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Two-Day Sales Confab<br />
Is Held by ZOlh-Fox<br />
ST 1<br />
L*o-«Jtt> nulfa lueftlllii of<br />
the cell'. aidwc.itrrn dl.Mrlct> u( 30th-<br />
Pdx rndril ul U>f Park-Pliua Hotel here<br />
Wfdiu-sday i2ai Some sixty aoth-Fox employes<br />
attended the RtttherlnK. which drult<br />
with the 1958 product. Its potential iind plan><br />
to obtain the utmost at tiie tioxofflces<br />
Alex Harrison. Keneral sales nianuKer.<br />
headed the deletiatlon of soles executives<br />
from the home office in New York. Others<br />
who attended Included C. Oleiui Norrls.<br />
western and Canadian divblon manager:<br />
Martin Moskowllz. eastern division sales<br />
manaRer. C. A Hill, director of branch operations.<br />
Eddie Solomon. as5Lstant director<br />
cl exploitation: Tom O. McCleaster. central<br />
district manager: M. A Levy, midwest district<br />
sales manager: Peter Hyers. Canadian<br />
dtstrtct sales manager: Rev Kniffen.<br />
western district sales manager: Sol Gordon.<br />
Chicago. Ill . Adrian Awan. Cleveland. Ohio,<br />
and Chick Evens. Kansas City, dbtrlct adverti.*lng<br />
and exploitation men. and the managers,<br />
salesmen and bookers from Kansas<br />
City. Minneapolis. Milwaukee. Omaha. St<br />
Louis. Cleveland. Detroit. Chicago. Indianapolis<br />
and Cincinnati. Representatives of a<br />
number of Important circuits In the St.<br />
I»uls area had luncheon with those attending<br />
the gathering at noon Tuesday (21 1.<br />
There was a dinner In the Tiara Room of<br />
the hotel that evening.<br />
Harrison, following the meetings, said that<br />
the motion picture Industry has learned that<br />
profitable audiences are always available. If<br />
you have the attractions. TTils came in his<br />
comments on the Improved business experienced<br />
In most F>art.s of the country<br />
through December and January Although<br />
theatre attendance as a whole has declined<br />
somewhat from the peaks of earlier years.<br />
he said certain Individual pictures are drawing<br />
larger audiences than ever He added<br />
that the top grossing picture across the<br />
country Is "Peyton Place "<br />
Harrison pointed out his company has<br />
budgeted 165 million for production costs<br />
this year, compared with $5« million In 1957<br />
and $48 million In 1956 He expres.>^ed the belief<br />
there will be more big pictures produced<br />
this year than In any previous year His<br />
company is concentrating on outstanding<br />
pictures with general audience appeal.<br />
Chicago Council Studying<br />
Problem of Exhibitors<br />
CHICAGO— Tlif city council passed a resolution<br />
authorizing a study of the plight confronting<br />
motion picture exhibitors The reso-<br />
Daley<br />
lution, submitted by Mayor Richard J<br />
called for an appointment of a citi/ens committee<br />
to make recommendations for the<br />
elimination of 3 per cent municipal tax on<br />
admLvMons.<br />
The resolution refers to the targe number of<br />
theatre closings since 1»48 and an attendance<br />
drop of 70 per cent The tax now add.< only<br />
1800.000 annually to the city's revenue and Is<br />
cited as an amount "too small to Justify the<br />
severe hardship inflicted on the embattled<br />
theatre owners "<br />
This marks the first tan«ibl? action taken<br />
since an exhibitors committee called on the<br />
mayor In mid-August and again in September<br />
of l*»t year<br />
United Films Honors Top Salesmen<br />
S<br />
'<br />
\t I Mr I'nllrd Kllm Service sales convention held In Kan-<br />
•as City rpccntiv. to rommrmnnitr the beRinnlnc of It* 4tth<br />
s:ilrs year.<br />
('. .M. Hrampr. Drratur. 111.; ,\rrhlr Dunn. Ki>rli<br />
Isl.iiid. ill.; I'aul lAtvr, Duicicrr. Ind.; N. .\. Smith. Ilul4-hln-<br />
-iiii. Kas.: Iliil) I.indst4-di. I^iuisvllir. Ky.. and Morris lirlKO.<br />
I.ii'orte. Ind. urrr honorrd for outstandlnc iirrforniancni<br />
in ttirir divisions. I'nitrd Kilm Srrviir. in assoriatlon with<br />
.Motion rirliirr .\dvrrtisinK Srrvlcc Co. of Nr» Orlrans,<br />
