Motion Picture Herald (Nov-Dec 1948)

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Italians Films in English Seen by Minerva Head Antonio Mosco, Italian producer, coowner of Minerva Pictures, one of Italy's largest producers, this week is envisioning Italian pictures in the English language, using American actors, and using stories which would appeal not only to all Europeans, but especially to Americans. Mr. Mosco, in New York on a three-week visit, has been struck by the success of Italian films, such as "Open City," in this country. So struck is he that he is deferring plans for more production while he studies the American market. In the New York office of Superfilm, his distributor, he said he had as his objectives the enlistment of American producers, in partnerships and the enlistment of American actors and story acquisitions. Italy now is producing the best pictures for discriminating movie-goers, Mr. Mosco believes. So good are the pictures now that they are favorites in France, long the home of original and artistic product. Like other national producers, Mr. Mosco faces the problem of shrinking foreign markets, and so is attempting to please the great open market, the United States. Like other producers, he is unable to obtain profits from his country alone, although Italy has 7,000 houses. "Norway, England, France, South America — in all these places one finds financial restrictions nowadays. Our own country is not enough. Our pictures are more popular in the United States daily, and I think all our effort should be devoted to producing multi-lingual pictures," he said. Mr. Mosco brought with him prints of "Chartreuse de Parma," "Rigoletto," and "Eugenie Grandet," the last picture made in Italy with Alida Valli, David O. Selznick's new star. Minerva produced seven pictures last year. Costs for production in Italy would run about one half costs here, he estimated. Production, if done in cooperation with Minerva, would be in the modern Scalera and Cinecitta studios. Call Portuguese Controls "Mild and Satisfactory" Washington Bureau The Commerce Department indicated last week that Portuguese restrictions on dollars for U. S. films were "mild and must be considered very satisfactory." A report by film chief Nathan Golden declared that film distributors have been allowed to remit in 1948 the same amount of dollars remitted in 1947, and pointed out that 1947 was "an excellent year for distributors of U. S. films." A total of $600,000 has been allocated— $534,000 for remittances of rentals and $66,000 for raw stock purchases. The report said that there are three Box Office Champions for The Month of October The Box Office Champions are selected key city theatres throughout the country. APARTMENT FOR PEGGY (Twentieth Century Fox) Produced by William Perlberg. Directed and written for the screen by George Seaton. From a story by Faith Baldwin. Photographed in Technicolor. Cast: Jeanne Crain, William Holden, Edmund Gwenn, Gene Lockhart, Griff Barnett, Randy Stuart, Marion Marshall, Pati Behrs, Henri Letondal. on the basis of their gross revenue at RACHEL AND THE STRANGER (RKO Radio) Produced by Richard H. Berger. Directed by Norman Foster. Screenplay by Waldo Salt. From the story by Howard Fast. Cast: Loretta Young, William Holden, Robert Mitchum, Gary Gray, Tom Tully, Sara Haden, Frank Ferguson, Walter Baldwin, Regina Wallace. JOHNNY BELINDA (Warner Brothers) Produced by Jerry Wald. Directed by Jean Negulesco. Screenplay by Irmgard Von Cube and Allen Vincent. From the stage play by Elmer Harris. Cast: Jane Wyman, Lew Ayres, Jan Sterling, Charles Bickford, Agnes Moorehead, Stephen McNally, Ida Moore, Dan Seymour, Mabel Paige. THE LOVES OF CARMEN ( Columbia ) Produced and directed by Charles Vidor for the Beckworth Corporation. Screenplay by Helen Deutsch from the story, "Carmen", by Prosper Merimee. Photographed in Technicolor. Cast: Rita Hayworth, Glenn Ford, Ron Randell, Victor Jory, Luther Adler, Arnold Moss. ROPE (Warner Brothers) A Transatlantic Pictures production. Directed by Alfred Hitchcock. Screenplay by Arthur Laurente. From the stage play by Patrick Hamilton. Photographed in Technicolor. Cast: James Stewart, William Hogan, John Dall, Farley Granger, Edith Evanson, Douglas Dick. SORRY, WRONG NUMBER (Paramount) A Hal Wallis production, produced by Hal Wallis and Anatole Litvak. Directed by Mr. Litvak. Screenplay by Lucille Fletcher who also wrote the radio play. Cast: Barbara Stanwyck, Burt Lancaster, Ann Richards, Wendell Corey, Harold Vermilyea, Ed. Begley, Leif Erickson, William Conrad. films now in production in Portuguese studios, one in cooperation with Brazilian film interests. It declared that a new J. Arthur Rank theatre, due to be opened in the fall of 1949, will offer "serious competition" to U. S. distributors, since it will be the newest and most modern theatre in Lisbon and will show only British films. RKO Sends 16mm Films to Mexico and Argentina RKO has entered the 16mm distribution field in Mexico and Argentina, it was learned last week. Thirty pictures have been selected by both of these countries. In Mexico, RKO has decided to go along with the ad valorem tax imposed by that country. In Argentina, remittances will be handled as part of the complicated over-all picture. Building Illinois Drive-In Edward Fleming, operator of the Lincoln Field Racetrack at Crete, 111., is building a 1,000-car drive-in on that site. To be completed by spring, the project will also have a dance pavilion, ice rink, restaurant and playground. Swiss Exhibitors Fight Proposed Music Tax The Swiss Cinema Association is enlisting the aid of exhibitor organizations in the United States in an effort to combat the proposed 2Yz per cent gross levy which the Swiss composers' society, SUISA, is attempting to impose on theatres. The Swiss theatres estimate that if this levy is imposed as a music fee the composers' society will get about 2,000,000 francs annually. Under the present agreement, which expires December 31, the 400 Swiss film theatres, members of the Swiss Cinema Association, pay SUISA a lump sum of 220,000 francs annually. Monogram Stockholders To Meet November 10 Monogram stockholders will meet on the Coast November 10, Steve Broidy, president, has announced in Hollywood. This meeting will be followed by separate meetings November 11-12 of the board of directors and then franchise holders. The principal subject on the agenda of the stockholders' meeting is the election of a board of directors. MOTION PICTURE HERALD, NOVEMBER 6, 1948 23