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VCI 50th Convention<br />
To Have Royal Guests<br />
\l w YORK- Over 1,000 delegates rep-<br />
Ltsenting the 41 tents affiliated with Variety<br />
It'luhs International are expected to attend<br />
he VCI golden anniversary convention to<br />
be held Monday (25) through Friday (29)<br />
Monte Carlo, Monaco.<br />
rhe conference will locus on ways to<br />
raise funds for handicapped ;md underprivleged<br />
children throughout the world. Business<br />
sessions will he held daily in the Grand<br />
Salon of Loews' Monte Carlo Hotel, convention<br />
headquarters, when each club will<br />
epori on its work during the past 12<br />
months and announce projects for the year<br />
ahead.<br />
Membership Over 10,000<br />
41 affiliated clubs have a combined<br />
membership of over 10.000 and since the<br />
[establishment of Variety in Pittsburgh in<br />
1927 VCI has raised an aggregate total of<br />
pproximately $3,000,000,000 for charity.<br />
Prince Rainier is scheduled to open the<br />
confab Monday morning (25) before the<br />
nitial business session and. following this,<br />
the Monacan government will sponsor a<br />
cocktail reception at the Winter Casino.<br />
Monty Hall, president of VCI, Monday<br />
evening will welcome conventioneers at a<br />
buffet supper at which a 50th anniversary,<br />
heart-shaped cake topped by 50 candles will<br />
he cut.<br />
Tuesday (26) the Duke of Edinburgh.<br />
Prince Rainier and Princess Grace will attend<br />
a banquet highlighted by the presentation<br />
of Heart Awards to the three clubs<br />
judged to have achieved outstanding results<br />
during the past 12 months. Prince Phillip<br />
has been a Variety gold card life member<br />
for 25 years.<br />
Wednesday (27) groups of delegates will<br />
be hosted aboard the British Royal Navy<br />
• cssel HMS Glamorgan and that evening a<br />
party for life patron program members will<br />
he held at the Salle Empire Room, Hotel<br />
de Paris. Guests of honors will be the Earl<br />
of Mountbatten and Prince Ranier and<br />
Princess Grace.<br />
Cary Grant to<br />
Attend<br />
Thursday night (28) international ambassador<br />
George Barrie. Faberge and Brut Productions<br />
will sponsor a party which will<br />
attended by Cary Grant and other show<br />
celebrities.<br />
Final event of the convention will be a<br />
'banquet Friday (29) in the Salle des Etoiles<br />
I Of the Sporting Casino at which VCI will<br />
I present the Humanitarian Award to Henry<br />
Kissinger, former U.S. secretary of state.<br />
highlighting the banquet will be the<br />
induction of Prince Charles and Prince<br />
, Rainier as gold card life members of VCI<br />
recognition of their patronage and support<br />
of the movement.<br />
Monty Hall will make his valedictory<br />
speech as president and will introduce his<br />
Successor, who will he elected during the<br />
week.<br />
United Artists<br />
Has Garnered Nine<br />
Best Picture Oscars in 21 Years<br />
M \V YORK<br />
- United Artists Corp.<br />
celebrates not only ten Acadcnn Awards<br />
this year but the third tune during the past<br />
21 years the company has garnered backto-back<br />
Best Picture Academy Awards.<br />
In 1955, "Marty" won the lop honor.<br />
followed in 1956 with "Around ihe World<br />
in 80 Days." In 1960 "The Apartment" was<br />
named Best Picture and in 1961, "West<br />
Side Story" won the award, last sear, "One<br />
Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" earned Best<br />
Picture for 1975 and this year the Academy<br />
presented the Oscar to "Rocky."<br />
Silver Anniversary Year<br />
United Artists this year also is celebrating<br />
the silver anniversary of its top management<br />
team, which began in 1951 when<br />
Arthur B. Krim. currently chairman of the<br />
board, and Robert S. Benjamin, chairman<br />
of the finance committee, entered into a<br />
contract with then UA owners Charles<br />
