Boxoffice-June.15.1959

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—
Bud Barry Leaves NTA,
Joins Young & Rubicam
HOLLYWOOD—Charles T. "Bud" Barry
has joined Young & Rubicam as a vicepresident
in tlie television department in
New York. He will be in charge of many
operations formerly the responsibility of
Nat Wolff, recently deceased, and Dave
Levy, who has left the agency to move to
NBC. Barry resigned last January as head
of television at MGM to become president
of the National Telefilm Associates film
network, and leaves that position to take
his new agency post.
Ted Cott has been named his successor
at NTA, moving from a post as director
of NTA's owned and operated stations in
New York and Minneapolis.
Originally, Barry joined MGM to handle
sales of its pre-1948 library of films to
television. He resigned to take the NTA
job at a salary reported to be $100,000 a
year. George T. Shupert succeeded him at
the studio.
National Telefilm Associates has announced
the resignation of Edythe Rein,
senior vice-president, who three months
ago became the wife of the board chairman
and co-founder, Ely Landau.
New Swiss Recorder Unit
Weighs Only 16 Pounds
HOLLYWOOD—Perfectone Co. of Switzerland
has developed a sound recorder
said to be the smallest, lightest and most
No Deal on Castro Film
LOS ANGELES—Before taking off for
Havana for six weeks of writing and research
on their upcoming film of Cuba's
revolutionary leader, Fidel Castro, producer-director
Dick Wilson and wi-iter Melvin
Wald said they would not enter into negotiations
for distribution until they have
a complete picture. They will be the guests
of Castro diu-ing their Havana sojourn.
RKO of Japan to British
LOS ANGELES—Ralph Bromhead, managing
director of British Commonwealth
Film Corp., announced his firm is acquiring
a 50 per cent interest in RKO Radio
Pictures of Japan from Walt Disney Productions,
which bought RKO last April,
Bar to Conflict of Interest
HOLLYWOOD—Under terms of a new
contract sent to members of the Writers
Guild of America for balloting by mail,
agents with an interest in film productions
or packaging may be barred from representing
writers sought for such work.
HI'
lOLLYWOOD was virtually unani-
welcoming
mous and enthusiastic in
the reactivation of The Journal, official
publication of the Screen Producers
Guild, which, under
the able editorship of
Arthur Freed, recently
resumed publication
after a too long
hiatus.
Therein was an ar-
"
''^'t^k^fl^H tide by produce r
William Perlberg of
the firm of Perlberg-
S e a t o n, the slick
product of which is
currently being dis-
WiUiam Perlberg
tributed by Paramount.
Film fabricator
Perlberg had some salient and highly
controversial things to say about pay-TV
which an ever-increasing percentage of
toilers in Cinemania's vineyards—from
producers to grips—are hopefully contemplating
as the Moses destined to lead them
out of the wilderness of curtailed production.
Unfortunately in the space allotted to
this department it is impossible to fully
reproduce Perlberg 's article, nor can it be
capsuled with required effectiveness. The
Perlberg dissertation could be read advantageously
by every showman in America
compact available for professional use in
motion picture and television film production.
The unit weighs only 16 pounds, compared
with the 65 -pound previous smallest
especially those operating subsequent run
recorder. It operates entirely on transistors
and small flashlight batteries with a 12-
situations and drive-ins.
Perhaps a few excerpts therefrom will
hour lifespan supply its power.
suffice to reflect its overall tone, specifically
:
Loren Ryder, president of Ryder Sound
Services, the firm which developed the
"Obviously we are slowly reaching the
point of no return at the boxoffice. Fine
larger unit used to date, holds the exclusive
agency rights for the Perfectone
pictures are being made: in A productions,
recorder in the United States and Canada.
better pictures than we've ever made. But
He indicates it will replace much of the
without sufficient audiences, we might as
heavy equipment now used in both theatrical
film and TV film fields.
well close shop."
And "The prospect of scrapping the bulk
of the theatre distribution system overnight
in favor of home distribution is
frightening at first contemplation. To the
chain theatre operator or individual theatre
owner, it must assume nightmarish
proportions. Likewise, it is heresy to the
nickelodeon traditionalist. But the facts
are on the table."
And "We face two inevitables, both a
matter of relentless progress. One inevitable
is vanquishment of the mass motion
picture theatre audience and the installation
of a home audience; the other inevitable
is Pay-TV itself.
"Yes, I'm certain the public will continue
to come out for a 'River Kwai,' Cinerama,
and 'Around the World in 80 Days,' 'Ten
Commandments,' 'Gigi,' or 'Porgy and Bess.'
They'll support a relatively small number
of hard-ticket houses. For less grandiose
and non-novelty entertainment, they'll
continue to stay at home in increasing
numbers. But the industry cannot exist on
a half-dozen blockbusters a year."
Let it be noted, parenthetically, that
Perlberg had either the timidity or good
taste to refrain from including one of his
own efforts among the above listed "blockbusters."
In conclusion, the producer wrote, "The
advent of talkies was only a threshold for
the industry, but now we are at a crossroads.
There are three routes we can follow.
"We can stay on our present path and
toy with oblivion.
"We can make a few spectaculars each
year, five to 15 million dollar hard-ticket
mammoths.
"Or we can travel the Pay-TV route with
an occasional adventure down the hardticket
highway.
"I'll take the last pathway. Unmarked,
full of pitfalls, but oh, what promise!"
As stated above, a large percentage of
Hollywoodians are also looking to coin-inthe-slot
television as a panacean Messiah.
Whether the Perlbergean diatribe about
how the industry is falling apart at the
seams can be considered fortitudinous or
foolhardy is a matter of personal opinion.
But to the rank and file exhibitor, those
who operate other than "hard-ticket
houses"—and they are in the vast majority—his
recorded viewpoints will not be
a stimulant to dusting off the red carpet
when a Paramount salesman calls to peddle
a Perlberg-Seaton celluloid opus.
Still further and amusing evidence of
how the magi of motion pictures are playing
footsies with television is to be found
in two dispatches from New York printed
simultaneously on page one of a local
tradepaper.
One of the yarns told of how the Theatre
Owners of America, most active of exhibitor
organizations, was viewing with alarm
the paucity of Hollywood product and the
prospect of such shortage becoming more
acute.
The other account reported that Warner
Brothers and 20th Century-Fox are among
the six leading sources from which will
flow next season's video entertainment
spare the mark.
Yes, the brass of Cinemania is rapidly
acquiring the dexterous knack of carrying
water on both hips.
From Sandy Abrahams—excuse it, pliss,
the handouts now read "Sanford"—adjective
agitators at Allied Artists inform that
"Lindsley Parsons will produce 'The Purple
Gang' for AA, basing it on the infamous
Detroit gang which operated in the 20s
and the early 30s."
Could it be that the top grosses currently
being enjoyed by that studio's "Al Capone"
was a factor in arriving at the decision to
make a photoplay about the Motor City
mobsters?
But, regardless of how far the trend may
be carried, it is doubtful that it will ever
get down to Simny Sandy in a gin rummy
game.
"WALT DISNEY'S 'SILVER SKATES'
GLIDES FROM SWEDEN TO
HOLLAND FOR FORTNIGHT."
—Joe Reddy—Walt Disney headline.
Come, come, Joe, you know from experience
that no skate can last that long or
cover that much territory.
BOXOFnCE :: June 15, 1959 W-3