacation.”  Aimed  at  the  work- 
ing press,  it  supplies  a bundle  of  “guest 
columns”  and  other  emergency  copy  which 
can  be  left  on  the  hook,  while  the  news- 
boys enjoy  their  time  off.  It’s  inspired,  be- 
cause Ernie  speaks  the  language,  and 
knows  the  habits,  of  newspaper  guys  and 
dolls.  Something  similar  may  be  inspired 
in  your  town,  if  you  put  your  mind  to  it 
and  get  up  some  copy  to  fill  in  while 
they  rest  and  play.  Some  members  of  the 
Round  Table  have  done  guest  columns 
over  their  own  signatures,  and  with  great 
success.  Notably,  Sonny  Shepherd,  of  Wo- 
metco,  and  others  here  and  yon. 

T 

Richard  DeBow,  formerly  manager  of 
Trans-Lux  86th  St.  theatre  in  New  York, 
has  been  appointed  to  the  socially  sub- 
urban Hastings  theatre,  at  Hastings-on- 
Hudson,  and  is  very  happy  on  his  new  job. 
Dick  is  one  of  our  Round  Table  friends 
who  have  found  a membership  here  to  be 
valuable  in  making  new  connections.  He 
says  business  has  already  picked  up,  which 
is  a satisfaction. 

▼ 

Nyman  Kessler,  manager  of  Stanley 
Warner’s  DeWitt  theatre,  Bayonne,  N.  J., 
says  “Showmanship  is  synonymous  with 
us  at  this  theatre,  without  a letup” — and 
with  that  we’ll  agree.  Nyman  was  a run- 
ner-up in  the  recent  Quigley  Grand  Award 
finals. 

▼ 

Two  Connecticut  managers  who  brought 
in  extra  entertainment  to  focus  attention 
on  their  newly  opened  kiddie  playground 
facilities  are  Charlie  Lane  of  the  Sum- 
mit Drive-In,  Branford  and  John  Silver- 
watch  of  the  Hartford  Drive-In,  Newing- 
ton. The  former  had  a cowboy  entertainer 
and  the  latter  had  “Brownie,”  the  clown 
entertain  the  youngsters,  with  town  of- 
ficials participating  in  ribbon-cutting  cere- 
mony on  opening  night. 

▼ 

Charles  Gaudino,  manager  of  Loew’s 
Poli  theatre,  Springfield,  Mass.,  had  news- 
paper picture  of  aspirants  to  the  “Miss 
Springfield  of  1956”  contest  which  is  spon- 
sored by  the  Junior  Chamber  of  Com- 
merce and  will  be  staged  June  22. 

▼ 

Mayor  Robert  J.  Wagner  purchased  the 
first  ticket  for  the  gala  PAL  benefit  prem- 
iere of  “The  King  and  I,”  opening  at  the 
Roxy  theatre  on  June  28.  A boy  and  girl 
member  of  PAL  joined  in  handing  the 
Mayor  the  huge  blown-up  ticket  for  the 
Twentieth  Century  Fox  spectacle. 


Eugene  Pleshette,  managing  director  of  the 
Brooklyn  Paramount  theatre,  is  presented  with 
a plaque  by  Mildred  Wisenfield,  director  and 
founder  of  the  National  Council  to  Combat 
Blindness,  and  little  Stevie  Michaelson  assists  in 
the  cause  of  eye  research.  Mr.  Pleshette  staged 
the  “Lights  on”  show  recently  to  raise  funds 
for  the  organization. 

Ken  Finlay,  with  Dorothy — and  little 
Dorothy,  have  picked  up  bag-and-baggage 
and  moved  from  Newburgh,  N.  Y.,  to  take 
over  at  the  Fond  du  Lac  theatre,  Fond  du 
Lac,  Wisconsin,  for  Alliance  Theatres.  Ken 
is  the  one  who  created  such  fine  publicity 
as  a new  parent  that  he  attracted  atten- 
tion in  the  Round  Table  and  throughout 
the  trade,  with  even  Cecil  B.  DeMille  ap- 
plauding. 

Mr.  Peganus,  general  manager  of  the 
circuit,  which  operates  92  theatres,  was  so 
pleased  with  Ken’s  “promotion”  that  he 
called  up  from  Chicago,  and  offered  him 
the  chance  to  manage  one  of  their  fine 
houses,  in  Fond  du  Lac.  He  liked  the 
whole  idea  so  well  that  he  invited  the 
family  to  spend  the  weekend  in  Chicago 
enroute,  to  visit  the  home  office,  and  even 
made  a hotel  reservation  — including  a 
crib  for  the  tot.  Ken  reported  on  the  job 
in  Fond  du  Lac  on  June  18th  and  we  wish 
him  the  best  of  luck,  and  more  promo- 
tions as  successful  as  this  one. 

▼ 

John  A.  Waggon,  who  is  obviously  a 
showman,  writes  from  Toledo,  Ohio,  to 
say  that  he  will  offer  color  and  cut-out 
comic  books  for  drive-in  and  conventional 
theatres,  to  be  advertised  in  the  Herald, 
and  while  we  have  a sample  book,  which 
looks  attractive,  there’s  no  other  informa- 
tion, so  we’ll  have  to  wait  to  learn  the 
details.  Looks  like  a profitable  item  for 
the  children’s  trade,  and  could  be  spon- 
sored by  a back-page  advertiser. 


Nice  letter  from  Larry  Graburn,  that 
we’re  happy  to  get.  You’ll  remember  him, 
in  the  Round  Table,  as  advertising  and 
publicity  manager  for  Odeon  Theatres 
(Canada)  and  he  left  to  join  Columbia 
Pictures  Studio,  in  January,  1954.  Now,  he 
reports  from  Walt  Disney  Productions, 
Burbank,  California.  Larry  had  his  sights 
raised  for  a better  job,  and  we  think,  he’s 
gotten  it,  with  all  the  joy  of  California  be- 
sides. Horace  Greeley  said  it! 

T 

Murray  Spector,  manager  of  Stanley 
Warner’s  Central  theatre,  Jersey  City,  was 
honored  with  a plaque  from  the  Women’s 
Group  of  the  Yeshiva  of  Hudson  County, 
in  recognition  of  his  efforts  in  behalf  of 
their  activities.  His  name  has  been  in- 
scribed at  the  Yeshiva,  on  a “Torah”  Leaf 
of  the  Tree  of  Life,  and  this  fact  is  stated 
on  the  plaque. 

T 

Sid  Kleper,  manager  of  the  College  the- 
atre, New  Haven,  Conn.,  was  presented 
with  Indian  headgear  and  made  a mem- 
ber of  the  Sachem  of  the  local  Red  Men 
tribe — and  the  newspaper  ran  the  picture. 

▼ 

Bill  Macgrath,  manager  of  the  Stanley 
Warner  State  theatre,  Manchester,  Conn., 
had  an  unexpected  break  when  the  Hart- 
ford Times  ran  a front-page  picture  of  the 
Manchester  high  school  graduating  class 
filing  into  the  theatre  for  commencement 
exercises  and  pointed  out  that  the  mar- 
quee ad  for  “The  Searchers”  was  in  keep- 
ing with  the  class  motto  of  “Look  to  the 
Future.” 

▼ 

John  J.  Link,  concession  manager  and 
publicity  director  for  the  Crescent  cir- 
cuit, with  headquarters  at  Nashville,  is 
highly  pleased  with  the  success  of  “B-Day” 
featuring  special  prices  for  adults  and  chil- 
dren in  all  of  their  theatres  and  drive-ins, 
with  concession  sales  booming.  The  Ten- 
nessee, largest  theatre,  drew  three  times  as 
many  as  a comparative  Wednesday,  and 
the  Skyway  Drive-In  had  twice  its  usual 
Wednesday  night  crowd. 

T 

National  Screen  promises  “cool  cash” 
from  “hot  summer  promotions”  in  their 
special  bulletin  accenting  accessories  for 
the  summer  shows.  Cool  trailers,  patron- 
pleasing promotions,  community  tie-ins 
and  shopping  stunts  are  among  the  extra 
exploitation  ideas. 

▼ 

Charlie  Doctor  addressed  his  direct  mail 
campaign  on  “Wee  Geordie”  at  the  Capitol 
theatre  in  Vancouver,  as  “From  One  Scot 
to  Another” — with  names  furnished  by  the 
Caledonian  Society.  He  used  caricature 
ads  in  the  newspapers,  and  Duncan  Choco- 
lates practically  took  over  the  concession 
counter  with  cooperative  stunts. 

▼ 

The  largest  saturation  radio  advertising 
campaign  in  the  industry’s  history  will  be 
inaugurated  by  20th  Century-Fox  with 
more  than  1,100  spot  announcements  to 
herald  the  coming  of  “The  King  and  I”  to 
the  Roxy  theatre,  June  28th. 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  JUNE  23,  1956 


31 


SMALL  TOWN  THEATRE 
HELPS  LOCAL  TALENT 


Ulderick  S.  Allaire,  owner  and  manager 
of  the  Victoria  theatre,  Victoriaville,  Que- 
bec, Canada,  is  no  stranger  to  this  Round 
Table.  We’ve  known  Dick,  and  written 
about  him  before,  in  these  pages.  His  town 
is  midway  between  Montreal  and  Quebec, 
but  closer  to  Three  Rivers,  and  the  lan- 
guage is  more  French  than  English,  with 
most  of  the  town’s  15,000  population  need- 
ing super-imposed  titles  for  English  films. 
And  Dick  has  been  just  the  man  to  be 
most  popular,  and  civic-minded,  in  his 
town. 

He  is  a member  of  Canadian  Motion  Pic- 
ture Pioneers,  and  bought  this  theatre  in 
1932,  only  to  have  it  destroyed  by  fire  in 
1950.  So,  he  rebuilt  it  as  a modern  house, 
with  750  seats,  with  all  of  our  new  tech- 
niques added  as  they  came  along.  He  has 
Cinemascope,  and  also  an  electric  organ, 
concert  piano,  TV  lounge,  restaurant  and 
spacious  stage.  Dick  is  a composer,  him- 
self, and  music  is  his  forte.  He  encourages 
his  audience  to  take  part  in  all  manner  of 
local  attractions,  and  brings  them  the  best 
of  everything.  He  is  active  in  radio  and 
has  taken  his  talent  to  Montreal  for  re- 
citals over  CKAC.  He  founded  his  own 
music  firm,  and  edited  an  180-page  book 
of  French  Canada’s  folklore  songs.  He  has 
published  his  own  compositions  in  various 
fields. 

You  can  readily  understand  the  pleas- 
ure his  neighbors  and  friends  have  in  ap- 
pearing on  stage  in  his  many  productions. 
The  theatre  is  his  home — and  can  see  all, 
hear  all  from  a special  window  which 
shows  the  screen  and  stage  from  his  living 
room,  upstairs.  The  theatre  is  larger  than 
it  looks  in  the  attached  photo,  for  the  en- 
trance is  at  right  and  through  a comfort- 
able lobby  area  in  natural  stone.  He  is 
active  in  religious  affairs,  a member  of  the 
Knights  of  Columbus  and  the  Society  of 
Bon  Parler  Francais.  He  has  played  his 


own  compositions  with  the  U.  S.  Army  and 
Navy  bands,  the  Grenadier  Guards  and 
the  Garde  Republicaine,  of  Paris,  France. 
He  is  the  conductor  of  Victoriaville’s  Civic 
Orchestra,  who  hold  their  concerts  on 
stage,  and  he  frequently  puts  on  an  oper- 
etta, with  local  talent.  It  is  because  of  his 
keen  interest  and  fine  adaptability  with 
local  talent  that  we  think  he  deserves  our 
applause  at  this  meeting.  We  wish  there 
were  many  more  who  would  have  the 
necessary  push  in  promoting  stage  events 
for  their  communities. 


Crescent  Circuit  Has 
Accessories  for  Plan 

The  interesting  “Go  to  the  Movies”  cam- 
paign which  was  credited  to  Crescent 
Amusement  Company,  of  Nashville,  on 
page  16  of  The  HERALD  for  June  16,  is 
supported  by  adequate  accessories  and  we 
have  samples  at  hand.  John  J.  Link,  the 
circuit’s  publicity  director,  may  be  ad- 
dressed at  415  Church  St.,  Nashville,  and 
will  be  willing  to  provide  promotional  ma- 
terial, including  billboard  signs,  bumper 
strips,  lobby  pennants,  doorway  decals, 
restaurant  menu  cards,  an  assortment  of 
mats  and  a trailer,  in  a package  deal.  All 
Tennessee  theatre  owners  had  a look  at 
the  campaign  at  their  meeting  held  on 
June  14th. 


Manager  Finds  Big 
Game  for  "Safari" 

Manager  Robert  Whelan  of  the  RKO 
Orpheum  in  Minneapolis  developed  sev- 
eral fine  local  tieups  for  his  engagement 
of  Columbia’s  “Safari.”  He  managed  to 
work  up  two  fine  displays  of  wild  animal 
heads  and  skins.  One  came  from  the  local 
travel  bureau  and  was  displayed  in  their 
window,  the  second  came  from  a local 
big-game  enthusiast.  This  display  was  used 
first  at  the  theatre,  then  moved  to  a local 
TV  studio  for  use  in  a show  plugging  the 
film.  Whelan  also  got  extra  exploitation 
by  hooking  up  with  the  local  Pontiac 
dealer.  Pontiac  features  a “Safari”  sta- 
tion wagon  and  what  could  make  a more 
natural  tie-up? 


Steve  Allen 
Sends  Scroll 
As  An  Entry 

Steve  Allen,  manager  of  the  Odeon  the- 
atre, Haney,  B.  C.,  sends  us  a scroll,  as  a 
switch,  only  this  unrolls  and  unrolls  all 
the  way  across  this  desk  and  over  and 
around  our  assorted  piles  of  mail,  which 
are  numbered  from  one  to  five.  Thus,  it’s 
hard  to  classify  a rolling  scroll,  which 
may  gather  no  moss. 

His  campaign  on  the  British  film,  “Value 
for  the  Money”  was  a quick  cue  for  co- 
operative advertising  from  the  Super- 
valu Stores,  where  they  obviously  have  it. 
The  Haney  Gazette  plays  up  the  deal,  and 
also  carries  a news  story  on  the  front  page, 
that  Frank  Fisher,  of  Odeon  head  office 
in  Toronto,  was  a business  visitor.  Steve 
can  send  tear-sheets  which  will  probably 
earn  another  scroll  from  his  circuit’s  man- 
aging director.  There  was  also  a news  pic- 
ture. The  second  cooperative  page,  in  the 
same  issue,  had  splendid  full-length  pic- 
tures of  Diana  Dors,  which  certainly  sold 
“Value  for  the  Money.”  In  addition,  the 
stores  sponsored  a $200  food  giveaway, 
and  the  chain’s  supervisor  wrote  a letter 
of  praise  for  the  deal. 

For  Mother’s  Day,  Steve  had  another 
wonderful  newspaper  tieup,  with  a double- 
page of  cooperative  advertising,  sponsored 
by  21  local  merchants  and  the  Gazette.  He 
had  a contest  for  the  oldest  grandmother, 
and  the  response  was  amazing.  The  win- 
ner, a lovely  lady  of  93  years,  has  nine 
children,  twenty-two  grandchildren,  thir- 
ty-two great-grandchildren  and  three 
great-great-grandchildren,  which  is  a prop- 
er way  to  celebrate  Mother’s  Day.  Steve’s 
regular  folder  program  is  entirely  paid 
for  by  cooperative  advertisers. 


Skouras  Contenders 

Skouras  Theatres  in  New  York  are  ac- 
tive contenders  for  the  Quigley  Awards, 
and  have  made  their  entries  for  the  second 
quarter  which  ends  June  30th.  Spyros  S. 
Skouras,  president  of  the  circuit,  encour- 
ages his  managers  to  compete. 


PROMOTION  MINDED 


v' 1 1 


HERE  IS  A NEW 
IDEA  IN  PROMOTING 
GOOD  FAMILY 
PATRONAGE  AT 
YOUR  DRIVE-IN! 


^eS*S5®p;I8g 

BACK  PAGE  TO  BE  SOLD  TO  LOCAL  MERCHANT 


WRITE  FOR  YOUR  FREE  COPY  NOW! 
E.  F.  Woggon.  Security  Bldg.,  Toledo,  O. 


32 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  JUNE  23,  1956 


A 


pproac 


k 


TRAPEZE — Hecht-Lancaster;  United  Art- 
ists. CinemaScope,  in  color  by  DeLuxe. 
Burt  Lancaster,  Tony  Curtis,  Gina  Lollo- 
brigida,  in  a story  that  rings  true,  of  circus 
life  and  loves,  hates  and  passion,  risks  and 
rewards.  The  wonder  show  of  the  world — it 
happens  there  in  midair — high,  high,  above 
them  all!  Backed  with  a fabulous  $2,000,- 
000  advertising  and  publicity  campaign, 
which  is  pre-selling  the  picture  through 
every  situation.  Including  the  2nd  annual 
“Exquisite  Form”  contest,  with  $5,000  in 
prize  money  for  theatre  managers  who 
participate.  And  thousands  of  dollars  in 
prizes  for  the  public  to  win  locally.  Give 
it  the  biggest  and  brassiest  exploitation 
hoopla  your  town  has  ever  seen.  24-sheet 
and  all  posters  have  that  circus  pose  of  the 
three  stars  in  midair.  You  can  do  wonders 
with  it.  Also  available,  a two-color  news- 
paper ad  mat,  and  many  others,  in  spec- 
tacular display,  including  the  one  that  runs 
across  two  newspaper  pages,  with  the  fly- 
ing stars,  available  in  one  or  two  colors, 
tabloid  or  full  size  pages.  All  newspaper 
ad  mats  are  exciting,  and  there  are  many 
styles.  The  special  campaign  mat,  for  35tf, 
gives  you  an  assortment  for  small  theatres. 
Two-color  tabloid-size  herald  from  Cato 
Show  Print  provides  that  circus  flash. 
36,000  Norge  dealers  are  ready  to  cooper- 
ate in  putting  on  a circus  of  their  own 
for  your  promotion.  Street  ballyhoo,  con- 
tests and  circus  stunts  will  pay  off.  Circus 
novelties,  clown  masks,  etc.  are  offered  in 
the  pressbook  for  your  use.  Flags,  banners, 
specialties  for  lobby  display  will  sell  that 
“big  top”  look.  The  three  top  stars,  in  this 
picture,  will  top  their  own  records. 

• 

QUINCANNON,  FRONTIER  SCOUT— 
United  Artists.  Color  by  DeLuxe.  Tony 
Martin — you’ve  never  seen  him  like  this! 
Rough,  reckless,  rampaging,  as  the  man 
whose  guns  and  courage  saved  the  Boze- 
man Trail!  It’s  a bad  title,  but  it  may  be 
good  casting,  at  that.  And  it  will  give 
Tony  Martin  a different  opportunity  to 
charm  your  patrons,  for  he  also  sings.  No 
poster  larger  than  the  3-sheet,  but  the 
herald  from  Cato  Show  Print  will  key 
your  campaign.  It  sells  Tony  Martin,  the 
new  he-man,  in  action,  and  a local  mer- 
chant can  buy  the  back  page  as  cooper- 
tive  advertising.  A special  “talent  scout” 
contest  sponsored  by  Merit  Clothing  Co., 
offers  a separate  campaign  kit  for  show- 
men, and  prizes  to  be  awarded  nationally 
and  locally,  for  “the  best  dressed  man” 
who  is  most  likely  to  succeed  in  pictures. 
Tony  Martin  Fan  Clubs  have  been  alerted 
to  look  for  “The  Frontier  Scout”  as  their 
big  surprise  on  the  screen.  Newspaper 
ad  mats  follow  the  advertising  style  of 
the  herald,  and  the  composite  mat,  selling 
for  35<J  is  complete  for  small  theatres,  with 
an  assortment  that  will  give  you  a wide 
choice  of  material  at  the  lowest  cost. 


THE  CATERED  AFFAIR— MGM.  Starring 
Bette  Davis,  Ernest  Borgnine,  Debbie  Rey- 
nolds and  Barry  Fitzgerald.  “When  you’re 
in  love,  nothing  else  matters.”  Not  since 
“Father  of  the  Bride”  has  there  been  such 
a delightful  story.  “Family  Hold  Back — 
How  To  Encourage  Young  Romance!” 
They  prefer  to  be  alone;  give  them  priva- 
cy; don’t  frighten  him;  be  patient  with  her 
— see  the  happy  ending  in  “The  Catered 
Affair!”  Weddings  Are  Fun — as  you’ll  find 
out,  in  this  wonderful  slice  of  life.  24- 
sheet  and  all  posters  have  fine  portrait 
heads  of  the  attractive  stars.  Two-color 
herald  from  Cato  Show  Print  keys  the 
campaign.  Buy  the  herald  blank  and  sell 
the  back  page  to  a cooperative  advertiser. 
June  is  the  month  for  weddings,  and  all 
summer,  the  time  for  Saturday  night  dates. 
This  is  a picture  for  everybody,  the  blush- 
ing bride,  the  hard-to-get  bachelor,  the 
newlywed  and  the  never-wed.  Newspaper 
ad  mats  are  fine,  and  the  composite  mat 
has  everything  for  the  small  theatre,  all  for 
35c  at  National  Screen.  Lots  of  tieups 
possible  in  this  picture  of  “The  Catered 
Affair” — which  sells  itself  as  an  idea  for 
sponsorship.  A special  page  of  drive-in 
promotion  in  this  MGM  pressbook,  and 
two  new  Debbie  Reynolds  books  are  fea- 
tured in  the  five-and-dime  stores.  Serve 
this  in  style. 

• 

THE  MAVERICK  QUEEN— Republic  Pic- 
tures. Naturama,  in  TruColor,  the  first  to 
be  filmed  in  this  new  miracle  of  the  screen. 
Barbara  Stanwyck,  Barry  Sullivan,  Scott 
Brady,  Mary  Murphy,  in  a story  of  a wom- 
an with  powerful  passions — and  a passion 
for  power!  “There  was  something  about 
her,  since  she  was  sixteen,  that  attracted 
men,  to  ‘the  Maverick  Queen.’  ” Out  of  the 
eye-stunning  wonderland  of  Wyoming’s 
wilderness — the  most  dangerous  woman 
the  West  had  ever  seen!  Posters  place  the 
star  in  character  pose  for  your  lobby  and 
marquee  display.  Newspaper  ad  mats  in 
good  variety  for  size  and  shape,  follow  the 
same  style.  Composite  mat  at  National 
Screen  combines  six  ad  mats  for  the  price 
of  one,  a bargain  for  small  theatres.  Joni 
James  sings  the  title  song  as  a music  tieup 
via  MGM  Records.  And,  by  the  way,  they 
call  “Naturama” — the  “Poor  Man’s  Cin- 
erama.” 


YOU  GET 
TOP  QUALITY 
FILMS,  TOO! 


FOR  THE  BEST 
AND  FASTEST 

SPECIAL 

TRAILERS! 

Let  FILMACK  make 


CHICAGO,  ILL. 

NEW  YORK,  N.Y. 

1327  S.  WABASH 

341  W.  44th  ST. 

. . . Timely  news  supplementing  the 
special  monthly  department  covering 
all  phases  of  refreshment  service. 


New  Cooling  System  for 
Cole  Drink  Dispensers 

The  Cole  Products  Corporation,  Chicago, 
has  announced  redesigning  and  improve- 
ments in  its  line  of  automatic  cup  drink 
dispensers  to  include  “Frigid  Heart”  cool- 
ing, which  is  described  as  a sealed  system 
devised  by  the  company’s  engineers  which 
they  claim  will  produce  cold  drinks  in- 
stantly “under  all  conditions  regardless 
of  volume.”  The  company’s  line  of  “Cole- 
Spa  Special”  dispensers  includes  models 
for  1,  3 and  4 drinks.  In  addition  to  the 
new  cooling  system,  the  “Special”  ma- 
chines now  have  a hammertone  green 
finish  and  a three-color,  illuminated  dis- 
play is  now  a part  of  the  all  welded  steel 
cabinet.  The  machine  has  cooled  dis- 
pensing valves,  only  two  operational  re- 
lays and  a heavy-duty  1/3  h.p  compressor. 
All  units  have  a capacity  of  780  cups  and 
syrup  for  1500  drinks. 


Orange-Crush  Franchise 

The  Orange-Crush  Company  has  granted 
a franchise  to  Embotelladora  Has-Sol,  S.A. 
Orange-Crush  de  Monterrey  in  Monterrey, 
Mexico.  Bottling  equipment  is  being  in- 
stalled in  a new  building  and  the  firm 
expects  to  begin  operations  in  the  near 
future.  A formal  opening  is  expected  to  be 
held  in  September. 


"Frosty  Treat"  Dixie  Cups 

A new  line  of  Dixie  cups  for  shakes, 
floats,  sodas,  and  sundaes  in  addition  to 
soft  drinks  and  hot  beverages,  has  been 
announced  by  the  Dixie  Cup  Company, 
Easton,  Pa.  The  line  is  trade-named  “Fros- 
ty Treat.”  The  cups  are  colorfully  printed 
in  red  and  blue  and  come  in  the  following 
sizes:  14  to  24  ounces  for  shakes,  floats  and 
sodas;  9 to  16  ounces  for  soft  drinks  and 
beverages;  a 6-ounce  size  for  hot  drinks; 
and  for  sundaes  and  take-outs  from  3V2 
ounces  to  1 quart. 


Doug  Smith  Leaves  Odeon 

Doug  Smith,  manager  of  Odeon-Garson’s 
Casino  theatre  and  city  supervisor  in  Hali- 
fax, Nova  Scotia,  has  resigned,  effective  at 
the  end  of  June.  He  plans  to  enter  the 
frozen  confection  field,  having  organized 
the  “Gaylee  Girl  Confections,”  which  will 
serve  Nova  Scotia  in  the  “Good  Humour” 
fashion.  He  will  also  represent  the  Alexan- 
der Film  Company  in  the  Halifax  and 
Dartmouth  areas. 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  JUNE  23,  1956 


33 


CLASSIFIED  ADVERTISING 


Fifteen  cents  per  word,  money-order  or  check  with  copy.  Count  initials,  box  number  and  address.  Minimum  insertion  $1-50. 
Four  insertions  for  price  of  three.  Contract  rates  on  application.  No  border  or  cuts.  Forms  close  Mondays.  Publisher  re- 
serves right  to  reject  any  copy.  Film  and  trailer  advertising  not  accepted.  Classified  advertising  not  subject  to  agency 
commission.  Address  copy  and  checks:  MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  Classified  Dept.,  Rockefeller  Center,  New  York  (20) 


HELP  WANTED 


EXPANDING  PACIFIC  COAST  THEATRE  CIR- 
cuit  has  openings  now  for  experienced  men,  bookers, 
managers,  exploitation  and  advertising  specialists. 
The  theatre  business  in  this  area  is  keeping  pace 
with  the  rapid  industrial  growth  and  we  have  oppor- 
tunities for  men  of  experience  capable  of  accepting 
responsibility.  State  age,  marital  status,  education 
and  experience  in  reply.  Box  2923.  Motion  Picture 
Herald. 


POSITIONS  WANTED 


THEATRE  MANAGER:  42  YEARS  OLD,  MAR- 
ried,  family,  only  two  (2)  companies  24  years  ex- 
perience in  all  phases,  large  or  small  towns.  Excel- 
lent references.  Prize  winner  in  many  exploitation 
contests.  Box  2924,  Motion  Picture  Herald. 


DRIVE-IN  EQUIPMENT 


IN-CAR  SPEAKERS  $4.25!  YEAR  WARRANTY. 
4"  unit,  steel  case  painted  blue,  white.  Price  per  set  2 
speakers,  junction  box.  $12.25.  S.O.S.  CINEMA  SUP- 
PLY CORP.,  602  W.  52nd  St.,  New  York  19. 


WANTED  TO  BUY 


THEATRE  CARPET,  PAIR  60  AMPERE 
lamps,  changeable  letter  sign.  BOX  395,  Rochester, 
N.  Y. 


POPCORN 


WORLD-WIDE  HEADQUARTERS  FOR  POP- 
corn,  popcorn  equipment  and  supplies.  POPCORN 
VILLAGE,  Nashville,  Tenn.,  U.S.A. 


NEW  EQUIPMENT 


DUAL  DEVRY  OUTFIT  $5,000  VALUE,  $2,495! 
Includes  Strong  Jr  HI  Arcs,  45  amp.  rectifiers, 
streamlined  pedestals,  dual  25  watt  DeVry  amplifiers, 
Series  II  lenses,  2 way  speakers.  Available  on  time. 
S.O.S.  CINEMA  SUPPLY  CORP,  602  W.  62nd  St., 
New  York  19. 


INTERMITTENT  MOVEMENTS— NEW  SURPLUS 
for  Simplex  $69.50;  DeVry  $59.50  ; Holmes  $24.50; 
Automatic  enclosed  rewinds  $69.50.  S.O.S.  CINEMA 
SUPPLY  CORP.,  602  W.  52nd  St.,  New  York  19. 


BOOKS 


RICHARDSON’S  BLUEBOOK  OF  PROJECTION. 
New  8th  Edition.  Revised  to  deal  with  the  latest  tech- 
nical developments  in  motion  picture  projection  and 
sound,  and  reorganized  to  facilitate  study  and  refer- 
ence. Includes  a practical  discussion  of  Television 
especially  prepared  for  the  instruction  of  theatre  pro- 
jectionists, and  of  new  techniques  for  advancement  of 
the  art  of  the  motion  picture.  The  standard  textbook 
on  motion  picture  projection  and  sound  reproduction. 
Invaluable  to  beginner  and  expert.  Best  seller  since 
1911.  662  pages,  cloth  bound,  $7.25  postpaid.  QUIGLEY 
BOOKSHOP,  1270  Sixth  Avenue,  New  York  20,  N.  Y. 


SAVE  MONEY,  PREVENT  WASTE,  PUT  THE 
Master  Guide  To  Theatre  Maintenance  in  the  hands 
of  your  managers  and  assistant  managers.  Costs  $5.00 
— could  save  you  a thousand  times  as  much.  QUIG- 
LEY BOOKSHOP,  1270  Sixth  Avenue,  New  York 
20,  N.  Y. 


USED  EQUIPMENT 


LOADED  WITH  H.  I.  LAMPHOUSES ! PEER- 
less  Magnarcs,  $395  pr. ; Strong  Mogul,  Brenkert 
Enarc,  Forest  U.T.,  Ashcraft  D-18E,  Ballantyne  $300, 
all  good  condition.  Available  on  time.  S.O.S.  CINEMA 
SUPPLY  CORP.,  602  W.  52nd  St.,  New  York  19. 


EXCELLENT  COATED  PROJECTION  LENSES— 
many  brand  new ! Wollensak  “Sunray”  Series  1 : 2", 
3",  3M>",  3%",  5",  6%”,  6",  7%"— $35  pair.  Superlite 
Series  III  J‘C”  coated  2%" — 3” — 314”  $150  pr.  Others 
available,  tell  us  your  needs.  Trades  Taken.  Write 
or  telephone  order  today.  S.O.S.  CINEMA  SUPPLY 
CORP.,  602  W.  52nd  St.,  New  York  19. 


SAVINGS  GALORE  AT  STAR!  HERTNER 
70/140  generator,  reconditioned,  $595  ; magnarc  lamp- 
houses,  rebuilt  like  new,  $515 ; Series  I lenses,  4", 
only  $9.50  pair;  thousands  of  other  tremendous  bar- 
gains ; what  do  you  need  ? STAR  CINEMA  SUP- 
PLY, 621  W.  55th  St.,  New  York  19. 


STUDIO  EQUIPMENT 


NEUMADE  RK-100  FILM  RACKS.  HOLD  120-1000' 
reels,  $165  originally,  new  $87.50 ; Arriflex  II  35mm 
camera  complete,  $2,000  value,  $1,195;  1000W  Mazda 
Spotlamps  G48  Mogul  bipost,  $13.50  list,  $6.95  ; Amer. 
Cinematographers  Handbook,  Vi  price,  $2.50 ; Bridga- 
matic  Jr.  16mm  Automatic  Processor,  $1,500  value, 
$975 ; Maurer  16  Camera,  lens,  2 magazines,  sync- 
motor,  12V  motor  w/battery,  all  cases,  complete 
$2,395 ; 5000W  Background  Projector,  reconditioned, 
$595:  Moviola  35mm  composite  sound/picture,  $495. 
S.O.S.  CINEMA  SUPPLY  CORP.,  602  W.  52nd  St„ 
New  York  19. 


Chesapeake  Damage  Suit 
Is  Dismissed  by  Court 

The  Appellate  Division  of  the  Supreme 
Court  of  the  State  of  New  York  has  unan- 
imously affirmed  a decision  of  the  New 
York  Supreme  Court,  dismissing  the  com- 
plaint in  the  $100,000  damage  action 
brought  by  Chesapeake  Industries,  Inc., 
against  Selznick  Releasing  Organization, 
Inc.  Chesapeake  had  alleged  in  its  com- 
plaint that  Selznick  unreasonably  and  in 
violation  of  the  distribution  agreements 
between  them,  withheld  approval  of  ex- 
hibition contracts  which  Chesapeake 
claimed  they  had  procured  through  Eagle 
Lion  Classics,  Inc.,  the  distributor.  A mo- 
tion for  a summary  judgment  to  dismiss 
the  complaint  was  granted  by  the  lower 
court.  The  Appellate  Division  upheld  the 
lower  court  in  favor  of  Selznick  with 
costs  of  the  appeal. 


Johnston  at  Festival 

WASHINGTON : Eric  A.  Johnston,  presi- 
dent of  the  Motion  Picture  Association  of 
America,  has  been  named  official  U.  S. 
delegate  to  the  sixth  international  film 
festival  at  Berlin  which  is  to  run  from 
June  22  to  July  3.  Theodore  Streibert, 
U.  S.  Information  Agency  director,  said 
Mr.  Johnston  had  been  the  unanimous 
choice  of  the  government  agencies  in- 
volved. 


Saranac  Tour 
This  Weekend 

The  annual  board  of  directors  meeting 
and  inspection  tour  of  Will  Rogers  Me- 
morial Hospital  and  Research  Labora- 
tories will  be  held  the  weekend  of  June 
22-24,  it  was  announced  this  week.  Lead- 
ers of  the  film  industry,  including  mem- 
bers of  the  recently  organized  junior  ex- 
ecutive committee,  and  of  allied  indus- 
tries, are  scheduled  to  attend. 

