Boxoffice-February.26.1973

Parconount Sales Meeting
In New York Feb. 28
NEW YORK—Norman Weitman, Paramount
Pictures' vice-president—sales, will
host a meeting of the company's division
and district managers in New York February
28, March 1 and 2. The purpose of
the meetings is to discuss marketing and
distribution plans for Paramount's spring
and summer releases which will include:
"Fear Is the Key," "Charlotte's Web,"
"Brother Sun, Sister Moon," "Hitler: The
Last Ten Days," "Charlie One-Eye," "The
Soul of Nigger Charley," "The Police Connection,"
"The Friends of Eddie Coyle,"
"Paper Moon," "Alfredo, Alfredo" and the
recently announced acquisition "Jonathan
Livingston Seagull."
Attending the meetings will be Barry
Reardon, vice-president — administration;
Ted Zephro, assistant general sales manager,
Los Angeles, and division managers Martin
Kutner, New York; Howard Ross, Chicago;
Fred Mathis, Jacksonville; Frank
Mancuso, Toronto, and Nat Stern, New
York.
District managers attending will be Jack
Keegan, Boston; Harry Block, San Francisco,
and Joe Cutrell, Charlotte. Also in
attendance from Paramount's New York
home office will be Jack Perley, manager
of the playdate department; Gino Campagnola,
manager of the contract department,
and Joe Moscaret, director of sales for
16mm.
DeLuxe General Acquires
Interest in Precision
HOLLYWOOD — Deluxe General, the
Los Angeles-based motion picture laboratory,
and Royal Business Funds of New
York have concluded an agreement whereby
DeLuxe acquires a "substantial interest" in
Precision Film Laboratories, it has been announced
jointly by Robert T. Kreiman, president
of DeLuxe General, and Stephen Pol-
Ian, president. Royal.
The arrangement gives DeLuxe supervision
over the fuU operation of Precision's
laboratory in New York. Burton Stone continues
as president and chief operating officer
of Precision.
"During the three months that we have
been working on the finalization of this
acquisition, Precision has been completely
modernized and re-equipped," declared
Kreiman. "It is now quality-matched
to the DeLuxe West Coast laboratories and
fully equipped for both color and black and
white in either 16 or 35mm," he concluded.
With Precision and four overseas affiliated
laboratories, DeLuxe continues to offer
complete service to producers on a national
and international basis, Kreiman said.
'Tom Sawyer' Soundtrack
NEW YORK—The soundtrack album for
"Tom Sawyer," the musical film adaptation
of Mark Twain's great classic, will be released
by United Artists.
TO RELEASE "SEAGULL"—Paramount
Pictures has acquired the worldwide
release of "Jonathan Livingston
Seagull," based on the best-seller by
Richard Bach, it was announced by
Frank Yablans, Paramount president.
Yablans, left, is shown with Gary Gero,
trainer of the gulls for the Hall Bartlett
production. Published by MacMillan in
1972, the book has broken all sales
records since "The Godfather." Filming
was in the High Sierras, Big Sur, Yosemite.
Death Valley, the Mono Lake region
and the Monterey-Carmel coast.
Avco Embassy to Release
2 Additional Brut Films
NEW YORK—Avco Embassy Pictures
will release two additional major Brut productions,
"Book of Numbers" and "The
Last Tommorrow," it was announced jointly
by Joseph E. Levine, president of Avco Embassy,
and George Barrie, president of Brut
and its parent company Faberge. The distribution
pact closely follows the recent
agreement whereby Avco Embassy will release
Brut's two initial productions, "Night
Watch" and "A Touch of Class."
"When we made the original deal for
Avco Embassy to distribute our first two
pictures," said Barrie, "we expressed the
hope that the arrangement would be the
start of a long-term association. This new
agreement fulfills that hope."
"Book of Numbers," which stars Raymond
St. Jacques, was produced and directed
by St. Jacques and tells the story of a
black-operated numbers bank in a small
Southern town during the depression era.
"The Last Tomorrow" is a before-theturn-of-the-century
love story involving a
white boy and an Indian girl. The picture,
which won the Critic's Award at the Atlanta
Film Festival, stars Cliff Potts and was
directed by William Graham for producer
Harvey Matofsky.
Para's 'Badge 373' Retitled
NEW YORK—"The Police Connection"
is the new and final title for Paramount
Pictures' "Badge 373," Howard W. Koch's
film drama based on one of the many true
experiences of former New York City detective,
Eddie Egan. Robert Duvall and
Verna Bloom star in "The Police Connection,"
which probes the successful thwarting
of a revolutionary gun-running operation
with the underworld undertones of
narcotics, extortion and murder.
NATO of Michigan to Honor
'Hi' Martin of Universal
DETROIT—Henry H. Martin, president
of Universal Pictures, will be honored by
the motion picture industry at a Celebrity
Luncheon Thursday, April 12, which will
be held in the ballroom of the Hilton Inn
in the Detroit suburb of Troy in conjunction
with the 54th annual convention
of NATO of Michigan. The event will honor
him for many years of distinguished service
to the world of motion picture entertainment
and the many charities with which
the industry is associated. A number of
motion picture stars and film company
executives already have indicated that they
will be attending the Celebrity Luncheon.
In the tradition of Horatio Alger, Martin's
first job was as poster clerk in the
Universal branch in Oklahoma City in
1935, and Universal is the only company
with which he has ever been associated.
When he returned from military service
after World War II, he steadily advanced
from salesman to Oklahoma City branch
manager, to Dallas branch manager in
1948, and to district manager in 1951.
In 1956 he was promoted to the executive
offices of Universal's New York headquarters
as southern division manager. In
1957 Martin was elevated to general sales
manager and in 1959 he was elected a
vice-president.
On January 1 he became president of
Universal Pictures, culminating a distinguished
career up the ladder from the
bottom to the very top of this famous,
important, historic motion picture company.
Martin has given of his time and ability
to all motion picture industry endeavors,
especially in connection with the Will Rogers
Memorial Fund, the Motion Picture Pioneers
and Variety Club.
SEC Permits Warner to Buy
Shares of Its Own Stock
NEW YORK—Warner Communications
Inc. announced that the Securities and Exchange
Commission has granted an exemption
to permit the company to purchase
shares of its own common stock.
WCI previously had announced an intention
to purchase up to 1,000,000 shares
of its common stock on the open market.
WCI stated that the purchases will be
made over a considerable period of time,
and under price and volume restrictions
designed to minimize the impact of the purchases
on the market price of the common
stock.
WCI stated that the shares purchased will
be used primarily to provide stock required
under outstanding stock options and
convertible debt obligations.
DeSales Harrison Dies
CHATTANOOGA — DeSales Harrison,
72, former board chairman of Coca-Cola
Bottling, died Wednesday (21) at his home
here. Harrison became president of the firm
in 1941 and later was named board chairman.
He became honorary chairman in
1969.
BOXOFFICE :: February 26, 1973