Boxoffice-October.01.1955

1 23).
I
Movies vs. the Stage
Subject of Debate
NEW VOliK— Kcpii-.'.ciitaUvo ul the film
industry and the stage hit at eacli other
Tuesday i27> on the question of the relative
merits of the two eiuertainmeiu media. The
occasion was the annual luncheon of the
Film Estimate Board of National Organizations
at the Hot*l Gotham. The FEBNO
represents 40.000.000 American women, reviews
films and through the Motion Picture
Assn of America publishes joint estimates of
current entertainment filins. widely known
as "the green sheet."
HoUls Alport, film critic of the Saturday
Review of Literature, termed films a major
theatrical form and one superior to the contemporary
theatre. Lawrence Langner. coadministrator
of the Theatre Guild, called
the statement "absurd." He said many of the
best films are made from stage plays, that if
the stage ever went out of existence the fllm.s
and television would have to revive it by
subsidy to obtain material, that the films
can't "speak their minds on controversial
subjects" as the stage can do. that they have
yet to develop enough topflight writers and
that "the great men of literature do not write
for the movies."
Bosley Crowther. New York Times critic,
held that the two are different media and
that both should subscribe to the "theory of
live and let live." He said the greate.=;t films
have been "created" and not made from plays,
called the medium "the most respected" in
the world and noted its contributions to world
understanding.
Norris Houghton of the Phoenix Theatre.
off-Broadway group, said he couldn't take
issue with the "quantitative decline of the
theatre and the rise of the movies." and
accused the theatre of not having met the
challenge of "an upstart system." He said
no widescreen could bring the players into the
presence of an audience as the theatre does.
Arthur Kennedy, director-producer in both
media, said actors preferred playing in the
theatre but realized that Hollywood offered
"economic well-being." Don Mankiewicz.
script writer, called it unfair to say the level
of screen writing was low.
Others on the dais were Mrs. Jesse Bader
of the Motion Picture Protestant Council.
Ralph Hetzel jr., vice-president of the Motion
Picture Ass'n of America: Mrs. Henry Daw.son
of the MPAA Community Relations Department,
Dr. Sigmund Spaeth of the National
Federation of Music Clubs, and Mrs. Herbert
Langner, Mrs. Louis Alexander and Miss Irene
Gould of the American Jewi.^h Committee.
'Peacemaker' Stars Set
HOLLYWOOD—Producer Hal R. MakeUm
uiked James Mitchell and Rosemarie Bowe to
co-star in 'The Peacemaker," his first film
under the Makelim plan of releasing directly
to exhibitors on pre-sold contracts. Based on
a novel by Richard Poole, it will be filmed
in De Luxe Color, starting almost immediately.
Schaef er to Aid Bible Week
.NEW YORK—George Schaefer, president
of Selected Pictures, will act as the industry
representative for the observance of National
Bible Week, October 17-23. "Day of Triumph,"
a religious picture, was produced by Selected.
Hot Bingo Fight in N.Y.
As Exhibitor Plans Test
American Seating Post
Goes to P. R. Bialas
UHANU UAl'IUa V U. Blala.s has been
appointed sales service manager for American
Seating Co., Grand
Rapids, Mich, accord-
^^^^
^fl|P|i^ ing to J. J. Thompson,
^^^ ^^ the company's general
V J .sales manager.
"^'^ '^'-'^
^("-^ iBSSf
"^* position,
-T^^ ^Tj' Mr. Bialas will co-
•-
ordinate and manage
all of A m e r 1 c a n 's
public seating installation
activities ranging
from the complex
craftsmanship involved
in furnishing church
P. R. Bialas interiors, to bolting
down seats in a stadium or theatre," Thompson
said.
Prior to this, Bialas had been installation
manager for the company's eastern division.
He has been with American Seating Co. since
1947. During World War II he .served with
the infantry. The Bialas family will reside in
Grand Rapids.
