The Film Daily (1948)

U, I** Production l>lst» 3S 1ifeB% 44tli Street ie^ York, Hew "Sork Sports Head Video Preferences in Minn. Minneapolis — ^Four-fifths of those who have seen television receivers in operation in Minnesota think television is here to stay and believe the programs for the most part ar'e satisfactory, according to a statewide survey by the Minnesota Poll conducted by the Minneapolis Tribune. Nearly three out of every 10 Minnesotans have seen video programs and among the 29 per cent of the adult population who have, more than half of them believe the televised pictures are as good as they bad expected them to be. Forty per cent, however, reported they've been somewhat disappointed in that regard. Regular television programs are available at present only in the Twin Cities area via KSTP (NBC). Only 11 per cent of the rural population of the state had witnessed a video show. Persons in upper income groups were found to be inclined to find the progams of less interest than those in the middle and lower income groups. Sports events topped the type of shows seen (55 per cent), with musical progi-ams and movies and cartoons next (11 and 16 per cent respectively). Motion pictures account for nearly 50 per cent of the allotted time over KSTP. Fifty per cent found programs "interesting," 30 per cent "fairly interesting" and 18 per cent said they were "not very interesting." "Man on Eiffel Tower" into Production Sept. 1 Irving Allen, just back from Paris, reports he has concluded a deal with Sofia Films for production of "The Man on the Eifi'el Tower," which will start shooting Sept. 1 at the Billancourt Studios. Story will be filmed in French and English versions. European distribution will be by the JAR organization. U. S. handling will be set when the film is completed. French financing will amount to $200,000, while the U. S. end is $450,000. Gallic version cast includes Victor Francen, Marcel Dalio, Claude Dauphin. U. S. players include Franchot Tone, Peter Lorre, Jean Wallace, Charles Laughton. Tone, Miss Wallace and the author, Georges Simenon, share in the financing. DEATHS C. R. REAGAN, Chicago 16 mm. dealer, from a heart attack in Paris. EVERETT HAYS, 71, Chicago theater manager, in Sullivan, III. A. B. MORRISON, 77, vet theater and movie manager, formerly with Warners, in Memphis. WILLIAM J. McDonald, 78, theater owner, in Boston. Wednesday, August 4, 194J M (Continued their perspective and allow for greater public service. LAURA BRYANT NIDEVER KASH, Eugene, Ore. A/f/4y HAVE temporary bad effect on box office, but feel that screenhas specific entertainment value not possessed by television. The old idea of community enjoyment, among other things. LOUISE MACE Springfield Daily NewsSunday Republican ♦ VV7ILL HELP the motion picture medium, increase market for films, etc. Will hurt the motion picture theater unless successfully adapted to picture houses. CHET SKREEN Tacoma Times ♦ ITEEN AGERS will still go to the movies — bzit I suspect many adults will stay comfortably home to watch the television screen — instead of hurrying to the theater. However, television is still years away for Chattanooga — so our local theaters need not worry — yet I MIRIAM ROSENBLOUM The Chattanooga NewsFree Press ♦ pOR A WHILE it will have little effect. Television sets will be too expensive for the average movie fan to purchase. If later it is found less and less people come to movie theaters Hollywood will think up some way to make the theaters more attractive. THOLA NETT TABOR ("T.N.T.") Syracuse Post Standard ♦ f^ IVES public a chance to see themselves, without too much Hollywood erstwhile glamour, which is a case of, How fantastic can we get! MAVY MOVGAR CKLW, Detroit TT WILL improve quality of production, but effect the closing of 25 per cent of the theaters in larger comtnunities. Presentation and first run houses will be least affected. GEORGE BOURKE Miany Herald ♦ 'T'ELEVISION undoubtedly will provide entertainment similar to movies for a matter of two or three years. Thereafter, it depends on how well the movie industry adapts itself whether or not it will suffer permanent injury. HERB SMITH Press Telegram, Long Beach, Calif. ♦ 'J'ELEVISION seems bound to hold motion picture patrons at home. However, after the initial shock wears off, the film industry should search out a natural tie-in with the new me from Page 1) dium. Within perhaps a decade, or less, fans should find at their favorite theaters a greater-than-ever program of entertainment, combining television to