The  group  will  arrive  at  Saranac  Lake, 
N.  Y.,  where  the  hospital  is  located,  the 
morning  of  June  22  and  will  tour  the 
building  and  grounds.  After  the  inspection 
there  will  be  an  informal  meeting  in  the 
Will  Rogers  Clinic  Theatre  to  hear  re- 
ports and  discussions.  After  lunch  a short 
film  subject  will  be  shown  to  demonstrate 
the  CinemaScope  equipment  recently  con- 
tributed and  also  the  Henry  Fonda  special 
appeal  trailer  to  be  used  in  the  Audience 
Collections  campaign  in  theatres  during 
the  week  of  July  16  across  the  country. 

The  balance  of  the  weekend  will  be 
spent  at  Edgewater  Motel  at  Schroon 
Lake,  N.  Y.,  where  the  group  will  be  the 
guests  of  Herman  Robbins  and  his  sons 
Allan,  Burton  and  Norman.  The  annual 
meeting  will  be  held  June  23  at  Edgewater 
with  reports  of  the  president,  Abe  Mon- 
tague, and  the  committees  to  be  presented. 


CBS  Buys  Seven  More 
TV-Tape  Recorders 

HOLLYWOOD:  CBS  has  purchased  seven 
more  Ampex  video-tape  recorders,  in  ad- 
dition to  the  three  previously  acquired, 
and  will  have  all  in  use  within  a year,  ac- 
cording to  Howard  S.  Meighan,  vice-presi- 
dent of  the  Columbia  Broadcasting  Sys- 
tem. Mr.  Meighan  said  video-tape  is  a 
“tool  of  television”  and  has  no  motion 
picture  use  in  the  predictable  future,  but 
“will  have  more  usefulness  and  flexibility 
in  the  television  and  advertising  fields 
than  motion  pictures  ever  could  have.” 
According  to  Mr.  Meighan,  a tape-recorded 
program  should  cost  no  more  than  a live 
program,  whereas  a half-hour  film-re- 
corded program,  on  the  average,  costs 
roughly  $10,000  more  than  a "live  show.” 


Harold  Kaplan  Dies 

MINNEAPOLIS:  Harold  Kaplan,  48,  part 
owner  and  manager  of  the  St.  Louis  Park 
theatre  in  suburban  St.  Louis  Park,  died 
at  his  home  here  recently  of  a heart  at- 
tack. He  had  had  extensive  experience  in 
managerial  posts  in  loop  theatres  and  was 
manager  of  Radio  City  (then  the  Minne- 
sota) before  taking  over  the  St.  Louis  Park 
house.  A member  of  Variety  Club  of  the 
Northwest,  his  survivors  include  his  wife, 
two  children,  a sister  and  a brother,  all  of 
Minneapolis. 


34 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  JUNE  23,  1956 


FILM  BUYERS  RATING 


Filtn  buyers  of  independent  circuits  in  the  V.  S.  rate  current 
product  on  the  basis  of  its  performance  in  their  theatres.  This 
report  covers  76  attractions,  2,671  playdates. 

Titles  run  alphabetically.  Numerals  refer  to  the  number  of 
engagements  on  each  attraction  reported.  The  tabulation  is 
cumulative.  Dagger  (f)  denotes  attractions  published  for  the 
first  time.  Asterisk  (*)  indicates  attractions  ivhich  are  listed 
for  the  last  time. 

EX  means  Excellent;  AA — Above  Average  AV — Average; 
BA — Below  Average;  PR — Poor. 


EX 

AA 

AV 

BA 

PR 

{Alexander  the  Great  (U.A.) 

2 

1 



4 



All  That  Heaven  Allows  ( U -1 ) 

5 

20 

21 

20 

4 

Anything  Goes  (Par.) 

3 

4 

1 

1 1 

14 

Artists  and  Models  (Par.) 

10 

33 

19 

7 

2 

At  Gunpoint  (A.A.) 

— 

1 

12 

27 

3 

Backlash  (U-l) 



14 

3 

17 

2 

Battle  Stations  (Col.) 

— 

7 

2 

2 

1 

Benny  Goodman  Story,  The  (U-l) 

1 

12 

14 

29 

17 

{Birds  and  the  Bees  (Par.) 

— 

3 

— 

2 

— 

Bottom  of  the  Bottle  (20th-Fox) 

— 

2 

10 

17 

26 

Carousel  (20th-Fox) 

1 

10 

3 

21 

10 

Comanche  (U.A.) 

..  . — 

4 

1 

9 

19 

Come  Next  Spring  (Rep.) 

— 

1 

4 

19 

4 

Conquerer,  The  (RKO) 

17 

9 

1 1 

4 

— 

j Court  Jester,  The  (Par.) 

— 

9 

8 

6 

9 

Court  Martial  of  Billy  Mitchell  (W.B. ) 

1 

41 

28 

12 

1 

Creature  Walks  Among  Us  (U-l) 

\ 

— 

1 

3 

2 

1 

Day  the  World  Ended  (A.R.C.) 

— 

21 

1 

1 

— 

Diane  (MGM) 

— 

— 

1 

8 

29 

Dig  That  Uranium  (A.A.) 

— 

4 

1 

— 

— 

Flame  of  the  Islands  (Rep.) 

_ 

if 

2 

7 

3 

Forbidden  Planet  (MGM) 

1 

7 

9 

— 

5 

Forever  Darling  (MGM) 

7 

29 

29 

10 

8 

Fury  at  Gunsight  Pass  (Col.) 

— 

1 

3 

2 

2 

Glory  (RKO) 

1 

3 

6 

9 

8 

Goodbye,  My  Lady  (W.B.) 

— 

5 

2 

5 

— 

Guys  and  Dolls  (MGM) 

20 

8 

4 

3 

4 

Harder  They  Fall,  The  (Col.) 

1 

8 

5 

Helen  of  Troy  (W.B.) 

— 

7 

28 

5 

12 

Hell  on  Frisco  Bay  (W.B.) 

— 

8 

12 

1 1 

26 

Hot  Blood  (Col.) 

— 

1 

6 

6 

4 

I'll  Cry  Tomorrow  (MGM) 

II 

22 

7 

1 

Indian  Fighter  (U.A.) 

— 

13 

27 

14 

6 

Inside  Detroit  (Col.) 





1 

4 

2 

Invasion  of  the  Body  Snatchers  (A.A.) 

— 

1 

2 

5 

19 

1 

Jubal  (Col.) 

— 

7 

— ■ 

4 

— 

EX 

AA 

AV 

BA 

PR 

Kettles  in  the  Ozarks  (U-l) 

9 

13 

16 

3 

Kismet  (MGM) 

— 

4 

17 

22 

25 

Last  Frontier  (Col.) 

3 

18 

20 

7 

Last  Hunt,  The  (MGM) 

— 

3 

19 

22 

7 

Lawless  Street  (Col.) 

1 

6 

15 

5 

1 

Lieutenant  Wore  Skirts,  The  ( 20th- Fox ) 

— 

10 

28 

25 

3 

Littlest  Outlaw  (B.V.) 

5 

12 

10 

8 

22 

Lone  Ranger,  The  (W.B.) 

9 

27 

10 

7 

2 

Man  in  the  Gray  Flannel  Suit  (20th-Fox) 

3 

4 

2 

2 

7 

Man  Who  Never  Was  (20th-Fox) 

— 

18 

15 

1 

14 

Man  With  the  Golden  Arm  (U.A.) 

7 

19 

20 

12 

— 

Meet  Me  in  Las  Vegas  (MGM) 

2 

13 

5 

7 

5 

Miracle  in  the  Rain  (W.B.) 

— 

5 

5 

16 

23 

Never  Say  Goodbye  (U-l) 

— 

18 

6 

10 

15 

On  the  Threshold  of  Space  (20th-Fox) 

_ 

2 

1 

II 

15 

Our  Miss  Brooks  (W.B.) 

— 

— 

8 

5 

8 

Picnic  (Col.) 

19 

22 

12 

1 

— 

Quentin  Durward  (MGM) 

— 

— 

5 

12 

26 

Rains  of  Ranchipur,  The  ( 20 rh- Fox ) 

_ 

9 

33 

30 

10 

Ransom  (MGM) 

1 

2 

21 

18 

12 

Red  Sundown  (U-l ) 

— 

8 

5 

6 

3 

Revolt  of  Mamie  Stover  ( 20 th- Fox ) 

— 

8 

1 

— 

— 

Rock  Around  the  Clock  (Col.) 

6 

7 

9 

1 

— 

Rose  Tattoo,  The  (Par.) 

II 

9 

15 

9 

3 

Running  Wild  (U-l) 

3 

16 

6 

2 

— 

fSearchers,  The  (W.B.) 

2 

3 

Second  Greatest  Sex  (U-l) 

— 

9 

9 

18 

8 

Serenade  (W.B.) 

— 

1 

— 

6 

8 

Shack  Out  on  101  (A.A.) 

— 

4 

9 

1 

2 

Slightly  Scarlet  (RKO) 

...  — 

2 

3 

4 

7 

Spoilers,  The  (U-l) 

1 

1 1 

17 

17 

4 

Square  Jungle  (U-l) 

...  — 

1 

1 

1 1 

37 

Swan,  The  (MGM)  

— 

8 

3 

5 

Tarantula  (U-l ) 

2 

14 

5 

6 



Target  Zero  (W.B.) 

— 

2 

5 

3 

4 

There's  Always  Tomorrow  (U-l) 

— 

— 

8 

7 

25 

Three  Bad  Sisters  (U.A.) 

...  — 

4 

3 

1 

— 

Tribute  to  a Bad  Man  (MGM) 

...  — 

5 

2 

6 

13 

Trouble  With  Harry  (Par.) 

10 

6 

10 

9 

1 

Uranium  Boom  (Col.) 

...  — 

— 

— 

2 

3 

World  in  My  Corner  (U-l) 

— 

— 

4 

13 

26 

FLYING  GAUGERS" 
SHATTERS  RECGRSS 
OPENING  AT 
DENVER  THEATRE. 


I 


GET  ABOARD 


ash 


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it 


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sen 


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(tCOB°S 

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OB'- 


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starring  HUGH 


JOAN 


DONALD 


Screen  Play  by 


Screen  Story  by 


MARLOWE -TAYLOR  wi,h  CURTIS  •GEORGE  WORTHING  Wes  and  RAYMOND  T.  MARCUS  • CURT  SIODMAK 

Produced  by  CHARLES  H.  SCHNEER  • Executive  Producer:  SAM  KATZMAN  • Directed  by  FRED  F.  SEARS  • A COLUMBIA  PICTURE 


Technical  Effects  by 
RAY  HARRYHAUSEN 


munists 


: A Picture  Report 


' 


E IN  THE  SKY,,  UNTOUCHED.  ISLAND  OF 
THE  KINS  AND  I,  MOBY  DICK 


"Somebody  Up  There  Likes  Me”. . . 
a motion  picture  so  important  M-G-M  is 
giving  it  a special  preview  in  32  cities 


Extra  special  pictures  deserve  extra  special  welcomes. 

So  — between  June  27  and  July  2 — M-G-M  is  preview- 
ing “Somebody  Up  There  Likes  Me”  in  32  cities 
across  the  nation. 

This  welcome  is  more  than  extra  special.  It  is  unique. 

If  you  live  in  or  near  one  of  the  32  Preview  Cities,  and 
would  like  to  be  among  the  first  to  see  the  kind  of 
picture  it  takes  to  rate  this  kind  of  send-off,  just 
phone  the  number  listed  with  your  city  to  find  out 
where  and  when  your  preview  will  be  held. 

These  previews  are  for  everyone.  For  critics.  For  fans. 
For  butchers  and  bakers  and  candlestick  makers.  In 
short,  for  all  opinion-makers. 


Many  of  course  already  know  the  frank  and  fascinat- 
ing story  of  Rocky  Graziano’s  rocky  road  to  love  and 
happiness.  It  was  acclaimed  as  a Look  Magazine  seri- 
alization. The  Simon  & Schuster  and  the  Pocket  Book 
editions  were  both  best-sellers. 

Now  this  life-inspired  story  is  a motion  picture,  star- 
ring the  brilliant  new  dramatic  find,  Paul  Newman, 
co-starred  with  Pier  Angeli. 

It  is  a picture  to  look  forward  to  with  excitement.  A 
picture  to  look  back  on  with  affection  and  gratitude. 

“SOMEBODY  UP  THERE  LIKES  ME”  is  a picture 
for  everybody. 


FULL-PAGE 
AD  IN 
N.  Y.  TIMES 
Sunday, 
June  24 


A girl 
can  lift 
a fellow 
to  the 
skies! 


likes  me 


( . wi|h  and  SCREEN  PLAY  BY 

Paul  Newman  - Pier  Ml£ell  -EwerettSloane-EileenHeckart-SalMineo-EmestLehman 
J Rocky  Graziano  • — - - o,«cuo  by  Robert  Wise  • proobceo  by  Charles  Schnee  ■ An  M-G-M  Picture 


ALBANY  -Albany  5 3538 
ATLANTA  -CYpress  2736 
BOSTON  -HAncock  6-0044 
BUFFALO  -WAshmgton  1224 

CH  ARLOTTE-EDison  25147 
CHICAGO  -WAbash  2 6500 
C I N C I N N AT  I -CHerry  1 3557 
CLEVELAND  -PRospect  1 3340 
DALLAS  -Riverside  4171 
DENVER  -TAbor  5-8166 
DES  MOINES  -DEs  Moines  8-1071 
DETROIT  -WOodward  1-4456 
INDIANAPOLI  S-MEIrose  44361 
JACKSONVILLE-ELsm  6 1536 
KANSAS  Cl  TY-GRand  12109 
LOS  ANGELES  -REpublic  1-4181 
MEMPHIS  -JAckson  5-5443 
MILWAUKEE  -BRoadway  1-4024 
MINNEAPOLIS  -FEdeial  2 2553 
NEW  HAVEN  -Slate  7-4278 
NEW  ORLEANS  -TUIane  5566 
NEW  Y O R K -citde  6 6200 
OKLAHOMA  CITY -forest  5 5301 

OMAHA  -ATIantic  4314 
PHILADELPHIA  -LOcust  7-5150 
PITTSBURGH  -ATIantic  1 6690 
PORTLAND  -CApitol  7-2521 
ST.  LOUIS  -Jefferson  3-0201 

SALT  LAKE  Cl TY-Etsm 52953 
SAN  FRA  NCI  SCO-PRosped  51613 
SEATTLE  — ELIiott  4056 
WASHINGTON -oisnict;«3o 


SOMEBODY  UP  THERE  LIKES  ME  " WILL  BE  THE  NEXT  ATTRACTION  AT  LOEWS  STATE.  BROADWAY  AT45th  STREET.  NEW  YORK 


4 


YOUR  ATTENDANCE  AT  OUR 
PREVIEW  INSPIRED  A FULL- 
PAGE  AD  IN  THE  N.Y.  TIMES! 

It  is  another  M-G-M  First! 

Currently  in  Exchange  cities  throughout  America,  Theatre  Previews 
of  M-G-M’s  "SOMEBODY  UP  THERE  LIKES  ME”  are  being 
held  for  exhibitors,  press,  radio,  TV,  together  with  the  public.  Last 
Sunday  we  alerted  the  nation’s  opinion- makers,  through  the  vast 
nationwide  circulation  of  the  N.  Y.  Times,  to  the  importance  of  the 
picture  and  its  screenings.  The  full-page  in  the  N.  Y.  Times  (shown  to 
the  left)  represents  a forward  step  in  motion  picture  promotion. 

Additionally,  M-G-M  is  placing  another  off-beat  ad  in  75  top  cities 
of  America.  This  display  advises  the  readers  of  TV  pages  to  anticipate 
Perry  Como’s  RCA  recording  of  the  title  song,  "SOMEBODY 
UP  THERE  LIKES  ME”  and  suggests  that  they  urge  disc  jockeys 
to  play  it. 

These  two  promotions  are  in  addition  to  the  extensive  newspaper,  maga- 
zine, TV  and  radio  campaign  behind  this  widely  discussed  attraction. 


{Available  in  Perspecta  Stereophonic  or  1-Channel  Sound ) 


FROM 

Warner  Bros.- 

THE  FIRST 

BIG  DRAMA  OF  LIFE 

ON  THE  ROOF  OF 


FIRST  TIME! 


A fabulous 
city-of-the-future 
never-before-seen., 
built  underground 
to  launch  the 
massive  satellite! 


BEYOND  BELIEF!  • 

BUT  IT'S 
HAPPENING! 

THE  PICTURE  THAT  MOVED 
HEAVEN-AND-EARTH  TO  TELL 
THE  SPACE-SHATTERING 
STORY  OF  THE  MAN-MADE 
SATELLITE  THAT  COULD 
RULE  THE  WORLD! 


4 


NEXT  MONTH ! WARNER  BROS.  BLAST  IT  OFF  WITH  A R 


FIRST  TIME! 


STARRING 

KIERON  MOORE- LOIS  MAXWELL -DONALD  WOLFIT 

AND  BRYAN  FORBES  »JIMMY  HANLEY -THEA  GREGORY 
PRODUCED  BY  EDWARD  J.  & HARRY  LEE  DAN2IGER 

WARNER  BROS. 


Flaming  out  of 
the  earth’s  depths, 
the  multi-stage 
robot  rockets 
take  off  for  the 
top  of  the  universe ! 


PRESENTED  BY 


jftL  , . jU\  / 

J&i  .1 

M 

JP  W 

/ rj# 

w 

mJ 

iMBh  0 ( 1 1 1 'Sr- ) i »1  Mil* 

k \ 

j}-  * • f 


ICKER-SOCKER  SKY-ROCKETING  CAMPAIGN 


20th  Century-Fox  presents 


|SOON!^^^H 

■arilyn 

ONROE 


co-starring 


DON  MURRAY 

with 

ARTHUR  O’CONNELL  • BETTY  FIELD  • EILEEN  HECKART 
Produced  by 

BUDDY  ADLER 

Directed  by 

JOSHUA  LOGAN 

Screenplay  by 

GEORGE  AXELROD 

Based  on  the  Stage  Play  by  William  Inge 

C|NemaScoP£ 

COLOR  by  DE  LUXE 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD 


MARTIN  QUIGLEY,  Editor-in-chief  and  Publisher 


Vol.  203,  No.  13 


MARTIN  QUIGLEY,  JR.,  Editor 


June  30,  1956 


Shades  of  Neutrality 

DURING  the  war  the  Irish  practiced  official  neu- 
trality but  they  took  steps  to  make  clear  that 
“they  were  neutral  against  the  Nazis.”  In  our  day 
the  word  neutrality  also  often  cloaks  a bias.  This  unsat- 
isfactory state  of  affairs  has  spread  from  the  political  into 
the  industrial  and  educational  fields.  A typical  example  is 
the  report  of  The  Fund  for  the  Republic  issued  June  25, 
1956  called  “Report  on  Blacklisting”  in  two  volumes:  I — 
Movies  and  II — Radio — Television. 

The  publication  of  these  studies  by  John  Cogley  caps 
a two-year  study  financed  by  the  Fund  for  the  Republic 
for  a reported  $60,000.  The  foreword  by  Paul  G.  Hoffman, 
chairman  of  the  Fund’s  board  of  directors,  says  that  the 
author  accepts  all  responsibility  for  the  report.  However, 
the  board  praises  Mr.  Cogley’s  “calm  deliberation”  and 
“thorough  job.” 

The  “Report  on  Blacklisting — I.  Movies”  for  the  most 
part  consists  of  purported  historical  accounts.  Appendices 
include  studies  of  “The  Legal  Aspects”  and  “Film  Con- 
tent.” The  report  confirms — if  additional  confirmation  is 
necessary  at  this  late  date — what  has  always  been  main- 
tained on  this  page:  the  Communist  attempts  to  influence 
film  content  never  made  any  substantial  progress  in  Holly- 
wood. The  reason,  of  course,  was  not  for  want  of  trying 
but  because  the  responsible  executives  of  the  industry 
there,  in  New  York  and  the  exhibitors  and  public  through- 
out the  country  never  felt  any  sympathy  with  Communists 
or  their  special  causes. 

The  Fund  for  the  Republic  and  some  other  “liberal”  or- 
ganizations and  individuals  are  disturbed  at  the  American 
motion  picture  industry  because  individuals  and  companies 
have  been  opposed  to  the  hiring  for  creative  work  in  pic- 
tures Communists  or  those  who  continue  to  give  sympathet- 
ic adherence  to  Communism.  On  the  other  hand  the  Fund 
for  the  Republic  has  been  widely  criticized  for  seeming 
more  against  anti- Communists  than  Communists. 

THE  Cogley  report  is  not  going  to  make  any  change 
in  the  situation.  Hollywood  has  handled  a difficult 
job  with  considerable  skill.  The  courts  thus  far  have 
upheld  what  has  been  done.  Moreover,  public  opinion  of 
the  country  certainly  has  backed  Hollywood  in  its  anti- 
communist position.  In  fact,  it  might  be  said  that  fears  of 
economic  repercussions  at  the  box  office  were  contributing 
factors  making  necessary  a thorough  job  of  eradicating 
Communist  penetration  of  the  studios. 

Fortunately  there  are  few  people  so  politically  naive  as 
to  believe  with  The  Fund  for  the  Republic  and  Mr.  Cogley 
that  Communism  is  essentially  a political  belief  and  that 
its  adherents  are  entitled  to  the  same  rights  as  a Democrat 
or  Republican  or  other  legitimate  political  party  member. 
Mr.  Cogley’s  report  in  many  instances  is  “neutral 


against”  what  the  industry  has  done  and  is  doing.  His  views 
were  known  when  he  was  selected  for  the  job  for  which  he 
had  no  other  noteworthy  qualifications.  Repeated  attempts 
are  made  to  arouse  sympathy  for  the  plight  of  the  “Un- 
friendly Ten”  and  ridicule  anti- Communists  such  as  Roy 
Brewer.  The  report  makes  no  recommendations  on  what 
the  industry  should  have  done.  It  must  be  assumed  that 
the  Fund  for  the  Republic  maintains  that  any  Communist 
who  is  not  known  to  be  a convicted  spy  for  the  Soviet 
Union  should  be  hired  for  any  job  for  which  he  may  be 
otherwise  qualified.  The  American  motion  picture  industry 
and  the  American  public  do  not  agree.  Anyone  who  is  giv- 
ing conscious  help  to  the  Communist  conspiracy  does  not 
belong  in  a creative  post  in  such  a vital  and  influential  in- 
dustry as  the  entertainment  business. 

■ ■ ■ 

A Matter  of  Viewpoint 

THE  British  producers  who  during  the  past  half  dozen 
years  have  been  principal  suppliers  of  feature  films 
to  television  in  the  United  States  have  now  raised 
a hue  and  cry  against  the  sale  of  American  features  for 
television  broadcasting  in  Britain.  The  position  taken  is 
that  the  exhibition  of  the  Hollywood  features  on  television 
would  have  a detrimental  effect  on  theatre  attendance 
and  hence  on  the  grosses  of  British  film  makers. 

It  is  unfortunate  that  representative  British  producers 
have  not  made  a close  study  of  the  effect  of  the  free  show- 
ing of  their  films  on  U.  S.  television  stations.  There  is  no 
doubt  that  the  numbers  of  British  films  sold  for  television 
in  the  United  States  “paved  the  way”  for  the  sale  of  the 
RKO  and  Warner  features  made  prior  to  1948  for  the  same 
purposes. 

British  producers  assert  that  the  telecasting  of  their 
films  in  the  U.  S.  has  increased  the  theatrical  market  for 
their  new  features.  Whether  this  is  true  or  not  is  still  to 
be  demonstrated.  It  would  be  interesting  to  have  comments 
on  the  matter  by  American  exhibitors. 

The  fundamental  point  is  that  features,  whether  made 
in  the  United  States,  Britain  or  elsewhere  are  intended 
initially  for  theatrical  exhibition.  That  is  their  primary 
market.  No  sales  to  television  should  be  made  that  have 
any  serious  adverse  effect  on  that  primary  market.  Other- 
wise, the  producer  is  jeopardizing  the  financial  success 
of  his  own  future  productions.  Television  is  certainly  no 
primary  market  for  multi-million  dollar  films. 

Sooner  or  later,  or  both  sides  of  the  Atlantic,  methods 
of  distribution  of  features  to  television  may  be  found  that 
do  not  substantially  affect  theatrical  exhibition.  This  is 
the  ultimate  goal.  It  is  inevitable  that  some  mistakes  will 
be  made  until  experience  determines  what  is  the  best 
course. 

— Martin  Quigley,  Jr. 


9 • 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD 


rjCetterS  to  the  ^Jderaid 


June  30,  1956 


Good  Work 

To  the  Editor: 

Under  the  auspices  of  the  Theatre 
Equipment  Dealers  of  America,  Mr.  Ray 
Colvin  has  just  completed  a two-week 
visit  to  Arkansas  during  which  he  spoke 
to  10  different  civic  clubs  in  different 
cities  on  “What  the  Motion  Picture  The- 
atre Means  to  Your  Community.” 

Needless  to  say,  these  splendid  talks 
by  Mr.  Colvin  did  a lot  to  make  folks  in 
our  towns  realize  how  their  business  is 
tied  in  with  ours,  and  created  a great  deal 
of  new  good  feeling  toward  the  theatres. 
It  was  helped  directly  in  Little  Rock  even 
more  when  Claud  Mundo  sent  a wire  to 
the  club  president  congratulating  him  on 
having  Ray — then  wound  up  with  a plug 
telling  the  members  to  see  a certain  cur- 
rent picture  because  it  was  so  good. 

We  don’t  believe  that  TEDA  or  Ray  Col- 
vin have  boasted  enough  of  the  good  work 
they  have  done  all  over  the  country  at 
no  cost  to  the  exhibitors — or  even  any 
effort — and  it  was  all  to  help  us  get  peo- 
ple in  our  theatres — not  to  sell  equip- 
ment. This  type  of  public  relations  we 


have  been  sadly  lacking  in  our  business, 
so  we  are  taking  this  opportunity  to 
thank  TEDA  and  Ray  Colvin  for  their 
ability,  time  and  expense. 

This  public  relations  work  is  needed 
more  now  than  at  any  other  time  we  can 
remember.  We  know  TEDA  can’t  bear  the 
cost  as  they  have  the  past  two  or  three 
years,  but  it  should  be  continued  in  some 
way  by  exhibitor  groups  assisting. — Jack 
D.  Braunagel,  United  Theatres  Corpora- 
tion, North  Little  Rock,  Ark. 

Exhibitor  Viewpoint 

To  Mr.  Brooks: 

I feel  that  in  the  pages  of  The  HERALD 
you  have  kept  in  touch  with  all  who  read 
your  words  of  wisdom  in  the  weekly 
Round  Table.  Knowing  how  much  fan 
mail  you  get  from  the  exhibition  field,  it 
is  probably  unnecessary  for  me  to  add  my 
plaudits  for  your  consistently  interesting 
comments  on  the  many  aspects  of  our  in- 
dustry, especially  from  the  viewpoint  of 
the  exhibitor.— LARRY  GRABURN,  Walt 
Disney  Productions,  Burbank,  California. 


FABIAN  OUT:  talks  continue  with 
Jack  Warner  seen  as  president  12 

REPORT  OF  Fund  for  the  Republic 
scores  industry's  Red  stand  16 

MUNDT  and  Woltman  see  report  as 
bringing  joy  to  Reds  16 

"MOBY  DICK":  A film  review  20 

"THE  KING  AND  I":  A film  review  21 

FCC  weighs  shifting  most  tv  to  ultra 

high-frequency  22 

20TH-FOX  to  release  Selznick's 
"Farewell  to  Arms"  22 

FAMILY  FILM  is  best  bet,  says  Her- 
man King  22 

A "WHALE"  of  a time:  report  on 
world  premiere  of  "Moby  Dick"  23 

JACK  KIRSH  deplores  policy  break 
in  industry  23 

ROGERS  HOSPITAL  at  Saranac 
wins  new  support  from  industry  24 

BRITISH  monetary  pact  talks  sched- 
uled in  September  26 


QUIGLEY  PUBLICATIONS  STAFF  CHANGES 


CHARLES  S.  AARONSON 


Martin  Quigley,  editor-in-chief  and  publisher  of  Quigley  Publications,  announced  this  week  the  appoint- 
ment of  James  D.  Ivers  as  managing  editor  of  Motion  Picture  Daily  and  Charles  S.  Aaronson  as  man- 
aging editor  of  Motion  Picture  Herald.  Both  posts  are  newly  established.  Sherwin  Kane  is  editor  of  Mo- 
tion Picture  Daily  and  Martin  Quigley,  Jr.,  is  editor  of  The  Herald. 

Mr.  I vers  joined  the  staff  of  The  HERALD  in  1936  after  several  years  as  a newspaper  writer  and  editor 
in  New  York  City  and  Westchester  County.  He  has  been  news  editor  of  The  HERALD  since  1942.  In  1953 
he  was  named  editor  of  Fame. 

Mr.  Aaronson,  following  his  graduation  in  journalism  from  Columbia  University,  worked  first  in  adver- 
tising and  then  in  various  editorial  activites,  including  special  assignments  for  the  New  York  Times.  In  1930 
he  joined  the  editorial  staff  of  Exhibitors  Herald-World  in  the  New  York  office.  Successively  he  was  news 
editor  of  Motion  Picture  Daily  and  production  editor  of  The  HERALD.  He  also  is  editor  of  Motion  Picture 
Almanac  and  Television  Almanac. 


JAMES  D.  IVERS 


SERVICE  DEPARTMENTS 


Refreshment  Merchandising  37 

Film  Buyers'  Rating  3rd  Cover 

Hollywood  Scene  27 

Managers'  Round  Table  33 

The  Winners'  Circle  28 

National  Spotlight  29 


IN  PRODUCT  DIGEST  SECTION 


Showmen's  Reviews  953 

What  the  Picture  Did  for  Me  955 

The  Release  Chart  956 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  Marlin  Quigley,  Editor-in-Chief 
and  Publisher;  Martin  Quigley,  Jr.,  Editor;  Raymond  Levy, 
Executive  Publisher;  James  D.  Ivers,  News  Editor;  -Charles  S. 
Aaronson,  Production  Editor;  Floyd  E.  Stone,  Photo  Editor; 
Ray  Gallagher,  Advertising  Manager;  Gus  H.  Fausel,  Production 
Manager.  Bureaus:  Hollywood,  Samuel  D.  Berns,  Manager; 

William  R.  Weaver,  Editor,  Yucca-Vine  Building,  Telephone 
HOIlywood  7-2145;  Chicago,  120  So.  LaSalle  St.,  Urben  Farley, 
Advertising  Representative,  Telephone  Financial  6-3074;  Wash- 
ington, J.  A.  Otten,  National  Press  Club;  London,  Hope 
Williams  Burnup,  Manager;  Peter  Burnup,  Editor;  William  Pay, 
News  Editor,  4 Bear  St.,  Leicester  Sq.  Correspondents  in  princi- 
pal capitals  of  the  world.  Member  Audit  Bureau  of  Circulations. 
Motion  Picture  Herald  is  published  every  Saturday  by  Quigley 
Publishing  Company,  Inc.,  Rockefeller  Center,  New  York  City  20. 
Telephone  Circle  7-3100;  Cable  address:  "Quigpubco,  New 
York”,  Martin  Quigley,  President;  Martin  Quigley,  Jr.,  Vice- 
President;  Theo.  J.  Sullivan,  Vice-President  and  Treasurer; 
Raymond  Levy,  Vice-President,  Leo  J.  Brady,  Secretary.  Other 
Quigley  Publications:  Better  Theatres  and  Better  Refreshment 
Merchandising,  each  published  thirteen  times  a year  as  a section 
of  Motion  Picture  Herald;  Motion  Picture  Daily,  Television  Today, 
Motion  Picture  Almanac,  Television  Almanac,  Fame. 


8 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  JUNE  30.  1956 


WHEN  and  WHERE 


On  the  OJi 


onzon 


BREWER  COMMENTS 

Roy  Brewer,  former  IATSE  in- 
ternational representative  in 
Hollywood  (1945-55)  and  re- 
ferred to  in  the  Front  for  the 
Republic's  two-volume  report 
on  blacklisting  in  the  enter- 
tainment industries  (see  page 
16)  as  one  of  the  most  active  of 
Hollywood's  anti-Communists, 
Thursday  described  the  report 
as  "distorted  and  biased."  The 
fund,  said  Mr.  Brewer,  has 
since  its  inception  "devoted 
its  energy  toward  making  Amer- 
ica safe  for  Communism.  This  re- 
port was  conceived  for  this  pur- 
pose and  executed  with  this  end 
in  mind."  He  continued:  "This 
report  is  a discredit  to  every 
American  attached  to  it.  It  is  a 
discredit  to  the  institution 
which  supplied  it  the  money. 
...  It  would  be  refreshing  if 
at  some  point  the  fund  would 
turn  its  energies  against  the 
enemies  of  freedom,  rather  than 
the  enemies  of  Communism." 

GOLDWYN  ON  THE  FUTURE 

Samuel  Goldwyn  says  the  eco- 
nomics of  the  industry  is  un- 
dergoing a revolution  that  may 
take  two  years  to  complete,  but 
once  over,  it  will  be  a sounder 
but  drastically  different 
business.  "We  are  doing  too 
many  things  in  outmoded  ways," 
he  says.  "When  a fine  picture 
comes  along  it  has  to  be  sold  in 
the  same  old  way  all  other  pic- 
tures are  sold.  We  need  to  es- 
tablish new  precedents  ; set  new 
patterns  and  procedures."  De- 
claring that  the  expected  sum- 
mer attendance  pickup  will  have 
little  significance  when  it  oc- 
curs, he  said  that  improvement 
must  be  sustained  to  be  mean- 
ingful. 

TAX  BILL  AGAIN 

The  House  Ways  and  Means  com- 
mittee was  to  resume  work  on 
the  excise  tax  bill  this  week. 
Some  committee  members  were 
hopeful  of  adding  a provision 
for  reduction  of  the  admissions 
tax  although  there  was  no  indi- 
cation just  when  a vote  might 
come  or  whether  it  would  be  suc- 
cessful. Members  said  the  com- 
mittee also  hoped  to  start 
meeting  next  week  on  individual 
bills.  Rep.  King  (D. , Calif.) 


is  demanding  a vote  on  his  bill 
to  make  the  10  per  cent  tax  ap- 
ply only  to  that  portion  of  the 
admission  cost  over  $1  but  it  is 
considered  late  in  the  session 
to  be  moving  such  a bill. 