i-ovfrs all 4H stairs. Uoth firms arr producers and distributors<br />
of audio visual advrrtisinR. Top panel, left to ri|(ht:<br />
Dunn. I.indslpdt. Kramer. I.ovr and N. A. Smith. At bottom<br />
is Morris Hri;;Ks.<br />
Name Harvard O'Laughlin<br />
To Fifth Term in Union<br />
ST. LOUIS—Harvard O'LauKhlin was reelected<br />
to his fifth consecutive two-year<br />
term as business agent for projectionists<br />
Local 143 at the recent meeting of that organization.<br />
Prior to his election as business<br />
agent In 1950. OXaughlln had served as a<br />
projectionist at Loew's State Theatre for 25<br />
years.<br />
Other officers re-elected at the meeting<br />
without opposition Included: president. Herbert<br />
Butz: vice-president, C. Pred Kelslck:<br />
recording secretary. Alfred D. Savage: financial<br />
secretary and treasurer, John E. Twiehaus:<br />
sergeant at arms and guide, Joseph<br />
EUerbrecht.<br />
Elected to the executive board were Basil<br />
E. BIckel. E. D. Janes and Warren H. Williams,<br />
and to the tioard of trustees, EUmer<br />
H. Wleser.<br />
Holdover members of the executive board<br />
are George H. Oonk. Ralph Robertson and<br />
Emil J. Werner sr.. and holdover trustees<br />
are Harry P. Lang. E&t\ A Perricone.<br />
The officers, executive board members and<br />
trxi-stees were Installed at a meeting of the<br />
union held on January 21<br />
I'AVOI'T— Don Davlv rrnler. rrllrrd<br />
K( A dislrirl nunacrr. still Is artlvrlv inlerrslrH<br />
In Hlmrow affairs and wrrrs as<br />
"offii iai pholocraphrr" for ( ommonurallh<br />
.\musrmrnl Corp. on a dolLar-avrar<br />
ha.sls llrrr KImrr C KhcKlen Jr..<br />
Irfl. and Itlrhard •(rear. ( ommonwralth<br />
prrsldrnt and r\rruti*r vlrr-prr^drnl.<br />
rrsi>rrtl\rlT. prrvnt DavU hi« jrarljr<br />
rmolumrni Thr patoff tooli place si the<br />
annual Commonwrallh ( hrl»tm;L* party.<br />
St. Louis Ail Theatre<br />
Refuses X' Pictures<br />
ST LOUIS— Mrs. Grace VIvlano Plcclone,<br />
owner and manager of the Apollo Art Theatre<br />
here, apparently has exploded the myth<br />
that a theatre specializing In "art" pictures<br />
can't stay In baslness without showing films<br />
that have been condemned by the Catholic<br />
Legion of Decency and the reviewing groups<br />
of the Protestant churches.<br />
When she started to book "art" pictures.<br />
Mrs. Plcclone was told by the New York<br />
booking agencies that she couldn't survive<br />
without the "C" films, but she rejected all<br />
such suggestions. She has met the problem<br />
of booking foreign films conforming to oonventlonal<br />
standard.^ of morality and decency<br />
head on, rejecting all offerings of pictures<br />
that propagandize adultery, divorce and other<br />
anti-social practices.<br />
Her results at the boxofftce by showing A-1<br />
pictures has perplexed the experts. Booking<br />
agencies have repleatedly told Mrs. Plcclone<br />
that .she won't make money unless she shows<br />
condemned pictures. Several bookers have<br />
attempted to book "C" films into the Apollo<br />
Art becau.se of Its location In the midst of<br />
the town's leading night clubs, but she has<br />
never taken a "C" picture since she began<br />
operation of the theatre and .she doesn't Intend<br />
to. She admits that only the future will<br />
tell whether a "clean art theatre will pay<br />
off She was told In New York that If the<br />
"<br />
Apollo Art Is successful without condemned<br />
films it will be the only one in the country<br />
t" be so<br />
Reopens at Percy, 111.<br />
I'KKCY. ILL The Prlnccv a 400-.'teat«r<br />
owned by Hcrschel E. WebRter of SteelevlUe.<br />
was reopened recently following repair of<br />
damages cau'ed by a terrific hail storm The<br />
large halUtones riddled the roof and the Interior<br />
was damaged by water that came<br />
through thr holes Moisture also caused a<br />
short circuit in the electric wlrlnf.<br />
"Tlie Miracle." film version of Max Relnhardl's<br />
play, is scheduled to go brdirr ihr<br />
cameras this year for Warners<br />
BOXOmCE January 27. IMS C-1
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