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Memoirs of a

FILM DISTRIBUTOR

by Peter Broome
Part Four - Climbing the Executive Ladder

‘Splash release’ was the next big sending a trusted
idea at Fox. I think the first feature was negotiator Len
The King and I (1956) for which we Mauger to New York.
needed a minimum of eighteen prints I have the feeling that
for the city and suburbs of Sydney and the dispute was a
Melbourne. Strain on the HO Print watershed; after it
Controller was considerable, with was resolved the
Melbourne only one or two weeks after States took
Sydney. Australian
In a search for higher remuneration businessmen more
I left Fox and joined Max Factor as seriously.
Sales Administrator. There I oversaw Arthur Hill
the activities of eighteen salesmen and loaded me with extra
twenty-eight gorgeous make-up artists. responsibilities,
During this time Sid Albright had including estimating
departed Fox and Arthur Hill was now the film rental for
General Manager. every picture.
I would always
have three shots at it before making a
Ernest Turnbull, Managing Director
final decision: watch the film before the
of both Fox and Hoyts, tried hard to get
censor saw it, revise one week before
Hoyts to handle the TV side, but we
release, and again the day before
held out to keep it within Fox. Arthur
release. That one had to be right!
Hill offered Australian TV to Ron, but
In almost ten years of estimating I
he demurred, preferring to stay with
think I made only two serious errors. I
theatrical - ‘what he knew’.
under-estimated the value of Zorba the
I was next in line for managing the
Greek - before the Academy Awards
TV side and readily accepted the extra
and the music became available on
duties, perceiving that it was the chance
disc. Hoyts didn’t want the film and I
to meet some top Australian
sold it to the Dendy, Middle Brighton
businessmen. In the early days the
Victoria, where it played for four
television station proprietors took a
Arthur Hill becomes General Manager months and made the proprietors
personal interest, so I did deals across
of Fox. millionaires; and I over-estimated the
the desk with men like Sir John
After about ten months with Max Williams, Sir Frank Packer, Sir Reg. value of Two For The Road with
Factor I contacted Arthur. He gladly Ansett, Rupert Henderson and a young Audrey Hepburn and Peter O'Toole.
accepted me back as Assistant Sales man who had the licence for NWS 9 One afternoon we went to see The
Manager, responsible for 16mm in Adelaide, Rupert Murdoch. Sound of Music, the pre-censor version
Victoria, South Australia, Western at the Paris Sydney. At interval I
Soon the first thirteen provincial
Australia and Tasmania. Arthur’s noticed Hoyt’s chief film buyer Clive
licenses were granted and in NSW two
previous assistant, my friend Bill Gray, Arnott, a tough man, wiping a tear from
of them overlapped Sydney, as did one
had left to join Screen Gems. Senior to his eyes. I went back to the office and
in Brisbane and one in Melbourne.
me was Ron Pitt, my nemesis from my gave Arthur Hill the highest film hire
Packer and Henderson would not
days in western NSW. estimate ever of two million pounds - to
permit the use of ‘their’ prints at these
Spyros Skouras had stated, “Fox locations, and I was the first to import be derided by my fellow executives -
would never sell product to TV”, but prints for the country stations, causing but I was proved right.
that attitude changed. Fox made two considerable ructions amongst the Before any final estimate I always
successful television series, The Many powers that be. consulted my dear friend Stan Fitz-
Loves Of Dobie Gillis and Adventures When a price dispute erupted Alan who had booked at MGM then
In Paradise and it sold films to between Australian networks and Fox, and was Arnott’s assistant at
television. American suppliers it lasted two years. Hoyts, because he was a thousand
percent honest and had a keen
Reg Ansett resolved the impasse by
22 2007 CINEMARECORD