Motion Picture Herald (Jan-Mar 1954)

NORWALK CITIZENS REOPEN THEATRE CLOSED 3 YEARS Reopening of the Norwalk theatre, Norwalk, Conn., was a local event of importance and also attracted some national comment, as an indication of community interest in the theatre as an institution. Citizens from all types of endeavor, and in some instances representing business interests determined to maintain and improve local property standards, worked on the project voluntarily. The house had been dark three years. In reopening it, Norman Bialek, manager, had the help not only of citizens but also of the Motion Picture Association of America, and MGM, which was pleased to have the Connecticut premiere of "Easy to Two Buffalo Actions Postponed by Court BUFFALO : The suit of the Martina Corp., of Albion, N. Y., against 14 distributors and exhibitors and three individuals, again has been postponed, this time to January 18. The corporation seeks treble damages against the defendants, charging they are acting in restraint of trade. The postponement was agreed to by Judge John Knight, Love" in the "new" house. Hollywood personalities who graced the evening, Saturday, December 26, were director Robert Rossen and Paramount star Pat Crowley. Many of the best known citizens and officials of Norwalk also turned out. In the top picture, above, some of the planners are shown. They are Howard Hall, of the local lighting company; Mr. Bialek; Dr. Harry H. Heffernan, dentist, a mainspring of citizen cooperation; Abner Sibal, attorney, and Phillip Young, banker. Below, on the "reopening night", Mr. Bialek, at the right, is shown with some guests: Robert C. Spodick, Philip Gravitz and Leonard Sampson, MGM, and Mr. Rossen. in Buffalo Federal Court. The Schine Circuit divestiture hearing, which has been scheduled for trial before Judge Knight, also has again been postponed to January 25. Percy R. Doe Dies ARCADIA. NEB.: Percy E. Doe, 74, owner of the Arcadia theatre for nearly 30 years before his retirement several years ago, died here December 27 after a long illness. Survivors are his widow and a son. A LIVELY YEAR (Continued from preceding page ) stride, converting first to two-projector 3-D, thence to CinemaScope and stereophonic sound, and even finding time for an increasing number of theatre TV programs. All hope of arbitration was pretty well scuttled for the year when Allied in January turned down the distributors’ draft at the association’s Chicago convention. Senate Small Business Committee hearings on trade practices recessed in the summer, having and later recommended arbitration. Grainger Became Head Of RKO Pictures 1 he corporation news was made by James R. Grainger, who in February became president of RKO Pictures, following Howard Hughes’ reassumption of the company’s stock sold earlier to a phalanx working out of Chicago. Also in February, the Federal Communications Commission approved the merger of the American Broadcasting Company and United Paramount Theatres, which became American Broadcasting-Paramount Theatres under the leadership of the industry’s own Leonard Goldenson. The following month Warner Brothers Pictures and the company’s theatre interests were divorced, with the brothers’ 24 per cent stock interest in the latter firm going to S. H. Fabian of Fabian Enterprises for an undisclosed price. Four months later, in July, the thriving new theatre company took over all exhibition and production rights for Cinerama. By the end of the year a second Cinerama feature was in production and the original program had been opened — and was still playing — in Detroit, Los Angeles, Chicago, Boston, Philadelphia, Washington and Pittsburgh. The year-end saw another spectacular reaffirmation of faith in the industry when a group headed by Albert List and David J. Greene bought up Howard Hughes’ 929,020 shares in RKO Theatres Corporation, controlling some 90 theatres. The purchase, consummated in the second week of November, involved upwards of $3,370,000 in cash and the transfer of a large block of RKO pictures’ stock for theatre company shares. Color TV and Telemeter Coming Up in 1954 While the year came to an end with new techniques bursting out all over the nation’s screens, exhibitors were keeping their eyes on new competitive forces scheduled to play an increasing part in the entertainment scheme of things in 1954: color television and pay-as-you-go TV. There seemed to be no immediate fear that color TV, a compatible system which had been approved by the Federal Communications Commission in December, would comprise any new or particularly stiff competition. It still is mighty expensive, for small sized screens, in limited quantities of production. Pay-as-you-go TV was demonstrated in Palm Springs by Paramount’s Telemeter Corporation. Results and reactions were being studied by all concerned. 26 MOTION PICTURE HERALD, JANUARY 2, 1954