Boxoffice-April.07.1958

. . Jack
^(md(M ^e^i^nt
•THE House of Commons was pretty well
packed with MPs last week when the
All-Industry Tax Committee came to Parliament
to seek an all-party support for the
abolition of the entertainments tax.
Conservative, Liberal and Labor MPs
crowded into one of the lai-gest committee
rooms at Westminster to hear Sir Michael
Balcon deliver a verbal onslnugrht against the
tax and what it was likely to do to British
film production.
With Sii- Michael and his AITC colleagues
were the cream of the country's film artistes,
including Amia Neagle. Sir Ralph Richardson.
Kenneth More, Dli-k Bogarde. Michael
Redgrave, Yvonne Mitchell. Googie Withers
and Richard Todd. The MPs. conscious of
the fact that here was a group of people
who were more in the public's eye than even
politicians, were duly impressed with the
industry's case and even more attracted to
the obvious publicity value of being seen with
such glamorous boxoffice winners. Later
on, at a reception held on the terrace, there
was a great scramble by politicians of all
pai-ties, to be seen sharing a joke with filmland's
attractive ambassadors.
• • *
The Rank Organization under publicity
controller Charles Young appears to be going
from strength to strength in the amount of
big exploitation ideas it can use in the
national press. Last week he organized with
the Daily Express, which has a 4.000,000 circulation,
a three-page supplement devoted to
the outstanding pictures that are playing
Rank's Odeon and Gaumont theatres during
this spring. By getting the other renters to
tie in with this composite supplement. Young
not only gave the Rank group a big boost, but
showed that the film industi-y as a whole
had plenty to offer the public. Also appearing
in the Express Ls a "South Pacific" contest
in cormection with the British premiere of
the Todd-AO film at the Dominion Theatre
this month. The winners have to choose the
ten best methods of publicizing the show, and
can receive a prize of a holiday for two in
Honolulu plus expenses to the value of
£2,500, or the whole sum in cash. Indifferent
to the alarms and despondency caused by
the general industi-y situation. Young is
setting a pace for diumbeating that is the
envy of the trade.
* * *
Nat Cohen and Stuart Levy, the bosses of
Anglo Amalgamated, were feeling cock-ahoop
last week with the triumphant launching
of two films: "The Duke Wore Jeans"
with Tommy Steele and "The 6.5 Special," a
feature based on the popular BBC hit parade
TV program starring a host of Britain's
rock 'n' roll and disc jockey favorites, at the
Dominion Tottenham Court Road and the
Odeon New Victoria, In addition to a very
friendly trade and national press, Cohen and
Levy announced they would be making a new
comedy at Pinewood Studios. "Carry on
Sergeant," stairing three top TV artistes
William Hartnell, Bob Monkhouse and Eric
Barker. This is the first time that Anglo has
made a picture at Pinewood Studios and, as
it is going to be a large-scale comedy, it is
apparent that the company will be spending
—- By ANTHONY GRUNER
a laige sum of money on the picture. "Carry
on Sergeant" will be produced by Peter
Rogers and directed by Gerald Thomas.
• • «
The biggest female news item in Britain
these days is Pi'incess Margaret, piu'ticularly
since her good friend Peter Townsend has
returned home after a worldwide motor tour.
Evei-j'where the Princess goes photographers
and columnists are sure to follow. Last week
they followed her into the Carlton Haymarket
for the charity premiere of "A Farewell to
Arms." Nothing could have given this Selznick
picture a greater boost, and Fox. who
Her Royal Highness has always treated more
than kindly by attending in per-son their
many premieres, was overjoyed. And to capitalize
on the extraordinary drawing power
of this picture the company has released
the featui-e to 19 London suburban and 14
provincial theatres simultaneously with its
west end prerelease engagement. With the
national spotlight on the picture through
press, TV and radio plugs, "Farewell" is
breaking records everywhere, particularly as
these new situations are able to enjoy a
great prerelease picture at local prices.
* * «
Excitement is mounting over here for the
Variety Clubs International convention, and
Press Guy David Jones is working overtime
with the handouts of the last-minute news
of arrivals, guests, and details of the great
event. Three items from his pen: Jeiry Lewis
will be a guest at the inaugui-al luncheon
of the convention at the Savoy Hotel when
Jolm Hay Whitney, the American ambassador,
will be the guest of honor: Texas barker
E. J. Gall, after registering himself and wife
for the convention, found at the last minute
he could not go.
