Boxoffice-November.28.1966

I
Harold
I
James
I
Nilsson.
class of 107 Pioneers
A tolul of 107 •Cl.iss of 19(ih" Motion
Picture Pioneers was saluted. In alphabetical
order, they are:
Arthur Abeles. Charles Albert, Raymond
E. Ashdown. George Abillio. R. Lewis
Barton. Jerome Becker. Julian D. Herman.
George D. Bloxham. Lester Blumberg. Os-
]
car Brooks. Barney Brotman: Jesse Chinich.
Harold Citron. Samuel H. Clark. Rafael
Ramos Cobian. A. Jerry Collins. Jose
Daire Cortes. Gordon Craddock. Evert R.
CumminRs. Marion L. Dickson. Conrad
"Coimie" B. Dreher. James Edwards jr..
David Emanuel. Charles R. E\'ans. Roy F.
Evans. Timothy J. Evans. William S. Plynn.
Moru-oe Poss.
Jules L. Gerelick. Don Guttman. Salah
M. Hassanein. James Hendel. J. Robert
Hoff. Fred Hoffman. Elmer Hollander,
Norman Jackter. Walter E. Jancke. Marion
Felix Jordan, Jacob J. Kaufman. Myril
Kavanaugh. W. R. Kemp. Howard Kennedy.
Fied H. Kent. Howard W. Koch,
Johii Kolbo. Leonard Lane. Joseph J. Lee.
Nat Levine. David L. Lewis. Joseph J. Lipkowitz.
Arthur H. Lockwood. Morton Lippe.
Moran K. McDaniel. Saul Mahler. Philip
L. March. Harold H. Marshall, Pat McGee,
Ted Miiisky. Juan Molina, Joseph V. Mona,
Levere C. Montgomery sr.. Michael Joseph
Moodabe, Joseph Moritz, Vincent W. Murphy,
William G. Myers, Edward Y. Myerson.
Marenstein, Harry L. Nace Jr..
Nash jr.. Julius Needelman. Edward
J. Nelson. Norman Newman. Chester E.
Ralph G. Olson. Jerry Persell.
Henry O. Peterson. Bert Pirosh. Charles
F. "Mike" Powers jr.. Jude E. Povnter. Andres
Arnold Radonski. John Philip Recher.
Teobaldo Renaldi. Sam J. Russo. Robert
W. Selig. Edward Serlin, Everett W. Sharp,
Paul Short. Ben Siegel. M. Morton Siegel.
Norwood L. Simmons. Lyle W. Smith.
Dwicht L. Spracher.
Samuel Stiefel. James Stone, B. Victor
Sturdivant. Mort Sunshine. Abraham
Swerdlow. Pedro Teitelbaum, William H.
Thedford, Edwin Tobolowsky, E. Cardon
Walker, Lionel H. Wasson, David Weinstein,
Robert Wilkinson, Harry H. Wineberg,
Harold Wirthwein, Harry Wallace.
Film Theatre Ticket Prices
Up Again 3rd Quarter
WASHINCjION - I ilm thc.itrc admission
prices continued to rise during the third
quarter of this year, the Labor Department
reported in a survey, which showed indoor
theatre prices at 159.3 per cent of the 1957-
59 average in September, and drive-in admissions
at 127.1 per cent of their December.
1963 average.
For indoor houses, it was a rise from
157.0 per cent of the base period in June.
155.1 per cent in March, 149.6 per cent last
December and 146.4 per cent average for all
of 1965. For drive-ins. the survey showed
123.0 per cent in June, I19.S per cent in
March. 116.8 per cent in December and
113.5 per cent for all of 1965.
.\dult prices were shown at 155.7 per
cent in September. 152.3 per cent in June,
150.8 per cent in March, 146.2 per cent
in December and 144.0 per cent for all of
1965. while children's admissions were
171.3 per cent in .September, 172.6 per
cent in June, 169.4 per cent in March, 161.1
per cent in December and 154.8 per cent
for all of 1965.
BOXOFFICE November 28, 1966
7,200 Honor W. R. Forman
As 'Pioneer of the Year
NHW YORK— More than 1.2(H) Icaiders
in the motion picture industry turned out
Monday (21) evening at the Americana
Hotel here for the 28th anniversary dinner
of the Motion Picture Pioneers to honor
William R, Forman, head of Pacific Drivein
Theatres and Cinerama, Inc.. as Pioneer
of the Year.