NO  REPUBLIC  DECISION 

No  decision,  affirmative  or 
otherwise,  has  yet  been  made  by 
the  Cantor,  Fitzgerald  & Co. 
investment  banking  group  re- 
garding their  option  agreement 
to  assume  working  control  of 
Republic  Pictures  from  Herbert 
J.  Yates,  Republic  president, 
and  his  associates,  it  is  re- 
ported. B.  Gerald  Cantor,  part- 
ner in  the  West  Coast  firm,  has 
been  conferring  with  members  of 
his  New  York  auditing  firm, 
which  is  checking  Republic's 
books  and  records.  The  auditing 
is  expected  to  be  completed 
this  week. 

EXTENSION  FOR  AB-PT 

The  Justice  Department  has 
agreed  to  another  60-day  exten- 
sion— until  September  3 — in 
the  divestiture  deadline  of 
American  Broadcasting  - Para- 
mount Theatres.  Justice  offi- 
cials said  the  company  still 
had  24  theatres  to  dispose  of 
under  the  Paramount  consent  de- 
cree, 22  of  them  in  joint  owner- 
ship with  Maine  and  New  Hamp- 
shire Theatres.  The  company  is 
the  only  one  of  the  five  majors 
sued  in  the  Paramount  case  that 
has  not  completed  its  divesti- 
ture, although  it  had  the  larg- 
est number  to  dispose  of. 

William  R.  Weaver — 
Lawrence  J.  Quirk — Jay  Remer 


August  20-24:  Biennial  convention  of  the 
International  Alliance  of  Theatrical 
Stage  Employes,  Hotel  Muehlebach, 
Kansas  City,  Mo. 

September  19-25:  Annual  convention  of 
Theatre  Owners  of  America,  in  conjunc- 
tion with  the  annual  convention  and 
trade  shows  of  the  Theatre  Equipment 
Dealers  Association  and  Theatre  Equip- 
ment and  Supply  Manufacturers  Associa- 
tion at  the  Coliseum,  New  York. 

September  28-30:  Third  annual  national 
convention  of  the  Women  of  the  Motion 
Picture  Industry,  Dinkler-Plaza  Hotel, 
Atlanta. 

October  5-7:  Third  national  convention  of 
the  Women  of  the  Motion  Picture  In- 
dustry, Dinkler-Plaza  Hotel,  Atlanta. 

October  7-12:  80th  semi-annual  conven- 
tion of  the  Society  of  Motion  Picture  and 
Television  Engineers,  scheduled  to  be  in 
Los  Angeles. 

October  15-16:  Annual  regional  conven- 
tion of  Independent  Exhibitors  of  New 
England  and  The  Drive-In  Theatre  Asso- 
ciation of  New  England,  Winchendon, 
Mass. 

October  23-24:  Allied  Theatre  Owners  of 
Indiana,  meeting  at  the  Marott  Hotel, 
Indianapolis. 

October  28-30:  Annual  convention  of  the 
Motion  Picture  Theatre  Exhibitors  of 
Florida,  to  be  held  at  Roosevelt  Hotel, 
Jacksonville. 

November  24-28:  Allied  States  Association, 
Fall  board  meeting  and  annual  conven- 
tion, to  be  held  at  Statler  Hotel,  Dallas. 

November  25-27:  44th  annual  convention 
of  the  Theatre  Owners  of  North  and 
South  Carolina,  Hotel  Charlotte,  Char- 
lotte, N.  C. 

February  26-27:  Annual  Convention  of  the 
Kansas-Missouri  Theatre  Association, 
Pickwick  Hotel,  Kansas  City,  Mo. 


IN  NEXT  WEEK'S  "HERALD" 

Letters  from  all  branches  of  the  industry  (exhibition,  distribution 
and  production),  with  their  reaction  and  viewpoints  on  the  Motion 
Picture  Herald  feature,  “Plan  to  Revitalize  Theatre  Attendance,”  pre- 
sented in  the  June  16  issue,  will  he  published  in  The  HERALD  next 
week.  The  article  dealt  primarily  with  ways  of  discovering  and  launch- 
ing new  talent  for  motion  pictures.  This  is  to  he  done  with  the  aid  of  the 
newspapers,  theatre  managers,  schools,  clubs  and  ultimately,  the  pub- 
lic. Readers  still  are  invited  to  send  in  their  comments  and  viewpoints 
on  the  article. 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  JUNE  30,  1956 


9 


by  The  Herald 


by  The  Herald 


Interviews . . . 


Herman  King,  left,  said  his  picture  ($10,000,000  worth,  through  RKO)  would  be  “interna- 
tional.” See  page  22.  Mervyn  LeRoy,  right,  complained  many  exhibitors  have  dirty  theatres, 
poor  timing  and  no  showmanship.  The  producer-director’s  latest  is  Warners’  “The  Bad  Seed.” 
He  was  at  the  home  office  for  discussion  on  its  selling  and  on  “On  the  Unknown.” 


by  The  Herald 


by  The  Herald 


Receptions 


wee 


for  Martine  Carol,  left,  of 
“Nana,”  at  the  Little  Carne- 
gie, New  York;  and  for  Kim 
Novak,  seen  at  the  Radio  City 
Music  Hall  with  George  Sid- 
ney, director  of  Columbia’s 
“The  Eddy  Ducliin  Story.” 


PROJECT,  the  industry’s  New  York  trade  show 
and  convention,  September:  seated,  Bert  Na- 
than, PCA;  standing,  TOA  page  hoy  Johnny 
Chester,  counsel  Herman  Levy,  RKO’s  Lee 
Koken,  PCA’s  vice-president  Tom  Sullivan, 
TESMA  executive  secretary  Merlin  Lewis, 
TESMA  president  Lee  Jones,  TOA  finance 
chairman  Phil  Harling,  TOA  executive  Joseph 
Alterman. 


in 


pictured 


And  a meeting  . . . 

all  in  New  York  this  week  as 
the  industry's  personalities,  per- 
formers and  planners  permitted 
a press  picture  peek. 


J 


1 

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1 

s 

■ ' fl 

& 

Ft  f 

f-safll  SL 

; J j- 

In  London... 


a reception  for  the  peregrinating  president  of  the 
Motion  Picture  Association  of  America,  Eric  A. 
Johnston.  At  the  Claridge’s  Hotel  affair,  and  in 
usual  order,  are  Sir  David  Griffiths,  president  of 
the  Kinematograph  Renters  Society  (exhibitors)  ; 
Earl  Mountbatten,  Mr.  Johnston,  and  Sir  Tom 
O’Brien,  general  secretary  of  the  NATKE  (film 
unions) . 


and  also  a visit  by  20th-Fox  president  Spyros 
Skouras  to  the  principals  of  the  company’s  “Anas- 
tasia.” Yul  Brynner,  David  O.  Selznick,  Mr. 
Skouras,  and  director  Anatole  Litvak  converse 
with  star  Ingrid  Bergman. 


And  in 
Chicago . . . 


WALTER  KESSLER,  Loew’s 
Ohio  (Columbus)  manager,  dis- 
plays his  United  Artists  plaque 
for  “master  showmanship.” 


NEW  SLATE  for  Wisconsin  Al- 
lied : seated,  treasurer  Oliver 

Trampe,  vice-president  William 
Charhoneau,  president  Ben  Mar- 
cus, secretary  Edward  Johnson, 
national  director  Sig  Goldberg. 
Standing,  Angelo  Provinzano, 
Jerry  Goderski,  Martin  Holtz- 
man,  John  Adler,  Floyd  Albert, 
Russell  Leddy,  Harry  Melcher 
and  F.  J.  McWilliams. 


PROMOTION,  for  “The  First  Traveling  Saleslady”:  RKO  starlets 
Peggy  Creel,  Kathy  Marlowe,  Dawn  Richards  and  Gloria  Kristy 
pose  with  Essaness  Theatres  general  manager  Ralph  Smitha,  and 
president  Edwin  Silverman,  seated. 


RETIREMENT,  for  Universal’s  chief  accountant,  Alfred  Platz- 
man,  center.  Presentation  of  the  gift  is  by  Elizabeth  Wetter, 
branch  manager  Lou  Berman,  district  manager  Manie  Gott- 
lieb, and  head  booker  Walter  Hyland. 


Fabian  Out;  Talks  Continue,  With 
Jack  Warner  Seen  As  President 


. . . Harry  Warner  reported  to  re- 
tire when  stock  disposed  of;  in- 
formant indicates  deal  will  defi- 
nitely go  through 

When — and,  of  course,  if — the  invest- 
ment group  headed  by  Serge  Semenenko, 
first  vice-president  of  the  First  National 
Bank  of  Boston,  consummates  its  deal  to 
purchase  the  controlling  stock  interest  in 
Warner  Brothers  Pictures,  Jack  L.  Warn- 
er, currently  vice-president  of  the  film 
company  in  charge  of  production  will  be- 
come president  of  the  company,  it  was 
reported  in  New  York  this  week. 

At  the  same  time  it  was  learned  that 
Simon  H.  Fabian,  president  of  Stanley 
Warner  Corporation,  has  withdrawn  as  a 
principal  in  the  deal  to  buy  out  the  stock 
interest  of  the  three  Warner  brothers.  In 
becoming  president,  Jack  L.  Warner  will 
succeed  his  brother,  Harry  M.  Warner, 
who  will  retire  when  his  stock  holdings 
have  been  disposed  of,  reportedly  at  a 
premium  price. 

This  information  was  learned  from  one 
of  the  principals  in  the  deal,  who  also  de- 
nied reports  widely  circulated  in  industry 
and  financial  circles  during  the  last  week 
that  the  Semenenko  group  would  not  com- 
plete the  stock  purchase  from  the  Warner 
brothers  and  was  withdrawing  from  the 
negotiations. 

“We  are  moving  steadily  toward  the 
completion  of  negotiations,”  the  principal 
said.  Requesting  that  his  name  not  be  used, 
he  said  the  complexities  of  the  deal  were 
numerous  and  it  would  be  unwise  to  pre- 
dict at  this  stage  when  a closing  nvght  be 
possible. 

In  reply  to  a question,  he  denied  that 
the  new  controlling  interests  had  in  mind 
a liquidation  program  for  Warner  Broth- 
ers Pictures,  as  financial  and  trade  circles 
have  heard.  The  aim  of  the  new  owners 
and  management,  he  said,  will  be  to 
strengthen  the  company  as  a film  pro- 
ducer and  distributor  and  that  only  “ex- 
traneous assets,”  which  could  contribute 
nothing  to  that  objective,  would  be  dis- 
posed of. 

I*lan  Streamlining 

Again,  asked  specifically  if  the  Warner 
music  publishing  companies  and  the  Brit- 
ish theatre  properties  might  be  considered 
“extraneous  assets,”  the  principal  replied, 
“Definitely  not.  We’ believe  they  are  use- 
ful to  the  principal  business  of  the  com- 
pany and  they  will  not  be  sold.” 

“It  will  be  a streamlining,  but  not  a 


liquidation,  process,”  he  added,  mentioning 
certain  real  estate,  such  as  the  studio  ranch 
property,  which  might  be  sold.  In  this  con- 
nection, there  are  reports  that  the  Ford 
Motor  Company  is  interested  in  the  West 
Coast  property  at  an  unconfirmed  price  of 
$5,000  an  acre. 

Of  Mr.  Fabian’s  withdrawal  as  a par- 
ticipant and  intended  president  of  the 
company,  the  principal  said,  “It  was  not 
impossible  to  work  out  an  arrangement 
that  would  permit  Mr.  Fabian  to  go  ahead, 
but  to  do  so  obviously  would  have  been 
too  time-consuming,”  delaying  unduly 
consummation  of  the  stock  purchase  and 
the  subsequent  management  revision. 

With  the  Federal  consent  decrees  pro- 
hibiting an  exhibition  alliance  with  pro- 
duction-distribution, the  difficulty  of  Fa- 
bian disposing  of  his  theatre  interests  to 
enter  Warner  Brothers  management  and 
ownership  was  gravely  complicated  by  the 
fact  that  the  Fabian  exhibition  interests 
are  held  by  a family  foundation.  Thus  it 
was  more  than  a personal  or  individual 
problem  in  Mr.  Fabian’s  case.  It  entailed, 
as  well,  disposition  of  the  theatre  interests 
of  other  members  of  his  family,  involving 
a family  trust. 

Credit  Card 
Study  Talked 

A meeting  to  consider  costs,  methods, 
etc.  of  the  proposed  Indianapolis  theatre 
credit  card  survey  was  held  last  week  at 
the  MGM  home  office  by  the  subcommit- 
tee of  the  Motion  Picture  Association  of 
America’s  sales  managers’  committee, 
headed  by  William  C.  Gehring,  vice-pres- 
ident of  20th-Fox,  with  various  market 
research  organizations.  The  proposed 
study  will  cost,  it  is  said,  between  $8,000 
and  $25,000. 

A five-man  exhibition  committee,  repre- 
senting theatres  in  the  Indianapolis  area, 
has  been  formed  to  work  with  the 
MPAA’s  sales  managers’  committee.  It  is 
composed  of  Joe  Cantor,  chairman;  Doc 
Sandorf,  Dick  Lochry,  Dale  McFarland 
and  Rex  Carr,  all  prominent  in  local 
exhibitor  affairs. 

According  to  a subcommittee  member, 
no  market  research  company  has  been 
selected.  The  subcommittee  will  name  one 
company  shortly,  it  was  said,  following  a 
study  of  each  organization’s  qualifications. 

The  survey  of  the  public  reactions  to 
the  theatre  credit  card  plan  would  en- 
compass between  one  to  two  per  cent  of 


the  560,000  persons  who  are  served  by 
the  62  theatres  in  the  Indianapolis-Marion 
County  area.  It  is  understood  the  MPAA 
subcommittee  met  with  representatives  of 
five  or  six  research  firms,  among  them 
Sindlinger  & Company,  Alfred  J.  Politz 
and  Benson  & Benson. 

Prior  to  the  meeting,  Mr.  Gehring  had 
said  that  exhibitors  in  Indianapolis  are 
“favorable”  to  the  credit  card  plan  and 
that  the  survey  is  expected  to  begin  with- 
in four  to  six  weeks,  with  the  credit  plan 
slated  to  be  put  into  effect  within  two  to 
three  months. 

Meanwhile  the  various  subcommittees 
of  the  advertising  and  publicity  directors 
committee  of  the  MPAA  were  to  meet 
this  week  to  finalize  their  reports  on  the 
progress  they  are  making  on  their  in- 
dividual plans  to  find  ways  and  means  to 
revitalize  the  box  office. 

Among  the  committees  scheduled  to 
meet  was  the  group  charged  with  study- 
ing a proposal  dealing  with  merchandising 
aspects.  This  is  headed  by  Alfred  Tama- 
rain,  assistant  national  advertising,  pub- 
licity and  exploitation  director  of  United 
Artists.  Other  subcommittees  are  charged 
with  investigating  all  aspects  of  research 
and  survey,  the  Hollywood  press  sym- 
posium, field  tours  by  company  presidents 
and  advertising  campaigns. 


Film  License  Threat 
Looms  in  Milwaukee 

MILWAUKEE:  Milwaukee’s  Common 

Council  is  currently  considering  an  or- 
dinance giving  the  city  power  to  license 
each  film  shown  here  unless  distributors 
show  more  cooperation  with  the  city’s 
Motion  Picture  Commission  and  the  Com- 
mon Council’s  license  committee.  The  pos- 
sibility was  discussed  here  by  the  license 
committee  in  a debate  over  the  showing 
of  the  film  “Crime  in  the  Streets”  which 
had  a week’s  run  at  the  Warner  theatre. 
The  commission  objected  to  showing  it  on 
the  ground  that  it  allegedly  was  detri- 
mental to  youth.  Nat  Nathanson,  division 
manager  for  Allied  Artists,  said  represen- 
tatives of  the  Milwaukee  branch  office 
would  discuss  the  film  with  the  commis- 
sion before  it  shows  in  neighborhood  thea- 
tres. 


Miami  Circuit  Addition 

MIAMI:  Newest  addition  to  Claughton 
Theatres  will  be  a $300,000  structure  at 
Harrison  Street  and  17th  Avenue,  at  Holly- 
wood, Fla.  Work  on  the  project  began  re- 
cently. 


12 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  JUNE  30.  1956 


2 O t h ANNOUNCES 


'Rigger  than  life 


A MOTION  PICTURE  SO 

^ 

YOU  MUST  ASK 

how 

did 

they 

dare 

to 

make 

it? 


saw  him  take 
the  first  pill... and  the 
next...and  the  next! 
Then  he  was  lying  for 
them...begging  for  them... 
forging  prescriptions  for 

them...and  then...” 


20th  CENTURY-FOX  presents 

JAMES  MASON 
BARBARA  RUSH 


Rigger 


than 


life 


LIFE-SAVER  or 
LIFE-DESTROYER? 

“I  prescribed  it... 
he  misused  it!” 


COLOR  by  DE  LUXE 


co-starring  WALTHER  MATTHAU  with  Robert  Simon  • Christopher  Olsen 

Produced  by  Directed  by  Story  and  Screenplay  by 

JAMES  MASON  • NICHOLAS  RAY -CYRIL  HUME  and  RICHARD  MAIBAUM 

Based  on  an  article  in  The  New  Yorker  by  Berton  Roueche 


A theme  so  vital... 
so  violent  that  we 
urge  you  to 
bring  all  your 
compassion  and 
understanding 
to  it! 


20th  delivers  its 
most  startling  attraction 
since  “THE  SNAKE  PIT”... 
from  the  director  of 
“REBEL  WITHOUT  A CAUSE”! 


THE  STORY  OF  THE 
HANDFUL  OF  HOPE 
THAT  BECAME 
A FISTFUL 


Report  of  Fund  for  the  Republic 
Scores  Industry's  Stand  on  Reds 

by  MARTIN  QUIGLEY,  JR.  


Senator  Mundt  and  Frederick  Woltman  See 
Report  as  Bringing  Joy  and  Comfort  to  Reds 


. . . 600-Page  Report  on  Blacklist- 
ing by  John  Cogley  says  entertain- 
ment industries'  attitude  com- 
pound of  "fear  and  shame" 

The  entertainment  industries  were 
sharply  criticized  this  week  in  a 600-page 
“Report  on  Blacklisting”  by  John  Cogley, 
sponsored  by  the  Fund  for  the  Republic, 
Inc.  That  organization,  established  by  a 
$15,000,000  grant  of  the  Ford  Foundation, 
has  itself  been  repeatedly  sharply  criti- 
cized for  its  tolerant  attitude  toward  Com- 
munism and  Communists. 

According  to  Mr.  Cogley,  “the  charac- 
teristic attitude  of  industry  people  in  Hol- 
lywood or  on  Madison  Avenue  is  com- 
pounded of  fear  and  shame  . . .”  for  the 
way  the  Communist  problem  has  been  han- 
dled.” This  will  be  news  to  most  people! 

Little  Else  JSeiv 

There  is  little  else  new  in  the  two  vol- 
umes of  the  report.  Their  tone  could  have 
been  accurately  forecast  from  the  spirit 
of  the  original  announcement  of  the  proj- 
ect by  the  Fund  for  the  Republic  and  the 
selection  of  Mr.  Cogley  to  find  documen- 
tation to  support  the  preconceived  idea 
that  the  industry  had  handled  the  Com- 
munists in  a shameful  way. 

Initially  the  managers  of  the  Fund  for 
the  Republic  and  Mr.  Cogley  assumed  that 
there  is  “blacklisting”  in  the  entertain- 
ment industries;  that  “blacklisting”  is  nec- 
essarily a bad  practice;  that  only  the  inno- 
cents are  hurt  by  the  policies  of  trying  to 
keep  Communists  out  of  motion  pictures, 
television  and  radio.  Moreover,  the  Fund 
for  the  Republic  apparently  believes  that 
most  of  those  who  have  been  conspicuous 
in  anti-Communist  work  are  vain,  ambi- 
tious, self-seeking,  cruel  and  un-American. 

In  view  of  the  fact  that  the  Fund  itself 
has  become  controversial  for  its  allegedly 
“soft”  attitude  on  Communists  and  “hard” 
viewpoint  on  anti-Communists,  it  is  not 
surprising  that  in  identical  introductions 
to  the  two  volumes  the  Fund  attempts  to 
deny  its  basic  responsibility  for  the  re- 
ports. Paul  G.  Hoffman,  chairman  of  the 
board  of  directors,  says  that  Mr.  Cogley 
was  given  a free  hand  and  “accepts  re- 
sponsibility for  this  report.”  The  Fund  for 
the  Republic  pats  Mr.  Cogley  on  the  back 
as  it  shifts  to  him  full  responsibility:  . . . 
“the  Board  of  the  Fund  wishes  to  state  its 
full  confidence  in  the  calm  deliberation 
which  he  has  given  to  its  preparation.  We 
believe  he  has  done  a thorough  job.” 

The  fundamental  trouble  is  that  while 


The  two-volume  report  of  the  Fund  for 
the  Republic  on  blacklisting  in  the  radio- 
television and  motion  picture  industries 
aroused  a storm  of  protest,  especially 
among  those  who  have  long  been  leaders 
in  the  anti-Communist  cause.  This  week 
two  such  leaders,  in  separate  statements, 
agreed  in  almost  the  same  phraseology 
that  the  reports  “while  not  pro-Commu- 
nist,  cannot  help  but  bring  joy  and  com- 
fort to  the  Reds.” 

These  were  the  words  of  Frederick 
Woltman,  Scripps-Howard  feature  writer 
and  a specialist  in  Communist  activities, 
in  a page  one  article  in  the  June  25  New 
York  World-Telegram  and  Sun.  The  fol- 
lowing day,  Senator  Karl  Mundt  (R.  S.D.) 
put  into  the  Congressional  Record  a state- 
ment in  which  he  characterized  the  re- 
ports as  “still  another  effort  to  give  aid 
and  comfort  to  the  Communists,  both  here 
and  abroad.” 

Referring  specifically  to  the  report  on 
the  radio-TV  industry,  Mr.  Woltman  said 
that  it  left  three  major  conclusions: 

“It  can  only  add  confusion  to  a major 
problem  of  the  industry  which  has  al- 
ready been  straightening  itself  out.  That 
is,  what  to  do  with  the  actors,  writers  and 
directors  who  are  Communist  backers  or 
who  have  aided  the  Communist  cause  in 
the  past  without  clearing  their  records. 

“By  the  use  of  loaded  expressions 
throughout  and  the  selection  and  grouping 
of  some  facts  and  the  omission  of  more 


Mr.  Cogley  convinced  his  sponsors  that  he 
shared  the  Fund’s  viewpoint  on  the  sub- 
ject before  getting  the  assignment,  his 
previous  record  includes  no  special  ex- 
perience or  proven  aptitude  for  the  work. 
Not  having  a personal  background  of 
knowledge  of  the  subject,  Mr.  Cogley  and 
his  research  staff  had  to  be  guided  by  what 
people  told  them.  Individual  recollections 
of  past  actions  and  events  are  not  always 
the  surest  guide  to  the  whole  truth.  More- 
over much  of  the  research  consisted  in 
asking  Mr.  A what  he  thought  of  Mr.  B 
and  what  Mr.  B had  been  doing. 

Mr.  Cogley  describes  himself  as  a jour- 
nalist. He  is  40  years  old.  Born  in  Chicago, 
he  received  a Ph.D.  degree  there  from 
Loyola  University.  He  pursued  advanced 
studies  in  philosophy  and  theology  at  the 
University  of  Fribourg  in  Switzerland 
after  serving  the  whole  of  World  War  II 


salient  facts,  it  gives  a distorted  and 
often  false  picture. 

“Because  its  author,  John  Cogley,  rub- 
ber-stamps the  basic  philosophy  of  the 
Fund’s  own  president,  Robert  M.  Hutch- 
ins, the  slant  of  the  report  runs  counter 
to  the  mainstream  of  Amreican  thought.” 

Senator  Mundt  praised  both  the  motion 
picture  and  broadcasting  industries  for 
“very  important  strides”  in  cleaning  out 
Communists.  Recalling  that  he  was  a 
member  of  the  House  Un-American  Acti- 
vities Committee  during  the  hearings  on 
Communist  activities  in  Hollywood,  he 
said  that  the  Motion  Picture  Association 
of  America  had  been  most  helpful. 

The  Senator  said  that  Hollywood  pro- 
ducers and  “to  a lesser  but  to  a substan- 
tial degree”  the  broadcasting  industry 
have  done  their  best  to  clean  out  the 
Communists.  “It  is  disquieting  and  dis- 
illusioning, therefore,”  he  said,  “when 
the  Fund  for  the  Republic  now  levels  the 
guns  of  its  vast  tax-exempt  funds  against 
the  efforts  to  keep  Communists  out  of 
the  entertainment  world.” 

Senator  Mundt’s  praise  for  the  film  in- 
dustry was  not  unqualified.  He  said  “mil- 
lions of  Americans  would  like  to  see  the 
motion  picture  industry  complete  its  job 
— because  it  is  still  unfinished  business — 
of  cleaning  the  Reds  out  of  Hollywood.” 
The  Legion  of  Decency  also  was  praised 
by  the  Senator  for  “apprising  their  peo- 
ple as  to  some  of  the  Communist  films.” 


in  the  U.S.  Army  Air  Force.  He  joined 
Commonweal,  a weekly  edited  by  Catho- 
lics who  pride  themselves  on  maintaining 
a “liberal”  viewpoint,  in  1949  as  feature 
editor.  Later  he  became  managing  editor. 

About  Historical  Matters 

The  Cogley  report  on  Movies  is  largely 
concerned  with  historical  matters.  The 
first  chapter,  “The  1947  Hearing,”  takes 
up  the  excitement  in  the  industry  gen- 
erated by  the  hearings  before  the  House 
Un-American  Activities  Committee  in  1947 
under  J.  Parnell  Thomas.  At  that  time 
Eric  Johnston  for  the  industry  engaged 
Paul  V.  McNutt  to  head  the  defense.  The 
effort  miscarried  and  the  industry  position 
shifted  rapidly  when  the  stand  taken  by 
the  “Unfriendly  Ten”  witnesses  stirred  up 
( Continued  on  page  18) 


• 6 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  JUNE  30.  1956 


'Marie  Windsor  is 
flambuoyantly  brash 
and  sexy!" 

-World-Tel.  & Sun 


co starting  COLEEN  GRAY' VI NCE  EDWARDS  with  JAY  C.  FLIPPEN  • marie  WINDSOR  ■ ted  DecoRSiA 

Based  on  tne  novel  "Clean  Break,"  by  Lionel  White  • Screenplay  by  Stanley  Kubrick  • Produced  by  James  B.  Harris  • Directed  by  Stanley  Kubrick 


LIKELY  TO  MAKE  A KILLING 
AT  THE  CASH  BOOTHS!" 

—TIME  Magazine 


"Tense  drama!  Brilliantly 
done!  Action  crisp  and 
fast!  Succeeds  excellently 
in  building  tremendous 
tension!" 

—Hollywood  Reporter 

"Brisk  melodrama!  Mur- 
der, fights  and  tension 
run  the  length  of  this  en- 
ergetically told  story!" 

-World-Tel.  & Sun 

"Crime  film  moves  fast! 
More  than  holds  its  own 
against  pictures  that 
boast  far  higher  budgets! 
Writing  plus  cast  and 
action  rivet  attentioi 
through  83  suspenseful 
Sustains  an  ex- 
do  The  actors 
parts  in  just  the 


"Engrossing!  Things  move 
at  a lively  clip!" 

—N.  Y.  Times 

"Tense  crime  melodrama! 
Generates  enough  ex- 
citement and  tension  to 
warrant  praise!" 

—Daily  Mirror 

"Tense  and  suspenseful! 
Hard-hitting  and  colorful 
performances!  Script  is 
tight  and  fast-paced!" 

—Daily  Variety 


merican 


FUND  REPORT 

( Continued  from  page  16) 
indignation  not  only  among  the  theatre 
patrons  but  also  by  many  of  the  Holly- 
wood associates  of  the  witnesses. 

Dore  Schary  is  quoted  in  answering  a 
question  of  the  House  Committee  about 
rehiring  a Communist  as  follows:  “I  would 
not  hesitate  to  rehire  him  if  it  was  not 
proven  that  he  was  a foreign  agent.”  This 
is  the  viewpoint  that  Mr.  Cogley  and  the 
Fund  for  the  Republic  have  adopted  al- 
though Mr.  Schary  dropped  it.  They  ap- 
parently think  if  an  individual  is  not 
proved  personally  guilty  of  subversion  or 
espionage,  he  should  be  hired  for  any  po- 
sition in  the  entertainment  industries. 
This  viewpoint,  of  course,  assumes  that 
Communism  is  only  one  of  several  diver- 
gent but  legitimate  political  philosophies. 

Johnston  Statement 

The  first  chapter  ends  with  the  state- 
ment issued  by  Mr.  Johnston  following 
the  meeting  November  24,  1947,  at  the 
Waldorf-Astoria.  It  was  then  that  the 
industry  adopted  the  position  it  has  since 
maintained — “We  will  not  knowingly  em- 
ploy a Communist  or  a member  of  any 
party  or  group  which  advocates  the  over- 
throw of  the  United  States  by  force  or  by 
any  illegal  or  un-Constitutional  methods.” 
Mr.  Cogley’s  uninformed  approach  is  in- 
dicated on  this  important  action  when  he 
cites  the  columnist  Ed  Sullivan  in  an 
assertion  that  Wall  Street  had  “jiggled  the 
strings”  and  forced  the  industry  to  act! 

The  chapter  “Communism  in  Holly- 
wood” is  one  of  the  best  in  the  book. 
It  points  out  well  how  the  party  there 
sought  an  elite  corps  and  explained  what 
the  purposes  of  the  Communist  activity 
were.  Mr.  Cogley,  however,  allows  him- 
self to  be  dogmatic  in  making  flat  state- 
ments about  the  small  number  of  Com- 
munists and  the  ignorance  of  the  Holly- 
wood Communists  about  the  nature  of  the 
party.  Since  Communism  is  a conspiracy, 
it  is  not  possible  to  learn  details  of  its 
workings  except  by  “informers” — those 
who,  for  one  reason  or  another,  part  com- 
pany with  their  “co-conspirators.”  It  is 
not  possible  to  know  now,  or  ever,  exactly 
what  the  hard  core  of  Communism  activity 
amounted  to  or  to  accurately  weigh  the 
motives  of  those  who  joined  or  gave  sup- 
port as  sympathizers. 

Propaganda  Charge 

The  report  makes  the  statement  that  it 
was  widely  held  that  there  was  ex- 
tensive Communist  propaganda  in  Holly- 
wood films.  Widely  held  by  whom?  it  may 
be  asked.  Certainly  a few  loose  charges 
were  made  by  uninformed  persons  but  as 
the  records  of  Motion  Picture  Herald 
show,  released  films  did  not  further  the 
cause  of  Communism  in  any  way. 

Mr.  Cogley  is  in  rather  unsure  field 
for  himself  when  he  gets  down  to  the 
chapter  on  “Labor  in  Hollywood.”  He  and 
his  staff  apparently  made  an  attempt  to 


get  the  facts  and  be  objective  but  they 
seem  to  view  developments  of  the  past  in 
the  light  of  their  present  notions.  There 
is  a thinly  veiled  attempt  to  “smear”  Roy 
Brewer  by  trying  to  implicate  him  in 
bribery  and  corruption  as  practiced  by 
Willie  Bioff  and  George  Browne  of  the 
I.A.T.S.E.  Richard  F.  Walsh,  Browne’s 
successor  as  president,  also  receives  less 
than  his  due  by  the  inference  that  being  a 
vice-president  under  Browne  he  perhaps 
was  involved  in  sinister  practices.  The  re- 
lationship of  Herb  Sorrell  to  the  Com- 
munist Party  has  long  been  a matter  of 
controversy.  The  Cogley  report  throws 
no  new  light  on  the  situation. 

“Hollyivood  Strikes ” 

The  Chapter  on  “Hollywood  Strikes” 
attempts  to  minimize  all  possible  Com- 
munist aspects  and  plays  up  organized 
labor’s  struggle  for  power.  Undoubtedly 
labor  union  policies  had  marked  influence 
but  one  may  wonder  how  the  situation 
would  be  today  if  the  I.A.T.S.E.  with  the 
anti-Communist  policy  of  Mr.  Walsh  and 
Mr.  Brewer  had  been  supplanted  by  op- 
ponents of  varying  shades  of  Red. 

In  considering  “Clearance  in  Hollywood” 
passing  reference  is  made  to  the  difficulties 
encountered  by  persons  active  in  anti- 
Communist  work  and  also  those  who 
were  “Friendly”  witnesses.  The  so-called 
system  of  “Clearances”  is  treated  by  Mr. 
Cogley  in  a negative  way.  It  is  criticized 
because  it  was  informal  and  unofficial. 
Nothing  is  said  of  the  positive  benefits  of 
the  system.  Over  two  hundred  creative 
workers  in  Hollywood  were  under  public 
attack  for  their  past  records  of  Com- 
munist activity  or  membership  in  groups 
found  to  be  allied  with  the  Communists. 
As  a result  of  the  various  “clearance”  ar- 
rangements over  85  percent  of  the  group 
have  been  able  to  resume  their  careers 
in  films.  Nowhere  does  Mr.  Cogley  con- 
sider the  problem  and  the  implications 
of  the  stand  of  the  thirty  individuals, 
including  some  of  the  “Unfriendly  Ten,” 
who  persist  in  failing  to  make  clear  their 
present  position. 

“Moss  Hearings ” 

While  the  possibility  exists  that  some 
“Unfriendly  Witnesses”  may  still  be  pro- 
ceeding under  a misguided  idealism  that 
Communism  is  a legitimate  form  of  politi- 
cal belief  and  that  the  Congress  has  no 
business  inquiring  into  it,  most  of  the 
group  must  now  be  considered  followers 
of  the  pernicious  Communist  Party  line. 
Their  refusal  to  “stand  up  and  be  counted 
now”  must  be  interpreted  as  an  action 
taken  to  advance  Communist  policies. 

