TO LORD

Columbia Sales Conclave
Under Way in Florida
BURBANK Ray McCafferty, vicepresidenl
and general sales manager, will
announce "Columbia Pictures' 1977 Sales
Drive Honoring Norman le\s" Monda)
list al the opening °f (ne company's sales
convention in Miami Beach, Fla.
Prizes in excess of $130,000 will be given
to the winners of the drive honoring Nornun
Levy, vice-president of marketing.
I he convention will headquarter at the
Konovei Hotel Monday through Thursday
(1S-2I). Future product to be discussed includes:
The Greatest," starring Muhammad
Ali; "The Deep," starring Robert
Sh.iu. Jacqueline Bisset and Nick Nolte;
March or Die." starring Gene Hackman
and Catherine Deneuve; "Bobby Deerheld,"
starring Al Pacino and Marthe Keller;
"Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger,"
starring Patrick Wayne. Taryn Power and
J.mc Seymour; "Communion," a chilling
suspense film, and "Close Encounters of the
Third Kind," starring Richard Dreyfuss and
Francois Truffaut.
Greg Morrison, vice-president of advertising
and publicity, and William O'Hare,
director of East Coast advertising and publicity,
will represent the advertising and
publicity
departments.
Richard Smith, GCC Head,
Flays Splitting Decision
BOSTON—Richard A. Smith, president
of General Cinema Corp., Monday (4) stated,
"The decision of the Justice Department
to eliminate the practice of splits will be
viewed with considerable regret by virtually
all of the nation's theatre operators.
"We are confident, however, that with
further investigation and information the
Justice Department eventually will recognize
that, in the licensing of film, splitting
is in fact the most equitable method yet
conceived for protecting exhibition, distribution
and the public and that the department
will expend its efforts in policing such
practices, not eliminating them."
Smith concluded by saying, "In the meantime,
considering the quality, type and location
of General Cinema's theatres, we are
confident that they will continue to operate
effectively despite the elimination of splits."
Paramount Appoints Lopez
Field Advertising Mgr.
NEW YORK — Angel Lopez has been
appointed field advertising manager for the
lotion picture division of Paramount Pic-
S Corp., it was announced by Gordon
Veaver, the division's vice-president of
marketing. Effective immediately, the appointment
has Lopez based in New York,
Drting directly to Dick Ingber. director
of field advertising.
Lope/ joined Paramount in December
5 as a member of the field advertising
*ff. For ten years prior, Lopez had been
i the exploitation and New York advertis-
«ig departments oi United Artists.
WX0FT1CE ;: April 18. 1977
Hoyts Center in
Sydney
Sets Attendance Mark
Hollywood — Twentieth Century-
Fox Film Corp.'s international theatres
division recently announced (hat its
new Hoyts Entertainment Centre in
Sydney, Australia, achieved a total attendance
mark of 530,000 in its initial
13 weeks of operation.
Films which have been playing at
the seven-screen complex include "The
Omen," "Silent Movie," "Network,"
''Eliza Eraser" and "The Pink Panther
Strikes Again."
Steve Roberts, president of the international
theatres division, said that the
center is now the No. 1 theatre complex
in Sydney.
Doty-Dayton Productions
Seeks Chapter XI Relief
HOLLYWOOD — Doty-Dayton
Productions
has filed for relief under Chapter XI
of the Federal Bankruptcy Act, listing a
total of $3,541,783 in debts owed to some
650 creditors. The company listed $318,506
as its total assets as of Feb. 28, 1977, excluding
$1,125,962 in film production costs.
Recovery of production expenditures depends
on the successful playoff of the films
involved in those costs, according to the
document filed. Rights to four out of five
of the films reverted to the film packager
who put the production financing together.
Before Doty-Dayton can resume distribution
of the films, it must pay off its debts
and continue its operations.
Deluxe Laboratories is listed as the largest
creditor, with $825,794 owed to it
for film processing and print charges. A
group of 12 theatres to which $792,799 is
owed in advance film rentals is next largest.
Other large creditors include the production
partnership of Lyman D. Dayton and
Dr. George E. Doty, principals in the company.
$275,495; Imperial Thrift & Loan,
$166,444; Film Productions Associates III,
$102,560, and Seven Alone, Ltd., $48,200.
Also owed is $43,357 in back taxes.
2 Sales Representatives
Named by Cinema Radio
NEW YORK—Fred Schwartz, president
of Cinema Radio, has announced the appointments
of Roar Industries and Cine-
Tech Co. as sales representatives for the
Cinema Radio sound system. Roar, headed
by Robert Roth, has been assigned a territory
consisting of southern New Jersey,
eastern Pennsylvania, Washington. D.C..
and all of Maryland. Virginia and Delaware.
John Ling and David 1 und are the principals
in Milwaukee-based Cine-Tech,
which has been assigned all of Wisconsin.
Illinois. Iowa, Indiana and northern Michigan.
Both sales appointments arc effective
immediately.
Howard Whitcomb to ASC
In Managerial Capacity
1 1 RICHARDSON V ASC Technical
Services Corp. has announced the appointment
ol Howard I. Whitcomb as sales
Howard J. Whitcomb
manager for the company's theatrical and
industrial service sales.
Bruce Waddell. president of ASC, said
in making the announcement. "We are extremely
pleased that Whitcomb has joined
ASC to spearhead our national sales effort.
He brings to the company the experience
and management talent necessary to carry
forward our new marketing programs aggressively.
ASC is on the move and, with
the recent introduction of our new "Star
Treatment" program, we are now more than
ever dedicated to providing the very best
in service, while meeting our contractual
commitments to the nation's exhibitors.
Whitcomb shares our management philosophies
and he will approach our customers
and potential customers alike with integrity
and a wealth of service-related experience.
He also will provide a vital communications
link between our customers and our field
operations, thereby insuring the flow of
communications essential to good service
and good customer relations."
Whitcomb joins ASC after 29 years with
the RCA Service Co. where, for the past
nine years, he was manager, entertainment
and industrial service sales.
Whitcomb resides in Cherry Hill. N.J..
where he will maintain an office for ASC.
Zeffirelli to Make First
U.S. Picture for MGM
CULVER CITY—Franco Zeffirelli will
make his first American film under the auspices
of MGM. bringing to the screen a
modernized version of "The Champ." The
original version of this picture, an MGM
release, was filmed in 1931 with King Vidor
directing Wallace Beery and Jackie Cooper
in starring roles.
Zeffirelli's
longtime associate Dyson Lovell
will serve as producer of the new version
of 'The Champ."
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