Valenti and Corwiii Speak
Speakers at the occasion included Jack
Valenti, president of the Motion Picture
.Ass'n of ,\mcrica, and Sherrill C. Corwin,
president of the National Ass'n of Theatre
Owners. Valenti noted the similarity of motion
picture pioneers, asserting: "They are
curious men. They are resourceful men.
They are sensitive to creativity—and probably
are the only managers in the world who
combine in their bones and their blood the
odd mingling of hard-sense business common-sense
and the delicate apparatus of
creative intuition."
He reviewed the growth of the industry
from its inception and saluted the men on
the dais "who span the old and the new
generation, the giants who bestrode the
beginning, shaped the present and give form
to the future," Adolph Zukor, Jack Warner,
Barney Balaban and Darryl Zanuck.
adding. "These are men who, in a single
lifetime, made the long leap from the crossbow
to the guided missile, and who give
purpose to all we do in the future."
Valenti termed Forman "a man who has
rightly earned the designation of pioneer.
In the world of exhibition where loo often
too many are content to watch time and
change move swiftly by. Bill Forman blazed
new trails in drive-in movie theatres and
radically reformed the habits of a moviegoing
public. Anyone who sails unmapped
seas is a pioneer; anyone who returns from
the voyage with accurate charts is a successful
pioneer—and we honor him tonight."
Some Cautions Made
Pointing out the demands for youth in all
branches of life today, Valenti cautioned,
"And yet let no man forget, particularly
those young ones to whom we beckon, let
no one forget that if we are risen, it is because
others had to lift us—and if we are
strong, others had to do the building, and,
if we are able to face the future, it is because
others made us secure,
"We ha%'e a blind eye, too many of us,
that turn away from the man grown old.
Once he has moved out of the seat of
power, or active accomplishment, we give
faint remembrance to what he did before
and fix attention on what the new man is
doing now. These are not old men; they are
men who have been young a long time.
"The motion picture industry wasn't
built with mirrors," Valenti continued,
"though some callous critics are apt to declare
it was. It was built bv men who challenged
risk and rum— n was built by men
who walked a chancy trail and who not
only found their way into the light, but
opened the trail for others to follow."
Corwin, a former partner of Forman's
in exhibition on the West Coast, summeil
up the career of the honoree and, in speaking
for exhibition, extended the "good
wishes of theatre owners everywhere, large
and small, circuit and independent, all members
of one single, unified national exhibitor
organization,"
He noted the large delegation (almost 300)
attending from Hawaii, California and the
Northwest, saying:; "Their esteem and affection
is manifested by their long journey
to pay their respects to their co-worker,
their competitor and their friend,"
Corwin saluted Forman's efforts as one
of the architects of N.^TO and his accomplishments
in bringing Cinerama "back
from its death throes to a cinematic place
of significance," adding. "And to further
implement this superb resurgence of a great
film process, he has built 36 new theatres
in Eiurope, in addition to exhibiting his product
in more than 150 Cinerama installations
around the world today."
George Dembow, president of the Pioneers,
recited the history of the organization
and the work of its Motion Picture
Pioneers Foundation and read acknowledgements
to those who contributed to the success
of the dinner. Se\mour Poe. 2()th
Century-Fox executive vice-president and
chairman for the dinner, recounted his long
acquaintance with Forman. Carl Reiner,
producer and writer, was master of ceremonies
and entertainment was provided by
comedian Jackie \crnon, singer Paula
Wayne and the Barry Sisters,
Co-chairmen for the dinner were Robert
W. .Selig, Charles Alicoate, Marvin Kirsch
and Mort Sunshine.
WB Stockholder Seeks
To Block 7 Arts Deal
NIW >ORK— Willu.in R. Weinberger,
who owns 200 shares ol Warner Bros, stock,
filed a suit in L'.S. District Court Tuesday
(22) for the southern district against Jack L,
Warner, Warner Bros, and .Seven Arts seeking
to block the projected purchase of onethird
of the Warner common stock by Seven
.Art Productions. Ltd. Weinberger's suit
charges that the proposed sale of 1.600.000
shares by Warner and "related interests"
violates the Sherman and Clayton antitrust
acts.
The complaint also asserts that "the real
reason that Seven Arts is trying to buy effective
control of Warner Bros, is not, as pretended,
as an investment but rather to
further its own considerable business as a
distributor of motion pictures for television
purposes."