“The  Mass  Hearings”  is  the  title  of  the 
section  for  the  1951  hearings  under  Con- 
gressman John  S.  Wood.  The  next  chapter 
tells  inadequately  the  role  played  by  the 
American  Legion  in  encouraging  motion 
picture  companies  to  make  films  without 
the  services  of  Communists  and  those  fol- 
lowing the  Communist  party  line.  Mr. 
Cogley  overlooks  entirely  the  question  of 
the  American  Legion  as  a reflector  of 


American  pubic  opinion  on  a wide  scale. 
Mr.  Cogley  also  sometimes  forgets  that 
motion  pictures  are  made  to  be  seen  by 
millions — they  must  be  to  make  a profit. 
The  psychological  factor  is  of  great  im- 
portance in  theatre  attendance.  If  a few 
million  people  stay  away  from  a film  be- 
cause they  deplore  the  reputation  of  a 
performer,  the  producing  company  would 
have  a financial  failure. 

The  difficulties  individuals  have  had  in 
writing  letters  to  obtain  “clearance”  and 
renewed  employment  at  the  studios  are 
outlined.  No  attention  is  given  to  the  fact 
that  there  may  be  some  who  even  at  a late 
date  are  unwilling  to  speak  the  whole 
truth.  A person  who  innocently  became  in- 
volved in  Communism  or  Communistic 
causes  does  not  like  to  have  his  mistake 
publicized — no  one  does.  At  the  other  ex- 
treme a few  in  Hollywood  may  have  been 
too  closely  connected  with  the  Communist 
apparatus  to  wish  or  dare  tell  all  they 
know. 

“ Blacklisting : An  Institution ” 

The  final  chapter  of  Mr.  Cogley’s  work 
headed,  “Blacklisting:  An  Institution”  re- 
cites activities  that  some  of  the  studios 
have  carried  on  independently  of  any 
urging  by  outside  individuals  or  organiza- 
tions. It  is  never  made  quite  clear  whether 
Mr.  Cogley  believes  that  all  named  as 
Communists  were  not  Communists  or 
whether  being  a Communist  or  not  makes 
no  difference. 

The  first  appendix  is  a long  article  on 
“The  Legal  Aspects”  by  Harold  W.  Horo- 
witz, a member  of  the  law  faculty  of  the 
University  of  Southern  California.  Mr. 
Horowitz’  conclusions  are  that  generally 
the  employee  has  no  legal  redress  against 
an  employer  or  prospective  employer  in 
matters  of  alleged  “blacklisting.”  Self- 
restraint  of  the  employers  and  public 
opinion  are  considered  by  the  writer  as 
providing  the  best  available  controls. 

The  second  appendix  is  an  article  “Com- 
munism and  the  Movies — A Study  of  Film 
Content”  by  Dorothy  B.  Jones,  identified 
as  chief  of  film  reviewing  and  analysis 
section  of  the  OWI  during  World  War  II. 
Miss  Jones  has  assembled  a great  deal  of 
data  to  show  what  has  been  generally  ac- 
cepted; i.  e.  that  the  efforts  to  get  Com- 
munist propaganda  on  the  screen  through 
Hollywood  pictures  were  unsuccessful. 

The  final  sections  of  the  Cogley  report 
include  lists  which  may  be  of  interest  to 
film  historians — films  in  which  the  “Un- 
friendly Ten”  worked  and  films  in  which 
those  who  later  admitted  Communist 
Party  affiliation  worked.  There  are  other 
tables  to  show  the  nature  of  film  content 
during  the  period.  The  list  of  Box  Office 
champions  from  FAME  are  listed  for  the 
years  from  1947  through  1954. 

In  the  final  paragraph  of  the  second 
volume  which  would  seem  to  sum  up  his 
views  Mr.  Cogley  says,  “The  result  is 
that  the  theatre  has  a better  conscience: 
it  is  freer.  The  characteristic  attitude  of 
industry  people  in  Hollywood  or  on  Madi- 
son Avenue  is  compounded  of  fear  and 
shame. . . .” 


18 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  JUNE  30.  1956 


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MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  JUNE  30.  1956 


19 


FEATURE  REVIEW 


Moby  Dick 

Warner  Bros.— Moulin—  Man  vs.  Whale  et  al 

( Color  by  Technicolor) 

One  of  the  great  American  books,  long  a challenge  to  film-makers,  has  been 
made  into  a forceful,  dramatic  and  thrilling  picture  by  John  Huston  and  his 
associates. 


The  true  significance  of  Herman  Mel- 
ville’s lengthy  book,  written  a century 
ago,  has  been  a matter  of  dispute.  Huston, 
who  produced,  directed  and  collaborated 
on  the  screenplay  with  Ray  Bradbury  and 
in  creating  the  color  style  with  Oswald 
Morris,  has  adopted  Melville’s  viewpoint. 
The  author  of  the  book  asserted  that  Moby 
Dick,  the  great  white  whale,  is  a symbol 
of  everything  evil.  There  are  others  who 
consider  the  book  a satire  on  ambition; 
this  element  is  not  in  the  film.  Still  others 
ignore  the  intended  allegorical  meanings 
and  concentrate  on  the  story  of  whaling 
and  whalers.  Most  of  the  members  of  the 
audience  are  likely  to  be  in  this  category. 
For  them  “Moby  Dick”  will  be  the  giant 
killer  whale  rather  than  an  Evil  One. 

Movie-goers,  as  generations  of  book 
readers,  generally  will  look  on  the  story 
as  a type  of  high  and  tragic  adventure, 
pitting  whalers  and  in  particular  the  cap- 
tain, against  the  largest  and  most  vicious 
monster  of  the  deep.  Huston’s  film  in- 
cludes some  of  the  best  sea  and  ship  mate- 
rial ever  photographed.  The  whales — live 
and  studio-made — are  awe-inspiring.  In- 
cidentally, it  is  difficult  to  tell  the  differ- 
ence between  the  real  mammals  and  the 
ones  fabricated  by  the  British  craftsmen 
of  the  Associated  British  Studios. 

It  is  perhaps  paradoxical  that  Huston’s 
New  Bedford  is  Ireland’s  Youghal  and 
that  the  New  England  whaling  men  are 
English  actors  and  Welsh  and  Madeira  Is- 
land fishermen.  The  whale  hunts  were 
conducted  off  the  coasts  of  Madeira  and 
the  Canary  Islands.  Every  effort  was  made 


to  re-create  the  conditions  of  the  19th  Cen- 
tury. The  whaling  ship  was  outfitted  in 
authentic  details. 

Patrons  with  long  memories  may  recall 
John  Barrymore’s  “Moby  Dick.”  There 
were  two  Barrymore  versions  of  the  story. 
One  was  a silent  film  called  “The  Sea 
Beast”  (1926)  with  Dolores  Costello  as 
te  female  lead.  Remade  in  1930  with 
sound  with  the  title  “Moby  Dick,”  Barry- 
more had  Joan  Bennett  as  the  principal 
actress.  The  Huston  picture  has  no  women. 
His  story  line  follows  that  of  the  book. 
On  the  other  hand  much  was  invented  in 
the  Barrymore  adaptation  to  include  shore 
romances  and  details  of  the  first  encounter 
with  the  whale  that  crippled  Captain 
Ahab  in  mind  and  body. 

This  picture  begins  with  Richard  Base- 
hart,  the  narrator  Ishmael,  as  a New  Eng- 
land youth  coming  to  New  Bedford  to  find 
a whaling  berth.  After  making  an  acquain- 
tance with  Queequeg,  a Pacific  Island  har- 
pooner,  played  by  Friedrich  Ledebur, 
Basehart  is  signed  on  the  ship  Pequod  and 
serves  under  the  mate  Starbuck,  played 
by  Leo  Genn.  The  mysterious,  aloof  Cap- 
tain Ahab  is  master  of  the  ship. 

Gregory  Peck,  as  Captain  Ahab,  gives 
one  of  the  best  performances  of  his  career. 
Although  all  the  major  and  minor  sup- 
porting roles  are  competently  acted,  Peck 
is  so  excellent  that  he  makes  the  scarred, 
one-legged  Ahab  alive  and,  more  to  his 
credit,  believable. 

Something  of  the  spirit  of  the  whaling 
men  and  their  views  is  given  in  the  early 


part  of  the  picture  in  a rather  long  sermon 
by  Orson  Welles  as  Father  Mapple.  This 
philosophizing  of  Melville  is  well  de- 
livered by  Welles  in  the  New  Bedford 
Protestant  Church.  But  the  story  does  not 
tarry  long  ashore.  All  the  rest  of  the  ac- 
tion takes  place  on  the  Pequod  and  in  its 
small  whaling  skiffs.  The  methods,  dif- 
ficulties and  dangers  of  whaling  are  shown 
in  fascinating  detail.  The  thrills  and  sus- 
pense build  continually. 

Soon  it  is  evident  that  the  twisted  char- 
acter of  Captain  Ahab  will  not  allow  him 
to  let  the  men  hunt  whales  even  when  the 
killing  is  good.  He  is  seeking  only  one 
whale,  a giant  white  whale,  called  Moby 
Dick.  That  was  the  whale  that  crippled 
him  in  a previous  encounter.  Although  the 
first  mate  makes  an  attempt  to  encourage 
the  other  officers  to  take  away  Ahab’s 
command  and  at  one  point  considers  kill- 
ing him,  the  men  are  all  under  the  sway 
of  their  capatin.  They  take  an  oath  to  hunt 
down  Moby  Dick  and  kill  the  whale,  what- 
ever the  cost. 

Huston’s  direction  is  masterful.  Not  only 
are  the  spirit  and  mood  of  the  men  con- 
veyed but  also  there  is  developed  the 
premonition  of  disaster  and  death.  In  the 
climactic  scenes  Moby  Dick  is  tracked 
down  and  fights  back.  These  scenes  are 
as  thrilling  as  any  filmed  and  the  process 
work  is  remarkable.  Ahab  harpoons  the 
whale  but  is  carried  to  his  death  when  he 
leaps  on  the  whale’s  back  to  drive  home 
the  lance.  Then  in  monstrous  fury  Moby 
Dick  smashes  the  small  boats  and  sinks 
the  whaling  ship.  Only  Ishmael  survives  to 
tell  the  tale. 

Promotion  advantage  should  be  taken 
of  the  Technicolor  printing  process  used 
for  the  first  time  in  a quarter  of  a century. 
Before  the  usual  three  colors  are  printed 
by  the  Technicolor  imbibition  process  a 
low  contrast  silver  image  is  printed  to  im- 
prove definition.  Also  the  color  values  are 
“desaturated.”  This  results  in  a realistic, 
muted  type  of  color  which  has  an  historic 
quality.  The  effect  for  this  story  and  for 
the  mood  sought  by  Huston  and  Oswald 
Morris,  the  director  of  photography,  is 
excellent. 

The  best  selling  point  is  that  this  is  a 
superb  production  of  one  of  the  best  sea 

venture  stories  ever.  The  level  of  atten- 
dance is  likely  to  depend  substantially 
on  the  promotion  effort  in  each  locality. 

An  indication  of  the  care,  and  the  time 
that  went  into  the  making  of  this  film  is 
that  it  was  not  photographed  expressly 
for  wide  screen  exhibition.  The  distributor 
is  recommending  that  it  be  shown  with  an 
aspect  ratio  no  greater  than  1.75  to  1.  It 
is  well  worth  the  effort  to  make  the  nec- 
essary adjustments  in  screen  masking  and 
aperture  plates. 

Previeived  at  the  home  office.  Reviewer’s 
Rating:  Superior. — M.  Q.,  Jr. 

Release  date,  Jnne  30,  1956.  Running  time,  116 
minutes.  PCA  No.  17465.  General  audience  classifi- 
cation. 

Captain  Ahab  Gregory  Peck 

Ishmael  . . Richard  Basehart 

Starbuck  ..Leo  Genn 

Father  Mapple  Orson  Welles 

James  Robertson  Justice,  Harry  Andrews,  Bernard 
Miles.  Noel  Purcell,  Edric  Connor,  Mervyn  Johns, 
Joseph  Tomelty,  Francis  De  Wolff,  Philip  Stainton, 
Royal  Dano,  Seamus  Kelly,  Friedrich  Ledebur,  Ted 
Howard,  Tamba  Alleney,  Tom  Clegg 


THE  REHEARSAL,  for  death,  to  a whale  and  a man  haunted  by  the  need  for  battle  and 
realization.  Gregory  Peck  (Captain  Ahab)  practices  throwing  the  harpoon  which  kills 
his  enemy,  and  him.  It’s  Warners’  "Moby  Dick",  of  course. 


20 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  JUNE  30.  1956 


FEATURE  REVIEW 

The  King  and  I 

20th  Century  Fox — Musical  magic 

(Color  by  DeLuxe) 

When  Margaret  Landon’s  1944  best  seller,  “Anna  and  the  King  of  Siam”  ex- 
cited the  late,  great  Gertrude  Lawrence  to  the  point  where  she  persuaded 
Richard  Rodgers  and  Oscar  Hammerstein,  II  to  write  a musical  based  upon 
it  and  starring  herself,  it  would  almost  seem  that  they  envisioned  the  then- 
non-existent  CinemaScope  55.  For  it  may  be  truly  said  that  this  magic  musi- 
cal has  come  to  full  fruition  in  the  magic  of  today’s  motion  picture  technology. 


The  musical  stage  show,  “The  King  and 
I,”  one  of  the  finest  works  of  the  twin 
genius  of  Rodgers  and  Hammerstein, 
opened  in  1951  to  a fulsome  chorus  of 
praise  which  rang  through  the  theatrical 
world,  played  subsequently  some  1,500 
performances  on  Broadway  and  across  the 
nation,  made  an  overnight  starring  sensa- 
tion of  Yul  Brynner,  and  in  a word  made 
fabulous  theatrical  history. 

The  property,  of  course,  was  ready- 
made for  motion  pictures,  and  sparing 
nothing  in  the  doing,  the  production 
forces  of  20th  Century-Fox  have  emerged 
with  a stunningly  beautiful,  lavishly 
opulent  and  warmly  heart-stirring  film 
which  should  storm  the  box  office  ram- 
parts with  overwhelming  power. 

In  many  of  the  instances  of  setting  and 
execution,  the  production  beggars  descrip- 
tion. And  here,  without  question,  the 
enormous  enhancing  values  of  the  tech- 
niques of  the  new  CinemaScope  55  and 
modern  color  prove  their  splendid  worth. 
Here,  indeed,  is  a property  made  to  order 
for  them. 

To  recount  the  musical  virtues  of  “The 
King  and  I”  seems  redundant.  Surely 
everyone  knows  of  the  lovely,  singable 
songs  which  for  five  years  now  have 
echoed  and  re-echoed  from  record  player 
and  every  other  musical  device  to  delight 
the  ear  and  mind. 

The  list  of  credits,  production-wise,  is 
headed  by  Charles  Brackett,  the  pro- 
ducer. The  loud  praise  which  goes  to  him 
for  this  production  is  to  be  shared  by 
Walter  Lang,  the  director;  Ernest  Lehman, 
who  wrote  the  screenplay;  Jerome  Rob- 
bins, who  staged  the  dances  and  musical 
numbers;  Alfred  Newman,  who  super- 
vised and  conducted  the  music,  and  the 
host  of  others  who  had  a hand  in  the 
result. 

The  cast  selections,  it  would  seem,  could 
not  in  any  way  have  been  improved.  Yul 
Brynner,  of  course,  was  the  inevitable  and 
in  all  ways  perfect  King.  The  role  he  han- 
dled first  so  magnificently  in  the  original 
stage  show  made  his  very  name  synon- 
ymous with  the  King  of  Siam  of  1862,  and 
his  handling  of  the  role  in  this  film  ver- 
sion is  again  perfection  itself. 

Opposite,  as  the  British  widow  who 
comes  to  Siam  to  teach  the  royal  children 
something  of  the  ways  of  the  west,  and 
who  remains  to  aid,  and  subtly  to  further 
the  desire  of  the  king  that  his  people  face 
a modern  world  in  modern  fashion,  is 


Deborah  Kerr.  It  was  a most  happy  choice. 
Charming,  gracious,  possessed  of  a lovely 
voice,  Miss  Kerr  brings  to  the  role  every- 
thing it  required  for  maximum  effective- 
ness. 

With  no  weak  spot  anywhere,  the 
others  of  the  cast  leaders  included  Rita 
Moreno,  as  the  slave  girl  presented  as  a 
gift  to  the  king;  Carlos  Rivas,  as  the 
emissary  who  brought  her  and  is  in  love 
with  her;  Martin  Benson,  as  the  king’s 
prime  minister,  who  resents  the  “intru- 
sion” of  the  English  woman;  Terry 
Saunders,  as  the  king’s  wife  No.  1;  Rex 
Thompson  as  Miss  Kerr’s  young  son;  Pat- 
rick Adiarte,  as  the  crown  prince,  and 
Alan  Mowbray  as  the  British  Ambassa- 
dor. It  is  a splendidly  integrated  cast, 
moving  effortlessly  about  the  king  and 
the  teacher  as  the  focal  point  of  the  story. 

There  is  warmth  and  tenderness,  and  a 
wealth  of  appeal,  in  the  incidents  which 
dot  the  career  of  the  teacher  in  this 
strange,  at  first  alien,  and  exotic  world. 
The  children  of  the  king  are  alike  bright 
and  appealing,  the  story  of  the  slave  girl 
and  her  lover  is  touching,  and  above  all, 


the  attachment  which  develops  between 
the  king  and  the  teacher  has  a charm  and 
unusual  quality  which  must  capture  any 
audience. 

Merely  to  list  the  songs  by  title  is  to 
conjure  pictures  of  lovely  melody,  voice 
and  setting.  “I  Whistle  a Happy  Tune,” 
“Hello  Young  Lovers,”  “Is  a Puzzlement,” 
“Getting  to  Know  You,”  “We  Kiss  in  a 
Shadow,”  “Shall  We  Dance,”  and  several 
others. 

And  a vital  part  of  the  beautiful 
tapestry  which  is  the  whole  film  are  the 
fascinating  dances,  the  interpretive  Uncle 
Tom’s  Cabin  rendition,  Siamese-style;  the 
palace  settings  and  the  occasionally 
breath-taking  costumes.  For  sheer  beauty 
of  impression,  the  “We  Kiss  in  a Shadow” 
number  by  the  slave  girl  and  her  lover,  in 
a night  setting  in  a garden,  with  the  play 
of  fountains  behind  them  and  their  hands 
stretching  toward  each  other  yet  not  quite 
touching,  is  unsurpassed.  Here  is  the  power 
of  film  technique  at  its  best. 

Here  is  a cinematic  achievement  of 
whom  all  concerned  may  well  feel  proud, 
for  here  is  the  kind  of  ultimate  in  beauty, 
in  song  and  dance,  in  lilting  motion  which 
gives  to  the  motion  picture  screen  its 
preeminence  as  a medium  of  unrivalled 
theatrical  entertainment. 

Reviewed  at  20th  Century-Fox  screening 
room  in  New  York.  Reviewer’s  Rating:  Su- 
perior.— Charles  S.  Aaronson. 

Release  date,  July,  1956.  Running  time,  133  minutes. 
PCA  No.  17864.  General  audience  classification. 


Anna  Deborah  Kerr 

The  King  Yuy  Brynner 

Tuptim  Rita  Moreno 

Kralahome  Martin  Benson 

Lady  Thiang  . Terry  Saunders 

Louis  Leonowens  Rex  Thompson 

Lun  Tha  Carlos  Rivas 

Prince  Chulalongkorn  Patrick  Adiarte 

British  Ambassador  Alan  Mowbray 


Geoffrey  Toone,  Yuriko,  Marion  Jim,  Robert  Banas, 
Dusty  Worrall,  Gemze  de  Lappe,  Thomas  Bonilla, 
Dennis  Bonilla,  Miohiko  Iseri,  Charles  Irwin,  Leonard 
Strong,  Irnee  James,  Jadin  Wong,  Jean  Wong,  Fuji, 
Weaver  Levy,  William  Yip,  Eddie  Luke,  Josephine 
Smith. 


THE  COMMAND,  the  type  the  King  is  accustomed  to  giving  and  which  the  pretty  British 
teacher  is  not  accustomed  to  taking.  It's  Yul  Brynner  in  20th-Fox's  "The  King  and  I", 
with  Deborah  Kerr. 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  JUNE  30.  1956 


21 


FCC  Weighs 
Shifting  All 
Allocations 

WASHINGTON:  The  Federal  Communica- 
tions Commission’s  long-awaited  policy 
statement  on  the  VHF-UHF  channel  al- 
locations problems,  made  public  here 
Tuesday,  turned  out  to  be  not  so  much  a 
policy  statement  as  a statement  of  policy- 
under-consideration,  as  well  as  a request 
for  pertinent  comment  from  interested 
parties.  It  was  thus  something  of  an  anti- 
climax to  those  members  of  the  television 
industry  who  have  long  been  calling  for 
decisive  FCC  action  on  the  matter. 

Under  consideration  by  the  Commission, 
it  was  announced  this  week,  is  the  shift- 
ing of  most,  if  not  all,  television  broad- 
casting to  the  ultra  high-frequency  band. 
The  FCC  emphasized  that  it  had  made  no 
final  determination  of  the  matter,  but 
merely  wants  public  comments  on  the 
idea.  October  1 has  been  set  as  the  dead- 
line for  these  comments. 

The  Commission  also  stressed  that  if 
any  such  shift  were  ordered,  it  would 
have  to  take  place  over  a long  transition 
period,  probably  10  years  or  more.  A ma- 
jor problem  to  be  considered,  the  FCC 
said,  is  whether  UHF  alone  can  render 
adequate  service  for  the  entire  nation 
or  whether  it  should  be  confined  to  the 
denser  population  areas,  “such  as  east 
of  the  Mississippi  River.” 

The  Commission  thus  puts  off  any  im- 
mediate across-the-board  unscrambling 
of  VHF  and  UHF  channels.  UHF  station 
operators  have  complained  that  they  have 
been  unable  to  compete  with  VHF  sta- 
tions in  the  same  area.  There  are  now 
some  350  VHF  stations  and  97  UHF  sta- 
tions. The  Commission  did,  however,  pro- 
pose reshuffling  the  channel  allocations 
in  13  market  areas  to  make  each  area 
entirely  or  predominantly  VHF  or  UHF. 

These  changes  would  affect  only  three 
stations  actually  on  the  air;  otherwise,  the 
changed  channels  are  not  yet  assigned. 
The  Commission  indicated  it  might  make 
other  recommendations  later  for  addition- 
al de-in-termixture  in  specific  areas. 


MGM  Plans  San  Francisco 
Debut  for  " Somebody " 

MGM  will  concentrate  its  campaign  for 
the  world  premiere  of  “Somebody  Up 
There  Likes  Me”  at  the  Warfield,  San 
Francisco,  July  3,  on  TV,  radio,  news- 
paper and  outdoor  advertising  in  addition 
to  publicizing  a number  of  the  stars  and 
personalities  identified  with  the  picture. 
Commentator  Evangeline  Baker,  Del 
Courtney,  well-known  disc  jockey,  and 
Ira  Blue,  leading  sports  announcer  for 
the  area,  will  also  talk  up  the  new  film. 


"Trapeze”  London  Opening 
Glittering,  Successful  ... 

Hecht-Lancaster’s  CinemaScope  produc- 
tion of  “Trapeze”  had  a glittering  inter- 
national premiere  in  London  June  26  be- 
fore a sell-out  audience  of  world  film  in- 
dustry leaders,  British  royalty  and  a press 
contingent  representing  28  nations  on  four 
continents.  The  opening  of  the  widely- 
heralded  United  Artists  release  at  the 
Odeon,  Marble  Arch,  benefited  Variety 
Club  and  the  Actor’s  Orphanage.  Film  in- 
dustry notables  attending  the  charity 
showing  of  the  picture  included  Arnold 
M.  Picker,  United  Artists  vice-president 
in  charge  of  foreign  distribution;  Sir  Carol 
Reed,  director  of  “Trapeze,”  and  Sir  Lau- 
rence Olivier.  Meanwhile  UA  this  week 
launched  a 380-date  saturation  booking  in 
all  exchange  cities  of  the  U.S.  and  Canada. 

Fox  to  Offer 
", Farewell ” 

David  O.  Selznick’s  forthcoming  produc- 
tion of  Ernest  Hemingway’s  “A  Farewell 
to  Arms,”  will  be  distributed  throughout 
the  world  by  20th  Century-Fox,  according 
to  an  announcement  from  the  company. 
The  multi-million  dollar  film  is  to  be  pro- 
duced independently  and  entirely  auto- 
nomously by  the  Selznick  Company,  Inc., 
with  whom  contracts  have  been  signed 
calling  for  the  picture  to  be  made  in  Ci- 
nemaScope and  in  DeLuxe  color  starting 
between  January  and  March.  This  falls 
in  with  the  new  20th  Century-Fox  policy 
of  augmenting  its  own  productions  with 
those  of  the  world’s  foremost  film-makers. 

The  contracts  with  the  Selznick  com- 
pany also  call  for  Jennifer  Jones  to  play 
the  leading  feminine  role.  The  leading 
male  role  has  not  yet  been  cast.  The  pe- 
riod and  setting  of  the  book,  Italy  and 
Switzerland,  will  be  left  unchanged. 

The  contracts  also  call  for  the  re-re- 
lease in  the  United  States,  Canada  and 
Australia  and  in  certain  other  territories, 
of  two  famed  Selznick  productions,  “Re- 
becca” and  “The  Third  Man.”  Both  will 
be  re-released  in  the  United  States  and 
Canada  this  summer. 


New  Drive-in  Theatre 
Opens  in  New  Jersey 

Loew’s  new  “35”  Drive-in  theatre,  on 
Route  35,  near  Keyport,  N.  J.,  is  being  un- 
veiled June  30.  The  gala  opening  attrac- 
tion will  be  John  Ford’s  production  of 
“The  Searchers”  starring  John  Wayne, 
with  “The  Magnificent  Roughnecks”  as  the 
associate  feature.  Loew’s  new  “35”  is  the 
first  theatre  of  its  kind  to  be  operated  by 
the  Loew  circuit  in  this  area.  The  new 
operation  will  accommodate  1,000  cars. 


Family  Film 
Is  Best  Bet , 
Says  King 

More  than  ever  before,  the  “family 
type”  picture  is  the  most  successful  at  the 
box  office.  Herman  King,  vice-president 
of  King  Brothers  productions,  said  re- 
cently. He  added  that  one  important  rea- 
son in  his  opinion  for  the  current  dip  in 
theatre  attendance  is  the  failure  of  pro- 
ducers to  make  enough  “big  pictures.” 

Emphasizing  the  current  need  for  these 
big  attractions,  Mr.  King  said  that  there 
have  been  too  many  “small  pictures”  of 
late.  Referring  to  results  of  his  own  per- 
sonal surveys,  he  said  that  a picture  that 
is  successful  in  the  U.  S.  usually  is  a box 
office  success  in  the  world  market. 

Producers,  he  said,  should  get  out  in 
the  field  and  sell  their  product.  Personal 
contacts,  he  added,  have  paid  off  hand- 
somely in  the  past.  Meeting  the  public 
and  theatre  managers  is  of  the  utmost  im- 
portance, he  said.  According  to  Mr.  King, 
most  of  his  company’s  pictures  in  the  next 
two  years  will  be  made  in  foreign  coun- 
tries. He  gave  it  as  his  opinion  that  it  is 
not  wise  to  make  a picture  overseas  un- 
less the  story  requires  authentic  locales. 
Referring  to  coming  King  pictures,  he 
said  that  “Heaven  with  a Gun”  would  be 
made  in  Australia;  “The  Two-Headed 
Spy”  in  Vienna;  “Mr.  Adam”  in  England 
or  Germany,  while  “The  Syndicate”  would 
be  shot  away  from  Hollywood,  probably  in 
New  York,  Chicago  and  Miami. 

Also  on  the  schedule  are  “There’s  Al- 
ways a New  Tomorrow”  and  one  other  un- 
titled picture.  As  previously  reported,  the 
lineup  will  cost  $10,000,000  over  a two- 
year  period.  The  King  organization  will 
finance  all  of  its  own  product,  with  RKO 
interested  only  from  the  standpoint  of 
distribution.  The  Kings’  new  picture,  “The 
Brave  One”  will  be  released  late  in  the 
summer.  Shot  in  Mexico  at  a cost  of 
$2,000,000,  the  picture  introduces  Michel 
Ray,  a young  boy  who  was  selected  after 
almost  a global  search  for  the  right  type. 

The  independent  producer  today  has  a 
strong  advantage,  Mr.  King  said.  If  he 
has  the  right  stars  and  story,  he  can  prac- 
tically write  his  own  deal  with  a major 
company  for  release. 


Goldstein  to  20th-Fox 

Robert  Goldstein  has  been  appointed 
production  representative  in  Great  Britain 
for  20th-Fox,  it  has  been  announced  by 
Spyros  P.  Skouras,  president.  In  the  new- 
ly created  post,  Mr.  Goldstein  will  be  re- 
sponsible for  the  company’s  production 
activities  in  England  including  liaison  with 
independent  British  producers,  as  well  as 
supervision  of  the  company’s  talent  de- 
velopment in  London. 


22 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  JUNE  30.  1956 


Kirsch  Hits 
Policy  Breach 
In  Industry 

CHICAGO:  The  wide  breach  which  ex- 
ists between  exhibition  and  distribution 
is  one  of  the  most  disturbing  things  in  the 
industry  today,  Jack  Kirsch,  president  of 
Allied  Theatres  of  Illinois,  Inc.,  told  the 
organization’s  members  at  its  26th  annual 
meeting  last  week  at  the  Blackstone  Hotel 
here.  “This  condition,”  he  said,  “has  added 
greatly  to  the  woes  of  our  industry  and 
in  spite  of  all  the  efforts  previously  made 
by  leaders  of  both  Allied  and  TOA  in 
attempting  to  get  the  distributors  to  relax 
their  unreasonable  film  sales  policies, 
greater  recrimination  than  ever  has  been 
evidencing  itself  on  both  sides,  as  witness 
the  testimony  recently  given  before  the 
U.  S.  Senate  Small  Business  Committee 
in  Washington.” 

He  added  that  these  hearings  have  pro- 
duced “nothing  but  a lot  of  ill-will  toward 
our  industry  from  both  legislators  and 
the  public.  Our  organization  has  always 
maintained  that  government  regulation  of 
any  kind  or  airing  our  differences  in  pub- 
lic cannot  solve  our  problems.  Distribution 
and  exhibition  are  vitally  dependent  on 
one  another  and  the  only  intelligent  ap- 
proach is  to  get  the  divergent  factors  to- 
gether with  a view  of  working  out  these 
differences  with  mutual  respect  and  un- 
derstanding of  each  other’s  problems.” 

On  Tax  Problems 

Mr.  Kirsch  also  discussed  the  various 
tax  problems,  including  city,  Federal  and 
personal  property.  He  said  the  organiza- 
tion again  will  make  proper  representa- 
tions to  city  authorities  for  the  need  of 
abolishing  the  three  per  cent  city  tax  on 
theatre  grosses.  Regarding  the  Federal 
tax  he  said  although  the  House  Ways  and 
Means  committee  has  postponed  consi- 
deration of  admissions  tax  changes,  “this 
should  not  deter  our  efforts  to  avail  our- 
selves now  of  every  opportunity  in  build- 
ing up  a strong  case  for  further  relief  and 
thus  pave  the  way  for  greater  and  certain 
success  next  year.” 

Officers  Reelected 

Mr.  Kirsch  was  reelected  president  for 
a term  of  three  years  while  the  following 
officers  and  directors  were  reelected  for 
one  year:  Van  Nomikos,  vice-president; 
Benjamin  Banowitz,  secretary-treasurer; 
B.  Charunas,  Jack  Clark,  James  Gregory, 
Carol  Goodman,  Don  Knapp,  Verne  Lang- 
don,  Charles  Lindau,  Howard  Lubliner, 
Sam  C.  Meyers,  Richard  B.  Salkin,  Arthur 
Sass,  Arthur  Schoenstadt,  Nate  Slott, 
Mayer  Stern  and  Bruce  Trinz,  Harry  Nepo 
was  once  again  appointed  to  be  sergeant- 
at-arms. 


A "WHALE"  OF  A TIME 


THOSE  STOVE  PIPE  HATS  and  beards  dress  New  Bedford  for  its  welcome,  at  City  Hall,  to  "Moby 
Dick"  producer  John  Huston,  left,  and  star  Gregory  Peck.  Handing  them  the  keys  to  the  town  is 
Mayor  Frank  E.  Lawler. 


By  JAMES  D.  IVERS 

NEW  BEDFORD , MASS.— The  Warner  pub- 
licity department  turned  this  old  whaling 
town  upside  down  this  week  in  executing  a 
show  for  about  100,000  citizens  of  this  area 
and  incidentally  proving  to  the  country  at 
large— through  about  100  correspondents  of 
the  national  press— that  motion  pictures  are 
still  the  show  of  shows. 

The  occasion  was  the  triple  premiere  of 
John  Huston's  "Moby  Dick,"  a classic  of  the 
sea  and  literature  which  now  becomes  a 
classic  of  the  screen  (see  the  review  on 
page  20). 

Principals  in  the  three-day  show  which 
had  this  storied  corner  of  New  England 
standing  on  its  collective  head,  were  John 
Huston,  producer  and  director  of  the  Moulin 


production;  Gregory  Peck,  the  memorable 
Captain  Ahab  of  the  picture,  and  Friedrich 
Ledebur,  Queequeg  in  the  picture. 

The  program  included  old-fashioned  and 
new-fashioned  "gams,"  the  old  whalers' 
word  for  party,  and  on  this  occasion  riot 
would  be  a better  word;  a clambake,  a pa- 
rade, official  appearances  of  the  stars,  a 
beard  judging  contest,  and  just  plain 
whooping  it  up. 

Everybody  from  Mayor  Frank  Lawler  to 
the  merchants  of  the  town  and  including 
Speedy  George,  the  bartender  of  the  Rock- 
ing Whaler  Bar  participated  up  to  the  final 
toast.  As  Police  Chief  Tom  Carr  put  it,  "It's 
bigger  than  two  white  whales." 

Best  of  all,  the  show  not  only  launched 
"Moby  Dick"  on  a happy  voyage  but  it  put 
the  movies  on  the  map  to  stay. 


