Boxoffice-April.07.1958

Big Advertisers Switching
From TV to Newspapers
Attr.iction and alluif of electronics medium
"about over." Cliarles Lipscomb jr. of American
Newspaper Publishers Ass'n tells Ass'n
ot Advertising Men and Women in New York:
sees TV costs rising and ratings declining.
U.S. Industry Interested
In Dealing With Soviets
USIA m Washington report.s all major
comjjanies and some independents have filed
proposals for sales of American films to
Russia and distributors of their films here;
more tlian 50 American features already offered.
•k
Louis J. Barbano Elected
To New Post at Columbia
Board of dliectors names him financial
vice-president: was already a director, chairman
of finance corrmiittee and vice-president
of international division; identified with company
and motion pictiu-e financing since early
1920s.
•
No Argument in Eagle-Lion
Case Due Before October
Backlog of other cases in Supreme Court
makes decision unlikely before early 1959;
moot question is to what extent Paramount
case judgment can be used as evidence in
private antitrust suits.
*
COMPO Uses Oscar Telecast
Data in Institutional Ad
Full page in Editor & Publisher Saturday
i5> points to record Trendex ratings for program,
and emphasizes that high reader
interest in movie news is clearly indicated
by fact 70,000.000 stayed up late to watch
.Academy Awai-ds.
Italy Ceases Issuance
Of U.S. Film License
.Action is taken because of irritation over
the discharge of Italian employes as U.S.
branches retrench in Italy; a U.S. major company
export executive called the Italian ban
a violation of the current U.S.-Italian pact.
*
Metro's Fifth Drive-In
Opens in Austraha
Now in operation at Gateshead, NSW, the
Metro was built in record time at a cost of
$700,000 with a 700-car capacity: screen has
picture size of 115 by 50 feet; top of screen
is
80 feet above ground level.
*
MPEA Ends Film Embargo
On Business With Spain
Ban started in August 1956 when Spain
tried to force all local distributors, including
those of the U.S., to distribute one native
pictui-e for every four Imported.
lo Help Its
Only Theatre Stay Open,
An Ohio Town Lines Up a Campaign
HUDSON. OHIO—Thi.s community, with a
population of 2.500. was .so aroused over a
rumor that its only theatre, the Hudson, was
about to shutter, that residents and merchants
met to see what could be done to keep it in
operation. Merchants were alarmed because
of re|)eated reports that commodity business
drops off when theatres close: residents were
distre.ssed at the possibility that their young
people would have to go out of town to .see
a show.
The community meeting resulted in
unanimous agreement that the situation is
serious and something should be done to
keep the theatre In operation. The community
called on G. W. Huff, owner of the
theatre. He declared there were not enough
people attending the theatre regularly to
insure coverage of his overhead.
A meeting of the Community Service Corp..
an organization composed of leaders of the
local service groups, including Rotary. Kiwanis.
Lions Club, the PTA. was held Thursday
(3 1 when a proposition was presented
to launch the sale of theatre admission t)ooks
covering a period of six months. The book
prices have been set to cover Huff's overhead
for six months.
"I t)elieve." said Huff in dLscussing the
plan, 'that the movie habit will have been
e.stabll.shed during the six montlis and then
business will proceed normally under its own
momentum."
The ijrice setup presented to the Conmiunity
Service Corp. for approval is; $10 for
an entire family of two adults Including all
children under 18 years of age; $8 for juniors,
age 12 to 17. not included in the family plan;
$5 for children from ages 5 to 12, not Included
in the family plan.
"Owners of book admissions, according to
present plans, could attend as many shows
as they desired during the six months. In
the case of advanced price pictures, the admission
card is good to the amount of the
established theatre scale, the patron paying
only the difference between the established
price and the advanced price." Huff said. Tlie
.scale at the Hudson Theatre is adults, 60
cents; juniors, 50 cents: children, 25 cents.
Although the community of Hudson is
small, the theatre draws from a 10.000 population
area. Hudson is a high-class residential
community and the site of the well-known
private secondary .school for boys, Western
Reserve Academy.
Dollinger Offers Plan for Financing
Of Refurbishing and Improvements
NEW YORK—Irving Dollinger has come
up with an idea for the financing of theatre
improvements and/or refurbishing which, he
admits, appears to be a little crazy on the
surface but, he insists, is practical and could
be put Into effective use. Dollinger, a New-
Jersey exhibitor, vice-president of Triangle
Theatre Service and a member of the board
of Allied states Ass'n, says he is going to
present the plan to distributors and also
would like to get the reaction of other exhibitors.
The plan is this: A percentage—possibly
five per cent—of the film rental or terms
paid by a theatre to the distributors would be
Boxoffice Material Basis
For TOA Drive-In
Directory
New York—A directory of drive-in theatre
equipment and supplies manufacturers
and a catalog of new drive-in
equipment, based exclusively on material
published in BOXOFFICE, was distributed
by Theatre Owners of America at
its drive-in conventionette held in San
Francisco last week.
A reference guide for outdoor showmen,
the 28-page directory includes the
equipment dealer directory published in
the Modem Theatre Directory and Reference
Issue of BOXOFFICE, facsimiles
of new products stories and photographs
published in The Modern Theatre and
the annual drive-in theatre survey listing
new outdoor projects undertaken in
1957.
put into escrow by the disti'ibutors. If an
Improvement project was necessary and the
cost would be $25,000. one-half the amount
would be paid by the exhibitor and the other
half would be drawn from the escrow fund.
Dollinger argues that every survey has
shown that a comfortable theatre, with good
seats, the best sound and projection and fine
appointments does better business than less
attractive houses and that business generally
Increases when improvements are made.
Therefore, he states, it would be to the advantage
of the distributor to play his product
in well equipped theatres because the
revenue from ptercentage deals would be
higher.
The idea sterruned from a report, Dollinger
said, that in FYance an exhibitor can get
back 90 per cent of his taxes if he uses the
money for improvements.
U.S.-Russion Screenings
Continue in Two Cities
NEW YORK—Screenings of Russian features
offered for distribution in the U. S.
under the government's cultural exchange
plan continued here during the week while
U. S. features offered under the same arrangement
were screened for a Russian delegation
in Washington. Some Russian films
were also screened in Washington at the
theatre of the Motion Picture Ass'n of
America.
John B. McCullough of the MPAA represented
the association at the screenings here,
held at the headquarters of a number of the
member companies. The first one to be seen
here was "Quiet Flows the Don" in 1.35-to-l
ratio and in color.
10 BOXOFFICE April 7. 1958