Boxoffice-December.17.1962

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Manulis to Make 4-Star's
First Theatrical Film
HOLLYWOOD—Four Star's president
Thomas J. McDermott announced the signing
of Martin Manulis to produce the company's
first venture into their previously
announced feature film plans. In addition
to launching Four Star's feature film program.
Manulis will also contribute his talents
to the company's many television ventiu-es.
Manulis brings with him several important
story properties for motion pictures.
Already in script form are "The
Out-of-Towners." an original screenplay
by the Pulitzer Prize-winning author Tad
Mosel. and "Cassandra at the 'Wedding.
an adaptation of a novel by Dorothy Baker.
Thi'ough his television production of
"Playhouse 90." Manulis gained national
recognition. He recently finished the motion
pictuiT "Days of Wine and Roses."
which Warner Bros, is releasing this month
in order to qualify the picture for Academy
Award consideration.
McDermott stated the company is still
proceeding on the development of their
previously announced property. "Carry
Back. " is also slated for feature film
production.
Latest Green Sheet Lists
Five for Family Ratings
NEW YORK—Ten pictures were listed
as suitable for adults and mature young
people and four were rated for adults in
the November-December issue of The
Green Sheet, issued by the Film Estimate
Board of National Organizations. Five were
given family ratings and six w-ere classified
for adults, mature young people and young
people.
In the adults-mature young people
bracket were Columbia's "Barabbas," "The
War Lover" and "We'll Bury You!": MGM's
"I Thank a Fool." "Mutiny on the Bounty"
and "Period of Adjustment": Warner Bros.'
"Gypsy" and "What Ever Happened to
Baby Jane?" and United Artists' "Manchurian
Candidate" and "Pressure Point."
Rated for adults were Warner Bros.'
"The Chapman Report": United Artists'
"Two for the Seesaw": MGM's "A 'Very
Private Affair" and Paramount's "'Who's
Got the Action?"
Tagged as family entei-tainment were
MGM's "Captains Courageous," "Billy
Rose's Jumbo" and "Kill or Cure": Paramount's
"It's Only Money" and Disney's
"The Legend of Lobo."
In the adults-mature young peopte-young
people group were Paramount's "Girls!
Girls! Girls!" and "Wonderful to Be
Young": MGM's "Escape From East Ber-
Un": 20th Century-Fox's "The Lion" and
"The Longest Day" and Davis-Royal's "The
Reluctant Saint."
'Europa' Short Is Free
NEW YORK—"Europa." a new color cartoon
that capsules 2.500 years of history in
ten minutes, is playing with top-gi-ossing
features in its first key city engagements,
Robert Finehout, Association Films' theatrical
vice-president, reports. The short is
available to theatres free through Association
Films' booking service. Theatrical Film
Distributors, headed by Harry Willard. The
film was produced by Pelican Films for the
EXiropean Community Information Service.
BOXOFHCE December 17, 1962
COMPO Asks for Data
On Payment of Taxes
NEW YORK — The Council of
Motion
Picture Organizations took the first step in
its admission tax elimination campaign
last week w'hen it sent out an appeal for
data to be placed before members of Congress.
COMPO's national tax campaign committee
sent letters to all theatres charging
more than $1.05 and asked them to send to
Price Waterhouse & Co. the amount of
federal admission tax they paid during the
year ended last September 30 and the
number of their theatres that paid the
tax.
The letters pointed out that before
COMPO could approach Congressmen to
request their aid in the project, it was
necessary to have authentic information
as to 111 the total amount of tax money
paid by theatres and i2i the number of
theatres paying the tax.
The letter continued:
"We are advised that it is not difficult,
as a quick reference to your quarterly excise
tax retm-ns will give you your figures.
As Congress will convene January
1 and present indications are that the Administration
will introduce tax reduction
bills early in the session, it is imperative
that we have this information as soon as
possible. Therefore, we urge that you have
somebody fill in the blank in the enclosed
letter and mail it back to Price Waterhouse
& Co.. which will hold all figui-es
and correspondence in complete confidence,
using these figm-es only to obtain
a total tabulation."
The tax committee consists of C. Elmer
Nolte and LaMar Sarra. cochairmen: Edward
Cooper. William Namenson, Richard
Walsh and Charles McCarthy.
Meanwhile, COMPO has sent a "position
paper" to campaign committees outlining
reasons why the federal admission
tax of ten per cent above SI should be repealed,
McCarthy said that while the brief
Mochrie Willing to Talk
Adjustments on Xings'
NEW YORK—The door still is wide
open for exhibitors to discuss adjustments
on "The King of Kings," Robert
Mochrie, vice-president and general
sales manager of Metro-Goldw>-n-
Mayer, told Boxoffice last week.
Asked to comment on the critical
remarks and charges of unkept promises
on adjustments expressed at the
recent Allied States Ass'n convention
in Cleveland, Mochrie said his exchange
of letters on the issue last August
with Marshall Fine, then president
of Allied States, told MGM's position
which had remained unchanged,
Mochrie said he was ready to talk
with exhibitors on "King of Kings" or
any other subject at any time.
statement outlined reasons for the tax
elimination, it lacked one important fact
which would be supplied later. That was
the total amount of the admission tax
paid by theatres. He explained that as
soon as the tax total was available, it
would be mailed to campaign committees.
The "position paper" in full foUow's:
"Our position is a simple one: The
United States government is taking away
from the motion pictui-e theatres of the
i
country dollars a year. The motion
pictm-e theatres need this money. The
i
ten per cent tax on admissions over $1 is
being collected principally from theatres
in central business districts.
"Due to many causes, attendance at these
theatres has continued to decline. The
result has been that many have been
forced to close and others are operating
either in the red or on the verge of it. The
effect of this decline is not confined to the
theatres themselves. It is spread over all
the other business establishments in the
neighborhood, for when theatres are in a
healthy condition they attract large
crowds of people and the presence of these
people is of benefit to other businesses in
the area.
"Food, clothing, transportation and
many other allied industries are helped
by the motion picture theatre. Indeed,
when their local movie theatres have closed,
the businessmen of several communities
have raised money to keep them operating.
A few years ago the National Ass'n
of Real Estate Boards issued a statement
that closed film theatres cut realty values
and that a closed theatre is 'a community
problem,'
"Removal of the admission tax, therefore,
would help to keep these theatres in a
healthy condition and save the jobs of
their employes. It also would help numerous
other retail businesses."
The paper was drawn up by the campaign
committee so that all exhibitors
thi-oughout the country would know the
central arguments to advance to their
Congi-essmen for repeal of the impost, Mc-
Carthy said.
Crown Int'l Revenues Rise
In Each Quarter of Year
HOLLYWOOD — Crown
International
Pictures reports that bookings and revenues,
after one year of operation, have increased
in each succeeding quarter. Newton
P. Jacobs, president, says the second
and third quarters were 12 and 21 per cent
ahead of the company's maiden period.
Fourth quarter estimate is a 50 per cent increase
over the third period due to major
bookings on "First Spaceship on 'Venus,"
Technicolor-Totalvision feature now in 52
theatres in the Los Angeles area.
"Recent headlines on the new production
low for the year in Holl\-wood are the
best e\-idence that new- companies with
product are the exhibitors" most urgent
necessity," Jacobs said. "Response to our
company's eight featm-es and thr-ee special
short subjects has put us over the hump."