Disney Describes New TV
Plans on Closed Circuit
NEW YORK—Walt Disney gave a description
of his new television program, Mickey
Mouse Club, which will go on the air five
afternoons a week starting October 3, over
a closed TV circuit to 82 stations on Friday
The program originated in New York
at the ABC-TV studios.
The purpose was to give 18 advertisers who
have paid $15,000,000 to sponsor the program
and other persons interested an opportunity
to hear the format explained.
Disney said it was his personal opinion that
the program would "revolutionize daytime
television." It will go on in each time zone
at 5 p.m. and run for an hour. One segment
will be the Mickey Mouse Club newsreel
the first quarter hour of the show on Monday,
Wednesday and Friday. Between 35 and 40
Disney cameramen will gather material for
this throughout the world.
Jiminy Cricket will take over as master of
ceremonies every other week. There also
will be a troupe of Mouseketeers, boys and
girls in singing and dancing specialties. The
third segment will be a serial. In this there
will be a 'What I Want to Be" series
Allied of Kentucky Sets
First Annual Meeting
LOUISVILLE. KY. The newly formed
Allied Theatre Owners of Kentucky will hold
Its first annual all-day meeting at the Seelbach
Hotel here October 18. All Kentucky
exhibitors have been Invited to attend and
to participate in the discussions of (Urn
prices, trade practices, COMPO, the federal
amusement tax and a film clinic. Officers
and directors will be elected to succeed those
appointed when the organization was formed.
NEW YORK- Bingo again has become ii
hot potato here and Is very much buck In the
news, with Mayor Robert P. Wagner declaring
It Ktlll illegal. whllc< having the
corporation coun.scl study a 1952 court of
appeals ruling; with Nassau County officials
Indicating they won't oppose the game and
with at least one theatre manager ready to
make a test In .somewhat hectic surroundings.
The court ruled In a Niagara Falls case
that bingo Is legal if played In connection
with entertainment for which admission Is
charged. Admission cannot be charged for
bingo alone. In the meantime, the legislature
has pa.ssed a bill calling for a referendum on
bingo and local option by 1958. Tills city has
a bin which would limit the game to operation
by church, charitable, veteran and welfare
groups, but It hasn't come up for a votf
CHANGE OF SITUA-nON
That was the situation early in the week.
It changed somewhat later when Peter Campbell
Brown, corporation counsel, ruled that
bingo might be legal. If played under the
terms of the 1952 court decision. He said
the three main elements of a lottery are
"chance, payment of a consideration for the
chance and a prize." He added that bingo
may be legal, if one of the elements of the
lottery is absent from Its operation. Then
he laid the matter in the lap of the police,
saying it was up to them to supply "a Judgment
as to the presence or absence of the
essential statutory elements of a lottery."
Mayor Wagner apparently will not object
to a test case, and that will be supplied by
Nat Renaud, manager of the Avenue U Theatre,
Avenue U and East 16th Street in Brooklyn.
Renaud said early in the week he will
test the legality of bingo. There was the
likelihood others will do likewise.
Renaud told BOXOFFICE that for .several
months three churches and a synagogue In
his neighborhood have been staging bingo
games to the detriment of attendance at the
500-seat theatre, which is owned by Albert
Green. He said he will start Monday evening
games October 3 under the name of Cha-Cha.
Tlieir conduct will be in accordance with the
1952 court ruling in that there will be no
admission charge for the game. He claimed
furthermore that bingo is a game of skill
rather than of chance. There will be a $50
cash prize and a S50 U. S. savings bond prize
DIFFICULTIES EXPECTED
The theatre has been existing prccarlou.sly.
according to Renaud, not only because of
film rental and product problems but also
becau.se of the nearby bingo competition. He
said his average Monday evening attendance
has been 300. He expected Cha-Cha to Increase
It to 500 to 600.
Renaud also said he expected difficulties
arising out of the fact he will furnish competition
to existing bingo games. He claimed
to know of plans to pack his theatre lobby
to make entry to bingo difficult If not Impossible,
and said that If necessary the police
will be called.
BOXOFFICE :: October 1. 1955 23