Boxoffice-December.17.1962

Mrs. FDR Recalled As Great Lady
Who With Husband Loved Movies
ALBANY—The recent death of Eleanor
Roosevelt at 78 recalled to industry veterans
who were here in 1928-32 when FDR was
governor the great interest she and her
husband evidenced in motion pictures shown
in the "projection room" at the executive
mansion.
In the many stories appearing in the
Albany papers there was only one which
mentioned the frequent screenings in the
executive mansion, that by John Maguire in
the Times-Union.
Mrs. Roosevelt first lived in Albany 41
years ago after her husband was elected a
state senator from Dutchess County.
MOVIES THREE TIMES WEEKLY
Because Roosevelt was badly crippled by
polio while an adult, he could not move
around freely. These motion pictures became
an important diversion and entertainment.
They were exhibited as often as three
times a week at the mansion on Eagle street.
Mrs. Roosevelt, then and later a somxe of
strength to her husband, showed deep
interest in the special screenings.
The man who arranged them was Charles
A. Smakwitz, at that time an assistant upstate
zone manager for Warner Theatres
and now zone manager for Stanley Warner
Theatres in New Jersey and New York. The
private screenings were started during the
terms of Roosevelt's predecessor, the late
Gov. Alfred E. Smith. Pox Pictures, through
Winfield Sheehan, installed equipment for
silent films, in a living room on the first
floor of the mansion. The company sent its
chief projectionist to Albany as supervisor
of installation. Smith was a great film fan,
as were his wife and many of their close
friends, official and personal.
After Smith left office and unsuccessfully
ran for president against Herbert Hoover,
there was an interim on mansion screenings.
When sound came in during 1928. Warners
donated equipment for the projection of
talking pictures at the governor's official
residence. Claude E. Watkins. veteran
boothman of the Strand, supervised its installation.
He had been at the mansion
many times dui'ing Governor Smith's
regime.
ARRANGED SPECIAL SCREENINGS
Smakwitz arranged, sometimes at brief
notice, screenings for Governor and Mrs.
Roosevelt, usually on Friday and Sunday
evenings; occasionally, on another night, too.
Mr. and Mrs. FDR were glad to view any
feature pictures which Smakwitz dated without
charges from Warner Bros, and other
major companies. Roosevelt, who had beeen
Secretary of the Navy dui'ing the administration
of Woodrow Wilson, was particularly
fond of naval pictures.
The screening room had been moved from
the first to the third floor, which FDR
reached by elevator. Officials and friends
the Governor and Mrs. Roosevelt entertained
often attended the movie shows.
Among the Roosevelt official family whom
Mr. Smakwitz remembers as viewers in the
mansion were Judge Samuel Rosenman,
then counsel to FDR, later an adviser in
Washington and last year a member of the
20th-Fox board of director; Marguerite
LeHand. FDR's personal secretary; the late
Louis Howe, his political mentor.
The growing Roosevelt children were avid
screen enthusiasts. Mrs. Roosevelt once
visited Smakwitz in his office to a.sk advice
on the purchase of a 16mm set for the kids.
He arranged for its purchase and delivery to
the mansion, and reported that Mrs. Roosevelt
insisted on payment at the regular
price. The Roosevelt youngsters also came
to Charley's office, looking for scraps of
film.
The governor's limousine sometimes picked
up the "mansion" pictures. Freddie Collins,
now at the SW Ritz, served as projectionist
for many of the showings. Cy Boyer was
among other Local 324 members to handle
the assignment. Special arrangements were
in effect.
Smakwitz, who was deeply moved by Mrs.
Roosevelt's death, commented during a visit
here: "She was a wonderful and a great
lady—very kind to me. Mrs. Roosevelt remembered
me at my birthdays and Christmas
with greetings and gifts. After her husband
became President, he invited me and
my wife to the White House. We accepted
the invitation and received the most gracious
welcome."
The late Carter Barron of Loew Theatres
arranged White House screenings for FDR
and other presidents. Motion pictures were
shown as far back as Wilson's time, it is said.
screenings
After the coming of television,
at the mansion here became less frequent.
