The Film Daily (1948)

9fe Thursday, March 11, 19* Boston University Degree for Rank J. Arthur Rank's schedule includes immediate discussions with Spyros P. Skouras, head of 20th-Fox, at the conclusion of his press conference this morning. This afternoon, he and Mrs. Rank will be guests of honor at a cocktail party given for them by their American associates, Robert S. Benjamin and Jock Lawrence. Tonight, Rank leaves for Boston, where, tomorrow, he will be one of the guest speakers, together with Paul G. Hoffman, head of Studebaker, and Brig. Gen. David Sarnoff, RCA chairman, at the Boston University's 5th annual Founders Day banquet. Rank and SarnofF both are among those scheduled to receive honorary degrees. Others attending the ceremonies at Boston University include Spyros P. Skouras, who will chairman a panel on films in education; their contributions and potentialities. Other slated speakers in the pix section are Louis De Rochemont, and Arthur H. DeBra, of the MPAA. On his return to New York from Boston, Rank will remain here until Wednesday afternoon, when he departs to spend a week as the guest of Robert R. Young at Palm Beach, Fla. Plans are being arranged for Rank to visit Washington on his way to California, where he will be the guest of his daughter and sonin-law, Mr. and Mrs. Fred M. Packard, until April 2. Rank plans to sail for London on April 22. Foreign Press Critics to Broadcast Awards Today \J\rW Annual awards of the Foreign Language Press Film Critics' Circle will be revealed at six p.m. today in a broadcast over WNYC. In addition to awards for the best 1947 picture and individual awards for achievement, critics will recognize producers of the best British-made and foreign language films of the year. George Archibald, executive of the J. Arthur Rank Organization, Charles Schlaifer, 20th-Fox director of advertising-publicity and Hya Lopert, head of Lopert Films, will take part in the broadcast. Sigmund Gottlober, executive director of the Circle, will be master of ceremonies, while awards will be made by Andrew Valuchek, editor of the New Yorsky Dennik and president of the Circle. ♦.♦ March 11 J-} ♦•♦ Ruth Alvarez Don M. Alexander ♦*; i$ Raoul Walsh William Jaffee 8 % Send (Blrthda I Qreeting,5 C :•»«•»»»»»»»»: "^PHIL M. DALY T T T Pic Plus Campaign Equals Biz • • • GOOD OLD-FASHIONED, hard-hitting advertising, publicity and exploitation certainly paid off in the case of U-I's "Naked City" at the Capitol Theater engagement It's not only heartening to see the first week's record-breaking business, but it is good to see all the activity surrounding the picture's opening The thing that has to be admired about the job the boys in U-I's advertising and publicity department did is that they stuck to the basic traditional ideas not only in the advance advertising build-up but in the publicity and exploitation Long before the picture opened, numerous screenings, highlighted by the eminent one at the Park Ave. Theater, brought forth all sorts of praise for the picture which was, in turn, capitalized on in the advertising Everything from "Picture of the Month" in the subways to sightseeing busses around Manhattan added to the general excitement. T T T • • • RADIO-WISE, the New York campaign is aiding exhibs. all over the country who will soon play "The Naked City As a case in point. CBS has notified its more than 150 affiliated stations to contact their local theater managers when they play "The Naked City," and arrange joint promotion ventures with the CBS program, "Sam Spade, Detective," which stars Howard Duff Duff has an important feature role in the picture Last Sunday, radio comedian Fred Allen did his version of "The Naked City," on his NBC program which tied in with the Capitol Theater engagement. Also the new American Broadcasting Company network show "Candid Microphone," did a recording of a stunt in the Capitol Theater lobby which is being used on most of the network's more than 230 stations tonight. T T ▼ • • • ONE OF THE FIRST TIE-UPS on the film started Jan. 1 when Willoughby's Camera Store in conjunction with U-I, initiated a contest to find the best photographs depicting the moods of New York City The store supported the contest with newspaper advertising and window space There were more than 500 entries before the $200 in prizes and theater passes were awarded the day before the picture opened Paula Gould, Capitol Theater publicist, who worked with U-I promotion representatives on the final phases of the campaign, arranged for the winning shots to be exhibited in the lobby of the Capitol. T T V • • • THE LOBBY FEATURED a corking contest and a display. three weeks in advance of the opening Equipment used by the New York Police Department's famed Homicide Squad in crime detection, was on display The contest involved correct identification of New York City still scenes from the motion picture New York's famed newspaper photographer, Weegee, had also shot stills and movie footage during the filming of "The Naked City." in New York and he independently and indirectly aided in the promotion. T ▼ T • • • THE NEW YORK promotional campaign was backed by one of the heaviest advertising campaigns given an opening Although the picture opened in a snowstorm, it drew tremendous business immediately, and when the first week ended last night, the total in the Capitol till was just under $150,000 That's about 20 per cent ahead of the old Capitol mark Yes, indeed, Maurice Bergman's boys at U-I rate cheers for a well done job. Scope ol Gov't Aid Must be Determined (Continued from Page 1) could depend an important part the aid which the State Departmen hopes Congress will authorize*^70? the pix industry and publisher^ .< the answer is that the aid is to b extended only to the extent the in dustries involved are demonstrabl; helping the Government's interna" tional information program, it mighj be necessary to analyze feature prod uct for export picture by picture It is recalled that the Smith-Mund group, in their report, complaine that some American pix going int European theaters are harmful t the objectives of the bill — saying als that some independent producer have been "laggard" in co-operatin with the USIS. Would the State Department ha-\ to determine, on a per picture basi whether it should pay out-of-pocke expenses? If so, would it be muc different from censorship of expor product? Meanwhile, State Department oi ficials are hopeful that within th next two weeks they can go to th Budget Bureau with a detailed stor of how much they want to hel American publishers and producei meet the cost of keeping their proc uct going into European countric without the dollars to pay for i Unless they do have a concrete pre posal before the end of this mont to thrash out with the Budget Bi reau, there is a grave question s to whether there will be time fc Congressional action this year. Just how the program will be st up, and how much money it will ca for, is still not determined, No> Macy of the State Department's O fice of Information and Educatio said yesterday. He was fairly ce: tain, however, that the matter wi be put under the aegis of the OIE. UJEDDinG BELLS Vetsis-Zachardoolis Ann Vetsis, secretary to publicitl manager Leo Brody, Eagle Lie' Films, will be married Sunday 1 Angelo Zachardoolis at the Ho. Trinity Cathedral. Gross-Joliif Detroit— Malcolm S. Joliff, of th. Jam Handy Organization, was i ried recently to Eda Lee Gross. Husband-Lawless Chicago — Leatrice Husband, Paramount's contract departmen was married to James Lawless. « « « J» » » Vickers-Lyles West Coast Bureau of THE FILM DA1L\ Hollywood — Martha Vickers, a tress, and A. C. Lyles, press ager have announced their engagemer No wedding date has been set.