Marcus  Calls  for  Industry 
Round  Table  Conference 

MILWAUKEE:  Ben  Marcus,  president 
of  Allied  Independent  Theatre  Owners  of 
Wisconsin,  said  this  week  he  will  join 
other  industry  leaders  to  call  on  each 
branch  of  the  industry  (production,  dis- 
tribution, exhibition)  to  join  a round  table 
parley  in  an  attempt  to  find  ways  and 
means  of  combining  the  efforts  of  all 
branches  to  see  what  could  be  done  to  aid 
the  box  office  problem  which  faces  every 
theatre  today.  He  recommended  a planned 
research  program  to  find  out  what  the 
customers  want  in  film  entertainment  and 
how  to  go  about  giving  it  to  them.  Mr. 
Marcus  also  said  the  question  of  arbitra- 
tion of  film  rentals  could  be  eliminated 
by  establishment  of  an  arbitration  system 
which  would  include  the  arbitration  of 
sales  policies  in  each  of  the  country’s  ex- 
change centers. 


Altec  Service  Corp. 
Changes  Its  Name 

Altec  Service  Corporation  has  changed 
its  name  to  Altec  Companies,  Inc.,  it  is 
announced  by  G.  L.  Carrington,  president. 
According  to  Mr.  Carrington,  the  change 
was  made  to  eliminate  the  inference  that 
corporate  activities  are  limited  to  the  serv- 
ice field.  Service,  he  said,  is  only  one  of 
the  facets  of  the  Altec  organization,  which 
also  includes  Altec  Lansing  Corporation, 
Peerless  Electrical  Products  and  New- 
paths  Inc.,  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of 
sound  and  electronic  equipment,  and  there 
are  no  changes  in  the  names  or  activities 
of  these  companies.  Mr.  Carrington  said 
that  the  service  business  will  now  be  con- 
ducted under  the  name  Altec  Service  Com- 
pany ,a  division  of  Altec  Companies,  Inc. 
Headquarters  for  both  Altec  Companies 
Inc.  and  Altec  Service  Company  will  re- 
main at  161  Sixth  Avenue,  New  York  City. 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  JUNE  30,  1956 


23 


ROGERS  HOSPITAL  AT 
SARANAC  WINS  NEW 
INDUSTRY  SUPPORT 


SCHROON  LAKE,  N.  Y.:  The  annual  meeting  of  the  officers  and  directors 
of  the  Will  Rogers  Memorial  Hospital,  held  here,  and  the  inspection  tour  of 
the  hospital  in  Saranac  Lake,  N.  Y.,  by  its  officers  and  representatives  of  the 
press,  took  place  last  weekend.  Those  attending  were  guests  of  Herman  Rob- 
bins and  his  sons  at  their  Edgewater  Motel  here. 

Plans  for  keeping  the  hospital  on  an  ever-ascending  spiral  of  success  and 
ways  and  means  of  channeling  funds  to  keep  it  in  oneration  were  presented 


THE  TRAILER  (first  showing)  you  will  want 
for  your  theatre  during  July. 


to  the  officers  and  board  at  the  meeting. 
In  his  report,  A.  Montague,  president,  said 
that  “this  continuing  success  can  be  at- 
tributed to  the  seriousness  and  sincerity 
with  which  each  of  us  individually  and 
collectively  attacks  the  problems  con- 
fronting us.” 

Eugene  Picker,  chairman  of  the  fund 
raising  and  finance  committee,  said  that 
the  over-all  income  from  the  1955  Christ- 
mas Salute  totaled  $126,744  to  date  which 
was  $25,142  less  than  the  1954  campaign. 
The  1956  audience  collection  drive,  how- 
ever, is  expected  to  surpass  that  of  1955. 
Participation  will  be  greater  this  year, 
he  said,  due  largely  to  the  quick  and  early 
pledging  of  the  major  circuits  and  this 
has  had  a strong  influence  on  the  registra- 
tion of  many  other  circuits.  S.  H.  Fabian, 
( Continued  on  opposite  page ) 


CHEST  X-RAY:  directors  were  curt 
ous,  and  relieved. 


A POINT:  John  Rowley  rises 
to  it. 


THE  APPEAL:  president  Abe  Montague 
has  at  his  side  William  German  and 
Robert  O'Donnell.  It's  Samuel  Rosen  of 
Stanley  Warner,  below. 


The  pictorial  report  on  these  two 
pages  is  by  Martin  Quigley,  Jr.,  and 
by  Allan  Robbins  and  Burton  Robbins. 


24 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD.  JUNE  30.  1956 


I 


* 


RELAXATION,  in  its  favored  form  (in  our  industry):  it's  gin  for  Jack  Cohn 
and  George  Dembow,  above,  and  Richard  Brandt  and  Walter  Reade,  below. 
Charles  Feldman  and  Sam  Rinzler,  right,  play  their  renowned  perpetual  game. 


( Continued  from  opposite  page ) 
treasurer,  looks  for  5,000  theatres  to  par- 
ticipate, and  to  realize  $500,000  from  it. 

According  to  Mr.  Picker,  the  aim  in  this 
campaign  is  to  get  more  audience  collec- 
tions and  fewer  lobby  collections.  “That 
we  are  attaining  this,”  he  said,  “is  evi- 
denced by  the  fact  that  we  have  had  very 
few  refusals  of  audience  collections,  and 
that  many  theatres  have  agreed  to  take  up 
their  collections  at  least  for  a full  program 
change,  some  for  the  full  week  and  some 
to  include  double  weekends.” 

This  year’s  trailer  for  the  theatres  fea- 
tures Henry  Fonda;  a contribution  from 
Eastman  Kodak  of  raw  stock  for  1,000 
prints  was  secured  again  by  W.  J.  Ger- 
man; DeLuxe  Film  Laboratories  is  con- 
tributing the  processing,  and  National 
Screen  Service  is  handling  distribution. 

The  need  for  stressing  the  importance 
of  the  hospital,  not  only  within  the  indus- 
try but  also  to  the  allied  fields  of  radio 
and  television,  was  another  important 
topic  discussed  at  the  meeting.  Mr.  Monta- 
gue said  it  should  be  done  not  only  to 
bring  about  greater  financial  support  but 
to  educate  those  eligible  as  patients. 

Named  as  new  directors  at  the  meeting 
were  Russell  Downing,  Jack  Cohn,  J.  J. 
O’Connor,  Alex  Harrison,  James  Velde 
and  John  Rowley.  Murray  Weiss  was 
elected  a vice-president,  Sam  Rosen  was 
named  to  the  new  office  of  assistant  treas- 
urer and  Mr.  O’Connor  and  Moe  Silver 
were  appointed  to  the  finance  committee. 


THE  ROBBINS  FAMILY,  hosts:  Burton,  left;  and  Allan. 
Norman,  and  father  Herman,  above. 


THE  AUDIENCE,  above:  Fred  Schwartz,  Eugene 
Picker,  Mr.  O'Donnell,  and  Richard  Walsh.  The  two 
gentlemen  at  the  left,  Arthur  Mayer  and  Al 
Schwalberg. 


» 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  JUNE  30,  1956 


25 


British  Monetary  Pact 
Talks  in  September 


. . . Johnston  in  London  says  the 
meeting  to  take  place  in  Washing- 
ton and  urges  greater  effort  for 
better  Anglo-U.S.  relations 

by  PETER  BURNUP 

LONDON:  British  Board  of  Trade  officials 
said  here  Monday  that  they  had  agreed 
with  Eric  Johnston,  president  of  the  Mo- 
tion Picture  Association  of  America,  that 
negotiations  for  renewal  of  the  Anglo- 
American  monetary  agreement,  govern- 
ing disposition  of  the  British  earnings  of 
American  films,  will  get  under  way  in 
Washington  along  toward  the  end  of 
September. 

At  his  final  press  conference  here  before 
leaving  to  attend  the  Berlin  Film  Festi- 
val, Mr.  Johnston  said  that  no  agenda  for 
the  forthcoming  meetings  had  yet  been 
prepared  by  the  MPAA,  apart  from  the 
subject  of  convertibility  of  American  com- 
panies’ sterling.  Undoubtedly,  however, 
the  talks  will  consider  such  subjects  as  the 
treatment  of  American-made  British  pic- 
tures and  other  facets  of  Anglo-American 
film  trade  relations,  he  said. 

Mr.  Johnston  spoke  to  newsmen  in  much 
the  same  vein  as  he  did  to  members  of  the 
British  film  industry  at  several  gatherings 
last  week,  enlarging  on  the  theme  that  a 
prosperous  British  industry  means  a 
healthy  American  industry  also.  He  re- 
peated his  previous  dictum  that  the  di- 
mensions of  the  motion  picture  pie  are 
almost  unlimited,  citing  the  case  of  India 
with  its  population  of  300,000,000,  whose 
living  standards  are  rising  precipitously 
following  the  influx  of  foreign  capital.  It 
makes  a hitherto  virtually  unlimited  mar- 
ket, he  said. 

The  same  conditions,  he  continued,  ap- 
ply elsewhere,  as  Indonesia  and  even  in 
Latin  America,  including  Brazil  “where 
we’ve  only  scratched  the  surface  up  to 
now.”  There’s  definite  room  for  more  and 
better  pictures,  he  said,  provided  they  are 
made  intelligently.” 

Must  Sell  Harder 

“That’s  the  way  I’ve  talked  to  British 
producers  in  the  last  few  days,”  Mr.  Johns- 
ton told  the  reporters.  “I  told  them  they 
don’t  go  out  and  sell  hard  enough — not 
even  in  America.” 

Before  leaving,  the  MPAA  chief  was 
honored  at  a luncheon  by  members  of  the 
House  of  Commons.  He  also  met  with  Sir 
Nutcome  Hume,  chairman  of  the  National 
Film  Finance  Corporation;  Selwyn  Lloyd, 
foreign  secretary,  and  other  diplomats. 

26 


Earlier,  at  a luncheon  tendered  him 
by  the  four  trade  associations,  he  made 
a fervent  appeal  for  continuing  and  en- 
larging Anglo-American  relations. 

“There  is  nothing  wrong  with  our  busi- 
ness that  more  customers  won’t  cure,”  was 
the  opening  phrase  in  his  Claridge’s 
speech.  But  he  forthwith  postulated  on  in- 
dispensable condition  of  success.  That  is 
that  the  British  and  American  sections  of 
the  industry  must  work  in  closest  unity 
and  not  waste  their  substance  in  futile 
and  suicidal  internecine  warfare. 

Said  the  MPAA  president:  “Since  the 
war  our  two  countries,  in  association  with 
our  allies,  have  been  leaders  in  forming 
the  grand  partnership  of  the  free.  This 
grand  design  is  based  on  a simple  and 
workable  principle.  It  is  that  the  well- 
being and  security  of  each  of  us  must  be 
found  today  in  collective  action. 

“We  should  be  working  together — every 
single  one  of  us — to  bring  about  that  hap- 
pier condition.  If  we  don’t  do  it  together, 
nobody  else  will  do  it  for  us,  and  we  can’t 
do  it  by  quarrelling  and  belly-aching.” 

Cites  Other  “Myths” 

Mr.  Johnston  went  on  to  refer  to  what 
he  called  other  myths  that  can  equally 
lead  to  harmful  consequences.  “The  first 
myth,”  he  claimed,  “is  that  through  some 
sort  of  conspiracy  on  our  part  British  pic- 
tures generally  are  kept  of  theatre  screens 
in  America.  That’s  just  not  true. 

“Time  and  again  American  exhibitors 
have  given  proof  that  it  is  not  true.  They 
have  made  it  clear,  and  rightly,  that  their 
only  test  for  booking  a film  is  whether  it 
'will  draw  patrons  to  the  theatre.  . . . 

“I  assure  you  it’s  a myth  that  there’s 


WELCOME  JOHNSTON 
AT  BERLIN  FESTIVAL 

BERLIN:  Eric  Johnston,  president  of  the 
Motion  Picture  Export  Association,  re- 
ceived a big  welcome  from  diploma- 
tic, government  and  film  industry  offi- 
cials on  his  arrival  here  Tuesday  after- 
noon to  attend  the  Berlin  Film  Festival. 
In  a series  of  meetings,  Mr.  Johnston 
conferred  with  MPEA  member  com- 
panies representatives,  at  a session 
presided  over  by  Frederick  Gronich, 
the  Association's  representative  in 
Germany  and  Austria,  and  with  the 
top  leadership  of  the  entire  German 
film  industry.  Wednesday  Mr.  Johnston 
gave  a reception  for  the  600  guests  at 
the  festival,  where  he  officially  repre- 
sents the  United  States. 


discrimination  in  America  against  British 
films,  or  the  films  of  any  other  country. 
The  market  is  wide  open.  It  is  wide  open 
for  anyone  who  takes  the  bother  to  un- 
derstand it,  to  exploit  it,  and  to  sell  it. 
We  welcome  you  there.  Competition  is  the 
healthiest  tonic  for  any  industry.” 

The  second  myth  in  Mr.  Johnston’s  mind 
is  that  U.  S.  films — earning,  supposedly, 
their  own  way  in  America — can  undersell 
British  films  here  and  thereby  take  away 
screen  time  in  British  theatres. 

Big  Radio  TV 
Coverage  for 
" King  and  T' 

Highlights  of  the  joint  world  premiere 
of  Rodgers  & Hammerstein’s  “The  King 
and  I”  in  CinemaScope  55  were  carried 
on  a total  of  234  TV  and  radio  stations  in 
a three-way  national  hookup.  The  film 
bowed  June  28  at  New  York’s  Roxy  and 
Grauman’s  Chinese  theatre,  Los  Angeles. 
Constituting  one  of  the  largest  pickups  of 
a film  debut,  a combined  TV-radio  au- 
dience exceeding  64,000,000  was  reached 
through  the  facilities  of  NBC-TV,  CBS-TV 
and  the  NBC  Radio  Networks. 

In  New  York,  a host  of  top  city  and 
state  officials  combined  with  celebrities 
from  stage,  screen  and  other  walks  of 
life  to  welcome  the  film  at  its  premiere 
for  the  benefit  of  the  Police  Athletic 
League.  On  from  Washington  to  represent 
Thailand  was  an  official  party  headed  by 
the  Siamese  Ambassador,  Pote  Sarasin, 
and  Princess  Rudivorivan,  a direct  des- 
cendant of  the  king,  played  in  the  motion 
picture  by  Yul  Brynner.  Deborah  Kerr 
co-stars  in  the  production,  which  was  pro- 
duced by  Charles  Brackett  and  directed 
by  Walter  Lang. 

On  the  scene  at  both  theatres  were 
camera  crews  from  Dave  Garroway’s  “To- 
day” NBC-TV  show  to  record  the  arrival 
and  interviews  with  many  personalities. 
The  premiere  feature  was  to  be  pro- 
grammed the  following  morning  over  110 
stations. 

Also  present  at  the  New  York  and  Los 
Angeles  programs  were  “Monitor”  radio 
set-ups,  with  personality  interviews  to  be 
spotlighted  on  the  NBC  radio  network 
this  weekend.  Featured  on  the  next  “20th 
Century-Fox  Hour”  sponsored  by  General 
Electric  and  carried  by  124  stations  of  the 
CBS-TV  network,  will  be  a special  feature 
showing  the  Hollywood  debut  of  the  musi- 
cal drama.  Ernest  Borgnine  and  Anita 
Louise,  as  co-emcees,  are  seen  in  the  pre- 
sentations interviewing  a galaxy  of  lumi- 
naries. Mr.  Borgnine  is  making  his  debut 
as  a master  of  ceremonies.  Miss  Louise 
(Mrs.  Buddy  Adler)  is  president  of  the 
UCLA  Medical  Center,  which  will  receive 
all  proceeds  from  the  West  Coast  opening. 

MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  JUNE  30,  1956 


THIS  WEEK  in 
PRODUCTION 


^JJ~o  (tiiwoocl 


'cene 


JERRY  WALD  OBSERVES  . . . 


. . . Started — 8 

Allied  Artists — Bringing  Up  Joey. 

Independent — The  Delinquents  (Imperial  Prods.); 
The  Gun  And  The  Gavel  (Albert  C.  Gannaway 
Prods.;  Color). 

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer — The  Great  American  Pas- 
time. 

Paramount — The  Buster  Keaton  Story  (VistaVision; 
Technicolor). 

RKO-Radio — Run  Of  The  Arrow  (Eastman  Color). 

20th  Century-Fox — Teenage  Rebel  (CinemaScope; 
DeLuxe  Color);  Stagecoach  To  Fury  (Regal  Films) 

. . . Completed — 3 

Paramount — Hollywood  Or  Bust  (VistaVision;  Techni- 
color). 

20th  Century-Fox — Best  Things  In  Life  Are  Free 
(CinemaScope;  DeLuxe  Color). 

Warner  Bros. — The  Wrong  Man  (Alfred  Hitchcock 
Prod.). 

. . . Shooting — 31 

Allied  Artists — 54  Washington  Street  (CinemaScope; 
Color);  Not  Of  This  Earth  (Roger  Corman  Prods.); 
Hunchback  of  Paris  (CinemaScope;  Eastman 
Color). 

American-International — The  Flesh  And  The  Spur 
(Hy  Prods.;  Color). 

Columbia — Fire  Down  Below  (Warwick  Prods.;  Cine- 
maScope; Technicolor);  Full  of  Life. 

Independent — Badge  of  Marshal  Brennan  (Albert 
C.  Gannaway  Prods.;  Color). 

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer — Barretts  Of  Wimpole  Street 
(CinemaScope;  Color);  Teahouse  Of  The  August 
Moon  (CinemaScope;  Color);  Raintree  County 
(65mm;  Color). 

Paramount — The  Rainmaker;  Search  For  Bridey 
Murphy  (VistaVision);  Funny  Face  (VistaVision; 
Technicolor). 

RKO-Radio — Bundle  Of  Joy  (Eastman  Color). 

20th  Century-Fox — Anastasia  (CinemaScope;  De 
Luxe  Color);  Between  Heaven  And  Hell  (Cinema- 
Scope; DeLuxe  Color). 

United  Artists — Love  Story  (Bob  Goldstein  Prods.); 
Hidden  Fear  (St.  Aubrey-Cohn  Prods.);  The  Monte 
Carlo  Story  (Titanus  Films;  Technicolor);  Twelve 
Angry  Men  (Orion-Nova  Prods.);  Spring  Reunion 
(Bryna  Prods.);  Drango  (Earlmar  Prods.);  The 
King  And  Four  Queens  (Russ-Field  Prod.;  Cinema- 
Scope); Dance  With  Me  Henry  (Bob  Goldstein); 
The  Big  Boodle  (Lewis  Blumberg  Prods.);  Pride 
And  The  Passion  (Kramer  Prods.;  VistaVision; 
Technicolor). 

U niversal-l  nternational — Interlude  (CinemaScope; 
Technicolor);  The  Incredible  Shrinking  Man; 
Mister  Cory  (Technicolor). 

Warner  Bros. — The  Girl  He  Left  Behind;  The  Old 
Man  And  The  Sea  (WarnerColor). 


Westergren  in  New  Post 

Gerald  M.  Westergren  has  been  named 
general  manager  of  Basil  Enterprises,  Inc., 
owner-operators  of  10  theatres  and  build- 
ings in  Buffalo  and  Niagara  Falls,  accord- 
ing to  an  announcement  by  Constantine  J. 
Basil,  president.  Mr.  Westergren  was  for- 
merly advertising-publicity  manager  and 
later  assistant  general  manager. 


Hollywood,  Midweek 

Esteemed  Editor: 

Doubtless  the  vacationing  Jerry  Wald, 
spending  his  Summer  respite  in  your  en- 
tertaining city,  has  communicated  directly 
before  now  his  views  and  opinions  con- 
cerning the  present  state  of  the  motion 
picture  industry,  which  has  undergone 
some  change  since  he  departed  this 
province,  and  which  he  studies  as  faith- 
fully as  a physician  his  patient,  in  good 
health  or  bad,  on  holiday  or  not.  He  was 
by  no  means  despairing,  although  com- 
pletely realistic,  on  the  eve  of  his  de- 
parture from  here  for  there,  as  witness 
this  collection  of  unconnected  quotes  from 
an  unplanned  conversation: 

“I  think  the  best  way  to  cope  with  tra- 
ditions in  our  industry  is  to  establish  a 
new  set  of  them”; 

“There  are  no  magic  formulae  for  mak- 
ing a hit,  but  the  formula  for  making  a 
flop  is  simple — use  the  same  story,  with 
the  same  cast,  and  sell  it  with  the  same 
tried,  true  and  trite  ad  campaign”; 

“There  are  only  good  and  bad  pictures, 
and  the  public  would  rather  pay  to  see  a 
good  one  than  to  watch  a bad  one  at  home 
free”; 

“Unusual  film  attractions  will  bring 
back  some  of  the  ‘lost  audience,’  but  be- 
fore they  all  get  back,  it  might  be  a good 
idea  for  the  industry  to  find  out  scien- 
tifically just  who  is  lost”; 

“Lack  of  enthusiasm  is  dangerous.  The 
public  doesn’t  know  what  they  want  to 
see  until  they  see  it.  If  a film  is  pre-sold, 
promoted  and  projected  correctly,  the  pub- 
lic will  be  waiting  to  embrace  it  with 
their  money”; 

• 

“The  trouble  with  big  screens  is  what 
they  do  to  small  ideas”; 

“It  has  been  said  that  good  films  are 
made  from  direct  observations  of  life, 
and  that  bad  films  are  made  out  of  other 
bad  films”; 

“You  have  to  give  the  public  something 
they  cannot  get  on  television  in  order  to 
lick  the  stalemate  that  exists,  and  we 
must  take  a more  aggressive  position  re- 
garding ourselves  as  an  industry  to  accom- 
plish that”; 

“A  good  picture  is  a good  idea  backed 
by  enthusiasm;  it  is  more  important  to 
have  the  right  subject,  made  badly,  than 
to  have  a bad  subject,  made  magnifi- 
cently”; 

“Too  many  of  us  making  pictures  today 
have  had  an  indiscriminate  craving  for 
intellectual  excitement,  and  have  lost  the 
capacity  to  feel  and  think  about  simple 
emotions.” 

These  are  Wald  observations  as  of  June, 


1956,  and  they  have  much  in  common, 
basically,  with  Wald  observations  of  his 
Warner  career,  where  his  “Johnny  Be- 
linda” won  him  an  Oscar  and  his  contribu- 
tions to  the  art  of  the  motion  picture  won 
him  the  Academy’s  Irving  Thalberg 
Award,  and  of  his  period  of  arbitrarily 
stifled  productivity  as  chief  of  production 
at  RKO.  They  are  likely  to  be  strikingly 
similar  to  all  future  Wald  observations,  in 
time  of  industry  prosperity  or  peril,  for 
they  state  the  Wald  policy  in  its  essentials, 
and  the  Wald  policy  has  proved  to  be 
sound  policy  an  astonishing  percentage  of 
the  time.  — William  R.  Weaver 


HOLLYWOOD  BUREAU 

As  if  in  response  to  reports  of  increas- 
ing attendance  across  country,  the  pro- 
duction branch  of  the  industry  shook  it- 
self out  of  an  attenuated  lethargy  and 
started  eight  pictures  during  the  week, 
more  than  it  has  undertaken  in  a good 
while.  Three  others  were  completed, 
bringing  the  shooting  level  to  39. 

“Run  of  the  Arrow,”  which  RKO  will 
release,  went  into  production  at  St. 
George,  Utah,  with  Samuel  Fuller  produc- 
ing and  directing  from  a story  by  himself. 
It  has  Rod  Steiger,  Sarita  Montiel,  Brian 
Keith  and  Ralph  Meeker  in  its  cast. 

MGM’s  Henry  Berman  started  “The 
Great  American  Pastime,”  directed  by 
Hermann  Hoffman,  with  Tom  Ewell,  Anne 
Francis,  Ann  Miller,  Rudy  Lee  and  others. 

Co-producers  Robert  Smith  and  Sidney 
Shelton  launched  “The  Buster  Keaton  Sto- 
ry,” in  VistaVision  with  color  by  Techni- 
color, for  Paramount  release.  Donald 
O’Connor  is  portraying  Keaton,  who’s  do- 
ing the  technical-advising,  and  the  cast 
includes  Ann  Blyth  and  Rhonda  Fleming. 

“Teen-age  Rebel”  is  a 20th-Fox  project 
in  CinemaScope  and  DeLuxe  color,  with 
Ginger  Rogers,  Michael  Rennie,  Mildred 
Natwick  and  Diane  Jergens  among  the 
principals.  Charles  Brackett  is  down  as 
producer,  and  Edmund  Goulding  director. 

“Bringing  Up  Joey”  is  a Huntz  Hall- 
Stanley  Clements  comedy  for  Allied  Art- 
ists, produced  by  Ben  Schwalb  and  direct- 
ed by  Jean  Yarbrough. 

Regal  Films,  the  newly  formed  produc- 
tion company  headed  by  E.  J.  Baumgar- 
ten,  began  shooting  “Stagecoach  to  Fury” 
for  20th-Fox  release.  Earle  Lyon  is  pro- 
ducer, William  Claxton  is  directing,  and 
the  cast  includes  Forrest  Tucker,  Mari 
Blanchard,  Paul  Fix  and  Wallace  Ford. 

Producer-director  Albert  C.  Gannaway, 
independent,  started  “The  Gun  and  the 
Gavel,”  with  Faron  Young,  Louis  Jean 
Heydt  and  Douglas  Fowley. 

Imperial  Productions,  independent, 
turned  cameras  on  “The  Delinquents,” 
with  Tom  Laughlin  and  Peter  Miller  in 
top  roles. 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  JUNE  30,  1956 


27 


THE  WINNERS  CIRCLE 

Pictures  which  were  reported  as  doing  above  average  business  in  key  theatres  of 
the  cities  of  the  nation  for  the  week  ended  June  23  were: 


Film  Festival 
A Berlin  Hit 

by  VOLKMAR  von  ZUEHLSDORFF 

BERLIN.  GERMANY:  The  Berlin  Festival, 
at  which  34  nations  are  represented,  has 
found  that  its  most  popular  films  on  ex- 
hibition here,  judging  from  the  applause, 
were  “Trapeze,”  “Invitation  to  the  Dance” 
and  “Richard  III.”  Among  the  prominent 
industry  guests  on  hand  were  Eric  John- 
ston. president  of  the  Motion  Picture  Ex- 
port Association  of  America,  and  John 
Davis  of  the  J.  Arthur  Rank  organization. 
The  Federation  of  Producers  now  rates 
the  Festival  Class  A,  which  places  it  on  a 
par  with  similar  festivals  at  Venice  and 
Cannes.  A jury  headed  by  Marcel  Carne 
for  features  and  Otto  Sonnenfeld  for  docu- 
mentaries told  a press  group  here  that  the 
first  three  prizes  to  be  awarded  are  in 
gold,  and  some  five  to  10  in  silver.  A vis- 
itor’s poll  is  open  to  the  general  public. 

Mr.  Johnston  met  with  MPEA  member 
company  delegates  here  at  a session  pre- 
sided over  by  Frederick  Gronich,  the  as- 
sociation’s German  and  Austrian  repre- 
sentative. A day  later  Mr.  Johnston  was 
host  at  a reception  for  some  600  guests 
at  the  Festival,  where  he  officially  repre- 
sents the  U.  S.  Later,  Bernard  Gufler, 
chief  U.  S.  diplomatic  representative  in 
Berlin,  gave  a luncheon  in  Mr.  Johnston’s 
honor.  A frank  exchange  of  German  film 
problems  and  conditions  marked  the  final 
meeting  between  Mr.  Johnston  and  top 
leaders  in  the  German  film  industry. 


Loew's  International 
Shifts  Overseas  Men 

A series  of  changes  in  managerial  as- 
signments in  MGM  overseas  offices  has 
been  announced  by  Morton  A.  Spring, 
first  vice-president  of  Loew’s  International 
Corp.  Eddie  F.  O’Connor  has  been  trans- 
ferred from  Japan  to  Cuba.  F.  W.  N. 
Beckett  goes  from  Cuba  to  Venezuela.  Ber- 
nard Blair  goes  from  Venezuela  to  Japan, 
Bronislau  Landau  has  been  transferred 
from  Singapore  to  Manila  and  A1  Cassell 
goes  from  Manila  to  Singapore.  The  re- 
signation of  Adolph  Judall,  administrative 
manager  of  MGM  of  Brazil,  for  reasons 
of  ill  health,  has  also  been  announced. 


"Gettysburg"  Release  Set 

“The  Battle  of  Gettysburg,”  depicting 
one  of  the  most  famous  conflicts  in  his- 
tory, will  be  released  by  MGM  in  Septem- 
ber as  a special  subject,  it  is  announced  by 
the  company.  Photographed  in  Eastman 
Color  and  CinemaScope,  the  three-reel 
subject  was  accorded  high  praise  by  New 
York  critics  at  its  advance  showing  at  the 
Guild  theatre  here. 


Atlanta:  D-Day  the  Sixth  of  June  (20th- 
Fox);  Gaby  (MGM);  Song  of  the  South 
(B.V.)  (Reissue);  23  Paces  to  Baker  Street 
(20th-Fox). 


Buffalo:  The  Animal  World  (W.B.);  The 
Catered  Affair  (MGM);  Gaby  (MGM)  4th 
week;  While  the  City  Sleeps  (RKO). 

Chicago:  Bhowani  Junction  (MGM)  2nd 

week;  Gaby  (MGM)  2nd  week;  The  Great 
Locomotive  Chase  (B.V.)  2nd  week;  Hilda 
Crane  (20th-Fox)  2nd  week;  Madame 
Butterfly  (I.F.E.)  6th  week;  Meet  Me  in 
Las  Vegas  (MGM)  10th  week;  Trapeze 
(U.A.)  2nd  week. 

Cleveland:  The  Animal  World  (W.B.). 

Denver:  Adorable  Creatures  (Cont.);  Crime 
in  the  Streets  (A.A.);  Foreign  Intrigue 
(U.A.);  The  Man  Who  Knew  Too  Much 
(Par.)  4th  week. 


Des  Moines:  Toy  Tiger  (U-I). 


Detroit:  Autumn  Leaves  (Col.);  Bhowani 
Junction  (MGM). 


Hartford:  The  Animal  World  (W.B.); 

Bhowani  Junction  (MGM);  Leather  Saint 
(Par.);  Mowhawk  (20th-Fox);  The  Proud 
Ones  (20th-Fox) ; Return  of  Don  Camillo 
(I.F.E.) ; Safari  (Col.)  2nd  week. 


Indianapolis:  The  Great  Locomotive  Chase 
(B.V.) ; Safari  (Col.). 

Jacksonville:  The  First  Texan  (A. A.); 
Foreign  Intrigue  (U.A.);  The  Great  Loco- 
motive Chase  (B.V.)  2nd  week. 


Kansas  City:  Heidi  and  Peter  (U.A.)  3rd 
week;  The  Ladykillers  (Cont.)  7th  week; 
The  Searchers  (W.B.)  2nd  week. 


Miami:  Bhowani  Junction  (MGM)  4th  week; 
Foreign  Intrigue  (U.A.);  The  Man  Who 
Knew  Too  Much  (Par.)  2nd  week;  Okla- 
homa (Magna)  17th  week;  The  Proud 
Ones  (20th-Fox). 


Memphis:  The  Catered  Affair  (MGM);  Crime 


Challenge  Massachussetts 
Minimum  Wage  Rise 

BOSTON : A challenge  to  the  Massa- 
chusetts Amusement  and  Recreation 
Minimum  Wage  Order  passed  last  week 
that  calls  for  increasing  the  minimum 
wage  from  75  to  90  cents  an  hour  for 
cashiers,  doormen,  assistant  managers  and 
ushers  has  been  filed  by  Allied  Theatres 
of  New  England.  The  exhibitor  organiza- 
tion claims  the  wage  boosts  are  prejudicial 
by  the  Department  of  Labor  and  that  the 
order  is  “arbitrary,  unreasonable  and 
capricious.”  A spokesman  for  Allied 
Theatres  of  New  England  claimed  there  is 
a wide  area  of  doubt  as  to  the  constitu- 
tionality of  a statutory  minimum  wage  act. 
Also  included  in  the  challenge  with  Allied 
Theatres  are  the  outdoor  amusement 
parks  industry  and  the  Massachusetts  Golf 
Association,  all  of  whom  are  affected.  The 
order  does  not  affect  candy  concession 
sellers. 


in  the  Streets  (A.A.) ; The  Searchers 
(W.B.). 


Milwaukee:  The  Catered  Affair  (MGM)  2nd 
week;  Oklahoma  (Magna)  7th  week;  Un- 
identified Flying  Objects  (U.A.). 

Minneapolis:  Crime  in  the  Streets  (A.A.); 
The  Littlest  Outlaw  (B.V.);  The  Searchers 
(W.B.)  3rd  week. 


New  Orleans:  Bhowani  Junction  (MGM) 
2nd  week;  The  Searchers  (W.B.)  2nd 
week;  Song  of  the  South  (B.V.)  (Reissue); 
Toy  Tiger  (U-I)  2nd  week. 


Oklahoma  City:  The  Animal  World  (W.B.): 
Earth  vs.  Flying  Saucers  (Col.)  3rd  week; 
The  Great  Locomotive  Chase  (B.V.) ; The 
Proud  Ones  (20th-Fox). 


Philadelphia:  Autumn  Leaves  (Col.);  D-Day 
the  Sixth  of  June  (20th-Fox) ; The  Man 
in  the  Gray  Flannel  Suit  (20th-Fox)  9th 
week;  The  Man  Who  Knew  Too  Much 
(Par.)  5th  week. 


Pittsburgh:  Foreign  Intrigue  (U.A.);  The 
Ladykillers  (Cont.)  8th  week;  Lease  of 
Life  (I.F.E.);  Oklahoma  (Magna)  2nd 
week;  Rawhide  Years  (U-I);  Safari  (Col.); 
The  Searchers  (W.B.)  3rd  week. 


Portland:  Bhowani  Junction  (MGM)  2nd 

week;  Gaby  (MGM)  3rd  week;  Safari 
(Col.);  Song  of  the  South  (B.V.)  (Reissue). 


Toronto:  Bhowani  Junction  (MGM)  2nd 

week;  D-Day  the  Sixth  of  June  (Par.); 
Oklahoma  (Magna)  9th  week;  23  Paces 
to  Baker  Street  (20th-Fox)  2nd  week. 

Vancouver:  The  Animal  World  (W.B.);  The 
Man  Who  Knew  Too  Much  (Par.)  2nd 
week. 

Washington:  The  Catered  Affair  (MGM); 
Crime  in  the  Streets  (A.A.);  Day  the 
World  Ended  (Amer.  Rslg) ; Invitation 
to  the  Dance  (MGM);  The  Last  Ten  Days 
(Col.);  The  Man  Who  Knew  Too  Much 
(Par.)  4th  week;  Picnic  (Col.)  18th  week. 