some degree and an improved product from a motion picture industry stimulated by a very real challenge. STERLING BEMIS Register & Tribune, Des Moines TELEVISION is not likely to do to motion pictures what motion pictures did to vaudeville. In fact, telecasts for some time will more closely resemble vaudeville than they will the movies. Like radio, television will use up enough new material in six months to keep a stage show entertaining different audiences for six years. Production costs and initial outlay will keep television in the red for several years, so in the meantime Hollywood might do a little self analysis — shorten feature pictures, persuade theaters to discontinue double features and get a perspective on the new type of advertising entertainment. ALICE BUCHANAN KSO, Des Moines 'T'HIS opinion is based upon assumption that movie actors and actresses will be used on television just as they are on the radio presently. This will tend to keep the movie people before the fans more. There should be no conflict between the movies and television. There will be a place in the theaters' full-length stories, and these will be impossible on television. WILLIAM WORKMAN Kannapolis, N. Car., The Daily Independent I F MOVIES try to fight television by the usual competitive methods, then television will hurt the movie industry. It is coming, it will be good, eventually, and there is no stopping it. But if the film industry studies television, uses it, as with the movie-televising of the Louis-Walcott fight at the Paramount and Fox theaters, and competes by putting out a better product — which it can do — then television will help the motion picture industry. NORMAN S. NADEL The Columbus Citizen (~^VERCOMING human inertia takes an attraction with far greater appeal than recent motion picture leadership has produced. It is inevitable, as video improves and more circuits are established, that spectators, (drawn from potential motion picture ranks) will remain at home. FLOYD LOGAN Fort Wayne, Ind., The News Sentinel ♦ C^ALSSE producers to make better pictures. HAL HYER KWIL, Albany, Ore. SDG Will Launch Its Own Award Program I West Coast Bureau of THE FILM DAILY Hollywood — In an endeavor to gai greater recognition for directo whose efforts in lower budget filn:|= do not figure in Academvo'fi' jwai' 01 competition, the Screen .^tf|( toilL Guild will launch a plan to 'iVonr members each year whose work considered the most meritorious. A annual, four quarterly and three sp cial tributes will be conferred. Ballotting will start shortly. To winners will be chosen from leadei of the quarterly polls. Any film tht has played the Los Angeles area be tween May 1 and August 1 is elig ble. Three special awards for films nc nominated for above awards also wi be made on the basis of contributior to the film industry in scientific c technological development. The SDG public relations commi tee, headed by George Sidney, hajP charge of the plan. Just what foriii the awards will take has not beei" decided. ' 1> liur lot Ic U. S. Pix Still Supreme At Spanish Box Office tsp w Washington Bureau of THE FILM DAlLlM Washington — United States pi^i continue to maintain their positio; of supremacy in the Spanish pijith market, it was reported this morr ing by Department of Com'merce pi chief Nathan D. Golden. Proportio of the box office accounted for b' the Hollywood product has bee: considerably higher this year tha] the proportion of U. S. releases other releases. For Madrid's top 10 first-ru houses, for instance, Hollywood film accounted for 76.8 per cent of th gross receipts — 11 Hollywood re leases, compared with three Spanisl 'f one Argentine, one French, tw German, one British and one Mex can. For the 22 weeks of this yea .52 of the 84 releases in those tht aters have been of Hollywood origi accounting for 78.2 per cent of th gross "Sydenham Plan" Completed "The Sydenham Plan," a one ree documentary film, has just been conpleted by Julian Roffman, who d: rected and produced. Narrated b Jose Ferrer, the film script is b Bei-n Kerner. Harry Alpert photc III graphed. World Today, Inc. is hai dling distribution arrangements DEUl POSTS s RICHARD STEWART, assistont, Avon, Prov dence. RAYMOND CAINE to manager, Cranston Aul Theater, Cranston, R. I. BIERNEY FELD, from manager of the Jersc Theater, Morristown, to Walter Reade Asbury Park Theaters to manage the Lyr and to assist in other theater activitie JACK RAYMORE, from student manager at i) Community Theater, Morristown, to mar age the Jersey Theater. Pf