Motion Picture Daily (Jul-Sep 1953)

Wednesday, July 8, 1953 Motion Picture Daily 3 Program for Transition {Continued from page 1) 3-D, and the avoidance of any let-up in film product during the transition period. Hyman, explaining that his recom- mendations were made following talks with producers, distributors and ex- hibitors, warned that unless the indus- try unifies its efforts, business will be "blighted" during the transition. He drew a parallel between the mo- tion picture business today and the phonograph record industry of previ- ous years, when two major phono- graph companies urged the adoption of -two different record systems, the 33V3 rpm and the 45 rpm. Considers Sound Big Problem "Following the confusion in the phonograph and record business," Hy- man continued, "that industry found its business at the lowest ebb with many phonograph and record dealers going out of business. Out of this chaos eventually came a three-speed turntable and the public now takes its choice with the record business now at its peak." Hyman credited the film industry with coming up quickly with a "three-speed turntable" in the form of an all-purpose screen, but added that sound presents a bigger problem. An AB-PT trade press luncheon held here yesterday was also attended by Leonard H. Goldenson, company president, who called upon production- distribution to standardize ^ aspect ratios "within certain areas." Gold- enson maintained that there is not much difference in aspect ratios from 1.66 to 1 to 1.85 to 1 and that stand- ardization in that area should be reached. Other points in Hyman's program were these: The market has been killed for 2-D black-and-white "quick- ies" and this kind of picture should be avoided. Continue to make 3-D pic- tures but improve on the quality and broaden the scope of the subject matter to include sub- jects other than Western and science-fiction topics. Sufficient space at the top and bot- tom of future conventional pictures should be incorporated so that exhib- itors who have wide screens can en- large them to the best adaptable size for their theatres. Sound should not be dubbed in on pictures already made just for the sake of advertising stereophonic sound, but ingenuity should be de- voted to include stereophonic sound as pictures go into production so that all phases of the stereophonic sound system can be utilized, includ- ing auditorium speakers. Above all, do not withhold production until more wide di- mensional pictures are released and then strive desperately to get into production with a re- sulting lapse into the "quickie" type of picture. The advertising and exploitation of each picture should begin when it goes into production and should be kept alive constantly in an in- creasing crescendo until the picture arrives in the theatre, with the re- lease campaign acting as the climax. Regarding the dubbing of sound on pictures already made, Hyman said "the results of this to date have been meaningless, without value and at an exorbitant price to the exhib- itor for the necessary sound equip- ment." On sound standardization, he urged all producers to perfect the de- velopment of a single film strip car- rying "the four necessary sound tracks for stereophonic sound" as quickly as possible. He said this innovation would render the magnetic recorder obsolete. Hyman disclosed that AB-PT is conducting a test with permanent po- larizing glasses, to be returned after a performance, at the Tower Theatre, Philadelphia. Patrons, he said, find the cardboard viewers inadequate. TV Blamed (Continued from page 1) reason for the drop in attendance is television. He said the greatest slunip occurs during the peak television hours, adding that he considered it doubtful whether the present nation- wide weekly attendance of 25,000,- 000 can be maintained. Warter said he was sure that during the next few years there would be an inevitable re- duction in the present number of the- atres. Even ABPC, he said, is plan- ning to close small, uneconomic the- atres which probably would "go to the wall anyway." Warter also condemned sponsored television, stating that "it is not for me to stress the effects, taste and culture which sponsored television possibly can produce, but I must warn that, in addition, the competition of spon- sored television inevitably will have serious consequences in every section of the film industry." Sees Subsidies as Vital The most important segment of Warter's statement concerned gov- ernment subsidies. Despite the gov- ernment's Film Finance Corporation and the Eady levy, ABPC produc- tion is still uneconomic, he said. The Elstree studio has been rebuilt and re-equipped at a cost of £1,250,000, he said, pointing out that ABPC had provided also substantial sums toward the cost of producing British films. "It would be nothing short of tra- gedy," he said, "if, through the lack of government understanding of the pres- ent critical juncture, all this good work would come to an end and the Elstree studios would be forced to close." Warter declined to be drawn into_ a discussion on CinemaScope commit- ments, apparently taking the view that despite the widening of not only the screen but the whole industry's hori- zons, other developments are waiting just around the corner. Despite all this, Warter said that ABPC would still protect its investors with fixed assets of £20,643,843 and reserves and undistributed profits showing an increase of £92,972. Skiatron (Continued from page 1) new TV system in operation