AMPA  Committee  Named 

A special  AMPA  40th  Anniversary 
Luncheon  Committee  was  named  recently 
by  President  Dave  Bader  at  a luncheon 
attended  by  all  officers,  directors  and 
members  of  the  Ways  and  Means  Commit- 
tee of  the  Associated  Motion  Picture  Ad- 
vertisers, it  is  announced.  Members  in- 
clude: Gordon  White,  Vincent  Trotta, 

Lige  Brien,  Ray  Gallagher  and  Edward 
Kestenbaum. 


Hardiman  Resigns  Post 

TORONTO:  James  Hardiman,  director  of 
advertising  and  publicity  for  Odeon  Thea- 
tres (Canada)  Ltd.,  has  resigned  his  post, 
effective  August  18.  Indicating  that  his 
new  position  will  be  “in  the  motion  pic- 
ture field  in  Hollywood,”  he  added  that 
any  announcement  of  his  new  affiliation 
will  come  from  his  new  employers. 


23 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  JUNE  30.  1956 


1 


I 


5L  n,u  onal  Snotlialit 


tpoiua 


Community  opposition  to  the  establish- 
ing of  new  drive-ins  has  been  mounting 
hereabouts  for  the  past  year.  The  latest 
case  reported  is  in  Waterford,  where 
United  Drive-in  Theatres  proposed  to 
build  an  outdoor  theatre.  Earlier,  the 
Town  Board  of  Brunswick  (outside  Troy) 
enacted  an  ordinance  barring  automobile 
theatres,  after  United  Drive-in  purchased 
an  option  on  a site.  Bethlehem,  below 
Albany,  stymied  a zoning  change  last  sum- 
mer which  would  have  enabled  a Delmar 
man  to  open  an  out-door  theatre,  and 
later  blocked  another  on  which  Morris 
Klein  had  begun  work.  . . . Jeffrey  Hunter, 
featured  in  “A  Kiss  Before  Dying”  came 
here  for  press,  radio  and  television  inter- 
views to  promote  the  United  Artists  pic- 
ture, then  playing  the  Strand,  and  to  spot- 
light a later  engagement  in  Schenectady. 
Virginia  Leith,  likewise  featured,  had  vis- 
ited Schenectady  for  the  same  purpose. 
Fabian  city  manager  Phil  Rapp  arranged 
the  details  there,  with  UA  exploiter  Abe 
Bernstein;  while  Steve  Barbett,  of  Strand, 
arranged  the  appearances  in  Albany. 

Atlanta 

The  stork  paid  a visit  to  the  home  of 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wayne  Sniering,  and  left 
a baby  boy.  Mr.  Spiering  is  manager  of  the 
Roy  Smith  Company,  theatre  supplies, 
Jacksonville,  Fla.  . . . Joan  Hulme,  daugh- 
ter of  Charlie  Touchon,  office  manager  at 
United  Artists,  has  a new  baby  girl,  mak- 
ing Charlie  a grandfather.  . . . Edward  C. 
Fain,  for  30  years  owner  of  the  Fain  the- 
atre, Wetempka,  Ala.,  died  at  his  home 
after  a long  illness.  He  is  survived  by  his 
wife,  a daughter  and  three  sons.  . . . Hu- 
bert Mitchell,  owner  of  the  Strand  the- 
atre, Hartselle,  Ala.,  now  renamed  the 
Rodeo  theatre,  will  spend  $50,000  for  reno- 
vations. Hank  Farrish  is  manager.  . . . 
Buford  Styles,  branch  manager  at  the  Uni- 
versal Exchange,  Jacksonville,  Fla.,  was 
in  Atlanta  visiting  his  mother  who  is  ill 
in  the  hospital  here.  . . . Mrs.  Marguerite 
Stith  has  taken  over  the  booking  and 
buying  of  the  Bonnett  drive-in,  Loudon, 
Tenn.  . . . Billie  F.  Cook,  Howco  Film  Ex- 
change, recently  became  the  bride  of 
Don  Hister.  . . . John  Stembler,  president 
of  Georgia  Theatres,  and  his  family  are 
back  after  a vacation  spent  in  Florida. 

Boston 

Charles  L.  Stoddard,  district  manager  of 
New  England  Theatres,  Inc.,  lost  his  wife 
after  a lingering  illness.  . . . Wally  Jones, 
a professional  white  hunter  from  Kenya 
colony,  South  Africa,  arrived  in  town  re- 
cently for  press  interviews  and  radio  and 
TV  appearances  in  connection  with  Co- 
lumbia’s “Safari.”.  . . Mel  Davis,  who  was 
head  booker  at  Republic  for  nine  years, 
has  resigned  to  join  Screen  Guild  Produc- 
tions of  New  England  as  a booker-sales- 
man, working  with  Lewis  Ginsberg, 


branch  manager.  Tom  Morton  remains  at 
Republic  as  booker.  . . . Pine  Island  drive- 
in,  Manchester,  N.  H.,  operated  by  the 
Shea  circuit,  is  being  enlarged  to  accom- 
modate 800  cars.  The  previous  capacity 
was  300.  . . . Two  RKO  men  will  be  hon- 
ored at  an  industry  luncheon  sponsored 
by  the  Variety  Club  of  New  England  on 
Tuesday,  July  10,  at  the  Hotel  Bradford. 
Hatton  P.  Taylor,  recently  promoted  to 
eastern-central  district  manager,  and  Otto 
Ebert,  who  replaces  him  as  branch  man- 
ager in  Boston,  will  be  the  honored  guests. 
The  committee  is  made  up  of  Bill  Koster 
and  Dave  Grove  as  co-chairmen,  and  in- 
cludes A1  Glanbinger,  Harvey  Appell, 
Bucky  Harris,  Joe  Longo,  Arnold  Van 
Leer,  and  Carl  Goldman. 

Buffalo 

Carl  Bell  and  Joe  Benzak  have  formed 
a partnership  in  the  operation  of  the 
Buffalo  Theatre  Equipment  and  Seating 
Company.  Bell  has  been  manager  of  the 
Buffalo  office  of  Perkins  Theatre  Supply 
for  several  years  and  Denzak  has  been 
associated  with  Western  Automatic  in 
Buffalo.  The  office  is  located  in  the  same 
first  floor  spot  that  Perkins  has  been  oc- 
cupying in  the  Film  Building  at  505  Pearl 
Street.  . . . Vandals  slashed  about  a dozen 
yacht-type  chairs  and  a large  tent  panel  at 
the  newly  opened  Melody  Fair  theatre  in 
Wurlitzer  Park,  North  Tonawanda,  N.  Y., 
recently.  . . . Eddie  Meade,  Shea  circuit 
advertising-publicity  manager,  put  over  a 
contest  on  “Trapeze,”  with  Hens  & Kelly 
store,  through  which  he  tied  in  with  the 
national  “Miss  Exquisite  Form”  promotion. 
. . . The  Parkway  drive-in,  Canandaigua, 
N.  Y.  is  getting  out  an  attractive  weekly 
program  of  attractions  and  has  lined  up 
a number  of  advertisers  who  contribute 
toward  the  cost  of  its  publication.  . . . 
Ozzie  and  Harriet  Nelson  and  their  son, 
David,  were  in  Rochester  the  other  day  to 
meet  with  Eastman  Kodak  company  of- 
ficials in  connection  with  the  Nelson  tele- 
vision show  which  will  be  sponsored  by  the 
Eastman  company,  starting  in  September. 

Charlotte 

Mrs.  Verdah  Looper,  who  was  elected 
Miss  Charlotte  Film  Exchange  at  the  the- 
atre owners  convention  last  January,  went 
to  Florida  for  her  vacation.  The  trip  was 
given  to  her  as  the  prize  for  winning  the 
title.  . . . An  autopsy  will  be  held  to  de- 
termine the  cause  of  death  of  Jack  Re- 
Ville,  Charlotte  exchange  manager.  Mr. 
ReVille  died  June  6 and  it  is  believed  death 
was  due  to  a heart  attack.  . . . Lucky  S. 
Squire,  who  plays  Santa  Claus  for  New 
York  department  stores  and  banks  each 
Christmas,  came  here  as  an  exploitation 
stunt  for  “Toy  Tiger”  at  the  Manor  the- 
atre. . . . Mrs.  Emery  Wister  of  the  Howco 
Exchange,  visited  her  parents  in  Nebo, 
N.  C.  . . John  Yarbrough,  20th  Century- 
Fox  exploitation  man  based  in  Atlanta, 
was  in  Charlotte  on  business.  . . . George 


Carpenter  of  the  Colonial  Theatres  in 
Valdese,  gave  his  annual  party  for  ex- 
change salesmen  and  executives  in  Blow- 
ing Rock. 


Bryan  Allin  of  Allin  Film  Delivery  Ser- 
vice reported  his  father,  J.  J.  Allin,  is  rest- 
ing comfortably  at  St.  Luke’s  Hospital 
following  a heart  attack.  The  elder  Mr. 
Allin  is  still  active  in  the  business  despite 
the  fact  that  he  just  passed  his  81st  birth- 
day. . . . Herman  Gorelick  arrived  here 
from  St.  Louis  to  attend  a family  wedding 
and  to  spend  part  of  his  vacation  greeting 
friends  on  the  Row.  . . . According  to 
Larry  Stern,  the  current  policy  of  run- 
ning re-releases  at  the  Cinema  is  proving 
productive  at  the  box  office.  . . . Sam 
Lesner  has  resigned  as  assistant  manager 
at  the  Howard  theatre.  His  successor  has 
not  yet  been  named.  . . . Included  in  the 
current  group  of  “holidayers”  are  John 
Rector,  manager  at  the  Howard  theatre; 
H.  Odendahl,  manager  at  the  Roosevelt; 
Ray  Nolan,  RKO  branch  manager;  Dave 
Friedman  of  Paramount’s  publicity  staff; 
Helen  Sherer,  RKO  cashier;  who  went  to 
California.  . . . John  Agnos  has  been  ap- 
pointed manager  at  the  Tower  theatre. 
Stanford  Kohlberg,  who  reopened  the  the- 
atre in  early  June,  had  been  “presiding,” 
and  at  the  same  time  continued  operating 
his  Starlite  drive-in. 


Cleveland 

Marshall  Fine,  Variety  Club  chief  bark- 
er, announces  negotiations  are  almost  com- 
pleted to  move  the  club’s  headquarters 
from  the  downtown  Hollenden  Hotel  to 
the  uptown  residential  Tudor  Arms  Hotel, 
located  at  Carnegie  Ave.  and  East  107th 
St.,  which  will  be  double  the  present 
space.  After  extensive  remodeling,  a gala 
fall  opening  is  planned.  . . . Jay  Matthews 
has  acquired  the  closed  Rockford  theatre, 
Rockford  from  C.  E.  Knox,  Jr.,  and  re- 
opened the  200-seat  house  this  week.  . . . 
Paul  Vogel,  Wellsville,  O.,  drive-in  owner 
leaves  next  week  for  two  weeks  at  Camp 
Breckenbridge,  Ky.,  to  head  the  reserve 
officers’  training  school.  . . . Carol  Jacobs, 
daughter  of  Max  Jacobs,  long  interested  in 
theatre  promotions,  sailed  this  week  on 
the  Queen  Elizabeth  for  two  months 
abroad  following  graduation  from  Western 
Reserve  University.  . . . E.  J.  Stutz  has 
closed  the  Circle  theatre,  Cleveland,  for 
the  summer,  and  transferred  his  week-end 
hillbilly  stage  shows  to  Harmony  Ranch, 
an  amusement  place  on  route  22  just 
south  of  Chagrin  Falls.  , 

Columbus 

Mrs.  Ethel  Miles  of  the  Miles  circuit  is 
recovering  in  Cleveland  Clinic  following 
an  operation.  . . . Workmen  are  completing 
installation  of  new  six-channel  illuminated 
( Continued  on  following  page ) 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  JUNE  30,  1956 


29 


( Continued  from,  preceding  page) 
marquee  panels  at  Loew’s  Ohio.  A new 
V-sign  also  will  be  erected.  ...  A Cam- 
bridge, Ohio  drive-in  claims  the  national 
record  for  numbers  of  patrons  admitted  as 
one  group  on  “Buck  Night”  when  every  ve- 
hicle, regardless  of  the  number  of  people 
it  holds,  is  admitted  for  one  dollar.  A 
farm  tractor  pulling  a hay  wagon  with 
69  persons  aboard  was  admitted  for  $1. 
. . . Robert  Wile,  secretary  of  the  Inde- 
pendent Theatre  Owners  of  Ohio,  thanked 
the  woman  who  signed  herself  “Three 
Times  a Week  Patron”  for  her  letter  to 
the  Dispatch  Mail  Bag  in  which  she 
praised  theatre  managers  “who  work  long 
hours  and  whose  purpose  in  life  is  to  give 
pleasure  to  their  audiences.”  Wile  said: 
“We  wish  there  were  more  of  you.  And 
on  behalf  of  all  theatre  managers  we 
thank  you  from  the  bottom  of  our  hearts.” 
. . . D.  Lee  McLain,  of  the  Star  drive-in  at 
Wauseon,  Ohio,  is  the  newest  member  of 
the  Independent  Theatre  Owners  of  Ohio. 


HAIL  and  FAREWELL 


HONOR  TO  A FRIEND.  Wisconson  Variety  Club's  luncheon  the  other  day  to  retiring 
Paramount  branch  manager  Irving  Werthamer  brought  out  the  industry  in  Milwaukee. 
In  an  array  above,  prior  to  the  affair  at  the  Maryland  Hotel,  are  George  Devine,  new 
manager  Ward  Pennington,  Mr.  Werthamer  and  office  manager  John  Stock. 


Denver 

Variety  Tent  37  has  scheduled  its  an- 
nual picnic  and  golf  tournament  for 
August  17  at  the  Lakewoos  country  club. 
The  cost  will  be  $5.50  per  person,  with 
green  and  swimming  fees  extra.  This  club 
has  one  of  the  finest  and  sportiest  golf 
courses  in  the  country.  Activities  will 
include  games,  golf,  swimming,  dinner 
and  dancing.  The  door  prize  will  be  a 
1956  Cadillac.  . . . C.  U.  Yaeger,  president 
of  Atlas  Theatres,  went  to  Chicago,  and 
Dave  Davis,  general  manager,  is  visiting 
the  theatres  at  Salida,  Colo.  . . . Clarence 
Batter,  booker  and  buyer,  who  has  been 
home  ill  for  three  weeks,  has  entered  St. 
Joseph’s  hospital  for  treatment  for  com- 
plications arising  from  strep  throat  and 
virus  pneumonia.  . . . Bill  Prass,  publicity 
man,  doing  the  campaigns  on  “Trapeze” 
here  and  in  Salt  Lake  City,  with  the  film 
opening  day  and  date  at  the  Uptown  and 
Villa,  Salt  Lake  City,  and  the  Denver, 
Denver,  June  28.  . . . Kim  Novak  will  be 
in  July  6-8  for  the  opening  of  “Eddy  Du- 
chin  Story”  at  the  Denver  July  8.  . . . 
Marvin  Goldfarb,  Buena  Vista  supervisor, 
to  Des  Moines  and  Omaha  on  a sales  trip. 

Des  Moines 

The  Stratford  theatre  at  Stratford  has 
been  reopened  through  the  efforts  of  local 
businessmen.  The  equipment  and  stock 
in  the  building  owned  by  M.  K.  Halverson 
have  been  purchased  by  the  merchants. 
The  theatre  has  been  closed  for  some 
time.  . . . Emmet  Gillispie  has  purchased 
the  Lacona  theatre  at  Lacona  from  George 
Lindsley  of  Tripoli.  Gillispie  has  had  33 
years’  experience  in  the  theatre  business. 
The  new  owner,  who  plans  changes  in 
equipment  and  will  do  some  redecorating, 
will  hold  a grand  opening  of  the  house 
early  in  July.  . . . Two  bandits  held  up 
Mrs.  Marian  Phipps  in  the  ticket  booth  of 
the  Corral  drive-in  theatre  at  Cherokee 
and  escaped  with  $75  in  cash.  They  or- 
dered Mrs.  Phipps  to  hand  over  the  cash 
box,  with  which  they  fled.  Mrs.  Phipps 
said  the  men,  both  young,  were  armed. 

. . . Fire  burned  one  piano  and  badly 
damaged  another  and  burned  flooring 
backstage  at  the  Paramount  theatre  in 
Cedar  Rapids.  The  fire  was  confined  to 
the  backstage  area  with  only  light  smoke 


throughout  the  rest  of  the  house.  . . . Dale 
Bucholtz  of  Guthrie  Center,  has  leased 
the  Iowa  theatre  at  Lake  City  from  R.  M. 
Bernau.  For  the  past  five  years,  Bucholtz 
has  managed  the  house  at  Guthrie  Center 
for  Iowa  United;  prior  to  that  he  managed 
a theatre  at  Lehigh.  . . . Manager  D.  W. 
Oakes  has  reopened  the  Columbus  theatre 
at  Columbus  Junction  for  showing  on 
Friday  and  Saturday  nights  each  week. 


Detroit 

Fine  summer  weather,  long  awaited,  has 
given  the  drive-in  business  a much-needed 
stimulus  with  standard  houses  taking  a 
corresponding  dip.  This  usual  slump  lasts 
through  Independence  Day  giving  patrons 
time  to  get  used  to  the  great  outdoors  for 
the  year.  . . . Lloyd  Krause  is  the  new 
RKO  manager.  He  was  formerly  in  Cincin- 
nati. Otto  Ebert  has  moved  on  to  Boston. 
. . . Richard  Graff  has  come  back  to  Uni- 
versal after  an  operation.  . . . Albert  Dezel, 
Dezel  Productions  manager,  has  personally 
taken  charge  of  the  local  exchange.  . . . 
Former  assistant  manager  at  the  Telenews, 
William  Friedlander,  has  returned  to  the 
city  after  a three-year  Arizona  stay.  . . . 
George  Goodman  has  been  added  to  the 
20th-Fox  staff  in  the  Saginaw  district.  . . . 
The  Mars  in  Brown  City  has  been  renamed 
for  the  city,  with  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Stanley 
Janis  operating.  . . . Milt  London’s  11  year 
old  daughter,  Leslie  Ann,  produced  a back- 
yard show  for  the  benefit  of  the  Society 
for  Crippled  Children.  . . . The  Van  Dyke 
has  been  closed  by  Sydney  Moss.  . . . Carol 
Lauth,  biller  at  Warners,  married  Norman 
Magretta.  . . . The  Corunna  drive-in  in 
Flint  has  been  retitled  the  West  Side. 


Hartford 

The  long-projected  drive-in  theatre 
plans  for  Berlin,  Conn.,  are  destined  for 
another  extensive  delay.  The  town’s  Zon- 
ing Commission  has  reserved  decision  on 
a petition  to  ban  construction  of  drive-in 
theatres,  submitted  by  a local  resident 
who  has  long  opposed  George  LeWitt’s 
plans  to  build  an  outdoor  theatre  in  that 
New  Britain  suburb.  LeWitt  is  a veteran 
New  Britain  theatre  owner-operator.  . . . 
Irving  C.  Jacocks  Jr.,  operator  of  the 
Branford  theatre,  Branford,  Conn.,  and 


long  active  in  MPTO  of  Connecticut,  will 
be  honored  at  a testimonial  dinner,  slated 
for  July  9 at  the  Waverly  Inn,  Cheshire, 
Conn.  Sam  Weber,  New  Haven,  is  treas- 
urer for  the  affair.  . . . The  MPTO  of 
Connecticut  has  scheduled  its  annual  golf 
tournament  and  dinner  for  July  17  at 
the  Racebrook  Country  Club,  Orange. 

Indianapolis 

Joe  Cantor  is  chairman  of  a committee 
of  Indianapolis  exhibitors  named  to  study 
results  of  an  MPAA  poll  here  on  public 
receptiveness  to  a movie  credit  plan. 
Others  on  the  committee  are  Dale 
McFarland,  Dr.  M.  Sandorf,  Rick 
Lochry  and  George  Landis.  The  poll  may 
take  six  weeks.  . . . Mr.  and  Mrs.  Eugene 
Jackman  have  bought  the  Sunshine  at 
Darlington  from  Charles  A.  Marshall,  who 
owned  and  operated  the  house  33  years. 
. . . Murray  Devaney,  Columbia  branch 
manager,  and  Mrs.  Devaney  are  parents 
of  a seven-pound  girl,  Irma,  born  June  11. 
. . . Dallas  Schuder,  manager  of  the  Circle, 
is  vacationing  at  Edinburg,  Ind.  . . . Paul 
Webster,  Republic  branch  manager,  is 
back  at  work  after  cases  of  poison  ivy  and 
measles. 

Jacksonville 

A lifetime  gold  pass  to  all  houses  of  the 
Florida  State  Theatres  circuit  was  pre- 
sented to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Haines  Drayton, 
industry  workers,  by  Mark  DuPree,  as- 
sistant to  FST  president  Louis  J.  Finske, 
at  the  Draytons’  50th  wedding  anniversary 
in  the  Garden  Center.  . . . Milton  Selph, 
former  exhibitor,  died  here  June  18.  . . . 
Bill  Fegenbush,  theatre  art  shop  head, 
went  into  a hospital  for  emergency  sur- 
gery. . . . Fronia  Currie,  former  U-I  work- 
er, has  been  named  executive  secretary 
of  the  local  Jaycees.  ...  A knee  injury 
has  forced  Harvey  Reinstein  to  leave  his 
work  as  Buena  Vista  salesman  for  Florida. 
He  has  been  transferred  to  the  national 
sales  office  of  Buena  Vista  in  New  York. 

. . . Visitors  in  from  New  York  were 
Walter  McCurdy,  Paramount  executive, 
and  young  Leo  Samuels,  Jr.,  son  of  the 
Buena  Vista  sales  director.  . . . Miss 
Eleanor  Yeager,  daughter  of  Mitch  Yeager, 
Florida  Theatre  projectionist,  was  selected 
( Continued  on  opposite  page ) 


30 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  JUNE  30,  1956 


( Continued  from  opposite  page ) 

as  Miss  Future  Business  Leader  of  Amer- 
ica at  a national  high  school  convention 
in  Washington,  D.  C.  . . . James  R.  Mc- 
Leod has  taken  over  operation  of  the  Key- 
theatre  at  Cedar  Key. 


Kansas  City 

Boris  Bernard,  formerly  with  Cinerama 
in  Buffalo,  was  made  managing  director 
of  Cinerama  at  the  Missouri  theatre. 
Ralph  Buhrmeister  is  house  manager.  . . . 
Commonwealth,  Inc.  closed  the  Ashland 
theatre,  where  TV  fights  had  been  shown, 
and  sold  the  video  equipment.  . . . Frank 
Naylor,  Jr.,  son  of  Mrs.  Frank  Naylor,  Sr., 
secretary  at  Stebbins  Theatre  Supply  Co., 
was  elected  governor  of  Sunflower  Boys’ 
State  at  Wichita,  Kans.,  and  a delegate 
to  Boys’  Nation,  Washington,  D.  C.,  July 
20.  . . . Eddie  Grayson,  shipper  at  Na- 
tional Screen  Service,  died  in  an  accident. 
. . . “The  Animal  World”  is  getting  heavy 
TV  promotion  in  Wichita  and  Joplin  and 
Kansas  City,  Mo.  . . . The  Overland  Park, 
Kans.  Christian  Church  is  holding  sum- 
mer services  in  George  Baker’s  New  50 
drive-in.  . . . Rowe  theatre,  Rolla,  Mo., 
built  about  six  years  ago,  was  heavily 
damaged  by  fire.  Rowe  E.  Carney,  St. 
James,  Mo.,  is  the  owner.  . . . The  new 
manager  at  the  Ellinwood,  Kans.  drive-in 
is  H.  LeRoy  Smith. 


Los  Angeles 

Wendell  Smith  has  purchased  the  in- 
terest held  by  Fred  Stein  in  the  Ritz 
theatre  in  Inglewood,  and  will  take  over 
complete  operation  of  the  house.  ...  In 
the  Barney  Balaban  playdate  drive,  Gene 
Beuerman  captured  first  place,  while  Ar- 
nold Shartin,  also  of  the  sales  staff,  took 
seventh  place  nationally.  . . . Sero  Amuse- 
ments Co.  appointed  Mark  Modine  mana- 
ger of  their  Cherry  Pass  drive-in,  located 
between  Beaumont  and  Bannings.  He  suc- 
ceeds Gus  Nardoni,  transferred  to  Pomona 
by  Sero  to  assume  the  managerial  duties 
of  the  new  Mission  drive-in.  . . . Back 
after  being  hospitalized,  was  Jules  Gore- 
lick,  Universal-International  salesman.  . . . 
Stan  Lay,  formerly  with  B.  F.  Shearer  as 
a salesman,  joined  National  Theatre  Sup- 
ply in  a similar  capacity.  . . . Harold 
Wirthwein,  western  division  sales  manager 
for  Allied  Artists,  returned  from  a trip 
to  San  Francisco,  where  he  conferred  with 
Mel  Hulling,  co-owner  of  the  west  coast 
franchise,  and  James  Myers,  Bay  City 
manager.  . . . Manuel  Carnarkis,  mayor 
of  Bakersfield,  and  operator  of  the  Visita 
and  Virginia  theatres  in  Bakersfield,  was 
on  the  Row  to  secure  product  for  his 
houses.  Also  seen  from  out  of  town  were 
Bob  McCracken,  Arizona-Paramount 
Theatres;  O.  K.  Leonard,  Apache  drive-in, 
Globe,  Ariz.,  and  Bill  Alford  of  the  Strebe 
Theatre  Circuit. 


Memphis 

Two  theatres,  closed  some  time  ago, 
have  been  re-opened  in  the  Memphis  trade 
territory.  They  are  the  Tutrovansum  at 
Tutwiler,  Miss.,  owned  by  R.  J.  Mayhan, 
and  the  Rice,  Brownsville,  Tenn.,  owned 
by  M.  E.  Rice,  Jr.  . . . Peggy  Joyce  Moore, 


daughter  of  Jesse  H.  Moore,  who  owns  and 
operates  the  Ritz  theatre  in  Crenshaw, 
Miss.,  and  Mrs.  Moore,  was  named  Miss 
Memphis  of  1956.  She  is  a student  at  Mem- 
phis State  College.  Miss  Moore  competes 
in  another  contest  for  Miss  Tennessee, 
the  winner  to  represent  the  state  in  the 
Miss  America  contest  in  Atlantic  City.  . . . 
The  Warner  film,  “The  Searchers,”  was 
setting  some  new  attendance  records  at 
Warner  theatre  where  it  did  three  times 
average  business  the  first  week  and  was 
held  over.  . . . Joel  McCrea,  film  actor  for 
26  years,  and  his  son,  Jody,  21,  were  in 
Memphis.  McCrea  and  his  son  made  per- 
sonal appearances  on  the  Malco  theatre 
stage  where  his  picture,  “The  First  Texan” 
is  showing. 

Miami 

The  16-mm  color  film  record  of  the 
Lions  Club  International  convention,  held 
in  Miami,  was  done  by  the  local  Emco 
Productions  which  has  Ed  Downes  as  as- 
sociate. One  of  the  highlights  was  the  in- 
stallation of  the  local  Lions  president, 
Jimmy  Barnett,  manager  of  the  Olympia 
theatre.  . . . The  Dade  County  American 
Cancer  Society  unit  elected  Lillian  Claugh- 
ton  to  the  board  of  directors  and  as  its 
delegate-at-large.  . . . The  Mitchell  Wolf- 
son  family  has  gone  to  the  family  home  in 
Asheville,  N.  C.  to  prepare  for  the  Inde- 
pendence Day  nuptials  of  their  daughter 
Frankie.  . . . Harry  (FST  southeast  dis- 
trict supervisor)  Botwick  was  in  Jackson- 
ville for  conferences  recently.  . . . The 
Norman  (MGM  exploiteer)  Levinsons  are 
on  a honeymoon  in  Nassau.  . . . Latest 
member  of  the  Ralph  (WTVJ  news  direc- 
tor) Renick  fan  club  is  Susan  Marie  Re- 
nick, (fourth  addition  to  the  Renick  fam- 
ily), born  June  19.  . . . FST  managers 
Harry  Margolesky,  Leo  Hayes  Gabarino 
and  Bill  Russell  were  enjoying  vacations 
at  varied  points  including  Nassau  and 
Pennsylvania. 

Milwaukee 

On  June  28  fourteen  theatres  in  Wiscon- 
sin opened  with  United  Artists’  “Trapeze.” 

. . . Lester  Fischer  will  marry  Dona  Hash- 
ka  July  7.  Lester  is  the  son  of  Elsie  Fis- 
cher and  the  late  Bert  Fischer,  well  known 
in  theatre  circles  here.  Earl  Fischer,  Les- 
ter’s brother,  and  recent  operator  of  the 
Alamo  theatre  here,  will  be  his  brother’s 
best  man.  . . . Betty  LaVerne  has  been 
asked  to  be  Parliamentarian  for  the  Bet- 
ter Films  Council  of  Milwaukee  County 
during  the  next  term.  . . . Ward  Bentley, 
exploitation  man  for  United  Artists,  was 
in  town  last  week  working  on  the  cam- 
paign for  “Trapeze.”  . . . Warner  Brothers 
screened  two  films  during  the  week  of 
June  25,  “Moby  Dick”  and  “Satellite  In 
the  Sky.” 

Minneapolis 

Mrs.  Tillie  Smith  has  opened  her  275- 
car  Long  drive-in  at  Long  Prairie,  Minn., 
and  at  Litchfield,  Minn.,  Fred  and  Lloyd 
Schnee  opened  their  400-car  Starlite  drive- 
in.  The  Schnee  brothers  also  operate  the 
conventional  Hollywood  and  Unique 
theatres  in  Litchfield.  . . . Richard  Elling- 
son  has  installed  CinemaScope  equipment 
in  his  Paramount  theatre  at  Pembina, 
N.  D.  . . . The  Suburban  World  has  fancied 


up  its  lobby  by  putting  colored  sand  in 
its  ash  tray  urns.  The  sand  comes  in  five 
colors.  . . . Bill  Marshall,  salesman  at 
Allied  Artists,  has  resigned.  . . . Home 
Theatres  will  build  a 450-car  drive-in  at 
Wahpeton,  N.  D.  Patrick  Goggin,  manager 
of  the  circuit’s  Gilles  at  Wahpeton,  N.  D., 
will  manage  the  stand  . . . Charles  Perrine 
has  resigned  as  vice-president  of  Minne- 
sota Amusement  Co.  to  enter  another  field. 
. . . Mike  Lee,  UA  district  manager,  and 
A1  Fitter,  western  sales  manager,  were  in. 

New  Orleans 

Page  M.  Baker,  chief  barker,  New  Or- 
leans Variety  Tent  45,  announced  the 
appointment  of  Mrs.  Rodney  Toups  as 
chairman  of  the  ladies’  activities  commit- 
tee for  Variety  International  convention 
to  be  held  here  in  April,  1957.  . . . Don 
Kay  of  Don  Kay  Enterprises  reported  that 
he  and  associates  have  a cooperative  deal 
underway  with  merchants  and  theatres 
involving  the  give-a-way  of  Ford  Thun- 
derbird  Jr.  automobiles.  . . . Vernon  and 
Mary  Miller,  daughter  and  son-in-law  of 
F.  K.  Phillips,  proprietor  of  the  Broadway 
drive-in,  Hattiesburg,  Miss.,  acquired  own- 
ership of  the  indoor  Lamar  at  Purvis, 
Miss,  from  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Elmer  Canfield. 
The  new  owners  are  having  the  house 
remodeled  and  equipped  for  CinemaScope 
presentations.  Johnson  Theatre  Service  is 
handling  the  sale  and  installations  of 
equipment  and  wide  screen.  . . . Practical- 
ly all  of  the  film,  poster  and  accessories 
exchange  managers,  Mississippi  salesmen, 
heads  of  supply  stores  and  salesmen,  inde- 
pendent film  buyers  and  bookers  and  Lou- 
isiana theatre  executives,  both  independent 
and  circuits,  attended  the  MTOA  conven- 
tion at  the  Edgewater  Gulf  Hotel,  Edge- 
water  Park,  Miss. 

Omaha 

The  annual  all-industry  outing  of  Tent 
16,  Omaha  Variety  Club,  will  include  a 
golf  match  at  the  Omaha  Field  Club  with 
the  Des  Moines  Tent  15  team.  J.  Robert 
Meff,  chief  barker,  has  invited  Minneapo- 
lis and  Denver  golfers  to  participate.  The 
party  to  be  held  Monday,  July  2,  will  be 
called  Meyer  Stern  Day  honoring  the  vet- 
eran representative  of  Hollywood  and 
Capitol  Pictures  here.  . . . Oliver  Patrick, 
has  resigned  as  United  Artists  salesman 
and  will  return  to  Des  Moines,  where  his 
wife  has  been  seriously  ill.  . . . Ollie 
Schneider,  exhibitor  at  Osceola,  Neb.,  10 
years,  has  leased  the  Muse  Theatre  to 
Bill  Zedicker.  . . . Rich  Wilson,  MGM  sales- 
man, has  been  transferred  to  the  Cincin- 
nati exchange. 