Chaplin and Mary Pickford—and Krim and<br />
Benjamin assumed control of the company.<br />
Eric Pleskow, who has been president and<br />
chief executive officer since 1973, originally<br />
joined UA that same year.<br />
In the past quarter-century, UA has<br />
earned its reputation as a source of quality<br />
Three New AIP Features<br />
Set for Foreign Markets<br />
BEVERLY HILLS—Jules Stein, sicepresident<br />
in charge of international sales and<br />
distribution for American International Pictures,<br />
announced that three new AIP films<br />
have been slated for release in foreign markets.<br />
They are: "The Island of Dr. Moreau,"<br />
"The People That Time Forgot" and<br />
"Empire of the Ants."<br />
In Southeast Asia (except Japan), distribution<br />
will be through Continental Film Distributors.<br />
West Germany will be supplied<br />
through Constantin Film and Swiss distribution<br />
will be by Monopole-Pathe.<br />
"Negotiations are in progress." Stein said,<br />
"that are expected to be concluded for main<br />
other territories at the Cannes Film Festival.<br />
These territories include ihe United<br />
Kingdom, Japan, France. Spain and Italy."<br />
Massive Print Media Buy<br />
Plugs 'Close Encounters'<br />
BLJRBANK — "Close Encounters of the<br />
Third Kind." Columbia's Christmas release,<br />
benefited from excellent marketing showmanship<br />
Sunday (10) with the publication<br />
of an expensive, two-page informational<br />
advertisement in 26 major newspapers<br />
throughout the U.S. and Canada, placed<br />
eight months in advance o\ the film's actual<br />
scheduled opening.<br />
The early initial "leaser" campaign is a<br />
media demonstration by Columbia Pictures<br />
to the moviegoing world about how important<br />
and carefull) handled this film will he<br />
film entertainment, evidenced In the award<br />
Ol more Oscars by the members ol the<br />
Acadcrm ol Motion Picture Arts and Sciences<br />
than have been won during the sameperiod<br />
bj anj other company, boasting an<br />
aggregate total of 93 Oscars. In 1974 the<br />
Academy also honored Arthur Krim with<br />
the Jean llcisholt Humanitarian Award.<br />
'Marty' Tops in '55<br />
A record number ol Best Picture Awards<br />
was bestowed on the nine following films:<br />
"Marty" (1955), "Around the World in<br />
80 Days" (1956), "Ihe Apartment" (1960),<br />
"West Side Story" (196H. "lorn Jones"<br />
(1963). "In the Heal ot the Night" (1967).<br />
"Midnight Cowboy" (1969). "One Flew<br />
Over the Cuckoo's Nest" (1975) and<br />
"Rocky" (1976).<br />
14 Slated for Release<br />
Releases planned lor 1977 include,<br />
among others. "Annie Hall." "Another<br />
Man. Another Woman." "Apocalypse<br />
Now," "Audrey Rose." "A Bridge Too<br />
Far," "Coming Home," "Equus." "New<br />
York. New York," "Semi-Tough," "The<br />
Spy Who Loved Me." "Valentino" and,<br />
from MGM. "Demon Seed." "Sweet Revenge"<br />
and "Telefon."<br />
treated throughout Ihe year, since its represents<br />
the most ambitious production in the<br />
company's long history.<br />
The Steven Spielberg film of a Phillips<br />
production, "Close Encounters of the Third<br />
Kind" stars Richard Dreyfuss and Francois<br />
Truffaut in a suspense-mystery drama about<br />
the UFO phenomenon from an earth point<br />
of view.<br />
The ad explained ihe three "encounters"<br />
and further advised readers to "Watch the<br />
Skies."<br />
The copy said: "This Christmas, millions<br />
of people will experience the most beautiful,<br />
frightening and significant motion picture<br />
adventure of all time." The ad's haunting<br />
concluding line was: "We are not alone."<br />
The film is still in various stages of postproduction.<br />
Producers of "Close Encounters<br />
of the Third Kind" are Julia Phillips<br />
and Michael Phillips. Music is by John<br />
Williams and director of photography is<br />
Vilmos Zsigmond.<br />
DISTRIBUTION WANTED<br />
FOR FRESHLY FUNNY FAMILY FILM