Boxoffice-April.07.1958

New Musicians Group
Asks Bargaining Right
HOLLYWOOD— Cecil F. Read, head of the
newly formed Musicians Guild of America,
disclased that it filed a petition with the National
Labor Relations Board office here lor
recognition as the exclusive bargaining agent
for musicians employed by the major studios.
MGA's petition was accompanied by "authorization
cards" of over 30 per cent of those
musicians that .sought the new representation.
Read said that it is the new guild's intention
to file additional petitions within the
week cover;ng the independent film companies.
• •
>1KLTIN(; POT—From viiried sources come the men who arc being- attracted to
the business of making independent motion pictures and perhaps nothing is more
illustrative of such diversified genesis than "Korean Attack," which will go into
distribution under the label of American International Pictures. Witness the above
taken on the set of that picture. From left to right, the male members are Richard B.
Duckett, who will rate credit as executive producer, a VVa.shington, D. C, financier
engaging in his first filmmaking venture; Mark Sheeler, formerly an exhibitor in
the San Francisco area and who is now a bus.v actor; George Waters, former newspaperman
who wrote the script, and Richard Bernstein, a tradepaper representative,
who worked with Waters on the screenplay and will also rate billing as producer.
The gals, and in the usual order, are Marjorie Hellen, Barbara Luna, who has the
femme topline, and Regina Gleason.
Paramount to Exhibit
Film Gowns Nationwide
LOS ANGELBS—In opening a new facet
of nationwide exploitation, it was announced
that Paramount for the first time will exhibit
gowns worn by actre.sses in unreleased pictures.
Kickoff of the new progiam, which is
planned for other cities in the future, was the
Best-Sellers Luncheon sponsored by the Los
Angeles MiiTor-News in connection with
Edith Head's biography, "The Dress Doctor."
Gowns from "Teachers Pet," "The Buccaneer,"
"Vertigo," "Houseboat," "Hot Spell"
and other films were shown with Valerie
Allen. Paramount actress, modeling some of
Miss Head's creations for the 700 women attending
the function.
Montana Drive-ins Swing
Into Reopening Parade
HELENA. MONT.—The Twi-Llte Drive-In.
Great Falls, and the Motor-Vu Drive-In,
Billings, were among the first outdoor theatres
to open for the season, getting pictures
on their screens during the final week of
March. The Twi-Lite's newspaper announcement
summoned customers to its grand opening
with the cheerful note that "Now the
. . .
birds will begin to sing and .spring will start
bustin' out all over Cause the Twi-
Lite is open!"
The Sundown Drive-In. Butte, was to reopen
Easter Sunday with special ti-eats for
all youngsters attending the show.
Buying Reissues From TV
Stupid, Says Nicholson
LOS ANGELES—Booking reissues for theatres
via television distribution companies
will not keep post- 1948 features away from
TV but will add revenue to video company
coffers by Interposing the "reissue" step l>e-
fore release to the theatre's strongest competitor,
James H. Nicholson, president ot
American International Pictures, warned exhibitors.
Stating that the industry must face the
fact that post-1948 pictures on TV will do
damage, Nicholson said, "The exhibitor who
can't see that a company fonned to distribute
to television will continue its policy after
profiting from theatres should switch to
piano-plajing. The exhibitor should stick
with the film companies which protect his
interests by refusing to sell to television."
Allied Artists to Conduct
$5,000 Sales Contest
LOS ANGELES—Producer-dii-ector 'William
Castle and his writer-associate Robb White
have concluded airangement with Allied
Artists vice-president and general sales manager
Morey R. Goldstein for the award of a
$5,000 sales performance prize which they
will give in connection with bookings of their
"Macabre."
The .special "Macabre" drive will run for
12 months, beginning with the opening date
in the individual branch cities. A national
sales quota is now being set up by Goldstein
and performances by the branches in
relation to that quota will determine prize
wirmers.
First prize will be $2,500: second prize,
$1,500, and third prize, $1,000.
O. V. Smith Jr. Dies
SACRAMENTO—O. V. Smith jr., 46, sales
representative for the Alexander FUm Co. of
Colorado Springs, died of a heart attack
Tuesday (1 1 . A snowstorm caused his car to
stall and, after being helped to push it to the
top of a hill at Red Bluff, he succumbed whOe
resting in the back seat of the car. He was
a brother of M. B. Smith, vice-president of
Commonwealth Theatres of Kansas City.
Negotiations aimed at ironing out jurisdictional
lines on electronic tape commercials
have been negotiated by the Screen
Actors Guild and AFTRA in an attempt to
avoid an all-out jurisdictional war.
Top brass of both actors' unions involved,
each group headed by SAG's national executive
secretary John L. Dales and AFTRA's
national executive secretary Donald Conoway.
have .started conferences, with the big
issue involved being which union will have
jurisdiction over new companies which come
into television because of the tape.
New SAG Pact Put Up
To Vote by Members
HOLLYWOOD—A copy of the Producer-
Screen Actors Guild 1958 commercials contract
was mailed to all members of the Screen
Actor,s Guild for membership ratification.
Ballots, on which members were urged by
the board to vote yes, must be in by 5 p.m.
April 10. Some of the highlights of the new
contract, termed by the board as the finest
the guild has ever negotiated in this field,
are:
Rate increases as high as 143 per cent; the
elimination of the so-called cutoff, which set
a maximum payment for Class A program
commercials: large increases in use payments
for singers in all categories, with amounts to
be paid for advance guarantees raised considerably,
plus increases m pay for making
commercials, etc.
WB's TV Operation Center
Opened in Hollywood
HOLL'irWOOD—'WB's million-dollar TV
operation center was officially opened
Wednesday (2) by Jack L. Wamer. television
executive producer William T. Orr and Warner's
five top-rated TV stars Clint Walker,
James Garner, Jack Kelly, Will Hutchins and
Wayde Preston.
The ultramodern building will house the
administrative and production staff of Warners'
TV division and also contains 26 film
editing rooms and four projection rooms.
Ample facilities are afforded for production
of between ten and 15 full-hour and halfhour
filmed shows simultaneously.
Changes
Title
The Astounding Giant Woman CAA) to
ATTACK OF THE 50-FOOT WOMAN.
Greorge Washington's headquarters at
Valley Forge is one of the settings for
sequences in Warners "Jolin Paul Jones."
W-2 BOXOFFICE April 7, 1958