Philadelphia 

Melvin  J.  Fox,  head  of  the  independent 
chain  of  Fox  Theatres  in  this  area,  was 
reappointed  a member  of  the  Philadelphia 
Parking  Authority  by  Mayor  Richardson 
C.  Dilworth.  . . . Eastern  Pennsylvania 
Allied  Independent  Theatre  Owners,  led  by 
Sidney  E.  Samuelson,  held  a business 
meeting  last  week  at  the  Little,  Hershey, 
Pa.,  with  the  current  film  situation  and 
means  of  improving  business  on  the  agen- 
da. . . . The  Boyd  will  resume  Tuesday 
matinees  during  July  and  August  for 
Cinerama’s  “Seven  Wonders  of  the 
World.”  . . . Lewen  Pizor,  independent 
( Continued  on  following  page) 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  JUNE  30,  1956 


31 


( Continued  jrom  preceding  page) 
circuit  head,  was  elected  an  honorary 
delegate  to  the  Council  of  Reform  Syna- 
gogues of  Greater  Philadelphia.  . . . Tri- 
State  Buying  and  Booking  Service  is  now 
handling  Sol  Shocker’s  Franklin,  Allen- 
town, Pa.  . . . A1  Frank,  owner  of  the 
Circus  drive-in  near  Atlantic  City,  N.  J., 
is  offering  somthing  new  to  patrons  on 
weekends  in  featuring  dancing  on  the 
patio  to  the  live  music  of  the  Riff  Kings. 
Dancing  is  featured  on  Fridays,  Saturdays 
and  Sundays.  . . . Painter  Gil  Wilson  in 
the  area  lecturing  with  color  slides  from 
his  collection  of  paintings  for  Warners’ 
“Moby  Dick.”  . . . The  Astor,  Reading,  Pa., 
now  a William  Goldman  house  and  man- 
aged by  J.  Lester  Stallman,  closed  for 
several  weeks  to  permit  workmen  to  rush 
$40,000  worth  of  improvements  in  the 
front,  in  the  foyer  and  in  the  lobby.  . . . 
Ulrik  F.  Smith,  Paramount  branch  mana- 
ger, fired  the  opening  guns  for  the  forth- 
coming Paramount  Weeks  on  July  25  to 
August  7 in  shooting  for  100  per  cent  rep- 
resentation in  area  bookings. 

Pittsburgh 

Local  Variety  Club’s  “Gay  Nineties 
Mardi  Gras”  on  June  30  at  the  Schenley 
Park  Hotel  will  mark  the  “swansong”  for 
that  historic  hotel,  which  will  close  its 
doors  forever  that  night.  It  was  recently 
purchased  by  the  adjoining  University  of 
Pittsburgh.  . . . The  Club’s  Camp  O’Con- 
nell opened  for  the  summer  on  the  24th 
with  the  usual  “open  house”  for  members 
and  their  families.  . . . The  long  running 
“The  Ladykillers”  at  the  Guild  will  be  fol- 
lowed by  “Patterns.”  . . . Big  luncheon 
held  by  United  Artists  at  the  Royal  York 
for  local  exhibitors  and  press  to  meet 
their  new  sales  manager,  James  Velde. 
. . . The  Squirrel  Hill  will  follow  “Lovers 
and  Lollipops”  with  the  new  French  im- 
port, “Proud  and  the  Beautiful.”  . . . Sun 
Telegraph  critic,  Leonard  Mendlowitz 
spending  a week  of  his  vacation  in  New 
York  catching  up  on  the  newest  shows. 
He  goes  from  there  to  New  Bedford  for 
the  world  premiere  of  “Moby  Dick.”  . . . 
Gus  Davis,  Stanley  Warner  booker,  re- 
turned from  a Miami  Beach  vacation  with 
his  family.  . . . Bill  Graner,  Allied  Artists 
booker  for  several  years,  resigned.  He 
was  replaced  by  Warren  Wurdock  who 
moved  over  from  Universal. 


Portland 

Kenny  Hughes,  manager  of  Evergreen’s 
Orpheum  theatre,  has  been  promoted  to 
city  manager  for  the  Evergreen  circuit  in 
Olympia,  Wash.  Bert  Gamble  has  trans- 
ferred to  a northern  California  post.  . . . 
George  Glass,  publicity  director  for  the 
Hecht-Lancaster  outfit,  was  in  town  for 
a few  days  to  work  with  Dick  Newton, 
Paramount  theatre  manager.  . . . Bud 
Brody  was  in  from  Seattle  for  a few  days 
to  work  on  NSS  accounts.  . . . Bob  Warner 
is  leaving  ABC  Vending.  . . . Oscar  Ny- 
berg,  Oregon  district  manager  for  Ever- 
green, has  planned  a tremendous  campaign 
set  for  the  opening  of  “The  King  and  I.” 
Rita  Moreno  will  make  a personal  appear- 
ance as  one  of  the  highlights.  . . . Guild 
theatre  manager  Nancy  Welch  reports 
that  “Gaby”  in  its  fourth  week  is  out- 
grossing  “Lili”  which  played  at  the  same 
theatre. 


Providence 

Edward  M.  Fay,  dean  of  New  England 
showmen,  has  once  again  been  named  to 
head  the  Jimmy  Fund,  as  co-chairman 
with  Joe  Cronin,  general  manager  of  the 
Boston  Red  Sox  baseball  team.  The  Jimmy 
Fund,  over  the  past  few  years,  has  raised 
considerable  sums,  which  go  for  cancer 
research  and  treatment  among  children. 
New  England  theatremen  have  been  large- 
ly responsible  for  the  erection  and  equip- 
ping of  the  world’s  largest  children’s  can- 
cer research  hospital,  located  in  Boston. 
. . . William  J.  Trambukis,  Loew’s  State 
manager,  was  enjoying  the  first  week  of 
his  annual  three-week  vacation.  . . . Phil 
Nemirow,  RKO  Albee  manager,  will  soon 
present  a special  midnight  rock  and  roll 
screen  show.  ...  It  has  been  rumored  that 
Lou  Pieri,  Auditorium  owner,  will  soon 
sell  radio-station  WICE  to  outside  inter- 
ests. Pieri,  active  in  horse-racing  circles, 
owner  of  the  champion  R.  I.  Reds  hockey 
team,  and  stock-holder  in  the  “Ice-Ca- 
pades”  company,  built  up  the  almost- 
defunct  station  into  one  of  Rhode  Island’s 
most  popular  day-time  radio  outlets.  . . . 
Business  was  virtually  at  a standstill  when 
a record-breaking  heat  wave  seared  this 
section  for  almost  an  entire  week.  Local 
operations  suffered  severely  as  thousands 
upon  thousands  of  Rhode  Islanders  de- 
serted this  city,  seeking  relief  at  beaches 
and  shore  resorts. 

San  Francisco 

Universal  Film  Exchange’s  Betty  Gam- 
ble announces  that  a limerick  contest  for 
Barney  Rose,  San  Francisco  district  man- 
ager for  the  West  Coast,  will  get  under 
way  July  1 and  run  through  August  4.  It 
is  called  “The  Rose  Month,”  designed  to 
create  good  will  and  stimulate  extra  busi- 
ness among  some  400  West  Coast  exhibi- 
tors. . . . Irving  Allen,  producer  of  “The 
Animal  World,”  a Warner  Bros,  produc- 
tion, visited  here  June  21,  plugging  the 
picture  via  radio  and  TV.  It  opened  at 
the  St.  Francis  theatre  June  22.  Max  Ber- 
cut,  Warner  Bros,  publicist  on  the  West 
Coast,  accompanied  producer  Allen  on  his 
promotion  trip  here.  . . . N.  P.  Jacobs, 
president  of  Favorite  Films  of  California, 
whose  headquarters  are  in  Los  Angeles, 
visited  here.  His  business  trip  also 
took  him  to  Portland,  Ore.,  and  Seat- 
tle, Wash.,  where  he  spent  considerable 
time  with  the  new  manager,  Buck  Smith, 
who  succeeds  Bill  Shartin,  recently  killed 
in  an  auto  accident. 

St.  Louis 

The  Mesa  drive-in,  Mesa,  Ark.,  now  has 
an  enclosed,  weather-proof  auditorium 
and  a playground  for  children.  . . . Mr. 
and  Mrs.  J.  W.  McKnight  have  been  ap- 
pointed managers  of  the  Vandalia  drive- 
in  theatre  at  Vandalia,  Mo.  . . . Paul  Steh- 
man  has  purchased  the  interest  of  Thomas 
Danner  in  the  Green  drive-in,  Winchester, 
111.,  and  will  continue  to  operate  it.  . . . 
The  Gurdon  drive-in  has  opened  for  busi- 
ness at  Gurdon,  Ark.,  under  the  manage- 
ment of  H.  A.  Garrett.  . . . The  Twin  City 
drive-in  theatre,  Champaign-Urbana,  111., 
has  been  sold  by  John  Barr  to  the  Van 
Nomokis  Circuit  of  Chicago.  Barr  will 
continue  as  manager  of  the  theatre  for 
the  present. 


Toronto 

Two  drive-ins  of  Twentieth  Century 
Theatres,  the  400  and  the  North-East  are 
tied  in  with  three  city  houses  for  second 
run  films.  The  local  houses  included  are 

the  Midtown,  Odeon  and  Bayview 

A special  presentation,  playing  to  the  kids, 
is  being  shown  at  the  Eaton  Auditorium 
here.  Bill  includes  “Heidi  and  Peter”  and 
“Little  Fugitive”.  . . . Jim  Hardiman, 
Odeon  Theatres  of  Canada  Ltd.,  publicity 
chief,  resigned  as  of  July  1 to  take  a posi- 
tion in  a Hollywood  studio  advertising 
department.  The  studio  hasn’t  been  named 
as  yet.  . . . The  Laurier,  Hull,  owned  by 
Donat  Paquin,  was  sold  to  Paul  Lafon- 
taine.  Lafontaine  has  been  operating  house 
for  several  years.  . . . Odeon’s  Beacon, 
Winnipeg,  closed  for  three  months.  . . . 
Another  on  shuttered  list  is  the  1,350- 
seat  Empress,  Montreal,  because  of  no 
business.  Park,  Sudbury,  has  been  taken 
over  by  V.  Pileggi  and  D.  Politi,  and  will 
show  Italian  films. 

Vancouver 

It’s  unlikely  theatre  owners  in  British 
Columbia  will  be  getting  any  further  cuts 
in  the  amusement  tax.  They  did  them- 
selves out  of  the  hope  by  not  passing  along 
to  patrons  the  last  cuts  made,  Government 
officials  said.  ...  In  show  business  for 
more  than  half  of  a century  and  manager 
of  the  Famous  Players’  Capitol  theatre 
in  Victoria  (now  closed)  Jock  Roberson, 
died  after  a fall  down  the  stairs  at  the  At- 
las Victoria  which  he  was  to  take  over. 
He  was  80  and  a member  of  Famous 
Players  25-year  club.  The  mother  of 
Ken  Leache,  Famous  Player  partner  in 
Calgary,  Alta.,  died  in  Spokane,  Wash. 
She  was  nearing  her  100th  birthday.  . . 
Box  office  pace  continues  to  lag  with  few 
exceptions.  Showmen  blame  it  on  every- 
thing except  their  own  weak  efforts.  . . . 
An  usher  shortage  may  soon  frustrate 
theatre  managers  here.  The  reason  is  that 
the  girls  can  earn  more  elsewhere  with 
their  nights  off.  . . . There  appears  to  be 
no  shortage  of  product  here  as  many  ex- 
hibitors claim.  Two  theatres  in  Vancouver 
and  a drive-in  in  the  Fraser  Valley  are  on 
a triple  bill  policy. 

Washington 

Mrs.  J.  E.  Fontaine,  wife  of  United 

Artists  sales  manager  J.  E.  Fontaine,  is 
recuperating  from  eye  surgery,  at  the 
Episcopal  Eye,  Ear  and  Throat  Hospital. 

. . . WOMPI  installed  its  new  officers  at 
ceremonies  in  the  Fairfax  Hotel.  . . . The 
Variety  Club  board  of  governors  will 
meet  July  2.  . . . Jack  Keegan,  recently 
sturned  from  overseas  where  he  was  with 
the  Army,  is  now  a civilian  again,  and  is 
working  at  Columbia  Pictures.  . . . Wine- 
land  Theatre  has  added  the  Hillside  drive- 
in  in  Maryland  to  its  chain.  . . . On  July 
1,  at  the  Washington  Hebrew  Congrega- 
tion Cemetery,  there  will  be  an  unveiling 
of  the  gravestone  for  Sidney  Lust,  former 
chief  barker  of  the  Variety  Club.  . . . 
Joseph  F.  Beattie,  director  of  motion  pic- 
tures for  the  Veterans  Adminstration  for 
the  past  20  years,  has  been  named  presi- 
dent of  the  Washington  Film  Council.  . . . 
Jake  Flax,  Republic  Pictures  branch  man- 
ager, is  celebrating  his  45th  anniversary 
in  the  motion  picture  business. 


32 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  JUNE  30,  1956 


An  International  Association  of  Motion  Picture  Showmen — Walter  Brooks , Director 


BRINGING  THEM  BACK  — to  the  Theatre 


SOMEONE  has  said,  that  when  we 
stopped  making  films  for  the  family, 
the  family  stopped  going  to  the 
movies.  And,  if  they  didn’t  stop  entirely — 
they  slowed  down.  The  family  group  are 
tired  of  sex  and  violence,  of  murder  and 
monsters,  of  sin  and  wickedness,  as  a 
theme  for  entertainment. 

Of  course,  the  violation  of  man’s  laws 
will  always  be  the  essence  of  drama.  But 
women,  particularly,  don’t  want  it  spread 
before  them  as  a daily  diet.  Perhaps  it  is 
too  close  to  life — and  they  seek  escape. 
But  if  we  are  losing  the  women,  it  could 
be  that  we  offend  them,  too  often. 

We  think  the  television  programs  have 
acquired  our  old  sense  of  what  it  takes  to 
appeal  to  women.  Recently,  on  CBS-TV’s 
Friday  night  program,  “Mama” — which 
has  been  lopped  off  the  General  Foods 
schedule  at  the  end  of  the  current  season 
— Peggy  Wood  made  a twenty-second  an- 
nouncement that  anyone  writing  in,  could 
have  a new  color  photo  of  the  “Mama” 
family.  Within  four  days,  they  had  50,000 
requests,  and  there  will  be  many  times 
that  number  as  this  is  written.  Perhaps  we 
are  not  the  only  ones  to  discount  the 
family  in  favor  of  the  Madison  Avenue 
business  and  social  clique. 

We  believe  that  “The  Hardy  Family” 
and  similar  films,  made  our  basic  audience 
for  the  movies — and  half  of  the  “imports” 
and  “sex”  films  now  current,  are  re- 
sponsible for  driving  the  family  away 
from  the  theatre.  It  may  have  been 
“corny”  in  the  estimation  of  our  so- 
phisticates, but  Heaven  save  us  from 
ever  having  to  associate  with  these  same 
sophisticates,  in  either  their  Hereafter,  or 
ours.  They  are  perverts  in  the  sense  that 
they  confuse  public  taste  with  their  own, 
which  is  uncommonly  vile. 

How  long  has  it  been  since  we’ve  had  a 
good  family-film  series?  We’ve  known, 
since  the  days  of  “The  Perils  of  Pauline” 
that  such  films  have  an  accumulative 
value,  which  piles  up,  issue  after  issue, 
week  after  week.  Are  we  going  to  permit 
television  to  absorb  all  of  this  accumula- 
tive benefit,  as  a matter  of  policy?  Of 


PROMOTION  PICTURES 

We've  always  liked  that  headline,  ever 
since  we  used  it  quite  a while  back,  on  a 
Round  Table  picture  page.  And,  it's  worth 
repeating  here,  as  a topic  of  discussion  in 
this  meeting.  There  are  pictures  coming  up, 
which  are  promotion  pictures  in  our  new 
dimensions,  new  color,  new  standards— and 
it  requires  a new  understanding  of  our  old 
showmanship  methods. 

The  old,  old  timers,  in  the  good  old  days, 
seldom  had  better  than  we  have  today,  with 
such  films  as  "Away  All  Boats"  or  "Toy 
Tiger"  from  Universal.  Both  of  these  are  ex- 
ploitation pictures,  and  the  promotion  is 
more  than  a promise— it  is  built  in,  with  the 
production.  The  United  States  Navy  is  au- 
thority for  the  statement  that  "Away  All 
Boats"  is  their  best  chance  for  cooperation, 
and  they  propose  to  prove  it,  in  practice. 

We  spoke  last  week  of  "The  King  and  I" 
—and  it  will  delight  you,  following 
"Carousel"  and  "Oklahoma"  as  one  of  the 
Rodgers  and  Hammerstein  "greats"  in 
theatrical  tradition.  Millions  are  waiting  to 
see  these  films— millions  more  than  have  ever 
seen  the  originals,  after  having  made  world 
history  as  theatrical  attractions.  You  don't 
know  how  lucky  you  are! 

This  week,  as  the  Round  Table  goes  to 
press,  we  are  going  to  New  Bedford  for 
the  world  premiere  of  "Moby  Dick."  We've 
already  seen  the  new  John  Huston-Warner 
Brothers'  picture,  and  reviewed  it,  for  Motion 
Picture  Daily,  in  their  issue  of  Wednesday, 
June  27th.  You'll  like  it! 


course,  we  want  the  biggest,  the  widest, 
the  best  of  pictures  in  our  new  dimensions 
— but  why  let  the  family  trade  wither  on 
the  vine,  while  we  are  seeking  pre-release 
values  at  advanced  prices?  Why  relinquish 
our  heritage  in  family  films  to  television 
which  offers  quantity  without  quality? 


WE’RE  GLAD  to  note  that  “Moby 
Dick”  will  open  in  New  York  at 
two  theatres — the  Criterion,  on 
Broadway,  and  the  Sutton,  on  the  more 
remote  but  fashionable  upper  East  Side. 
It  will  add  to  the  impact  of  opening  with- 
out reducing  the  length  of  the  run  in 
either  theatre.  The  Broadway  house  has  its 
following — who  don’t  even  know  where 
the  Sutton  is  located — and  the  uptown 
theatre,  with  its  smaller  seating  capacity 
and  social  clientele,  can  keep  a fine  pic- 
ture beyond  limits  set  by  downtown 
standards.  We  think  the  industry  could  do 
with  more  multiple  openings  of  this  order 
— and  fewer  saturation,  day-and-date 
runs  in  neighborhood  theatres  long  after 
the  premieres.  The  latter  practice  lessens 
the  “desire  to  see”  on  the  part  of  patrons 
who  appreciate  a choice.  “Moby  Dick”  has 
its  world  premiere  in  New  Bedford  in 
three  local  theatres — and  that  is  quite 
right,  for  the  town  will  be  on  edge,  and 
local  folks  should  have  a proper  chance  to 
take  part  in  the  festive  occasion.  We’ve 
seen  some  premieres  where  the  regular 
patrons  were  given  a run-around,  in  favor 
of  distinguished  guests,  and  we  didn’t 
blame  them  for  muttering  to  themselves. 


WASHINGTON  dispatches,  to  the  Motion 
Picture  Daily,  say  that  our  industry’s 
chances  for  tax  relief  in  1956  are  virtually 
nil.  Of  course,  the  final  decision  so  far  as 
this  session  of  Congress  is  concerned  will 
not  be  known  until  adjournment.  At  pres- 
ent the  politicians,  especially  those  up  for 
reelection,  are  anxious  to  get  back  home 
and  do  some  fence-mending  by  getting 
around  and  talking  with  as  many  of  their 
constituents  as  is  possible.  Sometimes 
there  are  surprises  in  the  last  days  of  a 
Congress  session.  Anyway  plans  must  be 
carried  forward  to  continue  the  fight 
against  the  admission  tax  at  the  national 
and  local  levels.  This  is  one  campaign  for 
the  theatre  manager  which  never  comes 
to  an  end.  No  victory  is  final  and  no  de- 
feat should  be  accepted  as  lasting. 

— Walter  Brooks 


MANAGERS’  ROUND  TABLE  SECTION,  JUNE  30, 


956 


33 


The  four  RKO  starlets  who  are  barnstorming 
for  “ The  First  Traveling  Saleslady ” are  es- 
corted by  Joe  Alexander,  manager  of  the  RKO 
Albee  theatre  in  Cincinnati,  with  their  little 
satchels  full  of  satisfying  promotion  for  the 
picture. 


Salesmen  Take 
To  the  Road 


Lucky  Squire,  famous  Santa  Claus, 
who  is  working  out  of  season  as  a travel- 
ing man  for  Universal’s  “Toy  Tiger,” 
visited  Charlotte,  I\.  C.,  where  he  is  under 
the  guiding  direction  of  Rill  Prim,  man- 
ager of  Stewart  & Everett’s  Manor 
theatre. 


Gil  Wilson,  famed  artist,  illustrates  his  lecture  on 
“ Moby  Dick”  to  an  audience  of  women  from  the  Phila- 
delphia Motion  Picture  Preview  Group,  as  the  first  stop 
on  his  26-city  tour  in  behalf  of  John  Huston’s  production 
for  Warner  Brothers.  He  will  carry  his  artistic  effort  and 
pleasant  personality  to  opinion  makers  in  advance  of  the 
picture,  as  a pre-selling  gesture  tvhich  is  in  keeping  tcith 
the  famous  classic  of  the  whaling  ships. 


William  C.  Johnson,  as- 
sistant manager  of  the 
Lyric  theatre,  Monrovia, 
California,  poses  with 
“Robby  the  Robot”  who 
gets  around  as  a salesman 
for  “ The  Forbidden  Plan- 
et” on  the  road. 


Miss  Luckie  Greco,  first 
member  of  the  Sal  Mineo 
fan  club  in  Philadelphia, 
signs  the  book  as  members 
enroll  for  the  Mastbaum 
theatre  engagement  of  Al- 
lied Artists’  “ Crime  in  the 
Streets.” 


34 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  JUNE  30.  1956 


RKO's  "First 

Traveling 

Saleslady " 

The  first  production  under  the  aegis  of 
the  new  RKO  management,  “The  First 
Traveling  Saleslady,”  will  be  advertised, 
exploited  and  publicized  nationally  at  the 
local  level  by  four  RKO  starlets  who  have 
embarked  on  a trans-continental  tour  in 
behalf  of  the  picture.  To  assure  the  fullest 
penetration  and  to  accomplish  a myriad 
of  local  tieups,  the  tour  is  conducted  with 
advance  preparation  and  escort  service 
throughout,  by  RKO’s  field  exploitation 
staff  in  18  cities. 

The  four  specially  selected  girls  were 
chosen  to  suit  the  promotion  puproses  of 
the  Jantzen  Company,  makers  of  fashion 
swim  wear,  who  are  the  sponsors  of  both 
national  and  local  tieups  for  cooperative 
advertising  and  local  exploitation,  along 
with  the  Chrysler  Corporation,  who  also 
have  an  interest  in  such  details  of  show- 
manship. The  theme  of  the  Jantzen  sales 
approach  is  the  great  contrast  in  their  line, 
from  the  days  of  “The  First  Traveling 
Saleslady”  down  to  the  present-day  fash- 
ions, and  the  girls  are  prepared  to  prove 
the  point,  or  points,  as  the  case  may  be. 
The  swimsuit  company  will  run  reciprocal 
cooperative  advertising  in  every  city,  using 
full-page  and  half-page  newspaper  space 
in  advance  and  with  playdates.  A long  list 
of  local  stores  will  participate.  Chrysler 
will  follow  a similar  plan,  featuring  the 
new  convertible  Plymouth.  Dave  Cantor, 
RKO’s  exploitation  manager,  launches  the 
campaign  and  his  field  staff  picks  up. 


RKO-Galahad  Deal  Set 
For  New  York  Films 

Daniel  T.  O’Shea,  president  of  RKO 
Radio  Pictures,  has  announced  the  sign- 
ing of  a contract  with  Galahad  Produc- 
tions, Inc.,  for  the  release  of  four  pictures 
annually  during  the  next  three  years. 
Galahad  Productions  is  headed  by  Himan 
Brown,  TV-radio  producer  and  president 
of  the  recently-finished  Production  Cen- 
ter, Inc.,  motion  picture  sound  stages  in 
Manhattan.  All  of  the  films  will  be  made 
entirely  in  New  York  using  acting  talent 
from  the  Broadway  stage  and  TV.  “We 
see  New  York  as  providing  a unique  op- 
portunity for  developing  young  talent,  as 
well  as  an  outstanding  source  of  top-quali- 
ty stars,”  Mr.  O’Shea  said.  He  referred  also 
to  the  recent  announcement  of  RKO’s 
stepped  up  studio  production  schedule — 
starting  eight  features  in  70  days — and  the 
Galahad  commitment  as  evidence  of 
“RKO’s  intense  desire  to  supply  the  pub- 
lic, through  their  local  exhibitors,  with  a 
sustained  array  of  the  kind  of  unequalled 
entertainment  which  only  the  motion  pic- 
ture theatre  screen  can  assure.” 


CONTENDERS  FOR 
QUIGLEY  AWARDS 

Finalists  at  the  end  of  the  Second  Quarter , June  30 , 1956 


STEVE  ALLEN 
Odeon,  Haney,  Canada 

MARK  ALLING 
Gold  en  Gate 
San  Francisco,  Cal. 

WILLIAM  H.  BELLE 
Laurelton, 

Laurelton,  N.  Y. 

SAM  J.  BERMAN 

St.  Thomas 

St.  Thomas,  Can. 

NACE  BERNERT 
Grand,  Astoria,  N.  Y. 

BRIAN  BINT 
Gaumont, 

Chorlton,  Eng. 

STAN  BROOKS 
Music  Box, 

Tacoma,  Wash. 

PETER  BUTTON 
Playhouse,  Bex  hi  1 1 , Eng. 

JIM  CAMERON 
Capitol 

Ft.  William,  Can. 

D.  M.  CAMPBELL 
Regal,  Stirling,  Eng. 

JOHN  D.  CLARK 
Odeon,  Halifax,  Eng. 

J.  J.  COLLINS 
State,  Melbourne,  Aust. 

TIFF  COOK 
Famous  Players 
Toronto,  Can. 

MAX  COOPER 
Cove,  Glen  Cove,  N.  Y. 

J.  Dl  BENEDETTO 
Poll,  Worcester,  Mass. 

CHARLIE  DOCTOR 
Capitol, 

Vancouver,  Can. 

LOU  EBSTEIN 
Broadway,  Astoria,  N.  Y. 

BILL  ELDER 
Warfield 

San  Francisco,  Cal. 

JIM  ESHELMAN 
Strand,  St.  Paul,  Minn. 

AL  FRANK 
First  National 
Yakima,  Wash. 

LEE  FRASER 
Bloomfield 
Birmingham,  Mich. 

MEL  GAITSKILL 
Paris,  Paris,  Ky. 

J.  A.  GALLACHER 
Regal 

Kilmarnock,  Scotland 

ARNOLD  GATES 
State,  Cleveland,  O. 

A.  I.  GARDNER 
Le  Rose 

Jeffersonville,  Ind. 


CHARLES  GAUDINO 
Poli,  Springfield,  Mass. 

DON  GAULD 
Odeon 

Ft.  William,  Can. 

ELAINE  GEORGE 
Star,  Heppner,  Ore. 

SAM  GILMAN 
State,  Syracuse,  N.  Y. 

AL  GODDARD 
Park  Plaza,  New  York 

ROBERT  GOSS 
Odeon,  Sale,  Eng. 

T.  F.  GRAZIER 
Arcade, 

Darlington,  Eng. 

HARRY  GREAVES 
Winter  Garden 
Brisbane,  Australia 

NED  GREENE 
Legion,  Mayfield,  Ky. 

ROBERT  L.  HANDLEY 
Penway,  Harrisburg,  Pa. 

JAMES  J.  HAYES 
The  Cinema 
Buffalo,  N.  Y. 

D.  M.  HEATLIE 
Regal,  Aberdeen,  Scot. 

BILL  HENDLEY 
Majestic 
Gettysburg,  Pa. 

FRANK  HENSON 
State,  St.  Louis,  Mo. 

HARRY  HOMENIUK 
Palace,  Galt,  Can. 

EDDIE  HOOD 
Valencia,  Macon,  Mo. 

SAM  HORWITZ 
Harbor,  Brooklyn,  N.  Y. 

VERN  HUNTSINGER 
Gopher,  Minneapolis 

MEL  JOLLEY 
Century,  Hamilton,  Can. 

WM.  C.  JOHNSON 
Lyric,  Monrovia,  Calif. 

C.  JONES 

Plaza,  Southampton,  Eng. 

DAVID  KAPLAN 
Trans-Lux,  Boston,  Mass. 

AL  KELIHER 

Roxy,  Tacoma,  Wash. 

SID  KLEPER 
College, 

New  Haven,  Conn. 

A.  LA  HAYE 
Gaumont, 

Camden  Town,  Eng. 

BYRON  D.  LAMB 
Odeon,  Manchester,  Eng. 

WILLIAM  LAURY 
Oswego,  Oswego,  N.  Y. 


FRANK  LAWSON 
Odeon,  Danforth,  Can. 

NORMAN  LEE 
Ritz,  London,  Eng. 

ED  LINDER 

Villa,  Rockville,  Md. 

KENNETH  B.  LLOYD 
Gaumont, 

Southport,  Eng. 

A.  LOEWENTHAL 
Ward,  New  York 

J.  TAPKE  LOKENBERG 
Asta,  Hague,  Holland 

JOHN  LONGBOTTOM 
Odeon, 

Middlesbrough,  Eng. 

TONY  MASELLA 
Palace,  Meriden,  Conn. 

LAWRENCE  MASON 
Arcade, 

Waynesboro,  Pa. 

NAT  MATTHEWS 
Ritz,  London,  Eng. 

AL  MESKIS 

Warner,  Milwaukee,  Wis. 

GENE  MOULAISON 
Loew's,  Canton,  O. 

S.  V.  MURDOCH 
Gaumont, 

Liverool,  Eng. 

HARRY  MURRAY 
Gaumont,  London,  Eng. 

D.  L.  NICHOLSON 
Metro, 

Johannesburg,  Africa 

GEORGE  R.  NORTON 
Lee,  Lee,  Mass. 

BUD  OWEN 

Rivoli,  La  Crosse,  Wis. 

M.  H.  PARKER 
Strand,  Erie,  Pa. 

ALLAN  PERKINS 
Roxy,  Midland,  Can. 

GEORGE  PETERS 
Loew's,  Richmond,  Va. 

EUGENE  PLESHETTE 
Paramount,  Brooklyn 

LESTER  POLLOCK 
Loew's,  Rochester,  N.  Y. 

BILL  PRIMM 

Manor,  Charlotte,  N.  C. 

C.  A.  PURVES 
Astra 

Gainsborough,  Eng. 

ROBERT  M.  RICHARDS 
Majestic 

Melbourne,  Australia 

TED  C.  RODIS 
Astoria,  Astoria,  N.  Y. 

MORRIS  ROSENTHAL 
Poli,  New  Haven,  Conn. 


FRED  ROSS 
Guild 

Crystal  City,  Texas 

MAX  RUBIN 
Paramount, 

Syracuse,  N.  Y. 

W.  S.  SAMUELS 
Texas,  Dallas,  Tex. 

F.  B.  SCHLAX 
Kenosha,  Kenosha,  Wis. 

IRVING  SCHMETZ 
Forest  Hills 
Forest  Hills,  N.  Y. 

RUSS  SCHMIDT 
Tacoma  Theatres 
Tacoma,  Wash. 

FARRIS  SHANBOUR 
Plaza 

Oklahoma  City,  Okla. 

S.  C.  SHINGLES 
Odeon,  S.  Harrow,  Eng. 

J.  SIMPSON 
State,  Kilburn,  Eng. 

JOHN  L.  SMITH 
Ritz,  Edinburgh,  Scot. 

ROBERT  SOLOMON 
Victoria,  New  York 

SOL  SORKIN 
Keith's,  Syracuse,  N.  Y. 

MURRAY  SPECTOR 
Central, 

Jersey  City,  N.  J. 

EVAN  THOMPSON 
Fox,  Hackensack,  N.  J. 

JOE  TOLVE 
Capitol 

Port  Chester,  N.  Y. 

BILL  TRAMBUKIS 
State,  Providence,  R.  I. 

ALAN  TUCKER 
Plaza, 

Southampton,  Eng. 

WILLIAM  WALLOS 
Mid-City  Outdoor 
Kenosha,  Wsc. 

L.  G.  WEBSTER 
Savoy, 

Northampton,  Eng. 

G.  C.  WILLIAMS 
Regent,  Chatham,  Eng. 

WILLIAM  G.  WILSON 
Regal,  London,  Eng. 

WILLIAM  WIRT 
Palace,  Albany,  N.  Y. 

T.  A.  WRIGHT 
Regal,  Birmingham,  Eng. 

ZEVA  YOVAN 
Midland, 

Kansas  City,  Mo. 

NEIL  YUCKERT 
Rialto,  Tacoma,  Wash. 


MANAGERS'  ROUND  TABLE  SECTION,  JUNE  30,  1956 


35 


$5,000  IN  PRIZES  FOR  Ford  Contest 
18  THEATRE  MANAGERS  For  Drive-In 


The  most  exciting  contest  for  theatre 
managers  ever  staged  in  film  industry  is 
now  under  way,  for  United  Artists  and 
various  commercial  sponsors,  to  find  “Miss 
Exquisite  Form  of  1957.”  This  is  the  na- 
tion-wide contest  which  was  conducted 
so  successfully  last  year,  under  the  direc- 
tion of  Lige  Brien,  UA’s  special  events 
manager,  but  is  now  fortified  with  addi- 
tional prizes  for  managers  who  participate, 
and  is  bigger  and  better  in  every  way. 

There  will  be  nine  prizes  for  theatre 
men  in  both  large  and  small  situations, 
duplicated  to  give  all  managers  an  even 
break.  Top  prize  in  each  group  will  be  a 
$1,000  savings  bond;  second  prize,  $500; 
third  prize,  $300;  fourth  prize,  $200  and 
five  additional  $100  bonds  for  runners  up 
in  each  class.  We  admire  the  policy  of 
making  the  awards  available  to  big  cities 
and  small  towns,  on  an  equal  basis.  The 
application  blank,  for  managers  who  wish 
to  take  part  in  the  contest,  is  printed  in 
the  “Trapeze”  pressbook  and  no  where 
else!  The  promotion  is  for  the  Hecht-Lan- 
caster  picture,  now  in  its  early  runs. 

Local  Prizes  Promoted 

That,  of  course,  is  only  the  beginning  of 
the  story.  There  will  be  2500  local  con- 
tests, to  find  “Miss  Exquisite  Form” — a 
type  of  beauty  contest  that  is  always  popu- 
lar and  successful  in  film  theatres.  And 
the  company  has  arranged  an  inventory  of 
25,000  local  prizes,  an  average  of  ten  in 
each  situation,  to  be  given  to  these  win- 
ners on  your  own  grounds.  There  is  no 
rule  against  the  addition  of  further  local 
prizes  from  cooperative  sponsors  along 
your  own  Main  Street,  as  for  instance, 
your  newspaper  and  leading  stores.  But 
managers  are  not  asked  to  do  the  whole 
job,  alone — and  you  start  with  something 
attractive  enough  to  get  the  contest  roll- 
ing. We  suggest  that  a local  photographer 
be  enlisted  on  a cooperative  basis,  to  make 
pictures  for  your  lobby  display,  and  he 
will  profit  because  the  family  and  friends 
of  contenders  will  buy  additional  prints 
for  their  own  use. 