'Greatest Show' Title Rights
To Desilu for TV Series
HOLLYWOOD—Ringling Bros. Circus has
given Desilu Productions the title rights to
"The Greatest Show on Earth" for a TV
series. A 60-minute pilot will be telefilmed
in January. A deal has already been made
for the pilot to be a coproduction with ABC-
TV.
Production chief Jerry Thorpe has set
Stanley Colbert as producer, and Oscar
Millard and Bill Bast as writers of the pilot.
The deal permits Desilu use of the circus
for locale and background shots, and Colbert
is now researching for a series, aimed at the
1963-64 season.
The picture, starring James Stewart, Betty
Hutton and Cornel Wilde, which was made
by Paramount in 1953, has never been sold
to television.
'Taras Bulba' for Xmas
In N.Y. and 125 Keys
NEW YORK—Harold Hechts "Taras
Bulba." which was produced in Argentina
with Tony Curtis and Yul Brynner starred,
will open Christmas Day at the Astor
Theatre and in other United Artists' "Premiere
Showcase" theatres throughout the
metropolitan area, according to James R.
Velde. United Artists vice-president.
"Taras Bulba" will also be the Christmas-New
Year's attraction in 125 other key
cities in the U. S. and Canada, including
Los Angeles. Chicago. Detroit. Boston.
Philadelphia. San Francisco, Buffalo,
Baltimore, Denver, Kansas City, Cleveland,
Dallas, Charlotte, Seattle and Toronto.
Name Kenneth Hargreaves
Embassy's Rep. for UK
NEW YORK—Kenneth N. Hargreaves
has been appointed United Kingdom representative
for Emba.ssy
Pictures. Leonard
Lightstone, executive
vice-president,
said the appointment
was in
line with Embassy's
international expansion.
In his new post,
Hargreaves will represent
Embassy in all
phases of its production
Kenneth Hargreaves
and distribution
activities throughout
the United Kingdom. Prior to joining Embassy,
he was with Dino De Laurentiis
Productions as supervisor of distribution
in England, Canada and the United States.
Hargreaves entered the film industry
in 1935 as secretary of 20th-Fox Film Co.,
Ltd., in London. He has served as president
of Rank Film Distributors of America,
managing director of J. Arthur Rank Film
Distributors, joint assistant managing director
of the Rank Organization, joint
managing director of BLC Films, Ltd., and
managing director of Columbia Pictures
Corp., Ltd., and Screen Gems, Ltd.
MGM to
Open 3 Theatres
Abroad December 19
NEW YORK—As part of its "new look"
overseas, MGM has furnished a complete
renovation job on two of its theatres in
Johannesburg, So. Africa, and San Juan,
Puerto Rico, while the Empire Theatre in
Leicester Square, London, will open its
doors as a new theatre on the site of the
old Empire, which was torn down and was
two years in construction.
All three theatres will be opened with
"Billy Rose's Jumbo," and all will open
December 19. Morton A. Spring, president
of MGM International, and Morris Davis,
managing director of MGM England, will
take part in the ribbon-cutting ceremonies
for the Empire in London. The other two
theatres are the Metro Theatre in Johannesburg
and the Metro Theatre in San
Juan.
Three Stars of Tamiko'
To Attend Hawaii Event
HONOLULU — France Nuyen, Martha
Hyer and Miyoshi Umeki, three of the stars
of Hal Wallis' "A Girl Named Tamiko,"
will attend the invitational world premiere
at the Palace Theatre December 27 under
the sponsorship of the Citizens Committee
of the Friends of the East-West Center.
Hawaii's Lt. Gov. James Kealoha is
chairman of the Citizens Committee which
is organizing the event. The Paramount
picture will be nationally released in
March.
Shavelson Film Retitled
NEW YORK— "A New Kind of Love" has
been selected by Paramount as the final
title for "Samantha." the Melville Shavelson
production starring Paul Newman, Joanne
Woodward, Thelma Ritter and Eva
Gabor. Shavelson is producing and directing
from his own original screenplay.
"£-12 BOXOFFICE December 17, 1962