He asked convention chairman
Jim Can-eras to retain the $80 he paid
for registration fees and devote the sum to
the Heart Fund; Bert Knighton, an executive
of Pepsi-Cola, arrived in town last week to
put finishing touches to plans in connection
with his company's participation in the convention.
Pepsi-Cola is sponsoring a dinner
ball and cabaret at Grosvenor House on
April 24,
* •
The British Film Producers' Ass'n and the
Federation of British Film Makers have
reached unity on the subject of film festivals
in general and the Cannes Film Festival in
particular, which takes place from May 2-17
this year. They have both agi-eed that the
Britush Lion thriller. "Orders to Kill," produced
by Anthony Havelock-Allan and directed
by Anthony Asquith, with Eddie Albert
and the Canadian discovery Paul Massie.
should be the official entry. This thriller, set
in wartime France, about an Allied bomber
pilot who is trained to kill a French traitor,
has plenty of thrills and some wonderful acting
to commend it. It also has a fine literate
script by News Chi-onicle fihn critic Paul
Dehn. Everyone over here has high entry
hopes for "Orders to KUl."
To Add to Prestige
UA's "The Vikings" w-ill have a dual premiere
in mid-June at the adjoining Astor and
Victoria theatres on Broadway in New York.
WASHINGTON
Couth Pacific" received
the lusty plaudits of
the trade, press and government officials
at the Uptown Monday evening . . . George
Seaton, president of the Academy of Motion
Picture Al•t^s and Sciences, was in town . . .
W. D. Loggan has purchased the LaVon
Theatre, Princeton, W. Va., from the T. D.
Fields interests. Independent Theatre Service
will handle the buying and booking . . . Bob
Folliard. RFDA district manager, and wife
report their daughter. Patsy Folliard Dugan,
became mother of twin sons.
. . Estelle
. . . Richard
Oliver Chandler shuttered the Crewe, Crewe,
Va. . . . F. F. White, Fork Union, Va., vLsited
Harley Davidson to arrange the opening of
his drive-in April 4 . . . Ida Bareszofsky of
the MGM staff has a glint in her eye, having
caught the bridal cor.sage at a recent wedding.
Rose Prank weekended in New York.
The mother of Marlene Boron came in from
Ramey, Pa. to spend the weekend .
Ki-ips, wife of 20th-Fox's Charlie Krips.
suffered first and second degree facial bums
following an oven explosion
Beasley. Starlite Drive-In, Christianburg. Va..
returned from a Florida sojourn.
. . . L. Allen and
Sympathy is extended to Doug and Clark
Connellee on the death of their father, a
veteran in the industry
Roscoe Perdue opened the
C.
Raven Drive-In,
Ravenswood. W. Va.. Easter Sunday . . .
Herv Keator manager of the Lee Hiway
Drive-In, Meirifield, Va., has moved his
family from Kingston, N. Y. to Park-Fairfax,
Va. . Jackson, Buchanan, Va., is still
wearing a cast due to a slipped disc in his
Vince Josack of Warners is passing
neck . . .
out peppermint sticks to rival the butterscotch
treats from Columbia's Jack Sussman.
Ernestine Bandel, office manager at National
Screen and a veteran of many years on
the Row. will retii-e May 9 and move to California
Filmrow visitors included Denver
. . . Alshire, Luray; William Dalke, Woodstock;
Laney Payne and T. I. Martin, Fredericksburg,
and Everett Ornduff, GordonsviUe, all
in
Vii-ginia.
NEWARK
n man attempted to hold up the cashier of
the Rialto Theatre, Mrs. Catherine
Powers, reported. When a customer approached,
the bandit fled , . . A benefit
premiere of "Darby's Rangers" weis held at
the Branford Theatre, with a parade starting
at city haU at 8 p.m. The premiere of
the film is sponsored by the South Ward
Boys Club, assisted by Stanley-Warner Theatres.
Participating in the parade to the
theatre were former U. S. Rangers, who live
in this area, a band and the color guard
and officers of the club. David L. Warner,
president of the club, presented a plaque to
the Rangers in a ceremony on the stage.
Charles Handler, club vice-president, was
master of ceremonies . . . Local Walter Reade
Theatres invited patrons to view the telecast
of the Oscar presentations right in the theatres.
The regular film concluded at 10 p.m.
and TV sets spotted in various parts of the
theatre were turned on for the Academy
Awards presentation.
E-8 BOXOFFICE April 7. 1958