Copoerative  advertising,  from  national 
sources,  will  support  and  stimulate  a vast 
amount  of  newspaper  space,  window  dis- 
plays and  other  tieups,  as  suggested  in 
the  “Trapeze”  pressbook.  To  eager  beavers, 
this  will  only  “prime  the  pump”  and  bring 
forth  plenty  of  local  sponsorship  that  will 
add  to  your  chance  to  win.  There  is  an 
advertising  kit,  for  managers,  in  addition 
to  the  film  pressbook,  and  another  kit  for 
merchants,  sent  direct  to  stores. 

The  deal  is  to  find  18  regional  finalists, 
all  of  whom  will  be  winners  on  their  home 
grounds.  These  18  girls  will  be  flown  to 
New  York,  under  Lige  Brien’s  tender  care, 
and  will  have  a week  at  the  Vanderbilt 


Hotel,  all  expenses  paid.  From  the 
eighteen,  a top  winner  and  a number  of 
runners-up  will  share  in  the  grand  prizes, 
which  are  magnificent.  The  top  winner 
gets  a trip  to  Hollywood,  and  a screen 
test.  Runners-up  will  get  free  trips  to 
Europe,  Hawaii,  South  America,  a Rambler 
station  wagon,  a motor  boat,  a mink  coat 
and  five  other  grand  prizes.  This  is  what 
you  hold  out  as  incentive  to  your  prize 
winners,  who  take  the  honors  in  your 
town.  It  is  something  worth  working  for. 

Numerous  Sponsors 

Not  in  history  have  so  many  sponsors, 
on  both  the  national  and  local  levels,  been 
lined  up  to  take  part  in  a beauty  contest. 
It  makes  “Miss  America”  and  others  of 
similar  class,  seem  second-rate,  in  com- 
parison. Nash,  Hudson,  Dairy  Queen, 
United  Airlines,  Fedders  Air  Conditioners, 
Sunbeam  appliances,  swimsuits  and 
specialty  items,  are  all  arranged  for  you — 
plus  the  biggest  assortment  of  tieups  at 
the  lcoal  level  ever  dreamed  up  as  pro- 
motion for  a picture.  We  compliment 
United  Artists  for  a remarkable  incentive 
campaign  and  contest  for  showmanship. 
In  New  Orleans — Rodney  Toups,  of 
Loew’s  State  theatre,  has  already  placed 
his  advance  publicity,  and  the  contest  is 
under  way  in  New  York,  Los  Angeles, 
Cincinnati  and  elsewhere.  What’s  keeping 
you?  Nothing  stands  in  your  way  of  win- 
ning— and  UA  wants  to  see  the  small 
towns  well  represented.  We’ll  be  seeing 
the  results  of  your  efforts,  as  an  observer 
and  as  one  of  the  industry  judges. 


Steve  Allen,  manager  of  the  Odeon 
theatre,  Haney,  B.  C.,  wired  his  namesake 
in  New  York  to  congratulate  him  on  his 
part  in  “The  Benny  Goodman  Story,”  and 
when  he  received  a telegram  in  reply 
wishing  him  luck  with  the  pic'ture,  he  re- 
produced both  wires  in  a newspaper  ad. 


F.  B.  Schlax,  district  manager  for  Stand- 
and  Theatres  at  Kenosha,  Wisconsin,  sends 
a full-page  cooperative  advertisement  for 
the  “Kiddy  Koloring  Kontest”  at  the  Keno 
Family  Drive-In  under  his  direction,  which 
has  been  sponsored  by  the  local  Ford 
dealers.  There  are  150  prizes,  ranging  from 
a juvenile  Ford  “Thunderbird” — which  is 
a fancy  job,  powered  by  electricity,  and 
apparently  worth  a considerable  sum — 
down  through  an  assortment  of  bicycles 
and  toys.  The  merchants  furnished  all 
prizes,  except  for  100  pairs  of  passes  pro- 
vided by  the  theatre.  The  Ford  dealers 
paid  for  $645  worth  of  newspaper  adver- 
tising and  for  all  necessary  printing.  The 
theatre  pays  for  and  runs  a special  trailer, 
and  has  the  use  of  the  Ford  Thunderbird 
for  display  purposes  during  the  period  of 
the  contest.  The  coloring  subjects,  for  the 
most  part,  are  borrowed  from  various 
pressbooks  on  pictures  that  are  running, 
of  juvenile  interest.  The  promotion  is 
“costless,”  except  for  one  special  trailer. 


We’re  Equipped 
For  a "Safari" 

The  East  African  Bush  and  Panga  As- 
sociation, upon  due  consideration  of  merit, 
have  designated  the  Round  Table  as  a duly 
appointed  member  of  “Safari” — and  sent 
us  a nine-gallon  sun  helmet  to  wear  on 
the  occasion.  Via  Columbia  Pictures,  and 
signed  by  none  other  than  Janet  Leigh, 
herself,  we  are  authorized  to  organize, 
equip  and  guide  white  ’Bwanas  on  lion 
hunts,  to  shout  “Paci,  paci”  at  gun  bear- 
ers, to  locate  non-existent  water  holes  and 
acquire  a sun  tan — (by  not  wearing  the 
helmet!).  The  Warwick  Production,  which 
has  a mark  of  merit  from  British  studios, 
is  playing  at  Loew’s  State  theatre  on 
Broadway,  and  as  soon  as  we  can  take  a 
tuck  in  the  headband,  we’ll  safari  forth 
and  see  if  it  gets  us  in  the  theatre. 


Things  are  starting  early  for  the  world  premiere  of  Warner  Brothers'  "Moby  Dick  scheduled  at 
three  theatres  in  New  Bedford,  Mass.,  this  week,  with  a press  party  descending  on  the  port  as  part 
of  national  promotion.  Here,  three  cuties  are  plastered — with  cut-outs  to  mark  them  witn  the  sign 
of  the  whale — and  at  right  the  waiters  at  the  Jolly  Whaler  bar  rehearse  their  roles. 


36 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  JUNE  30,  1956 


Medina 


ina  ^rpprocic 


It 


D-DAY,  THE  SIXTH  OF  JUNE— 20th  Cen- 
tury-Fox. Cinemascope,  in  color  by  De- 
Luxe.  The  great  love  story  of  the  great 
war.  It  was  a time  to  remember,  and  a time 
to  forget  . . that  he  was  married  . . . that 
she  was  engaged  to  another  man!  It  was  a 
time  to  live  . . . and  now!  Robert  Taylor, 
Richard  Todd,  Dana  Wynter,  Edmond 
O’Brien,  in  a story  of  the  day,  and  the 
love,  that  seared  the  rim  of  Heaven  and 
Hell!  The  day  that  shook  the  world,  the 
love  that  flamed  between  gunfire  and  hell- 
fire.  24-sheet,  and  all  posters  accent  the 
romantic  side  of  the  great  day  when  the 
Allies  invaded  the  Normandy  Coast.  News- 
paper ad  mats  are  strong  and  in  wide 
variety,  from  very  large  to  special  teasers, 
and  the  Bantam  Book  has  a special  cam- 
paign, offering  this  paper-back  edition  at 
50^  with  publisher  and  distributor  co- 
operation. The  complete  campaign  mat  has 
eight  ad  mats  and  slugs,  two  publicity 
mats,  and  is  especially  well  selected  for 
small  situations.  Bombard  your  town  with 
the  explosive  heralds  on  this  picture  from 
Cato  Show  Print — and  order  them  blank, 
to  be  imprinted  by  a local  sponsor  who 
will  pay  the  whole  cost  and  distribute 
them  as  well.  You  can  afford  to  saturate 
your  town  with  these  heralds.  Special 
drive-in  section  in  the  pressbook  is  very 
good  advertising  help,  for  it  has  special 
mats  to  help  drive-in  theatres.  Stress  the 
fact  that  the  love  angle  dominates  the  pic- 
ture rather  than  the  story  of  the  war. 


U.F.O. — United  Artists.  For  the  first  time, 
the  truth  about  flying  saucers!  You  will 
see  them  with  your  own  eyes,  actual  color 
films  of  UNIDENTIFIED  FLYING  OB- 
JECTS— and  every  shocking  word,  every 
fantastic  scene,  every  frightening  moment 
is  true.  It  will  take  some  showmanship 
to  explain,  and  sell,  the  title  “U.F.O.”  but 
it  could  be  worth  it,  with  proper  handling. 
Some  members  of  the  Round  Table  have 
already  rolled  up  good  records  with  this 
unusual  science  film.  No  posters  larger 
than  the  3-sheet,  but  again  the  showman- 
ship herald  from  Cato  Show  Print  sells 
the  picture  with  all  the  right  approach. 
Buy  the  herald  blank  and  have  it  im- 
printed locally  with  the  sponsorship  of  a 
cooperative  advertiser.  There’s  an  inter- 
esting poll,  “Do  You  Believe  in  Flying 
Saucers?”  that  may  click  for  you,  and  spe- 
cial screenings  for  opinion  makers  are 
urged  in  the  pressbook,  to  encourage  news- 
paper publicity  and  word-of-mouth  ad- 
vertising. Newspaper  ad  mats  feature  the 
“true  facts”  angle,  and  the  composite  mat 
is  really  great — with  all  of  the  best  ads 
for  small  theatres  at  the  cost  of  one,  from 
National  Screen.  The  smart  showman  will 
give  this  a long,  lingering  look — and  then 
go  to  work  on  it. 


SAFARI — Columbia  Pictures.  Cinema- 
Scope,  in  Technicolor.  As  never  before,  all 
the  awesome  spectacle  and  savagery  of 
darkest  Africa.  Victor  Mature  and  Janet 
Leigh,  in  a new  picture  with  the  splendor 
and  pageantry  of  “King  Solomon’s  Mines.” 
Jungle  drama  unrivaled  in  all  screen  an- 
nals! Love-adventure  that  sets  the  Dark 
Continent  aflame!  24-sheet  and  all  posters 
feature  the  leading  players  in  typical 
African  settings  and  costume,  as  at- 
mospheric sales  approach.  Four-page  her- 
ald keys  your  campaign  with  a circus  flash 
of  jungle  drums.  Newspaper  ad  mats  in  all 
shapes  and  sizes  to  sell  “Safari”  as  one  of 
the  top  African  films,  produced  by  War- 
wick from  their  British  studios,  with 
American  stars.  You  can  promise  a picture 
that  delivers  the  story  and  settings  to 
perfection.  The  composite  ad  mat,  selling 
for  35^  at  National  Screen,  has  seven  one 
and  two-column  mats  and  slugs,  plus  two 
publicity  mats,  all  for  the  price  of  one 
ordinary  style.  The  pressbook  offers 
numerous  suggestions  for  “Safari”  as  a 
local  proposition. 


• 

THE  LEATHER  SAINT  — Paramount. 

VistaVision.  The  story  of  a fighting  priest 
who  leads  a double  life.  Not  since  “Going 
My  Way”  has  anything  like  it  come  your 
way!  Paul  Douglas,  John  Derek,  Jody 
Lawrance,  Cesar  Romero,  in  a story  of  the 
Saturday  night  fighter  who  had  a Sunday 
punch!  24-sheet  and  all  posters  strong 
with  pictorial  art  for  your  lobby  and 
marquee  display.  You  can  make  these  up 
to  fit  your  necessity,  and  your  ingenuity. 
Folder  herald  sells  the  idea  of  the  picture 
in  condensed  form.  Newspaper  ad  mats 
are  up  to  the  high  standard  of  Paramount’s 
pressbooks,  and  that  means  plenty  to 
choose  from,  in  all  sizes  and  shapes,  with 
a difference  in  style  to  stand  out  as  con- 
trast with  things  you’ve  done  recently. 
The  complete  campaign  mat  is  a bargain 
for  small  theatres,  with  nine  ad  mats  and 
slugs,  and  a publicity  mat,  for  35<?  at  Na- 
tional Screen.  Pressbook  suggests  that  a 
manager’s  letter  which  recommends  the 
picture  over  his  signature  will  pay  off 
with  opinion  makers. 


YOU  GIT 
TOP  QUALITY 
FILMS,  TOO) 


FOR  THE  BEST 
AND  FASTEST 

SPECIAL 

TRAILERS! 

Let  FILMACK  make 


CHICAGO,  ILL. 

NEW  YORK,  N.Y. 

1327  S.  WABASH 

341  W.  44th  ST. 

. . . Timely  news  supplementing  the 
speeial  monthly  department  covering 
all  phases  of  refreshment  service. 


New  Posts  for 
Canada  Dry 

In  a move  “designed  to  centralize  its 
marketing  approach”  Canada  Dry  Ginger 
Ale,  Inc.,  has  created  several  new  execu- 
tive positions  and  extended  the  adminis- 
trative functions  of  others  to  cover  both 
company-owned  and  licensed  bottler  sales 
operations,  according  to  an  announcement 
by  Roy  W.  Moore,  Jr.,  recently-elected 
executive  vice-president  and  general  man- 
ager. 

Ralph  Nims  has  been  appointed  vice- 
president  of  marketing,  Mr.  Moore  said, 
and  James  W.  Ellis  named  vice-president 
of  sales.  Mr.  Nims  will  be  administrative 
coordinator  of  merchandising,  sales,  ad- 
vertising and  licensing,  while  Mr.  Ellis 
will  be  responsible  for  developing  sales 
nationally,  through  both  company-owned 
and  licensed  plants. 

Mr.  Nims  was  formerly  vice-president 
and  national  sales  manager  for  company- 
owned  plants.  Mr.  Ellis  was  previously  in 
charge  of  Canada  Dry’s  U.  S.  license  de- 
partment, which  now  will  be  headed  by 
C.  Richard  Bayles. 

Also  appointed  to  newly  created  posts  as 
assistants  to  the  general  manager  were 
L.  S.  Saylor,  formerly  assistant  national 
sales  manager,  and  Allen  W.  Walz,  who 
previously  was  operations  manager  for  the 
company’s  Philadelphia  division. 


Bunte  Readies  Candy 
For  Halloween  Trade 

The  return  of  the  “Bunte  Pippin,”  a 
molded  chocolate  candy  filled  with  a 
chocolate  pudding  cream  center,  to  its 
1956  Halloween  line  has  been  announced 
by  Bunte  Brothers  Chase  Candy  Company, 
Chicago.  This  specialty,  which  Bunte 
Brothers  produced  for  years,  has  been  off 
the  market  “because  of  the  high  cost  of 
manufacturing,”  it  was  explained.  The 
“Pippin  Pumpkin”  and  “Pippin  Turkey” 
will  be  available  for  shipment  in  Septem- 
ber, if  the  weather  permits,  it  was  stated, 
and  other  seasonal  “Pippin”  specialties 
will  follow.  All  “Pippin”  items  will  be 
available  in  a seven-count  window  pack- 
age for  self-service  merchandising,  a one- 
pound  package  and  the  60-count  box. 


MANAGERS'  ROUND  TABLE  SECTION,  JUNE  30,  1956 


37 


CLASSIFIED  ADVERTISING 


Fifteen  cents  per  word,  money-order  or  check  with  copy.  Count  initials,  box  number  and  address.  Minimum  insertion  $1-50. 
Four  insertions  for  price  of  three.  Contract  rates  on  application.  No  border  or  cuts.  Forms  close  Mondays.  Publisher  re- 
serves right  to  reject  any  copy.  Film  and  trailer  advertising  not  accepted.  Classified  advertising  not  subject  to  agency 
commission.  Address  copy  and  checks:  MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  Classified  Dept.,  Rockefeller  Center,  New  York  (20) 


THEATRES 


ACCOUNT  ILLNESS.  900  SEAT  BEAUTIFUL 
second  run  theatre  city,  80,000  population.  Fine  equip- 
ment. doing  good  business.  Six  thousand  cash  or 
terms.  Responsible  party.  Located  Atlanta  Exchange 
area.  CAPITAL  CITY  SUPPLY.  161  Walton  St. 
Atlanta,  Ga. 


HELP  WANTED 


WANTED— THEATRE  MANAGERS.  EXPERI- 

enced.  Exploitation-Minded.  For  key  and  neighbor- 
hood houses.  Pittsburgh  and  surrounding  territories. 
Write  in  detail  to  Charles  Comar,  Personnel  Manager, 
STANLEY  WARNER  THEATRE,  2217  Clark  Build- 
ing, Pittsburgh,  Pa. 


MANAGER  FOR  LARGE  FIRST-RUN  THEATRE, 
live  metropolitan  area  just  outside  New  York  City ; 
experienced  in  exploitation  and  promotion ; aggres- 
sive circuit.  BOX  2925,  MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD. 


DRIVE-IN  EQUIPMENT 


CURLEY  SPEAKER  CORDS,  STRETCH  8’.  THREE 
conductors  of  #22  wire.  Government  surplus.  Case 
lot  of  200  at  $100  per  case.  Samples,  $1.00.  HARRY 
BERNS,  SO  Winder  St.,  Detroit  1,  Mich. 


IN-CAR  SPEAKERS  $4.25  ! YEAR  WARRANTY.  4" 
unit,  steel  case  painted  blue-white.  Price  per  set  2 
speakers,  junction  box,  $12.25.  S.O.S.  CINEMA  SUP- 
PLY CORP.,  602  W.  52nd  St.,  New  York  19. 


VENTILATING  EQUIPMENT 

PEAT  THE  HEAT  BUT  NOT  THESE  PRICES! 
Bp  llbearinsr  Bucketblade  Exhaust  Fans  12”,  $25.50: 
16”,  $37.50;  18”,  $45.  Prompt  deliveries  Blowers  and 
Airwashers.  Send  for  details.  S.O.S.  CINEMA  SUP- 
PLY CORP.,  602  W.  52nd  St.,  New  York  19. 


WANTED  TO  BUY 


THEATRE  CARPET,  PAIR  60  AMPERE 
lamps,  changeable  letter  sign.  BOX  395,  Rochester, 
N.  Y. 


NEW  EQUIPMENT 


INTERMITTENT  MOVEMENTS— NEW  SURPLUS 
for  Simplex  $69.50;  DeVry  $59.50;  Holmes  $24.50.  Au- 
tomatic enclosed  rewinds  $69.50.  S.O.S.  CINEMA 
SUPPLY  CORP.,  602  W.  52nd  St.,  New  York  19. 


BOOKS 


RICHARDSON’S  BLUEBOOK  OF  PROJECTION. 
New  8th  Edition.  Revised  to  deal  with  the  latest  tech- 
nical developments  in  motion  picture  projection  and 
sound,  and  reorganized  to  facilitate  study  and  refer- 
ence. Includes  a practical  discussion  of  Television 
especially  prepared  for  the  instruction  of  theatre  pro- 
jectionists. and  of  new  techniques  for  advancement  of 
the  art  of  the  motion  picture.  The  standard  textbook 
on  motion  picture  projection  and  sound  reproduction. 
Invaluable  to  beginner  and  expert.  Best  seller  since 
1911.  662  pages,  cloth  bound,  $7.25  postpaid.  QUIGLEY 
BOOKSHOP,  1270  Sixth  Avenue,  New  York  20,  N.  Y. 


SAVE  MONEY,  PREVENT  WASTE,  PUT  THE 
Master  Guide  To  Theatre  Maintenance  in  the  hands 
of  your  managers  and  assistant  managers.  Costs  $5.00 
— could  save  you  a thousand  times  as  much.  QUIG- 
LEY BOOKSHOP,  1270  Sixth  Avenue,  New  York 
20,  N.  Y. 


POPCORN 


WORLD-WIDE  HEADQUARTERS  FOR  POP- 
corn,  popcorn  equipment  and  supplies.  POPCORN 
VILLAGE,  Nashville,  Tenn.,  U.S.A. 


USED  EQUIPMENT 


H.I.  LAMPHOUSES  GALORE!  PEERLESS  MAG- 
narcs,  $395  pr. ; Strong  Mogul,  Brenkert  Enarc,  Forest 
U.T.,  Ashcraft,  Ballantyne,  $300 — all  good  condition. 
Available  on  Time.  S.O.S.  CINEMA  SUPPLY  CORP.. 
602  W.  52nd  St..  New  York  19. 


EXCELLENT  COATED  PROJECTION  LENSES— 
many  brand  new ! Wollensak,  “Sunray”  Series  I.  2", 
3",  3y2",  3%",  5",  5%",  6",  7%",  $35.00  pair.  Super- 
lite  Series  III  "C”  coated  2%",  3”,  3L4",  $150  pr. 
Others  available,  tell  us  your  needs.  Trades  Taken. 
Wire  or  telephone  order  today.  S.O.S.  CINEMA  SUP- 
PLY CORP.,  602  W.  52nd  St.,  New  York  19. 


SAVINGS  GALORE  AT  STAR!  HERTNER 
70/140  generator,  reconditioned,  $595  ; magnarc  lamp- 
houses,  rebuilt  like  new,  $515;  Series  I lenses,  4", 
only  $9.50  pair ; thousands  of  other  tremendous  bar- 
gains ; what  do  you  need?  STAR  CINEMA  SUP- 
PLY, 621  W.  55th  St.,  New  York  19. 


STUDIO  EQUIPMENT 


HALLEN  SYNCHRONOUS  17V2MM  RECORDER. 
B22,  value  $1950,  excellent  $495  ; Neumade  RK-102 
Film  Racks,  hold  102,  1000'  reels,  originally  $165. 
new  $87.50  ; Arriflex  II  35mm  camera  complete,  $2000 
value,  $1195;  Arriflex  Cinekad  Blimp,  w/follow  focus, 
$995  ; Amer.  Cinematographers  Handbook,  Vz  price, 
$2.50;  Bridgamatic  Jr.  16mm  Automatic  Processor, 
$1500  value,  $975  ; Maurer  16  Camera,  lens,  2 mag- 
azines, synemotor,  12V  motor  w/battery,  all  cases, 
complete  $2395  ; Moviola  35mm  composite  sound/pic- 
ture, $495.  S.O.S.  CINEMA  SUPPLY  CORP.,  602  W. 
52nd  St.,  New  York  19. 


Arthur  Dent 
Dies  at  69 

LONDON : Maurice  Arthur  Dent,  69,  one 
of  the  true  motion  picture  pioneers  of 
Great  Britain,  died  here  at  his  home  Mon- 
day night  following  a heart  attack.  Mr. 
Dent  introduced  the  late  John  Maxwell, 
father  of  the  present  Associated  British 
Picture  Corporation,  to  the  industry  and 
assisted  in  the  production  of  Alfred  Hitch- 
cock’s “Blackmail,”  acclaimed  as  one  of 
the  first  great  talkies. 

After  studying  for  the  ministry,  Mr.  Dent 
became  an  actor  and  in  1914  distribution 
manager  in  Scotland  for  Famous  Players 
Feature  Film  Company.  In  1919  he  became 
managing  director  of  Waverly  Films,  Ltd., 
and  later  founder-director  of  Associated 
British  Picture  Corporation,  and  managing 
director  of  Wardour  Films,  Ltd. 

Mr.  Dent  also  was  one  of  the  founders 
of  the  Scottish  Cinema  Trade  Benevolent 
Fund,  the  Cinema  Club  of  Glasgow,  and 
served  as  chaplain  of  Ainima  Lodge  of 
Scotland  He  was  a vice-president  of  the 
Kinematograph  Renters  Society,  resign- 
ing in  1943.  He  later  became  managing 
director  of  Advance  Films,  producing  or- 
ganization, and  Adelphi  Films. 


Boris  Vermont  Dies ; 

Famed  Documentarian 

Boris  Vermont,  53,  well-known  motion 
picture  documentarian,  died  June  25  at 
Mount  Sinai  Hospital  following  a brief 
illness.  At  the  time  of  his  death,  Mr.  Ver- 
mont was  chief  of  the  department  hand- 
ling foreign  versions  for  20th  Century- 
Fox.  It  was  his  responsibility  to  translate 
American  films  into  the  versions  seen  in 
many  foreign  countries.  He  was  once  an 
independent  film  producer  in  Europe  with 
headquarters  in  Paris  and  was  also  for 
a time  a producer  of  documentary  films. 
As  an  independent  producer,  he  also 
created  the  first  anti-Nazi  film,  ‘YThe 
World  in  Arms,”  in  1937.  He  came  to  the 
United  States  in  1942.  In  October,  1947, 
he  joined  20th  Century-Fox’s  Internation- 
al Corporation  headed  by  Murray  Silver- 
stone.  He  received  an  Oscar  in  1952  for 
his  film  on  Vermeer,  “The  Light  in  the 
Window.”  He  is  survived  by  his  wife, 
Mildred,  a son,  Peter,  and  a brother,  Al- 
berto. 


Manning  J.  Glick,  68 

CLEVELAND:  Manning  J.  Glick,  68,  vet- 
eran film  salesman,  died  here  June  23. 
Prior  to  his  death  he  had  been  for  more 
than  ten  years  a member  of  the  20th-Fox 


sales  personnel,  and  prior  to  that  had 
been  with  Columbia  sales.  In  the  film  in- 
dustry 40  years,  Mr.  Glick  at  one  time 
owned  theatres  in  Dennison  and  Ulrichs- 
ville,  Ohio.  He  leaves  a wife,  son  and 
brother. 


David  S.  Nelson 

David  S.  Nelson,  64,  proprietor  of  the 
State  theatre  in  O’Fallon,  Illinois,  died  of 
a heart  attack  at  his  home  June  22.  He 
was  a former  manager  of  the  Wellston, 
McNair  and  Maplewood  theatres  in  Mis- 
souri. Surviving  are  his  widow,  his  mother 
and  a brother. 


Cinerama  Theatre 
Opens  in  Venezuela 

Harry  M.  Kalmine,  vice-president  and 
general  manager  of  Stanley  Warner  Cor- 
poration, has  announced  the  signing  of  a 
contract  for  the  opening  of  the  first  Cine- 
rama theatre  in  the  Spanish-speaking 
world,  the  Teatro  Del  Este  in  Caracas, 
Venezuela.  The  Spanish-speaking  world 
premiere,  with  “This  Is  Cinerama”  as  the 
opening  presentation,  will  take  place  Sep- 
tember 13  and  will  be  attended  by  an 
elite  audience  of  the  top  Latin  American 
figures  in  politics,  industry  and  finance. 


38 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  JUNE  30,  1956 


FILM  BUYERS  RATING 


Film  buyers  of  independent  circuits  in  the  U.  S.  rate  current 
product  on  the  basis  of  its  performance  in  their  theatres.  This 
report  covers  83  attractions,  2,881  play  dates. 

Titles  run  alphabetically.  Numerals  refer  to  the  number  of 
engagements  on  each  attraction  reported.  The  tabtilation  is 
cumulative.  Dagger  (j)  denotes  attractions  published  for  the 
first  time.  Asterisk  (*)  indicates  attractions  which  are  listed 
for  the  last  time. 

EX  means  Excellent;  AA — Above  Average  AV — Average; 
BA — Below  Average;  PR — Poor. 


EX 

AA 

AV 

BA 

PR 

Alexander  the  Great  (U.A.) 

2 

1 



6 

1 

All  That  Heaven  Allows  (U-l) 

5 

28 

23 

20 

4 

Anything  Goes  (Par.) 

3 

4 

1 

1 1 

14 

Artists  and  Models  (Par.) 

10 

33 

19 

7 

2 

At  Gunpoint  (A.A.) 

— 

1 

12 

27 

3 

Backlash  (U-l) 

_ 

15 

3 

17 

3 

Battle  Stations  (Col.) 

— 

7 

2 

2 

1 

Benny  Goodman  Story,  The  (U-l) 

1 

12 

14 

29 

19 

Birds  and  the  Bees  (Par.) 

— 

5 

— 

2 

— 

f Blackjacic  Ketchum  Desperado  (Col.) 

— 

2 

— 

1 

5 

f Bold  and  the  Brave  (RKO) 

. . — 

4 

— 

1 

— 

Bottom  of  the  Bottle  ( 20 th- Fox ) 

— 

2 

12 

17 

26 

Carousel  (20th-Fox) 

1 

10 

3 

22 

12 

Comanche  (U.A.) 

— 

4 

1 

10 

19 

Come  Next  Spring  (Rep.) 

— 

1 

4 

10 

4 

Conquerer,  The  (RKO) 

17 

10 

1 1 

5 

— 

Court  Jester,  The  (Par.) 

— 

9 

8 

6 

9 

Court  Martial  of  Billy  Mitchell  (W.B.) 

1 

41 

28 

12 

1 

Creature  Walks  Among  Us  (U-l) 

— 

1 

3 

2 

1 

(D-Day  The  Sixth  of  June  ( 20th- Fox ) 

5 

1 

1 

Day  The  World  Ended  (A.R.C.) 

— 

21 

1 

1 

— 

Diane  (MGM) 

— 

— 

1 

8 

29 

Dig  That  Uranium  (A.A.) 

— 

4 

2 

— 

— 

Flame  of  the  Islands  (Rep.) 

1 

2 

7 

3 

Forbidden  Planet  (MGM) 

1 

8 

1 1 

1 

5 

Forever  Darling  (MGM) 

7 

29 

30 

12 

8 

Fury  at  Gunsight  Pass  (Col.) 

— 

1 

3 

2 

2 

Glory  (RKO) 

1 

3 

7 

9 

9 

Goodbye,  My  Lady  (W.B.) 

— 

5 

2 

5 

— 

Guys  and  Dolls  (MGM) 

20 

8 

4 

3 

4 

Harder  They  Fall,  The  (Col.) 

1 

9 

10 

Helen  of  Troy  (W.B.) 

— 

7 

28 

5 

12 

Hell  on  Frisco  Bay  (W.B.) 

— 

8 

12 

1 1 

26 

t Hi  Ida  Crane  (20th-Fox) 

— 

— 

— 

— 

5 

Hot  Blood  (Col.) 

— 

1 

6 

6 

4 

I'll  Cry  Tomorrow  (MGM) 

1 1 

26 

7 

1 

Indian  Fighter  (U.A.) 

— 

13 

28 

14 

6 

Inside  Detroit  (Col.) 

— 

— 

1 

5 

2 

Invasion  of  the  Body  Snatchers  (A.A.) 

— 

1 

2 

6 

19 

EX 

AA 

AV 

BA 

PR 

Jubal  (Col.) 

— 

7 

1 

4 

— 

Kettles  in  the  Ozarlcs  (U-l) 



10 

13 

16 

3 

Kismet  (MGM) 

— 

4 

17 

22 

26 

Last  Frontier  (Col.) 



3 

18 

20 

7 

Last  Hunt,  The  (MGM) 

— 

3 

19 

23 

7 

Lawless  Street  (Col.) 

1 

7 

15 

5 

1 

Lieutenant  Wore  Skirts,  The  (20th-Fox) 

— 

10 

30 

25 

3 

Littlest  Outlaw  (B.V.) 

5 

13 

10 

8 

22 

Lone  Ranger,  The  (W.B.) 

9 

27 

10 

7 

2 

Man  in  the  Gray  Flannel  Suit  ( 20th- Fox ) 

3 

4 

8 

3 

7 

(Man  Who  Knew  Too  Much  (Par.) 

1 

1 

2 

1 

— 

Man  Who  Never  Was  (20th-Fox) 

— 

18 

15 

1 

14 

Man  With  the  Golden  Arm  (U.A.) 

7 

20 

22 

14 

— 

(Maverick  Queen,  The  (Rep.) 

— 

— 

— 

4 

1 

Meet  Me  in  Las  Vegas  (MGM) 

2 

15 

5 

7 

5 

Miracle  in  the  Rain  (W.B.) 

— 

5 

5 

17 

25 

Never  Say  Goodbye  (U-l) 

....  — 

19 

6 

10 

15 

On  the  Threshold  of  Space  (20th-Fox) 



2 

7 

1 1 

15 

Our  Miss  Brooks  (W.B.) 

— 

— 

9 

6 

9 

Picnic  (Col.) 

19 

24 

12 

1 

— 

Quentin  Durward  (MGM) 

— 

— 

5 

12 

26 

Rains  of  Ranchipur,  The  ( 20th- Fox ) 



9 

34 

30 

10 

Ransom  (MGM) 

1 

2 

21 

18 

12 

Red  Sundown  ( U-l ) 

....  — 

8 

6 

8 

3 

Revolt  of  Mamie  Stover  ( 20th- Fox ) 

....  — 

8 

1 

— 

— 

Rock  Around  the  Clock  (Col.) 

6 

8 

10 

1 

— 

Rose  Tattoo,  The  (Par.) 

1 1 

9 

15 

9 

4 

Running  Wild  (U-l) 

3 

16 

6 

2 

— 

(Screaming  Eagles  (A.A.) 



1 

1 

2 

1 

Searchers,  The  (W.B.) 

2 

4 

2 

— 

— 

Second  Greatest  Sex  (U-l) 

— 

9 

9 

18 

8 

Serenade  (W.B.) 

— 

1 

— 

6 

9 

Shack  Out  on  101  (A.A.) 

— 

4 

9 

1 

2 

Slightly  Scarlet  (RKO) 

...  — 

2 

4 

4 

7 

Spoilers,  The  (U-l) 

1 

12 

17 

18 

4 

Square  Jungle  (U-l ) 

...  — 

1 

1 

1 1 

37 

Swan,  The  (MGM) 

— 

10 

4 

5 

1 

Tarantula  (U-l) 

2 

14 

5 

6 

— 

Target  Zero  (W.B.) 

— 

2 

5 

3 

4 

There's  Always  Tomorrow  (U-l) 

— 

— 

8 

7 

25 

Three  Bad  Sisters  (U.A.) 

— 

4 

3 

1 

— 

Tribute  to  a Bad  Man  (MGM) 

— 

5 

2 

7 

13 

Trouble  With  Harry  (Par.) 

10 

6 

1 1 

10 

1 

Uranium  Boom  (Col.) 

...  — 

— 

— 

3 

3 

World  in  My  Corner  (U-l) 

. 



4 

14 

26 

o 


* msn  ^i„  w » — n 


Here  are  specially  pro- 
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Shows;  and  Sell  your 
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at  low  cost ...  or  have  us 
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You  can  put  more 
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TEREST in  your  theatre 
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mem  sown* 

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' . ! 

NAME  OF 

PH 

\ ADVERTISER 

it 

••••• 

Courtesy  of  the 
Margaret  Herrick  Library 

Academy  of  Motion  Picture  Arts  and 

Sciences 


Coordinated  by  the 
Media  History  Digital  Library 
www.mediahistoryproject.org 


Funded  by  a donation  from 
John  McElwee