favored the subscription method." Feature pictures, supplied _ by four companies, were shown twice daily during the last five days of the dem- onstration. The companies_ cooperat- ing, each of which furnished two features for the free showings, were M-G-M, RKO Radio, Walt Disney Productions and Republic. Levey emphasized in announcing results of the questionnaires that sub- scription television would supplement, not supplant, the type of free TV shows now on the air. He said_ it would simply give an additional choice to the TV set owner by making it possible for him to order and pay for programs which otherwise would not be available. Connecticut Tourney Set The annual outing and golf tour- nament of the Motion Picture The- atre Owners of Connecticut will be held Tuesday, Aug. 18, at the Race- brook Country Club, in Orange, Conn. George H. Wilkinson and Albert M. Pickus are co-chairmen of the com- mittee in charge. New Theatre Video Firm Sets Plans The formation of the "nation's largest closed-circuit theatre television project" was claimed here yesterday by Milton N. Mound, chairman of Box-Ofifice Television, Inc., in an- nouncing a trade press conference for today. The corporation, said Mount, will announce its initial college football program, involving what was said to be some of the foremost teams in the country at today's press conference. In addition, he added, the project also will encompass telecasts of other sports, musical, theatrical and special events. All Bowling Product Will Have Color HOLLYWOOD, July 7.—The en- tire future program of Allan Dowling Productions, Inc., will be shot in color for wide-screen projection. Allan Dowling, who will be executive pro- ducer for all production, disclosed that the company already has "Dono- van's Brain" set for September re- lease through United Artists. Currently in preparation as the next Dowling project is "The Sea Is a Woman." Lewis, Schussel In D.C. for 'Camillo' Bernard Lewis, IFE exploitation manager, and Seymour Schussel, Eastern division manager, are in Washington for the premiere of IFE's "The Little World of Don Camillo" at the Silver Springs, Plaza and Little theatres tomorrow. The pic- ture will be shown in three different languages — English, French and Italian—in simultaneous engagements at the three theatres. The event will mark the opening of the new Silver Springs Theatre of the Roth circuit. Hollywood Hospitable To Foreign Notables HOLLYWOOD, July 7.—One hundred and twenty-eight dig- nitaries, diplomats and govern- mental notables, representing 24 foreign nations, were of- ficial guests of the picture in- dustry here during the first six months of 1953, it was disclosed today by the international com- mittee of the Association of Motion Picture Producers. AB-PT Gross (Continued from page 1) by Leonard H. Goldenson, AB-PT president, in commenting on the growing recognition among produc- tion-distribution firms that quality re- leases should be evenly spaced throughout the year without regard to so-called "off-seasons." The recognition that theatre busi- ness is a 365-day proposition was also strongly advocated by Edward L. Hyman, AB-PT vice-president, in an address at a trade press luncheon. He told of the substantial increase in AB-PT business during May and June as being an indication of results when quality product is released. The next "seasonal step-child," said Hyman, is December and "we would like to urge distributors to follow their May-June gesture with one equally as beneficial, that is to re- lease quality product during De- cember." He publicly thanked several com- panies for their May-June releases. He called for an end of the prac- tice of counting on major holidays to release pictures, and advocated the policy of "there are no seasons in our business." Opinions Cross On CinemaScope Costs Sharp disagreement regarding CinemaScope costs to theatres de- veloped here yesterday in separate statements by Edward L. Hyman, vice-president of American Broadcast- ing-Paramount Theatres, and Al Lichtman, distribution director of 20th Century-Fox. Hyman, at a trade press luncheon, said he referred to the 20th-Fox process when he said that "screens and lenses necessary in the presenta- tion of one of the wide-screen sys- tems are so high in price that they just cannot be afforded by a great many exhibitors." Hyman, in re- sponse to questions, took particular issue witli the $2,875 price tag put on each pair of CinemaScope pro- jector lenses. He claimed that lenses of that type should not cost more than $400 to $500 for a set, basing his claim on talks with iens manu- facturers. Lichtman, when asked for com- ment, declared that "it's one thing to get a quotation on a lens and it's another thing to have it made." Cites Cost of Retooling Lichtman pointed out that 20th-Fox has spent $625,000 alone in payment for retooling at the Bausch and Lomb optical firm, in order to insure an adequate flow of anamorphic Cinema- Scope lenses. He added that in order : to speed up production Bausch and Lomb has gone on a three-shift per day, seven days a week schedule and such a program costs money. In addition, royalties are paid on the process, he stated. Hyman, in response to a question, said that AB-PT has installed all- purpose Walker Screens and plans to install a number of Raytone Screens in a number of situations. Adele Lacey Futter Dies Adele Lacey Futter, 39, wife of Walter A. Futter, producer, died at the weekend in Mexico City. Mrs. Futter was once a film actress.