Boxoffice-December.17.1962

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Schneer Plans World Tour
To Promote His 'Jason'
LONDON—Producer Charles H. Schneer,
who is now editing his color production.
"Jason and the Golden Fleece" for Columbia
Pictures release, following 18 months of
production, including special effects
photography, will screen the picture to
start off a world wide campaign at Columbia's
Latin American sales conference in
Santiago, Chile, in January.
Jonas Rosenfield jr., Columbia vicepresident
in charge of advertising, publicity
and exploitation, will supervise the overall
merehandising campaign, budgeted at $1.-
000,000. Some foi-m of bonus system for
theatremen who establish record business
in their respective houses is planned by
Schneer, similar to that launched for his
"Mysterious Island" in the United Kingdom,
he said.
"The theatre manager and his exploiteer
are an integral part of the big sell,"
Schneer declared. "We intend to give them
every support, cooperation and incentive to
realize the biggest possible boxoffice
p)Otential."
Yorkin-Lear to Produce
Pictures for UA in '63
NEW YORK—Bud Yorkin and Norman
Lear, the producing-directing-writing team
who are completing production of "Come
Blow Your Horn" for Paramount, have
signed a multiple-picture deal with United
Artists.
Their first picture under the new pact
will be "Everybody Loves a Lover," a
comedy in color which will go before the
cameras early in 1963. A second picture
will also go into production in 1963.
Yorkin and Lear produced many specials
for television, including the Danny Kaye
Show and the Bobby Darin Show, before
making "Come Blow Your Horn" with
Frank Sinatra starred. The team is also
preparing Tony Curtis' "Playboy" for Columbia
release.
NGC and Sunset Petroleum
Will Erect Apartments
LOS ANGELES — Two companies, National
General Corp. and Sunset Petroleum
Corp. have set a deal to erect a twobuilding
$15,000,000 luxury high-rise apartment
development on Wilshire Boulevard.
In making the announcement. National
General president Eugene V. Klein stressed
the fact that this is totally separate from
their theatre operations, "which is still our
major interest."
The apartment project involves two city
blocks, called Wilshire Square, near the intersection
of of Wilshire and Fairfax avenue.
There will be 400 apartments in the
two buildings, designed by Irving D. Shapiro
& Associates.
ConstiTiction is to start about next June,
with completion expected by the end of
1964. The unique design of the buildings
has five floors above sidewalk level for
parking, swimming pool and recreational
facilities on the sixth floor and the remainder
devoted to living quarters.
In view of National's announced plans
for wide expansion of its theatre operations,
Klein noted the "possibility" of a
motion picture theatre being included in
the lower area of the apartment complex.
BOXOFnCE December 17, 1962
MGM's 'Courtship Is Next
Hollywood Preview Film
NEW YORK— "The Courtship of Eddie's
"
Father been selected by the product
committee of Theatre Owners of America
as the next picture to be released under the
Hollyw'ood Preview Engagement plan. The
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer film, which originally
was scheduled for Easter release,
now will be available March 15 at the request
of TOA. The selection of the picture
followed a series of meetings among MGM
and TOA officials, headed by Robert Mochrie.
vice-president and general sales
manager of MGM, and Nat Fellman, assistant
general manager of Stanley Warner
and chairman of the TOA product committee.
An extensive advertising and promotion
campaign is being prepared by MGM and
TOA for nationwide coverage. All TOA
theatres will use cross-plug trailers and
cross-plug lobby displays. There will be a
contest for all participating theatres.
"The Coui-tship of Eddie's Father" was
produced by Joe Pasternak and directed by
Vincent Minnelli with a cast headed by
Glenn Ford, Shii'ley Jones, Stella Stevens,
Dina Merrill, Roberta Sherwood, Ronny
Howard and Jerry Van Dyke.
At a press conference here Monday i.lO),
Fellman reviewed the steps leading up to
the release of the first Hollywood Preview
Engagement, "What Ever Happened
to Baby Jane?" He said the combined efforts
of distributors, exhibitors and producer
working in close harmony never was
better displayed than during the exhibition
of that picture.
Following the "ti-emendous" openings of
"Baby Jane," Fellman said, his committee
was beseiged by distributors with requests
to join in the project. He said that two
rules had to be followed; namely, any newsuggested
release date must be a non-holiday
week and ahead of its scheduled release
date, and it had to be a picture of
Christmas goodwill packages
And Cartoon Capers, too,
Merchant shows and giveaways,
A million things to do!
Special shows mean extra work.
Who says he should be jolly?
Ads to write, displays to build.
No time for hanging holly!
quality that would justify the time, labor
and money to be expended. He said "Eddie's
Father" fulfilled those requirements.
In general, TOA will follow the format
of unprecedented merchandising employed
with the first Hollywood Preview Engagement
film. Fellman said the ten-point program
provided:
• TOA guarantees playdates in every
key town.
• All engagements will receive special
consideration as to extended playing time.
• There will be a concerted and combined
drive by theatre advertising heads,
emphasizing the importance of special efforts
to guarantee the success of the treatment.
• The nucleus of a theatre advertising
group to work with MGM's advertising department
will consist of Ernest EmerUng
of Loew's. Harry Goldberg of Stanley Warner
and Fi-ed Herkowitz of RKO.
• Exhibitors will mn special trailers and
use lobby displays for four to six weeks in
advance of playdates.
• Exhibitors will agi-ee to cross-plug
trailers in all first-run theatres and, in
many cases, simultaneously in sub-run theatres.
• Recorded endorsement announcements
will run during intermission and in the
lobbies.
• There will be a patron contest, details
of which will come soon.
• Exhibitors are to obtain local cooperation.
A THEATRE MANAGERS CHRISTMAS
But, somehow, as THE DAY draws near,
The Showman's spirit rises,
He gets his family shopping done.
Remembers Mama's sizes!
The turkev"s in the icebox.
X^'ho'U work the Prevue shift?
Junior gets the rocket set!
Concessions needs a lift!
• A manager's contest will be conducted.
Mochrie said he was grateful for TOA's
acceptance of "The Courtship of Eddie's
Father" and said that "Baby Jane" may
not have been the success it was if exhibitoi-s
hadn't "gone after it."
Uh — guess we'll have our dinner
Before the shows begin,
S'pose I'll get another pipe?
Did the trailers all get in?
Um-m-m-Joe wants off on Christmas.
But who wiU run the show?
\^ill Mama like the negligee?
Our fwpcorn stock is low^l
A Showman's Christmas Season
Is as hurried as can be.
But still he loves the hectic pace.
A happy man is he!
For when he hears the children
Fill his theatre with mirth,
He knows he wouldn't trade his job
With any man on earth!
— Anonymous